Sarah's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 06 Apr 2025 15:21:06 -0700 60 Sarah's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter]]> 41141615
1838: when a terrible storm blows up off the Northumberland coast, Grace Darling, the lighthouse-keeper’s daughter, knows there is little chance of survival for the passengers on the small ship battling the waves. But her actions set in motion an incredible feat of bravery that echoes down the century.


1938: when nineteen-year-old Matilda Emmerson sails across the Atlantic to New England, she faces an uncertain future. Staying with her reclusive relative, Harriet Flaherty, a lighthouse keeper on Rhode Island, Matilda discovers a discarded portrait that opens a window on to a secret that will change her life forever.]]> 416 Hazel Gaynor 0008255229 Sarah 0 4.27 2018 The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter
author: Hazel Gaynor
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: kindle, currently-reading, multiple-timeline
review:

]]> <![CDATA[John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs]]> 220210918
'Leslie is one of those thinkers who can spin something smart and important out of just about anything . . . Eclectic and stimulating.' NICK HORNBY

'I don't think anyone is writing about The Beatles as well as Ian Leslie is right now.' PETE PAPHIDES
A majestic biography of two young geniuses who merged their talents to create one of the greatest bodies of music in history.
John & Paul begins in 1957, when two teenagers in suburban Liverpool meet and decide to play rock n'roll together. It ends twenty-three years later, when one of them is murdered. In between, we see them become global stars, create countless indelible songs, and play a central role in creating the modern world.

Lennon and McCartney were more than friends, rivals or collaborators. They were intimates who both had the fabric of their world ruptured at a young age, and who longed to make emotional connections; with each other, and with audiences. The pop song was a vessel into which they poured feelings of grief and euphoria and everything in between. When they couldn't speak what they felt, they sang it. After the break-up of their group, they maintained a musical dialogue at a distance, in songs full of recrimination, regret, and affection.

Ian Leslie traces the twists and turns of their relationship through the music it produced and offers rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration and human connection. Drawing on recently released footage and recordings, this is a startlingly fresh take on two of the greatest icons in music history.

Leslie's majestic and wildly enjoyable biography will make us see and hear Lennon and McCartney anew.]]> 449 Ian Leslie 0571376142 Sarah 4 4.80 2025 John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs
author: Ian Leslie
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.80
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: kobo-library, non-fiction-biography, non-fiction-music
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death of a Spy (Hamish Macbeth, #36)]]> 209019832
Sergeant Hamish Macbeth has some major problems to deal with � crimes and criminals, even law enforcement agents, that he doesn’t want anywhere near his beloved Highland village in Lochdubh. Hamish is worried about how the locals, as well as those in the wider area of his territory in Sutherland, will react to his new assistant officer. The officer is none other than the enigmatic American James Bland who is on an exchange scheme from his home city of Chicago in the United States, supposedly to study policing methods in Scotland.

Hamish knows that this is far from the truth. Having recently become involved in identifying a Russian spy ring to solve a murder, he is aware that Bland’s mission is to track down the members of the spy network still at large. Bland trusts Hamish to help him find all of those who may have been, or may still be, in league with the Russians.

In the meantime, he and Bland have to contend with the everyday chores of rural policing. The tourist season brings with it the usual crop of traffic incidents, lost wallets, lost dogs, and people who are simply lost, but a spate of burglaries and robberies committed by a man described as having a gold tooth and a spider’s web tattoo on his neck give Hamish cause for serious concern. The robberies become increasingly violent and the man is dubbed "Spiderman" by the local press. Hamish has to use all of his contacts and every ounce of his Highland guile to find the robber.]]> M.C. Beaton Sarah 0 3.62 2024 Death of a Spy (Hamish Macbeth, #36)
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: currently-reading, audio-books, crime
review:

]]> Paul McCartney: The Biography 29070131 576 Philip Norman Sarah 4 4.06 2016 Paul McCartney: The Biography
author: Philip Norman
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: library-books, non-fiction-biography, non-fiction-music
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seeds of Murder: The Gardener Mysteries, Book 1]]> 229433477 Perfect for fans of Richard Coles, Fiona Leitch and Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, introducing a cosy crime series set in the gardening world featuring an unlikely amateur sleuth and her loveable dog.

Steph Williams has arrived at the wealthy gated community of Beaulieu Heights ready to start her new position as head gardener. Surrounded by mansions and acres of land, it's worlds apart from the life she knows, but she's determined to give it her best shot.

If she happens to accidentally overhear private conversations while trimming the bushes, or is refused access to a locked shed, she knows not to question it - after all, gardeners should be seen and not heard.

Until notes start turning up, threatening to reveal the deepest secrets of the residents. Suddenly Steph finds herself the prime suspect, and now she must leave the shelter of the gardens behind to clear her name and save her job.

The seeds of suspicion have been planted, but the case is turning out to be no bed of roses. And when the investigation puts her life at risk, Steph is up against the clock to weed out the real culprit before it's too late...]]> Rosie Sandler Sarah 4 audio-books, crime 4.00 Seeds of Murder: The Gardener Mysteries, Book 1
author: Rosie Sandler
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> The Paris Seamstress 40650040 How much will a young Parisian seamstress sacrifice to make her mark in the male-dominated world of 1940s New York fashion? From the bestselling author of A KISS FROM MR FITZGERALD and HER MOTHER'S SECRET.

1940. Parisian seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee France as the Germans advance. She is bound for Manhattan with a few francs, one suitcase, her sewing machine and a dream: to have her own atelier.

2015. Australian curator Fabienne Bissette journeys to the annual Met Gala for an exhibition of her beloved grandmother's work - one of the world's leading designers of ready-to-wear. But as Fabienne learns more about her grandmother's past, she uncovers a story of tragedy, heartbreak and secrets - and the sacrifices made for love.

Crossing generations, society's boundaries and international turmoil, THE PARIS SEAMSTRESS is the beguiling, transporting story of the special relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter as they attempt to heal the heartache of the past.]]> 448 Lester Natasha 0751573078 Sarah 4 kindle, multiple-timeline 4.02 2018 The Paris Seamstress
author: Lester Natasha
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: kindle, multiple-timeline
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Murder of Crows (Nell Ward, #1)]]> 61651963
In the sleepy village of Cookingdean, Dr Nell Ward is busy working in the grounds of a local manor house. Whilst inspecting an old tunnel, the last thing she expects to overhear is a murder. As the only person with any clues as to what happened, Nell soon finds herself in the middle of the investigation.

Desperate to clear her name Nell, along with her colleague Adam, set out solving the murder using their skills as ecologists to uncover details no one else would notice. But it soon becomes clear that playing Agatha Christie is much harder than it might at first appear�

The start of an exciting new cosy crime series � perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis.]]> Sarah Yarwood-Lovett 1471412431 Sarah 4 audio-books, crime 3.63 2022 A Murder of Crows (Nell Ward, #1)
author: Sarah Yarwood-Lovett
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle]]> 134696221
Despite being hailed as one of the best guitarists of his era, George Harrison, particularly in his early decades, battled feelings of inferiority. He was often the butt of jokes from his bandmates owing to his lower-class background and, typically, was allowed to contribute only one or two songs per Beatles album out of the dozens he wrote.

Now, acclaimed Beatles biographer Philip Norman examines Harrison through the lens of his numerous self-contradictions. Compared to songwriting luminaries John Lennon and Paul McCartney he was considered a minor talent, yet he composed such masterpieces as “While My Guitar Gently Weeps� and “Here Comes the Sun,� and his solo debut album “All Things Must Pass� achieved enormous success, appearing on many lists of the 100 best rock albums ever. Modern music critics place him in the pantheon of sixties guitar gods alongside Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, and Jimmy Page.

Harrison railed against the material world yet wrote the first pop song complaining about income tax. He spent years lovingly restoring his Friar Park estate as a spiritual journey, but quickly mortgaged the property to help rescue a film project that would be widely banned as sacrilegious, Monty Python’s Life of Brian . Harrison could be fiercely jealous, but not only did he stay friends with Eric Clapton when Clapton fell in love with Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd, the two men grew even closer after Clapton walked away with her.

Unprecedented in scope and filled with numerous color photos, this rich biography captures George Harrison at his most devoted friend, loyal son, master guitar player, brilliant songwriter, cocaine addict, serial philanderer, global philanthropist, student of Indian mysticism, self-deprecating comedian, and, ultimately, iconic artist and man beloved by millions.]]> 512 Philip Norman Sarah 4 3.82 George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle
author: Philip Norman
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: library-books, non-fiction-biography, non-fiction-music
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Frozen People (Ali Dawson, #1)]]> 223408080 Cold cases are a lot easier to solve when you can travel back in time to find new evidence—unless, that is, you get stuck in the nineteenth century.

Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old they’re frozen—or so their inside joke goes. Ali’s work seems like a safe desk job, but what her friends—and even her beloved son—don’t know is that her team has a secret: They can travel back in time to look for evidence.

So far Ali has made trips only to the recent past, so she’s surprised when she’s asked to investigate a murder that took place in 1850. The killing has been pinned on an aristocratic patron of the arts and antiquities, a member of a sinister group called "The Collectors." She arrives in the Victorian era during a mini ice age to find another dead woman at her feet and far too many unanswered questions. But when her son is arrested, Ali attempts to return home only to find herself trapped in 1850.]]> 352 Elly Griffiths 1529433339 Sarah 4 4.05 2025 The Frozen People (Ali Dawson, #1)
author: Elly Griffiths
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: crime, library-books, time-travel-or-timeslip
review:

]]> The Last House on the Cliff 228660998 When a young widow’s little girl vanishes, could a dark family secret hold the answer?

On the death of her aunt Gwyn, Lowri returns once more to Gwyn’s home on the remote island of Anglesey, Wales, with her young daughter Ruby in tow. Lowri hadn’t seen her aunt in years, but this beautiful island offers a fresh start.

Yet right away, strange things begin to happen. Ruby insists an old woman is visiting her when no one else is watching, and a tattered old doll keeps being left for Ruby to find.

Then Ruby goes missing. Desperately seeking answers no one seems to have, Lowri looks to her dark family past for clues. But the secrets she uncovers suggest that Ruby is not the only one in danger, and time is running out � for both of them�

A terrifically dark and twisty tale that can you ever really trust those closest to you? Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Cass Green and C.J. Tudor.]]> Anne Wyn Clark Sarah 4 4.00 2022 The Last House on the Cliff
author: Anne Wyn Clark
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: audio-and-book-dual-read, kobo-library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Penny Bangle (Charton Minster, #3)]]> 13189950 It’s 1942 when Cassie Taylor reluctantly leaves Birmingham to become a land girl on a farm in Dorset.

There she meets Robert and Stephen Denham, twins recovering from injuries sustained at Dunkirk. Cassie is instantly drawn to Stephen, but is wary of the more complex Robert � who doesn’t seem to like Cassie one little bit.

At first, Robert wants to sack the inexperienced city girl. But Cassie soon learns, and Robert comes to admire her courage, finding himself deeply attracted to Cassie. Just as their romance blossoms, he’s called back into active service.

Anxious to have adventures herself, Cassie joins the ATS. In Egypt, she meets up with Robert, and they become engaged. However, war separates them again as Robert is sent to Italy and Cassie back to the UK.

