Not Vanilla Sex - perhaps Tutti Frutti?

Tipping the Velvet - Sarah Waters

www.sarahwaters.com

I remember there was a lot of hype around the TV mini series - mainly because the heroine of the book is a lesbian and there are several love scenes.  O how funny and 'buttoned up' the Brit TV audience is!! True - there are corsets and cross dressing involved - well done to Auntie Beeb for tackling subject matter that is not strictly mainstream.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/tippingthevelvet/

Anyhow the book did not disappoint!  The central character, Nancy grows up and blossoms before your eyes and leads a very varied life - playing many 'roles' and riding a rollercoaster between successes and hard times.

She begins as a humble girl living by the sea,working at her parents' oyster restaurant, she loves sing and go to the music halls for entertainment and this is how her big adventure begins - she becomes fascinated and befriended by a girl performer (Kitty) who impersonates a man in her musical number.  Nancy leaves home to travel to London as her dresser when Kitty gets her big break.  Soon Nancy has forgotten her family and takes to the stage herself in a double act, but when her heart gets broken she runs away from the theatre life, and she starts over again, re-inventing herself.

Nancy  is broke and living in a rough area, but she finds a way to earn money - although it is risky and unsavoury at times - and before long she finds a predatory admirer and her life takes a turn in a totally new direction and Nancy is surrounded by the ultimate luxury.... but for how long?

The description of the various layers of victorian life is fascinating and vivid, and through Nancy's eyes we see glimpses of the music hall, theatrical life, high society, prostitution & renting and the women's rights movement.   We come to learn what it was like to be a lesbian, both publicly and privately, during these sexually repressed times.  The book is often saucy, sometimes comical, frequently romantic and always warm.  Nancy is definitely a 'Moll Flanders' for our time!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moll_Flanders

My next book was purchased totally on a whim - thank you Amazon for your up-dates on bargains in the Kindle format.  I read the Prologue section about a privileged rich american boy driving fast in his Porsche and arguing with his wife about alimony and custody of their son .... this seemed a nice change of scene and pace, so I purchased it feeling intrigued about what happens next.

Strings Attached by Nick Nolan

www.nick-nolan.com/
The book has page-turning action right from the prologue!  The central character, Jeremy, has had a troubled start to his life - he is 17 and comes home to find his mother (an alcoholic) almost dead from another drink-fuelled 'bender'.  She is admitted to hospital and a re-hab programme and he is sent to stay with his dead father's sister (who he has never met). 

It is instantly rags to riches for Jeremy, but he finds that there is baggage attached as his Aunt is devoted to the memory of his father, who he is too young to remember, and she wants to shape him in his father's image: Clean cut swimming hero with great grades and a bright future.  Much as Jeremy wants to comply, he wants to be his own person too and this involves him understanding his own sexuality - for Jeremy has never been attracted to girls, and he has noticed that men are drawn to him. He finds some good friends - Carlos who is gay and very 'out'  about it, Reed and also Arthur, his Aunt's butler, who becomes quite a 'father figure': teaching Jeremy to drive and providing advice as he adjusts to the challenges of his new life.

The novel has a vivid teenage feel, as it dabbles in the exploration of teenage friendships evolving into relationships, worries about appearance, peer pressure and even some frank sexual experimentation.  The pace is fast, you want to keep reading as Jeremy looks under every stone to explain his past; as he learns the truth about his parents and their relationship, he is in increasing danger from jealous and powerful people around him and it is not always clear who he can trust.

I had not intended to choose a book which so completely showed the other end of the sexual scale to Tipping the Velvet - but if that had been my plan I certainly ticked the box with Strings Attached! I was reminded of Jackie Collins' books as I read this - Jeremy & his adventures could easily have fallen from the pages of one of her 'bonk-busters'!  Great beach reading!

Summer Reading Habits

OK!  It's important to get comfortable ....

You will need your sunglasses with wrap around sides -otherwise the light gets in and makes your eyes water, and if you have any make-up or sunscreen on that's painful!  You need a comfy seat / sunbed / rug & pillow  on the grass ... maybe you're going all Hollywood and floating on a lilo in a turqouise pool as you read ... if so, I suspect you are in the minority!!  Anyhoo summer is THE best time to read, you can chill almost anywhere with a book, take it in your bag & read on your lunch break, MOST CERTAINLY read on the bus or train [but never try to read when you are driving your car!] 

