My Top 50 Historical Books. Part 4 #HistoricalFiction #Reading

In these difficult times we all need something to focus on, positives in our lives and for me one of those things is books and book blogging. So I’m going to press ahead and allow books to help me cope in the weeks ahead.
Today I’m looking at some of my all time favourite historical fiction novels, with a list of my top 50 favourite books in this genre. I’m going to break it down into five separate blog posts, so you don’t get bored before you reach the bottom.
So here we go with part 4 of my favourite historical fiction novels.
As with previous posts in this series they are not listed in any particular order!

1 The Eagle of the Ninth Chronicles by Rosemary Sutcliff

These books will always be very special to me. As a child they introduced me to the historical novel and started my fascination with Roman History. I loved them then and I still adore them.

2 Little by Edward Carey 

I found this book to be utterly fascinating and very emotional as well. I have to thank the Cardiff Waterstones book club for introducing this novel to me.

3 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

It has been a while since I read The Secret Life of Bees and yet I remember the profound effect it had on me to, which is a mark of a wonderful novel.

4 The Island by Victoria Hislop 

This was the first book I read of this author and I have been a devoted fan since.

5 The Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier is another author whose books I automatically buy, because I know they will always be wonderful reads. I love both her writing style and the gentle tone of her novels.

6 The Thread by Victoria Hislop

There is something about this author’s books that make them compelling reading. The historical detail, the voice she gives to stories that might otherwise be buried. I recently found a copy of one of her books I hadn’t read and I was shocked, because I seriously thought I had read them all.

7 The Story Keeper by Anna Mazzola

 

I loved that this was a story about those who collect and save stories, beside having a thrilling mystery at it’s heart.

8 Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier 

I love all the authors books, but this is one of particular favourites. I had no real idea of the role of women in early scientific develops and this book taught me so much, wrapped up in wonderful story.

9 The Taming of The Queen by Philppa Gregory 

For me no list of favourite historical novels is complete with a novel from this author.

10 The Devil In Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson

I loved the setting of this book and how life within the workhouse felt claustrophobic and so dangerous.

All these books can be purchased from Amazon and also Waterstones, but why not consider ordering from your locally Indie bookshop. Many are still selling books online and posting them out.

 

 

 

I Am Dust by Louise Beech. #IAmDust #OrendaBooks

When iconic musical Dust is revived twenty years after the leading actress was murdered in her dressing room, a series of eerie events haunts the new cast, in a bewitching, beguiling and terrifyingly dark psychological thriller…

The Dean Wilson Theatre is believed to be haunted by a long-dead actress, singing her last song, waiting for her final cue, looking for her killer…

Now Dust, the iconic musical, is returning after twenty years. But who will be brave enough to take on the role of ghostly goddess Esme Black, last played by Morgan Miller, who was murdered in her dressing room?

Theatre usher Chloe Dee is caught up in the spectacle. As the new actors arrive, including an unexpected face from her past, everything changes. Are the eerie sounds and sightings backstage real or just her imagination? Is someone playing games?

Is the role of Esme Black cursed? Could witchcraft be at the heart of the tragedy? And are dark deeds from Chloe’s past about to catch up with her?

Not all the drama takes place onstage. Sometimes murder, magic, obsession and the biggest of betrayals are real life. When you’re in the theatre shadows, you see everything. And Chloe has been watching…

Review

For anyone that has kindly taken the time to read my reviews, they will know that I am a massive fan of Louise Beech’s writing. She is an accomplished writer, with an innate sense of place, emotion, characterisation and story telling. Never resting on her laurels, with each book she pushes herself to write evermore accomplished novels and I Am Dust is her finest to date. You can’t pigeon hole her writing, she crosses genres with ease and has produced a book that is emotionally charged, thrilling, unsettling and utterly compelling.

From the moment I started I Am Dust I knew it was something special, deeply special.

