Tag Archives: Audiobook

WWW Wednesdays (27 May 20)! What are you reading this week?

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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

Living My Best Life by Claire Frost

This book caught my eye when I was re-organising my bookshelves recently and I knew I wanted to read it soon. It follows two women in alternating chapters as they navigate being single and trying to move on with their lives. I started it yesterday and I’m really enjoying it.

The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel

I started reading this book a couple of days ago and am gripped by it. It follows a woman in a small town who is trying to come to terms with her daughter’s murder. I read and loved The Roanoke Girls by this author and I think this book is going to be even better!

The Babysitter by Phoebe Morgan

I’m reading this one stave at a time on the Pigeonhole app and I’m completely engrossed. It follows multiple characters in the wake of a woman’s murder and the abduction of the baby she was looking after. There are so many people who might have done it and I don’t trust anyone. It’s a real page turner and I’m eagerly anticipating the final stave after midnight tonight!

Afraid of the Light by Alex North

I’m also reading this short story collection on the Pigeonhole app and it’s utterly brilliant. Every single story has been so good. I’m loving getting just one story a day, it’s a great way to experience a short story collection.

My Recent Reads

His and Hers by Alice Feeney

I really enjoyed this thriller, it’s a return to form for Alice Feeney. I didn’t want to put this book down, it’s full of characters to dislike and I love that. The novel is told in alternating chapters from Anna and her ex husband Jake and it really is a page turner.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

This book is incredible! I read it in one sitting and I just adored it. It’s the story of a woman who lives with her boyfriend and has her life planned out then one night she has a very vivid dream set five years in the future where she’s living with a different man in a different apartment. For me though this is really a novel about female friendship and it’s gorgeous! This is a new favourite for me and I already want to read it again!

The Catch by T. M. Logan

I enjoyed this one and have already reviewed it so you can read my thoughts here. It’s a rollercoaster of a novel and really keeps you on your toes!

Just Mercy by Bryan A. Stevenson

This book is brilliant. It’s so eye-opening and heart-breaking and a really important book that everyone should read. It’s the story of a young black lawyer as he navigates a system that holds such awful prejudices. He fights for his clients but what people go through it so shocking, even when you know it happens it’s still shocking to read it. I highly recommend this one.

Stranger, Baby by Emily Berry

This is a poetry collection that I’ve wanted to read for ages and I’m really glad that I finally picked it up. It’s a collection that explores grief for the loss of a mother and I found it very moving. Some poems brought a lump to my throat on first reading and others took repeat readings for me to grasp them. I really appreciated this collection and I recommend it.

What I Might Read Next

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan

I read and enjoyed the author’s previous novel Anatomy of a Scandal and so have been really looking forward to her new book. I think this one follows two women who were friends years ago but their lives have moved on and now they’re back in each other’s lives again.

The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper

After reading and loving In Five Years last week I’m just in the mood to read something else that is similar to it and The Day We Met sounds like it could be the perfect pick. I’ve had this on my NetGalley shelf for way too long so I really want to get to this one in the coming days.

Blurred Lines by Hannah Begbie

This sounds like a very prescient novel about Becky who sees her boss with a woman who’s not his wife and she turns a blind eye but then the woman accuses her boss of rape Becky is forced to think about what she saw and what she should do next. I think this sounds like such a compelling novel.

The Split by Sharon Bolton

I love Sharon Bolton’s writing so am always keen to read her latest novel without even needing to know what it’s about! I think this one is a cat and mouse novel about a woman who moves a long way from home to escape her past but it starts to catch up with her. It sounds like there are lots of secrets and lies. I can’t wait to read this one!

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Stacking the Shelves with a brand new Book Haul (23 May 20)!

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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!

Pigeonhole Books

Afraid of the Light by Alex North

I got this book on the Pigeonhole app. It’s a collection of short crime fiction stories featuring fourteen crime writers. On Pigeonhole you get one story per day and I’m very much enjoying it. All of the stories have been brilliant so far and I can’t wait to read the rest over the coming few days.

The Babysitter by Phoebe Morgan

This is another book that I got from Pigeonhole this week and I’m already reading this one. I’ve read the first stave and am engrossed. It’s an intriguing premise for a book – a woman is found dead over the cot of the baby she was looking after, and it feels like it’s going to have lots of twists and turns!

Review Books

Precious You by Helen Takhar Monks

This is a thriller that I requested from Netgalley and is one that I’ve kept hearing about and have been intrigued. It’s a novel about obsession and how seeing something of yourself in someone else can lead you down a dark path. I think this book will be full of secrets and lies and I’m looking forward to reading it.

Dead Perfect by Noelle Holten

I was super excited yesterday afternoon when I got an email from the publisher that had a widget for me to download this right away. I loved the first two books in this series and as the previous one ended on a cliffhanger I’ve been so looking forward to getting my hands on this one. I don’t think this will be on my TBR for very long!

True Story by Kate Reed Petty

I saw this book on twitter and was so intrigued that I immediately requested a copy from NetGalley. I was approved yesterday and am thrilled. This book is described as being a campus novel, a horror novel, a psychological thriller, and a crime noir – how could you not be intrigued?! I can’t wait to pick this one up and find out what it’s all about!

Purchased eBooks

Stranger, Baby by Emily Berry

This is a poetry collection about the lasting grief from losing your mother. I’ve wanted to read this for a while so when I finally bought it this week I read it straight away. It’s a really interesting collection – some of the poems I really identified with and others required more time being taken over them. It’s a brilliant collection though and I recommend it.

The Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

I was drawn to this book by the cover but when I read the blurb I knew I had to buy it. It’s all about a girl who one day tells an awful lie and she gets a lot of attention from it. She then meets someone who is also living a lie but for completely different reasons. It sounds like such a fascinating novel and I’m keen to pick it up really soon.

Names for the Seas by Sarah Moss

I’ve had this book on my wish list for ages so when I was sorting out my wish list this week and saw it was a good price I decided to buy it. It’s a non-fiction account of when the author and. her family moved to Iceland and had to adapt to a completely different landscape and way of life. I feel like it might be quite a comforting, escapist read at the moment so I may pick this one up soon.

Lost Dog: A Love Story by Kate Spicer

I can’t remember why I put this book on my wish list but I saw a couple of negative reviews of it recently and they made me suddenly want to read it so I decided to buy it! Sometimes the reasons a person doesn’t like a book are the exact things I’m looking for in a book so I’m hoping I’ll enjoy this one.

Purchased AudioBooks

Grown-Ups by Marian Keyes

I’ve wanted to read this one every since it came out so decided to use my latest Audible credit and treat myself to the audio book. I’m excited to get lost in another Marian Keyes’ novel, she’s such a good writer. I love the premise of becoming a grown up, and when we know (if ever!) that we are one!

Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

I bought this audio book on a whim when it was an Audible daily deal one day this week. I always think I don’t like historical fiction but in reality, like with all genres, there’s probably something for everyone if you can find the element of it that you like. This book sounds like it’s the exception for me and is one I think I’m going to love!

Have you acquired any new books this week? I’d love to know what you got. Or have you read any of my new books and recommend I get to any of them sooner rather than later? If you’ve shared a book haul post this week then please feel free to share you link below and I’ll make sure to visit your post! 🙂

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

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

The Catch by T. M. Logan

This is a gripping novel and I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s follows a man who is immediately suspicious of his daughter’s new boyfriend and sets out to find out more about him. I’m only about 20% into it at the moment but I’m definitely intrigued about where this is going to go!

Just Mercy by Bryan A. Stevenson

This is such a heart-wrenching look at one young lawyer’s experience of the American justice system. The cases he works are really get under your skin and are hard to read at times. It’s so well-written though and it’s such an interesting and eye-opening book.

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

I’ve only read a few pages of this one since last week and to be honest I’m struggling with it. I’m getting a bit fed up of reading about this man and his sex life and the way he talks about women. I do want to persevere for a bit longer but it may end up being a DNF. Have you read it? Is it worth continuing with?

A Fabulous Creation by David Hepworth

I haven’t listened to anymore of this one this week as it’s an audio book that my husband and I are listening to together and we just haven’t made time to listen to anymore this week. We’re both enjoying it though so will be listening to more this week.

 

What I recently finished reading:

Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah

This book had my engrossed and intrigued by the end of chapter one! I was so curious to know what was going on with these children that seemingly hadn’t grown at all in twelve years. I had many suspicions as I was reading and not a single one was correct! I did feel the ending was a little bit of a let down but it didn’t spoil how much I enjoyed the rest of this rollercoaster novel!

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

This is an incredible book and I recommend it to everyone. Chanel Miller was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner and this is her story. She is so open and honest throughout this book and that makes it such a powerful read. I could really identify with a lot of what Chanel thought and felt and I admire her so much for telling her story.

 

Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie

This is another stunning book. I bought it on a whim ages ago knowing nothing about it (it’s since made the Women’s prize list this year) and finally picked it up a few days ago. I read the whole novel in one day as I just didn’t want to put it down. It’s about a disparate group of people who all live in the same tower block when one day something awful happens. The novel is told in the before and the after and I just adored the writing. I’ll definitely be looking out for more by Luan Goldie in the future.

One Hundred and Fifty-Two Days by Giles Paley-Phillips

This is a NetGalley book that I got recently and have been waiting for the right time to pick it up. It’s a novel in verse about a teenage boy whose mum was very ill and later died. I thought this would be an emotional read, and it really was in moments, but it was also a very believable book about being a teenager and all that comes with that. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.

 

What I plan on reading next:

I’m very much reading by whim at the moment and don’t know what I’ll be in the mood to read in the coming week but these four books below are ones that have caught my eye on my Kindle. The first three are review books so I’d really like to try and read them so I can review them. The fourth book is one I treated myself to recently after reading fab reviews and I’m really keen to read it!

The Mothers by Sarah J. Naughton

Heatstroke by Hazel Barkworth

Familiar Dark by Amy Engel

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Stacking the Shelves with a brand new Book Haul (16 May 20)!

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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!

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You Can Trust Me by Emma Rowley

This book surprised me when it appeared on my Kindle, I’d completely forgotten that I’d pre-ordered it a while ago. It was a lovely surprise and I’m really looking forward to reading this thriller. This is about a woman with an online persona that is removed from her real life and the cracks that begin to show when a ghostwriter starts working with her to write her story. It sounds so good!

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Motherwell by Deborah Orr

I spotted this book on a Kindle daily deal this week and I was so interested read this memoir about a mother and a daughter and what happens when the daughter tries to break free that I had to one-click! I’m keen to read this one but need to be in the right frame of mind.

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Just Mercy by Bryan A. Stevenson

I borrowed the audio book of this non-fiction about a young lawyer and the American justice system this week and am already part-way through listening to it. It’s heart-rending at times but one of those books that is so well written that you just want to keep going. I’m so glad I got to read this one.

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Heatwave by Kate Riordan

I bought this book on a total whim as the cover really drew me in. The blurb sounds so good too – it’s set in an old house during a hot summer where old secrets begin to come to light and it sounds perfect for this time of year. I can’t wait to read this one!

Have you acquired any new books this week? I’d love to know what you got. Or have you read any of my new books and recommend I get to any of them sooner rather than later? If you’ve shared a book haul post this week then please feel free to share you link below and I’ll make sure to visit your post! 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (13 May 20)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

What I’m reading now: 

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan A. Stevenson

I’ve been wanting to read this book for a really long time so I was really pleased to discover the audio book on BorrowBox this week. I immediately downloaded it and started listening last night. I’ve read so many positive reviews of this book so I’m sure it’s one I’ll find interesting.

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

This is a tough read but I’m so glad I picked it up. Chanel Miller is the young woman who was raped by Brock Turner and for a long time she was anonymous until she decided to tell her own story. I’m only a few chapters in but Chanel is so open and honest in the way she’s telling her truth and I’ve found it such an emotional book.

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

I’m glad I had a sense of what this novel is and how it flips things when I started reading because I’m only on part one and at the moment it’s just a man bragging about his sex life since his divorce. The writing is good and I’m intrigued to see where the novel goes. The fact that it made the Women’s Prize longlist gives me hope that it will go somewhere worthwhile in the end!

A Fabulous Creation: How LPs Saved Lives by David Hepworth

This is another audio book that I got on BorrowBox and my husband and I are listening to it together. It’s such an interesting book about the history of the LP (it begins with Sgt Pepper and ends with Thriller). I love the social history and the way music evolved as artists took more risks after seeing what others were doing. We’re both really enjoying this one.

 

What I recently finished reading:

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I waited so long to read this book! It’s incredible! I’ve been reading it over the last couple of days and loved every single second of it. I feel quite sad to have finished it and already want to read it again. If you haven’t read it yet I highly recommend you do so as soon as you can.

One Split Second by Caroline Bond

This book was also excellent. It follows a group of teens and their parents in the aftermath of an horrific car crash. We see the parents at the hospital waiting to hear if their child was okay, and through the book we see what they were like before the accident and what the repercussions are for everyone involved. I got so invested in these characters, they felt very real to me. This is a stunning novel and I highly recommend it!

We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker

This is another brilliant novel that I read this week. This is such a beautifully written, and also deeply emotional read. I cried a few times as I was reading. It follows a community, but two children and a police officer mainly, in the years after a terrible crime has been committed. There are repercussions rippling through time, through generations and it’s heartbreaking how things that happen to a parent can come to damage a child so much. There is such brutality in this novel but moments of such heart-aching kindness too. I loved this book and keep finding myself thinking about it and wondering how Duchess, Robin and Walk are doing. I whole-heartedly recommend it!

 

What I plan on reading next:

His and Hers by Alice Feeney

I adored Alice Feeney’s first novel Sometimes I Lie but didn’t really get on with her second book. This new one sounds so good though so I’m hoping this will be a thriller for me. It sounds very intriguing!

The Catch by T. M. Logan

I think I’ve read and enjoyed all of T. M. Logan’s previous novels but his last one The Holiday was my favourite so far. I’ve read some fab reviews of The Catch and have very high hopes for it, I feel like I’m going to love it!

One Hundred and Fifty Two Days by Giles Paley-Phillips

This sounds like a very emotional read as it explores grief and loss but it’s one I’ve very much wanted to read so I’m going to try and pick it up this week.

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Mini Book Reviews: The Flight | The Guest List | The Alibi Girl | The Recovery of Rose Gold

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Today I want to share another selection of mini book reviews of some mystery and thriller novels that I’ve read and enjoyed recently.

 

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The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

This is such a gripping novel that is both a thriller and an exploration about what makes a person the way they are. It follows Rose Gold and her mother Patty in the present day where Patty is released from prison after five years, having served her time for the abuse of Rose Gold throughout her childhood. It seems that Rose Gold wants to forgive her mother for all she did in making her very ill in order to get attention from others but all is not quite as it seems. Rose Gold is a very messed up adult and she seems outwardly to be forgiving of her mother but there is definitely something more under the surface. This is a page-turner and there are shocks in store but most of all it looks at what makes us the way we are – are we a product of our upbringing or are we born the way we are? I found this was a novel that hasn’t left me since I finished reading it, I keep thinking of Patty and Rose Gold. I definitely recommend this book!

 

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The Alibi Girl by C. J. Skuse

I received an ARC of this from NetGalley but I decided to buy the audio book and listen to it as I’ve enjoyed other books by the author on audio. I found this such a compelling book to listen to and it was perfect for me whilst I was coming out of a reading slump as I just didn’t want to stop listening. In the beginning of this book we meet Mary and her baby in a hairdressers where she talks about her other children and husband. But as she’s leaving she’s fearful of a man that arrives, and as she runs down the street someone else shouts after her but calls her by a different name! It turns out she’s not Mary at all but Joanne. The novel then flicks back and forth between the present day, and the past where we learn about Joanna’s childhood. Joanna has a lot of alibis – she gives different names and different stories to everyone she meets and slowly we learn why. Initially this gave me Sweetpea (one of C. J. Skuse’s previous novels) vibes but the further into it you get the more you see why Joanna is the way she is, it breaks your heart. I was rooting for her as the book went along and it becomes clear she’s not a liar for the sake of it, there is way more to it. This book has an ending that may divide readers but I thought it was perfect, even though it made me cry. I highly recommend this one!

 

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The Guest List by Lucy Foley

I enjoyed Lucy Foley’s previous novel The Hunting Party but her new one The Guest List is even better! A wedding is about to take place on a remote island and the main wedding party are gradually arriving. We meet the bride, the plus one, the bride’s sister, the wedding planner and others and the novel is told from different perspectives throughout. The island quickly becomes even more isolated when the bad weather draws in and we know from early on that someone dies so the book is predominantly told in the lead up to the wedding but there are small chapters in the aftermath. I loved how the tension builds in this novel and you become suspicious of everyone and wonder why they are the way they are. I did think I’d worked the whodunnit and why fairly early on but boy was I wrong! There are so many twists and turns in this book and as you see it all unravel the tension just ramps up and up. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it!

 

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The Flight by Julie Clark

I got this book from NetGalley and I’m so happy I was approved as it’s such a gripping novel! It follows two women from very different walks of life who become caught up in each other’s lives. Claire is married to a very controlling man but because of who he is and the power he holds she can’t escape him. On a trip he sends her on she gets her way out when a woman who looks a little like her approaches her wanting to swap places and each get on the others flight! We soon learn that the plane has crashed and the media believes Claire was on it. The novel is told from Claire’s perspective going forwards as she tries to remain hidden. It’s also told from Eva’s point of view in the months leading up to her swapping flights with Claire. I was equally invested in both women’s stories and was hoping both would escape their pasts and find a way to make a new life. There are twists and turns along the way that I wasn’t expecting so this book really kept me on my toes, I felt really quite bereft on finishing it. I recommend this one too!

WWW Wednesdays (6 May 20)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

What I’m reading now: 

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We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

I’ve been wanting to read this book since before it was published so when I spotted the audio book on BorrowBox I immediately requested it. I started listening to it yesterday and I’ve been engrossed in it. It’s one of those novels that you find yourself thinking about whenever you’re not reading it.

