Finally ready to finish this series.

Set in late 1700s Bristol against the background of the French Revolution, and with the presence of main character Lizzie‘s husband who is always watching her, always there when she turns around, there is an undercurrent of menace that gradually builds throughout this book. It is beautifully written and enjoyable for the well drawn characters and sense of place, albeit overall it is slower and quieter than perhaps it needed to be.

Loving this sunshine cover ☀️

I enjoyed this - it was very well written; told without drama but having moments of great tension. I spent most of it either anxious about what was going to happen or with a lump in my throat trying not to cry. The alternating narrators are at times unsympathetic and unreliable but those complexities felt real and I couldn‘t shake this one off when I wasn‘t reading it, which is always the sign of a good one I think.

Next up!

After a slow start when I nearly gave up this suddenly grabbed me hard. I love Jo Nesbo and this didn‘t disappoint; it reads like a speeded up, crazy Harry Hole story. I admit I haven‘t read Macbeth so I came at it purely as a Jo Nesbo fan. I can‘t say whether it worked as a modern retelling of Shakespeare but I can say it worked as the brutal, nasty, gritty crime thriller with so many of the flawed characters that Jo Nesbo does best. A great read

I really enjoyed this coming of age story of Greer who feels her path is set out ahead of her but then meets powerful feminist Faith Frank at which point her life takes a different route. Spanning several decades the book mainly follows Greer but also her best friend, her boyfriend and Faith Frank herself. I was fully absorbed in each character and the exploration of feminism and power but mainly this was just a very readable, well written story.

This was a strange one; it was compulsively readable, so much so I read it In nearly one sitting, but I felt I was missing something. I realise now that much of the central love story may be an allegory, but it was so lightly done that I didn‘t feel the main character‘s change of heart about America was fully explained or explored. I wanted more from this than it gave and was left feeling unsettled and unsatisfied.

I admit I bought this book based entirely on the cover. I‘m not a huge fan of psychological thrillers and the unreliable female narrator theme, but this was lifted above the routine for me in that the atmosphere of Tangier in the late 1950‘s was as much a character as the fragile Alice and her sinister, mysterious roommate Lucy. In fact, I think it‘s the setting that makes this book. Not fantastic, but a good, quick holiday read.

Jane Harper is so good; I enjoyed The Dry, loved Force of Nature and this was unputdownable; I read it in 24 hours. She writes such gripping page turners with a real sense of place. Despite typical wet/cold UK Bank Holiday weather, I could have been in the relentless heat of the Australian outback, her writing is so good. She got me with this one too; I genuinely didn‘t see the twist that was coming.

I was brave and tackled #authorswhoscareme and #booksthatwinprizes (or are nominated...) with this and I‘m glad I did; I enjoyed the writing and to an extent the story. I liked the flashbacks, and how the events that led to the dystopian future we find Snowman in are explored, but I‘m not sure this stands out over other dystopian fiction I‘ve read. That said it was just getting going when it ended. So am I invested enough to read the next two?!

I‘m totally scared of Margaret Atwood but I‘m being very brave and giving this a go...

Thank you Littens you were not wrong in recommending this! I really enjoyed it, but I‘ll admit I didn‘t expect to as I didn‘t think fantasy writing was my thing. I love a book where the writing is so good there‘s nothing that niggles at you, or annoys you or makes you question what‘s being said. I just enjoyed being thoroughly immersed in the story, despite it starting very slowly. I‘ll definitely read the rest of the trilogy 💛

Book haul with the gift card that‘s been burning a hole in my pocket since January! It was so nice to spend an hour or so in Waterstones, on my own, to buy whatever I fancied, a real treat 💕

I‘ve not read Robin Hobb before; this is a complete #thankstolitsy pick...

