#helen dunmore

[derangedrhythms]

It is winter, my season.

Helen Dunmore, from ‘A Spell of Winter’

[novlr]

“A novel, in the end, is a container, a shape which you are trying to pour your story into.” — Helen Dunmore

[alliwanttodoiscollectpoetry]

My life’s stem was cut

Helen Dunmore

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

[aljundiassagheer]

Daniel Branwell x dark!Frederick Dennis from The Lie by Helen Dunmore

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[mermaidbracket]

[violettesiren]

Always rain, September rain, The slipstream of the season, Night of the equinox, the change.

There are three surfers out back. Now the rain's pulse is doubled, the wave Is not to be caught. Are they lost in the dark

Do they know where the coast is combed with light Or is there only the swell, lifting Back to the beginning

When they ran down the hill like children Through this rain, September rain, And the sea opened its breast to them?

I lie and listen And the life in me stirs like a tide That knows when it must be gone.

I am on the deep deep water Lightly held by one ankle Out of my depth, waiting.

September Rain by Helen Dunmore

[judgingbooksbycovers]

A Spell of Winter

By Helen Dunmore

Design by Holly Ovenden.

[writinginnorthnorfolk]

Sanctuary from a Rain Storm

On a fine day, I decide to visit Norwich. I drive to the park and ride, hop on a bus and, once in the city centre, head for Elm Hill, to explore its Tudor buildings, quaint shops and courtyards, which have been used often in settings for films, and are reputedly haunted. Clouds gather overhead, I feel large drops on my face, so head for a courtyard to shelter from the storm. I peer into the dark…

[elliotpsmoke-blog]

‘Birdcage Walk,’ by Helen Dunmore

Novel, 2017 Historical novel set in Bristol, at about the time of the French Revolution and viewing the social fall out and upheaval in British trade and family life. A book, really, which is hard to dislike, with relatable characters set in opposition to each other, and plenty of drama which – occasionally, though not overly – plays to melodrama. The types, acting and actions of the characters…

[sheepyhollows]

“I love the privacy of rain.” — Helen Dunmore, Inside The Wave Poems

[derangedrhythms]

My winter excitement quickened each year with the approach of darkness. I wanted the thermometer to drop lower and lower until not even a trace of mercury showed against the figures. I wanted us to wake to a kingdom of ice where our breath would turn to icicles as it left our lips, and we would walk through tunnels of snow to the outhouses and find birds fallen dead from the air. I willed the snow to lie forever, and I turned over and buried my head under the pillow so as not to hear the chuckle and drip of thaw. 

Helen Dunmore, from ‘A Spell of Winter’

[writingdotcoffee]

A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.

Helen Dunmore

[needmorereading]

Hi everyone! 🩷

As my name suggests, I'm looking for new books to read 😅

I've read authors like Tessa Dare, Erica Ridley, Evie Dunmore, Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood, Helen Hoang (and more), but basically I'm looking for a spicy romance with a happy ending (because life sucks as it is 😂)

Do you have any recommendations?

I'm tagging a few of my favourite blogs, but feel free to ignore this, no pressure! 🩷

@navybrat817 @angrythingstarlight @jobean12-blog @stargazingfangirl18 @buckets-and-trees @witchywithwhiskey @biteofcherry

[harryforvogue]

book recommendations that are similar to my fics

i tried <333

harry and mia

dreamland billionaires by lauren asher (ceo trope)

the dead romantics by ashley poston (quiet reserved MC x overwhelmed FMC in literary setting)

the spanish love deception by elena armas (grumpy x sunshine),

beautiful bastard by christina lauren (serious MC, workplace setting)

the hating game by sally thorne (grumpy MC, workplace rivals)

love on the brain by ali hazelwood (grumpy MC x sunshine FMC, workplace, male pining)

neon gods by katee roberts (grumpy MC, hades x persephone)

harry and faye

practice makes perfect by sarah adams (nervous FMC x tattooed hottie MC)

all the lovers in the dark by mieko kawakami (depressed FMC wanting to change her life around)

georgie, all along by kate clayborn (FMC has anxiety)

harry and fleur

the wisteria society of lady scoundrels by india holton (grumpy/serious FMC x flirty MC, rivals-to-lovers, forced to work together)

these violent delights by chloe gong (friends to lovers to exes to enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers), 

harry and lucia

the heart principle by helen hoang (FMC has OCD)

forget me not by julie soto (grumpy x sunshine, second chance romance)

happy place by emily henry (second chance romance, break up for a good reason)

alone with you in the ether by olivie blake (characters messed up all around)

harry and miriam

yours truly by abby jimenez (MC has really bad anxiety)

people we meet on vacation by emily henry (sunshine FMC x nervous MC, second chance romance-ish)

below zero by ali hazelwood (MC doesn’t know he’s hot, nervous MC x happy FMC)

harry and yasmine

a rogue of one's own by evie dunmore (enemies to lovers, male pining, historical romance)

emily wilde’s encylopaedia of fairies by heather fawcett (academic setting, serious FMC x playful MC)

love theoretically by ali hazelwood (academic rivals)

divine rivals by rebecca ross (enemies to lovers, rivals to lovers)

harry and aaliyah

portrait of a scotsman by evie dunmore (grumpy MC x artsy FMC)

pride and prejudice by jane austen (duh!)

the belle of belgrave square by mimi matthews (marriage of convenience, grumpy MC)

harry and annaliese

the poppy wife by caroline scott (post ww1 romance)

the princess diaries by meg cabot (best friend’s brother LOLLL)

when i come home again by caroline scott (post war romance)

divine rivals by rebecca ross (again but it’s also ww1 inspired)

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

Moon Base Alpha by Stuart Gibbs

Like his fellow lunarnauts—otherwise known as Moonies—living on Moon Base Alpha, twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson is famous the world over for being one of the first humans to live on the moon.

