Suddenly it was September  — where has the year gone? It’s been quite a challenging month. Sadly, I lost one of my cats in August. Annabelle had been with us for fourteen years since she was an 8-week old kitten. A tortoiseshell cat with an assertive personality, she was a definite presence. She sat on my desk or on my lap, quietly purring. It was a heartbreaking decision to say goodbye, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I miss her company and her loud purrs.

I decided to be proactive and take my other cat for a checkup as he’s thirteen. It was a wise if expensive decision. He was diagnosed as diabetic so a drastic change in his diet and insulin injections twice daily. He also needs his blood glucose monitoring. There is some good news, diabetes in cats is 80-85% reversible, but not so for dogs. It’s been a tough learning curve for both of us.

Additionally, a routine eye check found two suspicious spots close to my eye. They had to be biopsied and turned out to be basal cell carcinomas. I will be having surgery to deal with that, soon. It has been a disruptive time and I haven’t read as much as in other years, but so be it. I accept that I won’t reach my reading target this year.

Educated by Tara Westover.

Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her “head-for-the-hills bag”. In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father’s junkyard.

Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent.

Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one’s life through new eyes and the will to change it.

My Review.

As others have said, this is a tour de force of a book. As fiction the story would be heart-rending enough- but this story is true. Imagine realising that your worth/value was only a twelfth of the man who would be your husband. It was expected that Tara would have a husband, as was normal in her world. While questioning this was wrong and the devil’s work. Her husband would then decide everything for her, just as her father had. Rebellion meant exclusion.

The Right Side of Mr Wrong by Jane Lightfoot.

One-off, moving on sex, wasn’t meant to be this hot…

When determined singleton Shea Summers is persuaded to become the “wife” of the Lord of Edgerton Manor, the last thing she wants to do is play house with a stranger.

Brooding playboy Brando Marshall is far from happy when Shea turns up at his sprawling estate with production crew in tow. Surely she’s just another woman after his wallet? And if she’s looking for Mr Right, she’s definitely hitting on the wrong guy. Then again, after catching an unscheduled glimpse of her knickers, perhaps Brando needs to teach this “gold-digger” a lesson!

She’s seizing the moment, he’s breaking the rules, and when bad boys can be so much fun, who can resist getting on the right side of Mr. Wrong…

My Review.

A fun read with steamy sex and delicious banter. A hot guy who knows how to push Shea’s buttons and a woman who wants to resist, but finds she cant. A quibble, the name Brando didn’t resonate with me. I immediately connected it to Marlon Brando which spoiled the image

Coffee and Cake at Wildflower Lock by Hannah M Lynn.

Wildflower Lock 2

Daisy May is embarking on a new chapter of her life as a permanent resident at the idyllic Wildflower Lock. Determined to seize this second chance she’s been granted, Daisy is putting her all into making her new business venture a success. As her friendship with Theo grows ever stronger, her happily ever after seems within reach.

However, life isn’t always smooth sailing. When a string of unfortunate mishaps and an unruly stag party leaves Daisy’s finances in dire straits, she starts to question her decision to launch a coffee shop. But just when she’s nearly lost hope, the mysterious and generous Christian enters her life. Astute and eager to assist Daisy, he proposes a solution that could be the answer to all her problems…or will it be the beginning of even more challenges.

My Review.

I had been looking forward to this, but I was disappointed. I accept that a certain amount of repetition may be necessary to orientate a new reader, but this seemed excessive. Also, Daisy May behaves quite idiotically with Theo and seems to have lost all her decision-making abilities or confidence. Another man adds to the complications but she floats along letting things happen So much could have been resolved with an honest conversation. I won’t be reading book three.

A Cornish Cottage by the Sea by Jane Linfoot.

Hurtling through the sky was supposed to be Edie Browne’s flight of independence. But when she falls head over champagne bucket while celebrating her successful landing, her life is changed in an instant.

