Reading Roundup for March 2025

 

It has been so lovely to see the sun shine for the last few days. It seems to make people so much happier and more cheerful. Also, the clocks went forward over the weekend and I am looking forward to the lighter evenings. It's so good to feel that winter is behind us now.

Here is the list of books which I have read. What have you all been reading this month?

Death of a Dancing Queen by Kimberly G. Giarratano

I loved the main character in this book. She is private investigator, Billie Levine who is struggling with her work whilst caring for her mother. You can find my review by clicking here.

The Bookseller by Valerie Keogh

I am always excited when a new novel by Valerie Keogh comes along. I have read several and they never disappoint.  You can find my review by clicking here.

The Undesirables: The Law That Locked Away a Generation by Sarah Wise

Through the early twentieth century, the British Government locked away over 50,000 innocent people. Their ‘crimes’? Being poor and unyielding. This is their story. This was excellent and well worth reading. I was unable to write a review for this one but you can find more about this book here.

Mother Howl by Craig Clevenger

It took me a little while to warm to this book, but it was well worth hanging in there.  You can find my review by clicking here.

Broken Water by Nick Perry

This was such an interesting literary book to read. You can find my review by clicking here.

Cat and Dumpling: Home Sweet Home by Nicola Kent

This is a charming book that will appeal to early readers. You can find my review by clicking here.

Reunion by Fred Ulman

Although I haven't written a review of this one it was my favourite book of the month. A powerful novella about two German boys growing up in 1933; one from German Aristocracy, the other a Jew. Outstanding. You can find out more about the book here.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I thought this was a fabulous book. It was steeped in glamour and made for a luscious read.  You can find my review by clicking here.

Murder on the Oxford Canal by Faith Martin

An enjoyable first book in the DI Hillary Green series.  You can find more about the book by clicking here.

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

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.

The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams by Victoria Williamson & Illustrated by James Brown - #BookReview #blogtour

 

Deep in Witchetty Hollow, the fireflies were flickering in the twilight. The silence of the wood was broken only by the footsteps of a small girl who hurried home along the lonely path through the trees. Clutching her basket of freshly picked mushrooms, she broke into a run. As the last flames of sunset faded from the sky, the will-o-the-wisp came dancing across the moorland. Fog rolled in close behind, long fingers of mist clutching at the ghostly lights.

A sudden shriek shook the air. A black shape burst from the hole in a dead tree trunk and shot towards the rising moon...

***

In a strange little village called Witchetty Hollow, eleven-year-old Florizel is the first to run into the curious visitors who've come to open a brand new Daydream Delicatessen and sack-baby factory.

At first, it seems the daydream confection and cheap sack children are the best things that could have happened to the poor folk of the Hollow - after all, who has the money to rent their child from Storkhouse Services these days? But after a few weeks, Florizel starts to notice something odd happening to the adults of the town. First, they seem dreamy, then they lose all interest in their jobs and families. Soon they're trading all their worldly goods in the newly-opened Pawnshop for money to buy daydreams. With no money for rent payments, the children of Witchetty Hollow are being reclaimed by Storkhouse Services at an alarming rate. Florizel needs to act.

A magical tale of intrigue and adventure from award-winning children's author Victoria Williamson.

***

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of the fantasy genre. However, this book for children has encouraged me to explore the genre more widely as I really enjoyed it.

In fact, I would challenge anyone, child and adult alike, not to be rooting for the main character, Florizel and her adorable and funny little friend, Burble. Their characters were well portrayed and highly likeable, and contrasted well with the more sinister elements of the story. However, it was not in any way dark and I doubt there would be anything to give children who are reading this novel more than a healthy scare, which in my experience, children like in their literature.

What I loved most about it was its fairy tale quality, and like all good fairy tales it contained a sense of caution. However, it also made me smile, and it made me laugh, as there were elements of fun and humour within it's pages. I also enjoyed the way the author played around with language, making words just sufficiently different to standard recognized words, but unlike enough to create some wonderful new vocabulary in Florizel's world.

Also expected in a novel aimed at middle grade children, it's pace was rapid and it packed a lot into it's pages. I highly recommend this excellent novel for children.

Are there other novels along these lines out there? I am very keen to explore this genre further so please do send me your suggestions.

