WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
This week I’m readingToo Much by Tom Allen, which is his memoir about the loss of his father. It’s so moving but also funny and touching. I’m also reading These Streets by Luan Goldie, which I’m really enjoying.
Recent Reads
I’ve had another good week of reading in terms of how much I’ve read. I finished reading Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel and I loved it, it was such a beautifully written novel and one that will stay with me. After that I devoured The Last Passenger by Will Dean in one sitting, this was a wild ride of a novel that kept me hooked all the way through. I then listened to some audiobooks – the first was Foster by Claire Keegan, which was stunning – so moving. Then I listened to Peach by Emma Glass, which I found absorbing and gripping although not an easy subject matter to read about. Finally I read The Playground by Michelle Frances, which is one of those novels filled with unlikeable and self-obsessed characters and I really enjoyed it!
What I Might Read Next
I spotted Drowning by TJ Newman for 99p on Kindle yesterday so I’m tempted to pick that up next as it sounds like just the kind of gripping thriller I’m craving at the moment. I also recently bought Kala by Colin Smith and I’m keen to pick it up. The next book on my backlog of NetGalley reads is In Case of Emergency by Poorna Bell so I’m going to try and get to that one too.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’ve just started reading Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel and have been engrossed in it – I can’t wait to get back to it! I’m also still reading On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel but with it being a hardback book I’m being limited at the moment by my ability to physically hold it. It’s a beautiful book though and I’m actually enjoying being forced to take my time with it.
Recent Reads
My reading has been slower this week than last week but I’m still been reading. I readGood Bad Girl by Alice Feeney and found it to be a really compulsive read, it was hard to put down. You do need to suspend disbelief in this one but I didn’t mind that, I was happily along for the ride! Then yesterday I finished reading Show Me The Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen by Peter Apps. This is a book that everyone should read – it’s devastating and shocking and it will make you so angry but it’s very well researched and put together. As a disabled person myself I’m furious at the lack of care and compassion from authorities and just can’t get my head around the callous disregard for human life.
What I Might Read Next
I’m not sure what I’ll be reading next but I’m drawn to These Streets by Luan Goldie from my NetGalley shelf; The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop, which I just bought in the Kindle sale and am really keen to read; and I’ve just receivedA Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo from the library on audiobook so I think what will be my next listen.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
At the moment I’m reading On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel, which is a very sad read but so beautifully written. I want to read this one slowly but I’m totally engrossed in it. I’m also still reading Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen by Peter Apps and am finding this so interesting but also very anger-inducing at all the missed chances to prevent Grenfell happening.
Recent Reads
I’ve had such a good week of reading this week and have read so many books. First I read In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead, which I loved. You do need to suspend disbelief and the characters aren’t particularly likeable but it’s such a compulsive read! Then I read The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard all in one day as I just couldn’t put it down, it was so good! Next I devouredThe Only One Left by Riley Sager, which I loved for about 75% but then it all got very ridiculous and it required way too much suspension of disbelief. I’m still not sure how to rate it though! I finished Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day and am conflicted on this one. The chapter on infertility and how that affects friendships, and also the one about when a friend dies really spoke to me but the rest of it felt very surface-level and a bit far away from most people’s experiences of friendship. After that I started and finished Zero Days by Ruth Ware, which was so fast-paced and I literally didn’t put it down from when I picked it up to when I turned the last page! Yesterday I finished listening to my audiobook of Clutter: An Untidy History by Jennifer Howard, which was an interesting look at how it is to deal with a parent’s clutter and then your own. I enjoyed it. Then I read the new Fiona Cummins novel All Of Us Are Broken, which was gruesome and heart-pounding and genuinely an edge of seat reading experience but I loved it!
What I Might Read Next
I think this week I’m most drawn to reading Going Deaf for a Living by Steve LaMacq, which is on my 20 Books of Summer list and I’m keen to pick up as I’m partway through listening to a documentary about BritPop on BBC Sounds. I also want to readI Did For You by Amy Engel and Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney from my NetGalley shelf.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m currently reading Clutter: An Untidy History by Jennifer Howard on audiobook and am finding it really interesting. I used to be something of a hoarder so books like this always appeal to me. I’m also reading Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen by Peter Apps on my Kindle – this is a really in depth and interesting look at what happened at Grenfell but also what happened before and how things could, and should, have been done so differently. I’m still readingFriendaholic by Elizabeth Day, which is interesting at times but less so in other sections.
Recent Reads
I finished reading Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister this week and I very much enjoyed it. I also borrowed the audiobook of Don’t Laugh, It’ll Only Encourage Her by Daisy May Cooper, which was okay but nothing particularly memorable. Then I readShe Says She’s My Daughter by Lauren North, which was an easy thriller that kept me engaged all the way through. Finally I read my paperback copy of The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams and I found this a really compelling novel about women and words, I recommend it.
What I Might Read Next
I’m hoping to readThe Only One Left by Riley Sager and The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard from my NetGalley shelf, and Surrender by Bono, which is a hardback book on my 20 Books of Summer list.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂 I may not be very speedy replying to comments this week as our broadband is down and apparently is likely to be for at least a couple of days. I don’t have a lot of data left to use so I’m potentially going to be internet-less for a little while.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m currently reading Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister on my Kindle and I’m really enjoying this one. I’m curious to see where it’s going and how it’s all going go be resolved. I’m also still reading Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day from last week. I’m definitely going to keep reading this but it’s not what I thought it was going to be so I think it’s going to be a dip in and out of book.
Recent Reads
Over the last week I’ve read four book – a couple I loved and a couple didn’t really live up to my hopes for them. Firstly I read Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty and I enjoyed the first part – it was intriguing and interesting but the further through it I got the less it had me gripped. It was an easy summer read though. Then I readThe Villa by Ruth Kelly, which I was really looking forward to and unfortunately I didn’t really get on with it. I loved the set up of a new reality TV show but the characters were very one dimensional and the story got increasingly unrealistic. The reveals were not for me so I’m disappointed with this one. Thankfully I then read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab from my 20 Books of Summer list and I adored it! This isn’t my usual kind of read but I’m so glad I read it because it just had me engrossed from start to finish. I read it over two days and it feels like a book that is going to stay with me! Then last but not least this week I read None of This is True by Lisa Jewell and I also loved this one – it might even be my new favourite by this author. It’s so dark and intense but impossible to put down. It was unsettling in the best possible way and I highly recommend it!
What I Might Read Next
I’m still mood reading but right now I’m most drawn to In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead, She Says She’s My Daughter by Lauren North andFlamingo by Rachel Elliott.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
On my Kindle I’m reading The Villa by Ruth Kelly, which is really intriguing so far and I’m keen to read more. I’m also reading my hardback copy of Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day, which is such an interesting look at friendships and how we approach them.
Recent Reads
This week I’ve finished reading four books! The first wasSeason of the Witch by Cathi Unsworth and I loved this one, it was such a good read. I’ve now been listening to lots of Siouxsie and the Banshees and am enjoying their records all the more for reading this book about the Goth scene. Then I listened to the audiobook of Peter Swanson’s The Kind Worth Savingand I found it hard to switch it off, I think I pretty much listened to it all in one day! Next I finished reading Clare Macintosh’s The Last Party and found this to be such a good read, I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Finally I bought and read Heatwave by Victor Jestin. This is a short book but it really packs a punch and it feels like one that will really stay with me. It was disturbing and engaging!
What I Might Read Next
I’m still enjoying mood reading but I would like to read more of my 20 Books of Summer list (with some possible swaps!) so I think this week I’m looking at Apples Never Fall by Lianne Moriarty (not on the list but it is a paperback so would count for my plan to read twenty physical books. I’m also thinking of picking upBoy Friends by Michael Pedersen, which I think will be an emotional read but I’d like to get to it soon. On my Kindle I’m drawn to Alex Finlay’s The Night Shiftso might start that one too.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
This week I’ve started readingSeason of the Witch: The Book of Goth by Cathi Unsworth – this is a non-fiction book looking at music in the goth scene from 1979 onwards. I’m three chapters in and it’s so good, I’m very much enjoying this one. I’m also readingThe Last Party by Clare Macintosh from my NetGalley shelf and am engrossed in it. I think this is the start of a series and I’m intrigued by the main detective so it’s good to know there’ll be more of her.
Recent Reads
I’ve had another good week of reading and have finished four books. The first was Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, which I completely and utterly adored – I think it may well be my favourite book of the year so far! Then I read Mrs S by K Patrick, which was an okay read but it wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. My next read was Leaving Orbit: Notes from the Last Days of American Spaceflight by Margaret Lazarus Dean and I very much enjoyed this one. I’ve been fascinated by the space shuttles from being a very young girl and was so sad when they retired them. This book is such a good look at the end of that space program by someone who had also loved the shuttles from childhood. Finally this week I readBecky by Sarah May and I loved this one too. It was such a good read and I recommend it! Leaving Orbit and Becky were on my 20 Books of Summer reads so I’ve now read three books from that list. My plan was always to read 20 physical books by the end of the summer so whilst it wasn’t on my original list Romantic Comedy also counts which takes me to four.
What I Might Read Next
I’m still mood reading but the books that are catching my eye at the moment are The Playground by Michelle Frances from my NetGalley shelf, The Invisible life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab from my 20 Books of Summer list, and The Villa by Ruth Kelly.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m currently reading Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld and I’m loving it – so far it feels like it’s going to be one of my favourite reads of the year! I’ve also just started Mrs S. by K Patrick – I’m only a short way into this but I’m intrigued to read more and am looking forward to getting back to it.
Recent Reads
I’ve had a really good week of reading this week. First I finished reading The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda, which I enjoyed. All the characters are hard to like but there was something compelling about the story so it was a decent read. I also finished reading Quilt on Fire by Christie Watson, which was an excellent read. I could relate to quite a lot that the author was writing about so felt a real connection to her story. I then listened to two audiobooks from the library: Magma by Thora Hjorleifsdottir, which was a really difficult book due to the themes but it hit home for me and I just couldn’t stop listening. It’s shocking when a novel opens your eyes to past mistreatment by a former partner but also it’s affirming to know that it was what you suspected it might be. I also listened to Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which is a short book exploring her grief at the sudden death of her father during the pandemic when she couldn’t easily get home. It’s incredibly moving, and for anyone who has experienced the death of a parent it’s particularly emotional to read. I definitely need to buy a hard copy of this book to keep in my collection as there are so many parts of this book that I want to mark and be able to re-read. I finished my week by starting and finishing Unsolved by Heather Critchlow. I found this crime novel a little hard to get in to but once I was invested I just couldn’t put it down! I now can’t wait for the second book in the series to be published!
