Good morning everyone and happy Thursday. Here are some of my favourite books of the year as featured in the Rossiter Books newsletter.
❤️You Don’t Have To Be Mad To Work Here by Dr Benji Waterhouse 🧡Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood 💛Sandwich by Catherine Newman 💚The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins 💙The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier 💜 Death At The Sign Of The Rook by Kate Atkinson
I highly recommend all these books and think they would make great Christmas presents for anyone needing recommendations. Huge thanks to all the tagged publishers/ publicists for sending me proof copies of these it’s really appreciated.
I also loved The Place Of Tides by James Rebanks, The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang and Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors as we didn’t have them in store when the picture was taken.
For the full list of Rossiter Staff recommendations do check out their Instagram page or click on the link below.
Eeek I’m so excited to have received a copy of one of my most anticipated reads of 2025- Human Remains by Jo Callaghan. I actually opened this on the shop floor and let out a squeal when I saw what it was which made a few customers laugh and one buy In The Blink Of An Eye as they were intrigued!
I’m such a huge fan of this series and was actually talking about my excitement about this book on Instagram this morning so it’s an amazing coincidence that it came today. It’s one of my favourite crime series and one that I always recommended to customers wanting a brilliant crime book.
Human Remains is published on the 24th of April 2024 and is the third book in the series.
You can find out more about the book below ⬇️
Do you like or fear AI?
Book Synopsis:
The truth will always come out, but at what cost?
Fresh from successfully closing their first live case, the Future Policing Unit are called in to investigate when a headless, handless body is found on a Warwickshire farm. But as they work to identify the victim and their killer, the discovery of a second body begins to spark fears that The Aston Strangler is back. And as the stakes rise for the team, so do the tensions brewing within it.
When DCS Kat Frank is accused of putting the wrong man behind bars all those years ago, AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI Detective – pursues the truth about what happened with relentless logic. But Kat is determined to keep the past buried, and when she becomes the target of a shadowy figure looking for revenge, Lock is torn between his evidence-based algorithms and the judgement of his partner, with explosive results.
When everything hangs in the balance, it will all come down to just how much an AI machine can learn, and what happens when they do . . .
About The Author:
Jo works full-time as a senior strategist, where she has carried out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce. After losing her husband to cancer in 2019, she started writing In The Blink of An Eye. She lives with her two children in the Midlands, where she is currently writing the third novel in the Kat and Lock series.
Every book in the Dream Harbor series can be read as a standalone.
Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good.
Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor trying to take a break from both his life and his constant desire to fix things.
But somehow fate finds Ben trapped by a blanket of snow at Kira’s farm, and, despite her Grinchiest first impressions, with the glow of the fairy lights twinkling in the trees, and the promise of a warming hot chocolate, maybe, just maybe, these two lost souls will have a Christmas they’ll remember forever…
The Christmas Tree Farm is a spicy romantic mystery with a HEA guaranteed!
My Review:
Ooh I did love this book and managed to devour it in two days which is no easy feat for a busy mum of three this close to Christmas!
Firstly it was lovely being back in Dream Harbour and getting to hang out again with the fabulous characters. Dream Harbour is a place that I’ve long wished I lived in as it sounds such a fun place to live. I loved the description of the festive lights switch on and spending time at the Christmas tree farm which has made me want to visit a real Christmas tree farm as soon as possible. It was fun to catch up with all the couples from previous books and finding out what the hilarious book club members have been up to since the last book.
I thought the book had a great pace to it and I soon found myself quickly drawn into the story. It was great to get to know two new characters and watch them slowly grow closer to each other. They’re both characters that have been badly burned in the past so it was great to see them have some happier moments and learn to trust each other. The story is set in the run up to Christmas which makes it the perfect book to read at this time of year. I loved visiting the Christmas tree farm alongside the characters, watching them cut down their trees and attend wreath making workshops together. It’s a really heartwarming read and has definitely left me feeling very festive. There is a bit of spice which might not be to everyone’s taste but it didn’t seem as much as in the last books. The ending was perfect and I’m now very excited to read more in this fabulous series. There’s two books coming out next year which is incredibly exciting.
