Last night I attended an event at the Purcell Room in the Southbank Centre, it was kind of a promo book tour type of thing with Jodi Picoult. I had seen it online and just bought three tickets immediately as mum, my sister and me read her books alot!
It was a really good night, we went to Pizza Express and had 2 for 1 wednesdays with garlic bread, and dough balls to share and then legerra pizzas for main. Yum. I also tried their (I think it is new but not sure!!) raspberry lemonade which is super yummy!!!
Anyway back to the main point.
The event started with an interview between her and a journalist then she did a reading from Lone Wolf and finally the floor was opened for questions.
The first book I read of hers was My sisters Keeper it has remained on my top ten list ever since and when they made the film I was so excited but they ruined it! An all star cast and the director made a film about dying with dignity which was great as Jodi said but isnt what her book was about. I was so glad when she said that because it just wasnt right when I watched it.
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| Jodi's New book |
A lot of people say Jodi sticks in her niche and her books are all the same, and I would agree to a point that the books can be in a similar format but for example last time she wrote a novel based around a gay music therapist and there was a cd that went along with the book! Too cool, and she has just finished writing a novel with her daughter for teen readers, (totally going to read it) The thing that I love about her is her passion. Last night she was talking about researching the books, for this one she went and met with a wolf specialist who lives with wolves, its so intense and I think that is pretty cool.
Jodi mentioned last night that some of her books were released in a different order over here, she has pretty much had a novel published every year for almost 20 years, but they came out at different times and often together over here. I think I might have to reread them all in the correct order lol!
This is the actual order:
Songs of the Humpback Whale (1992)
Harvesting the Heart (1994)
Picture Perfect (1995)
Mercy (1996)
The Pact (1998)
Keepng Faith (1999)
Plain Truth (2000)
Salem Falls (2001)
Perfect Match (2002)
Second Glance (2003)
My Sister's Keeper (2004)
Vanishing Acts (2005)
The Tenth Circle (2006)
Nineteen Minutes (2007)
Change of Heart (2008)
Handle with Care (2009)
House Rules (2010)
Sing You Home (2011)
Lone Wolf (2012)
I read a lot of books and I am not ashamed to say I love a great variety and I also know that Jodi Picoult is not everyones cup of tea. However after last night I am sure she will remain one of my favourite authors for a really long time..... Who is your favourite author?
So I have been away for a while, to be honest it got very busy at work and then I graduated, left the Museum, moved house and started a new job all in the space of a couple of months... I was very busy!
But now I am back. Since I have been away the list of books I have read this year has increased to 68. I will do a blog post on their later but at the moment I am reading The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
and At Worlds End by Ken Follett on my Kindle.
My makeup collection has also increased quite dramatically and last week I put together my summer and spring collection which I have put away so I can concentrate on my Autumn and Winter Makeup Collection! which now includes the Urban Decay Naked Pallete!!!
Be back soon!
So in the last post I was talking about the books left on my list to read this year. Below are the books I have read so far, in no particular order and then I am just going to run over a few favourites at the bottom.
1) All of Me- Patsy Palmer
2) Let Him Have Justice- Iris Bentley
3) Victorian Murderesses- Mary S Hartman
4) The Accidental Father- Greg Williams
5) The Tavern on Maple Street- Sharen Owen
6) The Book of Tomorrow- Cecelia Ahern
7) The Pillars of the Earth- Ken Follet
8) The Interpretation of Murder- Jeb Rubenfeld
9) Sister- Rosamund Pike
10) Wedlocked( How Georgian Britains worst husband met his match!)- Wendy Moore
11) Wife Interrupted- Amy Molloy
12) Picture Perfect- Jodi Picoult
13The Queen of Whale Cay- Kate Summerscale
14) A Town Called Alice- Nevil Shute
15) Harvesting the Heart- Jodi Picoult
16) Patchwork Planet- Anne Tyler
17) House at Riverton- Kate Morton
18) No and Me- Delphine de Vigan
19) Down Among the Dead Men- Michelle Williams
20) Snowman- Jo Nesbo
21) The Virgin Suicides- Jeffrey Eugenidies
22) A Walk to Remember- Nicholas Sparks.
23) The Luxe- Anna Godbersen
24) Marked- PC Cast
25) Vampire Academy- Richelle Meed
26) The Other Family- Joanna Trollope
27) Second Hand Heart- Catherine Ryan Hynde
28) Betrayed- PC Cast
29) Chosen- PC Cast
Of these books the following deserve a mention:
The Pillars of the Earth- This book in an epic.... around 1000 pages in total it spans the history of a part of England including in the last couple of chapters the murder of Thomas Beckett. Something I would definitely recommend if you like history but it is really hard going, next year I intend to read to much anticipated (ten years in the making!) sequel
Sister- This book has you in its grip from the first word it tells the story of a lady returning to the UK in search of her semi-estranged sister who has gone missing. Worth a read but absolutely chilling in places.
The Queen Of Whale Cay- the first book by one of my favourite authors Kate Summerscale whose only other novel The Suspicions of Mister Whicher Murder at Road Hill House I have read 3 times! This is a biographical account of a fantastic lady Joe Carstairs who was a successful motor boat racer and cross dresser who spent most of her later life on an island she bought called Whale Cay....
A Town Called Alice- Not something I would usually have reached for but fantastic nonetheless the book is about a British woman in Malaya during world war two and the Australian outback post war, it is fundamentally a love story and one I would recommend!
Down among the dead men- This is an hilarious account of a lady's first year as a mortuary technician, it will make you laugh but it will also probably make you cry!
The House at Riverton- This book by Kate Morton I just simply could NOT put down its fantastic a real mystery from start to finish it begins with an old lady telling a story her memories of a great British house where a poet has committed suicide but all is not what it seems.... A long read around 600 pages but worth it.
Now just a few more points I am the kind of person to read series of books, or books by the same author and I will scour shelves to find more authors to read if I have exhausted the possibilities of my previous favourites.
I Love…
Jodi Picoult Books I have read every one currently about to read House Rules and have her latest on order, the only one I have never finished Songs of a Humpback whale I just didn't feel a connection to the characters, I believe this is one of her first novels though so this may be why.
Kate Summerscale (YOU NEED to write more, Suspicions of Mister Whicher is SUPERB and Queen of Whale Cay so interesting.
Kate Morton after having ready House at Riverton I have already ordered Distant Hours and a further book of hers!
Teen/Young Adult books such as the House of Night Series by PC and Kristin Cast, I cant help myself there's just something so easy about reading about teen vampires! I am on number 4 in the series now with one more at home and 3 on order at the library. Through this love I have also found the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen set in 1920s New York teen high society enthralling!
Anyway if there's anything you couldn't live without reading let me know! xx
It just keeps growing.... yikes!
.So I read a lot, I read on the train I read on my lunch break at work I read in bed in the bath... you get it!
Anyway so I have an awful lot of books I have either bought or been given over the last couple of years that I never got around to reading whilst I was at University. So I have decided to read them now... However I also frequent the library which is literally a 5 minute walk from my house, reserve a book for 50p don't mind if I do! Its an amazing resource and one I will fight to keep open! I donated about 10 books I had finished with the other day to the library for them to sell to get some money so am feeling quite good about that at the moment.
So below is the list of books I own that I have left to read this year.
1) The Gentleman's Daughter - Amanda Vickery
2) Growing Pains- Billie Piper
3) A Boy Beyond Read- Cheri Florance
4) Prep- Curtis Sittenfeld
5) Ballet Shoes-Noel Streathfield
6) The Gaol (the Story of Newgate)- Kelly Gravier
7) The Duchess- Amanda Foreman
8) Making History- Stephen Fry
9) Crow Lake- Mary Lawson
10) Atonement- Ian McEwan
11) The Secret History- Donna Tartt
12) The Other Boleyn Girl- Phillipa Gregory
13 The Lacuna- Barbara Kinsolver
14) Memoirs of the Youngest Mitford Sister- Deborah Devonshire
15) Hetty Feather- Jacqueline Wilson (always wanted to read this since I worked at the Foundling Museum!!)
16) House Rules- Jodi Picoult
17) Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Stiegg Larsson
(So that's 17)
Then there are the books from the library that are left to read (either I have them or they are reserved.)
1) Last Song- Nicholas Sparks
2) Tuesdays with Morrie- Mitch Albom
3) A Short History of Nearly everything- Bill Bryson
4) Hunted- PC Cast
5) Untamed-PC Cast
6) Tempted- PC Cast
7) Awakened- PC Cast
8) Five People you meet in heaven- Mitch Albom
9) Burned- PC Cast
10) Kings Speech- Mark Logue
11) Thirteen Reasons Why- Jane Asher
12) The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
13) Distant Hours- Kate Morton
14) Forgotten Garden- Kate Morton
15) I'd Tell you I Love you but then I'd Have to kill you-Ally Carter
16) Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy- Ally Carter
17) Rumours- Anna Godbersen
(again 17!!)
The next blog post will be explaining the books I have read so far this year and which ones I liked the best! also a little bit about my favourite authors and series! Maybe you would like to join me with a list of your own?
