10 Ten Exciting New Releases Coming in August 2026

 

I am looking ahead to August and some of the lovely new books due to be released. I've limited myself to just ten which have caught my eye. Do any of these look like something that you would like to read?

John Grebble is Gone by Peter James

John Grebble wakes up to discover he’s been declared dead. His bank account is frozen, his car repossessed, and his entire existence erased. Someone wants him gone—permanently.

Within hours, his world unravels. His debit card is declined. His car is towed away. His office locks him out. The police treat him like a criminal. According to every system, every database, every official record—John Grebble is no more.

But John is very much alive. And as he tries to uncover who could have pulled off such an elaborate erasure of his identity, he realises this isn’t just a mistake—it’s personal. Someone with intimate knowledge of his life has gone to extraordinary lengths to scrub him out completely. And this is just the start…

In this gripping short thriller laced with dark humour, Number One Sunday Times bestselling author Peter James asks: can John Grebble uncover who would go this far to destroy him before it’s too late?

Amazon UK

Invitation From a Dictator by Rory Clements

ON THE EVE OF WAR, A ROYAL GUEST IS LURED INTO HITLER'S DEADLY WEB . . .

Munich, 1937. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor have arrived in Germany for a historic meeting at Hitler's mountain retreat.

But recent attacks by ruthless Communist band, Red Freedom, has brought fear and bloodshed to the area. As brutal as the Nazis, their next targets are Edward, Wallis and the Fuhrer himself.

Detective Sebastian Wolff is charged with their protection, but the conflict between his job and his politics becomes even more complicated when Wolff realises who is behind Red Freedom: Ulrike, his first love and the mother of his son.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

Radiant as the Stars by Elaine Elinson

In April 1911, Jews escaping pogroms are fleeing to America, but 20-year-old Anna Reader, full of fierce conviction, is headed in the opposite direction—back to the Ukrainian shtetl from which her family fled six years earlier. She has decided to join her radical cousin Chava in the Jewish Labor Bund on the eve of the Russian Revolution, leaving behind her work in a Chicago sweatshop and the lover who jilted her.

Her warm reunion with her cousin is tainted by political intrigue. Anna is not fully trusted by the Jewish radicals she grew up with in Ukraine. She is given minor tasks, while Chava’s assignments become more dangerous. The threat of betrayal is constantly lurking. When Chava is arrested and imprisoned, Anna’s efforts to rescue her cousin further alienate her from her Bund comrades. When she is threatened with arrest by the Tsarists, Anna is undone, fighting for survival in a strife-torn land.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

A Thousand Painted Hours by Barbara O'Neal

In the shadow of the London Blitz, artist Elsie Turner clings fiercely to her canvases, refusing to let war dim the colors that define her. The bombs test her nerve, but the struggle also stirs memories of her golden youth in India and of the long-lost love of her life.

The daughter of a British civil servant in the Himalayan station of Nainital, Elsie crosses cultural divides to forge an unlikely bond with Tanveer Singh, a Sikh prince with hopes, dreams, and far-reaching ideas. What begins as shared sketchbooks and stargazing becomes first love and a secret correspondence. When Elsie’s father is summoned to England, Elsie is severed from the world she knows―and is determined to preserve it through both her art and a connection with Tanveer that endures through the most tumultuous years of their lives.

Across four decades and two continents, Elsie navigates a journey from lush colonial India to war-torn London, amid landscapes of beauty, protest, and peril. As past and present collide, the most impossible choices and sacrifices are yet to be made in the name of love, war, and survival.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

Perfect Moments at Duck Pond Cottage by Della Galton

When two best friends decide to share their wedding day, what could possibly go wrong?

Jade is over the moon to be tying the knot alongside her best friend, Sarah, at the stunning Bluebell Cliff Hotel in Dorset—a venue where no detail is too small and no expense is spared in the pursuit of perfection.

But as the big day draws closer, so do the complications.

A long-lost relative, a troublesome brother, and some wildly unexpected animal antics all threaten to derail the brides’ dream celebrations.

With emotions running high and chaos around every corner, their perfect day begins to unravel.

Can love and friendship hold everything together when it matters most?

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Stray Dogs by Ruth Hogan

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but Desmond and Leona are about to find out that it's never too late to start living your dreams . . .

