Books to Read in May 2022

 

Sometimes I find it really difficult to choose which books I am going to read in the coming month, and this one is no exception. It is not that I cannot find something to tickle my reading taste buds, but more a case of me being strong willed enough to whittle it down to an achievable number.

And even when I have decided and posted my reading intentions on the blog, I can be easily seduced by a pretty book cover. How very fickle I am! Do you have the same problem? Do your reading intentions fly out of the window when you are enticed by another book?

Anyhow, here are the books that I intend (ahem...) to read this month.

Searching for My Daughter by Liz Trenow

A History of Herbalism by Emma Kay

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

The Ascension of Mary by William West

Half Sisters by Virginia Franken

Nightshade by E.S. Thomson

Still Life by Sarah Winman

Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon

Borderline by Liza Marklund

(header photo courtesy of Unsplash)

Reading Roundup - April 2022

 

Another month has flown by and Easter, Passover and Ramadan are now behind us. Whichever, if any, of these festivals are special to you, I hope you had a memorable time.

It has been a good month of reading for me. For the first time in years I listened to an audio book. When I tried them in the past I never really got on well with it. I missed the opportunity to flick back a few pages if I lost my way. However, having given it a try again this month I enjoyed it very much. 

I have always preferred my books to be in printed form and it is still my favourite. I do read e-books but I much prefer to read a physical book. I like the feel, smell and look of an actual book but other formats do have their place, and I have discovered that it is good for me to be open to other formats. How about you? Do you listen to books? Prefer an e-reader? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Did you read anything that you really enjoyed this month, in whatever format? 

Here are the books that I have read this month:

Books I Have Read This Month

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison -  I'm aware that this is a classic but I found it to be a very depressing read.

More Than I Love My Life by David Grossman - I am already a fan of the author and I enjoyed this very much. If you would like to read my review you can do so by clicking here.

The Last Reunion by Kayte Nunn - This is a delightful dual timeline novel. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Witches by Brenda Lozano - This highly original novel was an interesting read. You can find my review by clicking here.

The Midnight House by Amanda Geard - Being published on 12th May, I was fortunate enough to be given an early readers copy. It was my favourite read this month and my review will be on the blog on publication day.  Watch this space!

A Train to Moscow by Elena Gorokhova - I enjoyed this very much. You can find my review by clicking here.

The Village Feasts by Izzy Abrahmson - A collection of short stories based around the Passover festival. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs - This was a most enjoyable read and my review will be up next week.

How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie - I listened to this on audio and it is a great story.

What Eden Did Next by Sheila O'Flanagan - I literally finished reading this in bed last night so have not written the review yet. However, I enjoyed it very much and the review will appear in due course.

Books I Did Not Finish

The Lost Boy of Bologna by Francesca Scanacapra

Books I am Partway Through

Women Writers of the Seventeenth Century by Ramona Wray

The Tearoom on the Bay by Rachel Burton

The Last Reunion by Kayte Nunn - #BookReview

It was the work of a moment; a tiny revenge for a much graver crime. She had never stolen so much as a packet of sweets before. She did not, as a rule, lie, cheat or steal. But this was different.

She wiped a film of sweat from the back of her neck, lifting the damp strands of hair in an effort to cool herself. Her cotton sundress - madras, designed for an Indian climate - clung to her legs, and a blister had formed on her heel from the strap of her sandals. She'd experienced this kind of heat, before, had almost forgotten how it sapped the spirits, how it became an act of will to carry on regardless.

***

War would bring them together.

But would it ultimately tear them apart?

Burma, 1945 - Bea, Plum, Bubbles, Joy and Lucy are five young women looking for adventure, fighting a forgotten war in the jungle attached to the Fourteenth Army. Running a mobile canteen, navigating treacherous roads and dodging hostile gunfire, they soon become embroiled in life-threatening battles of their own - battles that will haunt the women for the rest of their lives.

Oxford, 1976 - At the height of an impossibly hot English summer, a woman slips into a museum and steals several rare Japanese netsuke, including the famed fox-girl. Despite the offer of a considerable reward, these tiny, exquisitely detailed carvings are never seen again.

London and Galway, 1999 - On the eve of the new millennium, Olivia, assistant to an art dealer, meets Beatrix, an elderly widow who wishes to sell her late husband's collection of Japanese art. Concealing her own motives, Olivia travels with Beatrix to a New Year's Eve party, deep in the Irish countryside, where friendships will be tested and secrets kept for more than fifty years are spilled... 

