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 The Story Spinner, The King’s Messenger, The Bone Fire, and Natalie, 60, Looking For…What?
Note: Prices can change often, so you may notice some variations on the providers’ websites. Prices and availability are accurate as of the 17th of October, 2024.
The Story Spinner by Barbara Erskine (Amazon £11.50, Kindle £9.99, HarperCollins £20)
Barbara Erskine is a well-known English author of historical fiction and The Story Spinner is her 18th novel. Born in Nottingham in 1944, she has a degree in medieval Scottish history.
The Story Spinner follows the tale of a legendary Welsh princess called Elen who marries a Roman General in 382 AD. And then we’re in the present day when Cadi, a Welsh author, decides to write about the Roman period and uncovers Elen’s story.
Coming out of her cottage one day, Cadi goes into an ancient meadow nearby, and the history literally pours into her mind. The meadow shimmers in front of her while the sound of ghostly feet march inside her brain.
With so much back and forth between the Roman times and the present day, the history is mesmerising. There’s also intrigue surrounding Cadi’s ex-husband who’s trying to develop the meadow, simply to annoy Cadi. Plus, there’s romance, adventure, and murderous intent.
My husband (aka the slowest reader in the world) simply couldn’t put this book down. He said, “What a read – I absolutely loved this historical, sci-fi, fantasy novel.”
To learn more about Barbara and The Story Spinner, you might like to read Rest Less writer Sam’s recent interview with her, here.
The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley (Amazon £16.87, Kindle £11.99, Simon & Schuster £20)
Talking of Barbara Erskine, she’s given a wonderful quote about Susanna Kearsley’s most recent book, The King’s Messenger. Barbara said, “It was thoroughly researched and told with brilliantly compelling authenticity. I loved it.” And my history buff husband echoed this thought.
It’s set in 1613 and Scotland and England (now one country) are shocked by the death of King James’ eldest son, Henry. Rumours are swirling around that he was poisoned. King James has a suspect in mind and Andrew Logan is sent north with secret orders to find him, arrest him, and bring him back to London.
Phoebe Westaway, the daughter of one of the king’s recorders, can’t stand Andrew.
However, she finds herself travelling north with both him and her father. And, of course, the suspect has no intention of coming quietly…
The Bone Fire by Martina Murphy (Amazon £9.39, Kindle £8.99, Constable £15.99)
This is the fourth novel in the DS Lucy Golden series. It’s set on Achill Island in County Mayo, Ireland, and is, once again, a riveting read.
This time, Lucy is tasked with discovering who was behind setting a fatal fire in a holiday let, which left one person dead and one woman missing. The missing woman turns out to be the daughter of a well-known gang figure who’d love to get his hands on the killer before DS Golden does…so, no pressure then.
Natalie, 60, Looking For…What? by Val Erasmus (Amazon £9.39, Kindle £4.99, The Book Guild £9.99)
Being retired, I seem to watch far more television than I used to. In particular, I find myself watching those BBC shows that warn us about scams of one kind or another. I do receive quite a lot of phone calls telling me somebody has bought stuff on my Amazon account, that I’m entitled to a large tax refund, or even that I’ve been involved in a car accident which I can claim compensation for.
Normally, I just put the phone down on them, but in the right mood I’ve been known to engage in inane conversation.
For example, one time I insisted to the car accident people that I’d driven my car over a cliff, and that I was now dead! They put the phone down on me that time.
This leads me in a kind of roundabout fashion to a really lovely read and this month’s competition. Forget about the weird title, this book offers over 500 pages of gripping story for a paperback price.
Natalie has been living in South Africa for some time, but has returned home to care for her elderly mother who, at 88, is living alone in a small bungalow. Natalie’s two sisters, although living in the UK, don’t seem very interested in looking after their mother.
Told in the first person, this piece of autobiographical fiction is like a cosy chat with a next-door neighbour. Natalie re-introduces herself to her one-time bestie, Maggie (and her snore bore husband Alan). Although Natalie’s Mum feels that Natalie may be past romance, Maggie encourages her to try online dating, and after a few false starts (and some inappropriate images), Natalie eventually meets Richard – they hit it off and begin to date.
However, Maggie doesn’t approve of Richard, though isn’t quite able to put her finger on why. She voices her reservations to Natalie, but they aren’t enough for Natalie to split up with him (although there are a couple of occasions where she does come close).
Richard seems like a genuine guy; he pays for meals out, he’s caring and attentive, and he buys her flowers. But Natalie isn’t really convinced that he’s the one, and so the relationship drifts on – well, at least the sex is okay, she thinks.
But when her Mum suffers a series of strokes, the weekends away that Natalie and Richard (who lives in Wales) have been indulging in are no longer possible. Without giving Natalie a choice, Richard decides to move his stuff into hers. And Natalie can’t think of a good enough reason not to let him, although Richard can be a moody so and so sometimes.
This is a lovely story about the middle-aged (is 60 middle-aged?) angst of caring for an elderly parent while dealing with a new romance and still trying to live life. It’s also somewhat of a cautionary tale about some of the dangers of the internet and trusting who you meet online…
I enjoyed how author Val dealt with Natalie’s indecisive nature and her way of overcoming all sorts of stress while still remaining her own person. Overall, I loved it.
And, just for Rest Less readers, courtesy of The Book Guild, we have two copies to be won.
Win!
To win one of two copies of Natalie, 60, Looking For…What?, please answer the following question…
Natalie has returned to the UK from where?
a) South Africa
b) France
c) United States
Terms and conditions
The giveaway will close at 11.59pm on 31st October 2024 and the winners will be chosen at random in a prize draw on 1st November 2024. Winners will be connected with Janet via email for the fulfilment of their prize.
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!