#booksthatsurprisedme

[bibliobethblog]

I will be forever grateful to the Women’s Prize for introducing me to books and authors that I might not have read otherwise. This was certainly the case with Remote Sympathy, a novel I savoured over a longer period of time than I would normally spend because I was enjoying the experience so much that I didn’t want it to end. ⁣ ⁣ This is the story of a German couple, Greta and Dietrich who have recently moved away from Munich with their young son. They are now placed near the Buchenwald prison camp to support Dietrich’s new role as a camp administrator. He comes across corruption, inadequate supplies and an increasingly dodgy sewer system as the prison population rises. ⁣ ⁣ Meanwhile, Greta is attempting to make new friends whilst dealing with inner turmoil and health problems of her own. Ten years ago, one of the prisoners in Buchenwald, Dr Weber, created a device that is reported to cure cancer - the Sympathetic Vitaliser. Can Dietrich put aside his concerns about Weber to help his wife? And could the machine actually work?⁣ ⁣ There’s so much to unpick in this novel and for me, that’s one of the many reasons why it was a pleasure to read and why I’m so glad it was longlisted for the @womensprize in 2022. Each chapter is told from a different narrator and occasionally through the means of diary entries. I loved how it made the reader feel as if they were privy to otherwise secret thoughts, feelings and decisions of the individual characters. ⁣ ⁣ Furthermore, I’m a bit partial to fiction around the World Wars but often in fiction, it seems like similar areas are covered in the same manner so I don’t feel as if I’ve learned anything new. Remote Sympathy captured my attention for being unique, surprising and covering new ground in a very different way. Highly recommended!⁣ ⁣ Four solid stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 ⁣ ⁣ #bookstagram #scottishbookstagrammer #reviewingonline #remotesympathy #catherinechidgey #womensprizelonglist2022 #booksthatsurprisedme #bookstosavour #bookssetingermany #memorablereads #reviewingbooksonthegram https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck_drEerxbn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibliobethblog]

I’ve really enjoyed Beth O’Leary’s books although it took me a bit longer than I’d have liked to get to The Switch and The Road Trip. Whilst I loved The Switch, I didn’t have the same connection to The Road Trip so I was delighted that I seemed to gobble up her latest read, The No Show as enthusiastically as I did. ⁣ ⁣ Believe me when I say you want to go into The No Show knowing as little as possible about the storyline. I’m definitely not a spoiler kind of gal, so I’ll let you know the bare minimum. It’s about three very different women - Siobhan, a passionate life coach, Miranda, a tree surgeon is treated like “one of the guys,” in a very male dominated profession and Jane, a volunteer in a charity shop, soft spoken and full of self doubt. All three women get stood up by the same man on the worst night possible - Valentine’s Day. ⁣ ⁣ The reader is party to each woman’s story as we get to know them all following their disastrous dates. We also meet the man in question, Joseph Carter as he negotiates his relationships with the three women. ⁣ ⁣ Seems quite fluffy and light on the outside right? Well if you know me, you’ll know that I don’t often do fluffy and light in my fiction, there has to be an extra something that will hold my interest and give me a reason to keep turning those pages. ⁣ ⁣ The No Show had my attention from the start and continued to intrigue me as the narrative dug a little deeper. I think I fell in love with the characters first and foremost as I found them all to have that magic substance where I cared about what was going to happen to them in their lives. As for the romance side, that’s always a bit more difficult to sell to me, but the author managed it wonderfully well (considering I’m probably one of the most critical romance readers out there!). Highly recommended for fans of the author and the genre. ⁣ ⁣ Four solid stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 ⁣ ⁣ #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviewer #thenoshow #betholearyauthor #quercusbooks #readingonmykindle #fourstarread #fourstarreview #contemporaryfiction #unforgettablestories #memorablereads #readthisbook #booksthatsurprisedme #notatypicalromance https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdqr2_bohBc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibliobethblog]

📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖⁣ ⁣ Hello everyone, today I’m back with a book review for a novel that really surprised me - in a good way! I tried to read the author’s debut novel, The Other Typist and it really wasn’t for me, I had to DNF it. So when I received Three Martini Lunch with a book subscription box, I wasn’t falling over myself to read it as soon as possible.⁣ ⁣ How wrong was I? Three Martini Lunch starts slowly, setting the scene in a vibrant 1950’s New York and introducing our three main characters. Cliff is an aspiring writer who is fighting against his father’s lack of faith in his storytelling abilities, Eden is desperate to be an editor but finds 1950’s NYC difficult to navigate as an ambitious woman and Miles is a messenger and talented writer on his own merit but is also finding things difficult because of who he is and how he is perceived at that period in America’s history. ⁣ ⁣ It took me about 100 pages to get into this novel, I have to admit. However, once I was hooked, I was invested until the very end. I loved everything about it - the detailed nuances of the 1950’s, the way each character is given time and space to explore their struggles and how everything is woven together so beautifully. ⁣ ⁣ All three characters have their own fight to contend with and yet all three of their lives become embroiled together with startling and unforeseen consequences. This isn’t just a historical novel about the heady world of publishing, it’s so much more. It’s a meditation on feminism, ambition, race, sexuality, prejudice, betrayal, and grief that lingers with you long after you’ve finished the final page. ⁣ ⁣ Three Martini Lunch is why I will ALWAYS give an author a second chance and I’m heartily ashamed of myself that I judged this novel before I experienced it based on the author’s previous book. Never again!⁣ ⁣ Five incredible stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 ⁣ ⁣ #bookstagram #booklover #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookreview #fivestarreads #threemartinilunch #suzannerindell #booksthatsurprisedme https://www.instagram.com/p/CG5mDiTg51O/?igshid=1hsfs7m4ssrjd