Tiger's Last Roar by Harriet Howe and Katie Cottle - #bookreview

Tiger and Mae

Queens of the Jungle

The greatest explorers...

The Blurb

After a whole day of exploring with Tiger, Mae loved drawing with Tiger and telling stories with Tiger.

Always with Tiger. Tiger and Mae. Queens of the Jungle.

Tiger and Mae do everything together, the very best of friends. But there is nothing they love more than exploring, racing and chasing across their jungle. That is, until the call comes for "TEATIME!" and they race back to the house. As time moves on, Mae realises that Tiger is getting old and tired. And when Tiger then dies, Mae feels lost in a whirlwind of anger, fear and sadness. Even the safety of their jungle is stripped away. Only through time and healing does Mae learn that Tiger lives on - through her memories, pictures and their jungle itself.

This book is a profoundly moving, hopeful and reassuring story that celebrates the strength that comes from love and supports a child (and adults too) through navigating the loss of a beloved pet. A necessary and important book for your bookshelf.

My Review

This is a moving story about losing a pet. The death of a pet is a difficult enough experience when you are an adult, but for children, it can be a sad and confusing time. This book is a reassuring story about Mae and her pet cat, Tiger. They do everything together, and across a few short pages, we observe Tiger ageing. As he grows older, he slows down and sleeps more, but is always there for Mae, until one day when he doesn't come home. Mae has to deal with the myriad of emotions of his loss. Sometimes she is quiet, other times she is angry, until the time comes when she shuts herself away completely. However, the book culminates in hope when she realises that although Tiger has gone, he will always be with her and around her. This book has been beautifully illustrated by Katie Cottle, and I love the way the colour palette changes based on Mae's emotions. They combine perfectly with the excellent text to produce a book that is just perfect to help both children and their adults to deal with such a difficult time. In fact, there is a section at the back of the book which is dedicated to adults in supporting their child cope with the loss of a pet. Publishing on the 11th September, this debut book is a perfect one to have on the shelf at home or in the classroom for when a child has to face the devastating loss of a pet. I highly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1800789302

Publisher: Templar Books

Formats: paperback

No. of Pages: 40

Preorder Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Blackwell's

Waterstones

About the Author

Harriet's first word was "book", she's loved stories ever since, so it's a dream come true to end up writing her own. Originally from London, she now lives in Suffolk with her family. When not writing, Harriet works in television; she's filmed talking horses, chefs in jets and pop princesses in fabulous dresses. But she's happiest with a pencil in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, brewing up her next story.

You can also find Harriet at:

Instagram

X

Bluesky

About the Illustrator

Katie Cottle is a freelance illustrator and picture-bookmaker based in Bristol. Originally from Swansea, Katie graduated from the Illustration course at the University of the West of England in 2017. She enjoys telling stories through drawing, and uses a variety of media, including a mix of traditional and digital techniques. She was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for The Blue Giant. She particularly enjoys using bright colours and drawing grumpy faces. 

You can also find Katie at:

Website

Instagram

(ARC and media courtesy of Bonnier Books)

(Illustrator photo courtesy of katiecottle.com/)

(all opinions are my own)(Bookshop.org affiliated)

The Secret Collector by Abigail Johnson - #blogtour #bookreview

 

Alfred had not let anyone inside his house for almost three years. Not that anyone cared. The overgrown weeds and bushes that swamped the small front garden were usually enough of a deterrent to any potential callers...

***

The Blurb

When an elderly eccentric collector and a troubled teen become each other's only hope of getting their  lives back on track, what can possibly go wrong? 

Alfred is an elderly widower who uses antiques and collectibles to fill the hole in his heart left by his late  wife. Kian is a lost teen who has been let down by the care system and finds it difficult staying on the  straight and narrow. 

After Kian throws a brick through Alfred's window, the shock sends Alfred to hospital and a social worker to his home, where his hoarding becomes impossible to ignore. 

Begrudgingly, and at the request of the authorities, they both agree to enrol Kian on a restorative justice  programme, helping to make Alfred’s home liveable again. The only problem: Alfred doesn't want to throw  any of his treasures away, and he certainly doesn’t want Kian for company. 

What unfolds is a surprising and delightful journey of two characters who help each other more than they  ever could have anticipated and, along the way, form the unlikeliest of friendships. 

My Review

This was a delightful read, and I loved everything about it.

The main characters, Alfred and Kian are brought together as part of the restorative justice programme after Kian throws a brick through Alfred's window. What follows is one of the most delightful of friendships that I have discovered within the pages of a book.

However, this friendship took time to form. Initially, they are resentful of each other. Both characters are flawed; both trying to appease the authorities that have entered their lives following the incident caused by Kian. If the restorative justice fails then teenager Kian fears he will be sent to prison and elderly Alfred is concerned he will be placed into a care home.

