Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Fall 2019 TBR

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For the rules see her blog.

This week’s topic: Books On My Fall 2019 TBR. Here is a selection. What I actually read may turn out to be completely different, but I like to think I’ll read several of these books:

The Wine of Angels by Phil Rickman, the first Merrily Watkins novel, in which the Rev Merrily Watkins tries to be accepted as the vicar (or priest-in-charge as she insists she ought to be called) in the country parish of Ledwardine in Herefordshire, steeped as it is in cider and secrets and echoes of the poet Thomas Traherne who was once based in the area.

Thursdays in the Park by Hilary Boyd – Jeanie has been married for thirty years, but her husband George has become so cold and distant she may as well be alone. Surely, at just sixty, a loveless marriage can’t be the only thing left on the horizon? Then, one Thursday in autumn, Jeanie meets Ray in the park, and a chance meeting blossoms into a friendship.

Mrs Robinson’s Disgrace: the Private Diary of a Victorian Lady by Kate Summerscale – the true story of Isabella Robinson, a frustrated mother and wife with, and a husband who is a controlling bully, often absent from the home. So Isabella’s eyes rove and she chose to record her innermost thoughts – and especially her infatuation with a married Dr. Edward Lane – in her diary. Over five years the entries mounted-passionate, sensual, suggestive. One day in 1858 her husband found her diary and read Isabella’s intimate entries. Aghast at his wife’s perceived infidelity, Henry petitioned for divorce on the grounds of adultery.

The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson – When Joan Vaux is sent to live in the shadow of the Tower of London, she must learn to navigate the treacherous waters of this new England under the Tudors. Like the ravens, Joan must use her eyes and her senses, if Henry and his new dynasty are to prosper and thrive …

A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier – set in Violet Speedwell is mourning for both her fiancé and her brother and regarded by society as a ‘surplus woman’ unlikely to marry, resolves to escape her suffocating mother and strike out alone. A new life awaits her in Winchester. Yes, it is one of draughty boarding-houses and sidelong glances at her naked ring finger from younger colleagues; but it is also a life gleaming with independence and opportunity.

The Woman Who Wanted More by Vivky Zimmerman – No woman dreams of being unceremoniously dumped and moving back in with her mother on the eve of her 40th birthday. Food technician Kate Parker’s first response? Denial, long days under her duvet and bucket loads of cheesy pasta. A reluctant Kate finds herself volunteering at the Lauderdale House For Exceptional Ladies. There she meets 96-year-old Cecily Finn – spiky and sharp as a pin, but the spark has gone out of her. She has resigned herself to the imminent End.

The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley, the 2nd book in her Seven sisters series. Ally D’Aplièse is about to compete in one of the world’s most perilous yacht races, when she hears the news of her adoptive father’s sudden, mysterious death. Rushing back to meet her five sisters at their family home, she discovers that her father – an elusive billionaire affectionately known to his daughters as Pa Salt – has left each of them a tantalizing clue to their true heritage.

An April Shroud by Reginald Hill – the 4th Dalziel and Pascoe novel. Superintendent Dalziel’s holiday runs into trouble when he gets marooned by flood water. Rescued and taken to nearby Lake House, he discovers all is not well: the owner has just died tragically and the family fortunes are in decline. He also finds himself drawn to attractive widow, Bonnie Fielding. But several more deaths are to follow. And by the time Pascoe gets involved, it looks like the normally hard-headed Dalziel might have compromised himself beyond redemption.

My Beautiful Imperial by Rhiannon Lewis – Driven from all that matters, Davy has been sent away to sea. He must navigate a way between the bullies and storms, just to survive. Against the odds, success is within reach – his first captaincy is promised and he has met Estella. But revolution erupts in Chile. Davy’s new ship, the Imperial, is commandeered, along with its crew. Amidst the terror, Davy learns to call another country home. He learns that love and friendship have no borders of their own.

Transcription by Kate Atkinson – During WWII, Juliet Armstrong was conscripted into service as a young woman, transcribing conversations between an MI5 agent and a ring of suspected German sympathizers. Years later, in 1950 post-war London, Julie can’t escape the repercussions of her work for the government, and is pulled back into the life of espionage she thought she’d left behind.

14 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Fall 2019 TBR

  1. They all look appealing, Margaret. For my money, you can’t go far wrong with Hill. And the character of Cecily Finn (in the Zimmerman) sounds intriguing. I’d be interested in the dynamic between her and Kate, if you get to that one. Whichever you choose, I hope you’ll enjoy the books.

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    1. Yes, I’m confident that I’ll like the Hill book. I’m not so sure about the Zimmerman one though – it’s not my usual type of book, but maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

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  2. You’ve got lots of interesting books to look forward to there, Margaret! I also have copies of A Single Thread, The Lady of the Ravens and Transcription which I’m hoping to read soon. The Storm Sister is one of my favourite Seven Sisters books. 🙂

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  3. Looks like you have a good selection of books to choose from in autumn, Margaret. I also just got my hands on a copy of The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson, but I probably won’t get round to it this autumn. Happy reading!

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