Struggling to know what to buy your loved ones for Christmas? I've got you covered! I know I've blogged about some of these before, but I just love them.
One for the children....
It’s Christmas Eve with the hoglets.
Prickles and Primrose are excited. That is until... As they decorate the Christmas tree they discover the star for the top has shattered. Not to be defeated – the brave hoglets set out into the woods to seek a substitute star but stumble across Santa instead.
What adventure will they encounter?
AND... what about the star?
This is a little bauble of Christmas magic. The illustrations bring the hoglets to life but the writing is superb. Perfect for all Santa fans and some other great characters met along the way. I am shouting about this to everyone I know with young children as this is such sweet storytelling with Christmas magic at the heart. A nice family scene. Prickles and Primrose are loving brother and sister. This definitely gave me that warm fuzzy feeling and brought back buckets of childhood nostalgia.
One for fans of Bridgerton:
Lady Margaret has devoted herself to taking care of her young siblings and the estate while her half-brother fritters away the family fortune. Upon Edwin's death, she learns he has left them destitute and, worst of all, at the mercy of a notorious and cruel rake.
Lord Nicholas would much rather be pursing women for quick sport rather than taking care of a headstrong debutante without any prospects, as well as her siblings. But Edwin saved his life once, and now he owes him a debt. Fortunately, all he has to do is find Meggy a husband, and his debt will be paid.
There's just one issue: Meggy is nothing like what he'd imagined. And the more time he spends in her company, the more he begins to wonder whether he's met his match..
Wow, if you are suffering from Bridgerton withdrawal symptoms, this will help you through in the best possible way.
The language in this completely transports you to the Regency era and feels like an Austen (until the steamy scenes enter!)
The chemistry just sizzles off the page with Meggy and Nicholas and I was racing through desperate to see their happy ever after.
One for those who love a heart warming story:
It’s a slow news day when journalist Ian Rogers is handed a story. Claims are made that locally beloved poppy seller, Thomas Mirren, is a fraud. Ian is reluctant to disrupt the ninety-year-old man’s quiet life, but a bit of research proves there’s no record of the old soldier serving. Is it possible he’s just an old man pretending to be a hero?
As the story is revealed, the town is divided. Some honour Thomas as a hero. Others ridicule him as a fraud. Few stop to learn the story of a man who spent his life running from the past, and simply wants to live out his days in peace.
In a world where perception is reality, does the truth truly matter? Or will public opinion destroy the life of a kind old man?
There is nothing more exciting than when you find an absolute gem and get to shout about how much you love it. This is 100% what has happened with me in this read.
From the opening few lines, I was captivated with this, and couldn't stop reading it. I was so emotionally invested in these characters from the off, something which rarely happens to me, particularly at that speed. Thomas is such an understated character, which makes him all the more warm, friendly and I still want to reach out and give him a hug. I totally recognise he wouldn't want all that fuss, but he deserves it.
This is a really unique angle of a book that touches on war but its framed it in such a different way which works to perfection. Poppy sellers are well known at this time of year and I don't think I've ever read a book about a poppy seller, particularly one that may or may not be a war hero. Hints of war through various characters are displayed, but this is very much a contemporary read in which memories echo as a character themselves.
The motifs of the camel and the butterfly are so delicately brought in, but when they are, its nice for the reader to link them back to the title.
There are so many truly lovely characters in this with good hearts, right intentions, moral dilemmas and community spirit. Of course you need a "baddie" or two to balance the books and I was certainly angry with those, but the story was driven by good, and being kind. I think its a wonderful read in that sense, and uplifting.
Poignant, vivid, perfection The Camel and the Butterfly eBook : Whitworth, Michael: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
One with all the 80's music nostalgic:
Evie Del Rio was the one, as far as Ed Nash was concerned.
Their teenage love was the inspiration for his song 'Used to Be' and helped Ed's indie band, The Mountaineers, to international fame.
But when Evie and her family suddenly up sticks and leave their London home without a forwarding address, she leaves a heartbroken Ed behind too.
