2022 Not A Good Year

Not a good year. Not much time to review and record what I have been reading. A close family member died suddenly in February and then in March we had a big flood and our house, the local school and all our neighbor's houses were flooded.

Finished off 2021 with lots of crochet made some bags for myself and some bags as Christmas gifts. When I was about fifteen my grandmother crocheted a me bag and I used to ride my push bike to town with the bag hanging on the handlebars. I still have the bag, but it is a bit sad now.

The bag my grandmother made for me when I was about fifteen.

During January I was busy doing lots of reading and sorting out my family history. Lots of bits of paper spread over lots of boxes. I have been putting them all together in family folders. In between, I have been reading.

Made pickles, roasted tomatoes and stewed peaches from produce from our garden

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Some of my pickles

Books I was reading in January 2022

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The Woman at No. 13 by C.K.Williams

For many years Kate has worked as a local doctor in a small town in Northern Ireland. Her life falls apart when a young woman is murdered and bloody clothes belonging to the woman are found at Kate’s house.

Kate is under suspicion of murder, and she calls an old friend Jannis who lives in Germany to come and help clear her of the accusation of murder.

A murder mystery full of creepy action, lots of secrets covering topics of abortion and identity.

 The Hiding Place by Simon Lelic

Set n 1997 and 2019. In 1997 A group of teenagers claimed they were playing a game of hide and seek resulting in one of them going missing presumed to have run away. A cryptic clue is sent to the police 22 years later and D.I. Robin Fleet and D.S. Nicola Collins are sent to Beaconsfield College Co-Educational Boarding School to investigate skeletal remains found in a hidden crypt that had been below an old chapel destroyed by fire.

Fast paced with lots of twists and secrets. D.I. Fleet and D.S. Collins work together investigating cold cases with little support from their department.

A creepy murder mystery.

Lessons In Love by Belinda Missen

Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousins

The Woman Who Took A Chance by Fiona Gibson

Jen loves her job as a flight attendant but after many years she is made redundant and while trying to find another job she spends more time with her mother who is becoming difficult and starting to get dementia.

Jen’s daughter Hanna encourages Jen to take an interest in online dating.

I enjoyed how the story progressed and the way the characters were portrayed. There was a lot of humorous situations as Jen tried to find a romantic interest.

This was a romantic comedy about relationships, online dating and families.  

The View from Coral Cove by Amy Clipston

Romance author Maya Reynolds is getting over a failed romance and broken engagement.  Her great aunt dies leaving Maya a toy store with an apartment above the toy store. Maya who is suffering with writer’s block moves to the seaside town of Coral Cove and takes over running the toy store.

A romance story about friendships, family, identity and secrets

One Week 'Till Christmas by Belinda Missen

Books I was Reading In February

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes

Set over 10 years between 2011 and 2021. When Ally dies her two best friends are overcome with grief and find it hard to move on without Ally. Charlie Ally’s fiancé finds it hard to make decisions and Becca deeply misses Ally. Becca totally dislikes Charlie and will be glad not to see him again after Ally’s funeral. 

Almost 12 months after Ally dies Charlie and Becca receive an email from Ally requesting that they both visit Valerie, Ally’s mother on the anniversary of Ally’s death. Valerie has a task for Charlie and Becca. 

I loved the way the characters interacted. Charlie and Becca hate each other but their love for Ally and Ally’s mother brings them together regularly over ten years to remember Ally. This was a love story about friendships and grief.

The Garden by the Sea by Amanda James

Set in present day in Cornwall. Lowena Rowe works as a librarian and lives on her own with her cat Conrad. When Lowena’s mother dies suddenly, Lowena decides to move to a cottage in the coastal village of Merryn.

While cleaning out her mother’s attic, Lowena discovers an old timber seed box that had belonged to her mother’s grandmother that had been handed down through the generations. It contained soil and seeds that were supposed to have come from a garden of King Arthur at Tintagel.

Lowena’s mother Tamsin believed the box had magical powers and that wishes made on the box could come true.

This was a romance about village life, friendships, and gardens.

Books I was Reading in March 2022

Did not do a lot of reading our house got flooded on 1st March 2022 so we spent a lot of time cleaning house and sorting items not destroyed and making insurance claims. 

Some of our flooded items waiting to be removed.

The Way From Here by Jane Cockram

A journey of twists, turns and the unexpected. Three generations of family secrets.

Camilla Anderson’s sister Susie dies just before she turned 40. Susie left six letters to Camilla with instructions to read the letters in the correct order at the set location. Susie also left instructions to Camilla for where her ashes were to be scattered.

Set mostly in the present and 1998 with flash backs to earlier times in Australia, London, France and Devon.

I loved the way Susie’s life story was told and what family secrets Susie discovered about her grandmother Nellie and her mother Margaret.

This was about families, secrets and grief.

The Keeper of Secrets by Sally Page

This was about people and their stories. Janice works as a cleaner and collects stories she hears as she travels to works and while listening to her clients.

Set mostly in Cambridge in the UK in the present time.

Janice has a group of people who hire her to clean their houses. Janice obtains new clients on recommendations, so most of her clients are connected or know each other.

Janice loves listening to their stories and when she is on her own she goes back over the stories she has heard, which helps her forget her own stories that have haunted her all her life.

