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Showing posts from December, 2019

Book review: Selection Day

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By Aravind Adiga Published by Picador Synopsis: Manjunath Kumar is fourteen. He knows he is good at cricket - if not as good as his elder brother Radha. He knows that he fears and resents his domineering and cricket-obsessed father, admires his brilliantly talented sibling and is fascinated by the world of CSI and by curious and interesting scientific facts. But there are many things, about himself and about the world, that he doesn't know… Sometimes it seems as though everyone around him has a clear idea of who Manju should be, except Manju himself. When Manju begins to get to know Radha's great rival, a boy as privileged and confident as Manju is not, everything in Manju's world begins to change and he is faced with decisions that will challenge both his sense of self and of the world around him… How did this book end up in my hands? I bought this book during a bookshop crawl in London as I feel it is important to support independent businesses. Was it a pag

Blog tour: A Springtime to Remember

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Welcome to the blog tour for Lucy Coleman ’s A Springtime to Remember ! First of all, here's the dreamy synopsis… *** Paris and the Palace of Versailles have always meant a lot to TV producer Lexie. Her grandma Viv spent a year there, but her adventures and memories were never discussed, and Lexie has long wondered why they were a family secret.  When work presents the perfect excuse to spend springtime in Versailles, Lexie delves into Viv’s old diaries and scrapbooks, and with the help of handsome interpreter Ronan, she is soon learning more about the characters that tend to the magnificent gardens, now and in the past. In amongst the beauty and splendour of the French countryside, a story of lost love, rivalry and tragedy unfolds. Can Lexie and Ronan right the wrongs of the past, and will France play its tricks on them both before Lexie has to go home? Will this truly be a Springtime to Remember…? *** With spring not quite yet at our doors, I love books that give you

Book review: A Christmas Carol

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By Charles Dickens Synopsis: A Christmas Carol is the most famous, heart-warming and chilling festive story of them all. In these pages we meet Ebenezer Scrooge, whose name is synonymous with greed and parsimony: 'Every idiot who goes about with "Merry Christmas" on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart'. This attitude is soon challenged when the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley, returns from the grave to haunt him on Christmas Eve. Scrooge is then visited in turn by three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future, each one revealing the error of his ways and gradually melting the frozen heart of this old miser, leading him towards his redemption. On the journey we take with Scrooge we encounter a rich array of Dickensian characters including the poor Cratchit family with the ailing Tiny Tim and the generous and jolly Fezziwig. How did this book end up in my hands? I began reading the

Blog tour: First in the Fight

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It is with special pleasure that today I welcome you to the blog tour for First in the Fight , written by Helen Antrobus and Andrew Simcock. About the book Emmeline Pankhurst stands proudly in St Peter’s Square, but she stands for so many more… First in the Fight  tells the compelling stories of the twenty women featured on the Our Emmeline statue long-list. Author Helen Antrobus brings to life the achievements of these radical Manchester women alongside beautiful illustrations by the Women in Print collective. Be part of the legacy of the 20 Manchester women who changed the world. Description The women of Greater Manchester have long stood shoulder to shoulder in the fight for equality and social change. The unveiling of the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst in St Peter’s Square, strove to represent the contributions that Manchester women had made not only to the city, but also to the rest of the world. Sitting alongside stunning illustrations from the ‘Women in Print’ co

Book review: The Tea Gardens

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By Fiona McIntosh Synopsis: Spirited Doctor Isla Fenwick is determined to work at the coalface of medicine in India before committing to life as a dutiful wife. With hopes of making a difference in the world, she sails to Calcutta to set up a midwifery clinic. There she will be forced to question her beliefs, her professionalism and her romantic loyalties.  On a desperate rescue mission to save the one person who needs her the most, she travels into the foothills of the Himalayas to a tea plantation outside Darjeeling. At the roof of the world, where heaven and earth collide, Isla will be asked to pay the ultimate price for her passions.  How did this book end up in my hands? I was browsing the BorrowBox app looking for my next audiobook and the title of this book caught my eye as I happened to have visited and loved some tea gardens in India. Was it a page-turner? This novel is rich with descriptions but it is also quite eventful. I wouldn’t go as far as to define

Blog tour: The Devil's Apprentice by Kenneth B. Andersen

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Welcome to the blog tour for Kenneth B. Andersen ’s The Devil’s Apprentice , the first volume in The Great Devil War series. What is the book about? Philip is a good boy, a really good boy, who accidentally gets sent to Hell to become the Devil’s heir. The Devil, Lucifer, is dying and desperately in need of a successor, but there’s been a mistake and Philip is the wrong boy. Philip is terrible at being bad, but Lucifer has no other choice than to begin the difficult task of training him in the ways of evil. Philip gets both friends and enemies in this odd, gloomy underworld—but who can he trust, when he discovers an evil-minded plot against the dark throne? And what about the author? Kenneth B. Andersen is an award-winning Danish writer, who has published more than forty books for children and young adults, including both fantasy, horror, and science fiction.  His books have been translated into more than 15 languages and his hit-series about the superhero Antbo

Book review: Kissing the Witch

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By Emma Donoghue Synopsis: In Kissing the Witch , Emma Donoghue unwinds thirteen fairy tales and writes them anew: Cinderella forsakes the handsome prince and runs off with the fairy godmother, Beauty discovers the Beast behind the mask is not so very different from the face she sees in the mirror, and Snow White is awakened from slumber by the bittersweet fruit of an unnamed desire. In these stories, Emma Donoghue reveals heroines young and old in unexpected alliances - sometimes treacherous, sometimes erotic, but always courageous. Told with luminous voices that shimmer with sensuality and truth, these age-old characters shed their antiquated cloaks to travel a seductive new landscape, radiantly transformed. How did this book end up in my hands? I was looking for something to listen to in the car and I chose this audiobook purely based on having enjoyed every book by Emma Donoghue that I’ve read so far. Was it a page-turner? The tales are all connected but they