WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’ve been sorting out my Kindle and audiobooks recently and The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney caught my eye as I was doing that so it’s my current listen. It’s more intriguing than I thought it was going to be and I’m enjoying it so far.
My current festive read is the lovely Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin.
I’m also still reading Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli but I’m not far off finishing it now. I’m going to miss this one once I’m done as I’ve really enjoyed dipping in and out of this book in recent weeks.
Recent Reads
I just finished reading My Mother, Munchausen’s and Me by Helen Naylor last night. I found this book hard to read at times because of the subject matter but it was a fascinating exploration of living with a narcissistic mother and dealing with all the repercussions of her behaviour.
I’m trying to get to some of the older books on my TBR at the moment as well as new releases so this week I listened to the audiobook of Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott, which I’ve owned since 2014. I really enjoyed this one. I’m struggling with a bad back at the moment and this was perfect escapism.
I also read Survive the Night by Riley Sager from my NetGalley shelf and I enjoyed it. I thought the first half was better than the second but it did keep me hooked all the way through.
I finished reading The Twelve Wishes of Christmas by Ruby Basu and loved it. You can read my review here.
I also finished listening to Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama and enjoyed it. I also have The Audacity of Hope on my Audible and a hardback copy of his memoir so hope to read more by him soon.
I really enjoyed reading The Little Christmas Tree House by Tracy Rees last week too, it was a lovely festive read. My review is here.
What I Might Read Next
As I’ve been sorting through my Kindle books I’ve been taking note of the books I’ve owned the longest and it seems We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates has been on my Goodreads since I first set up my account (in early 2010!) but I know I’ve owned it longer than that. So I’d really like to finally start reading it this week!
I also hope to read The Best Christmas Ever by Karen King which is the next Christmas book on my NetGalley shelf.
I’d also like to get back to the Frieda Klein series so I have Waiting for Wednesday by Nicci French on this week’s TBR!
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’ve been slowly reading my way through some of my older Christmas books and while Christmas at the Beach Hut by Veronica Henry hasn’t been on my kindle all that long I couldn’t resist picking it up this week. I’m really enjoying this one and am so glad I made this my next read.
I’m not taking part in Non-Fiction November properly this year as I’m still in a place where I need to mood read and that often leads me to pick up lighter fiction. I was drawn to the audio book of The Romanovs: 1613 – 1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore yesterday though so I’ve started listening to this one. I don’t know very much about the Romanovs and so have been engrossed in this boook.
I’m also still dipping in and out of Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli and enjoying it. It’s making me want to re-watch The Sopranos (and I only watched it for the first time earlier this year!).
Recent Reads
I seem to have read a lot of books this week and I’m not sure how that happened but I’m happy that it did.
The most recent book I finished was The Visitor by Zoe Miller. I picked this one as it seemed to be a thriller set near Christmas and it was an okay read – I enjoyed the first part more than the rest.
Before that I finally read Therese Raquin by Emile Zola, which had been on my TBR for quite some time. I very much enjoyed this one and am so glad that I’ve finally read it (although I’m kicking myself now for not picking it up sooner).
I also read and loved The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman. I adored the author’s previous two novels so had very high hopes for this one and it absolutely lived up to them.
I had a hardback and audiobook copy of Look What You Made Me Do by Helene Walmsley-Johnson so I part read and part listened to this one. It was a tough read because of the subject matter (it’s a memoir about coercive control) but I’m glad I read it.
Another festive read this week was Baby It’s Cold Outside by Emily Bell and I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t as much about Christmas as I’d thought it would be but it was a gorgeous and cosy winter read. I recommend it!
I’ve had a paperback of Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman on my TBR for years but the text is so small I can’t read it so when I spotted the audio was available as part of the new Audible lending library I grabbed it. This book was published in 1985 but so much of it is just as relevant to us today and I highly recommend it. It’s made me want to re-read Brave New World so that might be a book I pick up in the new year!
I also finished reading A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton. I enjoyed this one but was a little disappointed that whilst it’s set at Christmas there isn’t much Christmas in it. I did enjoy the story though and I loved that it was set in York.
What I Might Read Next
I’m very much a mood reader at the moment but the two books that are catching my attention from my TBR at the moment are The Perfect Christmas Gift by Katie Ginger and My Mother, Munchausen’s and Me by Helen Naylor so I hope to read both of these in the coming days.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I started listening to the audiobook of Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris yesterday and am already two thirds through it! It’s the first of this author’s books and the only one (apart from her most recent) that I hadn’t read. I’m definitely hooked and am intrigued to see how it’s all going to end.
I also started reading We Are Not Like Them by Christina Pride and Jo Piazza from my NetGalley shelf. I found this one hard to get in to but now I’m a few chapters in I’m gripped and am keen to read more today.
I started Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli and am still really enjoying it. It’s a good book to dip in and out of so that’s how I’ve been reading it so far.
Recent Reads
I finished reading Tuesday’s Gone by Nicci French this week and enjoyed it every bit as much as the first book in the series so I shall definitely be moving on too the next book very, very soon!
I’ve been sorting out my books and kindle books recently and trying to organise my Christmas books. I wasn’t sure whether Coming Home to Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters was a festive read or not so I decided to read the first chapter to find out. I then got so absorbed in the story that I just kept on reading and I loved this one. It’s set in winter and features a lot of Christmas so it’s a good one to add to your festive TBR stacks!
I had a paperback of The Memory Chamber by Holly Cave and somehow had also bought the audiobook so I part read and part listened to this one. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting it to be.
I found Soham: A Story of Our Times by Nicci Gerrard in the depths of my bookcase during my recent re-organising and as it’s a short book I decided to read it there and then. It’s an older book now but it’s still relevant and I would recommend it.
Make My Wish Come True by Fiona Harper is another book that I wasn’t sure if it was going to be Christmassy or not and on reading the first couple of chapters ended up reading the whole thing! I very much enjoyed this one and definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a feel-good festive read!
I also listened to The Secret House of Death by Ruth Rendell as part of the free Audible books section and I found this really engrossing.
What I Might Read Next
I’m a big fan of Shaun Ryder so when I spotted his new audio book How to be a Rock Star on NetGalley last week I immediately requested it and am thrilled to have been approved. I hope I get a chance to start listening to this one as I think it’s going to be a fun listen!
It still feels a bit early to be reading Christmas books but I find October such a long and miserable month so starting on a festive book feels like the perfect cosy escape so I’m hoping to pick up A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton.
I was approved to read Survive the Night by Riley Sager on NetGalley a long time ago now but it’s due to be published in December so it feels like a good time to read it. I’ve enjoyed all of his previous books so I have high hopes for this one!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
This week I started reading the Frieda Klein series and loved Blue Monday so much that I immediately picked up the next book: Tuesday’s Gone by Nicci French! I don’t think I’ve read a series back to back since I was a child but it’s really nice to get absorbed in a series, especially one where all the books are already published so no having to wait for the next one!
My husband and I were very late getting to The Sopranos and only watched it for the first time this year! Better late than never though as we both absolutely loved it. So when I spotted Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive History of the Sopranos by Michael Imperioli on NetGalley I immediately requested and it as soon as I was approved I started reading it. It’s based on a podcast and I’m definitely going to check that out once I’ve read the book.
Recent Reads
As I said above I picked up Blue Monday by Nicci French this week and loved it. Freida Klein is such an interesting character and I can’t wait to find out more about her.
I also listened to Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam on audio book this week and found it gripping! I’d heard good things about this one and it lived up to the hype. I’ve now heard that Netflix are adapting this book so I’m really keen to see what they do with it as I think it would make a great film.
I bought and read People Like Them by Samira Sedira this week and found it such a chilling but also brilliant novel. It’s based on a real life murder, which I don’t remember hearing about, but knowing how close to true it is made it really hard to read at times. The writing is great though and I would read more by this author if any of her other work gets translated.
I bought Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner with an Audible credit and listened to it straight away. I connected so much with this book – a memoir about the author’s mother’s diagnosis and death from cancer. She really captures what the loss is like and the ways it affects a person. This is a book that will stay with me and I think is going to be one of my favourite non-fiction reads of the year.
What I Might Read Next
If I enjoyed Tuesday as much I enjoyed Monday then I plan on reading Waiting for Wednesday by Nicci French over the next week.
Both Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson and My Mother, Munchausen’s and Me by Helen Naylor are from my NetGalley shelf and are really appealing to me at the moment so I hope to read them in the coming days.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
True Crime Story by Joseph Knox
This is such an intriguing book, I’m so keen to keep reading to see where it goes next!
All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks
This is an incredible memoir and Ruth is such an amazing woman. I hope to read more of it this week.
Recent Reads
Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
I borrowed the audio book of this from the library and I found it such a fascinating book from which I learnt a lot that I didn’t know. I’d quite like to buy a kindle copy of this one so that I can read it again in the future.
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
This is a stunning book – it’s both very moving and very funny, it captures what it’s like to live with a mental illness so well. I recommend it.
What I Might Read Next
Passenger List by John Dryden
This is How We Are Human by Louise Beech
The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker
As is now the norm for me I’m planning on reading the next book on my NetGalley shelf which is Passenger List. I also would like to read This is How We Are Human as it’s for a forthcoming blog tour and I just know I’m going to adore it. The final book is off my own TBR and is one that I’m keen to read while I’m in the middle of a post-lockdown clear out in my home.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
The Island by C. L. Taylor
I was approved to listen to this audiobook on NetGalley and I’m really enjoying it. I love C. L. Taylor’s writing anyway and this YA thriller is really engaging and exactly what I want to be listening to at the moment. It follows a group of teens who have arrived on an island for a survivalist holiday but very quickly things begin to go wrong leaving them all questioning who could be doing this to them and why!
My Blue is not Your Blue: A Missing Person Memoir by Aspen Matis
I can’t remember where I heard about this book but I found it on Kindle Unlimited this week so downloaded it and immediately started reading it. It’s a memoir of a young woman who meets her future husband while hiking in the wilderness. They fall in love and are happy together but one day he goes to the funeral of a friend and never returns. I’m finding myself gripped by this one even though the writing style isn’t something I’d normally go for. I’m keen to read more!
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
This is a short story collection that I got from NetGalley before Christmas but I only managed to read the first two stories so I would like to pick this back up and finish the collection this week. I really enjoyed the stories I’ve read so far so I’m looking forward to seeing what the others are like.
Recent Reads
Not the Type by Camilla Thurlow
I’ve only ever watched one series of Love Island and it was the one with Camilla. I was fairly indifferent to it but it gripped me enough to keep watching to the end. When I saw this book was out I was drawn to pick it up and I’m really glad I did. It’s about Camilla’s life working in landmine disposal for Halo and also her struggles with anxiety and low self-esteem. I found it to be a really honest book and I enjoyed Camilla’s writing.
The Push by Claire McGowan
I got this book from Kindle Unlimited and I’m so glad I picked it up. It was a case of right book at the right time and I found it really hard to put down. The novel follows six couples who meet at an antenatal group. The novel opens with the aftermath of a get together post the babies being born and someone has fallen to their death from a balcony. The novel then follows the characters and goes back and forth in time. I found it a compulsive read and I really enjoyed it.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
My husband bought me this book for Christmas and I picked it up on New Year’s Day and I read the whole thing in one sitting. It’s a long time since I’ve done that so it shows how much I enjoyed the book. This novel follows a group of people in a retirement village and they try to solve unsolved murders at their club. Then one day someone they know is murdered and they are on the case. I loved everything about this book and can’t wait for the sequel to be out later this year!
What I Might Read Next
The Last Resort by Susi Holliday
I downloaded this book from Kindle Unlimited this week and am really keen to get to it so hopefully I can pick it up this week. I love Susi Holliday’s writing so I feel sure that I’m going to love this one!
Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change and Courage by Tori Amos
I treated myself to this book recently as I’m a real fan of Tori Amos’ music and so as soon as I heard about this book I had to get it! It seems like it might be a good read for right now and I can’t wait to get to this one!
One by One by Ruth Ware
I was approved to read this from NetGalley a few months ago now but due to my dreaded reading slump I haven’t managed to start it as yet. Given that it’s set in wintery weather it seems like it might be a perfect January read so I hope to get to it this week!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m still in the midst of the horrible reading slump but am continuing to keep trying to read. These are the three books that I find myself in the middle of this week!
Let’s Do It by Jasper Rees
I was thrilled to get the audiobook of this from NetGalley recently and am very much enjoying listening to it. I was a huge fan of Victoria Wood so it’s lovely to learn more about her life.
If Every Day Was Christmas by Donna Ashcroft
I’ve only just started this one but I’m really enjoying it so far. I do love a good Christmas read!
Vulgar Favours by Maureen Orth
I haven’t read much more of this one this week but I hope to get back to it soon.
Recent Reads
The Clause in Christmas by Rachael Bloome
I managed to finish reading a book this week, the first in a few weeks now, and I did enjoy it. It’s a really sweet festive romance all set in December so it’s one to read if you want to start feeling Christmassy!
What I Might Read Next
Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh
I don’t really know what I’ll read next but I’m enjoying watching the book series Between the Covers on BBC2 and this was their featured book last week. It reminded me all over again how much I wanted to read this so I think I might try and pick this up next.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
The Clause in Christmas by Rachael Bloome
I started reading this last night and am enjoying it. It’s a cute festive romance read and I’m keen to read more.
Vulgar Favours: The Assassination of Gianni Versace by Maureen Orth
I’ve read a few more chapters of this since last week and am finding it fascinating. I just wish my concentration was better and my reading slump would go so I could read more of it.
Recent Reads
I haven’t finished reading anything this week as my slump is continuing.
What I Might Read Next
I don’t know what I’ll read next, I just hope I find something that holds my attention. I think Christmas reads are going to be the way to go so I’ll see what I have and which catch my attention.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m still in my reading slump so I’m not really reading much of anything. We watched the Netflix series based on Vulgar Favours: The Assassination of Gianni Versace over the weekend so I thought I’d pick the book up now. I hope I can get into it. I’m still reading If I Can’t Have You from last week. I’m enjoying it but just aren’t very motivated to read in general at the moment.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace by Maureen Orth
If I Can’t Have You by Charlotte Levin
Recent Reads
This is a blog tour book for next week so given how slow my reading is at the moment I thought I better start it right away. I ended up getting gripped and read it in two sittings. It’s such a different and stunning read and I really enjoyed it. I recommend it! I hoped this might break my reading slump if it hasn’t. At least I know if I find the exact right book for my mood I can still concentrate to read.
Once Again by Catherine Wallace Hope
What I Might Read Next
I don’t know what I’ll read next, I’m going to see whatever grabs my attention in the coming days. I’m thinking I might start on some festive reads as they tend to be more cosy and easy to get into.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
My reading slump is continuing and seems to be getting worse so I’ve not read much more of Just Eat It since last week but I hope to get back to it soon. I treated myself to If I Can’t Have You as it’s a book I’ve been keen to read. I’m enjoying it but I’m still only reading it a few pages at a time.
If I Can’t Have You by Charlotte Levin
Just Eat It by Laura Thomas
Recent Reads
I’ve only managed to finish one book since last week and at least I can say it was a brilliant read. The New Jim Crow is a fascinating and eye-opening read, it’s one I highly recommend.
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
What I Might Read Next
I’m not sure what I might read next. My reading slump is worse than it was and I just don’t seem to be reading much of anything. I did treat myself to some new books over the last couple of days though in the hope that one of them might capture my interest. Watch this space (and please cross your fingers that one of them gets my reading mojo back)!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m still feeling really lacklustre with reading but I have found these two non-fiction books that are holding my attention. The New Jim Crow is an audiobook that I’ve borrowed from BorrowBox and I’m finding it so eye-opening. Just Eat it is about intuitive eating – it caught my attention recently given that I’m in the middle of trying to eat in a much more healthy way. It’s interesting so far and I’m keen to read more.
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Just Eat It by Laura Thomas
Recent Reads
I haven’t read much at all this week. Gravity Well is a short poetry collection which I enjoyed. I’m on the blog tour for it today if you’d like to read my thoughts on it. House of Correction was a gripping audiobook that I really enjoyed. The Phone Box at the Edge of the World was ultimately a life-affirming read and I’m glad I picked it up.
