Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts

Monday, 14 September 2026

10 Ten Exciting New Releases for October 2026

 

Sometimes it is so difficult to restrict myself to just ten books due to be released in the following month. There are so many great looking books to choose from. I finally settled on the following ten, and I am sure you will agree, they do look exciting.

Happy Reading!


Flickers of Light in a Nazi Darkness by Lisa Waller Rogers

Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933, marking the end of the Weimar Republic and the beginning of the Nazi dictatorship. As the tide of Nazism grew, so did anti-Jewish decrees which stripped away the rights of German Jews.

In May 1940, the Germans invaded and occupied the neutral country of the Netherlands. Little by little the Nazis took away the rights of the Dutch Jews and the only place they were safe was in their homes, until they weren’t. In 1942, Nazis conducted raids to deport them to labor and concentration camps. But not every Jew was caught. Thanks to the heroic action of Dutch resistance workers, at great risk to themselves, Dutch resistance workers hid Jews from the Nazis, and sought to keep them safe and fed through the long years of WWII. Not all of these efforts bore success, many Dutch workers were imprisoned and executed by the Nazis. Flickers of Light in a Nazi Darkness brings the story of some of these “Flickers of Light” resistance workers to life.

Preorder Link


 The Secret Keeper by Anstey Harris


Olivia has spent thirty years tending the cemetery next to her home, gently caring for the graves. Since her daughter Lizzie stopped speaking to her after a devastating accident, talking to the dead has been easier than the living.

Olivia thought there would be years ahead—time to persuade Lizzie to come home. But when she discovers her husband is dying, everything changes. Suddenly, time is very short.

For Lizzie to reunite with her parents, Olivia will have to face the truth of her choices, of the secrets she’s been hiding for years. She knows it is time. Time to bring the two halves of herself back together. But if she does, will those she loves forgive her? Or is it already too late?

An incredibly moving story that will stay in your heart, about the secrets we keep to protect those we love and how to find peace when time is running out.

Preorder Link


The Storyteller of Krakow by Carly Schabowski

It takes courage to tell your story…

Kraków, 1994. When an elderly woman named Lena meets a young girl, the child is carrying a toy bear, who she has named Wojtek. She quietly tells Lena it’s named after a bear who was famous in the second world war. This is a name Lena hasn’t heard in many years. And so she begins her story…

Kraków, 1940. When Lena was young, she loved to tell stories – about the places she would go, the battles she would fight, the great loves she might have – imagining herself the heroine in every tale. But when the Soviet forces invade her town, and take her to a Siberian gulag, leaving her with no family, no home, no strength to fight… her dreams feel further away than ever.

Until the Soviets change sides in the war, and Lena finds herself being rescued, and on an unexpected journey – one that runs in parallel with a tame bear named Wojtek. As their journey takes them across the Middle East, to Africa, and finally to war-torn Italy, she realized there might be a chance for her to live the life she always told stories about – fighting the hated Nazis.

But there is one thing missing… a great love. Lena knows she doesn’t need saving by a man. But when Wojtek the bear leads her to an injured stranger, she realises perhaps it’s not her who needs rescue. The only problem is that the man she’s led to is a German soldier, on the other side of the war from her…

Can love conquer all in wartime? Don’t miss this unforgettable story!

Preorder Link


All Yours by Pippa Nixon


A spicy second chance romance between a single dad and an old flame.

The last time games designer Fox saw Robyn was the morning after their amazing night together. He didn't even get her last name. But as a single dad to two boys, he's never had time for anything but his work and his family.

So when flame-haired Robyn shows up on his doorstep as his new live-in nanny, Fox is stunned. The connection burns just as bright, but they agree to keep it professional.

The longer they live under one roof, the harder it is to keep their promise. And where Robyn's concerned, Fox is playing for keeps . . .

Preorder Link


Loyalty and Lies on Dressmakers' Alley by Rosie Clarke


Times are changing. Is there a glimmer of hope on the horizon for the women of Dressmaker Alley?

London’s East End 1927

Yvonne White is content as head seamstress at Miss Susie, raising her beloved son alone and determined to keep the past behind her. So when John’s father suddenly reappears after years of silence, demanding a place in his son’s life, Yvonne’s hard-won peace is shattered.

Polly Blake spends her days exhausted by endless work and family responsibilities, caring for her invalid father and three younger brothers while her carefree twin, Patsy, falls in with dangerous company. Polly longs for happiness of her own, but trouble is never far away.

Meanwhile, Lady Diane’s dazzling fashion designs have made Miss Susie the toast of London. Yet as she accompanies the ailing Lord Henry to Italy, jealousy and uncertainty threaten everything she holds dear.

With fear spreading through London’s East End as a killer stalks the shadows, the women of Dressmaker’s Alley must face secrets, heartbreak, and unexpected surprises before their lives change forever.

Things are looking brighter on Dressmaker’s Alley, but there are always those who want to cause trouble…

Preorder Link


The Pilgrimage of Primrose Honeychurch by Laura Jensen Walker


Primrose Honeychurch doesn’t really “get” people. Books, though, make perfect sense.

At seventy, the sharp-tongued recluse prefers to keep company with her own routines. But when a life-altering diagnosis leaves her worried she’ll never be missed, she decides it’s finally time to do something to leave her mark: something no one will ever forget.

Clutching her mother’s ashes and the book of her heart, Primrose hops on a plane, bound for Hay-on-Wye, the legendary Welsh “Town of Books.” Unfortunately, her literary pilgrimage just won’t follow the plot. After an accident derails her trip, she finds herself staying awhile with estranged family. But she senses a kindred spirit in the niece she’s getting to know, who uncannily understands the world much the same as Primrose herself does.

As rolling green hills and book-lined streets frame an unexpected season of discovery, what began as an unwelcome detour becomes something more profound. For the first time in her life, Primrose begins to glimpse the beauty―and courage―of true human connection.

Preorder Link


A Gala Ball at Tillingford Hall by Flora Dunn


Sahara Seaton-Smyth’s life is in disarray. Her modelling career has stalled; her ex, James, is never coming home; her beloved brother Seb is moving out; and the local vet has persuaded her to adopt a demanding orphaned piglet called Muffin.

To top it all, Sahara’s closest friend, Guy Tillingford, is losing his calm. In the run-up to the opening gala ball, Tin Tub Productions are filming a documentary about his crumbling country mansion, Tillingford Hall. Although he’s thrilled to be a first-time dad, his fiancée Alice’s due date is worryingly close to the big night.When Tin Tub ask Sahara to be a presenter, she’s reluctant to step back into the spotlight – until she learns she’ll be working with her old friend, popular TV historian Dr Tom Pemberton. With Tom’s reassurance, she takes a chance on a new career.

Since his wife Vittoria died, Tom has been juggling single parenthood with TV stardom. His eleven-year-old son Cory has retreated into video games, while his fifteen-year-old daughter Xanthe, an exceptional violinist, struggles with sudden fame.

Who better to help Tom navigate these challenges than Sahara?

But when she receives unexpected news about her health, will it bring them closer – or push them apart?

And with Alice’s due date so close to the ball, who will have the first dance?

Preorder Link


Dreadnought by Robin Bennett

On a remote Yorkshire headland known as Dreadnought, seven-year-old Cass Delaval begins to glimpse figures and fragments tied to a past that refuses to stay buried.

As the world edges toward conflict, Cass is drawn into a family mystery stretching back to the Second World War: a missing boy, a hidden weapon, and a family secret.

Because whatever has lain dormant on Dreadnought goes deep into our past … and it isn’t finished with us yet.

Dreadnought is a story of loyalty and hope, where the courage of one small girl may be our last defence.

