Book after Book

By John Marrs Published by Ebury Synopsis: When someone hacks into the systems of eight self-drive cars, their passengers are set on a fatal collision course. The passengers are: a TV star, a pregnant young woman, a disabled war hero, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife - and parents of two - who are travelling in separate vehicles and a suicidal man. Now the public have to judge who should survive but are the passengers all that they first seem? How did this book end up in my hands? This was another brilliant serialisation by The Pigeonhole . Was it a page-turner? Yes, I read each instalment of the novel at lightning speed, as if my life depended on it. At times, it did feel like it! Did the book meet my expectations? I read the synopsis and thought it sounded intriguing but I started the book with no particular expectations. I don’t think I could ever have imagined something THIS good. I don’t want to make it sound too good to ...

2019 marks the centenary of the Women’s Engineering Society and today I am extremely proud to be able to join the blog tour for a book that – now more than ever – is very close to my heart: Magnificent Women and Their Revolutionary Machines by Henrietta Heald . About the book... In 1919, in the wake of the First World War, a group of extraordinary women came together to create the Women’s Engineering Society. They were trailblazers, pioneers and boundary breakers, but many of their stories have been lost to history. To mark the centenary of the society's creation, Magnificent Women and Their Revolutionary Machines brings them back to life. Their leaders were Katharine and Rachel Parsons, wife and daughter of the engineering genius Charles Parsons, and Caroline Haslett, a self-taught electrical engineer who campaigned to free women from domestic drudgery and became the most powerful professional woman of her age. Also featured are Eleanor Shelley-Rolls, sister of car magn...

By Bev Thomas Published by Faber & Faber Synopsis: Dr Ruth Hartland rises to difficult tasks. She is the director of a highly respected trauma therapy unit. She is confident, capable and excellent at her job. Today she is preoccupied by her son Tom's disappearance. So when a new patient arrives at the unit - a young man who looks shockingly like Tom - she is floored. As a therapist, Ruth knows exactly what she should do in the best interests of her client, but as a mother she makes a very different choice - a decision that will have profound consequences. How did this book end up in my hands? I read the serialisation of this book via The Pigeonhole . Was it a page-turner? Absolutely, yes. The tension and foreboding were so high right from the beginning that I almost held my breath throughout the book. Did the book meet my expectations? I didn’t connect with the title at first and I started reading with no expectations. For this reason, I enjoyed ...

By Uzma Jalaluddin Published by Corvus Synopsis: Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been overtaken by a demanding teaching job. Her boisterous Muslim family, and numerous (interfering) aunties, are professional naggers. And her flighty young cousin, about to reject her one hundredth marriage proposal, is a constant reminder that Ayesha is still single. Ayesha might be a little lonely, but the one thing she doesn't want is an arranged marriage. And then she meets Khalid... How could a man so conservative and judgmental (and, yes, smart and annoyingly handsome) have wormed his way into her thoughts so quickly? As for Khalid, he's happy the way he is; his mother will find him a suitable bride. But why can't he get the captivating, outspoken Ayesha out of his mind? They're far too different to be a good match, surely… How did this book end up in my hands? I read this as part of a serialisation by The Pigeonhole . W...

*and push it out By Clemmie Hooper Published by Vermilion Synopsis: Mum to four little girls and midwife to many, Clemmie Hooper wants to share her knowledge, wisdom and stories about pregnancy, birth and mothering young children that aren’t so widely talked about – straight from the midwife’s mouth. From how to prevent tearing during birth to what you really need in your labour bag, Clemmie reveals everything pregnant women and new mums need to know with a good dose of humour and wit. How did this book end up in my hands? I downloaded the ebook from the BorrowBox app after having heard great things about it. Was it a page-turner? It’s not that kind of book: we all know what happens when the 9 months are up! Did the book meet my expectations? Yes, I found it extremely informative and it had me reach for my notebook a lot. Some things that I didn’t consider essential were perhaps repeated too often, like the benefits of a pregnancy massage for instance, but they didn’t ...