The Phone Box at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina
Gravity Well by Marc Rahe
House of Correction by Nicci French
What I Might Read Next
To be honest I have no idea what I might read next so I’m not even going to pretend about what I might pick up. I hope I pick up something that gets my reading mojo back in full swing. If you have any recommendations I’d appreciate them. 🙂
What are you reading this week? I’d love to know! 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m just reading one book this week and it’s an audio book. I’ve only just started listening to it but I’m enjoying it so far!
House of Correction by Nicci French
Recent Reads
I’ve finished five books this week and enjoyed all of them. Two of them were shorter reads and two were audiobooks so it meant I got more books read than I might have done. I’m still not feeling much like picking up print or kindle books but when I do pick books up I enjoy them. I hope this mood passes soon.
Older and Wider by Jenny Eclair
The Power in You by Henry Fraser
The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Takes from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Summer by Ali Smith
What I Might Read Next
These are two of the oldest books on my NetGalley shelf and I’m still really keen to read them both so hopefully I can read them this week.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m still struggling to pick up books so I’m sticking to one Kindle book and one audio book and this seems to be working for me at the moment. The Stolen Sisters is really good and I’m intrigued to see where this book is going. I’ve only just started listening to Summer but am enjoying it so far and am looking forward to listening to more.
The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen
Summer by Ali Smith
Recent Reads
Four of the books I finished this week were audiobooks and this is definitely the way for me to read just now. I enjoyed all five of these books and would recommend them. My review of In Black and White will be posted on my blog on Friday so please look out for it then.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
I Thought I Knew You by Penny Hancock
In Black and White by Alexandra Wilson
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
Writers and Lovers by Lily King
What I Might Read Next
I’m still reading by whim just now but would like to read through some of my NetGalley books this week so these are the three that are jumping out to me the most at the moment. I’ve also Tales from the Cafe on audio so will be able to listen to that one as I read.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The Split by Sharon Bolton
Home Stretch by Graham Norton
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to chat about your current read in the comments. If you’ve posted a WWW Wednesdays post please feel free to share your link before and I’ll read your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m still struggling with my reading so am sticking to one ebook and one audiobook at a time. I’m really enjoying both of these books and am hoping they might break me out of this slump I’m in.
In Black and White by Alexandra Wilson
Writers and Lovers by Lily King
Recent Reads
I found Liar to be such an intriguing book and really enjoyed it. It was a book that made me think, I recommend it. Fallen Angel wasn’t a great read, it was predictable and full of stereotypical characters so didn’t really help with my reading slump. Dead to Her was an okay read – I’ve already reviewed it so you can find my full thoughts here.
The Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
Fallen Angel by Chris Brookmyre
Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough
What I Might Read Next
I’m still reading by whim and hoping to find a way through this reading slump. These three books are the one that most appeal to me at the moment so I hope I can read them in the coming days.
Summer by Ali Smith
The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen
Life in Pieces by Dawn O’Porter
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to chat about your current read in the comments. If you’ve posted a WWW Wednesdays post please feel free to share your link before and I’ll read your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m trying out reading one book at a time at the moment. I like being in the middle of lots of books but my brain just isn’t up for that right now so I’m hoping reading one at once will help. It feels very strange!
Dead To Her by Sarah Pinborough
Recent Reads
I really focused my mind on finishing off the numerous books that I’ve had part-read for a while now so I managed to do that. My husband is now no longer on furlough and is working from home so I’m listening to more audiobooks during the day, which is helping me read more. I’m still struggling to read ebooks but am enjoying listening to books.
Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink
Watch Over You by M. J. Ford
Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar
The Storm by Amanda Jennings
Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan
Spring by Ali Smith
The Upstairs Room by Kate Murray-Browne
What I Might Read Next
I don’t know what I’ll read next as I’m still reading by whim but I know that audiobooks are better for me at the moment so I’ve picked three audiobooks this week that are catching my eye the most, and then one ebook (The Turn of the Key) that I can read at night.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
These are the four books that I’m currently reading. All of them are excellent but I’m really intrigued by The Upstairs Room at the moment so that is my main read.
Spring by Ali Smith
The Upstairs Room by Kate Murray-Browne
Here Is The Beehive by Sarah Crossan
Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink
Recent Reads
I really enjoyed all four of these books this week. I think Three was my favourite as it just went in a direction that I wasn’t expecting and completely shocked me. I also loved Long Bright River, I’m so pleased I finally got to read it.
Three by D. A. Mishani
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Grace is Gone by Emily Elgar
My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams
What I Might Read Next
I’m still not reading as much as I normally do, I just don’t feel motivated to pick a book up. Once I’m reading I do enjoy it though so I’m hoping this feeling passes soon. The books that most appeal to me at the moment are these four so hopefully I’ll get to read them this week. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams
I started reading this book yesterday and I’m just gobsmacked at this real life story. It’s written by Rachel who became friends with Anna and was completely taken advantage of. I’m only a couple of chapters in so I don’t know much about the story as yet but just the opening chapter had me stunned at the situation Rachel ended up in. I can’t wait to read more.
Grace is Gone by Emily Elgar
I bought this book earlier this year and have been so keen to read it. I finally picked it up yesterday and I’m so intrigued. A woman has been found murdered in her bed and her severely disabled teenage daughter is missing. Their neighbour’s daughter Cara found Meg’s body and now we’re following her perspective and that of a disgraced journalist Jon. I’m so keen to so where this book is going (I have my suspicions and have avoided all reviews so as not to get spoiled on what happens) and can’t wait to read more!
Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink
I’m still really enjoying this one. It’s a book where the author is relating her life story through the medium of books she has loved over the years. It’s a wonderful read, one that feels very nostalgic and sooting. I’m deliberately reading this one slowly as it feels like such a relaxing treat to pick it up.
Recent Reads
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
I keep hearing about this book so when I was looking for some easy, escapist reading at the weekend I picked it up. I read the whole thing in one sitting and really enjoyed it. It was exactly what I needed at the time. It follows Pippa, a studious teenager who for a school assignment decides to look into a murder that happened in her community five years ago. A teenage girl was murdered and her boyfriend was prime suspect but when he died by suicide the police closed the case. The novel does require some suspension of disbelief but it’s still such a good read.
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
I listened to the audiobook of this over a few days and I very much enjoyed it. It’s a fictionalised version of Hillary Clinton’s life and it imagines what might have happened had she not married Bill. I did find some of the book a bit icky (the sex scenes…) but for the most part I loved this book. It was easy to see how much of this novel could have happened were some decisions made differently. I recommend it!
No Win Race by Derek A. Bardowell
This is an excellent novel about the author’s own experiences of racism along with a wider look at society through the lens of sport. He raises some really important points about what it is to be British and black, and how society never quite sees him as fully British. He looks at various sports (boxing, basketball, Formula 1 and football) and how black sports men and women are treated. I’m still thinking about this book but once I’ve got my thoughts together I will write a review.
Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi
I really enjoyed this novel! It follows Julia (an editor) as she meets Grant (a mathematician and author) with a view to re-publishing his short story collection. The novel features all the stories in this collection and a discussion between Julia and Grant about them. I loved the stories, they’re all set in the 1930s and are very Christie-esque. There are layers of mystery in this novel and lots of shocks in store. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find that here if you’d like to know more.
What I Might Read Next
I’ve been in a strange mood this week, I’ve still been reading and I’ve still been enjoying reading but I’m not drawn to picking up books as much as I want to. I’m hoping I’m not heading for another reading slump. In an attempt to ward it off I’m reading entirely by whim at the moment and the three books below are the ones that are really calling to me. I hope to read them in the coming days! 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
No Win Race by Derek A. Bardowell
I bought the ebook of this one forgetting that I had a pending request on NetGalley for the audio book. So now I’m part listening and part reading this and it’s such an eye-opening book about race. The author is a black British man who grew up in London and was a huge sports fan. He documents his experiences of racism along with that in wider society and mainly through the eye of sports. His Jamaican father followed cricket and boxing and at the point I’m up to Derek is very into basketball. It’s shocking to see the racism documented in this book, and how insidious it is. The author is a bit older than me so the book is building on my very vague knowledge of the time. I recommend this one.
Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink
This is such a lovely book where the author is looking back on the books she has enjoyed and been influenced by in her life. I’m still at the part about her childhood but her descriptions of trips to the library and the books she was reading are so similar to my own childhood that this feels so nostalgic and joyous so far. I’m trying to read this one slowly so I can enjoy it for the longest possible time. It’s really wonderful though and I highly recommend it.
Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi
I only started this one last night but I’m fascinated by it. I requested it from NetGalley based on the premise but when I started reading I had forgotten the detail of what the book was about so it’s been brilliant finding my way through. It’s basically a novel about Grant who wrote a murder mystery short story collection years earlier and it’s been rediscovered by a small publishing house. Their editor Julia is now with Grant and they’re reading each story in turn and discussing it. We get each of the stories and their thoughts about them, plus Grant’s theories about murder mysteries. It’s such a good book and I think all murder mystery/crime fiction fans will love it.
Recent Reads
The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams
I listened to this on audio from NetGalley and sadly I didn’t really like it. It started off well and I liked the main character Penny. She has had a difficult time of it, her mum died when she was young and then she herself had cancer. Life is good now though and she’s looking for love. She meets Francesco and they quickly fall for each other. So far so good! However Penny then has to go away and this novel veers into tropes I hate where suddenly she doesn’t communicate properly with people and it leads to all kinds of dramas that could have so easily been avoided. I felt really let down by how much Penny changed from being so open and honest and I just didn’t enjoy the second half of the book much at all. The narrator, Carrie Hope Fletcher, was very good though. Her voice really suited the story and I would listen to more books narrated by her in the future.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
This is a novel told in verse and it follows two teenage girls who find out their father has been killed in a plane crash off New York. Camino lives in the Dominican Republic with her aunt and had been excitedly awaiting her father’s arrival for the summer. Yahaira lives in New York with her mother and had let her dad leave without a word. Over the novel the girls learn the secrets of this man and that they are half-sisters. I really enjoyed this book. I found the spare writing really suited the narrative. The descriptions of grief were visceral at times, and the shock of each girl realising the other exists felt so believable. I recommend this one.
The Holdout by Graham Moore
This was the last book on my NetGalley shelf from before 2020 so I wanted to get to it and I’m so pleased that I finally picked it up. It follows Maya who served on a jury ten years ago. It was a murder case and Bobby Nock, a black man, was accused of murdering his white student Jessica. Maya was responsible for persuading the rest of the jury to vote not guilty. Now it’s ten years later and the past is catching up with Maya. A TV show is being made about the case and the jury are all reuniting to film their thoughts now. This novel had so much more to it than I was expecting and I was gripped all the way through. I’ve already reviewed this one here if you’d like to know more – I highly recommend it!
Under a Starry Sky by Laura Kemp
This is a lovely novel, perfect for some summer escapism. It follows Wanda who has always wanted to travel the world but things keep conspiring to keep her in the Welsh town where she grew up. Her sister is pregnant and on her own, and their mum has just had an accident. Now Wanda has to face up to the past when she bumps into her ex-best friend Annie in the town. I loved this book, it’s such a feel-good read and is one I recommend. I’ve reviewed it here if you’d like to know more.
What I Might Read Next
I have so many books that I want to read but I’m often struggling to settle to read anything at the moment but these four books are the ones that most appeal to me as I’m writing this. The first is a library book and one I’ve wanted to read for a long time. The second is an Audible book I treated myself to very recently. The third is a kindle book I bought not long ago and is a collection of essays, which I’m keen to get to. The last one is a NetGalley book that I’m so intrigued by!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
I started reading this one last night and I’m very much enjoying it. It follows two girls: Camino in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira in New York. On the same day they both get news that their father has died in a plane crash and whilst trying to come to terms with this tragedy they learn their father is the same man. They now have to work out how to deal with discovering they have a sister living in another part of the world. I’m only a little way into this one but the writing is beautiful and I’m engrossed.
Under A Starry Sky by Laura Kemp
This is my current audio book and I’m really enjoying it. It follows Wanda who has always wanted to travel but life keeps having other plans for her. She was due to leave her family in Wales when she was young but then her father died. Now it’s years later and she’s packing up to leave when her mum has an accident and her sister announces she’s pregnant. Wanda seems destined to have to stay and run the family’s rundown campsite for the summer and to face up to some ghosts from the past. I’m loving this audiobook so far and can’t wait to listen to more!
The Holdout by Graham Moore
This is now the last book that I have on my NetGalley shelf that I got before 2020 so I wanted to get to it this week. I’m now kicking myself for not picking it up sooner because I’m loving it so far. It follows Maya who is a successful lawyer but ten years ago she did jury duty and helped sway the jury to a not guilty verdict. Now the jury is meeting up again for a TV show as one member thinks he’s uncovered evidence that will change everything! I avoided knowing anymore than this about the book and I’m glad I did because I thought I knew what this was going to be and it’s turned out more is going on than I predicted! I love when a novel surprises me!
Keep Her Quiet by Emma Curtis
I’m reading this book on Pigeonhole but I’m way behind and all of the parts are now available. It’s taking me a while as I’m struggling to read on my phone screen at the moment. I am liking the novel so far though. You do have to suspend disbelief but it’s one I’m happy to do that with. It moves from past to present and focuses on a teenager who was kidnapped from the hospital soon after her birth sixteen years ago. I hope to be able to read more of this soon, I might buy it on kindle so that it’s easier on my eyes to read.
Recent Reads
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
I read and quite enjoyed The Escape Room by this author and was keen to try another novel by her. The Night Swim started off so well – it’s gripping and fast-paced and there is a mystery there so I thought I was going to love it. However, the pace slows down and I did find it a bit predictable, I was hoping for a shock at the end but it all unfolded as I had suspected it would. This is more a mystery novel than a thriller but having said that it did keep me engrossed and I did enjoy it so I would recommend it.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
This was such a great novel and I really enjoyed it. It follows Emira, a 20-something black woman who works as a babysitter for a white family. One night she is looking after Briar and a security guard starts asking questions believing Emira has kidnapped the child. What follows is alternating chapters of Emira, and Alix (Briar’s mother) as we see their lives. Emira needs to find a job with health insurance, but Alix is focused on Emira’s life and wanting to know more about her. She seems fascinated by Emira and the fact that she’s black. There is so much to this novel and I loved it. I recommend it.
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman
This is the book I’ve mainly been reading for much of the last couple of weeks and I’ve loved every minute of it. It took me a few pages to get to grips with the way it’s written and then after that I just didn’t want to put it down. I love the random way the protagonist thinks and at times it felt like my own thoughts were being reflected back at me from the pages. The end when it comes is sheer perfection! This is an incredible novel and one I won’t ever forget. I highly, highly recommend it!
What I Might Read Next
I’m still mood reading for the most part but also trying to read my way through my NetGalley shelf. The first three books on my list for this week are NetGalley books and ones that I’m keen to get to very soon. The fourth is a library book and is one that I’ve been wanting to read for a while so I plan on starting that one next.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman
So, I finally started reading this mammoth book! I have a hardback edition but I’ve also got the ebook from the library as it’s too much for me to hold the hardback for long. I’m actually really enjoying this book, it’s such an interesting read. The lack of full-stops is something I got used to really easily and it’s never bothered me to stop reading at any point on a page, I don’t need chapters, so this is really enjoyable. I find it works best if I read in chunks rather than a few pages here and there, and I do need to take the odd break from it but I love coming back to it. I’m currently on page 306 of 1030!
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
I’m really enjoying this book. It follows Emira, a young black woman who babysits for a white couple. One night they ask her to take their child to the store and while there she is accused of kidnapping the child. It also follows Alix, the mother of the child, and she is a busy and successful woman who is very media savvy and aware of optics. It’s eye-opening to read Emira’s point of view and to see just how many micro-aggressions she has to deal with every single day. There is such a contrast with Alix’s life and how she suddenly finds herself wanting to get to know Emira better. I can’t wait to read more of this one.
Recent Reads
The New Girl by Harriet Walker
This novel follows two women: Margot who is a fashion editor at a high end magazine, she’s also pregnant and will be going on maternity leave soon; and Maggie, the woman who is brought in to replace her. Margot finds out that her best friend Winnie has suffered a stillbirth on the day she hires Maggie and it sends he into a spiral. She doesn’t handle any of it very well. I found this novel very slow over the first half but then something happens mid-way through and we get a different perspective and from then on I was gripped. This is more a domestic drama than a thriller so I was a bit disappointed that I thought I was getting something different. I did enjoy the second half though.
