Monday, October 05, 2009

3 Books

Just finished - The Devil's Brood by Sharon Penman. (historical)
I really enjoyed reading this Sharon Penman book, her third in the story of Henry II's family.
Penman has a talent in mixing historical detail and family fueds with equal measure so that the reader feels as though they are right in amongst the warring family. There are no winners as son fights father, father fights mother and their polictical enemies and friends all combine to make this true story exciting and interesting.

Blurb
Where the second novel in the trilogy, Time And Chance, dealt with the extraordinary politics of the twelfth century, climaxing with the murder of Thomas Becket and Henry’s confrontation with the Church and self-imposed exile to Ireland, Devil’s Brood centers on the implosion of a family. And because it is a royal family whose domains span the English Channel and whose alliances encompass the Christian world, that collapse will have dire consequences. This is a story of betrayal as Henry’s three eldest sons and his wife enter into a rebellion against him, aligning themselves with his bitterest enemy, King Louis of France. But it is also the story of a great king whose brilliance forged an empire but whose personal blind spots led him into the most serious mistake of his life.

Currently reading - High Potential by Ber Carroll. (chick lit)
I've not read this Irish/Australian author before, and I first noticed her books through a publisher's newsletter. Then I saw her book, High Potential in my local library and decided to try it. So far, it's okay actually, so that's good!

Blurb
Katie Horgan is going places: soon she’ll be a partner in the prestigious law firm where she works. But her love life is going nowhere – until she meets Jim Donnelly. Jim is brilliant, handsome and, like her parents, Irish. The only problem is that he already has a girlfriend.
When Katie is sent to Ireland as part of her training, she happily settles into life in Dublin where she works in a clinic that provides free legal advice to the homeless. She befriends Mags who makes it her business to initiate Katie to Dublin’s social scene. Then Jim Donnelly comes home on a visit, their relationship deepens, but everything begins to unravel …
Bit by bit, the truth comes out, about Jim, Mags, and the reason that Katie’s parents left Ireland – and Katie learns that life and love are not as black and white as she always thought.


Reading Next - Michael Parkinson (biography)

I've watched Parky for years and when I saw his autobiography I bought it for my father-in-law for Father's Day. Now he's fuinished reading it and so has my eldest son, I'm going to read it too.

Blurb
From prize-winning journalist to chat show king on a show voted one of the top ten British TV programmes of all time, Michael Parkinson’s starry career spans over four decades. Now an international celebrity himself, the man from a humble but colourful Yorkshire mining family who can tease out the secrets of even the most reticent star guest, at last reveals his own story, with the easy manner and insight that has kept his audiences fascinated.
His distinguished career has involved working on highly acclaimed current affairs and film programmes. His wide interests and expertise include jazz, film, football and cricket. Witty, humorous and blessed with exceptional intellectual clarity, Michael Parkinson’s memoir is a joy to read.

2 comments:

Sandie Hudson said...

Hey Anne,
I've ran my hand over Michael's book so many times to buy it and haven't yet. The problem is I have so many books/novels in my TBR pile I'm scared to buy anymore at the moment. Plus if I buy Parky, I'll want to read it straight away.

I haven't seen the other two, will add them to my list to get somewhere down the track. LOL.

Sandie

Jen Black said...

Do you read Barbara Erskine? She's similar to Penman. I've just finished The Edge of Darkness and enjoyed it right until the last few pages where "the magic words of power" solved the problem. I hate that! What are the words - I want to know - but of course they were never given. Can't help feeling its a bit of a cheat, but it is also a -oh there's a word for and I can't remember what it is - when something is a literary convention..
Jen

Best Seller!

  So happy to see The Winter Widow a best seller in Amazon Australia Kindle!