Aunts aren't gentleman (by P G Wodehouse)

(Amazon UK link)

Every so often I read something out of my usual genre of light women's fiction. I was first introduced to PG Wodehouse by my father, when I was a teenager. I've collected several of his books over the years, mostly second-hand, and enjoy them for a bit of light relief, now and then.

I particularly like the series involving the rather gormless (but very good-hearted) young man Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. They're mostly set in London around the turn of the 20th century, and feature the upper-middle and upper classes in a life that's now long gone. Bertie's days revolve around his clubs, his visits to country mansions, and his attempts to help out various friends.

In 'Aunts aren't gentlemen', Bertie wakes one day to find spots on his chest. A doctor assures him that they are not serious, but that his lifestyle is driving him to ill health. A repairing lease in the countryside is recommended, so Bertie thinks he might pay a visit to his favourite Aunt, Dahlia. Unfortunately she is about to go away herself; however she suggests he might rent a cottage not far away, in a tranquil village.

Despite first appearances of a soothing country life, Bertie's stay is anything but tranquil. He bumps into Vanessa Cook, a girl whom he once proposed to, but now has no desire to marry; he is threatened by Vanessa's fiancé Orlo Potter; he gets involved in a cat-stealing plot through no fault of his own, and he comes across Major Plank, who thinks Bertie once tried to cheat him out of five pounds.

The plot is rather complex, with a large number of sub-plots, although naturally it all unravels smoothly at the end. It's punctuated by Wodehouse's uniquely ironic and informal style, peppered with quotations from Jeeves and random thoughts from Bertie, who is - as always - the first person narrator.

I don't laugh aloud with PG Wodehouse when I'm reading it to myself (though I used to, when reading Jeeves books to my sons) but I smiled several times.

However, it's not everybody's cup of tea. If you despise the upper classes, or just don't 'get' the British sense of humour, you probably won't like this. But if you're a fan of Wodehouse, this is a good story; regularly in print, widely available second-hand.

Oh, and if anyone reading from the USA finds the title puzzling, I should add that in British English, 'aunt' and 'aren't' are homonyms - words that sound exactly the same.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, April 2008

Loving What Is (by Byron Katie)

(Amazon UK link)

This is not the kind of book I would normally come across; it's not a Christian book, it's not fiction, and it's nothing to do with personality theory or nutrition. However, it was recommended to me by someone on a personality related mailing list, and endorsed by someone else; I was interested enough to look at the website for the intriguingly named Byron Katie (who is known as Katie, but apparently doesn't use a surname).

Her theory is that all our mental and emotional pain and suffering is a result of our own thinking, and that by turning it around, after asking ourselves four main questions (and a few supplementary ones), we can get rid of all unhappiness and learn to live contentedly in the present moment.

A bit simplistic? Yes, that's how it sounded to me, when I browsed her site. I don't carry around a load of guilt or hurt anyway. I know there are some folk who seem to bear grudges for years, so I thought perhaps it might help them, but I am pretty good at letting go of the past.

However, the book was discussed again, and I was ordering a couple of other items from Amazon in the USA, so I decided I would order 'Loving what is' as well, since I was becoming intrigued by the concept. (And the dollar was very weak thus it was good value when converted to sterling!)

The book starts with a brief autobiographical overview of how Byron Katie turned away, almost overnight, from being severely depressed. She woke up one day, realising that she had the power in her own mind to turn around the anger and guilt she carried inside, and to learn to 'love what is' - to live in the moment, to accept each circumstance as it came along without pain. She calls this 'The Work'. Then there's a brief dialogue that shows 'The Work' in action.

Then there are a few chapters explaining of how 'The Work' is done. Details of tihs can be found on The Work website. Basically, people fill in a short worksheet, writing down why they are angry or hurt by someone, and what they wish would change about them. They are encouraged to be as judgemental as possible (the worksheets are titled 'judge your neighbour') and to explain exactly what they person is feeling about the people who upset or angered them.

Then there are four basic questions which are asked about the various statements made - do you know it's true? Are you absolutely sure it's true? How do you react when you think the thought? Who would you be without the thought? There are a few supplementary questions too, depending on the circumstances. Then a 'turnaround' is encouraged, where the person who did the worksheet tries to find ways of turning his or her statements around, and pondering whether or not they are more true than the originals.

There follow several more dialogues which Katie had with various people as they unravelled their problems - irritation with their loved ones, annoyance at children or colleagues, flashbacks to painful circumstances in the past, and more. They're divided roughly by subject matter, and follow similar patterns.

In one sense it all seems a bit clinical - after all, in a book like this, dialogues are going to be found which show 'The Work' as successful. There's no mention of people who did not find it helpful, or who were so stuck in their own stories about reality that they refused to answer the questions. Everyone seems to 'get it' pretty quickly. Maybe that's how it happens; yet I find myself a little skeptical.

