Julie Goucher ~ Anglers Rest

A compelling story of four people whose lives are entwined. Tom Stewart who in the early 1930s leaves the UK for Hong Kong, leaving behind his only family, a Grandmother & his brother and the public house they run. On the boat he meets an assortment of people and becomes involved in a bet, that he can not learn Cantonese. Sister Maria, the person responsible for him learning Cantonese. As Tom leaves the boat he is given the name of someone who will, given, he can now speak Cantonese give him a job. His friendship with Sister Maria develops and lasts until her death…..The remainder of the four characters are Matthew Ho who is Anglo Chinese, and grandson to Tom, who meets Dawn Stone on her maiden flight to Hong Kong. Their lives become completely entwined as they, in one way and another fight for survival.

This has finally made it to the top of Mountain TBR! A fascinating account of the military and sexual underworld of London during 18th Century, and with focus on Lord John from the Outlander Series, who sets about trying to establish if his cousin will marry Trevelyan, who it seems has a transmitted disease….plus there is the event of a missing soldier who is found murdered…… Can be read as a standalone book from the Outlander Series, which is equally fascinating!

I wasn’t sure just what to make of this book, but nonetheless, it was a compelling read. The story of Maggie who is eccentric to say the least, who, upon hearing that her husband has died in another woman’s bed then manages to put her dead husband into the car and drive him home. If that wasn’t strange enough Maggie then leaves home without burying her husband, making arrangements with her grand daughter to send the ashes to her in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, Maggie befriends a young man, Seppen, and eventually seduces him, before leaving for Thailand where she scatters her husband’s ashes. Although I found the book in places strange, there was something about it that made me devour it in just over two days.

An amusing and light hearted look at knitting. For me it was nice that it focused on knitting in Australia, a Country close to my heart. It didn’t make we want to rush out and grab my needles, but it did make me realise that I miss my Aussie family more than I thought! – I enjoyed the mini biographies of those being interviewed and it was good to get pointers towards mailing lists and web sites.

The very gentle story of Lena Fleet, who has made a promise with God. That she will stop sleeping with every boy she meets, move and not return to her home town and she will not tell lies, all she asks from God is that her secret remains that way…..all was OK until she met the love of her life…..

The very gentle story of Lakshmi, who has an arranged marriage to Ayah a widower with two children. Lakshmi returns to Malaysia with her new husband and finds that financially things are not as they were promised and so follows a life of hardship, love, duty and family life. The book follows the family from their six children and various spouses, hardships and the Second World War when the Japanese invaded, and the shocking atrocities that occurred, and the diaries that one of Lakshmi’s children leaves behind

I found this a bit of a slog to get into, but once I had established exactly what the issues of Dustfinger, and Meg’s missing mother were, I found that I enjoyed the book more; I guess I am an impatient reader! The book is about a story, set within a story, which has the potential to be complicated for a child, remembering that this is a children’s book. There is a special relationship between Meg and her father Mo, with his secret friendship with Dustfinger, and their secret world. There is also the character of Aunt Elinor and her wonderful, wonderful library of books.

Delaine Dish hosts a benefit candlelit evening at a house which is in the process of being donated to the Historical Society. A grisely discovery is made as soon as the recital breaks for refreshments – a member of the group has been murdered. Theodosia, owner of the Tea Shop, simply has to investigate……

One of the best of the Tea Shop Mysteries, with an ending that I didn’t see coming.

From the back cover:

If you:

What a fabulous book. I took opportunity to work through the various sections, which then gave rise to me analysing my work situation and reflecting on it and enabling me to develop further for the future.

The web site associated to the books is here