There are some difficult themes addressed in the book; growing up in care, grief and abandonment to name the main ones. However, Ms. Johnson dealt with this with compassion and sensitivity. At no point does the book ever become overly dramatic.

I was actually rather sorry when the book ended as it was delightful to be immersed in this story. Had time permitted I would have gobbled this up in one sitting. It was a quick and easy read with charming characters and a delightful plot line.

It is a well written, heartfelt and joyous book which was a delight to read. This is a debut novel from the author, Abigail Johnson. I thought it was fabulous and highly accomplished. If her future writing is as fabulous as this is then she is definitely one to watch. 

It is a heartfelt novel which is full of hope and optimism. I highly recommend this book.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1035057757

Publisher:  Pan

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  304 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Waterstones

Blackwell's

About the Author

Abigail Johnson wrote this novel while completing the Curtis Brown Creative three-month novel  writing course, where she was tutored by author Laura Barnett.  

It was longlisted for the 2021 and 2022 Bath Novel Award. Her writing has also been longlisted for  the Exeter Novel Award, shortlisted for the 2021 Edinburgh Flash Fiction Award and she was a  Friday Night Live finalist at the Festival of Writing in 2017. She lives in Birmingham.  

You can also find Abigail at:

Author Website

Instagram

Twitter / X

BlueSky

(book and media courtesy of the publisher/author)

(all opinions are my own)

(bookshop.org affiliated)

Northern Boy by Iqbal Hussain - #bookreview #blogtour

 

Despite the years, her handwriting remains unchanged: big loops, rounded forms and circles for dots. I smile, then tut. She's put Sydney on the envelope rather than Melbourne. Judging by the date on the postmark, it's been round the whole of Australia to get here.

***

It's 1981 in the suburbs of Blackburn and, as Rafi’s mother reminds him daily, the family moved here from Pakistan to give him the best opportunities. But Rafi longs to follow his own path. Flamboyant,

dramatic and musically gifted, he wants to be a Bollywood star.

Twenty years later, Rafi is flying home from Australia for his best friend’s wedding. He has everything he ever wanted: starring roles in musical theatre, the perfect boyfriend and freedom from expectation. But returning to Blackburn is the ultimate test: can he show his true self to his community?

Navigating family and identity from boyhood to adulthood, as well as the changing eras of ABBA, skinheads and urbanisation, Rafi must follow his heart to achieve his dreams.

***

This was a wonderful book to read. Anyone who has grown up feeling that they were different will love this book. Even if that was not you, this is a great book to read. It is a heart rending story, filled with love and humour.

We follow the main character, Rafi, from his childhhood in the north of England, through to adulthood in Australia. Rafi is a fully realised character and I thorougly enjoyed getting to know him in this book. As a child he is theatrical and flamboyant. He is bullied at school and by his older brother at home, but when he is with his best friend Shazia, he is a child able to dazzle.

Rafi's mum, has a huge role in the book too. She is a colourful character, who wears flowers in her hair, sings, dances and cossetts Rafi. Whilst Rafi has his heart set on Bollywood, she wants him to have a respectable career as doctor, lawyer or account; the standard aspirations for sons in her Pakistani Muslim community. Her concerns with how others will perceive Rafi is to the forefront of her mind.

To the reader, it is abuldantly clear from the outset that Rafi is homosexual. How he will handle this within a community that is unaccepting is the main theme running through the book. The author accomplishes this superbly. His writing is full of compassion but imbued with humour. There were several occasions on which I would have liked to reach into the book and give Rafi a hug.  I was fully invested in his story and I do not think I will forget him in a hurry. 

This is an outstandingly compelling book which is well deserving of a five star rating. Reading it made for an immersive and gripping experience. This is Mr. Hussain's debut book and I think he is one to watch. I would defintely want to read another novel by this author if he were to write one. It is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.

ISBN: 978 1800183148

Publisher:  Unbound

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  359 (paperback)

About the Author:

Iqbal Hussain is a writer from Blackburn, Lancashire and he lives in London. His work appears in various anthologies and on websites including The Willowherb Review, The Hopper and caughtbytheriver.

He is a recipient of the inaugural London Writers’ Awards 2018 and he won Gold in the Creative Future Writers’ Awards 2019. In 2022, he won first prize in Writing Magazine’s Grand Flash competition and was joint runner-up in the Evening Standard Short Story Competition. In 2023, his story ‘I’ll Never Be Young Again’ won first prize in the Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature short story competition. He was also Highly Commended in the Emerging Writer Award from The Bridge Award. Northern Boy is his first novel.

