May was a busy month for me as I struggled to finalise my story for a Regency romance anthology. It’s done and off to the editor now. I also started work on a heart-centred project, which I can tell you more about next month. The weather has started to deteriorate, which left me plenty of time for reading. As usual, it’s pretty much a mixed bag as I enjoy reading across genres.
A Woman’s Work by Victoria Purman.
The astonishingly rich prize of the 1956 Australian Women’s Weekly cookery competition offers two women the possibility of a new kind of future, in this compassionate look at the extraordinary lives of ordinary women – our mothers and grandmothers – in a beautifully realised post-war Australia.
It’s 1956, and while Melbourne is in a frenzy gearing up for the Olympics, the women of Australia are cooking up a storm for their chance to win the equivalent of a year’s salary in the extraordinary Australian Women’s Weekly cookery contest.
For two women, in particular, the prize could be life-changing. For war widow and single mum Ivy Quinn, a win would mean more time to spend with her twelve-year-old son, Raymond. Mother of five Kathleen O’Grady has no time for cooking competitions, but the prize could offer her a different kind of life for herself and her children, and the chance to control her own future.
As winter turns to spring both women begin to question their lives. For Kathleen, the grinding domesticity of her work as a wife and mother no longer seems enough, while Ivy begins to realise she has the courage to make a difference for other women and tell the truth about the ghosts from her past.
But is it the competition prize that would give them a new way of seeing the world – a chance to free themselves from society’s expectation and change their own futures – or is it the creativity and confidence it brings?
My Review. Life has changed rapidly and reading this book brings the past to life vividly. Life was hard for many people and society and attitudes were slow to change. Widowed mother Ivy knows all about struggling to keep her job, care for her son and to make a life for them. A competition win would be a boost. While for tired mum Kathleen, it seems an impossible addition to her daily struggles, until her mum urges her to enter. She might win and be able to afford a washing machine. My heart went out to both of these women, and I couldn’t pick who I hoped would win. There are so many details that make you pause and go, of course. There was no contraceptive pill, upon marriage women had to resign from their jobs. Being an unmarried mother was looked down on and homosexuality was a crime punishable by prison. Social attitudes were very conservative. Victoria Purman has conveyed time and place expertly and crafted a compelling story too. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The Library at Wagtail Ridge by Janet Gover
An unexpected and unusual inheritance sets a young woman on the road to discover her mother’s deepest secret. A charming and heartfelt rural romance perfect for readers of Rachael Johns and Karly Lane.
When Lou Taylor inherits a quaint country cottage and a mobile library full of books from her birth mother, she heads to the small town of Wagtail Ridge to learn more about the woman she never knew. Curiously, the last piece of the bequest is a handwritten letter, the first of many Luca left scattered along the library’s route in hopes of finally sharing her secrets with the daughter she had to give up.
The townspeople of Wagtail Ridge flock around Lou, wanting to share the stories of Luca’s life, but she knows she must learn about her birth mother in the way Luca intended. Jake Barnes, her new neighbour, offers to help her follow the trail, but weighing on his conscience is a promise he made to Luca – a secret that now stands between him and the woman who’s slowly capturing his heart…
As the kilometres fly by, Lou gradually untangles who her mother was and what lay behind the choices she made. At the same time, she finds herself drawing ever closer to kind, handsome Jake. But will it all be enough to keep her in Wagtail Ridge when she has another happy life waiting for her in the city?
A captivating story of love, family and belonging from award-winning romance author Janet Gover.
My Review. I enjoyed following Lou on her journey to find out more about her birth mother and empathised with her confusion and anger. Her life was settled, she had parents who loved her and had never hidden that she was adopted. The unwelcome bequest from an unknown woman is a complication she doesn’t want, but maybe it is something she needs? At first, she is determined to sell up and leave town, but what about the mobile library? What about letting people down? The more she learns the minor conflicted she feels.
Palace Rogue by William Coles.
