Good morning everyone! Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books thst have seven in the title.
❤️The Seven Husband’s Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I’ve unbelievably not read anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid, despite hearing lots of great things about her books. When I’ve asked people what book of hers I should read first they always say The Seven Husband’s Of Evelyn Hugo. I actually bought this a while ago and I really want to read it soon.
🩷The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
I’ve read other books by Lucinda Riley but I’ve not tried the Seven Sisters series yet, despite it being one of my mum’s favourite series. It’s a very popular book at the bookshop so naturally this has made me even more intrigued to try it. I bought this book recently to replace my original book which I can’t find anywhere.
What popular book or series have you not read yet?
The whispers started long before the accident on Harlow Street . . . Was it at the party, when Whitney screamed blue murder at her son? Or after neighbour Blair started prowling Whitney’s house, uninvited? Or once Rebecca and Ben’s childlessness finally puts a crack in their marriage? But on the terrible night of the accident, the whispers grow louder, more insistent. Neighbours gather round. Questions are asked. Secrets are spilled. And the gloss on everything begins to rub off. Everyone is drawn into the darkness. Because there’s no smoke without fire. No friendship without envy. And no lie that does not conceal a devastating truth . . .
My Review:
The Whispers is a dark, unsettling and emotional read that will stay with me for a long time.
The story is told from the point of view of four women, neighbours that have lived next to each other for years. Each women represents a different type of mother and I found it interesting to explore these through the characters, seeing not only how they viewed each other but also how society viewed them. In this book we meet the stay at home mother, the working mother, a grieving elderly mother and a woman who desperately wants to be a mother. Each story is very different and I liked how each woman gets to narrate the story as it helped me to understand them better.
I thought it was very interesting how the author explores the concept of motherhood and the pressures that woman can place on themselves to be perfect. As a mother myself I found this very intriguing and felt a lot of sympathy for some of the things the mother’s were going through, though this did change as the story continued. Out of all the mother’s the one I felt most sorry for was Rebecca and Mara. I’ve sadly experienced the loss of a child and the author doesn’t hold back in some of her descriptions of this which was hard to read about at times.
Overall I thought this was a great read which gripped me from the start. It was fascinating to have a fly on the wall glimpse into these women’s lives and I soon found myself engrossed, unable to put the book down as I wanted to see how it was all going to end. There were some incredibly emotional moments that brought a lump to my throat and some scenes that made me so angry I had to put the book down for a minute. I had lots of theories about what was going on but I was wrong about all of them which I always like. The ending was brilliant and I gasped out loud with the twist at the end. I was lucky enough to read this with a friend and I’m glad I had someone to discuss this incredible book with. I think it would make a great bookclub read as there’s lots to discuss but do check the trigger warnings as it might be a difficult read for some people.
About The Author:
Ashley Audrain previously worked as the publicity director of Penguin Books Canada. Prior to Penguin, she worked in public relations. She lives in Toronto, where she and her partner are raising their two young children. The Push is her debut novel.
Good evening everyone I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the fantastic sounding Child Of Earth And Sky by Menna Van Praag this week.
I loved The Sister’s Grimm so I’m excited to see where this series will go next. Find out more about the book and the author below.
Huge thanks to Chloë Rose from Penguin Random House for my copy of this book.
Book Synopsis:
Born of bright-white wishing and black-edged desire, the Grimm girls each command a single element and wield it with great power. But a child born of a Grimm and a fallen star will have command over every element . . . and wield infinite power.
At twenty-one, Goldie gave birth to a daughter by her dead lover. Now Goldie is nearly thirty and Luna almost nine. Conceived in the realm between life and death, Luna is part star-soldier, part Grimm and now those opposing forces are waging war within her.
Terrified of losing her increasingly volatile child, Goldie goes on the run. Then an act of violence forces her to return and Luna is taken into care. Mother and child can still meet – in the haunted otherworld that is Everwhere.
Desperate to reclaim her daughter, Goldie must also confront whatever is corrupting Everwhere. For fresh leaves are falling, and Grimm girls are dying. Fearing the return of her father, Goldie knows she cannot succeed alone and summons her sisters.
