Short Book and Scribes

To the point book reviews and other bookish stuff

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

Short Book and Scribes

Category: Guest Posts

Fact and Fiction in The Phantom Tree – published today! @NicolaCornick @HQStories

Posted on 29th December 2016 By Nicola

I’m delighted to have a guest post from Nicola Cornick today. Nicola is the author of The Phantom Tree which I reviewed last week here. […]

Continue reading »

0

Guest Posts

Phoebe Smith’s Private Blog by Lynda Renham

Posted on 20th November 2016 By Nicola

Meet Phoebe Smith. Her boyfriend has just dumped her for Essex Earring (Riyana to her friends) and she needs a date for the works do […]

Continue reading »

0

Articles, Guest Posts, Reviews

« 1 … 21 22 23

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

Last • Now • Next 📚 Hello and Happy Sunday.

Last • Now • Next
📚
Hello and Happy Sunday. I thought I'd share my #lastnownextreads with you today.
📚
Last - I've just this morning finished reading #AMotherForever by @elaine.everest. I loved it! One for Saga fans and it's also a prequel to the Woolworths books.

Now - I'm just about to start #DogDays by @erickawaller1. I'm really looking forward to this one.

Next - after that I think I will read #WhenIRanAway by @ilona.bannister which sounds lovely. I've heard so many good things about it.
📚
What are you reading today?
*
*
*
*
*
*
#booksread #tbr #bookstoread #tbrpile #bookblogger #bookblog #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #instareads #instabooks #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #stacksunday #sundaystack #shortbookandscribes

#BookPost #BookStack 📚 Good morning and Happy S

#BookPost #BookStack
📚
Good morning and Happy Saturday!
Where has this week gone to? It seems to have passed in a blink of an eye and 8th March is now almost upon us.
📚
Today I'm sharing this week's book post, mainly because I haven't had time to do it in the week. I'd like to say a massive thank you to the tagged publishers of these beauties for sending them my way.
📚
#SorrowAndBliss by Meg Mason
#TheOtherBlackGirl by @zakiyadalilaharris
#TheKingdoms by @natasha_pulley
#Dálvi by Laura Galloway
#TheFirstDayOfSpring by Nancy Tucker
#TheStartupWife by @tahmima
📚
Have you got your eye on any of these? Have a great day!
*
*
*
*
*
*
#tbr #tbrpile #bookstoread #saturdaystack #stacksaturday #bookblogger #bookblog #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #instareads #instabooks #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklover #booklove #shortbookandscribes

New review: The Lamplighters by Emma Stoned. Publi

New review: The Lamplighters by Emma Stoned. Published by Picador and out now.
💡
A locked room mystery on a lighthouse? Can it get any better? The Lamplighters is a wonderful read, one that in turns gripped and saddened me.
💡
This is the story of three lighthouse keepers of different ranks. Collectively they look after the Maiden Rock lighthouse off the coast of Cornwall. This is no pretty mainland building though. This is a tower in the middle of the sea, surrounded by roiling water and with only a distant sight of land. Once in the lighthouse they can go nowhere for two months at a time. The set up and dynamics between the three men was something I found absolutely fascinating. For these men it was simply a way of life.
💡
Until they went missing in 1972. No explanations, no obvious clues, nothing to put the minds of the women they left behind at rest. The author cleverly weaves their disappearance into another narrative, 20 years later, when a writer gets in touch with the women. He’s writing a book and wants their memories and theories as to what happened to their men. Through the 1992 story and the interviews we see what it was like for them before and after the disappearance.
💡
Emma Stonex has based her book around real events but made it her own. She’s written something literary yet accessible, and I loved how the story unfolded organically as I was thrust between the weeks leading up to the bizarre events of 1972 and the details that were coming to light in 1992. I was totally caught up in the mystery of it all.
💡
The author portrays so well the differing kinds of grief felt by the women, from acceptance to never waning hopefulness, and once or twice I felt a lump in my throat. It’s just so exquisitely written and so involving.
💡
This is a book that is incredibly atmospheric. There’s the obvious sense of foreboding, the tower rising from the sea and the slight menace of the water, but there’s also the portrayal of the women on the land, looking out at the tower in the distance, sometimes wishing their husbands were home but taking time to adjust when they were. It’s an intensely gripping and brooding read, well-researched and expertly plotted.

