20th Century

Miss Benson’s Beetle is a novel by bestselling author Rachel Joyce, published in 2020. It was winner of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and was an international bestseller.

The Frequency of Us is the third novel by Keith Stuart, published in 2021. His debut novel, A Boy Made Of Blocks, was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club and sold over 200,000 copies.

Still Life is a historical fiction novel by Sarah Winman, published in 2021. Sarah Winman is the New York Times bestselling author of Tin Man and When God Was A Rabbit. Still Life has received such great reviews and has featured on several 2021 ‘best books’ lists. It was also shortlisted for the Women’s Prize …

A Terrible Kindness is the debut novel by Jo Browning Wroe, published in 2022.

After realising the book was about the tragic events in Aberfan, I immediately wanted to read it. Aberfan is a small former coal-mining village in Wales where, on 21st October 1966, a colliery spoil tip collapsed into homes and a school, killing 116 children and 28 adults.

Midnight In Everwood was the debut novel by M.A Kuzniar, published in 2021.

The story is a fantastical retelling of the classic tale The Nutcracker. I’m a lover of all things festive so I was excited to read this one.

The Girl In The Striped Dress was written by Ellie Midwood and published in 2021. The book is based on the real-life story of Helena Citrónová, an Auschwitz inmate who fell in love with and subsequently married, an SS guard.

The Girl Behind The Wall by Mandy Robotham was published in 2021. The story focuses on the impact of the Berlin Wall during the Cold War,

The Doll Factory is the debut novel by bestselling author Elizabeth Macneal, published in 2020.

The Doll Factory was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick and went on to be a Sunday Times bestseller.

The Memory Box is a novel by bestselling author Kathryn Hughes, published in 2021.

I’ve read a couple of Kathryn Hughes’ novels before and I’ve always enjoyed them. The Letter was a particular favourite. I therefore jumped at the chance of receiving an advanced copy of The Memory Box.

The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is the debut novel by Matson Taylor, published in 2020.

It was both a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a Radio 2 Book Club selection.