Sunny Daffodil Stack #BookStack #NewBooks

Good morning everyone and happy weekend. Spring is one of my favourite months, especially when all the beautiful spring flowers start coming out.

I treated myself to a couple of bunches of daffodils this week and I thought I’d do a yellow book stack to match, as I seem to have quite a few yellow books ATM.

💛 Sandwich by Catherine Newman
🧡Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
💛 Divorced Not Dead by Harper Ford
🧡The Psychology Of Secrets by Andrew Gold
💛The Book Of Beginnings by Sally Page
🧡The Night In Question by Susan Fletcher
💛Token by Beverly Kendall
🧡 Butter by Asako Yuzuki
💛Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Slater by Nicci French

All of these are tbr but I’ll be reading Token soon as I’m on the blog tour later this month and I want to fit in The Night In Question as it sounds really good.

Today the two youngest kids have clubs and my eldest is having a friend over to play Xbox. I’m planning on sneaking upstairs and starting my new book. I’ve been distracted again and I’m thinking of starting The Escape Room by L. D Smithson as I fancy a thriller next.

I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to share a match your flowers post but, as always, no pressure.

Q: What’s your favourite flowers?
A: Daffodils, tulips and gerbera’s

#BookSpotlight: Eliza Mace by Sarah Burton & Jem Poster @Duckbooks #ElizaMace #SarahBurton #JemPoster #Bookpost

Good afternoon everyone I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this fantastic sounding book this week along with a lovely candle and some rather delicious sweets. I love books set in the Victorian period, especially if they involve a lady detective so this book instantly appealed.

Huge thanks to Duckworth books fory copy of this book.

Out 7th March 2024.

Book Synopsis:

A twisty Victorian mystery featuring quick-witted detective Eliza Mace

In the first of a thrilling new Victorian detective series, Eliza Mace, on the cusp of adulthood, is battling for her independence. Stuck in a crumbling manor house in the Welsh borders in the 1870s, she is thwarted by powers that conspire to protect, control and deceive her. But when her father goes missing in mysterious circumstances, Eliza’s determination to uncover the truth is unstoppable.

Joining forces with the charismatic new police constable, Dafydd Pritchard, she sets out to solve the case, but that’s no easy task. Her father has run up debts in town and beyond, and there are many who bear him a grudge. As she searches for evidence, Eliza exposes dark secrets that threaten to tear her world apart…

About The Authors:

Sarah Burton

Dr. Sarah Burton is the author of three works of non-fiction and two books for children. She was founder-director of Cambridge University’s MSt in Creative Writing and has taught at Royal Holloway College, Goldsmiths’ College and the University of Oxford. She currently teaches regularly for the Guardian Masterclass series, as well as for Cambridge University’s Centre for Creative Writing. She has written extensively for BBC History Magazine and has reviewed for the Times, Spectator, Guardian and Independent. THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF H is her debut novel for adults.

Jem Poster

Jem Poster has taught creative writing for the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Aberystwyth. He is the author of two acclaimed historical novels, Courting Shadows and Rifling Paradise, and co-author, with Sarah Burton, of a handbook for fiction writers, The Book You Need to Read to Write the Book You Want to Write.

#BlogTour: The Summer Of Lies by Louise Douglas @LouiseDouglas3 @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources #The SummerOfLies #LouiseDouglas

Book Synopsis:

The summer is the hottest yet in the Brittany coastal town of Morranez, but when a new case lands on the desk of the Toussaints detective agency, there can be no time to relax. As wild fires bear down on the town, the alert goes out for a missing girl.

Nineteen-year-old Briony Moorcroft has seemingly been taken from her sleepy Welsh village and brought to France. Her parents are baffled and scared – Briony needs her life-saving medicine or this case will become even more sinister, and with the police dragging their heels, the Moorcrofts are relying on Mila Shephard and Carter Jackson’s sleuthing skills.

Meanwhile there are mysteries troubling Mila’s life too. Two years after the accident that swept her sister Sophie and brother-in-law Charlie away and left their daughter Ani in Mila’s care, new evidence resurfaces that makes Mila doubt everything.

Can Carter and Mila find Briony before it’s too late? And is the truth about Sophie and Charlie finally about to be revealed…

My Review:

The Summer Of Lies is another very enjoyable, intriguing mystery from one of my favourite authors.

