It’s a quarter of a century since I visited Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam when I first really began to understand the plight of Jewish people during the Second World War. When I was offered The Good Doctor of Warsaw, a book based on the lives of those in Warsaw, by Elisabeth Gifford, in exchange for an honest review I readily accepted. I had previously featured Elisabeth with a fabulous guest post alongside my review of another of her books, Secrets of the Sea House, that you can read here.

The Good Doctor of Warsaw is published by Corvus, an imprint of Atlantic Books and is available for purchase through these links.

The Good Doctor of Warsaw

‘You do not leave a sick child alone to face the dark and you do not leave a child at a time like this.’

Deeply in love and about to marry, students Misha and Sophia flee a Warsaw under Nazi occupation for a chance at freedom. Forced to return to the Warsaw ghetto, they help Misha’s mentor, Dr Korczak, care for the two hundred children in his orphanage. As Korczak struggles to uphold the rights of even the smallest child in the face of unimaginable conditions, he becomes a beacon of hope for the thousands who live behind the walls.

As the noose tightens around the ghetto Misha and Sophia are torn from one another, forcing them to face their worst fears alone. They can only hope to find each other again one day…

Meanwhile, refusing to leave the children unprotected, Korczak must confront a terrible darkness.

Half a million people lived in the Warsaw ghetto. Less than one percent survived to tell their story. This novel is based on the true accounts of Misha and Sophia, and on the life of one of Poland’s greatest men, Dr Janusz Korczak.

My Review of The Good Doctor of Warsaw

Life for the Jewish population of Warsaw is about to be completely extirpated.

The Good Doctor of Warsaw is an exceptional book that should be lauded from the rooftops. It is terrifying. It is emotional. It is beautifully written. However, what is so profoundly affecting is that it is based on real events and real people and this makes it all the more powerful. I found the photographs in the end papers of my copy so captivating. Half the time I was reading I could hardly bear to go on and yet I was compelled to. I could not tear myself away from Dr Korczak, Misha and Sophia because Elisabeth Gifford brought them to life so effectively it was as if they were my own friends, my own family.

Actually, I’m feeling rather stunned by reading The Good Doctor of Warsaw. Yes, I knew about the Nazi atrocities in Poland and elsewhere on an intellectual level, but reading this book has made me experience them in a visceral way. I feel an overwhelming sense of grief and horror at man’s inhumanity to man because Elisabeth Gifford takes the reader right into the heart of Warsaw’s ghetto. That’s not to say she sensationalises events, but rather presents what happens through the lives of those affected so clearly that it is impossible not to be affected by her words. Often the most awful of occurences are presented with a pared down prose that makes them all the more shocking. Even more terrifying is the fact the story is written in the continuous present tense, underlying the abhorrent possibility, and even probability, that events like those in The Good Doctor of Warsaw are still happening today.

However, The Good Doctor of Warsaw is not a self-consciously ‘worthy’ book as I might seem to be suggesting. It is a fabulous narrative that weaves real history and imagined scenes so that reading it is an immersive and life-changing experience. This is wonderful story-telling as well as fabulous history. So much of the book is almost cinematic in style and I’d love it to be made into a film because the intrinsic quality of the writing is so good and its story so important I believe it would bring it to a wider audience.

Underneath all the horrors, the deprivations and the brutality of the era, Elisabeth Gifford manages to weave humanity, truth and love so that whilst I am heart-broken by reading The Good Doctor of Warsaw, I am also inspired and stirred by positivity. There is profound love in so many of the actions, and particularly from Dr Janusz Korczak, that we can all take courage and warmth from reading this story. Reading it has made me glad to be who I am, living where I am, when I am.

I defy anyone reading The Good Doctor of Warsaw not to be moved, shattered and, ultimately, thankful. It is a remarkable book.

About Elisabeth Gifford

Elisabeth Gifford grew up in a vicarage in the industrial Midlands. She studied French literature and world religions at Leeds University. She has written articles for The Times and the Independent and has a Diploma in Creative Writing from Oxford OUDCE and an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway College. She is married with three children. They live in Kingston on Thames but spend as much time as possible in the Hebrides.

You can find Elisabeth on Facebook, visit her website and follow her on Twitter @elisabeth04Liz.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of staying in with Imogen Matthews and finding out all about her book The Hidden Village in a post you can read here. Today Imogen has generously offered an Amazon audiobook code for The Hidden Village to a lucky Linda’s Book Bag reader. You can enter the giveaway at the bottom of this blog post.

The Hidden Village is available for purchase from your local Amazon.

 The Hidden Village

Wartime Holland. Who can you trust?

Deep in the Veluwe woods lies a secret that frustrates the Germans. Convinced that Jews are hiding close by they can find no proof.

The secret is Berkenhout, a purpose-built village of huts sheltering dozens of persecuted people.

Young tearaway Jan roams the woods looking for adventure and fallen pilots. His dream comes true when he stumbles across an American airman, Donald C. McDonald. But keeping him hidden sets off a disastrous chain of events.

Sofie, a Jewish Dutch girl, struggles to adapt to living in Berkenhout, away from her family and friends. As weeks turn to months, she’s worried they’ll abandon her altogether.

