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WWW Wednesday October 5

It’s the first Wednesday of October and the leaves are changing colour daily. We don’t have the brilliant displays of North America but there are some gorgeous colours around at the moment

Wednesday also means that it’s time for WWW Wednesday. This is one of my favourite memes and I love taking part in it and reading everybody else’s posts. It’s currently hosted by Sam and it can be found on her blog Taking on a world of words which can be found here.

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

What I’m currently reading

A Man called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Ove has to be the grumpiest man in Sweden but I am loving the continual interruptions he gets from his neighbours and the way that his past history is gradually revealed .

What I have recently finished reading

Helgoland by Carlo Rovelli

Helgoland – The story of quantum physics

It probably isn’t really true to say that I have recently finished this. Recently abandoned would be far more accurate. I was definitely over estimating my ability to understand anything at all about Quantum Physics. I got about half way through and then it really stopped making any sense at all. My next non-fiction read is going to be a lot more accessible

Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan

I loved this year’s Christmas book by Sarah Morgan. It definitely left me with a burning desire to make shortbread. I may well reread it in the week before Christmas to put me in a festive mood. I’ll post my review in the last week of October when the book is published in the UK

The Malice of Waves by Mark Douglas Home

This was a brilliant mystery about a young boy’s death five years earlier. The ‘sea detective’ Cal McGill, is called in to see if he can use his specialised knowledge to work out what happened. This was a really intriguing storyline with some really interesting characters. There was also a sub plot about thieving rare birds eggs too to make things even more interesting.

Murder at the Auction by E C Bateman

I was invited to read this first book in a new crime series. That doesn’t happen very often so obviously I said yes. It was a really enjoyable murder mystery set in the historic town of Stamford which is only about an hour away from where I live. I love books that are set in places that I have visited and this one had a really strong sense of location.

What I am intending to read next

The Truants by Kate Weinberg

That’s the current state of my reading this week. What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

Blogtober – Sundays in bed with…… Snowed in for Christmas

Sundays in bed with is a meme hosted by Midnight Book Girl but I came across it recently on Jill’s Book Blog. It is simply a chance to share the book that is by your bed at the moment (or that you wish was by your bed). This week the book by my bed (or on the arm of my sofa) is Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan

This is my first Christmas book for this year. I love Sarah Morgan and her Christmas book last year was one of my favourite books of the year. This one is just as good but in a very different way.

Blurb from NetGalley:
She’s snowed in with the family. The only problem? They’re not her family.

A family gathering
This Christmas the Miller siblings have one goal – to avoid their family’s well-meaning questions. Ross, Alice and Clemmie have secrets that they don’t intend to share, and they are relying on each other to deflect attention.

An uninvited guest
Lucy Clarke is facing a Christmas alone, and the prospect of losing her job – unless she can win a major piece of business from Ross Miller. She’ll deliver her proposal to his family home in the Scottish Highlands and then leave. After all, she wouldn’t want to intrude on the Miller’s perfect family Christmas.

A Christmas to remember
When Lucy appears on the Miller’s snow-covered doorstep, she is mistaken for Ross’s girlfriend. But by the time the confusion is cleared up, a storm has hit and Lucy is stuck. As everyone settles in for a snowed-in Christmas, tensions bubble to the surface and suddenly Lucy finds herself facing a big family fallout with a family that isn’t hers

I’m loving the family relationships in this book. All the character, Lucy, the Miller siblings and mum Glenda are having problems and there have been several moments when I’ve felt a lump in my throat. I absolutely the character of Nanna Jean who at 86, is not changing her attitudes towards anything. She definitely reminds me of my own mother who is a very similar age.

It’s a Christmas romance and I’m fairly sure that I know how each of the characters are going to end up but it’s how they arrive there that makes Sarah Morgan’s books so special.

In a way, I regret reading this as an ARC as I think I would have enjoyed it even more in December. Maybe I’ll have to reread it then😃

What are you reading this Sunday?

This is the second post for Blogtober 2o22.

WWW Wednesday September 28

It’s the final Wednesday of September today. The year seems to be hurtling towards the end in a mad rush. I think it’s a sign of aging!!!

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

What I’m currently reading

Helgoland by Carlo Ravelli

It seemed like a good idea to read a book about a subject that I know nothing about but I’m not convinced. The only thing keeping me going is that apparently quantum physics is not meant to be easily understood. Cats who are neither asleep or awake (or maybe both) are beyond my brain’s capacity to understand.