The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke
This novel is stunning! It follows the journey of a song and the impact it has on people. First we meet Arie and Diana who are very much in love. Diana finds it hard to communicate her emotions in words so she starts composes a song for Arie. Soon after something happens to Diana and a man picks up her composition and takes it home. The song reaches as far as Australia, Canada and Edinburgh and it has such an effect of all of those who hear it. I love how the song threads all the way through the novel, it’s such a beautiful book. I’ll be reviewing this one on 10th August for the blog tour so look out for my thoughts then. In the meantime I highly recommend it!
All My Lies Are True by Dorothy Koomson
This is the sequel to The Ice Cream Girls and I really enjoyed it. It follows lots of characters but the core story is about the daughter of one of the Ice Cream Girls and the younger brother of the other. This goes back and forth in time through multiple perspectives as we explore how the next generation views what the previous was accused, and in one case, convicted of. It is a little confusing to follow on audio book at times as it jumps around in time and through characters so frequently so it’s one to listen to in big chunks. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it.
The Summer of Madness by Alexander Raphael
This is such a lovely short story and I really enjoyed it. It follows Kurt as he embarks on a plan to win his ex-girlfriend back. She has dumped him because he was selfish and so now he’s decided to stand at the station every day reading his way through her favourite novel Wuthering Heights in the hope she’ll see him there. It’s a sweet story and perfect for reading during your lunch break. I’ll be reviewing this one soon but I recommend it in the meantime!
What I Might Read Next
I don’t know what I might read next but the books that are catching my attention right now are these four. The first three are books I got from NetGalley and the fourth is a library book on the BorrowBox app that is next on my anti-racism reading list.
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi
Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
I just started reading this last night so have only read the first couple of chapters so far but I can’t wait to read more. It follows Emira, a young black woman who babysits for a white couple. One night they ask her to take their child to the store and while there she is accused of kidnapping the child. It also follows Alix, the mother of the child, and she is a busy and successful woman who is very media savvy and aware of optics. I’m really keen to read more about these two women and to see where this novel is going.
The New Girl by Harriet Walker
This novel follows two women: Margot who is a fashion editor at a high end magazine, she’s also pregnant and will be going on maternity leave soon; and Maggie, the woman who is brought in to replace her. Margot finds out that her best friend Winnie has suffered a stillbirth on the day she hires Maggie and it sends he into a spiral. She doesn’t handle any of it very well. I’m only a few chapters into this one but I’m intrigued to see where it’s going. We know from the prologue that a woman dies but we don’t know who! It seems both Margot and Maggie are driven and it feels like there is already jealousy and competitiveness between them. I’m looking forward to reading more.
All My Lies Are True by Dorothy Koomson
This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year as I loved The Ice Cream Girls. I’m really enjoying this one. It follows lots of characters but the core story is about the daughter of one of the Ice Cream Girls and the younger brother of the other. This goes back and forth in time through multiple perspectives as we explore how the next generation views what the previous was accused, and in one case, convicted of. It is a little confusing to follow on audio book at times as it jumps around in time and through characters so frequently so it’s one to listen to in big chunks. I’m really enjoying this one though and am keen to see how it’s all going to end!
Recent Reads
The Life We Almost Had by Amelia Henley
This is a stunning novel and one I won’t forget. This one follows Anna and Adam, a couple who fall in love on holiday and decide to stay together afterwards. We know from the very start that something has gone wrong but we don’t know what. I adored reading about the holiday romance, it was so lovely and believable. Even when they begin to have problems once back to reality the love was still there. I reviewed this one yesterday so you can find my full review here if you’d like to know more.
Small Island by Andrea Levy
I read this book many years ago at University but I’ve been wanting to listen to the audio book as Andrea Levy narrates it and I finally got to it over the last week. I really enjoyed the audio, it’s brilliantly done. The novel follows Hortense as she arrives in the UK from Jamaica to join her new husband. We also meet Queenie, Gilbert’s landlady. The novel really puts you into the mindset of what it was to come to this country as a black person in the 40s, and how the English viewed even war heroes like Gilbert as second-class citizens. I very much enjoyed this novel and I recommend it.
The Mothers by Sarah J. Naughton
This novel follows a police detective Iona as she starts investigating the disappearance of a married man. I’m only a couple of chapters into this one but we’ve met the group of mothers, one of whom is married to the missing man. There seems to be a class divide in the mothers’ group, and they almost seem like frenemies at first but there is way more to these women than we see at first. I really enjoyed this book. I had to suspend disbelief at times but I didn’t mind as I was so engrossed in the book I just wanted to know what was going to happen! I’ve already reviewed this one here.
Where We Belong by Anstey Harris
This is one of my 20 Books of Summer and I’m so pleased to have read it. It follows Cate and her son Leo as having found themselves homeless they have to go to her late husband’s family home, the Hatters Museum, for the summer. There they meet the formidable Araminta and have to find their feet in this new world they’ve found themselves in. There are secrets and lies that begin to come to the fore and Cate finds that she’s not the only person hiding things. I loved the characters in this novel, and seeing how they all found their way with each other. It’s such an engrossing and beautiful novel, I recommend it!
How To Disappear by Gillian McAllister
This is about a family who are split apart when two of them have to go into witness protection. Lauren and her daughter Zara are trying to figure out their new lives and who they have to be now. Lauren’s husband Aidan is trying to figure out how he can help them be safe. This novel is so tense, every time anyone does anything that might potentially put them at risk I find myself holding my breath. I really enjoyed this one and have already reviewed it here.
What I Might Read Next
I’m still mood reading whilst also trying to focus on the books on my NetGalley shelf so these books are the ones that I think I’ll be reading next. The first three are NetGalley books. I’ve been wanting to read Ducks, Newburyport for ages and have had a copy since my birthday earlier this year. I feel like I’m ready to face picking up such a long read so we’ll see how I get on!
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
The Gin O’Clock Club by Rosie Blake
True Story by Kate Reed Petty
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
The Mothers by Sarah J. Naughton
This novel follows a police detective Iona as she starts investigating the disappearance of a married man. I’m only a couple of chapters into this one but we’ve met the group of mothers, one of whom is married to the missing man. There seems to be a class divide in the mothers’ group, and they almost seem like frenemies at the moment. I’m keen to find out what’s going on and also to see how the prologue, where someone seems to be about to smother a baby, fits into the whole story. This is definitely intriguing and I want to know more!
How To Disappear by Gillian McAllister
This is about a family who are split apart when two of them have to go into witness protection. Lauren and her daughter Zara are trying to figure out their new lives and who they have to be now. Lauren’s husband Aidan is trying to figure out how he can help them be safe. This novel is so tense, every time anyone does anything that might potentially put them at risk I find myself holding my breath. It’s really good and I can’t wait to find out what happens and if everyone will be okay!
Small Island by Andrea Levy
I read this book many years ago and remember enjoying it. I’ve heard people talking about it again recently and decided to buy the audio book so I could listen to it. Andrea Levy narrates the book and it’s excellent hearing her voice her own characters. I’m very much enjoying this one and recommend the audio book.
Recent Reads
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
I’ve had this book on my TBR for three years but I finally picked it up this week and I read it in one sitting. It’s one of the most powerful and eye-opening book on race that I’ve read to date. There is a lot of focus on Serena Williams, as well as the micro-aggressions that are so appalling and shocking. It’s a brilliant book and I recommend it to everyone.
Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall
I listened to the audio book of this from NetGalley and I really enjoyed it. It follows three women in their 40s: Eleanor, Nancy and Mary. The novel opens with Eleanor learning that Nancy has been murdered. It then is told in three parts: first Eleanor in the present, then Nancy in the past leading up to her murder, and finally it concludes with Mary. I loved the exploration of female friendship and all the complexities that come with being a group of three. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find my thoughts here.
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
This is another audio book that I listened to on the NetGalley app. I really enjoyed this one too. It follows Leena who is given two months off work and she ends up swapping homes with her beloved Grandma Eileen. The novel alternates between them and I really loved getting to know their back story and seeing what was going to happen to them in their new lives. It’s a really heartwarming book and lovely escapism. I’ll be reviewing this soon but in the meantime I recommend it!
I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin
I recently watched the documentary film of the same name and found it such an emotional and interesting watch so decided to read the book soon afterwards. Raoul Peck sought permission from the Baldwin estate to look at the 30 pages of notes James Baldwin had made on a book he intended to write called Remember This House about the murders of Medgar Evans, Malcom X and Martin Luther King. He then took these notes and fleshed them out to make the documentary and accompanying book I Am Not Your Negro. It’s really well done and I’m so glad I read this one. I recommend it.
Summerwater by Sarah Moss
I couldn’t resist reading this one very soon after I was approved to read it from NetGalley as I love Sarah Moss’ writing. Summerwater is set all in one day on a Scottish cabin park. It follows twelve characters, and each has their own chapter so you really get to know them. You can sense that it’s all building towards something and this makes this slow-burn character novel impossible to put down. I read it all in one sitting and I highly recommend it.
Mine by Clare Empson
I loved Clare Empson’s previous novel Him so was really keen to read her new one and I loved it. It follows Luke in the present day as he meets his birth mother Alice for the first time and gets to know her. Then in alternating chapters it follows Alice back in the 70s as she falls in love for the first time with the lead singer of a band. This is an emotional and absorbing read and I adored it. I’ve reviewed it here.
Innocent or Guilty by A. M. Taylor
This is the oldest book on my NetGalley shelf so in my attempt to catch up I wanted to read it and I’m so pleased I finally go to it as it was a good read. It follows Olivia as she gets involved with a true crime podcast in an attempt to clear her twin brother Ethan. He’s in prison for the murder of Tyler Washington a decade earlier when they were all 18. I loved the podcast element of this novel and the short transcripts that feature throughout the novel. I did predict some of it but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment. I’ve already reviewed this book here.
Come Again by Robert Webb
This is another audiobook that I got from NetGalley and I enjoyed it. It follows Kate who is grieving after the sudden death of her husband Luke. It’s told in three parts: the first in the present day where Kate is mired in grief; the second where Kate wakes up back in the 1990s where she is about to meet Luke for the first time; and the third where Kate is back in the present and in the midst of a car chase! Olivia Colman narrates this audiobook and she really adds to the novel, I really recommend the audio. I reviewed this book here.
What I Might Read Next
I’m still working on catching up with some of my NetGalley books at the moment so in the coming days I’m likely to be reading more of them. I’m reading by whim just now but these four are the ones that appeal to me the most as I’m writing this post!
The Life We Almost Had by Amelia Henley
The Split by Sharon Bolton
The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
Watch Over You by M. J. Ford
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!
Purchased eBooks
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
I read and enjoyed An American Marriage last year so when I spotted this book by the author on Kindle this week I decided to treat myself. It sounds like such a good read and I’m looking forward to getting to it.
With the opening line of Silver Sparrow, “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist,” author Tayari Jones unveils a breathtaking story about a man’s deception, a family’s complicity, and two teenage girls caught in the middle. Set in a middle-class neighbourhood in Atlanta in the 1980s, the novel revolves around James Witherspoon’s two families—the public one and the secret one. When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a relationship destined to explode when secrets are revealed and illusions shattered. As Jones explores the backstories of her rich yet flawed characters ”the father, the two mothers, the grandmother, and the uncle ”she also reveals the joy, as well as the destruction, they brought to one another’s lives.
Review Books
Summerwater by Sarah Moss
I was delighted to be approved to read this one on NetGalley this week as I’ve been keen to read it. I actually picked it up yesterday and read it all in one sitting. It’s such a brilliant novella! I’ll be reviewing it soon but in the meantime I highly recommend it.
On the longest day of the summer, twelve people sit cooped up with their families in a faded Scottish cabin park. The endless rain leaves them with little to do but watch the other residents. A woman goes running up the Ben as if fleeing; a retired couple reminisce about neighbours long since moved on; a teenage boy braves the dark waters of the loch in his red kayak. Each person is wrapped in their own cares but increasingly alert to the makeshift community around them. One particular family, a mother and daughter without the right clothes or the right manners, starts to draw the attention of the others. Tensions rise and all watch on, unaware of the tragedy that lies ahead as night finally falls.
Perfect Tunes by Emily Gould
I requested this one from NetGalley on a whim as I can’t resist books about music. This sounds like such a good read and I can’t wait to get to it.
It’s the early days of the new millennium, and Laura has arrived in New York City’s East Village in the hopes of recording her first album. A songwriter with a one-of-a-kind talent, she’s just beginning to book gigs with her beautiful best friend when she falls hard for a troubled but magnetic musician whose star is on the rise. Their time together is stormy and short-lived – but will reverberate for the rest of Laura’s life. Fifteen years later, Laura’s teenage daughter is asking questions about her father, questions Laura does not want to answer. Laura has built a stable life in Brooklyn that bears little resemblance to the one she envisioned all those years ago, and she’s taken pains to close the door on what was and what might have been. When her best friend – now a famous musician – comes to town, opportunity knocks for Laura for a second time. Has growing older changed who she is and what she most wants? After all the sacrifices and compromises she’s made along the way, how much is she still that girl from Ohio, with big talent and big dreams?
Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall
I read and loved Araminta Hall’s previous novel Our Kind of Cruelty so when I spotted her new book on the Listen Now section of NetGalley I couldn’t download it fast enough. I think this will be my next audiobook listen once I’ve finished my current one.
When Nancy Hennessy is murdered, she leaves behind two best friends, a loving husband and daughter, and a secret lover whose identity she took to the grave. Nancy was gorgeous and wealthy, with adoring friends and family—from the outside, her life was perfect. But as the investigation into her death flounders and her friends Eleanor and Mary wrestle with their grief, dark details surface that reveal how little they knew their friend, each other, maybe even themselves. Their enduring, complex friendship is the knot the reader must untangle to answer the question: who killed Nancy?
All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle
I’ve read some great reviews of this one so requested it on NetGalley. I’m so pleased to be approved to read this one and plan on reading it soon.
Life is waiting to happen to Hubert Bird. But first he has to open his front door and let it in. In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun, friendship and fulfilment. But Hubert Bird is lying. The truth is day after day drags by without him seeing a single soul. Until, that is, he receives some good news – good news that in one way turns out to be the worst news ever, news that will force him out again, into a world he has long since turned his back on. Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out. Along the way Hubert stumbles across a second chance at love, renews a cherished friendship and finds himself roped into an audacious community scheme that seeks to end loneliness once and for all . . . Life is certainly beginning to happen to Hubert Bird. But with the origin of his earlier isolation always lurking in the shadows will he ever get to live the life he’s pretended to have for so long?
The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke
I was offered the chance to read and review this book for the blog tour and I immediately said yes! This is another book that centres around a song and I love the sound of it.
This is the story of a love song . . . And like any good love song, it has two parts. In Australia, Arie Johnson waits impatiently for classical pianist Diana Clare to return from a world tour, hopeful that after seven years together she’ll finally agree to marry him. On her travels, Diana composes a song for Arie. It’s the perfect way to express her love, knowing they’ll spend their lives together . . . Won’t they? Then late one night, her love song is overheard, and begins its own journey across the world. In Scotland, Evie Greenlees is drifting. It’s been years since she left Australia with a backpack, a one-way ticket and a dream of becoming a poet. Now she spends her days making coffee and her nights serving beer. And she’s not even sure whether the guy she lives with is really her boyfriend or just a flatmate. Then one day she hears an exquisite love song. One that will connect her to a man with a broken heart . . .
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
I read and loved The Flatshare by this author last year so have been keen to read her new one. I was lucky to get this audiobook from NetGalley this week and I’m already listening to it. It’s such a lovely book and Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones are perfect narraters. I’m very much enjoying this one!
When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen. Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected. Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn’t as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?
Under A Starry Sky by Laura Kemp
This is another audiobook that I got from NetGalley this week (I’m so excited about audiobooks now being on there for review!). I downloaded this one on a whim as it sounds like such a lovely read for the summer. I’m looking forward to this one.