However, the book does encourage the reader to do their own worksheet - to write down some judgements, rather than just think about them. A few day after I started reading this, something happened that made me rather angry with someone, so I decided I might as well try the system. To my surprise, the discipline of writing down all my most negative thoughts about the person in question, and the structure of the questions, meant that I could quite easily come up with turnarounds and see how I was contributing to my own annoyance. Someone did something, and it was in the past - I was hanging onto it, which had no positive benefit to anyone. Letting go turned out to be remarkably easy.

It was only a minor incident which I've now almost forgotten, but it did help me see how very powerful this 'work' can be, if someone is willing to go into it thoroughly. There are many people who carry around a lot of 'shoulds' and 'oughts' - and those are, very often, the first things that need to be unravelled in Byron Katie's questioning or 'enquiry' process.

At the end, there are some further questions which Katie answers, and I found that useful. They looked, for instance, at whether it's possible to be so in love with the present that we just watch painful circumstances and do nothing - she insists that the reverse is true.

My one reservation about 'Loving what is' is that there seems to be a rather Zen/Buddhist/New Age feel to some of it, with God relegated to 'the universe', or even a way of thinking about reality, rather than a living, loving Person. And, like all self-help books, it's very self-focussed. But that's perhaps not a bad thing, since many of the burdens which people carry around are totally self-centred, without their realising it.

Still, reading it from a Christian perspective it was still very interesting and quite eye-opening to find how well the system can work, albeit on something minor that I would probably have forgotten in a few days anyway.

It's not a book to read in one sitting - I dipped into it, off and on, for about a month. But it's one to come back to, and perhaps to share with others. Definitely recommended.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, April 2008

Look the World in the Eye (by Alice Peterson)

(Amazon UK link)

If I'm browsing a bookshop, I don't tend to pick out the ones with bright primary coloured covers, untidy handwriting fonts, shooting stars, or wineglasses. I am still somewhat biased against so-called 'chick-lit', despite having now read several very good books in the genre, and these features on a cover tend to suggest a story that's ultra fluffy, probably full of alcohol, free sex, shopping, girly talk, and not much more. A book with all four of those front-cover features would never leave the shelf if I happened to spot it.

However, nearly a year ago, I read 'You, me and him' by Alice Peterson - a book with a much nicer front cover, which I was sent by The Bookbag site. I liked it so much that I immediately looked on Amazon to see what else she had written. It turned out that there was only one other novel - her first - so I put it on my wishlist, and received it as a gift on my recent birthday.

'Look the World in the Eye' does seem to start in typical chick-lit style, albeit very well written, bringing the characters to life straight away. We meet Katie at the start of the book; the story is all told from her point of view, in the first person, and also in the present tense - something I used to find a bit awkward, but it works very well in this book.

Katie owns a fashion shop, and we first meet her running a fashion show, which is very successful. We also meet her wealthy boyfriend Sam, who seems very fond of her, albeit rather wrapped up in himself. They live together in Sam's home, which is large, minimalist, and expensive.

Then the first crisis occurs. Katie has a phone call from her father, asking if she can look after Bells for a couple of weeks. Katie has already felt a bit guilty about a letter from Bells, which she hasn't even opened yet. Bells, it turns out, is her sister Isabel, who was born with a cleft palate and lip, and also some brain damage. Bells is excellent at some things - such as cooking and gardening - but has no idea of abstract concepts, and in some ways is more like a ten-year-old. She lives in a community of people with mild mental disabilities, where she is very happy.

But Bells needs somewhere to stay, and her parents - to Katie's surprise - are taking a couple of weeks' holiday, since her mother has been rather run-down.

The problem is that Katie has not told Sam anything about Bells. She cares a great deal about her image, and also what Sam thinks of her. So she does what she can to put it off... and finally lets Sam know that her sister is coming to stay, just a day before Bells actually arrives. She tries to explain what Bells is like, but doesn't really succeed... so the actual first meeting is something of a disaster.

Bells is delightful character, apparently based on someone Alice Peterson once knew. She certainly comes across as realistic: totally honest, to the point of rudeness at times; a surprisingly good judge of character; and really very willing to please, so long as she's told exactly what to do. She's more easily hurt than Katie realises, and evidently does not like Sam.

The book is really about Katie realising just what a lovely person her sister is, and how people's bad reactions to her are reflections on their own biases and negativity, rather than there being anything wrong with Bells. As more characters are introduced, the 'nice' ones are those who respond positively to Bells.

I found it rather thought-provoking; Katie learns that her image isn't everything, that it doesn't matter what people think of her. She also learns a lot about her childhood, and her parents, and what love really means. Some of the minor characters are rather caricatured, but the majority are very well-rounded and believable.

I found myself reading this at every odd moment to find out how it would end. The last pages were a little rapid and - eventually - predictable, but overall I thought it a very good read. There are a few expletives used, but they're not overdone, and there's no explicit sex at all. 'Look the World in the Eye' is yet another book that is partly dispelling my negative ideas about 'chick-lit', and I recommend it to anyone who likes light women's fiction.

