Category: Book Club
Fiction inspired food
From lashings of ginger beer (which apparently never actually existed) to midnight feasts including sardines, to enchanted hot chocolate, the books we read give us connections with food that we wouldn’t otherwise have had. The Queen took from somewhere among her wrappings a very small bottle which looked at if it were made of copper.…
Sealed with a Christmas Kiss by Rachael Lucas #thesealquel
I am very proud to be able to call Rachael Lucas a friend. I was thrilled when her first book, Sealed with a Kiss was a self publishing success, and absolutely over the moon for her when she got a traditional publishing contract with Pan Macmillan. And now she’s back with a Christmas novella, Sealed…
Mars evacuees by Sophia McDougall
I was lucky enough recently to win a signed copy of Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall. It’s not just signed though, it’s doodled in. Isn’t this just fab? Amazon The fact that someone had decided I’d be safer on Mars, where you could still only SORT OF breathe the air and SORT OF not get…
Meet Julia, the Bonikka doll.
We have a *lot* of dolls in this house. They pass in and out of favour, although some are more popular than others. And Tigerboy has never really clicked with any of them, until now. When I was offered the chance to review a Bonikka doll from Imajo toys, I confess that I assumed Smallest…
It's not me, it's you. Mhairi McFarlane
I have read previous Mhairi McFarlane books. I thought I’d reviewed at least one, You had me at Hello, but if I have, I can’t find it right now. Oops. So, we’re firmly in romantic self discovery territory here. The blurb: Delia Moss isn’t quite sure where she went wrong. When she proposed and discovered…
Books to open your eyes.
I think I was reading dystopian fiction before it was called that. I remember reading The Chrysalids (kindle) at school, and wishing I would suddenly discover that I was telepathic. (And the first seeds of thoughts about the rights and wrongs of judging appearances and differences were sown. ) There was A Wrinkle in Time,…
The Giver by Lois Lowry
I’m not quite sure why I haven’t read the Giver before now. And I’m not quite sure why I really wanted to read it now. Someone recommended it, but I can’t remember who. Thank you, anyway. The Giver is dystopian fiction. Without guns. Without violence. The main character is 12 (looking at the film publicity…
Red Leaves by Sita Brahmachari
Aisha is a thirteen-year-old refugee living in London. Happy for the first time since leaving her war-torn home, she is devastated when her foster mother announces that a new family has been found for her and she will be moving on. Feeling rejected and abandoned, Aisha packs her bags and runs away, seeking shelter in…
Who wears the marigolds in your house?
It’s been all over the news today, women do most of the housework. Many of us go out to work, but still do most of the chores, without pay. A few weeks ago (sorry!) I was contacted by Flash with the results of a survey they’ve done into the breakdown of household chores. You’re going…
John Scalzi's Lock In
I’ve read quite a bit of Scalzi’s work over the last year or so. Starting with Old Man’s War and the rest of the series. I loved it, particularly Zoe’s Tale. So when I found Unlocked, the prequel to Lock In free online, I devoured it. And couldn’t wait to get my hands on the…
