Weekly Wrap-Up!

Cream and Blue Brush Strokes Graduation Twitter Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekly Wrap-Up!

Cream and Blue Brush Strokes Graduation Twitter Post

I’ve not been very well this week so it’s been a really quiet week for me. I’ve not read as much or blogged as much as the previous week or two but hopefully I’ll be back in the swing of things soon!

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I’ve just finished reading The Dilemma by B. A. Paris. I picked it on a whim as I’d read some good reviews of it and I flew through it. I’ve found the author’s previous novels a mixed bag but this book was so good! I just didn’t want to put it down and read it in two sittings. I recommend it if you haven’t already read it.

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I’ve got a couple of books on the go at the moment but my main read is I Want You Gone by Miranda Rijks. I’ve had a review copy of this on my NetGalley shelf for quite a long time so wanted to make sure I picked it up before too much longer. I’m now kicking myself for leaving it so long because I’m completely invested in this novel and am really intrigued to find out what’s going to happen.

 

 

TV-wise I’m still watching Richard Osman’s House of Games every weeknight. I’m also gripped by White House Farm. I did watch a film this week too – my husband and I rented IT: Chapter 2. It’s not remotely scary but we both enjoyed the story and it kept us engrossed all the way through.

 

On my blog this week I did a weekly wrap-up post last Sunday.

On Monday I shared mini reviewsof three books: One Little Mistake by Emma Curtis, 17 Church Row by James Carol, and Dare Me by Megan Abbott.

On Wednesday I wrote about what I was currently reading, what I’d recently read or what I planned on reading next in my WWW Wednesday post.

Then yesterday I shared my book haul from this week. I got some amazing books over the last few days so am a very happy book worm!

 

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

Weekly Wrap-Up!

Cream and Blue Brush Strokes Graduation Twitter Post

This week has been another quiet week as I’m still not doing so well. It has meant that I’ve been doing lots of reading though so I’m very happy to have lovely books to escape into!

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Just yesterday I finished reading The Murders at White House Farm by Carol Ann Lee, which was such a fascinating and in-depth book. I wanted to read more about this case after seeing the adverts for the new ITV drama based on the case and I’m so glad that this was the book I picked.

 

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As usual I have a few books on the go at the moment but the one I’m focusing on is What She Saw Last Night by Mason Cross. It’s such an intriguing book that had me gripped from the opening pages and I can’t wait to find out what happened on this train!

 

 

TV wise this week I’ve been really enjoying Richard Osman’s House of Games, which is my absolute favourite game show ever! If you’ve never seen it it’s on BBC2 on weeknights at 6pm. I love that it involves a brain work out but you don’t need to know loads of stuff. I recommend it!

 

It’s been a busy week on the blog this week as I’ve had a new post up every day.

I posted a weekly wrap-up last Sunday and I’m hoping to keep this up as I do enjoy putting together a post of what’s been happening in the week.

On Monday I shared my review of The Choice by Claire Wade, a novel that I found both gripping and thought-provoking so I recommend it!

On Tuesday I posted my review of The Fallout by Rebecca Thornton, another book that I enjoyed. It’s all about toxic friendships plus secrets and lies, which I’m always drawn to in fiction!

On Wednesday I posted my WWW Wednesday post where I share all the books that I’m currently reading, the books I’ve read over the course of the week and what I plan to read over the next week.

On Thursday I shared a mini review posts and wrote about The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale and It’s A Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans. I adored both of these books, they made me happy and I now want to read everything that both authors have written!

On Friday I shared my review of The Home by Sarah Stovell. This book was stunning and I already feel like it’s going to be one of my favourite books of 2020!

Yesterday I posted another book haul! Ooops! I do want to read more of the books that I already own this year but I always find January such a hard month so I’m giving myself a pass until February!

 

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

Weekly Wrap-Up (5 Jan 20)!

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

My Weekly Wrap-Up (4 Feb)!

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This week started off okay but has been a bit rubbish latterly. It’s affected my reading and so far I haven’t read a single thing in February – not even a chapter of a book let alone an entire book. I did finish a couple of books before January ended so have read those this week but it’s not been a good week. I’m hoping my concentration returns very soon so that I can get back to my reading.

My MacBook has had another wobble, which has made blogging quite difficult. I’m so glad that I do prepare some posts in advance so that I can edit them on my phone but it makes it hard to keep up with reading blogs and commenting. We think the issue with my MacBook is something to do with a recent software update so it’s trial and error at the moment trying to find a workaround until a patch is released.

 

This week I’ve finished reading two books:

Spaceman by Mike Massimino

This book was a surprise birthday present from my husband and I adored it. It grabbed me from the first page and I didn’t put this book down from that moment on until I finished it. It’s such an interesting insight into astronaut training at NASA and I think it may well be a book that I re-read at some point.

Winter by Ali Smith

This took me a while to read because my copy was very tightly bound, making it hard for me to hold, but it was actually nice in a way to be forced to read slowly and to savour it because it’s a brilliant novel. I love Ali Smith’s writing and I think this might be my new favourite by her!

 

This week I’ve blogged four times:

My Weekly Wrap-Up Post

My WWW Wednesday Post

My January Wrap-Up Post

My Birthday Book Haul

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

I’ve been intending to start re-reading this series for a little while now but learning of the death of Sue Grafton in December really made me think I needed to make an effort to pick the books up again. I do love Kinsey Millhone, she’s a great character and I’m really enjoying being back in her world.

The Note by Zoe Folbigg

I read the first couple of chapters of this book before I hit my slump and was enjoying it so I’m looking forward to getting back into it.

The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd

This book is really good and I’m so intrigued about where it’s going to go so I’m very keen to pick this back up. I don’t want my mood to affect my reading enjoyment though so I’ve been waiting until my head was in the right place again.

Spark Joy by Marie Kondo

I’ve not read anymore of this since last week but I hope to get back to this one very soon as non-fiction is often the thing that gets me back reading after a slump.

 


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

 

 

 

My Weekly Wrap-Up (28 Jan)!

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This week has been a mixed week really. It was the anniversary of my mum’s death earlier in the week, which hit me harder this year than in previous years. It’s strange how grief can still catch you offguard even after the passing of time.

In happier news my husband took me out for coffee and cake mid-week – it was the first time I’ve left the house since before Christmas (apart from a couple of hospital appointments) so it was really lovely.

It’s my birthday this weekend. I won’t be opening my presents until later on today but there are a few book-shaped parcels so I’m thinking I might have another book haul soon!

 

This week I’ve finished reading four books:

This is How it Ends by Eva Dolan

I finished this book yesterday and it was so good! I read an ARC so I hope to get my review written and posted very soon but in the meantime I definitely recommend this book!

I Let Him Go by Denise Fergus

I bought this last week and read it the same day. It’s a very moving and honest memoir; a book that will stay with me.

Meeting Lydia by Linda MacDonald

I listened to the audio book of this and really enjoyed it. I got completely swept up in Marianne’s story. I reviewed this book yesterday so you can read more of my thoughts here if you’d like to.

Three Things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon

I read this book last weekend and I still don’t have the words. It was so stunningly beautiful and I already want to read it again. This is my new favourite book and I highly, highly recommend it!

 

This week I’ve blogged four times:

My Weekly Wrap-Up post

WWW Wednesday post

Stacking the Shelves post

Review of Meeting Lydia by Linda MacDonald

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

The Break by Marian Keyes

I picked this up yesterday afternoon and am really enjoying it. I wasn’t sure about the premise at first but Marian Keyes’ writing is so lovely that I got completely hooked and am now loving it!

Spark Joy by Marie Kondo

I’ve read a couple more chapters of this book this week and am now really in the mood to find some de-cluttering to do. I don’t agree with all of Marie Kondo’s ideas but I still enjoy her books.

Winter by Ali Smith

I was finally able to pick this up again this week and managed to read another chunk of it. I had hoped to finish it yesterday but alas my hands let me down and I couldn’t read a print book. Hopefully I’ll get to read to the end very soon because it really is a brilliant read.

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The State of the TBR:

Well, if you saw my Stacking the Shelves post yesterday you will know that I’ve added seven books to my TBR this week. I was good though and have already read one of my new books so only six are being added to the TBR. I’m feeling really pleased with myself though because I also got rid of 24 books over the past week, which means my TBR has actually decreased by seventeen to 2737!

 

 

 


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up (19 Nov)!

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I want to start this post by saying a huge thank you to everyone who visits my blog, and especially to this who have commented recently. I’m aware that I’m slow to respond at the moment, and also that I’m not managing to comment on as many of your blogs as I’d like to, but I will get there. Please know that even when it takes me a while I respond, I do very much appreciate every comment.

This week has been quite quiet as I’ve not been feeling great. I have got a lot of reading done though, which has been lovely. I’ve been seeking escapism in books as I have another round of medical appointments and tests coming up and I don’t want to think about those until I have to.

