Month: October 2020

Recent Reads: The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine

Posted on by Pam

My review:?

The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine is set in a small village which DI Walker, our main character, has recently moved into.  It’s Christmas, there’s snow predicated, which will isolate the village, and someone is posting Christmas cards threatening to kill 12 people. 

 I found the writing to be very basic, and written with little feeling.  It felt more like a first draft of a novel than of one that is being published.  The beginning was confusing.  It read as though it were book 3 in a series with a recap of what had happened in previous books, except it was trying to set the scene in a rushed manner. I read all of the book, hoping it would get better, but it didn’t.

I had hope for the plot, but I found the identity of the murderer predictable, which is unusual for me! 

In short, not a book I would recommend, even though I’ve seen other reviewers giving it 4 and 5 stars.  I really didn’t enjoy it.

The Christmas Killer was published on 29th October 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones, and your local independent bookshop.

I’m afraid I couldn’t find any links for you to follow Alex Pine!

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Avon Books UK.

Recent Reads: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton is about relationships.  Nina is a food writer, has a column in a paper, published one part cook book part memoir, and has her second book coming out soon.  She has good friends, loves her dad and has an ok relationship with her mother.  And then she meets Max on a dating app, and they hit it off.

But, life isn’t all that it seems.  Nina feels disconnected with her oldest friend.  Her father has been diagnosed with dementia, and it’s showing.  Her mother seems obsessed with socialising, and groups that alliterate. 

This is a powerful read, with relationships of all sorts examined.  There are moments of joy, confusion, horror and sadness.  It’s a very good book, and one that makes you think about 

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton was published on 15th October 2020, and you can buy it from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Dolly Alderton on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley, and to Fig Tree, Penguin.

Recent Reads: The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow is set in 1893, in New Salem, after old Salem burnt down, back when there were witches around.  Juniper, Agnes and Beatrice, the Eastwood sisters, know the little spells things they were taught by their grandmother, but inspired by the suffragettes, they want more.

With mysterious shadows, powerful men, and alliances with other women, life in New Salem is changing.

I really enjoyed the book, it was thrilling, sad and exciting.  I didn’t know what was going to happen next!

This isn’t the first book of Alix E. Harrow’s that I’ve read! I read The Ten Thousand Doors of January recently, and also really enjoyed that!  Enough that when I spotted this book, I knew I needed to read it!

The Once and Future Witches was published on 15th October 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Alix E. Harrow on her websiteand Twitter.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Little, Brown UK.

 

Recent Reads: Jeeves and the Leap of Faith by Ben Schott

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

Jeeves and the Leap of Faith by Ben Schott is the second in his Jeeves and Wooster stories.  Bertie and Jeeves are still rubbing along together, and there are hijinks at the Drones club, which Jeeves needs to help save.  There are friends in love, and other people who you desperately don’t want to bump into.

I haven’t read any Jeeves and Wooster books for ages, but I remember loving them, and I really feel like Ben Schott has continued the hilarity.  Jeeves is still the one with the brains, and Bertie Wooster continues to lack them for the most part, but he’s not quite as foolish as I remember, or as I think of Hugh Laurie being, and that’s not a bad thing.

I really enjoyed this book, and was laughing out loud on more than one occasion.  If you loved P.G. Wodehouse, I think you’ll be pleased at how true to him Ben Schott is, including his references at the back to Wodehouse.

Jeeves and the Leap of Faith was published on 15th October 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Ben Schott on Twitter, Instagram and his website.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Random House Cornerstone.

Recent Reads: All About Us by Tom Ellen

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

All About Us by Tom Ellen is the story of Ben.  He’s finding life very hard, and is wondering if he made the right choices.  He’s with Daphne, but should he have ended up with Alice?

It’s Christmas Eve, and when he gets given a watch by a mysterious man at the pub, he puts it on, but he doesn’t realise what’s about to happen to him.  When he wakes up the next morning, it’s not Christmas Day, instead it’s 5th December, 15 years before, when he made his choice between Daphne and Alice.

This is a heartwarming, sad, sweet and funny story of Ben’s past, his decisions, and the consequences.  

I really enjoyed the book overall, even if I did find some sections sad and hard to read.  It really is a very good book, and one that has a lot of Christmas in it, if you’re looking for something festive!

