“I mean it but sadly the world doesn’t owe us happiness. We have to go out and find it …” (original quotation pos. 2864)
Content
Will Godrevy and his twin-sister Jessica, together with their mother Ann, are the owners of the St Saviour’s Flower Farm. Dr Gabriella Carter “Gaby” has a PhD in Poetry, but joins the flower farm but joins the flower farm on St Saviour’s island as a field worker. Feelings are sparkling between Will and Gaby, but she just needed some time for herself, just during the narcissi flower picking season and after that she will travel on, time for her to see other parts of the world. Jess and Adam are thinking about moving in together. But within one day, he leaves the island without explanations. However, there always is the flower farm and life somehow has to go on …
Theme and Genre
A romantic story that takes place on a flower farm on a small island.
Plot and Writing
The story tales place on one of the Isles of Scilly, on a narcissi flower farm. The main characters are likeable, and especially the sparks that fly between Will and Gaby, are described in a funny, humorous way. Hints and twists keep the reader with the story, as we have more than one main character and each of them has own decisions to make, including personal crises. There are some interesting descriptions of planting and growing different kinds of narcissi, as well a about rowing.
This
romance is also about family values, trust and friendship. Experiences in the
past, lead to some misunderstandings, caused by not-outspoken words. At a certain
point of the story, the circling around the same questions and
misinterpretations in my opinion lead to some lengths and stop the enjoyable
reading flow.
Conclusion
A perfect pre-springtime read in a lovely setting, perfect for an enjoyable, relaxing weekend.
Tom Hazard is a history teacher in London and he likes what he does. But what seems to be a normal life, for him does not mean normality at all, because he was born on the third of March 1581, which means that now he is 437 years old. Not that he is immortal, it is only that he is aging very, very slow. In 1890, a doctor had called this condition “anageria”, his lifelong mentor Hendrich calls people like them (and there are more) albatrosses, or just albas.
The problem for people like Tom is that they have to change identity, places to live, before their neighbors are wondering and become suspicious. In 1603 he fell in love with Rose, they got married in 1607 and as she got older, the difference between him and her was even more visible. The 17th century was an especially dangerous period for people being somehow different, but also in our modern times, for Tom there seems to be no place to just live a normal life – but, what if? … what if he falls in love again?
Theme, plot and Writing
This story is much more than “fantasy” and definitely not “science fiction”. It is more a travel through time and centuries, with vivid descriptions of the Shakespearian London and Paris in the “Golden Twenties”. But it is not about time-travelling, as Tom cannot go back into the past.
Written in
the 1st person and in chapters, the story is set in nowadays London
and Tom thinks and speaks about his life in form of many flashbacks, each
chapter heading defines time and location.
Based on
his experiences during more than 400 years, Tom now is ruled by the situation,
by the time, by his fears that have grown from the risk of discovery of his
special condition and above all he feels his loneliness. Based on his
experiences he never wants to fall in love again. Some of his fears and concerns
are given rise by Hendrich, who is much older than Tom and who is the Head of
the Albatross Organization, who helps Albas with new identities. But Tom during
the complete story is and remains a really loveable, often struggeling main
character.
Conclusion
The story is enjoyable and entertaining to read, with exciting turns. For readers who like historical fiction and plots in different time settings.
„With you at the helm, Bookends will start a new chapter in its life and I know that I couldn’t be leaving my beloved shop in better hands.“ (Quotation)
Content
When Lavinia Thorndyke dies at the age of 84, she leaves “Bookends”, her bookshop, to Posy Morland, who almost grew up in the shop and loves books and the shop means home for her and her younger brother. But “Bookends”, quite hidden at Rochester Mews, Bloomsbury, with old, now closed shops around, for years did not make any profit, with book chains like Waterstones just around the corner. Posy has only two years to make it a success, if not, it goes to Sebastian Thorndyke, Lavinia´s grandson. Together with her crew, Nina, Verity and Tom, she plans to rename the shop into “Happy Ever After”, paint it grey and pink as signature colors and to specialize on all kinds of romantic books, love stories, happy endings included. But Sebastian also found a new name for the shop “The Bloody Dagger”, painting it in black and red and selling only crime books …
Plot and Writing
This romantic novel is written in narrative form, with a personal narrator, focused on Posy. The story of Posy´s parents and of her childhood is given by Posy´s memories and flashbacks and leads to a better understanding of her character, behavior and acting. A special and witty story within the story is “Ravished by the Rake”, written by a very angry Posy.
