February books

The following are my best reads from February:

Wendy Walker - Blade

This fast-paced thriller attracted me because I've always been a fan of figure skating (I even learned to figure skate as an adult). The author writes from knowledge, having been on a special program for elite skaters as a teenager in the USA. The novel is told in two timelines - the heroine, Ana, is a lawyer working on defending children accused of serious crimes. She's  called upon professionally to return to The Palace, the elite skating programme in Colorado that she had attended years earlier, to defend a young student there. The body of one of the coaches, Emile, has been found frozen in a nearby field. All the clues point to thirteen-year-old skater Grace, who turns out to be the daughter of one of Ana's former fellow skaters on the programme. The girl hotly denies the accusasions. When Ana begins to question Grace and build her defence, we see flashbacks to her own time training there. There are many people she remembers from her teenage years, both on the staff and former students who now work at the facility. Dark secrets begin to emerge, and as the threads of the past intertwine with the present, there are some buried matters that must be faced by all as the truth finally emerges. A fascinating and heart-racing read.

Angela Britnell - Arlette's Story

This novel is an intriguing depiction of what it was like to live in France during the Nazi occupation in World War II. Arlette lives on her family's farm in the south of France with her widowed father and brother. When Marshal Petain surrenders the north of the country to Hitler's occupation, they are subject to increasingly strict rules, but believe they are better off than their compatriots. Saul, a young Jewish medical student is assigned to them as a farmhand, as he is no longer allowed to pursue his studies. Arlette soon finds her feelings for him deepening. But as the Nazi restrictions become more severe, the produce and the livestock from the family's farm are requisitioned, leaving them with little. When they receive a decree for Saul to report to the railway station, they are aware of the rumours about the nightmarish work camps where other Jewish people have been sent. Arlette's brother is off fighting for the Resistance, but she and her father are determined Saul won't be surrendered to their occupiers. A novel of courage, resilience, tragedy and defiance in the face of a cruel occupying force, well-written with page-turning pace which makes it a compelling read.

Marc Levy - The Heart of Everything

This is the first time I've ready a book by acclaimed French author Marc Levy, and I can say that it definitely won't be the last. I was utterly charmed by the book. Concert pianist Thomas's life is totally turned upside down by the unbelievable appearance of his father, Raymond, who died five years previously. Only Thomas can see him, and he doesn't look like a ghost. He pops up in unusual situations - even sitting on the lap of someone in the audience when Thomas is performing a concerto, throwing him off his stride. Raymond has an unusual request - the secret love of his life, Camille, has just died, and he needs his son's help to be reunited with her for eternity. Despite his parents having been divorced, this is an astounding revelation for Thomas. Eventually he's persuaded to make a quick trip to the USA with his father's ashes, to Camille's funeral, with instructions of how to achieve his father's last wish. To complicate matters further, he has to hide his true identity from Camille's daughter. Funny and touching, it's a tale of a father and son trying to mend their relationship beyond the grave, making up for lost time, and looking to the future. A thoroughly satisfying read.

January books

My best reads from January are:

Emily Howes - The Painter's Daughters

Eighteenth Century English artist Thomas Gainsborough painted his daughters, Mary and Margaret many times, clearly with great affection. But there are many rumours and stories about dark family secrets. In this expertly written novel, the author has crafted the story of the family from her own research. Told mostly from the perspective of younger daughter Peggy (Margaret), it reveals with tenderness the relationship she has with her elder sister Mollie (Mary), and how the family copes with the older girl's health concerns as they grow up. A plausible past history and its connection to Mollie's condition is expertly woven, bringing to life the rules of fashionable society of the time, and how people from different classes fit into that hierarchy. The characters are vivid, their failings and fears deftly created into a fascinating novel, written with accomplishment. History brought into vibrant existence, making an excellent read.

