📖 Blog Tour ~ This Place, That Place by Nandita Dinesh

Melville House is proud to be celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2022. Founded after, and in response to the 9/11 attacks their non-fiction and literary fiction aims to challenge, inform and entertain. 

Here are the highlights of 20 of their favourite titles for inspiration, 

and you can explore more books here

On its twentieth anniversary in the publishing world I am delighted to join in with this blog tour. Celebrating past and present successes with Melville House Publishers.

I'm pleased to share my review of This Place, That Place by Nandita Dinesh.

Melville House
16 June 2022

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

This Place,That Place centers on two characters from opposing sides of an unnamed war. On the day of a family wedding, a stunning announcement dramatically shifts the relationship between This Place and That Place, sparking a government-imposed curfew that locks everyone inside.

Suddenly finding themselves sharing the same isolated space, the two grapple with unexplored attraction, their deep and abiding admiration for each other’s work, and a bond they hope to save from being another casualty of war. Interwoven throughout are documents and past correspondence between the two laying out their history and how each sees in the other hope for mending the rift between This Place and That Place.

This Place,That Place is a dialogue-driven, evocative, and inventive debut that functions as an allegory for Kashmir/India, Palestine/Israel, or any instance of occupied and occupier. But more than that, it offers a new way to think about the intersection of the personal and the political, a new way to reconcile nationalism and activism, and a new way to talk about conflict and two-sidedness.

📖 My Review...

I've been involved with this publisher on previous occasions and I am always struck by the inventiveness of the books they publish and the way they push boundaries thus allowing me the privilege of reading a book which is, perhaps, not something I would normally have reached out to read. I think this is certainly the case with This Place, That Place which took me out of my comfort zone and into the world of this author's imagination.

The story opens when two people who are on opposing sides of an unnamed war meet at a family wedding. On the cusp of the wedding an announcement is made which places everyone under an imposed curfew. What then follows is a rather timely story which has a distinctly dystopian atmosphere bringing into question everything about the nature of relationships conducted under duress.  

Really difficult to describe in a few words, so I won't try, except to say that there is rather a lot going on in This Place, That Place and it took me a while to become comfortable with the author's style of writing, even on occasion I found that I had to go back a few pages to get the evolving story fixed in my mind but once I understood the way the narrative was evolving I found much to ponder over. The idea of interweaving very different styles of narrative to move the story forward is what makes this book into such an interesting, and rather different sort of read.

Difficult to describe, but definitely very cleverly written and immersive, This Place, That Place is a thought provoking novel about the minutiae of lives lived in difficult circumstances. It has been both imaginatively, and inventively, written by a talented debut author,

About the Author

Nandita Dinesh holds a PhD in Drama from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and an MA in Performance Studies from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Focused on the role that theatre and writing can play during and after violent conflict, Nandita has conducted community-based theatre projects in Kashmir, India, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. She has written multiple books about her work and in 2017 she was awarded the Elliott Hayes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy by Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. This is her first novel.

Twitter @melvillehouse

📖 Book Review ~ Dead Rich by G W Shaw

 

Riverrun
26 May 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Kai, a carefree once-successful musician is invited by his new Russian girlfriend Zina to join her family's Caribbean holiday. Impulsively accepting he learns that Zina is the daughter of a Russian oligarch, Stepan Pirumov and that the trip is aboard his yacht, the Zinaida, moored in St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. The crew consists of Captain Marius Falk, the first mate Erin Wade and a hastily assembled staff, including a chief stewardess Marissa from Miami, a chief engineer from Lagos and a personal trainer from Los Angeles. All know how to behave around the very rich.

On arrival Kai discovers that the head of security has been arrested, armed guards are below deck, there's an onboard panic room and a strong sense of all not being quite right beneath the gleaming surfaces of the Pirumov's lives. An unnerving presence punctures the atmosphere: a murderous imposter is on board the Zinaida, but who is it?

Kai will find that the only person he can trust will be Erin and that the world of the super-rich will become a prison from which they must escape. Part locked-room suspense, part adventure story, Dead Rich is an unforgettable, edge of the seat thriller set in the blazing heat of the Caribbean.

📖 My Review...

