Book Haul Part 1! #NewBooks #Tbr

Good morning everyone. As promised here is part 1 of my book haul from Rossiter Books. These all arrived while I was on holiday so I had lots of great books waiting for me when I got back.

โค๏ธ Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

๐Ÿงก Talking At Night by Claire Daverley

๐Ÿ’š Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs

๐Ÿ’™ Days At The Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

๐Ÿ’œ Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

I’m a huge Ann Patchett fan so I’ve been very excited to read Tom Lake, especially as it’s now been picked up for the Radio 2 and Reese Witherspoon book clubs. Migrations was recommended to me by the lovely Rachel who’s recommendations I always trust as they’re normally brilliant. The rest have all had great reviews from my fellow book bloggers so I’m excited to read them soon.

Are any of these on your radar?

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett


This is a story about Peter Duke who went on to be a famous actor.
This is a story about falling in love with Peter Duke who wasn’t famous at all.
It’s about falling so wildly in love with him – the way one will at twenty-four – that it felt like jumping off a roof at midnight.
There was no way to foresee the mess it would come to in the end.

It’s spring and Lara’s three grown daughters have returned to the family orchard. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the one story they’ve always longed to hear – of the film star with whom she shared a stage, and a romance, years before.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents lead before their children are born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart.

Talking At Night by Claire Daverley

Will and Rosie meet as teenagers.They’re opposites in every wayShe overthinks everything; he is her twin brother’s wild and unpredictable friend. But over secret walks home and late-night phone calls, they become closer – destined to be one another’s great love story.Until, one day, tragedy strikes, and their future together is shattered.But as the years roll on, Will and Rosie can’t help but find their way back to each other. Time and again, they come close to rekindling what might have been.

What do you do when the one person you should forget is the one you just can’t let go?

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs

Joanna Kalotay lives alone in the woods of Vermont, the sole protector of a collection of rare books; books that will allow someone to walk through walls or turn water into wine. Books of magic.

Her estranged older sister Esther moves between countries and jobs, constantly changing, never staying anywhere longer than a year, desperate to avoid the deadly magic that killed her mother. Currently working on a research base in Antarctica, she has found love and perhaps a sort of happiness.

But when she finds spots of blood on the mirrors in the research base, she knows someone is coming for her, and that Joanna and her collection are in danger.

If they are to survive, she and Joanna must unravel the secrets their parents kept hidden from them – secrets that span centuries and continents, and could cost them their lives …

Days At The Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo is a booklover’s paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books.

Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him five years earlier.

When Takako’s boyfriend reveals he’s marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle’s offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above the shop. Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the Morisaki bookshop.

As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

A dark past. An impossible journey. The will to survive.

Franny Stone is determined to go to the end of the earth, following the last of the Arctic terns on what may be their final migration to Antarctica.

As animal populations plummet, Franny talks her way onto one of the few remaining boats heading south. But as she and the eccentric crew travel further from shore and safety, the dark secrets of Franny’s life begin to unspool.

Haunted by love and violence, Franny must confront what she is really running towards – and from.

From the west coast of Ireland to Australia and remote Greenland, this is an ode to the wild places and creatures now threatened, and an epic, moving story of the possibility of hope against all odds.

#TwoForTuesday: Witchy Books #Weyward #EmiliaHart #TheLastWitchOfScotland #PhilipParis #WitchyBooks

Good morning everyone today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two witchy books I really want to read soon. I always love a witchy book as I think the witch hunts were a fascinating period in history and these both sound so good.

In other news I went back to work Sunday after my holiday and it was really nice to be back. All of my pre-orders had arrived while I was away so I had a few books to pick up. I’ll be sharing what I got later this week.

Q: Do you plan what you read or are you a mood reader?

Weyward by Emilia Hart

KATE, 2019
Kate flees London โ€“ abandoning everything โ€“ for Cumbria and Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great-aunt. There, a secret lurks in the bones of the house, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

VIOLET, 1942
Violet is more interested in collecting insects and climbing trees than in becoming a proper young lady. Until a chain of shocking events changes her life forever.

