Reading Roundup for August 2023

 

This month has not been such a great one for me, and I have not reviewed as many books as usual. I had to have a stay in hospital (nothing serious) and upon my discharge I caught covid. I was looked after brilliantly by the NHS but lying there recovering I found it really difficult to read. There was so much necessary hustle, bustle and noise going on around me and I found I couldn't settle to anything.

Most of all, I missed my dog. It goes without saying that I missed by lovely husband too, but I was at least able to see him each day during visiting hours. My husband tells me that the dog missed me equally and judging from the reception his waggy tail gave me when I returned home he was quite right. So, this month my gorgeous dog, Buddy, is my header photo for no other reason that I love him and missed him so much.

Anyway, enough dog talk and on to books. I am a little behind with my reviews this month but they will be coming. In the meantime, here are the books which I read this month.

Books I Have Read

The Wolf Hunt by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen - This was easily my favourite book this month. My review will be up very soon so watch this space.  Purchase Link*

In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes - This was an excellent book and my review will be up soon.  Purchase Link*

All Good Things by Amanda Prowse - I like this authors' books very much and this was no exception. My review will be up soon.   Purchase Link*

The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey - This was most enjoyable for anyone who enjoys Golden Age detective fiction.  Purchase Link*

How to Draw a Giraffe: The Alice May Way by Alice G. May - I spent a very enjoyable afternoon with this book. You can find my review by clicking here.

Norah's Ark by Victoria Williamson - My review of this smashing book will be up tomorrow in time for the blog tour.  Purchase Link*

Wartime with the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker - This is the first in the Cornish Girls series. I liked it very much and my review is coming.  Purchase Link*

Kings and Queens: Alfred the Great to King Charles III and Everyone In-Between! by Marcia Williams - This was a fantastic comic-strip presentation aimed at junior school/middle grade children. If you would like to read my review you can do so by clicking here.   Purchase Link*

The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce - This historical fiction title is one in a series and I cannot wait to read some of the others. My review for this book can be found here.  Purchase Link*

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan - Although this book is not what I expected I enjoyed reading it very much. You can find my review by clicking here.  Purchase LInk*

The Prosecco Pact by Kiltie Jackson - A story of three very different women who are friends. You can read my review by clicking here.

Don't Look Away by Rachel Abbott - This was a fabulous read and I highly recommend it. You can read my review by clicking here.  Purchase Link*

Books I Did Not Finish

Last of the Summer Moet by Wendy Holden - Not finishing this is no reflection on the book but I was trying to read this in hospital and could not get into it.

I, Julian by Claire Gilbert - I had really high hopes for this book but couldn't get into it. I may try it another time.

Books I am Partway Through

Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells

The Yorkshire Farm Girl by Diane Allen

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

How to Draw a Giraffe: The ALice May Way by Alice G. May - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

When I was in school, my favourite lesson was art. Sadly, one day, my art teacher told me I was very bad at drawing. I stopped drawing for a long time. Many years later, I started again. I soon remembered how much I used to enjoy it. Even though I still wasn't very good at it, I drew everwhere; on paper with a pencil, in sand and mud with a stick, on dry stones with a brush and water...

***

There is only one rule when you draw the Alice May Way and that is to have fun.

Follow along step by step and learn how to draw a giraffe.

Packed with interesting facts about giraffes, the environment and what we can do to protect our planet, this book is a must have for those who love drawing animals.

***

I spent a lovely afternoon one day this week both reading and following the step by step instructions that this lovely book provides on how to draw a giraffe. I am no artist, but I am rather pleased by the outcome of my drawing above.

The instructions were incredibly easy to follow, and I think both children and adults alike will enjoy this. Each page also contains interesting facts about giraffes so there is plenty of opportunity for learning too.

Unsurprisingly, the book is beautifully illustrated. It concludes with a word search, an activity for finding particular giraffes dotted throughout the book and resources for finding out more about this lovely spotted animal. In addition, there is an emphasis on wildlife and planet protection.

All in all, this is an excellent book which I highly recommend. It would make a perfect gift for children or anyone lacking self-confidence in drawing.

 ISBN: 978 1916087286

Publisher:  THTSD Press

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  58

About the Author:

Former GP surgery manager turned school librarian, Alice is mum to four not-so-small children and married to (probably) the most patient man on the planet. They live in what used to be a tumbledown cottage in the New Forest.

Alice is the double ‘Chill-with-a-Book’ award winning author of The House that Sat Down Trilogy and also How-to-Draw Giraffes - the Alice May Way.

