We Have Books

Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield Today sees me taking part in the blog tour for a new book that I predict is going to be HUGE. It is the long-awaited new title from Diane Setterfield, noted author of the bestseller The Thirteenth Tale. My thoughts: Already being hailed as a masterpiece of storytelling Once upon a River is an otherworldly tale of myth and legend woven around the winding river Thames in times gone by. It's a book-lovers book based on traditional storytelling, with a touch of magic, a hint of the supernatural and a lot of twisting and turning. As the river meanders so does the tale. Although its a relaxing piece of escapism, don't get too comfortable, this is a book with depth and needs a good level of concentration to follow it, constructed as it is from lots of separate stories which weave together to become a book. This clever and mysterious book is set in various hostelries and Inns along the river in an indistinct past era, where storytellers gather and...

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden: Blog tour and review. Today I am part of the blog tour for the beautiful haunting tale which is the Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden. The Girl in the tower is the second book in the Winternight Trilogy of which the first book is The Bear and the Nightingale.  I am in the privileged position of having recently read both books which has left my heart pounding, my head reeling and my imagination well and truly fired. I will provide a brief synopsis of the first book in the series which I highly recommend you read first, as a) it helps make better sense of the second and b) It’s blooming amazing and you just don’t want to miss it. This series admirably fills the gap left by the Abhorsen trilogy (Garth Nix) and His Dark Materials (Philip Pullmann) yet they are completely different based on traditional Russian folklore they seem as old as time, new as freshly baked bread and very, very original. These are fairy tales with no fluttering glitte...