A History of the Railways of Northamptonshire by Peter Butler

This was an impulse purchase, I was in W.H. Smiths looking for a suitable birthday present for a family member when I happened to spot this book and I couldn't resist it. It is a small book with a big price but it is packed with information and it has the best collection of pictures that I have come across. My husband loves everything to do with trains and I am interested in Railway history so our house is full of railway book. We have a number on the subject of Northamptonshire's railway history, most are bigger and glossier, but none are better. This book enabled me to put the pieces together, to visualise how things used to be and to understand how those tantalising little architectural clues that still remain fitted in. I have longed to find pictures of the layout of the old St John's station in Northampton and this book has provide those pictures. It also contains a view of the Bridge Street station platform and a shot of the lovely old Castle Station building and the hideous cattle shed that replaced it. It is a book that I will return to again and again, it was expensive but it is well worth it.

A History of the Railways of Northamptonshire

My Railway Memories

Bethlehem Road by Anne Perry

I reread this book recently and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. It is one of Anne Perry's Inspector Pitt series and it deals with the police investigation into the murder of three members of parliament on Westminster Bridge. Each man was found with his throat cut and tied to a lamp post and in each case the murderer had been able to vanish unnoticed from the scene laving the police struggling to find a motive. The general feeling was that it must be an anarchist plot or perhaps the work of a mad man, as the plot developed a tragic and deeply personal motive was revealed.

Anne Perry tackles very uncomfortable issues in her books and she vividly describes the social issues of the time. This book developed my understanding the injustice of the time regarding the treatment of women and for the first time I understood that the fight for women's suffrage was about far more than just getting the vote. It is a haunting story and the issues it raised will not easily be forgotten.

Family Skeletons - Ruth Paley and Simon Fowler

I bought this book because it caught my eye in a cut price book shop. It has a very striking cover with a montage of photographs of Victorian criminals. I had seen a review for this book in one of my family history magazines some months before, it sounded fascinating but the cover price of £19.99 put me off. I have been tracing my family history for a number of years and it has encouraged me to find out more about British social history. I haven't discovered any criminal ancestors yet, but I have found a Victorian policeman in my family tree, so this book was of particular interest to me. It covers everything from murder to petty offences and it was fascinating to read about the treatment of issues that would not be considered crimes today e.g. suicide, homosexuality and witchcraft. The book deals with child criminals as well as adults and there are plenty of case histories. I think the book is very well set out and it is easy to find information, I liked being able to dip into the book and to read whichever part took my fancy rather than reading the book from beginning to end in the usual way. I enjoyed the book very much, I would have preferred it to have a printed cover rather than a dust jacket because it would have made the book easier to handle, but in every other way I found that it was a well planned and interesting book. My only complaint is that it was far too expensive at £19.99, I would not have bought it at that price in fact I would have thought twice if it was £9.99, but I was delighted to find it in the cut price book shop for £2.99!

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

Sometimes when you become familiar with characters from TV adaptations it discourages you from reading the books. I like Agatha Christie for a bit of relaxing reading, but it had been a while since I had read ant of her Hercule Poirot books. To be truthful I read Five Little Pigs because it happened to catch my eye when I was looking for something to read. I think I must have read it before, but I didn't remember the plot. After the first couple of chapters I was hooked and I really wanted Hercule Poirot to prove that the wrong person had been convicted of the crime sixteen years before and I found it hard to put the book down. It was a very enjoyable and satisfying read, and I was pleased and a little surprised by the resolution of the plot. As an added bonus the story was set in Cornwall, my favourite place in the world! This book has reminded me how much I enjoy Agatha Christie.

Crooked House

I have had the children on holiday from school for the last couple of weeks, so I needed a bit of easy reading that I could pick up and put down whenever I needed a few minutes distraction. What could be better than a nice murder mystery (I had a few murderous thoughts of my own last week!) so I decided to see what Agatha Christie had to offer. I have read and reread all her Poirot and Miss Marple books but I have never thought of reading any of her other work. I thought perhaps I wouldn't like it, but I read Crooked House and I was soon engrossed in the plot. It is dated and it is hard to believe that such an unattractive selection of characters could have lived together for so long, but somehow none of that mattered. I had my suspicions about the murderer, but still the book produced a sudden and unexpected twist at the end. I enjoyed it, it is a good holiday read and it has made me want to revisit my old friend Hercule Poirot so I am now reading Five Little Pigs.

