What is everyone reading this weekend? I am hoping to finish The Taxidermist’s Daughter by Kate Mosse. I haven’t been able to put it down so far so I don’t think it will be a problem.
My chosen poem today is by the award winning children’s author and poet Rachel Rooney (1962).
Seeker
Eyes as wide as continents brim with water between.
Seeks a different future. Looks back on what has been.
Mouth seeks another language. Shapes a different air.
Unfamiliar classroom words. The other, whispered prayer.
Heart seeks home. One it left and one it took along.
Echoes in the distance. Skips to a playground song.
Rachel Rooney
Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise – she’s just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems…
Just one more night. Then I’ll end it.
Alison drinks too much. She’s neglecting her family. And she’s having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.
I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.
Alison’s client doesn’t deny that she stabbed her husband – she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.
I’m watching you. I know what you’re doing.
But someone knows Alison’s secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she’s done, and who won’t stop until she’s lost everything….
Review
This has been sat on one of my TBR trolleys (I have many) for a very long time. In fact I remember buying it on an Amazon deal during one of the many lockdowns but I never seemed to get around to reading it. Thankfully, along came the amazing 20 Books of Summer Challenge and this was the first book I read off my list.
The first thing I will say is that once I started this book I could not put it down. I just loved Tyce’s writing and for a debut novel I was pleasantly surprised by how excellently written this book was. However, there was main problem for me and that was that I hated the main character! I just could not get on with the character of Alison and yes I know she was written that way but gosh she drove me mad! Thankfully, I didn’t let this put me off and carried on reading.
Alison was not the only character I did not like. I really did not like her husband who just felt off from the start. In fact most of the characters in this book I disliked but I loved the storyline and that is what kept me reading and not giving up with this book.
As we are reading about Alison’s chaotic life we also meet Madeleine who Alison is defending. Madeleine is accused of murder and as we learn more about the case we see many parallels between Alison and Madeleine’s lives and situations.
This book made me quite uncomfortable at times but it didn’t put me off and gave me a great deal to think about. It’s also a book that I think will stay with me for a long time and that shows just what a great author Tyce is. This book was a difficult book to rate for me because I loved the way it was written and the storyline but I just could not get on with the characters so in the end I decided to give it 3 out of 5 Dragons. I am really looking forward to reading Tyne’s other books soon and hopefully they won’t sit on my TBR pile for quite so long this time.
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About the author
Harriet Tyce (1972) is a Scottish barrister and novelist, the author of Blood Orange, The Lies you Told and It ends at midnight.
My chosen quote for this week is by Augustine of Hippo otherwise known as Saint Augustine (354-430). Saint Augustine was a theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For more info please check out Jana’s blog.
Hello!
I haven’t taken part in Top Ten Tuesday for quite a while so I thought it was high time to take part again. This weeks topic is also an excellent choice for me as I have now booked my summer holiday so I am planning what books to take with me to read.
So in no particular order here are my ten books:
These are a mix of books off my 20 Books of Summer Challenge and my Classics Club Challenge and some random extras. I have no idea if I will manage all of these but I plan on giving it a good go.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway – I recently bought this whilst book shopping because I had always wanted to read it. Fingers crossed I will get around it as it will be a nice short read.
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang – This was my latest purchase whilst book shopping and one that I bought because of all the good things I have seen about it on instagram.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors – This is another book I have read so many good things about.
Babel by R. F. Kuang – I really hope I like Kuang’s writing as she is a new author for me and I plan to read two of her books in the summer.
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas – I have very nearly finished The Count of Monte Cristo and I am not nearly ready to finish reading books by Dumas. It will be my next nighttime read.
The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski – I have the full set of these books in paperback but I might pop the first on my kindle so I can read it on holiday and if I want to continue with the series I can just download the next one on my Kindle.
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati – This has been sat on my TBR for way to long so hopefully I will read it soon.
The Greek Plays – I can’t wait to get reading these.
Silas Marnerby George Eliot – This is one of my favourite books and I fancied a reread for the summer.
The Taxidermist’s Daughter by Kate Mosse – Again another book that has been sat on my TBR for way too long.
Fingers crossed I can read these books and many more over the summer.
If you have taken part in Top Ten Tuesday this week please drop me your link and I will head over for a visit.
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good day today. I managed to blow all the lights at the school I was teaching at today. Thankfully it was sunny enough to not cause too much bother but the bang scared the life out of me.
My chosen book today is another off my 20 Books of Summer list. I will be honest I am falling a little bit behind with my list at the moment but I’ve really tried to catch up with my reading today and hope to catch up even more this week.
Sussex, 1912. In a churchyard, villagers gather on the night when the ghosts of those who will die in the coming year are thought to be seen. Here, where the estuary leads out to the sea, superstitions still hold sway.
Standing alone is the taxidermist’s daughter. At 17, Constantia Gifford lives with her father in a decaying house: it is all that is left of Gifford’s once world-famous museum of taxidermy. The stuffed animals that used to grace every parlour are out of fashion, leaving Gifford a disgraced and bitter man.
The bell begins to toll and all eyes are fixed on the church. No one sees the gloved hand pick up a flint. As the last notes fade into the dark, a woman lies dead.
While the village braces itself against rising waters and the highest tide of the season, Connie struggles to discover who is responsible, but finds herself under suspicion. Is Constantia who she seems – is she the victim of circumstances or are more sinister forces at work? And what is the secret that lies at the heart of Gifford House, hidden among the bell jars of her father’s workshop?
What are your thoughts on this book if you have read it?
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
I hope you all have some fun plans for the weekend. I am sadly mainly working again but hopefully I will fit in some reading.
My chosen poem today is by the American poet Mary Oliver (1935-2019).
The Sweetness of Dogs
What do you say, Percy? I am thinking
of sitting out on the sand to watch
the moon rise. It's full tonight.
So we go.
and the moon rises, so beautiful it
makes me shudder, makes me think about
time and space, makes me take
measure of myself: one iota
pondering heaven. Thus we sit, myself
thinking how grateful I am for the moon's
perfect beauty and also, oh! how rich
it is to love the world. Percy, meanwhile,
leans against me and gazes up into
my face. As though I were just as wonderful
as the perfect moon.
Mary Oliver
I thought it was time for a non bookish update. Although some of my adventures are book related in a way.
Warner Bros Studio Tour
I went with my husband and besties to the Harry Potter tour during the half term and this was the first time we also had the afternoon tea which was very yummy and the service was excellent. As usual the tour was brilliant and I highly recommend the afternoon tea if you haven’t had it before.
Cosford Museum
I love visiting Cosford and my husband and myself go at least once per year. Sadly, one of my favourite planes had moved so I didn’t get to see it but I managed to see some of my other favourite planes and bought two books and a cuddly penguin.
Learning Greek
I have recently joined Duolingo and I have started learning Greek. I am really enjoying it so far and I am aiming to do at least 20 minutes a day of studying.
I have been quite busy work wise with teaching and playing for weddings so I am trying to make the most of my free time at the moment. Hopefully more adventures will be happening soon.
Lady Book Dragon 