Cheryl Burman's Blog: Blog posts for readers and writers, page 2

Forsaking all Other Catherine Meyrick

Disguised as a boy, gentlewoman and widow Bess Stoughton flees her father’s house to at worst procrastinate and at best avoid marriage to an ancient, grimy neighbour. Nearing the end of her hazardous journey she meets the gruff Edmund Wyard. Bess has a year to get herself a husband whom her father will approve.

She and Edmund fall in love, but while he’s eminently eligible as far as Dad is concerned, his mother has very different views. The plight of the lovers is drawn out and at one stage...

Releasing Janet Alex Banwell

Releasing Janet, the second novel from Alex Banwell in the Benny series, does not disappoint. In fact, I found following Janet’s journey from over-fussing, helicopter mother – whom I didn’t like much in the first book – to her own person, totally engrossing.

Janet has lived under the shadow of a family tragedy for most of her life. Far from bringing her family closer, the events of that time threw up barriers which have estranged her parents and her brothers from each other and her. When Jan...

Announcing the winners

Being the judge for and then announcing the winners of the children’s poetry entries at this year’s Bream Book Fair was a privilege and fun.

There were 50 entries in two categories (5-7 yrs and 8-11 yrs), and we made a display of the poems on A5 cards to show off the gorgeous illustrations.

The winning poems were excellent and the local press was there to record the event. (more bad photos of me in the next local papers’ editions :D)

Here’s me announcing the winners, with some people payin...

You Are Here David Nicholls

You Are Here is a delightful read.

Marnie, a self-admitted recluse and lonely, allows herself to be persuaded by her friend Chloe to go on a short walking holiday with a group of Chloe’s friends. Geography teacher Michael, still in love with his ex-wife and also a loner, is among them. Circumstances result in Marnie and Michael doing most of the walk by themselves. Through rain and sun, in ghastly pubs and luxury accommodation, they gradually open up to each other. Except one of them is holding ...

A Dry Spell Clare Chambers

Disappointingly, not one of her best for me, although a more sweeping tale in terms of time and geography than the others I’ve read. Which in a way was a problem because it took me ages to work out the timelines – not helped by the fact there are several of them and they merrily come and go early in the book with nary a hint of when. Also not helped by an 18 yr old having a mobile phone in what -if my maths is correct – is 1994.

Except 1976. That’s the only actual date given. A lot happens ...

The Lost Passenger Frances Quinn

Elinor might have good business sense, learned from her Cotton King father in Manchester. But her devouring of romantic novels leads her to believe she has fallen for her very own Mr Darcy when the heir to an earldom carries her along on a whirlwind courtship. The fact the earldom is on the verge of bankruptcy and needs a strong cash injection is a by the way.

Elinor learns that rebellion against the strict rules and values of this ancient aristocratic family is futile. When her son is born ...

Shy Creatures Clare Chambers

A delightfully different mystery, inspired by a true event, and full of Chambers’ normal cast of very human, real characters. When William Tappers, hair and beard long and unkempt, mute, and not been seen by anyone for at least ten years, is found in a house with his ailing elderly aunt, both he and the aunt are taken to Westcombe Park psychiatric hospital.

The aunt dies, and there’s no one – including William it seems – who can tell the tale of how he came to be in this position. His story ...

Was it a courgette or a cucumber?

Was it a courgette or a cucumber? comes courtesy of a Dean Writers Circle writing workshop, where we were gifted the ambiguous vegetable by one of our group, who has a glut. She insists it’s a courgette – we were not so sure. I still haven’t cut it to find out!

The gifter insisted it was a courgette, but the giftee was dubious. The skin was too smooth, and those telltale bumps – did courgettes have those?
Not ungrateful, whatever it was, the giftee offered profuse thanks and stayed silent abo...

Gabriel’s Moon William Boyd

I’m a huge Boyd fan, have been reading him since the 1980s when he released his debut A Good Man in Africa. He has never disappointed, and Gabriels’ Moon kept me a fan.

Gabriel Dax’s nights are haunted by the half-memories of a tragic fire and death of his mother when he was six years old. But despite the resulting insomnia, he has made a reputation for himself as a travel writer and lives a comfortable, satisfying existence in Chelsea.

Occasionally, big brother Sefton – who works in the Fo...

When War came to Laundry Cottage Sarah Colliver

When War came to Laundry Cottage is an absorbing, fast moving coming of age tale as Sybil learns to grow up the hard way in wartime England.

Sybil thinks life in the countryside with her Aunty Vi will be dull, if safe, away from the Blitz. Yet a chance encounter on the bus to her new home with the glamorous Harriet turns her expectations on their heads. Add falling head over heels in love with the ‘wrong kind’ of US soldier and the consequences of that, and Sybil quickly finds herself less than s...