Robert is reported missing, presumed dead. Stephen wants to take Robert’s place in Cassie’s heart. But will Cassie stay true to the memory of her first love, and will Robert come home again?]]> 320 Margaret James 1906931895 Sarah 4 3.95 2007 The Penny Bangle (Charton Minster, #3)
author: Margaret James
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2018/02/16
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: kobo-owned, historical, audio-and-book-dual-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans]]> 228484766 1 Kenneth Womack Sarah 4 4.00 Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans
author: Kenneth Womack
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: non-fiction-music, non-fiction-biography, audio-and-book-dual-read, kobo-library
review:

]]> Hope 893818
Somerset, 1836, and baby Hope is cast out from a world of privilege as living proof of her mother's adultery ...

Smuggled away from the Harveys and Briargate House to a nearby village, Hope grows up in the arms of the warm and loving Renton family, unaware of her true identity. But fate has harsh plans for Hope and a chain of events sees her forced to lead a vagabond's existence until she finds the courage to fight back and prove herself a fearless and able nurse, a vocation that takes her to the horrific battlefields of the Crimea.

But the secrets of the past are not yet done with Hope Renton and she must return to England to face the legacy of her birth ...

With the storytelling magic that has won Lesley Pearse millions of fans, Hope is the portrait of a remarkable woman who will never let the world - or injustice - bring her down..]]> 659 Lesley Pearse 014101699X Sarah 4 4.32 2006 Hope
author: Lesley Pearse
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: historical, audio-and-book-dual-read, library-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America]]> 437112 Can’t Buy Me Love is a masterful work of group biography, cultural history, and musical criticism. That the Beatles were an unprecedented phenomenon is a given. In Can’t Buy Me Love, Jonathan Gould seeks to explain why, placing the Fab Four in the broad and tumultuous panorama of their time and place, rooting their story in the social context that girded both their rise and their demise.

Beginning with their adolescence in Liverpool, Gould describes the seminal influences––from Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry to The Goon Show and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland––that shaped the Beatles both as individuals and as a group. In addition to chronicling their growth as singers, songwriters, and instrumentalists, he highlights the advances in recording technology that made their sound both possible and unique, as well as the developments in television and radio that lent an explosive force to their popular success. With a musician’s ear, Gould sensitively evokes the timeless appeal of the Lennon-McCartney collaboration and their emergence as one of the most creative and significant songwriting teams in history. And he sheds new light on the significance of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as rock’s first concept album, down to its memorable cover art.

Behind the scenes Gould explores the pivotal roles played by manager Brian Epstein and producer George Martin, credits the influence on the Beatles� music of contemporaries like Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, and Ravi Shankar, and traces the gradual escalation of the fractious internal rivalries that led to the group’s breakup after their final masterpiece, Abbey Road. Most significantly, by chronicling their revolutionary impact on popular culture during the 1960s, Can’t Buy Me Love illuminates the Beatles as a charismatic phenomenon of international proportions, whose anarchic energy and unexpected import was derived from the historic shifts in fortune that transformed the relationship between Britain and America in the decades after World War II.

From the Beats in America and the Angry Young Men in England to the shadow of the Profumo Affair and JFK’s assassination, Gould captures the pulse of a time that made the Beatles possible—and even necessary. As seen through the prism of the Beatles and their music, an entire generation’s experience comes astonishingly to life. Beautifully written, consistently insightful, and utterly original, Can’t Buy Me Love is a landmark work about the Beatles, Britain, and America.]]> 672 Jonathan Gould 0307353370 Sarah 4 4.19 2007 Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America
author: Jonathan Gould
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: library-books, non-fiction-music
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death of a Traitor (Hamish Macbeth, #35)]]> 228270882
Kate Hibbert is all too eager to lend a hand to her neighbors. Although she has been a resident of the sleepy village of Lochdubh for only a year, in that time Kate has alienated one too many of its residents with her interfering—and not entirely well-intentioned—ways. When Kate’s neighbor sees her lugging a heavy suitcase to the bus stop, he hopes that the prying woman is gone for good. But two weeks later, Kate’s cousin arrives in town with the news that Kate has gone missing.

Hamish Macbeth is called in to investigate the disappearance, and soon he is befuddled by the discovery of Kate’s body, her suitcase . . . and the sneaking suspicion that Kate was someone much more sinister than she claimed.]]> M.C. Beaton 1038640903 Sarah 3 audio-books, crime 3.00 2023 Death of a Traitor (Hamish Macbeth, #35)
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> Fawlty Towers, volume 1 32809540 John Cleese Sarah 4 audio-dramatisations 4.00 1977 Fawlty Towers, volume 1
author: John Cleese
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1977
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: audio-dramatisations
review:

]]> The Diamond Eye 63376054 Librarian note: An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.
---
The New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history's deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kiev (now known as Kyiv), wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.

Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC--until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila's past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.]]> 424 Kate Quinn Sarah 4 historical, kobo-library 4.39 2022 The Diamond Eye
author: Kate Quinn
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: historical, kobo-library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Talk to the Tail: Adventures in Cat Ownership and Beyond]]> 10158527 256 Tom Cox 184737817X Sarah 4 3.97 2011 Talk to the Tail: Adventures in Cat Ownership and Beyond
author: Tom Cox
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: audio-books, non-fiction-animals
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder in Merrywell (Violet Brewster Mystery #1)]]> 227826135
Amateur sleuth Violet Brewster wants to embrace the quiet village life, but a decades-old mystery threatens to disrupt the peace of her new hometown�
Ex-journalist Violet Brewster is keen to make a good first impression in her new community, having just moved to the small village of Merrywell. When Violet hears about the mystery of Helen Slingsby, who disappeared from the village forty years earlier, she decides to help uncover what happened. But despite Violet’s best efforts, she can find no trace of the missing woman.

As Violet talks to the other residents, it becomes apparent that something sinister is lurking beneath the village’s idyllic exterior.

When a villager is found dead in their home, Violet becomes convinced that the murder is connected to Helen. Did Helen ever really leave Merrywell? Who in the village is hiding something? And can Violet finally solve this forty-year-old mystery before someone else gets hurt?

An utterly gripping and page-turning English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Clare Chase, Frances Evesham and Betty Rowlands.

Readers LOVE Murder in Merrywell!

'A perfect cozy mystery with an engaging cast of characters and a beautifully-drawn setting.' Roz Watkins

‘If you love cozy crime/mystery books then you will not be disappointed� A book to put to the top of your ‘must read now� pile!� C.L. Peache

‘Violet Brewster is everything you could want in an amateur sleuth; empathetic, determined, and ruthless in her quest for truth� A must read!� Charlotte Baker

‘Interesting characters, and the story is funny, thrilling and touching. A very good combination.� NetGalley reviewer,

‘Murder in Merrywell has moments that will make you laugh out loud! I recommend to all readers.� NetGalley reviewer,]]> Jane Bettany 000858947X Sarah 4 audio-books, crime 4.00 2023 Murder in Merrywell (Violet Brewster Mystery #1)
author: Jane Bettany
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> Mr Cavell's Diamond 22026036
Jemima Brown, sixteen, good-hearted and hard-working, comes to work for him as a general maidservant. When Mr Cavell stands up for her against the unwanted attentions of some tradesmen working in his house, she sees at once that here is a man of high morals and integrity.

But it is Caroline Simpson, daughter of Henry’s house-painter, who catches his eye. She may be socially his inferior, but she is good-looking, flirtatious and knows how to use her charms. She manipulates Henry into marrying her, and only the loyal Jemima knows he’s been tricked.

How can Jemima fight her growing feelings for her master, maintain her morals and stay in Mr Cavell’s employment, despite her mistress’s increasingly erratic behaviour?]]> 150 Kathleen McGurl Sarah 4 kindle, historical 4.12 2014 Mr Cavell's Diamond
author: Kathleen McGurl
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: kindle, historical
review:

]]> Never Say Never 221317945 Never Say Never is an enthralling and surprising testament to new beginnings from billion-copy bestselling author Danielle Steel.

Oona Kelly Webster is an editor at a New York publishing house. Married with two children, her twenty-five-year relationship falls apart when she books a silver wedding anniversary getaway at a luxurious château in France and her husband Charles suddenly refuses to attend. What he tells her next will shatter her carefully built world into smithereens.

As her two children, Meghan and Will, rally around her in New York, one disaster heralds Oona can’t back out of her French holiday booking and must travel to a new country with a heavy heart.

It is February 2020 when she arrives and when France locks down due to the pandemic, Oona must stay put in rural, wooded Milly-la-Forêt just outside Paris.

And when a chance encounter with a famous Hollywood actor, who is renting a neighbouring château, blossoms into something deeper than friendship, Oona learns that life can change in an instant . . .]]> Danielle Steel 176156711X Sarah 3 kobo-library 4.36 Never Say Never
author: Danielle Steel
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: kobo-library
review:

]]> A Different World 227754644 A mesmerising novel exploring the joys and challenges of family life throughout the twentieth century, A DIFFERENT WORLD is the latest bestselling novel from Judith Lennox. Not to be missed by readers of Lucinda Riley and Rachel Hore.

In the summer of 1939, nineteen-year-old Olivia Goodland arrives in London. Working for a society dressmaker, she meets wealthy, beautiful Grace Ruthwell. Beguiled by the glamour of Grace's world, it's only slowly and too late that she becomes aware of the darkness that lies beneath the glittering exterior.

When the Second World War erupts, Olivia joins the Land Army. At a party in Wiltshire, she meets the handsome poet George Flynn, whose charms prove impossible to resist. Over the ensuing years, Olivia's life is absorbed by the upbringing of her three sons, and by her relationship with a man whose passions go beyond poetry. But as the twentieth century continues to unfold, Olivia makes a shocking discovery, and starts to question where her true happiness lies...]]> 360 Judith Lennox 1035408805 Sarah 4 historical, library-books 4.00 A Different World
author: Judith Lennox
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: historical, library-books
review:

]]> Lost in Music 226113079
"In the Spring of 1989, shortly after my twenty-seventh birthday, as I stood in the sleet at a bus stop in Colchester, it dawned on me that I had probably, all things considered, failed in my mission to become Sting. At least, for the time being."

Lost in Music is about growing up with pop music - about hearing it, buying it, loving it, and attempting to play it in public for money. A brilliant combination of the confessional and the unapologetic, this is a book for anyone who has ever treasured vinyl, or sung into a roll-on deodorant in front of the bedroom mirror and dreamed of playing Wembley.]]> Giles Smith 1804947806 Sarah 4 4.50 1987 Lost in Music
author: Giles Smith
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: audio-books, non-fiction-music
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time]]> 49333926
On April 10th 2020, it will be exactly 50 years since Paul McCartney announced the break-up of the Beatles. At that point, we will be at the same distance in time from 1970 as 1970 was from 1920, the year Al Jolson's ‘Swanee� was the bestselling record and Gustav Holst composed The Planets.

The Beatles continue to occupy a position unique in popular culture. They have entered people's minds in a way that did not occur before, and has not occurred since. Their influence extended way beyond the realm of music to fashion, politics, class, religion and ethics. Countless books have doggedly catalogued the minutiae of The Beatles. If you want to know the make of George Harrison's first car you will always be able to find the answer (a second hand, two-door, blue Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe, purchased from Brian Epstein's friend Terry Doran, who worked at a dealership in Warrington). Before she met John Lennon, who was the only Beatle Yoko Ono could name, and why? Ringo. Because ‘ringo� means ‘apple� in Japanese. All very interesting, but there is, as yet, no book about The Beatles that combines the intriguing minutiae of their day-to-day lives with broader questions about their effect � complicated and fascinating � on the world around them, their contemporaries, and generations to come.

Until now.

Craig Brown's 1-2-3-4: The Beatles in Time is a unique, kaleidoscopic examination of The Beatles phenomenon � part biography, part anthropology, part memoir, by turns humorous and serious, elegiac and speculative. It follows the unique “exploded biography� form of his internationally bestselling, Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret.]]> 642 Craig Brown Sarah 4 4.26 2020 One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time
author: Craig Brown
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: library-books, non-fiction-music
review:
An in-depth and interesting read.
]]> The House on the Strand 50246
Alternate cover is available here.]]> 329 Daphne du Maurier Sarah 3 3.85 1969 The House on the Strand
author: Daphne du Maurier
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1969
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: library-books, time-travel-or-timeslip
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ghost Fields (Ruth Galloway, #7)]]> 224015500 The chilling discovery of a downed World War II plane with a body inside leads Ruth and DCI Nelson to uncover a wealthy family’s secrets in the seventh Ruth Galloway mystery.

Norfolk is suffering from record summer heat when a construction crew unearths a macabre discovery—a downed World War II plane with the pilot still inside. Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway quickly realizes that the skeleton couldn’t possibly be the pilot, and DNA tests identify the man as Fred Blackstock, a local aristocrat who had been reported dead at sea. When the remaining members of the Blackstock family learn about the discovery, they seem strangely frightened by the news.

Events are further complicated by a TV company that wants to make a film about Norfolk’s deserted air force bases, the so-called Ghost Fields, which have been partially converted into a pig farm run by one of the younger Blackstocks. As production begins, Ruth notices a mysterious man lurking on the outskirts of Fred Blackstock’s memorial service. Then human bones are found on the family’s pig farm. Can the team outrace a looming flood to find a killer?

Laced with dry humor and anchored by perennial fan favorite Ruth, The Ghost Fields will delight fans new and old.]]> Elly Griffiths 151000596X Sarah 4 4.00 2015 The Ghost Fields (Ruth Galloway, #7)
author: Elly Griffiths
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: library-books, crime, audio-books
review:

]]> His Bright Light 13001014 416 Danielle Steel 0552164194 Sarah 4 library-books, non-fiction 3.94 1998 His Bright Light
author: Danielle Steel
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: library-books, non-fiction
review:
A poignant, sad but ultimately interesting read about the author's son, who died in 1997 at just 19 years old after battling with mental illness for many years.
]]> Whisper Cottage 58168658 How well do you know the woman next door?Ìý

When Stina and Jack move to an old rural cottage, they’re hoping for a fresh start. Their new home is run-down compared to their neighbour’s, but generous Mrs Barley quickly becomes a friend. Ìý
Ìý
Until Stina sees a mysterious figure in the widow’s garden, and her happy new life begins to unravel. And when she hears strange noises in the night, she is forced to question if Mrs Barley is what she seems.Ìý
Ìý
Why do the other villagers whisper about her? Why is she so eager to help the couple? And what is she hiding in her picture-perfect home?Ìý
Ìý
A haunting, twisty story about the power of secrets and rumours, perfect for fans of Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key and Lucy Atkins’s Magpie Lane.Ìý]]> 400 Anne Wyn Clark 0008459983 Sarah 4 kobo-library 4.01 2021 Whisper Cottage
author: Anne Wyn Clark
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: kobo-library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song]]> 1703445 208 Steve Turner 006095065X Sarah 4 4.19 1994 A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song
author: Steve Turner
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1994
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: library-books, non-fiction-music
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder Most Antique (The Stamford Mysteries #2)]]> 223732787
When auctioneer Felicia Grant’s best friend, Stamford Mayor Cassandra Lane, talked her into helping with the town’s annual Georgian Fair, she expected the worst she’d have to endure was the corset. But when the fair’s headline speaker turns up dead in the hook-a-duck pool, and more murders follow in quick succession, she finds herself investigating a serial killer for the second time in less than a year � and this time the stakes are even higher…]]> E.C. Bateman 0008665133 Sarah 4 audio-books, crime 3.50 2023 Murder Most Antique (The Stamford Mysteries #2)
author: E.C. Bateman
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beatlemania!: The Real Story of The Beatles UK Tours 1963-1965]]> 11681195 376 Martin Creasy 1849386595 Sarah 3 3.57 2011 Beatlemania!: The Real Story of The Beatles UK Tours 1963-1965
author: Martin Creasy
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: library-books, non-fiction-music
review:

]]> The Drowned Village 35886967 Beneath the surface lie forgotten secrets�

A village destroyed

It’s the summer of 1935 and eleven-year-old Stella Walker is preparing to leave her home forever. Forced to evacuate to make way for a new reservoir, the village of Brackendale Green will soon be lost. But before the water has even reached them, a dreadful event threatens to tear Stella’s family apart.

An uncovered secret

Present day, and a fierce summer has dried up the lake and revealed the remnants of the deserted village. Now an old woman, Stella begs her granddaughter Laura to make the journey she can’t. She’s sure the village still holds answers for her but, with only days until the floodwaters start to rise again, Laura is in a race against time to solve the mysteries of Stella’s almost forgotten past.

Haunting and evocative, The Drowned Village reaches across the decades in an unforgettable tale of love, loss and family.]]> 384 Kathleen McGurl 0008274487 Sarah 4 kindle, multiple-timeline 3.92 2018 The Drowned Village
author: Kathleen McGurl
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: kindle, multiple-timeline
review:

]]> Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4) 17305367 ‘Seek and ye shall find.�

With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings.

A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of Florence. Only Langdon’s knowledge of hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers.

With only a few lines from Dante’s dark and epic masterpiece, The Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artefacts of the Renaissance � sculptures, paintings, buildings � to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat�

Set against an extraordinary landscape inspired by one of history’s most ominous literary classics, Inferno is Dan Brown’s most compelling and thought-provoking novel yet, a breathless race-against-time thriller that will grab you from page one and not let you go until you close the book.]]> 465 Dan Brown 0593072499 Sarah 4 library-books 3.71 2013 Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4)
author: Dan Brown
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: library-books
review:

]]> The Lace Weaver 65650553
In Moscow, Lydia Volkova is suffocating in a prison of privilege, yearning for freedom and hoping to rediscover her beloved mother's Baltic heritage.

As the battle for their homeland intensifies, these two women are caught in a fight for life, liberty and love.]]> 448 Lauren Chater 074902920X Sarah 3 historical, kobo-library 3.67 2018 The Lace Weaver
author: Lauren Chater
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: historical, kobo-library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders, #1)]]> 210230679
A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve...

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job...

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?]]> Richard Osman Sarah 4 audio-books, crime 3.98 2024 We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders, #1)
author: Richard Osman
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How The Beatles Rocked The World]]> 212190532
Beatlemania was to unleash a revolution against an outdated age. The 1950s with its oppressive and authoritarian attitudes was ready for change and young people, desperate to escape suburbia with its stifling formality, were set to lead that rebellion.

In politics, fashion, education, the arts, religion, television, women’s rights and universities, the time had come to challenge the old order. And in came the swinging sixties with its more liberal attitudes offering hope of change and a more peaceful and just world. The introduction of the contraceptive pill, legalized abortion, gay rights, easier divorce and the relaxing of censorship were all part of this social revolution.

And it wasn’t just in Britain. The influence of the Beatles reverberated across Europe and, most of all, in America where teenagers not only campaigned against a war in Vietnam but also for civil rights in their own country.

This book tells the story of the Sixties and how the Beatles� influence had such an impact on British society. It’s a social history of Britain told by Stephen Kelly who regularly watched the Beatles at the Cavern and experienced first hand the changes that were to take place.]]> 256 Stephen F Kelly 1399036068 Sarah 4 4.27 How The Beatles Rocked The World
author: Stephen F Kelly
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: library-books, non-fiction-music, non-fiction-history
review:
If you want to learn more about The Beatles, then you're reading the wrong book. If you want a social history of the 1960s with a sprinkling of Beatles facts, then you'll probably enjoy this interesting and informative guide.
]]> In Still and Stormy Waters 43836908
Sophie - wilful, entrancing toast of exotic Hong Kong blissfully immune to the deceitful deals, clash of cultures, and growing menace of the opium trade that threaten her beloved city.

Rachel - subtle and stubborn, plucked from the slums of Victorian London to a new life and status in the remote Scottish castle of Juran - then faced with the loss of what has become her obsession.

Ranier Blake - clever, manipulative banker with interests in Scotland and Hong Kong - and in both women. And Blake alone knows the tangled history of Rachel, Sophie and Juran...

From vivid Hong Kong to Scotland's stormy west coast, the two women play out their passions against a background of intrigue and violence. But only one can win what they both so desire...]]> 520 Reay Tannahill Sarah 4 historical, owned 4.50 1992 In Still and Stormy Waters
author: Reay Tannahill
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/12
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: historical, owned
review:

]]> Peacocks Dancing 1612794 448 Sharon Maas 0007118473 Sarah 4 library-books, historical 3.72 2001 Peacocks Dancing
author: Sharon Maas
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/08
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: library-books, historical
review:

]]> The Winter Palace 16319922
Then Sophie, a vulnerable young princess, arrives from Prussia as a prospective bride for the Empress' heir. Set to spy on her, Vavara soon becomes her friend and confidante, and helps her navigate the illicit liaisons and the treacherous shifting allegiances of the court. But Sophie's destiny is to become the notorious Catherine the Great. Are her ambitions more lofty and far-reaching than anyone suspected, and will she stop at nothing to achieve absolute power?]]> 499 Eva Stachniak 0552777986 Sarah 2 kobo-library, historical 3.44 2012 The Winter Palace
author: Eva Stachniak
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: kobo-library, historical
review:

]]> When Never Comes 36054954 Author Barbara Davis deftly explores an emotionally charged landscape of pain, loss, and despair—and the risk one woman will take in the hope of loving again.

As a teenage runaway and child of an addict, Christy-Lynn learned the hard way that no address was permanent, and no promise sacred. For a while, she found a safe haven in her marriage to bestselling crime novelist Stephen Ludlow—until his car skidded into Echo Bay. But Stephen’s wasn’t the only body pulled from the icy waters that night. When details about a mysterious violet-eyed blonde become public, a media circus ensues, and Christy-Lynn runs again.

Desperate for answers, she’s shattered to learn that Stephen and his mistress had a child—a little girl named Iris, who now lives in poverty with her ailing great-grandmother. The thought of Iris abandoned to the foster care system—as Christy-Lynn once was—is unbearable. But she’s spent her whole life running—determined never to be hurt again. Will she finally stand still long enough to open herself up to forgiveness and love?]]> 369 Barbara Davis 1503944883 Sarah 4 kindle 4.27 2018 When Never Comes
author: Barbara Davis
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/08
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: kindle
review:

]]> Johnny Angel 19190054
Through a season of hope and healing, Johnny will walk by his mother's side, leading his parents, his girlfriend, his sister and his brother out of their grief. But as Alice is about to discover, Johnny has returned not just to help those he loves, but to uncover a purpose even he cannot comprehend - one that will change them all forever.]]> 194 Danielle Steel Sarah 3 kindle 4.28 2003 Johnny Angel
author: Danielle Steel
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: kindle
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death of a Green-Eyed Monster (Hamish Macbeth, #34)]]> 60412349
Hamish's new constable, Dorothy McIver, may be the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. Completely bewitched by her sparkling blue eyes, Hamish spends the summer traveling with her up and down Sutherland until finally, he can take it no longer. He gets down on one knee beside the Land Rover and begs her to marry him—and to his amazement and delight, she says yes.

