Richard Llewellyn’s classic, How Green Was My Valley (1939) is a multi- layered book—a coming of age tale, a story of family and relationships, of life in a small mining town in Southern Wales, of simpler times gone by, of the unions, the conditions in which miners lived and worked, of tensions between the Welsh…
Book Review: The Guardian of Whispers (2023) by B. E. Padgett
My thanks to Booktasters for a review copy of this book. The first of a series of children’s/middle-grade fantasy books, the Guardian of Whispers by B. E. Padgett might have hints of Harry Potter but still makes for a very creative and enjoyable adventure. We are introduced to the Reed family, five children—Eugene, the twins…
Book Review: Sugar and Slate (2002) by Charlotte Williams #Dewithon23
My thanks to Parthian Books for a review copy of this book via NetGalley. Sugar and Slate, originally published in 2002, and now being republished by Parthian Books is academic and author Charlotte Williams’ memoir exploring her search for identity, belonging and home. Born to a White, Welsh mother, and Black Guyanese father, her mixed…
Book Review: Castle Richmond (1860) by Anthony Trollope
Castle Richmond (1960), one of Trollope’s standalone novels, is the story of two families―the Fitzgeralds of Castle Richmond of the title and the Desmonds of Desmond Court, set in the backdrop of the Irish famine. The story opens with Owen Fizgerald, a cousin of the Castle Richmond Fitzgeralds, falling in love with young Clara Desmond,…
Book Review: Snobs (2004) by Julian Fellowes
As busy days continue with little to no writing time, here's a review from the (not very old) archives. I read and reviewed Snobs by Julian Fellowes in 2018, but I'd posted this only on Goodreads. The review below is what I wrote back then! This is the first book I’ve read by Fellowes though…
Book Review: The Pale Horse (1961) by Agatha Christie #ReadChristie
The Pale Horse (1961) was my choice for the #ReadChristie challenge for this month, and though it was one of the picks for the challenge, it seems I interpreted the visual prompt completely differently to the official interpretation. The Pale Horse presents an interesting mystery where it isn’t only the whodunit that keeps one puzzled…
Book Review: Death of a Bookseller (1956) by Bernard J. Farmer #ReadIndies
My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for a review copy of this book via NetGalley. Taking us into the rather ruthless world of book collectors, runners, sellers and prized first editions, Death of a Bookseller by Bernard J. Farmer, first published in 1956 is being republished as a British Library Crime Classic, after decades of…
Book Review: Practical Anarchism by Scott Branson #ReadIndies
My thanks to Pluto Press for a review copy of the book via Edelweiss. From my previous (though very limited) experience with reading and looking at the Pluto Press catalogue, I have found titles which push one’s understanding of the themes discussed much beyond popular perceptions. And Practical Anarchism (2022) by Scott Branson is another…
Book Review: Abyss by Pilar Quintana and translated by Lisa Dillman
My thanks to World Editions for a review copy of this book via NetGalley Abyss is a story of family, of marriage, adultery, estrangement and depression all told through the eyes of an eight-year-old child (like a Goodreads friend and fellow reviewer, I too was thing of What Masie Knew). Written in Spanish by Columbian…
Book Review: Boris Goes to the Market by Michael E. McDevitt and illustrated by Olga S. Tenyakova
My thanks to the author Michael E. McDevitt for a review copy of this book via Booktasters. Boris Goes to the Market is a delightful and gorgeously illustrated picture book which tells a tale of everyday adventure while also subtly conveying its message of the advantages of working with friends when in trouble! The second…
Literary Potpourri 