Schlagwort: English

The Bookshop of Yesterdays – Amy Meyerson

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AuthorAmy Meyerson
PublisherHQ Digital
Date12 June 2018
EditionKindle
Pages368 (Print edition)
LanguageEnglish
ASINB078GBLX17

“Understanding prepares us for the future.” (Quotation pos. 433)

Content

When she was a child, Miranda Brooks loved it, when her Uncle Billy took her to his bookshop “Prospero Books”. The last time she saw him was on her twelfth birthday. After a serious argument with her mother, his sister, he just disappeared. After sixteen years, she gets a package with the book “The Tempest” inside. The same evening her mother tells her that Uncle Billy had died. He has left his bookshop to Miranda. She returns to Prospero Books, also to find out what had happened twelve years ago that had made Billy leave …

Theme and Genre

It is not only a story about reading, books (especially Shakespeare “The Tempest”) and the problems of independent bookstores, but about family and hidden secrets, lies and the importance to talk to one another. 

Characters

Miranda is a history teacher when she inherits Prospero Books and hopes to save it and not to have to close it down. She is a quite pleasant main character, but during the story going on, she got just too stubborn about the family secrets. Especially her conduct towards her mother was just too much drama for me and not understandable for a grown-up person. While Malcolm, the manager of the bookstore and the regular visitors of the store and included café are interesting and likeable.

Plot and Writing

The story is written in the first person, told by Miranda. There are some flashbacks included directly into to story, where necessary for better understanding. The family secret is slowly revealed during the plot and that makes the story interesting and gripping, even if the reader at a certain point might guess the truth. I definitely have enjoyed the parts about literature and books.

Conclusion

A fine-spun plot and gripping story about literature and family secrets buried in the past. Although not always happy with the main character, I really did enjoy the story that gives the reader some pleasant, entertaining reading hours.

Dieses Buch ist auch bereits in deutscher Übersetzung unter dem Titel „Ein Himmel voller Bücher“ erschienen. Schon der deutsche Titel macht für mich überhaupt keinen Sinn, wenn der Rest der Übersetzung von ähnlicher Qualität ist, sollte man wirklich das englische Original lesen. Es ist ein unterhaltsamer Frauenroman, sprachlich angenehm zu lesen.

Novel, Reviews , ,

The Endless Beach – Jenny Colgan

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AuthorJenny Colgan
PublisherSphere
Date11 January 2018
EditionKindle
Pages448 (Print edition)
LanguageEnglish
ASINB07572Q4M7

„I need to know you, and I need you to know me.“ (pos. 5225)

Content – Book Cover

On the quayside next to the Endless Beach sits the Summer Seaside Kitchen. It’s a haven for tourists and locals alike, who all come to eat the freshest local produce on the island and catch up with the gossip. Flora, who runs the cafe, feels safe and content – unless she thinks too hard about her relationship with Joel, her gorgeous but emotionally (and physically) distant boyfriend.

While Flora is in turmoil about her relationship. her best friend Lorna is pining after the local doctor. Saif came to the island as a refugee, having lost all of his family. But he’s about to get some shocking news which will change everything for him.

As cold winter nights shift to long summer days, can Flora find her happy-ever-after with Joel?

Theme and Genre

This book is part two of a series and it tells again the story and struggles of Flora and Joel, but this time the main part is about Colton and Fintan. One theme are the damages, war does to children. Another theme is foster care. The story is also about how to deal with cancer as a fatal disease. All these topics are embedded in a romantic feel-good-story on the fictional, beautiful island of Mure.

Characters

We meet again the characters known from book one and they still struggle between misunderstandings and feelings.

Plot and Writing

Jenny Colgan is an experienced author with an enjoyable writing style and she knows how to plot stories that are funny and sad in the same time. Even though part one of the series, The Summer Seaside Kitchen, is the first book of Jenny Colgan that could nor really convince me because of the endless misunderstandings that made the reading a little bit boring, I tried to give part two a chance. Again lots of thinking and misunderstandings, together with many – in my opinion too many – very serious themes in a very cozy story, which for me did not work.

Conclusion

A nice read for summer afternoons, a beautiful island, friendly people. A heartwarming story for romantic readers where even tragic ends in happily ever after – for me just too much of everything.

