The Olive Farm by Carol Drinkwater

This book is autobiographical.  It is the story of Carol and her partner Michel finding and falling in love with an old abandoned olive farm in France.  They are able to live on the farm during the time they are trying to finalise the purchase, which is a long and difficult process.  If the purchase does not go through by an agreed date they will lose all the deposit money they have already paid over and the money used to begin the renovations.  

They are both also simultaneously working on their own acting, writing and producing projects.  They are both travelling around the world undertaking work, sometimes together and sometimes apart.  But they keep meeting up back at Appassionata, their new home.  

The land needs a lot of clearing and the trees need pruning.  They then have to pick the olives from their first harvest and find the right mill to press them.  Due to bad weather conditions, fire and the collapse of production companies they face financial ruin and may lose the farm. 

This is the first of a series of books, I have the next two in the series to read, these are: 
The Olive Season
The Olive Harvest  

Also by the same author I have previously read The Hunger which is from the 'My Story' series.  

It Started with a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson

Just before Christmas Romily tells her best friend Charlie that she loves him.  His response is not what she expected and in embarrassment she runs away.  Romily then bumps into a handsome stranger who helps her pick up some items which have fallen from a Christmas market stall.  He tells her she is beautiful, kisses her and is then called away by his friend.  

Romily begins a quest to find her handsome stranger.  She is helped by her Aunt and Uncle who encourage her to set up a blog.  She gives herself a year in which to find him. 

Trouble at the Little Village School by Gervase Phinn

This is the second book in the series.  

Mrs Elizabeth Devine is now in her second term as headteacher at Barton-in-the-Dale Primary School.  The school has been saved from possible closure but may now have to amalgamate with another local primary.  The most likely school will be Urebank Primary.  There will be one headteacher and one deputy head, each looking after a school site, one for infants and one for juniors.  Mrs Devine will have to go head to head on an interview with Mr Richardson from Urebank.  The two headteachers do not like each other, do not get along and do not want to work together. 

The Little Village School by Gervase Phinn

Barton-in-the-Dale is a small primary school in the Yorkshire Dales.  Miss Sowerbutts, the headteacher, is about to retire and interviews take place for her replacement.  Mrs Devine is offered the job.  She buys an old run down cottage in the village and is helped by local handyman Les Stainthorpe to make it habitable again.  

Within her first term at the school Mrs Devine makes a few changes and improvements which are all welcomed by the staff.  The local education officer then announces that the school has been earmarked for possible closure.  Mrs Devine and many of the locals campaign to keep the school open. It is proving a much more popular school now that Miss Sowerbutts is no longer in charge and many of the pupils who had moved to another local school are starting to move back and the numbers are rising again.  

Mrs Devine has lots of challenges to face, one of which is the chair of governors who is voting for the school to close.   

This is the first book in a series.  I have the next book which is Trouble at the Little Village School which I will read next.  

I have previously read a few books by Gervase Phinn from The Dales series which are all stories about this time as a school inspector: 
The Other Side of the Dale
Over Hill and Dale 
Head over Heels in the Dales 
Up and Down in the Dales 
The Heart of the Dales

The Yorkshire Pudding Club by Milly Johnson

Three friends Helen, Janey and Elizabeth visit an ancient fertility symbol as Helen is desperate to become pregnant.  They sit on the symbol and have a picnic.  Within a short time they all find that they are pregnant. 

Helen is married to Simon who is not at all happy about the pregnancy.  It does not fit into his vision of the perfect executive lifestyle.

Janey has never wanted a baby, although husband George would love to become a dad.  Janey is concentrating on her career.

Elizabeth is in a casual relationship with Dean which is going nowhere and she keeps meaning to end it.  Dean isn't the baby's father.  

They support each other through the ups and downs of their situations and they each need to make a significant change in their lives so that they can be truly happy. 

A Desirable Residence by Sophie Kinsella writing as Madeleine Wickham

Liz and Jonathan have recently bought Silchester Tutorial College.  They are heavily mortgaged and were supposed to sell their house to help with the debt.  Unfortunately with a downturn in the housing market the house has not sold and the debts continue to mount.  

Local estate agent Marcus Witherstone suggests that they rent out their house to gain some income and finds them a young couple who want to move into the area from London.  

Liz starts an affair with Marcus and loses interest in her work at the college leaving Jonathan to sort out the accounts and worry about the debts.  And their unhappy daughter Alice keeps sneaking back to the old house to secretly smoke in the garage.