Preorder Link


The Translator by Annabelle Marx


Detective novels, she said, were for simpletons and spinsters. But she translated them anyway – because someone she loved couldn’t live without them.

1936, London. Edie Adler slips into the back pew of a memorial service for her dearest friend, Vee Saunders – presumed dead, her body never found. As politicians murmur condolences to Vee’s powerful husband, Edie sits with a fury she can barely contain. She knows things about this marriage no one in the room would dare speak aloud. And she refuses to believe that Vee is gone. She closes her eyes and she’s back in the warm Mediterranean water – the salt on her skin, Vee’s hands keeping her afloat, that voice in her ear: don’t worry, I won’t let you sink…

1918, Malta. Edie, an officer in the newly formed Wrens, arrives on the sun-drenched island expecting cyphers, duty and discipline. What she doesn’t expect is Vee – a whip-smart nurse singing in the bathtub with a cigarette in one hand and a gin in the other. Vee teaches her to swim in secret coves, leads her astray in the basement bars of Valletta, and the two women forge a bond that will shape the rest of their lives.

As they take different paths – Edie to a small flat in Hampstead, swimming in the Ladies’ Pond each morning, long days as a social worker in the London slums – they stay bound by letters. Vee’s are vivid, full of mischief, then slowly, they darken. And then they stop. Two years of silence. Until a parcel arrives from Paris – three detective novels, all in French, no sender, no note – and Edie’s world shifts on its axis.

Preorder Link


The Secret Garden Murders by J.R. Ellis


A murder in a locked garden. A village full of secrets. Can DCI Oldroyd find a killer who has vanished into thin air?

When a woman is found strangled in the locked garden of historic Bishop Hewick Hall in Yorkshire, DCI Jim Oldroyd needs to solve a seemingly impossible murder. The only door was bolted from the inside and the kitchen garden walls are too high to climb. If no one could enter or leave, how did the killer commit the crime and escape?

As Oldroyd and his team investigate the victim’s past, they discover Clarissa Morden wasn’t the kind elderly woman she appeared. Instead, she was a ruthless blackmailer who kept coded records of her neighbours’ darkest secrets. Her list included a local cabinet maker, the Bishop Hewick Hall manager and even her next-door neighbour―suddenly it seems as if half the village has a motive for murder.

When a second body is discovered in the local river, it seems this quiet corner of Yorkshire may never be the same again. Can Oldroyd unlock the secret of the impossible locked garden murder and find the culprit? Or will the killer strike again in this tranquil village to keep their secrets hidden…

Preorder Link

Friday, 29 November 2024

Reading Roundup for November 2024


 It is almost time to hang up the Advent calendars as December begins on Sunday.

November has been a good month for reading, and I have read some lovely books. Also, it has been a busy month on the blog with six spotlight posts, five read along posts, twelve book reviews and a guest post.

How has your November been? Have you read many books? Anything that you would recommend?


Books I Have Read This Month


Little Wing by Freya North


I absolutely adored this book. My review of this is all written and it will be up as soon as I can find a space. 

The Red Tunic by Kate Wiseman


I so enjoyed reading this book and it had me gripped from the very beginning. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.

Secrets in the Water by Alice Fitzpatrick


I love a book about hidden secrets and there are plenty in this novel. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


The Wives by Valerie Keogh


I have liked everything that I have read by Valerie Keogh. This was no exception and I enjoyed every page. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here..


The Folly by Gemma Amor


Anyone who follows my blog regularly will know that I do not read horror but I made an exception for this one.  You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


The Box by Jo Linsdell


This is a charming book that young children will love. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


Gone With the Penguins by Hazel Prior


This book is the third in a trilogy and having not read the first two did not spoil my enjoyment. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


A Little Christmas Spirit by Susan Buchanan


If you are looking for the perfect Christmas read then you need look no further than this book.  You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux by M. J. Robotham


Ruby Devereaux is an outstanding character and one that I will not easily forget.   You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


Happiness by Danielle Steel


This was chosen by my book group this month. Unfortunately, it just wasn't my cup of tea.


