In 1848, Captain John Franklin & his crew went missing whilst searching for the Northwest Passage - a route between the Atlantic & the Pacific oceans deep within the Canadian Arctic. If you've ever read 'The Terror' by Dan Simmons, the book was based on that journey. In 2008 comedian & sometime actor, Billy Connolly, completed a 10-week voyage to the area for a TV series & this book is the resulting accompaniment. (continued)

One night Lauren returns home to find a strange man in her flat - only he claims to be her husband. Strangely, everything around her backs him up but when he climbs up into the attic & a different man emerges, also claiming to be her husband, Lauren slowly realises that her attic is creating an endless supply of different husbands. As one is exchanged for another over & over, Lauren begins to wonder 'how do you know when you have the right one?'

The autobiography from one of the most successful female artists of the twenty-first century. I have to say that I was never a big Britney fan, I liked some of her songs & I also vaguely knew that there was some beef between her & Justin Timberlake at one point, but that was about the extent of it.

Reading this, Britney has obviously gone through some terrible experiences at the hands of those who should have loved & protected her, (continued)

I wasn't sure what to expect but the cover & synopsis drew me in. It was a bit wobbly to start with but it turned out to be a really good thriller. Out of all of the characters , Kayla is the one that the reader spends the most time with & she's easy to like & just wants to do the right thing. It becomes a little fantastical in parts but it has good pace & the storyline kept me glued to the pages to find out what happened. (continued)

Nine-year-old Pera Sinclair was the only survivor of a tragedy which claimed the lives of her entire family. As she grows up, Pera spends the family fortune rebuilding &, now in her sixties, Pera gives tours through the labyrinthine house which has a room dedicated to each person who died there & which supposedly houses their spirits.

This particular tour starts out as usual but is gatecrashed by a gang of criminals who have escaped from the

Back in town for the funeral of her father, town sheriff Perry Holt, Hazel Sharp returns to Mirror Lake for the first time in 10 years. Just when she thinks it's safe to leave, Hazel's one time BFF (now Caden's wife) disappears. This is not the first disappearance in Mirror Lake, Hazel's own mother disappeared when Hazel was 14 years old, but her mother just skipped town without telling anyone. Didn't she?

Haven't wanted to pick this up in 3 days so DNF @ 26%

Oxford 1881, & Rhiannon (Non) Vaughan is one of the first female students allowed to attend lectures at the university, although they are not yet allowed to sit the exams. Non had an unconventional upbringing as the daughter of a ship's Captain, & she chafes under the expectations that women have to avoid showing that they are just as capable of academic study as the men, & that they are just attending in order to 'catch a husband'.

Anything to do with military history, from the Roman Empire to World War II & beyond, is a must-read for me, & I also love the paranormal so a mix of the two was too good to pass up. The book is called Haunted War Tales but a large section of it deals more with cryptids such as Sasquatch rather than ghostly goings-on. Still very interesting but not what I was expecting at first glance. (Continued)

Online romance fraud has skyrocketed. From impersonating members of the armed forces to Hollywood stars, there's seemingly no stone the fraudsters will leave unturned. The author looks at the psychology behind the frauds, the kind of 'scripts' they use to play on their victims' emotions, & why it seems to be a crime that the victims feel reluctant to report. (continued)

This started off quite well but has become rather boring now. DNF @ 40%.

Queen Katherine Parr, sixth & final wife of Henry VIII of England. She has always been a sort of afterthought & her life after Henry's death is eclipsed by her decision to marry Thomas Seymour who was executed as a traitor shortly after her death. Why would a former Queen of England be buried in a small church on a private estate & then almost forgotten? 4.5🌟

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6367106978
Read 28th-31st Mar 2024

A fascinating trip through history via the cinema. The author looks at the films made about historic events in the past & what they got right & what they got wrong. It's a good book to dip in & out of - reading a few chapters & returning later - but the sheer amount of information can become a little overwhelming if you are trying to read it straight through. (continued)

My April list for #ReadYourKindle @CBee

Only managed one book per month on this so far, but I'm enjoying it & reading some books I wouldn't have gotten around to reading for years otherwise.