#Repost @shortbookandscribes (@get_repost)
・・・
It's paperback #publicationday for #Liar by Lesley Pearse today and so I'm resharing my review from last year.
🤥
Full disclosure: I am a huge Lesley Pearse fan so it’s pretty much a given I will love her books (and this is book 28!). I found Liar to be a real page-turning read.
🤥
Our protagonist is Amelia White who lives on her own in her bedsit in London. It’s 1970, flower power is done with, and Amelia is concentrating on her job at a newspaper. She wants to be a reporter but at the moment she’s only tasked with selling advertising space. However, her working life is about to take an unexpected turn when she discovers the body of a dead woman and because it was her discovery she is allowed to write about it for the paper.
🤥
This is only the start for Amelia, though, as she finds herself in all sorts of difficult situations. If at times she seemed a little too good to be true, and if she did seem to get into rather too many of those difficult situations, it didn’t alter my enjoyment because this is such an engrossing story that I found myself completely immersed in.
🤥
Pearse is a consummate storyteller, weaving together the sensational and the ordinary to create a really great domestic noir/murder mystery. Amelia is such a likeable heroine and I so wanted her to escape her past and make a new life for herself. She turns amateur detective, delving into her own investigations into who killed the woman. This steps up a gear when the killer strikes again. The ending was not a total surprise as I’d started to get an inkling as to who it might be but not until much later on in the story and after the author had already led me down a different path. It was a really cleverly executed denouement.
🤥
Once again Lesley Pearse has written a fabulous tale which had me hooked from page one. Liar is a delight to read, full of her customary compassion and warmth.
🤥
#LIARbook #LoveLesley

New review: Love Letters of Kings and Queens, edit

New review: Love Letters of Kings and Queens, edited by Daniel Smith. Published by Greenfinch and out now. Thank you to the publishers for the review copy of the book.
👑💌
This book, expertly edited by Daniel Smith, takes us on a journey through royal love letters. Beginning with Edward II and Isabella of France in 1325, and ending with Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in 1937, this is a fascinating look at how some of the most well known Kings and Queens communicated with each other.
💌👑
Each section has a brief biography of the main players, followed by a selection of their letters. It’s quite illuminating to bear witness to some of the most interesting matches in history, even if some of them were not exactly love matches. Indeed, upon the death of Mary I, her husband, Philip II of Spain, commented to his sister that he “felt a reasonable regret for her death”. Well, if that’s not true love then I don’t know what is!
👑💌
Of course, one of the most famous royal relationships was that of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She never got over his premature death and it was very moving to read of her agonising cry of “Oh, My dear Darling!” as he passed away.
💌👑
Perhaps the most intriguing for me were the letters between Edward and Mrs Simpson. History has her pegged as a wicked woman who stole our king but her letters perhaps show us a alternate viewpoint. Either way, I enjoyed reading their missives and the little quirks in the way they addressed and wrote to each other.
👑💌
Love Letters of Kings and Queens is a real treat for any royalist and anyone who enjoys reading historical letters, and it’s the ideal book to dip in and out of.
*
*
*
*
*
*
#bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblogger #bookblog #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #instareads #instabooks #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklove #booklover #LoveLettersOfKingsAndQueens #letters #loveletters #shortbookandscribes

