Finished this fab book over the weekend - a Victorian crime thriller with brilliant characters and lots of intrigue. I really enjoyed this, so will be going back to this author again - would love to see more books following the same character actually.

While I liked the Sliding Doors concept of this book, it took me over a week to read this. I was annoyed by the lead character in both versions and I didn‘t really take to any of the supporting characters. Shame really, as I really enjoyed How to disappear. I do have another of hers on the tbr pile so will get to it soon and see which way it tips the balance.

My last book of 2020, which tipped me over my goal of reading mor than 2019, and my first read of 2021 which I finished on new year‘s day! Osman‘s book was fun, witty abs very engaging. Can‘t wait for the next one! And In a holidaze was sweet too, a nice little love story!

What a sweet follow up to The Island, and a quick read too which is what I needed. I have now equalled last year‘s number of reads so if I can sneak another one in in two days, I‘ll have read more, and that‘s my aim every year!!

I‘ve read a few books lately - Bearmouth by Liz Hyder and Christmas is Murder by Val McDermid, the first I liked and the second not so much, but this one, The Cows, is worthy of note because it‘s the first book I read on my new kindle!! It was a great book about women with a part that made me properly gasp! The writing style is chatty which I like so I‘ll definitely be heading for So Lucky soon!!

I enjoyed this, in the way that you enjoy things that frighten you a bit and make you double check the back door is locked!! It was clever, creepy, twisty and emotive. But also not too terrifying!!! I‘ll be looking out for more from this author.

I love Fredrik Backman!! I am obsessed with Beartown and Us Against You and now I can add this one to the list. It‘s funny, life affirming, warm and beautifully written. I loved seeing how everyone was connected. I think this is a book that will stay with me for a while, especially as I plan on buying my own copy (I read a library copy) and setting up a Fredrik Backman shelf at home!!

I did enjoy this, but I think it gets a so-so as the ending didn‘t finish everything off but gave the impression that karma would come around as it were. I like my books to get everything tied up. But I do like Alex Marwood‘s books and the story of this as a cult which falls apart and how a few of the survivors dealt with it was very clever and creepy.

Oh I loved this tale of friendship and adventure. Margery and Enid were such wonderful characters and their mission to find the golden beetle of New Caledonia was a great mix of fun, peril and learning. Right at the end when Margery has her moment with the beetles I nearly cried, it sounded magical and the ending was sad and uplifting at the same time. I think this would make an amazing film, it was so vivid and rich. A big thumbs up!

This was lovely. I didn‘t know many of the songs that kept Alison and Daniel connected but I understood the power of music to connect you and bring you straight back to a moment and a feeling. The moment when Alison met Mr Lawrence again actually brought a tear to my eye, it was lovely! A sweet heartwarming read.

I love this Maeve Kerrigan series!! I was torn between reading slowly to enjoy it or racing through to find out whodunnit! The case for her to solve was a really good one and the long running friendship (if that‘s all it is) between Maeve and Josh Derwent is simmering along nicely! I‘m ready for the next one now!!

This was a fun read - the main character was a Laura like me, which I liked, and she wasn‘t a pushover which I also liked! There was drama, friendship and a happy ending, so a nice read altogether!

I raced through this - I was so keen to read it! There was a suitably creepy guessing game throughout and likeable and unlikeable characters. The shorter chapters and different perspectives as well as the time hopping kept me gripped. And the ending has given me pause for thought too. A great read!!

Finished this at the weekend and wow what an epic book. Wasn‘t sure I would like it but once I started, I couldn‘t stop!! I loves the connection between the characters and the sweeping story. Book group chat this week should be a good one!!

I thought this was lovely! Likeable, relatable characters, a heartwarming plot, a little weepy bit or two - what a delight!! This was recommended to me so much, so I‘m really glad I finally had a chance to get stuck in! And reading about the sunshine was delightful in a week of nothing but rain!!

Finished this one last night and what an interesting and funny book it was. So refreshing to see a woman open up about the things that bother us all about our bodies. Talking to researchers and scientists added to the book - it wasn‘t a moan about her body, more a celebration!

Finished this last night and it is one of those where I thought it was clever and twisty and emotional and the baddies were bad and the goodies both good and bad... - good pacey read with flashbacks and comeuppance for bad guys. Lots of references to Swedish places though which sailed straight over my head though 🤦🏻‍♀️ Tempted to read more by Lackberg.

