I hope everyone has a good week planned with some good reading included.
My book from The Willoughby Book Club has arrived and it was in different wrapping! I’m not sure I am as keen on this wrapping as it is more of a sleeve instead of the gorgeous tissue paper but it is the book that counts.
The book I received was Mallory Cook and the Road Not Taken by Charlotte Nash. I know I say this a lot but Charlotte Nash is another new author for me. I do love discovering new authors especially when they become firm favourites, so fingers crossed I am not disappointed.
One single mother. Three escaped pensioners. An unforgettable road trip.
In their tiny, pale green cottage under the trees, Mallory Cook and her five-year-old son, Harry, are a little family unit who weather the storms of life together. Money is tight after Harry’s unreliable and impulsive father, Duncan, abandoned them to expand his business in New York. So when Duncan fails to return Harry after a visit, Mallory sets off, determined to bring her son home any way she can.
A chance encounter with three retirees on the run leaves Mallory leading an unlikely group road trip across the United States. Zadie, Ernie and Jock each have their own reasons for making the journey and along the way the four of them will learn not only the lengths they will travel to save each other, but that it’s never too late to change the path you’re on . . .
Drop me a comment with your thoughts if you have read this book.
Bridie Devine—female detective extraordinaire—is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors trading curiosities in this age of discovery.
Winding her way through the labyrinthine, sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing a past that she’d rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where spectacle is king and nothing is quite what it seems.
Blending darkness and light, history and folklore, Things in Jars is a spellbinding Gothic mystery that collapses the boundary between fact and fairy tale to stunning effect and explores what it means to be human in inhumane times.
Review
I love a gothic mystery so I was very excited to start reading this book and I will be honest it was rather a surprise once I got into the story.
My first impression of this book was too much description and it took me a while to get used to this. Kidd is an excellent writer but sometimes her descriptions can go on too long. For example she describes at one point all the different dreams people are having and to be honest I just lost interest as they were characters that were not important. However, that is my only problem with this story; the rest I loved.
Bridie is fantastic and the more I got to know her the more I loved her character. Bridie is clever and has the ability and intellect to be an amazing doctor but sadly she is woman and women are not allowed to be doctors. This doesn’t stop Bridie though who helps Inspector Rose with unusual cases by examining the bodies and the scene of the crime. She also solves crimes for private clients as well. Bridie is eccentric, she smokes a pipe and speaks her mind and is a force to be reckoned with and she does all of this in a dress and many petticoats, most of the time.
I will be honest Bridie is basically a female Sherlock Holmes and it is very clear that that is who Kidd based the character on. Bridie also has a house maid called Cora who is fascinating. Cora is seven foot tall and a very scary woman who the local children find very interesting. She is also a fantastic bodyguard for Bridie who will see no harm come to her.
This story combines folklore and history together perfectly and makes for a fascinating read. I will be honest at times I found it a little disturbing but it was still a fabulous read that I highly enjoyed. I give this story 4 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
Jess Kidd was brought up in London as part of a large family from county Mayo and has been praised for her unique fictional voice. Her debut, Himself, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2016. She won the Costa Short Story Award the same year. Her second novel, The Hoarder, published as Mr. Flood’s Last Resort in the U.S. and Canada was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2019. Both books were BBC Radio 2 Book Club Picks. Her latest book, the Victorian detective tale Things in Jars, has been released to critical acclaim. Jess’s work has been described as ‘Gabriel García Márquez meets The Pogues.’
I have gone for another poem by John Clare this week. This poem celebrates the coming of Spring.
Young Lambs
The spring is coming by a many signs;
The trays are up, the hedges broken down,
That fenced the haystack, and the remnant shines
Like some old antique fragment weathered brown.
And where suns peep, in every sheltered place,
The little early buttercups unfold
A glittering star or two - till many trace
The edges of the blackthorn clumps in gold.
And then a little lamb bolts up behind
The hill and wags his tail to meet the yoe,
And then another, sheltered from the wind,
Lies all his length as dead - and lets me go
Close by and never stirs, but beaking lies,
With legs stretched out as though he could not rise.
John Clare
It is time for my monthly update on my reading challenge. Now I have noticed a little problem with my challenge and that is digital books. Last year I barely read a digital book and this year just because I have set myself this challenge there is a load of digital books I want to read! The question is do I count them in my challenge and if I do, how? So what do my fellow book dragons think? What should I do?
Anyway, until I make a decision here is my monthly update of the growing pile of books that I hope to get the same height as me this year. These are the books from January and February. The height is now 8.5 inches. I added 2.5 in February.
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I have a busy day of teaching ahead and studying but I am hoping to get some reading in as well at some point.
My chosen quote today is by the famous singer Tina Turner.
"Sometimes you've got to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything... whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out."
Tina Turner
I love this week’s topic as I have so many books that I loved as a child and still love and read today.
So here are my top choices.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Toad! I think Toad is one of the reasons I love frogs and toads, he is such a funny character and my favourite story is about Toad and his motorcar.
Matilda by Roald Dahl
I have very fond memories of this book and I still remember the day my sister gave me this book, we were sat in the kitchen and I remember being so excited to start reading it.
The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter
I love all the Beatrix Potter stories but I chose Tom Kitten today because he is rather a fat little kitten and reminds me of my rather tubby cats.
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
Eeyore! I am obsessed with Eeyore, the house is full of Eeyores. My poor long suffering husband despairs when another turns up in the house. I adore all the Winnie the Pooh stories but the very best always include my beloved Eeyore.
The Brambly Hedge stories by Jill Barklem
I have fond memories of these stories and I recently bought the treasury for my best friend’s little boy because I wish to pass on the joy they brought me.
So there are just some of my favourites. What were your favourite children’s books? Remember please drop me a comment if you want to chat.
Happy March! I feel like it was only yesterday that we were in January. I will be honest February hasn’t been the best month for reading due to assignments but I have still managed to fit some in to help me relax.
Lady Book Dragon 