I found this difficult to read as I often do with classics and I can‘t say I particularly enjoyed it but I read it with Bella and she enjoyed it very much - she‘s a sucker for a fiesty girl and a love story it would seem, no matter how it‘s packaged! I‘m proud of her for getting to the end of this one as the language and style was much trickier than The Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables which we‘ve read and loved #raisingreaders

I really enjoyed the first half of this book, it was intriguing, infuriating and terrifying. Running through the story is the message that not engaging or participating in what is going on around us, and in our politics, can have devastating results. But then after such an interesting start it lost me as I felt it turned into a thriller, and a bit of a daft one at that. Still a page turner, but this didn‘t live up to it‘s initial promise for me.

I‘ve seen mixed reviews of this one and I must admit I‘ve been avoiding it for some reason... Anyway I recently read a good review so am giving it a go...

This was a good, quick read; I‘d recommend it as a holiday read. I didn‘t love it though and found some parts irritating and a little contrived. Not sure I‘ll read more Beatriz Williams.

I‘ve seen lots of #litsylove for Beatriz Williams so I‘m giving this one a go...

Whilst I felt I never fully understood Coco Chanel or some of her motives, I thoroughly enjoyed what is a moving story of childhood poverty, sheer determination and, of course, real style. I loved the part Paris played in the story along with a whole host of other glamorous friends and elegant locations. I was also intrigued by her entanglement with the Nazis during WWII which I knew little about. Overall a great, intriguing read.

My sister is in Paris and I‘m incredibly jealous, so I‘m going to read about it instead 🤷‍♀️

I enjoy Kate Atkinson‘s writing and this was no exception. The story follows Juliet, a transcriptionist recruited as a spy in WWII. The cast of characters is great and albeit after a slow start, it nearly reached “unputdownable.” I love Kate Atkinson‘s very British drollness and witticism. It‘s deceptively lighthearted - getting to the end and reading the author‘s note made me want to reread it as I suspect there was a lot I missed entirely!

We‘re only on holiday for three days yet I brought about six books #wishfulthinking. I love Kate Atkinson so I‘m starting with this...

An interesting and accessible look at the life of a junior barrister at the coal face of our UK criminal justice system, with all its flaws and failings. It left me furious at the spin by governments looking for votes and cost cutting and a press who wilfully misinterpret the intricacies of many of the cases on which they report. As the author says, our justice system is a reflection of our society and this left me feeling anything but hopeful.

A bit of a busman‘s holiday reading this at the end of a long, exhausting week as I am a lawyer too, although I do not practice criminal law. That said my current work is taking me closer to criminal law than it has done before and I‘m finding myself questioning my thoughts on many aspects of our legal and penal system in the UK. I‘m hoping this may help my understanding of some issues in an accessible way, plus it has great reviews.

Reading slump averted! 😅 Stephen King rarely lets me down - I loved this. Page turningly good storytelling and enough on-the-edge-of-your-seat drama to nearly make me miss my stop on the way to work this morning. Now to decide whether to carry on or choose something different...

Feel a reading slump coming on, trying to avert it with Stephen King 🤞

Mixed thoughts. Impressed by the author‘s credentials, I wanted to learn more about the war crimes committed in Bosnia. Parts of this story were harrowing and important, but it felt inconsistent. I wasn‘t sure about incorporating this story of war crimes into a story about two Canadian detectives. There was so much commentary on what everyone looked like which I found jarring. I know I‘m in the minority as this book has had great reviews...

I thought I was in the mood for this, but I think it‘s going to get very intense very quickly and I‘m not sure my brain can take it - I‘m already frazzled just from Monday! I‘ll give it a few chapters and see...

Yes I love books and yes I love food! Mother‘s Day gifts 🧡

This starts slowly and somewhat repetitively but overall I enjoyed it. I liked that the main character, Lib, was unlikeable, that she was often pulled up by the people she was so dismissive of. I enjoyed seeing how the story turned into something she wasn‘t expecting. Overall this is a study of faith, religion, communities, superstitions, and the era when nursing was not recognised as a profession or skill. Interesting and worth the read.

I kept avoiding this for some reason, but I‘m enjoying it so far...