Looking for God in Harry Potter (by John Granger)

(Amazon UK link)

Way back in the late 1990s when I first read 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', before there was any controversy about it, I was impressed at the clear underlying Christian message that permeated the book. The overriding theme is that sacrificial love is stronger than death. The 'good guys' show loyalty, courage and integrity, while the 'bad guys' are selfish, sneaky and spiteful. 

It's written in the context of a classic British school story, of course. So there's a touch of humour, some great characterisation, and a strong climax. And as with all the best children's books, it ends with good triumphing over evil.

I liked the book so much that soon afterwards I read 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets', and felt much the same way about it. So I was pretty shocked when one or two Christian friends of ours decided the series was inappropriate or worse. Some of them started reading - and believing - rumours going around, started as a joke by a satirical online magazine. As I continued reading each of the books soon after they were published, I was more and more certain that the critics were wrong. In my opinion, the Harry Potter series were almost as strongly Christian in theme as the Narnia series by CS Lewis.

Eighteen months ago, I found and read 'A Charmed Life' by Francis Bridger. I found it overwhelmingly positive about Harry Potter from a Christian perspective, and very reassuring. I then became aware of John Granger, a Greek Orthodox homeschooling Christian in the USA. He has not only written some books about the 'keys' to unlocking the Harry Potter books, but has a fascinating website, Hogwarts Professor, full of essays and discussions about the nature of the series. 

Unfortunately, his books were temporarily out of print at the time. But recently I was able to get hold of 'Looking for God in Harry Potter'. It was updated after the publication of the sixth book in the series, 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'.

I read this, despite not needing any further assurance about the Christian nature of the series. The seventh book ('Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows') confirmed this without any question, as I explained in an article on another blog about Harry Potter as a Christian allegory. Allegory isn't really the right word, of course - it's more that he is a 'type' of the Christian 'everyman', growing up and maturing through the series. He learns the real meaning of unconditional love, and is finally prepared to give his own life for the sake of all his friends - and, indeed, his enemies.

I was, however, interested in the 'keys' that John Granger had talked about, the many classical literary allusions, and the slightly puzzling references to alchemy, which I only knew of as a pseudo-science a few centuries ago.

'Looking for God in Harry Pottery' starts with a quick overview of the magical world of Hogwarts. He points out how the magic in the series is nothing to do with the kind sorcery forbidden in Scripture, and addresses the criticisms of those who want to ban the Harry Potter books. Indeed, John Granger himself had never planned to read the books, assuming they were indeed evil; however one of his children was given a copy, so he thought he ought to read it himself, in order to explain why he felt they were not appropriate reading. In doing so, he immediately saw the positive nature of the Christian themes running through them, and ended up reading them aloud to his large family.

The book then looks at the patterns in the book, the various themes that are repeated, and the way they mirror the greatest stories in literature, including the Christian journey through life. In the chapter explaining alchemy, it sees this too as a literary device, and Christian parallel. The alchemist seeks to transform base metal into gold, and to find a stone giving eternal life. The Christian seeks to transform himself from a sinner into one cleansed and forgiven, and finds Christ, giver of eternal life.

Alchemy traditionally has certain stages, with connected colours (in particular black, white and red) which are mirrored in several ways through the books, in the names of various characters, and particularly in the last three books. I would never have spotted this myself, but could see immediately what was meant, and why the last three books followed the structure and plot-lines that they did.

There's also an examination of the many classical Christian symbols used in the books - stags, unicorns, phoenixes, centaurs, and more - far too many to be a coincidence, particularly given JK Rowling's classical background. And finally there's a chapter on each of the first six books, showing how they fit into the overall theme, how Harry matures and develops, and what we as readers learn. There are some predictions about the seventh book, which are remarkably accurate overall, and a conclusion explaining how John Granger talks about Harry Potter with children in general.

I read this book over a couple of weeks; it's not particularly light reading, although it's very well-written, and accessible to anyone. But there was a great deal to think about, so I preferred reading just a chapter or two at the time, giving me a chance to ponder before embarking on the next set of revelations.

If I have a slight criticism of the book, it's that the author's American slant occasionally shows through. Most of his analysis of the various names is very accurate (eg Hermione being related to Hermes, Ginny (Ginevra) to Guinevere, and so on). But when he claims that 'Potter' is pronounced the same way as the Latin 'pater' he is thinking of American English rather than the British English in which JK Rowling was thinking; similarly when he tries to suggest that 'Harry', dropping the 'H', sounds the same as 'heir-y' ('hairy' without the H) he is again, in my view, off the mark. Neither of these work for British readers, and seem to be trying to read far too much into the name.

