Kirsten

This month I have finally got my writing mojo back after several months of not being able to concentrate on anything. But the first draft of book 2 is finally with my editor and I am suddenly devouring books like they are going out of fashion. Which, I am very pleased to report, they are not!

See Them Run by my Canelo stablemate Marion Todd is a ‘gripping detective thriller set in St Andrews’. I loved it. It’s nicely paced, has a very strong sense of place – I’ve only visited this part of Scotland twice, yet I feel I know it intimately now – a brilliant female lead and a cracking plot. I finished it in two days and the other books in the series are now downloaded and on my TBR.

Nicola Gill is a fellow 2020 debut so I know exactly what she is going through! The Neighbours is a lovely, laugh-out-loud story about picking yourself up, self-discovery and female friendship across the generations. It’s wonderfully heart-warming and uplifting read, yet it isn’t afraid to tackle some meaty topics – in this case depression – head on.  Highly recommended.

Kitty

Hamnet –  Maggie O’Farrell

This is a remarkable book. It is rare that I am moved to tears by reading and is testament to O’Farrell’s writing prowess that I was here, especially as readers come to the book knowing Hamnet’s fate. The way she weaves the story of this boy and his family is spellbinding, her writing evocative and a reminder to all of the beauty of prose. I loved every page.

Maggie O’Farrell creates scenes that are vivid and captivating, making you feel you are there in that moment, whether it be in woodland in the English countryside, a bedroom in the Shakespeare’s family home or aboard a ship from Italy as a plague carrying flea. She describes emotions with such beauty, such depth that I felt them myself – hence the tears and I can only bow down to this Queen of storytelling. I want to read it again and again and again. I cannot recommend it enough, it truly is a thing of beauty.

Natalie Normann – Summer Island

I raced through this book in two days and absolutely loved it. The romance between the two characters was fab and had me truly rooting for them, willing them on to have their happy ever after. The scenes where Ninni teaches Jack to row and their dash to the vet were so romantic, I adored them and that ending, embedded in the reality of life, that is true romance right there! The author has many strengths but for me the richness of the community was outstanding. I love how all the characters were drawn, how they interact with each other and how she creates a setting that I defy any reader not to want to visit immediately. I never thought I would want to plant potatoes on a Norwegian Island, but now I do. I learnt a thing or two as well, which is always a lovely upside to a good book. This book was cosy, feelgood heaven – so much so I have already pre-ordered the next in the series. Highly recommended.

Another Us – Kirsten Hesketh

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel. It is a tale of family and the bonds that tie us and how those bonds can stretch past what we imagine to be breaking point. The author has written an insightful story that explores the roles of motherhood and marriage, particularly when they clash with the expectations and desires we have for ourselves. Her voice is both honest and witty throughout as Emma comes to realise far more truth about herself than she had anticipated. Highly recommended.