Well it seems like review copies are like buses, nothing for a while then they all come at once, all five to be precise (but certainly not complaining).
A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart. Thanks to Clara Diaz at Little Brown for the invitation to read this before it’s publication of 1 September.
Description
Meet thirtysomething dad, Alex
He loves his wife Jody, but has forgotten how to show it. He loves his son Sam, but doesn’t understand him. Something has to change. And he needs to start with himself.Meet eight-year-old Sam
Beautiful, surprising, autistic. To him the world is a puzzle he can’t solve on his own.But when Sam starts to play Minecraft, it opens up a place where Alex and Sam begin to rediscover both themselves and each other . . .
Can one fragmented family put themselves back together, one piece at a time?
Inspired by the author’s experiences with his own son, A Boy Made of Blocks is an astonishingly authentic story of love, family and autism.
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. Review copy via NetGalley, due for publication on 28 July.
Description
Despite their differences, Erika and Clementine have been best friends since they were children. So when Erika needs help, Clementine should be the obvious person to turn to. Or so you’d think.
For Clementine, as a mother of a two desperately trying to practise for the audition of a lifetime, the last thing she needs is Erika asking for something, again.
But the barbecue should be the perfect way to forget their problems for a while. Especially when their hosts, Vid and Tiffany, are only too happy to distract them.
Which is how it all spirals out of control…
Farm at the Edge of the World by Sarah Vaughan. Review copy via NetGalley and due for publication on 30 June.
Description
1939, and Will and Alice are evacuated to a granite farm in north Cornwall, perched on a windswept cliff. There they meet the farmer’s daughter, Maggie, and against fields of shimmering barley and a sky that stretches forever, enjoy a childhood largely protected from the ravages of war.
But in the sweltering summer of 1943 something happens that will have tragic consequences. A small lie escalates. Over 70 years on Alice is determined to atone for her behaviour – but has she left it too late?
2014, and Maggie’s granddaughter Lucy flees to the childhood home she couldn’t wait to leave thirteen years earlier, marriage over; career apparently ended thanks to one terrible mistake. Can she rebuild herself and the family farm? And can she help her grandmother, plagued by a secret, to find some lasting peace?
This is a novel about identity and belonging; guilt, regret and atonement; the unrealistic expectations placed on children and the pain of coming of age. It’s about small lies and dark secrets. But above all it’s about a beautiful, desolate, complex place.
Miss You by Kate Eberlen. I’m holding Hayley at RathertoofondofBooks for this one as it was on her round up last week and caught my eye. Copy approved by NetGalley ahead of publication on 11 August.
Description
Tess and Gus are meant to be. They just haven’t met properly yet. And perhaps they never will . . .
Today is the first day of the rest of your life is the motto on a plate in the kitchen at home, and Tess can’t get it out of her head, even though she’s in Florence for a final, idyllic holiday before university. Her life is about to change forever – but not in the way she expects.
Gus and his parents are also on holiday in Florence. Their lives have already changed suddenly and dramatically. Gus tries to be a dutiful son, but longs to escape and discover what sort of person he is going to be.
For one day, the paths of an eighteen-year-old girl and boy criss-cross before they each return to England.
Over the course of the next sixteen years, life and love will offer them very different challenges. Separated by distance and fate, there’s no way the two of them are ever going to meet each other properly . . . or is there?
Paris Mon Amour by Isabel Costello. Another NetGalley approval ahead of publication on 13 June.
Description
The first time I caused terrible harm to the people I love it was an accident. The second is the reason I’m here.
When Alexandra discovers that her husband Philippe is having an affair, she can’t believe he’d risk losing the love that has transformed both their lives.
Still in shock, Alexandra finds herself powerfully attracted to a much younger man. Jean-Luc Malavoine is twenty-three, intense and magnetic. He’s also the son of Philippe’s best friend.
With every increasingly passionate liaison, Alexandra is pulled deeper into a situation that threatens everyone she holds dear.
Beautifully told through the boulevards and arrondissements of the City of Light, Paris Mon Amour is a sensual novel about inescapable desire and devastating betrayals. It is the story of one woman and two men, and what happens when there is no way out.
