Gift of The Gifting
I’ll be posting an update soon, but as I reviewed this book over Christmas it’s as good a start to the new year as any. I’ve been reading Anne Brooke’s work for some time, enjoyed most of it to various degrees, never felt disappointed. Our paths crossed in ‘writing circles’ and now we even write [...]
Deals at Untreed Reads
Woot! There are some great deals at Untreed Reads and on top of that I just got Mark Michalowski’s installment for Space 1889 “The Ghosts of Mercury”. So looking forward to reading it. Will be part of my holiday reading when I take a break next week. 30% Off All Thanksgiving Titles (http://bit.ly/tFb2V2) The Killer [...]
A Tainted Tree but not tainted writing
I’m happy to say I took Jacquelynn Luben’s ‘Tainted Tree’ on holiday with me. Initially, I thought I was in for a slow read, but that’s only because it’s a very different book to the type I’ve been reading lately. In reality, this book moves at a gentle, steady pace, perfectly in keeping with the [...]
Seeker is both absorbing and satisfying
To start with a summation, I’ll say this book (by Andy Frankham-Allen) is absorbing and satisfying. Initially, I didn’t feel that this was going to be the case. At the risk of the author’s wrath, I confess it took me more than a few pages to get into this story. That isn’t to say my [...]
The Poison Diaries
The Poison Diaries is by Maryrose Wood based on an idea by the Duchess of Northumberland so both are credited. Jessamine lives with her father an apothecary of sorts in a cottage in the woods at a non-disclosed time in history. There are many wild plants and tended gardens of natural herbal remedies, and there [...]
Not so ‘Anchored’
It would be imprecise to say I ‘enjoyed’ this book. Much of it is quite harrowing, and if you have any ‘triggers’ do take heed of the publisher’s warning. However, without conflict there is no story and this is the author’s strength. I love her writing and would likely read her no matter the genre, [...]
Counterpoint: A Hidden Gem
There are many books in this world that I like; there are fewer I can say I love. Those that I love are so varied, my choices are liable to raise a few eyebrows, even though many have been forewarned — when I say my book collection is eclectic, I mean it. Fantasy remains one [...]
Paddytum left me smiling
One might label this easy reading; even so, it’s very pleasant reading. Paddytum is a heartwarming story of a man and a bear, but also of love, loss, hope, and of how one’s life can change. Every time I thought the story was going to turn predictable, the author expertly nudged it in another direction. [...]
A Stranger’s Touch by Anne Brooke
‘A Stranger’s Touch’ by Anne Brooke has a haunting, unsettling quality. My one negative feeling is that maybe it’s a little too short to achieve what it sets out to portray. Although a strong emotional ‘pull’ is attained in very few words, I would have liked this drawn out and heightened still more, so that [...]
Of fairy tales
I’ve just finished reading ‘The Book of Lost Things’ by John Connolly. Probably better known for his crime novels, this may seem a peculiar departure for the writer but if so it is one he more than adequately explains in the last quarter of the book, which is dedicated to discussing many of the underlying [...]