Any Dream Will Do

Any Dream Will Do
By Maria Duffy

This is the story of Jenny Breslin, who is a little dissatisfied with her life so turns to Twitter where she makes some exciting friends and decides to invite some of them to spend a weekend with her in Dublin.
She hopes they will not have a boring time but this turns out to be the least of her worries as she gets to know her Twitter friends a little better in real life...

I really warmed to Jenny's character, she is not perfect but very likable. I really looked forward to reading the book to find out what happened to her (and all the other characters!)
The book felt fresh, modern and up to date. However I felt the last chapter was not necessary, I would have preferred if it ended with the snowshower!

The real message in this book is to appreciate what you have in life and make the most of your circumstances and I must say it left me feeling quite upbeat.

Rachel's Rating: 4.5/5

Christmas at Tiffany's

Christmas at Tiffany's
By Karen Swan

I picked this book up in early December thinking it would be a nice festive read. The cover is really pretty and the blurb on the back appealed to me. The main character is Cassie who at the start of the book discovers that her husband of 10 years has been cheating on her with her best friend. Absolutely shattered by this devastating news she flees from their quiet life in rural Scotland and decides to spend 4 months with each of her best friends in the 3 fabulous cities they live in – New York, Paris and London.
 She lives and works in each city for 4 months and with each move reinvents herself to blend in with the city in question. Of course she finds a fabulous job, meets fabulous people and has a fabulous time in each city but something is still missing & she needs to discover who is the real Cassie it and where she belongs.
This was an enjoyable book. I think it was incorrectly marketed as a Christmas story as it actually covers a whole year in Cassies life so do not let this put you off if you are looking for a nice read this February.

Rachel's Rating: 3.5/5

It Started with a Kiss

It Started with a Kiss
By Miranda Dickinson

This is the second book I have read by Miranda Dickinson. You can read my review of ‘Welcome to My World’ here.

The book starts in the run up to Christmas and follows the life of Romily Parker in her year long quest to find her one true love. Romily is a singer in a wedding band and has been harbouring a secret crush on her best friend and fellow band member Charlie for many years. When we first meet Romily she has finally plucked up the courage to inform Charlie of her feelings only to be left devastated by his uninterested response. That is until at her lowest point she meets a handsome stranger who looks into her eyes with deep affection, kisses her, tells her she is beautiful and then disappears from her sight. She feels she has known him forever but does not even know his name. And so begins her year long quest to find HIM!

Set in Birmingham (somewhere I have never been but am definitely more interested in going to now), I recognized some of the place names from Welcome to my World(e.g. Stone Yardley) which added a nice feature. The band do travel outside of Birmingham for weddings all over the UK and I think the sense of place is a real feature in this book. I actually looked up one of the wedding venues in the book to see if it was real because the description was so beautiful!

I loved the wedding theme running through the book. I got married earlier this year so I find it particularly interesting. I loved the observations on different types of weddings from the perspective of a wedding singer.

Romily is such a lovely character, not perfect (I think she could have been a bit nicer to her parents!) but very likeable for the most part. I did not feel I identified with her quite as much as I did with Harri (the main character in Welcome to my World) but that is down to my own personality rather than any flaw in the character. Two of the other charcters who really stood out for me in this book are her Auntie Mags and Uncle Dudley.

Miranda Dickinson really enagaged with social media during the process of writing and publishing this book. She gave regular updates on her YouTube videos & on her blog and this is something I really enjoyed. Also I think she really draws on experience from her own life as like Romily, Miranda is also a singer in a wedding band.

I am not sure I completely agree with the ending of the book as I was kind of hoping things would turn out differently for Romily. If you have read the book please leave a comment and let me know what you thought.

Overall however I really liked this book. I found it cheerful, upbeat, hopeful and a perfect read around Christmas Time.

Rachel's Rating: 3.5/5

The Novel in the Viola

This novel is utterly charming. It tells the story of Elise a wealthy Austrian Jew who is forced to move to England in the late 1930s to work as a maid due to the hardship faced by Jews in Austria at this time. The real irony is that Elise is very unconcerned about religion but during this terrible period her Jewishness is what defines her. This could be a terribly depressing novel but the love, hope and resiliance of Elise shines through. There is even a little romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it a very insightful and rewarding read.

