Book review: A Curtain Twitcher’s Book of Murder by Gay Marris [blog tour]

Whenever a publisher puts "murder" in the title of a book, they've instantly got my attention. Cosy crime truly is the genre of the season – and for good reason. It's such delicious form of escapism. Although The Curtain Twitcher's Book of Murder is a little less cosy than your average Richard Osman. It's dark and macabre, and leaves the reader feeling unsettled and suspicious of their own neighbours.

Book review: The Queen of Poisons (The Marlow Murder Club #3) by Robert Thorogood

It's only January and I've already read one of the best books of the year! The Queen of Poisons – the third instalment in Robert Thorogood's Marlow Murder Club series – was one of my most anticipated novels for 2024 and it didn't disappoint. Main characters Judith, Suzie, and Becks feel like old friends at this stage and I was so delighted to reunite with them for another riotous murder investigation. 

Book review: The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman (The Thursday Murder Club #2) [blog tour]

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is one of those books I cannot stop recommending to people. It's unique, funny, and hugely compelling, and has rightfully so sat at the top of the book charts for many consecutive months. The long-awaited sequel was released just a few weeks ago and sold an astonishing 114,202 copies in the first week alone – a testimony to how much readers love Osman's wonderful writing. I'm thrilled to be a part of the blog tour once again, as this is a book, and series, so very deservedly of being shouted about again and again. 

  

Book review: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman [blog tour]

Oh hello, it's been a while. It has been a crazy year, hasn't it? I hope you've gotten through it all OK. I lost my reading mojo during the first months of lockdown in the U.K., and while I've been reading up a storm again the last month or two, it's taken me until now to finally dust off my blog again. But for a very good reason. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (yes, the creator and presenter of Pointless), is the fastest selling adult crime debut since records began, and that after being published on the same day as nearly 600 other books during super Thursday last week. If that isn't a sign of a corking read, then I don't know what is. 

Book review: Mistletoe on 34th Street by Lisa Dickenson

When Lisa Dickenson won the Novelicious Debut of the Year for Twelve Dates of Christmas, it propelled her into Hollywood stardom and she now spends her days hosting dance parties with Beyoncé and meeting up for regular coffee dates with her friends in Central Perk. Well, not quite. But she has written a host of fabulous books since, including You Had Me At Merlot, Catch Me If You Cannes and the brand-spankin' new Mistletoe on 34th Street, which brings Lisa back to her festive writing roots.

Book review: A Christmas Cornucopia by Mark Forsyth

One of the books from my Bookish Gift Guide for the Holidays I was particularly keen to dive into, purely from an aesthetic point of view, was A Christmas Cornucopia. The cover design is beautiful, and printed in hardback this makes for a very lovely stocking filler. Not only that, but when I actually started reading it I was instantly hooked on the words hidden within this pretty little festive tome too, which were insightful and hilarious in equal manner. 

Book review: Super Awkward by Beth Garrod

I had the pleasure of meeting author Beth Garrod at a Scholastic blogger event earlier this year where she spoke about her then upcoming novel Super Awkward. Approaching it from the perspective of being a "super awkward author", she was absolutely hilarious and so needless to say I was super keen to get my hands on her book after that.

Book review: We Were on a Break by Lindsey Kelk [blog tour]

I've said it many times before but it bears repeating: absolutely love Lindsey Kelk's books. She is hilarious in real life and her witty humour really shines trough in her writing. On top of the I Heart... and About a Girl series, she's also started writing some excellent stand-alone novels and We Were on a Break is her latest one, perfectly personifying her fun style. Also, how genius is the title of this one? I dare you to read it and not think of Ross and Rachel from Friends. (Let's say it all together: WE. WERE. ON. A BREAK!)

Book review: Casting Off by P.I. Paris [blog tour]

I do love myself a good read filled with 'golden oldies', from A Man Called Ove to Last Bus to Coffeeville and The One-in-a-Million Boy to The Extra Ordinary Life of Frank Derrick, Age 81. Books with one or more elderly main characters have a certain charm to them, reminiscent of children's classics but with a touch of cheeky humour and foolishness. The saying that the older you get the crazier you become does hold up, in fiction at least, and never more so than among the residents of the We Care For You home in Casting Off.

