It’s my pleasure today to welcome William Keeling to stay in with me to chat about his writing. My thanks to Alan Jepson for putting us in touch with one another.

Staying in with William Keeling

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag William and 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? 

What can we expect from an evening in with Belle Nash and the Bath Circus (being the second volume of The Gay Street Chronicles)? A long night, but in a good way. Get the candles out.

I will!

Jeanette Winterson declares the book to be “Another triumph!”. Matthew Parris says, “There is a brilliance in The Gay Street Chronicles”.

Those are pretty good endorsements William!

I could have brought along the first volume, Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé but Bookaholic Bex has issued an UNMISSABLE BOOK ALERT on Twitter for Vol 2: “A masterpiece. Funny, clever and even more entertaining than the first one.”

Oo. I have a lot of respect for fellow blogger Bex!

With “unforgettable characters and a brilliant plot” (thank you, Bex), the Chronicles is a series of satirical-historical novels set in late Regency Bath. Imagine Tales of the City meets Jane Austen. The books are comic but do not shy away from the misogyny, racism and homophobia of the era.

“A real romp of a book – full of surprises!” said Alexander McCall Smith of the first volume, and the second is even better! I’ll leave the final word to N.J. Cooper, crime critic of the Literary Review: “Another moving, funny and shocking instalment of Belle Nash’s story. Unmissable.”

I have a feeling my towering TBR pile needs to get a bit taller. Both books sound great.

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I’ve brought along a Queen Anne silver toast rack. My late uncle, a former resident of Gay Street in Bath whose undiscovered manuscripts make up The Gay Street Chronicles, bequeathed me the toast rack. Like any decent, self-entitled, person, I only eat toast from a rack.

Well quite!

I’ve also brought along the tea cosy that Mr Quigley, the nonagenarian music master, used for his hat; and a bag of half-finished knitting left by the spinster Miss Prim. It includes her knitted Final Will & Testament. If you could provide the tea, I’ve made an array of finger sandwiches for us to enjoy whilst we tittle-tattle the evening away.

I can ALWAYS provide tea. There’s never a moment without a pot brewing in this house.

As for music. I have a recording of The Anonymous Lover, the sole surviving opera by Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799). The son of a French plantation owner and Nanon, an enslaved Senegalese woman, Saint-Georges was the leading composer, conductor, violinist, fencer and lover of his era in France. Largely forgotten, the genius Saint-Georges is a testament as to why we must combat bigotry if only to understand our own history. Mr Quigley also had the hots for Saint-Georges, so it would be remiss not to listen to the great man’s music.

Guests? Anyone who has a petticoat is welcome to attend – but how many petticoats should ladies wear? As many as they dare. There is, after all, nothing worse than a limp frock.

Ah – there you have me. I don’t think I possess a petticoat. However, I’ll sit in the corner and eat the sandwiches whilst you entertain the guests with tales of Gay Street. Thanks so much for staying in with me William. And good luck with the new book!

Belle Nash and the Bath Circus

When a souffle fails to rise, friends try to find out why and uncover a web of corruption that spreads throughout Bath’s legal system. Set in the early 1830s, this comic gay historical novel exposes the bigotry of the times but also introduces a new literary and moral hero-Belle Nash, city councillor and bachelor. About time!

Belle Nash and the Bath Circus is available for purchase here.

About William Keeling

William Keeling is a former foreign correspondent of the Financial Times best known for exposing a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal in Nigeria. Accused of being a CIA spy by the Nigerian government, he was arrested, interrogated, and summarily deported. Alarmed by real world horrors, William turned to fiction with The Gay Street Chronicles, a series of satirical-historical novels. William lives and writes in Bath.

For further information about William, visit his website and follow him on Twitter @TheGayStreetCH1 or find him on Instagram. There’s a Facebook page too!

My enormous thanks to the lovely team at Sweet Cherry publishing for sending me a surprise copy of 100 First Words Exploring Our Planet illustrated by Kathryn Selbert. I’m delighted to share my review today.

100 First Words Exploring Our Planet was published by Sweet Cherry on 3rd August 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

100 First Words Exploring Our Planet

Let’s explore our world!

With fun words and vibrant illustrations, this 100 First Words book is the perfect resource to help young children develop their early language and communication skills.