Firstly I absolutely loved the setting of this book which made me feel fully transported to the (sadly) fictional town of Morranez and the beautiful Brittany coast. It’s definitely made me want to visit France soon and it has made me excited to visit the beach again. The constant threat of wild fires were also well described and I sometimes felt that I could actually feel the heat from the fire or hear it crackling.

I thought that all the character’s were wonderful creations and I enjoyed following them throughout the book. It was interesting seeing the dynamic between them and see how much they cared for each other. I really liked following the multiple story lines and I thought it was very clever how the author gradually merges them all together. The reader is given a chance to really get to know the characters and to find out what makes them tick which I think made the story more even more intriguing. It was fun trying to guess what was happening and their motivations for it.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from this author soon. This was actually a sequel to The Lost Notebook which I hadn’t realised so it was fun to catch up with the characters again. The book has a great pace to it and I soon found that I couldn’t put the book down. The threat of the forest fire helps add a lot of tension and a sense of danger to the book so I had to keep reading to find out what happens to everyone.  I did guess fairly early on what was going to happen but I had to keep reading to check that I was right. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing, including a huge one at the end which I hadn’t predicted. I believe there is going to be a sequel to this book and I’m very excited to find out how it all ends.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Boldwood for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Hello! I’m Louise, author of 12 novels mostly set in the Somerset countryside close to where I live and Sicily. I’m thrilled to have won the RNA Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller award 2021 for The House by the Sea which has sold more than a quarter of a million copies.

I’m currently writing the third of the Brittany collection of novels set in Finistère and all involving missing people. The Lost Notebook was a UK number one best-seller & its sequel, The Summer of Lies was published in February 2024.

When I’m not writing, I love to spend time with my family, friends and animals. I’m passionate about nature, being outside, drawing, wildlife, walking and books. Right now, all my spare time is being taken up by our new Border Collie puppy, Luna.

I really hope you enjoy my books. If you’d like to connect, find me on Facebook Louise Amy Douglas or LouiseDouglas3 on Twitter. Thank you x

#BlogTour: The Sisterhood by Kate Bradley @kate__bradley @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours #TheSisterhood #KateBradley #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

Vox meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this feminist reimagining of 1984
 
In Oceania, whoever you are, Big Brother is always watching you and trust is a luxury that no one has. Julia is the seemingly perfect example of what women in Oceania should be: dutiful, useful, subservient, meek. But Julia hides a secret. A secret that would lead to her death if it is discovered. For Julia is part of the underground movement called The Sisterhood, whose main goal is to find members of The Brotherhood, the anti-Party vigilante group, and help them to overthrow Big Brother. Only then can everyone be truly free.
 
When Julia thinks she’s found a potential member of The Brotherhood, it seems like their goal might finally be in their grasp. But as she gets closer to Winston Smith, Julia’s past starts to catch up with her and we soon realise that she has many more secrets than we’d first imagined – and that overthrowing Big Brother might cost her everything – but if you have nothing left to lose then you don’t mind playing the game . . .
 
This is a story about love, about family, about being a woman, a mother, a sister, a friend and ultimately about what you would sacrifice for the greater good.

My Review:

The Sisterhood is an absorbing, thought provoking read that will definitely stay with me.

I remember really enjoying 1984 when I read it at school so I was very intrigued, if a bit nervous, to read The Sisterhood. This book is being classed as a retelling but I think it’s actually more of a companion book as it tells the story from a different perspective and often helped to give more meaning to certain parts of the books which had confused me before. This book shows Julia’s side of the story which I found very intriguing. She is a bit of a secondary character in 1984 so I enjoyed finding out more about her life and how the new world had affected her. She’s a very interesting character and I quickly warmed to her, thinking she’s very clever and brave for being willing to fight.

The author does a great job of describing the frightening new world that the character’s find themselves in and I enjoyed exploring it more alongside the characters. It’s a world that seems frighteningly realistic and plausible which made me shudder at times. I liked that we find out more about how this world was created which I think was skipped in the original book. 

Overall I really liked this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. The book had a nice pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. I thought it was very clever how the author has written this book as it manages to be a companion book to 1984 but also a book which I think would stand on it’s own. The ending was brilliant and I really enjoyed seeing Julia come into her own as a character.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book. If you like clever, dystopian books than I highly recommend this one.

