Holiday Reading
 

This probably means that I'm not keeping myself busy enough, but wondered what was people's fav reading whilst here?
Being here full time, we brought a load of stuff as we read all the time, and also had to get rid of a load of books that we loved and kept for some reason.
Anyway, I've done quite a few since the move, but at the moment I'm reading Lake Wobegon Days by Gairison Keilor and my son told me I had to read Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. I suspect that will not be brief as it is propping up a bottle of Gordon's in the office at present.

Mallorcaboy, having read Stephen Hawkins "A Brief History of Time", I look forward to your review!:rollin :rollin :rollin .
I think son is trying to tell you something. This book is heavy.
My suggestions just has to be Peter Kerrs books, read them and if you can write better I for one will buy your books!.
Take care.

Rob

Firstly, I think I may have posted this in the wrong place, perhaps Tapas Bar should be correct. If so, Pollensa please move.
Secondly, I have said in an other post, I read everything I can about Mallorca, but did not enjoy Peter Kerr's books. I know we all like different things, but I found it a poor relation to the original stuff by Peter Mayle that everyone who can us a PC has copied. Sorry

No Probs Mallorcaboy, to each his own. I'll read some peter mayle, which of his books should i read 1st?.

Rob

Hi Rob, A Year In Provence was first then Toujour Provence, then it went on a bit with things like Hotel Patis, Anything Considered etc. I guess when you get a license to print money, you can't resist. Let's be honest, wouldn't we, given half the chance??

Well I read Manana Manana by Peter Kerr I think on the plane coming over and it was the first book of the holiday, as you say Mallorcaboy, not as well written as Peter Mayle, but then, Peter Mayle isn't in the right place. I actually learned a few facts, well, I think I did, are those plastic bags hanging off the pine trees for the caterpillars of the processionary moth? You'll have to read the book if you don't know what I mean! Also that the mountain roads were built by incoming Andalucian labourers who largely stayed but haven't really been accepted... I did think of them as we drove the crazy roads around Lluc and the like, and to Cap Formentor.

After that I read Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, her new one which has put her back on form after a couple of very strange efforts...

Then The Killing Joke by Anthony Horowitz which was recommended by a friend, pretty strange book but amusing.

then The Olive Harvest by Carol Drinkwater... sent in Provence again, worth reading. Quite a bit about fighting forest fires, made me view the seaplane in the harbour with great respect!

Then Trace by Patricia Cornwell - lovely! In one day, followed the second day by one I found in the apartment, Black Notice. My life must be so dull I need to spice it up with gory forensic details....

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve, a really good book, bit girly I expect for you chaps but beautifully written and one that makes you think a bit...

Then The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, I saw other people reading that on the beach, very thought provoking again, very well written, recommended.

Midnight Cab by James W Nichol, wow, that is quite a read, real edge of the seat stuff.

and finally (actually I think I picked up a trashy detective thing for the journey home that ended up in Easyjets rubbish bag)
Miracle at Sant'Anna by James McBride, recommended, bit of a strange one but very good indeed. Four American soldiers in Italy in World War 2... a lot more complicated than that!

I have been given Small Island by Andrea Levy to read as a reviewing project for the summer, too late for me to take to PP, anyone read it? Comments please??!!

Penny

Now I love reading on holiday but the number you read must be a record ;) I nomally do 3 or 4 on a 3 weeker but I think (and as Snowy knows my maths is bad ) I think you did 10..WOW :eek

I am seriously impressed!

Debs

Books
 

And I forgot a Jeffrey Deaver, Garden of Beasts I think, I am a Lincoln Rhyme fan, but this was incredibly boring, I did finish it (I am the girl who found the Da Vinci Code last year boring....). Yes, I am a fast reader given time to get into something, I do almost all my year's reading when on holiday. perhaps we are not a particulary talkative family? I am certainly not very sporty!

Re: Books
 

Hi Penny, I read The Five People You Meet In Heaven, a couple of weeks ago, and enjoyed it very much.
Just finished a Karin Slaughter book, A Faint Cold Fear, and it was good, but turns out to be one of those seriel stories, and it was about number three, so was a little spoilt. Could go back and read the first two I guess, but I picked it up in the Salvation Army shop opposite the Flora Apartments for 1 euro so may have to wait a bit until someone donates them

Holiday Reading
 

Good morning,

I recently thoroughly enjoyed "Soldiers of Salamis" by Javier Cercas. A smashing tale by a young author. The book has been made into a film fairly recently.

I started to read Shadow of the Wind, but just couldn't get on with it. I think it mus be a "girlies" book:\

Got through it but it is a bit of a tome... I love Barcelona so found it all very atmospheric... did go on a bit though.

It came highly recommended, so just goes to show how differenet we all are. Now where did I put my pop up version of War and Peace??

Driving over Lemons by ex-Genesis drummer Chris Stewart is hard to beat for a holiday read and very appropriate,you'll never come home!:D

So is his second book Parrot in the pepper tree. Have you read that?.
Have you read any Peter kerr books?.

Rob

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

Re: holiday reading
 

I just knew you'd love them. right up your rue you could say:rollin :rollin :rollin . Amazing what you hear on the grapevine :lol .

rob

Re: holiday reading
 

Hi Rob!

I'm nearing the end of "Spanish Steps" and it's a great, really funny book.

We went to Blackpool yesterday and the children enjoyed a ride on the donkies (reminded me of a joke, but not really the place for it here).

It was great to get up close to the donkies and I had a lovely time stroking their noses and patting them!

As I read the book I developed a great affection for Shinto and his own personal character.

The book was a wee bit difficult to get into, I must admit, but was well worth the perseverance. Tim Moore is an excellent writer who always sees the funny side of things and sends himself up in a hilarious way.

His descriptions of the walk and the people he meets along the way are great.

I will be sad to finish it.

Jane:D

Re: holiday reading
 

I just managed to finnish Spanish Steps a few days ago. Normally I believe that life is too short to waste it struggling through a book. had it not been for the fact that I really have a wish to walk this route I would have put it along with the other books that for some reason or another I've lost interest in. I soldiered on and it did improve, in fact by the last 100 pages it regained for me something of the promise to be found in the first chapter.
One day i will re read this book and I hope that I'll enjoy it more than I have just done.
I'm glad you enjoyed it Jane.
I'm now inspired to pick up another one of the book in my unfinnished pile and try to get back into it.
Take care.

Rob

Read Spanish Steps a few months ago. Didn't enjoy it as much as French Revolutions or Continental Drifter, which I'd heartily recommend.