My 2016 Book Reading Statistics

From 1 January to 31 December 2016 I have read 62 books.  

The shortest book was Freaks by Tess Gerritsen which was just a very short story of 32 pages. 

The longest book was The Decision by Penny Vincenzi which was 757 pages. 

I have read a total of 23,072 pages over the year.  

Tomorrow I will begin my first book of 2017! 

The Clothes They Stood Up In by Alan Bennett

Maurice and Rosemary Ransome spend a night out at the opera watching Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte. When they arrive home their flat has been burgled.  Absolutely everything has been taken, including the carpets, curtains and light fittings.  

Over the next few days Rosemary dashes around buying some essential items whilst they wait for the insurance claim to be processed.  After the initial shock of the burglary Rosemary begins to feel liberated by being unencombered by years worth of objects and household items which they have kept for the 32 years of their marriage but do not actually need or use.  She begins to visit local shops she would never before have considered using to buy a few pieces of furniture and even tries out some exotic fruit and vegetables from the local Asian grocery shop - but tells Maurice they are from Marks and Spencer so that he will eat them and give his approval.  Maurice just wants to have a new state of the art hifi system on which to play Mozart.  

This is a short story by Alan Bennet which tells a lot about the relationship between Maurice and Rosemary.  

I bought this book a few years ago in a small box set of three stories as I wanted to re-read 'The Lady in the Van' and could not find it as a story on its own, only in the form of a play.  It is the story version in this set.  The third book in the set is 'Father! Father! Burning Bright' which I have not yet read.  These are the only Alan Bennett stories I have read, but I have enjoyed numerous of his Talking Heads plays.  I have also seen The Lady in the Van on stage and also more recently the film which was produced last year.  

A Winter Flame by Millie Johnson

Five years ago Jonathan, the fiance of Eve Douglas, was killed in a bombing whilst on duty in Helmand Province at Christmas.  Even before this, Eve had not experienced very many happy Christmases as a child.  Eve has struggled to let go of Jonathan and move on with her life.  She does not like Christmas! 

Eve's dotty old Aunt Eveline dies and in her will she leaves to Eve half of a Christmas theme park which she is, unbeknown to Eve, in the process of building.  The other half of the park has been left to an unknown man by the name of Jacques Glace.  The will specifies that they must run the park together.  Eve is very suspicious of Jacques.  Who is he?  How did he know her aunt?  Is he the con-man mentioned in the local newspaper who targets elderly people for their money?  Eve is determined to find out but in the meantime they have only a few weeks to finish the rest of the planned work on the theme park and get it opened before Christmas.  

This is definitely a Christmas story which really is full of everything we associate with Christmas! 

I have also read 'An Autumn Crush', 'The Teashop on the Corner' and 'Ladies who Launch' and have 'Afternoon Tea at the sunflower Cafe' on my bookshelf. 

The Magic of Christmas by Trisha Ashley

The story begins in mid-August and then works up to Christmas.  Lizzy Pharamond lives in Perseverance Cottage in the grounds of her husband's family estate.  Lizzy is married to the philandering Tom who regularly disappears for days at a time.  The relationship between Lizzy and Tom is getting worse and worse.  Lizzy is waiting until their son Jasper goes to University in the Autumn and then she plans to leave Tom and find somewhere else to live.  This could be a problem as Lizzy lives a very self sufficient lifestyle, she grows all her own fruit and vegetables, keeps chickens and her only form of income, other than bartering her goods, is 'The Perseverance Chronicles' which she writes.  These contain funny things which happen around the cottage, and recipes for some of her creations with the food she grows.  They are published into books from time to time, but don't earn her a lot of money. 

Following an accident Lizzy suddenly finds herself widowed.  A number of women then come forward to claim that they were the love of Tom's life and Lizzy becomes the focus of some male attention around the village and is also the target of some vicious actions.   

Lizzy, as a member of the Christmas Pudding Circle, is busy creating seasonal recipes and cooking up her share of the required items for the annual senior citizen Christmas hampers.  There is also an annual Boxing Day Mystery Play to rehearse and cooking of preserves and pies to be entered into the annual Village Show, for which this year Lizzy has some serious competition from Tom's cousin Nick.  

There are a couple of recipes given at the end of the book. 

I enjoy Trisha Ashley books, there is usually a bit of gentle romance blossoming within the stories.  I have also read 'Twelve Days of Christmas', 'A Winter's Tale', 'Chocolate Wishes' and 'Sowing Secrets' and have 'Wish Upon a Star', 'Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues' and 'Good Husband Material' on my bookshelf.  

Coming Home for Christmas by Julia Williams

The story starts at Christmas then takes us through the ups and downs of the lives of three couples, who all live in a village named Hope Christmas, over a whole year.  

There are Cat Tinsall, tv chef, and her husband Noel who are struggling with an ever growing family as one of their teenage daughters has become a single parent and Noel's mother has a fall and become increasing frail. 

