Twilight Series by Stephanie Mayer
The first three books:
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
This series of books aimed at the American young adult market is very entertaining for the older reader too. Quite heavily charged with teenage angst I can see how it appeals to the hormonally imbalanced youth who have taken to it so well.
Twilight
‘When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret.
What Bella doesn’t realise is that the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And it might be too late to turn back…’
New Moon
‘For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edwards has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realise their troubles may be just beginning…’
Eclipse
‘As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continuous her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded be danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob – knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?’
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Up, up and away…
We have just been on a long weekend break to the beautiful Peak District and the heart of the country. We based ourselves at the historic market town of Bakewell, renowned for its tarts and puddings (though not to our tastes), which is a lovely town besides the river that has a friendly atmosphere and bucolic charm.
On our way to the town we stopped in at the nearby historic Chatsworth home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. It is an impressive pile with grand gardens and lands as far as the eye can see. We were more impressed with the wonderful grounds with their long lacks, fountains and water terraces than we were with the house itself. We had a delightful picnic lunch sitting in the grounds in the bright sunshine
The following day we visited another historic home that had belonged to the Cavendish family, that of Hardwick Hall. We were very impressed with both the old and new halls that stand next to one another on the top of a hill overlooking the countryside.
Down into the valley we stopped at another National Trust property; that of the estate’s mill – Stainsby Mill, where we witnessed the water wheel powered millstones grinding grain into flour just as it did so long ago.
We returned to Bakewell to have another picnic lunch, this time on the banks of the river, before returning to our hotel to change for the evening.
We drove a couple of miles out of town to a little village of Rowsley where we parked up in the middle of a field. Here we had arranged to meet with others for a balloon ride over the countryside.
The weather was perfect and the organisers started to prepare the balloon as we were briefed. It turned out one person had tried 17 different occasions to fly over a 2 years before this day, each time to have it cancelled before it took off. Conditions though were right and the balloon was inflated and we clambered into the wicker basket to soar into the sky. The trip was sublime and gentle as we drifted up to over 4000 feet where we could see all around the Peak District, the town of Bakewell at out feet, Chatsworth over the hill, other stately homes, farms and rolling countryside. We could see a couple of other balloons in the sky with us and briefly a small airplane buzzed in between us and the Virgin balloon like the red baron. After the controlled landing in a farmer’s field we had a drink of champagne before being driven back to our car.
It was one of the best experiences we have ever had, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
On our way to the town we stopped in at the nearby historic Chatsworth home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. It is an impressive pile with grand gardens and lands as far as the eye can see. We were more impressed with the wonderful grounds with their long lacks, fountains and water terraces than we were with the house itself. We had a delightful picnic lunch sitting in the grounds in the bright sunshine
The following day we visited another historic home that had belonged to the Cavendish family, that of Hardwick Hall. We were very impressed with both the old and new halls that stand next to one another on the top of a hill overlooking the countryside.
Down into the valley we stopped at another National Trust property; that of the estate’s mill – Stainsby Mill, where we witnessed the water wheel powered millstones grinding grain into flour just as it did so long ago.
We returned to Bakewell to have another picnic lunch, this time on the banks of the river, before returning to our hotel to change for the evening.
We drove a couple of miles out of town to a little village of Rowsley where we parked up in the middle of a field. Here we had arranged to meet with others for a balloon ride over the countryside.
The weather was perfect and the organisers started to prepare the balloon as we were briefed. It turned out one person had tried 17 different occasions to fly over a 2 years before this day, each time to have it cancelled before it took off. Conditions though were right and the balloon was inflated and we clambered into the wicker basket to soar into the sky. The trip was sublime and gentle as we drifted up to over 4000 feet where we could see all around the Peak District, the town of Bakewell at out feet, Chatsworth over the hill, other stately homes, farms and rolling countryside. We could see a couple of other balloons in the sky with us and briefly a small airplane buzzed in between us and the Virgin balloon like the red baron. After the controlled landing in a farmer’s field we had a drink of champagne before being driven back to our car.
It was one of the best experiences we have ever had, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
More wot I have read…
Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden
This was another charity shop purchase. This is the second in a trilogy, but I don’t think that matters. It is a ‘boys own’ sort of read and is entertaining in its own way, well written and researched without being overburdened with a desire to educate.
‘His warriors only have the bow, the horse and an iron discipline born from a land of ice, hunger and death. Genghis Khan, the greatest of the warriors, must unite the most warlike tribes on earth in order to forge a new nation from the wild plains and mountains of Mongolia.
To achieve this, he must break the ancient enemy who has kept his people divided; he must attack them in their fortresses and walled cities; he must find a new way of warfare, while at the same time coping with his restless generals, ambitious brothers and growing sons.’
This was another charity shop purchase. This is the second in a trilogy, but I don’t think that matters. It is a ‘boys own’ sort of read and is entertaining in its own way, well written and researched without being overburdened with a desire to educate.
‘His warriors only have the bow, the horse and an iron discipline born from a land of ice, hunger and death. Genghis Khan, the greatest of the warriors, must unite the most warlike tribes on earth in order to forge a new nation from the wild plains and mountains of Mongolia.
To achieve this, he must break the ancient enemy who has kept his people divided; he must attack them in their fortresses and walled cities; he must find a new way of warfare, while at the same time coping with his restless generals, ambitious brothers and growing sons.’
More wot I have seen…
Brass Monkey at the Electric Theatre in Guildford
We recently went to a live ‘gig’ at the Electric Theatre in Guildford, a lovely little venue built in what used to be an electricity power station. We saw a flyer for Brass Monkey at the local folk group and decided to give them a go as we recognised the names of a couple of the band members (Martin Carthy and John Kirkpatrick). The small venue had an intimate feel, though the seats we had at the back suffered from poor ventilation and it became quite hot and stuffy during the performance. The band played traditional folk songs but with a twist of having the less traditional brass instruments playing a major part. Probably not exactly our taste but interesting in their own right they were certainly very accomplished musicians and it was an enjoyable evening.
‘Brass Monkey – the five-piece band that started in 1980, sputtered to a halt in 1987, and burst back onto the scene with renewed vigour in 1997 – looked all set to build on the buzz of a re-energised come-back with regular new albums and annual tours. They had a unique sound, nobody else remotely resembled them, every live appearance was a wonderful success, and every new recording was greeted with joyous appreciation’
Shep Woolley at the Dorking Folk Club
This was an entertaining gig in the old folk tradition of comedy and music combining to give the audience a good time.
‘To some Shep is a folk singer who tells funny stories, to others he's a stand-up comedian who writes great songs and parodies. He can sing a protest song or belt out Long Tall Sally - he is definitely a great all-round performer who is the perfect guest for All Fool’s day!’
We recently went to a live ‘gig’ at the Electric Theatre in Guildford, a lovely little venue built in what used to be an electricity power station. We saw a flyer for Brass Monkey at the local folk group and decided to give them a go as we recognised the names of a couple of the band members (Martin Carthy and John Kirkpatrick). The small venue had an intimate feel, though the seats we had at the back suffered from poor ventilation and it became quite hot and stuffy during the performance. The band played traditional folk songs but with a twist of having the less traditional brass instruments playing a major part. Probably not exactly our taste but interesting in their own right they were certainly very accomplished musicians and it was an enjoyable evening.
‘Brass Monkey – the five-piece band that started in 1980, sputtered to a halt in 1987, and burst back onto the scene with renewed vigour in 1997 – looked all set to build on the buzz of a re-energised come-back with regular new albums and annual tours. They had a unique sound, nobody else remotely resembled them, every live appearance was a wonderful success, and every new recording was greeted with joyous appreciation’
Shep Woolley at the Dorking Folk Club
This was an entertaining gig in the old folk tradition of comedy and music combining to give the audience a good time.
‘To some Shep is a folk singer who tells funny stories, to others he's a stand-up comedian who writes great songs and parodies. He can sing a protest song or belt out Long Tall Sally - he is definitely a great all-round performer who is the perfect guest for All Fool’s day!’
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