I really enjoyed this story. It‘s so relatable and realistic. It‘s also humorous and poignant. It really tugs at your heartstrings at times as it does have its sad moments. I loved joining Penny on this particular stage of her journey and meeting her eclectic group of friends. I will miss reading about their adventures immensely. Such an engaging and insightful read which should appeal to women everywhere. #Pigeonhole

I‘m reading this with my online book club, https://thereadingloft.groups.io/g/main.

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I‘m in the minority with this one. I enjoyed the beginning and getting to know the characters. Then it went a bit Life of Pi and I got slightly bored. I loved the idea of the train and the claustrophobic atmosphere. I liked Weiwei, she was a resilient little character and the ‘crows‘ were creepy. It‘s well written and described. However, I‘m not sure what to make of the ending. It was a bit anti-climatic for me. 3⭐️

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A library book. I picked this one up as I thought it sounded a little different.

I really enjoyed this book which is inspired by a true story. It‘s set in 17thC Rome about a group of female poisoners. But it‘s not as simple as that as it‘s about the lack of having a voice in such cruel times, a husband can inflict injuries on his wife, even kill her, without being brought to account but if the tables are turned, woe betide her. It‘s a well written and powerful historical mystery. A page turner. Highly recommended.

This is a fun read with some great, well drawn characters. There are some laugh out loud moments and Liv is a hoot a minute. She seems to live at a hundred miles an hour and I loved going on this journey with her, meeting her friends and acquaintances - human and animal - along the way.

Entertaining and humorous, I very much enjoyed this insightful story. Life is a journey, not a destination. #Pigeonhole

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. It‘s an exhilarating rollercoaster of a ride, fast paced with plenty of twists and turns. I loved the characters, especially Moss the dog! The New Forest setting is great, too. It‘s a definite page turner. Just a rollicking good read. Highly recommended. I‘m looking forward to book two in the series. #Pigeonhole

Library book. I do enjoy this author‘s work so@hopefully another good one.

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Love Island meets Lord of the Flies in this intense thriller. A compelling read where I didn‘t know who to trust at first. The claustrophobic feeling of the island is really well depicted as is the paranoia. When the villain of the piece starts to be revealed, the suspense increases, the characters‘ anxieties ratchet up and the pace escalates. I very much enjoyed it - it kept me turning the pages. #TBC on Facebook

I found this story quite entertaining although it is far fetched at times. It‘s a little drawn out and I did get impatient with how it was progressing. I got frustrated with some of the characters‘ actions. I definitely had to suspend belief but apart from that, it‘s an enjoyable read. The ending is a nice surprise in that it‘s not all neat and tidy. All in all pleasant and easy. 3.5⭐️ #Pigeonhole

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Having read the first book in the series, The Mysterious Double Death of Honey Black, I was eager to read the second. It didn‘t disappoint. Fast paced and action packed, it‘s a fun and entertaining tale. I loved the combination of real and fictional characters and the world of the Golden Age of Tinseltown is described beautifully. It‘s certainly a page turner! I very much enjoyed it and look forward to more adventures with Lily. #Pigeonhole

This is quite a quirky book but charming with it. It‘s a gentle and touching little tale about life. What would you change if you could travel back in time? Don‘t forget to drink your coffee before it gets cold, though! ☕️😉

I‘m reading and reviewing this for #TBC on Facebook.

A library book. I keep seeing this little book mentioned and thought I‘d give it a go. 🙂

I founds this quite difficult to get into, it‘s hard going. I enjoy the magical realism genre but it didn‘t really work for me in this one as it dealt with serious subject matter. I found the writing a little ‘flowery‘. On the other hand I did find it interesting as I don‘t know much about the Argentinian ‘Dirty‘ War. So at least I‘ve learnt something! I liked the ending as it was left on a note of hope. I read this with my local book club.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it‘s cleverly written. There are eight interconnecting short stories. Some are quite sinister or darkly humorous, quite the horror story in fact, whilst others take you by surprise and make you giggle. It reminded me of Roald Dahl‘s Tales of the Unexpected. You never know what goes on behind closed doors. A quirky and entertaining read, it‘s certainly very different and I can highly it. #Pigeonhole

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Set in a rural part of southern England, it‘s the story of a broken bi-racial family with ‘rainbow‘ twins. It‘s told via various viewpoints. Not a lot happens in this story and it‘s ultimately quite sad. The descriptions are very vivid and it‘s a very quiet book. A slow burner. It is left on a note of hope but it‘s not a story I particularly engaged with.

Another cracking read from Clare Pooley! It‘s absolutely brilliant. I enjoyed every minute of it, it had me laughing all the way through. The characters are just wonderful and the writing is sublime. I was so sad to turn the last page. I will miss Daphne and friends very much. An uplifting, heartwarming and uproarious read which I can most highly recommend. It will definitely lift your spirits. #Pigeonhole

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I‘m reading this with my local book club. The theme is a story set in South America.