The atmosphere seems to lift off the page and settle over the reader like a blanket, it wrapped me in the story and left me unable to settle until I had finished it. Those scenes set in Chloe Dee’s past are utterly mesmerising and eerily real, for this book is part thriller, but also part ghost story. Scenes in both her childhood and as an adult, tie the two half’s of the story together perfectly. The dual time narratives coexisting until they combine in an ending, that left me with a book hangover of almost unbearable proportions. Not for a moment does it falter, as Louise Beech creates timelines, teasing out the connections between them, until my nerves where frayed and it felt like my heart was skipping a beat, waiting for a conclusion I was not sure my heart was ready for. We all place our trust in a writer to play on our emotions, well, in I Am Dust, it’s like being on an emotional roller coaster! One moment your excited, exhilarated even, then your sad and emotionally drained, on the edge on what feels bearable. Creating a story that causes such an reaction is the mark of how special Louise Beech’s writing is.

Narrative and story fall flat though, if the characters that fill them are one dimensional! There are no worries about that. Chloe fills the story with a tangible presence. I could easily imagine that she could walk off the page and sit next to me, so real did she feel as I was reading.  Her motivations, shaped by her past, inform the decisions and actions of her present.  She is both light and dark, neither perfect or too imperfect. Her pain, her need to be loved and recognised for who she or could still become, made her feel all consuming. I felt both her pain, her anger, her vulnerability. I felt like Louise Beech had taken bits of all of us and written them into Chloe, so each could look into the characters eyes and understand all that she is. Her disappointments mirroring ours, her joy reflecting the best of times, her anger borne out of all the times we felt let down or hurt by the actions of others.

Few writers apart from Louise Beech can affect me in the way she does, for she writes from the heart, her passion cascading from each page, as she creates a story which compels you to read on.  Don’t expect from her the mundane, books that follow a set pattern, do expect to cry, to laugh, to feel emotions both raw and painful. Most of all expect the unexpected and you will then know you have a writer whose books will forever haunt you. I Am Dust is going into my top ten books of 2020 and though there is a strong field of contenders for this year already, I feel sure this novel will sit amongst them all with accomplished ease.

 

You can purchase this novel from Amazon, Waterstones and directly from the publisher through it’s ebook store.

You can also support your local indie bookshop by ordering from them. Many are delivering by post and need our support at this difficult time. 

About the author

Louise Beech is an exceptional literary talent, whose debut novel How To Be Brave was a Guardian Readers’ Choice for 2015. The follow-up, The Mountain in My Shoe was shortlisted for Not the Booker Prize. Both of her previous books Maria in the Moon and The Lion Tamer Who Lost were widely reviewed, critically acclaimed and number-one bestsellers on Kindle. The Lion Tamer Who Lost was shortlisted for the RNA Most Popular Romantic Novel Award in 2019. Her short fiction has won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting for the Bridport Prize twice. Louise lives with her husband on the outskirts of Hull, and loves her job as a Front of House Usher at Hull Truck Theatre, where her first play was performed in 2012.

You can follow the author on Twitter

 

My Top 50 historical books. Part 3 #HistoricalFiction #Reading

In these difficult times we all need something to focus on, positives in our lives and for me one of those things is books and book blogging. So I’m going to press ahead and allow books to help me cope in the weeks ahead.
Today I’m looking at some of my all time favourite historical fiction novels, with a list of my top 50 favourite books in this genre. I’m going to break it down into five separate blog posts, so you don’t get bored before you reach the bottom.
So here we go with part 3 of my favourite historical fiction novels.
As with previous posts in this series they are not listed in any particular order!

1 The Crimson Petal and The White by Michel Faber 

For me this is one of the classics in this genre, beautifully written with a story so addictive, you become lost in a world so rich and complex that time outside the book, stops existing for those precious few hours of reading.

2 Dissolution by C J Sansom 

This whole series of books set in Tudor England are stunning and rightly much loved by readers, including me. I adore the writing, the story and the way he brings a much featured period to life with searing clarity and intelligence.

3 The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This was a deeply affecting and telling story around life in the American South under Jim crow laws. It is an emotional and honest read, that should be read by all that love historical literature.

4. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson 

Oh how I loved this book. I adored it, the complex storyline, the power of the writing, the characters, so perfect in so many ways.