This stand-alone high octane thriller introduces us to the world of the super rich, those people who can own a multi-billion pound yacht only for it to stand idle in prestigious ports around the world. The Zinaida, named for his daughter, Zina, belongs to Russian oligarch, Stepan Pirumov, is moored in St Thomas in the Virgin Islands and this luxurious floating palace only needs the slightest indication that it is needed for it a well organised team, from around the world, to spring into action.

Kai, a musician down on his luck, has been the latest lover of Zina for just over a week when Zina is summoned by her mother to join the Zinaida in a cruise around the Caribbean. Zina persuades Kai to accompany her on this trip much to the fury of her father who wanted only his family on this voyage. Stepan Pirumov is a man used to having his own way in all things but as we soon discover enemies have a way of infiltrating even the most protected of spaces. Amongst a mixed selection of staff on board the Zinaida, Erin Wade, the first mate, finds herself with rather more than she bargained for at the start of this fateful trip.

I was drawn into the world of the super rich right from the start and wallowed in the description of  a lifestyle that very few of us can ever imagine. Dead Rich is rather timely, as many of these super yachts are currently impounded, their owners subject to scrutiny. With a fine eye for even the smallest of detail and with vivid description of life on board we get the impression of what it could be like to be this super rich but with a lifestyle in which you are forever looking over your shoulder for enemies who are not afraid to kill in order to get what they want.

Exciting, fast paced and wonderfully descriptive, I raced through Dead Rich in the space of a couple of afternoons. There are plenty of twists, turns and red herrings and a fitting conclusion which brings everything together in a very satisfactory way. All in all, perfect escapism which would be great for holiday reading 😊

Best Read with...an Expresso Martini

About the Author

As a journalist working for magazines and newspapers in the UK and US, GW Shaw travelled widely, reporting from China, Russia, the USA, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa.

As William Shaw he is the author of several acclaimed police procedurals, including the Alex Cupidi series set in Dungeness.

He now lives in Brighton.

Twitter @william1shaw #DeadRich

@riverrunbooks 

🍴 Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Maria Frankland

On this quiet Sunday morning why don't you put the kettle on, make your favourite breakfast and settle down for Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo

I'm delighted to welcome Maria Frankland to Sunday Brunch

Welcome, Maria. What favourite food are you bringing to Sunday brunch?

Croissants with jam. My absolute favourite.

Would you like a pot of English breakfast tea, a strong Americano, or a glass of Bucks Fizz?

Being from Yorkshire in England, it’s definitely got to be a pot of English breakfast tea!

Where shall we eat brunch – around the kitchen table, in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio?

Outside on the patio – it’s much more relaxed in the sunshine!

Shall we have music playing in the background, and if so do you have a favourite piece of music?

I think I’d prefer just to listen to the breeze and the birdsong! When I’m writing though I do have some ‘dark’ thriller-ish music playing on YouTube.

Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for Sunday Brunch today?

Sylvia Plath – A fellow ‘dark’ writer! Although if she were to join us, I think I’d be too starstruck to speak.

Which favourite book will you bring to Sunday Brunch?

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It reminds me that there’s more to the life of a writer than the word count! I love the artist’s date practice and try to schedule it in every month. I people watch, eavesdrop and usually visit somewhere inspirational. A whole day out of my office does me and my creativity the world of good.

When you are writing do you still find time to read for pleasure? And is there a book you would like to read but haven’t had time for …yet!

I certainly do – I think reading is an important part of the writing craft. I nearly always have three or four books on the go – a psychological thriller on my Kindle, a paperback for the garden, an audio book, normally some kind of help and a non-fiction book. I read in every spare moment which usually adds up to about an hour a day. I’ve had Where the Crawdads Sing downloaded for quite some time but still haven’t got around to reading it. I’m like a magpie where other shiny new books grab my attention.

2018

Where do you find the inspiration for your novels?

It’s everywhere! I always take notice of situations, the news and the gossip! But I’ve been no stranger to turbulent times myself and this has provided much of the material for my novels.

Have you a favourite place to settle down to write and do you find it easier to write in winter or summer?

I’m lucky enough to have an office at home. (Which used to be my son’s bedroom!). I’ve got a sit/stand desk, all my books in there and I’ve painted it pink. (Just in case he has any ideas of coming back!)

Before I begin writing, I light a candle and put on my mood music. Because I release four books a year, I have to write for around three hours, five days a week, which equates to about two thousand words in each writing session.

