tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66288274110392194142024-03-16T01:10:05.232+00:00Book after BookSilvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.comBlogger989125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-10272453351644810102024-03-14T02:30:00.001+00:002024-03-14T02:30:00.133+00:00Blog tour: Dark Clouds Bring Waters<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Dark Clouds Bring Waters</i> by I R
Ridley!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_s2qt2Yg0yOZQLsN-giaHJAm7WN7MjI0t3H46VxXsvGw7feZj300R4geqHKCy3cyz4Gn3RbhpxhyphenhyphenREVHwiesqjOt0X4rtS8oRolmaAGgTZdJwyCQwgQR1G9KWDKO1-_hS8oRCha9VRx12udWz-sFNDYt5A18lLp97D_33JjjA2qgopd0lVIqB2TZ3I4/s1920/Dark%20Clouds%20BT%20Poster%20.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_s2qt2Yg0yOZQLsN-giaHJAm7WN7MjI0t3H46VxXsvGw7feZj300R4geqHKCy3cyz4Gn3RbhpxhyphenhyphenREVHwiesqjOt0X4rtS8oRolmaAGgTZdJwyCQwgQR1G9KWDKO1-_hS8oRCha9VRx12udWz-sFNDYt5A18lLp97D_33JjjA2qgopd0lVIqB2TZ3I4/w640-h640/Dark%20Clouds%20BT%20Poster%20.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We all have questions for the dead…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Comedy writer Luke Jessop’s life is in stasis.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He hasn’t written a word since his wife, Billie, died almost
three years ago and on finding a pile of old letters from her ex, Adam, he has
begun to wonder how well he really knew her.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Embarking on a pilgrimage to Italy, Luke determines to piece
together the full story about his wild and sometimes secretive love.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But with Adam refusing to answer his questions and a
flame-haired hotel guest threatening his fragile calm, can Luke finally face
the truths of the past and learn to live again?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ian Ridley is a writer and journalist who spent 35 years on national
newspapers, including 18 on The Guardian and The Observer.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Dark Clouds Bring Waters</i> is his third novel, and a move into literary
fiction after his two crime thrillers, <i>Outer Circle</i> and<i> Don’t Talk</i>, in the ‘Jan
Mason investigative journalist’ series.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ian has also written 14 non-fiction books, including two
shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. <i>Addicted</i>,
written with the former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams, was a Sunday
Times No. 1 bestseller while <i>The Breath of Sadness: On love, grief and cricket</i>
is a poignant account of coping with the death of his wife Vikki Orvice, a
trailblazing sports journalist, in February of 2019 at the age of 56. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">If the rollercoaster of grief could be made into a novel, this would be
it. The five stages that people talk about - </span>denial, anger,
bargaining, depression and acceptance - all have a place in these pages, albeit
not quite so orderly since grief is not something that follows a tidy, linear
trajectory. With depth and dignity, the author gives us a glimpse into the life
of Luke as he approaches the third anniversary of his wife’s death and, having
read it could be helpful, embarks on a pilgrimage to a place where they had
both been happy. Everything, from a favourite restaurant to a beloved view,
becomes both joyful and melancholic in a tug of contradicting emotions. Evocatively
set in the beautiful Cinque Terre, this is a short but powerful novel on love
and loss.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Evocative. Inspiring. Emotional.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, it’s beautiful.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author? </b>No, I haven’t yet.</span></p><br /><p></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-14455277812425778322024-03-08T11:00:00.003+00:002024-03-08T11:00:31.653+00:00Blog tour: A Bookshop of One's Own<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>A Bookshop of One's Own</i> by
Jane Cholmeley!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDRGwVO9R9tXqR1pEf-otZ5nAiHiT0PcnqQexdBUiiEvRs45nXYi4n8HVrZG5semepwd2CU4AEtc_W_j9iSkU8WI4l8XHLP-kcgcGchjRq4y0RX2h_BumoCXDQ4Y341VRkx_s0RjtbVyYtd0UCf0b4iFm3IXe6sx5p9P0fLdds7fSqWC5G4vcOXPBsU8/s1920/FINAL%20BOOKSHOP%20BT%20POSTER%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1336" data-original-width="1920" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDRGwVO9R9tXqR1pEf-otZ5nAiHiT0PcnqQexdBUiiEvRs45nXYi4n8HVrZG5semepwd2CU4AEtc_W_j9iSkU8WI4l8XHLP-kcgcGchjRq4y0RX2h_BumoCXDQ4Y341VRkx_s0RjtbVyYtd0UCf0b4iFm3IXe6sx5p9P0fLdds7fSqWC5G4vcOXPBsU8/w640-h446/FINAL%20BOOKSHOP%20BT%20POSTER%20.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What was it like to start a feminist bookshop,
in an industry dominated by men? How could a lesbian thrive in Thatcher’s
Britain, with the government legislating to restrict her rights? How do you run
a business when your real aim is to change the world? The captivating true
story of an underdog business and a woman at the very heart of the women‘s
liberation movement.</span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Silver Moon was the dream of three women – a bookshop with the
mission to promote the work of female writers and create a much-needed safe
space for any woman. Founded in 1980s London against a backdrop of homophobia
and misogyny, it was a testament to the power of community, growing into
Europe’s biggest women’s bookshop and hosting a constellation of
literary stars from Margaret Atwood and Maya Angelou to Angela Carter. While
contending with day-to-day struggles common to other booksellers, plus the
additional burdens of misogyny and the occasional hate crime, Jane Cholmeley
and her booksellers created a thriving business. But they also played a crucial
and relatively unsung part in one the biggest social movements of our time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jane Cholmeley is a key figure in the history of British feminism.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sandi Toksvig nominated Jane as a Gay Icon in the National
Portrait Gallery’s exhibition of that name in 2009 and Jacqueline Wilson named
Jane her feminist icon in Stylist, 2018.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I am writing this review on International Women’s Day, which seems apt,
given that Jane Cholmeley dedicated a good chunk of her life to the empowerment
of women.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you are a feminist or a lesbian, the words Silver Moon are likely to
give you goosebumps. I remember arriving in London in the early 2000s, sadly too
late to visit the bookshop in its original incarnation but just about in time
to visit its space within Foyles. At the time I wasn’t entirely out – not even
to myself – and yet those shelves were like a magnet, a call home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I was still in nappies when Silver Moon was founded and flourished, and
yet it feels like it is part of my story. I might not have been there, and the
fight for our rights is not over, but – were it not for the struggles and the
resilience of women like Jane Cholmeley – I probably wouldn’t be here, living
as an openly gay woman with my wife and children.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But I digress! The book, whose cover is a sight for sore eyes, is an important
piece of social history. Its pages follow the arc, ascending and then descending,
of the Silver Moon years – from the birth of the idea for a bookshop for women
on the famous Charing Cross Road to the permanent closure of its doors. Chapter
after chapter, we learn of the struggles, the successes, and both the worrisome
and the joyful moments that peppered the bookshop’s existence.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jane’s writing is clear and to the point. She’s funny but also serious
when needed. Above all, she is clearly passionate about her subject matter. The
book is an ode to Silver Moon, but also an ode to literature, to authors and to
the shop’s customers and employees over the years. The last few pages had me in
tears. Sure, you can now find the most popular feminist and lesbian books in
mainstream bookshops, and even supermarkets, but why does this have to mean the
end of such important spaces for our community?*</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tomorrow, Jane Cholmeley is going to be in Brighton, at The Feminist
Bookshop, to talk about how small business can reconcile their values with the
demands of a capitalist system. Can purpose and profit co-exist? I don’t have
the answer but I am going to be there, clutching my copy of this book, possibly
too shy to ask for it to be signed but happy nonetheless to be in the presence
of this icon of ourstory.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Buy the book! And if you can do so and support an independent bookshop
like The Feminist Bookshop in Brighton, Gay’s the Word in London and Category
is Books in Glasgow, even better!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*Rethorical question, obviously. We all know where we should point our
fingers.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-41362900482566990572024-03-04T10:42:00.002+00:002024-03-04T10:42:18.536+00:00Book review: Animals Brag About Their Bottoms<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbez60YyDJjyn4lq8i7hPicn61SoxcZOOiITkJoep5K24IDco2ckLiPeniTAguVELO4kYinT5wTQio1wCSupOt8m7QEBGTAPm7HT-WVkClCPXUknHjwl8x3EfLPomJCgcm1LkWGI4j07HHvG3rE4d7UrbaMry2BhS5CDFEy_YPVBh-Zwpl6VfCX_Yoxp8/s4160/IMG_20240303_132219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbez60YyDJjyn4lq8i7hPicn61SoxcZOOiITkJoep5K24IDco2ckLiPeniTAguVELO4kYinT5wTQio1wCSupOt8m7QEBGTAPm7HT-WVkClCPXUknHjwl8x3EfLPomJCgcm1LkWGI4j07HHvG3rE4d7UrbaMry2BhS5CDFEy_YPVBh-Zwpl6VfCX_Yoxp8/s320/IMG_20240303_132219.jpg" width="240" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Animals Brag About Their Bottoms by Maki Saito</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you have or know children, by gifting them this book you will make
their day, month or, possibly, year! My children were all over it as soon as
they laid eyes on it. A book about bottoms? Wonderful! The fascination is constant,
and giggles are guaranteed, regardless of how many times you have already inspected
these animals’ derrieres!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With elegant illustrations and a simple text, translated from the Japanese by Brian Bergstrom, this is a great tool for
parents to teach their children that we are all equal and beautiful, each in
our own individual way. The little ones think we’re just having fun, while, in
reality, we’re imparting an important lesson. Sneaky. I love it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the book… </b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NuecQg-ToyYCSsT18JxQKhovS8TqqvWAfx4s9oMMdrnVjIt_TQ_Hqg_Ue80xug_JSZTKgNR7C-IdEhPn4u5iXSRfywylx_-ESqoD8I3W6SU2qsQxOJz1ssLGGwck2h0NF0UzZCa-sAsiroNg0tnoafM9G3rgFEvk7Tblv25r8INyOMCM8_yaI2E7gl8/s4160/IMG_20240303_132329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NuecQg-ToyYCSsT18JxQKhovS8TqqvWAfx4s9oMMdrnVjIt_TQ_Hqg_Ue80xug_JSZTKgNR7C-IdEhPn4u5iXSRfywylx_-ESqoD8I3W6SU2qsQxOJz1ssLGGwck2h0NF0UzZCa-sAsiroNg0tnoafM9G3rgFEvk7Tblv25r8INyOMCM8_yaI2E7gl8/s320/IMG_20240303_132329.jpg" width="240" /></a></b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All bottoms are wonderful! Don’t you agree? Each animal in this adorable
