Recent Reads
I have something to admit....
I could write a lot more but I have a compulsion. If I don't get my daily fix my temper rises and I can't focus on anything else. I must read everyday. For hours everyday and it eats into my writing time. But hey, I just mark it down as market research and feel oh so productive!
I've been rabid in my reading habits recently thanks to two authors who each have a long, and oh so magical, series out.
Sarah Woodbury
I stumbled across Sarah's writing when Amazon put her books into my recommendations list. She writes historic time-travel which frankly is right up my street. Bravo Amazon, you know me so well.
Her series Cilmeri follows a family who are sent backwards in time to medieval Wales into the path of Llywelyn, Prince of Wales and the series follows them as they change the path of history. Flitting back and forth between the modern and medieval world the family members are able to carry anyone, or anything, they are touching. This allows for some beautiful writing as medieval characters explore the wonder of modern life.
Here is the book description for the first in the series Daughter of Time:
Time travel to medieval Wales ... A medieval man with an uncertain destiny, Llywelyn, the Prince of Wales, faces treachery and deceit at the hands of friends and foes alike ... A modern woman with a troubled past, Meg's life is in tatters when she slips through time and into medieval Wales ... Only by working together can Meg and Llywelyn navigate the shifting allegiances that threaten the very existence of Wales--and create their own history that defies the laws of time.
I absolutely loved this series. I zoomed through the first book to the last in just two weeks. If you like history, time-travel and a thumping good read - you should consider reading the series.
See it on Amazon by selecting your local store below:
L J Ross
I came across L J Ross via a completely different route. I was recently at the London Book Fair (you can read about that by clicking here) and met the utterly charming Louise Ross. Louise was on a panel I attended and I was lucky enough to chat to her later in the show. She writes a murder mystery series - DCI Ryan Mysteries. She was sweet, kind and funny and didn't fit the image I had in my mind of a murder mystery writer. Her books have been a runaway success on Amazon - I was intrigued.
I used to read murder mysteries a lot so I know the genre. But with all the negativity in the world I started to feel that my home was a sanctuary and I didn't want to open my doors to more by reading about murder or horror - so I stopped. However Louise had sparked my curiosity so I decided to read one of her books purely to understand what she'd done to create such a huge following of passionate readers.
From book one, Holy Island, I was hooked. Totally. Hook, line and sinker. Her books are brilliantly written and although about gruesome murders they aren't gratuitous or gory. Her characters are complex and yet so relatable.
In so many books you have the bumbling assistant next to the great detective - think Holmes to Sherlock or Lewis to Morse. Yet here Louise built a team of completely capable and great detectives each with their own human quirks and idiosyncrasies yet compelling and likeable. Ryan is the man you want in charge of a murder investigation - driven, obsessed yet compassionate. Phillips is the man the family would want to deal with as the news broke.
Well, one book became two - became the entire series - in one smorgasbord of reading greed. I now understand why her books are so successful. She uses Northumberland as one of the key characters of the book (and by the way I am now desperate to visit so the Tourist Board should thank her), her story-lines are complex and intriguing, and the characters become people you genuinely care about.
She deserves her place as an Amazon Best Seller. If you have a chance, do yourself a favour and read these books, but be warned you will need to allocate free time because once you've started you will read the entire series.
See it on Amazon by selecting your local store below:
That's it for now - happy reading...