Casa Clara

I have just finished this lovely book by Kate McCabe. It tells the story of Emma Frazer who has always lived in the shadow of her beautiful and successful older sister. When she reaches a bit of a crisis point in her life she decides to flee to southern spain where she begins working in the beautiful Casa Clara Hotel.
I enjoyed this book so much that I went to Easons today and bought 'The Beach Bar' also by Kate McCabe. Casa Clara really seems like an idyllic place. This book made me want to pack my bags, hop on the plane and spend a few weeks in the spanish sunshine (in a beautiful hotel like Casa Clara of course!)

Girl in a Spin

I mentioned The Disengagement Ring by Clodagh Murphy on this blog last year. I did not do a full review but I was delighted when Clodagh herself left a little comment after my post to thank me for mentioning the book. You can find the post here.

Anyway I have just finished her latest book 'Girl in a Spin' and I have to say I enjoyed it just as much as the previous one. I found it quite addictive and finished it in just over a week. The central character is Jenny, a Dublin girl who moves to London and ends up dating the leader of one of Britains main political parties (The Moderate Party). Jenny is not your typical 'party wife' as she comes from a very different world than your average moderate party member. On the surface she is beautiful, quirky and bubbly but underneath she is quite a complicated character. Although I felt some aspects of the novel were a little unrealistic I found Jenny to be a very interesting character and the book was never boring. I truly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of escapism.

The Happiness Project

On a recent trip to New York I bought the Happiness Project by Gretchin Ruben. I really enjoyed the book and also love the blog & the podcasts. I found the book really inspiring and I will hopefully be taking some small steps to try to improve my overall happiness. Watch this space.

100 Years of China Teacups

I really love china teacups and my favourites are probably Royal Doulton. At the moment they have special sets to comemerate 100 Years of Royal Albert Dinnerware. Each piece in the collection is decorated using a pattern and design representing some of the most iconic styles and colors of each decade.

This lovely boxed-set of Teacups and Saucers features some of the most notable Royal Albert patterns from 1900 to 1940.

The second set features patterns from 1950 to 1990.

These truly are beautiful collections. It is really hard to pick a favourite.

Room

I absoutley adored this book by Emma Donoghue and I must admit I have been feeling a litle sad since I finished it last week. I really miss little Jack. I do not want to say too much about it as I do not want to give away the story. All I will say is please read it if you have not done so already. The world really will look a little different afterwords.

The Lovely Bones

I am very late reading this book so I know most people have read it or seen the film version long ago.
However I enjoyed it so much I thought I should write a little blog post about it.
The story is narrated by 14 year old Susie Salmon  who has been murdered and is speaking from heaven. She describes life in 'her' heaven and watches over all those she left behind on earth. Susie sees how those she loved are affected by her untimely death and this is really what this book is about. It deals with the horrible subjects of murder, grief and the afterlife in such a gentle way that is not dark and depressing as you might expect.
It is very thought provoking and an original novel.

A Place of Secrets

The central character in this book is Jude who is an auctioneer specialising  in historical books. A new work assignment takes her to Starbrough Hall in Norfolk to value a collection of astronomical manuscrips and instruments. Whilst in Norfolk Jude finds herself unravelling the mystery of Starbrough Hall & coincidentally solving a mystery which has passed down through many generations of her own family.

I really liked Judes character and felt it was a lovely engrossing read. Perhaps there were a few too many coincidences in tying up all of the loose ends but I was not disappointed with the ending.This book would appeal to anyone who likes historical dramas splashed with a little romance. Fans of Kate Morton will love this.

Hello Heartbreak

This is the first novel by Amy Huberman wife of Irish rugby star Brian O'Driscoll. I have wanted to read this for quite a while and I remember hearing an interview with Amy where she said that if Mary sitting on the top deck of the bus was reading her book and enjoying it she would be happy. Well, I read this book on the bus, in the bath, in my bed - pretty much everywhere and I have to say I really enjoyed it.

