I wrote previously about the press coverage of John Lewis' updated version of Make do and mend, and I'm not delighted to say that I managed to pick up a copy when I was in my local store recently. I was delighted to find that they are selling copies for just £3 each. Admittedly it's only a small book, but one packed full of valuable tips and hints and in my opinion would make an excellent stocking filler at Christmas for anyone who is keen to save a few pennies. The book starts with some traditional "home truths"; those handy little hints about how to solve household ... read more
Wogan’s Twelve – Terry Wogan
Terry Wogan's a bit like marmite really: people either love him or hate him. If you're in the latter category then to be honest there's probably no point in reading Wogan's Twelve as you'll probably dislike it as much as the man himself. However, if you're someone who looks forward to turning Radio 2 on at 7.30am on a weekday morning then you're in for a treat!Written in a diary style this book gives a year long insight into Terry's life. Not only do we hear about the radio shows and his interactions with his beloved TOGs, but also the books ... read more
Clean Break – Val McDermid
Years ago I read most of Val McDermid's books (well all the ones that had been published at that time) and completely loved them. I was therefore thrilled when a bag of books my mum passed on to me included Clean Break. It was a while since I'd read any of Val's books and although I think I must have read this before I still loved it!Kate Brannigan is the main character in Clean Break, as well as a number of Val's other books. Kate is a private detective, working in Manchester and taking on all kinds of jobs that come her way. In this particular book Kate is ... read more
King of the Castle – Susan Hill
This was the first Susan Hill book that I had read and I have to say that I wasn't initially all that impressed by it. I'm the King of the Castle follows the story of two boys (Edmund Hooper and Charles Kingshaw) who are brought together when Hooper's father employs Kingshaw's widow mother in their large country house.Hooper takes an instant dislike to Kingshaw and goes out of his way to make it clear to the boy that he is not at all welcome in what Hooper consider to be his home. Hooper quite simply makes his life sheer hell. The book does bring ... read more
Housewife, 49
A day off work sick gave me the opportunity to pamper myself and catch up with a few things off our magic TV box. Quite a few people I know are currently enjoying Nella Last's War and it reminded me that I had the TV adaptation, Housewife 49, which I still hadn't got round to watching. I had thoroughly enjoyed both Nella Last's War and Nella Last's Peace, so I was a tad worried that the film version would not live up to how I had pictured everything in my head. I shouldn't have worried though as Victoria Wood had done a fantastic job with the script and playing ... read more
The Divide – Nicholas Evans
When I received the latest pile of books from my mother in law, S, I was pretty sure that I recognised the name Nicholas Evans but it took me quite a while to place exactly why I knew it. It's quite a few years since I read his first novel, The Horse Whisperer, but I do clearly recall that it was one of those books that everyone at school was desperate to read. Since then I have to admit that I've not see anything else he's written, until now. The back cover and first chapter of The Divide made me think that I was going to be reading a ... read more
The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
By the time I reached central London on the train yesterday morning I felt so hungry! The culprit being an impulse purchase in the garden centre on Sunday of The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. One of my work colleague J has being going on about this cookbook for ages, mainly as his two young daughters keep feeding him with various things that they'e been baking from it.I've not had the opportunity to actually bake anything from it yet, but I did manage to read it cover to cover on the train and the photos make it all look so yummy! The Hummingbird Bakery specialises in ... read more
Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
When I look back I'm sometimes amazed at how few of the "classics" I actually read whilst I was at school. I'm certainly trying to make up for that now though and make an effort to pick up such books when ever I see them going cheap in charity shops. They're not all the easiest reads, but I do feel a sense of achievement when finishing them and also feel that my reading repertoire is expanding and maturing.One book that I am somewhat amazed that slipped through the net is George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. When you think about how many things from this book have ... read more
The Subterranean Railway – Christian Wolmar
With everything else that's been going on recently reading (like blogging) has been taking a bit of a back seat. I'm starting to catch up a bit now on the reading front though - so book reviews will shortly return! Working in London the underground forms quite a major part of my life without me really realising it. Without the tube I'd struggle to get to the office everyday, or to get home at the end of the working day. I'd also not be able to quickly whizz underneath the city to go and meet friends of an evening, or to get to work meetings in other parts of the capital. Apart ... read more
Queen Camilla – Sue Townsend
I realise that this is unlikely to ever be classed as a high-brow book choice, but I was delighted when I saw a copy of Queen Camilla in the local charity shop a few weeks back. The Queen and I, also by Sue Townsend, is one of my favourite books of all time and this is very much in the same vein.Quite simply, the Royal Family is living in the FEZ, or it give it its full title the Flowers Exclusion Zone. ... read more