Readers' Quote of the Day

 

 

“Sleep is good, he said, and books are better.”

George R.R. Martin

This book is worth checking out!

 

 

 The Subway Girls

By Susie Orman Schnall

⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you love historical ficiton, then this novel has to be on your radar because it is simply brilliant. 

I simply could not put this book down. The characters, the setting, everything about this book drew me in. The only reason why I did not give it a five star is because I thought it had a little of a shaky start and was a little predictable, but, this is a novel that I really enjoyed.

I will certainly be on the lookout for other books by this author.

I picked up my copy over on Amazon. 

 

 

Readers' Quote of the Day

 

 

“People can lose their lives in libraries. They ought to be warned.” 

Saul Bellow  

 

 I do love this quote!!

It was good, but it could have been great!

 

 

 The Paris Library

By Janet Skeslien Charles

⭐⭐

This novel was good, but it could have been great. I loved the premise of the novel and the characters were likeable, but it was the writing itself that pulled me up short on several occasions. There were several historical inaccuracies and I could not make up my mind as to what audience this novel was aimed at.

I have read the glowing reviews that this book has received, but for me it fell flat. 

A disappointing read, but one that might be enjoyed by a young adult audience.

 

I picked up my copy from Waterstones.

 

Read an exerpt from The Custard Corpses by MJ Porter

 I am a little nervous, as I have never taken part in a blog tour before, but I thought it would be a great way to discover new authors. So, with that in mind, please welcome MJ Porter onto the blog!

 

 

The Custard Corpses

By M J Porter

 

A delicious 1940s mystery.
Birmingham, England, 1943.

While the whine of the air raid sirens might no longer be rousing him from bed every night, a two-decade-old unsolved murder case will ensure that Chief Inspector Mason of Erdington Police Station is about to suffer more sleepless nights.

Young Robert McFarlane’s body was found outside the local church hall on 30th September 1923. But, his cause of death was drowning, and he’d been missing for three days before his body was found. No one was ever arrested for the crime. No answers could ever be given to the grieving family. The unsolved case has haunted Mason ever since.

But, the chance discovery of another victim, with worrying parallels, sets Mason, and his constable, O’Rourke, on a journey that will take them back over twenty-five years, the chance to finally solve the case, while all around them the uncertainty of war continues, impossible to ignore.

 

“Here it is,” and Higham pulled the car close to the kerb and pointed to the same tree that Sam had just seen in the old newspaper article.

 

“Is it still the Women’s Institute?”

 

“Yes, but they don’t use it much, not at the moment, and not really since then. Too many memories.”

 

The building before him was typical of the others in the street. Quite grand, with a large enclosed front door, a bit too fancy for his eyes. He couldn’t help but think that the building looked cold, despite the stack of chimneys on the tiled roof. Perhaps it was always cold inside.

 

“I think the body was found here.” Higham had taken herself to the enormous oak tree and looked around as though the corpse might still be there.

 

Sam twirled to take in the view before him. There was the scent of rich earth and an overwhelming salty smell from the sea, even though he couldn’t see it through the press of houses on the other side of the road. It was very different from Erdington and yet also the same. Even now, the street was quiet, the building silent and foreboding but offering the illusion of privacy.

 

“I think there used to be a cut through to the park, behind the building. That’s why the dog-walker found the body.”

 

Sam smirked. He’d just been considering why anyone would be hovering in what seemed to be an abandoned garden, screened off from the main street by a tall stone wall and a thick cover of trees.

 

“But, I think much of this has been planted since.”

 

“You seem well informed?” he offered. Higham grinned.

 

“I live over there,” and she pointed to one of the large Victorian houses on the other side of the tree-lined road, with a bright red door. “I’ve watched this place change throughout my lifetime. It used to be popular, but not anymore. I don’t think it’s because of the murder. It’s just a bit out of the way now that everyone goes into the busy shopping area. I would think the Women’s Institute might sell it. They mainly use the Town Hall for meetings now. There’s more parking for those well-to-do women who have access to a motor vehicle. and it’s much warmer than this cold, old building.”

 

“So, you’re what? Twenty-two?”

 

“Twenty-four, sir. We moved here seventeen years ago, just after the murder. I think my parents managed to get the house cheaply because of what had happened. The other family just wanted to move away.”

 

Higham paused, and Sam waited, curious to see what she’d say.

 

“It’s always been a bit strange around here. It’s not as though people avoid the place, but I’ve seen people of a certain generation cross over when they get close to the Women’s Institute. The memories of what happened here are long for people who lived in Weston at the time. New arrivals know nothing about it, and so they’re not at all bothered. They don’t cross the road or avoid coming here.”

 

“It’s similar where my victim was found. It’s a church hall still, but no one uses it other than for necessities. Certainly, parties and fetes are held elsewhere.”

 

Higham nodded, a flicker of relief on her intense face...

You can pick up your copy over on Amazon.

 

M J Porter writes historical fiction set before 1066. Usually.

 

This is M J's first foray into the historical mystery genre and the, relatively recent, twentieth century.

 

M J writes A LOT, you've been warned.

 

You can connect with MJ Porter at the following locations: Website, Blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, BookBub, Amazon Author Page, Goodreads & Tumblr.

 

 If you would like to follow the tour for The Custard Corpses you can do so at the following locations:

 

 

 

 

A truly wonderful book!

 

 

 The Beekeeper's Promise

By Fiona Valpy

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This novel is utterly enthralling. This is a story about survival, it is about the human sprit, and it is about two very different women who lived in very different times 

Abi was a character that I really adored. She has escaped an abusive relationship and heads to a yoga retreat in France and it is here that her life is turned around and she learns about Eliane, who worked with the Resistance in World War 2.

The Beekeeper’s Promise is the kind of novel that once started, is impossible to put down. I was so engrossed in this novel that I lost all sense of time. This is the kind of book that I would happily read over and over again.

 

I picked up my copy over on Waterstones. 

 

 

An unforgettable story.

 

 

 Eternal

By Lisa Scottoline

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book not only has a breathtakingly beautiful cover, but it also is an unforgettable story. 

The elegance of the writing, the haunting beauty of the story and the realism in the characterisation of all those who we meet, made this book unputdownable. This is a novel that not only left me in tears, on more than one occasion, but it also brought home to me the horrors of the Italian Holocaust which is something that I had been completely unaware of until reading this book, which left me asking, why? 

Set in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, one cannot help but shiver at the horror that so many innocent people endured, simply because of ungovernable hatred. 

If you enjoy historically moving historical fiction, then this book should definitely be on your to-read list. This novel is not one that I will forget in a hurry. 

I picked up my copy at Amazon

 

 

Readers' Quote of the Day

 

 “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”  

Robert Frost