I say Springtime but I am currently sitting on my sofa with a heated throw over my legs and lap and feeling cold. Seems to take longer and longer each year before the cold weather departs and the warmth comes. The mornings are nice and sunny and then by midday the cloud comes in and the temperature drops.
Easter was bitterly cold and I spent most of it hunkering down indoors with some chocolates which I decided was essential and reading. I stumbled upon a 99p special offer for Kindle by an author called Rachel Lucas and ended up reading my way through all that she has published. I suppose I should call them chick lit as they are clearly marketed in that category, but I always feel this sounds a trifle slighting. Yes they are romantic with a happy ending but they are very well written with interesting and funny characters and I loved every single one. They got me through the Easter week beautifully,
I have a few books to read for review on my pile all of which look interesting,
First up, Queen Victoria and her Prime Ministers by Anne Somerset. No doubt some future historian will write about Elizabeth II and her Prime Ministers as the numbers are pretty similar. Of course, we know nothing about the late Queen's thoughts about her Ministers as these
meetings are kept secret, but Queen V was far less discreet and had no compunction in saying what she thought. I am looking forward to this one.
I am Not afriad of Looking into the Rifles - Women of the Resistance in World War one by Rick Stroud. While this is an interesting subject and one which attracts me, I have started reading it and not quite sure about it. I am finding the style slightly offputting but I shall continue and see how I get on.
The Invention of Charlotte Bronte: Her last years and the scandal that made her by Graham Watson. I will read anything on the Brontes and am enjoying this but am slightly puzzled by the strap line the scandal that made her. I presume this is a reference to Jane Eyre which was regarded as a shocking book when it was published, but not sure that this is relevant to the area covered by this book. Mrs Gaskell features prominently as she and Charlotte became great friends and I find myself warming to her. In fact, I have just picked up a second hand paperback by Jenny Uglow on Mrs Gaskell as she seems to me an interesting woman.
I am off to London tomorrow for a few days and as I will be with family and grandchildren I shall probably not have much reading time but I always take a book with me in the vain hope that I can open it...
Back soon.
