Rosie’s Avid Readers #RBRT Tara Road by Maeve Binchy

Today we have a book from one of our Avid Readers

Rosie's Avid Readers

Rosie’s Avid readers are people who like reading and have a book to tell us about, they are the voice of a friend who says ” I just read this book….”

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Avid Reader’s thoughts.

Tara Road  by Maeve Binchy

We all know characters like those in this book but to bring them all together in a wonderful story is a master piece of writing.  Yet there is the suspense of will it all turn out right in the end. Lessons are learned and being understanding to everyone is a great asset.  A great book as usual.

Book Description.

New York Times bestselling author Maeve Binchy has captured the hearts of millions with her unforgettable novels. Binchy’s graceful storytelling and wise compassion have earned her the devotion of fans worldwide–and made her one of the most beloved authors of our time. Now she dazzles us once again with a new novel filled with her signature warmth, humor, and tender insight. A provocative tale of family heartbreak, friendship, and revelation,Tara Road explores every woman’s fantasy: escape, into another place, another life. “What if…” Binchy asks, and answers in her most astonishing novel to date.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

We welcome recommendations especially from non-authors for this feature, and would love to hear from anyone who would like to leave a comment and follow the blog.

Rosie’s Avid Readers #RBRT Heart And Soul by Maeve Binchy

Rosie's Avid Readers

Rosie’s Avid readers are people who like reading and have a book to tell us about, they are the voice of a friend who says ” I just read this book….”

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Avid readers’ thoughts.

Heart and Soul  by Maeve Binchy .  What a wonderful surprise! I found another Maeve Binchy,  written in her wonderful unique style. Whatever the problem there is always an answer, a good mix of characters from many backgrounds & yet they all work together for good.  Even some old favourites appear, places & people you just feel at home in Dublin.

Book description.

With the insight, humour, and compassion we have come to expect from her, Maeve Binchy tells a story of family, friends, patients, and staff who are part of a heart clinic in a community caught between the old and the new Ireland.

Dr. Clara Casey has been offered the thankless job of establishing the underfunded clinic and agrees to take it on for a year. She has plenty on her plate already—two difficult adult daughters and the unwanted attentions of her ex-husband—but she assembles a wonderfully diverse staff devoted to helping their demanding, often difficult patients.

Before long the clinic is established as an essential part of the community, and Clara must decide whether or not to leave a place where lives are saved, courage is rewarded, and humor and optimism triumph over greed and self-pity.

Heart and Soul is Maeve Binchy at her storytelling best.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

We welcome recommendations especially from non-authors for this feature, and would love to hear from anyone who would like to leave a comment and follow the blog.

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Suraya reviews What It Takes By Terry Tyler

Today’s book review comes from Suraya, find her at http://www.thestorymint.com

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Suraya chose to read and Review What It Takes by Terry Tyler

What It Takes

Book Review

What it Takes

Terry Tyler

This was like reading a novel by Maeve Binchy. The characters were people you recognised. Their anxieties and concerns familiar.

The story structure was cleverly executed with characters having their own chapters so that we got to know them and their worlds from their points of view. It’s not easy to have a cast of about seven characters and to give each one a unique voice and to stay true to that for the length of the novel.

There is one dominant perspective and that is Karen’s, the plain sister of two gorgeous girls. That is like a disability that skews Karen’s view of the world making her overly cautious or flippant. In this world Karen misunderstands love. She has one night stands, misses the cues from Sam who is too afraid to express his love in case that ruins their friendship and chases Danny after fobbing him off because she thinks they are mismatched but then changes her mind. Much of what she sees is the superficial.

She envies Ava’s ‘perfect’ world and fails to see that being married to Jason means her sister is forever worrying about her appearance. Nor does she understand what lies behind Ava’s retort to Jason, ‘Oh shut up Jase. Think you’ll ever grow out of being horrible to everyone?’ (111)

Saskia, Karen’s other beautiful sister, has problems of her own. She is popular but doesn’t have the one she wants. The stories of these girls are full of ironies.

