Hobbies and Crafts

Hi Mersey
I'll look out for that other Vera Atkins book. She's certainly a complex, interesting character though I'm not sure whether I like her much.

Finished reading In Search of Martha Brown,
good read and interesting how little is known of her life
even though research has been done over the years.
As I also get frustrated when researching my own ancestors
I feel we will never get to know Martha's whole story.

Emma :-)

Hi Vera I have read The Secret Life of Vera Atkins, infact I have read alot about her, I find her so interesting .....she intirgues me and found her quite a complex woman who never gave too much away about her private life......A very clever woman.......

I have been very interested in her and how the SOE worked through the war......

Another book I would recommend on the subject is

A Life In Secrets : Vera Atkins and The Missging Agents

The Special Operations Executive (SOE), Winston Churchill's personal creation to subvert Nazidom, occupies a legendary but controversial place in World War II annals. This original investigative history by a British journalist allays none of the criticism of the SOE--it was a failure that cost hundreds of agents their lives--but vindicates the valor of SOE agents. Centering attention on a high-ranking SOE officer named Vera Atkins (1908-2000), Helm recounts a war-crimes inquiry Atkins conducted in the immediate aftermath of the war: Atkins sought information about the fates of about 100 agents she had sent into France. Atkins knew during the war that SOE's French operations had been compromised but not whether it was through treachery or lax security. Solid on the spycraft aspects of Atkins' quest, which identified a Nazi mole in SOE, Helm engrossingly narrates Atkins' hunt for the truth in furtive traces about her agents gleaned from Germans who had shunted them from capture to concentration camp. Carried off with consummate skill, Helm's report is also an inveigling portrait of Atkins' own secretive life.

Sorry Ann. I had a senior moment. See the Edit on my previous post

Don't keep us in suspense Vera. First few pages of?????? :-D

I am catching up on books that have been sitting on the Kindle for ages and have just finished "Symphony of Echoes" by Jodi Taylor, part of the Chronicles of St Mary's series. It could be read as a stand alone book but there are quite a few references to events in the previous book in the series "Just One Damned Thing After Another" so it is probably best to read that one first.

These books are pure fantasy and escapism but I find them quite enjoyable.

Last night I read the first few pages of

EDIT: I had a mad moment and pressed submit half way through the sentence so to continue:

Last night I read the first few pages of "A Life in Secrets - The Story of Vera Atkins and the Lost Agents of SOE" by Sarah Helm. It looks as though it is going to be interesting. My daughter recommended it some while ago. I got the Kindle edition for £1.99 in April but I see it is now £6.49!

My latest read was Len Deighton’s City of Gold.

The City of Gold is set in early 1942 Cairo when Rommel’s army is poised to attack. Major Albert Cutler is charge with finding the spy who is supplying Rommel with accurate information.
None of the characters are who they seem to be - gold should be fools gold.

Although the protagonists are drawn from the British, Army and other countries ex-pat privileged communities, LD does have the space to describe the appalling living conditions of the starving working class Egyptians.

Its a mixture of a spy novel together with a description of life during WW2 and less pleasant aspects of living in an occupied zone, the occupiers being the British Army in a neutral Egypt.

Started reading In Search Of Martha Brown,
last night, looks to be very interesting.

Emma

Last night I started reading A Beautiful Day by Kate Anthony.....

Today is the day that things are going to change for Rachel Bidewell.


She will walk through the doors of Clifton Avenue Care Home and start a new life.


Rachel is returning to work. And as she discovers, juggling a new job, three children and an ex husband can feel like drowning.


Someone needs to throw her a lifeline...


Philip doesn't seem like an obvious lifesaver. He has just lost the one person who ever cared for him and, even as an adult, he doesn't know how to live in the real world.


But might Philip and Rachel each have something the other needs?


This is a story of unexpected friendship; of the messy, muddy territory of those broken by life - and what it takes to fix them. It reminds us that the very darkest of days can be funny, heart-warming and even beautiful.

Glad you enjoyed it, Ann :-)

Yes the villa was a good read. :-)

Persie I'm a tree hugger, Dermot is welcome to the bins :-D <3

Hi Persie long time no see..... :-D <3 always great to see you posting :-D <3

I like Elizabeth Edmondson, The Villa is one that came up in GlossieAnn's Greaders group..

Hello Emma, yes it is a long time no speak, have you hugged your rubbish bin, Dermot recommends it?

Persie

Pammy I downloaded The Villa too, havent read it but will do now you have mentioned it :-)

SVera I thoroughly enjoyed the book I was even going to suggest it for the GReaders thread...well worth a read.....

Hi Belladonna not sure if we have spoken before but Welcome and its great to see you posting.......I will take a look at the one you have mentioned......

Happy Reading Bookworms & Kindle Tarts :-D <3

The Drowning ~Camilla Lackberg, an excellent series of Scandi crime novels :-)

Have finished Nicholas &Alexandra at last and enjoyed it very much. Tragic ending of course with the murder of Nicholas, Alexandra and their five children, and the deaths of a number of other people connected with them. As well as enjoying it as a good read I feel I understand the history of Russia a little bit better now. Book seems to be well researched and the same author has written books on Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, which might be worth a read.

Just finished reading The Villa In Italy by Elizabeth Edmondson.

Four people are invited to stay in a villa in Italy through the will of Beatrice Malaspina. None of them knew her and appear to have no connection to each other.

I really enjoyed this book and best of all it was free on Kindle :-)

'Simply English' by Simon Heffer.

The Author said: "I am far from sure that every act of violence done to the English language is recorded here but the most frequent & the most likely are, as are the means of avoiding them".

An amusing & useful read.

Persie long time no see or speak <3

Hope you and yours are keeping well :-D

Emma :-)