The Hypnotist's Love Story

This is the first of Liane Moriarty's books that I've read and she's an author who I'll be looking out for now.

The Hypnotist's Love Story introduces us to Ellen; the hypnotist. She's thirty-five, single and internet dating. The latest man is Patrick and when we first meet them she thinks he's about to break-up with her. Instead he confesses he has a stalker. What Ellen doesn't know is that she's already met the stalker; she's one of her clients.

It's set in Sydney. Amongst the buzz of city life and the joy of living by the beach, the author also takes the opportunity to show how easy it is to isolate yourself in a city. I see it as women's fiction that deals with bereavement, pregnancy, the break-up of long-term relationships and family life. A story that tests how far some people are willing to go to keep the life and people they love. Well worth the read.

Liane Moriarty

My Library

When I viewed my current house I discovered it had a mezzanine level over the kitchen/family room. My first thought was, I'd finally found the room I'd always longed for in a house. I could have shelves filled with books and make a little library.

The image distorted throughout the move for two reasons.

When we started packing up to move we realised that we had so many boxes, filled with books, that had been in storage in the attic of our old house for the five years we'd lived there. We had so many new books stuffed onto every shelf we could find, it was time to be ruthless. All the books were unpacked, those we really wanted to keep because we'd collected a series by an author or that we knew would be read and enjoyed again, we kept. The others went to a charity shop so someone new could appreciate them. It was quite a surprise to realise about half the books went to charity.

We moved in, got the bookshelves, unpacked the books and discovered they didn't fill all the shelves. I thought, knowing the rate we read, it won't be long before we'd need to buy more shelves but then along came our Kindles and iPads and we're buying more digital than print books.

Now, I still love to hold a print book. To appreciate the cover, turn the pages, be able to judge how far into the book I am simply by looking at it. I tend to read by chapter so I like to be able to look ahead and see how long a chapter is. The thing is, the town nearest me has no bookshops and I have to travel 10-15 miles to get to one. It's so much easier to go along to Amazon to order the book, so I may as well download it to the Kindle as I won't have to wait for it to arrive. If I'm out and about and come across a bookshop I always go in for a look around, see what's new and what they're recommending. My children love the book corners for kids and will happily sample a few books to see what they'd like to read next. My eldest now has his own Kindle and he'll ask me to download books for him, rather than wait to get an opportunity to vist a shop or for a book to be delivered.

There are still some authors who I'll only buy in print. Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is one example  because I've collected all of the series and they have pride of place in my library. So, whilst my little library is a comfortable room, with views over the fields of County Down and the Mourne Mountains in the distance, I find there are still empty shelves, the children have encroached upon it with their Wii (they have their own over-flowing book shelves in their bedrooms and playroom) and I don't spend anywhere near as much time in it as I'd envisioned. I thought I might put a desk in it and set it up for when the writing bug bites. In reality, I use the laptop at the kitchen table.

Do you have a room that you dreamt of, which didn't work out quite as planned?
Do you prefer print or digital books?
If you are a writer or blogger, where do you write?

Lovely Surprise

I opened my post box this morning to find a jiffy bag from Harper Collins in New York. Inside was a copy of Lindsey Kelk's I Heart Paris c/o Chick Lit Central.

So, a thank you to them and I'm looking forward to reading Lindsey's book.

This is how I got my copy: Chick Lit Central Blog

What's your sentence?

Love this idea that I got from Shortbread Stories on Facebook.

For international book week, grab the closest book to you, turn to page 52, post the 5th sentence. Don't mention the title.

The sentence from my nearest book is, 'She'd have to wear the green dress again.' 

Nice coincidence  - that 5th sentence also came from chapter 5, which begins on page 52.

So, what's yours?

Shortbread Stories
Shortbread Stories Facebook

Two New Books

I have a new reading list thanks to two books arriving in my life today.

A very shiny new signed copy of Every Time We Say Goodbye by Colette Caddle (thank you very much Colette) and, thanks to the second hand bookshop in Castle Ward, Pauline McLynn's Bright Lights and Promises.