Five Minutes Peace

So long...

Unfortunately, I no longer have the time to dedicate to this site and so it's going on - as they say on US TV - permanent hiatus. 

I'll still be reviewing books occasionally over on Chicklish and I'm going to review a lot more on my own site. Helen will, I'm sure, be reviewing on her blog and Sarah's also - finally! - going to set up a blog and once she does, you'll be able to find the link on my site. 

Thanks for all your support and lovely comments over the last couple of years. And thanks to so many publishers and authors for wonderful free books... you'll keep sending them, right? ;)

Let's talk about bookplates

I just saw this thoughtful tutorial by Andy English on how to use bookplates (via Craftzine) and it set me thinking... Does anybody use bookplates still? And if not, why not? Are they too close to scribbling in your books (sacrilege!) or do you find the notion of a personal library antiquated and dull ?

As a regular lender of books I often think I should keep better track of my precious bundles. Plus, it doesn't take much to convince me that I need new stationery in my life.

There are loads of beautiful ready-made bookplates available. This puffin design makes me feel wonderfully nostalgic and costs just £2.99 for a pack of 25 from The Literary Gift Company.

BOOK REVIEW: Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born... 

If I'd read something similar to the above on the back of a contemporary novel, I don't think I would have given it a second glance, but Secrets of a Summer Night is set in the 1840s and so, given my surprising (to me, anyway) love for Eloisa James's historical romances, I decided to try it. And I loved it. 

It's mainly the story of Annabelle Peyton, whose straightened circumstances make it unlikely that she will find a peer to marry her. And yet she desperately needs to since along with having threadbare clothes and struggling with the bills, gentlemen are circling with the interest of making Annabelle into a mistress, which would, of course, be her undoing. There is, however, Simon Hunt who, while handsome and rich, is a commoner and so not in the least bit suitable for Annabelle...

BOOK REVIEW: A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer

I loved Seeing Me Naked by Liza Palmer and thank goodness for that because otherwise I would've looked at the cover of this book and thought 'meh' and probably passed it by... Contrary to the jaunty cartoon image, A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents is a gutsy story of a young woman reconnecting with her family over her estranged father's deathbed.

Yes, it's very funny. Yes, it is packed with quirky characters and witty dialogue. Yes, it is immensely readable. But it's also utterly convincing, emotionally honest, and says many wise things about the nature of family, relationships and loss. 

Give books for free with We Give Books

I saw We Give Books recommended by author Marie Phillips on Twitter. It features a growing digital library of classic stories you can read with your child for free - whenever you like, no matter where you are - and each time you read a book online, Penguin will give a hardcover or paperback book to a child in need. 

BOOK REVIEW: Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

Many years ago on holiday I found a book by an Irish author in the cottage's bookcase. I must have been in my mid teens at the time. Little did I know that this writer would fast become one of my favourite authors. Ever. Her words enraptured me, comforted me and I longed to visit places such as Dún Laoghaire or go to university in Dublin. The characters within the book were real. I fell into their lives and truly cared.

So whenever a new book by Maeve Binchy is published I am extremely excited. Yet at the same time, a little nervous just in case the same magic is not there.

Minding Frankie is Maeve’s latest release.