When I returned from holiday in August I was delighted to find a surprise copy of Wild Hope by Donna Ashworth waiting for me. My enormous thanks to Flora Willis at Bonnier for sending it my way. It’s my pleasure to share my review of Wild Hope today. 

Wild Hope was published by Black & White publishing on 26th September 2023 and is available for purchase here.

Wild Hope

Wild Hope is Donna Ashworth’s powerful new collection of wisdom to help us find hope, peace, self-acceptance and inspiration on the days we feel worn down, helpless or sad. Written with love and understanding, Donna reminds us that amidst our daily struggles and constant outpourings of bad news we have so much to hope for, and that every one of us can play a part, big or small, in making the world a better place. 

With poems such as ‘Surrounded by Treasure’, ‘That Thing You Do’, ‘Through the Wringer’ and ‘Rope Ladder’, Donna helps us to remember that most people in this world are good, and that acts of kindness and love within our individual spheres of influence, however small, all contribute to a better future. She also gently guides us, no matter how busy or overburdened we may be, to practice better self-care and self-acceptance.

Hope exists when nothing else can. On the darkest of days Wild Hope will help you find more light.

My Review of Wild Hope

A collection of writing about the power of hope.

I’m going to be totally honest and say that Wild Hope is by no means the most literary collection of writing you can encounter. Donna Ashworth is no metaphysical John Donne. And that is the absolute beauty of Wild Hope. It is completely accessible, uplifting and supportive. You don’t need to have a higher degree in literary criticism to feel connected to the writing here, to feel as if Donna Ashworth is speaking directly to you and offering hope when at times it may feel completely elusive. 

Certainly there are literary techniques in the collection that will satisfy those who enjoy them. The use of italics for emphasis, enjambement to illustrate the passing of time perhaps, or the use of the pronoun ‘you’ to draw in the reader are all present in the writing, but they are secondary, used unselfconsciously as Donna Ashcroft writes completely from the heart. Throughout the collection she conveys hope as a kind of emotional kintsugi that allows the reader to find their own peace and beauty in themselves and in the world around them. This is such a supportive collection.

Whilst much of the writing appealed to me completely (and I do think this is a collection that might resonate with women most) and I could quote from so many pieces to exemplify, one entry in particular stood out in its entirety and that was With Your Knowing – but you’ll have to read Wild Hope to discover it for yourself. Let me just say that it’s a poem I’ve earmarked for my uncertain future. 

Wild Hope does exactly what it sets out to do and it does it perfectly. It acknowledges the challenges of life at its darkest moments and helps the reader shine a little light there instead. I thought it was completely lovely. 

About Donna Ashworth

Donna Ashworth is a Sunday Times bestselling author and a lover of words who lives happily in the hills of Scotland with her husband, two sons, and Brian and Dave (the dogs). Donna started her social media accounts in 2018 and is astounded daily by the international reach her words have garnered. “My dream was to connect with women all over the world, so we could look at each other and say I see you, this is hard and just generally agree that imperfection is to be celebrated not feared.” When she is not writing, Donna loves to eat, be merry and laugh; believing these to be the best medicines life can offer.

For further information, find Donna on Instagram and follow her on X/Twitter @Donna_ashworth.

It’s a while since Luke Murphy was last here on Linda’s Book Bag, when we stayed in together to chat about two of Luke’s books, Kiss and Tell and Finders Keepers. Today, I’m privileged to be able to share details of Luke’s latest book The Cradle Will Fall.

Let’s find out more:

The Cradle Will Fall

A rogue cop…

When the FBI refuses to acknowledge the disappearance of Agent Matt Stone during a covert investigation overseas, Detective Charlene Taylor has no choice but to go on the hunt. The Ukraine can be unforgiving to outsiders, but the detective has no idea just how deep the corruption runs.

A renegade PI…

There is only one person Charlene can turn to. Trusted friend and former leg-breaker, Calvin Watters, is a protector, and the only man who can go head-to-head with the danger that awaits them. Charlene must put her faith in Calvin, and hope that, together, they can find a way to uncover the truth surrounding the missing Americans.

