Good morning everyone! Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by Casey McQuiston. I absolutely loved Red, White & Royal Blue so I can’t wait to read her next book The Pairing!
Huge thanks to Beth from Pan Macmillan for sending this to me. I’m so excited to read it soon.
6th August 2024
Do you have a favourite book that’s been made into a TV series or movie?
The Pairing
From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston comes a delicious romantic comedy The Pairing.
Theo and Kit have been childhood best friends, crushes, lovers and, after a brutal breakup four years ago, estranged exes.
It’s not until Theo and Kit are trapped on board a tour bus that they discover that they’ve each had the same idea: to take their dream European food and wine tour – alone. And now they’re stuck with each other for three weeks of the most romantic sights and sensuous flavours of France, Spain, and Italy. But it’ll be fine. They’re absolutely over each other.
So, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is game. In fact, why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?
But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can’t have.
Red, White & Royal Blue
What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
Alex Claremont-Diaz is handsome, charismatic, a genius – pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House ever since his mother became President of the United States. There’s only one problem. When the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an altercation between Alex and Prince Henry, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of family and state devise a plan for damage control: stage a truce. But what begins as a fake, Instagrammable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon they are hurtling into a secret romance that could derail the presidential campaign and upend two nations.
About The Author:
Casey McQuiston is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies, whose writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Bon Appetit. Originally from southern Louisiana, Casey now lives in New York City.
Good evening everyone and happy Monday. I hope you all had a good weekend. I thought I’d do a little reading update for you today.
I’m currently reading two books and listening to one more:
📕 Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
I’m just over halfway through this book and really enjoying it so far. I was expecting it to be historical fiction but it’s not, though there is an historical mystery running through the book. I absolutely love the characters and it’s lovely following the same people through the years.
📙The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins
I’ve been so excited to read this book as I’ve loved the author’s previous books. I started reading it yesterday so I’m not far into it but I’m hooked already. I can’t wait to read more later today.
📗🎧The Warm Hands Of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
I’m just over half way through this audiobook and I’m really loving it so far. It’s surprisingly gripping and I love the supernatural side to it which is unlike anything I’ve read before. I walked home from work today so I got to listening to a bit more of it.
Good afternoon everyone! I hope you are having a good day. I was super excited to receive a copy of This Motherless Land by Nikki May through the post this week. I was such a huge fan of her last book so I’m incredibly excited to read this book soon.
Huge thanks to the lovely @alison_is_reading for sending me a copy of this book It’s really appreciated!
Out 18th July 2024
Book Synopsis:
When Funke’s mother dies in an accident in Lagos, she’s sent to live with her maternal family in England. Against a backdrop of condescension and mild neglect, sensible Funke strives to fit in, determined to become one of them.
Free-spirited Liv has always wanted to break free of her joyless family, to be nothing like them. Fiercely protective of Funke, she at last has an ally. The two cousins give each other what they need most: love.
But the past casts long shadows and the choices made by their mothers haunt them, shaping the trajectory of their adult lives. Can they escape their legacy?
Witty, warm, hugely entertaining, This Motherless Land bridges three decades and two continents, delving into the thorny territories of race and culture and belonging. At its heart is a story about love and how it can make the difference between surviving and thriving.
About The Author:
Born in Bristol, raised in Lagos, NIKKI MAY is Anglo-Nigerian. Her critically acclaimed debut novel WAHALA won the Comedy Women in Print New Voice Prize, was shortlisted for the Diverse Book Award and the Fingerprint Debut of the Year Award, and longlisted for the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award. It’s being turned into a major BBC drama series.
THIS MOTHERLESS LAND is her second novel.
Nikki lives in Dorset with her husband, two standard schnauzers, and way too many books. She should be writing but is probably reading.
Good evening everyone and happy Saturday. I was tagged by the lovely @lovedreadingthis to share some bookish books.