There are some wonderful down to earth phrases like this one from Chapter 14 ….’find someone who really floats your boat. Stupid bloody expression. (78)

This is all about relationships, falling in and out of love, exploring love and what makes love work and not and it’s about not seeing what is in front of you. And it’s about growing up and how hard that can be sometimes.

These are flawed characters whose apparently ordinary lives are incredibly complex and complicated. Some of it is their own doing and some of it circumstance.

It’s a great read….a kind of hall of portraits that get tangled up and untangled.

Very enjoyable and a pleasure to watch someone else’s drama’s rather than living them myself.

Five out of five stars.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com * A Bargain at just 99p / $1.59 until Monday 20th*

Reflections on the April 2014 A-Z Tour

The 2014 April A to Z Challenge, had over 2000 bloggers taking part this year it was an awesome tour to get involved in. If you’ve not heard about it, nip over to the April AtoZ Challenge website after you’ve read this post.

Firstly I want to thank Arlee Bird for continuing to organise the annual tour. Secondly A REALLY BIG THANK-YOU to all the authors who let me use their books for my challenge, without you and all your support sharing the posts it just wouldn’t be the same.

So how has it all gone? For me it’s all about planning. I began my journey at the end of January, I knew it would takes weeks to gather all the authors and the information I would need for the tour. I contacted friends and fellow authors and I sent out Tweets about my tour offering FREE advertising of work for authors. I even ended up stalking authors and inviting them to take part.

So what did we all get from the tour? Well hopefully readers were introduced to new books and new authors, TBR piles are now groaning under the weight of all the books on readers bookshelves. I’m hoping that the authors got some new sales and I, made some new blogging friends and supporters. At the bottom of this post I’ve highlighted bloggers that I’ve been particularly impressed by with their own tour. If you’ve not visited their blogs yet do take a moment if you can. I’ve been all over the world visiting bloggers taking part in the challenge. Each day I made a point of promoting up to 5 bloggers from the sign up sheet, some days I found they were no longer able to do the challenge, but people seemed to have had great fun. There really are some amazing bloggers out there.

On April 16th, this day in the tour also coincided with the end of a year long challenge which began this time last year. During last years challenge I set about reading a book called “A Year of Doing Good” by Judith O’Reilly. This wonderful lady spent a whole year doing good deeds. I decided to try it for myself. An enormous challenge I began with tiny steps, if I could make it to the end of April, then I would carry on. My deeds may not have been as great as Judith’s but I have made it, I’ve collected my small change, donated money, given books and clothes to charity, I volunteer at a local school, I pick up litter, bake cakes, send gifts and thank-you notes and letters to friends plus I’ve done a whole host of other deeds. AND I’m going to do it all again! YES I’ve decided to carry on, you can follow my challenge on Sunday’s when I blog about my latest weeks.

My own April A-Z tour was set around the theme of books, here are a list of books and authors who featured on this tour.

Top posts during the tour which had everyone talking were letter B – Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lamb, letter G – The Georgie Connelly series by E.L.Lindley, letter N – Nobody’s Fault by Terry Tyler and letter T The 20’s Girl, the Ghost and All That Jazz by June Kearns.

A – A World Apart by Camelia Miron Skiba http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yA

B –  Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lanb http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yy

C – Coronado’s Treasure by Randy Mixter http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yw

D – Derek’s Revenge and the Derek series by Mac Black http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yq

E – Everlasting by Candace Knoebel. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yn

F – Finding the Right Time by Stephanie Hurt http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yl

G – The Georgie Connelly Series by E.L. Lindley http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yi

H – Hidden Heart by Camelia Miron Skiba http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yg

I – The Imdaland Series by Rebecca Etherington http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4ye

J – Jaded by Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yb

K – The Bench by Sue Koenig http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4xb

L – Legends of Windemere – Family of the Tri – Rune by Charles E Yallowitz http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×9

M – My GLR by John W Howell http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×6

N – Nobody’s Fault by Terry Tyler http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×4

O – The Orphan and The Thief by M. L. LeGette http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×2

P – The Potter’s Daughter by Daniel A Smith http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×0

Q – Quentins by Maeve Binchy http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wY

R- Red Clay and Roses by S. K. Nicholls http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wW

S – Silk, Spice and Furry Dice by Andy N Robinson http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wU

T – The 20’s Girl, The Ghost and All That Jazz by June Kearns http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wS

U – Unforgiven by Barbara J Hancock http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wQ

V – Victoria by Stephanie Hurt http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wO

W – What it Takes by Terry Tyler http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wM

X – X by Jack Croxall http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wK

Y – Over Odyssey – Yellow by Tony Carnival http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wH

Z – Zen Master Next Door by Edward Kardos http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wF

During the tour I met so many great bloggers, here are some of the blogs which really impressed me.

Susan Scott at The Garden of Eden blog http://www.gardenofedenblog.com/

Vikki Thompson at The View Outside http://the-view-outside.com/

Hilary Melton-Butcher at Positive letters  Hilary  http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/

Co-host Damyanti at Daily (w)rite http://damyantiwrites.wordpress.com/

So it’s with a little sadness that I wave Goodbye to another year of the A -Z, but not without thanking, once more, all the hard working hosts and co-hosts who helped make it all happen.

CONGRATULATIONS!

 

All through the tour we’re asking readers to leave as many comments as possible on blogs, all supportive comments are much appreciated, thank you.

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April A-Z Tour Round up of letters A-W

Well we are nearly at the end, over 2000 bloggers signed up and started out on the month long challenge, here is a round-up of all my posts so far.

April 1st – A world Apart by Camelia Miron Skiba http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yA

April 2nd – Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lamb http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yy

April 3rd – Coronado’s Treasure by Randy Mixter http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yw

April 4th – Derek’s Revenge (The Derek Series) by Mac Black http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yq

April 5th – Everlasting by Candace Knoebel http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yn

April 6th -Round up of the tour so far http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-50X

April 7th – Finding the Right Time by Stephanie Hurt http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yl

April 8th – The Georgie Connelly series by E. L Lindley http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yi

April 9th – Hidden Heart by Camelia Miron Skiba http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yg

April 10th – The Imdaland series by Rebecca Ethington http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4ye

April 11th – Jaded by Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yb

April 12th – The Bench by Sue Koenig http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4xb

April 13th -Round up of the tour so far http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-516

April 14th – Legends of Windemere series – Family of the Tri-Rune by Charles E Yallowitz http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×9

April 15th – My GRL by John W Howell http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×6

April 16th – Nobody’s Fault by Terry Tyler http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×4

April 17th – The Orphan and the Thief by M L LeGette http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×2

April 18th – The Potter’s Daughter by Daniel A Smith http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×0

April 19th – Quentins by Maeve Binchy http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wY

April 20th -Round up of the tour so far http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-51f

April 21st – Red Clay and Roses by S. K. Nicholls http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wW

April 22nd – Silk, Spice and Furry Dice by Andy N Robinson http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wU

April 23rd – The 20’s Girl, The Ghost and All That Jazz by June Kearns http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wS

April 24th – Unforgiven by Barbara J Hancock http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wQ

April 25th – Victoria by Stephanie Hurt http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wO

April 26th – What it Takes by Terry Tyler http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wM

All through the tour we’re asking readers to leave as many comments as possible on blogs, all supportive comments are much appreciated, thank you.

AtoZ Banner [2014]

April A to Z Challenge Round up letters A – Q

The 2014 April A to Z Challenge, has now been going for three weeks, with well over 2000 bloggers taking part this year it is an awesome tour to get involved in. If you’ve not heard about it or want to know who’s taking part, nip over to the April AtoZ Challenge website after you’ve read this post.

My own tour is set around the theme of books, here are a list of books and authors who have featured so far on this tour.

A – A World Apart by Camelia Miron Skiba http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yA

B –  Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lanb http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yy

C – Coronado’s Treasure by Randy Mixter http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yw

D – Derek’s Revenge and the Derek series by Mac Black http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yq

E – Everlasting by Candace Knoebel. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yn

F – Finding the Right Time by Stephanie Hurt http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yl

G – The Georgie Connelly Series by E.L. Lindley http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yi

H – Hidden Heart by Camelia Miron Skiba http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yg

I – The Imdaland Series by Rebecca Etherington http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4ye

J – Jaded by Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4yb

K – The Bench by Sue Koenig http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4xb

L – Legends of Windemere – Family of the Tri – Rune by Charles E Yallowitz http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×9

M – My GRL by John W Howell http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×6

N – Nobody’s Fault by Terry Tyler http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×4

O – The Orphan and The Thief by M. L. LeGette http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×2

P – The Potter’s Daughter by Daniel A Smith http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4×0

Q – Quentins by Maeve Binchy http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4wY

All through the tour we’re asking readers to leave as many comments as possible on blogs, all supportive comments are much appreciated, thank you.

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Letter Q on The A to Z April Challenge 2014

Today’s letter on the A to Z Challenge is Q. My book today is Quentins by Maeve Binchy. Genre – Contemporary Fiction

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Is it possible to tell the story of a generation and a city through the history of a restaurant? Ella Brady thinks so. She wants to film a documentary about Quentins that will capture the spirit of Dublin from the 1970s to the present day. And Quentins has a thousand stories to tell: tales of love, of betrayal, of revenge; of times when it looked ready for success and times when it seemed as if it must close in failure. But as Ella uncovers more of what has gone on at Quentins, she begins to wonder whether some secrets should be kept that way…

In Maeve Binchy’s magical QUENTINS you will meet new friends and old: the twins from SCARLET FEATHER, the Signora from EVENING CLASS, Ria from TARA ROAD – and a
host of fresh faces. There is Monica, the ever-cheerful Australian waitress, and Blouse Brennan, whose simplicity disguises a sharp mind and a heart of gold. Presiding over Quentins are Patrick and Brenda Brennan, who have made Quentins such a legend. But even they have a story and a sadness which is hidden from the public gaze.

Find a copy here at Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Here are some links to randomly selected bloggers who are also taking part in the challenge, please find the time to visit them too.

http://www.yvonneventresca.com/blog.html

http://www.margokelly.blogspot.co.uk/

http://hammlington.wordpress.com/

During the challenge we are asking people to leave comments on blogs, any supportive comments are much appreciated thank you.

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The April Issue of Fleet Life featuring Rosie’s Good Reads

This is my second post today: My first was the letter “B” in todays A to Z Challenge.

The April issue of Fleet Life is now available on-line and in printed format. Over 5000 copies go out to the local community and the on-line version is available world wide. I am extremely fortunate to have a regular page of book reviews here each month. www.fleetlife.org.uk  (Click on the online directory)The books chosen for this months issue were;

Make a Joyful Noise by Jenny Worstall

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy

Morgan’s Run by Colleen McCullough

Dead Sea Deception by Leo Tillman & Heather Kennedy

Daughters-in-Law by Joanna Trollope

April Fleet Life 100

Rosie’s February Reads in Fleet Life

Feb Issue of Fleet Life

Feb Issue of Fleet Life

Here are my next set of published book reviews, the books that I wrote about were Mourning Sun by Shari Richardson, Promise Me by Mona Ingram, Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy, Romancing the Crone by Gail Elaine and Kitchen Boy by Sandford Phippen. You can access the on-line version of the magazine at www.fleetlife.org.uk