Eventually Janice meets Mrs B who had an interesting life as a spy. Mrs B gradually starts delving into Janice’s story and trying to find out what Janice is trying to hide.

I loved the way the different people were connected and their interactions with each other. I liked the way Janice gained confidence in herself as she started telling her story to Mrs B.

This story was slow to start as all the characters and their stories were introduced. Half-way through the pace speeded up.

This was about families, grief and relationships.

I loved the descriptions of Mrs B’s house and the way she lived surrounded by her husband’s books.

The Orphans of Mersea House by Marty Wingate

When Olive’s mother dies, Olive starts working for an old school friend who was an orphan and had just inherited her uncle’s house and store. Margery and Olive work together well. Margery runs the store and Olive looks after the house which is big enough for a boarding house.

They acquire a couple of people Margery knew from London. Not long after Magery and Olive set up the boarding house Margery receives a letter informing her that she has been named as a guardian for a young orphan, Juniper Wyckes, who is eleven years old.

Olive loves looking after Juniper and the other guests, the only problem she has is Mrs Binny, an annoying woman who used to be a neighbour of Olive’s. Mrs Binny likes to gossip and has a habit of always appearing at the wrong moment.

I loved the characters and the way they all interacted. This was a romance about village life, boarding houses and people who needed a safe haven away from prying eyes.

One Last Letter From Greece by Emma Cowell

Set in London and Methoni, Greece.

Sophie is grieving since the death of her mother. While clearing her mother’s possessions she finds a photograph of a beach scene labelled Methoni, Greece. Behind the photo Sophie finds a copy of a seascape that could have been a copy of a painting by her mother. Sophie is haunted by the seascape and needs to know where the original is located and who the man is in the painting.

Sophie travels to Methoni to try and discover the location of the mysterious painting. Sophie finds the place where the mysterious painting was painted and romance while searching for the missing painting.

I loved the descriptions of the seascapes and village life and the delicious food.

This was a love story about artists, art collectors, grief and family secrets.

 

Fancy Meeting You Here by Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus

April 2022

My husband was fixing flood damaged doors during April. No carpet on floors, boxes stacked everywhere. I was sorting through stuff. Expecting to have to move out so house can be fixed.

My husband was fixing flood damaged doors during April

Books I was Reading During April

Traveler by Nola Nash

Shelby Starling travels for work. She spends her days living the life of tourist travelling the world and writing about her experiences. Shelby’s boss Dina expected Shelby to involve herself in the tourist’s experiences and to write vivid descriptions and include photographs of her experience.

At each new destination there was a guide organised to take Shelby to places of interest.

This was set in the present time with flash backs in history. As Shelby prepares to write about her experiences for Magical History Tours she travels to Europe where she meets her first guide Benito who will show her the historical sites located in Rome.

I loved the way the historical buildings and landmarks were described and the interactions between Shelby and Benito. Shelby loved the experience of exploring the ancient landmarks, but something was wrong. Shelby had to be careful not to touch the ancient stones because if she touched the buildings, she felt like she was travelling back into history and experienced the memories from earlier times.

After a few days in Rome Shelby travelled to Egypt where she met a new guide and then onto the City of Madrid and historical places in Spain before travelling to France.

The descriptions of present day historical sites and Shelby’s experiences when she had flashes of memories to previous times was interesting. I liked the interactions between Shelby and her guides.

On The Same Page by Penelope Janua

A romance novel set in the present time in Australia. Miles Franklin works as a Lawyer where she mostly represents authors. In her spare time Miles writes historical romance novels and is very successful. She writes under the name of Emma Browning and wants to keep her privacy because she does not want her parents to know that she writes historical romance novels. Her parents are authors and despise genres like romance.

When one of her novels wins an award Miles struggles to keep her identity hidden.

I loved the descriptions of characters and how they interacted. There were lots of humour throughout especially interactions between Miles and Jack when she rehearses possible scenes for her romance novels.

This was a romance about writing, publishers and family relationships. 

May 2022

Books I was Reading During May

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan

Set in USA mostly in 2019 with flash backs to 1994.

Hannah Rokeby is a law student and is determined to gain a volunteer place in the Innocence Project Program at the University of Virginia.  The program is focused on finding convicted criminal’s innocent and freeing them. Hannah has her own reasons for keeping a certain prisoner behind bars.

Fast paced and full of twists and turns. Switches between Hannah in 2019 and back to 1994. Hannah’s mother Laura tells her story through the pages of her diary in 1994. 

The Secret World of Connie Starr by Robbi Neal

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Set in Australia in Ballarat, Victoria mostly during World War Two. Connie Starr is born in 1934, her father Joseph is a Baptised Reverend. Her mother Flora is his second wife. Joseph had three children in a previous marriage. Thom, Lydia and Danny.

During the war years the Starr family welcomed people in need into their home and provided meals and a place to rest to anyone in need.

This was about life in a small town during the war years and into the early 1950s. Connie spends her days sitting high in her lemon tree watching her family, friends and neighbours go about their daily life. It tells her story and the stories of her brothers and sister and other local families.

With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher

An E-Book from Net-Galley published by HQ HarperCollins in 2022. XXXX

Lorelai and her fried Joanie share a flat and work together at a local cinema that shows old movies. Lorelai loves old movies and writing, especially adapting her favourite books to screenplays.

