Tag: The Great Godden

Brilliant Books that don’t fit on my other lists of 2020

So far, I’ve written my top 10 non-fiction books of 2020, top 10 historical fiction and top 10 crime fiction. That just about covers my favourite genres!

However, it misses out some absolutely fabulous books that don’t really fit those lists, so here are 6 more books I’ve loved in 2020 and wanted to shout about!

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‘The Great Godden’ by Meg Rosoff

I loved this YA coming-of-age tale which captured a long, hot summer and the obsession of young love.

The story follows an unnamed narrator as they spend a summer with their family by the beach – and the Godden brothers whose arrival changes everything.

It isn’t a book that I’d usually pick up but comparisons to ‘I Capture the Castle’ in the blurb won me over – and I’m so glad I read it.

‘Zeus is a Dick’ by Susie Donkin

This is a hilarious retelling of the Greek myths by one of the writers on the very funny ‘Horrible Histories’ BBC TV programme. Although that show was for kids, this is very much an adults’ book as Donkin points out all the ways in which Zeus was – as the title suggests – a dick. There’s a lot of swearing and irreverence…and I loved it!

You can read my original review here.

‘Longhand’ by Andy Hamilton

This was a book that I read for a blog tour and I was totally caught up in the premise – a man leaving a handwritten letter for his long-term partner explaining why he has to leave. It is totally unexpected, funny in places and also very moving.

I would totally recommend this brilliant, quirky book – you can read my review here.

‘The Switch’ by Beth O’Leary

Another book that is outside of my usual genres, but I loved O’Leary’s ‘The Flat Share’ and knew that I had to read this one.

This is the story of Leena and her grandmother Eileen and their plan to switch lives for two months. Eileen heads for London and a chance to find a man while Leena looks forward to a relaxing time in her grandmother’s home in a tiny Yorkshire village. Of course, nothing works out as expected – but this is a heart-warming gem so you know nothing too bad will happen!

‘Grave Secrets’ by Alice James

This was one of my surprise favourite books of the year – and another one that isn’t one of my usual reads at all.

This is the story of estate agent by day, necromancer by night Lavington Windsor and her encounters with zombies, vampires and the dark side of a small village in Staffordshire! It’s packed with humour of a very British variety – and is brilliant.

You can read my original review here.

‘Cows Can’t Jump’ by Philip Bowne

This was another blog tour read and another surprise hit – this is one of the books that I’ve told everyone I can about!

This is a coming-of-age story that is full of humour and quirks. Billy is a 17 year-old boy who lacks direction – he begins the novel as a trainee gravedigger before embarking on some rather odd schemes to allow him to take a road trip across Europe in pursuit of a girl. The characterisation is fabulous and the reader is totally pulled into Billy’s story.

This is a great debut novel and I hope there is a lot more to come from this writer.

You can read my review here.

August Wrap-Up and September TBR

It’s been another busy month on the blog…soon to be scuppered by my return to work in September.

Once I’m back teaching full time, there’s no way I’ll be reading as much!

Still, for now, let’s look at what I read last month and what I’d like to read in September.

I read 14 books this month and am now on 80/100 on my Goodreads challenge.

AUGUST’S READS

‘The Child Who Never Was’ by Jane Renshaw

This twisty psychological thriller about a missing child and mental health was the focus of my first ever blog tour for Damp Pebbles Tours. You can read my review here.

‘Evil Things’ by Katja Ivar

Gifted to me by Bitter Lemon Press, this is an excellent historical crime novel set in 1950s Finland. The bleak and remote conditions of Lapland make an eerie setting and Inspector Hella Mauzer is one to watch! You can read my review here.

‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins

A fabulous historical novel with a similar feel to Collins’ first novel, ‘The Binding’. Far too intricate to do justice here, I’ll be reviewing this on the blog closer to the publication date in November.

‘Their Silent Graves’ by Carla Kovach

The latest installment of the excellent police procedural series featuring DI Gina Harte. This one is all-out scary as a serial killer starts to bury the inhabitants of Cleevesford alive at Halloween! This is to be published on 17th September so my review will be on the blog then.

