Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop - Jenny Colgan

Jenny Colgan is hands down one of my favorite authors. I'm always waiting for her new titles. And....Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop is here! 

Now, this sequel picks up where it let off in 'The Christmas Bookshop'. You can absolutely read this latest as a stand alonn - but you'd be missing a wonderful tale. I say buy them both for yourself for Christmas.

Why do I enjoy Colgan's books so much? Well, the characters are wonderfully drawn. I always feel like I'd love to meet them all and join in. In this sequel, I feel like I'm catching up with old friends. The players are not perfect, instead they feel like real people. There's always a romantic timeline that isn't quite a straight journey. I love the yes, no, maybe so trip to the final pages. Carmen is a wonderful lead, but the supporting cast is just as fun, full of quirky personalities.  I do have to say that her nieces steal the show on more than one occasion.

The settings are wonderful as well. I'd love to live in many of the places Colgan visits or imagines. This time we're again at McCredie’s little Old Town bookshop in Edinburgh. Oh, I want to visit, or heck, work there! The descriptions of the books in the shop are so detailed. Colgan adds to this location in this new book. There are more and more little alcoves, brim full of old books. Make that treasures. And some unexpected rooms upstairs. Carmen is doing everything she can to keep the shop running, but is it going to be enough? 

Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop is a book you can easily escape into. And I know you'll love it. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop. More please!

The Second Chance Store - Lauren Bravo

It was the cover of Lauren Bravo's new novel - The Second Chance Store - that caught my eye. I can't ever walk past a second hand store...there are treasures just waiting for me! 

Thirty-eight old Gwen has just been made redundant at work. She's trying hard to convince herself that this is a positive thing - she can take this time to figure out what she really wants to do with her life. She also needs/wants people in her life - friends and maybe a special someone? After cleaning out some stuff in her closet, she finds herself in a second chance store. And finds herself filling out a volunteer application...

I love the characters Bravo has created, especially Gwen. She's believable, and I think many of us will identify with her inner dialogue, thoughts and actions. The supporting cast is a very mixed bag of quirky characters who all bring something to the table. Their stories and lives are just as compelling.

It was a joy to see Gwen move forward (with more than a few side steps). I'm going to leave it for you to discover how that happens. I don't think Gwen is unique in her situation. Covid has left many folks isolated and lonely.

Now, here's the fun bit. Alternating with Gwen's narrative are small stories. About many of the items found in the Second Chance Store! I've done this myself when in a used goods store. Who had this, why did they let it go?

The Second Chance Store is a lovely, slower paced tale. I found myself picking up and putting down the book over a few weeks but I did really enjoy it. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Second Chance Store.

The Summer Skies - Jenny Colgan

I've read most of Jenny Colgan's books and I always pick up the latest, knowing I'm in for a feel good read. The Summer Skies is newly released. 

The Summer Skies is a stand alone, introducing us to a new set of characters to enjoy and more wee villages on a set of islands off the coast of  Northern Scotland. I always want to live in the villages Colgan creates. And I'd be quite happy to call the characters friends. (I have to say that Barbara the chicken is one of my favourite supporting charterers!)

Our lead character in The Summer Skies is Morag MacIntyre, the third generation of her family to be a pilot. Her grandfather pilots the small island plane that delivers the mail, tourists, medicine, supplies and pretty much anything! Morag learned to fly on 'Dolly' but has moved to the city and onto bigger planes. Two recent incidents though, have her questioning her choices - in love and in the air.

Tales from Colgan always give us a plucky lead, a love life that doesn't quite work out, decisions to be made, some laugh out moments, a wonderful supporting, tightknit family, some 'aha' moments that will have you thinking 'what if'... and so much more. Oh, and lots of flying stuff. 

The Summer Skies was another wonderful for me. Heartwarming and heart tugging See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Summer Skies.

(And for fans of all of the wee villages Colgan has created - see if can catch the Mure reference.)

The Donut Trap - Julie Tieu

Are you looking for your next listen? Julie Tieu's debut novel, The Donut Trap, is it's a sweet choice - in more ways  than one!

It was this descriptor from Harper Audio and Avon Books that caught my eye..."Julie Tieu sparkles in this debut romantic comedy, which is charmingly reminiscent of the TV show Kim’s Convenience..." I love that show and just knew I would enjoy The Donut Trap.

Tieu gives us an eminently likable protagonist in Jasmine Tran. She's finished college and just doesn't know what's next for herself. Until she's figured things out she works in the family business - Sunshine Donuts. And tries to fend off her mother's attempts to find her a husband. 

