Lindsey's Literary Leanings

  Gripping, Gritty, Absorbing Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Family Drama/Coming-Of-Age In The Moonbeams by Sarah Dawson Powell- author Mike is a single Father of four, all of whom are now teenagers. Amy-Jo hadn't been prepared for the responsibilities of parenthood, and had therefore left when the children were still young. The one thing that Mike & Amy-Jo really had in common was a love of the Cosmos, & the elements that made up the vast void that they would gaze up at, at night.They therefore fittingly chose to name their free-spirited off-spring after three constellations, & the eldest, after the region of outer space seen from the earth, Skylar (Sky), Orion (O), Starla (Star) Sunshine (Sunny). Whilst working as a bar tender Mike meets Melissa and she asks him about his kids. He is only too happy to impart details of their accolades, both academically and personally and realises how proud he is of his brood. Considering the difficult times of the past, they were all...

Captivating, Charming, Intriguing Genre: Children’s/Young Adult Fiction The Treasure of Kurukhstan By John Guthrie Ellen is an extremely eloquent and forthright fourteen year old with big ambitions for the period in which she lives, which is not particularly favourable toward the female gender. She has set her sights on becoming a Detective, a very private one. With the help of her school friend acting as a very willing ‘Watson’ to Ellen’s ‘Sherlock’, they resolve to investigate and conclude a mystery involving treasure, an injured soldier on leave, two brothers and a curious stranger from a far off country… This book intrigued me, as on initial impressions, the title didn’t suggest to me that it would be ‘up my street’, however the illustration on the cover did. Then I noticed that, on Amazon it was noted that the target reader would be aged 11-18 years of age which further stretched my curiosity. I had previously read one of John’s books aimed at younger readers, and was blown away....

  Comforting Captivating Heartfelt Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Relationships Found In A Bookshop by Stephanie Butland Not much had changed for Loveday during the last 6 years.....since the fire that changed everything, except that she was now owner of Archie's beloved Bookshop, 'Lost For Words', left to her, his Bookshop apprentice, in his will after his unexpected and sudden death. He also left her his large & very grand home which she now inhabits with Nathan, her long term partner, her poet, her magician, her world. She hired Kelly as Manager of her little shop of books, and all had been running smoothly....until the world, the world at large, changed. Covid-19 was now a thing and a lockdown on the entire country had now been decreed. Customers were no longer permitted to enter premises, no longer able to come in and browse the shelves to find the books they needed. The three of them would spend a part of their working days, brainstorming, (whilst consuming cinna...

  Eye opening, Challenging, Though Provoking Genre: Semi-Autobiographical/Young Adult Fiction Hijacked by C.M Stokes It is both an honour and a privilege to be asked to read an Author's work prior to publication. However, it becomes even more special when you learn that is a semi-autobiographical account of living with a mental health condition that consumes that individual's world. I was aware of the symptoms and challenges facing a person who is living with this disorder prior to reading 'Hijacked, but I'm not sure that I ever fully appreciated the extent of it's complexities. My first experience of knowing someone with the same traits, was an ex-neighbour. She had lots of other issues & found it difficult to articulate her feelings, which I desperately wanted to understand, as it was me she came to when she couldn't cope alone, although she always professed to not want help. M. C. Stokes Author wants to create awareness and further people's understan...

  Though Provoking, Relatable, Intriguing Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Family Drama/Grief The Best Days Of Our Lives By Lucy Diamond Leni and Alice weren't just sisters, they were best friends growing up. They were only a couple of years apart in age, sharing everything including a penchant for attempting to fly with the aid of their Grandma's fanned Peacock feathers. Then, some years later, along came Will and their parent's focus was somewhat distracted from the girls by all the time spent in hospital with their brother. As the sisters grew they inevitably parted ways to follow different paths but always knew that they had each other's backs. Indeed, neither of them had once given a thought to what they would do without the other, and particularly if that special sibling bond were snatched away in the midst of a time of simmering vex and underlying jealousy. She wasn't the only one of the McKenzie's to feel that words had been left unsaid... as the saying go...

  Engaging, Heart Warming, Entertaining Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Family/Chicklit 'Ciao Cariad' by Johanna Cogbill - Author Alex had taken the decision to remain in Italy when, Jared, her ex-boyfriend of five years now, had flown back to the UK to continue his education. She intended to make a life for herself in Sorrento, and five years on, she had done just that; with a beautiful apartment, a job she loved at Riviolli's and daily banter with Luca, owner of 'Luca's, the cafe across the street from her work place; Luca showing his apparent concern & maybe disapproval of Alex's dedication to her work e-mails, accompanied by caffeine, out of office hours. indicating that Alex was perhaps, in need of more fun in her life, which, whilst this may have been a somewhat accurate description, Alex was content with her lot. She had also landed the biggest account of her career, and her client, was flying over to seal the deal. However, fate was to send her on ...

  Page Turner, Engaging, Entertaining Genre: Family Drama/Contemporary Fiction/Mystery The Woman Who Wrote Ink Green Ink By Sheena Billett I was excited & honoured to be asked to read this novel prior to it's publication. I do enjoy a good family drama, and having so many different narratives occurring in one story made it a really entertaining, comprehensive read. Having four different areas of the main character's life, giving different threads to follow within the novel, kept it fresh and enjoyable, introducing the reader to a wide variety of characters. Amber's boys are typical of any couple of teenagers within any family that I know of; One who is on the wild side (generally as in this case, the elder of the two) and the other who behaves himself & tows the line as he hasn't yet reached the age of testing the parental boundaries to see how far they'll stretch. Her husband, a workaholic, only interested in what he can get out of people, he handles eve...