Reading Roundup for October 2022

 

Autumn is well and truly here in the UK. As I write, the leaves are swirling through the air with the grace of a ballerina. It is pretty to watch from the warmth and cosiness of my office.

I was excited to complete my Good Reads annual challenge this week. I have read 94 books this year and I still have time to fit in a few more before the end of the year. Are you taking part in the Good Reads challenge? I would love to hear how you are getting along.

I have read some great books this month and with no further ado here they are.

Books I Have Read

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - This was my book group choice for this month. It met with varied opinions but I loved it and it was my favourite book this month. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Maids of Biddenden by G. D. Harper - I have read this as part of an upcoming blog tour which will take place in a couple of weeks so keep your eyes open for my review.

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz - The second in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. Very enjoyable and I have already obtained a copy of the next in the series.

The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths - The latest in the Ruth Galloway series. I adore this series and I am eagerly anticipating the next one to be published.

A Midlife Baby by Cary J. Hansson - The second part of a trilogy and my review will be up very soon.

Stolen Summers by Anne Goodwin - This missed being my favourite book of the month by a whisker and you can read my review by clicking here. It is a prequel to the author's previous book, Matilda Windsor is Coming Home. It is a beautiful book and if you would like to read my review of it then please click here.

The Unexpected Return of Josephine Cox by Claire Graddige - The first in a very enjoyable series and I am planning on reading the second one soon.

Mr. Peacock's Possession's by Lydia Syson - I enjoyed this very much. My review will be up soon.

The Reaper's Quota by Sarah McKnight - I liked this amusing take on the Grim Reaper. Worth reading.

Books I Did Not Finish

Journey to the End of the Millennium by A. B. Yehoshua - I read about a third of this book and was enjoying it but I had other books which had reading deadlines so had to prioritise those. When I went back to this book I realised I needed to start from the beginning again which I will do at some point.

Books I am Partway Through

Oil and Dust by Jamie Fairleigh

People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn

(header photo courtesy of Urak Demir/Unsplash)

A Particular Friendship by Paul Van Der Spiegel - #BBNYA 2022 - #Semi-finalist #Spotlight

 

This year, the Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 55 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner. 

I have had the honour of being one of the judging panel and I am delighted to be spotlighting some of these books.

Today in the spotlight is A Particular Friendship by Paul Van Der Spiegel.

A Particular Friendship is a story about a gay Catholic priest coming to terms with his sexuality. The story has two timelines. In the odd-numbered chapters we meet Tom, an isolated fifty-year old parish priest of St. James’ church, a Jesuit-built church in a northern English town. Tom is an in-the-closet gay man inside the Catholic Church, an organisation that defines homosexuality as inherently disordered. Antony, the only man Tom has ever fallen in love with, the man he abandoned thirty-years earlier, comes back into his life and asks Tom to provide the Sacrament of the Sick to his dying mother. 

In the second timeline, the even numbered chapters, we see Tom from childhood through to his ordination as a priest. As he grows into adolescence the confusion begins: he has experiences with girls, as well as burgeoning romantic and sexual feelings for his friend, Antony. After Tom and Antony sleep together for the first time, as the pressure to conform to a heterosexual society reaches fever-pitch, Tom abandons his lover and flees to the Church. At Ash Burrow seminary, Tom finds acceptance, and other gay men like himself.

The story follows Tom’s emotional collapse and the deterioration of his mental health until he reaches the point where he is actively suicidal. In contrast, we see Tom’s teenage-self approaching life with a sense of potential. After Tom is sacked and St. James’ church is closed, he confronts the violent sexual assault he suffered whilst a seminarian at Ash Burrow – and the perpetrator, Derek Worrell, who is now the Bishop of Preston. 

