Hello Humans! Welcome to another 'episode' of Judith reads outside her comfort zone. Today I'm reviewing upcoming historical fiction novel Blackberry and Wild Rose, not a genre I am completely unfamiliar with, but not one that I tend to read by choice. But, as I've said before, I like to push myself as a reader and sometimes it's... Continue Reading →
Bloody Brilliant Women, Cathy Newman – Book Review
Hello humans! Readers of this blog may be aware of my love for female characters (I should say, well-written female characters). So, when I saw the opportunity to learn about some less well-known female characters from history I leapt at the chance. It's been a while since I've read any non-fiction in a serious sense... Continue Reading →
The Silence of the Girls, Pat Barker – Book Review
Hello humans! How many times on this blog have I mentioned my degree is in classical archaeology and ancient history? Too many? Well, one of the reasons I wanted to study archaeology alongside history is that I feel it’s one of the best ways to encounter the people who are missing from our historical sources.... Continue Reading →
Shelter, Sarah Franklin, A beautiful novel, ARC Review
Well I've been churned about and pulled every which way and now I'm not sure how to feel! Goodreads Summary: Shelter is about a spirited young woman escaping bombed-out Coventry in WWII to work as a lumberjill within a reclusive community in the Forest of Dean. She is nursing a secret and running from a... Continue Reading →
Plots, Plans, Politics and Passion. Conspiracy, S.J. Parris Book Review.
They say a varied diet is good for you right? In the interest of keeping my reading diet nice and varied I thought I'd delve into some adult historical fiction. I've seen this book on the Supermarket bookshelf for the last six months or so, so when I found it in the library I thought-why... Continue Reading →
Review – The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #2), Marie Brennan
More dragons please. A thunder of dragons and then another thunder of dragons and then at least ten more dragons. If you want to, you can read my review of the first book in this series here (but no obligation). Goodreads Summary: Three years after her fateful journeys through the forbidding mountains of Vystrana, Mrs. Camherst... Continue Reading →
Review – The Witchfinder’s Sister, Beth Underdown
I'm in a little bit of a 'witches phase' at the moment. My first inkling of this was this wondrous bit of historical fiction The Witchfinder's Sister from the pen of creative writing tutor Beth Underdown. Goodreads Summary: Before Salem, there was Manningtree. . . . "This summer, my brother Matthew set himself to killing women, but... Continue Reading →
Review – The Illusionists, Rosie Thomas
My first ever paychecks were spent on a lot of different things, cake, a Birchbox subscription, rent and of course books. But when I realised that my book buying habits were quickly going to make me utterly bankrupt I realised I needed to look to alternative places to find stories. I turned, of course, to... Continue Reading →
Want-to-Read Wednesdays, ‘The Witchfinder’s Sister’ by Beth Underdown
Historical paranormal fiction is not a genre I have considered, as it were. By which I mean I daresay I've read a lot of it, but I've never walked into a bookshop with that in mind. This week's Want-to-Read Wednesday The Witchfinder's Sister appears to fit into that genre...and I'm really looking forward to this one.... Continue Reading →
Review – The Witch of Salt and Storm, Kendall Kulper
I picked this book up on a whim in my local library (where else can one find an obscure collection of genres poorly organised in which you can barely find anything you want to read?) and thought I would share my feelings about it with you all, since I quite enjoyed reading it and who... Continue Reading →
Review – The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, Jennifer Ryan
This is a book about hope, about that great British spirit we're taught about in schools, about loss, about music and about secrecy. I began this book thinking I was going to leave a wholly negative review. The book is comprised of a series of letters, diary entries and newspaper clippings. This isn't a particularly... Continue Reading →