‘Longhand’ by Andy Hamilton

This is for a blog tour in early September for Random Things Tours, so watch this space for my review of this funny, poignant, bizarre and truly wonderful novel.

‘People of Abandoned Character’ by Claire Whitfield

This is a brilliant take on the Jack the Ripper story set on the streets of Victorian London. Refreshingly focused on the plight of the women and with a strong heroine, this is one to watch for. Due for publication on October 1st so review will follow closer to that time.

‘The Quickening’ by Rhiannon Ward

A gorgeous, gothic tale of séances and spookiness! The dual narrative flits between 1896 and 1925 with a story about a crumbling family estate and the pregnant female photographer who has been commissioned to work there. You can read my review here.

‘The Watcher’ by Kate Medina

Another blog tour read (for Random Things Tours) so watch this space for my review of this tense and terrifying crime novel!

‘The Great Godden’ by Meg Rosoff

A lovely coming-of-age novel in which the narrator grapples with an obsession with the glorious Kit Godden over a long, hot beach summer.

‘Shakespearean’ by Robert McCrum

One of the many books to be released on 3rd September, this one is a lively and informative jaunt through Shakespeare’s plays and the legacy of the man himself. Packed with historical context and literary criticism, this book also details the way that McCrum turned to Shakespeare in the aftermath of his stroke. Review to follow on the blog this week.

‘State of the Union’ by Nick Hornby

This was (I think) the only Nick Hornby book I haven’t read so thought I had better complete the set! It follows ten conversations between a couple who meet in the pub before their weekly marriage guidance sessions in which they are working through some big issues. As with all Hornby’s writing, it is relateable and witty.

‘A Girl Made of Air’ by Nydia Hetherington

Another one of the huge number of books due for release on 3rd September, this one is about a circus performer on a quest for a missing child in post-war England and America. It is an immersive and engaging read and my review of it will be on the blog next week.

‘Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Givens

I’m always up for a feminist tome and this one is fabulously illustrated. As someone of the *ahem* slightly older generation of feminists, there wasn’t much new here for me, but this would make excellent reading for all young women.

‘A Chip Shop in Poznan: My Unlikely Year in Poland’ by Ben Aitken

Ahead of the publication of Aitken’s new book ‘The Gran Tour’ next week (review to follow), I thought I’d read this one which was given to me as a birthday present. It’s an interesting and engaging insight into Poland and its people as Aitken spent a year in the country.

SEPTEMBER’S TBR PILE

I find it really hard to commit to a selection of books as I’m very much a mood reader. However, these look amazing and I really want to get through them (if my workload permits!)

‘Unto This Last’ by Rebecca Lipkin

This MASSIVE novel about John Ruskin is for a blog tour so I’ll definitely be reading this one soon. It sounds perfect for me – a Victorian setting, Pre-Raphaelite art and the promise of an insight into this intriguing figure from history.

‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ by Stuart Turton

Highly anticipated book from the writer of ‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ which I loved! I have a NetGalley copy, but I’ve also pre-ordered the gorgeous hardback with sprayed edges from Forbidden Planet. That’s how confident I am that it’ll be good!

‘And Now for the Good News’ by Ruby Wax

I chose this because we all need good news right now! Although it was written before the pandemic, Wax offers us a cheerful view of the world and the progress humanity has made.

‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes

Carried over from last month’s TBR but still there! I love a myth retelling so am excited to read this.

‘Maiden Voyages’ by Sian Evans

Thanks to Erwan Hesry for sharing their work on Unsplash.

This looks to be fascinating – an account of a selection of the women travelling by ocean liner during the interwar years. I love history and even more so when it focuses on women’s lives so I am looking forward to reading this.

‘The Sanatorium’ by Sarah Pearse

This one isn’t due out until 2021 but it has rocketed up my TBR pile because it looks brilliant! A thrilling mystery set in a remote hotel (ex-sanatorium) high in the Swiss Alps…what’s not to like?

With thanks to NetGalley, Random Things Tours, Damp Pebbles Tours, Bitter Lemon Press and my friends and family for keeping me in books! As always, opinions are entirely my own.

Header photo with thanks to Nong Vang for sharing their work on Unsplash.