Author: emmasbibliotreasures

Thank you to NetGalley, Plough Publishing and Sarah C. Williams for the chance to read this novel.

This extraordinary true story begins with the welcome news of a new member of the Williams family. Sarah’s husband, Paul, and their two young daughters share her excitement. But the happiness is short-lived, as a hospital scan reveals a lethal skeletal dysplasia. Birth will be fatal.

Sarah and Paul decide to carry the baby to term, a decision that shocks medical staff and Sarah’s professional colleagues. Sarah and Paul find themselves having to defend their child’s dignity and worth against incomprehension and at times open hostility. They name their daughter, Cerian, Welsh for “loved one.” Sarah writes, “Cerian is not a strong religious principle or a rule that compels me to make hard and fast ethical decisions. She is a beautiful person who is teaching me to love the vulnerable, treasure the unlovely, and face fear with dignity and hope.”  

In this candid and vulnerable account, Sarah brings the reader along with her on the journey towards Cerian’s birthday and her deathday.

This book truly is extraordinary.  It is beautifully written and the author manages to take us on her heartbreaking journey while also eloquently discussing the questions that we need to ask ourselves about how we view health and life, both before and after birth.

I felt a pull to this book from the moment I read the description. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy read but it is like it came to me at a perfect time.  For me what that meant was the unexpected and incredibly powerful impact it had on how I view my own life. I was born prematurely and not expected to survive.  The doctors all said if I did somehow survive I would be severely mentally and physically handicapped. I defied the odds but was diagnosed with my first of many chronic illnesses aged just 18. To live knowing my life could have been all the more arduous is something I’m used to, as is living my best life despite its limitations.  But this book made me look at this in a deeper way. Just one example is this quote from theologist Jurgen Moltmann:

“In reality there is no such thing as a non-handicapped life; only the ideal of health set up by society and the capable condemns a certain group of people to be called handicapped.  Our society arbitrarily defines health as the capacity for work and a capacity for enjoyment, but true health is something quite different. True health is the strength to live, the strength to suffer, the strength to die.  Health is not a condition of my body; it is the power of my soul to cope with the varying conditions of the body.”

The religious aspect to this book was something not every reader would like but I feel it is vital to the story of how Sarah and her husband Paul faced their decisions and the impact they caused.  I was a Christian for many years so I could understand a lot of their feelings of wondering why God had allowed this to happen and in the challenges they faced with fellow Christians.

The only negative thing about this book for me was that at times it could get too academic. The final chapter was a big example of this and I kept zoning out whilst trying to read it.  Overall though this was a powerful, emotional and wonderful book that challenges you in ways you didn’t expect.

Out October 1st.

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Thank you to NetGalley, M. J. Arlidge and Penguin UK for the chance to read and review this novel.

There is a sickness in the forest. First, it was the wild horses. Now it’s innocent men and women, hunted down and murdered by a faceless figure. Lost in the darkness, they try to flee, they try to hide. In desperation, they call out for help. But there is no-one to hear their cries here…

DI Helen Grace and the rest of Southampton’s Major Incident Team are back for book 8 and have a new series of shocking and savage crimes to solve. It is the height of the camping season and a killer is targeting the holidaymakers under the cover of darkness. After a barbaric death, the brutalised victim is then left displayed between the branches of the ancient trees in the picturesque New Forest like a macabre piece of art. Is there a reason behind the way they are killed and displayed? Or is the killer just doing it to shock and haunt those who have to witness the aftermath of his violence? How and why does the killer select their victims and kill without a single witness or clue seeming to be left behind? Helen has to delve into the depths of the forest to find answers. But will she make it out unscathed?

I have been a fan of this series of books ever since the first one was published. I’ve loved all the previous novels and how well written the characters are and you get to know and care about them more with each book, feeling their joy and their pain. I also grew up not far from the New Forest so feel a connection with the characters and places in these books that makes it even more fun to read. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this installment ever since it was announced, so to get the chance to read and review it before release was an exciting privilege. 

Very quickly the fear, suspense and mystery begin and you’re on the edge of your seat reading every word. You feel every bit of terror, confusion and pain that victims experience, the evil delight as their murderer stalks and dispatches his prey and the desperation felt by Helen and her team as they try to find the killer and bring them to justice.

The addition of a new team member in this book added an extra element of mystery as you try to figure out his motives for joining the team and reason behind his obsession with his new boss. Is he a suspect? Or is he up to something altogether unconnected to the crimes?

M. J. Arlidge has done it again.  He’s written an exciting, grisly thriller that you can’t put down.  He weaves multiple characters and storylines together intricately, masking their full connection until the dramatic reveal. From the start of the book my head was constantly spinning with ideas of how the victims might be connected, who could be doing this and why. The answers were shocking and the author is able to throw us off the scent expertly in order to keep the true identity of this heinous killer a mystery. Reading the previous books did help me connect with the characters but you could definitely pick up this story without having read any of the others and still enjoy a fantastic, nail-biting read.

Released today.

“It was the happiest day of her life.  Little did she know it was also her last

It’s no secret that this year I’ve become a big fan of Mark Edwards’ work.  His books are gripping, haunting and exciting. His characters are well written and the many twists and turns he takes will have you questioning what you thought you knew about them and what the outcome will be.  ‘The Lucky Ones’, my sixth read by this author since June, was no exception and lived up the the brilliance of the books I’ve previously read.

It begins with the murder of a woman by a killer who seems to believe his victim is lucky, that he just helped her.  It’s clear she is not his first kill, and nor will she be his last. When she’s found in the grounds of an old, ruined priory, Detective Imogen Evans realises that she is dealing with a serial killer, this victim being the third one found fitting the strange m.o.  As Imogen and her colleagues try to track down the killer before they can strike again we’re introduced to another character, single dad Ben Hofland, who’s just moved back to his small hometown with his eleven year old son, Ollie, following the breakdown of his marriage. As Ben’s luck begins to change he thinks life is finally starting to go right for him, completely unaware that someone lurking in the shadows is watching and waiting for the perfect time to strike.  To make him one of “the lucky ones”.

Once I started reading this book I couldn’t stop.  It was a riveting and captivating book that had me on the edge of my seat from the start.  Although it lacked the eerie twist that is seen in the other books I’ve read by this author, that didn’t make the story seem lacking in any way.  In fact I think trying to add a supernatural element would have made it less frightening as the horrors of this tale were all too real and able to happen to any one of us.  No one ever thinks that a killer wants you to be happy. You imagine they want to terrorise you and make your last moments the most awful of your life, so reading a story where the person who wants to end your life also wants to enhance it was chilling.  

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well written and captivating crime fiction, thrillers and mysteries.

Out now.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mandel Vilar Press and Tara Lynn Masih for an ARC of this novel.

First of all do not read this book unless you have a whole day free. You will not be putting this book down!

The story is narrated by a teenage girl named Hanna who lives in Ukraine during WW2. Hanna and her family are Jews and the novel tells the story of their lives from 1941 to 1945 when the Germans begin to invade and rid the village she and her family live in ‘free of Jews’. With rumours of death camps and Jews shot on sight whispered between the adults, Hanna’s Papa decided they have no choice but to flee their home and hide in the forest and then the caves near their village.

Hanna describes the confusion, heartbreak, longing, boredom, frustration, hunger and sheer terror of their seemingly never ending struggle so vividly that you feel you are there alongside her. You wonder with her how they can survive this, how anyone could, and despair that such evil exists to want to destroy others because of hate.

This poignant and beautiful story has to be read to truly understand the utter devastation of Hanna’s ordeal and incredible strength in her will to survive it.

I did also enjoy reading the Historical Note at the end of the book. It was so interesting to learn more about the real story that inspired this book and learn more about a time in our history that we should never forget or not learn from.

Out now.

This classic book is set in the early 1900s in America’s poverty-stricken deep south. It tells the story of Celie, a young black girl who knows only struggle, segregation and suffering. She is repeatedly raped by her ‘Pa’ who then takes away the two children she bears, forced to marry an older man who mistreats her and then loses her beloved sister Nettie after she is sent away. She seems destined to a life of drudgery and pain. Then she meets the alluring singer Shug Avery and life begins to change for Celie. Shug is an independent woman who refuses to marry and has a career that takes her all over the country. She shows Celie there is a different life to be had and that everyone deserves to be loved. Slowly, Celie begins to embark on a journey of self discovery; finding her worth and finding joy in the most unexpected places.

I have had this book on my shelf for over three years. My partner bought it for me for my birthday that year as part of a theme of my favourite colour, purple. I’d obviously heard of the book and the film but had never thought or desired to read it before and in all honesty knew very little about it. As it was a gift I thought I would read it eventually, but it was never a high priority over the multitude of other books sitting waiting to be read. I decided to finally pick it up for three reasons: (1) I kept seeing it come up on Bookstagram, (2) the BookBum Book Club theme for September was ‘Back to School’ and the book is on current school curriculums, and (3) as part of Operation Clear Your TBR on Bookstagram.

As I knew little about this book I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I certainly wasn’t expecting the opening pages to hit you like a bomb, with the horror and violence of this young girl’s life is instantly thrown at you. I found my stomach in knots at her anguish and resignation to such a brutal existence forced upon her. Her helplessness breaks your heart as she allows herself to live this way.  She knows fighting against how her Pa and husband treat her would mean ending up dead and to Celie being alive, even if it means suffering, is better than dead.

I did initially find the book hard to read as it is written exactly how Celie speaks and it takes a little time to adjust to that. However I do think writing the book that way helps the tone of the book and enables you to really get inside Celie’s mind. I also loved how it was written as letters. To me this felt like I was really reading about someone’s life and not a work of fiction.

Having now read The Color Purple I have no idea why I waited so long. It is a beautifully written book that is haunting, heartbreaking and wonderful all at the same time.  I devoured this book and could have read it in one sitting very easily. This novel deserves it’s classic status and if you haven’t read it then I suggest you do so as soon as possible.

Today we celebrate the birth of the man who is arguably the best children’s fiction writer of a generation.  Roald Dahl was born on 13th September 1926 in Cardiff to Norwegian immigrant parents.  After serving in the Royal Air Force during WW2 he then became well known as a writer in the 1940s, initially for his work for both adults and children. He would go on to become a best selling author in children’s fiction.

His much loved stories were known for their dark humour, portraying adults as villains and the children as heroes. He also espoused those of a gentle and warm-hearted nature in his books and underneath the dark humour was an element of tenderness that added to their charm.

I was a child at the time he was becoming so celebrated for his children’s books and he was definitely my favourite author at that time.  I was devastated upon hearing of his death in November 1990; the idea that there would be no more of his wondrous books just seemed so wrong and tragic to me.  As a child you felt like he really understood your world in a way other adults didn’t, and his genius of making adults into villains helped him resonate with his young audience. As an adult I look back at his work with a different perspective: there’s the nostalgia of my childhood innocence and also seeing just how brilliantly funny his work really is. I loved sharing his books with my own children and have no doubt that one day my Grandchildren will be reading them too.

To me, Roald Dahl truly earned the right to be referred to as “one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th Century”.  Happy Birthday Mr. Dahl 🎂🎉

Question – What are your memories of Roald Dahl and his books? Which is your favourite? Comment below.

Thank you to NetGalley, Marianne Holmes and Agora books for the chance to read an ARC of this novel.

Besides, if you were one half evil, wouldn’t you want to know about the other half?

It’s the summer of 1976. A heat wave means perfect weather for swimming at the Lido for 9 year old Robyn (Little Bird) and her brother Christopher (Kit). The only things spoiling their perfect summer is their Mum bringing home women in tears and the town gossip about it, the bullies that mercilessly tease her, the mysterious appearance of The Man in the Cowboy Hat. Then something happens that summer. Something that changes the course of Robyn and Kit’s lives forever. Something Robyn feels she must atone for before it’s too late…..

The story switched between 1976 and 1988, when Robyn and Kit return to the village to solve the mysteries surrounding what happened and so Robyn can right her perceived wrongs. In ‘76 she is a child on the cusp of adolescence, trying to figure out adult secrets and behaviours while also learning who she is. Her sense of frustration and mistakes she makes as a result of childish naivete often left me wanting to shout at Robyn “don’t tell him that” or clue her in but it was great for the story and you felt your heart break with hers as the adult Robyn is filled with deep regret for what those mistakes now mean.

