{"id":4675,"date":"2014-04-27T07:00:56","date_gmt":"2014-04-27T06:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=4675"},"modified":"2014-04-27T07:00:56","modified_gmt":"2014-04-27T06:00:56","slug":"my-recent-reads-highs-and-lows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=4675","title":{"rendered":"My recent reads… highs and lows"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Just<\/a>
Just writing this blog has made me want to go back and read this again – it was that good.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

My recent reading has been a mixed bag. When I\u2019m writing, I tend to avoid books in the same genre as mine \u2013 so that I can\u2019t be unwittingly influenced by what I\u2019m reading.<\/p>\n

There is no hesitation as I give the book of the month(s) award to\u2026. <\/p>\n

Terry Pratchett \u2013 Snuff<\/p>\n

Terry Pratchett is a national treasure. There\u2019s nothing more to say. This book features my favourite Discworld character and I think one of the great heroes of modern literature \u2013 Sir Samuel Vimes. The book was funny \u2013 as Pratchett\u2019s always are – but there was a depth to this one that surprised me. \u00a0The Discworld books have always dealt in their own humorous and light handed way with some very real issues and problems. This book has a surprising depth of feeling. I felt a sense of anger in this book \u2013 at injustice in all its forms. For me \u2013 that only made it a better book. One of his best.<\/p>\n

Peter O\u2019Donnell \u2013 Cobra Trap<\/p>\n

This is comfort reading for me. I was introduced to Modesty Blaise many years ago by my father \u2013 and these books have had a special place in my heart ever since. Yes \u2013 the books are dated. No \u2013 they are not politically correct. But I don\u2019t care. Modest Blasie is the original kick-a**** heroine and I love her. This book of short stories contains the very last Modesty Blaise story \u2013 and it always brings a tear to my eye.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The younger me wanted to grow up to be Modesty Blaise – in fact, I still might want that.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Louise Allen \u2013 Forbidden Jewel of India<\/p>\n

This book was shortlisted for an RNA Award. I am not usually a Mills and Boon reader but I do love Louise Allen\u2019s books. She writes well, with a spark of humour and the setting of this book appealed to me. Full disclosure here \u2013 Louise once told me she was reading one of my books as she travelled through India researching. That made me certain to read this one of hers \u2013 but I recommend it purely because I enjoyed it.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The setting was beautifully realised – something out of the ordinary<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PD James \u2013\u00a0 Unnatural Causes<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not a big crime reader \u2013 but I do like the odd murder. When I do read crime, it tends to be from the US \u2013 so I thought it was about time I read one of the UK\u2019s premier crime writers. The book is very well written \u2013 and very English. The opening premise was wonderful \u2026 but\u2026 this book was not for me. It was a bit gentle. I like my crime to be in the mean streets of the big apple. I think I might stick to US crime. But if you like a slightly gentler walk on the wild side \u2013 you couldn\u2019t go far wrong with this.<\/p>\n

\"Not<\/a>
Not my favourite read – but easy to see why Ms James is so popular.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jean Fullerton \u2013 All Change for Nurse Millie<\/p>\n

One of the great pleasures in life is watching your friends succeed. Jean Fullerton and I have shared our writing journeys for more than a decade. Every time I read one of her books, it is with the great satisfaction – not just because my friend has done well \u2013 but because she is a great storyteller. I enjoyed this journey into the heart of post-war London at a time of great change. The historical detail is fascinating \u2013 but the heart of the book is the characters. Well done, my friend.<\/p>\n

\"If<\/a>
If you were a fan of Call the Midwife – you’ll love this<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joe Hill – Horns<\/p>\n

I first encountered Joe Hill in a book he co-wrote with his father \u2013 Stephen King. I am a big fan of King\u2019s books, and in that collaboration, I fancied I could tell who wrote what. I was probably wrong. Horns is all Joe Hill. He is his own writer \u2013 not just a clone of his father. It\u2019s a bit hard to know what to write about this book. Did I read it quickly \u2013 yes. It was gripping and I had to read it through to the end. Was it well written \u2013 absolutely. Did I like it?\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure. It was most definitely NOT a gentle read. It made my flesh crawl in places. But then \u2013 it\u2019s a horror novel, so it\u2019s supposed to. Not an easy read \u2013 but a very powerful one. Still \u2013 not for the faint-hearted.<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>
I will read more – but cautiously – this man scares me silly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Robyn Carr \u2013 The Hero<\/p>\n

No surprises here \u2013 I went into the fourth book of Robyn Carr\u2019s Thunder Point series expecting to like it. And I did. I\u2019m not sure exactly how many of her books I have read \u2013 I suspect more than twenty. Have not yet met one I didn\u2019t like. Modern romance \u2013 touching on real issues. Exactly what I look for. And a delight after the very creepy Joe Hill book.<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>
I read this in about two days – could not put it down.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beverley Eikli \u2013 The Maid of Milan<\/p>\n

A few weeks ago, I shared a book launch <\/a>with Beverley \u2013 another Choc Lit author. Of course I was eager to try her book. It\u2019s a regency romance with a difference. There\u2019s a harder core in this book that many of its genre \u2013 and I liked that. It gave the story substance. This is not your cookie cutter regency romance \u2013 it’s not all rakes and ruined\u00a0reputations. It takes a slightly deeper look at actions and their consequences. I enjoyed it.<\/p>\n

\"Regency<\/a>
Regency with a twist and a real moral dilemma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Giselle Green \u2013 Falling for You<\/p>\n

Giselle Green\u2019s books always make me cry \u2013 and this one was no exception. It\u2019s a masterful work. She has stripped the book bare of unnecessary detail \u2013 limiting the interaction between the characters to just one small place and one short time. Thus does she delve deep into their hearts. I made a very real connection to the characters in this book \u2013 and I recommend it highly.<\/p>\n

\"Keep<\/a>
Keep the tissues handy. A deeply thoughtful and moving book.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  My recent reading has been a mixed bag. When I\u2019m writing, I tend to avoid books in the same genre as mine \u2013 so that I can\u2019t be unwittingly influenced by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reading"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7g6jm-1dp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4675\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}