A Necessary End - Peter Robinson

I read A Necessary End last week. I had never read anything by Peter Robinson before, but I bought this book because it was part of an offer. I usually like crime stories, and it is always nice to discover a different author, so I had high hopes of this book. I found it hard going at first, but gradually I became interested in the plot and wanted to read on. I thought it was a very male book, the characters were somewhat stereotyped and not especially attractive, but the plot did have edge and the outcome mattered more than I expected. The novel clearly evoked the world of about 20 years ago, there was a grubby and brutal but very recognisable aspect to the plot. It is a book that leaves you asking who was really the victim? I don't think Peter Robinson will become one of my favourite authors, but I will certainly read more of his books.

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale

This book was serialised on the radio and by chance I caught the first installment and I was so taken with it that I had to buy the book. It looks at the investigation of a brutal country house murder of a three year old boy in 1860. The author had access to the original police documents which are held in the national archives and she was able to follow the suspicions and enquiries of Jack Whicher of Scotland Yard who was brought in to solve the murder. The author presents the account in the way that events unfolded at the time, she creates tension and atmosphere as it becomes clear that one of the occupants of the house must have killed the boy, perhaps one of his parents or even a sibling? It is interesting to find out how the press and the public responded at the time and it provides a snapshot of 1860 attitudes and social history. Jack Whicher did not solve the murder and it his career was damaged by his failure. Subsequently there was a conviction but was the real murderer ever caught? This is a facinating book and a very good read.

Eating for England: The Delights and Eccentricities of the English at Table

I am not the sort of person who watches celebrity Chefs on television or buys the latest cookery book. But oddly enough there is a book about food that I really want to read, I first heard about it before Christmas, my ears pricked up on Sunday morning when the Food Programme on Radio 4 was reviewing books for Christmas. I love books of all kinds, but I am not particularly interested in food writing so I was really listening to find gift suggestions for other people. They read an extract from Nigel Slater's new book Eating for England: The Delights and Eccentricities of the English at Table. The extract was about the pink wafer biscuit and it posed the question who could possibly choose of that as their favourite. It described the pink wafer as the Tim Henman of the biscuit world. I love Nigel Slater's style of writing and it sounds like the sort of book that my husband Robbie would enjoy, but I he is incredibly easy to buy for and I had already bought a present for him. As for the pink wafer biscuit children love them because they are sweet with the added challenge of layers which they can ease apart with their teeth. I have spent almost all of my adult life working with homeless and disadvantaged adults and I have come across another group of people who enjoy pink wafer biscuits - people with no teeth! It brought to mind a cantankerous old chap who I worked with years ago, he lived almost exclusively on tuna, strong tea and pink wafer biscuits! I wouldn't recommend the diet, but I did develop a bit of a soft spot for the chap - he was impossible to work with, but he always made me smile. I dropped a few hints before Mother's Day but nobody took any notice, so I will just have to treat myself.

Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry

Anne Perry is one of my favourite authors, and I am really looking forward to getting her new book Buckingham Palace Gardens. I have already written about her book Whited Sepulchres which is part of the William Monk series of books. She has another series based on police officer Thomas Pitt and his wife Charlotte, who live in Victorian England and Buckingham Palace Gardens is the latest book in that series. I love her books because you really get a sense of what life was like then, she is very good at the small details that do so much to set the scene and add to our understanding of the characters. I think she creates very strong and believable female characters and her writing has certainly made me understand how little power women of that time had to control their own lives and those of their children. My favourite characters are Great Aunt Vespasia and the Pitt's maid Gracie, Charlotte's grandmother is not an endearing character but she is very well written, I am sure I have met her in another time and another place!

It is hard to choose a favourite from the Thomas Pitt series of books because I have enjoyed them all, so I have chosen just one to write about in more detail.

Belgrave Square by Anne Perry
I think the style of writing seems a bit prim at first, but you get used to it and you realise that it conveys a sense of the times, there is a good plot to carry you along. This book is set the year after Jack the Ripper made his mark on London. A moneylender is found dead in the back streets, he has been shot with unconventional ammunition. This confusing case leads Inspector Thomas Pitt and Charlotte, his wife, to uncover secret societies and corruption in the highest places. The very poor are being exploited and powerful people are keen to ensure that the identities of slum landlords remain hidden. This book uncovers a powerful love story that has been a closely guarded secret for many years. It is well worth the read and the characters are well drawn but perhaps just a little 'larger than life'

Charles and Elizabeth by W. J. Burley

I came across this book when I was looking for more Wycliffe books (by the same author) I love Wycliffe books, but I will write about that another day. This is an odd book, it could be a ghost story, but somehow it is more about being in touch with the past. It could be a book about mental illness or about obsession, you will have to decide on that. It is set mainly in the past with links to the present, it has a gripping story and I found it hard to put down. In a way this is a book about identity and about things being not quite as they seem. I loved this book, I got really caught up in the unravelling mystery - which wasn't obvious. It deals with a very difficult and scandalous relationship, but it is treated in a very sensitive way. It is a book I will read again.

Memories

My husband likes to claim that he is a 'toy boy' he is younger than me but it is not such a massive gap really, just ten years. I think whoever said that a younger man keeps you young should probably read my other blog, I have gained a few grey hairs since Robbie and I got together, but we are good together. The only time the age difference really becomes noticeable is when we talk about our childhood. I was born in the 1960's and he was born in the 1970's, so our memories of children's television and toys and games are very different. Robbie loved his Tonka toys, Hornby trains and Corgi cars, I have happy memories of my Tiny Tears, my Britain's Farm and my Mousetrap game. My favourite outside toys were a space hopper, pogo stick and roller skates, Robbie loved his bike, a Grifter then a BMX.The other day we watched a television program about the 100 best loved kids television programs. It brought back lots of happy memories including Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog, Magpie, Camberwick Green; Robbie liked Bod and lots of things that I had never seen. All this talk about childhood made me feel very nostalgic so I think I am going to treat myself to a book about the 1960's or 70's, I was surprised to find that there are so many to choose from.

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tay

Inspector Grant of Scotland Yard is in hospital. A friend gives him a portrait Richard III, and he remembers him from school history lessons as a hunchbacked ruthless killer, but the face in the picture seems to tell a different story.The Inspector is hooked and set out to investigate the murder of the Princes in the Tower But after four hundred years, is it really possible for a policeman to re write history? This book is dated but wonderful, it made me look at Henry VII in a different light and perhaps Richard really wasn’t as bad as history suggests. Was Henry just better at ‘news management’ than the Plantagenet’s. Did they have ‘spin doctors in those days?

A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh and Dorothy L Sayers

I have been a fan of Lord Peter Wimsey for many years. I always enjoyed reading about Harriet Vane who was a strong consistent and believable character. I loved Gaudy night in which Harriet took centre stage. In A presumption of death the story focuses on Harriet (now Wimsey) Jill Paton Walsh presents a stronger and more equal relationship between Harriet and Lord Peter, who now have two young sons. The book is set at the beginning of the second world war and there really and the author draws a clear picture of the fear and confusion of the time. The background detail of war time village life is excellent and the reintroduction of familiar characters in changed circumstances is fascinating. The author handles the class issues in a believable and thought provoking manner and the strength, warmth and humour of the Dowager Duchess brings a depth to the plot.

The resolution of the mystery is clever and the decisions made do feel like those which might well have been made in the circumstances ... whether they are the right ones, is a matter for debate, but the choices make clear the brutality of the war and the cost to those who are caught up in it.

I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to any Lord Peter Wimsey fan.

Whited Sepulchres by Anne Perry

This was another book that I found this book by accident and it turned out to be really good. Anne Perry has become one of my favourite authors, she tackles some challenging issues and her books are consistently good, but this is still one of my favourites.

A brilliant architect called Killian Melville has to depend on Sir Oliver Rathbone to represent him when he is charged with "breach of promise" to marry Zillah. Rathbone. Zillah seems to be a most suitable choice, but Melville insists that he did not ask her to marry him and he is not willing to marry. He will not do anything to hurt or shame Zillah even if it is the only way to save himself. There is a baffling and complex history to this case and the lives of everyone involved will be devastated by the tragic conclusion to the case. This is book about identity, about things not being as they seem and about social pressure.

Railway Nostalgia

My husband Robbie is obsessed with all things to do with the railways and he loves collecting railway books. I can't say that all his books interest me, but I am interested in history and I found this series of books fascinating. There are lots of photos and plenty of information, but they are the sort of books that you can dip into when you only have a few minutes to spare.

Asta's Book by Barbara Vine

I rarely read book reviews but I came across a review for this book when leafing through an old magazine and it made me curious enough to buy the book. It is an extraordinary book that moves effortlessly between the past and the present. It spans almost all of the twentieth century and almost all the main characters are dead. The narrator Asta’s granddaughter inherits diaries written by Asta and made famous by Asta's daughter. Asta and her husband Rasmus came from Denmark to settle in England in the early years of the new century (1905) and her diary records the loneliness and isolation of an immigrant. Asta is strong proud and passionate, but she has to face many painful losses. The book is really about identity and loss of identity. It works on several levels Asta feels she has lost her sons when they become too English and like so many mothers of the time her worse fears become reality and she does lose them. Some of the pages of her diary are acutely sad, some are mundane and some are unbelievably arrogant, but hidden among it all Asta may have the solution to an unsolved disappearance. It is a wonderful, clever book with a twist in the tale.

Childhood Memories

My husband Robbie and the children do a pretty good job of making me feel old, but just in case I hadn't got the message, Radio 4 managed press the point with a recent program about one of my childhood favourites, Paddington Bear, who is celebrating his 50th Birthday this year! I first encountered Paddington Bear at School. As a young child I loved to be read to, and in those far of days when the government were too busy dealing with other matters to meddle with education, my school nurtured a love of books that has remained with me ever since.When I first started school at the age of four I wasn't to keen on learning to read. We had little red check gingham bags which hung on the backs of our chairs to hold our reading books. The reading books were deeply uninspiring, they were about Dick and Dora, their friends May and Jesse and their dog Gyp. I suspect those books came out of the ark and as a child growing up in the 1960's I didn't know anyone called Dick or Dora and certainly not May or Jesse, I didn't identify with them and I couldn't care less about what the words meant because it was so boring. We had better reading books later on, I think those were called Wide Range Readers, finally there was something worth reading and suddenly I could read. School lunch was a very formal affair with all sorts of rules to be observed, but afterwards we had a period known as ‘rest’. It was one of my favourite parts of the school day; we all went to the school hall and rested on rugs while stories were read to us. I was introduced to The Borrowers, Milly Molly Mandy, Dr Doolittle, Sam Pig, 101 Dalmatians, The Country Child, The Moomins, My Naughty Little Sister and my dear old friend Paddington Bear. I loved them all and I can remember them very clearly so many years later, but the strange thing is that I never grew out of Paddington. I can picture myself in my college room working at my desk listening to my favourite Paddington story on my casette player and laughing out loud at his antics. I have gone on to share his exploits with my own children and I have a feeling he will still be going strong for many years to come.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

My 19 year old daughter Emily is a great fan of the Harry Potter books, she has grown up with them and I have vivid memories of taking her into town at midnight so that she could pick up her copy of the latest book as soon as it was released. When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published last summer, Emily was in Poland with the Northamptonshire County Youth Concert Band, so there was no need for the midnight pilgrimage to the bookshop. Instead I spent days worrying about the fate of Ron, Emily's favourite character. She intended to buy a copy of the latest book as soon as she was close enough to home to find an English version of the book. I was terrified that Ron would die in the book and Emily would arrive home in tears. It seems my fears for Ron were unfounded but as there were plenty of deaths in the book so there was a strong possibility that Emily would emerge from the coach in floods of tears - she is a real softie. Come to think of it Hogwarts with soon rival Emmerdale for the most dangerous fictional location, I bet they have big problems getting life insurance! We didn't see much of Emily when she got home, she withdrew to her bedroom with the book and she didn't emerge until she was absolutely sure that Ron had survived unharmed.
When Emily finished reading I asked her to provide a brief outline of the book for the blog. Maybe I should have put more emphasis on 'brief', but it was a very long book so it is not easy to sum it up in a few words. Thanks Emily.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Okay, well before I spill beans on the final book in the Harry Potter series, I seriously suggest that you read it because it is a brilliant read! The protective charm that keeps Harry safe from Voldemort in the Dursley’s home is broken the moment that Harry turns 17, so the Order arrange for Harry to be escorted back to the Burrow (new Order headquarters) by Mad-eye Moody, Mundungus Fletcher, Tonks, Mr. Weasley, Bill, Lupin, Fleur, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Snape tips Voldemort off about this, and although Harry manages to arrive at the burrow, Mad-eye and Hedwig are killed, whilst George gets one of his ears charmed off!Whilst at the Burrow, Fleur and Bill get married. Also, the minister for magic (Rufus Scrimgeour) visits the trio, and gives them items that were left to him in Dumbledore’s will: Ron gets the Deluminator (the thing that Dumbledore used to click all of the lights out in the first book), Hermione gets an old book written in Runes called The Tales of The Beedle of Bard (a wizard's version of Easopp’s Fables), and Harry is left the first Snitch that he ever caught, and also the sword of Godric Gryffindor. The wedding reception is interrupted when a message is sent from Kingsley Shacklebolt, saying that the Ministry has fallen, and Death Eaters begin to arrive. Harry, Ron and Hermione flee and go on their quest to find the remaining Horcruxes (items that contain parts of Voldemort’s soul) so that they can destroy them like Dumbledore told them to. They are not allowed to tell anyone else where they are going or what they are doing. After the wedding, the entire Weasley family are being watched by the ministry.Harry, Ron and Hermione go back to Grimmauld Place, where they discover that the signature in the fake locket from the lake (R.A.B.) stood for Regulus Arcturus Black- Sirius’ brother and ex-death eater. The real locket was the one that was spotted in Grimmauld in the previous book, but after speaking to Kreacher, it was discovered that Mundungus Fletcher had stolen the locket and sold it...to professor Umbridge who still works for the ministry! They use polyjuice potion to break into the ministry, where they steal the locket from Umbridge. However, they still don't have the means to break the horcrux.