A retelling of Greek mythology - a monster, an island and a witch

A cosy crime mystery set on a coach tour of Britain

There must be a reason why LM Montgomery’s book Anne of Windy Willows is named that because the house in which she lives during the book is actually called Windy Poplars (and occasionally that is the title of the book) but if there is a reason I don’t know it. This is the fourth in … Continue reading My 12 in 12 Challenge – November – Names in Titles- Book 3

One man and his father disagree about life. A book set in a Midlands town in the printing trade in the nineteenth century. A deserved classic.

A lively retelling of the Jane Austen classic - a romantic comedy about Emma and her matchmaking efforts.

It was not the brightest of ideas to choose to read history books for my 12 in 12 Challenge in the month that I was also moving house. I knew it was a mistake even as the month began but by then I had packed my books into many, many boxes and had only a … Continue reading October is finished – I review my challenge and talk about my 300th book read this year

Thomas Harding’s family originated in Germany. During the 1930s they bought The House by the Lake but being Jews they were eventually forced to flee their homeland and their property was allocated to another. When the author returned to Germany in the early years of this century he found the house was about to be … Continue reading My 12 in 12 Challenge – October – History – Book 10

John MacLeod’s book None Dare Oppose about the nineteenth century on the island of Lewis in the Hebrides tells the most amazing tale. The island was owned by Sir James Matheson who was retired from a career in the East and regarded the island and its inhabitants as a hobby. He mostly left the management … Continue reading My 12 in 12 Challenge – October – History – Book 9

When I chose to read The Last Days of Detroit by Mark Binelli for my 12 in 12 Challenge I was expecting it to be a history of the city and how it became bankrupt. This book covers that issue, although in a lot less detail than I would have liked and without many statistics … Continue reading My 12 in 12 Challenge – October – History – Book 8

During the Victorian era women who had inconvenient babies, usually out of wedlock, and had no support system were faced with a terrible dilemma. They could keep their child and starve or they could find someone who would look after the baby for a regular sum or an upfront payment. Amelia Dyer and the Baby … Continue reading My 12 in 12 Challenge – October – History – Book 7