A doctor tells his daughter that there are three angels: the angel of life, the angel of death, and the third angel, who often appears as a person who needs your help. The book centres around three women of different generations, staying in London at the same hotel at different times, and how they are …
Category: book reviews
The Bone People by Keri Hulme
I really enjoyed this unusual book, a Booker Prize winner back in 1984, which was recommended to me for my reading list this year. It tells the story of Kere, a woman who lives in a tower and has distanced herself from other people, especially her family. But she finds herself drawn out of herself, …
The Museum Of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
Another beautifully written and poignant book to sink yourself into, Alice Hoffman once again weaves a tale of romance, tragedy and release. I love her books so much, and although some of you have probably figured out from reading all her books this year, I do have favourites, this is one of her new releases …
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Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
Published back in 1956, this novel broke the bounds of what was acceptable and became a runaway best seller. Previous to it's publication, books and films revolved around women being the objects of desire, rather than possessing any, and small town America was felt to be safe, sleep and benign. And then this book came …
The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
If you've ever been to a small town, where everyone knows everyone and each house is full of old names and ancient history, this book should feel familiar. It's the story of a place, from its foundation to current day. Each chapter tells a different part of local history, and family names and traits flow …
Lily Dale: The Town That Talks To The Dead by Christine Wicker
This year, in November, I set myself the task of writing a book. It had been germinating in my mind for a while, and I needed to get it down on paper. The story itself has aspects of Victorian Englands obsession with death and greiving, and the phenomenon of Spiritualism that rose up in that …
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Book Review: No Rest For The Wicked, A Novella by Dane Cobain
I was sent this book for review by the author, and I was curious about it because he's a local London writer. It's always nice to read the words of someone who lives in your city. The book is a slim volume, and explores some interesting themes about right and wrong, Hadron colliders and religion. …
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The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Set in the last four years of the Jewish occupation of the Masada fortress in ancient Israel in the time of the Roman occupation, this book tells the events of the lives of four women there who work together in the Dovecotes. I suppose most of you who have an interest in the history of …
Pandora’s Star by Peter F Hamilton
This one was recommended to me by an old friend, and it ended up on my must-read list for the year. It's the first book in a huge epic sci-fi saga called The Commonwealth Saga, and oh my God, it's about a billion pages long, and has a huge list of characters. The book is …
The Book Of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
The designs on the covers of this book (there are two, one for the character Bea and one for Peter) are very beautiful, and having read the authors incredible book The Crimson Petal And The White, I expected big things. When Peter is selected by the mysterious company USIC to be a minister on the colonised …
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