Blessings by Anna Quindlen

When a young couple abandon their newborn child and leave her by the garage of the Blessings Estate they have no way of foreseeing the profound impact this will have on the lives of those who live there. The baby is discovered by Skip, the caretaker, who secretes the infant away and cares for her. However, when the estate matriarch, Lydia Blessings, discovers that Skip is caring for the newborn infant her reaction is surprising - most of all to herself.

This is another of those books that has been gathering dust on my shelves for years waiting to be read. Now that I have read it I have put it straight back on my shelf as there is no way I want to part with it and am certain I shall be re-reading it.

This is one of the most exquisitely touching novels I have ever read and by that I do not mean it is sentimental. What I do mean is that the prose is so beautifully and sensitively written that it was impossible to read this and not be stirred emotionally. It maintains a lovely tenderness throughout that meant I meandered through the beautiful prose. This is not a fast paced novel but a gentle stroll along the narrative and which made this a joy to read.

The book's main theme is love; not of the romantic variety but of the platonic love that grows between individuals or the love between parents and children. It also looks at how love has the ability to change a person and can be ultimately redemptive.

This is one of those few books which moved me to the point that I was afraid to read on because, as a reader, I firmly suspected that this situation was not going to end well. I was so engaged by the two main characters and the complicity that develops between them, along with the intelligent way in which the author bridges the social divide between them.  She has an exceptional ability to take an unlikely situation and make it completely convincing through such believable characterization.

This is an utterly compelling novel and if you haven’t already read this then I highly recommend that you do. For me, this book is a real treasure that I shall be keeping safe for the next time I want to read it.

ISBN:  978 0099558354

Publisher: Windmill Books

Price (based on today’s price at Amazon.co.uk):  £6.39

Total saving so far:  £346.02

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

This is the second book in the All Soul’s trilogy. There are no spoilers for this book in my review but if you have not yet read the first book A Discovery of Witches I highly recommend that you do and you can find my review for it here. Also, you may wish to not read this review any further as, by necessity, there are spoilers for the first book in this review.

At the end of the first book we left Diana, who is an historian and descended from a long line of witches, and Matthew, a long lived vampire time travelling to Elizabethan England. They have broken the laws which divides their two species and Diana has discovered a lost alchemical manuscript which has provoked an uprising between witches, vampires and daemons.

This book picks up at the point where the previous one leaves off and continues the story of their foray into the past to seek refuge from those who mean them harm, to search for the elusive Elizabethan manuscript that Diana has uncovered in the present day library at Oxford University and to seek out a witch who can help her to control her powers.

I liked the way the book picks up exactly where the previous one ended as it provided an instant transition into the next part of the story.

However, I did find the plot a little repetitive and felt that the book would have been improved had it been tighter and a little less waffly. There were times I felt it meandered about rather than getting on with the story and would have benefited from being less lengthy. The narrative moves from place the place but the plot didn’t seem to progress along with the book. I did not find myself wanting to rush back to read more.

Whereas, I had really liked the characters in the first book and found them fully formed, they became a bit two dimensional in this book and I was disappointed with that.

That said, I did read right through to the end and I still intend to read the final book in the trilogy and I hope I will find the conclusion a tad more satisfactory than I found this one. However, the middle book in a trilogy often stagnates a little and just seems to provide the launching pad for the finale. So, I do not want to be too hard on the author for this book but look forward to being able to assess the story as a whole when I have read the final one.

All that said, my husband read this book straight after the first and virtually gobbled it down in one as he found it completely gripping. He then rushed on to read the final book and thought the entire work was excellent. So, I am glad to say that we find our old friend subjectivity rearing his head again and telling us that what appeals to one does not necessarily appeal to another. I would love to hear your thoughts if you have read any of this trilogy.

ISBN:  978 0755384754

Publisher: Headline

Price (based on today’s price at Amazon.co.uk): £8.27

Total saving so far:  £339.63

The Vanishing Witch by Karen Maitland

King Richard II’s reign was troubled. It was a time when the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

Respected cloth merchant Robert of Bassingham has acquired his wealth over many years through much hard work. Married to Edith and with two sons to whom he can teach and hand over his business to in the course of time he has little to worry about.

When wealthy widow, Caitlin, seeks him out to ask business advice Robert is only too happy to help. However, others can see that Caitlin is slowly worming her way into his affections but Robert refuses to see this. Will Robert’s good sense prevail before it is too late or can the mysterious Caitlin weave some kind of spell over him that he will not be able to extricate himself from?

