August Book Review

A quick & easy book review this month....... I finished no books.... yep that's right ZERO!!!

I'm currently reading Jambusters & for some reason I just can't get into it.

I'm finding it really hard to read on the bus with all the facts & figures while people chat, children cry etc.

I must try harder!

July Book Review

Emma Reece is slowly adjusting to her husband’s return from the war, even though his appalling injuries mean their marriage is in name only. 

But then tragedy strikes, and Emma finds she cannot turn to Jack Harvey, her long-standing friend and one-time lover – for while he still loves her, he is now a married man…

The last of the trilogy. I loved these book & would fully recommend them to anyone.

Gutted that I've finished them & now struggling to get into another book.

10/10

May Book Review

When Emma Robinson discovers she is carrying Paul Greenslade’s child, there are harsh consequences after he disappears rather than marry a common shop-girl.

Forced by her tyrannical father to marry Richard Gillows, Emma learns quickly that a jealous husband is a violent one. How can Emma escape the ties that bind her, to build a life for herself and her child?

A customer dropped this trilogy in the shop thinking I might like it, she was so right!!

It was a quick easy read but I couldn't put it down. Another great book set in the 1930's, now started on the next one which is set in WW2.

10/10

April Book Review

As the war takes its toll, the Nightingale nurses must do their bit for king and country…

Dora is the devoted mother of twin babies but, determined to help the war effort, she goes back to work at the Nightingale Hospital.

More used to nights out in the West End, Jennifer and Cissy volunteer in the hope of tending to handsome soldiers. They soon find out that nursing isn’t quite what they were expecting.

For shy and troubled Eve, the hospital provides an escape from the pressures of home, but the life of a nurse is never easy, especially at wartime.

Can the nurses rally together while war rages all around them? And will the Nightingale Hospital survive the Blitz?

Book 6 of 7 & it didn't disappoint! I just love these book & would highly recommend them. I'm going to give myself a break from these before buying the last one but I'm sure I'll come back to the characters very soon.

10/10

March Book Review

As Christmas 1938 approaches, the staff at the Nightingale Hospital have their own wishes for the festive season. 

Ward sister Frannie Wallace is hoping she won’t have to live through another war like the one that claimed her beloved fiance. But with bomb defences going up all around London, it seems as if her hopes are in vain. 

Staff Nurse Helen Dawson wants to find happiness again after the death of her husband Charlie. A handsome stranger seems to offer the chance she wants. But is she looking for love in the wrong place? 

Matron Kathleen Fox struggles to keep up morale amongst her nurses as the hospital faces the threat of evacuation. But while everyone else worries about the future of the Nightingale, it’s for her own future that Kathleen truly fears.

As the country prepares itself for war, one thing is for sure – by the time next Christmas comes, nothing at the Nightingale Hospital will be the same again…

I loved this book even though it's not Christmas!

Yet another great book in the Nightingale series, I've started book 6 which is the last one I have :( I will be sad to leave the characters, I might have to bite the bullet & buy the last book even though it's not cheap.

10/10

February's Book Review

1937 sees new challenges for the trainee nurses

Dora and her old enemy Lucy are paired up on the children’s ward for the final three months of their training. The two nurses couldn’t seem more different, but they may have more in common than they think, as each hides a secret heartache. 
… and new faces at the Nightingale
Jess is the feisty eldest daughter of a notorious East End family and determined to prove herself as a ward maid. 
And new trainee nurse Effie can’t wait to escape her small Irish village, and make her way as a nurse in London. But Effie’s sister Katie soon begins to worry that Effie’s behaviour is out of control. 

Book 4 of 7.

Yet another great book, I think I'll be sad when I've finished them all!

If you like Call the Midwife I really recommend you try these. So good I've started book 5, as we get closer to WW2 they just get better!

10/10 

January's Book Review

t’s the final year of training for three young nurses at The Nightingale Hospital… 

Helen is at a crossroads in her life as she battles with her domineering mother over both her love life and her future career.

Dora can't stop loving Nick, who is married to her best friend, Ruby. But Ruby is hiding a dark secret with the potential to destroy Ruby's marriage. 

Millie is anxious about her fiance, sent to Spain to cover the Civil War, and things only get worse when she encounters a fortune teller who gives her a sinister warning. 

With war looming in Europe, and the East End of London squaring up to the threat of Oswald Mosley's blackshirts, the women of the Nightingale have to face their own challenges, at work and in love.

Following on from my November's book review I've finally finished the 3rd book in the series.

I love these books....... set in an Eastend hospital in the 1930's.

Really well written & lovely characters, I enjoyed it so much I've started on book 4!!

Only 3 more to go.

9/10

November Book Review

To the student nurses at The Nightingale hospital, the ward sisters are heartless and frightening, with impossibly high standards. But the sisters have troubles of their own... 

Violet

The new night sister is not all that she seems. Who is she and what dark secret is she hiding? As the mystery deepens, Sister Wren is determined to find out the truth. 

Dora

The student nurse is struggling with her own secret, and with her heartbreak over Nick, the man who got away. A new arrival on the ward brings the chance to put a smile back on her face. But can she really get over Nick so easily?

Millie

Dora’s fellow student is also torn between the two men in her life. But then an unexpected friendship with an elderly patient makes her question where her heart – and her future – really lies.

As the nation mourns the death of King George V, it seems as if nothing is ever going to be the same again, especially for the women at the Nightingale.

I finally finished a book!!!

Yippee!!!!

I read the first in this series last year & really enjoyed it. I was so happy when someone donated this one plus the following 4 books to my shop!

Yet another easy read but I really warmed to the characters & couldn't wait to find out what had happened to them since the last book.

If you're looking for a light, easy read set in the 1930's then I would throughly recommend this series.

9/10

August & September Book Review

No books finished in September! I must find my reading mojo again.

I did manage to finish one in August

Three sisters are growing up in 1920s Bermondsey - the larder of London - with its bustling docks, its spice mill, tannery and factories. 

Southwells jam factory is where many of the girls work. And Milly Colman knows she's lucky. At Southwells she can have a laugh with her mates. She's quick and strong and never misses a day's work. She needs to be. Because at homes things are very different. 

The Colman household is ruled by the tyrannical rages of the old man - her father. Often Milly feels she is the only thing protecting her mother and younger sisters from his murderous violence. At least autumn hop-picking in Kent gives all the Colman women a heavenly respite. 

But it is here, on one golden September night, that Milly makes the mistake of her life and finds her courage and strength tested as never before.

This was recommend to me from Amazon & at only 59p on Kindle I couldn't say no.

It was a bit of a slow burner & took a while for me to get it to it. However once it got going I was hooked.

I really enjoyed it, well worth 59p!

9/10

July's Book Review

This is what my house is starting to look like!

But guess how many books I read in July?

ZERO!! 

I've been a bad girl :-( 

June Book Review

I did very well in June, my first book is actually 3 books in one!!

An omnibus edition of Judith Kerr’s internationally acclaimed trilogy, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, The Other Way Round and A Small Person Far Away, we see the world through Anna’s eyes as she grows up – from her much loved family to Hitler’s holocaust.

Anna was a German child when she had to flee from the Nazis before the War. By the time the bombs began to fall she was a stateless adolescent in London, and after it was all over she became a happily married Englishwoman who thought she had put the past behind her.

This omnibus edition of the three volumes of Judith Kerr’s Hitler trilogy, tells her story beginning with the rise of Hitler in 1933 through to her return to Berlin years after the war.

I found the first 2 parts gripping & couldn't put them down. Such a brave family packing up their lives to move away from the horror that was going to happen to Jews in Germany. I really warmed to Anna & wondered what it would be like at that age to be moved around to different countries when you couldn't speak the language. At that age you don't understand the reasons why & no wonder she felt she had no home.

However the 3rd part was harder going, it follows Anna as an adult after the war & focuses on her mother. I must confess I didn't like her mum...... I can't put my finger on why but I felt she was a selfish, self centred person who didn't think about the impact of her actions on her children. Maybe I was missing something!

I thought this was a great book & would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading books about the holocaust.

9/10

Touching true stories from the heyday of the Butlin’s holiday camps.

‘When I got to the camp I felt as if I’d suddenly walked into Utopia – it was so colourful, so warm, so friendly. There were lights across the roads, there were banners fluttering in the breeze… There seemed to be laughter coming from every building.’

With grey post-WWII skies hanging low over Britain, factories lining the streets and smoke stacks dotting the horizon, there was one way that ordinary families could escape: the ever-cheerful holiday camps of Butlin’s.

When Billy Butlin founded his holiday camps in 1936, they were bastions of community spirit and havens of luxury. Here, for one week, wives and mothers were freed from the toil and drudgery of housework, children ran free through the grounds, fathers and husbands hung up their work clothes. Ever-helpful redcoats were on hand all hours of the day, dinner halls ready with plentiful food for old and young alike, bars stocked to quench any level of thirst, ballrooms waiting to be flooded with shiny shoes, rustling dresses and peals of laughter. And, as the sun went down on another exhausting, happy day, a chorus line was ready to sing holidaymakers back to their beds.

Rich in period detail and highly evocative, Wish You Were Here! tells the story of seven women who worked as redcoats in Butlin’s Golden Age. It’s all here: Knobbly Knees and Glamourous Grannies, the laughter and tears, hardships and heartbreaks, loves and losses of their lives in and out of the holiday camps, and above all the lifelong friendships they formed with each other and those who also worked or holidayed there.

Funny, moving and heartwarming, these are the timeless tales of a community spirit that burned brightly in a much-loved British institution.

I brought this book on Kindle for a bargain price of 99p, I love social history books & I found the cover helped!

Wouldn't we all love a Butlin's holiday in the 1950's??

It didn't disappoint! I read this within a few days & love it!

It's based around peoples memories of working in Butlin's between the 50's to the 80's. 

There are some very amusing stories plus some sad heartbreaking stories towards the end of their lives. It's lovely to hear there's a reunion group that still meet every year.

If Butlin's would like to run traditional holiday's again then count me in!!

10/10

May Book Review

Only 1 book in May 

Struggling to make ends meet, Mary Anne Randall is offered no help by her drunk and abusive husband. A pawnbroking business run from the wash house at the back of her home is the only way she can hope to keep her three kids fed and clothed. 

But, as storm clouds gather over Europe, can Mary Anne break free from her loveless marriage for what might be a last chance at love...?

I wasn't aware this was the second book in the series when I started but I would say it wasn't necessary to read the first one. I enjoyed this book, I warmed to the characters straight away. I really felt for Mary Anne & wanted a better life for her. A lot of the books set in this era are a bit rose tinted which I don't think is strictly true, lots of women in this era had a very hard life & Mary Anne is just one of them. I look forward to reading the next book at some point in the future.

You can find it on Amazon here 

8/10

April's Book Review

June 2nd, 1953. The residents of Ruby Street in London's East End are celebrating the new Queen's coronation. It's a day of joy and laughter, a new beginning for a nation still in the grip of rationing, still suffering the aftermath of the Blitz. But for Rose Weaver, the day ends in tragedy when her husband Eddie is arrested on suspicion of theft. It's only the first of several shocks as Rose discovers some unpleasant facts about the man she married eight years before, the man she thought she knew so well. Struggling to provide for herself and her two daughters, Rose realises that she'll need the help of family, friends and the good neighbours of Ruby Street if she's to have any chance of pulling through. And when a handsome salesman knocks at her door, it's hard to resist temptation ..

Only 1 book again this month.

Moving away from WW2 I went for the 1950's instead! 

