The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

 

British actress Mia Eliot has arives in sunny Los Angeles to put a humiliating breakup behind her and audition for a major role in a movie. Her agent lined up other readings for Mia as nothing is promised when auditioning. 

During an audition to read for a television show Mia meets Emily Bryant, an aspiring actress whom she feels an immediate connection. As they chat during a break, Emily's script reading comes up next and she realizes her meter will run out for her rental car. She offers to let Mia go ahead of her. Mia doesn't want to go ahead as she's still preparing.  Unbelievably,  Emily gives Mia her wallet and car keys so she can feed to parking meter. Who does that? Here is where the mystery and disappearance play in.

With the sudden disappearance of Emily intruding on Mia's  thoughts she knows she must banish them while auditioning for this role of a lifetime. The setting of the movie is years before cell phones and war so she closes her eyes and forces herself back to Edwardian England, Covent Garden and immerses herself in the part. I like the descriptions of the auditions.

Once Mia calls the police and reports Emily missing I would think that would be the end of it.  In real life it probably would be but in this story Mia goes the extra mile to find out what happened to Emily. Creepy things happen after this point such as items missing or moved in her apartment. There is a sinister element to this amateur investigation and things start to fall into place at the 80% mark.  The ending has a chilling scene as well.

If you are interested in more by Ms. Steadman check out Mr. Nobody on a previous post. In addition to authoring several novels she is also a successful actress appearing in The Tudors, Downton Abbey and Mansfield Park to name a few.

Much thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  Publication date is June 8, 2021 by Random House Publishing -  Ballentine. Genre is Mystery, thriller, general fiction. Opinions and thoughts regarding this book are all mine; I was not compensated for this review.

I will be starting Something in the Water next.  That's the only other Catherine Steadman novel I have not read

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman

Dr. Emma Lewis is a 30 year old neuropsychiatrist living in London. She is offered the case of a lifetime, one which could make her career.  A well respected doctor in her field offers her the case of Mr. Nobody.  The man was found on a beach, drenched to the skin and having no apparent memory of who he is or where he is from. Could this be an actual rare case of fugue?

If you recall, back in 2005 there was a similar real case called The Piano Man, the circumstances of his case very similar and probably (in my opinion) gave our author the inspiration for this story. True story you may read by clicking the hyperlink above.

By page 76 the plot dances around a previous incident with Emma and her family, one so bad her family needed to be relocated and given new identities. As a reader I think it would have been better to reveal what her horrific experience was much earlier in the book. You learn why at page 200+

Anyway, she decides, against her brother`s advice, to return to Norfolk as it is a  career changing case. Also weird was a government agency did an intense background check on her, knows her identity and why she left Norfolk 14 years ago.  Lots of mystery about the government agency and what happened to Emma and her family. She was required to sign a confidentiality contract before proceeding. Hmmm…..they must know or suspect something about this Mr. Nobody.

I ask, if they wanted HER in particular why not relocate the man with fugue to a London hospital where Emma Lewis is working and reduce risk of her former identity revealed near her childhood home? Logical question.

The psychological mystery does wrap up with a few twists that were nicely incorporated.  The mystery man knows so much about Emma already although they’d never met.You have to suspend disbelief on some scenes, I wont give spoilers, but it is a decent enough mystery to make me look for her other publications.  This one is her second book.

Coming up next is a review of her latest book The Disappearing Act.

Catherine Steadman is an actress based in North London, UK, and the author of Something in the Water. She has appeared in leading roles on British television as well as on stage in the West End. In 2016, she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Oppenheimer. She is best known in the United States for her role as Mabel Lane Fox in Downton Abbey.

Sharing with Joy for British Isles Friday

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A Place Like Home by Rosamunde Pilcher

 

If you are a fan of Rosamund's Pilcher's previous novels and short stories you will love this collection. She is a breath of fresh air with the timeless stories and the lovely settings in Scotland, Northumberland and Cornwall.

Fifteen stories with a bit of romance, some with personal relationship conundrums and interspection.  My favorite books remain The Shell Seekers and Coming Home, I highly recommend those large books.  