Publisher: Perceptions Press

Length: 225 Pages 

Genre: LGBTQ+, Religion, General Fiction

Age Category: (New) Adult

Date Published: November 28, 2021

About the Author:

Paul Van der Spiegel is the author of four books: Trans Deus, 7 Minutes, Parably Not (an Illuminated book), and A Particular Friendship. He loves great company, great stories, great art, and if he can reflect any of that wisdom back in his own work, he will die happy. His interest is in the intersection of sexuality and faith, the compatibility of LGBTQIA+ love and trust in love as meta-meaning. He adores non-conformist literature, quirky tunes, dissenting art that makes you think. His heroes are William Blake, Susan Cooper, Philip K Dick, Goya, Kristin Hersh, JG Ballard, to name but a few. 

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - #BookReview

 

In October there were yellow trees. Then the clocks went back the hour and the long November winds came in and blew, and stripped the trees bare. In the town of New Ross, chimneys threw out smoke which fell away and drifted off in hairy, drawn-out strings before dispersing along the quays, and soon the River Barrow, dark as stout, swell up with rain.

The people, for the most part, unhappily endured the weather: shop-keepers and tradesmen, men and women in the post office and the dole queue, the mart, the coffee shop and supermarket, the bingo hall, the pubs and the chipper all commented, in their own ways, on the cold and what rain had fallen, asking what was in it - and could there be something in it - for who could believe that there, again, was another raw-cold day...

***

It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him - and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church.

The long-awaited new work from the author of Foster, Small Things Like These is an unforgettable story of hope, quiet heroism and tenderness.

***

Bill Furlong is one of the most delightful main characters to grace the pages of a book. He imbues this slim volume with a sensitivity and tenderness which echoes throughout.

Set in a small town in Ireland we are introduced to the main character and see life very much through his eyes. He is a man who is content with his life. He has steady work, a wife and five daughters and he lives his life with humility and integrity.

On occasion, his work takes him to the infamous Magdalene laundries. With our fore-knowledge of these homes for unmarried mothers, it is possible that as readers we understand the significance of the events playing out there more than the main character does. However, through Ms. Keegan's perfect prose, we witness the scales fall from his eyes and his big-hearted generosity come into play.

I read this as it was my book group choice for October and, as always, there were varying opinions on it. Overall, people liked it. However, I adored it. It was 128 pages of pure loveliness, and it is one of those books that I could have happily gone straight back to the first page to read it all over again.

An outstanding novella which I highly recommend.

ISBN: 978 0571368686

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Formats: e-book, audio and hardback (paperback due for release in November 2022)

No. of Pages: 128 (hardback)

About the Author:

Claire Keegan grew up on a farm in Wicklow. Her first collection of short stories, Antarctica, was completed in 1998. It announced her as an exceptionally gifted and versatile writer of contemporary fiction, and she was awarded the Rooney Prize for Literature. Her second short-story collection, Walk the Blue Fields, was published to enormous critical acclaim in 2007 and won her the 2008 Edge Hill Prize for Short Stories. Foster, a short novel, was published in 2010 and won the Davy Byrnes Award, judged by Richard Ford. Claire Keegan lives in County Wexford, Ireland.

(photo and bio info courtesy of the publisher)

The Postcard from Italy by Angela Petch - #CoverLove

Hello and welcome to this week's cover love feature. It's the place where I quite literally, judge a book by its cover, prior to reading the blurb. Let's be honest, there are occasions when we pick up a book because it has a great cover.

This gorgeous cover is of The Postcard from Italy by Angela Petch.

As I sat casting my eye around for a suitable cover, the rain was pouring down and I could barely see out of my window. It is no surprise really then that this leapt out at me and I could dream of sunnier times. Also, I enjoyed a wonderful holiday in Italy a few years ago and this cover reminded me of the view from our apartment balcony. Happy days!

I would love to hear which covers have caught your eye recently.

Italy, 1945. "Where am I?" The young man wakes, bewildered. He sees olive trees against a bright blue sky. A soft voice soothes him. "We saw you fall from your plane. The parachute saved you." He remembers nothing of his life, or the war that has torn the world apart… but where does he belong?

England, present day. Antique-shop-owner Susannah wipes away a tear as she tidies her grandmother’s belongings. Elsie’s memories are fading, and every day Susannah feels further away from her only remaining family. But everything changes when she stumbles across a yellowed postcard of a beautiful Italian stone farmhouse, tucked away in Elsie’s dressing table. A message dated from World War 2 speaks of a secret love. Could her grandmother, who never talked about the past, have fallen for someone in Italy all those years ago?

