Showing posts with label classics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classics. Show all posts

Thursday, 2 April 2026

10 Ten Books I Want to Read in April 2026



Hello April. It's lovely to welcome you again with your promise of tulips and sunshine.

What are your reading plans for this month? Here are ten books that I would like to read this month.


 Six Mile Store by A.M. Belsey


SOMETHING UGLY’S WAITIN’ FOR YOU

Honey’s working weekends down at the Six Mile, trying to figure her life out. Her boyfriend’s about to leave the country, her college advisor hates her guts, her momma ain’t listening, and she’s got this cop breathing down her neck just about all the time.

She finds a friend in her new colleague Lisa, but when one of their regular customers turns up dead, everything goes sideways faster than a greased hog at the county fair…

Purchase Link - Amazon


Fruit Fly by Josh Silver

Anyone can write a bestseller. Here’s how.

GO GAY

It’s been seven years since Mallory shot to fame as a literary sensation. But after years of struggling with writer’s block, she’s desperate to resurrect her career before it spirals into obscurity. She needs inspiration to strike – and fast.

GO SAD

Enter Leo – a young struggling addict sleeping under bridges and trading sex for survival. He’s vulnerable. He’s enigmatic. He’s exactly what Mallory has been looking for.

GO DARK

Mallory needs Leo if she wants another bestseller. Authenticity sells, and there’s nothing more authentic than real life. She’s the perfect person to tell Leo’s story. Gay, sad, dark – just what the world needs right now. But as secrets threaten to unravel more than just her career, Mallory must decide: just how far will she go to pen the perfect story?

Preorder Link - Bookshop.org


Story of a Murder : The Wives, the Mistress and Doctor Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold


No murderer should ever be the keeper of their victim's story …

On 1 February, 1910, vivacious music-hall performer, Belle Elmore, suddenly vanished from her north London home, causing alarm among her circle of female friends, the entertainers of the Music Hall Ladies’ Guild who demanded an immediate investigation.

They could not have known what they would provoke: the unearthing of a gruesome secret, followed by a fevered manhunt for the prime suspect: Belle’s husband, medical fraudster, Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen.

Hiding in the shadows of this evergreen tale is Crippen’s typist and lover, Ethel Le Neve – was she really just ‘an innocent young girl’ in thrall to a powerful older man as so many people have since reported?

In this epic examination of one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century, prizewinning social historian Hallie Rubenhold gives voice to those who have never properly been heard – the women.

Featuring a carnival cast of eccentric entertainers, glamorous lawyers, zealous detectives, medics and liars, STORY OF A MURDER is meticulously researched and multi-layered, offering the reader an electrifying snapshot of Britain and America at the dawn of the modern era.

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org


 The Other Killer by Heidi Field

You can change your name. Change your life. But someone knows exactly who you are.

Twenty years ago, Mason Tucker was tried and convicted as the teenager who helped lure young boys to the serial killer known as the Pied Piper of Peasedale. After serving his twenty-year sentence, Mason is freed and hopes to remain invisible while he rebuilds his life as an adult, hoping to become a man he can be proud of. A new town, a new flat, a new job and a new purpose.

But living with secrets is challenging, and protecting his anonymity, the woman who stood beside him, and her child becomes impossible when the past pushes back. Hard. Within days of his release, Mason suspects he’s being stalked. He’s threatened and twice attacked. He never imagined being outside would be more dangerous than being in prison. The police aren’t an option. One headline will destroy him.

Someone wants him punished, not redeemed, and as danger closes in, you will never suspect where the next threat comes from.

Purchase Link - Amazon


 1984 by George Orwell


A dystopian masterpiece - the powerful and prophetic novel that defined the twentieth century.

The year is 1984. War and revolution have created an unrecognisable world. Great Britain, now known as Airstrip One, is ruled by the Party, led by Big Brother. Mass surveillance is total and The Thought Police ensure no individual thinking is allowed.

Winston Smith works at The Ministry of Truth, carefully rewriting history. But Winston dreams of freedom, and of rebellion. It is here that he falls in love with Julia, and starts a secret, forbidden affair with her - but in this world nothing can be kept secret, and they are forced to face consequences more terrifying than either of them could have ever imagined.

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org


 Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben

The present day is hard enough for former Detective Sami Kierce, but his past isn’t through with him yet…

Sami Kierce, a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, wakes up one morning, covered in blood. There’s a knife in his hand. Beside him, the body of his girlfriend. Anna. Dead. He begins to scream - and then he runs.

Twenty two years later, Kierce, now a private investigator, is a new father who’s working off his debts by teaching wannabe sleuths at a night school in New York City. One evening, he recognizes a familiar face at the back of the classroom. Anna. It’s unmistakably her. But as soon as he makes eye contact with her, she bolts.

For Kierce there is no choice. He knows he must find this woman and solve the impossible mystery that has haunted his every waking moment since that terrible day.

His investigation will bring him face-to-face with his past. Soon he discovers that some secrets should stay buried...

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org


 The Body That Floats by Jayne Chard

TWO RETIRED SISTERS

ONE DEAD BODY

Julia, a retired head teacher with a fondness for order, and her half-sister Frankie, who believes that rules are more like vague suggestions, are back—this time in the picturesque Cornish village of Portscatho.

Their morning swim off Tatum’s beach is rudely interrupted by a floating corpse. The police declare the death accidental, but the sisters have other ideas.

Soon, they’re knee-deep in smugglers’ tunnels, taking a bumpy ride in the back of a builder’s van, and facing down a gun-toting local with questionable fashion choices.

Can the sisters keep their heads above water long enough to uncover the truth or will the killer make sure they sink without a trace?

The Body That Floats – the mystery’s deep, the water’s cold, and the locals are packing more than just fishing gear. The second charming and witty adventure in the Julia and Frankie mysteries.

Preorder Link - Bookshop.org


 The Spirit Guide by Bridget Walsh

Tragedy strikes Minnie Ward's beloved Variety Palace Theatre when a man is found dead in suspicious circumstances. Along with private detective Albert Easterbrook, she investigates. The trail leads them from the streets of London to a grand country house in the Suffolk countryside, home of the shadowy Spirit Sisterhood, who promise their clients an audience with the deceased.

Minnie isn't buying it. She goes undercover within the Sisterhood and enters an eerie world of seances and mediums. But unravelling their secrets will bring Minnie face-to-face with ghosts from her own past. Can she get to the truth before the murderer kills again?

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org


 The Witch by Marie NDiaye

In a small, sleepy town, a mediocre witch, in a mediocre marriage, tries to pass on her gifts to her twin daughters, who, it becomes immediately apparent, have skills far beyond her own.

Lucie comes from a long line of witches, powers passed down from mother to daughter. Her own mum was formidable in her powers, but ashamed of her magic. Perhaps as a result, Lucie's own gift is weak: she can see into the future, sometimes - but more often, she can only see the present of some other location. Not very useful. And the worst part? All she can ever see are insignificant details - a scrap of outfit, the colour of the sky.

Lucie's own children are initiated into their family's peculiar womanhood when they reach twelve years of age, and in a few short months, Maud and Lise are crying the curious tears of blood that denote their magical powers. Having learned, they take off quickly and fly the nest. Literally.

Witty, dreamlike, vaguely unsettling, and utterly enchanting (pun intended), The Witch brings the mysteries of womanhood and motherhood into sharp relief and leaves us teetering on the edge, unbalanced by questions as seemingly unbreakable relationships break down left and right.

Who is to blame for family failures? And how can you - can you? - build a nest that no one wants to fly?


More Than Just a Dog : Understanding, Loving and Living with Dogs : An Essential Guide for Humans by Simon Wooler

This book explores what every dog owner knows – that a dog is never just a dog.

They are our companions, best friends, members of the family and for some the most important part of our lives.

Our ability to make meaningful connections with other animal species and their ability to return the favour is, perhaps, never more beautiful than the bond we have with dogs.

Simon Wooler, trainer to Sophie from Romania, social media’s most famous fearful canine, unlocks the heart of the special relationship we have with dogs.

He explores how, over millennia, they have inveigled their way into our homes and hearts and evolved to live alongside us. Demystifying the science behind dog behaviour, he explains how they learn (and why they sometimes seem immune to our efforts to train them), how they communicate and what influences the powerful bond they form with their people.




(header photo courtesy of Elin Melas at Unsplashed)

Monday, 1 July 2024

Reading Roundup for June 2024 - #bookreviews #guestposts #spotlights #blogtours

 


Here we are at the end of June and I could not resist sharing this photo of my lovely Roxie with you. If a dog was to have a bad hair day this would be it! I can hardly believe that she is almost seven months old already. It seems no time at all since we brought her home. I adore this puppy and cannot imagine life without her now. 

The weather has been nice enough that Roxie and I have been able to sit in the garden with a book and a bone respectively. I have read some really good books this month. What have you been reading?


Books I Have Read

Leeza McAuliffe Has Loads More to Say by Nicky Bond - This was a great read which is aimed at a young adult audience. I enjoyed it very much. You can read my review by clicking here.

Bring Me Sunshine by Alex Brown - This is a wonderfully uplifting read which is perfect for summer. If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

The Warrior's Forbidden Maiden by Lissa Morgan - This book made for a fabulous few hours of historical escapism.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Monti and Leo: A Newcomer in Pocketville by Sylvie Kantorovitz - A charming graphic novel for early readers.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

The Last Line by Stephen Ronson - This was chosen by my Book Group this month. Enjoyable as it was set in my hometown during WWII.

Northern Boy by Iqbal Hussain - This made for a fabulous read and was easily my favourite book this month.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Serendipity by Maria de Fatima Santos - This is based around the Traveller community in Scotland and is a fantasy story aimed at middle grade readers.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

The Mother by Valerie Keogh - Another excellent book from the pen of Valerie Keogh.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

The Butterfly Garden by Rachel Burton - Lovely dual timeline book set in 1963 and 2018. If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Belly Woman by Benjamin Black - This is the memoirs of Dr. Benjamin Black, an obstetrician who travelled to Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak in 2014. If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison - This was worth every moment spent reading it. If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

The Clarks Factory Girls at War by May Ellis - This book is set in Somerset during World War One, and features the lives of three seventeen year old young women. If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Upstairs at the Beresford by Will Carver - This was not my usual reading fare. It was an interesting read but quite dark at times.


