Month: Dec 2018
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The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins – Book Review
PUBLISHERS BLURB They say I must be put to death for what happened to Madame, and they want me to confess. But how can I confess what I don’t believe I’ve done? 1826, and all of London is in a frenzy. Crowds gather at the gates of the Old Bailey to watch as Frannie […]
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Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield – Book Review
PUBLISHERS BLURB A dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the Thames. The regulars are entertaining themselves by telling stories when the door bursts open on an injured stranger. In his arms is the drowned corpse of a little child. Hours later the dead girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is […]
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The Unexpected Genius of Pigs by Matt Whyman – Book Review
And now for something completely different…. PUBLISHERS BLURB We often consider dogs to be our enduring sidekicks but the truth is domestic pigs have played a role in our lives for nearly as long. Pigs are highly social and smart. They like to play. They’re inventive, crafty and belligerent – and incredibly singleminded. Ultimately, […]
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The Familiars by Stacey Halls – Book Review
PUBLISHERS BLURB Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married, and pregnant for the fourth time. But as the mistress at Gawthorpe Hall, she still has no living child, and her husband Richard is anxious for an heir. When Fleetwood finds a letter she isn¹t supposed to read from the doctor who delivered […]
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My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh – Book Review
PUBLISHERS BLURB A shocking, hilarious and strangely tender novel about a young woman’s experiment in narcotic hibernation, aided and abetted by one of the worst psychiatrists in the annals of literature. Our narrator has many of the advantages of life, on the surface. Young, thin, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate, she lives in an apartment […]
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The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby-Book Review
Written by Carolyn Kirby, The Conviction of Cora Burns is set in 1880’s Birmingham. Cora has had a difficult start in life after being born in a Gaol, then sent to the workhouse and as she grew up, at sixteen was sent to work as a laundress at the Asylum. Her childhood friend, Alice Salt […]
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Jolabokaflod
I took part in a Jolabokflod book swap on Litsy this year, such a lovely tradition to give a book and chocolate for Christmas Eve. #jolabokaflod
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Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan – Book Review
PUBLISHERS BLURB From the bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things and The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes – an uplifting novel of mothers and daughters, families and secrets and the astonishing power of friendship. Tilly was a bright, outgoing little girl who liked playing with ghosts and matches. She loved fizzy drinks, swear […]
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Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel
Just started this and loving it so far : “The two wing-backed easy chairs in the sitting room are the epitome of abominable ghastliness and are going. Definitely. Aside from the fact that they are of a shape and design that can only be described as ‘Old People’s Home’ chic, they […]
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Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce – Book Review
PUBLISHERS BLURB Sent to Carthak as part of the Tortallan peace delegation, Daine finds herself in the middle of a sticky political situation. She doesn’t like the Carthaki practice of keeping slaves, but it’s not her place to say anything — she’s just there to heal the emperor’s birds. It’s extremely frustrating! What’s more, her […]
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The Taking of Annie Thorn by C J Tudor – Book Review
PUBLISHERS BLURB When Joe Thorne was fifteen, his little sister, Annie, disappeared. At the time, Joe thought it was the worst thing in the world that could ever happen. And then she came back. Now Joe has returned to the village where he grew up, to work as a teacher at the failing Arnhill Academy. […]
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The Dreamers by Karen Walker Thompson – Book Review
Official blurb : The eagerly awaited new novel from the author of The Age of Miracles. Imagine a world where sleep could trap you, for days, for weeks, months… A world where you could even die of sleep rather than in your sleep. Karen Thompson Walker’s second novel is the stunning story of a […]
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The Taking of Annie Thorne by C J Tudor
I’ve just started reading this ARC from NetGalley and it’s really got me hooked…. some great wrting, as in…. “People say time is a great healer. They’re wrong. Time is simply a great eraser. It rolls on and on regardless, eroding our memories, chipping away at those great big boulders of misery until there’s […]
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Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson- Book Review
Snowblind is the first in a series of books by Icelandic author Ragnar Jonasson and has been translated into English by Quentin Bates. Snowblind takes us into a small community northern Iceland. One of those small towns where everyone knows everyone and it takes years for a newcomer to be accepted, if ever. We follow […]
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Bitter Leaves by Tabatha Stirling- Book Review
I was lucky enough to get to read this on The Pigeonhole for free and this is my honest opinion. MY REVIEW This is a story of the lives of the wealthy and their maids in Singapore. There are different nationalities of the Ma’am’ s and the maids are mainly Filipina. There any similarities end, […]
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The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal – Book Review
PUBLISHERS BLURB The Doll Factory, the debut novel by Elizabeth Macneal, is an intoxicating story of art, obsession and possession. London. 1850. The Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and among the crowd watching the spectacle two people meet. For Iris, an aspiring artist, it is the encounter of a […]
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The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz – Book Review
PUBLISHERS BLURB Death, deception, and a detective with quite a lot to hide stalk the pages of Anthony Horowitz’s brilliant new murder mystery, the second in the bestselling series starring Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne. _________________________ ‘You shouldn’t be here. It’s too late… ’ These, heard over the phone, were the last recorded words of successful […]
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Upcoming books on The Pigeonhole
Two new books about to start on The Pigeonhole, The Flower Girls, by Alice Clark-Platts and My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite….this is a great way to read along with others and share comments and insights into each book. They are issue in staves each day and each stave is usually a […]
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Bitter Leaves by Tabatha Stirling
I’m currently reading Bitter Leaves by Tabatha Stirling via The Pigeonhole. Pigeonhole releases books, FREE, stave by stave on a daily basis, so you get a few chapters a day. This is like an online book club, where you can leave comments as you read and interact with other readers, so you can see others […]
White Tulip Resin 