Bram Stoker Festival Dublin

                                                           Bram Stoker Festival



So this past weekend was the Bram Stoker Festival weekend giving honour to the great man himself. I found out about it too late to get there but I will be sure to not miss out in the future.
There were tours of all Bram Stoker's hangouts like Trinity Collage.. other tours showing where he lived.. From the pictures that I have seen it was quite the magical event .Some of the talks that were given  were in the crypt in Christ's Church in Dublin, how cool is that!
His most well known book Dracula has never been out of print and is now translated into every language. That was quite an achievement!!
I first read the book when I was in my early teens, it was recommended to me, and many years  later I am still reading it.
The book begins with Jonathan Harker's journey.We start off on the journey with him as he leaves Munich..the book really captures his travels very well, and it almost feels like you are seeing it through his eyes(as all good books make you feel).
Jonathan is a solicitor who is on his way to meet Count Dracula in Transylvania to help him with the paperwork for the places that the Count has just bought in England.
The entire book is atmospheric , the writing so modest yet rich in its settings, characters and places..

The book is told in journal and letter form and it is very effective, and very enjoyable.
The story builds tension from the very start on Jonathon's journey through distant foreign lands where everything is new and exciting, food new and interesting, landscape memorable and people very different to back home.
As the story progresses it gets darker and darker building tension and fear and holding it right to the bitter bloody end.
You can easily see why this book has been so popular with readers from the very beginning. Although it was published so long ago it loses nothing with age.

When you think of Ireland in Bram Stoker's time, it was a fairly gutsy move to try and publish a book about Vampires.. I wonder did he even know just how successful it could possibly end up becoming.

https://twitter.com/bramstokerdub ( for pics of the event)

http://www.bramstokerfestival.com/ ( for info about the event)

Halloween Reading....Bring it on Ghosties!!!

                                                             Halloween Reading







It's that time again folks! Colder nights are creeping in...frost may be sprinkling glitter on the world making everything look prettier,the leafs have turned stunning colours, but then comes one night a year from out of their abodes comes ghosties and ghouls who wander the earth in search of .......sweeties?....yep sweeties!!!
Well if you are not into the Halloween movies that shall be haunting all TV stations for the next week then perhaps have a nice sit down with a fright inducing book instead... bottle of warm  blood optional...( not having any Vampires visiting ? perhaps omit that beverage then so ;0)

So I tried to have a think back to all the horror books I have read or come across through the years and well it has become a  rather  impressive list.
Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake... from the opening pages this book had me hooked. There is also a book after this one(I have yet to read that one)

A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness.First book in a series.. Have yet to read this but loving the cover and the blurb at the back looks very promising.

 

Dracula by Bram Stoker....come on guys it's a classic!!Dark Gothic story about Vampires ...ladies in distress, blood sucking vampires...travels to far of lands, mental hospitals, Vampire hunting with a really great chase involving lots of travel...... You can see why it's a classic... Well done Mr Stoker!!

The Omen.....Creepy little book.......Can't find my copy of this one.

The Amity-ville horror.....terror inducing. Cannot lay my hand on my edition right now, if you have not read it and you like horror then go get it .... and read it in daytime!!!

Where would a Halloween collection be without Stephen King's books making an appearance... Many nights have been spent curled up in bed with one of his fine books ,scaring the bejezus out of myself while every noise in my house freaks me out. Here are a mere few of his wonderful books.

The Haunting Of Hill House by Susan Hill.....I love a good haunted house story with a dark history to it.

The Woman In Black by Susan Hill .....This really strikes fear into me...Ghosts, tragic deaths, mists, haunted houses,marshes, ooohhhh it's a scary one!!!! Also has an ending that you do not see coming.Not a huge book but a lot of scares between it's pages. This builds tension like few books can.

Psycho 2... If the first book did not scare the life out of you well lets see if book 2 will..(insert maniac laughter here)

So friends have you any horror books you are dying to share with me in the run up to Halloween?
If so please put in the comments below...when I pop out of my coffin I will have a look at them....until next time....

Wishing you all a safe and happy Halloween
Lots of Love and Vampire Kisses xxxxxxxx

Now where did I park my broom stick.....(scratches head)

Book Haul Part 2

                                                                 Book Haul Part 2






I have been reading a lot of  classics again this week. There is something very comforting in the language and decorum. I love Downton Abbey and these books are helping me bide my time until series three is available to buy. Below is Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre,my battered well read copies are in need of some tlc so I got these two beautiful editions should  my other copies keel over from their spines being broken and their ears resembling those of a dog.

