10 Ten Books I Want to Read in July 2025

 

July is here, and in my part of the world, the weather is glorious. I am very much hoping to carve out time to sit outside with a book, plastered in factor 50 and preferably in the shade. 

I hope you find lots of time to sit and read this month. It is so important that we take a little time out for ourselves, take a deep breath, and live in the moment. I hope you all have a wonderful month.

Here are ten books that I would like to read this month.

The Bewitching by Silvia Morens-Garcia

'Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches': that was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva - stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that's why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay's most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay's manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

Preorder Link

 The Many Faces of Ann Boleyn by Helene Harrison

Mistress. Queen. Reformer. Traitor. Icon.

This book is not like any others you might have read on Anne Boleyn. It is not a biography of the life of Henry VIII’s second wife and queen. What this book does is to examine Anne Boleyn through images and perceptions of her. Through documents, letters, images, propaganda, films, novels and historical biographies, this book explores Anne Boleyn through more than 500 years of history. Explore how perceptions of her have changed and developed over time. Whether she is seen as a mistress, a queen, a mother, a reformer, a traitor, or a tragic heroine, Anne Boleyn continues to inspire so much exploration and even new discoveries today. See Anne through the eyes of people who knew her, loved her, hated her, and studied her. In the present day, Anne Boleyn has quite a devoted scholarship, honed through perceptions built over the last half a millennium. Her life, reign, and tragic death at the hands of the man who tore England apart to be with her have made Anne Boleyn one of the most divisive and exciting figures in English history.

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 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The Nolan family are first-generation immigrants to the United States. Originating in Ireland and Austria, their life in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn is poor and deprived, but their sacrifices make it possible for their children to grow up in a land of boundless opportunity.

Francie Nolan is the eldest daughter of the family. Alert, imaginative and resourceful, her journey through the first years of a century of profound change is difficult - and transformative. But amid the poverty and suffering among the poor of Brooklyn, there is hope, and the prospect of a brighter future.

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The Lady in the Tower by Elizabeth St. John

London, 1609. Lucy St.John, a highborn orphan at the glittering court of King James, is drawn into a dangerous affair with the Earl of Suffolk—a fateful choice that creates powerful enemies. Betrayed by her sister, Barbara and cast out in disgrace by the formidable Countess of Rochester, the Earl's vengeful sister, Lucy’s life at court is shattered.

Armed with her intelligence, education, and skill in healing, she refuses to accept defeat. In a world where women’s fates are often sealed by the ambitions of men, Lucy fights her way back into society. An unexpected marriage elevates her to the position of mistress of the Tower of London, where she faces the harsh realities of plague, political upheaval, and tragic executions of both enemies---and friends. Inside the walls of the Tower, she tends to aristocratic prisoners and criminals alike, confronting the stark brutality of the world around her.

As Barbara's fortunes rise through a marriage into the powerful Villiers family, Lucy is drawn into a dangerous game of power and survival. Her sister’s alliance with the king’s favourite, the Duke of Buckingham, promises wealth and influence but brings treachery and peril that could destroy Lucy and everything she holds dear.

In a court rife with deceit, ambition, and shifting loyalties, Lucy must navigate a perilous path, fighting to protect her honour, her family, and her very survival.

Based on the true story of Elizabeth St.John’s ancestor, Lucy St.John, this critically acclaimed novel offers a vivid portrayal of one woman’s resilience in the face of betrayal, and her courageous journey through the turbulent politics of seventeenth-century England.

Purchase Link (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

Murder on the Train by John J. Eddleston

In the spring of 1910, a shocking murder rocked Edwardian England. John Innes Nisbet, a quiet, unassuming man, was found brutally shot five times in the head aboard the 10.27 Newcastle Central train, and the colliery wages he had been carrying were stolen. Days later, John Alexander Dickman, a gambler by trade, was arrested and convicted of the crime, despite the conviction resting solely on circumstantial evidence.

Sent to the gallows, Dickman maintained his innocence until the end. Over a century later, this gripping investigation reopens the case, re-examining the evidence and exposing the flaws in Dickman’s conviction. Could the real killer have escaped justice? With new insights and a compelling alternative theory, Murder on the Train unveils what might truly have happened that fateful day.

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 The Last Laugh Club by Kate Galley

In life, Norman George – passionate knitter, excellent friend and secret youtube sensation – liked nothing better than a good laugh. And, it seems, he gets the last laugh even in death, because at his funeral, he invites his three closest friends to scatter his ashes in a place close to his heart, the Shetland Islands. The only issue is, while Bridget, Gloria and Derek might have loved Norman, they can’t stand each other.

So it’s with trepidation that the eclectic trio set off in their minivan on the ferry to Lerwick, each harbouring their own reason for wanting to grant Norman this last request. But as storm clouds roll in over the Shetland Islands, all of them are about to discover that some secrets are best shared, and that even after death, good friendship can change everything…

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 Bleak Times at the Orchard Cottage Hospital by Lizzie Lane

Somerset, 1932

In the dead of night, a young woman is abandoned on the steps of Orchard Cottage Hospital and a man is seen fleeing. Nobody knows their identities.

When the young woman dies, Doctor Frances Brakespeare is keen to solve the mystery of her identity and find those responsible for her fatal injuries.

With her mother’s failing health and a very patient admirer, the last thing Frances needs is a dream job offer from a top London hospital. Torn, Frances must decide what matters more to her; her career or remaining in a small town she’s become attached to surrounded by those who need and love her…

With the society wedding of the year fast approaching will Nurse Lucy Daniels be able to unburden her shattering news and will Devlin Compton-Dixon be honest with his feelings and anxieties?

As Christmas blossoms into Spring there are huge decisions to be made, honest truths to be told and long kept secrets to be revealed – let’s hope happiness doth prevail.

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 Stormy Times for the Dockyard Girls by Tracy Baines

The Great War is over, and few families have been left untouched. Those who remain face a tough and uncertain future.

Letty Hardy has managed to keep her family afloat by running a café and chandlers on Grimsby Docks. She’s grateful for the safe return of her husband Alec from minesweeping duties, when many women were not so fortunate.

War has left deep scars buried beneath the surface and one explosive secret is set to blow the family apart.

Trawler owner Richard Evans worked hard to leave a legacy. Something to hand down through the generations. With his sons lost to war, Ruth, his only daughter, stands to inherit the Excel Trawler Company, so it's important that she marries well. But is her current suitor the right husband for Ruth?

Can the folk of Great Grimsby rebuild their lives and find the peace they so desperately seek?

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  There's Something About Mira by Sonali Deve

Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone.

While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.

As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason…right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn’t been written yet either.

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 The Girl on the Balcony by Diana Wilkinson

Jade’s new life in Spain is quickly unravelling. Homeless, broke, and out of options, she’s struggling to make it as a real estate agent.

But Jade isn’t just hiding from the truth of her situation. She’s hiding from her past. And maybe, from a particular person. Someone who knows exactly what she did that fateful day in Marbella...

When journalist Hayley stumbles across a story that could make or break her career – a suspicious death, a murderous widow and a personal invite to the scene of the crime – she jumps on the first plane to Marbella.

However, soon paradise feels like a prison, and Hayley may have made the worst mistake of her life coming to the mansion of a self-confessed killer. Will she get out alive?

Purchase Link

(I am Bookshop.org affiliated)

Books I Read in June 2025

This month I went on holiday.  Two weeks in the glorious Lake District filled with good food, good books and good walks. In fact, my dog Roxie, is finding home walkies far inferior as there are no lakes in which she can paddle in the shallows!

We had a fabulous time and were able to sit in the sunshine with a good book or two. In fact, I have read several five star reads this month so it will be difficult to choose a favourite, but I will try.

What have you been reading this month? Anything you would think I might enjoy?