A contributing writer and artist for Leisure Painter, the UK’s number one how-to-paint magazine, Alice is a huge advocate for the benefits of creative activities as part of an effective self-care toolkit.

She regularly speaks to clubs and groups about writing, painting and creative self-care.

(book and all info courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

Kings & Queens: Alfred the Great to King Charles III and Everyone In-Between by Marcia Williams - #BookReview

 

Dear wingless creatures, may I present "The Royal Timeline"! Just let your finger do the walking from me, Caw, to our earliest king and onwards all the way to the present day. Yes, I'm brilliant, I know. The idea just flew into my brain by way of my crown!

But... Let's start with the king who had the bright idea of a king of all England - and then meet every one of the 59 kings and queens that followed after him!

***

Meet every king and queen in the history of Britain in this lively comic-strip guide from award-winning author-illustrator Marcia Williams.

From medieval monarchs to the newly crowned King Charles III, join award-winning author-illustrator Marcia Williams on an entertaining guide to every king and queen of Britain. Discover the kings who fought off the Vikings, the queen who spent the longest time on the throne, the king who died from eating too much fish, and many more. Featuring famous faces like Henry VIII and Elizabeth II, plus the lesser-known stories of the daring, the caring and the cruel who have worn the crown, this is an accessible and engaging introduction to the kings and queens of Britain, sure to inspire even reluctant readers.

***

In my humble opinion, every school library should have a copy of this book as it has so much to offer. 

Written throughout in comic strip form, the book covers the period from 871 with the reign of Alfred the Great and finishes with our present monarch, King Charles III. As well as text below each picture, the illustrations themselves have speech bubbles from the mouths of the monarchs themselves.

Add to that the book is narrated by a royal raven called Caw, and you have a fantastic book that will appeal to junior school/middle grade aged children. Caw provides many little facts and witticisms as he flies from page to page and is a fantastic creation by the author.

The book looks to the future and concludes with a diagram of the current royal line of succession, starting with Prince William and ending with Princess Lilibet, although the author indicates that there are many more following.

This is a fantastic book which I highly recommend. Any child interested in history will enjoy this book and because of its witty and engaging style, I think many other children will enjoy it too.

ISBN: 978 1529512755

Publisher:  Walker Books

Formats:  Hardcover

No. of Pages:  32

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

About the Author:

As a child:

Marcia Williams’ mother was a writer and her father was a playwright and theatre director. She spent the early part of her life in Canton, Hong Kong, Nigeria and the Middle East with her mother and diplomat stepfather. She loved books from an early age and remembers being read to almost every night. “I would often be scared, especially by fairy tales, but I never wanted the stories to end.” She went to boarding school in Sussex, from where she sent weekly illustrated letters to her parents overseas.

As an adult:

Marcia didn’t receive any formal art training. She calls herself "an obsessive illustrator" and says, "I’ve just always done it. I never consciously thought: that’s what I want to do.” She had a number of jobs, including nursery teacher, which is when she developed her taste for story-telling to young children; “I learnt what they found accessible and what they enjoyed.” Giving up teaching to paint, she studied watercolour at Richmond College and held some successful local exhibitions before a friend suggested that she took her work to show Walker Books. Marcia also has an MA in Children’s Literature. She lives in London and has two grown-up children and three grandchildren, one extra-large dog and a cat.

As an artist:

Marcia has written and illustrated numerous books since The First Christmas was published in 1987. Many of these have been retellings of classic stories, illustrated in her distinctive cartoon-strip style. She has also applied her characteristic storytelling to history, with award-winning books about the World Wars (Archie’s War and My Secret War Diary by Flossie Albright), Greek Myths and The Stone Age. She works in watercolours, which, she says, “are just unreliable enough to be interesting”. She has retold many of Shakespeare’s plays and taken to the boards herself to play the Bard in a production based on her books, Mr William Shakespeare’s Plays, and Bravo, Mr William Shakespeare! – culminating in a performance in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org* 

(Book and all author info. courtesy of Walker Books)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

The Time Between Space by Charlie Laidlaw - #BookReview

 

Yippee! Mummy is taking me to the cinema and has told me that it's a surprise. This doesn't really make sense, because if taking me to the cinema is a surprise, why has she told me?

But this is typical Mum; opening her mouth and saying something, then realising that she shoudn't have said it and wishing that she could un-say it. Even in my short life, I know she's confused a lot of people - and offended many others. Nothing nasty, but if someone at the shops says what a nice day it is, Mum will often disagree about the weather.

***

There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on Earth...

Emma Maria Rossini appears to be the luckiest girl in the world. She's the daughter of a beautiful and loving mother, and her father is one of the most famous film actors of his generation. She's also the granddaughter of a rather eccentric and obscure Italian astrophysicist.