That apart, I thought that 'Looking for God in Harry Potter' was excellent, and would recommend it highly to anyone wanting to understand more about the structure and theme of the books, whether or not they are Christians. Most classic British literature is, after all, suffused in Christian thinking one way of another. 

I'd also recommend it to anyone who feels the books are not appropriate, or are 'evil' in any way. You may still decide not to read them, of course; but perhaps the immense popularity of the books will make more sense.

Time for a Change (by Erica James)

(Amazon UK link)

I first discovered Erica James' books almost by accident, when I was given one as a gift at the end of 1999. I liked it, and - as I do - decided to start collecting all her novels. I bought a few, and have been given others, and recently decided it was time to start re-reading those which I read eight years ago.

About a month ago I re-read 'A Breath of Fresh Air', so it seemed like a good idea to re-read its sequel, 'Time for a Change', which I first read in 2000.

I could remember the beginning of the book. Hilary, who always likes to be in control of herself, her family, and those around her, discovers evidence that her husband David has been having an affair. He talks in his sleep to someone called 'Catherine', and she also comes across a restaurant receipt for a meal for two, when he was supposed to be out at a Rotary club dinner.

As she ponders, more and more things start to add up. David has been rather distant, somewhat stressed, even more tight over money than usual in recent weeks, and - most telling of all - has spent a vast amount of time 'working late' at the office.

Hilary is devastated. She still loves David, and does not want to disrupt their mostly contented family life, or hurt their two children. She discusses the problem with her sister, and one or two unlikely friends, who give her various forms of advice - either to confront David, or to have an affair herself, or to be stoic and pretend it hasn't happened.

She is sure the last option must be the least harmful, having watched a neighbour do just that over many years, but Hilary is not the same kind of person as her neighbour. She finds herself frequently tearful, often angry, abrupt with her children - so much so that she doesn't even notice that her 11-year-old sensitive son is being bullied at his new school - and very confused.

The story is mainly about her beginning to come to terms with her reactions, and sorting out her priorities, and deciding what is worthwhile doing for the future. It's also enlivened by a few subplots featuring other characters from the first book, including some comic relief when a few inhabitants of the village start a campaign to remove 'smut' from the shelves of the local newsagent.

'Time for a Change' is mostly light-hearted, fast-paced and warm with good characterisation. But the underlying theme is quite serious - examining, as it does, the struggle between maintaining personal values and family unity: when to speak and when to be silent. Hilary matures significantly in this book, building some positive relationships with people she had previously rather written off.

When I first read the book eight years ago, I thought the ending predictable. I'm not entirely sure why, since I had completely forgotten it this time around, and was in the dark as to how the book was going to end, right up to the last dramatic chapter.

Recommended to anyone who enjoys light character-driven village fiction with more depth than some.

A Bride for Donnigan (by Janette Oke)

(Amazon UK link)

I first came across Janette Oke in the early 1990s when we lived in the USA for a couple of years. I was able to borrow several of her books from the library, and found them enjoyable light reads - as far as I remember they were all historical, all based in the USA or Canada, and all had a low-key Christian message within the stories.

Since then I've picked up a few of her books inexpensively; they're not demanding reads at all, but good to pass a couple of hours. I first read 'A Bride for Donnigan' about ten years ago, I suppose. I remembered the basic theme of the book - a fictional account of some young women from Europe going out to the USA frontiers as brides 'sight unseen' to farmers and ranchers and other people who would otherwise probably not be able to get married, since there was a serious shortage of women. This did happen, so the story is based in accurate history.

This book is about Kathleen O'Malley, of Irish parenthood. Her mother died when she was small, and her father fell on hard times until he re-married a rather unpleasant woman who insisted that Kathleen call her 'Madam'. By the time Kathleen is sixteen, she has been working as a bakery assistant, hawking pastries in the poverty-stricken streets of London to earn a few pennies. She's also treated as a servant in her home, expected to look after her half-siblings, cook and clean.

So although she is at first shocked to read of American men ordering brides from overseas, and cannot imagine how any respectable girl could sign up, she is persuaded to do so when her step-family's circumstances are due to change yet again.

In the first few chapters we meet Kathleen as she makes this momentous decision, and we also meet Donnigan, the farmer who is to be her husband. He, too, is rather suspicious about the whole idea and has grave reservations about it, particularly when he realises how very young Kathleen is.

The main part of the book is about Kathleen and Donnigan learning to understand each other better, discovering what married life really means, and - in the final chapters - discovering God.

The book is well-written, with very believable characters and a setting that certainly feels realistic. There's enough detail to give a good picture of Donnigan's farm, without it becoming boring, and plenty of characterisation and conversation to make the story interesting.

The end part does give the Christian message pretty strongly, in a way that might seem annoying to some, although it's not preachy as such. It is presented by Donnigan himself working his way through the Bible, asking questions, and finally understanding what salvation and forgiveness mean. So it's in a fictional setting, and works quite well even though the content is predictable.

