Well, it’s been busy on this thread. We’re still down with a cold which lasted throughout our holiday and out the other side. DH is wearing The Dressing Gown of Doom so it must be serious.
Sorry to hear about your DM @ClaraTheImpossibleGirl
@CornishLizard The Winter Guest sounds intriguing, and I’ve added it to my Wish List.
49.. Yesteryear – Caro Claire Burke
Much reviewed on here so I don’t know how much I can add. I had little sympathy for Natalie at the start but learning about her upbringing made her a little more understandable. Set in the same part of the US, the families reminded me in some ways of Educated but not quite as hardcore. The story was readable enough till the last few pages when everything got rather silly.
50.. The Temple of Fortuna – Elodie Harper
Yay, I reached 50! This is the conclusion of The Wolf Den trilogy, bringing it to a satisfying ending. It starts in September AD79 so you can guess where the story is heading, and like with Titanic there is the question of who of the characters we had come to know would survive disaster, in this case the eruption of Vesuvius and destruction of Pompeii where much of the action is centred. I’m glad I didn’t leave it so long between the second book, though I think the characters were easier to keep track of in any case.
51.. The Island House – Mary Considine
RWYO. A memoir recounting the author’s time living with her husband on a small island just off the coast of Cornwall. After a childhood of volunteering on the island, Mary had the chance to become the tenant and work with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust to preserve the habitat as well as living and working independently, something that would not have been possible for earlier tenants. She goes into the history of the island and some of the characters who have made it their home over the years. A very readable account of someone who had the drive to make a big change in their lives, and the consequences of doing so.
52.. The Hill in the Dark Grove – Liam Higginson
Recently reviewed by @RazorstormUnicorn , and @MaterMoribund . A perfect folk horror Halloween read, eerie and unsettling, looking back to historic incidents taking place on what became a remote Welsh hill farm, and how the spirit of the place gradually makes its presence felt in the lives of Carwyn and Rhian, the middle-aged present owners. Scattered throughout with references to Welsh myths and legends, with nods to Dylan Thomas in the descriptions of the surroundings, this gave a real sense of the desolation and precarious existence of the farming community and the looming horror that awaits the couple.