Book review: Martini Henry by Sara Crowe [blog tour]

Martini Henry is the second novel by author and actress Sara Crowe, and one that has been on my radar since the fun reading at a Transworld Showcase last year. While I hadn't read the first novel, Campari for Breakfast, I was told that this one could be read as a stand alone and so I was very keen to take part in the blog tour when the opportunity arose.

Book review: London Belongs to Us by Sarra Manning

I was lucky to attend the Hot Key Books Spring/Summer Highlights event a few weeks ago and speak to the one and only Sarra Manning. I was already super excited to read London Belongs to Us after seeing it being described as a "galloping, giddy romp about empowerment and staying out until the sun rises" by author Holly Bourne (Am I Normal Yet?), and after having had the chance to chat to Sarra about the story and London I immediately bumped it up to the top of my to-read pile, it sounded that good. And while I didn't think it was possible, it was actually even better than I expected it to be. This book deserves ALL of the stars, and then some!

Book review: Frank Derrick's Holiday of a Lifetime by J.B. Morrison

My edition: Paperback, published on 4 June 2015 by Pan, 352 pages.

Description: Frank Derrick is eighty-two. And apparently that makes him old. But he just doesn't feel old. Sure, his limbs ache, he can't sleep more than a few hours a night and it takes him a while to get going in the morning. But he's still Frank. A dad, a granddad, a friend to Bill the cat.

So when he receives a phone call from Los Angelos with news that his grown-up daughter's life is falling apart, his natural instinct is to drop everything to be with her. Unfortunately for Frank, that means using his life savings and putting himself in danger of losing his home. But then, Frank's never been one for long-term plans. He can sort out where he and Bill the cat will live when he's back.

And so Frank gets on a plane for the first time in his life. He was never much good at helping his daughter through crises when she was growing up. He left all that to his wife Sheila, who died nearly ten years ago. Now it's time to step up to his role of father to Beth. Joining forces with his determined granddaughter Laura, they begin The Reunion Project in an attempt to bring some happiness back into Beth's life and to bring the family back together again for one happy family holiday.

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Book review: My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman

My edition: Hardback, published on 4 June 2015 by Sceptre Books, 320 pages.

Description: Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy. Standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa runs to her grandmother's stories, to the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas. There, everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

So when Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has hurt, it marks the beginning of Elsa's greatest adventure. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones-but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

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Book review: Lost & Found by Brooke Davis

My edition: Paperback (proof), published on 29 January 2015 by Hutchinson, 289 pages.

Description: Millie Bird is a seven-year-old girl who always wears red wellington boots to match her red, curly hair. But one day, Millie’s mum leaves her alone beneath the Ginormous Women’s underwear rack in a department store, and doesn’t come back.

Agatha Pantha is an eighty-two-year-old woman who hasn’t left her home since her husband died. Instead, she fills the silence by yelling at passers-by, watching loud static on TV, and maintaining a strict daily schedule. Until the day Agatha spies a little girl across the street.

Karl the Touch Typist is eighty-seven years old and once typed love letters with his fingers on to his wife’s skin. He sits in a nursing home, knowing that somehow he must find a way for life to begin again. In a moment of clarity and joy, he escapes.

Together, Millie, Agatha and Karl set out to find Millie’s mum. Along the way, they will discover that the young can be wise, that old age is not the same as death, and that breaking the rules once in a while might just be the key to a happy life.

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Book review: The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak by Brian Katcher

My edition: Paperback (proof), to be published on 18 June 2015 by Katherine Tegen Books, 336 pages.

Description: When Ana Watson's brother ditches a high school trip to run wild at Washingcon, type-A Ana knows that she must find him or risk her last shot at freedom from her extra-controlling parents.

In her desperation, she's forced to enlist the last person she'd ever want to spend time with--slacker Zak Duquette--to help find her brother before morning comes.

But over the course of the night, while being chased by hordes of costumed Vikings and zombies, Ana and Zak begin to open up to each other. Soon, what starts as the most insane nerdfighter manhunt transforms into so much more. . . .

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Book review: Making Marion by Beth Moran

My edition: paperback, published on 23 June 2014 by Lion Fiction, 320 pages.

Description: She had been looking for somewhere to stay, but instead Marion Miller finds herself on the wrong side of the reception desk at the Peace and Pigs campground and, despite her horrible shyness, promptly lands herself a job.

Marion came to Nottinghamshire--home of Sherwood Forest--to discover her father's mysterious past, but all she has to go on is a picture of her father dressed up, it would seem, as Robin Hood.

Life on a busy campground challenges Marion's formerly controlled life--the pigs roam free, the resident chickens seem determined to thwart her, and an unfortunate incident with a runaway bike throws her into the arms of the beautiful, but deeply unimpressed, Reuben.

Yet, Marion's would-be boyfriend Jake, and Reuben's stunning fiancee Erica, conspire to leave little room for Marion to daydream about the twinkling eyes of her rescuer . . . Will Marion ever find peace, and perhaps even love, among the pigs?

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Book review: Holy Cow by David Duchovny

My edition: Paperback (proof), to be published on 3 February 2015 by Headline, 206 pages.

Description: Elsie Bovary is a cow and a pretty happy one at that. Until one night, Elsie sneaks out of the pasture and finds herself drawn to the farmhouse. Through the window, she sees the farmer's family gathered around a bright Box God - and what the Box God reveals about something called an 'industrial meat farm' shakes Elsie's understanding of her world to its core.

The only solution? To escape to a better, safer world. And so a motley crew is formed: Elsie; Shalom, a grumpy pig who's recently converted to Judaism; and Tom, a suave turkey who can't fly, but can work an iPhone with his beak. Toting stolen passports and slapdash human disguises, they head for the airport ...

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Book review: The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

My edition: paperback, to be published on 25 September 2014 by Michael Joseph, 414 pages.

Description: With the Wife Project complete, Don settles happily into a new job and married life in New York. But it's not long before certain events are taken out of his control and it's time to embark on a new project . . .

As Don tries to get to grips with the requirements of starting a family, his unusual research style soon gets him into trouble. To make matters more difficult, Don has invited his closest friend to stay with them, but Gene is not exactly a prime example of marital happiness, and as his life with Rosie continues to be unpredictable Don needs to remember that emotional support is just as important as his practical expertise . . .

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Book review: You Had Me At Merlot by Lisa Dickenson

My edition: paperback (proof), part 1 published on 14 July 2014 by Sphere, 280 pages (full book).

Description: Elle and Laurie are the last ones standing: they're single, they're not having babies any time soon and their weekends aren't filled with joyful meetings about mortgages. For Elle, this is fine - she likes her independent life, she loves her job, and she has no desire to walk down the aisle anytime soon. But Laurie wants love and she wants it now.

So when Laurie begs Elle to come with her on a singles holiday to a beautiful vineyard in Tuscany, Elle is reluctant. You Had Me at Merlot Holidays promises crisp sunshine, fun and a chance to stir up some sizzling romance. Elle has no intention of swapping her perfectly lovely life for someone else's idea of her Mr Perfect, but ten days under the Italian sun with her best friend and lashings of wine? How bad could that be?

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Book review: What a Girl Wants by Lindsey Kelk

My edition: paperback, published on 17 July 2014 by HarperCollins, 384 pages.

Description: Tess Brookes was the girl with a plan. Now she's the girl with a choice. Should she stay in London and start her own advertising agency with her best friend and potential boyfriend Charlie? Or should she head to exciting Milan to pursue both a new career as a photographer and a new man, the enigmatic and elusive (and highly irritating) Nick?

For the first time, Tess has to choose between the life she always dreamed of and a future she never imagined possible. With her heart and her head pulling her in different directions, Tess has to make a life-changing decision about What a Girl Wants.

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