Last night my husband and I curled up and watched The Deer Hunter, which we haven’t seen in a few years. It was so nice to just relax and watch a film together but it doesn’t matter how many times you see this film, it’s never not heartbreaking.

 

This week I’ve finished reading seven books:

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis

This is a book that I was going to put on my #NonFictionNovember2017 TBR and then forgot about! I spotted it this week and was just in the mood to read it so decided to go ahead anyway. I read it in two sittings and found it such a fascinating insight into what goes on in Wall Street.

The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

I really enjoyed reading this book! I read it a chapter or two at a time throughout the week in between other books and it really worked for me like that. If I’m to be completely honest I did find the author a bit irritating and she didn’t seem to have much of a concept of how lucky she was but, having said that, I loved reading about the lifestyle in Denmark and it has made me want to move there! I’d still recommend the book too.

Whatever… Love is Love by Maria Bello

This is another non-fiction book that wasn’t on my TBR for this month but it caught my eye amongst my audio books. It was an interesting listen, and some parts were thought-provoking but I don’t think it’s a book that will really stick with me.

Saving Sophie by Sam Carrington

This is a novel that I read this week as I was in need of some escapism and non-fiction wasn’t giving me that so instead I picked up this book, which I owned before this year so it’s another one that counts towards my Mount TBR challenge on Goodreads. I enjoyed this thriller, it kept me interested all the way through and I’ll definitely pick up Sam’s next book, Bad Sister.

Thinking Out Loud: Love, Grief and Being Mum and Dad by Rio Ferdinand (with Decca Aitkenhead)

This is such a powerful book about Rio’s grief after the death of his wife. I found it to be a really honest and moving book. I’ve already reviewed this so you can read more of my thoughts on it here if you’d like to.

A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke

This was the other novel that I read this week when needing some escapism. I really enjoyed this book – I do love Lucy Clarke’s writing.

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This is a very short book that I’ve been meaning to read for ages and I’m glad I finally got to it. It’s one of those books that makes you think about your own thoughts and ideas about things.

 

This week I’ve blogged three times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Thursday: Review of Thinking Out Loud by Rio Ferdinand (with Decca Aitkenhead)

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

I just started this book yesterday but it’s already got me engrossed. I don’t think it’ll take me very long to read this. I’m expecting it to be quite harrowing at times but I’ve seen so many people recommend it that I have to read it.

Dear Cathy… Love, Mary by Catherine Conlon and Mary Phelan

This is letters between Catherine and Mary in 1984 – the year they leave school and one goes on to further study and the other goes to France to be an au pair. I’m so enjoying this one, it’s wonderful.

Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie

This is a really interesting look at Coco Chanel’s life and I’m really enjoying it. My copy of the book is physically very heavy so I’ll be quite slow to read this but it’s such a treat every time I pick it up.

The Everything Store by Brad Stone

I haven’t read much more of this over the last week but I will be getting back to it soon as I was finding it really interesting.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up (12 Nov)

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This week has been one of those weeks that has disappeared and I’m not sure where it went. My husband had a week off, which was nice. I also had a Grey’s Anatomy marathon starting last weekend as I saw an ad for season 14 and realised that I hadn’t seen Season 13 (it’s because we had a year away from Sky)! So as the episodes were only going to be available until Tuesday I had to get them seen. I’m caught up now but have series linked the new series as my brain needs a small TV break before I watch the new episodes! All the TV watching has eaten into my reading time but I have still managed to finish some books this week.

 

This week I’ve finished reading three books:

Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Life by David Cavanagh

I’ve been dipping in and out of this book for a few weeks now but this week I got so engrossed in it that I finished the last third of the book in one sitting. I really enjoyed this book, but it was sad to get to the end and be reminded all over again that John Peel is gone.

The Emperor of all Maladies by Siddharta Mukherjee

I read the whole of this book this week and it was brilliant. It’s quite a long book, and it does have a lot of detail and yet it doesn’t feel heavy-going. I found it utterly fascinating and am now planning to read the author’s book on genes in the coming months.

It’s Not Yet Dark by Simon Fitzmaurice

I’ve had this book on my TBR for a while and hadn’t picked it up because there was a brief time when MND was considered as a possible cause of my symptoms, and just the thought of it was terrifying. This book is incredible and is one that will really stay with me. It’s both sad and uplifting, and it’s always inspiring – I recommend it.

 

This week I’ve blogged three times:

 

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up Post

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday Post

Thursday: Review of Aches and Gains: A Comprehensive Guide to Overcoming your Pain by Paul J. Christo

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

I’ve had this on my TBR for ages and finally started reading it last night and I’m loving it. I’ve been reading bits out to my husband and now we both want to move to Denmark (and I’m only on chapter two!). I’m enjoying how this is a personal exploration of Jutland but includes info and stats about Denmark as a whole that really add to the reading experience.

A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke

I did say that I was only going to read non-fiction this month but Friday was a bit of a day so I needed escapism and my non-fiction picks weren’t cutting it. I’m enjoying this book, it’s been a good book to get lost in.

The Everything Store by Jeff Bezos

I have only read a couple more chapters of this book this week as I focused on the other books I was reading but I am still finding this really interesting and so will get back to it properly this coming week.

 


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up (5 Nov)

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This week I decided to take part in non-fiction November so I spent a while sorting through my print and kindle books to make a TBR for that. I read a fair bit of non-fiction anyway but I’m enjoying challenging myself to spend a whole month devoted to it. I haven’t felt too well this week but have been able to escape into books so I’ve been very glad of that.

 

This week I’ve finished reading five books:

This House of Grief by Helen Garner

I started this book about three weeks ago but I had to put it down because it felt a bit too overwhelming for me to read in one go. I picked it back up yesterday and found I then couldn’t put it down, I had to get to the end to see what happened. I think this book will stay with me for a long time to come and may well make it onto my favourite non-fiction books.

A History of Britain in 21 Women by Jenni Murray

This was one of my picks for non-fiction November and it was a great start to the challenge. I flew through this book – it was interesting to see which women Jenni Murray picked to write about and also to find out why. I’d recommend this one.

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

In typical bookaholic fashion I recently treated myself to a Jenny Colgan Christmas book, which I’m looking forward to reading next month, and it was only when I got home that I realised it was the third book in a trilogy. I also only then realised that I owned the first two books on my kindle so I’m going to try and get them read before December so that I can read the Christmas book. I loved the first book, it was such a gorgeous read and I adored it!

Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant

This has been on my review pile for way longer than it should have, and after reading it I regret leaving it so long because it was a really good read. I think I read it in two sittings and it just had me hooked from the start. Hopefully I’ll get my review for this written and posted soon.

All the Good Things by Clare Fisher

This book was such an emotional read. It’s one of those books that slowly gets under your skin until you just can’t put it down. I’ll be reviewing it on my blog as soon as I get my thoughts together about it but it is a book I definitely recommend.

This week I’ve blogged five times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

Sunday: Review of Snare by Lilja Sigurdardottir

Monday: Guest post by author Mimi Thebo on how her accident, subsequent PTSD and eventual recover as a teenager inspired to her write her novel Hospital High

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Thursday: My (rather large) TBR for Non-Fiction November 2017

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone

This is a book I’ve owned for a while as I’m intrigued to know more about Amazon and how it came to be what it is now. I’ve only read the first couple of chapters so far but it’s interesting.

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

I’ve had this book on my TBR mountain for ages but whilst it is something I want to read, there is part of me that felt it could be an upsetting read. I’m so glad I picked it up in the last couple of days though as it’s utterly fascinating! It’s much more accessible that I was expecting it to be and it’s a book that once I got into, I haven’t wanted to put it down.

Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Life by David Cavanagh

I’m still enjoying dipping into this book and am loving all the stories – there are many things I didn’t know about John Peel and his earlier radio shows to it’s a really fun and interesting read.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up (29 Oct)

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This week I got a notification from Goodreads letting me know that I’d completed my reading goal for the year. I was really surprised that I’ve achieved my goal already as my reading has been hit and miss this year but it’s great to have done it. I’m not going to increase my goal but I will still be reading lots of books as the year continues! I want to try and read from my existing TBR as much as I can from now on to try and decrease that as much as possible before the start of 2018!

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I also spotted that I’d passed 6000 followers on twitter, which was a lovely thing to discover. Thanks to everyone who follows me on there too. 🙂

 

This week I’ve finished reading five books:

Aches and Gains by Paul L. Christo

This was such a useful book and is one I recommend to anyone living with chronic pain. I’ll be reviewing this very soon.

Kindness by Jamie Thurston

This is a book that is gorgeous to look at and is really well produced. It would make a lovely gift and does give ideas and reminders about how we would all benefit if we all showed a bit more kindness.

Snare by Lilja Sigurdardottir

I loved this book – it was a one-sitting read as I just couldn’t put it down. I’ve got a review of this on my blog today so you can read that here if you’d like to.

One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern

I’m such a big fan of Cecelia Ahern – I find her books are such wonderful comforting reads and I know I can trust her to always leave me feeling happier. This book wasn’t my favourite of hers but I still really enjoyed reading it. I loved the mystery behind the one hundred names and the reveal about them when it came.

Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came by M. C. Beaton

It’s been absolutely ages since I last read an Agatha Raisin book (despite me having the next ten or so in the series on my TBR!) but it was such a treat to finally pick one up. I enjoyed this book so much and am now keen to keep on with these books. Agatha Raisin is such a great character!

 

This week I’ve blogged four times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-up Post

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday Post

Thursday: Review of Sofa, So Good – Me Life Story by Scarlett Moffatt

Friday: Review of How to be Champion by Sarah Millican

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant

I’m ashamed to say that I’ve had an ARC of this on my TBR for way longer than I should have but I finally picked it up this week and it’s such a good read. It’s a book that’s hard to put down because it’s really got me wanting to know what’s going on between the characters and how it’s all going to end.

All the Good Things by Clare Fisher

I’m still really enjoying this book, I wish I’d picked it up sooner now but better late than never!

This House of Grief by Helen Garner

I’ve picked this book back up this week and am finding it so interesting.

Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Life by David Cavanagh

I’ve read a bit more of this book this week and am still really loving it. I’m still reading about radio shows that were before my time but it’s wonderful to be reminded of the way John Peel championed artists on his show.

 


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up! (22 Oct)

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This week has been okay. I’ve been unwell for a few days so had to rest up and I got a lot of reading done. I managed to finish a couple of books that I’ve been reading for a little while so that was nice.

Yesterday was really upsetting when I found out that because someone has reported me to Facebook for not using my surname on there. Facebook are holding me to ransom saying that unless I give them two documents with my real name on (which they’d then use on my account) they’ll delete not only my account but also my Facebook page. I have good reason for not using my surname online so refuse to give it to Facebook. This means I’ll no longer be able to have a presence on Facebook unless I can find a way around this. Being housebound social media is really important to me so I’m really sad that someone has caused this to happen to me. My husband is looking into if we can appeal to Facebook but unless I can figure something out then I’ll no longer be on there once they delete my account and page. So if you follow me on there and see my page disappear this is why.

Anyway, on to the books…

 

This week I’ve finished reading seven books:

Where Love Begins by Judith Hermann

I have to admit that whilst this is a short novel I did struggle with it a bit. It’s one of those books that I really enjoyed when I was reading it but when I put it down I just wasn’t drawn to pick it back up. Yesterday evening I made the time to just read it through to the end and it was more enjoyable that way but it still left me feeling a bit indifferent to it. The idea for the novel was great so it may just be a case of right book wrong time for me.

Sofa So Good: Me Life Story by Scarlett Moffatt

I was sent a copy of this for review and it was the perfect read for me this week. I read it in one sitting and I enjoyed it so much. I’ll be reviewing this one very soon!

In A Cottage in a Wood by Cass Green

This is a book I got from NetGalley recently so picked it up this week and I devoured it. I was expecting it to be a bit more unnerving than it was but it had me hooked all the way through and it was good escapism.

Trust Me by Zosia Wand

I very much enjoyed this book, it’s another one that I read in one sitting as I just didn’t want to put it down. It made for a late night but it was worth it! I’ve already reviewed this one so you can read more of what I thought here if you’d like to.

All the Wicked Girls by Chris Whitaker

I’m ashamed to say that I was sent a copy of this book for review quite a while ago not but I just haven’t been able to manage holding a physical book over the summer so it’s had to wait. It was worth the wait though because this was such a brilliant read. I’m still trying to get my thoughts together but I will review it soon – in the meantime I definitely recommend it!

Titanic Love Stories by Gill Paul

I’ve had this on my TBR for ages so as I’m trying to mix reading review books with reading books that I’ve owned since before the start of the year I decided to pick this one up. It was an enjoyable and moving read but I just wish it had had a bit more depth. It’s worth picking up if you’re interested in books about the Titanic though.

Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister

This book is so good! I love Sliding Doors type books anyway but this one is done so well and I’m still thinking about it now. I hope to get my review written and posted soon but I can say now that I highly recommend this book!

 

This week I’ve blogged four times:

Sunday: Life Update and Weekly Wrap-Up

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Thursday: Extract from Bad Sister by Sam Carrington for the blog tour

Friday: Review of Trust Me by Zosia Wand for the blog tour

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came by M.C. Beaton

I haven’t read an Agatha Raisin book for ages but I picked this one off my TBR last night as it seemed it would be perfect escapism when I was feeling so down last night. It was the right choice because I’m loving this book.

All the Good Things by Clare Fisher

I’ve had an ARC of this on my kindle for a few months now so decided it was time to pick it up. I’m really enjoying this – it’s hooked me in very quickly and I’m keen to get back to it to see where this novel is going.

This House of Grief by Helen Garner

I’ve only read a couple more chapters of this since last week as I just wasn’t in the right mood to read it but I do want to get back to it soon.

Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Life by David Cavanagh

I’m still dipping in and out of this book and I love it. There are some wonderful stories from John Peel’s radio shows and I feel like I can almost hear his voice as I’m reading.

Aches and Gains: A Comprehensive Guide to Overcoming Your Pain by Paul L. Christo

I’m also still reading this book on and off – it’s not a book I can read straight through as I want to take in what he’s saying. This is a great book for anyone who suffers from chronic pain, or cares for someone who does.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Life Update and a Weekly Wrap-Up!

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It has been ages since I was blogging regularly and I can’t even remember the last time I posted a proper update. I have honoured my commitments to blog tours so they are the only things I’ve posted since early in the summer. I do want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has continued to read my blog, and to comment even when I’ve not been around, it really does mean a lot to me.

So some of you will know that a year ago I took the decision to start reducing my pain meds. I’d been on incredibly strong meds since before my diagnosis but my pain levels have remained high despite the meds. So I did a lot of research and the general consensus in the medical profession seemed to be that painkillers don’t really work for people with chronic pain like mine. I discussed things with my doctor and I started a reduction plan. It has been a rough year as every time I reduced I had a period of feeling very unwell with pain throughout my body but it would eventually settle again. A few weeks ago I finally got completely off my long-acting pain medication, which was a big achievement. I was still taking the short-acting morphine though so that was the next thing to tackle. I was meant to wean myself off it but I decided to go cold turkey. It was hell. It was worse than I was expecting, and I’d planned for it to be awful! My husband is a huge support to me and he got me through it. I’m now almost six weeks down the line and while I still don’t feel great, I do feel like my body is very gradually beginning to adjust. I am on a lower level pain medication now but I’m continuing to utilise all the things I’ve learnt in the last two years and hope that in time I can reduce these meds too. I will be in pain for the rest of my life because it’s just the nature of the damage done in my neck and spine but I really want to see if I can find a way to live with the pain rather than taking loads of painkillers.

As you can probably imagine, for a lot of the summer and into autumn my reading has tapered off quite a lot. I haven’t been able to concentrate very well, plus I’ve had a lot of headaches etc. This past week I treated myself to a book I’ve been so keen to read and I devoured it, and that made me happier than I can even put into words. My reading mojo feels like it’s on its way back as I’ve read quite a few books this week so I’m really hoping that this trend continues!

Now I’m reading closer to my normal level again I’ve felt like I want to get back to blogging but it’s been such a long, and unplanned for, break that I haven’t felt like I could just start. So I’m writing this weekly wrap-up and life update as a way of letting you all know what’s been happening with me and a way of just feeling my way back into the blogging world!

 

 

So without further ado, here are the books I’ve finished reading this week:

Lily Alone by Vivien Brown

I got a review copy of this from NetGalley but also discovered the audio version on my subscription service so I part read and part listened to this. This book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting it to be but I flew through it because it had me engrossed from the very first chapter. I will write a full review of this on my blog soon.

Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker

I’m sorry to say that I didn’t really get on with this book, which is a shame because I was really keen to read it. I think the cover makes it seem like this is more of a graphic novel than it is, and also it doesn’t make it clear that this is a brief overview of queer theory. I’ve already studied queer theory as part of my degree so there was nothing new for me in here, but I’m not sure I’d even recommend it to someone who wanted to know more as it all felt very dry and it skimmed over lots of things and gave very little detail in my opinion.

Good as You: From Prejudice to Pride – 30 Years of Gay Britain by Paul Flynn

This is a book that I’ve wanted ever since I first heard it of it earlier this year and I finally treated myself to the lovely hardback this week. I’m so happy to say that this book is brilliant, I loved every minute that I spent reading this. This is a great non-fiction book because it’s informative but written in such an easy-to-read style. This is the book that I flew through over a couple of days… I highly recommend this one!

I Heart Forever by Lindsey Kelk

I love the I Heart… books so when I saw a new one was coming out I was super excited to read it. I picked this up at a perfect time when I just needed a light-hearted read and I found I just couldn’t put it down. I read an ARC so I will be reviewing this one on my blog soon.

Blue Nights by Joan Didion

I’ve wanted to read this book for ages and it caught my eye on my bookshelf this week. I read it two sittings and found it to be such an open and honest exploration of her love for her daughter and grief at her loss. This is one of those books that I will re-read, and it’s certainly one that will stay with me.

 

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister

This book is so good! I love the way it’s a take on the sliding doors idea and takes the reader through two alternate realities of happened next in the aftermath of a terrible incident after a night out. I’ve been racing through this book because I just don’t want to put it down, and I’m so keen to find out how it will all turn out in the end.

Trust Me by Zosia Wand

I was thrilled to be sent a copy of this novel to review as it’s one I was aware of and was looking forward to reading. I’m really enjoying it so far and can’t wait to read more.

Where Love Begins by Judith Hermann

This is one of those books that I don’t really know what to say about it. When I’m reading it it has me engaged and wanting to know more but when I put it down the plot drifts away from me. I am enjoying it though and am keen to see where it’s going.

Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Life by David Cavanagh

I’ve had this on my TBR for a little while now but I was keen to pick it up after listening to some of the highlights of John Peel’s radio shows during Radio 1’s recent 50th birthday weekend. I loved listening to John Peel over the years and still miss discovering new music via his recommendations. This book is a look at some of his shows and his relationship to the music and the artists. It’s easy to dip in and out of, but it’s also easy to lose and hour or two of time as you read and reminisce. I definitely recommend this one!

Aches and Gains: A Comprehensive Guide to Overcoming Your Pain by Paul L. Christo

This is a non-fiction book about the different types of pain, and various conditions that cause pain; plus a look at the range of treatment options available. I’m finding it interesting, in particular where it relates to my own conditions. I’m reading an ARC so I will be reviewing this once I’ve finished reading it.

 


 

As you may remember I decided to track my TBR on my blog this year and have been showing the sums of how my TBR has increased or decreased over the course of this year. I’ve recently got rid of a stack of books and am in the process of sorting through my kindle books so my TBR numbers are a bit all over the place just now and I’ve lost track of it a bit. I do want to continue with following the state of my TBR but I’ve decided to put this to one side for the rest of this year and will start it again in 2018.

 

How has your week (or even the last few months) been for you? Have you read any good books recently? I’d love to catch up so please feel free to leave a link to your latest wrap-up in the comments below.

 

Weekly Wrap-Up! (23 Jul)

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This week has been lovely as my husband has been on holiday from work. I’m not able to be out and about very much but it’s been nice to spend time together. He finally persuaded me to start watching Stranger Things, and I’m so annoyed that I put it off for so long before I’m absolutely loving it.

It’s been a strange last couple of days. I always find it hard to know that people I love are going through grief and sadness when I can’t do anything to really help.

 

This week I’ve finished reading four books:

Letters to Sarah by Sara Payne

This was a really emotional read but also an interesting one. Sara Payne is a remarkable woman in how she’s channeled her pain into trying to keep other children safe. I was also really inspired by how she’s worked to recover as much as she can after her stroke.

Three Days and a Life by Pierre LeMaitre

This book was brilliant! I literally couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting. I’m a big fan of Pierre LeMaitre and this book absolutely lived up to all my expectations. I’ll be reviewing this as soon as I can but I highly recommend it.

After I’ve Gone by Linda Green

I was really intrigued by the premise for this book and the way social media was used to show someone their future. There was more to this book than I was expecting and I was really gripped by it. I read a review copy so I will be trying to get my review for this posted soon.

The Other Twin by Lucy V. Hay

This book grabbed me from the opening chapter and had me so intrigued that I just couldn’t put it down. I’ve already reviewed this one so you can read my thoughts on it here if you’d like to.

 

This week I’ve blogged four times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

Tuesday: Review of Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Thursday: Review of The Other Twin by Lucy V. Hay

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Her Deadly Secret by Chris Curran

This is one of those books that really grabs you from the start and makes you wish you’d started it at a time when you could just read all afternoon and finish it in one sitting.

The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnivich

I’d been really keen to read this book before I started it and yet somehow I didn’t know much about it. I’m completely gripped by it – it’s non-fiction but assumptions are made about certain situations in order to fill in blanks so it’s not completely non-fiction. It’s one of those books that really makes you think about things and I’m looking forward to reading more of it.

Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy

I have to be honest and say that I’ve not been drawn to read any more of this novel this week. I’m going to keep it on my currently reading pile for another week and then if it still hasn’t called to me I may just DNF it. I don’t know if the problem is just me as the premise really grabbed me initially.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I’ve read another few chapters of this and am finding it fascinating. It’s non-fiction but it’s written in a way that really flows so I’d recommend this to anyone, even if you don’t normally read non-fiction.

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Update on my TBR: 

 

As you may have noticed I didn’t post a Stacking the Shelves post yesterday and the reason for that is I didn’t buy or receive any new books by the time I normally write and schedule my post! I’m sure you’re all as shocked as I am!!

 

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1999

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 0

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 4

TBR Books culled this week: 0

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1996

 


 

How’s your week been? I hope it’s been a good week, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to and what you’ve been reading over the last seven days. If you do a wrap-up post please feel free to share a link below.

Weekly Wrap-Up! (16 Jul)

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This week has been a tiring week but a good one. My husband has been on holiday from work so we’ve been out a couple of times for short periods. It’s physically difficult for me to go out – the getting ready plus my brain and spine don’t cope well with being in a car – but it’s so wonderful mentally to be out.

This week also brought good news on the health-front as I finally had my assessment for a new leg brace. I’ve now had a plaster cast made for a new custom brace, which should hopefully be ready next month. The new brace will have cut-outs in the side so that it will be less cumbersome, which will be great. The person I saw really listened to what I said and seems keen to try and make things easier for me where possible. My current leg brace is so big in the foot that I have to buy mens shoes that are 2-3 sizes too big for me! The new orthotics team have said they’ll fit my brace more closely to my foot so I’ll only need to get shoes just one size too big this time so even that made me happy. 🙂

I haven’t done so much reading this week as I’ve been really tired and not able to concentrate much with having had a busy week but I have enjoyed the small amount of reading that I’ve done.

 

This week I’ve finished reading two books:

Baby Lost by Hannah Robert

It’s taken me a little while to read this book because I was drawn to fiction last month but I’m so glad that I came back to this and finished. I got this for review so will be sharing my thoughts on it as soon as I get them in order.

Not A Sound by Heather Gudenkauf

I really enjoyed this thriller so am very pleased to be on the blog tour for it this week! I’ll be sharing my review on the 18th July so please look out for that then.

 

This week I’ve blogged four times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

Tuesday: Review of Last Seen by Lucy Clarke along with a guest post on beach hunting by Lucy

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves post

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Letters to Sarah by Sara Payne

This book showed up on the recommendations page on Amazon last night and I decided to buy the ebook. I’ve not even put this in a book haul yet but I’ve already started reading it. It’s a very moving read but such an open and honest book too.

After I’ve Gone by Linda Green

I’m really enjoying this book, it seems a bit different to other thrillers that I’ve read recently and I’m so keen to find out how it will end.

Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy

This book isn’t what I thought it was going to be but I’m definitely invested in it enough to keep reading as I want to know how things are going to turn out.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I’m reading this in between my other books at the moment as it feels quite heavy for my brain just now but I am definitely hooked and will be reading this as often as I feel I can.

 

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Update on my TBR:

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1991

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 9

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 2

TBR Books culled this week: 0

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1999

 


 

How’s your week been? I hope it’s been a good week, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to and what you’ve been reading over the last seven days. If you do a wrap-up post please feel free to share a link below.

Weekly Wrap-Up! (9 Jul)

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This week has been an up and down week. I felt really rough the first half of the week having overdone things in the previous days and my body made me pay. The last couple of days have been nice though as my husband has been on holiday from work and we managed to go into town yesterday for a coffee, which was lovely. It was my first time out of the house for something fun in nearly four weeks so it was especially lovely, plus the sun was shining too which is always a bonus!

This week I also managed to get us tickets to see Phil Collins in concert later this year. This is testament to how much I love my husband because he’s a big fan of Phil Collins and I’m really not so much! I’m always up for live music though so it’s something to look forward to.

My reading has been better this week too. I’m back reading non-fiction, which I’m very pleased about. I’m happy with what I’ve managed to read over the last seven days, albeit two of the books were short and the others are mainly books I started prior to this week but I’m pleased all the same.

 

This week I’ve finished reading five books:

 

The End We Start From by Megan Hunter

This is such a moving novella, it had so much more depth and was so much more moving than I was expecting and I loved reading it. I was sent this for review so will try and get my thoughts together to review this soon.

A Manual for Heartache by Cathy Rentzenbrink

I pre-ordered this book for my Kindle and read it over a couple of days in the week. I have to say that I found so much in this that was so soothing that I’ve now ordered a hardback copy as I feel sure this will be a book I read again and again. I’ll also be buying a couple of copies for gifts in the coming weeks. I highly recommend this book.