Kim is not your average member of Her Majesty’s palace staff – but then he shouldn’t be on the staff at all. He’s in fact a Sun staff reporter who’s wormed his way into Buckingham Palace to pick up every bit of dirt and gossip that he can lay his hands on. Along the way, Kim is faced with many surprising aspects of Palace life that even he didn’t see coming. Based on the true story of the tabloid hack who became a Queen’s footman, Palace Rogue is a charming, uplifting and utterly outrageous story of love and secrets – all of it set in the heart of one of the world’s most famous houses.
My Review. A fictionalised account of life below stairs at Buckingham Palace, where it seems, the staff have a high old time, while the gin flows freely. There is a Cinderella-type love story added to the plot, but the basics read surprisingly real. This happened in 2003 and just prior to George Bush visiting the Queen. The Queen come across as a surprisingly human employer and would have been delighted with the ventriloquism which made the corgis appear to talk!
The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson
They keep everyone’s secrets, until there’s a murder…
Sydney, 1965: After a chance encounter with a stranger, tea ladies Hazel, Betty and Irene become accidental sleuths, stumbling into a world of ruthless crooks and racketeers in search of a young woman believed to be in danger.
In the meantime, Hazel’s job at Empire Fashionwear is in jeopardy. The firm has turned out the same frocks and blouses for the past twenty years and when the mini-skirt bursts onto the scene, it rocks the rag trade to its foundations. War breaks out between departments and it falls to Hazel, the quiet diplomat, to broker peace and save the firm.
When there is a murder in the building, the tea ladies draw on their wider network and put themselves in danger as they piece together clues that connect the murder to a nearby arson and a kidnapping. But if there’s one thing tea ladies can handle, it’s hot water.
368 pages, Paperback Published April 12, 2023
My Review. I’m slightly ambivalent about this book, one the one hand it’s a good premise, tea ladies do hear everything and are often overlooked. Hazel is a great character, and her persuasive ways are needed to keep Irene in check. The fashion side of the story resonated with me, the shock at the mini-skirt worn by Jean Shrimpton at the Melbourne Cup. Young women were entranced while older women were scandalised. Businesses were in jeopardy if they didn’t adapt.
What did not really gel for me- was the crime itself. In part it made sense, but it became unnecessarily complicated with the Russian connection. As a portrait of an era, it worked and there may well be more from The Tea Ladies.
The Age of Cats by Jonathan. Losos.
Jonathan B. Losos unravels the secrets of the cat using all the tools of modern technology, from GPS tracking (you’ll be amazed where they roam) and genomics (what is your so-called Siamese cat, really?) to forensic archaeology. He tells the story of the cat’s domestication (if you can call it that) and gives us a cat’s-eye view of the world today. Along the way we also meet their wild cousins, whose behaviours are eerily similar to even the sweetest of house cats. Drawing on his own research and life in his multi-cat household, Losos deciphers complex science and history and explores how selection, both natural and artificial, over the millennia has shaped the contemporary cat. Yet the cat, ever a predator, still seems to have only one paw out of the wild, and readily reverts to its feral ways as it occupies new habitats around the world. Looking ahead, this charming and intelligent book suggests what the future may hold for the special bond between Felis catus and Homo sapiens.
401 pages, Kindle Edition Published May 2, 2023.
My Review. I have been reading this book for some time, as it is information-rich. I think most cat lovers would find the book fascinating. There is so much about our domestic companions that is shrouded in mystery. In my Kindle edition, I highlighted various points that interested me. The five varieties of wild cats are the domestic cat’s ancestors. Tracking cats how it began and how successful it is. Not entirely! Genetics, what breeders are doing and if they should mess with a cat’s DNA to the point that we have Persian cats who can hardly breathe. The decision is whether to keep a cat as an indoor cat only. Statistics show that indoor cats live longer, but some cats are demanding to be let out. Feline instinct is a powerful thing. Any cat lover is sure to find something of interest in this book. I read this book courtesy of Net Galley.