The
bookshop, the surroundings, the people of the neighborhood are well described
and easily to imagine. The author finds a special personality for every member
of the bookshop´s crew and together they are amiable.
At the age
of 21, when their parents had died, Posy had taken the responsibility for her 8
years old brother and until today, eight years later, she still is firmly
connected to the past and memories of her parents. She somehow is afraid of the
responsibility for the bookshop and sometimes behaving like somebody much
younger. I quite liked the character, but on the other hand I cannot understand
why all female main protagonists since Bridget Jones have to be chaotic, messy,
chubby biscuit eaters? In my opinion, the story with a just a little bit more
self confident main character would have remained funny, enjoyable and
romantic.
Conclusion
All in all, I have to say that I have enjoyed the book but as I love stories about books and bookshops, that I have read better ones and am a little bit disappointed.
Anyway, I am sure that readers and fans of Bridget Jones like books will love this one too, and enjoy a relaxed, entertaining reading time.
Deutsche Ausgabe: “Der kleine Laden der einsamen Herzen“, 9.
Mai 2017, TB ISBN 978-3328100980
„A novel about first impressions and second chances.“ (Book cover)
Content and Theme
Merry Knight works as a temp for Matterson Consulting, just twelve month to earn money to finish her studies at the college. Beeing it December, her work there is almost over. So her mother and brother Patrick are sure that it is time to do something for her social live and as a birthday present for Merry they set up her profile at Mix & Mingle, a famous dating platform. The put in “Smith” instead of Knight and a foto of their dog Bogie.
Jayson
Bright, vice president of the company she is working for might be, as the other
women say, good-locking, but he never seems to smile, sticks to the employee
handbook for lots of rules and is under extreme pressure preparing a very
important contract with Boeing, scheduled still before Christmas. But when his
cousin and best friend fiends the love of his life through Mix & Mingle, he
is just curious, logs on the dating site, searching for women in the aerea –
and finds the foto of a dog, a golden retriver like his childhood friend Rocky
…
Debbie
Macomber knows how to write romance. Merry and Jayson are both likeable
characters, but still remain realistic. This book is about family, about caring
for each other and about the spirit of Christmas- and about two people who need
time to see what is just in front of their noses.
Conclusion
An entertaining, cosy and enjoyable read for comfortable hours in the time around Christmas, where readers are ready for some dreaming and romance, happy-ending included.
„Every December J.R.R. Tolkien´s children would receive letters from Father Christmas.“ (Quotation cover)
Content and Theme
This book is a collection of the famous author´s letters he wrote to his children as Father Christmas from the North Pole. Every year´s letter tells stories about how Father Christmas, together with his assistant Polar Bear, prepares everything for Christmas, but also about their helpers, the Elves, and the troubles they have with the bad Goblins that try to steal all the presents. Each letter tells about adventures and funny troubles, especially connected with Polar Bear.
The Book
includes photos of the original written letters, envelopes and the beautiful
drawings that were sent together with the letters.
From 1939
until 1943 Father Christmas also writes about the war and low storages because
of the war, explaining that he could not get everything the the children´s
wishlists worldwide.
Conclusion
This is a book for children, to be read by the parents to the smaller children and will sure be read by the children themselves as soon as they can read. But also adults will really enjoy the stories and the illustrations. The perfect read to shorten the days before Christmas.
„And in that moment, as the old year paused before the new arrived, it was as if the world took a breath.“ (Quotation page 338)
Content Bookcover
Polly Waterford loves running the Little Beach Street Bakery. She’s at her happiest when she’s creating delicious treats and the festive season always inspires her to bake and knead something extra special for the village residents. In fact, the only thing she loves more than her bakery is curling up with her gorgeous boyfriend, Huckle. She’s determined that this Christmas is going to be their best one yet, but life doesn’t always work out as planned…
When Polly’s best friend Kerensa turns up with
a secret that threatens the life Polly and Huckle have built together, the
future begins to look uncertain. And then a face from Polly’s past reappears
and things become even more complicated. Polly can usually find solace in
baking but she has a feeling that’s not going to be enough this time. Can she
get things back on track so that everyone has a merry Christmas?
