Tag Archives: Summer reading

Sunday Salon

Welcome to my Sunday Salon post! Hosted by Readerbuzz this post is a chance to have a weekly bookish and non-bookish catch up with other bloggers.

Books that I have been reading this week:

If It Looks Like A Duck by Frank Malley

This is my Author’s Request book

American Royals by Katharine McGee (click for link to Goodreads)

One of my books from my TBR shelves!

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood (click for my review)

My Book Of The Week That Took Part In This Week’s Memes Was:

If It Looks Like A Duck by Frank Malley

Memes that I have participated in this week:

Goodreads Monday – Hosted by me Budget Tales Book Blog

Top Ten Tuesday – Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros – Hosted by Socrates Book Reviews

WWW Wednesday – Hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words

Goodreads Top 5 Wednesday – Hosted by Goodreads T5W group

Time Travel Thursday – Hosted by me Budget Tales Blog

Book Blogger Hop – Hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

The Friday 56 – Hosted by Freda’s Voice

Let’s Talk Bookish – Hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits

Stacking the Shelves – Hosted by Reading Reality

Library Loot – Hosted by The Captive Reader and Real Life Reading

All Over Instagram – Hosted by me Budget Tales Book Blog

Places My Books Have Taken Me – Hosted by me Budget Tales Book Blog

Sunday Post – Hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer

What else has been happening this week:

So we have just had the final week of the Summer Holidays. I can’t believe that this time has come! My son is excited to start school though which is good.

For our final week we have been fairly busy. On Bank Holiday Monday we went to Chartwell, the home of Winston Churchill, which was lovely. Such a beautiful house with great views! Tuesday we had a play date with one of my son’s new class mates which was nice, Wednesday we drove to Deal for a pub lunch and an outside paddling pool. It was so windy and the sea was very rough so we didn’t even contemplate going in! We also went to an Ice Cream Parlour and a walk along the pier. My partner went back to work on Thursday (he is a teacher so goes back a couple of days before the students) whilst my son and I had a quiet day that included a short walk to the library. On Friday we went to a 45 minute session to get to know the classroom that he will be in from Monday (!!) then went into Cranbrook for another library visit, a play in the playground and a milkshake. Saturday we went to a family BBQ and Sunday we had a quiet day sorting out school clothes!

Chartwell House

Chartwell Gardens

Chartwell Gardens

Chartwell Gardens

View across the Garden

Chartwell Gardens – a herd of cows!

Zoomed in picture of the calf

Deal Beach and Pier

Deal Beach

Deal Beach and Town

Deal Town

Deal Ice Cream Parlour – honestly it was the size of a vase!

Aurthur’s Cafe in Cranbrook for a Jaffa Cake Milkshake!

How has your week been?

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #bibliophile #library #sundaysalon #mystery #summerreading

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “book meme”, “weekly wrap up”, “sunday salon”, “what books do you recommend”, “what books are popular on social media”, “what book should I read next”, “mystery”, “summer reading”

Sunday Post

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Welcome to my Sunday post hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. A very busy week this week both on and off the blog, with end of the month posts in addtion to my normal posting schedule and ending with a 45 minute school session on Friday for my son – where have those 4 years gone?!

Here are this week’s posts:

Sunday Salon (last week)

Sunday Night Reading

Goodreads Monday (add your links in the comments section for all to see!) – French Children Don’t Throw Food by Pamela Druckerman

Bank Holiday Monday Reading Plans!

My Book Of The Week – If It Looks Like A Duck by Frank Malley

Bank Holiday Monday Reading

Top Ten Tuesday – Books With A School Theme

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros – If It Looks Like A Duck by Frank Malley

Tuesday Night Reading

WWW Wednesday – Currently Reading, Finished Reading, Reading Next

What I have been reading this month – August 2022 Reading List – END OF THE MONTH WRAP UP POST

Wondrous Words Wednesday

Book of the Month – My Favourite Book Of August 2022 – END OF THE MONTH WRAP UP POST

Goodreads Top 5 Wednesday – Books Where The Characters Are Skilled Fighters

New Month New Goals! Reading Goals for September

Wednesday Night Reading

Happy Publication Day! Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood

Time Travel Thursday

August Monthly Wrap-Up – END OF THE MONTH WRAP UP POST

One Word Reviews For Books I Read In August – END OF THE MONTH WRAP UP POST

5 Star Summer Reads Part 2 (July to August)

Thursday Night Reading

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood

Friday 56 – If It Looks Like A Duck by Frank Malley

Book Blogger Hop – Is it difficult to find new books in local bookstores?

Lets Talk Bookish – Overwhelming TBR piles!

Places My Books Have Taken Me This Month – August 2022 – END OF THE MONTH WRAP UP POST

Books that I have been seeing all over Instagram this week

Stacking The Shelves/Library Loot

Weekend Reading – What I am planning on reading this weekend – #weekendreading #whatshouldIreadnext

Saturday Night Reading

Top 10 Tuesday post I participated in with links to other Bloggers Top 10 Tuesday posts:

That Artsy Reader Girl – Top 10 Tuesday

WWW Wednesday post I participated in with links (in the comments section) to other Bloggers WWW Wednesday posts:

Taking On A World Of Words – WWW Wednesday

Friday 56 I participated in with links to other Bloggers Friday 56 posts:

Freda’s Voice – Friday 56

Book Blogger Hop I participated in with links to other Bloggers Book Blogger Hop posts:

Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer – Book Blogger Hop

Stacking The Shelves I participated in with links to other Bloggers Stacking The Shelves posts:

Reading Reality – Stacking The Shelves

I hope that you have all had a good week!

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #currentlyreading #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #sundaypost #mystery #romance

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “mystery”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “which books are popular at the moment”, “what is everyone reading”

5 Star Summer Reads Part 2 (July to August)

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Every season I like to look back and revisit my 5 star reads. As well as trying to read different genres, I also like to try and match my reading to the season as far as possible.

So here were my 5 star reads for the second half of Summer (click for my reviews):

Book Review – Paris For One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes – SHORT STORIES

Book Review – Last Time We Met by Emily Houghton – ROMANCE

Book Review – The Little Paris Patisserie by Julie Caplin – ROMANCE

Book Review – The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict – CHRISTMAS/MYSTERY

Book Review – The Weekend Before The Wedding by Tracy Bloom – ROM COM

Book Review – Quarter To Midnight by Karen Rose – THRILLER/MYSTERY

What have been your 5 star Summer reads? Have you read any of these?

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “rom com”, “mystery”, “thriller”, “summer reading”, “reading slump”, “what should I read next”, “what book do you recommend”, “library”, “what book should I get from the library”, “what books should I read this summer”

August Monthly Wrap-Up

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I can’t believe that it is the end of August and the end of the Summer Holidays (and Summer itself!). Next week everyone will be back at school and it will be my son’s first day. I can’t believe how fast those 4 years went!

It has been an average reading month for me with only two 5 star books and also quite a slow reading month as I have been out and about having fun!

Anyway, here is a wrap up of my month:

Here is what I have been reading this month:

August Reading List

August Book Of The Month

My Book Reviews:

Random Things Tours – Book Review – The Weekend Before The Wedding by Tracy Bloom

Library Book Review – Circe by Madeline Miller

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Quarter To Midnight by Karen Rose

Library Book Review – Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Buddy Read Book Review – The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont

My Sunday Wrap Up Posts:

Sunday Post 7 August 2022

Sunday Post 14 August 2022

Sunday Post 21 August 2022

Sunday Post 28 August 2022

I hope that you have enjoyed my reviews and other posts. Here’s to next month!

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “august reading”, “reading goals”, “romance”, “what book should I read next”, “which books are popular on social media”, “what books would you recommend”, “wrap up”

Buddy Read Book Review – The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont

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My own copy, but it is available at the library

Genre: Mystery

Number of Pages: 320

📖PLOT SUMMARY📖

Why would the world’s most famous mystery writer disappear for eleven days? What makes a woman desperate enough to destroy another woman’s marriage? How deeply can a person crave revenge?

In 1925, Miss Nan O’Dea infiltrated the wealthy, rarefied world of author Agatha Christie and her husband, Archie. In every way, she became a part of their life––first, both Christies. Then, just Archie. Soon, Nan became Archie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife, desperate to marry him. Nan’s plot didn’t begin the day she met Archie and Agatha.

It began decades before, in Ireland, when Nan was a young girl. She and the man she loved were a star-crossed couple who were destined to be together––until the Great War, a pandemic, and shameful secrets tore them apart. Then acts of unspeakable cruelty kept them separated.

What drives someone to murder? What will someone do in the name of love? What kind of crime can someone never forgive? Nina de Gramont’s brilliant, unforgettable novel explores these questions and more.

💭MY THOUGHTS💭

This was my first buddy read and I have to say that I rather enjoyed it. It was nice knowing that there were other people reading the same thing as me and that we could all share our views.

It was an interesting book. I had seen it on Instagram a while ago and had it on my TBR shelf. I thought that it would be a good one for us all to read. For me it was a good read, with an excellent twist. It wasn’t outstanding, but I don’t regret reading it!

The writing was interesting in that it was from the point of view from ‘the other woman’. It also went back and forth in time, mixing the tenses and adding ‘future’ comments which I have to say at some points confused me. I ended up actually ignoring the chapter titles as they made matters worse. I did however like that it was written in a ‘chatty’ style and made you feel as if you were being spoken to directly.

The book itself was split into 3 parts. I am not entirely sure why it was done that way as it was very to and fro throughout the whole book. I usually enjoy a book’s chapter titles, but, as mentioned above, in this case it just confused me and so I ignored them.

The chapters themselves varied in length and some were split into smaller sections. This helped give the story a good pace. There was always something happening that kept my interest.

Whilst I enjoyed reading it at the time, once I had put it down I didn’t rush to pick it back up again. I was surprised at this because I thought that I would genuinely want to know how the story ended, but the feeling wasn’t there for me.

The characters however were excellent. I felt a mix of emotions towards the narrator and I enjoyed hearing from her about a fictional Agatha Christie and what she got up to during those eleven days.

Lastly the settings. I loved that we were taken on a journey around the UK and Ireland and enjoyed the number of different settings. I loved the little bits of detail about the places here and there. They definitely added to the story.

Overall a good read for me. Here are the thoughts from my sister (Elizabeth) and cousin (Bethany):

💭ELIZABETH’S THOUGHTS💭

“I tend to go for crime or thriller books and I was expecting this to fit into these categories. However, it wasn’t quite as fast paced with dramatic twists as I had hoped for the first half of the book.

I liked the characters and felt that they helped move the story along quite well even if there wasn’t much action happening. I liked reading about the younger mistress to understand her life beforehand and bring a little more context to the story.

There were a few small questions I wanted answered as the story progressed which encouraged me to keep reading, but otherwise I did find that I wasn’t itching to get back to reading it again.

However, the last 100 pages were well worth the wait. There were lots of twists and turns and unexpected revelations. I felt like most of the questions I had were answered but some mystery remained at the end.”

💭BETHANY’S THOUGHTS💭

“This book was not my usual genre of choice, and though at the beginning I struggled to fully immerse myself in the storyline, through persistence I managed to enjoy the book for the most part. With the many unexpected twists and emotional scenes I ended up sympathising with many of the characters, one of which was very surprising. It re-established the thought that there are many different sides to one story!”

#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs #booknerdproblems #bookpictures #bookstagram #amreading #booksbooksbooks #instablog #booknerds #bookphotos #bibliophile #mystery #library #buddyread

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “mystery”, “summer reading”, “buddy read”

Books that I have been seeing all over Instagram this week

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Welcome to my All Over Instagram post! I am always interested in seeing what other people are reading, so each week I will highlight the book/s/ author/s that have been catching my attention on Instagram.

