Category Archives: Culture

The Folio Society’s Top 10 Books for Social Distancing

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As the UK continues in this unprecedented period of social distancing, more and more people are looking for productive ways to spend their time at home. On the top of many people’s lists, no doubt, is reading new books that they may not have gotten around to. Reading has many benefits and has been proven to help reduce stress and boost wellbeing.

 

To help book-loving Brits find their next read, Tom Walker, Publishing Director at The Folio Society, who, for over 70 years, has been publishing beautifully illustrated editions of the world’s greatest fiction books as well as thoroughly picture-researched non-fiction books, has pulled together his top 10 picks of books to read whilst in self-isolation.

 

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Being stuck at home and only allowed out to go to the shops seems a good time to read about feminism, and this is arguably the first feminist novel. Wildly surprising in its modern sensibility, Brontë rages against a society that held women shackled to men and the home.

 

The Little Prince

I can’t help thinking of how the Little prince would respond to our world right now. An enigmatic, compassionate but sad creature of the stars, I sometimes imagine the weight of his judgement on us all for the job we’re doing of keeping our little planet safe.

 

The World Turned Upside Down

The English Civil War of the 1640s shook the nation to its core, and in the process out scattered a legion of radical ideas and philosophies which have formed the national identity ever since. One wonders how our current upheaval will reshape us.

 

Dr Zhivago

What better time to re-engage with this great Russian epic? The recent translation by Boris Pasternak’s nephew returns the lyricism and colour to this beautiful novel of love, war and the Russian soul.

 

Moby-Dick

What an opportunity, if you never have, to read this bulking leviathan of a novel. From the first pages in Nantucket, where Ishmael befriends trusty Queequeg, Melville loops his crazed tale of ambition and revenge, culminating in scenes of terror on the high seas.

 

His Dark Materials

Pullman might be the purest storyteller of our times, and His Dark Materials is his masterpiece: a truly addictive adventure story which leads us into other worlds.
Handmaid’s Tale

Turning to Margaret Atwood in times of trouble is always a good decision. Prophetic or not she is wise and compassionate, and laces those qualities with a killer wit.

 

Maigret

If all else fails, pick up a Maigret. With plots as light as a feather and a stripped-down style, Simenon’s thrillers are beautifully evocative of the underground tensions of a mid-century Paris.

 

Persuasion

It’s always a good time to re-read Austen, to get lost in that luscious prose and arch wit. Persuasion is her last-completed, and perhaps her most mature novel, and a joy to revisit.

 

I am Legend

In the current circumstances this is not a book for the faint-hearted: Matheson’s vision of a post pandemic future doesn’t contain many people, and even fewer who are not zombie-vampires, but there is a glimmer of hope at its end…

 

Mirror & The Light

My eleventh choice is not yet available as a Folio Society edition, but I do hope that it will be one day. This is my current quarantine reading. A nine-hundred-page masterwork of astonishing delicacy and intelligence which draws one back through the eyes of Cromwell to a Tudor London infested with plague and political instability.

 

 

The Dilemma By B. A. Paris Book Review

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B. A. Paris

The Dilemma is a book that stays with you. The characters are so rich and the premise of the novel is so breathtaking. I would label The Dilemma is a psychological thriller albeit one in the domestic setting of family. After all, is that not where the most complex things are? I dare you to put this novel down. I raced through it, my heart in my mouth. It is beautiful, sad and vivid. Perfect.

It’s Livia’s 40th birthday and she’s having the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding she never had. Everyone she loves will be there except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But although Livia loves Marnie, she’s secretly glad she won’t be at the party. She needs to tell Adam something about their daughter but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.

Adam wants everything to be perfect for Livia so he’s secretly arranged for Marnie to come home and surprise her on her birthday. During the day, he hears some terrible news. He needs to tell Livia, because how can the party go on? But she’s so happy, so excited – and the guests are about to arrive.

The Dilemma – how far would you go to give someone you love a last few hours of happiness?

One day that will change a family forever, The Dilemma is the breath-taking, heart-breaking new novel from the million-copy-selling, Sunday Times bestseller, B A Paris

The Dilemma is available here.

SISTER SCRIBES: CASS GRAFTON REVIEWS SYRIE JAMES’ NEW RELEASE

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Regular readers of the Sister Scribes’ contributions to Frost won’t be surprised to hear that I’m a huge Jane Austen fan. Aside from enjoying repeated readings of her novels, I also enjoy books that have Jane as either a part of the story or where there is a strong Austen association.

I’d read and loved author Syrie James’ contemporary novels, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen and The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen in the past, so when I was invited to read and review her latest novel, (released through Avon Impulse on 25th February 2020), I leapt at the chance.

Duke Darcy’s Castle is a historical romance, set in the latter part of the Victorian era, and although the title hints at the story being a retelling of Pride & Prejudice, it isn’t, though certain similarities can be detected, not least in the duke’s inability to propose in a way likely to be accepted!

