Visiting the National Maritime Museum: The Emma, Lady Hamilton - Seduction and Celebrity Exhibition

She was the Kim Kardashian of the early 18th Century. No, actually, Kim K wishes she was half the person that Emma, Lady Hamilton became. Rising from a penny-scraping existence on the wrong side of the law, she won the heart of national hero Lord Nelson (that's where the allegory doesn't quite match), became friends with Marie Antoinette, developed from a household chattel to a titled Lady, was a household celebrity mauled in the press, saved a Royal Family from danger, was a muse to artist George Romney and sadly died in penury despite her perceived services to the realm.

I've long been fascinated by this historical character whom I (and about 15 people in my high school at any one time) shared a name with. After reading most of the books published about Emma Hamilton, when I heard that the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich were running an exhibition, I did a typical Londoner thing and made a mental note before forgetting entirely about visiting. Luckily, Twitter came to the rescue, and when the museum ran a special whereby Emma's could visit the exhibit for free one weekend I managed to lure the lovely Claire into a spot of brunch and a wander through history.

Jean Trumpington, Coming Up Trumps - A Memoir

As a child I never really found anyone who I wanted to idolise. Pop stars were too stratospheric (even the Spice Girls), iconic designers too bourgeoisie and TV stars simply weren't 3D. In my late 20s, I have finally found someone - Jean Alys Barker, Baroness Trumpington born 23 October 1922.

Many people live normal lives, loving their families, working as close to a 9-5 as they can get away with, holidaying in the sunshine and trying to stay out of trouble. That wasn't ever going to be the case for Jean Trumpington. Educated privately to a Major in the Bengal Lancers and an American Heiress, she left school aged 15 having never taken an exam before being sent to Paris to study art and literature. Her family moved in circles of privilege (which included the then Prince of Wales, later the Duke of Windsor, and his paramour Wallis Simpson) before the Wall Street crash dampened their fortunes slightly. By her Mother's standards anyway.

End of Year Book Survey – 2014 Edition

In the spirit of the New Year, I couldn't resist repeating this post from last year when I spied it on Bailie's blog. As she's got such great taste I couldn't hold out from borrowing her version of the end of year book survey. Actually, it's partially her fault I have so many books...

PS: Amazon are doing LOADS of sale books, both kindle and proper at the moment so if you enjoy reading, go nuts. I won't tell anyone if you don't tell my husband that I'm doing the same...

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

Like last year I actually can't pick this. Call me a coward, but I read so many wonderful books that shared "...years of writing, experience and the author's deep desire to put a portion of themselves plus the aspects of humanity they admire, hate, aspire to, condemn, onto paper or a screen." +denise greenwood

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

A curious history of food & drink, Ian Crofton. Ever wondered where noodles came from? How Worcester Sauce was invented? Or even who the 'Cucumber King of Burma' was? I did. The book was good, but it didn't blow my socks off.

Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare

For this particular book addiction, I blame Bailie. Set in Victorian London, the Infernal Devices series is a prequel to the best-selling Mortal Instruments' series. A surprising subterranean world with supernatural twists holds many secrets for Tessa, an American girl who travels to England to meet up with her brother after losing her aunt - her nearest family.

The novels feature Tessa (who on being kidnapped fresh off her boat from the US) finds out that she has supernatural powers. It's a Young Adult series - feeding our seemingly insatiable appetite for Vampires, Demons, Shadowhunters, and the inevitable love triangle with angsty angry Will and seemingly perfect Jem.

 

Clockwork Angel

It's always interesting to look back at a series once you've finished the first book, at how the characters develop - Tessa seems to get out of the way a lot of the time when the action hits, but I have to keep in mind that it's set in Victorian England where women and kids were seen and not heard for the most part. My interest is most definitely piqued though, and I'm awaiting to get the second in the series. 

Rivers of London, a supernatural London series by Ben Aaronovitch

One of the delights of reading is the ability to re-visit old favourites. Books that envelope you like an old friend; vaguely familiar but with the excitement of forgotten memories. I've found myself lately turning to a few old comforts, such as the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. A beguiling mix of the supernatural, crime-fighting and unusual personifications of London, the series is now onto the fifth installment - safe in my hot little hands.

Peter Grant is your average Central London PC; street-wise, loves his curries, beer and football but not so great at concentrating on the finer detail. It just so happens that one day he takes a statement "from a man who was already dead but still disturbingly voluble." Little does he realise the chain of fate that will lead him to join a very special until of the Met Police, specialising in the unexplainable and are called to cases that can't solved with ordinary policing.

