WWW Wednesdays (9 Aug ’23)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 09/08/2023 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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’m reading Too Much by Tom Allen, which is his memoir about the loss of his father. It’s so moving but also funny and touching. I’m also reading These Streets by Luan Goldie, which I’m really enjoying.

Recent Reads

I’ve had another good week of reading in terms of how much I’ve read. I finished reading Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel and I loved it, it was such a beautifully written novel and one that will stay with me. After that I devoured The Last Passenger by Will Dean in one sitting, this was a wild ride of a novel that kept me hooked all the way through. I then listened to some audiobooks – the first was Foster by Claire Keegan, which was stunning – so moving. Then I listened to Peach by Emma Glass, which I found absorbing and gripping although not an easy subject matter to read about. Finally I read The Playground by Michelle Frances, which is one of those novels filled with unlikeable and self-obsessed characters and I really enjoyed it!

What I Might Read Next

I spotted Drowning by TJ Newman for 99p on Kindle yesterday so I’m tempted to pick that up next as it sounds like just the kind of gripping thriller I’m craving at the moment. I also recently bought Kala by Colin Smith and I’m keen to pick it up. The next book on my backlog of NetGalley reads is In Case of Emergency by Poorna Bell so I’m going to try and get to that one too.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (2 Aug ’23)! What are you reading at the moment?

Posted on 02/08/2023 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 just started reading Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel and have been engrossed in it – I can’t wait to get back to it! I’m also still reading On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel but with it being a hardback book I’m being limited at the moment by my ability to physically hold it. It’s a beautiful book though and I’m actually enjoying being forced to take my time with it.

Recent Reads

My reading has been slower this week than last week but I’m still been reading. I read Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney and found it to be a really compulsive read, it was hard to put down. You do need to suspend disbelief in this one but I didn’t mind that, I was happily along for the ride! Then yesterday I finished reading Show Me The Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen by Peter Apps. This is a book that everyone should read – it’s devastating and shocking and it will make you so angry but it’s very well researched and put together. As a disabled person myself I’m furious at the lack of care and compassion from authorities and just can’t get my head around the callous disregard for human life.

What I Might Read Next

I’m not sure what I’ll be reading next but I’m drawn to These Streets by Luan Goldie from my NetGalley shelf; The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop, which I just bought in the Kindle sale and am really keen to read; and I’ve just received A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo from the library on audiobook so I think what will be my next listen.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (26 Jul ’23)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 26/07/2023 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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

At the moment I’m reading On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel, which is a very sad read but so beautifully written. I want to read this one slowly but I’m totally engrossed in it. I’m also still reading Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen by Peter Apps and am finding this so interesting but also very anger-inducing at all the missed chances to prevent Grenfell happening.

Recent Reads

I’ve had such a good week of reading this week and have read so many books. First I read In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead, which I loved. You do need to suspend disbelief and the characters aren’t particularly likeable but it’s such a compulsive read! Then I read The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard all in one day as I just couldn’t put it down, it was so good! Next I devoured The Only One Left by Riley Sager, which I loved for about 75% but then it all got very ridiculous and it required way too much suspension of disbelief. I’m still not sure how to rate it though! I finished Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day and am conflicted on this one. The chapter on infertility and how that affects friendships, and also the one about when a friend dies really spoke to me but the rest of it felt very surface-level and a bit far away from most people’s experiences of friendship. After that I started and finished Zero Days by Ruth Ware, which was so fast-paced and I literally didn’t put it down from when I picked it up to when I turned the last page! Yesterday I finished listening to my audiobook of Clutter: An Untidy History by Jennifer Howard, which was an interesting look at how it is to deal with a parent’s clutter and then your own. I enjoyed it. Then I read the new Fiona Cummins novel All Of Us Are Broken, which was gruesome and heart-pounding and genuinely an edge of seat reading experience but I loved it!

What I Might Read Next

I think this week I’m most drawn to reading Going Deaf for a Living by Steve LaMacq, which is on my 20 Books of Summer list and I’m keen to pick up as I’m partway through listening to a documentary about BritPop on BBC Sounds. I also want to read I Did For You by Amy Engel and Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney from my NetGalley shelf.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (19 Jul ’23)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 19/07/2023 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 currently reading Clutter: An Untidy History by Jennifer Howard on audiobook and am finding it really interesting. I used to be something of a hoarder so books like this always appeal to me. I’m also reading Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen by Peter Apps on my Kindle – this is a really in depth and interesting look at what happened at Grenfell but also what happened before and how things could, and should, have been done so differently. I’m still reading Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day, which is interesting at times but less so in other sections.

Recent Reads

I finished reading Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister this week and I very much enjoyed it. I also borrowed the audiobook of Don’t Laugh, It’ll Only Encourage Her by Daisy May Cooper, which was okay but nothing particularly memorable. Then I read She Says She’s My Daughter by Lauren North, which was an easy thriller that kept me engaged all the way through. Finally I read my paperback copy of The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams and I found this a really compelling novel about women and words, I recommend it.

What I Might Read Next

I’m hoping to read The Only One Left by Riley Sager and The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard from my NetGalley shelf, and Surrender by Bono, which is a hardback book on my 20 Books of Summer list.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂 I may not be very speedy replying to comments this week as our broadband is down and apparently is likely to be for at least a couple of days. I don’t have a lot of data left to use so I’m potentially going to be internet-less for a little while.

WWW Wednesdays (5 Jul ’23)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 05/07/2023 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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

On my Kindle I’m reading The Villa by Ruth Kelly, which is really intriguing so far and I’m keen to read more. I’m also reading my hardback copy of Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day, which is such an interesting look at friendships and how we approach them.

Recent Reads

This week I’ve finished reading four books! The first was Season of the Witch by Cathi Unsworth and I loved this one, it was such a good read. I’ve now been listening to lots of Siouxsie and the Banshees and am enjoying their records all the more for reading this book about the Goth scene. Then I listened to the audiobook of Peter Swanson’s The Kind Worth Saving and I found it hard to switch it off, I think I pretty much listened to it all in one day! Next I finished reading Clare Macintosh’s The Last Party and found this to be such a good read, I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Finally I bought and read Heatwave by Victor Jestin. This is a short book but it really packs a punch and it feels like one that will really stay with me. It was disturbing and engaging!

What I Might Read Next

I’m still enjoying mood reading but I would like to read more of my 20 Books of Summer list (with some possible swaps!) so I think this week I’m looking at Apples Never Fall by Lianne Moriarty (not on the list but it is a paperback so would count for my plan to read twenty physical books. I’m also thinking of picking up Boy Friends by Michael Pedersen, which I think will be an emotional read but I’d like to get to it soon. On my Kindle I’m drawn to Alex Finlay’s The Night Shift so might start that one too.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (21 Jun ’23)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 21/06/2023 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 currently reading Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld and I’m loving it – so far it feels like it’s going to be one of my favourite reads of the year! I’ve also just started Mrs S. by K Patrick – I’m only a short way into this but I’m intrigued to read more and am looking forward to getting back to it.

Recent Reads

I’ve had a really good week of reading this week. First I finished reading The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda, which I enjoyed. All the characters are hard to like but there was something compelling about the story so it was a decent read. I also finished reading Quilt on Fire by Christie Watson, which was an excellent read. I could relate to quite a lot that the author was writing about so felt a real connection to her story. I then listened to two audiobooks from the library: Magma by Thora Hjorleifsdottir, which was a really difficult book due to the themes but it hit home for me and I just couldn’t stop listening. It’s shocking when a novel opens your eyes to past mistreatment by a former partner but also it’s affirming to know that it was what you suspected it might be. I also listened to Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which is a short book exploring her grief at the sudden death of her father during the pandemic when she couldn’t easily get home. It’s incredibly moving, and for anyone who has experienced the death of a parent it’s particularly emotional to read. I definitely need to buy a hard copy of this book to keep in my collection as there are so many parts of this book that I want to mark and be able to re-read. I finished my week by starting and finishing Unsolved by Heather Critchlow. I found this crime novel a little hard to get in to but once I was invested I just couldn’t put it down! I now can’t wait for the second book in the series to be published!

What I Might Read Next

I’m still mood reading and it’s working for me so I’m not sure what I’ll read next but the books on my shelves and my Kindle that are catching my eye just now are: A House for Alice by Diane Evans, The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh and Becky by Sarah May.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (14 Jun ’23)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 14/06/2023 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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

At the moment I’m currently reading The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda. I started this one last night so am only a few chapters in but I’m definitely intrigued and keen to read more. I’m also still reading Quilt on Fire from last week and am absolutely loving this one. It’s certainly making me feel less alone with how it is to be a woman in her 40s. Also still on the go is Last Orbit, which I’m very much enjoying but the physical weight of the paperback is too much for my hands so it’s on a slight hiatus for a few days.

Recent Reads

I’ve had a really good week of reading this week. I read two Mari Hannah books – Killing for Keeps and Gallows Drop so am now keen to read the next book in this series. I also read My Word Against His by Lauren North, which was very twisty and engaging. Then I listened to Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes and I completely and utterly adored this one. It’s such a fun book but with some real depth to it too. I could relate to a lot of it and I just loved it.

What I Might Read Next

My husband treated me to some new books yesterday as it was our 14th anniversary of getting together so I’m tempted to bump one of those to the top of my TBR. I’m thinking I might start with Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld as I’ve been really keen to get hold of this one. I’m also keen to read Mrs S by K Patrick from my NetGalley shelf so I’m putting that on this week’s TBR.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (9 Feb ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 09/02/2022 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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

We watched the new documentary about the Clydach murders this week and I wanted to know more so I bought and started reading The Clydach Murders by John Morris.

I’m also reading The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley but I’m not sure if I’m going to continue with it, I think if it doesn’t grab me in a few more chapters I might have to admit defeat with this one.

Recent Reads

This week I listened to Empress and Aniya by Candice Carty-Williams which is a novella that is currently free to borrow for Audible members. I really enjoyed it and recommend it.

I also listened to Breathtaking by Rachel Clarke, which is a very moving account of the early days of the pandemic from a hospital doctor’s perspective. It’s harrowing at times but very well put together as a reflection of that time.

I then listened to The Serial Killer’s Wife by Alice Hunter, which was a good read. I think I finished it in a couple of sittings as I was keen to see where it was going.

I finished reading When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole and very much enjoyed this one. It gave me a lot to think about as well as being a good thriller.

Then I read The Maid by Nita Prose and I loved this one. It was exactly the book I needed when I picked it up and I’m so glad I read it.

What I Might Read Next

This week might be a tough one so I’m not sure how much reading I’m going to get done. Usually at these times I either escape into books and read a lot or I find it very hard to read so get through hardly any books. The books that are calling to me the most right now are Impossible by Sarah Lotz, Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay and Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (26 Jan ’22)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 26/01/2022 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 Idol by Louise O’Neill yesterday afternoon and have been struggling to put it down ever since. It grabbed me from the first chapter and I really want to know where the story is going to go!

I also started reading When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole and am intrigued by this one. I’m enjoying all the dynamics between the neighbours and am keen to see what is happening.

Recent Reads

The first book I finished since my last WWW post was The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett and I absolutely loved it. I found it gripping and intriguing and even when I thought I had it figured out there was still more surprises in store!

I also finished listening to Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey. I found parts of this book fascinating and parts of it a bit self-indulgent at times. It was a 3 star read for me.

