Left on the Shelf
My reading journey
Thursday 2 May 2024
And Now There's Zelda... by Carolyn Clarke - #bookreview
Wednesday 1 May 2024
10 Ten Books I Want to Read in May 2024
The merry month of May is upon us. I haven't seen any cherry blossom yet but I'm hoping to.
Here are just ten books, selected from so many, that I hope to read this month.
London's Number One Dog-Walking Agency by Kate MacDougall
Under a Summer Skye by Sue Moorcroft
Identity by Nora Roberts
Golden Poppies by Laila Ibrahim
In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear
Mary I: Queen of Sorrows by Alison Weir
The Magic Callaloo by Trish Cooke and Sophie Bass
Earnest Sandpiper's Great Ascent by Timothy Basil Ering
When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
Happy Reading!
Tuesday 30 April 2024
Reading Roundup for April 2024
Another month has passed us by. April has gone and what a wet and rainy month it has been.
I am still working hard at training my puppy, Roxie. She is almost five months old now and her training classes are going well. It is very much still a work in progress though, although she is learning to let me get on with my work a little better! It has been unfortunate that I sprained my ankle badly and so haven't been able to take her out for walks during the day. She is still getting out though as my husband takes her before and after work but I was enjoying my springtime walks with her. Never mind, my ankle is healing now.
I have read some great books this month. Have you read anything that you would recommend?
Books I Have Read
From Crime to Crime by Richard Henriques - This was a really interesting non-fiction book which I borrowed from the libraray. The author was both QC and later Judge in some of the biggest court trials in Britain.
Murder on the Dancefloor by Katie Marsh - This is the second book in the Bad Girls Detective Agency series and was very enjoyable. You can read my review by clicking here.
Wise Up! Wise Down! by John Agard and JonArno Lawson - A delightful collection of poems for middle grade children. You can read my review by clicking here.
Red Runs the Witch's Thread by Victoria Williamson - I read this for the blog tour. Set in Scotland during the late 17th/early18th century. You can read my review by clicking here.
Before the Swallows Came Back by Fiona Curnow - This is a gorgeous novel teeming with nature, wild life and a great plot. You can read my review by clicking here.
Whitechapel Autumn of Error by Ian Porter - Set in London's East End during the late 1880's when Jack the Ripper roamed the streets. This is a good addition to the genre. You can read my review by clicking here.
Looking for Lucie by Amanda Addison - This title for young adults is about using DNA testing to find out about ourselves. You can read my review by clicking here.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and a Horse by Charlie Mackesy - I'm a bit late to the part on this one but enjoyed it once I finally got around to reading it.
Hard Times for the East End Library Girls by Jean Fullerton - This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it very much. You can read my review by clicking here.
The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher - I loved this one. You can read my review by clicking here.
Takeout Sushi by Christopher Green - A collection of short stories which are mostly set in modern Japan. You can read my review by clicking here.
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods - This was a delightful book with a dual timeline, a mystery and magical realism. It's probably my favourite book this month. You can read my review by clicking here.
Dangerous Times on Dressmakers' Alley by Rosie Clarke - This was a great book in the saga genre. You can read my review by clicking here.
Books I Did Not Finish
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon - This has been on my TBR for so long and when I finally got to it I couldn't get into it at all.
Books I am Partway Through
The Book-Lovers' Retreat by Heidi Swain
Does My Dog Love Me? by Graeme Hall
Sleepers and Ties by Gail Kirkpatrick
Widows on the Wine Path by Julia Jarman
(header photo courtesy of Florencia Veadana)
(all opinions are my own)
Monday 29 April 2024
Takeout Sushi by Christopher Green & Illustrated by Rebecca Purton - #bookreview #blogtour
Tsune moved home at the end of January. Her husband Matsu's company was due to relocate to Yokohama in April and, after several months of searching, they settled on an apartment in nearby Kawasaki...
***
Takeout Sushi is a collection of 17 illustrated short stories set mostly in contemporary Japan that explore feelings of belonging, displacement, and the strangeness of everyday human interaction.
In an innovative, fast-paced company, a man’s job comes under threat when a team of robots are brought in to replace the HR department. A husband’s search for shortcuts to his domestic tasks goes painfully wrong. Overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, a foreigner takes a weekend break and discovers something other than solitude in the mountains.
