Book Reviews September 2024

Hello Everybody,

How has the month of September been for you?

Apart from the books I have read and reviewed below, September has been rather a quiet one for author talks and writing events. They were on and I had booked in for a few, but I allowed life to takeover and prevent me from attending.

I think everyday we all say ‘I haven’t got time’. The problem is not with the amount of time we have, but in how we allocate it. We have to decide what is important and intentionally ring fence the time required to achieve that activity.

So, I am heading into October with the intention of making sure I attend the events I’ve booked and make time to work on the projects I want to progress.

How about you? Are you good at ensuring you prioritise time for the things that are important to you?

Anyhow, here are my Book Reviews for September 2024:

The Other Family – Joanna Trollope (fiction)

Back when I was in my mid 20s, early 30s, I used to love reading Joanna Trollope. They used to be called ‘Aga Sagas’ as her books always seem to center around domestic life. Trollope digs deep into her characters’ emotions and how their choices affect their lives. Often there isn’t much dramatic plot, and yet the portrayal of her characters and the writer’s voice pulls you into her novels and makes you want to find out how the characters’ lives are going to turn out.

This book has quite a melancholy tone throughout, full of grief and bitterness, but there is an uplifting tone at the end which makes the entire book satisfying with a distinct theme about how we can give away our power to others or settle for second best.

An oldie, but a goodie!

The blurb:

Chrissie had been with Richie for 23 years, raised three daughters with him and always believe he loved her. They had a beautiful life together and yet he had never given Chrissie the one thing she desired.

When Richie is suddenly no longer with them, Chrissie’s whole life begins to crumble. She has kept a secret from her daughters, which is now about to be revealed – Richie is still married to his first wife who bore him a son, who he deserted back in Newcastle.

Added to the enormity of this secret are the wishes that Richie has left in his Will, causing Chrissie to question everything she thought she knew about him.

Returning to Adelaide – Anne Freeman (fiction)

I won this book in a raffle a few months ago. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up in a bookshop believing it wasn’t my type of book. However, I was delighted with the writing style, the characters and the glorious settings!. I would describe it as a modern day Shirley Valentine.

A great read, especially if you are seeking escapism from a cold winter, or heading off for a poolside holiday.

The Blurb:

Adelaide Jones can see her life beginning to open up again. Her five-year-old twins are becoming easier and her husband, Joe, is selling his IT company for an eye watering sum.

And then her life implodes. Has Adelaide’s quest to make herself indispensable to Joe backfired and made her invisible to him? To teach him a lesson and make him realise how much she does for him, she responds to a surprise invite from Alec, an unrequited love from the past, to visit him on a Greek Island resort.

As she finds herself sinking back into old passions and the lives of her new friends, her responsibilities back in Australia pull her back home.

Finding her life at home altered, should she follow her dreams or surrender to her stifling sense of duty?

Deep Fear – Rachel Lynch (fiction)

This is the second book in the DI Kelly Porter series. You can check out my review of the first book HERE

Set in the Lake District, UK these novels are pretty gritty notwithstanding the stunning scenery they are set in.

The plot is fast-paced and really keeps you turning the pages. There are lots of twists and turns ensuring the reader is kept guessing right to the end as to who the murderer is.

The blurb:

A woman’s naked body is discovered symbolically mutilated in a churchyard. DI kelly Porter is put in charge of the investigation and begins a race against time as more bodies are discovered. Some are found in well known tourists spots, whilst others have been dumped in remote areas of the Lake District. Who is the killer and how and why are they depositing the bodies in this way?

A great read, but gritty with swearing and confronting scenes.

The Reluctant Visionary – Datta Groover (fiction)

This book is set in America with a dual time line following the lives of Jess Atwood and her grandmother Anna Mae.

Both women have to deal with the strange phenomenon of receiving visions about the future.

Jess lives in one of the whitest counties in Texas and is fighting to save her family’s organic farm whilst also trying to control her visions.

In 1960’s Tennessee, Anna Mae believes her visions are divinely inspired. Each woman deals with her visions differently, but both find themselves in trouble due to following or not following the messages sent in their visions.

Jess must allow her visions to help her stop becoming a victim of human trafficking and Anna Mae must stop obsessing about her visions which lead her into danger.

I was drawn to this book as it covers a slightly ‘woo woo’ subject through interesting characters and a good story plot. It wouldn’t be my normal book choice, but I am on a mission to widen my reading.

I read the author’s debut book (review here) and much preferred this story.

A good read if you want to try something different.