One of our Thursdays is missing by Jasper Fforde

Stopped reading all the books I had started as soon as this dropped through the door. I LOVE everything written by Jasper Fforde and especially his Thursday Next series. If you have not read any of these books it is best to start at the beginning with The Eyre affair. Thursday Next is a literary detective who has to investigate why characters are going missing from Jane Eyre by entering the world of books in an effort to retrieve them. Thursday's world is 1980s Swindon, the Crimean War is still raging, mammoths go on annual migrations and cloned dodos are popular pets!

If you love reading and books, you will love reading these books!! Full of literary references, silly names and bizarre happenings the books are easier to read than describe. Well worth trying and once you are hooked there is more at Jasper's very addictive website : http://www.jasperfforde.com/

Jasper Fforde is also appearing at Aye Write at the Michell Library in Glasgow on Friday 4th March: http://www.ayewrite.com/

The winter ghosts by Kate Mosse

This book is set in the Carcassone region of France in 1928. Freddie, the main character, travels there hoping that a change of scene will help ease the grief he has suffered from since the loss of his brother in the First World War. Travelling in the winter Freddie's car skids off the road and he seeks help from the people in the nearby village. But all is not as it seems...

I really enjoyed Kate Mosse's other books and was looking forward to this, much shorter book. I enjoyed the first part of the book but felt that what happened to Freddie after his crash was very predictable and not at all spooky. The ending in many ways was a bit too like parts of Labyrinth and the ghost part of the story was neither spooky nor unexpected. However the opening of the book telling of Freddie's grief and loneliness is very poignant and the descriptions of his journey through the French countryside make it worth a quick read.

Welcome

With just over a week to go to World Book Day welcome to my new blog for ICHS Staff. The blog will not only review books but also draw your attention to books in the news and any interesting websites that are book, literacy and education related.

If you would like me to include your views on any books you have read, fiction or non-fiction please contact me in the usual way.