I don’t know about you but I have my favourite Authors and read their books as they are published but then I miss a couple of their new releases and then end up reading them to catch up. David Baldacci is one of these. I have loved all his other books and series especially “The Camel Club” series. The above book is his new series with Travis Devine as his hero who has recently retired from the Army’s Special Ops dvision but joins the elite undercover team in Homeland Security. Travis is asked to investigate the death of a young woman but suddenly realises that the case is more personal to him than they and he realised. He heads to Maine where her body was found but he comes up against a wall of silence and a town hiding many secrets.
I am half way through this but it is another great book by Baldacci. If you have not read any of his books before and want to start with a stand alone book I can highly recommend “The Christmas Train” by him. The hero of the story, Tom Langdon, has to get from Washington to LA in time for Christmas and because of a disagreement at the airport with security he has to go by train. On his train journey there will be mishaps, mayhem and self realisation and by the end of the book you will love him, it and Christmas!
As you know I have quite a few books on my TBR shelf at the moment and am slowly getting through them. I love fiction books but also like non-fiction too depending upon what it is. One book I was given for my Birthday was this one:
If you are one of my regular readers you know I love Christmas and in particular Christmas food and I got this book for my Birthday. So far I have not made anything from it but it looks promising. I have a lot of Good Housekeeping Books, incluidng my Grandmother’s from before the war. and I use the recipes a lot so I can’t wait to get stuck in to this one. I found this book in Waterstones. An historial novel about Georgina Landemare who started her working life as a Nursemaid but ended up cooking for Winston Churchill in Wartime London and his Country Home. Not only does it tell of her life but also contains her recipes from the different eras.
This also caught my eye when I was in the bookshop one day; a book about slowing down! It wants you to embrace countryside comfort even in this frantic World we live in. There are recipes to try, embroidery, sewing and quilt patterns along with tips for your home and garden. I find with these books that I pick them up when I have the odd five minutes here and there and read a chapter or two when I get chance.
Over the next few weeks I will be planning my Christmas food and will be looking through my new Book to see if there are some new recipes to try. I will let you know how I get on with the other two books when I have read them. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and make some time to read.
One thing about having a virus and not being well is that I got a lot of reading done! I normally read a lot during the holidays anyway but I did get through quite a few books.
This was my June Book Club pick and being busy I did not get it finished until I was away. It was as good as all the other Oregon Files books are.
Another favourite author of mine is Jeffery Deaver and I have actually been to one of his Author Readings in Nottingham. I first came across him when I saw the film “The Bone Collector” and then read the book. I like all of his books but especially the Lincoln Rhyme ones and so this was on my TBR shelf. It was really good and carried on the story of Lincoln and his now wife, Amelia.
I have read a few of Karin Slaughter’s books now and enjoyed them. This is the Will Trent series which has now been made into a series on Disney+ which I watched the first series and I was okay with. I started to watch the second series and it really annoyed me!!! The book didn’t though. It was a Mother’s Day gift from Youngest.
James Rollins is another Author I have read all of the books and they are a mix of style of Indiana Jones and The Oregon Crew from Clive Cussler. The books sort of follow on from each other and this was the latest one I had not read.
Edward Marston is an Author I discovered a couple of years ago and his most popular books are The Railway Detective Series set at the height of the arrival of Trains as a means of transport but also death on the railways. This book is based in the 1930’s when a young Welsh architect is in Chicago to oversee the building of a mansion but a body is found hanging from the rafters which the autorities put down to a suicide but how can that be? He has to find the answers before he can finish the mansion and save his own life! I have only just started this but I am sure it will be as good as his other books.
This has been on my TBR shelf for a while and it is one of those books that I keep thinking I will read and then put it back. I may read it next not sure. I have seen it on quite a few Bookstagram posts and some like it and some don’t so we will have to see.
Another book that has been on the TBR shelf for a while and in fact is Book 3 in the series. It was a Christmas present last year. Now do I go back and read Books 1 and 2 first and then this or read this and then go back and read the first two? Who would not like a book that is about a Bookshop and set in the war and about a much slower time of life? I think I will go and buy Books 1 and 2 and then I have a choice!!!!
What happens when you get a book which you think is going to be good and you like the write up about it, but when you start reading it you really don’t like it? Do you carry on anyway or do you give up and move on to something else? I am afraid I give up and move on, as life is too short to read bad books.
The above books is the one I am talking about. I started reading this and by the time I got to page 50 I could not stand it any longer and gave up. I did not like the main character, Ben Hope, he was just very annoying and the writing, in my opinion, was appalling. Far to much description and not enough movement. This has gone on my donation pile!
This is my current read and I have only just read the first page. Again a present from Eldest for my Birthday. This is an historical book based in 1588. Giordano Bruno is sent by Queen Elizabeth I to Prague to spy on the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II but when he arrives one of the Alchemists has been murdered and Rudolf orders Giordano to find out who did it and why. I love these historical mysteries, very much in the style of the late C J Sansom and his hero Shardlake, who has also been made into a series on Amazon.