(book and media courtesy of Random Things Tours)

(all opinions are my own)

Reading Roundup for July 2023

 

Here we are at the end of another month. It is summertime here in the UK and the weather has not relected the season. We had a few nice days but other than that it has been warm but muggy with lots of showers. Never mind - I have still got plenty of books read but mostly have had to do it indoors.

What have you been reading in July?

Books I Have Read

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt - This is based on the story of Lizzie Borden. I found the book to be rather disappointing.

The Village Vicar by Julie Houston - Another lovely novel from Julie Houston. This is the first in a series and I enjoyed it very much. You can read my review of this book by clicking here.  

Purchase link - Bookshop.org*

Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds - This was my favourite book this month. It made for a fantastic read and I highly recommend it. You can read my review by clicking here.

Purchase link - Bookshop.org*

Lucky Jack by S. Bavey - A lovely biography of Jack Rogers which has been written by his granddaughter. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Golden Bell by Robert L. Stone - This book of scholarly fiction set in the eleventh/twelfth centuries made for an interesting read. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Highlander's Bridal Bid by Nicole Locke - I enjoyed this book published by Mills & Boon. I am really enjoying their books at the moment. If you would like to read my review you can find it here.  

Purchase link - Bookshop.org*

This Child of Mine by Emma-Claire Wilson - A heartfelt and emotional debut book is well worth reading. You can find my review by clicking here. Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

Miracle Number Four by Paul Marriner - This novel gave me a trip down memory lane by being set in 1970's London. I enjoyed it very much. You can find my review by clicking here.

Lessons by Ian McEwan - I am a fan of Ian McEwan but I was very disappointed by this novel.

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves - A fantastic new book series from the author of Shetland and Vera. I'm looking forward to reading more of the series. You can read my review by clicking here.

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

An Invitation to Seashell Bay by Bella Osborne - I really enjoyed this light-hearted rom-com. You can read my review by clicking here.  Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

The Nurse by Valerie Keogh - This was a fast, gripping read that I did not want to put down. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Associate by Victoria Goldman - An excellent second book in the Shanna Regan series. You can read my review by clicking here.

#Living the Dream by Ed. Carrie Frais - A collection of essays and reflections on living as an expat. You can read my review by clicking here.

A Midlife Gamble by Cary Hansson - The last book in the Midlife trilogy. You can read my review by clicking here.

Never Trust  a Gemini by Freya Nicole Wolf - I only finished reading this book in bed last night and I will be posting my review this week.

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

Books I am Partway Through

Don't Look Away by Rachel Abbott

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan

*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.

Reading Roundup for May 2023

 

May began as spring but now feels like early summer. I am thrilled that I have been able to sit outside with a book a few times. There is something about reading outside that I love. Hearing the birds sing, the sunshine on my face and nature all around me.

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that I have joined the affiliate programme with Bookshop.org. I like this website because it means that every sale made via my page means that money goes towards supporting independent booksellers, and I receive a small commission too. If you would like to see my shop front then please click on the link https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/LeftontheShelf. It is still a work in progress, and I am adding new books daily so please do pop over there and take a look from time to time.

It has been a good reading month too. So without further ado, here is my reading roundup for May.

Books I Have Read

The Devil's Glove by Lucretia Grindle - I only finished this last night. My review will be up on Friday as part of the blog tour.

The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop - This book was my favourite this month and you can read my review by clicking here.  You can buy this book from Bookshop.org *

The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them) by Nadine Aisha Jassat - This was a lovely book for middle grade children about a twelve year old girl who helps care for her grandmother who has Altzeimers. You can read my review by clicking here.   You can buy this book from Bookshop.org *

Maybe It's About Time by Neil Boss - This was almost my favourite of the month. Set during the pandemic it tells of the experiences of two very different people. It is well worth reading and you can read my review by clicking here.   You can buy this book from Bookshop.org *

A Mother's War by Helen Parusel - I enjoyed this WWII novel very much. It is set in Norway during the German Occupation. You can find my review of this book by clicking here.

The Foundling by Stacey Halls - I read this as the book of the month with the book group that I lead. I really liked this historical novel and you can find my review by clicking here.   You can buy this book from Bookshop.org *

Lyrics for the Loved Ones by Anne Goodwin - This is a sequel to Matilda Windsor is Coming Home and is excellent. You can read my review by clicking here. 

The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page - This was a delightful read which I highly recommend. You can read my review by clicking here.   You can buy this book from Bookshop.org *

Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown by Alison Weir - I can guarantee that when I pick up a book by this author I am going to love it. This lived up to my expectations in every way. You can find my review by clicking here.   You can buy this book from Bookshop.org *

A Stepney Girl's Secret by Jean Fullerton - I enjoy a good saga set during WWII and this one was very good. You can read my review by clicking here.    You can buy this book from Bookshop.org *

Straight Expectations by Calum McSwiggan - I read this YA title as part of a blog tour and it was an excellent read. You can find my review by clicking here.   You can buy this book from Bookshop.org *

Through Three Rooms by Sven Elvestad - This novella is part of the Asbjorn Krag series and has recently been translated from Norwegian. You can find my review by clicking here.

James I: The King Who United Scotland and England by Keith Coleman - This non-fiction title was informative and interesting and I recommend it. You can read my review by clicking here.  You can buy the book from Bookshop.org *

Books I Did Not Finish

The Shadow in the Glass by J.J.A. Harwood - There was nothing really wrong with this book but it just was not working for me when I had so many other books waiting to be read. Don't let that put you off though as it was not a bad book.  You can buy this book from Bookshop.org *

Hannah Mary Tabbs and the Disembodied Torso by Kali Nicole Gro - The only reason that I did not finish this book is because I had to take it back to the library.   You can buy this book from Bookshop.org *

Books I am Partway Through

Unorthodox Love by Heidi Shertok

Hope is a Woman's Name by Amal Elsana Alh'jooj

*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.

(header photo courtesy of Unsplash)

Ada's Realm by Sharon Dodua Otoo - Translated by Jon Cho-Polizzi - #bookreview #socialblast

 

During the longest night of the year, blood clung to my forehead and my baby died. Finally. He had whimpered in his final moments, and Naa Lamiley had caressed his cheek. How lovely, I had thought, that this would be his final memory. She lay just beside him, the child between us, and her head resting next to mine. Naa Lamiley's eyes shimmered as she assured me it would not be much longer now, "God willling". She whispered because all of our mothers were sleeping on the other side of the room, but Naa Lamiley's voice would have given out at any moment anyway. Together, we had cried and prayed at my baby's side the last three nights. I could barely hear her, and I understood her even less. While she caressed him, she had stared at me, as if surprised by my confusion...

***

WHERE IS ADA?

In a small village in West Africa, in what will one day become Ghana, Ada gives birth again, and again the baby does not live. As she grieves the loss of her child, Portuguese traders become the first white men to arrive in the village, an event that will bear terrible repercussions for Ada and her kin.

WHEN IS ADA?

Centuries later, Ada will become the mathematical genius Ada Lovelace; Ada, a prisoner forced into prostitution in a Nazi concentration camp; and Ada, a young, pregnant Ghanaian woman with a new British passport who arrives in Berlin in 2019 for a fresh start.

WHO IS ADA?

Ada is not one woman, but many, and she is all women - she revolves in orbits, looping from one century and from one place to the next. She experiences the hardship but also the joy of womanhood: she is a victim, she offers resistance, and she fights for her independence.

This long-awaited debut from Sharon Dodua Otoo paints an astonishing picture of femininity, resilience and struggle with deep empathy and humour, with vivid language and infinite imagination.

***

The actor, Paterson Joseph has described this book as "a time-travelling wonder of a read…” and I have to agree. There were many things that I enjoyed about this debut novel from Sharon Dodua Otoo.

The writing is beautiful with a lyricism that is poetic. There were times I stopped and re-read passages simply because they were so perfectly constructed.

It has a unique narration in that much of the story is told from the perspective of a series of inanimate objects, each of which is connected to Ada in different time periods; a broom, a UK passport, a door knocker as well as a series of other things.

Ada is meant to represent all women and the trials and tribulations that we all suffer. She is a reincarnation of herself through the centuries, and are all linked through time by a bracelet which appears in an exhibition during the modern age.

The narrative was not linear and I found this a little confusing at times. The novel is complex in its construction, and although I liked it I was a little perplexed by it at times.

However, as a debut novel I was impressed. It is true I had to work at understanding this book, and I suspect that different readers will take away alternative views of what it was about. I would love for you to read this and let me know your thoughts.

ISBN: 978 1529419016

Publisher: MacLehose Press

Formats:  e-book, audio and hardback

No. of Pages: 320 (hardback)

About the Author:

Born in London in 1972 to Ghanaian parents, SHARON DODUA OTOO is a political activist and novelist living in Berlin. After having published several newspaper articles and two novellas in English, she wrote a short story in German which was later awarded the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize (2016), one of Germany's most renowned literary awards. She is politically active with several civil rights organisations, including the Initiative Black People in Germany (ISD), a Black queer feminist organisation called ADEFRA, and Phoenix. Ada’s Realm is her first novel.

 

About the Translator:

Jon Cho-Polizzi is a freelance literary translator and Assistant Professor of German at the University of Michigan, with Korean and Italian-Jewish roots. He received a PhD in German and Medieval Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was managing editor for the online academic journal TRANSIT. His translations have appeared in the Jewish Museum Berlin, the Maxim Gorki Theater, taz, Jewish Currents, renk Magazin, Versopolis Poetry, and Der Spiegel, as well as in numerous anthologies. He lives and works between Ann Arbor, Northern California, and Berlin.

(ARC, author photo and bio. info. courtesy of the publisher)

Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm by Laura Warrell - #BookReview

 

The girl may have been the end for him. The end's beginning, like the bend of a road too slight to notice where it leads. She could have happened to him a day later or a day before, but she was there on that day, in that moment, just hours after Circus Palmer turned forty, a predictable time for a certain kind of end to come, and just seconds after Maggie slid her hand from his wrist and with her lips parted just enough to slip his finger through if he'd wanted, whispered, "I have something to tell you."

***

Love is messy. Love can make us feel alive. It can also bring us down. Sometimes we look for it in all the wrong places. This is a novel about longing, desire and dreams; about passion and risk and all the places in between.

Maggie is pregnant with Circus Palmer's child. This may be her last chance, but she craves her freedom.

Pia is Circus's ex-wife, still in love with the fantasy of the man who conjured jazz tunes for her into the night, but who left many years before.

Koko, Circus's daughter, is lost in the maelstrom of teenage years, the confusion of awakening desire and yearning for the father she barely knows.

Peach is a barmaid who just wants someone to see the person she is inside.

Odessa is on the run from a mistake that can't be undone.

And then there's Circus, Circus Palmer, a jazz trumpeter whose moment of glory is fading. Selfish, damaged, scared, perhaps the only person Circus is fooling is himself.

Delivered in a lush orchestration of diverse female voices, Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm is a provocative and gripping novel about the desire to be loved, and the need to belong.

***

The writing is this book is beautiful. It is about a jazz musician, and the lyricism of the narrative appropriately echos this.

The book is about Circus Palmer and his relationships with a number of women; an ex-wife, a daughter, a woman carrying his child, and so on. There are plenty of women that move in and out of his life. He seems to have a woman in every town in which he performed his music.

Circus is not a particularly likeable character. He is a user of women, although every now and then we see a flicker of genuine emotion. What makes this book stand out is the narrative feel of the book. The chapters are told not only from Circus's perspective but from the women who orbit his world. Thus, each chapter has a different voice being told from the viewpoint of the various women in his life.

It is a very character driven novel. There is little in the way of plot. However, for me, the book focussed on the loneliness of Circus. Despite being charismatic, with a bevy of women fawning over him, he was unable to make any emotional connection. 

This book is an interesting study of character written in a beautiful style. For a debut novel it is impressive, and I think Ms. Warrell is one to watch. If this book is any indication, then I think we can expect great things from her in the future.

ISBN:  9780857529442

Publisher: Doubleday

Formats: e-book, audio and hardback

No. of Pages:  368 (hardback)

About the Author:

Laura Warrell is the author of Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm, named a ‘best’ or ‘must-read’ book by Vanity Fair, People, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Apple Books, The Root, The Millions, Hollywood Reporter, Bustle, Today, Debutiful, and elsewhere. The novel was chosen as a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, and an Indie Next List Pick.

Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm has been long-listed for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and short-listed for the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize. It is also a finalist for the Golden Poppy Book Award through the California Independent Booksellers Alliance. 

Laura, named a “Writer to Watch” by Publishers Weekly, grew up in Kent and Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from the Creative Writing Program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts and she has attended residencies at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and the Tin House Writer’s Workshop where she will teach in the online Winter Workshop in 2023. She has taught Creative Writing and Literature through the Emerging Voices program at PEN America Los Angeles, at Writing Workshops Los Angeles, and at the Berklee College of Music and other academic institutions in Los Angeles and Boston. 

Laura’s writing has been published in Lit Hub, Los Angeles Review of Books, Huffington Post, The Rumpus, The Writer, and other publications.

Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm is her first novel. 

(ARC courtesy of the publisher)

(author photo and bio courtesy of the authors website)

The Naseby Horses by Dominic Brownlow - #BBNYA #Spotlight #semifinalists

 

This year, the Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 55 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner. 

I have had the honour of being one of the judging panel and I am delighted to be spotlighting some of these books.

Today in the spotlight is The Naseby Horses by Dominic Brownlow.

Seventeen-year-old Simon’s sister Charlotte is missing. The lonely Fenland village the family recently moved to from London is odd, silent, and mysterious. Simon is epileptic and his seizures are increasing in severity, but when he is told of the local curse of the Naseby Horses, he is convinced it has something to do with Charlotte’s disappearance. Despite resistance from the villagers, the police, and his own family, Simon is determined to uncover the truth, and save his sister. 

Under the oppressive Fenland skies and in the heat of a relentless June, Simon’s bond with Charlotte is fierce, all-consuming, and unbreakable; but can he find her? And does she even want to be found?

