Emma's Review: Waiting for the Miracle by Anna McPartlin

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

2010

Caroline has hit rock bottom. After years of trying, it's clear she can't have children, and the pain has driven her and her husband apart. She isn't pregnant, her husband is gone and her beloved dog is dead.

The other women at her infertility support group have their own problems, too. Natalie's girlfriend is much less excited about having children than her. Janet's husband might be having an affair. And then there's Ronnie, intriguing, mysterious Ronnie, who won't tell anyone her story.

1976

Catherine is sixteen and pregnant. Her boyfriend wants nothing to do with her, and her parents are ashamed. When she's sent away to a convent for pregnant girls, she is desperate not to be separated from her child. But she knows she might risk losing the baby forever.

Book Links: Kindle or Hardcover

Emma's Top Books of 2020

I wouldn’t normally do a books of the year post. But with the year that has been in it, reading has been an enjoyable escape for so many people, not to mention there have been an abundance of brilliant books  published this year. So I decided to look back at all the books that I have read this year and pick some of my absolute favourites as quite often there are some brilliant books that deserve to be read and that may have evaded the attention of people. I was originally going to pick five books but I couldn’t narrow it down so I have gone with ten and they are in no particular order as I found it very difficult to rate these chosen books from one to ten. Without further ado, here are my top picks from 2020.

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No books of the year could be complete without the utterly brilliant Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton. It’s not normally my genre of choice but all the hype and praise lauded on this phenomenal book was definitely worth it. I read it back at the very beginning of the year and it has stayed with me ever since. I recommended it to so many friends who then went on to read it and they loved it just as much as I did. It’s powerful, tense, gripping and a book that you will not leave out of your hand until you finish it. 

Set during a blizzard as a school community becomes cut off from the world it follows three hours where the lives of all involved are turned upside down. A maniac stalks the grounds and has taken the pupils and staff hostage. How much can change in three hours? Will they escape with their lives in tact? 

Rosamund Lupton captures so perfectly the sheer terror and hell each and every character is experiencing. From the students locked away with their teacher in the schools theatre who continue to rehearse MacBeth as a way of not giving into the situation they find themselves in, to the teacher in the pottery room in the woods with a group of younger children who hide under their desks continuing to make figurines oblivious as to what stalks the woods right outside the window. It’s a stunning read that leaves you breathless, I can’t wait to see what Rosamund Lupton brings us next.

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As historical fiction is my favourite genre, I couldn’t not include a book from this category. I read The Violinist of Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood towards the later end of the year and it completely blew me away. When you read so much in the same genre, and specifically books set during World War Two, you can become tired of reading about the same subject matter even though what you are reading about has had such a lasting and devastating impact on the world. Ellie Midwood was a brilliant find and renewed my faith in the genre as she shone a light on a story told many times - the incarceration of so many innocent people in the Nazi death camps. Yet she brought something new, fresh, innovative and gripping to the subject matter and I thought this was an amazing read that I raced through as I was so engrossed in the story unfolding. 

Right from the opening line, this story is absorbing, thrilling, tense and very very powerful and is a stark reminder lest we should not forget of the horror and suffering endured by so many because of the actions of a mad man. You run the gauntlet of emotions with each of the characters and at times this is a very difficult book to read as the images and situations written about are horrific and the picture built up in your mind is a very difficult one to shake. The writing is exceptional throughout this book and there were endless paragraphs or even a simple sentence that I had to stop and reread several times just to fully appreciate what was being conveyed and the impact it was making. 

No doubt about it The Violinist of Auschwitz is a book that deserves great success and to be read by as many people as possible. I cant wait to read her next book The Girl Who Escaped Auschwitz coming in March.

Emma's Review: Below the Big Blue Sky by Anna McPartlin

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

How do you pick up the pieces when the person that held them together is gone?

