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OutsmartYourShelf
Only at Ainsworth | Heather Lewis
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Mehso-so

An author arrives for his appointment with an independent literary agent based in the Acheron Estate. The agency is run by one man & he seems rather eccentric, while the office itself is rather rundown & grubby. Still one shouldn't judge on first impressions......should one?

This was a very odd novella to start with. I wasn't sure what was happening in the first couple of chapters or where it was going to go, but it turned out to be (continued)

OutsmartYourShelf worth sticking with & one piece of the puzzle turns everything on its head. Told from several points of view, this was a strange, yet compulsive read. 3.25⭐

My thanks to #NetGalley, & the author for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Full Review (hidden TWs): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7752044078
Read 14th - 15th Nov 2025

#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
2h
14 likes1 comment
review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Pickpick

On 29th July 2018 four cyclists, including Lauren Geoghegan & Jay Austin, were murdered by ISIS terrorists whilst cycling in the mountains of Tajikistan. Lauren & Jay were a couple who had quit their jobs & embarked on the trip of a lifetime to see the world. Pieced together from social media blog & posts & interviews with friends & family, this book tells the story of their journey.

OutsmartYourShelf This was a poignant read due to knowing how the trip ended. It was well-researched using the social media posts & interviews, & it seemed like the author had a handle on who Jay & Lauren were. Jay especially comes across as someone who 'marched to the beat of his own drum' as they say - he didn't want to live life in the usual way, & both of them were active in their communities & workplaces in trying to make the world a better place. 1d
OutsmartYourShelf Yes they did, in fact, meet some lovely people who gave of their time, their homes, & their food free of charge, but to me it just brought home the point that you only have to encounter the wrong person at the wrong time once & it's all over. It's an interesting read that deals honestly with the brutal violence of that last day without sensationalising it. 4🌟
1d
DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 18h
28 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Pickpick

Octogenarian & crossword setter, Edie O'Sullivan, wins a three-day Christmas break at a luxury hotel on a remote, uninhabited Scottish island which has a tragic past. Taking along partner nonagenarian Riga, son DI Sean Brand-O'Sullivan (whose partner & children will be joining them on Christmas Day) & dog Nicholas, they meet an unusual group of fellow celebrants. (continued)

OutsmartYourShelf Hotel manager, Mara, is nervous as this is the big opening for the hotel, the one her parents have sunk all their savings into. Understaffed & with a huge storm forecast, Christmas has to be a success. At first everything seems to be going well but at the Gala Dinner the first evening, the Christmas crackers are rather strange. They contain a gift & a party hat but also weird riddles rather than the traditional jokes. 4d
OutsmartYourShelf When over the next hours, the guests start being murdered one by one in ways pertaining to the riddles, Mara & Edie realise that there is a killer on the island.

This is apparently the second book to feature amateur detective Edie. I haven't read the first one but I don't think it made any difference as it works as a standalone. It started off well with the creepy crackers but suffered a common issue with mystery thrillers & became a little slow
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OutsmartYourShelf in the middle. I did like the fact that there are several optional word games for the reader to play as they read the book but they don't have any bearing on the mystery itself so they can be easily skipped. I did find that with so many characters it became a little muddled towards the end, but it just managed to keep my interest. 3.75🌟

My thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, Simon & Schuster UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC
(edited) 4d
OutsmartYourShelf TWs: see GR post for possible spoilers

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7873240409
Read 12th - 14th Nov 2025

#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
4d
DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 4d
38 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Pickpick

A young music student is killed & her attacker vanishes from a room with only one exit which is covered by an armed police officer. He couldn't have left without being seen, but when they manage to get inside, the killer is gone. The evidence points to a killer who is a skilled illusionist, escapologist, & quick change artist, as he manages to stay ahead of Rhyme & Sachs. (continued)

OutsmartYourShelf The duo bring onboard a young illusionist who can talk Rhyme through the tricks, sleight of hand, & the art of misdirection but can they learn quick enough to catch him?

These books can be a bit hit & miss for me but I did enjoy this one. The theme of entertainment magic was an interesting one & kept things fresh. If I have a criticism, it's that sometimes there are too many misdirections from the author -
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OutsmartYourShelf there were so many, I didn't even see the last one coming. 3.75🌟

Full Review (hidden TWs): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4747763595
Read 4th - 11th Nov 2025

#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
#SeriesLove2025 @TheSpineView

5d
DieAReader ♥️♥️♥️ 5d
29 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Pickpick

Tall & considered plain at the side of her sister & friends, the Bennetts, 27-year-old Charlotte is used to being overlooked, so when Mr Collins proposes to her she accepts. She chooses to follow her head & not her heart when marrying Mr Collins, hoping to be content with her lot & yet finds that maybe romantic love may not be out of her reach after all.

OutsmartYourShelf I've read several P&P reimaginings, but never anything from the point of view of Charlotte Lucas. I wasn't sure what to expect as most of Charlotte's married life takes off the page, but I think the author was pretty faithful to the characters for the most part. By the end of it, I had almost come to like Lady Catherine de Burgh! It also manages to humanise Mr Collins a little more.

6d
OutsmartYourShelf Some may disagree with Charlotte's actions, but I think the fact that the patriarchal nature of Regency society, forcing middle & upper-class women to marry to not become a burden to their families, but unable to earn their own money, puts Charlotte into a situation she would not perhaps have chosen had other alternatives been available.

Overall, it's a well-written story which makes a side character from the original come to life on the page.
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OutsmartYourShelf I really enjoyed it & I'm not a big reader of romance. 4🌟

My thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Full Review (hidden TWs): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7873241291
Read 9th - 11th Nov 2025

#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

6d
DieAReader ♥️♥️♥️ 6d
35 likes4 comments
review
OutsmartYourShelf
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Pickpick

A book about the first orphanage in Europe - the 'Ospedale degli Innocenti' or Hospital of the Innocents - which was opened in 1445 in Florence, Italy. Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, it also featured artwork from other artists of the Renaissance such as the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio & sculptor Luca della Robbia. Many thousands of children were abandoned here over the years & not just orphans (continued)

OutsmartYourShelf but those who parents could not afford to care for them, children born out of affairs or sexual assault.

For all good intentions though, the outcome of life for these children was a mixed bag. The rate of survival was not much better than the average & yet it became a birthplace of modern pediatrics, boys were given an education whilst girls learned trades such as weaving, but both were vulnerable to the predations of their employers when they
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OutsmartYourShelf were sent out to work, & the hospital was usually in debt & yet those in charge prioritised the purchasing of artwork.

This was an interesting & informative read which has been very well researched. It's a part of Italian history that I knew very little about before reading it & it inspired me to look it up online where the 'Museo degli Innocenti' details the history, art, & architecture of the orphanage. Looking at some of the photographs
(edited) 1w
OutsmartYourShelf it seems to have been quite a bleak place but probably better than the alternative. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in a different aspect of Renaissance history. 4.5🌟

My thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, W.W. Norton & Company, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7833601745
Read 7th - 9th Nov 2025

#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
1w
DieAReader ♥️♥️♥️ 1w
28 likes4 comments