Pippa and Dan Holliday have recently separated.  Dan has moved out of their family farm, but continues to work there on a daily basis.  Following a fall from a tree Dan has sustained some permanent brain damage and doesn't think it is fair for Pippa to have to deal with his mood swings.

Marianne and Gabriel North, also farmers, suddenly find themselves looking after Gabriel's ex-wife Eve when she is discharged from hospital following a mental breakdown.  

Whilst the three couples are all struggling with their families and work, they also get involved in a campaign to try to stop a developer from building a large hotel and leisure complex within the village.  This is to be situated next to Gabriel's farm and across the road from Pippa's farm.  The developers are offering the struggling farmers a large amount of money for the acquisition of additional pieces of their land.  

The book does start and end at Christmas but isn't entirely a Christmas story as it is separated out into the activities which take place during each month of the year.  There are also a few flashbacks to previous years. 

I have also read the short story 'A Hope Christmas Love Story' which involves Cat Tinsall's family and particularly her daughter Mel.  

The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown

On May the fourth Sybil Bloom is stood up at the alter by Luke her Stars Wars fanatic husband to be.  Luke fails to show for the wedding and runs off with Sasha, Sybil's twin sister.  Sybil, known as Sybs to her friends, is heartbroken and turns to her passion for knitting for comfort.  A few months on and Sybs is still struggling to concentrate at work, and when she reads a story in the local paper about an error made with a housing payment at the local council which is being investigated, she panics as this error could have been made by her.  

Sybs decides to get away for a few days and visit her friend Cher who has taken over as landlady at The Duck and Puddle Pub in Tindledale.  Sybs hastily packs a bag and, along with her scotty dog Basil, gets a train to Tindledale.  Things then don't go according to plan as Cher is away on a course but all the villagers of Tindledale are very friendly and immediately word goes round and everyone knows who she is and offers help and friendship.  Sybs visits 'Hettie's House of Haberdashery' which would have been the shop she has always dreamed of running, had it not been so very old fashioned.  Hettie is struggling to cope with the shop and is being pressured by her nasty nephew into selling up as he wants to develop the land into new housing.  Sybs and Hettie strike up an immediate friendship and work together on Sybs project to knit a Christmas jumper in just a few days. 

Sybs helps Hettie to re-arrange the shop and, together with some of the local villagers, they start a 'knit and natter' group and come up with ideas to help Hettie to save the shop.  

This is a lovely story of Sybs getting over her heartbreak, finding new friends and helping Hettie with whom she shares a passion for knitting and other crafts. 

There is a Christmas pudding knitting pattern at the end of the book.  

I have also read 'Cupcakes at Carrington's' by the same author. 

Angels at the Table by Debbie Macomber

The story begins with three Prayer Ambassador angels - Mercy, Goodness and Shirley - taking Will, their apprentice angel, on an unauthorised trip to earth, to Time Square in New York, on New Year's Eve.  Only God can hear peoples prayers.  He talks them over with Gabriel who then assigns requests to the Prayer Ambassadors.  Their role is to help people to realise what they can do for themselves but they are not allowed to interfere with peoples lives.  People must be able to make their own decisions.  Whilst on this unauthorised trip, Will does interfere and causes Lucie Ferrara and Aren Fairchild to meet.  

Lucie and Aren get along really well but then fate intervenes and they loose contact with each other.  Moving on almost a year, to the time when they should really have first met, Gabriel sends his troop of angels back to earth to watch over Lucie and Aren and to ensure that nothing goes wrong and a prayer send to God months before by Lucie's mum Wendy, can be answered.  

Lucie and Aren are initially really pleased to meet up with each other again but unfortunately the angels can not help but interfere again and they make matters worse.  They then need to try to right the situation to get Lucie and Aren back on the track of their original fate.  

Whilst reading chapter one I was not really sure if I would enjoy this book as it seems strange to read a story from an angel's point of view.  By chapter two when Lucie and Aren have met, and our feet are firmly back on the ground, I got into the story and enjoyed the rest of the book.  

According to the information provided by the author, this is one of a series of books written about the three angels Mercy, Goodness and Shirley, but is the first to introduce their apprentice Will.  The only other book by Debbie Macomber I have read is 'Falling for Christmas'.  I have 'On a Snowy Night' and 'A Mother's Gift' on my bookshelf.  I don't think any of these appear to involve angels. 

There are five recipes at the end of the book. 

One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern

Kitty Logan is a journalist with the magazine Etcetera.  She also had been doing some television stories for a programme called Thirty Minutes.  Having made a error on a television story and making an incorrect accusation she is facing a court case and the ruin of her career.  At the same time her friend, mentor and the magazine editor at Etcetera, Constance Dubois, is terminally ill in hospital.  

When Kitty visits Constance she is asked, at her next visit, to bring in to her an envelope from her filing cabinet which contains the idea for a story.  When Kitty looks into the envelope she finds a list of one hundred names but no other information.  As a final tribute to Constance, Kitty has to find out what links these one hundred people and write the main feature story for the magazine.  This is her chance to save her career whilst at the same time paying tribute to Constance.  Kitty has just two weeks in which to find these people, make the connection and write the most important story of her career. 

