Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

'Charlotte was alone in the jungle with a creep in Speedos'! I switched between reading and listening to this one, simply because I had so much stuff to do in the garden and I really wanted to finish it. It was gorgeous, in fact no, it was 'glorious'! Charlotte takes up the position of tortoise researcher on the remote island of Tuga, where you can only come and go when the island is 'open'. Even then, only if there is a boat with enough berths to take you. For half the year, the island is 'closed'. The storms are too frequent for it to be safe for any ship to dock safely in Tuga. So if you're there, you're stuck - no matter what happens! There are a lot of stories, interwoven into this book, each one unique in its own way, and I loved this. I enjoyed hearing about all the different characters and how they were surviving, living on such a small island, where everyone knows everyone else's business. I'm not sure if I'd like that, whe...

I was instantly transported to a small Japanese mountain village. I went into A Thousand Gates of Prayer, completely blind. I'd read the synopsis a while ago when Michael asked if I'd read it, but I haven't read it since, and seeing as I can't remember what I did half an hour ago, I had no idea what it was about! So I dove straight in, and immediately I knew this going to be a story I loved. It's a beautifully written love story about a young Japanese girl who is finding her way into the adult world and the responsibilities that follow.  It's not just the love that a young girl has for her first romance, it's also the love she has for the village she was born in and grew up in and how she wants it to remain the community space that she knows and loves and that supports her and her family.  I fell in love with the writing, the characters, and the story. Michael Weiss swept me along as Miyuki climbed the mountain to the hot springs every day and I could easily...

The Color Purple is one of the most amazing, heart-breaking, and powerful novels I have ever listened to. Chosen as February's book for our #classiclitbookclub, I did start to read the physical book, but the language was difficult, and I soon opted for the audiobook version, read by the author. This is the way I would 100% recommend anyone who isn't au fait with the African American vernacular English, broach the novel, as it will make a lot more sense and adds to the authenticity of the entire story.  I especially loved the strength and tenacity of the female characters, as they grew in age, and confidence, eventually standing up to their male counterparts and becoming forces to be reckoned with, in their own right.  The entire book is written as letters, initially from Celie to God and then from the sisters, Celie to Nettie and vice versa. I cannot express how much I enjoyed listening to this, and I will definitely be revisiting it, and I will probably be giving the physica...

"It reminds me that as long as the lemon trees grow, hope will never die". I have seen this book reviewed many times over on Bookstagram and I love a story that educates and entertains me, and As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow, certainly did this. I listened to it as an audiobook, read by Rasha Zamamiri and it was haunting. Whilst the majority of us are living free lives, enjoying vacations and being able to travel anywhere we want to, there is still a war continuing in Syria that has been going on for 13 years! I cannot even begin to imagine what that must be like to live through. As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow is an absolutely incredible story with beautiful imagery, but it’s so sad. I’m sure the war in Syria is something that many people will be aware of, yet many won’t know to what extent it has affected and is affecting the people of that country. No one actually wants to leave all that they know and get on a boat to sail to who knows where. They do it because they have ...

I love this series from Marion Kummerow. The Berlin Wife’s Resistance is the third book in the German Wives series and we start this book as we finished off the second, where Julius and Edith are at the Swiss border hoping to escape Germany to begin a new life. Once again, I had my heart in my mouth throughout the entire book. Just what was in store for the families that were simply trying to stay alive in the country of their birth? A country that no longer wants them and will go to the utmost atrocities to rid Germany of these people, by any means necessary. Marion Kummerow always researches her books brilliantly, and this one was no exception. I always learn something new when reading one of her novels and as I closed the cover on this one I was blown away by the attitude of the women who tried to save their families. I recommend that you read this series in order to enable yourself to get the full story, and if you enjoy historical fiction and in particular a war story, then I hop...

I wasn’t sure about this book when I started reading it, but it just got better and better, although I’m not sure I’ve read anything like this before! After I finished it, I did a bit of Googling, and although I knew before I started that it was based on true events, I didn’t understand how the book worked. So basically, Anna Shilling is a pen name for four women living in Monte Carlo. They tell their stories of betrayal, and setting up a book club to act as a cover whilst they put everything to rights! The characters are fictional, but the events, landmarks, hotels and casinos are true. Much of the story seems completely over the top and melodramatic, but I think that’s how Monte Carlo works. It’s all wrapped up in its own little bubble, without any idea what is going on in the outside world, away from Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Michelin-starred restaurants! The characters are diverse and live different lives. From businesswomen to models, to magazine editors, with one thing in common, ...

When I was contacted by the author, Thomas Chin, to ask if I would consider reading and reviewing a copy of his debut novel, Unpredictable Winds, I didn’t know what to expect, but wow, what an amazing book with a beautiful story.  Unpredictable Winds begins at the outbreak of WWII in Shanghai, China, and whilst WWII is predominantly in the background, the story focuses on the civil war, which ended in 1949 with Communist control and how the characters in the story are affected by this. Ultimately, this is a complicated love story with many twists and turns and a case of - Will the man get the girl? The author conveys such exquisite imagery throughout the book as the story spans tragedy, heartbreak, love and death. I’m sure many of Thomas Chin’s readers will know little or nothing about the culture of which he writes so beautifully, and I was definitely amongst them. I may have done a small amount of Googling as I read the book, as I was so interested in what he was writing about an...

It’s taken me a while to write the review for this because I didn’t really know what to put and, I’m sorry to say, that it put me into a reading slump, which I rarely experience. I think I did actually enjoy it, but it was far from what I expected and it took me a long while to get my head around what was going on - probably my fault and not the author’s, though.  However, after checking out some reviews and seeing that others were loving it, I decided to bite the bullet and throw myself back into the book on a sunny day in the garden. It did get better, but it could have gotten better much faster in my opinion. The God of Good Looks is written from a dual perspective: Obadiah, the employer and Bianca, the employee. Obadiah is a douchebag the first time he meets Bianca, but instantly becomes this amazing guy when she begins to work for him - not a believable enough story for me. However, Obadiah hasn’t had the upbringing he would have people believe, and a lot of the story is all...

Good luck reading this without sobbing your heart out! I love historical WWII fiction and this is nothing like anything I have ever read before. From start to finish, it is simply amazing. Loosely based on true events, it is everything I could ever hope for in a book. It is heart-warming, heart-wrenching, emotional, horrific, and an absolute love story. There were many times throughout the book when I just couldn’t believe what I was reading. I was angry at Rudi (Heinz), a German SS officer. I was scared for Inge, the eighteen-year-old Jewish woman who often should probably have kept quiet but who was forever sticking up for her camp mates. I haven’t read a book in a while that kept me hooked from page one, right the way through to the end. I had no idea how it was going to end, and what was going to happen to our mismatched couple. I wanted to turn the pages fast, so I found out what was going to happen and I wanted to turn them slowly because I didn’t want this wonderful story to e...

Written across two timelines, The Cuban Daughter is set both in London and Cuba, following Esmeralda in 1950 and Claudia in the present day. Claudia sets out to discover what happened to her great-grandmother in Cuba in 1950 and just how she came to be in London. I was entranced by The Cuban Daughter from start to finish, and I loved Soraya Lane’s writing about Cuban history and culture, and the time-warp concept of the entire country. Cuba is definitely somewhere I’d love to visit at some point. I love a story that warms my heart, and this didn’t disappoint. Too much information will spoil this for you, but honestly, if you love historical fiction, learning about another country’s background and the warm feeling that a book can give you, then I would highly recommend this book. I didn’t realise that The Cuban Daughter was part of a series until I read someone else’s review, but this absolutely doesn’t matter and can be read as a standalone novel for sure. I am adding The Italian Daugh...

I was approached by the author’s assistant, who asked if I would like to read a copy of The Man Without Shelter. The synopsis sounded like something I would enjoy and so I agreed.  Lucy and Arnault are the main characters. Lucy is a lawyer, with a promising future ahead of her and Arnault has recently been released from prison and is now living on the streets of Paris. Through various situations, their lives become linked and the story progresses. Overall, The Man Without Shelter is a good book. I enjoyed both Lucy and Arnault’s stories and with Arnault in particular; the author described, in detail, how he progressed as he left prison and I enjoyed his story. That being said, the book could definitely have done with a final edit. There were quite a few grammatical errors, and it appears that English isn’t the author’s first language. I’m not sure whether the book was written in English or whether it has been translated, however, for me, it didn’t flow as well as it could have done...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐   This is a pretty awesome book and the first in the Jimmy and Andrew adventure series. Jimmy is a young lad who has always wanted a dog, and so, for his ninth birthday, his Dad takes him to the rescue centre and Jimmy chooses Andrew - or rather Andrew, chooses Jimmy! Written as a children’s book, this will easily entertain and educate adults, too. I certainly didn’t know about some things Goldstein writes about, in particular, the Egyptian history he explains in great detail, through Andrew (yes, the dog)! As we travel on Jimmy’s adventures, if there are words or situations that he doesn’t understand, these are explained to him and consequently, any kids reading the book will learn lots of new stuff too. I googled American Stonehenge, and it really exists, although in New Hampshire, not Washington State. Something else that I wasn’t aware of but loved reading about. Think Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, meets Harry Potter with some aliens thrown in and you’ll have a good idea of...

⭐⭐⭐⭐ This has been sitting on my shelf for a while, and I finally had a few days free to read it. Kia Abdullah was recommended to me by a friend, and the author is such a great find. Take it Back is my first step into Kia Abdullah’s world, and what a rollercoaster of a world it is. Full of triggers such as rape, racism and discrimination, this book won’t be for everyone, but I was fully immersed from beginning to end. From one page to the next, I was torn as to who was telling the truth and right up until the very end, Take it Back was full of twists, turns and WTF moments that just kept me reading on and on. If you enjoy a book that is full of darkness and you just aren’t sure what is going to come next, then I would highly recommend this. I’ve mentioned the triggers, so you have been warned. Go in at your own risk. I already have another Abdullah sitting on my shelf and I can’t wait to see what that one brings. Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Never before have I read anything that will stay with me as much as The Woman Outside the Walls. Never before have I read a book where the protagonist was on the ‘wrong side’ and spent the rest of her life essentially running. This little old lady who cleans at the church, makes the most amazing cakes and is the ideal neighbour, has a history that she doesn’t want anyone to know about because she feels incredible fear and guilt.   Written across multiple timelines, Suzanne Goldring’s latest novel will send you on a hugely emotional journey. I was shocked, horrified and disgusted but also sympathetic, understanding, and pleased that Anna’s story was finally being told.  If you enjoy reading historical fiction and you have an open mind (and stomach) then check out The Woman Outside the Walls. Incredibly educational and a story that will stay with you for a long time. I am lucky enough to be a part of Books on Tour for this book, so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture ...