September Book Review

Another 3 books in September, although one was a child's book so I'm not sure that counts!

First up.....

Fleur Bosley didn’t believe in love at first sight, at least not until she bumped into Robbie Rodwell on a railway station in the blackout of wartime Britain. Posted to a newly-built Lincolnshire airfield, Robbie as a wireless operator on bombers and Fleur as a R/T operator in the watch office, their only escape is to the little cottage in the nearby village where Fleur is billeted with another WAAF, Ruth. The two girls become good friends, but Ruth, already hurt by the loss of one of the pilots, does not approve of wartime romances. And Ruth is not the only one to disapprove. When Fleur’s mother hears Robbie’s name she becomes hysterical and bans him from her home. The young couple are determined to grab their happiness where they can, but is it a kind Fate or a cruel one that has brought them together when secrets from the past threaten their future? Away from their families, there is fun and laughter, the aircrews determined to make the most of every day, every minute, but whenever they fly off into the night on a bombing raid, Fleur must keep watch until the early hours praying that Robbie’s plane comes back . . .

Another great WW2 love story. I really enjoyed this book & found myself looking forward to lunch, bus journeys etc so I could continue. I was naughty & even read it behind the counter at work one day.... shhh don't tell!!

I'm looking forward to reading more Margaret Dickinson books. You can find it on Amazon, however I brought it from my shop. I finished it on a Sunday & re sold it on Monday morning!

9/10

Muriel lives alone with lots and lots and lots of cats. But Muriel's cats are no ordinary cats - they were once people she knew, now reincarnated in feline form! Muriel shares her house with various (deceased!) members of her family, and one rather special cat - the late Queen Victoria! An unusual tale of animal madness!

Now this is the one that I think won't count! 

I'd forgotten my book so I picked this one off the shelf at work. It was a fun read & although a children's book I think it has a strong message behind it. I would love to come back as a cat (no surprise!) It's on Amazon but not cheap.

8/10

The Blitz is one of the best known events of the Second World War. It affected more British people than any other 'battle': soldier or civilian, man or woman, adult or child -- the bombs made no distinction. Over 40,000 people were killed in the German air raids and many more injured. The scars on London took 50 years to repair and even now there are sealed up air raid shelters where the bodies remain entombed.

London's firemen and emergency services did their jobs under a rain of bombs night after night, for eight months. Whole crews sometimes died as buildings collapsed on them: some of these heroes are commemorated today by having streets in the East End named after them.

Gavin Mortimer concentrates on one night: the particularly savage raids of 10-11 May 1941 to reveal what it was like to experience The Blitz. Based on interviews with survivors, his gripping minute-by-minute account recaptures a time when the very survival of this country hung in the balance.

Before I started reading WW2 love stories this was the kind of book I would enjoyed. I find this one really hard going at first as there's a lot of details & so many people to remember but half way through I was glad I stuck with it. It was really interesting but also an uncomfortable read, is it right that we dress up & go to 1940's event when so many people suffered so badly? But then you could look at it that we're remembering & thanking them for what they did for the country... tough one. This was another bargain find from the shop but you can get it on Amazon 

Although this is a good book it's not a light read & would only be suitable for WW2 nerds!

8/10

Half way through October & I'm only on book 26, I think it's safe to say I'm not going to hit the 50 books this year! I'm pleased that I've done this well, as regular readers of my blog will know I stopped/slowed down reading for a couple of years when I got my iPhone/iPad but I'm back now!

If I can hit 30 this year I'll be happy, next year I'll try again.