Drawing on philosophy, science, and the natural world, The Naseby Horses is a moving exploration of the bond between a brother and his sister; of love; and of the meaning of life itself.

Publisher: Louise Walters Book

Length: 304 Pages

Genre: Literary Fiction, Mystery

Age Category: (Upper) Young Adult, Adult

Date Published: 5 December 2019

What Others Have Said About The Naseby Horses

"Stunning and original" The Literary Sofa

"A novel that blends the supernatural with the psychological in a way that is surprising, subtle, and unexpectedly satisfying." Ray Robinson, author of The Mating Habits of Stags

"A tonally assured debut with a powerful understanding of the contradictory emotional forces at play when someone close to you is lost... tense, intriguing, and absorbing" Peter Jinks, author of Hallam Foe.

“A riveting debut” S A Harris, author of Haverscoft.

About the Author:

Dominic Brownlow lives near Peterborough with his two children. He lived in London and worked in the music industry as a manager before setting up his own independent label. He now enjoys life in the Fens. The Naseby Horses is his first novel. It was long listed for the Bath Novel Award 2016.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

The Poet's Wife by Rebecca Stonehill - TuesdayTeaser

Hello and welcome to this week's Tuesday Teaser. The place where we take a sneaky peek at a book that has caught my eye.

This week we are looking at The Poet's Wife by Rebecca Stonehill.

 As a little girl, Rebecca avidly subscribed to the Puffin Club magazine. She once decided to enter a competition in which children were asked to write a story about a zany family. She didn’t have to think too hard about it; she penned a thinly veiled fictional tale about her own family and won. The following year she read Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh and from that moment on, knew she had to be a writer.

 Fast forward twenty years, a skiing accident meant she might never walk again. She poured all her energies into that long-forgotten dream. She started to write The Poet's Wife and found she couldn’t stop. So she didn’t.

Rebecca is out of her wheelchair and has had three novels published as well as many short stories and non-fiction articles. She lives in Norfolk with her husband and three children where she runs creative writing workshops for kids and young people.

The Blurb

An unforgettable journey into the heart of one family torn apart by war. Granada, 1920. Free-spirited Luisa and young poet Eduardo fall in love, cementing a bond that can never be broken. 

Behind the jasmine filled courtyard, perched amongst houses like clouds on a hilltop, stands a beautiful villa; Carmen de las Estrellas. Beneath its walls live Eduardo and Luisa with their thriving family, but war is looming, casting its shadow over the household. 

When Civil War finally breaks out, Luisa and Eduardo must fiercely protect those dear to them. Yet these are turbulent times, and as each of their children begin to make their way in the world, the solace of home cannot shield them from the horrors of war. 

The Poet’s Wife is an extraordinary piece of storytelling spanning over fifty years – a heart- wrenching novel of a family devastated by war but bound together by love, loss and hope, told through the eyes of three remarkable women.

The Beginning

Prologue

He thinks we can't see him, but I know he's watching us, drawing us. We don't mind. We are so used to his silent presence observing from the shadows. Father and I sit on a faded rug, shaded by the leafy, fragrant canopy of my orange tree. In that yellowing, high heat of the day, I feel drowsy and lay back on the rug, my eyelids drooping and my head against the comforting dip of Father's waist. I don't know how long we've been here for, and I don't know how many poems I've been read but Garcia Lorca's words continue to wash over me. 

'In the green morning I wanted to be a heart. A heart. And in the ripe evening I wanted to be a nightingale. A nightingale.'

I hear movement from the corner of the courtyard and slowly lift my head and turn it. Pablo has shifted to find a more comfortable position from which to draw. As I look behind, he catches my eye and a small smile creeps on to his face. I smile back at him slowly, lazily. Then I turn back to rest my head on the rug and stare up at the patterns the leaves make against the sapphire patch of Granada sky.

***

Such an atmospheric beginning. I could almost feel the heat. Could you?

Biographical information is courtesy of the author's website: http://rebeccastonehill.com/

The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson - #BookReview

“The pirates rushed with violent speed across the island, like hunting hounds… Some of my neighbours managed to escape quickly into the caves or down the cliffs, but many were seized or bound… I and my poor wife were amongst the first to be captured.” (Reverend Olafur Egilsson)

In 1627 Barbary pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted at least 400 of its people, including 250 from a tiny island off the mainland. Among the captives sold into slavery in Algiers were the island pastor, his wife and their three children.

Although the raid itself is well documented, little is known about what happened to the women and children afterwards. It was a time when women everywhere were largely silent. In this brilliant reimagining Sally Magnusson gives a voice to Asta, the pastor’s wife. Enslaved in an alien Arab culture, Asta meets the loss of freedom and family with the one thing she has brought from her northern homeland: the sagas and folktales in her head.

