The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb My rating: 4 of 5 stars It took me a little while to sink into this book and I think that is largely because Brynn is quite a reserved character. It is almost as if, in shielding herself from any further hurt, that she also shields herselfContinue reading “The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb”
Author Archives: Deborah Siddoway
2020: ‘I could not help considering what strange stuff all our little stories are made of’
When Dickens received a letter from his youthful flame, Maria Beadnell, some three or four and twenty years after his romantic pursuit of her was thwarted, he wrote, in his reply to her, about the ‘changeless Past’ and observed that he could not help considering what strange stuff all our little stories are made of.Continue reading “2020: ‘I could not help considering what strange stuff all our little stories are made of’”
My Year in Books – 2020, Lockdown and the Struggle to Read
Looking at my Goodreads annual summary of my reading is always of interest to me. I love looking back at what I have read over the year, looking over my reviews, especially ones that I wrote earlier in the year. Anyone who has ever heard me talk about books knows that my test of aContinue reading “My Year in Books – 2020, Lockdown and the Struggle to Read”
A Christmas Like No Other
It has been a tad difficult to get into the Christmas spirit this year. I have spent the evening either crying or laughing, not sure which emotion to settle on. The picture of my niece and nephew in their Christmas pyjamas, knowing that I cannot see them this Christmas, brought both joy and heartache. IContinue reading “A Christmas Like No Other”
Catherine Cookson’s My Beloved Son (and the problem of a flawed premise)
My Beloved Son by Catherine Cookson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is one of those books where I thought the story line was fantastic, it was well-paced and had clever characterisation BUT and it is a big but, the difficulty I had was that one of the fundamental premises of the book wasContinue reading “Catherine Cookson’s My Beloved Son (and the problem of a flawed premise)”
Acrostic Poetry for our Tiered Times
I have deliberately avoided writing about the pandemic, or anything Covid related, but this has been a trying week. One of my sisters is currently home-schooling her eldest child, who was sent home to self-isolate for two weeks because his teacher tested positive for Covid. Whatever your position is on the government’s response to thisContinue reading “Acrostic Poetry for our Tiered Times”
Catherine Cookson’s The Gambling Man
Of all of the Cookson novels I have read so far, this one is my favourite, and, in my opinion, the one that is the best written. As you would come to expect from such a prolific novelist, she creates a realistic setting, engaging characters, and a pacy narrative lawyered with relatable conflict and suspense.Continue reading “Catherine Cookson’s The Gambling Man”
The Secret to Not Drowning by Colette Snowden
The Secret to Not Drowning by Colette Snowden My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book started with one of the most intriguing sentences to a book opening that I have read in a while: ‘There are four people in the room and only one of them is me’. I paused when I read it,Continue reading “The Secret to Not Drowning by Colette Snowden”
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins My rating: 5 of 5 stars The first person who recommended this book to me told me it was brilliant but controversial. The words cultural appropriation were murmured, and the question raised, before I had even read the book, was whether it was appropriate for a Spanish born, white AmericanContinue reading “American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins”
Catherine Cookson’s The Cinder Path
This was a rather fitting read for this time of year, with part of the book set during World War I. I was rather pleased to find a Dickensian reference in The Cinder Path, and I have blogged about this already at https://deborahsiddoway.com/2020/11/0… As this is the fourth Cookson novel that I have read, I amContinue reading “Catherine Cookson’s The Cinder Path”
Deborah Siddoway 