A Twist of The Knife by Anthony Horowitz
‘Our deal is over.’
That’s what reluctant author Anthony Horowitz tells ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne in an awkward meeting. The truth is that Anthony has other things on his mind.
His new play, Mindgame, is about to open in London’s Vaudeville theatre. Not surprisingly Hawthorne declines a ticket.
On opening night, Sunday Times critic Harriet Throsby gives the play a savage review, focusing particularly on the writing. The next morning she is found dead, stabbed in the heart with an ornamental dagger which, it turns out, belongs to Anthony and which has his finger prints all over it.
Anthony is arrested, charged with Throsby’s murder, thrown into prison and interrogated.
Alone and increasingly desperate, he realises only one man can help him.
But will Hawthorne take his call?
My Review. I have enjoyed the previous three books in this series and was looking forward to reading this.While it is clever, (who would expect less from Anthony Horowitz), it didn’t engage me as the previous books have.
Maybe it was the setting or the duality of it being backgrounded by his real play Mind Games? I can imagine the pleasure with which he wrote about the murder of a theatre critic. Hawthorne is as surly and unpredictable as ever, but for me, this series has run out of steam.
The Vintage Shop of Second Chances by Libby Park.
Among the cobbled streets of the Somerset town of Frome, Lou is embarking on the start of something new. After the death of her beloved mother, she takes a deep breath into the unknown and is opening her own vintage clothes shop.
In upstate New York, Donna has just found out some news about her family which has called into question her whole upbringing. The only clue she has to unlock her past is a picture of a yellow dress, and the fact it is currently on display in a shop in England.
For Maggy, she is facing life as a 70-something divorcee and while she got the house, she’s not sure what to fill it with now her family have moved out. The new vintage shop in town sparks memories of her past and reignites a passion she’s been missing…
Together, can these three women find the answers they are searching for and unlock a second chance at a new life?
It’s never too late to start again… 384 pages, Hardcover.
My Review. I was drawn into the story immediately, empathising with both Lou and Maggie as each is facing a new and unnerving challenge. American Donna has also got some perplexing information. What ties the women together and what is the power of the sunshine yellow dress? I enjoyed how the women sparked off each other and encouraged each other. For anyone who likes vintage fashion, mysteries, or both.
Spare by Prince Harry and J.R. Moehringer (Ghost-writer.)
It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.
For Harry, this is that story at last.
Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.
At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.
Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .
For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.
410 pages, Hardcover. First published January 10, 2023.
My Review.
There had been so much talk and discussion about this book that I wanted to read it for myself. It was hard going as he seems blissfully unaware of the amount of leeway and privilege he has been accorded.
Some of his complaints, such as William getting the bigger bedroom and Wills (not Willy as he calls him in the book) didn’t want to associate with him at Eton show he is completely unaware of what normality is. Siblings argue, older kids get the bigger bedroom and don’t want to hang out with their younger siblings whether at Eton or at the local school.
The press he hates so much, and the palace managed his image relatively well given how out of control he was. I wonder now with all his cries for privacy how he justifies his constant presence in the media and breaching his family’s privacy?
His time in the army seemed the most real and reasoned part of the book and gave a sense of the man he might have been.
Harry has been in therapy for years and it hasn’t appeared to do him much good. Yes, it’s tragic he lost his adoring mum at such a young age, but so did William and he’s never used it as an excuse for any of his behaviour. The brothers appeared to be such good friends and it’s hard to see the level of distrust and disengagement now.
After reading the book it’s hard to see a way back for Harry if he wanted it or if the royal family allowed it.
Readers Digest How to Write Your Life Story-The Complete Guide to Creating a Personal Memoir by Karen Ulrich
Packed with ideas, exercises, and invaluable advice, this comprehensive book guides you through writing your memoir–whether for yourself or for the world
My Review. In my opinion, this book is more for those wishing to create a family history or even a pictorial record. There are examples and the author casts a wide net. In one section she talks about the possibility of using song lyrics in your memoir. It is only many pages later that the issue of copyright is mentioned. You cannot quote song lyrics without the copyright holder’s permission and may have to pay a fee. You are free to quote song titles.
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty.
At the heart of The Husband’s Secret is a letter that’s not meant to be read
My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died…
Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .
Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.
Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spouses—and, ultimately, ourselves.
My Review. A friend had been nagging me for ages to read and comment on this book and I hadn’t got around to it. Finally, I did, and it wowed me. Powerful emotions that seem believably real. A dilemma that is apparently unsolvable and lives that are irrevocably changed.
The Lido by Libby Page
A tender, joyous debut novel about a cub reporter and her eighty-six-year-old subject—and the unlikely and life-changing friendship that develops between them.
Kate is a twenty-six-year-old riddled with anxiety and panic attacks who works for a local paper in Brixton, London, covering forgettably small stories. When she’s assigned to write about the closing of the local lido (an outdoor pool and recreation center), she meets Rosemary, an eighty-six-year-old widow who has swum at the lido daily since it opened its doors when she was a child. It was here Rosemary fell in love with her husband, George; here that she’s found communion during her marriage and since George’s death. The lido has been a cornerstone in nearly every part of Rosemary’s life.
But when a local developer attempts to buy the lido for a posh new apartment complex, Rosemary’s fond memories and sense of community are under threat.
As Kate dives deeper into the lido’s history—with the help of a charming photographer—she pieces together a portrait of the pool, and a portrait of a singular woman, Rosemary. What begins as a simple local interest story for Kate soon blossoms into a beautiful friendship that provides sustenance to both women as they galvanize the community to fight the lido’s closure. Meanwhile, Rosemary slowly, finally, begins to open up to Kate, transforming them both in ways they never knew possible.
In the tradition of Fredrik Backman, The Lido is a charming, feel-good novel that captures the heart and spirit of a community across generations—an irresistible tale of love, loss, ageing, and friendship.
384 pages, Hardcover First published April 19, 2018
My Review. Because I had enjoyed The Vintage Shop of Second Chances, I looked for more of this author’s work and came across this. It is her debut novel, structured in a different way, and with an entirely different feel. It’s readable enough, exploring the impact of a community’s campaign to save their lido. Maybe it was the topic or the characters,but I didn’t find it as engaging as Second Chances which indicates that she has grown and progressed as a writer.
Secret Passages in a Hillside Town by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen, Lola Rogers (Translator)
An atmospheric love story with a twist by the author of The Rabbit Back Literature Society.
In a small hillside town, Olli Suominen – publisher and discontented husband – is constantly losing umbrellas. He has also joined a film club. And Greta, an old flame, has added him on Facebook.
As his life becomes more and more entangled with Greta’s and his wife and son are dragged into the aftermath of this teenage romance, Olli is forced to make a choice. But does he really want to know what the secret passages are? Can he be sure that Greta is who she seems to be? And what actually happened on that summer’s day long ago?
Absorbing, atmospheric and often very funny, Secret Passages in a Hillside Town is an intoxicating novel about the grip of the past and the romance of what has been lost.
404 pages, Paperback First published January 1, 2010.
My Review. Never underestimate the power of a good title! I was intrigued and wanted to find out what it was all about. I have never read a book like it. I was absorbed, befuddled, and amused simultaneously. All credit to the translator for the lyricalness of the prose. Olli, the chronic umbrella loser, has a chance to look back and move forward. But choices affect other choices. Fantasy, and magic realism, are all grounded in a strange reality. The ending too, is a surprise. One to discuss with your book club perhaps? The discussion could go on for hours!
Secret Passages was a great book to finish my month’s reading. It’s good to read something unexpected and out of your usual range.
Now, the memoir is beginning to take shape as I wrestle with my memory and check with friends and colleagues to establish facts.
After a hard day’s writing what better way to relax than with a good book?
Sonia Bellhouse- Author. 