Who would be your Reacher?

They just have to be kidding don't they? Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, it makes me want to scream. Now if you're asking who is Jack Reacher you are obviously not a Lee Child fan. I am, so is OH, and we have read everyone of his Reacher novels that have been published in paperback. And, on a recent family break in Florence I discovered that my brother is also a Reacher fan and he had just introduced our nephew to Lee Child and Reacher.

I've just finished Worth Dying For ..... here's the blurb on the back cover There's deadly trouble in the wilds of Nebraska. ... and Reacher walks right into it. He falls foul of the Duncans, a local clan that has terrified an entire county into submission. But it's the unsolved case of a missing eight-year-old girl, already decades-old, that Reacher can't let go. Reacher - bruised and battered - should have just kept on going. But for Reacher, that was impossible. What, in this fearful rural county, would be worth dying for?

Brilliant, page-turner could not put it down but didn't want to get to the end because now I will have to wait four months until the next one, The Affair, is released in paperback (27 March 2012).

Who is Reacher? Described by The Times as "Thinking girl's beefcake", Reacher's CV includes his vital statistics giving his height as 6 foot 5 inches, weight 220 - 250 lbs, 50 inch chest, 37 inch inside leg. Tom Cruise eat your heart out - no way! "Admired by his male readers and lusted after by his female ones" (Daily Express), Reacher is a true loner, no credit cards, no driving licence, no dependents, no federal benefits, no tax returns, drifting from state to state, an ex-military cop, Reacher goes where trouble finds him.

If you've never read a Reacher book before and you like thrillers you have a treat in store. You'll find a full list of the Reacher novels on the Lee Child website.

Tom Cruise as Reacher - no way. Who would be your Reacher?

From caterpillers to chicken soup

November Roses in my Puglia Garden

It seems that the long dry summer of 2011 may finally be over with the rains arriving earlier this week, very much needed and much later than usual. The garden is definitely benefiting from the rain, cabbages (those that haven't been decimated by caterpillers that is) and cauli plants seem to have doubled in size overnight, peas and broad beans shooting up and the strawberry plants look a lot happier too. Tons of lettuces too, although lunches the last couple of days have been home-made soups. Celery and Potato and Chicken and Thyme (recipes below).

But still I woke up this morning to blue skies, few light clouds and the sun shining. Great for us as that means we will have solar hot water. Installing solar panels for hot water (and with the excess heating the swimming pool) has turned out to be a great investment. Even through the winter, at least here in Puglia, hot water is readily available most of the time. Although I did notice earlier this month that, even though we were still having sunny days, the solar hot water was, well it was just not hot. OH was persuaded to climb up and clean the panels which he did somewhat reluctantly. Just as well as he discovered that the insulation around the pipe that carries the hot water from the panels to the storage tank had perished. Without the real heat of the summer sun the hot water from the panels was cooling down before it got into the tank. Now repaired we have oodles of free hot water again. Utility prices in Puglia are very very expensive and having solar water makes a huge difference to us.

I've just finished reading Netherland by Joseph O'Neill. Not my normal reading, probably a book left by a visitor last summer. I'm always grateful when visitors leave books behind, it's a great source of new reading material and often an introduction to authors who I have not read before, as in this case. At first I didn't think I was going to enjoy it but I got drawn into Hans' story and could relate to him and his travels from the Netherlands to UK, New York and constant travel between New York and London whilst navigating a difficult marriage. I've never been interested in cricket but even the lengthy descriptions of cricket matches and the game didn't put me off, and the descriptions of New York life post 9/11 are very evocative.

From my own days of being a workaholic (oh how I have changed!)  I could relate to the following :

"There was another silence. I felt, above all, tired. Tiredness: if there was a constant symptom of the disease in our lives at this time, it was tiredness. At work we were unflagging; at home the smallest gesture of liveliness was beyond us. Mornings we awoke into a malign weariness that seemed only to have refreshed itself ovenight. Evenings, after Jake had been put to bed, we quietly ate watercress and translucent noodles that neither of us could find the strength to remove from their cartons; took turns to doze in the bathtub; and failed to stay awake for the duration of a TV show. Rachel was tired and I was tired."

So a complete change of pace but I did enjoy it. Definitely worth a read.

Right I'm off to pick caterpillars off the cabbages now and then to make a batch of ginger biscuits as yesterdays efforts have magically disappeared overnight, a presto!

Light reading in Puglia!

Wow it's been a long time since I have written anything here ..... my pre New Year resolution must be to "must do better". Right now as we are outside the main holiday season I've had a lot more time and have been reading a lot (as well as updating our Puglia website )

Just finished reading You Belong to Me by Karen Rose, a complete change from The Patchwork Years and Reflections, both by Linnou.

I'm a great fan of Karen Rose (and other authors of the same genre). Sadly I've now read her full list and will have to wait until June 2012 for the release of No One Left to Tell when the paperback version will come out. I like the way characters move from one book to another but you don't have to have read the earlier books. Her plots, although following the same style, are always complex and fans of crime thrillers will love her books.

The Patchwork Years, in complete contrast, is the first of family saga trilogy, following one family from 1854 through to 1960's (and to the 21st century in books 2 and 3). My reading tastes are quite catholic and I like to switch from one genre to another, obviously crime thrillers are high on my list, family saga's too. Looking forward to Patchwork Years second book which I believe is due out early next year. My growing up years started in the 1960's so it will be interest a fing for me to see how the Patchwork family handles the swinging 60's and the seventies! Reflections by the same author is a collection of short stories, I'm not normally a fan of short stories but I particularly liked The Old Soldier and Butterfly in this collection.

Now what next ....... Living here in Puglia it's not always easy to get my hands on english novels quickly (and for relaxation I prefer to read in english) ..... I'm vaguely considering getting a Kindle which will allow me to download my next reading choice immediately and not have to wait for a book delivery. But I do like the feel of a book in my hands and the turning of the pages. Any thoughts?