 

What I recently finished reading:

Just My Luck by Adele Parks

This was such a good read! I love Adele Parks’ novels and this one is my favourite of hers from recent years. It follows a family that win the lottery and the fallout from that is further reaching than anyone could have foreseen. I worked out some elements of what was going on but there were still shocks in store, it definitely kept me on my toes.

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

I loved this book! It follows two characters in two time periods – Anna in 1939 and Morgan in 2018 as they each come to live in the same small town. I loved both timelines equally and was so keen to find out what was going to happen to both of these women and the people around them. This book was much-needed escapism and I’m so glad I read it.

The Alibi Girl by C. J. Skuse

I got a copy of this from NetGalley a while ago but decided to buy the audio book so that I could listen along to it as I read. I loved it! The story is so intriguing and gripping and I got completely absorbed in the story of this young woman who seems to enjoy pretending to be many different people. There is so much more to her than you see at first and I loved getting to know the real her. The ending was brilliant, so perfect and I have a feeling this is a novel that is really going to stay with me.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

I also got a copy of this from NetGalley and found myself racing through it. I enjoyed Lucy Foley’s previous novel The Hunting Party but this one was even better! I loved to hate quite a few of the characters, and I enjoyed the way my opinions on some of them changed as the book went along. I thought I worked out what was going on quite early but there was far more to this story that I ever predicted so I love that it shocked me. I recommend this one!

 

What I plan on reading next:

Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah

I bought this last week and it’s a book I’d been curious about for a while so I think I’m going to try and get to it in the coming days. I love the series that Sophie Hannah writes so I’m intrigued to see how I get on with a standalone by her.

One Split Second by Caroline Bond

I requested this one on NetGalley as I’ve previously enjoyed another book by this author. This sounds like it could be an emotional rollercoaster but I’m just in the mood to pick it up so hopefully I can read it this week.

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

This is another NetGalley book and is one I’ve been intrigued by. I’ve seen it get quite a few mixed reviews but the plot has continued to draw me in so I’m going to try and get to it this week.

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

That Was The Month That Was… April 2020!

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April was such a strange month with the UK (and most of the world) on a lockdown. I’m housebound for much of the time anyway as I can’t physically leave the house without help but it’s still so weird not being able to go out even though my husband is home every day (he’s been furloughed). I’m in the high risk group so it’s all very worrying but day to day we’re doing okay. I’m so grateful that we have a small garden so can get some fresh air most days.

My reading and blogging mojo upped and left a while ago – partly because I was really unwell earlier in the year and then the anxiety about Coronavirus began mounting. Thankfully I’ve finally been able to finish some of the books I started weeks and weeks ago, and over the last week or so I’ve been reading more frequently. I’m hoping my reading mojo is properly on its way back and that my blogging will follow!

Whilst I haven’t been reading I have been catching up on some TV boxsets. My husband and I re-watched all of Life On Mars (which is brilliant!) and we finally finished watching Ashes to Ashes. Can’t believe we watched the first two series years ago and then never watched the final series. It was so good. We’ve started watching The Sopranos for the first time (somehow neither of us saw it when it was first on and we’ve both been keen to see it).  I’m still addicted to House of Games – BBC2 is currently showing repeats of the first series (which I’ve never seen) so I’m enjoying those episodes.

Anyway, I finished reading nine books in April (more than half were books I’d been reading on and off before April), which is a vast improvement on my reading in March. So without further ado…

Here are the books I read in April:

Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing by Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse

I bought this audio book on a whim when it was on a daily deal last year. My husband and I listened to it together during the first week or so of lockdown and it was so relaxing at a time of high stress. We discovered the TV series on BBC iPlayer that this book accompanies so we’ve since watched that too and it’s been such a tonic. I recommend both (even if you’re not into fishing!).

Strangers by C. L. Taylor

This novel was such a good read and was the first fiction that I managed to read over a short period in quite a while. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more.

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff

As is often the case for me I gravitate towards non-fiction when I’m struggling to read and I found I wanted to read about people overcoming very difficult times so this one caught my eye on my Kindle. I found this such a moving, and sad book but it also had hope and a sense of healing running through it. It’s sensitively written and I recommend it.

One of Them: From Albert Square to Parliament Square by Michael Cashman

I’ve had this book on my radar ever since I first heard about it last year so when I spotted it on my library app recently I immediately reserved it. It’s such an honest and moving memoir and I found myself completely lost in Michael’s story.

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

This is a review book that I got from NetGalley fairly recently and I’ve been so keen to read it so picked it up. It took me a few days to read it but I did really enjoying it and I had no idea how it was all going to turn out!

The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman

This book is the one that really got me back into reading and I read it all in just two sittings! It’s such a good read and one that had me desperate to know what was going to happen and how things were going to end. I’ll be reviewing it for the blog tour in May but in the meantime I definitely recommend it!

The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton

As I began to get out of my reading slump I was craving a comfort read and decided to go back to the magic faraway tree – a much beloved series from my childhood. This is the first book and it was lovely to meet all the characters again.

The Trap by Melanie Raabe

This is a book that I’ve owned on ebook for around four years so when I spotted the audio book available on my library app I immediately downloaded it. I’m glad I did as I quite enjoyed the audio but I’m not sure I would have kept reading if I’d been reading the ebook.

Adele by Leila Slimani

This is another book I borrowed from my library’s app and I enjoyed it. I didn’t think it was quite as good as Lullaby but I still found it engrossing and I wanted to know how it was going to end.

 

April Blog Posts & Reviews:

Due to my reading and blogging slump I’ve only published two posts in April but hopefully May will be better. I managed to post my review of Strangers by C. L. Taylor earlier in the month and the on Wednesday I posted my WWW Wednesday Post where I shared what I’m currently reading, what I’ve recently finished reading and what I hoped to read next.   

 

 

How was April for you? I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well.

What was your favourite book of the month? Please tell me in the comments, I’d love to know.

Also, if you have a blog please feel free to leave a link to your April wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to read. 🙂

WWW Wednesday (29 Apr 2019!) What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

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Just my Luck by Adele Parks

I just got approved for this book on NetGalley yesterday and I’ve been so keen to read it that I started it straight away! I’m enjoying it so far.

 

What I recently finished reading:

The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman

This is the book that really began to get me out of my recent reading slump and I read it in two sittings. It’s such a good book and I’m looking forward to sharing my review as part of the blog tour next month. In the meantime I highly recommend pre-ordering it!

The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton

I picked this up as I was trying to find a way back into reading and thought a much-loved book from my childhood would help. I did enjoy this one but not quite as much as I did when I was little.

Adele by Leila Slimani

I borrowed the ebook of this one from the library and it was an okay read. It kept me gripped all the way through but I didn’t feel as engrossed as I did when I read Lullaby. I’m glad I read it though.

The Trap by Melanie Raabe

I’ve had the ebook of this on my TBR for over four years so when I spotted the audio book was available on the library app I decided to get it and listen to it. This book wasn’t what I expected really, I’m glad I listened to it rather than reading as it kept me going with it when I might have put it down.

 

What I plan on reading next:

Kitty Genovese: A True Account of a Public Murder and its Private Consequences by Catherine Pelonero

I bought this book recently and have been keen to pick it up. I read a novel based on this case a year or two ago and have wanted to know more about what happened ever since. I hope to get to this one this week.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

I feel like while we’re on lockdown a book about people being trapped together might be interesting and this one grabbed my attention on my kindle!

Living My Best Life by Claire Frost

I’ve had a copy of this on my review pile for a while now and I think I’m just in the mood for it so hopefully I get to read it in the coming days!

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Dead Wrong by Noelle Holten |@nholten40 @OneMoreChapter_ @BOTBSPublicity

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The serial killer is behind bars. But the murders are just beginning…

DC Maggie Jamieson’s past comes back to haunt her in this dark and gripping serial killer thriller.

Three missing women running out of time…

They were abducted years ago. Notorious serial killer Bill Raven admitted to killing them and was sentenced to life.

The case was closed – at least DC Maggie Jamieson thought it was…

But now one of them has been found, dismembered and dumped in a bin bag in town.

Forensics reveal that she died just two days ago, when Raven was behind bars, so Maggie has a second killer to find.

Because even if the other missing women are still alive, one thing’s for certain: they don’t have long left to live…

 

Dead Inside was one of my favourite books of last year so I was thrilled to discover that Noelle Holten had a new book out this year. Dead Wrong is a brilliant follow-up book and I loved it!

Dead Wrong follows DC Maggie Jamieson as she’s thrown back into an old case – that of serial killer Bill Raven. Maggie worked the investigation that led to his conviction a couple of years previously but now the body of one of the missing women has been found and it seems she’s only been dead a few days so it throws the conviction into doubt. Maggie is sure she didn’t make a mistake but the evidence seems to be pointing in that direction.

The dynamic between Maggie and Raven was so tense to read, there is a real cat and mouse game going on – Raven is really toying with Maggie and wants her to crack. It’s edge of seat stuff to read and it had me racing through the book as I was desperate to find out how it would all end.

I loved that we get to know more of Maggie in this book, she’s such a great character and is easily becoming one of my favourite detectives! It was great to see more of her home life and her relationship with her brother who lives with her. I also loved seeing her growing closeness with Dr Moloney as the novel progresses.

This is fast becoming one of my favourite crime fiction series and I already can’t wait for the next book – I’ll be first in the queue to buy it when it’s published!

Dead Wrong is out now in ebook, paperback and audio. All available here.

Many thanks to Sarah from Books on the Brightside and One More Chapter for my ecopy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

 

I’m really unwell at the moment and my concentration isn’t good so I apologise in for this review being shorter and lesser than I would have liked to write for this brilliant book.

 

You can follow the rest of this tour at the following blogs:

BLOG TOUR (3)

 

WWW Wednesdays! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

 

My health is really wobbly at the moment so these WWW Wednesdays posts are about all I can manage just now. I am on a couple of blog tours next week that have been planned for a while so I will be posting reviews for those books but other than that it might just be WWW Wednesdays for a while. My concentration is rubbish so I’ve barely read anything at all this week, I miss my books so hopefully things settle down soon.

Apologies for not replying to comments or visiting and commenting on your blogs, I hope to be back to normal soon. In the meantime I do appreciate all of you who continue to read and comment and share my posts. 

 

What I’m reading now: 

Containment by Vanda Symon

I love this series so have been really looking forward to the latest book and I’m so happy to say that I’m loving it. I wish I could concentrate better as I know I would have devoured this normally but it’s still such a good read. Sam Shephard is such a brilliant character!

Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear

I’ve been reading a chapter here and there of this one and am enjoying it. Again, I just can’t concentrate for more than a few minutes but that’s no reflection on the book.

The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

This is such a good read and one that I am enjoying coming back to, I’m intrigued to see how it’s all going to end!

 

What I recently finished reading:

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You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce

I read this on the Pigeonhole app (where they send you a few chapters to read each day) and it was a perfect way to read this book while struggling to concentrate as each stave was enough to keep me engaged and always left me wanting more. This was such a different novel to what I was expecting but it was brilliant, I loved it!

 

What I plan on reading next:

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

This has been on my Kindle TBR for seven years so when I spotted it on Borrowbox I decided to download it so I could part listen and part read it. I’m really looking forward to starting this one.

Dead Wrong by Noelle Holten

I’m on the blog tour for this one next week so definitely need to pick it up in the next couple of days. I loved the first book in the series so I’m sure I’m going to love this one too!

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

WWW Wednesdays! What are you reading at the moment?

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WWW pic

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

What I’m reading now: 

Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear

I only started this last night but I’m already gripped. I love thrillers where the past has something to do with what’s happening in the present so this is my kind of book!

You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce

I’m reading this one on the Pigeonhole app and am really enjoying it. It’s not what I was expecting it to be but I’m so glad I got to read it because it’s so good and I’m so keen for the next part to be released so I can find out what happens next!

The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

I’m still reading this one and still very much enjoying it. I’m intrigued to know how things are going to play out between this mother and daughter!

 

What I recently finished reading:

Second Life by S. J. Watson

I’ve had the ebook of this ever since it was first published but I finally started it this week when I got the audio book from BorrowBox. I’m sad to say that I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the author’s first novel. I do love his writing though so would always look out for new books by him.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

I treated myself to this one and read it right away as I’ve got into a bit of a reading slump recently. I’m not feeling well at all and so my reading is suffering but this book grabbed me from the off and I really enjoyed it.

Notes to Self by Emilie Pine

I picked this up as it was short and being as it’s essays I thought I could dip in and out of it. As it turned out I devoured it! I’ve seen that this has got a lot of negative reviews but I loved it, I could identify with a lot of what the author has been through and it made me feel seen.

 

What I plan on reading next:

Containment by Vanda Symon

I’m on a blog tour for this one later this month so am really keen to start reading this one in good time. I adored Vanda Symon’s previous books so have very high hopes for this one!

Dead Wrong by Noelle Holten

I’m also taking part in the blog tour for this one and am so looking forward to reading this one. Noelle’s first novel was excellent and I feel sure this one will be every bit as good!

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

I’ve read some fab reviews of this book this week so it’s made me really want to read it so hopefully I’ll be able to get to it this week!

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

WWW Wednesdays! What are you reading at the moment?

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WWW pic

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

I’m still struggling to read but I picked this book up in the early hours of the morning and it immediately grabbed me. I’m gripped by this one and am keen to find out where it’s going.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is a wonderful novel, I’ve very much enjoyed listening to it over the last few days. I’ve got the kindle book so I keep switching between the two formats and I’m loving it.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

I haven’t managed to read much more of this book this week as I just can’t manage to hold a physical book but I hope to get back to it soon.

 

What I recently finished reading:

Truth, Lies and O-Rings by Allan J. McDonald and James Hansen

I’ve had this book on my TBR for years now but I finally picked it up this week and I found it fascinating. I’ve always felt such a connection to the Challenger disaster and remember the day it happened like it was yesterday even though I was only just seven. I knew a lot about the disaster but there was still so much to learn from this book. I’m really glad I read it.

Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

I found this book gripping! I love the way it uses the plots of older murder mysteries, it really added to the book for me. I wish I could have read this when I was feeling better as I think it would have been one I read in one sitting but having said that it kept me occupied on quite a few sleepless nights.

More Than Words by Jill Santopolo

This was my audio book from the last week and I’m not sure how I felt about this one. I enjoyed it but it didn’t engage me in the way her previous book did.

 

What I plan on reading next:

Keeper by Jessica Moor

I’ve had a copy of this from NetGalley for a few weeks now and I think I’m just in the mood to read it so hope to get to it this week.

Deadly Deceit by Mari Hannah

I read the first two books in this series when they came out and I really enjoyed them but somehow I didn’t read on. Anyway, I’ve been sorting out my huge TBR and this book jumped out at me so I plan on reading it this week and catching up with the series this year.

 

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (19 Feb 2020)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

I’m really struggling to read at the moment so have been picking books up and putting them down a lot but this one has grabbed my attention. I love all the references to older mystery novels and am intrigued to see how this book plays out.

More Than Words by Jill Santopolo

This is my current audio book and I’m enjoying it. It’s not as good as her previous novel The Life We Lost, which I loved, but it’s keeping me interested so that’s great.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

I got the hardback of this for my birthday and am loving it. I wish my health was better as I would have normally devoured this in one or two sittings but I’m very much enjoying this one. I recommend it!

 

What I recently finished reading:

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

I spotted this book on Scribd and decided to listen to it before I started Peter Swanson’s new book as I knew it featured and didn’t want spoilers. I really enjoyed this one, it’s an engrossing mystery and Poirot novels are such fun escapism.

Wild Spinning Girls by Carol Lovekin

I completely and utterly fell in love with this novel and have already reviewed it so you can read my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more about it.

 

What I plan on reading next:

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

I’ve had the ebook of this ever since it was first published but I spotted that the audio was available on BorrowBox so I downloaded it and plan to part read and part listen. I’ve done this before with one of the author’s previous novels and really enjoyed it so I’m looking forward to starting this one.

Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper

I got this book for my birthday last month and have been so keen to read it. I really hope my brain is back in gear for reading soon as I’d love to read this book in the coming days.

Quichotte by Salman Rushdie

This was another birthday gift and is one I’m so looking forward to getting lost in. I read Don Quixote many, many years ago so am hoping I can remember it enough to catch the references to it in this book. I have very high hopes for this one so hope it lives up to them!

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up!

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Cream and Blue Brush Strokes Graduation Twitter Post

It’s been another quiet week this week as I’m still feeling exhausted and unwell. I did manage to leave the house for 20 mins when I tagged along with my husband to the supermarket. It was the first time I’d been outside since Christmas day so that was an achievement.

Thanks to everyone who has commented on my posts recently – I’m so sorry that I haven’t managed to reply. I’m also sorry that I’ve not been keeping up on reading blogs and liking, commenting and sharing. I hope to be back up to speed soon but in the meantime I really appreciate the comments, likes and shares on my posts. You’re all stars! 🙂

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I’ve barely been reading this week either so it really has been a quiet week. I’m in the middle of seven different books but I’m not in the mood for anything in particular so I’m going back and forth between them. My main read is A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone, which is really good. I just wish my brain was up to engaging better so I could get completely swept up in the writing.

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I did listen to one complete audio book this week and that was Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House by M. C. Beaton. I love dipping in and out of this series as they’re perfect escapist reads. This was the first one I’ve ever listened to and I loved Penelope Keith’s narration so may look for future books on audio!

TV-wise I’m still loving Richard Osman’s House of Games. My husband watches it if it’s on when he’s home but he’s not as invested in it as me. This week they’ve had a contestant on called Matt and my husband turned to me and told me that that man is basically me! He’s so right – the guy is so competitive whilst also having the time of his life taking part on the show! Haha!

It’s been a slow week on my blog this week too.

I posted a weekly wrap-up last Sunday where I wrote about what I’d been reading, watching and blogging about in the previous week.

On Wednesday I posted my WWW Wednesdays post where I shared what I was reading, what I’d recently read and what I hope to read next.

Then yesterday I posted my new book haul, which predominantly consists impulse buys of Daily Deals!