I did really enjoy this book even though it took a long time to read. Rose, the main character, is a great strong East End women just as you would expect for the time.

9/10

My eyes get so tired when I read & when I went for my eye test last week I found out why..... 

yep I have to wear glasses for reading!

I'm hoping I will find it easier to read now so fingers crossed I'll read more..... don't hold your breath! 

Hopefully they will arrive soon.

March Book Review

I have to confess I didn't finish any books in March.

If you find my reading mojo please send it back to me!

March 2015

One of my favourite months has come & gone in a flash!

It was a funny old month....... my phone was stolen from my shop so I had to find the money to buy a new one, no it wasn't insured! At least I now have a very lovely iPhone 6. I had a great week off which went far to fast, me & the cats enjoyed the eclipse in the chilly garden, spent a day with the family, started my Victory jumper, finding boot sale treasures, treating myself to the fabulous A stitch in Time knitting book, enjoying spring flowers & watching The Imitation Game.

I also managed 2 brilliant gigs...... Mike Peters & Stiff Little Fingers

We're nearly halfway through April, why does time go so quickly?

It's starting to stress me out :( 

February Book Review

I managed 2 books in February which is great for me.

As the worst storm of the century sweeps through the mountains of Snowdonia and across the Mersey, two women, Molly and Ellen, give birth to girls in a Liverpool Maternity Hospital.

Molly and Rhys Roberts farm sheep in Snowdonia and Ellen is married to a docker, Sam O’Mara, but despite their different backgrounds the two young women become firm friends, though Molly has a secret she can share with no one.

But despite promises Ellen’s husband continues to be violent, so she throws him out and years later, when Molly is taken to hospital after an accident, Ellen and her daughter Lana are free to help out.They approach this new life with enthusiasm, unaware that they are being watched, but on the very day of Molly’s release from hospital there is another terrible thunderstorm and the hidden watcher makes his move at last...

I started this before Christmas & completely lost my reading mojo...... again! It took forever to finish it!

I found it slow in places which surprised me as I normally enjoy Katie Flynn books, maybe it was because I kept stopping & starting. As with all WW2 romance books there was no shock ending, just a happy one!

7/10 

We had returned to a different world. We had taken off in peace at nine-thirty and landed in war at noon.' 

Jackie Moggridge was just nineteen when World War Two broke out. Determined to do her bit, she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary. Ferrying aircraft from factory to frontline was dangerous work, but there was also fun, friendship and even love in the air. At last the world was opening up to women... or at least it seemed to be. 

From her first flight at fifteen to smuggling Spitfires into Burma, Jackie describes the trials and tribulations, successes and frustrations of her life in the sky.

I finished the last book while I was working at the shelter so didn't have a new book to hand. I then remembered I brought this on Kindle in July last year for a bargain price of 85p! I saw Jackie's daughters talking about the book on the local news (they live in Somerset) & brought it straight away.

I was so pleased I did, it was a inspiring story. I'm interested to hear about the women who flew the airplanes in WW2 but this takes it one step further. Jackie was part of the crew who delivered Spitfires to the Middle East, for a women at that time that was a big thing.

I would really recommend this book...... it's now £2.99 on Kindle but worth it!

10/10

January Book Review

I have a confession....... I didn't finish 1 book in January!

I have books everywhere but didn't manage to read any...... I must find my reading mojo & stop playing silly games on my iPad.

December Book Review

Only 1 book in December.

I went for something different this time, still WW2 but not a romance.

Sage Singer has a past that makes her want to hide from the world. Sleeping by day and working in a bakery by night, she kneads her emotion into the beautiful bread she bakes.

But when she strikes up an unlikely friendship with Josef Weber, a quiet man old enough to be her grandfather, and respected pillar of the community, she feels that finally, she may have found someone she can open up to.

Until Josef tells her the evil secret he's kept for sixty years.