The Foyles Bookshop Girls' Promise by Elaine Roberts


This book is set in London during World War One and is wonderfully atmospheric. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs by Victoria Williamson


This book which is aimed at a middle grade readership is full of action and adventure.  You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


Books I Am Currently Reading


Casa Paradisio by Francesca Scanacapra

My Beloved Monster by Caleb Carr

Ink Ribbon Red by Alex Pavesi

The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers by Samuel Burr



















Wednesday, 13 November 2024

The Folly by Gemma Amor - #blogtour #bookreview

the folly by gemma amor book cover

 He shuffled out of the prison door in a daze, a small bag of belongings clutched to his chest. I saw him pause as the early light of day embraced him. He closed his eyes briefly, and dragged in a deep, full breath, up through is nostrils, out through his mouth. I had haggled for his release to be set at five in the morning, to help avoid attention from the press...

***

The Blurb

Morgan always knew her father, Owen, never murdered her mother. She has spent the last six years campaigning for his release from prison. Finally, mid-pandemic, Owen is set free, but the debt-riddled pair can no longer afford (or bear) to live in the family home- a house last decorated by a dead woman’s blood.

Salvation and the chance for a new start in life comes in the form of a tall, dark and notorious decorative granite tower on the Cornish coastline known only as ‘The Folly’. The structure is empty, prone to break-ins, and the owner needs a caretaker- food and bills included. It’s an offer too good to refuse. Morgan and Owen relocate, leaving everything of their former lives behind and hoping that a change of scene and the remote location will be good for them both.

At first, the Folly is indeed idyllic, but soon enough that peace is shattered when a bald-headed stranger arrives. A stranger who acts like Morgan’s mother, talks like her mother, and wears her dead mother’s clothes.

What does he want? Why won’t he leave them alone? Why does he keep mentioning the year 1976?

And what secrets does the Folly tower hold?


My Review

Anyone who follows my blog regularly will know that I do not read horror. I'm a complete scaredy cat about the whole thing. So you may be wondering why I read this book when it sits absolutely in the horror genre?

At the beginning of this year I promised myself that I would read a few books that were outside of my comfort zone. When I was offered a copy of this book I decided that this was the book that would allow me to dip my toe into the horror genre.

I have completely surprised myself as I enjoyed this book very much. Yes, it was a bit spooky and creepy but it was totally gripping and I had to read on.

I liked the main character, Morgan who has fought for her father's release from prison after being incarcerated for murdering her mother. For the five years of his imprisonment she has been totally convinced of his innocence and has fought hard for his release. This is the point at which the story begins. Owen is released from prison and they are attempting to put the past behind them and move forward.

They move to remote part of Cornwall and into the titular Folly, and that is when things start to get creepy. A bald headed man turns up and seems to be channelling Morgan's deceased mother.

It is also set during the covid pandemic which served to highlight the isolation of the characters. However, it also addresses the theme of identity, who we are, where we belong and what happens when the past is revealed to be different to what you have always believed.

It is a powerful and short book at 160 pages but it oozed with atmosphere, suspense and tension.

The book was only released yesterday and it made for an enjoyable read.


Book Details

ISBN: 978 1915523563

Publisher:  Datura Books

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages: 160 (paperback)


Purchase Links

Datura Books

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Blackwell's


About the Author

gemma amor author photo

Gemma Amor is a Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award nominated author, voice actor/podcaster and illustrator based in Bristol, in the UK. She self-published her debut short story collection Cruel Works of Nature in 2018, and went on to release Dear Laura, Grief Is A False God, White Pines, Girl On Fire, These Wounds We Make, We Are Wolves and Six Rooms before signing her first traditional publishing deal for her novel Full Immersion, published by Angry Robot books in 2022. 

This was followed by The Once Yellow House, Christmas At Wheeldale Inn and All Who Wander Are Lost is her twelfth published book (her fifth for Cemetery Gates Media). Her next scheduled release is The Folly in 2024 with Datura books and an anthology of ancestral horror for Titan Books called Roots Of My Fears, as Editor, in 2025. 

Gemma is the co-creator of horror-comedy podcast Calling Darkness, starring Kate Siegel, and her stories feature many times on popular horror anthology shows The NoSleep Podcast (including a six-part adaptation of Dear Laura), Shadows at the Door, Creepy and The Grey Rooms. She also appears in a number of print anthologies including Ellen Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Fifteen, and has made numerous podcast appearances to date.

 A short film she co-wrote called Hidden Mother (2021) was well received at multiple film festivals and she just finished her first feature length screenplay, an adaption of her novella Dear Laura. Gemma illustrates her own works and also provides original, hand-painted artwork for book covers on commission. She narrates audiobooks too, including The Possession Of Natalie Glasgow by Hailey Piper, in 2020, and Full Immersion in 2022. She launched new folk-trivia podcast Wyrd, Wild & Wonderful in 2024. 

You can also find Gemma at

https://gemmaamorauthor.com/

Twitter / X

Instagram

Tik Tok


the folly gemma amor blog tour poster




(ARC and author bio. courtesy of Datura Books)

(author photo courtesy of the author's website)

(all opinions are my own)



Thursday, 11 April 2024

Red Runs the Witch's Thread by Victoria Williamson - #bookreview #blogtour

 


The skein of thread that lay in the merchant's beefy hand was white against his mottled flesh, the twisted fibres spun fine as silk and bleached over many months. As she watched the linen dealer hold the strands up to the light, testing their strength by pulling them between his stubby fingers, Christian felt suddenly queasy...

***

Paisley, Scotland, 1697. Thirty-five people accused of witchcraft. Seven condemned to death. Six strangled and burned at the stake. All accused by eleven-year-old Christian Shaw.

Bargarran House, 1722. Christian Shaw returns home, spending every waking hour perfecting the thread bleaching process that will revive her family’s fortune. If only she can make it white enough, perhaps her past sins will be purified too.

But dark forces are at work. As the twenty-fifth anniversary of the witch burnings approaches, ravens circle Bargarran House, their wild cries stirring memories and triggering visions.

As Christian’s mind begins to unravel, her states of delusion threaten the safety of all those who cross her path. In the end she must make a terrible choice: her mind or her soul? Poverty and madness, or a devil’s bargain for the bleaching process that will make her the most successful businesswoman Paisley has ever seen?

Her fate hangs by a thread. Which will she choose?

An eerie tale of lies, deception and the supernatural from award-winning author Victoria Williamson.

***

I have read several of Victoria Williamson's books now and I have enjoyed every one. I will put some links at the bottom of this review if you would like to read my reviews of those books.

The narrative of Red Runs the Witch's Thread moves between 1697 when the main character, Christian, was a child who claimed to have been cursed by witches. She went on to accuse and ultimately help condemn several people of being witches. Several of them were sentenced to death because of her allegations.  The story also takes place during 1722 where the villagers still think of Christian in terms of the role she played in the so-called witches being executed. 

What we witness as readers is Christian's mental unravelling. She is dubious of her own memories and questions them, haunting her into her adult life. There are several flashbacks to the past in the parts of the story which is set in the later time period.

Personally, I was more attracted by the historical aspect of the book that it's dark theme. The book has an extremely eerie, creepy feel to it and I found witnessing Christian's mental struggles uncomfortable and claustrophobic; just as it should do in a book of this genre. It has all of the elements expected in a supernatural novel, and this short book will appeal enormously to lovers of the genre.

