Category: feel-good
+ childhood, Dogs, feel-good, fiction, friends, friendship, homelessness, humour fiction, loneliness, loss, review
Lost & Found by James Gould Bourn
Ronnie has resigned himself to a life of loneliness. His life in the crumbling seaside town of Bingham-on-Sea never seemed that bad, but since the loss of his father, the highlights of Ronnie’s solitary days include manning the lost property office at the bus station where he works, and plaguing his local GP with increasingly outlandish ailments. Forgotten or underestimated by all those around him, … Read More Lost & Found by James Gould Bourn
+ abuse, alcoholism, brothers, childhood, domestic noir, family, fantasy, feel-good, female friendship, fiction, folklore, forgiveness, friendship, Ghost story, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, grief, haunting, List, literature, loss, love, music, paranormal, piano, relationships, review, secrets, sisterhood, sisters, slavery, suffragette movement, supernatural, superstition, tradition, whimsical
My Top 4 Books of 2022
It’s approaching the very end of 2022 and it’s time to reflect on my absolute favourite books of the year. Last year it was hard but this year is even harder. There were instant standouts again – about 10 of them but I had to cut it down to four. I have tried to include a mix of genres but failed yet again. I read … Read More My Top 4 Books of 2022
Daisy and the Dazzling Dachshunds by Janey Clarke
The discovery of a murdered woman with a rescued dog and her puppies on Bodmin Moor, hurtles Daisy, a shy retired librarian and her oddball friends, into another dangerous, yet comical escapade. Daisy is on a mission to find the murdered woman’s killer, linking events to the puppy farm, and is suddenly thrust into a world of explosions, shootings and kidnappings! Furthermore, family secrets … Read More Daisy and the Dazzling Dachshunds by Janey Clarke
The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman Once Upon a Time Bookshop Stories #1
Isabel Gibson has all but perfected the art of forgetting. She’s a New Yorker now, with nothing left to tie her to Brinkley’s Island, Maine. Her parents are gone, the family bookstore is all but bankrupt, and her sister, Sophie, will probably never speak to her again. But when a mysterious letter arrives in her mailbox, Isabel feels herself drawn to the past. After … Read More The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman Once Upon a Time Bookshop Stories #1
+ fashion, feel-good, female friendship, feminism, fiction, friendship, Italy, literature, London, review, seventies, Yorkshire
All About Evie by Matson Taylor
EVIE EPWORTH IS TEN YEARS OLDER. BUT IS SHE ANY WISER? 1972. Ten years on from the events of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth and Evie is settled in London working for the BBC. She has everything she’s ever dreamed of (a career, a leatherette briefcase, an Ossie Clark poncho) but, following an unfortunate incident involving Princess Anne and a Hornsea Pottery mug, she finds herself having to rethink her life and piece … Read More All About Evie by Matson Taylor
+ abuse, child abuse, childhood, coming-of-age, community, cult, family, feel-good, female friendship, fiction, friendship, germany, grief, Historical fiction, holocaust, jewish history, jews, lies, List, literature, loss, love, motherhood, murder, music, nazi germany, piano, rape, relationships, religion, review, secrets, sisterhood, suffragette movement, whimsical
My Top 8 Books of 2022 – Part Two
Here are my favourite eight books of the second quarter of 2022. You will notice that it doesn’t include any crime dramas, detective novels or serial killer thrillers. While I love those genres, they rarely bring something totally new to the table and my favourites tend to be feel-good, whimsical or magical realism. Or totally original or make me cry. There are a couple of … Read More My Top 8 Books of 2022 – Part Two
The Only Exception (Love in the Comptons #2) by Claire Huston
Lucinda Green knows something is missing from her life. But what? Her catering business is enjoying modest success and she loves her cosy house, even if she does have to share it with her irritating ex-fiancé. Whatever’s making her unsettled and edgy, Lucinda’s certain that a lack of romance isn’t the problem. How could it be when she doesn’t believe in true love? But … Read More The Only Exception (Love in the Comptons #2) by Claire Huston
+ community, dementia, feel-good, fiction, friends, friendship, loneliness, love, review, romance
The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley
Nobody ever talks to strangers on the train. It’s a rule. But what would happen if they did? From the New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of The Authenticity Project, a heartwarming novel about unexpected friendships and the joy of connecting. Every day Iona, a larger-than-life magazine advice columnist, travels the ten stops from Hampton Court to Waterloo Station by train, accompanied by her dog, Lulu. … Read More The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley
George Bunce and The Black Wave of Fear by Martin Geraghty
Meet George, a resident at the Four Seasons care home in a Scottish seaside town.Meet Carrie, an occupational therapist at the Four Seasons care home.Join them as they form an unlikely friendship.Immerse yourself in their story as they discover second chances in life.Cheer for them as they find laughter in the face of adversity.Support them as they both finally learn to bury the ghosts … Read More George Bunce and The Black Wave of Fear by Martin Geraghty
+ childhood, feel-good, fiction, folklore, friendship, illegitimacy, India, literature, loss, love, relationships, review, superstition, tradition
Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken by Monica Bhide
Raised by Buddhist monks in Delhi after his mother’s untimely and tragic death, Eshaan sets out on the challenging quest to feed and nourish the hungry so they do not suffer her same fate. His attempts to achieve this monumental goal are constantly thwarted. And when his former girlfriend returns from Europe with a handsome fiancé in tow, his life becomes even more complicated. … Read More Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken by Monica Bhide
+ family, feel-good, fiction, forgiveness, literature, loss, love, Native American, review, slavery, tradition
Tapestry by Beth Duke
Twenty-one-year-old Skye Willis lives in Eufaula, Alabama, a tourist mecca of stately homes and world-class bass fishing. Her childhood friends are either stuck at dead ends or have moved on to accomplish Big Things. Skye’s grandmother, Verna, insists on being called “Sparrow” because she suspects her ancestors were Muscogee Creek. She dresses in faux deerskin and experiments with ancient Native American recipes, offering a … Read More Tapestry by Beth Duke
+ feel-good, fiction, love, relationships, review
It All Comes Back To You by Beth Duke
Alabama, 1947. War’s over, cherry-print dresses, parking above the city lights, swing dancing. Beautiful, seventeen-year-old Violet lives in a perfect world. Everybody loves her. In 2012, she’s still beautiful, charming, and surrounded by admirers. #ItAllComesBackToYou @bethidee Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour Veronica “Ronni” Johnson, licensed practical nurse and aspiring writer, meets the captivating Violet in the assisted living facility where Violet requires no assistance, just lots of … Read More It All Comes Back To You by Beth Duke
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