📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose

 

Penguin
24 March 2023

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Keep your friends close and your neighbours closer . . .

Ciara has it all – a loving husband, well-behaved children and an immaculate home. But behind the filters, her reality is far from what it seems.

Mishti is stuck in a loveless marriage, raising her daughter in a country that is too cold, among children who look nothing like her.

Lauren is mostly happy, despite being outcast for her woo-woo beliefs and her kids who run naked, wild and free.

But then Ciara is found murdered in her pristine home and suddenly everyone is a suspect.

📖 My Review..

Ciara seems to have everything, a loving husband, beautiful children and a lifestyle that she enjoys sharing on her social media channels but as we soon discover there are flaws aplenty in Ciara’s life and pretty soon we start to see not just her dirty laundry but everyone else’s dirty laundry being aired in public.

I enjoyed getting to know Ciara and although she not a very likeable character and as brittle as a cut glass vase there were times when I felt a modicum of sympathy for her. However, for me, it was Mishti who was the stand out character, she deserved so much more than life had given her. Lauren, with her Mother Earth qualities had her own vulnerabilities which added another fascinating dimension to this compelling story about motherhood, friendship and the difficulties of keeping your enemies closer than your friends.

There’s so much to enjoy in this suspenseful thriller that’s it’s difficult to share very much without giving the plot away and believe me this is one of those addictive stories which is better read with no preconceptions, as that way the twists and turns, when they come, will take you as much by surprise as they did me.

A real page turner from beginning to end, I have no hesitation in making Dirty Laundry my Featured Book of the Month for April.

About the Author

Disha Bose was born and raised in India, and now lives in Ireland. She worked in Tech before quitting to return to writing. Dirty Laundry is her first novel.

Twitter @dishabossy #DirtyLaundry

@PenguinUK

📖 Book review ~ Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

 

Penguin
2 March 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don't always mean what they say.

But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally's life will be thrown into chaos once again.

📖My Review..

It's been awhile since I read a Liz Nugent novel and I'm left wondering why it took me so long. Strange Sally Diamond is one of those totally immersive novels which, right from the start, captures your imagination and I think Sally is certainly one of the most memorable literary characters I've met this year.

The story gets off to a harrowing start with Sally following her father's instructions by putting him out with the rubbish when he died. That Sally takes everything that people say quite literally is obvious from the start and although the small Irish community where she lives are both fascinated and repelled by her, there is also an element of acceptance as Sally has, despite her adoptive parent's protection, always been considered to be a bit odd. Now in her forties and, after her father's death, quite alone in the world, Sally has to learn to find her way but when sinister messages start to arrive from someone Sally doesn't know it opens up a whole set of secrets about her difficult past which have been hidden for far too long. These secrets are not an easy read and once exposed can never be forgotten, or forgiven.

Beautifully written, with no word wasted, and no emotion left unexplored, Strange Sally Diamond is a complex, and utterly addictive, story which shocks you to the core and which doesn't let go of your emotions until the very last page is turned.

About the Author

Before becoming a full-time writer, Liz Nugent worked in film, theatre and television. Her four novels - Unravelling Oliver, Lying in Wait, Skin Deep and Our Little Cruelties have each been Number One bestsellers and she has won four Irish Book Awards, as well as the James Joyce Medal for Literature. She lives in Dublin.

Strange Sally Diamond is a BBC Between the Covers Book Club Pick 2023

Twitter @lizzienugent #StrangeSallyDiamond

Website

@PenguinUKBooks

🎄Festive Read ~ A Christmas Miracle for the Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas

 

Penguin
13 October 2022

Railway Girls #6

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

Manchester, 1942. There are surprises in store for the railway girls this festive season...

When Cordelia's daughter Emily falls for a young chap who doesn't meet the approval of her father, Cordelia is reminded of her own first love - a love that she has never forgotten.

Mabel is determined to get to the bottom of a spate of local burglaries. Her heart is in the right place as she sets out on a quest to clear her friend's name, but there will be unforeseen consequences.

It's nothing short of a miracle when Colette returns to Manchester. But it's not going to be easy for her to keep living the life she once knew, and an impossible situation lies ahead.

There will be more than one storm for the railway girls to weather but with the friendship and support of one another, there's hope that all will be well by Christmas...

📖 My review..

It’s always such a treat to be back in Manchester with The Railways Girls and this latest story, set in 1942,  is particularly poignant as it sees the return of a much loved character with a storyline which really tugs away at the heart strings. As we have discovered in previous stories, the railway girls are a very close knit bunch and whilst they are all from very different social backgrounds when the going gets tough they all pull together. There is a true sense of camaraderie amongst the women who, in their various roles, do so much to keep the northern rail network functioning, and even with the threat of bombs dropping around them they still maintain the stoic war time spirit of making do, and carrying on regardless.