***

Books by Victoria Williamson

Please click on the title to read my review:

The Haunting Scent of Poppies

War of the Wind

The Whistlers in the Dark

The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams

Norah's Ark


ISBN:  9781738436422

Pubisher: Silver Thisle Press

No. of Pages: 250

***

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: www.strangelymagical.com




(book and all media courtesy of The Write Reads)
(all opinions are my own)


Monday, 11 December 2023

The Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson - #bookreview #blogtour

 


It was the books that Charlie smelled first - the books that drew him in.

Charlie Briggs had a nose for business, and he wasn't about to let a little thing like the "closed for lunch" sign hanging on the door of the bookshop get between him and a chance to make some unearned cash...

***

A spine-chilling winter ghost story set in the months after the Great War. Perfect for lovers of MR James and Susan Hill

The War is over, but for petty criminal Charlie his darkest days are only just beginning.

Charlie Briggs is never off-duty, even when a botched job means he's forced to lay low in a sleepy Hampshire town for the holiday season. Always searching for his next unwitting victim, or a shiny trinket he can pilfer, he can't believe his luck when he happens upon a rare book so valuable it will set him up for life. All he needs to do is sit tight until Boxing Day. But there's a desperate story that bleeds beyond the pages; something far more dangerous than London's mobsters is lurking in the shadows.

Could the book be cursed? Why is he haunted by the horrors of war? Can he put things right before he's suffocated by his own greed?

***

I usually steer well clear of any book that has the genre of horror attached to it. However, when I was offered a copy of this for a blog tour and saw it was authored by the talented Victoria Williamson, who I have read and enjoyed previously, I could not resist.

I am so glad that I decided to read it as it was beautifully written and I did not find it remotely scary. Rather it has an eeriness to it which is engrossing. 

It focuses on a character called Charlie Briggs, who is a petty criminal who has fraudulently evaded serving in the First World War.  He is a thoroughly unlikeable character but that did not deter me from being completely engrossed in this novella from the first page to the last. Charlie is haunted in two ways; first by the ghost of a man who died in the war and whose book Charlie has stolen; and secondly by the war itself.

At just under a hundred pages, this made for a quick read. However, the horrors of the war did not make for light and entertaining reading, and the book dealt with some very difficult themes as even though we are just over a century on from the war, the horrors and the experiences of the men in the trenches is still shocking to read.

However, Ms. Williamson, handles her subject in a way which is not gratuitous but she writes in a way which gets her point across admirably. It is astonishing that she has been able to convey the atmosphere and subject so well in such a short piece of writing. I highly recommend this book and it is perfectly sized to slip in a pocket... or the Christmas stocking of an older teenager or adult if you would prefer.

If you would like to read my reviews of the books I have previously read by Victoria Williamson please click on the title links below.

The Whistlers in the Dark

The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams

Norah's Ark

ISBN: 978 1738436408

Publisher:  Silver Thistle Press

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

No. of Pages:  100 (paperback)


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: www.strangelymagical.com




(book and media courtesy of The Write Reads)
(all opinions are my own)

Monday, 24 April 2023

The Reapers Quota by Sarah McKnight - #bookreview #blogtour

 

In the cavernous marble hall that serves as an office, the Big Boss sits back against the plush velvet of his golden throne. He appears large and menacing on the platform above me. The glowing red coals deep within his hollow sockets pulse with displeasure as he stares down. He raises an old, creaking arm and points his bony finger at me. His bones are yellowed with age, and micro-cracks lace an intricate pattern up to his arm. I imagine a musty smell coming off him. He's ancient, and whatever is left of his vocal cords grinds with effort as he speaks.

"Reaper #2497," he croaks, his finger shaking just inches in front of my own hollow sockets that once contained real eyes, "it is almost the end of the month."

"Is it?" I ask innocently...

***

Meet Grim Reaper #2497. Behind on his work, he must complete his quota of thirty Random Deaths or face termination in the worst way. Faced with an insurmountable task and very little time to complete it, Reaper #2497 struggles to hang on to the one thing he's not supposed to have - his humanity.

