#Review of This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page @LibbyPageWrites @VikingBooksUK #ThisBookMadeMeThinkOfYou #ContemporaryFiction #RomanticFiction

This Book Made Me Think Of You
By Libby Page

Review by Louise Cannon

Libby Page has done it again and written a warming book that lifts the spirits, whilst the wintry weather in the real world rumbles on. It may just be her best yet at penetrating the heart and soul.
Check out my review and the blurb below, thanks to Penguin for the e-book and opportunity…

Review

This Book Made Me Think of You shows human complexities in relationships and navigating life. It pulls on the heartstrings.

Tilly Nightengale’s birthday has arrived. Imagine receiving 12 handpicked books from your fiance as a gift. Sounds amazing for book lovers right? Except her fiance has sadly died. The carefully chosen books are a gesture to help her through her grief and move onwards with her life. She sets out to begin a vlog in her adventurous journey, she ends up sharing her journey with not just family and friends, but Alfie, a bookshop owner and other followers.

In time, Libby Page takes readers from feeling raw and heart-wrenched from where we initially meet Tilly to warmth and humanity. Tilly is someone you can really get behind and want life and love to co-exist for her again.

The power of books truly lives within and out-with the page, something that is realised and understood within this book. It’s something that seems important for readers and non-readers to truly see and experience as they travel through the complexities of life, loss and love.

Blurb

The unforgettable new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Libby Page

Twelve stories. Twelve months. Once chance to heal her heart . . .

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her fiancé waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly because Joe died five months ago . . .

The gift is simple – twelve carefully-chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
Tilly sets out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, the bookshop owner, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?

#Review by Lou. Moulin Rouge the Stage Musical, setting theatres on fire with Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love @moulinmusicaluk #MoulinRouge

Moulin Rouge – The Musical

written by Louise Cannon

Moulin Rouge “sets the world on fire” or at least Edinburgh Playhouse until June in a UK tour travelling further than there. The real Moulin Rouge celebrated its 135th anniversary in 2024. Like the film, the stage does it proud. I was pleased to have purchased a ticket.

High Can-Can kicks, amazing costumes, huge sets that look like pictures which people have stepped into and music galore to tell the story of the Moulin Rouge, Satine, Toulouse Le-Trec, Satine and more…
It fills your heart with lots of emotions and leaves your heart with joy in it as you exit the auditorium. Can-Can down to the rest of my review and tour dates for one of the hottest tickets you’ll handle this year!

Enter the powerful, emotionally charged, colourful Moulin Rouge, full of dancers that are as colourful as a “firework” and stories to tell. Look into the streets, that look like moving paintings that people have magically stepped into (they’re not, the set artistry is just that incredibly created) where the Bohemians are sitting, contemplating life, that they’re “the children of the revolution” and Montmartre.

The songs are a mixture of newer, up-to-date songs and those in the film (which you may notice some of in my review). The story remains and is beautifully presented in awe-aspiring glory. Many, many medleys of various songs are expertly put together to tell the story of “Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love” of the Moulin Rouge. A fantastically brilliant part is a romance scene where spoken word and song are weaved together, championing the idea of love. Is there “tainted love” or “bad romance”or “everlasting love” in the air?

The emotional end is simply beautifully conveyed.

All the cast exceeded expectations in dance, song, acting! They’re all ones to watch out for. Special mention to a few in some main parts:

Verity Thompson brings energy, power and emotion as she conveys Satine’s complex life. Christian, played by Nate Landskroner plays well to show love for Satine and plays off the complexities, together showing how love isn’t straight forward.
Kurt Kansley brings the bohemian, arty world to the fore in the form of Toulouse-Lautrec, conveying all the bohemian beliefs that would make anyone run off with him and join the bohemian movement.
James Bryers as the Duke brought intrigue, wealth, a bit of menace, driving the plot forward, creating great tension.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to join both the bohemians and the dancers in the Moulin Rouge.