5 The House At Riverton by Kate Morton 

Another one of my favourite writers in this genre. This was a splendid example of a highly enjoyable read, as all her books are. I had so many pleasurable hours reading it.

6 The Paying Guests by Sarah Walters

This is the only Sarah Waters book that I have read, which feels shameful, because she is an incredible writer and I intend to put that right soon.

7 The Taxidermists Daughter by Kate Mosse

I’m a big fan of this writer and would automatically buy any book she writes! The gothic feel of The Taxidermists Daughter gave it an added sense of tension and I felt swept away by the story.

8 All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer 

This is an incredibly powerful read. I was captivated by the story about innocence caught up in the nightmare of WW2.

9 The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor. 

A superb historical crime mystery that read like a dream.

10 The Lie by Helen Dunmore

What to say about this book? Only that it is stunning! The language, the story, the characters are all utterly and beautifully perfect.

All these books can be purchased from Amazon and also Waterstones, but why not consider ordering from your locally Indie bookshop. Many are still selling books online and posting them out. 

 

 

 

The Bloodline Will by A B Morgan #Thriller #TheBloodlineWill #SecondChanceInvestigationsBook 2

He made a mistake, and for the sake of his future career, investigative reporter Konrad Neale must apologise in person to Ella Fitzwilliam.
Detained under section in a secure forensic unit, she doesn’t foresee a bright future. And she despises Konrad for exploiting her and exaggerating the truth about what she really did.
All in the name of journalism
However, when he spots famous recluse Abigail Nithercott in the same facility, he cannot resist the chance to scoop the next big story.
But must use Ella to uncover the dark Nithercott family secret.
Blood. Thicker than water, it spills…
Some family trees have to die.

Review

The Bloodline Will by AB Morgan is a super thriller, with top notch characters and a story that will have you turning the pages at a rapid rate of knots. The follow-up to Death by Indulgence, it features some of my favourite characters Ella Fitzwilliam and Konrad Neale, both of whom I could happily read about all the time.

So what makes this book so special and such a great read. It has the perfect combination of a thrilling storyline, likeable lead characters and a deeply disturbing foe.  When we first join Ella she is in a secure forensic unit, where she is visited by a shame faced Konrad Neale wanting to put right past mistakes. From there they join forces to unearth a dark and troubling secret that plagues one of Konrad’s nemesis.

The story slowly unwinds as they work together and I loved the way it grew organically and how the writer slowly dropped in clues to what was going on. This kept me hooked and I found myself so wound up in the story, I forgot to think about all the things currently worrying me. The story being so addictive I didn’t won’t to put it down, so I didn’t, I read and read and read, until I reached a climax, that left me feeling both shocked and exhilarated, because the writer allowed the characters to inhibit the story and peppered it with countless missteps that had me fooled on countless occasions.

Ella’s journey from the traumatised figure we left in Death by Indulgence is allowed to grow and develop. The writer’s background in mental health, enabled her to portray Ella as a very three demenional character, not the sterotypical personality seen in so many novels. Here she is full of light and self awareness and it made me love her so much.  I wanted to see her flourish, acknowledging her fragility, but also the strength she has. AB Morgan gave me this. What happens to Ella, I will leave you to find out, its a thrilling ride, I promise. But she will always find a way into your heart, there is no way of avoiding that.

You can purchase The Bloodline Will by AB Morgan from Amazon

About the author 

Alison Morgan: A former mental health nurse, country bumpkin at heart, married to a hairy biker, fascinated by words, loves live music and she has an innate ability to make people smile and laugh.

Her crime thrillers have a strong cast of characters helping to define the style and pace of each story inspired by her life and career as a Psychiatric Nurse, and her fascination with the extremes of human behaviour.

AB Morgan is the critically acclaimed author of A Justifiable Madness, Divine Poison, The Camera Lies and Stench.

The author can be followed on Twitter : @AliMorgan2304 and her website http://www.abmorgan.co.uk

You Will Be Safe Here by Damian Barr

A beautiful and heart-breaking story set in South Africa where two mothers – a century apart – must fight for their sons, unaware their fates are inextricably linked.

Orange Free State, 1901. At the height of the Boer War, Sarah van der Watt and her six-year-old son Fred can only watch as the British burn their farm. The polite invaders cart them off to Bloemfontein Concentration Camp promising you will be safe here.

Johannesburg, 2010. Sixteen-year-old Willem is an outsider who just wants to be left alone with his Harry Potter books and Britney, his beloved pug. Worried he’s turning out soft, his Ma and her new boyfriend send him to New Dawn Safari Camp, where they ‘make men out of boys.’ Guaranteed.

The red earth of the veldt keeps countless secrets whether beaten by the blistering sun or stretching out beneath starlit stillness. But no secret can stay buried forever.

Review

You Will Be Safe Here is an utter triumph!

I want to leave this review exactly at this point, because I’m scared that I can’t do it the justice it deserves.  To give it less, would be an injustice to Damian Barr’s stunning debut.

Reading has been a life long passion from the moment a dedicated teacher took aside a child who struggled to concentrate and created a devoted bibliophile. It has been books such as You Will Be Safe Here, which from that point have lit up my reading world. Stories, such as that of sixteen year old Willem, that have created within me a reminder, as if one was needed of why books and reading nourish my soul and keep lit the love for books that teacher instilled in me.

Damian Barr has written a moving story that tilts the world on its axis and reminds us all, to question the assumptions we have of our past and create a fairer truth from the forgotten struggle of others. With the story of Sarah van der Watt and her six-year-old son Fred, it acknowledges the actions of the British and the horrifying reality of the concentration camps that were set up and in which thousands died.  Yet this is not a story that left me as a reader laden with heartbreak and guilt, because it also uplifts you and heals you. From the darkness the writer has created a story of hope, of the strength of two women joined across the centuries and a boy called Willem.  In You Will Be Safe Here, the writer evokes the horror of the concentration and modern training camps and yet also manages to celebrate the human capacity for kindness and difference.

For me the character of Willem is a shining light. He makes this story one about love, as much as it is about facing the realities of the darker side of human nature. His differences are his strength, for they are what makes him precious and why sending him to New Dawn Safari Camp, where they promise is to ‘make men out of boys’ is such a tragedy. One that continues even today in South Africa and why Barr’s novel is of such importance, he gives these boys a voice and shatters the silence around the brutality of abuse. As a character, his essential humanity, caused me to fall head over heels in love with this honesty and vulnerability.  Just as in the narrative set in 1901, there is also a parallel between the story of the sons in You Will Be Safe Here, both seem to stand for the essential innocence of our children, if they are allowed to flourish and are not crushed by doctrine and cruelty.

There is a sinuous feel to the writing, characterised by a series of graceful curving motions, as he propels the reader along, that darkness can be pushed back, by the light of goodness and a determination not to accept cruelty and ignorance.

If you are looking for a book that creates a powerful narrative, written with a understanding of human nature, then You Will Be Safe Here needs to be the next book you buy and read. It is special in ways I don’t have the skill to adequately explain, but I promise you, it is a compelling and compassionate read.  It marks the beginning of a career in fiction writing that will see Damian Barr become of our nations most celebrated writers.

You can purchase this novel from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent book shops, many of whom are still taking delivery requests online and over the phone.

About the author

Damian Barr is an award-winning writer and columnist. Maggie & Me, his memoir about coming of age and coming out in Thatcher’s Britain, was a BBC Radio 4 ‘Book of the Week’, Sunday Times ‘Memoir of the Year’ and won the Paddy Power Political Books ‘Satire’ Award and Stonewall Writer of the Year Award. Damian writes columns for the Big Issue and High Life and often appears on BBC Radio 4. He is creator and host of his own Literary Salon that premieres work from established and emerging writers. You Will Be Safe Here is his debut novel. Damian Barr lives in Brighton. You can follow him on Twitter @Damian_Barr

 

All In Her Head by Nikki Smith #PsychologicalThriller #Review

 

Her life is a pack of lies. But what if she is the liar?