When writing to a deadline are you easily distracted and if so how do you bring back focus on your writing?

I’m pretty focused. I’m living a long-held dream of being able to write full time, so it’s important that I stay focused. That said – it’s necessary to turn off my social media notifications whilst I’m writing.

Give us four essential items that a writer needs?

A laptop, coffee, my glasses and the internet to fact check.

What can you tell us about your latest novel or your current work in progress?

My latest novel, ‘In His Shadow’ is my ninth domestic thriller. It is a story about gaslighting and how this issue can happen to anyone. It explores the power one person can exert over another and the ultimate destruction they can cause.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

She wants to forget her past. He wants to control her present. And her future.

When university lecturer, Nicola, meets Hugh, she knows immediately that getting over her father’s suicide, and being dumped by her former long-term partner are events she can now recover from.

But to the exclusion of all others, Hugh swiftly assumes control over Nicola’s life. Even when caution is urged by everyone around her, it doesn’t stop Nicole rushing headlong into a marriage that grants Hugh access to her money, her home, her heart, and then her mind.

Will anyone be able to drag Nicola out of her husband’s shadow before she fades into it completely?

Maria, where can we follow you on social media?

Twitter @writermaria_f

Facebook 

Instagram

Website

More about Maria

Maria Frankland writes domestic thrillers which shine a light into the darkness that can exist within relationships and families.

According to published statistics, the majority of murders are perpetrated by a known person and it intrigues Maria that someone can be most at risk from a person who is supposed to love them. And this is what she explores from the safety of her fiction.

Maria is mum to two grown up sons, has married for the second time and has found her ‘happy ever after.’

This is not something you will find in her novels though! In Maria's own words: "we thriller writers are amongst the nicest people you could meet because we pour all our darkness into our books – it’s the romance writers you’ve got to watch…"

Readers can join her ‘keep in touch list’ by visiting www.mariafrankland.co.uk. You will also receive a free novella, ‘The Brother in Law.’

Thank you so much for inviting me for brunch this morning – I’ve loved every minute of it!

Thank you for taking part in Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo.

Follow us on Twitter @jaffareadstoo #SundayBrunchWithJaffareadstoo

📖 Book Review ~ The Storytellers by Caron McKinlay

 

Bloodhound Books
16 May 2022

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

Trapped between life and the afterlife, three women met and share their stories while discovering the truth about the men in their lives—and about themselves.

Suspended in an eerie state of limbo, an entity called the Gatekeeper tells Nikki, Ronnie, and Mrs. Hawthorne they are on the cusp of entering the afterlife—but only if the women can persuade him that in their earthly lives, they knew the meaning of love.

Fragments of their memories return, plunging them back into their pasts, and forcing them to face the desires, disappointments, addictions, lies, and obsessions they battled in life.

But before time runs out, will they find the answer to the ultimate question: what is love?

📖 My Review...

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading The Storytellers but as each of the main characters are introduced there was something quite intriguing about all of them and it is this intrigue which kept me turning the pages. The story takes a little getting used to but once I had the author's writing style fixed and as I got to see the way the story was panning it it became a real delight to ponder on just how everything would eventually play out in the wider scheme of the story.

The idea that when we depart this life we may have the chance to change things is the premise of the story but for the three women Nikki, Ronnie and Mrs Hawthorn, there is rather more to them, and their lives, than we are led to believe. Each of the characters come vibrantly life and whilst they are not always very likeable there is something quite defining about them which makes their individual stories quite fascinating. I'm being quite deliberately vague as The Storytellers is a story which you should go into with no fixed idea of where these three women will take you, so just relax and let this clever storyteller take you on an emotional, and rather clever, journey.

Brutally honest, with flashes of dark humour The Storytellers is a multi-layered novel about the intricacies of life and, ultimately, about the power of love

🍷Best read with..a double vodka and coke

About the Author

© Chris Watt Photography

Caron grew up in a mining town on the east coast of Scotland where her dad would return from the pit and fill her life with his tall tales. She never thought about making a career in writing – that was what posh people did, not someone from a working-class council estate. However, her father’s death was the cause of deep introspection and her emotions gave birth to a short story, Cash, which was published in the Scottish Book Trust’s anthology, Blether. This gave her the confidence to try and believe in herself. When not blogging, reading, and writing, Caron spends her time with her daughters. She doesn’t enjoy exercise – but loves running around after her grandsons, Lyle and Noah, to whom she is devoted. Caron had three childhood dreams in life: to become a published author, to become a teacher, and for David Essex to fall in love with her. Two out of three ain’t bad, and she’s delighted with that.

