My enormous thanks to Isabelle Kenyon for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Stephen Oram’s short story collection Extracting Humanity and for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review. It’s my pleasure to share that review today.

Extracting Humanity was published by Orchid’s Lantern on 27 July 2023 and is available for purchase here.

Extracting Humanity

In this remarkably perceptive collection, Stephen Oram blends cutting-edge science and tech with everyday emotions and values to create 20 thought experiments with heart.

Extracting Humanity is a skilful exploration of smart currencies, memorials, medical care, treatment of refugees, social networks, data monitoring, and justice systems. Always without prescription or reprimand, these stories are simply the beginning of the conversation.

From an eerie haptic suit that Tommy must call Father, to a protective, nutritious bubble that allows Feng Mian to survive on a colonised Moon; from tattoos that will earn their wearers a mini-break in a sensory chamber, to Harrie anxiously awaiting AI feedback on her unborn child… These startling, diverse narratives map all-too-real possibilities for our future and the things that might ultimately divide or unite us.

My Review of Extracting Humanity

A collection of 20 short stories.

Extracting Humanity is slightly outside my usual reading preference being quite futuristic, and I did wonder if I’d engage with it, but I found this collection absolutely fascinating. I’m not entirely sure I can say I enjoyed Extracting Humanity because Stephen Oram writes with such skill that I found several of the stories unsettling and disturbing. I think it’s the fact that the different scenarios are presented with a poised balance of clinical, factual writing that simultaneously has huge emotional impact, that I found so disquieting. This is such clever writing. I experienced a wide range of emotions from horror through anger to fear, and yet the abiding sensation at the end of the collection was hope and the concept that life is there to be lived even if we have to make difficult decisions on the way.

Whilst the stories are brief, they are packed with situations and people that made me wonder how I might respond to the actions and knowledge presented. Scratch beneath the surface of these intelligent and carefully crafted narratives and they aren’t truly futuristic at all. Rather they embody universal modern dilemmas, moral choices, and themes relevant to today’s society from immigration to trust, substance abuse to healthcare, private medicine to single parent families, loyalty to the role of AI, and community to isolation. All life, present and possible future, is presented here in an engaging and entertaining collection.

What I think works so well is the way the author’s voice doesn’t impinge. Stephen Oram simply presents, leaving the reader to layer their own beliefs, tenets and humanity over the narratives, making this a collection that I suspect will be more than usually affected by the reader themselves and that if the reader returns to it at different times of their life, the experience and impact of reading Extracting Humanity will equally be different on every occasion. 

Indeed, Extracting Humanity couldn’t have been better titled. Reading Stephen Oram’s words encourages – or perhaps even forces – the reader to contemplate not just humanity in general, but to extract a greater depth of understanding of their own humanity. From being initially unsure that this was a book for me, I now think Extracting Humanity is a real find, as it explores all life from birth to death and it truly made me think. Extracting Humanity transpired to be a collection I found excellent.

About Stephen Oram

Stephen Oram writes near-future science fiction – his collections Eating Robots and Biohacked & Begging have been praised by publications as diverse as The Morning Star and The Financial Times. He works with artists, scientists and technologists to explore possible future outcomes of their research through short stories and is a writer for sci-fi prototypers SciFutures. He is also published in several anthologies and has two published novels – Quantum Confessions and Fluence. He is a founding curator for near-future fiction at Virtual Futures and a member of the Clockhouse London Writers.

For further information, visit Stephen’s website and follow him on Twitter/X @OramStephen. You’ll also find Stephen on Facebook and Instagram.

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I’ve always heard such wonderful things about Eve Ainsworth’s writing but have never actually featured her on Linda’s Book Bag. It’s my pleasure today to join in with the cover reveal for her latest book Somebody I Used to Love. My thanks to  Rachel of with Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in this cover reveal.

Coming from Canelo on 27th June 2024, Somebody I Used to Love is available for pre-order here.

Somebody I Used to Love

Lost memories. Lost loves. Can they find their way back to each other?

