Photo by Red bull Addict

You guessed it.  You know what’s happening.  I don’t want to mention the word but it’s the sort of day that staying indoors and reading a book is about the best thing you can do.

That is of course if you don’t have a stack of work or ironing to do.  Hang the chores though, here’s some book blogging instead.

You may recall I treated myself to some of the books highly recommended by Richard and Judy’s bookclub.  I’ve now read three of the four I book.  I blogged about the first book some time ago.

The second book was Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale.

A story about a bipolar artist who met her husband in Oxford and painted obsessively in Cornwall where they went to live.  It follows members of their family and the relationship they had with their mother.  Her death opens up a surprise stash of paintings but this can’t overcome the impacts that her illness has had on her family.  Her husband is a quaker and a stoic character who endures her behaviours and loves her all the more for it. It’s a deeply thoughtful book that brings alive the torment and passion of a creative person living with mental illness. I liked this book for it’s thoughtful pace as it made you read it more intensely.

The third, A quiet belief in angels by R J Ellory.

A friend described this book as harrowing.  The story definitely was but I didn’t find it a compelling book to read.  The story spans over fifty years and tells the tale of Joseph who as a young boy had to endure the deaths of over 10 murders of young girls.  This haunts him for the rest of his life as he faces his own tragedies.  The ending is a surprise but not.  A bit of a disappointment for me.  I felt the storytelling was quite superficial. I’ve read much better thrillers, who dunnits that give better insight to the community and individuals affected.  It passed the time of day but didn’t grip me in the way I like a book to do.  Or maybe I was just too tired!

We’re off on holiday next week so I’m hoping I can rekindle my reading habit.  It’s gone a bit rusty of late. These two books will stay on the shelf on DE HQ, so if you’re passing you can check them out yourself!