Book after Book

Welcome back to Blind Date With a Book Thursday… even if it’s Friday morning! Thank you all for joining in the fun and sharing your guesses on Twitter or on the blog. I hope you enjoyed yourselves! A quick look at the clues: I was published in 2010 I was written by a female British writer I am set between Brighton and London… at one point quite literally, on a train between the two cities I introduce you to three women with their own strengths and issues I warn you: someone dies… but not necessarily one of these women I show you how everything can change in an instant I will make you cry. A lot… Any last-minute guesses? No? Ok, here we go… This week’s book was… One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner . I read it back in 2010 and I still hold it very close to my heart. I have recommended to anyone who would listen and I bought it for a few friends. To read more about the book and what I thought of it, please click here . I hope to see you next week for some ...

If the one of the major booksellers on the high street and online wants to be the exclusive seller of your latest book for one whole month, it’s safe to say that you’ve made it. When that bookseller is Waterstones and the writer in question is Sarah Rayner, author of the much-loved One Moment, One Morning and the most recent The Two Week Wait , I can’t but agree. If this whole scenario includes cupcakes, cocktails served in teacups and brilliant conversation, I’m totally sold! On the 2nd of February I was among the lucky members of the audience gathered at the Brighton branch of Waterstones to enjoy a literary evening in the company of Alexandra Heminsley and the much acclaimed Sarah Rayner . The two authors, both based in Brighton, delighted all people present with smart questions and interesting answers respectively. The exchange was a pleasure to witness and I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one to leave the bookshop feeling an even closer connection to these amazing novels. If - f...

By Sarah Rayner Published by Picador I read One Moment, One Morning , the novel that brought Sarah Rayner into the spotlight, over two years ago and I still praise and recommend it at any given occasion. That’s why I jumped at the opportunity of reading an early copy of her latest novel, The Two Week Wait. Like its predecessor, The Two Week Wait focuses on important – and often controversial – issues: motherhood and infertility. And – now as before – Sarah Rayner excels at dealing with such personal matters with compassion and understanding. In Yorkshire, Cath and Rich are married and want to build a family. After two years spent fighting cancer, Cath is now healthy but, as a consequence of the illness, she can’t have children. In Brighton, Lou and Adam are both gay, single and wanting a child. For different reasons, time is running out for these four adults to fulfil their desire and create a new life. Thanks to the advances in fertility treatments, however, they are in a position to...

By Sarah Rayner Published by Picador There are books that grab your attention from the very beginning and never let it go. One Moment, One Morning is one of them. One Moment, One Morning is also one of those books that leave a lasting impression and will linger at the back of your mind to suddenly jump into the foreground when a sound or an image reminds you of them. In her new book, Sarah Rayner takes us on a journey on the 07:44 train from Brighton to London. It’s Monday and Anna and Lou are travelling on the same train, packed with commuters. They don’t know each other and are sitting in different compartments. Anna is reading a magazine and Lou is listening to music while observing her travelling companions. Next to her, on the opposite side of the aisle, are Karen and Simon. A happily married couple, they are going to London to sign the contract for a new house. Suddenly, Simon collapses. He dies instantly, of a heart attack. In that same instant, many lives are changed. Karen’s, ...