When Will wakes up after a car accident, he’s lost three years of memory. All he wants is his girlfriend and childhood sweetheart, Gem, beside him. Instead, nothing is as he remembers.

Gem has finally moved on from hers and Will’s break-up. With a new life and boyfriend, the last thing she expects is a call to say Will needs her – the man who nearly destroyed her.

As Will recovers, he is determined to prove to Gem that he is the man he once was. But by unlocking the secrets of his past, will he be able to piece together what caused him to change so dramatically? And, faced with the choice, will Gem continue with the safe new life she has built for herself, or will she go back to the man she used to love?

Heartbreaking and twisty, perfect for fans of Dani Atkins, Jojo Moyes and Colleen Hoover.

****

Doesn’t that sound fabulous? I’m so looking forward to reading Somebody I Used to Love. Don’t forget to pre-order here.

About Eve Ainsworth

Eve Ainsworth is a public speaker, creative workshop coordinator and award-winning author who draws from her extensive work with teenagers managing emotional and behavioural issues to write authentic, honest and real novels for young people and adults. Eve’s adult debut, Duckling, was published by Penguin Random House in 2022. She has had short stories published in magazines such as Writers’ Forum and Prima and articles posted online for The Guardian, Metro and BookTrust. Eve is also a champion for working class voices, has set up the Working Class Writers Network and is an experienced mentor.

For further information, follow Eve on Twitter/X @EveAinsworth and find her on Instagram and Facebook.

Val Penny is always a welcome visitor to Linda’s Book Bag and you’ll find the previous occasions Val has appeared here. Today, we’re sharing an extract from Val’s latest book, Hunter’s Christmas which is a collection of short stories. I’m only sorry I wasn’t able to read for review this time.

Hunter’s Christmas was published by Spellbound on 15th December 2023 and is available for purchase here.

Hunter’s Christmas

DI Hunter Wilson is looking forward to spending a holiday in India with his girlfriend Dr Meera Sharma, away from the cold, wet winter of Edinburgh. He looks to share his happiness with others when he is attacked by Santa Claus, he says.

His team swing into action to catch his attackers but then receive information about an elf found dead in a car park and a car stolen by Mrs Claus.

Are the crimes by these Christmas characters connected?

Can Hunter’s team restore peace and good will to Christmas?

Hunter’s Christmas and Other Stories includes tales about DI Hunter Wilson and DS Jane Renwick along with those about new and different characters in this gripping collection of short stories especially for crime fiction readers.

An Extract from Hunter’s Christmas

Tim and Bear marched along the hospital corridor to Hunter’s ward. They made an interesting duo; one tall with fair hair and broad shoulders, dressed in relaxed but expensive designer clothes, the other tall and black with equally wide shoulders and a more formal smart suit. When they arrived at Hunter’s bedside, Meera Sharma had just risen to leave. 

“Hi guys, I’ve told Meera she mustn’t disappoint her family by staying here with me. Tell her. I’ll be fine. There’s nothing anybody can do until I get out of here, and it looks like that might be a couple of weeks. They haven’t even operated on my wrist yet. It was too swollen.”

Meera looked at Tim. “Look after him for me.”

“I will.”

She looked sternly at Bear. “Don’t let him do anything stupid.”

“Why do I always get the difficult jobs?”

The men grinned at Meera. 

“Enjoy your holiday, darling and send my love to each member of your crazy family,” Hunter said.

“What do you mean they’re crazy? They didn’t get beaten up by Santa Claus.” Meera kissed Hunter and left the ward.

“You are a lucky man, boss. What does she see in you?”

Hunter looked at his foot which was raised to keep his leg straight. “You’re right Tim, I’ve been too scared to ask her, especially right now.” He smiled. “Pull up a chair and tell me what you know.”

“No boss, you’re meant to tell us if you’ve remembered anything else,” Bear said. “Would you recognise the men if you saw them again?”

