A couple of weeks ago by sheer coincidence I received emails on almost the same day asking if I would review a couple of books. As the steadier gardening months are upon us I decided that I would. If nothing else, it would give me some extra subject matter for blog posts.
I get quite a few similar requests, as I know many gardening bloggers do, but one request was different in that it wasn't a gardening book but a novella. If like me you are unsure of what a novella actually is, it's 'a fictional, prose narrative normally longer than a
short story but shorter than a novel'. This novella is 79 pages long in manuscript format but is estimated to have 117 pages in Kindle format.
The reason the author approached me was that the story was set on an allotment site.
The book arrived in manuscript format so I had my first foray into reading a book on an Ipad, something that Martyn has been trying to get this resistant paperback reader to try.
The book itself will be available on Kindle as of today.
The title of the book 'One for the Rook' intrigued me but I was soon to learn that the disappearance of the resident rooks from the edge of the allotment site was considered to be a bad omen and the events that followed were, by some, attributed to this disappearance.
The author D S Nelson has been an Agatha Christie fan from a young age and her books are very much of this genre. It isn't the type of book that I would choose to buy but the story did keep my interest. It is an easy read written from the perspective of the main, Miss Marple type, character.
Blake Hetherington is an elderly miliner who in his spare time tends his allotment plot with his young friend Delilah. His dream is to grow a giant pumpkin that will win a prize at the garden show. When the allotment site becomes a scene of murder, the pair cannot resist trying to unravel the mystery.
Despite being a murder mystery the book is a light-hearted read with humour creeping in, for example Hetherington can't help reflecting on how the murder is affecting his chances of winning a prize for the best pumpkin.
Being an allotment gardener, I read the book with an eye to any glaring gardening errors but I found nothing serious enough to have me shouting "That's rubbish!" at the screen. A few of the allotment tenants in the story would struggle to keep their plots but I'll allow this for artistic licence.
If you go for the Agatha Christie type of story and don't mind only being able to read it in Kindle format then this may be a 'book' for you but be warned it may also make you view fellow allotment tenants in a new light.
The price is £1.56
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really pleased you enjoyed and thank you for persevering with an e-book! :o)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
DeleteNow this sounds like something I might enjoy. I'm not a Kindle user though, I'm still on paperbacks.
ReplyDeleteAmazon puts out a freeware program called Kindle for PC you can download to your desktop and laptop so you could read a Kindle book without a Kindle, Jo. With shelf space running out and Kindle ebooks being so much cheaper than paper copies maybe I'll have to relent!
DeleteThat's useful to know Sue. The books sounds good, just my type of thing. Although I get quite jumpy down at the allotment on my own at dusk as it is...
DeleteMaybe you shouldn't read it then CJ :)
DeleteIt sounds good, I rather like a Miss Marple story so perhaps it will suit. Something to go on the kindle which I have had lurking in a corner for a while.
ReplyDeleteAt £1.56 there isn't a lot to lose is there, Jo?
DeleteIt sounds very intriquing!xxxx
ReplyDeleteIt has set me thinking about writing something for a KIndle, Snowbird but I doubt that I'll get round to it!
DeleteInteresting info Sue, I received my first book for review today. Any tips? (Rooko)
ReplyDeleteIt isn't The Allotment Planner is it Rooko? If so I have a copy to review too as it seems have a few other bloggers which is why I did this one first. Tips - let me think - don't read the other reviews before you do your own, be honest and fair and remember your job isn't to sell the book and also give yourself time to get to know the book.
DeleteI haven’t entered to world of Kindle yet but I suppose it is just a matter of time…sounds like an interesting book, I like murder mysteries!
ReplyDeleteI haven't Helene but my bookshelves are groaning. The trouble is I keep all my paperbacks and do often go back and read them again. Martyn one the other hand is more likely to read a Kindle book than a paper version.
DeleteI think its great book to read
ReplyDeleteIt will depend on what type of book you enjoy Endah.
DeleteThis could be nice to read upon...
ReplyDeleteWelcome Cutella and thank you for commenting.
ReplyDeleteI'm a kindle addict, I love being able to cart around an armful of books without hurtng my back! Story sounds fun, though I'm not sure I would pay real money for it, I prefer things I know I will want to read again some day.
ReplyDeleteThat is one plus point of a Kindle I suppose, Janet. Martyn used his Ipad.
DeleteSounds interesting...and I do have a kindle so I may give it a go. Point of note though...I have never been asked to review any books :-(
ReplyDeleteMaybe they think that you are far too busy whereas they think I have lots of time on my hands! :)
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