Diane Chamberlain's books

Many of my book-loving friends adore Diane Chamberlain's novels.

She's been writing for years, but it was when The Lost Daughter was published here in the UK that she really became popular.  Her writing is constantly compared to Jodi Picoult, in a way I can see why, they both write about families, relationships and moral issues, but I do feel that Jodi Picoult has the edge.  To be honest, I'd rather not compare them or group them together - I feel that they have quite different and separate writing styles.

So today I finished Diane Chamberlain's latest UK release; The Midwife's Confession.

I have an uncorrected proof copy and it has a plain front cover, the inside of the covers are plastered with quotes from reviewers and I was really surprised to see one of my own reviews quoted, just inside the front cover.

It's taken from my Amazon review of Breaking The Silence, I felt very honoured that my review was chosen to be quoted.  Mine is the second quote in the picture.

I really enjoyed The Midwife's Confession, although I did struggle with what felt like a huge cast of characters at the beginning.  Each chapter is narrated by one of the characters and it took me a while to remember just who was who, the two main narrators; Emerson and Tara are really quite similar people.

The story deals with many difficult and quite sensitive issues, not least the suicide of Emerson and Tara's good friend Noelle.   The three of them were like sisters and Noelle's decision was a massive shock to them.  It is only as they start to clear Noelle's belongings that they uncover her secrets and discover her secret life - they realise then that they didn't know her as well as they had thought.   The story goes back and forth; the past outlines Noelle's story and the present deals with the fallout from her suicide.

This is a very cleverly written story and although I found it slow going at the beginning, it soon increases in pace with twists and turns in almost every chapter.
All in all, this is a good read, dealing very well with many issues, although there were a couple of parts of Noelle's story that for me, seemed unnecessary, they didn't fit well into the story and were left unexplored.

Some excellent characters, not least the two daughters; Grace and Jenny.

Diane Chamberlain fans are going to love this book.

The Mistress's Revenge by Tamar Cohen

This week I received a copy of a debut novel by Tamar Cohen called The Mistress's Revenge.  This was sent to me by Waterstone's, I've been reviewing books for Waterstone's for some time and I'm one of their 'Top Ten Contributor' reviewers now.  I review for them under my own name, and don't receive any payment for my reviews.

So, back to The Mistress's Revenge.  Tamar Cohen is a freelance journalist who has been writing for over 20 years and has had her work published in The Times, The Telegraph and Marie Claire, amongst others.  I've noticed lately that more and more journalists are publishing fiction these days.


With a title like The Mistress's Revenge, I really wasn't sure what to expect - the title reminds me of the pile of Mills and Boons that my Mum would have stacked by her bed when I was growing up.  Please, don't be put off by the title!!  This is as far away from mushy romance as you can get.

The story is narrated by Sally - it's a rambling narrative and she is speaking directly to Clive, her ex-lover.  Sally and Clive have been having an affair for five years, he's married and a TV presenter, she lives with her long-term partner Daniel and their two children.  

At first I found the style and the content very difficult to get into, I just couldn't connect with Sally at all and just got annoyed by her incessant pestering of Clive, her obsession with him and her neglect of her family.  Gradually though I felt myself being pulled into her life and by the middle of the book I was hooked and just couldn't stop reading.

Sally's whole life begins to fall apart around her, she watches Clive and his family via the Internet, friending his wife and daughter on Facebook and 'accidentally' bumping into his son.  There is an air of desperation around Sally - she can't see a life without Clive and can't understand why he no longer wants anything to do with her - didn't he tell her he loved her?  Didn't they spend many many hours in nondescript hotel rooms? 

As Sally becomes more obsessed with Clive, she spends less and less time caring for her family, her children are abandoned, her partner has no idea what is happening to her, her work dries up and she becomes more and more dependent on tablets just to get her through each day.

Sally watches Clive and his wife Susan renew their wedding vows, she manages to get an invitation to his daughter's baby shower, she just can't stay away from them.

This is an extraordinary novel, unique in style and a compelling read - Sally and Clive are both pretty obnoxious characters at times, but even so I needed to know how this sad and sordid relationship was going to end.  And it's the end of the novel that bring that 'jaw-dropping' moment - just when you think you've worked it all out, it all turns upside down - shocking and unexpected and a fabulous finale.

Tamar Cohen has produced a quirky, original novel and I'm hoping that this is just the start of a successful career as a fiction author for her.

