A terrible secret lies buried at the heart of this house. August 1939. As the world goes to war, Hetty Cartwright arrives at Lockwood Manor, to take up her new post for the duration of the war, as safekeeper of the natural history museum’s most treasured animal collection, recently evacuated from London. Yet life at… Continue reading The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey
Category: thoughts
The Stray Cats of Homs by Eva Nour
‘A cat has seven souls in Arabic. In English cats have nine lives. You probably have both nine lives and seven souls, because otherwise I don’t know how you’ve made it this far.' Sami’s childhood is much like any other - an innocent blend of family and school, of friends and relations and pets (including… Continue reading The Stray Cats of Homs by Eva Nour
The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
After a storm has killed off all the island's men, two women in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village struggle to survive against both natural forces and the men who have been sent to rid the community of alleged witchcraft. Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Bergensdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into… Continue reading The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and… Continue reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of Lost Books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the… Continue reading The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense… Continue reading The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
You, Me and the Movies by Fiona Collins
Arden has just started university when she meets Mac – and quickly falls head over heels for the handsome, charismatic film lecturer. Their love affair is dramatic, exciting and all-consuming; the sort of thing you only see in the movies. It couldn’t last. But thirty years later, leading a very different life, Arden is visiting… Continue reading You, Me and the Movies by Fiona Collins
A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie
July 1914. Young Englishwoman Vivian Rose Spencer is running up a mountainside in an ancient land, surrounded by figs and cypresses. Soon she will discover the Temple of Zeus, the call of adventure, and the ecstasy of love. Thousands of miles away a twenty-year old Pathan, Qayyum Gul, is learning about brotherhood and loyalty in… Continue reading A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie
My favourite books growing up
I honestly can't picture what my life would be like without the many books I've found refuge in over the years. I wrote a post a couple of months ago about the ways reading has changed my life so it got me thinking about the books that really made me love reading and pretty much… Continue reading My favourite books growing up
Revival by Stephen King
In a small New England town, in the early 60s, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in… Continue reading Revival by Stephen King
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