Last Seen by Lucy Clarke

I loved this book – I read it over two days (only because I needed to sleep in the middle otherwise it would have been in one sitting). Lucy Clarke can do no wrong in my eyes, I’ve loved all of her novels and this one may now be my joint favourite of hers. I’ll be reviewing the novel this week for the blog tour so look out for my stop on the 12th July.

My Sister Milly by Gemma Dowler

This book is such a heartbreaking read but I’m so glad I read it. I’d like to review this one at some point if I can get my thoughts together but for now I would recommend it.

A Line of Blood by Ben McPherson

This was my audio book over the last week. I did find this predictable, I called what was going to happen in the first chapter, but having said that there was still enough in it to keep me listening all the way to the end.

 

This week I’ve blogged four times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Thursday: June Wrap-Up post

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves post (my new book haul)

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy

I bought the ebook of this a couple of days ago and couldn’t resist starting it straight away. If I’m to be honest it’s not exactly what I thought it was going to be but it’s got me completely engrossed and I keep thinking about it when I’m not reading it and wondering how it’s all going to turn out in the end.

Not A Sound by Heather Gudenkauf

I’m reading this for a blog tour later this month and am really enjoying it. It’s interesting to read a thriller where the protagonist is deaf, it really adds another layer to things. I’d recommend this one.

 

The Child by Fiona Barton

This book has had to be left to one side this week as I just can’t manage to hold and turn the pages of a print book. I really hope I can get back to this very soon.

Baby Lost by Hannah Robert

I’ve been reading some more of this over the last couple of days and am back to being hooked. It’s such a moving, and emotional book but the way Hannah writes about her loss and her fight is very inspiring.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I’ve also got back to reading this book this week and am finding it fascinating. I noticed that for UK readers it’s currently in the kindle sale for £1.99 so if you were thinking of buying it now would be a good time.

 

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Update on my TBR: 

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1982

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 14

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 5

TBR Books culled this week: 0

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1991

 


 

How’s your week been? I hope it’s been a good week, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to and what you’ve been reading over the last seven days. If you do a wrap-up post please feel free to share a link below.

Weekly Wrap-Up! (2 Jul)

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This week has been another quiet week but I’m slowly having a de-clutter of the kitchen, which is proving very satisfying. I’ve discovered that I’m inadvertently a collector of jars – there were jars shoved in the back of a lot of cupboards and I had no idea I’d kept so many. They’ve now gone for recycling and we now have more space to put things away! Isn’t it funny how you don’t even realise the way your hoarding tendencies are playing out until you see the evidence for yourself?! Ha!

It was also an exciting week this week as my cousin has released his debut album. He lives in America so it’s wonderful that we live in an age where I can buy his album on iTunes in the UK on the day it was released! I’m so proud of him – his late mum and me were very close and I just know she would be bursting with pride at how he’s following his dreams.

 

This week I’ve finished reading three books:

The Hidden Legacy by G. J. Minett

This has been on my TBR ever since it was first published so I made it one of my choices for the #20BooksofSummer challenge and I’m so glad I did. I found myself really engrossed in this novel and very much enjoyed reading it.

Guilty Innocence by Maggie James

This book caught my eye on my kindle last week and I immediately started reading. I got completely wrapped up in this novel and am still thinking about it now, a week after finishing it. I highly recommend this one.

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

This was another of my #20BooksofSummer picks and I adored this novel! I’m not the biggest fan of Pride and Prejudice but this modern take on it was brilliant. It’s a great read for the summer and I definitely recommend it if you haven’t already read it.

 

This week I’ve blogged four times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Friday: Guest post by author Emily Benet on her ideal hen party as part of The Hen Party blog tour

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves post

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

My Sister Milly by Gemma Dowler

I bought this book after seeing Gemma on This Morning last week and I started reading it right away. It’s a tough read because you see the pain the family were in when Milly went missing and you know it’s not going to have a good outcome. This is a very powerful book, I recommend it.

A Line of Blood by Ben McPherson

This is my current audio book – I picked it on a whim and it’s an okay listen. I’m about 20% in and it’s lacking something for me at the moment but I’m intrigued enough to keep going for now so hopefully it will pick up a bit soon.

The Child by Fiona Barton

I’ve had to leave this to one side this week as I just haven’t been able to turn the pages of a print book. I was really engrossed in the novel though so I really hope I can get back to it soon. If all else fails I’ll look at getting the ebook or the audio so I can carry on with it.

The End We Start From by Megan Hunter

This is a book that has got to me in ways I wasn’t expecting when I started reading so I’m now reading it much slower and savouring it. It’s a beautiful book though and one I’ll be recommending.

Baby Lost by Hannah Robert AND The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Both of these books have been on hold again this week. I feel like I need to add them here as they are on my currently reading shelf and I do hope to continue with them soon. Both are brilliant reads, it’s just not been the right time for me to read them recently.

 

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Update on my TBR: 

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1973

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 9

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 3

TBR Books culled this week: 0

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1982

 


 

How’s your week been? I hope it’s been a good week, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to and what you’ve been reading over the last seven days. If you do a wrap-up post please feel free to share a link below.

Weekly Wrap-Up! (25 Jun)

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This week has been very quiet, and yet eventful at the same time. I’ve made a huge leap forward in terms of finally beating my PTSD once and for all. I faced a big fear this week and it was actually okay so I feel like that’s been a huge achievement. It’s left me feeling very drained so I’ve not been reading as much, or blogging ,but hopefully I’ll be back to normal soon.

 

This week I’ve finished reading three books:

Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan

I really enjoyed reading this. It was different than I was expecting but it’s one of those books that is really unsettling and gives you a lot to think about. I’m hoping to get my thoughts together so I can review this soon but I definitely recommend it.

The Law of Similars by Chris Bohjalian

This is the first book I’ve finished from my #20BooksOfSummer challenge. This was one of my three alternates but it was the one I most felt like reading so I went with it. I enjoyed this, it kept me hooked all the way through but I felt it was lacking something. I’m still planning to review it but need to get my thoughts together first.

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

This book has been on my TBR for ages so when I spotted the audio book on my subscription service I decided to part listen and part read it. I very much enjoyed this one, it had an intensity to it that I wasn’t expecting and it really made an impression on me.

This week I’ve blogged five times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

                 Review of Exquisite by Sarah Stovell for the blog tour

Monday: Review of One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves post

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Guilty Innocence by Maggie James

I bought this book a while ago after reading some great reviews and it caught my eye on my kindle yesterday so I started reading. It’s such a good book – one of those books that stays in my head even when I’m not reading and that I can’t wait to get back to. I definitely recommend this and it’s currently only 99p on kindle, which is such a bargain for a great read.

The Child by Fiona Barton

I was sent a surprise copy of this for review a few weeks ago and I finally got to start reading it this week. I’m really enjoying it, it’s great to see journalist Kate back as she was my favourite character in The Widow.

The End We Start From by Megan Hunter

I was expecting this to be a book that really grabbed me but I wasn’t expecting it to be such an emotional read. I love when a book surprises me in this way and I’m really looking forward to reading more of it.

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

I’ve really been loving reading this one, it’s a perfect summer read. I’m reading this as part of my #20BooksOfSummer challenge and I’m so glad I finally picked this up.

Baby Lost by Hannah Robert

I’ve not read anymore of this over the last week as I just haven’t been in the right frame of mind to read this but it is such an incredibly moving book and I will get back to it soon.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I’m still not in much of a non-fiction mood but I did read another couple of chapters of this book this week and it’s so interesting. I hope to be able to read a bigger chunk of this soon.

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Update on my TBR:

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1956

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 20

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 3

TBR Books culled this week: 0

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1973

Weekly Wrap-Up! (18 Jun)

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This week has been a week of taking it easy so I’ve not had as many posts up on my blog, but it has been for a good reason. My husband and I went to see Kraftwerk on Wednesday night and it was an incredible show. They’re a band I never thought I would get to see live so it was brilliant. We didn’t take any photos of the concert but here’s the 3D glasses and a painted mural outside the venue 🙂 My pain levels and my neuro symptoms have been really bad the last couple of days but it was absolutely worth it to have had such a good night out.

 

This week I’ve finished reading five books:

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

I’ve been reading this book on and off for a couple of weeks now and have really enjoyed it. There was so much more in this novel than I was expecting and it’s one I definitely recommend.

Exquisite by Sarah Stovell

I read this novel in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down. I’ve actually got my review on my blog today so you can read that here if you’d like to.

The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Snaith

This is a beautiful novel that I fell completely and utterly in love with. I’ve already reviewed this so you can read more of what I thought here if you’d like to. I highly recommend this book though, it’s stunning.

A Year Lost and Found by Michael Mayne

This is a very short book about the year Michael Mayne contracted a chronic illness and how he felt about that, and the role his strong religious beliefs played in how he coped. I found it a really soothing read, even though I’m not a religious person.