Can Charlene and Calvin team up one more time to overcome an evil syndicate of corrupt cops, and a government conspiracy covered-up by an entire country?

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Doesn’t that sound exciting? It’s not just me that thinks so either. Here’s what other readers have said:

“Luke Murphy’s The Cradle Will Fall is one part thriller, one part social commentary, and one part international caper and one part. Brutish, funny, compelling and revelatory all at once.”—Anthony Bidulka, winner of the 2023 Best Crime Novel Award.

“The Cradle Will Fall is a well-researched potpourri of mystery, danger and intrigue—a fast read that sticks with you long after you turned the last page.”—Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author of Children of the Fog.

“Don’t miss this entertaining read in a unique setting of a cold environment.”—Dianna T. Benson, award-winning and international bestselling author of The Hidden Son.

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Published on 30th September 2023, The Cradle Will Fall is available for purchase here.

About Luke Murphy

 

Luke Murphy is the International bestselling author of two series: The Calvin Watters Mysteries and The Charlene Taylor Mysteries.

Luke played six years of professional hockey before retiring in 2006. His sports column, “Overtime” (Pontiac Equity), was nominated for the 2007 Best Sports Page in Quebec, and won the award in 2009. He has also worked as a radio journalist (CHIPFM 101.7).

Luke Murphy lives in Shawville, QC with his wife and three daughters. He is a teacher who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Education (Magna Cum Laude).

For more information on Luke and his books, and to sign up for his newsletter, visit his website, and find him on Facebook and Instagram. You can also follow Luke on Twitter/X @AuthorLMurphy.

Be the first to know when Luke Murphy’s next book is available! Follow him on BookBub to receive new release and discount alerts.

One of the reasons I became a book blogger was because, many moons ago in a different life, I used to read and review children’s books for Hodder and Stoughton to recommend those that would make great KS3 or middle grade readers for classroom use. I even wrote the classroom resources for many of them.

Consequently, I love to include children’s fiction on Linda’s Book Bag, so it is an absolute delight to be able to celebrate The Week Junior’s first ever children’s book awards.

The Week Junior Book Awards 2023

The UK’s most influential children’s magazine has announced the nine winners of its first children’s book awards. On 2nd October, The Week Junior Book Awards 2023, sponsored by Bookily from National Book Tokens and in partnership with The Bookseller and World Book Day, were celebrated at a ceremony at London’s County Hall. Guests from across the UK children’s publishing industry came together to applaud the uplifting, enriching, and life-enhancing power of books to change children’s lives, and the talented people who create them.

The inaugural awards were chaired by Editorial Director of The Week Junior, Anna Bassi, who said: “Our wonderful – and thoroughly deserving – winning titles represent a broad and fascinating spectrum of topics, genres and voices, but what they all have in common is their absolute power to captivate, entertain and inform young readers. The judges were unanimous in their decisions and I feel privileged to celebrate the success of the authors, illustrators and publishers whose brilliant books bring such pleasure to children, and help form a love of reading that will have benefits for the rest of their lives.”

Deciding the Awards

Each category was judged by a panel of experts, with judges including children’s TV presenter Radzi Chinyanganya, presenter and YouTuber Maddie Moate, and award-winning authors Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Elle McNicoll. The awards were set up at the start of 2023, to address the lack of critical discourse around children’s literature and shine a light on the brilliant work of both new and established children’s authors. Radzi Chinyanganya, said: “There were so many brilliant titles throughout the Younger Non-Fiction category all touching on such important themes. However, Poppy O’Neill’s The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy was superb, simultaneously as practical as it is engrossing. With its beautiful illustrations and easy-to-digest and practical takeaways, it is an absolutely super resource for any child or parent of a child who is struggling with low confidence, anxiety or sadness.”

Maddie Moate, said: “It was an honour to judge the Children’s Book of the Year: STEM award, a category full of such great titles and tough competition. However, Rob Lloyd Jones’s 24 Hours in Space was just fantastic – a gripping story that also wove in lots of facts and information for children to absorb. From start to finish, it was such a clever concept, and the graphic novel format was brilliant. It’s the kind of book all children should read.“

A. M. Dassu, said: “Non-fiction books were my first love growing up, so it felt serendipitous to be asked to judge the Older Non-Fiction category! My fellow judges and I were so impressed by the inaugural shortlist, however, our winner, Real Life Dragons and Their Stories of Survival, surpassed the criteria. This book offers an original perspective to the subject and provides easily digestible facts which are beautifully presented, resulting in a satisfying reading experience. My daughter and I both loved it!”

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, said: “We had a really tough time deciding the winner of the Breakthrough category. It was encouraging to see so many of the titles had real ambition and a spirit of adventure. Also to see such a thrilling diversity of characters taking off on adventures in history, detection and super-heroism! In the end, we’ve gone for a book full of breezy wit and invention set in a particularly exciting part of our history.”

The Winners

Science, animals and the environment were at the heart of a number of the winning titles, including Audio Adventures: Natural Wonders of the World (Ladybird), written by Sidra Ansari and brilliantly narrated by actor Ben Bailey-Smith. The book takes listeners on a sound-filled journey through the natural world and beat stiff competition including comedian Richard Ayoade’s The Book That No One Wanted to Read, to win Children’s Audiobook of the Year. The judges described it as “exceptional” and a great example of how publishers should embrace audio.

Children’s Audiobook of the Year

Fearless explorer Otto (voiced by actor Ben Bailey-Smith) and Missy, the smartest raven in the universe, take readers on a journey of discovery across the globe to learn about the seven wonders of the world, and how we can all protect them.

Sidra Ansari is a teacher, author and freelance author, who has always dreamt of being a children’s author. Ansara has written six titles for LadyBird Education and is currently editing her women’s fiction novel after The Novelry awarded her a bursary to study on
The Big Edit Course. Her non-fiction book for adults, Finding Peace Through Prayer and Love (Beacon Books) was published in early 2021 and won the Golden Door Bronze.

Children’s Book of the Year: Older Non-Fiction (9-12 year-olds)

Anita Ganeri, the critically acclaimed author of the Horrible Geography series, won the Older Fiction award with Real Life Dragons and Their Stories of Survival (Wayland). The title explores the fascinating stories of ten real-life dragons and the myths and legends surrounding them.

For centuries, dragons have captured our imaginations, guarding troves of treasure and breathing out fire. But how many children realise that dragons still exist today? While there is no such thing as a fire-breathing dragon, this book brings together the stories of ten real-life dragons, from Komodo dragons to dragon snakes.

Anita Ganeri is a critically acclaimed British Indian author, best-known for her Horrible Geography series, which led her to become Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. She graduated from University of Cambridge and worked in publishing before becoming
a writer. She has written over 600 non-fiction books.

Children’s Book of the Year: STEM

Meanwhile Rob Lloyd Jones’s 24 Hours In Space won Children’s Book of the Year: STEM (in association with The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine).

Join an astronaut for a day as she goes on her first ever spacewalk, and new crew members arrive. How do you eat and drink at zero gravity? How do space toilets work? What are space suits designed for?

Rob Lloyd Jones is an American British writer and is the author of more than thirty books. His debut Wild Boy was nominated for the Carnegie Award and named one of the five best debut novels in the Branford Boase Award.

Younger Fiction Award

Mystery and adventure stories proved popular, with winners including Serena Patel’s Anisha, Accidental Detective: Holiday Adventure (Usborne), which won the Younger Fiction category.

The Mistrys are off on holiday – but there’s never any time to relax for Anisha, Accidental Detective. When the holiday park’s mascot, Delilah the duck, is destroyed and Anisha’s new friend, Cleo, is the number one suspect, Anisha must do whatever it takes to prove her innocence.