Blackstone Fell by Martin Edwards

This is the third book in the historical crime series featuring Rachel Savernake. This time she’s investigating mysterious disappearances in a remote village in Yorkshire. There’s also a sub plot about mediums and contacting people in the afterlife too. It’s all very mysterious so far.

What I have recently finished reading

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

I enjoyed this more than I thought at the beginning but it didn’t grip me as much as I had expected. The early parts where the characters were children didn’t really interest me. It’s difficult to write how very young children see the world and I don’t think that the characters were believable. It was much more interesting when they were grown up and Christa began working for the SOE. It didn’t really have anything much different to the many other books that cover the same period though.

The Cruise by Catherine Cooper

This was a fun thriller set on board a luxury cruise ship. It’s one of my ARCs and isn’t due to be published until November. It was an interesting plot with a dual time storyline which I always enjoy.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

This was an interesting book set in San Francisco at the time of the great earthquake in 1906. I really enjoyed the plot and the three female characters who got together to uncover the secrets of their husband.

When the curtain falls by Carrie Hope Fisher

I thought that I would enjoy this more than I did with its theatrical setting. It was a fun story about a haunted theatre but I never really felt convinced by the characters in either the 1952 story or the 2022 one. I think that probably I just wasn’t in the right mood for this one.

Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell

Normally I try to read my Net Galley ARCs in order of publication so that I don’t get them archived by mistake but I wanted to read this as soon as I was approved for it as I loved Winter’s Orbit so much last year. This was another Science fiction book with a healthy dose of romance. This time it was all about neuro -enhancements and the potential misuse of mental powers. Like Winter’s Orbit, it was very character driven and I loved it. Full review to come nearer publication date

What I am intending to read next

Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan

I think that I’m going to have to start reading my Christmas ARCs very soon as it’s so close to October now. 🎄🎅

That’s the current state of my reading this week. What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

WWW Wednesday September 21

It’s Wednesday again and it’s a been a strange week in which we had an unexpected bank holiday because of the Queen’s funeral. I certainly didn’t intend to spend most of the day glued to the television but that’s how it ended up. It was definitely a historic occasion and one that I’m glad I spent the time watching.

It’s also the Autumn Equinox today – day and night are equal length which means that from today, there will be more darkness than light. It’s all downhill now as we head into colder days.

However Wednesday also means that it’s time for WWW Wednesday. This is one of my favourite memes and I love taking part in it and reading everybody else’s posts. It’s currently hosted by Sam and it can be found on her blog Taking on a world of words which can be found here.

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

What I’m currently reading

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

I’ve only just started this and am not quite sure how I feel about it yet. The style of writing feels quite detached so the empathy with the characters isn’t really there yet.

What I have recently finished reading

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris

I really enjoyed this. It’s Harris’s version of the true story of two Colonels in Cromwell’s army, William Goff and Edward Whalley. Both men signed the death warrant of Charles I and were the subject of a manhunt after the restoration. The book details their life in the newly settled American colony and the hunt for them. I loved the descriptions of the American landscape and the sheer size and emptiness of the country. I can’t begin to imagine how the two men coped with having to live in hiding for so many years. Definitely a great read for anyone who is interested in that period of history or just enjoys a good story.

A Spoonful of Murder by J M Hall

I thought that this would be a cosy crime story in the same style as Richard Osman but it felt a lot more serious. It still fits the cosy crime genre with a group of 3 retired teachers starting to investigate the unexpected death of an ex-colleague. However the tone is more sombre than in some books with all three of the protagonists having problems that they are having to deal with at the same time. One of these is fairly obvious but another one came as a total surprise. I really enjoyed it and the depiction of the three 60 year old women. Maybe because they felt very like me??????

The Death of Lucy Kyte by Nicola Upson

I think I’ve now caught up with all the books in this historical crime series featuring the author Josephine Tey. This one was set in 1936 around the time of King Edward’s abdication but was mainly about life in a small Suffolk village where Josephine Tey has inherited a cottage. She learns about the local murder which happened many years before but still casts a shadow over the village.

I love the way that real history is intertwined with the fiction in this book but what I love especially is the detail in the writing. The mysteries are quite slow paced because you become immersed in life as it was lived then, It’s something that this series has in common with Act of Oblivion. The detail isn’t boring at all, it just makes the characters and the world around them more real.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

This was a very different book to Sabriel. It was set in the 1980’s, a time that is just slightly different to the 80s that I actually lived through. It’s more of an urban fantasy and reminded me of the Rivers of London series in the way that the author included mythical powers of Old England. It was a fun read.

