I know I am already behind on Book Club Friday but thought I would show you the books I got from DH and The Boys for Christmas.

Youngest bought me the book “Queen” by Robert Hardman about Her Late Majesty which I am really looking forward to reading.  When The Queen Mother passed away I read her Biography by William Shawcross which was so interesting and if you like biographies can recommend it.

“Godfrey’s Ghost” is about Playwright and Actor Arnold Ridley, whose most famous play “The Ghost Train” is still performed today.  However is best known in the UK for playing Private Godfrey in the BBC comedy series “Dad’s Army” which we are all fans of.  This book is written by his son, Nicolas, after his father passed away about his life prior to the TV show.

I seem to have been on a Biography train this Christmas!  Sue Barker, British tennis player of the 1970’s and 1980’s and French Open Champion of 1976 who, when she retired, went on to a very successful TV career presenting Wimbledon on the BBC as well as the game show “A Question of Sport” and other TV hosting duties, including interviewing Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones after they became engaged.  She retired last year as Host of Wimbledon and as they say summers will never be the same again. 

If you follow Book Club Friday you will know that I have already read a few of The Railway Detective’s books by Edward Marston and you just know I love a good Christmas mystery so this is on my next to read list!  I will let you know how it goes.

Finally Stephen King “Fairy Tale” published in September last year.  I am hoping that this is a return to his usual scarey writing of his early books as I found a few of his newer ones lacking, particularly The Bill Hodges books; Mr Mercedes/Finders Keepers/End of Watch and I really did not like “The Sleeping Beauties” written with his son.  I shall let you know again how I get on. 

My local bookstore, Waterstones Nottingham, was having a sale on the Christmas books they had in.  I have a points card with them, of course, and had quite a few points save up so used them to buy these books as well (!)Another Christmas Mystery.  These books are excellent, British Library Crime Classics.  Books which have been out of print and in the archives at The British Library are given a new look and re-published.  This was originally from 1958.

Another British Library Crime Classic, an anthology of stories from bookstores!  Right up my alley!

Another Christmas story about Jeeves and other Christmas stories!  I do like short stories as you can read quite a few when you have the odd spare minutes!

If you also read my blog you know I have a thing for cook books!  I love to experiment, not so much DH and The Boys, but you have to keep trying!  Some of the books I have I have three or four recipes from that book which I use constantly.  Anyway I saw this and although they say never judge a book by its cover, I do and I love the red of this one!!!!  The recipes are easy and are linked to Christmas films.  So in the Main Dishes section there is “Plain Cheese Pizza” of course from Home Alone!  The type of the book and colours remind me of the American Diner style.  I will let you know when I make something from it. 

So that is my collection from Christmas and will be added to my To Be Read shelf, which if I am honest is a little full at the moment.  So one of my Achievements this year will be to read as many as possible from the shelf before I buy any more books, well it is an Aim at least!

DH & The Boys also got me a wonderful gift for one day in the summer.  Chatsworth, for one morning and you have to book, a private viewing of their Library and to see some of their treasures housed there!  You know how I love the Library at Chatsworth, so this is something I am really looking forward to.  I do hope I will be able to take pictures whilst we are in there!

“Join our archives and library team for a very special morning in the Chatsworth Library and Archives. Start your day with a one hour tour of the house with our experienced guide, followed by exclusive access to the Library and Study Rooms to have a closer look at some of the literary treasures from the Chatsworth Library including early library catalogues, a first edition of Pride and Prejudice and papers of Hobbes, Pope, Gaskell, Bronte and more”

Happy Reading Everyone!

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx