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.

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.

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.

Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan

Ellis Island is the first book I have read from the TV Book Club Summer Reads 2010. The story focuses on the character of Ellie. When we first meet Ellie she is a strong willed young girl growing up in a very disciplined household in rural Ireland in the 1908. We follow her as she makes her own way through life falling in love with people and places along the way. I do not want to give the plot away but I will say that this is mainly a story about love. However it is interesting, intelligent and thought provoking and in this way breaks the mould of many other books from the same genre.

It is an absoutley lovely book. I was hooked from the first page and I knew I was going to enjoy it. I think it is the type of story which would be enjoyed by women of all ages. It actually reminded me a little of Brooklyn (by Colm Tobin)but I have to say that Ellis Island is my preferred option.

I finished this book a few days ago and I felt very sad to be leaving Ellie behind.

A trip to Bristol, Bath, Stratford, Hong Kong...

Hello,

I am so sorry about the lack of posts recently.


Last week I went to England for a few days to attend a wedding and do some sightseeing. We flew into Bristol and I spent a fun day there shopping in Cabot Circus. We also spent a day in Bath which was the part of the trip I was most looking forward to. I was not disappointed. I loved the Jane Austen museum and the Roman Baths but the best part for me was just walking around the city and admiring the lovely architecture. We also went to Stratford where we went to see a Shakespeare play of course! The play we went to see was The Winter’s Tale. It was enjoyable and I am really glad I went to see it. The weather when we were there was pretty mixed but we had a bright sunny day for the wedding which was lovely.

When I was away I finished reading ‘The Piano Teacher’ by Janice Y.K Lee. Initially I found this book hard going and a little slow. However once I got into it I really enjoyed it. The book is set in Hong Kong during the 1940’s and 50’s and tells the story of Hong Kong before, during and after the war. I am really interested in history and particularly enjoy reading novels set at important periods in history because I feel they really give an insight into what life was like for people rather than just stating the facts. I find the characters in these types of books stay in my mind for a long time afterwards. ‘The Piano Teacher’ was compared to ‘Atonement’ on the front cover and this is one of the reasons I picked it up. I can certainly see the similarities as both books are love stories set against a background of war. I have been to Hong Kong before but after reading this book I would really like to return because I feel I know so much more about the place now. I think Hong Kong has such an interesting history. I am now reading ‘Mother of the Bride’ by Marita Conlon McKenna. It is such an easy read and very different to ‘The Piano Teacher’ but enjoyable in its own way.

The TV Book Club Summer Reads

The TV Book Club have launched their summer reads for 2010. Check out the selected books here

http://www.tvbookclub.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_category_tbp?storeId=351&catalogId=353&langId=100&categoryId=75717

I was very excited about the list as there are a number of books in it that have caught my eye. I think I will start with 'the weight of silence.'

The TV programme starts tomorrow on More 4.I loved Nathaniel Parker on the show and hope he will be involved in this new series.

One Day

This week I finished reading this wondeful book by David Nicholls. It is certainly a love story but not your classic fairytale. The imperfect hero Dexter and the working class heroine Emma become our friends as we meet them on the same day every year for twenty years. We see the changes in themselves and in their relationship with each other. It is entertaining, thought provoking and funny but also very very sad. If I was alone reading the last few chapters I can image I would be in floods of tears. However I read them sitting on a train so I had to keep a firm control on my sentimental side.

I think this is a book most people would enjoy and I was happy to learn that filming will commence on the movie version of the book later this summer. Emma will be played by Anne Hathaway who I think will suit the role perfectly. The movie will be directed by Lone Scherfig who recieved an Oscar nomination for directing 'An Education' a film which I really enjoyed.

I know many people have already read this book but if you havn't I would recommend it highly.

East of Sun by Julia Gregson

I have just finished this excellent book by Julia Gregson. Sitting down to read it I was transported to another place and time - India in the late 1920s.

The book tells the story of three english girls who travel to India each with their own reason for going and none quite realising how much India and what happens there will change them and their lives forever.

Reading this book made made me think about how little has changed and how much has changed in the world since then. Also the book really developed my interest in the fascinating history and culture of India.

It is an entertaining and thought provoking read and my favourite book of the year so far.

Bath Times

Hi there,

I hope you are all having a nice enjoyable weekend. One of my favourite ways to relax at the weekend is to have a nice long soak in the bath. Baths can help to relieve stress,anxiety, insomnia, muscle aches,menstrual pains,tension headaches and can leave you feeling blissed out and happy with the world.

I am a big fan of Lush baths but I also love the Radox sleep easy bath therapy bubble bath. It contains jasmine and chamomile and I find the scent very relaxing and calming.You can get so many baths from one 500ml bottle and it creates great bubbles. At just €2.00 a bottle I think this is excellent value.

When I take a bath I like to light some candles and read a book.I have damaged so many books by getting them wet in the bath!Here are two books I have enjoyed reading recently:

Little Black everything by Alex Coleman

The Disengagement Ring by Clodagh Murphy

Both are light and fluffy and perfect for relaxing bath time reading.

Thanks for reading and I would love to hear about your favourite bath products. xx

Why French Women Don't Get Fat

"Nothing is sinfully delicious"

Due to the very cold and snowy weather recently I have been spending a lot of my time indoors.It has been a nice chance to watch tv and read books.One of the books I read was 'Why French Women Don't Get Fat - The Secret of Eating for Pleasure' by Mireille Guiliano.I originally read this a few years ago but it is the type of book you can read over and over and always get something new from it.

It is very easy to read because it is entertaining as well as informative. I guess it is a diet book but unlike any other diet book I have ever read before. It is definately not 'preachy'and does not ban any type of foods. The key is everything in moderation. Also there are some pretty nice recipes to try.
After reading the book I set out a few new years resolutions for myself:

1. Drink more water
2. Eat more fruit and vegetables
3. Incorporate more exercise into my normal day ie walk to work, take the stairs
4. Identify the foods/drinks I really love and really savour them when I have them. Do not eat something which is bad/unhealthy just for the sake of it if I do not really enjoy it.