Friday 30 March 2018

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Store Front and Building Signs

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Store Front and Building Signs

A wine warehouse

This building has a range of different stalls,
from food and crafts 
including- baked goods, fish, handmade dog treats, 
vinyl, craft ales, cocktails and lots, lots more.

A shop with a Sale on inside a shopping precinct.

Welcome sign as you enter Dobbies 

Cephalopod Coffeehouse: March 2018

Cephalopod Coffeehouse: March 2018



the last Friday in March is time to join in with the Cephalopod Coffeehouse where we recommend the best book we've read during the month.  

If you want to join in please go to: 

http://armchairsquid.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/cephalopod-coffeehouse-march-2018.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheArmchairSquid+(The+Armchair+Squid)

I've had a good reading month and have read at least 10 books ranging from my 5* pick, 4 1/2*, 4* and 3* novels.  Also quite a diverse months reading, historical romance, contemporary romantic second chance, a book written from the perspective of a dog and three thrillers from the same author and murder/police and psychological thrillers.  

My top pick and my 5* book is a Regency romance. 


PERCEPTION & ILLUSION 

BY 

CATHERINE KULLMANN

350 pages

BLURB

England 1814: Brought up by her late grandparents after the death of her mother, Lallie Grey is unaware that she is their heiress. When her father realises that he will soon lose control of his daughter’s income, he conspires to marry her off to his crony, Frederick Malvin in exchange for a share of her capital. But Lallie has fallen in love with Hugo Tamrisk, heir to one of the oldest titles in England. When Hugo not only comes to her aid as she flees the arranged marriage, but later proposes to her, all Lallie’s dreams have come true. She readily agrees to marry him at once.

But past events casts long shadows. Hugo resents the interest his three elder sisters take in his new wife and thinks they have turned her against him. And then there is his former mistress, Sabina, Lady Albright. As Lallie finds her feet in the ton, the newly-weds are caught up in a comedy of errors that threatens their future happiness. She begins to wonder if he has regrets and he cannot understand her new reserve. A perfect storm of confusion and misunderstanding leads to a final rupture when Lallie feels she has no choice but to leave. Can Hugo win her back? Will there be a second, real happy end for them?

MY REVIEW

5*

Perfect.  I've read quite a few books set in the Regency period and this book is streets ahead of all of them.  The book explores the good and bad in people, the constraints of society in that era, arranged marriages, gossip-mongers, all of which is written delightfully with good characters, good plotting, well scripted dialogue and interspersed with the minutiae of daily living without being in the least bit boring.

The language is of the time and reading on my Kindle it was so easy to look up the words I didn’t know which, as well as enhancing my own vocabulary, added to the atmosphere of the book.

Can’t fault it – in my opinion one of the best books I've read this year.

Wednesday 28 March 2018

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Alone

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Alone

Friday 23 March 2018

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Heads or Facial Features

This week the topic is 
Heads or Facial Features 
(human or animal).

Here is my selection:

porcelain head

another porcelain head

Akita/husky

husky 

girl and boy

grandson's freckles

Great Uncle Walter

Wednesday 21 March 2018

The Thick of Things (In Medias Res Book 1) By J.L. Campbell

I have great pleasure in joining in with a Book Blitz for the above novel.

Here is a little teaser. 








Written by the very lovely J.L. Campbell

To whet your appetite here is the 'blurb'

The Thick of Things
By JL Campbell

Synopsis

GENRE: women's fiction with romantic elements, contemporary romance

BLURB: Life has a way of going awry when you least expect it, and Khalila Skyers learns this lesson the hard way. In one devastating blow after another, she loses her cosy existence. Then Douglas Blythe overtakes her life like a flood, and she’s not equipped to deal with an attraction that seems forbidden and overwhelming. But her body and heart want what they want, and leave her wondering if she ever knew herself at all.  

Douglas is determined to help Khalila move beyond her obsession with the past and reach for love a second time. No matter how long it takes. No matter the distance. He’s going to prove he’s worth the risk. 

HERE ARE THE BUYING LINKS:

Buy Links








Here is my review

4 1/2*

This is written in the first person narrative which is well carried out.


This is a contemporary novel set in Jamaica, some might call it ‘second chance’ genre. Khalila is soon to be divorced and still regards herself as a married woman.  She meets Douglas while volunteering at a golf tournament and the attraction she feels surprises her after a long marriage and a traumatic and tragic event in her life has led her to become introspective.  Her great friend helped her a lot through this time to see there is life to be lived if only she can comes to term with the past.

Now Douglas surprises her all the time but there are some issues in the way.

This is a well written, nicely paced novel with good characterisations of all the people in the book.  The sensual/sexy scenes are well written, emotional and erotic without being coarse and lewd.  This puts the book ‘up there’ in my estimation as opposed to others I have read that I've had to skip those parts.   

Well done, J.L. Campbell.  


Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Rain or Rainbow

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Rain or Rainbow

Monday 19 March 2018

Sunday Photo Fiction - The Trip



Fiction from Photos



Posted in Photo Fiction

Each week a photo is used, donated by one of the participants of Sunday Photo Fiction, and the idea is to write a story with the photo as a prompt in 200 words or less

Careful editing will keep your words within the confines of the 200 word limit. The photo doesn’t have to be centre stage, there have been times when I have had to read the story a few times to spot where the prompt is hidden. Please include a mention and / or link to whoever donated the photo.


Photo credit:  A Mixed Bag



THE TRIP

Alice found the letter in Ben’s room.   It detailed a trip to Egypt.  She gasped at the cost.  How on earth could she afford to send Ben on a trip of a lifetime?  The school listed how payments could be made over a period of time.  It didn’t mention any concessions for single parents on low incomes.  If she did manage the monthly payments over the next 18 months until the trip was underway could she then manage that sort of commitment again for Christine when it was her turn to go on such a trip?

She could not treat them differently.  Their father wasn’t working so she knew he couldn't help.  Her meagre paying part-time job wasn’t enough some months to buy everything they needed.  Teenagers needed so much more these days than she did when she was their age.

She did some sums.  If she was very, very careful and went without new clothes herself for the next few years she could get the money together.  Then there was the new clothing he would need and pocket money for the trip. 

She answered the phone.  Aunt Mill had left her a legacy, such a bitter/sweet blessing.

Word count: 198


Friday 16 March 2018

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Bikes of Any Kind

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Bikes of Any Kind

Old fashioned bike


Penny Farthing


Bike in sunshine


Wednesday 14 March 2018

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Sunset to Sunrise

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Sunset to Sunrise (including any nighttime photography)

Friday 9 March 2018

Cee's Black and White Challenge: Large Subjects


Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Large Subjects






This week the topic is 

Large Subjects.  

Large can be a matter of perspective.  Although I would assume large means bigger than a human being.  You can also show perspective of something real small and then something bigger than the small object.

Here is my selection 


Dragon head made out of shells


Exhibit at Turner Gallery


Lavenham Church Suffolk


Large stained glass window

Wednesday 7 March 2018

Cee's Fun Foto Challenge: Leaves or Trees




This week the topic is Leaves or Trees. 

This is a challenge is basically self-explanatory.  Any tree or leaf, alive or man made. 

Here is my selection