Tag Archives: Paul Britton

That Was The Month That Was… February 2019!

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I can’t believe that February is already over… where is 2019 going?!

I got a new MacBook this month and it’s fab. My old MacBook was nearly seven years old and while it was still going okay the screen wasn’t helping my eyes. The Retina display on this new Mac is fabulous and much easier to look at. I’m also finding the new butterly keyboard easier to type on so while I do still use voice software a lot I’m hoping that easier typing might mean I can continue blogging when WordPress forces me to use the update that I’ve so far had to avoid.

I’m mortified to discover that WordPress wasn’t running right on my old MacBook and I now see that I’ve had a lot of lovely comments on my blog over the last few months that I hadn’t seen before. There’s no way I can catch up with them all but I will make sure to read them and will reply where I can manage to. Hopefully things will run smoothly now and I can reply to comments as they arrive. Thanks so much to all of you who’ve commented on any of my posts, I can only apologise for not replying to them.

 

Here are the 21 that books I read in January:

Birthday Girl by Haruki Murakami

This was a fab short story that I got for my birthday in January and I loved it. It reminded me why I love Murakami’s writing and has made me want to pick up the novels of his that I so far haven’t read.

The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton

This was an interesting insight into how criminal psychology came to be used more in modern policing in this country. It’s one man’s story and look back over the cases he’s worked on.

Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox

This was a great read, so fast-paced and twisty. I hope to get a review written and posted before too much longer.

Trauma by Dr. Gordon Turnbull

This book is fascinating and I’m so glad I read it. It’s a look at how PTSD came to be a diagnosis in this country, and how the treatment of the condition has changed over the years. I definitely recommend this one!

East of England by Eamonn Griffin

I loved this book. It was so different to my normal kind of read but I very much enjoyed it. I’ve already reviewed this one so click the book title above if you’d like to know more.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

I part listened and part read this book and I found it so interesting. It’s a doorstop of a book but I seemed to get through it in no time as it’s really engaging.

All the Little Lies by Chris Curran

I loved this book too and as I’ve already reviewed it you can find out more about if you click the title above.

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

This book is brilliant and I already feel sure it’ll be in my best books of this year! I reviewed it this week so click the title above if you’d like to know more.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

I can’t believe I’d never read this book before as I really enjoy Gaskell’s writing, but better late than never as I loved it.

Manhunt by Colin Sutton

I picked this book after recently watching the TV adaptation. I found it interesting but it wasn’t quite as interesting as I’d hoped it would be.

Don’t Turn Around by Amanda Brooke

This was such a gripping read, I found it hard to put down. Hopefully I’ll get a review posted on here soon.

My Last Lie by Ella Drummond

This was another great read in February! I’ve reviewed this one so click on the title if you want to know more.

I Invited Her In by Adele Parks

I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped. I spotted all the twists early on but the writing was still great and that’s what kept me reading.

The One by John Marrs

I part read and part listened to this book and it was an okay read. I was expecting a bit more but at the same time I found it hard to put down so it definitely kept me engaged all the way through.

The Girl Next Door by Phoebe Morgan

This was such a good read. I listened to the audio book and it was one of those reads that made me begrudge real life interfering with me book listening time!

The Bridal Party by J. G. Murray

I really enjoyed this book! It was another book that was hard to put down and I love that it all turned out differently than I was expecting.

 

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald

This book was so good! It was gripping from start to finish and was also a much more emotional read than I was expecting. I loved it and will definitely review it soon.

Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah David-Goff

This isn’t my usual kind of read but I loved it. It had so much depth to it and made me think, I really enjoyed it.

Are You The F**king Doctor? by Dr. Liam Farrell

This was another good read. It was funny and engaging and witty, I recommend it!

‘Kill The Black One First’ by Michael Fuller

I listened to this on audio and found it so interesting. It was shocking to read of the author’s experiences in the police force as a young black man but inspiring to see how he dealt with it and overcame it. The audio is narrated by the author too, which is always great with a memoir. I definitely recommend this one!

The Golden Child by Wendy James

I’ve had this ARC on my TBR for a few months now and finally picked it up yesterday. I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting, it’s such a good read!

 

January Blog Posts & Reviews:

I blogged 14 times in February which I’m happy with. Only six of those posts were reviews though which I need to improve on as I’m reading a lot and just haven’t been managing to get reviews written and posted. I think my new MacBook will help with that as it’s easier for me to use, and faster. Anyway, here are my blog posts and reviews from February…

That Was The Month That Was… January 2019

Stacking the Shelves (2 Feb)

This Week in Books (6 Feb)

Review of Senseless by Anna Lickley

Review of East of England by Eamonn Griffin

This Week in Books (13 Feb)

Review of All the Little Lies by Chris Curran

Stacking the Shelves (16 Feb)

Review of My Last Lie by Ella Drummond

This Week in Books (20 Feb)

Stacking the Shelves (23 Feb)

Review of Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

This Week in Books (27 Feb)

Review of Waco: A Survivor’s Story by David Thidebeau

 

The state of my TBR:

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Well my TBR has got a little bit out of control during February. My plan to reduce it by 200 books from the total at the start of the year to the total at the end as gone a bit awry. To be on target my TBR should now be down to 2407 owned books but it’s actually at 2482! Oops! In fairness though I am part-way through having a book sort out so I think there will be some books going to the charity shop that I no longer want to read. Other than I just need to keep reading, and perhaps be a bit better at not buying all of the books at once! Haha!

 

 

How was your February? I hope you all had a good month and that you read lots of good books. Did you read many books? 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 month’s wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to read and comment back. 🙂

 

This Week in Books (6 Feb 2019)! What are you reading this week?