I’ve spent a few delightful afternoons in the company of this strong set of women who refuse to be beaten by whatever life throws at them, be be it sheltering from falling bombs, organising a Christmas Eve children’s party or the rescue of a much loved friend. Within any of the books in this series there is a real sense of how the Second World War impacted on daily life and it’s all so beautifully recreated by a skilful author who has developed this delightful series into something rather special. 

Whilst this one definitely has a festive feel to it, it is perfectly possible to read the story at any time of year. However, as this is book number six in the series I would advise that you start right the beginning with the first book as that way you will find so much to enjoy in this popular series and will grow to love the railway girls as much as I do.

A Christmas Miracle for the Railway Girls is every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be and is the perfect escape from the stress of a hectic Christmas.  

🍴Best read with..Colette’s potato floddies and a strong cup of tea.

About the Author

Maisie Thomas was born and brought up in Manchester, which provides the location for her Railway Girls novels. She loves writing stories with strong female characters, set in times when women needed determination and vision to make their mark. The Railway Girls series is inspired by her great aunt Jessie, who worked as a railway clerk during the First World War. Maisie now lives on the beautiful North Wales coast with her railway enthusiast husband, Kevin, and their two rescue cats. They often enjoy holidays chugging up and down the UK’s heritage steam railways.

Twitter @MaisieThomas99 #AChristmasMiraclefortheRailwayGirls

@PenguinBooksUK

📖 Book Feature ~ The Penguin Book of French Short Stories edited Patrick McGuiness

 

Penguin Classics
27 October 2022

The short story has a rich tradition in French literature where, since its genesis, the form has been playfully expanded and subverted. Here are decadent tales, 'bloody tales', detective stories, war stories, fables, puzzles, fairy tales, and family histories. They are stories about the self and the other, husbands, wives and lovers, country and city, rich and poor. Curated and introduced by Patrick McGuinness, Professor of French and Comparative literature at Oxford, this collection brilliantly balances famous names such as Proust, Colette, and Zola with lesser-known French writers ripe for rediscovery.

Volume One begins with a bawdy, innuendo-laden tale from Philippe de Laon's One Hundred New Tales, written between 1464 and 1467. The final story in Volume Two dates from the early 2000s, written by Virginie Despentes, one of the most thrilling and taboo-breaking contemporary French writers. In between, this anthology crosses both genres and borders with writing from the formidable Guadeloupian writer Maryse Conde, and the greatly overlooked Senegalese poet and member of the Négritude movement Birago Diop. Far from apolitical, the collection reckons with France's complicated political and colonial history in a way which only the short story is able, as McGuinness tells us: "The short story is a pragmatic, nimble genre, responsive and topical, reaching the parts of a culture other genres cannot, and reaching them fast. Where the novel stretches across our days and accompanies us through them, the short story thrives in the busy ecosystem of everyday narratives and everyday reading habits."

Penguin Classics
27 October 2022

The second volume takes the reader through the tumultuous twentieth century in the company of writers including Simone de Beauvoir and Maryse Condé, Patrick Modiano and Virginie Despentes, covering world wars, revolutions, and the horrors of the motorway service station. Along the way we meet electronic brains, she-wolves, a sadistic Cinderella, ancestors, infidels, dissatisfied housewives and lonely ambassadors, all clamouring to be heard. Funny, devastating and fresh at every turn, this is the place to start for lovers of French literature, new and old.

Edited and with an introduction by Patrick McGuinness, academic, writer and translator.

****

Thanks to the publisher, I've been lucky enough to read a sample section of the stories within these two volumes and from what I have seen, so far, I can heartily recommend both volumes. The stories vary in length from one page, to several pages, and each are perfectly written to entice and entertain. In my sample copy I enjoyed The Panther by Rachilde from Volume One and from Volume Two I enjoyed reading The Winter Journey by Georges Perec.

The Penguin Book of French Short Stories, edited by Patrick McGuiness, was published on the 27th October by Penguin Classics.

About the Editor

Patrick McGuiness is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of St Anne's Collge. Born in Tunisia and raised in Belgium, he is a poet, prize-winning novelist and translator.

Twitter @PenguinRandom

@padrigmcg

📖 Publication Day Review ~ Hope to Die by Cara Hunter

Penguin
Paperback 18 August 2022

DI Adam Fawley #6

My thanks to the publisher for the invitation to read this novel

When a body is found in a farmhouse in a gruesome state, DI Adam Fawley is one of the first on the scene. The murder leads Fawley to a convoluted investigation from the past, and a family torn apart by a devastating crime involving the disappearance of a child.

Can Fawley piece together the facts of history with the clues in the present? Sometimes the truth is the hardest answer to face up to...

📖 My Review..

