Book Synopsis:

A stunning and unexpected portrait of Lucy Maud Montgomery, creator of one of literature’s most prized heroines, whose personal demons were at odds with her most enduring legacy—the irrepressible Anne of Green Gables.

“Dear old world,” she murmured, “you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.” —L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1908

As a young woman, Maud had dreams bigger than the whole of Prince Edward Island. Her exuberant spirit had always drawn frowns from her grandmother and their neighbors, but she knew she was meant to create, to capture and share the way she saw the world. And the young girl in Maud’s mind became more and more persistent: Here is my story, she said. Here is how my name should be spelled—Anne with an “e.”

But the day Maud writes the first lines of Anne of Green Gables, she gets a visit from the handsome new minister in town, and soon faces a decision: forge her own path as a spinster authoress, or live as a rural minister’s wife, an existence she once called “a synonym for respectable slavery.” The choice she makes alters the course of her life.

With a husband whose religious mania threatens their health and happiness at every turn, the secret darkness that Maud herself holds inside threatens to break through the persona she shows to the world, driving an ever-widening wedge between her public face and private self, and putting her on a path towards a heartbreaking end.

Beautiful and moving, After Anne reveals Maud’s hidden personal challenges while celebrating what was timeless about her life and art—the importance of tenacity and the peaceful refuge found in imagination

My Review:

After Anne is a beautifully written, absorbing book about the life of one of my favourite childhood authors.

Firstly the author has done a great job at bring Maud to life and I loved getting to know her throughout the book. She’s a wonderful character full of charisma, especially at the beginning and I really enjoyed being able to see the world through her point of view. Her imagination is amazing and it made me smile how she referred to the two parts of her as animals in her mind.

Anne of Green Gables and was one of my favourite childhood books so I loved all the details about the real life places in the book. I hadn’t realised they were real places until I read this book and I’ve added going to Prince Edward’s Island to my bucket list. It was great to follow Maud as she wrote the book and I loved the author’s imagination in the bits where she describes how Maud might have got the inspiration for Anne of Green Gables.

This book starts after Maud’s death and then flashes back covering significant parts of her life. The author’s writing quickly drew me into the book and I soon found it hard to put the book down as I was so enjoying this fabulous story. It made me so cross to see people’s attitudes toward Maud and her writing. It was upsetting to think about how many women were forced to give up stuff that they loved as it didn’t fit into societal expectations at that time.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I absolutely loved this book and will be recommending it to everyone. It was very sad to see Maud change throughout the book due to the challenges she faces and it did make me wonder what she might have done or achieved if things had been different.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book. If you are a Anne of Green Gables fan or just a historical fiction fan then you need to read this book.

About The Author:

Logan is a lawyer by day and a writer by baby bedtime. Her writing explores motherhood and the creative life.

Logan’s debut novel AFTER ANNE will be released on May 30, 2023 by HarperCollins. For fans of Anne of Green Gables and fans of complex, creative women, the novel tells the life story of the author Lucy Maud Montgomery. See Logan’s website for more information: https://logansteiner.com/.

Logan also writes a weekly Substack newsletter called The Creative Sort: https://logansteiner.substack.com/.

After graduating from Pomona College and Harvard Law School, Logan clerked for three federal judges, spent six years in Big Law, and served for three years as an Assistant United States Attorney. She now specializes in brief writing at a boutique law firm. Logan lives in Denver with her husband, daughter, and the cranky old man of the house, a Russian Blue cat named Taggart.

Good morning everyone. Here are 6 historical fiction books that I’m looking forward to reading soon:

⭐ The Other Side Of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker
⭐ The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer
⭐ Joan by Katherine J Chen
⭐ I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons
⭐ The Beasts Of Paris by Stef Penney
⭐ The Illusions by Liz Hyder

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres but I feel I’ve been neglecting it a bit recently. I’ve recently given up doing so many blog tours so I’ll have a chance to read more of the books on my tbr.

Have you read any of these? Any of these on your radar?