Girl Friday by Jane Green  http://www.janegreen.com/index.php/category/books/

This is probably the most typical, girly 'holiday read' of all those I've devoured in the last 3 weeks.  It is set in America, small town Conneticut.  It revolves around a central character who has recently got divorced and downsized her life, becoming a single mom and looking for work.  Her friends are:

• a mother who lives a high octane life with a financier husband, children at private school, a nanny and start-up business of her own,  
• a newcomer to the area who seems to be on the 'californian' trail to enlightenment, running a centre for alternative therapies and yoga/fitness regimes 
• and a lovely elderly neighbour,sharp as a tack, who gets our heroine her job as girl friday to a very famous, successful thriller writer who is a known recluse.

Throw into the mix a mystery surrounding the death of the writer's wife back in the 70s,  an abusive ex-husband in one lady's past, a long-lost relative in another's and  a financial crash and there's your plot:  a hot pot of tricky situations which the characters must deal with.  Having been reading thrillers recently, I did feel that some of the tension was only hinted at before a solution was found, but perhaps that is the 'escapism' secret to a good holiday read.

My Mad Fat Teenage Diary by Rae Earl

http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/my_mad_fat_diary/interview/rae_earl/

What a great book!!  The sharp-eyed amongst you may remember me raving about the E4 series made from this book in a previous blog, but I really found another layer of interest in the novel.  Rae has obviously edited the diaries she wrote when she was a 17 year old  obsessed with boys and body issues, back in the 80s.  She wanted to make them a fun read, she did not want to fall out with or upset the people who were in her life then (and some still are) but this does not mean she hasn't dealt with difficult issues.  Her relationship with her mother is terrible - but for lots of teenage girls that's a fact of life.  She has a friend who seems to use Rae as her side-kick, to make herself look prettier, thinner, more fun (bet lots of us have experienced that) and though boys seem to like Rae, it's as a friend rather than girlfriend material.  

Poor Rae - but she has her love of music, her poetry and of course her diary to let off steam and to try to make sense of the dramas in her life.  She suffers mental health issues, and these have not been addressed successfully by the health authorities, as Rae is masking them quite successfully.  Also - a lot like Adrian Mole in his famous diaries - you have to read between the lines of Rae's narration to see what the picture really is.  It is nice to see that Rae now (a forty-something mother living in Tasmania) has made a success of her life and feels that her diaries not only helped her along that process, but will help others with similar issues.

This book contains a young person's voice which needs to be heard - Rae does for plus sized girls and teens with mental health issues what Tracey Beaker did for unhappy children and those in care homes - she shines a light in the dark corners.  Read it for yourself and see another viewpoint.

The Returned : Channel 4 (French with sub-titles)

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-returned

This is a complex, spooky, classy, perplexing take on a mystery with zombie undertones.  An alpine village in the shadow of a huge reservoir and dam starts to be visited by people who have died years before - a steady trickle of them, but not all from the same disaster.  A 14 year old is back from the tragic school trip when her coach crashed - just as the bereaved parents of all the children have agreed on a fitting memorial.  A young musician returns to find that his bride to be (who got news of his suicide on her wedding day) is about to marry the local police officer and that his child (unborn at the time of his death) now attends primary school. And the most poignant of them all - Victor - a silent child who has latched onto the local doctor, seems to have been orphaned by violent burglars before being shot where he hid in the closet.

We do not yet know why the dead are returning, why they are so hungry all the time or why they make the lights flicker and the water level in the reservoir drop.  Perhaps it has something to do with the village which was flooded to make way for the hydro-electric plant or perhaps, as the local religious leader seems to think, the dead have returned to their family as prophets - but we do know HE is not as squeaky clean as he likes to pretend!

BUT ...

• why has no-one caught the serial killer who attacks young women and makes vicious slashes into their stomachs
• why do women in this area still walk home alone at night, knowing the killer is at large?
• why, if they are flesh eating zombies, is nobody noticing missing pets?

I will patiently watch 2 more stylish episodes to find out.  If you haven't been watching this, you would do well to visit 4OD & try to catch up.

Things I Loved in June!

FILM: The Great Gatsby:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343092
I was so looking forward to seeing this film (for a year!  I'm not kidding!)  I finished the awesome book by F Scott Fitzgerald last summer and have been on the edge of my seat to see it ever since!
It did not disappoint, although I am still in love with the original version starring Robert Redford.  The latest was mindblowing in a different way - the costumes, the set, the music and the choreography!!  Wow Wow Wow!

BOOK: One Day in May: Catherine Alliott
www.catherinealliott.com/onedayinmay

This book was such a lovely escape, it was the perfect combination of frothy chick lit (which makes me feel all summery, even if I'm not reading it by a hotel pool!) and real life issues - war torn countries, growing old (& up) gracefully, public image and even politicians!  I myself have dabbled - and still do - in interior design & decor, so I loved getting into the heroine's 'shoes' and walking about in them  ... risk free!