About The Author:

Katherine Bradley enjoyed a twenty-year career managing services for homeless people in Brighton, before retraining as a teacher. She now teaches English in a secondary school academy, finding time to also teach creative writing to adults. She holds a first-class degree in English Literature, in addition to qualifications in teaching, creative writing and coaching. As Kate Bradley, she has published two suspense thrillers – To Keep You Safe (2020) and What I Did (2021). Her work has been described as ‘addictive, original and brilliantly twisty’ by T. M. Logan and ‘heart-stopping’ by David Nicholls. Katherine lives near Brighton with her family. Follow her on Twitter @kate_bradley

Thriller Thursday! New Books @FrenchNicci @Claire_Coughlan @SimonSaysBooks @simonschusterUK #ThrillerThursday #NewBooks

Good morning everyone and happy Thursday.
I was lucky enough to receive these two fantastic looking thrillers recently.

Nicci French is one of my favourite authors and I keep hearing lots of great things about Where They Lie. I’m therefore incredibly excited to read these soon.

Huge thanks to Rhys from @simonschusteruk for sending me these books.

Find out more about these books below.

Have you read either of these? What’s the best thriller you’ve read recently?

Where They Lie by Claire Coughlan


Some stories demand to be told. They keep coming back, echoing down through the decades, until they find a teller . . .

Dublin, 1943
Actress Julia Bridges disappears.
The last sighting of her is entering the house of Gloria Fitzpatrick, who is later put on trial for the murder of another woman whose abortion she facilitated.
But it’s never proved that Gloria had a hand in Julia’s death – and Julia’s body has never been found.
Gloria, however, is sentenced to life in an institution for the criminally insane, until her apparent suicide a few years later, and the truth of what happened to Julia Bridges dies with her.
 
Dublin, 1968
Nicoletta Sarto is an ambitious junior reporter for the Irish Sentinel when the bones of Julia Bridges are discovered in the garden of a house on the outskirts of Dublin.
Drawn into investigating the 25-year-old mystery of Julia’s disappearance and her link to the notorious Gloria Fitzpatrick, the story takes Nicoletta into the tangled underworld of the illegal abortion industry, stirring up long-buried secrets from her own past.

As much a murder mystery story as a look at a young woman’s struggle to succeed in a man’s world, Where They Lie is a beautifully atmospheric debut that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Slater by Nicci French

She’s loved by all who meet her. But someone wants her gone . . .
Then 

When beautiful and vivacious Charlotte Salter fails to turn up to her husband Alec’s 50th birthday party, her kids are worried, but Alec is not. As the days pass and there’s still no word from Charlie, her daughter, Etty, and her sons, Niall, Paul and Ollie, all struggle to come to terms with her disappearance.
How can anyone just vanish without a trace?
Left with no answers and in limbo, the Salter children try and go on with their lives, all the while thinking that their mother’s killer is potentially very close to home.

Now

After years away, Etty returns home to the small East Anglian village where she grew up to help move her father into a care home. Now in his eighties, Alec has dementia and often mistakes his daughter for her mother. 
Etty is a changed woman from the trouble-free girl she was when Charlie was still around – all the Salter children have spent decades running and hiding from their mother’s disappearance.
But when their childhood friends, Greg and Morgen Ackerley, decide to do a podcast about Charlotte’s disappearance, it seems like the town’s buried secrets – and the Salters’ – might finally come to light.

After all this time, will they finally find out what really happened to Charlotte Salter?

BlogTour: The Secrets Of Blythswood Square by Sara Sheridan @sarasheridan @HodderBooks @AlainnaGeorgiou #TheSecretsOfBlythswoodSquare #SaraSheridan

Book Synopsis:

You wouldn’t suspect it, but scandalous secrets are being kept on Blythswood Square…

1846. Glasgow is a city on the cusp of great social change, but behind the curtains, neighbours are watching, and rumours of improper behaviour spread like wildfire on the respectable Blythswood Square.

When Charlotte Nicholl discovers that the fortune she has been bequeathed by her father is tied up in a secret collection of erotic art, she is faced with a terrible dilemma: sell it and risk shaming her family’s good name or lose her home.

