2018 WHEN Are You Reading? @SamAnnElizabeth ‘s Challenge – Completed

Way back in January I decided to try this challenge run by Sam Ann Elizabeth 

The complete challenge was to include at least 12 books, one from each of the following eras:

• Pre 1500
• 1500-1599
• 1600-1699
• 1700-1799
• 1800-1899
• 1900-1919
• 1920-1939
• 1940-1959
• 1960-1979
• 1980-1999
• 2000-Present
• The Future

I wasn’t sure if I read widely enough across the timeline, but today my results surprised me. In sections where I’ve read a high volume of books, I’ve chosen a selection of books. Book titles have links to my reviews.

Pre 1500s

Athena’s Champion by David Hair and Cath Mayo – Greek mythology

Brethren by Robyn Young – Knights Templar

Smile Of The Wolf by Tim Leach – Set in Iceland

The Greenest Branch by J.K. Adams – Set in Germany and features Benedictine abbess Hildegard

The Heart Of The Conqueror by G. Lawrence – About William the Conqueror

Daughter Of War by S .J .A. Turney – Knights Templar

1500-1599

The Golden Lynx by C.P. Lesley – Set in Russia

1600-1699

Flood by Ann Swinfen – Set in England’s Fenlands

The Green Phoenix by Alice Poon – Set in China

1700-1799

The Earl And The Enchantress by Paulette Golden – Historical romance

Whales And Strange Stars by Kathy Sharp – Set in Kent

1800-1899

The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett – YA tale of emigration

The Mysterious Lord Millcroft by Virginia Heath – Historical romance

From Governess To Countess by Marguerite Kaye – Historical romance

The Dressmaker’s Secret by Charlotte Betts – Features Princess Caroline Of Brunswick

Winds Of Time by Lilly Gayle – Historical romance set in Texas

My Antonia by Willa Cather – Classic American historical fiction set in Nebraska

1900-1999

The Wild Air by Rebecca Mascull – Featuring early women aviators

Call Of The Canyon by Zane Grey – Set in Arizona

The Captain And The Calvalry Trooper by Catherine Curzon – M/M romance set during WW1

1920-1939

Trusting The Currents by Lynnda Pollio – Set in small town America, with a spiritual theme.

The Madonna Of The Mountains by Elise Valmorbida (begins in 1923) Set in Italy

1940-1959

A Ration Book Christmas by Jean Fullerton – Family saga set in London during WW2

Never Say Goodbye by Hilary Green – A resistance-themed WW2 drama

1960-1979

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (begins in 1962) Set in southern Georgia

Mourning Dove by Claire Fullerton – Set in Memphis

1980-1999

Nightfall Berlin by Jack Grimwood – A cold war thriller

Dear Comrade Novak by Silvia Hildebrant – Set in Romania during the revolution

Lucky Star by Holly Curtis – Coming of age story

2000- present

Connectedness by Sandra Danby (begins in 2009) – Story featuring adoption

Lush by Gabrielle Fernie – A true story soaked in gin

The Woman At Number 24 by Juliet Ashton – Set in Notting Hill

Future

Amendments by Hannah Lynn – Set in futuristic Britain

The Afterlife Of Alice Watkins by Matilda Scotney – Mild scifi

If you’d like to join in with the challenge for 2019 check out Sam’s blog post here.

#Contemporary #WomensFiction My #Bookreview of The Woman At Number 24 by @julietstories

The Woman at Number 24 by Juliet Ashton

4 stars

The Woman At Number 24 is a mix of romance and contemporary women’s fiction. The story is set in Notting Hill and begins in 2016. Number 24 is a series of flats and Sarah lives at the top in Flat A. She has recently attended the wedding of her ex-husband, who now, bizarrely, lives with his new wife in the Flat B, below Sarah.

Down in the other flats, there are new residents moving in, plus a single mother and daughter, and rude, grumpy Mavis.

This book is about Sarah and her relationship with the different residents of Number 24. Struggling emotionally after her recent divorce, her work-life is suffering. Added to this the loss of a friend, who also lived in the block. It’s not helped by Leo still living so close, nor the fact that another resident is flirting with her….

There are a good mix of colourful characters with a variety of interesting storylines connected to them. I particularly liked new resident Jane, and Mavis. Una, from Flat D, is an elective mute and her sub-story was heart-rending. But we mustn’t forget that this is primarily a romance. Overall I think this would be an ideal beach read.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

A house holds the hearts of the people who live in it. Under the roof of The Blue House, a now shabby but previously grand Georgian villa in West London, the subdivided space is home to five separate families and five very different lives.
Sarah has just divorced her husband, Leo, and she’s feeling bruised and lonely. And it’s not helped by the fact he has moved in with his new girlfriend – Sarah’s neighbour Helena who lives in the same house. Her loneliness is compounded by hearing their happiness floating up through the floorboards.
Jane and Tom have just moved in to The Blue House, and there’s an instant attraction between Tom and Sarah. But it’s too soon for Sarah to jump into a new relationship, and she wouldn’t dream of breaking up a marriage as Helena did to her.
Mavis has lived in The Blue House for years. She’s the oldest resident by several decades and she’s not one for socialising. Then her sister comes to live with her, to spend her dying days under the same roof, and Mavis finds she cannot hide away forever.
As the stories of the different residents intertwine, Juliet Ashton weaves a story of love and friendship and community that will move you to laughter and to tears.

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