book has a different reason for loving their behind—from cute and round to
fashionable and striped. Maki Saito makes readers laugh out loud with playful illustrations of
the backsides of hippos, zebras, pandas, mandrills, and more. Her traditional
Japanese art techniques add a sophisticated, beautiful feel. Charming and whimsical, this book encourages self-love and body
positivity, as well as a whole lot of laughter and fun.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author and illustrator…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Maki Saito is an artist and author known for her unique artistic
methods using paper collage, stenciled paintings, and bin-gata, a traditional
Japanese dyeing technique developed in Okinawa. She has written and illustrated
several books in Japanese, inspired by her love for all living creatures in
nature. <i>Animals Brag About Their Bottoms </i>is her first book
translated into English.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-72518258130394207682024-02-29T03:30:00.034+00:002024-02-29T03:30:00.247+00:00Blog tour: The Wartime Book Club<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>The Wartime Book Club</i> by
Kate Thompson!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9JYmD8pWwYqUyys6svIBezHHwPUtCwAgs18VBdzAYtThdUyoMOwvNFb934o4oYv0ja2DGgYvBi3Teu5uq2Dcrv9gj6G3AQL27eXpCaBl3MpOxhXdEeZnaQ2T0BFDElGjYGYpN90jmbSHCbUxwd2TOThNt067zFUKbBqyUTk0T8Tect0j_CSIkK7-iRw/s1920/Wartime%20Book%20Club%202%20BT%20Poster%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="1920" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9JYmD8pWwYqUyys6svIBezHHwPUtCwAgs18VBdzAYtThdUyoMOwvNFb934o4oYv0ja2DGgYvBi3Teu5uq2Dcrv9gj6G3AQL27eXpCaBl3MpOxhXdEeZnaQ2T0BFDElGjYGYpN90jmbSHCbUxwd2TOThNt067zFUKbBqyUTk0T8Tect0j_CSIkK7-iRw/w640-h414/Wartime%20Book%20Club%202%20BT%20Poster%20.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jersey, 1943. Once a warm and neighbourly community, now German soldiers
patrol the cobbled streets, imposing a harsh rule on the people of the island.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Grace La Mottée, the island's only librarian, is ordered to
destroy books which threaten the new regime. Instead, she hides the stories
away in secret. Along with her headstrong best friend, postwoman Bea Rose, she
wants to fight back. So she forms the wartime book club: a lifeline, offering fearful islanders the joy and
escapism of reading.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But as the occupation drags on, the women's quiet acts of
bravery become more perilous - and more important - than ever before. And, when
tensions turn to violence, they are forced to face the true, terrible cost of
resistance…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kate Thompson was born in London and worked as a journalist for twenty
years on women's magazines and national newspapers. She now lives in Sunbury
with her husband, two sons and two rescue dogs. After ghost-writing five
memoirs, Kate moved into fiction. Kate's first non-fiction social history
documenting the forgotten histories of East End matriarchy, <i>The Stepney
Doorstep Society</i>, was published in 2018 by Penguin. She is passionate about
capturing lost voices and untold social histories.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Today Kate works as a journalist, author and library
campaigner. Her most recent books, <i>The Little Wartime Library</i> (2022) and <i>The Wartime Book Club</i> (2023) by Hodder & Stoughton focus on two
remarkable libraries in wartime. Her 100 libraries project, celebrates the richness
and complexity of librarians work and the vital role of libraries in our
communities.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I know Kate Thompson through her podcast, <i>From the Library with Love</i>,
but this was the first time I read one of her books and I don’t want it to be
the last. What a marvel of a novel. I honestly don’t know where to begin.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Simply put, it’s a book about two lifelong friends, Grace and Bea, who find
small (but, in reality, pretty significant) ways to rebel against the Nazi
occupation of their island, Jersey. But then, it is also an ode to books and
their power, to resilience in the face of adversity. It is about friends and
family – whether it’s by blood or choice. There are tears, laughter, moments of
despair, as well as joy.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If I’m honest, I think I read a good half of the book without daring to
breathe. This book is so well-researched that I felt like I was right there, standing
by this incredible cast of major and minor characters, where ‘minor’ purely
refers to the number of times they appear on the page. Yes, because in this
story, based on incredible real events, nobody played a minor role.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To make this book even more memorable, after reaching the last full stop
– and permission to breathe again – I happily discovered a treasure trove of extra
content, including a letter in which the author explains where the inspiration
for the book came from, and notes about the real people who feature, directly
or indirectly, in the novel.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. One of
the books mentioned in the story, <i>The Book Lovers’ Anthology</i>, contains a quote
that seems very apt in this case, so I will leave you with it: ‘<i>Much reading is
like much eating, wholly useless without digestion</i>’ (R. South).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Inspiring. Emotional. Gripping.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover? </b>Yes, it’s beautiful!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, and, for the life of
me, I don’t know why!</span></p><br /><p></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-59859387307157615152024-02-28T10:20:00.001+00:002024-02-28T10:20:23.015+00:00Blog tour: The Sleeping Beauties<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>The Sleeping Beauties</i> by
Lucy Ashe!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuhHyNYHiusSd4aDVJeERN9NKyFyCxWkK0r5oNQHzKl1QI_wlLB9eyqMU8wNgSDiypU6j61w3VJXjG5DvJuedlIe-4hKi3ubOccNrtiq6S7xEGiYl5o619K2iVE8ONqw3vpjQjqYnlI3_ekl-qY5AlWhplqIwm48P4J2W_hn6giCJ7nGUJjXLMwGyqIM/s1080/Sleeping%20Beauties%202%20BT%20Poster%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1080" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuhHyNYHiusSd4aDVJeERN9NKyFyCxWkK0r5oNQHzKl1QI_wlLB9eyqMU8wNgSDiypU6j61w3VJXjG5DvJuedlIe-4hKi3ubOccNrtiq6S7xEGiYl5o619K2iVE8ONqw3vpjQjqYnlI3_ekl-qY5AlWhplqIwm48P4J2W_hn6giCJ7nGUJjXLMwGyqIM/w640-h456/Sleeping%20Beauties%202%20BT%20Poster%20.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">May 1945 and at long last, Rosamund Caradon is feeling optimistic. As
she returns the last few evacuees to London from her Devonshire manor, she vows
to protect dance-obsessed daughter Jasmine from further peril.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But a chance meeting with a Sadler’s Wells ballet dancer
changes everything.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When the beautiful, elusive Briar Woods bursts into
Rosamund’s train carriage, it’s clear her sights are set on the immediately
captivated Jasmine. And Rosamund cannot shake the eerie feeling this accidental
encounter is not what it seems.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For Briar may be far away from the pointe shoes and
greasepaint of the Sleeping Beauty ballet that is so much a part of her, but her
performance for Rosamund might just be her most successful yet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This, Briar feels, is a show for a mother and daughter. A
dance that could turn deadly…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After training at the Royal Ballet School for eight years, Lucy Ashe
decided to change career plans and go to university, where she read English
Literature before becoming a teacher.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Her poetry and short stories have been published in a number
of literary journals and she was shortlisted for the 2020 Impress Prize for New
Writers. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I am particularly intrigued by novels set during the Second World War and
the years surrounding it. Combine this with a gorgeous cover, and I am jumping
at the opportunity to read a book! And what a book this is!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Exploring themes of </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">female friendship, family secrets, obsession and
jealousy, the novel is told from the dual perspectives of Rosamund and Briar.
Are they both what they appear to be? This question is answered as we are taken
back and forth in time, building up the tension until – after a fair share of plot
twists - we find out the truth.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I liked that neither character is
flawless, as it made them more real to me. As real as the world of ballet that
emerges from these pages. You can tell that the author is passionate about ballet
and has first-hand experience of being on a stage.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a marvellous read!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it. </b>Atmospheric. Immersive. Intriguing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> I love it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, but I have read reviews
and I want to read her debut.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-19738578143304882462024-02-26T03:30:00.001+00:002024-02-26T03:30:00.314+00:00Blog tour: Point Zero<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Point Zero</i> by Seichõ
Matsumoto, translated from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmAwlCwxOiq7FbdRZB3yjSng-H_T7uZaAVGGHiV-KfdohN99ChG6bqBbaj0BIEYmXU16uaTKJgUIZ6hn5pzrGBjoWOoBh_zkTLZkNc5T_HF_GY575a9xhz3f5boxCrf5Z40QwIeVyUTXMOatbXJmM_z2z9uVTP2AdJ6YXHeINv944ZHSW9QNgG4E3B3o/s1920/Point%20Zero%20BT%20Poster%20.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmAwlCwxOiq7FbdRZB3yjSng-H_T7uZaAVGGHiV-KfdohN99ChG6bqBbaj0BIEYmXU16uaTKJgUIZ6hn5pzrGBjoWOoBh_zkTLZkNc5T_HF_GY575a9xhz3f5boxCrf5Z40QwIeVyUTXMOatbXJmM_z2z9uVTP2AdJ6YXHeINv944ZHSW9QNgG4E3B3o/w640-h640/Point%20Zero%20BT%20Poster%20.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tokyo, 1958. Teiko marries Kenichi Uhara, ten years her
senior, an advertising man recommended by a go-between. After a four-day
honeymoon, Kenichi vanishes. Teiko travels to the coastal and snow-bound city
of Kanazawa, where Kenichi was last seen, to investigate his disappearance.
When Kenichi’s brother comes to help her, he is murdered, poisoned in his hotel
room.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Soon, Teiko discovers that her husband’s disappearance is tied up with
the so-called “pan-pan girls”, women who worked as prostitutes catering to
American GIs after the war. Now, ten years later, as the country is recovering,
there are those who are willing to take extreme measures to hide that past.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Seicho Matsumoto (1909-1982) was Japan's most successful mystery writer.
His first detective novel, </span><i>Points and Lines</i>, sold over a million copies in Japan.
