Category: Five Favourite

My 5 Favourite January Reads

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Compared with previous months, January started relatively slowly on the reading front  with eleven books finished.  However, there were still plenty of fantastic books to choose from.

You can keep up to date with my reading in 2019 here and find a complete list of all the books I read in 2018 here, with links to my reviews.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

Click on the book title for the book description on Goodreads.

First up is Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton.  Set in 18th century Spitalfields, it weaves together the stories of two women – Esther Thorel, the wife of a Huguenot silk-weaver, and Sara Kemp, newly arrived in London.  I thought it was a really impressive debut, full of fascinating detail about the period plus the cover is simply gorgeous.  Read my full review here.

My next choice is another historical novel, and another impressive debut – A River in the Trees by Jacqueline O’Mahoney.  Set in Ireland, partly in 1919 and partly in the present day, it reveals the turbulent experiences of two women – Hannah and Ellen – whose stories subtly mirror each other in some respects and contrast in others.  Read my full review here.

The Secret by Katharine Johnson also involves multiple timelines but this time the setting is the Tuscan village of Santa Zita.  It’s an intriguing story of secrets and betrayal that I described as ‘an absorbing combination of historical fiction and mystery’.  You can read my full review here.

Next the eagerly anticipated (certainly by me) third book in Rory Clements’ ‘Tom Wilde’ series, Nemesis.  Set in the early years of the Second World War, Tom Wilde is once again involved in international conspiracy and comes up against a particularly chilling adversary.  It’s a thrill-a-minute read. Find my full review here.

Finally, there’s Eagle & Crane by Suzanne Rindell.  I absolutely loved this story of two daredevil aerial stuntmen that combines mystery, action and romance whilst exploring more serious themes including a dark aspect of World War Two American history.  Read my full review here.

It looks like the year has started the same way it finished, with some great historical fiction from some of my favourite publishers.  Even more exciting is that all but one were new-to-me authors and two of those were debut novelists.

My 5 Favourite December Reads

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My 5 Favourite December Reads

Despite the distractions of preparing for the festive season, I managed to read fourteen books in December with a couple deserving the full five stars and others getting close. Click on the book title for the book description on Goodreads.

You can find a complete list of all the books I read in 2018 here, with links to my reviews.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

To complete the What’s In A Name 2018 Reading Challenge, I needed a book with a title commencing with the letter ‘Z’ and in Zoo Station by David Downing I hit on a cracker.  I described it as a ‘taut, compelling espionage story with an authentic sense of the period and setting’.  You can read my full review here.  This was also my first foray into audio books, to which I think I may have been converted.

Next up it’s another historical thriller, The Cold North Sea (Ingo Finch Mystery #2) by Jeff Dawson, which is based on a real life incident that could have plunged England and Russia into war in 1904.   I enjoyed it just as much as the first book in the series, No Ordinary Killing.  Read my full review of The Cold North Sea here.

Staying with historical fiction, I also really enjoyed The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau, set in 18th century London in which the heroine, Genevieve, longs to be an artist and, in her attempts to achieve her aim, becomes involved in murky goings-on in the world of porcelain manufacture.  I described it as ‘full of twists and turns, intrigue and unexpected revelations’.  You can read my full review here.

My Buchan of the Month reading project for 2018 reached its conclusion with one of my favourite Buchan novels, Sick Heart River.  I’ve read this a number of time but it never loses its power to move me, especially the final chapters.  You can read my review here.  Buchan of the Month will return in 2019 with a new list of titles.

Last but definitely not least, there’s a historical novel replete with atmosphere and mystery – Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield.  The book also made it into my Top Ten Books of 2018.   I described it as ‘magical, atmospheric, mysterious’.  You can read my full review here.