Each short story is preceded by a sketch along with the title. The romance story lines are not long and complicated, rather the attractions and commitments happen quite quickly. There are stories of loneliness as well and Pilcher brings the emotions to life on the page. 

I recommend this book for a quick read and one that will take you armchair traveling to a different time period.  A gentler kinder depiction of a lifestyle in the British Isles long before a pandemic. 

Publication date is July 27, 2021 by St. Martin's Press. Genre general fiction; romance; women's fiction

Much thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review and all opinions expressed here are mine.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

The Vines by Shelley Nolden

The setting is North Brother Island in New York.  This place actually exists and you find some interesting information online about the medical facility there as well as info about Mary Mallon, aka Typhoid Mary.  The author incorporated Mary Mallon in as a character who is quarantined at the facility due to her perceived illness.  She interacts with our main character Cora. 

 

The story involves generations of doctors in the Gettler family and spans over a 100 year period. There is more of a horror element to the experimentation the doctors perform on Cora and through it all, Cora lives alone on this island for decades. Cora's blood has qualities which make her immune to disease. Medical ethics are certainly in question here.

The back and forth chapters in the different timeframes was confusing at first.  The book starts with Finn Gettler sneaking onto the island and seeing Cora.  He is well aware of his father and grandfather's medical research but he doesn't know of the heinous experiments performed on this woman. There are surprises about Finn's family and while I did finish the book, there were some times I almost made it a DNF and moved on.

If you are engaged with the story then you'll be pleased to know there will be a followup book.  I personally won't be looking to continue the storyline.  

Publication date is March 23, 2021 by Freiling Publishing. Genre: historical fiction; mystery; thriller

Much thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review and all opinions expressed here are mine.

Sharing with Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2021 Historical Fiction Reading challenge. 

The Dilemma by B. A. Paris

 

This book could have  been 200 pages shorter. In my opinion, the entire sequence of events could’ve been summed up in a short story and you would not have been left wanting more. It's important to state the IMO straight away as I am definitely in the minority on this.  I see many 4 and 5 star reviews but I am going with a solid 2 and a half.

Livia  and Adam are a couple married  for 20+ years. Livia  seems like a self-absorbed woman with loads of low self esteem. She’s been planning her 40th birthday party ever since she felt robbed of a big wedding back when she became pregnant with her son. Her parents did not approve of having a child out of wedlock and cut her out of their lives. The big wedding her mother promised her suddenly disappeared and so she planned, back when she was newly married, to have her “ big day” on her 40th. That's a long time to nurse a grudge because she felt slighted by her parents.

The other storyline woven in concerns Livia and Adam's daughter Marnie. She is studying in Hong Kong. Unbeknownst to Livia she is secretly flying home to London so she can be at her mothers 40th birthday party. 

Adam knows his daughter is flying back and what flight she will be on and so, when he hears about a deadly crash on a flight she was supposed to be on, he is obviously concerned. But does he tell his wife? Oh noooo. He doesn’t want to ruin her party. No seriously. A birthday party with 100 people, catered and costing who knows how much money.  Adam has to be sure Marnie was actually on the flight because if she was, she did not survive.

The title Dilemma refers to Adam and Livia keeping a secret from one another.  After the party they each plan to tell the other the secrets they are holding.  For Adam, it's Marnie is missing and presumed dead. Livia's secret also involves her daughter but it's about an affair and more involving Marnie and someone they know. They don't talk to each other!  That's the big thing here.  Each one going over their worries alone and planning when to share with each other. Bah...

This author had been getting good reviews for her book Behind Closed Doors so I thought I would start with this one when the library got it in. Perhaps I will try Paris' other novel but I won't be rushing to the bookstore to grab it.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday as the setting is England and B.A. Paris is a British author.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

 

This book description and beginning had me convinced this was a predictable plot, yet it surprised me with a serious turn of events.  In the beginning we have David and Dannie, a successful young Jewish couple who have a five year plan and are supportive of one another in career goals. Danie is a successful attorney and knows, in her well detailed timeline, when she and David will become engaged and when they will marry.

