Bookfest at Tiffany's

A Country Escape by Katie Fforde Published by Arrow, 22 February 2018 Fran leaves the bright lights and hot kitchens of London for a rustic farm in the Cotswolds after receiving a letter from the solicitor of a long-lost relative. If Fran can make a go of the farm within six months, the owner Amy Flowers will leave it to her in her will. Amy is now in a nursing home but has a capable stockman to care for the farm's dairy herd. It takes a while for Fran to find her feet but with the help from her bestie Issi she soon manages to sort the curds from the whey and hits on a couple of ideas to make the farm pay. Dark clouds gather over the rolling green hills however in the shape of Australian Roy - another distant relation who hadn't originally answered Amy's letters. Just as Fran begins to feel at hope could it all go down under? This was a light, entertaining read. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the farming life. Amy is a great waspish character (I pictured Dame Maggie S

  Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World  by Kate Pankhurst Published by Bloomsbury, 8 September 2016 The companion to Fantastically Great Women Who Changed History, this book presents Jane Austen, Gertrude Ederle, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Amelia Earhart, Agent Fifi (Marie Christine Chilver) Sacagawea, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks and Anne Frank - all of whom changed the world be it through equality, science or fashion, our lives are better thanks to these fantastically great women (there are, we all know, plenty more).  Pankhurst camptures thier lives in a bright, accessibly way with her engaging illustrations leading the reader through the pages.  Just lovely.

  Fantastically Great Women Who Made History  by Kate Pankhurst Published by Bloomsbury, 12 November 2018 This is a collection of wonderfully illustrated mini biographies of some of the most remarkable women who ever lived. Included in here are Harriet Tubman, Boudica, Flora Drummond, Qiu Jin, Noor Inayat Khan, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, Pocahontas, Valentina Tereshvova, Ada Lovelace, Sayyida al-Hurra, Hatshepsut, Josephine Baker, Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. Each great lady has a colourful, playfully illustrated page (more often than not double spreads) of her life. Some of these women I knew but some I met for the first time within these pages.  This is a lovely children's non-fic book that is a joy for adults too. Great for a leisure read as well as curriculum support. 

  The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage Published 2016, Vintage (originally published 1967) This was a book I'd picked up second hand because the film was released a couple of years back and... you know, the book is usually better. After reading it, I would watch the film if it came on TV, just to see how it translated to the screen and if the actors chosen fit the characters. I admit to knowing Benedict Cumberbatch stars in it so did picture him as I read. I found this a bit of a cross between Open Range and The Sisters Brothers, with a bit of Brokeback Mountain thrown in. The relationship between brothers Phil and George and George's later in life choice to marry were familiar.  The setting of Montana, acres of open space and bitter cold was mirrored the coldness between characters, the distance between family, between being their true selves. I found it a slow start and it did pick up (or my interest in it did) when we met Doctor John Gordon, his wife Rose and son Pete. The

    The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang Published: Corvus 2018 #1 in The Kiss Quotient series I don't know how I ended up loaning this from the Library but there it was, on my TBR,  and I am so glad it was! Stella Lane's mother is pestering her for grandchildren.  Stella is a successful woman working in economics and, after realising she's not so confident  with dating and relationships, does what every academic would do and researches. Only Stella's research i sin the form of Korean-American male escort Michael.  She requests that he teach her seduction, sex and how to be in a relationship but Michael  never meets with a client twice. Can he bend the rules to help a girl out? The more time they spend together... yadda, yadda, yadda. OK yes, it's predictable - but Stella and Michael are great, well written characters. Their chemistry on the page causes sparks (should probably put a WARNING: sex scenes) in this review. Huong also ticks major diversity boxes with her cha

  A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway Published: Vintage 2000 but originally published in 1964 This is a collection of Hemingway's memories of living in Paris with his first wife Hadley and a variety of friends and aquaintences including the Fitzgeralds, Joyce, Pound, Stein and Ford to name a few. It is full of fascinating descriptions of places and people, reading Hemingway's spare prose is like having him narrate his life to me. I hear him through his clear, matter-of-fact statements as he moves around the salons and cafes of Paris and beyond. I am sure to dip in and out of this book again and again.

  The Little Bakery on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry Published: Avon, 2017 (Book 2 in the Rosemary Lane series) Ahhh, it's grand to be back in Burley Bridge. When I left (The Little Bookshop on Rosemary Lane), Della had just opened her bookshop and it seemed to bring new life to the village. They now have a new family bakery and baker Michael is a regular customer of Della's looking for inspiration and instruction from her vast cookbook stock. Della's sister Roxanne meanwhile is having a bit of a crisis down in London. New blood has been brought in over her head at the magazine to re-vamp it for a new readership and her casual relationship with Sean is still just a bit too casusal for her liking. When Roxanne's Editor Marsha suggests a 2-month sabbatical, it turns out to be just the ticket. Roxanne packs up and goes to stay with Della on the proviso she writes a few blog posts about rurality. Look out Burley Bridge! I enjoyed this easy read, especially the descriptions o