Lorelai has a secret, that prevents her from falling in love. If Lorelai kisses someone, she sees how they will die.

Lorelai has shared her secret with Joanie and together they try to find away of changing what happens.

This was a romance set in the present time with some flashbacks to earlier times. It is about families, friendships and writing.

June 2022

Had a few days away at Barney Creek Vineyard Cottages near Mount Barney in Queensland and then back to fixing our flood damaged house.

Relaxing at Barney Creek 

Damage to kitchen cupboards after flood in March 2022.

Books I was reading during June 2022

One Night With You by Laura Jane Williams

An E-Book from Net-Galley. Published Avon a division of HarperCollins on 26 May 2022.

Its pouring with rain as Nic arrives in London looking for Maple Avenue where he needs to collect a couch he bought. Ruby is packed and ready to leave London, headed for Manchester to start a University Course.

A fun romance. Set mostly in London. Ruby’s housemates Jackson and Candice don’t want Ruby to leave so they try to set up an attraction between Ruby and Nic. The attraction is there but Ruby and Nic both need to get over failed romances.

I loved the way Jackson and Candice set the scene and encouraged the attraction between Ruby and Nic.

On the Same Page by Penelope Janua

An E-Book from NetGalley. Published by ESCAPE Publishing. XXXXX 

A romance novel set in the present time in Australia. Miles Franklin works as a Lawyer where she mostly represents authors. In her spare time Miles writes historical romance novels and is very successful. She writes under the name of Emma Browning and wants to keep her privacy because she does not want her parents to know that she writes historical romance novels. Her parents are authors and despise genres like romance.

When one of her novels wins an award Miles struggles to keep her identity hidden.

I loved the descriptions of characters and how they interacted. There were lots of humour throughout especially interactions between Miles and Jack when she rehearses possible scenes for her romance novels.

This was a romance about writing, publishers and family relationships.

 

Daisy’s French Farmhouse by Lorraine Wilson

An E-Book from Net-Galley. Published by One More Chapter, HarperCollins in 2022. XXXX

Daisy needs time to get over a failed romance, so she travels to France to stay at her friend Poppy’s Guest House. Daisy’s friend Poppy needs help looking after her six dogs. Daisy spends a lot of time walking the dogs and keeping them out of mischief.

As well as helping at the Guest House and looking after Poppy’s dogs Daisy also looks after some dogs for a fried of Poppy.

This was a fun romance with lots of dogs. I loved the different personalities of all the different dogs.

Swan Light ( A Novel) by Phoebe Rowe

An E-Book from Net-Galley. Lake Union Publishing. Published 1^st May 2023

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A historical mystery set on the coast of Newfoundland near St John’s in a small town of Norman Cliffs. Silvestre Swan is the lighthouse keeper of Swan Light in 1913 and in 2014 Mari Adams is contracted to research the Swan Light and recover any remains of the lighthouse that from the ocean near Norman Cliffs.

In 1913 Silvestre Swan is concerned that the Swan Lighthouse is in danger of falling into the ocean because the cliff it is gradually falling away. His pleas to save the lighthouse are being ignored.

I loved the way the storylines unfold for Silvestre Swan and Mari Adams. Mari’s research of Norman Cliffs and the Swan Lighthouse gradually uncovers what happened in 1913. The pace is fast and there is lots of action between rival salvagers.

The Forgotten Beach by Amanda James

An E-Book from Net-Galley. Published by One More Chapter. HarperCollins. 2022.

Set in Cornwall on the coastline in the present time. Sennen is an artist and displays her works of art in Sea Spray Gifts a shop she runs for her uncle.

Not long after Sennen’s grandmother dies, Sennen’s mother shows Sennen an old wooden treasure box that had belonged to Sennen’s grandmother. The box contains photographs and memorabilia. Hidden in a secret compartment of the box is a photo of a man from Nancarrow House and a poem. Nancarrow House is close to where Sennen lives and Sennen is determined to find out more about the house and the people who lived in the house.

This is a romance about secrets, families and relationships. I loved the way Sennen was able to find notes hidden in secret places and enclosed in the pages of old books. Each new note revealed long forgotten secrets about her grandmother and other secrets of people living at Nancarrow House.

July 2022

Fixing built in cupboards in bedroom during July 2022.Repaired wardrobe doors and  removed flood damaged timber and cleaned walls and repainted replaced with new timber.

Fixing built in cupboards

Books I was Reading During July 2022

The Last House On the Cliff by Anne Wyn Clark

An E-Book from NetGalley. Published by Avon, a division of HarperCollins to be published 18 August 2022. XXXXX

Set in Anglesey, North Wales mostly in 2014 with flashbacks to earlier days. Lowri’s Auntie Gwyn owned a funeral home in an old house called Ty Coed Pinwydd, set close to an edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. As a young child Lowri spent her school holidays with her Auntie until her parents had an argument with Gwyn and stopped sending Lowri to her Aunties for holidays.

After many years Lowri returns to Ty Coed Pinwydd to attend Gwyn’s funeral. Lowri has her young daughter Ruby with her who is constantly asking questions about the old house and the people living in the house.

The house was still the same as Lowri remembered, the same locked rooms and gloomy passages but now more neglected and needing a good cleaning. Everything feels creepy especially when Ruby starts talking about strangers peering from the attic windows or standing outside at night watching the house.

