I’ve been seeing this challenge around Instagram and I thought I’d try and join in. It’s originally the brain child of @cathy_746books I believe so do join in if you’d like.
These are the 20 books I’d like to read this summer. I’m a bit of a mood reader so I’m not going to guarantee I’ll read all these but I’m going to give it a good go!
⭐The Vintage Shop Of Second Chances by Libby Page
⭐The Illusionist by Liz Hyder
⭐ Conviction by Jack Jordan
⭐ Still Life by Sarah Winman
⭐ Mother’s Boy by Patrick Gale
⭐Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen
⭐The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer
⭐Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers by Jess Sutanto
⭐Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
⭐The Secrets Of Rochester Place by Iris Costello
⭐ Death Of A Bookseller by Alice Slater
⭐A Killer In The Family by Gytha Lodge
⭐ Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang
⭐ Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
⭐ Fyneshade by Kate Griffin
⭐ The Memory Of Animals by Clare Fuller
⭐One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley
⭐The Girl With The Red Hair by Buzzy Jackson
⭐ Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman
⭐More Confessions Of A Forty Something F##k Up by Alexander Potter
Of course as soon as I took this picture I remembered a few books that I wanted to include, like Our Hideous Progeny, and hadn’t so I might swop a few later on.
Have you read any of these? Which book should I start with?
With a love story at its heart, The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone weaves multiple periods and perspectives into a charming, magical story about a mystical dolls’ house. A beautiful, unforgettable mystery from debut author Audrey Burges.
Once upon a time there was a house . . .
From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four year-old recluse Myra Malone blogs about a miniature mansion – a dolls’ house – which captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by a strange magic she can’t understand – there are rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors.
Across the country, Alex Rakes, the thirty-four year-old heir of a furniture business, encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room from her stories. Alex is shocked to recognize his own bedroom in minute scale.
The Mansion is his family’s home, handed down from the grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds – big and small – and trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love.
My Review:
Ooh i did love this book. It was just what I needed to get me out of the small reading slump I’d got into.
Firstly I loved the fabulous descriptions of the mansion and enjoyed exploring it alongside the characters. I’ve always wanted a dolls house like it so I loved reading about all the little things Myra makes for the house and how she makes them. The house seems both magical and a little sinister with whole rooms appearing and disappearing at times. It made me wonder what the house was really about and how it would fit into the story.
The story is told through multiple narrators and moves back and forth in time as the reader learns more about the history of the miniature mansion. I really liked this as it was fun to find out more about the mansion and get to know the characters more. I loved Myra and Alex, especially as they both seem quite quirky which I always love. It was heartwarming to see the similarities between them and how they could help each other.
The story starts off slowly as the author sets the scene but I soon found myself completely absorbed in the story. I loved the magical elements of the story and found myself wishing I could explore the mansion for myself. The gradual unfolding of the mystery surrounding the house was well done and I liked that the ending wasn’t over explained with the author leaving some of the explanations to the readers imagination.
Huge thanks to Chloe for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of magical books I highly recommend this one.
About The Author:
Audrey writes novels, humor, short fiction, and essays in Richmond, Virginia. Her presence is tolerated by her two rambunctious children and very patient husband, all of whom have become practiced at making supportive faces when she shouts “listen to this sentence!” She is a frequent contributor to numerous humor outlets, including McSweeney’s, and her stories and essays have appeared in Pithead Chapel, Cease, Cows, and lengthy diatribes in the Notes app on her phone. Audrey was born and raised in Arizona by her linguist parents, which is a lot like being raised by wolves, but with better grammar. She moved to Virginia as an adult but still carries mountains and canyons in her heart, and sometimes, when she closes her eyes, she can still smell ponderosa pines in the sun. You can read more of her writing at audreyburges.com and by following her on Twitter at @audrey_burges, on Instagram at @audreyburges, or on Facebook at @aburgeswrites.
Good morning everyone and happy Friday! I bought myself a copy of Fyneshade after seeing all the amazing reviews on here and it’s finally arrived. It’s so beautiful. I absolutely love the cover and each section has some beautiful artwork on it – plus it’s signed which I wasn’t expecting but always love. I can’t wait to read it soon.
In other news my kids are back today which I’m so happy about as I’ve missed them loads plus I feel better so good news all around!
Do you like gothic novels? Any recommendations?
Book Synopsis:
On the day of her beloved grandmother’s funeral, Marta discovers that she is to become governess to the young daughter of Sir William Pritchard. Separated from her lover and discarded by her family, Marta has no choice but to journey to Pritchard’s ancient and crumbling house, Fyneshade, in the wilds of Derbyshire.