So what’s it about?

Lance Granville, the reluctant Tenth Duke of Darcy, has given up his much-loved naval career to inherit the family title, along with substantial estate debts and an ancient castle in serious need of renovation. Time to find a wealthy wife, perhaps?

Kathryn Atherton is determined to become the first woman architect in Britain. Marriage and children are not part of her plans—ever. Despite family and society opposition, she’s managed to complete her training; now she needs experience. When the architect who has given her a chance is incapacitated, she’s sent in his stead to Cornwall to do the initial sketching for a remodel of Lance’s castle. The last thing Kathryn wants—or needs—is to be attracted to its handsome owner.

Lance is soon entranced by Kathryn, and when he learns she is an heiress whose fortune would save the estate, he sets out to win her hand. But duchesses can’t be architects. And Kathryn has fought too long and too hard to give up her dreams…

With romance novels, the reader often picks up on who will end up with whom before the characters do, but the pleasure is gained from following the path to happiness, and this book does not fail on this, delivering several twists and much to keep the reader engaged along the way.

The book is also a fascinating insight into the late Victorian era attitude towards women pursuing an education, having careers and the restraints and attitudes they came up against.

With beautifully evocative descriptions of the setting, there’s no denying the location of St. Gabriel’s Mount, where the castle is situated, is inspired by St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, and the sense of place permeates through the pages.

I think my favourite aspects were the bond of love and friendship Kathryn has with her sisters and also the character of the Dowager Duchess of Darcy, Lance’s grandmother.

As for the story, can two such strong characters, both with conflicting motivations, face up to the need for compromise? Will Lance ever get his proposal right, and will Kathryn’s final decision be to follow her head or her heart?

Duke Darcy’s Castle is well written and very well researched, and I recommend it to those who love historical romances with plenty of passion.

 

NB: Recommended for mature audiences only, as there are several scenes of an intimate nature.

 

Syrie James is the USA TODAY and Amazon bestselling author of thirteen novels of historical, contemporary, and young adult fiction. A member of the Writer’s Guild of America, Syrie is also an established screenwriter and playwright.

Follow Syrie on Twitter @SyrieJames

 

 

SISTER SCRIBES’ READING ROUND UP: MARCH

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Susanna:

A Cornish Inheritance is an excellent first book in a new saga series. Deceit, tragedy and emotion are the themes in Terri Nixon’s latest novel, set on the beautiful Cornish coast. The characters are drawn in depth and develop throughout the story as each one is tested to the limit. It’s a very twisty-turny plot and you definitely need to pay attention as you get towards the end, but, crikey, is it worth it. This is the first Terri Nixon book I’ve read and now I’m looking forward to reading her Oaklands Manor trilogy.

 

Kitty:

I have had a busy reading month, the perks of handing in one manuscript and having the luxury of a longer delivery date for the next so I’ve taken over almost all the reading round up this month.

I’ve been reading Christmas books to get me feeling Christmassy as I begin to write my next seasonal book. This has included re-reading the fabulous Jilly Cooper’s How to Survive Christmas. She can be relied upon to make me howl with laughter and certainly did so with this. This book was originally published in the seventies and updated in the eighties and made me realise how much society at large has changed – particularly as I was reading the tips on not getting too upset over your husband’s mistress – and how glad I am for it.

With the same aim, I raced through Sue Moorcrofts’s Let it Snow. This was a truly enjoyable Christmas read, and I loved reading about the choir as they headed to Switzerland, the country was beautifully described and created a detailed picture in my mind. I also really enjoyed the family dynamics within the story (a big plus for me to see ME mentioned empathetically) alongside the romance and this book gave me all the seasonal feels.

Finally, I have been so excited about talking about this book, I’ve been recommending it to anyone unfortunate enough to spend five minutes or more in my company.

You know how every now and again a book comes along and you fall utterly, utterly in love with it? That has happened to me this year with The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley and I think it will remain on the top of my feelgood reads list for many years to come.

From the very first page the writing captivated me, and I knew this would be a book to steal my heart. It starts with Julian, an elderly gentlemen who is struggling with loneliness and the façade he uses to cover it. He writes his story in a notebook, leaving it for someone else to pick up and carry on.

The book gets passed from one person to the next and the truth is revealed about people’s real lives, their doubts and fears and how much they are at odds with the way others perceive them. It examines how people struggle regardless of age, class, lifestyle and that we all have burdens to carry. However, it also shows the power of positive human interaction and how small actions can mean so much. It is uplifting and rammed full of optimism, becoming a book about community and support, friendship and love and I defy anyone not to pick it up and be both transported and delighted.  If you get the chance to read it, then do. Feel free to shout at me if you don’t fall in love as much as I did.

Happy reading, Kitty x

 

 

SAMANTHA TONGE ON WINNING THE VERY FIRST JACKIE COLLINS ROMANTIC THRILLER AWARD

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Excuse the pun, but what a thrill it was to win the first ever Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award at the Romantic Novelists’ Association 2020 awards ceremony. First and foremost because it is a huge honour to be connected, even in a tenuous way, to such an amazing person. I loved her Lucky Santangelo character when I was a young woman.

Jackie Collins wrote real page-turners that whilst glamorous and escapist, somehow seemed real. And what an inspiration she was, writing 32 novels and achieving over half a billion sales. She was a funny, feisty woman who created kick-ass heroines and it was an extra honour to have the award handed to me by her granddaughter. I was also thrilled to win as the competition was so stiff, the other contenders being the wonderful Dorothy Koomson, Lucinda Riley, Virginia Heath and Lauren Westwood.

Knowing You is my second dark women’s fiction novel – previously I’d had nine romantic comedies published. It was challenging changing my direction, but with my brilliant agent’s help, Clare Wallace from the Darley Anderson Literary Agency, I learned so much and it felt like a real validation, at the ceremony, to hear my name read out. I still remember that moment. A real whoosh went through me and I think I managed to mumble a few words at the podium, in a daze!

I was also so pleased because I’d poured my heart into writing Knowing You. It is a story about being brave enough not to conform, not to fit in. It’s about taking control of your life in the face of adversity. The main character is kind-hearted children’s editor, Violet. When her partner leaves she seeks the advice of her new flatmate, Bella, whom her old friends disapprove of. However when Violet was a child, her closest confidant and companion was a boy called Flint. Her mother didn’t approve of their closeness and he suffered a terrible end. Therefore Violet is determined that the same thing won’t happen to her new best friend now…

Samantha Tonge (centre) with her husband and her agent

The awards ceremony which took place on March 2nd, in the RNA’s diamond anniversary year, was a glittering occasion, attended by legendary romance authors Sophie Kinsella and Carole Matthews – and Strictly Dancing star Anton du Beke. Yes, I managed to speak to all three! Everyone’s outfits were fantastic and after the ceremony we enjoyed a buffet.

I feel incredibly lucky to belong to such an association that promotes such a popular and wide genre. For some reason it’s been much maligned and romance books rarely get shortlisted for the big industry awards, despite its millions of readers. As Milly Johnson said, at the podium, when she collected the Outstanding Achievement Award: ‘We are the glorious counterbalance to this climate of hate.’ More than ever we need happy ever afters and gripping reads that whisk us away and it’s great to see such stories recognised by the RNA. ​​​​​​

Samantha Tonge

 

Ian Chapman, COO of Simon & Schuster and close friend of Jackie Collins announced the new Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award in 2019 which S&S will sponsor for a minimum of 5 years. Jackie Collins was a creative force, a trailblazer for women in fiction and in her own words “A kick-ass writer!’. Since her debut The World is Full of Married Men in 1968, her books have sold in their millions in more than 40 countries and she is one of the world’s top-selling novelists. She passed away in September 2015 after years privately battling breast cancer.

 

Click below for all category winners https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/news_article/romantic-novel-award-winners-2020/

Escape to a Chateau or Primrose Square

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spring reads for Frost magazine

As we all remove ourselves from our ‘normal’ and create a new way of living, for a while at least, it’s the perfect opportunity to order some new books and escape among the pages. I’ve always found reading the perfect distraction when times are tough and why not pry into other people’s problems for a while – even if they are fictitious. 

I’d normally add links to Amazon or Waterstones at the end of my posts but for a change – and to support our local independent bookshops I’ll be adding a link to the Booksellers Association where you can find your nearest indie bookshop. (Just tap in your postcode and the search engine will do the rest.) Many small bookshops – along with other businesses – will be struggling in the present circumstances and are offering to deliver if you are self isolating. Failing that why not try HIve.co.uk. There are many ways to support our local bookshops – when all this is over we want a high street to go back to.

 

So, to the books!

 a-year-in-the-chateau

A Year in the Chateau by Sarah Long

We might not all be able to escape to the chateau but would it be roses all the way?

When Nicola’s husband, Dominic, retires they decide not to spend their days finding hobbies to fill the time until Countdown is on. Instead, they fulfil their life-long fantasy of buying a country house and filling it with their dearest friends. Their children are grown and should be more than capable of looking after themselves and freedom beckons. But where to spend it? And who with?

A plan emerges, albeit coloured by rose-tinted glasses, and  with seven of their friends they pool resources and  invest in a château in Normandy. The dark days of winter and broken Britain are cast aside for new adventures in Northern France. But as the year progresses sunlight only makes the cracks in the dream visible. There are quarrels and secrets – can friendship survive as dreams give way to reality.?