<i>Vessel of Sand</i>, published in English as <i>Inspector Imanishi Investigates </i>in1989,
sold over four million copies and became a movie box-office hit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the translator…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Louise Heal Kawai is a translator of Japanese literature based in
Yokohama. She previously translated Seicho Matsumoto’s<i> A Quiet Place</i> for Bitter
Lemon Press. She is the translator of other works in the mystery genre,
including Seishi Yokomizo’s <i>The Honjin Murders</i> and <i>Death on Gokumon Island</i>, and
<i>Seventeen </i>and <i>The North Light</i> by Hideo Yokoyama.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This novel seems to have it all: intriguing characters, a complex
mystery, beautiful settings and fascinating glimpses into Japanese society.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">First published in Japanese in 1959, this is an exquisitely written
crime novel featuring a female protagonist which, at the time this book was
published, was something new in the author’s native Japan. Teiko and Kenichi
have barely been married for a month when he goes missing on a business trip.
While aware of what is expected of her as a Japanese woman of the time, she
nonetheless takes it upon herself to look into her husband’s disappearance.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The author takes us on a twofold journey: one in space, from Tokyo to
the evocatively described Ishikawa prefecture, and one in time, from our
comfortable sofas in 2024 to the gender norms and etiquette of 1959 Japan and,
further back to the years of the American post-war occupation of Japan. A
fascinating reading experience that made me reach out for the kettle every time
that Teiko sat down to drink a cup of tea… which was a lot!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Atmospheric. Complex. Clever.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, it’s perfect for this mystery novel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author? </b>No, but I desperately
want to catch up. And, based on her obvious great skills, I wouldn’t mind
checking out what else Louise Heal Kawai has translated from the Japanese.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-10385528868862629042024-02-20T03:00:00.001+00:002024-02-20T03:00:00.147+00:00Blog tour: Mongrel<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for Mongrel by Hanako Footman!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPghCsjz9KqTVzPOLH3_ISRMY460kbUeqyDz0P0efmxxtGo_rZYAWlf2CFQGNoh996-JHbH1ohFeaG2uYM1TuGHvVMQ8ENbKXKovGzCnVV7qi2wPPZx0Zo9Usr3FKt_aXStpUGlXqpSrq2p-SwBBhkGbmyyn33ohXw7kEqCff6DO19YbWuWlAAtyXsw18/s1920/Mongrel%20BT%20Poster%20.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPghCsjz9KqTVzPOLH3_ISRMY460kbUeqyDz0P0efmxxtGo_rZYAWlf2CFQGNoh996-JHbH1ohFeaG2uYM1TuGHvVMQ8ENbKXKovGzCnVV7qi2wPPZx0Zo9Usr3FKt_aXStpUGlXqpSrq2p-SwBBhkGbmyyn33ohXw7kEqCff6DO19YbWuWlAAtyXsw18/w640-h640/Mongrel%20BT%20Poster%20.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mei loses her Japanese mother at age six. Growing up in suburban Surrey,
she yearns to fit in, suppressing not only her heritage but her growing desire
for her best friend Fran.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yuki leaves the Japanese countryside to pursue her dream of
becoming a concert violinist in London. Far from home and in an unfamiliar
city, she finds herself caught up in the charms of her older teacher.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Haruka attempts to navigate Tokyo's nightlife and all of its
many vices, working as a hostess in the city's sex district. She grieves a
mother who hid so many secrets from her, until finally one of those secrets
comes to light...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Shifting between three intertwining narratives, <i>Mongrel </i>reveals a tangled web of desire, isolation, belonging and
ultimately, hope.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hanako Footman is a British-Japanese actor and author living in London.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Mongrel </i>is her debut novel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My, oh my, what a treasure of a novel! I love when different storylines
come seamlessly together to create one seemingly unavoidable whole – and the
author has achieved it with perfection here. I was so engrossed in the
individual stories of the three protagonists – Mei, Yuki and Haruka – that I
didn’t even think to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. It probably
took me a lot longer to figure out the way they were connected than it should have…
but it was so worth it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I can’t reveal too much without giving something away. What I can say,
however, is that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Mei who, half English and
half Japanese, yearned to find her own identity. Yuki was interesting because I
could identify with some of the struggles of someone who leaves everything they
know behind to make a life in a different country. And Haruka… by far the most
fascinating and elusive character for me as she was somehow familiar and unfamiliar
at the same time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And Japan… the descriptions of Tokyo and the countryside made me want to
hop on a plane back to this most intriguing country. Everything that I
associate with Japan – the food, the architecture, the language – almost felt
like a whole extra character. I loved it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it. </b>Poignant. Evocative. Hopeful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover? </b>Yes, it is a perfect fit for this novel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, this is a debut novel.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-63018234167674059242024-02-20T02:00:00.005+00:002024-02-20T02:00:00.400+00:00Blog tour: Murder in the Library<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Murder in the </i></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Library </i>by Anita Davison</span>!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDB_c_q0K6X-7QRrnwolpehItHySrz0HCWZgvf4JX0k0xGo4_lx7dttYt274DX29tJ6F7yUxXikKjCDUITgNdoSxct0vvRfyHCSKFjGzmLyKPLPg3tEzwDGgkHoBW8abX7IewWp2k1Vtak0oGApu3BI3IfX7GQeS7S1NBmJCAvQrJT0uLNKV2xMFPcaAg/s2750/Murder%20in%20The%20Library%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2750" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDB_c_q0K6X-7QRrnwolpehItHySrz0HCWZgvf4JX0k0xGo4_lx7dttYt274DX29tJ6F7yUxXikKjCDUITgNdoSxct0vvRfyHCSKFjGzmLyKPLPg3tEzwDGgkHoBW8abX7IewWp2k1Vtak0oGApu3BI3IfX7GQeS7S1NBmJCAvQrJT0uLNKV2xMFPcaAg/w640-h290/Murder%20in%20The%20Library%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1916, London: Keen to support the war effort, bookshop manager and
sometime amateur sleuth Hannah Merrill has taken a volunteer role in the library
of the nearby military hospital. But arriving at the hospital one cold winter’s
morning, she is horrified to find the body of a dead soldier in the library.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">What’s more, a beautiful young nurse confides </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">in Hannah that she thinks she’s being followed, and then she abruptly </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">disappears.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hannah can’t shake the suspicion that the two </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">cases are connected, but she can’t solve the case alone. She’ll once again need </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">to call upon her delightful, demanding, only-occasionally devious aunt, Violet.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The two women know they must find the missing </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">nurse before it’s too late… but they don’t realise they’re now both in the </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">killer’s sights.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After <i>Murder in the Bookshop</i>, this is the second book in the Miss
Merrill and Aunt Violet mysteries series. A series that I love! If you’re not
familiar with it, I would probably start from the beginning before there are
many books to catch up with (hint, hint, please let there be more!). Both mysteries
can however be read as stand-alone novels too, without spoiling any of the fun.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Like its
predecessor, this is a cosy mystery set mainly in London during World War I. Plus,
the book connection is still very much there as the crime is committed in the
hospital library where Hannah, our dear Miss Merrill, volunteers when she’s not
at the bookshop owned by her Aunt Violet. Both women are as fearless and feisty
as ever, and they do all they can – and a few things they probably shouldn’t –
to help solve the mysteries they find themselves embroiled in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Narrated
with the humour I came to expect of this author, I thoroughly enjoyed this book,
which also boasts a cameo appearance of Bartleby the cat!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Humorous. Exciting. Clever.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, it’s perfect.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> Yes, the first book in
the series, <i>Murder in the Bookshop</i>.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-61837951026781016542024-02-17T03:00:00.003+00:002024-02-17T03:00:00.303+00:00Blog tour: The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright</i> by Clare
Swatman</span>!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dab2FL4nRO4pU-9EqyfEBV7ZKgE5wMxAVD6qcqRkDPWkeJrY7E-hCWYhwasxhaI3WHX9TFba8oMRca4oSY6z_qa8_3Lazn3h_gBKCS4TWfBH813DQ5lWrdExjaQC_1c-Ryt_1v2VrVBcmLXbZ-gwxTyvz2TW1HIsUCp6jQhNRbJyrjEmmd-XPy3kLX0/s2106/The%20Last%20Letters%20of%20Evelyn%20Wright%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="2106" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dab2FL4nRO4pU-9EqyfEBV7ZKgE5wMxAVD6qcqRkDPWkeJrY7E-hCWYhwasxhaI3WHX9TFba8oMRca4oSY6z_qa8_3Lazn3h_gBKCS4TWfBH813DQ5lWrdExjaQC_1c-Ryt_1v2VrVBcmLXbZ-gwxTyvz2TW1HIsUCp6jQhNRbJyrjEmmd-XPy3kLX0/w640-h334/The%20Last%20Letters%20of%20Evelyn%20Wright%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Starting over can be hard to do…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So when mum of two Beth moves out of her beloved marital home and into
an unloved and unkempt cottage, she can’t help but feel demoralised. Faced with
months of DIY and dust, her children Jacob and Olivia aren’t impressed either.