Jeff Wheeler - The Violence of Sound

This is the second in the author's series about the Invisible College, an adult novel rather than his usual young adult writing. In the novel's universe, mortals in an Edwardian-style era use magic and artefacts that have been passed down to them in the past from the exotic Aesir people. The Aesir, who inhabit the frozen north, go into long periods of hibernation. During their most recent awakenings they have waged a bitter war with humankind, its origins now unknown. Now the Aesir are active again and war has resumed. The Invisible College trains talented humans in the practices of magic, through sound. Having suffered an Aesir-created fever as a child, McKenna is profoundly deaf, so magic is unavailable to her. But she has learned to speak expertly through the tuition of Robinson, who is now her husband. They both believe that one day she will be adept enough to create magic. Robinson has invented a brilliant detection system for detecting Aesir, who have the ability to take over a person's mind and body, and become what's known as a Semblance. But the military have stolen this invention, discrediting Robinson's ability. And McKenna is experiencing disturbing symptoms, longing for the cold. Both she and Robinson begin to suspect that she is harbouring an Aesir presence within, but it's not like a usual Semblance. Her life is in danger if it's discovered, and they already know that they are both under threat from an unknown source. A book full of excitement, mystery, and magic. Jeff Wheeler yet again weaves a fantastical tale with expertise.

Vasundra Tailor - The Promise of Rain

This is a fascinating novel that took me to places that I knew little about. GP Anna has grown up in London as the daughter of an Indian father and Zimbabwean African mother. In their family documents she finds an envelope inscribed with Indira, her middle name, and inside is a pendant also with that name. Her mother, Theresa, reveals that it was left with her father when he was abandoned as a baby. Anna is shocked at this, previously only knowing that Mathew was adopted, not that his origins were unknown. Compelled to make a journey of discovery, she feels desperate to uncover her full identity. While involved in helping a patient find refuge from domestic abuse, she connects with another woman with a similar mixed-race background, working in the same field. Through her new acquaintance, new opportunities for her personal fulfilment open up. On the family's next visit to Zimbabwe, Anna begins searching for clues to her father's past, despite his reluctance for her to do so. Her journey leads her from Africa to India, not knowing whether she's going to find what she's looking for, or whether it will tear her family apart. An interesting and different novel.

December books

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My three favourite reads from December are:

Sue Moorcroft - A Skye Full of Stars

I always read a few Christmas novels at this time of year, and this book was a particularly good one. Second in the Skye Sisters Trilogy, it follows middle sister Ezz as she starts her new promoted position as manager of Rothach Hall on the Scottish Isle of Skye. Her sister Thea also works there, as head gardener. They and their elder sister Valentina were all adopted, and are very close. Now it's approaching Christmas, and the family who own the Hall have decided to visit for the season - Grete and her son Mats with his two young children. Eric, Grete's husband, is staying in Sweden to work. Ezz has always liked Mats, but is surprised when she discovers he's now divorced. The children's mother has a new partner, and Mats is trying to shield them from the difficulties of the divorce. As a current of attraction begins to flow between Mats and Ezz, both are distracted by their own family concerns. Can the backdrop of clear starry skies, magnificent snowy landscapes, and Scottish seasonal traditions melt everyone's hearts and inspire them to come together for a heartwarming Christmas?

T.W.M. Ashford - The Final Dawn

This is the first in a science fiction series. Engineer Jack lives on Earth at a time when the sun has developed violent solar flares that are beginning to devastate the planet's climate. All countries have come together to research ways of finding a new home for the inhabitants. The plan is to save a select few in several spaceships named Final Dawn. But the scientists don't know if there are any other inhabitable planets, and how long it will take to reach them. Jack never completed his pilot's training, but when he hears that they need a test pilot for a new invention that might be the answer to finding a new home, he volunteers. His reward will be a ticket for himself and his wife on the Final Dawn ship. But the experiment results in him floating in space in an unknown part of the Universe. When he's rescued, he's astonished to discover that his saviours are sentient Automata robots. They agree to help him to discover a way back to Earth, while they make their own way to a refuge planet where they can be free and not slaves to 'Fleshies'. As their journey unfolds, Jack begins to bond with his unlikely rescuers. Full of humour, action and adventure, with villains to evade and new horizons to discover. The story is great, and I look forward to reading the next in this series.