“No chance, they were all dressed up and wore fake white beards.” Hunter paused. There can’t be that many stores near the city centre hiring Santas can there?”

“Forty-seven Santas hired in the area, and ninety-six elves but only three stores hired three Santas to provide cover in shifts. Uniforms are going to interview the relevant store managers.”

“Elves!” Hunter exclaimed. “One of the Santas, the tallest one, said they’d had they’re tips stolen by an elf. He said he’d like to kill him.” Hunter moved and then grimaced in pain. 

“That’s interesting, because a guy dressed as an elf has been found dead in Castle Terrace car park,” Tim said.

“And Mrs Claus stole a car from Thomson’s Top Cars,” said Bear.

“Look, I can’t do anything about this here, but there’s something strange with all this. Could you find the connection for me? There must be one.”

“Must be one what, Hunter?” Ailsa Myerscough asked as she walked in. “Don’t get him too excited, Tim. I’m going to operate on that wrist later.” She smiled at Tim and Bear. “Staff nurse Jessica will be along to take you for premeds and so on shortly Hunter. Is there anything you want to ask?”

“Will I die?”

“It’s always a risk, but probably not. As I said, boys, no excitement.” Then, as quietly as she had arrived, Ailsa left to carry on with her work.  

“If there’s nothing else you can tell us, we’re off to see Jamie and Frankie at Thomson’s Top Cars,” Bear said. “We’ll do our best to find out what’s going on.”

“I don’t want your best. I just want you to solve these crimes. There’s too much Christmas in them for my liking.”

About Val Penny

Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store.

Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction books, and novels. Her novels are published by SpellBound Books Ltd.

Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat.

For more information about Val, visit her website or blog.  You’ll find Val on Goodreads, Twitter/X @valeriepenny, and Facebook.

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My enormous thanks to Victoria Bennett for arranging for All My Wild Mothers to be sent to me well over a year ago. With the paperback publication looming I thought it really was time I got round to reading All My Wild Mothers and sharing my review! I’m delighted to do that today.

All My Wild Mothers is out from Two Roads in paperback on 1st February 2024 and is available for purchase through the links here.

All My Wild Mothers

An intimate memoir of motherhood, herbal folklore All My Wild Mothers is more than just a memoir. It’s a handbook on survival, and a testimony to radical hope.

At seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett learns her sister has died in a canoeing accident. In that moment, her life changes.

Five years later, and struggling with the demands of motherhood, grief and full-time care, Victoria and her family move to a new social housing estate in rural Cumbria. Here, in the rubble of a former industrial site, she and her young son begin to grow a wild apothecary garden: daisy, for resilience; dandelion, for strength against adversity; sow thistle, to lift melancholy; and borage, to bring hope in dark and difficult times.

Stone by stone, seed by seed, they discover that sometimes life grows, not in spite what is broken, but because of it.

All My Wild Mothers is a profound exploration of grief, identity, and rediscovery; a testament that life and love persists, even when we think all is lost.

My Review of All My Wild Mothers

A memoir of plants and grief.

All My Wild Mothers is an astounding book. It’s as unlike a conventional memoir as can be possible and yet it provides the most perfect insight into the life and character of Victoria Bennett. 

The prose is simply beautiful. Weaving the past into a clear chronology as Victoria Bennett and her son create a wasteland garden, All My Wild Mothers is rich with detail, technicolour in vivid description and yet equally pared down and concise so that simple sentences convey the deepest emotions. Every sense is here between the pages of All My Wild Mothers, but somehow there isn’t a jarring note or an extraneous syllable to snag the profound and sensitive writing. It is as if Victoria Bennett has laid herself bare with exquisite skill and honesty.

All My Wild Mothers might initially be an intimate and affecting exploration of Victoria Bennett’s personal grief over lost children and her sister’s accidental death, and later, her mother’s passing, but it also has a universal quality too. The wonderful drawings, the botanical references and the iterative metaphor of the ability of both nature and humankind to rewild and regenerate all add up into a book that is felt every bit as much as it is read. 

Consequently, as well as raw grief there are so many identifiable and relatable situations and emotions here, from frustration to anger but equally there is hope, and deep, deep love – especially in the author’s relationship with her son. As a result All My wild Mothers gives the reader permission to identify and accept their own feelings and to understand themselves better even as they understand the author completely.

To any one of us who has lived, or grieved, or planted a seed or admired the tenacity of weeds, All My Wild Mothers is a siren call of hope. Reading it gives a sense of belonging, an understanding not only of the adaptability and resilience of Nature, but of human nature. Whatever the wastelands of our past, our relationships and the difficulties of our present situations, through sharing her story Victoria Bennett shows we can not just survive, but that, like a small lost seed, we can thrive. 

I thought All My Wild Mothers was a wonderful book. 

About Victoria Bennett

Victoria Bennett was born in Oxfordshire in 1971. A poet and author, her writing has previously received a Northern Debut Award, a Northern Promise Award, the Andrew Waterhouse Award, and has been longlisted for the Penguin WriteNow programme and the inaugural Nan Shepherd Prize for under-represented voices. She founded Wild Women Press in 1999 to support rural women writers in her community, and since 2018 has curated the global Wild Woman Web project, an inclusive online space focusing on nature, connection, and creativity. When not juggling writing, full-time care, and genetic illness, she can be found where the wild weeds grow. All My Wild Mothers is her debut memoir.

For further information, visit Victoria’s website, follow her on Twitter/X @VikBeeWyld and find Victoria on Instagram and Facebook.

My enormous thanks to Kirsten Knight at Exisle Publishing for bringing a huge smile to my face when she sent me the children’s book When Grandma Burnt Her Bra by Samantha Tidy and Aśka. I had meant to review some while ago but life got the better of me. However, it’s my pleasure to share my review today.

Published by EK Books on 23rd October 2023, When Grandma Burnt Her Bra is available for purchase here.

When Grandma Burnt Her Bra

When Grandma Burnt Her Bra uses humour to tell the story of feminism and women’s rights, exploring how, throughout history, both men and women have broken down barriers. The illustrations help convey, carefully and quirkily, the complex message that things were not always equal — and that they are not yet equal — which means that each generation faces the continued fight for equality. The call to action is to carry the flame forward. And best of all, this book has dinosaurs!

My Review of When Grandma Burnt Her Bra

Maggie’s grandma has a story to tell!

What a fantastic book! In common with other EK children’s books I’ve read the physical attributes are so pleasing, with a really strong cover that would make When Grandma Burnt Her Bra durable in any setting, be that home or school. There’s real attention to detail in the end papers giving a sensation of quality and I love the fact that there are teaching resources available to support the book on the EK website.

Indeed, When Grandma Burnt Her Bra would be brilliant for classroom use in primary education. The story has a female protagonist appealing to girls and the use of actual dinosaurs as a metaphor for attitudes will draw in boys too. The story would be brilliant for discussion work about equality – and perhaps even afford the opportunity to discuss identity with children not identifying as either male or female, as it challenges stereotypes strongly and effectively. Similarly, I could see research into female emancipation and voting with slightly older children.

There’s a smashing balance of text to image so that When Grandma Burnt Her Bra would be super for whole class sharing as well as for young independent readers. That said, there’s some new vocabulary to develop understanding and lexicon too.

With feminism, ambition and equality as major themes, When Grandma Burnt Her Bra might sound overly political and inappropriate for young readers. Not a bit of it. The text and illustrations are peppered with jokes and humour and there’s a real sense of family so that children can consider their place in the world in a fun and engaging manner.

I thought When Grandma Burnt Her Bra was smashing. It’s funny and entertaining for readers of all ages and I thoroughly recommend it.