Reviews, Romance , , , ,

The Heart’s Invisible Furies – John Boyne

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AuthorJohn Boyne
PublisherBlack Swan
(Pengiun Random House UK)
Date14 December 2017
EditionPaperback
Pages736
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-13978-1784161002

„When was the exact moment that I might have found some courage and for once in my life done the right thing?“ (Quotation page 341)

Content

In 1945, sixteen years old Catherine Goggin gets pregnant. As she refuses to name the father of the child to the Catholic priest during Mass, she has to immediately leave her home village Goleen and goes to Dublin. After birth, she gives her baby to a nun who has found parents with money and status for the child, that adopt the boy, calling him Cyrus. He first meets Julian Woodbead in 1952, when he is seven years old. In 1959, they meet again as roommates at Belvedere College. He adores Julian but there are also strange feelings, which he thinks to be just some sentimental misinterpretation of a fourteen years old. However, neglecting the truth leads to many years of hiding his secret, misunderstandings, travelling, until he finds his identity and place in life …

Theme and Genre

This epic novel could also be a biography. Main theme is homosexuality in the years where it still was forbidden, especially in Ireland under the pressure of the very strict rules of the Catholic Church and society. Another topic is AIDS in a time when people believed that only gay people could get it. The story of Cyril is also about friendship, compassion and how a lie can have big consequences.

Characters

Cyril, the main protagonist, tries to hide his feelings for Julian and his sexual orientation and it takes him many years to accept, who he is. Sometimes the situation makes him weak, deeply hurting other persons instead of just telling the truth. On the other hand, destiny bringst some twists and hazards into his life which are not his fault and which he has to handle. Therefore he remains likeable to the reader. This novel is full of interesting characters, their friendship, their struggles and especially the short scenes when Cyril and his real mother meet during the years without knowing who they are, are touching.

Plot and Writing

The novel is written like a biography, with Cyril as the first person narrative. He tells the story of his life in chronological order, beginning with the story of his birth 1945, which his mother many years later had told him, until 2015. There are many twists, changes of location that make the book gripping to read, very interesting how some of the characters in different times come into the story again. John Boyne shows a great feeling for the language and a fantastic ability of plot building.

Conclusion

A gripping, heartwarming but also entertaining story, that gives the reader every feeling between laughing and crying. 

Deutsche Ausgabe: „Cyril Avery“ von John Boyne, Verlag: Piper, 2. Mai 2018, geb. Ausgabe 736 Seiten, ISBN-13: 978-3492058537

Novel, Reviews , ,

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore – Robin Sloan

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AuthorRobin Sloan
PublisherAtlantic Books
Date20 December 2012
EditionKindle
Pages304
LanguageEnglish
ASINB00A25NLOU

„All the secrets in the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight.” (Pos. 3901)

Content

Clay Jannon, web-designer in San Francisco has lost his job and he finds a new one, working at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, but only the night shifts from 10 to 6. The shop looks quite small and offers a wide range of SF books, but deep in the background are huge shelves with very old, strange looking books. Clay notes that most clients do not buy books, but borrow one of these special books, bring it back and borrow another one. Therefore, this must be more than a normal bookstore. Together with his friends Mat and Neel, he begins with researches to reveal the story behind the bookshop that seems to be more a library, and its customers. However, not everybody likes these investigations and the organization in the background is powerful and dangerous.

Theme and Genre

This novel is not only about books and bookstores, but also about important knowledge and mysteries, hidden in books. IT market players like Google, the people and researches behind is also a topic.

Characters

Clay Jannon is more than a book-nerd and he definitely changes, his self-confidence growing with the dangers. He and his friends are witty, likeable specialists.

Plot and Writing

The novel is written in the first-person point of view, told by Clay Jannon. The language is enjoyable and humorous. The story is interesting and thrilling and there is some magic and mystery woven into the plot. This together makes the book a real page-turner.

The author has also written a short prequel pf 112 pages about how Mr. Penumbra came to the bookstore: “Ajax Penumbra: 1969”, Kindle Edition, which I have read first.

Conclusion

A gripping story for booklovers, with mysteries and exciting turns and likeable protagonists. Perfect for a weekend lost in a book.

Novel, Reviews , ,

The Little Teashop of Lost and Found – Trisha Ashley

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AuthorTrisha Ashley
PublisherBlack Swan
Date29 June 2017
EditionPaperback
Pages496
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-13978-1784160913

“You know you’ve been cooped up writing for too many hours when the weak October sun seems unbearably bright and everything sort of shimmers.” (page 384)

Content

The newborn Alice Rose was abandoned in the Yorkshire moors near Haworth. Her father by adoption loves her and so does Lola, her best friend. She loves to bake and when her father by adoption suddenly dies, she works as a baker and pastry chef, until she finally returns to Haworth, hoping to find the woman who abandoned her. She has bought a little teashop that needs lots of work and renovation until she can start her afternoon tea emporium. But she has found friends who help her – with her teashop and with the research to find out who she is …

Theme and Genre

This is the story about adoption and the questions arising about the real parents, about abandonment, but most of all about having a dream, about friendship, helping together, and about baking (recipes included at the end of the book). The setting in Cornwall gives the reader a holiday feeling and there is enough humor and romance to make this book a perfect summer read.

