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Bookouture Blog Tour for The Last Dinner at Wisteria House by Sue Roberts

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Oh, I loved this sweet story of the many people who live in Wisteria House and the older woman who brings all their stories together. It felt like a Maeve Binchy novel – warm and reassuring, and satisfying at the finish!

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour.

Here’s the scoop:

Description

On a peaceful avenue stands the once-grand Wisteria House. Now it’s split into apartments, occupied by strangers who rarely say hello. Could one last dinner party bring it to life again?

Ninety-year-old Alice has one last wish: to fill her new home with light and laughter, just like when her husband was alive. So she sets out her favourite plates, opens an old recipe book, and sends invitations to the neighbours she’s certain need friendship just as much as she does…


Declan hasn’t believed he deserves to follow his dreams since he tragically lost his sister.

Jess has been working herself to the bone to provide for her little daughter and has no time for joy in her own life.

Mark, a widower, has been isolated in his grief for so long.

Over a shared meal, Alice reminds each of them that sharing stories keeps those we love alive, and that time is our most precious gift. As they hug goodbye, everyone feels lighter than they have in years. Little do they know Alice has her own secret reason for gathering them together…

The next morning the tenants receive terrible news. Is their first dinner party destined to be the last? With Wisteria House under threat, can they come together to save the one place that has only just started to feel like home? Or will they lose their little community just when they need it most?

This absolutely gorgeous, emotional and uplifting novel of finding friendship in the most unexpected of places is perfect for fans of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont, Sally Page and Kate Storey.

What readers are saying about Sue Roberts:

‘OMG I loved this!! Gorgeous and glorious. I simply adore this… So absolutely beautiful… Perfect book!’ Loris2littlelibrary, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely fantastically gorgeous… I was absolutely devastated when I came to the end… I was truly whisked away… An absolutely gorgeous book!!… I absolutely adored.’ Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I absolutely LOVED, no make that ADORED reading… I was hooked… I was so addicted… I stayed up reading the book until the early hours of the morning… Made me laugh out loud and I got some strange looks on the bus for it.’ Ginger Book Geek, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I simply loved this book! A ray of sunshine during the two cloudy days that I read it… One of the best books I have ever read… I adored this.’ Bibbidi Bobbidi Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Gorgeous… Fantastic… lots of laugh-out-loud moments… I literally flew through the pages… I loved every minute… I was literally glued to my eReader for 3 consecutive days… Brilliant.’ The Cosiest Corner

‘Nothing is better… Fabulous, light-hearted fun.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About Sue Roberts:

Sue was born in Liverpool and moved to Lancashire as a teenager where she has lived ever since. Her twelfth book ‘Theres something about Greece.’ was published on June 15, 2023, with another sunshine book published for August!

When not busy writing, Sue spends her time with her husband Derek, and her ever-growing brood of grandchildren! In her spare time, she enjoys walking, watching films, and travelling. Her first book, ‘My Big Greek Summer,’ was inspired by frequent visits to the Island of Rhodes in Greece. All Sue’s books are available from Amazon in kindle and paperback format.

Bookouture Blog Tour for The Secret Sewing Society by Siobhan Curham

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I’m shouting it out today for this interesting historical novel that goes from present day to Ukraine during WWII and two cousins using their skills with the needle to fight back against occupation. This was a lengthy read, but intriguing, and I was captured by the story of Zirka, Perla, and Ana, Zirka’s granddaughter. I don’t read many stories that take place in the Ukraine, and it was interesting to learn about needlework at the same time.

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

Here’s the scoop:

As enemy soldiers march in the streets, the Needles of Freedom embroider by candlelight beneath the faded gold sign of an old dressmaker’s store. Will their secret messages help win the war?

Occupied Ukraine, 1940. Zirka has been sewing ever since she was a little girl. But now, every stitch contains a spark of rebellion. Together with her cousin Perla, as war rages around them they sew vital secret messages for the resistance into embroidered shirts.

Every night, Zirka leaves to meet with her fiancé in secret and Perla pours her heart out into her diary. Nobody else knows that Perla is living under false papers. If the two women are caught, or betrayed, it would mean certain death…

Lviv, 2022. As Ana gazes around at the peeling wallpaper, she hopes this little shop will bring her closer to the memory of her grandmother Zirka. After Ana’s mother suddenly refused to see or speak to Zirka decades ago, Ana has been desperate to find out what terrible secret tore them apart.

A diary hidden in a long-forgotten kitchen drawer tells of a secret sewing society vital to the war effort long ago. Ana knows she must continue her grandmother’s legacy of resistance now another war has come to her beloved country. But she’s no closer to finding the truth about her own family… and when she does, will she learn that some wartime secrets are too dangerous to uncover?

The Secret Sewing Society is a sweeping, heartbreaking tale about a devastating family mystery, a doomed love affair, and generations of women coming together against the odds. Fans of Evie Woods, Fiona Valpy and The Keeper of Happy Endings will be utterly swept away.

What readers are saying about Siobhan Curham:

‘Unforgettable… pulls on the heart strings… had me glued to the pages… left me breathless…dug deep into my heart… absolutely loved… 5 glorious stars… I loved this story so much.’ Cindy L Spear, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Totally gripping… I adored… mesmerizing and I didn’t want it to end… a page-turner that will capture your heart.’ Christian Bookaholic, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘From the very first page of this book, I was stunned, mesmerised… knock the wind out of you! I’m so sad it’s over. I could have read another sixty chapters… fantastic.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Warning: do not begin this book if you have food cooking or housework to do! Your food will burn and your house will stay dirty, because you will not be able to put it down!…The best historical fiction… Brilliant.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Had me on the edge of my seat… Plus wiping tears from my eyes… captured my heart—hook, line and sinker… A must-read.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Hooked… Iwant more… Captivating… A storyline you won’t forget. I would read this book over and over again.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Kept me awake… I just couldn’t stop reading… This book will really stay with you after you finish reading it.’ DianeLikesToRead, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow. This book is one I will remember…. gripping… I choked up… Beautiful… I loved every moment.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Siobhan Curham is an award-winning author, ghost writer, editor and writing coach. She has also written for many newspapers, magazines and websites, including The Guardian, Breathe magazine, Cosmopolitan, Writers’ Forum, DatingAdvice.com, and Spirit & Destiny. Siobhan has been a guest on various radio and TV shows, including Woman’s Hour, BBC News, GMTV and BBC Breakfast. And she has spoken at businesses, schools, universities and literary festivals around the world, including the BBC, Hay Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Bath Festival, Ilkley Festival, London Book Fair and Sharjah Reading Festival.

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan

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I love J. Courtney Sullivan’s beautiful writing, so I was excited to get The Cliffs to read and review. This was a totally engrossing story, part a ghost story, part a story of a woman’s life and her connection to an old house in the town where she grew up. It seems it has been chosen for Reese’s Book Club, so I’m sure you will hear more about this title. I loved it, though, and couldn’t put it down!

Here’s the scoop:

Description

REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • A novel of family, secrets, ghosts, and homecoming set on the seaside cliffs of Maine, by the New York Times best-selling author of Friends and Strangers

“A stunning achievement, and J. Courtney Sullivan’s best book yet. Sullivan weaves a narrative that’s fascinating and thought-provoking. I literally could not put this book down.”
—Ann Napolitano, New York Times best-selling author of Hello Beautiful

On a secluded bluff overlooking the ocean sits a Victorian house, lavender with gingerbread trim, a home that contains a century’s worth of secrets. By the time Jane Flanagan discovers the house as a teenager, it has long been abandoned. The place is an irresistible mystery to Jane. There are still clothes in the closets, marbles rolling across the floors, and dishes in the cupboards, even though no one has set foot there in decades. The house becomes a hideaway for Jane, a place to escape her volatile mother.

Twenty years later, now a Harvard archivist, she returns home to Maine following a terrible mistake that threatens both her career and her marriage. Jane is horrified to find the Victorian is now barely recognizable. The new owner, Genevieve, a summer person from Beacon Hill, has gutted it, transforming the house into a glossy white monstrosity straight out of a shelter magazine. Strangely, Genevieve is convinced that the house is haunted—perhaps the product of something troubling Genevieve herself has done. She hires Jane to research the history of the place and the women who lived there. The story Jane uncovers—of lovers lost at sea, romantic longing, shattering loss, artistic awakening, historical artifacts stolen and sold, and the long shadow of colonialism—is even older than Maine itself.

Enthralling, richly imagined, filled with psychic mediums and charlatans, spirits and past lives, mothers, marriage, and the legacy of alcoholism, this is a deeply moving novel about the land we inhabit, the women who came before us, and the ways in which none of us will ever truly leave this earth.

Highly recommended, it’s the perfect summer read!

Thank you for my copy through Net Galley.

Review: TALES OF A JAILHOUSE LIBRARIAN by Marybeth Zeman

/ drbethnolan / 4 Comments

I recently received a copy of TALES OF A JAILHOUSE LIBRARIAN from my friends at Meryl  Zegarek Publicists (just a note: anything I’ve ever gotten from MZPR I’ve loved!). This is a mini-memoir of one woman’s experience working as a library cart librarian and transition counselor in the juvenile section of a large prison in New York. For Marybeth Zeman, her relationship with the boys in this facility is centered around her library cart and the books and stories she brings to them each week. Reading, for these boys, is a sanctioned escape, a chance for the future, a little bit of freedom in their everyday life.

Told in short vignettes, Marybeth has captured numerous tales of different boys: how they came to be in prison, what their daily life is like, how bright or bleak their futures are. Their stories are touching, painful, and honest, and one is left with the knowledge that these boys are just a small percentage of the thousands of young men incarcerated in our country each year. Marybeth’s story highlights the workings of the justice system and shows where improvements could occur, especially in helping the boys to have the skills they need in order to not become repeat offenders. Most poignant of all, though, are the voices of the boys that stay with you long after reading this book.

I was so touched by this book that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Then I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Marybeth Zeman while I was in NY at BEA. We connected through her publicist and spent about 90 minutes together just chatting and talking about her work, the juvenile justice system, her experiences, etc. There was no formal interview, or a “how did you come to write this book” type of Q&A. Instead we were just two educators and readers, come together to discuss our concerns and feelings about these boys and our hopes for the future.

Marybeth’s story is one that deserves to be told. Readable, touching, and unforgettable, her TALES OF A JAILHOUSE LIBRARIAN reveals an intimate portrait of what life is like for many of our nation’s young citizens. And Marybeth is a spunky narrator, both in the book and in real life! I can’t believe I’ve heard the last from this woman — she is going places and, as her subtitle suggests, she is “challenging the juvenile justice system one book at a time”.

Here is a picture of Marybeth from our time together:

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