All in all, a good light read suitable for adults or teenagers, with some interesting perspectives on what life might have been like for some of the mail-order brides.

Mystery at Witchend (by Malcolm Saville)

(Amazon UK link)

Every so often, I need a dose of ultra-light reading. So I turn to my childhood/teenage favourites. One of the authors I really enjoyed in my teens was Malcolm Saville. I'm not entirely sure why, since his genre was mainly adventure/mystery fiction, and that's not really my preference in books - however his characters are very realistic, and there's a lot of human interest in them.

My favourite books of all by Saville were the 'Lone Pine' series, which I believe ran to twenty books. I discovered them when I was about eleven or twelve, and gradually built up a collection. They were first written many years previously, the earlier ones during the second world war, but in the 1970s were re-published by Armada, although unfortunately somewhat abridged.

I read one or two at a time until I had the whole collection, then read them right through in about 1974, deciding I would repeat this every ten years... I read them again in about 1986, when I was in my mid-twenties, shortly before my first son was born. I wondered, then, if I would actually want to read teenage adventure fiction by the time I reached the grand old age of 35...

Time rushed by, but the books came with us to Cyprus, and at last I decided I would, over the next few months, read them again. So I started with 'Mystery in Witchend'.

This book introduces the main characters who grow up - albeit very slowly! - in the rest of the series. David is about 15, and his twin brother and sister, Dickie and Mary, are nine. They have a scottie dog called MacBeth. In this book they meet Peter - short for Petronella - whose lives not far away by a reservoir, and Tom, the nephew of a farmer, who would really rather be in the city.

It's set during the war years, when mothers and children did go into the countryside, while fathers went off to war. The countryside setting is real - the Long Mynd mountains in Shropshire - although the homes and farms mentioned are not. Most important from my perspective are the characters, who are made realistic right from the start. David is a responsible young man, though not very confident. Peter is more confident in herself, but often lonely.

The twins are delightful - loyal, and generous, although sometimes very cheeky, and Tom is a bluff young man who feels slightly too grown-up to play with the others - yet involves himself immediately in the club they set up, and the adventures that crop up.

This story is about what happens when the children explore their neighbourhood, coming across various other people, some of whom are rather suspicious - and end up uncovering a most unpleasant plot. It's hard to imagine today's children being quite so free to roam at will, but David and the twins' mother is very relaxed and uninquisitive, and they all care about each other deeply. Other than the lack of any modern technology, the books don't seem particularly dated at all.

It only took me a couple of hours to read - unfortunately my edition is the Armada abridged one, although the story still works well, so I don't suppose a whole lot was cut out. The writing is crisp and clear, even if there are rather more descriptions than I'm happy with, and the conversations enjoyable.

The plot is exciting, and while it might seem tame to today's teenagers, raised on violence and sci-fi, it would probably appeal to boys and girls who enjoy older books of this sort. My sons read the Lone Pine series when they were in their early teens, and mostly enjoyed them.

I'm very pleased to see that a new facsimile edition of the original was brought out in the UK - the link at the top is to that, although no longer in print.

I wonder if I shall want to re-read these books again when I approach sixty ...!

Sleeping Tiger (by Rosamunde Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

There are some writers whose books I indulge in when I need a rest. Top of the list is Rosamunde Pilcher. I try and spread them out, re-reading every six or seven years (maybe longer), so I usually only read one at a time. But on a recent trip to Egypt, I took The Rosamunde Pilcher Collection- three books in one - and have enjoyed them all.

The first two books in this volume are 'The Day of the Storm' and 'Another View', both featuring artists, and both having at least a small part set in Porthkerris, in Cornwall.

'Sleeping Tiger', the third book in this volume, is the first one published by Rosamunde Pilcher in her own name, back in 1967. It's about Selina, who we meet when she is being fitted for her wedding dress. She's sad at the recent loss of her grandmother, and evidently has mixed feelings about her upcoming wedding.

My feelings were more than mixed when her fiancé appeared; he's a bit caricatured as an upright, moral lawyer who never has a hair out of place, and who really only wants to marry Selina because she's attractive, and young, and probably malleable.

He gives her a book, which she thinks will be remarkably dull... until she sees the author's photograph on the back. It looks remarkably like a photo she has of her father when he was a young man... but her father died in the war, and nobody has ever told her anything about him. Her grandmother reused even to mention his name. But when she shows the photo to Agnes, her old nanny (Selina being from a well-off upper-middle-class family), Agnes too thinks it may be her father, and tell her something about him.

Selina learns that the author of the book, George, is living on San Antonio - on the Spanish coast. She asks Rodney if he would accompany her to try and find him, but Rodney is too busy - and is convinced it's a wild goose chase. Or, as he puts it, might awaken a sleeping tiger.

He is pretty sure Selina will stay at home and put aside her obsession with having some relatives, but Selina decides to go anyway. Unfortunately things seem to happen to her. Her luggage gets lost, and her purse is stolen. So she's alone in a strange country where she doesn't speak the language, with no money and no clothes other than the ones she's wearing.

