Book Review: The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets

Today, I thought I would do something a little different that I have only done once before, A book review! The book in question is "The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets" by Eva Rice, which was actually recommended to me by a very good friend a few years ago. 

Can we first talk about this amazing cover? I am guilty of always judging a book by it's cover. When I am in a book shop the thing that makes me turn over the book to read the blurb is the cover, and this particular copy also has pink edged pages which make it a little bit different and a great addition to any bookshelf. 

If you know me, you know I love anything to do with the 1950's, the fashion, the food, the style and of course who can forget the Rock and Roll! Therefore, it is no surprise that this book is on my list of my favorite books of all time. 

The book is set in 1950's London where the world is recovering from World War 2, rationing is becoming a thing of the past and everyone is getting excited about a little musical craze sweeping the world called Rock and Roll. 

Enter our protagonist and trusty 18 year old narrator Penelope. The book opens with her standing at a bus stop when suddenly she is asked by a complete stranger called Charlotte to hop in to her taxi and accompany her to tea with her aunt,strange I know but so is Charlotte's crazy yet absolutely fabulous Aunt Clare, her strange yet witty cousin Harry and the loaf of Bread Julian (another great reason to pick up this book). 

The story follows Penelope falling into the glamorous world of Post War London with Charlotte and getting caught up in other plot twists along the way. She, however welcomes the change in scenery compared to her crumbling stately home that she lives in with her mother Talitha and her music crazed brother Indigo.  

This is one of those books where the story line is hard to explain because it is spread over a vast amount of time and there is so much happening but a story worth reading. I especially love the colourful and deep characters, they all have their own intriguing personalities and personal traits, for example Harry's dry sense of humor and his lack of decorum. Eva Rice really paints a beautiful picture of 1950's London through Penelope's eyes and something worth checking out if your looking for something fun and fantastic.Who needs a time machine when you have Eva Rice?

Until next time 

Erin

Chicago!

Hey,

So, I'm aware it's been a very long time since I last posted but I am, I admit, a lazy writer and haven't really had a lot of inspiration so, I'm really sorry about that.

Last week marked the end of one of the most amazing experiences of my life. On the 10th December 2011, I was accepted, along with 6 other 17 year old's on the trip of a life time.

Every 2 years, the Rotary Club of Belfast send 6 teenagers halfway around the world to the beautiful city of Chicago. They spend 10 days taking part in an official programme organised by the Rotary club of Highland Park meeting with amazing people and government officials who have had their own trails and tribulations. The purpose of this trip is conflict resolution. Northern Ireland has a long history of violence and this trip was created in 1992 to give teenagers a chance to see what other conflicts are happening and also an insight into how they can better their own communities when they return home. The best part is you don't just stay in a hotel, oh no, you are paired up with an American student who traveled with 6 of their peers the year before to Northern Ireland to take part in a similar experience.

The Chicago Skyline

Before we embarked on our journey we heard from the students that traveled there 2 years before about how this trip was going to change us and how is was indescribable. Of course we didn't believe them, I mean we knew that it was going to be good but how amazing can it really be? We were completely wrong. This trip was amazing, the places we seen, the people we met and the stories we heard changed us all for the better. We visited so many places (and we were so exhausted by the end) we met the mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emmanuel, we visited a navy base, two high schools and on our free day our hosts took us to a Cubs game(amazing hot dogs, amazing atmosphere) and too many places to list.

The best part was we not only got to experience the city as a whole but by staying with teenagers our age we also got to fully immerse ourselves in the culture. Every evening was spent getting to know our host siblings and hanging out with all the other American students and each other and making memories and friendships along the way. It was truly heartbreaking having to leave at the end of 10 days and saying goodbye to all these people that we had made such strong connections with (seriously the amount of tears shed could fill the Irish sea).

However, the experience was not over for us yet, two weeks ago we met 6 more American students. For the next 10 days they would be hosted by us. We would get to impart the wisdom we learnt while on their soil, we got to immerse them in our culture, our food and our slang (it was so funny seeing their reactions to this). Sadly, unlike when we were in Chicago, we did not all live in the same area so we didn't get to hang out with each other as much as we'd hoped but we still made an effort to establish the same connections we had made the year before. Last Friday was another sad goodbye and it was even worse because the 5 other students and I were not only saying goodbye to 6 new friends but we were also saying goodbye to this programme and we were now going to have to get back to normality and move on. 

I will, however, never forget the people I met and the memories I made and hopefully I can use these experiences later on in my life.

Until next time 

Erin