The Sealwoman’s Gift is about the eternal power of storytelling to help us survive. Here are Icelandic sagas to fend off a slave-master’s advances, Arabian nights to help an old man die. Here, too, the stories we tell ourselves to protect our minds from what cannot otherwise be borne, the stories we need to make us happy.

The opening sentence in this book is very powerful - 

“There is nothing to be said for giving birth in the bowels of a sailing ship with your stomach heaving and hundreds of people listening.” 

However, whilst this first line was gripping I found this book a little hard to get into. However, I think that may just have been due to the unfamiliarity of the time and culture as it is well worth hanging in there as this is an outstanding novel.

This should not be any surprise coming from the pen of such a well respected journalist. Ms. Magnusson has written an intelligent literary novel based on actual events in a little known period of Icelandic history. I really enjoyed this mix of fiction and fact. As well as this being an enjoyable novel to read, at the back the author distinguishes between the real events and her own imaginings and was fascinating to read.

Asta was a wonderful character to engage with. I loved not only her story but her own art of storytelling which plays a significant part in the book. The author herself clearly has tremendous storytelling skills which bring to life the characters, their environments and their individual stories.

Although a well known writer this is the authors debut novel. I am sincerely hoping that there will be further novels as this one had all the ingredients that a first class historical novel should have. This is a book about love, loss and hope and also about the role that stories have on our life.

ISBN: 978 1473638952

Publisher: Two Roads

About the Author:

Broadcaster and journalist Sally Magnusson has written 10 books, most famously her Sunday Times bestseller, Where Memories Go (2014) about her mother’s dementia. Half-Icelandic, half-Scottish, Sally has inherited a rich storytelling tradition. The Sealwoman’s Gift is her first novel.

Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher - #BookReview

"Against all odds, she survived. The first girl born in fifty years. They called her Eve."

All her life Eve has been kept away from the opposite sex. Kept from the truth of her past. 

But at sixteen it's time for Eve to face her destiny. Three potential males have been selected for her. The future of humanity is in her hands. She's always accepted her fate.

Until she meets Bram.

Eve wants control over her life. She wants freedom.

But how do you choose between love and the future of the human race?

Eve of Man is the first in an explosive new trilogy by bestselling authors Tom and Giovanna Fletcher.

I rarely venture into young adult territory in my reading but this one came highly recommended so I thought I would give it a go. I am very glad that I did because I enjoyed it very much.

The two main characters, Eve and Bram, were extremely likeable and from the first page I was rooting for them. One of the reasons that I steer clear of the YA genre is the teenage angst. I appreciate that we all go through it, then relive it again with our children, and is a very relevant part of growing up. However, the authors did not make it a prominent feature of the story and so I really enjoyed getting to know Eve and Bram.

I equally enjoyed spending time in this new world and I thought the authors did a great job of creating a new future existence and it felt real at all times.

The dual perspective which runs through this book was well executed. I liked being able to assess the situation from both Eve and Bram's point of view and it added an immediacy to the novel.

I am not giving anything away by saying that the ending left me hanging on a cliff edge and I cannot wait to read the next part in this trilogy. This is a strong start for what looks like an exciting trilogy of books.

The book had a cinematic quality and I can well imagine this being turned into a film. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games or The Handmaid's Tale I think you will really enjoy reading Eve of Man.


ISBN:  978 0718186340

Publisher: Michael Joseph

About the Authors:

Giovanna and Tom Fletcher are two of the UK's most successful authors. Tom is the creator of The Christmasaurus, which was the biggest debut children's novel of 2016, while Giovanna's novel, Some Kind of Wonderful, was one of the bestselling women's fiction titles of 2017. Their books have sold over 1.5 million copies and have been translated into over 30 languages. Their social media platforms have a combined audience of almost 6 million followers. Tom and Giovanna married in 2012 and are parents to two boys, Buzz and Buddy.

Eve of Man is their first novel as a writing duo, and the first in a trilogy.

Testament by Kim Sherwood - #BlogTour

A prize-winning literary timeslip novel about what happens after you survive. A young woman uncovers the truth about her family's past as Hungarian Jews who came to Britain in 1945.

 * * * * * * 

The letter was in the Blue Room - her grandfather's painting studio, where Eva spent the happier days of her childhood. After his death, she is the one responsible for his legacy - a legacy threatened by the letter she finds. It is from the Jewish Museum in Berlin.

They have found the testimony her grandfather gave after surviving the labour camps in Austria. And, since he was one of Britain's greatest twentieth century artists, they want to exhibit it. But Joseph Silk - leaving behind József Zyyad - remade himself long ago.

