Short Book and Scribes

To the point book reviews and other bookish stuff

Home
About
Contact
Review Policy
In Print
Fame at last!
Reviews
Extracts
Guest Posts
Q&A
Articles
Blog Tours
Giveaways
Cover Reveals
Tales from the Backlist
Seven Day Spotlight Posts
Privacy Policy

Short Book and Scribes

Blog Tours

Follow Short Book and Scribes

Follow Short Book and Scribes on WordPress.com

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

In doing so you are consenting to this website storing your personal information, none of which will be shared with any third parties.

Email Address

Search for:

Currently Reading

Follow me on Twitter

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM

shortbookandscribes

Ad - New review: The Girl in the Maze by Cathy Hay

Ad - New review: The Girl in the Maze by Cathy Hayward. To be published by Agora Books on 28th October.
🌺
The Girl in the Maze is the name of a painting by Margaret, Emma’s mother. Margaret has just passed away and Emma is clearing out her flat. Having had a very difficult relationship with her mother, the discovery of letters and documents that might explain that difficulty send Emma on a path into the past. Whilst most of the story is set in the present and from Emma’s point of view, we also journey into the past and read about how Margaret’s own life started, focusing on her parents and upbringing.
🌺
The book begins with a bang, a shocking chapter that took my breath away. Whilst this is in essence a family drama, the author doesn’t hold back on the devastating and life-changing events. This genre of books is one of my favourites and I have to say that I absolutely LOVED The Girl in the Maze. I found it addictive, thought-provoking and moving. The painting of the title pops up many times throughout the story, illustrating how life can be like a maze that you must navigate.
🌺
The tagline cautions against delving into the past but it would have been a very different book without it as this is very much a tale of how the past shapes the future. As Emma discovers more about her mother’s life so much slots into place for her and I particularly loved putting the pieces of the jigsaw together myself, aided by the extremely adept writing and plotting by Cathy Hayward.
🌺
I also loved the detail, both historical and contemporary, which I drank in hungrily. I couldn’t get enough of it and it had me fully immersed from start to finish. It didn’t feel so much like I was reading a work of fiction, more that I was a part of it, so three-dimensional were these characters, their lives and their secrets. I think this is an amazing debut novel which focuses very much on motherhood down the generations of one family. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s superb!
🌺
@cathy_hayward_writer @agorabooksldn
Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book and the place on the #blogtour.

New review: The Whistling by Rebecca Netley. Publi

New review: The Whistling by Rebecca Netley. Published by Michael Joseph and out now.
🕯️
A book set on a remote Scottish island, you say? Count me in! The Whistling is set on the island of Skelthsea where Elspeth travels from Edinburgh in 1860 to take up a position as nanny to Mary, a young girl who has recently lost her twin brother. Elspeth’s feelings are in tune with Mary’s, having recently also suffered a tragic bereavement of her own. Mary lives at Iskar with her aunt, a cook and a couple of servants. This is not a happy tale, but one of sinister goings on in the closed off rooms of the house, hummed lullabies in the corridors, dolls and a strange sound of whistling.
🕯️
I loved the setting of this book. Island life has its own particular set of ways and Skelthsea is no different. It’s a small community and felt very insular and at times unwelcoming. I thought the author did a marvellous job at portraying this, especially for Elspeth coming from a big city.
🕯️
I’ll be honest and say that ghost stories aren’t always my thing. Maybe it’s an inability to let myself suspend disbelief and just go with it. However, I have to say that Rebecca Netley’s narrative is as convincing as I could find a ghost story and is certainly well-written and well-constructed, with an initial slow burn building up to a crescendo of an ending. I liked the idea of the whistling and the story behind it along with the elements of witchery which really created a creepy and ominous vibe.
🕯️
I liked Elspeth, who I found plucky and determined. I particularly enjoyed her relationship with her charge, Mary, and how that developed throughout the story. Whilst, perhaps in the very depths of my mind, I had an idea of how part of the ending might pan out, it was still a surprise and I thought it a clever way to add an unexpected ingredient to the mix.
🕯️
I thought The Whistling was a beautifully written and intricate gothic tale with an atmospheric setting……and remember…..if you can hear it…..it’s already too late.
🕯️
Ad/PR product. Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.

@rebeccanetleywriter @michaeljbooks

Ad - New review: The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason.