The vocabulary encourages readers to explore and observe the world around them, and learn all about the animals, plants and people on our wonderful planet.

My Review of 100 First Words Exploring Our Planet 

An ecological first vocabulary book.

What a charming book. Firstly, I must comment on the strong, robust physical attribute of 100 First Words Exploring Our Planet because it is a book that will withstand much handling, making it excellent value for money in any setting. 

The vocabulary is well chosen and grouped effectively, with not just words associated with nature, the weather, animals and food, but there are activities like running, jumping, reading and playing that are relatable for all children with jobs and families included too. I loved the inclusion of words like ‘helping’, ‘hugging’ and ‘sharing’ that create positivity too. There’s an engaging activity to find items listed at the end of the book.

However, it is the glorious illustration that truly makes 100 First Words Exploring Our Planet a lovely picture book for young children. Whilst the style is naïve so that children will love it, items are completely recognisable. I thought it was so important to have a range of ethnicity represented in the people too so that the book feels inclusive. 

I’m highly impressed by 100 First Words Exploring Our Planet because it is jam packed with variety and interest across a range of topics and can be used beyond the original intention of expanding a child’s vocabulary; for example, by supporting numeracy as children count how many sheep or cherries they can see, or by increasing oracy as children speak about which of the activities they enjoy the most. It’s a cracker of an early vocabulary picture book and I highly recommend it. 

About Kathryn Selbert

Kathryn Selbert is a freelance illustrator currently living in New York City with her French bulldog, Margot. She earned her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and now happily creates illustrations for children, pattern, greeting cards, stationery and events. Her work is inspired by the people she meets in her everyday life, our colourful world, flora and fauna and having fun.

For further information, visit Kathryn’s website follow her on Twitter @kathrynselbert or find her on Instagram. 

I’ve had Tiny Pieces of Enid by Tim Ewins calling to me from my TBR for months and I’m delighted finally to be able to share my review today. My enormous thanks to Simon Edge for sending Tiny Pieces of Enid to me all those months ago. I’m still playing catch up with reviews after a relatives busy time of late!

Tiny Pieces of Enid was published by Lightning Books on 9th May 2023 and is available for purchase here. 

Tiny Pieces of Enid

Enid isn’t clear about much these days. But she does feel a strong affinity with Olivia, a regular visitor to her dementia home in a small coastal town. If only she could put her finger on why.

Their silent partnership intensifies when Enid, hoping to reconnect with her husband Roy, escapes from the home. With help from an imaginary macaw, she uncovers some uncomfortable truths about Olivia’s marriage and delves into her own forgotten past.

A deeply touching story of love, age and companionship, evoking the unnoticed everyday moments that can mean the world to the people living them, Tim Ewins’ second novel will delight fans of his acclaimed debut, We Are Animals.

My Review of Tiny Pieces of Enid

Enid is in a dementia care home.

Tiny Pieces of Enid is exquisite. The way Tim Ewins writes ensnares the reader immediately, drawing them in to the narrative and mesmerising them with both gentleness and razor-sharp observation. I loved the fairly fragmentary structure of the chapters because this fits the way Enid’s mind works and how her memories present themselves. 

Enid could be any one of us. In a sense, her story is a prosaic one and as her memory fails, she succumbs to life in her care home. She has lived a relatively ordinary life and her dementia is recognisable to so many of us. But that doesn’t describe the warm, sensitive and humane insight Tim Ewins has and nor does it convey the beautiful, convincing and heart-breaking manner with which he uncovers Enid’s personality and experiences to the reader. Certainly there’s a quietness in the narrative, but there are times of high drama too that affect the reader so deeply. There’s something unquantifiable about the profound impact Tiny Pieces of Enid has and how meeting Enid, and Olivia, shines a light onto human nature and the realities behind so many seemingly ordinary lives. 

As the characters are relatively few in number and much of the action takes place in just a couple of settings, Tiny Pieces of Enid has an intimacy that enhances the themes of family and relationships, of physical and mental health, of love and warmth as well as of control and violence. The book is so convincing that it is hard to imagine that Enid, Olivia et al are not real people. They permeated my thoughts and I found myself wondering what was happening to them when I wasn’t reading the book. I lived their lives alongside them. I thought the balance of Enid and Roy’s lives compared with Olivia and David’s in the sub-plot was perfect. There are echoes and similarities between them all that I thought were utterly compelling but to say more is to spoil the read for others.