An encounter with Ellory McHale, a talented working-class photographer newly arrived in Glasgow, leads Charlotte to hope she has found not only someone who might help her, but also a friend. Yet Ellory is hiding secrets of her own – secrets that become harder to conceal as she finds herself drawn into Charlotte’s world.

As the truth begins to catch up with both women, will it destroy everything they’ve fought to build – or set them both free?

My Review:

I was a huge fan of The Fair Botanist, Sara’s first novel, so I was very excited to read more from her. The Secrets Of Blythswood Square is another absorbing, fascinating historical read which I really enjoyed.

Firstly I absolutely loved the setting of 19th Century Glasgow, with the author’s vivid descriptions often making me feel like I was actually there experiencing it myself alongside the characters. It was definitely a time of great social expectations where people were meant to act a certain way and anyone different was treated with suspicion. It was interesting to see who was considered an outsider though and I found it very frustrating to see how they were treated. 

I absolutely loved the two female main characters Ellory and Charlotte. They were such strong, determined women and I loved seeing them assert themselves to go against the norm. It was very interesting to learn about early photography through Ellory’s work and I enjoyed finding out more about the process, especially how long it took to take a picture. The different views on how to set people up for a photograph was also fascinating and I enjoyed exploring the different ideas that the early photographers had.

I thought the book had a lovely pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. Even in the slightly slower moments I just enjoyed hanging out withe Charlotte and Ellory, watching their wonderful friendship develop. There were a few revelations that kept me guessing, especially a few towards the end that made it hard to put the book down. I loved the ending that and enjoyed seeing how things end up for all of the characters.

Huge thanks to Alainna from Hodder and Stoughton for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

“History is a treasure chest of stories. I love them.”

Sara Sheridan works in a wide range of media and genres but mostly historical and especially the stories of women. She loves exploring where our culture comes from. In 2018 she remapped Scotland according to women’s history. Tipped in Company and GQ magazines, she was nominated for a Young Achiever Award. She has received a Scottish Library Award and has been shortlisted for the Saltire Book Prize and the Wilbur Smith Prize. Her work was included in the David Hume Institute’s Summer Reading list 2019. She has sat on the committee for the Society of Authors in Scotland (where she lives) and on the board of ’26’ the campaign for the importance of words. She took part in 3 ’26 Treasures’ exhibitions at the V&A, London, The National Museum of Scotland and the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green. She occasionally blogs for the Guardian about her writing life, the Huffington Post about her activism as a writer and a feminist and puts her hand up to being a ‘twitter evangelist’. From time to time she appears on radio, and has reported for BBC Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent from both Tallin and Sharjah. Sara is a member of the Society of Authors and the Historical Writers Association. A self-confessed ‘word nerd’ her favourite book is ‘Water Music’ by TC Boyle. In 2016 she cofounded feminist perfume brand, REEK: artefacts from the project are now held at the National Museums of Scotland and the Glasgow Women’s Library.

#Book Spotlight: The Last Yakuza by Jake Adelstein @CorsairBooks @jakeadelstein @LittleBrownUK #TheLastYakuza #JakeAdelstein

Good afternoon everyone I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this fabulous book today. 

I have a bit of a fascination with gangs so this book really intrigued me. I’ve not heard anything about the Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) before so I’m looking forward to learning more about them.

Find out more about the book below!

Huge thanks to Katy from Little Brown for sending me a copy of this book.

Book Synopsis:

Makoto Saigo is half-American and half-Japanese in small-town Japan with a set of talents limited to playing guitar and picking fights. With rock stardom off the table, he turns toward the only place where you can start from the bottom and move up through sheer merit, loyalty, and brute force – the yakuza.

Saigo, nicknamed “Tsunami”, quickly realizes that even within the organization, opinions are as varied as they come, and a clash of philosophies can quickly become deadly. One screw-up can cost you your life, or at least a finger.

The internal politics of the yakuza are dizzyingly complex, and between the ever-shifting web of alliances and the encroaching hand of the law that pushes them further and further underground, Saigo finds himself in the middle of a defining decades-long battle that will determine the future of the yakuza.

Written with the insight of an expert on Japanese organized crime and the compassion of a longtime friend, investigative journalist Jake Adelstein presents a sprawling biography of a yakuza, through post-war desperation, to bubble-era optimism, to the present. Including a cast of memorable yakuza bosses – Coach, The Buddha, and more – this is a story about the rise and fall of a man, a country, and a dishonest but sometimes honorable way of life on the brink of being lost.