Since his marriage ended, Desmond Leaks has been stuck in rut. But living alone does have some upsides - for one, there's no one to tell him that he's 'not allowed' chocolate spread on his toast.

And for Leona Lennox, a fresh start might just mean she can finally open that rescue centre for abandoned dogs she's always dreamed of. That's if she can learn to let people in occasionally - and accept help.

Take this Desmond guy, he's so nice that he's offering to get his old band back together to play some fundraising gigs for the rescue centre. If only Leona could say yes, just this once . . . The Stray Dogs might actually be decent, right?

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Paris Seamstress by Catherine Law

Torn between love and duty, and a fierce need to protect…

Paris, 1940

For young, lively Murielle, working in the heart of Paris as a seamstress is a dream come true. She loves the bustle of the city, but as the War progresses and new restrictions for Jewish people appear, she begins to realise how quickly her world is changing – and how, soon, she may lose those cherished freedoms.

Her best friend Zoé has always lived a smaller life. Still reeling from an incident from many years ago, she’s already used to being on her guard. But as the Occupation tightens controls on everyone, Zoé knows she must find the courage to stand up and protect the people she loves.

When the two women come across a fallen English pilot, they don’t hesitate. As they put their lives on the line to help the airman escape, their friendship bonds are truly tested. For a chance of happiness, Murielle and Zoé will have to make an impossible decision — one that will demand the greatest sacrifice of all…

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Midwife by the Sea by Jo Bartlett

When midwife Hope Masterson arrives in Cornwall to start her dream job by the sea, she’s ready for a fresh start and a chance to make a real difference to the lives of the women and babies she cares for.

Working between St Piran’s hospital and the community midwifery unit of Port Agnes, Hope quickly finds herself drawn into the lives of her patients and colleagues. From dramatic deliveries and joyous newborns to heartbreaking struggles with infertility, she is on hand to share in all the hopes, worries and incredible love that motherhood can bring.

But Hope is carrying a secret that could change everything – and she faces an impossible dilemma.

Should she reveal the truth and shatter the lives of those around her, or protect the fragile happiness of the family she’s only just found?

As friendships deepen, romance blooms and emotions run high, Hope must decide whether some secrets are better left untold… and what it truly means to belong.

A gorgeously heartfelt, uplifting and unputdownable story of love, family and the many different paths to motherhood, by Top Ten bestselling author Jo Bartlett.

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

The Curse of the Saltmarsh Girl by Clare Marchant

The dark marsh stretches around Margery. She can hear the sound of her mother’s voice, crying. Or is it the wind…? Will she get out of here alive?

1665: When Margery arrives in Saltmarsh looking for her mother, she finds silence, secrets, and backs turned.

But she is not the only thing that has arrived. As the Plague falls on the village, leaving almost no man, woman or child alive, rumours circulate – about a demon dog, about lights floating above the waters, about voices in the dark… And about a girl, one who has brought a curse.

With Margery’s mother missing, it becomes clear that these remote, desolate marshes are about to become the most dangerous ground she’s ever stepped on…

Now: A beautiful young opera singer named Angel Bailey has arrived in Saltmarsh. She’s there to visit her adoptive brother, but she’s also running away. Because, after years of longing to know where she came from, she’s received word from a woman claiming to be her sister, saying their birth mother’s dying wish is to meet the child she abandoned.

But when Angel becomes fascinated with the story of another mother and daughter, and a centuries old curse on the marsh, the land beneath her feet is about to shift forever…

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

A Fatal Love by Louise Tregar

Following Ruth Ellis' long-awaited posthumous conditional pardon in July 2026, never has there been a more compelling moment to revisit the woman behind one of Britain's most enduring legal cases.

It is Easter Sunday in 1955 and a young man lies face-down on the ground covered in blood. A woman, blonde and petite, stands over him with a gun in her hand. This is the story of Ruth Ellis as never told before...

As Ruth awaits her trial in Holloway Prison, she recollects growing up in England during the Second World War and the events that led to the death of her lover, David Blakely.

Meanwhile, Kitty Carrington - the assistant to Ruth's trial lawyer - tries to forge her own path through the male-dominated legal world of the 1950s and ensure that Ruth receives a fair trial.

Navigating secrets, betrayal and a broken justice system, Ruth and Kitty try to take control of their own lives and narratives. But do we ever really know the full story?

Amazon UK   Bookshop.org

(header photo courtesy of Florencia Viadana/Unsplash)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

(all opinions are my own)

The Anniversary by Andrea Bajani and Translated by Geoffrey Brock - #bookreview

'On that day, ten years ago, I saw my parents for the last time. Since then I’ve changed phone numbers, houses, continents, I’ve erected an impregnable wall and put an ocean between us. They’ve been the best ten years of my life.'

***

I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from the publisher. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org  affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

***

The Blurb

A son is celebrating a bittersweet anniversary. It is a decade since he saw his parents: the father who ruled through petty acts of intimidation and fear, the mother who silently accepted it, fitting herself in the spaces around others’ lives. As he looks back, he recalls the airless family home, unsettled only by the ringing of a telephone, or a visitor who was soon rejected. And he remembers how he became possessed by the irrepressible desire to be free, to live his own life. But can you ever escape the grip of your origins?

At once unflinchingly honest and razor sharp, The Anniversary is above all a novel of liberation which dismantles the tyranny of the family. It becomes a mirror in which we glimpse something that, even if we have not known it, affects us all.

My Review

This slim book of just 144 pages is quite remarkable. Translated from Italian by Geoffrey Brock, it tells the story of the narrator's estrangement from his parents. In fact, the titular anniversary is in recognition of the ten years since he walked away and has never contacted them since.

What has led him to this decision is the need to escape his father's violent, controlling and narcissistic behaviour. His mother has resigned herself to a life of servitude to her husband, never contradicting him, just silently moving around him as though not to be noticed. Initially, I felt sympathetic towards her character but at times, and by the end of the book, I wanted to pick her up and shake her; make her see sense and walk away from this man.

However, these situations are notoriously difficult to escape and both history and current times see women tied to violent or coercive men. That said, the narrator often felt his mother was complicit in his father's violence towards him by withdrawing herself from the situation, never speaking out to protect him and remaining silent. 

This is a powerful novella which considers the effects that growing up amidst violence and aggression can have. It is a short work and the author has portrayed much. Every word is considered and accurately placed. The author has contained the larger than life character of the father, along with the meekness of his mother, ingeniously within the covers of this book and has created a great work in doing so.

This novella is well worth reading and I highly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 0241766507

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages: 144 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Andrea Bajani is the author of several award-winning novels including If You Kept a Record of Sins, Every Promise and The Book of Homes, which have been translated into over twenty languages. The Anniversary was a bestseller in Italy and won the Strega Prize in 2025. Born in Rome, he now teaches creative writing at Rice University in Texas.

Other Blog Posts Featuring Translations

Through Three Rooms by Sven Elvestad

Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal

Some Kind of Company by Nan Ostman

The Tunnel by A. B. Yehoshua

US cover

(book courtesy of the publisher)

(author photo courtesy of Rice University)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

10 Ten Books I Want to Read in July 2026

 

Hello July (almost)! We have just passed the middle point of the year and I have read lots of lovely books already. This month I intend to dive into some exciting new ones. 

Do you have any reading plans for July? I would love to know what you are thinking of reading. Here are just ten that I hope to read.

Chalk Dust and New Chapters by Gervase Phinn

Summer term, 1956. For boys and girls, primary school days mean blackboards and chalk dust, pinafores and short trousers, satchels and skipping ropes.

For talented teacher Helen Mercer, returning to her home county of Yorkshire and working in a supply role, it’s a term of being sent wherever there’s a gap to fill, and getting to grips with idiosyncratic head teachers, eccentric colleagues and new classes of young children.

To each school, Helen brings warmth, creativity and a stubborn conviction that every child matters. But among the endearing, funny youngsters she meets, defiant Terry Smith tests her more than most. Can she reach the vulnerable boy she spies beneath the unruly behaviour?

As Helen settles back into Yorkshire life and even considers a new romance, she must decide which school needs her most, and where she can truly belong.

An evocative, entertaining and feel-good novel that celebrates those memorable early schooldays, from one of the UK’s most beloved storytellers.

