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 have been going through my vast TBR again and have found another book that I would love to read but forgot about. I’m really intrigued by this book and would love to read it.
Four brides. One Dress.
A tale of faith, redemption, and timeless love.
Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift . . . and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can’t she find the perfect dress…or feel certain she should marry Tim?
Then Charlotte discovers a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new-shimmering with pearls and satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it? Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet? Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl? And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been “redeemed.”
Charlotte’s search for the gown’s history-and its new bride-begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny. And each with something unique to share. For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte’s heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the timeless beauty of finding true love.
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I will be honest all my reading challenges are getting behind at the moment except maybe my reading my height in books. I really hope I can start moving forward again and start to catch up.
Here are some of the books I hope to read in August.
Books I hope to finish in August
I have been reading these books for what seems like forever so I really hope I can get them finished in August.
Books I hope to read in August
In all honesty I suspect most of August will be taken up with Babel and The Cicero Trilogy but I really hope I get to read these books as well.
I hope everyone had a good July. I did a lot better with my reading in July. I suspect my holiday helped with this but I’m hoping to have a better August as well because I don’t currently have any school teaching.
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.
Happy Monday!
How is it the end of July already? This month seems to have flown by and it is scary.
I have been going through my vast Goodreads TBR and there are so many books on there that I added years and years ago that I still want to read so I think it is time to bring them to the front of the list again. So here is a book that I added way back in 2018.
Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped by all that her strong personality will temper the young Amunhotep’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods, overthrow the priests of Amun, and introduce a new sun god for all to worship.
From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people. Her charisma is matched only by her husband’s perceived generosity: Amunhotep showers his subjects with lofty promises. The love of the commoners will not be enough, however, if the royal couple is not able to conceive an heir, and as Nefertiti turns her attention to producing a son, she fails to see that the powerful priests, along with the military, are plotting against her husband’s rule. The only person wise enough to recognize the shift in political winds–and brave enough to tell the queen–is her younger sister, Mutnodjmet.
Observant and contemplative, Mutnodjmet has never shared her sister’s desire for power. She yearns for a quiet existence away from family duty and the intrigues of court. Her greatest hope is to share her life with the general who has won her heart. But as Nefertiti learns of the precariousness of her reign, she declares that her sister must remain at court and marry for political gain, not love. To achieve her independence, Mutnodjmet must defy her sister, the most powerful woman in Egypt, while also remaining loyal to the needs of her family.
Love, betrayal, political unrest, plague, and religious conflict, Nefertiti brings ancient Egypt to life in vivid detail. Fast-paced and historically accurate, it is the dramatic story of two unforgettable women living through a remarkable period in history.
I’m so pleased I have rediscovered this book as I really want to read this book soon.
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
I took a break from Babel whilst on holiday as I didn’t take any physical books with me but now I am back I am back to reading it and I am really enjoying it so far.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I have had a busy day playing for a wedding and teaching but the rest of the week should be a little calmer. Anyway, here is how the reading is going.
What I am Currently Reading
I started this when I was on holiday and I am thoroughly enjoying it so far.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I finished these books whilst on holiday and they were all excellent. I fully intend on reading more Mandy Baggot books.
What I Think I will Read Next
I am still trying to do my 20 Books of Summer Challenge but I keep going off track and reading other books. Hopefully, I get back on track soon.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
In a remote village near the English coast, residents gather in a misty churchyard. More than a decade into the twentieth century, superstition still holds sway: It is St. Mark’s Eve, the night when the shimmering ghosts of those fated to die in the coming year are said to materialise and amble through the church doors.
Alone in the crowd is Constantia Gifford, the taxidermist’s daughter. Twenty-two and unmarried, she lives with her father on the fringes of town, in a decaying mansion cluttered with the remains of his once world-famous museum of taxidermy. No one speaks of why the museum was shuttered or how the Giffords fell so low. Connie herself has no recollection—a childhood accident has erased all memory of her earlier days. Even those who might have answers remain silent. The locals shun Blackthorn House, and the strange spinster who practices her father’s macabre art.
As the last peal of the midnight bell fades to silence, a woman is found dead—a stranger Connie noticed near the church. In the coming days, snippets of long lost memories will begin to tease through Connie’s mind, offering her glimpses of her vanished years. Who is the victim, and why has her death affected Connie so deeply? Why is she watched by a mysterious figure who has suddenly appeared on the marsh nearby? Is her father trying to protect her with his silence—or someone else? The answers are tied to a dark secret that lies at the heart of Blackthorn House, hidden among the bell jars of her father’s workshop—a mystery that draws Connie closer to danger . . . closer to madness . . . closer to the startling truth.
Review
Another Mosse book that I simply could not put down! I am slowly working my way through all of Kate Mosse’s books and as soon as she releases another one I immediately buy it.
I found this book a real classic gothic novel which was rather disturbing in places. I have never been a massive fan of taxidermy because why do we have to kill and stuff things when they are much more beautiful alive and happily living their lives? The description of the bird being prepped for stuffing was not a pleasant part to read and I will be honest I skipped past that part.
I really enjoyed how this story built up. Constantia known as Connie had an accident when she was 12 years old and lost her memory but now ten years later things start coming back. As well as all this Connie also has the feeling she is being watched by a mysterious woman.
As well as Connie trying to work out what is going on and how it is connected with her past there is also Harry. Harry is trying to find his father and this leads to him meeting Connie. Connie and Harry work together to try and work out what is going on and who the murderer is. I really liked Harry as he was a true gentleman who would go out of his way to help people even strangers.
About half way through the book I did work out what was going on but that didn’t put me off from reading the rest of the book.
There are some fabulous characters within this book and I loved how Mosse gives us such character details. I couldn’t put this book down and I give it a full 5 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Kate Mosse is an international bestselling author with sales of more than five million copies in 42 languages. Her fiction includes the novels Labyrinth (2005), Sepulchre (2007), The Winter Ghosts (2009), and Citadel (2012), as well as an acclaimed collection of short stories, The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales (2013). Kate’s new novel, The Taxidermist’s Daughter is out now.
Kate is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction (previously the Orange Prize) and in June 2013, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to literature. She lives in Sussex.
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.
Happy Monday!
I hope everyone has had a nice weekend and is ready for the week ahead.
My chosen book this week is one that I have been wanting to read for a very long time and I really hope I get to read it soon.
Socrates sits chained to a wall in a small prison cell. In a month he will die of hemlock poisoning. At night, by the light of a tiny oil lamp, on rolls of paper smuggled in by loyal friends, he tells his three sons the story of his life.
He writes vividly about the people and events that shaped him as a person. The mother who encouraged his questions. Teachers who promoted the Greek ideals of courage and glory. Bloody battles. Lifelong friends lost and enemies made. Being proclaimed the world’s wisest man.
Fearing his sons may follow in his ill-fated path, Socrates honestly reveals his thoughts and feelings, his successes and his failures, and his search for the answer to the ultimate question—how can I be happy?
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.
Lady Book Dragon 