This week we have a new popular book, Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood (click for link to Goodreads). This came out earlier this week and it seems to be all over Instagram! I can’t wait to get a copy of my own!

The most popular author this week is Colleen Hoover (click for link to Goodreads). There are a mix of her books floating around.

Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood (click for link to Goodreads)

Book Description From Goodreads:

“From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis—with explosive results.

Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project – a literal dream come true – Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school – archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

But when her equipment starts to go missing and the staff ignore her, Bee could swear she sees Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas… devouring her with those eyes. The possibilities have all her neurons firing.

But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?”

What books/authors have caught your attention this week?

Add your links in the comments!

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what is everyone reading”, “what is popular on Instagram”, “popular books of 2022”, “summer reading”, “summer books”, “what books should I read this summer”

Favourite Genre – Books This Summer – Friday Musings inspired by Six For Sunday

Welcome to my Friday Musings Post! This is where every week I will scour the Blogosphere and find past meme questions and incorporate them into a current post (linking back to the blog who set the meme).

This week I have chosen:

Six For Sunday hosted by A Little But A Lot

On 8 October 2017 the prompt was Favourite Genre. As you know I set myself genre goals each month so that I can broaden my reading. For this post I thought that I would do the tough job of finding a favourite book in each of the genres that I have read this Summer (NOTE: It is for this Summer only and therefore doesn’t include the rest of the year):

ROMANCE

Book Review – Last Time We Met by Emily Houghton

MYSTERY

Book Review – The 13th Assassin by Frank Malley

COSY MYSTERY

Book Review – Daisy and the Dazzling Dachshunds by Janey Clarke

THRILLER

Book Review – Do No Harm by Jack Jordan

CHRISTMAS

Library Book Review – The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

MYTHOLOGY RETELLING

Library Book Review – Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

What genres and books would be on your Summer list?

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “favourite genre”

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Quarter To Midnight by Karen Rose

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“”Oh no. No, no, no.” Rocky Herbert smelled death, the stench hitting him hard as he approached the doctor’s kitchen door.”

Genre: Thriller/Romantic Suspense

Number of Pages: 560

Date of Publication: 4 August 2022

Publisher: HarperCollins

My Review Summary: Gripping from beginning to end.

📖PLOT SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS 📖

There are good cops. And there are bad cops. The question is…who wins?

After completing her tours with the Marines in Iraq, Molly Sutton knew she could take down any bad guy she met. But when her law enforcement agency in North Carolina turned against her, she joined up with her former CO Burke Broussard, who left New Orleans PD to set up a private investigative service for people who couldn’t find justice elsewhere.

Gabe Hebert saw the toll that working for the NOPD took on his dad and decided instead to make a name for himself as one of the best young chefs in the French Quarter. But when his father’s death is ruled a suicide after a deliberately botched investigation by his former captain, Gabe knows his dad stumbled onto a truth that someone wants silenced.

Gabe goes to his father’s best friend, Burke, for help. Burke assigns the toughest member of his team, Molly, to the case. Molly can’t believe she’s being asked to work with the smoking hot chef whose chocolate cake is not the only thing that makes her mouth water. Sparks fly as they follow the leads Gabe’s dad left them, unraveling a web of crimes, corruption, and murder that runs all the way to the top.

💭THOUGHTS💭

I wanted to get back into reading Thrillers and this one fitted the bill. There was also a bit of Romance thrown in too which I quite enjoyed. I loved the cover, but was quite surprised at the size of the book when it arrived. I was a bit daunted by it, however I needn’t have worried because it was a fantastic book that made me forget about the length.

The writing had me gripped from the beginning to the end. I had worried that the story would drag, but it didn’t. It was so well put together that it didn’t feel as long as it looked. Whilst the text was small and there was a lot of intricate details, I never felt lost and the story kept moving. There were also little recaps dotted around that made sure that you knew who everyone was and what was happening.

The chapters themselves were long, but they were cleverly split into place and time zones. It was this that gave the story a good pace and stopped my interest from wandering.

The story was mainly told from an outside narration, but there were times when you got one of the main character’s points of view. This style kept my interest and allowed you to get to know the characters a bit more.