By the end of the Moulin Rouge effect is “Never Gonna Give You Up”.

“Come What May”, this is “Your Song” and a musical not to be missed!

Will you go “Rolling in the Deep” or be found swinging on a “Chandelier” when you discover touring details? Join the artists, lovers and bohemians here: Moulin Rouge Tour

*please note I am not affiliated with any company or production.

*Photos are taken by me and are encouraged before the show begins. I bought a ticket and chose to review.

#BookReview by Lou of This Shining Life by Harriet Kline @HareandHarriet @tabithapelly @DoubledayUK @RandomTTours

This Shining Life
By Harriet Kline

This Shining Life is beautifully written. It’s timely, poignant and warm. If you like Rachel Joyce’s books, you’re sure to like This Shining Life. I highly recommend it!
Discover more in the blurb and my full review and a bit about the author. That is when you can take your eyes off the gorgeous cover.
Thanks to Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the blog tour for reviewing and for them and for publisher – Double Day for gifting the physical proof of the book.

Blurb

For Rich, life is golden.

He fizzes with happiness and love.

But Rich has an incurable brain tumour.

When Rich dies, he leaves behind a family without a father, a husband, a son and a best friend. His wife, Ruth, can’t imagine living without him and finds herself faced with a grief she’s not sure she can find her way through.

At the same time, their young son Ollie becomes intent on working out the meaning of life. Because everything happens for a reason. Doesn’t it?

But when they discover a mismatched collection of presents left by Rich for his loved ones, it provides a puzzle for them to solve, one that will help Ruth navigate her sorrow and help Ollie come to terms with what’s happened. Together, they will learn to lay the ghosts of the past to rest, and treasure the true gift that Rich has left them: the ability to embrace life and love every moment.

Wonderfully funny and achingly beautiful, this is a story about love in all its forms: absent, lost and, ultimately, regained.

Review

Meet Ollie, Nessa, Angran, Rich, Ruth and Marjorie, the main characters who take a few chapters or so at a time to create this beautiful book. What hits and made me take a sharp intake of breath, was the first line of the first chapter, after the prologue. What is said is insumountable and very matter of fact. It’s a strong opening! Every so often, one line punctuates the opening to a chapter, that is stark and true and just fabulous. No beating about the bush, it tells of a life event how it is and for what it is. In this instance, I like that and it fits the book so well. You’ll have to read the book to find out what it is…

This book will tug at anyone’s heartstrings, like the saddest tune from a solo violin at the very least, and certain short, sharp sentence (I won’t say what or it will spoil it), may pierce hard through your very being and reverberate round. It’s terrific and matter of fact! The book is also full of love and the warmth that brings.

Grief is inescapable at the moment and that’s what makes this book, perhaps even more timely and poignant. It beautifully portrays grief and being surrounded by it within a family very well and truthfully. It shows how people have different ideas for what to do when someone dies and how grief isn’t the same for everyone. It’s also about the love of dead loved ones and the comfort from the living.

There is also the mismatched presents that Rich had left, which further shows his love of life and the people around him. It also keeps people busy as they try to fix them out.

The book, although emotional, is far from depressing. It has that warmth and some pockets of humour. There’s other parts of life being shown as having being lived, such as a a well stocked up picnic. The nature provides a layer of peacefulness along with the layer of anguish of death, love and life that converges together.

The peacefulness of nature is conveyed exquisitely against the forefront of the sting and in Ruth’s case, especially, the almost suffocation, sometimes claustrophobic feeling of grief closing in and confusion of grief, that all of the characters feel in one way or another. It is all brought with tenderness, but an absolute realism, right to the very end and with the comfort and love of the supporting characters.

About the Author

HARRIET KLINE works part time registering births, deaths and marriages and writes for the rest of the week. Her story Ghost won the Hissac Short Story Competition and Chest of Drawers won The London Magazine Short Story Competition. Other short stories have been published online with Litro, For Books’ Sake, and ShortStorySunday, and on BBC Radio 4.