When forty-year-old Rabbit Hayes dies, she leaves behind a family broken by grief. Her mother Molly is distraught and in danger of losing her faith. Her father Jack spends hour upon hour in the family attic, poring over his old diaries, losing himself in the past.

Rabbit's brother Davey finds himself suddenly guardian to her twelve-year-old daughter Juliet. Juliet might be able to fill a hole in Davey's heart - but how can he help Juliet through her grief when he can barely cope with his own?

But even though the Hayes family are all fighting their own battles, they are drawn together by their love for Rabbit, and their love for each other. In the years that follow her death they find new ways to celebrate and remember her, to find humour and hope in the face of tragedy, and to live life to its fullest, as Rabbit would have wanted.

Amazon Links: Kindle or Hardcover

Blogiversary Giveaway #4: Take your Pick from Emma's Top Books this Year

As part of Sharon's five year blogiversary giveaways I had offered an Amazon voucher as a prize, then Sharon suggested why not do a top three books of the year for 2016 and the winner can choose the book of their choice from that selection? So that is what I'm doing although the initial idea of choosing three books has slightly stretched a bit!

I think it must be coming up to three years that I have been reviewing for Sharon and over that time I have read many wonderful books and of course a few not so great along the way. But I have been a fan of Sharon's blog right from the beginning and it's hard to believe that five years has passed so quickly. Although myself and Sharon may not have actually 'met' in real life she has become a very, very close friend to me and I feel I could tell her anything. It's not only books we chat about, it's everything and with this year being an especially tough year for me she has always been there for me - to listen to me rant, to let me offload or just offer the right words when needed. I'm very privileged to call Sharon a friend and would be lost without her and it's our love of reading and all things connected with books that brought us together and continues to develop and deepen our friendship. Sharon is so dedicated to the blog as well as working full time and I am in awe as to how she keeps everything going. She's always great at keeping me on track with what books I have to review, although my list seems to get longer not shorter - but alot of the time that's my fault.

Sharon as ever is always very generous with her giveaways and you are in for a real treat with all the goodies she has on offer to celebrate five brilliant years of reviews, début spotlights and features. Actually now that I think of it was a reader spotlight that connected myself and Sharon and we have never looked back. It was a Lesley Pearse book that Sharon first sent me so really we were destined to become friends as Lesley is a favourite author of mine for years and years. I'm delighted to be able to help celebrate five years of fantastic blogging and wish Sharon all the best for many many more years of reading, reviewing and blogging.

So now on to business as I mentioned Sharon asked me to pick my top three choices from this year. As I write it is mid October and I know there will probably more books that I read before the year is out that I would say definitely make my best books of the year list but I am going on what I have read so far. I know around the beginning of November there are three books sitting waiting to be read on my bedside locker that I have been anticipating all year but they will have to wait not to mention all the Christmas books I have yet to read (although I have made a start). I have decided to choose three books that quite simply blew me away and are still stuck in my head all these months later. They are quite serious in their themes so I decided to lighten things up a little and decided I would pick three other books on the lighter end of women's fiction so people will have a nice range from which to choose their prize once Sharon has picked the winner at the end of the giveaway. So now onto my selections.

Emma's Review: Somewhere Inside of Happy by Anna McPartlin

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

'And just like that my boy was gone.'

Maisie Bean is a fighter. A survivor. Seventeen years ago, she went on a first date that went so badly it was enough to put the girl off chips. The marriage that followed was hell but it gave her two children: funny, caring Jeremy and bullish but brilliant Valerie.

Just as it seems everything might finally start going right, sixteen-year-old Jeremy goes missing. The police descend and a media storm swirls, over five days of searching that hurtle towards an inevitable, terrible conclusion.

Maisie is facing another fight, and this time it’s the fight of her life. But she’s a survivor. Whatever the odds, she’ll never give in.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Guest Book Review: Anna McPartlin - The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Here is a truth that can’t be escaped: for Mia ‘Rabbit’ Hayes, life is coming to an end... 