Henk Hauer, head woodman, is in charge of building the underground huts and ensuring the Berkenhout inhabitants stay safe.

But many grow suspicious of his liaisons with the Germans. Is he passing on secret information that could endanger lives?

All it takes is one small fatal slip to change the course of all their lives for ever.

About Imogen Matthews

Imogen Matthews is English and lives in the beautiful University town of Oxford. Before she wrote The Hidden Village, she published two romantic fiction e-novels under her pen name, Alex Johnson. The Hidden Village is published by Amsterdam Publishers, based in the Netherlands.

Imogen has strong connections with the Netherlands. Born in Rijswijk to a Dutch mother and English father, the family moved to England when Imogen was very young.

Every year since 1990, Imogen has been on family holidays to Nunspeet on the edge of the Veluwe woods.

It was here that she discovered the story of the hidden village, and together with her mother’s vivid stories of life in WW2 Holland, she was inspired to write her novel.

You can follow Imogen on Twitter @ImogenMatthews3, and find her on Facebook and Goodreads.

Giveaway: An Amazon Audiobook of The Hidden Village

For your chance to win an Amazon audiobook of The Hidden Village click here. Imogen will provide the code for the lucky winner.

UK only. Giveaway closes at UK midnight on Tuesday 10th July 2018 and is independent of Linda’s Book Bag. I am not responsible for the code’s activation.

I love Claire Fuller’s writing so when a surprise copy of Bitter Orange arrived in the post I was thrilled. I’d like to thank Jane Gentle at Penguin for sending it to me in return for an honest review which I am delighted to share today.

When I first began blogging in 2015, Claire Fuller’s debut Our Endless Numbered Days was one of my books of the year and you can read my review here. Not only do I have my review of Claire’s second book Swimming Lessons here, but I was privileged to interview her too.

Bitter Orange will be published by Penguin Fig Tree on 2nd August 2018 and is available for pre-order here.

Bitter Orange

From the attic of a dilapidated English country house, she sees them – Cara first: dark and beautiful, clinging to a marble fountain of Cupid, and Peter, an Apollo. It is 1969 and they are spending the summer in the rooms below hers while Frances writes a report on the follies in the garden for the absent American owner. But she is distracted. Beneath a floorboard in her bathroom, she discovers a peephole which gives her access to her neighbours’ private lives.

To Frances’ surprise, Cara and Peter are keen to spend time with her. It is the first occasion that she has had anybody to call a friend, and before long they are spending every day together: eating lavish dinners, drinking bottle after bottle of wine, and smoking cigarettes till the ash piles up on the crumbling furniture. Frances is dazzled.

But as the hot summer rolls lazily on, it becomes clear that not everything is right between Cara and Peter. The stories that Cara tells don’t quite add up – and as Frances becomes increasingly entangled in the lives of the glamorous, hedonistic couple, the boundaries between truth and lies, right and wrong, begin to blur.

Amid the decadence of that summer, a small crime brings on a bigger one: a crime so terrible that it will brand all their lives forever.

My Review of Bitter Orange

Frances’ assignment to write a report on the garden architecture of Lyntons country house will lead to far more changes in her life than she can possibly imagine.

Everything about Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller is so utterly perfect, from the cover image to the final full stop that I am amazed at the fabulous quality of her writing. I thought her first two books, Our Endless Numbered Days and Swimming Lessons were excellent but Bitter Orange is truly outstanding.

Reading Bitter Orange is mesmerising and hypnotic. You think you’ve spotted everything but there is always more to discover as Claire Fuller reveals tiny snippets that pull the ground from beneath Frances and reader alike. The writing is poetic, lyrical and frequently sensuous so that there is a wonderful blend of truly glorious narrative creating a plot that may initially seem as languid as the days Peter, Cara and Frances spend together but is actually far more akin to the rotting centres of the actual bitter oranges on the orangery floor.

Right from the beginning of Bitter Orange there is an underlying menace and claustrophobia that adds an intensity to the read and leads to a sublime conclusion to the story. There are almost supernatural echoes to disturb the reader so that I was left questioning what was true and what was in the minds of the characters. I found I had frequently been cleverly misled and I loved that fact. Cara may be delusional and untrustworthy, but Bitter Orange is so brilliantly constructed that nothing is quite what it seems. The way in which Frances feels duped and controlled is exactly how I felt reading the book.

It’s quite difficult to review Bitter Orange as I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot. Also, because it is so brilliantly character led too, explaining more about Frances, Peter and Cara would also undermine the pleasure in reading for others. What I would say is that Bitter Orange is a work of accessible and glorious literary genius. Claire Fuller writes with the tension of Wilkie Collins in her plotting and the poetry of Dylan Thomas in her descriptions. I thought of the moment when Hardy’s Tess is in the overgrown garden when I read some of the descriptions, or of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina in some of the ways Cara behaves.

Bitter Orange is undoubtedly a modern classic that defies categorisation but is just wonderful to read. It’s subtle, unnerving, intelligent and a supreme example of the written craft. Bitter Orange is multilayered and intoxicating to read too. I thought it was outstanding. Don’t miss it.

About Claire Fuller

Claire Fuller was born in Oxfordshire, England, in 1967. She gained a degree in sculpture from Winchester School of Art, but went on to have a long career in marketing and didn’t start writing until she was forty. Bitter Orange is her third novel. Her first novel, Our Endless Numbered Days, won the Desmond Elliott Prize. She has an MA in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of Winchester and lives in Hampshire with her husband and two children.

You can follow Claire on Twitter @ClaireFuller2 and visit her blog. You’ll also find Claire on Facebook.

I so enjoy finding out all about new authors and books and today it is my pleasure to welcome Colin Sinclair to stay in with me and tell me all about one of his books.

Staying in with Colin Sinclair

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Colin. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

It is my pleasure. I’m pleased we have chosen to sit in the garden it’s not too often we get the chance in England is it?  With our weather!

(Try keeping me out o the garden this weather, Colin. You’d have a fight on your hands!)

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

I have brought my first book in the The Essence Saga series, it’s called Elji and the Galrass. It is my debut Novel and it’s been an interesting Journey to getting it published.

I have always loved reading and writing. That stems from school where I had an amazing English teacher, long time ago now, but these things stick with you.

(Ha – as an ex-English teacher that’s good to know. I still keep in touch with mine from 40 years ago too.)

I wanted to write a book and see if I could write well enough to get someone to publish it for me. I knew nothing about the process and was amazed at the length of time it could take. I was very lucky and within a short nine month period I had written the book, got a publishing deal, had it edited and now it’s out there in the big wide world of books. Even at that pace I was chaffing at the bit to get it all done. I think I must have an impatient streak in me.

Writing the book itself happened in a five week period, it seems I must have had the idea in my head for a very long time and it just poured out of me, the first draft did anyway.

(Crikey – that’s quick!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Elji and the Galrass?

You can expect to be transported from everyday life and into the lives of the characters in the book and get invested in their adventures. It shouldn’t be long till you are no longer sitting in your room but are on another plane of reality somewhere.

One of the things I have always liked about the books is that they are able to very quickly make you relate to a character and choose one of those as your persona, then when you are carried along with the story you can feel like you are involved in it.

So I guess you can expect a kind of “mind journey” that will help you forget daily life and your struggles and troubles and be engulfed in world that is both familiar yet different enough to just help you relax and enjoy a different life.

Hey! We all need to escape sometimes.

(I couldn’t agree more. Books are the perfect escapism.)

What else have you brought along and why? 

I have brought along a poster and a picture from one of the musicals I have performed in, it’s a Sondheim piece called “Company”  It’s a story about three couples relationship with a single man called Bobby and their different perspectives of him and how he relates to each of them.

The music was very challenging but once mastered blended effortlessly with everyone else in the musical.

(What an exciting thing to do!)

It reminds me of one of the themes in the book which is that we are all trying to harmonise with each other in a way that is effortless and beautiful and can lead to a life that we all want to live.

Ohhh!! that’s a bit deep…then…the book is a little like that.

You’re allowed to be deep Colin – it makes me want to read Elji and the Galrass even more! Thank you so much for staying in and telling me all about it. I’m intrigued!

Elji and the Galrass

Elji, a boy from a village outside the city of Mehem discovers a “Galrass” a tool usually wielded only by those who understand its power. Perhaps it was left for him to find or perhaps it was just a random happening?

The Galrass embroils him in a struggle he never expected to be part of or even imagined existed. Dregar, a being from a different planet and galaxy ‘feels’ the boys interruption of the universal essence and takes him under his wing and so his journey begins.

Friendships are made and lost and many lives must be put in danger to usher the civilisation into its rightful place among the Universal essence. Will Elji fulfil his potential and help save his world or will it fall into darkness.

Elji and the Galrass is available for purchase here.

About Colin Sinclair

Colin Lives just outside the city of York in the beautiful Yorkshire country side. He has been married for 32 years and has two children and grandchildren. He has been acting and singing on stage since he was a teenager and still today performs at the large theatres in the region both acting and singing in lead roles.

He is a gym enthusiast and has competed in natural bodybuilding competitions and also engages in many sports such as Badminton, Squash and Bouldering. He has two dogs which keep him busy walking through the countryside.

Before settling in Yorkshire he was brought up between the Middle East, where his parents worked in the Oil Industry and spending the rest of the time in the UK at boarding school. This is where his love for words came from and he has written poetry for many years.

He now has the time to pursue his passion of writing and has written his first book in a fantasy series that he says has been in his head for longer than he cares to remember.

You can find Colin on Facebook and visit his website. Colin has just joined Twitter and would appreciate a follow or two here @authorcol.

Ever since I began blogging just over three years ago I have had a special place in my heart for Urbane Publications. Consequently, it gives me enormous pleasure to welcome another of their authors, Jonathan Whitelaw to Linda’s Book Bag to tell me about the latest of Urbane’s books today.

Staying in with Jonathan Whitelaw

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Jonathan. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

The pleasure is absolutely mine. Thank you very much for having me. Nothing I love more than a good night in – although I’m not sure the old me, which ironically was the YOUNG me, would agree. But I’m in charge now so yes, can’t wait.