New review: The Split by Laura Kay. Published by Q

New review: The Split by Laura Kay. Published by Quercus on 18th March. Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.
🍓
Oh my goodness, I loved The Split so much. I raced through it and I just didn’t want to put it down. It’s a brilliant debut.
🍓
The book begins with Ally being dumped by her girlfriend of seven years, Emily. Whilst fleeing from London back home to her dad’s in Sheffield, she manages to pop their cat, Malcolm, in a cat carrier and take him with her, something Emily isn’t very pleased about. Once she’s back home her dad suggests she meet up with her old friend, Jeremy, who she hasn’t seen for some years. Jeremy is also nursing a broken heart and they become really great friends again.
🍓
I absolutely loved the dynamics between Ally and Jeremy. They egg each other on and have a lot of fun together, whilst putting back together their shattered lives. There are so many gorgeous friendships and family relationships in this book and each and every character is written with such warmth. I felt like I knew them all, they all seemed to pop off the page. Ally’s dad was a particular favourite of mine and I thought it was lovely how he just adjusted to her being back after so long, especially with a cat in tow. I had a real soft spot too for his dog, Pat, and Malcolm, of course! Even the animals were portrayed beautifully.
🍓
Ally and Jeremy decide to run a half-marathon, mainly because Jeremy thinks he’s seen his ex, Ben, doing some running locally. The running scenes had me in stitches. This is a true laugh-out-loud book. Laura Kay’s humour just completely hit the spot with me. Another thing I loved about this book was that it’s set in Sheffield, my home city, and so it was lovely to see local streets and landmarks being referred to. I could just imagine our hapless pair struggling up and down the hilly city in their running gear.
🍓
I truly thought this book was just brilliant. It’s been a pleasure to read it. It’s full of heart, focusing on friendships, family, and getting up and putting your running shoes on when all you want to do is veg on the settee feeling sorry for yourself. It’s fresh, funny, foodie, and feel-good, and I loved it!

February Reads 📚 A pinch and a punch for the fi

February Reads
📚
A pinch and a punch for the first of the month. Happy March! Does anyone else try and remember to make "white rabbits" the first thing they say when it's a new month?
📚
These eight books were my February Reads. Not as many as I wanted to read but it's been a busy month. They are mostly 5* and 4* reads though so I'm not complaining (too much). Here's to a more productive March.🤞🏻
📚
Have you read any of these?
*
*
*
*
*
*
#booksread #februaryreads #februaryreads2021 #bookblogger #bookblog #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #BookStack #instareads #instabooks #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #booklove #booklover #shortbookandscribes

#SundayStack 📚 Happy Sunday everyone. It's anot

#SundayStack
📚
Happy Sunday everyone. It's another bright and sunny morning.😎☀️ One more week of home-schooling and whilst it's incredibly stressful and my boy is definitely ready to go back, I'm going to miss him being at home and in a strange way I will miss being involved in his school work. When I pick him up and ask what he's been doing he always says "can't remember". 😂
📚
Today's post is to thank the publishers for this lovely #bookpost. Are you excited for any of these?

Thank you @harpervoyager_uk for #MeetMeInAnotherLife by Catriona Silvey. This one is so up my street and I'm really excited about it.

Thank you Corvus for #TheBeautyOfImpossibleThings by Rachel Donohue. I enjoyed The Temple House Vanishing so I'm keen to read this one which sounds excellent.

Thank you @bookminxsjv for #Home by @cotswoldpenny. This one sounds absolutely delightful.

Thank you @zaffrebooks for #HopeNicelysLessonsForLife by Caroline Day. This looks like a really beautiful read.

Thank you @vikingbooksuk for #YouAndMeOnVacation by @emilyhenrywrites. I'm loving the sound of this romance.

