🍴 Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Joanna Carns

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, author, Joanna Carns to our Sunday Brunch today. What favourite food are you bringing to Sunday brunch? 

I would have said a heart-stopping cheesy egg and sausage casserole, but I decided to go vegan at the start of the year, so now it would have to be something regrettably boring like fruit salad. 

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

Coffee for sure. Can’t live without it and wouldn’t want to. 

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

Definitely outside on the patio, preferably in the shade, with a light breeze, and overlooking a lovely vista. 

🍴Shall we have music playing in the background? And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you happy?

I love jazz music and the fabulous Nina Simone. 

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

Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen would be lovely, but I would also love to meet M.C. Beaton as her Agatha Raisin series is what started me on my cozy mystery journey. 

🍴Which favourite book will you bring to Sunday Brunch? 

Pride and Prejudice 

🍴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 definitely still read for pleasure. In nonfiction, I have been reading books related to the Black Lives Matter movement and confronting white supremacy in America. So many people have recommended Caste by Isabel Wilkerson to me and it’s definitely on my to-read list. For fiction, I am looking forward to the Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton. 

🍴What’s the oldest book on your book shelf? 

I have a very old copy of Alice and Wonderland that I love. 

🍴Where do you find the inspiration for your novels? 

The basis for my current series is a lovely bit of earth called Burt Lake outside Indian River, MI. My friends and I spent several vacations there at one of my friend’s family’s cabin. It was just heavenly. And at the time, there was a local controversy about a big development coming in to put in a race track. It got me thinking about what if someone wanted the deal to go through enough to murder for it…and Whispering Lake was born. 

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

I write whenever I can find the time. I have a very active toddler and so I have been mostly writing in five minute spurts whenever I can. 

🍴Give us four essential items that a writer absolutely needs? 

(1) Inspiration, (2) time, (3) self-confidence, and (4) a support system. For me, inspiration was never a problem. But as an adult with a full-time job and a toddler, there never seems to be enough time. And one of the biggest barriers to my own writing is simply to have the self-confidence to put something out in the world and say, there! I wrote that. And be satisfied with it. 

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

Of course! My debut novel is called Death at Whispering Lake. Here is the teaser paragraph: Harley Kennedy has a serious case of the post-holiday blues: her love life is in the dumps, she lives downstairs to her overbearing mother, and her estranged uncle has recently died, leaving her to handle the estate in the Michigan hinterlands in the dead of January. The more she learns about her uncle’s death, the more suspicious she is that it’s related to an upcoming city council vote on a development deal. The only problem is the small-town policeman can’t be bothered to investigate. Harley has to find the answers herself, but her efforts are hindered by the arrival of her mother and the distraction of a certain handsome restaurant owner. As the time ticks down to the council vote, Harley has to rush to find her uncle’s killer - before the killer finds her. 

🍴Joanna, where can we follow you on social media? 🍴

Facebook page: @joannacarnscozymysteryauthor 

🍴More about Joanna🍴

I am a Buckeye transplant to the Pacific Northwest, meaning that I like small towns, apple pie, and verdant rainy days filled with the scent of pine trees. When I'm not writing, you can probably find me being chased by a toddler in a dinosaur costume who also sometimes moonlights as a pretend kitty. My husband and I also enjoy walks with our two dogs, Buckeye and Beau. 

Thank you for taking part in Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo. 

Thank you!!

Follow us on Twitter @jaffareadstoo #SundayBrunchwithJaffareadstoo

📖 Blog Tour ~ A Family Secret by Libby Ashworth

 

On Hist Fic Saturday I'm thrilled to host a stop on this blog tour

Let's go back to ...1842

Arrow Publishing
4 February 2021

Mill Town Lasses #3

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

Lancashire, 1842 

Sixteen-year-old Bessie Eastwood works long hours as a weaver in Blackburn, helping to support her family. Meanwhile older sister Peggy works as an apprentice at the Girls’ School, hoping for a more prosperous future as a schoolteacher.

Jennet and Titus Eastwood have always decided what is best for their daughters. But as they near adulthood the sisters are determined to choose their own futures. And with temptation in the way, will the girls find love, or lust, leads them astray?

When an unexpected but familiar face arrives in Blackburn, the family’s future is threatened, and a difficult decision will have to be made – love or family..

📖 My thoughts..

It's been really lovely to step back in time with the latest in this series of historical sagas which are set in the mill town of Blackburn, Lancashire, at the height of its cotton manufacturing heyday. 

In A Family Secret trouble is brewing for the Eastwood family as mill production is threatened when working hours are compromised by changes in working conditions. These changes do not sit lightly on those who are both working, and fighting, for the right of fair pay for a fair day's work. Inevitably changes are coming, and young Bessie Eastwood and her father, Titus, both mill workers, are filled with a real sense of unease about their job security. Meanwhile the older sister, Margaret, is facing her own challenges as her quest to better herself takes her life in an altogether different direction. 

When old secrets, which are buried deep at the heart of this family start to threaten, and those who have read the earlier books will know what they are, the future starts to look even more uncertain for  members of the Eastwood family.

As with the previous stories, there's a real sense of community spirit, and the warmth, and camaraderie, of the northern, no nonsense, spirit comes alive.The author captures the historical accuracy of life in a Victorian mill town, and the northern vernacular feels natural, just as if the characters were sitting in your Victorian parlour having a cup of tea, and a slice of bread and butter. I remember my own grandmother, herself a Lancashire mill girl, telling me about the deafening noise of the weaving sheds and about shuttles and looms, warp and weft, whilst at the same time, slicing bread with the expertise of a French swordsman.

A Family Secret is the third book in the Mill Town Lasses series and whilst it can be read a standalone it does bring in characters from previous novels and in a way this book is tying off some of the loose ends which were left hanging after the first book. Beautifully written, as always, A Family Secret is a lovely continuation of the saga.

 

About the author

Libby was born and raised (and still lives) in Lancashire and her passion for the area really shines through in her writing. Her inspiration comes from researching her family history and the two main characters are based on her great, great, great, great grandparents.

Website

Twitter @elizashworth #AFamilySecret

@arrowpublishing

📖 Book Review ~ The Laird's Secret by Linda Tyler

 

Bloodhound Books
18 January 2021

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

In 1953 life is getting back to normal after the war and Christina Camble is one of those looking to the future. But her trust in men is destroyed when she discovers her fiancé has a wife and child. She gives up her job and flat in a bid to escape London and moves to Scotland, where she hopes to get her life back on the right track.

Christina’s expectation of a peaceful life is interrupted when she meets handsome but reserved Alex MacDonald, the Laird of Craiglogie, a man physically scarred and emotionally wracked by his experiences in World War Two. As Christina and Alex cautiously get to know one another, she soon finds herself embroiled in his life and living in his house.

Christina realises she has made an enemy of family friend, Helen, who wants Alex for herself. As Helen sets her sights on Alex, she succeeds in driving a wedge between him and Christina.

Will Alex and Christina find their happy ever after and is it possible for two damaged people ever learn to love and trust again?

📖 My thoughts..

After an unhappy love affair, Christina Camble leaves her life in London and escapes to the beautiful Scotland Highlands to stay with her best friend, Vanessa and her family. Whilst nursing her emotional scars Christina comes into contact with Alex MacDonald, the enigmatic Laird of Craiglogie, an initial meeting which doesn't get off to the best of starts. However, it is obvious that both Christina and Alex have been hurt, Christina by her ill-fated love affair, and Alex, by his own past experiences. 

Set in 1953, there's an authentic post-war historical feel to the story and the author brings this alive in her descriptions of time and place. I especially enjoyed the references to Christina's role as a professional photographer, no quick digital copies in 1953 but the rather more studied version of camera with proper film and dark room development. 

The author writes well, and with gentle humour, and a wonderfully descriptive eye she brings to life both the Scottish coast and the cities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh as they must have appeared in the 1950s. There's also lovely details of Christina's burgeoning friendship with Alex MacDonald, and getting to know more about the stately, Craiglogie House and the people who call it home forms a big part of the story. There's a sweetly, charming sense of 'will they, won't they' in this romantic entanglement as, of course, true love never runs smoothly but the inclusion of a few hitches along the way only helps to make Christina and Alex's friendship all the more enjoyable.

The Laird's Secret is a gentle, love story about love, loss, friendship and family. I enjoyed reading it.

About the Author

Linda Tyler was born in London. She moved progressively north until settling with her husband in a village on the edge of the Scottish Highlands.

Twitter @LindaTyler1 @BloodhoundBook

📖 Paperback Publication Day ~ Under the Stars by Matt Gaw

 

📖  Happy Publication Day 📖 

Elliot & Thompson
4 February 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Moonlight, starlight, the ethereal glow of snow in winter ... When you flick off a switch, other forms of light begin to reveal themselves.

Artificial light is everywhere. Not only is it damaging to humans and to wildlife, disrupting our natural rhythms, but it obliterates the subtler lights that have guided us for millennia. In this beautifully written exploration of the power of light, Matt Gaw ventures forth into darkness to find out exactly what we're missing: walking by the light of the moon in Suffolk and under the scattered buckshot of starlight in Scotland; braving the darkest depths of Dartmoor; investigating the glare of 24/7 London and the suburban sprawl of Bury St Edmunds; and, finally, rediscovering a sense of the sublime on the Isle of Coll.

Under the Stars is an inspirational and immersive call to reconnect with the natural world, showing how we only need to step outside to find that, in darkness, the world lights up.

What did I think about it..

I rarely go out after dark any more, and so I too fail to notice the impact of the night and how the elements look so very different in fading light. In Under the Stars, the author takes us a journey from the dark into the light with a special lyrical magic brought to life by his powerful description of the night sky and of how this exploration, not only made him appreciate the beauty of the night, but also how in using his senses in a different way it gave him a much greater awareness of everything he saw and experienced.

The author writes with warmth and delicate balance, explaining everything he saw and felt with a fine eye for detail and a joyous pleasure at the mystical pull of observation. Filled with a plethora of facts that you never knew you needed to know, Under The Stars is a real feast for all the senses. The author takes us on an enlightening journey, from the lure of moonlight in coastal Suffolk, the gaudy brightness of the city of London, the sheer brilliance pulled from the natural light over dark skies, and the ethereal splendour of starlight over The Isle of Coll in the Inner Hebrides, there is so much to enjoy in this beautifully written exploration of the night sky in all its majesty and unique glory.

There is so much we take for granted in our world, that we fail to recognise the beauty of nature as it surrounds us and it’s only when we take away the obvious can we appreciate what is there for us to see if only we would take the time to slow down and really look to see what’s happening when we allow the night sky, and nature, to speak directly to us.

Recommended : ✅ Absolutely if you enjoy nature, star gazing, moon gazing or just reading a beautifully written observational book about the natural world.

Under the Stars is published in paperback by Elliot and Thompson on the 4th February 2021 to coincide with the CPRE's - (The Countryside Charity) - Annual Star Count (6-14 February) as Matt is a spokesperson for the campaign.

About the Author

Matt Gaw is a writer, journalist and naturalist who lives in Bury St Edmunds. His work has been published in the Guardian, the Telegraph and the Times. He works with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, edits Suffolk Wildlife, currently writes a monthly country diary for the Suffolk Magazine and is a director of the Suffolk Festival of Ideas.

Twitter @MattGaw

@eandtbooks

Amazon UK

📖 Book Review ~ David and Ameena by Ami Rao

Fairlight Books
4 February 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Modern-day New York, a subway train. David, an American-Jewish jazz musician, torn between his dreams and his parents' expectations, sees a woman across the carriage. Ameena, a British-Pakistani artist who left Manchester to escape the pressure from her conservative family, sees David. When a moment of sublime beauty occurs unexpectedly, the two connect, moved by their shared experience. From this flows a love that it appears will triumph above all. But as David and Ameena navigate their relationship, their ambitions and the city they love, they discover the external world is not so easy to keep at bay. Ami Rao's masterful debut novel picks apart the lives of two people, stripping them of their collective identities and, in doing so, facing up to the challenge of today: can love give us the freedom to accept our differences?

📖 My thoughts..

Quite by chance David and Ameena meet on a New York subway, their connection is instant and the two find a connective bond which transcends their different cultures for Ameena is a British- Pakistani who grew up in Manchester, England, whilst David comes from an American Jewish background. These two cultures come together in a thoughtful and introspective look at different lives which are brought together by love.

At first, I thought there was something of a hesitancy to the story, which, for me, took a while to get going, but once I had the characters firmly placed in my head and could visualise both David and Ameena, I settled into the story and started to feel more comfortable with it. I especially enjoyed how the author interspersed details of Ameena's family back in England and showed the difficulties they faced from racial prejudice, however, as we know, intolerance is not confined to just one place and both David and Ameena have to face their own dilemmas which are both cultural, and personal.

David and Ameena, whilst quietly reflective about culture and romance, also brings to life the fascinating world of art and jazz. All in all, an interesting debut by an emerging new author.

About the Author

Ami Rao is a British-American writer. Born in Calcutta, India, Ami has lived and worked in New York, London, Paris, San Francisco and Los Angeles. She has a BA in English Literature and Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. In 2017 she co-authored the sports memoir Centaur with Declan Murphy, published by Doubleday, which was awarded the General Outstanding Sports Book of the Year Award and shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2017. Ami most recently worked as a banking professional in London. She has mentored girls of colour for the past twelve years, with a keen emphasis on the merits of reading and education. David and Ameena is her debut fiction novel.

David and Ameena is published on the 4 February by Fairlight Books and is available to buy from all good book retailers.

Twitter #DavidandAmeena

@FairlightBooks

📖 Book Review ~ The Shadow Man by Helen Fields

 

Avon Books
4 February 2021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

He collects his victims. But he doesn’t keep them safe.

Elspeth, Meggy and Xavier are locked in a flat. They don’t know where they are, and they don’t know why they’re there. They only know that the shadow man has taken them, and he won’t let them go.

Desperate to escape, the three of them must find a way out of their living hell, even if it means uncovering a very dark truth.

Because the shadow man isn’t a nightmare. He’s all too real.

And he’s watching.

📖 My thoughts..

A woman and two young people are locked inside a nightmare scenario and whilst none of them know each other, the reason for their incarceration becomes chillingly obvious as the story progresses. As always this clever author cranks up the tension so that, at times, the story becomes quite difficult to read without taking a bit of a breather, so I found it best to read The Shadow Man in short, sharp bursts and then took comfort in going off to do a gentler pursuit for a while.

I don't know how to start evaluating the story so I won't add anything that would spoil the impact except to say that it's not a story for the faint hearted and is probably best read during the day and not in the semi dark otherwise, like me, you'll be, quite literally, jumping at shadows. The plot is complex and really dark, but beautifully controlled by this crime writer who knows how to make the inherently evil entirely readable and who gets right into the very dark recesses of the twisted mind of the shadow man.

This standalone crime thriller gets off to a truly terrifying start and the terror doesn't let up throughout the whole of this nightmare story.

The Shadow Man will be available to buy from all good book retailers from the 4th February 2021

About the Author

Twitter @Helen_Fields  #TheShadowMan

@AvonBooksUK

📖 Featured Book of the Month ~ Exit by Belinda Bauer

Bantam Press
21 January 2021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

IT WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE MURDER . . .

Pensioner Felix Pink is about to find out that it’s never too late . . . for life to go horribly wrong.

When Felix lets himself in to Number 3 Black Lane, he’s there to perform an act of charity: to keep a dying man company as he takes his final breath . . .

But just fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police – after making the biggest mistake of his life.

Now his world is turned upside down as he must find out if he's really to blame, or if something much more sinister is at play. All while staying one shaky step ahead of the law.

📖 My thoughts..

Septuagenarian Felix Pink is just your average pensioner wearing a beige jacket who sits compassionately waiting whilst some very sick people take their dying breaths. He's not by their side to help their demise in any way but when the sad affair is over, Felix calmly packs away the detritus of his presence and steals away never to be seen again, that is, until one day when it all goes horribly wrong.  

It's been a while since I read a crime thriller which made me laugh out loud but from the moment I met Felix I knew that he was going to fully occupy my thoughts for the time it took to read this excellent story. Felix is just so inoffensively ordinary that you can't help but love him and that's where the absolute strength of this story lies in that everyone is just so ordinary, and yet the author brings out all the subtle nuances of their quirky personalities with a delicious sense of mischief,  and a real talent for making the ordinary become absolutely extraordinary.

Belinda Bauer shows that it is perfectly possible to juggle both humour and tragedy and still write a daring crime story. There's a lightness of touch throughout which allows the really dark moments in Exit to have the desired impact whilst at the same time softening the blow with something deliciously daft which makes you laugh out loud. I thought I knew where the story was heading but I really didn't and I loved it all the more because I didn't see what was coming.

Reading Exit over the past few days has been a real delight which is why I have no hesitation in making it my Featured Book of the Month for February.

Exit was published on the 21st January and is available now in ebook and hardback from all good book retailers.

About the Author

Belinda Bauer grew up in England and South Africa and now lives in Wales. She worked as a journalist and a screenwriter before finally writing a book to appease her nagging mother. With her debut, Blacklands, Belinda was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year. She went on to win the CWA Dagger in the Library for her body of work in 2013. Her fourth novel Rubbernecker was voted 2014 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. In 2018 her eighth novel, Snap, was longlisted for the Man Booker prize. Her books have been translated into 21 languages.

@PenguinUKBooks #Exit