Ad - New review: The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason. Published today by Zaffre.
🕯️
The synopsis of The Hiding Place had a lot to draw me in. The Whitby setting and the house full of secrets were enough to entice me into reading this well-drawn and quite eerie story.
🕯️
Nell Galilee is a jewellery designer and one half of Galilee Clarke, a gallery selling art and jewellery, with her husband Chris. When Nell’s stepdaughter, Maude, has to take time away from school they decide to head to Whitby, Nell’s childhood home, for an extended break at Elder House, a newly renovated holiday cottage. I always think there is something so interesting about holiday cottages, many of which have a lot of history between their four walls. Elder House lured me with its setting within a Whitby Yard, an almost secret area containing houses close together around a shared yard with lots of history. It’s fair to say the house itself has a rather sinister feel to it. Nell feels it in particular, the little footsteps, the knocking, the sense that something isn’t right. I had a pervading feeling of unease from fairly early on. Whitby itself is also portrayed well, which is no surprise as the author lives there. I’ve only been a few times but I recognised it easily from the descriptions.
🕯️
Alongside Nell’s story and the growing difficulties she has with Maude, are the stories of Evie, another resident of the yard and the daughter of a woman who recognises Nell from school (the recognition is not reciprocated which adds to Nell’s unease), and Kym, whose grandmother, Gina, lives in an even more hidden spot close to Elder House. These two teenagers have their own reasons for being wary of Elder House and their stories become woven together with the main narrative of Nell and her family.
🕯️
There’s a lot of atmosphere created between the pages of this book. The crux of the story is motherhood and what people will do to achieve it but it’s also about the history of a house. I think Amanda Mason has done a great job with this book. It’s a compelling story with fascinating characters and a truly mesmerizing setting.
🕯️
Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.

Ad - New review: The Patchwork Girls by Elaine Eve

Ad - New review: The Patchwork Girls by Elaine Everest. Published on 14th October by Pan Macmillan.
🧵
The year is 1939 and Britain is at war. The Patchwork Girls begins with Helen visiting the London apartment she shared with her MP husband, John, after his untimely death. Unable to stay there she goes to stay with her mother and stepfather in Kent where she makes some wonderful new friends. The title hints at the nature of the friendship: Helen becomes involved with a group of people undertaking various crafts, the most interesting for her being patchwork, and quilt designs in particular.
🧵
This is such an engaging read, a multi-layered one which I enjoyed so much. Helen goes from her fairly sophisticated London home to quite a more rural one, and I thought the settings were really vivid and well-drawn. I especially liked the dog kennels that come to play a huge part in Helen’s new life and I felt genuinely happy for her to have that involvement. Being an old romantic, one of my favourite aspects of the story was Helen meeting Richard, the chief officer investigating John’s death. I don’t want to give anything away but I just thought that strand of the story was really lovely. Another uplifting aspect was Helen’s new friendships, with Effie and Lizzie in particular, both so different yet both exactly the kind of people Helen needed in her new life, giving her a sense of comradeship.
🧵
As I say, there are several threads (excuse the pun) in this story with the crafts, the dogs, the romance, the friendships, family ties, and then the sub-plot of John’s death and what caused it. They’re all brought together expertly by the author to make The Patchwork Girls into a gorgeous story that completely warmed my heart. I spent a very happy couple of days reading this delightful book. I feel like I’ve learned more about patchwork quilt designs too which is a nice bonus. I loved this touching and engrossing standalone read from Elaine Everest.
🧵
Thank you to @ed.pr for sending a review copy of the book and for the place on the #blogtour.

@elaine.everest @panmacmillan

New review: The Halfpenny Girls by Maggie Mason. P

New review: The Halfpenny Girls by Maggie Mason. Published by Sphere and out now.
💖
The Halfpenny Girls is the name given to Alice, Edith and Marg, young women living in a poor area of Blackpool in 1937. They’ve been friends since childhood and always look out for each other through thick and thin. Each has their own problems at home with difficult family members and struggles to keep food on the table and yet there’s a cheerful camaraderie between them that is unbeatable.
💖
I absolutely loved this book. It’s full of Maggie Mason’s trademark warmth with characters to care about. As always there are ones to dislike too but they are often a product of their upbringing or lifestyle and the author portrays hard working class life brilliantly. Throughout the course of the book each of the girls has to cope with tragedy and revelations and as each is so lovely I was really hoping they would come out the other end relatively unscathed. This is the first in a new trilogy so I’m sure there’s lots more to come for them in the future.
💖
Mason always sets her books in her home town of Blackpool and the town feels like another character. It’s portrayed so well and is really brought to life with the seaside town feel, the fish and chips and the rock stalls on the sea front. The girls go for a night out at the famous Tower Ballroom and it could well set at least two of them on a different future path. I can’t wait to read the second instalment and see what happens to them all next.
💖
The Halfpenny Girls is a heart-warming story of family and friendship amidst all that life can throw at you, good or bad. I raced through it and found it completely engrossing.
💖
Ad/PR product. Thank you to the publishers for the review copy of the book.
*
*
*
*
*
*
@mary.wood.7796420 #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #instareads #instabooks #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #bookworm #sagafiction #sagabooks #Blackpool #instasagas #shortbookandscribes