About Samantha Tidy

Samantha Tidy is a writer of fiction and non-fiction for both children and adults. She seeks out stories that cultivate connection and resilience and that help build community. She believes strongly that books can help us imagine a better world for the next generation to inherit. She is passionate about libraries, sustainable stewardship of our planet and using hope, action and compassion to regenerate our future. Samantha’s previous titles include The Day We Built the Bridge (Midnight Sun Publishing, 2019) and Cloudspotting (Windy Hollow Books, 2023) among others.

For further information, visit Sam’s website or find her on Instagram and Facebook.

About Aśka

Aśka is an award‐winning visual storyteller, comics maker and science communicator. As a hugely engaging and popular presenter, Aśka is passionate about visual literacy. She has published more than ten books and graphic novels and is a recipient of several grants and fellowships.

Aśka’s illustrations are featured in previous EK Books titles My Storee, The Incurable Imagination and This is NOT a Book!

For further information, visit Aśka’s website and find her on Instagram and Facebook.

My grateful thanks to Komal Patel at Harper Collins for sending me a copy of The Skint Cook by Ian Bursnall in return for an honest review. I’m delighted to share that review today.

The Skint Cook will be published by Harper Collins on 18th January 2024 and is available for pre-order through the links here.

The Skint Cook

Top nosh, less dosh: over 80 affordably delicious recipes you will love

• Use up leftovers
• Knock out showstoppers
• Have cash to spare

From Friday night fake-aways to succulent Sunday roasts, The Skint Cook is all about feel-good food made with ingredients that are accessible at prices that are affordable.

There’s updates on classics, flavour combos to die for and new recipes that are about to become your go-to staples – alongside a showcase of thrifty tips and tricks that are ingeniously simple and incredibly effective.

Whether it’s swapping butter for margarine or turning leftover doughnuts into the bread pudding of your dreams, The Skint Cook shows you how to get resourceful and make your cooking affordably delicious.

My Review of The Skint Cook

A collection of inexpensive recipes. 

If I have one tiny quibble about The Skint Cook, it would be that, in common with just about every cook book I own, I’d like a little greater consistency in the number of people each recipe serves. Some recipes are for two, some for 2-3, some for four and so on. I think new cooks for whom The Skint Cook would be a fabulous starter book might benefit from all the recipes serving two with advice on how to increase the ingredients for more diners. 

That aside, from Ian Bursnall’s potted life history in the introduction throughout the rest of The Skint Cook there is a straightforward, pragmatic approach that means this is a cook book accessible to all. With opening sections on store cupboard basics and essential kitchen equipment or tips for getting children involved with cooking, and an ending giving conversion charts and oven timings, The Skint Cook would make a perfect handbook for a student going to university or someone setting up home for the first time. I really liked the sample menus too. The handwritten section headings and Ian’s scrawled notes all add to the authenticity of the book. 

The six sections of recipes are based on readily accessible ingredients and techniques that are clearly explained and easy to follow. Most ingredients are at the more economical end of the scale although some splash out a bit and there are some twists that add an extra dimension to traditional recipes. Quite honestly, it would never have occurred to me to add balsamic vinegar to a crumble! 

I thoroughly enjoyed the way the majority of the recipes are accompanied by mouth watering photographs and many of the entries have little insights into Ian Bursnall’s childhood or family life so that this is partly a biography as well as a cookery book. Another real strength in The Skint Cook for me was the sense of community, family and friendship underpinning the recipe choices. These are dishes that can be made easily but can be used to feed guests in a very pleasing manner.

Whilst anyone with a good knowledge of basic cooking won’t find any challenging recipes or particularly difficult techniques, The Skint Cook gives an entertaining grounding in economical, tasty and nutritious meals that will make catering for an individual, a couple or a family a pleasure. If you’ve someone in the family just starting out on a cooking adventure The Skint Cook is a cracking place for that journey to begin. 

About Ian Bursnall

Hailing from Leicester, Ian Bursnall – aka The Skint Roofer – competed in Jamie Oliver’s ‘Great Cookbook Challenge’ in 2022, where he won the judges over with his inventive twists on crowd-pleasing, budget-friendly recipes for all the family, such as ‘Pimped-up pigs in Blankets’ and ‘Donna’s Spuds: Roasties with Stilton’. Ever since his mum taught him to cook at 16, Ian’s passion has been to make cooking accessible, helping and encouraging people to understand flavours and feel confident in the kitchen.

For more information, find Ian on Instagram.

My enormous thanks to publicist Ruth Killick for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for The Glass Woman by Alice McIlroy. I’m delighted to share my review today.

The Glass Woman was published by Datura on 2nd January 2024 and is available for purchase here.

The Glass Woman

When you wake up without your memories, who can you really trust?

Iris Henderson wakes up in a hospital bed alone, with no memory of why or how she got there. Moments later, she is introduced to her husband Marcus, a man she does not even recognise. And things only get stranger from there.

Iris is told that she volunteered to be the first test-subject for a ground-breaking AI therapy, and that she is the pioneering scientist behind the experimental treatment.

Whilst everyone warns her to leave it alone, a confused Iris continually scratches beneath the surface of her seemingly happy marriage and successful career, setting a catastrophic chain of events in motion.

Secrets will be revealed that have the capacity to destroy her whole life, but Iris can’t stop digging…

My Review of The Glass Woman

Iris is in hospital with no memories.

Before my proper review of The Glass Woman, I feel compelled to comment on how the book is written as much as on what is written. Alice McIroy employs a fantastic style. Her writing is intelligent and nuanced, balanced with perfect poise between beautiful description that is visual and appealing, and stark, concise, taut prose that heightens tension. This sensation is enhanced by realistic speech, wonderful variety of sentence structure and length, and a meticulous vocabulary that is utterly convincing. All these elements combine so that The Glass Woman is edgy, sophisticated in style and heart-thumping to read. There’s also a physical and psychological claustrophobia as Iris finds herself in hospital, and then back home with Marcus, enhanced by the reduced number of characters in Iris’s life.

I found Iris a character who held my attention from the very beginning. She’s a wonderful example of imperfect humanity and the importance of retaining that imperfection. As Alice McIroy examines the concept of memory and its place in identity alongside the potential impact of AI and medicinal advance, the more terrifying the story becomes through Iris’s experiences. Iris truly is a glass woman who might just shatter emotionally or physically at any moment. I thought the changing pronoun from I to you as Iris is shown long lost memories was a stroke of genius because it illustrated the unreliability of memory and distanced the present Iris from her pre Ariel past self.

The plot of The Glass Woman simply races along. Short chapters that drip feed information to the reader in much the same way Iris is given details add pace and drama so that this becomes a narrative that is impossible to put down. I felt completely ensnared by Alice McIlroy’s story. It’s impossible to say too much about what happens as this will spoil the story for others, but if I say I had been unable to concentrate on reading for a while and found myself riveted by The Glass Woman, you’ll have an idea!

Part science-fiction, part horror, part drama and part psychological thriller The Glass Woman is a story that defies categorisation. Its themes resonate with dilemma, with thought-provoking consideration of the morality of medical advance in the world, and with compelling consideration of the self and how we define ourselves not just to others, but to ourselves too. 

All these aspects make The Glass Woman unsettling, darkly realistic, chilling and disturbingly plausible. The Glass Woman is a book that I read with an all pervading sensation of barely suppressed terror and rage as I learned about what had happened in Iris’s life. The story lingers long after it’s been read, challenging the reader’s own perceptions of morality and of what they’ve just read. In short, I thought The Glass Woman was an absolute triumph and possibly one of the best books you’ll read this year!

About Alice McIroy

Alice McIlroy was born in London. She graduated in English and has a post-graduate in Law. She completed Faber Academy’s novel-writing programme and has taught English in state schools in London and Milan. She has taught English in state schools in London and Milan. Her writing has been longlisted for the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction and Grindstone International Novel Prize. The Glass Woman is her debut novel.

For further information, follow Alice on Twitter/X @alice_mcilroy, find her on Instagram and Facebook or visit her website.

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My huge thanks to the lovely publicists at Orion for sending me a copy of The Paris Affair by Anton du Beke in return for an honest review. I’m delighted to share that review today.

(And I might just be stalking Anton to sign my copy on a cruise trip later in the spring!)

Already available in other formats, The Paris Affair will be released in paperback on 1st February 2024 and is available for pre-order through the links here.

The Paris Affair

March 1941. As the war rages on, the Buckingham Hotel has become a microcosm of the world. Its ballroom and restaurant are peopled with exiled royal families, politicians and dignitaries, but the beating heart of the Buckingham remains its hardworking, talented staff.

With the heroic Raymond de Guise away fighting in North Africa, his beloved wife Nancy must balance her new position in life- as Head of Housekeeping at the Buckingham, but also as a new mother to their child.

And all the while, mysterious new figures are beginning to take centre stage: a secretive new bandleader from across the Atlantic, an unknown thief pilfering luxury goods from the Buckingham’s larders, and a charismatic ghost from Raymond’s past, stirring up old memories from his time on the circuit in 1920s Paris.

As tensions flare and dark secrets rise to the surface, it’s all the Buckingham staff can do to retain their trademark elegance and poise…

My Review of The Paris Affair

The Buckingham Hotel is surviving the war. 

Not having read the previous books in this series it took me a while to familiarise myself with the various characters in The Paris Affair, their circumstances and their relationships with one another. If I’m brutally honest I was unsure if I would actually enjoy the story because there seemed so many people to meet. 

I needn’t have worried. The plot is certainly multi-faceted and layered with a large cast of characters that initially felt daunting, but with every page turned I was drawn into the narrative and by the end of The Paris Affair I found it had had quite an emotional impact, particularly because of Raymond and Annie. Annie is an important character in introducing light relief and humour as well as anxiety and realism. However, it was Nancy who felt most relatable to me, because she is a woman doing her best in adverse circumstances with a universality to her character I found pragmatic, endearing and relatable. 

There’s so much to absorb the reader, with real events and people introduced into Anton du Beke’s story to give it a feeling of authenticity, and the excitement and danger build convincingly throughout so that the denouement made my heart beat rather faster. There are some profound themes in The Paris Affair as well as an entertaining plot. National security, war, betrayal, duty, organised crime, identity and so on all swirl through the pages making for an intriguing read.

That said, with famous faces, glamorous evenings and a hedonistic atmosphere in the Buckingham ballroom presented so clearly through evocative and vivid descriptions, what works so well here is the prosaic, the ordinary. In The Paris Affair Anton du Beke explores how good people can do bad things but for positive reasons, and how family, friendship, support and loyalty can drive people apart as well as bring them together, so that there is much to ponder whilst enjoying the story. I loved the concept that whilst war rages and dreadful things are happening in the world, there are small comforts to be had at home. This is a message not just balancing the events in this narrative, but one much needed in today’s real world.

I thought the dance and musical aspects were wonderful, and very much what I would expect from this author, creating a sense of golden age glamour that is incredibly vivid. Having begun The Paris Affair slightly bewildered and a bit daunted by all the characters, I finished this smashing read feeling hugely engaged and entertained and believing it is crying out for a Sunday night television series. Now, having so enjoyed this story, all I need to do is read the other books in the series because I want to know more about the warm, realistic folk of the Buckingham Hotel.

About Anton du Beke

Anton Du Beke – the King of Ballroom, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ royalty, and household name – is one of this generation’s all-round entertainers. In 2018, he realised his boyhood ambition and published the first in a series of bestselling novels set in the 1930s world of the exclusive Mayfair hotel, The Buckingham.

A consummate storyteller adept at captivating audiences, he is now captivating readers as he whisks them away to worlds of dance, intrigue, high society and scandal… bringing the golden age of dance to life, page by page.

As Strictly’s longest running professional dancer, and now Judge, Anton is the perfect author to lead the reader to the dancefloor as never before.

