Book after Book

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Having previously loved reading TheLife-Changing Magic of Tidying , I just had to pick up the follow-up to the book:  Spark Joy: An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo , translated by Cathy Hirano. There is so much that sparked joy for me in this book: the adorable illustrations, the thorough index, the useful tips, the references to Japanese culture and the pervasive sense of respect for the things that serve us purpose, or that don’t. With bookshelves still laden with tomes, even after my attempt at letting go of some, my attention was drawn once again to the topic of books: When you’ve finished tidying your books, step back and take a good look at your bookshelves. What kinds of words leap out at you from the titles on their spines? […]  The energy of book titles and the words inside them are very powerful. In Japan, we say that ‘words make our reality’. The words we see and with which we come into contact tend to bring about events of the

Today I am very pleased to congratulate author J.I. Davenport on the publication of his debut novel, Mercutio , and to welcome you all to my stop on the blog tour. First of all, what is the book about? Return to the sensuous world of Romeo and Juliet to discover the story of Mercutio, Verona’s most flamboyant citizen! Prancing on the sidelines of the bitter feud between the House of Montecchi and Capuleti, Mercutio harbours his own secret conflict: he is hopelessly in love with his best friend, Romeo Montecchi. When he spies true love blossoming between Romeo and a young Capuleti girl one fateful summer’s eve, Mercutio fears he has finally lost the man he loves, forever. Turning to drink, drugs and ever wilder escapades in an effort to ease his aching heart, Mercutio starts to come off the rails, hurtling towards his own spectacular fate… As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I had to have this book. I mean, I am from Verona after all: loving all things Romeo and Juliet is

By Victoria Hislop Published by Headline Review Synopsis: Athens 1941. After decades of political uncertainty, Greece is polarised between Right- and Left-wing views when the Germans invade. Fifteen-year-old Themis comes from a family divided by these political differences. The Nazi occupation deepens the fault-lines between those she loves just as it reduces Greece to destitution. She watches friends die in the ensuing famine and is moved to commit acts of resistance. In the civil war that follows the end of the occupation, Themis joins the Communist army, where she experiences the extremes of love and hatred and the paradoxes presented by a war in which Greek fights Greek. Eventually imprisoned on the infamous islands of exile, Makronisos and then Trikeri, Themis encounters another prisoner whose life will entwine with her own in ways neither can foresee. And finds she must weigh her principles against her desire to escape and live. As she looks back on her life, Themis

Welcome to the blog tour for On The Up by Alice O’Keeffe , published on November 14 th by Coronet and bound to be one of my favourite books this month! Today I am extremely pleased to be able to share with you a Q&A with the author: Hi Alice! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of On The Up ! Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: On The Up is about a young mum, Sylvia, who has not quite achieved the vision that she always had of family life. She and her husband Obe are living with their two children on a council estate, and she dreams of a terraced house on a leafy street. But when the estate is earmarked for redevelopment, Sylvia is forced to reconsider her priorities. The book is about family, relationships, and community, and figuring out what is worth fighting for. Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing the book or did it take an unexpected turn as the characters grew on the page? A: I had

I don’t normally do this but today I am going to write about two books instead of one. The reason for them sharing the spotlight is double. First of all, they both are books that I wouldn’t normally be drawn to. Lastly, they both touched me in an incredibly profound way and, when this happens, my words dry up and feelings take over, making the process of writing a review slightly awkward. First up, purely based on the fact that I read it before the other, is Becoming by Michelle Obama . This is one of the few memoirs I've read and I chose it because I had heard a lot of positive feedback. I became curious and I am so happy I did. I am not what you might call a ‘political person’ so I wasn’t biased one way or the other. As I said, I don’t know how to convey what this book gave me so, please, go and read it. Or even better, listen to the audiobook because hearing it first-hand from Michelle Obama herself is a wonderfully human and humbling experience. The second book I’d li

By Karin Slaughter Published by HarperCollins Synopsis: It begins with an abduction.  The routine of a family shopping trip is shattered when Michelle Spivey is snatched as she leaves the mall with her young daughter. The police search for her, her partner pleads for her release, but in the end… they find nothing. It’s as if she disappeared into thin air. A month later, on a sleepy Sunday afternoon,  medical examiner Sara Linton is at lunch with her boyfriend Will Trent, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. But the serenity of the summer’s day is broken by the wail of sirens. Sara and Will are trained to help in an emergency.  Their jobs – their vocations – mean that they run  towards  a crisis, not away from it. But on this one terrible day that instinct betrays them both. Within hours the situation has spiralled out of control; Sara is taken prisoner; Will is forced undercover. And the fallout will lead them into the Appalachian mountains, to the terrible trut

By Alice Feeney Published by HQ   Synopsis: Aimee Sinclair: the actress everyone thinks they know but can’t remember where from. But I know exactly who you are. I know what you’ve done. And I am watching you. When Aimee comes home and discovers her husband is missing, she doesn’t seem to know what to do or how to act. The police think she’s hiding something and they’re right, she is – but perhaps not what they thought. Aimee has a secret she’s never shared, and yet, she suspects that someone knows. As she struggles to keep her career and sanity intact, her past comes back to haunt her in ways more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. How did this book end up in my hands? I read a 10-part serialisation of the book via The Pigeonhole ahead of publication. Was it a page-turner? Yes, I am sure that had I had the physical copy of the book in my hands, I would have finished reading it in a couple of days. Did the book meet my expectations? It did indeed