#FridayReads – If you like WW2 Historical Fiction try these books

Here is a selection of WW2 themed Historical Reads which I can recommend.

Reading Soft edge

123856621944 and Anna is parachuted into Normandy as a special agent working with Resistance Groups, spying on the Germans and wiring the information back to the Special Operations Executive, escaping capture and the inevitable torture that would follow.

She falls in love with Pierre, another SOE agent but finds he is not what he purports to be. Then there is the little matter of the Gestapo officer who has guessed her secret. Alone, Anna has to make some terrifying decisions to survive and to ensure the impending invasion remains secret.

It is 2006 in England, where her husband has died and Anna lives alone. Her children are spying on her and plot to put her in a home so that they can sell her house for their own ends. Anna is determined to retain her independence. She falls back on her wartime skills, recruiting Nathan and his girl friend Gemma to help her and becomes close to them as she never was with her own children.

But it is only when she returns to Normandy and confronts the ghosts of her past that she realises how the war had taken its toll on her loveless marriage and her children. She makes the ultimate sacrifice and finally finds the peace and redemption that had evaded her all these years. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

24839193

Fifteen year-old Kate Wolseley lives a rarefied life of wealth and privilege in the expatriate community. But when the Japanese take over the colony in December 1941, she’s interned in squalid Stanley Camp with her parents. Forty miles away, in Macau, Sofia Rodrigues’ suspicions are aroused when her father invites a Japanese family to dinner, an event which leads to a breach between Sofia and her controlling half-brother, Leo. Enduring cramped conditions, humiliation, disease, and starvation, Kate befriends seventeen year-old Charles – who’s half Chinese – and they give their hearts to each other under the orchid tree. Can their love survive the war?

In December 1948, Kate returns to Hong Kong, determined to put the past behind her. Sofia dreams of leaving Macau and starting a new life, and she won’t let anyone, not even Leo, stop her. A young Englishman, James, becomes the link between Kate and Sofia. The communist-nationalist struggle in China spills over into the colony, catapulting the protagonists into the turmoil with disastrous consequences.

A coming of age story set against the background of conflict and changing values in society.
From the perils of internment to the beauty of Hong Kong’s fragrant harbour, Siobhan Daiko’s novel will take you on a sensuous journey of adventure, romance and redemption. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

7501909Mary is a nursing sister at a Lancashire prison camp for the housing and treatment of German POWs. Life at work is difficult but fulfilling; life at home a constant round of arguments—often prompted by her fly-by-night sister, Ellen, the apple of her short-tempered father’s eye. Then Frank turns up at the house one night—a guard at the camp, he’s been watching Mary for weeks—and won’t leave until she agrees to walk out with him. Frank Shuttleworth is a difficult man to love and it’s not long before Mary gives him his marching orders. But Shuttleworth won’t take no for an answer and the gossips are eager for their next victim, and for the slightest hint of fraternization with the enemy. Suddenly, not only Mary’s happiness but her very life is threatened by the most dangerous of wartime secrets. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

23005792When war baby Sophie joins the macho world of 1960s journalism she’s determined to prove that she’s ‘one of the boys.’ But a shocking phone call from her estranged mother sets Sophie on a quest to discover the secret of her birth.
Was her father the all-American soldier she dreamt of when she was a child, or someone far more sinister? This is the story the ambitious reporter was destined to write.
Helped by the charming but mysterious David, Sophie uncovers a heartbroken wartime orphan, a GI romance and a terrifying rape that leads to an innocent man’s court martial – and clues to her own unhappy childhood.
Torn between her secret love for Steve, the newspaper’s most eligible bachelor, and a desire to know who she really is, Sophie follows David to find her father. Only when faced with the startling truth can she accept the tragedy of love, loss and betrayal and begin a very different kind of future.
Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

