Yes. They did get a bit samey, but this one is quite different, although he’s still a great storyteller.
I just finished the first of a series, Flowers in the Attic, a poignant book that kept me reading and reading…starting on the second book now !
Flowers in the Attic is a 1979 novel by V. C. Andrews. It is the first book in the Dollanganger Series, and was followed by Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows.
In 1957, the Dollanganger family lives an idyllic life in Gladstone, Pennsylvania. When the father dies in a car accident, his wife Corrine and four children are left deep in debt and move to her estranged wealthy parents’ home, Foxworth Hall, in Virginia. Corrine explains to them that she has been estranged from her parents because of something she did which her parents disapproved of when she was 18. She further explains that their true family name is Foxworth not Dollanganger. Upon arrival Corrine’s mother, Olivia, sneaks the family into a small bedroom that connects to the attic and insists the children must be hidden from their grandfather. Olivia treats the children with disdain and threatens to severely punish them for any disobedience. Corrine meets with her father, and when she returns to the children, she has been savagely whipped by Olivia, who then tells the children that their parents were half-uncle and niece. Corrine confirms this and explains her plan to win back her father’s love so she can introduce the children to him.
I read a couple of them, must be 30 years ago now, goodness how time flies!! Enjoyed them at the time.
I am about to start a bit of a sabbatical and just concentrate on my gardening books while the weather is warm enough to do a few jobs outside - not reading as such but still a page turner. 
I am working my way through the crime novels written by James Lee Burke, reading ‘Cadillac Jukebox’ at present.
A brilliant descriptive American writer from New Orleans.
I used to love J L Burke. I got his first Robicheaux novel, The Neon Rain, in a charity shop when there were not so many around. I read them all as they came out but the last few years he got too sentimental and god bothering for me.
I particularly enjoyed his relationship with his old buddy Clete Purcell. Clete got to do the stuff too wicked for the hero. Brilliant!
He certainly is a great writer, I love all the flora and fauna description and I like to work out all the American slang and phrases his characters use, sometimes very challenging.
I’ve read almost all of his books and enjoyed the great majority of them. Interestingly in the Robicheaux stories, the daughter of the fictional detective is named Alifair.
In real life, Burke has a daughter by that name and she is also a successful crime story author.
I did a search for ‘FREE’ on my Kindle and came across a few detective novels. One was by Jeffrey Archer marked down from £9.95! Seemed a short novel but one I quite enjoyed, though I thought it had a major flaw in that the detective had a gammy leg which was at odds with the action scenes. 2nd one I found for free is lengthier and the detective is a ‘real man’; one that drinks copious amounts, fights and beds lots of women . Blimey is life in the US as portrayed in the book I wonder? I ain’t man enough to frequent such a place if it is that is for sure. Full of coked up lunatics ready to kick off at a moments notice apparently. Enjoying the book though all the same. Can’t remember the title or the name of the author off the top of my head right now. Will add it later.
A while back I read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, which I really enjoyed. So, now I’m reading Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks, which has a similar structure to Cloud Atlas but is not quite so enjoyable although still eminently readable. This lesser enjoyment is probably because one section seems to be largely a literary in-joke that you have to get in its entirety to appreciate it.
Can’t remember the title or the name of the author off the top of my head right now. Will add it later
Just make sure you do…you have fired my interest now 
upto page 74
LAST MAN DOWN -The firemans Story,
an heroic account of how Pitch Picciotto survived the collapse of the Twin Towers and led his men to safety.
well written, first hand account of a fire chief going into the North Tower one hour after the first aircraft had hit the building.
We learnt the very first fire fighter killed was killed by the body of a woman who had leapt from the tower, the fire dept. chaplain who knelt down to administer last rights was killed when he took off his helmet and was hit by a falling chunk of the building.
Its a book you dont want to put down.
Jodi Taylor - The Chronicles of St Mary.
I’ve just bought book 7 for my Kindle off Amazon.
I’ve read the other six books in just over a week. I’m going to be sad to finish this one and be in the position of waiting for Book 8.
Thumping good reads …
A lovely person from England just sent me … Spuds, Spam and Eating for Victory: Rationing In The Second World War. 
I’m looking forward to reading it.
I have just finished reading “Calling Home” by Julie Kibler. It was hard work to put the book down, an excellent read. The front cover states “for fans of The Help”. Two main characters in the book, a very old white lady and a younger black lady. The book is mainly about the old lady relating the story of her life from the age of 16 when she fell in love with a young black man and the tragedies that happened when her family found out.
I used to be an avid reader of Virginia Andrews, starting with that first book and the rest in the series.
I then read a few after she’d died and they were written by someone else, and of course they didn’t have her true style so I tailed off.
Just finished One Small Act of Kindness by Lucy Dillon.
It was hard going at first, but then I loved it.
A young couple move into the family hotel (of the husband) to help recover it from failure, but there are many secrets. A young woman is knocked down outside the hotel, with the hotel details on a piece of a paper, but she loses her memory and cannot even remember her name. The young owner of the hotel takes her in, and as time goes on, more and more secrets are revealed.
Currently reading “Broadsides, The age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815”, by Nathan Miller. The focus is largely on the Royal Navy and it’s on and off battles with the French, Spanish, and fledgling navy of the United states. I’ve read books of this era before, but this is among the best.
Nottinghamshire Murder Stories.+Leicestershire Murder stories +
Derbyshire Tales of Mystery and Murder …all short stories of the cases .
So I can pick up and read one case in just 10 minutes.
All by David Bell
At the moment I’m ploughing my way through all the Hamish Macbeth books, I love this series. Also the Agatha Raisin ones. Need some light hearted reading just now and M.C. Beaton never fails me…
I have finally finished War & Peace. It was hard going but I’m glad I did it. Spurred on by my achievement, I attempted Ulysses by James Joyce but that was impossible. It’s a shame because he was obviously a very talented writer but insisted on writing joined up drivel. Some people love it I know but to me it’s the Kings New Clothes.
5th part of the invasion series finding myself hoping there isn’t a 6th and all the characters could die really soon. Will finish it if it kills me but boy what a mess of a book series.