The Other Side Of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker

Mrs Wood is London’s most celebrated medium. She’s managed to survive decades in the competitive world of contacting the Other Side, has avoided the dreaded slips that revealed others as frauds and is still hosting packed-out séances for Victorian high society.

Yet, some of her patrons have recently cancelled their appointments. There are reports of American mediums nearly materialising full spirits and audiences are no longer satisfied with the knocking on tables and candle theatrics of years gone by. And then, at one of Mrs Wood’s routine gatherings, she hears something terrifying – faint, but unmistakable: a yawn.

Mrs Wood needs to spice up her brand. She decides to take on Emmie, a young protégé, to join her show. But is Emmie Finch the naïve ingenue she seems to be? Or does she pose more of a threat to Mrs Wood’s reign and, more horrifyingly, her reputation than Mrs Wood could ever have imagined?

The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer

East Anglia, 1645. Martha Hallybread, a midwife, healer and servant, has lived for more than four decades in her beloved coastal village of Cleftwater. Everyone knows Martha, but no one has ever heard her speak.

One Autumn morning, the peaceful atmosphere of Cleftwater is shattered by a sinister arrival and Martha becomes a silent witness to a witch-hunt. As a trusted member of the community, she is enlisted to search the bodies of the accused women. But whilst Martha wants to help her friends, she also harbours a dark secret that could cost her own freedom. In desperation, she revives a wax witching doll that she inherited from her mother, in the hope that it will bring protection. But the doll’s true powers are unknowable, the tide is turning, and time is running out . . .

An immersive and deeply moving novel inspired by true events, The Witching Tide breathes new life into history whilst holding up a mirror to the world we live in now. A story of loyalty and betrayal, fear and obsession, the impact of misogyny and the power of resistance, it is a magnificent debut from a striking new literary voice.

Joan by Katherine J Chen

Girl. Warrior. Heretic. Saint?

France is mired in a losing war against England. Its people are starving. Its king is in hiding. Yet out of the chaos, an unlikely heroine emerges.

Reckless, steel-willed and brilliant, Joan has survived a childhood steeped in both joy and violence to claim an extraordinary – and fragile – position at the head of the French army. The battlefield and the royal court are full of dangers and Joan finds herself under suspicion from all sides – as well as under threat from her own ambition.

With unforgettably vivid characters and propulsive storytelling, Joan is a thrilling epic, a triumph of historical fiction, and a feminist celebration of one remarkable – and remarkably real – woman who left an indelible mark on history.

I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons

The Mona Lisa has hung in the Louvre for over two-hundred years. She has watched alone in silence as millions of people have admired her behind the glass.

Now, she is finally ready to tell her own story.

Over five centuries, from da Vinci’s bustling Florentine studio to the opulent French court, Mona will be desired, stolen, heartbroken, curious, furious, and above all, she will be heard.

The Beasts Of Paris by Stef Penney

Anne is a former patient from a women’s asylum trying to carve out a new life for herself in a world that doesn’t understand her. Newcomer Lawrence is desperate to develop his talent as a photographer and escape the restrictions of his puritanical upbringing. Ellis, an army surgeon, has lived through the trauma of one civil war and will do anything to avoid another bloodbath.

Each keeps company with the restless beasts of Paris’ Menagerie, where they meet, fight their demons, lose their hearts, and rebel in a city under siege.

A dazzling historical epic of love and survival, Stef Penney carries the reader captivated through war-torn Paris.

The Illusions by Liz Hyder

Bristol, 1896. Used to scraping a living as the young assistant to an ageing con artist, Cecily Marsden’s life is turned upside down when her master suddenly dies. Believing herself to blame, could young Cec somehow have powers she little understands?

Meanwhile Eadie Carleton, a pioneering early film-maker, struggles for her talent to be taken seriously in a male-dominated world, and a brilliant young magician, George Perris, begins to see the potential in moving pictures. George believes that if he can harness this new technology, it will revolutionise the world of magic forever – but in order to achieve his dreams, he must first win over Miss Carleton . . .

