Authors – Travels with Ali

What’s on your Bookshelf – July

Once again it’s time to review what everyone’s been reading for July. This is a challenge set by Debbie, Sue, Donna and Jo. I missed last month’s so I have a few more than the usual number of books to post.

I’ll start with a series of two books set in the city of Jaipur, India in the 1950’s through to the late 1960’s. The Henna Artist is the story of 17 year old Lakshmi who escapes an abusive marriage to become a famous henna artist and confidante to the wealthy women of the upper classes. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur follows the story of Malik, once a homeless urchin who is taken in by Lakshmi to help her carry her tools around. This story starts with the now educated Malik apprenticed at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace. Over the years he has learned a great many things, mostly how to observe and listen.

I enjoyed both of these books immensely and they kept me up late into the night to see how things panned out for both of these wonderful characters. 5/5

London, 1980s. Though she has a comfortable, privileged life, Eva Martínez-Green is deeply unhappy. The only child of an emotionally absent mother and a physically absent father, Eva has grown up in a cold, unloving house. But Eva is convinced that all is not as it seems. Why are there no baby pictures of her? Why do her parents avoid all questions about her early years? Goodreads

An intriguing read and one I followed avidly to find out the answers Eva was searching for. 5/5

Over the years I have read all of Tim Weaver’s books. They have all been so different. I admire they way he comes up with a different plot line for each book. This one was no exception. A bit far fetched but I still enjoyed every page. The story of a missing couple, presumed dead, but no bodies have ever been found. Another case for Raker! I have posted the link so that the books can be read in order. If you like crime thrillers you won’t be disappointed. 4/5

A completely different book this time from Dervla McTiernan. This one is set in America and not Ireland as in the previous books. Law student, Hannah Rokeby, blackmails her way into The Innocence Project. A group of people helping to set Death Row prisoners free after all other options have failed. Hannah has other ideas about a certain prisoner though. Intriguing with many twists and turns and will keep you guessing until the end. 5/5

This was a bookclub choice by one of our ladies, who also knew the author. It portrays the story of Lady Godiva who rode through the streets naked as a forfeit to her husband, Lord Leofric of Mersea, so that her people wouldn’t have to pay taxes, to stop them from starving. It tells the story of her upbringing and marriage and the threat to England from the constant Viking invasions.
For me this book lacked excitement and I felt there was a lot of padding. An okay read. 3/5

At the moment I am having trouble finding a book that keeps me interested after the first few chapters. I am so glad I have a kindle so I can download a sample! Although this does make for less discipline about finishing a book. I will be looking out for some recommendations from other bloggers who post for this challenge.

I’ll leave you with these descriptions to help with further book reviews.

What’s on your Bookshelf – May

Time to review some more books for the WOYB challenge hosted by Debbie, Jo, Sue and Donna and I have three books to share with you this month.

The Match

Not one of Harlan’s best I have to say but I enjoyed it all the same. It’s the second in the series of The Boy From the Woods, a man simply known as Wilde. In this book he finally searches for the truth about himself and finds on a DNA site a 100% match for his father. This is when the trouble starts and he stumbles onto something more. I like the way Harlan Coben writes so will generally read most of his books. 3/5

Such a lovely read, I enjoyed every word as did a friend of mine. Set in 1960s California, it tells the tale of Elizabeth Zott a woman who is a chemist in a man’s world. Having been derailed by the unscrupulous men she works with, Elizabeth finds fame hosting a cooking show using her scientific skills. She has a daughter called Mad, who seems to be a child prodigy and thinks more like a teenager than a five year old. There are many hilarious characters in this book. A good fireside, feet up, rainy day kind of book. 5/5

This book has been on my TBR list for a while now so I took the plunge and dived right in. Set in the summer of 1822 in Edinburgh and the city is all of a dither about the forthcoming visit of George IV. It is about the botanical garden and a very rare plant about to flower. Not all of the characters are fictional and the story has elements of the truth about it. The main characters are just so well written you feel as you know them. Firstly Elizabeth a newly widowed young woman from London who comes to stay with an elderly relation and Belle, a courtesan with a mind of her own. Both women are drawn to each other through their love of plants. I loved this book also and highly recommend it. 5/5

A book that I tried in vain to read as it was for my bookclub was Klara and the Sun by Kashuo Ishiguro. It is about Artificial Friends who are made to live in a family and befriend a young teenager. I just felt that every character in the book was artificial and because it is written from Klara, the Artificial Friend’s point of view, there was no emotion in this book. Whenever I tried to read it, I was left feeling quite empty! It has great reviews so perhaps it was just me.

My A – Z of Favourite Authors ~ F ~

Looking through my “read” titles on my Kindle, I have quite a few for this letter.

Julian Fellowes – Past Imperfect. A very enjoyable read, although it does have very mixed reviews.
Gillian Flynn – All of her books, I am a huge fan.
Lucy Foley – The Hunting Party – A mystery set in the Scottish Highlands.
Ken Follett – Fall of Giants. A fantastic read set before and after World War I, it gave me a greater understanding of why the war started and which countries fought against each other.

I hope you enjoy some of these books as much as I have and find some new authors amongst them.

📚 What’s on your Bookshelf – #4 📚

It’s time to review the books we have been reading this month. I have not read near as many as Debbie at Deb’s World who is one of the co-hosts for this challenge.

I finished the last in The Highbury Series by Allie Cresswell – Dear Jane. I enjoyed all three books about the people and events leading up to Emma by Jane Austen. Dear Jane focuses mainly on Jane Fairfax and Frank Weston. Allie Cresswell writes just like Jane Austen. I would describe these books as a “cozy read”. Curling up on the sofa with one of these books is like chatting with an old friend.

The next book has been on my “to be read” list for a while, so I thought I had better tackle it.
The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde by Eve Chase

I did enjoy this book but preferred the story set in 1959 about the four sisters than the other part set fifty years later. It seemed like the book was written by two different authors! The book focuses on a house that both families lived in.

I also got round to reading a book by Susan Lewis – I Have Something To Tell You.

This book had a very good twist at the end which I thought I had guessed but didn’t! I like the fact that she doesn’t just make it about the victim but also the solicitor who has been engaged by him.

The Andee Lawrence series of books are also very good.

My A to Z of Favourite Authors – This Month is “B”

Fiona Barton – I have read all three of Fiona’s books and I’m hoping she will be writing another soon. They are all very different and usually have two storylines through them that tie up at the end. All three books feature a journalist called Kate Waters.

Suzanne Bugler – I’ve read two of her books, I would describe them as psychological thrillers.
The Child Inside and This Perfect World. Very easy to read but intriguing!

I’m loving this challenge as one of my favourite things is reading book reviews. I can now find many new and different types of authors to add to my growing lists of books!

What’s on my Bookshelf – September

Another month has gone by since this challenge started and it’s been a bit of a slack one for me regarding books! I have read a couple but not as many as I normally do. Too much has been on the TV lately keeping me otherwise occupied.

I have just finished a marvellous book by Carrie Kablean, an author previously unknown to me.

I enjoyed this book so much and couldn’t wait to get back to it every night! It’s all about the youngest but one of the Bennet sisters from Pride and Prejudice. I have read similar books about Mary but not about Kitty. It starts at the end of Pride and Prejudice where everybody is still getting over the embarrassment and shame of Lydia’s running off with Wickham. Carrie Kablean describes each scene with wonderful detail and stays true to the style of Jane Austen. Definitely 5 stars from me.

A book from last month that I did not mention before was The Stars are Fire by Anita Shreve. I had forgotten I had downloaded this sample over a year ago and have no reason why it was never read! But I’ve rectified that now and it was an amazing read. There are several publications but this is the cover I like best.

This story is set around a true event in 1947 Maine, USA. A massive fire wiped out nine towns and killed 16 people. It has a very slow burn (excuse the pun) and build up to the actual fire itself. The main person is Grace, a young woman with two children in a stifling marriage. It was another satisfying read for me. Sad to say that Anita Shreve passed away a few years ago, but I’ve enjoyed many of her other books.

Books I’m reading now

I’m finding it hard to finish The Book of Lost Names by Kristen Harmel, set in wartime France during the occupation of the Nazis. It’s a bookclub choice so I must try and get on and finish it. It’s just not grabbing me.

The Hoarder’s Widow – Allie Cresswell is one I’ve just started – yes I always have two or three on the go at once! So far so good and I love this author.

I am enjoying this challenge first mentioned by Debbie from Deb’s world. I do like reading book reviews to see if I share these views or not. Sometimes I’m definitely a standalone in my views but as I mentioned before life’s too short to read a bad book. I find it hard to start a new book no matter how excited I am, especially after finishing a brilliant one.