But as her seemingly charmed life begins to unravel, and Emma experiences love and tragedy, she ultimately finds solace in her once-derided grandfather's Theorem on the universe.

The Time Between Space is humorous and poignant and offers the metaphor that we are all connected, even to those we have loved and not quite lost.

***

I so enjoyed reading this lovely book. I have previously read two of the authors books, The Things We Learn When We're Dead  and Everyday Magic both of which I enjoyed enormously. You can read my reviews of these books by clicking on the title.

The main character is Emma who we first meet as a child. Mr Laidlaw does a fabulous job of not only writing from the perspective of a child, but a child of the opposite sex which he does admirably well.

Emma has a wonderful relationship with her grandfather, Alberto Rossini, an astrophysicist. Running throughout this story is Alberto's book, Universe Theorum. Each chapter heading is an equation and there are many references to physics throughout this book which went way above my head. However, I am not a scientist, and I do not feel it is necessary prerequisite in order to get a lot out of this book.

For me, the relationship between Emma and her grandfather was perfect. Equally well done was her relationship with her actor father and her somewhat irrational mother.

A very enjoyable book and I am looking forward to Mr. Laidlaw's next offering.

This is a republication of the author's book, The Space Between Time. The cover photo above shows the new cover.

ISBN: 978 1901514759  

Publisher:  Ringwood Publishing

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

About the Author:

Charlie Laidlaw is a PR consultant, teaches creative writing, and lives in East Lothian. He is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh and was previously a national newspaper journalist and defence intelligence analyst. His other novels are The Things We Learn When We’re Dead, Being Alert!, Everyday Magic and Love Potions and Other Calamities.

All but one of Charlie Laidlaw’s novels have a strong local connection, collectively forming an East Lothian Quartet. 

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

(Book and all author info courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Ten Exciting New Releases in September 2023

 September is almost upon us and with it comes some fabulous new books to be released. 

Here are just ten that I think look great.

Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells

Lambing season always brings the unexpected… But no one expected murder

Jude Gray never thought she’d find herself widowed and running a working farm full-time, but here she is, living in the small Malvern village her husband Adam spent most of his life in.

After a particularly gruelling lambing season, she is looking forward to some time off, but there’s no rest for the wicked, especially when she finds the body of one of Adam’s oldest friends on her farm.

Unimpressed with the local constabulary's efforts, Jude starts an investigation of her own. But as the body count rises, danger creeps ever closer to Malvern Farm.

A killer is on the prowl. And all that stands in their way is one woman – and her dog.

The Kitchen Witch Handbook by Aurora Kane

A magical life begins at home with this warm and lively introduction to the traditions and practice of kitchen witchcraft.

As spiritualists, healers, and herbalists, witches throughout history have developed various methods of healing through potions, spells, and remedies worldwide. Despite their efforts for good, many have suffered from years of persecution, which has led to a general misunderstanding of their craft. The Kitchen Witch Handbook combats that, providing an assortment of magical traditions from a fresh, modern perspective. If you are interested in Wicca and traditional kitchen potions, spells, and rituals, The Kitchen Witch Handbook is the perfect magical reference. 

This hands-on guide introduces the home-based folk witchcraft that has been practiced for countless generations. Learn to weave your magical intentions into food and cooking and use everyday ingredients for mystical purposes.

Brimming with beautiful photography and illustrations, this intriguing and accessible volume offers: 

Guidance on creating a magical kitchen and kitchen altar, 100 Recipes and kitchen spells, including a candied lime money spell, rosemary protection cookies, and a lavender simple syrup for clarity and calm, tips on how to incorporate magic and intention into cooking, a glossary of correspondences and magical properties for fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients and a framework for creating your own unique spells at home using the ingredients you have on hand.

Preorder Link*

The Figurine by Victoria Hislop

Of all the ancient art that captures the imagination, none is more appealing than the Cycladic figurine. An air of mystery swirls around these statuettes from the Bronze Age and they are highly sought after by collectors - and looters - alike.

When Helena inherits her grandparents' apartment in Athens, she is overwhelmed with memories of the summers she spent there as a child, when Greece was under a brutal military dictatorship. Her remote, cruel grandfather was one of the regime's generals and as she sifts through the dusty rooms, Helena discovers an array of valuable objects and antiquities. How did her grandfather amass such a trove? What human price was paid for them?

Helena's desire to find answers about her heritage dovetails with a growing curiosity for archaeology, ignited by a summer spent with volunteers on a dig on an Aegean island. Their finds fuel her determination to protect the precious fragments recovered from the baked earth - and to understand the origins of her grandfather's collection.