What I Might Read Next
I’m still mood reading and it’s working for me so I’m not sure what I’ll read next but the books on my shelves and my Kindle that are catching my eye just now are: A House for Alice by Diane Evans, The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh and Becky by Sarah May.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
At the moment I’m currently reading The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda. I started this one last night so am only a few chapters in but I’m definitely intrigued and keen to read more. I’m also still reading Quilt on Fire from last week and am absolutely loving this one. It’s certainly making me feel less alone with how it is to be a woman in her 40s. Also still on the go is Last Orbit, which I’m very much enjoying but the physical weight of the paperback is too much for my hands so it’s on a slight hiatus for a few days.
Recent Reads
I’ve had a really good week of reading this week. I read two Mari Hannah books – Killing for Keeps and Gallows Drop so am now keen to read the next book in this series. I also read My Word Against His by Lauren North, which was very twisty and engaging. Then I listened to Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes and I completely and utterly adored this one. It’s such a fun book but with some real depth to it too. I could relate to a lot of it and I just loved it.
What I Might Read Next
My husband treated me to some new books yesterday as it was our 14th anniversary of getting together so I’m tempted to bump one of those to the top of my TBR. I’m thinking I might start with Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld as I’ve been really keen to get hold of this one. I’m also keen to readMrs S by K Patrick from my NetGalley shelf so I’m putting that on this week’s TBR.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’m currently reading a paperback book called Leaving Orbit by Margaret Lazurus Dean, which is one of my 20 Books of Summer picks and I’m absolutely loving it. It’s about the last days of the space shuttle and it’s such a fascinating read with lots of personal insights. This has been on my TBR since Christmas 2017 so I’m kicking myself for leaving it unread for so long. On my Kindle I’m reading Quilt on Fire by Christie Watson. This is about her experiences of perimenopause and I’m finding myself nodding my head at so much of what she says. It’s both funny in places and very moving in others. I’m also still dipping in and out of my hardback copy of Faster Than a Cannonball: 1995 and All That by Dylan Jones, which is such a nostalgic read (but too heavy for my poor hands to hold for too long at a time).
Recent Reads
My most recently finished books are F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton which was the next instalment of my re-read of the Kinsey Millhone series and I really enjoyed this one. I also readAssembly by Natasha Brown all in one sitting and I loved it. It’s a very short book but so powerful. It’s the first book I’ve finished from my 20 Books of Summer too.
What I Might Read Next
I’m not sure what I’ll read next as I’m very much enjoying mood reading these days. At the moment I’m thinking I might pick up Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel on Kindle; maybe my hardback copy of The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell; and my library audiobook of Mari Hannah’s Killing for Keeps.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
Today I’m sharing some more mini reviews of books that I’ve read and enjoyed recently!
Impossible by Sarah Lotz
This book was brilliant, I loved it! It follows Nick and Bee who connect online when one day Nick sends an angry email to a client and it ends up in Bee’s inbox. The two strike up a friendship via email and I loved seeing their bond grow. I met my husband online and so books like this are irresistible to me! They share their lives and then one day decide to meet in real life but things don’t go quite as planned. I don’t want to say anymore and risk spoiling this book but I will say that it takes an unexpected direction and I was gripped! I read this book every spare second I had as I just wanted to know how it was all going to end. I definitely recommend this one!
The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah
I love Sophie Hannah’s novels so was very keen to get my hands on this one and I’m really pleased to say that it did not disappoint! The premise of this novel is there are several people staying at a luxury resort and one night one of them is murdered. The person found with the victim is definitely not the murderer and everyone else in the resort were all dining together at the time of the murder. No one else was on the property! There was a note warning to beware of the table nearest yours but all the tables are exactly the same distance apart. I loved this novel, it was near impossible to work out what had happened but I had so many theories. It was so much fun trying to work it out and to follow the police investigation as well as the holiday makers as they also tried to solve the murder. I recommend this one!
The Curfew by T.M. Logan
I’m a fan of T.M. Logan’s novels so was keen to read this one and I really enjoyed it. It follows the aftermath of a teenage party in the woods and what happens when one of them didn’t arrive home in time for curfew and another failed to return home at all. This novel has so many twists and turns and is often the case in this author’s books I think I have it all worked out but end up being wrong (which I love!). This is a fast-paced novel that has you reading just one more chapter until you find you’ve turned the last page and it feels like no time has gone by. I recommend it!
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
This is a doorstop of a book and one I found quite hard to get into but once I did I couldn’t put it down! It is a story told through multiple timelines and perspectives – all connected by the yellow jacket wasps! In 1902 two teenage girls were killed and now in the present day a film is about to be made about the deaths. There is so much more in between though – the creepy school that is now a private house, Spite Tower and all the scary wasp stories. There is something really hypnotic about the way this book is written, it really gets a grip on the reader which mirrors the effect the story has on the present day characters in the book. It made for an intense reading experience and I’m so glad I picked this book up. I really enjoyed this one and am keen to now go back and read the author’s previous novel.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’ve just started reading Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton and am intrigued by it so far. I’m keen to see where this one is going.
Recent Reads
I finished reading Impossible by Sarah Lotz this week and I adored this book. It was something different and was so gripping.
I also devoured It Ends at Midnight by Harriet Tyce and loved it, I think this might be my new favourite book by this author!
I read and really enjoyed Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough in just a couple of sittings this week.
Then I read Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins and this book was impossible to put down. I started reading it at bedtime and I literally turned the last page at around 4am! This is such a twisty book; it’s brilliant!
What I Might Read Next
This week I hope to read Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister and One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke – both on my NetGalley shelf and both books I’ve been eagerly anticipating.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’ve not been in much of a reading mood this week so I’m sticking to one book at a time. I’m in the middle of Impossible by Sarah Lotz and am really enjoying this one. It’s different to what I was expecting and it’s definitely got me hooked. I’m keen to see how it’s all going to end so hope I can read some more of this soon.
Recent Reads
I started listening to the audio book of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid yesterday and I finished it the same day. This book is the most perfect escapism and I completely and utterly adored it!
I also finished reading The Clydach Murders by John Morris this week and I found this to be such a compelling and eye-opening book.
I part-read and part-listened to Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson this week too and I really enjoyed it. I now have the third book on hold at the library and can’t wait to read it.
I’ve DNF’d Lucy Foley’s The Paris Apartment this week, I was just really struggling to get into it. I do love her writing though so I may go back to it at some point.
What I Might Read Next
I don’t know what I might want to read next but the book that keeps catching my eye on my NetGalley shelf is It Ends at Midnight by Harriet Tyce and on my Kindle it’s The Perfect Escape by Leah Konen so hopefully I can get to at least one of these books in the coming days.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
We watched the new documentary about the Clydach murders this week and I wanted to know more so I bought and started reading The Clydach Murders by John Morris.
I’m also reading The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley but I’m not sure if I’m going to continue with it, I think if it doesn’t grab me in a few more chapters I might have to admit defeat with this one.
Recent Reads
This week I listened to Empress and Aniya by Candice Carty-Williams which is a novella that is currently free to borrow for Audible members. I really enjoyed it and recommend it.
I also listened to Breathtaking by Rachel Clarke, which is a very moving account of the early days of the pandemic from a hospital doctor’s perspective. It’s harrowing at times but very well put together as a reflection of that time.
I then listened to The Serial Killer’s Wife by Alice Hunter, which was a good read. I think I finished it in a couple of sittings as I was keen to see where it was going.
I finished reading When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole and very much enjoyed this one. It gave me a lot to think about as well as being a good thriller.
Then I read The Maid by Nita Prose and I loved this one. It was exactly the book I needed when I picked it up and I’m so glad I read it.
What I Might Read Next
This week might be a tough one so I’m not sure how much reading I’m going to get done. Usually at these times I either escape into books and read a lot or I find it very hard to read so get through hardly any books. The books that are calling to me the most right now are Impossible by Sarah Lotz, Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay and Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I picked When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole back up this week and I am engrossed in this one. It’s very current and very intriguing and I’m keen to see where it’s going.
Recent Reads
The first book I’ve finished since my last WWW post was Idol by Louise O’Neill and I really enjoyed this novel. It’s about the stories we tell on social media and the blurry lines between truth and lies, and how we perhaps don’t always see ourselves as we really are. I recommend it!
I also read Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller and found it okay. I didn’t enjoy it as much as other novels that I’ve read by her but it was a good read.
I absolutely loved A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon, who is now one of my favourite writers. This novel had me gripped all the way through. I saw some of what happened coming but that didn’t matter because I love the way Cannon writes and the way her characters are so real. I loved this book!
The last book I finished was The Curfew by T.M. Logan and I think this might just be my new favourite novel by him. I was engrossed all the way through this thriller and it kept me on my toes right the way through.
What I Might Read Next
I don’t know what I’ll read next but the books on my NetGalley shelf that are really calling to me at the time of writing this are The Maid by Nita Prose, Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough and Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth!
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I started Idol by Louise O’Neill yesterday afternoon and have been struggling to put it down ever since. It grabbed me from the first chapter and I really want to know where the story is going to go!
I also started reading When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole and am intrigued by this one. I’m enjoying all the dynamics between the neighbours and am keen to see what is happening.
Recent Reads
The first book I finished since my last WWW post was The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett and I absolutely loved it. I found it gripping and intriguing and even when I thought I had it figured out there was still more surprises in store!
I also finished listening to Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey. I found parts of this book fascinating and parts of it a bit self-indulgent at times. It was a 3 star read for me.
I started and finished the audiobook of My Mess is a Bit of a Life by Georgia Pritchett and I adored this one. It really shows what it is like to live with anxiety and I connected with quite a lot of it.
I read Tall Bones by Anna Bailey and also loved this one. It was very atmospheric and brutal at times but the writing is beautiful.
Yesterday I read Reputation by Sarah Vaughan all in one sitting – it had me hooked from start to finish and it feels like a book that will stay with me. I recommend it!
What I Might Read Next
I’m reading my way through my NetGalley shelf at the moment so the next three from there that are calling to me are A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon, The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley and The Curfew by TM Logan.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I only started reading The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett last night so am only a short way into it but I’m definitely intrigued and am keen to read more.
I’m really gripped by Tall Bones by Anna Bailey, a book I’ve been anticipating for a while so I’m glad it’s as good as I’d hoped.
I’m also part-reading and part-listening to Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey and I’m not sure what I make of this one so far but I’m going to continue reading it for a bit longer to see where it goes.
Recent Reads
The first book I finished this week was my audiobook of The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama and I found it an okay book. I didn’t enjoy it as much as his first book but it was engaging enough and I’m keen to move on to his new memoir soon.
I also finished reading And Away by Bob Mortimer and I completely and utterly adored this one! It was such a brilliant read and I can see me reading it again in the future.
I then read a thriller – The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson and found it so engrossing, I read it all in pretty much one sitting!
I’ve had The Finding of Martha Lost by Caroline Wallace on my TBR for nearly six years and I’m kicking myself for leaving it so long because I loved this novel. It’s beautiful and heartwarming and I already want to read it again!
I also finished reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters and I loved this one too. I was hooked all the way through and all the unexpected twists and turns kept me on my toes.