For further information, visit Anton’s website, and find him on Twitter/X @TheAntonDuBeke and Facebook. You’ll also find Anton on Instagram.

It was my very great pleasure to meet Kate Storey just under a year ago at a bookish event so when Becky Hunter sent me a surprise copy of her debut in this genre, The Memory Library, I was delighted. I know it’s way too early, but I couldn’t wait any longer to shout about this book and it’s my absolute pleasure to share my review of The Memory Library today.

Published by Harper Collins’ imprint Avon on 1st February 2024, The Memory Library is available for pre-order through the links here.

The Memory Library

For forty-two years, Sally Harrison has been building a library.

Each year, on her daughter’s birthday, she adds a new book to her shelves – with a note in the front dedicated to her own greatest work.

But Ella – Sally’s only child – fled to Australia twenty-one years ago after a heated exchange, and never looked back. And though Sally still dutifully adds a new paperback to the shelves every time the clock strikes midnight on July 11th, her hopes of her daughter ever thumbing through the pages are starting to dwindle.

Then disaster strikes and Ella is forced to return to the home she once knew.

She is soon to discover that when one chapter ends, another will soon follow.

All you have to do is turn the page…

Journey through the pages of this heartwarming novel, where hope, friendship and second chances are written in the margins. Perfect for book lovers everywhere and fans of Sally Page’s The Keeper of Stories.

My Review of The Memory Library

Ella’s mother has had a fall.

Now, if you’re thinking of reading The Memory Library without a box of tissues close by, think again. Let me tell you, you’re going to need a boxful. This is a glorious story of the dynamics between Ella and her mother Sally, with a hint of mystery running through as we discover just why their relationship fractured in the first place.

Because much of The Memory Library revolves around the relationship between Sally and Ella there is an intense intimacy that heightens the impact on the reader. So many aspects of family relationships resonate with the reader, making this an almost visceral reading experience. What works so profoundly is the way Ella develops over the story. Whilst Sally’s life is undergoing the major change precipitating the accident that brings Ella home from Australia, she remains ironically constant like a kind of lode star. As a result, it is Ella who, always wanting to be Queen of the World, unyieldingly thinks she knows everything there is to know about Sally, and consequently it is Ella who finds herself in the greatest state of flux, change and self-awareness. The balance created by Kate Storey is simply wonderful as both women are gradually revealed to the reader and to one another in a convincing, relatable and affecting way. 

A wider supporting cast of characters adds humour, a sense of community and further layers to Sally and Ella’s personalities. Each one of these secondary people feels absolutely real, as if they could be living next door or could be encountered in the local library. Even Hadron the cat is as vivid as any human.

The central plot of The Memory Library is essentially simple – a daughter returns temporarily to take care of her mother following a fall. However, that belies the absolutely wonderful themes of the story, from prejudice and acceptance, through friendship, family, marriage and relationships of all kinds, to a deep and glorious celebration of books and reading. Reading The Memory Library is not only completely absorbing, but it is a healing, supportive book for the reader every bit as much as it is the story of Sally and Ella’s relationship. 

I loved everything about The Memory Library. I loved the concept of personal grief and difficulty hidden behind a public persona. I loved the understanding of loneliness both for those living alone and within relationships. I loved the concept that it’s never too late for healing and hope, especially with a little help from your friends. 

Written with humanity and deep emotion, Kate’s Storey’s The Memory Library is affecting and enlightening. Steeped in love of many kinds with a beautifully explored need for human connection, and an underpinning theme of books and literature, this is a story to break your heart and mend it again. I absolutely adored it!

About Kate Storey

Kate Storey started her career teaching English and Drama, and when she had her family, combined all three to write novels about family drama. Originally from Yorkshire, she now lives in a London suburb with her husband and two teenage daughters, so expects there’s plenty more drama to come.

Also writing as Lisa Timoney, you can find out more about Kate by visiting her website, finding her on Facebook and Instagram or following her on Twitter/X @LTimoneyWrites.