Preorder Link - Bookshop.org

Wedded to her Enemy Knight by Lissa Morgan

An enemies to lovers, convenient marriage Medieval romance

A house divided…

A passion ignited!

Outraged when Yorkist knight Edmund Deverell stakes his centuries-old claim on her beloved home, Lancastrian maiden Isobel Calvert won’t leave without a fight! But her best defense against destitution is to propose marriage—to her enemy!

After the pain of his first union, Edmund had never planned to wed again, his only allegiance now is to the House of York. Still, he can’t deny a practical marriage will secure his legacy and leave his emotions intact. But days of verbal sparring with his new wife lead to nights of unforgettable passion, until Edmund finds his loyalties wavering dangerously… 

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org

Tell Tale by Claire Parkin

How do you catch a serial killer when no-one believes you’re telling the truth?

Wales, 1984.

Llanfair's most notorious busybody, Debbie-Marie Tunstall, has really gone and done it this time. Her snooping and merciless announcements of observations written in her Kajagoogoo notebook have gotten her into so much trouble that even her mum can't defend her. She has no choice but to run away.

And then finds herself the sole witness to a murder.

From a decades-old tragedy to the immediate danger of a potential serial killer on the loose, Debbie takes it upon herself to piece together the mysteries. But even if she uncovers the truth, will anyone believe the village’s biggest tell-tale?

Because in Llanfair, secrets are buried just beneath the surface, and what Debbie has inadvertently stumbled upon could unravel the very fabric of her community . . .

Preorder Link - Bookshop.org

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

Single mum Lila:

Has got her hands full with two unruly daughters.

Is the author of an unexpectedly successful self-help book.

Is the impulsive owner of a flashy sportscar.

She also:

Has a stepdad who quietly moved in after her mother died.

Has a deadline looming on a book that just won’t write itself.

Is exchanging school-gate daggers with her ex’s pregnant girlfriend.

It feels like she alone is holding up the sky.

So the last thing she needs is a stranger at the door.

Not even when he’s a Hollywood star.

Needing a place to stay.

With a million-dollar smile she doesn’t trust for a second.

Because this is Gene – the father she hasn’t seen in 16 years . . .

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org

Really Rubie: A Diary by Maddie Frost

Rubie can’t wait to go to summer camp for the very first time. She and her best friend, Riley, are going to have an ENTIRE MONTH TOGETHER!

Then Riley drops the bombshell that she can’t go. Now Rubie has to go all by herself and stay in a cabin full of girls she doesn’t know. EEK!

But going solo, Rubie might just make a new BFF, break out of her shell, and even meet a boy… What’s for sure is that camp will be more eventful than Rubie ever thought it could be - with more drama than she ever imagined!

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org

Kitten by Stacey Yu

A magnetic novel about a young woman who falls in love with her boyfriend's cat.

Katie hasn't spoken to her mother in a year when her boyfriend James introduces her to his cat Silver. A small, vulnerable, incorrigible ball of need, Silver's acceptance of Katie cracks open something inside of her: an unravelling begins.

Fresh out of college and far from home, Katie is desperate to skirt the demands of adult life - especially because, as she promised her mother, the plan was to never grow up in the first place. Luckily, she has James: self-assured, generous, and seemingly happy to make decisions for them both.

When they go on holiday to James's family's seaside home, Katie's attachment to Silver grows. Silver doesn't mind that Katie can't seem to get a job, hold her own at dinner parties, or make amends with her mother. Silver, who gets to misbehave spectacularly, be childish, be gross, and still get fed, seems to have the life Katie increasingly longs for. But as their bond intensifies, Katie's other relationships reach tipping points. Soon, Katie must come to terms with what she really wants, and what she might have to risk to get it.

Delicately playful and unexpectedly heartfelt, Kitten is a sensitive reckoning with the allure of helplessness and the uncertainty of becoming yourself in a world that is as disorienting as it is full of hope and connection.

Preorder Link - Bookshop.org

Fiona and the Forgotten Piano by Kate Demaio

Eleven-year-old Fiona isn't allowed in the Fermata woods. And though its unique trees are fascinating, Fiona has no problem following her mother's rules. That is until the trees begin to sing.

