Janet Gordon is married, retired, obsessed with her Westlake Terrier, Rollo – and books are her passion. She reads multiple books a week across all genres and reviews them for Rest Less.
This month’s round-up features She Started It, Silent Evidence, The Secret Orchard, Finding Light in the Darkness, and two crochet how-to guides.
Note: Prices can change often, so you may notice some variations on the providers’ websites. Prices and availability are accurate as of the 1st of October, 2024.
She Started It by Sian Gilbert (Kindle £3.99, Amazon £8.45, Penguin £8.99)
Readers will know that I love a chilling thriller, and Sian Gilbert’s debut novel is one hell of a read.
Poppy sends sumptuous gold invitations to her four besties from school, inviting them to join her on an all expenses paid, week long, Caribbean island holiday for her hen party. Oh yes please! Who wouldn’t jump at the chance?
To be honest, the friends can’t really believe the invitations – they know what happened at school. But they figure Poppy (who was always a weirdo and didn’t really have any friends) simply wants to celebrate her forthcoming marriage and must be quite happy to claim them as friends, letting bygones be bygones.
Oh my goodness, how wrong you can be… Whilst being the most addictive thriller, this is also a cautionary tale about bullying. Author Sian explained to me that she was bullied at school and I can tell you that her experience has made for a truly authentic story. I simply couldn’t put this one down.
Silent Evidence by Clea Koff (Kindle £2.99, Amazon £8.15, Avon £8.99)
If She Started It isn’t scary enough for you, Silent Evidence (the first in the Jayne and Steelie series) is an absolute must read for anyone, like me and my husband, glued to the true crime channels.
Silent Evidence offers so much detail that it reads as though you’re inside a crime scene. And as author Clea Koff used to be a forensic investigator, it’s no wonder.
Clea’s come up with a terrific story line – a drunk driver rear ends a panel van on a main LA highway. The driver sobers up very rapidly when, right in front of his eyes, the back doors of the van swing open and a pile of dismembered body parts are flung across the road.
Oh, and whilst all this is being investigated, there’s a rather lovely romance going on. Again, I couldn’t put this down.
The Secret Orchard by Sharon Gosling (Kindle £5.99, Amazon £8.99, Simon & Schuster £9.99)
You know in posh restaurants when they offer you a little sorbet between courses so that you can clear your palate? Well, I think I do that with books.
Quite often I find myself re-reading Georgette Heyer’s regency romances (which I can read in about an hour) as a refresher in between new reads. I used to read them whilst lolling in the bath, however since we replaced the bath with a super-duper shower, I have to curl up on a sofa instead.
And so, having cleansed my palate of scary chiller thrillers, Sunday afternoon was spent reading Sharon Gosling’s lovely, lyrically romantical, historical mystery, family saga.
Beginning in 1869, Orphelia is nearly blown over a cliff edge as she wipes away her tears and tries to forget her husband’s all too often horrible words. But something strikes a chord with her and as she follows an almost hidden gorse path, she meets George Crowdie. Luckily, George saves her from falling over the cliff edge.
And then we’re in the present day. Nina’s been farming the Crowdie land with her Dad since she was little. She’s now distraught as her Dad has died and she’s rapidly uncovering a mountain of debts; Nina’s trying to service customers whilst keeping everything else going too. There’s no time to grieve. To make matters worse, the old farmhouse is falling to bits and, of course, there’s no money to repair anything.
Nina’s sister, Bette, has never shown any interest in the farm and rarely even visits, but is due to join Nina for the reading of the will. And that’s where the mystery starts. It turns out that their Dad has left the farm to the pair of them – rather than just Nina as had been expected.
This is such a sweet and heartwarming story of sibling rivalries and of family and friends all pulling together with the discovery of a secret orchard – out of hardship and grief comes hope and romance. I read this with more than a little tear in my eye.
Finding Light in the Darkness by Kate Morfoot (Kindle £4.99, Amazon £8.52)
It was my birthday on 14th September and we were off on holiday to Pickering, Yorkshire, on the recommendation of a friend – and, yes, not only was our holiday cottage dog-friendly, but apparently the whole of Pickering as well!
Sadly, one of the consequences of yet another birthday (77 this year in case you’re wondering!) is losing dear friends – a good friend lost her husband a year ago now, my husband lost one of his rock band mates, and just this week, the last remaining link to my husband’s ex-wife’s family died, aged 98.
Death is such a hard topic to talk or even think about. No-one wants to consider their own, or their loved ones’, mortality.
Author Kate Morfoot recently lost her beloved dog, Fizz, and for non-animal people I’m here to tell you that losing your pet is just as heartbreaking as any family member. Kate’s pocketbook, Finding Light in the Darkness, aims to compassionately guide people through grief.
I’ve given Kate’s book to several friends who’ve experienced bereavement and they’ve said how much this little book has helped. My friend Stephanie shared it with her widows club and all have said how helpful Kate’s common sense approach, tools to honour the memory of the deceased, and self-care practices and routines are. Kate highlights the importance of nurturing every aspect of your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Stephanie said she loved the fact that when she was feeling low and depressed, she could pick up this little book and find something within its covers to ease her pain.
Mix and Match Modern Crochet Blankets by Esme Crick (Kindle £8.99, Amazon £13.17, David & Charles £16.99) and Every Way with Granny Crochet by Julia Madill (Kindle £8.99, Amazon £13.05, David & Charles £16.99)
Readers will know how proud I am that after 77 years I’ve finally learnt to crochet (aided by the chunkiest of wool and giant crochet hooks). I also seem to have finally learnt (well, more or less) how to follow a pattern!
So, I was totally thrilled to receive these two crochet how-to guides. I can’t tell you how chuffed I am to have been able to learn new stitches and finally crack the granny square – though, in Every Way with Granny Crochet it’s more like diamonds, shells, triangles, horseshoes, and every other shape you can think of.
Currently, I’ve moved on from multi-coloured blankets and having learnt some of these new, easy-peasy stitches, I’m up for crocheting a giant jacket. Wish me luck.
If you enjoy crocheting, why not sign up for the fortnightly crochet and chat community events which run on Rest Less Events?
For more reading inspiration, head over to the books, literature, and writing section of our website. Or, for further book and literature discussions, you might be interested in joining the thriving book club or short story club over on Rest Less Events.
Have you read any of these books? Or have you added any of them to your reading list? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!