T.V. DRAMA: The Fall:  BBC Drama starring Gillian Anderson
This was not for the faint hearted!  I read some gory books (as you know), but seeing it instead of imagining it from written words on a page brought a whole new level of chilling-ness to it.  As did the Gillian's portrayal of a cold emotionless DSI,counterbalanced by the serial killer (played by Jamie Dornan) who saw nothing wrong in giving his little daughter jewellery he had taken as a memento from one of his murder victims.
True it was disappointing that he was not caught or identified by the end of the series, but it is quite clear that he is on borrowed time - too many loose ends have been left untied and the sharp mind of DSI Stella Gibson is fleshing out the bare bones of the profile he has left behind and from their chilling phone conversation - where he totally lost the upper hand - he knows it.
If you loved this drama, I suggest you would enjoy the Kay Scarpetta series of books by Patricia Cornwell.

E BOOK : The Werewolf Society Box Set by Lisa Renee Jones http://www.lisareneejones.com/werewolf-society-boxed-set/
This trilogy is lots of fun!  The action is fast paced, the characters are feisty women (who are also werewolves or witches) and smouldering hot men (also werewolves ... obviously!)  There are red hot and racy bedroom scenes and plenty of kick ass fights and dramatic tension. It is slightly 'light weight' as reading matter goes, but that is what I have come to expect from e-publishing, and it was just what I needed when I was laid up, resting after an operation, with concentration levels not at warp speed!  Download it dare you, I think you (and your beloved) will be pleasantly surprised! <wink>

& Saving the Very Best til Last ...

BOOK : The Killing Dance (#6 in the series Anita Blake Vampire Hunter) By LK Hamilton

www.laurellkhamilton.org/‎

This book was by turns gripping, erotic, soul searching, tense with drama and back to erotic love triangles.  I must confess to always having a bias towards the cold danger of a vampire when pitted against the claws and ferocity of werewolves, so I knew who I wanted Anita to choose ... but she has her own agenda and her own demons. Yet I think her final decision may have surprised even her! 

I really lose myself in these books, so cannot recommend them highly enough.  Very addictive, I am glad Ms Hamilton has written so many! 5 Stars!

Vampires & Casters .... walking amongst us!

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter - exciting and page turning as ever!!!  I read this book in just over a day - could NOT put it down!

Bloody Bones :  Laurel K Hamilton http://www.anitablake.co.uk/the_books.html

As soon as Anita arrives to sort out a dispute over land ownership by raising the dead in a graveyard, she realises that her clients have not been totally honest with her - the dead are 200+ years old  and their graves have been disturbed.  Before she can get to the bottom of that mystery she is called out to a police investigation of a murder of 3 children in nearby woods - killed by a blade so sharp she has never seen its like before - and apparently they knew their killer or were entranced, because not one had tried to run away or dodge the attack.

But Anita and her preternatural expertise is not made welcome by the local police department, in fact she is shut out of the case, and when another teen is murdered (drained of blood in her own bed) Anita is the one to identify a connection, and leads a vampire hunt out in the woods - at night, with an untrained team - hmm that wont go well.

Anita is still in a love triangle with a vampire sheriff and a werewolf pack leader, (hello - Sooky Stackhouse - been there, done that!) and now she finds herself pulled into a power struggle with the vampires and faeries in this region who fight dirty and have evolved in ways she did not know vampires could.  Several times Anita's life, and the lives of those on her 'team', are in grave danger.  Anita pulls on strengths that she hardly knows the origins of but will it be enough....?

Beautiful Creatures : Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl  http://beautifulcreaturesnovels.com/

I felt a bit reluctant to try this book initially, because the film had so obviously been pitched at the Twihard market - now cut adrift with no new Twilight material to watch or read, but I was blown away by the book!!  It is romantic - sure, but the central magical character does not really know what she is, what her powers will develop into:  her fate is to be determined on her 16th birthday (not far away by the time she moves to this tiny Southern town) and on that night she may be claimed by the dark side!

The story is told from the view-point of Ethan - a very lonely boy (his mother has recently died which has caused his father to become a recluse) - who is desperate to leave Gatlin (a town where your business is everybody's business and nothing ever changes.)  In befriending new girl Lena, he ostracises himself from everyone except his best friend & basketball team-mate Link and his housekeeper Amma, and even she is fairly disapproving.  He has always been surrounded by tarot/and voodo, civil war re-enactements and the local library is like his second home.  But since Lena came into his consciousness it seems as if nothing and nobody is as it was before ....  Gripping and fast paced, this tight story had me chained to the armchair right to its conclusion  (which luckily  is not the end, just the end of book 1!)  