The Spirit Engineer by A.J. West 🗝️ First of

The Spirit Engineer by A.J. West
🗝️
First of all, I'd like to say congratulations to the author as it's #publicationday today! #TheSpiritEngineer is an accomplished debut historical novel. Set in Belfast in 1914, it focuses on the world of spirits and séances from the point of view of a main character who works with facts and scientific evidence.
🗝️
William Jackson Crawford is a somewhat farcical figure really, with the reader almost colluding against him in the face of his ineptitude and his own high thoughts of himself. His is an unexpectedly sharply comic narrative and I guffawed quite a bit but there is also some quite disturbing conduct at times. It's a fascinating look at spiritualism, both from the points of view of believers and non-believers as Crawford is tasked with investigating whether a medium has true powers or is faking it.
🗝
There is a basis of truth to this story (Crawford and some of the other characters did really exist) although West has clearly put his own spin on it. It's certainly a very interesting topic and it felt like a different and intriguing one to read about. The ending was a clever one that I didn't see coming and it turned the story completely on its head.
🗝️
The Spirit Engineer is an excellent choice of October read, with Halloween coming, dark nights and maybe the sound of a knock knock and the vision of a spirit in the fireplace.
🗝️
Ad/PR product. My thanks to @duck_books for the proof copy of the book.
*
*
*
*
*
*
@ajwestauthor #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofinsta #booksofig #readersofinstagram #readersofinsta #readersofig #instabooks #instareads #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #bookworm #spookyreads #halloweenreads #spiritualism #seances #shortbookandscribes

#CoverReveal 🚪 All that stands between Meredit

#CoverReveal
🚪
All that stands between Meredith and the world is her own front door, but what will it take for her to open it?
🚪
I can't wait to read #MeredithAlone by @claireawriter when it's published in June 2022 by @michaeljbooks.
*
*
*
*
*
*
#newbooks #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofinsta #booksofig #readersofinstagram #readersofinsta #readersofig #instareads #instabooks #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #bookworm #shortbookandscribes

#CoverReveal 🌊 No one expected them to go there

#CoverReveal
🌊
No one expected them to go there. The question is: will any of them leave?
🌊
#TheLighthouse by @franwritesstuff is out February 2022 to and sounds fantastic! Remote Scottish island and a lighthouse? Yes please. 👏
*
*
*
*
*
*
@avonbooksuk #thrillerbooks #thrillerfiction #thrillersofinstagram #thrillerreads #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #readersofinsta #readersofinstagram #readersofig #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #bookworm #shortbookandscribes

#ThreeBooksOneWord 📚 I saw @babbageandsweetcorn

#ThreeBooksOneWord
📚
I saw @babbageandsweetcorn do this challenge today and shamelessly jumped on the bandwagon. I've read and loved all three of these books.
📚
I chose:
#TheIdeaOfYou by @robinnelee. I read this amazing hot love story in July and I'm still thinking about it now.

#YouMeAndTheSea by @elizabethhayneswrites is a gorgeous story set in a lighthouse on a remote Scottish island.

#TheGirlBeforeYou by @nicolaraynerwrites is a brilliant read with a complex and twisty storyline.
📚
My one word that links them all is 'You'.
*
*
*
*
*
*
#bookchallenge #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofinsta #booksofig #readersofinstagram #readersofinsta #readersofig #instareads #instabooks #instathrillers #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #ilovebooks #bookishlove #bookish #bookworm #lovestory #scottishbooks #scottishfiction #shortbookandscribes

New review: The Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul.

New review: The Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul. Published by Avon and out now.
🐪
Lady Evelyn Herbert, along with her father, Lord Carnavon and Howard Carter, was one of the first people to enter the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, maybe even the very first. Something of a trailblazer, she had always longed to be a lady archaeologist and so her time in Egypt is a dream come true.
🐪
The Collector’s Daughter tells a fictionalised account of Lady Evelyn’s life and covers the discovery of the tomb, the loss of her beloved father, her marriage to Sir Brograve Beauchamp, and the years running up to the end of her life. I can never resist books like this that bring to life real people and events and Gill Paul has done a phenomenal job with this compelling read.
🐪
I found sense of place to be extremely strong, whether that be in the heat and dust of 1920s Egypt, or the rather less exotic London of the 1970s, interspersed with visits to Highclere, the family seat and now well known as the home of Downton Abbey. Evelyn is visited by an Egyptian academic, determined to track down items that appear to have been taken from the tomb when it was opened, and it is her visits that the author uses to take us back through Eve’s life.
🐪
Whilst it is a story that would be much more ordinary without Evelyn’s time in Egypt, it’s her romance and subsequent marriage to Brograve that really made this book for me. Essentially it’s a love story and I thought it beautifully imagined on these pages. These two characters were brought to life for me and left me wanting to know more about them (hello Google!). Indeed, the pages at the end, giving more detail about the author’s extensive research and a few photographs were very welcome indeed. I’d deliberately refrained from looking at them whilst I was reading and as everything and everybody was described so well I didn’t really need to, but it was still nice to turn the final page of this fabulous novel and see them there.
🐪
I thought The Collector’s Daughter was an absolutely wonderful historical fiction read, quietly gripping, totally absorbing and completely fascinating, with a hint of mystery.