One summer to change her life… Wanda Williams has always dreamed of leaving her wellies behind her and travelling the world! Yet every time she comes close to following her heart, life always seems to get in the way. So, when her mother ends up in hospital and her sister finds out she’s pregnant with twins, Wanda knows that only she can save the crumbling campsite at the family farm. Together with her friends in the village, she sets about sprucing up the site, mowing the fields, replanting the allotment and baking homemade goodies for the campers. But when a long-lost face from her past turns up, Wanda’s world is turned upside-down. And under a starry sky, anything can happen…
Come Again by Robert Webb
I was thrilled to spot this audiobook on NetGalley as I’ve been so keen to read it. I’ve actually already read and reviewed this one so you can find my full thoughts here.
Kate’s husband Luke – the man she loved from the moment she met him twenty-eight years ago – died suddenly. Since then she has pushed away her friends, lost her job and everything is starting to fall apart. One day, she wakes up in the wrong room and in the wrong body. She is eighteen again but remembers everything. This is her college room in 1992. This is the first day of Freshers’ Week. And this was the day she first met Luke. But he is not the man that she lost: he’s still a boy – the annoying nineteen-year-old English student she first met. Kate knows how he died and that he’s already ill. If they can fall in love again she might just be able to save him. She’s going to try to do everything exactly the same…
Have you acquired any new books this week? I’d love to know what you got. Or have you read any of my new books and recommend I get to any of them sooner rather than later? If you’ve shared a book haul post this week then please feel free to share you link below and I’ll make sure to visit your post! 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Come Again by Robert Webb
I was thrilled to find that NetGalley have launched audiobooks this week and I immediately downloaded this one. I started listening to it straight away and am already halfway through it. Olivia Colman is narrating it and she is perfect for this book! The novel follows Kate whose husband has recently died and she’s not coping. Then one day she wakes up and finds herself in her 18 year old body and realises she can find Luke again and maybe this time she can save him. I’m really enjoying it and am intrigued to see where it’s going.
Innocent or Guilty? by A. M. Taylor (This also seems to be known as The Killer You Know)
This is the oldest book on my NetGalley shelf so I attempt to catch up I wanted to get to it. I did start reading this early into lockdown and just couldn’t get into it. I’m so glad I came back to it and started it again this week though as I’m totally gripped. It follows Olivia whose twin brother is in prison for murdering a boy at their school. She is persuaded to allow a true crime podcast to investigate what happened and as she is sure her brother is innocent she thinks they will help get him a re-trial. At the moment I have my suspicions about who the guilty party is but I have no idea how its all going to play out. I can’t wait to read more!
Recent Reads
How to Be An AntiRacist by Ibram X. Kendi
I’ve been reading this one all week and am glad I read it slowly so I could take in what was being said. I found this a good introduction to why it’s important to be an antiracist and why being not racist is not enough. I appreciated how the author reflects on his own racist ideas as this made the book feel very inclusive in the way it’s asking us to all look at ourselves to see how we can do better. I need to mull the book over a little more but I will review it soon.
The Search Party by Simon Lelic
I think this is my new favourite book by this author! It follows a group of friends who form a search party to look for their missing friend Sadie. Things aren’t quite as they seem though and there are quite a few secrets within this group and everyone has their own reason for wanting Sadie to be found. I enjoyed how the detective has his own tragic ties to the town and how that played into his thoughts on what might have happened. I recommend this one!
The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish
This is another gripping thriller that I devoured in one sitting! It follows two couples and the power dynamics in their relationships. It looks a lot at the obsession over money and how it is when others have more than you. There is more than one reveal in this novel as it goes along and my head was spinning by the end. I loved it though. I’ve already reviewed this one here if you’d like to know more.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
I’ve had a copy of this book since it was published but decide to borrow the audio book from the library and I’m glad I did. It works so well on audio. It follows a very privileged white woman in New York who decides to take a year out of her life and sleep it away using various medications prescribed by an unscrupulous psychiatrist. She treats her best friend appallingly and is so self-obsessed. And yet I couldn’t help but be fascinated and to care what would happen to her in the end. I loved this book and now want to read everything this author has ever written!
Finders, Keepers by Sabine Durrant
This is another book that I read in one sitting over the course of an afternoon and I loved it. It’s a novel about obsessive behaviours and it’s so good. It follows Verity who has her neighbour Ailsa living with her and we gradually learn about how they became friends and what happened to Ailsa’s husband. There is so much more to the story and I was engrossed in this one. I recommend it!
Who Did You Tell? by Lesley Kara
This novel follows Astrid, a recovering alcoholic who is back living with her mum. She starts attending AA meetings and there she meets two women – one who she forms a bond with and one who she’s immediately suspicious about. Astrid has a secret but fears someone has found out as she feels like she’s being followed and watched. I enjoyed this one! I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find that here if you’d like to know more.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it more than lived up to my expectations. It follows Vanessa in the past when she as 15 and in the present day. She had what she thinks as a relationship with her teacher whilst at school but it’s clear that he was actually grooming her. In the present Vanessa is forced to confront her memories of that relationship and to face that fact that maybe she, like other girls at the school, was also abused. I recommend that everyone reads this book, it’s stunning! It’s not always easy to read but it’s so powerful and so well-written. I’ve reviewed this one already so you can find my thoughts here if you’d like to know more.
Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
This was another great read from the last week (although I had read most of it the week before)! I love Lisa Jewell’s writing and this book is every bit as good as her previous novels. It follows three people: Saffyre, a troubled teenager who goes missing; Kate whose family has moved into a flat in a new area and she’s paranoid about her husband and suspicious of the man across the road; Owen who is that man, and he is a little odd which makes people target him. Saffyre goes missing outside Owen’s house. I loved how this book gives insight into why people think the way they do and how it shows the complexity of people. I really enjoyed this book!
What I Might Read Next
I’m trying to catch up with some of my NetGalley books at the moment so the first three books that I’d like to read this week are all from my NG shelf. The fourth book is the next book that I want to read from my 20 Books of Summer TBR as I’m aware it’s nearly the halfway point of the challenge and I need to not lose momentum now!
The Mothers by Sarah J. Naughton
Mine by Clare Empson
Summerwater by Sarah Moss
Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!
Purchased eBooks
The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy
I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages but hadn’t got around to buying it so when I spotted it in a Kindle Daily Deal yesterday I snapped it up. I’m looking forward to reading this one.
In 1988 Saul Adler (a narcissistic, young historian) is hit by a car on the Abbey Road. He is apparently fine; he gets up and goes to see his art student girlfriend, Jennifer Moreau. They have sex then break up, but not before she has photographed Saul crossing the same Abbey Road. Saul leaves to study in communist East Berlin, two months before the Wall comes down. There he will encounter – significantly – both his assigned translator and his translator’s sister, who swears she has seen a jaguar prowling the city. He will fall in love and brood upon his difficult, authoritarian father. And he will befriend a hippy, Rainer, who may or may not be a Stasi agent, but will certainly return to haunt him in middle age. Slipping slyly between time zones and leaving a spiralling trail, Deborah Levy’s electrifying The Man Who Saw Everything examines what we see and what we fail to see, the grave crime of carelessness, the weight of history and our ruinous attempts to shrug it off.
The Hopes and Dreams of Libby Quinn by Freya Kennedy
I downloaded this on Kindle recently when it was free. I love the author’s work under her alter-ego so am intrigued to read a novel by her that’s a completely different genre!
Libby Quinn is sick and tired of being sensible. After years of slogging her guts out for nothing at a PR company, she finds herself redundant and about to plough every last penny of her savings into refurbishing a ramshackle shop and making her dream become a reality. She hopes the opening of bookshop on Ivy Lane will be the perfect tribute to her beloved grandfather who instilled a love of reading and books in her from an early age. When her love life and friendships become even more complicated – will Libby have the courage to follow her dreams? Or has she bitten off more than she can chew?
Seven Lies Elizabeth Kay
I’ve had my eye on this book for a while and decided to buy it this week. I’m really intrigued about all the lies in this novel and what is going to happen. I don’t think this will be waiting very long to be read!
It all started with one little lie . . .Jane and Marnie have been inseparable since they were eleven years old. They have a lot in common. In their early twenties they both fell in love and married handsome young men. But Jane never liked Marnie’s husband. He was always so loud and obnoxious, so much larger than life. Which is rather ironic now, of course.Because if Jane had been honest – if she hadn’t lied – then perhaps her best friend’s husband might still be alive . . . This is Jane’s opportunity to tell the truth, the question is:Do you believe her?
No Win Race: A Story of Belonging, Britishness and Sport by Derek A. Bardowell
I spotted this one on Kindle just the other day and I immediately bought it. I’m trying to read and educate myself on racism at the moment and as a football fan this perspective really called to me. I hope to get to this one very soon.
In the eighties, black footballers emerged from the dressing room to find bananas being hurled from the stands. But the abuse didn’t stop at the full-time whistle – racial harassment in sport mirrored the experience of many in society. As a kid from the East End, Derek Bardowell found solace in the success of black athletes. It is what bonded three generations of his family. Yet even now, success on the field seldom converts to power or justice away from it. No Win Race is Bardowell‘s deeply personal exploration into the complexities and biases implicit in being black in Britain, told through the prism of sport. Covering the period between the Brixton ‘riots’ and Brexit, this visceral, powerful book is for those who want an honest insight into UK race relations, and for anyone who understands that sport is more than just a game.
Review Books
Dear Justyce by Nic Stone
I read and love Dear Martin a few weeks ago and as soon as I heard there was to be a follow-up novel I knew I wanted to read it. I was delighted to be approved to read this one on NetGalley this week and plan on reading this very, very soon.
In the stunning sequel to the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin, bestselling author Nic Stone unflinchingly explores race and inequality and the impact of both on young black lives. Vernell LaQuan Banks and Justyce McAllister grew up a block apart in the Southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Wynwood Heights. Years later, Justyce walks the illustrious halls of Yale University . . . and Quan sits behind bars at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center. Through a series of flashbacks and letters to Justyce, Quan’s story takes form. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school give rise to police encounters and tough decisions. But then there’s a dead cop and a weapon with Quan’s prints on it. What leads a bright kid down a road to a murder charge? Not even Quan is sure…
West of Jim Crow by Lynn M. Hudson
I downloaded this from the Read Now section of NetGalley this week as it sounded like a fascinating read and one that will give me a greater understanding of race issues across America.
African American resistance to white supremacy from California statehood to the 1950s. African Americans who moved to California in hopes of finding freedom and full citizenship instead faced all-too-familiar racial segregation. As one transplant put it, “The only difference between Pasadena and Mississippi is the way they are spelled.” From the beaches to streetcars to schools, the Golden State—in contrast to its reputation for tolerance—perfected many methods of controlling people of color. Lynn M. Hudson deepens our understanding of the practices that African Americans in the West deployed to dismantle Jim Crow in the quest for civil rights prior to the 1960s. Faced with institutionalized racism, black Californians used both established and improvised tactics to resist and survive the state’s color line. Hudson rediscovers forgotten stories like the experimental all-black community of Allensworth, the California Ku Klux Klan’s campaign of terror against African Americans, the bitter struggle to integrate public swimming pools in Pasadena and elsewhere, and segregationists’ preoccupation with gender and sexuality.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales From The Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
I’m fascinated by this novel and have been wanting to read it for a little while now so was thrilled to be approved on NetGalley.
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time… From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold comes a story of four new customers each of whom is hoping to take advantage of Cafe Funiculi Funicula’s time-travelling offer. Among some faces that will be familiar to readers of Kawaguchi’s previous novel, we will be introduced to: The man who goes back to see his best friend who died 22 years ago; The son who was unable to attend his own mother’s funeral; The man who travelled to see the girl who he could not marry; The old detective who never gave his wife that gift… This beautiful, simple tale tells the story of people who must face up to their past, in order to move on with their lives. Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?
Have you got any new books this week? I’d love to know what you got. Or have you read any of my new books and recommend I get to any of them sooner rather than later? If you’ve shared a book haul post this week then please feel free to share you link below and I’ll make sure to visit your post! 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
I started reading this book last night and have been engrossed in it. It’s a book that has a really good mix of education on what antiracism is along with it being part-memoir. The author explores his own experiences of having racist ideas and internalised racism. It’s an eye-opening read and one that I’m finding very useful and interesting.
Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
I started reading this yesterday too and am so intrigued by where this one’s going to go. It follows two characters: Saffyre, a teenage girl who has had a tough life and is now in therapy; and Cate a married mother of two whose husband is Saffyre’s therapist. Cate seems to be very edgy and easily tipped into paranoia and I can’t quite weigh her up as yet. It feels like this novel is slowly building up to something but I’m not sure what as yet but I can’t wait to read more and find out!
Recent Reads
The Confession by Jessie Burton
My husband bought me this book for Christmas and I saved it to read over the summer and I’m so glad I got to read this one now. It’s such a stunning book, I read it in just two sittings as I didn’t want to put it down. It follows Elise in the 1980s when she meets Constance and their relationship changes the course of Elise’s life. It also follows Rose in the present day as she’s searching for her mother. She knows Constance was the last person to see her and now she wants answers. I loved this book, how the past and present interweave and how it all unfolds. It’s excellent and I recommend it!
Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper
This is another book my husband bought me and I’ve been so keen to read it. I picked it up this week and was quickly engrossed in it. I love how open and honest Megan has been in sharing the awful things she was taught to believe, it was hard to read at times. It was interesting to learn how the structure of the Westboro Baptist Church operated and how easily someone could be frozen out of the family. I was most fascinated by how Megan came to question the teachings she had grown up with and how ultimately she left the church. I’m so glad I read this book and I recommend it!
TheGreatest of Enemies by B. R. Maycock
I go this book from Kindle Unlimited and I loved it. It’s a gorgeous novella following two women, Bex and Louise, who are thrown together and they really don’t like each other, they have nothing at all in common apart from they’re both really good friends with Holly (but she’s currently out of the country!). It follows what’s been happening in each of their lives and the impact it has on them. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find out more of my thoughts here if you’d like to know more.
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
This was another gift from my husband, he bought it for me as a surprise as I’d been saying I wanted to know about what happened after watching the TV mini series Chernobyl last year. This is such a well-written and well-researched book and I’m so pleased I read it. I liked the structure of the book – in the beginning there are alternate chapters of the build up to the accident, alongside the history of nuclear power and the accidents that had happened prior to Chernobyl. Then when the accident happens the structure follows various people and what they were doing and what happened. I definitely recommend this one!
The Mating Habits of Stags by Ray Robinson
I got this book on a whim from Kindle Unlimited and I’m so happy that I picked it up. This is a stunning novel and one that I can’t stop thinking about. It follows Jake as he’s on the run in the North Yorkshire Moors trying to escape a murder charge. The novel moves around in time as he thinks about his late wife and his lost son. The mix of desolation with the tenderness of the writing makes this such a poignant read. I highly recommend this one.
What I Might Read Next
Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls
With the books above that count towards my 20 Books of Summer challenge I’m now read 11 of the 20 I picked. So it’s time to get to the next book and I think it’s going to be Sweet Sorrow. I’ve been so keen to read this one and I know I’m going to love it. I think it follows a budding romance between two teenagers and given that it’s set in 1997 I think it’s going to feel like a wonderful nostalgic read.
The Search Party by Simon Lelic
I’ve read most of this author’s books now and this one sounds like it potentially could be his best yet! It’s a novel about a young woman who’s gone missing, and her best friends decide to look for her. It seems though that all know secrets about Sadie that they don’t want to share and the search party becomes a witch hunt! I’m so intrigued by this one and can’t wait to read it!
Black, Listed by Jeffrey Boakye
Here is the Goodreads blurb for this one: Taking a panoramic look at global black history, interrogating both contemporary and historical culture, Black, Listed investigates the ways in which black communities (and individuals) have been represented, oppressed, mimicked, celebrated, and othered. Part historical study, part autobiographical musing, part pop culture vivisection, it’s a comprehensive attempt to make sense of blackness from the vantage point of the hilarious and insightful psyche of Jeffrey Boakye.
I’m really looking forward to get to this one, it sounds like another fascinating read that will give me another insight as I read more books by BIPOC authors to better educate myself on how to be antiracist.
Grace is Gone by Emily Elgar
I’m so intrigued by this book. It follows the aftermath of a beloved and caring mother who has been murdered and her teenage daughter is missing. The community is shocked and no one can understand what has happened or why. Once the police and journalists start digging around the past starts to come to fore nothing will be the same again. I bought this book a few weeks ago on a whim now reading the blurb again I want to read this book asap!