Helena's attempt to make amends for some of her grandfather's actions sees her wrestle with the meaning of 'home', both in relation to looted objects of antiquity ... and herself.

Preorder Link*

Stone Mother by Malve S. Burns

Imagine growing up in a German family right after WWII with no knowledge of your country's horrendous Nazi past or an understanding of your own family's fierce internal struggles.

Marie is a dreamy child of a doctor whose family is offered refuge within the walls of Falkenburg Castle after the war. Within the safety of this thousand-year-old "stone mother," Marie begins her coming-of-age journey dominated by her troubled, often violent mother and comforted by her beloved father.

Soon, Marie is forced to leave the castle and is bounced from a Dickensian Children's institution, to an inspiring private prep school for girls in Heidelberg, to the wild Alaska Highway, and back to Germany, where, at age fifteen, she discovers the full extent of Nazi atrocities and contemplates suicide.

With the help of her mother's former teacher and the spirit prince of Falkenburg Castle, Marie begins to understand her mother's pain. She finds a way to accept-though never condone-what she cannot change. Ultimately, when she faces the transgressions of both her mother and her motherland, she is inspired to engage more fully with her new Germany.

The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page

Her new chapter starts now…

Jo Sorsby is hiding from her past when she agrees to run her uncle’s beloved stationery shop. Glimpsing the lives of her customers between the warm wooden shelves, as they scribble little notes and browse colourful notebooks, distracts her from her bruised heart.

When she meets Ruth, a vicar running from a secret, and Malcolm, a septuagenarian still finding himself, she suddenly realizes she isn’t alone.

They each have a story that can transform Jo’s life… if only she can let them in.

The perfect gift for book lovers, The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Bookshop in this gorgeous novel about secrets, second chances and finding friendship in the most unlikely places.

Preorder Link*

The Pit by Peter Papathanasiou

With DS Manolis on leave in Greece, Senior Constable Sparrow receives a phone call from a man who wants to turn himself in.

Bob is sixty-five years old, confined to a Perth nursing home. But thirty years ago, he killed a man in the remote northern Kimberley mining region. He offers to show Sparrow where the body is, but there's a catch: Sparrow must travel north with him under the guise of being his carer.

They are accompanied on the drive by another nursing home resident: Luke, thirty years old, paralysed in a motorbike accident. As they embark on their road trip through the guts of Western Australia, pursued by outback police and adrenaline-soaked miners, Sparrow begins to suspect that Bob's desire to head north may have sinister motivations. Is Luke being held against his will? And what lies in store for them when they reach their goal?

Preorder Link*

The Two-Tailed Snake by Nod Ghosh

North-east India, 1945. Tensions are rising, but fourteen-year-old Joya doesn't pay much attention to 'political business' - she is more concerned with doing well at school and having fun with her best friends.

Yet when her father disappears without a trace, Joya's life falls apart. Forced to drop out of school and support her mother by working in a garment factory, she refuses to accept that her father is gone forever, spending her nights sewing him a suit from scraps of fine material.

But as political unrest grows and rumours of corruption spread, Joya questions the true nature of her father's disappearance. And who is the sinister figure known only as the two-tailed snake?

You'd Look Better as a Ghost by Joanna Wallace

I have a gift. I see people as ghosts before they die.

Of course, it helps that I'm the one killing them.

The night after her father's funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn't know it, but it's not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer. But even before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink, before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces, something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.

The thing is, it's not sensible to tangle with a part-time serial killer, even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Claire will do anything to keep her secret hidden - not to mention the bodies buried in her garden. Let the games begin...

Preorder Link*

The Worst Medieval Monarchs by Phil Bradford

Stephen. John. Edward II. Richard II. Richard III. These five are widely viewed as the worst of England’s medieval kings. Certainly, their reigns were not success stories. Two of these kings lost their thrones, one only avoided doing so by dying, another was killed in battle, and the remaining one had to leave his crown to his opponent. All have been seen as incompetent, their reigns blighted by civil war and conflict. They tore the realm apart, failing in the basic duty of a king to ensure peace and justice. For that, all of them paid a heavy price. As well as incompetence, some also have reputations for cruelty and villainy, More than one has been portrayed as a tyrant. The murder of family members and arbitrary executions stain their reputations. All five reigns ended in failure. As a result, the kings have been seen as failures themselves, the worst examples of medieval English kingship. They lost their reputations as well as their crowns. Yet were these five really the worst men to wear the crown of England in the Middle Ages? Or has history treated them unfairly? This book looks at the stories of their lives and reigns, all of which were dramatic and often unpredictable. It then examines how they have been seen since their deaths, the ways their reputations have been shaped across the centuries. The standards of their own age were different to our own. How these kings have been judged has changed over time, sometimes dramatically. Fiction, from Shakespeare’s plays to modern films, has also played its part in creating the modern picture. Many things have created, over a long period, the negative reputations of these five. Today, they have come to number among the worst kings of English history. Is this fair, or should they be redeemed? That is the question this book sets out to answer.