(Ha! Absolutely. I’m very much the old me looking back at the young me and I wouldn’t have wanted an evening in then. Now, however…)

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

I have brought along my second novel – HellCorp – which is unleashed on the world on July 5.

(Well Happy Publication Day! Congratulations.)

It’s my latest work and the first to be published by Urbane – which I am incredibly excited about. It’s actually a book of firsts for me in many ways. It’s my first foray into the thriller and crime genres and also sci-fi and fantasy. My debut – Morbid Relations – was a dark comedy about family life. So this is a bit of a departure.

I’m a huge fan of all those genres and getting the chance to be a part of such a vibrant, popular set all at once is actually beyond words. Terrible I know for an author and journalist but I really can’t describe my excitement.

(Not at all! Of course you’re excited! I know I would be.)

And it’s that excitement that’s led me to bring it along. I think there’s something for everybody in this novel and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.

I’ve always liked to push my own boundaries as a writer and try new things. The challenge with this book was striking a balance and telling the story the way the best it could be. And hopefully I’ve done that and the readers will enjoy and love the characters and story as much as I did creating them – and putting them through the mill. Backwards!

(I think this sounds brilliant.)

What can we expect from an evening in with HellCorp?

Blimey – that’s the question isn’t it. Is it too much of a cop-out to say expect everything?

(Hmm. I might let you get away with that…)

If it’s not and I’m allowed to then yes… it has everything. Quite literally.

There’s mystery, suspense, action, some sci-fi and fantasy, thrills, spills, a hint of romance and at its heart a cracking story.

(I bet allocating a genre for this one was a nightmare!)

In short it’s about The Devil who wants to go on holiday. But first he has to prove to God he’s not pulling a fast one. Dumped into human form he has to solve the murder of a man who took decades to die. All while struggling to cope with being without his powers and dealing with humanity and fate up close and personal. And you can imagine how much he HATES that.

I’ve always been fascinated by crime and I finally got round to giving it a right good go. What’s always frustrated me about the genre is the sheer amount of flawed anti-heroes out there. And while I love a good anti-hero you can really get your teeth into, I thought ‘wait a minute, who’s the ULTIMATE anti-hero’ and what would he be like stripped down, out of his comfort zone and thrown right into the thick of it.

I guess it’s a story about coping and learning about, forgiving and better understanding other people.

And while it might seem like a daunting prospect of spending the evening with The Devil – you might just find yourself rooting for him in the end.

I’m not saying giving too much away but there’s ALWAYS a bigger, badder fish. You’ll just have to read to find out what I mean.

Cruel, I know, but I’m a rotter.

(Yes you are. Of course, now I HAVE to read HellCorp just to find out!)

What else have you brought along and why? 

I’m a big music fan and it’s always been a big part of my writing. So what better way to accompany this evening than with some cracking tunes.

Whether it’s some classical like some Handel or Carlos Gardel to classic AC/DC, Rory Gallagher and Prince there’s really nothing I wouldn’t listen to. And on top of that wouldn’t listen to while writing. It’s an eclectic taste and I know it’s influenced HellCorp and my writing in general over the years. It’s been fantastic to put together a playlist that acts as a sort of accompaniment to the novel which should be available around today’s publication.

(I’m quite fond of a bit of Rory Gallagher myself actually but if there’s nothing you wouldn’t listen to, we’ll have to have some Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music too.)

Music was my first big break into journalism too so it’s been an important part of my professional life as well as my personal one. When I left university my original degree was in psychology but I didn’t want to pursue that. So after some post graduate modules in creative writing and journalism I left to make my way in the big bad world. Straight into Scottish politics!

I had a fantastic time there and learned so much but I also yearned to write more regularly. I had been reviewing gigs, singles and albums on the side and eventually got the chance to work on the entertainment desk of STV (Scottish Television), X Factor, I’m A Celeb, Dancing on Ice, I was an expert. And from there I’ve gone on to work for some of the biggest names in the UK media including The Sun and the BBC.

I’m lucky enough to be able to do what I love every single day – writing as a journalist and as an author. I’m very thankful and grateful for that because I know, in modern life, it can be hard to achieve.

So yes, a good playlist for a good night in – what could be better.

(Oh I agree. Let’s get some music on whilst I recover from hearing about your career. I feel worn out just thinking about it!)

And while I would have loved to have brought Old Nick for this evening – unfortunately my Ouija board is in the shop. Sorry.

Thank heavens for that. It’s been brilliant hearing all about HellCorp, Jonathan. Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell me all about it and Happy Publication Day!

HellCorp

Life is hard for The Devil and he desperately wants to take a holiday. Growing weary from playing the cosmic bad guy, he resolves to set up a company that will do his job for him so the sins of the world will tick over while he takes a vacation. God tells him he can have his vacation just as soon as he solves an ancient crime.

But nothing is ever easy and before long he is up to his pitchfork in solving murders, desperate to crack the case so he can finally take the holiday he so badly needs…

This is a perfectly-pitched darkly comic crime novel that is ideal for fans of Christopher Fowler and Ben Aaranovitch.

Published by Urbane, HellCorp is available for purchase here.

About Jonathan Whitelaw

Jonathan Whitelaw is an author, journalist and broadcaster. After working on the frontline of Scottish politics, he moved into journalism. Subjects he has covered have varied from breaking news, the arts, culture and sport to fashion, music and even radioactive waste – with everything in between. He’s also a regular reviewer and talking head on shows for the BBC and STV. HellCorp is his second novel following his debut, Morbid Relations.

You can follow Jonathan on Twitter @JDWhitelaw13 and find him on Facebook.

My enormous thanks to lovely Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books for sending me a copy of The Old You by Louise Voss in return for an honest review.

The Old You is available for purchase through these links.

The Old You

Nail-bitingly modern domestic noir
A tense, Hitchcockian psychological thriller
Louise Voss returns with her darkest, most chilling, novel yet…

Lynn Naismith gave up the job she loved when she married Ed, the love of her life, but it was worth it for the happy years they enjoyed together. Now, ten years on, Ed has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and things start to happen; things more sinister than missing keys and lost words. As some memories are forgotten, others, long buried, begin to surface … and Lynn’s perfect world begins to crumble.

But is it Ed’s mind playing tricks, or hers…?

My Review of The Old You

What a fabulously gripping read. From the very first page of The Old You I hoovered up every word. Louise Voss held me transfixed throughout and when the truth was finally, completely, revealed I was left feeling thoroughly satisfied. So many books are labelled twisty but Louise Voss’s The Old You is a supreme example of manipulative and beguiling writing that trips up the reader and surprise them from beginning to end. It’s a cracker of a read.

I had never heard of Pick’s disease and thought that there was a perfect blend of storytelling and well researched material so that the story had excellent authenticity, especially in creating Ed’s character. I thought all the characters we really well defined and totally believable so that reading The Old You felt akin to hearing about real people. I almost expected them to pop up on the news as it all felt so real to me. It was Lynn who was the complete star though. She was a wonderful creation of vulnerability and human frailty mixed with steely determination and perception making her an unalloyed success. I was on her side from the first moment to the last.

That said, The Old You does make the reader question their own morality too. Some of the things that happen are legally and morally wrong and yet they feel absolutely justifiable. Not only is The Old You a cracker of a story, but it lingers in the mind, making the reader ask what they would do in the same situations. It gets right under the skin so that you almost become Lynn as the story progresses because the writing is so vivid and convincing. I really couldn’t put down The Old You as I was desperate to know how the threads would come together and the story resolve itself. I really want to say so much more about the plot but I can’t as it will spoil the read for others. Just believe me when I say it is exciting and dramatic.

I am ashamed to say I haven’t read anything by Louise Voss before. If The Old You is an example of how superbly well she writes I’ll be desperately getting my hands on any word she produces from now on.

Reading The Old You is like being in the vortex of a snowglobe so that it’s only when the final pages actually settle that the reader has the full, dramatic picture. I absolutely loved it and cannot recommend it highly enough!

About Louise Voss

Over her eighteen year writing career, Louise has had books out via pretty much every publishing model there is, from deals with major traditional publishing houses (Transworld and Harper Collins), to digital-only (the Amazon-owned Thomas & Mercer) and self-publishing – she and co-author Mark Edwards were the first UK indie-published authors to hit the No.1 spot on Amazon back in 2011. She is currently working on a film adaptation of her last book, The Venus Trap.

Louise has an MA(Dist) in Creative Writing and also works as a literary consultant and mentor for writers at http://www.thewritingcoach.co.uk. She lives in South-West London and is a proud member of two female crime-writing collectives, The Slice Girls and Killer Women.

You can follow Louise on Twitter @LouiseVoss1 and visit her website.

I’ve been lucky enough to feature quite a range of books for children of all ages here on Linda’s Book Bag and I’m delighted to welcome Hollie Anne Marsh to the blog today to tell me about one of her books for middle grade readers.

Staying in with Hollie Anne Marsh

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Hollie. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

My book Leaving The City, part of the new Sweetbriars Equestrian book series.

What can we expect from an evening in with Leaving The City?

Leaving The City is for middle grade readers (8-12 years old) who love and dream about horses.

(There are a very great number of those readers Hollie!)

It tells the story of Cate Sullivan and her new friends Violet and Tabby, at the wonderful Sweetbriars Farm in the English country-side. It has had great reviews to date, although I am still building them and welcome any bloggers / reviewers to review my book!

In the words of Jane Finch from Readers’ Favorite:

The author, Hollie Anne Marsh, has written a lovely story that is sure to appeal to horse lovers everywhere, and is ideal for the eight to twelve age range. The reader is carried along into Cate’s world, feeling her anxieties and delights, and empathising with her as she struggles to adjust to her new life. Sweetbriars is well described in visual detail, leaving the reader feeling as if they have been there. It sounds like every young horse lover’s dream home. Cate is a believable and likeable character who appeals to the reader, and her lovely Palomino horse, Odette, will have the horse enthusiasts drooling. A steady pace and a lovely and consistent story that will transport the horse devotee to a world surely every young equestrian enthusiast will crave.”  

(What a smashing review. You must be delighted with it.)

What else have you brought along and why?

Here is a quote… this spurs me on in my writing, other projects and day to day, and I hope will inspire other readers. It’s a photo of me with my horse Frieda.

(That’s lovely. No wonder you’re writing all about horses!)

Thank you so much for staying in and telling me all about Leaving The City. I wish you every success with the Sweetbriars series Hollie.

Leaving the City

Cate is uprooted from life as she has known it. Along with her family and her gorgeous palomino show horse Odette, she moves to a charming farm deep in the English countryside.

Cate is torn. Upon moving to horse heaven, she has to leave behind her best friend Beth and her beloved horse-riding instructor Bridget. On the other hand, she has fallen in love with Sweetbriars, the farm her family has bought to make their dreams come true.

Setting up an equestrian centre at Sweetbriars is fun to Cate, but settling into a new school and having a stern Pony Club riding instructor that teaches dressage is less so. At school, Cate makes friends with Violet, who is confident and wacky, and through Pony Club she gets to know Tabby, who is sweet and popular.

The girls’ lives will be intertwined in ways they could never have imagined thanks to their shared passion for horses and Cate’s determination to make Sweetbriars a success.

Leaving the City is available for purchase here.

About Hollie Anne Marsh

Hollie is an Australian author who lives in Barcelona, Spain with her partner, baby boy, and Oldenburg mare, Frieda. After having a professional career, including creating the equestrian online shop Equiporium (since sold), working for many large multinational companies, and having a baby, Hollie reconnected with her passion of writing, and finished the manuscript she wrote many years ago.

Hollie has been riding since she was a little girl, enjoying activities such as Pony Club, showjumping, eventing, and trail-riding in the great Australian bush. Hollie lived in England for almost ten years where she had two horses and trained them for dressage.

The Sweetbriars series is inspired by all the special moments Hollie spent with horses… good, funny, and challenging moments!

In creating the new Sweetbriars series, Hollie hopes that readers will not only find the books fun to read, but they will also inspire readers to learn more about horses.

To find out more about the series visit Hollie’s website, visit her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @Hollieannem.

I’m absolutely delighted to have a very special giveaway here on Linda’s Book Bag today – a box set of Audible mystery novellas, The Morning, Noon & Night Box Set: Murder in the Morning Edition; Murder in the Afternoon Extra; Murder in the Night Final by Peter Bartram, read by Matt Jamie.

Peter is no stranger to Linda’s Book Bag, having previously featured in the following ways:

Writing about a 1960s setting here.

Explaining why he wrote a trilogy here.

Introducing his protagonists here.

Not only do I have a giveaway that you can enter at the bottom of this blog post, but I have a smashing guest post from Peter today explaining just how Matt was chosen to read the books.

In case you’re not the lucky winner of the Audible The Morning, Noon & Night Box Set: Murder in the Morning Edition; Murder in the Afternoon Extra; Murder in the Night Final, it is available for purchase here.

The Morning, Noon & Night Box Set:

Murder in the Morning Edition;

Murder in the Afternoon Extra;

Murder in the Night Final

Welcome to Brighton, England – where they do like to murder beside the seaside…

Evening Chronicle crime reporter Colin Crampton and his feisty Australian girlfriend, Shirley Goldsmith, take on their toughest assignment yet in this trilogy of comic crime adventures.

The adventure starts in Murder in the Morning Edition when Colin and Shirley witness an audacious robbery. But nothing about the robbery is what it seems. Before long, Colin and Shirley are drawn deeper into danger. Colin encounters a motorcycle rocker with bad teeth, a dyslexic tattooist, and a seller of novelty toilet-roll holders as he chases down his story.

The mystery deepens in Murder in the Afternoon Extra as the body count climbs and Colin finds himself hunted by a ruthless killer. Before long, Colin discovers his hunt for the truth has dumped him right into the middle of a conspiracy he could never have foreseen. As he battles to find a way out of danger, he meets a stripper with a pet python, a clumsy assassin who kills the wrong people, and a slot machine salesman with even less luck than his punters.

The climax explodes in Murder in the Night Final when Colin and Shirley uncover the stunning secret behind the robbery and the murders. As the two face new threats, they tangle with a doorman with a cauliflower ear, a motorcycle rocker’s moll, and a ruthless killer who keeps chickens.

If you enjoy books by authors like Janet Evanovich, M C Beaton, and Simon Brett, you’ll soon be hooked by the mix of murder, mystery, and mirth in the Morning Noon & Night trilogy. Come and join the fun….

How We Chose One Actor From 56,000 To Read Crampton Audiobooks

A Guest Post by Peter Bartram

I was delighted when I heard that three of my Crampton of the Chronicle comic crime mysteries – Murder in the Morning Edition, Murder in the Afternoon Extra, and Murder in the Night Final – were being turned into audiobooks. But the books are narrated in the first person – by Colin Crampton, the central character – so I knew the success of the audiobooks would rest on whether we could find a reader who could capture Colin’s distinctive voice.

Colin is a shrewd character who can be tough when he needs to be but who also has a perky humour which keeps on breaking through. He’s a master of the one-liner. So the actor needed to know how to talk tough but also how to deliver a line to raise a laugh.

So where did we start in our search? Well, it was with a giant database of 56,000 actors who read audiobooks. The database contains actors from all over the world, but most of them are based in the UK and United States. We had to find a way to whittle those 56,000 to the one who would be right for the Crampton books. We did this by applying a number of filters to the database. There were obvious ones like gender, nationality and language. Those alone cut the numbers to a few thousand – but still too many to review one by one.

So then we applied some more subtle filters to the selection. One of these was voice age – how old the actor sounds when he speaks. Colin is twenty going on thirty in the Crampton books, so that reduced the possible choices further.

Then we looked at the question of accent. The database filters offered us 17 different British accents to choose – from “BBC English” to Cockney. We chose the “general British” accent. And then we had to decide on “voice style” – what the actor’s voice sounds like. We had to choose from 62 different styles ranging from “authoritative” to “intimidating”, from “sarcastic” to “sophisticated”. We thought Colin had an “engaging” voice.

So after we’d applied all those filters, the 56,000 actors had reduced to just 19. We listened to samples from books the 19 had already read and drew up a short-list of three which we reviewed in more depth. And from that, one candidate stood out above all others – Matt Jamie. Matt already had experience of audio work. He’d worked on a crime-based radio drama called Strawberries and Scream and recorded a series of crime stories with a water theme called Blood Waters. He’d also recorded Phantom: Edge of the Flame, a spin-off from Phantom of the Opera.

Matt says: “When I’m asked to read a book, I decide whether the characters or the subject matter interest me. And, then, perhaps more importantly, whether I think I can do it justice. Different books have different styles. Some might have many characters in them. So I have to think about whether I can capture them all and deliver the story or the facts in an engaging way.”

You can hear how Matt reads from Murder in the Morning Edition, the first book in Peter Bartram’s Morning, Noon & Night trilogy, by following this link and clicking on the sample button.

About Peter Bartram

Peter Bartram brings years of experience as a journalist to his Crampton of the Chronicle crime series – which features crime reporter Colin Crampton in 1960s Brighton.

Peter has done most things in journalism from door-stepping for quotes to writing serious editorials. He’s pursued stories in locations as diverse as 700 feet down a coal mine and a courtier’s chambers at Buckingham Palace. Peter wrote 21 non-fiction books, including five ghost-written, before turning to crime – and penning the Crampton of the Chronicle series of humorous crime mysteries.

Peter is a member of the Society of Authors and the Crime Writers’ Association.

You can find Peter on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @PeterFBartram, visit Peter’s website here and find out more about the Colin Crampton books here.

UK Giveaway

An Audible The Morning, Noon & Night Box Set

Murder in the Morning Edition; Murder in the Afternoon Extra; Murder in the Night Final.

Peter has kindly offered a lucky Linda’s Book Bag UK reader a promo code together with the text of an e-mail explaining how to use it and the terms and conditions which Audible asks to be passed on to the winner. If you would like the chance to hear all three novellas, click here to enter.

Giveaway closes at UK midnight on Friday 6th July 2018 and is independent of Linda’s Book Bag. I am not responsible for the code’s activation.

Whilst we’ve been enjoying an unusually warm weather here in the UK, I think we can forget that this sunny weather is commonplace and sometimes even tedious to others. I’m staying in with Katherine Luck today and she seems to be one of those who really could do with our usual summer rain!

Staying in with Katherine Luck

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Katherine. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Thanks for inviting me!

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I brought my second novel, The Cure for Summer Boredom, which just came out in June. It seemed fitting since it’s summer and some of us get bored this time of year—especially yours truly. When I get bored, I read—or write—novels.

(Now that is a whole new concept to me Katherine. I love the summer and never get bored at all. Why do you think you do?)

I guess it’s the lazy, languorous pace of summer days that gets to me. That’s what my book’s main character, Ruby, is battling: summer boredom. But unlike me, when she gets bored she gets into trouble. Hilarious trouble.

Ah – so what can we expect from an evening in with The Cure for Summer Boredom?

Well, you won’t be bored, that’s for sure! The story takes place in a fictional town somewhere in Texas called Somwärin, Texas. It’s home to a whole gaggle of wacky characters, from furniture-obsessed Swedish ex-pats to slightly supernatural trailer park residents to long-haul truckers who believe their CB radios are sending them mystical messages. And, of course, Ruby.

You’d think nobody could get bored in a town like that—but Ruby’s not your ordinary girl. And the adventures—and misadventures—she gets into are also anything but ordinary! There’s plenty of heart in the story, too. Sort of Little Women meets The Dukes of Hazzard. I like to think of it as all the fun of the YA books I read as a kid during those long days of summer, but written for grownups.

(So a bit more adult in its themes then?)

Yeah, it’s definitely not a kid’s book! There’s a town-wide festival of drunkenness, grand theft auto, a kidnapping that goes sideways, looting, a general riot. Just your typical summer in Texas.

(Crikey! It sounds a bit busier than my sleepy little town here in Lincolnshire!)

I’m not sure I dare ask this, but what else have you brought along and why?

Edible glitter! I had no idea such a thing existed until I wrote a scene in which Ruby decides it would be a great prank to swap a bag of glitter for the bag of sugar her mother’s using to bake a cake. It all goes comically awry and nobody gets glitter poisoned fortunately, but I got to wondering what would happen if someone actually ate glitter. And lo and behold, I found out that edible glitter not only exists, it’s quite the hip condiment. You can put it on anything—cake, ice cream, pudding, pizza.

Yes, pizza. I haven’t tried it yet myself, but the night is young and I noticed a pizza delivery place just up the road…what do you say?

(I say I think I might prefer pepperoni but I’m willing to give the glitter a try if I must!)

Thanks so much for staying in with me Katherine. I don’t know about The Cure for Summer Boredom, but I’ve found it a very unusual and entertaining evening!

The Cure for Summer Boredom

It’s summer in the little town of Somwärin, Texas, where the most anticipated event is a wrestling match between a man in a bear-suit and a bear in a man-suit. To Ruby Bejou, it looks like just another boring summer. And when Ruby’s bored, she makes trouble.

But this year, things are different. Her daddy accidentally starts a cult for long-haul truckers. Her big sister is on a mission to win a cutthroat beauty pageant and won’t let anything get in her way—except maybe her enormous boobs. Her little sister is out to destroy the town bully, even if it sparks an international diplomatic incident with the entire nation of Sweden.

And Ruby? She’s determined to stay out of trouble. With the help of a psychic newspaper editor, a tooth witch who transforms coins into teeth, and a forbidden library guarded by the entire town, she just might cure her summer boredom for good.

The Cure for Summer Boredom is available for purchase from Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, and many other booksellers through the links here.

About Katherine Luck

Katherine Luck is a writer based in Seattle. She is the author of the novels In Retrospect and The Cure for Summer Boredom. Her articles and short stories have been featured in Reuters, The Amistad, Seattle Woman Magazine, Oregon Literary Review, and Crosscut.com. You can read more of her work, including the “Dead Writers and Candy” series, on Katherine’s website.

You can follow Katherine on Twitter @katherineluck.

My enormous thanks to Jasmine Marsh at Hodder for sending me a copy of The Balcony by Jane Delury in return for an honest review.

The Balcony will be published by Hodder and Stoughton on 26th July 2018 and is available for purchase here.

The Balcony

What if our homes could tell the stories of others who lived there before us?

To those who have ventured past it over the years, this small estate in a village outside Paris has always seemed calm and poised.

But should you open the gates and enter inside, you will find rooms which have become the silent witnesses to a century of human drama: from the young American au pair who developed a crush on her brilliant employer to the ex-courtesan who shocked the servants, and the Jewish couple who hid from the Gestapo to the housewife who began an affair while renovating the rooms downstairs.

The house has kept its inhabitants secrets for a hundred years. Now, they are ready to be brought to the light. . .

My Review of The Balcony

One house with ten interwoven stories spanning over a century.

When I began reading The Balcony I hadn’t actually read the blurb and was initially thrown by the fact that I had what seemed to be totally discrete and unconnected stories. My preconceived ideas were quickly challenged and I found myself immersed into a lyrical and enchanting world based around one house and its occupants.

The quality of Jane Delury’s writing is so sophisticated and actually quite tense and disconcerting so that I felt reading The Balcony was like having something tantalising and beautiful just out of my grasp. I loved the atmosphere of the writing and could appreciate its depth and richness but I can’t quite define why it is so impactful. Having the one house as a backdrop gives a coherence and balance that is perfectly poised.

The way in which history swirls on the page, with links between the stories being uncovered a bit like fairy tale treasure, is spellbinding. Sometimes it is the characters who reverberate through the tales, sometimes a theme and sometimes something tangible like peg solitaire or Russian dolls. Indeed, the Russian dolls are an apt metaphor for the structure of the stories. Each is different and unique in its own right but connected and understandable in relation to the others.

And the themes depicted here are universal ones that permeate humanity; love, hate, death, birth, jealousy, survival, war, identity are all here, making for a book that a reader can return to several times over and still find something new and relevant.

The Balcony was unexpected. Each story stands alone and is satisfying to read, but taking the collection together, seeing the connections intertwine and having those moments of clarity and understanding elevate The Balcony into a truly mesmerising read. I thought it was intelligently written, beautifully constructed and fascinating. I really enjoyed it.

About Jane Delury

Jane Delury grew up in Sacramento, California and attended UC Santa Cruz. She spent her junior year abroad in Grenoble, France, and she returned to the University of Grenoble after UCSC to complete a master’s degree and to teach English. Following several years in France, she moved to Baltimore to study fiction in the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. Her short stories have appeared in Glimmer Train, The Southern Review, The Yale Review, Five Points, Narrative, and other publications.

She has received a PEN/O. Henry Prize, a Pushcart Special Mention, the F. Scott Fitzgerald Story Award, a VCCA fellowship, and grants from the Maryland State Arts Council. She holds a BA in English and French literature from UCSC, a maîtrise from the University of Grenoble, and an MA from the Writing Seminars.

She is an associate professor of creative writing and English at the University of Baltimore, where she chairs the School of Communications Design.

You can follow Jane on Twitter @JaneDelury, or visit her website for more details.