What I am intending to read next

This is one of my ARCs waiting on my Net Galley shelf and will probably be the next book I read. It does depend what mood I’m in though 😃

That’s the current state of my reading this week. What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

WWW Wednesday September 7th

It’s Wednesday which means that it’s time for WWW Wednesday. This is one of my favourite memes and I love taking part in it and reading everybody else’s posts. It’s currently hosted by Sam and it can be found on her blog Taking on a world of words which can be found here.

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

We’re off on our travels again for our final holiday this year. This post is coming from the beautiful town of Collioure in South East France. We discovered Collioure in 2005 and fell in love with it so we have returned at regular intervals ever since. Here’s the amazing view from our bedroom

What I’m currently reading

Sabriel by Garth Nix

I’ve never read this series before and I’m really enjoying this fantasy. I guess it’s Middle Grade or YA but it was written before such classifications existed

Picture you Dead by Peter James

This is the latest in the Roy Grace series and is a very complicated tale of lost Art works and forgeries. I definitely have no idea how it’s going to end up

What I have recently finished reading

Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon
I really fancied rereading something last week so I ended up binge reading all three books in the Deeds of Paksenarrion series and this first book in the follow up series. There’s something really satisfying about curling up with a set of books that you really enjoy

The Hidden Palace by Dinah Jefferies

I loved Daughters of War but didn’t find this one quite so engrossing. The characters didn’t come alive for me in the same way and there wasn’t the same sense of peril as there was in the earlier book

What I am intending to read next

This is by my bed ready to start this evening. A story of three women who meet on a beach and become friends. Perfect holiday reading

That’s the current state of my reading this week. What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

WWW Wednesday Aug 24

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

What I’m currently reading

The Bird Cage by Eve Chase
I love this story of 3 half sisters reunited with their father at his Cornish home on Rock Point. The family relationships between the girls are so complex and feel so real. We get flashbacks to the Summer of 1999 from the point of view of Lauren, the youngest sister. Obviously something happened that Summer during the total eclipse but neither Lauren nor me know what it is yet. A great read so far.

I was given this for Christmas a few years ago and after having a quick look through it, it’s sat on my bookshelf. I decided that now would be a good time to actually read it as it is the basis for the new series House of the Dragon.

What I have recently finished reading

Should I tell you by Jill Mansell
I really enjoyed this Summer romance. I liked all of the characters and it wasn’t quite as predictable as some romances can be as there were different paths that the characters could have taken.

The Last Voice You Hear by Mick Herron
I didn’t really enjoy this and it was definitely a skim read just to get to the end. It was the second in a series and I think that I really did need to read the first one. It was also the style of writing that I found quite difficult though. I have one of his Slough House series on order at the library so I’ll see if I enjoy that any more.

Highland Fling by Sara Sheridan
I loved this one. It was set in the highlands rather than Brighton which is the usual setting for this setting. I missed some of the other characters especially Vesta but it was a good mystery.

What I am intending to read next

The Blood of the Spear by Mark Timmony

This is the first volume in a new epic fantasy series and was recommended by The Swordsmith in his review a few days ago.

That’s the current state of my reading this week. What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

WWW Wednesday August 17

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

I haven’t read quite as much this week as we’re spending a lot of time rehearsing for the show we’re performing in at the end of the month but I have read some great books.

What I’m currently reading

Sorry I Missed You by Lorraine Brown
I seem to have a lot of ARCs with a publication date of September 1 so I’m trying to get them all read fairly soon. This is a fun romance set in Hampstead, London. An out of work actor, Jake, moves into a flat next to Rebecca who works for a marketing company. The story is being told alternately from both characters and it’s amusing how their first impressions of each other are changing. I’m really enjoying it so far.

What I have recently finished reading

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
I really enjoyed this although possibly not quite as much as A Gentleman in Moscow. I loved the different view points of the characters. Definitely a bitter-sweet ending.

The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
This was a really good story and I think I preferred this to The Miniaturist. There were a lot of references to the previous book and I couldn’t remember the details that well but it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of this story about Thea.

The Angels of Venice by Philip Gwynne Jones was brilliant. It is set in Venice during the floods of November 2019 and it was really interesting to get such a different view of the city. It was an intriguing mystery and I really liked the main character Nathan. It’s the latest in a series so I’m definitely going to search out the previous books.

The Lost Notebook by Louise Douglas was a great murder mystery too.

What I am intending to read next

That’s the current state of my reading this week. What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

WWW Wednesday August 10

We’ve had a brilliant weekend away since my last WWW post. We spent a gorgeous weekend on the Norfolk coast and spent hours walking along long empty beaches. The weather was pretty much perfect; Sunny but not too hot. Unlike the next few days are going to be as we enter another heat wave.