But when Beth finds a box of letters while she’s clearing out the children’s
room, things start to look up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The correspondence is decades old, between agony aunt Evelyn and those
in need of solace. Intrigued as to why the letters have been kept safe all
these years, Beth can’t resist reading them, and as the wisdom and kindness of Evelyn
falls off the pages, so Beth starts to feel she has a friend and champion in
this woman she has never met.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Good advice doesn’t age, and as life starts to look brighter, Beth
begins to wonder if she could track down Evelyn and thank her for her help. But
as Beth uncovers more about Evelyn’s story, it becomes clear that everything is
not as it seems. And now Beth is determined to bring peace to Evelyn as she has
to her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Clare Swatman is the author of three women’s fiction novels, published
by Macmillan, which have been translated into over 20 languages. She has been a
journalist for over twenty years, writing for Bella and Woman & Home
amongst many other magazines. She lives in Hertfordshire. <i>Before We Grow Old</i> was
published in January 2022.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It’s weird, and fascinating, how a well written book can sometimes help
you understand some situations better than real life. I have friends who have
separated from their spouses and have joint custody arrangements, but I hadn’t
appreciated how hard they must find the days away from their children before
stepping in Beth’s shoes. I couldn’t help but root for her and was so happy when
she started picking up the pieces of her life., all thanks to some old agony aunt
letters found while renovating her new home. Wow, that took me back to ‘the
olden days’ of browsing magazines that would have the inevitable advice column!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All storylines are so nicely weaved together, and every chapter begins
with one of the letters found and the respective answer. This is a nice touch, and
a clever one too, since the issues expressed in these letters turn out to be
relevant for the dilemmas faced by the characters. Plus, some of these letters
are also there to introduce THE plot twist. Oh, I didn’t see that coming, but I
clearly loved it! I adored this book, and I keep thinking about it way after
having reached the final full stop.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it. </b>Emotional. Intriguing. Heart-warming.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, I love it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author? </b>Not yet! So many books,
so little time!</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-78373333766940099852024-02-15T03:30:00.001+00:002024-02-15T03:30:00.288+00:00Blog tour: Mr Magenta<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Mr Magenta</i> by Christopher Bowden!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwRxMdXKgV3s_rQHlubD5HnB-9Adtp1pJ0Bdt6YA8NmUZkwlwfq3mZjjQpYU_xJT02dglMdQymeJ20Tme6r4QelcwMUoJLxHBqms4QywmlhAvUm8DCMSO4s12gyAVu67lD5u17pFpiUwAPVDVjw3DAL86y4IK0Fo79aaIPYEQpDcSW7JZf6mYMbb0OeU/s1920/Mr%20Magenta%20BT%20Poster%20.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwRxMdXKgV3s_rQHlubD5HnB-9Adtp1pJ0Bdt6YA8NmUZkwlwfq3mZjjQpYU_xJT02dglMdQymeJ20Tme6r4QelcwMUoJLxHBqms4QywmlhAvUm8DCMSO4s12gyAVu67lD5u17pFpiUwAPVDVjw3DAL86y4IK0Fo79aaIPYEQpDcSW7JZf6mYMbb0OeU/w640-h640/Mr%20Magenta%20BT%20Poster%20.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Stephen Marling thought he knew his aunt Flora.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But when he inherits her house in a quiet south London square
a series of discoveries among her papers brings to light another person
entirely.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Who, for example, is ‘Mr Magenta’ and what part did he play in her life?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the process of uncovering the secrets of one life, Stephen
is forced to re-evaluate his own and decide what he really wants.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Was he right to turn his back on Nancy Steiner, the young
actress he met in New York, when he came home to take up his inheritance?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Interweaving past and present, the story takes him from a
Brooklyn bookshop to a theatre in Marseille to a cottage on the east coast of
England where the truth about Mr Magenta is finally revealed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Christopher Bowden lives in south London.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">His six previous novels are <i>The Red House, The Blue Book, The
Yellow Room, The Green Door, The Purple Shadow</i>, and <i>The Amber Maze</i>, the first
published in 2007.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When Stephen inherits his aunt’s house, he thinks he knows the kind of
person she was… until he finds things he can’t explain, and thus embarks on a
journey of discovery. I love the concept of getting to better know someone – or
getting to know a different version of someone – via the things they leave
behind, and I enjoyed trying to piece together all the clues he collects along
the way. I was completely absorbed by the story, and thoroughly enjoyed this
novel. I only wish I had liked Stephen more, but his hoarding tendencies gave
me a mild case of anxiety, and his inability to make a single decision about
his own life was incredibly frustrating. Still, we can’t love every single character
in a book!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it. </b>Mysterious. Intriguing. International.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, but the location pictured doesn’t seem to be
relevant to any of the book’s locations.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, and I’m rather
intrigued by the titles!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-44733297975449865272024-02-06T03:30:00.005+00:002024-02-06T03:30:00.150+00:00Blog tour: Last Seen In Havana<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Last </i></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Seen In </i></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Havana</i> by Teresa Dovalpage</span>!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDjHpkQFwyZInQ_fhKAOmdFSu-fnp7cFjd1i5fzo939hn1YIdyXgnoGF4o_t68fEp8LcxiPq8oNSEaXFsVq8L1bG5cZ-FaWvRR-YE4ccuaqmc68jj-yi3L6JJtD99DBxnN4UyYds3IdN8IL27ja4xcXF4uI6AC8hynDpbfI_Qyfc1VK6Bj0kKVQJxJxE/s2750/Last%20Seen%20In%20Havana%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2750" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDjHpkQFwyZInQ_fhKAOmdFSu-fnp7cFjd1i5fzo939hn1YIdyXgnoGF4o_t68fEp8LcxiPq8oNSEaXFsVq8L1bG5cZ-FaWvRR-YE4ccuaqmc68jj-yi3L6JJtD99DBxnN4UyYds3IdN8IL27ja4xcXF4uI6AC8hynDpbfI_Qyfc1VK6Bj0kKVQJxJxE/w640-h290/Last%20Seen%20In%20Havana%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A Cuban American woman searches for her long-lost mother and fights to
restore a beautiful but crumbling Art Deco home in the heart of Havana in this
moving, immersive new mystery, perfect for fans of <i>Of Women and Salt</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In 2019, newly widowed baker Mercedes Spivey flies from Miami to her
native Cuba to care for her ailing paternal grandmother. Mercedes’s life has
been shaped by loss, beginning with the mysterious unsolved disappearance of
her mother when Mercedes was a little girl. Returning to Cuba revives
Mercedes’s hopes of finding her mother as she attempts to piece together the
few scraps of information she has. Could her mother still be alive?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">33 years earlier, an American college student with endless political
optimism falls deliriously in love with a handsome Cuban soldier while on a
spontaneous visit to the island. She decides to stay permanently, but soon
discovers that nothing is as it seems in Havana.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The two women’s stories proceed in parallel as Mercedes gets closer to
discovering the truth about her mother, uncovering shocking family secrets in
the process…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Writer, translator and college professor, Teresa Dovalpage is a Cuban
transplant firmly rooted in New Mexico. She is the author of twelve novels,
among them the Havana Mystery series, three short story collections and four theatre
plays. She lives with her husband, one dog and too many barn cats.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A gorgeous book – inside and out. Every time I opened this book, I was
immediately transported to a world I’ve never visited but that felt incredibly
real thanks to the author’s evocative storytelling. I experienced Cuba through
the eyes of a young American woman in the 1980s, and then again through the eyes
of her Cuban American daughter in the present day. Different times, different
backgrounds, same desire to belong.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mercedes is looking for answers about her mother, who disappeared when
she was a child. Did she leave her behind because she didn’t love her? Was she
made to leave – or worse – because she was American and became caught up in a
political situation that was bigger than her? Aided by family, friends and a
good dose of bad weather, she might just discover the truth.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it. </b>Captivating. Evocative. Melancholic.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, it makes me want to jump on a plane and
travel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, but I now want to
read her other books set in Havana… and all the others, of course!</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-75186439661152697692024-01-21T03:30:00.007+00:002024-01-23T14:01:37.923+00:00Blog tour: The Austrian Bride<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>The </i></span><i><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Austrian </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wife</span></i> by Helen Parusel!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgEzT10xnkXm0nbWNLQL2EDwtBl-biHrb-mrAEatFP3KqRbLYF2GLESg-dRLDQziJ9TrlZa4yjbq_aYhRjSucxLyMvFzJBdIAABFdLsPKIRr_y5ooNqfKwTYdrzyRcGvysjeObGEB5zM4yY43XTXW_38HbaLl_L2CjX0yFuNm1FW99Q5m_q713Ra_4-E/s2750/The%20Austrian%20Bride%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2750" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixgEzT10xnkXm0nbWNLQL2EDwtBl-biHrb-mrAEatFP3KqRbLYF2GLESg-dRLDQziJ9TrlZa4yjbq_aYhRjSucxLyMvFzJBdIAABFdLsPKIRr_y5ooNqfKwTYdrzyRcGvysjeObGEB5zM4yY43XTXW_38HbaLl_L2CjX0yFuNm1FW99Q5m_q713Ra_4-E/w640-h290/The%20Austrian%20Bride%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Austria, 1938. After years of hardship, Ella is full of hope for a better future for Austrians,
and when Hitler marches into Linz, she can’t help but become swept up in the
euphoria of her boyfriend, Max.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But she soon realises her mistake. When she witnesses a woman being shot
in the street and a childhood friend’s Jewish department store is closed down,
she knows she must do something.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It’s a dangerous time to be a resistor, especially when her fascist
boyfriend proposes to her. Knowing the secrets she can uncover, Ella enlists in
a Reich Bride School, finding herself propelled into the social elite of the
Nazi circle.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ella knows she has a duty – to her family, her friends, and her country
– so while Europe teeters on the brink of WW2, a desperate race begins to save the
people she loves. But betraying the Nazis could be her death sentence…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Helen Parusel is a debut historical novelist, having been a teacher and
a clothes buyer for M&S. She lives in Hamburg, and her first book is based
on the Nazi invasion of Norway in 1940; while her second is inspired by war
stories from her mother’s homeland of Austria, where she spent her early
holidays.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What a wonderful novel! But also, what a difficult read. The
storytelling is amazingly smooth, and I couldn’t put the book down once I got
started… but, oh my, so much sadness and heartbreak. I mean, this is historical
fiction, and we all know what happened in the lead up to Hitler’s ascent to
power… but knowing about the horrors that the people had to live through doesn’t
make reading about them any easier, even when the people you are so invested in
are fictional. The author has created such realistic characters that I had to
hold my breath quite a few times in the presence of some of them, while I desperately
rooted for others. Stories about the resistance are always inspiring, and this
was no exception. That it is so beautifully written is the cherry on top. Plus,
I loved the Austrian setting and, because I had never heard of these schools, I
feel like I’ve learned something too. 100% recommended.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it. </b>Sad. Thought-provoking. Hopeful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, it’s beautiful. Those colours!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author? </b>No, but I want to catch
up!</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-71592844743803574312024-01-17T03:30:00.003+00:002024-01-17T03:30:00.131+00:00Blog tour: One Year After You<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>One </i></span><i><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Year </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">After </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">You</span></i> by Shari Low!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICMY5Y3KqRNbK9MNce40Fqo8ypFEfANBBaEu5HNBzFXMN6b_ndrBG4JLbwrB3POIH605X7rJ0sTtXQBjpytZ5X7u1eDzWXHNGuOlNneC3OPAga_IzY11tpWb5PXtKa9Or02dBmOb_ZxmTC-1rttLXJ0LFqx0cPnUzoIBf0KD40v5gJ9tr6iaYYh-upnw/s2750/One%20Year%20After%20You%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2750" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICMY5Y3KqRNbK9MNce40Fqo8ypFEfANBBaEu5HNBzFXMN6b_ndrBG4JLbwrB3POIH605X7rJ0sTtXQBjpytZ5X7u1eDzWXHNGuOlNneC3OPAga_IzY11tpWb5PXtKa9Or02dBmOb_ZxmTC-1rttLXJ0LFqx0cPnUzoIBf0KD40v5gJ9tr6iaYYh-upnw/w640-h290/One%20Year%20After%20You%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For forty years, the fabulous Odette Devine has been a beloved
matriarchal actress on Scotland’s longest-running TV show.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Today she is broken, betrayed, and desperate to find out if this is her
payback for a lie she told forty years ago.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A year ago today, Tress Walker’s husband was killed in a car accident,
on the same day she gave birth to their baby. Reeling from the discovery that
he was with his mistress, Tress has to choose whether to protect her fragile
heart or open it to love again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Noah Clark was devastated to discover his wife and his best friend were
having an affair. Now the love of his life is asking for another chance to make
their marriage work. But can there ever be a way back, once the trust is
broken?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Noah’s sister Keli Clark has recently been ghosted by the man she loves.
