BOOKSIMO

  Description The hidden fabric of a Victorian woman's life - from family and friends to industry and Empire - told through her unique textile scrapbook. In 1838, a young woman was given a diary on her wedding day. Collecting snippets of fabric from a range of garments she carefully annotated each one, creating a unique record of her life and times. Her name was Mrs Anne Sykes. Nearly two hundred years later, the diary fell into the hands of Kate Strasdin, a fashion historian and museum curator. Strasdin spent the next six years unravelling the secrets contained within the album's pages. Piece by piece, she charts Anne's journey from the mills of Lancashire to the port of Singapore before tracing her return to England in later years. Fragments of cloth become windows into Victorian life: pirates in Borneo, the complicated etiquette of mourning, poisonous dyes, the British Empire in full swing, rioting over working conditions and the terrible human cost of Britain's cott...

  Description ‘A heartfelt and exciting debut . . . a wise and honest story of how it feels to be a young woman in search of yourself’ Taylor Jenkins Reid,  Sunday Times  bestselling author of  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Meet Nora Hughes – the overworked, underpaid, last bookish assistant standing. At least for now. When Nora landed an editorial assistant role at Parsons Press she thought it would be The Dream Job. But after five years of admin and taking lunch orders, Nora has come to the conclusion: Dream Jobs do not exist. With her life spiralling and unable to afford her rent, Nora does the only thing she can think of and starts freelancing for a rival publisher. But when Andrew Santos, a bestselling author (who also happens to be  quite  attractive), is thrown into Nora’s life, she must decide where her loyalties lie, and whether she’s ready to choose herself and her future over her job… Your next book club read touching on mental health, happin...

  Description Mrs P’s Book of Secrets  will be published in the US as  The Book Ghost . The Cotswolds, Christmastime 1946: A young widow leaves behind the tragedy of her wartime life, and returns home to her ageing aunt and uncle. For Lucy – known as Mrs P – and the people who raised her, the books that line the walls of the family publishing business bring comfort and the promise of new beginnings. But the kind and reserved new editor at the Kershaw and Kathay Book Press is a former prisoner of war, and he has his own shadows to bear. And when the old secrets of a little girl’s abandonment are uncovered within the pages of Robert Underhills’s latest project, Lucy must work quickly if she is to understand the truth behind his frequent trips away. For a ghost dwells in the record of an orphan girl’s last days. And even as Lucy dares to risk her heart, the grief of her own past seems to be whispering a warning of fresh loss… There are no white shrouded spectres here, no wai...

  Description Everyone’s welcome. But not everyone leaves… Nick and Amber Miller are splitting up and selling their Devon home. But despite the desirable location, the house isn’t moving. Not a single viewing so far. When their estate agent suggests an open house event, Amber agrees, even as she worries about their gossiping neighbours attending and snooping around their home.   But Amber has more to worry about than nosy neighbours. Because thirteen people enter her house that afternoon, and only twelve leave.   Someone doesn't want the house to sell, and is willing to do  anything  to stop it… Review Wow - this is a page turner. This book begins with Amber having split from her husband and now selling what was his family home. An interfering Mother In Law who doesn't want her to move and take the grandchildren with her or sell her old family home. Pretty pedestrian stuff until the house isn't selling and the estate agent encourages Amber to hold an open house....

  Description Summer, 1995. July Hooper knows eighteen things about her mother. Like number thirteen: she loved dancing on the kitchen table. And number eight: she was covered in freckles. And then there's number two: she died after being hit by a car when July was small. She keeps this list hidden in a drawer away from her father. Because they're not allowed to talk about her mother. Ever. But an anonymous note slipped into July's bag on her tenth birthday is about to change everything she thinks she knows about her mum. Determined to discover what really happened to her, July begins to investigate, cycling around the neighbourhood where her family used to live. There she meets someone who might finally have the answers. July wants her family to stop lying to her, but will the truth be harder to face? Review I absolutely loved this book.This book is not like anything else I have read before, and these days that's getting rarer for me. Set in the summer of 1995 we follo...

  Description Another warm and uplifting book from the author of The Kicking the Bucket List   ‘Feelgood’ Good Housekeeping Has their friendship stood the test of time? The Class of ’72, Sara, Ally, Jo and Mitch were as close as sisters, then life intervened and the four friends lost touch. Now in her sixties, Sara has realized – late in the day – that those women were the best friends she’d ever had and is determined to get the gang back together. Ally is facing a huge turning point in her life and Jo, after years of being chief cook and bottle washer, needs to put herself first after a wake-up call. None of them know what happened to Mitch. The coolest and most enigmatic of the foursome doesn’t want to be found and it seems that even after all these years, the women are still keeping a few secrets from each other… Review Nice to read about a group of friends who are mature ladies. I loved the beginning of this book. A mature lady who works in daytime TV and is being let...

  Description The Orient Express. Luxury. Mystery. Romance. For one group of passengers settling in to their seats and taking their first sips of champagne, the journey from London to Venice is more than the trip of a lifetime. A mysterious errand; a promise made to a dying friend; an unexpected proposal; a secret reaching back a lifetime...As the train sweeps on, revelations, confessions and assignations unfold against the most romantic and infamous setting in the world. Review Just perfect. It's taken me a long time to get around to reading this book but I am so very glad I did. It was just delightful.  It took a while before we boarded the Orient Express. The actual trip on the Orient Express is not taken up by that much of the book, but the descriptions of both the train and the views were so worthwhile. The book begins in the past and I settled right into it.  Despite having quite a large group of characters who all end up on the train, each of the backstories was so...