Book-Mad-Mum

  Anna is a teacher who works in a school for vulnerable young people. She struggles to make ends meet, living hand to mouth as she feeds her shopping addiction. When Guy walks into the school lecture hall one day to deliver to the staff a professional development session, Anna’s life changes. She wants to tell Guy the truth about her past, but she can’t but she has also made a promise to her sister Birdie, who has gone missing, that she will reveal the truth about what happened to her. Wow! This book was gripping. In one description it quotes “ A completely addictive thriller that will keep you guessing into the early hours of the morning” and it did I couldn’t go to sleep as I wanted to know how certain characters would respond to certain situations! I guessed the twist about two pages before it was revealed and I was a) chuffed that I managed to solve the mystery and b) thrilled that it wasn’t so obvious that I was just waiting for the author to reveal what I already knew. ...

  The Gogartys are an Irish family, and in this book the story centres on three main family members, Grandma Millie, stepson Kevin and teenage daughter Aideen. The book starts with Millie being arrested for shoplifting (again) and Kevin and his wife Grace deciding to send rebellious Aideen to a boarding school. When the family appoint a carer for Millie and Aideen goes off to focus on her studies, life shifts up a gear for the Gogarty’s and they certainly don’t get the smooth ride they were hoping for!! Nothing goes to plan, and things descend into chaos! I really enjoyed this story, although it felt like a book of two halves. I absolutely loved feisty old Millie who certainly wasn’t going to take anything lying down, however sometimes her stubbornness did drive to me distraction, and I could completely relate to poor old Kevin! One part of the book I didn’t get was the relationship between twin sisters Aideen and Nuala – they were chalk and cheese and to be honest, I would have...

  Meet Izzy a first time mum who up until motherhood has been able to handle everything that life has thrown at her – however bringing up a newborn baby is proving more difficult than she thought and she is struggling with the routine and loneliness. Living across the road from Izzy in their cul-du-sac, is neighbour and widower Arthur who lost his wife Pearl two years ago and is struggling with the similar feelings of despair that Izzy is feeling. After a fall, his nephew Jeremy is keen to move him into a care home, but Arthur is determined to do things his way. An unusual friendship between Izzy and Arthur blossoms when she offers to help him pack up his belongings but in fact, they both end up helping each other. This is a heart-warming story of two people from different generations, who live in close proximity to each other developing a friendship which rescues both of them from the blanket of loneliness. All of the characters in this book are lovely, from Joan to Jeremy a...

  Dogs Days is the story of three different people living three different lives…Grumpy old George is struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife Ellen who has left him handy notes around the house and a new puppy as well…Counsellor Dan who lives OCD, is afraid to face up to his own feelings and sexuality, and Lizzie who is seeking solace in a woman’s refuge with her son Lenny. All three strangers have one thing in common…dogs - whether they own them, or the dogs are there at their side to provide comfort or just company.   Sadly, I didn’t connect with this book and I felt it was for several reasons. Firstly, the main thing that annoyed me was the name of one of the characters was Atticus Finch, the same name as one of the characters from To Kill A Mocking Bird. I was convinced that there must be a reason why the author chose this name as it is an unusual name and also one that has been used in such an iconic book. I was waiting all the way for the reveal as to...

 While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart published by Headline Books Jean-Luc and Charlotte Beauchamps have left their war-torn memories of Paris behind to live a quiet life in America with their son, Sam. They have a house in the suburbs, they've learned to speak English, and they have regular get-togethers with their outgoing American neighbors. Every minute in California erases a minute of their lives before -- before the Germans invaded their French homeland and incited years of violence, hunger, and fear. But their taste of the American Dream shatters when officers from the U.N. Commission on War Crimes pull-up outside their home and bring Jean-Luc in for questioning. Initially when I started this book, I wasn't sure if it was for me or not, as the subject matter was about the movement of Jewish prisoners in France during World War II. However...this book didn't go down the route I thought it would and went in a completely different direction which I wasn't expecting (I g...

A Family Reunion written by Patricia Scanlan published by Simon & Schuster Marie-Claire lives in Toronto and thinks she has the perfect life until she makes the shocking discovery that her boyfriend (and business partner) is cheating on her. Reeling, she travels home to Ireland, hoping the comfort of her family and a few familiar faces will ground her. She arrives just in time to celebrate her beloved great-aunt Reverend Mother Brigid’s retirement and eightieth birthday. It will be a long-awaited and touching reunion for three generations of her family, bringing her mother Keelin and grandmother Imelda—who have never quite gotten along—together as well. But then all hell breaks loose. Bitter, jealous Imelda makes a startling revelation at the party that forces them all to confront their pasts and face the truths that have shaped their lives. With four fierce, opinionated women in one family, will they ever be able to find common ground and move forward? This book was originally pub...