Suddenly, it feels as though long forgotten memories are being unlocked in Fiona's mind. As she nears the woods edge, the trees fall silent, so silent even the leaves stop rustling. Fiona will finally break the rules and venture into the woods. She'll soon find herself traveling through portals to undiscovered worlds. And she'll have to trust her instincts and her quirky new friends to bring back the music or she may get lost within its notes.

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org

A Glastonbury Romance by John Cowper Powys

One of the great cult novels, a book that can be read and re-read throughout a lifetime, A Glastonbury Romance is John Cowper Powys' masterpiece. Set in a beautifully imagined fictional version of the West Country, the novel inhabits a twentieth century under siege from older and stranger forces.

An epic work of terrific force and lyrical intensity, interweaving the ancient with the modern, the novel probes the mystical and spiritual ethos of Glastonbury and its association with the legend of the Grail. At the heart of the book is the vision of one man, who wishes to make Glastonbury again the great pilgrimage centre it once was. But what really lies in this powerful landscape and why did so many men and women once come to it seeking redemption?

Preorder Link - Bookshop.org

The Strange Lives of Eleanor Teague by M K Hill

SAFE.

Eleanor Teague has a new life: a grand house in the country, a husband who adores her, and a place to recover from everything that came before. London is far away now. So are the whispers about the terrible thing she did.

PROTECTED.

The rules are simple. Stay inside. Stay calm. Stay quiet. Her husband says it’s for her own safety. The staff watch her closely. Because if she doesn’t follow the rules... people start to talk.

TRAPPED.

But something isn’t right at Haddon Hall. Eleanor starts seeing and hearing things she can’t explain. She starts to question what’s real. And the more she tries to understand her life, the less it makes sense...

Is Eleanor losing her mind? Or is everyone around her lying?

Purchase Link - Amazon

The Freshman Parents by Ko Porteous

THEY'RE OFF FOR THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES. BUT ARE YOU?

Single parent Heather isn't neurotic (honest!) — she's simply dreading the day her only child leaves for university — so her meticulous checklists grow longer by the hour. When she seeks advice from a parents' forum, she clashes with Scott, a single dad, whose "helpful" statistics and assertions about "helicopter parenting" leave her fuming.

Move-in day delivers the ultimate surprise: their daughters aren't just room-mates — they're self-declared best friends for life.

Despite their intentions to avoid relationships at all costs, unpredictable events keep throwing Heather and Scott together, making it increasingly difficult to ignore each other...

Purchase Link - Amazon

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Books I Read in June 2026

 What a month June has been. Here in the UK we have had some extremes of temperature and all our attention has been focused on keeping cool. We had a holiday away in Norfolk. It is a lovely part of the country and we had looked forward to some lovely long walks with the dog. However, all walkies had to take place early morning and late evening whilst the remainder of the day was spent in trying not to overheat. 

However, we did take a boat along the Norfolk Broads, had a trip on Cromer Pier and managed to hunt down a church where my ancestors were married in 1736. Sadly, the church itself is no longer in use so we were unable to look inside but it still felt very special to be there.

I did get to read some great books this month. How have you spent June?

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

A most enjoyable book and my review will be up later this week.

The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie

Set in Scotland I found this to be an enjoyable read.

The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs

I found this humorous in parts but also thought provoking. It's worth reading.

Dwell by Rue Baldry

This is probably my favourite book this month. You can find my review by clicking here.

Lisa Doyle is Absolutely Fine by Mo Fanning

I enjoyed reading this wonderful romantic comedy very much. You can find my review by clicking here.

The Drowned Siren by Callisto Lodwick

This was a gripping read that kept me hooked throughout.  You can find my review by clicking here.

To Find My Mother by Mary Wood

I read this as part of the blog tour. However, having read it I only ran a spotlight post instead of a review as I really did not like it.

Hot Food, Nice! by Michael Rosen

This has come from Michael Rosen's book of Nice poems and was excellent. You can find my review by clicking here.

Vengeance is Mine by Michael Wood

This had me completely gripped. My review of this will be up next week.

The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi

This was chosen for this months Book Group read. It didn't quite work for me and am looking forward to hearing the thoughts of the other members of the group.