Rabbit Hayes loves her life, ordinary as it is, and the extraordinary people in it. 

She loves her spirited daughter, Juliet; her colourful, unruly family; the only man in her big heart, Johnny Faye. 

But it turns out the world has other plans for Rabbit, and she’s OK with that. Because she has plans for the world too, and only a handful of days left to make them happen. 

Here is a truth that won’t be forgotten: this is a story about laughing through life’s surprises and finding the joy in every moment.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Author Interview: Anna McPartlin

Today I'm delighted to welcome back author Anna McPartlin to find out more about her latest book The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes which was published last Thursday.  And congratulations to Anna as The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is included in the Richard and Judy Spring 2015 book club.  

Here is a truth that can’t be escaped: for Mia ‘Rabbit’ Hayes, life is coming to an end... 

Rabbit Hayes loves her life, ordinary as it is, and the extraordinary people in it. 

She loves her spirited daughter, Juliet; her colourful, unruly family; the only man in her big heart, Johnny Faye. 

But it turns out the world has other plans for Rabbit, and she’s OK with that. Because she has plans for the world too, and only a handful of days left to make them happen. 

Here is a truth that won’t be forgotten: this is a story about laughing through life’s surprises and finding the joy in every moment.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes? 
It’s about the last 8 days of a woman’s life. We meet Rabbit and her mother Molly as they enter the hospice where Rabbit will die but this is very much a story about life. It’s about love, freinds and family, unbreakable bonds, joy, laughter, sweet memories, hope, forgiveness, strenght, courage, letting go and saying goodbye. 

What was the hardest part to write about this storyline?  
I cried and laughed most of the way through this book but I can’t say any part of it was difficult to write. Rabbit’s story felt so familiar so it was one of those books that just flowed out of me. Although my mother didn’t die of cancer she was moved into a care home when I was eleven and she died when I was seventeen so Rabbit brought back many happy and sad memories all of which I’m grateful for.  

Winners announced in latest giveaways

Thank you to everyone who entered into the three giveaways that have just finished on my blog.  Every entry in each of the giveaways was allocated a number and I then used Random.org to select one number per giveaway.

Sneak Peeks & Giveaway: Anna McPartlin - The Space Between Us

Earlier today I posted a fab interview with author Anna McPartlin and now I'm delighted to be able to offer readers the chance to win a copy of her new book,
The Space Between Us, thanks to Maura at Riot Communications.

From babyhood Eve and Lily were best friends. But one huge fight and 17 years later Eve wakes up from a horrific accident to find her old friend nursing her.

At first, their reunion is tentative but during Eve's many months in hospital they confront both the lies of the past and their present failures. And each clearly sees how the other needs to change her life: Lily must get out of an impossible marriage and Eve has to face up to the pain she has caused others.

The crisis that brought Eve and Lily together again seems like a blessing that has given them a second chance to be there for each other when they most need someone to lean on. Little do they suspect that their friendship is under a threat that will change the future forever ...

Author Interview: Anna McPartlin

Today's special guest on the blog is Irish author Anna McPartlin.  Having read all 4 of Anna's previous books I'm eagerly looking forward to reading her 5th novel, The Space Between Us, which is due to be published on 30th August so I'm delighted that she agreed to answer my  questionnaire. 

Can you tell us a little bit about The Space Between Us? 

It's about two old friends who reconnect after a 20 year feud when one nurses the other after a major accident.  It's also a story about bad choices, regret, strength and redemption.  Like my other work, there is sadness but I hope you'll never be too far away from a smile.

 

How long did it take you to get your first book published?

Approximately 10 years.  I started out as an actor then moved into stand up comedy but I only lasted as a performer for a very short time and never really worked at it.  When I made the decision to write everything changed for me and that work ethic kicked in.  I got a day job as a claims handler and in the evenings I'd write my novel and TV scripts and received rejection after rejection before that first publishing deal but 6 years on if I didn't have it I'd still be coming home from work and writing my stories.