I hope you like the books I did get to read and those that I am going to read next. Tomorrow I will show you July’s and August’s Book Club picks before I need to show you September’s. Happy Thursday everyone.
Coco has been having a busy week, Blaze has been out and about and the two of them spend the day following each other about. Coco is very good and does not chase him just following him and when Blaze sees her he puts his tail up and goes to talk to her.
This was this morning whilst I was working at my desk.
Blaze is very inquisitive and he jumped into my washing basket to have a look.
The washing basket is soft so does not offer much support when you are trying to jump out!
Coco awake after her morning snooze.
Last weekend was a three day weekend for us in the UK and on Saturday morning DH and I went to Chatsworth Farm Shop & Cafe for breakfast and to get a few things from the shop.
The cafe, above, is very nice and the food is great. Unfortunately it was quite a cold day so we sat inside. Breakfast was lovely.
This is the entrance to the Farm Shop and they have some lovely things. We bought some meat, which is locally sourced, eggs and some local bread.
Sunday we did a few jobs inside and I got a basket of ironing done and not a lot else. Monday DH went to help Eldest at the garage and I spent the whole day getting his accounts up to date, which they now are! In fact our work and his are all up to date! Also home jobs are up to date too!
This coming weekend we are due to have some nice warm, sunny weather but not too warm so DH and The Boys are going to demolish the old den at the top of the garden. It served its purpose when the Boys were little but it is made of wood and although treated it is starting to go so DH decided it would be a good idea to remove it and put a smaller utility shed on the platform for the garden tools. I will be making a big Lasagna for when they have finished. Partner, The Girls and Tobey will be coming too. You never know we may get to eat outside, which has not happened a lot this year. Every time we have decided to eat outside it has been raining!
Next weekend is the last weekend that DH has off because every weekend in September he has some announcing duties! Some are on both days and some are in the evening only and some on one day only. September is the start of the swimming season again, although we never not swim but it is usually quieter during the summer. Fortunately for us October is not as busy and DH has a few weekends off. As I said it will mean that I can get some quilting and other jobs done.
So we managed to get everything sorted the week before we left for our vacation although the few days in the run up to leaving seemed to fly by with jobs and making sure we had everything to go away (I forgot my camera!) but we set off on the Saturday early. We stopped for breakfast and so Little Man could eat and be changed of course and it was just at the right time. We pulled off the main road into a little village and found a wonderful cafe and the food was lovely. We got to the cottage around 5.00pm unloaded the vehicles and got everyone unpacked and settled and had dinner.
The first week Eldest, Partner, The Girls and Little Man were with us and it was a fund time if not busy with walks, swimming, visits, a little shopping and a special walk with some Alpacas down to the shore of Loch Ness.
The Family with the Alpacas, Partner now wants one in the garden!!!!
Eldest, who said his who was called Aero, was very funny!
The Highland Cows near the cottage.
Loch Ness, above and below. We didn’t see the monster but took two of them with us!
The Walk along the shoreline.
Two weeks before our holiday Eldest had a virus and actually had time off work which is not like him. Anyway on the Friday before they came home I started with a head cold which I usually get in the summer for some reason but by the time they left on the Saturday I felt dreadful. Very long store shourt the final week of our holiday which was just going to be DH and I, so a week together I was ill. I went to the local Doctor before we came home and he did all the checks and I was okay it was a virus and just had to get through it. Then to add to all this DH’s truck decided it was not happy and went into limp mode on the way home so it took us longer to get home than normal. Unfortunately Youngest & Girlfriend couldn’t come up and see us due to work which was probably a good idea as I was ill!
I had Monday off as well but was back at work yesterday and got caught up on all the work. Today has been busy too and I just now need to catch up with Eldest’s work and then everyone is up to date! I am starting to feel better but have cancelled my appointments for this week and next just to be sure.
This weekend is the last long weekend in the UK and after all that has gone off in the last couple of weeks I have decided we are not doing anything over the weekend! Although there are a million jobs we could be getting on with at home and in the garden I think we will take it easy! The weather is supposed to be nice for once over the Bank Holiday Weekend but there is time for that to change.
Coco had a wonderful time on her holiday although they did say she was a little obstinate! Of course we know this!!! I had to use a before de-floofing photo as she has been too busy since she got back. Blaze has been busy whilst we were away and the two of them are getting on well.
Friday evening we are all together as it is Eldest’s Birthday and we will be having a Takeaway You never know we may be able to eat outside!!!!
Cannot believe that we are at the end of August almost and September is going to be busy for DH with announcing duties, which is great for me as I can get in my sewing room to sort out some quilting jobs I have to finish and planning my Christmas items to do!
I hope you lovely lot are having a lovely summer.
Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx
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