Author: Cathy Speight

Reviewer Cathy Speight is British and lives in England. The Kindle revived her passion for reading and after stumbling on a Facebook group of independent authors, she now does her best to encourage and assist indies as much as possible. Books by indie author form the majority of her collection. Cathy shares her views on the books she has read on her blog.

Review: How about some non-fiction?

Reviewer Cathy Speight

Why do we read? For all sorts of reasons: to learn, for pleasure, for relaxation, for inspiration, or for stimulation. What do we read to furnish us with these delights? Fiction? – thrillers, sci-fi, romance, erotica, horror? To each, his/her own – we all have our own ‘fixes’. So where do non-fiction, true-life accounts figure in all this? Personally, reading for me is balm for the soul and fiction is what provides it. However, two books came my way, each written by a woman who had undergone an extraordinary, near-fatal, life-changing illness. I wouldn’t normally pick up a book written by the sufferer of a particular disease or illness unless I too was suffering from the same condition, but these two books were compelling reads.

The first of these books is Heartaches and Miracles by Greta Burroughs who relates her experiences of a blood disorder called ITP, an autoimmune disease. Greta writes children’s books, two of which have been published. The second is In a Flash – Miracles Here and Beyond by Kim Justus, who survived an aneurysm. Kim works in the Financial Services industry and writing and photography are amongst her many hobbies. Continue reading “Review: How about some non-fiction?”

A Reader’s POV – It’s All In The Name

Reviewer Cathy Speight

I often wonder when I am reading a book what you, the authors, consider might be going through my mind as I am reading your masterpieces. I’m guessing that it’s – I hope the reader is captivated, enthralled, riveted, will review my work and give it 5 stars and help me on the way to Rowling success and wealth. Most of the time I am and I do. However, I’m also one of those people who doesn’t always keep her eyes on the road ahead, and I often find myself equally interested in the side roads off the main highway. I’m the type of person who catches the continuity girl out on TV shows – I’ll spot that the microwave’s moved, that the window was shut when it was open in the scene just before, or that a mirror has changed to a painting. I would have made a good continuity girl.  It’s detail, I like detail. Continue reading “A Reader’s POV – It’s All In The Name”

Spotlight on…Faith Mortimer

Reviewer Cathy Speight

The 21st Century’s very own Agatha Christie.

That is how I describe Faith Helen Mortimer. She has created her own Miss Marple – a younger, beautiful, sexy and much-travelled version called Diana Rivers.

Faith is a very organised and systematic writer – I love her books.

Faith is a British writer who, much to my envy, lives in Cyprus, the setting for one of her books. Widely travelled ever since childhood, Faith draws on her globe-trotting and uses her broad experiences and knowledge as backdrops to her novels. The result is immaculate and authentic scene-setting, and her attention to detail is second to none. The result is a clean, crisp, unencumbered, easy and riveting read. She has a wholesome style. Continue reading “Spotlight on…Faith Mortimer”

New Year – New Resolutions!

Reviewer Cathy Speight

Hello everyone!  Wow, it’s 2012.  A very Happy New Year to you all!

Right – all the introductions have already been done and dusted, so I won’t bore you all again with who I am and why I’m here (despite the fact that I do keep pinching myself and asking how on earth I managed to find myself in the company of such extraordinary talent!).

So, tell me, what are your New Year resolutions?  Yes, I know you’ve made some – we all do – and the month of January usually goes swimmingly well – it’s February when the determination starts to wane and you wonder what on earth possessed you when you resolved to get up at 6 in the morning and run 10 miles in the hope of shifting those naughty little love handles that seemed to appear after Christmas day, convinced you only had one portion of Christmas pudding – or was it three? Continue reading “New Year – New Resolutions!”