If you’re looking for a spicy, festive and romantic read than I highly recommend this one.
About The Author:
Laurie Gilmore is a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller and a USA Today bestseller who writes steamy small-town romance. Her Dream Harbor series is filled with quirky townsfolk, cozy settings, and swoon-worthy romance. The first book in the series, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, was featured on Good Morning America and was named the TikTok Shop Book of the Year 2024.
She loves finding books with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice and strives for that in her own writing. If you ever wished you lived in Stars Hollow (or that Luke and Lorelai would just get together already!) then her books are definitely for you.
Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books I’ve kindly been sent by my Instagram Secret Santa!
❤️The Household by Stacey Halls 🩵 Midnight At The Christmas Bookshop
Huge thanks to whoever you are for sending these to me. The Households is a book I’ve been wanting to read for ages and who can resist a Christmas book from Jenny Colgan 🥰 Huge thanks also to the lovely @twistedsistersreads for organising. I’m sending mine today and I’m excited to see if they like it.
I’m off today and it’s looking to be a festive day! I’m going with my mum to a garden centre this morning which always puts you in a festive mood. I’m looking for a few last minute sock presents for the kids which hopefully I’ll find there. We might also go for coffee while we’re there which is always nice or have lunch together which will be nice as we might actually have a full conversation without the kids interrupting 😂 I’m then going out for our bookclub Christmas meal tonight which I’m really looking forward to. They’re such a lovely group and the food sounds amazing so I’m excited to catch up!
What books are you hoping Santa will bring you?
The Household by Stacey Halls
NOT ALL WHO ARE FALLEN WANT TO BE SAVED
London, 1847. In a quiet house in the countryside outside London, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are top secret, its residents unknown to one another, but the girls have one thing in common: they are fallen. Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania Cottage is a second chance at life – but how badly do they want it?
Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her cold. Her stalker of ten years has been released from prison, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before their nightmarish game resumes once more.
As the women’s worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price . . .
The Household is the new novel from the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England. Set against Charles Dickens’ home for fallen women and inspired by real figures from history, it is Stacey Halls’ most ambitious and captivating novel yet.
Midnight At The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
The festive and feel-good Christmas novel from Sunday Times top ten bestselling author, Jenny Colgan.
Carmen is at a loose end. Her gorgeous bookshop is the filming site of a Christmas movie, she’s been ousted from her sister’s house, and the love of her life has just flown thousands of miles away. It’s threatening to be a very unjolly Christmas indeed!
But when the elderly owner of the shop comes to Carmen with a Christmas wish that threatens to never come true, Carmen knows she must buckle down to get the funds to save not only his trip, but the shop itself.
With her deadline looming, and the help of their neighbours, her nieces and nephew, and a very distractingly cute male nanny, Carmen might just pull her greatest magic trick yet…
From the No.1 bestselling author of The Shepherd’s Life, an unforgettable story of friendship, redemption and a life-changing voyage of discovery on a remote Norwegian island How far do you have to go to find yourself?
One afternoon many years ago, James Rebanks met an old woman on a remote Norwegian island. She lived and worked alone on a tiny rocky outcrop, caring for wild Eider ducks and gathering their down. Hers was a centuries-old trade that had once made men and women rich, but had long been in decline. Still, somehow, she seemed to be hanging on.
Back at home, Rebanks couldn’t stop thinking about the woman on the rocks. She was fierce and otherworldly – and yet strangely familiar. Years passed. Then, one day, he wrote her a letter, asking if he could return. Bring work clothes, she replied, and good boots, and come quickly: her health was failing. And so he travelled to the edge of the Arctic to witness her last season on the island.
This is the story of that season. It is the story of a unique and ancient landscape, and of the woman who brought it back to life. It traces the pattern of her work from the rough, isolated toil of bitter winter, to the elation of the endless summer light, when the birds leave behind their precious down for gathering, like feathered gold.