Charity Clothing Collectors - bogus??

I'm a bit of a charity shop addict and have been for years now.  I've had some tremendous bargains over the years, and can't resist popping in to see what treasures may be there to tempt me.

Over the past few years charity shops seem to have become quite trendy, with some of them having makeovers - wooden floors, good lighting and designer sections.  I also donate to charity shops.  Anything that can be re-used and donated is popped into the black bin bag that sits on my landing and when it's full I take it into town and usually donate to the Age UK shop in Gainsborough.

I work for a charity too and it's my job to help new community groups to develop; I offer funding advice, write constitutions and train volunteers - so all in all, it's sort of a way of life for me.
I've noticed over the last year or so an increase in charity clothing collection bags being pushed through my letter box and have received 6 over the last fortnight alone.  I'm very suspicious of these bags, none of the names are familiar to me and I know that there has been parliamentary debate regarding bogus charity collections.

It seems that some bogus collections are imitating well-known charities with their logo and their bags yet have no actual links with the charity that they seem to represent.

It's estimated that these bogus collectors are costing the sector around £2.5m per year, although this is a very conservative estimate, it's probably much more.

So my advice to anyone is, if you want to donate your unwanted items to charity, then take them along, in person to your local shop.  Some shops will collect from your home if you have large items or alot - give your local shop a ring - they are always grateful for any donations.

Sing You Home ~ Jodi Picoult

I've been to sunny Skegness today with my friend Caroline.

We got tickets to hear author Jodi Picoult talk about her new book Sing You Home.    

Today was the third time that we've been to see Jodi, the first was in Harrogate when her novel Nineteen Minutes was published and we saw her again last year during the Lincoln Book Festival.  
Today's event was made more special as Jodi was joined onstage by her friend Ellen Wilber who is a beautifully talented singer.   Ellen has recorded the songs for the CD that goes alongside Sing You Home.

As always, Jodi was a joy to listen to.  She is open and honest and a very compassionate woman.  Her novels deal with up to the minute issues, and always have a twist - something that I particularly enjoy as I sometimes like to make my own mind up about the ending of a story.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of Sing You Home a couple of months ago, here are my thoughts:

Oh my!  Another absolutely compelling read and most definitely one of her very best.   There has been some online criticism that Jodi Picoult writes to a formula, I'm not sure that is completely true, but agree that her novels are always about social issues, family drama and relationships.  Yes, once again, the story is narrated individually by the main characters, but as always, it really does work.  What better way to see all sides of the same story?  If this is formula - then it works for me as a fan, and certainly works for Ms Picoult as an author - why change something that certainly isn't broken.

It's also a shame that her books are labelled as 'courtroom dramas' when they are so much more than that.   Her books deal with real, social, topical issues, with real families and people dealing with real life and not just the legalities and court procedures.  Although there is no doubt that she does write the court-room episodes very well indeed.

So, back to Sing You Home; there are so many different issues dealt with in this novel, at first I wondered if it was too many, but as the story is told and the plot unfolds each issue knits together perfectly and only adds to the drama and to the plot.

Zoe, the music therapist, and desperate to be a Mother married to Max the reformed drinker and bit of a beach bum - both ordinary, everyday people whose lives have been changed by the fact that they can't naturally conceive.  The impact of their loss on their marriage and where they turn for help influences the rest of the story.  It's difficult to say too much without giving away the plotline, but homosexuality and religion play a large part in the story.

There were times I had to close the book and take a deep breath to control my anger.  The outrage I felt towards some of the characters was enormous - that a fictional story and made-up characters can provoke such emotion says a lot for the quality of the writing.  

Picoult fans will not be disappointed with this.

Bad Signs by R J Ellory

Crime fiction has never been my first-choice genre, although I do really enjoy it - I always seem to have some other book that I pick up first.

However,  ever since I first read A Quiet Belief in Angels by Roger Ellory, I have been hooked on his work and since then I've read all of his books.   I eagerly await each new novel that he releases, then devour it as soon as I get my hands on it.  
So far, I've never been disappointed.  I was lucky enough to get my hands on an uncorrected proof copy of his latest novel Bad Signs which is due to be published on 23 June 2011 and have had my nose firmly stuck in it for the past few days.

