Tag: literature
+ abuse, child abuse, childhood, family, family drama, fiction, journal, literature, loss, memoir, relationships, review, sisters
The Lost Girls by Heather Young
In the summer of 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes from her family’s vacation home on a remote Minnesota lake. Her disappearance destroys her mother, who spends the rest of her life at the lake house, hoping in vain that her favorite daughter will walk out of the woods. Emily’s two older sisters stay, too, each keeping her own private, decades-long vigil for the lost … Read More The Lost Girls by Heather Young
+ abuse, child abuse, childhood, coming-of-age, fiction, friendship, literature, Psychological fiction, revenge, secrets
Fragile by Sarah Hilary
Nell Ballard is a runaway. A former foster child with a dark secret she is desperate to keep, all Nell wants is to find a place she can belong. So when a job comes up at Starling Villas, home to the enigmatic Robin Wilder, she seizes the opportunity with both hands. But her new lodgings may not be the safe haven that she was … Read More Fragile by Sarah Hilary
+ adventure, art, coming-of-age, female friendship, feminism, fiction, friendship, Italy, literature, love, relationships, review, World War Two
Still Life by Sarah Winman
By the bestselling, prize-winning author of When God was a Rabbit and Tin Man, Still Life is a beautiful, big-hearted, richly tapestried story of people brought together by love, war, art, flood… and the ghost of E.M. Forster. We just need to know what the heart’s capable of, Evelyn.And do you know what it’s capable of?I do. Grace and fury. It’s 1944 and in … Read More Still Life by Sarah Winman
+ brothers, Catholic Church, childhood, coming-of-age, convent school, family, fiction, friends, friendship, girl's school, Ireland, literature, religion, review, sixties
Emmet and Me by by Sara Gethin
Summer 1966: When her father comes home with lipstick on his collar, ten-year-old Claire’s life is turned upside down. Her furious mother leaves the family and heads to London, and Claire and her brothers are packed off to Ireland, to their reclusive grandmother at her tiny cottage on the beautifully bleak coast of Connemara. #EmmetAndMe @SGethinWriter @honno @annecater @RandomTTours A misfit among her new … Read More Emmet and Me by by Sara Gethin
+ crime fiction, fiction, friendship, literature, loss, murder, murder mystery, Psychological fiction, review, supernatural, thriller
Before You Knew My Name by by Jacqueline Bublitz
This is not just another novel about a dead girl. When she arrived in New York on her 18th birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice Lee was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city’s latest Jane Doe, an unidentified murder victim. Ruby Jones is also trying to start over; she travelled halfway … Read More Before You Knew My Name by by Jacqueline Bublitz
+ adventure, brothers, cult, family, feminism, fiction, Greek mythology, literature, love, motherhood, mythology, review, sisterhood, sisters
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
‘My story would not be one of death and suffering and sacrifice, I would take my place in the songs that would be sung about Theseus; the princess who saved him and ended the monstrosity that blighted Crete,’ As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur … Read More Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
+ fiction, India, Jaipur, journal, Literary Festival, literature, review, satire, writers
Jaipur Journals by Namita Gokhale
From the co-founder of the Jaipur Literary Festival, a brilliant, funny, and moving novel set against the background of the festival, and the characters that make it tick. Told from multiple perspectives, from the authors enjoying moments of adulation after years of creative isolation, to the star-struck public mingling with their cultural icons, to those in-between, who are both author and fan, these diverse … Read More Jaipur Journals by Namita Gokhale
+ dark humour, fiction, literature, loss, love, murder, poetry, review
Darke Matter by Rick Gekoski
James Darke is dreading the first family Christmas without his wife Suzy. Engulfed by grief, his grudging preparations are interrupted by a persistent knock at the door. Questions about the circumstances of his wife’s death force him to confront the outside world and what really happened to her. #DarkeMatter @RGekoski @LittleBrownUK #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours Isolated, angry and diminished, James soon faces a crisis both legal and … Read More Darke Matter by Rick Gekoski
+ abuse, child abuse, childhood, family, family drama, fiction, literature, love, mystery, obsession, Psychological fiction, relationships, review, secrets, sisters, thriller
Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone
Cat lives in Los Angeles, about as far away as she can get from her estranged twin sister El and No. 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing Gothic house in Edinburgh where they grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact … Read More Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone
+ family, family drama, fiction, literature, loss, love, review, sisters
The Legacy by Caroline Bond
A death in the family rarely brings out the best in people – even the deceased. Jonathan Coulter planned for his death meticulously, leaving nothing to chance. His will states that his three adult children must decide between them how to dispose of his estate. If they cannot come together over their inheritance, then they risk losing it. But Liv, Noah and Chloe never … Read More The Legacy by Caroline Bond
+ abuse, child abduction, child abuse, community, crime fiction, Dogs, family, fiction, holiday, kidnapping, List, literature, loss, love, motherhood, murder, obsession, Psychological fiction, relationships, review, secrets, serial killer, supernatural, thriller
My Top 8 Books of 2021 so far
Here are my favourite eight books of the first quarter of 2021. Last year I chose eight books in the first half but I already have eight so I’m going to break with tradition. Lost Property by Helen Paris Each year I wait for that one book that grabs me by the heart and won’t let go. It’s only just February and I have … Read More My Top 8 Books of 2021 so far
+ fiction, literature, love, relationships, review
The Republic of Love by Carol Shields
With a foreword by Margaret Atwood A celebration of love in its many guises, The Republic of Love recounts the heartfelt tale of two of life’s unlucky lovers: Fay, a folklorist whose passion for mermaids has kept her from focusing on any one man; and, right across the street, Tom, a popular radio talk-show host who’s been through three marriages and divorces in his … Read More The Republic of Love by Carol Shields
