Hello Everybody,
I hope you have had a good month with plenty of interesting reads. It’s the time of the month when I share my Book Reviews April 2024 with you.
But first in other book news:
This month I was fortunate to attend two author talks. The first with the prolific author Candice Fox. If you haven’t come across Candice, she is an Australian author but has co-authored books with James Patterson. I haven’t read any of those books, but I have read a couple of her own solo books. She writes very fast paced thrillers. One of her books Crimson Lake has been adapted to TV – ‘Troppo’. I think it’s on Netflix but I haven’t watched it yet.
In addition to her extensive writing she also helps rescue native wildlife, raise her young daughter, turn her hand to making or repairing items, painting and sewing. I really don’t know where she finds all the energy and time! Anyhow, I would certainly recommend her books and talks.
The second author talk was with Amanda Hampson. I haven’t read her books but I heard her recently on a podcast and liked the idea of her latest book series. She is an author of some 20 years and her previous books I believe were more comtemporary women’s fiction. Her latest book though is a cozy crime, set in 1960’s Sydney about a group of tea ladies who solve murder mysteries. Her first book, The Tea Ladies took off and now she has just released her second book, A Cryptic Clue. Again this was an interesting talk discussing her characters and where she gets her ideas from.
I love hearing about the ‘behind the scenes’ of writing and discovering new authors to check out. How about you? Any new recommendations you have discovered this month?
Anyhow, here’s my book reviews for April 2024:
The Fortune Teller – Natasha Boydell (fiction)
The Blurb:
The Tattooist of Auschwitz – Heather Morris (fiction)
I’m a bit late to the party in reading this book as I know it was very popular when it was first released. At the time, I felt it would be just too harrowing to hear about the horrors of Auschwitz.
However, after attending an author talk by Heather Morris (see here) she explained how she met the main character, Lale, which inspired me to want to read his full story.
Whilst this book does discuss the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps and the awful way in which some humans can behave, underlying it all is a story of love and hope that helped Lale and Gita survive one of the most dispicable episodes in history.
I am eagerly awaiting the TV adaptation of the book which is due to be released sometime in May.
The blurb:
In 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is rounded up and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. When the Nazi’s realise he can speak several different languages, they order him to become the tattooist, permanently marking his fellow Jews with identifying numbers.
Imprisoned for two and half years, Lale sees the most horrific acts of human behaviour and brutality, but also witnesses incredible acts of bravery and compassion. He himself, risks death by trading jewels and money to obtain food and medicine to help his fellow prisoners.
In July 1942, he meets Gita who he immediately falls in love with and vows to survive the camp so they can be together and marry after the war has ended.
Homecoming – Kate Morton (fiction)
I love Kate Morton’s books but weirdly, I kept putting off starting this one. It seemed such a big, fat book!
Of course, once I got started I whipped through it, loving every page. Morton immerses the reader in contemporary and historical Australian life, expertly shifting between the two time lines. The book explores the role of women and how changing times have impacted the expectations put upon them by society, whilst also highlighting the similarities that still exist.
An absolutely great read, that really transported and immersed me in the sights, sounds and smells of Australia.
The Blurb:
Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve 1959 – beside a creek in the grounds of a grand country home, a local man makes a terrible discovery.
Soon the small town of Tambilla is embroiled in the most baffling murder in the history of South Australia.
Many years later, thousands of miles away, Jess is searching for a new journalistic story as her life is falling apart in London. But then she receives a phone call summoning her back to Sydney to care for her beloved grandmother Nora.
At Nora’s house, Jess discovers a true crime book about the Turner Family Tragedy of 1959. As she skims through the book, she realises that there is a shocking connection between these murders and her own family.
As Jess digs further into the mystery she begins to uncover a massive family secret which questions everything she thought she knew about her life and background.
Dead Lock – Damien Boyd (fiction)
Anyhow, I really enjoyed this police procedural book not only for a cracking, well paced story but also because it’s set around the Somerset Levels in the UK, close to where I used to live. It also dips into the Lake District mentioning hikes I have undertaken with our family. There were plenty of twists and turns in the story and a satisfying ending. I will definitely be grabbing more of these books.
The blurb:
On a cold Somerset morning, a ten year old girl is reported missing by her violent, drunken father. Her mother, a known drug addict, is found unconscious and her suspicious boyfriend has also disappeared.
As the police fly into action to trace the girl, another local girl is taken.
As the police investigation intensifies, DI Nick Dixon cuts his holiday short to assist. He quickly identifies a list of suspects, but then they start turning up dead.
Dixon is now in a race against time, trying to locate the missing girls and prove to his superiors that the abductions are not random and there is a clear purpose to why these girls have been targeted.
Well, that’s it for this month. Drop me a comment below, and do let me know what you’ve been reading this month. I love hearing about good books!
If you missed my last book review you can catch up here
I thought I was the only person left who hadn’t read The Tattooist but that would seem not to be the case. I could easily add every single on of these to my TBR pileQ
Apologies Jo, I’ve only just found your comment. I really enjoyed the Tattooist book and have just watched the TV series on Stan. Sadly I felt the TV show didn’t really reflect Lale’s character as strongly as the book did but it was still an enjoyable and thought provoking watch.