If my January reads are an indicator, 2019 is going to be another fabulous year for books. I have reviewed twelve books this month, but a couple were read in December. There are still a few books that were published in January that I haven’t got around to reading yet but hope to read shortly.
Trying to choose my top three was impossible so I am doing my top five this month to take into account that I read a couple in December. So finally, here are my top 5 reads of January.
Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield. This is one of the books I read over Christmas, and it was a magical read. It centres around the Swan Inn, Radcot on the river Thames, where on the winter solstice a man staggers in to the Inn with a young girl in his arms. The young girl is not breathing and presumed dead, but a short while later she breathes again. Unable to speak, three families believe the young girl is one of their family, and through the book we learn their tragic stories. This is part mystery, part folklore, part romance, but wholly spellbinding. This book is an ode to story telling and it’s importance in our history and had me captivated.
The Illumination Of Ursula Flight by Anna-Marie Crowhurst. Ursula Flight was born on 15 December 1664 on the night of a comet, believed to be bad luck. The book is narrated by Ursula, and chronicles her life from childhood to adulthood. Ursula is unconventional for her time as she4 is educated by her father and has dreams of becoming a playwright. This is beautifully written, with historical detail, including the prose that brings the period to life. This is a warm and witty read with a heroine you will take to your heart, a fabulous book.
Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd. Set in the late eighteenth century this an historical crime thriller set against the horrors of the slave trade. Captain Harry Corsham risks his political career, job at the War Office to investigate the murder of his friend Tad been tortured, branded and murdered in Deptford, whilst fighting for the abolition of slavery. At the centre of this book is the appalling treatment of slaves on the transport ships, and the events of this book are based on the Zong Massacre. This an extraordinary debut novel that combines wonderful historical detail that brings the period to life and a dark and chilling crime thriller, that kept me gipped throughout.
The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup. Written by the man behind the TV drama The Killing, this is a dark and disturbing crime thriller. Set in Denmark, the plot focuses on Rosa Hartung, a politician who is returning to work a year after her daughter went missing, presumed murdered, with the killer in prison. After two women are found murdered, with chestnut men figures found near by, the disappearance of Rosa’s daughter is back in the spotlight as her fingerprint is on the figures. This book draws you in from the first page and has so many twists and turns to keep you guessing until the dramatic and shocking conclusion. A book I think we will be talking a lot about this year.
The WInternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden. This may seem to be cheating a bit, but I did read all three books in December, which is evidence of how much I loved them. The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower and The Winterwitch are set in fourteenth century Russia and centre around Vasya, a young girl who defies convention and sets off into the world on her own. Grown up with tales of Russian folklore, Vasya is able to see and speak to the spirits that guard the house and the world around her, and is under the protection of the Winter King. She faces many challenges along the way, but her relationship with the spirits will be crucial to her survival. There is a wonderful mix of historical fact and fiction, myth and mystery, folklore and fairytale that combine to make these books an enchanting and enjoyable read.
February is looking to be another great month, and I hope you will join me in reading my reviews. These are three of the books Im looking forward to reading and sharing with you.
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