I started and finished the audiobook of My Mess is a Bit of a Life by Georgia Pritchett and I adored this one. It really shows what it is like to live with anxiety and I connected with quite a lot of it.

I read Tall Bones by Anna Bailey and also loved this one. It was very atmospheric and brutal at times but the writing is beautiful.

Yesterday I read Reputation by Sarah Vaughan all in one sitting – it had me hooked from start to finish and it feels like a book that will stay with me. I recommend it!

What I Might Read Next

I’m reading my way through my NetGalley shelf at the moment so the next three from there that are calling to me are A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon, The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley and The Curfew by TM Logan.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (19 Jan ’22)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 19/01/2022 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 only started reading The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett last night so am only a short way into it but I’m definitely intrigued and am keen to read more.

I’m really gripped by Tall Bones by Anna Bailey, a book I’ve been anticipating for a while so I’m glad it’s as good as I’d hoped.

I’m also part-reading and part-listening to Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey and I’m not sure what I make of this one so far but I’m going to continue reading it for a bit longer to see where it goes.

Recent Reads

The first book I finished this week was my audiobook of The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama and I found it an okay book. I didn’t enjoy it as much as his first book but it was engaging enough and I’m keen to move on to his new memoir soon.

I also finished reading And Away by Bob Mortimer and I completely and utterly adored this one! It was such a brilliant read and I can see me reading it again in the future.

I then read a thriller – The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson and found it so engrossing, I read it all in pretty much one sitting!

I’ve had The Finding of Martha Lost by Caroline Wallace on my TBR for nearly six years and I’m kicking myself for leaving it so long because I loved this novel. It’s beautiful and heartwarming and I already want to read it again!

I also finished reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters and I loved this one too. I was hooked all the way through and all the unexpected twists and turns kept me on my toes.

The last book I read this week was a NetGalley Arc – The Truth About Her by Jacqueline Maley and I quite enjoyed it. It was different to what I was expecting it to be but still a good read.

What I Might Read Next

I don’t know what I’ll be reading next but the books I’m most in the mood to read at the moment are When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole and The Other Black Girl by Zaklya Dalila Harris from my TBR. And also Reputation by Sarah Vaughan from my NetGalley shelf.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (12 Jan ’22)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 12/01/2022 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 reading And Away by Bob Mortimer yesterday and I am loving it every bit as much as I thought I was going to.

I also started reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters a couple of days ago on my Kindle. I’ve had this book on my TBR for about six years but I was saving it for the right time. Anyway, I’m trying this year to read the books I know I’m going to love now instead of saving them so I’m happy to finally be reading this one.

My current audiobook The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama and I’m finding this one really interesting so far. This has also been on my TBR for a long time but I wanted to get to it as I got his new memoir for my birthday almost a year ago and I really want to get to that one soon.

Recent Reads

I finished reading The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse and really enjoyed this one. Some of it was predictable but I didn’t mind because I loved the atmospheric, creepy setting. I can’t wait to read the author’s forthcoming second book now!

I also read Skin Deep by Liz Nugent this week and enjoyed this one too. I part listened on audio and part read it and found it such an engaging read that kept me on my toes throughout!

I loved reading The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah, it was such a gripping novel and my brain was working away trying to work out whodunnit and how. The ending was satisfying and I’m so glad I read this one.

I also finished reading I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke and I very much enjoyed this one. I’m so happy that my husband got me this for Christmas and it was definitely a successful surprise gift!

I listened to I Know What You’ve Done by Dorothy Koomson on Audible and thought it was so good! I found it really hard to stop listening to this one and was always keen to get back to it.

I also listened to The Secret Midwife by Katy Weitz and Philippa George and found it such an interesting book. It made me angry and it made me sad but it was also a lovely read too.

What I Might Read Next

I’m very much mood reading at the moment and so want to continue to do that so the books that are jumping out to me the most from my TBR stack are The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett and The Truth About Her by Jacqueline Maley from my NetGalley shelf, and Tall Bones by Anna Bailey, which I bought recently and am keen to get to.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (29 Dec ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 29/12/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and that you got some new books to read. I was very spoilt with books and book-related gifts so will be doing a book haul post soon. At the moment I’m ill so haven’t had the energy to do much of anything the last couple of days. My Covid test is negative (at the moment) but I have all the symptoms so I’m keeping away from people until I’m feeling better. Unfortunately my concentration has left me so all the books I’ve read this week were read before Christmas day and I’ve not read anything since then.

Current Reads

I started reading A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg on Christmas Eve and am really enjoying it so I hope to be able to finish it before New Year.

My Christmas audio book is Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris, which is a re-read but I would still like to finish it this week if I can.

I’m also still reading The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater on the relevant days but I usually read through the last entries before New Year so that I can put the book away with my Christmas decorations so I hope to finish this one this week too.

Recent Reads

I love Carol Ann Duffy’s individually published Christmas poem books so it was a lovely surprise to receive the collected The Christmas Poems by Carol Ann Duffy as a gift. I read this one in one go and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a beautiful book.

I re-read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens on Christmas Eve, which is a long-standing tradition of mine.

I finished reading The Miracle on Ebenezer Street by Catherine Doyle, which was a sweet Christmas read.

I treated myself to Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan and read it all in one day, I loved this one and it feels like a book that will really stay with me.

I also read Hide by Nell Pattison and enjoyed it so hope to read more by her in 2022.

I finished In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware and very much enjoyed it, it was great escapism and kept me gripped all the way through.

What I Might Read Next

I don’t know what I’ll read next as it depends on my mood and if I’m feeling better but the two books that are appealing to me the most at the moment are Other Parents by Sarah Stovell from my NetGalley shelf. And Storyteller by Dave Grohl, which I got for Christmas and am so keen to read!

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (22 Dec ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 22/12/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 spotted In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware on my Kindle and was just in the mood for a read like this and I’m really enjoying it.

I’m also really enjoying The Miracle on Ebenezer Street by Catherine Doyle as my next festive read. It’s a lovely middle grade book and making me feel very Christmassy.

I’m still loving my re-read of The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater.

Recent Reads

I very much enjoyed reading Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson over the last few days. It’s Christmassy and chaotic and has lots of great representation throughout.

I also loved Where Snow Angels Go by Maggie O’Farrell last week. This is a beautiful book and one I will re-read in the future.

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz was such a gripping read, I found this near impossible to put down and would recommend it.

What I Might Read Next

It’s now so close to Christmas that I think I might have time for only one more Christmas novel and I think it’s going to be In A Holidaze by Christina Laurens!

I have a copy of The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont and it feels like a book to be read over the Christmas period so I hope to get to this one this week.

I’m really enjoying thrillers at the moment and Hide by Nell Pattison looks very wintery and gripping so seems apt for this week.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂 And I hope you all have a lovely Christmas time filled with books! x

WWW Wednesdays (15 Dec ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 15/12/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 only just started reading The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz but I think I’m going to really enjoy it. I seem to be needing easy reads that are also engrossing at the moment and this seems to fit the bill.

I’ve only read the opening chapters of Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson as well but I’m enjoying reading a modern Christmas novel.

I’m still enjoying my re-read of The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater. I can’t remember when his diary ends but I’m reading each section on the corresponding day so I’ll be reading this one until it finishes (although I might read ahead once Christmas is over).

Recent Reads

I have an ebook of Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan but I spotted the audio on my library app so I borrowed it and have part listened and part read this one. It wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be but I did enjoy it.

Fat Cow, Fat Chance by Jenni Murray was a book of two halves for me. The first part I was engrossed in and could identify with a lot of the author’s struggles with weight but then it felt like it descends into excuses and finding a way for it to not be her fault at all. I was disappointed with her attitude (and I write as someone who has lost over six stone because I dealt with my issues around food and learnt about portion control) to weight loss and found this quite a negative book by the end.

I finally read Carol by Patricia Highsmith this week! It’s been on my TBR for ages so I’m kicking myself for not picking it up sooner as I found it such an intense and engrossing read.

I also read Kitty Genovese: A True Account of a Public Murder and it’s Private Consequences by Catherine Polenero and am still processing this one. I had heard of this case before but to read such a detailed account of the witnesses is chilling. This was well-researched and I’m glad I read it.

I finished reading The Murder of Mr Moonlight by Catherine Fegan this week as well. This is such a sad case but also unnerving seeing how the killer kept his tracks hidden for as long as he did.

What I Might Read Next

I love reading children’s books as it gets close to Christmas so I’m really looking forward to reading The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller this week. This is a new one for me so I can’t wait!

I pre-ordered Hide by Nell Pattison and then forgot all about it so it was a lovely surprise when it appeared on my Kindle the other day. I’m keen to get to this one in the coming days.

I really enjoyed The Appeal so was delighted when I was approved to read The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett this week via NetGalley. I have high hopes for this one.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (8 Dec ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 08/12/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 can’t remember when I bought The Murder of Mr Moonlight by Catherine Fegan but it was on my Kindle and I decided to read it this week.

I’m also still reading the relevant sections of The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater on the relevant days and am very much enjoying it.

Recent Reads

I seem to have read a lot of Christmas books this week and I’ve enjoyed them all but to varying degrees. Christmas at Frozen Falls by Kiley Dunbar was good and I adored the setting but it wasn’t as festive as I was hoping. Mistletoe on 34th Street by Lisa Dickenson on the other hand was everything I wanted in a Christmas read this week and I very much enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed reading The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict, which is a take on a locked room Christmas mystery and I found myself completely engrossed in it. My other Christmas read was I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day by Milly Johnson, which I listened to on audio and it was another one that I found really festive and lovely.

The only non-Christmas book that I read this week was Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson and I enjoyed this one. I’ve already reviewed it here if you’ve like to know more.

What I Might Read Next

I don’t know what I’ll be reading next but I just treated myself to Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford and am really keen to read it so I think I may pick it up. I also bought The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox on Kindle and would like to get to it before Christmas so hopefully I get to it this week. Aside from Christmas reads the book that caught my eye as I was writing this post was The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz so maybe I’ll read this one next.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

Mini Book Reviews: Wish You Were Here | Real Men Knit | Woke Up This Morning | How to Be a Rock Star

Posted on 03/12/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

I’ve read most of Jodi Picoult’s novels and enjoyed them but have found her latest books a bit hit and miss. Even so I was excited to read Wish You Were Here and I’m so pleased to say that I loved it, it’s her best book in a while! Wish You Were Here follows Diana who is busy at work in an art gallery and is about to embark on a holiday of a lifetime to the Galapagos Islands with her boyfriend. But then Covid hits and he has to stay behind as he’s a doctor. She goes on her own and as she gets there the island is locking down so she is trapped there. I loved the descriptions of the island and the relationships Diana forms while there. I don’t want to say much more because I’m anxious to avoid any spoilers but this novel takes the reader on an unexpected journey through isolation and longing and I loved it. There is so much I want to say but I can’t… just trust me and read this one, it’s so good!

Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson

I was keen to read Real Men Knit after reading some recommendations by bloggers that I trust so I was delighted to get a copy from NetGalley. I finally picked it up recently and really enjoyed it. It’s set in a wool shop in the aftermath of the owner’s death. Her four adopted sons are deciding what to do and one of them wants a chance to run the shop and make it a success along with the help of Kerry, who worked there alongside his Mama. I enjoyed the family dynamics in this novel, and I really liked Kerry. I wasn’t so keen on all the will they won’t they romance plot, it felt very over the top at times, but on the whole this was a really cosy, lovely read and I’m glad I picked it up.

Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli & Steve Schirripa

I have to admit that I somehow only watched The Sopranos for the first time earlier this year (I don’t know how it took me so long but it did!) but when I finally got to it I adored it, it jumped right to the top of my favourite TV shows ever list! So when I spotted this book all about the making of The Sopranos with interviews with the cast and behind the scenes info I knew I had to read it. I really enjoyed this book. I believe it’s based on a podcast which I haven’t listened to so I’m not sure how much of the story in the book is new. I loved finding out more about the making of certain episodes and how the show was cast. It’s a definite must read for fans of the show!

How to Be A Rock Star by Shaun Ryder

I’m a big Shaun Ryder fan so when I spotted this audio book on NetGalley I immediately requested it. Shaun narrates it himself which made the book for me, I could listen to him tell his stories all day long! I enjoyed this one but given it’s a how to book I did find it a bit repetitive, with some elements from earlier sections being referred to again later on. I also already knew most of his stories from having read his autobiography a few years ago. I did still enjoy this one though so I would recommend it if you’re a Happy Mondays fan and want to know more about how to get into the world of rock and roll!

WWW Wednesdays (1 Dec ’21)! What are you reading?

Posted on 01/12/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 latest festive read is The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict and I’m really enjoying this one. It’s set in an old house and a family who don’t get on are competing with each other to inherit the house.

I’ve also started my annual re-read of The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater. I very much enjoy reading each day of this book every year, Nigel Slater really captures the build up to the festive season so beautifully.

I’m also reading Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson, which is the oldest book on my NetGalley shelf. It’s set around a wool shop as the adult children of the late owner have to decide what to do with it. I’m enjoying this one and keen to see where it goes.

Recent Reads

I bought What My Husband Did by Kerry Wilkinson in a recent Kindle sale and I enjoyed it. I found the first half gripping and hard to put down but the reveals were a little disappointing as the book went on.

I really enjoyed Somebody to Love by Matt Richards, a biography of Freddie Mercury which also follows how HIV spread around the world.

I also listened to How to be a Rock Star by Shaun Ryder this week and I really enjoyed listening to him tell his stories. The book itself wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped though as a lot of the stories I’d already read in his memoir and it does get repetitive as various sections overlap with previous chapters. I’d still recommend it if you’re a fan of his though.

I read Little Bandaged Days by Kyra Wilder too this week. This was a disturbing read about a woman with undiagnosed post-natal psychosis. It was a book I wanted to keep reading but at times had to put down just so I could breathe. It was very well written and I recommend it.

My Christmas book last week was The Post Box at the North Pole by Jaimie Admans and I adored it. It’s my favourite festive read of the season so far! My review is here.

What I Might Read Next

I’m not sure what I’ll read in the coming week as I’m back to mood reading rather than planning ahead. At the moment the books that have caught my eye are Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson, which is a new Christmas book that sounds great; The Winter Garden by Heidi Swain, which I have on audio and think will be a festive, heartwarming listen; and a thriller When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole that I bought right at the beginning of the year and am still really keen to read it.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (24 Nov ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 24/11/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 only book I’m currently reading is The Best Christmas Ever by Karen King! I’m only a few chapters in but so far it feels festive and like it could be a really lovely read.

Recent Reads

I had an ebook of S**ged, Married, Annoyed by Rosie and Chris Ramsey but then I spotted the audio was available on my local library app so I decided to listen to it. It was an easy listen and fun escapism.

I also read Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult and loved it! I think this is her best book in a while and I very much enjoyed it. I will be writing a review as soon as I get my thoughts together but I definitely recommend it in the meantime.

I picked up Eight Days of Christmas by Stayla DeKruyf from my NetGalley shelf this week but sadly I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I hoped I would.

I also read We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates, which was one of the books that had been on my TBR the longest and I’m kicking myself for not picking it up sooner as I really enjoyed this one.

The other Christmas book I read last week was Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin, a really sweet Christmas read.

I also finished reading Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli last week and I’m sad to have got to the end of this one. I now want to listen to the podcast that led to this book (and also to watch The Sopranos all over again!).

What I Might Read Next

This week I really want to listen to the audio book of How to be a Rockstar by Shaun Ryder.

My next Christmas read will be The Postbox at the North Pole by Jaimie Admans and I can’t wait to get to this one.

I also recently bought The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz and I’d really like to read it soon.

What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (17 Nov ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 17/11/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 Wednesdays (3 Nov ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 03/11/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 Wednesdays (27 Oct ’21)! What are you reading at the moment?

Posted on 27/10/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 reading A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton from my NetGalley shelf this week and I’m really enjoying it. I didn’t realise it was set in York so I’m loving references to places that I know well from my younger years.

I’m also still reading Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli. I’m finding this book is great to dip in and out of so I’m going to carry on reading it like this in between other books. I’m very much enjoying it though and I definitely recommend it to fans of The Sopranos.

Recent Reads

It’s been a great week of reading for me this week with my finish six books! I’ve been busy so have listened to a few audio books and then have enjoyed sitting down for a rest to read a print or kindle book later in the day.

I read Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton in just two sittings this week and I really enjoyed it. I always say I’m not a fan of historical fiction but then occasionally I stumble across a book like this and am reminded that there are historical fiction books for me and this is definitely one of them.

I also finished We Are Not Like Them by Christina Pride & Jo Piazza, which I’ve been reading for the past week and a half. I struggled to connect with the characters in the beginning but once I got into the novel it was hard to put down. It’s a thought-provoking book and I’m glad I read it.

I’ve had Not That Kind of Love by Clare & Greg Wise for a really long time so when I spotted it as I was sorting my books out this week I decided to read it next. This is an incredibly moving memoir of Clare’s illness and Greg’s story of his love for his sister and how he became her carer. This is a beautiful book and one that will really stay with me.

Another book that I’ve had on my bookcase for quite a while is Wally Funk’s Race for Space by Sue Nelson so when I picked it up this week and read it all in one sitting I was kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. Wally Funk is an incredible woman who has lived such a fascinating life. I know she finally made it to space very recently, which is amazing. I highly recommend this book.

I listened to It’s a Love Story by Shirlie & Martin Kemp on audio book and loved it. This is such a lovely book about their relationship and I just adored it!

I also finished reading Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris and am so glad I finally picked up this author’s debut novel as I’ve enjoyed her later books. This one was really good and kept my turning the pages!

What I Might Read Next

I’ve realised that my NetGalley shelf is growing again so need to focus on reading some of those books this week so these are the three that I’ve picked: Baby It’s Cold Outside by Emily Bell, which will be my next Christmas read. I also hope to read The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman as I’ve loved her previous two novels and have been eagerly anticipating this one. I also want to pick up Survive the Night by Riley Sager as I didn’t manage to get to it this week so I really hope to get a chance to read it in the coming days.

WWW Wednesdays (13 Oct ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 13/10/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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.

Mini Book Reviews: Safe at Home | All For You | Next of Kin | The Heights | A Slow Fire Burning

Posted on 08/10/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

I’ve not read a huge amount of books whilst on my blogging break but I have read a few and they’ve been so good. Today I’m sharing some mini reviews of recent NetGalley reads and I highly recommend all five of these books!

Safe at Home by Lauren North

I loved Lauren North’s first novel so am always keen to read anything new by her and I’m so pleased to say that I enjoyed this one. Safe at Home follows Anna who is a very anxious mother. One evening she leaves her eleven year old daughter home alone for a short period but she gets held up. When she gets back her daughter has unexplained bruising but won’t talk about it. The next day a businessman is reported missing. I found this novel to be very gripping. I was immediately curious about why Anna was so anxious and over-protective and wanted to know what could have happened to her daughter. Throughout the novel we see snippets of the local mums’ whatsapp group, which I loved as we see the way they appear nice and supportive and then the way they talk behind other mums’ backs. The gradual reveals of what has happened were really good and this novel definitely kept me on my toes. I didn’t see the ending coming and I love that it shocked me. I recommend this one!

All For You by Louise Jensen

I’ve read and enjoyed all of Louise Jensen’s previous novels and this one was just as good. It follows three members of a family: Lucy the mum, Aidan the dad and Connor their teenage son. In this novel all three of them have their secrets so when threatening messages begin appearing each of them believes these messages are aimed at them. Then one day two of Connor’s best friends go missing and the worry is that Connor might be next. I loved how this novel kept me on my toes. I had my suspicions throughout the novel and some of them proved correct but most were completely wrong as I just didn’t see the bigger picture of what was going on. I sped through this novel and didn’t want to put it down so I definitely recommend it!

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah

Next of Kin is a brilliant novel but it’s not always easy to read. It follows Leila who one day is asked to take her very young nephew to nursery on her way to work. She agrees but later in the day when the baby’s father rings her to ask why his son isn’t at nursery Leila realises her mistake and races to her car. There are distressing scenes in this book but the story is really well written and the issues are sensitively handled. The novel follows the aftermath of Leila’s discovery and the guilt of various members of the family. I love how it explored the ramifications for Leila and her sister’s relationship. This is the third book I’ve read by Kia Abdullah and her writing just keeps getting better and better – I already can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.

The Heights by Louise Candlish

The Heights follows Ellen a couple of years previously as she tries to deal with her teenage son making a new friend at school who seems to be a really bad influence. She tries her hardest to split them up but never manages it. The novel also follows her in the present as one day whilst at work she sees Kieron, he son’s friend, but it can’t really be him because she knows he’s dead! The novel then goes back and forth in time as we learn what happened with her son and Kieron and what revenge Ellen exacted to get him out of her son’s life. I was completely engrossed in this novel and read it in one sitting – it’s absolutely my favourite of all of Louise Candlish’s novels to date and I highly recommend it!

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

I listened to the audio book of this, which is narrated brilliantly by Rosamund Pike. The novel follows three women: Laura who is hot-headed and often judged for it; Miriam who sees Laura fleeing the scene of a murder but who knows you can’t always believe everything you see; and Carla who is reeling the shock from finding out that her nephew has been murdered. These three women are all fascinating and I loved getting to know more about all of them and seeing the layers of what makes them who they are slowly getting peeled back. They all have damage and they all have issues but they’re all so interesting to get to know. I wanted to know who the murderer was and why but it was almost secondary to getting to know the women. I very much enjoyed this novel and I recommend it!

WWW Wednesdays (18 Aug ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 18/08/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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

Orphans of the Storm by Celia Imrie

I just got approved to read this book from NetGalley yesterday and I couldn’t resist picking it up straight away. It’s a novel about the Titanic and it sounds really engrossing and interesting.

Recent Reads

I’ve not been reading much recently, hence why I haven’t posted a WWW for a couple of weeks but these are the five books I’ve finished since my last post.

All For You by Louise Jensen

This was another really good, fast-paced and gripping thriller by Louise Jensen. It captured my attention at a time when I’ve been struggling to read.

Freckles by Cecelia Ahern

I did struggle to get into this novel but once I did I found it hard to put down. It follows Freckles as she tries to navigate her way through life and to work out which people are the most important and influential to her.

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

I really enjoyed this sequel to The Thursday Murder Club, it was gripping and fun as well as being an intriguing mystery.

The Long Long Afternoon by Inga Vesper

I bought this ebook a while ago and picked it up recently and I was engrossed from start to finish. It follows the mystery of a suburban housewife who suddenly disappears one day.

The Sleeping Beauties by Suzanne O’Sullivan

This is a fascinating non-fiction book looking at mysterious illnesses around the world that all seem to have something in common. It explores the different terminology around what is now called Functional Neurological Disorder and it’s very interesting and thought-provoking.

What I Might Read Next

Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride

I’m still not reading very much at the moment but these two books are the next ones on my NetGalley shelf so I’m hoping to get to them over the coming week.

That Was The Month That Was… July 2021

Posted on 02/08/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

I can’t believe I’m writing my July wrap-up already, I really don’t know where this year is going! July has been a good month for me. I’m double vaccinated now so have been making attempts to get back to some kind of normality.

My husband and I have been shopping a few times and have finally bought some much-needed new clothes. We hadn’t bought anything since our weight loss so all of our clothes were hanging off us. It still feels so bizarre to me to be buying and wearing clothes in a UK14 when eleven months ago I was five and a half stone heavier and five dress sizes bigger! It also felt very strange to go in shops for the first time in a year and half but once I got over the initial anxiety it was just so nice to be doing something normal again.

My reading time has been somewhat hampered by the Euros and now the Olympics but I don’t mind because I’ve been really enjoying all the sport. Also we finished watching The Sopranos early in the month and I still feel lost now that we’ve seen it all. It was brilliant though – it might even be my new favourite TV series of all time!

Here are the books I read in July…

The Miracle Pill by Peter Walker

The Lucky Eight by Sheila Bugler

Stronger by Poorna Bell

The Other Wife by Claire McGowan

Safe at Home by Lauren North

Hope Close by Tina Seskis

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Fragile by Sarah Hilary

Death on Ocean Boulevard by Caitlin Rother

The Island Home by Libby Page

Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

The Last Days of August by Jon Ronson

The Heights by Louise Candlish

All My Mothers by Joanna Glen

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah

Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn

Nothing But Blue Sky by Kathleen MacMahon

Justice for Helen by Marie McCourt

How to Save a Life by Liz Fenton

Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig

How was July for you? I hope it was a good month and that you’re keeping well. What was your favourite book read in July? I’d love to know! 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (28 Jul ’21)! What are you reading at the moment?

Posted on 28/07/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

I’ve only read the first couple of chapters of this one so far but I’m enjoying it. I loved the first book in the series so I have high hopes for this!

Freckles by Cecelia Ahern

I love Cecelia Ahern’s writing so have been really keen to get to this one and I’m really enjoying it. It feels different to some of her other novels but it’s very good and I can’t wait to read more.

Intimations by Zadie Smith

This is an essay collection written during the early days of the pandemic. I love Zadie Smith’s writing so I’m enjoying that aspect but the actual content isn’t engaging me as much as I hoped it would. I’m still keen to read more though.

Recent Reads

Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig

This is a brilliant book all about Rebekah’s life as a disabled person and I found it so relatable. The things that she has experienced and the ignorance some people show towards her is both eye-opening and so similar to my own experiences of being a wheelchair user. I would recommend this book to everyone, it’s such a good read.

How to Save a Life by Liz Fenton

I got the ebook of this one on Kindle Unlimited and it came with the audio version so I listened to it. It was an okay read but it’s not one that’ll stay with me. It follows a man who bumps into his ex girlfriend and they agree to go on a date but on that date she dies. The novel is then him stuck in groundhog day as he keeps waking up on the same day and trying to save her life.

Justice for Helen by Marie Mccourt

This is a non-fiction book that Marie wrote about her daughter Helen. Helen was murdered in 1986 and her killer was convicted but to this day has refused to say where her body is. Marie has successfully campaigned for Helen’s Law whereby at parole hearings it must be taken into account how much the killer has complied with authorities. Sadly the bill was passed after Helen’s killer was released. Marie has written such a moving account of her daughter’s life, and of the years she has had without her. It’s a book that will really stay with me and I absolutely recommend it.

Nothing But Blue Sky by Kathleen MacMahon

I listened to this on audio and loved it. I will admit that the first chapter didn’t grab me and I wasn’t sure it was going to be for me but then a moment came where I just fell in love with it and I couldn’t stop listening. This follows a man in the aftermath of his wife’s death – it’s a novel about grief and loss but also about love and about how you learn to live after the worst has happened.

Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn

I’ve already reviewed this book so you can find my thoughts here.

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah

This was another really good read! This is a novel that is hard to read at times due to the subject matter but it’s a great read and so I would recommend it. It follows two sisters in the aftermath of a tragedy where a young child dies due to one sister forgetting he was in her car. The court case that follows threatens to tear the sisters apart. The exploration of all the different emotions and actions in this case is handled really well and I did enjoy this one (if enjoy is the right word).

What I Might Read Next

Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride

I got both of these books from NetGalley a few days ago and I’m really keen to start them so I’ll hopefully be picking them up once I’ve finished my current reads.

Mini Book Reviews: The Island Home | Yours Cheerfully | All My Mothers | Unwell Women

Posted on 23/07/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

The Island Home by Libby Page

I love Libby Page’s writing and this book was every bit as lovely as her previous novels! The Island Home follows two characters in alternating chapters – Lorna who left the island of Kip under a cloud when she was a teenager and has never been back; and Alice who is Lorna’s sister-in-law but the two women have never met. The two women have daughters the same age who have been chatting online and now Lorna is going back to Kip. This is a gorgeous novels that really explores family dynamics, female friendship and found family in an honest and believable way. Kip has a wonderful community and all the characters in this novel felt like real people and I now want to go there and meet them! This book has it’s darker moments but on the whole it’s a feel-good novel that really pulls at your heartstrings. I loved it and definitely recommend it!

Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce

This is the sequel to Dear Mrs Bird so we’re back with Emmie at Women’s Friend magazine in the months following the end of the previous novel. I loved this book, it was just as lovely as the first one and I got completely swept up in it. This time Emmie gets involved with a campaign to encourage more women into war work and I loved it. We see the strength of the women but also their vulnerabilities and how much harder life is made for them by bosses who think they should be the same as men and yet also keep their home and raise their children but with no support from anyone. I was glad Bunty was back in this novel as I adore her friendship with Emmie. This is such a lovely read and I recommend it!

All My Mothers by Joanna Glen

This novel is simply stunning! I loved Joanna Glen’s previous novel and this one is every bit as good, if not even better! All My Mothers follows Eva (sounds like ever not evil!) from being a young child and realising that there are gaps in her childhood photos and memories and she wants to know why. We see the lovely friend she makes on her first day of school and the way that girl’s family take Eva under their wing. I adored the book with the rainbow mothers and how this comes up time and again throughout the novel as Eva tries to work out who she is and where she comes from. It’s a novel about found family and how you can find real love and a real bond with people who aren’t blood relations, and that this is just as good. I was moved to tears more than once as I read this novel but I was completely swept away in Eva’s story and I just couldn’t put it down – I read it all in one sitting. I already want to go back and read it again! I highly recommend this one!

Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn

This is an incredibly powerful non-fiction book looking at the history of how women have been treated in western medicine over the centuries – it covers ancient Greece and medieval times right up to the present day. It’s such a fascinating book but also anger-inducing at the way women have suffered – and still suffer – due to the lack of research and understanding into female diseases and illnesses. I’m someone who has dealt with more than my fair share of doctors who have been very dismissive of me only for it to later turn out that they made a huge mistake that has cost me dearly in terms of health. This book really highlights how entrenched medicine has always been in maintaining something of a status quo but it also gives hope seeing the rise of female doctors, and male doctors who want to understand and further others’ understanding of female diseases. It’s a shocking read and one that will make you angry but it’s very comprehensive and well written and I definitely recommend it.

WWW Wednesdays (21 July ’21)! What are you reading at the moment?

Posted on 21/07/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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

Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn

I’ve read the first five chapters of this one so far and I can’t wait to read more. It’s a fascinating look at the history of how women have been treated by medical professionals over the years.

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah

I started this book yesterday and I am gripped. It follows the awful story of a young child dying in a hot car having been forgotten about. The novel then follows the child’s parents and his mother’s sister, who left the child as we find out what happened. I feel like there are going to be twists and turns in this novel and I’m intrigued to see where it’s going.

Recent Reads

All My Mothers by Joanna Glen

This book is beautiful, I adored it! It follows Eva who lives with her parents who are quite cold and she never feels like she fits with them. Over the years she enjoys other people’s families and sees what she has missed out on. Ultimately this is a novel about found family and how that can bring you so much, and be just as important as the family you start out with. I loved this novel and I highly recommend it.

The Heights by Louise Candlish

Wow, this book is so good. I was gripped from start to finish and definitely think this is Candlish’s best book to date! This book follows a mother who becomes fixated on the boy who she knows is a bad influence on her son but things get out of control. I couldn’t put this book down, and now I’ve finished it I keep thinking about it!

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year and I’m really happy to say that it didn’t disappoint! It follows three women in the aftermath of a murder and it’s so gripping!

Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce

I very much enjoyed this audiobook. It is the sequel to Dear Mrs Bird and it was lovely to be back with Emmie and seeing how her life is going. This is a book looking at women’s issues during the war and it manages to both highlight how difficult it was while at the same time being a feel-good read. I loved this and I recommend it.

The Island Home by Libby Page

This is a lovely read and I very much enjoyed it. I loved reading about the characters and the island of Kip, it’s such a feel-good read. I recommend this one.

What I Might Read Next

Freckles by Cecelia Ahern

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

These are the next two books to be read from my NetGalley shelf and while they’re not published until September I’m so keen to get to them so will hopefully get to read them this week.

What are you at the moment? Have you read any good books recently? I’d love to know 🙂

Mini Book Reviews: Fragile | Rock Paper Scissors | The Couple at No. 9 | 56 Days

Posted on 19/07/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

Fragile by Sarah Hilary

I listened to this book on audio from NetGalley and I found it really engrossing. It follows Nell who has had a difficult childhood. She ended up in foster care but her foster mum was quite neglectful and left her and Joe to pretty much look after a younger child, Rosie, on their own. One day something terrible happens and Nell and Joe end up running away to London. Time has moved on a little when we first meet Nell and she is trying to find Joe but also to find somewhere to live and she ends up becoming a house keeper for Dr Wilder. This novel has an insidious sense of foreboding running through it – both in the present and as we slowly learn about the past – and I really enjoyed that element. This felt quite an intense book, I felt really invested in Nell’s story and finding out about her but at the same time it felt quite claustrophobic. I listened to this book in just two sittings though because I just wanted to know what was going to happen and how it was all going to end!

This book is out now!

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

I loved this book! Rock Paper Scissors follows Adam and Amelia in alternating chapters as they go on a mini break for their tenth wedding anniversary. Also interspersed throughout the novel are also letters to Adam from his wife. The couple are clearly not the happiest of couples and when they arrive at their destination it’s clear this is not the cosy escape and chance to reignite their love that each might have hoped. They’re staying in a converted church in the middle of nowhere, it’s snowing and isolated and a bit creepy. It’s clear from the start that something isn’t right but I couldn’t put my finger on what was going on. I had so many things running through my head about what might be happening and I was wrong every single time, which I loved! This book had me hooked from start to finish and I read it all in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down! This is Alice Feeney at her best and I very much enjoyed this one. If you loved Sometimes I Lie then you’ll adore this!

This book is due to be published on 19th August.

The Couple at No. 9 by Claire Douglas

The premise of this novel gave me chills – Tom and Saffron, who is pregnant with their first baby, have moved into their dream home which she has inherited from her Grandmother. They’re in the middle of a renovation project when their builders find two skeletons buried in the back garden! Police begin investigating and it seems there might be a connection to Saffy’s grandma Rose. We also get chapters set in the past when Rose first moved to the cottage and slowly the two timelines build up a picture of all the people who have lived in this house and how any of them might be connected to the present day discovery. I found this novel really gripping, I loved both timelines and I couldn’t figure out what was going to happen. This novel kept me on my toes and I really enjoyed it!

This book is due to be published on 19th August.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

This book is brilliant! It follows Ciara and Oliver who randomly meet one day and seem to click straight away. But then lockdown is announced and they decide to move in together for this period of time so that they can keep seeing each other. This is 56 days ago. In the present day we follow the police as a body has been found in an apartment and it’s the place this new couple were living! I was gripped from the very first pages of this novel and I devoured it as I just didn’t want to put it down. This is a novel that seems like it’s going one way and then the rug is pulled out from under you and I loved that. I was stunned by some of the reveals that come along and it had me unnerved that I hadn’t seen certain things coming. This is my favourite thriller of the year so far and I highly recommend it!

This book is due to be published on 19th August.

I received all four of these books from the publishers via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

WWW Wednesdays (14 Jul ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 14/07/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 Home by Libby Page

Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce

Recent Reads

Death on Ocean Boulevard by Caitlin Rother

Fragile by Sarah Hilary

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

What I Might Read Next

All My Mothers by Joanna Glen

The Heights by Louise Candlish

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah

What are you reading this week? What have you recently finished reading? I’d love to know! 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (7 Jul ’21)! What are you reading at the moment?

Posted on 07/07/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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

Death on Ocean Boulevard by Caitlin Rother

This is a true crime book about the death of Rebecca who was found dead in an apparent suicide but the way her body was found makes it seem very implausible that she did this to herself. The crime scene was compromised early on due to it initially being called in as a suicide. I don’t remember this case at the time so I know nothing about what happens but it’s devastating to read about what happened.

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

I’m about a quarter of the way into this one and so far this is Alice Feeney at her best! The novel so far follows a married couple who are having a weekend away in the middle of nowhere to try and get their marriage back on track. We follow each of their points of view in alternating chapters interspersed with a letter from the wife to her husband that she has written on each of their anniversaries. There is a real sense of unease from the start with this novel and I feel quite on edge reading it – I can’t wait to read more though and to see where this novel is going!

Recent Reads

Safe at Home by Lauren North

This is such a gripping read following an anxious woman who feels the need to keep her children close. One night she trusts one of her eleven year old daughters to stay home alone for twenty minutes but she gets delayed and when she gets home it’s clear something has happened but her daughter won’t talk about it. I really enjoyed this novel, it kept me guessing all the way through.

Hope Close by Tina Seskis

I got this one on audio from Kindle Unlimited and I enjoyed listening to it. It follows a handful of residents on Hope Close, all with their secrets to hide and it follows them as things begin to resurface and cause issues in the present.

The Other Wife by Claire McGowan

I also listened to this one on Kindle Unlimited and it was an okay book. It follows three women who all seem separate from one another but it seems certain that their paths will cross at some point. There are twists in store and some of them caught me off guard but it was just an okay read for me.

The Lucky Eight by Sheila Bugler

This was a fun read following a group of people who all survived the same plane crash and are now bound together as being part of the media-dubbed ‘lucky eight’. There are secrets and lies amongst this group and so when one of them is found dead – presumed murdered – the pressure mounts. I enjoyed this one, it kept me gripped all the way through.

Stronger by Poorna Bell

I love Poorna Bell’s writing so was keen to get to this one. I borrowed the audiobook from the library and I listened to it over two days. This is the author’s story of how she found sport after her husband’s sudden death. She got into weight lifting and the book is all about how sport can help in all aspects of life – physical and mental – and I found it fascinating. I can’t exercise in any meaningful way because of my disability but I am working on losing weight to improve my health and I know the difference it makes when your body starts to feel stronger and healthier.

The Miracle Pill by Peter Walker

This is another fascinating audiobook about how our sedentary lives are damaging our health in so many ways. It’s full of science and anecdotal evidence along with the author’s own experiences and I found it to be so interesting. I would recommend this to everyone and I’m planning on buying a kindle copy so I can read it and highlight relevant sections.

What I Might Read Next

Fragile by Sarah Hilary

Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn

The Pact by Sharon Bolton

As usual I don’t know what I’ll read this week but the above three are the ones that are calling to me the most right now!

My Favourite NonFiction of 2021 So Far!

Posted on 06/07/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

Yesterday I shared my favourite novels that I’ve read this year so far and today it’s the turn of nonfiction books. I’ve not read as much nonfiction this year as I normally do but the books I have read have been excellent, and these eight books are the best of the best.

Best nonfiction read in 2021 so far!

How to be Broken by Dr Emma Kavanagh

This Party’s Dead by Erica Buist

Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri

Super Sick by Allison Alexander

Invisible Women by Caroline Cried Perez

Really Saying Something by Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward

Hungry by Grace Dent

All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks

What’s your favourite nonfiction read of this year so far? I’d love to know! 🙂

My Favourite Novels of 2021 so far!

Posted on 05/07/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

I can’t believe we’re halfway through 2021 already! This means that it’s time to pick my favourite books that I’ve read this year so far though, and while making this list is hard I do love putting this post together and showcasing my favourite books.

Today I’m sharing my favourite novels that I’ve read this year and tomorrow I will share my favourite nonfiction books.

The books I’ve chosen are all books that have made a difference to my life in some way this year and I’m so grateful to have found so many wonderful books. My list is in no particular order as it was impossible to pick a favourite, all 21 of these books are well worth a read. 🙂

Here are my favourite novels of 2021 so far…

The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer by Joel Dicker

One Last Time by Helga Flatland

Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones

Home Stretch by Graham Norton

Mountain Road, Late at Night by Alan Rossi

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

This Is How We Are Human by Louise Beech

The Twenty Seven Club by Lucy Nichol

The Girl in the Missing Poster by Barbara Copperthwaite

All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle

Truth by Told by Kia Abdullah

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

Perfect Tunes by Emily Gould

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Outsiders by James Corbett

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

True Crime Story by Joseph Knox

What are your favourite novels of the year so far? I’d love to know! 🙂

Mini Book Reviews: Both of You | The First Day of Spring | The Murder of Graham Catton | Passenger List

Posted on 02/07/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

Today I’m sharing some more of my mini reviews of books that I’ve enjoyed recently. All four of these books are from NetGalley but are out now!

Both of You by Adele Parks

Both of You is the story of Leigh who is happily married with two step-children but one day she disappears. Her husband is slow to report her missing as she works away during the week so he wasn’t sure when exactly she disappeared. We follow him, and the detective who is working on the case. Then soon after another woman is reported missing by her husband and it’s in similar circumstances and this is when the tension begins to ramp up. I found this book really fast-paced and while I spotted whodunnit early on my enjoyment was not marred by this as I was so invested in the why and the how. There are quite a few suspects and suspicious happenings throughout the book which does put you off the scent somewhat, which I liked. I read this book in just a day as I didn’t want to put it down, I needed to know if my suspicions were correct and to see how it would end. I would say that the ending is very abrupt and you are left reeling a little bit by that but the more the book sits with you the more it makes sense for it to end the way it does. I recommend this one for your summer reading plans!

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker

I really enjoyed The First Day of Spring – I listened to the audiobook and I read it every single chance I had as I just wanted to know how this novel was going to go. The story follows Chrissie who seems quite neglected and has a difficult home life – her mother is very cold and her father is often absent. One day she kills a younger child and does all she can to avoid being caught. This novel is so delicately written that you can’t help but have sympathy and compassion for Chrissie, even when you know what she’s done. It’s actually heartbreaking when you hear her thoughts of what death means and it’s awful when you realise how little she understands. The novel also follows Chrissie as an adult when she has a young child of her own and is struggling to know how to nurture a child when she was never nurtured. I found this such a moving novel, which is rare in crime fiction. It really got to me and I keep finding myself thinking about it. It’s definitely a novel that makes you pause and think, whilst also being such a gripping and engaging thriller. I recommend this one!

The Murder of Graham Catton by Katie Lowe

I can’t help but be drawn to novels featuring a crime podcast so this one seemed like it was for me. The novel follows Hannah whose husband was murdered in the family home a decade before. Hannah can’t remember all the details of what happened but a man named Mike was convicted of the crime. Now a true crime podcast is going over the case and looking at potential new evidence. Hannah works at a psychiatric clinic and has had her own mental health battles so this is a very stressful time for her. She felt like quite an unreliable narrator to me and I was never sure whether I could believe what she was portraying. This novel does requite some suspension of disbelief but it didn’t stop my enjoyment nor did it stop me reading at every opportunity as I wanted to know whodunnit and why. There wasn’t as much of the actual podcast in this novel as I’d hoped there would be – we hear about it second hand as Hannah and her family talk about it whereas I’d been expecting some transcripts. I enjoyed this novel all the same though and will definitely read more by this author in the future.

Passenger List by John Dryden

I seem to be reading a lot of books recently about bad things that happen involving planes but I’m finding them all quite addictive. Passenger List follows Kaitlin as she tries to find out what happened to the flight that went missing with her twin brother on board. She doesn’t believe the official explanation and is determined to get to the truth. This novel does require a lot of suspension of disbelief but if you can do that then it is a very fast paced page turner and one that will keep you guessing all the way to the end. There are lots dark alleys and red herrings in the novel alongside quite a few shady characters but all this serves to keep you on your toes, and I quite liked not knowing who to trust and not knowing if Kaitlin was making good decisions or not. This would make a great holiday read!

That Was The Month That Was… June 2021!

Posted on 01/07/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

June has really flown by! My husband is back at work and we’re back in a normal routine again now. I’ve had my second vaccine (well, I will have had it when this post goes live) so it’s good to finally be fully vaccinated. I’m hoping to start getting out and about a bit more from now on.

We did go to the opticians in June as we were overdue for eye tests. My vision has been getting worse so I was expecting to need new varifocals but actually my vision hasn’t changed much, the problem is my eye. The optician thinks it’s linked to the damage in my spinal cord, which sadly means nothing much can be done. He has given me some eye exercises to do so I’m working on those in the hope it will help strengthen the muscles in my eye. I’ve also got reading glasses for when I’m spending longer periods reading. It all means that I’m struggling to read print books and this isn’t going to change so I have to accept more reading on Kindle (where I can make the font bigger) and listening to audio books from now on. I’m struggling with reading on a computer screen so I can only apologise for being so slow to read and reply to comments. I do always appreciate comments on my posts and feel awful that I can’t reply very quickly or to comment on your blogs as much as I would dearly like to.

I didn’t read as much in June as I’d planned to but we’ve been watching a lot of the Euros and also squeezing in episodes of The Sopranos where we can. We’re now only a few episodes from the end and part of me is keen to see how it ends and the other part of me doesn’t want it to end because it’s been so good.

Here are the books I read in June…

The Outsiders by James Corbett

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri

True Crime Story by Joseph Knox

This is How We Are Human by Louise Beech

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker

Super Sick by Allison Alexander

Everything Happens for a Reason by Katie Allen

Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones

Suzy Lamplugh: Missing by Netta Newbound

Claudia Lawrence: Missing by Netta Newbound

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton

Passenger List by John Dryden

Both of You by Adele Parks

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks

How was June for you? I hope it was a good month and that you’re keeping well. What was your favourite book read in June? I’d love to know! 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (30 Jun ’21)! What are you reading?

Posted on 30/06/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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 Home by Libby Page

I wanted to save this book to read this week as when this post goes live I’ll have had my second vaccine (and hopefully I won’t be feeling as ill as with the first) and know that Libby Page writes such engaging, comforting books. I’ve only read the first couple of chapters so far but I know I’m going to love this one.

The Miracle Pill by Peter Walker

I bought this audio book on a whim in the recent Audible sale and I’m so glad I did. This is a really interesting book about how we got so sedentary and how we can change. There is so much information about how the smallest changes can have a huge impact on our bodies and I’m finding it so motivating as I continue on my weight loss journey.

Recent Reads

All the Young Men by Ruth Coker-Burks

I bought a copy of this on Kindle in the end as I was struggling to read the print book and I’m so glad I did. This book is so moving but such an incredible read. Ruth is an amazing woman, the way she reached out to men who were dying from AIDS and ostracised from their families as a result is incredible. She acknowledged her fear but she pushed through because her compassion won through. This is a book everyone should read.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

I devoured this thriller in one sitting, I honestly just didn’t want to put it down for a minute! It’s a lockdown novel focusing on a couple who have been on a handful of dates at the beginning of Coronavirus restrictions and they decide to move in together so they can still see each other in lockdown. The novel opens with a body being found and then goes back and forth in time as we learn who is dead, what happened and how the couple are connected. It’s such a gripping book, I loved it!

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

I read most of this novel in one sitting too as it was just so gripping and I wanted to know what happened! It follows a young mum as she struggles in her relationship with her boyfriend, and is captivated by a new friend at college. We also follow her mum in the aftermath of her daughter’s disappearance. This book had me so enthralled, I was annoyed when real life pulled me away from the story. I recommend this one too!

Both of You by Adele Parks

This is another great read from this week. It’s a novel about a woman that goes missing, and her husband as he tries to work out what happened. We also get the perspective of the police. The case becomes even more intense when another woman goes missing and her husband seems a little off. I really enjoyed this book, it kept me on my toes all the way through. I had to suspend disbelief at times, and I did work out what was going on quite early but none of that stopped me enjoying the novel.

Passenger List by John Dryden

This novel follows Kaitlin as she desperately hunts for the truth when the plane her twin brother was travelling on goes missing. She doesn’t believe the official story and is determined to find out what happened to her brother and the other passengers. This novel was different to what I was expecting and it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief but it was a quick, fun read.

What I Might Read Next

The Lucky Eight by Sheila Bugler

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn

These are the next three books on my NetGalley shelf so I hope to get to them this week. I don’t know how much reading I’ll get done, it depends how I feel post vaccine but hopefully I’ll be fine this time and can keep reading!

WWW Wednesdays (23 Jun ’21!)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 23/06/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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

Passenger List by John Dryden

I started this book yesterday and it’s such a fast-paced, gripping read that I don’t think I’ll be long finishing it. It follows a young woman whose brother was one of the passengers on a plane that went missing. She is seeking the truth about what happened to him and the flight.

All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks

I haven’t managed to read anymore of this book this week due to my eye issues but I’ve now bought a kindle copy so I’m definitely going to be reading a lot more of it this week.

Recent Reads

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton

I listened to the audiobook of this one on Audible and I really enjoyed it. It’s the story of a woman who is writing a book about Opal and Nev, whilst also wanting to find out more about what happened the night her father was killed. It’s a very engaging read that really draws you in and I was listening every chance I had as I wanted to find out how it would all end.

Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones

This is Tayari Jones’ debut novel and it’s so good. It’s a novel told from the perspectives of three black children in Atlanta in the 1970s during the time when young black people were disappearing and being murdered but the authorities were not doing as much as they should have been to investigate and find the killer. I knew about about the real life murders but this novel told from the point of view of children was heartbreaking and devastating. This is a book that I’ll be thinking about for a very long time to come.

Everything Happens for a Reason by Katie Allen

This is a moving novel about Rachel whose baby was born sleeping and now she’s on maternity leave and trying to find a way to understand what happened to her son. She decides to track down a man whose life she saved on the day she found out she was pregnant. I really enjoyed this novel – it explores grief in such a powerful way but the story is balanced with some lighter moments. I’ll be reviewing this one tomorrow but in the meantime I recommend it!

What I Might Read Next

Both of You by Adele Parks

Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn

The Island Home by Libby Page

All three of these books are the next books on my NetGalley shelf so I hope to read them this week. I’ve accidentally requested a few new books recently so I want to focus on these books again so I can catch up again and get my reviews posted in a reasonable time frame.

WWW Wednesdays (9 Jun ’21)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 09/06/2021 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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.

Stacking the Shelves with a new Book Haul (5 Sep 20)!

Posted on 05/09/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

new sts.png — 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 Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor

I have wanted to read this book ever since I first heard about it months ago so when I spotted it in a Kindle deal this week I snapped it up! I’m originally from Yorkshire so I’m really keen to read this one very soon!

July, 1962 Sixteen year-old Evie Epworth stands on the cusp of womanhood. But what kind of a woman will she become? The fastest milk bottle-delivery girl in East Yorkshire, Evie is tall as a tree and hot as the desert sand. She dreams of an independent life lived under the bright lights of London (or Leeds). The two posters of Adam Faith on her bedroom wall (‘brooding Adam’ and ‘sophisticated Adam’) offer wise counsel about a future beyond rural East Yorkshire. Her role models are Charlotte Bronte, Shirley MacLaine and the Queen. But, before she can decide on a career, she must first deal with the malign presence of her future step-mother, the manipulative and money-grubbing Christine. If Evie can rescue her bereaved father, Arthur, from Christine’s pink and over-perfumed clutches, and save the farmhouse from being sold off then maybe she can move on with her own life and finally work out exactly who it is she is meant to be.

I Am Not Your Baby Mother by Candice Braithwaite

I’ve seen some good reviews of this one recently so when I spotted in a Kindle daily deal this week I grabbed it. It sounds like it will be an interesting read so I hope to get to it soon.

When Candice fell pregnant and stepped into the motherhood playing field, she found her experience bore little resemblance to the glossy magazine experience in Great Britain today. Leafing through the piles of prenatal paraphernalia, she found herself wondering: “Where are all the black mothers?”. Candice started blogging about motherhood in 2016 after making the simple but powerful observation that the way motherhood is portrayed in the British media is wholly unrepresentative of our society at large. The author writes with humour, but with straight-talk about facing hurdles such as white privilege, racial micro-aggression and unconscious bias at every point.

Review Books

Gravity Well by Mark Rahe

I was sent this one to review for the blog tour next month and I’m really looking forward to it. I enjoy poetry so I think I’m going to really like this collection.

In GRAVITY WELL, Marc Rahe’s incisive third collection, the poems beckon readers through an ever-shifting series of landscapes, drawing our gaze across a dynamic tableau–an octopus wearing a sweater, a white sky over the bridge we’re standing on, flowers pressed into a forgotten book–as a means of revealing the most particular thrills and anxieties of the human condition. Unafraid and unwavering, careful and concerned, GRAVITY WELL propels its reader through the imagined apertures of the universe one striking image at a time, leaving us ocularly magnified in a world now seen anew. A singular voice in American poetry, Rahe deftly centers the body in relation to ailments such as love, decay, aging, friendship, and grief. His powerful, meditative plea is resounding: “Earth, turn me.”

Library Books (BorrowBox App)

I Thought You Knew by Penny Hancock

This book caught my eye when I was browsing the Borrowbox app this week so I decided to request it. It ended up being available sooner than I was expecting but I hope to get to it in the next few weeks.

Who do you know better? Your oldest friend? Or your child?
And who should you believe when one accuses the other of an abhorrent crime? Jules and Holly have been best friends since university. They tell each other everything, trading revelations and confessions, and sharing both the big moments and the small details of their lives: Holly is the only person who knows about Jules’s affair; Jules was there for Holly when her husband died. And their two children – just three years apart – have grown up together. So when Jules’s daughter Saffie makes a serious allegation against Holly’s son Saul, neither woman is prepared for the devastating impact this will have on their friendship or their families. Especially as Holly, in spite of her principles, refuses to believe her son is guilty.

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! 🙂

#AudioBook Review: Under a Starry Sky by Laura Kemp

Posted on 13/08/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

About the Book

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…

My Thoughts

Under a Starry Sky is set in the Welsh village of Gobaith and it follows two women: Wanda who has always wanted to travel the world but life keeps conspiring to keep her close to home. When she was younger her father died and she couldn’t go, and now in the present day her mum has an accident and she just can’t leave the family’s campsite business. It also follows Annie in alternating chapters. Annie and Wanda used to be best friends but something terrible happened years ago and they haven’t spoken since. Annie has clearly been through a traumatic relationship and is trying to get her life back together. Now Wanda isn’t going to be travelling and they might just have to face up to the past now they’re living so close to each other.

I was rooting for Annie and Wanda to rebuild their broken friendship. It’s hard to carry the pain of a falling out for so many years when you’re back living close to each other and are going to be bumping into them all the time. I could see each of their points of view and felt equal sympathy for them. None of what happened was either of their faults but family comes first and it just broke them apart.

The romantic storylines in this book were just perfect. I loved getting to know Spike and his son Arthur and seeing how they came into their own as the novel progressed. I wanted Spike to find love again and I could see who would be perfect for him early on and was hoping things would work out.

I also loved the humour in this book, especially the messages left in the campsite’s guest book that were at the start of every chapter. It was lovely to see them change from complaints to praise but I especially loved the message from the naturists who had misread the word naturalists on the website. It made me giggle!

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narrator Claire Morgan really helped to bring the characters to life, she has such a warm voice and I loved hearing the welsh accent throughout the novel.

Under a Starry Sky is lovely novel that is full of warmth. I loved getting to know all of the characters in the book and seeing how they all rallied round each other when the need arose. It made me want to visit there! This is a gorgeous novel, perfect summer reading! I highly recommend it!

I received an audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Under a Starry Sky is out now and available here.

WWW Wednesdays (5 Aug 20)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 05/08/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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. 🙂

The Switch by Beth O’Leary #AudioBook

Posted on 23/07/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

About the Book

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 long-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.

So they decide to try a two-month swap.

Eileen will live in London and look for love. She’ll take Leena’s flat, and learn all about casual dating, swiping right, and city neighbors. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire: Eileen’s sweet cottage and garden, her idyllic, quiet village, and her little neighborhood projects.

But stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected. Will swapping lives help Eileen and Leena find themselves…and maybe even find true love?

My Thoughts

I read and loved The Flatshare by this author last year so was delighted to spot her new one, The Switch, on audiobook on NetGalley last week. I was thrilled to be approved to listen to it and I’m so pleased to say that I loved it!

The Switch follows Leena, who having been successful in her career has had a bit of a blip and has been given two months off work. She is stunned and doesn’t know what to do with herself. The novel also follows Leena’s beloved Grandma Eileen, who is newly single and trying to find her feet on the dating scene. Leena and Eileen decide to swap homes for the two months – Eileen will move to London and Leena will move back to the Yorkshire village where she grew up!

I loved Eileen from the very start of this novel, and having her character narrated by the brilliant Alison Steadman only added to how much I adored her! I love older characters who are full of life and know what they want. Eileen wants to find love again but she doesn’t suffer fools. I adored seeing her dating exploits in London and was rooting for her to find Mr Right.

Leena was a little harder to like at the beginning, there was clearly something holding her back. Once we learn what she, and her family, have been through I came to understand why she is the way she is. I loved seeing her trying to figure out how to get through being back in the village she’d grown up in, and trying to navigate a better relationship with her estranged mum. I was so moved by the moment in the novel when there is a break through between the two characters, it made me quite tearful.

The narrators for this audiobook are utterly perfect and they really added an extra layer of enjoyment to the novel. Alison Steadman (Pamela in Gavin and Stacy) is wonderful, her voice is so warm and she was a perfect Eileen. Leena is narrated by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Marianne in Normal People) and again she just seem so suited to this role. I definitely recommend the audio book, and I will be looking out for more audio books narrated by both of these women in the future.

The Switch is a perfect read for this summer: it provides warmth and much-needed escapism from the world we’re living in. There is some depth to this novel but the lightness always balances the sadder parts. I adored this one and highly recommend it!

The Switch is out now on audiobook here and in hardback and ebook here.

Audio Book Review: Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall

Posted on 21/07/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

About The Book

Nancy, Eleanor and Mary met at college and have been friends ever since, through marriages, children and love affairs.

Nancy married her college sweetheart and is now missing that excitement of her youth.

Eleanor put her career above all else and hasn’t looked back, despite her soft spot for Nancy’s husband.

Mary fell pregnant far too young and is now coping with three children and a mentally unwell husband.

But when Nancy is killed, Eleanor and Mary must align themselves to uncover her killer. And as each of their stories unfold, they realise that there are many different truths to find, and many different ways to bring justice for those we love…

Everyone wants a perfect life. But there is no such thing…

My Thoughts

I read and loved Araminta Hall’s previous novel Our Kind of Cruelty so when I spotted her forthcoming audiobook on NetGalley I couldn’t download it fast enough!

Imperfect Women is about three women: Eleanor, Nancy and Mary who have all been friends since University. The novel opens with Eleanor getting a late night phone call from Nancy’s husband Robert to say she hasn’t come home. It turns out that Nancy has been murdered. The novel is told in three parts: First we get Eleanor’s story, then it goes back in time and we get Nancy’s perspective right up until her murder, and then we end with Mary’s point of view.

I love novels that explore female friendships, I find them endlessly fascinating. There are so many complexities and perceived slights, jealousies and drama that has happened between these three women over the years. Two are married with children, one has remained single and childless. Two each have an affair, and one has a husband who has had multiple affairs over the years. This leads to insecurities, and sometimes a lack of understanding and compassion between the women. Also, three is so often a crowd and even though Eleanor, Nancy and Mary are all adults in their 40s there is still a sense of jealousy whenever two meet without the other. It felt really believable to me.

This is a thriller and the mystery running through the novel about who Nancy was meeting the night she was killed, and who might have killed her does keep you gripped. I worked out one of these things but not the other so was on the edge of my seat as the reveals start to come.

The narrator of this audio book, Helen Keeley, is excellent! She really captures the emotion and the tension within each of the three women in the novel. There’s a definite difference between each of the character’s voices which meant I always knew whose perspective I was listening to. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books read by Helen Keeley in the future!

I really enjoyed this novel, it really grabs you from the opening chapter and it keeps you hooked right until the very end. I recommend this one!

Imperfect Women is due to be published on 4th August and is available to pre-order on audiobook here, and in hardback and ebook here.

#AudioBook Review: Come Again by Robert Webb

Posted on 16/07/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

About the Book

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…

My Thoughts

I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while now so when I spotted the audiobook on NetGalley AND discovered that Olivia Colman was narrating it I immediately downloaded it!

Come Again follows Kate, a woman in her 40s who is mired in grief following the sudden death of her husband Luke a few months earlier. She’s really struggling and trying to cope as best as she can. Then she discovers something awful on her boss’s computer and gets fired. I really liked Kate right from the start, I felt so sorry for her that life had turned so bad for her. I was rooting for her to find a way to hold on through her grief. Olivia Colman is perfect to narrate this book, the warmth of her voice was spot on for Kate’s character.

In the second part of this novel Kate wakes up to discover it’s 1992, she’s 18 years old and just starting uni in York! She quickly realises that this might be her chance to save Luke. Very soon it becomes apparent that it’s impossible to make things happen exactly as they did the first time and I found this part of the book so much fun to read. I loved seeing how Kate met her long term friends for the first time and how she met Luke. It was really quite funny seeing her make off-the-cuff comments about events that hadn’t happened yet in 1992, and dealing with her new friends asking her questions about the future because they think she might be psychic. This whole part of the novel is so nostalgic and lovely.

Part three of the book is set back in the present and Kate is in her own time again. If I’m to be honest this part of the book didn’t work as well for me initially. The novel seems to veer in an unexpected and slightly ridiculous direction that doesn’t make sense and doesn’t fit with the rest of the plot. Thankfully Webb does get things back on track and ultimately I did love how the novel ended.

The narration of Come Again is perfection! Olivia Colman really added something to this book for me and the time I was listening flew by as I got absorbed in the novel. I love that she is a similar age to Kate so her voice was authentic and it made the chapters set in 1992 feel so believable because Kate still sounded like she was in her 40s even though her body was now 18 again. I hope she narrates more novels in the future.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it on audio because Olivia Colman really adds something special with her narration, which is warm and funny and brilliant. Come Again is a good first novel and I would definitely read more by Robert Webb in the future.

I received an audio copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Come Again is out now and available as an audiobook here, and as a hardback and ebook here.

WWW Wednesdays (24 Jun 20)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 24/06/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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!

Mini Book Reviews: The Old You | While I Was Sleeping | Little Disasters | Fleishman is in Trouble

Posted on 22/06/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

Today I’m sharing a new selection of books that I’ve read recently. The first two are from my 20 Books of Summer TBR so I’m still doing well with that. I think I’ve read six book from my stack now and have reviewed five of them, which makes me happy. The other two books are from NetGalley so I’m still getting through my review books, which I’m really pleased about.

The Old You by Louise Voss

I’ve had this book on my TBR for over a year and I’m kicking myself for not picking it up sooner because I very much enjoyed it. The novel follows Lynn Naismith who is shocked and devastated when her husband Ed is diagnosed with early-onset Dementia. She struggles with the manifestations of his symptoms but then strange things start happening in and around the house and she begins to question herself. This novel is so twisty and just when you think you have a grip of it the rug is pulled from under you yet again. As it progresses we learn more about Lynn, and more about Ed’s past and nothing is quite as it seemed at the start. I devoured this book in a couple of sittings and highly recommend it.

While I Was Sleeping by Dani Atkins

This is a book I was sent from a publicist a couple of years ago and it got forgotten about on my bookcase. I do love Dani Atkins’ writing so I picked it up whilst sitting out in the garden one day last week and I read the whole book in one go! The novel follows Maddie as she wakes from a coma after being hit by a car. Life has change quite a bit for her and she has a lot to get used to. It also follows Chloe who is a hospital volunteer who gets to know Maddie’s fiance Ryan. We spend a lot of time getting to know both of these women, and there is so much heart in this book. It’s a novel that will bring a lump to your throat more than once but it will also restore your faith in human nature. While I Was Sleeping was so much more than I thought it was going to be and I very much enjoyed it. I definitely recommend this one!

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan

I read and enjoyed Anatomy of a Scandal by this author but Little Disasters is even better! This book follows Jess – all her friends think she’s a perfect stay-at-home mum devoted to her children but when an incident happens and her baby is badly hurt conclusions are jumped to. Liz is Jess’ best friend and also the hospital consultant on duty when Jess brings her baby in. The novel follows the two women as they struggle with what happened and the fall out from it. There is the thriller element to this novel of wanting to know what happened and how but more than that it’s an exploration of the pressures on women, and the tension that runs through some female friendships which makes it hard to be honest when you’re struggling. This is an intense, gripping novel and one that refuses to leave me – I’m still thinking about it and I read it a few weeks ago now. I recommend it!

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

This is a novel that I got from NetGalley and I had a couple of false starts with it before deciding to borrow the audio book from the library and I have to admit that it did work better for me on audio. The novel opens with Toby Fleishman – a recently separated 41 year old who is suddenly having to cope with his two children on his own as his wife Rachel has seemingly had enough. What follows is a self-obsessed, arrogant man who spends pages and pages telling us all about the women he’s slept with or is flirting with online. In between that he’s constantly bad-mouthing Rachel. He never lets up! I had heard that this novel has a big twist partway through that makes it so worth the first half but to be honest I guessed what would happen. Ultimately, I just felt very sorry for the two children caught up in this, and to a lesser extent for Rachel. I did enjoy the latter stage of the book more than the first part but ultimately it wasn’t a novel for me.

WWW Wednesdays (10 Jun 20)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 10/06/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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

Picky Eaters (part 1) by S. J. Higbee

I’m cheating slightly putting this one on my currently reading as I haven’t started it yet but it’s a short story that I’m planning on reading today so I’m counting it here. This is a story about grumpy grandfather dragon who just wants a quiet life but now he has to look after his grandchildren, and they want to do their own thing. It sounds like the escapist read a lot of us need and I can’t wait to read this one this afternoon. All proceeds from the sale of this short story are going to mental health charities so it’s for a great cause. You can find out more about this short story here.

Evening Primrose by Kopana Matlwa

This is the next book I’ve picked from my 20 Books of Summer TBR. I’ve had this one my TBR for around three years and I finally picked it up yesterday and am very much engrossed in this novel. It’s exploring race and gender from the perspective of a junior doctor in South Africa. The protagonist is having to deal with increasingly xenophobic attitudes and has to decide how to handle this in the wake of the life she is building for herself.

When the Time Comes by Adele O’Neill

I only read a few pages of this one before I went to bed last night but it’s definitely caught my interest already. It’s about Liam who moves back into his ex-wife’s home when she’s diagnosed with a terminal illness. When Jennifer dies Liam is convinced it’s suicide but the police think it’s murder. I’m intrigued to read more and to find out what did happen to Jennifer and who, if anyone, is involved.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

I’m listening to this on audio and it’s brilliant. I definitely recommend the audio as it follows Bri who wants to become a top rapper and throughout the audiobook you hear the raps she has written and performed. Bri is such a great character, she truly believes in herself and her music and doesn’t want to let anyone stand in her way. She faces a battle when people assume her lyrics are saying things she didn’t mean and then is judged as being an another angry black girl. She continues to fight her corner though and I’m hoping she makes it to the top. This is such a good read and I definitely recommend.

Recent Reads

You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell

This was my second pick from my 20 Books of Summer and I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t the book I thought it was going to be but I enjoyed it all the same. It follows Lily as she opens the last letter her late mum left for her, and she discovers the full name of her mum’s one true love. On the same day she finds a move star hiding out in her best friend’s house and develops a crush! The novel follows what happens next. It’s a lovely, feel-good read and I recommend it for perfect summer escapist reading!

Born Lippy: How To Do Female by Jo Brand

This was the first book I picked from my 20 Books of Summer stack and I’m so glad I finally got to this one. Jo Brand gives her no nonsense perspective and advice on life and being a woman. Some parts of this book made me laugh, and others were exactly the to the point advice I need at the moment. I recommend this one!

They Can’t Kill Us All: The Story of Black Lives Matter by Wesley Lowery

I picked this book off my Kindle in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and I’m so pleased that I read it. It’s a good introduction to the Black Lives Matter movement – how it began and how it has evolved. I felt I knew a lot of what happened in the timeframe this book spans but there was still a lot for me to learn. It’s a heartbreaking read. My cousin is mixed race and lives in America and I fear for him every single time I hear of another murder of an unarmed black man. I know his struggle but I also know I need to educate myself more.

My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay

I listened to this book on audio this week and it broke my heart. Lemn Sissay is a black man who was brought up with a white foster family. The book tells the story he was told, the story of what the social workers said happened and Lemn’s own truth. It’s a really tough read, to know of the lies and harm that was caused to one boy through so many people in positions of power relative to him is disturbing. It’s a book I recommend to everyone though, it’s one that really stays with you and makes you think.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

This is a stunning book. I read it in just two sittings and was completely engrossed in the story being told. The novel is set in 2001 and it’s Melody’s coming of age graduation. The story is told from multiple points of view and goes back and forth in time between the present and 16 years ago when Melody’s mum got pregnant with her. This is a novel that weaved it’s way through me and I keep finding myself thinking about these characters, they felt so real to me. The writing is stunning, and to tell such a powerful and poignant story that has such impact in 200 pages is incredible. I already want to go back and read this again and I’m sure I’ll come back to it in the future.

What I Might Read Next

Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga

I’ve had a hardback copy of this book on my bookcase for a while now but it’s physically too heavy for me to hold it so I’ve bought the ebook so I can read it now. I want to understand more about the roots of racism in this country and this seems like an excellent place to start.

The Weekend by Charlotte Wood

This is the next book I’m picking from my NetGalley shelf and I’ve been so looking forward to this one. It follows a group of friends who meet up the for the weekend after one of their number has died. I think secrets are revealed and the past has to be confronted! I love books about the complexities of female friendship, and also any books full of secrets and lies so I think I’m going to really enjoy this one.

Be Careful What You Swipe For by Jemma Forte

I was thrilled when the author offered me a copy of this book as I’d seen it online and thought it looked like a good summer read. It’s about a woman on a dating site looking for a man and she finds one but then it doesn’t work out. It’s a novel about the perils of online dating and trying to find Mr Right. I’m really looking forward to reading this one!

The Old You by Louise Voss

This is my next pick from my 20 Books of Summer TBR and is one I really want to get to this week if I can. I love Louise Voss’ writing and this has been on my shelf unread for longer than it should have been. This is about a married couple- Lynn and Ed. Lynn gave up her career when she married Ed and now he’s been diagnosed with early onset dementia. But as strange things begin to happen, she wonders if it’s her mind playing tricks rather than Ed’s. This sounds so goos and I can’t wait to read it!

That Was The Month That Was… May 2020!

Posted on 04/06/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

I can’t believe that May has been and gone and now it’s June already! It’s now almost twelve weeks since I last left the house as I’m in the high risk group for Coronavirus and my last trip out of the house was a couple of weeks before lock down. It’s been okay. I feel lucky that we have a small garden so I’ve been able to get fresh air most days. My husband is still on furlough at the moment so it helps that I’ve not been on my own. We’ve been enjoying the sunshine when it’s here and we’ve caught up on a few films and TV shows when it’s been too cold to sit outside.

The biggest thing that happened in May is that my reading mojo finally returned, closely followed by my bloggging mojo! I’ve read more books than I thought I had in May so I’m really pleased. I still need to remind myself to pick up a book when I’m in the house but when I’m in the garden I only take a book or my kindle outside and that stops me wasting time on my phone.

Here is my May in Books and Blogging!

Reading

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The Alibi Girl by C. J. Skuse

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

Just My Luck by Adele Parks

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

One Split Second by Caroline Bond

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

One Hundred and Fifty Two Days by Giles Paley Phillips

Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah

The Catch by T. M. Logan

Stranger, Baby by Emily Berry

Just Mercy by Bryan A. Stevenson

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

His and Hers by Alice Feeney

The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel

Afraid of the light by Alex North

Living My Best Life by Claire Frost

The Babysitter by Phoebe Morgan

The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper

Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing

Blurred Lines by Hannah Begbie

Blogging

I managed to post fairly regularly on my blog in May which I’m really happy about. I started with my April wrap-up where I shared how that month had been. This was followed by a book haul. Then I shared a post with four mini reviews of recent reads: Dear Edward by Anna Napolitano, Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson, What She Saw Last Night by Mason Cross and I Want You Gone by Miranda Rijks.

Mid-week that week I shared my WWW Wednesday post and on the Saturday I posted another book haul. Next up was my next mini review post with four more books featured: The Alibi Girl by CJ Skuse, The Last Flight by Julie Clark, The Guest List by Lucy Foley and The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel. Then it was WWW Wednesdays time again!

My next post was a book haul and this was followed by another selection of mini book reviews: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo, Made to be Broken by Rebecca Bradley, Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain, and An Almost Zero Waste Life by Megan Weldon. On the Wednesday of that week I shared my review of The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman and my regular WWW Wednesdays post. Then it was time to stack my shelves again with a new book haul.

On the Monday I shared another mini book review post featuring Just My Luck by Adele Parks, One Hundred and Fifty Two Days by Giles Paley-Phillips, The Catch by T. M. Logan and A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone. Towards the end of May it was time to decide what my 20 Books of Summer TBR was going to be! Then it was WWW Wednesdays time again. And my final post in May was another book haul!

How was your May? It’s such a weird time at the moment and I hope you’re all doing as okay as you can be. I’d love to hear about the books you’ve been reading or if you have any TV/Netflix recommendations.

WWW Wednesdays (3 Jun 20)! What are you reading this week?

Posted on 03/06/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

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!

My Current Reads

They Can’t Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd I’ve been thinking about how to learn more and understand more about #BlackLivesMatter and I spotted this book on my shelves and decided to start reading it yesterday. It’s an interesting and personal look at the beginnings of the movement and also what happened in Ferguson. I’m keen to read more so if you have any recommendations on where to go next please leave them in the comments below.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

I’ve been wanting to read this one since it was long listed for the Women’s Prize this year and again, as above, it called to me from my Kindle yesterday and I started reading it. The writing is beautiful and the characters are so real. I’m very much enjoying this book and am looking forward to reading more.

You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell

This is the first book that I’ve picked from my 20 Books Of Summer stack and I’m adoring it so far. It feels like such a good book to start with as it’s summery and easy to get in to. I’ve had this book on my TBR for years now and am wishing I’d picked it up sooner.

My Recent Reads

HeatStroke by Hazel Barkworth

I read this novel in one sitting yesterday whilst out in the garden and it was such a perfect way to read this book. This is one of those novels that has a strange dreamlike quality to it because of the intense heat that’s running through its pages. I really did love this book and I’ll definitely be looking out for more by this author in the future.

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan

This is another novel that I pretty much read in one sitting as I simply had to know what had happened and how it was all going to turn out. It’s an exploration of motherhood and friendships, and the secrets and hidden thoughts we keep from others. I found this novel very moving and so well-written, and it had me gripped from start to finish.

Blurred Lines by Hannah Begbie

I requested this one from NetGalley as the blurb really caught my attention. It’s about the decision a woman takes not to report a suspected assault, but it’s also an exploration of what happened to her when she was younger. It’s a very prescient novel and one that should be widely read.

Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing

This is an essay collection that I had an eARC of but decided to buy the audio book and listen to it. I enjoyed a lot of the essays, although some felt too short and too surface level. On the whole I would recommend this one, and I’m keen to read more by the author in the future. I’ve already reviewed this one so click the title above if you’d like to know more.

The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper

I’ve had a copy of this on my NetGalley shelf for over a year but for some reason hadn’t picked it up. I finally read it this week and I devoured it in a couple of sittings. I adored this book and am kicking myself for not reading it sooner. You can read my review by clicking on the title above.

Living My Best Life by Claire Frost

I also had a copy of this book for review but ended up borrowing the audio from BorrowBox and listening to it. I really enjoyed it, it was good escapist summer reading.

The Babysitter by Phoebe Morgan

When I posted my WWW Wednesdays last week I was waiting on the last stave of this from Pigeonhole so only had three or four chapters to read so most of it was read before this week. Anyway, the end was worth waiting for because it was so twisty! I very much enjoyed this novel and plan on going back and reading Phoebe Morgan’s previous novel soon.

The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel

This book is stunning! I read and enjoyed the author’s previous novel The Roanoke Girls but this book is even better. I can’t stop thinking about Evie and wondering how she’s doing now. If you like crime novels set in a small town then this is one for you! I’ve already reviewed this one so click the title above to know more of what I thought.

What I Might Read Next

Who Did You Tell? by Lesley Kara

This has been on my NetGalley shelf for ages and I still want to read it as much as I ever did so hope to get to it this week. I loved the author’s previous novel The Rumour so have very high hopes for this one.

Mine by Clare Empson

This is another NetGalley book and I’ve been wanting to get to this one for a while so am adding it to my TBR for this week and hopefully I’ll manage to get to it this week.

Just Like the Other Girls by Claire Douglas

I’m such a big fan of Claire Douglas so am very excited to have a NetGalley of her forthcoming book and really want to read it asap. I hope to get to it this week!

Evening Primrose by Kopano Matlwa

This is the next book that I hope to get to from my 20 Books Of Summer TBR. I’ve had a copy of this on my bookcase for around three years now and I still want to read it so hope to get to this one in the coming days.

Stacking the Shelves with a brand new Book Haul (30 May 20)!

Posted on 30/05/2020 by Hayley at RatherTooFondofBooks

Purchased eBooks

Wintering by Katherine May

This is a book that I’ve wanted to read for a while now. It’s a book that follows a year in the author’s life that was winter. It’s partly a memoir but partly an exploration of the human condition. Right now feels like a good time to read a book like this so I decided to buy it and hope to read it very soon.

The M Word by Philippa Kay

This is a book all about the menopause and I’ve seen some really good reviews of it so decided to buy it. I feel like forewarned is forearmed and as I don’t have my mum to talk to through this next phase of life finding a book that gives me some good advice and guidance is really important.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

I keep seeing this book around and have been thinking about buying it so when I saw it was only 99p yesterday I decided to download it. It’s YA murder mystery and just seems like an easy read for the moment when I’m just getting back to reading again after my slump of recent weeks.

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley

I bought this one as I loved Rebecca Serle’s In Five Years so much that I want to read more books that are in a similar vein and this one was recommended to me. It sounds like a fun read where two people each dream about the other before they’ve ever met, I think it could be a really lovely summer read!

BorrowBox Books

It Should Have Been Me by Susan Wilkins

I downloaded this audio book on my library app BorrowBox this week as I’m in the mood to listen to a thriller and this one caught my eye. It’s about a murder that was committed years ago and someone was convicted of the crime and sent to prison. But now in the present day a documentary is being made about the case and all may not have been as it seemed in the past. It sounds gripping so I’m keen to listen to it very soon.

Review Books

Be Careful What You Swipe For by Jemma Forte

	Book review - Patric… on WWW Wednesdays (25 May ’…
	Liz Dexter on WWW Wednesdays (9 Aug ’2…
	Yvonne (It's All Abo… on WWW Wednesdays (9 Aug ’2…
	Tessa Pulyer on WWW Wednesdays (9 Aug ’2…
	Liz Dexter on WWW Wednesdays (5 Jul ’2…

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Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson

Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli & Steve Schirripa

How to Be A Rock Star by Shaun Ryder

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