Lady of Lincoln by Rachel Joyce Elwiss

This was a most enjoyable historical fiction book. My review will be up on Wednesday.

Cunning Folk by Tabitha Stanmore

This was an excellent non-fiction read about how cunning men and women, and magic was considered in the past.

(Thank you to Tom Wheatley for the header photo)

(all opinions are my own)

Dwell by Rue Baldry - #bookreview

January 1919

Term has barely started when the blizzard blows in. For three days nothing except snow moves in the grounds. On the fourth day a young man appears on the front drive...

***

I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from the publisher. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

***

The Blurb

For a while they are within a painting, both openly staring, with the only movement the glittering of dust motes. Light halos the marble-white figure on the floor, burnishing his hair, sharpening his features with shadows... 

January 1919. A new gardener at a snowbound boys' boarding school catches everyone's attention. It's rumoured he is a war hero. He's nineteen-year-old Albert, haunted by Great War experiences and figting the temptation of one particular prefect. What they want is illegal.

Being caught would ruin them. Then Albert's past finds him, making teir quest for a place where love can safely dwell look impossible.

My Review

This was a fabulous book and I enjoyed it very much.

The author has crafted her novel in a way that made it a joy to read. It is beautifully written. She hasn't wasted a word and has placed each with care, thought and precision. 

It features two young men in the immediate aftermath of World War One. Eighteen year old Edgar is a pupil at Whitethorne Boarding School in January 1919 when he notices the new gardener.  Albert is nineteen years old and just back from his time in the trenches, both young men subtly observe one another and feel an instant attraction. However, both know that acting on their desire could end in imprisonment for gross indecency and shame on their families.

The novel is slowly paced, which was perfect for this book. In fact, I found myself slowing down my reading so that I could appreciate every word that went into creating this novel and also because I didn't want it to end. It's very rare that I come upon a book that makes me feel as though I want to continue to read it forever, but this one definitely had that effect on me.

It deals with issues of love, healing and the aftermath of a war which virtually killed an entire generation of young men. It also addresses class, homosexuality and trauma, but the author does this compassionately and sensitively. The lyrical narrative mean that the words flow from the page and had me completely mesmerised by her story and writing.

Furthermore, when I did reach the end I was surprised by the way it finished. I thought I had worked out how the author would conclude her book, but I was completely wrong. This in itself was refreshing. 

As a debut novel this is remarkable and a huge accomplishment for a first-time author. If this book is anything to judge by, then we can look forward to future work from this Ms. Baldry.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1917005401

Publisher:  Northodox Press

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  336 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Rue Baldry is an author of novels and short stories. Her novel, Dwell, will be published by Northodox Press in February 2026 and her short story collection, Nice Things, will be published by Fly On The Wall Press in December 2026.

She was born in 1969, the year of Woodstock, the Stonewall riots and the moon landings, and raised in Essex in the UK, and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. In 1988 she moved to York to study English Literature, fell in love with the city, and with the man she married in 1992. She is still living here with him. They now have five children, who are all adults. She has a BA in English Literature from the University of York and an MA in Literary Theory and Creative Writing from the University of Leeds.

You can also find Rue at:

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(ARC and media courtesy of the publisher/author)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

The Drowned Siren by Callisto Lodwick - #bookreview

12.5 hours after the party

The reporters arrive a few hours after the police. They swarm onto the street of the town like cockroaches, rushing around with their shining, shell-like cameras.

***

I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from the publisher. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

***

The Blurb

She was driven by success.

Now, she’s driven by obsession.

After years of being viewed as plain and boring, university student Eleanor is thrilled when the beautiful Cheyenne notices her and starts showering her with attention.

Soon, the lines between friendship and love become blurred, at least for Eleanor.

Until she realises that Cheyenne’s love isn’t unconditional … Years later, Eleanor’s life has changed completely.

After moving to LA to pursue her dreams, she now lives mostly in isolation.

Her days are spent locked up in her hotel suite, dreaming up revenge fantasies.

As her past and present collide, Eleanor is forced to ask the question she dreads most: what happens when your darkest fantasies become reality?

My Review

This was a gripping read that kept me hooked throughout.