Having seen the posts for #anglophileapril and lots of love for Daisy Jones & The Six I‘m on a mission to recommend the tagged book - I loved it so much. A fictional memoir of a British singer songwriter, with an accompanying album, please check it out, I‘d love to see it get some #litsylove 🎸❤️

This is a story about love, addiction and fame. I was completely immersed in the story and the time; I couldn‘t stop thinking about the characters. The interview-style writing could have been off putting, but it absolutely suited this book. I genuinely forgot I wasn‘t reading about a real band, real people. Whether you might prefer to read a biography of your actual favourite band I can‘t say, but this was a great read.

Hoping I enjoy this as much as everyone else!

There was so much to this story; a post-apocalyptic world, the illustrator who spends the years before the end of the world creating a graphic novel, the Hollywood star and his string of failed marriages, Shakespeare, and a Travelling Symphony... That all sounds complex, and weird, but it really isn‘t. I thought this book was beautiful and unusual and I‘m astounded at how all those strands were so carefully and subtly drawn together. I loved it.

Seth and I just finished this, a fun story with lots of drama and mystery following the journey of Maharajah the elephant who walks with his keeper from Edinburgh to Manchester in 1872. Maharajah did indeed do this walk and became very famous, but much of the story is fictionalised. His skeleton is on display in Manchester Museum - we‘ve visited and seen it many times but had no knowledge of Maharajah‘s story until now 🐘 #raisingreaders

I‘ve had this on my stack for a while but kept picking it up and putting it back down again. I don‘t know why; I started it last night and enjoying it so far. Good Litsy reviews too...

At times I felt this was a little dull, but now I‘ve finished I realised I quite enjoyed it. Three women board The Titanic, and we first hear some of their story as to what brought each of them there. The focus however is the launching of the lifeboats and the decisions that were made; decisions that in many cases lasted a lifetime. Overall I found it a quiet story, well told, about a part of the disaster I didn‘t know much about.

Just starting this which was a gift for my mum - she passed it back to me when she‘d finished, bonus!

It‘s been a tough couple of weeks so I got a little book haul to cheer me up! Work is done for the week now, happy Friday everyone 🍻

This was like reading a giant, complicated game of Cluedo! It felt too long at times; but I enjoyed the unusual concept and there was enough mystery and intrigue that I had to find out WHO DID IT...(and who on earth is Anna..?!). I particularly liked how the author explored how the different personalities of each host affected the decisions made by our main character. Interesting, confusing, very well written but at times overwhelmingly baffling!

Next up!

This is an intense look at relationships and friendships. It feels artsy and intellectual. I can‘t say I entirely enjoyed it - I warmed to main character Frances - but everyone was so self absorbed and seemed to be just faffing around; in Frances‘ case not working but being puzzled why she had no money. I did enjoy the writing; it pulled me in, lack of speech marks and all. Overall I‘m not sure what I made of this but I *think* I kind of liked it.

No speech marks. Never sure how I feel about that...

This book is full of devilish, devious drama and I thought it was brilliant, almost perfect. Maurice Swift is possibly the worst villain I‘ve ever come across. Every character was fascinating and every twist got me, every time. Each section starts slowly but you can feel the doom building. It‘s desperately sad and awfully tragic whilst somehow still keeping a humour and lightness to the writing. John Boyne is fast becoming a favourite author.

Cannot. Put. It. Down.

I read this when I was little and had always remembered vague parts of the story; it was so lovely to read it again with Bella. We loved gentle and wise Tottie, fragile Mr Plantagenet, whimsical Birdie, and also loved to hate Marchpane! We‘ve also enjoyed Miss Happiness and Miss Flower and Little Plum by the same author, and Bella then plays with her doll‘s house for days afterwards. Perfect for age 6+ #raisingreaders

As I think everyone else has said this is dark, disturbing, twisted, unsettling, nasty, but...also incredibly compelling. And awful. Couldn‘t put it down. Despite the difficult subject, it was bizarrely not a difficult read. Although having said that I think I‘m ready for a break from books about incredibly dysfunctional families!