From the start of this series we have observed DI Adam Fawley's life in various stages, sometimes sad, sometimes crazily mixed up, occasionally misdirected, but always absorbing, so it's a real pleasure in Hope to Die to see him enter a more settled period in his life. However, that doesn't mean that his professional life is any less exciting, far from it as Hope to Die hits the ground running with a gruesome discovery in an isolated farmhouse. The elderly couple who live at Gantry Manor are naturally bewildered by what appears to be a burglary gone wrong at their rural hideaway but there's something about Mr and Mrs Swann which just doesn't quite add up. As always, Fawley and his team are soon on the case and are determined to leave no stone unturned and no clue uninvestigated but even these hardened detectives are unprepared for what they are about to discover about the couple at Gantry Manor.

I raced through Hope to Die at top speed, not because it's light on content, far from it, it's just that once started it's very easy to become so immersed that you don't notice time passing. I love the speed of the story, the way it enfolds you, quickens your imagination and all credit to this talented writer for keeping everything so realistic, from police interviews, emails, news and Netflix documentary transcripts it reads like a true crime broadcast. There are twists and turns aplenty, lots of emotional content, and a family drama which reveals its secrets ever so slowly but when all is revealed it makes you gasp out loud.

Clever , sophisticated, and brilliant, long may DI Adam Fawley and his team reign supreme. I'm already looking forward to the seventh in the series, and beyond, as this creative author has the unique ability to keep the stories fresh and true, and cunningly addictive.

🍫Best read with.. a snickers bar and a cup of tea, heavy on the sugar 😋

About the Author

Cara Hunter is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling crime novels Close to Home, In the Dark and No Way Out, all featuring DI Adam Fawley and his Oxford-based police team. Close to Home was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick, was shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2019 and No Way Out was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 best crime novels since 1945. Cara's novels have sold more than three quarters of a million copies worldwide. Cara Hunter lives in Oxford, on a street not unlike those featured in her books.

You can sign up for Cara's newsletter by clicking here

Hope to Die was published in eBook on the 22 July and is out in paperback today.

Twitter @CaraHunterBooks #HopetoDie

@PenguinUKBooks

📖 Blog Tour ~ Three Cheers for the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell

Penguin
31 March 2022

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

Wedding bells are ringing at long last for Gloria and her soon-to-be husband Jack. But she can't rest until her youngest son is safely home.

Head welder Rosie is delighted her own husband has returned from enemy territory. But the promise of victory brings more change. Her squad has come so far - what will happen when the war ends?

Meanwhile Helen is caught between two men - but must hide her true feelings from the one she loves. Can her fellow women welders help Helen follow her heart?

Only by working together will the Shipyard Girls win the day.

📖 My Review..

Even though victory bells are ringing loud and clear for the Shipyard Girls there's an element of sadness because this is the final part of this epic series of eleven novels which have charted the progress of this stalwart group of women as they survived whatever the war threw at them, whilst at the same time keeping the home fires and the Sunderland shipyards flourishing. In this final novel we meet again with the women who have become such an intrinsic part of the story and hope with the end of the war they can each go on to find the happiness they deserve. 

I think the emotional investment in this series is such that for readers who have followed from the beginning there is a real sense of sadness that the story has come to its natural ending. And what a journey it has been, delighting readers and inspiring a real interest in the north east where the story is set. As always the author writes with real historical knowledge and gives her characters such a sense of their worth that they spring with lively enthusiasm off the page making their stories so hard to resist. Of course, as with any final novel there is a sense of the wrapping up of loose ends.  I was pleased that those who needed to received their comeuppance and that there was resolution for those who needed to move on with their lives. 

Beautifully written and with a real sense of time and place Three Cheers for the Shipyard Girls is a worthy conclusion to this wonderful historical series which has delighted over half a million readers. This fascinating wartime journey with all of the Shipyard Girls has been a joy to read and is definitely a series which will continue to delight for many years to come.

🍵Best read with... a healthy dose of nostalgia and a good strong pot of tea 

About the Author

Nancy Revell is the pen name of writer and journalist Amanda Revell Walton, who has worked for the national press for the past 25 years, providing them with hard-hitting news stories and in-depth features. She has also worked for just about every woman’s magazine, writing amazing and inspirational true life stories.

Nancy Revell is spearheading a campaign to honour the real women of the Sunderland shipyards in her home town with a new public statue that will be displayed within the historic Sunderland Shipyards. Nancy has worked closely with the Sunderland City Council and the Sunderland Soroptimists, a worldwide volunteer service organization for women, and after putting out a call on her own social media channels, Nancy was approached by local artist Rosanne Robertson who has been commissioned to create the statue that will be unveiled later this year.

Sunderland boasted the largest shipyard in Europe during WWII, and produced a quarter of Britain's merchant shipping at the time. When the men went away to war, the courageous Shipyard Girls took up the back breaking work building ships for the British Navy. Due to its size, the Sunderland Shipyards were a key target of Hitler’s Blitzkreig, making the work not only backbreaking but incredibly dangerous. Historians have estimated that without the courageous women working in Sunderlands’ shipyards during the war, WWII could very likely have been lost due to lack of ability to transport troops, provisions and ammunition.

