Top Ten Tuesday: Debut Novels I Enjoyed

 

This was a fun topic for Top Ten Tuesday! It was honestly hard to choose and some of these I had forgotten about as I thought through which ones to pick. Some are classics, others current series, and some are Christian authors I read years ago as a teen. I think writing is brave and ambitious and something I don't know if I'd have the patience for. So hats off to these authors for taking a leap of faith and putting out a first book. 

1. The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman

2. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

3. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

4. Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke

5. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

6. The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry

7. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

9. A Very English Murder by Verity Bright

10. The Heather Hills of Stonewycke by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella

Stacking the Shelves #32

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Enjoy your reading this week!

This book is part of a series called Mamur Zapt Mysteries. I plan to read book one soon but this one was on sale this week. The author, Michael Pearce was born in Egypt in 1933 and he uses Cairo as the setting for this series. I found the premise so interesting when I researched it. The Mamur Zapt was the name for the special investigator of the British government in pre-World War Egypt. The protagonist of the novels is a Welshman who investigates the political more than the procedural and so the books focus on both aspects. This series looks very original and I hope to learn a lot too reading some of these mysteries! Not sure if they qualify as cozy though. 

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Gathering Storm by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (Book 36 of the Morland Dynasty)

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, The Gathering Storm by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. This is the 36th book in the popular Morland Dynasty series started by Eagles in 1980. She said she wanted to teach others about the history of England in an interesting way with a family saga. I have read one of these books and would love to read them all. I was surprised to see it as there has been an 11 year gap in them. The last one she penned, The Phoenix, came out in 2013. This book continues with the life of Edward VIII and the fictional character of Polly Morland. I know those who have read and followed this series will be excited to see it continuing. Harrod-Eagles has written 100 books, including many historical, romance books. 

I hope you've found something you can't wait to read this week!

August 22, 2024

Historical Fiction

Description courtesy of Amazon

The eagerly-awaited return to the acclaimed Morland Dynasty series, and the 100th novel by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

England, 1936

The reign of Edward VIII has begun, but danger for the monarchy already looms on the horizon. At home in Morland Place, Polly Morland feels alone and abandoned, with her brother summoned to France by his old employer. James soon finds himself travelling to Russia, whereas Polly will voyage on the Queen Mary with New York - and a long-lost love - her destination. Soon the family are scattered to the four winds, from Hollywood to war-torn Spain.

Working for the Air Ministry on new fighter planes, Jack fears that his children are not taking the increasingly tense situation in Europe seriously enough. The nation is divided over which is the greater thread: Communist Russia, or Fascist Germany. As the storms of war gather, they will threaten to overwhelm the Morlands and destroy all that they have worked for...