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My 5 Favourite November Reads

I managed to read fourteen books in November with a few deserving the full five stars and plenty of others coming close. You can find a complete list of all the books I’ve read so far this year here, with links to my reviews. If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

First up is Miss Marley by Vanessa Lafaye, a prequel to one of my favourite books, A Christmas Carol. Published by HQ Stories, the book was completed by Vanessa’s friend and fellow author, Rebecca Mascull after Vanessa’s untimely death earlier this year. I described it as charming and heart-warming. You can read my full review here. It would make the perfect Christmas gift.

Next it’s historical novel, The Price of Compassion by A. B. Michaels, the fourth in the author’s ‘The Golden City’ series (the Golden City in this case being San Francisco). Set just after the earthquake that devastated that city in 1906, it’s a cleverly constructed and suspenseful historical crime mystery. Read more about why I enjoyed the book here.

I’m staying with historical crime mysteries for my next pick but this time one set in medieval times – The Monastery Murders (Stanton & Barling #2) by E. M. Powell. I described it as ‘a well-crafted, engaging historical mystery with plenty of twists and turns’. You can read my full review here.

A change now, to nonfiction and Song of Praise for a Flower by Fengxian Chu and Charlene Chu. Subtitled ‘One Woman’s Journey through China’s Tumultuous 20th Century’, the book tells the remarkable story of Fengxian Chu. Full of drama and, at times, unutterably sad, I nevertheless found it inspiring and uplifting. Read my full review here.

none-so-blind Finally, I’m back to historical crime with None So Blind by Alis Hawkins, the first in a new series, ‘The Teifi Valley Coroner’, set in the west Wales countryside of the 1800s. Published by The Dome Press, I described None So Blind as ‘atmospheric, compelling and suspenseful’. I was thrilled to learn from the author that the second book in the series is already completed and a third is under way. Read my full review here to find out why I was hooked and can’t wait for the next book.

It’s the first Saturday of the month so it’s 6 Degrees of Separation time!

Here’s how it works: a book is chosen as a starting point by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book.

Kate says: Books can be linked in obvious ways – for example, books by the same authors, from the same era or genre, or books with similar themes or settings. Or, you may choose to link them in more personal or esoteric ways: books you read on the same holiday, books given to you by a particular friend, books that remind you of a particular time in your life, or books you read for an online challenge. Join in by posting your own six degrees chain on your blog and adding the link in the comments section of each month’s post. You can also check out links to posts on Twitter using the hashtag #6Degrees

This month’s starting book is, appropriately enough, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Click on the title to read the book description on Goodreads or my review, as appropriate.

A Christmas Carol is one of the best-loved of all Dickens’ works and reading it (or watching a film or TV adaptation of it) is definitely an annual tradition in our house. Charles Dickens edited a weekly magazine, Household Words, published every Saturday from 1850 to 1859. One of the authors who contributed to Household Words was Elizabeth Gaskell. A number of the stories in her Gothic Tales appeared in Household Words, often at Christmas, including ‘Disappearances’, ‘The Old Nurse’s Story’ and ‘The Squire’s Story’.

Aside from her novels, Elizabeth Gaskell is probably best known for her biography of Charlotte Brontë, author of Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre tells the story of a young governess hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester of Thornfield Hall to care for his ward Adèle.

A whole shelf of copies of Jane Eyre are to be found in the library of the house of the mysterious and reclusive author, Vida Winter, in The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. In fact, the book Jane Eyre becomes the subject of a very strange test put to the narrator.

In The Thirteenth Tale, the narrator is charged by Miss Winter with writing a true account of her life, rather than just the stories she’s previously made up when asked questions. Storytelling also plays a central role in States of Passion by Nihad Sirees (the chosen book in the November Reading In Heels subscription box). A man stranded in the countryside during a raging storm seeks refuge in an isolated mansion inhabited by an elderly gentleman who starts to tell him a story of family secrets.

The only other occupant of the house is a servant who is unwelcoming at best. A malevolent servant also features in Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier in the person of the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (memorably played in the original film version by Judith Anderson).

One of the key events in Rebecca is an inquest that takes place when a body is discovered following a storm. An inquest into a body discovered by chance also features in None So Blind by Alis Hawkins. The verdict (unsatisfactory as far as some are concerned) results in the main character and his assistant embarking on an investigation to try to uncover the truth of the cause of death and the possible perpetrator.

Next month’s starting book is The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles. Why not join in when Six Degrees returns on 5th January 2019.