BOOKSIMO

Description London, 1942 Flo Canning’s heart is beyond repair following the news that she has been dreading since the outbreak of war. As Flo throws herself into the role of fabric manager at Liberty’s, old and new friends alike help pull her from a whirl of despair. Between work and home life there’s plenty to keep Flo occupied. Not least new deputy store manager, Henry Masters, whose arrival has consequences that Flo and her workmates could never have foreseen. But there is more tragedy still to come, and Flo and her friends will need each other more than ever if they are to survive the uncertainty ahead. Review This is the third book in the "Liberty girls" series from Fiona Ford. She does give you little flashbacks to the previous books in case you forgot who's who, or if you are reading it as a standalone. In each book there is someone who makes life hard for the Liberty girls and their friends and this one was no exception. A character called Evie arrives to work at ...

Description A collection of anecdotes on life in New York from Helene Hanff of '84 Charing Cross Road' fame. Review Having recently re read 84 Charing Cross Road I began to look for what else Helene Hanff had written and came across this wonderful book. I managed to get a second hand copy as the book was published in 1994 and covers the "Letters from New York" that Helene Hanff wrote for the BBC  Woman's Hour programme. I just love the authors voice, I think it's what today they call a smart mouth! It's the minutiae of her life in a New York apartment in 1979 to 1984 and I loved every word of it. There's also the fascinating social history side to it like when she talks about booking a seat for smoking on the BA flight to London. I do remember smoking on flights but it seems so alien today. I also learnt so many things about New York that I didn't know, things that only a true New Yorker can tell you about. I'm going to be re readi...

Description All Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home. Just because she knows that her former best friend lives near the football ground, that doesn't mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that, and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn't seen Flora Braid for twelve years. But she can't resist. She parks outside Flora's house and watches from across the road as Flora and her children, Thomas and Emily, step out of the car. Except... There's something terribly wrong. Flora looks the same, only older - just as Beth would have expected. It's the children that are the problem. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily Braid were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then. They are still five and three. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt - Beth hears Flora call them by their names - but they haven't changed at...

Description 'Hope can sometimes be just enough.' It's only a few months since the war ended but the little village of Chawton is about to be hit by another devastating blow. The heart of the community and site of Jane Austen's cherished former home, Chawton estate is in danger of being sold to the highest bidder. Eight villagers are brought together by their love for the famous author's novels, to create  The Jane Austen Society . As new friendships form and the pain of the past begins to heal, surely they can find a way to preserve Austen's legacy before it is too late? And there may even be a few unexpected surprises along the way... Review I think my love of Jane Austen made me just grab at this book - and the lovely cover. But somehow I just didn't get along with it the way I thought I would.  There were times I really didn't care to read it and then at other times I could not put it down. Analysing this I think the parts that dre...

It's great to be a part of the Book Blog Tour for this amazing book today. Blurb Maiden-Mother-Murderer How dangerous is a woman with nothing left to lose? The year is 1905. London is a playground for the rich and a death trap for the poor. When Sofia Logan’s husband dies unexpectedly, leaving her penniless with two young children, she knows she will do anything to keep them from the workhouse. But can she bring herself to murder? Even if she has done it before… Emmet Vinsant, wealthy industrialist, offers Sofia a job in one of his gaming houses. He knows more about Sofia’s past than he has revealed. Brought up as part of a travelling fair, she’s an expert at counting cards and spotting cheats, and Vinsant puts her talents to good use. His demands on her grow until she finds herself with blood on her hands. Set against the backdrop of the Suffragette protests, with industry changing the face of the city but disease still rampant, and poverty the greatest threa...

Description The next book in the charming historical series about Florence Boot, the woman behind Boots the Chemist! As the wife of the esteemed druggist and businessman, Jesse Boot, Florence’s position in society is much changed from her quiet life as shopkeeper’s assistant.  Now a lady of means, Florence is expected to act in a way society demands. And whilst Florence is more than happy to be a dutiful wife and a doting mother, as the Boots empire continues to grow, there is so much more to her than simply being Mama or dearest. Helping the staff and customers who rely on her and the business gives Florence an added purpose. Can she show society that a woman can have it all…? Review This is a follow on to the first book "Mrs Boots" although it could be read as a standalone. I did read the previous book and was looking forward to catching up with Florence. Most of this book is set in my home city and so I was familiar with the locations. In particular the...

I'm so pleased to be able to say that I am on the book tour for this lovely book today. Description How close were Victor Hugo and his copyist? 1862 Young widow Eugénie faces an uncertain future in Guernsey. A further tragedy brings her to the attention of Monsieur Victor Hugo, living in exile on the island only yards away from Eugénie’s home. Their meeting changes her life and she becomes his copyist, forming a strong friendship with both Hugo and his mistress, Juliette Drouet. 2012 Dr Tess Le Prevost, Guernsey-born but living in England, is shocked to inherit her Great-Aunt’s house on the island. As a child, she was entranced by Doris’s tales of their ancestor, Eugénie, whose house this once was, and her close relationship with Hugo. Was he the real father of her child? Returning to the island gives Tess a fresh start and a chance to unlock family secrets. Will she discover the truth about Eugénie and Hugo? A surprise find may hold the answer as Tess embr...

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY. WORDS HAVE POWER. A sheet of black filled his vision as hundreds of birds dived at the cottage, pointed beaks thrust forward. From this angle, he couldn’t see many of them striking it, but the few he did see held nothing back as they hammered into the shutter. The scale of the attack was beyond anything he’d seen or heard of. And bloodied casualties littered the ground: skulls shattered, wings broken, innards spilling from them. The fact that so many of them continued with the onslaught in spite of this filled him with even more dread. Salin has always wanted an adventure and, when the opportunity presents itself, he grabs it with both hands, taking his friends along for the ride – whether they want to or not. With strange lands come strange creatures that stand between them and their goal. And that goal is the same for someone else, a man who believes the prize is worth every sacrifice – especially when the sacrifices are made by others. The...

Description A gripping debut set in modern-day Tokyo and inspired by a true crime,  What's Left of Me Is Yours  follows a young woman's search for the truth about her mother's life - and her murder. In Japan, a covert industry has grown up around the  wakaresaseya  (literally "breaker-upper"), a person hired by one spouse to seduce the other in order to gain the advantage in divorce proceedings. When Sato hires Kaitaro, a  wakaresaseya  agent, to have an affair with his wife, Rina, he assumes it will be an easy case. But Sato has never truly understood Rina or her desires and Kaitaro's job is to do exactly that - until he does it too well. While Rina remains ignorant of the circumstances that brought them together, she and Kaitaro fall in a desperate, singular love, setting in motion a series of violent acts that will forever haunt her daughter Sumiko's life. Told from alternating points of view and across the breathtaking landscapes of Japan,...