Since starting my blog in February, I’ve seen an endless stream of glowing reviews for Orenda Books. Over the past couple of months I purchased 3 of them. I had planned on reading at least one of them by now, but I keep putting other books in front of them. I decided to put my foot down and read my first Orenda Book in June, but here lies my next problem: I cannot decide which one! So I thought it would be fun to put these three books out there and let you pick which one I will read first.
Here are the books…
The Mountain in My Shoe by Louise Beech
Goodreads Synopsis
A missing boy. A missing book. A missing husband. A woman who must find them all to find herself. On the night Bernadette finally has the courage to tell her domineering husband that she’s leaving, he doesn’t come home. Neither does Conor, the little boy she’s befriended for the past five years. Also missing is his lifebook, the only thing that holds the answers. With the help of Conor’s foster mum, Bernadette must face her own past, her husband’s secrets and a future she never dared imagine in order to find them all. Exquisitely written and deeply touching, The Mountain in My Shoe is both a gripping psychological thriller and a powerful and emotive examination of the meaning of family … and just how far we’re willing to go for the people we love.
Sealskin by Su Bristow
Goodreads Synopsis
Donald is a young fisherman, eking out a lonely living on the west coast of Scotland. One night he witnesses something miraculous, and makes a terrible mistake. His action changes lives—not only his own, but those of his family and the entire tightly knit community in which they live. Can he ever atone for the wrong he has done, and can love grow when its foundation is violence? Based on the legend of the selkies—seals who can transform into people—evokes the harsh beauty of the landscape, the resilience of its people, both human and animal, and the triumph of hope over fear and prejudice. With exquisite grace, Su Bristow transports us to a different world, subtly and beautifully exploring what it means to be an outsider, and our innate capacity for forgiveness and acceptance. Rich with myth and magic, Sealskin is, nonetheless, a very human story, as relevant to our world as to the timeless place in which it is set.
Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb
Goodreads Synopsis
Lori Anderson is as tough as they come, managing to keep her career as a fearless Florida bounty hunter separate from her role as single mother to nine-year-old Dakota, who suffers from leukemia. But when the hospital bills start to rack up, she has no choice but to take her daughter along on a job that will make her a fast buck. And that’s when things start to go wrong. The fugitive she’s assigned to haul back to court is none other than JT, Lori’s former mentor – the man who taught her everything she knows … the man who also knows the secrets of her murky past.
Not only is JT fighting a child exploitation racket operating out of one of Florida’s biggest theme parks, Winter Wonderland, a place where ‘bad things never happen’, but he’s also mixed up with the powerful Miami Mob. With two fearsome foes on their tails, just three days to get JT back to Florida, and her daughter to protect, Lori has her work cut out for her. When they’re ambushed at a gas station, the stakes go from high to stratospheric, and things become personal.
These are three very different books and I cannot decide which one to read first. Let me know in the comments which one you think I should read and I will read the one with the most votes in June.
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I can’t wait to see what I’ll be reading!
Oh, wow! This is hard!
I’ve not read Sealskin myself so I’m going to ignore that one. Eek.
Argh, Tina! You’re giving me a headache! 😄
Sigh, okay. Here it is. I vote for Deep Down Dead! I’m going to run away now before I change my mind!
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This is sooo exciting! Can’t wait to see what I’ll be reading 🙂
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I haven’t yet read Deep Down Dead but I have read your other two and they are both so good it’s hard to choose between them. I’m not much help am I! *tosses a coin……* Sealskin 😊
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Thank you! I know it’s tough!
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Please start with The Mountain in My Shoe. I haven’t read it yet but the reviews that I have read are just brilliant. I have been looking for a copy of the book since.
Let me share reviews by two of my favourite bloggers. Donna (chocolatenwaffles): https://chocolatenwaffles.com/2017/03/04/orendamonth-book-1-the-mountain-in-my-shoe-by-louise-beech-orendabooks-louisewriter/ and Renee( It’s Book Talk): https://itsbooktalk.com/2017/01/07/review-a-mountain-in-my-shoe-by-louise-beech/
I know that you will enjoy all the three books though. They sound great!
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Thank you! I will take a look at them right now 🙂
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Diana, thank you for the shout out and sharing my review of this awesome book!
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You have chosen well and obviously need to read them all one after the other – I gave each 5 stars. I would suggest starting with The Mountain in my Shoe, simply because it is a bit different from other reads.
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5 stars – that is great to hear! I’d love to read them all sooner than later, they all sound so good!
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If you want to read something emotional, you’ve got to read The Mountain In My Shoe (just hear-say though, I haven’t read it but I would choose that one). If you’re more in the mood for action, go for Deep Down Dead. If you’re not feeling it for those too there’s still a great third choice! I’ve only read the high on adrenaline one ;-). They’re all great books so you can’t choose based on that criterium 🙂
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Thanks Inge…they really are all very different and I look forward to reading all three soon.
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Surprisingly I’ve read so many Orenda Books by only 1 of the 3 you’ve got so by default I’d pick Deep Down Dead (but I have Sealskin on my kindle as I’ve seen some wonderful reviews) 😊
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Thank you! 🙂
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I haven’t read Deep Down Dead yet but I have read the other two. Both are fantastic but I think I would go for The Mountain in My Shoe.
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Thank you for voting!
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I’ve only read The Mountain in My Shoe on this list although I do have the other 2 and will read at some point..so there’s my vote:) Enjoy, you can’t go wrong with Orenda!
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Agreed! That’s what is so exciting, no matter what I’m getting to read a great book!
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That is one tough choice. They are all amazing and all completely different. But I will say Mountain in my Shoe
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Perfect! Thank you for voting 🙂
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I’ve heard a lot of good things about this publisher, and I saw Deep Down Dead on another review blog. That’s the one that most interested me.
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Me too! Thank you for voting!
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Ive only read The Mountain in my shoe but it was fantastic ❤ TRead that one!
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Thank you Annie!
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i haven’t read any of these but i do own two of them, so I’m going to vote for Deep Down Dead (the one I don’t have) to see if you think I should add it to my TBR. No pressure! 😉
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Oh my goodness, that made me laugh! We shall see 😊
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I haven’t read Sealskin or The Mountain in my Shoe so it’s definitely Deep Down Dead for me. It’s so amazing and one of my favourite reads of the year so far. To make matters worse I suggest you also add A Suitable Lie and Six Stories as they are both sublime x
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I’ve been tempted by those two and a few others. A Suitable Lie has been sitting in my Amazon shopping cart for a few weeks now and Six Stories sounds unlike anything I’ve ever read. So many books…so little time!
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Can I be a total rule breaker and say pick either Six Stories or A Suitable Lie? Haha those are just my two go to Orenda books. I loved Deep Down Dead and Sealskin though too. Mountain has been on my nightstand forever.
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Noooo lol 😊. I really want to read those too but I will stay stong and read the three I have…then I will purchase them. Hmm I might need to read one a month so I can get to them faster!
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That’s a good plan! You honestly can’t go wrong with whatever you pick, I’ve never disliked any of their books.
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Choosing between Orenda Books is the worst!! I’d say The Mountain in my Shoe is one of my favorites but only because I haven’t read the two others yet! No matter your choice, you can’t go wrong!
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Thanks Donna! That’s I hear…I can’t wait to dive into my first one 🙂
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I haven’t read these yet, but I’ve heard a lot of great things about The Mountain In My Shoe! I hope you will enjoy your next Orenda book. 🙂
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Thank you, I’m sure I will!
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Has to be Mountain in my Shoe Louise Beech!
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Thank you for voting!
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