About The Author:

Between writing books, I’m currently editing http://www.japansubculture.com. I was born in Missouri and first went to Japan in 1988 as an exchange student at Sophia. I spent most of my time in college living in a Zen Buddhist temple in Tokyo, failing to obtain enlightenment or even a little, tiny satori. I became a reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest newspaper (circ. 10,000,000 daily) and was there from 1993 until close to the end of 2005, primarily as a crime reporter. I worked for a year on a human trafficking study of Japan sponsored by the US State Department from 2006-2007. Currently, I travel back and forth between Japan and the United States, writing both in English and Japanese for various publications under my own names and pen names. I do some consulting work on occasion. I’m also the temporary public relations representative for Polaris Project Japan, which combats human trafficking and other exploitation issues in Japan.

I hope you enjoyed the book or at least got something out of it. If you’re interested in the dark side of the sun–the problematic, interesting and strange aspects of Japanese society, please see our sporadically updated blog at http://www.japansubculture.com. I’m also hoping to add supplementary materials in Japanese and English that will be useful for people want to know more about crime in Japan and its other less talked about aspects.

Two For Tuesday: Sarah Hawley @MsSarahHawley @gollancz #TwoForTuesday #ADemonsGuideToWooingAWitch #AWitchsGuideToFakeDatingADemon #SarahHawley

Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by Sarah Hawley.

I absolutely loved A Witch’s Guide To Fake Dating A Demon so when I heard there was a second book in the series I pre-ordered it asap. I’m excited to go back into their world and spend more time with the fabulous characters.

I’ve got a busy day today I’m working this morning which is always fun and then I’ve got to rush to school for a parent consultation for my daughter as her teacher is going on maternity leave at the end of this week. I’m then rushing home to sort food out for the kids and it’s a bookclub night tonight which I’m really looking forward to!

Do you belong to a book club?

A Witch’s Guide To Fake Dating A Demon

Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side – and she kind of doesn’t want him to?

Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon – one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.

Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry – if he can strike a deal with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can’t leave Mariel’s side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).

But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she’s dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle to maintain a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she’ll lose all her emotions – including love – which will only spell disaster for them both.

A Demon’s Guide To Wooing A Witch

Welcome back to Glimmer Falls!

Calladia Cunnington knows she’s rough around the edges and her hot temper can get
the best of her. So when she stops a demon attack one night, she’s horrified to realize the man she saved is none other than the cold-hearted Astaroth.

Astaroth is a legendary member of the demon high council – or at least he was. Suffering from amnesia after being stripped of his immortality and banished to the mortal plane, Astaroth doesn’t know why a demon named Moloch is after him, nor why the angry, hot-in-a-terrifying-way witch hates him so much.

Calladia grudgingly agrees to help Astaroth find the witch who might be able to restore his memory, vowing that once Astaroth is cured, she’ll kick his ass. But the more time she spends with the snarky yet utterly charming demon, the more she realizes she likes this new, improved Astaroth… and maybe she doesn’t want him to recover his memories after all.

About The Author:

Sarah Hawley lives in the Pacific Northwest, where her hobbies include rambling through the woods and appreciating fictional villains. She has an MA in archaeology and has excavated at an Inca site in Chile, a Bronze Age palace in Turkey, and a medieval abbey in England. When not dreaming up whimsical love stories, she can be found reading, dancing, or cuddling her two cats.

#BookReview: Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook @LizziePook @picadorbooks @siobhanslatt_ #MaudeHortonsGloriousRevenge #LizziePook

Book Synopsis:

In deepest winter, beware the coldest hearts . . .

London, 1850. Constance Horton has disappeared.

Maude, her older sister, knows only that Constance abandoned the apothecary they call home, and, disguised as a boy, boarded a ship bound for the Arctic. She never returned. ‘A tragic accident’, the Admiralty called it. But Maude Horton knows something isn’t right.

When she finds Constance’s journal, it becomes clear that the truth is being buried by sinister forces. To find answers – and deliver justice for her sister – Maude must step into London’s dark underbelly, and into the path of dangerous, powerful men. The kind of men who seek their fortune in the city’s horrors, from the hangings at Newgate to the ghoulish waxworks of Madame Tussaud’s.