ALTHA, 1619
Altha is on trial for witchcraft, accused of killing a local man. Known for her uncanny connection with nature and animals, she is a threat that must be eliminated.

But Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamedโ€ฆ

Weaving together the stories of three women across five centuries,ย Weywardย is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

The Last Witch Of Scotland by Philip Paris

Scottish Highlands, 1727.

In the aftermath of a tragic fire that kills her father,ย Aila and her mother, Janet, move to the remote parish of Loth, north-west of Inverness. Blending in does not come easily to the women: Aila was badly burned in the fire and left with visible injuries, while her mother struggles to maintain her grip on reality. When a temporary minister is appointed in the area, rather than welcome the two women, he develops a strange curiosity for them that sets them even further apart from the community.

Then arrives a motley troupe of travelling entertainers from Edinburgh, led by theย charismatic but mysterious Jack. It is just the distraction Janet, and particularly Aila, needs: for the first time in a long while, their lives are filling with joy and friendship, and a kind of hope Aila hasn’t known since her father’s death.ย But in this small community, faith is more powerful than truth, and whispers more dangerous even than fire.

Haunting and deeply moving,ย The Last Witch ofย Scotlandย is a story of love, loyalty and sacrifice,ย inspired by the true story of the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Britain.

#BlogTour: The Black Crescent by Jane Johnson @JaneJohnsonBakr @HoZ_Books @soph_ransompr @poppydelingpole #TheBlackCrescent #JaneJohnson #Morocco #HistoricalFiction #Recommended #5Stars

Book Synopsis:

Bringing 1950s Morocco vividly to life, Jane Johnson’s masterful new novel, The Black Crescent, is a gripping story of murder, magic and divided loyalties…Hamou Badi is born in a mountain village with the magical signs of the zouhry on his hands. In Morocco, the zouhry is a figure of legend, a child of both humans and djinns, capable of finding all manner of treasure: lost objects, hidden water.But instead, Hamou finds a body.This unsolved murder instils in Hamou a deep desire for order and justice: he trains as an officer of the law, working for the French in Casablanca. But the city is trapped in the turmoil of the nationalist uprising, and soon he will be forced to choose between all he knows and all he loves…

My Review:

The Black Crescent is an absorbing, thrilling read which I think is the best book this author has written.

Firstly I loved the author’s fantastic descriptions of Morocco which helped transport me to 1950’s Morroco. The descriptions of the town and market places were so vivid that I felt I was actually there smelling all the fantastic spices or food. I hadn’t read anything about the French occupation of Morocco so I found it very interesting to learn more about this period. It was heartbreaking to see the difference in the French and Morocco life styles especially as the Moroccans often lived in poverty while the French lived lives of luxury. Even more poignant for me was the French’s casual disregard towards Moroccan customs and lifestyles,as shown by their behaviour during Ramadan. This attitude helped me to understand the background to the Moroccan independence fight and the hatred most people felt towards the French.

Hamou is a very likeable character who I enjoyed following throughout the book. I felt a lot of sympathy for him and the difficult line he trod between the two communities. His desire to help people through his role as a police man is very sweet though sadly misguided in Morocco and it was sad to see how he was treated by his fellow countrymen when he only ever wanted to help them.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. The book has a great pace to it and I soon found myself drawn into the story, unable to put the book down. The story is set mainly in 1955 but there are occasional flash backs to earlier years which help explain things that are happening in the main story. There always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest and there were areas of high tension when my heart was in mouth wondering how Hamou was going to get out of the dangerous situation this time.

Huge thanks to Sophie and Poppy for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of historical fiction then you need to read this book.

About The Author:

Jane Johnson is from Cornwall and has worked in the book industry for 30 years as a bookseller, publisher and writer.