18903944It’s 2006 and Alex Mullen is coming to terms with a terrible past. Meeting up with Frankie, who shared the bad times, exposes one of Australia’s cruellest secrets. In Falmouth, 1942, commando Philip Seymour sails for France. Left on the quayside is Rosie, a half-Romany girl looking for something more from life than collecting old clothes to sell on for pennies. Philip, who turned down a commission on principle, is pal Tucker—haunted by dreams of strange beasts hanging in his father’s cold store, and Anderson—a mean spirited wide-boy who Philip doesn’t quite trust, are about to make history in the audacious raid on the docks of St Nazaire. What befalls the commandos shapes the lives of Rosie, Alex, and Philip in ways none of them could have imagined. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

17364469It’s 1945 and, as the troops begin to return home, the inhabitants of London attempt to put their lives back together. For 25-year-old Millie, a qualified nurse and midwife, the jubilation at the end of the war is short-lived as she tends to the needs of the East End community around her. But while Millie witnesses tragedy and brutality in her job, she also finds strength and kindness. And when misfortune befalls her own family, it is the enduring spirit of the community that shows Millie that even the toughest of circumstances can be overcome.

Through Millie’s eyes, we see the harsh realities and unexpected joys in the lives of the patients she treats, as well as the camaraderie that is forged with the fellow nurses that she lives with. Filled with unforgettable characters and moving personal stories, this vividly brings to life the colourful world of a post-war East London. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

6801335This never-before-translated masterpiece-by a heroic best-selling writer who saw his life crumble when he wouldn’t join the Nazi Party-is based on a true story.

It presents a richly detailed portrait of life in Berlin under the Nazis and tells the sweeping saga of one working-class couple who decides to take a stand when their only son is killed at the front. With nothing but their grief and each other against the awesome power of the Reich, they launch a simple, clandestine resistance campaign that soon has an enraged Gestapo on their trail, and a world of terrified neighbours and cynical snitches ready to turn them in.

In the end, it’s more than an edge-of-your-seat thriller, more than a moving romance, even more than literature of the highest order-it’s a deeply stirring story of two people standing up for what’s right, and each other. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Book review Challenge Series – How I write a book review

Day 1

Welcome one and all to our Book review challenge, I just want to thank everyone who is supporting this series it means so much to me. So what have we got for you?

I truly believe that books and book sales are changing as people browse virtual book stores to buy their books. This is where the book review really will help sell a book in a market place full of millions and millions of books. If I had a £1 for every-time someone said to me in the last week “Since I starting writing my book I’ve come to realise how important book reviews are” well, we’d be well on the way down to the nearest bookstore to stock up on books!

So today I’m in the spotlight talking about book reviews and giving you some simple easy tips to start you off book reviewing. I’ll get you thinking about reading a different genre and we have a guest piece from Melissa Newman at Martin Sisters Publishing.

We’ve been busy signing readers up who want to read and review one book from the line up we have to offer. There are still copies available of many of the books.

 

2012_0622 rose for rosie  wordpress

Book Review Challenge

Thursday 26th June – Book reviewing by Bodicia from A Woman’s Wisdom + How to download a PDF file of a book to your kindle+ non-fiction reviews.

Friday 27th June – The Importance of book reviews by author Terry Tyler + a look at Goodreads + A bad or negative review, should you write it?

Saturday 28th June – Book Reviewing by Diane Coto from Fictionzeal + Shelfari + Going in deep, talking more about reviews.

Sunday 29th June – Book reviewing by Ionia Martin from Readfulthings + Reviewing to Amazon + Gearing up to write that review.

Monday 30th June – The Importance of book reviews by Lizzie Lamb + Authors should walk to the book reviewers side of the fence.

Let’s find out more about Rosie Amber’s book reviews.

rosie gardening 02 facebook

1) Where do I post my book reviews as well as this blog?
I choose to regularly post my book reviews to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. I write for 2 local magazines and post 5 selected book reviews to each magazine per month. The magazines go out to 7000 readers in my local area and both have on-line versions. (Featured authors tell me they love this because they can visit my book review pages from all over the world)
2) What type of books will I consider for review?
I enjoy romance, paranormal, humour, murder mystery, mild thrillers, spiritual and YA/NA books. I will read both non-fiction and fiction.
3) What format do I like books to be in for review?
I really like paperback books best, but I also enjoy using my Kindle as an alternative.  I do understand the cost of sending books to reviewers, so I accept books in Mobi or PDF. Authors can also gift me books or send me a voucher to cover the cost of buying their book.
4) What’s the first thing I do when beginning a book review?
I have a note book with me when I read books and I write down the title and author, the day I begin the book and I start noting character names and places, jobs, relationships etc as I go through the book.
5) How do I proceed after that?
Then I’ll note down specific events from the book, or small phrases or even things I don’t understand which may become clearer later in the book. I usually fill an A5 sized sheet with notes per book. Occasionally I’ll write more.
6) Is there an average time I spend reading a book?
I would say 2 days per book.
7) When I’ve finished a book do I write the review immediately? Or wait a while?
I always try to write the book review straight away while it is fresh in my mind.
8) Do I start a new book before writing up a review? Or do I ever read more than one book at a time?
The only time I might start a new book before writing a review is if I’m away from home. Occasionally I have more than one book on the go at a time, but the second book would usually be a non-fiction book which I could pick up and put down and is possibly one I’m reading for pleasure rather than review.
9) What points do I try to write in a review?
I like to tell the readers who the characters are, perhaps outline where and when the book takes place. I might hint at some of the plot developments and drop in a clue or two as to what happens. I try to entice the reader to go and buy the book. Sometimes I’m specific about the genre of the book, but not always because people can make their own choice about what they might like to read.  Often at the end I say what I liked about the book.
10) What do I try to avoid putting in any review?
I try to avoid spoilers and telling the reader too much. If I read a review that is full of all the book plot I find there is nothing left for me to discover myself, so I would not buy and read the book. I won’t say I don’t like a book in the review, but I may say if I found parts difficult or challenging to read. There are ways to use words so that hopefully they don’t offend the author.
11) If I find I really dislike a book, would I write a negative review?
No! People have spent a lot of time and effort writing their books. I may let them know that the book didn’t suit me and I feel I’m unable to write a review for them.
12) Do I work with any publishers or groups who regularly ask you to review books?
No, I have reviewed a couple of e-books for Sainsbury’s and a book for booktrope.com. Otherwise it’s just my 2 local magazines.
13) Tell you about any book which I’ve recently read and reviewed which really impressed me.
Roy Dimond writes some fantastic books which make you think about yourself deeply and the world around you.
Book Review Challenge
Guest Piece from Melissa Newman at Martin Sisters Publishing
I asked Melissa about the importance of book reviews from a Publisher’s point of view. Here’s what she had to say;
1)     When an author approaches you with their work, do you ever research them to see if they have written and published any other books?

Yes. We do research authors. We like to see what they’ve written and how or if they market themselves. If they do it’s a big plus for us. Some writers believe that once the book is published then the heavy lifting is done – not so. The heavy lifting is just beginning. Your work is not truly complete until someone reads it; and for that you need to market your work.

2)     If you saw an author had previously self-published a book and had several book reviews, how many reviews and what ratings would impress you?

We are not turned off by self-publishing but if an author has self-published we like to see that he/she has implemented a good plan for reaching potential readers.

3)     When reading a book review, what types of comments would make you feel it was from a genuine reader and not just a friend of the author?

Genuine readers don’t usually use cliché’s, hyperbole and what I like to call “sales speak.” They are honest about their feelings toward the author and his/her work and it shows.

4)     How important are book reviews to the book industry?

Book reviews are extremely important to the book industry but just like everything else in marketing, when the message is obviously controlled then it spoils the book review industry as a whole. Word of mouth is still the best marketing tool and if you give readers a platform to speak opinions then book reviews work – when those reviews are paid for and the message is controlled, they don’t.

5)     Would you ever consider representing a book that had previously been self-published?

Martin Sisters Publishing may consider a book that has been previously self-published but it’s not likely. The initial launch of a book is crucial – that’s when you get the most “oomph.” If it has already been released the “oomph” is gone and it’s much harder to build an audience.