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
The Mating Habits of Stags by Ray Robinson
I have a month of Kindle Unlimited at the moment and this book was one that really caught my eye. I started reading it late last night and I’ve been engrossed in it. It follows Jack – a man on the run following the murder of another man in a nursing home. The novel goes back and forth in time through Jack’s memories as he travels the North Yorkshire Moors in an attempt to escape. It’s beautifully written and reminds me of home. I’m thoroughly enjoying this one.
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
My husband bought me this for my birthday earlier this year after we’d been engrossed in the TV drama Chernobyl and he knew I wanted to know more about what happened. I finally picked the book up this week (one of my 20 Books of Summer TBR) and have been gripped by it. It’s really well-written and very readable. I’ve already learnt things I didn’t know before and am keen to read more of this in the coming days.
Recent Reads
When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
I finished reading this yesterday and I can’t stop thinking about it. This is Patrisse’s memoir and she tells the story of her life, and of her father and her brother Monte and how they got trapped in the system. It’s heartbreaking and it will make you angry, it should make you angry. It was interesting to see how all the things in Patrisse’s life led to her, along with two other women, beginning the Black Lives Matter movement. This is a book that everyone should read and it’s certainly one that will stay with me.
One Step Behind by Lauren North
I read and loved Lauren North’s previous novel The Perfect Betrayal so was keen to get to this one. While it wasn’t quite as good it was still a very good read and it kept me guessing all the way to the reveal, which doesn’t happen very often so I was thrilled by that. It follows Jenna, and A&E doctor who has a stalker and one day the stalker is admitted to hospital after an accident. The story is narrated by Jenna, and Sophie, the sister of Jenna’s stalker and it’s really gripping.
The Hope Family Calendar by Mike Gayle
I was a huge Mike Gayle fan back in the day but somehow haven’t read anything by him in quite a few years now. I spotted this book on my Audible account when I was looking for something to listen to and it was lovely to get back to a book by him. This follows a man trying to cope with life and his two young daughters after the sudden death of his wife. It also follows his late wife’s mum who moves in to help the family cope. It was an enjoyable listen.
The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton
I read this book a stave at a time on the Pigeonhole app and that was such a fun way to read this book, I quite enjoy being left on a cliffhanger and eagerly anticipating the next stave the following day. This novel follows Marie, whose best friend Nina has recently died. Marie wants to help Nina’s family and soon makes herself indispensable to them. It feels like Marie is far too obsessed but there is more to this novel than meets the eye and I really enjoyed the ride!
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
This is a memoir that explores what it is to struggle with your weight – both the physical weight of your own body but also the weight of being black in America and the weight of all the things that make you who you are. I listened to the audio of this and it was excellent. Kiese writes in such an open way about the things he has experienced and the affect it’s had on him and it’s impossible not to be moved by his story. I recommend this one.
The 24-Hour Cafe by Libby Page
This is a lovely novel about the love between two friends – Hannah and Mona, who work together at the 24-hour cafe. The novel is first narrated by Hannah and later by Mona so we get to see both of their perspectives and to understand how they got to where they are. We also get to meet some of the customers of the cafe and I loved the snapshots we get of other people’s lives. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find my full thoughts here.
All The Lonely People by David Owen
This is a thought-provoking novel that explores loneliness in such a different way. Kat is lonely but finds her people online, until one day a ‘prank’ is played on her that is so vile she feels she has no choice but to delete everything. She then literally begins to fade away. Wesley is one of the boys involved in the prank but he is also lonely. I found this such an interesting novel and it’s one I keep thinking about. I reviewed it here if you’d like to know more. I recommend it.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
I loved this book! Queenie is such a real character, I was fully invested in her story. She’s in a relationship with a man who is gaslighting her, she medicates herself using sex and she’s trying to make a success of her career. She’s so feisty and no-nonsense but you start to see her vulnerable side and you just root for her all the way through his book. I was so angry at the way men treat her at times and wanted her to kick them all into touch and be happy. I definitely recommend this one.
What I Might Read Next
Who Did You Tell? by Lesley Kara
I’ve had this on my NetGalley shelf since before it was published and I don’t know why I haven’t read it yet as I loved the author’s previous novel, The Rumour. This book is about Astrid, an alcoholic who is going to meetings and is working on righting her wrongdoings. But now someone knows what Astrid is running away from and they’re going to make sure she knows just what she did. This sounds great and I’m looking forward to picking it up.
Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
I love Lisa Jewell’s novels so am delighted to have a copy of her new book from NetGalley. This is about Saffyre, a troubled woman who is dealing with the trauma of her past. One day she goes missing, and the last sighting of her is outside Owen’s house. He’s a loner who’s invisible in his own life, and now the finger of blame is pointing at him because he’s different. I can’t wait to read this one, it sounds so good!
Spring by Ali Smith
This week I got approved to read Ali Smith’s Summer on NetGalley so I really need to get on and read Spring asap. Spring is one of my 20 Books of Summer so I was planning to read it this summer anyway but now I have a push to read it sooner rather than later. I’ve really enjoyed the first two parts of this quartet so can’t wait to read more.
The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan
I was sent a copy of this book for review quite a while ago now and I love Ruth Hogan’s writing so I don’t know why I haven’t read it before now. I added it to my 20 Books of Summer TBR as it sounded like a summery read and I can’t wait to get to it. It’s a novel that explores grief and the way the chance encounters we make with other people can bring us back to life again.
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!
Purchased eBooks
Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney
With a death toll of between 50 and 100 million people and a global reach, the Spanish flu of 1918–1920 was the greatest human disaster, not only of the twentieth century, but possibly in all of recorded history. And yet, in our popular conception it exists largely as a footnote to World War I.
In Pale Rider, Laura Spinney recounts the story of an overlooked pandemic, tracing it from Alaska to Brazil, from Persia to Spain, and from South Africa to Odessa. She shows how the pandemic was shaped by the interaction of a virus and the humans it encountered; and how this devastating natural experiment put both the ingenuity and the vulnerability of humans to the test.
Laura Spinney demonstrates that the Spanish flu was as significant – if not more so – as two world wars in shaping the modern world; in disrupting, and often permanently altering, global politics, race relations, family structures, and thinking across medicine, religion and the arts.
I’d literally just been reading reviews of this book when I spotted that it was on a Kindle daily deal this week so I snapped it up. I go through phases of wanting to pretend this pandemic isn’t happening and then other phases of wanting to read about pandemics from the past and how people survived. I’m really keen to get to this one.
Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
All it takes to unravel a life… is one home truth.
Marin used to have it all. Married to the love of her life, she owns a chain ofupscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They’re admired in their community and are a loving family – until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.
A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. With her sanity ebbing, Marin hires a private investigator to pick up where the police left off.
But instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a much younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She’s lost her son; she’s not about to lose her husband. Derek’s mistress is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. Permanently.
I read and enjoyed this author’s previous novel Jar of Hearts so have been wanting to get my hands on this new one. After reading some brilliant reviews of it I decided to treat myself and plan on reading this one very soon.
A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson
1960. The world is dancing on the edge of revolution, and nowhere more sothan on the Greek island of Hydra, where a circle of poets, painters and musicians live tangled lives, ruled by the writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston, troubled king and queen of bohemia. Forming within this circle is a triangle: its points the magnetic, destructive writer Axel Jensen, his dazzling wife Marianne Ihlen, and a young Canadian poet named Leonard Cohen.
Into their midst arrives teenage Erica, with little more than a bundle of blank notebooks and her grief for her mother. Settling on the periphery of this circle, she watches, entranced and disquieted, as a paradise unravels.
Burning with the heat and light of Greece, A Theatre for Dreamers is a spellbinding novel about utopian dreams and innocence lost – and the wars waged between men and women on the battlegrounds of genius.
I first heard about this when I was invited to take part in the blog tour but I had to skip that as I was right in the midst of the dreaded reading slump. I knew this was a book that I wanted to read though so I also treated myself to this one. It sounds like such an intense and stunning summer read!
Purchased AudioBooks
Saturday Requiem by Nicci French
Thirteen years ago eighteen year old Hannah Docherty was arrested for the brutal murder of her family. It was an open and shut case and Hannah’s been incarcerated in a secure hospital ever since.
When psychotherapist Frieda Klein is asked to meet Hannah and give her assessment of her she reluctantly agrees. What she finds horrifies her. Hannah has become a tragic figure, old before her time. And Frieda is haunted by the thought that Hannah might be as much of a victim as her family; that something wasn’t right all those years ago.
And as Hannah’s case takes hold of her, Frieda soon begins to realise that she’s up against someone who’ll go to any lengths to protect themselves . . .
I haven’t actually started reading this series yet but it’s one of those series that I’ve already decided that I’m going to love! I have the first three books so when I spotted this one in the Audible sale yesterday I grabbed it. I think I’m going to start this series soon, I’ve heard so many people saying how good it is.
Pigeonhole App
The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton
Two women. A dying wish. And a web of lies that will bring their world crashing down.Nina and Marie were best friends—until Nina was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Before she died, Nina asked Marie to fulfill her final wishes.But her mistake was in thinking Marie was someone she could trust.What Nina didn’t know was that Marie always wanted her beautiful life, and that Marie has an agenda of her own. She’ll do anything to get what she wants. Marie thinks she can keep her promise to her friend’s family on her own terms. But what she doesn’t know is that Nina was hiding explosive secrets of her own…
I’m a little behind on reading this one on Pigeonhole as all the staves are now available but I’m still very much enjoying it. I’m completely gripped by these characters, none of whom are particularly likeable, but I can’t yet work out what is going on. I can’t wait to read more!
Have you acquired any new books this week? I’d love to know what you got. Or have you read any of my new books and recommend I get to any of them sooner rather than later? If you’ve shared a book haul post this week then please feel free to share you link below and I’ll make sure to visit your post! 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
When They Call You A Terrorist by Patrisse Khan Cullors & Asha Bandele
At the time of writing this I’ve only read the opening pages of this book but I can tell that this is going to be a memoir that is completely engrossing. I wanted to read this one while They Can’t Kill Us All is still fresh in my mind as I feel this is going to be a good companion book to that one in understanding how the Black Lives Matter movement is evolving.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
I started reading this novel in March and was really enjoying it but then my mind become so full of anxiety over Coronavirus that I hit a reading slump and just couldn’t read anything. I knew this was a book that I wanted to come back to so yesterday I picked it back up and started it again from the beginning and I’m enjoying it every bit as much as I was before.
The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton
I’m reading this book on the Pigeonhole app and am utterly gripped, I find myself eagerly refreshing the app after midnight each day waiting for the next stave (set of chapters) to arrive on my phone. This book follows Marie who is most definitely an unreliable narrator! Her best friend Nina has died and Marie is determined to help her grieving husband and children through this awful time. She inserts herself into their life and is fixated on being a part of their family. I’m really enjoying this one!
All the Lonely People by David Owen
This is a NetGalley book that I’ve had on my Kindle for quite a long time. I’m so pleased that I finally picked it up now as it’s such an interesting read. It follows Kat and Wesley, two teenagers who go to the same school. Kat has been the victim of a horrible campaign that has forced her offline and isolated her and she finds herself literally fading. Wesley got involved with two other boys who are behind the attacks on Kat but he feels awful about what he’s done and wants to somehow fix it. It’s a very prescient and powerful novel.
Recent Reads
Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga
I’ve been reading this book over the last couple of weeks and have deliberately taken my time with it as I wanted to really take in what I was reading and process it. Olusoga takes us through the forgotten history of black people in Britain and I learnt so much that I didn’t know before. I really appreciated how this book joined so many dots for me that I hadn’t fully connected before. I learnt about the white parts of some of this history in school but it was never, ever taught to us how it connected to what was happening in America and across the world as part of the slave trade. I’m ashamed that I’ve never properly sought out this history before but now I know better I’m determined to do better. As an aside I’ve discovered that the TV series of the same name which accompanies this book is being repeated on BBC4 if anyone is interested in watching it.
Be Careful What You Swipe For by Jemma Forte
This book is brilliant! It follows Charlotte as she shares her dating disasters but the novel has so much depth and it deals with some very serious issues. Charlotte has had quite a few dating dramas but through the novel she meets her Mr Right on Tinder but things don’t work out and we slowly find out what happened. I couldn’t put this book down, I read it all in one sitting as I just wanted to know what was going to happen. I reviewed this book yesterday so you can find my full thoughts here but I absolutely recommend this one.
#MeToo by Patricia Dixon
I got a month of Kindle Unlimited a few days ago and downloaded this book as I’ve seen it featured on quite a few blogs recently. It was a quick and gripping read. It follows three characters – Stan who is in prison convicted of raping his girlfriend; Billie who was Stan’s ex-girlfriend; and Kelly the woman who accused Stan of rape. I enjoyed seeing how this story played out and getting the different perspectives as a picture gradually emerges of just what happened the night of the rape. I read this in a couple of sittings and was gripped by it.
The Old You by Louise Voss
This is one of my 20 Books of Summer and I’m so pleased I finally picked it up. It follows Lynn as she comes to terms with her husband being diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Strange things start happening in and around the house and Lynn begins to doubt her own sanity. This is such a twisty book that you completely derails you on more than one occasion. I love Louise’s writing and this is one of her best novels. I’ve already reviewed it so you can find out more here.
Moonrise by Sarah Crossan
I borrowed this book from BorrowBox this week and read it in one sitting. It follows a teenage boy whose brother has been on death row for most of his life and he gets to visit him during the two months before he’s due to be put to death. This is an emotional read and I got swept up in this story. It’s heartbreaking but also beautifully written.
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
I started reading a NetGalley Arc of this but switched to audio book when I was struggling with it. It worked better for me on audio but ultimately this wasn’t really a book for me. I have reviewed this so you can see more of my thoughts here.
What I Might Read Next
How to be an AntiRacist by Ibram X. Kendi
I want to read this book as soon as I’ve finished reading When They Call You A Terrorist. I have Stamped from the Beginning by this author on my TBR but I think How to be an AntiRacist is the one I want to read first. As I watch documentaries and news reports and listen to the discussions that are happening in the wake of George Floyd’s murder I am increasingly aware of the insidious nature of the racism that people think isn’t racism and how we need to be better at calling this out. I think this book will open my eyes even further so I’m keen to read it very soon.
One Step Behind by Lauren North
I read and loved Lauren North’s previous novel The Perfect Betrayal so am excited to read her new one, I have such high hopes for this one. This book follows Jenna – a wife, mother and a doctor but she’s also the victim of a stalker. But one day her stalker is brought into the hospital after an accident and she suddenly finds the power back in her hands. I’m so intrigued by this and can’t wait to start reading it!
The Life We Almost Had by Amelia Henley
I’ve read and loved all of Louise Jenson’s thrillers so when I found out she had a book coming out under a pseudonym in a different genre I knew I had to read it! This follows a couple – Anna and Adam – who believed they’d be together forever but now a few years down the line cracks are showing and something happens to break them apart. This sounds like such an emotional read but one I’m really looking forward to picking up.
The 24 Hour Cafe by Libby Page
I was sent a copy of this book a while ago for review and haven’t managed to pick it up so I put it on my 20 Books of Summer TBR and hope to pick it up this week. I’m hoping for the predicted heatwave to finally arrive so that I can read it in the garden. This book follows Stella who runs a cafe that never sleeps, and two women who work there – Hannah and Mona. People come to the cafe for all sorts of reasons and I’m looking forward to meeting the staff and customers in this novel. It sounds like a lovely summer read!
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
The Catch by T. M. Logan
This is a gripping novel and I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s follows a man who is immediately suspicious of his daughter’s new boyfriend and sets out to find out more about him. I’m only about 20% into it at the moment but I’m definitely intrigued about where this is going to go!
Just Mercy by Bryan A. Stevenson
This is such a heart-wrenching look at one young lawyer’s experience of the American justice system. The cases he works are really get under your skin and are hard to read at times. It’s so well-written though and it’s such an interesting and eye-opening book.
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
I’ve only read a few pages of this one since last week and to be honest I’m struggling with it. I’m getting a bit fed up of reading about this man and his sex life and the way he talks about women. I do want to persevere for a bit longer but it may end up being a DNF. Have you read it? Is it worth continuing with?