How has your week been? I hope you’ve had a lovely week and had time to do some reading. If you’ve shared a wrap-up post please feel free to leave your link before and I’ll make sure to visit your post. 🙂

A New Book Haul!

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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!

 

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How To Fail by Elizabeth Day

I’ve had my eye on this book for a while so when I spotted it on a Kindle Daily Deal this week I immediately 1-Clicked and bought it. I hope to get to this one soon as I’ve heard only good things about it.

 

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Rad Women Worldwide by Kate Schatz

I bought this Kindle book on a whim when I saw it in another deal. I think it’s aimed at younger readers than me but when I looked at who was featured in the book and realised that I didn’t know much about some of these women it seemed a good chance to learn more. I think this will be a good book to dip in and out of.

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The Perfect Wife by J. P. Delaney

I’ve found J. P. Delaney books a bit hit and miss and I’m not sure if this is an author for me but I find myself intrigued by this latest book so when I saw it for 99p this week I decided to give it a go! Hopefully I’ll like it.

 

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Psycho-Logical by Dean Burnett

It seems that this has been the week for whim purchases as I bought this on a whim too! This is an Audible Original book and I just thought it sounded like such an interesting listen so I snapped it up!

 

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The Hidden Girls by Rebecca Whitney

This is a NetGalley book that I requested a while ago and forgot about so it was a lovely surprise to get the approval email a couple of days ago. I’m keen to get to this one so hopefully I’ll get to it soon.

 

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Like A House on Fire by Caroline Hulse

I requested this one from NetGalley too as I read and loved the author’s previous book. I’m really looking forward to this one!

 

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Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

This is another NetGalley book and I can’t wait to read this! Peter Swanson has become a must-buy must-read author for me as I just love the way he writes thrillers. This one sounds really different and I can’t wait to start reading it!

 

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! 🙂

It’s WWW Wednesdays time! What are you reading at the moment?

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WWW pic

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

What I’m reading now: 

A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone

I started reading this last night and it very quickly had me engrossed. I really do love Doug Johnstone’s writing and I’m intrigued to see where this novel is going.

Turning the Tide on Plastic by Lucy Siegle

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while and finally picked it up this week. I’m trying very hard to reduce the plastics that come into my home but have reached the point of needing some more ideas of things I can try. I’m hoping this will be the book I need.

Only Fools and Stories by David Jason

I’ve read a few more chapters of this book this week and am very much enjoying the stories behind the well-known characters he’s played.

 

What I recently finished reading:

Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House by M. C. Beaton

I love the Agatha Raisin series and keep them to read when I just need some short escapism. This was the next one on my TBR and I enjoyed it. I’m keen to see where the series goes next so may read book 15 soon!

I Want You Gone by Miranda Rijks

I enjoyed this thriller but it did lose me in the last quarter of the book so I’m not sure how I feel about it. I will try and write a mini review of it soon.

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

I had the audio book of this and have been listening to it over the last ten days and really enjoyed it. I’m really looking forward to reading Lethal White and will probably pick that up later in the year as it’s already on my Kindle!

A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

I listened to this book on audio as well and I’m glad I did. It’s not the best book by this author but being on audio kept the momentum going for me and I wanted to keep listening. I have loved all of her other books so I think this one was just a case of it’s not the book, it’s me.

The Dilemma by B. A. Paris

I enjoyed a couple of this author’s previous book but I couldn’t get on with her last novel. I couldn’t resist picking up this one though and I’m so glad I did! I read the whole book in one sitting and found it so gripping and engaging. I recommend it!

What She Saw Last night by Mason Cross

This was such a good thriller too, it ended up being more edge of seat reading than I was expecting and all the twists and turns were very good. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

 

What I plan on reading next:

Tilly and the Lost Fairytales: Pages & Co. #2 by Anna James

I adored the first book in this series so was delighted to get the second book for Christmas. I saved it to read tomorrow as I like to plan some escapism on the days that are full of sad memories.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

I didn’t manage to pick this up when I planned to recently so I’m hoping to get to it this week as I’m so keen to read it.

Death Deserved by Thomas Enger & Jorn Lier Horst

I’m going to be on the blog tour for this one next month so it’s the next book I want to get to as I like to be ahead with my reading commitments. It’ll be my first book by these authors and I’m really looking forward to it!

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

WWW Wednesdays! What are you reading this week?

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WWW pic

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

What I’m reading now: 

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

I really enjoyed the first two books in the Cormoran Strike series so when I spotted this book in my Audible library I decided to make it my next listen. I’m only about three hours in but I’m definitely gripped and am keen to see there this novel is going.

What She Saw Last Night by Mason Cross

I’ve had a couple of days where I couldn’t read print this week so I had to put this down but I’m back reading it now and I’m super intrigued about what is going to happen.

Only Fools and Stories by David Jason

I haven’t read any more of this book this week as I got engrossed in another non-fiction book but I will definitely pick this back up in the coming days as I’m very much enjoyed David Jason’s stories.

 

What I recently finished reading:

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

This book is stunning! I deliberately made myself read this slowly as it’s such a beautiful novel and I didn’t want it to end. I loved this story and how it was told. I will review this one once I’ve got my thoughts together.

The Murders at White House Farm by Carol Ann Lee

This is such an interesting book and I’m really glad I read it. It gives background to the Bamber family, and it explores the murders and the investigation. It did feel like the author was standing back and really assessing what happened whilst also giving space for the reader to have their own thoughts about it.

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

I enjoyed some parts of this book but I didn’t enjoy it as much as other books by the author. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find more of my thoughts here.

 

What I plan on reading next:

The Mothers by Sarah Naughton

I’ve had an ARC of this on my TBR for a few weeks now but have read some great reviews of it over the last week or so and I can’t wait to read it so I hope to get to it this week.

Who Did You Tell? by Lesley Kara

This is another ARC that I’ve had for a while and now I’m so keen to read it so hopefully I’ll also manage to read this one this week.

The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper

I’ve been trying to focus on mostly reading my unread review books in recent weeks and I was mortified to spot this on my NetGalley shelf and to see how long it has been there as it is a book I still really want to read. So I’m going to try and get to it this week.

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Mini #BookReviews: One Little Mistake by Emma Curtis | 17 Church Row by James Carol | Dare Me by Megan Abbott

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Today I’m sharing some more mini reviews of books that I’ve recently read!

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One Little Mistake by Emma Curtis

I started reading this book at the very end of 2019 and finished it a few days ago. The novel follows Vicky who one day makes a terrible error of judgement and something happens which leads to her best friend Amber helping her keep it quiet. What follows is a novel where you’re not sure who to trust. In between the chapters in the present day there are chapters from the past but it’s not clear until later in the novel who this person is. I swung from thinking one thing to another and I was never quite sure what was going on until just before it was fully revealed! I did find that the latter stages of the novel required some suspension of disbelief but I didn’t care because by then I was so invested in the characters and just wanted to know what was going to happen. I enjoyed this book and will definitely read more by Emma Curtis in the future!

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17 Church Row by James Carol

This novel appealed to me as soon as I read that it involved a very high-tech house! Even though the thought of what may be done is terrifying I can’t help but be drawn to books like this! This novel felt mysterious from the start and I wanted to know about this young family and why they were moving. They seem to move to this new house very quickly without much thought or research so I was intrigued! It turns out they’ve been through an awful tragedy and are trying to find a way to move forward with their lives. Unfortunately for them the tech in this house is still being tested and they end up unwittingly becoming pawns in someone else’s game. I’m going to be honest and say that while I loved the first half of the book, the second half didn’t quite live up to it for me. The book got a bit far-fetched and it lost me a little. Having said that I did read this in just a couple of sittings as I was keen to know what was going to happen so I did still enjoy it.

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Dare Me by Megan Abbott

This book has been on my TBR ever since it was published so I wanted to make it a priority this year so when I spotted the audio book on BorrowBox I decided to part read and part listen to it. I found it hard to get into this book but once it grabbed me I was gripped. It follows Addy, a cheerleader in a teen squad and you get a real look at the toxic friendships that this environment sometimes fosters. There is also the coach who is very friendly with some of the girls but it’s clear from early on that she is playing them, although I wasn’t sure why. I’m torn about this book because the elements that I liked I really liked but ultimately I think perhaps I wasn’t the right audience for the book as it just didn’t fully click with me. I do love Megan Abbott’s writing though and I’ve enjoyed books by her before so I will definitely be looking out for more in the future.

WWW Wednesdays (8 Jan 20)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

What I’m reading now: 

What She Saw Last Night by Mason Cross

I saw so many great reviews of this one the blog tour and I kept thinking of the premise and wondering about the storyline so I finally picked this up yesterday. I’m only a few chapters in but I’m gripped!

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

This book is so good! I’ve had a review copy from NetGalley for a while now and finally picked it up this week and am enjoying it so much. It’s a really emotional novel about a boy who is the sole survivor of an air crash and it’s such a good read.

Only Fools and Stories by David Jason

I read David Jason’s autobiography last year and enjoyed it so was keen to pick up the follow on book. This is more stories about the characters he’s played and some behind the scenes stuff. It’s a really fun read and I’m enjoying it.

What I recently finished reading:

The Home by Sarah Stovell

This book left me heartbroken! It’s a stunning psychological thriller about a teenage girl who is found dead and then it goes back and forth as we find out what happened. It’s a really raw and emotional book and one I think will stay with me for a long time to come. I’ll be reviewing this one on Friday so please check back then for my full thoughts.

17 Church Row by James Carol

I’d seen great reviews for this one on the blog tour so snapped it up on Kindle. I then saw the audio book available on BorrowBox so I part read and part listened to this one. I really enjoyed the first half of the novel but it lost me a little after that. It was a gripping read though and I’m glad I read it.

One Little Mistake by Emma Curtis

I’ve had a copy of this book ever since it was published but I finally picked it up at the end of December and finished it this week. It was such a gripping thriller about a woman who makes one mistake and ends up paying a heavy price for it.

The Choice by Claire Wade

This novel is set in a dystopian future where sugar is banned. It’s such a gripping and thought-provoking read, I really enjoyed it. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can find there here if you’d like to know more.

The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale

This is a gorgeous book that I’ve been wanting to read for quite a while. I started it in December and finished it a few days ago. I part read and part listened to it and it’s just such a fab story. It reminded me of how I used to love stories as a child and I now want to read anything and everything by this author!

It’s A Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans

This is another book that I partly read at the end of 2019 and finished it at the beginning of this year. I loved this novel – it’s got such a lovely cast of characters and such a great message in it. I definitely want to read more by this author in the future.

Wham! George and Me by Andrew Ridgeley

My husband bought me this for Christmas and I knew it had to be my first read of 2020 as I was sure it would get my reading year off to a fabulous start and it absolutely did. I read this all in one sitting on New Year’s Day and I adored it. I recommend it if you’re a Wham fan!

What I plan on reading next:

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

This is one of my most eagerly anticipated books of 2020 and I don’t think I can resist picking up my review copy any longer!

I Want You Gone by Miranda Rijks

This has been on my NetGalley shelf for longer than it should have so I want to try and make it a priority for this week. Hopefully I can get to it as it does sound really intriguing.

Look What You Made Me Do by Helen Walmsley-Johnson

This is another book that I got for Christmas and I’ve read really good reviews of it so would like to make this my next nonfiction read of 2020.

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up (5 Jan 20)!

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This week has been a quiet one for me due to additional medical issues so I’ve been escaping into books.

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I’ve developed something of a superstition in recent times around the first book I read in a new year – being that if it’s a fabulous read then I’m going to have a great reading year. Thankfully my first read of 2020 was Wham! George and Me by Andrew Ridgeley and I really enjoyed it. I read it all in one afternoon on New Year’s Day and it was a perfect start to the year.

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I then read the final third of a book I’d been reading on and off since Christmas – It’s A Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans and I also really enjoyed this one. It’s festive but not so much so that I couldn’t still enjoy it after Christmas. This is definitely one I’d re-read one year over the festive period.

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The next book I finished was also one I’d started at the end of 2019 and I loved getting lost in the world of The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale. I’d had this on my TBR ever since it was first published and I’m so glad I finally got to it, it really is a gorgeous read.

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After finishing that I picked up The Choice by Claire Wade and I pretty much read it in one sitting. It’s a really gripping, thought-provoking novel. I’ll be reviewing it this week so look out for that!

 

 

 

As for blogging I always love the first week of a new year when I share all my favourite books of the past year and reflect on my reading.

 

 

First I posted my Christmas Book Haul as I was very spoilt with books over the festive period.

Then I shared my Reading Bingo post. I always enjoy putting this post together every year as it’s a chance to reflect on my reading and to share some of the books I’ve read.

Up next was the start of my Favourite Novels of 2019 countdown (I had to split it into two) with the first half of my Top 40 books!

I followed that with my final Top 20 Novels of 2019.

After that I shared my Top 20 NonFiction books that I read in 2019.

On Friday I posted my 2019 Reading Stats post. I love putting this post together and getting the chance to really look at the breakdown of my reading over the year. It’s always so interesting to me to see how my bookish year went.

Yesterday I shared a book haul of the books that I’ve managed to acquire since the beginning of the year!

 

So health-wise it could have been a better week but I’m thrilled with the books I’ve read and the posts I’ve written and shared on my blog so all-in-all I’m happy with how 2020 is going so far! 🙂 How has your week been?

 

I’m Stacking the Shelves with a Brand New Book Haul Today!

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

Books and eBooks

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The Choke by Sofie Laguna

I won this book just before Christmas and it arrived a few days ago. I didn’t know a huge amount about it but it sounds like such a good read and I’m looking forward to getting to it.

 

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Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman

I’ve been wanting to read this one ever since it was published last year so when I spotted it in the latest Kindle book sale I snapped it up. I hope to get to this soon.

 

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Five Steps to Happy by Ella Dove

I also bought this in this Kindle sale as it sounds like such an interesting novel. It’s fiction and about coming to terms with disability so I really want to read this one as soon as I can.

 

Audiobooks

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A Poem For Every Day of the Year by Allie Esiri

This was an Audible daily deal earlier this week and I snapped it up. I think it’ll be lovely to listen to a poem each day and I’m keen to start this one.

 

Review Books

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After Dark by Dominic Nolan

I squealed when a surprise copy of this book arrived in the post for me last week! I loved the author’s previous book (it was only of my Top 40 books of 2019!) so I’m super excited to have a copy of the sequel! I’ll definitely be reading this soon.

 

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Mine by Clare Empson

I was surprised and delighted to get approved to read this one on NetGalley yesterday. I must have requested it long enough ago that I’d forgotten about it but I’m very happy to have a copy to read as I loved the author’s previous novel.

 

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Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

I was sorting through my email this week and spotted an email I’d missed from the publisher about this book – they’d sent me a pre-approved link to read this from NetGalley so I was thrilled to click it and find the book was still there.

 

 

 

Have you bought any new books over the last week? Please tell me below. 🙂 If you join in with Stacking the Shelves please feel free to leave your link and I’ll make sure to read and comment on your post.

My 2019 Reading in Statistics!

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Best Books of 2019 So far!

This week I’ve shared my Reading Bingo post, my runner ups for books of the year, my favourite fiction of 2019 and my favourite nonfiction of 2019. Today it’s time to look back over my reading in 2019! I’ve used a spreadsheet for the last couple of years to track my reading, alongside Goodreads, and I love being able to see the breakdown of what I was reading over the year.

My Goodreads goal for 2019 was 200 books… I’m still not sure how it happened but in 2019 I read 375 books in total, which is the most books I’ve ever read in twelve months! I don’t expect to ever reach this number again but it has been wonderful to read so many books!

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The longest book I read in 2019 was George Eliot’s Middlemarch – my edition had 923 pages! The shortest book I read was a recent read – The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore and had just 32 pages. I read quite a few longer books in 2019 but then over Christmas I read all my favourite festive reads which are short so that brought my page average down a little. I still averaged 345 pages per book though which I’m delighted about. It shows that overall I haven’t been reading short books just to attain a goal! According to Goodreads I read 127,454 pages in total in 2019!

 

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The above picture shows all of my four and five star reads from 2019. It’s lovely to have read so many great books over a year. I have rated some books lower than that but I just wanted to show the books that I’ve really loved.

 

Alongside Goodreads I also track my reading on a spreadsheet and I do love seeing all my stats for the year.

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Out of the 375 books I read in 2019 274 were by women and 94 were by men. The rest were co-authored by male and female authors. I don’t intentionally seek out books by female authors but ever since I’ve been tracking my reading on a spreadsheet it always works out that I’ve read more by women than men. I’m okay with this though and just find it interesting to note it.

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I read fairly steadily through the year but April was a quieter month on the reading front, I’m not sure why. Then August was full of books and I had an incredible reading month!

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I’m really pleased with the mix of genres that I read in 2019. It was definitely a year where I was very drawn to thrillers and I didn’t read as much nonfiction as I would have liked but overall I’m happy with the spread of genres my reading took.

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I’m intrigued by the diversity of my reading and a little disappointed that I didn’t read more that was diverse. Having said that almost half of my reading counted as diverse and that is something! In 2020 I definitely want to read more about experiences outside of my own so this is something I will focus on a bit more in my reading.

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The above pie chart shows the break down of where the books I read in 2019 were from. I made a real effort in the final quarter of last year to catch up on reading as many ARCs as I could so I’m really happy that the chart shows that half of my reading over the year were books from publishers directly or from NetGalley.

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Alongside the above pie chart it seems right to share this one which shows what percentage of books I read where acquired in 2019 and which had been on my TBR for longer. It worked out that I read 238 of the books that I acquired in 2019 and 125 books that had been on my TBR before the start of the year. I also re-read 12 books last year. I did have quite a few ARCs that I’d owned since before the start of last year so I was really pleased to get those read and reviewed before the end of the year.

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This chart shows the breakdown of where I acquired my books from in 2019. I wanted to share this chart really to show that whilst I am very lucky to receive books from publishers I do actually buy the majority of my books. I know Amazon is a problematic place to buy books but the vast majority of books I read are on my Kindle so it’s just the way it is for me. I joined my local library in the summer and whilst I can’t really use the actual library for borrowing books (the building isn’t accessible enough for me) I do love the BorrowBox app where I am now borrowing loads of audio books. I’m sure the percentage of borrowed books will increase in 2020!

I lost all control of my TBR in 2019 and gave up tracking it on my blog. I did still track it on my spreadsheet though so the above images show what happened…! I hoped to reduce my TBR a little each month but instead I increased it in all but one month. Oops! My TBR is now at 2618 (and this is books that I already own, it doesn’t include wish list books) so I have a lot of reading to do!

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In terms of my blog I’ve had my best year in terms of number of posts. I managed to write 237 blog posts, which is the most I’ve ever managed to publish in a year. I feel like I finally got back to a place where I’m reviewing books quite soon after I read them rather than letting them build up and because of that I’m enjoying blogging so much more. I hope I can keep that up in 2020 and I’d also like to try and review every book that I read, even if it’s only a mini review.

On the 1st January 2019 I had the most ever views on my blog in a 24 hour period so that was a lovely way to start last year. I shared my favourite books of 2018 on that day and it was fab to share the book love and have people share their favourite books with me.

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I was also thrilled beyond words to get an email from Reedsy in early October telling me that I’d made their list of Top 100 book bloggers for 2019. I’d been struggling a little with blogging when I got that email and it really gave me a boost to keep going and now I’m really back in the swing of things!

So all in all it’s been a wonderful year of reading for me in 2019 and I’m really excited to see what 2020 has in store.  I’m still pondering on what my plans are for blogging and reading in 2020 so I may write a post about that another day.

I hope 2019 was a fabulous reading year for you too! Happy New Year! 🙂

 

 

 

My Top 10 Favourite NonFiction Read in 2019!

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This week so far I’ve posted my Top fiction books of the year posts (Counting down from 40 to 21, and the Top 20!) and so today it’s time for my favourite nonfiction reads of 2019! I read 91 nonfiction books in 2019 and these are the top 10 books that have stayed with me!

Click on the book titles if you’d like to read my review 🙂

I Carried a Watermelon: Dirty Dancing and Me by Katy Brand

Meditation for Children by Shelley Wilson

The Dark Side of the Mind by Kerry Daynes

Dopesick by Beth Macy

Trauma by Gordon Turnbull

The Point of Poetry by Joe Nutt

Breaking and Mending by Joanna Cannon

Becoming by Michelle Obama

After the Eclipse by Sarah Perry

The Five: The Untold Stories of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

My Top 20 Favourite Fiction Read in 2019!

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I read so many books in 2019 (375 of them to be exact!) that I couldn’t narrow my favourite books down any further than my Top 40. Yesterday I posted the first part of my countdown of favourite books read 2019 and today I’m so happy to share the Top 20. This list is counted down from 20 to my number 1 book of the year!! 

Click on the book’s title if you’d like to know more or to read my review! 🙂

 

Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver

This was a really intense read, one that invaded my dreams and haunted me as I was reading it but it’s such a unique novel and one that has stayed with me that it absolutely had to be in my Top 20 books of the year!

Senseless by Anna Lickley

I read this book earlier in the year and I still remember it really clearly, it’s such a brilliant novel and features characters with disabilities in such a real way. I hope more people pick this book up in 2020, I recommend it!

Louis and Louise by Julie Cohen

This is such a good novel that begins with a baby being born and what follows are alternating chapters where in one timeline the baby was born male, and in the other born female. We see how things are different for them and I found it fascinating and such a good read.

Baxter’s Requiem by Matthew Crow

This is a gorgeous novel following a teenage boy who isn’t sure where he’s going in life and an older man who wants to make peace with his past. It’s such a beautiful novel and one that I still find myself thinking about.

Song of the Robin & Reunion by R. V. Biggs

This is a slight cheat as I’ve put both of R.V. Biggs novels here but they are the first two in a series so I’m allowing myself the cheat! I’ve never been able to put into words what these books meant to me – it was one of those serendipitous happenings where a book found me at the exact right time and I just adored it.

The Perfect Betrayal by Lauren North

I read a lot of thrillers and because of that I usually see what’s going on early on but this book blew my mind! I got so engrossed in the story and I had no idea how it was going to end. It’s a brilliant psychological thriller and I highly recommend it!

Still Lives by Maria Hummel

This is a great crime mystery novel but it’s also a book that really made me think about the way we view female murder victims, and how often they get lost in the story of who killed them. This book really made a mark on me and it’s one I keep thinking about.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

I loved this book, it’s such an engrossing story following various characters in the aftermath of an explosion. It has so much depth and is a really affecting story.

Death and Other Happy Endings by Melanie Cantor

This is a gorgeous, life-affirming novel and one that I know I will re-read at some point.

Amazing Grace by Kim Nash

This is another gorgeous novel that I really connected with. It made me tearful at times but mostly it made me smile and left me feeling all of the feels!

The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood by Susan Elliot Wright

I read this book in one sitting as I just got so wrapped up in the story of Cornelia. It’s beautifully written and utterly heartbreaking but I absolutely recommend it.

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

I read this book earlier in the year but it’s really stayed fresh in my mind. It’s such a good thriller but it’s also such a good exploration of how society treats women who aren’t perfect. I loved this one and can’t wait to read whatever Harriet Tyce writes next!

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was one of the most hyped books of this year and I’m so pleased to say that it absolutely lived up to the hype for me!

The Blue Bench by Paul Marriner

This is such a stunning and moving book, I loved every single minute that I spent reading it. I’ve since bought the audio book and am thinking of re-reading it in that format in 2020.

The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone by Felicity McLean

I devoured this book whilst sitting in the garden in the sunshine this summer and I got completely lost in this novel. It still haunts me, it’s such an incredible read.

The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby

I read this book earlier this year and it’s really stayed with me. I often think about Cora Burns and wonder about her, and that’s the mark of a wonderful novel for me.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I love The Handmaid’s Tale so had been eagerly anticipating this follow-up ever since it was announced. As soon as my pre-order arrived I started reading and I got completely lost in the pages. I loved this book, it was everything I hoped it would be.

A Modern Family by Helga Flatland

This had to be high on this list because it’s such a brilliant and incisive look at sibling relationships and it really did make me think. The book is really well-written and has stayed with me ever since I finished reading it.

 

 

And I simply couldn’t pick between the following two for the number 1 spot so my joint favourite books read in 2019 are:

 

 

 

Call Me Star Girl by Louise Beech

I adore Louise’s writing and always look forward to a new book from her. This one was a bit different but I loved it. This book haunted my dreams, it really got under my skin and I still find myself thinking about it. If you haven’t read this one already then I highly recommend you put it at the top of your 2020 reading list!

Ideal Angels by Robert Welbourn

I read this book early on in 2019 and I’ve kept thinking about it ever since. It’s a book that felt different to other things I read this year and it’s one that I’ll never forget. This is a dark read at times but it’s still one that I recommend. It’s a stunning book!

My Top 40 Favourite Books Read in 2019… Counting Down From 40 to 21!

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So it’s time for me to share my favourite books that I read in 2019 and I have to say that this list has been weeks in the making! 2019 was my best ever year of reading in terms of how many books I read (at the time of writing this post I’ve read 375 books over the year), I have no idea how I read so many and I don’t expect it to ever happen again! It’s also been a year where so many wonderful books have found me and it’s been a near impossible task to make this list.

So I finally got my list down to forty books and am splitting it into two. Today I’m sharing the books that were listed from 40 – 21 on my countdown and I’m sharing them in no particular order – these books were all fabulous and I highly recommend them!

Click on the title of a book if you’d like to see my review! 🙂

 

The Family by Louise Jensen

I’m a huge fan of Louise Jensen’s writing and have loved every novel she’s published and The Family was every bit as good, if not better, than her previous books.

Nobody’s Wife by Laura Pearson

This is one of those books that made me feel emotional as I was reading it but it’s continued to run through my mind in the months since I read it. I found it a quiet book that has such a huge impact.

Do Not Feed the Bear by Rachel Elliott

I read this book fairly recently and I adored it. It’s a quirky book that has such emotional impact. I keep thinking about this one and I already want to re-read it.

How To Say Goodbye by Katy Colins

This is a novel I picked up after reading an interview with the author and the book more than lived up to my hopes for it. It made me tearful at times but it’s such a beautiful book and one I really loved.

Platform Seven by Louise Doughty

I didn’t expect this novel to make as much of an impression on me as it did but it’s a book that won’t let go of me. It’s so much more than I thought it was going to be and again it’s one I keep thinking about.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

This is such a wonderful novel about books and libraries, I adored it. I think it might actually be my new favourite Jojo Moyes book!

Dead Inside by Noelle Holten

This is a debut novel and it’s so well-written. I found this book really hard to put down and I loved the depth to the story being told. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

I read this in one sitting, I just couldn’t stop reading and it’s a book that’s really stayed with me so it had to be on this list.

The Space Between Time by Charlie Laidlaw

This was a book that took me a little while to get into but I’m so glad I stuck with it because it was a book that left such a profound impact on me. I still think of this novel and I will re-visit it in the future.

Breakers by Doug Johnstone

This was my first Doug Johnstone book and I loved it so much that I’ve since bought most of his previous novels and plan on reading my way through them in the new year.

Worst Case Scenario by Helen Fitzgerald

This is such a brilliant book, it’s so dark and so funny! Plus the menopausal main character is so memorable and I could identify with some of her thinking!

Looker by Laura Sims

This book is a fascinating look at what leads someone to obsession and really gives an insight into where this behaviour may lead.

Postscript (PS I Love You #2) by Cecelia Ahern

I love PS I Love You when it was first published and so this sequel is one I was highly anticipating. I loved it, I think it may even be better than the first book!

Violet by SJI Holliday

This is such a brilliant novel following two women and you’re never quite sure if what they tell you is true and if they can be trusted. It’s a real cat and mouse novel and I loved it!

Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard

I also loved this book! It’s such a clever way of setting out a novel with the play, pause and rewind elements. It’s one that is really staying with me.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I’m a huge Donna Tartt fan so I’ve been saving this to read and I finally got to it in the summer and I adored it. It’s a huge book but I read it in just a few days as I just got completely engrossed in the story. It’s brilliant!

The First Time Lauren Pailing Died by Alyson Rudd

I had to include this book as it was such a different and unique read. You follow Lauren in her life but early on in the novel she has an accident and at this point you begin to follow Lauren as she continues on after she survives, and also you follow her loved ones as they come to terms with her death. It seems like it might be hard to follow but it really isn’t. This book is wonderful!

Past Life by Dominic Nolan

This is another book that I devoured! I loved the crime mystery that runs through the novel but more than that I loved the main character. She’s really stayed with me and I keep thinking about her and wondering how she is.

The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen

I adored this book, it’s such a moving and at times heartbreaking book but it leaves you full of hope. I hope more people pick this one up.

The Wayward Girls by Amanda Mason

This is a book I was so nervous about reading because I’m such a wimp but I ended up reading the whole novel in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down. It’s such a fascinating novel about two girls and their family and the haunted house they live in. I loved it!

 

Tomorrow on my blog I’ll be sharing the next part of my favourite books 2019 with the Top 20 so please look out for that then. What are your favourite books that you read this year? I’d love to know. 🙂

 

It’s Reading Bingo Time! Will it be a full house for 2019? #ReadingBingo

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I’ve really enjoyed doing Reading Bingo over the last couple of years so couldn’t resist the chance to see whether I’d successfully filled in my bingo card for 2019. As ever, I don’t look at the bingo card during the year I just read what I want to read and then at the end of the year look through my reading to see if I’ve managed a full house.

So without further ado…

A Book With More Than 500 Pages

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A Question of Trust by Penny Vincenzi

A Forgotten Classic

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Middlemarch by George Eliot!

This obviously isn’t a forgotten classic so I’m cheating a bit here but I’m counting it because it kind of was a forgotten book on my TBR as I’ve owned it ever since I was a teenager but had never read it before 2019, which is shameful especially as when I finally read it I loved it!

A Book That Became a Movie

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The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

A Book Published This Year

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Dead Inside by Noelle Holten (Click here for my review!)

A Book With a Number in the Title

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55 by James Delargy (Click here for my review!)

A Book Written By Someone Under 30

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The Last by Hanna Jameson (Click here for my review!)

A Book With Non Human Characters

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Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-Goff (Click here for my review!)

A Funny Book

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Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

A Book By A Female Author

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The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby(Click here for my review!)

A Book With a Mystery

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Alice Teale is Missing by H. A. Linskey (Click here for my review!)

A Book With A One Word Title

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Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard (Click here for my review!)

A Book of Short Stories

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When Stars Will Shine by Emma Mitchell (Click here for my review!)

Free Square

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Ideal Angels by Robert Welbourn (Click here for my review!)

A Book Set on a Different Continent

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The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes (Click here for my review!)

A Book of Non Fiction

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After the Eclipse by Sarah Perry

The First Book By A Favourite Author

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Amazing Grace by Kim Nash (Click here for my review!)

A Book You Heard About Online

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How To Say Goodbye by Katy Colins (Click here for my review!)

A Best-Selling Book

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The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

A Book Based on a True Story

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The Closer I Get by Paul Burston(Click here for my review!)

A Book At The Bottom of Your TBR Pile

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Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

A Book Your Friend Loves

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Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid(Click here for my review!)

A Book that Scares You

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The Wayward Girls by Amanda Mason(Click here for my review!)

A Book That Is More Than Ten Years Old

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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

The Second Book In A Series

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The Ringmaster by Vanda Symon (Click here for my review!)

A Book With a Blue Cover

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Not Having It All by Jennie Ensor (Click here for my review!)

 

So if I can get away with my cheat on Middlemarch then I’ve achieved a full house! Woo Hoo! I do love doing this every year, it’s so nice to look back over my reading and pick books for categories different to just which are my favourite reads. If you do Reading Bingo please link to your post below as I love reading these posts. 🙂

WWW Wednesdays (18 Dec 2019)! What are you reading at the moment?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

The Fallout by Rebecca Thornton

I just started reading this late last night so have only read a couple of chapters but I’m gripped already and am looking forward to reading more soon.

The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch by Tom Fletcher

This book is gorgeous! I’m really enjoying it and whilst I wanted to read it all in one sitting yesterday afternoon I’m determined to make it last a little bit longer. It really is such a lovely read though, I recommend it!

The Great Christmas Knit-Off by Alexandra Brown

I love this book so really wanted to re-read it this Christmas and I’m so glad I made time for it. This book gives me all the feels and I always enjoy it so much.

The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater

This is another re-read! I bought it a couple of years ago and it’s become a must re-read every festive season. It’s such a beautiful book, it feels like such a treat to read.

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This obviously isn’t a book but it is the one time of year when I absolutely have to get a copy of the Christmas Radio Times. It was a tradition in my house as I was growing up and it’s a tradition in my own house now. It always makes me happy to read through this magazine in the week before Christmas and to mark the things that I’d like to watch over the festive season. 🙂

 

What I recently finished reading:

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

I finally picked this back up this week and got completely engrossed in it. I found this gripping and impossible to look away from even when it was incredibly nerve-racking!

Last Christmas by Emma Thompson & Greg Wise

I very much enjoyed dipping in and out of this book over a few days, it’s covers such a wide range of experiences of Christmas and I’d recommend it to everyone. I reviewed this one yesterday so you can find that here if you’d like to know more.

Let It Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle & Maureen Johnson

This is a collection of three interlinked short stories and it’s been on my TBR for years! I finally picked it up as it’s now a film on Netflix but I’m sad to say the book was just an okay read for me. I enjoyed the first story but the following two weren’t quite as good.

Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler

This book is Christmas personified and I very much enjoyed it. If you want a Christmas book that is full of festive spirit then this is the book for you! I reviewed this on Monday so you can find that here if you’d like to know more.

Poetry for Christmas by Orna Ross

This is a gorgeous poetry collection that really reflects on this time of year. I really did enjoyed this one. My review is here if you want to know more.

Christmas at the Little Knitting Box by Helen J. Rolfe

This is another really lovely Christmas novel, and I really enjoyed it. It felt so romantic and Christmassy! I’m delighted to find that this is the first in a series and there are already quite a few books out so I’m going to enjoy catching up on those.

An Almost Perfect Christmas by Nina Stibbe

I got the audio book of this from my library and it was a really good listen. The author narrates her stories herself, which really added to the book. I always enjoy hearing about other people’s Christmases so this was a fun book.

Daisy’s Christmas Gift Shop by Hannah Pearl

I bought the ebook of this and then the audio as well and I enjoyed it. Unfortunately the title feels very misleading to me as this isn’t really a book about Christmas. It’s set near Christmas but that’s the only link and it was barely mentioned so that left me a little disappointed.

 

What I plan on reading next:

The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey

I read this book when it first came out a few years ago and whenever I think of it I feel Christmassy so have wanted to re-read it. I’m so looking forward to it.

Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris

This is another favourite! I’ve re-read this one a few times in recent years as I just love it so much. It always feels like a real treat!

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Abby Clements

This is another festive book that I read and loved when it was first published and I remember it so fondly that I’d really like to re-read it if I get time this week.

Christmas With Dull People by Saki

I treated myself to this book a few weeks ago and have been saving it until nearer Christmas so it’s finally time that I can read it! I can’t wait!

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

It’s a Secret-Santa-off today as I review Love, Secret Santa by S. A. Domingo and The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux!

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Today I’m sharing mini reviews in the battle of the secret santas!

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The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux

I love reading festive books in December and it’s always nice to mix up the romance with the crime fiction to keep it interesting! The Secret Santa is about secrets and murder in Aspen in the run up to Christmas! Real estate agent Claudine decides to combine the office secret santa with showing off a fabulous house to a pop star who is a potential buyer. It seems this house has a lot of history and someone in this group knows more than they’re letting on. I do love stories where a group of people come together and you know the past is going to catch up with them so this book was right up my street. I loved the snowy Aspen location and I enjoyed getting to know the characters. The secret santa game is done in such a way that it’s intense and people are clearly on edge as the gift giving goes along. The only thing for me was that I didn’t think the reader really had a chance at solving the whole mystery, it all felt a little out of nowhere but having said that there are more than one elements to the secret and the other reveals were brilliant. I enjoyed this book and will definitely look out for more by this author.