But starting over has its benefits, and as Edie relearns the basics under the watchful eye of her Aunty Josie and an entire Cornish village of new friends and neighbours, she finds love and joy she never could have imagined in the unlikeliest of places…

Come home to Periwinkle Cottage for a romance full of love, laughter and friends for life!

My Review.

Finding a supportive community has continuing positive effects on Edie as she loosens up returns to baking and starts to embrace life and love again. Relatable

Josephine’s Garden by Stephanie Parkyn.

A captivating story of love, nature and identity in Napoleon’s France

‘Stephanie Parkyn is one very talented storyteller.’ -Mrs B’s Book Reviews

France, 1794. In the aftermath of the bloody end to the French Revolution, Rose de Beauharnais stumbles from prison on the day she is to be guillotined. Within a decade, she’ll transform into the scandalous socialite who marries Napoleon Bonaparte, become Empress Josephine of France and build a garden of wonders with plants and animals she gathers from across the globe.

But she must give Bonaparte an heir or she risks losing everything.

Two other women from very different spheres are tied to the fate of the Empress Josephine – Marthe Desfriches and Anne Serreaux. Their lives are put at risk as they each face confronting obstacles in their relationships and in their desire to become mothers.

From the author of Into the World comes a richly imagined historical novel about obsession, courage, love and marriage.

‘Enthralling novel, rich in historical detail … Highly recommended.’ -Good Reading on Into the World

My Review.

I was looking forward to reading about this less well-known part of Josephine’s life. Most of the initial story is of Napoleon’s attraction to Josephine which I knew about. These were perilous times and Josephine accepted the inevitability of a man who could protect her. Sadly, for me the story felt oddly disjointed and as if the two parts were hardly related but two separate entities.

The Plumberry School of Comfort Food By Cathy Bramley.

The Plumberry School of Comfort Food was originally published as a four-part serial. This is the complete story in one package.

Verity Bloom hasn’t been interested in cooking anything more complicated than the perfect fish finger sandwich, ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago.

But an opportunity to help a friend lands her right back in the heart of the kitchen. The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is due to open in a few weeks’ time and needs the kind of great ideas that only Verity could cook up. And with new friendships bubbling and a sprinkling of romance in the mix, Verity finally begins to feel like she’s home.

But when tragedy strikes at the very heart of the cookery school, can Verity find the magic ingredient for Plumberry while still writing her own recipe for happiness?

My Review

like to mix my reading up, so after something heavy, something lighter, what I’d classify as an easy read. A relaxing book with enough in it to keep me interested. The Plumberry School of Comfort Food delivered all the things I wanted. Characters I cared about, a setting that inspired me, and a story that kept my attention. I enjoyed this book. The depiction of grief, guilt, and indecision was relatable. I enjoyed this book. Verity is a strong character, but even strong characters can buckle. Loved the school, the food descriptions, and the hot chef. Who wouldn’t want to attend a few classes?

The Very Virile Viking by Sandra Hill

Magnus Ericsson is a simple man. He loves the smell of fresh-turned dirt after springtime plowing. he loves the feel of a soft woman under him in the bed furs. He loves the heft of a good sword in his fighting arm.

But, Holy Thor, what he does not relish is the bothersome brood of children he’s been saddled with. Or the mysterious happenstance that strands him in a strange new land – the kingdom of Holly Wood. Here is a place where the folks think he is an act-whore (whatever that is), and the woman of his dreams – a winemaker of all things – fails to accept that he is her soul mate…a man of exceptional talents, not to mention…A Very Virile Viking

My Review.

With a title like that, how could I resist picking this book up? An absolute romp, suspend disbelief and go along for the ride. A clash of cultures and plenty of hot and steamy sex.It should have you chuckling.

Overall it has been a difficult month emotionally both for my own health and also worrying about my cats. My reading has been an escape and a pleasure. Do you enjoy escaping into a good book?