Now that the A-Z of books is drawing to a close (it’s the letter V next), I thought I’d start a new +/- monthly series, and this time, let other people choose the books too. I’m starting today, and next month, crime writer Kerena Swan is going to tell us about her favourites. The idea is, each person chooses a favourite title from the classics and a favourite ‘comfort read’ – a book they always return to, for whatever reasons. As third book in each Classic Comfort post, we’ll have one by the featured writer. My choices:

Classic:

One of my all-time favourites is A Room With A View, which has also been very successfully filmed. I love the way the book takes us to the Italy of the time and back to rural England, and Lucy is a very sympathetic protagonist as she takes in the sights and deals with cousin Charlotte, as well as growing up and falling in love. Nostalgia, travel and history all have a part in this novel – and it’s a fabulous love story as well!

Comfort:

I hope it’s not odd to have ‘a shock-packed chiller’ as my comfort read, but there’s something about Coma that keeps me coming back to it. Maybe because, as an ex-physiotherapist, I find hospital novels of all kinds fascinating, or maybe it’s because I first read it in the late 1970s, and associate it with those heady teenage ‘anything is possible’ days. I went on to read almost every book Robin Cook wrote, so he’s definitely an all-time favourite writer.

My book:

Daria’s Daughter is set in Glasgow and was published last Tuesday by Hobeck Books – and it’s a kindle bargain this weekend.

A mother and daughter torn apart
An explosive accident on the way to Glasgow airport leaves Daria hurt, bereaved and confused. Her daughter has vanished without a trace and nobody is telling her what happened. Evie’s gone. That’s all. Gone. What does Daria have left to live for?

A mother and daughter reunited
Margie can’t believe it. Bridie is hurt. Bridie needs her. They manage to escape the smoke, the noise and the confusion. They are together, that’s all that matters. Everything will be better in the morning, Margie tells Bridie. And it will.

The bonds that never break
Will Daria ever be able to put the pieces of her tattered life back together after the loss of her daughter? Is it possible that things aren’t quite as they seem? Can the unimaginable turn out to be the truth?

Click HERE to see the book on Amazon.

At the end of March, crime writer Kerena Swan will tell us about two of her favourite books and choose one of her own to complete the trio. Next week, we’re having a snippet of daily life in pandemic Switzerland – see you then!