Marking Christopher Green’s debut adult fiction and inspired by his own experiences, these whimsical slice-of-life tales are full of heart and humour—perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman and Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
***
Generally speaking, I am not a lover of short stories. However, every now and again I discover a collection which entices me to read them. When I was offered an advanced reader's copy of this book I was sufficiently interested to try it.
My son and I share a mutual interest in Japanese fiction, and books frequently get passed back and forth between us. This book is a little different to our normal reading fare in that it is not written by a Japanese author. That said, the author has lived in Japan for many years, and these stories are written with insight. His observations of contemporary Japanese life made for easy and enjoyable reading.
The short quote at the header of this post is the opening couple of sentences to the first story in the book, Swallows, which I really enjoyed reading and is a great introduction to the quality of the stories. They are entertaining and some are written with wit and humour. I laughed out loud at the efforts that a husband went to demonstrate that he could cope alone when his wife was away on business in Burned.
There are just a few stories towards the end of the collection which are set in other parts of the world but are equally entertaining.
Each of these stories had something to offer, and I hesitate to say which was my favourite as I enjoyed so many of them. However, if I had to pick just one, it would have to be Spinning Wheels, as it demonstrates the fiasco that could occur if we allowed robots to be in charge. I am certain that everyone who reads this book would have a different list of their preferred ones and that is what makes this book so appealing.
The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were a nice addition, and I liked their simple yet appealing style.
I recommend this book to lovers of short stories and those interested in modern Japan.
ISBN: 978 1915584311
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Formats: paperback
No. of Pages: 272
About the Author:
A long-time resident of Japan, Christopher lives near Tokyo with his wife and daughter. Christopher writes short stories and children's stories. His first collection of short stories Takeout Sushi is due for publication by Neem Tree Press in May 2024.
For a little more about Christopher and his books, please visit www.greeninjapan.com.
For Christopher's goodreads page for his children's books, please visit Chris Green.
(ARC and media courtesy of The Write Reads)
(all opinions are my own)
Friday 26 April 2024
A Splendid Defiance by Stella Riley - #blogtour #excerpt
Thursday 25 April 2024
10 Ten Exciting New Book Releases in May 2024
In my small corner of the world there is a carpet of bluebells. In fact, I have a few growing in the garden. They come up every year and fill me with joy. However, this year, the puppy seems rather keen on rolling about in them so I am constantly behind her shooing her off.
Both puppy and the spring make me happy... as do shiny new books to read. Here are ten new releases that I am looking forward to getting my hands on.
Goyhood by Reuven Fenton
When Mayer (née Marty) Belkin fled small-town Georgia for Brooklyn nearly thirty years ago, he thought he'd left his wasted youth behind. Now he's a Talmud scholar married into one of the greatest rabbinical families in the world - a dirt-poor country boy reinvented in the image of God.
But his mother's untimely death brings a shocking revelation: Mayer and his ne'er-do-well twin brother David aren't, in fact, Jewish. Traumatized and spiritually bereft, Mayer's only recourse is to convert to Judaism. But the earliest date he can get is a week from now. What are two estranged brothers to do in the interim?
So begins the Belkins' Rumspringa through America's Deep South with Mom's ashes in tow, plus two tagalongs: an insightful Instagram influencer named Charlayne Valentine and Popeye, a one-eyed dog. As the crew gets tangled up in a series of increasingly surreal adventures, Mayer grapples with a God who betrayed him and an emotionally withdrawn wife in Brooklyn who has yet to learn her husband is a counterfeit Jew.
The Nightingale's Castle by Sonia Velton
In 1573, Countess Erzsébet Báthory gave birth to an illegitimate child. The infant, a girl, was swiftly bundled up and handed to a local peasant family to be brought up in one of the hamlets surrounding the Castle. Many years later, 15-year-old Boróka reluctantly leaves the safety of the only home she has ever known in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Trusted members of the countess's household have been sent out to gather new serving girls, and the kindly old man who has taken care of Boróka for almost all her life knows that it is dangerous to turn them away.
Boróka struggles to find her place at Cachtice Castle: she is frightened of the countess's reputation as an alleged murderer of young girls, and the women who run the castle are terrifyingly cruel. When plague comes into the heart of the castle, a tentative bond begins to form between Boróka and the Countess Báthory. But powerful forces are moving against a woman whose wealth poses such a threat to the king: can the countess really trust the women who are so close to her? And when the show trial begins against the infamous 'Blood Countess' where will Boróka's loyalties lie?
