BLOG TOUR: Eerie Exhibits - Victorial Williamson

Five unnerving tales of the weird and uncanny from award-winning author Victoria Williamson.

A room full of screaming butterflies.

An unsettling smile on the face of a carved sarcophagus.

A painting that draws its viewer into the disturbing past.

A stuffed bear that growls in the dead of night.

And a shell that whispers more sinister sounds than the sigh of the sea…

Dare you cross the threshold of the old Museum and view its eerie exhibits?

 

What did I think?

I do like to read spooky tales now and again so I thoroughly enjoyed Eerie Exhibits by Victoria Williamson.  

There are five stories in the book based on museum exhibits and although they are separate stories, some of the characters reappear.  They are very creepy tales and it reminded me a little of early Stephen King books where anything out of the ordinary could happen.  So prepare for the unexpected when you pick up this book but you will still be surprised by these eerie exhibits.

It's quite a short book at 225 pages and it's very easy to read so you could dip in and out of it or read it cover to cover.  It's almost like a virtual museum visit to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow as Victoria Williamson guides the reader through each gallery and tells her imagined story behind some very interesting exhibits.

Chilling, weird and entertaining, Eerie Exhibits is a creepy collection of spine-tingling short stories that will chill you to the bone.  A recommended read, especially for a dark and chilly night.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Amazon UK

Amazon USA

Amazon Canada

About the author:

A lifelong storyteller and daydreamer, Victoria Williamson is an author and teacher who has lived and worked in Africa, China, America and the UK.

Victoria grew up in Kirkintilloch, north Glasgow, surrounded by hills on the edge of a forest estate where many of her early ghost stories and fantasy tales were born amid the magical trees and spooky old ruined buildings.

After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real life adventures, which included teaching Maths and Science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with special needs in the UK.

A qualified primary school teacher with a degree in Mandarin Chinese from Yunnan University and a Master’s degree in Special Needs Education, Victoria is passionate about creating inclusive worlds in her novels where all children can see a reflection of themselves in a heroic role.

Victoria’s experiences of teaching young children in a deprived area of Glasgow, many of whom were asylum seekers, inspired her debut novel, The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, an uplifting tale of friendship between Glasgow girl Caylin and Syrian refugee Reema.

Victoria writes fantasy, adventure, science fiction and contemporary issue novels for Middle Grade (9-12), Teen, and Young Adult readers. Many of her books have been inspired by children she has met on her travels, both abroad and in the UK. She is currently working on a Middle Grade novel exploring the issues faced by a boy with ADHD who is struggling to fit in with his new step-family, and a spooky adventure novel for Teens, centred around a cast of characters with special needs including deafness, Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy.

Twenty percent of her author royalties for The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle are donated to the Scottish Refugee Council.

You can find out more about Victoria's books, school visits and upcoming events on her website: www.strangelymagical.com 

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BLOG TOUR: Ghosts of the British Museum: A True Story of Colonial Loot and Restless Objects - Noah Angell

What if the British Museum isn't a carefully ordered cross section of history but is in instead a palatial trophy cabinet of colonial loot - swarming with volatile and errant spirits?

When artist and writer Noah Angell first heard murmurs of ghostly sightings at the British Museum he had to find out more. What started as a trickle soon became a deluge as staff old and new - from overnight security to respected curators - brought him testimonies of their supernatural encounters.

It became clear that the source of the disturbances was related to the Museum's contents - unquiet objects, holy plunder, and restless human remains protesting their enforced stay within the colonial collection's cabinets and deep underground vaults. According to those who have worked there, the institution is heaving with profound spectral disorder.

Ghosts of the British Museum fuses storytelling, folklore and history, digs deep into our imperial past and unmasks the world's oldest national museum as a site of ongoing conflict, where restless objects are held against their will.

It now appears that the objects are fighting back.

 

What did I think?

You don't have to believe in ghosts to enjoy this interesting book but it's good to have an open mind and I thoroughly enjoyed my virtual visit to the British Museum.  

I didn't realise the origins of the British Museum and I have to say that I am horrified.  It's actually quite staggering and eye-opening to think how many artefacts have been taken (stolen) from their rightful place over the years and it's heartbreaking to think how many of them are hidden away in storage and will never see the light of day.  No wonder the objects are distressed - I'm crying virtual tears for them.

There are eleven chapters in the book as Noah Angell takes us on a virtual tour of the British Museum.  Each chapter begins with a fabulous drawing of the particular object that is being discussed and explored.  I love Egyptian history, although I've never been fond of ogling mummies, so I loved the chapter set in the Egyptian Sculpture gallery.  It really gave me goosebumps.

Ghosts of the British Museum is an easy read as the chapters aren't too long and each one is interesting.  It's a sobering read that is as controversial as it is fascinating; it certainly doesn't make me proud to be British and I can't see it being offered for sale in the museum shop.  The British Museum won't want you to read this book but I think it's important that we do read it.  A recommended but uncomfortable read.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Noah Angell is a writer and artist who works with orally transmitted forms such as storytelling and song. This work has led him to collaborate with the Polar Museum in the north of Norway, while working in North Carolina on a documentary film on gospel singer Connie B. Steadman, and in London, where he has collected testimony of the ghosts that haunt the British Museum. 

Born in the US, he was resident in London for over a decade and now lives in Berlin. This is his first book.

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BLOG TOUR: The Wedding Dress Repair Shop - Trisha Ashley

Can her heart be mended too?

Garland Fairford has her dream job as a historical Costumier in London and is engaged to a handsome and successful playwright, Marco.

Whilst working on an exhibition of dresses owned by a Victorian actress, Garland meets a long-lost relative - Honey Fairford. Having no family, Garland is delighted, and intrigued to discover Honey is planning to open a wedding dress museum in Lancashire.

When Garland loses her fiancée and her job in the same week, she is excited to accept Honey's offer to work at the museum. Escaping London, and her old life, Garland is then shocked to be confronted with a ghost from her past - Thom.

As Garland starts to repair the beautiful vintage wedding dresses for the museum, as well as her relationship with Thom, could this finally be the chance for her own happy-ever-after?

 

What did I think?

I am absolutely astonished that The Wedding Dress Repair Shop appears to be the first Trisha Ashley book I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It's incredibly heartwarming and very intriguing with a family mystery to uncover as well as the story of each wedding dress that has been donated to the museum.

Everything is going right for Garland Fairford and she must feel very lucky to have both a job and a fiancé that she loves, but it quickly becomes clear that not everything in Garland's garden is rosy.  Garland's fiancé Marco is a self-centred swearword of a man and I absolutely detested him and his treatment of Garland.  

Luckily for Garland, a distant relative (Honey Fairford) provides her with the perfect escape when her life in London goes pear-shaped.  You might expect from the book title that Garland opens a wedding dress repair shop but she doesn't, she ends up repairing wedding dresses for Honey's new museum.   Garland doesn't have a shop open to the general public so I have to say that I was a little perplexed about the choice of book title, however, it is a wonderful story and the Wedding Dress museum sounds amazing.

I loved the excerpts from Honey and Garland's ancestor's journal that are sprinkled throughout the book.  Rosa-May's story is set in 1815 as her new husband prepares to fight in the Battle of Waterloo and it ties in nicely with the wedding dress museum storyline.  The stories about each wedding dress are so poignant and one particular wedding dress story brought a tear to my eye, I feel emotional now just thinking about it.

Beautifully written and a joy to read, The Wedding Dress Repair Shop is a heartwarming and alluring novel that delighted me from start to finish (even the bits with nasty Marco in).  It may be my first Trisha Ashley book, but it certainly won't be my last - I loved it.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Trisha Ashley's Sunday Times bestselling novels have sold over one million copies in the UK and have twice been shortlisted for the Melissa Nathan award for Romantic Comedy. Every Woman for Herself was nominated by magazine readers as one of the top three romantic novels in the last fifty years.

Trisha lives in North Wales. For more information about her please visit www.Facebook.com/TrishaAshleyBooks or follow her on Twitter @trishaashley.

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BLOG TOUR: The Museum of Ordinary People - Mike Gayle

Still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, Jess is about to do the hardest thing she's ever done: empty her childhood home so that it can be sold.

But when in the process Jess stumbles across the mysterious Alex, together they become custodians of a strange archive of letters, photographs, curios and collections known as The Museum of Ordinary People.

As they begin to delve into the history of the objects in their care, Alex and Jess not only unravel heartbreaking stories that span generations and continents, but also unearth long buried secrets that lie much closer to home.

Inspired by a box of mementos found abandoned in a skip following a house clearance, The Museum of Ordinary People is a thought-provoking and poignant story of memory, grief, loss and the things we leave behind.

