So I finished two books today.  Admittedly they were both easy reads, and I'd started Judy Finigan's Eloise last Sunday, and I probably would have been able to finish it in a day if we hadn't been driving all over Wiltshire and Buckinghamshire.

I cannot say that this was one of my favourite reads.  I love ghost stories, I'm quite into Cornwall and I've always been relatively fond of Judy (and Richard, her husband) through their various television shows.  It is a first novel, remember that.  I thought that the mystery would actually be a little bit more mysterious than it actually ended up being.

Now I mystery with many twists and turns may not be to everyone's liking, I will admit, and the writing flowed very well although it is hardly complicated in style.  The characters were all very well drawn and I certainly could picture them all pretty easily within moments of them first appearing.  Of course Judy was playing the main character, and her husband was naturally played by Richard (I'm pretty certain that 99% of readers who know this celebrity couple did the same whilst reading this book, much to Richard's chagrin  no doubt, as the character of Chris is best described as being a bit of a tosser).

Judy herself says her book is heavily influenced by Daphne Du Maurier, amongst others.  She does add that she in no way feels that her ability to write matches that of the famous author.  I agree.  It's not terrible, that's for certain, although I'm not sure I'd describe it as haunting as others seem to.  Yes, there is a spirit involved... but hmmmmn.... Wuthering Heights is haunting.... Rebecca is haunting..... Eloise is haunted

UPDATE 14/04/13:  You can read David's review of Eloise here

 Bob

A good friend of ours lent David and I this book a while ago.  She mentioned that she kind of read it in a day, that it was a pretty easy read but she really enjoyed it.  She quite likes cats.  David and I are not particularly fond of moggies (we both hail from Australia, we both love birds and birdwatching and we've seen the damage that one cat can do - cat's, especially ones that have no bells on their collars, can cause great harm.

James Bowen, being a man who also hails from Australia, is well aware of this.  I think this is why he named Bob after the psycho killer from Twin Peaks.  

I really wanted to start reading David Copperfield today (a real book for a Sunday... 900+ pages of very small single line spaced print) but David had mentioned that we really needed to return this book back to our friend and so I began reading today in between moving boxes around in our roof (currently, the majority of our books are stored in boxes in the roof and one of our projects is to actually record these books in a database so that we can find them... when they need to be found, of course).

I enjoyed this book - an easy read, a rollicking yarn.  I intimately know the places that the author frequented, both as a busker and as a big issue seller.  I am happy for this man to have been able to turn his life around, from recovering junkie to, well, I'm not sure what he is now. He just recently updated the book and re-released it for children and there is talk that a movie will be made.  I hope so.  The man was clearly chosen by this cat to be lifted out of the life with no future to, well, a life with a future.  Why?  Only Bob knows that.

One thing that is clear from reading this book - if you ever end up homeless, you're better off having an animal with you.  Yes, it's another mouth to feed, but it's also a way to make you visible.  I certainly fell in love with one big issue seller whose patch was just outside Euston Station.  He always had a small dog with him and when his dog died, he was so forlorn, I started to just randomly give him a fiver or a tenner and then tell him to keep the magazine to sell on to another punter.  He's moved on now, not sure where, am hoping to a better place.  Nobody wrote a book about him as far as I'm aware, but I hope he's working somewhere and that he's got another companion to keep him warm at night.

UPDATE (14/04/13):  You can David's review of Bob here

Days Left:    353

Books Read:   3

Oh, and David has started a blog which I will periodically link up to my blog pages, depending on which book he is reading from the list.  He has taken on the challenge, which won't really be a challenge for him as he is one of the fastest readers I know.  I may be three books ahead now, but that won't be for long, of that I am completely certain...!