Month: May 2019

Recent Reads: Those who are loved by Victoria Hislop

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Those who are loved by Victoria Hislop has settings throughout Themis’s life, who is in her 90s in the modern day Greece.

It’s a family saga, as we see Themis growing up with siblings with very different political views.  Themis and her brother Panos support communism, and Margaretha and Thanassis support the right wing, which includes fascists.

The beginning has us meeting Themis telling her story to two of her grandchildren, and the majority of the rest of the book is going through her life, and the life of Greece as it roils under the Nazi’s, fascism and civil war.

This was such an education in what happened in Greece in the 20th century.  It put historical events into context, and as we could see both political sides, we could see more of the suffering, and the celebration.

Victoria Hislop also wrote The Island, about a family’s link to a leper colony, which I read in 2009 (hurrah for GoodReads!), and enjoyed!  

Those who are loved is published on 30th May 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Headline Review (the publishers) for this book.


Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: Furious Hours; Murder, Fraud and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep

Posted on by Pam

My review: ?????

Furious Hours by Casey Cep is a book of many tales, all of which tie up together, but knowing what’s going on makes it so much more interesting!  

The first is the life and trial of Reverend Willie Maxwell, who is accused of killing five family members for the multiple insurance policies he had on each of them.  

The second is Maxwell’s lawyer, Tom Radney, who goes on to defend Robert Burns, who murders Maxwell.  Radney was a politician, and so was well versed in public speaking, persuading your listeners to your cause, which you can see in the courtroom.

The third is that of Harper Lee.  We go through her life, and see her friendship with Truman Capot, it talks about why she only published two books in her lifetime.  It also looks at how she went to the trial of Robert Burns, planning to write a book about it, in the same way that Truman Capote did in Cold Blood, for which Lee was his assistant.

This is Casey Cep’s first book, but she has written articles before for the New Yorker, and others, and some of them have been about Harper Lee, and as Cep says on her website, she’s loved Lee’s work since she was a child.

I thought this was really well written, and has made me want to read both To Kill a Mockingbird again and Go Set a Watchman for the first time!  If you like true crime, and learning a little more about such a reluctant celebrity, this is for you!


Furious Hours was published on 16th May 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Random House UK and Cornerstone (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley

Posted on by Pam

 My review: ????

The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley is about Posy Montague, and her family.  We start the book with Posy as a young girl, during the Second World War, with her father, the parent she adores, going off to war to fly planes again shortly, but in the meantime, they are loving playing together.

We switch between Posy’s younger life, and her life currently, a widow, with two sons, one of whom is just coming home after 10 years in Australia.  Her other son lives in the village, with his wife, and their two young children, and he is forever asking his mother for money for another venture. 

We go through the ups and downs of family problems, and family joys. I’ve read all of the books in the Seven Sisters series (and reviewed the first one here.), and I think Lucinda Riley is very good at creating a family atmosphere, and taking you on a journey.

The Butterfly Room was published on 2nd May 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Macmillan (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!


Recent Reads: The Furies by Katie Lowe

Posted on by Pam

 My review: ????

The Furies by Katie Lowe is set in 1998, in the UK, in a coastal town of no name.  Violet is 16, and has just changed schools after a car accident which killed her father and baby sister, and from which she walked away.  Her mother is seeking forgetfulness from the horrific accident by drinking all the time.

The new school is a private one, called Elm Hollow Academy.  Violet has the usual problems changing school, of not knowing anyone, and feeling like she doesn’t fit in.  Then she becomes part of a group of 3 other girls, who have special lessons from the art teacher, Annabel, but these aren’t art lessons.

This is a story of teenagers trying to take control of their lives, drinking, taking drugs, and taking out their anger and confusion on rituals that might actually have power.  And at the same time, we know where it’s going to lead to, as it’s at the very beginning of the book: a young woman found dead on a swing.

This is Katie Lowe’s debut novel, and it’s powerful!  You are swept along with them on their adventure, and as the book is from Violet’s perspective, and we have an older Violet telling the story.  I haven’t watched the Craft, but it felt like a mixture of the Heathers (actions have consequences), and Gossip Girl (for the bitchy, private school).  The fact that my two reference points for this are TV and film shows I haven’t read many books like this.

The Furies was published on 2nd May 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Harper Collins (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!


Recent Reads: Becoming Mrs Lewis; The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis by Patti Callahan

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Becoming Mrs Lewis by Patti Callahan appealed to me because of C.S. Lewis.  The only things I knew about him before reading this book was that he wrote the Narnia books, which I loved, and that he was Christian, with Aslan actually being God.

Whilst C.S. Lewis (or Jack, as his friends called him) is an important character in this book, the main character is Joy Davidman, a Jewish New Yorker, who first writes to Jack (much easier to type than C.S. Lewis, and so I will steal it for this.) whilst she is married, and has two small sons.  

Joy has a hard life. She and her husband are both writers (he was William Lindsay Gresham), but he wants her to be a ‘proper’ wife, which during the 1940s onwards means looking after the house, the children, and your husband.  Joy is made to feel selfish in her desire to write.  Her husband is an alcoholic, who helps Joy to find God when he is out boozing yet again, and she has a spiritual epiphany whilst worrying.  Finding God is why Joy writes to Jack, who also found God later in life, and wrote about it.

This book is peppered through with quotes from letters and poems, which adds to hearing their voices.  Whilst the poems are real, I don’t know if the letters are, as we are told that Jack destroys all correspondence once he has replied.

Whilst it looks at Joy and Jack’s beliefs, I didn’t feel like it was trying to convert me, it was just exploring what they believed, and how that impacted their lives.

If you enjoy historical fiction, and looking at famous lives, or getting a glimpse more of the Inklings (the writing group that C.S. Lewis was part of, with J.R.R. Tolkien, and others!), then you’ll enjoy this!  Though, do be warned that Joy’s time with William is abusive, which some may find upsetting.

Patti Callahan also writes under Patti Callahan Henry, and is a New York Times bestselling author of quite a few books!

Becoming Mrs Lewis was published on 16th May 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins and Harper Inspire (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!


Recent Reads: One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan shows you two journeys of self discovery and love

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan is about two women who discover themselves again.  Grace and Audrey end up living in the same building, and spend a lot of time together, pushing each other out of their comfort zones.

Grace is in Paris for an amazing holiday that she planned for her and her husbands 25th wedding anniversary, but learns that her husband is leaving her.

Audrey, who is 18, leaves her alcoholic mother with her new husband, and goes to Paris, where she doesn’t speak French, just so she can escape her life.

The impact these two have on each other, and how their lives change was lovely, and very heartwarming.  If you like feel good books, you’ll enjoy this!

Sarah Morgan is described as an USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author on her GoodReads profile.  She has written quite a few romance novels! 

One Summer in Paris was published on 4th April 2019,  and is available on Amazon and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HQ (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!


Recent Reads: Cape May by Chip Cheek

Posted on by Pam

My review: ?????

Cape May by Chip Cheek is set in New England in 1957, with Henry and Effie on their honeymoon to her childhood summer vacation spot, but they’re visiting it in the off season, and so it’s much emptier than she remembers.

Pretty soon, Effie’s bored of the place, and wants to go home.  It’s not like she remembers, and whilst Henry feels hurt, he’s willing to leave.  And then they meet one of the neighbours, someone that Effie knew a long time ago.

This is a tale of an innocent couple, meeting bored, rich people, who open their eyes to a different life.

Can Henry and Effie’s marriage survive the ride?  You’ll have to read to find out more!

This is Chip Creek’s debut novel, and it’s a stonker!  It’s so evocative, with the scene being set so well that you can believe yourself in a grey seaside town, the drizzle of rain, and the few people who would be there.

Cape May was published on 30th April 2019,  and is available on Amazon  to buy on Kindle and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!


I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Orion Publishing Group (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Getting ready for UKGE 2019!

Posted on by Pam

It’s May, which means it’s nearly time for UKGE 2019! Wohoo!!

UKGE is UK Games Expo, and is held from 31st May to 2nd June this year.  It’s held at Birmingham NEC, where people gather to show off their games, accessories, play test them, and have tournaments!  And it’s a great place to go shopping for new games to play, as you get to have a go at so many!


 I’ve been going for the last couple of years, and wrote about going last year, here!

You might also want to check out Random Nerdery, as she goes to UKGE every year, and has been writing about it for a while!  She also reviews games, which is very helpful when thinking about what to get!

I’ve started writing a list of games I want to have a look at!  I often look to Shut Up and Sit Down for ideas for games, by listening to their podcast, or watching their video reviews of games.

And if none of that has sold you, there’s a viking village, and a little food festival (aka, food trucks in a spot outside the Hilton!




Recent Reads: Hinch Yourself Happy by Mrs Hinch

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Hinch Yourself Happy by Mrs Hinch is a guide for how to clean your house, and how to enjoy yourself whilst doing it!

It has a lot of stories from Mrs Hinch’s personal life, such as how she met her husband, lots of recommendations for cleaning products, how to clean things, and space for you to write your own lists in, things that make you happy, and things like bits you want to declutter.

I discovered Mrs Hinch on Instagram in August last year, but I’m afraid I don’t remember how, although I remember Caroline Hirons mentioned her.  

Definition: ‘Hinching’, which is often taken to mean cleaning, but I would define it as using one of the many hints and tips from Mrs Hinch, such as diluting fabric softner with water, put in a spray bottle, and then spray on clothes or bedding to freshen up the scent.  

You might have seen Mrs Hinch on This Morning, or in the papers!  Either way, she’s got 2.4 million followers on Instagram, and inspires people to clean.  I think it’s because she’s the first person I’ve found cleaning her own home with the products, so I could trust her recommendations.

Definition: ‘Hinch haul’, which is buying multiple cleaning products, possibly buying more than you need, so you can stock up your Narnia (a store cupboard in your house or garage for extra supplies of cleaning products).  Popular stores to carry out a Hinch Haul: B&M, Home Bargains, Poundland, little shops with cleaning products in.  Products typically purchased: cleaning products Mrs Hinch uses, cleaning clothes, and baskets for storing these things in!

I thought this book is an ideal gift to give to someone leaving home for the first time, or first time buyers, because there’s lots of information on how to clean things, and how to make your house a home.  

Whilst there is a contents page, I think this book could have benefited from an index page, and it would have turned a nice book into a really useful home help!

You might have noticed there’s some grey creeping into this post, and that’s because Mrs Hinch’s home is very grey! When I first saw a photo, I thought she had been playing with filters!  Her book is also a pale grey, and a Dave the duster in silver.

Hinch Yourself Happy was published on 4th April 2019, and is available on Amazon  to buy on Kindle and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!