What did I think?

I love Mike Gayle books and The Museum of Ordinary People is no exception.  You can't help but read it with a smile on your face as it's just the most original idea to have a museum filled with sentimental treasures.

We meet Jess at a difficult point in her life: her mum has just died and Jess is clearing her house.  Many things can be donated to charity but a set of encyclopaedias remind Jess of so many happy memories that she can't bear to part with them.  Her annoying boyfriend Guy is not impressed when she brings them home to his immaculate flat so when Jess' friend tells her about the museum of ordinary people, Jess decides to donate the books.  

Jess should have chosen the encyclopaedias and left Guy right there and then, but then she wouldn't have discovered this fabulous museum that sets her life on to a different path.  Jess always dreamed of being a museum curator and she has never seen anything like this museum so she is excited to have the opportunity to open this museum to the public.  Many of the exhibits are not of high value or historical interest but they each have a wonderful story behind them and they mean something to somebody.

There are many strands to this story and I loved following every single one; I was surprised, delighted, shocked and angered as I experienced a wealth of emotions throughout the novel.  Jess is a lovely character and I really wanted everything to work out well for her; whether it does or not, you will just have to find out for yourself by reading the book.

Charming, uplifting and heartwarming, The Museum of Ordinary People is a beautiful story filled with a colourful cast of characters.  Grab your ticket to the museum and experience the magic for yourself.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: The Ash Museum - Rebecca Smith

 

1944. The Battle of Kohima. James Ash dies leaving behind two families: his ‘wife’ Josmi and two children, Jay and Molly, and his parents and sister in England who know nothing about his Indian family.

2012. Emmie is raising her own daughter, Jasmine, in a world she wants to be very different from the racist England of her childhood. Her father, Jay, doesn’t even have a photograph of the mother he lost and still refuses to discuss his life in India. Emmie finds comfort in the local museum – a treasure trove of another family’s stories and artefacts.

Little does Emmie know that with each generation, her own story holds secrets and fascinations that she could only dream of.

Through ten decades and across three continents, The Ash Museum is an intergenerational story of loss, migration and the search for somewhere to feel at home.

What did I think?

This beautiful book is so unusual; I absolutely love the format of each chapter revealing a story behind an exhibit in the museum.  With images of buttons you could press to see and hear additional things if you were physically there, it really does feel as if you're browsing treasured items behind a glass case but it's the stories behind them that hold the magic.

I thought it would annoy me that the story isn't told chronologically but I barely noticed it jumping from 1970s to 1910s, then 1980s to 1930s and so forth as I was too busy gobbling up every piece of this wonderful story.  It's actually quite shocking to see racism being so prevalent in each particular decade; without a thought for the person they were hurting, it was quite acceptable to highlight people's differences.  Of course, prejudice isn't just about the colour of your skin as those who are fat, short-sighted, ginger or in any way different don't escape the poisonous venom of cruel kids at school and I can't imagine that has changed much over the years.

This is the story of the Ash family, from James Ash who managed a tea plantation in India in the 1940s to Jassie Ash his great-granddaughter in England in the new millennium.  It is James' son Jay and Jay's daughter Emmie who stole my heart though.  Jay was so cruelly taken away from his mother, along with his sister Molly who didn't really count as she's a girl (shocking), and I think that's why he's such a good father to Emmie.  Jay showers Emmie with all of the love and support he missed out on and she becomes a strong, independent woman who I considered a friend as the novel progressed.

I really can't begin to tell you how amazing this book is; it's written so beautifully and filled with so much nostalgia that it had me casting my mind over my own life.  I remembered things I had forgotten, such as my Dad singing 'Your Tiny Hand is Frozen' when I was a child and the cute little denim jeans purses that were the must have accessory of the 1980s - I had a matching bag too!

Nostalgic, thought-provoking and incredibly touching, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to The Ash Museum and I'm sure the gift shop will be well stocked with packets of tissues as I certainly needed a few while I was reading.  It's such a beautiful, unusual book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I received an ARC from the publisher to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Rebecca Smith was born in London and grew up in rural Surrey. From 2009 – 2010 she was the writer in residence at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire. The Ash Museum was inspired by her time there and by being left hundreds of old family photographs and letters.

Twitter: @RMSmithAuthor

IG: rebeccamarysmith7

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