When a shocking message from a complete stranger reveals the reason why, Keli
will have to decide whether to forgive, forget, or to make sure he pays.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Twenty-four hours. Four shocking secrets. One tumultuous tale of love,
loss and second chances.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Shari Low is the #1 bestselling author of over 30 novels, including <i>My
One Month Marriage</i> and <i>One Summer Sunrise</i> and a collection of
parenthood memories called <i>Because Mummy Said So</i>. She lives near
Glasgow.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This author has been on my radar for a while, and, now that I’ve finally
read one of her books, I understand why she is so popular! Her writing flows effortlessly,
her characters are realistic, and she creates enough tension and plot twists to
keep you on your toes while still hoping for the happy ending you feel everyone
deserves. I enjoyed the use of multiple narrators and the switch of perspective
that goes with it. Plus, I liked the way that the connections between the
characters are slowly revealed, making every storyline organically come
together. This is definitely not the last book by Shari Low that will find its
way to my hands!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it. </b>Romantic. Hopeful. Surprising.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover? </b>Yes, it’s cute.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, but I’ve been
wanting to for a while.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-88372154062596246502024-01-16T03:30:00.001+00:002024-01-16T03:30:00.154+00:00Blog tour: One Of The Good Guys<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>One Of The Good Guys</i> by
Araminta Hall!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdgYY5iqEXtXl1pQvcUNH1pjTclNU85OPNxmpYo9AnuUSoHL76ayKXJSTA7Tnbc7IWsrCnBSjGc6hziVhFVlS9gbGMYcl6Py-Ar2yet6YSUhCnGKLmL8k7jKj6h_dDU9kVUpZoq87-EKev4upEOfWJ2hEEZYUHNv7x85vRZor8LeWi9y41yMsX0O-6JI/s1080/One%20of%20Good%20Guys%201%20BT%20Poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1080" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdgYY5iqEXtXl1pQvcUNH1pjTclNU85OPNxmpYo9AnuUSoHL76ayKXJSTA7Tnbc7IWsrCnBSjGc6hziVhFVlS9gbGMYcl6Py-Ar2yet6YSUhCnGKLmL8k7jKj6h_dDU9kVUpZoq87-EKev4upEOfWJ2hEEZYUHNv7x85vRZor8LeWi9y41yMsX0O-6JI/w640-h420/One%20of%20Good%20Guys%201%20BT%20Poster.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Cole is </span>the perfect husband: a romantic, supportive of his wife, Mel’s career, keen
to be a hands-on dad, not a big drinker. A good guy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So when Mel leaves him, he's floored. She was lucky to be
with a man like him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Craving solitude, he accepts a job on the coast and quickly settles into his new life where he
meets reclusive artist Lennie.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Lennie has made the same move for similar reasons. She is living in a crumbling cottage on the edge of a nearby cliff. It’s an undeniably scary location, but
sometimes you have to face your fears to get past them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As their relationship develops, two young women go missing
while on a walk protesting gendered violence, right by where Cole and Lennie
live. Finding themselves at the heart of a police investigation and media frenzy, it soon becomes
clear that they don’t know each other very well at all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Araminta Hall has worked as </span>a writer, journalist and teacher.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Her first novel, <i>Everything & Nothing</i>, was
published in 2011 and became a Richard & Judy read that year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Her second, <i>Dot</i>, was published in 2013.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She teaches creative writing at New Writing South in
Brighton, where she lives with her husband and three children.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When I saw that Araminta Hall had another book coming out, I was super
excited. And rightly so. Her storytelling, her ability to create a world that
engulfs the reader, is amazing. Not to mention the fact that her characters are
developed in a way that makes you forget they are fictional. Mind you, in this
case, the lines between fiction and reality are scarily blurred. Because it’s
true that Cole, Mel and Lennie don’t exist in real life, but our world is full
of people just like them. And the message that radiates from these pages – that
the safety and safeguarding of women seems to be sadly remembered mostly when
it’s too late – is 100% relevant and urgent. I loved the structure of the book:
from the present to the past, and back to the present, with the same event told
from different viewpoints. The famous ‘he said/she said’. Plus, newspaper
articles, podcast transcripts, WhatsApp messages among friends and Twitter
threads, which add more layers to the story and make the readers think even
more, perhaps even doubt what they initially thought. Smart and suspenseful,
just how I like it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Twisty. Feminist. Thought-provoking.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> I’m not sure it fits the vibe of the novel, but it
is certainly eye-catching.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> Yes, a few. I especially
loved <i>Our Kind of Cruelty</i>.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-86739927910038960172023-12-21T11:01:00.003+00:002023-12-21T11:01:22.199+00:00Blog tour: Clytemnestra's Bind<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Clytemnestra's </i></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i>Bind</i> by Susan C Wilson</span>!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvwvdDzirL-hqbi2g0ypD-MzsBj626bsi-nP2tzW41kSufoYPWUY7HumT6cb11BpNnHO2sG7usZg4SVe0UTm7pIgdd1LIARv1Pv8okXD4G0GFQ-NuyB7d3dev0vMIwOjPtJIfjQ4Z6yzFTLEj8E9IrkQiNV_IKMgj2CyUpoIFKG3BpH8yBsprruYIa8s/s1600/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvwvdDzirL-hqbi2g0ypD-MzsBj626bsi-nP2tzW41kSufoYPWUY7HumT6cb11BpNnHO2sG7usZg4SVe0UTm7pIgdd1LIARv1Pv8okXD4G0GFQ-NuyB7d3dev0vMIwOjPtJIfjQ4Z6yzFTLEj8E9IrkQiNV_IKMgj2CyUpoIFKG3BpH8yBsprruYIa8s/w640-h360/unnamed.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Queen </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Clytemnestra's world shatters when Agamemnon, a rival to the
throne of Mycenae, storms her palace, destroys her family and claims not only
the throne but </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Clytemnestra herself. Tormented by her loss, she vows to
do all she can to protect the children born from her unhappy marriage to
Agamemnon. But when her husband casts his ruthless gaze towards the wealthy
citadel of Troy, his ambitions threaten to once more destroy the family </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Clytemnestra loves.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">From one of Greek mythology's most reviled
characters - a woman who challenged the absolute power of men - comes this
fiery tale of power, family rivalry and a mother's burning love.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Susan C Wilson is a working-class Scottish writer. Her lifelong passion
for ancient Greece was ignited as a child by stumbling across stories of gods
and heroes in the dictionary. She loves to explore what makes us human: the
eternal motivations, desires and instincts that cross time and place.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She has a degree in
journalism from Napier University and, in preparation for writing her novels,
gained a diploma in classical studies from the Open University. <i>Clytemnestra’s
Bind</i>, her debut novel, was long-listed for the Mslexia Novel Competition
2019. It is the first in The House of Atreus trilogy and will be
published by Neem Tree Press in June 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Oh, wow! What a great debut novel, and what a great start to a new
trilogy. Clytemnestra is normally remembered as vengeful, cold and heartless</span>.
What about her strength, her resilience, her love for her children? She
persevered and made the best of a situation that was forced upon her at a time
when women were treated by men as mere possessions. History and myth come alive
in these pages, which I was glued to whenever I could carve some time out for
myself in these busy pre-Christmas days! The author’s passion for ancient
Greece clearly shines through!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Epic. Evocative. Heartbreaking.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, it’s gorgeous.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, this is a debut
novel.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-40255990544692151702023-12-18T03:30:00.001+00:002023-12-18T09:28:35.793+00:00Blog tour: Peas on Earth<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Peas on Earth</i> by Huw Lewis
Jones, illustrated by Ben Sanders!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4lPB_WqYrMKrvXEJlZlfoGII4q-QalFyxVn-ikZxBw3gxKT0KUNJLhNVt-BMiPpgL-NdXjUW87lWYm0KTjAOQlvKzG02MQsyIoPuKwB_feheYGvP71NZnjaZIfTLcdmtEAhgatUN5JqSP-H_M1wr6eDiYWFbcNhZYhyphenhyphenJD2h56wziuCb-zRaY2cRhyphenhyphenhA/s1920/Peas%20on%20Earth%201%20BT%20Poster%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="1920" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4lPB_WqYrMKrvXEJlZlfoGII4q-QalFyxVn-ikZxBw3gxKT0KUNJLhNVt-BMiPpgL-NdXjUW87lWYm0KTjAOQlvKzG02MQsyIoPuKwB_feheYGvP71NZnjaZIfTLcdmtEAhgatUN5JqSP-H_M1wr6eDiYWFbcNhZYhyphenhyphenJD2h56wziuCb-zRaY2cRhyphenhyphenhA/w640-h346/Peas%20on%20Earth%201%20BT%20Poster%20.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In this festive edition, Bad Apple faces his greatest challenge
yet: it’s Christmas day and everyone is just so ... jolly.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica;">Granny Smith’s carol singing and Pineapple’s incessant dancing are
grating </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">to say </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the least, but it’s </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the cheery arrival </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">of </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pea and his extended family that pushes Bad Apple over </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the edge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It’s beginning </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">to feel a lot like Christmas ... but how long can </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Peas last?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author and illustrator…</b></span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: helvetica;">Huw Lewis Jones is a polar-exploring author and historian who lives </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">in Cornwall, UK. His books include <i>Explorers’ Sketchbooks, </i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The Writer’s Map </i>and <i>Archipelago </i>(all Thames & Hudson).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ben Sanders is an award-winning illustrator and graphic
designer based </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">in Ballarat, Australia. He is </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the author and illustrator </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">of <i>I’ve an Uncle Ivan</i> and <i>I Could Wear That Hat! </i>(both
Thames & Hudson Australia).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is the latest addition to what the publisher
describes as ‘the laugh-out-loud series of picture books by
award-winning author Huw Lewis Jones and illustrator Ben Sanders, in which the naughty
antics of a truly terrible piece of fruit, Bad Apple, prove
deliciously entertaining’. I’m ashamed to say that this was my family’s first
encounter with Bad Apple… and what great fun we had. The children where literally
bent in half with laughter, while I particularly sympathised with Bad Apple, as
I belong to #TeamGrinch during the holiday season! The clever simplicity of the
illustrations somehow makes the action even more hilarious, which has made this
one of the books that I am constantly in danger of tripping over as it follows
my children everywhere they go!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it. </b>Comical. Fun. Christmassy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, the book is funny before you even open it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> Yes, I have come across
this author before.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-14455457528722600922023-12-12T04:30:00.023+00:002023-12-12T10:16:58.956+00:00Blog tour: From the Library with Love (podcast review)<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for the podcast <i>From the Library with Love</i> by
Kate Thompson!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEial-9QGCDIsfVbsJz0Om9811QYf854jmQbu3k-PbjGgWJy4P4Ggenu3UX7MVk1LzTkujHVDJtP-FbiaE3UuHDXAFNxtCpUZ9UJOgaZJyXLr8-6gn-ycxzo0aCy6XUiOcxEObU_O-mXUBuQF8ARQjeNEgByzYkG5swntmt1DZiIUzy8b7nKsvCEFJpsm8E/s1474/Podcast%201%20BT%20Poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="1474" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEial-9QGCDIsfVbsJz0Om9811QYf854jmQbu3k-PbjGgWJy4P4Ggenu3UX7MVk1LzTkujHVDJtP-FbiaE3UuHDXAFNxtCpUZ9UJOgaZJyXLr8-6gn-ycxzo0aCy6XUiOcxEObU_O-mXUBuQF8ARQjeNEgByzYkG5swntmt1DZiIUzy8b7nKsvCEFJpsm8E/w640-h344/Podcast%201%20BT%20Poster.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the podcast…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wonderful, transformative things happen when you set foot in a library.
