This Week’s New Releases
There have been some great novels been released this week so some potentially great books to add to your collection. These include…
Last Night on Earth by Kevin Maher (Abacus, 3rd March 2016.)
The paperback edition for Last Night on Earth has been released today. The premise for this novel looks very interesting.
Jay adores his small daughter, Bonnie, and nothing matters more to him than being a good father. But Bonnie’s traumatic birth puts an unbearable strain on his marriage with Shauna and the couple eventually separate.
Despite this, London is the place to be: New Labour is in power and the city is buzzing with optimism. Jay is slowly putting his life back together, snagging a job on a TV documentary about the Millennium Dome and, crucially, spending time with his beloved three-year-old daughter, Bonnie.
Indeed, things might have even begun to look up. Until, that is, the arrival of The Clappers. Six foot tall, all muscle and plenty of heart, she insists on making the world right for Jay. But, inevitably, she makes it wrong…
You Sent Me A Letter by Lucy Dawson (Corvis, 3rd March 2016.)
Both the paperback and electronic versions of this book have been released today. Again this is another great sounding novel and I actually can’t wait to read this one.
At 2 a.m. on the morning of her fortieth birthday, Sophie wakes to find an intruder in her bedroom. The stranger hands Sophie a letter and issues a threat: open the letter at her party that evening, in front of family and friends, at exactly 8 p.m., or those she loves will be in grave danger.
What can the letter possibly contain?
This will be no ordinary party; Sophie is not the only person keeping a secret about the evening ahead. When the clock strikes eight, the course of several people’s lives will be altered for ever.
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Five Books I’m Looking Forward To Reading In 2016
2016 is bringing so many new books and I can’t wait to get my hands on them. I have a feeling it’s going to be a great year for books. Here are five of the books being released in 2016 that I am most excited to read.
Harry Potter & The Cursed Child by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany (Little, Brown, 31st July 2016.)
I can’t, can’t can’t wait for this to be released and on Harry Potter’s birthday too. The eighth story in the series, this is a script of the upcoming stage play. It’s written by Jack Thorne and is based on an original story by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. This is the closest I am going to get to the play (unless some magic grants me a ticket) so July can not come quick enough.
Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on 30th July 2016. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
I Found You by Lisa Jewell (Century, 14th July 2016.)
Also due to be released in July, I Found You is the latest novel from Lisa Jewell. I adore Lisa’s novels. I always look forward to being able to escape into her fictional worlds for a while and so I am eagerly awaiting her new book. It sounds fantastic.
‘How long have you been sitting out here?’
‘I got here yesterday.’
‘Where did you come from?’
‘I have no idea.’
East Yorkshire: Single mum Alice Lake finds a man on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, no idea what he is doing there. Against her better judgement she invites him in to her home.
Surrey: Twenty-one-year-old Lily Drew has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.
by Book News: Recent Releases
There have been some great titles released over the last week. Below is a selection. Let me know in the comments below which ones take your fancy.
Time to Say Goodbye by S.D. Robertson was released on 11th February 2016 by Avon.
I am looking forward to reading this book. I have a copy waiting to be read. The plot sounds compelling and the cover is beautiful.
HOW DO YOU LEAVE THE PERSON YOU LOVE THE MOST?
Will Curtis’s six-year-old daughter, Ella, knows her father will never leave her. After all, he promised her so when her mother died. And he’s going to do everything he can to keep his word.
What Will doesn’t know is that the promise he made to his little girl might be harder to keep than he imagined. When he’s faced with an impossible decision, Will finds that the most obvious choice might not be the right one.
But the future is full of unexpected surprises. And father and daughter are about to embark on an unforgettable journey together . . .
This House of Grief: The Story of a Murder Trial by Helen Garner was released on 11th February 2016 by Text Publishing Company.
Not completely fiction but this book sounds very interesting and one that I will definitely be reading at some point especially as it’s based on a real case and sounds similar to Making a Murderer on Netflix.
On the evening of September 4th 2005, Robert Farquharson, a separated husband, was driving his three sons home to their mother, Cindy, when his car left the road and plunged into a dam. The boys, aged ten, seven and two, all drowned. Was this an act of revenge or a tragic accident? In a tale reminiscent of In Cold Blood (1966), Helen Garner decided to reveal every aspect of this complicated and highly emotional case.
The case became Garner’s obsession; she followed it on its protracted course until the final verdict was delivered, and attended every day of the trial (and subsequent retrial). She was there alongside countless journalists and family members – exposing with great compassion the emotional complexity of a case that gripped the nation.
In this utterly compelling book, Helen Garner tells the story of a man with a broken life – she presents the courtroom as a theatre with its actors and audience, all gathered for the purpose of bearing witness to an often uncomfortable truth.
by My Favourite Christmas Books
Christmas, hands down has got to be my most favourite time of the year. I love singing all the Christmas carols and songs, an excuse to watch Christmas films (I know these are cheesy but my Christmas is not complete without Santa Claus: The Movie, The Holiday, The Snowman and Love Actually) and I adore getting a real tree and decorating the house. Christmas just makes me smile.
What I also love is being able to pull out all of my favourite Christmas books. There is nothing I like more on a cold, festive feeling evening than to snuggle up in my chair with warm jumpers and socks, a cup of hot chocolate and a festive smelling candle and read one of my favourite, festive themed books. I wanted to share some of my favourites with you.
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson (Jerry Pinkney)
I can remember first reading this at school and even then, I couldn’t get over how incredibly sad this story is. It’s certainly a reminder of all we have to be grateful for and not just for his time of year too. Whenever I read this book I end up crying (it never fails.)
This wonderful story is an ageless chronicle of a young girl struggling to stay warm on New Year’s Eve using the very matches she is supposed to be selling to earn money for her family. With each strike of a match the little girl sees wonderful things in the flames which warm both her heart and soul.
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs.
This story never fails to put a smile on my face. It is just classic and timeless and it is a book that has been a part 
of my Christmas since I can remember. Whenever I see anything to do with the Snowman, I just launch into Walking in the Air in my head. To me, this story is amazing. I love it and if I am ever lucky to have children, it is one I look forward to sharing with them too.
One winter’s night, a snowman comes to life and an unforgettable adventure begins. Raymond Briggs’ favourite classic is a true piece of Christmas magic – narrated entirely through pictures, it captures the wonder and innocence of childhood and is now recognised throughout the world.
by Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Bloomsbury, April 2014.
EVEN A DREAMER CAN START A REVOLUTION
Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.
This book took me a few chapters to get into. I had to fight a little to stick with it but once I got into the swing of the story, I was hooked. I suggest that you do stay with it if you are also struggling as it does eventually find its feet. There is simply a lot of information to begin with – I found it hard to keep up with who was who and who could do what (there is a glossary at the beginning of the book.)
Once I did get into the story, I found it completely compelling. Paige is an interesting heroine. After being taken after committing a crime, her secret is revealed as the group holding her find out she is one of the most powerful clairvoyants. I got a Hunger Games/Harry Potter vibe from it. There are a few twists and turns to keep you guessing as to what is going to happen to the characters.
by Christmas Themed Books Spotlight
One of the things I love most about this time of year is that when I am taking part in National Novel Writing Month, it has become my countdown to Christmas. It is my favourite time of the year. October and November’s arrival also means that there are all the new Christmas book releases. I love the Christmas themed stories and the beautiful Christmassy covers. This year is no exception and I wanted to share some of the Christmas themed stories I am looking forward to reading this year.
Notting Hill Press, October 2015
Festive Feast by Michele Gorman.
I love this woman’s books and adore her Christmas themed books especially. They never fail to put me in a festive mood. What I love about this year is that her publisher, Notting Hill Press have released a three book bundle called Festive Feast which means you can get three of Michele’s christmas books in electronic form for less than £2.50 which I think is a bargain. I have read Twelve Days to Christmas and loved it and am looking forward to reading the other two in the bundle.
The Reluctant Elf: Meet Britain’s Worst Innkeeper… Single mother and extremely undomestic goddess, Lottie, has five days to become the ultimate B&B hostess to save her beloved Aunt Kate’s livelihood.
Christmas Carol: One winter wedding, two happy couples, three ex-boyfriends. And a very uncomfortable weekend… Carol hates Christmas. Being recently dumped, she’s not crazy about weddings either. So her sister Marley’s nuptials, over the Christmas weekend, with her three exes, are making her positively Scrooge-like.
Twelve Days to Christmas: What if his proposal had an expiration date? In twelve days Hannah flies from Hong Kong to the US with Sam, where he’s finally going to meet her parents… and ask to marry her. The problem is, she feels panicky every time she contemplates matrimony. Which is perfectly normal, isn’t it? Isn’t it?! She has no idea but she’s got to find out before he pops the question…
by Book Club