Helen Buckley - Strictly Christmas Spirit

Another enjoyable seasonal read. Emily once had a brief appearance as a professional dancer on TV programme Strictly Dancing with Celebs. But seven years on, she's unknown, working as manager of a drop-in centre in London for the homeless and those struggling with life. Constantly juggling finances and desperately understaffed, the last thing she needs is to deal with the most unlikely volunteer worker. Bad-boy Hollywood actor, Blake, has been sent there to work out his community service order for drunken damage to a hotel room. Blake sees it as a way to restore his image with the public, nothing more. Blake and Emily rub each other up the wrong way almost immediately. But as they prepare the Christmas festivities, there are plenty of people who need help. While Emily works her fingers to the bone, Blake begins to listen to the stories of the people coming to the centre. Somehow he begins to engage with his job. Both Emily and Blake have dark times in their past that they are reluctant to expose. Guilty secrets, distrust, overwork and disappointment surface as the sparks begin to glow between them. When Christmas arrives, their time together will end - or will all they have learned about themselves and each other bring something more lasting? 

November books

These are my favourite reads from November:

A Storm of Infinite Beauty - Julianne Maclean

This novel is set in Canada and Alaska. In Nova Scotia, Gwen Hollingsworth is the curator of a museum celebrating the life and achievements of her second cousin, Scarlett Fontaine. Scarlett is famous for being a Hollywood actress, singer and songwriter . Unexpectedly a writer and former investigative journalist, Peter Miller, contacts Gwen to show her a newspaper clipping from 1964. It reports the aftermath of a drastic earthquake in Alaska, and contains the photo of a man handing a young woman her baby, who had been rescued from the disaster. The young mother looks like Scarlett, then known as Valerie. It was always thought that when she had died in 1979 she was unmarried and childless. Gwen and Peter set out on a hunt to find this man, to discover what happened to Scarlett's baby. The newspaper story also stirs painful memories of Gwen's past heartache from when she lost her newborn daughter two years earlier. To make the conundrum worse, her estranged, unfaithful husband Eric is now asking to try their marriage again. As the past unfolds its secrets, Gwen has some deep choices to make. A beautiful timeslip novel, well-written, with plenty of interesting content.

In the Hide - Gordon Buchanan

My latest non-fiction read has been this fascinating autobiography of the Scottish wildlife photographer. In the book he writes about his humble beginnings in the west of Scotland and on the Isle of Mull, and how he found amazing mentors who gave him the opportunities to follow his dream career. He intersperses these with stories from particularly exciting or challenging adventures from his photo shoots, and the amazing animals he's had the opportunity to film in the wild. Having seen most of his television programmes, I found it particularly interesting to read about his emotions as he was filming these, and he brings to life the tension in some particularly hair-raising expereinces. He opens up about his own personal challenges and how he feels that the natural world and his close family have saved and supported him. Also, his complete commitment to his job and the respect he feels for the wildlife and for the people who live in the areas where he was filming, makes this a tribute to the natural world and honours it completely.

The Warmth of Snow - Heidi Eljarbo

This Christmas romance novel is predictable, but full of charm. Set in Sweden in the early 19th century, we find orphan Erica who has grown up in the home of her aunt and uncle and their family. They gave her a home, but not the love she had experienced from her own parents. To make up for this, she tries to do good deeds for the local villagers, which includes giving them hand-made cards. On an impulse, she decides to give one to Count August Brandell, who has returnned injured from the Napoleonic Wars. When she calls upon him, she discoveres a man who is hiding away from the world, unable to walk, jaded with life. But he's only a few years older than she is, and she's determined to help him. August on his part is jolted from his despondency by her warm and generous nature. His elderly housekeeper, Stina, cares for him like a son, and encourages Erica in the belief that she can awaken him into joining the world again. A bond begins to form between the injured soldier and his sweet-natured neighbour. But there are underhand plans afoot that could harm Erica, and misunderstandings abound. As snow falls on the countryside, August and Erica are torn apart, and it looks like their love is doomed. A delightful novel to warm a cold winter evening. 

