{"id":4162,"date":"2013-12-15T08:20:28","date_gmt":"2013-12-15T08:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=4162"},"modified":"2013-12-15T08:20:28","modified_gmt":"2013-12-15T08:20:28","slug":"long-cold-winter-evenings-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=4162","title":{"rendered":"Long cold winter evenings ahead…"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"A<\/a>
A great read – and possibly the award for the nicest cover.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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I haven’t done a book post for a while.. and have been reading a lot of books.<\/span><\/p>\n

I thought, with the holidays approaching, this might be a good time to share some of them with you\u00a0 \u2013 in case you are looking for gift ideas for a booklover \u2013 or something to read while you recover from the festive lunch or on those long cold winter evenings.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to start with some romances from my own publisher Choc Lit (full disclosure here) \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

When I signed with Choc Lit to publish my books, I had already read and liked several of their other authors. I then deliberately set out to read as many of their books as possible \u2013 and I have really liked them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Elephant Girl<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a book I was always going to like. It\u2019s the second novel by my friend Henriette Gyland.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t going to love it because she is my friend (I have friends who write books I don\u2019t like ) \u2013 I was always going to love it because her debut novel was good \u2013 and this was going to be better.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a love story wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a tale of redemption. <\/span><\/p>\n

The story begins when our heroine learns her mother\u2019s murderer has been released from jail. As a child, our heroine witnessed that murder \u2013 and this news is the start of her journey to finally understand and come to grips with that day.<\/span><\/p>\n

And along the way, she may find some unexpected truths.<\/span><\/p>\n

This book is a great example of why I am so thrilled to have Choc Lit as my publisher. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is a book about real people – with real issues and real problems. There are no manufactured conflicts, no easy outs and no cheating. I was totally involved with the story \u2013 and highly recommend it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A contemporary novel – dealing with modern issues.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Dream a Little Dream<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is another Choc Lit book \u2013 this time by Sue Moorcroft. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve read all Sue\u2019s Books. She\u2019s just a fine writer of real stories about real people (see above).<\/span><\/p>\n

In this book \u2013 our hot but flawed hero (Sue\u2019s really good at hot but flawed heroes) suffers from Narcolepsy \u2013 a sleep disorder. I loved how his struggle to understand and cope with the disorder was woven into the story. <\/span><\/p>\n

I also love that while there was a happy ever after \u2013 it was a real one. No spoilers of course \u2013 but let me just say I hate unrealistic \u2018it\u2019s a miracle\u2019 endings. That wasn\u2019t the case here. The ending was exactly as it should have been. Sue does not cheat!<\/span><\/p>\n

Go and get this. You won\u2019t regret it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Another<\/a>
Another lovely cover.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Beneath An Irish Sky<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a debut novel \u2013 and it\u2019s great. Seriously \u2013 it is really really good. Far better than I would normally expect from a debut. And it\u2019s a collaboration of two authors working under the pen name of Isabella O\u2019Connor.<\/span><\/p>\n

The story and the characters captured me right from the start. There\u2019s a mystery from the past and a conflict in the present.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I like that it touches upon Ireland\u2019s traveller community \u2013 but in a respectful way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Its\u2019 a love story \u2013 in fact more than one love story. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is the story of a father and son \u2013 and each meets a woman in the book \u2013 which gives is two romances. <\/span><\/p>\n

But there is another love story \u2013 the story of the love between a father and a son. It\u2019s a love story as tricky as any romance and as interesting and fulfilling to read. <\/span><\/p>\n

A great debut novel \u2013 long may the collaboration continue.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A Bargain\u00a0 Struck<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A horse on the cover works for me – it suggests a strong, capable hero.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This\u00a0is the second book I\u2019ve read by Liz Harris. <\/span><\/p>\n

It’s\u00a0is a western romance \u2013 which works for me. I love a man with a horse and cowboy boots. It\u2019s also historical.<\/span><\/p>\n

I liked the slow building romance here \u2013 the emotion gradually built between the protagonists, and slowly developed for the reader too. For me, this was a very good thing. I always feel it makes the romance more believable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both parties were flawed but very likable, and their emotions and reactions to each other were totally believable, as were the tantrums thrown by the child character.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is not a cookie cutter historical romance. If you are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, you\u2019ll probably like this.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Leaving behind the Choc Lit titles\u2026..<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Set<\/a>
Set in World War II – I suppose it counts as historical?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The White Pearl<\/strong><\/p>\n

This book by Kate Furnivall was on the short list for RNA\u2019s Romantic Novel of the year award \u2013 in the epic romance category. I\u2019m not sure why.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s a bad book \u2013 it\u2019s just not a romance. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is actually a very good depiction of the arrogance of colonial Britain in Asia and the war that ended a whole era of history. There are romances in it \u2013 but a romantic novel \u2013 I don\u2019t think so.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having said that \u2013 it\u2019s very well written and well researched.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It dragged me in right from the beginning and kept me turning the pages because I had to find out how it ended. There were some unexpected moments in the book. <\/span><\/p>\n

It was a good read \u2013 but not my favourite.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"A<\/a>
A new series – so a lot of books to look forward to.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The Wanderer<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

As some of you may know from previous posts, I am a fan of US writer Robyn Carr. <\/span><\/p>\n