Alison is more alone than she’s ever been. She is convinced that her ex-husband Jack is following her. She is certain she recognises the strange woman who keeps approaching her at work.
She knows she has a good reason to be afraid. But she can’t remember why.
Then the mention of one name brings a whole lifetime of memories rushing back in.
Alison feels like she’s losing her mind . . . but it could just lead her to the truth.

Firstly I have to say a massive thank you to the author Nikki Smith and Anne Cater for their patience. This review was supposed to go live on 9th April, but I had got behind in my reading. Thank you both for your support.

It is still unsual for me to find a thriller that feels different, that catches me unawares, that when I finish it, it leaves me feeling both surprised and unnerved. All In Her Head made me feel all of this and I sat back when I had finished and thought wow, now that is a thriller that left me feeling shacken and flustered.

It is a superb insight into a damaged mind, one that has turned in on itself, both to protect itself and hide from memories that could destroy a carefully construed life. The mind is a wonderful thing, capable pf protecting us from trauma and heartbreak, but in doing so it buries our real selves and Nikki Smith takes this and creates a story of incredible complexity. Multi layered and intricate she takes you the reader on a journey through a mind that is shattered and slowly, ever so deliberately, she deceives you, sending you down one way alleys, leaving you as confused as Alison. It feels good to be mislead and confused, because it means the writer has done her job, she has created moments of deception, that propel you forward through the story, until finally she decides it is time to reveal the truth. It slowly sank into my mind, that what I had been reading was a skilled take on a novel about lies, buried and forgotton, that once revealed, can either crush us or bring a sense of relief. I leave it to you, to decide which is the case in All In Her Head, but I promise it will be worth it.

Without great characterisation even a well conceived plot can fall flat, here in Alison and her husband Jack, we have a pair of perfectly damaged, fragile personalities that inhabit the story with a sense of unease. I found as a pair, they created the perfect balance. They are well rouneded and utterly believeable in the way they reacted to a life suddenly shattered. I believed in both their love for each other and their need discover the truth behind the events that envelope them. Alison is utterly perfect, I became lost in her story and the intricate layers of her search to reclaim the memories that seem just out of reach. As a character she wormed her way under my skin and I felt a need to see the journey with her, to the end, no matter what ending that was.

All In Her Head is a complex and exciting thriller and one that will envelope you in a story that tricks your heart and your mind.

You can purchase this book from Amazon and Waterstones and your local indie bookshop.

About the author 

Nikki studied English Literature at Birmingham University before pursuing a career in finance, working in a variety of different companies including an investment bank and a trampoline park. She always had a passion for writing and in 2017 she had a ‘now or never’ moment and applied for a Curtis Brown Creative 3 month writing course which she absolutely loved. Later that year she had a short story published in the Writer’s Forum Magazine, and submitted the opening chapters of her novel to a competition where she won the opportunity to be mentored by the author Amanda Reynolds. She lives near Guildford with her husband, two daughters and a very friendly Burmese cat called Saffi.

 

 

 

Rhubarb Rhubard – A Correspondence between a Hopeless Gardener and a Hopeful Cook by Mary Jane Patterson and Jo Thompson

 

Rhubarb Rhubarb collects the witty, wide-ranging correspondence between Leiths-trained cook Mary Jane Paterson and award-winning gardener Jo Thompson. Two good friends who found themselves in a perfect world of cupcakes and centrepieces, they decided to demystify their own skills for one another: the results are sometimes self-deprecating, often funny, and always enlightening.
Jo would find herself one day panicking about what to cook for Easter lunch: a couple of emails with Mary Jane and the fear subsided, and sure enough, a delicious meal appeared on the table. Meanwhile, Jo helped Mary Jane combat her irrational fear of planting bulbs by showing how straightforward the process can be.
The book is full of sane, practical advice for the general reader: it provides uncomplicated, seasonal recipes that people can make in the midst of their busy lives, just as the gardening tips are interesting, quick and helpful for beginners. Mary Jane shares secrets and knowledge gathered over a lifetime of providing fabulous food for friends and family, while Jo’s expertise in beautiful planting enables the reader to have a go at simple schemes with delightful results.

