Author: Bookworm&TheatreMouse

The Ballroom Blitz by Anton Du Beke

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I was kindly gifted a copy of ‘The Ballroom Blitz’ by Anton Du Beke from Orion Books. Now, as a Strictly fan, I was very excited to read a book from the pen of everyone’s favourite judge (you know it is true), Anton Du Beke.

This is definitely a book for the fans of those historical upstairs, downstairs-type stories. As I read it, it really reminded me of ‘Downton Abbey’, and I was absolutely fine with this, as I am a fan. Set at The Buckingham Hotel in 1940, during the Blitz, this is a lovely piece of historical fiction about ordinary people united by their love for their place of work – and the family that this gives them.

This is definitely a book with a heart. Anton Du Beke does not just deal with the glamourous world of ballroom, and all the magic it holds in the darkest of times (we all remember how much Strictly brought joy to the nation after the lockdown darkness), but also the real horrors and struggle that so many people went through in London. I was pleased to read that PTSD (although, as we know, not officially recognised at the time) was handled through the story of Raymond de Guise, and not just for the soldiers who had been to war. But, also, how some easily got dragged into the darker side of society when times are hard.

I do not want to issue any spoilers about this book, as I think it is a perfect read for this time of year, or even nearer Christmas, as it is set in December 1940. It is a hug in a book for that time of year, and one for fans of the ‘modern’ historical novel, with a twist of the romantic.

The Moon and Stars by Jenna Warren

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I was kindly sent a copy of ‘The Moon and Stars’ by Jenna Warren, by Fairlight Books. And, when it arrived, I spotted it had a quote from the fabulous Matson Taylor on it, so I knew this was a book I was going to enjoy. I was correct.

‘The Moon and Stars’ tells the tale of Matthew Capes, a talented musician and singer, who has one thing standing between him and his dream caree:, stage fright. Stage fright so severe that he has taken a back seat in the theatre world, working for the Moon and Stars Theatre. When he is offered the chance to sing with an old friend from music college, Matthew may finally have the chance to come out of the shadows – or will he?

This is a wonderful book, that may evade being placed in a genre, as there are just so many fantastic threads running through it. It is a contemporary piece of fiction, with so much more to it. If you are fan of theatre, especially musical theatre, you will enjoy this book. If you are a fan of books that follow relationships (romantic and friendly), you will enjoy this book. If you are a fan of The Phantom of the Opera, you will enjoy this book. And, if you are fan of books that really centre around great characterisation, well, you will enjoy this book.

For me, as a musical theatre fan, this was almost a comfort read. It whisked me away to the theatre world with some fascinating characters that really showed what a challenge such a world is and, sometimes, the only thing that is in the way of any of us achieving our dreams is ourself.

So, as the dark nights draw in, why not be whisked away to the land of theatrical performance and visit ‘The Moon and Stars’?

Pages and Co: The Treehouse Library by Anna James

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I was soooooooo excited when a copy of ‘Pages and Co: The Treehouse Library’ arrived on my doorstep. I had been lucky enough to gain a place on the Tandem Collective UK readalong of this beautiful book and been gifted a copy of the book from Harper Collins to allow me to join in.

Well, it is very simple: this book is fabulous. I am fully aware that I am not the target audience of these beautiful books, but they really are books for readers and book lovers of all ages. I challenge any of you not to wish that you had the skills to be a bookwanderer by the time you reach the end of this story (or any of the others in the series) – although I suppose we are all bookwanderers the minute we open any of our favourite books.

I do not want to give the plot away, especially if you are a fan who has been reading them all, but I can honestly say you will not be disappointed. Anna James creates such a wonderfully adventurous bookish world with the most brilliant characters. There is such a range of strong characters who younger readers would be able to look up to and take inspiration from – especially when times may be a little more difficult.

So, as we enter the autumnal months, why don’t you take a trip to Pages and Co? Because there really is no adventure like the adventures we find in books.

Also, I bet your reading wish list will grow…

The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I was kindly gifted a copy of ‘The American Roommate Experiment’ as part of a Tandem Collective UK readalong. As I have not read ‘The Spanish Love Deception’, I thought this was a great chance to be introduced to a new author, in a genre I do not always choose to read.

This is a piece of romantic fiction with all the comfort of the chickflick films of the late 90s and early 2000s – which is not a criticism, as we all know that they are some of the greatest films ever made… This is a classic strangers-to-friends-to-lovers story (I do not feel this is a spoiler, as it is a fairly obvious path as you read the book).