I've also been lucky enough to meet Roger on quite a few occasions and to hear him speak about his work is a joy.  He is a fabulous speaker, with some fantastic tales to tell, not just about his books and his writing career, but also lots of stuff about his travels in America, his life and what has influenced him.  If you ever get to chance to go along to one of his talks, I'd really advise you get a ticket.

One of the most exciting things I ever took part in was Antony Gormley's project - One And Other.  This was Gormley's commission for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London.  It took place for 100 days from July to October 2009 - 2400 people stood on the Plinth for one hour each.  I was delighted to be chosen and Roger was good enough to let me take a copy of his novel The Anniversary Man to read whilst I was on the plinth.  My spot was 7am on 22 August 2009, it was a beautiful sunny day and I loved every minute of it.

So back to my thoughts on Roger's latest book - Bad Signs:

Bad Signs is set in the 1960s, in Texas in the USA and takes place during one week - only seven days, but an exhausting seven days, for the characters and for the reader.   Elliot and Clarence are two half-brothers, better known as Digger and Clay, they were orphaned at an early age and have spent their time in 'juvy'.

Life has not been good for them - were they born under a 'bad sign', will the dark star that has followed them through life always make life this bad?    It certainly seems that way when they are taken hostage by a convicted murderer, Earl Sheridan - a mad, bad man with nothing to lose and who lets nothing get in his way.

And so follows a fast-paced story, as the fugitives set off across Texas, in the hope of finding their own Eldorado.
 
Earl Sheridan is possibly one of the meanest, psychopathic individuals that I have ever read about and it is these traits that are welcomed by one of the brothers.  Not for him, the horror of murder and torture and totally meaningless death, instead it sparks something inside him that reveals the darkness within and soon he too starts to cause his own kind of havoc - leaving a shocking trail of misery and in his wake.

The other brother finds himself caught up in a chase that he doesn't understand and is not really aware of whilst finding his first real friend of his life.

There were times when I just had to stop reading.  As much as I was desperate to know which way the story was going to turn next, the full-on details of some horrific murders, the sense of horror and the shock of some of the decisions made by the characters almost took away my breath, and stopping for breath was all I could do.

There are some scenes in Bad Signs that shock, yet none of them are unnecessary to the story, and despite the horror they just add more depth to the story.   This is no ordinary crime novel, this is a story of the evil that is hidden away inside some human beings and the depths that some people will go.  The characters are flawed inside but brilliantly portrayed.  The small-town image, the sleepy countryside, awoken by the terror that comes amongst them, and the unrelenting sense of not really knowing if justice will be done makes this another thrilling read from Ellory.

Who knows just where he will go to next?

Newbooks Magazine

The latest copy of Newbooks Magazine popped through the letter box today.   I've been a subscriber of Newbooks now for around three or four years and I get quite ridiculously excited by it's appearance on the door mat.   It's a great magazine, always full of bookish titbits, great reviews, author interviews and just general book wonderment.   An added bonus is the free books.  Each month there is a selection of recommended books - with extracts in the magazine, all of these books are available through the magazine free of charge (you do pay a small postage charge though).  

I often review books for the magazine and this month they have published my review of Anna Stothard's The Pink Hotel, which I reviewed for them a few months ago.

Anyone who loves books and reading, and loves reading about books, especially if you are a member of a book group should subscribe to Newbooks Magazine - just visit their website for a taster.

Graze Box - try one for free.

I used to get nibble boxes from Graze, but haven't had any for over a year - this week I decided to start again.
My first Graze box arrived today, I've had them delivered to the office so that I can now choose some nice healthy snacking, instead of the usual crisps and chocolate biscuits that have been my choice of late.

It was quite exciting to unwrap the box, not knowing what was inside, and I was really pleased with the selection that they sent to me - natural vanilla seeds, orange and ginger flapjacks, the firecracker and fruit and nut case - all wrapped really well and all delicious.
Graze nibble boxes are really good value - £3.49 per box and that includes first class delivery.  You are given the opportunity to rate each product, so if you are not keen on a certain item, you can make sure that they don't send it again.  You can rate the whole range of items and let them know which things you 'love' or 'like' or which things you don't want them to send.


It really is very simple to arrange, let them know when you'd like them to deliver and the boxes will arrrive, weekly, fortnightly or just the occasional treat.


If you'd like to try a Graze box for yourself - free of charge, please use my code NLHZD6W.


You can order your free box, using my code here


Enjoy!!