The last book I read this week was a NetGalley Arc – The Truth About Her by Jacqueline Maley and I quite enjoyed it. It was different to what I was expecting it to be but still a good read.
What I Might Read Next
I don’t know what I’ll be reading next but the books I’m most in the mood to read at the moment are When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole and The Other Black Girl by Zaklya Dalila Harris from my TBR. And also Reputation by Sarah Vaughan from my NetGalley shelf.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I started reading And Away by Bob Mortimer yesterday and I am loving it every bit as much as I thought I was going to.
I also started reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters a couple of days ago on my Kindle. I’ve had this book on my TBR for about six years but I was saving it for the right time. Anyway, I’m trying this year to read the books I know I’m going to love now instead of saving them so I’m happy to finally be reading this one.
My current audiobook The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama and I’m finding this one really interesting so far. This has also been on my TBR for a long time but I wanted to get to it as I got his new memoir for my birthday almost a year ago and I really want to get to that one soon.
Recent Reads
I finished reading The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse and really enjoyed this one. Some of it was predictable but I didn’t mind because I loved the atmospheric, creepy setting. I can’t wait to read the author’s forthcoming second book now!
I also read Skin Deep by Liz Nugent this week and enjoyed this one too. I part listened on audio and part read it and found it such an engaging read that kept me on my toes throughout!
I loved reading The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah, it was such a gripping novel and my brain was working away trying to work out whodunnit and how. The ending was satisfying and I’m so glad I read this one.
I also finished reading I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke and I very much enjoyed this one. I’m so happy that my husband got me this for Christmas and it was definitely a successful surprise gift!
I listened to I Know What You’ve Done by Dorothy Koomson on Audible and thought it was so good! I found it really hard to stop listening to this one and was always keen to get back to it.
I also listened to The Secret Midwife by Katy Weitz and Philippa George and found it such an interesting book. It made me angry and it made me sad but it was also a lovely read too.
What I Might Read Next
I’m very much mood reading at the moment and so want to continue to do that so the books that are jumping out to me the most from my TBR stack are The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett and The Truth About Her by Jacqueline Maley from my NetGalley shelf, and Tall Bones by Anna Bailey, which I bought recently and am keen to get to.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I started reading I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke, which I got for Christmas and I love it. It’s such a pleasure to read and I feel like I can hear Clarke’s voice as I’m reading it.
I also started reading The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse on my Kindle and am engrossed in it. I love how atmospheric it is, and creepy at times.
Recent Reads
I always seem to hit my reading groove at the start of a new year and 2022 has been no different. I’ve finished off some books that I was almost at the end of in my last post, and then I’ve been in a real reading mood the last few days so have been getting through my books.
My plan to read my backlog books in 2022 is going well – my most recently finished book was How You See Me by S. E. Craythorne which had been on my TBR for 6.5 years. I ended up reading it all in one sitting and it was such an engrossing and brilliant read.
I also read Other Parents by Sarah Stovell from my NetGalley shelf, which is from last year too. I enjoyed this one.
Another book from my TBR backlog was Animal by Sara Pascoe and I very much enjoyed it. It had more depth than I was expecting and made me think. I recommend it.
I only had a couple of chapters left of A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg and so finished that this week. It was a sentimental, old-fashioned novel but it was perfect for the time of year and I really liked it.
I also only had a few more pages of The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater to read so decided to finish it so that I can put it away with the Christmas decorations this week. I love re-reading this each festive period, it’s such a beautiful book.
Happy Fat by Sofie Hagen was also on my TBR backlog and I’m sorry to say I didn’t really enjoy this one. It’s strange because I bought it when I was a lot heavier and I wonder if I’d have felt differently if I’d read it then, I suspect that I would have done. But now I see how much better life can be when you stop medicating emotional pain with food and so this book just annoyed me for the most part.
My first read of 2022 was The Storyteller by Dave Grohl and I adored it! I love Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters so this was a perfect read and I loved every second that I spent reading it.
What I Might Read Next
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont and The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah are both on my NetGalley shelf and as they’re due to be published this month I’d like to read and review them soon so hope to read them this week. I’d also like to get to Significance by Jo Mazelis as this keeps catching my eye and has been on my Kindle for years now.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and that you got some new books to read. I was very spoilt with books and book-related gifts so will be doing a book haul post soon. At the moment I’m ill so haven’t had the energy to do much of anything the last couple of days. My Covid test is negative (at the moment) but I have all the symptoms so I’m keeping away from people until I’m feeling better. Unfortunately my concentration has left me so all the books I’ve read this week were read before Christmas day and I’ve not read anything since then.
Current Reads
I started reading A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg on Christmas Eve and am really enjoying it so I hope to be able to finish it before New Year.
My Christmas audio book is Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris, which is a re-read but I would still like to finish it this week if I can.
I’m also still reading The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater on the relevant days but I usually read through the last entries before New Year so that I can put the book away with my Christmas decorations so I hope to finish this one this week too.
Recent Reads
I love Carol Ann Duffy’s individually published Christmas poem books so it was a lovely surprise to receive the collected The Christmas Poems by Carol Ann Duffy as a gift. I read this one in one go and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a beautiful book.
I re-read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens on Christmas Eve, which is a long-standing tradition of mine.
I finished reading The Miracle on Ebenezer Street by Catherine Doyle, which was a sweet Christmas read.
I treated myself to Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan and read it all in one day, I loved this one and it feels like a book that will really stay with me.
I also read Hide by Nell Pattison and enjoyed it so hope to read more by her in 2022.
I finished In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware and very much enjoyed it, it was great escapism and kept me gripped all the way through.
What I Might Read Next
I don’t know what I’ll read next as it depends on my mood and if I’m feeling better but the two books that are appealing to me the most at the moment are Other Parents by Sarah Stovell from my NetGalley shelf. And Storyteller by Dave Grohl, which I got for Christmas and am so keen to read!
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I spotted In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware on my Kindle and was just in the mood for a read like this and I’m really enjoying it.
I’m also really enjoying The Miracle on Ebenezer Street by Catherine Doyle as my next festive read. It’s a lovely middle grade book and making me feel very Christmassy.
I’m still loving my re-read of The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater.
Recent Reads
I very much enjoyed reading Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson over the last few days. It’s Christmassy and chaotic and has lots of great representation throughout.
I also loved Where Snow Angels Go by Maggie O’Farrell last week. This is a beautiful book and one I will re-read in the future.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz was such a gripping read, I found this near impossible to put down and would recommend it.
What I Might Read Next
It’s now so close to Christmas that I think I might have time for only one more Christmas novel and I think it’s going to be In A Holidaze by Christina Laurens!
I have a copy of The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont and it feels like a book to be read over the Christmas period so I hope to get to this one this week.
I’m really enjoying thrillers at the moment and Hide by Nell Pattison looks very wintery and gripping so seems apt for this week.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂 And I hope you all have a lovely Christmas time filled with books! x
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’ve only just started reading The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz but I think I’m going to really enjoy it. I seem to be needing easy reads that are also engrossing at the moment and this seems to fit the bill.
I’ve only read the opening chapters of Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson as well but I’m enjoying reading a modern Christmas novel.
I’m still enjoying my re-read of The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater. I can’t remember when his diary ends but I’m reading each section on the corresponding day so I’ll be reading this one until it finishes (although I might read ahead once Christmas is over).
Recent Reads
I have an ebook of Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan but I spotted the audio on my library app so I borrowed it and have part listened and part read this one. It wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be but I did enjoy it.
Fat Cow, Fat Chance by Jenni Murray was a book of two halves for me. The first part I was engrossed in and could identify with a lot of the author’s struggles with weight but then it felt like it descends into excuses and finding a way for it to not be her fault at all. I was disappointed with her attitude (and I write as someone who has lost over six stone because I dealt with my issues around food and learnt about portion control) to weight loss and found this quite a negative book by the end.
I finally read Carol by Patricia Highsmith this week! It’s been on my TBR for ages so I’m kicking myself for not picking it up sooner as I found it such an intense and engrossing read.
I also read Kitty Genovese: A True Account of a Public Murder and it’s Private Consequences by Catherine Polenero and am still processing this one. I had heard of this case before but to read such a detailed account of the witnesses is chilling. This was well-researched and I’m glad I read it.
I finished reading The Murder of Mr Moonlight by Catherine Fegan this week as well. This is such a sad case but also unnerving seeing how the killer kept his tracks hidden for as long as he did.
What I Might Read Next
I love reading children’s books as it gets close to Christmas so I’m really looking forward to reading The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller this week. This is a new one for me so I can’t wait!
I pre-ordered Hide by Nell Pattison and then forgot all about it so it was a lovely surprise when it appeared on my Kindle the other day. I’m keen to get to this one in the coming days.
I really enjoyed The Appeal so was delighted when I was approved to read The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett this week via NetGalley. I have high hopes for this one.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I can’t remember when I bought The Murder of Mr Moonlight by Catherine Fegan but it was on my Kindle and I decided to read it this week.
I’m also still reading the relevant sections of The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater on the relevant days and am very much enjoying it.
Recent Reads
I seem to have read a lot of Christmas books this week and I’ve enjoyed them all but to varying degrees. Christmas at Frozen Falls by Kiley Dunbar was good and I adored the setting but it wasn’t as festive as I was hoping. Mistletoe on 34th Street by Lisa Dickenson on the other hand was everything I wanted in a Christmas read this week and I very much enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed reading The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict, which is a take on a locked room Christmas mystery and I found myself completely engrossed in it. My other Christmas read was I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day by Milly Johnson, which I listened to on audio and it was another one that I found really festive and lovely.
The only non-Christmas book that I read this week was Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson and I enjoyed this one. I’ve already reviewed it here if you’ve like to know more.
What I Might Read Next
I don’t know what I’ll be reading next but I just treated myself to Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford and am really keen to read it so I think I may pick it up. I also bought The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox on Kindle and would like to get to it before Christmas so hopefully I get to it this week. Aside from Christmas reads the book that caught my eye as I was writing this post was The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz so maybe I’ll read this one next.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
I’ve read most of Jodi Picoult’s novels and enjoyed them but have found her latest books a bit hit and miss. Even so I was excited to read Wish You Were Here and I’m so pleased to say that I loved it, it’s her best book in a while! Wish You Were Here follows Diana who is busy at work in an art gallery and is about to embark on a holiday of a lifetime to the Galapagos Islands with her boyfriend. But then Covid hits and he has to stay behind as he’s a doctor. She goes on her own and as she gets there the island is locking down so she is trapped there. I loved the descriptions of the island and the relationships Diana forms while there. I don’t want to say much more because I’m anxious to avoid any spoilers but this novel takes the reader on an unexpected journey through isolation and longing and I loved it. There is so much I want to say but I can’t… just trust me and read this one, it’s so good!