Slowly, Rebanks begins to understand that this woman and her world are not what he had previously thought. What began as a journey of escape becomes an extraordinary lesson in self-knowledge and forgiveness.
My Review:
The Place Of Tides is a beautifully written, fascinating book that gives an insight into an unseen way of life. I absolutely loved the vivid way the author describes life on the island and the care needed to help the Eider ducks nest each year. It’s a life full of hardship, often being at the mercy of the weather and I found it very interesting to learn more about it.
The memoir follows the author James as he spends a season with the duck women after becoming frustrated with how his life was going. Through his work with the ducks he starts to relax , learning more about the work and about the direction he wants his life to go next. Through his work with the duck women we watch him learn more about himself as he lets go of any stress that he’s holding onto. While James was an interesting character to follow my favourite character was definitely Anna. What a woman! Strong and determined, Anna knew from a young age that she wanted to be a duck woman and continue her family’s work on the island. I loved the story of how this came about and the strength Anna shows trying to continue the work despite declining health. Through her stories we learn more about the history of the region, particularly during WW2 and the nazi occupation which I found fascinating as I’ve always loved that period of history.
Overall I really loved this book and will be recommending it to anyone wanting an uplifting, fascinating memoir. The author takes us through his time on the island from his first arrival to his departure which was very interesting to follow. The story has a great flow to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. It’s a wonderful story and one that will stay with me for a long time.
Huge thanks to @allenlanepr for providing me with a free ALC via @librofm.
About The Author:
James Rebanks is a farmer based in the Lake District, where his family have lived and worked for over six hundred years. His No.1 bestselling debut, The Shepherd’s Life, won the Lake District Book of the Year, was shortlisted for the Wainwright and Ondaatje prizes, and has been translated into sixteen languages. His second book, English Pastoral, was also a Top Ten bestseller and was named the Sunday Times Nature Book of the Year. Heralded as a ‘masterpiece’ by the New Statesman, it was shortlisted for the Ondaatje prize, and longlisted for the Rathbones Folio prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Writing.
Good evening everyone I hope you’ve had a good day. I was very excited (there might have been squealing involved) to receive a copy of the fabulous looking The Vipers by Katy Hays this week.
I was a huge fan of The Cloisters so I’m so looking forward to reading this book soon. The book is really pretty and the blue is actually foiling which makes the cover very striking.
The Vipers is out 27th March 2025 and you can swipe to see the synopsis.
Huge thanks to Bantham for sending this to me it’s so appreciated!
What’s your most anticipated read for 2025?
Book Synopsis:
On the glittering island of Capri, anything can be a mirage. But one thing is true: there’s nothing deadlier than a family with everything to lose . . .
The world was shocked by playwright Sarah Lingate’s death thirty years ago at an opulent, white-washed villa on the island of Capri. Absolved of the crime, the Lingate family maintains that what happened that night was a tragic accident. And every July they return to Capri to prove it’s true.
This time, Helen Lingate – sole heir to the family fortune – has a plan. Tightly controlled by her father, she enlists the help of the family assistant, Lorna Moreno, to free herself from her family’s stranglehold on her life. And yet, behind closed doors, the legendary Lingate family unity is at breaking point. Upon arrival at the villa in Capri, an anonymous gift awaits them: the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she died.
In the aftermath, the paranoid, insular Lingates begin to unravel. As the investigation into her mother’s death is reopened, Helen begins to lose trust in everyone around her: her controlling father Richard, drug-addled aunt Naomi, aloof uncle Marcus, and even Lorna, whose past she realizes is frustratingly opaque. And as the family fractures, the long-hidden truth about that night and the secrets they’ve kept from one another boil to the surface – and they might not leave the island alive.
About The Author:
Katy Hays is a writer and adjunct art history professor in California, where she teaches rural students from Truckee to Tecopa. She holds an MA in art history from Williams College and pursued her PhD at UC Berkeley. Having previously worked at major art institutions, including The Clark Art Institute and SF MoMA, she now lives with her husband and dog, Queso, in Olympic Valley, California. The Cloisters is her first novel.