All is not well at Fyneshade. Marta’s pupil, little Grace, can be taught nothing, and Marta takes no comfort from the silent servants who will not meet her eye. More intriguing is that Sir William is mysteriously absent, and his son and heir Vaughan is forbidden to enter the house. Marta finds herself drawn to Vaughan, despite the warnings of the housekeeper that he is a danger to all around him. But Marta is no innocent to be preyed upon. Guided by the dark gift taught to her by her grandmother, she has made her own plans. And it will take more than a family riven by murderous secrets to stop her…
Perfect for readers of Laura Purcell, Jessie Burton and Stacey Halls, Fyneshade is a dark and twisted gothic novel unlike any you’ve read before….
About The Author:
Kate Griffin was born within the sound of Bow bells, making her a true-born cockney. She has worked as an assistant to an antiques dealer, a journalist for local newspapers and now works for The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders, Kate’s first book, won the Stylist/Faber crime writing competition. Kate lives in St Albans.
On a winter’s night in 1892, Kate Williams, the daughter of a Baptist Minister, leaves Abergavenny and sets out for London with a wild plan: she is going to become a strongwoman.
But it is not only her ambition she is chasing. William Roberts, the leader of a music hall troupe, has captured her imagination and her heart. In London, William reinvents Kate as ‘Vulcana – Most Beautiful Woman on Earth’, and himself ‘Atlas’. Soon they are performing in Britain, France, Australia and Algiers.
But as Vulcana’s star rises, Altas’ fades, and Kate finds herself holding together a troupe of performers and a family. Kate is a woman driven by love – for William, her children, performing and for life. Can she find a way to be a voice for women and true to herself?
My Review:
Vulcana is an atmospheric, absorbing read that I really enjoyed.
Firstly I absolutely loved Vulcana and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s a strong, confident lady, who knows what she want and I really admired her having the strength to go against the times to achieve it. I thought she was very inspiring and I liked that she wanted to help other women realise the joy of weight lifting.
The author has obviously done a lot of research and I enjoyed learning more about the period, especially all the little details the author includes in the story. Some of the details, like the ice skating on the Thames at the beginning, made me smile as I could really picture it in my mind. It was also interesting to learn more about the music halls and what it was like to work in one as I’ve only really read about them in passing before. It’s definitely a place that I’d like to experience for myself, though in the audience as I’m not sure I’d be brave enough for the stage.
The book has a good pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. I loved the bird’s eye view of life in that period and felt fully absorbed into Vulcana’s life. Vulcana and William are real life characters and I found it very interesting to be able to Google them and find out more about them.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater 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 I highly recommend this book.
About The Author:
Rebecca F. John was born in 1986 and grew up on the south Wales coast. Her short stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 4Extra. In 2015, her short story ‘The Glove Maker’s Numbers’ was shortlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. She is the winner of the PEN International New Voices Award 2015. Her debut novel, The Haunting of Henry Twist, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. She lives in Swansea.
On a winter’s night in 1892, Kate Williams, the daughter of a Baptist Minister, leaves Abergavenny and sets out for London with a wild plan: she is going to become a strongwoman.
But it is not only her ambition she is chasing. William Roberts, the leader of a music hall troupe, has captured her imagination and her heart. In London, William reinvents Kate as ‘Vulcana – Most Beautiful Woman on Earth’, and himself ‘Atlas’. Soon they are performing in Britain, France, Australia and Algiers.
But as Vulcana’s star rises, Altas’ fades, and Kate finds herself holding together a troupe of performers and a family. Kate is a woman driven by love – for William, her children, performing and for life. Can she find a way to be a voice for women and true to herself?
My Review:
Vulcana is an atmospheric, absorbing read that I really enjoyed.
Firstly I absolutely loved Vulcana and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s a strong, confident lady, who knows what she want and I really admired her having the strength to go against the times to achieve it. I thought she was very inspiring and I liked that she wanted to help other women realise the joy of weight lifting.
The author has obviously done a lot of research and I enjoyed learning more about the period, especially all the little details the author includes in the story. Some of the details, like the ice skating on the Thames at the beginning, made me smile as I could really picture it in my mind. It was also interesting to learn more about the music halls and what it was like to work in one as I’ve only really read about them in passing before. It’s definitely a place that I’d like to experience for myself, though in the audience as I’m not sure I’d be brave enough for the stage.
The book has a good pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. I loved the bird’s eye view of life in that period and felt fully absorbed into Vulcana’s life. Vulcana and William are real life characters and I found it very interesting to be able to Google them and find out more about them.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater 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 I highly recommend this book.
About The Author:
Rebecca F. John was born in 1986 and grew up on the south Wales coast. Her short stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 4Extra. In 2015, her short story ‘The Glove Maker’s Numbers’ was shortlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. She is the winner of the PEN International New Voices Award 2015. Her debut novel, The Haunting of Henry Twist, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. She lives in Swansea.
Good morning everyone here is some of the great bookpost I’ve received recently.
⭐The End Of Us by Olivia Kiernan ⭐The Beach Holiday by Isabelle Broom ⭐The Greek Secret by Francesca Catlow ⭐A Portrait In Shadow by Nicole Jarvis
Huge thanks to the lovely tagged publishers and authors for sending these to me. A Portrait In Shadow was a giveaway win from the lovely @mylittlebookhome. All these sound great and I can’t wait to read them soon.
Today is a sad day for me as my family is going away on holiday without me sob . Having just got a new job I felt it was too early to book annual leave so my husband is taking the kids to the beach for a few days. I’ll miss them so much and will be distracting myself by reading lots (and working).
The End Of Us by Olivia Kiernan
It all started to go wrong the day the Wrights moved in next door
Myles and Lana Butler live on a gorgeous new development in Wimbledon, leaning on a mortgage that is just within reach. When one of Myles’ investments fails they are bound to lose everything.
Gabriel and Holly Wright have just moved in next door. The Wrights are sophisticated, ambitious and apparently very wealthy. At an after-dinner drink with their new neighbours, Myles and Lana share their worries and a solution is suggested between the couples. Life Insurance fraud. For a cut of the pay out, the Wrights would help them.
No one thought they were being serious. No one agreed they’d actually go through with it. And no one mentioned it would involve murder.
Then, one night, Lana doesn’t come home.
The Beach Holiday by Isabelle Broom
A somebody. A nobody. A love story waiting to be written . . .
All aspiring novelist Honor has ever wanted is to be successful. It’s the only way she can impress the father who abandoned her, the boyfriend who gave up on her, and the nagging voice in her head that tells her she’s not good enough.
Still, wanting to tell a story is not the same as having a story to tell, and Honor knows she needs to find a new source of inspiration.
When she’s invited to spend a summer abroad in The Hamptons, Honor realises it could be the dream setting for a book, especially when a chance encounter provides her with the perfect leading man.
But blurring fact and fiction is a dangerous game, and Honor soon discovers that writing her way to success might come at the expense of her own happy ever after . . .
A Portrait In Shadow by Nicole Jarvis
Enter a sumptuous world of art and magic in 17th-century Florence as Artemisia Gentileschi is determined to make her mark as a painter, and exact her revenge – perfect for fans of Alix E. Harrow, Elena Ferrante and Susanna Clarke.
When Artemisia Gentileschi arrives in Florence seeking a haven for her art, she faces instant opposition from the powerful Accademia, self-proclaimed gatekeepers of Florence’s magical art world. As artists create their masterpieces, they add layer upon layer of magics drawn from their own life essence, giving each work the power to heal – or to curse. The all-male Accademia jealously guards its power and has no place for an ambitious young woman arriving from Rome under a cloud of scandal. Haunted by the shadow of her harrowing past and fighting for every commission, Artemisia begins winning allies among luminaries such as Galileo Galilei, the influential Cristina de’ Medici and the charming, wealthy Francesco Maria Maringhi. But not everyone in Florence wants to see Artemisia succeed, and when an incendiary preacher turns his ire from Galileo to the art world, Artemisia must choose between revenge and her dream of creating a legacy that will span the generations.
Greek Secret by Francesca Catlow
What if you could never tell anyone how a relationship really ended?
Then
Ruby is starting to realise her boyfriend, Jonathan, is manipulating her every move. He’s the life and soul of a party, everyone loves him, but she’s starting to see him differently. She wants to make a change, but does she have the strength to let go of the life they have built?
Now
Ruby’s life in England has hit an all-time low, so she agrees to spend the summer working for her aunt in Corfu. While there, she’s mortified to feel an attraction to her step cousin, Yianni, who runs the family restaurant.
However much she tries to avoid her feelings, she can’t avoid Yianni or the romantic setting of Corfu. But is there any point trying to get close to him when she harbours an all-consuming secret. Is Ruby able to tell him the truth about how her relationship with Jonathan really ended? A truth she has never told a soul? And if she can trust him enough to tell him, what will he think of Ruby’s shocking past?
Perfect for fans of Paige Toon and Kate Frost. It’s time to escape to the idyllic island of Corfu this summer with Francesca Catlow’s latest emotional and heart wrenching love story. Greek Secret is a standalone novel and the perfect Greek beach read for 2023.
Good morning everyone. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two special paperback editions I’ve bought recently from @rossiter_books. I’ve actually not got any paperbacks with spredges so I was very excited when I saw these.
I used to love Shooting Stars and I’ve heard The Satsuma Complex is hilarious so I can’t wait to read this. Our Wives Under The Sea is a book I’ve heard lots about from my fellow blogger’s but haven’t read yet. I must admit the beautiful spredges swayed me to buy!
Do you have any paperback Spredges?
