Last for August?!!

A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff
Loved it...beautiful detail about vintage clothes, too! Based around Phoebe who's best friend has died leading to life chnge changes including opening a vintage dress shop. this leads to meeting Therese who has her own tragic regrets from the past which Phoebe investigates. Stick in a couple of love interests and a foul teenagegirl and it's a wonderful read. Lovely one to finish the month on.

The Ballroom on Magnolia Street by Sharon Owens
Feel a bit let down by this one as I read the Tea House on Mulberry Street ages ago and really enjoyed it, but this was a disappointment. Firstly, and this is my fault...it's not about a ballroom at all, but a disco that survived through the late fifties to the eighties. The book is set in the eighties, although I do think some of the records and the dating is a bit off, but maybe they were released differently in Belfast. It's mainly based around two sisters and their eventual double wedding. I only stuck with it beacuse I rarely give up once I've started a book. It was very slow to get going and the time references seemed confused ...it took me a while to realise when the book was set. The characteristation was weak, they were all 2d, even the more sympathetic ones like Declan and Shirley - I really didn't care and then the end was all summed up in a few paragraphs. One of my don't bothers.

Annie May's Black Book by Debby Holt
I really like the idea of this and had it as a RiSi swap at the beginning of year. As my to read list grows, especially as i can't seem to stop buying books, I thought I ought to give it a go. It's a fun fluffy read, but very cliched - even more so that I expect from this genre. It's set in Bath and everyone is remarkably well off and well connected...the typical "middle class" names of all Annie's friends got confusing and they really weren't importnat at all expect the one who's husband's been having affairs for years and she has a total personality transplant to bring the two estranged romantic leads together again. Slightly disappoined as I really enjoyed one of the author's other books.