I decided to leave the gloom of October behind and start November with an uncomplicated, lovely novel that opens in a time that seems quiet to us, but was tumultuous for those living it. The novel is Belgravia and it begins with a very real event, the Duchess of Richmond’s ball in Brussels in 1815. In history, this glamorous event, attended by some of the highest aristocrats ... Read More...
Maame by Jessica George
Maame is an African word for “woman” and the title of Jessica George’s debut novel, but for young Maddie it feels like a yoke on her shoulders. She lives at home as the part-time caretaker for her father. Her mother manages a hostel she inherited in Ghana and only returns to England intermittently. Her older brother James has his own apartment and says he’ll help, but never ... Read More...
The Heights: A Novel
What was a peaceful extended family dynamic turns dark in Louise Candlish’s new novel, The Heights. Ellen is married to Justin, raising their daughter Freya, but she also shares custody of her teenage son, Lucas, with her ex, Vic. The arrangement is amicable for all involved. Until one tragic event shatters not just the perfect picture of their lives, but the frame around ... Read More...
With Love From London: A Novel
It’s a fact that I’m almost always going to read books about books even if they don’t always work out. Thankfully, that wasn’t a problem with the novel With Love From London. Set in London (yes!), a former librarian who loves rare books (yes, again!), inherits a book store (OK, now you’re killing me), and the apartment above it (STOP IT). Seriously, a bookstore and apartment in ... Read More...
Utopia Avenue: A Novel by David Mitchell
‘Utopia’ means ‘no place.’ An avenue is a place. So is music. When we’re playing well, I’m here, but elsewhere, too. That’s the paradox. Utopia is unattainable. Avenues are everywhere. Derek, Elf, Jasper, and Griff each has a dream: make it big in the music industry playing music they love. So far, it hasn’t panned out for any of them. But when manager Levon Frankland ... Read More...
The Song Rising
Oh, happy day, Paige Mahoney is back in book three of the Bone Season saga! At the end of The Mime Order she had wrested control of the London clairvoyant syndicate from her boss and mentor, Jaxon, and was now the new Underground Queen. Unfortunately, she had not killed Jaxon in the process and when the novel ended she learned that he was working with their greatest ... Read More...
