Tales From The Reading Room

 This year is only just begun and yet so much on my plate, so many wonderful things. 

First - I have a new project rattling around in my head (alongside the seven other projects that are taking shape!). That always feels good, especially when I wake thinking about it and I sit up and scribble my thoughts down in a yellow notebook.

Second - 'WOMAN IN BLUE', although not offically published until February 20th, has already been sent out to early readers for review and some of the reviews have been wonderfully good. See Net Galley and Goodreads for a flavour of the book. I have several bookish events lined up to start the promotion of this book - though my head is also still with last year's publication 'HOPE NEVER KNEW HORIZON'.

And thirdly - and the real reason for this post - this week, Victoria at 'Tales From the Reading Room' posted up her review of 'HOPE'. I already knew it was going to be a positive review as Victoria had selected it as one of her books of the year. But the review she produced is not only detailed and thorough, but is also stunning and quite took my breath away. I am so grateful to Victoria and all the book bloggers who have said such wonderful things about 'Hope' over these past nine months - the book holds a very special place in my heart and I am so thrilled that people like it as much as they do.

https://litlove.wordpress.com/2025/01/05/hope-never-knew-horizon/

My Books Have Made it onto a Few Lists!!!!

It's that time of year when bookbloggers begin to reflect on the reading they have done over the course of the year. Some tackle the impossible task (for me it seems impossible) of listing the books they esteem the most. I am thrilled to find my books sneaking onto a few of these lists. These are good book bloggers and they read a lot and they read a lot of great books so this is a supreme honour and my thanks go out to them not least because it might nudge someone else to search out my books and to read them for themselves.

First off is Susan Osborne at 'A Life in Books'. She had earlier blogged about "Hope Never Knew Horizon' and I was aware that she really liked the book. It made her list of top twenty or so books of the year. But better than that she has now listed it as one of the top three books she read in 2024!!!! And that is just amazing. Thank you, Susan.

https://alifeinbooks.co.uk/2024/12/books-of-the-year-2024-part-four/

Another book reader, this time on instagram, earlier in the year read 'Blue Postcards' and 'With or Without Angels' and he said enough to tell me that he really enjoyed both books. Well, you could knock me down with a feather, because Bob of Bobsphere has listed 'Blue Postcards' as one of his top ten books of the year. That's a badge of honour well worth wearing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDd29fgI2cD/

And then today, Victoria Best, who blogs at 'Tales From The Reading Room' has posted her list of best books of the year and 'Hope Never Knew Horizon' is there as her best Literary Fiction read of the year! I look forward to her review of the book coming between Christmas and New Year, but she says already that the book is 'gorgeous' and 'stunning'. All good to know Victoria, thanks.

https://litlove.wordpress.com/2024/12/19/best-books-of-the-year/

NEXT!

 

This is my next book - out in late February 2025. It's already available through Net Galley and so reviews are beginning to trickle in. I'm still promoting the last book ('Hope Never Knew Horizon') so this feels a little surreal to be turning my attention to the next. But already have arranged two book talk events to launch 'WOMAN IN BLUE' and several book signing appearances. And a lovely book blogger called Susan who loved this book, and who has loved all the books of mine that she has read ('Hope Never Knew Horizon' is one of her top three books for 2024 and she reads a lot of quality fiction!!!), has expressed the hope that I might have yet another book out in 2026!!!! Well, just to say I am working on a couple of things just now so we shall see what happens with them. xxxx

Review of 'HOPE'

 I have had a lot of lovely online reviews for my wee book 'Hope Never Knew Horizon' and I am so grateful to those people who have said such wonderful things about my writing. Thrilled with these. And today another review is posted up - this one feels a little closer to home! Joanne Baird writes reviews on her blog portybelle... she's from Portobello in Edinburgh. The first crumpled and creased, black and white baby picture I have of myself was taken on the beach at Portobello... it's got my name pencilled on the back and it says '3 months' so may have been an August bank holiday or a weekend in mid-August.

Anyway, that's all by the by, except that it tells you why I am so delighted to get a five-star review from Joanne in Portobello. Thank you so much Joanne. xxxx

https://portobellobookblog.com/2024/11/16/hope-never-knew-horizon-by-douglas-bruton-bookreview-presstaproot/

Thank yous

Thanks to Linda (of Linda's Book Bag) who invited me to 'stay in' with her to chat about my newest book 'Hope Never Knew Horizon'. She is such a generous hostess and this was so much fun - tea and bakewell tart and book chat... it doesn't get much better than that!

https://lindasbookbag.com/2024/08/14/staying-in-with-douglas-bruton/

Thanks too, to Rosie Amber for her review of 'Hope Never Knew Horizon' - I feel blessed that such lovely people have said such good things about this wee book. Lots of blogger online reviews for this now. Thank you.

https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2024/09/10/%f0%9f%93%9aits-a-story-that-gets-under-your-skin-and-keeps-you-thinking-rosies-bookreview-of-historicalfiction-hope-never-knew-horizon-by-douglas-bruton-tuesdaybookblog/

And Thanks to Shawn (of Shawn Breathes Books) and Lindy (of Lindy's Magpie Reads) - two Canadian book bloggers who invited me to chat with them about 'Blue Postcards'. This was such a fun thing to do and I am thrilled that it has now been hung up on their respective blogs for all to see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWH4S2ptZFw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqoZJ2LygCw

Almost forgot to mention the wonderful Kaggsy (of Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings). She had already written some wonderful reviews of my work - one about 'Blue Postcards' and one about 'With or Without Angels'. She loved them both and thinks the writing is wonderful. Now she has read 'Hope Never Knew Horizon' and she thinks this is brilliant too!!! In fact, she is so very flattering about my work that I can't help blushing a little. Thankyou Kaggsy!!

https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2024/09/02/truth-i-see-now-is-something-altogether-different-douglasbruton-presstaproot/

LOTS TO REPORT!!!!

Where to begin?!!! Lots of nice reviews online for Hope Never Knew Horizon. 

Susan Osborne of 'A Life in Books' thinks it's one of her books of 2024!!! Wow! High Praise indeed! Great review here: https://alifeinbooks.co.uk/2024/07/hope-never-knew-horizon-by-douglas-bruton-just-breathe/

Then the Historical Novel Society reviewed my book - this time Katherine Mezzacappa (see her book 'The Maiden of Florence')... another great review, she thinks the book 'extraordinary'... here: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/hope-never-knew-horizon/

Then Jackie Law at Never Imitate wrote another fantastic review... here: https://neverimitate.wordpress.com/2024/07/29/book-review-hope-never-knew-horizon/

And Joe Bedford wrote another positive review and posted it up here at Everybody's Reviewing: https://everybodysreviewing.blogspot.com/2024/07/review-by-joe-bedford-of-hope-never.html

Thanks so much to Susan, Katherine, Jackie and Joe. More reviews to follow!!!

Also, I did another wonderful ZOOM chat with Shawn (used to be Shawn The Book Maniac but is now renamed Shawn Breathes Books)... this time a three-way chat with Lindy of Lindy's Magpie Reads. And we were chatting about Blue Postcards which they'd read and both loved. This chat will be posted soon. Will keep you apprised of when exactly. But as a taster you can go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASJTIt-5lbA 

And at timestamp 33.22 on Shawn's chat you can hear Shawn tell you a bit about what he thought of my wee book... he even coins a new adjective 'Brutonesque'... how cool is that! Thanks so much for this to Shawn and to Lindy too.

And Fairlight Books just sent me a first squint at the cover for Woman in Blue... delicious!! Will share this when I can.

Isn't She Lovely!!!