My little evening reading updates are back! I’ve had a few late, late nights which have resulted in me going to sleep straight after reading!
This evening I’ve had a good couple of hours and have focussed on two books; Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano and The Attic Child by Lola Jaye.
I read a couple of chapters of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It whilst wearing one of those sheet face mask thingys. I like to make the most of my reading times and having one of those on certainly adds something to the evening! I therefore didn’t spend a lot of time on reading this book (the facemask said to wear for 15 minutes but I left it on for 20 as I wanted to finish the chapter I was reading!) as The Attic Child is my next Blog Tour book which I need to finish. I am slightly panicking about it, but I do have until 17th (well 16th really as I like to finalise the review the night before!) so there is still plenty of time.
Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!
Tomorrow it is Time Travel Thursday and as I have finished a couple of books I have reviews coming out!
✨Time Travel Thursday is a weekly meme that I host so feel free to join in and add your links to your post in the comments section!✨
It’s Time Travel Thursday! This is where I take a look back at what I was reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and compare it to what I am reading now.
“Murder at the Vicarage marks the debut of Agatha Christie’s unflappable and much beloved female detective, Miss Jane Marple. With her gift for sniffing out the malevolent side of human nature, Miss Marple is led on her first case to a crime scene at the local vicarage. Colonel Protheroe, the magistrate whom everyone in town hates, has been shot through the head. No one heard the shot. There are no leads. Yet, everyone surrounding the vicarage seems to have a reason to want the Colonel dead. It is a race against the clock as Miss Marple sets out on the twisted trail of the mysterious killer without so much as a bit of help from the local police.”
“Finlay Donovan is killing it…except, she’s really not. A stressed-out single mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: The new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written; her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her; and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.
When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet. She soon discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.”
“Welcome to beautiful Hope Island where the sea sparkles, the daffodils are blooming and a blossoming romance is just around the corner…
Bella has always had a sunny outlook and caring nature, despite recently falling on hard times. When she finds a handsome homeless man on her doorstep, her kind heart tells her she must help him. So, she invites Isaac into her cottage and into her life in ways she could never have imagined…
But Isaac is not what he seems. He’s keeping a huge secret from Bella, yet he never expected to fall for this open, generous and charming woman.
Bella can’t ignore the chemistry between her and Isaac, but she’s had her trust badly broken in her past. Will she run when she learns the truth about Isaac, or will he be the one man who can help Bella believe in love again?”
“A hauntingly powerful and emotionally charged novel about family secrets, love and loss, identity and belonging.
Two children trapped in the same attic, almost a century apart, bound by a shared secret.
Early 1900s London: Taken from his homeland, twelve-year-old Celestine spends most of the time locked away in the attic of a large house by the sea. The only time Celestine isn’t bound by confines of the small space is when he is acting as an unpaid servant to English explorer Sir Richard Babbington, As the years pass, he desperately clings on to memories of his family in Africa, even as he struggles to remember his mother’s face, and sometimes his real name . . .
1974: Lowra, a young orphan girl born into wealth and privilege whose fortunes have now changed, finds herself trapped in the same attic. Searching for a ray of light in the darkness of the attic, Lowra finds under the floorboards an old-fashioned pen, a porcelain doll, a beaded necklace, and a message carved on the wall, written in an unidentifiable language. Providing comfort for her when all hope is lost, these clues will lead her to uncover the secrets of the attic.”
A few differences here, mainly in the number of books I am reading. I have a couple of Blog Tours coming up so I need to read multiple books! I am still reading a mystery amongst my pile of books although I have moved away from classics this year!
What were you reading this time last year or the year before (or the year before!)?
It’s W W W Wednesday! Hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words, here are my 3 Ws (Currently Reading, Just Finished Reading and Future Reading):
What I am currently reading:
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Book Description From Goodreads:
“Finlay Donovan is killing it…except, she’s really not. A stressed-out single mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: The new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written; her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her; and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.
When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet. She soon discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.
Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moments, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from award-winning Elle Cosimano.”
I am still only halfway through this book. I have too many other books to get through to go any faster, but the main thing is that I get to enjoy a bit of it every evening!
Spring at Blueberry Bay by Holly Martin
Book Description From Goodreads:
“Welcome to beautiful Hope Island where the sea sparkles, the daffodils are blooming and a blossoming romance is just around the corner…
Bella has always had a sunny outlook and caring nature, despite recently falling on hard times. When she finds a handsome homeless man on her doorstep, her kind heart tells her she must help him. So, she invites Isaac into her cottage and into her life in ways she could never have imagined…
But Isaac is not what he seems. He’s keeping a huge secret from Bella, yet he never expected to fall for this open, generous and charming woman.
Bella can’t ignore the chemistry between her and Isaac, but she’s had her trust badly broken in her past. Will she run when she learns the truth about Isaac, or will he be the one man who can help Bella believe in love again?
A gorgeously romantic and heartwarming story to completely lose yourself in. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Jane Costello and Miranda Dickinson.“
I am nearly halfway through this one and am really enjoying it. It is a nice light read and I look forward to reading it each day.
Twelve Days In May by Niamh Hargan
Book Description From Goodreads:
“They haven’t spoken for 12 years.
Can they fall in love in 12 days?
Lizzy Munro is working at the Cannes Film Festival, in a job that involves a lot more admin than red-carpet glamour.
There, Ciaran Flynn is the man everyone is talking about: heartthrob of the moment and director of the most romantic movie of the year.
What nobody knows is that twelve years ago, they were best friends . . . and they haven’t spoken since.
But when Ciaran’s film runs into trouble, there’s only one person he can turn to.
Is twelve days enough to save not only Ciaran’s film, but also the spark he and Lizzy once shared?“
I have only read a couple of chapters, but I am enjoying it. I am on the Blog Tour for this book on 13 May so keep an eye out for my review on here, Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
“A hauntingly powerful and emotionally charged novel about family secrets, love and loss, identity and belonging.
Two children trapped in the same attic, almost a century apart, bound by a shared secret.
Early 1900s London: Taken from his homeland, twelve-year-old Celestine spends most of the time locked away in the attic of a large house by the sea. The only time Celestine isn’t bound by confines of the small space is when he is acting as an unpaid servant to English explorer Sir Richard Babbington, As the years pass, he desperately clings on to memories of his family in Africa, even as he struggles to remember his mother’s face, and sometimes his real name . . .
1974: Lowra, a young orphan girl born into wealth and privilege whose fortunes have now changed, finds herself trapped in the same attic. Searching for a ray of light in the darkness of the attic, Lowra finds under the floorboards an old-fashioned pen, a porcelain doll, a beaded necklace, and a message carved on the wall, written in an unidentifiable language. Providing comfort for her when all hope is lost, these clues will lead her to uncover the secrets of the attic.”
I am on the Blog Tour on 17 May for this book, so keep your eyes peeled for my review on here, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, this week it is one-Word Reviews for the Last Ten Books I Read (submitted by Susan @ Bloggin’ ’bout Books). I am quite a waffler when it comes to reviews so this one is a bit of a challenge for me!
“book blog”, “don’t miss out”, “entertaining”, “top 10 books with characters on the cover”, “book reviews”,”popular books of 2022″, “romance”, “thriller”, “mystery”, “humour”, “popular books on social media”, “what book is everyone reading”, “what books do you recommend”, “what book should I read next”
I can’t believe that it is May already! The years just keep flying by! Anyway, this evening I actually had a decent amount of reading time and have read a chapter of Spring at Blueberry Bay by Holly Martin, a chapter of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano and a chapter of my next Blog Tour book Twelve Days In May by Niamh Hargan. The rest of the evening was spent reading many, many chapters of Behind the Olive Trees by Francesca Catlow. I am really getting into it and am enjoying the storylines with the wonderful Greek backdrop. My plan is to finish Behind the Olive Trees tomorrow and get a draft review done so that I can start to make a bigger dent in Twelve Days In May. Fingers crossed!