 

I really enjoyed the clever mix of life in London with a supernatural twist. The characters are flawed and funny - narrated by Peter Grant, it feels that as a character he begins to find himself, instead of being banished the drudgery of the paperwork based 'Case Progression Unit' and finds a niche in which to use his unique perspective on the world. As a result of this 'awareness' he is approached by a fairly secretive branch of the Met Police, and he begins to train as a magician because as the character says "I want in Sir, I've got to know." I think I would do the same.

Rivers of London (Rivers of London 1) Ben Aaronovitch

As he begins the process of discovering there is much more to London than thought, we begin to know the secondary characters of Lesley (a fellow copper) and Nightingale (arcane teacher). London itself is almost a character in the novel, and as a card-carrying antipodean, this was one of my favourite aspects of the book - not to mention the personifications of the London Rivers. It took me a couple of chapters to get into it, much like Terry Pratchett when I was younger, but once I was hooked, that was it.

 

Moon Over Soho (Rivers of London 2)

Ben Aaronovitch 

 

 Another installment of The Rivers of London series, we follow London Bobby Constable Grant as he gets futher into his education, and tackles cases - or rather ends up stumbling upon them. He is called to the city morgue, where a body contains an imprint of a jazz song - something isn't right.

Whispers Under Ground (Rivers of London 3): Ben Aaronovitch

You know when you're standing on the Bakerloo Line, it's late at night and you hear that weird noise that you can't work out what it is? Well, it's not the right time or situation to be reading this book whilst you are there, not once you begin the book. (Oh, yeah and personal safety as well kids.)

Broken Homes (Rivers of London 4): Ben Aaronovitch

The fourth installation of Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London Series, Broken Homes is set South of the Thames, was a much awaited book in my household and had a clanger of a cliffhanger that has left me wanting more.

Definately a great commuting and travel read, and nice for something out of the ordinary (even compared to usual Fantasy books). The researching seems to be spot on, but doesn't overwelm and dry out the plotlines; and the many insights to the world of London Bobbies are very quick witted.

The Miniaturist, Jessie Burton

Set on the canals of 17th Century Amsterdam, this intriguing story is a beautiful, sensory overload. 

 

18 year-old Petronella Oortman arrives wide-eyed from her country home, to the rich decadence of life as an influential merchants wife. Struggling to establish herself in an unfamiliar world presided over by her new husband's sister, she is gifted a miniature home - a perfect cabinet replica of her new house. A gifted miniaturist creates eerily similar furniture and objects leading Nella to discover that all is not as it seems within this unusual family.

Recommended to me by the lovely Jess, I simply couldn't stop reading (luckily we had several hours to spare on a flight home from Norway otherwise there would have been no chores being done this week). The twists and turns of the richly layered plot had me flicking through pages at a rate of knots. No doubt helped by our recent explorations of Amsterdam, the author weaves a spellbinding tale of obsession, love, retribution and tiptoes on the darker side of life. 

With a hint of the fantastic, the beautiful poetic writing of The Miniaturist reminded me of imagery in The Crimson Petal And The White by Michel Faber. The level of intense detail felt as though you were striding along the streets with Nella, desperate to understand what was going on around her. You could almost taste Amsterdam through the pages.

 

via

Inspired by the real life miniature belonging to Petronella Oortman, a Dutchwoman married to Amsterdam merchant Johannes Brandt, the miniature case is on display at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. Each of the nine-rooms gleaming with porcelain, oak, marble and glass became the inspiration for Burton's fictional book. I think we need a return visit!

Have you been tempted by the well derserved hype of this novel?

Help: Reading recommendations required

Having completed several long journey recently, I need your help to fill up a few empty spaces. I love interesting fiction, kickass fantasy, scrummy foodie reads, wanderlust inducing travel memoirs and almost everything in between.

Pretty please?

The Haiku Murder: Fran Pickering's Josie Clark

 A beguiling read

Lures your imagination

To shores exotic

 Japanese mystery

Surrounds expat Josie Clark

The Haiku Murder

Sequel to the page turning debut novel The Cherry Blossom Murder, Fran Pickering's second offering charting the amateur sleuthing of Josie Clark a British expat living in Tokyo, was no fading flower. In the beautiful town of Matsuyama on a company haiku-writing trip, an otherwise peaceful outing is transformed into a murder scene when a quirky financier falls from the top of Matsuyama castle. 