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Love, Secret Santa by S. A. Domingo

This book is set in a secondary school and follows Angel Green as she’s revising hard for her scholarship exam and also gets involved in organising the school Christmas fundraiser with her estranged friend Caspar. This school also has an annual secret santa so throughout the month of December everyone receives gifts from a person chosen at random. Angel’s gifts seem really quite meaningful and she’s incredibly curious about who might be behind them. As Angel and Caspar work together on the fundraiser they begin to remember how much fun they had together as children and wonder if they could be friends again but Caspar is flaky and often leaves Angel to deal with the fundraiser at the last minute. She is frustrated by this and can’t work out what is going on with him. I enjoyed this book, it’s an incredibly sweet YA novel set in the run up to Christmas. It reminded me of being a teen and the way you would have no idea if someone likes you or not, and you’re too scared to try and find out. It’s a nostalgic read and I’m really glad I read it.

WWW Wednesdays (11 Dec 2019)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

Daisy’s Christmas Gift Shop by Hannah Pearl

I bought this on kindle and then I spotted I could also get the audio book from Audible for £2.99 so I have both versions and am switching between the two. I’m enjoying this book but so far there’s no Christmas so I’m hoping there is some festive stuff soon.

Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler

This book is FULL of Christmas and I am loving it! It’s exactly what I want in a festive book and it’s really making me feel Christmassy.

Last Christmas by Emma Thompson & Greg Wise

I’m really enjoying dipping in and out of this book and reading about how other people spend Christmas. It’s making me think, and it’s also making me feel nostalgic. It’s a great collection so far.

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

This book got put to one side last week but I picked it back up yesterday and am gripped so I expect to finish this one very soon.

 

What I recently finished reading:

It Must Have Been the Mistletoe by Judy Astley

I’ve had this book on my TBR ever since it was first published so I’m glad to have finally got to it. I enjoyed this one, it’s set at Christmas which I appreciated and has family dramas galore. It didn’t make me feel quite as festive as I’d hoped but I did really enjoy it.

A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan

I borrowed the audiobook of this from BorrowBox and really enjoyed listening to it. It was my first Sarah Morgan book but it definitely won’t be the last!

Love, Secret Santa by S. A. Domingo

This is a really sweet YA book set in the run-up to Christmas. I found this cute and it made me remember what it was like to be a teenager.

Pushing Her Luck by B. R. Maycock

I read this book over the weekend and it was exactly what I needed. I got swept up in Holly’s life and it was fab escapism. I reviewed this yesterday so you can find my full thoughts here.

When Stars Will Shine by Emma Mitchell

This is a brilliant collection of short stories by different authors and I loved it. I’ll be reviewing it tomorrow for the blog tour so please look out for my post then.

Coming Home for Christmas by Jenny Hale

I’ve read and enjoyed a couple of this author’s previous Christmas novels Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses, and It Started With Christmas so I was looking forward to this one. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t as Christmassy and romantic as I’d hoped it would be.

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

I am so happy that I picked up this audio book as it’s a return to form for the Shopaholic series and I loved this. It was so fun and festive and Becky is as hilarious as ever! I recommend it!

 

What I plan on reading next:

Let It Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle & Maureen Johnson

I’ve had this book on my TBR for a couple of years and am determined to get to it this week so that I can watch the new Netflix film of it!

The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch by Tom Fletcher

I read and loved The Christmasaurus last year so I couldn’t resist buying the sequel this year and I can’t wait to read it!

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Book Reviews: Do Not Feed the Bear | Body Tourists | Snowglobe | All the Water in the World

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Today I’m sharing a selection of mini book reviews of books that I’ve read and loved recently!

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Do Not Feed the Bear by Rachel Elliott

This book was sent to me by the publisher and it was a total surprise but I am so glad I got this book. Do Not Feed The Bear is a quirky, moving and brilliant novel that follows free-runner Sydney. She never feels like she can be still in life ever since something awful happened in her family the summer she was ten. This is a novel that really shows what grief is like, what feeling like you don’t belong is like but also what it is to find people who love you. I cried quite a bit when I read this book but I also smiled a lot and when I turned the final page my takeaway feeling was solace. This is a stunning book and one that has stolen a piece of my heart. I adore it and I highly recommend it!

 

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Body Tourists by Jane Rogers

This is not my usual kind of read but I spotted it on SJHigbee’s blog and her post made me want to read it and I’m so glad I did. This is set in a future where a private clinic has pioneered a medical technique that enables people to be brought back to life by having their memory bank transferred into young people’s bodies for fourteen days at a time. It’s a chance for people to put things right, to say a proper goodbye to their loved ones. The story is told from multiple viewpoints – the people who are brought back, the people who agree to give up their body for a time and the people running the clinic. There is so much in this novel, it’s so moving to think of having the chance to spend time with a loved one again and to have one more conversation so that really got to me. The novel is also so much about the ethics of paying people to sacrifice their own body for two weeks, the secrecy surrounding what actually happens and the way the truth is buried if anything goes wrong. It really is such a thought-provoking novel and it’s one that I’m sure I’ll be thinking about for a long time to come. I recommend this one, and if you’re not sure it’s your type of book I urge you to give it a try.

 

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All the Water in the World by Karen Raney

This is a really moving novel told from dual perspectives – Maddy who is sixteen and has cancer, and her mum Eve. We hear from both of them in alternating chapters and it really is an exploration of coming to terms with loss and of trying to connect when things are going wrong. I really enjoyed that it fully explored both perspectives not just from the point of view of them as mother and daughter but also who they are as people. There is real honesty in this book and these two characters felt so real to me. This book really got me in the gut for so many reasons and it’s one that I keep finding myself thinking about. It’s tender, honest and stunning – I definitely recommend this book.

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Snowglobe by Amy Wilson

This is a gorgeous middle grade novel that follows 12 year old Clementine. Her mum disappeared when she was younger and now it’s just her and her dad. She one day finds a house and inside it’s full of snowglobes and people seem to be trapped inside them. This leads to Clem making huge discoveries about her lost mum, and herself. I don’t normally read fantasy but this is a lovely magical novel that I know I would have loved as a child. It’s a beautiful read that I’d recommend to everyone, it’s a perfect winter read to curl up with!

Stacking the Shelves with a new Book Haul (7 Dec 2019)!

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

Books and eBooks

Parkland by Dave Cullen

I read Columbine by this author when it came out a few years ago and it was so well-written and researched so I’ve been keen to read this book about the Parkland shootings and how the students reacted afterwards. I’ll definitely be picking this one up early in the new year.

A Faculty of Dreams by Sara Stridsberg

This has been on my wish list for a while and I decided to treat myself this week. It’s a novel but it’s based on the real life attempted assassination of Andy Warhol and follows the female perpetrator of the crime. It sounds fascinating and I’m keen to get to this one.

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

I can’t believe that not only have I not read this but I also seem to have lost my copy so this is a new purchase as I really want to read this one soon.

25 Days ‘Til Christmas by Poppy Alexander

This was an impulse buy after I read a couple of fab reviews and it was a bargain at 99p on kindle this week. I can’t resist a Christmas novel (although I already have more than I can read between now and Christmas! Oops!)

Lanny by Max Porter

Grief is the Thing with Feathers is one of the first books I got for review after I started my blog and it’s a book that has really stayed with me so I was keen to get a copy of Lanny. I bought it this week and I think I need to be in the right mood to read this one but I am looking forward to it.

 

Audiobooks

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

I’ve been so keen to read this as I love a Christmas book but I’ve found the more recent Shopaholic books not as good as the early ones. Anyway, I had a credit on Audible and I decided to download the audio book. I’ve already starting listening to this and it’s already made me laugh so this is definitely a return to form for this series and I’m so happy about that!

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

I’ve read Peter Pan numerous times over the years but I spotted that Audible have this free for members for Christmas so I couldn’t resist downloading it. I’ve never listened to it on audio before so I’m looking forward to experiencing it in a different format.

The Magnificent Mrs Mayhew by Milly Johnson

I really enjoy Milly Johnson’s novels on audio so when I saw this on a daily deal on Audible this week I snapped it up. I’m saving this for when I need a cosy, comfort read.

Everybody Died So I Got a Dog by Emily Dean

I’d never heard of this book before but when I saw it in the recent Audible sale and read the blurb it called to me. I’m drawn to books about grief and recovery so I think I’ll really connect to this and I’m looking forward to listening to this one.

 

ARCS

Poetry for Christmas by Orna Ross

I’ve been really looking forward to reading this collection ever since I was offered a spot on the blog tour so I’m delighted to have a copy and I’ll be reading this one very soon.

What She Saw Last Night by M. J. Cross

I’ve seen some fab reviews of this book on the blog tour so I requested it on NetGalley and I got approved yesterday so I’m thrilled to have a copy of this. I plan on reading this soon.

 

Have you bought any new books over the last week? Please tell me below. 🙂 If you join in with Stacking the Shelves please feel free to leave your link and I’ll make sure to read and comment on your post.

WWW Wednesdays (4 Dec 2019)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

Love, Secret Santa by S. Domingo

I started reading this last night and it’s such a lovely YA Christmas read, I’m very much enjoying this one.

When Stars Will Shine by Emma Mitchell

I’m thoroughly enjoying dipping in and out of this short story collection, it’s such a good read. As this is a book that is raising money for charity I took part in a cover reveal for it a few weeks ago and since then there’s been an issue with pre-orders but that is now all up and running. So if you’d like to know more about the book and to pre-order it please click here.

Pushing Her Luck by B. R. Maycock

I’ve only just started this one but I’m already hooked and I can’t wait to read more of it  over the next couple of days!

A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan

This is my current audio book which I got from the library. It’s an enjoyable listen so far and I’m looking forward to getting back to it.

I’ll Have What She’s Having by Erin Carlson

I bought this at the weekend and am really enjoying it. It’s a non-fiction book about Nora Ephron’s three rom-coms and it’s such a fun read. I now want to watch When Harry Met Sally for the umpteenth time! 🙂

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

I haven’t read much more of this book since last week I as I got caught up with Christmas reading but I will be getting back to this one very soon.

 

What I recently finished reading:

Body Tourists by Jane Rogers

This was such a good read, something completely different for me but I’m so glad I picked it up. I’ll be reviewing this once I’ve got my thoughts in order.

The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux

This was a fun read about a group gathering and secrets being uncovered. It was a quick, enjoyable book.

Home Truths by Tina Seskis

I really enjoyed this thriller, I read it all in one sitting as I was desperate to know what was going on. I reviewed this yesterday so you can read my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more.

Bowie’s Bookshelf by John O’Connell

I really enjoyed dipping in and out of this book during Non-Fiction November. I wrote a mini review of this on Monday as part of my wrap-up post so you can read that here if you’d like to.

All the Water in the World by Karen Raney

This book was different than I was expecting but it was a good read and I’m glad I read it. I hope to get a review up of this one very soon.

Dopesick by Beth Macy

This book was such an interesting and moving read and I’m so glad I read it. I knew a reasonable amount about the opioid crisis but this book was still eye-opening to me. I wrote a mini review on Monday which you can find here.

Snowglobe by Amy Wilson

This is a lovely, moving middle grade read and I really enjoyed it.

Christmas Under the Stars by Karen Swan

I’m sorry to say that I found this such a disappointing read. I downloaded the audio from the library and was looking forward to a festive read but it has nothing to do with Christmas at all. There is a blink and you miss it mention of Christmas and that’s it. It was an okay read but not what it was billed to be.

 

What I plan on reading next:

Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler

This was on my TBR for last week and I didn’t quite get to it so it’s definitely a priority for the coming week, I’m looking forward to this one.

Last Christmas by Emma Thompson & Greg Wise

I’m also really keen to get to this as I love having a Christmas book that I can dip in and out of in December.

The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale

I’ve had the ebook of this on my TBR ever since it was first published so when I spotted the audio book on my library app this week I immediately downloaded it. This will definitely be my next audio book and I can’t wait!

One Christmas Star by Mandy Baggot

I got this book on Kindle when it was free recently so I think I’m going to buy the audio book so I can part-read and part-listen to this one. I love Mandy’s Christmas books so I have high hopes for this one. I’ve previously read and reviewed One Wish in Manhattan by Mandy Baggot and I adored it!

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Non-Fiction November Round-Up and Mini Book Reviews!

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Today I wanted to write a post to wrap-up my Non-Fiction November as I had such a lovely reading month. I didn’t fully stick to my planned TBR but I managed to read a lot of non-fiction and I enjoyed everything I read. Some books I’ve already reviewed so will link back to those and the others I will briefly review in this post.

Chase the Rainbow by Poorna Bell

This book had been on my TBR for quite a while so I wanted to make sure I got to it in November and I’m really glad I did. My review is here.

Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook

I’ve had this book on my TBR ever since it was published so I’m really glad I finally picked it up. I really enjoyed reading this and found it so interesting. I’m a huge Joy Division fan so already knew a lot about the band but I still learnt things in this book that I didn’t know before. Peter Hook is so open in this book and it was really interesting to see Ian Curtis through his bandmate’s eyes, it gave a different perspective. I already have Peter Hook’s second memoir so I’m looking forward to reading it soon.

Gotta Get Theroux This: My Life and Strange Times on Television by Louis Theroux

I love Louis Theroux’s documentaries on TV, I find his approach so different and engaging and he really brings so much out of his subjects. I was really keen to read this book so when I saw it on my library’s audio book app I immediately downloaded it. This book covers his life and how he got into TV. He takes you through his work and the different TV shows he’s made, along with his reflections as he looks back. There was quite a bit about Jimmy Savile, which I found really interesting. Louis narrates the audio book himself so I definitely recommend this format.

I Carried A Watermelon: Dirty Dancing and Me by Katy Brand

I only got this book after I’d made my TBR list for non-fiction November but I couldn’t resist reading it as soon as I got it. I loved this one and have reviewed it here.

The Undying: A Meditation on Modern Illness by Anne Boyer

This is another ARC that I wanted to make sure I got to in November. It was a tough read because of the subject matter but it’s very well-written and it made me think. My review is here.

My Autobiography by David Jason

I’m a real fan of David Jason, I’ve watched and loved so many series that he’s been in over the years (in particular Only Fools and Horses, and A Touch of Frost) so I was really keen to finally read his autobiography. This was such a fun read learning about his life and how he got into showbusiness. He has so many great stories from over the years – some hilarious and some very moving, and I very much enjoyed reading all of them. I recommend this book if you’re a fan, it’s such a good read.

The Dark Side of the Mind by Kerry Daynes

I bought this book a few weeks ago and have been so keen to read it. I’m so glad I picked it up as it’s such a good read. I’ve reviewed it here.

Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class by Owen Jones

I’m not a fan of Owen Jones at all so I’m not sure how I came to own a copy of this book but I’m really glad that I decided to take a chance on it as it was a really interesting look at the working class.

The Death of a President by William Manchester

I’ve wanted to read this book for ages so when I finally bought the audio book a few months ago I knew I had to put it on my TBR for nonfiction November. This book covers the brief period before JFK was assassinated and then the days afterwards. It’s a really comprehensive look at what happened and how people reacted to it. I already knew a lot of what was in this book but there were still things that I didn’t know. It’s a fascinating book and I recommend it.

James Baldwin and the 1980s by Joseph Vogel

This book has been on my TBR for a couple of years as I’ve felt intimidated by it. I’m so pleased that I finally read it though as it was so interesting and it’s sparked off my interest in some other books as I want to know more. My review is here.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I bought the audio book of this and I’m so glad I did as it was a joy to listen to. I really enjoyed learning more about Michelle Obama and the life she has lived. It was fascinating to read about how her life was before she met Obama, to hear how she grew up and what her family was like. I then loved hearing the story of how she and Obama met and discovering how she felt about him getting into politics, also how it was for her and their daughters once he became president. This is a really open and honest memoir and I loved it!

Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly by Jim DeRogatis

I spotted this book on my library’s audio book app and immediately downloaded it. I hadn’t heard of the book before but I was intrigued to read it and I’m glad I did. This is an incredible piece of writing that is very well researched and put together. The journalist has followed the stories around R. Kelly for many years and eventually decided to put a book together. He interviews so many people, including R. Kelly’s accusers and the result is a brilliant expose. This isn’t always an easy book to read because of the subject matter but if you’re at all interested in this case I recommend it.

Logical Family: A Memoir by Armistead Maupin

I bought this book on kindle when it was first published but I ended up listening to the audio book during the month. I adored it as it’s read by Armistead Maupin himself so it was a lovely experience to hear him tell his own story. This is such a fascinating memoir of a life well-lived. He talks of how he was inspired to create some of the characters in Tales of the City, he shares about his upbringing and all the loss he experienced during the AIDS crisis. There is humour and sadness, and it’s just a wonderful memoir.

How To Be Human: A Manual by Ruby Wax

This is another book that I wanted to make sure to get to in November and I found it a good read. My review is here.

The Heretics by Will Storr

I found this book on my library audio book service so downloaded it on a whim and I’m glad I did. This wasn’t as in depth on any of the subjects covered as I was expecting but it was still such an engaging book. I enjoyed it.

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

This book is such an incredible read and one I’m so pleased I read. I’m in awe of how much work and research must have gone into this book as the author put together a biography of each of these five women. It’s all about their lives, rather than about who killed them and it really made them real to me. I found this such a moving read and I felt so emotional about each of the women, I won’t ever forget them. This is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read this year and I’ll be recommending it to everyone.

Constellations by Sinead Gleason

I really enjoyed this essay collection and got a lot so much out of reading it. My review is here if you’d like to know more.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson

I read Oranges are not the Only Fruit many years ago but despite buying this memoir when it was published I had never got to read it. I’m so glad I spotted it on my library’s audio book app as it meant I could listen to the author read it to me. This is such an interesting and moving book, one that really made me think as I was reading it. There is such honesty in the book and I’m so glad I finally read it.

Dopesick by Beth Macy

This is such an important book and one I’m so glad I read but it was a tough read. I’ve been interested in the rise of the opioid epidemic for a few years now but even so this book was still so eye-opening to me. Macy gives the stats and the politics but she also really focuses on the personal giving us the stories of people from all walks of life who have ended up addicted to opioids in one form or another. This book made me angry at how people are being failed by the system but it was also incredibly moving, I felt so emotional as I got to the end. This is not an easy read but it’s a book I highly recommend.

Bowie’s Bookshelf by John O’Connell

I’m a huge David Bowie fan so was very keen to read this book. It’s a really enjoyable book about the one hundred books that David Bowie considered the most influential. It’s a real mix of books and it’s fascinating to learn more about the ones I haven’t read yet (quite a few are now on my wish list now!). There is a list of all the books at the start so you get an overview of the titles. Then you get each title with a short essay about the book and what Bowie liked about it or what he took from it. At the end the author suggests a song or two that would work well with the book and I really liked that element. It made me take time to sit and think about the books and Bowie’s music and the influence that he took from what he was reading. Some of the links seems somewhat tenuous but others I knew of and it was interesting to get more understanding of them. I also have to mention how fab it was to see that the author thinks Tin Machine may get proper recognition one of these days – I’ve always thought they were under-rated and I love both of the Tin Machine albums. I definitely recommend this book to fans of David Bowie but I think readers in general who are looking to find some new books to read would also enjoy this.

 

Book Reviews: Constellations | If I Forget You | Histories | The School Friend

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Today I’m sharing a selection of mini reviews of books I’ve read recently!

 

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Constellations by Sinead Gleason

I added this book to my TBR after reading one of the essays in a newspaper article. The one I read was probably the one that had the biggest emotional impact on me as its about the death of a close friend, and it’s incredibly moving. The moment when you get a phone call telling you that someone the same age as you, someone you love, has died is something that never leaves you. I also really connected with all the stories Sinead told about her medical battles over the years as I know what it is to have a lifetime of health struggles and to have to adapt to them. I smiled at the story of when Sinead was in a wheelchair as a teenager and was dreading how the other teens would react to her but the boys just immediately started messing about with her chair and made her feel so normal. I had that exact same experience at age 13 and to this day I think about it whenever I’m feeling self-conscious about my disability. I definitely identified with Sinead’s take on the pain scale, I had a wry smile on my face reading that as it’s so hard to explain to others how pain feels and how bad it is. This is a beautiful collection that takes you through what it is to be a woman and I very much enjoyed it. I recommend it!

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The School Friend by Alison James

This is the kind of thriller I’m always drawn to – a novel told in past and present about something that people did as children that has been kept secret until now! It seems Lucy has the perfect life – a happy marriage, a lovely house and good friends but all is not as it seems and she needs to get away. This leads her to being back in contact with her childhood best friend Adele. Adele has lived a tough life never having money or much stability so seems opposite to Lucy but the two share a secret about the death of a friend they had as pre-teens. This book gripped me from start to finish, it did require suspension of disbelief but that didn’t stop it being a really enjoyable read!

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Histories by Sam Guglani

This is a collection of interlinked short stories set in an NHS hospital. I loved the way you get to see from the perspectives of lots of different people in the hospital – the doctors and nurses, the cleaners, the patients and the receptionists. Each person had their own story to tell but in the background or on the periphery you see other people’s stories. Later you see some of the background from the perspective of the person involved and it feels like being really close to a story and then slowly pulling back from it to make a fuller picture. I really enjoyed this book and found it’s one that is really staying with me. I highly recommend it!

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If I Forget You by Thomas Christopher Greene

Thomas Christopher Greene wrote one of my favourite books – The Headmaster’s Wife so I’ve been really looking forward to reading this book. I’m pleased to say that I really enjoyed it. The novel is told in alternating chapters from Henry and Margot, and also in the past and the present. This couple met and dated at university but were forced apart and they moved on with their lives. Then one day Henry sees Margot in New York and he wants to talk to her, to know what happened in her life. The longing and the missed opportunities in this book makes it such a bittersweet read. I read this in one sitting and I keep thinking about Henry and Margot ever since I finished reading it. I definitely recommend this one!

 

WWW Wednesdays (27 Nov 2019)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

 

Dopesick by Beth Macy

I discovered this book during Non-Fiction November and decided to read it straight away. It’s a hard book as its looking at drug addiction but it’s well-written and really interesting.

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

I’m a fan of this author so was thrilled to get to read her forthcoming novel Three Hours. I’m finding this book to be gripping and tense… it’s hard to put down!

Bowie’s Bookshelf by John O’Connell

I’m really enjoying dipping in and out of this book and learning more about the books that Bowie loved plus a bit more about said books.

Snowglobe by Amy Wilson

This is a gorgeous winter read and I’m kicking myself for not reading it sooner. It’s a middle grade/YA book and it’s stunning!

 

What I recently finished reading:

Alice Teale is Missing by Howard Linskey

I read this book over the last two days and it was so good. I loved the two detectives in this novel and am hoping this might become a series and that we’ll get to see them again.

Christmas at the Chateau by Lorraine Wilson

This is a short novella that I read in about an hour but it’s a really lovely story. It’s set at Christmas and is full of romance. I’ll be reviewing this one on 5th December for the blog tour so please look out for that then. In the meantime I recommend it!

One Christmas Night by Hayley Webster

This book is gorgeous, I loved every single minute that I spent reading it. It’s a Christmas novel that is different from other books I’ve read and I just adored it. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.

If I Forget You by Thomas Christopher Greene

I’d had this book on my TBR for 3.5 years, which is terrible as I know I love the author’s writing. Anyway, I finally picked it up this week and it was a lovely short read. It’s all about relationships, secrets and regret.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson

I can’t believe I’ve never read this one before but it was such a good book. I found it such a moving and open read, one that will stay with me.

Constellations by Sinead Gleason

This is a brilliant book of essays all about Sinead’s life and about being a woman. I did love some of the essays more than others but all are excellently written. I recommend it.

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

This book is brilliant. I’m in awe of the author and the amount of research she must have done to put these women’s stories together. I love that the focus is entirely on each of them and isn’t about who killed them. I recommend this to everyone, it’s one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read this year.

The Assistant by S. K. Tremayne

I really enjoyed this thriller, it was one of those that’s unnerving and unputdownable at the same time. I reviewed this one yesterday so you can find my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more.

 

What I plan on reading next:

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

I was delighted to get an ARC of this a while ago and have held off reading it until nearer publication but given that I’ll be focussed on Christmas reading soon I thought I’d sneak this one in this week!

Home Truths by Tina Seskis

This is another book that I really wanted to get to before publication day so I’m determined to pick this one up in the next day or two!

Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler

This is the next Christmas book I want to get to and I’m looking forward to this one. I read a book, Christmas Camp, by the author last year and loved it so I have high hopes for this one

The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux

This is a festive thriller and I’m so keen to get to this one so I might pick this one up in the coming days too!

 

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. 🙂

Non-Fiction November: Books I’ve Added to my TBR!

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I can’t believe that we’re already in the final week of Non-Fiction November! I’ve really enjoyed taking part this year and have not only read some fabulous books but I’ve discovered some brilliant-sounding books recommended by other bloggers. So, as part of today’s Non-Fiction November prompt from Rennie from What’s Nonfiction I’m sharing some of the books I’ve added to my To Be Read stack!

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I discovered Dope Sick by Beth Macy on Deb aka Curly Geek’s blog and found her review so compelling that I not only bought a copy of the book but I’m reading it now. It’s not an easy read because of the subject matter but it’s such a fascinating book. I also spotted The Library Book by Susan Orlean in the same post and have added this book to my wish list and plan to get hold of this one soon as it sounds really good.

the outrun by amy liptrot

On a similar theme, I read a brilliant review of The Outrun by Amy Liptrot on WhatCathyReadNext’s blog this week so I’m definitely going to be adding this book to my TBR. I find books about addiction and recovery really interesting and helpful so I’m keen to get to this one.

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During the first week of Non-Fiction November I enjoyed reading Karen at Booker Talk’s post about her favourite non-fiction and saw she recommended The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. It sounded like such a good read so I decided to buy the audio book and hope to listen to this one soon.

Over on Liz at LibroFullTime’s blog I’ve enjoyed a couple of posts. One was where she paired Bernadine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other with Lovers and Strangers by Clair Wills. I’m hoping to read the former very soon so am really interested to get hold of a copy of the latter to read alongside it. I also really enjoyed her Be the Expert / Become the Expert post. I’ve bought a copy of Bird Therapy by Joe Harkness as it sounds like a calming read, and I’ve added Names for the Sea by Sarah Moss to my wish list along with the other books about Iceland mentioned as I’m intrigued to know more.

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I love reading reviews at What’s Nonfiction and it was here that I discovered that Susannah Cahalan had written another book (I loved her previous book Brain on Fire). The great Pretender sounds like my kind of book as I’m always so interested in reading about illness and diagnosis so I’ve added this one to my wish list and plan to read it soon.

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On SpiritBlog’s Year in Nonfiction post I spotted a book called Bringing Columbia Home by Michael D. Leinbach and Jonathan H. Ward and I immediately looked it up. It’s about the space shuttle Columbia and as I’ve been fascinated by space ever since I was a small child I had to put this book on my wish list.

Also on the subject of space travel I was reminded by NeverEnoughNovels’ blog of The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, which is on my TBR but I’ve never made the time to read it. I also discovered Rocket Men by Robert Kurson on this blog, it’s a book that I’ve never heard of before but it sounds like my kind of read so it’s on my wish list.

On Bookish Beck’s blog I read a great review of Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper, a book that was already on my radar and alongside this review was a review of Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life by Amber Scorah, which is in a similar vein looking at what it is to leave religion and make a new life. Both of these books are on my wish list and I hope to get to them very soon.

In the week we did Book Pairings as a prompt you may recall that I recommended Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer alongside Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar so it was great to discover on MusingsOfALiteraryWanderer’s blog recommendations for these two books along with two more: The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger and The Ledge by Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan. I’ve added both to my wish list and hope to get to read them soon.

UnrulyReader shared a post on Being an Expert on home organisation, which I loved reading. I second her recommendation of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying! I discovered a few more organising books that I hadn’t heard of before so have made a note of the titles. I’m particularly interested in Good Housekeeping’s Simple Organising Wisdom.

I found HappiestWhenReading’s blog post about the best books on grief. I also recommended Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman in one of my Non-Fiction November posts but I discovered a few new-to-me books in this post. The one that most stood out to me is  After This, and Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief both by Claire Bidwell-Smith so I’ve added both of these to my wish list and intend to buy them very soon.

Over on BookdOut blog a post about becoming an expert caught my attention. In the post is a selection of books about Australian true crime featuring female perpetrators and I actually can’t name just one book from this post as I’ve actually added all the books to my wish list! I can’t help but be intrigued about crime and what makes people do the things they do so I’m keen to read these books.

In another post written that week is one about books about the Royal Family over on Hopewell’s Library of Life’s blog. Again this is a post where I can’t really choose a single book as all of them look fascinating and I’ve made a note of all of the titles!

 

 

So all in all it’s been a bumper Non-Fiction November for me as I’ve found loads of new books to add to my TBR. Have you added any books to your TBR stacks during Non-Fiction November? I hope you’ve discovered some fab new books, I’d love to hear about them. 🙂

 

Stacking the Shelves with a brand new Book Haul (23 Nov 2019)!

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

 

Books and eBooks

The Body Lies by Jo Baker

This book has been on my radar for age so when I spotted it for 99p on kindle yesterday I snapped it up! I don’t think this one will be on my TBR for very long as I’m keen to get to it.

With the End in Mind by Kathryn Mannix

I bought this one on a whim when I spotted it on a Kindle Daily Deal yesterday. I think this sounds fascinating and it’s one I’ll have to be in the right mood for but I’m glad to own it.

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

I’ve read the first two books in this series and have the third one so I couldn’t resist getting this fourth book in a deal this week. I do enjoy these books so I’m happy to have the next two to read now.

Ma’am Darling by Craig Brown

I’ve been wanting to read this book as I’ve heard such good things about it so I’m glad to have my own copy. I did get it on audio from the library a while back but I heard it has a lot of photos in it so I wanted to get it in ebook format instead.

Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm by Jaimie Admans

I bought this as it sounds like such a lovely Christmas read and I’m gearing up to begin my festive reading properly as soon as December arrives!

Christmas at the Lakeside Resort by Susan Schild

I downloaded this book for my kindle on a total whim as I love the cover so much! It looks like such a Christmassy book and I’m really looking forward to reading this one.

 

Audio Books

Gone Fishing by Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse

I bought this one on an Audible daily deal as I thought it might be something my husband might enjoy listening to. It sounds like an interesting and relaxing audio book so I’m looking forward to this one.

Where the Light Gets In by Lucy Dillon

I bought this one on a whim when it was on an Audible daily deal earlier this week. I’ve read and enjoyed one of the author’s earlier novels so I’m glad to have this one on my TBR.

 

ARCs

Keeper by Jessica Moor

This is one of my most anticipated books for 2020 so I was thrilled to be approved to read it on NetGalley. I’m trying to hold off reading it until nearer the release date but I may give in and read this early!

Christmas at the Chateau by Lorraine Wilson

I couldn’t reply fast enough when I was offered the chance to read this book for the forthcoming blog tour as it sounds like such a lovely Christmas read. I’ll be picking this up very soon!

 

Have you bought any new books over the last week? Please tell me below. 🙂 If you join in with Stacking the Shelves please feel free to leave your link and I’ll make sure to read and comment on your post.

WWW Wednesdays (20 Nov 2019)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

This book is so good! The amount of research that the author must have had to do in order to give such a full picture of each of these women’s life is so impressive. I’m in awe of her. This is a book that I want to both savour and devour, it’s brilliant. I have no doubt that this will be one of my standout books of the year.

Constellations by Sinead Gleason

This is also a brilliant read and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve been dipping in and out of it but I’ve reached a point where I don’t want to put it down, it’s so good.

Bowie’s Bookshelf by John O’Connell

I only started this book last night so I’m not very far into it but I know I’m going to to enjoy it. I think it might be one I dip in and out of over the next week or two.

Snowglobe by Amy Wilson

In my quest to catch up with my NetGalley ARCS as much as I can before the year is out this book is the next on my list. I’ve only read the opening chapter so far but it feels like a very lovely, magical book.

 

What I recently finished reading:

Magic Under the Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman

This is such a lovely, romantic book and I really enjoyed it. I’ll be reviewing it next week for the blog tour so please look out for my thoughts then.

The School Friend by Alison James

This is an ARC that has been on my NetGalley shelf for a while so I finally read it this week and it was an enjoyable read.

How to be Human by Ruby Wax

This was one of my Non-Fiction November picks and I’m glad I finally read it. It’s a good overview of how to deal with emotions around certain things and has a decent guide to easy mindfulness exercises in the back. My full review is here.

Logical Family: A Memoir by Armistead Maupin

I listened to the audio book of this and really enjoyed it. Armistead Maupin narrates it himself which really added to my enjoyment of his memoir. It’s made me want to start reading Tales of the City all over again so I may do that in the new year!

Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly by Jim Rogatis

I borrowed this book from the library audio books app on a whim and I’m really glad I got to listen to this one. It’s written by a journalist who has been looking into the revelations about R. Kelly since the 90s so it’s a really interesting and insightful book. I recommend it.

James Baldwin and the 1980s by Joseph Vogel

I’d almost finished this book when I wrote my post last week and I’m really pleased that I stuck with this one as it turned out to be such a fascinating book. It’s sparked my interest to want to read all of James Baldwin’s writing (I’ve only read a couple of his books before). My thoughts on it are here if you’d like to know more.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I listened to this on audio and I’m so glad I did. There’s nothing like a memoir that’s read by the author and this book was such a treat. I adored this book and I highly recommend it.

 

What I plan on reading next:

One Christmas Night by Hayley Webster

This is my next planned Christmas read and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve got an ARC from NetGalley but I think I’m going to get the audio book so I can listen to it as I read.

When Stars Will Shine by Emma Mitchell

This is a Christmas short story collection and I’ve been so keen to start reading it so I think I’m going to dip in and out of this one over the next week or two.

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

This is the next book I want to read from my Non-Fiction November TBR. I’ve heard such good things about this and I can’t wait to start it.

Lost Connections by Johann Hari

This is also on my Non-Fiction November TBR and I think this is the one I’ll pick up after Three Women as I’m keen to read this one before the end of the month.

 

 

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. 🙂

My Favourite Non-Fiction Books! #NonFictionNovember

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This week as part of Non-Fiction November Shelf Aware has set the prompt for us to talk about what makes a book a favourite. What qualities do you look for in non-fiction?

 

I love reading non-fiction and definitely read more of it in recent years than I ever used to before. I’m one of those readers that always has multiple books on the go at once and at least one of my books is always non-fiction.

When I first starting getting into non-fiction it was mainly through reading memoirs and biographies of people that I was interested in and I’m still drawn to them. They’re generally quite easy reads and the focus is on one person so they’re easy to follow. I find them good when my pain levels are high and I need a book that doesn’t require huge amounts of concentration. Alongside my love of memoirs are the easier non-fiction books that read almost like fiction because they’re so unputdownable!

The first grown-up non-fiction book I remember reading is The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. I read it the summer I was 8 and I can still remember the devastating, eye-opening impact that it had on me. The next biography that made an impact was Still Me by Christopher Reeve. I bought this in hardback the day it was released and I read it in one sitting. I was so moved by his struggle and his openness in the book. I didn’t know when I read it that one day I would be partially paralysed, it doesn’t compare to what happened to him but it does give me even more insight. I’m also recommending The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. This is a memoir of a woman who whilst ill and confined to bed takes to watching nature, this is such a beautiful book and is one I stumbled across and am so glad it found me. On a lighter note I also included Lucy Mangan’s Bookworm, which is a must-read if you were a child and teenage reader (particularly if you’re in your 40s now). I adore this book! A fun read, also for 40+ year olds is Now We Are 40 which is all about Generation X and I loved it. Finally I recommend The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater – it’s part Christmas memoir and part cookbook and it’s such a gorgeous book to read as the festive season comes around.

