Fiction
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Book Review- The Hunger
Title: The Hunger Author: Alma Katsu Published: 5th April 2018 Pages: 376 Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction Rating: 4/5 Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere. Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They cannot escape the feeling that someone–or something–is stalking them. Whether it was a curse from the beautiful Tamsen, the choice to follow a disastrous experimental route West, or just plain bad luck–the 90 men, women, and…
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Book Review- Estoril
Title: Estoril Author: Dejan Tiago-Stankovic Published: 8th March 2018 Pages: 352 Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 3/5 stars Set in a luxurious grand hotel just outside Lisbon, at the height of the Second World War, Estoril is a delightful and poignant novel about exile, divided loyalties, fear and survival. The hotel’s guests include spies, fallen kings, refugees from the Balkans, Nazis, American diplomats and stateless Jews. The Portuguese secret police broodingly observe the visitors, terrified that their country’s neutrality will be compromised. The novel seamlessly fuses the stories of its invented characters with appearances by historical figures like the ex-King Carol of Romania, the great Polish pianist Jan Paderewski, the British…
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Shelf Control 13
This is a weekly feature that I will be posting on a Tuesday, where I will be spotlighting a book that I have on my shelves that I haven’t read. This is a great idea for a weekly post, as I have loads of unread books, and I find it really interesting to read why others have purchased and want to read certain books!! This is hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies. This week’s book: Title: The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits Author: Mike Ashley Published: 2007 Pages: 496 Synopsis: Charles Dickens created some of the most memorable characters in English literature and was also a larger-than-life individual himself, a champion of the underdog. The…
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Book Review- Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
Title: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore Author: Matthew J. Sullivan Published: 13th June 2017 Pages: 336 Genre: Fiction, Mystery Rating: 4/5 stars When a bookshop patron commits suicide, his favorite store clerk must unravel the puzzle he left behind in this fiendishly clever debut novel from an award-winning short story writer.Lydia Smith lives her life hiding in plain sight. A clerk at the Bright Ideas bookstore, she keeps a meticulously crafted existence among her beloved books, eccentric colleagues, and the BookFrogs—the lost and lonely regulars who spend every day marauding the store’s overwhelmed shelves.But when Joey Molina, a young, beguiling BookFrog, kills himself in the bookstore’s upper room, Lydia’s…
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Book Review- The Lemon Tree Cafe
Title: The Lemon Tree Cafe Author: Cathy Bramley Published: 24th August 2017 Pages: 464 Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Rating: 4/5 stars The Lemon Tree Cafe was originally published as a four-part serial. This is the complete story in one package.When Rosie Featherstone finds herself unexpectedly jobless, the offer to help her beloved Italian grandmother out at the Lemon Tree Cafe – a little slice of Italy nestled in the rolling hills of Derbyshire – feels like the perfect way to keep busy. Surrounded by the rich scent of espresso, delicious biscotti and juicy village gossip, Rosie soon finds herself falling for her new way of life. But she is haunted…