Characters

Trisha Ashley writes about loveable, quite funny and special persons, easily to be found in small villages. Especially the member of the Giddings family, helpful and welcoming to Alice, warmhearted people, I liked every single person of them. There are two quite stubborn, old-fashioned, witty waitresses, helping Alice to reopen the teashop. Alice, the main character is used to be abandoned, sometimes just because and sometimes by fate. Also struggling she keeps her hopes, dreams and moves on to make things happen. Sometimes sad, but never lamenting, she believes in solutions and maybe wonders.

Plot and Writing

There are three entwined storylines, what makes this book special and gives exciting turns. The story begins with a prologue in 1978, the story of the abandoned baby, told by the woman, who is her mother, between the chapters of Alice today, 36 years old, and her struggles to make a go of the run-down old teashop. The third story is a fairy tale, but with new interpretations, written by Alice, mainly during long nights. Especially this third story is very funny and lets the reader sometimes laugh aloud – as the whole story does. The author has a big sense for creating funny situations and makes the story an enjoyable read.

Conclusion

A story about some bad times, but lots of good times, of friendship, about the comfort of small villages and about delicious baking. Written with a good sense of humor and romance. A book for readers who love settings in Cornwall, bakeries, funny misunderstandings and who enjoy entertaining stories. Perfect for a relaxing and comfortable weekend.

Reviews, Romance , ,

The Library at the Edge of the World – Felicity Hayes-McCoy

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AuthorFelicity Hayes-McCoy
PublisherHachette Books Ireland
Date 17 November 2016
EditionPaperback
Pages464
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-13978-1473621053

“Everything in life has its time to happen. A time to plant, a time to grow and a time to harvest. And if you take things steady, you´ll bring your harvest home.” (Citation pos. 3113)

Content

Hanna Casey had lived in London, when she divorced after almost 30 years of marriage. Therefore, she came back to Crossarra to live with her mother and she works as librarian of Lissbeg Library. Her great-aunt Maggie had left her old house to Hanna, and with the help of old Fury O’Shea, a local builder, she is going to restore it and make it her home.

Conor is Hanna’s assistant at the library and in his opinion, the library could be really changed and successful. But Hanna would have to change things, be more relaxed about her stringent rules and open to new ideas.

When the Government plans to invest in the area, to close the library and move it to Carrick everything changes. In the convent garden of her former school, Hanna meets Sister Michael and step-by-step plans are developed how to fight back …

Theme and Genre

This is the story about a small village somewhere at the west coast of Ireland and the people living there. Different Governmental ideas about town and area development together with property speculations are an issue too. It is also about family, relationships between parents and children, between neighbors and inhabitants of small places, gossip and misunderstandings. It definitely is a story about books, readers and book lovers and about the beauty of nature of an Irish landscape.

Characters

The author introduces the reader to a quite complicated main character, Hanna, who still mentally struggles about her failed marriage. But as the story continues, Hanna slowly changes, ready to be more open to other people and ready to call Crossarra the place where she now belongs. There may still be many misunderstandings between her and her mother, but family always sticks together, when necessary.

We also meet different people living in the village community: Conor, the young book lover with modern ideas about networking and libraries open to everybody, Fury the builder, an old individualist, special but with a great heart and Sister Michael, the old nun, a wise and excellent strategist, and many others. Each of the characters is understandable and likeable.

Plot and Writing

As the story develops, it is interesting to see how everybody in the area starts to get together, the old-fashioned social networking as it was found for centuries in rural structures comes to life again, but combined with modern social media.

Conclusion

I have enjoyed every page of the book, there are no lengths in this story. I really liked the different characters and recommend this enjoyable, cozy read for a pleasant weekend, ready to be carried off to an imaginary trip to libraries and a small village in Ireland.

Novel, Reviews , ,

Spring on the Little Cornish Isles: The Flower Farm – Phillipa Ashley

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AuthorPhillipa Ashley
PublisherHarper Collins Avon
Date19 February 2018
EditionKindle
Pages386 (Print edition)
LanguageEnglish
ASINB07555VLL6

“I mean it but sadly the world doesn’t owe us happiness. We have to go out and find it …”  (original quotation pos. 2864)

Content

Will Godrevy and his twin-sister Jessica, together with their mother Ann, are the owners of the St Saviour’s Flower Farm. Dr Gabriella Carter “Gaby” has a PhD in Poetry, but joins the flower farm but joins the flower farm on St Saviour’s island as a field worker. Feelings are sparkling between Will and Gaby, but she just needed some time for herself, just during the narcissi flower picking season and after that she will travel on, time for her to see other parts of the world. Jess and Adam are thinking about moving in together. But within one day, he leaves the island without explanations. However, there always is the flower farm and life somehow has to go on …

Theme and Genre

A romantic story that takes place on a flower farm on a small island.