Eleanor has always been friendless, but when she arrives at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, she hopes she will make friends. However, it is not until she stumbles across Cheyenne, a student from LA in America who is glamorous and popular, that she begins to feel she has a friend. However, just as Eleanor revels in being accepted, Cheyenne shrugs her off like an old coat.

This rejection is central to the whole story and the author enables the reader to really get under the skin of her main character, and we are able to witness the obsession and her need for revenge. 

In fact, even when Eleanor finds career success, she is totally consumed by her need for revenge. She is unable to shake off the rejection even when she finds acceptance elsewhere. The author has created a fascinating character who leaps off the page. She possesses a dark and narcissistic personality which completely pulled me into her story.

The narrative begins twelve and a half hours before a party. The timeline soon shifts to three years and eight months before the party. We then move back and forth across those time periods, but at no point did I find this confusing. The reader knows that something devastating will happen at the party, but it is only as we progress through the book that it becomes apparent. 

This was a very atmospheric book which had a dark and pernicious undertone running throughout. It has twists and turns aplenty and a narrative that kept me hooked. 

Although the main character was unlikable, I was gripped by how this story was going to play out. Usually, I like to identify with the main character of a book, and whilst this wasn't the case with Eleanor, I could empathise with her rejection and desire to be loved. Her inner rage oozed from the pages and culminated in an extremely well-written novel which will appeal to readers.

This was a fabulous novel and will appeal to those who enjoy a dark story with an unreliable narrator. I highly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1917415187

Publisher:  Datura

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  336 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Vinted

Datura Books

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Callisto Lodwick was born in New Jersey, then lived for many years in Switzerland and San Francisco, finally settling in England. She is currently studying English Literature and Classics at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She has been a finalist in Building U’s $1000 for 1000 Words, Peninsula Library Systems’ YANovCon and the Layla Beben Writing Contest.

You can also find Callisto at:

Author Website

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(ARC and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur and Translated by Faridoun Farrokh - #bookreview

The orchard, vibrantly green and with adobe walls, backed up against the village at one end and bordered the river at the other. It was an orchard mostly of sweet and sour cherries...

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It has recently come to my attention that I must make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from the publisher. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

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The Blurb

Women Without Men traces the interwoven destinies of five women – including a wealthy middle-aged housewife, a sex worker and a schoolteacher – as they arrive by different paths to live together in an abundant garden on the outskirts of Tehran.

Drawing on elements of Islamic mysticism and recent Iranian history, this unforgettable novel depicts women escaping the narrow confines of family and society, and imagines their future living in a world without men.

Translated from Persian by Faridoun Farrokh

My Review

Before I even begin my review of this short book, I want to acknowledge the author's courage and strength of character in the writing and publishing of this book. She had already been imprisoned for almost five years without charge. Following her release, she soon published this book and was imprisoned again.

This book contains a series of stories of Iranian women who have chosen to live their lives without men. In our western culture, this would not be considered outrageous, but in a patriarchal society such as Iran, this is unheard of and not without consequence.

The chapters about the five individual women are all interconnected and the author does a marvellous job of interweaving them. Indeed, the book has much to say about the friendship of women and the courage which these women portray.

Much of the narrative is based on mythological stories and the magical realism elements add to the story. There are many elements within the stories that many woman will identify with. It is a short but powerful novel that explores the expected role of Iranian women within society, and then turns it on it's head through folklore, family and society.

Publishing in the UK for the first time, it is no surprise that the book is an International Booker Prize longlist nominee and deservedly so. Ms Parsipur is a talented writer and it's thrilling to read her insights into feminism. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in Iranian history or feminism.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 0241792513

Publisher:  Penguin Classics

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  128 (paperback)

Purchase Links

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About the Author

Shahrnush Parsipur was born in Iran in 1946. She began her career as a writer of fiction and producer at Iranian National Television and Radio. She was imprisoned for nearly five years by the Islamist government without being formally charged. Shortly after her release, she published Women Without Men and was arrested and jailed again, this time for her frank and defiant portrayal of women’s sexuality.

While still banned in Iran, the novel became an underground best-seller there, and has been translated into many languages around the world. She is also the author of Touba and the Meaning of Night, among many other books, and now lives in exile in Northern California.

You can also find Shahrnush at:

Author Website

Instagram

(ARC and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)