A warm and witty read.

A Year in the Chateau is published by Zaffre RRP: £8.99
the-women-of-primrose-square

The Women of Primrose Square by Claudia Carroll

Claudia Carroll takes us back to Primrose Square with a new set of characters.

When Frank Woods at number seventy-nine Primrose Square comes home to a surprise birthday party thrown by his wife and adoring children, it is his guests who get the real surprise.

Finding himself alone, he befriends the cantankerous Miss Hardcastle, who hasn’t left her home for decades, and Emily Dunne – fresh out of rehab and desperate to make amends.

As gossip spreads through Primrose Square, every relationship is tested, and nothing in this close-knit community will ever be the same again.

Full of warmth, humour and compassion.

Published by Zaffre RRP £7.99

 

 

SISTER SCRIBES: KITTY WILSON ON HOW ROMANCE IS HOPE

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Back in November I wrote a post here about Why I Love Romance as a genre. I explained that I had inadvertently written an essay on this subject and that first post covered how I believe romance is universal and utterly relatable, especially romantic comedy, my own specific sub-genre.

Today I wanted to return to that theme and talk about romance novels giving us hope in an often bleak and daunting world. I truly believe this – that romance novels help us have hope in life, the absolute certainty of a happy ending is sometimes exactly what you need to escape real life, whether it be dreadful news or just the day to day monotony.

Whilst trawling the internet a while ago I came across a tweet from a writer, Angela James, asking people to share their romance positive moments. The response was overwhelming, hope was right up at the top of that list and I have picked a couple as illustrations as they say it so much better than I could.

‘I found Romance after my brother commited suicide. It was a very dark and hopeless time, but Romance taught me that hope can rise again even after the darkest of moments and love, in all its forms, can be found if you just open yourself up to it.’

‘I began reading romance novels after my first miscarriage. I believe they re-wired my brain and helped me remember what optimism felt like.’

‘I started reading romance novels while was undergoing cancer treatment. I needed positive, escapist stories that promised a HEA.’

Now I’m not saying that romance is a cure-all, of course it isn’t. But romance novels are often easy and quick to read thus providing escape for an hour or two. They can’t rid you of the burdens that life brings, but being lost in the pages of a novel can give you a brief pause from them. I fell in love with romance when I became poorly at the age of thirteen. My friends were ringing me and asking if I was dying (I wasn’t but they were a dramatic bunch) and all I knew was that my body wasn’t behaving as it should. If I hadn’t had romance novels to read, to lose myself in, I think I would have struggled to cope.

We all know that life is not a romance but these books do give us the thrill of living vicariously, of confronting challenges and winning, of reading about someone’s longing turning into reality. To be fair, that’s true of reading in general but with romance you get the added ahhh factor, the satisfaction of a romance played out, of willing the hero and heroine on without any of the risk or leaving the comfort of your own home. I can be sunbathing on a tropical island or dancing the cha-cha whilst in reality I’m wrapped in a blanket and drinking a cup of tea, ignoring the stuff that I don’t want to have to deal with at that minute.

Happy-Ever-Afters are a reminder that not everything in life is bleak, that there’s the possibility of dreams coming true, that life contains so much positivity. Building a future with someone you love – the pinnacle of Romance – is forward-facing, optimistic, both the essence of hope and an act of hope. Romance Novels are the reassuring and toasty comfort blanket of the fiction world and I love them.

Edit – I wrote this well before Covid-19 was dominating the globe and considered pulling it, but I stand by the fact that in an ever-turbulent world the predictability of a happy-ever-after is reassuring so I’m off to hibernate with my kindle. Keep safe everyone,

Much love, Kitty x

 

 

 

Has your holiday been cancelled?

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If your plans for a holiday have fallen foul of the recent travel warnings or flight disruptions, it is a perfect opportunity to put into action all those projects you have been putting off.

You could write a book, compose a song or learn something new. So don’t despair there are plenty of enjoyable ways to occupy yourself without interacting with strangers or flying off to a different country.

Stay at home and learn

If you have always had a burning ambition to learn a different language, play the guitar, or write a book, now is your chance. With a broadband connection or a CD player, you can do all of these and more.

There is a multitude of online resources to help you fill your time in isolation, and some of them are free. With music available for lead, bass or even Ukulele, you can emulate Peggy Lee Radiohead or Oasis. All you need is patience and some equipment.

If you want to learn a language in preparation for when life returns to normal, then the world is your oyster, and it won’t cost a penny. From beginner, intermediate or conversational level, you can learn a little or a lot depending on your mood. It might not make you proficient, but it will give you an excellent start.

Duolingo is a free resource which is easy to use and good fun. OpenCulture can help you learn the most popular languages French, Spanish, Italian, and the harder ones like Mandarin and Russian. Even obscure ones like Icelandic and Gaelic.