You Are Here by David Nicholls

Jun2

Atmospheric

You Are Here by David Nicholls is an entertaining contemporary novel that I read in just two sittings.

The novel traces Alfred Wainwright’s coast to coast walk, from Cumbria to the Yorkshire coast. Comprehensive descriptions of the landscape bring the area to life. The English weather, in all its’ glory, is captured too.

Two characters are walking to escape their lives. Along the way, they share life, love and personal experiences with each other. The reader can ‘feel’ the attraction building before the characters spot it.

Along the way they meet others doing the walk too, as lives intersect for a little while. We realise just how fragile life is.

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Meet Me At The Seaside Cottages by Jenny Colgan

Jun2

Truth & Happiness

Meet Me At The Seaside Cottages by Jenny Colgan is a very charming contemporary novel that I adored.

It is a novel about parents and daughters; friendships and relationships; and the healing power of puppies! Puppies can make people smile when all around them is crumbling.

We meet two daughters who have troubled relationships with the parent whom they believe (wrongly) is responsible for the ending of marriages. The daughters are both hurting and both lash out. One is aged ten, and the other in her twenties but both need to reconciled with their parents.

One of the characters is deaf, and another fits hearing aids to the deaf and the hard of hearing. We see the importance of sign language to give people a voice.

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To Find My Mother by Mary Wood

Jun1

Don’t Let Them Win

To Find My Mother by Mary Wood is a powerful historical novel that consumed me from the start.

The novel follows a Czech Jewish girl through World War II and beyond. It is a heartbreaking and horrifying read as Mary Wood captures the atmosphere of terror with her words.

Two young girls are separated from their mothers who are thrown into the ghetto. Both girls are rescued by a stranger who places them on a farm for safety. However, both girls are determined to seek out their mothers, whatever the consequences. And what happens next is truly awful. The Nazis had black hearts as they carried out despicable acts.

It was understandable to wonder “why Elohim had abandoned them.” In the darkest times, it is all to easy to think we have been abandoned.

We see that bravery is not necessarily about feeling brave. “I don’t feel brave. I just feel compelled to do something about the injustice of it all.” Some could not stand idly by. They could not do nothing.

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The Story Of Sapulpa & Route 66 by Kirby Lee Davis

May31

The Story Continues

The Story Of  Sapulpa & Route 66  by Kirby Lee Davis is the second book in The Great Beckoning series and published by Sapulpa Historical Society. This continues where book one left off as we follow the development of Sapulpa and the emergence of Route 66, well into the twentieth century.

Route 66 had investments from 1909 and was finally completed in 1928. It stretches from east to west, passing through Sapulpa.

We see the development of roads, going from mud to concrete, tarmac and hard core. The harder your road surface, the more affluent the area.

During the early twentieth century, we witnessed World War I. Following its’ end, over eight million people travelled westwards in search of new opportunities.

As Sapulpa developed, more businesses, diners and festivals sprang up – including a car and a Christmas festival.

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