October books

My favourite reads from October are:

Dorothy Koomson - Beach Hut 501 (A Short Story)

Sims Rumakah, a professor of chemistry, lives in Brighton where she owns Beach Hut 512. She has a long-standing feud with Tamsyn, founder and leader of 'the Hutters', the group chat for the hut owners. Tamsyn has decided it's her job to police the hut owners and keep them in line. Since the recent vandalism to some of the huts, this has become more challenging. When a message arrives from Tamsyn about another hut being targeted, Sims realises hat it's 512  that's been destroyed. She also believes that this is connected to her own past, and the danger that still threatens her. Sims is determined not to let it ruin her existence. But when she goes to see the evidence, she's shocked to find the scene swarming with police. It turns out that there's a lot more to this incident than it first appeared. As Sims becomes a suspect in a serious crime, she begins her own investigtaion to discover the true culprit, and regain her life. Told with irony and honesty, it's a noir novella with plenty of twists and turns, with sharp observation and character study. It kept me hooked to the end.

Anette Chavez Macias - When We Were Widows

Ana and her elderly mother Imelda, both widows, are forced to vacate their home after a bathroom flood. She's horrified when Imelda arranges for them to go and stay with her daughter, Yesica, in Santa Monica. Ana has long had an uneasy relationship with her daughter. Yesica always adored her father, but there's so much she doesn't know about her parents' marriage. In addition, Yesica own husband was killed in a car crash just a few months earlier. Yesica agrees to have her mother and grandmother to stay, as she's been forced to take leave from her job, as her caring boss Damien has seen that she needs time out to process her grief. As the three women circle around each other warily at close quarters, they have to find a way of living together. Gradually secrets of their past marriages come to the surface, and both Ana and Yesica begin to see their lives ahead in a different light. A novel of women's changing lives, of relationships between mothers and daughters, and of rediscovered life and love, formulated in a family of Mexican descent. I found myself believing all the characters and it was interesting to learn more about Mexican heritage.

Christian Lewis - Finding Hildasay

This is the author's remarkable true story of how walking the coast of the UK saved him from depression and gave him back his self-worth. Ex-soldier Chris was at rock-bottom, penniless, jobless, homeless, and his daughter had moved out because she couldn't cope with his misery. While suffering from PTSD and struggling with his mental health, a wild idea came into his mind - to walk the coast of Britain to raise money for a British Forces charity, knowing that so many of them were struggling like he was. Cobbling together a kit, he set off, remarkably ill-prepared, but this action made him feel that he had a purpose. It was a difficult task, camping every night, eating frugally, suffering the elements, but he was determined to keep going and make his daughter proud of him for once. Gradually his self-esteem increased, as he began to see donations to the charity increasing in value, and he began to meet people who helped him and respected his resilience and commitment. He gained great solace from the wonders of nature, especially once he reached the Scottish coastline, and adopted his faithful dog, Jet, who became a wonderful companion. But as the world spiralled towards the horrors of a pandemic, could he really keep up his mission to keep walking the coast? A heartwarming story of courage and determination, a man finding healing his life and forging a new future for himself and others.

September books

Only two books really stood out for me during my September reading:

Stef Penney - The Long Water

This is a crime novel with a distinctly different flavour. In the height of summer in the north of Norway, the senior students in the local high school are reaching the end of their school days, with their customary reckless dares, and wild parties. Sixteen-year-old Elin is neurodivergent, coming to terms with how she relates to growing up, while her close friend Benny enters into his first proper gay relationship. Elin's grandmother Svea does her best to support her, while she reflects on her own difficult relationship with her daughter, and thinks about her own past. When one of the senior students, Daniel, goes missing, the whole town is affected. Everyone in Svea, Elin and Benny's circle has a connection to the missing teenager. Then the police search uncovers a body in one of the disused copper mines above the town - but it's not a recent death, and there begins a search to discover his identity. Old stories begin to surface, and painful memories are brought to light in the process. Fascinating characters, a different culture explored, as the author teases out each new nugget of information. Excellent storytelling, as we are transported to an unfamiliar area where we recognise dilemmas brought about by society and personal traumas from the past, until answers are finally given.

