Friday Friyay: 'The Lamplighters' by Emma Stonex

 Sometimes you see a book cover that just halts you in your tracks, no? The Lamplighters was one of those covers for me. I'm finally getting around to this book, which came out in early March. I've read a lot of positive things about it, so I can't wait to get stuck in!

Cornwall, 1972. Three keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse, miles from the shore. The entrance door is locked from the inside. The clocks have stopped. The Principal Keeper’s weather log describes a mighty storm, but the skies have been clear all week.

What happened to those three men, out on the tower? The heavy sea whispers their names. The tide shifts beneath the swell, drowning ghosts. Can their secrets ever be recovered from the waves?

Twenty years later, the women they left behind are still struggling to move on. Helen, Jenny and Michelle should have been united by the tragedy, but instead it drove them apart. And then a writer approaches them. He wants to give them a chance to tell their side of the story. But only in confronting their darkest fears can the truth begin to surface . . .

Inspired by real events, The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex is an intoxicating and suspenseful mystery, an unforgettable story of love and grief that explores the way our fears blur the line between the real and the imagined.

Book Beginnings is at home on Rose City Reader, hosted by Gilion Dumas, and Friday 56 at Freda's Voice, hosted by Freda. I'll also be joining the Book Blog Hop, hosted by Charlie over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.

BB

'RELIEF

When Jory opens the curtains, the day is light and grey, the radio playing a half-known song. He listens to the news, about a girl who's gone missing from a bus stop up north, and drinks from a mug of brown tea. Poor Mother's beside herself - well, she would be. Short hair, short skit, big eyes, that's how he pictures the girl, shivering in the cold, and an empty bus stop where someone should have stood, waving or drowning, and the bus pulls up and away, never the wiser, and the pavement shines on in the black rain.' 1%

I don't know what it is about my recent reads but there is a consistent theme here. 'RELIEF' may be the chapter title, but I'm not sure who is going to get any any time soon! How this links to the lamplighters I'm not entirely sure, but I sure am excited to find out!

F56

'When I'm ashore I have to pretend to be a man I'm not, part of something I'm not part of. It's difficult to explain it to normal people. They wouldn't have an interested in the endless quiet stillness of the morning watch, or in how the cooking of a good braise can occupy one's thoughts all day and the day after. Lighthouse worlds are small. Slow. That's what other people can't do: they can't do things slowly and with meaning.' 56%

I haven't started this book yet so I'm not quite sure what's going on but I adore this paragraph. I think during lockdown we've all had to learn to take things slowly, do small things with purpose and get as much joy and meaning out of them.

Book Blogger Hop

This week's question was suggested by Elizabeth over at Silver's Reviews:

What creative places do you keep your books other than bookshelves?

I got the wrong question there for a hot sec but we're back on track! I mostly keep them in my bookshelves but there are also the times when they pile up on my desk cause I'm using them in essays or blog posts. And then there are some on my night stand. I have some siting on my windowsill although I try to rotate those out because of light! I have some downstairs as well in the living room in case I need a quick fix! There are also currently some stowed away at my dad's in a corridor closet until I can go to the UK and pick them up, perhaps that counts as well? So while not highly creative it is fair to say I'm constantly surrounded by books.

So what about you guys? Where do you keep your books? And what do you think of The Lamplighters?

Comments

  1. This book looks so tempting - and do you know what the real events are that inspired this story? 'm surrounded by books too, much like you - boos in most rooms either in bookcases or in piles on the floor next to the bed, on tables, etc. Also in boxes in the loft!

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    1. If I had a loft it would also be filled xD I think some lighthouse keepers disappeared and that is what inspired the book, but I'm purposefully not looking into it so Stonex can surprise me! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend!

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  2. Hi Juli,

    I already have this one on my list to read, as so many of our fellow bloggers have featured it recently. They haven't shared any extracts though, so both of your passages were read avidly by me and made me even more determined to check it out for myself! I'm not sure which was the most gripping, but the solitude of the '56 extract, really got to me!

    We have bookcases in so many rooms of the house, lounge, bedroom, my office, hubbie's office - the list goes on. I do however have a pile of overspill books on one side of my desk, which I rotate regularly, both to stop the light fading them and to make it look as though I am actually doing something with them if he asks! There are also two large sealed plastic containers of overspill, overspill, in the loft! I have read none of these books and just know I don't have enough time left to me to make even the smallest dent in the pile. I really do need a good cull, but just can't bring myself to do it!

    Lovely post, thanks for sharing and have a great weekend :)

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    1. I know, I kept seeing it everwhere as well so I knew I had to get on it! I'm glad the excerpts whet your appetite :) Hahaha the rotation of books is key to give the impression much reading is done even when it isn't! I hate letting go of books as well, so I get you completely on that. Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend!

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  3. I visited Cornwall once when I was a teenager and fell in love with it. For that reason alone I'd read this book.

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    1. I really want to visit Cornwall as well, it looks like such a primal landscape! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

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  4. You had me at lighthouses...and I also LOVE that cover. Great excerpts, too. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

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    1. There's just something fascinating about lighthouses, isn't there? Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

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  5. I'm so intrigued by this one and that cover is stunning! Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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    1. It is very intriguing, isn't it? And the cover is just so eye-catching and colourful. Very moody! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

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  6. It does sound like a good book and I really love the cover.

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    1. Yay! If you give it a go, let me know what you think! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

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  7. I have very few physical books these days. Most are in a box in the loft, with others randomly scattered around the house. I do have a small collection on my dressing table.

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    1. I definitely buy more digital books than physical books and yet they keep stacking up! It's nice to have a a set collection of books near you though, where you know just what to go for! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

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  8. This book sounds beautifully written! I feel like I've heard of it before though too! Happy weekend!

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    1. There is such a clear tone in it that really shines through! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

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    1. They do whet your appetite don't they? And although Dragon Hoops wouldn't be a normal read for me you definitely got me intrigued! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

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  10. Lamplighters sounds spooky and exciting!

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    1. Spooky and exciting is the perfect way to describe it I think! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

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  11. I really like the look and sound of this one. Thanks for introducing me!

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    1. Yay! If you do get around to reading it I hope you love it! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

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  12. I love books about lighthouses and also mysteries based on real events. I will look out for this one. Hope you enjoy it.

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    1. Lighthouses are intriguing in and of themselves, so if you add real disappearances it's just a perfect combination! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

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