There are surely more secrets to be revealed in Beautiful Darkness, Beautiful Chaos & Beautiful Redemption.

House of Night Novels - a school for Vampyres

• Do you like the idea that vampyres might exist?  

• Does the idea of a schools to nurture vampyre skills appeal? (a bit like Hogwarts for wizards)

• Do you like a bit of dating drama (I guess I am talking to the girls amongst you now!)

• Are you interested in the myths and magic of the Cherokee Indians?

• Then get hold of the books in this series  ... 

• Start with Marked - where Zoey Redbird is marked as a fledgeling vampyre and has to begin a new way of life away from her family and friends ....
• Move onto Betrayed - where Zoey realises that she has a direct connection with the goddess Nyx but that her mentor may be san enemy not an ally ....
• Continue with Chosen to see how Zoey deals with the challenge of her best friend being 'undead'

http://www.houseofnightseries.co.uk/


I have just finished reading book 4 Untamed  - it was very action-packed and exciting.  Zoey has a trusted, tight group of friends who all 'bring something different to the party' - but there is  much danger and drama in Zoey's life - everyone seems to want her - all the hot guys: teen and adult, human and vamp, and now a fallen angel!  Zoey's lovely grandma - a wise woman of the Cherokee heritage - tries to guide and protect her and in doing so puts herself in terrible danger.  I got to the end of this book and had to go straight to the next ...

Hunted -  where Zoey has run away from the safety and security of her school The House of Night with only a tiny ramshackle group of 'creatures' who have not turned their back on the Goddess Nyx.  Everything they know is turned on its head - but is Zoey ready to be a priestess of this spin-off group? or must she return to the school and the new regime which now rules and the underlying evil which has the upper hand?  Zoey has many new challenges to face - one friend is new kind of vampyre another has become human again, and she is still beseiged by guys who want to be her consort or her mate.  I cant wait to find out how she handles it all!


I am still loving Nashville - Thursday nights on More4

US drama about a power struggle between two female singers in the cut-throat world of country music:

• Juliette - the spoilt bitch, riding high one moment and picking her reputation out of the gutter the next, bitter and scarred by her history with an alcoholic mother
• Rayna - the queen of the Country music scene with a long history of hits behind her but starting to loose her edge of coolness - her marriage is rocky and she has been yearning after her guitar player for years
• Deacon - Rayna's one-time lover, all-time song writing partner and a man fighting his drinking demons
• Gunnar - Chiselled guitarist and song writer, in love with Scarlett and haunted by a mistake from his past
• Scarlett - beautiful but boyfriend Avery has damaged her confidence, not only in her feminine charms but her singing & songwriting skills .....

I could go on and describe them all, they are a fantastic mess - a tangle of troubles and secrets and the music that runs right through the series is fantastic.  I am tuning in every week, or watching it on 4oD - can't bear to miss an episode, may even be tempted to buy the CD of the music - who knew I'd get into country music??

FILM : PITCH PERFECT  -  Just watch this, it is hilarious and the music is great.  If you enjoy Glee or Smash this will be right up your street!!

Angels and ... Releasing your Inner Devil!

Branded (Fall of Angels) : Keary Taylor

With my enjoyment of all things other worldly, I was very pleased to download Branded onto my Kindle.  I think this story is aimed at a teen audience as it is strongly orientated towards first love and associated intense emotions without straying into more adult-themes.

The central character - Jessica is a lonely girl, who has elected to keep herself separate from family and to forge as few relationships as possible because she is haunted by terrifying dreams.  In fact her dreams are so traumatic, and leave her so mentally and physically scarred, that she tries to sleep as little as possible.

Enter (stage left) Alex, a gorgeous guy she cannot get away from because he owns the house she lives in!  Alex is clearly interested in her from minute 1 – it is obvious to the reader, but not to Jessica who has no confidence in herself – so he has to work hard to break down her barriers & form a relationship with her.

Unfortunately Jessica also attracts the attention and lust of a very dangerous character bent on gaining power over her and getting her under his control.  She is soon torn between the desire to protect those she loves and the very real need to escape from this evil creature – what transpires concludes the book neatly, yet leaves room for book 2 and book 3 to follow.

This was a fast paced read, and very enjoyable, but Jessica’s naievety was hard to believe at times, and the writing style was fairly lightweight.