Caught between Josef's search for redemption and her shattered illusions, Sage turns to her family history and her own life for answers. As she uncovers the truth from the darkest horrors of war, she must follow a twisting trail between betrayal and forgiveness, love and revenge. And ask herself the most difficult question she has ever faced - can murder ever be justice? Or mercy?

I've read lots of books about the holocaust & I had heard this was pretty bad but I still wanted to give it a go. At times I found it hard to continue but I wanted to know what happened at the end. 

I really enjoyed it, if you can say that about such a book!

10/10

I only managed 20 books in 2014 my target was 40..... pretty rubbish I'd say!

I have 2 boxes of books to read at work which at this rate will last me 2 years!!

I need to pull my finger out this year.

That Was 2014

Another year has passed us by.....

January

Starting the year feeling poorly, spending time with my girls, finishing my crochet blanket after 5 years, joining in with Knit For Victory by making my hat.

February

 Trying to finish my hexagon blanket, spring flowers, more knitting & some reading 

March

Busy month for crafting, finished Matthews 1940's tank top, made a bow scarf for me (I live in it!), adjusted my charity shop bargain skirt (haven't worn it yet!), made a fox scarf (haven't worn it yet!), making flower brooches. First Crikey it's Vintage, I was selling for the shop. 

April

Trying to lose a few pounds by walking to work. Joining in with Sew For Victory but making my first ever item of clothing...... a pair of swing pants (I haven't worn them yet!) Making more brooches, spending time with my family & celebrating Easter.

May

Doing a VE day window display, meeting my nephew dog for the first time, trip to the theatre to see Birdsong, being mindful with some me time, finally making my airman & enjoying bank holiday weekends.

June

Remembering D-Day & Zoe, making cats for our window display, a day out at a 1940's event, another Crikey for the shop & enjoying the sunshine.

July

Remembering the Somme & Teddy. A day out at Dig For Victory 1940's event, a visit to the Bridport vintage fair, starting my cardigan & finishing all 2 more service men.

August

My birthday!! A day out with my parents, treating myself to yet another cardigan, starting my Christmas jumper, making poppies for the British Legion & remembering the 100th anniversary of WW1.

September

Remembering Charlie, celebrating 6 years in blog land, having my name in print on TMTCH album. finding bargains in my shop, Lupton 1940's event & more knitting.

October

Nights out with friends, days out with family, raising lots of money through my poppies & my first puzzle.

November

Remembrance day, seeing Amsterdam, travelling on buses, celebrating Claire's 40th, another Crikey this time for me & decorating the Little Valley Christmas tree.

December

Bertie Bear came to live with us! Counting down to Christmas, making decorations, finishing orders, Christmas meal with the family & resting!!!

Phew that was a busy year..... I can't believe how much I made!

My plans for 2014 included…

• Book in for 3 big craft fairs at Christmas & don't waste time throughout the year - NOPE - I only did one fair & it was successful but as always I wasted time throughout the year
• Plan ahead & make stock that will sell - be organised! - Of course not!
• Complete my things to do list - NOPE.... yet another year when it carries over
• Make something for me! YES!!!!  Hat, turban, trousers, red cardigan, gloves, 3 service men, poppy brooch, Christmas jumper, scarf, 
• Think of different ways to continue Make, Do and Mend on a small scale - No, maybe this year
• Continue reading - I've lost my mojo again 
• Spend more time with my family (my mum has been poorly) - I think so
• Spend less time on my laptop & more time crafting - Nope..... must try harder!
• Stay happy! Great start to the year but went pear shape when Paul moved out in August & the house started falling apart.

So 2015….. what will you bring?

• Be amazing in my new job! (More on that later in January)
• Sort out my crafting area 
• Decorate my living room & bathroom 
• Read more books

• Plan ahead & make stock that will sell - be organised!
• Complete my things to do list
• Make things for me
• Try to continue Make, Do and Mend on a small scale
• Spend time with my family
• Spend less time on my laptop & more time crafting 
• Stay happy!

I must stay focused this year!

What plans do you have?