Set during the Peasants Revolt in 1381 the narrative of this medieval thriller concentrates on the lives of Robert and his family. Although most of the characters were extremely well portrayed in this book I found Robert himself to be a little naïve considering the position he holds in society and which made his character a little unrealistic for me. However, throughout the book the author is suggesting that he is being induced by witchcraft into this gullible state and the plot proceeds along these lines throughout.

A time of myth and superstition, the plot is dark and rich in atmosphere and the breakdown of this one family is clearly designed to reflect the similarity of the destruction occurring within the wider society of the time.

What I really liked about this book is the way the author took a well known period of history and concentrated on the ordinary day to day lives of both the poor along with insight into the response of the merchant class. There is much written in history which focuses on the effect that history has on society with a concentration on nobility but here, the focus is on those trying to live through outrageous circumstances whilst being part of the lower echelons of society. It is this concentration that made this an engaging read and encouraged an empathy with the characters.

The author has clearly researched her topic with thoroughness and has thus made this period of history accessible to a modern audience. She is an intelligent writer and it was a pleasure to read this book.

I also loved the way each chapter opens with a superstition and introduces the idea of the significance that these beliefs had upon the actions of the characters.

Anyone, who enjoys historical novels with a mystery running through it and a hint of the supernatural will enjoy this book very much. This is the first novel I have read by Karen Maitland and I will be reading more by this author in the future.

ISBN:  9781472215017

Publisher:  Headline Review

Price:  £9.09

Total saving so far:  £331.36

**GIVEAWAY** of The Undesirables by Dave Boling

While the vastly outnumbered Boer commandos fight in the field, half a million British soldiers torch a flaming path across the South African veld. As they go, the British imprison thousands of displaced Boer families, including Aletta Venter's, and cast them into newly devised 'concentration camps'.

In a crowded tent with her mother and sibling, Aletta finds ways to cope with the confinement, privation and loss, but searches for the rarest of comforts - a bit of adolescent normalcy, perhaps even the spark of forbidden romance. Her weapon of choice in this personal battle; a young girl's powerful sense of hope

I have been wanting to host a giveaway for a while but have been waiting for the right book to come along and this looks like just the book.

If you want to be in with a chance of winning this book then there are a few ways in which you can enter:

1) Leave a comment on this blog telling me what your favourite book is.
2) Follow me on Twitter using the button on this page and RT the tweet about this giveaway.
3) Give me a like on facebook and share the giveaway posting  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Left-on-the-Shelf-Book-Blog/703940969641318?ref=hl

You will get extra entries for each one of those that you do e.g. if you leave a comment here and then follow on Twitter and RT or 'like' me on Facebook and share then you will get 3 entries.

I will run the giveaway for two weeks and I will use a random number generator at midday (BST) on 14th August 2014 to decide on a winner.

The giveaway is open worldwide.

GOOD LUCK!

Stoner by John Williams

John Stoner is born into a poor farming family in Missouri at the end of the 19th century. John’s father recognises that farming changes with time and he sends his son to university to study agriculture before coming home to work on the family farm.

However, at university John falls in love with English Literature and his life changes course completely as a result. He begins a lifelong career as a scholar and academic and marries into a ‘proper’ family, far removed from the world he left behind in Missouri.

For John, life never really lives up to his expectations and he finds his life full of disappointments. Circumstances drive him deeper into himself where he hopes to find some peace; but can solitude really bring John the serenity he desires for himself?

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time and I think that is because it is one of the most skilfully written books I have ever encountered.

The character of John Stoner is one of the most ordinary characters I have encountered in my reading. There is nothing exciting that happens to him and he certainly does not live up to his early promise. However, it is this sense of the ordinary that catapults this book into the extraordinary.

Other than his early love for literature nothing terribly interesting or eventful happens to John throughout the entire novel. As a reader, I like my reading material to move along at an appropriate pace and to contain enough events to keep me engaged. So, in theory, I should not have liked this book.

However, I was completely hooked from the first page right through to the last because the skilful execution of the writing held me completely captivated. For an author to be able to take such an ordinary character surrounded by the mundane and elevate him to being a character that I not only wanted to read about but who I genuinely cared about and who has remained with me after the conclusion of the book takes an intelligence and skill not often seen in an author.

This book has had a lot of hype recently and I am always wary of books that have as I am so often disappointed. However, this book is an exception and I have no criticism to make of it. It was top rate writing and I would recommend it to everyone.