ISBN:  978 1913230500

Publisher:  Tiny Tree

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  214 (paperback)

Purchase Link *

About the Author:

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: Strangely Magical

Purchase Link *

(ARC, photos and author bio info. courtesy of The Write Reads)

*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.

Tails of Two Spaniels by Heather Peck - Illustrated by Helen Morrish - #BookReview #blogtour

 

Farmer Fred had lost his dog. Scratchy Patch had one white patch over one eye and one brown patch over the other eye. She also had long soft ears and the waggiest tail you ever saw. If you talked to her, she wagged her tails a lot. But if she didn't understand what you said, she sat down and scratched while she thought very hard. Patch normally spend most of her time with Fred, checking round the hens, being polite to the geese, and chasing the rats. But today she had gone missing...

***

Springer Spaniel Patch has four puppies on the farm where she lives with Marigold the House Cow, Gertie Goose, Sally-for-short the Sow, and lots of worried woollies. But the puppies can't stay forever and they have a lot to learn.

A story of the antics of puppies, told from the puppies' perspective and brought to life by charming illustrations.

***

This utterly charming book was a delight to read. It has been nicely illustrated by Helen Morrish and will appeal to any reader who likes stories about animals.

There is some useful information contained within the story about how to care for a pet dog and the committment it needs. I loved the way the majority of the book was told from the perspective of the two puppies, Bramble and Bracken, who leave the farm to go to their 'forever home', and it was interesting to envisage the world through their eyes.

This book has been categorised as being suitable for nine to eleven year olds. However, I think more able readers would equally enjoy this too. It is also ideal for sharing with younger children. Indeed, my childhood is a long time behind me but I very much enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading it to the younger members of my family. 

ISBN: 978 1915769091

Publisher: Ormesby Publishing

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  68 (paperback)

About the Author:

Heather's love of animals set her to achieve a degree in Zoology and Comparative Physiology and later a wide ranging career in the Ministry of Agriculture and Defra. She has been both a farmer and agricultural policy adviser. She bred sheep and alpacas, reared calves, broke ploughs, represented the UK in international negotiations, specialised in emergency response from Chernobyl to bird flu, managed controls over pesticides and GM crops, saw legislation through Parliament and got paid to eat Kit Kats while on secondment to Rowntree.

 She also chaired an NHS Trust, worked on animal welfare, sailed a boat on the Broads, volunteered in Citizens Advice and the Witness Service and vaccinated humans against Covid. But she never lost the love of books and writing, and in the end with her Gran’s wise advice “You can do anything if you try hard enough” ringing in her head, she took a course at the UEA/National Centre for Writing and wrote her first book.

Now, there are 4 books and a novella in the Greg Geldard Norfolk Mystery series and book 5 Dig Two Graves will be published in July 2023. A second novella, Death on the Norwich Express, is currently being serialised in her free Newsletter. 

​In May 2023 she also published her first children's book, Tails of Two Spaniels illustrated by the talented Helen Morrish.

About the Illustrator:

After the sudden death of her husband at 46, and realising with a jolt that life really was too short, Helen left her job as an art director to pursue a long-held dream of becoming an artist. To help her through her grief, she spent five minutes every day drawing their beloved dog, Rupert, and these are the illustrations that have evolved into her debut book.

In the late 1980s Helen moved to London from Hampshire to go to Art College, eventually settling in South London. 

She’s an active member of her community, and helped bring an Everyman Cinema to the area, well in fact to the back of her garden! 

She spends a lot of time in there.

In 2020 during the pandemic, Helen was asked to present her local Art and Music Festival, interviewing authors, artists and performers on it’s very own YouTube channel. Her favourite guests were comedian Marcus Brigstocke and musician Jim Bob from the band Carter USM. 

She used to dance to them at the indie disco many years ago!

Helen also takes part in a monthly open mike comedy show. She and her fellow comics write material about the week’s news in the afternoon, and perform it to an audience in the evening. 

When she’s not working on her next book or writing comedy, Helen runs her creative company Lady Crimplene, illustrating everything from local maps to designing a TV pitch for Netflix. She also sells her retro clothes and collectibles from her shop, well her front bedroom, and in the Summer, turns her garden into a department store! 

(book provided courtesy of Random Things Tours)

(author photo and bio. courtesy of the authors website heatherpeckauthor.com)

(illustrator photo and bio. courtesy of her website https://www.helenmorrish.co.uk)