Dare : Tracey Cox

To ring the changes a little I have also been reading Dare – the strapline for this book intrigued me “what happens when fantasies come true”.  Tracey has compiled this book from real women’s fantasies, and it is set out cleverly, each entry has:  part 1 where the pure fantasy is described, part 2 where the execution is described – the practicalities of making the fantasy happen - and part 3 where the real scenario and its outcome is described. 

Tracey has applied her editing and writing talents to fantasies which people have submitted to her, but they've all  beenapproved by their authors, so whilst part 1 of each is often fun and titillating, part 2 and 3 can bring the participants and reader down with a bump!  Unexpected difficulties, emotions and participants’ reactions tend to tip the balance - things do not always go to plan! 

We all know that sex and adult encounters can have embarrassing, awkward moments – and it is the embracing of this which makes Tracey’s book a refreshing change.  It stands out from the literature which has mushroomed on the bookshelves since ‘Fifty’ took the reading world by storm!

The Rocky Horror Show

To celebrate its 40th year the Rocky Horror Show has gone on tour round the UK!  Hard to believe this was written and performed so long ago, when times were surely more prudish, but it is still fresh and funny and CAMP!  

Bella Talk travelled to Cambridge dressed like a burlesque performer, accompanied by apprehensive husband  kitted out to do the Time Warp!!  We got slightly odd looks as we walked into the heart of town in our OTT outfits but we had a whale of a time at the performance.  The cast were very talented and we were particularly impressed with Frank N. Furter - such a fantastic athletic physique and he owned the role no less than Tim Curry does in the film version.  

The other stand out character for us was the narrator - his quips were very current and he dealt with the Rocky Horror Hecklers with aplomb. I was disappointed that I wasn't allowed to throw my toast, but it made a great snack for the journey home!

Did you think I had stopped Blogging??

Dont worry my faithful few ... I have not abandoned you!  I was just so 'into' my reading that I hadn't put time aside to talk about the books I have been enjoying!

Finding Violet Park : Jenny Valentine

http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Authors/7187/
This book blew me away!!  I am not quite sure what I expected (it is a book for young adults) but this book was completely absorbing, I did nothing all day until I had finished the book (having started the night before) and even when it was finished, I sat there thinking about what I had read.  Wow! The central character is a teenage boy, with a chaotic family and a missing father.  Lucas searches for the story behind a woman named Violet Park  because he comes across her ashes in an urn, but in trying to piece it together, he finds a lot of the missing pieces of his own life story.  I can't say more without giving too much away, but I am so glad my teenage daughter handed the book to me and said - "Here read this Mum, I have a feeling you'll like it."
People who liked Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time are likely to enjoy this book.



The Girl You Left Behind : Jojo Moyes

http://jojomoyes.com/
I was in 2 minds before I read this book:

• Very keen to begin it because I loved The Peacock Emporium, Silver Bay & Me Before You.
• Daunted to begin because Me Before You made me cry SO MUCH!!

Thank goodness I wan't a wuss!!  I read it and loved it!!  It is a book with 2 voices, and 2 timeframes:

• The first part is set in occupied France during WorldWar I 
• The second part is in modern day London, although it does flit back to WWI France to fit in a few final pieces of the jigsaw. 

Prepare to feel the awful gnawing hunger, cold and constant fear felt by Sophie, her sister and  the children they are bringing up while their husbands have gone to war.  They have to run their inn with the germans as customers and the Kommandant becomes fixated with Sophie ... or is it the image of her in the painting of her done by her husband, which she has rebelliously hung in the bar?

When the scene changes to urban London, the discomfort you feel for Liv is different but just as disturbing - she is a lonely widow, crippled by debt and unwilling to move on from the loss of her young husband for fear of being hurt again,  so she keeps herself as isolated as possible from friends and family.  Her only comfort has been the enigmatic face of Sophie in the painting from almost a century ago which hangs in her sterile minimalist home.

The journey these 2 women take, making sacrifices, making choices, fighting to preserve their values and to protect those they love, is difficult and challengeing - pushing each of them to almost lose themselves in the battle.  I was guessing to the final pages how it would end, would it somehow 'come out right' - would reputations be saved or ruined?  Would love triumph?  How many secrets had been buried around this 1 enigmatic painting?

Read it for yourself - if you have enjoyed any of Jojo's other books or novels by: Lisa Jewell,  Dorothy Koomson, Jenny Colgan or Trisha Ashley.


The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Film

Fantastic!  Wonderfully entertaining and absorbing - not in the least predictable.  Wonderful fragile personalities sharply drawn and acted - they heal each other, support each other, sometimes they make things worse for each other but in this coming of age film they are all growing and learning to face the world and cope.   A 'Breakfast Club' or 'Pretty in Pink' for today's teenagers ... and a pretty good book too I hear!