Peter mayle's latest book...

Peter mayle's latest book..., originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

A whopping RM 53 ++ for a paperback! Would you buy this comfortably? It was wrapped. Found at Kinokuniya KLCC. I'll look for it at either TIME or MPH....( cos I have a discount card for both).

Mayle's best seller ; "A year in Provence" was an excellent book. I read it the first time in university and I enjoyed it very much. His second book "Toujour Provence" wasn't as enjoyable. And I believe I have another of his books...The vintage caper. I read on the net, that the Marseille caper is a follow-through from this book. If so....it is just as well I didn't buy the book at this escalated price. Sam Levit doesn't entice me so it'll have to come down in price slightly before I buy this book. I like Mayle 's writing so I know I will eventually own this book.

The Vintage Caper

The story opens with Danny Roth, a very rich lawyer lacking in taste and eager for recognition. And so, he gets himself and his wine collection featured in a magazine. Shortly after that, the collection goes missing. Enter insurance company,in the shape of one Elena Morales. One thing leads to another ( boring bit so I'll skip that) and eventually we come to the main reason this book was written.The story is about how Sam Levitt comes to find these missing racks of wine. He takes a journey to France and for some weird reason ( a huge bit of luck) gets a whiff of something and ends up in Marseilles and with the help of a lovely french lady ( yes yes..) he gets his treasure. I'm still trying to decide how it ends. ( V weird ending) but I don't have to decide whether I like this book because I don't...at least not very much. The story line isn't the problem, the subject matter wasn't interesting enough for me. Description of the countryside fell short and become in parts like reading a brochure. So no, I won't recommend this Mayle book. But I will say this, please please buy yourself " A Year In Provence" by peter mayle. You won't regret this. As for Vintage Caper, you can give this a miss.

What I'm reading...err

Peter Mayle. Does the name seem familiar? A year in Provence, Toujours Provence, Acquired taste...?? My first introduction to Mayle's writing was via Marilyn (university friend who's taste differs from mine..and as a result her recommendations are occasionally ignored).  I remember how enchanted I was with his writing. I've read "a year in provence" many times since, and still keep coming back for more. The second mayle book which I enjoyed ( possibly more than the first) is "Acquired Taste". Divided into chapters, complete on its own, I was completely obsessed with it for a while. And so, I am now in posession of another Mayle book; " The Vintage Caper".