With Elsie unable to answer her questions, Susannah becomes determined to track down the house and find a distraction from her grief. Arriving at what is now a crumbling hotel by the sparkling Italian sea, she feels strangely at home. And after an unexpected encounter with handsome wine waiter Giacomo, she can’t tell if it’s his dark eyes or his offer to help solve her mystery that makes her heart race.

Together they find a dusty chest tucked in a forgotten corner of the building. The white silk of a World War 2 parachute spills out. And the Royal Air Force identity tag nestled in the folds bears a familiar name…

With Giacomo by her side, and before it’s too late for her grandmother, can Susannah discover the truth behind a shocking wartime secret at the heart of her family? Or will it tear her apart?

New Releases in November 2022

 

November is almost upon us and I am looking ahead at what great books are being published.

Here are ten which look enticing.

My Mother's Secret by Alina Adams

With his dying breath, Lena's father asks his family a cryptic question: "You couldn't tell, could you?" After his passing, Lena stumbles upon the answer that changes her life forever.

As her revolutionary neighbor mysteriously disappears during Josef Stalin's Great Terror purges, 18-year-old Regina suspects that she's the Kremlin's next target. Under cover of the night, she flees from her parents' communal apartment in 1930s Moscow to the 20th century's first Jewish state, Birobidzhan, on the border between Russia and China. Once there, Regina has to grapple with her preconceived notions of socialism and Judaism while asking herself the eternal question: What do we owe each other? How can we best help one another? While she contends with these queries and struggles to help Birobidzhan establish itself, love and war are on the horizon.

New York Times Bestselling author Alina Adams draws on her own experiences as a Jewish refugee from Odessa, USSR as she provides readers a rare glimpse into the world's first Jewish Autonomous Region. My Mother's Secret is rooted in detailed research about a little known chapter of Soviet and Jewish history while exploring universal themes of identity, love, loss, war, and parenthood. Readers can expect a whirlwind journey as Regina finds herself and her courage within one of the century's most tumultuous eras.

The Final Year of Anne Boleyn by Natalie Grueninger

There are few women in English history more famous or controversial than Queen Anne Boleyn. She was the second wife of Henry VIII, mother of Elizabeth I and the first English queen to be publicly executed. Much of what we think we know about her is coloured by myth and legend, and does not stand up to close scrutiny. Reinvented by each new generation, Anne is buried beneath centuries of labels: homewrecker, seductress, opportunist, witch, romantic victim, Protestant martyr, feminist. In this vivid and engaging account of the triumphant and harrowing final year of Queen Anne Boleyn’s life, the author reveals a very human portrait of a brilliant, passionate and complex woman.

The last twelve months of Anne’s life contained both joy and heartbreak. This telling period bore witness to one of the longest and most politically significant progresses of Henry VIII’s reign, improved relations between the royal couple, and Anne’s longed-for pregnancy. With the dawning of the new year, the pendulum swung. In late January 1536, Anne received news that her husband had been thrown from his horse in his tiltyard at Greenwich. Just days later, tragedy struck. As the body of Anne’s predecessor, Katherine of Aragon, was being prepared for burial, Anne miscarried her son. The promise of a new beginning dashed, the months that followed were a rollercoaster of anguish and hope, marked by betrayal, brutality and rumour. What began with so much promise, ended in silent dignity, amid a whirlwind of scandal, on a scaffold at the Tower of London.

Through close examination of these intriguing events considered in their social and historical context, readers will gain a fresh perspective into the life and death of the woman behind the tantalising tale.

In a Far Place by Liz Harris

Birmingham, 1967

When trainee doctor Peter meets beautiful student nurse Claire, an instant connection hits them both like a physical force. But beneath his obvious love for Claire and his vocation for medicine, Peter has a fierce longing for adventure, born out of his lonely childhood in Ladakh. It's a longing he can barely admit to himself.

In a devious attempt to come between the pair, Peter’s friend Alex lends him an article about the Flying Doctors of Australia.

