A good summer holiday read

If you want a light, summer holiday read, and like detective tales with a bit of a twist and a dollop of fun, try this two for one bargain!

The Bashful Vampire Murder and the Comic Book Murders by Bob Frey

The two stories in this double book, The Bashful Vampire Murder and the Comic book Murders are thoroughly entertaining. Frey does a great job of grabbing the reader's attention and keeping it until the very last word. The stories, while dealing with murder most horrible, are also at times very funny, and Frey's wit and humour lift his writing to a level rarely found in detective novels. The murder stories themselves are also refreshingly different, dealing with, in the first tale, the popular subject of vampires, and in the second, with comic book heroes and villains.
The protagonist, Detective Frank Callahan is an intriguing and likable character. Unusually, perhaps, for the hero of a murder story, Frank is gay, which adds an interesting twist, although I would like to see a little more development of the character, his personal life with his partner and his history which would add more depth and increase the reader's involvement with the man behind the detective. That said, the character is well drawn as far as it goes, certainly enough to engage the reader and to enlist our empathy.
If you are looking for a really entertaining, light read for this summer holidays, this two for one package will make the ideal beach companion.

Review of Valhalla, young adult fiction by Jen Willis

Bewitching tale for young (and not so young) adults.

This one is seriously great fun!

Valhalla, by Jen Willis

In this hugely entertaining fantasy tale, Jen Willis presents a magical and bewitching brew of a well intentioned teenage witch; displaced Viking gods forced by loss of power to work in the human realm as strip club doormen and photocopier repair men; heroic gay biker gangs and an epic battle to save the world.

The novel is perfect for the young adult market, for those who grew up on the tales of Harry Potter and who are now hungry for something a little different, but equally compelling and magical. Ms Willis’s writing is exceptional, fluent and engaging, managing to weave a fantasy world that really fires the reader’s imagination and makes the impossible seem believable. A healthy dose of humour runs throughout the book, and this is never more successful than in the bizarre but brilliant concept of the great gods of Viking mythology sending text messages on their mobile phones, or the murderous Beserker warriors gaining strength to fight by devouring huge supplies of pizzas, cheesey puffs and burgers.

Beyond this, the author clearly knows her mythological stuff, and has created the story and its characters through meticulous research. Most impressive.

If there are young adults you want to treat to something special, give them a copy. Better still, whatever your age, treat yourself to one too. I haven’t had such fun reading for ages, and am still finding it hard to drag myself out of this magical world and back to the mundane one in which I live.

Washed away

Spring in the south of France is always unpredictable. One minute we can be sizzling in temperatures well into the thirties, as last week, the next bombarded with massive hailstones or thunderstorms of biblical proportions. Saturday night brought the latter, and with some pretty horrible consequences for some in this area. We were lucky, though we didn't know it at the time, the electricity went off for hours, and we had three rooms flooded to ankle deep...lots of hassle, but no lasting damage. Our poor neighbours, just half a kilometre up the lane, were not so lucky. The hills that surround this place channeled the rain down into a newly formed river that belted through their property, taking out their fences, car, newly installed fosse septique , newly planted garden and veggie plot and rising to knee height in their 'almost finished renovated' one storey house. Everything ruined. And the worst of all, they were three days away from signing off the project to qualify for full insurance cover.

Doesn't bear thinking about.

Chosen, by Jerry Ibbotson. Review.

Chosen, by Jerry Ibbotson, is simply one of the most compelling books I have read this year. When I first read the blurb, I wasn't sure it would be for me, but decided to give it a go, and I am so glad I did, because I have found a new author whose voice is definitely worth hearing.
I read the book on my computer in Kindle form (although it is also available in paperback)and I simply could not move away from my computer until I had devoured the last word. Ibbotson seamlessly weaves fantasy, spirituality, thrilling adventure and the mundane into a tale that takes the reader by the hand into a whole new world and refuses to let go. The writing style is fairly simplistic yet intelligent and vivid,the characters believable and the plot both complex and easy to follow, which is quite a feat! The moral/spiritual elements of the book are so well done that they are never 'in your face' or hard to swallow, and are uplifting in the manner of Richard Bach rather than pushing religion.The message that 'love conquers all' is the essence of the tale, but the tension is as gripping and the adventures are as exciting as in any thriller I have read.
I would like to echo the comments by other reviewers in that this book will not just appeal to fantasy fans, or fans of morality tales, or any single genre. Anyone who wants to read an utterly compelling novel will love Chosen.
I found myself thinking about the book long after finishing the final word, and, having read the taster chapters on his website of his new novel, The Veil, (http://www.jerryibbotson.co.uk/the-veil/)I will certainly be buying the next book by Mr. Ibbotson.

Book review. The Valley of Heaven and Hell, by Susie Kelly

The Valley of Heaven and Hell,( Cycling in the shadow of Marie Antoinette) by Susie Kelly.

Author Susie Kelly does it again. This is a book that, characteristically for Ms. Kelly, blends historical, cultural and geographical fact with an hilarious account of a very modern expedition. Following in the footsteps of the legendary Queen of France, Susie and her husband Terry attempt to do their historical research by bicycle...no mean feat for an untrained cyclist, especially in the crazy streets of Paris!

I won't tell you the story(you need to read it for yourself, believe me) but what I will say is that this is a book to cherish. Prepare to learn things you never dreamed of knowing, to laugh, to cry, to empathise (with Susie's physical discomforts as much as with Marie Antoinette's tragedy!) and above all, to enjoy this trip around the France of yesterday and also of today from the comfort of your armchair...or deckchair, should you be lucky with the weather while reading! Ms. Kelly's easy writing style is accessible to all, her descriptions vivid, her observations sharp and her wit and wisdom as engaging as ever.

There are a million and one reasons to read this book. Read it if you love France, if you are interested in history, in amateur cycling, in human relationships or if you just want to lose yourself in a fantastic read.

A little bit of magic

Those of you who read my earlier post about Jonny the pigeon will be familiar with his story, which continues here. As Spring sprung...as it does, every year, the young man's fancy turned to love, and Jonny became more and more affectionate towards me, landing on my head, pecking my hand, constantly seeking attention. Gradually it dawned on me that in the absence of a female pigeon, he had decided that I would have to do...possibly not an idea that was ever really going to be successful, at least not for what Jonny had in mind. He began to fly wider and wider circles around the house and garden, eventually also taking in the surrounding hills as part of his exercise programme.

One day, inevitably, Jonny did not return. I was worried that he might have met with a nasty end, possibly one of the massive birds of prey that are such a common sight here, and I missed his company as he used to follow me as I did all my outdoor tasks, seeing to the horses, watering the garden and playing with the dogs. However, pigeons are wild birds, and will do what they must do, and I had to simply hope for the best while fearing the worst.

The other day, though, a little bit of magic happened. It was a glorious, hot, sunny evening, and I was sitting in the garden with the obligatory glass of chilled wine, when I heard the very distinctive sound of a pigeon. There have never been pigeons around our house before Jonny, so of course my attention was immediately grabbed by the sound. Sure enough, there he was, sitting, as had been his habit, in the fig tree by the pool. The best, though, was yet to come. No sooner than I had seen Jonny, a smaller bird arrived to join him. Jonny had not only come back to tell me he was OK, he had brought his mate to show off! They sat there for an hour, canoodling contentedly, then flew off together into the hills.

I haven't seen him since, I imagine he is now perhaps busy raising his family...but it was a little moment of magic.