Lizzie Lane - A New Doctor at Orchard Cottage Hospital

This prelude novel in a saga series is set in 1930. Frances Brakespeare has recently lost her adoptive mother, Izzy, and unmarried former suffragette. Izzy encouraged Frances' career as a doctor in a London hospital, followig her time as a VAD nurse in World War I. When Frances loses her job after standing up to the mysoginistic actions of a male doctor, she applies to be the resident doctor at Orchard Cottage Hospital in Somerset. Soon she finds herself faced with new battles, trying to prove that she's a competent doctor. The two nurses, Lucy and her sister Nancy (who is married to a quarryman), are delighted to have her support, although the Sister, Edith Harrison, is surprisingly frosty. But Frances also has the support of local benefactress of the hospital, Lady Araminta, and a surprising friendship develops with local vicar, Gregory Sampson. There are opponents at every turn, not least the bullying quarry manager, Mr. Grainger. When she discovers that her new home has a disturbing mysterious connection to her fiance, Ralph, who perished in the war, she 's determined to discover the truth about this, while striving to convince the community that she deserves to be in her chosen profession. Well-written, plenty of twists and turns, with a compelling sense of place and time.

August Books

These are the books I have enjoyed reading this past month:

Kate Morton - The Clockmaker's Daughter

Kate Morton  is one of my favourite authors, and this book certainly didn't disappoint. In 2017, Elodie Winslow, an archivist for a 19th Century philanthropist, uncovers a forgotten box containing a hand-made leather satchel. Inside this is an artist's sketcbook and a Victorian photograph of a beautiful unidentified young woman, along with slip of paper containing a passionate declaration of love - unsigned. Elodie recognises one of the sketches instantly - it's the house from a story that her mother used to tell her as a child. But she has no idea of its location, as her mother died when she was young. Elodie begins to follow clues, which gradually lead her to Birchwood Manor, a house by the River Thames. We are transported into the past, firstly to the  nineteenth century when artist Edward Radcliffe lived there. There is a dark tragedy surrounding him and the house, also the story of a long-missing priceless jewel. But there's another voice that echoes through the novel, that of a ghostly presence at Birtchwood Manor. This spirit observes a family coming to live there during World War II, and now in the present day sees a young man take up residence for research. Eventually all the strands begin to come together. When Elodie finally travels Birchwood, the house changes her life too, and making her question her past, her relationship with her dead mother, and her own future. It's a beautifully woven tapestry - intriguing, tender, imaginative, full of colourful historic detail and peopled with fascinating characters. I absolutely loved this book.

Jean Fullerton - A Ration Book Dream

This is the first of Jean Fullerton's East End wartime sagas. On the day before war is declared, Mattie is helping her younger sister Cathy get ready for her wedding to fiance Stan. Mattie lives with her parents, grandmother, and six siblings in a workman's cottage in Wapping, near the London Docks. They're a close family, but money is tight. Mattie takes on the demanding job of a full-time air-raid warden, determined to do her bit for the country. But there are dark undercurrent in the East End. Her sister's husband is involved in a campaign for peace, and Mattie begins to suspect that all is not as it seems with him. Mattie herself is charmed by young banker Christopher, an educated man with striking blond looks, and she starts dating him. But somehow she can't get the thought of Daniel, the tall Irish priest who has come to help out at her family's church, out of her mind. As the months go by, she begins to realise that she will have to summon all her courage to protect her family, and she has some difficult choices to make. The scene-setting is excellent, and a rather slow start picks up pace to provide and exciting adventure filled with colourful characters, reaslistic setting of time and place, and plenty of romance. 

Sue Moorcroft - Under a Summer Skye

A romantic novel set on the Scottish Isle of Sky was an ideal read for my summer holiday on the nearby island of Mull. Thea is the youngest of three adopted sisters. She leads a quiet existence of head gardener at a wonderful house on the island of Skye, far from her English roots. The garden is open to the public, and she's happy working for the Scandinavian couple who own it. Her sister Ezzie also works there as an administrator. But there are people searching Thea out, determined to rake up an unhappy experience in her past and put it in the public eye. Dev, a journalist, has a remit to interview her, while popular influencer Fredek is chasing her in the belief that she owes it to him to appear on his social media channels. Dev ends up rescuing a dog and finds himself face to face with the woman he's hunting - and instead he finds himself falling for her. As Thea finds her own heart engaged, Dev realises that the last thing he wants to do is to hurt her. Now all he wants to do is to get out of his obligation to expose her past, but it turns out to be harder than he thought. As other secrets from Thea's past come to light, can he hide his true identity while doing all he can to help the woman he's come to care for? A very engaging book and a great holiday read. Also, there are two more books in the series, so there's plenty more good reading to look forward to!