The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Dry by Rachel Joyce

A truly funny and warms you heart type of book by Rachel Joyce as Harold Fry does what many of us have often thought about.

Harold nips out to post a letter one morning unaware of what he is about to do.  He leaves his wife at home who is also completely unaware of what Harold is about to do.  Harold suddenly embarks on a walk, but not any walk, one that will take him from one end of the country to the other.  Completely unprepared for such a walk the novel will have the reader in fits about how Harold manages to walk so far, the problems he deals with, the people he meets, the places he sees and all culminates at the end of the story as to why Harold did what he did and has a truly magnificent ending.

A light hearted funny read and is a page-turner from beginning to end as the reader follows Harold on his epic journey.

Why the walk?  Read the book and you wont be disappointed!!

The Black Country by Alex Grecian

The second book by Alex Grecian following his first novel, The Yard.

Brilliantly written, descriptive, exciting and gripping as the reader follows the trail of Inspector Day and his right hand man Sargeant Hammersmith as they meander their way through the streets of a Victorian Midland village in trying to solve murders.  Inspector Day follows his clues but feels a little out of his comfort zone as his is now in an area of the country that is new to him, in the depths of winter and finds his surroundings as intimidating and mysterious as the cases he has to solve.

Sargeant Hammersmith to the rescue. His support gives Inspector Day the encouragement to continue in dire conditions till the end of the story.  A murder mystery with a Jack the Ripper feel to it set in the Black Country of the Midlands.

Excellent story that any reader who commences to read the book will enjoy.

The Yard by Alex Grecian

This is the first of two novels by Alex Grecian on a 'Jack the Ripper' storyline with Inspector Day of Scotland Yard being the main character in the novel running in parallel with a Jack the Ripper criminal.

The story is of a cat and mouse chase between the two characters in Victorian London, one trying to commit the murders while the other tries his best to solve them.  Scotland Yard has formed a new murder squad with the first forensic science coming on board and headed by Inspector Day, Alex Grecian is first class in writing this detective novel.  The descriptives and the accuracy of this work is first class and the reader is in for a long exciting read.

The story goes into the slums of Whitechapel and surrounding districts as Inspector Day follows all clues, visits many of the non-descript establishments that the local support and frequent and all the while the reader is on the trail of clues being updated on the current position.

A must read as this is a book covering many genres and is sure to be of interest to many readers.

Workhouse Child by Maggie Hope

A novel written by Maggie Hope which tells the story of Lottie who was sent to the workhouse on the death of her mother.

The story comes across as one of Maggie Hope's better works, and while being descriptive of Lottie and her life, the story has a more solid foundation that the reader will find brings life to the book.  Life in the workhouse is grim but Lottie finds herself a niche which makes life bearable within the workhouse.  Lottie suffers tragedy, happiness, sorrow as she grows up and has an unexpected ending.  Maggie Hope keeps the reader's attention from the beginning to the end of the book.

A really nice read, good descriptive work and enoyable too.

Orphan Girl by Maggie Hope

This is a good read but runs along the lines familiar to Maggie Hope's other novels and similar to Catherine Cookson novels.

Lorinda becomes an orphan and is sent to live with her aunt and uncle who own a boarding house where Lorinda is no more than a scivvy and her aunt refuses to let her attend school, The novel encompasses such tragedies of an over-enthusiastic uncle, being alone, befriending a lodger only for him to move on with is work and so forth. Various characters come in and out of Lorinda's life during the novel each affecting her differently as she deals with the daily grind of everyday living in Victorian Britain.

A well written story but lacks that zing or something different but is also a nice read for readers who enjoy this genre

Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

This is a very exciting unusual novel by Stephen King and it is written in the first person from the beginning of the book to the end which adds to the authenticity of the storyline.

Dolores Claiborne born poor, working all her days as a housemaid for Vera Donovan, a woman who does not suffer fools gladly, poor Dolores has to put up with her alcoholic, tight-fisted husband who is only interested in his next drink, trying to raise her family and put up with Vera's strict ways of running her house does not have an easy time.

When hubby decides to help himself to the college fund that Dolores has been contributing to for years, she decides that things must change, especially in view of the shocking statement that her daughter tells her with regard to her dad.  Murder number one.  Murder number two arises when Vera falls downstairs and slowly dies and Dolores finds herself charged with two murders.

The story is Dolores' confession to the Police, word for word which adds emphasis to the story. It is not a boring one-line story.  Stephen King writes to make the reader feel as if they are in the cop shop beside Dolores and the police as she giver her account of what had been happening.

A real page turning story, sad in places too but one of Stephen King's best works.

Britt Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backmann

A highly comical novel about how Britt-Marie copes with life and the ups and downs she faces.

This is one book whose character we can all relate to someone we know. BrittMarie's efforts to cope with life after becoming a widow and unemployed living in a small town in the back of beyond had me laughing on many occasions. Britt-Marie will change for no-one or nothing and is always convinced that she is right. As the reader goes through the story you begin to understand the reasons for her being as she is and one can sympathise with her at times. Underneath Britt-Marie is a caring female but she needs the right time and place for this to come to the surface. Her obsession with bicarbonate of soda will forever remain with me!! This is a really lovely story and as the reader progresses into the book it becomes more enjoyable and it is certainly a book worth
reading

 A little different in story line but one in which the reader won’t be disappointed.