As a group of illusionists prepare for a grand spectacle, Cec, Eadie and George’s worlds collide. But Cec soon finds herself facing the fight of her life to save the performance from sabotage – and harness the element of real magic held deep within her . . .

Book Synopsis:

The Unheard is a novel about memory, and what happens to the experiences that are too much for us but we are unable to leave behind.

My Review:

The Unheard is a beautifully written, poignant read that will stay with me for a long time.

The story is told from the point of view of Tom, May and Maggie. I really enjoyed getting to know them throughout the book and learn more about their past. They’ve definitely had interesting lives, living through many defining moments in history. It was especially interesting to hear read about the miner strikes from the miners’ point of view as it helped me to understand how things were for them.

I really enjoyed the way the author writes the characters so that I often felt like I was in their head experiencing everything as if I was them. It was very poignant to see this effects of Alzheimer’s on Tom’s mind but also to see the effect it had on those closest to him. My heart broke for both Tom and May as I read as it was hard to see May trying to deal with Tom’s Alzheimer’s and how much it had changed him.

Overall this is a interesting book that must have had more of an impact on me then I initially thought as I’ve continued to think about it long after reading. The author’s words just got in my head and I loved the beautiful way she describes things so I could understand more about Tom’s illness.

Huge thanks to Helen for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Blackpool-born Anne Worthington has spent decades producing a body of photographic work that highlighted the conditions of housing, and the effects of social and economic change that began during the 1980s, with particular focus on her adopted home of Manchester.

Good morning everyone today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two of the beautiful new special editions I’ve bought recently.

⭐ The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse
⭐ The Square Of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

I’m a huge fan of both these authors who are both auto buys for me whenever they release new books. I did have proof copies of these but couldn’t resist these beautiful special editions as I love books with spredges! Square Of Sevens is my next read and I’m so looking forward to reading it.

These are both indie Bookshop editions and available Rossiter Books or your local indie Bookshop.

Do you have a favourite special edition that you own?

The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse

Piracy. Romance. Revenge. Across the seas of the seventeenth century, two seafarers are forced to fight for their love and their lives. The sequel to The City of Tears, The Ghost Ship is the third novel in The Joubert Family Chronicles from bestselling author Kate Mosse.

The Barbary Coast, 1621. A mysterious vessel floats silently on the water. It is known only as the Ghost Ship. For months, its captain – Louise Reydon-Joubert – and her courageous crew has hunted pirates to liberate those enslaved during the course of their merciless raids.

But now the Ghost Ship is under attack – its hull splintered, its sails tattered and burnt, and the crew at risk of capture. But the bravest among them are not who they seem. Louise is fleeing a miscarriage of justice; her lover, Gilles Barenton, is at risk of being exposed – she is forced to masquerade as her brother. The stakes could not be higher: if arrested, they will be hanged for their crimes. Can they survive the journey and escape their fate?

A sweeping and epic queer love story, ranging from France in 1610 to Amsterdam and the Canary Islands in the 1620s, The Ghost Ship is a thrilling novel of adventure and buccaneering, love and revenge, stolen fortunes and hidden secrets on the High Seas. Most of all, it is a tale of defiant women in a man’s world.

The Square Of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

‘My father had spelt it out to me. Choice was a luxury I couldn’t afford. This is your story, Red. You must tell it well . . .’

A girl known only as Red, the daughter of a Cornish fortune-teller, travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient method: the Square of Sevens. When her father suddenly dies, Red becomes the ward of a gentleman scholar.

Now raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendour of Bath, her fortune-telling is a delight to high society. But she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him?

The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red’s quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads into her grave danger . . .

Book Synopsis:

In 1914, war feels far away to Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood. They’re too young to enlist, and anyway, Gaunt is fighting his own private battle – an all-consuming infatuation with the dreamy, poetic Ellwood – not having a clue that his best friend is in love with him, always has been.