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Today I’m taking in part in This Week in Books, which was started by Lipsyy Lost and Found! If you want to join in you just need to share what you’re reading now, what you’ve read over the last week, and what you hope to read next.

 

Now

All The Little Lies by Chris Curran

I’ve read and enjoyed previous novels by Chris Curran so I was excited to read this one and I’m so pleased to say that I’m really enjoying it.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

I’ve had the audio book of this for a while and discovered the ebook on Kindle Unlimited so I’m part-reading and part-listening to this one. It’s such an interesting book, I’m really glad I picked it up.

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

I love Sophie Kinsella’s writing so I was delighted to be picked to read this one on Pigeonhole. It’s such a fun read but I’m struggling to read on a phone screen so may have to put this down until I buy a print copy.

The Innocent Man by John Grisham

I haven’t read much of this over the last week but I am still keen to learn more about these cases and will be getting back to this one in the coming week.

 

Then

Trauma: From Lockerbie to 7/7: How Trauma Affects Our Minds And How We Fight Back by Gordon Turnbull

This book was such a fascinating read and I very much enjoyed it. It’s basically a history of PTSD and a really in-depth look at the condition. I’ve suffered with PTSD for years so was keen to read this, and I learnt so much. It’s a really accessible book so I’d recommend it to anyone who’s interested in the subject.

Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox

This book was really good. I particularly loved the two main characters and am definitely going to be looking out for the earlier books in this series so I can learn more about them. I will be reviewing this one soon.

The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton

This book got recommended to me and I bought it right away and have been reading it for most of the last week. It’s a look at how a psychologist came to help solve some of the biggest crimes in the UK over the last thirty or so years. It was uncomfortable reading at times, especially reading about Colin Stagg and how he came to be charged with killing Rachel Nickell when he was innocent. Overall, it’s a really interesting look at forensic psychology.

Birthday Girl by Haruki Murakami

My husband bought me this for my birthday last week and I loved reading it. It’s a delightful short story that really leaves you thinking by the end. I think this will be a story that I re-read in the future.

Spare Room by Dreda Say Mitchell

I read this in one sitting, it grabbed me from the prologue and kept me hooked all the way through. I’ve already reviewed this so you can find my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more.

 

Next

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

I’ve been so eager to read this one and it feels like it’s finally close enough to publication that I can pick it up. I’m planning to start it on a quiet afternoon as I feel like it’s going to be difficult to put this one down once I start reading!

My Last Lie by Ella Drummond

This is another book I’ve been looking forward to and as I’m now on the blog tour later this month I’m hoping to pick it up this week.

The Bridal Party by J. G. Murray

This book sounds so good, and another one that I think will be hard to put down so I’m looking forward to getting lost in this one!

 

 

What have you been reading this week? I’d love to hear. And if you take part in This Week in Books or WWW Wednesday 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 (2nd Feb 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 I Bought This week

How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind by Dana K. White

I read Dana’s book about decluttering last year and enjoyed so when I spotted this book in a recent Kindle sale I snapped it up. I still can’t resist books about tidying up or about decluttering (see my post here about doing the #konmari method if you want to know more about my decluttering experience).

The Geography of Friendship by Sally Piper

I saw a fab review of this book on Linda’s Book Bag recently and immediately pre-ordered a copy. It arrived yesterday and I can’t wait to read it.

The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

I’ve wanted to read this book for such a long time so I’m happy to finally have a copy on my TBR.

Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly

I hadn’t heard of this book until it got recommended to me on Amazon this week but I immediately bought it. I love books about space!

First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong by James Hansen

I missed seeing the film based on this book at the cinema so while I’m waiting for it to be on Sky I decided to buy and read the book.

Misogynies by Joan Smith

This is a book I’ve wanted to read for such a long time so I grabbed it when I spotted it in a sale this week. I don’t think this will be on my TBR for very long at all.

The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton

I’m really enjoying reading about psychology at the moment so when this book about forensic psychology and profiling was recommended to me this week I couldn’t resist buying it right away. I’m reading it already and it’s really interesting.

What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt

I read this book years ago and adored it but my copy seems to have got lost so I bought a replacement copy this week and would like to try and re-read it this year at some point.

Birdman by Mo Hayder

This is another book that I owned and read a long time ago but somehow have lost my copy so I’m happy to have a replacement now. Mo Hayder is one of my favourite authors and I live in hope that one day she will publish another book, it’s been a few years now since her last one.

 

Books I got on Pigeonhole

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

I’m really enjoying reading this new one by Sophie Kinsella. It’s a fun novel and great escapism.

Gallowstree Lane by Kate London

The first instalment of this arrived on my app yesterday so I hope to start reading it over the weekend. I’m looking forward to it.

 

Birthday Books

Birthday Girl by Haruki Murakami

My husband got me this for my birthday this week and I’ve already read it. I loved it!

At The Birth of Bowie by Phil Lancaster

My mum-in-law gave me this book as part of my birthday gift and I’m really looking forward to reading it soon.

 

Books I Received for Review

Spare Room by Dreda Say Mitchell

I’ve already read and reviewed this one so you can find my full thoughts here if you’d like to know more.

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald

I’ve been eagerly anticipating this novel as it sounds so good! I was thrilled to then get a review copy and I can’t wait to read it!

Almost Love by Louise O’Neill

This is another book that I’ve had my eye one and have been waiting for the paperback release so I’m delighted to have a review copy to read.

The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames

This book sounds so good, I am thrilled to have a gorgeous paperback proof to read. It definitely won’t be on my TBR for very long as I’m really keen to read it asap!

 

 

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.