But just as the town of Lochdubh gets ready to celebrate, Hamish finds himself with a new murder on his hands. If he doesn't find the killer fast, Hamish's dream wedding could become a nightmare.]]> 0 M.C. Beaton Sarah 3 audio-books, crime 3.50 2022 Death of a Green-Eyed Monster (Hamish Macbeth, #34)
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> The Surgeon's Daughter 58810873 New from the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl in His Shadow!

Women's work is a matter of life and death.

Nora Beady, the only female student at a prestigious medical school in Bologna, is a rarity. In the 19th century women are expected to remain at home and raise children, so her unconventional, indelicate ambitions to become a licensed surgeon offend the men around her. Under constant scrutiny, Nora's successes are taken for granted; her mistakes used as proof that women aren't suited to the field.

Everything changes when she allies herself with Magdalena Morenco, the sole female doctor on-staff. Together the two women develop new techniques to improve a groundbreaking surgery: the Cesarean section. It's a highly dangerous procedure and the research is grueling, but even worse is the vitriolic response from men. Most don't trust the findings of women, and many can choose to deny their wives medical care.

Already facing resistance on all sides, Nora is shaken when she meets a patient who will die without the surgery. If the procedure is successful, her work could change the world. But a failure could cost everything: precious lives, Nora's career, and the role women will be allowed to play in medicine.]]> 384 Audrey Blake 172822876X Sarah 4 historical, kobo-library 4.45 2022 The Surgeon's Daughter
author: Audrey Blake
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: historical, kobo-library
review:

]]> Toksvig's Almanac 2021 55215367
'Toksvig's Almanac is intended merely as a starting point for your own discoveries. Find a fabulous (or infamous) woman mentioned and, please, go looking for more of her story. The names mentioned are merely temptations. Amuse-bouches for the mind, if you like. How I would have loved to have written out in detail each tale there is to be told, but then this book would have been too heavy to lift.'

Let Sandi Toksvig guide you on an eclectic meander through the calendar, illuminating neglected corners of history to tell tales of the fascinating figures you didn't learn about at school.

From revolutionary women to serial killers, pirate nuns to pioneering civil rights activists, doctors to dancing girls, artists to astronauts, these pages commemorate women from all around the world who were pushed to the margins of historical record. Amuse your bouche with:

Belle Star, American Bandit Queen
Lady Murasaki, author of the world's first novel
Madame Ching, the most successful pirate of all time
Maud Wagner, the first female tattoo artist
Begum Samru, Indian dancer and ruler who led an army of mercenaries
Ines de Castro, crowned Queen Consort of Portugal six years after her death
Ida B. Wells, activist, suffragist, journalist and co-founder of the NAACP
Eleanor G. Holm, disqualified from the 1936 Berlin Olympics for drinking too much champagne

These stories are interspersed with instructive tips for the year, such as the month in which one is most likely to be eaten by a wolf, and the best time to sharpen your sickle. Explore a host of annual events worth travelling for, from the Olney Pancake Race in Wiltshire to the Danish Herring Festival, or who would want to miss Serbia's World Testicle Cooking Championship?

As witty and entertaining as it is instructive, Toksvig's Almanac is an essential companion to each day of the year.]]> 360 Sandi Toksvig 1398701637 Sarah 0 4.31 2020 Toksvig's Almanac 2021
author: Sandi Toksvig
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: currently-reading, non-fiction-history, owned
review:
Yes I know it's now 2025, but this book has been sat on the shelf since Xmas 2020, so it's high time it was read. My plan is to read one chapter a month (as that is how the book is set out). Updates to follow!
]]> Reynardine 28535228 Seventeenth-century London: corrupt, decadent and dangerous; a playground for the ambitious in search of power, wealth and position. Richard Galliers, returning from three years in exile, wants none of it. His only thought is for revenge.
Mall Conway, the beautiful and headstrong daughter of a Cambridgeshire gentleman is bored; bored with country life and with the restrictions of society. But her peaceful existence is shattered all too soon when Galliers inadvertently involves her in his determination to bring down a deadly enemy...
Galliers' relentless quest takes him from the squalor of taverns and brothels and the tawdry glitter of playhouses to the decadent allure of Jacobean London's great houses. And to the bleak wastes of the East Anglian Fens, where Reynardine, the mysterious highwayman, reigns, the terror of all weary travellers.]]> Judith Lennox-Smith Sarah 4 historical, owned 4.00 1990 Reynardine
author: Judith Lennox-Smith
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: historical, owned
review:

]]> Hearts of Gold 223112494 Catrin Collier Sarah 4 kindle, historical 4.00 1994 Hearts of Gold
author: Catrin Collier
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1994
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: kindle, historical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dawn on a Distant Shore (Wilderness, #2)]]> 820956 647 Sara Donati 0553578553 Sarah 2 abandoned, kobo-owned 4.21 2000 Dawn on a Distant Shore (Wilderness, #2)
author: Sara Donati
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2000
rating: 2
read at: 2017/08/15
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: abandoned, kobo-owned
review:
I really enjoyed Into the Wilderness, book 1 of this series, but I've read to Part 2 of this and am finding no inclination at all to continue. It's all a bit meandering and, to be honest, dull.
]]> The Psychology of Time Travel 75344614
1967: Four female scientists invent a time-travel machine. They are on the cusp of the pioneers who opened the world to new possibilities. But then one of them suffers a breakdown and puts the whole project in peril...

2017: Ruby knows her beloved Granny Bee was a pioneer, but they never talk about the past. Though time travel is now big business, Bee has never been part of it. Then they receive a message from the future � a newspaper clipping reporting the mysterious death of an elderly lady...

2018: When Odette discovered the body she went into shock. Blood everywhere, bullet wounds, flesh. But when the inquest fails to answer any of her questions, Odette is frustrated. Who is this dead woman that haunts her dreams? And why is everyone determined to cover up her murder?]]> 368 Kate Mascarenhas 178669915X Sarah 2 3.86 2018 The Psychology of Time Travel
author: Kate Mascarenhas
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: abandoned, kobo-library, time-travel-or-timeslip
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death of a Gossip (Hamish Macbeth, #1)]]> 43696658
Much is from the viewpoint of a naive secretary seduced by a blue-blood playboy. Icy blond beauty, aristocratic Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, lends a hand.]]> 0 M.C. Beaton 1486220371 Sarah 3 audio-books, crime 3.20 1985 Death of a Gossip (Hamish Macbeth, #1)
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.20
book published: 1985
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/05
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hardacre's Luck (Hardacre Family Saga Book 2)]]> 25501454 The gripping sequel to the bestselling family saga Hardacre. Hardacre's Luck follows the triumphs and tragedies of the next generation of the Hardacre family in 1950s Yorkshire and London.

Hardacre's Luck sees the return of many familiar characters from the first book in the Hardacre saga.

Young Sam Hardacre leaves behind his life at the Abbey to continue the family tradition by starting his own business empire. Meanwhile, Harry Hardacre is now head of the household, but wonders which of the young Hardacre men should inherit his father's legacy. Joe's widow, Helen, plots the ultimate revenge on those who crossed her. And two best friends fight for the love of Maude and Albert's glamorous film-star daughter, Janet.

Praise for Hardacre and Hardacre's

'History comes alive ... innocents, rascals and middling humans - an authentic bunch to set against tempestuous times.' Publishers Weekly

'This skilfully written, always entertaining family saga ... rich in plot, pace and character ... polished storytelling.' Newsagent and Bookshop

'Compulsive reading.' Liverpool Echo

'The best family saga since Penmarric.' Manchester Evening News

For fans of rich and dramatic family sagas from the Forsyte Saga to Downton Abbey.]]> 600 C.L. Skelton Sarah 0 to-read 4.39 1984 Hardacre's Luck (Hardacre Family Saga Book 2)
author: C.L. Skelton
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1984
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hardacre (The Hardacre Family Saga #1)]]> 23788985
Sam Hardacre makes a tough yet honest living as a fish gutter. But he has ambitions for a life far removed from the harsh existence on the quays of the north English coast. Through drive and determination he builds a business empire and amasses a fortune. His wife, Mary, once a poor street urchin, must learn to adapt to her new role as mistress of a grand house in Yorkshire.

Sam's sons, Joe and Harry, inherit some but not all of their father's qualities. Their opposing personalities lead them to make very different choices about their futures. Meanwhile, their younger sister, Jane, is born into a life of privilege and has no experience of her family's early struggles.

The three siblings and their offspring will know love, hate, passion and tragedy, as they live through the dramatic events of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The lives of the Hardacres are shaped by the extraordinary events of the Boer War, the Great War, the Wall Street Crash, the Second World War, Hitler's Germany and the London Blitz.

Hardacre is a gripping pageturner; a tale of ambition, fate and family ties.

Praise for the bestselling Hardacre

'History comes alive ... innocents, rascals and middling humans - an authentic bunch to set against tempestuous times.' Publishers Weekly

'This skilfully written, always entertaining family saga ... rich in plot, pace and character ... polished storytelling.' Newsagent and Bookshop

'The best family saga since Penmarric.' Manchester Evening News

For fans of rich and dramatic family sagas from the Forsyte Saga to Downton Abbey.]]> 596 C.L. Skelton Sarah 0 to-read 4.33 1976 Hardacre (The Hardacre Family Saga #1)
author: C.L. Skelton
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1976
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Outcast Dead (Ruth Galloway, #6)]]> 222934248
DCI Harry Nelson has no time for long-dead killers. Immersed in the case of three infants found dead, one after the other, in their King’s Lynn home, he’s convinced that a family member is responsible, though others on his team think differently. Then a child goes missing. Could the abduction be linked to the long-dead Mother Hook? Ruth is pulled into the case, and back towards Nelson.]]> Elly Griffiths Sarah 4 4.00 2014 The Outcast Dead (Ruth Galloway, #6)
author: Elly Griffiths
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: library-books, crime, audio-books
review:

]]> Christmas with the Queen 206705585
December 1952. While the young Queen Elizabeth II finds her feet as the new monarch, she must also find the right words to continue in the tradition of her late father and grandfather’s beloved Christmas Day radio broadcast. But even traditions must move with the times, and the Queen faces a postwar Britain hungry for change.Ìý

As preparations begin for the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, two old friends—Jack Devereux and Olive Carter—find themselves reunited for the festivities. A single mother, typist at the BBC, and aspiring reporter, Olive leaps at the opportunity to cover the holiday celebration, despite self-doubts. When a chance encounter with the Queen presents an exciting opportunity, Olive begins to believe her luck might change.Ìý

Jack, a grief-stricken widowed chef originally from New Orleans, accepts a last-minute chance to cook in the royal kitchens at Sandringham. When he bumps into a long-lost friend, an old spark is reignited.

Despite personal and professional heartache, Jack and Olive’s paths continue to cross over the following five Christmas seasons and they find themselves growing ever closer. Yet Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret.Ìý

Christmas Day, December 1957. As the nation eagerly awaits the Queen’s first televised Christmas speech, Olive decides to reveal the shocking truth of her secret, which threatens to tear her and Jack apart forever.ÌýUnless Christmas has one last gift to deliver…Ìý]]> 384 Hazel Gaynor 0063276232 Sarah 0 to-read 4.19 2024 Christmas with the Queen
author: Hazel Gaynor
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Trial By Fire 200665932 In this inspiring novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, the life of a Parisian woman changes in a heartbeat when she’s trapped by wildfires in Napa Valley.Born to a French mother and American father, graceful Dahlia de Beaumont has been sole owner and CEO of the venerable family perfume business based in Paris since her early twenties, following the death of her parents. For twenty-five years, after losing her young skier husband in an avalanche, her life has centered on running Lambert Perfumes and being a devoted single mother to her four now-adult indecisive Charles, volatile Alexa, kind-hearted business visionary Delphine, and dreamy artist Emma. Now fifty-six, she has an “arrangement� with a married French man but has been questioning that relationship.Dahlia comes to San Francisco on a routine business trip to check on her stores in the States. But shortly after her arrival, brush fires ignite in Napa Valley. Watching the sweeping devastation on the news, Dahlia is moved to help. But doing so will bring unforeseen consequences that endanger not only her life, but her entire future. Forced to remain in San Francisco in the aftermath, she will make unexpected connections while also fighting to protect all she has worked for. What Dahlia learns will provide a new perspective of her life, forever changing what really matters to her and what comes next for her journey.With this uplifting novel, Danielle Steel beautifully dramatizes how life’s unforeseen challenges can sow the seeds for growth and a fresh chance at love—if one is willing to take the risk.]]> 320 Danielle Steel 1529085667 Sarah 3 library-books 3.96 2024 Trial By Fire
author: Danielle Steel
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves: library-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Past Encounters (World War Two Sagas #1)]]> 40108581 Some memories fade, some refuse to let you go�


1945, Carnforth, England

Young sweethearts Rhoda and Peter were torn apart by the outbreak of the Second World War. Though engaged to be married, their plans were interrupted when Peter enlisted, only to be captured by the German army and interred in a prisoner-of-war camp.

Left at home and with only sporadic news from Peter, Rhoda has spent years apart from her fiancé, with no guarantees that he will return home.

When a film crew arrives to capture the iconic scenes for David Lean’s Brief Encounter , Rhoda finds herself caught up in a love affair of her own�

Ten years later, Rhoda and Peter are married, but their relationship is hanging by a thread.

What secrets have they hidden from each other over the years? How did Peter manage to survive the brutal war years? And did Rhoda ever get over the man who captured her heart�?

As they both reflect on their past encounters they have to decide if they can ever rebuild a relationship which was shattered by the war�

]]> 437 Davina Blake 1912546744 Sarah 4 kindle, historical 4.18 2014 Past Encounters (World War Two Sagas #1)
author: Davina Blake
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves: kindle, historical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Girl in Red Velvet (Charton Minster, #6)]]> 34961687
It's the 1960s and Lily Denham is about to begin her studies at Oxford University. On her first day she meets Harry Gale and Max Farley, two fellow undergraduates who are both full of mischievous charm. The three of them become firm great friends and enjoy exploring everything Oxford has to offer, from riotous parties to punting up the river on sunny afternoons.

However, something threatens to disrupt the fun, because Lily soon realises she's falling for both of her new-found friends, men who might offer her two very different futures - but who will she pick? Harry is generous and kind, reliable and trustworthy. Max embodies the spirit of the sixties; adventurous and rebellious, but possibly a little bit dangerous as well.

As university ends and Lily struggles to make her mark on the vibrant fashion scene, she must make a decision. But she soon becomes aware that the wrong decision could have devastating consequences for her own future and for Max's and Harry's futures, too ...]]> 291 Margaret James 1781893357 Sarah 4 historical, kobo-owned 4.31 Girl in Red Velvet (Charton Minster, #6)
author: Margaret James
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.31
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/26
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: historical, kobo-owned
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Christmas Grace (Christmas Stories, #6)]]> 22430285
With Christmas just around the corner, Thomas Pitt’s sister-in-law, Emily Radley, is suddenly called from London to be with her dying aunt. Leaving her husband and two children behind, Emily makes the long journey to an all-but-forgotten town in the county of Connemara, on the western coast of Ireland. She soon discovers that a tragic legacy haunts the once closeknit community.

Violent storms ravage the coast and keep alive painful memories of an unsolved murder and unsettling fears that a killer may still live among the residents of the lonely Irish town. Determined to lighten her aunt’s heart and help the troubled community, Emily sets out to unmask the culprit. When a lone shipwreck survivor washes up onshore, he brings with him not only the key to solving the terrible crime but the opportunity for the townspeople to make peace with the past–and with one another.]]> 150 Anne Perry 0755334329 Sarah 3 3.17 2008 A Christmas Grace (Christmas Stories, #6)
author: Anne Perry
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.17
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: christmas, crime, historical, library-books, short-stories-and-novellas
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tom Baker Reads 'A Christmas Carol']]> 29069299
Charles Dickens' story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by the three ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, has become one of the timeless classics of English literature. First published in 1843, it introduces us not only to Scrooge himself, but also to the memorable characters of underpaid desk clerk Bob Cratchit and his poor family, the poorest amongst whom is the ailing and crippled Tiny Tim.

In this captivating recording, Tom Baker delivers a tour-de-force performance as he narrates the story. The listener joins Scrooge on Christmas Eve, witnesses the visitation of Marley's ghost, and is given a glimpse of the many homes and lives which Scrooge has touched in his wretched life to date.

With atmospheric sound design, this ultimately uplifting tale is a festive delight to be treasured and listened to again and again.

Duration: 3 hours approx]]> Charles Dickens 1785294628 Sarah 5 4.55 1843 Tom Baker Reads 'A Christmas Carol'
author: Charles Dickens
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.55
book published: 1843
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: classics, christmas, audio-books
review:
I've read the book before, but this audiobook reading of this Christmas classic by Tom Baker (which I stumbled upon in a charity shop) is, quite simply, brilliant. He hooks you in from the opening lines and then holds the listener (well, me anyway) rapt until the very end. It also comes with haunting music and sound effects in all the right places. I shall definitely have this on repeat for future Christmases!
]]> A Christmas Deliverance 75359077 A courageous doctor and his apprentice fight to save London's poor--and discover that the hearts of men can be colder than a winter chill--in this gripping holiday mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.

Scuff has come a long way from his time as a penniless orphan scraping together a living on the banks of the Thames. Now he's studying medicine at a free clinic run by Dr. Crowe. Lately Crowe has grown distracted after witnessing an altercation between a former patient of his named Ellie--a woman he not only treated but grew to love--and her controlling fianc�. It seems someone is forcing Ellie to marry the man, and as Crowe's emotions come flooding back, he sets out to uncover the troubling connection between Ellie, her father, and her betrothed.

With Crowe engrossed in his investigation just weeks before the holidays, Scuff is left to fend for himself, performing surgery after surgery on London's poor and vulnerable. He is desperate for help, so when a needy young girl named Mattie comes to the clinic for treatment, Scuff offers her a place to live in exchange for assistance with his medical work. Together, Scuff and Mattie must not only run the clinic but also fend off the police, who are growing suspicious of Crowe's amateur sleuthing. Will Crowe be able to help Ellie, and will Scuff and Mattie ensure all of their patients--and they themselves--can manage to have a peaceful Christmas?]]> 194 Anne Perry Sarah 4 3.50 2022 A Christmas Deliverance
author: Anne Perry
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/22
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: crime, christmas, library-books, short-stories-and-novellas, historical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Book Woman's Daughter (The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, #2)]]> 58962176 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek!

Bestselling historical fiction author Kim Michele Richardson is back with the perfect book club read following Honey Lovett, the daughter of the beloved Troublesome book woman, who must fight for her own independence with the help of the women who guide her and the books that set her free.

In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned, Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, Honey and her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother and father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good.

Picking up her mother's old packhorse library route, Honey begins to deliver books to the remote hollers of Appalachia. Honey is looking to prove that she doesn't need anyone telling her how to survive. But the route can be treacherous, and some folks aren't as keen to let a woman pave her own way.

If Honey wants to bring the freedom books provide to the families who need it most, she's going to have to fight for her place, and along the way, learn that the extraordinary women who run the hills and hollers can make all the difference in the world.]]> 320 Kim Michele Richardson 1728242606 Sarah 4 historical, kobo-library ]]> 4.44 2022 The Book Woman's Daughter (The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, #2)
author: Kim Michele Richardson
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: historical, kobo-library
review:
This is the sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, which I read in 2021. This time the story features Honey who, like her parents, is one of the "blue" people, and she eventually follows in her mother's footsteps as a packhorse librarian. Like it's predecessor, the book is absorbing, informative, and really well written.

]]> <![CDATA[Death at the Auction (Stamford Mysteries #1)]]> 211893501 Murder stalks the cobbles in England’s finest Georgian town�

When an accident forces Felicia Grant back to her family’s auction house in Stamford, she vows it’ll only be a flying visit. But as the gavel falls on the final lot, a hidden secret is revealed—the body of her father’s business rival, murdered during the packed sale!

Soon, Felicia is swept into a mystery that has everyone in the community as a potential suspect―including her.

As the body count rises and with the people she loves under threat, Felicia takes matters into her own hands. But even the most picturesque place has its secrets…]]> E.C. Bateman Sarah 4 audio-books, crime 4.00 2022 Death at the Auction (Stamford Mysteries #1)
author: E.C. Bateman
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> Daughters of the Silk Road 29523883 ‘She crossed over to the shelf where her father kept the dragon vase. He had placed it there when they first arrived in Venice. She took it down carefully, feeling it cool and comforting under her shaking fingers.�

Venice 1441: Maria and her brother Daniele arrive in the birthplace of their father, Niccolo dei Conti. An Italian merchant who has travelled far and wide, Niccolo has brought spices from India, lengths of silk and damask from the lands east of India and porcelain; a vase of pure white, its surface decorated with a cobalt blue dragon, the Chinese symbol of good fortune.

Maria settles in her new home, watching the magnificent and bustling city come to life each morning from her bedroom window. But while her father is away travelling, she soon finds herself and Daniele in terrible danger. She must protect her brother at whatever cost, and she must guard the delicate vase.

London 2015: Single mother Miranda is struggling to make ends meet and build a new life for her and daughter Georgie. When Miranda meets the charming but mysterious Charles, she is intrigued. Could he be her second chance at love? And why is he so fascinated by the old vase sitting on her hall table�

A stunning and richly evocative story following the journey of a precious family treasure passed down from one generation to another. Perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies and Kate Morton.

Read what everyone is saying about Secrets of the

�A wonderfully written novel…definitely a book to add to your library. Not only was it highly informative, but immensely entertaining.� Historical Novel Review

‘Secrets Of The Tower is an enchanting, engaging tale that I recommend to anyone interested in Italian history and architecture, or just a good novel.� History and Other Thoughts

‘Debbie manages to evoke the sights, sounds and smells as though you are standing right there. A truly lovely novel.� Reading Room with a View

‘The book is beautifully written and the Italian setting is perfectly drawn in both modern and historical settings, with sufficient detail to bring Pisa vividly to life, clearly by someone who loves it and knows it well…this is a wonderful story.� Being Anne Reading

‘Debbie had me completely transported back to 12th Century Pisa, and I loved every second of it. The drama, secrets, and scandal, the lust, the love, the heartbreak, I was mesmerized� This book is so soundly structured and beautifully written.� Paris Baker’s Book Nook

'The author has an incredible knack of bringing the characters to life. I could picture the landscape and the lives being led in 12th century Pisa � it felt like I was right there, experiencing everything. A beautiful story from an exceptional new author.' Renita D'Silva

'Perfect historical fiction mixed with present day. I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this book. I gobbled it up over the afternoon and night. Definitely want to read this author again.' Nik Book Lover

‘Very absorbing with realistic characters.� That Thing She Reads]]> 346 Debbie Rix 1786810093 Sarah 4 kindle, multiple-timeline 4.10 2016 Daughters of the Silk Road
author: Debbie Rix
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves: kindle, multiple-timeline
review:

]]> My My!: ABBA Through the Ages 212617748
‘[A] witty and affectionate account . . . It’s not a stretch to say that, at its core, My My! is a book about time, death and the possibility of immortality� Sunday Times

My My! The story of ABBA told through a selection of their greatest hits.

