The mysterious universe of books

Ghost Encounters:  The Lingering Spirits of North Devon By Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick Book Title: Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon Author: Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick Publication Date: 27th February 2025 Publisher: Taw River Press Pages: 201 Genre: Non-Fiction (with a bonus of two short stories) Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not. You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned and the myth that ghosts are to be feared is realised as nonsense. It is a matter for individual consideration whether you believe in ghosts or not, but for those who have the gift to see, hear or be aware of people from the past, meeting with them in today’s environment can generate a connection to years ...

  A Woman’s Lot The Second Meonbridge Chronicle By Carolyn Hughes Narrator Alex Lee Book Title: A Woman’s Lot  Series: The Meonbridge Chronicles, Book #2 Author: Carolyn Hughes Publication Date: February 5th, 2025 (audiobook publication) Publisher: Carolyn Hughes Listening Length: 12 hours and 15 minutes Genre: Historical Fiction How can mere women resist the misogyny of men? 1352. In Meonbridge, a resentful peasant rages against Eleanor Titherige’s efforts to build up her flock of sheep. Susanna Miller’s husband, grown melancholy and ill-tempered, succumbs to idle gossip that his wife’s a scold. Agnes Sawyer’s yearning to be a craftsman is met with scorn. And the village priest, fearful of what he considers women’s “unnatural” ambitions, is determined to keep them firmly in their place. Many men hold fast to the teachings of the Church and fear the havoc the “daughters of Eve” might wreak if they’re allowed to usurp men’s roles and gain control over their own lives. Not all m...

Death of a Princess  By R.N. Morris Book Title: Death of a Princess Series: Empire of Shadows, Book #3 Author: R.N. Morris Publication Date: 5th November 2024 Publisher: Sharpe Books Pages: 192 Genre: Historical Crime / Mystery Summer 1880. Lipetsk, a spa town in Russia. The elderly and cantankerous Princess Belskaya suffers a violent reaction while taking a mud bath at the famous Lipetsk Sanatorium. Soon after, she dies. Dr Roldugin, the medical director of the sanatorium, is at a loss to explain the sudden and shocking death. He points the finger at Anna Zhdanova, a medical assistant who was supervising the princess’s treatment. Suspicion also falls on the princess’s nephew Belsky, who appears far from grief-stricken at his aunt’s death. Meanwhile, investigating magistrate Pavel Pavlovich Virginsky arrives in Lipetsk from St Petersburg, seeking treatment after a nervous breakdown. Against his better judgement, Virginsky is drawn in to the investigation. But is he getting closer t...

  The Fires of Gallipoli  By Barney Campbell Book Title: The Fires of Gallipoli  Author: Barney Campbell Publication Date: February 13th, 2025 Publisher: Elliott & Thompson Pages: 320 Genre: Historical Fiction / WWI Fiction The Fires of Gallipoli is a heartbreaking portrayal of friendship forged in the trenches of the First World War.   ‘In this vivid and engaging novel of war and friendship, Barney Campbell shows us once again that he is a natural writer. This is a novel of men at arms of the highest quality.’  ~ Alexander McCall Smith Edward Salter is a shy, reserved lawyer whose life is transformed by the outbreak of war in 1914. On his way to fight in the Gallipoli campaign, he befriends the charming and quietly courageous Theodore Thorne. Together they face the carnage and slaughter, stripped bare to their souls by the hellscape and only sustained by each other and the moments of quiet they catch together. Thorne becomes the crutch whom Edward relies on...

Murder on West Lake By I. M. Foster Title: Murder on West Lake Series: South Shore Mystery series – book #3 Author: I. M. Foster Publication Date: December 9th, 2024 Publisher:  Inez M. Foster – self-published Pages: 438 Genre: Historical Mystery A scream shattered the tranquil air, echoing off the ice-covered lake, and Daniel's heart froze. He knew that voice all too well. After a pleasant afternoon of ice skating on the frozen waters of West Lake, local librarian Kathleen Brissedon stumbles across a gruesome sight in the nearby gazebo. It only takes a moment for her beau, assistant coroner Doctor Daniel O'Halleran, to determine that the victim was murdered. To protect Kathleen from the ghastly sight of the man’s slashed throat, Daniel insists she return home while he examines the body further. Though the immediate cause of death appears obvious, he fears the subsequent autopsy will uncover more questions than answers, and it's clear that he has his work cut out for him if...

I have another recommendation for you today. I have just seen this book on one of my favourite book blogs and I am so excited that I just had to share it with you! The Third Daughter is on my to-read list and I can not wait to read it. The Third Daughter By Fiona Forsyth Publication Date: 3rd February 2022 Publisher:  Sharpe Books Page Length: 295 Pages Genre: Ancient World Historical Fiction Rome, 68 BCE. Julius Caesar begins his controversial career in government. At the same time, a third daughter, Tertulla, is born to the Junius family on the Palatine Hill. Tertulla grows up under the guidance of her brother, Marcus Brutus, and her mother Servilia. When Tertulla discovers that her mother is Caesar's mistress, she begins to wonder who her father might be. Frustratingly, she has more questions than answers. As Rome descends into a civil war, the young woman realises how compromised and conflicted her mother is - torn between Caesar and the old Roman nobility. After the civil...

  Lalji’s Nairobi By Nitin Nanji Book Title: Lalji’s Nairobi Series: n/a  Author: Nitin Nanji Publication Date: 30th August 2023 Publisher: self-published Pages: 282 Genre: Historical Fiction British Gujarat, 1905. Despairing of the social injustices and crippling taxes under the British Raj, Lalji, 19, flees to British East Africa hoping to build a better life using his natural business skills and acumen. But he soon finds unexpected dangers in his new home- turbulent politics and war with German East Africa- as well as some surprising opportunities. A combination of luck, coincidence, and his flair for commerce lead to early success.  Then, just as he is at his most vulnerable, a new threat emerges from where he least expects: from within his own family.  Can Lalji beat overwhelming odds to fulfill his hopes and ambitions? A story about survival, faith, ability, humanity, and a deep desire to succeed. Excerpt Janki’s morning sickness settled as suddenly as it had c...

I have never listened to an audiobook before - I know, what have I been doing. But I saw this book and thought, I really need to read this, but I just don't have time. Then I saw it was on audio and I thought why not. I will let you know what I think of it. But first let me introduce you to:   Raleigh: Tudor Adventurer (The Elizabethan Series, Book 3)  By Tony Riches Tudor adventurer, courtier, explorer and poet, Sir Walter Raleigh has been called the last true Elizabethan. He didn’t dance or joust, didn’t come from a noble family, or marry into one. So how did an impoverished law student become a favourite of the queen, and Captain of the Guard? The story which began with the Tudor trilogy follows Walter Raleigh from his first days at the Elizabethan Court to the end of the Tudor dynasty. Amazon UK  and  Amazon US Tony Riches Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of Tudor historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in ...