This had been top of the best sellers list for a while – so I became a sheep and bought it to read on holiday. It was very popular around the pool too (thankfully not everyone reads Kindles, so you can still be nosy about what other people are choosing!!)
This is the Amazon blurb:
“Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough.
Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar.
Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…”
The book starts from Rachel’s point of view – now I know she’s a barely functioning alcoholic – but I still wanted to slap her – a lot! Some of the choices she makes are inexplicable.
It also is told from 2 other female perspectives – Megan (who Rachel had christened ‘Jess’ when being a peeping Tom from the train) and Anna (who is now married to Rachel’s ex husband). But not a single one of them was likeable. The stories intertwine, jumping backwards and forwards in time – as is fairly popular in this genre of book.
The story is also reasonably predictable. I guessed fairly early on in the book who the ‘baddie’ was – although not the exact details of how it would end – and just waited for that to be borne out. Having said that, the lady next to me on her sunlounger hadn’t guessed at all and was pinning it on one of the ‘red herrings’ until quite near the end.
This has been described as being like ‘Gone Girl’ and there were some real similarities for me – mostly that I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and that it had been overhyped by the media!
So – the 3 kids not back to school today were supposed to be helping with the unpacking. Instead they used the empty suitcases to construct a wall, and then practically every pillow and quilt in the house – and a freakishly large teddy – to make a comfy den to all lie in. But at least they were all getting along…….
This is my entry for this week’s Wicked Wednesday – do pop across and see other people’s less than perfect houses / children!
So – one minute she’s eating an apple – the next she’s fast asleep on the floor!!
Same for her father – but he was drinking fizz not eating fruit!
Am trying to make this my entry for this week’s wicked Wednesday on Brummymummtof2’s blog – but can’t work out how to add the linky from my phone and the UAE ISP won’t let me access WordPress from the hotel’s computer!! Sorry!!
Whilst I love the green and pleasant land in which we live – I suspected there would be lots of beautiful British landscapes on show this week (in fact Tara and I often end up posting photos of the same local woods) – so decided to go foreign!
We are regular visitors to Dubai – but these were from our first trip there over New Year from 2008 into 2009. We did a trip out into the desert (I always struggle with spelling that and wonder if I’m talking about pudding instead?!) and the landscape was so different to anything we’re used to and so breathtaking. (I also felt violently travel sick driving up and down all of the dunes!)
The trip was in the evening – so we also got to see the sunset.
The photos don’t really do it justice – but it was utterly amazing.
This is my entry this week for The Gallery over on the Sticky Fingers blog – do go and see other people’s amazing landscapes.
I don’t often read non fiction – in fact, this is the first non fiction book I’ve read since I started doing book reviews on here. This was recommended by the Head Teacher at my eldest daughter’s school (the author is a parent from the girls’ school she was previously head of) – and ever a girlie swot, I always do what I’m told – so I purchased it to read over Easter.
The full title is ‘Girls Uninterrupted – steps for building stronger girls in a challenging world’. Snappy eh?! But I totally agreed with the sentiment – so thought I’d give it a go.
Here is what the Amazon blurb has to say:
“* Why are girls self-harming and suffering eating disorders in record numbers? * Why do girls feel they have to be ‘little miss perfects’ who are never allowed to fail? * Why are girls turning against each other on social media? * What should we tell girls about how to deal with challenges of every day sexism and violent, misogynistic pornography? * How can parents, teachers and grandparents inoculate girls so they can push back against the barrage of unhealthy messages bombarding them about what it means to be female? Whether they are praised for being pretty rather than smart, or accused of being ‘bossy’ rather than leaders, teaching girls how to be comfortable with themselves has never been more challenging. Laid out in clear simple steps, Girls Uninterrupted shows the practical strategies you need to create a carefree childhood for your daughters and ultimately help build them into the healthy, resilient women they deserve to be.”
Now, it wasn’t a page turning ‘can’t put down’ of a book – but I did find it really interesting. With 3 daughters (and a son) at different ages from pre-teen down to toddler – it was very appropriate.
A lot of it is common sense – or, common sense when you think about it – but how often do you take the time out of your busy life to sit down and think about stuff like this? I know I don’t. It was great to take that time out and think about how our actions – and the actions of the world about us – impact on our daughters’ lives.