Review

There is something deeply special about this book! I identify with both the hopeless gardener and the hopeful cook on the front cover, though I should first confess that I am somewhat hopeless at both. My garden survives despite of me and my cooking, well the less said about that the better. So reading this joyful book, gave me both heart and hope that I can one day achieve some level of competence in both.

Wise words were in the correspondence from gardener to cook, I particularly connected with “seems to me that what stops me baking is sheer terror, everything looks so daunting when presented in a book….” oh god this is so me! I have cookbooks, but they scare me rigid! Yet the patient advice within Rhubarb Rhubarb made me feel at ease and the delicious recipes within and the book with clear no nonsense instruction where simply brilliant.

It’s the warmth of the correspondence between both that gave me a sense of peace, the humour that shines from each page, gave me a much needed lift and left me feeling a sense of gratitude to them both.  I smiled at the advice about growing hydrangeas, which just as in the book are the mainstay of my garden, safe largely from my inexperienced hands. While I identified with the cooks statement that I am often too disorganised to do it as well as the gardener herself, I loved her honesty and it reminded me, that gardening might not be her forte, but cooking is and that is where her strengths lie.

Between the two, gardener and cook, this book reminded me that we all have our strengths in life and by sharing them with others, in correspondence as in Rhubarb Rhubarb, we are gifting others a precious gift. Both Mary Jane Paterson and Jo Thompson did this for each other and through this book, with us.

Everyone should buy it, not just for themselves but for those they love. It is not just a book about gardening and cooking, it’s an ode to friendship, kindness and the joy of sharing.

You can purchase this book from Amazon

Mary Jane Paterson trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine, then worked as a cook, including at the English Gardening School. Her first culinary adventure was documented in her mother Jill Lowe’s novel Yadav: A Roadside Love Story. Jo Thompson is one of the UK’s leading garden designers, renowned for her exquisite planting and innate sense of place. Jo’s Wedgwood Garden won a gold medal at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show, and she has won numerous other awards including several Chelsea golds. She also lectures and writes for the Sunday Times. @gardendesigner1/@jothompsongarden About the authors

 

My top 50 historical books. Part 2 #HistoricalFiction #Reading.

In these difficult times we all need something to focus on, positives in our lives and for me one of those things is books and book blogging. So I’m going to press ahead and allow books to help me cope in the weeks ahead.
Today I’m looking at some of my all time favourite historical fiction novels, with a list of my top 50 favourite books in this genre. I’m going to break it down into five separate blog posts, so you don’t get bored before you reach the bottom.

So here we go with part 2 of my favourite historical fiction novels.

As with part 1 they are not listed in any particular order!

1 Circe by Madeline Miller 

I was very nervous about reading this the second novel by Madeline Miller, because I love The Song of Achilles so much. I need not have been, it was powerful and stunning.

2 Wake by Madeline Miller

For me this is one of the most emotive books about the effects WW1 had on those on the home front.  

3 Washington Black by Esi Edugyan 

This was another book club choice and a resounding success. It is at it’s heart a utterly fabulous historical adventure story, peppered with wonderful characters and just a tiny hint of fantasy. 

4 The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

I am a sucker for a bit of gothic historical fiction and this is one of the best. Full of oodles of tension that flows off the page like fog rolling over the landscape.  

5 Those Who Are Loved by Victoria Hislop

I love all this authors books and so I was thrilled to be asked to review this one! I thought the story was powerful, emotional and full of stunning historical details. 

6 Goldon Hill by Francis Spufford 

This book takes you back to colonial America and is full of wonderful characters and a compelling mystery. 

7 Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield

This book is simply stunning! The story winds gently just like the river in the book, but the mystery at it’s heart feels as dangerous as the undercurrents of the waterway around which the story is centred.

8 The Photographer of the Lost by Caroline Scott

Just like Wake, The Photographer of the Lost looks at the effect of WW1 had on survivors and those on the home front. It is a masterful piece of story telling and deeply moving.  If you have any interest in novels set during this time, than this book should be on your list of must read books. 