The main character is Izzy Keegan who is a bit of a loveable if slightly ditzy blonde. When we first meet Izzy she has just been dumped by her boyfriend and is heartbroken. However this is not a novel about heartbreak. It is about fun, friendship, and a little bit of fashion. It would be a great novel for anyone going through a breakup or for anyone at all looking for a bit of escapism.

The book has been described as being like 'Jane Austen on ecstacy' and 'Bridget Jones' on viagra. I loved both and I also love this.

Amy has a new book coming out in June this year called 'I wished for you'. I am looking forward to it already.

Love in the Making

How adoreable is the cover of this book? During the time I was reading it I was craving cupcakes every day. So if you are on a diet maybe this is not the book for you!

Hannah is due to celebrate the openening of her little shop 'Cupcakes on the Corner' on the same evening that her boyfriend tells her their relationship is over and he is moving out. This is how the book begins and I was pulled into Hannahs world right from the beginning. But this book is not just about Hannah. It is about the lives and loves of many of the pople living in the little town with the yellow cupcake shop. This story is lovely, sometimes sad but always hopeful. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is the first book I have read by Roisin Meaney and I really hope it will not be the last. 

Welcome To My World

I recently read this book by Miranda Dickinson. It tells the story of Harri who works as a travel agent but has never been outside of the UK. She dreams of a life full of travel and excitement with her true love(romantic Venice is her ideal destination) but in reality her life is quite lonely and boring. Her boyfriend is obesessed with work  and the highlight of her week is when she meets her friend Alex to hear all about his travels. The book is filled with lovely characters and Harri herself is someone I really warmed to. The village of Stone Yardley where Harri lives sounds idyllic. It was really nice to read a book set in England for a change (usually the books I read are set in Ireland as there are many chick lit writers here!)

A little suspense is added to the book as each chapter begins with a short aside where Harri is locked in a toilet cubicle extermely upset. Therefore while reading the book we are curious as to how she got into that situation and if she will ever achieve her dream.

This is a lovely enjoyable book, the story unravels well and I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a nice easy read.

November Secret Post Club

This month I recieved a wonderful gift from Lise as part of the Secret Post Club. Lise noticed from reading my blog that I like tea and she is certainly correct. I recieved an absoutley lovely tea cosy, some loose tea from the Royal Air Force and a tea strainer.

I sampled the tea this morning and it was really lovely. It was such a nice surprise to recieve this in the post and the tea cosy has pride of place in my kitchen now. Thanks Lise xx

A Vegetable Tagine

Yesterday morning when I opened the curtains the ground was covered by a blanket of white snow. It was the perfect day to stay indoors and cook up a warming vegetable tagine.

I chopped 2 red onions, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 butternut squash and 2 peppers into small pieces. I also grated 2 carrots. I then sauted the onions over a low heat for 5 minutes before adding the garlic and continued to saute for a further 5 minutes. I then added the grated carrots & cooked for 5 minutes before adding the chopped peppers and squash and cooked for a further 5 minutes. It was them time to add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, 1 tin of chickpeas, a little salt and pepper plus some cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, cinammon and lots of chilli powder(I like it nice and spicy!). I then covered and left to cook on a low heat for 20 minutes.  I seved with brown price and garnished with some chopped parsley.

This made a huge pot of tagine (enough for 6 people). I thought it was really yummy and also very healthy. It took quite a while to prepare and make this dish & the butternut squash was quite difficult to chop but I have plenty left over which I will freeze and appreciate again soon.

Nothing to Envy

I recently read 'Nothing to Envy Real Lives in North Korea' by Barbara Demick and really enjoyed it so I thought I would write a little review.

This book tells the story of real people from North Korea . It is very interesting because we know so little about this country and the book provides insight into what life is like for ordinary people there. When reading the book I learned so much about Korea but it was told like a story so I did not feel like I was reading a book about politics/history. It is so easy to get lost in the story of the characters that you have to remind yourself that it is not a work of fiction, the sad reality is that this is real life for so many people. It is hard to understand that in our modern world with internet, mobile phones etc there is a place where time stands still and the people struggle so much just to survive. If you have ever thought you would like to know more about North Korea I would highly recommend this book as it provides so much insight into a place that I cannot believe still exists in our world.