New review: Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker. Published

New review: Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker. Published by Viper and out now.
📖
Call Me Mummy is a fantastic debut from Tina Baker. She doesn’t hold back for a minute. It’s a very dark read, brutal at times, but no less engrossing for it.
📖
This is ostensibly the story of two women. Mummy is the sort of woman who seems to have it all but she’s always wanted a child of her own and it’s something that has constantly eluded her. Kim is the opposite, the kind of woman who seems to pop children out left, right and centre and doesn’t even seem to like them that much. So when Mummy sees that Kim has turned her back on her daughter, Tonya, whilst out shopping, she seizes the opportunity and takes her.
📖
This is a book that challenges the reader to look beyond the stereotypes. We all know the rubbish the media peddle. Kim is made to look like the worst mother possible and as the story progressed I was glad to be able to get to know her better and understand a bit more about her past. What’s really clever is the way the author draws parallels between the two women’s lives where you wouldn’t think there would be any, and it made for such a thought-provoking read.
📖
Call Me Mummy is something of a rollercoaster ride. It’s a book that is full of light and shade, the murky side of life, and at times all that’s good about it. There might have been occasions when I wanted to look away from the page because what was happening was so horrific and unthinkable, but there were many more times when I was enthralled by what I was reading. The perspective shifts constantly between Mummy, Kim and Tonya (with a few guest appearances from people such as the police liaison officer and the press) and it made for a very fast-paced story. It felt like something quite fresh in style, with brave, no holds barred narratives from the people at the centre of Tonya’s disappearance.
📖
Hard-hitting, insightful, disturbing, and brimming with tension and unlikable characters, Call Me Mummy felt like a change from the normal psychological thriller.
📖
Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy of the book.

#CoverReveal L👀k! 📚 #Damage by @caitlinwahre

#CoverReveal L👀k!
📚
#Damage by @caitlinwahrer will be published in June by @michaeljbooks and it sounds brilliant.

ONE NIGHT. ONE CRIME. ONE FAMILY TORN APART.

#TheDamageIsDone

Pre-order now from Amazon or Waterstones.

New review: An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse. Pub

New review: An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse. Published by Lake Union and out now.
📖
I’ve read a couple of this author’s books before and really enjoyed them. An Ordinary Life particularly appealed to me as I always enjoy books that look back over what is essentially an ordinary life. The life in this book is that of 94 year old Molly. The book begins with her writing a very important letter and then having a very serious fall down the stairs. We are then taken back to the 1940s as Molly meets a man who makes her heart sing, does some very important war work, but ultimately has to make a heartbreaking decision.
📖
This is a book that is full of the author’s trademark warmth and it’s a story of the sacrifices made by women when society and circumstances left them no choice. Molly is brave and strong and I liked her a lot. The story is quite a sad one in many ways, with some moments of happiness shining through at intervals during Molly’s life. It’s very much focused on what happens to her in the 40s though, with then brief sections set throughout the ensuing decades. I would have liked those sections to be longer as I really liked seeing how she was coping with the consequences of her decision and in many ways I preferred her ordinary life to her moments of derring-do.
📖
An Ordinary Life is a sometimes gritty, sometimes heartbreaking, and sometimes uplifting story of a woman who has to live with her choices for her whole life. It certainly made me think about how precious life is. It’s a very easy read with a wonderful main character in Molly and although I guessed a lot of what happened, I found it to be a thought-provoking and interesting read.
📖
My thanks to the author for the review copy of the book.
*
*
*
*
*
*
#BookReview #bookreviewer #bookblogger #bookblog #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #instareads #instabooks #booklover #booklove #ilovebooks #lovereading #lovebooks #shortbookandscribes

I'm so excited to be helping with the #coverreveal

I'm so excited to be helping with the #coverreveal of #SongsInUrsaMajor by @emma.c.brodie 👀🎵. it sounds like the perfect summer read based on the real-life romance of folk legend Joni Mitchell and musician James Taylor 🎉

I can't wait to read it. Out 24th June.

Load More… Follow on Instagram

Popular
Comments
Latest

Today Week Month All

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - You, Me and the Sea by Elizabeth Haynes
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Glass House by Eve Chase
ShortBookandScribes #BlogTour #Extract from Ruthless Women by Melanie Blake
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – Love Letters of Kings and Queens, Edited by Daniel Smith
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Split by Laura Kay
ShortBookandScribes #BlogTour #Extract from Nick by Michael Farris Smith
ShortBookandScribes #BlogTour #Extract from A Beautiful Spy by Rachel Hore

Today Week Month All

ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker
ShortBookandScribes #BookReview - The Split by Laura Kay

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: