Welcome to Litsy!

If you woke up today thinking "I'd like to see a dog looking disdainful in a bookshop", then you're welcome.

Garner's return to Alderley Edge is a complex work, allusive more than explicit, opening multiple possibilities & interpretations, while suggesting that any & all of them could be valid. It's a cerebral book, which certainly got me thinking, but more so is it emotional: heartbreakingly sad, with a tinge of hope.
Colin's struggle with his trauma shifts the perception of the earlier books, adding depth to those already atypical children's stories.

Re-reading Weirdstone... & Moon of Gomrath was preparation for a 1st reading of Boneland, last book of the Alderley trilogy. Written & set 50 years after the first books, this isn't a children's tale, rather an account of the psychological impact of childhood trauma (I think: I'm on page 30). So far, we have the parallel stories of Colin, now an astrophysicist at Jodrell Bank, & a Neolithic skywatcher, which I'm assuming will cross at some point.

The title was niggling at me and I finally realized it‘s from the carol, In the Bleak Midwinter, which makes sense with this plot. Duncan and Gemma are on Christmas break with family and of course there‘s a crime, more than one, in fact. Family, secrets, bodies, canals, longboats, it‘s another great mystery. This is such a great series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First trip back to a favourite haunt for a long time. Very glad to see the Cranford Cafe as welcoming, and the breakfasts as copious and delicious as ever. The book is great so far, too. #cranfordcafe #cranfordcafeknutsford #books #bookstagram #fiction #americanspy #laurenwilkinson #booksbooksbooks #bookish #bookphotography #coffee #caffeineaddict #booksandcoffee #coffeeandbooks #knutsford #bookcommunity #cheshire #blackcoffee #bankholidayweekend