Twitter: @caronmckinlay #TheStorytellers

Facebook: @mckinlaycaron

Instagram: @caronmckinlay

Website www.caronmckinlay.com

@Bloodhoundbook

📖 Book Review ~ Dog Leap Stairs by Barbara Scott Emmett

Pentalpha Publishing

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

Newcastle 1955

Monica haunts the quayside picking up men of a certain age.

Then one of them is found dead.

Since nobody knows what she does at night,

she can't be in the frame for the murder.

Can she?

At her lowest point, she meets Bobby Wilson,

an ordinary lad, handsome in his way.

But is this the right time to fall in love?

As the oily Tyne flows past the wharfs and under the iconic bridge, middle-aged men are being targeted by a vicious killer. Monica Brown, damaged, abused, just happens to be in the area - just happens to be excited by the murders.

Dog Leap Stairs is a blend of psychological realism and crime; dark, claustrophobic and atmospheric, it is both a portrait of Tyneside in the 1950s and an account of one woman's struggle against her true nature.

📖 My Review ...

Dog Leap Stairs took me by surprise, in a good way, because although we sense that Monica Brown has a dark and rather suspicious lifestyle I couldn't help but warm to her and with this beautifully drawn depiction of a deeply troubled character she comes vibrantly to life. Monica is such a complex women that it takes the length of the story to really get to know her and even then there were still elements of her personality which took me by surprise. All credit to the author for making this rather sinister character into someone who, in the end, I came to rather admire.

The series of brutal murders which are taking place in the city are what forms the crux of the plot and although we may our suspicions about the perpetrator there's enough complexity in the plot to keep us guessing and it's certainly what kept me turning the pages to find out just what's going on in Monica's complex life and the final denouement, when it comes, doesn't disappoint.

Whilst the strength of the characters who flit into and out of Dog Leap Stairs give the story its soul, the wonderful depiction of 1950s Newcastle certainly gives the book its beating heart. The city comes vibrantly to life especially in the dark and damp alleyways where a murderer stalks the night. 

Deliciously chilling, and darkly atmospheric, Dog Leap Stairs is one of those immersive stories which stays with you long after the last page is turned.

🍫Best Read with...bitter and deliciously dark chocolate

Read an interview with Barbara Scott Emmett by clicking here.

More About Barbara

After many years away, Barbara Scott Emmett is now back living in her home town of Newcastle upon Tyne. She has been writing for many years and has five novels, a book of short stories and a selection of quirky poetry to show for it. She lives in a house overlooking the river with her husband, the writer Jimmy Bain, and their cat, Kitty.

Twitter @BSE_Writer

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

📖 Blog Tour Review and Guest Post ~ The Trial of Lotta Rae by Siobhan MacGowan

 

Welbeck Publishing
26 May 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book and the invitation to the blog tour.

Lotta Rae is a young working-class woman who is viciously attacked by a wealthy gentleman. Lotta's family are firm believers in justice and Lotta makes the brave decision to testify in court against her attacker. The guardians of justice support her, or so it seems. William Linden is a barrister about to lose everything. He is failing to live up to his father's formidable reputation and if he loses one more case, how will he house, clothe and feed his wife and young son? Both Lotta and William have decisions to make that will change the course of their lives and the lives of everyone around them for generations to come. Notorious after her trial and unable to return to the life she had before her attack, Lotta’s quest for her own form of justice takes her from the streets of Spitalfields to a Soho brothel, into the heart of the Suffragette movement, to an unimaginable place. One she could never have foreseen.

I'm delighted to be able to share Siobhan's inspiration

for writing The Trial of Lotta Rae

There were three main inspirations for my novel, The Trial of Lotta Rae. 

Firstly, much of its setting, the ancient square mile of London on the cusp of the East End is where I lived as a child, and Sunday morning walks with my father on its deserted streets whispered to me of long ago ghostly steps and of those who had walked there before. I often imagined their lives and Lotta Rae took up residence in my mind, taking on a life of her own. 