It was quite an emotional read at times and there was a lot of death throughout. You knew what had happened before the end, but you were still interested in following the journey of discovery by the characters and seeing how everything linked together and panned out.

The characters were excellent. I loved the friendships that were made and also the fact that you didn’t always know who to trust! There were morally grey/moral less characters too which are always fascinating to read about.

Lastly the settings. They were very much secondary as all the little details were in the characters and their thoughts, feelings and actions. I didn’t mind this at all as you were so focused on what was going on that you didn’t need all the surroundings being described.

Overall a fantastic story that was cleverly put together. I recommend it and will be looking to read more of this Author’s books in the future!

📖THE AUTHOR📖

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”, “easy read”,”entertaining”, “new”, “what book should I read next”

Sunday Salon

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Welcome to my Sunday Salon post! Hosted by Readerbuzz this post is a chance to have a weekly bookish and non-bookish catch up with other bloggers.

Books that I have been reading this week:

Quarter to Midnight by Karen Rose (click for link to Goodreads)

This is my Blog Tour Book. I am on the Blog Tour for this book on 23 August so keep your eyes peeled for my review on here, Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont (click for link to Goodreads)

This is my buddy read book.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (click for link to Goodreads)

This is my current library book.

Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood (click for link to Goodreads)

This is my Blog Tour Book. I am on the Blog Tour for this book on 2 September so keep your eyes peeled for my review on here, Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

My Book Of The Week That Took Part In This Week’s Memes Was:

The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont (click for link to Goodreads)

Memes that I have participated in this week:

Goodreads Monday – Hosted by me Budget Tales Book Blog

Top Ten Tuesday – Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros – Hosted by Socrates Book Reviews

WWW Wednesday – Hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words

Goodreads Top 5 Wednesday – Hosted by Goodreads T5W group

Time Travel Thursday – Hosted by me Budget Tales Blog

Book Blogger Hop – Hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

The Friday 56 – Hosted by Freda’s Voice

Lets Talk Bookish – Hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits

Stacking the Shelves – Hosted by Reading Reality

All Over Instagram – Hosted by me Budget Tales Book Blog

Sunday Post – Hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer

What else has been happening this week:

We have finally had cooler weather and some rain! It has been excellent! We have also had a pretty busy week, going out most days.

On Monday we went to the Children’s Centre then on to Hastings. It was my son’s 4th birthday so we thought that we would take him to the Seaside and to the Aquarium. He loved being in the Sea, but not the Aquarium so much, no idea why. On Tuesday we went to Rochester for some lunch, a look round the Cathedral and some window shopping (including a couple of bookshops!). Wednesday we went to Aylesford Priory and had a look around where the Order of Carmelites used to live. Thursday we went to Maidstone Museum. On Friday we went to Tunbridge Wells to buy some bits for my son’s first homework (!!). On Saturday we went to IKEA and bought some bits for the house – we always need more storage solutions! Today we are going to stay near home and visit my partner’s parents (who live a 10 min walk away!)

Hastings

Hastings

Hastings

Rochester Cathedral

Rochester High Street (with Cathedral in the background)

Aylesford Priory (you can see where the heat has damaged the grass!)

Aylesford Priory

Wetherspoons Restaurant – converted Theatre

Wetherspoons Restaurant – converted Theatre

How has your week been?

Sunday Post

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Welcome to my Sunday post hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. The usual busy week on the Blog, plus we have been out and about almost every day this week!

Here are this week’s posts:

Sunday Salon (last week)

Afternoon Tea Book Tag

Random Things Tours – Book Review – The Weekend Before The Wedding by Tracy Bloom

Goodreads Monday (add your links in the comments section for all to see!) – Beauty and Beast and other tales of love in unexpected places by Amelia Carruthers

My Book Of The Week – The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont

Monday Night Reading

Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Love That Were Written Over 10 Years Ago

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros – The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont

Tuesday Night Reading

WWW Wednesday – Currently Reading, Finished Reading, Reading Next

Wondrous Words Wednesday