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson
I was keen to read Real Men Knit after reading some recommendations by bloggers that I trust so I was delighted to get a copy from NetGalley. I finally picked it up recently and really enjoyed it. It’s set in a wool shop in the aftermath of the owner’s death. Her four adopted sons are deciding what to do and one of them wants a chance to run the shop and make it a success along with the help of Kerry, who worked there alongside his Mama. I enjoyed the family dynamics in this novel, and I really liked Kerry. I wasn’t so keen on all the will they won’t they romance plot, it felt very over the top at times, but on the whole this was a really cosy, lovely read and I’m glad I picked it up.
Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli & Steve Schirripa
I have to admit that I somehow only watched The Sopranos for the first time earlier this year (I don’t know how it took me so long but it did!) but when I finally got to it I adored it, it jumped right to the top of my favourite TV shows ever list! So when I spotted this book all about the making of The Sopranos with interviews with the cast and behind the scenes info I knew I had to read it. I really enjoyed this book. I believe it’s based on a podcast which I haven’t listened to so I’m not sure how much of the story in the book is new. I loved finding out more about the making of certain episodes and how the show was cast. It’s a definite must read for fans of the show!
How to Be A Rock Star by Shaun Ryder
I’m a big Shaun Ryder fan so when I spotted this audio book on NetGalley I immediately requested it. Shaun narrates it himself which made the book for me, I could listen to him tell his stories all day long! I enjoyed this one but given it’s a how to book I did find it a bit repetitive, with some elements from earlier sections being referred to again later on. I also already knew most of his stories from having read his autobiography a few years ago. I did still enjoy this one though so I would recommend it if you’re a Happy Mondays fan and want to know more about how to get into the world of rock and roll!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
My latest festive read is The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict and I’m really enjoying this one. It’s set in an old house and a family who don’t get on are competing with each other to inherit the house.
I’ve also started my annual re-read of The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater. I very much enjoy reading each day of this book every year, Nigel Slater really captures the build up to the festive season so beautifully.
I’m also reading Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson, which is the oldest book on my NetGalley shelf. It’s set around a wool shop as the adult children of the late owner have to decide what to do with it. I’m enjoying this one and keen to see where it goes.
Recent Reads
I bought What My Husband Did by Kerry Wilkinson in a recent Kindle sale and I enjoyed it. I found the first half gripping and hard to put down but the reveals were a little disappointing as the book went on.
I really enjoyed Somebody to Love by Matt Richards, a biography of Freddie Mercury which also follows how HIV spread around the world.
I also listened to How to be a Rock Star by Shaun Ryder this week and I really enjoyed listening to him tell his stories. The book itself wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped though as a lot of the stories I’d already read in his memoir and it does get repetitive as various sections overlap with previous chapters. I’d still recommend it if you’re a fan of his though.
I read Little Bandaged Days by Kyra Wilder too this week. This was a disturbing read about a woman with undiagnosed post-natal psychosis. It was a book I wanted to keep reading but at times had to put down just so I could breathe. It was very well written and I recommend it.
My Christmas book last week was The Post Box at the North Pole by Jaimie Admans and I adored it. It’s my favourite festive read of the season so far! My review is here.
What I Might Read Next
I’m not sure what I’ll read in the coming week as I’m back to mood reading rather than planning ahead. At the moment the books that have caught my eye are Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson, which is a new Christmas book that sounds great; The Winter Garden by Heidi Swain, which I have on audio and think will be a festive, heartwarming listen; and a thriller When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole that I bought right at the beginning of the year and am still really keen to read it.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
Today I’m sharing some mini reviews of Christmas books that I’ve read recently!
Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin
This is a lovely Christmas read that follows Flora in the aftermath of losing her job and deciding to buy a van and start a travelling Christmas shop. She loves Christmas and is determined to surround herself with the joys of the season. I loved Flora and really enjoyed seeing her move to Lapland and how she got on at her first Christmas market. The way she meets Connor, who runs the site, was amusing and I loved seeing how they got to know each other better. Flora meets some great characters throughout the novel and I felt like I was right there along with her. This is such a sweet Christmas novel and I recommend it.
Eight Days of Christmas by Starla DeKruyf
Eight Days of Christmas follows Isabella as she’s making her way to her family home for the first time in years as her sister is getting married at Christmas. Her sister is marrying the brother of Isabella’s ex so she has a lot on her mind. Their family love Christmas and make a huge deal out of it every year so are thrilled that Isabella is coming home. Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. The relationship will they won’t they situation just didn’t feel believable to me, it felt very forced. I also found the big reveal of why Isabella hadn’t been home for so long was just so ridiculous and silly that the book lost me at this point. I did read to the end but sadly I didn’t love this one.
The Best Christmas Ever by Karen King
I’ve become quite the fan of Karen King’s Christmas novels so I was excited to read her latest one recently and I’m so happy to say that I really enjoyed it. The Best Christmas Ever follows Lexi who adores Christmas but this year she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her so she dumps him and heads home to her family. I adored Lexi’s family, especially her Grandma Mabe! Lexi is upset to find the local council want to chop down the village Christmas tree and throws herself into saving the tree. In the process she meets some of the locals and I loved the bond she makes with people. This is a really cute, heartwarming Christmas novel that is full of festive joy. I definitely recommend this one!
The Post Box at the North Pole by Jaimie Admans
A year or two ago I read my first Jaimie Admans’ novel and I adored it so I’ve been eagerly anticipating this new Christmas novel by her and I’m so happy to say that I completely and utterly adored it! This book follows Sasha who has flown to help out her dad at a Lapland resort that is not doing so well. When she gets there she meets Taavi and some reindeers called Rudolph. Sasha wants to help her dad and so when she finds a sack of letters to Santa she decides to reply and spread some festive cheer (and maybe some magic!). I loved this book so much – it’s full of all things heartwarmingly festive from start to finish, which is exactly what I’ve been looking for in my Christmas reads this year. I highly recommend this one, it’s a perfect Christmas read!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
The only book I’m currently reading is The Best Christmas Ever by Karen King! I’m only a few chapters in but so far it feels festive and like it could be a really lovely read.
Recent Reads
I had an ebook of S**ged, Married, Annoyed by Rosie and Chris Ramsey but then I spotted the audio was available on my local library app so I decided to listen to it. It was an easy listen and fun escapism.
I also read Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult and loved it! I think this is her best book in a while and I very much enjoyed it. I will be writing a review as soon as I get my thoughts together but I definitely recommend it in the meantime.
I picked up Eight Days of Christmas by Stayla DeKruyf from my NetGalley shelf this week but sadly I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I hoped I would.
I also read We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates, which was one of the books that had been on my TBR the longest and I’m kicking myself for not picking it up sooner as I really enjoyed this one.
The other Christmas book I read last week was Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin, a really sweet Christmas read.
I also finished reading Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli last week and I’m sad to have got to the end of this one. I now want to listen to the podcast that led to this book (and also to watch The Sopranos all over again!).
What I Might Read Next
This week I really want to listen to the audio book of How to be a Rockstar by Shaun Ryder.
My next Christmas read will be The Postbox at the North Pole by Jaimie Admans and I can’t wait to get to this one.
I also recently bought The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz and I’d really like to read it soon.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
Today I’m sharing some more mini reviews of recent NetGalley books that I’ve read and enjoyed.
Survive the Night by Riley Sager
I can never resist a new Riley Sager book and have been eagerly anticipating this one. I picked it up and read it all in one day as it was written in such a way that I just didn’t want to put it down. We’re following Charlie who is really struggling after her best friend was murdered and now she’s leaving Uni. She finds Josh on the ride share board at school and says goodbye to her boyfriend. We find out that Charlie has had a tough life and when things are really bad she sees movies in her head overlaying what is really happening. The first half of this novel was gripping, I was unnerved with suspicions (and to be honest hopes) of where the novel might go as Charlie becomes increasingly unnerved by Josh. Unfortunately, the novel instead went in a much more predictable direction and ultimately left me feeling a bit disappointed. Having said that, I couldn’t put the book down so it was clearly gripping and it was enjoyable enough for the most part.
The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman
This novel is told in two timelines: the present day follows Nell as she’s left reeling following a deathbed confession by her father; and it follows Annie 35 years earlier as we see her starting her family and making decisions that will have consequences down the line. I love Hannah Beckerman’s writing and this book is beautiful. I really felt for Nell to have to deal with what her dad said and then not be able to talk to anyone about it as her mum has dementia and now her dad is gone, and to know she might never be able to find out what he meant. The fraught relationship that Nell has with her two older sisters felt really realistic and I ended up feeling for all of them. The two timelines move forwards and you’re left wondering how they’ll converge and what happened in the past. It wasn’t something I saw coming but it felt completely believable and was heartbreaking. I definitely recommend this book!
We Are Not Like Them by Christina Pride & Jo Piazza
Riley and Jen have been friends for many years and now they’re excited to be back living in the same city again. Jen is white and Riley is black but this has never been something they’ve thought about. But now Jen’s white police officer husband has been involved in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager and suddenly they have to confront what this means for their friendship. I found this book quite hard to get into but once it clicked I found it really hard to put down. There are so many issues covered within this story and it really felt believable and realistic. I was much more on Riley’s side and felt that Jen was at times wilfully being ignorant of why her friend felt the way she did, but then we’d be back with Jen and I could see why she was torn. This is such a prescient novel that really makes you think and it’s one that I would recommend to everyone.
My Mother, Munchausen’s and Me by Helen Naylor
This book is heartbreaking. Helen has grown up with a mother who is often cold and cruel, who is always ill and needs rest every afternoon so Helen as a child had to learn to play in complete silence. She doesn’t know any different than how her own home life is and accepts this as being how it is for everyone but it does start to affect her own mental health. Helen really shows how complex her relationship to her mother is, that she loved her mother but also feared being trapped into looking after her for ever. There is a real exploration of how complicated the aspect of looking back on her mother’s life was for Helen and it’s these parts towards the end of the book that really struck a chord with me. This is the point when it felt the reader was really let in to how everything has affected Helen. Helen’s mother behaved monstrously, not just to Helen but to others as well, and it’s uncomfortable to think about whether this woman was a monster or whether she was mentally unwell. I think this contradiction is something Helen must waiver on too as the title says Munchausen’s but in the book her mother is referred to as a narcissist. It is always so difficult to confront who a parent really was, and I definitely felt for Helen as she grappled with this throughout the book. This book isn’t always easy to read but it’s a book that I would recommend.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’ve been sorting out my Kindle and audiobooks recently and The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney caught my eye as I was doing that so it’s my current listen. It’s more intriguing than I thought it was going to be and I’m enjoying it so far.
My current festive read is the lovely Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin.
I’m also still reading Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli but I’m not far off finishing it now. I’m going to miss this one once I’m done as I’ve really enjoyed dipping in and out of this book in recent weeks.
Recent Reads
I just finished reading My Mother, Munchausen’s and Me by Helen Naylor last night. I found this book hard to read at times because of the subject matter but it was a fascinating exploration of living with a narcissistic mother and dealing with all the repercussions of her behaviour.