Theme and Genre
Generally, the story is about friendship, mistakes and how to keep a secret – or to share it with the partner at any cost.
Plot
Jenny Colgan is one of my favorite authors for “very british, cosy” and I love her series such as these stories about the Cornish bakery and Polly Waterford, the gifted, creative baker. But in this third book about the Little Beach Street Bakery are so many pages about Polly, who this time around Christmas seems to be quite unable to make her own decisions, somewhat sliding between Yes and No – this is not the protagonist Polly as known the former two books. Huckle too begins to act more like a teenager than a grown up. This altogether lenghtens the plot.
Conclusion
It was a nice read and I nevertheless would recommend it to all fans of Jenny Colgan, and as cosy Christmas read to all readers who love to cuddle up with an enjoyable story, tea and biscuits, on dark afternoons.
‚Tis the season to be jolly … or is it’? (Book cover)
Content (Book cover)
Christmas Eve. While the world sleeps, snow falls gently from the sky, presents lie under the tree … and murder is afoot. In this collection of ten classic murder mysteries by the best crime writers from the 1920s to today, death and mayhem take many festive forma, from the inventive to the unexpected. From a Santa Claus with a grudge to a cat who knows who killed its owner on Christmas Eve, these are stories to enjoy – and by mystified by – in front of a roaring fire, mince pie in hand.
Theme and Genre
A collection of classic short stories, written by well-known authors. We meet a cat that helps uncover the truth, strange “Footprints in the Sky”, a valuable unique manuscript and a thoughtful making story about “On a Christmas day in the morning.
Conclusion
Special, thrilling and enjoyable short stories, perfect for this time of the year.
„A bookshop keeps many secrets …“ (Quotation book cover)
Content
Loveday Cardew works in a bookshop in York. Due to a terrible childhood experience that made her lose her parents, she definitely prefers books to people. Archie, the owner of the bookshop and more fatherly advisor than boss, really cares without asking too many questions. Meeting Nathan, poet and part-time magician, and falling in love with him, seems to give Loveday new confidence to open up and learn to trust people. But hints from the past suddenly appearing in the bookshop mean for Loveday that she has to face up to the past. But can she?
I like stories that take place in bookshops or are about books. But in this case, the bookshop seems to be just the location of the plot, together with some books quoted, meanwhile the story, written in the first person, is about Loveday´s past. More than three quarters of the book give lots of hints, which begins to be a little bit boring because the reader soon has figured out what might have happened. As Loveday seems to be unable to trust people again, the plot also is about the problems of traumatic childhood expriences and how these influence the future life. Mostly, the plot twists only around a few main characters, I would have liked to know more about the setting, for example customers and their stories. The end was expectable but for me not coherent, considering the plot.
Conclusion
I would recommend “Lost for words” for readers who like stories about physical problems, inner moods and the struggles of a female main protagonist.
„May our philosophies keep pace with our technologies. May our compassion keep pace with our powers. And may love, not fear, be the engine of change.” (Originalzitat)
Content (Book Cover)
Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever”. The evening’s host is his friend and former student, Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old tech magnate whose dazzling inventions and audacious predictions have made him a controversial figure around the world. This evening is to be no exception: he claims he will reveal an astonishing scientific breakthrough to challenge the fundamentals of human existence.
But Langdon and several hundred other guests are left reeling when the
meticulously orchestrated evening is blown apart before Kirsch’s precious
discovery can be revealed. With his life under threat, Langdon is forced into a
desperate bid to escape, along with the museum’s director, Ambra Vidal.
Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic
password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.
In order to
evade a tormented enemy who is one step ahead of them at every turn, Langdon
and Vidal must navigate labyrinthine passageways of hidden history and ancient
religion. On a trail marked only by enigmatic symbols and elusive modern art,
Langdon and Vidal uncover the clues that will bring them face-to-face with a
world-shaking truth that has remained buried – until now.
Handlung
Der erfolgreiche, geniale Zukunftsforscher Edmund Kirsch hat seinen Freund und früheren Professor Robert Langdon eingeladen, im Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao zusammen mit einigen hundert weiteren Gästen an der Präsentation seiner sensationellen Entdeckung teilzunehmen: die Antworten auf die beiden größten Fragen der Menschheit „Woher kommen wir“ und „Wohin gehen wir“. Ein Gott als Schöpfer ist bei diesen streng wissenschaftlichen Fakten keine Option mehr. Doch bevor Edmund Kirsch die eigentliche Präsentation, die gleichzeitig weltweit übertragen wird, starten kann, wir er vor den Augen aller erschossen.
Doch es gibt ein Passwort und einen Ort, wo dieses Projekt
des Zukunftsforschers gespeichert ist, und somit auch nach seinem Tod noch
veröffentlicht werden kann. Nur einer kann diese Rätsel lösen und so das
Geheimnis um den Inhalt der wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse seines Freundes
lüften: Robert Langdon. Gemeinsam mit Ambra Vidal, der Direktorin des
Guggenheim Museums Bilbao, die für die Präsentation eng mit Edmund Kirsch
zusammen gearbeitet hatte, beginnt für den Professor ein gefährlicher Wettlauf
gegen die Zeit, gegen mächtige Feinde, die genau diese Veröffentlichung auf
jeden Fall verhindern wollen. Hat Robert Langdon Erfolg und was genau ist diese
bahnbrechende Entdeckung?
Fazit
Bis vor wenigen Tagen hätte ich auf die Frage nach dem meiner Meinung nach besten Buch von Dan Brown (einer meiner Lieblingsautoren) ohne zu zögern geantwortet: „Inferno“. Ich weiß, da gehen die Meinungen auseinander. Wie auch immer, seit heute ist meine Antwort: „Origin“. Diesmal begibt sich der Autor in ein neues Setting, in dem Symbole und Rätsel zwar eine Rolle spielen, jedoch geht es hier vor allem um die essentiellen und zeitlosen Fragen der Menschheit „Woher kommen wir“ und „Wohin gehen wir“ und auch um die Tatsache, dass Wissenschaft, Technik und Religion hier völlig kontroverse Antworten geben.
Für mich ist es großartig, wie Robert Langdon hier einen
spannenden Thriller entwickelt hat, der mögliche Antworten anbietet, ohne
jemals unlogisch zu werden.
Eine beeindruckende Geschichte, die auch zum Nachdenken
anregt.
Ich empfehle dieses Buch von Dan Brown nicht nur Dan Brown
Fans, sondern auch Technik-interessierten Lesern, die auch einen spannenden
Roman zu schätzen wissen. Wer, so wie ich, die Stadt Barcelona und Gaudi liebt,
wird die vielen präzisen Schilderungen einzelner Orte, Bauten usw. ebenfalls
genießen. Manchmal hatte ich während des Lesens in Wikipedia nachgesehen – Dan
Browns Beschreibungen sind wieder exakt und entsprechen absolut der Realität.
„Two sisters. One must be brave. One should be afraid.“ (Quotation)
Content – Book cover
Bravery, courage, fear and love in a time of war
Despite
their differences, Vianne and Isabelle have always been close. Younger, bolder
Isabelle lives in Paris while Vianne is content with life in the French
countryside with her husband Antoine and their child. But when the Second World
War breaks out and Antoine is conscripted to fight, Isabelle is sent to the
country by her father to help Vianne.
As war
develops, the strength of the sisters‘ relationship is put to the test. With
life changing, and confronted by unbelievable horrors, Vianne and Isabelle find
themselves responding in ways they never thought possible, as bravery and
resistance take differing forms for each of the two sisters.
Theme and Genre
The story is set in the time of the German occupation of France during WWII and tells the life conditions of two sisters with quite different characters and how they react to what is happening to the country and people arount them. It is a gripping tale based on the well known events happening in France.
Conclusion
It is very interesting for the reader to follow the development of the main characters, the more cautious Vianne and rebellious Isabelle in this plot full of danger, thrilling action and suffering. A story, readers will remember for long time after turning the last page and closing the book.
This is Susan Hill at her best, telling characteristically creepy and surprising tales of thwarted ambition, terrifying revenge and supernatural stirrings that will leave you wide-awake long into the night. (Citation book cover)
Content – Back cover
From the foggy streets of Victorian London to the eerie perfection of 1950s suburbia, the everyday is invaded by the otherwordly in this unforgettable collection of ghost stories from the bestselling author of The Woman in Black.
Theme and Genre
I normally do not read short stories, because I prefer novels. But this collection of ghost stories caught my eyes and definitely did not disappoint me.
Five
gripping stories, written in the best tradition of the well-known Gothic
stories and novels of the 18th and 19th century, kept me
reading, wondering and sharing the thrills with the protagonists. Susan Hill
knows perfectly how to develop stories with hints to supernatural and ghostly
events, offering almost logical explanations to the reader, but each story
finishing with new twists, facts, that are no longer explainable.
Conclusion
For readers that enjoy a really good ghost story, safely nestled up in a wing chair on a dark November evening.
„President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself once christened me ‚The Ice Cream Queen of America.'“ (Quotation page 7)
Content – Book cover
In 1913, little Malka Treynovsky flees Russia with her family. Bedazzled by tales of gold and movie stardom, she tricks them into buying tickets for America. Yet no sooner do they land on the squalid Lower East Side of Manhattan, than Malka is crippled and abandoned in the street. Taken in by a tough-loving Italian ices peddler, she manages to survive through cunning and inventiveness. As she learns the secrets of his trade, she begins to shape her own destiny. She falls in love with a gorgeous, illiterate radical named Albert, and they set off across America in an ice cream truck. Slowly, she transforms herself into Lillian Dunkle, „The Ice Cream Queen“ — doyenne of an empire of ice cream franchises and a celebrated television personality. Lillian’s rise to fame and fortune spans seventy years and is inextricably linked to the course of American history itself, from Prohibition to the disco days of Studio 54. Yet Lillian Dunkle is nothing like the whimsical motherly persona she crafts for herself in the media. Conniving, profane, and irreverent, she is a supremely complex woman who prefers a good stiff drink to an ice cream cone. And when her past begins to catch up with her, everything she has spent her life building is at stake.
Theme and Genre
Although being fiction, the novel is based on the American history and is also the history of ice cream making and TV shows. The book is written like an autobiography, Lillian Dunkle tells the story of her live, switching between present and past – with many cliffhangers in the chapters about the events in the past, to keep the story going and to maintain the interest of the readers.
Conclusion
This story without doubt is very interesting, because it shows the dangerous, poor conditions, the immigrants had to deal with in the “American Dream”, just to survive. But it was quite difficult for me to finish a 572 pages novel, when I absolutely can find no sympathy for the main protaginist Lillian Dunkle. From the very beginning, she is egoistic, steals and lies if it is necessary to keep her business growing and earning more and more money. Maybe understandable from her background, she had to be a fighter, but as it is fiction, I had liked her to be a little bit more human and likeable.
“A town without a book shop was a town without a heart” (Quote)
Content – Blurb
Emilia has just returned to her idyllic Cotswold hometown to rescue the family business. Nightingale Books is a dream come true for book-lovers, but the best stories aren’t just within the pages of the books she sells – Emilia’s customers have their own tales to tell.
There’s the lady of the manor who is hiding a
secret close to her heart; the single dad looking for books to share with his
son but who isn’t quite what he seems; and the desperately shy chef trying to
find the courage to talk to her crush . . .
And as for Emilia’s story, can she keep the
promise she made to her father and save Nightingale Books?
Plot and Writing
A heartwarming story in cosy settings, not only about Emilia, who wants to keep going her father’s bookshop, Nightingale Books, after his death, but also about the other people living in the village. They all have different stories, but they are all somehow linked in Emilias bookshop.
Conclusion
A really enjoyable read about people you like, with a special main character, Emilia and last but not least a book about books and reading. Perfect for booklovers and a relaxed reading afternoon.
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