Someone Else’s Conflict by Alison Layland

Someone Else’s Conflict by Alison Layland

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Someone Else’s Conflict is contemporary read set in the English Dales. Jay Spinney is a street entertainer, a man whose past means he’s unable to settle in one place, he’s constantly on the move.

Marilyn stops in the market place to listen to the entertainer and has her purse stolen by a desperate young man. Vinko is an illegal immigrant who yearns for a place to belong. He knows his Grandparents live in the area, but will they ever accept him if he can pluck up the courage to visit them?

A huge storm blows through and causes a landslide up in the Dales where Marilyn lives alone, the electric and telephones are cut off for several days. Jay has camped in a field near by and offers to help Marilyn clear away the debris. She’s unsure of him, shouldn’t trust him, but she needs the help. They form a shaky friendship. Jay has nightmares, he shouts out in a foreign language and his past haunts him daily.

Horrors of war torn Yugoslavia stay with Jay and even though the war is over the fighting is not yet past.

This book grabbed me from the start and sucked me in, I knew very little about what happened to all the innocent people who were caught up in the war between the Croatians and Serbians. Like so many wars is pulled in people with their ideals, their beliefs, but things change, power takes over, anger and madness become the leaders and soldiers make decisions they later regret.

The reader is cleverly drip fed the storyline as it mixes with the lives of those who live today in the Dales, it worked really well. There are so many layers to Jay that get peeled away right up until the very end. Loved it.

This review is based on a free copy of the book give to me by Honno Press

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

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We That Are Left by Juliet Greenwood

We That Are Left by Juliet Greenwood

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We that Are Left is set around World War 1. It is the story of Elin, wife of Major Hugo Helstone, their home, Hiram Hall in Cornwall and the story of Elin’s friends and family.

It begins in August 1914 a time of great anticipation and anxiety as rumours of war spread. Previously Hugo fought in the Boar war, far away but still with it’s own nightmares which he has never shared with Elin. The war in Europe is much closer and everyone begins to consider the impact it may have on their lives.

When a bi-plane piloted by Lady Margaret Northolme lands unexpectedly near Hiram Hall, Elin and her cousin Alice meet “Mouse” as she affectionately known, someone who will come to play a major part in their future lives.

War against Prussia is declared and a monumental tide of men rush to sign up to fight thinking they are off on a huge adventure, while England is left to the women. Alice finds work in a hospital organising supplies, Elin makes plans to grow more foodstuffs from the gardens to feed the local community and Mouse heads off to France with a truck full of supplies.

No one is prepared for the horrors and losses that the war will bring. When the causalities start pouring in from France and Belgium, the madness of war is brought home, yet there is no end to the deaths and pain, while others show unending strength to carry on. News of Mousse’s capture as a spy has Elin and Jack rushing to France on a daring rescue mission and Elin sees and experiences first hand the devastation caused.

This is such a moving story, one full of emotion and the author captures the atmosphere and adds details that make you feel as if you are there too with Elin. I loved the parts about Anglesey just as much as the being in the vehicles that Elin drove or helping make meals from scraps and the endless cups of tea. It really was a delight to read this book and I didn’t want it to end at all.

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

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Juliet will be joining us as our guest author tomorrow.

Rosie’s Avid Readers #RBRT Treblinka by Jean Francois Steiner

Rosie’s Avid readers are people who like reading and have a book to tell us about, they are the voice of a friend who says ” I just read this book….”

Book Description;

Nearly a million Jews were consumed by the ovens of Treblinka before August 2, 1943. On that day 600 prisoners armed with stolen guns and grenades attacked the Nazi guards, burned the camp, and fled into the nearby Polish forests. Of these, forty survived to bear witness to man’s courage in the face of the greatest evil human history has produced.

Our Avid reader’s thoughts.

Having lived through the war and hearing of the ‘things’ that were going on in Europe it was interesting to read and learn of a first hand account of how those horrible concentration

camps were run. The mind boggles that mankind could behave in such a way. These events should be made public in the hope that mankind will not repeat such atrocities.

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

We welcome recommendations especially from non-authors for this feature, and would love to hear from anyone who would like to leave a comment and follow the blog.

Alone In Berlin by Hans Fallada

Alone 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

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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.

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

Mouse and the Cossacks by Paul Wilson

Mouse and the Cossacks by Paul Wilson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book weaves a tale between the lives of two people who have experienced trauma. Mouse has lost her ability to speak and prefers to stay in her silent world. William spent most of his life living with a guilt from the end of the war. In a series of letters which Mouse finds, William’s story unfolds, while Mouse tries to keep hold of her own fragile world, their lives intertwine. I must mention the book cover, lovely flaps made good bookmarks and the embossed cover was very tactile, I found myself opening the pages with care not wanting to crease the cover.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mouse-Cossacks-Paul-Wilson/dp/1906994447/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371200249&sr=1-1&keywords=mouse+and+the+cossacks

The Great Convergence by Joseph Lallo

The Great Convergence by Joseph Lallo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it as much or perhaps even more than the first. A Fantasy world with magic and some really creative creatures. I love the little dragon. The story continues and the characters return to a war torn world in an attempt to join others who can help stop the war. New battles, new conflicts and a search for the Chosen test all that Myranda has learnt. The book ends in a tantalising finish which can only lead to the next book.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Convergence-Book-Deacon-ebook/dp/B004I437ZO/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371112067&sr=1-2&keywords=the+great+convergence

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