Serena Patel is a children’s author, best known for her multi-award winning series, Anisha, Accidental Detective, first published in 2020. Awards include the Sainsbury’s Childrens Book Award for Fiction 2020 and The CrimeFest Award for Children’s Crime
Fiction 2020.

Children’s Book of the Year: Breakthrough, supported by World Book Day

Author J. T. Williams won the exciting Children’s Book of the Year: Breakthrough, supported by World Book Day, with The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Drama and Danger (Farshore), the first in a new adventure series set in the 18th century, featuring characters inspired by real Black British historical figures.

Set in 18th century London, Lizzie Sancho and her friend Dido Belle try to work out the mystery of who is threatening to murder Lizzie’s father, Ignatius, before his debut performance on the West End stage.

J. T. Williams studied English Literature at University of Cambridge, before becoming a primary school teacher. Since leaving teaching, she’s been a programme manager at the Royal African Society, leading creative writing school workshops for the literature festival, Africa Writes. The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries is her debut children’s series.

Children’s Book of the Year: Older Fiction (9-12 year-olds)

The award for older fiction went to Tyger, the “triumph of a novel” by SF Said and illustrated by Dave McKean (David Fickling Books).

This is a dark and magical story about two children who find a mythical creature – a Tyger – in a rubbish dump in London – set in the near future of the 21st Century. An altered, dark London, where the Tyger is in danger and our protagonists Adam and Zadie are driven to save the Tyger, and in the process save London too.

SF Said is a British Muslim author, born in Bierut and raised in London. After graduating from the University of Cambridge, he worked as press attaché and speech writer for the Crown Prince of Jordan. Tyger is SF Said’s fourth children’s book.

Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year

Author and illustrator Aoife Dooley won Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year for Frankie’s World, a graphic novel starring an autistic protagonist. Judges praised the book’s “engaging, accessible illustrations and really welcome message about being yourself”. They also noted the high calibre of illustrations across the winning titles, created by talent from across the globe, including Jianan Liu from China and Caribay M. Benavides from Buenos Aires.

Frankie believes she is an alien; she is the smallest person in her class – and she is accused of talking too much. But really, all she is is different – neurodivergent, though it is not until nearly the end of the book that Frankie gets an insight into why she views things differently.

Aoife Dooley is an award-winning illustrator, author and comedian from Ireland, who is best known for her series Your One Nikita, which came to screens for RTE Player animated in 2019. In 2018, she was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 27. Frankie’s World is a graphic novel based on Aoife’s real-life experiences of having undiagnosed autism as a child, and the emotions she felt for always feeling different from her peers.

Children’s Book of the Year: Younger Non-Fiction (6-9 year-olds)

Focussing on mental health, a vital topic in children’s publishing, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy (Weldon Owen Children’s Books) by Poppy O’Neill was awarded Children’s Book of the Year: Younger Non-Fiction (6-9 year-olds). This innovative book includes a foreword from mindfulness expert Wynne Kinder, and details projects, ideas and activities to help children feel positive, confident, focused, calm and included.

The Extraordinary Book that Makes You Feel Happy is for every child, with a host of projects, ideas and activities to help them to feel positive, confident, focused, calm, relaxed, inclusive and included. The activities help young children to build resilience to big, overwhelming feelings and to feel connected to themselves and to others.

Poppy O’Neill is an author specializing in children and parental mental health and emotions. She lives in Sussex with her wife, children and pets. Her previous books include, Mother Power, To Help Your Anxious Child and I Like Being Me: A Child’s Guide to Self-Worth.

Children’s Book Cover of the Year

The Week Junior invited readers to help choose the Children’s Book Cover of the Year. Thousands of kids cast their votes online, and Rob Biddulph’s Peanut Jones and the Twelve Portals was propelled into first place. The Week Junior’s Art Director, Dave Kelsall, described the book as: “A highly imaginative, colourful and ‘in-your-face’ cover that grabs your attention immediately”.

Some legends are born, some are drawn . . . Famous works of art are disappearing from all over the world. One moment they are there, the next, they have crumbled to dust. Peanut Jones and her friends suspect it might have something to do with the magical
world of Chroma and the wicked Mr White’s plot to wipe out colour, art and creativity. It’s time to head back to the Illustrated City and help the resistance fight back. This title, by the uber-creative creator of the #DrawWithRob draw-along video series active during the COVID-19 pandemic, fizzes with magic, danger, friendship and art.

Rob Biddulph is a bestselling and multi award-winning author/illustrator. He is the author of many highly, acclaimed, award-winning picture books, including Blown Away, GRRRRR!, Odd Dog Out, Sunk, Kevin, Show and Tell, Dog Gone and the Dinosaur Juniors series. Before he became a full-time author/illustrator Rob was the art director of the Observer Magazine, NME, Uncut, SKY and Just Seventeen. He lives in London with his wife and three daughters.

The Week Junior Book Festival

Audiences will have the chance to see some of the award winners, including the Breakthrough winner, J. T. Williams, and Younger Fiction winner Serena Patel at The Week Junior Book Festival, which will take place during the school halfterm on 24th October in London. They will be joined by best-selling authors, such as Michael Morpurgo, Michael Rosen and Jenny Pearson.

For further information about The Week Junior Book Awards, visit the website.

For The Week Junior Book Festival, please click here!

About The Week Junior

The Week Junior is a multi award-winning magazine packed full of engaging articles, eye-catching images and big ideas that get eight to 14-year-olds reading, thinking and talking. It features everything from current affairs, to sport, science, cooking and craft. With 32 fact-packed pages, The Week Junior feeds children’s natural curiosity, encourages critical thinking and promotes reading for pleasure with a dedicated books section and annual Summer of Reading challenge.

For further information, visit the website and find The Week Junior on Facebook, Twitter/x @theweekjunior and Instagram.

Yet again I’m annoyed that I simply cannot read every book that appeals to me. However, I am delighted to share a spotlight on The American Woman by RJ Gould today, even if I haven’t been able to fit in reading it. It gives me particular pleasure to join in with Rachel’s Random Resources to celebrate The American Woman because it’s so rare to find a man writing romantic fiction and I think we should be celebrating RJ Gould as a result!

The American Woman is available for purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

The American Woman

When it’s impossible to forget is it possible to forgive?

Jennifer is stuck doing dead end waitressing jobs, her naïve dream of Hollywood stardom in tatters. Gareth, an IT consultant on a temporary contract, is the unlikely customer at Giulio’s Diner in the downbeat part of Los Angeles where she is now working.

It shouldn’t be a perfect match, the attractive, outgoing waitress from Idaho and the shy, good looker from Wales, but when it comes to relationships nothing is predictable, is it?

They move from state to state and when Gareth’s work in America dries up Jennifer follows him to Britain. Everything changes. What is she supposed to do when she discovers that she’s been fed a pack of lies?

Now living alone in Muswell Hill, Jennifer is a regular at the popular Dream Café with a great job and a lovely set of friends, but it’s impossible to cast aside the wonderful memories of her time together with Gareth.

Were his lies justified? Are they forgivable? And most importantly, should she be giving Gareth the second chance he so desperately wants?

[This is a stand-alone novel in the ‘at the Dream Café’ series] 

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Doesn’t that sound enticing?

About RJ Gould

R J Gould writes contemporary fiction about relationships using a mix of wry humour and pathos to describe the tragi-comic life journeys of his protagonists. The American Woman is his ninth novel and follows The Engagement Party, Jack and Jill Went Downhill, Mid-life follies, The Bench by Cromer Beach, Nothing Man, Dream Café, Then and now, and Darren, Andrew and Mrs Hall. He has been published by Headline Accent and Lume Books and also self-publishes. Before becoming a full-time author he worked in the education and charity sectors. In addition to his addiction to telling stories, he has somewhat milder addictions to playing tennis, watching film noir cinema, completing Wordle and eating dried mango slices. He is a member of Cambridge Writers and the Romantic Novelists’ Association UK and lives in Cambridge, England.

For further information, visit RJ Gould’s website, follow him on Twitter/X @RJGould_author and find him on Facebook and Instagram.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I cannot believe how long it is since I featured Elaine Everest on Linda’s Book Bag. I’m delighted to rectify that omission by sharing my review of Elaine’s latest book in her popular Woolworths Girls series, Celebrations for the Woolworths Girls and I’d like to thank Chloe Davies for sending me a copy of the book in return for this honest review. 

Published by Pan Macmillan on 12th October 2023, Celebrations for the Woolworths Girls is available for purchase through the links here.

Celebrations for the Woolworths Girls

It’s 1952 and with a new Monarch about to ascend the throne, The Woolworths Girls will face fresh new challenges . . .

At The Erith Store there is a new temporary Manager and Sarah is getting more than a little concerned by problems he seems to be creating. The whole mess is enough to make her want to resign.

Meanwhile, Ruby is extremely worried about her friend Vera, and with illness causing a problem from her past to come flooding back, Vera knows it’s going to take a lot of strength and willpower to do what needs to be done.

Then there is Freda, looking forwards to the birth of her first child but sick with worry that her Tony won’t have returned home in time for the birth of his child, let alone to be back to run the Erith store.

As Coronation Day for young Queen Elizabeth ll approaches, the girls from Woolworths celebrate friendship, family and overcoming anything that life can throw at them . . .

Celebrations for the Woolworths Girls is the ninth novel in Elaine Everest’s bestselling Woolworths series.

My Review of Celebrations for the Woolworths Girls

The Woolworth Girls have made it to 1952.

I’ve been meaning to catch up with Elaine Everest’s Woolworth Girls series for ages and I am delighted to do so with Celebrations for the Woolworths Girls because the setting and era are so brilliantly conveyed. Set at the time my sister was born, all the things I associate from the era are woven into the story so that it felt almost as if it had been written especially for me. The food, fashions, technology like Bakelite telephones, and values and attitudes seemed pitch perfect. 

I did need to concentrate to establish who was who because this is such an established series and I’ve missed some of the back stories, but the characters are so realistic that it didn’t matter at all. I found I cared about what happened to them as they faced personal, professional and national problems. Even (or possibly, especially) the more waspish Vera gained my sympathy and I was very definitely enamoured of Bob. 

The plot of Celebrations for the Woolworths Girls is well-planned and engaging. Indeed, one of the aspects I liked so much was the way real historical events impacted the people in Celebrations for the Woolworth Girls, giving a genuineness to the narrative, without detracting from the real lives of these ordinary and appealing people. 

Elaine Everest’s community encompasses a microcosm of society with characters of all ages as well as relatable, universal themes. Family and friendship are at the heart of the story, but so too are themes of marriage, ambition, deceit, feminism and sexism, so that any reader can find an aspect to draw them in.

Entertaining story with believable characters aside, I think the greatest enjoyment to be had from Celebrations for the Woolworth Girls is the reinforcing of the importance of pulling together, of being kind and of being part of a community. In a world where it’s all too easy to lose sight of such values, Elaine Everest reminds us just how much we need those values in a lovely story.

About Elaine Everest

Elaine Everest, author of Sunday Times best selling series, The Woolworths Girls and The Teashop Girls, was born and brought up in North West Kent, where many of her books are set. She has been a freelance writer for twenty-seven years and has written widely for women’s magazines and national newspapers, with both short stories and features. Her non-fiction books for dog owners have been very popular and led to broadcasting on radio about our four legged friends. Elaine has been heard discussing many topics on radio from canine subjects to living with a husband under her feet when redundancy loomed.

For further information visit Elaine’s website, or you can follow Elaine on Twitter/X @ElaineEverest and find her on Facebook. You’ll also find Elaine on Instagram.