Recent Reads: Meet the Georgians; Epic Tales from Britain’s Wildest Century by Robert Peal

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Meet the Georgians; Epic Tales from Britain’s Wildest Century by Robert Peal is an entertaining read, with stories of Georgian individuals such as the two women pirates.  

This is a good book for setting the scene of the Georgian period, explaining why these characters are larger than life, and giving context for why the strait laced Victorian period follows the larger than life Georgian period!

Meet the Georgians was published on 8th July 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Robert Peal on Twitter and his website.

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

Recent Reads: London’s Museums and Galleries; Exploring the Best of the City’s Art and Culture by Eleanor Ross

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

London’s Museums and Galleries; Exploring the Best of the City’s Art and Culture by Eleanor Ross is a great visual guide to London’s museums and galleries.  It shows you inside these places, so you have an idea of what it’s like, and is arranged by location, such as Central London.

I think this is a great book to use to plan your next visit to London, and being able to have a look at all the different places will give you an idea of the places that you might never have found on your own!

London’s Museums and Galleries was published on 6th July 2021 and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Eleanor Ross on Twitter and on her website.

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

Recent Reads: The Art of Watercolor Lettering; A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide to Painting Modern Calligraphy and Lettered Art by Kelly Klapstein

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Art of Watercolor Lettering; A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide to Painting Modern Calligraphy and Lettered Art by Kelly Klapstein takes you through what supplies you need, and explains the differences in brushes.

It has lots of photos and drawings to try to help explain what you need to do, and is well thought through.  It has tips throughout to try to help you know more, and is a great starting point for anyone who wants to learn watercolour lettering.  There are lots of tutorials, and information for you.

The Art of Watercolor Lettering was published on 22 October 2019 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Kelly Klapstein 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: Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth is set 10 years after the five chosen ones saved the world.  We get to see how the most famous people in the world adapt to life after having to fight for their lives, using uncertain magic, and watching others die along the way.

I really enjoyed the look into ‘what happens after’, and found the characters to be well written and believable.

This was a really good fantasy novel, and the start of a new series, so I’m looking forward to reading more!

Chosen Ones was published on 7th April 2020 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones (exclusive edition) and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Veronica Roth onInstagram and her website.

Recent Reads: Warriors, Witches, Women; Mythology’s Fiercest Females by Kate Hodges

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Warriors, Witches, Women; Mythology’s Fiercest Females by Kate Hodges is a beautifully illustrated book, with the story of females from myths and legend.  It’s broken down into different catagories, so you can read about Bringers of Misfortune, or Elemental Spirits.

The females and myths are international, which is another nice feature as it’s so often this type of book would specialise on Greek and Roman myths.

Warriors, Witches, Women was published on 3 March 2020 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Kate Hodges on Instagram.

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

Recent Reads: Re-educated; How I changed my job, my home, my husband and my hair by Lucy Kellaway

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Re-educated; How I changed my job, my home, my husband and my hair by Lucy Kellaway is the true story of how Lucy Kellaway changed so much of her life, and became happier than ever.

I very much enjoyed reading about the author’s journey, and of googling the house that caused so much of the change!  This is a positive story, and one that is well written, unflinching in the places of pain and suffering, but overall, a joyous read!

Re-educated was published on 1st July 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Lucy Kellaway on Twitter.

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

Recent Reads: To Sir Phillip, with Love by Julia Quinn (Bridgertons 5)

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

To Sir Phillip, with Love by Julia Quinn is about Eloise Bridgerton, who, after the marriage of Penelope to Colin, is feeling a little lost.  When her cousin dies, Eloise does what she spends so much of her days doing, she writes a letter to her late cousin’s husband, and discovers a man that is interesting.

They continue writing for a while, and he suggests marriage one day, Eloise takes her time to think about it – she hasn’t met him, so she couldn’t do it, could she?

This is an enjoyable romance of mistaken identities, confused feelings, and twins that run the house.  I enjoyed it in the same way that I enjoy Georgette Heyer books – a fabulous journey in to the past.  I’m looking forward to the next season of The Bridgertons on Netflix, and will be looking forward to when they get to Eloise’s story!

To Sir Phillip, with Love was published on 1st July 2003 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Julia Quinn on Facebook, Instagram and her website.

You can read my review for the previous Bridgertons books below:

The Duke and I – Bridgertons 1

The Viscount Who Loved Me – Bridgertons 2

An Offer From A Gentleman – Bridgertons 3

Romancing Mister Bridgerton – Bridgertons 4

Recent Reads: The Plant Propagator’s Bible; A Step by Step Guide to Propagating Every Plant in Your Garden by Miranda Smith

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Plant Propagator’s Bible; A Step by Step Guide to Propagating Every Plant in Your Garden by Miranda Smith does what it says on the tin.  It has lots of lovely photos, and tells you all about how to grow plants from seed, dividing, from cuttings and so on.

It’s really helpful, and gives you lots of information like the humidity, the tools you need and the soil you need.

The Plant Propagator’s Bible was published on 29th June 2021, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

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

Recent Reads: Changes by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files 12)

Posted on by Pam

My review:?????

Susan, Harry’s semi vampire former lover is back.  She’s shown up as the Red Court has kidnapped her and Harry’s child.  A child that Harry knew nothing about.  And now he needs to get it together to go and save her.

This is a book that changes everything for Harry, and I think the title is very apt. Jim Butcher keeps up the tension, revealing twists that surprised me.  There are characters that you’ve grown to love over time, and some absences, like Michael Carpenter, who has retired from being a Knight of the Sword, due to injury.

Changes by Jim Butcher was published on 6th April 2010, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Jim Butcher on his website, Twitter and Facebook.

My reviews for previous Dresden Files books are below:

Storm Front (book 1)

Fool Moon (book 2)

Grave Peril (book 3)

Summer Knight (book 4)

Death Masks (book 5)

Blood Rites (book 6)

Dead Beat (book 7)

Proven Guilty (book 8)

White Night (book 9)

Small Favor (book 10)

Turn Coat (book 11)

Recent Reads: Werewolves of London by Angie Fox (Monster M*A*S*H 3)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Werewolves of London by Angie Fox is the completion of the Monster M*A*S*H series.  We have Medusa giving birth to her baby and wanting only Petra.  The gods want to get back to their war, and there’s ex boyfriends wandering around.

This is a funny fantasy book, which is fast paced and well written!  Petra is running around trying to solve all the problems that seem to pop up just for her, and it’s enjoyable chaos!

Werewolves of London was published on 23rd February 2021, and is available from Amazon and Waterstones.

You can follow Angie Fox on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and her website.

You can read my review for previous Monster M*A*S*H books at the links below:

Monster Mash

The Transylvanian Twist

I’ve read a number of Angie Fox’s books, from the Southern Spirits series

Southern Spirits, A Ghostly Gift and The Skeleton in the Closet – book 1, 1.5 and 2

Pecan Pies and Dead Guys – book 7 

The Mint Julep Murders – book 8

The Ghost of Christmas Past – book 8.5

Southern Bred and Dead – book 9

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Author Collective 20.