An enjoyable story and an interesting concept. It was quite a sad tale and gives food for thought. I think we can all look back and wonder what life would‘ve been like if we‘d done something differently. It does get a little repetitive at times and has quite a self indulgent and selfish main character, but all in all it‘s an engaging, emotional and heartbreaking read. I look forward to seeing what the author has in store for us next! #Pigeonhole

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A lovely, gentle character based story about finding yourself again after a traumatic event. The story quietly rolls along and there‘s even a sprinkling of romance in the form of a hunky personal trainer. An uplifting and heartwarming read which I can recommend. I shall these characters very much. I only wish there was a Pinewoods Retreat near me! It sounds fabulous. #Pigeonhole

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Salad Days ~ Allie Cresswell
I thought this was a wonderful story, beautifully and atmospherically written. It‘s slightly gothic in style and perhaps a little surreal. It all sounds so idyllic on the surface but it‘s what is lurking underneath which propels this tale. There is a sense of mystery to the story which drew me in and I was always looking forward to reading on. A thoroughly enjoyable, evocative and compelling read.

A library book. There‘s been quite a reserve list for this at the library so I‘m getting stuck in now. 😀

An uplifting story of healing and recovery that will warm your soul…and get you into the garden. Eleanor Oliphant meets The Authenticity Project on a well-being retreat in this story of one loner, two secrets and three weeks at Pinewoods Retreat. #Pigeonhole

This is quite the rollercoaster of a thriller, taking the reader on an exhilarating ride with an exciting cat and mouse chase at its heart. It‘s definitely a page turner with plenty of twists and turns. Action packed and well written, I can well imagine this edge of your seat nail-biter being adapted into an entertaining film/movie. Audiences would be glued to the screen. #Pigeonhole

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the combination of factual and fictional characters. They were well blended together. It‘s beautifully written with an engaging storyline. I could just imagine the trees being transported from one botanical garden to another through the streets of Edinburgh! Just a wonderfully fascinating read. I can highly recommend it.

Salad Days by Allie Cresswell

Prudence and Arthur take a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the sixties and seventies; turbulent, changeful years that contrasted with their idyllic childhood at ‘Salad Days,‘ the market garden run by Prue‘s extended family.

But was it idyllic? As Prue and Arthur retrace their youthful attempts to get to the facts, it‘s clear that truth and memory are not the same.

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I enjoyed this intriguing mystery. I‘m always drawn to a story set in my home county being a Yorkshire lass myself! I found it gripping, a page turner. There are plenty of twists and turns as in all good mysteries and I always wanted to read on. I thought the detectives, Leo and Shan, made a great intrepid duo. Roll on book two in the series! #Pigeonhole

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This is a wonderful tale. It‘s beautifully and imaginatively told but quite dark in places. At the beginning I really didn‘t like Estella but by the end of the story, I felt some sympathy for her and ultimately quite liked her! We are all a product of our upbringing and environment, I feel. It follows the plot line of the original relatively well but with some filling in of gaps and fleshing out of characters. Highly recommended. #Pigeonhole

Reading this with my online reading group, https://thereadingloft.groups.io

If this book hadn‘t been my local reading group‘s choice, I would have abandoned it early on. The blurb didn‘t really appeal to me. It‘s well written but I found it incredibly boring and so slow. Nothing really happened until the twist at the end. I skimmed a lot of it - too much animal gutting, midden & cathedral building, praying and copying of the Bible for my liking! I wouldn‘t eat a turnip from their vegetable patch, that‘s for sure! 💩🤢.

I very much enjoyed The Household. There‘s a fantastic cast of characters and it‘s beautifully written. Charles Dickens even features! It‘s an interesting plot line with a few twists and turns. I liked that it was about a real house, Urania House, one of Charles Dickens‘ projects, a home for fallen women funded by Coutts bank. An absorbing and engaging read.

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I enjoyed this murder mystery. The plot has quite a sinister vibe to it and it rattles along nicely with plenty of twists and turns. It kept my attention throughout, trying to guess ‘whodunnit‘. There are some well written characters and I liked the setting. It is a little far fetched at times but, hey ho, it is fiction - you just have to suspend belief. I look forward to joining Detective Talantire on her next case. #Pigeonhole

Reading Haven with my local book club. The theme is a story set in Ireland. I‘m not sure a story about monks is quite my cup of tea but I‘m giving it a go. 🫤. The blurb doesn‘t appeal to me.

Oh, what a wonderful and colourful life Ruby has had and what a journey! She‘s had a stab at espionage, living in a commune and visiting conflict zones to name some of her escapades.This is a brilliant read from beginning to end. It‘s beautifully written with some fantastic characters, Ruby obviously pipping them all to the post with her joie de vivre. Such an exhilarating ride, full of fun but also with some sad moments - I loved it! #Pigeonhole

I found this book disappointing. I think it‘s trying to be something it‘s not. I quite enjoy a slow burner but this one dragged a bit for me. It didn‘t flow. The tarot card elements were interesting although I don‘t believe in all that stuff. The characters weren‘t particularly likeable. It just goes to show you shouldn‘t judge a book by its cover and this book‘s cover is certainly eye catching. It lured me in!

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A library book. I‘m looking forward to reading this as I loved The Familiars and The Foundling. I haven‘t read Mrs England yet.