The Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas

"But look at them now. Their railway jobs had brought them together and the determination of their group of railway girls to stick like glue and support each other had overcome their differences of class. Never mind Hitler and the war. Never mind rationing. Right here, right now, her world was a good place, because she had made a true friend".

The Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas is the first novel in the Railway Girls series. It has strong female protagonists - from different social backgrounds and age groups. It is a timeless tale of friendship and loyalty, loss and challenges, fulfilment and courage.

This is a character-driven historical fiction at its best. Thomas portrays the railway girls and the challenges they face as women in the men's workplace.

Thomas's historical yarn follows a group of women who will become the eponymous "railway girls". We meet them in March 1940, standing in front of the war memorial. 

"They are of varying ages and backgrounds and come from different social classes - a solicitor's wife, a factory owner's daughter, a sewing machinist, a debutante, a working-class housewife, a clerk, a young wife who has been wrapped in cotton wool, and a girl who wasn't tall enough for the switchboard. On the surface, they form a diverse group, but they have one thing in common: their willingness and determination, under threat of invasion, to do their bit in this new world war by rising to the challenge of working as railway girls.

Unity, strength, courage and sacrifice".

We follow the lives and fortunes of several characters, each of whom has their own distinctive voice.

Mabel Brawdshaw is the heiress to Bradshaw's Ball Bearings, who is "widely expected to bag herself a penniless lordling, or at the very least an honourable, and become the mother of an unutterably respectable family". Instead, she wants to join the war effort and "do her bit". Her parents are shocked and even forbid her to leave home, but relent under pressure, and her Pops announces, "I can't have it said that my daughter tried to dodge doing her duty". 

At first Mabel appears as aloof and overindulged, but she is hiding a tragic secret which nearly destroyed her presence of mind.

Joan is always in the shadow of her more glamorous, self-assured sister who can never do wrong in their grandma's eyes. A new job as a station clerk might be just the thing to bring her out of her shell and gain confidence. She might be slightly disheartened to be appointed to work in the admin, but realises that clerking is more relevant than she had imagined. "When you thought about it, there must be masses of admin involved in keeping the railways running, and anything that kept trains moving was essential work".

Dot is in her forties, and is taken for granted by everyone in her big family. She is maternal and warm, and so wonderful, you just want to have a Dot in your life. Her sons are fighting, and she is constantly worried about them. Her husband is unsupportive and enjoys deriding her for everything. For him she is the continual source of awful jokes and taunts. 

The job gives her a new purpose in life.

"Ah. Yes. A wonderful mother. That was the trouble, wasn't it? She was everybody's mum... She was mum to anyone and everyone who needed help, advice or a slice of toast. 

But she didn't want to be mum at work. She wanted to be... herself. Dot. Dorothy Green... Capable, reliable, hard-working. Not a mother hen. Just a railway girl".

These are our three main protaginists, with a whole gallery of supportive characters, each adding a realistic backstory or detail to the plotline.

As the story progresses, we watch the railway girls gaining confidence and strength from their circle of friendship and reliance on each other, their pride in the job they are doing and great unity. Working at the railway gives them a sharper sense of who they are.

Maisie Thomas's voice is compelling, her writing is perceptive and insightful. Certain pages in the book made me think of my own friendships. When Mabel visits the elderly Mrs Kennedy, she ponders that her "company has taught her an important lesson; namely, that friendship wasn't necessarily something that occurred only between people of the same age." I kept nodding my head and thinking of my dearest friend Anne, who was also old enough to be my grandmother. She was a remarkable lady and a wonderful friend, and I enjoyed her company very much. She's been gone for the last five years, and I miss her. We shared love of books and food, and she was the kindest, generous person. 

Good books have this power to make you think beyond the book.

The second and third books in the series are already out, and I believe the fourth one is going to be published in November. I bought the second book recently, and am looking forward to meeting Mabel and the other railways girls again.

If you know someone who enjoys family sagas and fiction set during the WWII, then you can't go wrong with this book. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to Maisie Thomas for my copy of the book!

After the Storm by Isabella Muir #BlogTour

"The trouble was that each of the facts they had just discussed were like random musical notes, jarring against each other. Giuseppe would need to be a talented composer to work through the music, choosing which notes to discard and which to keep. The remaining sounds could then be strung together to create the perfect harmonies..." 

After the Storm by Isabella Muir is the second novel in the Giuseppe Bianchi mystery series, the much awaited sequel to Crossing the Line. This book reads perfectly well as a standalone (I haven't read the 1st book). 

It's like stepping back in time, in a totally different era, with a different pace of life. In a way, it reminded me of the TV series Endeavour about young Inspector Morse. Not that the main protagonists are similar, but the sense of time is perfectly rendered in both, with a meticulous attention to detail, from food and fashions to interior design, social mores and attitudes. 