The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer
My name is Gary. I’m a thirty-year-old legal assistant with a firm of solicitors in London. To describe me as anonymous would be unfair but to notice me other than in passing would be a rarity. I did make a good connection with a girl, but that blew up in my face and smacked my arse with a fish slice.
Gary Thorn goes for a pint with a work acquaintance called Brendan. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He doesn’t catch her name, but falls for her anyway. When she suddenly disappears without saying goodbye, all Gary has to remember her by is the book she was reading: The Satsuma Complex. But when Brendan goes missing, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Satsuma to get some answers.
And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life…
A page-turning story with a cast of unforgettable characters, The Satsuma Complex is the brilliantly funny smash hit first novel by bestselling author and comedian Bob Mortimer.
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
My name is Gary. I’m a thirty-year-old legal assistant with a firm of solicitors in London. To describe me as anonymous would be unfair but to notice me other than in passing would be a rarity. I did make a good connection with a girl, but that blew up in my face and smacked my arse with a fish slice.
Gary Thorn goes for a pint with a work acquaintance called Brendan. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He doesn’t catch her name, but falls for her anyway. When she suddenly disappears without saying goodbye, all Gary has to remember her by is the book she was reading: The Satsuma Complex. But when Brendan goes missing, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Satsuma to get some answers.
And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life…
A page-turning story with a cast of unforgettable characters, The Satsuma Complex is the brilliantly funny smash hit first novel by bestselling author and comedian Bob Mortimer.
Good morning everyone and happy Bank Holiday Monday. I treated myself to these three books on pay day as they are ones I’ve been wanting to read for ages.
I loved A Man Called Ove when I read it as part of the Tandem Read-along so I’ve been wanting to read more by Frederick Backman. I’ve seen lots of love on here for the Beartown series so wanted to read it. The Night Circus is a book that I’ve been recommended a few times but when one of my new colleagues recommended it I knew I had to get it and Ancestry is a book I’ve been very intrigued by for a while, though again I was finally swayed to get it when I saw the lovely @portybelle ‘s review as I know we have similar taste in books.
What books have you bought recently?
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
In a large Swedish forest Beartown hides a dark secret . . .
Cut-off from everywhere else it experiences the kind of isolation that tears people apart.
And each year more and more of the town is swallowed by the forest.
Then the town is offered a bright new future.
But it is all put in jeopardy by a single, brutal act.
It divides the town into those who think it should be hushed up and forgotten, and those who’ll risk the future to see justice done.
Who will speak up?
Could you stand by and stay silent?
Or would you risk everything for justice?
Which side would you be on?
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Against the grey sky the towering tents are striped black and white. A sign hanging upon an iron gates reads:
Opens at Nightfall Closes at Dawn
Full of breath-taking amazements and open only at night, Le Cirque des Rêves seems to cast a spell over all who wander its circular paths. But behind the glittering acrobats, fortune-tellers and contortionists a fierce competition is underway.
Celia and Marco are two young magicians who have been trained since childhood for a deadly duel. With the lives of everyone at the Circus of Dreams at stake, they must test the very limits of the imagination, and of their love.
Ancestry by Simon Mawer
Almost two hundred years ago, Abraham, an illiterate urchin, scavenges on a Suffolk beach and dreams of running away to sea … Naomi, a seventeen-year-old seamstress, imagines a new life in the big city … George, a private soldier of the 50th Regiment of Food, marries his Irish bride, Annie, in the cathedral in Manchester and together they face married life under arms. Now these people exist only in the bare bones of registers and census lists but they were once real enough.
Simon Mawer puts flesh on our ancestors’ bones to bring them to life and give them voice. There is birth and death; there is love, both open and legal but also hidden and illicit. Yet the thread that connects these disparate figures is something that they cannot have known – the unbreakable bond of family.
Good morning everyone and Happy Sunday! This gorgeous special edition came through the post this week. I’ve been hearing lots about this one so I’m excited to read it, plus I absolutely love the spredges 🥰
Is this book on your radar?
Book Synopsis:
Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.
White lies When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.
Dark humour But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.
Deadly consequences… What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.
About The Author:
Rebecca F. Kuang is the #1 New York Times bestselling and Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of Babel, the Poppy War trilogy, and the forthcoming Yellowface. She is a Marshall Scholar, translator, and has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford. She is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.
Good morning everyone and happy Bank Holiday weekend or happy half term if you’re a parent.
I was tagged by the lovely @laurapatriciarosereads to share a lavender book stack so here are some of my beautiful purple books. I actually had more then I thought I did which was nice.
Today I’m having a quiet morning as my youngest too are going to swimming with their dad and then we’re hoping to go to the family reading group at our library this afternoon, followed by our first BBQ of the year tonight.
I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to take part but, as always, no pressure.
Over The Rainbow Blog 