And there we have it. Another week gone. Not a bad one by all accounts, as far as working weeks go anyway. Worked a bit, walked a bit, dieted a bit, read a bit. Lots of bits really. Had my first ‘bits’ of book post in a while to, but two absolute stunners so I’m very happy. Didn’t get up to a lot as still in general hibernation mode, but managed a few walks around. the local town park, the canal and along the River Severn in Shrewsbury so at least that’s some exercise! Also managed to sneak in a few coffees. Need some treats in the week after all.
My two bits of book post were The Hunting Ground by Will Shindler from the lovely folks at Hodder & Stoughton, in readiness for the blog tour next month. I also received a copy of One Bad Thing by MK Hill from Head of Zeus, also for a tour. Some of my self-sponsored book post arrived too – my monthly Orenda Subscription box from Berts Books. This month it was Demon by Matt Wesolowski and Bitter Flowers by Gunnar Staalesen. Tidy.
Receiving my Orenda Subscription I figured it was time for a new shelfie. Isn’t this collection stunning? Every paperback and hardback currently published, plus a few ARCs supplied by the lovely Karen Sullivan at Orenda.
1 new Netgalley book this week – No Country For Girls by Emma Styles. A few orders (or preorders) in this week. The Final Round by Bernard O’Keeffe; The Siege by John Sutherland; Wounded Horse by. David Heska Wanbli Weiden; and a couple of audiobooks Windswept and Interesting by Billy Connolly, so I can listen along side reading the book, and likewise Crossing The Line by John Sutherland.
Books I have read
Winter Counts by. David Heska Wanbli Weiden
If you have a problem, if no one else can help, there’s one person you can turn to.
Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Native American Reservation in South Dakota. When justice is denied by the American legal system or the tribal council, Virgil is hired to deliver his own punishment, the kind that’s hard to forget. But when heroin makes its way onto the reservation and finds Virgil’s nephew, his vigilantism becomes personal. Enlisting the help of his ex-girlfriend, he sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and how to make them stop.
Following a lead to Denver, they find that drug cartels are rapidly expanding and forming new and terrifying alliances. And back on the reservation, a new tribal council initiative raises uncomfortable questions about money and power. As Virgil starts to link the pieces together, he must face his own demons and reclaim his Native identity – but being a Native American in the twenty-first century comes at an incredible cost.
Winter Counts is a tour-de-force of crime fiction, a bracingly honest look at a long-ignored part of American life, and a twisting, turning story that’s as deeply rendered as it is thrilling.
The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola
Paris, 1750.
In the midst of an icy winter, as birds fall frozen from the sky, chambermaid Madeleine Chastel arrives at the home of the city’s celebrated clockmaker and his clever, unworldly daughter.
Madeleine is hiding a dark past, and a dangerous purpose: to discover the truth of the clockmaker’s experiments and record his every move, in exchange for her own chance of freedom.
For as children quietly vanish from the Parisian streets, rumours are swirling that the clockmaker’s intricate mechanical creations, bejewelled birds and silver spiders, are more than they seem.
And soon Madeleine fears that she has stumbled upon an even greater conspiracy. One which might reach to the very heart of Versailles…
A intoxicating story of obsession, illusion and the price of freedom.
Ben Harper’s life changed for ever the day his older brother Nick was murdered by two classmates. It was a crime that shocked the nation and catapulted Ben’s family and their idyllic hometown, Haddley, into the spotlight.
Twenty years on, Ben is one of the best investigative journalists in the country and settled back in Haddley, thanks to the support of its close-knit community. But then a fresh murder case shines new light on his brother’s death and throws suspicion on those closest to him.
Ben is about to discover that in Haddley no one is as they seem. Everyone has something to hide.
And someone will do anything to keep the truth buried . . .
River Clyde by Simone Buchholz
Mired in grief after tragic recent events, state prosecutor Chastity Riley escapes to Scotland, lured to the birthplace of her great-great-grandfather by a mysterious letter suggesting she has inherited a house.
In Glasgow, she meets Tom, the ex-lover of Chastity’s great aunt, who holds the keys to her own family secrets – painful stories of unexpected cruelty and loss that she’s never dared to confront.
In Hamburg, Stepanovic and Calabretta investigate a major arson attack, while a group of property investors kicks off an explosion of violence that threatens everyone.
As events in these two countries collide, Chastity prepares to face the inevitable, battling the ghosts of her past and the lost souls that could be her future and, perhaps, finally finding redemption for them all.
Breathtakingly emotive, River Clyde is an electrifying, poignant and powerful story of damage and hope, and one woman’s fight for survival.
There you have it. Technically 3.5 books read as I started Winter Counts on last week’s walk, but that’s not bad still. A book every two days. And I’m well into my next read too – Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson! A full week of reviews on the blog – recap below:
#Review – The German Wife – Debbie Rix
#Review – Heartcross Castle – Christie Barlow
#Review – Bitter Flowers – Gunnar Staalesen – Jen’s thoughts
#Review – Bitter Flowers – Gunnar Staalesen – Mandie’s thoughts
#Review – The Twyford Code – Janice Hallett
#Review – The Engine House – Rhys Dylan
The week ahead sees us join three more blog tours: The Village by Caroline Mitchell; The Commandant’s Daughter by Catherine Hokin and The Man In The Bunker by Rory Clements.
Well, that’s me done for another week. A few reviews to catch up on and lots of fabulous books to read, so that’s my week sorted. Hope your week is full of fabulous books too.
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 