***

Not only is this a well written novel but I learnt a lot regarding a point in history that I knew extremely little about. I have previously read novels which were set in Burma during WWII, but this book was different in that it was centred around five women who, in this story made up the WASBIE attachment.

The book is written as a dual narrative, covering their time during the war, and then again at the titular reunion when the women are, somewhat more mature in years. In fact, the book begins with a different time entirely, taking place in 1976, but it is only a brief glimpse we get and is vital to understanding the plot.

The main character, Bea, is delightful, and she was an excellent character throughout both timelines. The author has done a great job of fleshing out all of her characters. The dynamic between them, which differ at both time points in the narrative is excellent.

Also, the character of Olivia, who plays a part in the latter time line is excellent, and she served as a great vehicle in moving the story along. Furthermore, she was a vital and engaging character who I was rooting for all the way.

Atmospherically, the writer descriptions of the settings are tangible. The book is set in the jungles of Burma, and I could feel the heat and humidity that she described. Equally, the modern part of the book is set in a dilapidated old house with its leaking roof and myriad of other faults due to neglect.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely, and was reluctant to put it down. I will definitely be including other books by Ms. Nunn to my constantly increasing pile of books I want to read. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. 

ISBN: 978 1398701144

Publisher: Orion

Formats: Paperback, e-book and audio

No. of Pages: 384 (paperback)

About the Author:

Katye Nunn has written six works of fiction including, The Botanist’s Daughter, The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant, The Silk House and The Last Reunion, which came out in March 2020 in Australia, and later in the UK.

She grew up in England and the US, and then lived in Sydney, Australia for more than 20 years, working as a book, magazine and web editor and writer. She has more than two decades of publishing experience and is the former editor of Gourmet Traveller Wine magazine.

(author photo and bio information from the author's website.)

The Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul - #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 Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul.

Gill has published historical fiction titles including The Lost Daughter, Another Woman's Husband and The Secret Wife. She also writes historical non-fiction, including A History of Medicine in 50 Objects and a series of Love Stories. Published around the world, this series includes Royal Love Stories, World War I Love Stories and Titanic Love Stories.

She grew up in Scotland and studied Medicine at Glasgow University, then English Literature and History before moving to London to work in publishing. Her first novel was written at weekends, but she has now given up the ‘day job’ to write fiction full-time. She also writes short stories for magazines and speaks at libraries and literary festivals about subjects ranging from the British royal family to the Romanovs, and about writing itself.

The Blurb

An unforgettable discovery

In 1922, Lady Evelyn Herbert’s dreams are realised when she is the first to set foot inside the lost tomb of Tutankhamun for over 3,000 years.

A cursed life

But the months after the discovery are marred by tragedy, when Eve’s father dies suddenly and her family is torn in two. Desperate to put the past behind her, Eve retreats into a private life with her new husband.

A deadly choice

But she is harbouring a dark secret about what really happened in Egypt. And when a young woman comes asking questions years later, the happiness Eve has finally found is threatened once more…

In the Beginning...

Chapter 1 - London, July 1972

Eve opened her eyes a fraction and saw an old man sitting a couple of feet away. He had silver hair that receded on either side of his brow, leaving a widow's peak in the centre. She shut her eyes again and watched the fuzzy shapes that glimmered and danced in her visual field.

The next time she opened her eyelids the man was still there. Behind him she could make out a white room and the rectangular shape of a window.

"You're back," he said with a choking sound, as if he was overcome.

She tried to focus on him, blinking against the light. His eyes were red-rimmed behind wire spectacles. He was wearing a suit and tie. She looked down and realized he was holding her hand. At least, the hand was attached to an arm that led up to her body so it must be hers, but she couldn't feel it, couldn't make the fingers respond. That wasn't good.

"You've had one of your funny turns, Pipsqueak," he said. "You're in the hospital. You've been here before and you've always come bouncing back so I'm sure you will this time." His voice was wobbly. He had been crying.

She looked around. There was a tube in her other arm, attached to a bag with clear liquid in it. She remembered she'd had one of those before.

Who was this man? Was he her father? She frowned. That didn't feel like the right answer. He couldn't be a doctor because he wasn't wearing a white coat. Maybe he was her husband...

***

Well, I wonder who he is? I suppose the only way to find out will be to read on. This book looks like it is just my cup of tea and I am very keen to find out.

My Beautiful Dangerous by Laila Amlani - #BookBlitz

When I was invited to take part in the book blitz for this book, I knew straight away that I wanted to participate.  I know that they say that we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but this cover is so beautiful that I couldn't resist posting the details about this dark romance on the blog.

Every sin comes with a price. 

I ran away when I was a kid. 

Before my family could break me. 

Back when I thought I could still be saved.

Now I lie to everyone about who I am. 

I lie to myself about the things I’ve done. 

My new identity protects me. 

But my secrets demand a lonely life. 

No man is worth the risk. 

Until Chase Hale… 

He makes me forget that I'm unwanted. 

He makes me forget what I deserve. 

He makes me vulnerable. 

He makes me weak. 

And that’s what makes him dangerous. 

But when he starts making me believe I might be worth saving, that could be the most dangerous of all. 

Because every sin comes with a price, and when my family comes to collect, there will be nothing in this world left to save me. 

About the Author:

Software analyst by day and author by night. 

After reaching my fill of logic and data throughout my work life, I desperately needed a creative outlet to express my emotional and whimsical (and possibly a little bit crazy) side. And so… an author was born. I enjoy writing romance novels filled with heart, wit, and a plot twist or two. My heroines are intelligent, strong, sarcastic, and perhaps a bit quirky. Of course, the men are hot as hell and worthy of a steamy sex scene or two (or three, or four...) to showcase their talents. 

What can I say about my real life? I live in the desert where it's almost as hot as the men I like to write about. I love my dogs, movies, watching hockey, and someday, I aspire to kick my Cheetos addiction. 

More Than I Love My Life by David Grossman - Translated by Jessica Cohen - #BookReview

 Rafael was fifteen years old when his mother died and put him out of her misery. Rain poured down on the mourners huddled under umbrellas in the small kibbutz cemetery. Tuvia, Rafael's father, sobbed bitterly. He had cared for his wife devotedly for years and now looked lost and bereft. Rafael, wearing shorts, stood apart from the others and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his eyes so that no one would know he wasn't crying. He thought: Now that she's dead, she can see all the things I thought of her.

***

On a kibbutz in Israel in 2008, Gili is celebrating the ninetieth birthday of her grandmother Vera, the adored matriarch of a sprawling and tight-knit family. But festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Nina: the iron-willed daughter who rejected Vera's care; and the absent mother who abandoned Gili when she was still a baby.

Nina's return to the family after years of silence precipitates an epic journey from Israel to the desolate island of Goli Otok, formerly part of Yugoslavia. It was here, five decades earlier, that Vera was held and tortured as a political prisoner. And it is here that the three women will finally come to terms with the terrible moral dilemma that Vera faced, and that permanently altered the course of their lives.

More Than I Love My Life is a sweeping story about the power of love and loving with courage. A novel driven by faith in humanity even in our darkest moments, it asks us to confront our deepest held beliefs about a woman's duty to herself and to her children.

***

When I read David Grossman's book, Man Walks Into Bar, in 2017, I thought it was one of the best books I had ever read, and I maintain that opinion. You can read my review of it by clicking here. Whilst I would not claim the same for this book, it really isn't far behind.

Essentially, this book is the story of three generations of women, Vera, Nina and Gili. Three women who were all loved by Rafael;  three women who's lives were affected by grandmother Vera's, experience of the second world war. 

When they come together on a kibbutz in Israel for Vera's nintieth birthday, this hugely dysfunctional family find an opportunity to face the past and to consider the impact that the past, with all of it's secrets, has had upon their relationship with one another. They travel together, along with Raphael, who is Vera's stepson, Nina's husband and Gili's mother, to make a film about Vera's time in the Goli Otok camp.

Whilst there, we witness the intensity of Vera's experience and come to understand how it shaped the lives of all three women. Her recollections do not make for easy reading but the author brings them vividly to life in a non gratuitous way. He handles the telling of her experiences with sensitivity and empathy.

In fact, it is based upon a true story of a woman who was imprisoned and tortured at the barren Goli Otok camp for the purpose of re-education in the 1950's.  The author's description of the island is both detailed and atmospheric.

This is an intense book that is well worth reading. I very much want to read more of Mr. Grossman's work and I highly recommend this one.

ISBN: 978 1787332935

Publisher: Jonathan Cape

Formats: Hardcover, e-book and audio.

No. of Pages: 288 (hardback)

About the Author: 

David Grossman was born in Jerusalem. He is the author of numerous works of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature. His work has appeared in The New Yorker and has been translated into thirty languages around the world. He is the recipient of many prizes, including the French Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the Buxtehuder Bulle in Germany, Rome’s Premio per la Pace e l’Azione Umitaria, the Premio Ischia— International Award for Journalism, Israel’s Emet Prize, and the Albatross Prize given by the Günter Grass Foundation.

(author photo and bio info courtesy of Amazon)

New Releases in May 2022

There are some wonderful new books being released next month. For me, May feels like the beginning of summer and an opportunity to be outdoors, with or without a good book. 

Here are my favourite ten books being published during May.

Dreaming of Flight by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Never knowing his parents, eleven-year-old Stewie Little and his brother have been raised on a farm by their older sister. Stewie steadfastly tends the chickens left by his beloved late grandmother. And every day Stewie goes door to door selling fresh eggs from his wagon―a routine with a surprise just around the corner. It’s his new customer, Marilyn. She’s prickly and guarded, yet comfortably familiar―she reminds the grieving Stewie so much of the grandmother he misses more than he can express.

Marilyn has a reason for keeping her distance: a secret no one knows about. Her survival tactic is to draw a line between herself and other people―one that Stewie is determined to cross. As their visits become more frequent, a complicated but deeply rooted relationship grows. That’s when Stewie discovers how much more there is to Marilyn, to her past, and to challenges that become more pressing each day. But whatever difficult times lie ahead, Stewie learns that although he can’t fix everything for Marilyn or himself, at least he’s no longer alone.

Happy Happy Happy by Nicola Masters

It’s been more than a decade since Charlie Trewin left her sleepy Cornish fishing village for the dazzling lights of London, vowing never to return. But when shocking news of her father’s death forces her back to Carncarrow, she’s confronted with everything she thought she’d left behind: the tragic loss of her mother, her father’s obsessive hoarding—and her own unresolved emotions about them both.

At first Carncarrow seems like the same stuck-in-the-past, dead-end village Charlie escaped years ago. Nothing like London, where she’s built a wonderful new life: solid job, loving fiancé, and endless, boundless happiness. But as she sorts through her father’s stockpiled mementoes, she begins to rediscover the place she once called home—and realises that her life in London may not be as happy, happy, happy as she keeps telling herself.

When her fiancé unexpectedly shows up in Carncarrow, her two complicated worlds collide. With the past and the present competing for her attention, can Charlie finally make her peace with her memories? And can she find a way to be truly happy on her own terms?

A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

The season is about to begin – and there’s not a minute to lose…

Kitty Talbot needs a fortune.Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. This is 1818 after all, and only men have the privilege of seeking their own riches.

With just twelve weeks until Kitty and her sisters are made homeless, launching herself into London society is the only avenue open to her. And Kitty must use every ounce of cunning and ingenuity she possesses to climb the ranks.

The only one to see through her plans is the worldly Lord Radcliffe and he is determined to thwart her at any cost. Can Kitty secure a fortune and save her sisters from poverty? There is not a day to lose and no one – not even a lord – will stand in her way…

Elizabeth I's Final Years by Robert Stedall

Elizabeth I's Final Years outlines the interwoven relationships and rivalries between politicians and courtiers surrounding England’s omnipotent queen in the years following the death in 1588 of the Earl of Leicester. Elizabeth now surrounded herself with magnetically attractive younger men with the courtly graces to provide her with what Alison Weir has called ‘an eroticised political relationship’. With these ‘favourites’ holding sway at court, they saw personal bravery in the tiltyard or on military exploits as their means to political authority. They failed to appreciate that the parsimonious queen would always resist military aggression and resolutely backed her meticulously cautious advisors, William Cecil, Lord Burghley, and later his son Robert. With its access to New World treasure, it was Spain who threatened the fragile balance of power in Continental Europe. With English military intervention becoming inevitable, the Cecils diverted the likes of Walter Raleigh and the Earl of Essex, despite their lack of military experience, away from the limelight at court into colonial and military expeditions, leaving them just short of the resources needed for success. The favourites’ promotions caused friction when seasoned soldiers, like Sir Francis Vere with his unparalleled military record in the Low Countries, were left in subordinate roles. When Spanish support for rebellion in Ireland threatened English security, Robert Cecil encouraged Elizabeth to send Essex, knowing that high command was beyond his capabilities. Essex retorted by rebelling against Cecil’s government, for which he lost his head. Both Elizabeth and Cecil realised that only the bookish Lord Mountjoy, another favourite, had the military acumen to resolve the Irish crisis, but his mistress, Essex’s sister, the incomparable Penelope Rich, was mired by involvement in her brother’s conspiracy. Despite this, Cecil gave Mountjoy unstinting support, biding his time to tarnish his name with James I, as he did against Raleigh and his other political foes.

The Island of Forgetting by Jasmine Sealy

In this compelling debut, an unknowable legacy passes through generations of one family living on the beautiful island of Barbados.

