Good morning everyone today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by Bobby Palmer.
I read Isaac And The Egg a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. It’s a book that has stayed with me and one I often recommend to customers at Rossiter Books where I work. I’ve actually just chosen it as our April book club book and I’m really excited to share it with others.
I was lucky enough to be offered an early copy of Small Hours and I’m very excited to read it soon, though a bit nervous as I loved Isaac so much.
What books have you read recently that you can’t stop thinking about?
Small Hours is published 14th March 2024
Small Hours
If you stood before sunrise in this wild old place, looking through the trees into the garden, here’s what you’d see:
A father and son, a fox standing between them.
Jack, home for the first time in years, still determined to be the opposite of his father.
Gerry, who would rather talk to animals than the angry man back under his roof.
Everything that follows is because of the fox, and because Jack’s mother is missing. It spans generations of big dreams and lost time, unexpected connections and things falling apart, great wide worlds and the moments that define us.
If you met them in the small hours, you’d begin to piece together their story.
Isaac And The Egg
Heartbreaking and heart-stealing, this modern-day fable is an unforgettable novel about sorrow, joy, friendship and love.
It is early. A young man stands on a bridge and lets out a heart-wrenching scream. From deep in the woods, something screams back.
It sounds improbable. But this is how Isaac meets the egg.
The two are unlikely companions. But their chance encounter will transform Isaac’s life in ways he cannot yet imagine.
Maybe he will finally understand why he went there that morning. Maybe he will find a way to tell the truth.
Sometimes, to get out of the woods, you have to go into them.
About The Author:
BOBBY PALMER is an author and journalist whose writing has appeared in GQ, Esquire, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan and more. He is co-host of the literary podcast BOOK CHAT with Pandora Sykes.
His debut novel, ISAAC AND THE EGG, was an instant Saturday Times bestseller, selling 50,000 copies in its first year of publication. A Prima and Woman & Home ‘Best Book of 2022’, the novel has appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book, featured as the Guardian ‘Audiobook of the Week’, and was chosen by Dawn O’Porter as part of her ‘Dawn Loves’ book club with WHSmith.
Bobby’s second novel, SMALL HOURS, will publish in March 2024.
Good morning everyone I hope you had a great weekend. I was lucky enough to be invited to the Simon & Shuster showcase last week, which I watched over zoom.
I always love these type of book events as it’s very special to hear an author talk about their book. It was interesting to learn more the books and their motivation for writing them. I sadly missed a little bit of it as I was putting kids to bed but I loved the bit I did catch. I’m very excited to read all of these as they are some of my favourite authors.
Huge thanks to Sara-Jade from Simon & Shuster for inviting me to the event and for organising it!
Find out more about the books below.
Maya’s Laws Of Love by Alina Khawaja
Maya Mirza is so convinced she’s unlucky in love and life that she’s come up with a list of laws to explain it. Most importantly…
* Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
But that’s about to change. Maya’s headed to Pakistan for an arranged marriage with a handsome, successful doctor who ticks all the right boxes. First comes marriage, then comes love – she’s sure of it. Except…
*Trips are never smooth sailing.
From the start, Maya’s journey is riddled with disaster, and the cynical lawyer seated next to her on the plane isn’t helping. Until a storm leaves them stranded in Switzerland, and she and Sarfaraz become unlikely travel companions. And maybe something more…
*When you think you’re lucky, think again.
Before long, Maya’s wondering whether she’s just experienced the ultimate in misfortune – finally meeting the right man a few days before she has to marry someone else.
Happy Ever After by Patricia Scanlan
When the honeymoon is over, real life begins… Newly married Debbie is at her wits’ end about her and Bryan’s mounting debts, but there’s no way he’s going to stop living the high life and become a stay-at-home husband. Meanwhile, her dad has just found out his workaholic second wife, Aimee, is pregnant. He couldn’t be happier, but she’s horrified. Is their marriage going to last? Debbie’s mum, Connie, has met a gorgeous new man and is all set to make a life of her own. But her family need her more than ever to sort out all their problems. Will she put her family first as always, or can she walk away and finally make a fresh start? Will anyone be happy ever after?