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

This is another book that I’ve been reading on and off for a couple of weeks. I enjoyed it but it didn’t completely wow me. I’m still trying to write my review but hopefully I’ll have it posted soon.

 

This week I’ve blogged four times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Friday: Review of The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Snaith

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves post

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

I only just started reading this last night but I’m a few chapters in and enjoying it. I think it’s a good pick for one of my #20bookofsummer reads.

The Law of Similars by Chris Bohjalian

This was one of my three spare picks for my #20booksofsummer and it’s the one that has been calling to me the most. It grabbed me in the first chapter and I’m really hooked.

Baby Lost by Hannah Robert

I’ve not read much more of this over the last week as I just haven’t been in the mood for non-fiction. I’m hoping to get back to it soon as it’s such an interesting and moving read.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This has been on hold over the last couple of weeks too but I knew when I started this book that it would be a book that I read on and off as I felt up to it. I do hope to get back to it as soon as my non-fiction mojo returns.

Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan

I did read a bit more of this over the last week but I put it down again for the last few days as I was reading a book for a blog tour that was giving me a similar vibe and I didn’t want to risk them getting confused in my head. I will be picking this back up in the next day or so though.

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Update on my TBR: 

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1958

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 3

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 5

TBR Books culled this week: 0

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1956

 


 

I’m linking this post up to Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer’s Sunday Blog Share.  It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up! (11 Jun)

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This week has been a quiet-ish week but a tiring one. I’ve been feeling really unsettled after hearing about the death of my great-aunty last week, and when I feel like this it’s always so much harder to read. It’s frustrating that at the times I most need escape I struggle to read but it’s just the way it is with me.

I had a really difficult but ultimately very positive appointment this week to do with my PTSD. I’ve long considered myself better but there are still triggers that I have to be mindful of and by chance I’m having a treatment that is making a real difference. I don’t want to talk in any detail but it is an amazing experience when the wonderful memories that have been blocked by the trauma suddenly come flooding back. It made for a very emotional day but a really good step forward.

This week I’ve finished reading three books:

Fabrice Muamba: I’m Still Standing by Fabrice Muamba

I’ve had this book on my TBR for a long time so this week when I picked it out of my TBR jar I decided to read it. It was a really moving and inspiring read. Fabrice Muamba has had such an interesting life and it was really enjoyable to read about his childhood. It’s incredible to read about his more recent years and to know just how amazing it is that he survived his cardiac arrest.

The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig

This is such a brilliant novel. I honestly loved it from the first chapter all the way through and I highly recommend it. I’ve already reviewed it on my blog so you can read that here if you’d like to know more.

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

I finished reading this last weekend and really enjoyed it. I think I preferred The Girl on the Train but I would definitely still recommend this one.

 

This week I’ve blogged five times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up Post

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Thursday: Author Kate Vane guest posted about the title of her new novel, The Former Chief Executive

Friday: Review of The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves post

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Baby Lost by Hannah Robert

This is such a sad and moving memoir but it’s a book I definitely recommend. It’s about a woman who was in a car accident when 8 months pregnant and her baby died, she then had to deal with the horrendous legal fact that her baby wasn’t considered a person because she wasn’t born at the time of the accident. I haven’t read much of this book this week as I haven’t felt up to reading an emotional book. I will be getting back to is as soon as I can though.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I also haven’t read any more of this book this week as I just haven’t been in the mood to read it. I was very much enthralled in it so will be getting back to it once my reading mojo returns.

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

This is another book that’s been left to one side this week but again I will get back to it soon.

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

I’ve read a bit more of this book over the last few days as it’s been easier for me to concentrate on this and has been a good distraction.

Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan

This book has fallen by the wayside a bit too this week but it’s entirely down to my mood and nothing to do with the book. I’ll be picking this up once I feel brighter but I want to leave it until then as I don’t want my current slump to affect my opinion of this brilliant book.

 

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Update on my TBR:

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1948

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 13

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 3

TBR Books culled this week: 0

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1958

 


 

I’m linking this post up to Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer’s Sunday Blog Share.  It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up! (4 June)

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This week has been one of those up and down weeks.

My medication changes are going okay, there have been some tough days but not every day has been horrendous so I’m grateful for that.

Sadly, I found out on Friday night that my great aunty has died. She was a lovely lady, and I will miss her. It’s made me doubly sad to think that she was the last member of my mum’s side of the family from a previous generation. It’s hard to think that all the memories she held are gone forever. I find these days that any loss brings back the grief of my mum’s death and it hits me harder for that. It’s left me in a reflective mood. I’m trying to lose myself in books.

This week I’ve finished reading seven books:

Be Awesome by Hadley Freeman

I’ve owned a copy of this book for ages but when I saw it on my audio subscription app I decided to listen to it. I have to be honest and say that I didn’t enjoy it very much. There were some parts that really spoke to me but most of it was just not that great. It wasn’t the book that I was expecting it to be. It was my first book of June so I’m hoping the rest of the month goes better!

How to Survive a Plague by David France

This book is incredible, I honestly can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s non-fiction and about the AIDS crisis in the 80s and early 90s. I’ve read other books about it but there was something about this book that really got to me. It made me so angry at how people were treated, at the lack of care from the system and it was made even more sad by the way some of the delays in finding a treatment happened. It’s a very powerful and moving book. I was thinking of reviewing it but I’m not sure that I could in any way do it justice.

After Anna by Alex Lake

This is another pick that has been on my TBR for ages. I found it a fast-paced, quick read but it was predictable. I did work out what had happened straight away so it was a bit disappointing. It’s an alright read though, and I would still read the author’s next book to see how I find it.

How We Met by Katy Regan

This is another pick from my older TBR and I enjoyed it. It’s contemporary fiction but had a bit of depth to it, which I appreciated. It’s not a book that I would be drawn to buying these days but it made a nice change from my usual reads.

I Know My Name by C.J. Cooke

This book is brilliant! It’s a real psychological thriller – it was near impossible to put down and it had me feeling really unnerved. I’ve already reviewed this so you can read more of what I thought of it here if you’d like to. I highly recommend reading this book though – it’s the best psychological thriller I’ve read this year so far!

Wishbones by Virginia McGregor

I spotted this on my audio book app this week and I was in the mood for listening to something a bit lighter. I really enjoyed this middle-grade book and would definitely recommend it.

Letting Go by Alex Hanscombe

This is another audio book that I finished listening to this week. It’s the memoir of Alex Hanscombe, all about how he came to terms with the murder of his mother Rachel Nickell, when he was a young child. It’s a really moving and inspiring book, I recommend it.

This week I’ve blogged six times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up Post 

Tuesday: My TBR for the #20BooksofSummer challenge

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday Post

Thursday: May Wrap-Up Post

Friday: Review of I Know My Name by C.J. Cooke

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves post

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

I’ve finally got around to starting this review book and although it’s not exactly what I thought it was going to be, I am really enjoying it. I’m intrigued to find out how it’s all going to end up.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This book has been recommended to me so many times so I finally decided to buy a copy this week and I immediately started reading it. It’s a fascinating look at the Chicago World Fair, which I knew a little bit about, and the serial killer H. H. Holmes, who I’d never heard of before. I’ll be reading this book on and off for the next few weeks in between other books.

The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig

This is an engrossing character-driven novel about a couple whose marriage has broken down but they can’t afford to get divorced. It’s a really insightful look at relationships and I’m really enjoying it.

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

I bought this book a few months ago on a whim and have since seen good things about it so was keen to start reading it. I’m really enjoying it. It’s a book about a family who are expecting a substantial inheritance but the mother of the family goes against what the adult children thought would happen and now the family are at loggerheads with each other.

Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan

I haven’t read much more of this book this week as it’s a book I wanted to be engrossed in but my mind has needed much easier reads. I definitely want to get back to this as soon as I can though as I’m very much enjoying it.

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

I’m back reading this book this week and am gripped! It’s such a good read and so far I’m suspicious of most of the characters and am keen to know how it will all turn out in the end.

 

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Update on my TBR: 

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1944

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 11

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 7

TBR Books culled this week: 0

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1948

 


 

I’m linking this post up to Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer’s Sunday Blog Share.  It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up! (28 May)

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This week has a quiet one due to all the medication changes I have going on, and this alongside the hot weather has floored me over the last few days. I’m just taking things as they come at the moment and will be doing so for the next week or two at least. I do have some posts scheduled on my blog so they will still appear, and will be tweeted and posted on Facebook but I’ll only be around occasionally as and when I feel up to it. I really appreciate all of you for bearing with me in the meantime.

This week I’ve finished reading three books:

Making Space by Sarah Tierney

I loved every minute that I spent reading this novel, it just really grabbed me and I could identify so much with both of the main characters in the book. I’ve already reviewed this book so you can read my thoughts on it here if you’d like to.

