Category: Five Favourite

My 5 Favourite September Reads

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5 Favourite September Reads

I read eleven books in September including a number of 5-star reads so it was easier than usual to pick out my favourites.

You can keep up to date with all my reading in 2019 here with links to my reviews.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

Wicked by DesignMy first choice is Wicked by Design by Katy Moran, the follow-up to Hester and Crow (previous published as False Lights).  Set in 1819 and continuing the alternate history premise introduced in the first book – that Wellington lost not won the Battle of Waterloo – Wicked by Design transports the reader from the rugged coastline of Cornwall to the salons of St. Petersburg.  I loved every suspenseful, breathless minute of it, especially the riveting final chapters.  Read my full review here.

The Mermaid's CallNext up is The Mermaid’s Call by Katherine Stansfield, the third book in her ‘Cornish Mysteries’ series featuring female detectives, Shilly and Anna.  The case they are engaged to investigate takes them to Morwenstow in Cornwall and the curious household of Parson Hawker (based on a real life character).  I described it as ‘a story of love, secrets, betrayal and revenge, sprinkled with a hint of the supernatural and full of twists and turns’.  You can read my full review here.

the mathematical bridgeMy next choice is The Mathematical Bridge by Jim Kelly. It’s another book that is one of a series and again it’s a historical crime mystery, this time set in World War 2 Cambridge. I loved it just as much as the first book, The Great Darkness, and thought it would be perfect for those mourning the demise of TV’s Foyle’s War or for fans of James Runcie’s ‘Grantchester Mysteries’ series.  Read my review to find out more.

cover171547-mediumI think you see a pattern emerging here because my next choice is also a historical crime mystery.  This time, however, it’s the first in a new series. The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis imagines that, before they became famous writers, the Brontë sisters – Charlotte, Emily and Anne – were female ‘detectors’ and the case of the vanished bride was their first investigation.

I thought readers familiar with the works of the Brontës would have great fun spotting allusions to their novels.  However, I found plenty of other reasons to love the book.  Read my full review here.

Eight Hours From EnglandMy final choice is Eight Hours From England by Anthony Quayle, one of the books in the Imperial War Museum’s ‘Wartime Classics’ series published to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the start of World War 2.

The book is a fictionalised account of Anthony Quayle’s own wartime experience with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) behind enemy lines in Albania. Read my full review here.

What were your favourite books you read in September?  Have you read any of my picks?

My Five Favourite August Reads

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I read ten books in August and, as always, it was difficult to narrow it down to my five favourite. However, you can find the results of my deliberations below. The link from the book title takes you to my review.

You can keep up to date with all my reading in 2019 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 it’s This Mortal Boy by Fiona Kidman, a novel based on the true story of the trial and execution of Albert Black. I loved the book for both the treatment of the subject matter and the beautiful writing, describing it as ‘compelling, thought-provoking, moving’. You can read my full review here.

Next it’s literary thriller, Fake Like Me by Barbara Bourland, which I read over a number of weeks as part of the buddy read organised by the publishers, Quercus. Set in the art world, it combines a mystery with a fascinating picture of the intensely personal, almost visceral nature of the process of creating art, and the commercialization of the modern art world. With a narrator whose name the reader never learns, I loved the nods to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. You can read my full review here.

From fiction to non-fiction and Untitled: The Real Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anna Pasternak. The author unashamedly sets herself the objective of rehabilitating Wallis’s reputation in history, putting forward her side of the story and attempting to quash some of the accusations levelled at her. Whether it’s overly biased towards Wallis is up to the reader to decide but I certainly found it full of fascinating information. You can read my full review here.

The Tides BetweenRegular followers of this blog will know that I often feel guilty about the number of review copies received from authors that I’ve not yet read or reviewed. So it’s always great to remove one from the pile and even better if the book proves to be a great read. Such was the case with The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett. Set in 1841, it tells the story of fifteen-year-old Bridie who is travelling to Australia with her mother and stepfather to start a new life. I described it as ‘an absorbing, skilfully crafted coming-of-age story that takes the reader…on an often turbulent and emotional journey’ but you can read my full review here.

Finally, there’s Ike and Kay by James MacManus, the fictionalized account of the real life relationship between General Dwight Eisenhower and his driver, Kay Summersby. I loved the way their relationship was portrayed as well as the fascinating detail about the preparations for the Allied invasion of Europe. You can read my full review here.

What were your favourite books from last month’s reading?