The Last Train to Freedom by Deborah Swift

I seldom give books of this type five stars, but this one fully deserves it for bringing something new and refreshing to the genre. If you would like to read my review of this book you can find it here.

Rainbows and Lollipops by Mo Fanning

This is a wonderful book about friendship and family that I enjoyed reading very much, and it earned a five star review from me. If you would like to read my review of this book you can find it here.

What Will Survive of Us by Howard Jacobson

I really struggled to like the characters in this book. Well written but I found it somewhat lacking.

Great and Horrible News: Murder and Mayhem in Early Modern Britain by Blessin Adams

I haven't had an opportunity to review this excellent non-fiction title yet. It was extremely well researched and put together. 

The Rabbi's Suitcase by Robert Kehlmann

This was an enjoyable book based on the discovery of the author of a cache of hidden letters and will appeal to those interested in Jewish history. You can find my mini review by clicking here.

Wartime Comes to the West India Dock Road by Renita D'Silva

This was a really enjoyable read. My review won't be available until my stop on the blog tour on 25th July. Watch this space.

Libby and the Highland Heist by Jo Clarke

This is another book by my granddaughter's favourite author. It's a really enjoyable continuation of the Libby series.

A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant

An enjoyable book in the cosy crime genre. My review of this book will be up on 3rd July.

Ladies Lunch and Other Stories by Lore Segal

I really wanted to enjoy this book of interconnected stories but alas, the book didn't live up to my hopes.

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

This was very different to anything I have read recently. I enjoyed it and my review is scheduled for the 8th July.

The Heirloom by Julie Brooks

Probably my favourite read this month.  It had everything that I love in a book. It is a dual timeline narrative, being set in both 1821 and 2024. Consequently, historical fiction runs alongside a contemporary narrative. I loved it. If you would like to read my review of this book you can find it here.

The Union Street Bakery by Mary Ellen Taylor

This was a gripping and engaging novel which I really loved, and it's about three sisters who are running the family bakery.  If you would like to read my review of this book you can find it here.

Women in Lockdown by The Wayfinder Woman Trust

The book is full to the brim with the writing, artwork and photographs of women in lockdown.   If you would like to read my review of this book you can find it here.

The Heirloom by Julie Brooks - #bookreview

 

The parcel sat unopened on Mia's kitchen table for a second day running.  Each time she entered the kitchen her eyes were drawn towards the table despite all intentions to ignore the parcel.  Something about it bothered her...

***

The Blurb

A surprise inheritance. A hidden past.

Brisbane, 2024 - Barista and budding artist Mia Curtis is shocked to receive a package all the way from England informing her she's the heir to her late grandmother's cottage. Feeling lost in her own life, Mia travels across the world to claim her inheritance, where she begins to unravel the secrets passed down through the generations of women in her family.

Sussex, 1821 - Philadelphia Boadle wakes to find her husband, the tailor Jasper Boadle, dead. As the daughter of the local cunning woman, Philadelphia is soon accused of murder by witchcraft. Her future and that of her own daughter is at stake, unless she can convince the village she's done no wrong...

My Review

This was a five star read for me. It had everything that I love in a book. It is a dual timeline narrative, being set in both 1821 and 2024. Consequently, historical fiction runs alongside a contemporary narrative. I loved it.

I have previously read this author's title, The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay which was also a five star read for me. You can read my review by clicking on the title link.

The book opens with the main present day character, Mia, who lives in Brisbane, receiving a package from an English solicitor. In it, she learns that she has inherited a house from her English grandmother. Mia's mother had never told her about the existence of this grandmother, and this sets off an instant antagonism between the mother and daughter.

The other main character is Philadephia. Her narrative takes place in Sussex, England in 1821 when her husband dies and she is accused of witchcraft.

Both sections are based on a fabulous premise, and I quickly became engrossed by them both. There are family secrets which need to be unearthed, and it was gripping accompanying Mia on this journey of discovery. 

