Woohoo 200 Followers!!!

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200 Followers, Thank You

Wow I’ve just hit 200 followers how fab is that?! 😀

 

Thank you to everyone who follows, reads, comments, likes and just pops in every now and then.

I really appreciate all of you and the wonderful blogging community; you’ve made my day 🙂

Follow Me On Twitter

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social media, twitter

So I’ve taken the plunge and linked an old twitter account to this blog.

To be honest I’m not really sure what I’m doing with Twitter, being more of a Facebook geek, so I would really appreciate any tips you’d like to share so I can avoid any twitter faux pas.

Feel free to follow me and I’ll return the favour! Thanks

2016 Year in Review Book Tag

Tags

favourites, meme, tags

I saw this fun tag on The Book Raven’s blog the other day and even though it’s a bit out of date I thought it was a fun one to join in with.

 

TRUMP Vs CLINTON: NAME YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER RIVALRY:

 

Tyler V Grace in Lisa Jewell’s The Girls

Two young teenagers vying for the same boyfriend. Grace is the new girl in town and Dylan seems to really like her. Tyler has been going out with Dylan for a while and won’t let him go that easily.

 

 

 

 

TURKEY FAILED COUP: A BOOK YOU STARTED BUT FAILED TO FINISH

Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney. I requested this on NetGalley because I loved  a previous book by the author. However it was only as I started reading it that I remembered that reason I’d really enjoyed the other book was because I’d listened to the audio version and the narrator was superb. I didn’t get very far before I realised for various reasons, it wasn’t for me.

 

 

 

POKEMON GO: WHAT BOOK DID YOU BUY OR READ BASED ON THE HYPE? DID YOU ENJOY IT?

 

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult and yes I loved it.

 

 

 

 

 

STRANGER THINGS: WHAT’S ONE BOOK YOU WANT EVERYONE TO READ?

 

The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry a transvestite with so much to say about masculinity. It’s a short read but made so much sense and I think more people particularly men should pick it up and read it.

 

 

 

 

GAME OF THRONES, THE WALKING DEAD, MR. ROBOT: WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK CLIFFHANGER WITHIN A SERIES?

There was a brilliant cliffhanger at the end of An Honest Man by Simon Michael. It’s a very clever legal series using original court notes for a fictional story set in the 1960s London when the Kray Twins ruled parts of the city. The next book The Lighterman is out in June and I’m really looking forward to getting a copy.

 

 

 

 

 

THE TRAGIC CRISIS IN ALEPPO: NAME THE LAST BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY OR TEARY-EYED

 

 

Without a doubt A Mother’s Confession by Kelly Rimmer.I really blubbed whilst reading this.

 

 

 

 

 

BREXIT: NAME A BOOK YOU HAVE AN UNPOPULAR OPINION TOWARDS.

 

 

When All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage

This was a random ARC that was sent out to me and I really didn’t enjoy it. It’s got wonderful reviews on Goodreads and the premise sounded really good but it really was not for me.

 

 

 

 

FOUR NEW ELEMENTS DISCOVERED IN THE PERIODIC TABLE: NAME AN AUTHOR YOU DISCOVERED/READ FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.

I’ve  discovered so many fantastic new authors through random library reads, NetGalley and The Nudge but who to choose? I’m going to go with Corrie Jackson who wrote Breaking Dead the first in a new thriller series about Sophie Kent a British journalist. I really can’t wait for the second part in this brilliant series.

 

 

 

#ALLLIVESMATTER: YOUR FAVOURITE DIVERSE READ

 

I’m going to go with Nujeen: One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War‐Torn Syria in a Wheelchair by Nujeen Mustafa, Christina Lamb. It was a very hard book to read but it really did help me put a human face to the what unbelievably is still going on in Syria and with the refugee crisis.

 

 

 

 

ZIKA VIRUS: A BOOK THAT SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE.

 

I’ve chosen Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert which according to Goodreads has 63,855 Ratings and  5,506 Reviews. It’s such an encouraging read and not just about being creative.

 

 

 

 

LEONARDO DECAPRIO FINALLY WON THE OSCAR: WHAT WAS YOUR MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK RELEASE THIS YEAR?

 

I Found You by Lisa Jewell. She’s one of my favourite authors and I requested this at my local library as I knew it would be a great read.

 

 

 

 

 

IN MEMORIAM: NAME A MEMORABLE CHARACTER DEATH.

Without giving the story away all I can say it that there are some great deaths in this book about a serial killer in London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAMSUNG PHONES: ONE BOOK THAT BLEW YOUR MIND THIS YEAR!

 

Definitely Touch by Claire North such a clever story with an amazing plot with fascinating characters. Just read it!

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my books and if you want to join in please do 🙂

Isn’t This Fun!

Tags

book face, creativity

Did anyone else see this article on Facebook the other day, about what French booksellers get up to when customers back are turned?

I thought it was such fun that I had to give it a try myself, with the only book I’ve got with a just a face on the cover. It’s Salt Blue by Gillian Morgan that I blogged about last week.

So what do think, and do you want to join in?

 

 

 

 

 

First Line Friday #4

Tags

firstlinefriday, paperback

This week’s First Line Friday is from Martyr by Rory Clements, a book I bought this week for 53 pence whilst I was browsing the sale books in my local Waterstones.

“Rose Downie sat on the cold cobbles, cradling a swaddled baby that was not hers.”

