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When The World Went Silent by Ellie Midwood

Dec6

Pandora’s Box

When The World Went Silent by Ellie Midwood is a powerful, harrowing historical novel that consumed me from the start.

The novel is set in Germany during World War II but opens and closes in Hiroshima in 1946. The whole novel surrounds the topic of the nuclear bomb, as we join and follow a young girl with a passion for physics. Deaf since measles aged five, Mina has immersed herself in science. “The world outside is hostile, filled with prejudice and intolerance. But precise sciences are her sanctuary.”

Following the Nazis rise to power, Mina was excluded from school and seen as ‘undesirable’, and has been home-schooled. Her superior talent within nuclear physics has brought her to the attention of the Nazis at the highest level. Mina is sent to Berlin to work on the development of the nuclear bomb but she is determined to never make a bomb. She wants to heal not harm. “We’ll all have to face the choices we made today.”

Mina has a conscience, a heart and much courage. “The courage of those who dare to stand against the darkness.” As a young girl, she stood up for the marginalized except for one time when she ran, and this haunts her dreams. “Still has nightmares… she was just a young girl whose only fault was walking away when she should have stayed.” The guilt remains even though she knows there is nothing she could have done. Later she is told “Sometimes running away is the only logical thing to do.”

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The Silver-Haired Sisterhood by Judy Leigh

Dec3

Living Life To The Full

The Silver-Haired Sisterhood by Judy Leigh is the most delightful contemporary offering which I just could not put down.

Judy Leigh has done it again! – and produced a wonderfully warm offering showing how to live life to the full, whatever your age. Age is, after all, just a number. It’s how you feel on the inside that counts.

The leading lady is seventy-seven, supported by a cast of friends who are similarly aged, including Rose who is eighty and who doesn’t let age or health scares get her down. It’s all about ones’ outlook on life.

Judy Leigh shows that we are never too old to start a new adventure. When life presents you with opportunities – grab them with both hands!

Getting older may present challenges but it is how we deal with them that counts. We can wallow in self-pity or we can use grit and determination to fire on all cylinders.

Some characters are suffering from grief. One lets her memories warm her. Another is wallowing in grief and ‘what-ifs’, suffering from survivor’s guilt in the form of PTSD. He finds solace in alcohol but it is never the answer – until an epiphany sees a fresh determination to be a new person. “A person isn’t who they used to be. The total sum of their worth isn’t the mistakes they made… It’s about who we are now.” We all make mistakes. We must learn from them and move on. “Out of something bad, there’s always hope.”

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A Christmas Surprise In Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

Dec3

Absolutely Charming

A Christmas Surprise In Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen is an absolutely charming contemporary novel which I read in just two sittings, pausing only to sleep. It is the fourth book in the Pelican Crossing series but can be read as a stand-alone.

I enjoyed catching up with familiar faces and meeting new ones. Maggie Christensen always introduces her readers to wholesome, likable, fully rounded characters who are easy to picture and to empathise with. They are an eclectic mix such as you would find in any seaside town. Their ages range from a baby to old Agnes, with the leading characters being fifty-eight and sixty-two.

Dogs also have a starring role. Dogs turn a house into a home. They help people who are feeling down. They are very much characters in their own right.

Life is for living to the full. You are never too old to start fresh opportunities. Life is for grabbing and experiencing, not for merely existing.

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Tales From Muggleswick Wood by Vicky Cowie

Dec2

A Charming Collection

Tales From Muggleswick Wood by Vicky Cowie is a charming collection of five children’s tales. It is perfect bedtime reading for children aged five years and over.

The whole book is beautifully and simply illustrated by Charlie Mackesy.

All the tales are written in rhyme. Each story has a lively rhythm to it, which will make young and old alike, smile.

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