Month: June 2021

Recent Reads: A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses 3.1)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas is a book inbetween books.  You often get novellas or short stories between books, but this book is over 200 pages, so compared to the other books, this is much shorter.  It feels like a Christmas story, and so was lovely and warming.

Winter Solstice is coming and so Feyre, Rhys and so on can have some time off, they just need to be able to shut off.  This is a lovely story, just focusing on people trying to heal, which is important after the events of the last book.

This is also the last book from Feyre’s point of view, which is interesting to me, so I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!  

A Court of Frost and Starlight was published on 1st May 2018 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Sarah J Maas on her website or on Instagram.

You can read my reviews for the previous books in the series here:

A Court of Thorns and Roses (book 1)

A Court of Mist and Fury (book 2)

A Court of Wings and Ruin (book 3)

Recent Reads: My Hero Academia, Vol. 1 Izuku Midoriya: Origin by Kohei Horikoshi

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

My Hero Academia, Vol. 1 Izuku Midoriya: Origin by Kohei Horikoshi is the first volume in the manga series My Hero Academia which has also been made into an anime series, season 1 of which is on Netflix!

This is a black and white comic book, with a story that moves along at a good pace and the anime is very similar.   

My Hero Academia Vol 1 Izuku Midoriya was published on 4th August 2015 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Kohei Horikoshi on Twitter.

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

Recent Reads: I Know an Artist; The inspiring connections between the world’s greatest artists by Susie Hodge

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

I Know an Artist; The inspiring connections between the world’s greatest artists by Susie Hodge gives you the stories about how different artists knew each other, and were influenced by and influencers to others.

This has lovely pictures in it so you can see the paintings being discussed, and pictures of the artists.

If you’re interested in art or the lives of artists, then this would be a great book for you!

I Know an Artist was published on 2 April 2019 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Susie Hodge on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

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

Recent Reads: You Couldn’t Make It Up…! Unpublished Letters to The Daily Telegraph edited by Kate Moore

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

You Couldn’t Make It Up…! Unpublished Letters to The Daily Telegraph edited by Kate Moore are letters sent to The Daily Telegraph in 2020, and so this is like a time capsule for 2020!

I thought this was so interesting to have a read through to see what people were making jokes or being worried about, and so a lot of the letters were about coronavirus and the lockdown.

You Couldn’t Make It Up…! Unpublished Letters to The Daily Telegraph was published on 17th November 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

I couldn’t find a link for where you could follow Kate Moore.

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

Recent Reads: Extracted by RR Haywood (Extracted Trilogy 1)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Extracted by RR Haywood (Extracted 1) has three people being taken to save the world.

‘Mad’ Harry Madden is a World War Two legend, who has the reputation for doing impossible missions.

Ben Ryder is an insurance investigator, but when the time comes, he does what he has to do.

Safa Patel is an armed police officer, protecting the Prime Minister in Downing Street.  

This is a science fiction novel, and one that takes you on a ride! I enjoyed the surprises, and was interested in where the story took you.  I’m going to be reading more in the series, so you can look forward to those reviews as well!

Extracted was published on 1st March 2017, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow RR Haywood on Twitter, Facebook and his website.

Recent Reads: Witchcraft; A Secret History by Michael Streeter

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Witchcraft; A Secret History by Michael Streeter looks at witcraft through the ages, from the ancient world, medieval world to modern day.  It has illustrations from throughout history of witches and witchcraft, and looks at myths in relation to witches as well.

If you’d like some more context for witches, then this is a good book for you to read.  This is well researched and interesting to read but it looks mostly at witches of Europe.

Witchcraft; A Secret History was published on 3 March 2020 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org,.

I’m afraid I couldn’t find a link for where you could follow Michael Streeter.

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

Recent Reads: The 9th Judgement by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Women’s Murder Club 9)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The 9th Judgement by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro has a cat burglar nicknamed ‘Hello Kitty’ who breaks into rich people’s homes.  Tonight is no exception, and she’s making off with the wife of an A-lister’s jewels, but the wife has also been murdered, and so Hello Kitty is suspected.

Elsewhere in San Fransisco, a mother and child are shot down.

Lindsay is assigned to both cases, and so that means the Women’s Murder Club is also on both of them!

You can see into who has killed the mother and child, and why as the story goes on, which makes for added tension as you want to tell Lindsay etc.  These books are fast paced, and with short chapters, they are accessible.  This is a series of books that you would read when you don’t want to have to work too hard in order to have a thrill ride.

The 9th Judgement was published in 2010 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow James Patterson on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.

I’m afraid I couldn’t find any links for Maxine Paetro for you to follow.

Women’s Murder Club books:

1st to Die   – book 1 

2nd Chance – book 2

3rd Degree – book 3

4th of July – book 4

The 5th Horseman – book 5

The 6th Target – book 6

7th Heaven – book 7

The 8th Confession – book 8

Recent Reads: Loch Down Abbey by Beth Cowan-Erskine

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Loch Down Abbey by Beth Cowan-Erskine is a murder mystery that has a lot of elements of lock down life in 2020!  There is toilet paper hoarding, food shortages, and unexpected childcare!

In the style of a golden age murder mystery, this is a country house murder set in the 1930s, where the guests can’t leave due to an illness sweeping the countryside. 

The house is Loch Down Abbey, and when the Earl is found dead, everyone is a suspect.  We have family members who don’t get on, weird dynamics, and of course, secrets and lies.

This is a rollicking read, and especially funny as you encounter lockdown reminders as you go along.

Loch Down Abbey was published on 10th June 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

I’m afraid I couldn’t find anywhere for you to follow Beth Cowan-Erskine.

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

Recent Reads: The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

The Lucky Escape is Laura Jane Williams’ third novel, and is just as good as the others!

Annie was due to marry Alexander, but he doesn’t show up for the wedding, so when she ends up going on her honeymoon with an old friend, Patrick, it’s not quite the honeymoon she had thought she was going to have!

Annie is reminded of who she used to be, pre Alexander, and this is the perfect trip to reset herself.

This is a romance, with unexpected moments, sadness and joy.  I really enjoyed reading Annie and Patrick’s journey.

The Lucky Escape was published on 10th June 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Laura Jane Williams on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

You can read my reviews for Laura Jane Williams books:

Our Stop

The Love Square

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

Recent Reads: The Secret Life of the Savoy and the D’Oyly Carte family by Olivia Williams

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Secret Life of the Savoy and the D’Oyly Carte family by Olivia Williams is the history of the Savoy hotel and the Savoy theatre, and the family that built this up.  

The D’Oyly family are the family that built both, and employed Gilbert and Sullivan to make shows for the theatre.  This is a well written book, with lots of information, and stories about the ups and downs for the Savoy.

The Secret Life of the Savoy was published on 10th June 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Olivia Williams on Twitter.

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