But can the bonds of sisterhood bear the terrible price that will be paid . . .
About The Author:
Menna van Praag was born in Cambridge, England and studied Modern History at Oxford University. She’s the author of five magical realism novels, all set in Cambridge. The first instalment of her fantasy trilogy, The Sisters Grimm, will be published in 2020 by Transworld (UK) & HarperVoyager (US).
Good morning everyone and happy Sunday. I’ve been attempting to be good and not buy too many books recently but I did get tempted by these:
❤️ Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Highly recommended by two of my Rossiter Books colleagues.
🧡Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
I was very intrigued by this book as I was born in 1982 so thought it would be interesting to see what life in South Korea might have been like for me.
💛The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
This series is very popular at the book store and I can’t believe I’ve not read this series yet. Hoping to read this soon.
💚Too Late by Colleen Hoover
I’m a huge Colleen Hoover fan so I had to get this one!
💙Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
I’ve heard lots of great things about this book which sounds like a fun Summer read.
💜The Virago Book Of Witches by Shahrukh Husain
I love books about witches so this book of folklore and legends around witchcraft really appealed to me. I will be doing a book spotlight for this book soon.
Have you read any these? Which one would you read first?
August is Woman In Translation Month so I thought I’d share some of the translated fiction I have on my shelves.
❤️Thirty Days Of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen 💛Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo 💚You Can’t See Me by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir 💜 Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
All of these are tbr though I have read Eva Björg Ægisdóttir ‘s books before and think they are fantastic. I’m very intrigued by Kim Jiyoung as I was born in 1982 so I think it will be interesting to discover what life in Korea would have been like. I’m also very intrigued by Convenience Store Woman as two of my colleagues at Rossiters have recommend it.
Today my husband is going to collect his new car with my eldest so we’re making pizza’s with grannie and going to the reading club at the library.
What are your weekend plans?
Thirty Days Of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen
Copenhagen author Hannah is the darling of the literary community and her novels have achieved massive critical acclaim. But nobody actually reads them, and frustrated by writer’s block, Hannah has the feeling that she’s doing something wrong.
When she expresses her contempt for genre fiction, Hanna is publicly challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days. Scared that she will lose face, she accepts, and her editor sends her to Húsafjöður – a quiet, tight-knit village in Iceland, filled with colourful local characters – for inspiration.
But two days after her arrival, the body of a fisherman’s young son is pulled from the water … and what begins as a search for plot material quickly turns into a messy and dangerous investigation that threatens to uncover secrets that put everything at risk … including Hannah…
Atmospheric, dramatic and full of nerve-jangling twists and turns, Thirty Days of Darkness is a darkly funny, unsettling debut Nordic Noir thriller that marks the start of a breath-taking new series.
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY SELLING SOUTH KOREAN SENSATION THAT HAS GOT THE WHOLE WORLD TALKING
Kim Jiyoung is a girl born to a mother whose in-laws wanted a boy. Kim Jiyoung is a sister made to share a room while her brother gets one of his own.
Kim Jiyoung is a female preyed upon by male teachers at school. Kim Jiyoung is a daughter whose father blames her when she is harassed late at night.
Kim Jiyoung is a good student who doesn’t get put forward for internships. Kim Jiyoung is a model employee but gets overlooked for promotion. Kim Jiyoung is a wife who gives up her career and independence for a life of domesticity.
Kim Jiyoung has started acting strangely.
Kim Jiyoung is depressed.
Kim Jiyoung is mad.
Kim Jiyoung is her own woman.
Kim Jiyoung is every woman.
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is the life story of one young woman born at the end of the twentieth century and raises questions about endemic misogyny and institutional oppression that are relevant to us all. Riveting, original and uncompromising, this is the most important book to have emerged from South Korea since Han Kang’s The Vegetarian.
You Can’t See Me by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
The wealthy, powerful Snæberg clan has gathered for a family reunion at a futuristic hotel set amongst the dark lava flows of Iceland’s remote Snæfellsnes peninsula.