9 The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby  

There are many things to love about this novel, the main one being Cora herself, troubled, disturbed even, your not sure if you meant like her or not, but you will never forget her, for she is intriguing and utterly absorbing in every way. 

10 The Muse by Jessie Burton 

I had that nervous feeling again on reading The Muse by Jessie Burton as with Circe, having loved the Miniaturist so much! Again there was no reason to worry, this was an exhilarating read and a superb second book by this incredibly talented writer.

 

My Wonderful Reading Year – March 2020 #Fiction #NonFiction #MyWonderfulReadingYear.

Welcome to a series of posts that chart my wonderful reading year, 2020. I don’t have the time to review all the books I read and wanted I way to celebrate each one. So I’m going to do a monthly post of all the wonderful books I’ve reading that month. Short snappy reviews, simple comments about why I enjoyed them so much.

So welcome to my celebration of my reading in March 2020, a month during which reading has become even more important than normal. 

Well March got off to a stunning start with I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O’Farrell.  This book is insanely moving, funny and powerful and should be read by everyone!

My first fiction read of the month was Dead Wrong by Noelle Holton. A highly enjoyable thriller, full of oodles of tension and a fiesty lead character.

From there I read Beyond The Gravy by Mandy Morton, which was orginal and I very comforting easy read during these troubled times.

Next came Not Having It All by Jennie Ensor. I found this to be both original and it made me giggle, which given the current climate is a massive recommendation.

From laughter I moved onto a thriller from one of my favourite authors. Containment by Vanda Symon is the third in the Sam Shephard series and is a fabulous addition to this cracking sequence of books.

Mexico Street by Simone Buchholz was the second novel from the Indie publisher Orenda Books that I read this month. Its Stylish. Not oodles of description and prose, more tightknit controlled language that gets under your skin and leaves you feeling unnerved.

My next read this month was Sister by Kjell Ola Dahl and what a book to end on! Controlled and stunning writing, a story that keeps you enthralled and most of all, a moment of humour that delivered a gentle moment of relief from the tension.

Well that was my reading for the month of March. It was a time when all our lives were thrown into freefall and when books have become even more important than ever.

I’m excited to discover new worlds, countries I have never visited and new writers in the month to come. In a time when we can’t go out, books bring the world to us.

Happy reading all. Sending cwtches from my home to your home.

 

 

 

Book Covers As Art – The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. #BookCoversAsWorksof Art

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

Overall Book of the Year and Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards 2017 (Nibbies)

Longlisted for the 2017 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction

The Waterstones Book of the Year 2016

Shortlisted for the 2016 Costa Novel Award

London, 1893. When Cora Seaborne’s controlling husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness. Along with her son Francis – a curious, obsessive boy – she leaves town for Essex, in the hope that fresh air and open space will provide refuge.

On arrival, rumours reach them that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming lives, has returned to the coastal parish of Aldwinter. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for superstition, is enthralled, convinced that what the local people think is a magical beast may be a yet-undiscovered species. As she sets out on its trail, she is introduced to William Ransome, Aldwinter’s vicar, who is also deeply suspicious of the rumours, but thinks they are a distraction from true faith.

As he tries to calm his parishioners, Will and Cora strike up an intense relationship, and although they agree on absolutely nothing, they find themselves at once drawn together and torn apart, affecting each other in ways that surprise them both.
The Essex Serpent is a celebration of love, and the many different shapes it can take.

 

Not only is this stunning cover worthy to be hung on any wall, but it is perfectly suited to the story within the cover.  When I look at it, I see amongst the trailing plants a coiled serpent, with a flowering head and a stamen forming the flicking tongue. It is bold and yet not over powering. It was the cover catching my eye in my local Waterstones that led me to buying the book and I adored both it gothic atmosphere and the love story within the pages.

 

About the author 

Sarah Grace Perry FRSL (born 28 November 1979) is an English author. She has had three novels published, all by Serpent’s Tail: After Me Comes The Flood, (2014) The Essex Serpent (2016) and Melmoth (2018). Her work has been translated into 22 languages.

You can follow the author on Twitter