A lady Cyclist's Guide To kasher by Suzanne Joinson

It is 1923 and Evangeline English, keen lady cyclist, arrives with her sister Lizzie and their zealous leader Millicent at the ancient city of Kashgar to establish a mission. As they encounter resistance and calamity, Eva commences work on her Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar...

In present-day London, Frieda opens her door to find a man sleeping on the landing. Tayeb, a Yemeni refugee, has arrived in Frieda's life just as she learns that she is next-of-kin to a stranger, a woman whose abandoned flat contains many surprises. The two wanderers embark on a journey that is as great, and as unexpected, as Eva's. 

A good but not great read. It was interesting enough to keep me reading and I wanted to see how the 2 stories were connected.

Love the cover.

Ancestors of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

From the ashes of Atlantis the legend of Avalon is born...

The spiritual leaders of Atlantis have known for many years that the Sea Kingdoms were doomed. Even so, they are unprepared for the catastrophe when it occurs.

Micail and Tiriki, prince and princess, priest and priestess of the last island to fall, are separated during the escape and land on different shores of the island of Britain. As they work to establish new lives, their two communities take widely divergent paths. Once these opposing factions become aware of each other, conflict will be inevitable.

All very mystical with whingeing characters.

Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

In Morality for Beautiful Girls, Ramotswe tangles with a feral child, the finalists in a beauty pageant and a suspicious cook. 

I am enjoying this series. My favourite bits are "You are looking fat today" is a compliment and the suggestion that "traditionally built" women should sit on thin women when they get pushy that everyone should be thin. 

The book is set in Botswana and when I read it I "hear" the characters speaking with a South African accent.

Simply Unforgettable by Mary Balogh

They meet in a ferocious snowstorm. She is a young teacher with a secret past. He is the black-caped stranger who comes to her rescue. Stranded together in a country inn, Lucius Marshall and Frances Allard share a night of glorious, unforgettable passion. But Frances knows her place. Due to begin her teaching position at Miss Martin’s School in Bath, Frances must try to forget that one extraordinary night. But when fate once again throws them together, Lucius' passionate, single-minded pursuit will force Frances to give up all her secrets - except one - to win the heart of the man she already loves. 

A nice, feel good romance with a happy ending.

That Certain Age by Elizabeth Buchan

Barbara and Siena - two women living fifty years apart. Both constrained by choice; one has too little and one has too much.

Siena, a 21st century woman, has so far managed to avoid the tick of the biological clock - her high-powered career as a stylist, making over a succession of tired, fraught housewives, has given her a horror of the toll a family can take on a woman. Without children she can control her own wonderful, ordered life. Only thing is, her husband Charlie longs for a baby...

In 1960, Barbara has been married to Ryder, an airline pilot, for twenty-four years. Her life revolves around running her home and keeping Ryder happy. She thinks she ought to be happy too. Then she meets the young and charming Alexander who reawakens a desire she thought had been long buried.

The intimate, inner lives of two women - destined never to meet, yet strangely linked - are woven together as they struggle to find resolution - between the families they love and their own desires. 

I didn't connect with either of the women.  One who had been a housewife with a loving husband who had a fling with a younger man. The other a career woman who obsessed on clothes and shoes and putting her career before her husband or relationship.  I kept waiting for what the connection between the two women would be.  In the last chapter it turned out to be a clock. Very disappointing and not at all what I expected.

The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky

Deborah Monroe and her daughter, Grace, are driving home from a party when their car hits a man running in the dark. Grace was at the wheel, but Deborah sends her home before the police arrive, determined to shoulder the blame for the accident. Her decision then turns into a deception that takes on a life of its own and threatens the special bond between mother and daughter. 

 A small lie of omission becomes something greater and affects and impacts more lives than you would have thought. But in the aftermath of the accident, and subsequent omission, there is healing of hurt feelings and reconnection between family members.  Overall a feel good story with a nice, hopeful ending.

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

The Orphan Master's Son follows a young man's epic journey through the world's most secretive state, North Korea. Citizens of our beloved Democratic Republic of North Korea! Imagine the life of an orphan boy from nowhere who is plucked from his orphanage by the military, to be trained as a tunnel assassin, a kidnapper, a spy.

Fact and fiction intersect and gives the reader and insight into the harsh living conditions endured by the people who live under this strict regime.

Interesting and timely read considering how North Korea has been in the news lately.  Not somewhere I would like to visit.