As Eva begins to uncover the truth, she understands the trauma, and the lies, that have haunted her family. She will unravel what happened to József and his brother, who came to England as refugees. One never spoke of his past - the other couldn't let it go.

Their story - and that of the woman they both loved - is in her hands. Revealing it would change her grandfather's hard-won identity. But it could also change the tide of history. This testament can lend words to wordless grief, and teach her how to live.

Kim Sherwood's extraordinary first novel is a powerful statement of intent. Beautifully written, moving and hopeful, it crosses the tidemark where the third generation meets the first, finding a new language to express love, loss and our place within history.

This is an extremely ambitious debut novel. Its scope is huge and I think the author has accomplished this through writing with skill, intelligence and compassion.

Bearing in mind the difficult subject matter, the language is beautiful and each word has meaning. Nothing is superfluous to the construction of this novel and at times I was so caught up in the lyricism of Ms. Sherwood's writing that I had to slow my reading down and re-read occasional sentences of this novel just to luxuriate in it.

There are many Holocaust novels on the shelves of bookshops but this one has a slightly different perspective to some of the others. It looks closely at self-identity and what can happen to the relationships of those who survived and also, the impact that has had on the future generations of survivors.

Evidently well researched the author has brought a myriad of facts to the novel and turned them into an amazingly accomplished and powerful first novel and I look forward to seeing what she will realize in her future writing.

ISBN: 978 1786488671

Publisher: Riverrun

About the Author:

Kim Sherwood was born in Camden, London in 1989. She studied on the Creative Writing MA at the University of East Anglia, going on to teach creative writing at UEA and the University of Sussex. Kim's stories and articles have appeared in numerous journals, including Mslexia, Lighthouse and Going Down Swinging. The manuscript of her debut novel, Testament, won the Bath Novel Award in 2016.

Kim began writing Testament in 2011 after her grandfather, the actor George Baker, passed away. In the same year, Kim's grandmother began to talk about her experiences as a Holocaust Survivor for the first time. These events provided seeds for a story that grew as Kim undertook research into the events of the Holocaust in Hungary, and as extremism rose again across Europe.

Kim lives in Bath. She is s Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of the West of England. Testament is her first novel.

An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim - #Blog Tour

I am thrilled that the Blog Tour for An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim is stopping at my blog today.

"Polly flipped the photo over. And then she tore it up. She would regret this always. It would sit like a bubble in her lungs. She would wish she still owned the piece of paper that housed the outline of his face, with the ruts his writing made in the back, where he had written his message without signing his name."

Their story begins with a goodbye.

Polly and Frank are young and in love, a lifetime together before them. But one evening in 1981, as the Texas sun sets over their shoulders, the world is suddenly pulled apart by a deadly virus. Within months, Frank is dying. Polly can save him, but only if she agrees to a radical plan: to time travel to 1993 for a corporation who can fund his life-saving treatment. She can only go forward, she cannot go back. And she must leave everything she loves behind, including Frank.

All they have is the promise of a future together: they will find each other again in twelve years' time, in Galveston, Texas, where the sea begins.

But when something goes wrong and Polly arrives late, Frank is nowhere to be found. Completely alone, Polly must navigate a terrifying new world to find him, and to discover if their love has endured.

An Ocean of Minutes is an absorbing and timely novel about courage, yearning, the cost of holding onto the past - and the price of letting it go.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. It mainly focuses on Polly and her experiences upon her arrival in the future. The society into which she arrives is not what she had expected and there was a real sense of shadowing her through this minefield of the unknown.

It was this connection with the characters that held my attention firmly to the page. I felt as anxious for Polly all through the book as I would have done for a friend. I think Polly was a completely different person by the conclusion of the novel to which she had been at the beginning and the author dealt extremely well with depicting Polly's realisation of this whole new society she has stepped into and the impact that has upon the relationships that she forms with the people around her and also with those that she left behind.

This is a book about love, idealism and, above all, realism. However, this is a multi-layered book and  I think that it will mean different things to different readers. For some, this will be about the lengths people go to for those they love, for others it will be about time travel but for me it was about the way we learn about ourselves. It was impossible to read this and not wonder how I would have reacted in those circumstances.

It is beautifully written and was a joy to read. The chapters alternate between Polly's past and present and we learn much about how far she has come through this.

Published tomorrow, I would encourage you to read this book for yourself. I am confident that you will enjoy it every bit as much as I did.

ISBN: 978 1786487919

Publisher: Quercus

About the Author:

Thea Lim's writing has been published by the Southampton Review, the Guardian, Salon and others, and she has received multiple awards and fellowships for her work, including artists' grants from the Canada Council for the Arts. She holds an MFA from the University of Houston and she previously served as nonfiction editor at Gulf Coast.

Thea grew up in Singapore and lives in Toronto with her family.

I was given a proof copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review.