{"id":6541,"date":"2015-12-13T07:00:08","date_gmt":"2015-12-13T07:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=6541"},"modified":"2015-12-13T07:00:08","modified_gmt":"2015-12-13T07:00:08","slug":"more-books-to-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=6541","title":{"rendered":"More books to read"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_6542\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6542\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-memory-of-midnight.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6542\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6542\" src=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-memory-of-midnight.jpg\" alt=\"A gritty time slip.\" width=\"200\" height=\"302\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6542\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A gritty time slip.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So \u2013 the year is almost over.<\/p>\n<p>Time for one last book blog. I didn\u2019t read as many books this year as I might have wanted. I never do. There are far too many wonderful books out there and far too little time.<\/p>\n<p>But here are a few of the books that just about rounded off my 2015 reads.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Memory of Midnight by Pamela Hartshorne<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I love a good time slip \u2013 am very partial bit of Barbara Erskine and Diana Gabaldon. This was a new author for me and I am very pleased to have discovered her. Like the very best in time slip \u2013 it\u2019s not an easy read. I can\u2019t believe in a time slip unless there are some pretty powerful emotions to break the barriers of time. There\u2019s a lot of emotion here \u2013 some of the scenes are quite harrowing\u2026 BUT that\u2019s what makes it such a good read. Not for the fainthearted, but I loved it and will be back for more.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6543\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6543\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-dress-thief.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6543\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6543\" src=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-dress-thief.jpg\" alt=\"Seeing beyond the outer appearance\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6543\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Seeing beyond the outer appearance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Dress Thief by Natalie Meg Evans<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Another new author for me. I liked the elements mixed into the book. It\u2019s set in the fashion world of 1930s Paris, but it\u2019s not all about the glamour. There is a tough underside of the fashion industry&#8230; in fact its verging on seedy. Not only that, war is on the way. I like depth and complexity in a story \u2013 and this had that. There were times I thought I had figured out the ending, but I was wrong. That is always a good thing. I will read more from this author.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6544\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6544\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-anything-but-sweet.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6544\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6544\" src=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-anything-but-sweet.jpg\" alt=\"Fun and flirty\" width=\"200\" height=\"328\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6544\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fun and flirty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Anything but Sweet by Candis Terry<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This took me back to a favourite genre \u2013 cowboy books. Or more specifically, cowboy heroes. I like a good cowboy. This book \u2013by a third new author \u2013 was bright and bubbly. The lead characters had some issues, but it was clear right from the start that they were meant for each other and would soon sort it all out. This was not a deep and meaningful book \u2013 but it was fun. Perfect for a rainy afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>That was the last for the new authors \u2013 I also spent some time catching up with some old friends.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6545\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6545\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-MD.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6545\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6545\" src=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-MD.jpg\" alt=\"The bard would be pleased\" width=\"200\" height=\"305\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6545\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bard would be pleased<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Midsummer Dreams by Alison May<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Full disclosure \u2013 Alison is a friend of mine \u2013 but that\u2019s not why I read her books. This is a modern reworking of the Shakespeare. The deeply troubled heroine had me gripped right from page one. It was both funny and sad, bubbly and also deep and thoughtful &#8211; right up my alley, and well written to boot. You should give it a try \u2013 I think you might like it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6546\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6546\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-earthlight.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6546\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6546\" src=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-earthlight.jpg\" alt=\"Only the nostalgiaa still works\" width=\"200\" height=\"327\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6546\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Only the nostalgia still works<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Earthlight by Arthur C Clarke<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a nostalgia moment for me. I read a lot of Sci Fi growing up. My Dad pointed me at the greats &#8211; Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, Wyndham. I read them all. From time to time I go back and revisit the books I loved. It\u2019s a sad truth that some of them do not hold up well in the test of time. This is one such book. This is a book about colonies on the other planets of the solar system. The technology (Clarke was all about technology) just doesn\u2019t hold up in today\u2019s world. However, the sense of wonder and excitement that touched me all those years ago IS still there. If was lovely to taste that again.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And finally \u2013 book of the month (or however long it has been) goes to\u2026<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6547\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6547\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-sumemr-queen.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6547\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6547\" src=\"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/b-sumemr-queen.jpg\" alt=\"An enthralling read\" width=\"200\" height=\"322\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6547\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An enthralling read<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am a big fan of Elizabeth Chadwick\u2019s books \u2013 and had been looking forward to her series about Eleanor of Aquitaine for a long time. Eleanor is a fascinating woman \u2013 one of the most powerful women in history. This novelisation of her life comes in three parts \u2013 and this is the first. I loved it. It was thoroughly researched and beautifully written and humanised Eleanor brilliantly. It has me very very eager to read the second book.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So \u2013 the year is almost over. Time for one last book blog. I didn\u2019t read as many books this year as I might have wanted. I never do. There are far&hellip;<\/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-6541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reading"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7g6jm-1Hv","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6541","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=6541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6541\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}