Review - Where There's A Will by Michael Kerrigan

My thanks to Real Readers for a copy of Where There's A Will by Michael Kerrigan to read and review.

Saraband (17 May 2012)

From Amazon UK

Death is inevitable: we are all destined to shuffle off this mortal coil, kick the bucket, cease to be. Yet many of us choose to deal with our inescapable mortality with heads firmly stuck in the sand. But is ignorance really bliss? Perhaps if we prepare ourselves thoughtfully for death - whether it s our own or a loved one s - and take charge of our own affairs, we will be able to rest easier as the fat lady begins her final chorus? Where There s a Will guides you through all the emotional, financial, legal and practical issues that you need to consider. With a combination of constructive tips and thoughtful reflections on dying, death and bereavement, this book throws light on subjects that all too often remain taboo.

My Review 4****

As a nation, we seldom speak about death, we don’t even like to use the word, and have developed cosy euphemisms to cover our unease, and yet, with an ever aging population, the need for an instruction manual on how to cope with the reality of death is an invaluable asset.

This practical guide to putting your affairs in order is both informative and fascinating in equal measure. It attempts to cover all aspects of the dying process in an easy to read style, and is neither mawkish, nor sensationalist in the way it sets out the practicalities of death and dying. The chapters are divided into structured settings, and cover such diverse topics as, the instructional etiquette involved in having your name removed from social media websites and the closing down of online bank accounts, through to the music you want at your funeral and the inscription on your memorial headstone. For those who may be facing their own death, and who need to know the practicalities of the dying process, this book informs in a sensible and forthright manner. Likewise, middle aged children, who may have no experience of the dying process, and who, when faced with the loss of a beloved parent, may struggle to cope with the myriad of emotions involved in preparing a funeral.

The answers to so many questions, you never knew you needed to know, are all written somewhere in this informative book. I enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it as a practical and helpful guide.

Wishlist Wednesday..

I am delighted to be part of wishlist Wednesday which is hosted by Dani at pen to paper

 

The idea is to post about one book each week that has been on your wishlist for some time, or maybe just added.

So what do you need to do to join in?

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.

Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.

Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.

Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.

My wishlist Wednesday book this week

 is 

Yesterday's Sun

by 

Amanda Brooke

Harper (2 Jan 2012)

From Amazon UK

A heart wrenching story for fans of Jodi Picoult, Susan Lewis and Katherine Webb.

How could you ever choose between your own life and the life of your child?
Newly-weds Holly and Tom have just moved into an old manor house in the picturesque English countryside. When Holly discovers a moondial in the overgrown garden and its strange crystal mechanism, little does she suspect that it will change her life forever. For the moondial has a curse.

Each full moon, Holly can see into the future – a future which holds Tom cradling their baby daughter, Libby, and mourning Holly’s death in childbirth…

Holly realises the moondial is offering her a desperate choice: give Tom the baby he has always wanted and sacrifice her own life; or save herself and erase the life of the daughter she has fallen in love with.

This book has received mixed reviews on some book website, some suggesting that the book is a  unbelievable, but sometimes its nice just to sink into your favourite armchair, open a packet of chocolate hobnobs and  escape into another world.

Moon dials that can see into the future - who knows  - I must read it and find out for myself !!

Happy Reading.

Blogoversary today...

Today Jaffareadstoo celebrates its first year blogoversary

Happy Blogoversary to us


Thank you for staying with us over the year and for reading and contributing to our book reviews.

As a little treat for our first blogoversary I am hosting a giveaway..


Enter to win ..
one of my hand made knittybags, a book mark and small blank notebook.

To enter this giveaway all you have to do is .....

1. Please follow our blog  
2. Leave a comment with your email address
3. Giveaway closes Sunday 13th May 2012
4. Winner will be picked at random
5. Winner will be notified by email. If prize is unclaimed after 72 hours, I will choose another random winner.
6. Am willing to post anywhere in the world.
7. Jaffareadstoo has the final decision in any dispute.

Have fun !

And thanks for taking part in this giveaway.

Doing a Happy Dance...

A huge thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending a beautiful signed copy of Pomegranates and Roses by Ariana Bundy.....which I won in a Facebook competition.

There are some fabulous recipes and I shall have great fun trying out these delicious dishes.

Friday Recommends..

Friday again, and it's time for my choice of book for Friday recommends...

