Monday, 2 September 2024

August 2024 Reads

 


I really don’t understand why my reading list is so short this month. Apart from a couple of days in London where I did a LOT of walking and saw two fabulous musicals (Hello Dolly and Back To The Future), the month has been pretty quiet. I do know that I’ve struggled to concentrate for any length of time, which is surprising as I’ve read some amazing books in August.

Laura Pearson writes wonderfully uplifting novels, sometimes with bittersweet conclusions, and her latest, The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine, is no different. An interesting premise has children before their conception watching their mother’s life unfold, seeing how the choices she makes affect the chances of them being born.

First Wife’s Shadow from Adele Parks is wonderfully twisty. Emma is a successful businesswoman who falls in love with Matthew, a recently widowed photographer. The shadow of Matthew’s dead wife seems to plague Emma. Matthew seems perfect, offering Emma everything she didn’t realise she wanted, but her friends are more cautious as the spectre of a dead wife plays on Emma’s mind.

Novels by Nicholas Sparks always offer a wholesome feel, giving readers a glimpse into life in small-town America. Counting Miracles is the alternating stories of ex-army Tanner visiting a small town looking for the father he knows nothing about and elderly Jasper, a loner living on the edge of society. I felt as if I was reading two completely unconnected stories until the conclusion.

Close To The Edge by Anna Britton is the exciting sequel to Shot In The Dark, the first book in the Martin & Stern series. The book opens directly following the horrifying conclusion of the first book and is filled with a sense of menace. Throughout there is a sense that danger is lurking just on the periphery as the police investigate the shocking events, wondering if a number of cases are connected.

One Of Us Is Dead by Peter James is book 20 in the Roy Grace series. It is amazing that the author is still coming up with ingenious plots and this one is no different. The team are hunting a contract killer who relishes his job planning meticulous and intriguing methods, resulting in undetectable murders. The only problem is their main suspect has been dead for two years.

There was lots of praise online for Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville, so I was over the moon when I won a copy. The advice is to know nothing about it before you start reading it, other than it’s a thriller. I took the advice and thoroughly enjoyed this cat-and-mouse chase. An FBI agent is trying to catch a serial killer who lures groomers and pedophiles to their death.

The last read of the month was the emotional Into The Storm by Cecelia Ahern. Dr Enya Pickering has felt as if her life was a ticking time-bomb since her birthday. With her 47th birthday approaching, the day on which her mother died, she is floundering. The scene of an accident is the catalyst for dramatic changes in her life and lots of introspection.

The only audiobook I managed to listen to was Close Knit by Jenny Colgan. An unassuming tale of an unassuming young woman who has never taken any risks in her life. When she is given the opportunity to work for a small airline not only does she see life differently but other people realise they’ve got her all wrong.

Publication dates to look out for are:-

Close To The Edge by Anna Britton will be published on 12/9/24 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson will be published on 20/9/24 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

One Of Us Is Dead by Peter James will be published on 24/9/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks will be published on 24/9/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Into The Storm by Cecelia Ahern will be published on 10/10/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.


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