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Tiny Pieces Of Us by Nicky Pellegrino
Like Ordinary People Tiny Pieces Of Us by Nicky Pellegrino is a beautiful contemporary novel that will lodge in your heart and soul. The central theme of the novel is organ donation. This is a difficult theme, sensitively portrayed. The reader sees lives affected by those who received donated organs and the one who made […]
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The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
The Blackbird Girls takes readers to the shadow of Chernobyl and the world’s worst nuclear disaster. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. Viking, 2020, 334 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-15 The City of Pripyat, Ukraine, is one of the more prosperous in the Soviet Union because many of its citizens work at the nearby nuclear plant (known informally as Chernobyl). But the Saturday morning in April when Valentine Kaplan wakes up to a red sky in the south, she knows something is wrong. A closer look reveals what it is: the power station is on fire. And her father, who works the night shift,…
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The Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan
Swashbuckling adventure with mythical Medieval Vikings? Sign me up. The Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan. Philomel, 2011-present. Reading Level: Ages 12-15Recommended For: Ages 12 and up About the Brotherband Chronicles’ Story Hal Mikkelson is half Araluen and half Skandian. He’s all outcast. In a society of Viking-esque, burly fighters like the Skandians, a skinny inventor-type naturally doesn’t fit in. When the coming-of-age Brotherband training arrives, Hal forms a team of similar outcasts: boys who each have something that sets them apart from mainstream Skandian society. Their “coach”? Thorn, also an outcast, but an outcast with a lengthy history as one of Skandia’s most formidable warriors–before he lost his hand, that…
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In The Garden Of Beasts by Erik Larson
Chilling In The Garden Of Beasts by Erik Larson is a fascinating yet horrifying account of American ambassador to Berlin, William Dodd, after his appointment in summer of 1933. The book charts the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party. Hitler is described by Dodd’s daughter as “a clown who looked like Charlie Chaplin… could […]
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The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
Enchanting The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes is a positively wonderful novel about the power of love. The tale is set in London in 2006 and in France in 1916. Both time periods are linked by a painting. Love is a powerful force. Both female protagonists have lost the love of their life. […]
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The Green Dress by Liz Tolsma
Fascinating Yet Horrifying The Green Dress by Liz Tolsma is a totally gripping Christian historical crime suspense and part of the True Colors series. It can be read as a stand-alone. Liz Tolsma has taken a true life crime and woven her story around the facts. It is both mesmerising and horrifying as the reader […]
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Gracie Fairshaw And The Mysterious Guest by Susan Brownrigg
Exciting Gracie Fairshaw And The Mysterious Guest by Susan Brownrigg is an exciting children’s historical mystery. It is just perfect for ages eight and above. Those considerably older like me will love it too. The novel is set in Blackpool in 1935. It is at the height of seaside holidays and day trips. Blackpool drew […]
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The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
Where Is The Truth? The Wives by Tarryn Fisher is a marvellous contemporary psychological suspense that I read in just one sitting. It was rather a creepy read that totally consumed me. There is the question of what is real and what is imagined? Who is telling the truth? And who is lying? Tarryn Fisher […]
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Cut To The Bone by Roz Watkins
Gripping And Absorbing Cut To The Bone by Roz Watkins is an all-consuming contemporary crime suspense. It is part of the D.I. Meg Dalton series but can be read as a stand-alone. I loved my return to the Peak District to catch up with Meg Dalton as she fights crime. Roz Watkins has an amazingly […]
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The English Wife by Adrienne Chinn
One Segment At A Time The English Wife by Adrienne Chinn is a delightful dual timeline novel with action set in 1940 and 2001, both moving forwards. It is a wonderful warm read that I adored. The novel is set in Norwich during the war, and in 2001 in Newfoundland after a plane is diverted […]