Kitty struggles to find the people on the list.  She desperately wants to make a success of the story, but a lot of people don't want to talk to journalists, and particularly journalists with her current poor reputation!  

This is an interesting story and I felt a lot of empathy for Kitty.  She really is sorry for what she has done and does want to make amends, but just doesn't know how.  

I have not read a Cecelia Aherne book for a very long time, but I'm sure I have previously read at least 'PS I Love You' and I have 'The Gift' on my bookshelf. 

The House by the Sea by Santa Montefiore

The story starts in Tuscany in 1966 when a young girl, Floriana, meets Dante whilst peeping into the gardens of the Villa La Magdalena.  Dante is the son of a wealthy family who live in Milan and spend the summer each year at their Tuscan family villa by the sea.  Floriana has been abandoned by her mother who has run off with a tomato seller, taking her young son, but leaving Floriana behind with her alcoholic father.  Dante invites Floriana, and her friend Costanza, to spend time at La Magdalena with him and his sisters.  They all spend the summer together swimming in the pool and playing in the gardens.  

Running alongside is another story set in Devon in 2009 where Marina and Grey Turner own and run a hotel called The Polzanze.  Marina is searching for an artist to spend the summer at the hotel to give painting lessons to their guests.  The hotel is struggling financially, she needs to encourage more guests or they can not afford the repayments to the bank.  Marina has spent years refurbishing and building up the hotel.  After interviewing a few people she finds an Argentine man, Rafa Santoro, to be her artist in residence for the season. 

The stories move backwards and forwards from Italy, telling how Floriana waits for Dante's returns, to Devon where Rafa takes up residence at the hotel and catches the eye of all the local young women, including Clementine who is Grey's daughter and Marina's step-daughter.  

I enjoyed the book, both timelines of the story were interesting and obviously towards the end we find out what the connection is between the events and people.  The only other book by this author I have read is Last Voyage of the Valentina which I also enjoyed. 

The Goodbye Gift by Amanda Brooke

This book has three stories running alongside each other.  The first story is called 'The Accident'.  A major car accident occurs at the very beginning of the book before we are introduced to the other characters.  

The second story is about Lucy who has been ill all her life and is waiting for a heart transplant.  Determined to try to live her life to the full she is planning to go abroad on holiday for a few days with her sister Hannah.  

The third story is about the three friends Pheobe, Helen and Julia. Pheobe live with her nan who suffers from dementia and her condition is deteriorating.  Helen is a busy single parent and Julia and her husband Paul are desperately trying to conceive a baby.  Helen is a nurse and occasionally sees Lucy when she attends appointments at the hospital.  

From the outset we know there has been an accident and we keep going back to the scene or to the hospital where patients are being treated.  The other two stories start from an earlier timeline and we work our way up to 'The Accident'.  The extent of the injuries and who will or won't survive are not revealed until the very end.  

This was an enjoyable story which works through a number of different friendship issues both past and present for Pheobe, Helen and Julia as they all try to offer support to each other as they each deal with their own personal problems.  

There is an interview with the author at the back of the book.  The subject of transplant and donation is obviously something she feels very passionately about as her own son received a bone marrow transplant from a stranger.  The book is dedicated to the donor. 

Deadly Lies by Chris Patchell

Jill Shannon has been married to Detective Alex Shannon for 5 years.  They are both dedicated to their careers and are spending less and less time together.  Jill is very ambitious and has a successful career in a male dominated area of data and software.  Alex is happy with his current job and doesn't like being pushed by Jill to move up the career ladder.  

One morning Alex receives a phone call from Abby, his old girlfriend, to say that her younger sister Natalie is missing.  Alex helps out in the case and becomes obsessed with finding the person he believes abducted Natalie.  This puts him in regular contact with Abby and causes a further rift with Jill.  

After a successful conference presentation, Jill meets reporter Peter Young who requests an interview with her for his magazine.  Jill goes to his hotel suite to conduct the interview.  When she was younger Jill was abused by her step-father and is determined that she will never again be a victim.  She becomes determined to make Peter pay for treating her and other women badly.  Using knowledge gained from Alex she covers her tracks as she takes her revenge.  

The two stories run along side by side with Alex and Jill occasionally managing to spend some time together.  After Jill sets out on her course of revenge, Alex's investigations begin to reveal some information he would rather not have found.  

This is the first of two books written by Chris Patchell and is a good thriller story. 

All Aboard: The Canal Boat Cafe by Cressida McLaughlin

This is book one in The Canal Boat Cafe series. 

Summer Freeman returns to Willowbeck where Valerie, her mum's friend, neighbour and the local fortune teller, has been struggling  to keep the Canal Boat Cafe running.  Summer is horrified by the state of the cafe but she has not been back on the boat, which was both home and business to her mum, since her mum's death eight months ago.  