However, for Mia it is about more than discovering her family's past. She has to face letting go of some of her own past, facing issues of belonging and identity, and ultimately discovering herself as a person.

The author did a fantastic job with this book. She has clearly researched the history of the section set in the past extremely well,  and consequently, created a story set in the past that was compelling and tangible. I found this book to be completely immersive and almost felt I was there in both time periods.

This is a page turner that I did not want to put down. It is a compelling story of both past and present, and the author has done a marvellous job of bringing the two interconnecting stories to life within the covers of the book.  I would highly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1035414826

Publisher:  Headline Review

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  384 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Blackwell's

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

In 2021 Julie published The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay with Headline Review. It was followed in late 2022 by The Keepsake, a dual-timeline mystery set in the early nineteenth century and the present day. January 2025 brings publication of The Heirloom, a novel of secrets and witchcraft set in the 1820s and the present day.

She was born in Brisbane, Australia, but lived most of her life in Melbourne. She taught English and Drama in secondary schools before working as an editor of children’s magazines. Previously, she has published a variety of children’s books and two adult historical novels writing as Carol Jones.

Married with two adult children, she lives in a city apartment overlooking the water in Melbourne but spends as much time as she can travelling throughout Australia and abroad.

You can also find Julie at:

Instagram

Author Website

(book/media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Silver Birds by Rocky Magana - #blogtour #bookspotlight

 I have another great book spotlight on the blog today. Silver Birds by Rocky Magana is a speculative/dystopian fiction book and is getting lots of attention right now.

The Blurb

In a land ravaged by war and haunted by fire-breathing silverbirds, Kosha is the last thread in a bloodline unraveled by violence. His father was a man who believed in wisdom over weapons, his mother a woman who fought for a future that would never come, and his brother a boy who disappeared into the mountains, chasing a cause that would devour him whole. Now, Kosha walks alone, armed with nothing but a bow and the impossible weight of revenge pressing against his ribs.

As Kosha crosses the wasteland toward the land of the silverbirds, he carries more than his grief—he carries the ghosts of his father's wisdom, his mother's defiance, and his brother's sins. He carries the weight of every choice that led him to this moment. And with each step, he must Is he the last survivor of his family's story, or its final casualty?

A harrowing, lyrical journey through war, loss, and the brutal choices that shape a legacy, this novel asks what it means to inherit a fight—and whether a boy with nothing left to lose can change the course of his own history.

Book Details:

ISBN:  979 8308901280

Publisher:  Independently published

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  354 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Amazon US

About the Author

Rocky Magaña is an accomplished novelist known for his lyrical style and emotionally evocative storytelling. His works frequently blend literary depth with speculative elements, exploring complex themes of identity, survival, and the human condition. Magaña's prose has been praised for its directness, intensity, and artistic clarity.

You can also find Rocky at:

Author Website

Instagram

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Bluesky

(all media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

The Dutch Muse by Heidi Eljarbo - #bookspotlight #blogtour

 

I am delighted to be shining the spotlight on this book today. The Dutch Muse by Heidi Eljarbo is part of the Fabiola Bennett Mystery series. 

Heidi is not a newcomer to the blog.  She kindly did a guest post in 2023 when she spoke about her novel, The London Forgery. Her book, The Paris Portrait also featured as a spotlight post last year. You can read both of those posts by clicking on the links.

I am equally excited about this spotlight post too. Enjoy!

The Blurb

A ruthless thief leaves a private Dutch gallery with a coveted seventeenth-century painting. The owner lies unconscious on the floor. Art historian Fabiola Bennett is on vacation in Holland and takes on the case.

Amsterdam, 1973 - It’s late summer, and Fabiola and Pippa join their friend, Cary, for a few days of sightseeing, museums, and riding bikes around the beautiful city.

For the first time in her life, Fabiola feels a pang of jealousy, and rude comments from a gallerist make her doubt her own abilities.

