Alice Steinbach - Without Reservations (2001)

This wasn't so much a travel memoir as more a self-exploration memoir, where the author just happened to be in Paris, London and Venice. It started out well with some nice descriptions of Paris and then went on to explore Steinbach's past, present and future - her life mapped out by reflections she has on a train, in a cafe, looking at a garden, chatting with strangers.

Steinbach does write good descriptions of places, once she gets down to it. Yet most of the book is about her inner thoughts, her Paris love-affair, and how much the author enjoys cooking - but without a real description of what is being cooked. All I knew is that chicken, mushrooms and butter were involved.

I liked her Freya Stark quotes, they really intrigued me and I'll be looking for her books next.

I wouldn't say this was a bad book, it's just that it was touted as a travel memoir - the sub-title states 'The Travels of an Independent Woman'. The author does travel through three cities, but it is more a introspective memoir with barely a nod to the cities themselves.

Nancy Springer - Enola Holmes Mysteries

I've just finished this six book series by Nancy Springer and I absolutely loved them. They're young-adult mysteries and they're truly a delight. The concept and characters were so refreshing, I couldn't stop reading them. I was through the whole series in one week.

Enola Holmes is the 14 year old much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. Through a series of unfortunate circumstances Enola ends up on her own in Victorian London, solving mysteries and evading her brothers.

Enola sets herself up with an imaginary male boss (a necessity in Victorian England where women weren't allowed to have a brain) who is a perditorian, a finder of people or things.Then she sets about, in complete opposition to her brother, Sherlock, to find the missing and solve the mysteries - often crossing his path without Sherlock even realising his little sister was there.

The books are a lot of fun. Nothing nasty happens in them and the character Enola is such a lovely person - she goes out at night dressed as a Nun to help the homeless and often causes herself a lot of extra trouble just because she decided to help someone. They're a great read and it's a pity there aren't more of them. Six books just weren't enough for this engaging heroine Enola Holmes.