Notes of Life

Author: Lisa Niemi Swayze
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 978-0-85720-838-5

Well, what can I say? This was never going to be an easy read. Patrick Swayze died in September 2009 having suffered from pancreatic cancer. After being diagnosed with the disease, Patrick had lived longer than anyone could have imagined. He wasn’t going without a fight…

Patrick Swayze’s autobiography (co-written with his wife, Lisa), released shortly after his death, detailed the ups & downs of his career and personal life. It was an honest book that was also gritty and inspiring.

Now, in Worth Fighting For, Lisa shares with us their fight of survival against this cruel disease – from diagnosis until the aftermath of his death. This is a story of love, illness, life, death and loss; of two people so in love and of the power of the human spirit.

This is a revealing story, a glimpse into the world of cancer, the patient and, maybe most importantly, the carer. Lisa went through everything with Patrick. Neither of them wanted to give in and so Lisa was there to do everything Patrick needed her to do and more. Lisa took notes of what medicines and procedures may help, and was in tune with Patrick’s body almost as much as he was himself. We’re taken through the ups (when results came back favourable) and downs (when infections set in or medication ceased to work), but most of all it is their love for each other that truly shines through.

Patrick and Lisa didn’t just have to endure the pain of cancer what what it does, but with Patrick’s status as a Hollywood actor came the tabloid hell once the news leaked out. Tabloids were writing him off long before Patrick was ready to go, but the pair raised above it. They’d got enough on their plates as it was.

While Worth Fighting For is, of course, an emotional read, Patrick’s humour shines through and on more than one occasion I found myself laughing out loud while reading the book. Even Patrick’s strength and determination shows as he filmed TV series The Beast without medication so as to be on top of his game. Patrick was a professional to the very end.

Then, Lisa shares with us perhaps the most personal of experiences, Patrick’s death. it was this chapter, and the immediate lead up to it, that I struggled to read. I got through it, with tears in my eyes. I can only imagine what Lisa and Patrick’s brother Donny (who also helped care for him) went through.

Lisa did everything she could for Patrick, so when that time came when he was gone, Lisa sunk to the ground. Nothing much mattered now. The epilogue tells of how Lisa is now dealing (or maybe not) with her grief, but she is working hard to get through it.

Worth Fighting For is a powerful, moving read that is honest and real. It’ll have you laughing and crying. Having read it in just a couple of sittings, I could barely put it down.

Read my review of The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi.

Buy Worth Fighting For by Lisa Niemi Swayze.

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Please note: I received this book free from Simon & Schuster in return for a review. However, this has in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

Forgetting the fact that I seem to have come down with a chest infection overnight, I’ve had a fantastic time this week (not including Monday & Tuesday which were spent at work!).

On Wednesday I travelled down to London and met up with the wonderful Miles from Milo’s Rambles and Sue from Novel Heights for drinks. Sadly, we couldn’t chat for long with Sue as Miles & I were off to drinks & a chat organised by Hodder to celebrate the forthcoming release of Master and God by Lindsey Davis. I haven’t yet read Master and God, but did manage to grab a copy while I was there. Several people also recomended I try Lindsey’s Falco series. I met some great people had had a good time. Big thanks go to Kerry for letting me tag along!

Thursday daytime I decided to take a walk along the Thames and wander around the streets of London. And do you know what? I completely forgot to take any photos! I, of course, had my camera with me, but somehow forgot. Still, it was nice to have a wander around and go down streets I hadn’t been down before. I had considered a boat trip down the Thames to Greenwich, but with it being school half-term the boats looked a little crowded for my liking, so I left it for another time. It turned out that later I’d be glad I didn’t go shopping…

Thursday evening I attended the Quercus Digital Shindig and it turns out they really know how to throw a party! There was plenty of food & drink to be consumed and, most importantly, despite not knowing a soul there, there were plenty of people to chat to. I’m not particularly good in social situations, but I had a wonderful time chatting with the publicists, authors and other bloggers. Everyone was so nice and friendly and I was never short of somebody to talk with.

Quercus also had a surprise for their guests… A great big goody bag! It consisted of 7 books (specifically chosen for each particular guest), a bookmark, a bar of chocolate from The Chocolate Library and a letter. The 7 books I received are:

They all look and sound great! Quercus really did choose well when it came to my goody bag. I’m already looking forward to reading the books, though it may take me some time to get through them all!

I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the Quercus Digital Shindig and many thanks go to them for inviting me.

Having dragged home my haul of goodies yesterday, I came home to find another 3 books waiting for me…

So, as I’m sure you can see, I’m certainly not short of a book to read! I think the only other time I’ve had more books in one week, it was my birthday!

I’m currently reading Worth Fighting For by Lisa Niemi Swayze. It’s the follow-up to Patrick Swayze’s autobiography, The Time of My Life (read my review), which was co-written by Lisa, his wife. Worth Fighting For is Lisa’s moving recollection of the last months of Patrick’s life. It’s so sad we lost a shining star so early.

Anyway, many thanks to everyone who’s made this week so wonderful. It’s just a shame I seem to have caught my nephew’s chest infection (I now know how the poor little might was feeling!).

Author: Lloyd Shepherd
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 978-0-85720-535-3

1564 – A young Billy Ablass makes his way to Plymouth, hoping to join Captain John Hawkyns on a voyage. to earn money to take back to his love, Kate, in Oxford. Little does Billy know how his life will change forever on this cursed voyage of slavery.

1811 – A family is slaughtered in a house in riverside Wapping in what becomes known as the Ratcliffe Highway murders. Justice must be sought, but the local officials don’t seem to be doing a good job of things. John Harriott, magistrate of the new Thames River Police Office, and his senior officer, Charles Horton. take it upon themselves to investigate to make sure justice is delivered.

We’re taken on a journey through the centuries – from Billy’s departure from Plymouth in 1564 to the streets of 1811 London.

The English Monster is an intriguing book of fact and fiction. Lloyd Shepherd has creatively used historical events to make his own work of fiction. Even the people in his books once walked this earth, some more well-known than others, though Shepherd has made them all into his own 3D characters.

I found it pretty easy to follow the two time-lines of The English Monster (with the chapters alternating between the two), but I did find myself really getting into the story of one time-line only to have to switch to the other for the next chapter. I found it made the book feel longer than what it was. One thing that did jolt me was the quick switch from third-person narrative to first-person and back again, this begins to happen around half-way through the book. I really wasn’t expecting it, but, again, I did get used to it.

The English Monster is described as a crime thriller, but quite a twist occurs half-way through the book which makes the reader realise there’s yet another genre to this story.

The English Monster is Lloyd Shepherd’s debut historical, crime thriller and, despite my niggle with the switching of time-lines, I really think he’s done a good job with it. This story of greed, kidnap and slavery, murder and detection is dark, chilling, gruesome and very atmospheric. Whether the reader is a fan of crime thrillers or historical fiction (or maybe a mix of both), they will find this book interesting read.

The English Monster is due to be released in the UK on 1st March 2012 by Simon & Schuster. Pre-order your copy now!

This is the 5th book I’ve read for The British Books Challenge.

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Please note: I received this book free from Simon & Schuster in return for a review. However, this has in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

The lucky winner of a Bryant & May book by Christopher Fowler of their choice is…

Beth Kemp!

Beth has chosen the first Bryant & May book, Full Dark House, to get started with the series. I really hope she enjoys this book and goes on to read the others too.

Many thanks go to Christopher Fowler for taking time out of his busy schedule to participate in the Meet The Author post.

Look out for another giveaway soon!

Having discovered Christopher Fowler’s Bryant & May series of books through a Transworld Reading Challenge a couple of years ago, it has since become one of my favourite series of books. So it’s a joy and an honour to welcome the author himself, Mr Christopher Fowler, to my website.

What do you do to wind down and relax when you’re not writing?

I love travelling – ideally I’d be on the move when I’m not writing.

Do you get time to read books yourself? If so, what do you like to read? Any favourite genres or authors?

I read a lot, but it’s very wide-ranging. At the moment, ‘Londoners’ by Craig Taylor and ‘The English Monster’ by Lloyd Shepherd. But I go back to Ballard, Dickens, Woolf and Evelyn Waugh a lot – together with some PG Wodehouse!

Funnily enough, I’m currently reading The English Monster by Lloyd Shepherd, myself!

If you weren’t a writer, what do you think you’d be doing now?

Working in film – which is what I did before/as well.

London features largely on your blog and I often find myself browsing it for places to visit before a trip to London. What is it about London that you love so much?

If I could pin that down…I think mainly the incredible mix of high/low/rich/poor/ethnic that makes it consistently interesting.

You’ve created and written the two Bryant & May characters in such a way that they almost feel real and picking up a Bryant & May book is like reading about what your friends have been getting up to. Do the characters feel like friends to you?

Bryant really was a friend, my best friend, so yes, every time I write him I feel I’m bringing him back to life (there’s a picture of him in Book 4).

If/when the sad day comes when the Bryant & May series comes to an end, would you ever consider killing off one or both of the characters?

Yes, so long as I can find a crafty way out of it!

Is there any chance of a collection of Bryant & May short stories being released?

Well, there’s a kind-of short story collection coming in November with the graphic novel ‘The Bryant & May Casebook’. And there are two B&M short stories in my collection ‘Red Gloves’.

Will the graphic novel follow a previously released story or is it something completely new?

It’ll contain two new stories and all kinds of fun stuff.

Arthur Bryant’s long awaited memoirs are mentioned in the books. Will they ever get to the stage of being published?

See the next book for that, O prescient one!

I’d say you’re probably best known for your crime fiction “Bryant & May Series”, but what are your other books about and do any of the Bryant & May characters feature in them?

B&M crop up in some but there’s wide-ranging subject matter from horror (‘Hell Train’ and ‘Spanky’) to autobiography (‘Paperboy’) and satire (‘Psychoville’).

Are any of your characters based on yourself?

No, but a lot are based directly on friends. May they forgive me.

What does the rest of 2012 hold for you?

‘Bryant & May and the Invisible Code’, ‘Film Freak’, ‘Invisible Ink: The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Authors’ (non-fiction) and the graphic novel, followed by two stand-alone thrillers. That’ll do to be getting on with!

It looks like you’ve got a busy year ahead of you! Good luck and many thanks for your time. It’s much appreciated.

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GIVEAWAY – Closed

One lucky winner will win a copy of one of the following Bryant & May books by Christopher Fowler:

1. Full Dark House (Read my review)
2. The Water Room
3, Seventy-Seven Clocks
4. Ten-Second Staircase
5. White Corridor
6. The Victoria Vanishes
7. On The Loose (Read my review)
8. Off The Rails (Read my review)
9. Memory of Blood (Read my review)

The winner gets to choose which one they’d like!

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is leave a comment relating to this post and also let me know which book you’d prefer (but don’t worry your answer isn’t set in stone and the winner can confirm which book they’d like when I contact them).

The closing date for entries is midday on Sunday, 12th February 2012 (GMT). A winner will be picked at random and contacted shortly after the closing time. The giveaway is open internationally, so you’re eligable as long as The Book Depository deliver to your country.

Good luck!