I borrowed this book from the library and it has reminded me of what a valuable resource our libraries are. To be able to read a gem like this at no cost to the reader is something that deserves celebrating. My local library in Uckfield is not massive but it is jammed packed full of carefully chosen books that will appeal to everyone. The staff are both cheerful and helpful and a visit there always reminds me how fortunate we are to have such a good resource in our town.

ISBN:  9780099561545

Publisher:  Vintage Classics

Price (based on today‘s price on Amazon.co.uk):  £6.29

Total saving so far:  £322.27

An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine

Aaliya Saleh lives alone in her Beirut apartment, surrounded by stockpiles of books. Godless, fatherless, childless, and divorced, Aaliya is her family’s “unnecessary appendage.” Every year, she translates a new favorite book into Arabic, then stows it away. The thirty-seven books that Aaliya has translated over her lifetime have never been read—by anyone.

In this breathtaking portrait of a reclusive woman’s late-life crisis, readers follow Aaliya’s digressive mind as it ricochets across visions of past and present Beirut. Colorful musings on literature, philosophy, and art are invaded by memories of the Lebanese Civil War and Aaliya’s own volatile past. As she tries to overcome her aging body and spontaneous emotional upwellings, Aaliya is faced with an unthinkable disaster that threatens to shatter the little life she has left.

A love letter to literature and its power to define who we are, the prodigiously gifted Rabih Alameddine has given us a nuanced rendering of one woman's life in the Middle East.

This is the description of this book that I received from the publishers. I had really high hopes for it as it sounded just the kind of thing I really enjoy. It also had a fabulous beginning which drew me straight in and I was hungry for more and then................

........and then it just died for me and I stopped reading about 25% of the way through the book which I very rarely do. However, this book became a series of quotes from other people reminiscient of writing my university dissertation when I believed that quotes from well respected academics would impress. Now, while that may have it's place in an academic work, I was left feeling that this book didn't really know whether it was a novel or an essay and was trying to be a little bit too clever for it's own good. I just was not interested enough to read on.

I have very mixed feelings about giving up with a book. On the one hand, I think it may be worth keeping going in the hope that it will become amazing and I have had that happen. In fact, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was one such book where, for me, it became brilliant about half way through and I was so pleased that I stuck with it.

On the other hand, I think that there are so many excellent books out there that it makes me question whether it is worth sticking with the mediocre ones. What do you all think?

On the other hand (yes, I know that three hands but I just thought of another point and I don't want to start using my feet to illustrate) if a writer has gone through blood, sweat and tears in producing this book then the very least I can do is see it through to the end before I make a judgement.

I don't often review books that I feel negative about particularly if I haven't read it through to the end as I figure that, as readers, you are probably more interested in those books that I have read and think you might be interested in reading for yourselves (if I am wrong in that assumption then please let me know.) However, I am always very aware of the subjectivity of reviewing as my reviews are only my humble opinion and your opinion of a book may be completely different to mine and is just as valid for it's opposing view.

So, if you have read this book or you intend to read it then please let me know your thoughts. One of the wonderful things about reading is the way one book can touch many of us in different ways and I think that is great.

ISBN: 978-0802122148

Publisher: Grove Press

Price (based on today's price at Amazon): £13.42

Total saving so far: £315.98

I'm Back!

Hello everyone,

I am back from a wonderful trip to Yorkshire staying with my lovely son.

Between visits I always forget what a beautiful part of the country that my son has the pleasure of living in and I always come home wanting to go back for more.

This visit we also ventured across the border into Lancashire largely because I wanted to go and visit www.minervacrafts.com who are based in Darwen. Not only is this a fabulous Aladdin's Cave for crafty people but the scenery on the drive through parts of the Lancashire countryside was absolutely breathtaking.......and yes, for those of you who are wondering, I did buy yet more knitting yarn!

Getting away from home for a while is such a good opportunity to reflect and to be reminded of what a beautiful country that we have the privilege to live in. We were also blessed with perfect weather (which helped) and left the rain behind in Sussex when we set off.

Not only was it lovely to spend time with my son but I got to meet up with a friend of mine and much tea and chatter ensued in Hilton's Cafe in Barnsley where they sell excellent mugs of tea. Those people have really mastered the art of making a good English cuppa.

Suffice to say that Hubby, dogs and I had a wonderful time and got lots of reading done. I read a couple of excellent books while I was away and one that I thought was terrible.......... but more on those later.

I will be back in a day or two with reviews on those books but in the meantime HAPPY READING EVERYONE!

(Photo courtesy of Death to the Stock Photo)