Preorder Link*

The Lost Flock by Jane Cooper

The Lost Flock is the story of the remarkable and rare little horned sheep, known as Orkney Boreray, and the wool-obsessed woman who moved to one of Scotland’s wildest islands to save them.

It was Jane Cooper’s passion for knitting that led her to discover the world of rare-breed sheep and their wool. Through this, Jane uncovered the ‘Orkney Borerary’ – a unique group within the UK’s rarest breed of sheep, the Boreray, and one of the few surviving examples of primitive sheep in northern Europe.

As her knowledge of this rarest of heritage breeds grew, she took the bold step to uproot her quiet suburban life in Newcastle and relocate to Orkney, embarking on a new adventure and life as farmer and shepherd.

Jane was astonished to find that she was the sole custodian of this lost flock in the world, and so she began investigating their mysterious and ancient history, tracking down the origins of the Boreray breed and its significance to Scotland’s natural heritage.

From Viking times to Highland crofts and nefarious research experiments in Edinburgh, this is a so-far untold real-life detective story. It is also the story of one woman’s relentless determination to ensure a future for her beloved sheep, and in doing so revealing their deep connection to the Scottish landscape.

An unforgettable story of a heritage breed and the importance of its existence.

Preorder Link*

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce - #BookReview #BlogTour #giveaway

 

The ship was rising and falling, the wind tugging at our cloaks. 'There - on that promontory - that's Pendennis Castle.' Mary James handed me the telescope and an outline of turrets and battlements sharpened into focus.

'The soldiers have got their telescopes trained on us.'

Around us, angry white crests peaked and broke; a fresh burst of spray carried on the wind and Mary clasped her cloak tighter. 'They'll be expecting us. Mr Trevelyan's very particular about letting them know we're coming. They'll recognise our flags. One shows we're from America and one shows we're carrying grain'...

***

In the wake of her mother's death, Pandora Woodville is desperate to escape her domineering father and finally return to Cornwall. Posing as a widow, she safely makes it across the Atlantic, bright with the dream of working at her Aunt Harriet's school for young women. But as Pandora is soon to learn, the school is facing imminent closure after a series of sinister events threatened its reputation.

Acclaimed chemist Benedict Aubyn has also recently returned to Cornwall, to take up a new role as Turnpike Trust Surveyor. Pandora's arrival has been a strange one, so she is grateful when he shows her kindness. As news of the school's ruin spreads around town, everyone seems to be after her aunt's estate. Now, Pandora and Aunt Harriet must do everything in their power to save the school, or risk losing everything.

However, Pandora has another problem. She's falling for Benedict. But can she trust him, or is he simply looking after his own interests?

***

Before I even begin this review I must tell you about the exciting giveaway you can take part in to win a copy of this lovely book, along with a tote bag, bookmark and postcard. How exciting is that? The link is below and I wish you the best of luck. It is only open to UK entrants.

Anyhow, onto the book. This is one of a series of books set in Cornwall by Nicola Pryce. They appear to be standalone novels with the setting being the linking factor. By coincidence, I have read a few books set in Cornwall recently. It is a beautiful county and I will never tire of reading the beautiful descriptions of the environment in any book.

This book offered everything that I like in historical fiction; a strong main character along with an immersion into the time and place in which it is set. The book is set during 1801 and Ms Pryce has researched her period extremely well and reading felt like a participatory event.

The main character, Pandora, was very likeable and easy to engage with. She is a resolute and determined character who faces the challenges in her life with strength and resilience. Along the way she discovers things from her own past and it was interesting to see how she dealt with uncertainty and revelation. When she meets Benedict, the main male character in the story, she is initially very wary of him. He is a surveyor for a Turnpike company who want to build a road going through land owned by Pandora's aunts school, and I will not say whether or not her fears were correct as I would hate to give away the very satisfying ending of this book.

I enjoyed this book very much. A story of courage and resilience all set in a beautiful environment in an interesting period of history. I highly recommend this book and I intend to read more by this author.

Don't forget to scroll down to enter the giveaway to win a copy of this marvellous book along with some book themed goodies.

