Writing Life: Felixstowe's Ferry Boat Inn

Restaurant Reviewing for the East Anglian Daily Times

I'm quite lucky that in my work for my local newspaper, the East Anglian Daily Times (EADT), I quite often get to review restaurants. I'm a freelancer so generally the other members of my team get to do regular reviews but I occasionally get thrown a bone and get to choose from the seemingly unending list of restaurants, pubs and cafes that are up for review.

I know this is basically a big boast, sorry about that, it is one of the major perks of my job (another was getting sent free jam and salted caramel spread from Tiptree for writing an article about them, that was a dream). However, it is sometimes a bit daunting, if the restaurant organises it it's fine as they know what's going on, but quite often I find myself calling a restaurant and asking them to give me a free three course meal for two. Luckily I haven't been laughed away yet or told where to go. The EADT is pretty well known in these parts and a good review often gets more people through the door.

Look at me I'm showing off again.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Book Review

Spellbinding, Enchanting, Magical. These are just a few words that have been used to describe Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child (Headline Review/Tinderpress). It does have a definite fairy tale quality, something deliberately included by the author as it is based on an old fairy story, yet there is also a seam of harsh realism running throughout the book.

It's the story of Mabel and Jack, a middle-aged couple in the 1920s who have moved to an Alaskan homestead for a new life. But they can't escape their sadness over the baby they lost and their life in the wilderness threatens to be too much for them to handle.
In a brief moment of happiness in their hard life they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow is gone but a mysterious human child is roaming their land. Is she real? And can she help them find the new start that they're looking for?

I Know Who Did It by Steve Mosby

Book Review

My first book review on this blog, and the first review from my crime book bundle, had to be a good one, and I Know Who Did It by Steve Mosby (Orion Publishing) is definitely a good one.

A young woman with dramatic facial scarring appears out of nowhere claiming she is Charlie Matheson, who happened to die in a car crash two years ago. Detective Mark Nelson must investigate if she is who she says she is and whether she's come back from the dead as she claims.

The book also focuses on Detective David Groves as he continues to try and understand the death of his young son. Every year on his son's birthday he receives a birthday card for him, but this year there is a message inside, I know who did it

The two mysteries converge in spectacular fashion to uncover a story of a vengeful killer and a twisted view of good and evil.

The book is actually the second in a series, the first being The 50/50 Killer. I haven't read this yet but I Know Who Did It can easily be read as a stand alone.

10p Book Haul

I went along to a local car boot sale on bank holiday Monday (how very British), hoping to pick up some good second-hand books.

However, though there were a lot of sad cuddly toys and mismatched kitchenware there weren't that many books.

I was going to give up and go home but I managed to strike lucky on my way out. I'd forgotten that the village hall that the boot sale was held at has second-hand books for sale in the foyer.

I got eight books, all for only 10p each, in the end T (fiancé) had to drag me away because I couldn't carry any more.

I thought I'd share what I got.