From this simple action come stark, thrilling and heart-breaking consequences for all three of them.

In a Far Place, an unforgettably powerful story of love, is perfect for readers of Santa Montefiore, Ann Bennet, Dinah Jefferies, Kristin Hannah, Fiona Valpy and Rosie Thomas.

Are You Awake? by Claire McGowan

With two young children, Mary hasn’t slept in what feels like years. For his part, Tim never feels safe enough to sleep. And so one hot, exhausting night, the two strangers meet while seeking solace in a nearby park. There, they witness something horrific: a violent attack in the window of a neighbouring house.

Bonded by what they’ve seen, Tim and Mary are desperate to find answers. And when they see news reports of a missing woman who was last seen walking alone not far from them, the pair are convinced it’s her they saw being attacked―no matter what the police say.

But with her marriage under strain and the police on their tail, Mary begins to doubt her own mind…and Tim’s. And as the pair are drawn into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, the culprit appears to be even closer to home than they thought. Have they got it all wrong, or is something even more sinister going on?

Jewish Flavours of Italy by Silvia Nacamulli

Jewish Flavours of Italy is a culinary journey through Italy and a deep dive into family culinary heritage. With more than 100 kosher recipes, Silvia offers readers a unique collection of authentic and traditional Italian-Jewish dishes, combined with stunning photography, practical tips, and clear explanations. With a delicious mix of recipes, family stories and history, Silvia offers a unique insight into centuries' old culinary traditions.

Discover recipes from everyday home-cooked meals to special celebration menus for Jewish holidays. Highlights include recipes such as pasta e fagioli (borlotti bean soup), family favourites such as melanzane alla parmigiana (aubergine parmigiana), as well as delicious Jewish dishes such as Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-style fried artichokes), challah bread, and sarde in saor (Venetian sweet and sour sardines).

Silvia’s extensive cooking repertoire combined with her life experiences means that her recipes and family stories are one-of-a-kind. She introduces the reader to soup, pasta, matzah, and risotto dishes, then moves on to meat, poultry, fish, and vegetable recipes. Silvia finishes with mouth-watering desserts such as orecchie di Amman (Haman’s ears), Roman Jewish pizza ebraica (nut and candied fruit cakes) and sefra (aromatic semolina bake). Even the most sweet-toothed readers will be satisfied!

Each recipe is introduced by Silvia in a friendly and conversational tone that will get readers involved before they even get the chance to preheat the oven. Throughout the book, in-depth features highlight ingredients such as artichokes, courgette flowers and aubergines. A personal touch shines through and provides a connection with the author. Silvia’s enthusiastic and charming personality transforms this collection of recipes into a culinary experience that will be cherished by generations to come.

Queen's of the Age of Chivalry by Alison Weir

The third volume of Alison Weir's magisterial history of the queens of medieval England

Medieval queens were seen as mere dynastic trophies, yet many of the Plantagenet queens of the High Middle Ages dramatically broke away from the restrictions imposed on their sex, as Alison Weir shows in this gripping group biography of England's fourteenth-century consorts.

Using personal letters and wonderfully vivid sources, Alison Weir evokes the lives of five remarkable queens: Marguerite of France, Isabella of France, Philippa of Hainault, Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois.

The turbulent, brutal Age of Chivalry witnessed the Black Death, the Peasants' Revolt, the Hundred Years War against France and savage baronial wars against the monarchy in which these queens were passionately involved. Queens of the Age of Chivalry brilliantly recreates this truly dramatic period of history through the lives of five extraordinary women.

The London Girls by Soraya M. Lane

From the bestselling author of The Last Correspondent comes a remarkable story of three young women who defy the bombs to do their bit for Britain. Will they survive the dark streets of London to see the Allies win the war?

London, 1941. The Blitz. When a Royal Navy memo arrives at head office, requesting female recruits to sign up as motorcycle dispatch riders, delivering highly classified orders across the country, three women jump at the chance to sign up for the most dangerous jobs in London.

Olivia grew up riding motorcycles with her brothers, and with them fighting abroad she feels it is her duty to join up. The thrill of adventure draws Ava, but with more enthusiasm than skill, will she learn to navigate the treacherous London streets safely? Having lost her family during one of the first air attacks, Florence knows how important it is to have help arrive on the scene―fast―and so she steps up, outmanoeuvring the men behind the wheel of an ambulance. When Olivia, Ava and Florence meet for the first time they know they have found something all of them need―family.

As bombs fall, decimating the city they love, these three brave women build a sisterhood amid the rubble, facing down anyone―even their own families―who objects to their service. And while romances bloom and fade, their connection grows ever stronger. But none of them dare consider the terrifying reality that one night Florence’s ambulance may be rescuing someone she loves…

Medieval Royal Mistresses by Julia A. Hickey

Marriage for Medieval kings was about politics, power and the provision of legitimate heirs. Mistresses were about love, lust and possession. It was a world that included kidnap, poison, murder, violation, public shaming and accusations of witchcraft. Ambition and quick wits as well as beauty were essential attributes for any royal mistress. Infamy, assassination and imprisonment awaited some royal mistresses who tumbled from favour whilst others disappeared into obscurity or respectable lives as married women and were quickly forgotten. Meet Nest of Wales, born in turbulent times, whose abduction started a war; Alice Perrers and Jane Shore labelled ‘whores’ and ‘wantons’; Katherine Swynford who turned the medieval world upside down with a royal happy-ever-after and Rosamund Clifford who left history and stepped into legend. Discover how serial royal womanisers married off their discarded mistresses to bind their allies close. Explore the semi-official roles of some mistresses; the illegitimate children who became kings; secret marriage ceremonies; Edith Forne Sigulfson and Lady Eleanor Talbot who sought atonement through religion as well as the aristocratic women who became the victims of royal lust. Most of the shameful women who shared the beds of medieval kings were silenced, besmirched or consigned to the footnotes of a patriarchal worldview but they negotiated paths between the private and public spheres of medieval court life - changing history as they went.

Flight by Lynn Steger Strong

It’s 22 December and siblings Henry, Kate and Martin have converged with their spouses on Henry’s house in upstate New York. This is their first Christmas since their mother passed. Without her once ever-present advice and gentle nudges to connect with each other when they need it most, they’ve grown distant. Over the course of the next three days, old resentments and instabilities arise as the siblings, with a gaggle of children afoot, attempt to perform familiar rituals while also trying to decide what to do with their sole inheritance, their mother’s house.

As each tries and fails and tries again to figure out how to reconcile their various needs and impulses around the house, they must also see whether they can and will remain a family without their matriarch. They are all feeling the strain but when a local child goes missing they are forced to come together, and all of them will cross a line.

Love and War in the Jewish Quarter by Dora Levy Mossanen

A breathtaking journey across Iran where war and superstition, jealousy and betrayal, and passion and loyalty rage behind the impenetrable walls of mansions and the crumbling houses of the Jewish Quarter.

Against the tumultuous background of World War II, Dr. Yaran will find himself caught in the thrall of the anti-Semitic Governor General, the most powerful man in the country. Dr. Yaran falls in love with the Governor General's defiant wife, Velvet, upending not only the life of the doctor's beloved daughter, but the entire community. In his quest to save everything and everyone he loves, Dr. Yaran will navigate the intersections of magic, science, lust, and treachery. His sole ally is the Governor General's servant, an exotic eunuch, who will do anything to aid his mistress in her dangerous quest to attain forbidden love.

(header photo courtesy of Ruvim Noga/Unsplash)

Stolen Summers by Anne Goodwin - #BookReview

 

Not all the nuns were cruel. Some of the younger ones would address the girls kindly if Mother Superior were out of earshot. So Matilda counted her blessings when Sister Bernadette slipped onto the seat beside her in the taxicab, while a sombre man with a box-shaped head took the passenger seat at the front. He resembled a tradesman in his white cotton coat worn over an ordinary jacket and trousers; Matilda assumed the nuns had offered him a lift out of charity. She wasn't introduced.

