'front row' by lisa armstrong

a terrible book, too many caracters, a shitty story. about the fashio industry. barf, barf. i am sure people have realized by now there are things more important and impressive than theat business, especially in books. on the cover of the book is written "l. armstrong has done for frocks what j. cooper did for polo". exactly! two books not worth the paper it is written on.

'at home, a short history of private life' by bill bryson

the bryson family moved into an old rectory in norfolk, the former house of mr. thomas marsham. this gave the author an idea to write a book. bill bryson leads us thru the house, it's rooms and grounds and the history behind everything that sits in a house with annexed tales of how and when. from housekeeping to building, to health and living conditions of the rich and poor.

a very interesting book. loads of information about things we know very well but of which we might not know the beginnings. a brief story thru history on the european continent mostly , the usa and travels of expeditions into the unknown of the world of great discoveries in the era of sea travelling around the globe. an book easy to read, giving one loads of knowledge without being to theoretically. a must i would say.

'family album' by penelope lively

the story of a family made up of a father, a mother, six children and an au-pair who never left. the life on a big estate named allersmead, a perfect place to grow up. children fly out and come back on different occasions. how come an au-pair is still around after 20 years or so? the family has a secret. who knows about it? all of the 9 members of this family give their view of where they were and are in this big tribe. one goes from the present to the past.

a really nice book. good read for a bookclub. nice to have the view of a family life seen from different eyes.

'girl missing' by tess gerritsen

i heard a lot about t. gerritsen. 'you have to read her if you like crime'. well, i got to the end, but with difficulty. too many things going on next to each other. medical examiner kate novak has to examin a corpse of a young girl holding a matchbook in her hand. to much talking, too much doing, but in the end the story takes a nice turn when kate falls in love with the suspect in the crime, the father of the murdered girl who is not at all entangled in the case.

'what came before he shot her' by elizabeth george

someone loaned me this book. this lady said she loved the books of e. george. i got to page 236 and the story was still nothing to me. a story about 3 children left to their aunt kendra after their mother died. living in a grim neighborhood of england, surrounded by crime. the boy joel takes care of his little brother toby, who is a bit slow. their older sister ness is getting into lots of trouble becoming the lover of a very mafia like guy. i just gave up, either a book gets to me or it does not.

not part of my library.

'last night in twisted river' by john irving

i am a total john irving fan. i have read all and reread most of his books. 'until i find you', the novel he wrote before this, was one of the best to me. a climax in his writing up to now. i was very anxious to get my hands on his latest work. i got to page 261 and put it way. it does not have the suspense of a strange story which i know of him. i personally think something is wrong with the guy, since his first book. totally fixed on wrestling, sexual hang ups, strange family relations. he kills me and i love him for that. but his books disappoints me. i am very sorry to find that his latest novel is not as engaging to me as the other ones were. he has been writing for a long time, and it is also very difficult to keep writing something exciting. 'chapeau' to john irving, he is a great writer. i will be awaiting a next novel of him, if he is still up to it. i can write a short piece on whatever subject, but writing a book is way out for me. i appreciate writers who are able to get a story or another for us on paper, to keep us excited about what the next page will bring us.

so, with these last two entries, i will also write down which books i lay aside because they can't get me interested enough to get thru till the end.

'commited' by elizabeth gilbert

i loved 'eat, pray, love'. so i really looked forward to reading her new book, to see what happened between her and felipe. what a delusion. nothing like what she wrote before. it is just a research about love and marriage.  i put the book away after 150 pages. i might read the rest of it when i do not have anything left. if she writes another book, i will first browse it! ofcourse it is written very well, and gives a good insight in the way marriage is seen in different cultures. but it was not as i suspected. i read the other novel in a day and night or 2.

'what alice forgot' by liane moriarty

alice falls during a step class, hits her head and cannot recall the last 10 years of her life. she has to get back into 'her' life without knowing what it is like. she encounters lots of people, but does not know their relationship and if they get along. alice does not understand she is divorcing her nick, she thinks they just got married and expecting their first child.

a very nice book. a long time since i read a book by an 'aussie' writer. have to get my hands on some more books from downunder. (strange, i usually read books by writers from the states or england. ireland is a no go for me). the book was a nice one. a pity it was over. the story of alice, and around that, the one of her sister elisabeth and her 'adopted' grandmother frannie.

'light as a feather' by helen dunne

orla is asked to be a bridesmaid at her best friends wedding. but orla thinks she is to fat to fit into a nice dress. she is fed up with the zillion diets she has followed, which had little or no succes. her friend liz suggest she start a chatroom for people who have the same problem. orla does not only start the chatroom but starts to sell undergarments for the overweight thru the internet. it is not going all that easy, she has to work for her succes.

very enjoyable. chicklit ofcourse, but who cares?

(not part of my library)

'the dream catcher' by maria barrett

three friends want to get something more out of life. and on suggestion of a family member they get involved in investing. but the investing seems to be foul play. everyone up to their heads in problems because they gave their life savings.

a different kind of women's book. look before you leap is not out of the question of saying.

(not part of my library)

'my fabulous divorce' by clare dowling

jackie has met the love of her life, the man she wants to marry. but there is one small hickup, she is still married to harry. the man she left without any notice. so she has something to do, get a divirce. but harry doesn't want to give that to her very easily.

a great womens' book. it is a bit more than chicklit. the story has a nice turning at the end which i did not expect. enjoyed reading this book. makes me want to read something more by this writer.

(not part of my library)

comments to : dutchwomanabroad@gmail.com