And then Jasmine meets Alex - or should I say re-meets? The burgeoning relationship between the two is well written although it did feel a bit accelerated to me. Now here's where that Kim's Convenience comparison comes in. Both Alex and Jasmine are first generation immigrant children. The respect given to their parents, their values and their culture is there, but so is the desire to step outside the expectations put on them. This is an important part of The Donut Trap and I think Tieu's exploration of this rings very true. It's also a coming of age for Jasmine as she finally sets her own goals, desires and path. This thread does seem to take precedence over the romantic plot line.

The other thing that needs to be addressed is - donuts! Oh my gosh, I had some serious donut craving while listening to the descriptions!

I chose to listen to The Donut Trap. The reader was Natalie Naudus. She was a great choice. Naudus's voice is pleasant, easy on the ears, well paced and she enunciates well. The voice for Jasmine matched the age of the character and the mental image I had created. There's lots of internal dialogue for Jasmine and the slightly sardonic tone used was just right as well. She does a great job with the male voices as well, deepening her tone to a believable level. Alex's voice has a nice gravely tenor to it that really works for the character. Naudus also reads the part of  all the parents with accurate and convincing accents. Jasmine's best friend is Linh and her voice is bouncy and upbeat. Naudus captures the dynamics, happenings, thoughts and emotions of the plot with her interpretation of Tieu's work. A great performance and a narrator I would definitely enjoy again. Hear for yourself - listen to an audio excerpt of The Donut Trap.

I enjoyed all aspects of The Donut Trap. I'm looking forward to Tieu's next book, Circling Back to You, due out in summer 2022.

The Clockmaker's Wife - Daisy Wood

WWII fiction is all the rage these days. And if you're a fan of historical fiction, you're going to want to add Daisy Wood's new novel, The Clockmaker's Wife to your TBR list.

Nell and Arthur Spelman and their wee daughter Alice are living in London in 1940. With the blitz hitting too close to home, Nell and Alice go to live with her parents in the country. But, Arthur's job is too important for him to leave - he is a clockmaker who keeps the iconic Big Ben chiming.

Fast forward to present day America. Ellie finds a beautiful but broken watch in her mother Alice's belongings. It once belonged to - yes, you guessed it - Alice's mother Nell. Ellie knows nothing of her grandparents and her mother doesn't have much to offer her either. Ellie is determined to find her history for both herself and her mother. But what she finds isn't what she expected.

I love stories like this that go back and forth from past to present. I was initially caught up short when a crucial piece of Nell's life is presented very early on. But once I discovered this bit, I realized it wasn't a spoiler, and instead I became very curious.

I loved the 'past' chapters so much - characters that 'just got on with it', the sense of community, camaraderie and stalwartness. Wood did an admirable job creating wonderful characters that I easily engaged with. The settings were just as well drawn to with detailed descriptions that created vivid mental pictures. I loved Nell - and her love for Arthur. Nell's got gumption, smarts and a strong sense of duty to her country. The supporting cast is just as well drawn.

Ellie in present day was just as engaging. She's curious, kind and determined as well. I enjoyed the romantic thread woven into this narrative. What Ellie finds in Britain isn't what she had expected. She continues to search for bits of Nell's life even as the reader become privy to what happened to Nell in the past. The lead up to the final answer is action filled. The ending to the present day thread is perfect. Of the two timelines, I have to say I was drawn more to the war years. 

The Clockmaker's Wife was a wonderful read and I recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Clockmaker's Wife.

The Shadow Man - Helen Fields

I've quite enjoyed Helen Fields' D.I. Callanach series. When I saw she had a new book coming out, I didn't even read the flyleaf description - I just knew I'd be in for another great read. The Shadow Man was amazingly good! It kept me up late frantically flipping pages.....and double checking that the door was locked.

The prologue starts things off with a decidedly morbid scene that sets the pace for the story to come.  Fields gives us an unusual protagonist. Dr. Connie Woolwine is an American psychologist and profiler brought in to assist Scottish D.I. Baarda. The search is on for a missing woman, and then another, and then a child and then a man..... Are they connected? Are they alive? 

This duo worked really well for me. Woolwine is an unusual woman and her methods are different from what the tightly wrapped Baarda is used to. I enjoyed the banter between the two - it gave them personality and their own storyline in addition to the crime thread. (I would truly like to see more books featuring these two). Woolwine's profile building has the ring of truth to it and is believable. Fields has done her homework here.

The reader is going to know much more than our lead characters do. Fields gives us a (very scary) glimpse into the actions and mindset of the suspect. The Shadow Man's thoughts and actions will give you goosebumps. Fields' description and depiction of him are visceral, unsettling and downright creepy. We are also privy as to what's going on with the victims. I have to say that of the three missing people, young Meggy stole my heart. She's a gutsy little girl faced with the unthinkable. But the others were just as well drawn.

There was more than one time where I thought the story had reached a certain point and was over. But, Fields kept me on my toes with turns I didn't see coming. The action is firmly in the 'edge of your seat' category. And the ending? Crazy good! I could see this book as a movie.