This is an exciting book blog hop that book bloggers can take part in once a week to share with their followers, the books that they most recommend reading!

The rules for Friday Recommends are:

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book that you've read, and have enjoyed enough to recommend to other readers. It can be a book you've read recently, or a book you read years ago - it's up to you - but make sure you tell us why you love the book (like a mini review). You make the post as long or as short as you like.

Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

My Friday Recommended Read  

The King's Concubine

by

Anne O'Brien

My Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin UK (Mira) for an advance early reading digital copy

MIRA (4 May 2012)

My Review 5 *****

The King’s Concubine is set during reign of Edward III, and describes his relationship with his wife, Philippa of Hainault, and his mistress, Alice Perrers. Little is truly known about the life of Alice Perrers, and yet Anne O’Brien has woven a skilful and believable story about how, in the mid 1360’s, young Alice became one of the Queen’s waiting women. The way in which Alice colluded with Queen Philippa in order to begin a sexual relationship with the King, is described in a compassionate and romantic manner. The story quickly evolves into a sympathetic and warm account of an aging king and his love affair, not just with his astute young mistress, but also with his wife, and courtiers. The medieval court is beautifully described and is perfectly placed within the context of the story. There is much debate about Alice Perrers, and the influence she had on the aging King, she is often depicted as an avaricious, scheming harpy, or as a femme fatale, but in The King’s Concubine, Anne O’Brien has given a lighter and possibly more sympathetic view of this charismatic medieval mistress.

I enjoyed this version of Alice’s early life, and would definitely recommend this book to my friends who enjoy historical fiction by Philippa Gregory, Vanora Bennett and Emma Campion

Wishlist Wednesday..

I am delighted to be part of wishlist Wednesday which is hosted by Dani at pen to paper

 

The idea is to post about one book each week that has been on your wishlist for some time, or maybe just added.

So what do you need to do to join in?

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.

Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.

Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.

Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.

My wishlist Wednesday book

 is 

Changeling

by 

Philippa Gregory

Simon & Schuster Childrens Books (24 May 2012)

From Amazon

The first book in the thrilling YA sequence, Order of Darkness. The year is 1453, and all signs point to it being the end of the world. Accused of heresy and expelled from his monastery, handsome seventeen-year-old, Luca Vero, is recruited by a mysterious stranger to record the end of times across Europe. Commanded by sealed orders, Luca is sent to map the fears of Christendom, and travel to the very frontier of good and evil. Seventeen-year-old Isolde, a Lady Abbess, is trapped in a nunnery to prevent her claiming her rich inheritance. As the nuns in her care are driven mad by strange visions, walking in their sleep, and showing bleeding wounds, Luca is sent to investigate and all the evidence points to Isolde's criminal guilt. Outside in the yard they are building a pyre to burn her for witchcraft. Forced to face the greatest fears of the medieval world - dark magic, werewolves, madness - Luca and Isolde embark on a search for truth, their own destinies, and even love as they take the unknown ways to the real historical figure who defends the boundaries of Christendom and holds the secrets of the Order of Darkness.

I'm really looking forward to reading this boo.k as it is Philippa Gregory's first venture in the teen fiction market, and I wonder how it will differ from her more adult inspired historical novels. I love the cover  and am sure it will be a great success.

Review - Another Time ,Another Life by Leif GW Persson

My Thanks to Lynsey at Transworld for a review copy.

Doubleday; First Edition edition (15 Mar 2012)

My Review 3 stars ***

This complicated crime thriller begins in 1975, with the Baader Meinhof storming of the West German Embassy in Sweden. Fourteen years later in 1989, a seemingly unrelated murder causes logicistical problems for Swedish detectives, Bo Jarnebring and Anna Holt. The novel then fast forwards to 1999, when Lars Johansson from the Swedish Security Police, in his endeavour to tie up some departmental loose ends, finds that there are links between all these historic events, and he enlists the help of detectives, Jarnebring and Holt, in an attempt to piece together all the jigsaw fragments of evidence.


Leif GW Persson is an established Scandinavian crime fiction writer and his ability to weave together a complicated plot is well recognised in his native country. However, I struggled to read this book, due in part to the often disorganised narrative, which I felt was something lacking in translation rather than bad writing. It took me a while to fully understand all the nuances of the story, and had to flip backwards and forwards in order to make sense of the plot.

The over complexity of both the plot, and characters made this a difficult book for me to read and enjoy.