Archive | October 2022

Lilac Skies by Shivani Bansal

Oct27

Powerful & Heartbreaking

Lilac Skies by Shivani Bansal is a powerful and heart-breaking historical novel that consumed me.

Lilac Skies is a novel by a woman about women. It is set mainly from 1942 and onwards to the mid 1960’s as we follow a young Asian girl from her teen years to marriage and beyond. We witness that girls are not always valued. They are seen as second class citizens. It is heart-breaking to witness. “Every night she swore she would love her daughter for eternity, should she ever have one.”

Arranged marriages are part of the culture. It is hard to witness the pain as a young girl is severed from her birth family to marry a stranger and to move across a continent.

The role of women in a marriage was often hard, so much was expected of them. They were at the mercy of their husbands, seen as possessions and punching bags more than a life partner. “She had heard neighbours hitting their wives before… She knew it was potentially part of being a wife.” It is heart-breaking to see that hitting is normalized and no one does anything about it.

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The Empire by Michael Ball

Oct26

A Dazzling Performance

The Empire by Michael Ball is a marvellous debut historical novel from the actor and singer who proves he is just as talented as an author.

The Empire gives a warm welcome to all who enter her pages. It is 1922, a new golden era for theatre. The First World War and the flu epidemic are gone, now it’s the time for the roaring twenties. Let Michael Ball whisk you away to the glamour and glitz.

We see that loyalty forged in the trenches remains. Some have suffered terribly as physical and mental scars remain. There were also some very grateful families who were pleased that their loved ones returned.

Family is important. Some lost members to the flu epidemic and are still recovering from loss.

The late nineteenth century reaches into the 1920’s as old secrets threaten to be unearthed.

New shows and new skills are encouraged as characters step out of the wings and into the spotlight.

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Snowed In For Christmas by Sarah Morgan

Oct24

Love, Laughter & Family

Snowed In For Christmas by Sarah Morgan is the most charming festive offering that will warm your heart on even the coldest day.

The setting could hardly be more perfect – snowed in in an isolated Scottish family home where love, laughter and care live. It is a home where strangers are welcomed into the heart of the family.

Sarah Morgan has once more created a marvelous set of characters who lodge in the reader’s hearts. I adored them all from Hunter the dog to Nana Jean. Nana Jean at eighty six yeas old does not believe in wasting time. She says just what she is thinking which is absolutely hilarious. Her mouth has no filter. She is definitely my favourite character, although I loved them all.

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The Spider & The Fly by Becky Clifford

Oct23

Stunningly Beautiful

The Spider & The Fly by Becky Clifford is a stunningly beautiful Christian Christmas book for young children.

Becky Clifford has used Matthew 2 as a basis for her poem telling of the birth of Jesus, with the addition of a spider and a fly. It is a unique and very beautiful take on a familiar Bible story. It is a beautiful and memorable way to introduce Jesus to young children. As a grandparent, I am very familiar with the Christmas story, and I absolutely adored The Spider & The Fly.

The story is told through rhyming couplets, making it easy for children to anticipate what is coming next, and to join in, once they have heard the story a few times. It has a wonderful rhythmic bounce to the tale.

When we see the Wise Men or the Holy family, look very carefully as there will be a spider and/or a fly hidden somewhere within the illustrations. This makes the book interactive for young (and not so young) children.

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