There are some interesting facts and statistics that it was good to see too, on a whole myriad of relevant topics – eating disorders, viewing of porn on the internet and bullying to name but 3.
It has already impacted (in a good way!) on my own behaviour. Even my husband noticed I’d put my phone down when we were all out having lunch after going swimming as a family last weekend (normally I’d be checking emails / updating Facebook / tweeting – but decided all of that could wait!)
Then today, the 11 year old and I had a conversation about her exams this week, and how all we want is for her to do her best – and how they’re not the end of the world. Thankfully she seems to be taking them in her stride really well – and can see that some of the girls in her class who have cried over getting one question wrong and getting very stressed beforehand is not healthy, and definitely not what we as her parents want her to worry about.
Some of the recommendations I’m not sure are totally achievable for us as a family (for example, we can’t turn the wifi off to stop the kids accessing it in the evenings after their bedtimes, as that’s often when the husband and I are catching up with the day jobs!) – but we can remove their devices from their bedrooms and set them to charge on the landing instead. There are lots of other suggestions to be inspired by too.
I would really recommend this to everyone with daughters.
But now back to some reading as escapism from reality for a bit!!
My youngest daughter is super cute, super funny, super feisty – and super stroppy!
After I’d posted a number of photos on Facebook of her in a mard, a friend suggested I should do an A-Z list of them – so here we are!!
A – Ambleside – in a strop because she couldn’t go waterski-ing with her siblings, but it’s ok – if she turned around in the pushchair we couldn’t see her….
B – Bluestone in Wales – there were a few from this trip!
C – Crazy Golf (this is also similar to my face when forced to play the ridiculous game!)
D – Dubai, on a bed, with FILTHY feet!
E – Everyone else has a birthday before me (this is technically correct as she’s a November birthday – and she doesn’t understand the concept of time) This was on her sister’s 11th birthday
F – Fence at Bluestone
G – Genting Arena, about to watch Disney on Ice
H – home, post school run, refusing to get out of the pushchair
I – If I cover my eyes no one can see me being stroppy
J – Juha’s Journey Lazy River at Wild Wadi – not a full on strop, but definitely not loving it…
K – Kings Norton Rhinos – whilst watching her big brother play rugby
L – Lagoon (Blue) changing rooms – see also S and U for the full range of this strop! This is where she’d fallen asleep mid strop…….
M – Mine Train ride at Alton Towers – think it totally traumatised her!
N – naughty step, on a Friday night, for pulling her sister’s hair
O – Oxfordshire, at some friends for the weekend in their local park
P – Photoshoot for my parents’ birthdays – annoying she wouldn’t behave, but the results were quite cute pictures!
Q – Queen of clean hands – only a mild strop over excessive sugar on her doughnut making her fingers sticky
R – Restaurant on Grandad’s 70th birthday
S – Swimming baths whilst on holiday at Bluestone
T – Towers of Alton (I know, I’m pushing it a bit with the whole alphabet thing!) Not wanting to go in the pushchair, or walk…..
U – Uncle Tim having to carry her back after falling asleep mid strop (see S and L above!)
V – Vale do Lobo – this is the FIRST EVER STROP PHOTO – in a lovely Chinese restaurant, where she announced ‘I am very cross and very shouty’
W – Windermere, on the lake, not loving the whole boat thing
I think we might need to save X, Y, Z for any particularly impressive ones before she grows out of it (please let that be soon!!)
I think this is pretty much a definite #wickedwednesday post for BrummyMummyof2’s linky!!
I recently read the first in the Cherry Pie series – and loved it – so when this popped on to my Kindle (got to love pre-ordering) it had to be devoured before I started anything else!!
Here’s what Amazon had to say about it:
“Welcome to Jenny Oliver’s brand new Cherry Pie Island series! There’s nowhere more deliciously welcoming…
If you were to ask Holly Somers how life is going at the moment she wouldn’t have a clue how to answer you… On the one hand she’s embarking on a retro-fabulous road trip in her vintage ice cream van all the way from Cherry Pie Island to the South of France. Plus, she’s sharing the journey with Wilf Hunter-Brown (quite possibly the most attractive man she’s ever met!)
