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The Cypher Bureau is a novel by Eilidh McGinness. It tells the story of what happens when the Polish Cypher Bureau learn that the Germans are employing a new type of code that hey cannot decypher. The Cypher Bureau takers the decision to employ mathematics students to implement a new way of dealing with the science of code breaking. One of these students is Marian Rejewski. With other

Fragments is a new novel from lawyer turned author John Ellison. It's a novel that draws heavily on the maxim "Borrow from history, build from imagination." It's a piece of historical fiction, yet a piece of recent history, set in the 1960s and beyond. Rather than writing a 'straight' memoir, John Ellison has decided to mine memoir to create a fictionalised story which he uses to tell

The Girl in the Abbey is set during the tumultuous period of World War 2. Grimsby was an important British port and, as such, it was constantly under attack by Nazi bombers so many of the children of Grimsby were evacuated inland to places of safety. Violet Cobb is one of the evacuees. Violet is a resourceful and brave young girl who finds herself waiting on the doorstep of Bramblington Abbey

I know some of the blog readers listen to audiobooks, which I don't do. So, I appreciate Sandie Herron's reviews of those books for Have You Heard? Today, Sandie reviews Charlaine Harris' Dead as a Doornail . Thank you, Sandie. Dead as a Doornail Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery Book 5 Written by Charlaine Harris Narrated by Johanna Parker Unabridged Audiobook Listening Time:  10 hours, 2 minutes Publisher:  Recorded Books (May 6, 2005) Sookie Stackhouse works at Merlotte’s Bar & Grill in Bon Temps, Louisiana.  She doesn’t have too many friends, since her ability to read minds tends to keep people away, until she meets vampire Bill Compton, his boss Eric Northman, and their undead community.  Sookie cannot read vampires and her ability to read other “supes” is limited.   Sookie is leaving work late one evening when a shot rings out and shape-shifter Sam Merlotte falls to the ground.  Since Sam knew of no one who wanted him dead, Sookie begins ...

I didn't know what I was actually picking up when I checked out Neil Gaiman's fairy tale, The Sleeper and the Spindle . Earlier this week, I mentioned his quote, "I like stories where women save themselves", and he was talking about fairy tales. The Sleeper and the Spindle , illustrated by Chris Riddell, has a couple unexpected twists, which I will not cover in this review. Three dwarfs, who had once lived with a queen, set out on a journey to buy silk for the young woman who was about to marry. But, the day before her wedding, the dwarfs returned to tell her that that world was falling asleep. It all seemed to stem from an old enchantment. Now, people throughout the neighboring kingdoms were falling under that enchantment, or plague, or whatever you wanted to call it. Only the spiders seem unaffected. They continued to spin webs, which now covered the people. The young queen, who was worried she would no longer have choices once she married, made a couple decisions. ...

Congratulations to the winners of the last contest. Copies of Lost Books and Old Bones will go to Marie R. from Horseheads, NY and Susan B. from Seattle, WA. England Expects will go to Sharon B. in Albuquerque, NM. The books are all going out on Saturday. This week, I'm giving away needlework cozy mysteries. On the Hook is Betty Hechtman's twelfth Crochet mystery featuring the Tarzana Hookers crochet club. Molly Pink and the Tarzana Hookers are crocheting baby blankets for charity, but the entire group is tangled up in a mystery. Adele's acting coach is fond dead in a house that Elise Belmont is showing now that she has her realtor's license. And, Molly left a scarf at the murder scene. The only way out is for Molly to find the real killer. Prefer knitting? Maggie Sefton's Dyeing Up Loose Ends is the sixteenth and final Knitting mystery. Kelly Flynn has been enjoying motherhood and avoiding murder, but when a friendly waitress is found dead, Kelly enlists the help ...