Beneath the Skin is one of those books that had made it on to my TBR but which, when I came across a copy at the library, I couldn’t for the life of me remember why (please tell me I’m not the only one with that problem). Beyond the title, it rang no bells.
Still, I knew it was on the list of books I wanted to read and I knew I had heard good things at some point so I picked it up and settled down to read.
At first, and partly based on the blurb, I thought I was settling into to read a psychological thriller, one of those books where – thanks to secrets being kept – a young woman finds herself in danger.
In the second book of the Stillhouse Lake series, we are a few months on from the end of the last book, with Gwen and her kids (Lanny and Connor) on the run from her ex-husband Melvin, a serial killer who is pure evil. He has escaped from prison and seems to have one objective, to get Gwen.
The Birthday Girl is one of those books that is hard to review because, once you get past the initial idea, there are too many secrets and too many twists and turns – making the risk of spoilers just too great.
Stepping into the pages of The Vanishing Box is like stepping back in time. Perhaps this doesn’t sound that surprising, given the book is set in Brighton in 1953 but I have read plenty of books set in other eras that don’t feel as close to what I imagine life was really like at the time as this. The language, the behaviours, the people and the atmosphere – everything felt just right and I was completely drawn into the world they created.
For a history buff, I know very little about Georgian Britain. I have seen a few TV shows and films but that’s about it. So, in a effort to stretch my brain cells a bit, and increase my knowledge, I picked up a copy of Queens of Georgian Britain by Catherine Curzon, which had the added bonus of being about women embroiled in politics and fighting to gain meaningful power – another favourite subject of mine.
This is officially my favourite time of year. First, you have Halloween. Then, it’s Bonfire Night. As a child, living in a small village, we would have a real community bonfire, with potatoes baking in the embers and a small – but perfectly formed – fireworks display. I don’t know how many of these type of events exist anymore. Our local bonfire is a huge affair, run by the local council and so many fireworks it makes your head spin. There is no more baking potatoes – or kids wandering the streets asking for a “penny for the guy” (and how much does a penny get you nowadays?).
When Ethan Montclair wakes up one morning to find a note from his wife Sutton saying that she is leaving and for him not to look for her, he swings from disbelief to anger to fear – for her (she has been suffering from depression) and for him (what will people think?).