Then, unexpectedly, Cary’s Dutch client, Lennard van de Hoek, is brutally struck down and a baroque portrait by Ferdinand Bol is stolen. Fabiola pushes aside her problems and jumps into danger without hesitation. The list of suspects is long, and with a cold-blooded criminal at large, they must constantly be on the alert.

Amsterdam, 1641 - Ferdinand Bol has completed his five-year training with Master Rembrandt van Rijn and is ready to set up his own studio. The future looks bright, and Ferdinand sets a goal to become a widely sought-after and, hopefully, prosperous master portraitist.

Just when Ferdinand’s career starts to flourish—and patrons and customers discover his exceptional talent—one of his models confesses she’s in deep trouble, and he drops everything to help her.

This is a fast-paced and captivating who-done-it set in the Netherlands—the fourth installment and a spin-off from the Soli Hansen Mysteries.

Book Details

ISBN:  979 8284991565

Publisher:  Independently Published

Formats:  e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  268 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

HEIDI ELJARBO grew up in a home full of books, artwork, and happy creativity. She is the author of historical novels filled with courage, hope, mystery, adventure, and sweet romance during challenging times. She’s been named a master of dual timelines and often writes about strong-willed women of past centuries.

After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She lives with her husband on a charming island and enjoys walking in any kind of weather, hugging her grandchildren, and has a passion for art and history. 

Her family’s chosen retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summer and ski the vast white terrain during winter.

Heidi’s favorites are her family, God's beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.

You can also find Heidi at:

Author Website

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(all media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

10 Ten Exciting New Releases Coming in July 2025 - #books

There are so many wonderful looking books which are due to be released next month. I am very excited by some of these titles. As always, I have limited myself to just ten here. Believe me, it is never easy deciding which ten books I am most enthusiastic about as there are loads of wonderful looking ones coming along next month.

Are there any soon to be released books that you are looking forward to reading?

 Till Death Us Do Part by Revd. Penny Stephens

Weddings can be murder . . .

Reverend Clare Brakespear is used to a challenge. With a young family to wrangle, a parish to manage and a particularly excitable Golden Retriever by her side, life is never dull.

But when she attends a wedding where one of the guests is fatally stabbed with a cake knife, even Clare admits that she might have been given too much to handle this time.

As the police investigate the murder, they zero-in on one woman as their prime suspect, who they believe had the motive, means and opportunity to commit the crime. The trouble is, Clare is convinced that they have the wrong person. She might not understand forensic testing and finger-tip searches, but if there's one thing Clare does know, it's people and the complexities of their emotional lives. So she decides to take matters into her own hands.

However, investigating a murder is no mean feat and Clare soon finds herself embroiled in a complex web of family secrets and deceptions. Is she in way over her head or can she find the real killer before an innocent woman is sent down?

Preorder Link

Romance is Dead by Katie Bohn

Roses are red, violets are blue, romance is dead - but is their love true?

Scream queen Quinn has had it with scary movies. After years as Hollywood's horror It Girl, she's sick of the tabloids and the off-screen drama. So she's decided: one last film, before quitting for good.

All that stands in her way is leading man Teddy James. Reality TV star and renowned playboy Teddy has looks to kill for, but absolutely no talent. AKA, Quinn's worst nightmare.

That's until they stumble - literally - across a dead body on set. Everyone believes it's a tragic accident, but Quinn's not convinced. So she offers Teddy a deal: acting lessons in exchange for his help investigating. And as Teddy and Quinn dig deeper, she begins to wonder what's most at risk here - their lives, or her heart?

Preorder Link

The Writer by Valerie Keogh

Cara Jenkins is a successful author about to embark on her thirtieth novel. But as she sits at her desk to write, she realizes that she has no ideas left. And as the pressure mounts for her to deliver, she begins to fear that her career is over.

Then the letters start.

At first, they seem harmless. But as the messages grow darker, Cara becomes convinced that someone is watching her, waiting for their moment to strike.