Number 1 bestselling author Patricia Scanlan is set to capture the hearts and enchant the minds of a whole new generation of readers who will fall in love with her sublime storytelling. A trailblazing women’s fiction author, all of her novels have been #1 international bestsellers, most recently With All My Love, A Time for Friends, Orange Blossom Days and A Family Reunion. She writes multi-generational family dramas with compassion and authenticity, and a hint of comforting escapism.
Probably Nothing by Lauren Bravo
Bryony doesn’t actually mind being single. So she doesn’t understand why she keeps seeing (ok, sleeping with) Ed, who is perfectly fine, but also only okay. After developing the ick on their fifth date, she resolves to end things – only to receive a call the next day telling her Ed has died.
Worse yet, he seems to have represented her to his family and friends as his great love. Obviously, it would be cruel to correct them. Then she’s invited to the funeral. It would be equally rude to refuse… right?
Before she knows it, Bryony has been drawn in by the charisma and chaos of Ed’s eccentric family and tangled in a web of her own lies. She’s been guilted into signing up to his sister’s pyramid scheme, she’s in far too deep with several of his nearest and dearest – and to make matters worse she’s experiencing a lot of physical symptoms that are becoming harder and harder to ignore…
Probably Nothing is the answer to just how far sheer awkwardness can take someone. Peppered with Lauren Bravo’s irresistible wit, it explores the relatable modern cults of wellness and people-pleasing, and digs into the eternal dilemma: life is short – so should you settle for perfectly fine?
The Holiday Escape by Heidi Swain
Her dream holiday is his everyday life. His dream holiday is her normal life. What happens when they collide?
Ally and her dad, Geoff, run the family business, a creative retreat, from their home Hollyhock Cottage in picturesque Kittiwake Cove. They give their guests their dream break, but Ally hankers after glamourous city living, fancy restaurants and art galleries.
Ally’s survival strategy is to escape out of season, take a break abroad and pretend to be the person she always imagined she would be. She meets Logan while she’s away and he turns out to be exactly the kind of distraction she’s looking for.
With her spirits restored, Ally returns home, picks up the reins again and sets her sights on another successful season, but when Logan unexpectedly arrives on the scene, she soon realises she’s in for a summer that’s going to be far from straightforward…
A story about bringing a holiday home – and what happens when what goes on on holiday comes back to bite you…
The Lost Orchard by Sharon Gosling
Set in a small community on the Scottish coast, the new feel-good story about family, belonging and finding peace with the past from the author of The Lighthouse Bookshop and The Forgotten Garden.
Can a return to the past be the start of something new?
Bette and Nina Crowdie have never been close – they’re too different, the ten-year age difference doesn’t help, and Bette’s rarely been back home since she left for university at eighteen. When their father passes away and unexpectedly splits the family farm between them, Nina is furious and afraid. She’s been working at the farm for the past five years. It’s the only stable home her young son Barnaby has ever had, and she’s convinced that Bette, who never wanted anything to do with the family business, will sell at the first chance she gets.
When they discover the huge debt their father has been hiding from them both, Bette reluctantly agrees to help her sister. But that means they have to find a way to work together, and Bette must face up to the real reason she left all those years ago.
Could the discovery of an ancient orchard on their land be the key to saving the farm – and the sisters’ relationship?
New Beginnings At The Cosy Cat Cafe by Julie Haworth
New Beginnings at The Cosy Cat Café tells the story of Tori who, after being dumped and left stranded by her long-term boyfriend Ryan on a trip of a lifetime to Asia, returns home to the sleepy Sussex village of Blossom Heath with her tail between her legs and her dreams shattered. Donning her frilly apron to help her Mum, Joyce, behind the counter at The Cosy Cup Café, Tori starts to believe – with the help of a hunky fireman and a clowder of rescue cats – that perhaps the secret to her future happiness might lie closer to home than she ever thought possible.
If you love your romance with a side order of cake, cats and cosy community dynamics, this is the purrfect uplifting, feel-good read from the winner of the RNA Katie Fforde Debut Novel of the Year 2023.
Good morning everyone and happy Sunday. I hope you are having a good weekend so far. This is some of the fantastic looking book post I’ve been lucky enough to receive this week:
❤️ Fifteen Wild Decembers by Karen Powell * 🧡I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee* 💛I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai 💚The Potting Shed Murders by Paula Sutton 💙 Maya’s Laws Of Love by Alina Khawaja 🩵Will You Care If I Die? By Nicolas Lunabba 💜 Happy Ever After by Patricia Scanlan 💟The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter 🩷The Museum Of Failures by Thirty Umrigar 💞In Search Of Ethel Cartwright by Tom Winter 🤍The Paris Muse by Louise Treger 🩶The Pursuit Of Love by Mark Bustridge 🤎The Golden Hour by Jacquie Bloese 🖤 Writing On The Wall by Madeleine Pelling
Huge thanks to all the lovely publishers for sending these to me I can’t wait to read them all. The books with stars next to them are books I’ve bought this week. I’ve just finished I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki and will post my review later.
I’m working today which is always fun especially when you’ve not been in for a few days as there might be new books in. Then we’re off to my mum’s tonight for a roast which I’m looking forward to.
I was so excited to receive a copy of the Fantastic sounding The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton this week. I love a cosy murder mystery set in a small village so this sounds right up my street.
Huge thanks to Millie from Dialogue books for sending me a copy of this book.
Out 4th April 2024!
Book Synopsis:
Welcome to the sleepy village of Pudding Corner, a quintessentially English haven of golden cornfields, winding cobbled lanes … and murder.
Daphne Brewster has left London behind and is settling into her family’s new life in rural Norfolk, planting broad beans in raised beds and vintage hunting for their farmhouse.
But when the local headmaster is found dead in his potting shed, amongst his allotment cabbages, the village is ablaze: Who would kill beloved Mr Papplewick, pillar of the community? Daphne soon comes to realise perhaps the countryside isn’t so idyllic after all…
When the headmaster’s widow points her finger at Minnerva, Daphne’s new friend, Daphne vows to clear her name. Sneaking into the crime scene and chasing down rumours gets her into hot water with the local inspector – until she comes across a faded photograph that unearths a secret buried for forty years…
They say nothing bad ever happens in close-knit Pudding Corner, but Daphne is close to the truth – dangerously close…
There’s death amongst the dahlias… A truly unputdownable whodunnit by Paula Sutton – otherwise known as Instagram’s happiest influencer: Hill House Vintage, the queen of cottagecore – an unforgettable new voice in cosy crime. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janice Hallett and Richard Coles.
About The Author:
Paula Sutton is the face behind Hill House Vintage, with over half-a-million Instagram followers. Named by British Vogue as the ‘happiest influencer on Instagram’, Paula is a vintage-hunting interiors stylist, author, columnist and television personality showcasing her wonderful cottage-core and cosy Norfolk life through a lens. Paula upped and left her glamorous London life – where she worked in fashion publishing – over ten years ago to move to Hill House in Norfolk with her family. Since then, Paula has curated a beautiful country home, mixing new with vintage, to find her perfect aesthetic, and is the creator of the popular blog, Hill House Vintage.
Good morning everyone I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this fantastic sounding book today. I always enjoy learning a bit more about life in other countries and this sounds very interesting – though a bit heartbreaking.
I’m looking forward to reading it soon!
Huge thanks to Siobhan from Picador for my copy of this book.
Will You Care If I Die is out now !
Book Synopsis:
Will You Care If I Die? is a disarmingly direct memoir about social class, race, friendship and unexpected love, and a blazingly topical exploration of social polarization and the rise of the far right.
In Sweden, where children murder children and where gun violence is the worst in Europe, Nicolas Lunabba’s job as a social organizer with Malmö’s underclass requires firm boundaries and emotional detachment. But all that changes when he meets Elijah – an unruly teenage boy of mixed heritage whose perilous future reminds Nicolas of his own troubled and violent past.
Allowing Elijah into his home and then into his heart, Nicolas crosses one of his own red lines. With the odds stacked against them, and completely unprepared for the journey he and Elijah now set off on together, can Nicolas keep Elijah safe from harm and steer him towards a better future? Written as a letter to Elijah, Will You Care If I Die? tells Nicolas and Elijah’s story – and asks us to reimagine what it means to care for one another in an uncaring world.
Translated from the Swedish by Henning Koch
About The Author:
Nicolas Lunabba is one of the most influential voices in the Swedish debate regarding young people at risk of spiralling into violence and crime in neglected areas of the country. He runs Helamalmö, an organization committed to social justice, which aims to create a sense of safety and stability for the marginalized. In 2022 Lunabba was awarded the Swedish Martin Luther King prize for his work, and also has an honorary doctorate in social work from Malmö University. Will You Care If I Die? is his first novel.
Kennedy Mitchell is brilliant, beautiful and tired of being the only Black woman in the room.
Two years ago, she was plucked from reception for a seat at the boardroom table in the name of “representation”. Rather than play along, she and her best friend founded Token, a boutique PR agency that helps diversity-challenged companies and celebrities. With famous people getting into reputation-damaging controversies, Token is in high demand and business is booming, but when her ex shows up needing help repairing his reputation, things get even more complicated and soon Kennedy finds herself drawn into a PR scandal of her own.
My Review:
Token is a fun, sexy and romantic read from a new author from me.
Firstly I absolutely loved Kennedy who was such a strong, clever lady who isn’t afraid to stand up for what she thinks is right. She’s such a lovable, realistic character that I wished that I knew in real life as I think everyone needs a Kennedy on their team. Her job in helping to promote diversity and equal rights by helping people work out their problems was very interesting. It has definitely made me think about my own awareness of issues people might face in day to day life and in their workplace.
It was fun to watch the relationship between Nate & Kennedy develop and I liked watching them grow slowly closer. Their chemistry was amazing and I found myself routing for them from the start, hoping that they would find a way to get together properly. There are some steamy moments which might not be to everyone’s taste but I didn’t feel they were overdone.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. I thought the book had a good pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. There were a few twists that kept me on my toes and quite a lot of action that made the book hard to put down. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’d definitely like to read more from her in the future.
Huge thanks to Sara-Jade for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
BEVERLEY KENDALL has published over ten contemporary and historical romance novels. She also manages the romance review blog, Smitten by Books (smittenbybooks.com). Bev writes full-time while raising her son as a single mother. Both dual citizens of the US and Canada, they currently call Atlanta home.
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.
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.
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 . . .
Based on astonishing real events, The Wartime Book Club is a love letter to the power of books in the darkest of times – as well as a moving page-turner that brings to life the remarkable, untold story of an island at war.
My Review:
Wow I absolutely loved this book. I was a bit nervous about reading it as I’d loved The Little Wartime Library so much and I thought that I couldn’t possibly love another book as much- but I was wrong and very wrong.
I thought this book was incredibly well researched and I enjoyed learning more about the occupation of Jersey during WW2. The author lays bare the grim reality of life during this time and I found it shocking to learn about all that they had experienced, especially how some of them decided to inform on their neighbours. There were however some very brave people who worked to help save their fellow Islanders from persecution and sabotaged the Nazi regime at every opportunity.
The story is told from the point of view of Grace and Bea, two very brave headstrong girls who I loved following throughout the book. Both of the girls go to great lengths to help their fellow islanders and my heart was in my mouth as I followed them on some of their exploits. Grace in particular was one of my favourites and it was so heartwarming to see her boosting morale through the power of books. It made my bookish heart very happy to see how books helped others and brought them closer together.
I thought the book had a great pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me glued to the page. Even in the slower moments I found myself just enjoying hanging out with the characters and feeling like I belonged in their little group of book lovers. There was lots of action and plenty of twists that made the book very hard to put down. I think I pretty much inhaled the pages as I read it so fast as I was so desperate to find out what happens next and to check that all the characters are alright. The ending was brilliant and I loved that the author continued the book so the reader can see where all the characters end up. The author has included a lot of her research at the back of the book which I found fascinating. It was so interesting to learn that most of the events in the book actually happened and that the characters were based on real life people. One of the characters says that she hopes people learn more about people’s experiences on the ‘home front’ and this book just brings to life the everyday experiences of war.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Hodder and Stoughton for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of historical fiction set in WW2 or just appreciate a fantastic story then you need to read this book. Highly recommended by me!
About The Author:
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, The Stepney Doorstep Society, was published in 2018 by Penguin. She is passionate about capturing lost voices and untold social histories.
Today Kate works as a journalist, author and library campaigner. Her most recent books, The Little Wartime Library (2022) and The Wartime Book Club (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.
Good evening everyone I was lucky enough received a copy of Blonde Identity by Ally Carter through the post yesterday. I love the sound of this one and I can’t wait to read it soon.
Huge thanks to the lovely Chloe from Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of this book.
Out 14th March 2024
If you were a spy, what would you want your code name to be?
Book Synopsis:
The Blonde Identity is a hilarious, action-packed, road-trip rom-com with witty banter, sexy operatives, and the ultimate high-stakes from New York Times bestselling author, Ally Carter.
It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.
She only knows three things for certain:
She has a splitting headache.
The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run. And oh yeah . . .
People keep trying to kill her.
She doesn’t know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there’s only one explanation: obviously. . . she’s a spy! Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister.
Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear. Which is easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught.
Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they’re lying their way across Europe―dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name.
But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget . . .
The Blonde Identity is the hotly anticipated adult debut from New York Times bestselling YA author, Ally Carter.
About The Author:
Ally Carter is the bestselling author of novels that have epitomized action-adventure YA romance for more than a decade. From the spy-centric humor of I’d Tell You I Love You, but Then I’d Have to Kill You to the globe-trotting glamour of Heist Society, Embassy Row, and Not If I Save You First, the name Ally Carter is synonymous with hilarious action and heart-pounding romance.
She is also the author of The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor and The Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery for younger readers; as well as DEAR ALLY, HOW DO YOU WRITE A BOOK–which Booklist describes as “What Stephen King did for adult writers in ON WRITING…Carter does for aspiring teen authors.”
She lives in Oklahoma, where her life is either very ordinary or the best deep-cover legend ever. She’d tell you more, but…well…you know…
Good morning everyone and happy Wednesday. I treated myself to these beautiful tulips this week and thought I’d do a little book stack to match them.
💜 Icebreaker by Hannah Grace ❤️The Great Divide by Christina Henriquez 💛Token by Beverly Kendall 💜 When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein ❤️Teddy by Emily Dunlay 💛 Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth 💜A Bookshop Of Ones Own by Jane Cholmely ❤️The Lifeline by Libby Page 💜The Valkyrie by Kate Heartfield 💛Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Slater by Nicci French
All of these are tbr apart from Icebreaker which I read a while ago and was the only purple book I could find which perfectly match the purple flowers.
I’m off this morning so I’m hoping to read some more of my book and write some reviews for the blog tours I’m on tomorrow. If I’m feeling particularly energetic I might tackle the kids bedrooms but I only did it at the weekend so I’m a little deflated about it tbh. I’m then working this afternoon at the bookshop which is always fun before watching a concert with friends on discord.
I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to share a flower stack but, as always, no pressure!
Good evening everyone I was very happy to receive a copy of this fantastic sounding book this week. I absolutely love destination reads and can’t wait to be whisked away to Glorious Tuga.
Huge thanks to Carmella and Vintage Books for my copy of this book.
Find out more below ⬇️
Out 6th June 2024
Book Synopsis:
Set sail for a tropical paradise where secrets don’t stay hidden for long…
London vet Charlotte Walker has taken up a fellowship on the tiny, remote island of Tuga de Oro to study the endangered gold coin tortoises in the jungle interior. She can claim the best of reasons for this year in paradise – what better motivation than to save a species? – but the reality is more complex. For Charlotte has a secret that connects her to the island, and has finally determined to solve the mystery that has dominated her life.
But she will have little time for any of her declared or covert investigations. Inconveniently attracted to the new island doctor, Dan Zekri, Charlotte immediately finds herself the subject of local speculation and gossip. And not only do Tuga’s tortoises need attention but so do the island’s dogs and donkeys, not to mention the islanders themselves, determined to win Charlotte over with endless deliveries of cake until she relents and becomes vet to all their animals.
A complete and vivid world to escape to, Welcome to Glorious Tuga celebrates a fictional island, and the eccentric community who live there. Enchanting, uplifting and very funny, this is a captivating novel about love, belonging, and what it really means to come home.
About The Author:
Francesca Segal is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, The Innocents (2012) and The Awkward Age (2017), and a memoir of NICU motherhood, Mother Ship (2019). Her writing has won the 2012 Costa First Novel Award, the Sami Rohr Prize, a Betty Trask award, and been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Over The Rainbow Blog 