Welcome to this week’s round-up of what’s been going on here at Sarah’s Vignettes, on social media, the books I’ve been adding to my shelves and other bookish delights. Keep scrolling to get the lowdown.
~ On the blog ~
On Wednesday, I took part in a meme run by fellow book blogger Lisa over at Bookshelf Fantasies called Shelf Control. The idea is to choose a book on your bookshelf that you haven’t read yet and talk about when you got it and why you want to read it.
This week, I chose a book from my digital bookshelf: The Island Escape by Kerry Fisher. How inviting is the cover!
~ On social media ~
On Friday, I shared my top 3 reads from 2018 as part of the R3COMM3ND3D2018 feature at demppebbles.com. This was a difficult choice as I read many good books last year but these 3 really stood out for me:
- One Cornish Summer by Liz Fenwick
- The Last Day by Claire Dyer
- How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
~ On my bookshelf ~
I added 2 fiction books to my shelves this week.
On Thursday, I went to a Proof Party for The Foundling by Stacey Halls. Hosted by Zaffre Books at the beautiful Brunswick House, the event was for bloggers, press, booksellers to celebrate Stacey’s second novel that comes out in February 2020 and to pick up a review (proof) copy of the book.
The Foundling is set in Georgian times so the venue was perfect – Brunswick House is a Georgian mansion – and there was a silhouette artist, cutting out our profiles. Silhouettes were given to loved ones back in that period as a momento. There was also a beautifully decorated table with it’s own light, ideal for our instagram worthy photos from the night.
Stacey Halls gave a lovely speech, telling us about how The Foundling came to be and she read from the first chapter – it’s going to be good!! There was also a quick introduction from The Foundling Museum, where the book is set – the museum is well worth a visit.
The Foundling by Stacey Halls
London, 1754.
Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London’s Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst – that Clara has died in care – the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed – by her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl – and why. Less than a mile from Bess’ lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend – an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital – persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.
From the bestselling author of The Familiars, and set against the vibrant backdrop of Georgian London, The Foundling explores families, secrets, class, equality, power and the meaning of motherhood.
I treated myself to a copy of When All is Said by Anne Griffin this weekend. I’ve heard lots of good things about this story and it sounds like my kind of read.
When All is Said by Anne Griffin
‘I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.’
At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual -though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.
Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories – of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice – the life of one man will be powerfully and poignantly laid bare.
Heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said.
~ On my bedside table ~
I finished The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell – excellent read. I’m now back to The Familiars by Stacey Halls and I cannot put it down!
What have you been reading and buying this week? Let me know by leaving a reply in the box below.
Until next week, happy reading!
Sarah's Vignettes 
Looks like another fabulous week Sarah! I’m loving The Familiars as well and definitely want to read The Fondling.
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It was a fun week! The Familiars is good and The Foundling sounds awesome!!
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And that cover is gorgeous, maybe even nicer than The Familiars, if that’s possible? lol
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Isn’t it beautiful! It’s the same designer and I love how elements of The Familiars cover is there.
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