Books I am Partway Through


The Warden by Anthony Trollope

The Attraction of Cuba by Chris Hilton

Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen

Maya Angelou: The Complete Poetry by Maya Angelou


Wednesday, 1 May 2024

10 Ten Books I Want to Read in May 2024

 


The merry month of May is upon us. I haven't seen any cherry blossom yet but I'm hoping to.

Here are just ten books, selected from so many, that I hope to read this month.


London's Number One Dog-Walking Agency by Kate MacDougall

Under a Summer Skye by Sue Moorcroft

Identity by Nora Roberts

Golden Poppies by Laila Ibrahim

In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear

Mary I: Queen of Sorrows by Alison Weir

The Magic Callaloo by Trish Cooke and Sophie Bass

Earnest Sandpiper's Great Ascent by Timothy Basil Ering

When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

The Warden by Anthony Trollope


Happy Reading!

Wednesday, 1 November 2023

Books I Want to Read in November 2023


Wow, November already! Have you started shopping for the festivities next month? November has certainly come around very quickly.

This is the first year that I do not have to stay in on Guy Fawkes Night. I usually stay home with my dog as he was not keen on all the noise. However, having lost him last month I can go out and enjoy the fireworks. Maybe I will.

What I am looking forward to is snuggling up with a good book. Will you join me?

Here are twelve books which I am excited about reading this month.


Walden of Bermondsey by Peter Murphy

The Heretic's Daughter by Michael Lynes

A Mother's Courage by Malka Levine

The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield

Writing Home by Alan Bennett

Murder Before Evensong by Richard Coles

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

All the Parts of the Soul by Catherine Fearns

The Little Flower Shop by the Sea by Ali McNamara

If I Should Die by Anna Smith

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

The Woman in My Home by Diana Wilkinson

 

Wednesday, 4 October 2023

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

I suppose if this were a proper book I'd begin it something like, "Miss Lydia Bennet, youngest of five daughters to a father hopelessly entailed, had few advantages in life, but not too few to squander." That sounds fine, and important, and promises that no matter how exciting the story may become it will all resolve with a tidy boring moral at the end. That is why Kitty and I prefer to skip the last chapter of novels.

However, that bit about squandering isn't true. Oh, I daresay many in Meryton would whisper that I had indeed squandered all my advantages of birth and position; and Lord knows I have shed many a tear over it...

***

Miss Lydia Bennet may be the youngest, but what she lacks in maturity and responsibility, she more than makes up for in energy, fun - and magic.

In this exuberant reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story from her own perspective. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves; Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you're a witch, promises have power . . 

Full of enchantment, intrigue, danger, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Miss Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice - while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.

***

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is one of my favourite books. I am always a little hesitant to read books which move the story on in one way or another, although I have read some that make an excellent job of it, The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow springs to mind of an excellent example of this. Sadly this is not always the case.

However, Melinda Taub delivers a book based on the youngest Bennet sister, Lydia, and takes the story off in a direction that is both fun and amusing. This is an entertaining romp of a story centred around witchcraft in Recency England. 

It is very much a book that does not take itself too seriously. Austen purists may not care for the liberties taken with the characters. However, read as a book that is intended to be read as a lively, witty and enjoyable retelling of a familiar story, it cannot fail to please.

The author has taken a familiar tale and spun a whole new perspective of the story from it. The characters are all recognizable from the original story, but seen through Lydia's eyes we observe a very different perspective. 

Pride and Prejudice is a book I re-read often. However, I will never be able to look at Kitty Bennet in quite the same way again. I shall say no more as I would hate to spoil your own discovery and enjoyment of Kitty's place within the family.

Happy reading!


ISBN: 978 1529426243

Publisher:  Jo Fletcher Books

Formats:  e-book, audio and hardback

No. of Pages: 400 (hardback)


About the Author:

Melinda is the former head writer and executive producer of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and was the co-producer of the 2020 Daily Show special on the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The idea for Lydia Bennet came to her when she was Sam Bee's head writer during the Trump years and, often stressed and sad, all she could read were her best-loved books - Pride & Prejudice being high on the list.



(book courtesy of the publicist)

(all opinions are my own)

Monday, 3 April 2023

Books I Want to Read in April 2023

 


Here we are in April and I am planning which books to read. Every month my TBR pile gets longer and it gets harder to choose the ten which I want to read most. 

Here are the ten books which I hope to get read this month.



The Viscount's Daring Miss by Lotte R. James 

Nightshade by E.S Thomson

Dombey and Sons by Charles Dickens

Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton

Death Under a Little Sky by Stig Abell

The Diary of a Provincial Lady E.M. Delafield

Foxash by Kate Worsley

The Edinburgh Seven by Janey Jones

The Island of Longing by Anne Griffin

In a Thousand Different Ways by Cecilia Ahern



(Header photo courtesy of Unsplash)