I thought this would be a chick lit sort of book once I started reading it but the author threw in a curve ball with a serious medical issue. Love and friendship are tested, lifestyles I could never imagine were described with detailed descriptions of the type clothing they wore and a plethora of foodie passages. 

A hodgepodge if women’s fiction, the lesser grave subplots fitting the chick lit genre, a type A personality with a work ethic and dedication to the career that would wear me out (something that never came my way).

In a nutshell, Danie's best friend Bella is more like a sister, a forever friendship which started when they were children.  They couldn't be more different in their personalities but they are very dedicated to one another.  Bella's parents weren't ever there for her and enrolled her in a private school, Bella spending more time living with Danie and her parents than her own. Danie is a planner and never does anything impetuous. Bella decides to fly to Paris (or where ever suits her) and stay for months on a whim.  

David is Danie's fiancee and they fit together perfectly.  Each is supportive of the other's career goals and never have issue with the late work hours. But something is missing or why would they become engaged yet never make time to marry? The flash of color in the relationships is all from Bella. You'll like her.  It's hard to do a detailed review because of the medical issue and that brings spoilers.

I would read another of this author's books but I  say she's one of my go to new authors.  This book had me interested enough to keep reading because I did want to know how it ended.  It was not predictable and I was a bit surprised by the ending.

More about the author Rebecca Serle.

A Bit About Britain's History by Mike Biles and Clanlands by Heughan and McTavish

Starting with the best book first we have A Bit About Britain's History by Mike Biles. It seemed appropriate to use my favorite and treasured bookmark I picked up at Cheddar Gorge back in 1999. 

This isn't a comprehensive history book yet richly detailed to keep your interest.  The writing isn't dry as one might think when conjuring up ideas of our school history tomes. The delivery of the historical information is very engaging and the humor kept me turning the pages. The time periods are broken down in eight chapters starting with ancient Britain, early medieval, Tudors, Stuarts running to the modern history.  

I loved reading about the Romans and the timeline at the end of the book breaks things down, sort of a basic crash course on which period you may want to explore more.  I learned more about Britain's history and the development of government from this book and found subjects I want to know more about. Why couldn't history classes in school/college be this delightful?!

If you have a history buff or Anglophile in your family this would make a dynamite gift for birthday or Christmas.  Mike Biles has a wonderful and informative blog as well called A Bit About Britain.

 

I enjoyed this book so much that I ordered another of Mike Biles' books.  This time I selected a Kindle version. My paper copy of the history is littered with post-it bookmarks for reference.  As soon as I have access to internet again (sigh) I will download and enjoy the holidays and high days book.

 

 

Clanlands by Sam Heughen and Graham McTavish

This book starts off quite funny but it wore thin for me after several chapters. What I expected was a history and virtual tour of important Scottish sites such as Glencoe, Inverness and Culloden as well as educating me about Scotland.  Heughan and McTavish are friends having worked on the Outlander television series together for many years. This relationship is a bromance and it certainly shows in the writing.

While it was amusing to hear Sam call Graham Lady McTavish and crack on him about how much he eats and his love of latte, likewise reading how Graham cracks on Sam about his whisky comsumption and his brand he sells, the number of times he goes shirtless, etc....after a while you want to say...C'mon guys....

I enjoyed the Outlander books but didn't love the television series.  I have a feeling this book grabbed the attention of the TV fans and I would probably give the series Men in Kilts a try.....but this book couldn't keep my attention.

Sharing with Joy for British Isles Friday and Shellyrae at Book'd Out for her Nonfiction  Challenge.

Genre/category: Travel (for Clanlands)

 

The Nonfiction Reader Challenge hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out.  Check out the sign up post and info HERE. The challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2021. You can join in anytime!

The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman

 

If you enjoy books which feature gardens and flowers, you will enjoy this book.  This is a nerdy thing I like, flowers and  gardens and people who have a career taking care of great inspiring gardens. I do not possess the green thumb to succeed in a career at a botanical garden or a National Trust English garden, yet I admire the beauty of these creations.

Our main characters in this story are Iris Maynard and her tenent Abby.  Both women had husbands in the military and while Iris lost hers in WW II, Abby has her husband home but scarred by PTSD. 