And he’s bored out of his mind. Kids aren’t allowed on the lunar surface, meaning they’re trapped inside the tiny moon base with next to nothing to occupy their time—and the only other kid Dash’s age spends all his time hooked into virtual reality games.

Then Moon Base Alpha’s top scientist turns up dead. Dash senses there’s foul play afoot, but no one believes him. Everyone agrees Dr. Holtz went onto the lunar surface without his helmet properly affixed, simple as that. But Dr. Holtz was on the verge of an important new discovery, Dash finds out, and it’s a secret that could change everything for the Moonies—a secret someone just might kill to keep...

Adventurers Wanted by M. L. Forman

Do you have the courage, the wits, and the skill to claim a dragon's hoard? If so, apply within …

The sign is small, tucked into the corner of Mr. Clutter's bookshop window: "Adventurers Wanted. Apply Within." No one but fifteen-year-old Alex Taylor even seems to notice it is there. And for Alex, who has wished for a change in his life, it is an irresistible invitation.

Upon entering Mr. Clutter's shop, Alex is swept away on an incredible adventure to a faraway land filled with heroic warriors, mysterious elves, and hard-working dwarves.

Alex becomes the eigth man in a band of adventurers seeking the lair of Slathbog the Red - an evil dragon with a legendary treasure. Along the way, Alex and his new friends must battle dangerous trolls and bandits, face undead wraiths, and seek the wisdom of the Oracle in her White Tower.

Alex's adventure takes him to distant and exotic lands where he learns about courage, integrity, honor, and, most importantly, friendship.

Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

Will anyone take on Jake Semple?

Jake Semple is notorious. Rumor has it he burned down his old school and got kicked out of every school in his home state.

Only one place will take him now, and that's a home school run by the Applewhites, a chaotic and hilarious family of artists. The only one who doesn't fit the Applewhite mold is E.D.—a smart, sensible girl who immediately clashes with the unruly Jake.

Jake thinks surviving this one will be a breeze . . . but is he really as tough or as bad as he seems?

The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt

It is the dead of night.

Sixteen-year-old Tiuri must spend hours locked in a chapel in silent contemplation if he is to be knighted the next day.

But, as he waits by the light of a flickering candle, he hears a knock at the door and a voice desperately asking for help.

A secret letter must be delivered to King Unauwen across the Great Mountains - a letter upon which the fate of the entire kingdom depends. Tiuri has a vital role to play, one that might cost him his knighthood.

Tiuri's journey will take him through dark, menacing forests, across treacherous rivers, to sinister castles and strange cities. He will encounter evil enemies who would kill to get the letter, but also the best of friends in the most unexpected places.

He must trust no one.

He must keep his true identity secret.

Above all, he must never reveal what is in the letter...

Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen

Marly and her family share many adventures when they move from the city to a farmhouse on Maple Hill. Her father is recovering from being a prisoner-of-war. The small town and the varied happenings and activities of country life help them to recover from past unhappiness, and bond more closely as a family.

13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison

Tanya has a secret. She can see fairies.

But not the fairies we imagine. These fairies cast spells on her, rousing her from her sleep and propelling her out of bed. Disturbed by her daughter’s behaviour, Tanya’s mother sends her away to live with her grandmother at Elvesden Manor, a secluded countryside mansion on the outskirts of town.

Then an old photograph leads Tanya to an unsolved mystery. Fifty years ago a girl vanished in the woods, a girl Tanya’s grandmother will not speak of. Tanya is determined to find the truth, but as she unearths more secrets she finds herself dangerously close to following in the missing girl’s footsteps . . .

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

This same slice of history is seen through the eyes of the spirited, 7-year-old Ojibwa girl Omakayas, or Little Frog, so named because her first step was a hop. The sole survivor of a smallpox epidemic on Spirit Island, Omakayas, then only a baby girl, was rescued by a fearless woman named Tallow and welcomed into an Ojibwa family on Lake Superior's Madeline Island, the Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker. We follow Omakayas and her adopted family through a cycle of four seasons in 1847, including the winter, when a historically documented outbreak of smallpox overtook the island.

Poison by Bridget Zinn

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

The Chanters of Tremaris by Kate Constable

Calwyn has never been beyond the high ice-wall that guards the sisters of Antaris from the world of Tremaris. She knows only the rounds of her life as a novice ice priestess, tending her bees, singing her ice chantments, and dreaming.

But then Calwyn befriends Darrow, a mysterious Outlander who appears inside the Wall and warns of an approaching danger. To help Darrow, to see the world, and perhaps to save it, Calwyn will leave the safety of the Wall for a journey with a man she barely knows—and an adventure as beautiful and dangerous as the music of chantment itself.

Ingo by Helen Dunmore

Sapphire's father mysteriously vanishes into the waves off the Cornwall coast where her family has always lived. She misses him terribly, and she longs to hear his spellbinding tales about the Mer, who live in the underwater kingdom of Ingo. Perhaps that is why she imagines herself being pulled like a magnet toward the sea. But when her brother, Conor, starts disappearing for hours on end, Sapphy starts to believe she might not be the only one who hears the call of the ocean.