Rosie and Lucas are thrown together by fate when they both need somewhere to stay – their connection: Lina, Rosie’s best friend and Lucas’ cousin. Spending time together, friendship blossoms and they help each other to find their stride again after some bumps in the road. But, most importantly, they help each other to learn to love themselves – which helps them learn to really love someone else.

This is an interesting study of all sorts of relationships and how important they are to us. What a support they can be and, sometimes, how we need to ensure we support others.

If you like a slow burn classic friends-to-lovers romance (that can also be a little bit steamy), then this is the book for you. A perfect piece of escapism as we approach autumn.

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

The lovely Miss W sent me a copy of ‘When Stars are Scattered’ as a little treat a little while ago and, as it was a book that had been on my wishlist for quite some time, I was so excited when it arrived.

I absolutely love a graphic novel; they are just another beautiful way to enjoy reading. And they can be a perfect genre to tackle some harder topics, and this is exactly what ‘When Stars are Scattered’ does. This is even more special, as it is the story of Omar, who is one of the authors of the book.

Omar and his brother are living in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya, as they have escpaed the war in Somalia. With just each other, and their new foster mother, Omar is focused on looking after his brother Hassan, who is nonverbal. Life is hard for the boys, but one day Omar is giving the opportunity to go to school and possibly have the chance to give himself and his brother a better life in the future – although he knows the path will be a long one.

Beautifully crafted through words and pictures, we follow Omar and Hassan as they navigate the challenges that they face in Dadaab. As well as finding out about the experiences of some of their friends, and how a little kindness can inspire some to fight for the chance to change their future – and maybe the futures of others.

Although this is a book for older middle-grade readers, this is a book that readers of all ages should take the time to read, as this is a book with a heart – and a very important message. It causes us to reflect on the privileges that so many of us take for granted, and how showing a little kindness can go a long way.

This book has been added to my automatic recommendation list, so, if you can, pick up this story and give it a read. I am sure you will love it.

Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North by Rachel Joyce

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I have been very kindly gifted an uncorrected proof of ‘Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North’ by Rachel Joyce – which I was very excited about. However, I do have to confess that I have not read the two books that come before this, as my only encounter with the work of Rachel Joyce has been ‘Miss Benson’s Beetle‘, which was a book I really rather enjoyed.

So, I think maybe meeting Maureen Fry without meeting Harold Fry or Queenie was a slightly different way to read this book than maybe others will do. I had no preconceived ideas about any of the characters or the nature of the story, but I am certainly ready to read the others after finishing this, as I thought it was a delightful read.

Maureen is going to follow in the footsteps of her husband Harold, and go on a bit of a pilgrimage of her own. Maybe in not exactly the same way, but she and Harold have decided that she needs to make a journey north, by car, to visit Queenie’s garden. However, this is not an easy journey for Maureen, for all sorts of reasons (which I do not really want to go into, as I do not want to spoil it for anybody who is really looking forward to reading this book). But it is certainly a journey that Maureen does not entirely expect – even with the best-laid plans, it takes her further than she would ever have imagined in her own personal journey as she comes to terms with the past, present and future.

I read this book in one sitting, as I was so invested in Maureen and her story, and it certainly has me keen to meet Harold properly in his own tale. I also love that it is a book with a title that has so many different meanings throughout the narrative – it is a joy when you spot them or wonder if that is the moment that it is referring to. This is a beautiful and wonderfully emotional read about relationships of all kinds, and I am grateful I have been able to read this before its publication date.

Keep your eyes peeled if you would like to meet Maureen Fry, as she will be in bookshops in October.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This is a book that I have seen around for quite some time – and as ‘The Maidens’ has also appeared to have taken the bookstagram world by storm too, I really wanted to give the books of Alex Michaelides a go.

And ‘The Silent Patient’ is a book that I think deserves the hype. It was a really fascinating and engaging thriller – told, I thought, in quite a unique style. Now, this is a really difficult book to try and write a blog post about, as I really do not want to give anything away, as this is a book that you need to read if you are a fan of a good thriller.

The tale is told from the point of view of Theo, the therapist who is determined to work out why Alicia carried out such an act of violence against her husband. And why, since that moment, she has not spoken a word or appeared to communicate in any way other than through one painting that she did after the violent and deadly attack on her husband. Theo sets out to find the truth and see if he can be the man who can get Alicia to speak – some would even say that he appears to be obsessed.

I know it is a cliche, but as a psychological thriller this is a real page-turner. I could not put this book down as I needed to know the outcome as we were drip fed snippets of information from Theo’s investigations and Alicia’s personal diary, which seems a surprise.