Follow the blog tour

Twitter @arevellwalton #ShipyardGirls #ThreeCheersForTheShipyardGirls

@centurybooksuk @PenguinBooksUK

🎄Festive read ~ Christmas with the Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas

 

Penguin
11 November 2021

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

Manchester, 1941

Christmas is the season for family and friends, and this year the railway girls will need each other more than ever.

Cordelia appears to have the perfect life. When her daughter Emily arrives home unexpectedly, she can't wait to introduce her to her friends. But when things don't go to plan, Cordelia must decide where her loyalty lies.

Things aren't going too smoothly for Alison either. Her beloved boyfriend has yet to propose, but there's a charity fundraiser dance and she's dressed up specially. Surely, tonight must be the night.

Colette's friends are envious of her devoted husband; he meets her after every shift on the railway, and accompanies her around town. But Colette has a secret, one that will change her life—if only she knew who to confide in.

With the festive season fast approaching, the railway girls are hoping for some Christmas magic..

🎄My thoughts..

It's such a treat to join the railway girls as they quietly, and confidently, go about their collective war work, on the northern rail network, during WW2. For those who have read the previous books in this lovely series this is the welcome return of old friends and we pick up the story pretty much where The Railway Girls in Love finished. 

It's been interesting to see the development of these characters over time and whilst this story focuses the attention on Cordelia, Alison and Colette, it's always so good to see the gang reunited as they set the world to rights in their regular meet ups in the railway buffet. There's a warmth to these stories which really captures the imagination and whilst this book tackles some sensitive issues about relationships, it does so with an uncanny knack of seeing right into the heart and soul of the matter. I'm being deliberately vague as to the ins and outs of the story as this is one of those books which you want to sink into without any spoilers from me!

Beautifully written with a strong sense of time and place and a wonderful supporting cast I found Christmas with the Railway Girls to be quite an emotional roller-coaster of a read, and with my thoughts firmly fixed on one character in particular I really hoped that everything would work out well. There's such strong authenticity to the stories that it really makes the war time era come alive in the imagination, from making do and mending, to always being there for one another in times of crisis. I found myself smiling at the thought of the railway girls reusing Christmas wrapping paper, time and again, as that's something that my own mother, herself a young woman during WW2, frequently did, much to the amusement of the rest of us. Years after the war ended, my mother would never scrunch pretty paper and throw it away !

As a northerner what makes these lovely stories so special for me is the sense of making the best of a situation which is so much a part of our genetic makeup. It is really lovely to see the same traits coming through in the Railway Girls who, infinitely kind, always make the best of what they have and share, regardless of their social class, a deep and abiding friendship with each other. Whilst there is an undeniable nod towards Christmas, this is a story which can be read comfortably at any time of the year. My only advise is to read the books in the order they were published as that way you will grow to love these characters just as much as the rest of us do.

Reading Christmas with the Railway Girls is the perfect antidote to festive stress.

About the Author

Maisie Thomas was born and brought up in Manchester, which provides the location for her Railway Girls novels. She loves writing stories with strong female characters, set in times when women needed determination and vision to make their mark. The Railway Girls series is inspired by her great aunt Jessie, who worked as a railway clerk during the First World War. Maisie now lives on the beautiful North Wales coast with her railway enthusiast husband, Kevin, and their two rescue cats. They often enjoy holidays chugging up and down the UK’s heritage steam railways.

Twitter @MaisieThomas99 #ChristmasWithTheRailwayGirls

@PenguinBooksUK

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood

 

Thrilled to host a stop on today's blog tour

Viking Books
5 August 2021

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

HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO BE SOMEONE ELSE?

Vanessa has always found it easy to pretend to be somebody different, somebody better. When things get tough in her real life, all she has to do is throw on some nicer clothes, adopt a new accent and she can escape.

That's how it started: looking round houses she couldn't possibly afford. Harmless fun really. Until it wasn't.

Because a man who lived in one of those houses is dead.

And everyone thinks Vanessa killed him...

📖 My Thoughts...

On the surface Vanessa’s life seems perfect with a successful career, and a handsome, and supportive, boyfriend, but all is not as it seems and pretty soon, as we get taken deeper into Vanessa’s complicated life, so fatal flaws start to appear. 

The story is cleverly divided into then and now with both strands of the story equally complex. I enjoyed discovering more about Vanessa’s past whilst at the same time getting to know what she is experiencing in her present life, especially her fascination for adopting new identities in order to view luxurious properties which are for sale and which are completely out of her reach. On the surface, this seems a rather innocuous pastime but then something dreadful happens and Vanessa is left to gather the pieces of her life which threaten to shatter around her. As the story progresses more of Vanessa’s insecurities start to emerge which cover every aspect of her life, from the complicated relationship she has with her boyfriend, Connor, to the special bond she shares with her older sister, Georgie, and the close relationship Vanessa has with her best friend, Lottie. 