This year is the fiftieth anniversary of Waterloo (the song, not the battle) � a seminal moment in pop history which saw Swedish sensation ABBA burst on to the international music scene. How is it that half a century later this seventies Eurovision act is bigger than ever � reaching listeners of all ages and spinning off into musicals, museums and holograms? Giles Smith, writer and music fan, sets out to find out why.

My My! is a celebration of ABBA through the ages. It’s one fan’s way of saying: thank you for the music.]]> 336 Giles Smith 1398529702 Sarah 4 3.76 2024 My My!: ABBA Through the Ages
author: Giles Smith
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/10
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: library-books, non-fiction-music
review:

]]> The Hidden Girl 208850525 The Hidden Girl traces the life of Leah Thompson, who rises from humble beginnings in rural Yorkshire to take the modelling world by storm.

But her fateful association with the Delancey family dominates her life. The secrets they hide from one another start to explode into nightmares of thwarted ambition, forbidden love, revenge and murder . . . culminating in a fatal, forgotten prophecy from the past.

This title was previously published as Hidden Beauty by Lucinda Edmonds, and has been rewritten and reimagined by her son, Harry Whittaker, for Lucinda Riley fans the world over. ]]> 0 Lucinda Riley 1761561855 Sarah 4 4.33 2024 The Hidden Girl
author: Lucinda Riley
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves: kobo-library, multiple-timeline
review:

]]> 1983 204190387
1983 is steeped in the distinctive character of a setting far weirder than it might at first from robots living next door, and a school caretaker who is not all he seems, to missing memories and the aliens Benji is certain are trying to abduct him.]]> 288 Tom Cox 1800183437 Sarah 4 library-books 3.98 1983
author: Tom Cox
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves: library-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death of an Honest Man (Hamish Macbeth #33)]]> 53862947
"I speak as I find," he bragged. Voices saying, "I could kill that man," could be heard from Lochdubh to Cnothan. And someone did. Facing a bewildering array of suspects, without his clumsy policeman, Charlie, who resigned, can Hamish find the killer on his own?]]> 6 M.C. Beaton 1489459111 Sarah 3 crime, audio-books 3.27 2018 Death of an Honest Man (Hamish Macbeth #33)
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: crime, audio-books
review:

]]> All I Want for Christmas 209164903 Can she find love this Christmas?

Christmas in Copenhagen is an utterly magical time of year - there are charming Christmas markets, carol singing on the canals, ice skating in the parks and cosy cafes to shelter from the early snow but Darcy Cotterell is not feeling remotely festive. Newly single, she's not even going home for Christmas but will instead spend the holiday finishing her PhD. Her best friend, Freja, has other ideas though and convinces Darcy to sign up to an upmarket dating site where she can meet the city's most eligible bachelors. Freja is determined that Darcy won't be lonely this Christmas and gets her to agree to match with three potential dates.

Then Darcy is given the job of solving a new, intriguing art an unknown portrait by Denmark’s greatest painter has been found beneath another masterpiece and she must discover the identity of the woman in the painting. During her research, she encounters sexy, arrogant lawyer Max Lorensen - who happens to be bachelor number one! The attraction is instant but there are two Max is clearly a player and, while the chemistry between them is hard to ignore, they also need to work together whatever happens . . .]]> 458 Karen Swan 1529084342 Sarah 4 kobo-library, christmas 4.37 All I Want for Christmas
author: Karen Swan
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.37
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: kobo-library, christmas
review:

]]> The Last Song of Winter 203548300 In The Last Song of Winter, two extraordinary narratives intertwine through a hauntingly beautiful island setting, offering a gripping tale of heartbreak, romance and redemption.

Nursing a broken heart, Romy lives alone in a windswept cottage on an island off the coast of Pembrokeshire. Once the site of a haunting monastery, the island now serves as a bird sanctuary, where Romy and the enigmatic warden, Pen, coexist amidst ancient secrets and the melody of the wilderness. As the elements begin to take their toll, they will have to cooperate to survive, especially when a new arrival changes everything . . .

In the late 1940s, young and determined Veronica is drawn to the island in a quest to meet her hero, the devastatingly handsome Jack Bannock. A reclusive former star, he is now a broken man, haunted by a past filled with betrayal and loss. In her journey to heal Jack’s shattered spirit, Veronica must unearth hidden truths, and navigate the perilous path to claim her own career and love story . . .]]> 400 Lulu Taylor 1529094003 Sarah 5 4.06 The Last Song of Winter
author: Lulu Taylor
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves: library-books, multiple-timeline
review:
Every year at the start of winter, Lulu Taylor brings out a new novel, and every year she never disappoints. There was so much rich detail and interest in this dual timeline story, and I enjoyed every page of it.
]]> The Crash 214175095 If you were given the opportunity to disappear and start your life again, would you take it?


Paris 1933. Four people's lives are dramatically torn apart by a single terrifying event. Two days before Christmas the express train to Strasbourg crashes into a local train in the winter darkness outside Paris. On board is Gilles Malroux, a man with a shady past and a strong reason to avoid the police. In the mayhem of the crash he is badly injured but to avoid capture by the police he swaps identity papers with one of the other victims of the impact. Gilles tries to flee in the dark but finds himself taken to the house of a woman he doesn't know but who calls him Davide. She nurses him. But is the bitter medicine in the spoon she puts to his lips healing him or harming him?

Camille Malroux is Gilles' sister. She works for the French Civil Service and is trying to climb the ladder of respectability after a childhood in poverty. When she is informed by police that her brother is seriously injured in hospital, she rushes to his bedside, only to discover it is not Gilles. It is a heavily bandaged stranger. He is unconscious and has her brother's identity papers in his locker. Only by digging to discover the true identity of the bandaged man in the hospital bed can she hope to trace Gilles.

But Gilles is sinking into further danger. He is drugged. A priest and a doctor hover over him, as if waiting for him to die, and constantly the woman who calls him Davide is at his side. What is it she wants from him?

The Crash is thrilling historical fiction about identity, revenge and survival. ]]> 336 Kate Furnivall 1399713620 Sarah 4 historical, library-books 3.54 2024 The Crash
author: Kate Furnivall
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves: historical, library-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club, #4)]]> 179901441
A new mystery is afoot in the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman

You'd think you would be allowed to relax over Christmas, but not in the world of the Thursday Murder Club.

On Boxing Day, a dangerous package is smuggled across the English coast. When it goes missing, chaos is unleashed. The body count starts to rise - including someone close to the Thursday Murder Club - as our gang face an impossible search and their most deadly opponents yet.

With the clock ticking down and a killer heading to Cooper's Chase, has their luck finally run out? And who will be 'The Last Devil To Die'?]]> Richard Osman Sarah 4 audio-books, crime 4.39 2023 The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club, #4)
author: Richard Osman
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/25
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> Little Fires Everywhere 36509779
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principal is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother- who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons.

Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town - and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at an unexpected and devastating cost...

The brilliant new novel from the author of the New York Times bestseller, Everything I Never Told You.]]> 388 Celeste Ng 0349142920 Sarah 5 4.01 2017 Little Fires Everywhere
author: Celeste Ng
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/24
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: home-book-group, library-books
review:
This was a slow burner for me. To start with, there was a lot of scene setting and character intros, but once the story took off, I was completely addicted. I also found myself thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it, which automatically makes it a 5 stars from me :-)
]]> You Are Here 213256741
Marnie is stuck.
Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that often feels like it's passing her by.

Michael is coming undone.
Reeling from his wife's departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells.

When a persistent mutual friend and some very English weather conspire to bring them together, Marnie and Michael suddenly find themselves alone on the most epic of walks and on the precipice of a new friendship.

But can they survive the journey?

A new love story by beloved bestseller David Nicholls, You Are Here is a novel of first encounters, second chances and finding the way home.]]> 351 David Nicholls 1444715445 Sarah 4 library-books 4.06 2024 You Are Here
author: David Nicholls
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/19
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: library-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dying Fall (Ruth Galloway, #5)]]> 17558172
There are forces at work in the town that that threaten all that Ruth holds dear. But, in the final showdown on Blackpool Pleasure Beach, it is Cathbad who faces the greatest danger of all.]]> Elly Griffiths 1470378418 Sarah 4 3.67 2012 Dying Fall (Ruth Galloway, #5)
author: Elly Griffiths
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: library-books, crime, audio-books
review:

]]> The Family Secret 42966116 ‘Tracy Buchanan writes moving, gripping, heartbreakingly real family drama.� Susan Lewis, Sunday Times bestselling author

‘An ambitious and deeply poignant story that will take you into another world.� Heat

‘Beautiful, heartbreaking, uplifting � Really worth a read.� Hello!

How far would you go to find the truth?

Since Amber lost her child ten years ago, her sole focus has been keeping her small business afloat. Her life seems to be on hold, until the morning she finds a girl on the beach outside her gift shop. A girl who has no shoes, no name, and no idea where she came from.

As a wildlife documentary maker, Gwyneth’s work has taken her all over the world. But when she has a terrible accident in the remote Scottish Highlands, she is saved by the McClusky family and taken into their home. However, there is more to this family than meets the eye, and a long-held secret is threatening to tear them apart�

Amber and Gwyenth are at the beginning of a journey that will change each of their lives forever in this twisting, emotional new novel, perfect for fans of Susan Lewis and Amanda Prowse.

]]> 385 Tracy Buchanan 0008264678 Sarah 0 to-read, kindle 4.25 2019 The Family Secret
author: Tracy Buchanan
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: to-read, kindle
review:

]]> The Mist 58966280
Once there, they become trapped by a strange mist that has enveloped the town. Violent forces concealed in the mist are starting to emerge. And there is another shocking threat from within � one group of survivors, led by a religious zealot, is calling for a sacrifice.

Now David and his son must try to escape. But what’s outside may be even more dangerous.]]> 181 Stephen King 1529379318 Sarah 4 3.77 1980 The Mist
author: Stephen King
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1980
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/17
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: library-books, short-stories-and-novellas
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Drums Of Autumn (Outlander, #4)]]> 23482855 The fourth novel in the bestselling Outlander series.

How far will a woman travel to find a father, a lover a destiny? Across seas, across time - across the grave itself.

It began in Scotland, at an ancient stone circle. Claire Randall was swept through time into the arms of James Fraser whose love for her became legend - a tale of tragic passion that ended with her return to the present to bear his child. Two decades later, Claire travelled back again to reunite with Jamie, this time in frontier America. But Claire had left someone behind in her own time - their daughter Brianna.

Now Brianna has made a disturbing discovery that sends her to the stone circle and a terrifying leap into the unknown. In search of her mother and the father she has never met, she risks her own future to try to change history - and to save their lives. But as Brianna plunges into an uncharted wilderness, a heartbreaking encounter may strand her forever in the past - or root her in the place she should be, where her heart and soul belong...]]> 1200 Diana Gabaldon 1784751340 Sarah 4 4.13 1996 Drums Of Autumn (Outlander, #4)
author: Diana Gabaldon
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/10
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: kobo-library, time-travel-or-timeslip
review:

]]> Triangle 210127525 Triangle is a breathtaking, suspenseful story about a woman determined to stay true to her principles, from billion-copy bestselling author Danielle Steel.

As she approaches the milestone birthday of forty, delicate beauty Amanda Delanoe finds joy in running a chic contemporary art gallery in Paris. With the companionship of her dog, Lulu, and her friend and co-owner of the gallery, fun-loving bachelor Pascal Leblanc, Amanda lives well, but so far the love of her life has eluded her.

Then she meets Olivier Saint Albin, a handsome, enigmatic publisher. At the same time, she reconnects with Tom Quinlan, an old boyfriend from her university days, who has come to Paris to devote himself to writing a thriller. Amanda’s attraction to Olivier is instant, but she soon learns he is married, leaving her torn between her head and her heart.

Amanda’s situation is further complicated by the unpleasant feeling that she’s being watched. When she begins to receive threatening phone calls late at night, and someone breaks into her apartment on the Left Bank, it’s all too clear she is in real danger.

But from whom? An old love, a new love, or a stranger? As love enters her life, so does terror. . .]]> 300 Danielle Steel 1529085659 Sarah 3 kobo-library 4.50 2024 Triangle
author: Danielle Steel
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/17
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: kobo-library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Innocents: 2 (Variety Palace Mysteries, 2)]]> 205092595 'Historical crime fiction at its most beguiling' Financial Times

In the hotly anticipated follow-up to The Tumbling Girl, Minnie and Albert take on a new crime-solving quest in the world of a Victorian music hall.

The Variety Palace Music Hall is in trouble, due in no small part to a gruesome spate of murders that unfolded around it a few months previously.

Between writing, managing the music hall and trying to dissuade her boss from installing a water tank in the building, Minnie Ward has her hands full. Her complicated relationship with detective Albert Easterbrook doesn’t even bear thinking about.

But when a new string of murders tears through London, Minnie and Albert are thrown together once more. Strangely, the crimes seem to link back to a tragedy that took place fourteen years ago, leaving 183 children dead.

And given that the incident touched so many people’s lives, everyone is a suspect]]> 0 Bridget Walsh 1913547566 Sarah 4 4.27 The Innocents: 2 (Variety Palace Mysteries, 2)
author: Bridget Walsh
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: crime, historical, library-books
review:

]]> The Photograph 39944618 Italy, 1958: Rachael is a young widow with a small child. After a lifetime of running for survival, of not knowing who to trust and where to call home, she finds herself in a place of safety. On a sun-drenched Italian island for one carefree summer the troubles of her past fade away and she falls in love. But will Rachael’s new-found happiness bring her further heartache?

England, 2017: Sophie has a handsome husband, a gorgeous house in the English countryside and a successful career as an anthropologist. But the one thing she longs for is a baby of her own. As she struggles to conceive, cracks begin to appear in her marriage. So Sophie throws herself into her work and tries to seek comfort in childhood memories of her beloved grandmother Rachael.

One afternoon, Sophie finds a forgotten letter and an exquisite silk bracelet hidden in Rachael’s old writing desk. Intrigued, she begins to unravel the extraordinary story of her grandmother’s past - and a secret that has the power to change everything�

The Photograph is an utterly beautiful and compelling story of love, loss and a family secret spanning generations.]]> 410 Debbie Rix 1786814765 Sarah 4 kindle, multiple-timeline 4.35 2018 The Photograph
author: Debbie Rix
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/13
date added: 2024/11/13
shelves: kindle, multiple-timeline
review:

]]> The Glassmaker 203099985 maestros spend their lives learning to handle.

Women are not meant to work with glass, but Orsola Rosso flouts convention to save her family from ruin. She works in secret, knowing her creations must be perfect to be accepted by men. But perfection may take a lifetime.

Skipping like a stone through the centuries, we follow Orsola as she hones her craft through war and plague, tragedy and triumph, love and loss.

The beads she creates will adorn the necks of empresses and courtesans from Paris to Vienna � but will she ever earn the respect of those closest to her?

Tracy Chevalier is a master of her own craft, and The Glassmaker is vivid, inventive, a virtuoso portrait of a woman, a family and a city that are as everlasting as their glass.]]> 398 Tracy Chevalier 0008153884 Sarah 3 4.33 2024 The Glassmaker
author: Tracy Chevalier
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: kobo-library, multiple-timeline
review:
Whilst the historical writing and descriptions (particularly of the glass making) were of the usual high standard expected from this author, I didn't really understand the confusing "time jump" bits, hence the 3 star review. I'd still recommend it though - it would make for a good book group discussion.
]]> <![CDATA[Legacy of the Runes (Runes, #6)]]> 207289221 Inscribed Viking axe head. Good condition. Probably late 9th century.ÌýThis was it, his passport to the past.

Storm Berger has never forgiven himself for his younger sister Madison's disappearance. Suspecting she's travelled back to the ninth century in the footsteps of other family members, Storm can only make sure she's safe by going after her.

Raised unconventionally as her father's only child, Freydis has never been content to simply accept her fate. So, when she's promised in marriage to a tyrant, she's determined to find a way out of the arrangement. Help comes in the form of a mysterious and attractive stranger stranded on her island's shores: Storm.

The only way Freydis can truly be free is for Storm to marry her himself. But that would mean entwining lives that, until now, have been separated by centuries. . .]]> Christina Courtenay 1472293266 Sarah 0 to-read 4.46 Legacy of the Runes (Runes, #6)
author: Christina Courtenay
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.46
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Promises of the Runes (Runes, #5)]]> 62056159
Ivar Thoresson is desperate for adventure. As an archaeologist specialising in Viking times, he wants nothing more than to travel back to the ninth century as his loved ones have done, to learn everything he can about the era which fascinates him. And whilst his adopted family have always made him feel loved, the chance to meet a true ancestor, the warrior Thorald, is a temptation he cannot resist.

But while Ivar is preparing to go, he uncovers an amulet which shows him a vision of an arresting woman with red-gold hair. Clearly in distress, she is pleading for help. Convinced of the power of the charm and its message, Ivar's journey takes on a new purpose. He steps back in time determined to follow his destiny - and find the woman who has called to his heart.]]> 341 Christina Courtenay Sarah 0 to-read 4.36 Promises of the Runes (Runes, #5)
author: Christina Courtenay
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Summer of Lies (Toussaints Detective Agency, #2)]]> 201751522
Nineteen-year-old Briony Moorcroft has seemingly been taken from her sleepy Welsh village and brought to France. Her parents are baffled and scared � Briony needs her life-saving medicine or this case will become even more sinister, and with the police dragging their heels, the Moorcrofts are relying on Mila Shephard and Carter Jackson’s sleuthing skills.

Meanwhile there are mysteries troubling Mila’s life too. Two years after the accident that swept her sister Sophie and brother-in-law Charlie away and left their daughter Ani in Mila’s care, new evidence resurfaces that makes Mila doubt everything.

Can Carter and Mila find Briony before it’s too late? And is the truth about Sophie and Charlie finally about to be revealed…]]> 354 Louise Douglas 1800486197 Sarah 0 to-read, kindle 4.08 2024 The Summer of Lies (Toussaints Detective Agency, #2)
author: Louise Douglas
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves: to-read, kindle
review:

]]> The Royal Rebel 207567837 1338: England has declared war on France, and Jeanette of Kent, cousin to King Edward III, says goodbye to her family and travels overseas with the royal court for the first time. Once in Antwerp, she is captivated by talented household knight, Thomas Holland, just as he in turn is powerfully drawn to her.Although both know their romance is forbidden, their love for each other grows stronger than the danger they face, and they marry in secret. But before they can make their tryst known, Thomas has to leave for war, and in his absence, Jeanette is forced into a second marriage and locked away from the world. Then Thomas returns, and the real fight begins. As hostile family members battle to keep Jeanette and Thomas apart, the defiant lovers vow to be reunited - whatever the cost...From the award-winning and bestselling author, Elizabeth Chadwick, comes an epic love story set against the tumultuous backdrop of high chivalry, deadly warfare, devastating plague, and savage rivalry in the fourteenth century - the first of two parts telling the remarkable story of a woman who rose from royal rebel to formidable influence.]]> 528 Elizabeth Chadwick 1408729806 Sarah 4 historical, library-books 4.00 2024 The Royal Rebel
author: Elizabeth Chadwick
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/05
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: historical, library-books
review:

]]> The Huntress 43923506 615 Kate Quinn Sarah 4 historical, kobo-library 4.41 2019 The Huntress
author: Kate Quinn
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/02
date added: 2024/11/02
shelves: historical, kobo-library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death of a Ghost (Hamish Macbeth, #32)]]> 53293541 New York Times bestselling series DEATH OF A GHOST When Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth hears reports of a haunted castle near Drim, he assumes the eerie noises and lights reported by the villagers are just local teenagers going there to smoke pot or, worse, inject themselves with drugs. Still, Hamish decides that he and his policeman, Charlie "Clumsy" Carson, will spend the night at the ruined castle to get to the bottom of the rumors once and for all.There's no sign of any ghost...but then Charlie disappears through the floor. It turns out he's fallen into the cellar. And what Hamish and Charlie find there is worse than a ghost: a dead body propped against the wall. Waiting for help to arrive, Hamish and Charlie leave the castle just for a moment--to eat bacon baps--but when they return, the body is nowhere to be seen. It's clear something strange--and deadly--is going on at the castle, and Hamish must get to the bottom of it before the "ghost" can strike again...]]> M.C. Beaton 1489445951 Sarah 3 audio-books, crime 3.20 2017 Death of a Ghost (Hamish Macbeth, #32)
author: M.C. Beaton
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.20
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/30
date added: 2024/10/30
shelves: audio-books, crime
review:

]]> Alvesdon 214615776 429 James Holland 1787636704 Sarah 4 historical, library-books 4.28 2024 Alvesdon
author: James Holland
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/28
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: historical, library-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, #2)]]> 57665562
The second gripping novel in the number-one internationally best-selling Thursday Murder Club series, the first of which Kate Atkinson called "A little beacon of pleasure in the midst of the gloom...such fun!"

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim - the Thursday Murder Club - are still riding high off their recent real-life murder case and are looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet at Cooper’s Chase, their posh retirement village.

But they are out of luck.

An unexpected visitor - an old pal of Elizabeth’s (or perhaps more than just a pal?) - arrives, desperate for her help. He has been accused of stealing diamonds worth millions from the wrong men and he’s seriously on the lam.

Then, as night follows day, the first body is found. But not the last. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are up against a ruthless murderer who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can our four friends catch the killer before the killer catches them? And if they find the diamonds, too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus? You should never put anything beyond the Thursday Murder Club.

Richard Osman is back with everyone’s favorite mystery-solving quartet, and the second installment of The Thursday Murder Club series is just as clever and warm as the first - an unputdownable, laugh-out-loud pleasure of a listen.]]> Richard Osman Sarah 4 4.34 2021 The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, #2)
author: Richard Osman
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/30
date added: 2024/10/26
shelves: crime, kobo-library, audio-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, #3)]]> 62684030 It is an ordinary Thursday, and things should finally be returning to normal.

Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A decade-old cold case—their favorite kind—leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers.

Then a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill or be killed. Suddenly the cold case has become red hot.

While Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim chase down the clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?

From an upmarket spa to a prison cell complete with espresso machine to a luxury penthouse high in the sky, this third adventure of the Thursday Murder Club is full of the cleverness, intrigue, and irresistible charm that listeners have come to expect from Richard Osman’s bestselling series.

Listening Length: 11 hours and 16 minutes]]> Richard Osman Sarah 4 crime, audio-books 4.25 2022 The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, #3)
author: Richard Osman
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/26
date added: 2024/10/26
shelves: crime, audio-books
review:

]]> The Forgotten Village 40819343
1943: The world is at war, and the villagers of Tyneham are being asked to make one more sacrifice: to give their homes over to the British army. But on the eve of their departure, a terrible act will cause three of them to disappear forever.

2018: Melissa had hoped a break on the coast of Dorset would rekindle her stagnant relationship, but despite the idyllic scenery, it’s pushing her and Liam to the brink. When Melissa discovers a strange photograph of a woman who once lived in the forgotten local village of Tyneham, she becomes determined to find out more about her story. But Tyneham hides a terrible secret, and Melissa’s search for the truth will change her life in ways she never imagined possible.]]> 400 Lorna Cook 000832185X Sarah 4 3.95 2019 The Forgotten Village
author: Lorna Cook
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/25
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves: library-books, multiple-timeline
review:

]]> The Wicked Lady 210670163 1648 - Hertfordshire

Thirteen-year-old Katherine Ferrers is in despair at being betrothed to arch-Royalist Thomas Fanshawe whose family are hellbent on plundering her family’s fortune to champion the exiled Charles. As her unhappy marriage stretches before her, her only comfort is her beloved childhood home The Cell. But as the years pass and Kate grows restless, a new passion, a new love and a dangerous calling threaten to upend everything she’s ever known.

Present Day - Hertfordshire

Charlie Wolfe jumps at the chance to help his uncle renovate a tumbledown cottage overlooking Nomansland Common. Number One Constable’s Cottages was once the home of the man charged with ridding the common of the highwaymen who terrorised travellers. But it’s the story of The Wicked Lady, the notorious female highway robber, that captures Charlie’s imagination, and some long winters� nights he’s sure he can the hoofbeats of her horse echoing across time.

What drove this mystery woman to risk everything for a life of crime, and why is she still restless, wandering the common in grief? It seems only Charlie can finally uncover the secret Katherine Ferrers has kept for hundreds of years; a secret of a terrible betrayal and a tragic love that was never meant to end this way�

USA Today bestselling author Judy Leigh writing as Elena Collins, brings you this spellbinding and heartbreaking timeslip novel, uncovering the intriguing story of another brave woman that history forgot. Perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Nicola Cornick, Diana Gabaldon and Louise Douglas.

Praise for Elena

'The emotionally powerful story of Katherine Ferrers really gripped me and the spooky sightings of her ghost were spine-tingling. Elena writes so beautifully and weaves the threads of the stories together so masterfully. Both heartbreaking and hopeful, it’s a brilliant read.' Nicola Cornick

'A wonderful book by a fabulous author. Very highly recommended.� Louise Douglas

'The Lady of The Loch held me spellbound from the first page to the last. With two storylines beautifully woven together to create a seamless tale of love, loss, betrayal and, above all, hope, it’s a must-read. Collins’s detailed knowledge of the period trickles through the tale wrapping the reader in a vivid shifting world as it moves between the 14th century and present day. Cleverly researched and exquisitely written, The Lady of The Loch is a timeless story of hope, family and love. I loved it.' Alexandra Walsh

What readers are saying about Elena

‘Amazing book, couldn't put it down. Beautiful story, held me focused from the very start. A must read if you are a lover of history, romance and spirits. Perfect!!!'

‘Beautifully written, totally believable, an historical eye opener and love story. What more could you ask for?�

‘I adore how this author weaves the past and present. All three of her books have familiar settings for me, and so, it was easy for me to picture the places; that said, she’s described them so beautifully, I can see everything just as a picture. Great writing in my “book�.]]> 370 Elena Collins 1802800395 Sarah 0 to-read, kindle 4.13 The Wicked Lady
author: Elena Collins
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves: to-read, kindle
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Room Full of Bones (Ruth Galloway, #4)]]> 25724243 10 Elly Griffiths Sarah 4 3.77 2011 A Room Full of Bones (Ruth Galloway, #4)
author: Elly Griffiths
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/19
date added: 2024/10/19
shelves: library-books, crime, audio-books
review:

]]> A Terrible Kindness 57809127 When we go through something impossible, someone, or something, will help us, if we let them . . .
It is October 1966 and William Lavery is having the night of his life at his first black-tie do. But, as the evening unfolds, news hits of a landslide at a coal mine. It has buried a school: Aberfan.

William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and it will be one he never forgets.

His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to forget. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because - as William discovers - giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves.]]> 400 Jo Browning Wroe 0571368298 Sarah 5 historical, library-books 4.17 2022 A Terrible Kindness
author: Jo Browning Wroe
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/17
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves: historical, library-books
review:
I was surprised to realise that this was the author's debut novel. It was such a compelling read and I was so engrossed in the story that time just seemed to disappear. The author handled the Aberfan tragedy with great sensitivity; aside from that, during William's choir school days, I loved reading about the Misere, my all time favourite piece of choral music.
]]> <![CDATA[The Secrets of Sainte Madeleine]]> 58843766
Deep in the French countryside, inside the walls of a family chateau, a remarkable legacy awaits . . .

From the international bestselling author comes an escapist, glamorous tale spanning generations & sweeping from Burgundy to Greece and beyond . . .

ONE FAMILY - THREE GENERATIONS
SOME SECRETS NEVER DIE . . .

Elise would do anything to inherit Sainte Madeleine, the vineyard that’s been home to the Salignacs for generations. Only Laurent Senard, a distant cousin, is a rival for her heart � yet when a family rift sends her on a new and dangerous path, she risks losing them both . . .

Alexandre, Elise’s brother, can’t bear to see their capricious father put the vineyard � and Alex's birthright � in jeopardy. He leaves to carve out his own fortune in the rich hills of Napa, California. But will turning his back on the chateau be his biggest mistake?

Laurent Senard’s love for Elise was planted at Sainte Madeleine long ago. But with the shadow of war sweeping over Europe, Laurent must leave France to fight. Through the years of longing, secrecy and tragedy that follow, he vows to find his way back � if only it isn’t too late . . .]]> 506 Tilly Bagshawe 0008521840 Sarah 4 historical, kobo-library 4.20 The Secrets of Sainte Madeleine
author: Tilly Bagshawe
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/04
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves: historical, kobo-library
review:

]]> The Elopement 61753839 1897. Rowena Blythe is wealthy, entitled and beautiful. As her twenty-fourth birthday approaches, she’s expected to marry � and to marry well.

An unsuitable match . . .
Her parents commission a portrait of Rowena to help cement her reputation as a great society beauty. However, Bartek, the artist’s young assistant, is unlike any man Rowena has met before � wild, romantic and Bohemian. While society at large awaits the announcement of Rowena’s engagement, it is Bartek who captures Rowena’s heart along with her likeness.

A scandal in society . . .
Rowena knows her parents would never approve of Bartek, who in their eyes is nothing but a penniless foreigner. As her feelings grow, she has no-one to turn to. Dare she risk everything for love?]]> 432 Tracy Rees 1529098645 Sarah 4 historical, kobo-library 4.25 The Elopement
author: Tracy Rees
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/19
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves: historical, kobo-library
review:

]]> The Secret Life of Winnie Cox 26237327
Winnie Cox lives a privileged life of dances and dresses on her father’s sugar cane plantation. Life is sweet in the kingdom of sugar and Winnie along with her sister Johanna, have neither worries nor responsibilities, they are birds of paradise, protected from the poverty in the world around them.

But everything can change in a heartbeat ...

When Winnie falls in love with George Quint, the post-office boy, a ‘darkie� from the other side, she soon finds herself slipping into a double life. And as she withdraws from her family, she discovers a shocking secret about those whom are closest to her. Now, more than ever, Winnie is determined to prove her love for George, whatever price she must pay and however tragic the consequences might be.

A breath-taking love story of two people fighting to be together, in a world determined to break them apart.

Acclaim for Sharon Maas:

'A terrific writer.� - Barbara Erskine

'A page-turning story, full of humanity, crossing cultures and continents, reminiscent of Andrea Levy.� - Katie Fforde

'A beautiful story about tragic love and ultimately about forgiveness ... with powerful messages about love, life and learning to let things go in order to be happy.�
- Life With Joy
'Rich in detail and emotion and has the most beautiful and real description of loss I have ever read.� - Shaz’s Book blog

'Wow what a very touching story that was filled with super characters and important real-life issues ...�
- AJ Book Review Club

'If you are fond of family dramas that span generations, continents, and cultures, you will find this to be a worthwhile read. I found the shift in attitudes toward gender and ethnicity across generations and cultures to be particularly interesting.' - janetursel.com]]> 471 Sharon Maas 1910751502 Sarah 4 kobo-owned, historical 3.94 2015 The Secret Life of Winnie Cox
author: Sharon Maas
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/24
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves: kobo-owned, historical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Tumbling Girl (Variety Palace Mysteries, #1)]]> 220364661 288 Bridget Walsh 1913547639 Sarah 4 3.25 2023 The Tumbling Girl (Variety Palace Mysteries, #1)
author: Bridget Walsh
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/14
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: crime, historical, library-books
review:

]]> The Enchanted 12313657 320 Charlotte Bingham 0593055942 Sarah 3 library-books 3.00 The Enchanted
author: Charlotte Bingham
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves: library-books
review:

]]> The Marsh King's Daughter 294321
Miriel nurses him with the vigor she has had suppressed in her imprisonment, and revives Nicholas, in whom she recognizes her own stubborn pride and independence. He is not only her kindred spirit, he is also her only way out. So upon his recovery and release, Miriel coerces her former patient into taking her with him.

Never one for nostalgia, Miriel has only seen Nicholas as a means of escape, and once out of the convent, the two part on bad terms. From this point forward, misfortune will plague Miriel's life until she runs into a new Nicholas, this time a famous soldier and merchant. Can the two now see past their pride and into each other's souls, formerly one and the same? Or have the ravages of a bloody war clouded their sight?]]> 408 Elizabeth Chadwick 0751539406 Sarah 3 library-books, historical 3.91 1999 The Marsh King's Daughter
author: Elizabeth Chadwick
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves: library-books, historical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Close to Death (Hawthorne & Horowitz #5)]]> 196469286
Richmond, London. Six attractive houses are tucked away in an exclusive and very upmarket gated community: Riverside Close. Surrounded by flowers and shrubbery, they're sealed off from the busy main road and the realities of urban life. At weekends, with the gate locked, the residents enjoy the sound of birdsong, the whirr of mowers, the occasional snatch of opera through an open window.

Everyone knows each other. Everyone gets on.

That is, until the Kenworthies arrive. With their four big gas-guzzling cars, their noisy children and their plans to build a swimming pool in their garden, they quickly offend every one of their neighbours.
When Charles Kenworthy is found dead on his porch, the bolt of a crossbow through his chest, Daniel Hawthorne is called in.
But how do you solve a murder when everyone has the same motive?]]> 432 Anthony Horowitz 1529904234 Sarah 4 crime, library-books 4.17 2024 Close to Death (Hawthorne & Horowitz #5)
author: Anthony Horowitz
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/12
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves: crime, library-books
review:

]]>