 

England is close to war. Within days the axe could fall on the neck of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Spain is already gathering a battle fleet to avenge her. Tensions in Elizabeth I’s government are at the breaking point. At the centre of the storm is John Shakespeare, chief intelligencer in the secret service of Sir Francis Walsingham. When an intercept reveals a plot to assassinate England’s “sea dragon,” Francis Drake, Shakespeare is ordered to protect him. Busy fitting out his ships on land, Drake is frighteningly vulnerable. If he dies, England will be open to invasion.

From the splendour and intrigue of the royal court to the sleek warships of Her Majesty’s Navy and the teeming brothels of Southwark, Shakespeare soon learns that nothing is as it seems …

 

 

Book Review: The Girl Before by J. P. Delaney

Tags

hardback, london, netgalley, Quercus

“Enter the world of One Folgate Street and discover perfection . . . but can you pay the price?

Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules.

After moving in, she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there – and starts to wonder if her own story will be a re-run of the girl before.

As twist after twist catches the reader off guard, Emma’s past and Jane’s present become inexorably entwined in this tense, page-turning portrayal of psychological obsession.”

 

 

I was lucky enough to receive a hardback copy of this from Quercus after reading the sample on NetGalley, which really did add to my reading experience.

This was a real page turner that I read in 24 hours. I was hooked right from the first page with the two narrators keeping me gripped throughout. The minimalist house was a very interesting concept and not one I would take on unless absolutely desperate. Jane and Emma were desperate women needing a new start in their lives but from completely different circumstances.

The tension was there right from the start, building up as the plot took me through all it’s twists and turns. There were some shocking short sex scenes that made me feel uncomfortable and question what the point was, but it wasn’t so much that I felt like I had to stop reading.

A definite recommendation if you enjoy thrillers with lots of twists and turns. I even think this would make a good book club read as there are some good themes throughout.

The Girl Before is published today 26 January by Quercus.

 

 

Standalone Sunday

Tags

favourites, library book, lisa jewell, meme, Standalone Sunday, tags, thriller

Standalone Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by  Megan@bookslayerreads. Standalone Sunday was created to let others know about all the standalone books you have loved, but maybe don’t get the attention they need. Megan created the banner as well and anyone joining in can use it too. Why not check out her blog too

This week I’ve chosen I Found You by Lisa Jewell.

‘How long have you been sitting out here?’

‘I got here yesterday.’

‘Where did you come from?

‘I have no idea.’

East Yorkshire: Single mum Alice Lake finds a man on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, no idea what he is doing there. Against her better judgement she invites him in to her home.
Surrey: Twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.

Two women, twenty years of secrets and a man who can’t remember lie at the heart of Lisa Jewell’s brilliant new novel.

This was really, really good and probably one of favourite library book reads of 2016. This had lots of twists and turns and got quite creepy in parts. I’m a fan of the author and definitely agree with the blurb inside the dust jacket, about how her books get better and better!

 

 

Library Loot: January 11 to 17

This gallery contains 4 photos.

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that …

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Standalone Sunday

Tags

favourites, Standalone Sunday

Standalone Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by  Megan @ bookslayerreads.Standalone Sunday was created to let others know about all the standalone books you have loved, but maybe don’t get the attention they need. Megan created the banner as well and anyone joining in can use it too. Why not check out her blog too

The Taste of Air by Gail Cleare

“A simple phone call disrupts Nell Williams’ well-ordered life. Her mother, Mary, is in a hospital in Vermont. But her mother is supposed to be safely tucked away in an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts, so Nell can’t fathom why she would be so far from home.

After notifying her sister, Bridget, Nell hops on a plane and rushes to her mother’s side. There, she discovers that her mother has been living a second life. Mary has another home and a set of complex relationships with people her daughters have never met.

When Nell and Bridget delve deeper into their mother’s lakeside hideaway, they uncover a vault of family secrets and the gateway to change for all three women. ”

I loved this book when I read it last year. It made me think about my family situation and what I’d do if my mother was not where she was supposed to be. If you like books about family secrets you’ll enjoy this.

The Trespasser by Tana French

Tags

book review, crime, Dublin Murder Squad #6, gaveupon, netgalley, police procedural

“Being on the Murder squad is nothing like Detective Antoinette Conway dreamed it would be. Her partner, Stephen Moran, is the only person who seems glad she’s there. The rest of her working life is a stream of thankless cases, vicious pranks, and harassment. Antoinette is savagely tough, but she’s getting close to the breaking point.

Their new case looks like yet another by-the-numbers lovers’ quarrel gone bad. Aislinn Murray is blond, pretty, groomed to a shine, and dead in her catalogue-perfect living room, next to a table set for a romantic dinner. There’s nothing unusual about her—except that Antoinette’s seen her somewhere before.

And that her death won’t stay in its neat by-numbers box. Other detectives are trying to push Antoinette and Steve into arresting Aislinn’s boyfriend, fast. There’s a shadowy figure at the end of Antoinette’s road. Aislinn’s friend is hinting that she knew Aislinn was in danger. And everything they find out about Aislinn takes her further from the glossy, passive doll she seemed to be.”

I’m so disappointed that I couldn’t get into this because the writing was great, it was too long winded for me. I’ve given up at 30% as the story wasn’t so much about the crime but more about office politics, chauvinism and bullying, something I hadn’t expected when I requested it. Also this was my first Dublin Murder Squad book which makes me think that perhaps I should have read the other books in the series first.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my digital copy.