Hi Rob,

I enjoyed both his books very much and I found them similar to Peter Kerr's books as well. Nothing quite so fascinating than reading about other people's lives.

On order from Amazon I have A Ripening Sun by Patricia Atkinson, Getting to Manana by Miranda Innes and Journey South by Annie Hawes who wrote the brilliant Extra Virgin and Ripe for the Picking. I can also recommend Carol Drinkwater's books about her olive farm in the south of France.

I have told by Amazon to expect them around the 15th August :\ so there will be no temptation to read them before I go!

I was happily browsing in Ottakars on Saturday and was amazed at the amount of books that are being published of people moving abroad and writing about their experiences.

There were quite a few books about vineyards so have lots more in store to read!

Regards
Jane:D

I read a Carol Drinkwater while on pp (see my earlier post up the page), most enjoyable.
Do the people who move away have to write books as they can't make the 'good life' pay I wonder? There was the 'No Going Back' book from the Channel 4 series I read a while back.
Have a great time Jane, have enjoyed reading your posts since I started looking in and contributing since June or whenever... hope you and your family have a really good holiday.

Hi Penny!

You mentioned "Small Island" when you replied to the message about "A Basketful of Snowflakes". Is this Bill Bryson's book Notes from a Small Island?

If it is I think all of his books are hilarious and can definitely recommend them especially Neither Here Nor There which had me in stitches when I read it!

Thanks for your good wishes - the holiday is getting nearer and nearer!

Regards
Jane:D

Small Island is by Andrea Levy and now I am getting into it really good (struggled a bit at the start, probably as I didn't have those long afternoons on the beach to get on with it!) about West Indian immigrants in London after WW2, sounds a bit ???:eek but some of it is very funny, some very thought provoking, seems to have many layers... worth a read. I have to review it in September so I am on a mission! Wasn't told until after I got back.
The Bill Bryson book was hilairious, but we couldn't get through his History of Everythng last summer, abandoned in the villa in Cyprus somewhere....8o

Ooops!

So not the Bill Bryson one then!!!!

I enjoyed his History of Everything but it was very hard going and dealt with some aspects of physics that my brain could just not get around! (Atoms and protons figured a lot :eek )

A lot of it I found fascinating though, and very thought-provoking and also made me feel, as a human being, very inconsequential. I think he dealt with a huge subject very well but it is a difficult book to read and very different from his travel books which are great!

Regards
Jane:D

Hey Penny, what a great idea. I have just started writing "A New Life in Puerto Pollensa..a Journey Around My Waistline".

Mallorcaboy!!!

Laughed at loud at your reply!!

:rollin

Plus I remember what you told us in the chatroom last night so it's probably true!!

Definitely think you should start writing!

Jane:D

ROFLMAO@MB. Go for it M8!. I know I plan to :rollin :rollin :rollin .

Rob

And no mention of waistlines please! Still trying to undo some of the damage done... and somehow things seem to be getting worse since we got back!
And no Stay, A Punt, Illa dOro, Ca'n Guarassa in sight here!!

To be honest Jane, I had consumed a glass or two of vino tinto before my chat room contributions, so actually don't remember a great deal of our converstaion. Hope I was a good boy!!

Hi Mallorcaboy!

Yes you were a good boy, don't worry!

But I did think you were more relaxed than usual!

Chat soon,
Jane:D

Hi
Recently finished Shadow of the Wind & enjoyed it very much - apparently there are now 'Wind' walking tours in Barcelona.
I enjoy good tricky thrillers & highly recommend Blind Man in Seville by Robert Wilson, the hero is a Spanish policeman: Javier Falcon & the story is very clever, set in the present day & the past until the 2 become intertwined.
Enjoy Clive Cussler thrillers for when the brain needs a bit of action dross.
Currently reading Harry Potter 5 & loving it.

holiday reading
 

Mallorcaboy " have just started writing "A New Life in Puerto Pollensa..a Journey Around My Waistline".

subtitled "memories of a 28" inch waist "
cant wait to read this
What page do we feature on
mrs s with the slimline must be described in detail ;)

Re: holiday reading
 

I started reading Spanish Steps (Travel with my donkey) by Tim Moore ISBN 0 099 47194 9 2 weeks ago whilst in PP and at this speed I'll be still reading it when we go back in 5weeks & 5 days time. How can I make more time?.

Tim has done one of the things I want to do before I die, Walk the Camino de Santiago a trail/pilgrimage of 500 and odd miles from St Jean Pied-de-port in southern France to Santiago de Campostela in the north-western coast of Spainish Galicia. One thing is different from the way he did it to the way I planned to do it, He took a donkey along!.

If you know anything about donkeys/asses/mules you'll know that there is a certain part of their character that seperates them from horses and this leads to some side splitting situations as Tim, self confessed virgin mule drover crosses the Pyrenees and down into Spain.

I am so enjoying this book, it's so funny this guy is a genius I have also learn a few things about the "Way".

Even if you haven't heard of this "Way" , interested in donks or aren't interested in walking it, his descriptions of the Spanish countryside and people will have you glued to his every step. A great "light" read.

Rob

Re: holiday reading
 

Hi Rob!

That sounds like a good book to read - I may have to make another visit to the Amazon site soon!

The books you recommended by Patricia Atkinson - "A Ripening Sun" and "Belle Saison" were brilliant. I enjoyed them both so much and bought "Belle Saison" at Stansted Airport.

"A Ripening Sun", for those of you who haven't read it, is about Patricia Atkinson's move to France and the struggles she had as her husband returned to the UK due to illness. On her own she made friends, learnt the language and learnt how to make wine from the vineyard that came with the house. It was such an interesting book and I learnt so much about wine-making by reading it. I also had so much admiration for her as she never gave up.

"Belle Saison" concentrates more on rural life in France and a way of life that seems to be slowly, and sadly, disappearing. She talks about hunting for boar and pheasants, searching for truffles and fishing for oysters and mussels. Her descriptions are truly beautiful and almost made me want to go out and live in France there and then!

Both books are fabulous reads and I couldn't bear to leave them in the villa for the next occupants as I am sure I will want to read them again.

www.cdywine.com

Happy reading!
Jane:D