In 2019, Kate Thompson uncovered the true story of a forgotten Underground
library, built along the tracks of Bethnal Green Tube tunnel during the Blitz.
As stories go, it was irresistible and the result was, The Little Wartime
Library, her seventh novel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bethnal Green Public Library, where the novel is set, was 100 years old in
October 2022, and to celebrate the centenary of this grand old lady, funded by
library philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the author set herself the challenge of
interviewing 100 library workers. Speaking with one library worker for every
year this library has been serving its community seemed a good way to mark this
auspicious occasion. Because who better to explain the worth of a hundred-year-old
library, than librarians themselves!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Her research led her to librarians with over fifty years of experience, to the
impressive women who manage libraries in prisons and schools, to those in
remote Scottish islands. From poetry libraries overlooking the wide sweep of
the Thames, to the 16th century Shakespeare’s Library in Stratford, via the
small but mighty Leadhills Miners’ Library.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This podcast was born out of those eye-opening conversations, because as Denise
from Tower Hamlets Library said: 'If you want to see the world, don't join the
Army, become a librarian!'</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here is the link to the podcast site, <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fpodcast%2Ffrom-the-library-with-love%2Fid1705546837&data=05%7C01%7C%7Caca01869fa9e455f296008dbc4088596%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638319313115136468%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ouUgXXZxE7xpcumlXZPLYqUA%2BtVRuRXhQCcXm47Z6TA%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" title="Protected by Outlook: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/from-the-library-with-love/id1705546837. Click or tap to follow the link."><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/from-the-library-with-love/id1705546837</span></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kate Thompson an award-winning journalist, ghostwriter and novelist who
has spent the past two decades in the UK mass market and book publishing
industry.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Over the past eight years Kate has written eleven fiction and
non-fiction titles, three of which have made the Sunday Times top ten
bestseller list.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What a wonderful idea! As part of the blog tour, I am going to tell you
about one podcast episode, but please do yourself a huge favour and listen to
all of them. I am making my way through the entire back catalogue, which truly
makes this the blog tour that keeps on giving!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So, the episode I chose is titled: <i>On National Letter Writing Day, meet
the woman who collects forgotten letters.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The summary: Letter writing is a dying art, but fortunately, there are
some wonderfully creative souls around resurrecting old love letters and
breathing life into them. One of them is Liz Maguire, the love letter collector
and originator of https://www.fleamarketloveletters.com, originally from
Washington D.C. and now living in Dublin.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">From her first acquisition as a teenager of a set of vintage love
letters from a flea market, Liz now holds a collection of over 1600 letters.
She told me, ‘Letters capture the essence of what it is to be living through
history. In attics, and drawers and shoe boxes under beds there are hundreds of
stories waiting to be told.’ Here we delve into her unique archive…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Before I tell you more, be warned that you will want to click on that
link, and that, in so doing, you will lose track of at least a week of your
life! If you’re ok with that… I was drawn to this episode because I love
letters and letter writing. Growing up, I had so many pen pals that a day spent
without sending or receiving a new letter was rare. Juggling children, work and
everything else that a grown-up is supposed to do doesn’t leave much time for sitting
down with pen and paper these days, but I still write the occasional missive to
friends, just because! There is something warming about finding an old letter
tucked into a book or amidst some official-looking documents. As you take it
out of its envelope, you’re already on a journey. Now, imagine that, instead of
walking down your own memory lane, you pick up a series of letters written by
someone you don’t know to another person you don’t know. You will feel excited
as you don’t know what you’re about to read. It will be like you’re about to
meet a new friend, who you might like… or not. And then? The world of emotions
is your oyster! Imagine then that you re-read these letters or share them with
others. It will be like meeting old friends, visit known places. To add more
layers to this experience, consider that some of these letters will have been
written in a decade, or perhaps even a century, different from yours. Imagine the
turn of phrases that will seem old-fashioned to you but were not at the time
of writing, and all the details of a daily life that you can only recognise
from books or films set in a bygone era. Isn’t this all fascinating?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The conversation between Kate and Liz flows in such a way that you would
listen to them chat non-stop. They clearly have a lot in common, and their
enthusiasm for the topic at hand is evident. I wouldn’t say no listening to a
second episode on this subject!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-72392635197090737492023-12-12T03:00:00.001+00:002023-12-12T03:00:00.136+00:00Blog tour: Do Penguins Like The Cold?<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Do Penguins Like The Cold?</i> by Huw
Lewis Jones </span>and<span lang="EN-GB"> Sam
Caldwell!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwGrpSb3nFBFHA05WvfKBKx9KpFv0uykPidOcDuP9LijwFqOB7aGXCioIcrdTApiooRiIViUPeIG9BbYkpW3KuREfYAk6181BxVt5ovwwQ5qzLbH8igLU89w0tMimbokeOplMx1WgN8OUP7ogl8YPy6cN_hT_9_zvSP9ytDuo-N0lk26ARGBgmfs4g0k/s1080/Penguins%20IG%20BT%20Poster%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1080" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwGrpSb3nFBFHA05WvfKBKx9KpFv0uykPidOcDuP9LijwFqOB7aGXCioIcrdTApiooRiIViUPeIG9BbYkpW3KuREfYAk6181BxVt5ovwwQ5qzLbH8igLU89w0tMimbokeOplMx1WgN8OUP7ogl8YPy6cN_hT_9_zvSP9ytDuo-N0lk26ARGBgmfs4g0k/w640-h428/Penguins%20IG%20BT%20Poster%20.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In this entertaining and highly informative book,
polar-explorer Huw Lewis Jones and nature illustrator Sam Caldwell take readers
on an intrepid field trip to Antarctica and beyond to discover the secret life of penguins.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Journeying throughout the Southern Hemisphere to incredible locations
including Argentina, Australia, Chile, the Galápagos Islands, Namibia, New Zealand, Peru and
South Africa, <i>Do Penguins Like the Cold?</i> introduces readers to the 18 species of penguin and the conservation work underway to protect them and their
habitats.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author and illustrator…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Huw Lewis Jones is a polar-exploring author and naturalist who is lucky
to have met many animals in </span>the wild.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He is Associate Professor at Falmouth University, teaching
natural history, and has written history books about photography, icebergs,
mountains and maps.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He is also the author of the <i>Bad Apple</i> series of picture books.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sam Caldwell is an illustrator based in Glasgow, Scotland.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He studied painting at the Edinburgh College of Art and is the illustrator of several books for children, including <i>Do Bears
Poop in the Woods?</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The publisher suggests that this book will take ‘readers on a field trip
to Antarctica and beyond to discover the secret life of penguins’ –
and what a journey that is. Both my children love penguins, and this book came
at the right time, as it was the perfect addition to their bookish advent
calendar.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What they liked: the gorgeous illustrations, the short paragraphs, the experience
of huddling around the book together, the newfound knowledge that penguins
shoot out a jet of liquid poo when they need the loo!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What I enjoyed: all of the above, plus the ability of learning and teaching
the children new things while having fun together… although I could have
happily done without being reminded about the penguin poo at dinner time!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Cute. Fun. Educational.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> It’s gorgeous!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> Yes, I have come across
both the author and illustrator before.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-63751361341890005462023-12-06T03:00:00.001+00:002023-12-06T03:00:00.208+00:00Blog tour: If I Had A Polar Bear<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>If I Had A Polar Bear</i> by
Gabby Dawnay!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeAM-eFUTCnfDWeI1PpdnXsexUknOdLnHKqU8LBDY9uu6mnhs6X7G10wPnQxGPgXtRSpMD4yPalx_YW2KIsZg_c8u-l6wGeVgdJKblum0YARKclxs91hW_sgoJuIPqXJsjOM7lrH0QZidwDqRP7YfoMSegQsS-ET4cdlCBpTZrNqdWGfK1eEC9v9w5zQ/s1920/Polar%20Bear%201%20BT%20Poster%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="1920" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeAM-eFUTCnfDWeI1PpdnXsexUknOdLnHKqU8LBDY9uu6mnhs6X7G10wPnQxGPgXtRSpMD4yPalx_YW2KIsZg_c8u-l6wGeVgdJKblum0YARKclxs91hW_sgoJuIPqXJsjOM7lrH0QZidwDqRP7YfoMSegQsS-ET4cdlCBpTZrNqdWGfK1eEC9v9w5zQ/w640-h364/Polar%20Bear%201%20BT%20Poster%20.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What would it be like to have a polar bear as a pet? It might be an unconventional choice, but it would be
sure to give the best bear hugs...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Polar bears are cuddly but they're also very strong. As marine mammals,
they can swim for days at a time – that's serious perseverance! So if Santa
ever needed help delivering his presents, guess who he would call? Join our
funny female protagonist as she wonders 'what would life be like... if I had a polar bear?'</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Gabby Dawnay is a writer and poet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She is a regular contributor to OKIDO magazine and a
