Seven Day Spotlight – w/e 11/11/18
Welcome to this week’s Seven Day Spotlight post. It’s a special day as we commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War and give thanks to those who laid down their lives for us.
There’s no easy way to follow on from that so I’ll just say here’s what I posted this week on my blog:
Monday’s post was my review of The Lingering by SJI Holliday, a book which I found compulsive and intense.
On Tuesday, I posted my review of Hush Hush by Mel Sherratt. I loved this gritty, pretty unputdownable read.
Wednesday’s post was a guest post by Elaine Everest, author of A Gift From Woolworths. She shared her top ten favourite things about the Woolworths series.
On Thursday, I reviewed Christmas Spirit by Nicola May, a genuinely feel-good Christmas read. It’s not too late to enter the giveaway to win a pdf copy.
And staying with Christmas reads, Friday’s post was my review of Christmas Once Again by D.K. Deters, a festive time travel story.
Saturday’s post was my review of Who I Am by Sarah Simpson, a book with a truly amazing twist at the end.
And finally, this morning I reviewed Finding Rose by Julie Ryan, a warm-hearted and satisfying read.
Five additions to my TBR pile this week. A rather lovely selection if I may say so.
The Quality Street Girls by Penny Thorpe
Inspired by the true story of the Quality Street factory and its loyal workers, this is a nostalgic and compelling novel and the perfect Christmas treat.
At sixteen years old, Irene ‘Reenie’ Calder is leaving school with little in the way of qualifications. She is delighted to land a seasonal job at Mackintosh’s Quality Street factory. Reenie feels like a kid let loose in a sweet shop, but trouble seems to follow her around and it isn’t long before she falls foul of the strict rules.
Diana Moore runs the Toffee Penny line and has worked hard to secure her position. Beautiful and smart, the other girls in the factory are in awe of her, but Diana has a dark secret which if exposed, could cost her not only her job at the factory but her reputation as well.
When a terrible accident puts supply of Quality Street at risk, Reenie has a chance to prove herself. The shops are full of Quality Street lovers who have saved up all year for their must-have Christmas treat. Reenie and Diana know that everything rests on them, if they are to give everyone a Christmas to remember…
A Version of the Truth by B P Walter
We all see what we want to see…
2019: Julianne is preparing a family dinner when her son comes to her and says he’s found something on his iPad. Something so terrible, it will turn Julianne’s world into a nightmare and make her question everything about her marriage and what type of man her husband is or is pretending to be.
1990: Holly is a fresher student at Oxford University. Out of her depth and nervous about her surroundings, she falls into an uneasy friendship with a group of older students from the upper echelons of society and begins to develop feelings for one in particular. He’s confident, quiet, attractive and seems to like her too. But as the year progresses, her friends’ behaviour grows steadily more disconcerting and Holly begins to realise she might just be a disposable pawn in a very sinister game.
A devastating secret has simmered beneath the surface for over twenty-five years. Now it’s time to discover the truth. But what if you’re afraid of what you might find?
How close is too close?
Connie and Ness met in the park while their children played. As they talked, they realised they were neighbours. Perhaps it was only natural that they and their families would become entirely inseparable.
But when Ness’s marriage ends in a bitter divorce, she is suddenly at Connie’s house all the time. Connie doesn’t have a moment to herself, no time alone with her husband, not a second to chat to her kids.
It’s all too much. Something has to give.
Connie has woken up in a psychiatric hospital. They say she committed a terrible crime but she says she can’t remember a thing.
One More Chance by Lucy Ayrton
THE BATTLE ON THE INSIDE IS JUST THE BEGINNING
Dani hasn’t had an easy life. She’s made some bad choices and now she’s paying the ultimate price; prison.
With her young daughter Bethany, growing up in foster care, Dani is determined to be free and reunited with her. There’s only one problem; Dani can’t stay out of trouble.
Dani’s new cellmate Martha is quiet and unassuming. There’s something about her that doesn’t add up. When Martha offers Dani one last chance at freedom, she doesn’t hesitate.
Everything she wants is on the outside, but Dani is stuck on the inside. Is it possible to break out when everyone is trying to keep you in . . .
The Light in the Dark by Horatio Clare
As November stubs out the glow of autumn and the days tighten into shorter hours, winter’s occupation begins. Preparing for winter has its own rhythms, as old as our exchanges with the land. Of all the seasons, it draws us together. But winter can be tough.
It is a time of introspection, of looking inwards. Seasonal sadness; winter blues; depression – such feelings are widespread in the darker months. But by looking outwards, by being in and observing nature, we can appreciate its rhythms. Mountains make sense in any weather. The voices of a wood always speak consolation. A brush of frost; subtle colours; days as bright as a magpie’s cackle. We can learn to see and celebrate winter in all its shadows and lights.
In this moving and lyrical evocation of a British winter and the feelings it inspires, Horatio Clare raises a torch against the darkness, illuminating the blackest corners of the season, and delving into memory and myth to explore the powerful hold that winter has on us. By learning to see, we can find the magic, the light that burns bright at the heart of winter: spring will come again.