Plot and Writing

The story tales place on one of the Isles of Scilly, on a narcissi flower farm. The main characters are likeable, and especially the sparks that fly between Will and Gaby, are described in a funny, humorous way. Hints and twists keep the reader with the story, as we have more than one main character and each of them has own decisions to make, including personal crises. There are some interesting descriptions of planting and growing different kinds of narcissi, as well a about rowing.

This romance is also about family values, trust and friendship. Experiences in the past, lead to some misunderstandings, caused by not-outspoken words. At a certain point of the story, the circling around the same questions and misinterpretations in my opinion lead to some lengths and stop the enjoyable reading flow.

Conclusion

A perfect pre-springtime read in a lovely setting, perfect for an enjoyable, relaxing weekend.

Reviews, Romance , , ,

How To Stop Time – Matt Haig

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AuthorMatt Haig
PublisherCanongate Books Ltd
Date6 July 2017
EditionKindle
Pages336 (Print edition)
LanguageEnglish
ASINB01N9PVQE4

“People you love never die” (original quotation)

Content

Tom Hazard is a history teacher in London and he likes what he does. But what seems to be a normal life, for him does not mean normality at all, because he was born on the third of March 1581, which means that now he is 437 years old. Not that he is immortal, it is only that he is aging very, very slow. In 1890, a doctor had called this condition “anageria”, his lifelong mentor Hendrich calls people like them (and there are more) albatrosses, or just albas.

The problem for people like Tom is that they have to change identity, places to live, before their neighbors are wondering and become suspicious. In 1603 he fell in love with Rose, they got married in 1607 and as she got older, the difference between him and her was even more visible. The 17th century was an especially dangerous period for people being somehow different, but also in our modern times, for Tom there seems to be no place to just live a normal life – but, what if? … what if he falls in love again?

Theme, plot and Writing

This story is much more than “fantasy” and definitely not “science fiction”. It is more a travel through time and centuries, with vivid descriptions of the Shakespearian London and Paris in the “Golden Twenties”. But it is not about time-travelling, as Tom cannot go back into the past.

Written in the 1st person and in chapters, the story is set in nowadays London and Tom thinks and speaks about his life in form of many flashbacks, each chapter heading defines time and location. 

Based on his experiences during more than 400 years, Tom now is ruled by the situation, by the time, by his fears that have grown from the risk of discovery of his special condition and above all he feels his loneliness. Based on his experiences he never wants to fall in love again. Some of his fears and concerns are given rise by Hendrich, who is much older than Tom and who is the Head of the Albatross Organization, who helps Albas with new identities. But Tom during the complete story is and remains a really loveable, often struggeling main character.

Conclusion

The story is enjoyable and entertaining to read, with exciting turns. For readers who like historical fiction and plots in different time settings.

Reviews, Romance , , ,

The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts – Annie Darling

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AuthorAnnie Darling
PublisherHarper Collins Publ. UK
Date22 August 2016
EditionKindle
Pages400
LanguageEnglish
ASINB01A52IQ2Q

„With you at the helm, Bookends will start a new chapter in its life and I know that I couldn’t be leaving my beloved shop in better hands.“ (Quotation)

Content

When Lavinia Thorndyke dies at the age of 84, she leaves “Bookends”, her bookshop, to Posy Morland, who almost grew up in the shop and loves books and the shop means home for her and her younger brother. But “Bookends”, quite hidden at Rochester Mews, Bloomsbury, with old, now closed shops around, for years did not make any profit, with book chains like Waterstones just around the corner. Posy has only two years to make it a success, if not, it goes to Sebastian Thorndyke, Lavinia´s grandson. Together with her crew, Nina, Verity and Tom, she plans to rename the shop into “Happy Ever After”, paint it grey and pink as signature colors and to specialize on all kinds of romantic books, love stories, happy endings included. But Sebastian also found a new name for the shop “The Bloody Dagger”, painting it in black and red and selling only crime books …

Plot and Writing

This romantic novel is written in narrative form, with a personal narrator, focused on Posy. The story of Posy´s parents and of her childhood is given by Posy´s memories and flashbacks and leads to a better understanding of her character, behavior and acting. A special and witty story within the story is “Ravished by the Rake”, written by a very angry Posy.

The bookshop, the surroundings, the people of the neighborhood are well described and easily to imagine. The author finds a special personality for every member of the bookshop´s crew and together they are amiable.

At the age of 21, when their parents had died, Posy had taken the responsibility for her 8 years old brother and until today, eight years later, she still is firmly connected to the past and memories of her parents. She somehow is afraid of the responsibility for the bookshop and sometimes behaving like somebody much younger. I quite liked the character, but on the other hand I cannot understand why all female main protagonists since Bridget Jones have to be chaotic, messy, chubby biscuit eaters? In my opinion, the story with a just a little bit more self confident main character would have remained funny, enjoyable and romantic.

Conclusion

All in all, I have to say that I have enjoyed the book but as I love stories about books and bookshops, that I have read better ones and am a little bit disappointed.

Anyway, I am sure that readers and fans of Bridget Jones like books will love this one too, and enjoy a relaxed, entertaining reading time.

Deutsche Ausgabe: “Der kleine Laden der einsamen Herzen“, 9. Mai 2017, TB ISBN 978-3328100980

Reviews, Romance , , , , ,

Merry and bright – Debbie Macomber

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AuthorDebbie Macomber
PublisherArrow
Date16 November 2017
EditionPaperback
Pages272
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-13978-1784758738

„A novel about first impressions and second chances.“ (Book cover)

Content and Theme

Merry Knight works as a temp for Matterson Consulting, just twelve month to earn money to finish her studies at the college. Beeing it December, her work there is almost over. So her mother and brother Patrick are sure that it is time to do something for her social live and as a birthday present for Merry they set up her profile at Mix & Mingle, a famous dating platform. The put in “Smith” instead of Knight and a foto of their dog Bogie.

Jayson Bright, vice president of the company she is working for might be, as the other women say, good-locking, but he never seems to smile, sticks to the employee handbook for lots of rules and is under extreme pressure preparing a very important contract with Boeing, scheduled still before Christmas. But when his cousin and best friend fiends the love of his life through Mix & Mingle, he is just curious, logs on the dating site, searching for women in the aerea – and finds the foto of a dog, a golden retriver like his childhood friend Rocky …

Debbie Macomber knows how to write romance. Merry and Jayson are both likeable characters, but still remain realistic. This book is about family, about caring for each other and about the spirit of Christmas- and about two people who need time to see what is just in front of their noses.

Conclusion

An entertaining, cosy and enjoyable read for comfortable hours in the time around Christmas, where readers are ready for some dreaming and romance, happy-ending included.

Reviews, Romance , ,

Letters from Father Christmas – J.R.R. Tolkien

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AuthorJ.R.R. Tolkien
PublisherHarper Collins Publ. UK
Date1 September 2012
EditionHardcover
Pages191
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-13978-0007463374

„Every December J.R.R. Tolkien´s children would receive letters from Father Christmas.“ (Quotation cover)

Content and Theme

This book is a collection of the famous author´s letters he wrote to his children as Father Christmas from the North Pole. Every year´s letter tells stories about how Father Christmas, together with his assistant Polar Bear, prepares everything for Christmas, but also about their helpers, the Elves, and the troubles they have with the bad Goblins that try to steal all the presents. Each letter tells about adventures and funny troubles, especially connected with Polar Bear.

The Book includes photos of the original written letters, envelopes and the beautiful drawings that were sent together with the letters.

From 1939 until 1943 Father Christmas also writes about the war and low storages because of the war, explaining that he could not get everything the the children´s wishlists worldwide.

Conclusion

This is a book for children, to be read by the parents to the smaller children and will sure be read by the children themselves as soon as they can read. But also adults will really enjoy the stories and the illustrations. The perfect read to shorten the days before Christmas.

Reviews, Short Stories , ,

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery – Jenny Colgan

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AuthorJenny Colgan
PublisherSphere
Date 5 October 2017
EditionPaperback
Pages384
LanguageEnglish
ISBN978-0751570380

„And in that moment, as the old year paused before the new arrived, it was as if the world took a breath.“ (Quotation page 338)

Content Bookcover

Polly Waterford loves running the Little Beach Street Bakery. She’s at her happiest when she’s creating delicious treats and the festive season always inspires her to bake and knead something extra special for the village residents. In fact, the only thing she loves more than her bakery is curling up with her gorgeous boyfriend, Huckle. She’s determined that this Christmas is going to be their best one yet, but life doesn’t always work out as planned…

When Polly’s best friend Kerensa turns up with a secret that threatens the life Polly and Huckle have built together, the future begins to look uncertain. And then a face from Polly’s past reappears and things become even more complicated. Polly can usually find solace in baking but she has a feeling that’s not going to be enough this time. Can she get things back on track so that everyone has a merry Christmas?

Theme and Genre

Generally, the story is about friendship, mistakes and how to keep a secret – or to share it with the partner at any cost.

Plot

Jenny Colgan is one of my favorite authors for “very british, cosy” and I love her series such as these stories about the Cornish bakery and Polly Waterford, the gifted, creative baker. But in this third book about the Little Beach Street Bakery are so many pages about Polly, who this time around Christmas seems to be quite unable to make her own decisions, somewhat sliding between Yes and No – this is not the protagonist Polly as known the former two books. Huckle too begins to act more like a teenager than a grown up. This altogether lenghtens the plot.

Conclusion

It was a nice read and I nevertheless would recommend it to all fans of Jenny Colgan, and as cosy Christmas read to all readers who love to cuddle up with an enjoyable story, tea and biscuits, on dark afternoons.

Reviews, Romance ,

Murder on Christmas Eve, Classic Mysteries for the Festive Season

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AuthorEllis Peters, Ian Rankin et al.
PublisherProfile Books Ltd.
Date2 November 2017
EditionPaperback
Pages233
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-13978-1781259184

‚Tis the season to be jolly … or is it’? (Book cover)

Content (Book cover)

Christmas Eve. While the world sleeps, snow falls gently from the sky, presents lie under the tree … and murder is afoot. In this collection of ten classic murder mysteries by the best crime writers from the 1920s to today, death and mayhem take many festive forma, from the inventive to the unexpected.
From a Santa Claus with a grudge to a cat who knows who killed its owner on Christmas Eve, these are stories to enjoy – and by mystified by – in front of a roaring fire, mince pie in hand.

Theme and Genre

A collection of classic short stories, written by well-known authors. We meet a cat that helps uncover the truth,  strange “Footprints in the Sky”, a valuable unique manuscript and a thoughtful making story about “On a Christmas day in the morning.

Conclusion

Special, thrilling and enjoyable short stories, perfect for this time of the year.

Gothic, Reviews, Short Stories, Thriller & Crime ,

Lost for Words – Stephanie Butland

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AuthorStephanie Butland
PublisherBonnier Zaffre Ltd.
Date20 April 2017
EditionPaperback
Pages352
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-13978-1785762598

„A bookshop keeps many secrets …“ (Quotation book cover)

Content

Loveday Cardew works in a bookshop in York. Due to a terrible childhood experience that made her lose her parents, she definitely prefers books to people. Archie, the owner of the bookshop and more fatherly advisor than boss, really cares without asking too many questions. Meeting Nathan, poet and part-time magician, and falling in love with him, seems to give Loveday new confidence to open up and learn to trust people. But hints from the past suddenly appearing in the bookshop mean for Loveday that she has to face up to the past. But can she?

I like stories that take place in bookshops or are about books. But in this case, the bookshop seems to be just the location of the plot, together with some books quoted, meanwhile the story, written in the first person, is about Loveday´s past. More than three quarters of the book give lots of hints, which begins to be a little bit boring because the reader soon has figured out what might have happened. As Loveday seems to be unable to trust people again, the plot also is about the problems of traumatic childhood expriences and how these influence the future life. Mostly, the plot twists only around a few main characters, I would have liked to know more about the setting, for example customers and their stories. The end was expectable but for me not coherent, considering the plot.

Conclusion

I would recommend “Lost for words” for readers who like stories about physical problems, inner moods and the struggles of a female main protagonist.

Reviews, Romance ,

Origin: A Robert Langdon Thriller – Dan Brown

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AuthorDan Brown
PublisherDoubleday
Date3 October 2017
EditionHardcover
Pages480
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-13978-0385514231

„May our philosophies keep pace with our technologies. May our compassion keep pace with our powers. And may love, not fear, be the engine of change.” (Originalzitat)

Content (Book Cover)

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever”. The evening’s host is his friend and former student, Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old tech magnate whose dazzling inventions and audacious predictions have made him a controversial figure around the world. This evening is to be no exception: he claims he will reveal an astonishing scientific breakthrough to challenge the fundamentals of human existence.


But Langdon and several hundred other guests are left reeling when the meticulously orchestrated evening is blown apart before Kirsch’s precious discovery can be revealed. With his life under threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape, along with the museum’s director, Ambra Vidal. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.

In order to evade a tormented enemy who is one step ahead of them at every turn, Langdon and Vidal must navigate labyrinthine passageways of hidden history and ancient religion. On a trail marked only by enigmatic symbols and elusive modern art, Langdon and Vidal uncover the clues that will bring them face-to-face with a world-shaking truth that has remained buried – until now.