Hungover and exhausted after her family’s annual party, all Anna Johnson wants for Christmas is to finish her to-do list and finally sit down with the world’s biggest glass of wine.
But when she stumbles across a dead body in her larder, her plans are well and truly buggered.
A mysterious death in her home really is the last thing she needs, but with her judgemental in-laws arriving in less than twenty-four hours, turning her house into a crime scene is not an option. If she’s going to save Christmas, it’s up to Anna to find out what the hell’s gone on. Oh – and figure out what to do with the body before one of the kids finds it.
And you thought burning the turkey was the worst that could happen…
My Review:
Happy Bloody Christmas is a hilarious, gripping read that is perfect for reading in this festive period.
Firstly I absolutely loved Anna and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s such a relatable character who I really felt for as she tries to plan for Chirstmas, solve a murder and deal with the impending visit from the mother in law from hell. Most of the messy scenarios mentioned are recognisable from ones you might have suffered through yourself and I like reading about them when it wasn’t happening to me. She has really made me feel better about my own Christmas disasters.
I thought the book had a great pace to it and I was quickly drawn into the story. It was fun to slowly learn more about the characters and their relationship with them murder victim. There were hilarious moments that had me laughing out loud and some really heart warming family scenarios that were lovely to read about. The many surprising twists kept me guessing until the end which I always enjoy and I’m now very excited for the sequel which is coming out next year!
Huge thanks to Avon and Indie Thinking for sending me a copy of this book. If you are after a gripping read to help you get into the Christmas spirit then I highly recommend this book.
About The Author:
Jo Middleton is a writer, mum of two grown up children and slave to a golden retriever and three cats, named after fictional detectives. Jo published her first novel, Playgroups and Prosecco, in 2019 and has since gone on to work with her good friend Gill Sims, hosting her 2022 theatre tour and co-hosting a podcast, It’s Five O’clock Somewhere. Happy Bloody Christmas is her first crime novel and is an amalgamation of everything she loves best – murder at Christmas, what’s not to love?
Jo lives in Somerset and when she’s not working or tending to a pet she loves reading murder mysteries, binge-watching dating reality TV shows and being dragged around the countryside by her disrespectful dog Mako.
Good evening everyone I hope you’re having a good day. I was so excited to receive a copy of The Summer Guests in the post this week. I was such a huge fan of The Spy Coast and often recommend it in the book shop so I can’t wait to read the next in the series.
Huge thanks to @alison_is_reading and @bantambooksuk for sending this to me it’s so appreciated.
The Summer Guests is published on the 27th March 2025 and is the second book in the fabulous Martini Club Series. The first book, The Spy Coast, is available now and is highly recommended by me.
Find out more about the book below ⬇️
Do you like Martini?
Book Synopsis:
THE MARTINI CLUB ISN’T OPEN TO EVERYONE . . .
Maggie Bird’s ‘book group’ is an unusual one – a group of retired spies living an anonymous life in the seaside town of Purity. And this summer they plan little more than ‘reading’ (whilst sipping martinis), and some gentle birdwatching.
But trouble is just around the corner as the summer guests arrive.
For acting Police Chief Jo Thibodeau, summer brings its own problems – packed streets, bar brawls, petty theft. And now, a missing teenager down by the lake.
When their good friend becomes a prime suspect in the girl’s disappearance, Maggie and her Martini Club must put down their binoculars and roll up their sleeves. Leaving Jo to deal with not only a powerful family desperate for answers, but a meddlesome group of retirees.
Can Jo and the Martini Club find a way to work together, as they uncover one of the deadliest scandals their small town has ever seen?
About The Author:
Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Tess went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D.
While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction and in 1987, her first novel, Call After Midnight, was published. It was just the first of 32 suspense novels that she’s written over a 36-year writing career. She also wrote a screenplay, “Adrift,” which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.