There is much to take in and many pieces of the puzzle to put together before the conclusion of this suspenseful story is revealed, some of the clever twists I really didn’t see coming. Beautifully written, with this talented author’s clever ability to share even the smallest detail, The Perfect Life is an interesting psychological suspense story which takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey and which keeps you guessing from start to finish.

About the Author

Photo credit: Justine Stoddart

Nuala Ellwood is the author of three best selling novels: My Sister's Bones ,for which she was selected as one of the Observer's New Faces of Fiction 2017, Day of the Accident and the House on the Lake. Nuala lives in York with her young son.

 Twitter @NualaWrites #ThePerfectLife

@VikingBooksUK

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories Edited by Margaret Jull Costa

 

Penguin
24 June 2021
My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Showcasing alluring hairdressers, war defectors, vampiric babies and talismanic mandrake roots, this daring new collection celebrates the richness and variety of the Spanish short story.

From Emilia Pardo Bazán and Leopoldo Alas, through Mercè Rodoreda and Manuel Rivas, to Ana Maria Matute and Javier Marías, it brims with romance, horror, history, farce, strangeness and beauty.

Featuring over fifty stories selected by revered translator Margaret Jull Costa, it blends old favourites and hidden gems – over two thirds of which have never before been translated into English – and introduces readers to surprising new voices as well as giants of Spanish literary culture. Ordered by date of birth to give a sense of Spain’s turbulent history from the nineteenth century to the present day, it is a treasure trove both for hispanophiles and for those new to Spain’s greatest storytellers.

📖 My Thoughts..

I am delighted to have as my featured book of the month this wonderful collection of Spanish Short Stories which collectively make the perfect way to spend a pleasant afternoon just dipping into and out wherever your fancy takes you, and with over fifty stories to choose from there's bound to be something to please every taste. 

The stories are cleverly arranged chronologically from the date of the author's birth and range from the mid-nineteenth century, through to the last featured author who was born in the mid-nineteen eighties.  Though I wasn't familiar with any of the authors that really didn't matter as each story has a short snippet of biographical information at the start so that it is easy to place into context when the story was written.  

As with any anthology there are bound to be stories which appeal more than others but my interest was well and truly piqued by the opening story entitled The Novel on the Tram by Benito Pérez Galdós a clever little story which combines a touch of fantasy together with an authentic sense of time and place. Some of the stories are longer than others so take a little longer to read whilst others are just a couple of pages long and can be read in the time it takes to make a coffee. What comes across is that they all entertain on their own special level and there's a good index to peruse so that it's easy to find something to enjoy.

The pop art inspired cover of the book is particularly striking, it conjures a beautiful summer day by a pool with the opportunity to sit and relax and that's exactly what this fascinating book of short stories offers, it's a chance to escape from the mundane banality of day to day chores and step into the imaginative writing of this impressive group of Spanish authors.

I am delighted to make The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories my Featured Book of the Month for July.

Incidentally the cover illustration is taken from Dreamed House by Alejos Lorenzo

About the Editor

Margaret Jull Costa has translated the works of many Spanish and Portuguese writers, among them novelists: Javier Marías, José Saramago and Eça de Queiroz, and poets: Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, Mário de Sá-Carneiro and Ana Luísa Amaral. Her work has brought her numerous prizes, most recently, the 2018 Premio Valle-Inclán for On the Edge by Rafael Chirbes. In 2014, she was awarded an OBE for services to literature.

Twitter @PenguinUKBooks

📖 Review ~ The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

 

Penguin
2020

Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves

A female cop with her first big case

A brutal murder

Welcome to…

The Thursday Murder Club

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late.

📖 My Thoughts...

Ok, so I'm a bit late to the party with this one as it came out in a flurry of excitement in September last year and I've no excuse for my tardiness other than using the saying too many books, too little time. So despite having an ecopy copy of the book lingering on my kindle, when I spotted the audio version narrated by Lesley Manville, well, I couldn't delay any longer.

Setting the story in a retirement village is such a great premise for a story, and to have four 'old folk' who have too much time on their hands, and who enjoy trying to outwit the local police detectives, well, it's a match made in heaven. I loved every minute of The Thursday Murder Club and am hard pushed to figure out amongst the four septuagenarians who my favourite character was, but I think, on reflection, Joyce is the one who I really looked forward to seeing on the page, her intuitive ponderings really brought the story to life, but equally, Elizabeth, Ron and Ibrahim brought such a sparkle to the story, they are, by a mile, some of the best fictional sleuths I've met in a long time. 

The audio version is expertly narrated by Lesley Manville who brings each of the characters alive in such a lovely, meaningful way that I became so immersed in the story I didn't notice time passing. Also at the end of the narration is a wonderful interview/chat between Richard Osman and Marian Keyes, which is absolutely worth listening too for a glorious insight into Richard's inspiration for the book and the sheer joy of listening to Marion.

The Thursday Murder Club is witty and funny, tender and compassionate, and the most joyous, murder mystery I have read in a long time. All I can say is read it, and then bring on book #2 in September 2021.

About the Author

Richard Osman is an English television presenter, producer, director, and novelist.

Twitter @richardosman

@PenguinUkBooks

📖 Paperback Publication Day ~ Liar by Lesley Pearse

Penguin
Micheal Joseph

4 March 2021

My thanks to the publishers and edpr for my copy of this book

Amelia White dreamed of being a reporter, but the closest she'd come was selling advertising in the local paper. Until the fateful day she stumbles on a truly shocking scoop.

A murder victim, round the corner from her home.

When the police and reporters descend, Amelia is horrified at the assumptions made and lies soon to be spread about this poor young woman. Convincing her local paper to let her take up the story herself, Amelia is determined to protect the victim from these smears. But when another body is found, the police investigation stalls. Now, Amelia's own unfolding investigation may be the only chance of uncovering the truth, and stopping more killings.

If only she can work out who the liar is...

📖 My thoughts..

I love the anticipation of a new Lesley Pearse novel and Liar, her 28th novel, is every bit as good as I hoped it would be.

Amelia White works on the local paper and whilst she has ambitions to be a reporter her days are largely spent in selling advertising space to local businesses. That is until she discovers the body of a dead girl in a pile of rubbish and with an exclusive scoop on her hands, Amelia is encouraged, by her boss, to delve a little deeper. 

What then follows is a convoluted and complex murder/mystery which has more than enough twists and turns to keep the action exciting. And yet, the story is about so much more than a murder mystery, it’s also a close examination of what makes people act in the way that they do. Nature versus nurture, that's for us to discover in this intricate story of murder, mayhem and despair. Whilst I had very sympathy for Amelia and her search for truth and justice, it is the other fascinating characters who flit into and out of Amelia’s life which add interesting light and shade into what is a rather dark and dangerous story.

I’ve never yet read a Lesley Pearse novel that I didn’t enjoy. She has such an easy style of writing and delivers romance, crime and historical fiction with fine attention to detail, and with impeccable accuracy she always gets right into the very heart and soul of her lead characters.

Liar is this author writing at her most skillful, she brings the rather dreary 1970s to life in a thought provoking murder/ mystery which flits and flutters through some difficult scenes but which never fails to entertain on every level.

About the Author

©Charlotte Murphy

Lesley Pearse is a global No.1 bestseller with fans across the world and sales of over 10 million copies of her books to date. One of the nation’s best-loved storytellers, Lesley is a master of the gripping story line, always introducing her readers to characters that are impossible not to care about or forget. With a ‘Lesley Pearse’ book purchased every 4 minutes in the UK, there is no formula to her books or easily defined genre and, whether historical drama like her No.1 bestselling Belle trilogy or the emotionally powerful Trust Me based on the true-life scandal of British child migrants sent to Australia in the post-war period, she always engages the reader completely.You’ll Never See Me Again is Lesley’s 27th novel.

Lesley Pearse was told as a child that she had too much imagination for her own good. She left home at 15 and headed to London where she worked her way through many jobs – from corsetry sales in Cooks of St. Pauls (featured in Dead to Me), to musician’s muse (her second husband was a musician managed by Don Arden) to bunny girl to nanny; from gift shop owner to dressmaker – finally finding her true vocation when she became a published author age 49. Since then Lesley has become an internationally bestselling author, with over 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide. 

A true storyteller and a master of gripping storylines, there is no set formula for a Lesley Pearse novel although strong heroines and difficult circumstances are pervasive. Whether historical adventures such as Gypsy or Never Look Back or the passionately emotive Trust Me, Lesley is inspired by stories of courage and adversity and often gives voice to women lost in history and people damaged by their childhood experiences. She is passionate about her research and her stories have taken her far and wide; from Alaska to the Crimea. Lesley now lives in Torquay in Devon where she loves to spend time walking on the beach with her grandchildren and dogs. A fantastic speaker and committed and passionate fundraiser for the NSPCC, Lesley is a much sought-after guest at literary lunches, library events and festivals up and down the country.

Twitter @LesleyPearse #LoveLesley

@MichaelJBooks

@ed_pr

Book Review ~ Under Land by Robert Macfarlane

Penguin
27 August 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

In Underland, Robert Macfarlane takes us on a journey into the worlds beneath our feet. From the ice-blue depths of Greenland's glaciers, to the underground networks by which trees communicate, from Bronze Age burial chambers to the rock art of remote Arctic sea-caves, this is a deep-time voyage into the planet's past and future.