She did a series of books set in the small town of Virgin River \u2013 I read all 19 and loved them.\u00a0 In fact, this is what inspired me to try my hand at my own series of small town books.<\/span><\/p>\n

She has a new series just beginning \u2013 Thunder Point. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s another small town series, but this small town is on the coast, rather than in the mountains. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is a new, but equally interesting cast of townspeople. And equally appealing heroes and heroines. <\/span><\/p>\n

I liked this first book. The first Virgin Rover book began with the heroine\u2026 This time it begins with the hero, so I am wondering (especially given the covers) if this series is hero driven rather than driven by the heroines. That\u2019s fine by me. She writes a fabulous hero \u2013 flawed but fabulous. <\/span><\/p>\n

I have already bought the next one. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\"It<\/a>
It can’t have been easy to decide what to write after the Potter books.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Casual Vacancy<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>JK Rowling\u2019s first adult book after the Harry Potter series was attracted a lot of attention \u2013 but it\u2019s taken me a long time to get around to reading it. <\/span><\/p>\n

One review I accidentally stumbled on pointed out there were 34 characters in this book \u2013I didn\u2019t count them but I can believe it. There are a lot of characters and at times I was struggling a bit to remember who was who.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a well written book \u2013 and is a fascinating looking onto the heart of small village England.\u00a0 The characters are well written \u2013 and some of the small vignettes are lovely.<\/span><\/p>\n

But having said all that, this wasn\u2019t a book that gripped me. The story arc was very slow moving. I kept thinking that I was going to put it down and not bother finishing it. But I did finish it \u2013 and I found the last scene rather moving. So maybe I was more involved with it than I thought. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is a more literary book than I usually read \u2013perhaps that\u2019s why it didn\u2019t grab me. Or perhaps, like everyone else, I was subconsciously looking for another Harry Potter experience\u2026 <\/span><\/p>\n

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\"What<\/a>
What a wonderfully trashy cover – I love it!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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I am Legend<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I had recently watched Brad Pitt in World War Z \u2013 and this for me was a trip back to the beginning of the whole zombie apocalypse idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

Written by Richard Matheson in 1954, the book got mixed reviews. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the story of the last man on earth \u2013 the only survivor of a pandemic which turned the planet\u2019s entire population into walking dead. In this book the dead resemble and are called vampires rather than zombies, but the theme is the same \u2013 the lone survivor struggles to survive in the new order.<\/span><\/p>\n

It has been the basis for several films \u2013 the first in starring Vincent Price (1964) and the most recent in 2007 and starring Will Smith. My personal favourite is the 1971 film with Charlton Heston, called the Omega Man. All deviated a bit from the original book, but most film adaptations do. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is not the best book ever written \u2013 and it is a bit dated in style. But at the time, it was ground breaking. Over the years, it had gained better reviews \u2013 and an honoured place in the history of sci fi \/ horror. And Matheson has been recognised as one of the most influential writers in his genre.<\/span><\/p>\n

Its influence still survives, which makes it an interesting read. It\u2019s not a huge book – only 170 odd pages and well worth a look if you are interested in the genre.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Charlton<\/a>
Charlton Heston took it all so very seriously…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"I<\/a>
I would love to know who contributed which bits to this collaboration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Throttle<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

I remember the first time I watched Duel \u2013 the 1971 Steven Spielberg film based on the short story written by Richard Matheson (see I am Legend, above).\u00a0 It was riveting. A battle for survival between a truck driver and a car in the vastness of the US highway system. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Throttle is a salute to Duel \u2013 written by Joe Hill and his father\u00a0 \u2013 the one and only Stephen King.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which is interesting considering the content of this book. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, it involves a cross country trucker trying to kill some bikers\u2026\u00a0 but ultimately \u2013 it\u2019s a story about the relationship between a father and a son.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the first of Joe Hill\u2019s writing I have read. Being such a fan of his father\u2019s work, I wasn\u2019t sure I wanted to give him a try.\u00a0 In this shortish collaboration, King\u2019s hand is obvious \u2013 but there is much there that doesn\u2019t belong to Stephen King. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are no supernatural elements in this book. No vampires or boogie men or swamp monsters. The horror of Throttle is entirely man-made. <\/span><\/p>\n

I am definitely up for some more Joe Hill.<\/span><\/p>\n

And finally – my book of the month award – probably best book of the year (which title it may to share with Odd And the Frost Giants \u2013 another Gaiman book) goes to…<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ocean at the End of the Lane<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

I have included a photo of Neil Gaiman as well as the book cover\u00a0 \u2013\u00a0 because I really do have a massive fan-girl crush on him. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Last<\/a>
Last – but far from least.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A couple of years ago, I declared The Graveyard Book (which added a whole collection of new awards to the Gaiman mantelpiece) to be the best thing I\u2019d read in — forever.\u00a0 Until I read Odd and the Frost Giants. Then I read this.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I read it \u2013 each book just seems to me to be THE best book ever. Until the next Neil Gaiman book comes along. <\/span><\/p>\n

The book is about childhood \u2013 but not. It\u2019s about love and fear and friendship. It made me cry in the first chapter \u2013 and the last, and in the middle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Reading a Gaiman book sometimes makes me almost despair. I know I will never write a book like that. But at the same time, the magic on the pages inspires me to work even harder at my writing – in the hope that I can give my readers even a fraction of the same pleasure that his books give to me.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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