The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan is an other-worldly, evocative and wonderfully atmospheric story. It follows the arrival of Sana Malik and her father as new tenants in the once grand Akbar Manzil. At its height the mansion was the grandest house in South Africa and home to Akbar Ali Khan and […]
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In The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon we are introduced to Aidan Thomas. He’s a widower, a father, and a well-respected member of the community in small town America. But there’s something nobody knows. He’s holding a woman, known as Rachel, captive in his shed and he’s a serial killer. What is the story about?
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The fantastic Cleveland Way passes through pretty Sandsend village and marching northwards it clings close to the coast as it follows a disused railway line. You pass by a moon-like landscape of alum deposits and then up an almost vertical flight of stairs. While catching your breath enjoy sweeping views across the North Sea. I’ve walked
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The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner is a young adult (Y.A.) coming-of-age novel set in small town Forrestville, Tennessee. The story centres on the secrets, hopes and fears of three high school misfits. What is The Serpent King about? The main protagonist is Dillard Early Junior, or Dill to his only two loyal friends, Lydia
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The Returning by Ann Tatlock follows the lives of the Sheldon family during one summer at Conesus Lake in upstate New York. John is returning to his family after serving five years for the manslaughter of a hitchhiker he picked up when drunk and then promptly crashed his car. Time has moved on in his
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The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton is a richly layered historical mystery that weaves together the lives of three main characters: Eliza, Nell and Cassandra. What is The Forgotten Garden about? The story begins in 1913 when a young child is found abandoned on an Australian wharf with no memory of who she is. A
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For more years than we’d care to admit a 31-mile section of the 109-mile Cleveland Way taunted us. It was high time to get our walking boots on and complete the Cleveland Way National Trail. Why had it taken so long to do it? Simple. Logistics. However, at the start of July it all came
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Cartes Postales from Greece is the second novel I’ve read by Victoria Hislop. But then, I’m not entirely sure you can call my most recent escape a novel. It’s more of a collection of stories tied together by a lovesick author and a young woman stuck in a rut. What is Cartes Postales from Greece
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On Saturday 26th July two of us from OOBE Ltd will be tackling the South Tyne Trail Charity challenge. This will see us yomping along the South Tyne Trail to raise money for Global’s Make Some Noise – a fantastic charity that helps hundreds of great causes across the UK. The South Tyne Trail is
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Black Rock by Amanda Smyth was her debut novel and it is set on Trinidad and Tobago during the 1950s. It follows sixteen-year-old Cecilia who arrived into the world as her mother departed it. Her English father doesn’t know of her existence so she is raised by her Aunt Tassi and lives with her and
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