Category: friendship
+ abuse, community, crime fiction, Detective novel, domestic noir, family, fiction, friends, friendship, grief, India, kidnapping, List, literature, loss, love, marriage, murder, obsession, police drama, police procedural, politics, relationships, revenge, review, secrets, thriller
My Top 8 Books of 2022 – part one
Here are my favourite eight books of the first quarter of 2022. So far I’ve read some good books. Tapestry by Beth Duke “We’re all part of a tapestry bigger than any of us can imagine, weaving in and out and creating a glorious picture. All of us from the beginning of time.” What a lovely thought. My brother had his DNA done and assuming … Read More My Top 8 Books of 2022 – part one
+ 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
+ brothers, crime fiction, family, fiction, friendship, grief, journalist, murder, review, secrets, thriller
Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold (Ben Harper Book 1)
Ben Harper, true crime journalist, is about to unravel his most shocking story yet . . . his own. The day his older brother was murdered was the day Ben Harper’s life changed forever. In one of the most shocking crimes in national history, Nick and his friend were stabbed to death by two girls their own age. Police called the killings random, a … Read More Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold (Ben Harper Book 1)
+ childhood, community, family, fiction, friendship, Historical fiction, jewish history, jews, literature, love, marriage, memoir, motherhood, religion, review, tradition
Hands of Gold by Roni Robbins
Will Sam purge his guilty conscience before it’s too late? Will he atone for his offences and find solace in the final countdown? Sam Fox spent his whole life running against the hands of time. He is now racing to set the record straight about secrets he and Hannah, his wife of 65 years, have been harbouring from their children and each other. #HandsofGold … Read More Hands of Gold by Roni Robbins
+ childhood, coming-of-age, family, female friendship, fiction, friendship, literature, love, review, secrets, seventies, University
Sugar and Snails by Anne Goodwin
At fifteen, she made a life-changing decision. Thirty years on, it’s time to make another. When Diana escaped her misfit childhood, she thought she’d chosen the easier path. But the past lingers on, etched beneath her skin, and life won’t be worth living if her secret gets out. #SugarandSnails @Annecdotist @InspiredQuill As an adult, she’s kept other people at a distance… until Simon sweeps in … Read More Sugar and Snails by Anne Goodwin
+ childhood, crime fiction, demon, fiction, friendship, horror, loss, murder, podcast, review, thriller
Demon by Matt Wesolowski
In 1995, the picture-perfect village of Ussalthwaite was the site of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, in a case that shocked the world. Twelve-year-old Sidney Parsons was savagely murdered by two boys his own age. No reason was ever given for this terrible crime, and the ‘Demonic Duo’ who killed him were imprisoned until their release in 2002, when they were given … Read More Demon by Matt Wesolowski
+ childhood, community, family, family drama, fiction, forgiveness, friendship, literature, loss, love, mental health, mental illness, motherhood, photography, review, Scottish Highlands, secrets, sisters, sixties
Little Wing by Freya North
Little Wing is the powerful story of two families over three generations. In the 1960s, a pregnant 16-year-old is banished to one of the remotest parts of the UK. Years later, Nell and Dougie are both at critical moments in their lives when their paths cross. Between Camden, Colchester and the Outer Hebrides, the three story lines collide when secrets are uncovered and answers … Read More Little Wing by Freya North
+ childhood, family, fashion, female friendship, feminism, fiction, friends, friendship, jealousy, love, marriage, motherhood, murder mystery, Nigeria, obsession, relationships, revenge, review, secrets, sisterhood
Wahala by Nikki May
Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London. They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English, though not all of them choose to see it that way. Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their thirties, they question their future. Ronke wants a husband (he must be Nigerian); Boo enjoys (correction: endures) stay-at-home motherhood; while Simi, full … Read More Wahala by Nikki May
+ fiction, France, friendship, humour fiction, List, Magical realism, mystery, mythology, novel-in-emails, relationships, review, secrets, sisters, supernatural, twins, whimsical, writers, writers group
My Top 3 Books of 2021
It’s January 1st 2022 and it’s time to reflect on my three favourite books of 2021. Last year it was hard but not impossible. There were instant standouts. This year I have found it much harder. I have tried to include a mix of genres but I’ve definitely failed. Maybe I should simply call them all slightly ‘whimsical’. And if that is not where … Read More My Top 3 Books of 2021
+ adventure, child abduction, crime fiction, Detective novel, family, fiction, Freedom, friends, friendship, haunting, Historical fiction, holocaust, Inuit, kidnapping, List, literature, loss, love, Magical realism, murder, nazi germany, poland, police drama, Polish, Psychological fiction, relationships, review, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, secrets, World War Two
My Top 8 Books of 2021 – part four
Here are my favourite eight books of the fourth quarter of 2021. So far this has been a good year for books if for nothing else, so it was a really difficult decision. Please note that there may be books amongst the list that are not published until 2022, but these are books I have read this year and may be ARCs. The Flight of … Read More My Top 8 Books of 2021 – part four
+ childhood, family, fiction, Freedom, friendship, Historical fiction, holocaust, literature, loss, love, nazi germany, revenge, review, World War Two, WW2
The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab
Readers of Heather Morris’s The Tattooist of Auschwitz and watchers of The Queen’s Gambit won’t want to miss this amazing debut set during World War II. A young Polish resistance worker, imprisoned in Auschwitz as a political prisoner, plays chess in exchange for her life, and in doing so fights to bring the man who destroyed her family to justice. Maria Florkowska is many … Read More The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab
+ audio drama, Cat on a Piano, Christmas, friends, friendship, loneliness, podcast, radio play, review, Theatrephonic
Christmas at No 5 by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
Merry Christmas!It’s the season of giving with ‘Christmas at No. 5’Friends are the family you choose. Four people (and one child) living in a block of flats in separate apartments. They speak to each other occasionally, even know each other’s names, but they never socialise, never even borrow the sugar or drop in for a cup of tea. Well it’s hard to admit you … Read More Christmas at No 5 by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
Bookchatter@Cookiebiscuit 