Hi Everyone! So I thought i would kick things off around here with a round up of some of the recently released books that have caught my eye over the past couple of months. From an inspiring and badass business autobiography to a couple of historical fiction reads and a quirky tale involving the King of Sweden ~ these titles have given me a hard time deciding which one to pick up first.
Dark Aemilia: A Novel of Shakespeare's Dark Lady by Sally O'Reilly. This novel is a part history part fantasy and sounds perfect for those of us who like history with a heavy dose of imagination thrown in. Aemilia Bassano was known in Queen Elizabeth's court for her quick wit and love of poetry. As a young woman she begins an ill-fated love affair with the playwright William Shakespeare. A decade later Aemilia is suffering in an unhappy marriage and her son has become sick while the plague sweeps through London. Aemilia resolves to save her son by any means necessary whether it means turning to her estranged lover or dark magic for help.
Dark Aemilia: A Novel of Shakespeare's Dark Lady by Sally O'Reilly. This novel is a part history part fantasy and sounds perfect for those of us who like history with a heavy dose of imagination thrown in. Aemilia Bassano was known in Queen Elizabeth's court for her quick wit and love of poetry. As a young woman she begins an ill-fated love affair with the playwright William Shakespeare. A decade later Aemilia is suffering in an unhappy marriage and her son has become sick while the plague sweeps through London. Aemilia resolves to save her son by any means necessary whether it means turning to her estranged lover or dark magic for help.
#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso. "I have three pieces of advice I want you to remember. Don't ever grow up. Don't become a bore. Don't let The Man get to you. Ok? Cool. Then let's do this." The founder and creative director of multi-million dollar e-retailer Nasty Gal, Sophie Amoruso gives some straight shooting advice to women about making it to the top without compromising on who you really are.
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Doerr's book has been hailed as both 'ambitious' (it took him over ten years to write) and 'dazzling.' The story of a how a blind French girl and a German boy's paths cross in occupied France as they try to survive the devastation of World War 2. An impecibly researched book which took ten years to write, this is sure to be a master piece.
A Mad and Wonderful Thing by Mark Mulholland. Johnny Donnelly is an intense young man with a passion for books, for his country and for a beautiful girl but he has a very dark secret. He is an IRA sniper. As his two world inevitably collide Johnny takes the reader on a journey through his life and through Ireland. A heart wrenching and passionate novel about life, love and redemption.
Frog Music by Emma Donoghue. San Francisco in 1876 is a booming town suffering under a record breaking heat wave and a smallpox epidemic. A young woman named Jenny Bonnet is shot dead through the window of a railroad saloon. Her friend Blanche Beunon, a French burlesque dancer, risks everything to bring the murderer to justice. As Blanche starts to piece together the story she discovers the secret life of Jenny herself - a notorious charachter who inhabits a world of free loving bohemians, arrogant millionairs and a tale of love and bloodshed.
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. Nella Ootman begins her life as a new wife to an illustrious merchant trader in Amsterdam in 1686. Johannes Brandt is kind but distant as a husband and often absent with his presence. When Johannes presents his wife with a cabinet-sized replica of their home, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist to furnish it. As Johannes gift helps Nella to understand and discover the Brandt households secrets she begins to fear the dangers that being different can cause in such a pious socitey. The miniaturist sees the fate that awaits them, but is he the key to their salvation or the maker of their destruction?
The Darkest Hour by Barbara Erskine. In the summer of 1940 the battle for Britain has begun. Evie Lucas has a promising career ahead of her as an artist but spends her days sketching portraits of a handsome pilot. Seventy years on an art historian named Lucy is trying to piece together the mystery surrounding a painting in her home. But as she delves deeper she finds herself in danger from people who don't want the truth to be told.
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonassen. A quirky and unique tale about the unlikely adventure of Nombeko Mayeki. Born in a shack in Soweto in 1961 Nombeko defies the odds of her poverty stricken town and grows up to become the chief adviser on one of the world's most secret projects.When Nombeko discovers the truth about South Africa's nuclear missile programme - that a seventh missile was created in secret and not disarmed with the other six - she must go on the run from the South African justice system and the secret service. Nombeko's actions have far reaching consequences for involving a cast of eccentric characters including the King of Sweden.
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonassen. A quirky and unique tale about the unlikely adventure of Nombeko Mayeki. Born in a shack in Soweto in 1961 Nombeko defies the odds of her poverty stricken town and grows up to become the chief adviser on one of the world's most secret projects.When Nombeko discovers the truth about South Africa's nuclear missile programme - that a seventh missile was created in secret and not disarmed with the other six - she must go on the run from the South African justice system and the secret service. Nombeko's actions have far reaching consequences for involving a cast of eccentric characters including the King of Sweden.