Her husband, Artie, dismisses the notes as stupid pranks, but Cara feels them pulling her back to a past she can't escape. With no easy answers, Cara does what she does best and begins to write. But the more words that come, the more fantasy and reality begin to blur and soon her imagination, and her accusations, begin to run wild.

With reality blurring into fiction, Cara struggles to see the truth. Is someone really watching her, or is her unravelling mind feeding her paranoia? And how will this story - her story – end?

This time her deadline has never felt more deadly….

Preorder Link

Such Good People by Amy Blumenfeld

It's 10 p.m. on a Thursday in the spring of her freshman year of college, and April is standing at the back of a crowded Manhattan bar waiting for her friend, Rudy, to arrive. Their eyes lock the moment he enters the room, and in an instant, lives and legacies are altered forever. Within hours, Rudy is arrested. Within days, April is expelled. Within weeks, he's incarcerated. And within months, she meets Peter, a prodigious young attorney who makes her world recognizable again. Nearly fifteen years later, April is happily living in Chicago married to Peter, a mother of three with a fulfilling career and standing yoga date with her girlfriends. On the eve of Peter's election for local office, Rudy is up for parole. Headlines explode about April's past, jeopardizing Peter's campaign and everything they hold dear. Suddenly, April is faced with an impossible choice: protecting the life she created, or the person who sacrificed everything to make that life a possibility. Such Good People is a captivating portrait of blurred lines, divided loyalties, and what it means to love purely, steadfastly, and interminably.

Preorder Link

Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle by Lilac Mills

Will she give everything up for love?

Freya Sinclair has it all. An exciting life in London, a successful career as a ceramicist and a handsome boyfriend. But when she receives a call that her father is in hospital, she drops everything to support his recovery in Skye.

On the island, Freya finds new inspiration – Coorie Castle’s craft centre is firing her creativity and she’s glad to be back with her dad again. Being so close to her schoolgirl crush, Mackenzie Burns, is an added bonus. The two share an instant connection and Freya misses London less and less.

But Freya has a boyfriend at home and now a dazzling job offer in New York. She must figure out what she truly wants, before anyone gets hurt..

Preorder Link

The Lines We Draw by Tim Franks

A moving journey through a Jewish family history from BBC Newshour presenter Tim Franks.

Tim Franks spent years as the BBC's Middle East Correspondent covering Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. During that time, he was attacked as a self-hating Jew and as an Islamophobe - as a tool of competing, malign agendas. He always tried to respond with a journalist's detached curiosity, drawing a clear line between his identity and his work. Up to the point that he asked himself: is that necessary? Beyond the judgments of others: what does it mean to be Jewish?

It was a question he struggled to answer. As a child in 1970s Birmingham, Tim was a practising Jew with hardly any relations or sense of lineage. And so he embarked on a search for his ancestral roots, from Constantinople to Curaçao, from Amsterdam to the death camps, from Lithuania to Downing Street.

Framing each part of his journey through what he has learned as a journalist, Tim discovers ancestors who all speak to a part of the Jewish story: there are the refugees and the risk-takers; the artists, rabbis, soldiers and revolutionaries; there is even a route to the Conservative Party's unlikeliest leader, Benjamin Disraeli.

This book is a deeply empathetic memoir which encourages us all to confront the lines we draw. In searching for what it is to be Jewish, Tim discovers what it means to take a stand and write about the world.

Preorder Link

A Ghostwriter's Guide to Murder by Melinda Mullet

Maeve Gardner kills people for a living. A dodgy occupation perhaps, but as ghostwriter for the long-running Simon Hills mysteries, Maeve has planned the perfect murder time and again and she enjoys it. She dreams of writing something under her own name someday rather than babysitting her adopted character Simon, but at least she's writing. And as one of the burnt-out souls who've run away from dry land to live on London's waterways, she has the joy of working from the home she loves: a colorful houseboat. Life on the canals is grand, but when her cheating ex-boyfriend turns up floating face down in the water outside her boat, murdered, and the police arrest her, the plot takes a wayward turn. Suddenly, Maeve is thrust into one of her own crime dramas, complete with missing money, violent thugs, extortion, and conspiracy. Only this time, there is no real-life Simon Hill to come to her aid. Instead, with the help of friends from the river - India, owner of a popular floating bookshop; Paul, the exceedingly attractive landlord of the local pub; and Ash, Maeve's quiet, nerdy neighbor who is keeping some secrets of his own - Maeve may have a shot at saving herself. As Maeve and her motley crew of would-be investigators find themselves wondering if they are in over their heads, a killer lurks and won't hesitate to kill again...

Preorder Link

Chance at Life by Susan Ellison Busch

Chance at Life provides a portal into the lives of dialysis unit 'regulars, ' both patients and staff. Together they confront life's limitations and its certain end, with unique stories of struggle, hope, and resilience.

Rachel is a novice nurse whose well-intentioned choices put her career in jeopardy. Her personal life disintegrates when she discovers that she is pregnant, and her fiancé abuses her.

Kidney failure derailed Darnell's career path. He waits in vain for a transplant, losing hope as long days on dialysis consume his future.

Elizabeth, a seasoned nurse practitioner, faces her own failing kidneys and decides to refuse dialysis, planning to let nature take its course-though her daughters and her doctor won't let her go so easily.

The dialysis unit is a high-stakes cauldron of conflicts and ethical dilemmas. A machine malfunction claims one patient's life, another patient buys a black-market kidney, and another patient withdraws from dialysis entirely, throwing herself a "goodbye" party. Covid 19 arrives, bringing an entirely new dimension to the daily dramas.

Chance at Life is a gripping, poignant exploration of the human spirit and the unforeseen connections that form in the most trying of circumstances, perfect for those who appreciate medical dramas filled with real-world challenges and heartfelt storytelling.

Preorder Link

The Getaway by Rona Halsall

Would you swap houses – and lives – with a stranger?

Maddie and her long-term boyfriend, Tom, dream of a life living and working abroad, though right now they’re settling for a lovely vacation in the sunny European beach town.

When Maddie is befriended by a lovely-seeming couple, who are living the digital nomad lifestyle, they make her an offer that feels hard to refuse…

Swap houses, swap lives – just for a couple of weeks - and see if living abroad is a lifestyle that would really suit them.

But as soon as they’ve handed keys over to their home in London, it becomes clear the couple aren’t who they’d seemed to be. And Maddie and Tom’s dream getaway is about to become a nightmare they could never have imagined…

Preorder Link

Simple Designs for Meditative Knitting by Barbara Breen

Knit your way to peace of mind!

A meditative approach to knitting that brings relaxation and calm as you create elegant handcrafted pieces

19 easy projects for knitters of all levels, from beginner to experienced

Step-by-step instructions achieving a meditative state while knitting

Clear easy-to-understand patterns for knitwear accessories and home décor, each specifically created for mindful knitting

An essential volume for those who seek balance and stress reduction through knitting

Whether you're a beginner exploring the art of knitting as a portal to serenity, or a seasoned knitter looking for relief from intricate patterns, Simple Designs for Meditative Kitting cuts a soothing path toward mindfulness and well-being.

This stunning collection of super-easy designs allows you to unwind and embrace the calming rhythm of knitting. Timeless patterns with easy-to-memorize knit and purl repeats are the key to a true meditative knitting experience. Choose from a versatile mix of knitwear and home décor items. All are well suited for hours of mindful knitting.

Captivating photos underscore the contemplative theme of the book, while a sprinkling of quotations from notable authors enhances the peaceful narrative. The simplicity of the designs is complemented by carefully curated yarns, resulting in the perfect finish for every piece.

Author Barbara Breen is a highly skilled knitter, designer, and writer. Simple Designs for Meditative Knitting embodies her belief that knitting need not be complicated to produce beautiful results. Her inspiring collection is certain to bring you a joyful knitting experience and enhanced creativity. As a bonus, the universal appeal of this book makes it a gift that any knitter will treasure.

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