📕The London Bookshop Affair by Louise Fein 📖The Lost Book Shop by Evie Wood 📕The Keeper Of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin 📖The Book Of The Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran 📕 Reading Lessons by Carol Atherton 📖The Book Of Beginnings by Sally Page 📕The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence 📖The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
All of these are tbr but I’m hoping to read some of them soon as I’ve heard great things about them – though The Book Who Wouldn’t Burn might be too pretty to actually read 😅
I was feeling quite tired today after a fantastic day at the show yesterday. It was really fun and I enjoyed seeing all the great things there. It was also interesting seeing what books sold there compared to the shop. I didn’t get to do many of the signings sadly as it ended up being a bit hectic but I had fun at the shop! I’m had a quiet morning as my youngest two are at clubs this morning so I was able to get some reading time.
I’ve tagged a few people who might want to join in but, as always, no pressure. Also if you’d prefer not to be tagged in these kind of posts do let me know!
Good evening everyone I hope you’ve had a good day. I was lucky enough to get a copy of this fantastic looking book last week. I’m a huge fan of books from Orenda as they are always amazing reads. This is a new author for me so I’m excited to read this book soon and find out what it’s like.
Huge thanks to the lovely Karen @orendabooks for sending me a copy of this book.
Out 18th July 2024. Find out more about the book below ⬇️
What’s your favourite thing to do in summer?
Book Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Frieder’s plans for the summer are shattered when he fails two subjects. To be able to move up to the next year in the Autumn, he needs to resit his exams. So instead of going on holiday with his family, he now faces the daunting and boring prospect of staying at his grandparents’ house, studying with his strict and formal step-grandfather.
On the bright side, he’ll spend time with his grandmother Nana, his sister Alma and his best friend Johann. And he meets Beate, the girl in the beautiful green swimsuit…
The next few weeks will bring friendship, fear and first love – one grand summer that will change and shape his entire life.
A number-one bestseller in Germany and winner of the German Booksellers Prize, One Grand Summer is a moving, beautiful and profound novel about relationships and respect that captures those exquisite and painful moments that make us who we are…
WINNER of the German Booksellers Prize and over two years on the German bestseller list.
About The Author:
Ewald Arenz, born in Nürnberg in 1965, studied English and American literature and history. He is a teacher at a secondary school in Nürnberg. His novels and plays have received many awards. Ewald lives near Fürth with his family.
Good morning everyone and happy Thursday. I was tagged by the lovely @helen_t_reads and @alittlebrightcorner for tagging me in this challenge. The idea is to find books that sound like titles for a guide or manual.
Here’s what I found: ❤️Reading Lessons by Carol Atherton 🧡A Beginners Guide To Breaking And Entering by Andrew. Hunter Murray 💛Boys Who Hurt by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir 💚How To Build A Boat by Elaine Feeny 💙The Virago Book Of Witches by Shahrukh 🩵A Demon’s Guide To Wooing A Witch by Sarah Hawley 💜The Fellowship Of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr 🩷The Bells Of Westminster by Leonora Nattrass 💞To Cage A God by Elizabeth May 🤍A Lady’s Guide To Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin 🩶A Short Walk Through A Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke
I actually found more than I thought I would and had great fun finding all the books. All of these are tbr but I’m hoping to read some of these soon.
I was working this morning which was fun and then I had a hectic afternoon ferrying my eldest two kids to various clubs. I had to visit the mechanic as my car is making funny noises and they think it’s the brakes sadly. I’m then looking forward to maybe sitting in the sun and doing some reading if it’s still warm enough.
I’ve tagged some people on Instagram who might want to take part but, as always, no pressure.
Good evening everyone I hope you’ve had a good day. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this fantastic looking book this week. It sounds really interesting and I have been hearing lots of good things about it.
Huge thanks to Katy from Little Brown for sending this to me. I’m excited to read it soon.
Birding is out now and you can find out more about the book below ⬇️
Book Synopsis:
In a small seaside town, autumn is edging into winter, gulls ride winds over the waves, and two women pass each other on the promenade, as yet unaware of each other’s existence.
In the nineties Lydia was a teen pop star, posed half naked on billboards everywhere with a lollipop between her lips and no idea how to live, letting the world happen to her. Now, three decades later, Lydia is less and less sure that what happened to her was in the least bit okay. The news cycle runs hot with #MeToo stories, and a famous former lover has emerged with a self-serving apology, asking her to forgive him. Suddenly, the past is full of trapdoors she is desperately trying not to fall through.