Not all the locals are happy to see Summer.  Jenny from the local pub does not want the competition of the cafe, she wants it to fail and close. But Mason, the new neighbour on the river who lives on the boat The Sandpiper, encourages Summer to stay and turn the business around.  

This is book one of four in the series, I downloaded it free.  It is a story in its own right, put to continue and find out what Summer does next you need to purchase book two in the series.  At 100 pages or just over per book they could all have been put together into one decent sized novel. 

The Fairytale Tea Dress Shop in Edinburgh by De-ann Black

This is book two in the Tea Dress Shop series. 

Delphine has been made redundant from her job in Glasgow.  Using every penny she has, and a loan from the bank, she takes out a lease on a shop in Edinburgh and opens up her own Fairytale Tea Dress Shop. 

Using her prior knowledge of the fashion industry she offers tea dresses which she has updated and given a new lease of life with new collars, hemlines, buttons, scarves etc.  She also begins to make some of her own dresses and accessories too.  

Having moved into the new shop she starts to get to know the other local shop keepers.  Some of the men begin to take an interest in her.  She sets up a website for the shop and has a few mishaps along the way! 

I have only read this one but each of the books in the series appears to be a different story with different characters but along the same 'opening up a Tea Dress Shop' theme.  They are classed as novellas due to the 100ish page length.  I downloaded this one free and it was well worth the read.  I will certainly read more by the same author, and I believe there are quite a lot! 

Bridesmaids by Jane Costello

Within one year 27 year old Evie Hart is bridesmaid at the weddings of three friends and her mum.  The weddings vary from high class hotels to a registry office with a reception held in a local field.  

Evie has had many relationships, but none that have lasted for more then three months.  She sees a few ex-boyfriends at the various weddings, some she is happy to see and some she would rather avoid!

At the first wedding Evie meets and is instantly attracted to Jack.  Unfortunately he is there as a guest and the current boyfriend of Valentina, one of her friends.  Jack keeps on popping up as a guest at the weddings and the attraction becomes mutual.  

This is a good chick-lit story and a really easy read.  I felt empathy for some of the characters, particularly Evie and Charlotte.  

I thought I had previously read a Jane Costello book but when I looked at the titles none of them seemed familiar.  I do have The Time of Our Lives on my book shelf waiting to be read.  

If this is Paradise, I want my money back! by Claudia Carroll

Following a car accident Charlotte has extensive injuries and is in a coma.  She heads towards the whiteness and meets up, in the afterlife, with her Dad who has been dead for a number of years.  They spend a lot of time together whilst they are waiting for Charlotte to be assessed.  As there's not a lot to do whilst waiting, Charlotte is offered a chance to do some Angelic Work Experience (AWE) back on earth.  She jumps at the chance and is given some training.  When she is ready to begin she is allocated her 'charge'.  To her horror this turns out to be James Kane, her cheating boyfriend of the last 5 years.  

Going completely against the rules of the AWE Charlotte sees her opportunity to have some fun with James and to get her own back for the way he has treated her over the last few years.  She is also able to visit and watch over her closest friend and family.  

This is quite a quirky story with Charlotte trying to help her friend Fi to find love as well as taunting James for his bad behaviour and arrogance.  

I have read a few other Claudia Carroll novels - A Very Accidental Love Story, Personally I Blame My Fairy Godmother, The Last of the Great Romantics and All I Want for Christmas (a very short Christmas story).  On my bookshelf waiting to be read are Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?  
Claudia Carroll has some very long and unusual titles for her books.  Her stories are unusual and imaginative.  

Dancing with the Virgins by Stephen Booth

Maggie Crew is attacked with a knife and left with terrible scars on her face.  She can't remember anything about the attack or her attacker.  The new Park Ranger then finds the body of Jenny Weston which has been laid out within the Nine Virgins stone circle on the Derbyshire moors.  Jenny has been stabbed.  The police believe that Jenny may have been killed by Maggie's attacker.  

Detective Sergeant Diane Fry arranges many meetings with Maggie.  She talks with her about why she was out walking on the moors and tries to jog her memory from around the time of the attack.  Anything she can remember may help in the search for Jenny's murderer.  

The police begin their investigations and interviews with people who have been within the area of the murder.  As new pieces of information are discovered they implicate, or clear, different people within the investigation.  

Detective Constable Ben Cooper knows the moors area well and he understands the difficulties faced by the local farmers who are trying to make a living on difficult land.  He refuses to believe the guilt of some of the people implicated within the investigation.  He sticks with his gut feelings about some of the people under interrogation but he is also very loyal to his colleagues.  

There are many twists and turns within the investigation and we begin to doubt the truth of the stories of some of the people involved. 

I have not read a Stephen Booth novel before.  This is one of his earlier books within the Cooper and Fry series.  All his books are based in the Peak District.  Having not heard of the Nine Virgins stone circle I looked it up.  It is generally known as the Nine Ladies, but all the other information about the legend of them being dancers and the outlying stone having been a fiddler all seems to be documented.  

A Hidden Life by Adele Geras

Shortly before she dies Constance Barrington decides to change her will.  She doesn't tell her family about the changes she has made and she does so with the intention of it causing ill feeling amongst them after her death.  

At the reading of the new will the family are all amazed at the content.  Instead of the family home being shared between her son and grandchildren as was expected, it is left to just one person.  And Lou, who is Constance's only blood relative grandchild, is effectively disinherited by being given the copyright to the novels written by her late grandfather, Constance's husband John.  The books have been out of print for many years, were not particularly well received on first publication, and the copyright is known to be all but worthless.  

Of all the family it is Lou who is struggling financially.  She is a young single mother who is trying to work and look after her small child without having to resort to asking for too much help from her parents.  She spends her working life reading screenplays and writing reports on them for a small production company.  

Lou reminisces about spending time with her grandfather and him reading passages of his books to her when she was a small child.  She re-reads 'Blind Moon' and realises that he had only read a part of the book to her, a lot of the story was based on his experiences in early life in a prisoner of war camp.  

The ill feeling caused by the new will begins to cause problems within the family and long forgotten conversations and information come to light, particularly around the early life of John Barrington.  

This is a really good story with some interesting characters.  It is the fourth adult novel written by Adele Geras.  If I come across any of the others I will certainly read them.  

Silks by Dick Francis and Felix Francis

Geoffrey Mason is a defence barrister and, in his spare time, he is also an amateur jockey.  Geoffrey loses his defence in a case for Julian Trent.  Trent is found guilty on eight counts - four for causing actual bodily harm, three for inflicting grievous bodily harm and one for attempted murder.  He is given a prison sentence of eight years.  Within a very short time he is released from prison on appeal.  

Riding as an amateur jockey Geoffrey shares the changing rooms with the professional jockeys and over time gets to know them.  One jockey is found brutally murdered and Steve Mitchell, a rival jockey, is the prime suspect.  Steve does not have, or will not give, an alibi for the time of the murder.  He asks Geoffrey to provide his defence and continually claims he is innocent and is being set up.  

Julian Trent makes contact with Geoffrey, he is very threatening and insists he must take on the defence for Steve Mitchell and he must lose the case.  Although Geoffrey is quite scared and intimidated by Trent he wants to know why Steve Mitchell is being set up, who the real murderer is and why it is so important that Steve Mitchell be found guilty.  

This is the first ever Dick Francis book I have read.  I had heard of him and knew he was an ex-jockey who wrote books about horses and racing.  This book was written jointly with his son Felix.  I found this to be a very enjoyable story with an ending I had not expected.  

The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy

This book was a bit of a surprise. I expected it to be one whole story.  Having read what I thought was chapter one, suddenly chapter two had no relevance to it whatsoever! 

This is in fact a collection of 22 short stories.  They are predominately centred around travel in one form or another - actually travelling, planning to travel, or even planning not to.   

There are many different characters which appear in the stories, some of which are very caring and generous people, and others who are very selfish.  The interaction between them is quite interesting and also differs from story to story.   

My favourite stories were probably 'Miss Vogel's Vacation', 'The House Sitter', 'A Villa for Four' and 'A Holiday with Your Father'.  I was able to read a whole story, or more, in one go as none of them are too long.  

I have read a few other Maeve Binchy books, but these were many years ago.  I do remember that I have read at least 'Evening Class', 'Circle of Friends' and 'Silver Wedding'. 

The Winter House by Nicci Gerrard

Having lost touch with her friends Ralph Tinsley and Oliver Fenton, Marnie is surprised when early one morning she receives a phone call from Oliver.  He has booked a seat for her on that afternoon's flight from London to Scotland.  Their friend Ralph is in a remote cottage in the Scottish Highlands, he is very ill and wants to see Marnie again before he dies.  

Marnie catches the plane and is met by a neighbour who takes her the rest of the way to Ralph's cottage.  

Ralph asks Marnie to tell him the story of when they first met.  As Marnie reminisces and tells stories of meeting Ralph and later meeting Oliver it takes them all back in time to when they were young.  Ralph, who doesn't actually speak very much, provides a lot of the text through his own thoughts and memories.  

This is an interesting story of friendships and love.

The author Nicci Gerrard also writes thrillers jointly with her husband Sean French under the name Nicci French.  

Thyme Out by Katie Fforde

Perdita Dylan runs a small salad growing company.  She grows her own salad crops in poly-tunnels in her garden and on the extended land she has been given by her elderly friend Kitty - which is the space between their gardens.  Perdita first met Kitty, who is godmother to Perdita's own mother, when she was 12 years old and went to stay with her during boarding school holidays.  Perdita's own parents travelled a lot and were often out of the country so over the years Perdita regularly stayed with Kitty and their relationship became very close.

One day when delivering her salad crops to Grantly House, a local restaurant, Perdita is shocked to find Lucas Gillespie, her ex-husband, in the kitchen.  He has been employed as the new chef.  Perdita and Lucas had married very young and did not part on good terms.  Lucas had left Perdita for an older woman and Perdita had returned home to Kitty broken hearted.  They had not seen each other since.  