A'kin Goodies

This month the mypure bloggers were allowed to choose their own products to review. I chose two A'kin products as I have really liked the A'kin products I have tried in the past.
My first choice was the Jasmine Body Wash:

I chose this because I really wanted to try a natural body wash and the description of this one appealed to me most:
'A'kin Aromatherapy Jasmine Body Wash - Jasmine has long been cherished for its heaven scent qualities of warming the heart, relaxing the body and uplifting the spirit. To this soothing and softening plant derived skin cleanser A'kin have added the finest pure essence of Jasmine.'
When it arrived I was delighted with my choice as I adore the packaging and the smell is lovely. It is a pleasure to use this product. It is priced at £7.49 for 225ml and although this is quite expensive for a shower gel it is something I would definately repurchase as a treat. Although I really want to try the lavender scented one first.
The second product I selected was the Sandalwood & Neroli Pure Facial Cleansing Gel.

I chose this based on the excellent reviews for this product on the mypure website. It is a foaming facial cleanser for combination skin. I found it was gentle on my skin, removed makeup and did not leave my skin feeeling dry. The scent is quite nice - citrus and actually quite masculine. The bottle is huge so I can imagine it will last me a long time. Priced at £13.99 for 225ml I think this is quite good value.
These poducts are available from mypure.

Antique Rose Wedding Bouquet

Almost three months have passed since I became an engaged lady and very few wedding plans have been made...
We have looked at a couple of venues but have not yet seen one we really love. We will be visiting a venue next weekend which looks beautiful online so I am holding out hope on this being the one.
I have been doing a lot of research online and think I have found the wedding bouquet for me. Click here for the link to my ideal bouquet.
It is called the antique rose bouquet. Roses are my favourite flowers and I always adore visiting rose gardens. Different coloured roses have different meanings. Red roses are classic and symbolise love and romance. White roses represent purity and true love. Both colours are therefore ideal for a wedding. I love both red and white roses but my personal favourite are the pale pink ones. Apparently pink roses represent elegance and refinement and show happiness joy and admiration.  They symbolise appreciation and thankfulness. Hopefuly our wedding will be full of these qualities.
What are your favourite flowers and is symbolism important to you?

Lush Lovelies

On a recent trip to Belfast I purchased some goodies in Lush. I waited until I was in Belfast to buy these as it is much cheaper to buy them there than in Dublin.

The first item I bought was the 'Angels on Bare Skin' cleanser. This contains very few ingredients mainly  rose and lavender oils plus ground almonds to provide gentle exfoliation. This product leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth and never irritates my skin. Plus the smell is amazing. I think this product is suitable for all skin types (mine is combination/sensitive) so if you are looking for a lovely cleanser to leave your skin silky smooth I would recommend giving this a try. The consistency is unusual but you soon get used it is and the tub lasts for ages.

I also bought the big blue bath ballistic with  lemon, lavender and seaweed. This was a pleasure to use and definately my favourite ballistic of all that I have tried so far. It turned my water a lovely shade of blue, the smell was really nice and it only downside was that there were lots of little bits of seaweed left in the bottom of the bath afterwards that I had to clean up. However this would not turn me off and I will definately repurchase this one again as a special treat.

The second bath product I bought was the Karma bubble bar. I had wanted to try this for ages and am definately glad I got to try it. This contains orange and other spices and the smell is lovely. Like all Lush bath bombs it creates fantastic bubbles but is not as big as other bath bombs and I only got 2 uses out of this one. I am not sure I will buy it again as there are other bubble bars I prefer.

Keeping with the citrussy theme the final product I bought was the lemslip soap. I absoutley adore the smell of this soap. It is so lemony and such a happy soap.

Overall I was delighted with my Lush purchases and am looking forward to buying some items from their Christmas line soon.

All images taken from Lush website.