I’m trying to get to some of the older books on my TBR at the moment as well as new releases so this week I listened to the audiobook of Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott, which I’ve owned since 2014. I really enjoyed this one. I’m struggling with a bad back at the moment and this was perfect escapism.
I also read Survive the Night by Riley Sager from my NetGalley shelf and I enjoyed it. I thought the first half was better than the second but it did keep me hooked all the way through.
I finished reading The Twelve Wishes of Christmas by Ruby Basu and loved it. You can read my review here.
I also finished listening to Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama and enjoyed it. I also have The Audacity of Hope on my Audible and a hardback copy of his memoir so hope to read more by him soon.
I really enjoyed reading The Little Christmas Tree House by Tracy Rees last week too, it was a lovely festive read. My review is here.
What I Might Read Next
As I’ve been sorting through my Kindle books I’ve been taking note of the books I’ve owned the longest and it seems We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates has been on my Goodreads since I first set up my account (in early 2010!) but I know I’ve owned it longer than that. So I’d really like to finally start reading it this week!
I also hope to read The Best Christmas Ever by Karen King which is the next Christmas book on my NetGalley shelf.
I’d also like to get back to the Frieda Klein series so I have Waiting for Wednesday by Nicci French on this week’s TBR!
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
I’ve been reading lots of Christmas-themed books recently so today I’m sharing a collection of festive mini reviews!
Baby It’s Cold Outside by Emily Bell
Norah Jones is single and it’s nearly Christmas, she’s fed up and wondering what to do with her life. Then she remembers the boy she met on holiday a decade earlier and their promise to meet in Dublin in ten years time on Christmas Eve if they were both single. She decides she has nothing to lose and persuades her good friend Joe to go with her. This novel isn’t as Christmassy as I thought it was going to be but it is a gorgeous read and I got completely swept up in Norah’s story. I was rooting for her the whole way through and hoping she would find the happiness she so deserved. It was also nostalgic learning about her holiday romance with Andrew, it made me remember those times in my life and while I’m very happy to leave them in the past it was fun to see what would happen with Norah and her holiday boyfriend. This is a novel set in the run up to Christmas so you do get snow and nods to the festive season; it’s a great book to curl up with on a cold afternoon. I recommend it!
A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton
Megan has returned home to York to help run her family’s ailing book shop. It’s almost Christmas and she’s feeling the pressure of organising a high profile book launch for a demanding author and publisher. I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t quite as Christmassy as I’d hoped. It is set near Christmas but there wasn’t enough of the season in it for me. Having said that I loved the characters and getting to know them. I loved the will they, won’t they? element of the budding romance. And I especially loved the setting – York is a city I know well and it was wonderful to find that it is the setting of this novel. I could picture exactly where the bookshop would be so clearly and it gave me a sense of home for a while. There is also a very cute dog in this novel, which is always a bonus! All in all this is a fast, cosy read and I enjoyed it.
The Little Christmas House by Tracy Rees
This is a gorgeous festive novel that follows three characters – Holly the school teacher who is recovering from having her heart broken earlier in the year; Edward who has just bought Christmas house and is trying to find his feet; and Edward’s fabulous 8-year-old daughter Eliza who is in Holly’s class at school. I loved this novel, it’s a gorgeous read about recovering when the rug is pulled out from under you, about discovering that there are still kind people in the world and learning that you can begin again. I love Eliza and her perceptiveness, and I loved reading all about the goings on at school – especially with the school play. This is such a lovely read and I highly recommend it!
The Perfect Christmas Gift by Katie Ginger
Bella returns home from work early one day to find her boyfriend moving out and she is devastated. Next door is Nick who is a newly single dad to Freddie and is trying to make Christmas the best it can be. Bella is heartbroken but knows she needs to find her Christmas spirit and she comes up with an idea that will give her a distraction from the pain whilst also helping out her community and bringing people together. This book was an okay read but for me the Christmas feels didn’t really come through, it felt like it was missing a spark. I did enjoy it, and I loved the ideas in the novel but it didn’t give me the festive feel I was hoping for.
The Twelve Wishes of Christmas by Ruby Basu
I have to admit that when it gets to mid-November I get obsessed with watching sappy Christmas TV movies, I just can’t help it so when I heard about this book and that the main character Sharmila is similarly obsessed I knew this would be a book for me! Sharmila’s friend Thomas has died and left her a wonderful holiday booked where she can experience her first American Christmas, just like the ones in the movies. When she gets there she finds out he’s left her a list of fun tasks to complete, all the things you see in the movies! What she doesn’t know is that Thomas has left her his house and shares in his company if she does everything on the list and his family are determined to stop Sharmila in her tracks! I loved this novel, it has all the elements of Christmas films, and it’s done in a knowing way that stops it being too sickly sweet. There is the hate to love romance (which I loved!) and all the festive activities. This is such a lovely Christmas read and one I definitely recommend!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I’ve been slowly reading my way through some of my older Christmas books and while Christmas at the Beach Hut by Veronica Henry hasn’t been on my kindle all that long I couldn’t resist picking it up this week. I’m really enjoying this one and am so glad I made this my next read.
I’m not taking part in Non-Fiction November properly this year as I’m still in a place where I need to mood read and that often leads me to pick up lighter fiction. I was drawn to the audio book of The Romanovs: 1613 – 1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore yesterday though so I’ve started listening to this one. I don’t know very much about the Romanovs and so have been engrossed in this boook.
I’m also still dipping in and out of Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli and enjoying it. It’s making me want to re-watch The Sopranos (and I only watched it for the first time earlier this year!).
Recent Reads
I seem to have read a lot of books this week and I’m not sure how that happened but I’m happy that it did.
The most recent book I finished was The Visitor by Zoe Miller. I picked this one as it seemed to be a thriller set near Christmas and it was an okay read – I enjoyed the first part more than the rest.
Before that I finally read Therese Raquin by Emile Zola, which had been on my TBR for quite some time. I very much enjoyed this one and am so glad that I’ve finally read it (although I’m kicking myself now for not picking it up sooner).
I also read and loved The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman. I adored the author’s previous two novels so had very high hopes for this one and it absolutely lived up to them.
I had a hardback and audiobook copy of Look What You Made Me Do by Helene Walmsley-Johnson so I part read and part listened to this one. It was a tough read because of the subject matter (it’s a memoir about coercive control) but I’m glad I read it.
Another festive read this week was Baby It’s Cold Outside by Emily Bell and I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t as much about Christmas as I’d thought it would be but it was a gorgeous and cosy winter read. I recommend it!
I’ve had a paperback of Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman on my TBR for years but the text is so small I can’t read it so when I spotted the audio was available as part of the new Audible lending library I grabbed it. This book was published in 1985 but so much of it is just as relevant to us today and I highly recommend it. It’s made me want to re-read Brave New World so that might be a book I pick up in the new year!
I also finished reading A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton. I enjoyed this one but was a little disappointed that whilst it’s set at Christmas there isn’t much Christmas in it. I did enjoy the story though and I loved that it was set in York.
What I Might Read Next
I’m very much a mood reader at the moment but the two books that are catching my attention from my TBR at the moment are The Perfect Christmas Gift by Katie Ginger and My Mother, Munchausen’s and Me by Helen Naylor so I hope to read both of these in the coming days.
What are you reading at the moment? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
I started reading A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton from my NetGalley shelf this week and I’m really enjoying it. I didn’t realise it was set in York so I’m loving references to places that I know well from my younger years.
I’m also still reading Woke Up This Morning by Michael Imperioli. I’m finding this book is great to dip in and out of so I’m going to carry on reading it like this in between other books. I’m very much enjoying it though and I definitely recommend it to fans of The Sopranos.
Recent Reads
It’s been a great week of reading for me this week with my finish six books! I’ve been busy so have listened to a few audio books and then have enjoyed sitting down for a rest to read a print or kindle book later in the day.
I read Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton in just two sittings this week and I really enjoyed it. I always say I’m not a fan of historical fiction but then occasionally I stumble across a book like this and am reminded that there are historical fiction books for me and this is definitely one of them.
I also finished We Are Not Like Them by Christina Pride & Jo Piazza, which I’ve been reading for the past week and a half. I struggled to connect with the characters in the beginning but once I got into the novel it was hard to put down. It’s a thought-provoking book and I’m glad I read it.
I’ve had Not That Kind of Love by Clare & Greg Wise for a really long time so when I spotted it as I was sorting my books out this week I decided to read it next. This is an incredibly moving memoir of Clare’s illness and Greg’s story of his love for his sister and how he became her carer. This is a beautiful book and one that will really stay with me.
Another book that I’ve had on my bookcase for quite a while is Wally Funk’s Race for Space by Sue Nelson so when I picked it up this week and read it all in one sitting I was kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. Wally Funk is an incredible woman who has lived such a fascinating life. I know she finally made it to space very recently, which is amazing. I highly recommend this book.
I listened to It’s a Love Story by Shirlie & Martin Kemp on audio book and loved it. This is such a lovely book about their relationship and I just adored it!
I also finished reading Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris and am so glad I finally picked up this author’s debut novel as I’ve enjoyed her later books. This one was really good and kept my turning the pages!
What I Might Read Next
I’ve realised that my NetGalley shelf is growing again so need to focus on reading some of those books this week so these are the three that I’ve picked: Baby It’s Cold Outside by Emily Bell, which will be my next Christmas read. I also hope to read The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman as I’ve loved her previous two novels and have been eagerly anticipating this one. I also want to pick up Survive the Night by Riley Sager as I didn’t manage to get to it this week so I really hope to get a chance to read it in the coming days.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
This week I started reading the Frieda Klein series and loved Blue Monday so much that I immediately picked up the next book: Tuesday’s Gone by Nicci French! I don’t think I’ve read a series back to back since I was a child but it’s really nice to get absorbed in a series, especially one where all the books are already published so no having to wait for the next one!
My husband and I were very late getting to The Sopranos and only watched it for the first time this year! Better late than never though as we both absolutely loved it. So when I spotted Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive History of the Sopranos by Michael Imperioli on NetGalley I immediately requested and it as soon as I was approved I started reading it. It’s based on a podcast and I’m definitely going to check that out once I’ve read the book.
Recent Reads
As I said above I picked up Blue Monday by Nicci French this week and loved it. Freida Klein is such an interesting character and I can’t wait to find out more about her.
I also listened to Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam on audio book this week and found it gripping! I’d heard good things about this one and it lived up to the hype. I’ve now heard that Netflix are adapting this book so I’m really keen to see what they do with it as I think it would make a great film.
I bought and read People Like Them by Samira Sedira this week and found it such a chilling but also brilliant novel. It’s based on a real life murder, which I don’t remember hearing about, but knowing how close to true it is made it really hard to read at times. The writing is great though and I would read more by this author if any of her other work gets translated.