All rather a nightmare - but very well-written, as is the whole book which is full of situations that would make me cringe. Selina, however, is much more confident than she appears - shades, perhaps, of her grandmother - and she continues taking action in her own way, foiling various other people's plans, and endearing herself to George's housekeeper, among others.

Amusing in places, with a slightly predictable (if somewhat rushed) conclusion. Very enjoyable - and still in print, as an individual book, although the three-volume collection can only be found second-hand.

Another View (by Rosamunde Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

There's something very relaxing about Rosamunde Pilcher's books. Warm characters who feel like friends, believable settings, satisfactory endings that make the world feel a better place.

I usually only read one of her novels at a time, spacing them out a bit; but on a recent trip away I took The Rosamunde Pilcher Collection, three books in one. Having enjoyed the first one, 'The Day of the Storm', I started straightaway on the second.

'Another View' is about Emma Litton, an independent young woman in her early 20s. She has lived and worked abroad after a rather erratic upbringing with her artist father, but really wants to settle down. Her father, Ben, is eccentric and rather self-centred. He has lived in many countries, but at last has decided to return to his home and studio in Porthkerris, in Cornwall - a favourite setting for this author.

So Emma decides to join Ben, to keep house for him, and look after him, and see if she can belong. They have a month together when things seem to be going very well - she doesn't hassle him, and he feels inspired and creative.

Then his art gallery in London asks Ben if he would go to the USA for a week, for a private showing of his pictures funded by a wealthy - and very attractive - lady. Emma does not want him to go, but when she realises he is not returning any time soon, she goes to stay with her much-loved stepbrother, an actor, in a rather insalubrious flat.

Meanwhile, Robert - who works at the art gallery - finds himself very attracted to Emma. But also finds her extremely frustrating, and she's not at all sure what to make of him.

A pleasant story, with characters who come alive easily, mostly warm and sympathetic. The only thing that really jarred was the way that everybody seemed to light up cigarettes at every opportunity. 'Another View' was first published in 1968, but I didn't think smoking was still so socially acceptable in the late '60s. It made it feel rather more dated than it is, along with the assumption (touched on briefly) that all good Englishmen sent their sons away to boarding school from the age of eight.

The ending is a bit rapid for my tastes, too, but then it's not a very long book. All in all, I thought it a very pleasant light read, with some good insights into artists' lives and temperaments. I hadn't remembered much of it at all from the last time I read it, which was probably well over ten years ago.

The Day of the Storm (by Rosamunde Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

I've loved Rosamunde Pilcher's writing ever since I first discovered her, in the mid 1990s. Being an avid collector of books, when I like the author, I was delighted to find The Rosamunde Pilcher Collection, inexpensively, at a good second-hand shop back in 1996. It contains three of her shorter, earlier novels: The Day of the Storm, Another View, and Sleeping Tiger. I read it shortly after I bought it, but as far as I remember, I haven't read it again since.

So, wanting some good light reading on a recent short break, I decided to take the collection with me. Alas, it's no longer in print as a volume, though it can often be found second-hand, but the three individual books are still available in both the UK and USA.

'The Day of the Storm' opens by introducing us to Rebecca. She is delighted that she has just moved into her own place - a small bedsit that she's renting. She has a job that she really enjoys, working at a bookseller's with a very pleasant boss. Her flat doesn't yet have much furniture, but she is relishing her independence.

Then, walking along one of the small streets in London, she comes across an antique shop which she has never seen before; inside are two chairs, exactly the kind she has been looking for. She manages to buy them from a rather arrogant young man, Joss.

However, when she arrives at her workplace, she receives a letter, which has been delayed by a month, letting her know that her mother is extremely ill, probably dying, in Ibiza. Rebecca's boss immediately gives her some leave and organises a plane for her to fly out and see her mother, who's rather a bohemian and amoral woman, but Rebecca loves her and hasn't seen her for some years.

She is able to spend a very pleasant evening with her mother, and learns for the first time that she has a grandfather, probably still alive, living in Cornwall. She also has a cousin, around her age.

When Rebecca returns to London, she is persuaded to go and meet her grandfather, who is now in his eighties. While there, she's caught up in a tense atmosphere, and a strange antagonism between her cousin Eliot and - rather coincidentally - the young man Joss from whom she bought the chairs.

The people are all warm and believable. Rosamunde Pilcher even manages to make coincidences seem entirely likely, and there's even a hint of mystery about this book, wondering who the 'good' guys are, and what has caused the antipathy between these two men. Despite having read it before, I really couldn't remember.

Even the minor characters are beautifully created, and add to the story; there are too many to mention, but even three or four days later I can recall most of them. I hope I shall forget them - and the plot - in the next few years, so I can enjoy re-reading this book yet again one day!