All About Us is being published on 15th October 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Tom Ellen on Twitter.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HQ.

Recent Reads: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E Schwab

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E Schwab is the story of Addie, who gains immortality, but cannot be remembered.  This is the story of her life, and her decisions, and Henry.  The only person in 300 years who can remember her besides the old god who granted her this “gift”.

This is very light fantasy is beautifully written, with the trips down memory lane so well written, it feels like you are there.  It was such a lovely story and yes, there were tears at certain points, but also a lot of happiness and joy.  

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was published on 6th October, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow V.E Schwab on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Titan Books.

Recent Reads: The Little Theatre on the Seafront by Katie Ginger

Posted on by Pam

My review:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The Little Theatre on the Seafront by Katie Ginger is a sweet story about Lottie, whose Gran died recently, and has asked her to take on the leadership of the board for the local theatre, with the aim to make it useable to the town again.

Lottie is feeling lost without her Gran, but she has her best friend Sid, so things can’t be that bad.  And then she meets a developer who has a weekend home in the town, and Sid meets someone, and things are suddenly a lot harder.

This is a lovely, heartwarming read, and is the debut novel for Katie Ginger, who I worked with once upon a time, and she has quite a few books out now!

If you enjoy books such as Caroline Roberts (Rachel’s Pudding Pantry), or Sarah Morgan (One Summer in Paris), then you’ll love this!

The Little Theatre on the Seafront was published on 1st September 2018, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Katie Ginger on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and on her website.

Recent Reads: How to Grow Your Dinner: Without Leaving the House by Claire Ratinon

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

How to Grow Your Dinner: Without Leaving the House by Claire Ratinon has advice on how to grow plants you can eat, and talks about growing them in your garden, and also on your windowsill (microgreens for instance).

There’s advice about growing from seed, what kind of compost you want to use at different times, and advice about how to make the best of the space you have.

The book has lots of lovely photos, and suggestions for what plants you should grow, and advice about them such as feeding them, pollination, light, when you should start growing from seed.

If you’re thinking about vegetable plants, herbs, or  mushrooms, then it’s got lots of advice and help!

How to Grow Your Dinner: Without Leaving the House was published on 27th August 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Claire Ratinon on her website and Instagram.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Laurence King Publishing.

Recent Reads: 60-Second Brain Teasers Crime Puzzles: Short Forensic Mysteries to Challenge Your Inner Amateur Detective by M. Diane Vogt

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

60-Second Brain Teasers Crime Puzzles: Short Forensic Mysteries to Challenge Your Inner Amateur Detective by M. Diane Vogt is a book of 64 60-second brain teasers for you to puzzle out the answer to the crime.  Luckily it has the answers in the back so you can check if you’re right!

It’s a fun coffee table book to dip in and out of, but I’ve found that you retain the details better if you’re reading it, rather than hearing it as my husband wanted to join in the fun.  It is much harder to work out the answer just from listening.

This could be a fun book to pass around to other crime lovers, and see which ones you found easy, and which you struggled with.

60-Second Brain Teasers Crime Puzzles: Short Forensic Mysteries to Challenge Your Inner Amateur Detective was published on 15th September 2020, and is available to buy on Amazon, Waterstones, and from your local independent bookshop.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Quatro Publishing.

Recent Reads: Tiny Habits by B J Fogg

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Tiny Habits by B J Fogg is about making a habit to do something small, having that fixed to something that happens regularly, and celebrating when you do it.  Like 2 push ups after you pee.

Yes, that really is the idea.  Obviously it’s a little more complicated than that, and there’s some more behavioural thinking about what to do when, and about how to break a bad habit, but that’s the basic principal.  There are suggestions for things other people have done, how they’ve done them, and the problems they’ve overcome.  

It really is an inspiring read, and did make me think about some of the habits that I’ve generated over the years, and which ones have stuck, and which ones haven’t!

If you want some ideas on how to help you change something, then this a good book to read for ideas on how to do that.

Tiny Habits was published on 31st December 2019.  You can buy it from Amazon, Waterstones, or your local independent bookshop.

You can follow B J Fogg on his website or on Twitter.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Ebury Publishing.