Five book characters I’d love to actually meet up with!
from The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg.
Arthur an elderly man and a great appreciator. He loved his wife Nola and goes to visit her grave each day and remembers the wonderful loving life they had together. He is open to eighteen year old Maddy, who wears a ring in her nose, lost her mother at a very early age and has a father who is rather poor at being a father. But he looks with eyes of acceptance at Maddy and is willing to step up for her. He is caring for his elderly neighbour Lucille, especially in her time of great need. Arthur has a lot to teach me about life.
Sunshine. – from A Bad Day for Sunshine and a Good Day for Chardonnay. I’ve had two book dates with Sunshine in 2020, I can’t wait to make one in 2021. Sunshine is the sheriff of a small town, she has a delightful daughter and two supportive parents. A great love in her life although that’s complicated but developing. Sunshine is the best of mothers, a fair boss with an eye for great additions to the police force in town. She really goes the extra mile, she really cares. And she solves crimes!
Sophy from the Grand Sophy. Most likely Sophy is like many of Heyer’s heroines, but she sure is something. Things happen when she is around. She goes places women don’t, she drives and rides horses as well as any man. She is outspoken and speaks up and out. Vibrant and irrepressible. She is very caring and will risk herself for others when they need it. She can spot someone who is insincere. She mightn’t look perfect to the hoity toy, but I just thought she was a total delight.
Lt Sam Holland from Marie Forces series First Family a spin off from Fatal Affairs. Sam is a detective in charge of a homicide team. She is good at what she does, she follows up, goes the extra mile to solve the case. And… she supports her husband who has just landed the biggest job in the land. She is a great Mom to her found family, and very supportive of her friends.
Helen from a Home Like Ours. She is in her mid fifties and is now in charge of a community garden. At one point she was homeless in spite of being well educated. She is spiky, tough talking and a no nonsense kind of person. Most of all I really like her for the way she invites a group of refugee women to take part in the garden and learn how to feed their families. Most of all I really was impressed by how she stood up for what was right and was ready to fight injustice.
Katherine from I Wish I lived in a Library says this was a fun beginning to this cozy mystery series. As I was ordering books this one slipped in! 
Well I do know what the word last means in this book. The last bookshop standing in war torn London during the Second World War.
During World War 2 it was only allowable that men would be the correspondents on the ground in the war zones.
And where possible I like to include one I haven’t read yet, but sits awaiting. I’ve read some good things about this book.
I’ve just read Family 
I 
A 2020 read – Just An Ordinary Family. I always love to showcase this Australian Author. She writes a fine story.
And one from my TBR shelf! Hana Khan Carries On. Surprising to me on my actual TBR print books I could only pick out one book that seems to be family complications oriented.
What? First in a crime series. It involves a a couple of police characters and killer of course and its set in a small town in Woodbury MA. One character is Ellery Hathaway. No one there knows she was once victim number seventeen in the grisly story of serial killer Francis Michael Coben. The only one who lived.
What? Stuck in a dreary Boston winter, Annabelle Martin would like nothing more than to run away from her current life. She’s not even thirty years old, twice-divorced, and has just dodged a marriage proposal… from her ex-husband. When she’s offered her dream job as creative director at a cutting-edge graphic design studio in Phoenix, she jumps at the opportunity to start over.
What? London 1943: War and dwindling resources are taking their toll on the staff of Partridge Press. The pressure is on to create new books to distract readers from the grim realities of the war, but Partridge’s rising star, Alice Cotton, leaves abruptly and cannot be found.
What? Melanie Trenholm and her family navigate the eerie happenings in their town as ghosts threaten to upend their lives once again.
Jojo Moyes. I haven’t read all her books and must pick out another one to read. I see I have a couple of her older ones on my bookshelf. My second Jojo Moyes book and I enjoyed it in spite of the serious nature of the underlying choice that Will makes. I liked how Will and Lou interacted and the difference they made in each others’ lives. I liked the chapters from three other characters’ points of view. I would have liked one or two from Wills, but I guess that might have given away too much too soon. I’ve read the three in this series.
Sarah Morgan. Another author I have read a lot of books by her. Family for Beginners – Wonderful heartwarming and uplifting family. Characters so delightful, family, friendship, trials, secrets, fears and so much more. Wisdom too! I haven’t read all her books and think I have one or two already on my Kindle. Plus of course she’ll have something new out before long.
Beth O’Leary I have read two by this author and I see another one in the shops that I will get at some point from the library. The Road Trip.
I’ve been reading The Guncle by Stephen Rowley which is exploring some serious issues, mainly that of grief and loss but with some humour and great compassion. And the main character is so engaging.
This is #4 in the Haunted Library Mystery series and I have enjoyed the first three via audio. So this is a definite series to follow through.
The Royal Spyness series and I am up to this one #7 Heirs and Graces. So well narrated and a load of fluffy royal British fun. Such easy listening and some interesting murders and situations.
Look at those yummy scones on the cover, plus the books of course. I enjoyed #1 and The Whispered Word is #2 of The Secret, Book and Scone series. It has a group of women, one of them Nora, runs the bookshop and she knows how to pick the right book for you. Again the narrater Cris Dukehart presents the books really well.
This is #1 of the Liz Talbot Mystery series. I haven’t started this one but its in my library at Audible …. waiting! Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer.
I have recently bought this one too and I really, really want to read it soon. SEP’s latest romance between an opera singer and a back up quarterback. I am a die hard fan. Out of the five, when I get a chance this will be the first one.
I also am a fan of Canadian author K. A. Tucker and I need an author with same initials as me for a challenge. Well I don’t have an A. but I consider the K and the T reason enough! It is a romance as well. I didn’t even really read what its about, just the author’s name is enough!
Don’t Tell is the first one in Karen Rose’s romantic suspense series. I’ve read some of the later ones, but I want to go back and start the series. I probably won’t get onto it for awhile but I have this one and the second one. However the latest one comes out early August and I suspect I’ll read that one first when it publishes.
This was close to an accidental buy. I had put it in my wish list after what Irish blogger/reader Trish had to say about this on IG or Facebook. Can’t remember. It was sitting in the list beside a book I intended to buy. I must have accidentally put this one in the cart and saw it only after I’d paid. I didn’t want to go through the rigmarole of changing it, so I left it. It will be good I am sure, I haven’t read anything by the author yet. Was published in June 2021 by Irish author Roisin Meaney. Well I mean, look at the title!!