ISBN: 978 1838959197

Publisher:  Corvus

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  480 (paperback)

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

About the Author:

Nicola Pryce trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. She has always loved literature and completed an Open University degree in Humanities. She is a qualified adult literacy support volunteer and lives with her husband in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. Together they sail the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure.

Giveaway to Win a The Cornish Rebel Tote Bag and Paperback (Open to UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

(author photo courtesy of Katia Marsh)

(book, giveaway and author info. courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan - #BookReview

 

Lydia heard the distant flap of paper wings as the first book fell from its shelf. She glanced up from the register, head tilted, and imagined that a sparrow had flown through an open window again and was circling the store's airy upper floors, trying to find its way out.

A few seconds later another book fell. This time it thudded more than flapped, and she was sure it wasn't a bird.

It was just past midnight, the bookstore was closing, and the final customers were checking out. Lydia was alone at the register, scanning a stack of paperback parenting books being bought by a teenage girl with pitted cheeks and peeling lips...

***

What do you do when the life you’ve carefully built for yourself comes apart?

Lydia Smith lives a quiet life, spent in the company of her colleagues and customers at the bookstore where she works. But when Joey Molina, a young and mysterious regular, hangs himself in the bookstore and leaves Lydia secret messages hidden in the pages of his books, her world starts to unravel.

Why did Joey do it?

What did he know?

And what does it have to do with Lydia?

***

I borrowed this book from the library, and I absolutely loved it. It was twisty and turny and it kept me enthralled.

It has been very cleverly written. It begins with the suicide of a young man who leaves a puzzle behind him for the main character, Lydia, to solve. As it progresses, the book becomes more about Lydia's past and the secret that she is keeping hidden from those she knows and who she is close to.

Lydia was a fantastic main character. The reader is permitted to know her backstory which gives us an advantage over many of the secondary characters in the book. It is this that gives the book a multi-dimensional feel. What I initially thought the book was about turned out not to be the main theme of the story. The plot is compelling and intricate and the author has paced the book so that it is a page turner with a few surprises along the way.

Whilst the description of the murder is rather vivid, it did not feel gratuitous but was necessary for the reader to understand the childhood trauma which had led Lydia to become the woman that she did.

I enjoyed this book very much. It was an interesting and intriguing read and I hope the author will deliver more fiction of this quality.

ISBN:  978 1786090157

Publisher:  Windmill Books

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  336 (paperback)

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

About the Author:

Matthew Sullivan grew up in a family of eight children in suburban Denver, Colorado. He received his B.A. from the University of San Francisco, his M.F.A. from the University of Idaho. His writing has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and has won the Florida Review Editor's Prize and the Robert Olen Butler Fiction Prize. In addition to working for years at Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver and at Brookline Booksmith in Boston, he has taught writing and literature at colleges in Boston, Idaho, and Poland, and currently teaches writing, literature, and film at Big Bend Community College in the high desert of Washington State. He is married to a librarian, Libby, and has two children and a scruffy dog named Ernie. He lives in Anacortes, WA, where he writes and teaches.

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

(author photo courtesy of Heather Young)

(author info courtesy of GoodReads)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

The Prosecco Pact by Kiltie Jackson - #BookReview #Blogtour

 

Lydia Beaumont glanced in the mirror at the clock on the wall behind her as she snapped the last curler closed on her client's head. Four thirty. After more than twenty-five years of transposing the numbers in her head, she now did it as automatically as breathing.

'There you go, Edna. Fifteen minutes under the dryer and you'll be setting hearts racing at the community centre tea dance this evening.'

Edna gave a hearty chuckle and Lydia discretely flexed her fingers a couple of times while reaching for the floaty, chiffon scarf to place over the top of the rollers. She scrunched her toes at the same time, trying to ease the ache which had set in from being on her feet for most of the day...

***

Three Women, Three Promises, One Pact!

Lydia Beaumont married the boy of her dreams but he has since become the man of her nightmares. She needs to find a new life.

Grace Mitchell has dedicated her life to her career, losing friends along the way to her ambition. She needs to get a life.

Debbie Stanford has been engaged for a year but is no closer to setting her wedding date. She just wants to become a wife.

On a cold, blustery January night, they each promise to change their lives and seal the deal over their glasses of Prosecco.

However, the best made pacts of mice and women have been known to go awry…

***

This book covers a year in the life of three friends, Grace, Debbie and Lydia. Three very different women whose lives need to change, and they make a pact to make this happen in the coming year.

I very much enjoyed spending time with these three women and, they were each easy to identify with in one way or another. I was totally engrossed in their lives and could not read quickly enough to see how their lives were going to pan out. I was rooting for them all the way.