September Reads 📚 10 reads this month. Not as m

September Reads
📚
10 reads this month. Not as many as I hoped for and not as many as I know I can read but I seem to have had a very distracted month. A chance conversation with my dad sent me down the genealogy rabbit hole, with me excitedly putting together a family tree on one of the genealogy websites. It's surprising how time-consuming that can be. Good fun though. It's not the first time I've done something like that but last time it was A1 paper and a pen!
📚
And then I bought myself a piano! 🎹 I've been without one since we moved into our house nearly 10 years ago. Optimistically I thought I might get my old one in but then we filled the house with all our belongings (junk) and quickly realised there was no room. The one I've bought is a compact digital piano which just fits nicely in our hallway and best of all volume control means I can play it without the man next door getting the face on and banging on the wall. 😄
📚
So my time has been taken up with other things this month and I'm pleased I managed 10, especially as there are some brilliant books on this pile and some that will be among my favourites of the year.
📚
Did you manage to read much in September? What was your favourite read?
*
*
*
*
*
*
#booksread #septemberreads #september2021reads #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #booksofinsta #booksofig #readersofinstagram #readersofinsta #readersofig #instareads #instabooks #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #bookworm #historicalfiction #histfic #instathrillers #thrillerfiction #thrillerbooks #booksaboutbooks #shortbookandscribes

The Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul 🏜️ It's

The Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul
🏜️
It's #publicationday today for @gill.paul1's latest book, #TheCollectorsDaughter. Congratulations Gill and @avonbooksuk. It's available now in paperback, eBook and audiobook.
🏜️
I'm half way through reading it and it's absolutely brilliant. I love fictionalised accounts of real people's lives and in this book the spotlight is firmly on Lady Evelyn Herbert who was one of the people who found the lost tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. I'll be reviewing the book as soon as I've finished it but in the meantime here's the synopsis:
🏜️
An unforgettable discovery
In 1922, Lady Evelyn Herbert’s dreams are realised when she is the first to set foot inside the lost tomb of Tutankhamun for over 3,000 years.

A cursed life
But the months after the discovery are marred by tragedy, when Eve’s father dies suddenly and her family is torn in two. Desperate to put the past behind her, Eve retreats into a private life with her new husband.

A deadly choice
But she is harbouring a dark secret about what really happened in Egypt. And when a young woman comes asking questions years later, the happiness Eve has finally found is threatened once more…
🏜️
Ad/PR product. Thank you to the publishers for the review copy of the book.
*
*
*
*
*
*
#historicalfiction #histfic #bookblogger #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofinsta #booksofig #readersofinstagram #readersofinsta #readersofig #instabooks #instareads #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #bookworm #GillPaul #tutankhamun #highclere #ladyevelyn #shortbookandscribes

Load More… Follow on Instagram

Popular
Comments
Latest

Today Week Month All

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Patchwork Girls by Elaine Everest #BlogTour
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Whistling by Rebecca Netley
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman #ImpossibleTruths #BlogTour
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Couple at No. 9 by Claire Douglas #BlogTour
ShortBookandScribes #PublicationDay #BookReview - The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason #BlogTour

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Girl in the Maze by Cathy Hayward #BlogTour
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Whistling by Rebecca Netley
ShortBookandScribes #PublicationDay #BookReview – The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason #BlogTour
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Patchwork Girls by Elaine Everest #BlogTour
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Halfpenny Girls by Maggie Mason

Today Week Month All

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Patchwork Girls by Elaine Everest #BlogTour
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman #ImpossibleTruths #BlogTour

Archives

Archives

© Unauthorised use and/or duplication of material contained on this site without express and written permission from this site’s author and owner is strictly prohibited. Authors and publishers may use excerpts and links, provided that full and clear credit is given to Short Book and Scribes and shortbookandscribes.uk with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Powered by WordPress and Momentous.

Follow

Get the latest posts delivered to your mailbox:

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Powered by GDPR Cookie Compliance

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

Enable or Disable Cookies

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.