The Mill Girl
by Rosie Goodwin

                                                                                                         

This is my favourite genre: historical family saga. I had never read a book by Rosie Goodwin before, but having just finished and loved the TV series, "The Mill" , the title really appealed to me.

Maryann works hard at the local cotton mill, along with her father. Maryann's brother works in the coal mine, and her sister is still at school. Their mother is at home, weakened and unwell with the baby she is carrying. They have very little money and have suffered a lot of heartache, but they have each other. Little do they know it, but the family (and Maryann in particular) are about to go on an earth-shattering rollercoaster of events and emotions. Life as they know it is about to change forever.

The story kept me on my toes throughout! There were so many huge events that I could never get bored. Every time I got comfortable, a curve ball was thrown my way. My heart beat faster all the way through! It has to be one of the most exciting and event filled books of this genre that I've ever read. Death, suicide, murder, rape, prositution, lesbianism! It's all there!

I loved this book! I am already reading another book by Rosie Goodwin, "Homefront Girls", and enjoying it. Although I am really missing Maryann, Wesley, Fleur, Nellie and Cissie from The Mill Girl! Rosie writes with such an effortless skill and manages to bring the characters to life perfectly.

I have to say that I did have a personal attachment to this story. An integral character is a little girl called Fleur, who has Down's Syndrome. My daughter has Down's so I felt very protective towards the character. I was naturally on the defensive and very nervous and wary of how the author would handle the character of Fleur. I had nothing to fear though, as she was written with affection and a true understanding.

Rosie Goodwin is one of my new favourite authors! I have high hopes for her other books.

Buy it here...The Mill Girl by Rosie Goodwin

Waking Up Joy
by Tina Ann Forkner

                                                                                                         

Joy has had a ridiculous accident and everyone thinks she has tried to commit suicide. Unfortunately, despite the fact she can hear them all discussing her predicament and their theories thereof, Joy is unable to speak up because of the aggravating inconvenience of being in a coma. When she eventually wakes she sets out to live her life fully and put right wrongs from her past.

I loved the first part of the book in particular. It was interesting and compelling reading how Joy was able to hear everything and be witness to the happenings around her, despite the fact that everyone around her believed her to be unconscious. As you would imagine, Joy was able to discover her friends' and family's true feelings and true selves in that time. Haven't most of us, at some point, wondered if someone in a coma can actually hear us? Or wondered what our loved ones would say if they thought we couldn't hear them?

Unfortunately, after Joy awoke, I found myself losing interest a little. My mind would wander and I would have to flick back to re-read some sections. It didn't help that one character I was supposed to like, I didn't! Only at the end did I discover my dislike was unfair and based on facts I hadn't known earlier. I actually felt a little guilty then! The last third of the book picqued my interest again. And towards the end I was holding my breath (read the book to find out why that's ironic!) and biting my nails. The secret hinted at throughout the book was not at all what I had expected! Until about 3/4 through I was convinced I knew the secret! Then I realised I didn't and as the hints were absorbed I started to realise what had happened, yet the truth still had me gripped when it was revealed.

I liked Joy. In fact, I missed her when I finished the book. I enjoyed being in her company. I enjoyed the balance between descriptive writing and conversation. It's a style that I know some people don't particularly like, so be aware there are lots of sections of conversation. For me, though, it was a good thing as I like conversation. My only issue was it was slightly confusingly arranged. but that was hopefully just an issue with the preview kindle version I had. When one person's sentence had finished another's would begin on the same line on the page. But I believe this will have been rectified in the released version.

I enjoyed this book. I think it could have been made shorter. I often remark that stories have been condensed into too short a book, making it feel rushed and unexplored. However, with this I thought it was a little padded and could have benefitted from being pruned in some areas. Having said that, I would still recommend it highly. I really enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate in reading another book by Tina Ann Forkner.

The Twelve Dates Of Christmas
by Lisa Dickenson

                                                                                                         

I took part in my first Sunday Challenge last weekend. This is run by this lovely chick!
The subject was Christmas, so I had a look through the Christmas reads available at the Amazon Kindle store. There was no end of titles to choose from, but I finally settled on The Twelve Dates Of Christmas by Lisa Dickenson.