Thank you so much Melissa for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us. Find more about them here http://www.martinsisterspublishing.com/

Easy tips for writing a book review – I’ll look at it again in a deeper article later in the week.
1) Have a note book and pen handy.
2) Make a note of the Book Title, author, publisher and date you start the book. You might want to state the genre/ category the book falls into.
3) The first paragraph – what did it tell you? Note down names, places, time frame, any first impressions you get.
4) The first couple of chapters may well introduce lots of characters, note them all down they may be significant later.
5) As you go through make small notes or just use 1 or 2 words about the main events, such as a tournament, a party, a wedding, new job, a journey, etc to jog your memory when writing the review later.
6) At the half way stage of the book you should now have a good feel for the book. Is it fast paced? or Slow? Are there several characters narrating? Are there a couple of places or time frames being used? Can you guess where the book is leading? If its a thriller or mystery, are you being lead down dead end routes just when you think you’ve guessed the plot?
7) Has the feel of the book changed since the start? For instance a thriller may turn very sinister.
8) For the second half of the book, there may be less notes to make, you know the characters, the know where the book is set. Note any twists and turns in the storyline. After half-way the book will be well into the story I probably won’t use much of this material now for my book review because I’m in danger of adding spoilers and giving too much away.
9) The end. So after you’ve read the last page, how do you feel? Sad? Elated? Enlightened? Frustrated? Some books have cliff hangers leading on to the next in the series. If this is part of a series does it have you wanting to grab the next book? Did the ending surprise you?
10) Now think about a review. Think about what you would personally look for when choosing a book? What do you like to read on the back cover of a book? Or in the general description when you buy on-line?
11) Try writing no more than 10 lines to start with about the book in a way which would entice yourself to pick it up. Some reviewers start a review using the published book description and then go on to talk about how they liked the book.
Or perhaps you didn’t like the book, try writing a bit about the plot and the characters, but say how they didn’t work for you. Think about your choice of words, someone has spent hours writing and producing this book. If you really have strong reasons for disliking a book, no review may be kinder than leaving a rude one.
Book Review Challenge
Genres; Moving out of your comfort Zone.
Be aware that many, many books these days cross genres; YA thrillers, romantic mysteries, historical adventure. There are so many sub-genres within the book world that you shouldn’t be blinkered and limit the type of books you try. There is just so much choice out there now with the explosions of e-books and self publishing.
Be adventurous and come out of your comfort zone every once in a while. Challenge yourself to read something new or an old classic. I even read a “New Classic” recently. Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada is marketed as a New Classic by Penguin. Throw in a non-fiction book every now and again, mix it up and if you’ve been in a rut lately you might just be inspired by some of the new up and coming authors. I think we’ve a great selection for you here on this series.
Tomorrow you’ll hear from Bodicia a book reviewer who blogs at A Woman’s Wisdom, downloading a PDF file of a book to your kindle and non-fiction reviews.

17447896  Do you fancy an adventure in the forests of Windemere with young warrior Luke Callindor sent to protect the heir of Duke Soloman? REQUEST A COPY OF BEGINNING OF A HERO BY CHARLES E. YALLOWITZ (Fantasy) (2 copies left)

22011018  How about a modern twist on Tudor history? Relive the life of Henry VIII through the eyes of Harry Lanchester and his merry wives. REQUEST A COPY OF KINGS AND QUEENS BY TERRY TYLER (Contemporary) (1 copy left)

16141980  Are you in a romantic mood? How about a romantic Highland fling? REQUEST A COPY OF TALL, DARK AND KILTED BY LIZZIE LAMB (Romance) (2 copies left)

18779783  Or how about a romantic romp with journalists in Norfolk with wedding bells in the air? REQUEST A COPY OF BOOT CAMP BRIDE BY LIZZIE LAMB(Romance) (2 copies left)

18489308  Want to escape your superpowers? Null City is they place to be in this New Adult paranormal fantasy. REQUEST A COPY OF ONE WAY FARE BY BARB AND HANNAH TAUB(Paranormal NA Fantasy) (1 Copy left)

