Alex Bell - fantasy author

I was complaining about summer on Twitter this morning. I am, at heart, a winter girl. Winter is my favourite season for a number of reasons. However, it occurred to me that complaining about summer wasn’t really the right attitude. There are lots of things I like about summer, so, in the interest of positive-thinking, I thought I would list a few of my favourites.

First up, it’s Pimms:

Is there anything better than sitting in the garden on a sunny day enjoying a nice tall glass of Pimms? It’s refreshing, it’s tasty, and it’s served in a glass chock-full of ice and fruit and sprigs of mint.

Invisible Stockings:

My new summer must-have are these invisible stockings from Tess Daly’s beauty range at Marks and Spencers. Not only are all the products in this range reasonably priced and beautifully packaged, but the invisible stockings are scented with jasmine and sweet vanilla. For someone like me who has naturally pale skin but no desire to sunbathe, this product is perfect. Not as heavy as a fake tan, it just adds a little bit of bronzed shimmer to legs whilst making them smell really good at the same time. A bronzer and a body butter all in one.

Tortoises:

My third reason for loving summer is that the tortoises come out of hibernation. You know summer has arrived when you see them stumping about in their pen, mashing up their food and getting it all over their faces. Pompey and Hannibal are both in their sixties – and very grand old men they are too.

Minx pedicure:

Clearly, there is no point paying out to have your toes look like this if they are hidden away in slipper-socks and boots the whole time. Summer, with its flip-flops and open sandals, is the perfect excuse to get a Minx pedicure. It would be a shame to ruin an outfit with plain feet, after all.

Bubbles with Moose:

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that I love my Great Dane very, very much. And during the summer we get to spend more time playing bubbles in the garden. They’re a little hard to see in this picture but the bubbles are there, and she is catching them. Bubbles is Moose’s favourite game – she never really got the hang of chasing balls, and will give me an evil look if I throw one of her toys across the lawn. The only downside to the bubble game is that, sometimes, after I’ve blown them for her, the wind changes and they come right back towards me. And Moose doesn’t really see me when she’s intent on the bubbles. You can get knocked right off your feet that way . . .

Summer Reads:

You know the books I mean. Something that’s fast paced and easy to read. Something to take on holiday with you. Something to read whilst drinking Pimms. These books are sheer, unadulterated pleasure that has nothing to do with anything. I usually read novels for a reason – like I’ve heard good things about the author and want to see what the fuss is about, or I’m trying a different genre, all the time with my own writing in mind. But, during the summer, it’s nice to treat yourself to a book you know you’re going to enjoy. There’s often an element of guilty pleasure in this as well. My top summer read indulgences would be anything by Victoria Holt, Madeleine Brent or Deanna Raybourn.

Travel treats:

You know when you go on holiday and decide to buy yourself some little thing that you don’t need but really, really want? This hydrating face spray by Evian was my holiday purchase this year. Yes, I know. It’s a little bit much. I acknowledge the foolishness. But it’s the perfect size to take on the plane with you and it has a pink lid and pink bubbles on the packaging and it did make me feel more refreshed after the long flight. And pure mineral water is much better for your skin than hard tap water. Go ahead and laugh at me - I don’t care - I will still love my dinky tube of face spray and I will still take it with me every time I travel.

And, finally, Starbucks frappucino:

A little piece of chilled blended heaven in a cup - ahhh! My favourite is the peppermint mocha frappucino. I could drink it all day.

So – there are some of my favourites. Now that I think about it, there is quite a lot I like about summer. So perhaps I will focus on the good stuff and try to make the most of it rather than wishing summer away.

Yes, indeed, it seems that there are some amazing books out there that were not written by me (I know it’s hard to believe). I don’t intend to point these books out too often here because this is my blog and, really, it should be perpetuating the myth that I am the centre of the universe.

But this book is so fantastic that I am making a special exception for it.

The book in question is: Silent In The Grave, by Deanna Raybourn:

I picked this up in an airport Waterstones on my way to Washington even though I already had with me a suitcase stuffed full of books. First, I was attracted by the unusual front cover - it is very turquoise. But what really clinched it for me was the way the book begins. It’s the best opening I have ever read and it goes like this:

“To say I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband’s dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor.”

Seriously - how can you not want to read on from that?

The book is a historical murder mystery type story but what really made it for me was the generous dash of quirkiness. That and the fact that I want to marry Nicholas Brisbane. And bear his beautiful, brooding, mysterious children. Seriously, though, it seems to be a rare thing nowadays to get a genuinely charismatic, intelligent, sexy, mysterious male lead. They all seem to be one-dimensional cheap Darcy imitations rippling with muscles and oil in a way that makes me feel slightly sick. A leading man should have intelligence and, preferably, a neck that isn’t thicker than his head. This is definitely the case with Nicholas Brisbane.

All in all, the murder mystery works, the romantic tension between Brisbane and Julia Grey works, the humour works and the setting works. Murder, poison, intrigue, a genuinely charasmatic male lead and gypsy curses . . . what’s not to like? It ticked all the right boxes. I also really enjoyed the sequel - Silent In The Sanctuary, and have pre-ordered the third book - Silent On The Moor. I hardly ever do this. The only other books I’ve ever preordered have been Harry Potters but I’m looking forward to it so much that I stuck it in my basket on Amazon even though it’s not even out yet. If the publication date is correct, it should be delivered just before I go on holiday to Las Vegas. Which means that I might have to snap quite viciously at anyone who interrupts me during that flight.