The bond between Kit and Robyn and the intricacies of sibling relationships, are pivotal to this story and are well written. The author weaves the layers of the story elegantly and reveals its secrets in piecemeal; teasing you with the promise of a revelation then ending prematurely so you’re left trying to decipher it’s meaning.

I was so excited to be approved for this book. The premise was intriguing and I loved the fact that it was the chance to read a debut novel. There’s a thrill of the unknown, the possibility of finding a hidden gem of a story and a new voice who you just know you’ll follow the rest of their career. Just reading the introduction to the author started the book with a smile and the sense I was about to read something special. The letter from the publisher solidified those feelings and I wasn’t disappointed in hoping I’d find all those things. I will definitely be reading any future novels by this author. A wonderful book.

Out today  

Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus books and Holly Cave for the chance to read and review this novel.

An Afterlife of your own design – what could go wrong?

Isobel is a Heaven Architect. In Fact she’s the best Heaven Architect there is, acclaimed for the beautiful and perfect heavens she creates. Each client’s personalised heaven is comprised of their chosen memories, ensuring them an eternity surrounded by those they love in the highlight reel of their lives. Isobel loves her job but then risks everything when she falls for her newest client, Jarek. When his wife is murdered Isobel is the only one who can prove his innocence and finds that it leads her to the unsavoury side of the business and her whole life crumbling around her.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book. The premise was like nothing I’d read before and had my interest piqued with the unique storyline of artificial heavens.You feel like you’re reading about the present day but then little things that are woven in remind you that it is actually the not too distant future. Holly Cave has a beautiful way of writing that paints vivid pictures in your mind as you read.

The book got off to a slow but intriguing start and I found it addictive once the pace increased and suspense heightened further into the story. I was eager to find out who killed Sarah and couldn’t read fast enough as I tried to figure out the answer myself. There were some great twists and the outcome was not one I would’ve predicted at the start of the book, or even until it was almost revealed, my own disbelief at the truth mirroring Isobel’s.

A combination of romance, mystery, thriller and sci-fi all interlaced together to make an unusual, exciting and brilliant read.

Out September 20th (picture courtesy of Quercus books).

First of all, let me introduce myself ; I’m Emma, I live in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, with my partner, our two teenage boys and two crazy cats. I’m a coffee and coke zero addict (I need my caffeine lol) and my obsessions besides books are anything purple, butterflies, The Wizard of Oz and The Little Mermaid. I also never met a cheesecake I didn’t like. I can’t remember a time I didn’t love books and reading. For years I’ve been obsessed with buying books and anything related to them. I was certainly born with a tbr pile I will never finish 😂

I have Fibromyalgia, M.E and a number of other chronic illnesses (if you’d like to follow that journey my personal insta is @emma_butterfly) and haven’t been able to work for about 7 years now. Fibro and M.E also impact my reading as the brain fog makes it hard to take in what I’m reading, the fatigue can make comprehension impossible and holding a book is painful and often unmanageable. The latter is why at Christmas I finally relented and got a kindle. While I will never not love books, the kindle is so much easier. I can highlight and make notes so I can remember things and it sits on my cushion most of the time so I don’t even have to hold it. I’ve gone from hardly being able to read to being on book 78 this year.

I have an eclectic taste in books and enjoy most genres, though my favourites are crime fiction, thrillers, mystery, true crime, and I’ve got into YA fiction quite a lot this year too. Some of my favourite authors are Jodi Picoult, Tess Gerritsen, M. J. Arlidge and John Grisham, John Marrs, Matt Haig, Mark Edwards and Shari Lapena.

I decided to start reviewing books as I’d sometimes post thoughts on a book online and got lots of positive comments. So, I decided to start taking it seriously as a way to give me something to focus on. It’s great to feel like I’m doing something more worthwhile with my time and I’m loving being a part of the #bookstagram community. I started my page on Instagram on 9th August and decided to as a one month celebration to start an official blog. I’m new to this so please bare with me as I learn the ropes.

Emma 💜🦋📖