Reading Roundup for October 2023

 

Hi everyone. Here we are at the end of October, and here in the UK it is seasonally wet. The leaves on the trees are yellowing and all around me looks pretty.

This month I celebrated my ten year blog anniversary and posted my favourite book from each decade. I will pop a list at the bottom of each post with a link to each of those reviews in case you missed any. It was lovely to reaquaint myself with books that meant so much to me.

October has provided the perfect weather for hunkering down with a book and I have done that whenever time permitted. Here are the books which I have read this month.

Books I Have Read

The Stories We Cannot Tell by Leslie A. Rusmussen - This was a fantastic book about two strong women and the bonds they form when their pregnancies go wrong. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Puppet Maker by Jenny O'Brien - This is the first in the Alana Mack detective series. It features a disabled detective and was enjoyable to read. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Memory of an Elephant by Alex Lasker - This was a fabulous read which was chosen by my book club and well worth reading. Unfortunately, I did not have time to review this book but it was a great read and I highly recommend it.

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner - This one was chosen by the book group that I lead and was an interesting read. She has led a fascinating life and the glimpse into Princess Margaret's life was really interesting.

The Mile End Murder by Sinclair McKay - A non fiction title based on a true crime of a murder committed in 1860 in London's East End. I enjoyed this very much.

Celebrations for the Woolworth Girls by Elaine Everest - This is the ninth book in the series. I haven't read the previous ones and it works well as a standalone novel. You can read my review by clicking here.

Black Fox One by Elyse Hoffman - This follows on from The Vengeance of Samuel Val which I reviewed last month (here) Again, it works well as a standalone novel. You can read my review by clicking here.

Spooky Little Halloween: A Finger Wiggle Book by Sally Symes and Nick Sharratt - A sweet little board book for little ones. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Mother of All Problems by Nancy Peach - This book was my favourite read this month. Emotive and funny about a woman who is trying to be juggle life. You can read my review by clicking here.

Pax and the Missing Head by David Barker -  A dystopian story for middle grade children and an excellent read. You can find my review by clicking here.

Blood Libel - by Michael Lynes - A book set in Spain at the time of the inquisition. The first in the Isaac Alvarez. I really enjoyed this and I will be reviewing the second book in the series soon. You can find my review of Blood Libel by clicking here.

Charlotte's Snowman by Lainey Dee - A nice picture book for children about a child who develops a friendship with a snowman. You can read my review by clicking here.

Books I am Partway Through

Ghosted by Rosie Mullender

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan

New York Miracle by Margo Laurie

This month was my ten year blog anniversary which I celebrated by posting my favourite book from each decade and you can read the post by clicking on the book title. As promised here they are, just in case you missed them.

My celebratory post can be found here.

2013 - My Dear I Wanted to Tell You by Louisa Young

2014 - Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement

2015 - The Pearl That Broke It's Shell by Nadia Hasimi

2016 - The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer

2017 - The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff

2018 - White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht

2019 - A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

2020 - The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

2021 - The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

2022 - House Boy by Lorenzo DeStefano

Happy Halloween Everyone!

(header photo courtesy of Samuel Chorlton)

Sisterhood by V. B. Grey - #BookReview #SocialBlast

 

My mother is not an easy patient. To her, patients are submissive, impotent creatures, and she - Dr Freya Grant - has no intention of becoming one. Not that she's in denial about her condition. She knows she's dying from an inoperable brain tumour and, if she could speak, would explain it better than I can. Her doctors say that, while her mind is as sharp as ever, a rapidly spreading glioma in the left frontal lobe has left her with expressive aphasia - the inability to speak, read or write. She can still understand language and can occasionally form sounds, but they are often meaningless, which annoys her so much she'd rather remain silent.

It is 1944 in war-ravaged London. Freya and Shona are identical twins, very close despite their different characters. Freya is a newly qualified doctor tending to the injured in a London hospital, while Shona has been recruited by the SOE. The sisters are so physically alike that they can fool people into thinking that one is the other. It's a game they've played since childhood. But when Shona persuades her twin to swap roles to meet her Polish lover, he is angered at being tricked.

Then Shona proposes a far more dangerous swapping of roles. At first Freya refuses but finally she agrees, with consequences so dangerous that they threaten not only the happiness but the lives of both sisters.

Forty-five years later in November 1989 Freya, now aged 69, is watching television with her daughter Kirsty. Freya is gripped as she witnesses crowds of Berliners attempting to knock down their hated Wall. This sight stirs long buried memories of her own war and her sister's, and of events in wartime Poland - memories that she has never shared with anyone. Even if she wanted to reveal them now, she couldn't. She's suffering from a brain tumour and is unable to speak although her reason is unimpaired. And this is what she's thinking: if they succeed in knocking down the Wall, what secrets will come tumbling through? If her own were revealed, it would be devastating for all those close to her, especially her daughter.

***

I initially came across this author when I was invited to take part in the social blast for her previous book, Tell Me How it Ends, last year. You can read my review by clicking here. I was further delighted when I was again approached by the publisher to take part in the social blast for her new book and I enjoyed every page of her latest work.

Without doubt, Ms. Grey is an accomplished storyteller and this book very much showcases that talent. Interestingly, her own family history was the springboard for this novel although it is an entirely fictionalised account of the lives of her mother and her non-identical twin during World War II.

With a dual timeline the narrative alternates between the 1940s and the 1980s, telling the story of Freya and her daughter, Kirsty.

The book takes as it's main themes both the bonds that exist between mother and daughter and also between that of identical twins. Also, it considers the impact that secrecy can have upon these relationships.

Parts of the plot are set in wartime Poland, and the reader is given insight into the role played by the Polish resistance. It made for fascinating reading and I was all the more gripped as the story unravelled and the courage of those involved played out on the page.

The characters are all well portrayed and easy to engage with. The relationship between twins, Freya and Shona, was compelling. The strength of their bond coupled with the sometimes changing roles of their individual weaknesses and strengths made for an immersive reading experience.

Furthermore, there is a thread of mystery and intrigue running throughout this novel and, it is this which  elevated this book and made it into a page turner. I found this book to be an engrossing read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys books about strong female characters.

ISBN: 978 1529405750

Publisher: Quercus

Format: Hardback, audio and e-book

Pages: 368 in hardcover

About the Author: 

V. B. Grey is the pseudonym of the acclaimed television screenwriter and crime novelist Isabelle Grey. A former arts journalist and feature writer, she has written for film, radio and television, contributing episodes to Jimmy McGovern's award winning BBC series, Accused. 

She is the author of two novels of psychological suspense and four books in a contemporary crime series under he own name. She grew up in Manchester and now lives in north London.