Published by John Murray Publication date – 8 October 2015 Source – own copy You don’t stop being a spook just because you’re no longer in the game. Banished to Slough House from the ranks of achievers at Regent’s Park for various crimes of drugs and drunkenness, lechery and failure, politics and betrayal, Jackson Lamb’s…
Month: August 2019
Under the Reader’s Radar – celebrating the quiet novel
There are thousands upon thousands of books published each year. Only a small percentage of those make it to the best-seller list. That doesn’t mean that the rest aren’t worthy of reading. It may be that they are written by self-published authors who don’t have the marketing knowledge or a small independent publisher who doesn’t…
The Runaway Daughter by Joanna Rees – extract
Joanna Rees’ novel, The Runaway Daughter, was published by Pan Macmillan on 22 August 2019. Pan Macmillan have kindly allowed me to share an extract from the book with you. Underneath the wooden carriage door, she could see an inch of the world outside. It was late February and the tracks flashed by with tufts…
Oi, Duck-Billed Platypus! by Kes Gray and Jim Field – review
Published by Hodder Children’s Publication date – 6 September 2018 Source – own copy Oi! Where are duck-billed platypuses meant to sit? And Kookaburras and hippopotamuses and all the other animals with impossible to rhyme with names… Over to you Frog! If you haven’ read Oi, Frog!, Oi, Dog! or Oi, Cat! then you are…
Learning to listen – Capturing the voices of two generations by Abby Williams – guest post
Abby Williams is the author of The Time of Our Lives, published by Aria Fiction on 8 August 2019. Abby has written a guest post about capturing the voices across generations. Learning to listen – Capturing the voices of two generations I always wanted to write feel-good fiction, you know, a decent enough novel that…
Nothing to Report by Carola Oman – review
Published by Furrowed Middlebrow Publication date – 5 August 2019 Source – review copy Unmarried and nicknamed “Button” by her friends, Mary Morrison is a (very mildly) distressed gentlewoman. She no longer lives in her family home, but remains at the very centre of village life, surrounded by friends including carefree, irresponsible Catha, Lady Rollo,…
The Women of Mulberry Lane by Rosie Clarke – extract
Rosie Clarke is the author of New Arrivals at Mulberry Lane, The Girls of Mulberry Lane and A Wedding at Mulberry Lane. Her latest novel, The Women of Mulberry Lane was published by Aria Fiction on 1 August 2019. Aria have kindly allowed me to share an extract from the novel with you. Peggy met…
Under the Reader’s Radar – celebrating the quiet novel
There are thousands upon thousands of books published each year. Only a small percentage of those make it to the best-seller list. That doesn’t mean that the rest aren’t worthy of reading. It may be that they are written by self-published authors who don’t have the marketing knowledge or a small independent publisher who doesn’t…
Six Degrees of Separation: from The Tiger in the Tiger Pit to Big Little Lies
Six Degrees of Separation is the brainchild of Kate from Books Are My Favourite and My Best. Each month there is a different starter book and through six books, with what can be, on my part, extremely tenuous links, you see which book you end up at. Having missed July’s because I forgot, we move…
Balancing the Books: July
I don’t usually do a reading round up or do a book haul post. That said I thought it might be interesting (for me at least), if I had a look at how many books I manage to read in a month and compare it to how many arrive in the house. I know…
From First Page to Last 