A Fabulous Creation by David Hepworth
I haven’t listened to anymore of this one this week as it’s an audio book that my husband and I are listening to together and we just haven’t made time to listen to anymore this week. We’re both enjoying it though so will be listening to more this week.
What I recently finished reading:
Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah
This book had my engrossed and intrigued by the end of chapter one! I was so curious to know what was going on with these children that seemingly hadn’t grown at all in twelve years. I had many suspicions as I was reading and not a single one was correct! I did feel the ending was a little bit of a let down but it didn’t spoil how much I enjoyed the rest of this rollercoaster novel!
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
This is an incredible book and I recommend it to everyone. Chanel Miller was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner and this is her story. She is so open and honest throughout this book and that makes it such a powerful read. I could really identify with a lot of what Chanel thought and felt and I admire her so much for telling her story.
Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie
This is another stunning book. I bought it on a whim ages ago knowing nothing about it (it’s since made the Women’s prize list this year) and finally picked it up a few days ago. I read the whole novel in one day as I just didn’t want to put it down. It’s about a disparate group of people who all live in the same tower block when one day something awful happens. The novel is told in the before and the after and I just adored the writing. I’ll definitely be looking out for more by Luan Goldie in the future.
One Hundred and Fifty-Two Days by Giles Paley-Phillips
This is a NetGalley book that I got recently and have been waiting for the right time to pick it up. It’s a novel in verse about a teenage boy whose mum was very ill and later died. I thought this would be an emotional read, and it really was in moments, but it was also a very believable book about being a teenager and all that comes with that. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.
What I plan on reading next:
I’m very much reading by whim at the moment and don’t know what I’ll be in the mood to read in the coming week but these four books below are ones that have caught my eye on my Kindle. The first three are review books so I’d really like to try and read them so I can review them. The fourth book is one I treated myself to recently after reading fab reviews and I’m really keen to read it!
The Mothers by Sarah J. Naughton
Heatstroke by Hazel Barkworth
Familiar Dark by Amy Engel
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan A. Stevenson
I’ve been wanting to read this book for a really long time so I was really pleased to discover the audio book on BorrowBox this week. I immediately downloaded it and started listening last night. I’ve read so many positive reviews of this book so I’m sure it’s one I’ll find interesting.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
This is a tough read but I’m so glad I picked it up. Chanel Miller is the young woman who was raped by Brock Turner and for a long time she was anonymous until she decided to tell her own story. I’m only a few chapters in but Chanel is so open and honest in the way she’s telling her truth and I’ve found it such an emotional book.
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
I’m glad I had a sense of what this novel is and how it flips things when I started reading because I’m only on part one and at the moment it’s just a man bragging about his sex life since his divorce. The writing is good and I’m intrigued to see where the novel goes. The fact that it made the Women’s Prize longlist gives me hope that it will go somewhere worthwhile in the end!
A Fabulous Creation: How LPs Saved Lives by David Hepworth
This is another audio book that I got on BorrowBox and my husband and I are listening to it together. It’s such an interesting book about the history of the LP (it begins with Sgt Pepper and ends with Thriller). I love the social history and the way music evolved as artists took more risks after seeing what others were doing. We’re both really enjoying this one.
What I recently finished reading:
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I waited so long to read this book! It’s incredible! I’ve been reading it over the last couple of days and loved every single second of it. I feel quite sad to have finished it and already want to read it again. If you haven’t read it yet I highly recommend you do so as soon as you can.
One Split Second by Caroline Bond
This book was also excellent. It follows a group of teens and their parents in the aftermath of an horrific car crash. We see the parents at the hospital waiting to hear if their child was okay, and through the book we see what they were like before the accident and what the repercussions are for everyone involved. I got so invested in these characters, they felt very real to me. This is a stunning novel and I highly recommend it!
We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker
This is another brilliant novel that I read this week. This is such a beautifully written, and also deeply emotional read. I cried a few times as I was reading. It follows a community, but two children and a police officer mainly, in the years after a terrible crime has been committed. There are repercussions rippling through time, through generations and it’s heartbreaking how things that happen to a parent can come to damage a child so much. There is such brutality in this novel but moments of such heart-aching kindness too. I loved this book and keep finding myself thinking about it and wondering how Duchess, Robin and Walk are doing. I whole-heartedly recommend it!
What I plan on reading next:
His and Hers by Alice Feeney
I adored Alice Feeney’s first novel Sometimes I Lie but didn’t really get on with her second book. This new one sounds so good though so I’m hoping this will be a thriller for me. It sounds very intriguing!
The Catch by T. M. Logan
I think I’ve read and enjoyed all of T. M. Logan’s previous novels but his last one The Holiday was my favourite so far. I’ve read some fab reviews of The Catch and have very high hopes for it, I feel like I’m going to love it!
One Hundred and Fifty Two Days by Giles Paley-Phillips
This sounds like a very emotional read as it explores grief and loss but it’s one I’ve very much wanted to read so I’m going to try and pick it up this week.
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
I’ve been wanting to read this book since before it was published so when I spotted the audio book on BorrowBox I immediately requested it. I started listening to it yesterday and I’ve been engrossed in it. It’s one of those novels that you find yourself thinking about whenever you’re not reading it.
What I recently finished reading:
Just My Luck by Adele Parks
This was such a good read! I love Adele Parks’ novels and this one is my favourite of hers from recent years. It follows a family that win the lottery and the fallout from that is further reaching than anyone could have foreseen. I worked out some elements of what was going on but there were still shocks in store, it definitely kept me on my toes.
Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
I loved this book! It follows two characters in two time periods – Anna in 1939 and Morgan in 2018 as they each come to live in the same small town. I loved both timelines equally and was so keen to find out what was going to happen to both of these women and the people around them. This book was much-needed escapism and I’m so glad I read it.
The Alibi Girl by C. J. Skuse
I got a copy of this from NetGalley a while ago but decided to buy the audio book so that I could listen along to it as I read. I loved it! The story is so intriguing and gripping and I got completely absorbed in the story of this young woman who seems to enjoy pretending to be many different people. There is so much more to her than you see at first and I loved getting to know the real her. The ending was brilliant, so perfect and I have a feeling this is a novel that is really going to stay with me.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
I also got a copy of this from NetGalley and found myself racing through it. I enjoyed Lucy Foley’s previous novel The Hunting Party but this one was even better! I loved to hate quite a few of the characters, and I enjoyed the way my opinions on some of them changed as the book went along. I thought I worked out what was going on quite early but there was far more to this story that I ever predicted so I love that it shocked me. I recommend this one!
What I plan on reading next:
Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah
I bought this last week and it’s a book I’d been curious about for a while so I think I’m going to try and get to it in the coming days. I love the series that Sophie Hannah writes so I’m intrigued to see how I get on with a standalone by her.
One Split Second by Caroline Bond
I requested this one on NetGalley as I’ve previously enjoyed another book by this author. This sounds like it could be an emotional rollercoaster but I’m just in the mood to pick it up so hopefully I can read it this week.
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
This is another NetGalley book and is one I’ve been intrigued by. I’ve seen it get quite a few mixed reviews but the plot has continued to draw me in so I’m going to try and get to it this week.
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
April was such a strange month with the UK (and most of the world) on a lockdown. I’m housebound for much of the time anyway as I can’t physically leave the house without help but it’s still so weird not being able to go out even though my husband is home every day (he’s been furloughed). I’m in the high risk group so it’s all very worrying but day to day we’re doing okay. I’m so grateful that we have a small garden so can get some fresh air most days.
My reading and blogging mojo upped and left a while ago – partly because I was really unwell earlier in the year and then the anxiety about Coronavirus began mounting. Thankfully I’ve finally been able to finish some of the books I started weeks and weeks ago, and over the last week or so I’ve been reading more frequently. I’m hoping my reading mojo is properly on its way back and that my blogging will follow!
Whilst I haven’t been reading I have been catching up on some TV boxsets. My husband and I re-watched all of Life On Mars (which is brilliant!) and we finally finished watching Ashes to Ashes. Can’t believe we watched the first two series years ago and then never watched the final series. It was so good. We’ve started watching The Sopranos for the first time (somehow neither of us saw it when it was first on and we’ve both been keen to see it). I’m still addicted to House of Games – BBC2 is currently showing repeats of the first series (which I’ve never seen) so I’m enjoying those episodes.
Anyway, I finished reading nine books in April (more than half were books I’d been reading on and off before April), which is a vast improvement on my reading in March. So without further ado…
Here are the books I read in April:
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing by Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse
I bought this audio book on a whim when it was on a daily deal last year. My husband and I listened to it together during the first week or so of lockdown and it was so relaxing at a time of high stress. We discovered the TV series on BBC iPlayer that this book accompanies so we’ve since watched that too and it’s been such a tonic. I recommend both (even if you’re not into fishing!).
Strangers by C. L. Taylor
This novel was such a good read and was the first fiction that I managed to read over a short period in quite a while. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more.
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff
As is often the case for me I gravitate towards non-fiction when I’m struggling to read and I found I wanted to read about people overcoming very difficult times so this one caught my eye on my Kindle. I found this such a moving, and sad book but it also had hope and a sense of healing running through it. It’s sensitively written and I recommend it.
One of Them: From Albert Square to Parliament Square by Michael Cashman
I’ve had this book on my radar ever since I first heard about it last year so when I spotted it on my library app recently I immediately reserved it. It’s such an honest and moving memoir and I found myself completely lost in Michael’s story.
The Last Flight by Julie Clark
This is a review book that I got from NetGalley fairly recently and I’ve been so keen to read it so picked it up. It took me a few days to read it but I did really enjoying it and I had no idea how it was all going to turn out!
The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman
This book is the one that really got me back into reading and I read it all in just two sittings! It’s such a good read and one that had me desperate to know what was going to happen and how things were going to end. I’ll be reviewing it for the blog tour in May but in the meantime I definitely recommend it!
The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton
As I began to get out of my reading slump I was craving a comfort read and decided to go back to the magic faraway tree – a much beloved series from my childhood. This is the first book and it was lovely to meet all the characters again.
The Trap by Melanie Raabe
This is a book that I’ve owned on ebook for around four years so when I spotted the audio book available on my library app I immediately downloaded it. I’m glad I did as I quite enjoyed the audio but I’m not sure I would have kept reading if I’d been reading the ebook.
Adele by Leila Slimani
This is another book I borrowed from my library’s app and I enjoyed it. I didn’t think it was quite as good as Lullaby but I still found it engrossing and I wanted to know how it was going to end.
April Blog Posts & Reviews:
Due to my reading and blogging slump I’ve only published two posts in April but hopefully May will be better. I managed to post my review of Strangers by C. L. Taylorearlier in the month and the on Wednesday I posted my WWW Wednesday Post where I shared what I’m currently reading, what I’ve recently finished reading and what I hoped to read next.
How was April for you? I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well.
What was your favourite book of the month? Please tell me in the comments, I’d love to know.
Also, if you have a blog please feel free to leave a link to your April wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to read. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
Just my Luck by Adele Parks
I just got approved for this book on NetGalley yesterday and I’ve been so keen to read it that I started it straight away! I’m enjoying it so far.
What I recently finished reading:
The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman
This is the book that really began to get me out of my recent reading slump and I read it in two sittings. It’s such a good book and I’m looking forward to sharing my review as part of the blog tour next month. In the meantime I highly recommend pre-ordering it!
The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton
I picked this up as I was trying to find a way back into reading and thought a much-loved book from my childhood would help. I did enjoy this one but not quite as much as I did when I was little.
Adele by Leila Slimani
I borrowed the ebook of this one from the library and it was an okay read. It kept me gripped all the way through but I didn’t feel as engrossed as I did when I read Lullaby. I’m glad I read it though.
The Trap by Melanie Raabe
I’ve had the ebook of this on my TBR for over four years so when I spotted the audio book was available on the library app I decided to get it and listen to it. This book wasn’t what I expected really, I’m glad I listened to it rather than reading as it kept me going with it when I might have put it down.
What I plan on reading next:
Kitty Genovese: A True Account of a Public Murder and its Private Consequences by Catherine Pelonero
I bought this book recently and have been keen to pick it up. I read a novel based on this case a year or two ago and have wanted to know more about what happened ever since. I hope to get to this one this week.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
I feel like while we’re on lockdown a book about people being trapped together might be interesting and this one grabbed my attention on my kindle!
Living My Best Life by Claire Frost
I’ve had a copy of this on my review pile for a while now and I think I’m just in the mood for it so hopefully I get to read it in the coming days!
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear
I only started this last night but I’m already gripped. I love thrillers where the past has something to do with what’s happening in the present so this is my kind of book!
You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce
I’m reading this one on the Pigeonhole app and am really enjoying it. It’s not what I was expecting it to be but I’m so glad I got to read it because it’s so good and I’m so keen for the next part to be released so I can find out what happens next!
The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
I’m still reading this one and still very much enjoying it. I’m intrigued to know how things are going to play out between this mother and daughter!
What I recently finished reading:
Second Life by S. J. Watson
I’ve had the ebook of this ever since it was first published but I finally started it this week when I got the audio book from BorrowBox. I’m sad to say that I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the author’s first novel. I do love his writing though so would always look out for new books by him.
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
I treated myself to this one and read it right away as I’ve got into a bit of a reading slump recently. I’m not feeling well at all and so my reading is suffering but this book grabbed me from the off and I really enjoyed it.
Notes to Self by Emilie Pine
I picked this up as it was short and being as it’s essays I thought I could dip in and out of it. As it turned out I devoured it! I’ve seen that this has got a lot of negative reviews but I loved it, I could identify with a lot of what the author has been through and it made me feel seen.
What I plan on reading next:
Containment by Vanda Symon
I’m on a blog tour for this one later this month so am really keen to start reading this one in good time. I adored Vanda Symon’s previous books so have very high hopes for this one!
Dead Wrong by Noelle Holten
I’m also taking part in the blog tour for this one and am so looking forward to reading this one. Noelle’s first novel was excellent and I feel sure this one will be every bit as good!
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
I’ve read some fab reviews of this book this week so it’s made me really want to read it so hopefully I’ll be able to get to it this week!
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
I’m still struggling to read but I picked this book up in the early hours of the morning and it immediately grabbed me. I’m gripped by this one and am keen to find out where it’s going.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
This is a wonderful novel, I’ve very much enjoyed listening to it over the last few days. I’ve got the kindle book so I keep switching between the two formats and I’m loving it.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
I haven’t managed to read much more of this book this week as I just can’t manage to hold a physical book but I hope to get back to it soon.
What I recently finished reading:
Truth, Lies and O-Rings by Allan J. McDonald and James Hansen
I’ve had this book on my TBR for years now but I finally picked it up this week and I found it fascinating. I’ve always felt such a connection to the Challenger disaster and remember the day it happened like it was yesterday even though I was only just seven. I knew a lot about the disaster but there was still so much to learn from this book. I’m really glad I read it.
Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
I found this book gripping! I love the way it uses the plots of older murder mysteries, it really added to the book for me. I wish I could have read this when I was feeling better as I think it would have been one I read in one sitting but having said that it kept me occupied on quite a few sleepless nights.
More Than Words by Jill Santopolo
This was my audio book from the last week and I’m not sure how I felt about this one. I enjoyed it but it didn’t engage me in the way her previous book did.
What I plan on reading next:
Keeper by Jessica Moor
I’ve had a copy of this from NetGalley for a few weeks now and I think I’m just in the mood to read it so hope to get to it this week.
Deadly Deceit by Mari Hannah
I read the first two books in this series when they came out and I really enjoyed them but somehow I didn’t read on. Anyway, I’ve been sorting out my huge TBR and this book jumped out at me so I plan on reading it this week and catching up with the series this year.
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
I’m really struggling to read at the moment so have been picking books up and putting them down a lot but this one has grabbed my attention. I love all the references to older mystery novels and am intrigued to see how this book plays out.
More Than Words by Jill Santopolo
This is my current audio book and I’m enjoying it. It’s not as good as her previous novel The Life We Lost, which I loved, but it’s keeping me interested so that’s great.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
I got the hardback of this for my birthday and am loving it. I wish my health was better as I would have normally devoured this in one or two sittings but I’m very much enjoying this one. I recommend it!
What I recently finished reading:
The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
I spotted this book on Scribd and decided to listen to it before I started Peter Swanson’s new book as I knew it featured and didn’t want spoilers. I really enjoyed this one, it’s an engrossing mystery and Poirot novels are such fun escapism.
I completely and utterly fell in love with this novel and have already reviewed it so you can read my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more about it.
What I plan on reading next:
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
I’ve had the ebook of this ever since it was first published but I spotted that the audio was available on BorrowBox so I downloaded it and plan to part read and part listen. I’ve done this before with one of the author’s previous novels and really enjoyed it so I’m looking forward to starting this one.
Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper
I got this book for my birthday last month and have been so keen to read it. I really hope my brain is back in gear for reading soon as I’d love to read this book in the coming days.
Quichotte by Salman Rushdie
This was another birthday gift and is one I’m so looking forward to getting lost in. I read Don Quixote many, many years ago so am hoping I can remember it enough to catch the references to it in this book. I have very high hopes for this one so hope it lives up to them!
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
Wild Spinning Girls by Carol Lovekin
I’m such a huge fan of Carol Lovekin’s writing so have been eagerly anticipating her new book. I started reading it last night and it’s stunning, I want to read it slowly to make it last as long as I can.
Queenie by Candace Carty-Williams
I got this for my birthday last week and am really enjoying it. I was very lucky to get lots of books but I’ve been too ill to read any of them until now. I’ll do a book haul soon but Queenie was the one that called to me first and it’s such a good read!
Turning the Tide on Plastic by Lucy Siegle
I’ve been reading this book on and off for the past three weeks and am finding it so interesting. It’s definitely motivating me to continue to find products that either aren’t plastic or things that can be re-used around my home.
What I recently finished reading:
Death Deserved by Thomas Enger & Jorn Lier Horst
This is such an excellent crime thriller and I loved it. It’s the best thriller I’ve read in a while and I highly recommend it. I’ve actually shared my review of it today so you can read my full thoughts there! 🙂 It’s the only book I’ve managed to read in its entirety over the last week so it must have been good!
Only Fools and Stories by David Jason
I’ve been reading this over the last month and finally finished it this week. It was such a nostaglic look back over the famous characters David Jason has played over the years such as Del Boy, Pop Larkin and Jack Frost. I enjoyed it and would recommend it if you’re a fan of the shows he’s been a part of.
What I plan on reading next:
The Lying Room by Nicci French
I’ve been wanting to read this for ages so when it popped up on a daily deal for Kindle yesterday I snapped it up and can’t wait to start reading it.
Keeper by Jessica Moor
I was lucky to received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am so intrigued to read it so I think I might well pick it up this week!
Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent
This is another book that is calling to me from my NetGalley shelf! I love the author’s writing and this one sounds so intriguing!
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
It’s been another quiet week this week as I’m still feeling exhausted and unwell. I did manage to leave the house for 20 mins when I tagged along with my husband to the supermarket. It was the first time I’d been outside since Christmas day so that was an achievement.
Thanks to everyone who has commented on my posts recently – I’m so sorry that I haven’t managed to reply. I’m also sorry that I’ve not been keeping up on reading blogs and liking, commenting and sharing. I hope to be back up to speed soon but in the meantime I really appreciate the comments, likes and shares on my posts. You’re all stars! 🙂
I’ve barely been reading this week either so it really has been a quiet week. I’m in the middle of seven different books but I’m not in the mood for anything in particular so I’m going back and forth between them. My main read is A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone, which is really good. I just wish my brain was up to engaging better so I could get completely swept up in the writing.
I did listen to one complete audio book this week and that was Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House by M. C. Beaton. I love dipping in and out of this series as they’re perfect escapist reads. This was the first one I’ve ever listened to and I loved Penelope Keith’s narration so may look for future books on audio!
TV-wise I’m still loving Richard Osman’s House of Games. My husband watches it if it’s on when he’s home but he’s not as invested in it as me. This week they’ve had a contestant on called Matt and my husband turned to me and told me that that man is basically me! He’s so right – the guy is so competitive whilst also having the time of his life taking part on the show! Haha!
It’s been a slow week on my blog this week too.
I posted a weekly wrap-up last Sunday where I wrote about what I’d been reading, watching and blogging about in the previous week.
On Wednesday I posted my WWW Wednesdays post where I shared what I was reading, what I’d recently read and what I hope to read next.
Then yesterday I posted my new book haul, which predominantly consists impulse buys of Daily Deals!
How has your week been? I hope you’ve had a lovely week and had time to do some reading. If you’ve shared a wrap-up post please feel free to leave your link before and I’ll make sure to visit your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
I really enjoyed the first two books in the Cormoran Strike series so when I spotted this book in my Audible library I decided to make it my next listen. I’m only about three hours in but I’m definitely gripped and am keen to see there this novel is going.
What She Saw Last Night by Mason Cross
I’ve had a couple of days where I couldn’t read print this week so I had to put this down but I’m back reading it now and I’m super intrigued about what is going to happen.
Only Fools and Stories by David Jason
I haven’t read any more of this book this week as I got engrossed in another non-fiction book but I will definitely pick this back up in the coming days as I’m very much enjoyed David Jason’s stories.
What I recently finished reading:
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
This book is stunning! I deliberately made myself read this slowly as it’s such a beautiful novel and I didn’t want it to end. I loved this story and how it was told. I will review this one once I’ve got my thoughts together.
The Murders at White House Farm by Carol Ann Lee
This is such an interesting book and I’m really glad I read it. It gives background to the Bamber family, and it explores the murders and the investigation. It did feel like the author was standing back and really assessing what happened whilst also giving space for the reader to have their own thoughts about it.
I enjoyed some parts of this book but I didn’t enjoy it as much as other books by the author. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find more of my thoughts here.
What I plan on reading next:
The Mothers by Sarah Naughton
I’ve had an ARC of this on my TBR for a few weeks now but have read some great reviews of it over the last week or so and I can’t wait to read it so I hope to get to it this week.
Who Did You Tell? by Lesley Kara
This is another ARC that I’ve had for a while and now I’m so keen to read it so hopefully I’ll also manage to read this one this week.
The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper
I’ve been trying to focus on mostly reading my unread review books in recent weeks and I was mortified to spot this on my NetGalley shelf and to see how long it has been there as it is a book I still really want to read. So I’m going to try and get to it this week.
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
What She Saw Last Night by Mason Cross
I saw so many great reviews of this one the blog tour and I kept thinking of the premise and wondering about the storyline so I finally picked this up yesterday. I’m only a few chapters in but I’m gripped!
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
This book is so good! I’ve had a review copy from NetGalley for a while now and finally picked it up this week and am enjoying it so much. It’s a really emotional novel about a boy who is the sole survivor of an air crash and it’s such a good read.
Only Fools and Stories by David Jason
I read David Jason’s autobiography last year and enjoyed it so was keen to pick up the follow on book. This is more stories about the characters he’s played and some behind the scenes stuff. It’s a really fun read and I’m enjoying it.
What I recently finished reading:
The Home by Sarah Stovell
This book left me heartbroken! It’s a stunning psychological thriller about a teenage girl who is found dead and then it goes back and forth as we find out what happened. It’s a really raw and emotional book and one I think will stay with me for a long time to come. I’ll be reviewing this one on Friday so please check back then for my full thoughts.
17 Church Row by James Carol
I’d seen great reviews for this one on the blog tour so snapped it up on Kindle. I then saw the audio book available on BorrowBox so I part read and part listened to this one. I really enjoyed the first half of the novel but it lost me a little after that. It was a gripping read though and I’m glad I read it.
One Little Mistake by Emma Curtis
I’ve had a copy of this book ever since it was published but I finally picked it up at the end of December and finished it this week. It was such a gripping thriller about a woman who makes one mistake and ends up paying a heavy price for it.
This novel is set in a dystopian future where sugar is banned. It’s such a gripping and thought-provoking read, I really enjoyed it. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find there here if you’d like to know more.
The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale
This is a gorgeous book that I’ve been wanting to read for quite a while. I started it in December and finished it a few days ago. I part read and part listened to it and it’s just such a fab story. It reminded me of how I used to love stories as a child and I now want to read anything and everything by this author!
It’s A Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans
This is another book that I partly read at the end of 2019 and finished it at the beginning of this year. I loved this novel – it’s got such a lovely cast of characters and such a great message in it. I definitely want to read more by this author in the future.
Wham! George and Me by Andrew Ridgeley
My husband bought me this for Christmas and I knew it had to be my first read of 2020 as I was sure it would get my reading year off to a fabulous start and it absolutely did. I read this all in one sitting on New Year’s Day and I adored it. I recommend it if you’re a Wham fan!
What I plan on reading next:
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
This is one of my most eagerly anticipated books of 2020 and I don’t think I can resist picking up my review copy any longer!
I Want You Gone by Miranda Rijks
This has been on my NetGalley shelf for longer than it should have so I want to try and make it a priority for this week. Hopefully I can get to it as it does sound really intriguing.
Look What You Made Me Do by Helen Walmsley-Johnson
This is another book that I got for Christmas and I’ve read really good reviews of it so would like to make this my next nonfiction read of 2020.
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
This week has been a quiet one for me due to additional medical issues so I’ve been escaping into books.
I’ve developed something of a superstition in recent times around the first book I read in a new year – being that if it’s a fabulous read then I’m going to have a great reading year. Thankfully my first read of 2020 was Wham! George and Me by Andrew Ridgeley and I really enjoyed it. I read it all in one afternoon on New Year’s Day and it was a perfect start to the year.
I then read the final third of a book I’d been reading on and off since Christmas – It’s A Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans and I also really enjoyed this one. It’s festive but not so much so that I couldn’t still enjoy it after Christmas. This is definitely one I’d re-read one year over the festive period.
The next book I finished was also one I’d started at the end of 2019 and I loved getting lost in the world of The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale. I’d had this on my TBR ever since it was first published and I’m so glad I finally got to it, it really is a gorgeous read.
After finishing that I picked up The Choice by Claire Wade and I pretty much read it in one sitting. It’s a really gripping, thought-provoking novel. I’ll be reviewing it this week so look out for that!
As for blogging I always love the first week of a new year when I share all my favourite books of the past year and reflect on my reading.
First I posted my Christmas Book Haul as I was very spoilt with books over the festive period.
Then I shared my Reading Bingo post. I always enjoy putting this post together every year as it’s a chance to reflect on my reading and to share some of the books I’ve read.
On Friday I posted my 2019 Reading Stats post. I love putting this post together and getting the chance to really look at the breakdown of my reading over the year. It’s always so interesting to me to see how my bookish year went.
Yesterday I shared a book haul of the books that I’ve managed to acquire since the beginning of the year!
So health-wise it could have been a better week but I’m thrilled with the books I’ve read and the posts I’ve written and shared on my blog so all-in-all I’m happy with how 2020 is going so far! 🙂 How has your week been?
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!
Books and eBooks
The Choke by Sofie Laguna
I won this book just before Christmas and it arrived a few days ago. I didn’t know a huge amount about it but it sounds like such a good read and I’m looking forward to getting to it.
Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman
I’ve been wanting to read this one ever since it was published last year so when I spotted it in the latest Kindle book sale I snapped it up. I hope to get to this soon.
Five Steps to Happy by Ella Dove
I also bought this in this Kindle sale as it sounds like such an interesting novel. It’s fiction and about coming to terms with disability so I really want to read this one as soon as I can.
Audiobooks
A Poem For Every Day of the Year by Allie Esiri
This was an Audible daily deal earlier this week and I snapped it up. I think it’ll be lovely to listen to a poem each day and I’m keen to start this one.
Review Books
After Dark by Dominic Nolan
I squealed when a surprise copy of this book arrived in the post for me last week! I loved the author’s previous book (it was only of my Top 40 books of 2019!) so I’m super excited to have a copy of the sequel! I’ll definitely be reading this soon.
Mine by Clare Empson
I was surprised and delighted to get approved to read this one on NetGalley yesterday. I must have requested it long enough ago that I’d forgotten about it but I’m very happy to have a copy to read as I loved the author’s previous novel.
Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
I was sorting through my email this week and spotted an email I’d missed from the publisher about this book – they’d sent me a pre-approved link to read this from NetGalley so I was thrilled to click it and find the book was still there.
Have you bought any new books over the last week? Please tell me below. 🙂 If you join in with Stacking the Shelves please feel free to leave your link and I’ll make sure to read and comment on your post.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
The Fallout by Rebecca Thornton
I just started reading this late last night so have only read a couple of chapters but I’m gripped already and am looking forward to reading more soon.
The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch by Tom Fletcher
This book is gorgeous! I’m really enjoying it and whilst I wanted to read it all in one sitting yesterday afternoon I’m determined to make it last a little bit longer. It really is such a lovely read though, I recommend it!
The Great Christmas Knit-Off by Alexandra Brown
I love this book so really wanted to re-read it this Christmas and I’m so glad I made time for it. This book gives me all the feels and I always enjoy it so much.
The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater
This is another re-read! I bought it a couple of years ago and it’s become a must re-read every festive season. It’s such a beautiful book, it feels like such a treat to read.
This obviously isn’t a book but it is the one time of year when I absolutely have to get a copy of the Christmas Radio Times. It was a tradition in my house as I was growing up and it’s a tradition in my own house now. It always makes me happy to read through this magazine in the week before Christmas and to mark the things that I’d like to watch over the festive season. 🙂
What I recently finished reading:
Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
I finally picked this back up this week and got completely engrossed in it. I found this gripping and impossible to look away from even when it was incredibly nerve-racking!
I very much enjoyed dipping in and out of this book over a few days, it’s covers such a wide range of experiences of Christmas and I’d recommend it to everyone. I reviewed this one yesterday so you can find that here if you’d like to know more.
Let It Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle & Maureen Johnson
This is a collection of three interlinked short stories and it’s been on my TBR for years! I finally picked it up as it’s now a film on Netflix but I’m sad to say the book was just an okay read for me. I enjoyed the first story but the following two weren’t quite as good.
This book is Christmas personified and I very much enjoyed it. If you want a Christmas book that is full of festive spirit then this is the book for you! I reviewed this on Monday so you can find that here if you’d like to know more.
This is a gorgeous poetry collection that really reflects on this time of year. I really did enjoyed this one. My review is hereif you want to know more.
Christmas at the Little Knitting Box by Helen J. Rolfe
This is another really lovely Christmas novel, and I really enjoyed it. It felt so romantic and Christmassy! I’m delighted to find that this is the first in a series and there are already quite a few books out so I’m going to enjoy catching up on those.
An Almost Perfect Christmas by Nina Stibbe
I got the audio book of this from my library and it was a really good listen. The author narrates her stories herself, which really added to the book. I always enjoy hearing about other people’s Christmases so this was a fun book.
Daisy’s Christmas Gift Shop by Hannah Pearl
I bought the ebook of this and then the audio as well and I enjoyed it. Unfortunately the title feels very misleading to me as this isn’t really a book about Christmas. It’s set near Christmas but that’s the only link and it was barely mentioned so that left me a little disappointed.
What I plan on reading next:
The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey
I read this book when it first came out a few years ago and whenever I think of it I feel Christmassy so have wanted to re-read it. I’m so looking forward to it.
Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris
This is another favourite! I’ve re-read this one a few times in recent years as I just love it so much. It always feels like a real treat!
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Abby Clements
This is another festive book that I read and loved when it was first published and I remember it so fondly that I’d really like to re-read it if I get time this week.
Christmas With Dull People by Saki
I treated myself to this book a few weeks ago and have been saving it until nearer Christmas so it’s finally time that I can read it! I can’t wait!
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
Daisy’s Christmas Gift Shop by Hannah Pearl
I bought this on kindle and then I spotted I could also get the audio book from Audible for £2.99 so I have both versions and am switching between the two. I’m enjoying this book but so far there’s no Christmas so I’m hoping there is some festive stuff soon.
Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler
This book is FULL of Christmas and I am loving it! It’s exactly what I want in a festive book and it’s really making me feel Christmassy.
Last Christmas by Emma Thompson & Greg Wise
I’m really enjoying dipping in and out of this book and reading about how other people spend Christmas. It’s making me think, and it’s also making me feel nostalgic. It’s a great collection so far.
Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
This book got put to one side last week but I picked it back up yesterday and am gripped so I expect to finish this one very soon.
What I recently finished reading:
It Must Have Been the Mistletoe by Judy Astley
I’ve had this book on my TBR ever since it was first published so I’m glad to have finally got to it. I enjoyed this one, it’s set at Christmas which I appreciated and has family dramas galore. It didn’t make me feel quite as festive as I’d hoped but I did really enjoy it.
A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan
I borrowed the audiobook of this from BorrowBox and really enjoyed listening to it. It was my first Sarah Morgan book but it definitely won’t be the last!
Love, Secret Santa by S. A. Domingo
This is a really sweet YA book set in the run-up to Christmas. I found this cute and it made me remember what it was like to be a teenager.
I read this book over the weekend and it was exactly what I needed. I got swept up in Holly’s life and it was fab escapism. I reviewed this yesterday so you can find my full thoughts here.
When Stars Will Shine by Emma Mitchell
This is a brilliant collection of short stories by different authors and I loved it. I’ll be reviewing it tomorrow for the blog tour so please look out for my post then.
Coming Home for Christmas by Jenny Hale
I’ve read and enjoyed a couple of this author’s previous Christmas novels Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses, and It Started With Christmas so I was looking forward to this one. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t as Christmassy and romantic as I’d hoped it would be.
Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
I am so happy that I picked up this audio book as it’s a return to form for the Shopaholic series and I loved this. It was so fun and festive and Becky is as hilarious as ever! I recommend it!
What I plan on reading next:
Let It Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle & Maureen Johnson
I’ve had this book on my TBR for a couple of years and am determined to get to it this week so that I can watch the new Netflix film of it!
The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch by Tom Fletcher
I read and loved The Christmasaurus last year so I couldn’t resist buying the sequel this year and I can’t wait to read it!
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
Love, Secret Santa by S. Domingo
I started reading this last night and it’s such a lovely YA Christmas read, I’m very much enjoying this one.
When Stars Will Shine by Emma Mitchell
I’m thoroughly enjoying dipping in and out of this short story collection, it’s such a good read. As this is a book that is raising money for charity I took part in a cover reveal for it a few weeks ago and since then there’s been an issue with pre-orders but that is now all up and running. So if you’d like to know more about the book and to pre-order it please click here.
Pushing Her Luck by B. R. Maycock
I’ve only just started this one but I’m already hooked and I can’t wait to read more of it over the next couple of days!
A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan
This is my current audio book which I got from the library. It’s an enjoyable listen so far and I’m looking forward to getting back to it.
I’ll Have What She’s Having by Erin Carlson
I bought this at the weekend and am really enjoying it. It’s a non-fiction book about Nora Ephron’s three rom-coms and it’s such a fun read. I now want to watch When Harry Met Sally for the umpteenth time! 🙂
Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
I haven’t read much more of this book since last week I as I got caught up with Christmas reading but I will be getting back to this one very soon.
What I recently finished reading:
Body Tourists by Jane Rogers
This was such a good read, something completely different for me but I’m so glad I picked it up. I’ll be reviewing this once I’ve got my thoughts in order.
The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux
This was a fun read about a group gathering and secrets being uncovered. It was a quick, enjoyable book.
I really enjoyed this thriller, I read it all in one sitting as I was desperate to know what was going on. I reviewed this yesterday so you can read my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more.
I really enjoyed dipping in and out of this book during Non-Fiction November. I wrote a mini review of this on Monday as part of my wrap-up post so you can read that here if you’d like to.
All the Water in the World by Karen Raney
This book was different than I was expecting but it was a good read and I’m glad I read it. I hope to get a review up of this one very soon.
This book was such an interesting and moving read and I’m so glad I read it. I knew a reasonable amount about the opioid crisis but this book was still eye-opening to me. I wrote a mini review on Monday which you can find here.
Snowglobe by Amy Wilson
This is a lovely, moving middle grade read and I really enjoyed it.
Christmas Under the Stars by Karen Swan
I’m sorry to say that I found this such a disappointing read. I downloaded the audio from the library and was looking forward to a festive read but it has nothing to do with Christmas at all. There is a blink and you miss it mention of Christmas and that’s it. It was an okay read but not what it was billed to be.
What I plan on reading next:
Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler
This was on my TBR for last week and I didn’t quite get to it so it’s definitely a priority for the coming week, I’m looking forward to this one.
Last Christmas by Emma Thompson & Greg Wise
I’m also really keen to get to this as I love having a Christmas book that I can dip in and out of in December.
The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale
I’ve had the ebook of this on my TBR ever since it was first published so when I spotted the audio book on my library app this week I immediately downloaded it. This will definitely be my next audio book and I can’t wait!
One Christmas Star by Mandy Baggot
I got this book on Kindle when it was free recently so I think I’m going to buy the audio book so I can part-read and part-listen to this one. I love Mandy’s Christmas books so I have high hopes for this one. I’ve previously read and reviewed One Wish in Manhattan by Mandy Baggot and I adored it!
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!
Books and eBooks
The Body Lies by Jo Baker
This book has been on my radar for age so when I spotted it for 99p on kindle yesterday I snapped it up! I don’t think this one will be on my TBR for very long as I’m keen to get to it.
With the End in Mind by Kathryn Mannix
I bought this one on a whim when I spotted it on a Kindle Daily Deal yesterday. I think this sounds fascinating and it’s one I’ll have to be in the right mood for but I’m glad to own it.
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
I’ve read the first two books in this series and have the third one so I couldn’t resist getting this fourth book in a deal this week. I do enjoy these books so I’m happy to have the next two to read now.
Ma’am Darling by Craig Brown
I’ve been wanting to read this book as I’ve heard such good things about it so I’m glad to have my own copy. I did get it on audio from the library a while back but I heard it has a lot of photos in it so I wanted to get it in ebook format instead.
Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm by Jaimie Admans
I bought this as it sounds like such a lovely Christmas read and I’m gearing up to begin my festive reading properly as soon as December arrives!
Christmas at the Lakeside Resort by Susan Schild
I downloaded this book for my kindle on a total whim as I love the cover so much! It looks like such a Christmassy book and I’m really looking forward to reading this one.
Audio Books
Gone Fishing by Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse
I bought this one on an Audible daily deal as I thought it might be something my husband might enjoy listening to. It sounds like an interesting and relaxing audio book so I’m looking forward to this one.
Where the Light Gets In by Lucy Dillon
I bought this one on a whim when it was on an Audible daily deal earlier this week. I’ve read and enjoyed one of the author’s earlier novels so I’m glad to have this one on my TBR.
ARCs
Keeper by Jessica Moor
This is one of my most anticipated books for 2020 so I was thrilled to be approved to read it on NetGalley. I’m trying to hold off reading it until nearer the release date but I may give in and read this early!
Christmas at the Chateau by Lorraine Wilson
I couldn’t reply fast enough when I was offered the chance to read this book for the forthcoming blog tour as it sounds like such a lovely Christmas read. I’ll be picking this up very soon!
Have you bought any new books over the last week? Please tell me below. 🙂 If you join in with Stacking the Shelves please feel free to leave your link and I’ll make sure to read and comment on your post.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
I Carried a Watermelon by Katy Brand
I’ve only read a tiny bit of this book at the time I’m writing this post but I can tell it’s going to be a fun, nostalgic read and I can’t wait to read more!
The Dark Side of the Mind by Kerry Daynes
I bought this book recently and have been so keen to read it so am glad to finally have started it. It’s a really good read so far.
The Death of a President by William Manchester
This is such an interesting audio book and I’ve listened to it quite a lot over the last few days. I think I’m about half-way through it and will definitely be listening to more in the coming days.
James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era by Joseph Vogel
I’m still reading this one in short bursts, I’m finding it really interesting but it feels a little more academic than I was expecting and my brain’s not always up to that at the moment. It’s a good book though, I recommend it.
What I recently finished reading:
I should say here that whilst I finished nine books this week, half of them were books that I’d read a lot of before this week!
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
I loved this book, it’s my new favourite Agatha Christie novel! I now want to make time to re-read more of her books in the new year.
Nothing Important Happened Here by Will Carver
This is such a hard book to write about as it was like nothing I’ve read before and the issue of suicide is a difficult subject matter but it was a brilliant book. I’m reviewing this one for the blog tour next week so please look out for that.
Gotta Get Theroux This: My Life and Strange Times in Television by Louis Theroux
I borrowed this book on audio from my local library and I very much enjoyed it. Louis Theroux narrates the book (I always love it when the author of a memoir narrates the audio, it adds to the story for me). I think I might like to have the hardback of this one to have on my bookcase!
So Lucky by Dawn O’Porter
I loved this novel and reviewed it yesterday so you can read my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more. I read it in one sitting and definitely recommend it.
Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook
I almost put this on my Non-Fiction November TBR but having left it off the list I was just in the mood to read it so I picked it up anyway. It was such a good read and I’m glad I finally got to it.
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
This is such a good YA novel about a teenage girl living with HIV. It’s a really good portrayal of teenage life, as well as featuring diverse characters and a very believable plot. I’ll review this very soon.
The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain
This is the first Diane Chamberlain that I’ve picked up in a really long time but it was such a good read and has reminded me of how much I used to enjoy her books. This one might even be my new favourite of hers!
Chase the Rainbow by Poorna Bell
I’ve had this book on my TBR for quite a long time now so I made sure it was on my Non-Fiction November TBR this year. I’m really glad I finally picked it up as it was such an honest exploration of what it’s like to live with someone with depression and addiction. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
I loved this Christmas novella and have already reviewed it here if you’d like to know more.
What I plan on reading next:
I Want You Gone by Miranda Rijks
This thriller has been on my NetGalley shelf for quite a few months now and is the next book I hope to get to in my plan to catch up before the end of the year. I’m looking forward to this one, it sounds intriguing!
Magic Under the Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman
This is the next Christmas book that I plan on reading and I’m really looking forward to getting to it.
Turning the Tide on Plastic by Lucy Siegle
I’m trying really hard to reduce the single-use plastics in our home and this is a book that can help me achieve more than I’m already managing.
The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
This is a book I’ve been really keen to get to so I’d like to make this one of my next Non-Fiction November reads.
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
One Week ‘Til Christmas by Belinda Missen
This book is gorgeous! It’s so festive and fun and I’m really loving reading it. I’ll be reviewing this on 1st November so please look out for my full thoughts then.
Nothing Important Happened Here by Will Carver
This book is brilliant – it’s so dark and like nothing I’ve read before but it’s so good. I do have to keep taking a little break because of the subject matter so I’m taking my time with this one but I’m still loving the writing.
James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era by Joseph Vogel
I didn’t read as much of this book as I’d hoped this week as my kindle is playing up but I hope I can get back to it soon.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
I’m reading this one slowly because I am loving it so much! It’s really reminded me how much I loved Agatha Christie’s novels when I was younger and now I want to re-read them all.
What I recently finished reading:
Do Not Feed the Bear by Rachel Elliott
This is a stunning novel that I adored! I read it in two sittings and I keep thinking about it ever since I finished it. I will review this one as soon I get my thoughts together but I can say now that I highly recommend it!
The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr by Frances Maynard
I’ve had a proof of this on my TBR for a while now and so was glad to make time to read it this week. I enjoyed this one, it was a lovely way to spend a couple of afternoons this week. I do plan on reviewing this one soon.
Trying by Emily Phillips
I’ve also had a proof copy of this for a long time and finally picked it up this week. I did enjoy this one for the most part but it was lacking something for me. I’m still mulling over how I feel about it but I will write a review once I’ve thought about it a bit more.
Violet by SJI Holliday
This was such a good book, so twisted and hard to put down! I actually read it all in one sitting as it had me so engrossed that I simply had to know how it was going to end. I’ll be reviewing this one on 6th November but in the meantime I recommend it!
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages so when I spotted the audio book in my library app I decided to download it. I found this such a fascinating book, and really appreciated all the extra information the author added in a later addition correcting errors in the way he told the story. It’s made me want to read the books other climbers on the same expedition have written to see their perspectives more fully.
The Eleventh Day by Anthony Summers
I finished reading this soon after last week’s WWW Wednesdays post and I’m so glad that I stuck with it as it was a really interesting look at all the politics before and after 9/11. I learnt things that I didn’t know before, which is always good in a non-fiction book.
What I plan on reading next:
Magic Under the Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman
This is the next festive book that I plan on reading and as Non-Fiction November is almost upon us I’d like to read this very soon so I can focus on non-fiction for the most part through the month.
Constellations by Sinead Gleason
This is a book that I’ve wanted to read for ages and I’ve saved it for Non-Fiction November so I’m thrilled that I will finally be picking it up this week.
How to be Human by Ruby Wax
This is another proof that I’ve had on my TBR for a while now so I’m keen to read it during November.
Bowie’s Bookshelf by John O’Connell
I only got an ARC of this from NetGalley very recently and I’m so keen to read it. I’m a huge fan of David Bowie and am excited to read more about the books that he loved.
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.
What I’m reading now:
Nothing Important Happened Here by Will Carver
I’ve only just started this book as I’m writing this post but I can already tell it’s going to be brilliant. I’m really looking forward to sitting down for a chunk of time and reading this one.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
I was in the mood for an Agatha Christie and this one was the first I spotted on my TBR so I picked it up. I’m really enjoying it although I have a strong suspicion about whodunnit which makes me think I may have read this before (perhaps many years ago during my pre-teen years when I devoured all the Agatha Christie books my local library had!).
James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era by Joseph Vogel
Shamefully, I discovered this was on kindle from NetGalley and I’d been approved to read it almost two years ago. I’m reading it now though and it’s a fascinating read. It’s reminded me that I need to read more of James Baldwin’s writing.
The Eleventh Day by Anthony Summers
I’m on the final part of this book now so I may well have finished it by the time this post goes live. It’s been a really interesting, and at times very alarming read, about the politics in the years leading up to 9/11. It’s a book I’ve had to take my time with but it’s one I’d recommend.
What I recently finished reading:
The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
I bought a copy of this book on my kindle when it was published but when I spotted it on my library audio book app I decided to part-read and part-listen to it. I very much enjoyed this book and ended up reading it in just a couple of sittings. The characters aren’t always very likeable but they were believable and I was keen to see where the story was going to take me.
The Christmas Wish List by Heidi Swain
This is my first Christmas read of the year and I adored it! It’s perfect for the lead up to Christmas and was great escapism for me this week. I’ll be reviewing this one for the blog tour at the end of this month but in the meantime I highly recommend it.
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
This is another book that I got through my library app and I found it a fascinating listen. Due to having a neurological condition myself I’m always so interested in books about things that affect the brain. This covers quite a wide range of stories and it was engaging the whole way through.
The Last by Hanna Jameson
I’ve had an ARC of this on my TBR since the end of last year and finally managed to get to it in my quest to catch up before the end of this year. I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t quite as good as I was hoping. It felt like it was going to be something different to what it was. Having said that it did keep me reading so it the writing was engaging.
The Silent Ones by K. L. Slater
This was a really good thriller looking at the aftermath of two ten year old girls accused of murder. I was gripped by this book from the start and really enjoyed how the story unfolded. I recommend it.
The Accidental Love Letter by Olivia Beirne
This is such a gorgeous novel about a woman called Bea who recieves a letter addressed to B and decides to open it even though she’s not sure it’s meant for her. I devoured this book and adored it. My review is due to be published today so you’ll be able to find out my full thoughts in that post.
Platform Seven by Louise Doughty
This was another great read. It follows a woman who is dead and her spirit is now stuck at Platform Seven. Gradually she reveals her story and what led to her death. This book was so gripping and I was on the edge of my seat as the story is revealed. I will review this one soon but I recommend it in the meantime.
What I plan on reading next:
One Week ‘Til Christmas by Belinda Missen
I’m going to be on the blog tour in a couple of weeks so I’ll definitely be reading this book in the coming week and I’m so looking forward to it. It sounds really festive!
The School Friend by Alison James
This is another ARC that has been waiting to be read for longer than I’d have liked so it’s a priority for me this week. I’m sure I’m going to love this one, it sounds like my kind of read!
The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr by Frances Maynard
I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages now and I’m in the mood for it so am hoping I can make time to read it this week.
Pretty Is by Maggie Mitchell
This is a book I’ve owned for about three or four years now and I’m still really keen to read it so want to make an effort to pick it up in the coming days!
What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂
RatherTooFondofBooks 