Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from J R Tomlin’s novel, The Douglas Bastard, as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. The Douglas Bastard is set in fourteenth century Scotland and follows the fortunes of Archibald Douglas, the illegitimate son of Sir James Douglas known as The … Continue reading The Douglas Bastard by J R Tomlin
Book Review – The House Children by Heidi Daniele
My birth was a sin and a crime. I was born in the Tuam Mother Baby Home to an inmate serving a year of penal servitude, her crime an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. The House Children begins when Mary Margaret Joyce is six years old and living with the Cleary family who she has been fostered to. … Continue reading Book Review – The House Children by Heidi Daniele
My Reading – May 2023
Iris by Fiona Kelly McGregor You need to start talking, Webber. Why should I talk to you? Fat Dogs and French Estates by Beth Haslam Part 1 It was a dark, filthy night just south of Limoges. Our car was at a standstill, surrounded by police brandishing glowing neon batons and torches, like extras from … Continue reading My Reading – May 2023
Book Review – Sea of Shadows by Amy Maroney
With the first few paragraphs of Sea of Shadows by Amy Maroney the reader steps into the reality of fifteenth century Rhodes – the heat and shadows, the swirl of myriad scents and colours, the bustle of the city and the port, the people drawn from countless nations, all under the control of the of … Continue reading Book Review – Sea of Shadows by Amy Maroney
Mothers and Mother Figures – Jean Margaret McGrath (1926 – 2017)
On Mothers Day we celebrate not just our mothers and grandmothers but all those women who take on the role of mothers for us. One such woman was Jean Margaret McGrath, my mother Mary’s younger sister - Aunty Jean to me. Jean and Mary, around 1930/31.Mary hugging the cat. Jean was born just over twelve … Continue reading Mothers and Mother Figures – Jean Margaret McGrath (1926 – 2017)
Book Review – The Sum of our Sorrows by Lisette Brodey
The Sum of our Sorrows by Lisette Brodey is a story of grief and its aftermath. When Abby Sheppard is killed in a car accident her husband and three daughters are bereft. The novel focuses on Lily, the eldest of the three daughters. At seventeen, she is in her final year at school with plans … Continue reading Book Review – The Sum of our Sorrows by Lisette Brodey
My Reading – April 2023
The Convent Girl by Tania Crosse How had it all begun? It was a question Maisie O’Sullivan had asked herself so many times, but could never answer. The House Children by Heidi DanieleMy birth was a sin and a crime. The Sum of our Sorrows by Lisette BrodeyLily Sheppard twisted her torso as she sat … Continue reading My Reading – April 2023
Muskets and Masquerades by Lindsey S Fera
Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Lindsey S. Fera’s newly released novel, Muskets and Masquerades, as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. Muskets and Masquerades is set against the backdrop of America's war with Britain. Annalisa awoke. The giant sea thundered upon the deck of their … Continue reading Muskets and Masquerades by Lindsey S Fera
A Matter of Faith: Henry VIII, the Days of the Phoenix by Judith Arnopp
Today I’m delighted to be introducing Judith Arnopp’s newly released novel A Matter of Faith: Henry VIII, the Days of the Phoenix as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. A Matter of Faith is the second book of Judith’s series, The Henrician Chronicle. Finally free of Catherine of Aragon, … Continue reading A Matter of Faith: Henry VIII, the Days of the Phoenix by Judith Arnopp
Cold Blows the Wind – Streets and Lanes of Hobart Town
Hobart Town 1879 At the Australian census of 1881, Tasmania was recorded as having a population of 115,705. Of these, 21,118 people lived in Hobart. Hobart was by this time an established city, the capital of the island state, with elegant sandstone buildings and the same well functioning institutions found in Britain: Parliament, Courts and … Continue reading Cold Blows the Wind – Streets and Lanes of Hobart Town
Catherine Meyrick 