Book: The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy - Fiona Neill

Blurb: For Lucy Sweeney, motherhood isn't all astanga yoga and Cath Kidston prints. It has been years since the dirty washing pile was less than a metre high, months since Lucy remembered to have sex with her husband, and a week since she last did the school run wearing pyjamas. When Husband on a Short Fuse is no contest for the distractions of Sexy Domesticated Dad; Yummy Mummy No 1 has more cash flow than parenting advice; and Alpha Mum is putting a slur on your questionable domestic habits, it's hard to remember exactly why anyone would give up a career and their sanity for three raucous sons and less than blissful domesticity. Lucy is living in a state of permanent emergency and the white lies to cover up the trail of chaos and illicit desire are about to be exposed ...This is an irresistible first novel about the dilemmas of motherhood and modern marriage for those who never discovered their domestic goddess within.

Rating: **

Review: An okay read in a similar genre to Bridgit Jones et al. Started off okay but I didn't really connect with any character in the book. I found Lucy frustrating and irritating, her husband Tom annoying and the "love intersts" unexciting. Sorry, but I have read better books on similar subjects.

Book: Harvest - Tess Gerritsen

Blurb: Dr Abby DiMatteo - a second-year surgical student in Boston Bayside's elite cardiac team - is about to make a decision that will jeopardize her career. A car-crash victim's healthy heart is ready to be harvested, having been cross-matched to a private patient, forty-six year-old Nina Voss. Instead, Abby makes sure the transplant goes to a dying seventeen-year-old boy who is also a perfect match. The repercussions leave her plagued with self-doubt. Suddenly, a new heart appears, and the transplant is completed - and Abby makes a terrible discovery. The new heart has not come through the right channels. Defying the hospital's demands for silence, Abby begins her own investigation that reveals an intricate and murderous chain of deceptions...

Rating: ****

Review: Another brilliant book by one of my favourite authors. Gerritsen draws you in from the first page and keeps you gripped until you finish. A definate page-turner which I nearly solved. The ending was a bit of a let-down but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

TV: The complete series of Inspector Morse

Due to the fact that I have had 3 weeks off work, I took the opportunity to watch my entire collection of Morse DVDs. This is an excellent series - obviously some are better than others, but I enjoyed watching them. John Thaw is still sadly missed, though Kevin Whatley is still good in "Lewis". A highly recommended series.

Rating: *****

Book: Lovers and Liars - Josephine Cox

Blurb: The powerful new bestseller from Josephine Cox -- one of our foremost storytellers. It is 1902. Emily is sixteen years of age and blissfully in love with John, two years her senior. Together they are secretly planning a life, when they are violently driven apart. Denied the man she loves, and dominated by a brutally possessive uncle, Emily is devastated when she is cruelly taken advantage of. When a child is born, her life is in tatters. And she cannot reveal the identity of the father to anyone, or there will be a terrible price to pay. Trapped and ashamed, she seeks solace in her daughter, Cathleen, but there is little consolation. As time passes, and still there is no sign of the man she loved, Emily resigns herself to the fact that he may never return, and her life begins to take another direction. However, John is never far from her mind. Is her love still waiting for her?But when history threatens to repeat itself and the father of her child once again preys on her, she must put all thoughts of John aside and find a way to safeguard her daughter.

Rating: ***

Review: A decent romantic book which follows fairly predictable lines. One or two surprises during the story, but, on the whole, you know what you are getting when you read a book like this - and it doesn't disappoint. Easy to read and not really much of a challenge, a good book for a quiet evening or if you enjoy romantic novels.

TV film: Abigail's Party

Blurb: Abigail’s Party is a play for stage and television written in 1977 by Mike Leigh. It is a suburban situation comedy of manners, and a satire on the aspirations and tastes of the new middle class that emerged in Britain in the 1970s.

Rating: *****

Review: Finally, after many years of hearing about this play, I have mangaged to watch it. It is a brilliant dark comedy - well written and well-acted. Alison Steadman steals the show as the nasty Beverley, who continually manipulates those around her for her own ends. None of the characters in the play, especially those who are married to each other, seem to like one another - the atmosphere is uncomfortable from the start. I spent most of the play waiting for something to happen, the tension is there between the characters so you know something will kick off sooner or later, and when it does, it is almost comedic in its delivery whilst managing to be tragic too. A brilliant play.

Book: Branded Robert Swindells

Blurb: Dale's older brother has been convicted of killing five women. The family are branded forever as relatives of a murderer - they're forced to change their names, move away and start new lives. That's bad enough, but Dale is also afraid that he might take after his brother and turn into a monster too. Then the family's new-found peace is threatened when a tabloid journalist gets on the trail - and all Dale's fears are put to the test.

Rating: ****

Review: Although aimed at older teens, this book is a good quick read for an adult - it took me a couple of hours to read it. An interesting take on a murder story, it tells the aftermath of a murder and the impact upon the murderer's family. It is not sentimental and has enough substance to make you care about the central characters. Overall, a good read.

Book: My Sister's Keeper Jodi Picoult

Blurb: In my first memory, I am three years old, and I am trying to kill my sister. Sometimes, the recollection is so clear I can remember the itch of the pillowcase under my hand, the sharp point of her nose pressing into my palm . . .’
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and injections to help her sister, Kate, fight leukaemia. Anna was born for this purpose, her parents tell her, which is why they love her even more.
But now she can't help but wonder what her life would be like if it weren't tied to her sister's . . . and so she makes a decision that for most would be too difficult to bear, and sues her parents for the rights to her own body.

Rating: *****

Review: A brilliant book that tackles a difficult subject head on, with a heart-breaking ending that I, for one, didn't see coming. This book will inspire you, make you think and make you cry before the end. A fantastic read.