Iris has a garden of flowers she has developed by cross breeding.  Most of her flowers came from the clippings her grandmother had growing in her garden next door.  Hence the title Heirloom Garden. There are some chapters dedicated to Iris in the 1940's when she was a young mother working at a Victory garden.  Hers is a sad story of loss - not only her husband but her young daughter Mary.

In present day Iris has rented her grandmother's home (next door to her) to a military family.  Abby is the bread winner working as a chemical engineer.  Her husband Cory is hanging on by a thread after being injured in Iraq and losing friends during a bombing. They have a young daughter named Lily.

Iris choses to remain hidden behind her tall fences and live with her flowers.  She doesn't want interaction but as the story unfolds, she is gradually drawn to this struggling family next door. They help heal each other.  This is a such a nice story and the background of the setting on the Michigan shore is well detailed.  You get wonderful mental images of the neighborhood, the sand dunes and water.

A surprise to me is the author is a male. The name Viola Shipman brings me images of a older woman and this is womens' fiction.  The emotional interchanges are very well captured.  I would definitely read more by this author.  

Cook, Eat, Repeat by Nigella Lawson

 I am a huge fan of Nigella Lawson and love her cookbooks.  Some more than others and I was anxious to get a copy of her latest cookbook.  Thanks to an advanced readers copy I was able to peruse her recipes and memoir style writing in Cook, Eat, Repeat.

This is a photo from the book, not my creation.  Sadly I never get the photogenic shots to do it justice.

Nigella writes about starting this book in one world and finishing in another. We all remember what it was like pre-pandemic and how things were different.  This book was produced with a foot in both worlds.

She speaks aboout self-isolation and wonders when we may dine with friends again, learning from the lockdown and daily ways to find pleasure.  She speaks about lasagna and says don't limit it to "occasions' and we ceratinly do not do that in our home.  Doug and I have it whenever we want, but mostly when the weather deems we need a hearty rib sticking meal.

There are many good recipes in this book and I of course gravitated to the chicken with orzo and lemon. My favorite flavors and ingredients...

For vegetarinan fare there are loads of recipes such as spiced bulger wheat with roasted veggies, Vegan polenta cake, Tuscan bean soup and more.

Publication date is 15 June 2021. 

Genre: Biographies and Memoirs; Cooking, Food and Wine; nonfiction

Much thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.  I was not compensated for my review and opinions are mine.

Sharing with Joy's Book blog for British Isles Friday 

The Letter by Ruth Saberton

 

This book has been on my Kindle for some time and I finally decided to give it a chance.  The setting is Cornwall and that was probably the biggest selling point for me when I purchased it.  There are two story lines here, one set in current  times and the other a romantic mystery set in 1914.

First we meet Chloe Pencarrow, a widow of two years who has moved from London to Cornwall, hoping to get away from the constant memories of her deceased husband Neil.  It's well established that Chloe is still deeply grieving for her husband who died from cancer at age 32.  

Chloe is an artist and teacher but she has put her love to paint on hold these past two years.  When she moves to Cornwall and away from looks of pity and unsolicited advice from her mother she finally has a chance to breathe.

Matthew  Enys is a historian and huge fan of the Cornwall poet Christopher "Kit" Rivers. Matt is doing restoration work at Rosecraddick manor, trying to salvage a part of Kit's life and perhaps bring his poetry to the attention and distinction of other famous war poets.  Kit's image is imortalized in a stain glassed window in the church.  Little is known about his life other than he was heir to a Rosecraddick manor and surrounding lands, a very upper class family yet a very down to earth young man. 

Chloe, with her eye for artistic detail, notices a daisy in the stained glass, something so glaringly out of place that it has to represent something very important about Kit. As she helps Matthew go through old documments and treasures she accidently stumbles upon a great clue.  In her rental there is an old floorboard which was a hiding place.  Chloe pries it up and finds a diary and letters in an old biscuit tin.  At this point in the novel we land in 1914 before the first world war.

The story of Daisy and Kit 

It's 1914. A young woman named Daisy was sent to Cornwall for health reasons.  She was visiting her godfather in Cornwall when she and Kit meet unexpectantly at the beach. They end up getting better acquainted, have a whirlwind romance and their dedication to one another was almost too much.

