What is Sera Reading? All That We Have Lost by Suzanne Fortin.

Papa always told us that to be brave doesn’t mean you have no fear.
It just means you can move forwards in spite of that fear.

All That We Have Lost – Suzanne Fortin

In 2019 a beautiful abandoned château is discovered by Imogen Wren. When Imogen husband died, she realised their dream of moving to France would now be on her own. As she starts to rebuild her life among its ruins. Imogen notices that the locals won’t come near the chateau. A dark web of secrets surrounds the house, and it all seems to centre on the war…

In 1944. Simone Varon’s life has been turned upside-down. German troops have moved into the village and she is desperate to avoid them. Until one soldier acts and behaves differently and it is challenging to see him as gentleman vs seeing the enemy of France. Then the Resistance comes calling, the chateau becomes the backdrop to drama between love and duty and devastating consequences that will echo through the decades.

This stunning and terrible dual timeline tale, which was published in October 2021, takes place between the occupied France of World War Two and the war-ravaged chateau of 2019. The topic of the novel’s past and present tales is love and loss. I believe the local pub would be instantly recognisable due to the excellent backdrop and description of Trédion in rural Brittany, which creates a strong feeling of place and time. My gut hurts from the struggle Simone has with Oberleutnant Becker, and I also hate Gossman as much as she does. Unfortunately, Imogen’s current story still deals with the fallout from being perceived as a collaborator when involved in the French resistance.

I kept turning the page as the plot gradually developed and finally revealed the truth. Although I don’t usually choose romance, this dual timeline romance with a dash of mystery is definitely worth reading.

Happy New Year

Hello, book guys and girls. Thank you for returning to my site

So 2025 is here. May we heal from past misadventures, live in the present even with our head in a new book (mmm, new book smell), and quest on with hopeful dreams for the future. Take a moment to reflect on how much you accomplished in 2024, even if it is only one book or many. Reading is our key to the new world. You will have empathised with another’s perspective and reduced the cognitive decay caused by an unstimulated mind. Reading can help you concentrate better, improving your ability to recall information. Plus, the more young people see us reading, the more they are inspired to do the same. According to the EF English Proficiency Index, the Netherlands is considered the country with the highest level of English proficiency, meaning they are generally considered the best at speaking English grammatically correct. But shouldn’t England, Wales, or Scotland be the highest?… Rant over.

In fiction news, I am waiting for LJ Ross to release her new novel, Belsay. We are all aware that I am an LJ Ross fan girl. Book releases don’t get much bigger than the latest chapter in Rebecca Yarros’ megaselling Empyrean series, and the hugely exciting arrival of Onyx Storm is happening very soon. [21/1/25] For those who still want more Dragons and Heros, Sarah A Parker returns with her second book, The Ballad of Falling Dragons, in The Moonfall Series; it promises to be just as epic. I know there are some of my hardcore thriller hunters out there who are diving headfirst into a brilliant new contemporary fiction, The Wizard of the Kremlin (released 2/1/2025) by Giuliano da Empoli, translated by Willard Wood, A stunning work of political fiction that gets to the heart of the Russian governmental machine, The Wizard of the Kremlin details the life and times of Putin’s chief spin doctor.

I’ll let you know how effective it was for a not-so-political-minded reader (me) once I have finished it.

For now thank you for your company on my literary adventures, I’m blessed by your support and encouragement. May you all find a friend here to share with. Love always Sera

What’s Sera Reading? The Librarian by Sally Vickers

This book was recommended to me by our outstanding library volunteer, Caroline.

Set at the end of the 1950s, post war Britain. I got immersed in the well-written setting and described era . The story revolves around Sylvia Blackwell a twenty five year old woman, Sylvia leaves her life in Swindon for a new one in the small market town of East Mole. Sylvia has scored a position as a Children’s Librarian in the quaint little town’s library. No sooner has Sylvia settled into her new post when love comes into her life, in the form of a local married man. I really do love the writing of the relationships with the children the best. Her neighbours son being the most complex and intriguing.

The story is in two parts and we are cut abruptly into the present [50 years forward] which would have been bearable but the tone and feel of the story also change here, I understand the reasoning but its difficult when reading to switch mindset with such ease, I’m just not sure it was necessary. Some sections are stultifying parts of every day which slows the reading of an otherwise brilliant story. Vickers shows awareness of the moral codes, social changes happening and the shifting social attitudes of this time. Vickers is conscientious in inserting these key details into her novel. The novel looks at human relationships and reminds of how our lives can be enhanced by books or at the very least storytelling. I love the message that the act of imparting a passion for books with others can transform lives. 

What is Sera reading? The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt’s WPA Pack Horse Library Project (Kentucky 1937) this book has us traveling back in time. Baileyville, is a make-believe place but it feels as if it exists. Moyes has filled the spaces in the novel with description of colourful lives and vast mountain scenes plus the minutia detail of plants and animals season to season. we are fully part of this story place as a reader discovers the heartache, triumphs, loneliness and secret loves of five incredible women.

England, late 1930s, and Alice Wright a restless, stifled young lady of a well-to-do family makes an impulsive decision to marry a wealthy American, Bennett van Cleve. She leave her home and family behind. But stuffy, disapproving Baileyville, Kentucky, where her husband favours work over his wife, and is dominated by his overbearing father, is not the adventure, nor the escape she had hoped for. Until that is, she meets Margery O’Hare the daughter of a notorious felon and a troublesome woman the town wishes to forget. Margery’s on a mission to spread the wonder of books and reading to the poor and lost, and she needs Alice’s help.

The Giver of Stars hits on big, important themes: understanding mountain people as victims of circumstances – economics, illiteracy, domestic abuse, sexism, alcoholism, long-held feuds. Others egregiously affected by power, money, and the dangers of coal-mining, with little hope of earning an income except for local farming and selling home-made, illegal, and potent liquor, moonshine. Contrary to stereotypes of Appalachia as white, coal-miners were also black, so racism also reveals its injustices. there is a lot to love about this novel and Moyes doesn’t leave us still for long with a great pace of adventure and sprinkle of romance.

Book carriers in Hindman, Kentucky
Works Projects Administration [Public domain]