It is a perilous task. But Maude has dangerous skills of her own . . .

My Review:

Wow this was an absolutely fantastic book that I raced through in a couple of days. I read 200 pages in one day which is no easy feat with three kids. 

Firstly I absolutely loved the author’s vivid descriptions in this book which made me feel completely transported to the Victorian era and the Arctic in turn. These happen to be two of my favourite settings in a book so I absolutely loved learning more about them. I’d actually never heard about either the Victorian Murder Mania and the explorations into the Arctic to find out what happen to Franklin so I found it fascinating to discover more about them. The author has included some real life character’s and events into the story which I always love and I spent lots of time googling them as I was very intrigued.

The story is told from the point of view of Maude and Edison with extracts from ship boy Jack Aldridge. I found this very interesting as it helped me get to know the characters and to see things from both of their points of view. I loved Maude and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s an incredibly brave, clever lady and it was fun to try to solve the mystery of what happened to her sister alongside her. Edison was an interesting character who I couldn’t make my mind up about. On one hand he was obviously slightly unhinged with some of his behaviour but on the other I actually felt quite sorry for him at times as he’s obviously had a bit of a difficult time in life.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I absolutely loved this book and will be recommending it to everyone. The author has a great way of slowly increasing the tension in the book as the reader follows Maude in her investigation and Jack trying to avoid detection in the freezing cold Arctic until it becomes almost unbearable. I found it almost impossible to put the book down as I had to keep reading to find out what on earth would happen next and to make sure everyone was going to be OK. There were lots of surprising twists that kept me guessing and seemed to keep going. Just when I thought everything had been revealed there would be another twist that threw more light onto the whole story. I honestly didn’t guess how this book would end, which I always love and I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future. I’m really hoping there will be a sequel as I’d love to spend time with Maude again.

Huge thanks to Siobhan from Picador for providing me with a proof of this book through Rossiter books. If you’re a fan of historical crime books then I highly recommend this book.

About The Author:

Lizzie is an award-winning writer and journalist. She is the author of Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter, a STYLIST and WOMAN & HOME ‘Best Books of 2022’ pick.

Lizzie began her career in women’s magazines, covering everything from feminist motorcycle gangs to conspiracy theorists, before moving into travel writing, contributing to publications including Condé Nast Traveller, Lonely Planet and the Sunday Times.

Her assignments have taken her to some of the most remote parts of the world, from the uninhabited east coast of Greenland in search of polar bears, to the trans-Himalayas to track snow leopards. She was inspired to write Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter, her debut, after taking a road trip through Australia with her twin sister after the death of their father. A chance visit to the Maritime Museum in Fremantle led her to an exhibition about a family of British settlers involved in the early pearl diving industry. Thus began an obsession and a research journey that would take Lizzie from the corridors of the British Library to isolated pearl farms in the farthest reaches of northwest Australia.

She lives in London.

Reading Update: Last, Now, Next! #Tbr #CurrentlyReading #ReadingUpdate

Good morning everyone I thought I’d do a little reading update today:

Last: The Philosophy Of Love by Rebecca Ryan &
Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook

I’m on a bit of a roll with five Star reads and absolutely loved both of these books. I finished both in a couple of days as I just couldn’t put them down. I reviewed The Philosophy Of Love last weekend and you can read my review on my profile. I’ll be posting my review of Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge later today. I highly recommend both these fabulous books!

Now: The Secrets Of Blythswood Square by Sara Sheridan & One Love by Matt Cain

I’m currently reading, and enjoying, these two books. I actually went to uni in 2002 so I remember that period well and I’m loving all the culture references in One Love. I was a huge fan of Sara Sheridan ‘s last book and I’m loving The Secrets Of Blythswood Square so far, especially the descriptions of early photography which is fascinating to learn about.

I’m also listening to The Fury by Alex Michaelides on audiobook which is intriguing so far. An isolated island that locals say is cursed, a group of old friends with lots of secrets and jealousy – what’s not to love!

Next: The List Of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey & Meet Me At The Surface by Jodie Matthews

I’m then hoping to read these two fabulous looking books. I’ve been hearing lots of great things about both of them so I’m looking forward to finally reading them.

Huge thanks to the tagged publishers for sending me the proof copies it’s really appreciated!

What are you currently reading?