It has definitely got me keen to read ‘The Maidens’, as Alex Michaelides has proved that he has the skills to weave a chilling, thrilling read with quite the twist – or twists – throughout.

The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

For two years, I have been lucky enough to be part of ‘The Tasting Notes Book Club’, hosted by the wonderful The Book Taster. A wonderful ‘virtual’ book club that is made up of so many amazing bookworms who all share a love of books, the chance to talk about books and hear from the authors who write the books. It has led me to make some wonderful bookish friends and opened my eyes to so many books that I may not have read usually, while also introducing me to some fantastic small businesses, too.

And that first time two years ago, we read ‘All the Lonely People‘ (did you just sing that title? If you did not, I know you are fibbing) by Mike Gayle and, to bring us to the 2nd birthday celebrations, we have read ‘The Museum of Ordinary People’ – and it was another very special book.

This was a story that I felt really resonated with me; as someone who loves history, loves museums and loves stories – especially those stories that are important to people – this book was perfect. Jess’ mum has just died, and she has the job of clearing the house of all those things that had been important to her mum, and that hold so many memories for her.

When she realises that she really cannot throw out that old collection of encyclopaedias that her mum had bought her, she finds out that there is a ‘museum’ that will take them and look after them for her. Little does she know that this decision will lead to her changing her life, taking on something that she has always dreamed of doing, and discovering that maybe things have not always been as they seemed – not only for herself, but for those that she encounters along the way.

Mike Gayle really brings these characters to life on the page, and you feel like you are really getting to know them, their story and what makes them tick. And he can really evoke emotions in his readers – there may have been some tears as I read this novel.

The epilogue to this book was also excellent, I do not want to spoil what it is, but I thought it was such a beautiful touch to bring the book to a close.

So, now that I have hopefully convinced you that you should read this book, I am off to think about what possessions I have that would deserve a place in ‘The Museum of Ordinary People’…

The Survivors by Jane Harper

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

When I spotted ‘The Survivors’ on the bookstagram grid, I was not sure how I had missed it – as I really enjoy Jane Harper’s books. So, when I spotted it in my favourite charity bookshop, I knew I had to pick it up, especially as I am still in a bit of a thriller mood with my reading. And another title that has multiple meanings which I think is great: survivors means so much in so many different ways in this book.

I was not disappointed by this novel at all. Jane Harper is the queen of creating an atmosphere, and she did it again with ‘The Survivors’. Although, this time, it was not about the Australian outback but about a coastal community, so this almost felt like a darker threat in some ways – this was not about the heat and the remoteness, but about the stormy nature of the sea and how that is reflected in the community after the murder of a young lady shakes the tight-knit community. And this also raises questions about the disappearence of a young girl over a decade before.

What keeps you reading is what always keeps you reading: the skeletons in the closets of all the characters you meet as the story unfolds. As you think that you have worked it all out, there is something else that leaves you suspicious of the people you are meeting.

Yet again, this book did not disappoint. I had a little bit of an idea who was probably to blame by the end, but only an inkling, and only just before the reveal. If you are a fan of a slow-burn, atmospheric thriller, then you need to read this – or any of Jane Harper’s books, really.

All About Evie by Matson Taylor

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

A year ago, I met Evie in the wonderful ‘Miseducation of Evie Epworth‘ by the equally wonderful Matson Taylor. And I was so excited to be reintroduced to Evie in ‘All About Evie’ – set ten years later, as Evie has established and is continuing to establish her life in London in the Seventies.

Now, I cannot spoil this book for anybody who may want to read it, which does make it a little hard to write a blog post about it. However, I will tell you that the fantastic humour we all loved in the first book is back and makes this story just as joyous as the first. I mean, I dare you not to laugh out loud through the very first chapter: if it can happen, then it will definitely happen to Evie.

Evie does have another journey of self-discovery when life reaches a crossroads she had not quite intended on (reference the rather funny incident at the very start of the book). Along the way, she encounters a colourful collection of characters – some who we know as old friends from the first book and some who are new – who lead her on all sorts of adventures and mishaps. Many of these will make you laugh, some may leave you with a little tear in your eye, but all of them will make you very pleased that you picked up the book.

And, this time, despite what the title may suggest, it is not all entirely about Evie. We find out a little more about some of our original friends from the first book, especially Mrs Scott-Pym and her family. And this strand is wound perfectly throughout the story.

So, basically, I loved it – it is that simple. It is beautifully written, full of humour and perfectly heartwarming.