This is the time of year for comforting warm food so when I saw this author's books on Goodreads I knew I had to get it. A lovely cozy mystery for this time of year with some tasty recipes included.
A Spoonful Of Murder:

Some more Bronte again this week.This time: The Professor by  Charlotte Bronte, Shirley by  Charlotte Bronte,The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes. I have recently finished Me Before You and was amazed by how good it was so I was very keen to get this book.

Melissa Hill-The Charm Bracelet.. The cover is sooo pretty.

I collect all Veronica Henry's books. They have never let me down when I have been in the mood for a cozy read.

I collect all Katie Fforde's books too. Perfect easy going laid back reads.

 I love the title of this book by Jane Green. I am going to save this one until next summer.

 I love all Carole's books that I have read in the past. I have high hopes for this one too.Another writer who writes great easy going books to chill out with.

 I know nothing about this book. I got it purely because it was on sale and it was one of Richard and Judy's book club books. The previous books I have bought because they were part of the book club choices have all been very enjoyable so I thought I would risk it with this one.(If it is any good I will let you know)

 Nevermore by Linda Newbery...never heard of this before but I liked the blurb on the back cover. A mysterious rambling house with a past...My favourite type of book!!!

 The Art Of Murder by Michael White.. This story is based on the time of Jack The ripper in London and present day where a killer is commiting very similar crimes.

 Another book I know little about, Pages For You by Sylvia Brownrigg ,the blurb on the book tells me it is a love letter written for a lost lover.

 This is my second copy of this book. I have the entire Scarpetta series (I recommend to follow it from the beginning to gain the most from it).Kay Scarpetta is the chief medical examiner in this series . We meet a huge amount of puzzling murders/crimes in these books with a talented,feisty heroine that works hard to find the answers and help the victims.

Book Haul Part 1

Book haul Part 1

 

 

Well hello there...I know it's been a while but I'm back.. I was waiting for ages for books to arrive so I could do this haul and now finally they have....well about half of them.
So , I have been really into the classics lately and esp the Bronte sisters. Jane Eyre has been a real eye opener for me. I had nooooo idea just how good that book was until I started it..after that well lets just say I was gripped. It has all the elements of a great book,love interests, strange and menacing people who lurk about at night. A big old draughty house , tragic childhoods, dashing and handsome men, fainting and illness, nights in shining armour ... bliss... all you could want from a classic. Did I mention the writing is exceptional!!!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte:

This time of year I especially love cozy mysteries and these three really appealed to me.

One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly, it is the first book in the orchard series.

An Appetite For Murder by Lucy Burdette:First book in this food critic series.I just love the cover !!!

Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams.This is the first book in  a new series by this wonderful writer . In this new series we have Ella Mae LeFaye running a baked goods store in Havenwood Georgia..Let me tell you folks there is some mouthwatering recipes in this book, I had a flick through before before reading the book. I will def have to try them out.. I have a feeling I will be unable to read this without  a latte and and extra large piece of cake.....

Agnes Grey by Anne  Bronte

More old editions of one of my childhood favourite books Little Women. I love these books!!When ever I see them in second hand stores I always buy them.

Dash and Lily's Book Of Dares:kindle edition

This I have  already read..Loved it!!!.. It is a YA book.The perfect book for book lovers around Christmas time with a little romance thrown in. If you are not in the mood for romance I would not let the fact that is has some put you off reading this as the romance is not vomit inducing at all!!! It's sweet.

The next book I got was by Irish writer Patricia Scanlan: Another book that looks set to fulfill my craving for Christmas books. I have read lots of book by this author before and she writes really lovely cosy books that leave you with a warm feeling in your belly...I love that..

Gentleman and Players by Joanne Harris... I love this author's writing style.. I have not read this book before but I am very keen to dig in and see if it as a great as all her others.

A Christmas Carol  by Charles Dickens and Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
(Both Penguin Cloth bound  editions)

The Evil Seed by Joanne Harris.Love that cover..eerie enough to intrigue me.

Carola Dunn Mistletoe and Murder... cozy mystery..This is part of a series, If you enjoy a cozy mystery then check it out.

Muriel Spark. The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie...I also recommend the movie of the same name with the wonderful Maggie Smith.

Veronica Henry writes great books with characters you really care about. Her books have never let me down. I am really looking forward to this one.

Marian Keyes..The Mystery of Mercy Close....I love Marian..this is her latest book recently out.This I have put in my last haul on here too, it's great,go out and get it guys!!!

E.M Forster..A collection of three of his work.If I had known it was the size of a brick I would have got the books separately .. Anyhow they are good stories so I don't mind too much.....besides holding the weight of it up will save me from having to do bicep curls.:0)

Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan: Kindle edition.

The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

                                                             The Casual Vacancy
                                                                 by J K Rowling


( Contains some spoilers)


I should probably start with the fact that this book was nothing like I thought it was going to be.
I imagined that it was going to be a murder mystery of an important village member of the council. Ha!!! It was not a murder mystery ! After I learned that I got on with finding out what it was about.