I liked this sweet little romance but the main character, who works in a bookshop, was snobby about books almost all the way through. And although, she then changed her mind (after reading some YA books - a genre I love, so maybe that‘s why I took it personally), it was a bit like the damage was already done. There was lots of book talk though, which I enjoyed and a sweet happy ending too. I have another by this duo which I‘ll read soon

Finished this lovely book last night. It was a real insight into the world of palliative care and how Clarke dealt with her own father‘s death. I did have a couple of little cries while reading, but it was very life-affirming - a real reminder that we all are loved and can leave a legacy a love to be remembered. Well worth reading.

What a wonderful book! Written so lyrically and full of poems by a made-up poet, who I still want to read more from. Kay‘s story is ultimately one of triumph over everything life threw at her. I just thought this book was brilliant.

Finally finished this!! It‘s a monster of a book at 756 pages but I was a pretty big Twilight fan so I had to read it! It was cool to read from edward‘s perspective, as we found out more about the rest of the Cullens and more of the chase with James, but it could also have been about half the size. Am I glad I read it? Yes. Do I want retellings of the other stories? I think I‘m okay with what we have!

A fun little romance story - the happy ending was obvious, but lovely to get to. Plenty of drama along the way for Olive and Ethan, but it all worked out well. A nice easy read for my week by the sea.

Bad photo, wonderful book. Matt Haig could write down his shopping list or phone numbers and I would read it and think it the best ever, but this book is beautiful. Nora gets the chance to try out her ‘other‘ lives, which are in books on the shelves of the midnight library - firstly, who wouldn‘t want to do that and secondly, what an amazing concept. It‘s such a touching story and I bought a signed copy on the day after publication- couldn‘t wait!

This was definitely dark. It was a fascinating and uncomfortable but eventually redemptive (if that‘s the right word) read. I have to give it a so-so just because I think I need to have a think about it now that I‘ve finished it. I‘d be interested to know what others thought about it....

Finished this one over the weekend - it took a while despite the fact that I enjoyed it, it now I‘m ready for book club on Sunday! The author is my friend‘s mum, which is cool! I‘ll go back for another - this is no 2 in a series, so maybe I‘ll work my way through that. I like the main detective and her right hand man so want to know more about them and the sleepy-seeming Scottish town they live in!

Finished this a couple of days ago and I kind of liked it but also kind of only thought it was okay. Wong is definitely funny, and the book had sweet moments but her comedy is kind of crass, which I‘m less keen on. It makes me feel like such a prude but I am who I am. The idea of handing down life advice is nice though, I liked her take on it, giving stories of their family‘s history too.

Jut finished this on my lunch break - I really enjoyed Sweet Pea and this sequel was good too, funny, gory, crass but with a heart too. There could be room for another but actually I think the ending is a good end - that doesn‘t mean I‘m not sad that I won‘t hear more about Rhiannon!!

Reading this, the sequel to Sweet Pea, which I thought was brilliant and this line made me laugh out loud!!

Read this super quick - it was shocking and sad and really made me think. Amazing how things escalated so quickly but with a reference to ww2 camps at the end, you can see that it really happened.

This was a re-read for my book club - my choice as I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. The writing is incredible and it gives ALL the feels. I know it‘s also published as The Scandal and I genuinely think the different titles would give you a different start (even though the blurb mentions what happens. The sequel is also fab and I heard a rumour that there‘s a number 3 coming, but I do know Backman has a new one coking out soon so that‘ll keep me going.

I liked this book - it tells the story of Lil and Kizzy, twin sisters who become the ‘brides of Dracula.‘ The story was really engaging - really descriptive writing - but I felt like the ending with meeting Dracul himself was a bit rushed. I would‘ve liked a bit more of the story.

Another cute and fun romp from Guillory! I‘ve really enjoyed this series and will be ready to read the next one which comes out this month. The leads in this one were feisty and so obviously falling for each other despite their protests - I‘m a sucker for a happy ending!!

Finished this today, what a fascinating book! And this guy has been involved in so many famous cases throughout his career. Interesting to read more about things you know a bit about and also to read about someone brave enough to do a job I could never do!!

A good read, based around a girl whose best friend runs off with a teacher from their school. Lots to think about - relationships, family, expectations. A likeable lead - she was honest about who she is and that she‘s not always great, just like a real person!