Joyce, in middle age, has never left home. She still lives with her mother Betty. With their matching dresses, identical hairdos and makeup, they are the local oddballs. Theirs is a life of unerring routine: the shops, biscuits served on bone china plates, dressing up for a gin and tonic on Saturday. Nice things. One misstep from Joyce can ruin Betty’s day; so Joyce treads carefully. She has never let herself think about a different kind of life. But recently, along with the hot flushes, something like anger is asserting itself, like a caged thing realising it should probably try and escape.
Amid the grey skies, amusement parks and beauty parlours of a gentrifying run-down seaside resort, these two women might never meet. But as they both try to untangle the damaging details of their past in the hope of a better future, their lives are set on an unlikely collision course.
With mordant wit and lyrical prose, Birding asks if we can ever see ourselves clearly or if we are always the unreliable narrators of our own experiences. It is a story about the difference between responsibility and obligation, unhealthy relationships and abusive ones, third acts and last chances, and two women trying to take flight on clipped wings.
About The Author:
Rose was originally a visual artist working in performance, sculpture, drawing and video. Stories and language were always part of her art practice, but as the written word crept further and further into her art and gradually edged out making and performing, she had to admit that she had become a writer instead.
She undertook the MLitt in Creative Writing at Glasgow University, and subsequently won the Off West End Adopt a Playwright award in 2015. She writes plays, makes podcasts, performs spoken word and occasionally still has a go at drawing and making things just to see if she still can.
She lives in Glasgow with her ever-expanding collections of twentieth century kitsch and other people’s letters, postcards and photographs.
Her debut novel This Is Yesterday was published in 2021.
Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday. I hope you had a good bank holiday. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by Sophie Keetch.
💜 Morgan Is My Name 💟Le Fay
I’ve not actually read anything by this author before but I keep hearing great things so I’ve been eager to read them. As luck would have it I received a proof of Le Fay through the post a few days before a copy of Morgan Is My Name appeared on the damages shelf at work. I’m very excited to read them soon.
Huge thanks to @oneworldpublications for sending me a copy of Le Fay, it’s really appreciated!
Le Fay is published on the 18th July 2024. Find out more about the book below ⬇️
Le Fay by Sophie Keetch
‘They should fear me, the power I possessed, and the bright, ravenous rage that now fuelled my every breath… Even I did not know what I was capable of.’
Lady Morgan surveys her life at Camelot: she is safe, valued for her intelligence, and has the love and respect of her brother King Arthur, despite a growing conflict with Queen Guinevere.
It’s not enough. For, between the strict rules of court, a vengeful husband determined to snatch their son away, and a jealous rival in sorcerer Merlin, Morgan desires freedom. And when a face from her past arrives, igniting old memories and new desires, the future she is planning becomes fraught with danger.
Morgan must break the shackles of expectation to seek true happiness. In doing so, she discovers dark new powers that promise control of her life is within reach. But it’s at the risk of destroying everything…
Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch
When King Uther Pendragon murders her father and tricks her mother into marriage, Morgan refuses to be crushed. Trapped amid the machinations of men in a world of isolated castles and gossiping courts, she discovers secret powers. Vengeful and brilliant, it’s not long before Morgan becomes a worthy adversary to Merlin, influential sorcerer to the king. But fighting for her freedom, she risks losing everything – her reputation, her loved ones and her life.
About The Author:
Sophie Keetch read English Literature at Cardiff University, including the study of Arthurian legend. Her debut trilogy is a feminist retelling of the story of sorceress Morgan Le Fay. The first book, Morgan is my Name, was a #1 Audible bestseller and one of the Sunday Times’ Best Historical Fiction novels of 2023. The audiobook, narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Vanessa Kirby, was a The Times Audiobook of the Week.
Sophie is Welsh and lives with her husband and son in South Wales.
Find Sophie on Twitter @SophKWrites and on Instagram @sophiekeetchauthor
She kneels by her husband, his face contorted with pain. “You must get yourself to safety,” he tells her. She grips his hand tighter as a tear tracks down her drawn, pale face. “I promised to stay beside you. I will keep that vow to the end.”
Berlin, 1944. Edith Falkenstein weeps with joy when the crowds of brave women protesting on Rosenstrasse manage to save their Jewish relatives, including her husband Julius, from deportation to the camps.