Barry Fairbrother dies suddenly which very quickly sends the entire town into a crazed comical state of shock. We do quite quickly learn that he was a pretty great guy , and tried to help people out a lot.
With his death comes opportunity for many in the village to possibly shove on their own personal wants.His death effected a huge amount of people directly and indirectly. As with the Harry Potter books J K Rowling writes great characters . There is a huge amount of them in this book as the story goes between many families in the village as we get to be almost" fly's on the wall" watching the goings on of all the residents here. Behind each door in the town are secrets and shame, dodgy people  , and down right bad people!!!

A number of the characrters got under my skin none more so then Krystal and her brother Robbie. This particular families story had my eyes welling up with tears at the end .I will not go into why but it is heartbreaking in so many ways. More so as you can imagine there are families  in real life out there going through a lot of the same problems.

The lives of most of the characters are intertwined as you would expect from small town life and each families secrets do not remain hidden for long. Since Barry's death all the secrets and lies are all coming out of the woodwork ,and with that comes all sorts of problems.

There is often content in the book that would not be suitable for children but for the adult admirers of  J K 's previous books this might be a pleasant return to her writings in a very different way.
I was very surprised by just how different this book is!!! That being said I did enjoy it in a different way,  when I finished it I was left with a feeling of contentment with it as a story. Much different then the Harry Potter books which no doubt will get compared to this, but a great story,  told well , and in a way that my fingers were almost smoking from turning the pages so quickly.
If this is a taste of what we can look forward to from this wonderful author  in the future then I say get scribbling Miss Rowling!!!!,

The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth

                                                      The Blood-Dimmed Tide
                                                            By Rennie Airth

I was wandering around the library one wet and drizzly day recently looking for a real great page turner . I had no particular genre in mind but I needed something that was going to hold  my interest.
I came across this book. I had never heard of the author before or the name of the book. Now that I have read it I am stunned !!
This author wrote a book that I could not lay down for more then a few minutes.. It was Saturday evening , I put on the fire ,put on the kettle, and out it came. Well that was where I stayed for the duration of the night because let me tell you folks I could not have gone anywhere and left this book unfinished.The is a fictional story is about John Madden, a retired police inspector now living in the surrey countryside.After  the body of a young female child is found horribly murdered he lends a hand in finding out who did it.  OK the plot was fairly grisly .. the despicable murder of children was not easy to read about, but the way in which Rennie Airth weaved the story with spy's, and German /British intelligence, and how it may be possible that the killer was  a spy and able to commit crimes in countries, and get away with it,with many alias's. This got the old grey cells buzzing and the adrenaline pumping like few books normally do... I do not want to give away the plot but there is more then one murder, and the book has a very satisfying ending . There is also a few red herrings thrown in for good measure.
If I was giving books marks out of 5 this would indeed be 5*

Book Haul: The Mystery Of Mercy Close And More!!

                                                                       Book Haul

As anyone who knows me will tell you I do have a fondness for all the Irish writers. I read almost everything that they write and I am always excited to read about new writers here. When I heard that the lovely Marian Keyes had another book coming out well I was happier then a kid on Christmas morning let me tell you!!!
The Mystery Of Mercy Close is Marians new book, and for those familiar with Marians previous books you will have been introduced to some of the characters already as they have been in previous books. The Walsh family are a comical and lovable family with their own fair share of problems .In this book we see Helen working as a private investigator..things are a bit slow in the old PI business right now until an ex of Helen's comes to her asking for help to find a young male, Wayne, a member of a band  who has gone missing. This book looks like it is going to be another gem !!!

The next book I got this week really intrigued me by just the name ... Madame
Verona Comes Down  The Hill....Questions were buzzing around my head after reading a title like that... Why was she coming down the hill? Why is it a big deal that she came down the hill? Did she live on top of the hill? If so , then who with?  ........etc.........
Although I only got this a few days ago I have already read it. It is a small book ,but it is so charming that I could not set it down for more then a few minutes at a time.
This book is sad , and touching and for anyone in a relationship /marriage I am sure the sentiments in this will really touch you. Definitely worth a read.

The next book I got was a very old secondhand copy of The End Of The Affair by Graham Greene. I had read this many years ago but lost my copy so I got this one for a bargain price.
The writing is brilliant in this book and the story heartbreaking and touching. Emotions are wrung out here and tissues end up sodden with tears. Graham Greene really knows how to write the complex relationships in peoples lives and make the reader really care what happens to his characters. I urge you to read this.

Well my friends, Hope you enjoy my little haul . If you would like to recommend any great books that you have read yourself recently please feel free to add them in them comments below. Have a great day buddies xxxxxxx