19229825  More tales from Null City, can be easily read as a stand alone or part of the series.. REQUEST A COPY OF DON’T TOUCH BY BARB TAUB(Paranornal NA Fantasy)

18752098  How about a bit of  history? England 1647, civil war and Matthew Hopkins sweeps through the land as the Witchfinder. REQUEST A COPY OF THE BLACK HOURS BY ALISON WILLIAMS (Historical)

17904468  Could you see yourself at a tournament of Gamesmen as they play a game of Comet? There’s a mystery man and a potion maker in this fantasy. REQUEST A COPY OF THE BIRR ELIXIR BY JO SPARKES (YA Fantasy)

20488718  Love a thriller? Travel with John Cannon as his relaxing leave of absence turns into a nightmare when his boat is attacked by terrorists. REQUEST A COPY OF MY GRL BY JOHN W. HOWELL(Thriller) (1 copy left)

19332056  Can we tempt you with a spiritual quest? Albion, is the oldest name for Britain. Wen and Don take you on a mystical journey through Myths and Legends of these blessed Isles. REQUEST A COPY OF THE HEART OF ALBION BY SUE VINCENT & STUART FRANCE ( A spiritual quest around England) (All copies have now been requested)

13361184  Crime? The first book in the Georgie Connelly crime series. Join feisty documentary film-maker Georgie as she dangerously plans to expose Gentleman’s Clubs. REQUEST A COPY OF BUSINESS AS USUAL BY E.L.LINDLEY(Crime) (2 copies left)

22304215NON-FICTION here’s the chance to get some help promoting your work. REQUEST A COPY OF HOW TO PROMOTE AND MARKET YOUR BOOK BY MADI PREDA (Non-Fiction) (2 Copies Left)

16301205  There’s more romance on it’s way.  Marianne Coltrane’s writes an award winning scoop about the sale of babies. Destiny will take her to an island off the wild west coast of Ireland. Love a mix of Ireland and romance? REQUEST A COPY OF THE HOLLOW HEART BY ADREINNE VAUGHAN(Romance) (2 copies left)

16301209  If you’ve read The Hollow Heart by Adrienne Vaughan, here’s your chance to loose yourself in more Irish themed romance with the second book in the series. REQUEST A COPY OF A CHANGE OF HEART BY ADREINNE VAUGHAN (Romance) (2 copies left)

20166986  How about a murder mystery set in a coastal resort in Maine? REQUEST A COPY OF DEATH IN A RED CANVAS CHAIR BY N.A GRANGER (Murder Mystery) (All copies have now been requested)

20451856 Step back in time to Georgia and the deep south for this book, real people struggling to survive with segregation and inequality. This is a fictionalised real story. REQUEST A COPY OF RED CLAY AND ROSES BY S.K. NICHOLLS (1 copy left)

scrolls fFINAL 3 TJ Therien has his fantasy book for FREE on Smashwords and Barnes and Noble (Nook), so no limit on the number of copies but he’d still like reviews. (Fantasy) Only

Please... Call Me Derek British Adult comedy comes in the form of the Derek series, we have the first book available as a kindle download for UK reader/ challengers only. REQUEST A COPY OF PLEASE CALL ME DEREK BY MAC BLACK (British Adult Humour)

17202249 1867, the American Wild West. British raised girl Annie meets wild man Colt McCall after a stagecoach crash. Fantastic cowboy romance. (Voucher from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com to download the book.) REQUEST A COPY OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN’S GUIDE TO THE COWBOY BY JUNE KEARNS (Historical romance) (1 copy left)

18878661 1924, the English Shires. Jazzing flappers and a half share in a million acre ranch in Texas. (voucher from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com to download the book.) REQUEST A COPY OF THE 20’S GIRL, THE GHOST AND ALL THAT JAZZ BY JUNE KEARNS (Historical Romance) (2 copies Left)

20448650 16 year old Jade discovers her Grandmother was murdered. She sets out to find the mystery commune killer. REQUEST A COPY OF JADED BY KRISTY FELTENBERGER-GILLESPI.(YA Thriller) (1 copy left)

Good Deeds Year 2, week 5

Welcome to my second Year of Good Deeds, a challenge I set myself during April 2013. I decided to do at least one Good Deed a day for a whole year.

