Book Buying Sunday
I took myself around my local city centre yesterday for a browse around the shops. I was after some new reading material and I chose some, I feel, really interesting books. I would like to share my purchases with you and the reasons behind my choices.
Firstly, I popped into W H Smiths, because It has got to be one of my favorite shops. It can be a little expensive but it sells just about every magazine you can think of. I bought this year’s summer edition of ‘Leisure Painter’ magazine.
I do find this magazine a little pricey at a cost of ÂŁ4.20 per issue, so I only buy it on occasion. This issue, however, contains an interesting supplement. It is called ‘Start Art’ and gives the beginner painter, tips on attempting drawing and painting for the first time. The main magazine also contains an article written by ‘Hazel Soan’ who demonstrates how to paint portraits using the correct tones. I really need this!
I then popped into ‘The Works’, which is such a great cut price book shop selling a multitude of craft items besides. I chose the offer of 3 books for a fiver. They are fiction books and are great for holidays.
I’ve just started reading this one. The tale is set in the year 1860, and focuses on ‘Ginny’ the heroine who attempts to bring up her little brother when the rest of the family are wiped out by a flu epidemic. He is sent to the workhouse and the story is based on her fight to win him back.
She finds work as a ladies maid within a large house and the story details her life and the problems that are set to oppress her.
So far so good 🙂
The second of these three books is called ‘Creature Comforts’ by Trisha Ashley. This author has written about 12 novels in her career, yet I’ve never heard of her. On a recommendation, I bought this one.
The year is 1993, so it’s pretty up-to-date. I must admit I do prefer history novels but I’ll give this one a try. Izzy’s life and her relationships are not going well. When she splits with her fiance, she returns home to her Aunt and meets a dishy guy who turns her life around. I have read a few reviews for this book and it’s said to be pretty good. There are even a few recipes at the back that are included in the story.
Dilly Court ‘The best of Sisters’. This is another book that appeals to me because it’s set in the Summer of 1862, and I love stories that describe what life was like in the past. This author writes many novels on this theme. The story is about a 12-year-old girl who lives in the City of London under the supervision of the tyrant that is her uncle. Her brother is forced to move to another country, and upon being abandoned she has to be resolute and escape her life of drudgery.
Restoration Home by Gavin Weightman. This book is a must buy if you like history. It provides you with all the essential help you’ll need if you want to trace the history of your house.
Even if your home is relatively new, there’s loads of information within the book to find out the history of the land it was built on. There are chapters on ordnance survey maps, styles of house, large residences, house features, census records and the Lloyd George Domesday book, (this includes detailed descriptions of houses between 1910-1915). There’s masses of information and tips on where to look for it. I can’t put it down 🙂
I’ve reached a point in my language learning where I need to string my sentences together with correct grammar and punctuation. Collin’s have many language grammar books of this type. It includes all the grammatical forms you’ll need to get your sentences just right. There is also a section at the back for verb tables.
Symbols a Universal Language by Joseph Piercy. I adore books full of facts that I know nothing about. This is one that fulfills that. Symbols such as punctuation marks, logos, and flags are all around us but do we really know where they originated from? This book answers these questions from the earliest cave paintings, the hammer and sickle and the Bluetooth symbol. I’ve started to read this already and it’s very interesting.
Only when I laugh by Paul Merton. I must admit I never read autobiographies because I don’t really find many people that interesting. This is about the UK comedian Paul Merton who I do find incredibly interesting, so I was glad that I came across this. It includes stories from his childhood, radio contribution and a stint in Maudsley Hospital. I imagine it will be a very funny read.
And lastly for all you singletons out there of the female variety, a book for the woman that lives alone and needs help with screwdrivers etc. Simply Wonderwoman by Joanne Gosling, contains tips on getting stuff done, DIY, plumbing, painting, cleaning tips, car care etc. It really does cover loads of stuff in it’s 40 or so chapters.
These will keep me going for a while. What books have you read recently that you could recommend?
X Pip
