Pen and Paper

1 Oct 2023

{NELL MONTAGUE 2} : A LONG TIME BURNING.

And now for something that little bit different, today its the turn of the Blog Tour for this paranormal mystery thriller to stop by Pen and Paper.

A LONG TIME BURNING by J.A.HIGGINS.

Genre ... Paranormal Mystery Thriller

Publication Date ... 1st October 2022

Standalone Second Book in the Nell Montague Mystery series

Estimated Page Count ... 277

⚠️ Author Content Warnings ... Cannibalism, witchcraft, burning at the stake.

Purchase Link ... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B7CDCQV1

Nell has had a terrible year, so she travels to North Chase to find some true Christmas magic. But the town has its own problems; its solstice festival is tainted by the disappearance of two teenage boys and a witch’s curse is blamed.

Then, nine-month-old Ava is threatened. Has a medieval killer been awoken or does something else haunt the woods?

Nell must battle through horrific nightmares and face her own demons to expose the truth before another child is spirited away. There is magic in the air this Christmas, but behind the tinsel and baubles glitters a terrifying secret that one family has hidden for centuries, and only Nell can uncover it.

In my opinion there are those series in which to have read from the beginning is imperative and than there are those that read perfectly well as a standalone novel no matter when/where you begin reading the series; the second book in the Nell Montague series, to my mind, the reading of A Long Time Burning would doubtlessly have been enhanced had I read the first book in the series, Finding Ruby.

Covering the period from the 5th of November through to Christmas Day itself I thought this a very passable festive ghost story that whilst set in the present day does take you back in time to discover just how the curse came about.

Icy fear rippled over her skin which rose in response. Horror movies tried their hand at the cackle of an asylum, but this was something else. It was quieter now, almost a giggle, and this was somehow worse. The giggle of an evil child with blood on its small hands. Like the small child who had stood by the door. Suddenly, a cold breath hit her as if someone was stood right beside her, giggling an inch away from her ear. The image from the television screen hit her again, of the tiny children shivering, and the figure creeping up on them. The dreams she had endured all spoke of children and dolls.

I have to admit I did find this something of a slow burner and certainly during the earlier chapters I found myself lost off at times by all the differing threads to the story; by the change of focus from one character to another; from one happening to another but, oh my goodness, delightfully creepy, the atmosphere as chilling as North Chase in December, I found myself engrossed as to the goings on at the centre of which is Nell Montague who finds herself pulled into the spooky and mysterious goings on that plague the village and its inhabitants.

Whether past or present, real or imagined, satisfyingly spooky, this is definitely a read to curl up with on a cold winter's eve.

J A Higgins was born and raised at Porton Down in Wiltshire, and currently works for the NHS in Salisbury. She has always been fascinated by history, crime and the unexplained.

A Long Time Burning is the second book in the Nell Montague Mystery series which explores how horrors from the past are still very relevant today. The first book, Finding Ruby, was a Page Turner Book Award winner in 2021.

With thanks to Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for organising a paper copy. Agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own. No financial compensation was asked for nor given. Threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.

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29 Sept 2023

EVERYDAY WAR: THE CONFLICT OVER DUNBAS, UKRAINE.

And now for a book that bit different from my usual different, today I'm delighted to be sharing my thoughts on ...

EVERYDAY WAR: THE CONFLICT OVER DUNBAS, UKRAINE by GRETA LYNN UEHLING.

Everyday War provides an accessible lens through which to understand what non-combatant civilians go through in a country at war. What goes through the mind of a mother who must send her child to school across a mined field? In Ukraine, such questions have been part of the daily calculus of life. Greta Uehling engages with the lives of ordinary people living in and around the armed conflict over Donbas that began in 2014 and shows how conventional understandings of war are incomplete.

In Ukraine, landscapes filled with death and destruction prompted attentiveness to human vulnerabilities and the cultivation of everyday, interpersonal peace. Uehling explores a constellation of social practices where ethics of care were in operation. People were also drawn into the conflict in an everyday form of war that included provisioning fighters with military equipment they purchased themselves, smuggling insulin, and cutting ties to former friends. Each chapter considers a different site where care can produce interpersonal peace or its antipode, everyday war.

Bridging the fields of political geography, international relations, peace and conflict studies, and anthropology, Everyday War considers a different site where peace can be cultivated at an everyday level.

Thoroughly researched and yet not overly scholarly,

the author does a brilliant job in laying bare the impact modern war fare has had on the friendships, the relationships, the marriages of the everyday folk of Dunbas, Ukraine where relations, friends and lovers found themselves on differing political and, yes, even military sides, avoiding those with opposing views, keeping away from fractious conversations.