Jan 2017, & the author arrives at an abortion clinic with her boyfriend. When the appointment is over, he is nowhere to be seen. Arriving home, all his possessions are gone, & he sends a harsh text abruptly ending their relationship. In the aftermath of this cruel betrayal, the author discovers that she is not the first (or last) that this man has used & discarded - there's a trail of women left bewildered, angry, & down thousands of dollars.

April & Eddie are newlyweds driving on their way to a resort at Lake Michigan for their honeymoon when they see a hitchhiker on a lonely stretch of road just outside Coldlake Falls. The young woman seems reluctant to accept help but eventually she gets in the car. Once in the car, April & Eddie realise something is very wrong & the young woman has been stabbed. Suddenly headlights appear behind them & the woman says “I'm sorry, he's coming.“

Not a memoir or autobiography really, but a book where the now Lord Sugar (fancy) opines on a variety of subjects including football, politics, health & fitness, & private aeroplanes to name a few.

Not sure why this was in my TBR pile, must have picked it up at a charity book sale. The sections on football are quite funny & for the most part, right on the money, but others such as politics are definitely dated now (this was published in 2011).

I think most people have heard of the 'Mary Celeste' - a deserted ship found sailing on in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in 1872. No trace of those known to have been onboard was ever found & what happened has been an enduring mystery for decades, becoming part of history. I was therefore intrigued to read this book, an imaging of the crew's final preparations before setting sail & speculations on what may have happened to them. (continued)

This started off a little slowly & I wasn't sure if I was going to keep reading or not. Alice is a sympathetic MC (sort of) but it was over the top that she didn't question anything Taylor told her. It definitely improved around the 40% mark, but it was still way too predictable to get a high rating. I was just hoping the reasons behind everything were going to be a little more interesting than they actually were. (Cont'd)

Three short stories from the 'Washington Poe' series:

1. The Killing Field - two bodies are uncovered in a cattle mass burial pit from the time of the UK foot & mouth crisis of 2001.

2. Why Don't Sheep Shrink? - Bradshaw & Poe solve a cold case whilst self-isolating for Covid. Doesn't sound very funny but this one had a scene which had me laughing to myself out loud. I also worked out how the murder was committed.

(Continued)

Roger Ackroyd's fiancée was being blackmailed over the death of her first husband & the pressure became too much & she took her own life. Ackroyd receives a letter containing some information about what happened but is suddenly murdered. There are plenty of suspects & how lucky (but perhaps unfortunate for the guilty party) that Hercule Poirot is residing in the village! (continued)

The story of the downfall of Troy in a nutshell. Although I had a vague idea of things (the war, Helen, Achilles, the Trojan horse etc) I wasn't sure of events & who had fought on which side, so reading an 'accessible to newbies' version such as this one is a good introduction. It's written in Fry's distinctive droll style but I find it impossible to say I enjoyed reading it mainly because all the characters are just so...awful. (continued)

Jan 1918 & Canadian, Laura Iven, returns home injured from volunteering as a nurse in the war. The only family Laura has left is younger brother, Freddie who is fighting on the front lines but soon after returning home, Laura receives a box containing Freddie's jacket & tags with a note saying that he is missing presumed dead. Laura cannot bear the uncertainty & decides to return to Belgium to find out what happened to her brother. (continued)

A collection of short horror stories located in the Adirondack Park which is vast (over 6 million acres!) & largely untamed, so is the perfect setting for these tales. My favourites were 2, 4, & 5 as some of the others were a little repetitive at times., but these 3 were the most unnerving of the stories. It's a fairly short book & perfect for when you want to read something a little different. Overall I enjoyed reading it.
3.5🌟

Kass is currently fighting with BFF Thea about a misunderstanding over an ex-boyfriend. She desperately wants to make things up with Thea so agrees to try out for a new reality show called Lie or Die, based on a party game called 'Mafia' (or Werewolves'). Ten contestants will compete to win a cash prize by unmasking the two 'agents' amongst them before the 'agents' can 'kill' the rest of players.