Eleanor by Jason Gurley

This was my latest pick from my pre-2017 TBR and while it turned out to be not what I was expecting, I did enjoy it. There was more sci-fi elements to the book than I thought there would be but it was an interesting novel and I’m glad I read it.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

This book is stunning. I was hooked from the very first page and I feel quite bereft at having finished it. Eleanor Oliphant is one of those characters that gets under your skin and I’m sure she’ll stay with me for a very long time to come. I’ve also already reviewed this book so you can find that here if you want to read more about what I thought of it.

 

This week I’ve blogged six times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

Monday: Review of The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Thursday: Review of Making Space by Sarah Tierney for the blog tour

Friday: Review of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves post

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Letting Go by Alex Hanscombe

This is an incredibly moving and interesting memoir written by the son of Rachel Nickell, the young mum who was murdered on Wimbledon Common as her 3 year old watched on. Alex is such a pragmatic and thoughtful man and it’s very inspiring to read how he came to terms with losing his mother in such an horrific way.

Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan

I’ve been really looking forward to reading this book and it absolutely doesn’t disappoint.  Every time I pick this book up I get completely enthralled and am fascinated by this book.

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

This is such a good read, I’m really enjoying reading it.

How to Survive a Plague by David France

I’ve been reading more of this book this week and have got so engrossed in it that it’s taken me away from my other books.

 

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Update on my TBR:

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1941

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 6

Subtractions:

TBR Books culled this week: 3

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1944

 


 

I’m linking this post up to Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer’s Sunday Blog Share.  It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up (21 May)

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This week has been a strange week. I was meant to switch my pain meds last weekend but the NHS cyber attack last week has held that up. I’m hoping to be able to get started on this in the couple of days or so though. So, as I said last week, I may be around less in the coming days, so please bear with me if I miss replying to any comments, or sharing posts etc.

I also had an appointment at home with my lovely neuro-physio and we’ve been talking about changing to a less-cumbersome leg brace now that my foot is holding a better position. I will need to wear my old one some of the time but it’s really fab to think that I might be able to change to something more comfortable.

 

This week I’ve finished reading six books:

The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis

This book has taken me longer to read than I thought it would and I’m not sure why because I really loved it. I think it was just a bad time for me to pick it up. It’s a brilliant read though, I recommend it.

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

I adored this book – it’s such a beautiful novel and one that will really stay with me for a long time to come. I reviewed it on my blog yesterday so you can read that here if you’d like to.

Becky by Darren Galsworthy

I saw this on my audio book site this week and decided to listen to it. It was such a moving read. I’m sure many people remember the news when teenager Becky Watts went missing a couple of years ago and it turned out her step-brother had murdered her. Her dad is so open in this book and I really admire his strength and openness.

Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff

This book has been on my TBR for ages and if I’m to be honest I have no idea when or why I bought it. I’m trying to read through some of my TBR this year so decided to give this a go. It was actually a good read, but because I’m older then the target audience I don’t think I got as much out of it as others may do.

Fragile Lives by Stephen Westaby

I really enjoyed reading this memoir. Stephen Westaby is an esteemed heart-surgeon in this book he shares some of his most memorable surgeries and patients. I’ll be reviewing this book soon but I highly recommend it.

Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

This is yet another book that has been languishing on my TBR. I actually bought this the day it was released and then never got around to reading it. I’m kicking myself about that now though as very much enjoyed this book and now am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series which is out soon.

 

This week I’ve blogged seven times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up

Monday: Review of The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Tuesday: Review of The Power by Naomi Alderman

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Thursday: Review of Final Girls by Riley Sager

Friday: Review of The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves post

This is what I’m currently reading:

Making Space by Sarah Tierney

I’m almost finished reading this book and have really enjoyed reading it. I’m on the blog tour for this book later this week so look out for my review on Thursday (25th May).

Eleanor by Jason Gurley

I spotted this on my TBR this week and decided to make it my next read. I have to be honest and say that sci-fi isn’t really my thing these days so I’m enjoying the parts of this book set in the present reality more than the other parts but it is a really engaging read so I’ll keep going with this.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

I’m enjoying this book so much – I’m trying to savour it because I know I’ll feel bereft when I get to the end of Eleanor’s story. It’s such an excellent novel.

How to Survive a Plague by David France

I haven’t read much more of this week but I will be getting back to it as soon as I can. It’s such a powerful book.

 

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Update on my TBR: 

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1932

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 9

Subtractions:

 

TBR Books culled this week: 0

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1941

Oops! My TBR has increased this week after two weeks of keeping it fairly stable… ah well!


 

I’m linking this post up to Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer’s Sunday Blog Share.  It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

 

Weekly Wrap-Up (14 May)

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In happy news this week… I managed to have an hour out with my husband. The gorgeous weather coincided with his day off earlier this week so we went and sat in a lovely pub beer garden and had lunch outside. It was bliss to feel the sun on my skin and to just be outside for a little while. And it was wonderful to have time out with my husband and to just feel normal for a while. It’s been months since I’ve spent time outside and it made me so happy. This was our view 🙂

This week has been quite positive on the medical front but it means tough times ahead in the short term but will be worth it in the longer run. I’ve now managed to reduce my pain meds enough that I can switch to different meds, which will give me more control. In the short term this means my condition will be much worse due to sudden withdrawal and an increase in pain while my body adjusts. I’m trying to focus on the longer term when I will hopefully be better able to control my pain without feeling drugged up all the time. I’m only sharing this here as once the med change happens (it’s due to be in the next couple of days but it will depend on the NHS being back up and running) I will probably be around less for a little while. I may miss replying to comments here, or commenting and sharing your posts so please bear with me, I will be around as and when I can be.

I did have a productive couple of days at the start of last week and managed to write quite a few reviews and posts so I’ve got those scheduled. It means there will still be posts from me but I might not necessarily be around when the posts appear and links are tweeted.

This week I’ve finished reading four books:

The Zero by Jess Walter

This was my audio book for this week and I very much enjoyed listening to it. It’s a novel set around the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York but the main character is losing chunks of time and is increasingly confused so the story is told out of order. This book was so much more than I was expecting and I’m so glad that I stumbled upon it when sorting out my Kindle last week.

Fairytale Interrupted by RoseMarie Terenzio

This was an interesting book written by John F. Kennedy Jr.’s assistant. I enjoyed reading about the setting up of George magazine, and about John and Carolyn. I did find that Terenzio is a bit irritating at times but it didn’t stop me enjoying the book for the most part.

The Comfort of Others by Kay Langdale

This is a beautiful novel, one that I think I’ll be reading again in the future. I was sent this for review so I’m hoping to get my thoughts written up and posted very soon.

The Way Back Home by Freya North

I was such a fan of Freya North’s novels when she was first published but I haven’t read anything by her for a few years now. I’m not sure when I bought this book but I found it on my kindle last week and decided to read it right away. I really enjoyed it, it isn’t my favourite book by her but it was a good read. I especially loved that Cat and Django from an earlier novel featured in this novel, it was nice to see how they both were.

 

This week I’ve blogged seven times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up

Monday: Guest post by Paul E. Hardisty about the evolution of his protagonist Claymore Stryker as part of the Reconciliation for the Dead blog tour

Tuesday: Review of Little Deaths by Emma Flint

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday

Thursday: Review of The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

Friday: Review of The People at Number 9 by Felicity Everett

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

I started reading this yesterday and am already engrossed. Eleanor Oliphant is a great character and it feels like she could be one of those characters that really stays with me after I finish the book.

The Light We Lost by Jill

I started reading this last night and it’s got me hooked. I’m intrigued by where the story is going and what happened between these two people.

The Honeymoon by Tina Seskis

This book is so gripping, it grabbed me on the first page and I begrudge having to put the book down when real life intervenes on my reading time.

Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

This is another book that has been on my TBR for ages – I actually bought it when it was published but never got around to reading it. I’ve discovered the audio version is part of my subscription service so I’m part listening and part reading it. I’m really enjoying it and am intrigued to know where the story is going.

Fragile Lives by Stephen Westaby

This is an incredible memoir of a top heart surgeon and I’ve been fascinated by the various surgeries that he has been involved with, or has pioneered himself. I’d recommend this book to everyone.

How to Survive a Plague by David France

I’ve read another chapter of this book this week and am really engrossed in it now. It’s a similar book to And the Band Played on by Randy Schilts, and some of the same people do feature but a different perspective is given so it’s fascinating. I do find it utterly horrifying how various political elements stopped the cause of AIDS being known sooner.

 

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Update on my TBR:

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1934

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 8

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 4

Books I’m currently reading: 6

TBR Books culled this week: 0

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1932

Woo hoo! My TBR has gone down by two, which I’m very happy with. 🙂


 

I’m linking this post up to Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer’s Sunday Blog Share.  It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

 

Weekly Wrap-Up (7 May)

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This week has been a quiet one for the most part with nothing major to write about so I’ll get straight on to my reading and blogging news…

 

This week I’ve finished reading five books:

Dead Woman Walking by Sharon Bolton

I loved this book – it’s one of those novels that grabs you on the first page and then the pace doesn’t really let up throughout. I’m thinking that I might try and review this one soon.

Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson

This book is incredible. It’s so powerful and brutal but compelling at the same time. I reviewed this for the blog tour this week so you can read my thoughts on it here if you’d like to.

My Dear I Wanted to Tell You by Louisa Young

I’ve had this book on my TBR for five years and finally picked it up this week. I’m annoyed at myself for not reading it sooner as I very much enjoyed it. So much so that I immediately picked up the second book in the trilogy…

The Heroes’ Welcome by Louisa Young

This is the second book in the above trilogy and has also been on my TBR for a while so I was really pleased that I enjoyed the first book and could get straight on with this one. The third book is now awaiting me on my TBR and I’m looking forward to reading that soon.

The Elephant in the Room by Jon Ronson

This is a very short book (52 pages) all about the run-up to the 2016 American presidential election and is very interesting. It predominantly looks at some of the men involved in the Trump campaign and how much influence they may have had.

 

 

This week I’ve blogged six times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up

                Review of The Wild Air by Rebecca Mascull for the blog tour

Monday: April Wrap-Up

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday

                        Review of Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson for the blog tour

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

 

Fairytale Interrupted by RoseMarie Terenzio

I can’t even remember when I got this book but it was on my TBR and I spotted it when sorting my kindle this week. I picked it up and was intrigued enough to keep reading. It’s a book about John F. Kennedy Jr by his PA. I’m about a quarter of the way through it at the moment and so far it’s predominantly about setting up the magazine George and is really interesting.

The Way Back Home by Freya North

This is another book that I noticed when sorting my Kindle out and decided to make it my next read. I’ve read 10% of it so far and am struggling to get into it but I’ve always enjoyed Freya North’s books so am going to give it a bit longer to see if it grabs me.

Fragile Lives by Stephen Westaby

I was sent this for review a couple of months ago and finally got to pick it up this week. It’s a hard read because of the subject matter but it’s fascinating and I’m looking forward to reading more.

The Comfort of Others by Kay Langdale

This book is so beautiful and I hope to be able to read more of this week. I’m really enjoying it but am struggling to read the faint print at the moment. I’m considering buying the ebook book, or the audio book if there is one, so I can find out what happens.

How to Survive a Plague by David France

I read another couple of chapters of this book this week and am really engrossed in it. It’s a very powerful book and one I highly recommend.

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Update on my TBR:

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1933

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 12

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 5

Books I’m currently reading: 5

TBR Books culled this week: 1

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1934

I’m really pleased that I’ve very nearly broken even with my TBR this week! Obviously it’d be better if I was reading more books than I was acquiring but keeping my TBR steady is better than the numbers going up and up!

 


 

I’m linking this post up to Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer’s Sunday Blog Share.  It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up (30 April)

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Our RSD17 haul

It’s been a week of ups and downs this week! The ups were fab… my husband and I went record shopping on Record Store Day last Saturday and that was a lot of fun. It meant getting up at stupid o’clock to go wait in a queue in the freezing cold but that’s all part of it. The staff at the shop we went to were lovely – they handed out cups of tea and bacon rolls for anyone who wanted them, and they were so accommodating of me in my wheelchair when it became apparent that I wouldn’t be able to get into the shop easily. We had a list of a few records that we really wanted to get and we were lucky to get all but two of them. We’ve since managed to get the final two online yesterday morning when all the remaining records were allowed to be put online by the record shops.

Unfortunately, it was overly ambitious for me to cope with being out so long in the cold and when we got home I had an horrendous fall. I managed to bruise all of my left side and banged my head quite badly. It really shook me up. I am prone to falling with my condition as my balance is off and I only have sensation in one leg (I’m paralysed down my right side) but this was the worst fall I’ve had in a while. Thankfully I’m starting to feel better now but it has affected me for most of this week.

Due to feeling so rough I’ve been taking it easy and have enjoyed relaxing with some audio books – they make up most of my reading for this week.

This week I’ve finished reading six books:

The Wild Air by Rebecca Mascull

This is such a wonderful novel, I absolutely loved it. I’m actually on the blog tour today so you can read my review here if you’d like to.

Foxlowe by Eleanor Wasserberg

This is one of my audio books for this week and I really enjoyed listening to it. I’d heard a lot of mixed things about the novel but I found it engaging and it had me hooked all the way through. I listened to it over three sittings and when I wasn’t listening I was thinking about it.

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

I’ve had this book on my TBR for a while now so when I found it on my audio subscription this week I decided to listen to it. I’m annoyed with myself for not reading this before now as it was brilliant. I already want to read it again as it feels like it’s one of those short novels that is packed with so much subtle detail.

Titanic Lives by Richard Davenport-Hines

I really enjoyed this book, it was fascinating to find out more about the people who were involved with Titanic – from the designers to the engineers to the passengers. I knew a lot of the stories told in this book but some of it was new to me so it was nice to find out some things I didn’t know before.

He Said / She Said by Erin Kelly

I have to admit that I struggled to get into this book but once I did get into it I couldn’t put it down. I hope to get my review written and posted soon but I definitely recommend it.

Luuurve is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison

I picked this up after my fall the other day and it was a perfect read for that moment in time. I’m way older than the target audience for this book but I still found it amusing. Louise Rennison really was such a great writer.

This week I’ve blogged five times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up

Monday: Interview with Kay Langdale for The Comfort of Others blog tour

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday

Thursday: Review of See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

Saturday: Stacking the Shelves

 

This is what I’m currently reading:

Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson

I’m finding this book hard to put down, it grabbed me early on and I’m begrudging the time when real life stops me from reading more. I’ll be reviewing this book on Wednesday for the blog tour so look out for my review then.

Dead Woman Walking by Sharon Bolton

I can barely put into words how much I’m enjoying this book. If it wasn’t for me having such a bad week and struggling to hold a book to read I’d having finished this in a couple of sittings. I really hope I can get back to this very soon.

The Comfort of Others by Kay Langdale

This is another book that I’ve had to leave to one side this week due to not being able to hold a print book very well. I was adoring it though and can’t wait to get back to it.

How to Survive a Plague by David France

This is a really moving and powerful read that stays in your head every time you put it down. It’s interesting and well-written and I’m looking forward to reading more of it this week.

 


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Update on my TBR: 

TBR at the start of January 2017: 1885 (see my State of the TBR post)

TBR in last week’s Wrap-Up: 1941

Additions:

Books bought/received for review/gifts: 11

Subtractions:

Books read this week: 6

Books I’m currently reading: 4

TBR Books culled this week: 9

Total:

TBR now stands at: 1933

 

I’m linking this post up to Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer’s Sunday Blog Share.  It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


 

How has your week been? What have you been reading? Please share in the comments below. If you write a wrap-up on your blog please feel free to share the link. 🙂

Weekly Wrap-Up (23 April)

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This week has been an okay week, it was nice not to have any medical appointments or treatment and to be able to just potter about at home.

I’ve not managed to read quite as much as usual as I spent time catching up on Broadchurch (I’m sad this has ended as I loved it) and Big Little Lies (I read the book when it first came out but I can only remember half of how it ends so I’m intrigued to see how it all turns out. No spoilers please as it doesn’t air in the UK until tomorrow night. I think the casting for this show has been perfect and has made it such a brilliant series. I’ll miss it when it ends). I don’t watch a lot of TV but when I find a programme I like I tend to get hooked until it’s finished.

As I’m writing this post it’s Friday afternoon… I’m finishing and scheduling this post early this week (I normally write and schedule in advance and then amend the night before it posts if I’ve started or finished any other books) as I’m hoping to go record shopping on Saturday morning with my husband. It’s Record Store Day and there are some fab-sounding records on the list that we’d love to get.  I’ll update my instagram with our purchases and will write about how it went in next Sunday’s wrap-up post. I’m so hoping I manage to go – I haven’t left the house, other than for a handful of medical appointments, in literally weeks as I’ve been too unwell so it would be brilliant to get out.

 

This week I’ve finished reading three books:

No Turning Back by Tracy Buchanan

I’ve had this on my TBR since it was published and this week it caught my eye in my audio library and I decided to pick it up. I listened to it over a couple of days and enjoyed it.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

This was a really interesting listen that I very much enjoyed. It may seem odd to read a book about marathon running when I can’t walk more than a handful of tiny steps but there was so much in this book that really struck a chord with me. It’s interesting to read about his writing process too. I’d recommend this.

This Love by Dani Atkins

I read this book in two sittings and fell completely in love with the story. This is one of those books that stays in your mind after you finish reading and I think it’ll be a rare book that I re-read in the future. I reviewed this on my blog this week so you can read my thoughts here if you’d like to.

 

This week I’ve blogged six times:

Sunday: Weekly Wrap-Up post

Monday: The Affair by Amanda Brooke

Tuesday: Interview with Jennifer Gilmour, author of Isolation Junction

Wednesday: WWW Wednesday post

Thursday: Review of This Love by Dani Atkins<