Over thirty years later, washed up rocker Ed is suddenly back in the limelight when Evie's love song is used as the theme tune for a new TV drama. Once the song is later featured on TV documentary 'Musical Muses: The Girl in the Song' it's suddenly not just Ed who's asking...
What happened to Evie Del Rio?
Ever since I put this book down, I just can't stop thinking about it.
This is told from multiple viewpoints and changes timeline which gives such a colourful, all rounded view of the story. This also provides the same scenario seen from two different perspectives, which is interesting to see.
A few delicate subject matters but handled sensitively and fairly, with such good hearted characters at the centre, it makes them even more endearing. I am obsessed with Gray, who takes everything in his stride.
This definitely gave me a 'Daisy Jones and the six' vibe but its better. Its more poignant, thought provoking and a tad less rock and roll than that (in a good way.)
I am totally obsessed with this read.
One for the festive saga fans:
Following a scandalous affair, wayward Emma Devaney is sent in disgrace from her home in Ireland to Ryhope, where she will live with her widowed aunt, Bessie Brogan, and help run her pub. Bessie is kind but firm, and at first Emma rebels against her lack of freedom. Struggling to fit in, she turns to the wrong person for comfort, and becomes pregnant.
Accepting she must embrace her new life for the sake of her baby, Emma pours her energy into making the pub thrive and helping heal the fractured relationship between Bessie and her daughters. She catches the attention of Robert, a gruff but sincere farmer, who means to win her heart.
As December approaches, thankful for the home and acceptance she's found, Emma is determined to bring not just her family, but the whole Ryhope community, together to celebrate - and to make one very special mother's Christmas dreams come true.
A wonderful fabulous and festive read. A great story with wholesome characters and the heroine Emma has a page turning journey. Community spirit a plenty and buckets of heart-warming moments.
One with a smart serial killer:
In this darkly comic novel, Clifton Gentle is an ordinary man without much to distinguish him. Not much, that is, apart from being a serial killer who is leaving bits of his young male victims scattered around North London. . DCI Dave Hicks is the larger than life policeman determined to catch him. His attempts to find ‘the nutter' through a combination of spoonerisms, personal abuse and a belief that something will turn up don't go well. All that turns up are yet more body parts.
In a sleazy London dogged by growing squalor and an IRA bombing campaign in the last days of Margaret Thatcher's premiership, the gruesome murders spur an over-the-top media and merchandising frenzy.
The hunt becomes an increasingly personal one and a race against the clock as Clifton, Dave Hicks, a would-be victim, and a copycat killer each try to uncover what - or who - they hold responsible for their own problems.
Ooh I liked this. Unusual for all the right reasons. No spoilers necessary here as we know very early on that our killer is Clifton Gentle. I think this is quite possibly THE best serial killer name i've ever heard.
Some truly brilliant laugh out loud moments in this and its incredibly quick witted and humorous. None of this detracts from the plotline of Hicks trying to solve the crime.
High in drama, and liked the 80s time period.
One that'll keep you on your toes until the final line.
One for the Cilla fans:
Meet Margaret Small: 75, plain spoken, Whitstable native and a Cilla Black super fan. Shortly after the death of her idol, Margaret begins receiving sums of money in the post, signed simply 'C'.
She is convinced it must be Cilla, but how can it be? To solve the mystery of her benefactor Margaret must go back in her memories almost 70 years, to the time when she was 'vanished' to a long-stay institution for children with learning disabilities.
Goodness me, where do I even begin to review this read?
Firstly, huge praise to the author for tackling so many difficult subject matters in one book, and handling them so sensitively. Most importantly, hats off for the MC having a learning difficulty, and shining a light on people who cannot read or write. Great to show support workers in a good way too- they often don't receive the credit they deserve.
I can't remember the last time I felt such an emotional connection to a character. I started off being fascinated by the 2015 storyline and the gorgeous descriptions of Whitstable. Then, as we span through the decades, the 60s is where it totally captured my heart.
Margaret in some ways sees life through a simple lens, but this is so delicate and complex, it makes for superb reading. I know that Margaret will definitely not vanish from my mind for a very long time.
Hope you found something amongst my book recs. Happy reading! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year xx