60 unsolved disappearances & murders from the UK, ranging from the 1950s until the present-day. From cases I have never heard of, to the more well-known ones such as the murder of Jill Dando, the chapters are fairly short with less than 10 pages per case which keeps things to the point & concentrates on the known facts.

It seems really weird to say that you enjoyed reading a book about unsolved murders, but it was a really interesting read.

I've read quite a lot on the JFK assassination & this is the first book where all the evidence about the shooting itself & what went on afterwards line up. It's a riveting read as the author takes the reader through the events leading up to Dallas & the aftermath, showing why JFK was killed, how the individual pieces of the plot(s) came together, & how it was covered up afterwards.

Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon is not a well-known name, even here in the UK. Yet, she was a 19th century pioneer who supported feminism, equal opportunities, diversity, inclusion, mental health awareness, & opposed slavery, & the consigning of women to the home. Barbara was also artistic, she wrote, drew, & painted throughout her life & was friends with some of the most well-known names of the time (continued)

After her sister sustains a broken leg at the most inopportune moment, Bonnie agrees to take her place on a mysterious reality TV show: The Fortress - where eight contestants will compete to win the prize money by solving an elaborate escape room. The contestants are taken to a remote sea fort off the coast of the UK where their phones don't work & they have no other way of contacting anyone. (continued)

My March list for #ReadYourKindle & I've gone for another fiction/nonfiction mix for the list this month. Some interesting looking titles there & only two repetitions from last month.

@CBee

Tilly Thompson wakes up in a care home, but this is one with a difference as the patients with Alzheimers there are taking part in an experimental cure. The patients are immersed in the world as it was when they were younger, which for Tilly was the 1940s, so all the décor, the food they eat, even the clothes are all designed to 'fool' the brain into believing it is still the past. (continued)

Jane Austen wrote & published most of her works during the Regency Period (1811-1820) & this book gives us a snapshot of the type of food that those who were quite well off would have been eating in this period. With recipes taken from the time, alongside quotations & short sections on different aspects of Georgian dining, this is a pleasant accompaniment to Austen's novels.

Very occasionally you start reading a book & you know immediately that it's going to be a bit special. Straight away, the reader is immersed in fifteenth century China, I don't claim to know how accurate the storytelling is, but the detail to the worldbuilding is wonderful & the characters come alive in the prose. The only downside was having to see how women & girls were viewed, including the elite ones. (continued)

1. Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables series)
2. Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride & Prejudice)
3. Captain Wentworth (Persuasion)

#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

Early one September morning in Great Yarmouth, England 1900, the body of a young woman is found on the beach. The bootlace around her neck & bloodstains on her clothing suggest that this is no suicide or accident - she has been murdered. Initially identified as Mrs Hood, from the name given to the landlady where she was staying, the evidence was followed over the subsequent weeks when it was discovered that she was actually Mrs Mary Jane Bennett.

Winter Kim & her sister, Rose, work as high-tech stunt girls for Rose's ex Gideon, where they engage in dangerous & enticing activities such as bungee jumping or dancing with a hot celeb at a club whilst recording their neural impulses of the experience. Gideon's customers then buy the Vicarious Sensory Experiences (ViSEs) for what feels like the personal experience of swimming with sharks or whatever they choose. (continued)

Jerry Burton & his sister Joanna rent a house for the summer in the village of Lymstock. Jerry needs somewhere quiet to recuperate from his accident & what quieter place than the quintessential English village. The idyll is soon spoiled though when a series of poison-pen letters are sent around the village & almost no-one escapes the vitriol. Cue Miss Marple, doyen of human nature.

Didn't like this at all. Three animal cruelty scenes (not graphic but still) in the first few chapters. Noping out of this one.

Autobiography from Stan Zimmerman, writer, producer, &/or director on many well-known TV shows such as The Golden Girls, The Gilmore Girls, & Roseanne, plus films such as The Brady Bunch reboot. Zimmerman takes us from his early beginnings as a young Jewish boy who wanted to be famous, through his writing partnership with Jim Berg, to the present day & the touching last chapter where he deals with the loss of his mother. (continued)

2024 Reread.

After 6 years, I've decided to reread this series before tackling book 11 - due to be released this year. First time around, I actually liked Rob & was rather irritated with what happens with his character in future books, & I'm intrigued to find out how reading the series with foreknowledge of that & the introduction of Derwent (whom I hated) will compare with reading it with fresh eyes. (continued)

A look at the life & prodigious literary output of Carolyn Wells (1862–1942). Born in Rahway, NJ, Wells wrote across a variety of genres including children's books, what would now be considered Young Adult books, & even murder mysteries. She was well known in literary circles, wrote lots of stories, poetry, & limericks for literary magazines & even had some short stories adapted for silent film. So how come so few people have heard of her today?

On a hot summer's day in the late 1980s, four boys are bored & decide to explore the rumour about an abandoned air raid shelter near a neighbouring village. There's some odd tensions in the group as two of the boys (Mark & Tom) are slightly older than Alan & friend Duncan & the two older boys tend to bully the younger two.

When they reach the field, they find the shelter exists & decide to explore it except for Duncan who won't climb down.

Jacinta (Jack) Cross & her husband, Gabe Medway are 'penetration specialists' (ahem) who are people hired by companies to test their physical & online security systems. On this particular assignment, things go wrong & Jack ends up being arrested for breaking & entering. Her skeevy ex (who is a police officer) vouches for her & Jack is finally released, only to head home & find her husband has been murdered. (continued)

A collection of 11 short stories featuring Poirot & (unfortunately) Hastings, who still hasn't come to terms with being the comedic relief. Mixed bag here but none of them are really bad & a couple are rather ingenious in their solutions. Please see my full review link for further details on the stories. 3.5🌟

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6018108866
Read 5th-9th Feb 2024

Three teenagers are thrilled to receive an invitation to compete in 'The Pinnacle', a reality TV contest set on a remote planet where ten teenagers compete to win a cash prize. Bex, Raya, & Zane all have their own reasons to want to win, but when the ten contestants meet on a deserted island, it's not long before they realise that this is no ordinary contest, but a competition to survive & there can only be one winner. (continued)

TWs: gun violence, death of a child, mention of sexual assault, coarse language, sexual content.

Officer Lorraine (Rainie) Conner lives in Bakersville, a small town in Oregon, where nothing much happens, until one morning when she is called into a shooting at the local school. A young teacher & 2 pupils are dead with several others injured, but the biggest shock of all is that the guns are being held by Danny, son of the sheriff (continued)

November 2007 saw the occurrence of one of the most talked about murders of that decade. The body of British overseas student, Meredith Kercher, was found in her bedroom in the flat she shared with three other girls in Perugia, Italy. Over the next ten years or so, there would be several court cases about those thought to be involved, (Rudy Guede, Amanda Knox, & Raffaele Sollecito.)

It's 2037 & Earth has been split into two: Earth+ the physical world which is neglected & decaying, & Earth- the digital online world which has taken over. Everything is virtual: education, employment, even justice. True crime is big business & Cassie West works for V.I.C.E, a company which takes crime cases & turns them into 3D interactive simulations, & it's Cassie's job to get the families of the missing & murdered to sign up. (continued)

At 16 Marlena Altizer leaves her poverty-stricken home & family & heads to the city. Spotted by a talent scout, Marlena becomes a model alongside friend, Jenny, but Marlena is more successful. Several years later, she meets Michael Durst & they eventually marry. Michael is rich, successful, & handsome, but also jealous & controlling. From the outside her life seems perfect but on the inside it is anything but. (continued)

Six unlikeable characters with dark secrets are lured to an old mansion named Beechwood Castle by a mysterious invite. Beechwood was the site of a trio of axe murders 27 years ago when 3 out of 4 friends were killed by a murderer who was never caught. All of them have their own reasons for being there, but one of them is an imposter, & when they start being picked off one by one, they begin to wonder if the murderer is one of the other guests?