Books I've ready in 2010 3 - Wolf Hall

I started Wolf Hall as soon as I'd finished Breaking Dawn. As much as I loved the Twilight books I fancied a break from vampires and warewolves (OK shapeshifters).
So what could be more different than a fictionalization fo the life of Thomas Cromwell - Lord Chamberlian to Henry VIII. I started it and I have to say that I struggeled to start with - then it got to be 1st April and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest came out in paperback(see my previous post on Breaking Dawn about my need for books to match on the shelf) and as I'd invested in the first two books I really wanted to finish that trilogy so I stopped Wolf Hall at the end of the first part. I picked it up again though and I got really in to it once I'd started again.
Plenty has been written abou this book and it won the Booker Prize so it's obviously welll written. It took me a while to get used to the 2nd person narrarive and there are sometimes too many Thomases in a scene and it can get confusing.
My favourite parts were when Thomas Cromwell is with Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII and Mary Boleyn. I have read "The Other Boylen Girl" by Phillipa Gregory and whilst both that and Wolf Hall are works of fiction I liked encountering characters who's story I already know and sort of getting to see a different side to the story.
The eponymous Wolf Hall doesn't reall apper in the book. Before I started the book I thought Wolf Hall was Cromwell's house - but it's not. Cromwell lived at Austin Friars (and yes of course I've looked up where Austin Friars is and I'll probably go and look at it one lunchtime - it's in that confusing bit of the City between the Bank of England and Tower 42). Wolf Hall is the home of the Seymours  - who don't feature as major characters. The action plays out before they were in the acendancy covering Cromwell's time with Cardinal Wolsely and his rise to be Henry VIII's right hand man.Whilst it covers the ups and downs of the King and Anne Bolyen's relationship she remains alive at the end.
I think books like this are made more poignant by the fact that thy are based in fact. No matter what is described we know that Anne Boleyn will be exectued, Jane Seymour will be queen and that in the end Thomas himself will eventually be executed by Henry VIII. I really liked it once I'd got in to it  - and it made me cry.

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#ff @Ben_Yates coz he makes amazin' cakes :)

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A trip to rymans always brightens up the day. I didn't know there was a branch on Lower Marsh. #stationeryclub

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Books I've read in 2010 - no 2 - Breaking Dawn

Books I've read in 2010 - no 2 - Breaking Dawn

As soon as I finished Eclipse I wanted to read Breaking Dawn but it doesn't come out in paperback until 19 August. I had bought the rest of the saga in paperback and I like a tidy book shelf so I didn't want to buy the hardback version. So i borrowed it from a friend and pre ordered the paperback (which will arrive in a few days from now). The final part of the twilight saga brings the story to a satisfying close. It's perhaps inevitable that Bella and Edward get their happy ending - but the twists and turns in getting there kept me hooked until the end. I had't really expected to enjoy the whole twilght saga so much - though I'm a sucker for a good series so perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised. I've blogged before about Bella and Edward's relationship and how I think Stephenie Mayer has got it just right so I won't go over that again. I think I read this one quite quickly - though perhaps not as besides reasons of neatness my other reason for not liking hardback books is that they are difficult to carry on the train  - which is my mqin reading opportunity.

*I copied the book cover from Amazon

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Who needs Spain?

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Troon

It's been a lovely day here today

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Have been paddling and wowed Troon beach with my pink toes ** pic of foot warning**

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They've put the welsh flag out for me ;)

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I'm at the seaside

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Only just made it thru security due to bottle of @craig_od 's aftershave that had been left in the Wenger :s

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My husband bought me a lovely notebook #stationeryclub

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There is a leaflet explaining the history of Moleskine and a folder type flap at the back for loose papers. Lovely.

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My husband bought me a lovely notebook #stationeryclub

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Books I've read in 2010 - No 1 Eclipse

I'm sort of making a list with comments of the books I've read this year on Facebook and I thought I'd stick it on posterous too.

I wasn't sure if I should really include this or not as technically I only finished this book in 2010. I started it before Christmas and while I loved it I did have to take a break from reading it over the festive period. I drove over 800 miles in 3 days over 4 days so reading was a little far down the list after sleeping, eating mince pies and drinking cava. It also feels a bit odd to be starting this list off on book 3 of a 4 book series - but that's where I was on Jan 1st in reading terms so that's where I'll start.
So I'm assuming that *everyone* knows about the Twilight Saga and that this is the third book. I think it's my favourite out of the four. Unlike New Moon there is
plenty of Edward (I am 100% Team Edward) and I think the story is better than Twilight. When I finished it I wanted to start the next book immedialtely to find out how Bella and Edward's story ends.

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Had to improvise so skirt didn't blow up!

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Just did first cycle hire. V exciting. :)

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