Thursday, 13 December 2012

Poldark, again

I have finished season 1 and loved how it progressed. Usually, I lose interest about halfway through, or something happens and I discover it was a character I liked who for whatever reason leaves the story and so don't want to watch any more. But this series is great from beginning to end. The only thing I didn't like was that at near the end the dog gets killed.
 It isn't that bad, really, and nothing is shown. But even with that teeny-tiny scene it would be a shame to miss watching it. If you're sensitive about things like this as I am just fast forward when you see Demelza usher the dog out the door at the end of part 15.

Echoes Of Titanic

Echoes Of Titanic written by Mindy Starns Clark and John Campbell Clark and classified as inspirational suspense.
I originally picked it up because it was about the Titanic. As a history buff this grabbed me right away, but I was soon drawn into the story even though contemporary fiction is not my favourite read.
It's about Kelsey Tate who works in her family's investment firm that was started by her Great-grandmother Adele who survived the Titanic sinking in April 1912.
The book is told from both the contemporary time period (2012) and follows Adele and her cousin Jocelyn as they travel from Ireland to board Titanic, with a ratio of 3:1; near the end the ratio is 1 or2:1 as the mystery is solved.
I could identify with Kelsey where, on page 202 she admits she wanted to be like Adele, as did I.

Things I Liked:
The flow of the book. The transition between the centuries isn't choppy as you might expect but moves easily, as if you're reading a diary entry.
Good balance between narrative and dialogue
Believable characters
The discussion questions at the end of the book

What I Didn't Like
The use of the phrase "So to speak" This is a pet peeve of mine and grates on my nerves every time I hear it. It only happens two or three times in the book.

Most shocking moment: The unexpected death This totally floored me I never expected this even when the lead up to it (now) is so obvious.

Most Touching moment: The last letter from Jocelyn to Adele.

This book makes a great read and becomes more "unputdownable" as the story goes on and things start piecing together.
You can get the book here






















Thursday, 6 December 2012

Poldark

This blog was supposed to be for reviews of books, but there will be exceptions.
The first is Winston Graham's Poldark series. I chose to watch the television adaptation on DVD rather than read the novels mainly because I love watching historical series, and this one does not disappoint.
The character of Ross Poldark is kind yet firm, with an almost tender smile, and well liked by his Cornish community. If there is one who doesn't like the Captain it's one of the magistrates with whom he has a run in because of one of his tenants.
But Captain Ross isn't without his problems, from an impulsive cousin, and a lonely one to a fiance who chooses another in his absence, to work management problems. But he handles these with a firm tact and integrity. In fact he's very much like the male leads in my books; which is why I could fall for him myself  :)
I've just started watching episode 5 so will continue to blog about this.
You can get both books and DVDs here