Giuseppe Bianchi, a retired detective from Rome, is staying with his relatives at Bexhill-on-Sea. His original visit was planned to be a short one, but it has been extended until some undecided date, with no immediate preparations. His family members seem to enjoy his company, and are happy to have him around indefinitely. 

He befriends another retired man frequenting the cafe, owned by his relatives. Edward Swain becomes his walking companion. Swain reminds Guiseppe of someone he used to know, "of a similar age, both grey-haired, both wearing their life's experiences in the lines on their face".

They go on long walks along the seaside, with a dog named Max, and discuss philosophical issues. They are not bosom friends, but discover that they have a similar outlook on life. 

Giuseppe doesn't pry. "Even as a detective, Giuseppe had never been one for incessant questioning. He preferred to leave space for a suspect to offer their own account, in their own time. He had learned that silence could be the enemy of the guilty". 

And so, he doesn't ask his new companion about his personal affairs. "A hidden layer beneath the smartly dressed gentleman who chatted easily about diverse subjects, from music to the habits of bees. Now and again a darkness crossed Edward's face. It was as if he had a cloak he carried on his shoulders at all times, and whenever the need arose he brought it up and over his head, shielding him from interrogation."

When a violent storm blasts the coastal town, it leaves a trail of devastation and destruction in its wake.

That scary night leads Giuseppe to seek the truth about Edward Swain. Teaming up with his cousin's daughter, young journalist Christina Rossi, he uncovers the harsh reality of lives of many families in the local community.

Christina is young and idealistic, full of hope and passion. "Giuseppe had told Christina that she reminded him of his younger self. He praised her enthusiasm, her tenacity and resilience, faced with a boss who had a different approach to journalism". For her "journalism provided an opportunity to tell the hidden stories, to shine a light on all forms of social injustice, to give voice to people desperate to be heard".

Together they make a fine and competent team.

Giuseppe differs from the Italian detectives we know and love, like Camilleri's brilliant but often grumpy foodie Salvo Montalbano, Dibdin's intelligent outsider Zen, or Donna Leon's suave and philosophical Brunetti. Bianchi left Rome, trying to escape from the haunting images of the tragedy he has witnessed, and appears deflated and dispirited. By retiring he hoped that the desolate events of the past would be left behind.

After the Storm is an accomplished, compelling read, with plenty of atmosphere and an appealing protagonist. It conjures up a strong sense of time and place.

Purchase Links 

UK –  https://www.amazon.co.uk/After-Storm-Giuseppe-Bianchi-mystery-ebook/dp/B08P534Y2K  

US -  https://www.amazon.com/After-Storm-Giuseppe-Bianchi-mystery-ebook/dp/B08P534Y2K

Author Bio – 

Isabella is never happier than when she is immersing herself in the sights, sounds and experiences of the 1960s. Researching all aspects of family life back then formed the perfect launch pad for her works of fiction. Isabella rediscovered her love of writing fiction during two happy years working on and completing her MA in Professional Writing and since then she has gone on to publish six novels, three novellas and two short story collections.

Her latest novel, After the Storm, is the second novel in a new series of Sussex Crimes, featuring retired Italian detective, Giuseppe Bianchi who is escaping from tragedy in Rome, only to arrive in the quiet seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, to come face-to-face with it once more.

Her first Sussex Crime Mystery series features young librarian and amateur sleuth, Janie Juke. Set in the late 1960s, in the fictional seaside town of Tamarisk Bay, we meet Janie, who looks after the mobile library. She is an avid lover of Agatha Christie stories – in particular Hercule Poirot. Janie uses all she has learned from the Queen of Crime to help solve crimes and mysteries. As well as three novels, there are three novellas in the series, which explore some of the back story to the Tamarisk Bay characters.

Isabella’s standalone novel, The Forgotten Children, deals with the emotive subject of the child migrants who were sent to Australia – again focusing on family life in the 1960s, when the child migrant policy was still in force.

Social Media Links 

https://isabellamuir.com

https://twitter.com/SussexMysteries

https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMuirAuthor 

This post is part of the blog tour.

Many thanks to Isabella Muir and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Loch Down Abbey by Beth Cowan-Erskine

 

The tradition of narrative where masters appear as ignorant, narrow-minded and utterly useless is not a new one - from Pierre Beaumarchais' The Mad Day or The Marriage of Figaro to P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster series, from Carlo Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters to The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and many more. 

Servants in books and plays are often more intelligent, quick-witted, caring and congenial than their masters. They are also usually pretty realistic about their "betters", and while they stay deferential, they cannot help but judge their masters.

The similar premises get going in Loch Down Abbey by Beth Cowan-Erskine. 

Loch Down Abbey is not so much a historical fiction, as a parody of historical fiction, a pastiche of the cosy mystery of the 1920-30s, with the added elements of the trendsetting pandemic sub-genre.

The story takes place in the 1930s in Loch Down Abbey, a fictional grand house on the shores of Loch Down, deep in the Scottish Highlands.

A mysterious illness is spreading throught the kingdom, it is highly contagious and hundreds have already died, but the Inverkillen family are far from concerned.

Lord Inverkillen, Earl and head of the family, is found dead in mysterious circumstances, supposedly fishing for salmon. The local bumpkin policeman pronounces it an accident. "Inspector Jarvis was not a busy man and he liked it that way. He was in charge of the Loch Down Police Force... " It's more convenient for the family and him to announce the official ruling as Death by Misadventure.

The head housekeeper Mrs MacBain isn't convinced. She believes the Earl's death is far from accidental, and there is a plethora of suspects. Due to the pandemic, the house is in lockdown, nobody is allowed in or out. All suspects, both the family and servants, have good reasons to get rid of the Earl.

The Earl's family is preoccupied with keeping the inheritance. Nobody mourns the death of the head of the family. 

Mrs MacBain has been running the Abbey for nearly fifteen years, and "there was nothing in the household she did not know about and she ran it like an Admiral of the Fleet". Despite having her hands full due to the shortage of staff, she decides to run her own investigation, uncovering a whole lot of unpalatable secrets and lies.

"Alice MacBain was well aware that she was a supremely competent woman. If she had been born a man, she would have been a head butler"

There are a few allusions to Downton Abbey, not just the wordplay on the title, for example, the family dogs are named Grantham and Belgravia. The matriarch of the family is based on the character of Dowager Countess, the same bossy sharp-tongued dame.

Even before I've found out that the author is an American expat, I guessed it. The relationship between the masters and servants sounds conjured up in the imagination rather than based on reality and is bordering on caricature. Some of the scenes sound utterly far-fetched, like the fight during the auction.

I also found the pandemic setting used for the comic effect as slightly flippant and insensitive. The parallels with the current pandemic, deaths, masks, isolation are a bit too close for comfort to be taken as a source of amusement. 

Loch Down Abbey is an easy and entertaining read, if it were a piece of music, it would be a vaudeville.

Disclosure: My thanks to Beth Cowan-Erskine and NetGalley for the ARC.

Author Bio:

"Beth Cowan Erskine is an American expat who married into a mad Scottish family with their own tartan and family tree older than her home country. Using them as inspiration, she wrote her first novel during the coronavirus lockdown, hoping it would be enough to get her dis-invited from the annual family walking holiday. Sadly, it backfired and led to long discussions of who will play who in the film. When not writing features for The American Magazine, she owns an interior architecture and design studio in the Cotswolds."

Photo diary: week 14, project 365

 The weather can't decide, what it's going to be. On Easter Sunday we had sunshine before lunch, and snowflakes melting mid-air in the afternoon. I had to cover up the potted tulips, as I was worried they might not endure the frost well, then uncover, then cover again. It was as if the weather was playing silly games with us.

I cooked most of the Easter lunch apart from the dessert, which was a winter berries meringue wreath from M&S. It was tasty but a pain to slice, even after it was completely defrosted, so after I took the pretty photo and started to cut, the cake was a big mess of broken meringues, cream and berries. Though nobody complained. 

On Monday morning we had a long walk around town, catching Pokemons. I saw this funny-shaped cloud, and thought it looked like an angry bear trying to swallow the small cloud.

I've been feeling stressed recently, and when I am, I turn to retail therapy and buy books. Whenever I read an interesting review, either online or in the newspaper, I add the books to my TBR list, and regularly go through it, checking if the price has gone down. Truly bad habit. This is the stash I bought in the last few weeks.

I follow quite a few authors seen below on Twitter, like Robin Morgan-Bentley, Matt Haig, Maisie Thomas, Amanda James etc. 

I started reading Sisters by Daisy Johnson. It had great reviews which must have influenced my choice. I'm half-way through, and so far not impressed. The author tries very hard to be edgy-intellectual. The style of writing is convoluted, and there are big passages with hardly any punctuation. I want to finish it, and hope my first impressions are wrong. Have you read Sisters?

More cloud shapes - this one made me think of an angel flying horizontally over the trees, with his beautifully shaped wing.

The sight of chickens roaming around always makes me think of my grandma who kept chickens. She lived at the end of the village, with the forest blending into the garden, and steppes all around. 

This lovely view is of the Cogges Manor Farm. We didn't venture inside the compound, as the air was nippy. Hopefully once the weather makes up its mind and gets warm properly, we can visit Cogges and look at the beautiful garden.

After the Mother's day was over, our local Waitrose had lots of potted plants at reduced price. I bought a pot with white hyacinths. They are in full bloom now, and the scent is so delicate and beautiful. The hyacinths in the garden are almost all wilted now, and I'm still waiting for the pricey tulips from the garden centre to start to bloom. 

I have quite a lot of red tulips along the garden path, which grow "in the wild", i.e. I never feed them or do anything, they just reappear every year, strong and intensely red.

My Mum was looking through her boxes of old photos, and have dug out this picture of me, when I was in my early 20s. She asked my brother to scan it and send to me. I think I was in my 1980s modern romantics' stage, wearing floaty long dresses and lacy tops. I loved that vintage top, it belonged to a friend of my Mum's who's found it in her closet from her younger days. It was knitted from white cotton thread, and I have added tiny little pearly beads along the edges. 

When I look at the photo now, I think I was very pretty, but I was so insecure about my appearance.  And gosh, my head was so full of romantic nonsense. It didn't help that the boy I fancied didn't even notice me. I wish I could tell my younger self not to fret, and that the boy I was pining for, was just not right for me. 

On a different topic, we watched Hunger Games (first two films) for two evenings in a row. I didn't expect that I would be so involved emotionally. 

And how was your week?

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The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

 

"Three men alone on a lighthouse in the middle of the sea. There's nothing special about it, nothing at all, just three men and a lot of water. It takes a certain sort to withstand being locked up. Loneliness. Isolation. Monotony. Nothing for miles except sea and sea and sea. No friends. No women. Just the other two, day in, day out, unable to get away from them, it could drive you stark mad".

A ghost story set in Cornwall? Who can resist?!

When I saw a tweet, inviting book bloggers to review The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex, I just knew I had to read it.

The story is inspired by the real events which happened in 1900, when three lighthouse keepers disappeared from a remote rock light on the island of Eilean Mòr in the Outer Hebrides. The mystery has provided material for many conspiracy theories, films and ghost stories. While Stonex used the mystery of the vanished lightekeepers as her inspiration, she moved the setting to  Cornwall in 1972.

On the new year's eve in 1972, a relief boat arrives to the remote Maiden Rock lighthouse, off Land's End, miles from the shore. They plan to collect assistant keeper Bill Walker from two-moths' duty, leaving a new man to continue the job. When they arrive, nobody greets them. The entrance door is locked from the inside. Two clocks in the lighthouse are stopped at precisely 8.45. The Principal Keeper's weather log entry refers to the mighty storm, but the skies have been clear that night. Where and how did three men vanish without a trace?

We follow the story as narrated by three men - Arthur Black, Bill Walker and Vince Bourne, as it was unfolding in the days before the mysterious event. 

Twenty years later, an adventure novelist Dan Sharp is out to discover the truth behind one of the greatest maritime mysteries of our age. He's been captivated by the story of the Maiden Rock since his childhood, and wants "to shed new light on the matter by speaking to the people at the heart of it".

He says, "This riddle has everything a fiction writer looks for - drama, mystery, peril on the seas. Only it's real. I believe every puzzle can be solved: it's a question of looking in the right places... someone out there knows more than we realise".

Thus Sharp approaches three women left behind, Arthur and Bill’s wives Helen and Jenny and Vince’s girlfriend Michelle. The women are very different in personality, age and background. Helen is pragmatic and dignified. Jenny is the type of woman for whom their whole existence depends on their man. Michelle is trying hard to forget her past by marrying a controlling bully. For years, they have kept themselves apart. Each woman tries to defend the reputation of their husband/boyfriend. Each of them has their own reasons to keep silent.

Their stories interweave like a tapestry, and the whole picture emerges from all the narratives, gaining colour and shape.

The genre of The Lampfighters could be defined as a mix of a ghost story, psychological thriller and horror novel. The horror might not be at the blood-curdling level of the supernatural evil of Shirley Jackson's The haunting of Hill House, but the eeriness and claustrophobia reminded me of Michelle Paver's Thin Air. The intolerable solitude in the secluded confined location with no way to escape sharpens the mental anguish and tortures relentlessly.

The Lamplighters is an accomplished debut novel. It is a wonderfully atmospheric and complelling ghost story. The eerie undercurrent gets under your skin. 

Potential triggers: a death of a child, murder, savage killing of an animal.

Disclosure: Many thanks to Emma Stonex, Picador and Amber from MidasPR for my copy of the book!

I Lost My Compass at the Bermuda Triangle and Dream Five by Clara L. Molina #BlogTour

 

"Sophia was a bubble moving in a wave, an ant making its voice heard. Success possibly meant her death. What was at stake? Everything".

In my early 20s I read a lot of sci-fi fiction, mostly the classics, like Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, the Strugatsky brothers, Le Guin and others. And while I occasionally dip my toe in the genre, it's not one that I choose regularly now. When an opportunity has arisen to get acquianted with a new (for me) sci-fi author, I jumped at the chance. 

I Lost My Compass at The Bermuda Triangle and Dream Five by Clara L.Molina has an intriguing title and tells an unusual story.

We meet an unnamed woman who wakes up in an empty office, drenched in water and debris. (We later learn that she is Sophia Lorenzo, aka Mina van Helsing). She has no recollection of who she is, or how she happened to be in that deserted office. She is on her own, with only a little dog Paco for company. "Things were frozen in time as if everyone had been working. Then in the midst of it all, had been removed". When she looks at herself in the mirror, the face is a mystery to her. "She had landed in some place and some time. The wind hummed in this futuristic city, but it had been abandoned long ago, as dust covered much of the roads, and the landscape was in a tangled mess".

A paper falls from the sky, with a simple message - she has a mission to fulfil - to kill a man named Murich Rhys. Rhys is a manipulative dictator ruling over the city called Absolute Zero. He subjugates his citizens with the use of the drug Dream Five which turns people into sleeping zombies. A few rebels who managed to escape want to end his dictatorship. 

Murich Rhys "was responsible for the suffering of the entire world and had a drug called Dream Five that controlled people like robots".The problem is once you enter the city, you are drugged with Dream Five and forget everything.

Sophia embarks on a long, challenging journey to find Rhys and save the city. She doesn't want to kill someone she doesn't know and whose evil intentions she hardly understands. She has to travel through the forest, the desert, mountains and river, meet friendly and hostile strangers who have their own agenda. 

Will Sophia be able to reach Absolute Zero? Will she discover the truth about her mission and herself, and find her compass at the Bermuda Triangle and Dream Five?

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I found the narrative rather confusing at first. The plotlines seem to be disconnected and jumping from place to place, person to person, and appear as bereft of reason. The worlds change from the hi-tech to the primitive society, and back to the futuristic advanced level. At times it reads as a stream of consciousness, which might be clear to the characters but not to the reader.

The bewildering puzzling pieces will come together at the end. 

I Lost My Compass is a thought-provoking mix of sci-fi with dystopian elements, which shows plentiful possibilities of a futuristic imaginative tale.

Purchase Links: 

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08PXH3VJS/ 

US https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PXH3VJS/

 

Author Bio – Clara L Molina writes Science Fiction books most of the time, dabbles in comic drawings occasionally, and writes to laugh at herself all the time. She has a computer science degree, but has been a lifelong writer. She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, and enjoys fresh air and days where her hair is not frizzy. 

Social Media Links – 

https://twitter.com/BoxaEl 

https://www.elboxa.com/ 

This post is part of the blog tour.

My thanks to Clara L. Molina and Rachel's Random Resources for my digital copy of the book!

Photo diary: week 13, project 365

Easter wouldn't be Easter for me without the Classic FM Hall of Fame countdown. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen with the radio on, and walk around the house with the iPhone, with the Classic FM app playing, so that I don't miss anything. If you're not familiar with the countdown, it takes place over four days of Easter holidays. You have to vote (in advance) for your favourite pieces of music. 

I tend to stick to the Russian composers. Masquerade Suite by Khachaturian has slightly fallen down to spot no.177 (18 down). I love this piece so much I keep telling my guys that I want it played at my funeral (that, and Dance me to the end of love by Leonard Cohen).

The Gadfly by Shostakovich has moved up to no.89 (up 33). I might have told you the family story before. My late Dad, bless him, was not a great reader. When he was wooing my Mum who's always been very bookish, he read The Gadfly by Ethel Lilian Voynich, trying to impress her. When I was born, he wanted to name me Ethel, Lilian or Gemma (the character from the book), all names would have sounded quite funny in Russia. Though I did fancy being called Gemma, when I was little. But I digress...

For my 3rd choice I voted tactically for Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto no.2, as I would love The Lark Ascending to finally descend and fly away from its top position. Well, we'll find out this evening who wins the coveted no.1 position. I'd be actually happy with anything but the Lark.

Photo-wise, I was taking pictures inconsistenly, and not every day. These catkins are so fluffy, like bunny tails.

In the past most shops would be decorated for Easter, but as the shops are still in the lockdown, there is not much to see. Thankfully, The Teddy Bears of Witney didn't disappoint. One of their windows had Easter-themed teddies and bunnies.

It was such a glorious sunny day, and I've taken a lot of pictures in the garden, mostly of the hyacinths, but also of thie beautiful butterfly. There was a yellow green butterfly fluttering around, but I couldn't catch it, as it wouldn't sit still long enough for me to make a snap.

This is the view from my in-laws' balcony into the inner courtyard and the neighbours' magnolia tree this week. We used to go to Italy for Easter for many years, but stopped a couple of years ago. It's tricky to travel with Sash, who gets very anxious in the airports, and it's not fair on him. But I do miss seeing several generations of my Italians together, Ferrara at Easter (and Christmas) and having all that beautiful Italian food. 

Shopping at the weekend, Eddie begged me to buy him The Iron Man sunglasses. I managed to break my own sunglasses, which I only got last year, and had to get a new pair for myself. I opted for the Iron Man model as well, though a different shape and colour.

I am not good at botany, and don't know what this plant is called. It has a rather unpleasant smell, but looks so pretty. Snapped it in town, on the way home.

We started working on the Easter chocolate and hot cross buns days before the official day. 

Heston Blumenthal's creations for Waitrose are often hit and miss, but this year his mocha hot cross buns are a winner. They are soooo good. My strange children though didn't want to try them, well, more's for me.

And what's with the Easter eggs saga this year? I bought a few in advance as gifts for my guys, friends, Sasha's class mates (two big boxes of Creme eggs) and driver/assistant (Green & Black's milk eggs), but when I went to the shops on Wednesday, there was hardly anything left. On Friday the Easter shelves were absolutely empty. We wanted to get mini eggs for baking. I mean, mini eggs? Why is there a shortage? You can usually buy them in spades. In the past I enjoyed buying half-priced chocolate eggs in the shops, this year obviously it's not going to happen.

The Mumsnet, of course, called it the first world problem. And while I appreciate it's not a necessity and we will survive, I don't understand this shortage of Easter eggs. Boo hoo.

Did you manage to get all the chocolate eggs you wanted? And do you listen to the Hall of Fame countdown? Tell me what you've voted for? (If it's The Lark Ascending, I will give you a dirty look).

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Girl A by Dan Scottow #BlogTour

 

"Her eyes. There was nothing there. No Compassion. No sorrow. No fear. A psychopath in the making. I've not come across anyone else quite like her".

Girl A by Dan Scottow is a dramatic and tightly-plotted psychological thriller. The story unravels in a dual timeline, in 1985 and the present day.

A two-year-old Billy is abducted at a summer fair from his mother, who's let hold of his hand to buy him a candy floss (the parallels with James Bulger's case are uncanny). Two children, 11-year-old boy and 7-year-old girl take him to a dilapidated building and brutally kill him. The girl is found not guilty, while the boy is convicted and sent to prison. The girl's identity is disclosed by the unrepentant journalist. 

Fast forward to the present. Beth and Charlie live in a secluded farmhouse with their two children. Their lives are uneventful and quiet, they keep themselves to themsleves. Beth works in publishing, while her husband works in advertising.

One day in late August Beth's world as she knows it falls apart. "Two little words. That was all it took. Eight letters scribbled on a scrap of paper, and one family's world was about to come crashing down around them... As Charlie Carter sat watching the television with his wife Beth on a Friday evening, neither of them had any idea that everything they knew was about to change".

Found You, says the sinister note. Someone thinks they know who she is, and what she's done... Beth insists it is a prank, a mistake, and it has nothing to do with her. 

The unseen accuser taunts Beth and her family. The events become more and more sinister and menacing, and everyone who Beth loves, is being threatened. 

Charlie wants to believe his wife who protests her innocence, and decides to dig for the truth, and try to uncover the person behind the threats. "He trusted her, he always had. She'd never given him any reason not to, and so he should have believed her when she said sha had made an honest mistake. So why was there still a niggling doubt in his mind?"

Someone is out to wreak havoc on Beth's life, but do they have the right woman? Is she innocent?

As Beth's world disintegrates, fragment by fragment, there is far more at stake than just her relationship with Charlie. She has to fight to protect her children.

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This is a thought-provoking book, which is gripping and upsetting in equal measure. The whole premises of a murder of a child by children is an emotional quicksand.  

It raises some uncomfortable questions about the criminal justice system, protection of identity of killers, and whether children who kill comprehend fully the crime they commit. Are children who have been abused fully responsible for their cruel actions, if they are psychologically damaged and emotionally stunted themselves? 

Were both children who committed the crime equally culpable? Did the older child encourage the younger one, or was she a willing participant? 

I've read recently the interview with the mother of James Bulger, where she said, "You watch your own kids as they're growing older. At the age of 10? Everyone know what they're doing at that age. You know right from wrong. I can't understand people who say "they were only 10".

It's a difficult question. 

I'm quite torn, thinking about this book. It hooked me straight away, but I also hated the ending, especially one particularly sickening paragraph which made me heave.

Harrowing, dark and twisty thriller, Girl A forces the readers to question where the truth lies. You'll struggle to put it down. 

Potential triggers: child abduction, murder, graphic scenes.

Purchase Link

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-unforgettable-psychological-Dan-Scottow-ebook/dp/B08YZ7YR8K/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Girl-unforgettable-psychological-Dan-Scottow-ebook/dp/B08YZ7YR8K/

Author Bio – Dan grew up in Hertfordshire before moving to London in his early twenties. After more than ten years living there, he decided enough was enough, and packed his bags for Scotland in search of a more peaceful life. 

Dan works as a graphic designer, but dreams of the day he can give it up and write full time. 
Besides writing, he enjoys painting, watching a good scary film, travelling the world (at least, he used to!), good food, a gin and tonic or two, long walks on the beach with his dogs, and of course, reading a great book.

Dan’s debut novel ‘Damaged’ was released in January 2020, published by Bloodhound books.

Social Media Links – Twitter: @DanScottow

Facbook page: @danscottowauthor

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This post is part of the book tour for Girl A.

Many thanks to Dan Scottow and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Hello, Spring Degustabox (March' 21)

March is a busy and exciting month. We're enjoying spending more time in the garden and having longer walks around town. It was over 20C yesterday, and let's hope Easter holidays will bring more sunshine so that we might see our friends outdoors, now that lockdown is easing. 

Hello, Spring is the theme of the latest Degustabox.

Degustabox is a monthly food and drink subscription box. It's an excellent way of discovering new products which have only just appeared in the shops, or those which have been around for a while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Each time the monthly box arrives. its contents are a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.

If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet, and would like to have a go, I have a £3 off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time), just use code DKRLN when placing an order.

What did we get in Hello, Spring (March) Degustabox?

Kelloggs' Crunchy Nut Peanut Butter (£2.50) is promoted as a product of the month. Ingredients include roasted peanuts (65%), honey coated roasted peanuts (26%), sugar, sunflower oil, honey, salt, palm oil, salt etc. It's a tasty combination of smooth peanut butter with crunchy peanuts for that unique Crunchy Nut taste. Lovely on toast with jam or banana slices.

It will also make a great ingredient for peanut butter oat cookies.

Available at Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Iceland, One Stop and periodically at Aldi.

SMARTIES Milk Chocolate Sharing Block/Orange Chocolate Sharing Block  (£1) is a new addition to Nestle Smarties range. It comes in a brand-new recyclable paper packaging. This chocolate sharing block contains no artifical colours, flavours or preservatives. Each row (one serving) contains 9.9g of sugar and 87 kcal.

We received an Orange Chocolate bar - a milk chocolate with orange mini Smarties. Not recommended for children under 4 due to small sweets inside the chocolate. Chocolate is made with Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa, which is a move in the right direction (let's hope they will also begin to fulfil their PR promises of sustainable palm oil).

It is very sweet, and will appeal to Smarties fans.

You will get one bar in the box. Available in all major supermarket chains.

Maynards Bassetts Fruit Smoothie Jellies (£1.32) are a delicious candy treat. Each candy contains one of four fruity combinations: Banana & strawberry, Mango & passionfruit, Pineapple & lemon and Pomegranate & Berry. They contain natural colours and flavours, are made with real fruit puree and are - surprisingly - a source of Vitamins C & E.

Fruit jellies typically don't last long in our household, as my sons love them.

Nutritional information: 76kcal and 14g of sugar per 6 sweets.

Available in all major supermarket chains.

PITCH Bloc'O'Choc (£1.40) is a sweet soft brioche roll with a smooth solid chocolate bar inside. All brioches are individually wrapped, which makes them a convenient snack to add to the lunch box, or to take on a picnic, car journey and more.

We're fans of Pasquier Pitch products. I buy brioche with chocolate chips or plain brioche when I fancy making a bread and butter pudding. Just lovely.

Available at Co-Op.

Enervit Protein (£2.50) is a low sugar energy bar made in Italy. It is gluten-free and palm oil-free, fitting the main free-from trends.

I haven't had a chance to sample even a little bite, as my older son got hold of it first and gobbled it up.

Subscribers will receive one of two flavours. Available at WHS, Morrisons, and at independent stores.

Mallow & Marsh Vanilla Marshmallow bar coated in milk chocolate (£1.35) is a lovely, moreish treat. Mallow & Marsh's name means treats galore, if you love marshmallows. You get a fluffy soft centre, coated in a smooth creamy Belgian milk chocolate.

At 134kcal per bar, the marshmallow bar is made with no artificial colours, flavourings or palm oil. As it's made with beef gelatine, it's not suitable for vegetarians or vegans.

Available at Sainsbury's, BP, Boots, WHSmith and Waitrose.

Brynmor Flapjacks - Caramel Fudge/Apple & Raspberry/Dark Chocolate & Ginger Multipacks (£2). You will get one of 3 flavours. Lovingly baked in Wales, Brynmor flapjacks are made using only high quality, natural ingredients. Now in convenient 40g size, they are great as a midmorning snack.

Gluten-free, wheat-free, source of fibre, vegan friendly, no artificial colours or flavours.

Brynmor Flapjacks Dark Chocolate & Ginger - this is one of my top favourite flavour combinations. Ingredients include British rolled oats, ginger, golden syrup, dark chocolate flavoured coating, sustainably sourced palm oil etc. Nutritional information: 178kcal and 14g of sugar per bar.

Available at Holland & Barrett, Ocado, NISA, WHSmith Travel and Grapetree. The full range can be also found online at www.brynmorfoods.com

Organic Cheerios Honey & Chocolate (£3) is Cheerios UK's entrance into the UK's organic market. This certified organic cereal is made using organic honey hoops from five whole grains (wheat, oat, barley, maize and rice), and chocolate cereal pieces. It is high in fibre and doesn't contain any artificial colours or flavours.

Both my sons loved Cheerios when they were little, and it's lovely to discover a new flavour.

Nutritional information: 119kcal and 6.5g of sugar per 30g serving.

It's not the first time we find Hippeas in the Degustabox delivery, but they are always a welcome sight.

Hippeas Chickpea Puff Snacks Salt & Vinegar Vibes (£0.99) are vegan snacks. They are a good source of fibre and protein, are vegan, fluten-free, palm oil free, contain no MSG or anything artificial. At 91kcal per serving, they are a tasty plant protein-based treat. Salt & Vinegar is one of our favourite flavours, so this little bag didn't last long.

Available in all major supermarkets and at hippeas.com

Mug Shot Might Chicken & Mushroom Noodles (£1.49) is amde with natural flavours, no artificial colours and despite its name, is suitable for vegetarians. Nutritional information: less than 440kcal and 2% fat per pot. It is ready in 5 minutes, just add boiling water, stir and leave.

Pretty handy for office lunches, or when you just can't be bothered with cooking.

Available in all major supermarket chains.

I was very pleased to see two small bottles of Filippo Berio. This is my favourite brand of olive oil, which I regularly buy. Filippo Berio has been the UK's favourite olive oil for over 40 years.

Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar (£1.29) is an ideal ingredient for a great variety of meals, from salads and dips to marinades, from roast to cakes.

For a delicious starter, serve crusty bread with two little bowls for dipping - oil and vinegar.

Available in all major supermarkets.

Lucozade Zero Sugar Tropical (£1.49) is a carbonated water with fruit juice from concentrate (pineapple, mango). Tropical is the latest flavour added to the range. This refreshing drink is avaialble in all major supermarkets.

Nutritional information: 0.6g of sugar and 5kcal per 250ml.

Esprala Apple & Red Plum (£1.09 per single unit or £12.57 per pack of 12) is a refreshing and lightly sparkling vegan fruit drink, with no added sugar and only 43 kcal per serving.

Drink with ice on its own, or use as a base for a fancy cocktail.

Available on Amazon.

And that's it for March! What was your favourite product of this month's selection? 

Geomag Supercolor Panels Recycled 35 (337)

 

Easter holidays start in a couple of days, and we're hoping for a fair weather, games in the garden and long walks, maybe even a picnic outdoors (or am I too optimistic?!). However, it being Britain, there will always be rainy days. Minecraft and Roblox are fine in moderate measures, and so is the rabbit hole of YouTube, but we also enjoy playing with construction sets.

Geomag has a vast range of educational construction sets which promote hand-coordination skills, creativity and imagination. You might remember our last year's review of Geomag 769 Magnetics Challenge Goal set.

Today I would like to highlight a different set from Geomag - Supercolor Panels Recycled 35 (337) (£36).

Geomag Supercolor is made from 100% recycled plastic. Geomag's slogan is Playing together for a healthy planet. That is a commendable motto.

Geomag makes toys which encourage STEM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and fun!

The sturdy box contains everything you need for a creative construction session - magnetic rods, steel balls and various panel shapes.

Geomag Supercolor is a wonderful creative game. Take simple Geomag elements and you can build endless 3d combinations. A short instructions leaflet shows you how to discover and play with polarity.

You can start with basic shapes like triangles, squares and pentagons, use them as bases to build more complex constructions

Let me show you the easy models you can build. The model below is built with 17 pieces.

You move onto a slightly more intricate design. The recycled plastic pieces are colourful and fun.

Model 3 is more elaborate.

Model 4 is a colourful little pyramid.

Model 5 is a bit more tricky than the previous four.

This set is suitable for children aged 5+. Younger children (but not under 3) would need adult supervision (due to the size of steel balls). The illustrated instructions are clear and straight-forward (there is no text, just step-by-step pictures).

As a parent of a child with autism, I believe that with adult supervision this set would work well for children with special needs and help with hand eye coordination. When my older son was little, he needed help with fine motor skills, he couldn't do buttons, or twist jar tops, and Lego was too challenging for him. Geomag Supercolor Panels contains elements which are light and easy to handle. The models are easy enough to build, and won't take too much time. 

Some interesting facts about Geomag:

Geomag products come under a Swissh Made quality guarantee, and are aligned with the most stringent European and international safety standards.

Geomag is entirely produced in Switzerland and manufactured with the utmost rigor and attention to materials.

Geomag has been recognised as the ideal game to give by the American Scientific magazine, which has conducted research on games that favour the development of children's intelligence.

Geomag lines are winners of numerous awards, with products helping children of all ages develop and train their minds, imagination and curiosity through science of magnetic construction.

If you're looking for a new game set for a rainy day, Geomag Supercolor will make a lovely gift.

Disclosure: We received the set for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own.