My only slight problem with the book is that the ending was rather too sudden. I'd have liked more closure, and a little more filling in of details. But still, overall I thought it a very good light read. 

Recommended.

Friday's Child (by Georgette Heyer)

(Amazon UK link)

I love Georgette Heyer's writing. I have almost all her historical romances, most of them set in Regency England, and re-read them all every five or six years.

I last read 'Friday's Child' in 2002, but remember it with fondness as one of my favourites.

It's the story of Sherry (Lord Sherringham) and Hero Wantage, otherwise known as Kitten. Sherry is a rather reckless young man, who tends to get in with the wrong people and spend far more money than he should. However, he's blessed with some very loyal friends, and is basically kind-hearted, if rather selfish and immature.

Sherry has been chasing after his childhood sweetheart, Isabella, and finally manages to propose marriage to her. She turns him down, and in rather dramatic despair he swears he will marry the next female he meets. He doesn't actually want to be married, particularly, but would like to have control of his wealth, which is tied up with trustees until he is married.

Riding back to London, he comes across Hero, whom he also knew in his childhood, sitting on a wall and crying. Hero is an orphan who has been brought up by her cousin, but treated like a servant. She is only seventeen, and not particularly academic, and is about to be sent out to earn her living as a governess.

So Sherry decides he might as well marry Hero, which will entitle him to his fortune, and rescue her from a life of drudgery. Hero has adored and idolised Sherry for many years, and it seems like a dream come true. She knows he lives rather a wild life, but is very innocent, and certainly doesn't intend to try and reform him.

Naturally, neither of them really know what marriage entails, and behave like the immature youngsters they are, with Hero falling into scrapes and spending considerable amounts of money, although her main aim in life is to see Sherry happy.

The story sees them both growing up, as they quarrel and make up, meet various other people, and discover that they have to adjust somewhat to living with someone else.

Several amusing moments - Sherry's three close friends are delightful - and also a few places that brought tears to my eyes, even though this must be at least the fourth time I've read this book. Hero is a very believable young woman, and Sherry is surprisingly likeable too. There are a lot of excellent minor characters as well.

It took a few chapters to get going - to start with I couldn't quite remember why I liked it so much. But by the time I was half-way through, I could barely put it down. Excellent characterisation, great plot, very satisfactory conclusion.

Highly recommended to anyone who likes historical fiction of this kind.

Still in print, and widely available second-hand.

Not I but Christ (by Watchman Nee)

(Amazon UK link)

Watchman Nee was a fairly well-known Chinese Christian during the early part of the 20th century. He was quite a prolific writer, and his work has been translated into English.

I've only read one of his books - 'Let us Pray' - prior to this, and wasn't very impressed. It seemed stilted, and had an over-emphasis on spiritual warfare.

But I found 'Not I but Christ' on a second-hand bookstall, and thought I'd see what it was like. I've read a chapter a day in the past week, and finished it today.

It is apparently part of a series of 'Basic lessons on practical Christian living', although it's complete in itself. The theme of this book overall is to do with forgiveness, restitution, restoration, and living for Jesus. Each chapter looks at a different aspect.

The earlier chapters were very basic, looking at how we receive forgiveness, both on first becoming a believer, and also when we sin afterwards. They talk about confession, and how Jesus paid the price, and what we should do to restore relationships.

The writing is quite interesting, but my main problem was that it is very, very repetitive. Some paragraphs seem to say the same thing in two or three ways. Other sections keep emphasising the same points, putting them in slightly different ways. It meant I could easily skim, though I tried not to.

However, I was unexpectedly struck by the sixth chapter on living the Christian life; the point was clearly made that we really shouldn't keep striving towards holiness, or that will become as much a burden as sin was beforehand. We need to stop relying on our own efforts and will, and allow Christ to take over. This wasn't new to me, of course, but the way it was presented struck me quite forcibly, along with the statement that:

'Your temptation is not to sin; rather, your temptation is to act on your own.'

So true!

The last chapter, too, was encouraging and useful, describing how to discern God's will in standard ways, but also making the point that if God wants us to do his will, then he will reveal it to us. If he hasn't revealed anything, there's no point worrying about what it might be - we just need to continue where we are, since one of the important forms of guidance is through circumstances.

These last two chapters were as repetitive as the early ones - the whole book could probably have been condensed into under half its size without losing anything - but what they said was so good that I didn't mind so much.

Recommended to anyone thinking through these questions, or anyone who hasn't understood how Christian forgiveness works.

Not currently in print, but available inexpensively for the Kindle, as well as sometimes being found second-hand.

Sowing Secrets (by Trisha Ashley)

(Amazon UK link)

I've only read one book by Trisha Ashley - 'Sweet Nothings' and while I quite liked it, it didn't strike me as anything special. I didn't find it particularly amusing, and there were rather too many characters for my tastes.

But when TheBookbag offered to send me her latest novel, 'Sweet Nothings', I looked forward to reading something else by this writer.

It's the story of a middle-aged woman called Fran March. She has a lovely home, a growing art business which she enjoys, a gorgeous husband, and a daughter just off to university. However she's put on a few pounds in recent years, and her husband Mal drops the odd snide remark about her weight. Also there's a mystery surrounding the question of who her daughter's father is...

Then Fran's daughter Rosie starts asking more pointed questions about her father. And Fran receives an email, out of the blue, from her old boyfriend, who found her website. Then, when she watches a gardening programme on television, she is pretty sure that the presenter is a guy she once spent a night with and never saw again.

There are several strands to this novel, which weave cleverly together. It's a typical sort of chick-lit-for-the-middle-aged novel. I'm pleased to say that there's no violence, no explicit sex, no bad language, and not even a whole lot of shopping, despite the back cover of the book having a content guide which insists this is a tear-jerker with thrills, drama, and sex.

Fran narrates the story, telling us her thoughts and concerns as well as what's going on in her life, and each new section moves ahead a day or two. I found the writing style a bit confusing, to start with. There's a mixture of past and present tense, and it's all written very informally. I wasn't sure quite how to take this, at first, then it struck me that it's written rather like an ongoing blog. Once I'd got used to it, I found it very effective.

By the time I was half-way through, I found myself feeling quite involved in all the subplots, warming more and more to Fran. She's really a very likeable woman who desperately want to hold her marriage together. There are some unexpectedly amusing moments that made me smile, and a satisfying ending after a slightly surprising climax to the book.

All in all, I'd recommend this to anyone who likes this kind of novel. Here's my longer review of 'Sowing Secrets' at the Bookbag site.

Note: this was originally published in hardback under the title 'The Generous Gardener'.

Prayer and Temperament (by Chester P Michael and Marie C Norrisey)

(Amazon UK link)

I knew nothing about Chester P Michael or Maria C Norrisey. Neither have websites, and there's very little about them online. Apparently he is a Roman Catholic priest who does a fair amount of writing, and she is his editor. Twenty years ago I would have tended to avoid books written by Catholics, but nowadays two of my favourite Christian authors (Brennan Manning and Henri Nouwen) are Roman Catholic.

I bought the book on the strength of a recommendation elsewhere. 'Prayer and Temperament' attempts to reconcile the differences of temperament, as described by David Keirsey, Linda Berens and others, with preferred and most helpful methods of Christian prayer. It's based mainly on a big survey that was taken, discussing various methods of reading the Bible and praying, and correlating with each person's personality type in the Myers-Briggs system.

It mainly deals with the four temperaments (Idealist/NF, Artisan/SP, Guardian/SJ and Rational/NT) as proposed by Keirsey, and the different ways people find easiest to relate to God. There are useful broad descriptions of the needs and strengths of each temperament, and explanations of different methods of praying, with specific recommendations.

The methods described were more formal than I am familiar with, but still made a lot of sense. My temperament is Idealist; the authors suggest that the Idealist finds it easiest to read the Bible using the creative imagination, as if the words were being spoken today, to us as individuals. It suggests prayerfully writing down passages of Scripture, using one's own name to pray it through and medidate.

For Guardians, it is proposed that the easiest method is to use the 'sensible imagination', to imagine oneself transported back into the Biblical scenes, hearing the sounds and smelling the scents of the time, and observing the events. For Rationals, questions and probing into the words of Scripture is suggested, and for Artisans, the suggestion is to consider the events and actions surrounding characters of Scripture, and also to allow natural beauty - sunsets, blossom, mountain views, etc - to trigger praise and worship.

There's a lot more than that, of course. Each of these broad styles is related to one of the church fathers who prayed in this manner, and it's also recommended that people of each temperament try out all the methods, when feeling relaxed and unstressed. There are some specific examples at the end of each chapter, and an appendix at the end looking at each of the sixteen Myers-Briggs types and their likely methods of prayer and worship of God.

There is also some examination of the four main Jungian functions (Sensing, Intuition, Feeling and Thinking), and how they work both in a regular and transcendent way, and there are sections looking at how we were when stressed, and how to develop our lesser functions.

The book was well laid-out, and clearly written with persuasive arguments. I could relate easily to what was said about Idealists, and was pleased to see that each type was treated in a positive way. On the other hand, I felt there was a bit of a muddle about how the functions worked, not really considering both the extraverted and introverted uses of them. I also noticed that in the type recommendations, about twelve of the sixteen types were told that they would benefit from a 'Cursillo' weekend - something I have never heard of, and which may not be available outside American Catholic settings.

Overall, I thought it well worth reading and would recommend it to anyone struggling with certain forms of worship or styles of church. It was encouraging to see how different styles are appropriate to different temperaments, and to remember again that God made us all differently - and thus would not necessarily expect the same style of worship from different people.

Not currently listed as being in print.