This was a good book but I‘m just not sure it completely delivered. The opening is so dramatic and frightening, that while the rest of the book was a good drama which kept me wondering what was going on, it just didn‘t quite add up. I‘ve read others by Candlish and will try more, but this just wasn‘t quite what I wanted. Plus, my own fault but it‘s a big hardback and I read most of it while lying in the garden so got arm ache 😂😂

Woke up early to finish this lovely story. Harris was planned to give a talk at my Libra try about her first lovely book, am hoping it is now postponed rather than cancelled as I want to talk to her about this one too! Based on a museum I‘ve been to bear where I grew up, it‘s a lovely sorry about family, history and love of all kinds. I really enjoyed this!

Finished this in an enormous bite this afternoon, what an interesting story. Lauren dies and reappears in different versions of her life. A bit sliding doors but also not. We also follow her parents in the other versions and see what impact she had on them. It was easy to follow the different threads and I wanted to see how they all got on and to know how things would pan out for Lauren. The silver beams fascinated me.

Oh I do love a Mike Gayle book - this was really lovely. Nice to see a book based around family relationships - in this case siblings - instead of reading another romance (although there was a bit of that, but it wasn‘t the main focus). Gayle writes his characters so well - Kerry was so lovely and Noah too. And yes I did have a little cry!! I‘m always ready to read another from Mike!

I can‘t imagine losing a child - honestly, how devastating and this book had me in tears more than once, what an amazingly brave thing to do to write about the family‘s experience. This was a really powerful read - hard to say you‘ve enjoyed a book like this, but I found it to be a rewarding read. And also one that makes me go away and squeeze my babies tighter and be so grateful for them every day

This followed on from my last read, but I didn‘t enjoy it as much as The wedding date. The characters were great but I think it was all down to me as a reader, I just wasn‘t feeling it as much. Am hoping to be a better reader for my next book!!

I raced through this sweet and saucy romantic story!! I really enjoyed reading about Alexa and Drew‘s romance and liked the secondary characters, almost wish there was more story to get to know them all more. This was just what I needed - a light-hearted story!!

Finished this lovely twist on Sliding Doors in the glorious sunshine this afternoon. I really enjoyed Kitty/Katharyn‘s unfolding story and was really pleased to have broken my streak of books with rushed endings!! I felt like this one told me everything I needed and left me happy!

Finished this one today and I did enjoy it, but I think I‘m reading a lot of books lately where the ending is so rushed, so I was a bit cross at that. However, it was a nice story about a woman rediscovering herself and finding a hot librarian along the way, overall what‘s not to like!!

Back in the same early morning spot to finally finish this beauty. I‘ve really enjoyed reading about Lockwood Manor - this book had lots of creepy moments, a strong female lead and a nasty lord of the manor. I loved that the hummingbird case was a big feature, it‘s always my favourite piece when we visit the museum. My only criticism is that the ending was slightly rushed - maybe I read it quickly as I wanted to know the end, but still.

Spending an early Sunday morning with this beauty. The peaceful tone while the rest of my house sleeps is just right to start on this creepy story - there are already strange noises and a missing jaguar at the manor!

Sometimes you have to read a fun kids‘ book - this was a funny little adventure and with another ‘case‘ coming out this year, I‘ll be ready to enjoy more of Emily Lime!

I did enjoy reading this, but having picked it up thinking it was fiction only to realise it wasn‘t, I was a bit wrong footed. It read like fiction and was funny and thought provoking, so worth reading, and it definitely made me think about all the lists I write and how maybe sometimes a ‘to done‘ list would be good too!!

Stayed up way past bedtime to finish this and oh my goodness, I‘m so glad I did. What a story! Very clever twists, characters who you rooted for and what an ending. This will be on my mind for a long time.

This was a book with a really clever twisty concept and I did enjoy reading it, but I felt like the ending was rushed and that kind of spoiled it for me. That said, I like a book that makes me wonder what I would do if I was in a character‘s shoes. I‘d read another from her to see if it was different

What a fascinating and genuinely creepy book! I‘m not good with scary books at all but I had to keep reading! At several points, I was genuinely a bit frightened (didn‘t want to go to the loo in the night!) but this story was so good. The different elements of Elsie at The Bridge, in the hospital and Anne Bainbridge‘s journals linked together so well. I‘ll definitely read The Corset (her next novel) although maybe something less spooky first!