There is Iapetus, a lonely soul haunted by the memory of his father; his son Atlas, dreaming of a life far removed from his reality; Atlas’s daughter Calypso, struggling to find her place in an unforgiving society; and her son Nautilus, grappling with various parts of a complex identity.

Each of them longs to escape – to go beyond the borders and circumstances that have contained them for so long – but each finds that they are trapped by a history found only in whispers and half-remembered fragments; and that it is dictating a future over which they have little control.

With every passing decade another generation must contend with the same doubts about their identity, about their place in the small world they have carved out for themselves and the same question: how can the things we don’t know define our futures?

Perfect for fans of Girl, Woman, Other and Homegoing, The Island of Forgetting is a powerful story of family and hope, and marks the arrival of a stunning new voice in literary fiction.

A Stitch in Time in Applewell by Lilac Mills

Gracie rescues old clothes and cast offs from Applewell's charity shop, making them into cute and fresh outfits, which she then sells in her little shop. Turning a profit is hard at the best of times, let alone when new arrival Lucas appears...

After running away from the village in his teens, Lucas has finally returned to an uncomfortable amount of fanfare and gossip. His job requires him to streamline homeless charity, UnderCover, and his plans to do so risk putting Gracie out of business.

The pair of them exchange harsh words but when Lucas' niece cuts up his sister's wedding dress, there's only one person he can think to turn to. Along with repairing the dress, will Gracie patch up her relationship with Lucas? Or is that a stitch too far?

One Moonlit Night by Rachel Hore

Forced to leave their family home in London after it is bombed, Maddie and her two young daughters take refuge at Knyghton, the beautiful country house in Norfolk where Maddie’s husband Philip spent the summers of his childhood.

But Philip is gone, believed to have been killed in action in northern France. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Maddie refuses to give up hope that she and Philip will some day be reunited.

 

Arriving at Knyghton, Maddie feels closer to her missing husband, but she soon realises that there’s a reason Philip has never spoken to her about his past. Something happened at Knyghton one summer years before. Something that involved Philip, his cousin Lyle and a mysterious young woman named Flora.

 

Maddie’s curiosity turns to desperation as she tries to discover the truth, but no one will speak about what happened all those years ago, and no one will reassure her that Philip will ever return to Knyghton.

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani

Domenica Cabrelli had two great loves of her life.The first, her childhood sweetheart: a boy from the same small, sun-drenched Italian town of Viareggio. A romance born out of yearning and shared history; over before it really had a chance to begin.

Then, on an idyllic French coastline in the shadow of war, Domenica's second great love affair, which would go on to define her - a mysterious captain, with a future on the front line.

Many decades later, only her daughter, Matelda, knows the true story of these two men's lives, and the secret that connects them. And, as the end of her life nears, Matelda realises that some truths are too great to be lost.

But as she works against the clock with her own daughter to unpack their family's legacy, more questions arise than answers.

What was the real story of her mother's wartime years? What kept her away from Italy for so long, after the fighting had ended? And what, ultimately, brought her home again? . . .

London, with Love by Sarra Manning

London. Nine million people. Two hundred and seventy tube stations. Every day, thousands of chance encounters, first dates, goodbyes and happy ever afters.

And for twenty years it's been where one man and one woman can never get their timing right.

Jennifer and Nick meet as teenagers and over the next two decades, they fall in and out of love with each other. Sometimes they start kissing. Sometimes they're just friends. Sometimes they stop speaking, but they always find their way back to each other.

But after all this time, are they destined to be together or have they finally reached the end of the line?

I read Sara's novel, After the Last Dance, a while ago and you can read my review of it by clicking here.

When We Let Go by Rochelle B. Weinstein

When Avery Beckett is proposed to by Jude Masters, a widowed father and the man she loves, it should be a time of great joy. Instead, Avery is on edge. She’s wary of the idea of family, doubtful of happy endings, and too afraid to take the leap. It’s the kind of fear that comes from having secrets.

Before Avery commits to a new life, she must reconcile with the one she left behind.

When Avery returns to her childhood farm in the North Carolina mountains, she’s surprised to be saddled with a companion: Jude’s teenage daughter, Elle, who’s grappling with the loss of her mother and the complicated emotions of first love. On a path of mending wounds and breaking down walls, Avery and Elle form an unexpected alliance. It’s giving them the courage to move forward. And for Avery, everything she needs to confront the past.

An emotional tale of mothers and daughters, loss and acceptance, When We Let Go is about the lessons that come from heartbreak and the healing it takes to embrace the joy of a second chance.