Tess’s 1996 medical thriller, Harvest, marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list and her novels have hit bestseller lists around the world ever since. Among her titles are Gravity, The Surgeon, Vanish, Listen to Me, and her upcoming spy thriller, The Spy Coast, which has just been optioned by Amazon Studios for a television series. Her books have been translated into 40 languages, and more than 40 million copies have been sold around the world.
Her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the hit TNT television series “Rizzoli & Isles,” starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.
Good morning everyone and happy Wednesday. I’ve seen this challenge around Instagram and knew I had to join in. These are some of the chunky books I’m hoping to read soon:
❤️ Empire Of The Vampire by Jay Kristoff 💛House Of Earth And Blood by Sarah J Maas 💚A Voyage Around The Queen by Craig Brown 💙 When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker 💜The Road Of Bones by Demi Winters
All of these are tbr but I’m hoping to read When The Moon Hatched soon as I keep hearing great things about it and one of my book colleagues has chosen it as one of her books of the year which has made me very intrigued. Big books scare me a little so I’ve been putting off reading these. I’ve also got All The Colours Of The Dark to read but it’s on the bookshelf behind our Christmas tree so I can’t get to it at the moment.
I’m off this morning and I’m going to my youngest’s nativity play this morning. He’s a police sheep which is one of the main characters who is on stage most of the time. I’m a little bit nervous for him as he’s not got great concentration skills but he apparently did amazingly well yesterday so I’m sure he’ll smash it. I’m then coming home, tidying our room as it’s become a bit of a dumping ground before going to work and having supper at my mum’s as it’s my husband’s Christmas do tonight.
I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to take part and share some of the chunky books in their tbr pile but, as always, no pressure.
On the first day of the monsoon an old ramshackle building appears. This is The Rainfall Market. Inside you will find magical bookstores, hairdressers, perfumeries and anything your heart desires.
But you cannot enter without an invitation.
Serin, who lives in a small flat with her mother and dreams of a bigger, better life, can’t believe her luck when she receives a ticket inviting her to step inside The Rainfall Market.
Once inside she will have the opportunity to swap her life for a new one. A better one.
Accompanied by Isha the cat and followed by a mysterious shadow, Serin tentatively steps inside. There she is told she has just one week to choose the perfect life and find true happiness.
However, there is a catch.
If she doesn’t find her dream life, she’ll be trapped inside the market forever . . .
My Review:
The Rainfall Market is an enthralling, magical read unlike anything I’ve read before.
Firstly it was wonderful to explore the Rainfall Market alongside Serin and to meet all the different doekobi who live there. The author’s vivid descriptions made me feel like I was actually there exploring everything alongside the characters- so much so that I was disappointed when I looked from reading to find that I wasn’t there. Serin’s journey to find a new life takes her through some amazing places including a magical bookstore, a hairdressers and a very interesting perfume shop which I wish I could visit in real life.
All of the characters were wonderful creations and I enjoyed getting to know them throughout the book. I loved that all the doekobi’s were in charge of collecting a different emotion, sometimes for touching reasons but other times just for their own amusement. Some of the reasons had me laughing out loud like the doekobi whose job it was to take away human’s decision making and liked to strike when people were trying to decide what to eat at a restaurant!
Overall , as you can probably tell, I loved this book and will be recommending it to everyone. The book was incredibly gripping and I quickly found myself drawn into the story. I was thinking about it constantly when I wasn’t reading and wishing I could get back to the fabulous world the author has created. There were moments that made me laugh out loud and some that made me cry as well as some very clever twists that I didn’t see coming. The ending was just brilliant, so lovely, heartwarming and thought provoking as well. I left the book very sad that I had to leave the Rainfall Market and all the lovely residents behind. I’m really hoping there will be a sequel as I’d love a chance to visit it again.
About The Author:
You Yeong-Gwang was born in Seongnam in 1984. He wrote this story during breaks while delivering food for a living. He felt truly happy while writing this story and wishes for all readers to find healing and courage through it so that they may go out and find their own happiness.
Over The Rainbow Blog 