Tiny Pieces of Enid is not merely a good book. It is, rather, a truly magnificent one. It’s a book that touches the reader, heart and soul. I thought it was magnificent because it is imbued with love and compassion – and what more could we aspire to or need in life? I absolutely adored it.

About Tim Ewins

Alongside his accidental career in finance, Tim Ewins performed in stand-up comedy for eight years. He also had a very brief acting stint (he’s in the film Bronson, somewhere in the background) before turning to writing fiction. His first novel, We Are Animals, was published by Lightning Books in 2021. He lives with his wife, son and dog near Bristol.

For further information, follow Tim on Twitter @EwinsTim or find Tim on Facebook.

I know, I know! I’m a few years late getting round to reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. I was sent a proof well before publication, but never had chance to read it. Consequently, when the book appeared on a list of potential reads for the U3A book group to which I belong, I chose it along with another group member and it was this month’s read.

Published in paperback by Harper Collins in 2018, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is available for purchase through the links here.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than…. fine?

My Review of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor’s life is about to change.

I have been desperate to read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine since its publication but somehow never quite managed it.

I confess that initially I was a little underwhelmed by Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, but the more I read, the more I was drawn into the narrative until I realised what a brilliant technique Gail Honeyman had employed. My response to Eleanor was exactly the response her co-workers have to her – that she’s somewhat unremarkable – and it isn’t until the story unfolds, the true Eleanor emerges and her past is uncovered, that the impressive impact is revealed. I thought this was such skilful writing.

The plot seems relatively simple as Eleanor describes her daily life, but gradually, as the narrative progresses, we discover Eleanor’s past is incredibly dramatic and is the reason for her life being as it is. And that’s one of the most important themes of the story for me – the demonstration that we never truly know what others have experienced or what they have dealt with. There’s a surprising depth to the story that I simply wasn’t expecting.

Eleanor’s first person voice is clear, intelligent and witty. As she learns more about social niceties, we learn more about her, so that she takes on a satisfying credence. Having felt rather indifferent to Eleanor to begin with, I ended the book absolutely invested in her and her potential for future happiness. 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine tackles important themes in today’s society, with loneliness, mental health, friendship and the need for companionship resonant to the extent the reader begins to question their own attitudes to others similar to Eleanor. I found the book thought-provoking as well as entertaining. 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine turned out not to be the book I was expecting to read and it took me a while to adjust my mindset. Once I had, I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. 

About Gail Honeyman

Gail Honeyman’s debut novel, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, won the Costa First Novel Award 2017, the British Book Awards Book of the Year and the Specsavers National Book Awards Popular Fiction Book of the Year.

Since publication, translation rights have sold to over thirty territories worldwide, Reese Witherspoon has optioned it for film and it was chosen as one of the Observer’s Debuts of the Year for 2017. Gail was also awarded the Scottish Book Trust’s Next Chapter Award in 2014, and has been longlisted for BBC Radio 4’s Opening Lines and shortlisted for the Bridport Prize.

Gail lives in Glasgow.

For further information, visit Gail’s website or follow her on Twitter @GailHoneyman.

It’s been an exciting time of late, putting together fiction pages for for My Weekly and People’s Friend print magazine but today I’m delighted to share detail of another of my online My Weekly reviews, this time of The Dive by Sara Ochs.

Published by Penguin on 20th July 2023, The Dive is available for purchase through the links here.

The Dive

Escape to paradise.
Scuba diving instructor Cass leads her students out for their first dive off the beautiful coast of Koh Sang, Thailand’s world-famous party island. It’s supposed to be a life-changing experience, but things quickly spiral out of control…

Leave your secrets behind.
By the time she gets back to the shore, one of her students is dead, another badly injured, and she knows that her idyllic life is about to be smashed to pieces on the rocks.

But don’t get lost for ever…
Because someone is making sure that backpackers never leave paradise – one murder at a time. And Cass has a feeling she might be next…

My Review of The Dive

My full review of The Dive can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that it’s no wonder The Dive is billed as the debut thriller of 2023.  It’s fast paced, claustrophobic and a cracking read – unless you were thinking of attending a dive school in Thailand in which case, go somewhere else!

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here..

About Sara Ochs

A self-admitted travel addict, Sara Ochs has built a life around visiting beautiful and sometimes dangerous destinations. While learning to scuba dive on a remote island off the coast of Thailand, Sara heard that two backpackers had recently been murdered not far from her hotel. Horrified that something so terrible could happen in such an idyllic location, she knew she had found the inspiration for her debut novel, The Dive.

As well as being an author, Sara is an attorney and law professor, who splits her time between the United States and Sweden.

For more information, find Sara on Instagram or follow her on Twitter @OchsWrites.

Having stayed in with Lizzy Barber here on Linda’s Book Bag to celebrate her previous novel, Out of Her Depth, I’d have loved to participate in the blog tour for Lizzy’s latest book, Nanny Wanted, but I’m taking time out from blogging for most of August to celebrate my husband’s birthday, for the family celebrations for my Mum’s 90th birthday and to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.

However, slightly earlier than might have been planned, I’m delighted to share my review of Nanny Wanted today.

Nanny Wanted is published by Pan Macmillan on 17th August 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Nanny Wanted

A remote Cornish mansion. The perfect couple. And the deadly secrets that bind them.

When Lily finally leaves her toxic relationship, a job as a nanny at Kewney Manor seems like the perfect solution. There, she can cut herself off from her old life, and never have to see him again.

The Rowes seem like a model family, and Lily falls instantly in love with her new home. But she can’t help feeling that something isn’t quite right. Why will nobody tell her about the nanny who came before her? Where does Laurie go at night? And what does Charles really want?

As Lily becomes increasingly entangled in the Rowes’s lives, she realizes that the perfect family may not be all that they seem. And as much as she fears the past she is running from, perhaps the present is where the real danger lies . . .

My Review of Nanny Wanted

Lily needs a new job.

Nanny Wanted is a cracking read that delves deeply into the psychology of who we are and what we are capable of doing, wrapped into an entertaining domestic noir thriller that grips the reader. It reminded me of a modern day Daphne du Maurier with a similar underlying darkness that I found captivating.

The plot is so well balanced as Lily finds herself inserted into life in Kewney Manor. Lizzy Barber depicts her settings both beautifully and vividly so that Nina’s ordinary life of looking after Bess and William contrasts perfectly with the unsettling, volatile sections relating to her interactions with Laurie and Charles. This creates tension and drama so that I found myself suspecting even the most innocent comment or action. 

Indeed, there’s an atmosphere of claustrophobia and threat in Nanny Wanted that leaves the reader on edge the whole time they are reading – a sense that something dark and wicked is approaching inexorably. I thought the title was brilliant because there is a vacancy for a nanny, but similarly it’s as if there’s something left uncovered or unsaid, as in nanny wanted to… which makes the reader’s imagination run riot! 

I loved the characterisation. Lily is by no means an innocent bystander and some of her actions made me rail against her and yet Lizzy Barber still managed to make me fascinated by what happened to her and to ensure I was on Lily’s side throughout – not least because her relationship with Nick prior to arriving in Cornwall throws light on her behaviour. 

The themes of Nanny Wanted are dark and compelling. Lizzy Barbour looks at nature and nurture, at coercive and toxic relationships, at identity and mental health, all woven into a narrative that feels intelligent and plausible. 

Nanny Wanted is deliciously dark and disturbing. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to read just one more page, and then another… I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

About Lizzy Barber

Lizzy Barber studied English at Corpus Christ College, Cambridge University. After ‘previous lives’ acting and working in film development, she is now the Head of Brand and Marketing for a restaurant group, working with her brother, a restaurateur.

Her debut novel, My Name is Anna / A Girl Named Anna (US), is the winner of the Daily Mail First Novel Competition. Out Of Her Depth was published in the UK and US in 2022 and was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. TV & Film Rights have been optioned by Sony Pictures. Nanny Wanted will be published in August 2023.

Lizzy lives in London with her husband, George, food writer and strategy consultant, and their son, Marlowe.

You can follow Lizzy on Twitter @ByLizzyBarber and Instagram or visit her website for further information.

I’ve had The Unforgiven Dead by Fulton Ross on my TBR for some time and am desperate to get to it. However, having heard such brilliant things about it and with today being The Unforgiven Dead publication day, I simply had to invite Fulton onto Linda’s Book Bag to tell me all about it.

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Fulton Ross

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

 Hi Linda, thanks for having me along!

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

I’ve brought along my debut novel, The Unforgiven Dead, which is published by Inkshares today! It is also one of five novels shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, which I’m immensely proud about.

I imagine you are! Happy publication day Fulton and very well done on the nomination. So, tell me a bit about The Unforgiven Dead and how it came into being?

Thanks, Linda. The book came about through a collision of my love for Tartan Noir with the Highland folktales of my childhood. It’s set in the Scottish west highlands, and follows constable Angus ‘Dubh’ MacNeil, ‘dubh’ being Gaelic for black and pronounced ‘do’.

I’m glad you explained that! What’s Angus like?

As his name suggests, Angus is a fairly tortured character who harbours a painful secret. He is a taibhsear, which is Gaelic for someone who has the second sight. But rather than a gift, this is a curse he’s had to bear since childhood when he ‘saw’ his mother’s brutal murder but was unable to prevent it. Subsequent murders followed as he grew older, all of which he tried, but ultimately failed, to stop happening. Eventually, it all became too much, and when we first meet Angus he is self-medicating with anti-psychotic drugs in order to stifle his gift.

But the drugs don’t work, to coin a phrase and there’s been another murder. The victim is the daughter of an American billionaire who owns the fictional Kilcreggan estate and has caused controversy with his plan to reintroduce wolves. The murder itself echoes a pagan threefold death ritual. The victim is also discovered holding a corp-creadha—which is Gaelic for clay corpse. Essentially it’s a Highland voodoo doll. 

Wow. That all sounds fantastic. I really MUST read The Unforgiven Dead as soon as I can. Tell me more.

That’s the set-up, but what makes the book a little different from other crime novels is that we essentially have two investigations progressing at the same time—the rational police investigation led by the Major Investigation Team, and a supernatural investigation, led by Angus’s friend and mentor Dr Gillesbuig MacMurdo, known to us as Gills. And as these two investigations play off one another, the reader should be asking is the killer a who or a what. Angus himself is torn by this question, but ultimately he must embrace his dubious gift or watch more murders unfold. 

The Unforgiven Dead sounds very dramatic Fulton.

Just saying all this, I’m suddenly aware the book sounds a bit bleak, what with the tortured protagonist and ritualistic murders! But there’s also plenty of dry Scottish humour in there to add some light to the darkness.   

That’s good to hear. So, can you explain a bit about the title of the novel?

Certainly! The first thing to say is that it’s nothing to do with zombies! The Unforgiven Dead is actually a malevolent fairy host that appears in various Highland folktales. They’re known as the Sluagh in Gaelic, which translates into English as The Unforgiven Dead. Although described as fairies—Tinkerbell they aint! They are birdlike in appearance, often compared to a flock of starlings, but have leathery wings and wide gaping mouths. They appear around twilight, always from the west, and scour the skies searching for souls to steal. Usually, they target folk on their deathbeds or women in the throes of giving birth, although they’re not adverse to ‘lifting’ the odd child. Up until fairly recently there was a custom in the Outer Hebrides and Highlands of closing west facing windows and doors when someone was on their deathbed to prevent the Sluagh snatching the invalid’s soul. 

Crikey! It sounds as if considerable research has gone into the book? 

Absolutely, and so much of that research is merely background that informed the book rather than information that went into it. I studied Scottish history and Scottish literature at university, so they research side of things is something I love. That said, you have to be careful not to fall down too many rabbit holes! 

I bet you do. Many authors tell me that the majority of their research never finds its way into their books. But The Unforgiven Dead is your debut.  Tell me about your journey to publication.

It’s been a long and at times painful one! I started writing The Unforgiven Dead seven years ago, but my break came in 2018 when it was chosen by Inkshares as a winner of its crime and mystery contest. Inkshares in a Californian publisher, but they are launching a UK imprint this year which is being spearhead by two novels – mine and Unnatural Ends by a fantastic writer called Christopher Huang. I’m pretty thrilled that Inkshares is putting so much faith in me! I’ve been working with a great editor there since 2018, and my aim across the many, many drafts of The Unforgiven Dead was to leveraged the brooding Highland landscape as the backdrop for a grounded supernatural thriller that pushed the boundaries of the genre. 

I think The Unforgiven Dead sounds amazing. Given what you’ve told me about it I’m slightly nervous to ask this but what else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

 

I’ve brought along a bottle of Talisker whisky. Angus, and my favourite character in the novel, Gills, are often sitting around discussing the case while having a wee dram of Talisker.

We’ll pour some in a minute Fulton!

The other item I’ve brought is this book – The Gaelic Otherworld, by John Gregorson Campbell.

This collection of folktales and customs was hugely important when writing The Unforgiven Dead. Campbell was a minister on the island of Tiree, and also a renowned folklorists. During the 1850s he travelled around the Western Islands and Highlands collecting these tales and customs, which until then would never have been recorded as they were essential passed down orally from generation to generation. One of the themes of my book is how centuries of government attempts to tame the ‘wild Highlands’ has decimated Gaelic language and culture. Without the likes of Campbell many of these tales and customs would have been lost forever. 

It sounds to me Fulton, that you are about to establish yourself very firmly into a new tradition of such writing. Thank you so much for staying in with me to chat all about The Unforgiven Dead. I think I’m going to love it. Now, you pour a couple of whiskies and I’ll give readers a few more details about this fabulous sounding debut:

 The Unforgiven Dead

You could have saved her. 

Sure as the tide against his Highland shores, the refrain beats into Constable Angus ‘Dubh’ MacNeil’s mind. For years it has haunted him, accompanied by the faces of those he could not save—the Burned Man, the Strangled Woman, the Drowned Boy. All witnesses to a secret he cannot share and a gift he now refuses to embrace.

You could have saved her. The refrain drives Angus to the seashore at dawn, where a girl lies on the unblemished sand. She wears a green cloak and cradles a corps creadha, a Highland voodoo doll. She has suffered a ritualistic, three-fold death—her head bludgeoned, her throat cut, and symbolically drowned.

It is Faye Chichester, daughter of an American billionaire whose mission to reintroduce wolves to the Highlands has embroiled the village of Glenruig. But even as media and police swarm the area, that refrain—you could have saved her—echoes in all Angus’s thoughts. For he carries a burden, a blessing, a curse, a secret—dà-shealladh, the second sight of Gaelic lore.

Gills MacMurdo, noted folklorist, academic, and Angus’s oldest friend, confirms what the dà-shealladh is warning. Just as Faye’s death was three-fold, so must the murder victims fulfil the ancient pattern. More will die, unless Angus does what he must—close his eyes and see.

Published today,  27th July 2023, The Unforgiven Dead is available for purchase via your local bookshop, on Amazon and directly from the publisher here.

 About Fulton Ross

Fulton Ross is an author, journalist, and former shinty player originally from Fort William in the Scottish Highlands.

Having worked as a sub-editor, reporter, and occasional columnist for regional and national newspapers, he now splits his time between writing and acting as an unpaid chauffeur for his three children.  

A graduate in Scottish history and literature from Glasgow University, his writing reflects this interest in folklore, mythology, history, and Gaelic culture.

The Unforgiven Dead is his debut novel.

Fulton now lives in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with his family and two annoying cats named May and June.  

For further information, follow Fulton on  Twitter: @FultonLRoss.

My enormous thanks to Kate Straker at Atlantic Books for sending me a surprise copy of The Lodgers by Eithne Shortall. I’m delighted to share a review of The Lodgers today.

The Lodgers is published on 27th July 2023 by Corvus and is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

The Lodgers

One house. Three strangers. A second chance at happiness.

Tessa’s life as an activist and volunteer worker takes a hit after a fall. At the ripe young age of 69, she’s no longer able to live alone and decides to take in two lodgers for free.

After the recent death of his brother, Conn is riddled with grief and determined to make amends. A free room seems too good to be true – until he meets the other lodger.

Chloe arrives at Tessa’s house to deliver a package and leaves with a room. But she takes an instant dislike to Conn, who refuses to say where he disappears to at night.

