Silver Travel Book Club - November 2019
Andrew's Book of the Month
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This month the Silver Travel Book Club – proudly sponsored by HF Holidays – is reading Borderlands by LJ Ross.
When the gods made man, they made a weapon...
After uncovering a fresh wave of
corruption within the ranks of Northumbria CID, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan
was looking forward to an uneventful summer. But, when a young woman is shot
dead on the remote army ranges of the Northumberland National
Park, Ryan is called in to investigate.
Meanwhile, violent crimes are being committed across sites of historic importance in the North East, the perpetrator leaving only a graffitied symbol as their calling card. As the body count rises, Ryan and his team must unravel the mystery behind its meaning – before it's too late...
Murder and mystery are peppered with
romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the
spectacular Northumbrian landscape.
Read 'In the footsteps of LJ Ross, DCI Ryan and 'Borderlands'' by Andrew Morrris.
Read an interview with the author LJ Ross.
HF Holidays – Book Club Weekends
Literary-based weekends perfect for dedicated bookworms!
The HF Book Club is a great way to
holiday with like-minded book lovers to discuss your favourite works or
discover something new in a relaxed and informal setting. Related guided
sightseeing visits to key attractions are included. These holidays are perfect
for solo travellers or you could come along with your book club.
Current HF Book Club Weekends include a Jane Austen Weekend in the South Downs, a Brontë Weekend in the Southern Yorkshire Dales, and a Tales from the Farm & Country Weekend in the Northern Lake District.
2020 departures and pricing
- Jane Austen – 25 September 2020 – 3 nights from £285 pp
- Brontë – 31 January 2020 – 3 nights from £175 pp
- Farm & Country – 6 November 2020 – 3 nights from £249 pp
The HF Book Club Weekends take place in magnificent country
houses in Sussex, the Lake District and Yorkshire. HF Holidays have 18 country houses
dotted around the UK, including Nether Grange in Alnmouth, Northumberland, the
beautiful county where LJ Ross has set Borderlands. Find out more about this
converted 18th century granary here,
and about the wide range of holidays offered by HF in Northumberland here.



How to win a copy of Borderlands by LJ Ross
Simply add a comment at the end of this page to tell us which is your favourite part of Northumberland and why. The best comment will win a copy of this fabulous book in the author’s exciting and successful DCI Ryan series.
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Book of the Month November 2019 winners:
No1tealady and GeminiJen
We found out that the Otterburn Ranges were open to walkers over Christmas (the army was on holiday so there was no live firing) we decided to spend a day walking up towards the Scottish border.
It was a bitterly cold morning with temperatures well below zero. We sat in the car to put on our boots. My feet got so cold that it took about an hour’s hard walking before they warmed up. The sun came out and it turned into a beautiful sunny winter’s day. There was no wind and by lunch time we were down to shirt sleeves. It was a wonderful walk through bare rolling countryside with a few shot up tanks reminding us the area is still used by the military. We walked as far as the Roman army camps at Chew Green and didn’t see a soul apart from a few sheep and curlews calling overhead. It was a day to remember.
https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/blog/miscellaneous/interview-with-author-louise-ross
And please keep those favourite Northumbrian memories and images coming to win a copy of 'Borderlands'.
DRSask - Barter Books in Alnwick has to be one of the best book shops in the world, doesn't it! https://www.barterbooks.co.uk/
So many of you have said how much you love Bamburgh Castle, but I think I prefer the magical moodiness of Dunstanburgh Castle, whose ruins poke through the frequent mist a few miles south of Bamburgh.
And thanks LynetteH for all your wonderful Northumbrian memories. The shepherds hut at Haltwhistle sounds very special. But if only I'd known about your Cart Bog Inn tip last week, when I was on location in the county, following in the footsteps of the author and her characters: https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/blog/miscellaneous/in-the-footsteps-of-lj-ross
Keep those favourite Northumbrian images coming. and also look out for a Q&A interview with 'Borderlands' author and Northumberland resident Louise Ross.
Further north and nearer the coast are The villages of Ford and Etal. These areas are overflowing with great places to eat. Easy drive to Linisfarne and Bamberg. Or just walk the paths through the nearby countryside for some wonderfully peaceful countryside.
How do I chose my favourite location. I don't. I just go back to explore more areas and build more beautiful memories.
I also visited Alnmouth for the first time, where new Book Club sponsor HF Holidays has its Nether Grange Country House, overlooking a golf course and the sea in this picturesque harbour town, and from where you can enjoy many Northumbrian highlights and activity holidays:
https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/country-houses/locations/alnmouth-northumberland
More recently my husband and I stayed in Alnmouth on an HF holiday. It was in late winter and was with a group of seasoned walkers from the U3A. I was not really a seasoned walker so chose to go on a shortened walk and we trudged up the coast in the wind and the snow. i recall we were on a beach quite near Bamburgh when a friend and I just had to spend a penny! So dressed in layer upon layer of thermals we dropped down behind a couple of convenient rocks ! It was so cold it took ages to get dressed again!
Despite that my favourite place is Bamburgh - I have visited the magnificent castle several times and hope to go again before too long.
Your intrepid Literary Editor is hoping to follow in the footsteps of author LJ Ross and 'Borderlands' character DCI Ryan next week, stalking them around the Otterburn Ranges, where a horrible crime takes place at the start of this gripping novel, and then to the communities of Elsdon, Wooler and Harbottle as the investigation unfolds.
Keep those favourite Northumbrian memories coming to win a copy of 'Borderlands', and find out if DCI Ryan solves the mystery....