Its now a week since our return from Honolulu and I'm certainly enjoying the Autumn weather, much cooler and more comfortable than our several weeks in the tropics... not that it wasn't lovely being able to wear short sleeves day and night! Back to the routine and my thoughts naturally turn to writing and reading, of which I did my fair share during our days at sea.
Last year I finally read Chocolat by Joanne Harris. This was more as a result of spending time in rural France than any great desire to read her work. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and her writing in particular, and earlier this year was able to get my hands on the 'sequel', Peaches for Monsieur Le Cure at a bookstore in Newcastle. This was as beautifully written as the first.
By now I was definitely warming to Joanne's writing and so it was with some anticipation I purchased a copy of Five Quarters of the Orange, also set in rural France but bearing no relationship to the previous two. I loved it. In Armidale, at a second-hand bookstore I came across two more of Joanne's books: Holy Fools which is set in 17th Century France and Gentlemen and Players, my current read, set in the UK at a contemporary private boys school.
Anyone who knows me, knows that my preferred genres are crime, espionage, mystery and sci-fi. Joanne's books are quite obviously not the sort of material I usually read - they probably fall into the popular fiction genre. But I simply can't get past her writing, which is rich and descriptive in its vocabulary, and her storytelling which keeps me turning over the pages.
I finish each book anticipating the next. And the good news is that there are at least another ten of her books I haven't yet read... Why not check Joanne out at: http://www.joanne-harris.co.uk/
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