New Good DeedsThis week I’ve been doing the following;

May 18th – Any one who is now a regular follower of my Good Deeds will know that last week I read about a new challenge to make the world a better place to live in. “Speak Kind Words, Receive Kind Echoes” see the inspiration on  The Kindness blog . So me being me, I decided to give it a go, starting small I managed 24 hours, then moved on for another 24. I had a couple of wobbles in my first 24 hours and 3 failures today (For each slip up I’ll put a £1 in a jar for charity) First my Mum came over with all the gossip from the family, village and local community and that’s a BIG hazard for me, all that lovely gossip about people and their failings topped with a good moan about the family. I caught myself partaking in a bit of negative moaning – there goes a pound I thought, then another slipped off my tongue opps! Next I went and commented on an e-mail having another moan,  another pound in the pot. It’s certainly a challenge!

So whilst struggling with the new challenge I’m still doing the Good Deeds, gave books to Mum and Mother-in-law today. Went for a good walk this evening and picked up loads of litter.

May 19th – A morning helping out at school, then a lunchtime walk and litter picking. Ending the day with sending along cakes and biscuits for the hungry cricket mid-match snack. Kind comments all the way today but I did become very aware of a potential area where I can slip up. It’s easy to forget myself when I’m casually chatting and relaxing with the family and I need to be very mindful of my words.

May 20th – The lady I work with has had a shoulder operation, so today I got lots of paperwork out for her so she doesn’t have to lift heavy files when she returns to work tomorrow. This evening I had a long walk around a playing field and picked up litter. I managed another day of only kind words, it’s easy to fall into old habits without realising it. A couple of times I definitely had to turn comments.

May 21st – Met Alison Williams for a coffee today, she has been editing my book and guiding me in the right direction. Have put £2 in my charity pot for my failures on the “Kind Words” challenge during our meeting. (Mentally noted the stumbling block I need to work on) Good Deeds received Alison kindly paid for my beverage.

May 22nd – Finished reading A Woman’s Choice by Annie Thomas and sent of my review. Annie is kindly going to take part in a guest author interview for us in June. I’m finding my kindness challenge really hard to change my old bad habits, but I’m going to keep going.

May 23rd – Am reading an ARC of The Lost Centurion by Monica La Porta. This book is due for release at the end of May. Sent a thank you letter. Agreed to read and review The Birr Elixir by Jo Sparkes.

May 24th – Sent off my review of The Lost Centurion and moved on to reading Fallen For Rock by Nicky Wells. Today I posted a piece about book genres on the blog and opened up a discussion on what you feel about the Young Adult and New Adult genres, click here to join in. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-5dq

My book review today was for Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada. Hailed as a modern classic this book reveals a resistance inside Berlin during the war years. I posed a question for the readers on this post too. From what you know and have read about the war years, can you believe that people were fighting from within? Click here to read more http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-55M

My kind words challenge is definitely easier when I don’t meet many people, so I’m obviously more successful when I’m relaxed at home with the family. My challenges seem to be when I’m with extended family, friends and new acquaintances. I need to think about if this is because I portray a slightly different persona amongst them? One where I act how I think they expect me to, or I act to a formula which has previously proved popular?

So what do you think about this new challenge, am I asking too much of myself?

Alone In Berlin by Hans Fallada

Alone in BerlinAlone in Berlin by Hans Fallada

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

1940 Berlin. Amongst the fear and conditions that the people of Berlin are living in, Otto and Anna Quangel get news that there son had been killed in the war. Spies are everywhere, few people can be trusted. Otto didn’t want to join the “party”, it was expensive and it made you different. Yet defeatist talk and being awkward could get you put in a concentration camp.

