Left on the Shelf
My reading journey
Thursday, 3 April 2025
Damaged Beauty: Joey Superstar by Margaret Gardiner - #bookreview
Tuesday, 1 April 2025
10 Ten Books I Want to Read in April 2025
Hello April!
It's wonderful to see you again with your spring sunshine.
What are you all planning on reading this month? Here are ten book which I want to read.
This Song is About Us by Sara Barnard
The Best of Everything by Kit de Waal
The Story of a Single Woman by Chiyo Uno
Precipice by Robert Harris
Damaged Beauty: Joey Superstar by Margaret Gardiner
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
And the Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
In the Footsteps of the Holocaust by Ainslie Hepburn
Kate's War by Linda Steward Henley
Monday, 31 March 2025
Reading Roundup for March 2025
Death of a Dancing Queen by Kimberly G. Giarratano
I loved the main character in this book. She is private investigator, Billie Levine who is struggling with her work whilst caring for her mother. You can find my review by clicking here.
The Bookseller by Valerie Keogh
I am always excited when a new novel by Valerie Keogh comes along. I have read several and they never disappoint. You can find my review by clicking here.
The Undesirables: The Law That Locked Away a Generation by Sarah Wise
Through the early twentieth century, the British Government locked away over 50,000 innocent people. Their ‘crimes’? Being poor and unyielding. This is their story. This was excellent and well worth reading. I was unable to write a review for this one but you can find more about this book here.
Mother Howl by Craig Clevenger
It took me a little while to warm to this book, but it was well worth hanging in there. You can find my review by clicking here.
Broken Water by Nick Perry
This was such an interesting literary book to read. You can find my review by clicking here.
Cat and Dumpling: Home Sweet Home by Nicola Kent
This is a charming book that will appeal to early readers. You can find my review by clicking here.
Reunion by Fred Ulman
Although I haven't written a review of this one it was my favourite book of the month. A powerful novella about two German boys growing up in 1933; one from German Aristocracy, the other a Jew. Outstanding. You can find out more about the book here.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I thought this was a fabulous book. It was steeped in glamour and made for a luscious read. You can find my review by clicking here.
Murder on the Oxford Canal by Faith Martin
An enjoyable first book in the DI Hillary Green series. You can find more about the book by clicking here.
(all opinions are my own)
(Bookshop.org affiliated)
Friday, 28 March 2025
Viva Violetta and Verdi by Howard Jay Smith - #blogtour #excerpt #extract
Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest by Ann Bennett - #giveaway #excerpt #blogtour
I am delighted to be bringing you an excerpt of this book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter's Quest by Ann Bennett. It is the first in her Bamboo Heart Trilogy and it looks like fabulous historical fiction.
What's more is that there is a giveaway of one of the author's other books, The Lotus House, which you can enter by scrolling further down this post. Good luck!
The Blurb
When Laura Ellis, a successful city lawyer, arrives home to see her dying father Tom, a mysterious stranger is watching the house. This leads her to embark on a journey to discover their connection.
To do so, she has to retrace her father’s steps; to the Bridge on the River Kwai: where as a prisoner of war of the Japanese, Tom endured disease, torture and endless days of slavery; and to the beautiful island of Penang, to uncover his secrets from the 1930s.
For Tom made himself a promise: to return home. Not to the grey streets of London, where he once lived, but to Penang, where he found paradise and love.
As Laura searches for the truths Tom refused to tell her, in the places where he once suffered, lived and loved, she will finally find out the story behind his survival, and discover her own path to love and happiness..
This book has previously been published both as Bamboo Heart and as A Daughter's Quest. It won the won the award for fiction published in Asia, Asian Books Blog, 2015 and was shortlisted for "Best Fiction Title" in the Singapore Book Awards 2016.
The Excerpt
These are the opening paragraphs of Chapter 1. Laura Ellis, a lawyer working in Paris, has been called home to London to see her ageing father, Tom who has had a fall…
Hurrying out of the tube station on to Highbury Corner, Laura shivered in the chill drizzle of the winter afternoon. She glanced at the darkening sky and pulled her coat tightly around her. Hovering on the edge of the pavement, she scanned the lanes of stationary traffic for a cab, but seeing none, stepped onto the road, and nimbly threaded her way through the cars.
Her ankle turned as her left heel snagged between two uneven paving stones, and she cursed her tight work skirt and high heels. A goods lorry splashed past with a hiss of air brakes, spattering her legs and the hem of her skirt with filthy water.
‘Bloody hell!’ Ducking her head against the rain, she carried on, past the assortment of dusty charity shops, ethnic grocers and empty cafés, towards St. Paul’s Road. Soon she was away from the heavy traffic, hurrying along the broad pavements of Highbury New Park in the grey-green light filtering through the plane trees
As she rounded the final sweep in the road, and the old house came into view, she quickened her pace. There it was, still stately despite its shabby paint work. In years gone by it had not looked out of place, but now it stooped apologetically between its two smarter, recently gentrified neighbours with their white windows and scrubbed brickwork.
Laura saw that someone was standing in front of the house. She slowed down, panting from the effort of running. It was an old man. Dressed in a battered hat and grey overcoat, he was almost indistinguishable from the tree under which he sheltered. He seemed to be watching the house. Laura hesitated, puzzled. Then, taking a deep breath to steady her thumping heart, she ventured a few steps towards him. He turned and began to move away from her, shuffling rather than walking.
‘Hey,’ she called out, but he didn’t turn.
She watched his retreating form for a second then shrugged. He was probably one of the tramps who slept rough around Finsbury Park Station and was straying from his normal patch.
She paused before lifting the latch to the front gate. How overgrown the garden was. The scent of damp grass conjured a memory of pottering around behind Dad as a toddler, watching him weed the flowerbeds and prune the honeysuckle that smothered the front wall. She glanced up at the house. The curtains on the second floor sagged across the windows. A few greying socks hung from a clothes horse on the balcony, soaking in the rain. Ken, the lodger, would be fast asleep in the studio, amongst his paint pallets and whisky bottles, where he had been staying since he turned up for a brief visit in the summer of 1962.
The windows of Dad’s study were shut today. Normally he would have them open to let out the smoke as he sat puffing away on roll-ups, reading or working at his desk.
She let herself in through the front door. She stood still for a second, taking in the atmosphere and silence of the old house, its familiar smells of tobacco and stale cooking.
Then she kicked off her shoes and threw her coat on the hall table. The door to the back sitting room was shut. She pressed her ear to the panel. There was no sound, so she opened the door. The curtains were closed and she had to pause to let her eyes adjust to the gloom. The room’s furniture had been shoved together to make space for Dad’s bed. His portable radio chattered softly from the corner of the room.
‘Laura?’
She crossed the room and knelt down beside her father.
‘Dad.’
He raised himself onto one elbow. His blue striped pyjamas sagged from his bony shoulders. A crepe bandage was wrapped around his forehead.
‘Come here. I wasn’t expecting to see you. I thought you were in Paris.’
He held out his arms. He was smiling, but his face was pale and drawn with pain. She leaned forward to hug him. She put her arms around him, but sensing the fragility of the bones in his arms and ribs was afraid to hug him too tightly.
‘Marge called me this morning,’ she said. ‘I came straight away.’
‘You shouldn’t have come all that way. What a fuss about nothing. What on earth did they say at work?’
‘Nothing much. They couldn’t object really, could they? Anyway, what happened to you?’
‘Fell down the damned steps to the library. That ridiculous sodding stick gave way. The rubber bottom had worn down so it slipped—’
He paused for a coughing fit.
‘Ruddy leg broken in two places. Not that it was up to much anyway. Banged my head too.’
‘I hope they dosed you up with painkillers.’
‘Of course. Morphine, codeine, the works. I’m rattling like a tube of Smarties.’
She straightened up and smiled down fondly at him.
‘I’ll tell you what then,’ he looked up at her craftily. ‘I could do with a beer.’
‘You sure? It’s a bit early.’
‘Nonsense. It’s nearly dark. There is some in the fridge in the study.’
She padded through to his study at the front of the house. Her feet were still wet from the walk.
‘Can I turn on the heating?’ she called. ‘It’s a bit bloody cold in here, Dad.’
‘Boiler’s broken down. I’ve been meaning to get it fixed.’
She stopped in the doorway to the study. Towering piles of books, newspapers and journals crowded every surface, the desk, the sideboard and even the floor. On the desk, ringed with coffee stains, were dirty cups and glasses, an ash tray overflowing with cigarette ends.
She was about to move away when she saw something poking out from between the pages of a book. It looked like a photograph.
She slipped it out and stared at it. A faded sepia portrait, battered and creased. One of its corners had been torn away. It was someone she’d never seen before. It was a young woman. Although her complexion was pale, she had oriental features: dark eyes the shape of almonds, slightly tilted at the edges, a full mouth, a sheen of black hair drawn back severely from her face. She had a serious, demure expression, betraying a trace of surprise at the flash of the camera bulb. Laura turned over the photograph. The ink was so faded it was almost colourless. It looked as though it had been in water, but she could just make out the words written neatly in flowing script: ‘To my dear Thomas. Good luck. Joy de Souza. Penang, November 1941.’
Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Broken Water by Nick Perry - #bookreview
Here I am, submerged in uncertainty.
As a recent university graduate, Declan Murphy is looking for a fulfilling start to his career...
***
The Blurb
Growing up during the New Atheist movement, Declan Murphy never quite believed in the existence of a higher power. But when life throws him a series of challenges, his lack of an axis mundi has him latching on to the one vision that feels right: becoming a Catholic priest.
This emotional and thought-provoking story follows Declan as he navigates the conflicts between his personal beliefs and his family’s expectations.
Will he be able to reconcile this contradiction? And at what cost?
As Declan delves deeper into his journey, he will discover truths that will test his faith and his relationships. Will his quest to become a priest ultimately bring him closer to or farther from the truth?
And what of the biggest question of all? Why would an atheist ever want to become a priest?
My Review
This was such an interesting book to read.
The main character in this book, Declan is trying to ascertain exactly what he should do with his life. He has completed his degree and is undecided as to which direction life should now take him. I think many graduates will be able to identify with Declan, as will any of us who have ever been unsure of which way our lives are going.
I thought he was a fascinating character. This novel is extremely character focused, and therefore we are able to follow Declan's contemplation's fully. The author totally inhabits his character, and this elevated the novel significantly.
This is a very considered novel with each sentence being thought through thoroughly. It moves at a slow pace as all of Declan's thoughts and feelings are poured onto the page. To a degree, the reader is able to walk alongside him and experience his life and thoughts with him.
There are other characters in the book too. Declan's family and their priest added a great deal to the story. In fact, so did the other characters. His parents reaction when Declan claims in his teenage years that he thinks he is an Atheist was how I could imagine any Catholic parents might react. In addition, their reaction, particularly his father, when he later declares that he wants to become a priest was fascinating to read.
I enjoyed reading this very much. It is much slower than my usual reading fare but the pacing was totally appropriate for the book and worked well. This is a book to read and absorb. It is not to be rushed through, and this made for an enjoyable reading experience. I really liked Declan's character, and I felt the author has done a great job with this book. I highly recommend it.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1990336836
Publisher: Chicken House Press
Formats: e-book and paperback
No. of Pages: 347 (paperback)
Purchase Details
Blackwell's - free delivery within the UK
About the Author
Nick Perry is a classic combination of schoolteacher and writer from Port Moody, B.C. His work has appeared in publications from Canada to Iceland and the first excerpt of Breaking Water was published in Blank Spaces Magazine. He lives his life as if he's already on television.
You can also find Nick at:
(book and media courtesy of the publisher)
(all opinions are my own)
Friday, 21 March 2025
The Rune Stone by Julia Ibbotson - #blogtour #bookspotlight
I am delighted to be shining the spotlight on this book today. The Rune Stone by Julia Ibbotson is the third book in the Dr Du Lac series, and is historical fiction with a time slip element.
The Blurb
A haunting time-slip mystery of runes and romance
When Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, finds a mysterious runic inscription on a Rune Stone in the graveyard of her husband’s village church, she unwittingly sets off a chain of circumstances that disturb their quiet lives in ways she never expected.
She, once again, feels the echoes of the past resonate through time and into the present. Can she unlock the secrets of the runes in the life of the 6th century Lady Vivianne and in Viv’s own life?
Again, lives of the past and present intertwine alarmingly as Viv desperately tries to save them both, without changing the course of history.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1739887728
Publisher: Archbury Books
Formats: e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)
No. of Pages: 376 (paperback)
Purchase Links
About the Author
Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries.
Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics.
After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s.
She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her work in progress is a new series of Anglo-Saxon mystery romances, beginning with Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.
Julia’s novels will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.