Handlung

Der erfolgreiche, geniale Zukunftsforscher  Edmund Kirsch hat seinen Freund und früheren Professor Robert Langdon eingeladen, im Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao zusammen mit einigen hundert weiteren Gästen an der Präsentation seiner sensationellen Entdeckung teilzunehmen: die Antworten auf die beiden größten Fragen der Menschheit „Woher kommen wir“ und „Wohin gehen wir“. Ein Gott als Schöpfer ist bei diesen streng wissenschaftlichen Fakten keine Option mehr. Doch bevor Edmund Kirsch die eigentliche Präsentation, die gleichzeitig weltweit übertragen wird, starten kann, wir er vor den Augen aller erschossen.

Doch es gibt ein Passwort und einen Ort, wo dieses Projekt des Zukunftsforschers gespeichert ist, und somit auch nach seinem Tod noch veröffentlicht werden kann. Nur einer kann diese Rätsel lösen und so das Geheimnis um den Inhalt der wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse seines Freundes lüften: Robert Langdon. Gemeinsam mit Ambra Vidal, der Direktorin des Guggenheim Museums Bilbao, die für die Präsentation eng mit Edmund Kirsch zusammen gearbeitet hatte, beginnt für den Professor ein gefährlicher Wettlauf gegen die Zeit, gegen mächtige Feinde, die genau diese Veröffentlichung auf jeden Fall verhindern wollen. Hat Robert Langdon Erfolg und was genau ist diese bahnbrechende Entdeckung?

Fazit

Bis vor wenigen Tagen hätte ich auf die Frage nach dem meiner Meinung nach besten Buch von Dan Brown (einer meiner Lieblingsautoren) ohne zu zögern geantwortet: „Inferno“. Ich weiß, da gehen die Meinungen auseinander. Wie auch immer, seit heute ist meine Antwort: „Origin“. Diesmal begibt sich der Autor in ein neues Setting, in dem Symbole und Rätsel zwar eine Rolle spielen, jedoch geht es hier vor allem um die essentiellen und zeitlosen Fragen der Menschheit „Woher kommen wir“ und „Wohin gehen wir“ und auch um die Tatsache, dass Wissenschaft, Technik und Religion hier völlig kontroverse Antworten geben.

Für mich ist es großartig, wie Robert Langdon hier einen spannenden Thriller entwickelt hat, der mögliche Antworten anbietet, ohne jemals unlogisch zu werden.

Eine beeindruckende Geschichte, die auch zum Nachdenken anregt.

Ich empfehle dieses Buch von Dan Brown nicht nur Dan Brown Fans, sondern auch Technik-interessierten Lesern, die auch einen spannenden Roman zu schätzen wissen. Wer, so wie ich, die Stadt Barcelona und Gaudi liebt, wird die vielen präzisen Schilderungen einzelner Orte, Bauten usw. ebenfalls genießen. Manchmal hatte ich während des Lesens in Wikipedia nachgesehen – Dan Browns Beschreibungen sind wieder exakt und entsprechen absolut der Realität.

Reviews, Thriller & Crime , , ,

The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah

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AuthorKristin Hannah
PublisherMacmillan USA
Date2 February 2016
EditionKindle
Pages465 (Print edition)
LanguageEnglish
ASINB00NLFVVOU

„Two sisters. One must be brave. One should be afraid.“ (Quotation)

Content – Book cover

Bravery, courage, fear and love in a time of war                                                                     

Despite their differences, Vianne and Isabelle have always been close. Younger, bolder Isabelle lives in Paris while Vianne is content with life in the French countryside with her husband Antoine and their child. But when the Second World War breaks out and Antoine is conscripted to fight, Isabelle is sent to the country by her father to help Vianne.

As war develops, the strength of the sisters‘ relationship is put to the test. With life changing, and confronted by unbelievable horrors, Vianne and Isabelle find themselves responding in ways they never thought possible, as bravery and resistance take differing forms for each of the two sisters.

Theme and Genre

The story is set in the time of the German occupation of France during WWII and tells the  life conditions of two sisters with quite different characters and how they react to what is happening to the country and people arount them. It is a gripping tale based on the well known events happening in France.

Conclusion

It is very interesting for the reader to follow the development of the main characters, the more cautious Vianne and rebellious Isabelle in this plot full of danger, thrilling action and suffering. A story, readers will remember for long time after turning the last page and closing the book.