Although still sore down below, she held herself erect with her hands folded in her lap. She had dressed for hopefulness that morning in the polka-dot dress her brother favoured; her wool coat with the missing button lay with her suitcase in the boot.

***

Stolen Summers: A heartbreaking tale of betrayal, confinement and dreams of escape.

All she has left is her sanity. Will the asylum take that from her too?

In 1939, Matilda is admitted to Ghyllside hospital, cut off from family and friends. Not quite twenty, and forced to give up her baby for adoption, she feels battered by the cruel regime. Yet she finds a surprising ally in rough-edged Doris, who risks harsh punishments to help her reach out to the brother she left behind.

Twenty-five years later, the rules have relaxed, and the women are free to leave. How will they cope in a world transformed in their absence? Do greater dangers await them outside?

The poignant prequel to Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home is a tragic yet tender story of a woman robbed of her future who summons the strength to survive.

***

This novella is a prequel to the novel, Matilda Windsor is Coming Home, which I read at the end of last year. Indeed, it was amongst my top ten reads for 2021 and it is one of those books which has stayed with me. The main character, Matty, is not one to be easily forgotten and so I was delighted when the author asked me if I would like to read the recently released prequel.

I am sure you can imagine I positively jumped at the opportunity and I have very much enjoyed spending more time with Matty and becoming acquainted more closely with her back story.

It is beautifully written, and the author demonstrates skill in the portrayal of her characters. Matty, and those around her, leap off the page and are utterly believable.

In so many ways it is a heartbreaking story and sadly, not an unusual one for the time in which it was set. However, it is not a depressing book to read but one which allows the reader a glimpse into the system as it was in 1939 when Matty was first institutionalised. It demonstrates the trauma of being committed to a mental asylum, and the treatment that she received there, and how it led an ordinary and sane girl to mentally unravel.

I highly recommend this book and if you have not already read Matilda Windsor is Coming Home then I strongly urge you to do so. If you would like to read my review you can do so by clicking here.

ISBN: 978 1739145002 

Publisher: Annectodal Press

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 151 (paperback)

About the Author:

Anne Goodwin’s drive to understand what makes people tick led to a career in clinical psychology. That same curiosity now powers her fiction.

Anne writes about the darkness that haunts her and is wary of artificial light. She makes stuff up to tell the truth about adversity, creating characters to care about and stories to make you think. She explores identity, mental health and social justice with compassion, humour and hope. 

An award-winning short-story writer, she has published three novels and a short story collection with small independent press, Inspired Quill. Her debut novel, Sugar and Snails, was shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize. 

Away from her desk, Anne guides book-loving walkers through the Derbyshire landscape that inspired Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.

Subscribers to her newsletter can download a free e-book of award-winning short stories.

(all bio info, photos and ARC of the book courtesy of the author.)

In the Heart of Hidden Things by Kit Whitfield - #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 In the Heart of Hidden Things by Kit Whitfield.

Kit wrote the book during the first lockdown in 2020, to escape her challenging day to day life. She escaped into a world of folklore and mythology, set in a small rural community in England. Kit was World Fantasy Award nominated for her last novel In Great Waters back in 2009, and In the Heart of Hidden Things marks her return to writing and is the first in a duology.

Have you read any of her books? I would love to know what you thought of them.

The Blurb

Everyone knows that if you fall afoul of the People, you must travel the miles to Gyrford, where uncounted generations of fairy-smiths have protected the county with cold iron, good counsel and unvarnished opinions about your common sense.

But shielding the weak from the strong can make enemies. Ephraim Brady has money and power, and the bitter will to hurt those who cross him. And if he can't touch elder farrier Jedediah Smith, he can harm those the Smiths care about.

The Smiths care about Tobias Ware, born on a night when the blazing fey dog Black Hal roared past the Wares' gate. Tobias doesn't understand the language or laws of men, and he can't keep away from the Bellame woods, where trespass is a hanging offence. If Toby is to survive, he needs protection.

It should be a manageable job. Jedediah Smith has a head on his shoulders, and so too (mostly) does his son Matthew. Only Matthew's son John has turned out a little . . . uncommon. But he means well.