Global in its geography, gripping in its voice and haunting in its implications, Underland is a work of huge range and power, and a remarkable new chapter in Macfarlane's long-term exploration of landscape and the human heart.

What did I think about it..

It's taken me a while to read through this, not because it's not interesting, but because the content is so fascinating that I needed to read it slowly in order to take in the wealth of information.  Beautifully descriptive and, at times, scarily prophetic, there is so much to take in as the world below our feet is opened up to close scrutiny.

Divided into three main chambers :

Part I : Seeing (Britain)

Part II : Hiding (Europe)

Part III : Haunting (The North)

In each intricate section there is much to discover, far too much for me to go into detail here, and even if you have no interest in geology, archaeology and natural history, I think that this book has more than enough fascinating detail to fire the imagination. 

As I get older I am more of an armchair traveller so over the course of the last couple of weeks I have been on the most amazing adventure which has taken me from the caves of the Mendip hills in Somerset, a place I have actually visited, to the Knud Rasmussen Glacier in Greenland and so many places in between that I never knew existed.

Beautifully detailed and incredibly descriptive, Under Land made me aware of what is happening in the deep, dark spaces underground. Those shadowy places of burial chambers, tree networks, mythical and legendary rivers, subterranean passages filled with nuclear waste, deep mining explorations and ice crashing glaciers.

An interesting, fascinating and lengthy book which has taken the author over ten years to complete and from its detailed content I get the sense that the research has been a real labour of love.

About the Author

Robert Macfarlane is the author of Mountains of the Mind, The Wild Places, The Old Ways, Landmarks, and The Lost Words, co-created with Jackie Morris. Mountains of the Mind won the Guardian First Book Award and the Somerset Maugham Award and The Wild Places won the Boardman-Tasker Award. Both books have been adapted for television by the BBC. The Lost Words won the Books Are My Bag Beautiful Book Award and the Hay Festival Book of the Year. He is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and writes on environmentalism, literature and travel for publications including the Guardian, the Sunday Times and The New York Times.

 Twitter @RobGMacfarlane #Underland

@PenguinUKBooks

📖 Featured Book ~ Liar by Lesley Pearse

🌠🌠 It's the beginning of the month and time for my featured book 🌠🌠

Michael Joseph
25 June 2020

My thanks to the publishers and ed public relations for my copy of this book

Amelia White dreamed of being a reporter, but the closest she'd come was selling advertising in the local paper. Until the fateful day she stumbles on a truly shocking scoop.

A murder victim, round the corner from her home.

When the police and reporters descend, Amelia is horrified at the assumptions made and lies soon to be spread about this poor young woman. Convincing her local paper to let her take up the story herself, Amelia is determined to protect the victim from these smears. But when another body is found, the police investigation stalls. Now, Amelia's own unfolding investigation may be the only chance of uncovering the truth, and stopping more killings.

If only she can work out who the liar is...

What did I think about it..

I love the anticipation of a new Lesley Pearse novel and Liar, her 28th novel, is every bit as good as I hoped it would be.

Amelia White works on the local paper and whilst she has ambitions to be a reporter her days are largely spent in selling advertising space to local businesses. That is until she discovers the body of a dead girl in a pile of rubbish and with an exclusive scoop on her hands, Amelia is encouraged, by her boss, to delve a little deeper. 

What then follows is a convoluted and complex murder/mystery which has more than enough twists and turns to keep the action exciting. And yet, the story is about so much more than a murder mystery, it’s also a close examination of what makes people act in the way that they do. Nature versus nurture, that's for us to discover in this intricate story of murder, mayhem and despair. Whilst I had very sympathy for Amelia and her search for truth and justice, it is the other fascinating characters who flit into and out of Amelia’s life which add interesting light and shade into what is a rather dark and dangerous story.

I’ve never yet read a Lesley Pearse novel that I didn’t enjoy. She has such an easy style of writing and delivers romance, crime and historical fiction with fine attention to detail, and with impeccable accuracy she always gets right into the very heart and soul of her lead characters.

Liar is this author writing at her most skillful, she brings the rather dreary 1970s to life in a thought provoking murder/ mystery which flits and flutters through some difficult scenes but which never fails to entertain on every level.

I'm delighted to have chosen Liar as my featured book of the month. It's published in hardback and eBook by Michael Joseph and is out now. 