But onto my WWW post. The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

What I’m currently reading

The Lost Notebook by Louise Douglas
I’m really enjoying this thriller ARC from Net Galley. It’s set in Brittany which is an area of France that we have regularly visited so the setting feels very familiar. Mila has moved to Brittany to take care of her orphaned niece and discovers an old woman dead in her travelling van. The police want to treat it as a normal death but Mila isn’t convinced. Then a hate campaign begins aimed at the director of a nearby archaeological dig and she is sure that the events are linked. It’s a brilliantly twisty story so far with lots of threads to follow.

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
I just started this yesterday and found it really hard to put down as I kept wanting to find out what would happen next. It’s told from several points of view so you get different views of the same incident. Emmet is going to take his younger brother Billy along the Lincoln Highway all the way to California to find their mother. However things don’t quite go to plan.

What I have recently finished reading

Year of the Reaper was brilliant. It was recommended by A Book Owl’s Corner and I loved it. It is supposedly a YA book but it read perfectly well as an adult fantasy to me. I loved that it was inspired by the Black Death in the middle ages and I really liked how she used that idea in the book.

I didn’t enjoy Orphans of the Storm as much as I hoped. Celia Imrie just doesn’t grab me with her characters. The story is an amazing and the amount of historical research that went into the book is amazing but her characters don’t come to life for me. The last third of the book when we get on the Titanic was where I really got interested.

The Key in the Lock was a bit of a let down too. It was supposed to be very dark and gothic but it was all just a bit so-so. An interesting story but not as gripping as I thought it might be.

I loved Elektra and will hopefully post a proper review in the next few days.

Spring Cannot be Cancelled was also brilliant and I have reviewed it here as part of my non fiction reader challenge

What I am intending to read next

The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
Definitely looking forward to reading this one next

That’s the current state of my reading this week. What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

WWW Wednesday Aug 3

Oh my, it’s the first Wednesday in August. How did that happen? Wednesday which means that it’s time for WWW Wednesday. This is one of my favourite memes and I love taking part in it and reading everybody else’s posts. It’s currently hosted by Sam and it can be found on her blog Taking on a world of words which can be found here.

The idea of WWW Wednesday is just to answer three simple questions about what you are reading, have just finished and are about to read so here goes for this week.

What I’m currently reading

Thrown by Sara Cox
A group of women begin attending a pottery class at a local community and begin to make friendships. This is told from the point of view of 4 of the women in turn and we find out about their lives as well as how they interact at the pottery class with the gorgeous teacher Sasha. It’s a fun read so far.

Spring Cannot be Cancelled by David Hockney and Martin Gayford
I’m still reading this and loving the discussions on Art and life in general.

What I have recently finished reading

I really loved all of these. I reviewed Godmersham Park here and I will post my review of The Secret Society of Irregular Witches soon, It was an absolutely brilliant read though and I thoroughly recommend it for anyone who loves a romantic witchy book.

What I am intending to read next

Elektra by Jennifer Saint
Definitely looking forward to reading this one next

That’s the current state of my reading this week. What does your WWW Wednesday look like?

Sundays in bed with …….. Godmersham Park

Sundays in bed with is a meme hosted by Midnight Book Girl but I came across it recently on Jill’s Book Blog. It is simply a chance to share the book that is by your bed at the moment (or that you wish was by your bed). This week the book on the arm of my sofa is Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby

I really liked Miss Austen last year by Gill Hornby and I’ve seen some good reviews about this latest novel inspired by the letters of Jane Austen.

Blurb from the book:
January 1804: Anne Sharp arrives at Godmersham Park in Kent to take up the position of governess

At thirty-one years old she has no previous experience of either teaching or fine country houses. But her mother has died and she desperately needs an independent income if she is to survive.

Her new role is awkward: she is neither one of the servants nor one of the family. A single wrong move may result in her instant dismissal.

She has just begun to settle into her position when dashing Henry Austen and his youngest sister Jane come to stay. Both take an immediate interest in the pretty, clever governess who quickly becomes drawn into the above-stairs life of the Austen family.

Despite her best endeavours, Anne finds that she is beginning to fall in love. But has her survival at Godmersham Park just become a good deal more precarious?

I love the way Gill Hornby has created a wholly believable back story for Anne Sharp who we only really know through Jane Austen’s letters to her niece Fanny who was in Anne’s charge.

What are you reading this Sunday?