An Astronauts Guide to Life On Earth - Col Chris Hadfield

If you ever dreamed that you could be an astronaut then this is the book to read.  It might make you realise that you should have tried harder at school.  Col Chris Hadfield is a Canadian who has worked his whole life to make it into space and you have to admire his extraordinary work ethic to achieve his goal.

It was fascinating to read about his journey to both Nasa and then into space.  Although it looks cool to float around the space station the realities of flight made me think I would be space sick the whole time and would not tolerate the lack of showers well.  Hats off to the men and women who step up to do this job.

Personal Shopper

Well this seemed to me a bit drippy and pretentious.  Little Kristen Stewart is playing a grown up in this movie, but seems to not have any other expression than the mopey one she has in most movies.  She is living in Paris following the death of her brother, who she is waiting for him to contact her from the dead.  To earn her keep she is the personal shopper for a rich celebrity.  Oh the horrors of having to go and get Chanel and diamonds and be paid for it.

I don't know - I didn't really buy into it, it just all seemed a bit dreary to me.  2/5

The Orphan's Tale - Pam Jenoff

Pam Jenoff has written another story set in the second world war.  Noa is sixteen, and thrown out of her Dutch home by her parents.  She finds shelter and a job cleaning at a railway station, when circumstances change and she is on the run.  Taken in by a local circus, she meets Astrid, an aerial artist who has also lost her family, and helps to train the young girl and look after her.

This was a unique spin on a second world war friendship story, and I could see this easily being a movie, but although I could picture the world they lived in and the villages they visited, I somehow didn't get a clear picture of Noa and Astrid, they seemed a bit flat for me. 4/5

Driving Miss Norma - Tim Bauerschmidt

This is a sweet memoir.  Tim and his wife have retired early, and sell up their home to travel in an airstream chasing the warm weather.  On a visit to see his parents, he realizes that his dad has become unwell, and declines rapidly.  As he is dying, his mother Miss Norma is diagnosed with uterine cancer.  Rather than conventional treatment of surgery, chemo and radiation, they offer to buy a larger RV and  pack up and take her on the road and show her America.

Using social media to document their journey, she becomes a celebrity getting invited to dinner and shows around the country.  It is though, the quiet moments, the new sights that meant more to me.  The chance to bond with her son that she rarely saw, and a chance to look at new sights.  I liked that it wasn't a bucket list thing, that they tried to just go with the flow and enjoy the dinners at diners, and sitting and looking at the view were important.   5/5

Two Nights - Kathy Reichs

This is a new character for the author Kathy Reichs.  Sunday Night is a tough ex military girl, who now is living the quiet life on a remote island, minding her own business and busy feeding her squirrel.  Called in to help find a missing girl, she finds herself being the target and being stalked, chased and shot at.

 I wasn't quite convinced by this story, maybe the cheesy name put me off, but it seemed all a bit unbelievable, shoot ups in a hotel leaving dead criminals, where she seems to be able to explain to the local police in a couple of minutes.   Somehow the trail of dead bodies would not seem that hard to track down to the hired gun.  Maybe I am cynical, but it felt a bit like it was an attempt at creating a Jack Reacher type character and didn't quite ring true for me.  3/5

Music Monday - Heart of Glass

Time for a classic today.  Me and my bestie scratched the he'll out of my brothers copies of Blondies Parallel Lines in 1978.  I still like to dance round the living room to it.

The Handmaids Tale

Ohhh I have just started this one and am enjoying it.  Ever since I read Margaret Atwoods stunning book in the 1980s it is one of those stories that stays with you.

 After a change in society, infertility has become the norm.   Young women who are fertile are forced into families of wealth and connection where they are used as vessels to breed.

  I am only on episode one, but this  version is dark and ominous.  Elizabeth Moss is mesmerizing in the lead role.  If I weren't soon tired I would have been tempted to stay up all night and binge watch.  Luckily there are a few rainy spring days forecast so I can stay inside and binge.

The Secrets of My Life - Caitlyn Jenner

Most of us are aware of the story of how Bruce Jenner, Olympic gold winning athlete and celebrity transitioned recently and revealed herself as Caitlyn Jenner.  In this memoir, she tells us the story of how she knew from a very young age she wanted to dress as a girl and felt wrong as a boy, but it took decades before she was able to  change her body and admit to her family her true self.

You have to admire people who are able to step up and reveal themselves, faults and all.  I like her bravery in writing this book and and enjoyed learning her story.   I left with the feeling that because of her secrets that she hidden, her life has been lonely and largely unhappy.  I hope she finds happiness now - life is short and to be treasured. 4/5

Fragile Lives - Stephen Westaby

Professor Stephen Westaby is a prominent UK cardiac surgeon.  In this book he tells us about his own life and family and how the death of his grandparents led him to deciding to become a doctor.  He has lots of fascinating stories about his training years.

Most of the book though is devoted to the heart patients that he has looked after over the years - the successes and the failures.  He started his training when cardiac surgery was a young speciality and there have been many advances is surgery techniques and tools available.   I could have listened to his stories endlessly as the were all so inspirational. 5/5

Juliet's Answer - Glenn Dixon

Glenn Dixon is a Canadian English teacher, who tells us about his classroom and their experience of learning about Romeo and Juliet.  On one of his holidays, he heads to the real Verona in Italy, to work in an office where unlucky in love men and women write letters to Juliet Capulet, and a team of writers reply back giving them hope.

He does a good job of switching between stories, and in the process reminding us all of the beauty of Romeo and Juliet and their star crossed love.  It even made me want to read it again, which I last read many decades ago in high school. 4/5