{"id":3538,"date":"2013-07-07T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2013-07-07T07:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=3538"},"modified":"2013-07-07T08:00:38","modified_gmt":"2013-07-07T07:00:38","slug":"friends-fiends-fangs-and-the-apocalypse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johnhocking.net\/jg2025demo1\/uncategorised\/friends-fiends-fangs-and-the-apocalypse\/","title":{"rendered":"Friends, fiends, fangs and the apocalypse."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It was my month for catching up with the books my friends have been writing.<\/p>\n

And it’s always a pleasure to be able to honestly recommend a friend’s book. Of course \u2013 some of my friends are pretty fine writers.<\/p>\n

Second Thyme Around \u2013 Katie Fforde.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As well as being a best-selling author and President of the RNA, Katie is a friend. Despite this, for some reason I hadn’t read much of her work. This was the first of her books I have read for some years. Katie’s writes a gentle and charming book. There is real humour in her work\u2026 and the characters do tug at the heartstrings.<\/p>\n

I confess I personally prefer a book in which the characters have a tougher time that the characters did here.\u00a0 Their problems were real \u2013 but never too overwhelming. The saddest part of the book (the death of a key character) was gently and kindly done.\u00a0 The book was entirely enjoyable \u2013 and is recommended if you are looking for a humorous and relaxing read. You’ll shed a tear probably too.<\/p>\n

Call Nurse Millie \u2013 Jean Fullterton\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I generally like my historical novels to feature knights on horseback, or at the vest least women in floor length gowns. This book, set post WW2, was a change of pace for me. It’s not a time frame I would normally choose.<\/p>\n

I have read Jean’s four Victorian East End sagas and really enjoyed them \u2013 so I knew I would get a well-researched and well-told story. I got that \u2013 but I got an unexpected bonus.<\/p>\n

As a child, I used to hear may father talk about the London he returned to after his stint in the navy. The bomb sites. The rationing. But I never really pictured it.\u00a0 Reading Jean’s book showed that world to me very clearly for possibly the first time\u2026 and I found myself remembering my late father in a new way.<\/p>\n

Thanks for that Jean.<\/p>\n

No Such Thing as Immortality \u2013 Sarah Tranter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This is the debut from fellow Choc Lit Author Sarah Trantor.<\/p>\n

My liking for a good vampire book is known \u2013 and this really captured me from page one.<\/p>\n

It is a totally different take on the vampire legend. No shiny vampires here. No bottled blood substitute. This was my kind of book \u2013 characters with a lot to lose. Lives at stake. Really nasty villain. Really compelling hero and heroine at risk of losing everything \u2013 including their lives.<\/p>\n

AND \u2013 the whole book is written entirely from our vampire heroes point of view. That’s new and different and it was done well.\u00a0 The cover is pretty cool too.<\/p>\n

I will be on the lookout for the next book in the series.<\/p>\n

Twisted Creek \u2013 Jodi Thomas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jodi is a New York Times best selling author \u2013 and a gentle, warm person. Her books are warm too. I \"\"<\/a>instantly love the characters she creates.\u00a0 But she isn’t gentle with them. Her characters face the toughest tests. Just when they seem to be getting on their feet, life (or rather Jodi) throws something even more difficult their way.<\/p>\n

This book had it all \u2013 a romance, a mystery, interesting family relationships, villains and a hero to die for (if he doesn’t die first trying to help someone who needs him).<\/p>\n

I devoured this book in a couple of days. Too bad about the housework\u2026 but I it was all I could do to put it down long enough to feed John and the cat.<\/p>\n

This is part of a series \u2013 and I’m there for the rest of them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Nora Roberts\u00a0– Midnight Bayou<\/strong><\/p>\n

OK \u2013 in this case the author is not a friend (but I have met her). My ‘Nora fix’ this month was\u00a0Midnight Bayou. This is another of her supernatural books. There’s a big old plantation house, a murderous past, a ghost.<\/p>\n

All right up my alley.<\/p>\n

I won’t say much more about this \u2013 no spoilers here.<\/p>\n

My liking for Nora Roberts’ work is again well known \u2013 this is very much up there with her best.<\/p>\n

And finally \u2013 my book of the month award goes to someone who is not a friend \u2013 nor have I met them\u2026 In fact \u2013 he’s been dead for quite a while.<\/p>\n

Day of the Triffids \u2013 John Wyndham.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was introduced to John Wyndham\u00a0at an early age and have read pretty much everything I can get my hands on. His writing style is a bit dated – but good story-telling never dates.<\/p>\n

I was a little way into this, I had a light-bulb moment.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Like much of the TV viewing world, I have been engrossed in “The Walking Dead”. OK \u2013 I cover my eyes during the really gruesome bits, but the characterization is wonderful. Talk about giving the characters you love a hard time!\u00a0 And it wasn’t until I was a couple of chapters into Day of the Triffids that I realised it was the same story \u2013 that starts when our hero wakes up in a hospital in a world forever changed.\u00a0 Those zombies massed against the fence of Rick’s prison sanctuary are the triffids massing on the fence of Bill’s farm sanctuary.<\/p>\n

I have since learned that the people behind TWD acknowledge the debt they owe to John Wyndham and I am certainly not accusing them of plagiarism. I just never realised before that this favourite author of mine had effectively invented the zombie genre\u2026 \u00a0a few small groups of people struggling in a world made dangerous by an alien species (or zombies). \u00a0But the greatest danger of all comes from the other survivors.<\/p>\n

Loved it!!!\u00a0 So \u2013 for those who can’t handle the gross bits of the zombie genre \u2013 try this. A thoughtful apocalypse without the eye gouging.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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