script-writer for children’s television.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Alex Barrow, a London-based illustrator, is the art director
for and a regular contributor to OKIDO magazine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Alex and Gabby are the duo behind children’s picture books <i>If
I had a dinosaur, A House for Mouse</i> and <i>A Song for </i><i>Bear</i>, all published by Thames & Hudson.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The latest addition to the ‘If I had a…’ series – which I must have been
living under a rock to miss! – this book imagines what it would be like to have
a polar bear for a pet. The illustrations are bold and
colourful, the text is catchy and rhyming, the imagined scenarios so quirky
that laughter is guaranteed… you couldn’t really ask for more in a children’s
book. And it’s perfect for this cold season, as I’m a fan of rotating books on
our shelves based on what’s happening in the world around us. A perfect present
for any child!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Fun. Adorable. Seasonal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> It’s gorgeous, like all other illustrations in this
book.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, and now the whole
family wants to catch up!</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-25368593044477954442023-12-05T03:30:00.013+00:002023-12-05T03:30:00.142+00:00Blog tour: The Weatherman<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>The Weatherman</i> by Royston Reeves!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLWYj126NHArtfRikjPuuMzRpJEhQbt5VqL8bx08n54G3avytf2O87Z15H1x09HX_vUN3XW-6DSpaIJoM3NmJTslWz-SyN-Rs1oYiCWx1vF1byyLeZKWYOAVuHMZT4pkftEtJal2EelLcAz5yxkv7aByRhtIMuYLW7emYC3wp3PqnarUg7CNTVtktHS0/s1920/The%20Weatherman%20BT%20Poster%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1920" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLWYj126NHArtfRikjPuuMzRpJEhQbt5VqL8bx08n54G3avytf2O87Z15H1x09HX_vUN3XW-6DSpaIJoM3NmJTslWz-SyN-Rs1oYiCWx1vF1byyLeZKWYOAVuHMZT4pkftEtJal2EelLcAz5yxkv7aByRhtIMuYLW7emYC3wp3PqnarUg7CNTVtktHS0/w640-h404/The%20Weatherman%20BT%20Poster%20.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Will’s a nice guy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So when he takes a shortcut to the tube station after a few
beers with his mates from work, he steps out of the way of the fellow who’s
staggering towards him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But he – deliberately – moves back into his path.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They knock each other as they pass.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Moments later one man is dead and another’s life is changed forever.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Or is it?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are no CCTV cameras.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There was no one else in the out-of-the-way alley.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Maybe the world doesn’t have to end for Will after all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But there’s always someone watching . . . and Will’s life is
about to implode.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Royston Reeves is a psychological thriller writer from Essex, England</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After spending years in advertising writing TV scripts,
newspaper ads and billboards, Royston’s first novel, <i>The Weatherman</i>, will be published in November 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Reeves is the Head of Strategy for JOE Media and he currently
lives in the Kent countryside with his wife, Carly, and daughter, Hunter-Rose.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you love a moral dilemma and morally grey characters as much as I do,
then you will thoroughly enjoy this amazing psychological thriller. Our main
character considers himself a good person, but when faced with the possibility
of having committed a crime, he doesn’t put himself forward… and his life
changes in an instant. When the line between doing the right thing or the wrong
thing is extremely fine, what would you do? The short chapters make this
incredible debut even more fast-paced than it would normally be: I couldn’t put
it down! Great writing, and incredibly visual. I can’t wait to see what’s next
from this author.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it. </b>Thrilling. Engrossing. Evocative.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, it is adequately sinister!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, this is a debut
novel.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-46833839445903953452023-12-04T13:13:00.004+00:002023-12-04T13:13:33.168+00:00Blog tour: Emma and Bob<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Emma and Bob </i>by Ágnes Horváth!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIrnZCpYdG0lP8FbhVir2QIGKWtfEsvWWARAW-SI71hysGfbJNer9i7VZSm1Ja_56wAxCP75O7lPQRJQvZANXvYIyIYfKyJll99sxnlJawZ1TFZYikI6D8gRMusTv_Vvb8m7GIuaygI8d-ntEmduN6nCt-mumKs3-b2-ecjD1Jus-DOEwOAoRtcGejxE/s1600/OBRT%20Emma%20and%20Bob%20X%20(TWITTER)%20Still.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIrnZCpYdG0lP8FbhVir2QIGKWtfEsvWWARAW-SI71hysGfbJNer9i7VZSm1Ja_56wAxCP75O7lPQRJQvZANXvYIyIYfKyJll99sxnlJawZ1TFZYikI6D8gRMusTv_Vvb8m7GIuaygI8d-ntEmduN6nCt-mumKs3-b2-ecjD1Jus-DOEwOAoRtcGejxE/w640-h360/OBRT%20Emma%20and%20Bob%20X%20(TWITTER)%20Still.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You are perfect and wonderful just the way you are! And the key to your
life is in your hands. Don’t know what that means? You can live a joyful and full
life. You can calm your emotional storms and the thoughts swirling in your head.
You can find deep peace even when you are hurt or grieving. Don’t know how? Let
the story of Emma and Bob guide you.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thanks to their curiosity, Emma and Bob’s ordinary holiday becomes
extraordinary. In addition to enjoying time at the beach, in the forest and at
home, Gran explains to them ‘the endless cycle of life’ and the importance of ‘self-kindness’,
‘positive thinking’, ‘listening to your heart’ and ‘being present’. You can learn
these too, just open your mind and heart.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You’ll find that even simple things like breathing, a sandcastle, half a
glass of lemonade or a little flower can teach you things about yourself and
life that you may have never heard before.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ágnes Horváth followed her heart when she wrote her first book, ‘Emma
and Bob’. After many years of helping mostly adults as a nurse, care assistant
and currently a nursing associate, she became passionate about helping children
as well, in a very different way. Over the last decade, she discovered our true
essence beyond thoughts and personality, why we perceive the world and our
experiences the way we do, and how we can influence our lives. She learns from her
own experiences, from well-known spiritual teachers and scientists (E. Tolle,
Mooji, L.L. Hay, Dr J. Dispenza, Dr B. Lipton, G. Braden…) and from an
excellent psychotherapist. She enjoys spending time in nature.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Emma and Bob go to stay with their grandmother for a week, and, as the
tagline suggests, it turns into ‘a holiday that reveals the miracle of life’.
The target audience for this book is children aged 9+. The sky is the limit,
and I know many an adult who would benefit from learning these lessons of
self-compassion, gratitude and positive thinking, just to name a few. In fact,
I found these reminders very useful myself. Every chapter represents a day, and
every day is divided into further smaller sections that focus on a particular
message, such as ‘your attitude towards life is important’ or, simply (but not
so simple!), ‘breathe’. In my opinion, these short but powerful lessons,
combined with an easy language and relatable situations, make this book approachable
for younger children too. At four years of age, I believe my eldest daughter can
grasp these concepts if presented in bite-sized scenarios, and Emma and Bob are
the perfect friends to show her the way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Relevant. Approachable. Insightful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, I like the simple style of the cover
illustration.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, this is her first
book.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-30827164325574953952023-12-04T12:26:00.003+00:002023-12-04T12:26:21.327+00:00Blog tour: Once Upon A Thousand Hills<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Once Upon A Thousand Hills</i>
by Wendy Skorupski!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8vLRfd1SPpZhi5n_-Ea-Vw6xwEkoCizwCbQveCQ5Z7aagusvfFrua998MWjPQ4YO0rfm_xHEmfLh_Q3Jjiij-cLs7AiV_4CV5lWKjdw8Sv5VlkwviikLb3QBJuFomOA_MKaY1CDCRxbX1bEjeUrUKm7AgUdzWXUnjSraDxc_bEeT8LAZ8zINkiyUj2s/s1500/Once%20Upon%20BT%20Poster%20.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8vLRfd1SPpZhi5n_-Ea-Vw6xwEkoCizwCbQveCQ5Z7aagusvfFrua998MWjPQ4YO0rfm_xHEmfLh_Q3Jjiij-cLs7AiV_4CV5lWKjdw8Sv5VlkwviikLb3QBJuFomOA_MKaY1CDCRxbX1bEjeUrUKm7AgUdzWXUnjSraDxc_bEeT8LAZ8zINkiyUj2s/w640-h640/Once%20Upon%20BT%20Poster%20.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Naomi Lieberman has flown the nest of her hometown in Liverpool to seek
the bright lights of London. Despite having aspirations and a degree in
forensic science, Naomi finds herself working as a sales assistant at a sex
shop in Soho. This is just one of many shameful secrets she has to hide from
her Orthodox Jewish family and childhood sweetheart, Ephraim. Facing up to the
disappointing realities of her life Naomi is desperate to find meaning and
purpose. </span>On a whim she signs up as a volunteer at a local refugee centre where
her path soon crosses with that of John Paul Chambers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">John Paul is head of English at a private college and the
manager of the refugee centre. He is arrogant, aloof, and still trying to free
himself from the emotional curse of the genocide in Rwanda that orphaned him
twenty years earlier. When John Paul interviews the centre’s latest flighty
volunteer, neither he nor Naomi has the slightest idea that their lives are
about to change forever.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wendy Skorupski’s debut novel is an unlikely and uplifting
love story exploring the depths of human experience and the life-changing
moment when two paths cross.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wendy Skorupski had an international upbringing and now lives in Kraków,
Southern Poland, together with her youngest daughter and their mischievous
Belgian Malinois. In her youth Wendy wanted to be a concert pianist, as well as
a writer, but soon realised that one life was not enough to attain both dreams.