When Gaunt’s mother asks him to enlist in the British army to protect the family from anti-German attacks, he signs up immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings. But Ellwood and their classmates soon follow him into the horrors of trenches. Though Ellwood and Gaunt find fleeting moments of solace in one another, their friends are dying in front of them, and at any moment they could be next.

An epic tale of the devastating tragedies of war and the forbidden romance that blooms in its grip, In Memoriam is a breathtaking debut.

My Review:

In Memoriam is a gripping, emotional read that is one of the best books I’ve ever read. The story follows Gaunt and Ellwood from their idyllic time as public school boys to the horror of the trenches in World War 1.

Firstly this author has clearly done her research as I often felt that I was experiencing the horror and fear of the trenches alongside the characters. The author definitely doesn’t hold back in her vivid descriptions of trench life which were quite hard to read at times. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that lays bare the full horror of what the soldiers must have experienced. It broke my heart to realise that most of the soldiers were ordinary men with no military experience thrown into this nightmare situation.

This book is a truly emotional read, not just because of the conditions of the trenches and what was experienced there but also because of the beautiful relationship between the two characters. It was lovely to be able to watch it grow and change through the different places, though heartbreaking too at times. I found that I had quickly grown closer to them and was fully invested in their relationship, hoping that they would have a happy ending. When I say this book was emotional, however, I don’t just mean it was sad as I also felt a lot of anger whist reading. Anger at the continuation of going over the top when it obviously wasn’t working, anger at seeing the effect the fighting was having on the men, anger at the stupid class system still mattering whist in the trenches and that you could pull rank to help settle childhood squabbles. I honestly can’t believe this was allowed to happen and felt numb with disbelief as I read.

I found this book very gripping and I soon found the book hard to put down as I was so invested in the characters. I had to keep reading to find out if Gaunt, Ellwood and their friends were ok. The tension in the book was cleverly increased at times by events during the fighting or by the mention of a place where I knew a battle had taken place. There were lots of unexpected twists in this book as you can probably guess in a book about a war, which seemed to happen naturally and often made me cry when I realised what they meant. The inclusion of the In Memoriam pages was also a clever inclusion and I had a lump in my throat as I scanned the pages, hoping that none of the friends had been hurt.

The ending was brilliantly done and while I had hoped it would end slightly differently maybe that wouldn’t have been realistic. It was definitely a hopeful ending and I closed the book sad to leave all the characters behind.

If you are a fan of historical fiction then you need to read this book. It is just brilliant and I have continued to think about it long after reading.

About The Author:

Alice Winn is the author of In Memoriam. She grew up in Paris and was educated in the UK. She has a degree in English literature from Oxford University. She lives in Brooklyn.

Good morning everyone and happy Monday. I was lucky enough to get a copy of Mixed Signals by B. K. Borison through the post last week. Mixed Signals is the third book in the Lovelight Farms series and another book that sounds absolutely fantastic.

I’m currently reading Lovelight Farms and really enjoying it so far. Huge thanks to Clio and Pan Macmillan for my copy of this book.

Do you have a favourite book series?

Book Synopsis:

Layla Dupree has given up on love.

She’s waded through all of the fish in the sea, each one more disappointing than the last. Apparently owning the bakery at Inglewild’s most romantic destination does not help one’s love life – despite her best efforts. All she wants is a partner who gives her butterflies, not someone who ghosts her at dinner and leaves her with the cheque.

Good thing Caleb Alvarez has the perfect solution.

After saving Layla from another date gone bad, he has a simple proposition: one month of no-strings dating. He’ll do his best to renew her faith in men while she rates his dating game. It’s a win-win situation. All the benefits of dating, without the added pressure of feelings and unmet expectations.

But there’s one ingredient they haven’t considered. The chemistry between them is red hot and the urge to take things to the next level is more tempting than Layla’s double fudge mocha brownies. Will the heat between them boil over? Or will it be another case of mixed signals?

Mixed Signals is a standalone romance and the third book in the Lovelight series, a collection of interconnected novels.

About The Author:

Amazon bestselling author B.K. Borison is fueled almost entirely by coffee and spends her days with imaginary characters doing imaginary things. She lives in Baltimore with her little family, including her giant dog.

Good morning everyone here’s some of the books I’ve added to my shelves recently:

⭐ The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
⭐ The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
⭐ The House In The Olive Grove by Emma Cowell
⭐ Four Seasons In Japan by Nick Bradley
⭐ Zero Days by Ruth Ware
⭐ Fearless by M. W. Craven

As you can see my book buying ban is going well…🤣 Find out more about the books below!

I’ve seen great reviews for The Lost Bookshop and The House In The Olive so I’m excited to read them for myself. I’m a huge fan of Ruth Ware and M. W Craven so they are both auto buys for me. I’m especially excited to read Fearless as it’s a new series from him. The other two were books that caught my eye at the shop!

Have you read any of these? Which should I read first?

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

It’s not the journey that counts, but who’s at your side.

Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where he is going. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved owner Satoru in the front seat of his silver van. Satoru is keen to visit three old friends from his youth, though Nana doesn’t know why and Satoru won’t say.

Set against the backdrop of Japan’s changing seasons and narrated with a rare gentleness and humour, Nana’s story explores the wonder and thrill of life’s unexpected detours. It is about the value of friendship and solitude, and knowing when to give and when to take.

At the heart of this book is a powerful message about the importance of kindness. It shows, above all, how acts of love, both great and small, can transform our lives.

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

The House In The Olive Grove by Emma Cowell

Will one week in Greece change their lives for ever?

Chef Maria is running a successful cookery school in her home village of Petalidi, Greece – but she is also running from the secrets of her past.

Food journalist Kayla thought this was going to be just another work trip. But right before she leaves for Greece, she discovers that her whole life is built on a lie.

Jewellery-maker Alessandra has always lived according to her own rules – despite what it has cost her to do so. But she has just had some devastating news.

As these three very different women come together at the house in the olive grove, unlikely friendships blossom and a season of self-discovery begins. Will the sumptuous flavours, sapphire waters and golden sands of Greece give each of them the answers they so desperately seek?

The breathtaking, escapist second novel from Emma Cowell, perfect for fans of Victoria Hislop, Carol Kirkwood and Karen Swan.

Four Seasons In Japan by Nick Bradley

Flo is sick of Tokyo. Suffering from a crisis in confidence, she is stuck in a rut, her translation work has dried up and she’s in a relationship that’s run its course. That’s until she stumbles upon a mysterious book left by a fellow passenger on the Tokyo Subway. From the very first page, Flo is transformed and immediately feels compelled to translate this forgotten novel, a decision which sets her on a path that will change her life…

It is a story about Ayako, a fierce and strict old woman who runs a coffee shop in the small town of Onomichi, where she has just taken guardianship of her grandson, Kyo. Haunted by long-buried family tragedy, both have suffered extreme loss and feel unable to open up to each other. As Flo follows the characters across a year in rural Japan, through the ups and downs of the pair’s burgeoning relationship, she quickly realises that she needs to venture outside the pages of the book to track down its elusive author. And, as her two protagonists reveal themselves to have more in common with her life than first meets the eye, the lines between text and translator converge. The journey is just beginning.

From the author of The Cat and The City, Four Seasons in Japan is a gorgeously crafted book-within-a-book about literature, purpose and what it is to belong.

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

Her husband has been murdered and she’s the only suspect. What should she do?

Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband Gabe are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead.

It soon becomes clear that the police have only one suspect in mind – her.

Jack must go on the run to try and clear her name and to find her husband’s real killer. But who can she trust when everyone she knows could be a suspect? And with the police and the killer after her, can Jack get to the truth before her time runs out?

An adrenaline-fueled thriller from international bestseller and Richard & Judy pick, Ruth Ware, described as ‘one of the best thriller writers around today’ (Independent).

Fearless by M. W. Craven

Five million reasons why Ben Koenig had to disappear. Only one to bring him back . . .

Ben Koenig is a ghost. He doesn’t exist any more.

Six years ago it was Koenig who headed up the US Marshal’s elite Special Ops group. They were the elite unit who hunted the bad guys – the really bad guys. They did this so no one else had to.

Until the day Koenig disappeared. He told no one why and he left no forwarding address. For six years he became a grey man. Invisible. He drifted from town to town, state to state. He was untraceable. It was as if he had never been.

But now Koenig’s face is on every television screen in the country. Someone from his past is trying to find him and they don’t care how they do it. In the burning heat of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a town called Gauntlet, and there are people in there who have a secret they’ll do anything to protect. They’ve killed before and they will kill again.

Only this time they’ve made a mistake. They’ve dismissed Koenig as just another drifter – but they’re wrong. Because Koenig has a condition, a unique disorder that makes it impossible for him to experience fear. And now they’re about to find out what a truly fearless man is capable of. Because Koenig’s coming for them. And hell’s coming with him . . .

Book Synopsis:

The new blockbuster thriller from Graham Hurley, The Blood of Others is part of the SPOILS OF WAR Collection, a thrilling, beguiling blend of fact and fiction born of some of the most tragic, suspenseful, and action-packed events of World War II.

Dieppe, August 1942. A catastrophe no headline dared admit.

Plans are underway for the boldest raid yet on Nazi-occupied France. Over six thousand men will storm ashore to take the port of Dieppe. Lives will change in an instant – both on the beaches and in distant capitals.

Annie Wrenne, working at Lord Mountbatten’s cloak-and-dagger Combined Operations headquarters, is privy to the top secret plans for the daring cross-Channel raid.

Young Canadian journalist George Hogan, protege of influential Lord Beaverbrook, faces a crucial assignment that will test him to breaking point.

And Abwehr intelligence officer Wilhelm Schultz is baiting a trap to lure thousands of Allied troops to their deaths.

Three lives linked by Operation Jubilee: the Dieppe Raid, 19 August 1942. Over six thousand men will storm the heavily defended French beaches.

Less than half of them will make it back alive.

The blockbuster SPOILS OF WAR non-chronological collection features compelling recurring characters whose fragmented lives mirror the war that shattered the globe. For fans of Philip Kerr and Robert Harris.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author so I was very excited to learn he had a new book coming out. Once again he’s written a fascinating, absorbing book that’s based on true events.

The story is told from the point of view of a Canadian journalist called George Hogan and German Intelligence Officer Wilhelm Schultz. Of the two I much prefer George who came across as a determined and hardworking character. His ability to alway be in the right place for a story has drawn attention to himself and as well as trying to follow leads he’s also having to prove he’s not a spy. His relationship with Annie who works in Lord Mountbatten’s office puts him under deeper suspicion. Wilhelm Schultz was a character I loved to hate and I didn’t like that he stopped at nothing to get the results he wanted. It was very chilling to witness him planning events that you know so many died in.

I always love books set in the Second World War especially if they teach me something new about the period. I hadn’t read anything about the Dieppe landings so found it interesting to learn more about them, particularly from the two different sides. The author has clearly done his research and I thought it was clever how the author managed to bring these true events to life. I also found it interesting to see how journalists operated at that time and to realise how brave they had to be.

This story has a great pace to it and I was quickly drawn into the story and into the characters lives. The author has a great way of describing events so I felt like I was actually there watching everything unfold. It’s a very intense read and I found it difficult to put down as I was so caught up in the story and wanted to find out what happened. As the story is based on true events the story was quite emotional at times but I still enjoyed following the story to it’s sad conclusion.

Huge thanks to Sophie for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of historical fiction then you need to read this book.

About The Author:

Born November, 1946, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. Seaside childhood punctuated by football, swimming, afternoons on the dodgems, run-ins with the police, multiple raids on the local library…plus near-total immersion in English post-war cinema classics including The Dam Busters, Ice Cold in Alex, The Wooden Horse, The Cockleshell Heroes and Reach For The Sky. War-crazy? Sort of…Wins scholarship to a London boarding school and then onward to Cambridge University. Reads English, volunteers for Six-Day War (those films again!), and emerges three years later with five mercifully unpublished manuscripts, still intent on becoming a full-time novelist. Yet more rejection slips (plus hunger) compel a career rethink…Becomes a promotion script-writer with Southern Television, then researcher, then director. Spends the next twenty years making ITV documentaries, many of them networked. Films seabed wrecks of the Titanic and the Bismarck (with American oceanographer Bob Ballard), profiles the Brighton Bomber, produces ITV’s account of Richard Branson’s near-fatal attempt to cross the Atlantic by balloon, wins a number of awards…but still dreams of getting into print.An ITV commission for 6-part drama series Rules of Engagement is sucessfully finessed into a two-book contract with Pan-Macmillan. Two more novels, both dubbed “international thrillers” follow. Sacked after Television South loses the ITV franchise and embarks on new career as – at last – a full-time novelist.To date, 25 novels, one biography, two books for challenged readers, plus Airshow, a fly-on-the-wall novel-length piece of reportage, and Backstory, a book-length account of how and why I embarked on crime fiction. Draws gleefully on home-town Portsmouth (“Pompey”) as the basis for an on-going crime series featuring D/I Joe Faraday and D/C Paul Winter. Contributes five years of personal columns to the Portsmouth News, pens a number of plays and dramatic monologues for local production (including the city’s millenium celebration, Willoughby and Son), then decamps to Devon for a more considered take on Pompey low-life.The Faraday series comes to an end after 12 books. Healthy sales at home and abroad, plus an on-going (and immensely successful) series of French TV adaptations, tempt Orion to commission a spin-off series, set in the West Country, featuring D/S Jimmy Suttle.First book in the series, Western Approaches, publishes 2012. Second title, Touching Distance, already in the bag.Married to the delectable Lin. Has three grown-up sons (Tom, Jack and Woody). Plus recently-arrived grandson Dylan. A corker.Lifetime ambition? To properly master colloquial French. Current passion? Coastal quad rowing with Lin and the rest of The Forty Niners (don’t ask).Favourite time of the day? Six’o’clock.More on my website: http://www.grahamhurley.co.uk

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday. I was challenged to try to spell the month of July in book titles by the lovely Portobello books:

⭐J – Joan by Katherine J Chen

⭐U – (The) Unheard by Anne Worthington

⭐L – Lovelight Farms by B. K. Borison

⭐Y – You Can’t See Me by Eva Ægisdóttir

I set myself a challenge to find other book for J and I then I had used for the June challenge so I was pleased when I found the above books. I haven’t read these yet, though Lovelight Farms is second on my tbr list!

I’m working at the bookshop today which I’m looking forward to, especially as I have a new bookish t-shirt to wear. The kids are going to the family reading club at the library and want to sign up for their summer reading challenge which we try to do each year.

What are you doing today?

Good morning everyone and happy Friday! I was lucky enough to get a reading subscription for my birthday from a good friend and I always look forward to seeing what they will send me. This month I’ve received Nettle And Bone by T Kingfisher which is especially exciting as it’s a book I’ve been wanting to read for a while.

In other news I’ve just taken the plunge and joined Threads so do follow me if you’re on there!

Book Synopsis:

A dark and compelling fantasy about sisterhood, impossible tasks and the price of power, from award-winning author T. Kingfisher

NEBULA AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST NOVEL

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra―the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter―has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself.

Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince―if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning.

On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra’s family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last.

About The Author:

T. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen-name of Ursula Vernon, an author from North Carolina. In another life, she writes children’s books and weird comics. She has been nominated for the World Fantasy and the Eisner, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, Nebula, Alfie, WSFA, Coyotl and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections.

This is the name she uses when writing things for grown-ups. Her work includes multiple fairy-tale retellings and odd little stories about elves and goblins.

When she is not writing, she is probably out in the garden, trying to make eye contact with butterflies.