Threadbare by Jane Loeb Rubin
Threadbare recounts the story of an innocent but tenacious young girl who chooses marriage to Abe, a lonely widower, rather than follow her farming community north as urban development transforms rural Harlem. Convinced Abe will help her attend high school on the Lower East Side, she faces a rude awakening to the filth and disease of the tenements. Through the following decades, Tillie turns her energy and intelligence to partnering with Abe as he builds a thriving button business while she and her neighbor Sadie launch a unique garment company. Pushing back against anti-Semitic Victorian values dominating the time, she acquires wealth only to have her life upended by a devastating, unforeseen challenge.
Identity by Nora Roberts
Morgan Albright dreams of owning her own bar one day but she's bartending for now - working hard, saving money. Life is hectic but she loves sharing a house with her best friend, Nina, and she is even finding time to date for the first time in what feels like forever.
When a seemingly random attack turns Morgan's life upside down, she must leave the city to return to her family home. She hopes that moving back to a small town where she can feel safe will help her to put the horror of that day behind her but, as Morgan soon discovers, sometimes your past just doesn't want to let you go...
The Happy Hour by Cressida McLaughlin
Jess is happy working in Greenwich market selling trinkets to well-heeled locals and excitable tourists.
Then one Sunday, Jess is thrown together with handsome, funny Ash, as they chase a pickpocket through the market, and before long they are making a habit of running into each other at the same time each week.
Jess starts to realize that their hour together is the brightest part of her life. But Ash isn’t telling her everything – can she discover the truth before it’s too late?
The Peasenhall Murder by Neil. R. Norman
Old Girls Behaving Badly by Kate Galley
Wednesday 24 April 2024
The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher - #bookreview #blogtour
Four weeks ago, a man died. He fell - out in the wildest part of the grounds where the nettles are, where ivy and bindweed have climbed up the plinth of an old stone cherub so the cherub can't be seen now...
***
Florence Butterfield has lived an extraordinary life full of travel, passion and adventure. But, at eighty-seven, she suspects there are no more surprises to come her way.
Then, one midsummer's night, something terrible happens - so strange and unexpected that Florrie is suspicious. Was this really an accident, or is she living alongside a would-be murderer?
The only clue is a magenta envelope, discarded earlier that day.
And Florrie - cheerfully independent but often overlooked - is the only person determined to uncover the truth.
As she does, Florrie finds herself looking back on her own life . . . and a long-buried secret, traced in faded scars across her knuckles, becomes ever harder to ignore.
***
Florrie, the main character in this wonderful book, is an octagenarian amputee living in a retirement home. She is also spirited and quick witted, and she is a delightful character to become aquainted with in this novel.
One night Florrie witnesses the apparent suicide of someone at the retirement home. However, she is not as convinced as the police that it should be attributed to suicide. Appearing quiet and unassuming, she and her new friend, Stanhope, investigate what exactly did happen. This becomes a classic did she jump or was she pushed scenario.
There has been a number of books published in the last year or two set within a similar environment. However, compared to some others which I have read this one is much more absorbing than many of those.
It has been well-written and the characters well portrayed. I found the book engrossed me from the very beginning.
The pace of the book is gentle, mirroring the genre and I really liked that. I enjoy books that have a more sedate pace as they provide opportunity to absorb the story and the characters. That said, this is not a slow book and much happens to keep a reader interested.
The mystery running throughout is compelling and at times I worried for Florrie's safety as she continues to investigate.
There are several flashbacks to Florrie's past, and I enjoyed reading her backstory. There are moments of both sadness and humour and the author has created a marvellously well rounded character in Florrie.
The book is a great addition to the cosy crime genre and I highly recommend it.
ISBN: 978 1787637412
Publisher: Bantam
Formats: e-book, audio and hardback
No. of Pages: 448 (hardback)
About the Author:
Susan Fletcher was born in Birmingham and studied English Literature at the University of York.
Whilst taking the MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, she began her first novel, Eve Green, which won the Whitbread First Novel Award (2004) and Betty Trask Prize (2005). Since then, Susan has written seven novels - whilst also supplementing her writing through various roles, including as a barperson, a cheesemonger and a warden for an archaeological excavation site near Hadrian's Wall. Most recently, she has been a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Worcester.
She lives in Warwickshire.
(book and media courtesy of Random Things Tours)
(all opinions are my own)