I bought Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner with an Audible credit and listened to it straight away. I connected so much with this book – a memoir about the author’s mother’s diagnosis and death from cancer. She really captures what the loss is like and the ways it affects a person. This is a book that will stay with me and I think is going to be one of my favourite non-fiction reads of the year.
What I Might Read Next
If I enjoyed Tuesday as much I enjoyed Monday then I plan on reading Waiting for Wednesday by Nicci French over the next week.
Both Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson and My Mother, Munchausen’s and Me by Helen Naylor are from my NetGalley shelf and are really appealing to me at the moment so I hope to read them in the coming days.
I’ve not read a huge amount of books whilst on my blogging break but I have read a few and they’ve been so good. Today I’m sharing some mini reviews of recent NetGalley reads and I highly recommend all five of these books!
Safe at Home by Lauren North
I loved Lauren North’s first novel so am always keen to read anything new by her and I’m so pleased to say that I enjoyed this one. Safe at Home follows Anna who is a very anxious mother. One evening she leaves her eleven year old daughter home alone for a short period but she gets held up. When she gets back her daughter has unexplained bruising but won’t talk about it. The next day a businessman is reported missing. I found this novel to be very gripping. I was immediately curious about why Anna was so anxious and over-protective and wanted to know what could have happened to her daughter. Throughout the novel we see snippets of the local mums’ whatsapp group, which I loved as we see the way they appear nice and supportive and then the way they talk behind other mums’ backs. The gradual reveals of what has happened were really good and this novel definitely kept me on my toes. I didn’t see the ending coming and I love that it shocked me. I recommend this one!
All For You by Louise Jensen
I’ve read and enjoyed all of Louise Jensen’s previous novels and this one was just as good. It follows three members of a family: Lucy the mum, Aidan the dad and Connor their teenage son. In this novel all three of them have their secrets so when threatening messages begin appearing each of them believes these messages are aimed at them. Then one day two of Connor’s best friends go missing and the worry is that Connor might be next. I loved how this novel kept me on my toes. I had my suspicions throughout the novel and some of them proved correct but most were completely wrong as I just didn’t see the bigger picture of what was going on. I sped through this novel and didn’t want to put it down so I definitely recommend it!
Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah
Next of Kin is a brilliant novel but it’s not always easy to read. It follows Leila who one day is asked to take her very young nephew to nursery on her way to work. She agrees but later in the day when the baby’s father rings her to ask why his son isn’t at nursery Leila realises her mistake and races to her car. There are distressing scenes in this book but the story is really well written and the issues are sensitively handled. The novel follows the aftermath of Leila’s discovery and the guilt of various members of the family. I love how it explored the ramifications for Leila and her sister’s relationship. This is the third book I’ve read by Kia Abdullah and her writing just keeps getting better and better – I already can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.
The Heights by Louise Candlish
The Heights follows Ellen a couple of years previously as she tries to deal with her teenage son making a new friend at school who seems to be a really bad influence. She tries her hardest to split them up but never manages it. The novel also follows her in the present as one day whilst at work she sees Kieron, he son’s friend, but it can’t really be him because she knows he’s dead! The novel then goes back and forth in time as we learn what happened with her son and Kieron and what revenge Ellen exacted to get him out of her son’s life. I was completely engrossed in this novel and read it in one sitting – it’s absolutely my favourite of all of Louise Candlish’s novels to date and I highly recommend it!
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
I listened to the audio book of this, which is narrated brilliantly by Rosamund Pike. The novel follows three women: Laura who is hot-headed and often judged for it; Miriam who sees Laura fleeing the scene of a murder but who knows you can’t always believe everything you see; and Carla who is reeling the shock from finding out that her nephew has been murdered. These three women are all fascinating and I loved getting to know more about all of them and seeing the layers of what makes them who they are slowly getting peeled back. They all have damage and they all have issues but they’re all so interesting to get to know. I wanted to know who the murderer was and why but it was almost secondary to getting to know the women. I very much enjoyed this novel and I recommend it!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Orphans of the Storm by Celia Imrie
I just got approved to read this book from NetGalley yesterday and I couldn’t resist picking it up straight away. It’s a novel about the Titanic and it sounds really engrossing and interesting.
Recent Reads
I’ve not been reading much recently, hence why I haven’t posted a WWW for a couple of weeks but these are the five books I’ve finished since my last post.
All For You by Louise Jensen
This was another really good, fast-paced and gripping thriller by Louise Jensen. It captured my attention at a time when I’ve been struggling to read.
Freckles by Cecelia Ahern
I did struggle to get into this novel but once I did I found it hard to put down. It follows Freckles as she tries to navigate her way through life and to work out which people are the most important and influential to her.
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
I really enjoyed this sequel to The Thursday Murder Club, it was gripping and fun as well as being an intriguing mystery.
The Long Long Afternoon by Inga Vesper
I bought this ebook a while ago and picked it up recently and I was engrossed from start to finish. It follows the mystery of a suburban housewife who suddenly disappears one day.
The Sleeping Beauties by Suzanne O’Sullivan
This is a fascinating non-fiction book looking at mysterious illnesses around the world that all seem to have something in common. It explores the different terminology around what is now called Functional Neurological Disorder and it’s very interesting and thought-provoking.
What I Might Read Next
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson
We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride
I’m still not reading very much at the moment but these two books are the next ones on my NetGalley shelf so I’m hoping to get to them over the coming week.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
I’ve only read the first couple of chapters of this one so far but I’m enjoying it. I loved the first book in the series so I have high hopes for this!
Freckles by Cecelia Ahern
I love Cecelia Ahern’s writing so have been really keen to get to this one and I’m really enjoying it. It feels different to some of her other novels but it’s very good and I can’t wait to read more.
Intimations by Zadie Smith
This is an essay collection written during the early days of the pandemic. I love Zadie Smith’s writing so I’m enjoying that aspect but the actual content isn’t engaging me as much as I hoped it would. I’m still keen to read more though.
Recent Reads
Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig
This is a brilliant book all about Rebekah’s life as a disabled person and I found it so relatable. The things that she has experienced and the ignorance some people show towards her is both eye-opening and so similar to my own experiences of being a wheelchair user. I would recommend this book to everyone, it’s such a good read.
How to Save a Life by Liz Fenton
I got the ebook of this one on Kindle Unlimited and it came with the audio version so I listened to it. It was an okay read but it’s not one that’ll stay with me. It follows a man who bumps into his ex girlfriend and they agree to go on a date but on that date she dies. The novel is then him stuck in groundhog day as he keeps waking up on the same day and trying to save her life.
Justice for Helen by Marie Mccourt
This is a non-fiction book that Marie wrote about her daughter Helen. Helen was murdered in 1986 and her killer was convicted but to this day has refused to say where her body is. Marie has successfully campaigned for Helen’s Law whereby at parole hearings it must be taken into account how much the killer has complied with authorities. Sadly the bill was passed after Helen’s killer was released. Marie has written such a moving account of her daughter’s life, and of the years she has had without her. It’s a book that will really stay with me and I absolutely recommend it.
Nothing But Blue Sky by Kathleen MacMahon
I listened to this on audio and loved it. I will admit that the first chapter didn’t grab me and I wasn’t sure it was going to be for me but then a moment came where I just fell in love with it and I couldn’t stop listening. This follows a man in the aftermath of his wife’s death – it’s a novel about grief and loss but also about love and about how you learn to live after the worst has happened.
Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn
I’ve already reviewed this book so you can find my thoughts here.
Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah
This was another really good read! This is a novel that is hard to read at times due to the subject matter but it’s a great read and so I would recommend it. It follows two sisters in the aftermath of a tragedy where a young child dies due to one sister forgetting he was in her car. The court case that follows threatens to tear the sisters apart. The exploration of all the different emotions and actions in this case is handled really well and I did enjoy this one (if enjoy is the right word).
What I Might Read Next
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson
We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride
I got both of these books from NetGalley a few days ago and I’m really keen to start them so I’ll hopefully be picking them up once I’ve finished my current reads.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn
I’ve read the first five chapters of this one so far and I can’t wait to read more. It’s a fascinating look at the history of how women have been treated by medical professionals over the years.
Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah
I started this book yesterday and I am gripped. It follows the awful story of a young child dying in a hot car having been forgotten about. The novel then follows the child’s parents and his mother’s sister, who left the child as we find out what happened. I feel like there are going to be twists and turns in this novel and I’m intrigued to see where it’s going.
Recent Reads
All My Mothers by Joanna Glen
This book is beautiful, I adored it! It follows Eva who lives with her parents who are quite cold and she never feels like she fits with them. Over the years she enjoys other people’s families and sees what she has missed out on. Ultimately this is a novel about found family and how that can bring you so much, and be just as important as the family you start out with. I loved this novel and I highly recommend it.
The Heights by Louise Candlish
Wow, this book is so good. I was gripped from start to finish and definitely think this is Candlish’s best book to date! This book follows a mother who becomes fixated on the boy who she knows is a bad influence on her son but things get out of control. I couldn’t put this book down, and now I’ve finished it I keep thinking about it!
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year and I’m really happy to say that it didn’t disappoint! It follows three women in the aftermath of a murder and it’s so gripping!
Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce
I very much enjoyed this audiobook. It is the sequel to Dear Mrs Bird and it was lovely to be back with Emmie and seeing how her life is going. This is a book looking at women’s issues during the war and it manages to both highlight how difficult it was while at the same time being a feel-good read. I loved this and I recommend it.
The Island Home by Libby Page
This is a lovely read and I very much enjoyed it. I loved reading about the characters and the island of Kip, it’s such a feel-good read. I recommend this one.
What I Might Read Next
Freckles by Cecelia Ahern
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
These are the next two books to be read from my NetGalley shelf and while they’re not published until September I’m so keen to get to them so will hopefully get to read them this week.
What are you at the moment? Have you read any good books recently? I’d love to know 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
The Island Home by Libby Page
Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce
Recent Reads
Death on Ocean Boulevard by Caitlin Rother
Fragile by Sarah Hilary
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
What I Might Read Next
All My Mothers by Joanna Glen
The Heights by Louise Candlish
Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah
What are you reading this week? What have you recently finished reading? I’d love to know! 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Death on Ocean Boulevard by Caitlin Rother
This is a true crime book about the death of Rebecca who was found dead in an apparent suicide but the way her body was found makes it seem very implausible that she did this to herself. The crime scene was compromised early on due to it initially being called in as a suicide. I don’t remember this case at the time so I know nothing about what happens but it’s devastating to read about what happened.
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
I’m about a quarter of the way into this one and so far this is Alice Feeney at her best! The novel so far follows a married couple who are having a weekend away in the middle of nowhere to try and get their marriage back on track. We follow each of their points of view in alternating chapters interspersed with a letter from the wife to her husband that she has written on each of their anniversaries. There is a real sense of unease from the start with this novel and I feel quite on edge reading it – I can’t wait to read more though and to see where this novel is going!
Recent Reads
Safe at Home by Lauren North
This is such a gripping read following an anxious woman who feels the need to keep her children close. One night she trusts one of her eleven year old daughters to stay home alone for twenty minutes but she gets delayed and when she gets home it’s clear something has happened but her daughter won’t talk about it. I really enjoyed this novel, it kept me guessing all the way through.
Hope Close by Tina Seskis
I got this one on audio from Kindle Unlimited and I enjoyed listening to it. It follows a handful of residents on Hope Close, all with their secrets to hide and it follows them as things begin to resurface and cause issues in the present.
The Other Wife by Claire McGowan
I also listened to this one on Kindle Unlimited and it was an okay book. It follows three women who all seem separate from one another but it seems certain that their paths will cross at some point. There are twists in store and some of them caught me off guard but it was just an okay read for me.
The Lucky Eight by Sheila Bugler
This was a fun read following a group of people who all survived the same plane crash and are now bound together as being part of the media-dubbed ‘lucky eight’. There are secrets and lies amongst this group and so when one of them is found dead – presumed murdered – the pressure mounts. I enjoyed this one, it kept me gripped all the way through.
Stronger by Poorna Bell
I love Poorna Bell’s writing so was keen to get to this one. I borrowed the audiobook from the library and I listened to it over two days. This is the author’s story of how she found sport after her husband’s sudden death. She got into weight lifting and the book is all about how sport can help in all aspects of life – physical and mental – and I found it fascinating. I can’t exercise in any meaningful way because of my disability but I am working on losing weight to improve my health and I know the difference it makes when your body starts to feel stronger and healthier.
The Miracle Pill by Peter Walker
This is another fascinating audiobook about how our sedentary lives are damaging our health in so many ways. It’s full of science and anecdotal evidence along with the author’s own experiences and I found it to be so interesting. I would recommend this to everyone and I’m planning on buying a kindle copy so I can read it and highlight relevant sections.
What I Might Read Next
Fragile by Sarah Hilary
Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn
The Pact by Sharon Bolton
As usual I don’t know what I’ll read this week but the above three are the ones that are calling to me the most right now!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
The Island Home by Libby Page
I wanted to save this book to read this week as when this post goes live I’ll have had my second vaccine (and hopefully I won’t be feeling as ill as with the first) and know that Libby Page writes such engaging, comforting books. I’ve only read the first couple of chapters so far but I know I’m going to love this one.
The Miracle Pill by Peter Walker
I bought this audio book on a whim in the recent Audible sale and I’m so glad I did. This is a really interesting book about how we got so sedentary and how we can change. There is so much information about how the smallest changes can have a huge impact on our bodies and I’m finding it so motivating as I continue on my weight loss journey.
Recent Reads
All the Young Men by Ruth Coker-Burks
I bought a copy of this on Kindle in the end as I was struggling to read the print book and I’m so glad I did. This book is so moving but such an incredible read. Ruth is an amazing woman, the way she reached out to men who were dying from AIDS and ostracised from their families as a result is incredible. She acknowledged her fear but she pushed through because her compassion won through. This is a book everyone should read.
56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
I devoured this thriller in one sitting, I honestly just didn’t want to put it down for a minute! It’s a lockdown novel focusing on a couple who have been on a handful of dates at the beginning of Coronavirus restrictions and they decide to move in together so they can still see each other in lockdown. The novel opens with a body being found and then goes back and forth in time as we learn who is dead, what happened and how the couple are connected. It’s such a gripping book, I loved it!
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
I read most of this novel in one sitting too as it was just so gripping and I wanted to know what happened! It follows a young mum as she struggles in her relationship with her boyfriend, and is captivated by a new friend at college. We also follow her mum in the aftermath of her daughter’s disappearance. This book had me so enthralled, I was annoyed when real life pulled me away from the story. I recommend this one too!
Both of You by Adele Parks
This is another great read from this week. It’s a novel about a woman that goes missing, and her husband as he tries to work out what happened. We also get the perspective of the police. The case becomes even more intense when another woman goes missing and her husband seems a little off. I really enjoyed this book, it kept me on my toes all the way through. I had to suspend disbelief at times, and I did work out what was going on quite early but none of that stopped me enjoying the novel.
Passenger List by John Dryden
This novel follows Kaitlin as she desperately hunts for the truth when the plane her twin brother was travelling on goes missing. She doesn’t believe the official story and is determined to find out what happened to her brother and the other passengers. This novel was different to what I was expecting and it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief but it was a quick, fun read.
What I Might Read Next
The Lucky Eight by Sheila Bugler
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn
These are the next three books on my NetGalley shelf so I hope to get to them this week. I don’t know how much reading I’ll get done, it depends how I feel post vaccine but hopefully I’ll be fine this time and can keep reading!
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Passenger List by John Dryden
I started this book yesterday and it’s such a fast-paced, gripping read that I don’t think I’ll be long finishing it. It follows a young woman whose brother was one of the passengers on a plane that went missing. She is seeking the truth about what happened to him and the flight.
All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks
I haven’t managed to read anymore of this book this week due to my eye issues but I’ve now bought a kindle copy so I’m definitely going to be reading a lot more of it this week.
Recent Reads
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
I listened to the audiobook of this one on Audible and I really enjoyed it. It’s the story of a woman who is writing a book about Opal and Nev, whilst also wanting to find out more about what happened the night her father was killed. It’s a very engaging read that really draws you in and I was listening every chance I had as I wanted to find out how it would all end.
Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones
This is Tayari Jones’ debut novel and it’s so good. It’s a novel told from the perspectives of three black children in Atlanta in the 1970s during the time when young black people were disappearing and being murdered but the authorities were not doing as much as they should have been to investigate and find the killer. I knew about about the real life murders but this novel told from the point of view of children was heartbreaking and devastating. This is a book that I’ll be thinking about for a very long time to come.
Everything Happens for a Reason by Katie Allen
This is a moving novel about Rachel whose baby was born sleeping and now she’s on maternity leave and trying to find a way to understand what happened to her son. She decides to track down a man whose life she saved on the day she found out she was pregnant. I really enjoyed this novel – it explores grief in such a powerful way but the story is balanced with some lighter moments. I’ll be reviewing this one tomorrow but in the meantime I recommend it!
What I Might Read Next
Both of You by Adele Parks
Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn
The Island Home by Libby Page
All three of these books are the next books on my NetGalley shelf so I hope to read them this week. I’ve accidentally requested a few new books recently so I want to focus on these books again so I can catch up again and get my reviews posted in a reasonable time frame.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Everything Happens for a Reason by Katie Allen
This is a moving novel about a woman trying to come to terms with, and understand the reasons for, the stillbirth of her son. She is trying desperately to find the reason why it happened and decides to try and find the man whose life she saved the day she found out she was pregnant. I’m really enjoying this one so far and am keen to read more of it very soon.
All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks
This book is just incredible and if it weren’t for my eye problems I think I would have read it in one sitting. As it is I can only manage a few pages at a time so I’m thinking of buying a kindle copy so that I can just read it all now, I really want to get to know Ruth’s story of her time caring for men with AIDS in a time when there was very little care from anyone else in her community.
Recent Reads
Super Sick by Allison Alexander
I really enjoyed this non-fiction book which explores Allison’s experiences of chronic illness and pain through the lens of superheroes. I loved the way she wrote this book and it added a different dynamic to her story. I could identify with a lot of what is in this book being disabled and a chronic pain sufferer myself. I will be reviewing this one as soon as I’ve got my thoughts in order but in the meantime I recommend it.
The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker
I got approved for the audiobook of this from NetGalley this week and I immediately started listening to it. It’s a novel told in two timelines about a young girl who murdered a younger child. Her story is heartbreaking and you can’t help but feel for her with the life she has led. This is such a good read and one I’ll be thinking of for a while to come.
This is How We Are Human by Louise Beech
This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in a really long time. It’s the story of Sebastian, an autistic young man who just wants to have sex; his lovely mum; and Violetta who works as an escort in order to be able to pay for specialist care for her father. Louise is such an incredible writer and I can’t put into words how amazing this book is. I will be reviewing it later this week once I’ve got my thoughts together but I definitely recommend it!
True Crime Story by Joseph Knox
Oh my goodness, this book is brilliant! It’s the best crime fiction book I’ve read in ages and I keep finding myself thinking about it. It follows a woman who is writing a book about a missing young woman, and her email correspondence with Joseph Knox. We also get to read all the chapters of her book along side her and Joseph’s chats about it. This is a book that keeps you on your toes all the way to the end – it’s creepy and gripping and it’s just a rollercoaster ride. I recommend this one!
What I Might Read Next
Passenger List by John Dryden
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones
I don’t know what I’ll read this week but Passenger List is the next book on my NetGalley shelf so I hope to get to this one. The other two are books that I treated myself to this week and am very keen to read so I really want to try and make time to read them.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
True Crime Story by Joseph Knox
This is such an intriguing book, I’m so keen to keep reading to see where it goes next!
All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks
This is an incredible memoir and Ruth is such an amazing woman. I hope to read more of it this week.
Recent Reads
Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
I borrowed the audio book of this from the library and I found it such a fascinating book from which I learnt a lot that I didn’t know. I’d quite like to buy a kindle copy of this one so that I can read it again in the future.
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
This is a stunning book – it’s both very moving and very funny, it captures what it’s like to live with a mental illness so well. I recommend it.
What I Might Read Next
Passenger List by John Dryden
This is How We Are Human by Louise Beech
The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker
As is now the norm for me I’m planning on reading the next book on my NetGalley shelf which is Passenger List. I also would like to read This is How We Are Human as it’s for a forthcoming blog tour and I just know I’m going to adore it. The final book is off my own TBR and is one that I’m keen to read while I’m in the middle of a post-lockdown clear out in my home.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
I’ve only just started reading this book and I’m only a few pages into it so I can’t say much about it as yet except that I’m loving it.
All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks
This is the book I’ve been most anticipating from my 20 Books of Summer TBR and I’m so glad to finally be reading this one. It’s very moving but Ruth’s story is incredible, I’m keen to read more of this one as soon as I can.
Recent Reads
The Outsiders by James Corbett
This novel is brilliant. I just finished it yesterday and I’m sad that it’s over. It follows a man from 1981 to the present day and it covers real events which are woven through this character’s life. I’ll be reviewing this one soon once I’ve got my thoughts together.
This Lovely City by Louise Hare
I listened to the audio book of this one and I really enjoyed it. It is told from two perspectives and follows these characters in 1950s London. Lawrie arrived from Jamaica on Empire Windrush and is making a life for himself in London but one day he finds a dead baby and is immediately under suspicion. This is such an engaging novel and one that I didn’t want to stop listening to.
The Murder of Graham Catton by Katie Lowe
I enjoyed this novel about a woman whose husband is murdered in their family home and now ten years on the case is in the spotlight again due to a podcast about the murder. This novel does require suspension of disbelief but it’s still such a gripping page turner, it’s a fun read.
What I Might Read Next
Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn
True Crime Story by Joseph Knox
The Island Home by Libby Page
The above three books are the next ones to be published from my NetGalley shelf so I hope to get to them in the coming week.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
The Murder of Graham Catton by Katie Lowe
I just started reading this one yesterday but I’m already hooked and am really keen to see where this is going.
This Lovely City by Louise Hare
I haven’t had much chance for audio book listening this week so I’m not much further into this one. My husband is back at work next week though so I’ll be back to listening to books throughout the day so I hope to finish this one then.
I reviewed this book yesterday so you can find my full thoughts by clicking the title above. I very much enjoyed this one though and I recommend all three books in the series!
Falling by T. J. Newman
This is a very fast paced book following a plane hijacking and I couldn’t put this down. I ended up going to be very late as I simply had to know how it was going to end.
The Killing Kind by Jane Casey
This is a standalone book and I devoured it. It follows a barrister who believes a man she once defended is stalking her and wants her dead. The cat and mouse element of this novel is so tense and I found it very hard to put down.
One Last Time by Helga Flatland
This is a beautiful novel following three generations of a family when matriarch is diagnosed with terminal cancer. It’s such a moving novel but never depressing. This is my favourite book of the year so far – I’ll be reviewing it in June for the blog tour.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I very much enjoyed this novel. It follows the Riva family over the years in the build up to a big star-studded party that Nina hosts every year. I loved reading about the dynamics in this family and seeing how they all dealt with things that happened. I recommend this one.
What I Might Read Next
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
True Crime Story by Joseph Knox
The Outsiders by James Corbett
I’m still focusing on reading review books and this week I got approved for a couple more NetGalley books which are due to be published imminently so those are the first two on my reading plan for this week. The Outsiders was in my plans for last week but I didn’t quite get to it so I definitely want to pick this one up in the coming days.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
My reading has taken a bit of a backseat over the last week as my husband and I finally started watching The Sopranos and it is taking over our lives! We’ve both wanted to watch it ever since it was first on but somehow have never got around to it until now. He’s going back to work soon so we wanted to make a start on watching this before he went back. I’ve also been quite poorly ever since my vaccine a couple of weeks ago so binge watching a TV show has been perfect while I’m recovering.
Current Reads
One Last Time by Helga Flatland
I only started reading this one last night but I can already tell that I’m going to love it. It’s such a realistic and moving portrayal of mother daughter relationships. I can’t wait to read more!
This Lovely City by Louise Hare
I got this audiobook via the Borrowbox app and I’m really enjoying it. I’d heard only good things about it before I borrowed it so I’ve been keen to get to it.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This is another great book that I’m very much enjoying. It tells the story of four siblings in 1982, and the story of their parents in the late 50s onwards. At the moment I’m more invested in the story of the parents but I’m so keen to see where the novel is going!
Recent Reads
How to be Broken by Dr Emma Kavanagh
This book is incredible and I highly recommend it. It’s a nonfiction book looking at how stress and trauma affects our way of thinking but how our ‘broken brains’ have potential for post traumatic growth. I found this book so helpful and reassuring and it’s helped me understand some of my own behaviours better than anything I’ve read in a really long time. I’ll be reviewing this once I’ve got my thoughts into some kind of order.
The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
I borrowed the audiobook of this via Borrowbox and I really enjoyed it. I’ve kept seeing the book around and have been so intrigued by it so I’m glad I finally read it. It’s intriguing and tense, and now I want to know more about the real life story that inspired it.
Five Strangers by E. V. Adamson
This novel follows two women in the aftermath of a murder that one is a witness too. The premise of this book sounded so good but the novel was actually about something different so I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I hoped I would.
What I Might Read Next
The Killing Kind by Jane Casey
The Murder of Graham Catton by Katie Lowe
The Outsiders by James Corbett
I’m still predominantly reading my NetGalley books in publication order but with a couple of other review books mixed in so this week I hope to read the next two on NG and a book from Eye and Lightning that I got recently and am keen to read this month. I’m not reading quite as much at the moment with not being well but hopefully I’ll be back to full speed soon.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
Five Strangers by E. V. Adamson
I downloaded this one on a whim from NetGalley the other day as it sounded good. It’s about a woman who witnesses a brutal attack one day and then begins to question if she really saw things happen the way she thought she had. It’s told from two perspectives and is fast-paced. I’m enjoying it and am keen to see where it’s going!
Recent Reads
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour
I very much enjoyed this novel about a young black man who gets a great opportunity to work for a start up and life beings to get much more complicated. I hope to have my review posted of this one in the next few days but in the meantime I definitely recommend it.
This was a dark read that kept me gripped all the way through. Click the title if you’d like to read my mini review!
Luster by Raven Leilani
I borrowed this one on audio from the library and I don’t really know how I feel about it. I didn’t enjoy it and I’m not really sure what it was trying to do.
This was a fascinating memoir of a young black man’s experiences of going to Eton and I very much enjoyed it. Click the title if you’d like to read my mini review!
What I Might Read Next
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Murder of Graham Catton by Katie Lowe
One Last Time by Helga Flatland
I’m still reading my NetGalley books in order of publication so the first two books on my list for the coming week are the ones due to be published next so I hope to get to them this week. The third book is one I’m reading for a blog tour in June so I’d like to read it well ahead of time. I’m so looking forward to all three of these books, it feels like it could be an excellent reading week! 🙂
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Current Reads
One of Them by Musa Okwonga
This is such an interesting memoir about a young working class black man’s experience of going to Eton. I’m only a little way into this at the moment but I can’t wait to read more.
Recent Reads
This Party’s Dead by Erica Buist
This is a fascinating book about the author confronting her fear of death by going to death festivals around the world to see how other cultures deal with dying. I thought this was such a good read, and one that is filled with hope and peace.
You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
I didn’t enjoy this one very much. I borrowed the audiobook from the library and I did listen to the whole book but it wasn’t for me sadly.
Perimenopause Power by Maisie Hill
This was a useful read about perimenopause – some of it wasn’t for me but a lot of it was useful and interesting. This is a book that you can refer back to as it’s easy to navigate the chapters of the ebook to find the information you’re looking for so I will definitely be keeping it for the future.
The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird
This is a novel about a pandemic that is killing men across the world. I enjoyed the premise and seeing how the plague was dealt with. My only gripe is that it was hard to keep track of all the characters but I would still recommend it.
West of Jim Crow by Lynn M. Hudson
This is a fascinating nonfiction book about how the Jim Crow laws affected the lives of black people in California. I found this book eye-opening and horrifying but I learnt so much that I didn’t know. It’s an academic book but it’s very readable and I would recommend it to everyone.
What I Might Read Next
Madam by Phoebe Wynne
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
These are the next books on my NetGalley shelf so I’m hoping to get to them this week. I’m now reading my NG books in publication order so these books have either been published very recently or are due to be published very soon. I’m writing and scheduling this post on Monday as I’m having my vaccine this week and don’t know how I’ll be afterwards so it might be that I don’t read much this week or that I need to pick up whichever book catches my eye. These are the books I’d like to read next though.
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!
Well, it’s the second week in a row where I’ve just been reading every chance I’ve got so it really feels like the reading slump might finally be over. I’m still reading my way through my NetGalley shelf and this focused approach is really working for me. I’ve been approved for one book this week but I’ve read and reviewed four books so my shelf now stands at 11 books and my ratio is at 98% (for the first time ever!!).
Current Reads
The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird
I only started this one last night so have only read the first couple of chapters but I’m gripped already! This is set during a pandemic that is killing men. It feels a bit strange to read a pandemic book during a pandemic but I think this is going to be a really good read.
Perimenopause Power by Maisie Hill
I’m finding this book really interesting and helpful so far. It’s a good book for women in their early 40s to pick up and it’s set out in easy to follow chapters on different aspects of perimenopause. Some of it is less interesting to me personally but other bits are incredibly helpful.
West of Jim Crow by Lynn M. Hudson
I’ve been reading this one slowly over the past week and am now over a third of the way through and am finding it to be such an eye-opening read. I had no idea that the Jim Crow laws had such an impact on the laws in California well into the 1900s. This is quite an academic book but it’s very accessible and I’d recommend it.
Recent Reads
I’ve already reviewed all of the books that I’ve read this week so you can find out more about what I thought about them by clicking the titles.
As I said at the start of this post I’m working on reading my way through my NetGalley shelf and so these three books are the next ones to be published so I hope to get to these this week.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading!
Well, I don’t want to jinx myself but it seems like my reading slump may finally be over! I’ve had the best reading week that I’ve had in months and months so I’m really hoping this is me back on track. I’ve been reading through my outstanding NetGalley books in order I downloaded them until I caught up with current and forthcoming titles (and then I’ll start reading in publication order) and this seems to be working for me. I have always been a mood reader and a set TBR has never worked for me before but it seems that right now what my brain needs is a plan so I’m sticking with it. My NetGalley shelf only has 18 books remaining (down from 54 at the start of the year) and my feedback ratio is at 97%. I’m determined to catch up on these books before I request any new ones.
Current Reads
The Appeal by Janice Hallett
This book is so good! It’s a murder investigation but the novel is all the documents the investigators have to work with so you’re reading lots of emails and text messages and notes. At first I thought it was going to be confusing to follow with quite a large cast of characters but the voices are all distinct from each other so once you get into it it’s easy to follow. I can’t wait to read more!
Dead Perfect by Noelle Holten
This is the third in a crime detective series and I’m enjoying catching up with all the characters. This novel is very tense as the murderer is seemingly obsessed with Dr Kate Moloney and so the team is on a race against time to solve the case before anything happens to her.
West of Jim Crow by Lynn M. Hudson
I’ve only read the introduction to this one so far but I’m keen to read more. This is an academic book about how the Jim Crow laws affected people in California. I plan on reading this one chapter at a time and then putting it down to digest what I’ve read before reading the next chapter. I want to be able to absorb what I’m reading.
Recent Reads
The titles in green below are books that I’ve already reviewed so please click on the titles if you’d like to know more. 🙂
This was such a disturbing and gripping novel but one that I couldn’t put down – I read it all in one sitting as I simply had to know what was going on! I really enjoyed this one.
This is a stunning novel that explores the grief that comes after a sudden death of a loved one and the repercussions of having to work out where you go from here. It has four sections – each narrated by a different member of the family as we learn what their motivations are and why they are being the way they are. I adored this novel, it’s one that feels like it will really stay with me and I’m sure it will be in my best books of the year!
What I Might Read Next
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson
The Ends of the Earth by Abbie Greaves
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
These are the next three books on my NetGalley shelf so as I said at the start of this post I’m reading through a strict TBR now instead of mood reading so I fully expect to pick these books up this week. I still can’t believe that I’m not mood reading at the moment but it’s working so I’m going with it! 🙂
RatherTooFondofBooks 