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If all seems quiet on the blog for the next couple of weeks, it is because I am taking a two week break to rest, recharge and spend time with those I love. Of course, I will have my books with me and will be spending time lazing about (hopefully in the sunshine) and reading at leisure.
The blog will be back up and running on Monday the 2nd September when I will be back with my reading roundup for August.
See you then and happy reading!
Annie x
September is just around the corner and there are some fantastic new releases to look forward to. Dare I say it, but there are one or two Chrismas titles in here!
Without further ado, here are just ten that have caught my eye.
The Last Bookshop in Prague by Helen Parusel
Was she incredibly brave or incredibly stupid? Neither. Just a bookshop girl doing what she could against her country’s oppressors.
The banned books club was only the beginning; a place for the women of Prague to come together and share the tales the Germans wanted to silence.
For bookshop owner, Jana, doing the right thing was never a question. So when opportunity comes to help the resistance, she offers herself – and her bookshop. Using her window displays as covert signals and hiding secret codes in book marks, she’ll do all in her power to help.
But the arrival of two people in her bookshop will change everything: a young Jewish boy with nowhere else to turn, and a fascist police captain Jana can’t read at all. In a time where secrets are currency and stories can be fatal, will she know who to trust?
A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand
Susan didn’t plan on being an amateur sleuth and after two successful investigations, she’s looking forward to a quiet Christmas. So, when local businesswoman Meera is in desperate need of help, Susan agrees rather reluctantly.
The task should be easy enough. The infamous press mogul Duncan Fern is coming back to the Isle of Wight, the scene of his family’s childhood holidays, to celebrate Christmas with his grown-up children and their partners, his new glamorous wife Kirsten who is forever dripping with diamonds, and the spikey editor of his paper the Morning Flame, Antoine. The newly-refurbished luxurious Bishopstone Manor is the perfect setting for a festive break and all Susan has to do is help Meera host.
But when a snowstorm descends over the island, and the following morning a body is found, Christmas at the Manor takes a darker turn. Can Susan get to the bottom of the mystery before the murderer strikes again…
The Red Lie by Hua Foley
Born into the Mao era, the author’s education in school and at home by her father, a devoted Communist propaganda officer, was a brainwashing process. She was just seven when her father described how the enemy Nationalists beheaded his parents with a straw cutter during the civil war. Before she was old enough to understand the concept of love, she learned who to love and who to hate, believing all enemies deserve to die.
When student protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989 demanded freedom and democracy, Foley risked prison passing them secret information about army troop deployment. This act ended her career as a university assistant professor and put her on a wanted list. She embarked on a smuggler-aided border crossing to Macau, and eventually arriving in Hong Kong, and from there, departed for a new life in the United States.
Returning to China after an eight-year exile, she discovered her father’s betrayal and lies. She eventually came to understand that his fear-driven loyalty to the Party arose from survival instincts. He chose to dance with the devil. Over time, he learned to dance with ease and grace, and in the end, such dancing became his life.
The Red Lie is an account of the struggle to free oneself from the binding tentacles of brainwashing. It is a tale of loyalty tested, humanity challenged, and lives ruined by lies. At its core, it is a woman’s struggle in a world so hardened by ignorance, hatred and fear that compassion and kindness are largely nonexistent. It shows one person’s quest for self-invention against the backdrop of late twentieth century politics—a tale still current given the East-West tensions of today.
The Tanglewood Bookshop by Lilac Mills
A rural book shop. A chance to start over. But can she make her dream a reality?
Karen used to love the excitement of her London life, but lately her passion for expensive city living has begun to wane. So when she's given the opportunity to open a bookshop in picturesque Tanglewood, she jumps at the chance.
But village life is much quieter than she anticipated – is she actually suited for rural living? Resigned to a boring and uneventful Christmas, when she meets gorgeous Saul she is more than ready to have some fun and enjoy the festivities. If only Saul didn't have a reputation for being a player...
Will Karen become the heroine in her own Christmas romance, or will he love her and leave her under the mistletoe?
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, over two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it and snoozed in your house for hours on end. This happened to me.
When lockdown led busy professional Chloe to leave the city and return to the countryside of her childhood, she never expected to find herself custodian of a newly born hare. Yet when she finds the creature, endangered, alone and no bigger than her palm, she is compelled to give it a chance at survival.
Raising Hare chronicles their journey together and the challenges of caring for the leveret and preparing for its return to the wild. We witness an extraordinary relationship between human and animal, rekindling our sense of awe towards nature and wildlife. This improbable bond of trust serves to remind us that the most remarkable experiences, inspiring the most hope, often arise when we least expect them.
A Lake District Christmas Murder by Rebecca Tope
As Christmas draws nearer, Simmy Henderson is invited to a party in Glenridding at the heart of the Lake District. However, the festivities are overshadowed by two alarming discoveries: a man’s body in the beck above the village and a vulnerable newborn baby, apparently abandoned by its mother.
Caught in the crosscurrents and tensions of the inhabitants of Glenridding, Simmy is drawn into the investigation. The season of goodwill has been eclipsed by far darker emotions and a murderer must be found.
The Grandmother by Jane E. James
I might be a grandmother. But I’m not some sweet, harmless old lady who people can push around.
Two little girls stand with their heads bowed in my living room. I’m told they’re my granddaughters. This is the first time I’ve met them since my daughter and I fell out after she married that waste of space, Vince. Daisy is nine, and Alice seven. Daisy is the spitting image of her mother.
They’ve come to live with me because their mother — my daughter — was murdered. In her own home while they slept close by.
I think their father, Vince, killed my daughter. But the police can’t prove it. I’ve always known he was no good. He treated my daughter like dirt. I warned her he’d cheat on her — but she wouldn’t listen.
But then, most people have a dark side — and I’m no different.
Now he wants his daughters back.
Over my dead body.
I finally have a family of my own. And nobody is going to take it away from me.
The Witches of Santo Stefano by Wendy Webb
An investigative journalist uncovers the haunting secret history of her own ancestors in a bewitching novel by the bestselling author of Daughters of the Lake.
When Cassie Graves discovers her husband’s affair, it’s enough to chip away at the foundation of her life. But after researching her family’s Italian ancestry, it completely crumbles beneath her.
Her grandmother Gia’s often-told stories about the past are a lie. Her much-romanticized great-grandfather Giovanni may not even have existed. Most alarming of all, it appears her mysterious great-grandmother Violetta died by stregoneria―witchcraft. Now, piecing together the puzzle of her family tree in the small, centuries-old hill town of Santo Stefano, Cassie finds help from a welcoming group of locals: the accommodating Renzo; Dante, whose own family history connects with Cassie’s; and the ethereal Luna, an interpreter of dreams who gives Cassie a protective amulet―and the warning that she may have walked into a trap.
When Cassie comes upon an old spell book, she gets closer to unearthing long-buried family secrets, the truth about a powerful female lineage, and the haunting discovery of who she really is.
The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson
You’ve heard of the Afterlife. Welcome to the Beforelife.
There are four of us: Samuel, Lucy, Thomas, and me – Eliza.
We came into being the day Becca Valentine was born. We’ve been by her side ever since. What she doesn’t know yet, is that one day she might become our mother.
Then two men come into her life. Both seeking her heart. And then we realise: everything rests on Becca’s love story. Because one of the men is Lucy and Thomas’s father. And the other is mine and Samuel’s. And there’s simply no way we can all be born.
We all want her to make the right choice. We all want to be born. To hold her hand one day. To feel her stroke our hair. To call her our mother.
Then we discover there is something we can do. We can change Fate. But we only have a single chance each. How would you make sure you were born? And what if doing that isn’t what’s best for the person you already love the most in the world – your mother?
Snow is Falling by Sarah Bennett
When Sadie Bingham’s life takes an unexpected turn, her children treat her to a well-earned break at Juniper Meadows, the gorgeous Cotswolds estate owned by the Travers family.
The festive season is in full swing, and Sadie throws herself into the packed Twelve Days of Christmas programme, relishing the opportunity to make new friends and new memories.
Single father Dylan Travers hasn’t been to his childhood home of Juniper Meadows for decades. Estranged from his cantankerous father Monty, he has made a happy life for himself in the States. But now with teenage children keen to know more about their roots, Dylan has brought them back to the Cotswolds to meet his family.
As Sadie and Dylan both navigate a Christmas very different from the ones they had expected it's soon clear that, geography apart, they have a great deal in common. And as Dylan confronts his past and Sadie contemplates her future, perhaps the miracle of this Christmas will be the happily-ever-after they both deserve.
There was no need for words. Lyuba urged her daughter forward, indicating with a nod which person the young girl should approach...
***
A mother pickpocketing tourists in order to support her daughter. An elderly war veteran ashamed of his actions during the Holocaust. Two brothers hunting a killer bear. A Syrian refugee working in a Sofia bakery. A femme fatale disappearing at an international writers’ conference. And two neighbors competing to see who makes the best alcoholic drink.
This collection of heartwarming and culturally illuminating stories introduces readers to Bulgaria—its majestic mountains; picturesque villages; and rich history and traditions—and leaves them wanting more.
***
This was a fabulous collection of short stories which are set in Bulgaria. In fact, I am struggling to think of anything which I have previously read being set there. Neither can I even recall a book based in Bulgaria either. Do please comment if you know of any.
This collection of stories is commendable and there was so much I liked about them. The book begins with the titular, Rakiya story. It revolves around a regional competition regarding who can make the best drink. Two neighbours are rivals for the award and this was amusing to read.
What oozes from all of those stories is the essence of Bulgaria itself, and it is every bit as cruicial as the characters are. In some of the stories we find an element of cross over as we see the reappearance of some of the characters who were in previous stories. This gave great perspective to them and I enjoyed reading the various points of view.
If I had to choose a favourite story it would have to be Lockdown. This story really got under the skin of the main character and the author did a great job with it.
Additionally, the author brought all of these stories to life really well. I felt immersed in the tales and even more so in Bulgaria itself. I enjoyed learning about the customs and culture through the people in these stories.
This is well worth reading.
ISBN: 979 8324380014
Publisher: Independently published
Formats: e-book, hardback and paperback
No. of Pages: 192 (paperback)
About the Author:
(book and media courtesy of the author)
(all opinions are my own)
I am delighted to be bringing you an excerpt from Return to the Eyrie by author, Katerina Dunne. This book is the second in the Medieval Hungary series, and is the sequel to Lord of the Eyrie.
The Blurb
Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary, 1470:
Raised in exile, adolescent noblewoman Margit Szilágyi dreams of returning to her homeland of Transylvania to avenge her father's murder and reclaim her stolen legacy. To achieve this, she must break the constraints of her gender and social status and secretly train in combat.
When the king offers her a chance at justice, she seizes it—even if it means disguising herself as a man to infiltrate the vultures' nest that now occupies her ancestral ‘eyrie’.
Plagued by childhood trauma and torn between two passionate loves, Margit faces brutal battles, her murderous kin's traps and inner demons on her quest for vengeance. Only by confronting the past can she reclaim her honour—if she can survive long enough to see it through.
Return to the Eyrie is an epic coming-of-age tale of a young woman's unwavering pursuit of justice and destiny in 15th century Hungary.
***
ISBN: 978 1962465328
Publisher: Historium Press
Formats: e-book and paperback
No. of Pages: 406 (paperback)
***
The Excerpt
Margit twined her fingers behind her back and tapped her foot on the straw-strewn floor of the stable. Her eyes fixed on Imre Gerendi—a tall, broad-shouldered man in the fifty-fourth year of his life.
Leaning on the wooden post of his black rouncey’s stall and absently scratching his greying brown beard, Endre’s father took an eternity to respond to her request. “Out of the question!” he said, at last, eyebrows drawn together, his face stern as a judge announcing a death sentence.
Endre drew close to Margit’s ear. “I told you so.”
It might as well have been a death sentence. She clenched her hands and scowled at the man. “Why, Imre bácsi? I wish to learn.” Tears of frustration stole into her eyes. “I must avenge my father.”
The man’s face softened. “I promised your father I’d look after you. I don’t intend to let you come to harm. You’re too headstrong, like your poor brother. Do you forget what befell him?”
Margit’s arms fell to her sides. Her chest heaved as she fought to swallow the lump that rose in her throat.
“Calm yourself, child,” Imre said and patted her shoulder. “You’re my dear friend’s daughter, and I care for you like my own, but—” His eyes met hers. “As the rightful heir of the Szentimre estate, you must wait another two years until you’re wed before we can plead with the king to return your inheritance.”
Two years? How am I ever to wait this long?
Margit’s exasperation raced to her cheeks.
But before she opened her mouth, Imre raised his hand to stay her protest. “Patience, child! We’ll prove your father wasn’t a traitor. I promise. Until then, don’t draw attention to yourself. After all, your cousin and his wily mother may still be looking for you.”
Fuelled by an urge to vent her vexation, Margit poked at Endre’s arm, making him recoil. “So, I must marry him to take back what was stolen from me?”
Imre shot her a reproachful glance. “It was your father’s wish; and the only way you can inherit landed property.”
“Because I’m a girl!” Margit spun around, seething at the injustice.
Just then, a male servant rushed through the stable door, sweating and gasping between panicked breaths. “Master!”
“What is it?” Imre said.
“Three men at the port. Looking for you and the young lady. Hungarian. With accent like yours.”
Imre’s face turned ghostly white. “Transylvanians. From Szentimre, surely.”
“Again?” Margit gasped and grabbed onto Endre for support.
“Take her to the cellar,” Imre ordered his son. “Don’t come out until I return.”
He ran to rally the servants while Endre dragged Margit down the cellar steps.
In the damp underground chamber, she fervently clung to him amidst the pungent wine racks, barrels of tangy fermented foods and smoky cured meat.
Margit shivered in the faint rushlight, her mind reliving her ordeal during a moonlit night, three years prior, when she had fled with Erzsi along the riverbank. A hooded figure seized upon her with brutal strength, the white of his eyes glinting beneath his cowl—an image forever branded in Margit’s memory.
But just when all seemed lost, Imre appeared and drove the man through with his blade. Blood spurted from the stranger’s screaming mouth.
Thankfully, Imre also slew the rogue’s companions and threw their bodies into the Danube to be taken by the currents to the sea, far away in another land.
And now, the enemy had found her again.
The meagre light soon died. Moments dragged like years. The cellar’s dank walls closed around Margit, awakening unspeakable horrors. Who would protect her if those men bested Imre this time? Was she to cower, waiting to be saved or slain?
If only she could fight!
The trapdoor’s grinding flushed fresh terror through her veins. As heavy footsteps descended, Endre shielded her with his body. Breath frozen in her chest, Margit squeezed his arm and peeked over his shoulder.
Lantern light formed menacing shadows on the rough walls until a familiar voice, grave yet reassuring, said, “You can come out.”
Imre’s tunic was stained—with blood, surely—and he still held his sword. “They’ll trouble us no more.”
Later that night, Margit sat on her pallet with knees bent and drawn against her chest, staring into the blackness. The echoes of her terrifying experience still plagued her sore head, awakening a wave of unease.
Forbidden from handling weapons and training, how was she to protect herself?
Imre is concerned I might hurt myself?
She snorted.
What nonsense!
She carried the blood of a strong and brave warrior; a man who had defended Hungary against the Ottoman onslaught time and again. She would not hide like a coward. If she could fight, she would deal with any threat. And she would kill Márton and Anna. Yes, they were her relatives; but they had stolen her land and castle by slandering her father. Perhaps they even had a hand in his death. Margit searched her memory, desperate to remember the night of her escape from Szentimre. Only images of fear haunted her mind: candlelight trembling on the walls of a bottomless shaft; the heavy breaths of frightened people; her face buried in a man’s shoulder; her tears staining his clothes; cold and dampness penetrating her skin. And then the frantic gallop of a horse as she clung to the same man: Imre, her saviour.
Her knees pressed against her growing breasts as she crouched on the thin mattress, raising another dreaded thought. After her first blood three months prior, her body had started to change. This scared her. She loathed the notion of being treated like other noble women: forced into marriage and a lifetime of obedience and childbearing to secure a husband’s protection.
Yes, she was grateful to Imre and Endre for shielding her from the perils of the world. But she would not live like a falcon locked in its mews. There was only one way to avoid that fate. Though she could not become a man, she would do her best to look and behave like one. Having spent so long in the company of those street urchins, she had learned to imitate the male gestures and gait. If Imre had refused to train her, she would practise on her own. And when the right time arrived, she would dress as a boy and escape to her homeland.
Beside her, Erzsi’s light snoring issued from her pallet.
At last!
Margit slid off her own pallet, tiptoed out of the chamber and then down the creaky staircase to the ground floor living area. On the bottom step, she paused and clenched her jaw to chase away a sudden doubt.
I can do this… I must do this.
In the meagre light of an oil lamp, she found Erzsi’s scissors. Silent as she could, she took off her linen chemise and laid it on the table. Naked and shivering, she measured two hands’ width, then cut a strip along the hem. She wrapped it around her bust and tied the ends under her left arm, wincing as the fabric’s frayed edges cut into her flesh above and below her breasts.
Satisfied, she looked down her traitorous body.
I shall not let you grow.
About the Author:
Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin.
Katerina is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13th to 15th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers.
Return to the Eyrie (published April 2024) is the second book in the Medieval Hungary series, a sequel to Lord of the Eyrie (published in February 2022).
(all media and excerpt courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)
(all opinions are my own)
Naureen rose from her wicker chair and sauntered through the cobbled tracks along the lawn - lika Nazia used to. As she approached the bougainvillea creepers, she smoothed the creases on her off-white cotton kurta, stopping to light a cigarette...
***
Nazia Sami is a celebrated author, but perhaps her greatest plot twist is yet to be produced. In her final days, she wields a pen one last time as she fills her diary with instructions for her sister, Naureen, and writes six letters to be delivered after her death. There is to be no funeral for Nazia. Instead, only six invitees are asked to attend a party, one of whom is a mystery guest. Over the course of an extraordinary evening, secrets are revealed, pasts reconsidered, and lives are forever changed.
Perfect for fans of MOHSIN HAMID and KAMILA SHAMSIE, No Funeral for Nazia is a striking and inventive exploration of what death can mean for both the deceased and those left behind.
***
There is some great fiction coming out of Neem Tree Press. I have read several of them, and they have been excellent. This book is no exception.
This book is set in Karachi, Pakistan, and the main character is Nazia. We never actually meet Nazia in the book as she has passed away but has left instructions with her sister, Nadeen that instead of a funeral they are to throw a party to celebrate her life for only six of her friends and family, plus one mystery guest. Each are promised a monetary inheritance to perform one last act in her name.
This sets the scene for this book which I really enjoyed reading. I particularly enjoyed the setting. The author's descriptions of the clothes and the food were excellent and were immersive. There is a helpful glossary at the back of the book with definitions of unfamiliar words.
The plot was a little different to anything I can recall reading in the past. It is quite hard to describe without creating spoilers, so I will just say that each of the characters reveals why their relationship with Nazia was problematic and this was done in an unusual way. However, the reader does get to understand their views of Nazia through this and to a lesser degree, of Nazia herself.
It is a story of love, betrayal and death. It considers the ways in which we see ourselves and also how others see us.
It was a short and interesting work of prose which I recommend.
ISBN: 978 1911107743
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Formats: e-book, audio and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)
No. of Pages: 272 (paperback)
About the Author:
(book and media courtesy of The Write Reads)
(all opinions are my own)
***
Tama works in the library at the Minidoka incarceration camp, where she has been imprisioned because she is Japanese American. Life in the Idaho camp is scary, sad, confusing, frustrating and lonely. Getting through each day is hard. Tama prefers to escape into her books, which are filled with stories of honour and adventure.
But every day, George is at the library, too - with a smile, yet another stack of books and his comforting presence. It is George who helps Tama understand that she isn't alone, and in that realization, hope is found.
Maggie Tokuda-Hall's wrenching and beautiful tale is based on the experience of her own grandparents, who met in Minidoka during World War II. Their story is one of hope, about a family bornout of love during an unconscionable time in American history, a time that has troubling resonance even today.
***
In this book, the author Maggie Tokuda-Hall tells the story of how her grandparents, Tama and George, first met and fell in love.
It is an unusual premise for a picture book aimed at children, particularly bearing in mind that they met in a the a prison camp during World War Two. The Minidoka incarceration camp in Idaho was the place where American Japanese residents were forced to go following the attack on Pearl Harbour.
Within these awful conditions Tama worked in the camp library. It was through their love of books that she met George, fell in love, married and their first child was born.
It is a story of hope, love and survival. I particularly liked the Author's Note at the back of the book which includes a photo of Tama and George.
It is nicely illustrated with a muted colour pallette which is appropriate to the setting of the book. This book will appeal to both boys and girls.
ISBN: 978 1536236668
Publisher: Walker Books
Formats: e-book, hardcover and paperback
No. of Pages: 40 (paperback)
About the Author:
Maggie Tokuda-Hall is the author Also an Octopus, illustrated by Benji Davies, The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea, Squad, illustrated by Lisa Sterle, and Love in the Library illustrated by Yas Imamura with more books forthcoming.
She lives in Oakland, California with her husband, son, and objectively perfect dog.
She has a BA in Studio Art from Scripps College, and an MFA in Writing from University of San Francisco.
About the Illustrator:
Yas Imamura is an Asian American illustrator living in Portland, Oregon.
Her works include collaborations with Anthropologie, Sanrio as well as her growing list of children’s books. Her preferred materials are gouache and watercolor and often finds herself drawn to projects that are playful, mysterious and a little offbeat.
(book and media courtesy of the publisher)
(author media courtesy of the author's website https://www.prettyokmaggie.com/)
(illustrator media courtesy of the Bright Agency)
(all opinions are my own)
I first reviewed this book back in 2017. As we are now celebrating West Asian Heritage month, I thought it an apt time to give this review another airing. It is largely how it appeared at the time but I have updated it very slightly to reflect the new cover and so on.
***
An extraordinary story of love and hope from the bestselling, Man Booker-shortlisted author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
This is Nadia. She is fiercely independent with an excellent sense of humour and a love of smoking alone on her balcony late at night.
This is Saeed. He is sweet and shy and kind to strangers. He also has a balcony but he uses his for star-gazing.
This is their story: a love story, but also a story about how we live now and how we might live tomorrow. Saeed and Nadia are falling in love, and their city is falling apart. Here is a world in crisis and two human beings travelling through it.
Exit West is a heartfelt and radical act of hope - a novel to restore your faith in humanity and in the power of imagination.
***
This is a contemporary novel with both significance and relevance for modern times. Told from the perspective of refugees it provides an opportunity for the reader to understand the issues facing people who find themselves a long way from the place they call home and who frequently arrive in destinations where they are not made welcome.
The magical realism in this book is used to great effect and is designed to correspond with the feeling of some native born residents that refugees seem to arrive suddenly and from nowhere. This is an extremely clever device and very much enhances the main issues of the story.
However, the main thing that this book does is to allow the reader to empathise with the refugees and which makes this an extremely relevant book in today's current climate. We are able to understand the plight of refugees amidst our own current political and sociological situation.
This is a profound text which influences the reader and has the potential to make us understand how to be better people both as individuals and communities. This book deserves the accolades it has received and I would not be surprised if this does not appear on the school syllabus as there is so much to learn from it.
It is a slim volume with a massive significance and I encourage everyone to read this as I am sure that you will get as much from reading it as I have.
ISBN: 978 0241979068
Publisher: Viking UK
Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback
No. of Pages: 240 (paperback)
About the Author:
Mohsin Hamid is the author of five novels, including the international bestsellers Exit West and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, both of which were shortlisted for the Booker Prize, as well as Moth Smoke, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, and his most recent, The Last White Man. His books have been translated into over forty languages, adapted for film, and awarded numerous prizes.
He speaks and writes on topics ranging from literature, culture, and the arts to migration, technology, business, and politics. His essay collection, Discontent and Its Civilizations, brings together some of his writings for the New York Times, the Guardian, the Financial Times, the New York Review of Books, and other publications.
Mohsin Hamid studied international relations at Princeton and law at Harvard, and worked as a management consultant. He has spent about half his life in Lahore, where he was born, and much of the rest in London, New York, and California.
(author media courtesy of the author's website https://www.mohsinhamid.com/home.html)
(all opinions are my own)
Today I am so pleased to be bringing you an excerpt from Try Before You Trust: To All Gentlewomen and Other Maids in Love by Constance Briones. But first, a little about the book...
The Blurb
What if Taylor Swift found herself penning songs about love in Elizabethan England when women were required to be chaste, obedient, and silent?
Isabella Whitney, an ambitious and daring eighteen-year-old maidservant turned poet, sets out to do just that. Having risked reputation and virtue by allowing her passions for her employer's aristocratic nephew to get the better of her, Isabella Whitney enters the fray of the pamphlet wars, a scurrilous debate on the merits of women.
She's determined to make her mark by becoming the first woman to write a poem defending women in love, highlighting the deceptive practices of the men who woo them. Her journey to publication is fraught with challenges as she navigates through the male-dominated literary world and the harsh realities of life in sixteenth-century London for a single woman.
The Excerpt
That night in my prayers, I asked forgiveness for my ingratitude. How peevish of me to wail to Mistress Walden about the hardships of working for Lady Bramwell. When my term was done here, I had a comfortable home to return to with a mother who readily forgave my flights of fancy whilst I did my chores. ‘Rid your mind of foolish dreaming,’ my mother would say, ‘go for a brief walk in the garden and resume your work with a clear head.
’Henceforth, whenever I spied the washerwoman leaving at the end of her workday, I uttered a blessing to keep her well and wished for her safe return the next day. And when my work day was done, I welcomed the sweet night. My mind, finally at liberty to drift away with fanciful thoughts of befriending the elusive Robert Barrington.
Loosely based on the life of Elizabethan poet Isabella Whitney, this is a compelling tale of a young woman's resilience and determination to challenge the status quo and leave her mark in a world that was not ready for her.
About the Author:
Constance Briones has a Master's in Woman's History, which informs her writing.
She first learned about the subject of her debut historical fiction novel, the sixteenth-century English poet Isabella Whitney, while doing research for her thesis on literacy and women in Tudor England. Isabella Whitney's gusty personality to defy the conventions of her day, both in her thinking and actions, impressed Constance enough to imagine that she would make a very engaging literary heroine.
As a writer, Constance is interested in highlighting the little-known stories of women in history. She is a contributing writer to Historical Times, an online magazine. When not writing, she lends her time as an educational docent for her town's historical society.
She contently lives in Connecticut with her husband and Maine coon sibling cats, Thor and Percy.
(all media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)
(all opinions are my own)
***
1613: Scotland and England, unified under one crown, are reeling from the sudden death of King James' popular eldest son, Henry, as rumours swirl that the prince was poisoned.
Andrew Logan, one of the King's Messengers, is sent north with secret orders to find and arrest the man the king suspects.
Phoebe Westaway cannot abide Andrew Logan. But when her ageing father is tasked with helping Logan, Phoebe finds herself with no choice but to join them in their quest to capture Sir David Moray, once Prince Henry's trusted courtier, and carry him to London to stand trial for the prince's murder.
It's a journey rife with complications. Sir David has no intention of allowing himself to be delivered to London, and as he draws them deeper into the dark web of court alliances and rivalries, Phoebe realises she might have more need of Logan than she believes.
A story of justice, honour, truth and love - and survival against impossible odds…
***
I like Susanna Kearsley's books, and I have read a few in the past; Mariana, Sophia's Secret, The Firebird and A Desperate Fortune. I have enjoyed all of them and thus, had high expectations of The King's Messenger.
I am delighted to say that this book completely lived up to those expectations. It is well written and had everything that you would expect to find in a historical fiction novel. There were a handful of characters based on actual historical figures mixed in with some fictional ones, and these came together to create an excellent work of historical fiction that I really enjoyed reading.
The chapters were written from the points of view of four of the characters: Phoebe Westaway, Andrew Logan, Sir David Moray and Queen Anna, the wife of James I of England/VI of Scotland. I really enjoyed reading this story from the perspectives of each of them, especially Phoebe and Andrew. Watching their relationship develop made for fascinating reading.
As you would expect from Ms. Kearsley, her research is meticulous and this really shows. It enabled me to really wallow in the 17th century. It is a period that fascinates me, and I enjoyed reading about Andrew's second sight. This period was around the time of the infamous witch trials, and I rather admire the author for not taking that road through the story, although I'm sure it would have been equally fascinating.
Instead, she focussed her story on the politics of the day, especially those surrounding the death of Prince Henry. Andrew, who is the titular King's Messenger, is tasked with escorting Sir David Moray back to London from Scotland in order that he faces trial as he is suspected of having a hand in the death of the young Prince Henry.
Watching the development of the dynamic and relationships between the characters on this journey was riveting. I enjoyed reading about the way they interacted with one another, and how with time and observation they were able to change their preconceived opinions.
I was already a reader willing to pick up any book that has Ms. Kearley's name attached to it, and this book has reinforced that opinion. She is a great writer and story teller and I heartily recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction.
ISBN: 978 1398514362
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Formats: e-book, audio and hardback
No. of Pages: 384 (hardback)
About the Author:
(ARC and all media courtesy of Random Things Tours)
(all opinions are my own)
