Goodness, Grace and me by Julie Houston

Nick and Harriet have just got back on their feet after Nick’s business went bust. Harriet had gone back to work teaching so that they could manage financially.  They are doing fine after what could have potentially lost them everything. Then Nick decides he is going to go into business with local business man David Henderson, and take what Harriet considers a huge risk, and she fears they will lose everything.

Harriet’s already heightened anxiety, and fear is made worse by the arrival of David’s beautiful wife Amanda, who Harriet recognises as Amanda Goodners a girl she went to school with, and who herself and best friend Grace called Little Miss Goodness, the past they share is not the best, and with Amanda’s reputation, Harriet has the added worry of Amanda working close with Nick, and them spending time together on business trips abroad to Italy, while she is left to keep them financially afloat working and taking care of the children.

In such a short span of time lots of life calamities seem to hit Harriet all at once, with hilarious and laugh-out loud situations, as everything and everyone in Harriet’s life cause mayhem and chaos around her. Set in West Yorkshire, and with a superb cast of characters which make this book an extremely funny and entertaining read.  

In the Cold Light of Day by Pauline Barclay

When Kitty met and married a much younger man Bertie Costain after a whirlwind romance, some would judge their union as rather convenient, after all Kitty was wealthy and independent in her own right, and what else could possibly attract a younger man to an older woman?

When Bertie begins to behave odd and different and distance towards Kitty after he had always displayed only kindness and affection. Bertie also seemed to be happy with the life they were making together. Kitty starts to feel their life unravelling and spiralling out of control.

What is going on? Is their luck about to run out?  Is Bertie prepared to put the love of his life at risk by taking a huge chance and not laying all his cards on the table and let Kitty know what is deepest darkest secret is?

This story had me gripped and intrigued from the very start. I was hanging on every word due to the excellent way the story is written it really pulls you in emotionally, and you feel like the story is so real that you are actually in the room with the characters, a silent and invisible observer of a compelling drama, watching all the event of the story unravel before your eyes, and powerless to reach out and stop what you know Bertie is heading for, as both the leading characters in this book are extremely likeable and I so willed on for this story to have a happy- ever after.

This is my first read of 2015 and it is going straight to the top of my top ten reads.  This is a remarkable book well worth reading. If your New Year resolution is to read, then this is a great book to get you back into books.

Seaside Stories by Adele Cosgrove-Bray, Tim Hulme, Andy Siddle, Nikki Bennett, Peter Caton and Ruth Ann Titley

An excellent collection of short seaside stories and poems that are a nice easy read, and although you can read the book in one sitting, it is filled with quite a lot of different stories and poems. I enjoyed reading all the poems, and my favourite story was The Forgiving Sea by Andy Siddle. About how a man manages to turn is life around and move on after a tragic accident.

Married by Midnight A Christmas Story by Talli Roland

Kate wedding is only a few days away and so is Christmas, shopping for her wedding dress she finds the perfect 1930’s style dress. Hidden in the dress hem she finds a note attached to the dress from the dresses previous owner. Kate being a believer in signs and superstitions sets out to find the dresses owner to see if the dress holds the key to a long happy marriage.

This is another wonderful winter tale from author Talli Roland that you can put the kettle on, sit down and relax and read in just one sitting. The perfect short story for this time of year, with its heart-warming storyline full of Christmas cheer.

Rare Earth A Novel by Colin P Smith

This is a compelling novel which some readers may find distressing as it does have graphic scenes of animal and human cruelty throughout the story.

The storyline covers the appalling atrocities of the mindless slaughter of thousands of elephants and rhinos for their ivory, horns, and other body parts around the world, the storyline is used to express and expose what goes on, and the lengths of evil man will go to for greed, with no thoughts or feelings to the harm and distress that they put these poor innocent animals through.

The novel is only one hundred and twenty-six pages long, but I found myself having to pause a lot through this book and to take a break. In parts it is most upsetting and distressing. It is a book that will make you think, and I myself was shocked to read what goes on. It is an issue we could all choose to stick our head in the sand and avoid, but I made the decision to go ahead and read this book to learn just what is happening. I think the author does a really good job of educating the reader to the horrors of what is going on, it made me want to look and see what is being done to stop poaching and what we can do to help before these beautiful creatures are wiped out and become extinct.

It is a book that educated me, and will remain in my thoughts for a long while. I am glad I read it. It is a real eye-opener and makes you aware. I thought it was really well thought out and written in a way that the storyline helps include facts that educate the reader.

Colin Smith is a scientist and inventor. He has spent his life developing new technology in the bio sciences. He has held executive technical positions in multinational companies and is widely travelled. He has now retired and lives with his wife in West Sussex, UK. This is his first novel.

Shiri by D.S Taylor

Shiri is a young shepherd girl when her small village in Palestine is set a light and invaded by Amenhotep, Prince of Egypt, the village is destroyed, Shiri’s people killed or enslaved. Shiri manages to flee and escape. Shiri must warn the Shepherd king and soon finds herself on a quest to the heart of Egypt and a journey of destruction, power, and love.

One of the things I really enjoy about doing my job is that often I will now be given a chance to read books that I would never ever have chosen to read myself, so I am often introduced to new genres and fantastic books that before I would never have thought to try to see if I like them, and this is the case with Shiri. Shiri is one of those books which clever wording draws you in from the very first sentence it is a book you will find hard to put down. I found it intellectual and intriguing.