Gradually, the writing took over, resulting in a number of novels which she
wrote in between bringing up three children and balancing a demanding job in
international education. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In October 2016 Wendy and her family visited Rwanda and sent
a tweet to the controversial president, Paul Kagame. When he replied, word soon
got out and triggered a plethora of international articles and interviews. This
is what ignited the spark for Once Upon a Thousand Hills, which is her first published work.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As a novelist, Wendy feels compelled to reach out and connect
with the anonymous reader out there in the world at large – share experiences,
touch a chord, make people laugh, cringe, want to read more, join the writer’s
inner world and odyssey. She can’t imagine life without plunging herself into
the weird and wonderful world of fiction; something that has been part of her
life for as long as she can remember.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wendy frequently travels to London and Liverpool, where
various members of her family are scattered. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When I first read the synopsis, I thought ‘Well, this is something
different from anything I’ve read this year!’… and I was 100% correct! I was
attracted to the sound of the two main characters – so different from each
other – and the unusual backdrops to their story – a Soho sex shop and a
refugee centre are not a common combination! I knew romance was going to be on
the cards, and it is, but this novel is so much more. Love, yes, but also
friendship, family expectations, trauma and all those other nuances that colour
our human experience. I was completely absorbed in the world of Naomi and John
Paul, to the point where I started to forget that they are fictional characters.
That, to me, is the sign of great storytelling and character development.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Eclectic. Intriguing. Contemporary.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, it’s lovely.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, this is her first
published novel.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-44021079633726446692023-11-30T04:00:00.019+00:002023-11-30T04:00:00.151+00:00Blog tour: Bright Stars of Black British History<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Bright Stars of </i></span><i>Black British History</i> by J T Williams!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSV3iOp9uoj0KtCCnoUBbDuc_CLpHKmmoKNc-45zqOYPZU0sFD-e7rvv59BeKRtM0IUu1mvDYVjlK4pzL1WUXFfut-8Y_yEFtihBXNl9IDvm0IOksUSUwj0vnkAkaCvjHcR84XTLF6_JczX-H-QXB6fjQ0KKXpyCzh4Ja-ZnCes7J70m1pR1UQ1qgO_Y/s1080/Bright%20Stars%201%20BT%20Poster%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="1080" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSV3iOp9uoj0KtCCnoUBbDuc_CLpHKmmoKNc-45zqOYPZU0sFD-e7rvv59BeKRtM0IUu1mvDYVjlK4pzL1WUXFfut-8Y_yEFtihBXNl9IDvm0IOksUSUwj0vnkAkaCvjHcR84XTLF6_JczX-H-QXB6fjQ0KKXpyCzh4Ja-ZnCes7J70m1pR1UQ1qgO_Y/w640-h416/Bright%20Stars%201%20BT%20Poster%20.png" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">This richly illustrated collection presents the extraordinary life
stories of fourteen bright stars from </span>Black British history – from Tudor England to modern Britain – and
charts their ongoing influence.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This important and timely book delves into the life stories
of important figures – including Tudor trumpeter John Blanke, storytelling
freedom fighter Mary Prince, and Notting Hill Carnival founder Claudia Jones –
many of whom are only just beginning to get the recognition that they deserve.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Brought to life through hand-painted illustrations by
award-winning illustrator Angela Vives, Bright Stars of Black British History shines a light on the courage, resilience and
talent of remarkable individuals who have left a lasting mark on our collective history.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author and illustrator…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB">J.T. Williams is an author and educator specialising in </span>Black British history. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from Royal
Holloway University. Her debut children’s book, <i>Lizzie and Belle: Drama and
Danger </i>(Farshore) was shortlisted for Foyle's Children's Book of the Year 2022
and for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Angela Vives is an award-winning illustrator with an MA in children’s book
illustration from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK. In 2020 she won the
Picture Hooks Winter Comforts competition. She was shortlisted for the
Cheltenham Illustration Awards 2019, and longlisted for the World Illustration
Awards 2020.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Oh, to be a child growing up today and having wonderful books like this available!
What a treasure of a resource! And, let’s be honest, even though this book is
aimed at children, I don’t know any adults who wouldn’t benefit from it. I only
knew two of these important figures, and I loved discovering all others. I can’t
wait to share what I’ve learned – and the book itself – with my children. They
are younger than the intended target audience, but this doesn’t mean that I can’t
help them dip their toes in Black British history. The beautiful illustrations,
for example, are a good starting point – and I can summarise the text to make
it more accessible. Parents and educators won’t want to miss this.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Inspiring. Educational. Essential.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> I love it, as I loved all the illustrations.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, but I am 100%
interested!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-15769513699074995402023-11-30T02:30:00.001+00:002023-11-30T02:30:00.145+00:00Blog tour: The Library Girls of the East End<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>The Library Girls of the East End</i> by Patricia
McBride!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qamiHS-FxWRlJUlygX2yNxyGOz6vP6LI9MMCTjijMR0oNXVm3ZPUswru9Ovw4sAkm5tU3pfukj7Jb4TU-PZWjy_b9VKCngS_HaQufmsC8VKIVZedFjAQKkw0XICJDcS8uLBv7NIA-VJaFND7llrrxUk2BPRhnkheJfl8XPKSI9QpPE3esOCe_1Dd4g0/s1541/The%20Library%20Girls%20Of%20The%20East%20End%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1541" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qamiHS-FxWRlJUlygX2yNxyGOz6vP6LI9MMCTjijMR0oNXVm3ZPUswru9Ovw4sAkm5tU3pfukj7Jb4TU-PZWjy_b9VKCngS_HaQufmsC8VKIVZedFjAQKkw0XICJDcS8uLBv7NIA-VJaFND7llrrxUk2BPRhnkheJfl8XPKSI9QpPE3esOCe_1Dd4g0/w640-h518/The%20Library%20Girls%20Of%20The%20East%20End%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1940, London. When Cordelia accepts the post of head librarian in Silver Town Library,
her mother is more than a little disapproving. The East End has high levels of
poverty and illiteracy, and her mother says it’s no place for a woman of her
status.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But Cordelia is determined to make a difference in these times of
strife, and along with her colleagues, Jane and Mavis, she begins to help the
local community, making sure everyone knows what the library can offer them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And maybe even a romance will blossom, giving Cordelia the strength to
make it through the chaos and destruction that constantly threatens their
livelihood.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Against a background of war, air raids and rationing, it becomes clear
the library is more than a building filled with books - it is the beating heart
of a community refusing to be torn apart.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Patricia McBride is the author of the very popular Lily Baker historical
saga series. She is now writing a new WW2 series for Boldwood, based in the
East End of London during the Blitz, the first title of which, <i>The Library
Girls of the East End</i>, will be published in November 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I have always been drawn to sagas but have also felt overwhelmed by the
number of books that I would have had to catch up on. Imagine my happiness when
I discovered this novel, the first in a new series. Imagine my even greater
happiness that this book happened to be set in a historical time I find
fascinating, and in a city I love! The author has done a great job transporting
me to 1940s London, and I found myself looking forward to learning more about
Cordelia, Jane and Mavis as the story unfolded. Despite some of the themes in
this book are not light-hearted in the slightest, the novel has a feel-good
vibe to it, which I really appreciate these days. I can’t wait for more!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it. </b>Delightful. Moving. Uplifting.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, I like its simplicity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author?</b> No, but I am a happy
convert!</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628827411039219414.post-67403578642260280492023-11-29T15:50:00.002+00:002023-11-29T15:50:20.241+00:00Blog tour: Arsenic at Ascot<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome to the blog tour for <i>Arsenic at Ascot </i>by Kelly Oliver!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uSZ1ACjfduKdyYomJO3F30Wbz0CGI22E8L3htgUpGi0YKmJB7RZIDJA2cX3PZUBIvL5hT0BvGhvkytRt9BkBwyrs8azdsRWbVSyUiyo0wMSm9VWeQBy-O0mpeKnzPxph7pqKHIsqf4HliBWkVzMMKGd42z7vq-eU2s4NAnLgDU7Y-VGhDgdM61djfnI/s2750/Arsenic%20at%20Ascot%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1750" data-original-width="2750" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uSZ1ACjfduKdyYomJO3F30Wbz0CGI22E8L3htgUpGi0YKmJB7RZIDJA2cX3PZUBIvL5hT0BvGhvkytRt9BkBwyrs8azdsRWbVSyUiyo0wMSm9VWeQBy-O0mpeKnzPxph7pqKHIsqf4HliBWkVzMMKGd42z7vq-eU2s4NAnLgDU7Y-VGhDgdM61djfnI/w640-h408/Arsenic%20at%20Ascot%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><p><b>More about the book…</b></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">London, 1918. Fiona Figg finds herself back in Old Blighty saddled with shuffling
papers for the war office. Then a mysterious card arrives, inviting her to a
fancy house party at Mentmore Castle. This year’s Ascot-themed do will play
host to a stable of animal defence advocates, and Fiona is tasked with
infiltrating the activists and uncovering possible anti-war activity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Disguised as the Lady Tabitha Kenworthy, Fiona is more than ready for
the “mane” event, but the odds are against her when both her arch nemesis,
dark-horse Fredrick Fredricks, and would-be fiancé Lieutenant Archie Somersby
arrive unexpectedly and “stirrup” her plans. And when a horse doctor thuds to
the floor in the next guest room, Fiona finds herself investigating a
mysterious poisoning with some very hairy clues.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Can Fiona overcome the hurdles and solve both cases, or will she be
pipped to the post and put out to pasture by the killer?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>More about the author…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries
series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, and the
historical cozies The Fiona Figg Mysteries, set in WW1. She is also the
Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in
Nashville, Tennessee. She is bringing new titles in the Fiona Figg series to
Boldwood, the first of which, Chaos in Carnegie Hall, will be published in
November 2022.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>My impressions…</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The fourth instalment in the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane series, this is
another winning historical cosy mystery. It’s fast-paced, it’s fun, it’s addictive,
and the period details transported me to another time and place. I thoroughly
enjoyed meeting Fiona and Kitty again, having read the previous book in the
series, but readers new to the series won’t feel like they’re missing anything
important, as the most crucial elements from the backstory are subtly woven into
the narrative. This is the perfect book to curl up with now that it’s so cold
outside!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Three words to describe it.</b> Entertaining. Fast-paced. Witty.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Do I like the cover?</b> Yes, very much.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>Have I read any other books by the same author? </b>Yes, </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><i>Mayhem in the Mountains</i></span>,
which I thoroughly enjoyed.</span></p>Silvia_readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02353572110802120533noreply@blogger.com0