On the other? Well, apart from being unsure as to whether the rickety old ice cream van will actually make it to the Riviera, she and Wilf had a one-night fling a few weeks ago. Even worse, it seems there’s an unexpected little consequence of their impromptu night together. Life on Cherry Pie Island definitely hasn’t equipped Holly with knowledge of the best way to tell a super-rich entrepreneur with a womanising reputation that he’s about to become a Dad!
Despite the heat of the Provencal sunshine you’d think you’d be able to keep cool inside an ice cream van – but the temperature is definitely rising. And with time running out to tell Wilf the truth, Holly’s dream roadtrip is fast becoming a nightmare on wheels! There’s no denying that this will be a journey to remember. When it comes to sundaes, Holly has always been partial to the more traditional flavours – but something’s telling her that this could be the time to take a chance and try something new…”
It was lovely! Like the first book in the series it wasn’t a highbrow doorstop of a book – but was a great, quick, escapist read. As with all of Jenny’s books – the food descriptions were amazing – and she really evoked the feel of France.
Whilst the main characters in book 2 were different to book 1 there were enough cross references for you to still feel involved with life back on Cherry Pie Island.
I’m already excited about book 3 (and subsequent books!!)
I’ve blogged before about Operation Teddy Bear and the accompanying raising of its awareness with #opteddybear selfies – but yesterday was THE BIG DAY – and is ‘one day in May’ I will never forget!!
A couple of weeks ago we found out that Finlay was going to need further brain surgery – and just a few days before the big day – so we gave him the choice of whether we postponed, or went ahead without him. The mature, sensible, lovely boy that he is, he recognised how much work had gone into the preparation and told us to go ahead anyway. So on Thursday 30 April Fin had a 7 hour operation. It went really well and he was excited that he could be video linked in to the Operation Teddy Bear event.
The night before we were picking up bears from the various places around the Alvechurch area where they had been stored – my children were literally drowning in bears:
Then on Sunday May 3rd it was an early – and wet – start at Alvechurch Cricket Club. If we’d arranged for Guinness to come out and witness the event we would have had to pay them a few thousand pounds – and we wanted that money to go to the charities (Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Brain Tumour Research) – so we went down the route of providing loads of evidence to support our attempt instead. This meant independent witnesses were there every step / bear of the way and everything was photographed and videoed.
So – off we went!! At this point the bears could sit on plastic to stop their bottoms getting wet – those later on weren’t so comfy!
I laid 500 (as in put them down, not laid like a chicken!)
and other members of the Op Teddy Bear team did too:
All through the first few hours we were able to FaceTime with Fin in his (dry, warm) hospital bed!!
We broke the UK record of 1,996 within a few hours, and as we approached the existing world record of 4,041 we found that the wifi was down at Fin’s hospital and so we couldn’t get him to watch live – but we photographed and videoed it all for him. In Fin’s absence, a little boy called Oscar – who was treated by Birmingham Children’s Hospital for a life threatening heart condition as a baby – laid the world record breaking bear! (Cue loads of sobbing from me and the rest of the team!!)
But we weren’t going to stop at just scraping the record – we wanted to SMASH it – so on we went!
There was a steady stream of wonderful people volunteering to lay bears – and a huge queue of people to help ‘feed’ the layers with bears! It was the Alvechurch Picnic In The Park in the neighbouring park, so there were loads of locals to come and help and watch and it had the most amazing feel of community spirit.
Onwards we went…….bear after bear after bear. They had to be bears, not any other kind of stuffed toy – and they had to be touching at all times. I took my role as bear police very seriously (I suspect there will be children in the school playground this week pointing at me saying ‘there’s that nasty lady who shouted at us to keep away from the bears’!!) but we couldn’t risk the line being broken.
Credit: Anthony Hill
Then, there was some real excitement – someone really important had arrived at the attempt. IT WAS FINLAY!!!! The whole ‘wifi is down’ had been a ruse, in fact the Church family were bringing Finlay out of hospital! So 3 days after 7 hour brain surgery, he’d done so well, he’d been allowed out – and he was able to come and join us. Cue LOADS more weeping from me and the rest of the team!!
