Showcasing this latest couple of books, recently added to my virtual reading shelf, which has now become a TBR mountain in its own right!
These two are already scheduled for review, so not to panic too much!
…
First up this time is another of those ‘right time, right place’ moments, when NetGalley featured this intriguing ‘read now’ title, which I managed to grab!
THE BELL IN THE LAKE by LARS MYTTING
Norway, 1880. Winter is hard in Butangen, a village secluded at the end of a valley. The lake has frozen, and for months the ground is too hard to bury the dead. Astrid Hekne dreams of a life beyond all this, beyond marriage, children, and working the land to the end of her days.
Then Pastor Kai Schweigaard takes over the small parish, with its 700-year-old stave church carved with pagan deities. The two bells in the tower were forged by Astrid’s forefather in the sixteenth century, in memory of conjoined twins Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne. They are said to hold supernatural powers.
The villagers are wary of the pastor and his resolve to do away with their centuries-old traditions, though Astrid also finds herself drawn to him. And then a stranger arrives from Dresden, with grand plans for the church itself. For headstrong Astrid this may be a provocation too far.
Talented architecture student Gerhard Schönauer is an improbable figure in this rugged community. Astrid has never met anyone like him; he seems so different, so sensitive. She finds that she must make a choice: for her homeland and the pastor, or for an uncertain future in Germany.
Then the bells begin to ring . . .
This story has been beautifully translated by Deborah Dawkin
And now for something completely different and definitely not my usual reading fare – But it sounds like a fun read!
This Blog Tour / Review spot was a direct request from the lovely Helen, representing Helen Richardson PR.
THE SPY WHO INSPIRED ME by STEPHEN CLARKE
For legal reasons, The Spy Who Inspired Me does not mention J*mes B*nd. Which is a shame, because it is a comedy based on the idea that I*n Fl*ming’s famously macho spy might have been inspire by a woman.
It is April 1944, and chic armchair naval officer Ian Lemming (yes, Lemming) is accidentally beached in Nazi-occupied Normandy.
With no access to a razor or clean underwear, and deprived of his cigarettes, Lemming just wants to go home. But he is stranded with a young, though hugely experienced, female agent called Margaux Lynd, who is on a perilous mission to unmask traitors in a French Resistance network.
So, as she bullies him across France, Lemming receives a painful crash course in spy craft, and starts to fantasize about a fictional agent – male of course – who would operate only in the most luxurious conditions, and lord it over totally subservient women.
A world-famous spy is born…
‘Mailbox Monday‘ is a gathering place for readers to share links to the books that came into their house during the last week.
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well, after all you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
…