Hope you all have a great evening/afternoon/day!
Tomorrow is Goodreads Monday and my Book of the Week. Feel free to join in!
“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “thriller”, “reading slump”, “what should I read next”, “what book do you recommend”
So that’s it for another month! I can’t believe how quickly that went! As seems to be this week’s theme, I haven’t had as long as I would like to read this evening, but I have managed to read a chapter of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano and a chapter of Spring in Blueberry Bay by Holly Martin. I finished off the rest of the evening reading Behind the Olive Trees by Francesca Catlow. I am getting more into it. The description for the settings is lovely and there is suspicious activity going on which is keeping my interest. We shall see how the rest of the book pans out!
I haven’t done a weekend reading post because I have done a lot of ‘end of the month’ stuff today, so decided to leave it for this week. In a nutshell though my plans are to read something of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and Spring in Blueberry Bay, but to mainly focus on Behind the Olive Trees. I want to get Behind the Olive Trees done in the next few days so that I can move on to my next Blog Tour book, Twelve Days of May. I am hopeful of achieving this, but we shall see what life throws at me!
“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “april reading”, “reading goals”, “what should I read next”, “what did you read”, what would you recommend that I read”, “what would get me out of a reading slump”, “popular books of 2022”, “romance”, “thriller”, “mystery”, “chick lit”, “short story”, “children’s books”
Yet again I haven’t had my usual amount of reading time, so whilst I have made progress in all of my books it is still slow.
I have read a fair amount of Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Sutanto for two reasons; one, I can see the end in sight and two, I am really enjoying it. It takes a lot for a book to make me laugh, but this one has achieved it!
I have read another chapter of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. It is starting to get a bit tense, but as time is ticking on my other books, the tension will have to wait!
Spring in Blueberry Bay by Holly Martin is another library book so has slight preferential treatment. I am also loving it, so I don’t mind at all that I am having to read it ahead of other books.
Lastly I finished off the evening with Behind The Olive Trees by Francesca Catlow. It is good, however, you need to have read the first one I think to appreciate this one. This will definitely affect it’s star rating.
I hope that you have had a great evening/day, and I hope to see you tomorrow for my Blog Tour for Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey plus all my other Friday posts!
It’s Time Travel Thursday! This is where I take a look back at what I was reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and compare it to what I am reading now.
“Drawing heavily from personal experience, Anne Brontë wrote Agnes Grey in an effort to represent the many 19th Century women who worked as governesses and suffered daily abuse as a result of their position.
Having lost the family savings on risky investments, Richard Grey removes himself from family life and suffers a bout of depression. Feeling helpless and frustrated, his youngest daughter, Agnes, applies for a job as a governess to the children of a wealthy, upper-class, English family.
Ecstatic at the thought that she has finally gained control and freedom over her own life, Agnes arrives at the Bloomfield mansion armed with confidence and purpose. The cruelty with which the family treat her however, slowly but surely strips the heroine of all dignity and belief in humanity.
A tale of female bravery in the face of isolation and subjugation, Agnes Grey is a masterpiece claimed by Irish writer, George Moore, to be possessed of all the qualities and style of a Jane Austen title. Its simple prosaic style propels the narrative forward in a gentle yet rhythmic manner which continuously leaves the listener wanting to know more.
Anne Brontë, the somewhat lesser known sister, was in fact the first to finish and publish Agnes Grey under the pseudonym of Acton Bell. Charlotte and Emily followed shortly after with Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.
As Anne passed away from what is now known to be pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of just 29, she only published one further title; The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. As feminist in nature as Agnes Grey, Anne’s brave voice resonates and permeates during one of the most prejudiced and patriarchal times of English history.”
Some very different genres here. Back in 2021 I was going through a regency/classic phase. At the moment I am in a chick lit phase with some Blog Tour books thrown in to vary my reading!
What were you reading this time last year or the year before (or the year before!)?
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