The book is well written and made for compelling and easy reading. Ms. Jackson understands her characters and their situations well and imbues life into them with excellence. Their individual voices are clear and I felt as though I was a fourth friend around the table at one of their pie and prosecco evenings.

The book deals with some difficult themes which the author treats with sensitivity. Above all, it is a book of hope and personal growth and was a joy to read.

It was an inspiring and feel good novel that I highly recommend. I do not know if the author is planning on writing a sequel to this book, but if she is I will definitely be at the head of the queue to get my hands on it.

ISBN: 978 1999866679

Publisher:  Neilsen

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  305 (paperback)

About the Author:

Kiltie Jackson spent her childhood years growing up in Scotland. Most of these early years were spent in and around Glasgow although for a short period of time, she wreaked havoc at a boarding school in the Highlands.

By the age of seventeen, she had her own flat which she shared with a couple of cats for a few years while working as a waitress in a cocktail bar (she’s sure there’s a song in there somewhere!) and serving customers in a fashionable clothing outlet before moving down to London to chalk up a plethora of experiences which are now finding their way into her writing.

Once she’d wrung the last bit of fun out of the smokey capital, she moved up to the Midlands and now lives in Staffordshire with one grumpy husband and another six feisty felines. Her little home is known as Moggy Towers even though, despite having plenty of moggies, there are no towers! The cats kindly allow her and Mr Mogs to share their home as long as the mortgage continues to be paid.

Since the age of three, Kiltie has been an avid reader although it was many years later before she decided to put pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard – to begin giving life to the stories in her head.

Her debut novel was released in September 2017 and her fourth book, ‘A Timeless Lovestyle’ was a US Amazon bestseller in Time Travel Romance.

Kiltie loves to write fiery and feisty female characters and puts the blame for this firmly on the doorsteps of Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables and George Kirrin from The Famous Five.

When asked what her best memories are, Kiltie will tell you:

1. Queuing up overnight outside the Glasgow Apollo to buy her Live-Aid ticket.

2. Being at Live-Aid.

3. Winning an MTV competition to meet Bon Jovi in Sweden. (Although, if Mr Mogs is in earshot, the latter is changed to her wedding day.)

Her main motto in life used to be “Old enough to know better, young enough not to care!” but that has since been replaced with “Too many stories, not a fast enough typist!”

(e-book and all info courtesy of Zoe O'Farrell)

(all opinions are my own)

Purchase Link - Amazon

Don't Look Away by Rachel Abbott - #BookReview

 

Slowly, gently, he eases down the handle and slips silently through the door.

She's there, on the bed, covers thrown back. He stifles a gasp as his eyes travel the length of her body, from her long naked legs, exposed to the cool breeze drifting gently through the open window, to her chest, rising and falling with each soft breath. In the still of the hot night the only sound is the murmur of waves lapping the pebbled beach...

***

She never wanted to come back. Now she'll never leave.

Nancy Holland's sister disappeared on a holiday in Cornwall eleven years ago. She hasn't been seen since, and Nancy never returned. Until now.

Life has pulled her back to the seaside village and cottage where young Lola was last seen. Back then, Nancy couldn't see what was right in front of her eyes. Can she now finally uncover what happened to her sister?

***

This book is the third in the Stephanie King series and is publishing in the UK today. I have not read the previous two in the series, but this did not hinder my enjoyment of the book and it worked perfectly well as a standalone novel.

I enjoyed the book very much, and it was a real page turner. I was hooked from the very beginning and had time permitted I would have gobbled this up in one sitting.

The book is set in Cornwall, to where the main character, Nancy, has returned when she inherits a cottage from her great aunt. She has not visited the area since her younger sister, Lola, went missing eleven years previously. Nancy had no desire to return to the area as it holds such unhappy memories for her.

The detective, Stephanie King, is looking into the case and she is an equally well drawn character. The author has a good understanding of her characters and thus, they are extremely easy to engage with.

The plot kept me guessing until the very end and its conclusion was unexpected. The author is clearly a great storyteller and she kept me captivated throughout this dark and suspenseful novel. However, the darkness of the plot was accompanied by the beautiful descriptions of the environment and were a joy to read. I have been lucky enough to visit Cornwall and it is every bit as beautiful and dramatic as Ms. Abbott describes.

This is an excellent psychological thriller, and I highly recommend it.

ISBN: 978 1035403387

Publisher:  Wildfire

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:   464 (paperback)

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

About the Author:

Rachel Abbott began her career as an independent author in 2011, with Only the Innocent, which became an instant No. 1 bestseller on Kindle, topping the chart for four weeks. Since then, she has published ten further psychological thrillers, plus a novella, and sold over 4 million copies in the English language. She is one of the top-selling authors of all time in the UK Kindle store, and her novels have been translated into 21 languages. 

Rachel splits her time between Alderney and the Le Marche region of Italy, where she is able to devote all her tine to writing fiction.

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

(ARC and all author info courtesy of the publicist)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Never Trust a Gemini by Freja Nicole Woolf - #BookReview

 

I cannot stop dreaming about Alison Bridgewater. This could be because it's Libra Season... Love and relationships are on everybody's minds during Libra Season, according to my Bible to the Stars - or my Book for Blithering Idiots, as my Dad calls it. But it could also indicate that I'm reaching dangerous and dizzying new heights of my Alison Bridgewater Obsession, which is not good news, as I'm dizzied almost to death already!

They're very innocent dreams: Alison and me walking hand in hand across Tower Bridge in London... Alison and me playing tag on a white-sand beach...

***

Life is fraught for fourteen-year-old, zodiac-obsessed Cat. First there’s a minor bus-meets-girl accident, then there’s a boy-next-door suitor who can’t take a hint, but the most desperate disaster of all is Cat’s crush on the stunning and poetic Alison Bridgewater.

According to their star charts, Cat and Alison are the perfect match. To which Alison (woe alas!) remains oblivious.

But when the dangerously cool Morgan Delaney wades into the river to save Cat's sketchbook of kissing Disney princesses, she sends Cat’s stars spinning.

Can Cat get over her Alison obsession and follow her heart towards Morgan? Or should she exercise caution? After all, Morgan is a Gemini, and if there’s one thing Cat’s Bible to the Stars has taught her it’s that you can never – ever – trust a Gemini…

***

This book is aimed at teenage readers and particularly those of the LBQT+ community. Having said that - and speaking as a hetrosexual woman whose teenage years seem but a distant memory - I absolutely loved this book and was sorry when it came to an end.

The main character, Cat, is a fourteen year old lesbian who has yet to come out. She has a crush on her straight close friend, Alison, and the reader very quickly realises that this aspect of the story is not going to end well. Cat is one of the most adorable teenage characters that I have come across recently. She is clumsy, often says the wrong thing and lives her life according to her horoscope.

In fact, the book is divided into astrological sections and the plot plays out against Cat's understanding of what should be happening within this astrological time frame. I had a good chuckle at some of her expectations as well as the way in which she interprets it and attempts to apply to her life.

I am not a follower of horoscopes, but this book made me curious and I went to look up what the stars predict for me this week. I was surprised to read that it said that I should seek out something fun to help me access my inner child. This book had certainly done that as it was a very fun and easy read and I really enjoyed it. I guess that means that the stars aligned perfectly for me with this book!

What I most enjoyed about this book was that it was not an issue led narrative. Rather, the author has created a fun and interesting story centred around a main character who is a teenage lesbian. Ms. Wolf has done an excellent job in portraying her characters in such a believable and accessible fashion. I equally liked the secondary characters. Who could fail to like Jamie, Cat's accidental boyfriend?

This is a great coming-or-age story that will delight teens and adults alike.

ISBN:  978 1529509991

Publisher:  Walker Books

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:   320 (paperback)

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

About the Author:

Freja Nicole Woolf’s writing is absolutely not autobiographical. (Except for the bits that are.) She’s been writing since school and, at the über-ancient age of twenty-four, she finally wrote her debut, Never Trust a Gemini, as a joyful, romantic alternative to the issue-led LGBTQ+ stories she grew up with. She lives in London and aspires to be a Capricorn. Unfortunately, she's a Pisces. Never Trust a Gemini, is her debut novel and is published by Walker Books.

(book courtesy of the publisher)

(author info courtesy of The Bent Agency)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Ten Books I Want to Read in August 2023

 

It is almost August. The children have all broken up from school and six glorious weeks lie ahead of them. I expect that the kids will read more books that the adults but I hope those of you with children to take care of will enjoy sharing some books together.

Here are ten books that I would like to read.

In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes

But You Did Not Come Back by Marceline Loridan-Ivens

The Contest by Karen Hamilton

The Hundred Lives of Juliet by Evelyn Skye

Anne Boleyn: An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII's Queen by Roland Hui

The Plantagenet Prelude by Jean Plaidy

Charlotte's Snowman by Lainey Dee

All Good Things by Amanda Prowse

The Wolf Hunt by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

The East End Nurse by Sheila Newberry

What is on your reading list this month?

Happy reading!