Windsor Books

This book is set in a village peopled by a group of folk who are just about believable despite being as delightful fruitcakes. The new vicar arrives and falls instantly in love with the mobile librarian, behaving as vicars never should whilst pared on the pub carpark. A 10 year old called Hugh comes to stay with his cousin bringin a colection of bugs and lizards, and the village post office is robbed. Somehow these events all tie together to end in the most wonderful christmas carol service complete with pigs, biships, lizards and the entirety of the national press. It will make you laugh out loud - I did - and will also bring tears to your eyes. It's a feel good book with far more humour than Joanna Trollope or Tom Sharpe and a great deal of appeal to all ages. If you can get hold of it, do - and likewise her most recent two, "Gargoyles and Port" and "All That Glisters" - these last two are definitely still in print as I bought a signed copy of one in Cambridge recently!

Science fiction fans will love this book. I did. I stayed up late till the early hours of the morning to finish it. Sit back and enjoy.

I have read several of Maureen Lee's books and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all, " Through the storm" was no exception. She is able to bring her characters to life and one forms a connection with them.
I was born in Liverpool so I'm familiar with all the places that she writes about. I look forward to reading all of her books.

Tilly Trotter Wed is a good, well_illustrated book. It gives us an idea of what life was many years ago, how peolpe were judged then, and how many of them had to suffer through it all without a friend at hand.

Delivered on time. Good condition. Good author. Will buy from this dealer again.

Having planned to travel around Britian in a van for seven months, Frederick Harrison decided he wanted to take a feline companion. Drawing up a short list of candidates from the throng of cats lounging round his front door like an LA street gang, he narrowed down the field to three.

First of the list was Cheesy, a malodorous moggy, who was the nearest thing the species had yet acheived to a complete failure. Entirely indiscriminate in her sexual orientation - she once tried to mount a rabbit - Cheesy was permanently bad tempered and, on reflection, not the best choice for a companion. Next, there was Wally who, as one of the ugliest cats in Britian, was a sort of Elephant Man of the feline world - she had to be ruled out of aesthetic grounds. And that left Pugwash, the most laid-back cat in Brockley, as the winning choice. A cat of rare qualities, he was the 'user-friendly' underacheiver who actually sniffed flowers and enjoyed leaning against walls.

In Travelling Cat, Frederick Harrison records, with a keen eye and even sharper wit, the people and places he and Pugwash encountered on their journey round Britian. From magic mushroom pickers above the Wye Valley to druids at Devil's Ditch, his insightful observations recall the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies of a host of colourful locals in towns and villages across the country, Beautifully written with a wry humour, warmth and a wonderful sense of the rediculous, here is an immensely funny and endearing book, embellished with photographs that are as entertaining as the text.
--- from book's back cover

In his latest work, Handel weves an endearing story of life as seen from the perspective of a German shepherd. The thought-provoking novel seems a perfect read for parents to share with their children, as well as for adults to enjoy, understanding the work beyond the surface, on a more symbolic level. It is most definitely a book that readers of all ages will enjoy. On a more personal note, I read it to my son (who was utterly captivated with the fast-paced storyline), and later re-read it myself, gaining insight and inspiration geared towards even mature audiences. This novel will likely be considered Handel's best work, with consideration to his remarkably touching and heart-warming--and weightily meaningful--themes. Highly recommended for people of all ages.

This is Mitchell's 30th book, and, being her 30th book, it is in many ways more of a celebration of her style than any of her previous '10' books (e.g. Skeleton Island (1967), Late, Late in the Evening (1976), or Lovers Make Moan (1982)) - it bears all the complexity of the best Mitchells, the psychological portraits (much less of caricatures than Ruth Rendell's), and the skilled evocation of place. Printer's Error (1939) and Death and the Maiden (1947) are also celebrations of Mitchell's work - but they are more to do with the anthropological side of Mitchell's work than with the marked complexity that marks this book.

The setting is the stylised island of Hombres Muertos in the Canaries - the island of dead men to which Mitchell's unique detective, the psychologist and witch Dame Beatrice Bradley, comes for a holiday. (Islands were always a favourite setting with Mitchell - e.g. Come Away Death (1937), The Worsted Viper (1942), Skeleton Island (1967), Lament for Leto (1971), The Murder of Busy Lizzie (1973), The Whispering Knights (1980), and Lovers Make Moan (1982)). The island resembles nothing more than a lunatic bin, with a full cast of murderers (one by manslaughter in England, now come to the island for a rest), a wife whose unwanted husband was murdered by thugs while her brother stood by and watched, lunatics (a mad botanist and a mad ornithologist named Mrs. Bluetit Angel), and a Don Juan who goes missing and is later found stabbed to death, his body dressed as one of the 23 dead kings in the cave - a cave to which an expedition was organised - an expedition which provides a clue.

Dame Beatrice investigates the crime, and finds that every suspect has secrets to hide - bastardy, murder, secret liaisions, the lot. The complexity does not strain believability, but rather it enhances the enjoyment.

The murder plot is ingenious, complex and slightly improbable. The island is evoked memorably, the characters are one of the best group of suspects outside of an Agatha Christie (who is a fairly dull writer and uninspired compared to Mitchell), and Dame Beatrice's investigations are fascinating.

Here's the short of it: This is a fast paced tale of international espionage. It was issued in the US under the title of "Catch a Falling Spy". Look for reviews there.

This author clearly enjoyed looking at humor in music. Verdi's humor was a little ponderous, but that's no surprise given that Falstaff was a pretty ponderous person.