For many years she was responsible for publishing the works of JRR Tolkien, and later worked on Peter Jacksonโ€™s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, spending many months in New Zealand with cast and crew (she wrote the official visual companions to the films). The authors she publishes include George RR Martin (creator of A Game of Thrones), Dean Koontz, Robin Hobb, Stuart MacBride, Mark Lawrence, Raymond E Feist and SK Tremayne.

While she was in Morocco in 2005 to research The Tenth Gift she met her soon-to-be husband Abdellatif, a Berber tribesman from a village in the Anti-Atlas Mountains. Returning home, she gave up her office job in London, sold her flat and shipped the contents to Morocco and they were married later that year. They now split their time between Cornwall and Morocco, and Jane still works remotely as a Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins.

Match Your Mug Monday! @JoshuaWooMusic #BookStack #Tbr #JoshuaWoo #Sunflowers #MatchYourMugsMonday

Good morning everyone I got this fab new mug last week and knew I had to feature it in a post. I seem to have more black and white books than any other colours, but I chose these six as they are the ones I’m most excited to read.

The mug is in support of one of my favourite musicians, Joshua Woo, so it’s extra special to me. One of my favourite songs by him is Sunflower seeds so it seemed fitting to have my sunflowers in the picture too. If you haven’t listened to his music yet I highly recommend it. It’s on all the main streaming platforms so go have a listen and let me know if you like it too!

Who is your favourite band/ musician?

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

๐Ÿ“š Reading Update: Last, Now, Next

Good morning everyone and happy Sunday. I thought I’d do a little reading update today.

โค๏ธ Last: The Quiet Tennant by Clรฉmence Michallon
๐Ÿ’› Now: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
๐Ÿ’š Now: The Black Crescent by Jane Johnson
๐Ÿ’œ Next: Death Of A Lesser God by Vaseem Khan

I’ve just finished The Quiet Tennant which I enjoyed but not as much as I thought I would tbh- review coming soon. I’m currently reading The Black Crescent and Hello Beautiful which I’m really enjoying. Then I’ll read Death Of A Lesser God as I’m on the blog tour for it next weekend.

In other news I’m back to work today which I’m actually looking forward to, especially seeing what new books we’ve had in. A few of my pre orders have come in too so I’m excited to retrieve them.

What are you currently reading?

Mr B’s Emporium Subscription: The House Of Trelawney by Hannah Rothschild @BloomsburyBooks @mrbsemporium @bringmerocks #TheHouseOfTrelawney #HannahRothschild #MrBsEmporium

Good morning everyone! My August reading subscription came whilst I was away and it sounds so good. I don’t think I’ve read anything by this author before either which is always exciting.

I managed to buy the little rainbow in the picture whilst on holiday and thought it was perfect for my blog. My seven year old daughter also loves it so I fear it might go missing soon. If this is the only picture it’s in then you’ll know that’s what happened ๐Ÿ˜‚.

Huge thanks to my lovely friend @bringmerocks for gifting this to me. I always enjoy seeing what books I’ll get and I’ll miss it when it ends.

What are your weekend plans?

Book Synopsis:


The Earls of Trelawney have inhabited the same castle for 800 years โ€“ but recent generations have been better at spending than making money. Now living in isolated penury, unable to communicate with each other or the rest of the world, the family are running out of options. Three unexpected events will hasten their demise: the sudden appearance of a new relation, an illegitimate, headstrong, beautiful girl; an unscrupulous American hedge fund manager determined to exact revenge; and the crash of 2008.

Deliciously escapist and gloriously funny,ย House of Trelawneyย is a novel about family and forgiveness, chaos and crisis โ€“ and finding yourself in the most unexpected ways.

About The Author:

Hannah is an author who lives in London. She canโ€™t walk past a bookshop or museum (or bakery) without going in. Most of the time, she tries to act normally most of the time.

Her first book, โ€˜The Baronessโ€™ was about her great aunt, Nica who supported a generation of jazz musicians and loved one above all others: the late great Thelonious Monk.

Her first novel โ€˜The Improbability of Loveโ€™, a caper set in the art world featuring a talking painting and won the Everyman Bollinger PG Wodehouse prize for best comic novel in 2015 and was runner up to the Bailleyโ€™s Women Prize.

She followed this with โ€˜House of Trelawneyโ€™ the story of an aristocratic Cornish family fallen on hard times who get embroiled in the 2008 crash with disastrous consequences.

Her most recent book (published in June 2023 in the UK and July in the US is called โ€˜HIgh Timeโ€™ and follows a beautiful young woman who has lost everything- how low will she go to get even?

Her writing style has been compared to Evelyn Waugh, Nancy Mitford and Joanna Trollope.

Six Thrillers Soon! #Tbr #NewBooks #Thrillers

Good morning everyone and happy Friday! Here are six thrillers I want to read soon:

โค๏ธTwelve Secrets by Robert Gold
๐Ÿ’› Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
๐Ÿ’š A Killer In The Family by Gytha Lodge
๐Ÿ’™ Fearless by M W Craven
๐Ÿ’œ Zero Days by Ruth Ware
๐Ÿฉท A Game Of Lies by Clare Mackintosh

This didn’t start out as a green and orange stack but ended up being one after I realised the first four books were those colours ๐Ÿคฃ

In other news we’re heading home today after a lovely week in the mumbles. I’ll miss our lovely view and the beach but I’m excited to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Do you like thrillers? Any recommendations?

#BlogTour: Goddesses by Nina Millns @NinaMillns @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours #Goddesses #NinaMillns #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

The hen party from hell descends into darkness, perfect for fans of Nikki May, Dawn Oโ€™Porter and Zakiya Dalila Harris

Some friends have your back.
Some friends stab you in the back.


Ayesha is just about finding her feet on the London stand-up scene, but when her response to a sexist heckler goes viral, she finds herself drawn into an exclusive group of activists: a sacred circle of change makers, each woman with a specific gift to contribute to the cause.

The circle draws in her friend Yaz too and they are both invited to an intimate hen do, except itโ€™s not a hen do โ€“ it’s a Goddess Retreat. While Ayesha, longing to find her tribe, tries desperately to fit herself into a shape that the women will accept, Yaz treats the entire โ€˜itineraryโ€™ with open disdain. But the Goddess Retreat is no laughing matter. As the weekend descends into chaos, theyโ€™ll need to stick together if they want to get out alive.

Goddesses is a bitingly brilliant novel that explores the power dynamics of sisterhood and activism, the dark side of white feminism and the importance of making your voice heard.

My Review:

Goddesses is a dark, thrilling and unique book that’s unlike anything I’ve read before.

The book follows two main characters Ayesha and Yaz who both seemed very real and I enjoyed following them throughout the book. It was fun to learn more about them and their interests, especially Ayesha’s experiences as a female comedian as I don’t think I’ve read a book featuring one of those before.

The story is split into two timelines one following the months before the hen do and one focussing on the night of said hen do. It was interesting to see the darker side of activist groups and learn a little more about what might go on behind the scenes. It was heartbreaking to see how easily some people are brain washed or manipulated into thinking certain things though. I was especially sad to think that the leaders didn’t understand the different backgrounds the woman came from or that not everyone would have had the same life experiences which didn’t lead to a very connected group in my opinion.

Everything comes to a head at the hen do which I loved having a fly on the wall glimpse of whilst being very glad I wasn’t actually invited to it. All the toxicity that had been building up came out here with everyone showing their true colours. The ending was weird and wonderful, with the reader never quite sure what was going to happen next which I always love. It didn’t end completely as I hoped but maybe that wouldn’t have been realistic. This is the author’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Nina is an author, playwright and screenwriter whose debut novel Goddesses will be published in July 2023 by Simon & Schuster and has been optioned for TV by Roughcut TV. Her play Service won the ETPEP Playwriting Award and she has written the BBC Sounds series Mortem as well as her first play Delete and a Dr Who International Womenโ€™s Day audio special, Turn Of The Tides.

Book Challenge: Love In Titles #BookChallenge #LoveInTitles #Tbr #OldFavourites

Good morning everyone I saw this on the lovely @nic_thebookworm ‘s page and knew I had to join in as I love a book challenge.

These are the books I found:
โค๏ธGwen And Art Are Not In LOVE
๐Ÿ’› Unladylike Lessons In LOVE
๐Ÿ’š LOVE light Farm
๐Ÿ’™ The Enemy Of LOVE
๐Ÿ’œThe LOVE Of My Life
๐Ÿฉท LOVE Untold

This challenge was trickier than I thought as it was hard to find books with just Love in the title, rather than Lover or Loving but I had fun looking through my books to try to find appropriate titles.

I’ve tagged a few people who might want to join in but, as always, no pressure.

Do you like book challenges?

#TwoForTuesday: Lorna Cook @LornaCookAuthor @AvonBooksUK #TheHiddenLetters #TheDressmakersSecret #LornaCook #FavAuthor #Recommended

Good morning everyone today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by the lovely Lorna Cook.

One of my favourite genres is historical fiction, especially when it includes a dual timeline and Lorna’s books are some of my favourites. They are easy to read, absorbing books where I always learn something new. Her book The Forgotten Village, about a whole village emptied out for the army to live in while defending Britain, was one of my favourites and led me to visiting the village on holiday when I was near it.

Highly recommended by me!

Have you ever visited somewhere because you read about it in a book?

The Hidden Letters by Lorna Cook

On the eve of a world war, a forbidden love will blossom in the garden of a stately home, where one young woman will make a choice that will change her life foreverโ€ฆ

โ€˜An emotional story of love and strengthโ€™ โ€“ LIZ FENWICK

โ€˜Beautiful โ€ฆ Had me utterly captivatedโ€™ โ€“ JENNY ASHCROFT

As the storm clouds of war gather, Cordelia seeks refuge in the grounds of her family estate.

Handsome landscaper Isaac has recently arrived to tend to the gardens, and the connection between him and Cordelia is as immediate as it is forbidden.

Isaac begins to secretly teach her how to cultivate the gardens, so when he and all the young men are called away to war, Cordelia takes over.

From the battlefields of Europe, Isaac sends her letters, that give her hope for their future in peacetime.

But when these messages abruptly cease, Cordelia must face up to the worst and take her future โ€“ and the fate of the garden they both loved โ€“ into her own handsโ€ฆ

An epic, sweeping tale of love, war and the strength of the human spirit. Fans of Lucinda Riley and Kate Morton will be absolutely gripped by this historical page-turner.

The Dressmaker’s Secret by Lorna Cook

1941, Nazi-occupied Paris: In the glamorous Ritz hotel there is a woman with a dangerous secretโ€ฆ

Asย Coco Chanelโ€™sย assistant,ย Adรจleย lives side by side with German officers in the splendour of The Ritz hotel.ย But Adรจle has a secret.ย She is working for the resistance, right under the Germansโ€™ noses.

As occupied Paris becomes more and more dangerous, Adรจle will have to decide if she can risk everything to save innocent lives and protect the man she lovesโ€ฆ

Present day: Chloรฉโ€™s grandmother has never spoken about the war and avoids questions about the legendary designer she once worked for.

Now Chloรฉ has come to Paris, to uncover the truth about Adรจleโ€™s life.ย But is she prepared for what she will find? And for the power of her grandmotherโ€™s secrets to change her family foreverโ€ฆ

An absolutely gripping and heartbreaking wartime story of the enduring power of love, for fans ofย The Lost Girls of Parisย andย The Nightingale.

About The Author:

Lorna Cook is the author of the The Girl From the Island, The Forbidden Promise and the Kindle Number 1 Bestseller ‘The Forgotten Village’, which was her debut novel, staying in the Kindle Top 100 for four months. It has sold over 150,000 copies, has eleven overseas/foreign language editions, won the Romantic Novelists’ Association Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel of the Year Award and the RNA Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers.