Tuesday 30 November 2021

Reading Roundup for November 2021

 



During November we have had extremes of weather. It began by being mild and is now very cold. In other parts of the country people have endured the effects of Storm Arwen. Here in the south east we have been fairly lucky. It is cold but that is what hats and scarves were invented for, and it gives me a good excuse to knit up a few more.

Two F's are symbolic of this month - fireworks and face masks. Where I live, fireworks have been going off throughout the whole month. When did Firework 'Night' become a whole month thing?

It is also mandatory again that we wear face masks in shops and on public transport. Personally, I will do whatever it takes in an attempt to keep a lid on covid and I hope others will also wear their masks diligently.

My reading during November has been a mixed affair with a few good books within the mix. However, there was only one standout book, the details of which are below.

I hope that you have had a lovely November. Have you read anything good? Do tell.


Books I Have Read During November


Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas by Maya Angelou - This is the third book in the author's autobiographical series. I am a huge fan of hers and have enjoyed everything that I have read by her.

Written in History by Simon Sebag Montefiore - An interesting collection of letters from a range of well known historical figures.

The Ninth Child by Sally Magnusson - This was the book of choice for my book group and also, my favourite read of the month. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Violinist of Auschwitz by Jean-Jacques Felstein - the child of a holocaust survivor tells his mothers story. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Return by Anita Frank - This was very nearly my favourite of the month. My review of this excellent book will be up next week so watch this space.

Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah - I had high hopes of this book, written by the winner of this year's Nobel Prize for Literature. Sadly, it did not live up to my expectation.

The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine - An enjoyable mystery with a Christmas theme.

Tales From the Italian South by Angelina Brasacchio - a lovely anthology of short stories. You can read my review by clicking here.

Rags of Time by Michael Ward - the first book in the historical crime series set during the 17th Century and featuring Thomas Tallant.


Books I am Partway Through

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank


(header photo courtesy of Jingda Chen/Undplash)




Monday 29 November 2021

The Violinist of Auschwitz by Jean-Jacques Felstein - #BookReview

 

Cologne, summer 1958

The sky is grey, streaked with mustard yellow. It's the colour of my nightmares. It is a nightmare. There are thousands of us huddled, naked and crowded against each other on an esplanade with no limits. Although out in the open air, a continuous wail among thousands of cries seems to be reflected by the polished wall of a huge bathroom...

***

Arrested in 1943 and deported to Auschwitz, Elsa survived because she had the 'opportunity' to join the women's orchestra. But Elsa kept her story a secret, even from her own family. Indeed, her son would only discover what had happened to his mother many years later, after gradually unearthing her unbelievable story following her premature death, without ever having revealed her secret to anyone.

Jean-Jacques Felstein was determined to reconstruct Elsa's life in Birkenau, and would go in search of other orchestra survivors in Germany, Belgium, Poland, Israel and the United States. The recollections of Hélène, first violin, Violette, third violin, Anita, a cellist, and other musicians, allowed him to rediscover his 20-year-old mother, lost in the heart of hell.

The story unfolds in two intersecting stages: one, contemporary, is that of the investigation, the other is that of Auschwitz and its unimaginable daily life, as told by the musicians. They describe the recitals on which their very survival depended, the incessant rehearsals, the departure in the mornings for the forced labourers to the rhythm of the instruments, the Sunday concerts, and how Mengele pointed out the pieces in the repertoire he wished to listen to in between 'selections'.

In this remarkable book, Jean-Jacques Felstein follows in his mother's footsteps and by telling her story, attempts to free her, and himself, from the pain that had been hidden in their family for so long.

***

Those of you who have been following my blog prior to today will know that I do not rate or review non-fiction accounts of the Holocaust. As a reviewer, I am unwilling to compare the accounts of survivors testaments. Who am I to judge one account against another and what on earth would be the criteria?

Instead, I prefer to spotlight a book; to bring it to your attention rather than judge it in any way.

As there are now fewer and fewer survivors alive to give their account, it is unsurprising attention is now shifting to the children of those who have now passed away. This is one such example and has been written by the son of a woman who survived because she was part of an orchestra in the concentration camps.

Elsa found relationships difficult and was emotionally detached from her son. Following her death, he decided to track down others who were in the same situation, those who survived by being part of this bizarre orchestra and who remember his mother. (although not all do.)

Through this, he is able to build a picture of his mother. To construct her narrative that was always hidden from him during her lifetime and to find a way to lead to his understanding of her.

This is a book that is well worth reading and I would be extremely interested to hear your thoughts.

ISBN: 978 1399002813

Publisher: Pen & Sword

About the Author: 

Jean-Jacques Felstein was born in 1948 and began his studies at Nanterre in 1968. He achieved a diploma in specialist education in 1976, followed by a degree in English and a diploma in languages and communication sciences. He worked in education for twenty-three years, before becoming the department head in a child protection unit at the Seine-Saint-Denis General Council. Here he acquired expert knowledge on concepts such as heritage, parentage, abuse, and incest. During these years, he practised music and played guitar in a hard rock group, performing in numerous concerts. He died in Paris in 2015, following a long illness.


(book received courtesy of Net Galley)

Friday 26 November 2021

New Releases in December 2021

 


It is December already!! How did that happen? 

I hope that you are all keeping warm and happy.

 Here are a few new releases for you to snuggle up with this month.


Walking on Sunshine by Giovanna Fletcher

After Mike loses Pia, his partner of seventeen years, their best friends Vicky and Zaza try to help pick up the pieces.

But though Pia's gone, she left a plan. A list of loving instructions to help Mike and her friends come to terms with their loss.

And they're each going to need it . . .

Just-engaged Zaza fears committing any further.

Exhausted mother and wife Vicky has lost sight of herself.

While Mike just feels all the colour has gone from his life.

When the list sends them trekking to Peru, where high mountains and sweltering rainforests push them to the brink, all they have to guide them is their faith in Pia and in themselves.

But will they learn that anything is possible when you're walking on sunshine?


Daughter of the Sea by Elisabeth J. Hobbes

On a windswept British coastline the tide bestows an unexpected gift…

It was the cry that she first noticed, the plaintive wail that called to her over the crash of winter waves. Wrapped only in a sealskin, the baby girl looks up at Effie and instantly captures her heart.

Effie has always been an outcast in her village, the only granddaughter of a woman people whisper is a witch, so she’s used to a solitary existence. But when Midsummer arrives so too does a man claiming to be the child’s father. Effie is surprised when he asks her to continue looking after his daughter, mysteriously refusing to explain why. When he returns six months hence she pushes him for answers. And Lachlan tells a story she never anticipated … one of selkies, legend, and the power of the sea…


One Small Mistake by Dandy Smith

One small mistake. One deadly consequence. 

Elodie Fray wants to be more like her perfect sister, Ada, the one her parents are actually proud of. When she decided to quit her job and pursue her dream of becoming an author, she thought it would be her time to shine, but a year on nothing has happened. And she's getting desperate.

When Elodie makes one small mistake on a drunken night with a friend, things quickly spiral and suddenly everyone believes she has a book deal. Unable to find a way back from her little lie, her perfect dream becomes a perfect nightmare - and desperate times call for desperate measures.

Meanwhile, everything is not as it seems in Ada Archer's perfect life. When her sister suddenly disappears, she questions everything - from her marriage, to the man who's been charged with Elodie's abduction. The papers say it's him, but the more she digs into her sister's life the less convinced she is. Ada will do anything to discover the truth, even if it kills her.

No one knows what happened to Elodie Fray, and now her only chance of survival is her sister.


Thunderpaws and the Tower of London by Ben Housden

“I can be the most famous cat in history? Is that why I’m here? Mum said I was special."

Life as the foremost feline at the world famous Tower of London is not as glamorous as it sounds. The governor wants him out, the ravens are tricking his whiskers, and there are more scheming Royal ghosts than is healthy for anyone. Teufel has his paws pretty full already, but deep within this ancient landmark are mysteries darker and more frightening than he could ever imagine…

– is it too late for Teufel to claw his way out of the danger closing in on every side? Is our hero about to become dog food? Or could it be, as the mouse said, that Thunderpaws is destined to save the world?


The Arctic Curry Club by Dani Redd

Soon after upending her life to accompany her boyfriend Ryan to the Arctic, Maya realises it’s not all Northern Lights and husky sleigh rides. Instead, she’s facing sub-zero temperatures, 24-hour darkness, crippling anxiety – and a distant boyfriend as a result.

In her loneliest moment, Maya opens her late mother’s recipe book and cooks Indian food for the first time. Through this, her confidence unexpectedly grows – she makes friends, secures a job as a chef, and life in the Arctic no longer freezes her with fear.

But there’s a cost: the aromatic cuisine rekindles memories of her enigmatic mother and her childhood in Bangalore. Can Maya face the past and forge a future for herself in this new town? After all, there’s now high demand for a Curry Club in the Arctic, and just one person with the know-how to run it…


Tempted by the Runes by Christina Courtenay

Born centuries apart. Bound by a love that defied time.

Madison Berger is visiting Dublin with her family for a Viking re-enactment festival, when she chances upon a small knife embedded in the banks of the Liffey. Maddie recognises what the runes on the knife's handle signify: the chance to have her own adventures in the past.

Maddie only intends to travel back in time briefly, but a skirmish in 9th century Dublin results in her waking up on a ship bound for Iceland, with the man who saved her from attack.

Geir Eskilsson has left his family in Sweden to boldly carve out a life of his own. He is immediately drawn to Maddie, but when he learns of her connection to his sisters-in-law, he begins to believe that Fate has played a part in bringing them together. Amidst the perils that await on their journey to a new land, the truest battle will be to win Maddie's heart and convince her that the runes never lie...


How to Bury Your Dog by Eva Silverfine

Lizzy has been leading an insulated life: she tends her adopted strays and goes to work at the blood lab, but she has forsaken lifelong pastimes and declines invitations from old friends. On the day she buries Happy, the abandoned basset hound she adopted years before, she learns a real estate developer is threatening the heart of her rural community—a tranquil pond and a relict stand of hemlocks. For Lizzy this is a magical place, hidden from the modern world.

Coaxed by an old friend to join a group fighting the development, Lizzy is reluctant—she wants to avoid both hope and him. But she realizes she can no longer keep the outside world at bay. As the battle over the development unfolds, and the dynamics among Lizzy’s remaining pets shift, she opens herself to two young neighbors who share her love of the natural environment—an awkward sixteen-year-old and an inquisitive ten-year-old. And as Happy’s elements return to the earth, buried memories find their way to the surface in increasingly curious ways.


Poppy's Christmas Wishes by Annette Hannah

For the first time she can remember, Poppy is dreading Christmas. Unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend after moving across the country for him, there's nothing cheery about the festive season this year.

Dragged to a Christmas ball by best friend Layla, Poppy meets gorgeous actor Gabe, who stars as a genie in a play. When he asks her what three wishes she would make, she realises it's quite simple: love, a job she's happy in and, just once in her life, to do something extraordinary.

Gabe and Poppy make a pact to help each other make their dreams come true. As they tick off their wishes, their friendship blossoms... But, as they discover, sometimes, what you want for Christmas isn't necessarily what you need...


Dark Queen Watching by Paul Doherty

The arrival of a band of Spanish mercenaries brings new danger for Margaret Beaufort and the House of Lancaster in this richly-imagined medieval mystery.

November, 1471. With Edward of York on the English throne and her son, Henry Tudor, in exile in Brittany, the newly-widowed Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, is alone, without protectors. All she can do is wait and watch, planning for a time when she’s in a position to make her move.

But new dangers are emerging. En route to England is a band of Spanish mercenaries known as the Garduna. With no allegiance to prince, prelate or people, they are a lethal fighting force, utterly ruthless and implacable killers. But who has hired them . . . and why?

The discovery of the body of an unexpected visitor, found murdered in a locked room in her London townhouse, heralds the start of a series of increasingly menacing incidents which threaten Margaret and her household. Is there an enemy within? It’s up to Margaret’s wily clerk Christopher Urswicke to uncover the truth and ensure Margaret survives to fulfil her destiny.


The Light We Left Behind by Tessa Harris

England: 1944

When psychologist Maddie Gresham is sent a mysterious message telling her to report to Trent Park mansion, she wonders how she will be helping the war effort from a stately home.
 
Having signed the official secrets act, she soon finds captured Nazi generals are being detained at the house. Bugged with listening devices in every room, it’s up to Maddie to gain the Nazis’ trust and coax them into giving up information.
 
When Max Weitzler, a Jewish refugee, also arrives at Trent Park with the same mission, Maddie finds herself trapped in a dangerous game of chess.

The two met in Germany before the war, and Maddie’s heart was his from the moment they locked eyes. The hope that Max had escaped the Nazi threat was her guiding light in the darkness of war.

But Maddie has finally gained the trust of the Nazi officers at the house, and her love for Max must remain a secret.

As Hitler’s bombs destroy more and more English towns, it is up to Maddie to make one of the captured officers talk – at any cost.

But when there’s a shocking death at the mansion, Maddie realises that not everyone at Trent Park is on the same side.
 
When the walls have ears, who can you trust?

(photo courtesy of Samuel Chorlton)

Tuesday 23 November 2021

The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland - #TuesdayTeaser

Hello and welcome to this week's Tuesday Teaser. The place where we take a sneaky peek at a book that has caught my eye.

This week we are looking at The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland.

Stephanie began her fiction writing career in 2014 with Letters to My Husband. Her previous two books were non-fiction titles and described her experience of cancer.

She lives with her family near the sea in the North east of England and writes in a studio at the bottom of her garden, and when she’s not writing, she trains people to think more creatively. 


The Blurb

Ailsa Rae is learning how to live.

She's only a few months past the heart transplant that - just in time - saved her life. Life should be a joyful adventure. But . . .

Her relationship with her mother is at breaking point and she wants to find her father.

Have her friends left her behind?

And she's felt so helpless for so long that she's let polls on her blog make her decisions for her. She barely knows where to start on her own.

Then there's Lennox. Her best friend and one time lover. He was sick too. He didn't make it. And now she's supposed to face all of this without him.

But her new heart is a bold heart.

She just needs to learn to listen to it . . .

The Beginning

6th October 2017: Hard to Bear

It's 3 a.m. here in cardio-thoracic.

All I can do now is doze, and think, and doze again. My heart getting weaker, my body bluer. People I haven't seen for a while are starting to drop in. (Good to see you, Emily, Jacob, Christa. I'm looking forward to the Martinis.) We all pretend we're not getting ready to say goodbye. It seems easiest. But my mother cries when she thinks I'm sleeping, so maybe here, now, is time to admit that I might really be on the way out.

I should be grateful. A baby born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome a few years before I was would have died within days. I've had twenty-eight years and I've managed to do quite a lot of living in them. (Also, I've had WAY more operations than you everyday folk. I totally win on that.) OK, so I still live at home and I've never had a job and I'm blue around the edges because there's never quite enough oxygen in my system. But - 

Actually, but nothing. If you're here tonight for the usual BlueHeart cheerfulness-in-the-teeth-of-disaster, you need to find another blogger.

My heart is failing. I imagine I can feel it floundering in my chest. Sometimes it's as though I'm holding my breath, waiting to see if another beat will come. I've been in hospital for four months, almost non-stop because it's no longer tenable for me to be at home. I'm on a drip pumping electrolytes into my face. I'm constantly cared for by people who are trying to keep me well enough to receive a transplanted heart if one shows up. I monitor every flicker and echo of pain or tiredness in my body and try to work out if it means that things are getting worse. And yes, I'm alive, and yes, I could still be saved, but tonight it's a struggle to think that being saved is possible. Or even likely. And I'm not sure I have the energy to keep waiting...

Wow, that's quite an intense beginning. I wonder what happens next? 


Monday 22 November 2021

The Ninth Child by Sally Magnusson - #BookReview

Alexander should have warned her. Explosions, Issy, he might have said. Puddles, he could have mentioned. Grass of a less manicured variety than the Botanic Gardens, pronounced absence of paths wider than your dress - a hint would have been helpful.

Had he warned her? This morning's compliment on the strawberry bonnet had been, on reflection, a shade less than sincere, but no, nothing had been said. She would have paid attention to that much.
 

Loch Katrine waterworks, 1856. A Highland wilderness fast becoming an industrial wasteland. No place for a lady.

Isabel Aird is aghast when her husband is appointed doctor to an extraordinary waterworks being built miles from the city. But Isabel, denied the motherhood role that is expected of her by a succession of miscarriages, finds unexpected consolations in a place where she can feel the presence of her unborn children and begin to work out what her life in Victorian society is for.

The hills echo with the gunpowder blasts of hundreds of navvies tunnelling day and night to bring clean water to diseased Glasgow thirty miles away - digging so deep that there are those who worry they are disturbing the land of faery itself. Here, just inside the Highland line, the membrane between the modern world and the ancient unseen places is very thin.

With new life quickening within her again, Isabel can only wait. But a darker presence has also emerged from the gunpowder smoke. And he is waiting too.

Inspired by the mysterious death of the seventeenth-century minister Robert Kirke and set in a pivotal era two centuries later when engineering innovation flourished but women did not, The Ninth Child blends folklore with historical realism in a spellbinding narrative.

***

I was introduced to Sally Magnusson as a fiction writer when her book, The Sealwoman's Gift was chosen to be read by one of the members of my book group in 2019. We all really enjoyed the book, and you can read my review by clicking here.

Fast forward to this year and the same member requested that we read Ms Magnusson's second adult novel, The Ninth Child, which was enjoyed every bit as much.

The story is told from three different perspectives. We have Isabel, a doctor's wife who has suffered a succession of miscarriages. Kirsty, the wife of one of the labourers working on the building of the Glasgow Corporation Water Works, and, Robert Kirke, a man who wanders the hills in search of something for reasons known only to him.

The three voices are very distinct, and it quickly becomes apparent which one of the characters is speaking. I particularly enjoyed the parts of the narrative told by Kirsty as she is addressing the reader directly and it felt as though we were sat together and she was telling the story for my ears alone.

The character of Robert Kirke is based on the actual historical figure who was an Episcopalian minister during the 17th century. The author has done a marvellous job of taking what is known about him and weaving a story around him that is quite believable whilst being fantastical simultaneously.

The real themes in this book are that of the role of women and class and both are explored through the characters of Isabel and Kirsty; one a woman well down in the economic strata and, Isabel, the upper middle-class wife of a respected doctor. The book also has scenes which include Queen Victoria, whose place in society is at the complete other end of the class system. I think the author does a great job in demonstrating these two extremes.

However, it is in their roles as women in nineteenth century Britain that really brings this novel into sharp focus.The different lives that Isabel and Kirsty led were fascinating to consider. In reality, it is doubtful that these two women would ever have become friends, but the author skilfully creates a set of circumstances in which this becomes possible.

An underlying current throughout is the loss of Isabelle's eight children through miscarriage at varying stages. What could have been uncomfortable to read in the hands of a lesser author was dealt with thoughtfully and sensitively.

I enjoyed this book very much, and I highly recommend it.

ISBN: 978 1473696624

Publisher: Two Roads

About the Author:

Sally Magnusson is the eldest daughter of the Icelandic journalist and broadcaster Magnus Magnusson and the Scottish newspaper journalist Mamie Baird. She grew up in and around Glasgow in houses that were always filled with stories: Closeup author 1the journalistic variety in which both parents were continually engaged; those hilariously told by her mother about her early life in working class Rutherglen; and those told by Magnus straight from the medieval Icelandic sagas which he spent much of her childhood translating from Old Norse into English.

Her first adult novel, The Sealwoman’s Gift (published 2018), is set in Iceland in the seventeenth century.  In her memoir Dreaming of Iceland: The Lure of a Family Legend she traces – by way of several generations of her own family –  the country’s development from an impoverished, isolated colony of Denmark to the self-assured independent nation it is now.

Her second novel, The Ninth Child (published 2020), is set in nineteenth century Scotland, weaving together folklore and Victorian social history.

(photo and bio information courtesy of the authors own website - https://sallymagnusson.com/about/ )

Monday 15 November 2021

10 Festive Books of 2021


 I can hardly believe that the festivities are upon us once again. It seems to come around more quickly every year. So, whether you are celebrating Diwali, Chanukkah, winter or Christmas, I hope you will find  something here to catch your reader's eye.

Without any further ado, here are a few Christmas/Winter time books, both old and new, that I would like to read. I am ever the optimist to think that I could fit this lot into my reading schedule.

The Second Chance Cafe by Amanda Prowse

Bea is fifty three, and she's just lost her husband after thirty years of marriage. To distract herself from grief, she throws herself into her work running the Reservoir Street Kitchen in one of Sydney's most fashionable districts.

But then an email from a cafe-owner in Edinburgh prompts her to take a trip to Scotland in the depths of winter. Her journey will be one of self-discovery, as she is drawn back to a secret past - and a secret love - that she has tried to forget.

Set between Sydney and Edinburgh at Christmas, this is a story of family ties, lost love, and the power of the past.


The Christmas Proposal by Lisa Moreau

Grace Dawson is completely over her ex, Christina. But that doesn’t mean she wants to plan her wedding proposal to another woman.

Grace dreams of the day she’ll have a romantic proposal like those she plans for her clients at Tie the Knot. She’s spent the last year reading a boatload of self-help books. No way she’s going to fall back into old patterns and date someone afraid of commitment ever again. When it comes to everlasting love, Grace is all in.

Bridget Cartwright, Christina’s personal assistant, will do anything for Christina with the hopes of getting a promotion, even plan her proposal. So what if she knows zilch about romance and doesn’t even believe in happily-ever-after? There are companies for hire that do that sort of thing.

When Grace and Bridget end up stranded together on Mistletoe Mountain, Grace has no chance to escape. Not from her painful past, not from her attraction to Bridget, and definitely not from all the romance in the air.


A Shetland Winter Mystery by Marsali Taylor

It's the dark nights in the run up to Christmas, and sailing sleuth Cass Lynch's first night on dry land is disturbed by strange noises outside her isolated cottage. Tiny footprints in the moonlit snow trail from her front door before mysteriously disappearing. Soon Cass learns others were visited by the same tiny feet in the night.

It looks like ingenious local teenagers playing tricks - but what happens when festive games turn deadly?

Cass soon finds out as a schoolboy disappears, leaving only a trail of footprints into the middle of a snowy field. She's determined to investigate, but uncovering the truth will also put her in danger . . 

Winter Gardens by Cedric Pollet

 In this stunning reimagination of an entire season, acclaimed and award-winning author and photographer Cedric Pollet presents 20 of the most beautiful winter gardens across France and the UK.

Winner of the Garden Media Guild - Garden Book of the Year award, Pollet showcases these breathtaking winter gardens which are at their best when most gardens are at their barest.

Rich with blazes of colour and light, these gardens use creative structural planning and subtle textures to create masterful visual and sensory ensembles.

From berries and barks to vibrant shrubs and evergreens, these gardens will delight and inspire in equal measure, all captured in extraordinary photographs by Pollet, one of today's masters of garden photography and accompanied by insightful text which picks out the reasons these gardens are so special.

The second half of the book is an illustrated directory of over 300 plants which encourage you to achieve these effects in their own gardens.

From the author of bestselling Bark: An Intimate Look at the World's Trees, this beautiful guide is a unique and unmissable book on some of the most creative and inspiring gardens around today.

The Killer in the Snow by Alex Pine

The first fall of snow can be fatal…
A year has passed since DI James Walker cracked his biggest case yet, and he’s hoping for peace and quiet this festive season.

But across the fells, a local farmer returns home on Christmas Eve to find footsteps in the fresh snow that lead down to his unused basement – and no footsteps leading away. Days later, his body is found, alongside those of his wife and daughter.

Without a neighbour for miles, there are no witnesses and little evidence. And the crime scene has strange echoes of another terrible murder committed at the farmhouse, twenty years earlier…
 
James knows that to catch this killer, he needs to solve a case that has long since gone cold…

A Christmas to Remember by Anton Du Beke

London, 1938.

As the festive season approaches at the luxurious Buckingham Hotel, romance is in the air. The hotel staff
are preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime event - the marriage of chambermaid Nancy Nettleton to debonair demonstration dancer Raymond de Guise.

As wreaths are hung and carols are sung, life at the hotel is busier than ever. Guests arrive from around the world, seeking comfort, relaxation and refuge as tensions build across Europe and whispered rumours of war grow louder.

Behind the scenes, the staff work tirelessly, ensuring the smooth operation of the hotel, not only keeping the
confidences of their guests, but also protecting their own secrets . . .

As Raymond takes Nancy in his arms for their first dance, one thing is certain - this will be a Christmas to remember.

A Scandinavian Christmas

Have yourself a truly Scandinavian Christmas... Of visions and prophesies seen in dark, dark woods. Of toys and trees come to life. Of trolls raising chaos, and of families torn apart -- only to be brought back together by festive cheer.

In this collection, classic tales from Hans Christian Andersen and Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlof blend with modern day stories from Karl Ove Knausgaard and Vigdis Hjorth. Each touch on the warm and wild spirit of Christmas, where the cosiness and contentment of the season can often give way to the unexpected, magical and sometimes mystical.

A smorgasbord of strange literary gifts, let A Scandinavian Christmas transport you to a winter wonderland in which fantasy, the fantastic and the festive combine for your reading delight.

From Shetland, With Love at Christmas by Erin Green

Friendship can be the greatest gift you'll ever give...

Verity is embarking on a better-late-than-never gap year now that her sons have flown the nest, and dreams of turning a lifetime's hobby of knitting and crocheting into a profitable new enterprise at Lerwick Manor's gallery.

Nessie has returned to Shetland after two years spent retraining as a blacksmith on the Scottish mainland. She's determined to do whatever it takes to reignite the traditional craft and prove that gender is no obstacle to taking on her family's heritage.

Isla is fresh out of catering college, but she is desperate to prove she has what it takes to run Lerwick Manor's artisan café. Focused on perfecting her grandmother's traditional recipes, Isla has no time for anything else - especially not her pesky ex.

With the island's Yule Day celebration fast approaching, it's the ideal moment for their crafts to shine. But they can't do it alone - and their friendship might turn out to be their greatest creation yet...

A Cornish Christmas Murder by Fiona Leitch


A PINCH OF PARANOIA

It’s three days before Christmas, and detective-turned-chef Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker is drafted in to cater a charity event run by a notorious millionaire at a 13th-century abbey on Bodmin Moor.

A DASH OF DECEPTION

Things get more complicated when a snowstorm descends, stranding them all, and the next morning they find one of the guests has been gruesomely murdered in their bed…

A MURDER UNDER THE MISTLETOE

Secrets mull in every corner – can Jodie solve the crime before the killer strikes again?

A Cornish Christmas Murder is a must-read mystery full of heart and humour – perfect for fans of Richard Osman and The Appeal.

Christmas with Hamish by Sophie Penhaligon

Christmas has never been the most wonderful time of the year for Verity Robinson. When her younger sister sends her an invite to her Christmas wedding on the other side of the country in Vancouver, she decides to kill two birds with one stone and plans a ski trip to Whistler with some old friends. However, her dreams of a snowy Christmas on skis are thwarted by her sister’s dog sitting crisis.

Instead of spending Christmas enjoying the après ski alcohol, she is instead stuck minding Hamish McDuff for the next week. They say that every cloud has a silver lining and for Verity the silver lining comes in the guise of her sexy new neighbour, Nikau Taylor. Nikau seems determined to help Verity eradicate her ghosts of Christmas past, but what will happen when her time is up and it’s time to go home to Toronto?

(header photo courtesy of Unsplash)

Thursday 11 November 2021

Tales From the Italian South by Angelina Brasacchio - Translated by Julia Rivers -#BookReview

 

Once upon a time, when little girls had cotton wool in their heads and clothes with juretti and the boys wore hob-nailed boots so that the soles didn't wear out, and both wore black smocks, and carried black-covered exercise books and a cardboard folder, there was a girl in a quite ordinary family who was called Mena la Penicillina.


These eight stories by Angelina Brasacchio are set amid the rugged scenery and white sand beaches of the Italian South. But this is Italy, not as seen by tourists, but of the inhabitants deeply rooted in the soil of Calabria. We are drawn into their everyday lives and particularly their relationships with 'outsiders' whether gypsies, American soldiers blown in by the winds of war, or refugees fleeing their homelands because of persecution or poverty. 

***

Tales of the Italian South is a slender volume of eight exquisite short stories, all of which are oozing with the atmosphere of its geographical landscape.

The stories are set against a backdrop which is simultaneously rugged and beautiful, and I found it intoxicating. I have been fortunate enough to have visited this part of Italy and so I could envision the places mentioned.

However, these stories are about the past, and the draw that they have on people to return. Many of these tales were about going back; about our need to return to the place where we began.

It was also about its influence on outsiders and the part that outsiders had to play on the region. From Romany gypsies to Syrian refugees, these stories illuminate the interconnectedness between all peoples.

For me, it was this that I particularly enjoyed about these stories. Some of the stories were generationally linked whereby, the reader can witness the happenings of a particular family.

It also explores what happens when an insider becomes an outsider and vice versa.

This is an excellent anthology of short stories, and I highly recommend reading them.


ISBN: 978 1916289550

Publisher: Aspall Prime


About the Author:

Angela Brasacchio is an established Italian author and has published six novels in Italy, including Tales from the Italian South. Some of her novels have been informed by her activities as a trade unionist and one of the earliest feminists in Southern Italy. Her book They Wanted to Change the World focussed on the 1968 protests in Europe and she demonstrated her non-conformist character by being the first
Calabrian woman to wear trousers in public. She participated in the student demonstrations of 1968 and was recognised at national level in trade union circles.


Tuesday 9 November 2021

The Poet's Wife by Rebecca Stonehill - TuesdayTeaser

Hello and welcome to this week's Tuesday Teaser. The place where we take a sneaky peek at a book that has caught my eye.

This week we are looking at The Poet's Wife by Rebecca Stonehill.

 As a little girl, Rebecca avidly subscribed to the Puffin Club magazine. She once decided to enter a competition in which children were asked to write a story about a zany family. She didn’t have to think too hard about it; she penned a thinly veiled fictional tale about her own family and won. The following year she read Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh and from that moment on, knew she had to be a writer.

 Fast forward twenty years, a skiing accident meant she might never walk again. She poured all her energies into that long-forgotten dream. She started to write The Poet's Wife and found she couldn’t stop. So she didn’t.

Rebecca is out of her wheelchair and has had three novels published as well as many short stories and non-fiction articles. She lives in Norfolk with her husband and three children where she runs creative writing workshops for kids and young people.



The Blurb

An unforgettable journey into the heart of one family torn apart by war. Granada, 1920. Free-spirited Luisa and young poet Eduardo fall in love, cementing a bond that can never be broken. 

Behind the jasmine filled courtyard, perched amongst houses like clouds on a hilltop, stands a beautiful villa; Carmen de las Estrellas. Beneath its walls live Eduardo and Luisa with their thriving family, but war is looming, casting its shadow over the household. 

When Civil War finally breaks out, Luisa and Eduardo must fiercely protect those dear to them. Yet these are turbulent times, and as each of their children begin to make their way in the world, the solace of home cannot shield them from the horrors of war. 

The Poet’s Wife is an extraordinary piece of storytelling spanning over fifty years – a heart- wrenching novel of a family devastated by war but bound together by love, loss and hope, told through the eyes of three remarkable women.

The Beginning

Prologue

He thinks we can't see him, but I know he's watching us, drawing us. We don't mind. We are so used to his silent presence observing from the shadows. Father and I sit on a faded rug, shaded by the leafy, fragrant canopy of my orange tree. In that yellowing, high heat of the day, I feel drowsy and lay back on the rug, my eyelids drooping and my head against the comforting dip of Father's waist. I don't know how long we've been here for, and I don't know how many poems I've been read but Garcia Lorca's words continue to wash over me. 

'In the green morning I wanted to be a heart. A heart. And in the ripe evening I wanted to be a nightingale. A nightingale.'

I hear movement from the corner of the courtyard and slowly lift my head and turn it. Pablo has shifted to find a more comfortable position from which to draw. As I look behind, he catches my eye and a small smile creeps on to his face. I smile back at him slowly, lazily. Then I turn back to rest my head on the rug and stare up at the patterns the leaves make against the sapphire patch of Granada sky.

***

Such an atmospheric beginning. I could almost feel the heat. Could you?


Biographical information is courtesy of the author's website: http://rebeccastonehill.com/

Thursday 4 November 2021

Matilda Windsor is Coming Home by Anne Goodwin - #BookReveiw

 

When you find me, you will want to hear my story. Or the part of my story that tells of you. Until then, I turn it around in my mind to prevent it fading. When we meet, it will sing...

The cushion sighs, squashed by a body sinking into the seat beside her. Matty scrunches her already-closed eyes. She does not care for distractions when she has a recital to prepare.


In the dying days of the old asylums, three paths intersect.

Henry was only a boy when he waved goodbye to his glamorous grown-up sister; approaching sixty, his life is still on hold as he awaits her return.

As a high-society hostess renowned for her recitals, Matty’s burden weighs heavily upon her, but she bears it with fortitude and grace.

Janice, a young social worker, wants to set the world to rights, but she needs to tackle challenges closer to home.

A brother and sister separated by decades of deceit. Will truth prevail over bigotry, or will the buried secret keep family apart?

In this, her third novel, Anne Goodwin has drawn on the language and landscapes of her native Cumbria and on the culture of long-stay psychiatric hospitals where she began her clinical psychology career. 

***

As I sit to write this review, my mind is awhirl as I attempt to find the right words to express how much I adored this very special book.

So, I have taken a deep breath, sipped my tea, stroked the dog and now I am ready to say that this is a completely fabulous book which I enjoyed from start to finish.

I fell totally in love with the three characters who feature in this novel. There is Matty, who has spent her adult life in a mental institution. Henry, her long lost brother who has spent his life searching for her, and Janice, a social worker, tasked with assessing the patients suitability for care in the community. All three of these characters have been expertly portrayed.

The book deals with some difficult themes, particularly through Matty's flashbacks. However, the main theme is the difficulties which arise within mental health institutions which are being run with a 'one size fits all' mentality. However, through Janice and her colleagues, it becomes a story of hope as we see them treat their patients as individuals. It is a poignant story told with both sensitivity and humour.

This is the second book which I have read from the talented Ms. Goodwin and you can read my review of Sugar and Snails by clicking here.. I enjoyed it very much but in Matilda Windsor is Coming Home, the author has written a much more accomplished and mature novel.

Matty is an endearing character, and I did not want the book to end. Consequently, I am delighted that the author is already working on a sequel as I am not ready to leave Matty behind just yet. She is a character who will remain with me.

I highly recommend this book and would love to hear your thoughts.

ISBN: 978 1913117054

Publisher: Inspired Quill


About the Author:

Anne Goodwin writes entertaining fiction about identity, mental health and social justice.

She is the author of three novels and a short story collection published by small independent press, Inspired Quill.

Her debut novel, Sugar and Snails, was shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize. Her new novel, Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home, is inspired by her previous incarnation as a clinical psychologist in a long-stay psychiatric hospital.

Book, photo and biog information from the authors own website.

Wednesday 3 November 2021

The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier - #BookReview

 

"On December the third the wind changed overnight and it was winter. Until then the autumn had been mellow, soft. The leaves had lingered on the trees, golden red, and the hedgerows were still green. The earth was rich where the plough had turned it."


A classic of alienation and horror, 'The Birds' was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man's sense of dominance over the natural world.

The mountain paradise of 'Monte Verità' promises immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from behind the camera and into his subject's life; a date with a cinema usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a remedy when three's a crowd . . .


***

I do not usually review classic books such as this one. After all, it has been a much discussed book by people who are much more qualified to do so than I am. 

However, I did just want to let you all know how much I enjoyed this book. The Birds is an extremely well known story which was adapted for screen by Alfred Hitchcock. I have never seen the film but friends tell me that it is really scary.

I am not a fan of either horror books or films and I did not feel that any of the stories in this book belonged squarely in the horror genre. I would describe them as disquieting and well worth reading.

There are six short stories in this volume. The first being The Birds, but also Monte Verita, The Apple Tree, The Little Photographer, Kiss Me Again, Stranger and The Old Man. 

They are all good stories within their own right and I would encourage you to give them a try.

ISBN: 978 1844080878

Publisher: Virago Modern Classics


About the Author:

Daphne du Maurier (1907–89) was born in London, the daughter of the famous actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and granddaughter of George du Maurier, the author and artist. A voracious reader, she was from an early age fascinated by imaginary worlds and even created a male alter ego for herself. 

Educated at home with her sisters and later in Paris, she began writing short stories and articles in 1928, and in 1931 her first novel, The Loving Spirit, was published. A biography of her father and three other novels followed, but it was the novel Rebecca that launched her into the literary stratosphere and made her one of the most popular authors of her day. 

In 1932, du Maurier married Major Frederick Browning, with whom she had three children. Besides novels, du Maurier published short stories, plays and biographies. Many of her bestselling novels became award-winning films, and in 1969 du Maurier was herself awarded a DBE. She lived most of her life in Cornwall, the setting for many of her books, and when she died in 1989, Margaret Forster wrote in tribute:

‘No other popular writer has so triumphantly defied classification . . . She satisfied all the questionable criteria of popular fiction, and yet satisfied too the exacting requirements of “real literature”, something very few novelists ever do’.

Tuesday 2 November 2021

Books to Read in November 2021

 


Remember, Remember, the fifth of November.

Only a couple of days to go until Guy Fawkes Night. I was never a fan of fireworks when I was a child. Boys throwing bangers and big explosive noises frightened me half to death when I was little. As I grew up, I became used to it and enjoyed the atmosphere of a firework party...

That is until I got a dog. You can't explain all the noise to a dog, and I wonder what is going through their little minds (other than sheer panic). It is horrible to see a beloved pet in such a state of terror and nowadays I would not dream of going out and leaving my dog alone.

Instead, we cuddle up on the sofa together, whilst I read a book and stroke his lovely furry soft ears which seems to calm him. Do you have a scared pet? What do you do to reassure them?

Now, all I need to do is to decide which book I am going to read and here are some of the contenders. What are you planning on reading next?


The Fell by Sarah Moss

Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah

The Ninth Child by Sally Magnusson

Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal

Written in History by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Looking for Bluebirds by Mark Evans

When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant

The Falling Thread by Adam O'Riordan

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell