Best Book (Trails) of February
Best books out in February
Best Book (Trails) of February – This is a good month for books. I mean, seriously good. there’s never been quite a good month to be fair. So many of my favourite books right here. This comes after a stellar month in January too. With February being the month of Valentine;s , what better way to show your love of all things bookish and treat yourself with one of these gorgeous reads:
The Dressmaker’s Secret Feb 5
The BookTrail’s review of The Dressmaker’s Secret here
You can always count on Lorna Cook to take a nugget of history and make a great novel from it!
A story set amongst the most famous fashion icon in Paris is always going to be interesting but this is perhaps the most interesting and fascinating snippet of history I have come across in a while. Coco Chanel was a secret ally of the Nazis, falling in love with a German officer and living in the Hotel Ritz which also doubled as the Nazi HQ during the war! What a premise for a book!
I Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons
This the imagined story behind the woman who would become Mona Lisa. Imagine being the woman and the in inspiration behind the most iconic painting in the world. She is worth getting to know and what a story she has to share. “In Leonardo da Vinci’s studio, bursting with genius imagination, towering commissions and needling patrons, as well as discontented muses, friends and rivals, sits the painting of the Mona Lisa.”
The Hemlock Cure , Joanne Burn
The BookTrail’s Review of The Hemlock Cure
Discover the locations in The Hemlock Cure bu Joanne Burns
Set in Eyam, Derbyshire
This peaked my interest as it is inspired by the true story of the so-called ‘plague village’ of Eyam in Derbyshire. Eyam has a very interesting claim to fame. It is the village a the centre of the plague out break in 1665. The villagers of Eyam decided to cordon off the village, allowing no one in and no one out in order to try and keep the plague contained. This is a story of the plague of 1665 but it sadly felt very relevant. Today’s COVID pandemic will make this novel all the more poignant.
The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews Feb 17
Visit the locations in The Levianthan
The cover alone should be enough to make you want to read this book but the story inside is even more spectacular!
Set in the wild and wet, marshy Norfolk landscape. This book takes place at a time of great political turmoil and upheaval and has superstitious and gothic overtones to match. Take care, as by the second half of the book, the story and atmosphere turn from gothic to horror.
There are descriptions of rural life and history, war and supernatural beings.
There are strong elements of witchcraft. A woman is accused of witchcraft and the hunt for the truth is indeed a hunt which is both scary and chilling.
Breathless by Amy Mcculloch Feb 17
Visit the locations in Breathless
This will literally make you breathless, its set on one of the highest mountains of the world so there isn’t much air for one, but what happens on it will take the rest of your breath away. The title is perfect. When struggling journalist Cecily Wong is invited to join an expedition to climb one of the world’s tallest mountains, it seems like the chance of a lifetime.
She doesn’t realise how deadly the climb will be.
The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson
Discover the locations in The Little Wartime Library
This is a particular interesting book as it’s inspired by a fascinating and relatively little known story of a library during wartime.
The library was set up in the station of Bethnal Green tube station. It was a disused station that people had been using as a shelter against the bombing raids. IT was known by locals as the “Iron Lung”. More and more people started to use it and within a year, it was transformed into a fully-functioning underground community.
The Gifts by Liz Hyder Feb 17
Discover the locations in The Gifts
I loved this. Read it! Recommended and then some.
When I first read the blurb, I was intrigued and a little confused. But that made me want to read it more and so pleased I did as it was totally unexpected and totally thrilling!
“October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in Shropshire as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.
Meanwhile, when rumours of a ‘fallen angel’ cause a frenzy across London, a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger . . .”
All of the above should be high on your list of books to read. I recommend each and every one! Oh you are in for a treat this month!
Susan
