Paper Rose - Diana Palmer

Advantages: Heart warming and sometimes harrowing account of life with a chronically ill family member, balanced with lots of humour
Disadvantages: Stock up on tissues...

...Normally, as a very fast reader, I can sit down with a paperback and whiz through it in a few hours, finish the thing, and then think no more about it. Until I read a copy of ‘Diana's Story’ by Deric Longden. This book moved me beyond words and for the first time in my life, I felt compelled to put pen to paper and drop a note to the author to congratulate him on a very wonderful and very sad but true story. I wanted to thank him for sharing his heart breaking account of life with M.E. sufferer Diana (his wife) and for portraying an M.E. sufferer as a real life human being with thoughts, strengths, humour, intelligence and wit and not just as an 'invalid'. Maybe I'm a little biased, as I am recovering from M.E. myself, but Longden's heart-warming and loving account of his life with this brave, funny and wonderful lady... Read review

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...I apologise but what i am writing here is not an opinion about this book but my own personal tribute to Diana. I could not find anywhere else to write about her so I thought that this would be the best place. On the day that the news broke about Diana's death I was moved, like many other people, to write a poem about her and the effect that her death had on myself and everyone else. It is here that I am going to put that poem because even now when I think about her I still feel saddened about the hard times she had and how she was deprived of her new found happiness. The poem is as follows: OUR BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS A shining star The brightest light Glowing out into the night With so much trouble staring her in the face She still made our lives a better place She was so caring, loving and sweet Only just finding her own... Read review

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Advantages: A fun, quick read
Disadvantages: A slightly silly resolution to the plot

...As well as being a big fan of Harry Potter (as evidenced by my recent reviews!), I'm also slightly obsessed with the new revival of Doctor Who. 'The Stone Rose' was my first venture into the Doctor Who novels, and it's a good read. I picked it up in Tesco last year whilst on holiday, as I'd run out of books and it was a bargainous £2.50. Recently, I've bought a few other Doctor Who novels, which I may review at a later time. But for now, here's my review of 'The Stone Rose' by Jacqueline Rayner. **Blurb** (from the back of the book) Mickey is startled to find a statue of Rose in a museum - a statue that is 2,000 years old. The Doctor realises that this means the TARDIS will shortly take them to ancient Rome, but when it does, he and Rose soon have more on their minds than sculpture. While the Doctor searches for a missing boy... Read review

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