Petra Snæberg, a successful interior designer, is anxious about the event, and her troubled teenage daughter, Lea, whose social-media presence has attracted the wrong kind of followers. Ageing carpenter Tryggvi is an outsider, only tolerated because he’s the boyfriend of Petra’s aunt, but he’s struggling to avoid alcohol because he knows what happens when he drinks … Humble hotel employee, Irma, is excited to meet this rich and famous family and observe them at close quarters … perhaps too close…
As the weather deteriorates and the alcohol flows, one of the guests disappears, and it becomes clear that there is a prowler lurking in the dark.
But is the real danger inside … within the family itself?
Masterfully cranking up the suspense, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir draws us into an isolated, frozen setting, where nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted, as the dark secrets and painful pasts of the Snæberg family are uncovered … and the shocking truth revealed.
Succession meets And Then There Were None … A Golden Age mystery for the 21st Century, with a shocking twist.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Meet Keiko.
Keiko is 36 years old. She’s never had a boyfriend, and she’s been working in the same supermarket for eighteen years.
Keiko’s family wishes she’d get a proper job. Her friends wonder why she won’t get married.
But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she’s not going to let anyone come between her and her convenience store…
Death and mayhem erupt on an exclusive island as it plays host to a reality television show like no other . . . From bestselling author Ruth Kelly, The Villa is an electrifying summer read, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Catherine Cooper.
A VILLA IN PARADISE It’s destined to be the ultimate reality TV show. Ten contestants. A luxurious villa on a private island. Every moment streamed live to a global audience who have total control over those competing for the cash prize.
A JOURNALIST UNDERCOVER Reporter Laura is told to get the inside scoop on her fellow contestants. But once the games begin, she soon finds herself at the mercy of a ruthless producer willing to do anything to increase viewer numbers.
A REALITY SHOW TO DIE FOR There is more to every contestant than meets the eye, including Laura. They all have secrets they’d like to keep buried, and the pressure in paradise quickly reaches boiling point. How far will the contestants go to secure audience votes? And would somebody really kill to win?
My Review:
The Villa is a dark, gripping and unsettling thriller that will make you look at reality shows in a completely different way.
The story is told from the point of view of three people, The reporter, the Producer and The viewers. This made the story very intriguing especially as the Reporter was told mainly in the present tense with a few flashbacks to events before the show while the producer was told from the future after the show had finished. I loved following the two timelines and trying to work out what had happened. It helped create a bit of tension in the book as events are revealed in one timeline which made me curious how they would impact the other.
I thought that most of the characters were very unlikeable though as the story goes on and we find out more about their backgrounds or as events in the villa unfold I did start feeling sorry for a few of them. It was a bit uncomfortable at times to see how easily they could be manipulated and what they’d be willing to do to win.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to everyone. The story had a great pace to it and I soon found myself drawn into the story, unable to put the book down as I wanted to know what on earth would happen next. It was quite chilling to see how the game was changed throughout the book and how it affected the people inside the villa. It has definitely made me think more about reality shows and to wonder how much of the show is scripted or changed to make for better viewing.
The ending was absolutely brilliant and I read the last 100 pages very quickly as there was so much happening. I especially loved the surprise twist at the end just when I thought everything had been tied up as I really wasn’t expecting that.
Huge thanks to Chloe from Pan Macmillan for my copy of this book. I can’t wait to read more from this author in future.
About The Author:
Ruth Kelly is an award-winning journalist who has ghosted a string of Sunday Times top ten bestsellers – most recently THE PRISON DOCTOR, which sold over 250,000 copies, and THE GOVERNOR, which went straight in at number one on the Amazon charts and number five in the Sunday Times bestseller list.
Good morning everyone. I was so excited to receive a copy of The Hidden Years by Rachel Hore and to be invited onto the blog tour. Rachel is one of my favourite authors and I always love her books so I’m very excited to read this one. Huge thanks to the lovely @bookminxsjv for my copy of this book.
I have a day off today and I’ve promised the kids we’ll do some baking which is always chaotic. I’m hoping I might get a chance to read a bit more of my book too but we’ll see.
Have you read any of Rachel’s books? Which one was your favourite?
Book Synopsis:
Sunday Times bestseller Rachel Hore’s captivating new novel of secrets, loss and betrayal – set on the beautiful Cornish coast during World War Two and the heady days of the 1960s.
When talented musician Gray Robinson persuades Belle to abandon her university studies and follow him to Silverwood, home to an artistic community on the Cornish coast, Belle happily agrees even though they’ve only just met. She knows she is falling in love, and the thought of spending a carefree summer with Gray is all she can think about.
But being with Gray isn’t the only reason Belle agrees to accompany him to Silverwood.
Why does the name Silverwood sound so familiar? What is its connection to a photo of her as a baby, taken on a nearby beach? And who is Imogen Lockhart, a wartime nurse who lived at Silverwood many years ago?
As the summer months unfold, Belle begins to learn the truth – about secrets from the past that have been kept hidden, but also about the person she wants to be.
About The Author:
I’m the author of twelve bestselling novels, the most recent of which is One Moonlit Night. Look for my new novel, The Hidden Years, to be published in hardback in the UK on 14th September 2023.
I came to writing quite late, after a career editing fiction at HarperCollins in London. My husband and I had moved out to Norwich with our three young sons and I’d had to give up my job and writing was something that I’d always wanted to try. I originally studied history, so it was wonderful finally to put my knowledge to good use and to write The Dream House, which is partly set in the 1920s in Suffolk and London.
Most of my novels are dual narrative, often called ‘time slip’, with a story in the present alternating with one set in the past. I love the freedom that they give me to escape into the past, but also the dramatic ways in which the stories interact. My characters are often trying to solve some mystery about the past and by doing so to resolve some difficulty or puzzle in their own lives.
The books often involve a lot of research and this takes me down all sorts of interesting paths. For The Glass Painter’s Daughter I took an evening class in working with coloured glass. My creations were not very amazing, but making them gave me insight into the processes so that my characters’ activities would feel authentic. For A Week in Paris I had to research Paris in World War II and the early 1960s through films and books and by visiting the city – that was a great deal of work for one novel. Last Letter Home involved me touring a lot of country houses with old walled kitchen gardens in search of atmosphere and to explore the different kinds of plants grown there.
Places often inspire my stories. The Memory Garden, my second novel, is set in one of my favourite places in the world – Lamorna Cove in Cornwall – which is accessed through a lovely hidden valley. A Place of Secrets is set in a remote part of North Norfolk near Holt, where past and present seem to meet. Southwold in Suffolk, a characterful old-fashioned seaside resort with a harbour and a lighthouse, has been a much loved destination for our family holidays and has made an appearance in fictional guise in several of my novels, including The Silent Tide and The Love Child.
Until recently I taught Publishing and Creative Writing part-time at the University of East Anglia, but now I’m a full-time writer, which felt like a bit step. My boys are all grown up now and finding their way in the world, but we still see a lot of them. My husband David is a writer, too (he writes as D.J. Taylor), so we understand each other’s working lives.
I find I have to have a regular routine with my writing, not least to keep the book in my head. My aim is to sit down at 9am every morning and write till lunchtime, then again the afternoon, but there is often something ready to interrupt this, not least our Labrador girl Zelda, so I go with the flow.
Good morning everyone. I thought I’d share a red and pink stack for Wednesday today. I don’t seem to have many pink books and as I seem to have gained lots of red books recently it seemed a good idea to mix them together.
I’m currently reading The Whispers and I’m working my way through Hello Beautiful which I’m really enjoying – though Julia’s annoying me a bit. Out of this stack I think I’ll read Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe next as it sounds really good and my son wants to read it. It’s apparently a teenage book and he’s only 10 so it might be too old for him atm.
Are your kids readers? Any recommendations for magical books for a ten year old who absolutely loved the Harry Potter books gratefully received.
She’s written the perfect romance . . . for someone else
Greetings card copywriter Phoebe Chapman knows a good romantic line or two – and it makes her a fantastic Cupid.
So when she lands in the Hollywood Hills – a place that proves film stars, golden beaches and secret waterfalls don’t just exist in the movies – she can’t resist playing matchmaker for her handsome neighbour, carpenter Ren.
But you can’t hide from love in La La Land.
And isn’t there something a little bit hot about Ren, her own leading man next door?
My Review:
Love Me Do is a fun, addictive read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Firstly I absolutely loved the characters in this book. They were all such fun, lovely creations and it was so nice to follow them throughout the book. The main character Phoebe was an absolutely fantastic character, who I fell in love with. She’s so funny and realistic that I instantly warmed to her and wished that I knew her in real life. Phoebe has a unique, yet hilarious way of describing things which often had me laughing out loud and I loved her ability to get herself into some interesting situations. It was great to see her grow more confident in herself as she settled into LA and made some great new friends.
Having never been LA, despite my sister living there for a few years, I enjoyed exploring it alongside the characters. It seems like a really interesting place to visit and I had never realised how diverse it could be having lots of access to nature rather than just a city. I especially loved the descriptions of the beautiful beaches and the graveyard where people had picnics seemed very interesting. It has definitely made me want to visit there soon.
Overall, as you can probably tell , I absolutely loved this book and I will definitely be recommending it to others. The author’s writing style just drew me in and I soon grew very fond of the characters, wanting to keep reading to find out what an earth would happen next. I managed to read this book over two days, which as a mother of three, rarely happens but I just absolutely loved this story and wanted to spend as much time with the characters as possible. This was the first book I’ve read by this author but I’m now very excited to read more from her in the future. I’m really hoping there might be a sequel in the future as I’d love to spend more time with Phoebe, Ren, Bel and the gang.
If you’re looking for a fun, easy and gripping read for your holiday this summer I highly recommend this one.
About The Author:
Lindsey Kelk is the internationally bestselling author of books including I Heart New York, On A Night Like This, The Christmas Wish, and One in a Million.
As well as writing books, Lindsey co-hosts Tights and Fights, a pro-wrestling podcast on the Maximum Fun network. She also hosts and produces the award-winning beauty podcast, Full Coverage.
Born and raised in South Yorkshire, Lindsey lived in Nottingham, London and New York before settling in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and three very rude cats.
Good morning everyone. Today on Two For Tuesday I thought I’d highlight two of the fantastic sounding books I’m reading for bookclubs this month.
The Weather Woman by Sally Gardener is for the lovely @bestbookforward book club. I’ve heard great things about this one and the blurb really appeals to me so I’m looking forward to reading this one.
The Love Of My Life is for @the_book_taster online book club. I’ve been very intrigued by this book for a while so when I saw it was their book club pick this month I knew I had to join in. It’s doing very well at the book shop too so I’m excited to start it.
Do you belong to a bookclub? What are you reading this month?
The Love Of My Life by Rosie Walsh
I have held you every night for ten years and I didn’t even know your name. We have a child together. A dog, a house.
Who are you?
Emma loves her husband Leo and their young daughter Ruby: she’d do anything for them. But almost everything she’s told them about herself is a lie.
And she might just have got away with it, if it weren’t for her husband’s job. Leo is an obituary writer and Emma is a well-known marine biologist. So, when she suffers a serious illness, Leo copes by doing what he knows best: reading and writing about her life.
But as he starts to unravel her past, he discovers the woman he loves doesn’t really exist. Even her name is made-up.
When the very darkest moments of Emma’s past life finally emerge, she must somehow prove to Leo that she really is the woman he always thought she was. But first, she must tell him about the love of her other life .
The Weather Woman by Sally Gardener
Neva is born into a world of trickery and illusion, where fortunes are won and lost on the turn of a card. But she is also born with an extraordinary gift: she can predict the weather. In Regency England, where the proper goal for a gentlewoman is marriage and only God can foretell the future, this is a dangerous power to possess.
In order to stand up to the men of science, Neva adopts a sophisticated male disguise, created by her brilliant clockmaker father. But what will happen when she falls in love with a charismatic young man?
Over The Rainbow Blog 