***Lesley's first virtual event is taking place this week with Woman and Home's Book Club. Lesley will be discussing her new novel Liar as well as six books that are special to her and how they have had an impact on her life. The event is free and will take place over Zoom today Thursday July 2nd at 7:30pm. To join, you just need to register here

About the Author

©Charlotte Murphy

Lesley Pearse is a global No.1 bestseller with fans across the world and sales of over 10 million copies of her books to date. One of the nation’s best-loved storytellers, Lesley is a master of the gripping story line, always introducing her readers to characters that are impossible not to care about or forget. With a ‘Lesley Pearse’ book purchased every 4 minutes in the UK, there is no formula to her books or easily defined genre and, whether historical drama like her No.1 bestselling Belle trilogy or the emotionally powerful Trust Me based on the true-life scandal of British child migrants sent to Australia in the post-war period, she always engages the reader completely.You’ll Never See Me Again is Lesley’s 27th novel.

Lesley Pearse was told as a child that she had too much imagination for her own good. She left home at 15 and headed to London where she worked her way through many jobs – from corsetry sales in Cooks of St. Pauls (featured in Dead to Me), to musician’s muse (her second husband was a musician managed by Don Arden) to bunny girl to nanny; from gift shop owner to dressmaker – finally finding her true vocation when she became a published author age 49. Since then Lesley has become an internationally bestselling author, with over 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide. 

A true storyteller and a master of gripping storylines, there is no set formula for a Lesley Pearse novel although strong heroines and difficult circumstances are pervasive. Whether historical adventures such as Gypsy or Never Look Back or the passionately emotive Trust Me, Lesley is inspired by stories of courage and adversity and often gives voice to women lost in history and people damaged by their childhood experiences. She is passionate about her research and her stories have taken her far and wide; from Alaska to the Crimea. Lesley now lives in Torquay in Devon where she loves to spend time walking on the beach with her grandchildren and dogs. A fantastic speaker and committed and passionate fundraiser for the NSPCC, Lesley is a much sought-after guest at literary lunches, library events and festivals up and down the country.

Twitter @LesleyPearse #LoveLesley

@MichaelJBooks

@ed_pr

Amazon UK

His Fic Revisited ~ Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

Another end of the month and another Hist Fic story from my past revisited 

Let's go back to... Restoration England

Penguin 2002
First published 1944

Abandoned pregnant and penniless on the teeming streets of London, 16-year-old Amber St. Clare manages, by using her wits, beauty, and courage, to climb to the highest position a woman could achieve in Restoration England—that of favorite mistress of the Merry Monarch, Charles II. From whores and highwaymen to courtiers and noblemen, from events such as the Great Plague and the Fire of London to the intimate passions of ordinary—and extraordinary—men and women, Amber experiences it all. But throughout her trials and escapades, she remains, in her heart, true to the one man she really loves, the one man she can never have.

Frequently compared to Gone with the Wind, Forever Amber is the other great historical romance, outselling every other American novel of the 1940s—despite being banned in Boston for its sheer sexiness. A book to read and reread, this edition brings back to print an unforgettable romance and a timeless masterpiece.

What did I think about it..

Forever Amber was one of my mother's favourite historical romances and I remember being thrilled when she let me read her copy of the novel when I was about 15. I think this is the pivotal novel which fostered my love of historical fiction, and even though it has been several years since I last read it, revisiting the story was akin to catching up with an old friend.

The story is huge, nearly 1000 pages, and follows the fortunes of the rather beautiful Amber St Clare as she embarks on a glorious hedonistic adventure, which takes her from a sleepy English village to the lively, and pleasure, seeking court of King Charles II. At times, penniless and destitute, whilst at others dazzlingly rich, Amber embodies all that was both tawdry, and yet splendid, about the Restoration period, and Forever Amber certainly covers everything in glorious detail.

The story meanders slowly and if anything seems slightly dated now with its sexual content hinted at rather than described in sensuous detail, and yet, when it was first published in 1944, the book was banned in many countries because of Amber's loose morals and the story's rather risqué content.

This time around I chose to listen to the Audible recording which, at 42 hours and 11 minutes, takes a fair amount of commitment.  However, the story is beautifully narrated by Elizabeth Jasicki who brings the story to life, I think I will forever have her voice as Amber St Clare in my head.

Seventy-Six years after its original publication, Forever Amber has sold millions of copies world wide and still remains in print. It was also made into a mediocre film in 1945 by 20th Century Fox with Linda Darnell and Cornell Wilde as Amber St Clare and Bruce Carlton.

About the Author

Kathleen Winsor was raised in Berkeley, California. At the age of 18, Winsor made a list of her goals for life. Among those was her hope to write a best-selling novel. Winsor graduated in 1938 from the University of California, Berkeley. During her school years, she married a fellow student, All-American college football player Robert Herwig. In 1937, she began writing a thrice-weekly sports column for the Oakland Tribune. Although that job only lasted a year, Winsor later returned to the newspaper to work as a receptionist. She was fired in 1938 when the newspaper chose to trim their workforce.

Kathleen Winsor became interested in the Restoration period through her husband. Herwig was writing a paper for school on Charles II, and, out of boredom, Winsor read one of his research books.

Source:Goodreads

Amazon UK