Quietly investigating a motley cast of suspects, Josie soon finds herself back and exploring Tokyo in an attempt to solve the puzzle of the victim's missing bag and just who wanted him dead. Whilst this plays out in the foreground, what will happen in with Josie and her long-distance boyfriend Dave, living the high-life in Sydney? I couldn't wait for the book to be released to find out.

A temple bell rings
Its circling echo tells of
A long night coming 

(Shiki)

 

The key to creating a page-turning series is always a crew of fascinating characters, rich and faceted. Each person is a curiously engaging personality, and as with the Cherry Blossom Murder, the richly detailed backdrop of Japan is engaging, and alluring. It felt as though you lived there with Josie; picking up Dorayaki filled with red bean paste, experiencing the antiquated solemnity of a Japanese funeral and the lure of occasional cups of strong coffee.

Self-published author

Fran Pickering weaves intrigue

and thrilling drama.

Ps. She has also released a 77p taste-testing novella The Tokyo Karaoke Murder

Pps. Sorry for the terrible haiku :D

My passport to explore the world

Asked the other day for my favourite book ever read, I was utterly stumped. Does one pick a lofty tome to suggest culture, a favourite pick-me-up-whenever-blue book or an inspiring biography?

After much deliberation, I realised it was actually a non-fiction compilation, a small embossed account of international travel, expeditions to foreign lands, and the occasional luxury day trip.

My passport.

Travelling by train through several countries this weekend (England to Amsterdam via France & Brussels) it struck me how much I adore brandishing my little black and silver book. Not just a record of any old journey, it's a series of travel diaries charting adventures in far-off lands. Each stamp is irrefutable proof of another country conquered, another way to remember.

Every new country is another lesson learned, an additional culture experienced and more tastes of a different way to live life. Perhaps I'm being overly sentimental, but I don't really want new-fangled technology to replace my dog-eared record...

To Kill a Mockingbird, Regents Open Air Theatre

Harper Lee's evocative telling of life in a small American town is stunning on the page; stirring turbulent emotions surrounding the racial prejudice in tight-knit communities during harsh financial times.

But how on earth do you go about re-reading a eponymous classic that you studied as a schoolkid? Do you try to dig out the notes, hack it alone with vague memories or hope you've forgotten everything and will discover the writing anew? How about sitting in Regent's Park open-air theatre on a crisp autumn evening, cocooned tightly in a coat and scarf?

Shoe props kindly donated by a puzzled husband.

Luckily, that's exactly where I found myself last week. I spoke recently with a friend about the danger of overusing superlatives, but it's impossible not to be drawn into the spell woven about the audience. Clever, clever choreography, odes directly to the text, engaging actors, a fantastically simple set - no wonder they have had rave reviews. Whilst we were there we noticed several school groups, learning viscerally rather than through ink and page; oh to have had that opportunity.

  

Through courage and compassion, lawyer Atticus Finch seeks the truth, and his feisty daughter, Scout - a young girl on the cusp of adulthood - brings new hope to a neighbourhood in turmoil.

Instead of throwing away the book and producing a movie-like setup of seamless changes and plot alterations, the New Shakespeare company begin the play immersively, drawing you deep into the storytelling - but I'm not going to tell you how.

The actors were wonderful, portraying the nuances of each scene with ease and humility - switching from local to American accents with ease, from storytelling to living the drama with each hop, skip and strummed guitar haunting us with soft lyricism. Atticus, and the three children (playing Scout, Jim and Dill) were especially haunting in their portrayal

The open air theatre creates an unusual larger world - the birds calling, the rustling of the trees, occasional wail of sirens and clever use of the audience as the jury during sentencing (not a spoiler by the way); but would work wonderfully in their national theatre tour if you missed out on tickets (they don't know who I am whatsoever - just Google them).

Books about Town - London Literary Art Installations

Literary history saturates every single stone of London; exotic tales of mystery, shrewish wives harping on at their no-good husbands, matchgirls standing in Christmas snow and an early TARDIS sighting in an East End work yard.

Wandering around London of late I happened to glimpse some lawn furniture with a slight difference to the standard wicker and PVC set ups. These were spotted from the top floor of a double decker, around the corner of tube stations and whilst running from pillar to post - gorgeous works of public art capturing imagination, summoning childhoods and delighting the senses. Not your average garden set then...

J. M. Barrie's childhood delight of Peter Pan - they'll have to watch out for him sneaking off his bench at night to collect Wendy from her Bloomsbury home to go looking for one more adventure!