He was well enough to lay some bears – here he is with one of our independent witnesses, having hit the 7,000 marker!
and here he is ‘feeding’ bears to his Mum!
Still we were laying bears – those that had been donated over recent weeks by generous people all over the country – but also brought along on the day.
We’d even sourced a generator and some floodlights in case we needed to keep laying after it went dark, and were on our 3rd pair of independent witnesses!!
But then – the end was in sight. And we’d done it – laid every bear and completely annihilated the existing world record!! Obviously I was weeping far too much to actually take any photos as Fin’s siblings laid the last few bears and then Fin himself laid the final bear………
[Edited to add – thankfully my husband wasn’t such an emotional wreck and took photos of Fin’s younger siblings laying the penultimate bear – and Fin with the final one – phew!!!]
These are photos from our phones, so not the best quality in the world, but I think give a really good feel for the day. It was an amazing day to be part of – and really highlighted how much the entire community is behind Fin and his family. All of the evidence will be sent off to Guinness for them to check and hopefully issue Fin his certificate – and getting in the printed edition of the Guinness Book of World Records itself is his dream.
But the record attempt was only part of it – the main reason was to raise awareness and funds for Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Brain Tumour Research – so if you feel inspired to donate, the Just Giving pages are still accepting!
It’s now the morning after the day before. My husband and I (and I expect other people around the village) are struggling to walk today (my Fitbit shows I walked 12 miles yesterday – I could have just done the Birmingham 10k – which was also on yesterday – twice instead!!). The longest time I sat down in the 14 hours we were there yesterday was for a wee!! We also have 15,534 wet teddy bears to dry and distribute to the various charities who have supported us – but pretty soon it won’t be ‘All About the Bears‘ anymore……………..
The category for The Gallery over on the Sticky Fingers blog this week is ‘one day in May’- and this is one day in May that I will never, ever forget!
I have been a big fan of Jenny Oliver’s previous books – and so was excited that she was publishing more – and this time a whole series based on fictional Cherry Pie Island! I have always loved her characters and so have wanted to know what happens after the book finishes (unlike Gone Girl where I didn’t give a toss about any of them!) – and so thought a series would be excellent.
The first one is entitled ‘The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe’ and this is what Amazon says about it:
“Home, Sweet Home….?
There’s nowhere more deliciously welcoming…
When Annie White steps back onto Cherry Pie Island, it’s safe to say her newly inherited Dandelion Café has seen better days! And while her childhood home on the Thames-side island idyll is exactly the same retreat from the urban bustle of London she remembers, Annie’s not convinced that Owner of The Dandelion Cafe is a title she’ll be keeping for long. Not that she can bear the idea of letting her dedicated, if endearingly disorganized staff lose their jobs. Plus café life does also have the added bonus of working a stone’s throw away from millionaire Matt and his disarmingly charming smile!
One (shoestring budget) café makeover, a few delightful additions to the somewhat retro menu and a lot of cherry pie tastings later, The Dandelion Café is ready for its grand reopening! But once she’s brought the dilapidated old café back to life, Annie finds herself wishing her stay on the island was just a bit longer. She always intended to go back to the big city…but could island living finally have lured her back home for good?”
I REALLY enjoyed it. It’s a light, easy read – but funny, warm and you really care about the characters. As with her other books there are excellent points of reference that really ring true (this time my favourite being a white Dolcis shoe box in a drawstring black Dolcis bag!!). As with Jenny’s previous books, her descriptions of food are amazing – you can almost taste the cherry pie and its accompaniments!
Annie’s relationships with her family are complex – but you are always in Annie’s corner.
And as I expected – I do want to know what happens to Annie next!
I had read the blurb for book 2 before reading book 1 (book 2 should be winging its way to my Kindle today – yay!) and so could see the seeds being sown for the characters that feature in that. I am also hoping we continue to keep in touch with the characters from book 1 – but I will report back on that later!
This is not high brow, prize winning fiction (but hey, we don’t want to read The Goldfinch every day – in fact, most normal people don’t want to read The Goldfinch ever!!) – but it’s fun, escapist reading – which sometimes is just what is called for.
I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series as they are published.
This Price is Usually Right 