feather_ghyll

A Spoonful of Murder: Robin Stevens, Puffin (Penguin Random House) 2021
A Murder Most Unladylike mystery

The title is a bit ( Read more... )

Seven Sisters at Queen Anne’s: Evelyn Smith. Blackie, my copy is inscribed 1933

Seven sisters? Yes, the scenario set out in the book’s title is a lot, ( Read more... )

Treasure at Amorys: Malcolm Saville. Collins, 1969, revised edition.

This is a reread because I bought this without realising I already own a copy. On the one hand, that was annoying – I’m going to make more of an effort to acquire the Lone Pine books I haven’t read and/or got – but on the other, this is a hardback, and the copy I already own is a paperback.

This book is full of ( Read more... )

I hope you're having a joyous Christmas, to translate what I've been saying all day. The book below was read earlier this month, but this evening I got a chance to finish off my review.

A Town Like Alice: Nevil Shute (my copy is the fifteenth printing of the paperback edition)

I daresay I had the realisation, ’Oh, a town LIKE Alice’ at the same time when I last reread this. Back then, I’d have been was closer in age to Jean Paget, the heroine, than I am now. ( Read more... )

Over the past couple of months, there were two books that I read that I considered posting a review of here, namely, 'Twice Freed' by Patricia St. John (a reread) and 'Miriam' by Jane Edwards (a Welsh language book). ( Read more... )

Ha, I did have something to say!

As for ‘Barbara - Called Binkie’, well, I ploughed on with the collection, mainly shorter multi-chapter stories. ( Read more... )

Poppy: Mrs Isla Sitwell Nelson (inscribed 1936, but the story is clearly older than that)

I try my best to avoid buying ‘double’ copies of books, but failed with this one. Despite an unusual title, I didn’t remember it at all, ( Read more... )

I certainly won’t be needing two copies of this!

As I tagged yesterday’s post about rereading Three Towers in Tuscany, I noticed that I had a tag for the series, clicked on it and realised I’d reread the book in 2007. Here is my review from then, which is more detailed and attempts to analyse the dialogue style. I end the review talking about looking out for more books in the series, which I did, but they were very expensive until Girls Gone By started republishing them, so it’s only taken me over a decade to get the next one!

Here are a couple of links:

From Silver Petticoat Review Why you should read Mary Stewart.

This feature delves into the appeal of Stewart’s romantic suspense books from the perspective of someone who'd just found them. I started reading them as a teenager and return to them as comfort reads, so I have no objectivity, but the points made here resonated.

Wales Online* started the year an article on charity shops and the bizarre and valuable objects that have come in to be sold, and why there are far fewer bargains to be found, although there’s still always the possibility of one. I’ve been going to charity shops since I had pocket money, chiefly for the books – I have to be in the mood to look for clothes, but I have certainly brought many an item over the years. My gravy boat came from a charity shop.

And a couple of days ago, Andy Murray announced he will soon be forced to retire from tennis early due to his hip. Much has been said on the subject of his wonderful career, and I've always supported him since seeing him as a scrawny, talented teenager matching and besting good players. While I've never been a fan of the swearing, like most Welsh and Scottish people, I understood where his 'supporting whoever's playing England' comes from. We saw him work and mature and succeed. While he wasn't quite able to push the big three consistently, and what an era to play in, his achievements: the three grand slams, the Davis Cup, many tournaments and two back-to back Olympic golds are great. Dunblane must be very proud.

As for the Australian Open, I feel the women's side is more open than the men's. Will this be the year Zverev makes his breakthrough in the slams, or is it still too early?

^It's not a great website pop-up wise.

Prep: Curtis Sittenfeld. Black Swan, 2010.

I can’t pinpoint why I didn’t read this sooner. I’ve read ‘An American Wife’ and ‘Sisterland’ by Sittenfeld and was aware of this novel. Literature about American boarding schools has always fascinated me, mainly as a subset of the girls own genre because of the different context. You’d have thought I’d rush to read a novel in this setting by an author I admired, but I’ve seen more than one copy in a charity shop and passed it.

Well, a time came when I picked a copy up. ( Read more... )

Biddy and Quilla: Evelyn Smith, Blackie

Evelyn Smith provides a sympathetic look at growing pains through a burgeoning friendship here. A few plot contrivances aside, it’s realistic, psychologically accurate and amusing.

Priscilla ‘Quilla’ Thornton is ( Read more... )