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

The classic escapades of Jeeves and Wooster, penned by P.G. Wodehouse.

C.S. Lewis’ jaw-dropping The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Complete with majestic Aslan, and a secret wardrobe compartment...

We decided to lallop around Bloomsbury, one of the four book bench trails around London. Call me indecisive, but each bench was my favourite. Imaginative, delicate, strong and beautiful Ive rediscovered old well-worn favourites, and added several classics to my ever-growing 'must-read' list.

The luminescently delicate Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.

Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

George Orwell's kaledescopic 1984 overlooked by the ministry of might Senate House.

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People by Oscar Wilde is perched outside a magnificent church, the iconography fascinating.

A careful eye kept by the school of Tropical diseases, the post-apocalyptic novel, The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham sits in the shadow of trees and Senate House (mentioned in the novel as a place of refuge.

Iam Flemings James Bond stories' celebrates the best of British with suave decoration befitting 007.

Our last bench for the day was possibly our favourite - a very special BookBench about Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly.

(I spy with my little eye and New Zealand Fantail and Weta...)

Take your place (carefully) on these special Book Benches and let them inspire you to read for pleasure.

Yes.

Be quick though - sadly they're being gathered up from the 14th-16th of September to be auctioned off for charity!

5 books that have surprised me

When you read a lot (and I mean a lot - all that time criss-crossing London going from brunch to afternoon tea to dinner review takes up many delicious hours of book-lost travelling) you often find yourself becoming jaded. Character arcs seem cliched, love matches have to be triangular and the denouement can be as flat as a pancake. Thankfully, every so often a story will come along and set your imagination on fire again.

------

 

Fresh from finding the secret delights of the London Sewing Machine Museum (oh yes, you read that correctly!), The Forgotton Seamstress by Liz Trenow made me cry, laugh and miss sleep in order to read right to the end.

On the brink of both a personal and work crisis, Carolyn Meadows discovers a quilt in her Mother's attic from her childhood. She discovers that every stitch of embroidery, every thread of fabric is impregnated with the poignant story of Maria Romano; an East End orphan from a young age, brought up in a workhouse and ripe with stories of Buckingham Palace, royalty, illegal adoption and war. Is it all true? Are they simply wild fantasies of a madwoman locked away in an asylum?

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The mark of a successful author, is the ability to transport a reader to a different place, absorb our imagination into a realistic character, and envelope us until we are a real part of their unfolding story. Fran Pickering's The Cherry Blossom Murder does just this, introducing the (somewhat kaleidoscopic) settling of British expat and amatuer sleuth Josie Clark into the mysterious Japanese way of life. In addition to solving her fragmented love life, Josie sets herself the task of unravelling the seemingly random murder of a member of staff in her Takarazuka Revue fan club.

 
History, glamour, Japan, murder, sequins and cherry blossoms, this story has it all. And a little birdie tells me that a second installment of the series is on it's way...

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The underlying premise of Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace is that an ex-teacher, turned restaurant reviewer finds a mysterious disposable camera in a restaurant on Charlotte Street.

Chaos ensues as he tries to match up the camera via it's contents with the lost owner. This is a humourous, rather pithy tale about friendship, romance and making sure you give life a real go.

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Sometimes books aren't just companions for just a few days or to get you through a few commuting hours. I read this novel at the suggestion of fellow ninja-book-club reader +Lisa Watson (incidentally a fellow exile Kiwi) and I'm still thinking about the haunting situations that play out, months later.

One of his skills is an ability to find patterns in data: extraordinary, complex, beautiful patterns that not even the most powerful computers can comprehend. The company he works for has made considerable sums of money from Lou’s work. But now they want Lou to change – to become ‘normal’ like themselves. And he must face the greatest challenge of his life. To understand the speed of dark.

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The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is a beautiful story about Victoria, a girl given into care and the profound difference a foster mother made to her life. Told in alternating chapters of present life at the beginning of her twenties and the parallel of ten years past, her foster Mother teaches her the Victorian flower symbologies as a way of conveying the locked up emotion she holds inside. Through this process she researches and begins to create her own dialect. Once emancipated at 18, this dialect becomes a way for her to emotionally communicate with the world and create a livelihood whilst learning to cope in a complex world.

 

You empathise with her, hurt with her, want to shake her in annoyance, want to shout at her and want to feed her. She is complex and surprising, and makes you appreciate your family and loved ones. 

Have you picked up any of these? Do you also have any recommendations for the cool wintery days ahead?