***

As one of the panellists for the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award 2022, I was delighted when I was asked to read this book. The book was a finalist and came in at number five, and deservedly so.

I loved the dark humour of this book. It was an easy and entertaining read and the main character, Reaper #2497 (aka Steve), was delightful as we observe his reluctance to end the lives of people randomly to fulfil his daily quota. I was amused by the ways in which he justified the killing of those whom he finally settled on. For a deceased character he still exhibited elements of humanity, and it is this that made him such a likeable character.

Ms. McKnight creates a fictionally believable afterlife, and it was very easy to engage with. 

It is a really fun read and made me laugh on several occasions. The book is aimed at a young adult audience, but it will equally appeal to a more wide ranging audience. Adults who enjoy satirical writing will love this book, and it was a pleasure to read.

There is also a sequel, Chasing the Reaper, which I anticipate will be worth reading.


ISBN: 979 8781351893

Publisher:  Independently published

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 190 


About the Author:

Sarah McKnight has been writing stories since she could pick up a pencil, and it often got her in trouble during math class. After a brief stint teaching English to unruly middle schoolers in Japan, she decided she wasn’t going to put off her dream of becoming a writer any longer and set to work. With several novels in the making, she hopes to tackle issues such as anxiety, depression, and letting go of the past - with a little humor sprinkled in, too. A St. Louis native, she currently lives in Pennsylvania with her wonderful husband and three cats. You can find her on Twitter @mcknight_writes and www.sarahmcknightwrites.com.


(book, photos and info. courtesy of The Write Reads)

Wednesday, 3 November 2021

The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier - #BookReview

 

"On December the third the wind changed overnight and it was winter. Until then the autumn had been mellow, soft. The leaves had lingered on the trees, golden red, and the hedgerows were still green. The earth was rich where the plough had turned it."


A classic of alienation and horror, 'The Birds' was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man's sense of dominance over the natural world.

The mountain paradise of 'Monte Verità' promises immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from behind the camera and into his subject's life; a date with a cinema usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a remedy when three's a crowd . . .


***

I do not usually review classic books such as this one. After all, it has been a much discussed book by people who are much more qualified to do so than I am. 

However, I did just want to let you all know how much I enjoyed this book. The Birds is an extremely well known story which was adapted for screen by Alfred Hitchcock. I have never seen the film but friends tell me that it is really scary.

I am not a fan of either horror books or films and I did not feel that any of the stories in this book belonged squarely in the horror genre. I would describe them as disquieting and well worth reading.

There are six short stories in this volume. The first being The Birds, but also Monte Verita, The Apple Tree, The Little Photographer, Kiss Me Again, Stranger and The Old Man. 

They are all good stories within their own right and I would encourage you to give them a try.

ISBN: 978 1844080878

Publisher: Virago Modern Classics


About the Author:

Daphne du Maurier (1907–89) was born in London, the daughter of the famous actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and granddaughter of George du Maurier, the author and artist. A voracious reader, she was from an early age fascinated by imaginary worlds and even created a male alter ego for herself. 

Educated at home with her sisters and later in Paris, she began writing short stories and articles in 1928, and in 1931 her first novel, The Loving Spirit, was published. A biography of her father and three other novels followed, but it was the novel Rebecca that launched her into the literary stratosphere and made her one of the most popular authors of her day. 

In 1932, du Maurier married Major Frederick Browning, with whom she had three children. Besides novels, du Maurier published short stories, plays and biographies. Many of her bestselling novels became award-winning films, and in 1969 du Maurier was herself awarded a DBE. She lived most of her life in Cornwall, the setting for many of her books, and when she died in 1989, Margaret Forster wrote in tribute:

‘No other popular writer has so triumphantly defied classification . . . She satisfied all the questionable criteria of popular fiction, and yet satisfied too the exacting requirements of “real literature”, something very few novelists ever do’.