Reliability

Sheila O'Flanagan's Bad behaviour is what I think of as an ordinary chick lit book. You pick it up at the airport, train or petrol station before leaving for your holiday. You know what to expect and O'Flanagan delivers just that. There are no surprises, good or bad, it is just a consistent, entertaining, well written book throughout. And sometimes that is exactly what you need!
Josefine
Title: Bad behvaiour Author: Sheila O'Flanagan ISBN: 978-0-7553-3218-2

Coleman's best so far

I go through periods when I read much from the same genre and a couple of weeks over the summer, it was chick-lit. This time there was a mix of authors I've read before and some new. First Cally Taylor's début novel Heaven can wait, then there were books by Rowan Coleman, Sheila O'Flangan and Sarah Addison Allen all authors I've read before.
Lessons in laughing out loud by Rowan Coleman is the third book I've read from her and I must say I think it is the best of her books so far. It had a bit of a dip towards the end, but then it picked back up again in the last chapters to end quite well.
I am still waiting for my library to purchase her newest book Happy home for broken hearts.
Josefine
Title: Lessons in laughing out loud Author: Rowan Coleman ISBN: 978-0-09-955126-3

Can heaven wait?

I've read much about Cally Taylor's first novel Heaven can wait, following her path to publishing through her blog and was prepared for an uplifting chick-lit book. What I was not prepared for, was it to be so sad. Some parts of the book are funny and witty, then there are so many parts that are heartbreakingly sad. However, the best features of the book, is that Taylor nails each and everyone of the emotions. I can sense what each and everyone of the characters are feeling and that makes me care about them and their stories, turning the pages wanting and needing to know how it ends.
In short, it is a wonderful book. It took me a long time to get to this novel (my list of books I want to read, never seems to shorten) but when I read it, I was a bit gutted I had waited so long to get to it. Her second novel Home for Christmas is on my to read list as well, and hopefully I'll get to it sooner, I might just bump it up a bit.
If you want to see what Taylor is up to (including being a new mum) you can find her website here.
Josefine
Title: Heaven can wait Author: Cally Taylor ISBN: 978-1-409-10323-3

A case of TELLING not SHOWING

The first few pages of Grace and Disgrace by Susi Osborne started off really well. The pace was high, something was constantly happening and I felt as if I was in the kitchen with the family, taking part in their chaotic life. Then it started to slacken off and slowed down further and further, until it finally came to a grinding halt. And that's where I stopped caring about the characters.
I soon discovered the problem with the book, why it slowed down so much. It was because Osborne had gone from SHOWING the characters to TELLING me what they were doing. It can really put a break to any great plot line.
Another part of the book that was really disturbing were the sex scenes. It is almost as they were put in afterwards to spice up the book. Two sentences of TELLING of heavy thrusting could have been made into a paragraph of SHOWING loving and caring.
Am I being to harsh about the story? After all I didn't even bothered to finish the book. Perhaps. I do think however, the book helped me realise a lot with my own feeble attempts at writing fiction. Not even a good plot line can rescue bad writing.
Josefine


Title: Grace & Disgrace Author: Susi Osborne ISBN: 978-1-84624-463-6

Good Crime

I am not the biggest fan of the crime genre. I think many of the books become static and uninteresting, where the same team of protagonists solve the same type of crime in book after book, with some personal stories thrown in to give the characters some “heart and soul.” I know I don't like them, and therefore choose to stay away.
However, after listening to an author talk by Dan Waddell at my local library, I decided to try his book The Blood Detective. Waddell manages to write a crime story with a different twist, combining his knowledge about genealogy (he was one of the researchers for the BBC programme Who do you think you are?), with a great crime story. And of course, living close to the scenes of the crimes, and following him along the streets of Notting Hill and Notting Dale, appeals to me even more.
The Blood Detective is a really good book that I would recommend to everyone who's looking for something different from the crime genre.
Josefine

Title: The Blood Detective Author: Dan Waddell ISBN: 978-0-14-104098-1

Stereotypes - The American South

Back again. Master Thesis is handed in and the Olympics is over for another quadrennium. I have not been idle during the time I have been off and in the coming weeks, a selection of the books I have read will be discussed. Join in the discussion in the comment box below.
I have recently read two book about the American South and some of the stereotypes that exists about that part of the USA. The books, A redbird Christams by Fannie Flagg and Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson are both very well written and the stereotypes are not as noticeable unless you look for them. Both books have shown me that just because it highlights some of the stereotypes doesn't necessarily mean that the book in itself becomes a cliché, it is possible to write a good book anyway.
Josefine

Title: A redbird at Christmas Author: Fannie Flagg ISBN: 978-0-099-49048-7

Title: Gods in Alabama Author: Joshilyn Jackson ISBN: 978-0-340-89668-6

Summer Holiday

The blog's on summer holiday until I have finished my Master's Degree and work at the London Olympics.
See you sometime in September again.