 Secondly, the period in which it is set, the turn of the 20th century, that precipice before the First World War has always fascinated me. It was a time of such great hope and promise with incredible scientific advances, a Liberal Government introducing unheard of welfare measures, the suffragettes rising and women finding their voice. All that hope only to be quashed by the darkness of a war which stole and damned a generation. Yet that same war brought about everlasting change. For, innocence having died on those battlefields of France, neither man nor woman was so willing to bow to King & Country and so came mental and social revolution. Which laid the map for our world today. 

 And lastly. The trial. Often on those City walks I would pass the Old Bailey. And, like Lotta, I would gaze up at the Golden Lady ‘…standing so high. So high, she kept watch over all the children of London; she bid them come. For, she would deliver them justice. And I believed her promise.’ Just as Lotta did.

📖 My Review ...

The Trial of Lotta Rae captured my imagination as right from the start I was on Lotta's side and yet as we discover justice isn't always on the side of the righteous. Bringing the mean moody streets of the East End of London to life we get to experience Lotta's downfall, her naive trust in authority and her search for justice and retribution. 

Beautifully written with such a fine eye for historical detail, I felt immersed in the story and raced through the pages eager to discover more, not just about Lotta's sad life but also about the state of England in the early part of the twentieth century with the stalwart rise of the suffrage movement and the creeping threat of war.

The Trial of Lotta Rae is one of those haunting stories which stays with you long after the last page is turned and even as I closed the book my heart was still heavy at everything Lotta had suffered. It's definitely on my book of the year list.

🍷Best read with.. a glass of port and a heavy heart.

About the Author

Siobhan MacGowan is a journalist and writer who lived and worked in London for much of her life before returning to Ireland several years ago. She is from a family of great storytellers, the most prominent of which is her brother, Shane MacGowan of The Pogues. Highlights of Siobhan’s eclectic career include a highly acclaimed solo album ‘Chariot,’ touring with Van Morrison across the US and Europe and appearing in the Johnny Depp produced and Julien Temple directed 2020 film ‘Crock of Gold.’ Siobhan has connections with many of the locations which feature in The Trial of Lotta Rae including Spitalfields, Bishopsgate, Soho and Kings Cross. She lives in County Tipperary.

Twitter @EtainsDream #TheTrialOfLottaRae

@welbeckpublish

📖 Book Review ~ Ten Poems about Music : The Yellow Album and The Blue Album from Candlestick Press

 

Candlestick Press
2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this poetry pamphlet

This mini-anthology is one half of our double album of music poems. Musician and poet Kim Moore’s selection beautifully explores what it feels like both to hear and play music.

The poems take us from Tennyson’s eerily echoing bugle to Faisal Mohyuddin’s evocation of a father singing a song his own father taught him in the family kitchen. Music transforms us, and playing an instrument can transform the human body too:

“At the end of your hands, a troop of gymnasts,

who want to twist and twirl, who want to whirl

and dance, to do some mischief in this world.”

from ‘The Pianist at The Grand’ by Jonathan Edwards

The abiding spirit of the selection is the power of music to make its way straight to the heart. As Abeer Ameer writes in her beautiful poem about a reed flute: “all music yearns for home”.

Poems by Abeer Ameer, Emily Dickinson, Jonathan Edwards, Carrie Etter, WS Graham, Hannah Lowe, Edna St Vincent Millay, Faisal Mohyuddin, Kim Moore and Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Cover illustration by Melissa Lhoirit.

Donation to Our Dementia Choir.

📖 My Review...

What a treat it is to open one of these delightful poetry pamphlets from Candlestick Press. The subjects are as diverse as they are wonderful and as I read both The Yellow Album and The Blue Album from this latest collection I realised, once again, the emotional power of poetry. 

The Yellow Album has an eclectic mix of poetry which help to take you into the minds of each of the poets in a uniquely musical way. The music of words drifts over you, some  are quietly introspective whilst others take us to specific places. I enjoyed going to the Concert with Edna St Vincent Millay or practicing the piano with Miss Forbes in Étudier by Hannah Lowe.

My favourite is  The Reed Flute and I (after Mawlana  Jalaluddin Rumi) by Abeer Ameer

"As the reed flute sings you weep your sorrow;

your heart still beats in the place you left."

Others take us into specific places, such as into her father's kitchen with Faisal Mohyuddin in a poem aptly named, Song, which reminded me of my father belting out Elvis Presley hits in the 1960s 😊

"My father is in the kitchen 

making a morning cup of tea, singing a song 

he first heard when he was a schoolboy..."

