Currently Reading

 

The Glass House

by Eve Chase

Thoroughly enjoying this one so far. It's all about the Harrington family who move to a house in the Forest of Dean with their nanny Rita after a fire in their London home. Full of family secrets, atmospheric scenery and with a modern interweaving narrative, it's full of the things I adore in a novel! It reminds me a bit of a mix between Kate Morton and Daphne du Maurier so far (two of my absolute favourite authors). Intrigued to see how this one ends!

The Viking Diaspora

by Professor Judith Jesch

This is a book related to my academic studies, all about early medieval Vikings. As I've only just started this one, I do not have too much to say about it yet, though a good friend has told me good things!

The Boy Who Grew Dragons

by Andy Shepherd

My son and I are reading this together at bedtimes and thoroughly enjoying it! Full of humour, this contemporary set book about dragons will surely be a firm favourite with many children. This novel has also helped expand my son's vocabulary, as well as increasing his love of reading. I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for a last minute Christmas gift for a child roughly aged between six and ten (depending on their reading ability, of course).

What have you been reading lately? I'd love to know! Please leave me a comment below.

Review: Not by Sight by Kate Breslin

Not by Sight

by Kate Breslin

 

 

Received from the publishers Bethany House Publishing through Netgalley for an honest review.

Grace Mabry, determined to help the war effort after seeing her brother go to fight in the trenches, decides to hand out white feathers to conscientious objectors at a party with her maid and friend, Agnes. However, when she hands out a feather to Jack Bennington, she unravels a thread of danger and betrayal that she could never see coming.

Not by Sight is the second novel from the award-winning Kate Breslin, her first being For Such a Time. I have not read her first novel, so this is my first foray into Breslin's Christian fiction.

This book lured me in with a beautiful cover and an intriguing premise - romance, friendship, forgiveness, faith and espionage; what more could a girl want? I have to say I wasn't disappointed while reading, the plot kept me engaged and I finished the novel quite quickly. Breslin gives us flawed characters, hidden agendas and a swoon-worthy lead in a plot that recalls Beauty and the Beast, The Phantom of the Opera and even a little Jane Eyre.

As this is Christian fiction, the subject of faith was an underlying theme throughout the novel; however, I do not think that it was overdone. Throughout Breslin's writing, we see the different characters suffering with types of blindness and the journey some of them are able to take through darkness into the light - to walk by faith and not by sight.

All in all, this was an enjoyable easy read. My only complaint is that sometimes Grace seemed a little too good. I would recommend this to those who enjoyed Julianne Donaldson's Edenbrooke or other Christian historical fiction novels.

Not By Sight is currently available in Kindle Edition and comes out in paperback in the UK on 4 September 2015. It is available in both formats in the US.

Review: No Matter What

No Matter What

by Sally Donovan

Goodreads Description:

'I love you, no matter what.' This book tells the uplifting true story of an ordinary couple who build an extraordinary family - describing Sally and Rob Donovan's journey from a diagnosis of infertility to their decision to adopt two children who suffered abuse in their early life. Writing with incisive wit and honesty, Sally Donovan movingly describes the difficulties of living with infertility when friends and family have no idea, and the emotional process of arriving at a decision to adopt. She recounts the bewildering logistics of adoption and, after finally Sally and Rob are joyfully matched with siblings Jaymee and Harlee, how their joy is followed by shock as they discover disturbing details of their children's past. Determined to heal their children, Sally and Rob realise they will need to go 'beyond parenting' to give them with the help they need. By turns heart-rending, inspiring and hilarious, Sally and Rob's story offers a rare insight into the world of adoptive parents and just what it takes to bring love to the lives of traumatised children.

This book is insightful and, at times, heartbreaking. Donovan highlights the fact that the end of the adoption process is not the end of the journey, that there's so much more before and afterwards. I haven't read anything before has been so honest about adoption - the highs and the lows.

I would thoroughly recommend this to any parent or especially anyone considering the adoption process or anyone who has adopted.

BookTuber Recommendations #1

Sarah Churchill (Clumsiness is a Curse)

A Welsh designer for Jammy Custard who has quite an eclectic taste and a love of 'gorgeous' covers. She's been on BookTube for over a year and films vlogs, mail art and book related videos.

Megan Olivier

A vegan hailing from Northern England. She's stylish, personable and a lover of  YA and contemporary. Recently she's started to film vlogs and lifestyle videos as well.

Sanne (booksandquills)

A Dutch graduate living in London. She works for a Hot Key Books and was recently on the BookTube panel at the London Book Fair. Her videos cover everything from hauls and reviews to working in publishing.