Maddy's Book Blog

  Bea loved her husband Peter very much, and was devastated when he died, however there was always the underlying feeling of guilt that he wasn't the love of her life. When Bea met Peter she had already loved, and lost, and had a son by her lover. Peter took on her and her son, and cared for them both After Peter died Bea was stuck in a bit of a rut. Her Granddaughter Flora was playing up and staying with her to give some distance between her and some undesirable friends (and her and her parents!), and Flora was helping her run The Reservoir Street Kitchen in Sydney Australia. One day, Bea gets a message from the owner of the faraway Christmas Café in Edinburgh, Scotland inviting her to join a forum for café owners. Her Granddaughter shows her how to reply, and Bea and Alex become e-penfriends. From this, an idea is born, and Bea and Flora plan a Christmas trip to Edinburgh to see the snow and visit the Christmas Café. Throw in problems between Flora and her parents, betw...

  If ever a book were 'right up my street', this is it! This is the book I would like to have written and I'm really hoping it will be the start of a long series (it would make an amazing film too!). It all takes place in North West London, where I am from, and I recognise the references (even I, who gets lost in Edgware 😂). It also all takes place in a Jewish family, and the humour and family dynamic is very similar to my own childhood. Stella knows from the age of 5 that she is different to other people, she calls it Strange. After all, none of her friends can fly - can they?  This is just the start of what Stella can do - she finds herself very popular as she can read minds, and in so doing, tells her friends exactly what they want to hear. She can also manipulate, just a little you understand, until one day it goes too far and someone ends up dead - although he probably deserved it.  Stella has to be very careful about who she is, and all the other things she can do....

  Omg. This is one of the best, most tense and exciting books I have read this year. All I can say is wow! This is definitely a 'must read'. It's November and snowing heavily on a school in Somerset on the edge of the woods. What makes this day different from any other snowy day in the school? There are armed gunmen in the school. The Headmaster has already been shot twice, and they have no idea who will be next. Every parent, and every member of staff's worst nightmare. Every school has it's contingency plans, but those plans can't cover every contingency. Why would anyone want to shoot innocent children and staff in an inclusive, rural school? What makes someone turn into a psychopath? Who is braver - someone who is unafraid or someone who is terrified but acts anyway? This will give you the biggest book hangover. My only issue was that it didn't go on longer. I want to know what happened next! I am so invested in this amazing school, amazing children and ...

Then - it's 1976. Lou (Lucia) and her sister Bee (Bianca) have moved into a rented farm in the middle of nowhere with their parents, and their siblings Dan (Dante) who is older and Flor (Florian) and Anto (Antonella) who are younger. Their Dad, Joe, has to leave to work, and their Mum, Cathy, is left bringing up all the children and home schooling them. When mysterious things start happening at the Farm - strange noises, marbles appearing from nowhere, things disappearing and re-appearing, the story becomes of national interest. As well as the press interest, psychic researchers move into the Farm to try and find out what is occurring, and eventually write a book on the occurrences. Now. Lou - now called Lucy, is called back to the Farm of her childhood by the daughter of one of the phychic researchers she met as a child, and two of her colleagues. They are reviewing the case to see if there is a further book to be written. Lou wants no part of this, but her mother, Cathy, insists....

  Neve is a mother, a wife, a great friend and great at her job. Everyone loves Neve  and confides in her. But Neve has a secret that she is sure no one knows about - not her husband, her children, or her closest friends. When Neve gets a text to visit her boss, Saul, early one morning, she arrives to find him murdered. The only problem is that Neve doesn't call the Police or an ambulance, she cleans up the flat instead. The lies soon spiral out of hand with Neve not sure who to trust or who she is protecting. A great story, which you won't want to put down.

  This is the long awaited sequel to PS I Love You, and it has all the charm and originality of the first book. Holly's husband Gerry died 7 years before, and for the year after he died she received notes from him, giving her things to do. The final one, a year later urged her to make a new life for herself Holly has a new boyfriend, and she is working with her sister running a charity shop called Magpies, when her sister persuades her to make a podcast about Gerry and the letters. After that she feels that there are people stalking her. Her stalkers turn out to be members of a club calling themselves the PS I Love You Club. They ask Holly for her help, but Holly is not sure whether this is a good idea or not. A really fabulous feel good book, much like the original, with poignant moments of great happiness and sadness. Definitely a 'must read'.

  Oh wow! I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoilers, but when Harriet leaves her only daughter with her only friend Charlotte, who is taking her to a school fete whilst she does a course, the whole town gets involved when the daughter disappears and everyone is looking at Charlotte aghast as she was checking Facebook when the little girl went missing. A fabulous book that will have you guessing until the end.