Julius once believed abiding by the rules would shield him and his wife. But now he knows better: there is no such thing as mercy from the Nazis, and they must do all they can to save others. Their apartment, long stripped of its luxurious furnishings, might offer little protection from the frigid winter air, but it has become a place of secret shelter—though it puts all their lives at risk.
As bombs rain a thunder of devastation on the city and Soviet soldiers close in from the east, the Nazis have only become more desperate, and more deadly. For the inhabitants, their only option is to flee. But when another raid leaves Julius critically injured, Edith realises he is far too frail to make the perilous journey. She closes her eyes and prays for a miracle.
The final days of the war are here, but there is no cause for celebration in Berlin, where death lingers on every corner. Their love has been the source of their strength and survival all these long years, but will either of them live to see the end?
An absolutely page-turning and deeply heart-rending story of one woman’s promise to protect the people she loves. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Alice Network and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
My Review:
The Berlin Wife’s Vow was a gripping, heartbreaking read from one of my favourite historical fiction writers.
Firstly I’ve been a huge fan of this series from the start and have enjoyed following the characters throughout the series. After the nail biting ending of the last book I was very excited to see what would happen next for all the characters I’d grown to love. I was therefore initially a little disappointed to discover the focus had shifted in this series to the younger generation of the family. This soon changed as the book continued and I found myself growing to like the new characters as well. My favourite character was definitely Roxi who I absolutely loved. She was such a strong lady and I loved how fearless she was, often doing things to help her family regardless of the consequences. I’m really hoping she pops up in another of the author’s books as I’d love to read more about her.
As always the author has done a great job researching the era so that the reader feels they are actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. It was interesting to see what life was like living under nazi rule and how the different groups were treated. I was shocked to discover that people who were half Jewish or who had renounced their faith were still targets. It must have been a horrendous time to live through and I really felt the character’s fear as I watched events unfold.
I thought the book had a great pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. I really enjoyed getting a new perspective on the situation through the new characters and my heart was in my mouth as I watched them try to survive the war. This is sadly the last book in the series but there is going to be a spin off series which I’m very excited for.
Huge thanks to Sarah from Bookouture for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Marion Kummerow writes historical fiction that explores the dark side of human history. A USA Today Bestselling author, she has received rave reviews from readers and critics for her novels about the German resistance during World War II. Her books feature characters who face moral dilemmas, make difficult decisions, and fight for what is right. She also infuses her stories with humor and undying love, because she believes that love is what makes the world go round.
Born and raised in Germany, Marion has lived in various countries before returning to Munich with her family. After writing several non-fiction books, she felt drawn to the past and the subject of resistance to the Nazi regime. It took her years of courage and hard work to turn the true story of her grandparents Ingeborg and Hansheinrich Kummerow into a trilogy: “Love and Resistance in the Second World War”. UNRELENTING is the first book in this series.
Bringing history to life through her books is Marion’s passion. She visits museums, travels to memorials and the locations in her books, reads original source material, and consults experts to meticulously research the historical facts and details in her novels.
Her stories are authentic and immersive, transporting readers to another time and place. She writes with the conviction that we must never forget the past, so it won’t repeat itself.
When she’s not writing or researching, Marion likes to travel, do yoga, and spend time with her family. She also enjoys reading books by other historical fiction authors.
Good morning everyone and happy Sunday. As it’s Sunday I thought I’d share some of the great books I’ve added to my tbr this week:
❤️The House Of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson 🧡A Woman Of Opinion by Sean Lusk * 💛One Grand Summer by Ewald Arenz* 💚The Unwilding by Marina Kemp * 💙 Forbidden Notebook by Alba De Céspedes 🩵 Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch 💜 Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Greenville 🩷Brotherless Night by V V Ganeshananthan 🤍Mrs Gulliver by Valerie Martin 🩶 Behind You Is The Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj * 🤎The Fellowship Of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr *
The books with a star next to them were gifted to me the rest I bought (whoops). Huge thanks to all the tagged publishers for sending these to me it’s really appreciated.
I’m working today which is always fun, especially as I haven’t been there for a few days so it’s always fun to see what new books we have. My daughter is getting back from Brownie camp tonight and even though I know she’s had a great time – I’ve really missed her. I’m excited to have a quiet evening reading tonight as my husband is out playing football so I have the house to myself.
Over The Rainbow Blog 