Novel, Reviews , , ,

The Travelling Bag – And other Ghostly Stories – Susan Hill

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AuthorSusan Hill
PublisherProfile Books Ltd.
Date28 September 2017
EditionPaperback
Pages288
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-13978-1 78125 620 6

This is Susan Hill at her best, telling characteristically creepy and surprising tales of thwarted ambition, terrifying revenge and supernatural stirrings that will leave you wide-awake long into the night. (Citation book cover)

Content – Back cover

From the foggy streets of Victorian London to the eerie perfection of 1950s suburbia, the everyday is invaded by the otherwordly in this unforgettable collection of ghost stories from the bestselling author of The Woman in Black.

Theme and Genre

I normally do not read short stories, because I prefer novels. But this collection of ghost stories caught my eyes and definitely did not disappoint me.

Five gripping stories, written in the best tradition of the well-known Gothic stories and novels of the 18th and 19th century, kept me reading, wondering and sharing the thrills with the protagonists. Susan Hill knows perfectly how to develop stories with hints to supernatural and ghostly events, offering almost logical explanations to the reader, but each story finishing with new twists, facts, that are no longer explainable.

Conclusion

For readers that enjoy a really good ghost story, safely nestled up in a wing chair on a dark November evening.

Reviews, Short Stories ,

The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street – Susan Jane Gilman

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AuthorSusan Jane Gilman
PublisherGrand Central Publishing
Date 31 May 2016
EditionKindle
Pages513 (Print edition)
LanguageEnglish
ASINB00KI3APSQ

„President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself once christened me ‚The Ice Cream Queen of America.'“ (Quotation page 7)

Content – Book cover

In 1913, little Malka Treynovsky flees Russia with her family. Bedazzled by tales of gold and movie stardom, she tricks them into buying tickets for America. Yet no sooner do they land on the squalid Lower East Side of Manhattan, than Malka is crippled and abandoned in the street. Taken in by a tough-loving Italian ices peddler, she manages to survive through cunning and inventiveness. As she learns the secrets of his trade, she begins to shape her own destiny. She falls in love with a gorgeous, illiterate radical named Albert, and they set off across America in an ice cream truck. Slowly, she transforms herself into Lillian Dunkle, „The Ice Cream Queen“ — doyenne of an empire of ice cream franchises and a celebrated television personality. Lillian’s rise to fame and fortune spans seventy years and is inextricably linked to the course of American history itself, from Prohibition to the disco days of Studio 54. Yet Lillian Dunkle is nothing like the whimsical motherly persona she crafts for herself in the media. Conniving, profane, and irreverent, she is a supremely complex woman who prefers a good stiff drink to an ice cream cone. And when her past begins to catch up with her, everything she has spent her life building is at stake.

Theme and Genre

Although being fiction, the novel is based on the American history and is also the history of ice cream making and TV shows. The book is written like an autobiography, Lillian Dunkle tells the story of her live, switching between present and past – with many cliffhangers in the chapters about the events in the past, to keep the story going and to maintain the interest of the readers.

Conclusion

This story without doubt is very interesting, because it shows the dangerous, poor conditions, the immigrants had to deal with in the “American Dream”, just to survive. But it was quite difficult for me to finish a 572 pages novel, when I absolutely can find no sympathy for the main protaginist Lillian Dunkle. From the very beginning, she is egoistic, steals and lies if it is necessary to keep her business growing and earning more and more money. Maybe understandable from her background, she had to be a fighter, but as it is fiction, I had liked her to be a little bit more human and likeable.

Reviews ,

How to Find Love in a Bookshop – Veronica Henry

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AuthorVeronica Henry
PublisherOrion
Date 22 September 2016
EditionPaperback
Pages384
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-13978-1409146896

“A town without a book shop was a town without a heart” (Quote)

Content – Blurb

Emilia has just returned to her idyllic Cotswold hometown to rescue the family business. Nightingale Books is a dream come true for book-lovers, but the best stories aren’t just within the pages of the books she sells – Emilia’s customers have their own tales to tell.

There’s the lady of the manor who is hiding a secret close to her heart; the single dad looking for books to share with his son but who isn’t quite what he seems; and the desperately shy chef trying to find the courage to talk to her crush . . .

And as for Emilia’s story, can she keep the promise she made to her father and save Nightingale Books?

Plot and Writing

A heartwarming story in cosy settings, not only about Emilia, who wants to keep going her father’s bookshop, Nightingale Books, after his death, but also about the other people living in the village. They all have different stories, but they are all somehow linked in Emilias bookshop.

Conclusion

A really enjoyable read about people you like, with a special main character, Emilia and last but not least a book about books and reading. Perfect for booklovers and a relaxed reading afternoon. 

Reviews, Romance ,
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