It wasn't his fault the bramble bush put on a berry-head and started taking offence. Or that Tobias upset it. But John's not yet learned that if you follow the things other folk don't see, they might drag those you love into the path of ruin.

In the Beginning...

Prologue

At the centre of any village stands the smithy, where you can expect deals to be shaken on and conflicts to be shaken out, but if you need fairy-smithing, you must travel the miles to Gyrford. At the time Jedediah Smith held the forge, he and his kin had been master craftsmen in that trade, father to son, for longer than anyone could recall - and it just had to be hoped that each new son would have a head on his shoulders, for if you need fairy-smithing, you need it badly. When your're trying to till the earth and the stones sit up and argue with you, or you enter the dairy to find something untenable stirring the curds with long green fingers, it's a time for iron: the People abhor it, and a skilled farrier might be the only thing between you and disaster. We build our houses with sense and geometry and plough our fields with toil and patience, and all the while, a blink away are the People, dancing and tearing, gifting and stealing, snatching up fury and scattering light, feeding on air.

You do not war with the People unless they war on you, but if matters edge towards a precipice, the fairy-smith will be the one to fight for you. That is, if a fight cannot be avoided, and certainly they preferred other means: Jedediah on the grounds that only a fool borrows trouble, Matthew on the grounds that fighting is a sad business, and John - well, they were worried about Johnny. And even John wasn't to blame for the deaths that autumn, not really; he wouldn't have wised anyone an end that bloody. But sometimes, if you are not to be crushed, you need a fairy-smith at your back...

Just this short extract has been enough to grab me and to catapult it up my reading list. What do you think? Has it grabbed you too?

Belle Nash and the Bath Souffle by William Keeling - #BookReview

 

Packing away a dead man's clothes is never a joyous task, the worse when the man concerned was the husband whom you loved. But a year had passed since Hercules Champion had died and his widow Gaia felt in her heart that the time had come to recognise the past tense and say goodbye if not to the memory of the man then to his garments.

The decision was made in the knowledge that this is what her husband Hercules - rationalist, lawyer and businessman - would have desired...

***

When Gaia Champion's souffle fails to rise in 1830s Bath, it sets off a chain of events that overthrows the settled order. Centred on the personality of local councillor and bachelor extraordinaire Bellerophon 'Belle' Nash, this first volume of The Gay Street Chronicles engages with social issues that were emerging in the early days of Queen Victoria's reign and still require our close attention today. A recurring cast of whimsical characters brings a gentle humour to the writing and to the strong feminist activism of Bath's first Lady Magistrate.

***

Set in Bath in 1831, this delightful book transported me to visits I have made to the city. There are several historic buildings which are mentioned in the book, and which I have visited, and so it was easy for me to be pulled into the setting of the novel. I could easily imagine the characters going about their business through the streets of Bath, making it very easy to become engrossed by the story.

It is a wonderfully escapist book; full of humour and wry observations and I read it with a smile on my face. In style, it reminded me of P.G. Wodehouse. It was the kind of humour that could be termed 'silly' and I mean that in a positive sense. The fact that the whole story hinges on a souffle which failed to rise demonstrates the point.

The characters were all delightful to read about, each one of them vital to the plot in their own unique way. The author made them come alive on the page, and I was sorry when I read the final page and had to leave them behind.

However, this is the first book in the Gay Street Chronicles series which I am thrilled about. I am informed by the author that the next volume will be published in the spring of 2023 and I can hardly wait.

ISBN: 978 1915023025

Publisher: Envelope Books

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 288 (paperback)

About the Author:

William Keeling is a former foreign correspondent of the Financial Times who exposed a multi-billion-dollar corruption scandal in Nigeria that led to his summary deportation. He eventually left journalism for chocolate, becoming co-owner of the historic chocolate company Prestat, but is still plotting his return to the tru home of jollof rice. Like his late uncle (referred to in this book), he has a creative mind. He lives and writes in Somerset. Belle Nash and the Bath Souffle is the first in his series, The Gay Street Chronicles.

(Thank you to Envelope Books for providing me with a copy of this book.)