With everyone so busy keeping their own secrets, the mysterious package is forgotten. It’s addressed to Tessa’s daughter who’s been missing for 10 years – and only the contents have the answer to what happened…

My Review of The Lodgers

Tessa’s under pressure to sell her rambling home.

The Lodgers is absolutely wonderful and I could not have enjoyed it more.

What I so enjoyed about The Lodgers is that the dramatic events that shape the novel and affect the characters so deeply have mainly already occurred but resonate through the rest of their lives in ways Eithne Shortall portrays with incredible humanity, realism and sensitivity. The Lodgers is a book that really touches the heart and it is no exaggeration to say that I have chosen a paragraph towards the end of the book to be read at my funeral – not that I intend that happening just yet!

That might make The Lodgers sound maudlin but that assessment couldn’t be further than the truth. Certainly it considers some darker themes but I laughed aloud on so many occasions, particularly when Malachy was involved, and the story is infused with love, family, a sense of home and belonging that make it completely uplifting and beautiful.

I thought the setting of the book totally enhanced the story because places are minimal and therefore intimate. Most of the action revolves around the community centre and Hope House, making them feel every bit as much characters as the people. There’s a real sense of community and the clear message that we might have individual capacity, but we are stronger together with others.

And what people they are between the pages of The Lodgers. They could not have been more vividly presented, more appealing and more loveable – even (or perhaps especially) the rogues like Reggie. I loved the fact that Tessa is approaching 70 because she embodies the concept that older people are equally as valid as younger ones. I was completely smitten with Conn because he is himself – there’s no great brooding, sullen hero who makes a miraculous change, but rather his personality and the reasons for his actions are gradually uncovered with complete empathy. Chloe, of course, is an absolute star and again a catalyst for both humour and tragedy, illustrating how closely aligned those two concepts can be.

The Lodgers is the kind of book that is effortless to read, totally compelling and completely uplifting and heart-warming. It epitomises light in darkness, and positivity in adversity that restores the reader’s faith in humanity and the world around them. It’s a total tonic for the heart and I adored it.

I have no idea why I haven’t discovered Eithne Shortall’s writing previously, but I’m off to devour everything she’s ever written. I’m an instant fan.

About Eithne Shortall

Eithne Shortallis an author, journalist and occasional broadcaster. Her debut novel, Love in Row 27, was a major Irish bestseller, and the follow-up, Grace After Henry, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards and won Best Page Turner at the UK’s Big Book Awards. Her third novel, Three Little Truths, was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick.

For further information, visit Eithne’s website, follow her on Twitter @eithneshortall or find Eithne on Instagram.

I can’t believe how long it is since lovely Nicola May stayed in with me here on Linda’s Book Bag. Nicola’s success has gone from strength to strength and it gives me enormous pleasure to join in with the cover reveal for Nicola’s latest book, A Holiday Romance in Ferry Lane Market, organised by Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources.

Publishing on 24th October 2023, A Holiday Romance in Ferry Lane Market is available for pre-order on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Let’s find out more:

A Holiday Romance in Ferry Lane Market

When soap actor Sabrina Swift loses her way due to a public scandal, she packs up her life, heads to Cornwall and randomly finds herself running a Christmas gift shop in the quaint and quirky Ferry Lane Market.

Changing her looks and identity to keep her anonymity, the newcomer starts to make friends and enemies as she walks a frosty path in the established community.

And as rumours start circling that the outside market is going to be shut down, Sabrina is not only ensconced in an unexpected love triangle but is also faced with a difficult decision that could alter both her life and those of the inhabitants of Hartmouth forever.

Charming characters and a beautifully written setting make for a delightful and uplifting tale that explores themes of self-discovery, belonging and the importance of following your heart.

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I think that sounds just lovely!

About Nicola May

Nicola May is a rom-com superstar. She is the author of sixteen romantic comedies, all of which have appeared in the Kindle bestseller charts. Two of them won awards at the Festival of Romance, and another was named ebook of the week in The Sun. The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay became the best-selling Kindle book in the UK, across all genres, in January 2019, and was Amazon’s third-bestselling novel in that year.

You can find out more by visiting Nicola’s website, finding her on Instagram and Facebook and following her on Twitter @nicolamay1. All of Nicola’s books can be found here.