Well here we are in December again already!
The lovely Susan the unique book blogger at The Booktrail sent me a message to let me know that I am quoted in The Apprentice of Split Crow Lane by Jane Housham, one of the non-fiction Victorian True Crime books that I read last year. I haven’t managed to look inside the book itself, but here is my quote on the Amazon Product page
I don’t talk about my work that much, mainly because Intellectual Property Law is of limited interest to many people and I work in the Legal Department of a company that renews Patents, Designs and Trademarks worldwide. This week I completed 15 years service, although I hasten to add that I’ve had a number of different roles in that time. To mark this achievement I was presented with some beautiful flowers and a code that allows me to buy some vouchers – I’m contemplating whether it is wrong to go for Amazon vouchers bearing in mind the size of my TBR?
This Week on the BlogMy first of the three reviews this week was for the brilliant The CWA Short Story Anthology: Mystery Tour which was jam-packed with a whole range of crime stories by some fabulous authors.
My excerpt post came from His Kidnappers Shoes by Maggie James having recently finished her novella, Blackwater Lake which was my second review of the week and prompted me to read more by this talented author. Thankfully I had one of her books on the TBR.
This Week in Books post featured the authors Natalie Meg Evans, Helen Barrell and Mel McGrath.
My final review of the week was for Ruth Ware’s latest novel The Lying Game which had an atmospheric setting along with one of my favourite relationships to feature in psychological novels, that of female friendship.
This Time Last Year…I was reading My Name is Leon by Kit De Waal a touching story set in 1981 with a child narrator Leon who believes he is the only one that can truly care for his baby brother Jake. His mother is somewhat distracted by trying to win over Jake’s father and it is almost inevitable that both boys end up being taken into care. This story moved me far more than I expected, probably because I fear the tale is only reflecting a reality for many boys within the social care system even today.
Please click here or on the book cover to read my review
Blurb
Stacking the ShelvesIt’s 1981, a year of riots and royal weddings. The Dukes of Hazzard is on TV. Curly Wurlys are in the shops. And trying to find a place in it all is nine-year-old Leon. He and his little brother Jake have gone to live with Maureen. They’ve lost one home, but have they found another?
Maureen feeds and looks after them. She has wild red hair and mutters swearwords under her breath when she thinks they can’t hear. She claims everything will be okay. But will they ever see their mother again? Who are the couple who secretly visit Jake? Between the street violence and the street parties, Leon must find a way to reunite his family… Amazon
First up following my review of The CWA Short Story Anthology: Mystery Tour I was contacted by one of the authors I called out, Christine Poulson. Now as regular readers know I have iron-clad willpower when being offered books but there were two reasons to gratefully accept her latest book Cold, Cold Heart. One I really did enjoy her short story Accounting for Murder and secondly the story features a Patent Lawyer, I have quite a bit of contact with this breed of lawyers including my direct boss, so it seemed fitting in this, my long-service award week.
Blurb
Midwinter in Antarctica. Six months of darkness are about to begin. Scientist Katie Flanagan has an undeserved reputation as a trouble-maker and her career has foundered. When an accident creates an opening on a remote Antarctic research base she seizes it, flying in on the last plane before the subzero temperatures make it impossible to leave. Meanwhile patent lawyer Daniel Marchmont has been asked to undertake due diligence on a breakthrough cancer cure. But the key scientist is strangely elusive and Daniel uncovers a dark secret that leads to Antarctica. Out on the ice a storm is gathering. As the crew lock down the station they discover a body and realise that they are trapped with a killer. Amazon
Now I promise not to acquire books in December, this plan always goes so well that for some reason I feel the need to stock up in readiness. I have therefore got a few new books…
One of my new purchases is The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon, I was looking out for a copy of this book at the recent book sale but there wasn’t a copy so I bought one!
Blurb
England,1976.
Mrs Creasy is missing and The Avenue is alive with whispers. As the summer shimmers endlessly on, ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly decide to take matters into their own hands.
And as the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives will find much more than they imagined… Amazon
From NetGalley I have a copy of Hell Bay from Kate Rhodes. This is a the beginning of a new series from this author which will be published on 25 January 2018.
Blurb
DI Ben Kitto needs a second chance. After ten years working for the murder squad in London, a traumatic event has left him grief-stricken. He’s tried to resign from his job, but his boss has persuaded him to take three months to reconsider.
Ben plans to work in his uncle Ray’s boatyard, on the tiny Scilly island of Bryher where he was born, hoping to mend his shattered nerves. His plans go awry when the body of sixteen year old Laura Trescothick is found on the beach at Hell Bay. Her attacker must still be on the island because no ferries have sailed during a two-day storm.
Everyone on the island is under suspicion. Dark secrets are about to resurface. And the murderer could strike again at any time. NetGalley
Finally for this week’s post I have a copy of The Last Day by Clare Dyer which will be published on 15 February 2018.
Blurb
They say three’s a crowd but when Boyd moves back into the family home with his now amicably estranged wife, Vita, accompanied by his impossibly beautiful twenty-seven-year-old girlfriend, Honey, it seems the perfect solution: Boyd can get his finances back on track while he deals with his difficult, ailing mother; Honey can keep herself safe from her secret, troubled past; and Vita can carry on painting portraits of the pets she dislikes and telling herself she no longer minds her marriage is over.
But the house in Albert Terrace is small and full of memories, and living together is unsettling.
For Vita, Boyd and Honey love proves to be a surprising, dangerous thing and, one year on, their lives are changed forever. Amazon
Since my last post I have read 6 books and appear to have gained just a few more than that, my TBR now has stands at a total of 184
Physical Books – 110
Kindle Books – 57
NetGalley Books –17
- More