I loved the creepiness and the descriptions of Lowri’s aunties house and the people who lived with her auntie and helped with the funeral business.

This was about grief, family relationships and secrets. Fast paced with lots of twists and turns all with the backdrop of an old spooky house. I loved it.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

An E-Book from NetGalley published Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press in June 2022. XXXXX

Hannah Tigone is an author in Australia writing a novel set in Boston in the U.S. Leo is an aspiring author living in Boston and is a fan of Hannah’s and has offered to give her some writing tips about living in Boston. Leo talks about his life and describes where he lives and his favourite places which gives Hannah writing inspiration. She includes some of his ideas into her novel and then sends new chapters for Leo to review.

Hannah’s novel starts with Winifred Kincaid who likes to be called Freddie sitting in the Boston Library trying to get ideas for her latest book. Close by are three other people all quietly working when suddenly there is a terrifying scream, the scream gets them talking and they decide to go and have a coffee where they get to know each other a bit better. Later it is discovered that someone was murdered in the library.

This novel is about the person who was murdered in the library and how they might be connected to the four random strangers sitting in the reading room.

A creepy murder mystery about writers, families, homeless people, and stalking. Lots of twists and turns. I loved the descriptions of the characters and how their stories were revealed.

The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris by Daisy Wood

An E-Book from NetGalley, published by Avon a Division of HarperCollins XXXXX

A love story set in Paris during the Second World War and in 2022.

After inheriting some money from her mother, Juliette and her husband Kevin are on holiday in Paris. Kevin is keen to return home to Philadelphia, but Juliette wants to stay longer hoping to locate a small square that meant a lot to her grandmother Meme who was born in France.

Meme had a treasured watercolour depicting a scene of a square in Paris. Juliette is keen to find out why the painting was so important to her grandmother.

I loved the way the story switches back and forward between Juliette searching for a place that meant something to her grandmother and to Jacques and his life in Paris during the Second World War. Jacques sets up a bookshop, two floors above he has a small apartment. Just after her marries Mathilde, war is declared between France and Germany.

This was a historical love story about heart break, French Resistance, separation, families, friendship and the love of reading and books.

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

An E-Book from NetGalley published by Kensington Publishing, 24 January 2023

Set in Darentville, Virginia in the present time. Georgie Mulcahy is recently unemployed and returns home to Darentville after being away for many years working as a personal assistant. Georgie intends to spend some quality time with her best friend Bel who is due to have a baby and needs some help settling into her new house before her baby is born.

While sorting through some old boxes Georgie and Bel discover an old notebook that they both shared when they were thirteen. The notebook is full of memories and lists of things that they both wanted to achieve.

I loved the way this story unfolded and how Georgie got caught up in what she could have achieved.

This was a romance about family relationships, friendship with lots of humorous situations.

 A Recipe for Family by Tori Haschka

An E-Book from NetGalley. Published by Simon & Schuster in 2022

Set mostly in Sydney in the present time.

Stella Prentice is a working mother with a four year old daughter and a fourteen year old stepdaughter. As her life falls apart Stella decides to employ an Au Pair. Ava is struggling with grief after her mother’s recent death and is encouraged to take up an offer as an Au Pair by her cousin.

Ava tries to help Stella but does not understand why Stella is so overwhelmed and Stella does not take the time to find out about Ava’s life and her grief. When life gets bad for Ava, she turns to her mother’s handwritten advice and recipes to cook meals to try and please Stella and her family. I loved the way each chapter was titled with comfort food.

I loved how this unfolded with the story of Stella and her mother-in-law Elise intertwined with Stella’s friends and their struggles with being mothers and trying to cope with working and juggling their family responsibilities.

This was about grief, family relationships and working mothers.

September 2022

Working on house. Moving things from room to room as building new cupboards and painting.

In our back yard

Books I Was Reading During August 2022

A Wedding at Sandy Cove by Bella Osborne

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Set in the UK in the present time. Ella works as a seamstress in a Bridal Shop and dreams of having her own shop. Ella’s friends encourage her to leave and open her own shop.

I loved the humour and interactions between Ella and her friends. Ella’s friend Brittany is planning a wedding at Sandy Cove.

This was a romance about family relationships, workplace relationships and friendships. 

Becoming Beth by Meredith Appleyard

Beth returns home to Miners Ridge after her marriage ended.  Not long after her return her mother dies and Beth stays in the family home with her father. Beth clears out her mother’s emails and computer files and discovers family secrets.

When Beth’s mother’s sister Heather comes to stay Beth is forced to remember things she would prefer to forget.

This was about families, grief, secrets and identity. I loved the way Beth took over her mother’s roles in the local community as she tried to unravel her mother’s secret.

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Meet Me On Platform 3 by Zara Stoneley

Published by One More Chapter a division of HarperCollins, 30 August 2022

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A romance about two people who accidentally meet at a train station. Set in present time in the UK. Millie lives in London and writes a column for a newspaper. Millie is attracted to a man she saw at the railway station and writes about a humorous incident of how she might have met him. Her editor loves the article and wants more interactions between Millie and the mystery man.

This is full of humorous situations as Millie tries to find the mystery man again.

This was so much fun to read, I loved the way the characters were developed and how they interacted with each other. This was a romance about families, friendship and bereavement.

 

Miss Newburys List by Megan Walker

An E-Book from NetGalley, published by Shadow Mountain Publishing

To be published 7 February 2023.

A historical romance set in Ashford, England in 1820. Rosalind Newbury is preparing to marry a Duke. Rosalind barely knows the Duke of Marlow but has agreed to the marriage to please her family. Before she marries Rosalind has a list of things she wants to achieve. Her best friend Liza Ollerton has promised to help Rosalind with the list. Rosalind loses her list and Liza’s disgraced cousin Charles Winston finds it.

Charles wants to help Rosalind and Liza with the list and the three of them set out to tick off the items on the list. I loved the way the story unfolded as they went through the list and Rosalind started having feelings for Charles. I liked the way the characters were developed and interacted.

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October 2022

Sorting out Mum's photo albums and stuff. The bedroom floor was tiled, bought new curtains and finished built in cupboards in spare bedrooms.

Sorting Mum's Photo Albums

Books I Was Reading In October 2022

East of Alice by Annie Seaton

An E-Book from NetGalley. XXXXX

Set mostly in Alice Springs and Ruby Gap in the Northern Territory of Australia.

A duel time line mystery set between the present time and the late 1800’s. Gemma Hayden returns to Alice Springs to work as a teacher at Trephina Primary school east of Alice Springs. Gemma grew up in the town but moved away with her mother six years earlier. Gemma is drawn to the area. Her father’s grandfather was born at Ruby Gap and her twin brother Ethan went missing somewhere near Ruby Gap six years earlier.

The pace is fast and full of action. Gemma’s old boyfriend Saul Pearce works for the National Parks and is sent to Alice Springs to work. Saul is sent out to an isolated gorge to check on an abandoned land rover and discovers the land rover had belonged to Gemma’s brother Ethan. Inside the glove box Saul discovers a note addressed to Gemma Hayden. The note is written in code and Gemma and Saul try to break the code and find out what happened to Ethan.

I loved the twists and turns and the secrets uncovered. Beautiful descriptions of the outback and the difficulties of being earlier settlers to outback Australia.

The Butterfly Collector by Tea Cooper

An E-Book from NetGalley.  XXXXX

A historical mystery set mostly in Australia in 1922 and 1868. Two separate themes the discovery of a Monarch Butterfly in Australia and the plight of unmarried mothers. Verity Binks works for a newspaper in Sydney but loses her job to make way for returning soldiers after the first World War. Verity lives alone in her grandfather Sid’s house in the Rocks. Her father and grandparents have died.

A strange package delivered with an invitation to a ball at the Town Hall and a request to write an article about the Treadwell Foundation that for many years offered protection for young woman sends Verity on a journey of discovery. In a search to find out some background information about the woman who started the Treadwell Foundation Verity travels to Morpeth near Maitland to find out about the Breckenridge family where she discovers a connection with her grandparents in the 1860’s.

I loved the twists and turns and the way Verity’s grand-parent’s story was intertwined with the Breckenridge family and the connection with the Arrow Newspaper in Sydney and the local newspaper in Morpeth.

This was about families, identity and baby farming. Fast paced with lots of action. 

What July Knew by Emily Koch

An E-Book from NetGalley. Published by Harvill Seeker London an imprint of Penguin Random House, UK. 9^th February 2023. XXXXX

I loved the twists and turns and the way this story developed, very slow at first but as the story continued the pace quickened.

July Hooper turned ten on 20^th July 1995. She knows very little about her birth mother and she is not allowed to talk about her mother with her father of Stepmother. Over the years July has collected snippets of information but desperately wants to find out more. The information she has collected she keeps hidden.

July’s teacher set a summer project where students had to write about a family member which sends July on a dangerous course to find out how her mother died.

Set mostly in 1995. July tries to unravel her family secrets and avoid her father’s bad temper. This was about identity, families, secrets and domestic violence. 

The Last Door: A Beyond the Veil Story of Suspense by Sheila Lowe.

An E-Book from NetGalley. Published by Write Choice Ink on 1^st October 2022.

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Part 3 of the series Beyond the Veil. A ghost story full of evil spirits, nasty people and a haunted house with mysterious music playing. I loved it. It covered everything I love about a ghost story. One of my favourite classical pieces of music “Fur Elise” was constantly being played.

Jessica Mack and her twin sister inherit a mansion from Vadim Evanov. They do not know him or why he left the mansion to them. Know-one will give them any information about Vadim Evanov.

Jessica and her sister Jenna visit the house. Jessica feels evil spirits in the house but wants to find out who lived in the house and what happened to them.

Fast paced and full of action. A ghost story about family relationships, adoption and identity.

November 2022

During November I was sorting out recipes that I had collected from magazines and put them into folders. My husband fixed all our flyscreens. We removed old wallpaper had some ceilings replaced. We had a holiday at Angourie Rainforest Resort near Yamba and a few days at Barney Creek Vineyard Cottages near Mount Barney.

Sorting out recipes and cuttings

Books I Was Reading During November 2022

After You Were Gone by Vikki Wakefield

An E-Book from NetGalley. Published 11.04.2023 by Text Publishing.

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Set in Australia mostly in 2010. Abbie’s life falls apart when her young daughter Sarah goes missing without a trace. Not long after Abbie marries Murray in 2010, Abbie starts receiving disturbing phone calls from someone claiming to know what happened to Sarah.

A psychological thriller about a missing child. Full of twists and turns and complicated family relationships. The pace was fast and there was lots of action towards the end.

Authentically Izzy A Novel by Pepper Basham

An E-Book from NetGalley published by Thomas Nelson on 15 November 2022.

A romance about books, libraries and bookshops.

Izzy Edgewood’s cousin Josephine sets up a profile on a dating site – Heart to Heart for Izzy which prompts a series of emails and text messages between Izzy and Josephine and other family members. Izzy’s life and her connections with family members is told through emails and text messages between family members.

Things get interesting when Broddie starts writing to Izzy, they both have a love of reading and books.

I loved the way books were discussed throughout. I did not like that most of the story was through emails and text messages, although for this particular story it did work and in the last part there were less messages and more dialog between people.

The Library at Wagtail Ridge by Janet Gover

An E-Book from NetGaley. Published by HQ Fiction. An imprint of Harlequin Enterprises. HarperCollins on 30 November 2022.

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Set in Australia in Sydney and Hunter Valley in the present time.

This is about identity, books, reading and a mobile library. Lou has her life planned and intends to travel in Australia hoping to spend time in the bush. Her life becomes complicated when she inherits a cottage and a mobile library in a small town in the Upper Hunter Valley.

Lou was adopted when she was a young child and has no memories of her birth mother. Lou’s birth mother Luca leaves her a cottage and the mobile library.

I loved reading about Lou and her indecisions over keeping her dreams of travel or moving to Wagtail Ridge to live in the cottage.

December 2022

A farmer near our house has removed sugar cane and is preparing land to plant Macadamia nut trees. Lots of earth moving.

A farm near our house preparation prior to planting macadamias

Books I was reading During December 2022

Falling Hard for The Royal Guard by Megan Clawson

Published by Avon a Division of HarperCollins Publishers 27.04.2023

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Set in London late 2022 mostly within the grounds of The Tower of London.

A nice fun romance. I loved the descriptions of the historic buildings and daily routines of the people who lived and worked within the surrounds of the Tower of London.

Maggie Moore lives with her father in accommodation at the Tower of London. Maggie’s father is a Yeoman Warder and shows tourists around. Maggie sells entry tickets to the Tower of London, she is constantly late for work, very disorganised and dreams of having a better job.

Forever Hold Your Peace by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Published by Alcove Press imprint of Quick Brown Fox 11.7.2023.

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A romance set in Southern Italy and California, mostly in the present time. Olivia meets Zach while they are on holiday in Southern Italy. They fall in love and get engaged. Things get complicated when it is revealed that Olivia’s mother June was once engaged to Zach’s father.

This was a romance full of twists and turns, family relationships, friendships and lots of secrets.

The Forthright Woman by Darry Fraser

An E-Book from NetGalley. Published by HQ Fiction. An Imprint of Harlequin Enterprises Australia. 30.11.2022 XXXX

Set over two timelines mostly in South Australia. Two young women are determined to travel to Kanyaka Station in South Australia to find out what happened to a relative who went missing in the early gold rush days of the 1850’s.

In 1898 Marcella Ross and her brother travel to Kanyaka Station, Marcella is trying to find out what happened to her great Uncle Luca who once lived at Kanyaka Station and her brother is searching for information about property their great uncle may have owned.

In 1955 Frances McDonald is also looking for information about her family history and their connection with Kanyaka Station.

This was a mystery about family relationships, immigrant families, outback Australia and secrets.

The Paris Soulmate by Brooke Gilbert

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This was a romance set mostly in Paris. A quick easy read. Christine suffers with chronic illness but is determined to travel to Paris to fulfill a secret desire.

Christine’s best friend Lola is pregnant and can’t travel to Paris with Christine but secretly wants to ensure Christine is safe.

Colin, an out of work actor also has a secret. He is travelling to Paris and helps Christine when she has a panic attack.

I loved the way movies and songs were interspersed throughout the story. Also I loved the descriptions of the tourist attractions and places visited by Christine and Colin. 

The Secret Keeper by Amanda James

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Set mostly in Cornwall in the present. Rosa’s grandmother is dying and she askes Rosa to travel to Tintagel on the Cornwall coast to fulfill a dying wish.

Rosa’s grandmother had visited Tintagel in 1968 and had a brief romance with Jory.

While Rosa is at Tintagel she discovers she has psychic abilities and receives a message for Jory’s daughter.

This was supernatural romance set in a historic place. I loved the descriptions of ruins and historic stories. The descriptions of landscape and views was well written. This was about friendships and family relationships and historic sites and secrets.

Double Decker Dreams by Lindsay MacMillian

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Kat has an imaginary love life with a man travelling on a bus past her 2^nd storey window. Most days he passes her window at the same time and one day their eyes briefly meet. Kat imagines his name and imagines life with him. Things get complicated when they finally meet.

This was a romance set mostly in London in the present time. I loved the interactions between Kat and her neighbours. Kat dreams of being a C.E.O. but things don’t always go the way she wants at work and she is troubled over speaking out about a co-worker and how it could jeopardise her chances of promotion.

 

The Certainty of Chance by Jacquelyn Middleton

Storm Girl by Kathleen McGurl

The Winter Garden by Nicola Cornick

Portraits In An Album by Jenny Glanfield

 

 

October, November, December 2021

Boardwalk at Victoria Park near Alstonville, NSW.

Mostly stayed close to home during October, November and December 2021. Visited Victoria Park near Alstonville and had an enjoyable walk through the park. Went on lots of long walks close to home. Did lots of crochet and sorted out cupboards and reviewed items of interest. Found two old money boxes tucked away in some boxes. 

An old money box from Commonwealth Bank of Australia

 Money box from Bank of New South Wales.

Books I was reading were:

Must Love Books by Shawna Robinson

This was about an Editorial Assistant working for Parsons Press publishing business books set in San Francisco.

Nora has been in the same job as Editorial Assistant for five years. After recent restructures Nora struggled to come to terms with the changes in her workplace where she is expected to do more work with less pay. Nora longs to work in a different capacity with fiction books instead of business books. She has lost her zing and is too overwhelmed to be bothered reading.

Nora manages to get part time work as a remote freelance acquisitions editor. The extra income helps Nora pay her bills but makes her life more complicated as she is faced with the moral dilemma of deciding which job she should focus on. Nora juggles her responsibilities between two jobs all the while trying to keep secret about the extra job.

This was about the love of reading, publishing, workplace relationships and friendships. I loved the way the characters interacted.

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver

I loved this book. It is set on a remote Island in Ireland. Cleo is a journalist writing articles on dating, her boss organises for Cleo to go to a remote Island to spend time in isolation and write an article about marrying herself before she turns thirty.

Nothing goes as planned. When Cleo arrives at the cottage booked by her boss Cleo discovers that the cottage is double booked and Mack is established in the cottage and has no intentions of leaving.

I loved the descriptions of the Island characters and how they interacted and included Cleo in their activities. This was a feel good romance about relationships and Island life. 

Whole Notes by Ed Ayres

I was looking forward to reading this book unfortunately only a very short extract was available. I particularly like books featuring music.

The music theme looked interesting, I would have liked to a few more pages to get a better feel of the book. The main theme is music but there are other themes being explored as well. I was inspired to have a go at relearning to play the piano.

A Letter from Nana Rose by Kristen Harper

Set on Dune Island in the present time with flash backs to earlier times. Jill and her two sisters inherit their grandmothers house on Dune Island. Jill’s two sisters want to sell the house but Jill wants to keep it.

Their grandmother requested that the three girls spend a short time in the house for a holiday before making a decision. During the time at the house regular letters written by their grandmother are delivered.

Jill and her sisters eagerly wait for the delivery of each letter. I loved the way their grandmother Rose revealed the secrets of her life. This was about families, grief and secrets.

The Girl In the Maze by Cathy Haywood

Set in 2019 with flash backs to earlier times. This was about relationships between mothers and daughters, and secrets.

When Emma’s mother Margaret dies in 2019 Emma is upset that a painting painted by her mother is to go to a total stranger. Emma loved the painting and felt that it should stay in the family.

While packing up her mother’s belongings Emma discovers an old metal box. The papers and the contents in the box leave Emma asking questions about her mother’s secrets.

I loved the way Emma’s story is told and how Emma tries to unravel her mother’s secrets.

The Fossil Hunter by Tea Cooper

Set mostly in Australia in the 1840’s and 1919. This is a historical novel about the fascination of searching for fossils.

Mellie is a young girl whose parents are dead. She is cared for by the Pearson family at Wollombi in NSW and later goes to live with Anthea Winstanley at Bow Wow Gorge not far from Wollombi. Anthea Winstanley is a palaeontologist who spends her time looking for fossils and shares her love of palaeontology with the Pearson girls and their friends by having them come to stay every Easter so they can experience the thrill of finding and documenting their finds.

In 1919 Penelope Martindale, an ambulance driver during the First World War is in London waiting to return home to Australia. While waiting she visits London’s Natural History Museum where she sees a fossil that reminds her of the fossils her two brother’s we fascinated with.

The pace is fast and switches back and forward between 1840’s and 1919. It is a historical mystery and full of secrets and adventure.

Above the Mistletoe by Juliet Madison

A Christmas romance set in Australia. Angelette has unpleasant memories of Christmas in New York. She travels to outback Australia hoping to have a quiet holiday away from all the Christmas celebrations of New York.

When she arrives the cottage, she had book has been double booked and is unavailable so the only place available is room upstairs in the local Pub called the Mistletoe.

This is a romance bout families, grief and Christmas.

 

Meet Me In the Margins by Melissa Ferguson

A romantic comedy with lots of twists and turns and funny situations. Savannah works for a publisher and dreams of writing a romance novel. She takes her manuscript to work while getting ready to submit it to a rival publisher. To avoid letting anyone see her manuscript she hides it in a secret room. Someone finds it and makes corrections and suggestions.

This was a fun romance full of humour and secrets as Savannah struggles to finish writing her romance novel.

The Secrets of Hawthorn Place by Jenni Kerr

Set in the present time and 1890’s in Dorset and Norfolk.

This is a love story with humour and some fantasy. Featuring the history of two identical houses, Hawthorn Place and Acacia House designed by the architect Percy Gladwell.

In the present time Molly finds herself homeless, without a job and no money. She travels to Hawthorn Place on the coast of Dorset to spend time with her grandfather who needs some company to help him get over the grief of the death of his wife.

Hawthorn Place is very large and has many quirky features and a few spooky stories of unusual hauntings.

Molly struggles to come to grips to life without money or phone and no internet.

She learns to cook and tries to find a job. There are a lot of humorous incidents.

I loved the way the story switches back to the 1890’s and the life and loves of Percy Gladwell, the architect who designed Hawthorn Place and its quirky features, especially the Latin phrases scattered throughout the house declaring loss and love.

The pace was fast switching back and forwards between two time periods and different houses leaving you waiting for more information. Its about love, grief and families and the history of two houses.

 The Murder Dance by Sarah Rayne

A Phineas Fox Mystery full of creepiness and evil. Set in Norfolk in the present time with flashbacks to earlier times.

Quentin Rivers inherits an old house called The Tabor. His cousin Zillah has grown up expecting that the old house will be hers when Osbert dies. I love the way evilness creeps into the relationship between Quentin and Zillah and how it is reflected in the history of the old house.

The Tabor is very old and in need of repairs. There is a lot of old stories about The Tabor and the people who had connections with its history and the people who used to live in the old house.

Phineas Fox and his two friends Arabella and Toby help with researching historical connections of the old house.

I loved the way the history of the old house is revealed. There are lots of secrets and evil intentions.

The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare by Kimberley Brook

After her father’s death Alice inherits Evertell her family home located in Savannah. Alice thought the house had been sold many years ago after her mother died. Alice and her daughter travel back to the home Alice lived in as a child. Alice hopes to sell the house but first she wants to find a book that should have been given to her when she turned thirteen. The commonplace Book had been handed down through many generations of her family.

Alice hopes the book will give her answers to her family history. Alice’s daughter Penn is thirteen and is excited about seeing her families abandoned home and is curious about the secrets that have long been hidden.

This is about the history of Alice’s family over fifteen generations back to Eleanor Dare. Set mostly in Savannah in 1945 and earlier times. The family stories are told through clippings and notes and people living near Evertell and Alice’s memories.

I loved the way the family history was told and the way the character’s interacted. This is about families, history, buildings and secrets.

The Girl in the Window by 

Since We Last Met by Bronwyn Sell

A romantic comedy full of secrets, mistakes and interfering family members.

Set in the present time on a small tropical Island in the Whitsundays off the coast of Queensland Australia. Carmen Lowery is a single mother working at her families Resort on Curiosity Island. Carmen’s family members are single also and Carmen’s grandmother is desperate to find partners for all her grandchildren.

Bruno Michael is a US Airforce pilot and arrives at Curiosity Island on emergency deployment at the Air Base on the Island. Bruno and Carmen meet and realise they had previously met five years ago but had both used different names.

This was a fun romance about family relationships and secrets.

The Beautiful Words by Vanessa McCausland

Set in the present time and the 1990’s and 1960’s. Mostly on an Island near Tasmania.

This was about best friends torn apart by tragedy.

Sylvie enjoys her life. She works on her own cleaning houses of people who have died. Packing up and removing unwanted possessions deemed as junk. Sylvie is fascinated by the hidden stories she finds and writes her discoveries in her notebook. I loved the line on page 4 – “What does anyone know about their grandmother’s mother?” It made me think about my family history.

In one house Sylvie discovers notes in a journal where the owner had regretted spending her lifetime without her best friend. The notes in the journal remind Sylvie of her loss and regrets of her lost friendship with Kase and the tragedy that separated them. A letter inviting Sylvie to Kase’s 40^th birthday celebration could help if only Sylvie can respond. Sylvie and Kase had not seen each other for 23 years. As teenagers they had been best friends, sharing a love of literature and writing.

Sylvie is hesitant about attending the party after so many years without contact but decides to travel to a private Island off the Tasmanian coast.

Sylvie and Kase resume their friendship but there are other friends at the birthday celebration that make things difficult for Sylvie.

This was about friendships, grief, and secrets.

Dressed By Iris by Mary-Anne O'Connor

Set in Newcastle and Sydney in the early 1930’s during the Great Depression.

Iris Mitchell is Catholic and lives with her large family in a makeshift dwelling in a shanty town near Newcastle. Iris loves to sew and has a flair for design.

The Mitchell family move to Sydney when Iris’s father and brother Jim start working on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Iris starts working as a cleaner and in her spare time she designs and makes dresses. Life is slightly better for Iris and her family, but times are hard, money is scarce and the family struggle to make a living.

This is a romance about friendships and fashion design.

Mrs England by Stacey Halls

Daughters of Magpie Cove by Kennedy Kerr

Set on the coast of Cornwall in the small village of Magpie Cove. Connie returns home after the theatre she worked as a stage manager closed. Connie is not happy to be home, she has unhappy memories of being watched as a teenager. Not long after her return she finds she is being watched again and threats made against her. Who can she trust?

Connie helps her Grand Father by taking over and running his museum but struggles with the stalking and harassment and her mother’s pressure to settle down to married life in the village.

Lots of twists and turns. I loved the descriptions of the coast and the stories of smuggling history.

The Foundling by Stacey halls