Sarah's Vignettes Literary Lowdown ~ 1 December 2019

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.

For this week’s post, I chose Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage by Heidi Swain. How beautiful is the cover! It’s so inviting.

~ On social media ~

For #ThrowbackThursday, I chose Summer of Secrets by Nikola Scott.

#ThrowbackThursday to SUMMER OF SECRETS by @nikola_scott @headlinepg. It’s a powerful, emotionally-charged novel set between WW2 and the present day. #BookBoost https://t.co/CN9lHGnvzS

— Sarah Swan ~ Sarah’s Vignettes 📚😊 (@Sarah_Swan2) November 28, 2019

~ On my bookshelf ~

I added 1 book to my digital bookshelf this week. It is an advanced copy of The 24-Hour Café by Libby Page, due out in 23rd January 2020.

The 24-Hour Café by Libby Page

Day and night Stella’s Café opens its doors for the lonely and the lost, the morning people and the night owls. It is many things to many people but most of all it is a place where life can wait at the door. A place of small kindnesses. A place where anyone can be whoever they want, where everyone is always welcome.

Meet Hannah and Mona: best friends, waitresses, dreamers. They work at Stella’s but they dream of more, of leaving the café behind and making their own way in life.

Come inside and spend twenty-four hours at Stella’s Café; a day when Hannah and Mona’s friendship will be tested, when the community will come together and when lives will be changed . . .

~ On my bedside table ~

I’m reading The Christmas Party by Karen Swan and I’m really enjoying it!

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What books have you been reading and buying this week? Let me know by leaving a reply in the box below.

Until next week, happy reading!

Shelf Control at Sarah’s Vignettes: Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage by Heidi Swain

Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies.  It is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves.  Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!

For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out Lisa’s introductory post.

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I love this idea of celebrating books on our book shelves that have been published for a while and we are yet to discover. I’m not choosing in any particular order. I’m just perusing my shelves and seeing what stands out for me at that moment.

This week, I have chosen a book from my digital bookshelf:

Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage by Heidi Swain

It was published in the UK by Simon & Schuster UK in July 2017.

~ What it’s about ~

When Lottie Foster’s grandmother’s best friend Gwen dies, she leaves Lottie her lovely home, Cuckoo Cottage.

Lottie loves the cottage but Matt, a charming local builder, points out that beneath its charm it is falling apart. Luckily he is always on hand to help with the problems that somehow seem to keep cropping up. But is he just a bit too good to be true? Certainly Will, Lottie’s closest neighbour, seems to think so.

Lottie plans to set up her own business renovating vintage caravans. She hasn’t told anyone about the project she has cooked up with Jemma from The Cherry Tree Café to repurpose Gwen’s old caravan and turn it into a gorgeous tearoom.

But before she can finally enjoy living with her legacy she must uncover who she can trust, and who to avoid. And with two men vying for her attention, will she also find love?

~ When I added it to my book shelf ~

I downloaded Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage earlier this year. It was free in Heat magazine.

~ Why I want to read it ~

Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage sounds like the perfect book to curl up and escape with. I’ve heard lots of good things about Heidi Swain’s writing so I am sure I will enjoy it.

Sarah’s Vignettes Literary Lowdown ~ 17 November 2019

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.

For this week’s post, I chose Without a Word by Kate McQuaile.

~ On social media ~

For #ThrowbackThursday, I chose The Lost Girl by Carol Drinkwater. The tweet below says it all!

Yesterday marked 4 years since the Bataclan attacks in Paris. 2 years ago, THE LOST GIRL by @Carol4OliveFarm @MichaelJBooks was published. It’s a tribute to that night and a special book. It’s my choice for this week’s #ThrowbackThursday ❤️https://t.co/qVZHF4dESL

— Sarah Swan ~ Sarah’s Vignettes 📚😊 (@Sarah_Swan2) November 14, 2019

~ On my bookshelf ~

I added 1 book to my bookshelf this week. I think my bookshelf might groan under the weight though as it’s 842 pages and in hardback.

An impromptu visit to Nymans (National Trust) this weekend, led to a mooch around their second-hand books shed. Of course, I couldn’t leave empty handed and this book stood out for me.

The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters, edited by Charlotte Mosley

Carefree, revelatory and intimate, this selection of unpublished letters between the six legendary Mitford sisters, compiled by Diana Mitford’s daughter-in-law, is alive with wit, passion and heartbreak.

The letters chronicle the social quirks and political upheavals of the twentieth century but also chart the stormy, enduring relationships between the uniquely gifted – and collectively notorious – Mitford sisters. There’s Nancy, the scalding wit and bestselling novelist; Pamela, who craved a quiet country life; Diana, the fascist wife of Sir Oswald Mosley; Unity, whose obsession with Adolf Hitler led to personal tragedy; Jessica, the runaway communist; and Deborah, the socialite who became Duchess of Devonshire.

Writing to one another to confide, tease, rage and gossip, the Mitford sisters set out, above all, to amuse. A correspondence of this scope is rare; a collection penned by six born storytellers is irreplaceable.

~ On my bedside table ~

I’m reading When Stars Will Shine, compiled by Emma Mitchell, ahead of my stop next month on the blog tour. I love reading short stories and the ones I have read so far in this collection are great.

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What books you been reading and buying this week? Let me know by leaving a reply in the box below.

Until next week, happy reading!

Shelf Control at Sarah’s Vignettes: Without a Word by Kate McQuaile

Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies.  It is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves.  Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!

For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out Lisa’s introductory post.

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I love this idea of celebrating books on our book shelves that have been published for a while and we are yet to discover. I’m not choosing in any particular order. I’m just perusing my shelves and seeing what stands out for me at that moment.

This week, I have chosen:

Without a Word by Kate McQuaile

It was published in the UK by Quercus in October 2017.

~ What it’s about ~

I was there when it happened. I watched her disappear.

An emotional psychological drama from the author of the critically acclaimed novel What She Never Told Me.

Lillian had phoned telling her to get Skype up and running. ‘I have so much to tell you’. Lillian was wearing a white bathrobe and she was in for the evening. Then, suddenly, the knock on the door. ‘Sorry Orla, I’d better see who it is’ she said, getting up from the sofa. Orla waited. But the seconds became minutes. She didn’t know how long she waited before she realised that something terrible had happened.

For more than a decade, Lillian’s mysterious disappearance has remained unsolved, and Orla has found it impossible to move on. Then she receives an unexpected visit from Ned Moynihan, the Dublin detective who led the original investigation into Lillian’s vanishing. Moynihan has been receiving anonymous notes accusing him of having failed to investigate the case properly. He assumes the notes are coming from Orla. Yet Orla knows nothing of these letters – is somebody trying to tell them the truth about what really happened to Lillian that night?

~ When I added it to my book shelf ~

I won this proof copy of Without a Word after Quercus ran a competition on their Twitter page in December 2017.

~ Why I want to read it ~

Without a Word sounds like an engaging, absorbing page turner of a thriller! I remember hearing a lot of good things about it at the time too.

Sarah’s Vignettes Literary Lowdown ~ 10 November 2019

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.

For this week’s post, I chose The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon.

~ On social media ~

For #ThrowbackThursday, I chose None So Blind by Alis Hawkins. The tweet below says it all!

#ThrowbackThursday to NONE SO BLIND by @Alis_Hawkins @DomePress. An historical crime fiction book set in 1850s Wales. At the time of reviewing, I was new to reading stories set in that period but I loved it!
https://t.co/wO6KF8l0pL

— Sarah Swan ~ Sarah’s Vignettes 📚😊 (@Sarah_Swan2) November 7, 2019

~ On my bookshelf ~

I added 1 book to my digital bookshelf this week for an upcoming blog tour.

Emma Mitchell, from Creating Perfection, has compiled a multi-genre collection of Christmas themed short stories to raise money for our armed forces and every penny made from the sales of both the digital and paperback copies will be donated to the charity. I am thrilled be part of the blog tour and I cannot wait to read the stories.

When Starts Will Shine, compiled by Emma Mitchell

When Starts Will Shine is a collection of short stories from your favourite authors who have come together to deliver you a Christmas read with a twist.

With true war tales that will break your heart, gritty Christmas crimes that will shake you to your core, and heart warming tales of love lost and found, this anthology has something for everyone. And, with every penny made being sent to support our troops, you can rest assured that you’re helping our heroes, one page at a time.

From authors such as Louise Jensen, Graham Smith, Malcolm Hollingdrake, Lucy Cameron, Val Portelli, and Alex Kane, you are in for one heck of a ride!

When Starts Will Shine is due to be published by Creating Perfection on 9 December 2019. You can pre-order your copy on Amazon UK.

~ On my bedside table ~

I’m still reading Magic Under the Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman. I find that I read slower when I’ve had a really busy week, like this week. It’s a great book and goes deeper than I’d anticipated.

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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 Literary Lowdown ~ 3 November 2019

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.

For this post, I chose Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford

~ On social media ~

For #ThrowbackThursday, I chose Half a World Away by Sue Haasler. When I started reading it, I sat down to only read a few pages and 50 pages in, I looked up at the clock. It’s a good read!

#ThrowbackThursday to HALF A WORLD AWAY by Sue Haasler @pauseliveaction @DomePress. Set in Berlin, 2 years before the Wall came down. It’s a love story that crosses the divide. I need to read it again now I’ve visited Berlin! https://t.co/S6Wko3IrzJ

— Sarah Swan ~ Sarah’s Vignettes 📚😊 (@Sarah_Swan2) October 31, 2019

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On Friday night, I joined Julie Morris for a drink and chat over on her blog A Little Book Problem. We talked about books, blogging, travel, hangover cures and lots more. It was great fun!

Thrilled to be joining Julie @book_problem for a drink and chat tonight! Find out a bit more about me, my travel bucket list and also which book I’m recommending as a must-read. #FridayFeeling #bookbloggers https://t.co/iwZioCrcGq

— Sarah Swan ~ Sarah’s Vignettes 📚😊 (@Sarah_Swan2) November 1, 2019

~ On my bookshelf ~

I added 1 book to my audio bookshelf this week. I haven’t listened to an audiobook in a while but this one really caught my eye. It’ll be a good one to listen to on the commute.

Last Christmas, curated and introduced by Greg Wise and Emma Thompson (released 31 October 2019)

The perfect gift book, featuring the writing of Meryl Streep, Bill Bailey, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Caitlin Moran, Richard Ayoade, Emily Watson and others, to coincide with the upcoming movie Last Christmas, starring Emma Thompson, Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding. 

When you think back to Christmases past, what (if anything) made it magical? Looking towards the future, what would your perfect Christmas be? What would you change? What should we all change? 

This is a beautiful, funny and soulful collection of personal essays about the meaning of Christmas, written by a unique plethora of voices from the boulevards of Hollywood to the soup kitchens of Covent Garden. 

Away from the John Lewis advert, the high street decorations and the candied orange in Heston Blumenthal’s Christmas pudding, this gem of a book introduced and curated by Emma Thompson and Greg Wise celebrates the importance of kindness and generosity, acceptance and tolerance – and shows us that these values are not just for Christmas. 

25p of the proceeds received by Quercus from each audiobook sold will be donated to Crisis and The Refugee Council.

Crisis is a registered charity in the UK with charity nos. W1082947 (England/Wales) and SC040094 (Scotland). Refugee Council is a registered charity in the UK with charity no. 1014576.

©2019 Greg Wise and Emma Thompson (P)2019 Quercus Editions Limited

~ On my bedside table ~

I’m currently reading Magic Under the Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman for the blog tour. It’s really getting me into the Christmas spirit and I can’t wait to share my review with you here on 20th November.

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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!

Shelf Control at Sarah’s Vignettes: Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford

Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies.  It is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves.  Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up!

For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out Lisa’s introductory post.

---

I love this idea of celebrating books on our book shelves that have been published for a while and we are yet to discover. I’m not choosing in any particular order. I’m just perusing my shelves and seeing what stands out for me at that moment.

This week, I have chosen:

Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford

It was published in the UK by Allison & Busby on July 1st 2016.

~ What it’s about ~

London, 1926. Maisie Musgrave is thrilled to land a job at the fledgling British Broadcasting Corporation whose new and electrifying radio network is captivating the nation. Famous writers, scientists, politicians – the BBC is broadcasting them all, but behind the scenes Maisie is drawn into a battle of wills being fought by her two bosses. John Reith, the formidable Director-General and Hilda Matheson, the extraordinary Director of Talks Programming, envisage very different futures for radio. And when Maisie unearths a shocking conspiracy, she and Hilda join forces to make their voices heard both on and off the air…

~ When I added it to my book shelf ~

I can’t remember when I bought Radio Girls but I do know it has been on my shelf for a couple of years!

~ Why I want to read it ~

I want to read Radio Girls as I really enjoy historical fiction. I know nothing about the BBC back in its infancy so I hope this would give me some insight.