This book is about people on the inside, some thought it was disastrous for the German people to follow The Fuhrer, but it was very dangerous to voice your opinion. There was heroic resistance to the Nazi regime at all levels of German society and Hans Fallada has drawn on the true story of Elise and Otto Hampel. He shows the tensions between the people’s struggle to survive and the world around them.

Otto and Elise, represented in the book as Otto and Anna, were a couple who started a three year campaign against Nazi Germany. In that time they wrote and dropped hundreds of postcards calling for civil disobedience and workplace sabotage.

This book was written in just twenty four days by an author with a shocking history who himself barely survived time in a Nazi insane asylum. It is an emotional book and one to leave the reader thinking about the past and where we are today. This is one of Penguin’s Modern Classics.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

I thought I’d throw you a question about individual people….

Fear drives people to extremes, many of the characters in this book acted on fear, yet others were very brave. From your own knowledge and what you’ve read and seen about the war, does it surprise you that a resistance  was working in the heart of Germany?

Good Deeds Week April 6th – 12th

Welcome to my weekly roundup of my year long challenge to do one Good deed a day for a year. This challenge began back in April 2013 and is still going strong, I’m now entering my final two weeks. My inspiration came from reading “A Year of Doing Good” by Judith O’Reilly. Here is what I’ve been up to this week.

Good deeds

April 6th – Began my day with a re-cap of the A to Z tour so far, it’s good to try and keep the momentum going for up coming authors and I’ve sent out e-mails to all those who have a post next week to ask them to get all their faithful followers to help us share the posts. I’ve really enjoyed going to the sites of bloggers that I added to my posts who were also on the tour, people I wouldn’t usually meet on my day to day blog.

Have begun reading a modern classic Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada, it’s set during the war and so far it’s about the people, individuals caught in the umbrella of Germany and how some of them wish to remain individuals who work and think for themselves.

Found out some information for my brother-in-law to help him with some farming forms that he must fill in and passed on the info.

April 7th – It’s the school Easter holidays so I need to find a different Good Deed to my normal Monday morning volunteering. Was able to pick up a large bag of potatoes from the farm when I went to pick up some work for tomorrow, have just delivered them to my friend’s house for her.

April 8th – The sun is shining, I’ve been out to mow the lawn for the first time this year, mowed the piece I share with my neighbour, swept up behind me and picked up some litter that was blowing around. Good Deeds received, whilst I went out to work this morning my lovely children cleaned my house and put the washing out to dry, such a great thing to come home to.

Spent the evening visiting loads of bloggers taking part in the A to Z challenge in what felt like a blogathon of it’s own.

April 9th – Still busy visiting other bloggers on the A to Z Challenge. Had time to pick up some litter which had blown my way when I went out to my car.

April 10th – A lovely day and we headed for the park for some cricket practise, whilst there we found a good condition cricket ball whilst hunting through the undergrowth for our own ball, we picked up a base cone left by others and put it to good use, and we picked up some litter and popped it in the bin to leave the park looking lovely for other users.

April 11th – Agreed to read and review Johnny Nothing by Ian Probert, look out for it’s review on my blog in the back end of May. Still working my way around the A to Z tour, there are so many people blogging about so many different things, amazing!

April 12th – Went to work this morning on a non work day, to catch up on lots of filing. I’ve been itching to give the place a good clean (we work in an old Granary, think barn with dirt and dust and untidy farmers!) So I attacked the place with duster and brush creating clouds of dust (cough, cough) and I filled the rubbish bins, I live far enough away that I can’t hear them shouting about my housework, but I left the bins incase they need to retrieve anything. I’ll empty them next week!

Have been talking to author Lizzie Lamb (Letter B for Boot Camp Bride on the A to Z Tour) about reading and reviewing some of her work and perhaps being a guest on her blog after the A to Z tour has finished.

One last SUPER DOOPER deed today, I’ve just posted about Operation Mallory, a group of very kind people have been working behind the scenes to re-launch books my author Stephen C Spencer who has cancer. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE go to my post read it, share it and if possible get involved with the promotion of his books. You never know what the future holds and one day it might be you in need. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-55W