They keep their relationship secret, planning on spending their lives together once Kit can speak to his class conscious parents. When the war begins Kit does what every young man did then, he enlists. It was necessary to overdo the romantic dedication here, in my opinion, so you can keenly feel the loss of young women who lose their fiances and husbands. The novel then leaps back to the present day and you can see the mystery of Kit and Daisy from an entirely new perspective.

This book addresses PTSD and the consequences for those who are battle scarred physically and mentally. It addresses grieving from the families in the 1914 era and also Chloe's grief over losing her husband to cancer at a young age.

I would certainly read more by this author and I found the book very engaging.

Sharing with Joy's Book blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2021 Historical Ficion Challenge.

The Olive Farm by Carol Drinkwater

I am revisiting a great book by Carol Drinkwater as I've started one of her other books in this series.  Expatriates-in-paradise genre – One of my favorites!

I have long been a fan of Irish actress Carol Drinkwater. She was my favorite Helen in the series All Creatures Great and Small, a series I very much enjoyed.  That’s where we got our son’s name, from the character Tristan Farnon.  She left that series in 1985.

When I read the books, after seeing some of the BBC television shows, it was her voice I heard when Helen was speaking.

When Carol wrote The Olive Farm  I was delighted to learn it would be a trilogy. Combining a favorite genre (expat-lit genre) with Drinkwater’s writing style makes for a winning combo. This is the first book in her bestselling trilogy, all of it set on her Provencal olive farm.

Carol met her husband Michel while they were involved in making a movie in Australia . He proposed to her on the first date and they married four years later.  Eventually they bought this gorgeous ruin of a villa built in 1904, located in Provence . The villa is named Appassionata – meaning passion – and very appropriate for Carol and Michel as they fall heels over ears in love with the place.

“I am in the south of France , gazing at the not-so-distant Mediterranean , falling in love with an abandoned olive farm,” Carol Drinkwater writes. “The property, once stylish and now little better than a ruin, is for sale with ten acres of land.”

After investing all the money she has they are able to move into their new home, devoid of electricity and water. French law is a different animal altogether from British and American laws as Carol learns while sifting through the endless paperwork and awaiting the many appointments to sign one or two papers. Finally, Appassionata is theirs!

Carol, Michel and his teen daughters Clarice and Vanessa arrive one extremely hot afternoon, with the promise of a swim in the pool. Alas….no water and the pool is a pit of sticks and branches. Carol struggles to make it a positive experience and tries to speak her limited French to the girls. The stepdaughters can speak English but make Carol work at communicating. Eventually they become a close knit family….. along with a number of stray dogs and good friends among the local citizenry.

The experiences she writes about were fascinating to me and she clearly has a better work ethic than I do. Restoring an old villa like that is hard work. HARD work! They uncovered ancient Roman looking steps and tiles. They found some of their olive trees were over 500 years old…..it’s an expat’s dream IF you don’t mind hard work – both physically and culturally.

Carol took language classes to improve her French, quickly becoming fluent. An engaging book about France , olive harvesting, conquering cultural barriers and love. Above all…love.

If you like the works of Peter Mayle and Frances Mayes I feel certain you would enjoy Carol’s musings about Appasionata and her love of southern France .

To learn more, check out the links below:

Carol Drinkwater
Home Hunts
It Shouldn’t Happen to an Olive Farmer!

Food: Caponata and Tahini Hummus on toasted baguette

The inspired dishes from this book include eggplants, caponata and tapenade. The little bites of appetizers you might enjoy sitting in the shade of Carol Drinkwater’s patio, the hot breeze licking your cheek as you sip an ice cold glass of white wine and nibble bruschetta.

Eggplants from the southern Mediterranean area would have a different taste from what I can lay hands on in Northern Florida but….still a wonderful treat.

An Irish woman starring in a BBC production landing in France.  Very International.

Linking up with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the Nonfiction challenge. Genre: Travel

I will be posting about Carol's other books verry soon.

Nonfiction Reader Challenge hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out.  Check out the sign up post and info HERE.