Month: March 2018

We Were the Salt of the Sea by Roxanne Bouchard – reviewed by Liz Robinson

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We were the salt of the seaWhat a beautifully written, captivating, and soulful read this is. Detective Sergeant Joaquin Morales, newly transferred, begins to investigate the death of a women found in fishing nets out at sea. Catherine Day leaves Montreal for a remote fishing village, looking for answers about her birth mother. The Gaspe Peninsula sits centre stage in the story, remote, set apart, and yet intimately connected to the sea. I immediately fell headlong into the story, the seamless translation encourages the words to join together, creating a vividly stunning picture. Catherine tells her own tale, having such personal access allows a connection, yet she still feels hidden from view. Other peoples thoughts tumble freely over the pages, yet they belong, they anchor the story. I felt that the author Roxanne Bouchard has a profound connection to the sea, she loves it, respects it, yet the immense power simmers, occasionally rages in the background.

I quite simply adored We Were The Salt Of The Sea, refreshingly different, unpredictable, yet deeply rich and touching, it became a part of me.

Genres: Lit, crime, family drama, relationship tale.

We Were The Salt of the Sea will be published by Orenda Books on the 30 March 2018.

 

 

The Pharmacist’s Wife by Vanessa Tait – Reviewed by Liz Robinson

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Pharma Wife

Oh my, this is a fascinating, darkly powerful novel with biting attitude, set in Victorian Edinburgh. In the laboratory above a newly opened pharmacy, a wonder-drug is created, as the pharmacist experiments, his wife of six months discovers a world she couldn’t have imagined. Kindness and love sit at the very heart of this novel, however light can be so easily doused, and a bleak and twisted shadow menaces the pages. This may be a blistering Victorian drama, yet the characters feel so very real, their thoughts and feelings could easily be exposed today. Vanessa Tait writes with a provocative, combative pen, my mind flinched, my heart ached, and yet hope existed within the very centre of my being. Raw, elemental and disturbing, The Pharmacist’s Wife is an entirely captivating and enthralling read – highly recommended.

The Pharmacist’s Wife will be published by Atlantic Books on the 5th April 2018.

Tales Before Bedtime for Children becomes Story Makers…

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For some time now I have been posting articles and book reviews for both children’s  and adult books on this blog but in an effort to make both sites easier to navigate for you, my reader, I have decided to move all my children’s activity to my Story Makers blog.   This will be the home for all my reviews for children’s, teen and young adult books plus information on my Story Makers Creative Writing and Storytelling Workshops.  I do hope you’ll follow my journey – literally, please click the link above and hit the follow button to the right 🙂

My aim is simply to share my love of books and stories that I hope inspire both children and adults to read.  Along the way I plan to introduce you and celebrate many wonderful authors and their stories.  And maybe even share one or two of my own.