Must Reads - 7th November 2018
Here's a selection of books I've added to my To Be Read pile this week...
(Biography & Memoir / Parenting & Families)
“You can quit waiting for the other shoe to drop: I’m in it for life.” Those are the fateful, repeated words that help convince Kathryn Taylor to remarry, retire from her thirty-year profession, sell her home, and relocate in support of her new husband’s career. But five years later, in a car packed with food she has carefully prepared to nourish her husband’s dying brother, the other shoe does drop. Taylor’s husband unexpectedly proclaims he is, “done with the marriage and doesn’t want to talk about it.” With this, the life Taylor has come to know is over. Relying on the strength of a lifelong friend who refuses to let her succumb to the intense waves of grief, she slowly begins to find her way through. Over the course of two years, through appointments with attorneys and therapists, purging shared belongings, and pushing herself to meet new people and do new things, Taylor not only regains a sense of control in her life, she also learns to enjoy the new life she has built, the friendships she’s formed - and to savour her newfound strength.
(Teen / YA)
Every year on St Stephen’s Day, Wren Silke is chased through the forest in a warped version of a childhood game. Her pursuers are judges – a group of powerful and frightening boys who know nothing of her true identity. If they knew she was an augur – their sworn enemy – the game would be up.
This year, the tension between judges and augurs is at breaking point. Wren’s survival, and that of her family, depends on her becoming a spy in the midst of these boys she fears most and using her talent, her magic, to steal from them the only thing that can restore her family’s former power for good. But Wren’s talent comes with a price. The more she uses it, the more she loses her grip on reality and soon she’s questioning everything she’s ever known about her family, about augurs and judges, and about the dangerous tattooed stranger who most definitely is not on her side...
This year, the tension between judges and augurs is at breaking point. Wren’s survival, and that of her family, depends on her becoming a spy in the midst of these boys she fears most and using her talent, her magic, to steal from them the only thing that can restore her family’s former power for good. But Wren’s talent comes with a price. The more she uses it, the more she loses her grip on reality and soon she’s questioning everything she’s ever known about her family, about augurs and judges, and about the dangerous tattooed stranger who most definitely is not on her side...
(Mystery & Thriller)
I know everything about you
And you know everything about me..except
WHO I AM.
Andi met Camilla at university. Instantly best friends, they shared everything together. Until their long-planned graduation celebration ends in tragedy...
Years later, Andi is living a seemingly perfect life on the rugged Cornish Coast with her loving husband, happy children and dream home. Yet Andi is haunted by a secret she thought only she knew.
Someone out there is bringing Andi's deepest fears to life. And she knows there's no escaping the past that has come back to haunt her...
You trusted me with your secrets, you told me everything, you thought I was your best friend... but you have no idea WHO I AM.
Gripping, unputdownable and packed with twists and turns from the first page to the very last, this stunning psychological thriller will make you question whether we can ever really trust the ones we love.
And you know everything about me..except
WHO I AM.
Andi met Camilla at university. Instantly best friends, they shared everything together. Until their long-planned graduation celebration ends in tragedy...
Years later, Andi is living a seemingly perfect life on the rugged Cornish Coast with her loving husband, happy children and dream home. Yet Andi is haunted by a secret she thought only she knew.
Someone out there is bringing Andi's deepest fears to life. And she knows there's no escaping the past that has come back to haunt her...
You trusted me with your secrets, you told me everything, you thought I was your best friend... but you have no idea WHO I AM.
Gripping, unputdownable and packed with twists and turns from the first page to the very last, this stunning psychological thriller will make you question whether we can ever really trust the ones we love.
(Teen & YA)
Dear Thomas,
I know you're angry. It's true, I was sent to expose your mentor as a fraud illusionist, and instead I have put your secret in jeopardy. I fear I have even put your life in jeopardy. For that I can only beg your forgiveness. I've fallen for you. You know I have. And I never wanted to create a rift between us, but if it means protecting you from those who wish you dead - I'll do it. I'll do anything to keep you safe, whatever the sacrifice. Please forgive me for all I've done and what I'm about to do next. I promise, it's one magic trick no one will ever see coming.
Love,
Saverio
I know you're angry. It's true, I was sent to expose your mentor as a fraud illusionist, and instead I have put your secret in jeopardy. I fear I have even put your life in jeopardy. For that I can only beg your forgiveness. I've fallen for you. You know I have. And I never wanted to create a rift between us, but if it means protecting you from those who wish you dead - I'll do it. I'll do anything to keep you safe, whatever the sacrifice. Please forgive me for all I've done and what I'm about to do next. I promise, it's one magic trick no one will ever see coming.
Love,
Saverio
(Children's Fiction, Cooking)
Can Scarlett discover the secret ingredient to happiness?
Scarlett is sick of being the star - and victim - of her mom’s famous blog. Her solution? Become completely boring and deprive her mom of embarrassing material. The only problem is, being boring is, well, boring. So when Scarlett finds a gorgeous kitchen in the house next door, left empty by an elderly neighbour during a hospital stay, it’s too tempting to resist.
Before she really knows what she’s doing, Scarlett is whipping up a batch of scones…and making an unexpected friend. But can they keep their baking a secret? And can Scarlett find the secret ingredients - to cake, family, and friendship?
Scarlett is sick of being the star - and victim - of her mom’s famous blog. Her solution? Become completely boring and deprive her mom of embarrassing material. The only problem is, being boring is, well, boring. So when Scarlett finds a gorgeous kitchen in the house next door, left empty by an elderly neighbour during a hospital stay, it’s too tempting to resist.
Before she really knows what she’s doing, Scarlett is whipping up a batch of scones…and making an unexpected friend. But can they keep their baking a secret? And can Scarlett find the secret ingredients - to cake, family, and friendship?
(Fiction)
A powerful and sweeping historical novel of love, loss, and hope, set against Australia’s vast sugarcane fields in the turbulent days after World War II.
1948: Change has come to every corner of the globe - and Rosie Stanton, returning home to northern Queensland after serving the war effort in Brisbane, plans to rescue her family’s foundering sugarcane farm with her unstoppable can-do spirit. Coming up against her father’s old-world views, a farm worker undermining her success, and constant reminders of Rosie’s brothers lost in the war, Rosie realises she wants more from life and love - but at what cost?
Italian immigrant Tomas Conti arrives at a neighbouring farm, and sparks fly as Rosie draws close to this enigmatic newcomer. When an enemy appears with evidence of Tomas’s shocking past, long-held wartime hatreds rekindle...and an astounding family secret sets Rosie’s world ablaze. At the dawn of a new era, Rosie must make her own destiny amid the ashes of yesterday - by following her heart.
1948: Change has come to every corner of the globe - and Rosie Stanton, returning home to northern Queensland after serving the war effort in Brisbane, plans to rescue her family’s foundering sugarcane farm with her unstoppable can-do spirit. Coming up against her father’s old-world views, a farm worker undermining her success, and constant reminders of Rosie’s brothers lost in the war, Rosie realises she wants more from life and love - but at what cost?
Italian immigrant Tomas Conti arrives at a neighbouring farm, and sparks fly as Rosie draws close to this enigmatic newcomer. When an enemy appears with evidence of Tomas’s shocking past, long-held wartime hatreds rekindle...and an astounding family secret sets Rosie’s world ablaze. At the dawn of a new era, Rosie must make her own destiny amid the ashes of yesterday - by following her heart.
Simple Projects that Deliver More Yield in Less Space
(Home & Garden)
Vertical Gardening is the secret to making the most of your space; when you grow upward rather than outward, you will double or triple the yield from your small-space garden.
In Vertical Vegetables, author Amy Andrychowicz shows you a thing or two about growing up. Gardening vertically, that is! With practical principles and incisive background information you'll need to start, Amy shows you how to build nearly two dozen growing structures.
Bigger yields per square foot may be the main reason for vertical growing, but vertical gardens also offer opportunities that go beyond the purely functional—they can be beautiful, too! Among the many projects in her new book, Amy has included several that are eye-wideningly stunning, especially once the garden has matured. Freestanding or wall-hung, the projects reflect a wide variety of building materials too, including dimensional lumber, metal re-bar, fabric and even "upcycled" everyday objects.
Packed with important information, including lists of plants that are best suited for vertical growing, Vertical Gardening is a beautiful project book which is your key to more garden produce, and improved outdoor living in any space, from tiny and urban, to large and sprawling.
In Vertical Vegetables, author Amy Andrychowicz shows you a thing or two about growing up. Gardening vertically, that is! With practical principles and incisive background information you'll need to start, Amy shows you how to build nearly two dozen growing structures.
Bigger yields per square foot may be the main reason for vertical growing, but vertical gardens also offer opportunities that go beyond the purely functional—they can be beautiful, too! Among the many projects in her new book, Amy has included several that are eye-wideningly stunning, especially once the garden has matured. Freestanding or wall-hung, the projects reflect a wide variety of building materials too, including dimensional lumber, metal re-bar, fabric and even "upcycled" everyday objects.
Packed with important information, including lists of plants that are best suited for vertical growing, Vertical Gardening is a beautiful project book which is your key to more garden produce, and improved outdoor living in any space, from tiny and urban, to large and sprawling.
A Family's Story
(Biography & Memoir)
Winner of the PEN/Ackerley Prize 2018
On a family summer holiday in Cornwall in 1978, Richard and his younger brother Nicholas are jumping in the waves. Suddenly, Nicholas is out of his depth. One moment he's there, the next he's gone. Richard and his other brothers don't attend the funeral, and incredibly the family returns immediately to the same cottage - to complete the holiday, to carry on, in the best British tradition. They soon stop speaking of the catastrophe. Their epic act of collective denial writes Nicky out of the family memory.
Nearly forty years later, Richard, an acclaimed novelist, is haunted by the missing piece of his childhood, the unexpressed and unacknowledged grief at his core. He doesn't even know the date of his brother's death or the name of the beach where the tragedy occurred. So he sets out on a pain-staking investigation to rebuild Nicky's life, and ultimately to recreate the precise events on the day of the accident.
The Day That Went Missing is a transcendent story of guilt and forgiveness, of reckoning with unspeakable loss. But, above all, it is a brother's most tender act of remembrance, and a man's brave act of survival.
(Teen & YA)
The hollow was the perfect place to hide.
Or so Free's dad said when they fled California, her 5 year old brother illegally in tow, to hide out in the West Virginia mountains and make some fast cash. As her father disappears with increasing frequency, Free looks after her brother largely alone among drug dealers and thieves - until their neighbour Cole appears with lots of questions and determined to the crack the uncrackable Free.
When the family she's desperate to protect is ripped apart, Free turns to Cole for help and can't deny the pull she feels toward the boy with too many questions - and who has just as many secrets - finding that Cole might need her as much as she needs him.
Or so Free's dad said when they fled California, her 5 year old brother illegally in tow, to hide out in the West Virginia mountains and make some fast cash. As her father disappears with increasing frequency, Free looks after her brother largely alone among drug dealers and thieves - until their neighbour Cole appears with lots of questions and determined to the crack the uncrackable Free.
When the family she's desperate to protect is ripped apart, Free turns to Cole for help and can't deny the pull she feels toward the boy with too many questions - and who has just as many secrets - finding that Cole might need her as much as she needs him.
Sketching Super Stuff from Around the World
(Art, Craft & Hobbies)
Prepare for the cutest world tour ever with Kawaii Doodle Cuties! YouTube celebrity artist Pic Candle will show you how to draw kawaii characters from every stop on the map!
The Japanese word kawaii translates to “cute,” and this how-to book is chock-full of super-adorable images from your favourite spots around the globe. From animals and nature to fashion and food, you will learn to draw cute artwork from countries all over the world!
Learn how to draw a cute Eiffel Tower and kawaii macarons from Paris. Master how to draw natural beauty like Holland’s stunning tulips and monuments like the Taj Mahal in India. Or sketch fashion fun with a cute K-pop skirt from South Korea or a kimono from Japan. The simple, step-by-step illustrations and instructions make drawing these characters perfect for beginner artists or anyone who wants to add a heaping spoonful of cute to their art.
Thanks to this adorable crash course in doodling all things kawaii, you’ll soon be enhancing your notebooks, stationery, artwork, and everything with unbelievably adorable illustrations!
The Japanese word kawaii translates to “cute,” and this how-to book is chock-full of super-adorable images from your favourite spots around the globe. From animals and nature to fashion and food, you will learn to draw cute artwork from countries all over the world!
Learn how to draw a cute Eiffel Tower and kawaii macarons from Paris. Master how to draw natural beauty like Holland’s stunning tulips and monuments like the Taj Mahal in India. Or sketch fashion fun with a cute K-pop skirt from South Korea or a kimono from Japan. The simple, step-by-step illustrations and instructions make drawing these characters perfect for beginner artists or anyone who wants to add a heaping spoonful of cute to their art.
Thanks to this adorable crash course in doodling all things kawaii, you’ll soon be enhancing your notebooks, stationery, artwork, and everything with unbelievably adorable illustrations!
(General Fiction)
December 1917. As World War I rages in Europe, 24 year old Ruby Wagner, the jewel in a prominent Philadelphia family, prepares for her upcoming wedding to a society scion. Like her life so far, it’s all been carefully arranged. But when her beloved older brother is killed in combat, Ruby follows her heart and answers the Army Signal Corps’ call for women operators to help overseas.
As one of the trailblazing “Hello Girls” deployed to war-torn France, Ruby must find her place in the military strata, fight for authority and respect among the Allied soldiers, and work to secure a victory for the cause. But balancing service to country is complicated further by a burgeoning relationship with army medic Andrew Carrigan.
What begins as a friendship forged on the front lines soon blossoms into something more, forcing Ruby to choose between the conventions of a well-ordered life back home, and the risk of an unknown future.
As one of the trailblazing “Hello Girls” deployed to war-torn France, Ruby must find her place in the military strata, fight for authority and respect among the Allied soldiers, and work to secure a victory for the cause. But balancing service to country is complicated further by a burgeoning relationship with army medic Andrew Carrigan.
What begins as a friendship forged on the front lines soon blossoms into something more, forcing Ruby to choose between the conventions of a well-ordered life back home, and the risk of an unknown future.
An Introduction to Being Present
(Health, Mind & Body / Religion & Spirituality)
A fresh, accessible introduction to the increasingly popular spiritual practice of mindfulness: being present and peaceful in the moment.
In these fast-paced modern times, mindfulness can keep us centred, calm, and energised - no matter how much the outside world keeps distracting us. Thanks to Amy Leigh Mercree’s accessible introduction, beginners can master this spiritual practice. You’ll learn methods for cultivating inner peace, accessing a deeper creativity, and creating a healthier body, along with rituals that support these mindfulness techniques.
In these fast-paced modern times, mindfulness can keep us centred, calm, and energised - no matter how much the outside world keeps distracting us. Thanks to Amy Leigh Mercree’s accessible introduction, beginners can master this spiritual practice. You’ll learn methods for cultivating inner peace, accessing a deeper creativity, and creating a healthier body, along with rituals that support these mindfulness techniques.
(Romance)
A contemporary novel with a strong suspense element from Oscar-nominated actress Meg Tilly, set on a peaceful island village in the Pacific Northwest.
Dumped on the eve of her wedding and looking for a quiet place to lick her emotional wounds, Maggie Harris joins her sister on Solace Island, where she hopes to recover from the stunning betrayal. At first, Maggie resists Eve's impassioned argument about relocating permanently so the sisters can open their own local bakery. What she definitely doesn't need on her road to recovery are Eve's efforts to fix her up with their mysterious and alluring neighbour, Luke Benson - even if he is incredibly handsome and desirable.
Just as Maggie starts to get comfortable in her new surroundings, a car tries to run her down in the middle of the street. If it weren't for Luke's extremely quick reflexes, Maggie could have been killed, leading her to wonder just who exactly Luke Benson really is...
Luke thought he'd left the violence of the high risk security world behind. But he can't stand by while Maggie's life is threatened. Luke will do anything to keep her safe - even moving Maggie and her sister into his house with its state-of-the-art security features. But with the secrets between them and an unknown threat stalking her heels, Luke will have to think fast to prove to Maggie that she can trust him.
Dumped on the eve of her wedding and looking for a quiet place to lick her emotional wounds, Maggie Harris joins her sister on Solace Island, where she hopes to recover from the stunning betrayal. At first, Maggie resists Eve's impassioned argument about relocating permanently so the sisters can open their own local bakery. What she definitely doesn't need on her road to recovery are Eve's efforts to fix her up with their mysterious and alluring neighbour, Luke Benson - even if he is incredibly handsome and desirable.
Just as Maggie starts to get comfortable in her new surroundings, a car tries to run her down in the middle of the street. If it weren't for Luke's extremely quick reflexes, Maggie could have been killed, leading her to wonder just who exactly Luke Benson really is...
Luke thought he'd left the violence of the high risk security world behind. But he can't stand by while Maggie's life is threatened. Luke will do anything to keep her safe - even moving Maggie and her sister into his house with its state-of-the-art security features. But with the secrets between them and an unknown threat stalking her heels, Luke will have to think fast to prove to Maggie that she can trust him.
(General Fiction)
David’s pregnant.
He’s always wanted to have children, and being a stepfather for the past two years has been a great adventure. There’d even been a plan to start looking into adoption and turn their family of three into four.
But now there’s a bump, and David doesn’t know what to do. He’s spent years escaping the grip of his own body and burying the past - but there’s no way he can hide from his history if he lets the bump get any bigger. It’s not just his baby; it’s also his breakdown.
He doesn’t know if he can do this.
He’s always wanted to have children, and being a stepfather for the past two years has been a great adventure. There’d even been a plan to start looking into adoption and turn their family of three into four.
But now there’s a bump, and David doesn’t know what to do. He’s spent years escaping the grip of his own body and burying the past - but there’s no way he can hide from his history if he lets the bump get any bigger. It’s not just his baby; it’s also his breakdown.
He doesn’t know if he can do this.
(Mystery & Thriller / New Adult)
Until yesterday, 21 year old Phoenix Collins had it all figured out: she was going to live forever. Not literally of course; nobody lives forever - she knows that, she’s learned it the hard way - but bearing a mythical name had convinced her that someday she’d have a fresh start, her life back on track.
Therefore, when she wakes up in a hospital bed to learn that she has 24 hours to live, she’s utterly confused, if not in complete denial. A big scar stretches across her stomach, but she has no recollection of the previous days events.
As she races against the clock, anger and frustration threatening to overtake everything in their way, Phoenix crosses paths with Gabriel, a young widower. Meeting him completely upends her plans to figure out why she’s dying, for the more she gets to know him, the more she remembers what it really means to live for the day…even if this is the only one she has left.
Therefore, when she wakes up in a hospital bed to learn that she has 24 hours to live, she’s utterly confused, if not in complete denial. A big scar stretches across her stomach, but she has no recollection of the previous days events.
As she races against the clock, anger and frustration threatening to overtake everything in their way, Phoenix crosses paths with Gabriel, a young widower. Meeting him completely upends her plans to figure out why she’s dying, for the more she gets to know him, the more she remembers what it really means to live for the day…even if this is the only one she has left.
I can't wait to read and review these books so watch this space!
If you liked this post have a look at my complete list of Reading Lists or my complete list of What I Learned full review posts.
Happy Reading!
If you liked this post have a look at my complete list of Reading Lists or my complete list of What I Learned full review posts.
Happy Reading!
Comments