Rusty Book Love

Why? My mum has books all over her house - there is the "keeps" in the many bookcases in the lounge and hall, the tbr's in her bedroom and the hbr's (to be given/shared with relatives - she puts her initials in them to make sure that they don't come back again) in the spare bedroom.  I started to go through the 4 massive stacks of hbr's and found Northanger Abbey with JK Rowling quoted on the front "Witty and shrewd, full of romance and skulduggery - I loved it".  It appears that I am easily influenced by authors. What? Otherwise known as amazon spiel: Jane Austen in the hands of queen of crime, Val McDermid. Get ready for a very different Northanger Abbey. Seventeen-year-old Catherine ‘Cat’ Morland has led a sheltered existence in rural Dorset, a life entirely bereft of the romance and excitement for which she yearns. So when Cat’s wealthy neighbours, the Allens, invite her to Edinburgh Festival, she is sure adventure beckons. Edinbu...

Why? I really enjoyed  Villa America  and it was unexpected so when Amazon recommended that I read A Hundred Summers, I went with it. What? Otherwise known as amazon spiel: The New York Times bestselling novel. Rhode Island, 1938. A sweltering summer of secrets, passion and betrayal… ‘I wish I could remember more. I wish I had taken down every detail, because I didn’t see him again until the summer of 1938; the summer the hurricane came and washed the world away…’ Lily Dane has returned to the exclusive enclave of Seaview, Rhode Island, hoping for an escape from the city and from her heartbreak. What she gets instead is the pain of facing newlyweds Budgie and Nick Greenwald – her former best friend and former fiancé. During lazy days and gin-soaked nights, Lily is drawn back under Budgie’s glamorous and enticing influence, and the truth behind Budgie and Nick’s betrayal of Lily begins to emerge. And as the spectre of war in Europe looms, a storm threatens to ...

Caroline Bond was born in Scarborough and studied English at Oxford University before working as a market researcher for 25 years. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Leeds Trinity University, and lives in Leeds with her husband and three children.   Her debut novel was The Second Child which featured on the Simon Mayo Radio 2 book club in April 2018 and gets a score of 4 on goodreads and 4.5 on Amazon.   The Forgotten Sister was released in June 2019 when I had the pleasure of meeting Caroline during a time when I was very curious about the process of writing and publishing.   Caroline was kind enough to agree to an interview (my first author interview - eeeeeek a little bit excited).  You can find my review here  Caroline Bond The Forgotten Sister 1.    Did publishing your first book change your process of writing? Yes. It gave me the tools to structure my stories better and a whole new approach to editing my own work e.g. much more...

Why? In my quest to understand what the different contributors to a novel and the journey required to publishing, I attended a talk by Caroline Bond at the  Pudsey Wellbeing Centre  where  she discussed where her ideas come from and the process of becoming a successful published author.  The proceeds of this were split between the Wellbeing Centre and  The Leeds Weekend Care Association .  Caroline was engaging and entertaining and I came away with a copy of The Forgotten Sister (it's signed and never leaving my possession).   What? Otherwise known as amazon spiel: To lose your family is heart-breaking. To be forgotten by them is unforgivable. Cassie and Erin are sisters. They are close - in age, looks and personality - but there is one crucial difference: Cassie is adopted. At seventeen, Cassie sets out to find her birth mother. She is hungry for the truth, but she discovers her adoption was far more complicated tha...

Why? I haven't done a  Netgalley  review in a while so thought it was time.  I wanted something that would not be taxing and this seemed to meet the requirements. What? Otherwise known as amazon spiel: Two estranged sisters reunite in an emotional novel of family, forgiveness, lost hope, and new beginnings. They had a forever bond, until a sudden tragedy thrust them apart. Now, each at a crossroad in her own life, two sisters’ paths are about to intersect. Broadcast journalist Julia Frank has it all: a career, an ambitious fiancé, and the hard-won respect of her peers. Until a ruinous decision destroys her reputation, puts her job at risk, and sends her reeling toward the only soul left to turn to: her estranged sister, Ginny. The owner of a clandestine supper club hidden in the Arizona desert, Ginny Frank has a lot on her plate. The last thing she wants is more drama—or the burden of nursing her younger sister’s wounded ego. But family is family. Besi...