The Girl from Portofino by Siobhan Daiko

Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Siobhan Daiko’s newly released novel The Girl from Portofino as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. The Girl from Portofino is part of Girls of the Italian Resistance: A collection of standalone novels set in Italy during World War 2. … Continue reading The Girl from Portofino by Siobhan Daiko

2021 – A Year of Reading

Having read 50 books in 2020, I started 2021 with the intention of reaching my long term goal of reading a book a week. I even signed up for the GoodReads Challenge nominating 52 books as my goal. I reached 42 books but that includes several Kindle items that are essentially short stories. I have … Continue reading 2021 – A Year of Reading

My Reading – December 2021

Hell Ship: The True Story of the Plague Ship Triconderoga, One of the Most Calamitous Voyages in Australia's History by Michael VeitchThere is only one known image of my great-great-grandfather, Dr James William Henry Veitch. The Imitator by Rebecca StarfordEvelyn spotted Stephen across the busy road. A Royal Affair by Alison Montclair'Men find me intimidating,' … Continue reading My Reading – December 2021

Happy New Year

The clock has ticked over and it is now officially 2022 all along latitude 144° 58' 0.01" East. With 2020 and 2021 behind us, I'm hoping for a pleasantly boring and uneventful year, no 'interesting times' at all. Wishing everyone the very best for 2022 – hoping the year is a happy, healthy and productive … Continue reading Happy New Year

A Christmas Stocking

Christmas stockings and ‘stocking fillers‘ are now a traditional part of Christmas. A quick consultation with those two noisy colleagues Drs Google and Wikipedia will tell you that this tradition had its origin in the story of St Nicholas, initially secretly, providing three bags of gold as dowries for the three daughters of a poor … Continue reading A Christmas Stocking

Take the Head of a Black Sheep – Tudor Medicine at Home

Most people in the Tudor period lived in the countryside and unlike us, with our local GPs and ready access to Dr Google, they did not have doctors or apothecaries nearby, even if they could afford them. The bulk of everyday medical care took place within the home with the main practitioners the women of … Continue reading Take the Head of a Black Sheep – Tudor Medicine at Home

My Reading – November 2021

The Right Sort of Man by Alison Montclair Tillie climbed the stairs from the Bond Street Station out to Davies Street, blinking in the afternoon light. The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes June the first, a bright summer's evening, a Monday. I've been flying over the streets and houses of Dublin and … Continue reading My Reading – November 2021

Christmas at Hembry Castle by Meredith Allard

Today I’m pleased to be presenting Meredith Allard and her novella Christmas at Hembry Castle as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. You are cordially invited to Christmas at Hembry Castle. An unlikely earl struggles with his new place. A young couple’s love is tested. What is a meddling … Continue reading Christmas at Hembry Castle by Meredith Allard

The Castilian Pomegranate by Anna Belfrage

Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Anna Belfrage’s newly released novel The Castilian Pomegranate as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. The Castilian Pomegranate, set in the complex political world of medieval Spain, is the second book in The Castilian Saga. In which Noor meets her … Continue reading The Castilian Pomegranate by Anna Belfrage

Lies That Blind by E.S. Alexander

Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from E.S. Alexander’s newly released novel Lies That Blind as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. Lies That Blind is a novel of late 18th century Penang. Jim Lloyd, has just arrived on the island of Penang to begin work for … Continue reading Lies That Blind by E.S. Alexander