Claudia is stuck in a bit of a rut, both work-wise and relationship-wise. We start the book joining her on a date with her feckless boyfriend, Seth. The relationship has gone stale and she's trying to breathe some life back into it. It soon becomes clear this is a futile mission, and the evening ends in disaster. Getting his willy out to show her in the toilets of the Royal Opera House was a good hint it was doomed! The end of the first date of Christmas is also the end of her relationship, luckily for us, because this leads to the next 11 entertaining dates of Christmas!

I loved Claudia. I loved all the supporting characters, except those whom you're supposed to hate! The story was a rollercoaster ride. Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, it switches course!
I enjoyed everything about this book! It has definitely become one of my favourites! I didn't ever get bored: quite the contrary! It was un-put-downable!! I am, in fact, considering suing Lisa Dickenson! Suing her for causing the loss of my fingernails (bitten down too far) and for the mortifying embarrassment of giggling to myself on a full bus whilst reading!
The characters were great, the story was entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny, the twists and turns were unpredictable, and the scenes were so delightfully Christmassy. I would actually look up after reading for a while and be confused for a split-second as to why I had no decorations up! Snowy scenes, soft snuggly jumpers, glasses of warm mulled wine or Baileys, and pretty sparkly decorations are almost tangible with Lisa's wonderfully descriptive festive prose.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I will be reading it again. I can see it joining Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol as one of my regular Christmas reading traditions!

Buy it here...

An October Bride
by Katie Ganshert

                                                                                                         

Something drew me to this book. I have to admit the blurb explaining that it wasn't a romance behind the wedding was definitely appealing. Having read one too many gushing romances recently, I really wanted something a little different, and this appeared to offer it.
Vet Emma is dealing with the fact her beloved father is dying from cancer. Understandably, she feels helpless. Whilst at her parents' house, doing the one thing she can at least do to help, clean the cats' litter tray, she happens across a note in her father's handwriting. It is his bucket list: all the things he wants to achieve before the cancer finally takes him. All but two are ticked off. One is easy to fulfill, the other not so much. He wants to walk Emma down the aisle! This would be a lot easier if Emma were actually getting married, or even had a boyfriend! What could she do to enable her hero of a dad to tick off this last life wish?

I warmed to Emma immediately. You know how you often see yourself as the main character in a book? Like the events are happening to you? With Emma, I immediately did. I liked her, empathised with her and related to her; I couldn't ask for more than that from my book's heroine.
I enjoyed the story, including the awkward predicament Emma found herself in. Ridiculous as it was, the author made it completely believable. I could see myself doing the same thing as Emma. There are a plethora of emotions conveyed in this book: tragedy, excitement, fear, sadness, happiness, love, comedy, hope. For a short book it certainly doesn't feel unsubstantial, as many do. Unfortunately, the end seemed a little hurried and was over too soon but, in fairness, that could possibly be because I didn't want it to end! It reminded me a lot of one of my favourite films, Hope Floats. I pictured Sandra Bullock as Emma, and Harry Connick Jnr as Jake.
The characters all had depth and a realness about them, which again is hard to achieve for some authors in a short story. Katie Ganshert clearly understands people. She is able to introduce you to her characters and acquaint you with them quickly and effortlessly.


I had never read any of Katie's work, but I am so glad I have been introduced to it. I love her style of writing: the easy flow, the descriptive narrative without too much extraneous waffle, the comfortable balance between the story-telling and speech, along with the good use of vocabulary and correct grammar (a pet peeve of mine, and a dying art it seems).

I have to mention one thing that made me recoil a little. Ganshert used the term spaz, as in, "Mom has turned into a spaz". Having a disabled daughter, I find this term offensive. What's more, it's a word that is very much frowned upon here in England, so it was quite shocking to see it. Especially in such an unoffensive book, and a Christian one at that. However, to put it in to perspective, it was such a small misdemeanour it certainly doesn't detract from the pleasure I got from this enjoyable book.

All in all, one of the best books I've read in a long while. If you enjoy a not too sickly sweet romance with plenty of substance, you can't go wrong reading this. Enjoy! And I'd love to know what you think!