Ideal reading for both those seeking knowledge on the political and sociological effects of a war fought not so much on a battle field but rather a residential and industrial area as well as those wishing to understand how war impacts not the soldier, not the politicians but rather the average person caught in the middle of warring factions.

Honing in on the personal and emotional toil of war as it does Everyday War was never going to be an easy read and yet I'm so glad that I did read it as amongst all of the horrors the author also focusing in on the individuals caring for others despite going through untold horrors of their own; people like Svetlana who, despite having friends fighting on both sides of the conflict, sought to create a sanctuary from violence in her home which saw men from opposing military forces sitting across from each other at her kitchen table; people like the members of the the 'Black Tulip', a group of volunteers, non-combatants tasked with crossing enemy lines to retrieve the remains of fallen soldiers left behind by its retreating army.

Greta Uehling teaches for the Program in International and Comparative Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she is affiliated with the Centre for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.

Social Media Links ... ~ Follow Great on X {formerly Twitter} @uehlingumihed1

With thanks to Nanda @ Coriolis, Book Publicity, Marketing, Author Branding and Literary Services for supplying me with a paper copy. Agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own. No financial compensation was asked for nor given. Threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.

16 Sept 2023

BUS RHYMES AND PLAYTIME.

BEEP! BEEP!

All aboard!

Tickets please!

Today the Daisy Daydream Playbus Blog Tour stops by Pen and Paper.

BUS RHYMES AND PLAYTIME by SUE WICKSTEAD.

Target Age ... Children {3-9 years}

Genre ... Children’s Poetry and Rhymes book

Publication Date ... 1st September 2023

Estimated Page Count ... 30

Standalone Book

Order Link ... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bus-Rhymes-Playtime-Sue-Wickstead-ebook/dp/B0CBNLR7D3/

Have you got your ticket ready?

Where shall we go today?

Why not jump on board the bus

– come along to sing and play.

So, take your seat as off we go.

What could happen along the way?

A compilation collection that sees a selection of new rhymes and stories alongside others from a number of her other books, many of them featuring the joy of a bus ride though David's Bin Day and Bathtime Adventure along with, our personal favourite, Barty Bear, also put in appearances.

Whether captured in short and snappy rhyme or depicted in bright, bold illustrations that accompany the verse so beautifully, as we have come to expect from the the author this is a fun filled read full of vivid imagery that is sure to delight.

That many of the pages featured a 'bus ticket' that prompted reader discussion {'Where would you like to go on a bus ride?', 'What toy would you take on a bus ride?' two of the 'tickets' that come to mind} an added bonus and one that the little bookworms really enjoyed.

Nanny, Nanny!

There's a witch on the bus

And she's casting lots of spells.

She's stirring up her cooking pot,

And making lots of smells!

{Pooey!}

- pg 22

Most of all though there was The Spooky Bus Ride, which, each verse beginning with the words 'Nanny, Nanny!', saw everything from a witch, a dinosaur, a bear and a gorilla onboard a bus. Needless to say this provided hours of hilarity as the little darlings changed Nanny, Nanny! to just about every other adult they knew {Mammy, Mammy! possibly their favourite}; the older ones also substituting the things onboard the bus to any other number of other things; the oldest also the activity being done to create ever more complex rhymes.

Sue Wickstead lives in West Sussex, UK and writes children’s picture story books.

Sue's stories are inspired by her adventures with a Playbus as well as her experiences as a teacher.

The Playbus was a real double-decker bus full of toys, arts and crafts, as well as a lot of fun to play on.

Sue wrote a photographic social history book about the project which led to her story telling and her writing. All of Sue’s books do have a bus included in them somewhere. Daisy Daydream was the bus that Sue painted and the start of her Playbus and writing journey.

When not writing Sue builds models with Lego (especially for her grandson), she loves spending quality time with her young grandson and enjoys creating models to share with him on his visits.

Her grandson features in the book ‘Barty Barton; the bear that was loved too much’ which was published in 2020. He also helps his Nanny Sue to sing along with a few of the rhymes sue has written.

Many of Sue’s books have been entered and shortlisted in ‘The Wishing Shelf Book Awards’, the book ‘A Spooky Tale’ was a silver medal winner in 2019. The story was written with her class in school.

Social Media Links ... ~ Website ~ FaceBook ~ Instagram ~ X {Formerly Twitter} ~

With thanks to Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for another Blog Tour. Agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own. No financial compensation was asked for nor given. Threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.