Lyn Shea - Recommended Reading    Because there are as many different types of books as there are people who write them, we present our ‘Hot Plots’ section for everyone who loves to read. This is, we hope, an eclectic mix of novels covering a vista of characters and themes. Reading a good story is like opening a window in your heart and glimpsing someone else's soul. It takes you through and it changes something of your perception of life. The imagination needs food just as much as the body. You may surprise yourself by enjoying something you wouldn’t normally even be aware existed! ‘FINDING VIOLET PARK’ Jenny Valentine Published by Harper Collins I.S.B.N. 978-0-00-722962-8 This contemporary U.K. author pens the kind of highly original novels that create their own genre. A teenage lad discovers an urn of funeral ashes in a cab office. He goes in search of the origin of the owner of these and discovers they are of a late and famous pianist who turns out to have had involvement with his missing father Written with wit and sincerity this makes for a cute piece of writing giving rise to an unusual storyline centred around the mysteries of a death. Direct in narrative and succinct in dialogue you may want to devour it in one go. ‘PORTOFINO’ Frank Schaeffer Published by Black Swan I.S.B.N. 0-552-77287-9 One of the passing of the ‘age of innocence books’ this novel is about a young American lad whose eccentric missionary family holiday in the same place in Italy each summer. A beautifully warm and fresh novel, both funny and in places harrowing, the author balances the darker side of religious extremism with the lighter and more ludicrous aspects of human behaviour. Set in the sixties it acknowledges the pressure of adolescence to cope with emotional and sexual changes within society and self in the midst of two different lifestyle families. ‘WATER, CARRY ME’ Thomas Moran Published by Riverhead Books. I.S.B.N 9 780749 004903 This is one of those novels which once read is never entirely forgotten. It tells the deeply haunting story of a female medical student in Cork, surrounded by the troubles in Ireland in the late 20th century and her life with her city girlfriends and her love for a young draughtsman. It’s a story so simply told that every page encrypts atmosphere and wisdom. Someone once said, if you want to get an accurate picture of any era in history read a good novelist. This has to be one of those novels. ‘at Freddie’s’ Penelope Fitzgerald Published by Flamingo. I.S.B.N. 0-00-654255-7 What might be described as a wry and rich cameo piece by an author whose observations and descriptive talents are drawn from direct experience on her subject and from a natural talent honed to perfection. The famous Temple Stage School for children in London in the nineteen sixties. Characterisations so ripe and subtle .. from the more artful of the kids themselves, to the indomitable and eccentric head, Freddie Wentworth, her hard-pressed staff, and the occasional visit by Noel Coward himself who drops in to play the piano. This is a realistic and utterly intriguing story. ‘The Thirteenth Tale’ Diane Setterfield Published by Orion Books I.S.B.N. 978-0-7528-8167-6 This is a masterpiece of a first novel. A mystery, a family tale and a unique look at the psychology of twins. Set in a timeless kind of 50’s England setting around one of the struggling stately houses. A famous writer relives her bizarre life and beginnings for a biographer who’s involvement becomes more than professional. A tale within a tale within an amazing twist. This book has endless depth and boundless imagination but is so cleverly written it never once loses the reader. It truly is a proverbial page-turner and has the hallmarks of a potential classic. Hopefully there will be more from this author. ‘What Was Lost’ Catherine O’Flynn Published by Tindal Street Press I.S.B.N 9551-384-1-8 A brilliant mystery. Massively intelligent, avoiding the pitfalls of stereotypes and charicatures. Full of pithy observations of contemporary life in shopping malls and inner city life. This is the kind of book that keeps you reading and alert to the very last page. Unpretentious, honest and clear sighted, a tale of everyday life and divergent synchronicity. It is quite literally a breath of literary fresh of air, and as much as the author is to be applauded, so is the publishing house for taking the risk on this debut novel. This writer obviously has more novels to unfold and it is to be hoped they are all as original. ** If you arrived at this page via a search engine and would like a sample online tarot reading from lyn, click the link below. www.Tarot-Online.net or vist Lyn Shea's Astrology siter www.perceptivity.co.uk