Buy it here...

The Bookshop On The Corner
by Rebecca Raisin

                                                                                                         

With a name like "The Bookshop On The Corner", I just HAD to read this!
Sarah Smith runs a second hand bookshop in Ashford, a small town in Connecticut, America. Her best friends own shops in the same little street. It's a very close community. So when Ridge, the New York reporter with charisma, style and chiselled good looks comes to town for a story, he is the very antithesis of everything Sarah knows and is comfortable with. It very quickly becomes clear that this handsome and suave young man is interested in our bookshop owning heroine far more than the story he's there to write. Or is he? Sarah has her doubts. He appears to have stepped out of one of her gushing romance books; the handsome, debonair hero. He seems too good to be real. Her happy-ending-seeking friends, however, convince her to give him a chance.


Perhaps because it was only a short book, I found the relationship seemed to move too quickly. I also found it hard to believe. I loved the relationship between Sarah and her friends, though. What I loved most was the description of Sarah's bookshop and her love of books. The way Rebecca Raisin describes the shop, its shelves, its cosy reading nook, everything, makes it virtually tangible. I was transported there and loved being within those walls. I identified with Sarah's obsession with books and the way Sarah believes the books carry memories within them of the people who have read them. I loved how she would imagine them flying around after dark, having lives of their own. It was mostly this that kept me page turning.

This book is part of a series of books about The Gingerbread Cafe, which also features in this book. You don't need to have read them though, to enjoy this one.

If you enjoy a predictable, sugary love story with very little in way of storyline besides, then this gentle quick read will suit you down to the ground. If you like a book with less saccharine and more story, then you won't find this fulfilling at all. 

Learning doesn't have a timetable.

                                                                                                         

Last night there was a programme on TV about penguins. Monkey loves penguins, so of course we cuddled up to watch. I was on edge all the way through, anticipating the demise of one or more of these funny little creatures of which Monkey has become so fond. Luckily, despite a few close calls and several suspense filled moments, no tears were needed. 

Along with the penguins, we met sea lions, leopard seals, vampire bats and the seabirds, boobies. This caused a great deal of hilarity, let me tell you! The kids were giggling and repeating the word as much as possible. It also resulted in a number of questions: naturally the first being, "They're not really called boobies are they?" As soon as the hysterics died down once more and peace returned, Monkey continued with more inquisitive questions. It was 8.45pm: already past bedtime, but I couldn't let the opportunity slide. By morning, his enthusiasm and thirst for this information may have diminished. No, we had to jump in there and then. He wanted to learn, so that's what he did. For the next 20 minutes, we learned about boobies (still raising a smile at each mention of the word!), their habitat, diet and everything else we could Google about them. By the next morning, 20 minutes of learning about boobies would still have raised the same smiles and sniggers, but he probably wouldn't have digested and retained nearly as much information. Yes, it meant he went to bed late that night, but that is a small price to pay for being able to feed him knowledge precisely when he's hungry for it. 

The Beach Cafe
by Lucy Diamond.

                                                                                                                       
After looking forward to reading this, it certainly didn't disappoint. It was exactly what I was hoping for. An easy, summer read, evoking images of warm beach days and crashing waves on the shore. It's fair to say the concept was not an original one, (I'm currently reading 2 other books with a similar storyline idea) however, it was enjoyably executed. It is comfortingly predictable, and kept me page turning. I knew what would happen next, but I was enjoying it so much, I would have been disappointed if it hadn't! 

The story begins with 32 year old black sheep of the family, Evie, losing her favourite aunt and gaining a beach-front cafe. She must take the brave step to give up her easy, but going-nowhere life to take on this new and exciting challenge with which her aunt has presented her. 

I was totally absorbed in the story. I always know I've been enjoying a book when, whilst not reading, I find myself for a brief moment wondering what the main characters are up to! As if they were real life friends. I also felt very close to the main character, Evie. This is because, not only did we share some similarities, Lucy Diamond's empathic narrative is effortlessly engaging. Being told in the first person helps with this absorption into Evie's life. 

If you like an easy-going, heart-warming story of family, friends, challenges, and love, then this book will not disappoint.