When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson is probably the best Kate Atkinson book that I have read.

In rural Devon, six-year-old Joanna Mason witnesses an appalling crime. Thirty years later the man convicted of the crime is released from prison. In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie works as a nanny for a G.P. But Dr Hunter has gone missing and Reggie seems to be the only person who is worried. Across town, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is also looking for a missing person, unaware that hurtling towards her is an old friend — Jackson Brodie — himself on a journey that becomes fatally interrupted.

I read The Road with a element of apprehension after a couple of people had told me it was depressing.

Before I read it I checked put what Amazon had to say about it:

The Art Of Black And White Photography ($44.95) looks at techniques for creating superb images in a digital workflow:

Over the last few years, most books on photography emphasized explaining the new breed of cameras and how to master the digital imaging workflow. In The Art of Black and White Photography Torsten Andreas Hoffmann takes a different approach, as he focuses on image composition and image capture, with an emphasis on the creative aspects of black and white photography, rather than on the digital workflow.

Just read four, somewhat different books, over the last couple of weeks as the summer binge continues!! We are in the middle of a exceptionally hot period at the moment. One consequence of that is that any activity based pastime (including eating!!!) needs to be done early or late, so during the day the siesta is king. This is very often a case of crashing with a book and the air conditioning on:

House Of Cards by Michael Dobbs. I remember the TV series of the trilogy but haven’t read the books. This was another ‘lucky dip’ book and I enjoyed it.

6 of the best – a phrase that will bring back memories for a number of the UK readers I imagine!!!

A friend of Sands recently returned to live in the UK and left a bag of books for us to read/sell at on eof the many local books sales that they run in the pubs, or basically do as we wanted with.

I decided to treat it as a lucky dip!!! So far the 5 books that I have ‘dipped’ have all been really great. None of them are serious or meaningful books – all very simple summer reads:

I seem to have worked my way through a number of books since I last posted on books read. At least one was a recommendation from Gary, one was a book that I picked up at a books sale for the strays here, and the rest are all off Sands shelf!!

A Quite Belief In Angles by RJ Ellory is based on the morbid and depressing subject of child deaths in the deep south of the US back in the ’60’s. At first I was unsure, but over time the main character and the story started to grip me. The ending was very well done as well!

This is a great book. It is the type of book that I really enjoy, as by telling the story it passes on some of the history of the place – this time 1960’s Nigeria.

Not a part of the world that I know much about, but I know a little more now, and have a good appreciation for the effect that the conflict had on people, and it has to be said any war must have on any nation.

Sime great characters, well writtte, powerful and very enjoyable indeed.

From Inspiration to Image is the tag line of the excellent Take Your Photography to the Next Level ($39.95 from RockyNook) and that sums it up perfectly!

It is all about becoming a better photographer, not about taking a better picture! Let me explain ………

To take a better picture in my mind is primarily technical. It is about shutter speeds, apertures, lighting etc. It is a bewildering (at times) array of techniques that even when you get it right often results in a picture that just doesn’t ‘look right’.

I was in at least two minds over this book. In theory I shouldn’t have needed it – I have been using my D80 for a while now, and it has a pretty good instruction manual with it, allbeit as easy to navigate as any manual!

The book was well presented, in a logical manner, with some clear and easy to follow illustrations (nice touch using the Apple Cinema Display throughout the book – minus the Apple logo!). The CD was very easy to use and flowed in a natural sequence, with some good examples to explain and inspire!