The Yellow Album is a perfect accompaniment to The Blue Album but think of them as siblings rather than twins as each is uniquely different in its own way.

Candlestick Press
2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this poetry pamphlet

This mini-anthology is one half of our double album of music poems. Musician and broadcaster Cerys Matthews’ lively selection celebrates the power of music in a dizzying variety of ways. Some poems capture how music makes us feel – the irresistible urge to dance is brought vividly to life, for example, and there’s a merry gathering of poets and musicians with assorted instruments. Others explore the emotions that music can stir, as in the poem about listening to a Frank Sinatra record:

“If love is some kind of dissolving,
I wanted to melt into the vibrato of your vocal chords,
to be carried, to be carried in your arms.”

from ‘Frank Sinatra’ by Jehane Markham

This selection spans the genres and the centuries – evidence (if needed) that music has been with us since we lived in caves and that it may well be true that we sang before we could speak.

Poems by Mandy Coe, Hafiz, Adam Horovitz, Michael Horovitz, Jehane Markham, Roger McGough, Kei Miller, Kim Moore, Siegfried Sassoon and Belinda Zhawi.

Cover illustration by Melissa Lhoirit.

Donation to Our Dementia Choir.

📖 My Review...

The Blue Album is another lovely collection with each of the poems sharing a musical theme. Complementing The Yellow Album perfectly, this Blue Album has a lively feel with poems celebrating such diverse subjects as Frank Sinatra in the poem by Jehane Markham and also in The Can-can by Mandy Coe.

One of my favourite poets, Roger McGough kicks of the collection with The Sound Collector, which made me smile 😊

" A stranger called this morning

dressed all in black and grey

Put every sound into a bag

And carried them away"

I know over lockdown I came to rely on music to lift my spirits and enjoyed creating Spotify playlists to suit my mood. Just as music can raise us up, so the power of words can help to enhance our mood. Both these poetry pamphlets, with their pretty covers, would make a perfect gift instead of a card for anyone who enjoys music, or the musical magic of poetry.

About Candlestick Press

Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing sumptuously produced poetry pamphlets that serve as a wonderful alternative to a greetings card, with matching envelopes and bookmarks left blank for your message. Their subjects include Clouds, Walking, Birds, Home and Kindness. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.

Twitter @poetrycandle

📖 Book Review ~ Light Rains Sometimes Fall by Lev Parikian

 

Elliot & Thompson

Out in paperback 19 May 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

See the British year afresh and experience a new way of connecting with nature – through the prism of Japan’s seventy-two ancient microseasons.

Across seventy-two short chapters and twelve months, writer and nature lover Lev Parikian charts the changes that each of these ancient microseasons (of a just a few days each) bring to his local patch – garden, streets, park and wild cemetery.

From the birth of spring (risshun) in early February to ‘the greater cold’ (daikan) in late January, Lev draws our eye to the exquisite beauty of the outside world, day-to-day.

Instead of Japan’s lotus blossom, praying mantis and bear, he watches bramble, woodlouse and urban fox; hawthorn, dragonfly and peregrine. But the seasonal rhythms – and the power of nature to reflect and enhance our mood – remain.

By turns reflective, witty and joyous, this is both a nature diary and a revelation of the beauty of the small and subtle changes of the everyday, allowing us to ‘look, look again, look better’.

📖 My Review..

From the birth of spring (risshun) in early February to ‘the greater cold’ (daikan) in late January the Japanese have an ancient set of micro-seasons which allows more scope to appreciate what is going on around you than do our own four seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. In this delightful appreciation of the British year, Lev Parikian takes the notion of this micro-season and applies it to the intricacies of the world of nature on his doorstep. All of which is brought into sharp focus when the country goes into lockdown in March 2020. Set in the area of London the author calls home we undertake, with him as our guide, a rather special journey of discovery.

The idea of dividing the year into short four day bursts inspires each cleverly worded introduction and each of the different sections are so wonderfully descriptive I found myself going back to read parts again. Easily readable in short chapters which you can dip into and out of at whim, the book unfolds in delightful kaleidoscope of natural beauty. In the 72 short chapters of Light Rains Sometimes Fall we are enriched by the wonder of nature as the author appreciates all that he has previously passed without a second glance. A quiet cemetery with it's watchful gaze is home to a myriad of creatures who scuttle and bustle away from prying eyes. The glory of butterflies who flutter and dance in tall grasses, some naturally camouflaged and others gloriously splendid with wings outstretched in a rare burst of sunshine.  A kestrel, a cormorant, a family of finches, the chip of a woodpecker, the rat-at-tat of a wren, the ragged sleekness of an urban fox , all are creatures hiding in plain sight but who are there if only we would stop, look and listen.

Whilst lockdown brought its many challenges, it also gave us a unique opportunity to see the world around us with an entirely different focus. With time on our hands we had the chance to observe the intricacies of nature in all its natural beauty and Light Rains Sometimes Fall is testament to the art of natural observation and whether we be townsfolk or country folk it's good to be reminded that nature is all around us, we only need look.

Best read with .. an unexpected Jaffa cake in a tin of rich tea biscuits

About the Author

Lev Parikian is a writer, birdwatcher and conductor.  He lives in West London with his family, who are getting used to his increasing enthusiasm for nature. As a birdwatcher, his most prized sightings are a golden oriole in the Alpujarras and a black redstart at Dungeness Power Station.

Twitter @LevParikian

Website

@eandtbooks

Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo~ Caron McKinlay

On this quiet Sunday morning why don't you put the kettle on, make your favourite breakfast and settle down for Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo

I'm delighted to welcome Caron McKinlay to Sunday Brunch

Welcome, Caron. What favourite food are you bringing to Sunday brunch?

Oh it will have to be bacon rolls with brown sauce and lashes of butter. I’m not a morning person so much prefer brunch for my Sunday breakfast. And I just don’t get people that put ketchup on bacon! Although I think its fascinating how we all stick to one particular sauce to a type of food.

Would you like a pot of English breakfast tea, a strong Americano, or a glass of Bucks Fizz?

A glass of Bucks Fizz please as I’m strange in the fact I don’t like hot drinks. My mother used to always worry about that and say “ what will you do if someone asks you around for a coffee!” I think she thought it might make me socially isolated.

Where shall we eat brunch – around the kitchen table, in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio?

I always love the idea of sitting outside on the patio. I am fortunate to have a lovely garden and spend far too much time looking at garden furniture! But the crazy thing is that I never want to sit there and eat as I hate flies and bees buzzing around. So the kitchen table please.

Shall we have music playing in the background, and if so do you have a favourite piece of music?

Yes please anything by Abba or David Essex as I love them both. They are the soundtrack to my life growing up.

Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for Sunday Brunch today?

VE Schwab I just adore her writing and loved The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue. It would be amazing to chat about how she comes up with her ideas. And I’d also love to meet the author of Spacehopper Helen Fisher – such a beautiful clever book that mesmerised me.

Which favourite book will you bring to Sunday Brunch?

Oh can I sneak in two please from very different genres. The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger such a gorgeous book with a unique premise that had me in tears. And Silence of the lambs by Thomas Harris about a serial killer which had the best misdirection I have ever read. Not to mention the best the famous line about chianti.

When you are writing do you still find time to read for pleasure? And is there a book you would like to read but haven’t had time for …yet!

Yes, I am a reader first and foremost and read every night. For me it’s the only way to tune out my thoughts and switch off. I’m a massive over thinker! I cannot wait to read all the fabulous debuts this year. I am in a group with them and they are so talented.

Where do you find the inspiration for your novels?

I’m not one of those writers who carries a notebook and jobs down ideas. I have to wait for one to come for me and let it flutter around in my thoughts. At the moment I’m still waiting but I hope it’s not for much longer.

Have you a favourite place to settle down to write and do you find it easier to write in winter or summer?

I write in my bedroom as I find that the most peaceful and I much prefer to write in winter as there are less distractions. Although during lockdown when The Storytellers was written it was hard to tell the difference in the seasons as we never really went out anyway.

When writing to a deadline are you easily distracted and if so how do you bring back focus on your writing?

I’m very easily distracted and I’m not the kind of writer who spends a certain amount of hours a day getting words down. I have to wait until the words come to me. There is little I can do to make that happen so deadlines scare me no end!

Give us four essential items that a writer needs?

Imagination.

Resilience

A good critique partner who is honest and blunt.

A support group of authors who understand the rollercoaster journey of publishing and the insecurities you feel.

What can you tell us about your latest novel or your current work in progress?

The Storytellers

Trapped between life and the afterlife, three women meet and share their stories while discovering the truth about the men in their lives—and about themselves.

Suspended in an eerie state of limbo, an entity called the Gatekeeper tells Nikki, Ronnie, and Mrs. Hawthorne they are on the cusp of entering the afterlife—but only if the women can persuade him that in their earthly lives, they knew the meaning of love.

Fragments of their memories return, plunging them back into their pasts, and forcing them to face the desires, disappointments, addictions, lies, and obsessions they battled in life.

But before time runs out, will they find the answer to the ultimate question: what is love?

More about Caron

Caron grew up in a mining town on the east coast of Scotland where her dad would return from the pit and fill her life with his tall tales. She never thought about making a career in writing – that was what posh people did, not someone from a working-class council estate. However, her father’s death was the cause of deep introspection and her emotions gave birth to a short story, Cash, which was published in the Scottish Book Trust’s anthology, Blether. This gave her the confidence to try and believe in herself. When not blogging, reading, and writing, Caron spends her time with her daughters. She doesn’t enjoy exercise – but loves running around after her grandsons, Lyle and Noah, to whom she is devoted. Caron had three childhood dreams in life: to become a published author, to become a teacher, and for David Essex to fall in love with her. Two out of three ain’t bad, and she’s delighted with that.

Caron, where can we follow you on social media?

Twitter: @caronmckinlay

Facebook: @mckinlaycaron

Instagram: @caronmckinlay

Website www.caronmckinlay.com

Thank you for taking part in Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Witch's Tree by Elena Collins

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to ...1682

Boldwood Books
17 May 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book
and to Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to the tour

A tale as old as time. A spirit that has never rested.

Present day

As a love affair comes to an end, and with it her dreams for her future, artist Selena needs a retreat. The picture-postcard Sloe Cottage in the Somerset village of Ashcombe promises to be the perfect place to forget her problems, and Selena settles into her new home as spring arrives. But it isn’t long before Selena hears the past whispering to her. Sloe Cottage is keeping secrets which refuse to stay hidden.

​1682

Grace Cotter longs for nothing more than a husband and family of her own. Content enough with her work on the farm, looking after her father, and learning the secrets of her grandmother Bett’s healing hands, nevertheless Grace still hopes for love. But these are dangerous times for dreamers, and rumours and gossip can be deadly. One mis-move and Grace’s fate looks set…

Separated by three hundred years, two women are drawn together by a home bathed in blood and magic. Grace Cotter’s spirit needs to rest, and only Selena can help her now.

📖 My Review..

Selina finds that taking refuge at Sloe Cottage in the heart of Somerset is just the place she needs to get over a disastrous love affair. The glorious countryside around the cottage proves to be the perfect inspiration for Selina's paintings which capture the eerie nature of both the cottage and the surrounding landscape. That there is a ghostly presence in the cottage is obvious from the start and as the story blends and weaves between past and present we get the story of Grace Cotter, a troubled young woman who, living in the seventeenth century, has unfinished business with Sloe Cottage and the village of Ashcombe.

The time-slip elements of the story work really well with neither one outshining the other. I felt equally at home with Selina at Sloe Cottage in the present day as I did at Slaugh Cottage with Grace in 1682 during a time when the country was gripped by witch fever and to be a woman alone was to invite scurrilous gossip and sly innuendo. The story is really rather special and so beautifully reminiscent of both time elements that I quite forgot the passage of time. I loved learning more about Selina's life at the cottage and could visualise her beautifully imaginative paintings as she brings time and place into wonderful context.

Beautifully written, with lovely historical detail, The Witch's Tree is a wonderful time-slip novel which shows that the passage of time doesn't always heal a troubled soul but by blending the shared experiences of two rather sad young women the author has created a wonderful bridge between the despair of past and hope for the present. 

 

🍷Best Read with...a glass of Joely's mint lemonade and a slice of Mrs Harper's angel cake

About the Author

Elena Collins is the pen name of Judy Leigh. Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of Five French Hens, A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

Twitter @JudyLeighWrite #TheWitchsTree

@BoldwoodBooks #BoldwoodBloggers @bookandtonic

@rararesources

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