♥♥♥
I’ve been quite restrained with Kindle purchases this week and limited myself to 3
Heresy by S J Parris. I’ve read lots of good things about this series and managed to collect books 2-4 either on Kindle or in print but still didn’t have book 1 until now. A bargain 99p
Description
In Elizabeth’s England, true faith can mean bloody murder…
OXFORD, 1583. A PLACE OF LEARNING.
AND MURDEROUS SCHEMES.England is rife with plots to assassinate Queen Elizabeth and return the country to the Catholic faith. Defending the realm through his network of agents, the Queen’s spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham works tirelessly to hunt down all traitors.
His latest recruit is Giordano Bruno, a radical thinker fleeing the Inquisition, who is sent undercover to Oxford to expose a Catholic conspiracy. But he has his own secret mission at the University – one that must remain hidden at all costs.
When a series of hideous murders ruptures close-knit college life, Bruno is compelled to investigate. And what he finds makes it brutally clear that the Tudor throne itself is at stake…
The House at Zaronza : a Tale of Corsica by Vanessa Couchman. Spotted this for 99p with good reviews. Posted it on my free and bargain FBook page and was assured by one of my readers that it was very good, so I bought it myself.
Description
The past uncovered.
Rachel Swift travels to Corsica to discover more about her forebears. She comes across a series of passionate love letters and delves into their history.
The story unfolds of a secret romance at the start of the 20th century between a village schoolteacher and Maria, the daughter of a bourgeois family. Maria’s parents have other plans for her future, though, and she sees her dreams crumble.
Her life is played out against the backdrop of Corsica, the ‘island of beauty’, and the turmoil of World War I.
This is a story about love, loss and reconciliation in a strict patriarchal society, whose values are challenged as the world changes.
Love gained and lost.
The Silent Girls by Ann Troup. Couldn’t resist this when it appeared in the sale for 99p
Description
What if everything you knew was a lie…
This house has a past that won’t stay hidden, and it is time for the dead to speak.
Returning to Number 17, Coronation Square, Edie is shocked to find the place she remembers from childhood reeks of mould and decay. After her aunt Dolly’s death Edie must clear out the home on a street known for five vicious murders many years ago, but under the dirt and grime of years of neglect lurk dangerous truths.
For in this dark house there is misery, sin and dark secrets that can no longer stay hidden. The truth must come out.
Finding herself dragged back into the horrific murders of the past, Edie must find out what really happened all those years ago. But as Edie uncovers the history of the family she had all but forgotten, she begins to wonder if sometimes it isn’t best to leave them buried.
♥♥♥
Oh dear, here comes the good/bad bit – 11 charity shop buys, it was actually 12 but I already had one (not surprised I don’t do that more often). On the plus side a mere £3.19 for the lot (£50 at Kindle prices), all in near pristine condition and the Cecelia Ahern in hardback.
I Do Not Sleep by Judy Finnigan
The Ex-Wives by Deborah Moggach
The Food of Love by Anthony Capella
Just a Family Affair by Veronica Henry
The House on Carnaval Street by Deborah Rodriguez
The Corners of the Globe by Robert Goddard
The Next Time You See Me by Holly Goddard Jones
A Song for Issy Bradley by Carys Bray
The Marble Collector by Cecelia Ahern
♥♥♥
And finally a round up of this week’s Kindle freebies
So Long Marianne by Dom Haslam
The Stranger’s Obituary by Jessica L Randall
The Last Gift by Carla Acheson
A Year in Tuscany by Annie Ayre
The Man with Green Fingers by Catherine Broughton
Hugo Duchamp Investigates by G N Hetherington
Jill's Book Cafe 
What a brilliantly long list of books! I was delighted to receive a copy of Truly Madly Guilty too.
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You see now why I need to take a leaf out of your book ( pardon the pun) and stop acquiring/requesting and just read them.
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Some great books there Jill! 🙂
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Thanks Jo, as ever though too many ☺
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Yes I know that feeling! I don’t think I would dare do a post like this as I would have to face exactly how many books I still buy or request!
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I find it frightening but also strangely therapeutic. It also seems to help other people feel better about their own habits, unless of course they’re worse than me. ☺
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Haha yes you are absolutely right about that! I physically can’t stop myself buying books so now I just accept that that is who I am!! 😀
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I love the sound of A Boy Made of Blocks.
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It does sound good, I’m looking forward to reading it. It’ll make a change from murder and mayhem!
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Oh wow, Jill, I didn’t have a hope of beating you this week with my paltry nine!!!!!
Like you, I also got A Boy Made of Blocks and Truly Madly Guilty (I love Liane Moriarty). I’ve got The Silent Girls, The Food of Love, I Do Not Sleep and The Marble Collector on my TBR pile. I’m not a fan of Cecilia Ahern but I do like the sound of this story.
I’ve read A Song for Issy Bradley which was good, but The Museum of You (which you have) is a lot better, in my opinion.
I got Carrion this week too (thank you) and as you know, I loved Kitchens of the Great Midwest.
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This week was made worse by fitting in 2 trips to charity shop (did my shopping yesterday) which meant some of those would have fallen into next week’s list. Also several of the NetGalley approvals have been waiting around for a while. Next week is your week as I try to reign myself in. I like how you’ve also got or read half of what I list anyway – happy reading – I’m planning a readfest this weekend ☺
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Well, at least I’m not thinking that I need to go off and buy them all as I have quite a few of them already! I meant to say in my last post, isn’t it funny how somebody else mentioning a book can suddenly make it more interesting? You said that about Miss You and since I saw it on here I have now gone and requested it, whereas before I dismissed it.
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To encourage you even more have just posted a freebie set in Italy! ☺
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Thanks for these lists and descriptions but when do you get time to read them all? I read between 1 and 2 books a week and usually have 4 or 5 from Netgalley to review but loads of p/b I buy as well as others on Kindle! Plus books I want to re-read…
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Hi Lucille, bit of an edited reply as internet went down on original reply and I’m using my tablet which doesn’t help. Long and short I don’t. I aim to read approx 100 books per year and I do have probably more books than years currently. However in my defence I do see them as my future reading. When the govt finally let me retire (I’m a WASPI woman) I sadly envisage libraries as not being an option (as an ex librarian I don’t say that lightly) and I also won’t have same disposable income. We’re also currently in process of moving to more rural area which immediately halts my charity shop buys. Having looked at charity shops in area we’re going they are waaayyyy more than my current 20p! So I am partly acquiring with that in mind so that as and when I have plenty of books and choice and don’t have to worry (unless I need large print and ereaders are defunct) ☺
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I’m wondering what a WASPI woman is.
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Apart from someone who stings when annoyed you mean
https://m.facebook.com/WASPI-Women-Against-State-Pension-Inequality-Campaign-877054125688402/
The link will he!p explain
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Ah! I can understand you want to build up your reading list if you are moving and there will be fewer options to buy and borrow. I do the same with clothes thinking my disposable income is going to be much less in a couple of year time!
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The good thing is at least books are cheaper than clothes ☺
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Yes they are and thank goodness for Kindle as there is more space to store books now 🙂
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Would that be store or hide 😉
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Store – I don’t know how to hide them – which is a pain as I have quite a few books which I do not intend to read again (some poor choices!)
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I thought the WASPI would be something like that. Changing the goalposts is not on.
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As well as changing the goalpost they didn’t think it necessary to actually inform women of the changes until years later, in some cases women were nearing 60 unaware they couldn’t retire. They also brought the ‘second’ change forward, so the same women were hit twice. In today’s marketplace with more pay equality and pension options today’s women have fairer choices than WASPI women. OK rant over, you’ll wish you never asked ☺
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Great haul of books Jill! In particular I like the look of The Love that Never Tires. Happy reading!
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Haul being the operative word this week Janet! A Love that Never Tires is still free if you’re tempted. Enjoy your week.
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Thanks, you too!
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