Lucas, who is working very hard to get his first Michelin star, has been asked to take part in a cookery programme.  He is to be the celebrity chef cooking in a real kitchen.  Since arriving at Grantly House he has updated and changed the kitchen so much that the production company find it too sterile and no longer want to use it.  Instead they decide they would like to use Perdita's kitchen as it is in a very picturesque local cottage.  Perdita is not very keen on the idea.  She uses her kitchen as an extension to her business and it is full of seedlings, sprouting peas and compost.  She doesn't usually do any cooking and the facilities in her kitchen are not up to Lucas' standards.  Things will need to be updated and changed before the programme can be filmed.  

When 87 year old Kitty has a stroke Perdita changes some of her working arrangements so that she can be around more and help to look after Kitty.  Lucas is very supportive and spends time visiting with Kitty when he can.  He provides small morsels of tasty food to tempt Kitty's dwindling appetite.  He also leaves meals for Perdita as he knows she is neglecting herself and not eating properly.  Can they become friends again?  

I enjoyed this easy read chick-lit story.  I have read quite a few Katie Fforde books including - The Perfect Match, Wedding Season, Love Letters, Summer of Love, Going Dutch, Practically Perfect, Artistic Licence, Wild Designs, Restoring Grace and Living Dangerously.  Other books by the same author I have waiting on my bookshelf are - A French Affair, Life Skills and Stately Pursuits. 

Tiaras and Tantrums by Roy Adams

This is the true story of Roy Adams who worked at Kedleston Hall in Derby for 25 years. 

Roy applied for the job of houseman and was invited to interview.  He hired a car for the day and set off to Kedleston Hall with his wife Betty.  They imagined that it would be a modest sized Georgian house and were unprepared for the size and grandeur of the hall which they saw on arrival.  Having been met by the estate manager, even before getting out of the car they were told 'this job isn't for you'.  No real explanation was given and having taken the time to travel to the interview Roy insisted on being shown around and told about the job.  The job came with a cottage in the local village and after a discussion with Betty, Roy decided to take the post.  

They packed up their home and moved to Kedleston village.  The small cottage they were given had been left to become almost derelict and was not really in a habitable state.  The estate manager would do nothing about it so it was left to Roy to do all the repairs needed, at his own expense, to make their home and lives more comfortable. Over his years in service at Kedleston Hall Roy and Betty lived in different houses on the estate or in the local villages, none of which had been well maintained. 

After two years working as a houseman Roy was promoted to butler when Mr and Mrs Newton, the previous butler and his wife who was the cook, both retired and left the estate. This was a very quick jump up the hierarchy within service in a private house, but the number of employees were much fewer than really were needed to run a large house. For many years Roy had to undertake numerous roles, often working 14 hours a day and 7 days a week to keep on top of all the jobs expected of him.  Due to the remoteness of the estate, the poor conditions within the house and the huge expectations of the family, they struggled for many years to employ and keep a good cook. Betty would sometimes help out, but refused to take on the job permanently.  On occasions meal preparation also fell to Roy.  

He recounts many interesting tales of the jobs he was required to do and some of the people, including royalty, he met in the course of his time at the hall.  

This is an interesting story of life in service and the incredible expectations of the very few staff in such a large house.  The conditions within some areas of the house and around the estate were really poor, unhygienic and often dangerous.  After 25 years of working at Kedleston Hall, following his retirement, Roy began to write his memoirs which were turned into this book by his wife. 

Four Warned by Jeffrey Archer

This is a World Book Night 2014 Quick Reads book.  It contains four short stories. 

Never Stop on the Motorway (taken from Twelve Red Herrings)

This is a short but very typical story of someone being closely followed along the motorway.  The ending was no surprise!

The Queen's Birthday Telegram (from And Thereby Hangs a Tale and based on a true incident)

This is a very nice story of an elderly couple who in turn reach their 100th birthdays.  Albert Webber is the first to receive his telegram from the Queen and three years later he is upset when his wife Betty doesn't receive one too.  He rings Buckingham Palace to find out why.  

Stuck on You (from And Thereby Hangs a Tale and based on a true incident)

Jeremy can't believe his luck when the wealthy Arabella takes an interest in him and they start to see each other regularly.  They quickly become engaged and Jeremy has to get a very expensive De Beers diamond engagement ring for Arabella.  

Don't Drink the Water (from Cat O' Nine Tales)

This is the longest of the four stories.  Dick Barnsley, a wealthy businessman, travels regularly to Russia on business and is setting up a new, large contract which is to be signed by Government Ministers and witnessed by the President. Dick's wife Maureen accompanies him on this visit and is to attend the signing ceremony.  Dick plots what he believes to be the ideal way to murder his wife. 

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Over Christmas 2015 and New Year 2016 I watched the drama Dickensian on the television which brought together characters from a number of different Charles Dickens novels.  It wasn't until watching this that I realised just how few Dickens novels I have read (A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist - all a very long time ago) and how few of the character names I recognised.  I looked up some of the characters on the internet to find out in which books they had appeared.  The characters I was most interested in following up on were the sisters Honoria and Frances Barbary and also the Detective Mr Bucket.  As they all appear in Bleak House I decided to read this book.  

This book has 67 chapters and at least as many characters!  It begins with a lengthy explanation of the Court of Chancery and the very long running case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce. No-one alive seems to entirely understand the case which keeps on running long past the deaths of the original Jarndyces and affects the lives of the later generations in the family.  

The main character in the book, who narrates a number of the chapters, is Miss Esther Summerson.  At the beginning she is a small child who is in the not very loving care of her godmother.  She is allowed to go to school, but then must come straight home and is not allowed to mix with any of the other children.  Her godmother repeatedly tells Esther that 'Your mother, Esther, is your disgrace, and you were hers'.  She is not allowed to celebrate her birthday or to ask questions about her mother.  Upon the death of the godmother, Esther discovers that she was actually her aunt and her only living relative.  The aunt had made arrangements for Esther to be taken care of through Mr Kenge, a lawyer with Kenge and Carboys.  The funds for Esther's care were provided by Mr Jarndyce who, at this point, Esther has neither heard of nor seen.  

For six years Esther lives at Greenleaf where she learns how to become a governess and begins to teach some of the younger boarders.  One day she receives a letter advising that Mr Jarndyce is about to receive a Ward of Court into his house through the Court of Chancery and he would like Esther to become her companion.  She travels to London and meets with Miss Ada Clare and also her distant cousin Mr Richard Carstone. Both Ada and Richard are orphaned, and also until this day have never met.  Both are to become Wards of Court to Mr Jarndyce.  All three go to live at Bleak House with Mr John Jarndyce as their appointed guardian.  Esther takes on the role of companion, organiser and housekeeper.  

Sir Leicester Dedlock and Lady Dedlock spend their time between their country house, Chesney Wolds, in Lincolnshire, their house in London and travelling around to fashionable places, such as the Paris fashion houses, where Lady Dedlock acquires the most up to date and fashionable wares.  Lady Dedlock finds a lot of things very tiresome and dreary.  

Mr Tulkinghorn is Sir Leicester's attorney-at-law who regularly appears at Chesney Wolds for a night or two and then goes back to his office in London.  Mr Tulkinghorn is a senior attorney and much respected by his colleagues.  He only shares the absolute minimum amount of information and seems to know a lot about what is happening everywhere.  

As a lot of the story takes place in London and around the courts there are numerous characters within the book who work within the legal profession in one manner or another. Upon the sudden death of a gentleman, name unknown, who provides a handwriting service to the courts and attorneys, a bundle of old letters is discovered within his papers.  These are taken and hidden away.  The death of the man and the letters spark off an interest by a few of the legal parties into who the man was.  He is only really known by Joe, a young homeless boy who sweeps the crossings.  Joe has to attend a hearing about the death to give evidence.  He is then approached by a woman with a veil and asked to show her where the death, the hearing and the burial took place.  After giving him cash for his services the woman disappears.  Mr Bucket, the detective, is introduced to Joe so that he can hear the story about the veiled woman.  Mr Bucket is very tenacious in all his investigations.  

As the story progresses there are further deaths and disappearances for Mr Bucket to investigate.  Mr Guppy, one of the law clerks, becomes enamoured with Esther and begins to investigate her past.  Ada and Richard decide they would like to spend their lives together when they are older.  Richard tries out a few possibilities for his future career and at one point wonders about the law and begins to take an interest in the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case.  

This is a book with a lot of inter-woven, complicated stories.  There are so many characters involved, some of whom are known by more than one name!  The narrative is very lengthy in parts - why say in three words what can be said in 50?! 

This book has taken me three weeks to read.  This is the longest time I have ever needed to  get through a book, but I am glad I persevered and got to the end.  I read the Kindle version, but the paper version must be a large tome or have very small print!  I will read another Charles Dickens book, but a shorter one, perhaps next year.  

Down Under by Bill Bryson

This book was first published in 2000 but I have only just acquired a copy.  I have previously read a few of his other books, definitely ‘Notes for a Small Island’, ‘Notes from a Big Country’ and ‘A Walk in the Woods’.  

Bill Bryson visited Australia on a few different occasions to travel around, see the country and annotate his experience.  Sometimes he travelled alone, on other occasions he travelled with a photographer or friend.  His first journey was by the Indian Pacific Railway from Sydney to Perth which is 2720 miles! 

He has investigated towns, cities, villages and woods on foot and taken on huge car journeys on narrow two lane roads across arid desert.  Throughout the book he imparts interesting bits of information about how Australia as a country, and some of the different cities, were founded.  He tells of how it is the country in the world with the largest number of dangerous and venomous creatures - both on and off land.  

At a number of different stopping points he has found museums of great interest telling the history of local activities and also some areas where nothing can be found at all about momentous events which have taken place and shaped the communities to what they are today. 

Overall I enjoyed the book and feel I now know a lot more about the history of Australia.  There were occasions where I didn’t like Mr Bryson very much.  He seemed to be over critical about some things and has even quoted himself as being quite rude to people at some of the hotels he stayed at during his travels.  

I have a copy of ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ which comes to me highly recommended and I am looking forward to reading. 

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

This is the first book by Jojo Moyes that I have read.  In fact I only came across her as an author earlier this year when people started to rave about the book, and then the film 'Me before You'.  I have been given a copy of that book but haven't read it yet. 

The first part of this book tells the story of Sophie Lefevre.  In the early 1900s in France the artist Edouard Lefevre paints a portrait of his wife Sophie.  The story begins in October 1916 when Sophie has returned to her home town of St Peronne to help her sister Helene to run their family hotel Le Coq Rouge as their two husbands have gone off to fight in the war.  The Germans take control of St Peronne, regularly requisition items from homes and impose curfews. Undeterred, Sophie hangs the portrait in the bar for all to see as it reminds her of Edouard.  The new Kommandant is often seen to openly admire the portrait and, as an art lover, he tries to engage Sophie in conversation about the picture, her husband's life at the Academie Matisse, and the other artists who also studied there. Sophie does not want to collaborate with the Germans but she needs to obey orders given and not upset the Kommandant in order to keep her family safe. 

The story then jumps to 2006 to Liv Halston who has the portrait hanging on the wall of her London glass house, which was built by her Architect husband David before his sudden death.  The portrait was given to Liv by David as a wedding present.  Liv is struggling to come to terms with David's death and to move on with her life.  

Upon undertaking an audit of the paintings by Edouard, the Lefevre family discover that there are some paintings missing and, due to the lack of paperwork available to prove a sale of the work, 'The girl you left behind' becomes the subject of a restitution request.  The story then goes backwards and forwards in time to investigate what had happened to Sophie from 1917 onwards.  Was the painting stolen?  Can Liv hold on to it as she so desperately wants?  There are a few twists and turns along the way as new information emerges to help or thwart both sides of the case! 

I really enjoyed the story and felt a lot of compassion for both Sophie and Liv.  They have both struggled to hold on to the life they love and they certainly have shared a great love for their husbands and for the painting.  They are both prepared to fight for what they love the most regardless of the emotional and/or financial costs. 

I am an avid reader

I have always really enjoyed reading and have to admit to sometimes having more than one book on the go at any one time.  I think my limit is three or four!  

Over the last few years I have been keeping a record of the books I have read, I usually manage between 55 - 60 a year.  

So far this year (from 1 January) I have read the following books in this order: 

1  The Hanging Garden - Ian Rankin (a Rebus novel)
2  Don't Shoot! I'm Just the Avon Lady - Birdie Jaworski
3  Dead Souls - Ian Rankin (a Rebus Novel) 
4  The Light Between Oceans - M L Stedman
5  I, Alex Cross - James Patterson 
6  Maggie's Tree - Julie Walters 
7  Cross - James Patterson (an Alex Cross novel)
8  The Faithless - Martina Cole 
9  Labyrinth - Kate Moss
10 Career of Evil - Robert Galbraith 
11 While My Eyes Were Closed - Linda Green 
12 The Lies That Save Us - J L Redington 
13 Ladies Who Launch - Milly Johnson 
14 The Girl in Between - Laekan Zea Kemp
15 Gingerbread Man - Maggie Shayne 
16 A Body in the Backyard - Elizabeth Spann Craig (a Myrtle Clover Mystery)
17 Bloodbath - Stephen Leather and others 
18 The Rowan Tree - Robert W Fuller
19 Sight Unseen - Robert Goddard
20 The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton - Catherine Alliott
21 You're Coming with Me Lad - Mike Pannett
22 Not on my Patch, Lad - Mike Pannett
23 Just the Job, Lad - Mike Pannett 
24 Up Beat and Down Dale - Mike Pannett
25 My Husband Next Door - Catherine Alliott
26 Deadly Arrangements - Annie Adams 
27 Freaks - Tess Gerritsen (a Rizzoli and Isles short story)
28 Claiming Victory - Beverley Watts
29 Gardens of Delight - Erica James 
30 The Hard Way - Lee Childs (a Jack Reacher novel)
31 The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins 
32 Falling for You - Jill Mansell
33 Don't Tell - Karen Rose
34 Hammered - Belle Knudson 
35 School's Out - Jack Sheffield 
36 Silent Night - Jack Sheffield 
37 The Decision - Penny Vincenzi 

I am currently reading two books: 
The Girl You Left Behind - Jojo Moyes and 
Down Under - Bill Bryson 

When I finish these books I will put reviews of them on this blog.  My plan is to write a short review of all the future books I read. 

I am happy reading all styles of books.  I acquire a number of books through swapping them with friends.  I often end up with ones I perhaps would not have selected, but as I have them I give them a go, and am often quite surprised at how much I do enjoy them.  This is certainly a good way to try out different authors. 

I read a combination of both paper and electronic books.