Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

I am so excited to be part of this blog tour for “Strange Sally Diamond” by Liz Nugent. From the moment I read and loved “Our Little Cruelties”, I knew Liz Nugent is going to became an author I will often come back to. And Strange Sally Diamond was incredible!

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 384

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Penguin Books

Format I read it in: Paperback / Uncorrected Proof

Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis

“Put me out with the bins”, he said, regularly. “When I die, put me out with the bins. I’ll be dead, so I won’t know any different.”

When Sally Diamond’s dad passed away, she did exactly what he hold her to do. She put him out with the bins.

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.

But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally’s life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

My Thoughts:

Now, I wish I could say that putting her dad out with the bins is the strangest thing Sally would do in this book, but it’s called “Strange Sally Diamond” for a reason. After her father’s passing and the letters he leaves her behind, Sally becomes the talk of the town. There are certain things being revealed about her early childhood that could explain why she has always been different. Also, there are some anonymous letters in the mail from someone that may know her. I dived into this book blind, and can only recommend that you do the same.

The book starts slow, with a small twist, and then before you know it, you’re swimming into the deep end of a very poignant, but disturbing story. I won’t reveal anything else in terms of the plot, because I don’t want to spoil anyone’s reading experience. We have Sally’s point of view, from the day her father dies, until the present day. And we also have another person’s point of view, sharing their story from Sally’s early shildhood, also to the present day.

Reading both POVs was stressful and gripping.

I liked Sally – the way she accepted she was different and never changed who she was for anyone else. But also her willingness to keep working on herself and be the best version of herself. I loved the group of friends she had around her. They were always supportive and wanted what’s best for her, but never afraid to tell her the truth when it was needed. I also enjoyed the other POV, although it always had a darker, more sinister atmosphere. Despite all the evil, there were emotions of loneliness, sadness, fear and the need to be accepted and to belong that I sometimes felt for them.

With so many twists and turns, Liz Nugent managed to keep me on my toes yet again. And although I had my own theories and suspicions (I’m looking at you, Mark!), I was completely wrong and didn’t see anything coming until it was on my page. “Strange Sally Diamond” is a brilliant thriller with a lot of disturbing excitement. I liked the idea of the grey area between a gullable victim and an accomplice. And this is the kind of book that is about to raise a lot of moral dilemas and start conversations during a book club meeting. I warmly recommend it, with the advice to dive in blind. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and give you chills when you’re expecting them the least.

About The Author:

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [BOOK REVIEW]

Liz Nugent is an award-winning, bestselling Irish crime writer.

Unravelling Oliver was published in 2014.

Lying in Wait was published in 2016.

Skin Deep was published in 2018.

Little Cruelties (Our Little Cruelties) was published in 2020.

Website: https://www.liznugent.com/

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Book Review · Books

Away With The Penguins (Veronica McCreedy #1) by Hazel Prior [BOOK REVIEW]

Away With The Penguins (Veronica McCreedy #1) by Hazel Prior [BOOK REVIEW]

Away With The Penguins took me on such a journey, a winter adventure that I never knew I needed!

Away With The Penguins (Veronica McCreedy #1) by Hazel Prior [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 391

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Black Swan – Penguin Books

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis

Veronica McCreedy is about to have the journey of a lifetime

Veronica McCreedy lives in a mansion by the sea. She loves a nice cup of Darjeeling tea whilst watching a good wildlife documentary. And she’s never seen without her ruby-red lipstick.

Although these days Veronica is rarely seen by anyone because, at 85, her days are spent mostly at home, alone.

She can be found either collecting litter from the beach (‘people who litter the countryside should be shot’), trying to locate her glasses (‘someone must have moved them’) or shouting instructions to her assistant, Eileen (‘Eileen, door!’).

Veronica doesn’t have family or friends nearby. Not that she knows about, anyway… And she has no idea where she’s going to leave her considerable wealth when she dies.

But today . . . today Veronica is going to make a decision that will change all of this.

My Thoughts:

“There are three types of people in this world, Very. There are those who make the world worse, those who make no difference and those who make the world better. Be one who makes the world better, if you can.”

I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to read Away With The Penguins. I knew I wanted to read it during the winter season, though, and I am glad I did. The scenes of Antarctica and the stories about the penguins, especially out penguin Pip (Patrick) made me glad to be wrapped in a warm blanket.

Veronica is such a funny character!

I warmed up to her instantly, and I think if she were to ever team up with the gang from “The Thursday Murder Club”, she’s be a remarkable addition to the team. I loved how opening an old box and ready her old diary set her on a few new adventures that changed her life. It was interesting also having Patrick’s point of view in the book – Veronica’s grandson. There was an incredible contrast of lifestyles and personalities between him and granny. It created a realistic atmosphere and opened up a mystery I enjoyed reading so much.

Antarctica was beautifully described and when Veronica was there with the scientist, I could almost feel as if I was there with them too. With Veronica’s arrival, it was interesting to see how the scientists accepted her arrival and got used to her as time went on, but weren’t too keen at first. Their dynamic changed and Hazel wrote this amazingly. Away With The Penguins took me on such a journey, a winter adventure that I never knew I needed! There was a lot of raw emotion, the guilt of time lost, of the things that never happened, of the life that just keeps on going and the years pass on by.

I couldn’t help by feel the loss that Veronica felt, reading about her part, and seeing how it intertwined with her present. It was incredible, though, her stubbornness to keep fighting and try to do good in the world. Her resilience. Alongside her, I loved watching Patrick grow as a person too – his journey was also not very easy. But together, these two polar opposites (pun intended) found each other when they needed a companion the most. The messages this book sends are powerful; about the penguins, the extinction of other animals, saving the planet. But also about love, life, joy, being brave and being one of those people that tries to make the world a better place. Avery warm recommendation from me!

About The Author:

Away With The Penguins (Veronica McCreedy #1) by Hazel Prior [BOOK REVIEW]

Hazel Prior is the author of ELLIE AND THE HARP MAKER and Richard & Judy Book Club number one bestseller AWAY WITH THE PENGUINS (UK title)/HOW THE PENGUINS SAVED VERONICA (US title). Her third book, CALL OF THE PENGUINS, will be out in the UK this November and is available to pre-order. Hazel is also a freelance harpist. She lives in Exmoor, in England, with her husband and a huge, ginger cat.

Website: https://www.hazelprior.co.uk/home

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Book Review · Books

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden [BOOK REVIEW]

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden [BOOK REVIEW]

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden captured my attention from the very beginning. The errieness of the forbidden part of the house made for a spooky atmosphere. It’s the perfect read for Halloween!

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 388

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph

Format I read it in: Uncorrected Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

My Thoughts:

Margaret Lennox is a young widow and she’s offered a position as governess at Hartwood Hall. She is eager to start, hoping that this new place and work will bring her a healthy distraction from her reality. It’s 1852 and references are extremely important to secure a job. Although Margaret is afraid her hearing loss will prevent her from getting this job, she is soon proven wrong. Mrs. Eversham gives her the job to teach her son, Louis.

Despite Louis being a great pupil, Margaret feels quite uneasy in the house. There are strange figures in the dark and a forbidden east wing of the house. Also, the servants keep whispering and Margaret feels like they are keeping things from her. The town doesn’t trust Mrs. Eversham and they think the house is haunted and cursed. Margaret also starts a forbidden affair with Paul, the gardener, and inevitably starts to tangle herself in a lot of situations. As her past is trying to catch up with her, she now has current secrets also to try and keep.

I quite enjoyed reading this book!

It was so easy to keep the pages turning and dive into Margaret’s life. As we learn more about her, I admired her search for freedom, despite the curveballs that life has thrown at her. Her marriage was not one from love and she was being owned by a man who claimed to know what’s best for her. Imagine not being allowed to work if you wished so, to not be allowed to read your preferred genre, to engage with your friends. When Margaret becomes a widow, she’s rightfully excited to start teaching again.

On the other side of the story, we have Hartwood Hall and its residents.

Mrs. Eversham is a lady that keeps to herself and often travels away. Louis is a boy that doesn’t say much, but is hiding a big pain in his heart. Everyone is hiding something in this house, even the servants, especially the servants. The house screams of secrets and eeriness. On top of this, spooky things do happen, especially during the night. Food missing from the cupboards, footsteps that keep erasing themselves, candles placed in odd places and being moved… The servants don’t seem to know how to mind their own business, and Margaret ends up getting herself in the middle of a blackmail situationship.

“Of course I did not believe the house was cursed – but when people feared a place, there was usually a reason.”

The ending was somewhat unexpected, but not as exciting.

It explained everything and tied up the story very neatly, leaving nothing unresolved. I just didn’t feel that wow factor when closing the book in the end. However, despite that, this book really impressed me. It was the battle for freedom, in a time when it wasn’t socially acceptable to do so that did it for me in the end. In the search for true happiness and standing up for love, for friendship, for loyalty. When a loss can cause us heartbreak, even though we know it’s the best thing for us. And when a loss can also ultimately secure our freedom and give us the relief we needed to be happy again.

The Secret of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden is coming out in March 2023 and I strongly recommend you give it a chance.

About The Author:

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden [BOOK REVIEW]

Katie Lumsden is a twenty-eight-year-old novelist and short story writer from London. She has been reading Victorian literature avidly since she was thirteen years old, and it is her love of literature and history that inspires her to write. After a degree in English literature and history, she studied for an MA in creative writing at Bath Spa University, before embarking on a career in the publishing industry. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the London Short Story Prize and the Bridport Prize, and have been published in various literary magazines, including Litro and Brittle Star.

Katie has a Youtube channel, Books and Things, where she reviews and recommends books, focusing on classics and historical fiction.

Her first novel, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, will be published by Michael Joseph in March 2023.

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Book Review · Books

Death in the Dojo by Sue Leather [BOOK REVIEW]

death in the dojo sue leather book review books goodreads mystery karate diary of difference diaryofdifference

I remember reading The Death in the Dojo a few years ago. I still remember the story and the feelings it brought me. This is a story about a mystery, about karate and the love between a daughter and her dad. I need to just say that this book has and always will have a special place in my heart. 

I have been in a dojo since I remember myself. And the sensei is no one else, but my dad. From the very first kata and my first wins and losses, till the days when I started becoming a national champion and travelling across countries, my dad was always the person beside me. The one to guide me and show me the right way. The one to pick me when I fall, and the one who believed in me, when everyone else didn’t. 

“I went over to the Asano dojo for the last half hour of training and saw a good fight among six black belts. I stood and watched the white gi’s moving quickly round the wooden floor, black belts flying. There was something beautiful about this, more like a dance rather than a fight. It made me feel sad, not to be there doing it. “

Even though this book is not the best mystery you will ever read, I doubt that was its real purpose.

I believe that the purpose of this book was to show us a glimpse of what karate really means, to show us the honour, the respect, the persistence we all share in unison. 

“It was true that the great masters seemed to have an unusual sense of peace around them.”

Death in the Dojo starts off when Kate, a journalist, is tasked to investigate the recent murder of the famous karateka Kawaguchi. It is a complete mystery how he would be killed with just one punch called gyaku zuki and die. The mystery is not behind whether it’s possible for him to die from one punch, but the mystery is why he allowed for this to happen. As a master, he is very well able to defend himself against just one punch. 

On this note, I have to mention that in the book, the punch is spelled as “yaku-zuki”, which is incorrect.   

When this mystery is connected to another mystery that happened many years ago, Kate is determined to find the full truth once and for all. 

Even though it is quite a short book, it contains a lot of information and a couple of unexpected plot twists. It captures perfectly the cultural differences between England and Japan, which is shown through the love and relationships between daughters and their dads.

“It was my Dad who taught me how to fight. He never treated me any differently than my brother. He showed me how to fight with my fists up when I was five and to get up quickly if I fell down. I was never allowed to give up. … It was a lesson that would be useful to me many times over the years. Whenever something bad happens in my life and I feel like giving up, I hear dad’s voice in my ears, telling me to get up off the floor.”

I truly loved this book. It will always stay in my heart. I will keep coming to it when I miss my karate days. I recommend it if you like mysteries and martial arts. Also if you are a fan of the Japanese culture. The ending wasn’t the best mystery ending ever, as the story went sort of unfinished, and we didn’t truly solve one of the mysteries, but it was still a lovely read for me.

This blog post is dedicated to my amazing and one and only dad! I love you! 

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