 

I also enjoy reading non-fiction to learn and often find myself drawn to factual books when I’ve been reading a novel or watching something on TV and want to know more. I’m more likely to fall down a rabbit-hole of one book leading to another these days and I love it when that happens. It so often ends with a book that is quite a distance subject-wise from where I started which then sends me off on another track.

In this section I’ve included Pain-Free Life by Andrea Hayes and Mindfulness for Health by Vidyamala Burch as both have massively helped me find a way to live with the chronic pain I’m permanently. I recommend them if you’re a pain sufferer. In Plain Sight is about Jimmy Savile and is such a well-written book about how his crimes were discovered. The Emperor of all Maladies and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks are both about cancer. The first is a history of cancer told in such a fascinating way, it’s a brilliant book. The second is about the cells doctors took from Henrietta that are still used today but her family weren’t informed about what was done. It’s such a moving and interesting book. Death at Seaworld is a brilliant book that really opens your eyes to what is happening at Seaworld. This book made me so angry but that’s a good thing and it’s a book more people should read. Hillsborough: The Truth is the full story of what happened and is a must-read. I’ve read it twice and it’s still so shocking for so many reasons. The Looming Tower is an excellent read about the factors that led up to 9/11 and has since been adapted for TV. The Red Parts is a memoir about Nelson’s Aunt’s murder, which happened before she was born and I’ve found this has really stayed with me. Last but not least is Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space, which was such an interesting read. It’s incredible to read her story and find out how she came to be an astronaut but also the extra struggles she had being the first woman, and how things had to be considered that never had before.

 

My concentration for more academic non-fiction isn’t great these days but when I want to read something to learn or to gain much more depth on a subject I will still pick these books up. I loved all the academic books that I read when I was doing my degree many years ago but I struggle now I’m out of the habit and do find these books more daunting.

Here I’m recommending just four books. The first is A Literature of their Own, which I bought in my first week at Uni when I heard Elaine Showalter was going to be giving a guest lecture. I’m such a fan of her writing now and want to re-read this one soon. I’ve also included Aspects of the Novel, which I devoured immediately after buying it and really enjoyed it. The Case of Peter Pan came in really useful for an essay I was writing but I’ve since re-read the book and find it such an interesting read. I want to read more by the author. I’m also including James Baldwin and the 1980s, which I’ve only recently finished but it’s sparked me into wanting to read so many other books so it feels right to include it.

Ultimately, I think my favourite kind of non-fiction is books that are the ones where I’m learning more about something but without the book being too academic. It means I can learn whilst enjoying my reading and it feels less pressured for me when my health isn’t so good.

 

Also, I have to squeeze in a mention that I do have something of an addiction to books about de-cluttering. I love Marie Kondo’s books (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Spark Joy as it’s her method that finally clicked with me to sort my whole house out (and it’s stayed tidy ever since! Here is a post about my clutter journey.)  but if I see a book about hoarding or de-cluttering I still have to read them! I also found Banish Clutter Forever, which helped me with re-organising my house after I’d decluttered. It’s based on the idea that we always know where our toothbrush is because we keep it right where we use it so if we apply that principle to everything else we own our homes should be easier to tidy and it should be easier to find things. I’ve reviewed Un*fuck Your Habitat here if you’d like to know more about this one.

 

What are some of your favourite types of non-fiction? What are your favourite non-fiction books? If you have any recommendations for me based on any of the books in this post please let me know, I’m always looking for more books to read! 🙂

Stacking the Shelves with my new Book Haul!

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

 

Books and eBooks

Born Lippy: How to do Female by Jo Brand

A lovely blogger friend very kindly sent me her copy of this book this week. It’s a book that I’m really keen to read so I’m going to try and get to it this month while it’s Non-Fiction November!

Christmas With Dull People by Saki

I spotted this book online this week and bought it purely based on the title as I was really intrigued by it. It’s a tiny book with a couple of short stories in so I’m looking forward to reading this one next month.

A Fabulous Creation: How LPs Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth

I’ve previously read one of David Hepworth’s books and very much enjoyed it so when I spotted this one on sale on kindle this week I immediately downloaded it. I can never resist books about music and records!

The Corset by Laura Purcell

This was another impulse buy when I saw this was on a kindle daily deal this week. It sounds like my kind of novel and it’s one I think will be good to read as the nights draw in so I don’t think this will be on my TBR for very long.

What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton

And another impulse buy from the kindle daily deal! I grabbed this one as I noticed that if I bought this I could download the audio version for £2.99 so I think I’ll do that and listen to this one. It sounds like an interesting book!

One Christmas Star by Mandy Baggot

I read and loved a Christmas book by this author a couple of years ago so I couldn’t resist adding this one to my TBR this week! It sounds like a really lovely festive romance!

 

Audio Books

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Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly by Jim DeRogartis

I downloaded this book from my library audio book app this week on a whim. I’ve already started listening to this one and it’s really interesting – I’m about 90 mins into the book and I’ve already found out things that I didn’t know before so I’m keen to get back to this one.

 

 

Audible had a 2 for 1 book sale on last weekend and I had a couple of credits so I bought these four audio books!

Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher

I chose this book on a whim as it sounded like a really engrossing family saga set around Christmas and I thought it would make a good listen throughout December.

One of Your Own: The Life and Death of Myra Hindley by Carol Ann Lee

I spotted this book and decided to get it as I’m always intrigued to know more about the backgrounds and psychology of people like Myra Hindley.

You Left Early by Louisa Young

I’ve had this book on my wish list for ages so I snapped this up when I saw it in the offer.

Look What You Made Me Do by Helena Walmsley-Johnson

I also got this book off my wish list as I’ve been wanting to read it ever since it was first published.

 

ARCs

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

I’ve been so keen to read this book so when I saw it on NetGalley this week I immediately requested it and was delighted to be approved. If I love this as much as I think I’m going to I will definitely be buying it in hardback to have on my bookcase.

When Stars Will Shine edited by Emma Mitchell

This book should have been in last week’s book haul but I somehow managed to miss adding it so I’m sharing it now. This is a Christmas short story collection that is raising money for charity to Help the Heroes. I’m really looking forward to starting this one!

 

Have you bought any new books over the last week? Please tell me below. 🙂 If you join in with Stacking the Shelves please feel free to leave your link and I’ll make sure to read and comment on your post.

WWW Wednesdays (13 Nov 2019)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I’ve been so looking forward to listening to this on audio book and am so happy to say that I’m enjoying it even more than I thought I would. Michelle Obama’s life is so interesting and I can’t wait to read more.

Constellations by Sinead Gleason

I’ve only read the first essay in this book so far but I really enjoyed it so I’m very glad that I finally picked this book up.

Magic Under the Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman

I started reading this last night when I wasn’t feeling well and it’s perfect escapism. I’m sure I’m going to fly through this one tomorrow when I pick it back up!

James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era by Joseph Vogel

I’ve been really enjoying this book this week and at the time of writing this post only have 20% of it left to read so I may well have finished it by the time this post goes live. This is such a fascinating book, I recommend it if you’re a James Baldwin fan.

 

What I recently finished reading:

The Death of a President by William Manchester

I’ve been listening to this on audio for the past couple of weeks and have found it such an interesting look at the short period leading up to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the few days following his funeral. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in this period of history.

Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class by Owen Jones

I can’t stand Owen Jones so I’m not sure how I ended up buying this book on Audible but I’m actually glad I did. It’s an interesting look at how society views the working class. There is definite bias in the book but it’s still a book that gives you something to think about.

The Dark Side of the Mind by Kerry Daynes

I’ve been so looking forward to this book and I’m pleased to say it didn’t disappoint. The author relates insights into patients and illness that she has encountered during her career as a forensic psychologist. I recommend this one as it’s so interesting but also very readable.

The Undying: A Meditation on Modern Illness by Anne Boyer

This was a hard read because of the subject matter but it was also really interesting. The author has a lot to say about the way we look at cancer and cancer patients, along with the campaigns run around the illness. I will review this one once I’ve had time to mull over my thoughts on it.

David Jason: My Autobiography by David Jason

I’ve had this book on my TBR ever since it first came out six years ago but I finally read it this week and I very much enjoyed it. It covers most of David Jason’s life from his childhood through to Frost. I’ve got his next memoir on my TBR so I’m tempted to start that soon!

I Carried a Watermelon by Katy Brand

This book was such a fun, nostalgic read and I really enjoyed it. I will be reviewing it soon but can already say that if you love Dirty Dancing then this is a book for you!

 

What I plan on reading next:

Bowie’s Bookshelf: The Hundred Books That Changed David Bowie’s Life by John O’Connell

This is both a Non-Fiction November pick and one of my NetGalley must-read books plus it’s a book I’m really keen to read so I’m hoping to get to this one in the coming days.

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

I’d hoped to pick this book up last week but didn’t quite get to it but it’s definitely next up from the audio books on my Non-Fiction November TBR and I’m so looking forward to this one.

Deceit and Self-Deception by Robert Trivers

This is another of my Non-Fiction November TBR picks and I’d really like to make a start on it this week. I have tried to read this once before and failed but I’m still keen to read it so now is the time!

The School Friend by Alison James

I’m continuing on my quest to catch up on my NetGalley reads before the end of the year and this book is up next on my list. I think I’m going to love this one!

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

 

Stacking the Shelves with a new Book Haul!

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

 

Books and eBooks

 

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

I’ve been wanting to read this book ever since I first heard about it so I was delighted when a lovely blogger offered to send me her copy. I hope to read this in the coming weeks after non-fiction November.

Illness as a Metaphor & AIDS as its Metaphors by Susan Sontag

I’ve wanted to read this book for the longest time so I finally decided to buy it this week. I think I may add it to my Non-Fiction November TBR. as I really want to read it now.

 

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

This is another book I’ve had on my wish list for a while now and decided to buy it this week. I may add this on to my Non-Fiction November stack too!

The Evil Beneath by A. J. Waines

I’m such a fan of A. J. Waines (see my reviews of Lost in the Lake and Perfect Bones) so when I saw her tweet that this book was free I immediately downloaded it. I’ve somehow missed reading this book before now so I’m looking forward to getting to it.

 

Audio Books

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Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drugs Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy

I’ve wanted to read this book for ages and I got the ebook a while ago but then spotted that I could add the audio to it so I did that this week. I’m really keen to read this one as it’s a subject that I’m really interested in so I don’t think I’ll be too long getting to this!

ARCs

The 24-Hour Cafe by Libby Page

I loved Libby Page’s previous novel The Lido was so thrilled to receive a copy of this book. I’m going to try and hold off reading it until the new year but I’m really keen to read it soon.

All the Water in the World by Karen Raney

I downloaded this ARC from NetGalley on the Read Now section entirely on a whim as I was intrigued by the premise. I hope it’s as good as it sounds.

The Holdout by Graham Moore

I requested this one on NetGalley as I loved the idea of a book set around a jury and I’m so thrilled that I got approved to read it this week!

 

Have you bought any new books over the last week? Please tell me below. 🙂 If you join in with Stacking the Shelves please feel free to leave your link and I’ll make sure to read and comment on your post.

WWW Wednesdays (6 Nov 2019)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

I Carried a Watermelon by Katy Brand

I’ve only read a tiny bit of this book at the time I’m writing this post but I can tell it’s going to be a fun, nostalgic read and I can’t wait to read more!

The Dark Side of the Mind by Kerry Daynes

I bought this book recently and have been so keen to read it so am glad to finally have started it. It’s a really good read so far.

The Death of a President by William Manchester

This is such an interesting audio book and I’ve listened to it quite a lot over the last few days. I think I’m about half-way through it and will definitely be listening to more in the coming days.

James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era by Joseph Vogel

I’m still reading this one in short bursts, I’m finding it really interesting but it feels a little more academic than I was expecting and my brain’s not always up to that at the moment. It’s a good book though, I recommend it.

 

What I recently finished reading:

I should say here that whilst I finished nine books this week, half of them were books that I’d read a lot of before this week!

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

I loved this book, it’s my new favourite Agatha Christie novel! I now want to make time to re-read more of her books in the new year.

Nothing Important Happened Here by Will Carver

This is such a hard book to write about as it was like nothing I’ve read before and the issue of suicide is a difficult subject matter but it was a brilliant book. I’m reviewing this one for the blog tour next week so please look out for that.

Gotta Get Theroux This: My Life and Strange Times in Television by Louis Theroux

I borrowed this book on audio from my local library and I very much enjoyed it. Louis Theroux narrates the book (I always love it when the author of a memoir narrates the audio, it adds to the story for me). I think I might like to have the hardback of this one to have on my bookcase!

So Lucky by Dawn O’Porter

I loved this novel and reviewed it yesterday so you can read my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more. I read it in one sitting and definitely recommend it.

Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook

I almost put this on my Non-Fiction November TBR but having left it off the list I was just in the mood to read it so I picked it up anyway. It was such a good read and I’m glad I finally got to it.

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

This is such a good YA novel about a teenage girl living with HIV. It’s a really good portrayal of teenage life, as well as featuring diverse characters and a very believable plot. I’ll review this very soon.

The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

This is the first Diane Chamberlain that I’ve picked up in a really long time but it was such a good read and has reminded me of how much I used to enjoy her books. This one might even be my new favourite of hers!

Chase the Rainbow by Poorna Bell

I’ve had this book on my TBR for quite a long time now so I made sure it was on my Non-Fiction November TBR this year. I’m really glad I finally picked it up as it was such an honest exploration of what it’s like to live with someone with depression and addiction. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.

One Week ‘Til Christmas by Belinda Missen

I loved this Christmas novella and have already reviewed it here if you’d like to know more.

 

What I plan on reading next:

I Want You Gone by Miranda Rijks

This thriller has been on my NetGalley shelf for quite a few months now and is the next book I hope to get to in my plan to catch up before the end of the year. I’m looking forward to this one, it sounds intriguing!

Magic Under the Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman

This is the next Christmas book that I plan on reading and I’m really looking forward to getting to it.

Turning the Tide on Plastic by Lucy Siegle

I’m trying really hard to reduce the single-use plastics in our home and this is a book that can help me achieve more than I’m already managing.

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

This is a book I’ve been really keen to get to so I’d like to make this one of my next Non-Fiction November reads.

 

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Book reviews: Platform Seven | The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr | The Music Shop | Trying

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Today I’m sharing some more mini reviews of books I’ve read recently!

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Platform Seven by Louise Doughty

I did receive an ARC of this from NetGalley but I ended up listening to the audio book version from my local library. I absolutely loved this book, I was listening to it at every chance I got. The novel opens with the spirit of a woman lingering in a train station watching people and noticing the ones who seems drawn to Platform Seven – she feels a connection to them. As the novel goes on we go back in time and we see Lisa in the period before her death and find out what happened to her and why she is still haunting the station. I found this book so beautiful, it is stunningly written and I was completely invested in Lisa’s story. It took me to places that I wasn’t expecting and it explores some very prescient issues in our society today. I think this is my favourite of the books I’ve read by Louise Doughty to date and I highly recommend it.

 

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The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce

I love Rachel Joyce’s writing so I’m ashamed that The Music Shop languished on my shelf for so long before I picked it up. However, I am delighted to say that when I did pick it up I adored it! It opens in the 1980s and we meet Frank who runs a record shop. He has a gift for finding his customers the exact record they need even if it’s not the one they were initially looking for. Records are being ousted by CDs though and Frank refuses to sell them in his shop. One day a woman faints outside his shop and he assists her. Later she returns wanting him to teach her about music. There is a real connection between the two but each of them fight it. We gradually learn why over the course of the novel. This book is beautiful, it has its really sad moments but overall it made me feel so happy. I think this is a book that I will re-read in the future when I’m in need of a feel-good read. I recommend it!

 

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The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr by Frances Maynard

This is another lovely book! Elvira is in her 20s and lives with her mother. She lives by strict rules and routines and everything is fine if she can stick to them. One day her mum collapses and is hospitalised and Elvira suddenly has to cope with huge changes and upheaval. I loved Elvira! She struggles to understand some of society’s norms but she learns how to use a computer and begins to seek out some new rules. Things don’t always go to plan and she makes mistakes but her heart is always in the right place. There is sadness and loneliness running through the novel but there is also so much good. I loved seeing the world through Elvira’s eyes and I was rooting for her to be okay on her own. This is such an uplifting novel and I recommend it.

 

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Trying by Emily Phillips

I was drawn to this book by the stunning cover – I love the colours and the floral design, and how it’s only when you look again that you see the female reproductive system in there! Unfortunately, I have quite mixed feelings about the novel. The book follows Olivia and her husband Felix as they try to have a baby together. They have been trying for a while and now sex is mechanical and they aren’t as close as they used to be. There are some very funny moments in this novel, the very beginning had my cringing and giggling in equal measure! I empathised with Olivia about the seemingly endless baby-related posts all over social media, it feels overwhelming at times. I don’t know why this book didn’t fully click with me, it just didn’t. I still recommend it though if you like humorous reads with some emotional moments about modern life!

Stacking the Shelves with my new Book Haul (2 Nov 2019)!

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

 

Books and eBooks

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

I’ve had this book on my wish list for ages now so when I spotted it in a deal this week I snapped it up. I think this will be a hard and in-depth read so I’m not sure when I’ll get to it but hopefully it won’t be on my TBR stack for too long.

Unbelievable by T. Christopher Miller

I recently watched the Netflix drama which is based on this book and I was gripped by it so I wanted to read the book. I downloaded the sample onto my kindle but that was as far as I got then yesterday I saw the ebook in the Kindle sale so I grabbed it. I know I’ve already posted my Non-Fiction November TBR but I might swap one of those books for this one!

My Sh*t Therapist and Other Mental Health Stories by Michelle Thomas

The title of this book caught my eye in last month’s kindle sale and after getting engrossed in the sample I downloaded I had to buy it. It feels like an easy read but one that will also be helpful and interesting.

Catching a Serial Killer: My Hunt for Murderer Christopher Halliwell by Stephen Fulcher

I’ve just started watching the ITV drama A Confession and as often happens I wanted to know more about this case so when I saw this book I had to get it. I might try and squeeze this one in during Non-Fiction November if I can as I’m keen to read it soon.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

This is one of those books that has been on my radar for such a long time and yet somehow I’ve never picked up a copy of it. I’ve not put that right and I hope I can finally get to read this book before too much longer.

Tuesday Mooney Wore Black by Kate Racculia

This is a book that I keep seeing and every time I see it I wonder if it’s for me or not. I’m still not sure why I’m not sure but I think it’s one my husband might enjoy so I decided to buy a copy anyway and we can both try reading it.

A Gift in December by Jenny Gladwell

This was an impulse buy because it sounds super festive and I do love a good Christmas read in December!

The Memory Collector by Fiona Harper

I love the sound of this book so this was another impulse buy!

The Visitor by Zoe Miller

This is another book set at Christmas but it’s more of a crime/thriller and I do like a book like this during the festive season so I’m glad to have a copy of this one.

 

Audio Books

The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century by Ian Mortimer

This book has been on my radar for years now but I’ve always held back from buying the paperback so when I saw it was in Audible’s recent sale I decided that this was the format I wanted to read it in so I snapped it up! I do love an interesting read where I can learn something as well as it being a really fun read.

Justice: What’s the Right Thing To Do? by Michael J. Sandel

I’m not sure where I first heard of this book but it’s been on my wish list for ages now so I bought it immediately when I saw it in the Audible sale.

The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau bu Graeme Macrae Burnet

I’ve not read anything by this author before but I do have his more famous book on my TBR and I do love the sound of this writing so decided to take a punt on this one when it appeared in the Audible sale.

The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain

I’ve just finished listening to The Dream Daughter by this author and very much enjoyed it. It reminded me just how much I used to love reading Diane Chamberlain’s novels so I couldn’t resist buying this book in the Audible sale.

The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

I’m currently reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and loving it so when this book popped up as an Audible daily deal one day this week I decided it was time to re-visit Miss Marple and bought it! Joan Hickson narrates this audio book so I think it will be wonderfully nostalgic to listen to it as I always think of her portrayal of Miss Marple whenever I read the books.

 

ARCs

Home Truths by Tina Seskis

I was delighted to get a copy of this from NetGalley as I’ve really enjoyed the author’s previous novels. I’m hoping to read this one this month in amongst my Non-Fiction November books.

I Carried a Watermelon by Katy Brand

I requested this one from NetGalley on a whim as I have a complex relationship with the film Dirty Dancing but have recently being able to love it again. This book sounds like it will be a real nostalgia fest and I’m definitely going to add it to my Non-Fiction November TBR!

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

I’ve heard so much about this book and have been so keen to read it. I have pre-ordered it but I also requested it on NetGalley recently so I was thrilled when I got approved. I don’t think I’m going to be able to resist reading this one for very long so I may have to fit this in amongst all my non-fiction books too!

 

 

Have you bought any new books over the last week? Please tell me below. 🙂 If you join in with Stacking the Shelves please feel free to leave your link and I’ll make sure to read and comment on your post.

Book Reviews: Almost Love | How To Say Goodbye | The Other Half of Augusta Hope | Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel

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Today I’m sharing some more of my mini book reviews of books that I’ve read and loved recently.

 

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Almost Love by Louise O’Neill

Almost Love is such a powerful novel, it’s one of the best portrayals of how a person can lose themselves in the midst of a destructive relationship. It follows Sarah in the before when she meets Matthew, an older man, and gets into a sexual relationship with him. This is alternated with Sarah a couple of years in the future when she’s living with a different man in a committed relationship. Sarah falls for Matthew very quickly, she has feelings for him and she wants to be with him. Matthew wants something else from Sarah and she makes herself into the person he wants. He does things she doesn’t like but she can’t say no because she wants to be perfect for him even when she’s hurt by him. I found this so hard to read because I could absolutely see my younger self in her. I think a lot of women will be able to. It’s obvious he will never give her what she wants but she believes this will change. Somewhat inevitably she begins to self-destruct. The pain and hurt from this relationship is something she carries with her, it’s damaged her. She then hurts others without meaning too because her self-worth is so low. Sarah isn’t always likeable in this novel but she is relatable. This is a novel that I haven’t stopped thinking about since I read it. It was a tough read at times but it’s absolutely worth reading!

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How to Say Goodbye by Katy Colins

This is a wonderful novel that I very much enjoyed. It follows Grace Salmon. She works at a funeral parlour and she goes above and beyond in giving her clients the very best send off. She spends her time researching the deceased so she can make each funeral service personal and special. Grace seems quite a lonely person, she’s so focused on her job. One day she sets up a group for people to come and ask a funeral organiser questions and while the first group isn’t as busy as she’d hoped, she does begin to make connections with people who all have something in common. Grace begins to talk about her own life and you start to really understand who she is and why she is so conscientious in her job. This is such a brilliant novel – it’s a fun, light read whilst exploring loss in a very real way. It’s such a talent to mix the two and I was so impressed with this book. I cried whilst reading it but I also laughed out loud. I can’t wait to read more of Katy Colins’ writing. I highly recommend this book!

 

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The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen

This is a beautiful novel! Augusta Hope is such a relatable character and I was rooting for her from the beginning of this novel all the way through. Augusta grows up with her twin sister Julia, but in between the chapters on their lives the novel also follows Parfait who lives in another part of the world and seems unconnected to the two sisters at first. This novel is all about finding the strength to get through the darkest of times, about accepting who you are in the wake of tragedy and finding happiness and contentment again. I don’t have enough superlatives to describe how stunning this book is, it really has made such an impact on me and I think it’s a book I will read again in the future. I particularly loved its exploration of fate, coincidence – about how in the aftermath of things we go over and over them and wonder if we could have known, could have acted differently. In the end it’s a novel about forgiving yourself for the things you couldn’t have known, couldn’t have changed. It made me cry, it made me smile and in the end I just felt really content. I highly recommend this book!

 

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Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan

I loved Ruth Hogan’s first novel The Keeper of Lost Things so am delighted to say that this book lives up to it. This book follows Tilda in two timelines – we see her as a child as she’s struggling to understand the loss of her father and her struggling mother. This alternates with Tilda as an adult in the present now interested in re-visiting her past in the wake of her mother’s death. I really enjoyed this book, it’s very much character driven and you really get to understand Tilda and why she is the way she is. Through the novel we’re introduced to a wonderful cast of characters including the fabulous Queenie Malone! This book is a really emotional read at times but it’s also fun and beautiful… and there are plenty of surprises along the way too! It really captures life and I adored it. I recommend this one!

 

 

 

 

WWW Wednesdays (30 Oct 2019)! What are you reading this week?

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

A similar meme is run by Lipsyy Lost and Found where bloggers share This Week in Books #TWiB.

 

What I’m reading now: 

One Week ‘Til Christmas by Belinda Missen

This book is gorgeous! It’s so festive and fun and I’m really loving reading it. I’ll be reviewing this on 1st November so please look out for my full thoughts then.

Nothing Important Happened Here by Will Carver

This book is brilliant – it’s so dark and like nothing I’ve read before but it’s so good. I do have to keep taking a little break because of the subject matter so I’m taking my time with this one but I’m still loving the writing.

James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era by Joseph Vogel

I didn’t read as much of this book as I’d hoped this week as my kindle is playing up but I hope I can get back to it soon.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

I’m reading this one slowly because I am loving it so much! It’s really reminded me how much I loved Agatha Christie’s novels when I was younger and now I want to re-read them all.

 

What I recently finished reading:

Do Not Feed the Bear by Rachel Elliott

This is a stunning novel that I adored! I read it in two sittings and I keep thinking about it ever since I finished it. I will review this one as soon I get my thoughts together but I can say now that I highly recommend it!

The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr by Frances Maynard

I’ve had a proof of this on my TBR for a while now and so was glad to make time to read it this week. I enjoyed this one, it was a lovely way to spend a couple of afternoons this week. I do plan on reviewing this one soon.

Trying by Emily Phillips

I’ve also had a proof copy of this for a long time and finally picked it up this week. I did enjoy this one for the most part but it was lacking something for me. I’m still mulling over how I feel about it but I will write a review once I’ve thought about it a bit more.

Violet by SJI Holliday

This was such a good book, so twisted and hard to put down! I actually read it all in one sitting as it had me so engrossed that I simply had to know how it was going to end. I’ll be reviewing this one on 6th November but in the meantime I recommend it!

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages so when I spotted the audio book in my library app I decided to download it. I found this such a fascinating book, and really appreciated all the extra information the author added in a later addition correcting errors in the way he told the story. It’s made me want to read the books other climbers on the same expedition have written to see their perspectives more fully.

The Eleventh Day by Anthony Summers

I finished reading this soon after last week’s WWW Wednesdays post and I’m so glad that I stuck with it as it was a really interesting look at all the politics before and after 9/11. I learnt things that I didn’t know before, which is always good in a non-fiction book.

 

What I plan on reading next:

Magic Under the Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman

This is the next festive book that I plan on reading and as Non-Fiction November is almost upon us I’d like to read this very soon so I can focus on non-fiction for the most part through the month.

Constellations by Sinead Gleason

This is a book that I’ve wanted to read for ages and I’ve saved it for Non-Fiction November so I’m thrilled that I will finally be picking it up this week.

How to be Human by Ruby Wax

This is another proof that I’ve had on my TBR for a while now so I’m keen to read it during November.

Bowie’s Bookshelf by John O’Connell

I only got an ARC of this from NetGalley very recently and I’m so keen to read it. I’m a huge fan of David Bowie and am excited to read more about the books that he loved.

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in WWW Wednesdays or This Week in Books please feel free to leave your link below and I’ll make sure to visit and comment on your post. 🙂

Non-Fiction November 2019 TBR Books!

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Nonfiction November 2019 runs from 28th October to 30th November 2019.  This year’s hosts are Katie of DoingDewey, Rennie of What’s Nonfiction, Julz of JulzReads, Sarah of Sarah’s Bookshelves and Leann of Shelf Aware.

They’ll be posting a discussion question and link-up on the Monday of each week.  Check out this post for the schedule and prompts.

 

I love joining in with Non-Fiction November each year. I do read a reasonable amount of non-fiction throughout the year anyway but it’s great to have a month where I focus on reading more non-fiction than fiction. I’ve really struggled to pick my TBR this year as I have so many books on my TBR that I want to read so I’ve tried to pick a wide range and hope that I’m in the right mood to read most of them during the month! Ultimately I’ll just be happy to read more non-fiction than fiction throughout November.

 

So without further ado here is my TBR!

 

Firstly I have a few non-fiction books that I’ve been sent for review so I’m putting those on my list:

 

Bowie’s Bookshelf: The Hundred Books that Changed David Bowie’s Life by John O’Connell

I was thrilled to get approved to read this book from NetGalley as I’ve been a huge David Bowie fan since I was a young child and think learning more about his favourite books will be so interesting.

Constellations by Sinead Gleason

I’ve wanted to read this book ever since I read a very moving article in the newspaper about Sinead and one of the stories in her book. I’ve had this book on my NetGalley for a little while now and really do want to make it a priority in November.

The Undying: A Meditation on Modern Illness by Anne Boyer

I got this book on Read Now on NetGalley a few weeks ago. It might be a book that is too much for me to read but this is a subject that I generally want to read more about so I’m hoping I can read this one.

 

Chase the Rainbow by Poorna Bell

I’ve shamefully had this book on my review pile for over a year so I really want to make it a priority this month. The subject matter is around mental health and suicide so it won’t be an easy read but I think it’s an important book.

How to be Human: The Manual by Ruby Wax

This is another book that I’ve had on my review pile for a while now and I’m still really interested to read it.

 

Then I went through my non-fiction audio books and spotted a handful that I’m really keen to listen to:

 

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I got this book on audio as Michelle Obama reads it herself and I’ve been wanting to listen to it ever since it was first published. I think this will be a fab listen so I’m really looking forward to this one.

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

I’ve heard so many great things about this book so it’s high on my priority list for the month ahead. I think it really focuses on the women and their lives rather than how they died so I’m fascinated to listen to this one.

 

 

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

This is another book that I’ve been so keen to get to and I keep hearing such good things about it so I really hope I can get to this one this month.

The Death of a President: November 1963 by William Manchester

I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time but it’s really hard to find second-hand at a reasonable price. I think it was out of print when I looked for it so when I spotted it on Audible I immediately spent my credit for that month. It’s a really long book so I’m not sure I’ll get to listen to all of this in November along with all my other reading but I hope to at least start it.

 

Next there are the non-fiction ebooks that I’d like to get to:

 

Deceit and Self-Deception:  Fooling Yourself the Better to Fool Others by Robert Trivers

This book has been on my TBR for around three years and my interest in it has never waned. I do feel intimidated by it for some reason so I keep putting off reading it. I really want to make this a priority this month to at least get a chunk of it read as it does sound so fascinating.

A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and Deceives by Cordelia Fine

Ever since I’ve had my medical condition I’ve been fascinated by how the brain works and how it can distort things, and also how we can over-ride this. So this book caught my eye in a kindle sale recently and I’ve been so keen to read it.

The Dark Side of the Mind: True Stories from My Life as a Forensic Psychologist by Kerry Daynes

I couldn’t resist buying this book when it was recommended to me as I’m fascinated by psychology and this looks like my kind of book! I’m really keen to read this one so it might even be the book I pick up first for Non-Fiction November!

Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It’s Doing to Us by Will Storr

I’ve had this book on my TBR since it was first published and I’m still really intrigued to read it so hopefully I’ll finally get to read it this month!

Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith

I’ve added this book to my TBR as I think it will be good to have a book os essays to dip in and out of throughout the month. I love Zadie Smith’s fiction but have never read any of her non-fiction so I’m really keen to read this one.

Brainstorm: Detective Stories From the World of Neurology by Suzanne O’Sullivan

I really enjoyed Suzanne O’Sullivan’s previous book It’s All In Your Head (which I read while in hospital recovering from neurosurgery!) so when I spotted she had a new book out I had to buy it. As I said about Cordelia Fine’s book earlier in this post I’m fascinated by the mind and what it can do so I think I’m going to love this book too.

Misogynies by Joan Smith

I bought this book on a whim very recently and am really looking forward to reading it. I think it’s a slightly older book on this subject but it still sounds so fascinating and I’m keen to get to this one.

Turning the Tide on Plastic: How Humanity (And You) Can Make Our Globe Clean Again by Lucy Siegle

This is a book that I really want to read soon as I’m working really hard on reducing my plastic in my home but I feel like I now need more guidance on how to reduce it further. There are some things that feel impossible to change but I know there will be ideas out there. I’m hoping this book is the one I need.

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari

I read another of Johann Hari’s other books a year or two ago and found it really interesting so this one really stood out to me. I think there has been some controversy over this book but also some good reviews so I’m keen to see what I think.

How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy by Stephen Witt

I recently watched a documentary and the author of this book was on it and I thought that I’d look the book up. When I went to buy it it turned out I already owned it! So I decided that was a sign that I should read it soon!

 

And finally the print books:

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Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman

This is a book that I’m desperate to read but haven’t managed to purely because the type is so small I haven’t managed it. I’ve got yet more new glasses for reading recently so am hoping I can finally read it this month. I want to read this one because I LOVE Roger Waters’ album Amused to Death and this book apparently inspired the title and some of the themes on that album.

Mansfield and Me: A Graphic Memoir by Sarah Laing

I bought this book a year or so ago and am so keen to read it. It seems perfect to put on this TBR as it will be a different format of non-fiction for this month.

Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox

This is another book that I’ve been so looking forward to and it looks like it might be both interesting and fun. It’s a bit of a doorstop though so I might struggle to read all of it this month but I will do my best to get to it.

 

 

Are you taking part in Non-Fiction November this time? What’s on your TBR for the month? Have you got any good non-fiction recommendations for me based on my TBR?

 

My New Book Haul (26 Oct 2019)!

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

 

Books / eBooks

Escape to Giddywell Grange by Kim Nash

I loved Kim Nash’s first novel so have been meaning to buy a copy of her second book and finally got to it this week. I’m really looking forward to escaping into this book!

Chernobyl Prayer by Svetlana Alexievich

I’ve been wanting to read a book about Chernobyl ever since watching the recent drama that was on Sky. I’ve seen some good reviews of this one so decided to buy a copy. I may pick this one up next month for non-fiction November.

 

AudioBooks

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The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie

I remember seeing some fab reviews of this book when it was first published so when I spotted the audio book in the Audible sale this week I immediately bought it.

ARCs

The Alibi Girl by C. J. Skuse

Ever since I read Sweet Pea by this author I’ve been such a fan of her and so when I spotted this book on NetGalley this week I requested it straight away. I was delighted to be approved and am keen to read this one soon!

The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

I’ve been desperate to get my hands on this book ever since reading the premise so when I saw it on NetGalley I immediately requested it. I am thrilled to have a copy on my Kindle now and really want to read it right away. It’s not due to be published until next year though so feel like I need to catch up on some other reading first.

Violet by S.J.I. Holliday

I’ve actually already read this book – I read it all yesterday afternoon and I loved it. It’s such a brilliant book and I highly recommend it! I will post a full review for the blog tour on 6th November so pleased look out for that.

Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver

This is another book that I’ve been eagerly anticipating and am so excited to have a copy. I loved Will Carver’s previous novel Good Samaritans and have really high hopes for his new book. I’ve read the first couple of chapters and it’s so intriguing, I can’t wait to read more!

The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux

I requested this one on a whim from NetGalley as I do enjoy a crime thriller set at Christmas and this one looks really good!

Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough

I was so excited to spot this on NetGalley yesterday afternoon and I couldn’t click the download now button fast enough! I love Sarah Pinborough’s writing, especially Behind Her Eyes which was brilliant!

 

Have you bought any new books over the last week? Please tell me below. 🙂 If you join in with Stacking the Shelves please feel free to leave your link and I’ll make sure to read and comment on your post.