Author: veritywilde

Journalist, armchair sports fan, book worm and show fiend. There's a sentence you don't hear too often.
book adjacent

Book Adjacent: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

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On a slight tangent today, because the 2011 movie was on TV the other night and if I come across it I can’t help but end up watching it.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is John Le Carré’s Cold War spy masterpiece, where a retired spymaster is brought back into the fold to try and track down a mole in the British secret intelligence service. George Smiley had been forced out after a failed assignment which had secretly been to investigate the same mole- but is contacted some years later by the minister to investigate the potential mole. The title refers to the code names the former chief – Control – had given to the suspects in the case. What follows is a chess game of a book as Smiley tries to unravel what is really going on from a group of men who are used to obfuscation and secrecy.

This is one of those rare occasions where I have read the book, watched the TV series and seen the movie – and I’m pretty sure I read the book first to see if I could cope with the movie, and then the TV series was repeated on BBC Four after the success of the movie. And they’re all brilliant. The TV version was made in the late 70s, so less than a decade after the book was set, and has the authentic contemporary look as well as more time to tell the story, the movie has an all star cast doing excellent work and the adaptation to get it down to film length is very neatly done.

Warning: don’t look at the comments on the TV version of you haven’t read the book/seen the movie because it gives the culprit away.

I’m not normally a thriller watcher – or reader really – but the movie for such good reviews I made an exception and it’s really worth it. I wish they had made a sequel – there are more Smiley books and they did with the TV series – but I think too much time has passed now for it to be feasible. But in the absence of more, I’ll happily watch the film again. And again.

Have a great Sunday.

books, The pile

Books Incoming mid-June edition

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An eclectic selection this month. There are two Lumberjanes that I somehow didn’t get when they first came out, the two books I bought on the way to Lagos, the first Cesare Aldo which I ordered second hand after reading the first on holiday in April, a non-Maisie Jacqueline Winspear and a Lauren Willig that I preordered ages ago and seems to have only just become available in paperback in the UK.

And what I realised after I took this photo is that – despite the fact that there is one Winspear in here so it should have jogged my memory, I forgot to include the final Maisie Dobbs in it. Now is that because I genuinely forgot or because my brain didn’t want to admit that I’d walked down to Waterstones Piccadilly on release day to buy it – and it a hardback at full price too. Thank goodness for a £10 Waterstones loyalty card reward. Even if that means I’ve already spent a lot of money there. And it’s not even the only bookshop I use…

books

Series Redux: Cupcake Bakery

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Amidst all the romance releases last week, the sixteenth (!!!) in Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery series also emerged into the world. I’m still a few books behind – I still haven’t spotted number 14 in the bookstores that stock cozy crime, Amazon wants more than £11 for it in paperback (which is mad) and it’s not on kindle in the UK so I’ll have to wait. But this is my favourite of McKinlay’s series and the one where I think there’s the most potential for different locations for the characters to find bodies – particularly now they’re franchising the bakery. Although given how many bodies they find, would you want to franchise with them?! Anyway, go read my original series post about them and I’ll go off and chunter in a corner about the cost of US cozy crime mass market paperbacks in the UK!

Book previews

Out this Week: New Ali Hazelwood

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Now I haven’t read this one and so I can’t tell you if it’s another Tinye Heroine and Giant Hero, but there is a new Ali Hazelwood out this week. It’s another STEM romance – this time it’s a biotech engineer who gets caught up in a hostile takeover. Apparently this is also her spiciest yet as well. I’ll try and remember to let you know when I think when I pick up a copy – which I’m sure won’t be that far in the future knowing me!

books on offer, Recommendsday

Recommendsday: June Kindle Offers

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Hello I’m back again to tempt you into spending more money on Kindle books to add your to-read piles, which I’m sure are already bulging, but we’re heading into summer holiday season, so if you needed an excuse to buy a book (or two) make this it!

There are a bunch of former Books of the Week on offer this month so lets start there. I mentioned The Dead Romantics in my Books with Ghosts recommendsday the other week, so it’s only fair to mention that this former BotW is 99p at the moment. Another is Cathy Yardley‘s Role Playing – I loved this so much this time last year – then there is also Forget Me Not by Julie Soto – who has her second book out next month. At the same price is A Very Lively Murder, the second Three Dahlias book – ahead of the arrival of book three next month.

The third Emmy Lake book is 99p at the moment – I reviewed Mrs Porter Calling when it came out last year, but it’s got a fresh cover (I assume for the paperback edition) in case that’s confusing you. I’m still hoping for a fourth in the series too, but no news yet and it’s usually two years between these so it’s not “due” until next year so I’m not worried yet. It’s got a new cover since I bought it, but K J Charles‘s The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting is 99p – the second in this series (although it will be standalone) is out next month as well.

Carley Fortune is a new to me author, but I’ve seen lots of good reviews of her other books and her latest This Summer Will Be Different is 99p at the moment – I bought this last month – but it’s still on offer as I write this. In other new books that I haven’t read yet, Sarah Morgan’s summer novel is 99p at the moment – it’s called The Summer Swap. And I mentioned Kirsty Greenwood’s new book in my Summer of Not Sequels post, so it’s only fair to mention that another of the Novelicious crew Cressida McLaughlin has a new book out this summer too and The Happy Hour is 99p.

We’re only on series three of Bridgerton, but book five in the series – aka Eloise’s story – is on offer at the moment. I really like To Sir Philip, With Love, but I know that it’s not everyone’s favourite and if you’ve watched the series before reading the books it may be a bit of a shock to you! In other TV tie-in news, we have The Magpie Murders at 99p – I loved the books, I loved the TV series and I’m on record as wishing Anthony Horowitz could write more of them. I’m almost embarrassed about how many times I’ve mentioned Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy now, but I did love it so much that I can’t really be sorry. It’s 99p, read it on the beach.

If you want some non-fiction, Jen Gunter’s The Vagina Bible is 99p -which I’ve read, and her Menopause Manifesto, which I haven’t.

My dad recently discovered that there was a Discworld book he hadn’t read – I wish I could have a similar moment but sadly I know I’ve read them all. But it’s that time of year again where I’m thinking about which Discworld book to re-read – and Guards! Guards! is always right up there and if I didn’t already own it, it’s £1.99 at the moment and is a great place to start the series. GNU Sir Terry and if you’re wondering, the one that Dad hadn’t read was Equal Rites. Talking of my family, Ralph’s Party by Lisa Jewell was one of my sister’s favourites back when we were teenagers, I thought it was new at the time – but doing the maths as it has a 25th anniversary edition out now, it really can’t have been!

The Convenient Marriage is this month’s 99p Georgette Heyer, both the first Poirot and the first Miss Marple books are 99p if you want some Agatha Christie, and The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford is also on offer if you want some Bright Young Things in action.

And surely that’s enough books now? It’s all you’re getting anyway – so Happy Humpday!

Book of the Week, new releases

Book of the Week: Summer Romance

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Last week was a bumper week of new romance releases, and Annabel Monaghan’s new book was one of them. And this choice may not be a surprise to those of you who study the reading lists each Monday.

Ali’s mum died two years ago, a year later her husband left her and she’s been trying to keep her head above water ever since juggling her kids and her career as a professional organiser. But the first time she put proper clothes (ie not joggers and a baggy t shirt) on in months to take the dog to the dog park she meets a man who she is fairly sure is flirting with her. And the more she gets to know Ethan, the more she likes him. But he’s only in town for the summer, so it’s just a summer romance – isn’t it?

As you may remember, I really loved Nora Goes off Script – but I didn’t like Monaghan’s follow up last year the same way. This however was a lovely return to what I wanted. It’s pretty low stakes and low conflict between the romantic leads, but there is plenty of stuff to work through for the heroine to get her happy ending. And I was rooting for her the whole time. My only real complaint is that I wanted more comeuppance for Ali’s ex husband for being so horrid and dismissive of her. But she’s definitely the winner in the end – and she does it for herself too, not because Ethan makes it happens for her – which is my biggest gripe with the Legally Blonde musical vs the film and I can rant at you about that all day if you set me going!

I had a copy of Summer Romance pre-ordered (although I also got approved for it on NetGalley on release day!) and it’s out now on Kindle and Kobo for your summer enjoyment.

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: June 3 – June 9

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Well that was a week. I’m trying to get ahead on my summer reading so I can recommend some of them but there’s just so much good stuff. And yes I did buy the final Maisie Dobbs, on release day, in hardback – but I am trying to pace myself with it so it’s not over too soon. And given that it is a hardback and I don’t want to wreck it, that may be easier than if I had bought the kindle version!

Read:

Grilled Cheese Murder by Patti Benning

Chicken Pesto Murder by Patti Benning

The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie

Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur

The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander*

The 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie

Rebel by Beverly Jenkins

A Telegram from Le Touqet by John Bude

Started:

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear

One Last Summer by Kate Spencer*

The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Three book-books bought, one ebook, two preorders arrived – one ebook and one actual book.

Bonus picture: Virginia Water on Saturday looking so quintessentially English countryside it almost hurts!

*next to a book book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.

audio, not a book

Not a Book: Deeper Well

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A rare music recommendation this week, but I’d missed this one until my little sister flagged it to me and now I’ve been listening to it over and over

Kacey Musgraves is one of those artists that I first saw on Jools Holland, bought the album and then have been streaming intermittently ever since. So I’ve been listening on and off since the Same Trailer, Different Park era – before she won the Grammy for Golden Hour and she is fairly regularly producing country music of the sort that I like. Little Sis described this as dreamy country and I think that’s pretty fair. The opening of the first track is strongly influenced Mamas and the Papas and that’s an area that I am always happy to be in. It makes me thinks of summer evening in the countryside, where the light is golden and you’ve got a glass of wine. Just right up my street.

books, bookshops

Books in the Wild: Works summer update

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I wasn’t going to do this this week but then I went into my local The Works and they had a tonne of summer books and I though that I had to flag it to you all so you can get your holiday/vacation purchasing underway.

This is the new book section – and there’s a few that aren’t my thing but there’s the new Emily Henry, some of the big memoirs from Christmas at a bargain price (now coming out in paperback which is presumably why) the paperback of Yellowface, some TV tie-ins and cook books.

Let’s start by saying that if it wasn’t for NetGalley, pre-orders and airport purchasing, I would have spent a tonne of money because they have such good stuff at the moment. There’s the new Olivia Dade, the Tessa Bailey I bought on the way to Manila, Elle Kennedy, the new Amy Lea, and so many of the current New Adult favourites.

This is the slightly older but still not old enough to be in the 3 for £6 selection – all the Richard Osmans, Lessons in Chemistry, The Maid, the first Megan Clawson (the new one is in the first photo), Beth O’Leary and a tonne of sagas and crimes that are too much for me!

This shelf was where I learned that there are now three Finlay Donovan books! And I still haven’t read the first one. There’s a tonne of magic, sports romance, murder mystery and paranormal. Basically there are books for you in all the key genres that are trending at the moment no matter what sort of budget you’re working on. As long as you don’t read as many books as I do. For once I managed to resist purchasing, but that’s only because I was heading to buy a stack of books to give as a gift and couldn’t carry any more!

Have a great Saturday everyone

Series I love

Series I Love: Crown Colony

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The eighth book in the Crown Colony series came out this week, so it’s the perfect time to talk about Ovidia Yu’s historical mystery series set in Singapore.

Our heroine is Su Lin, who in the first book steps in as governess for the acting Governor of Singapore. Su Lin’s family life is complicated – both of her parents are dead and she lives with her grandmother, but because she had polio as a child she’s seen as unlucky. She’s been educated at the mission school and her family are influential in the Chinese community so she has an outsider type perspective on almost everyone in someway but also understands a lot too.

I’ve read six of the eight – and that’s taken me through from the 1930s until the end of World War 2. There are a lot of mystery series set in the 1930s, and a few of them have tackled the war period – but I can’t think of another one that’s set out side of Europe. I loved the Singaporean setting of Ovidia Yu’s Aunty Lee series, and it’s even more fascinating in the past. I’m a history graduate but most of the bits that I’ve really studied have been British or French history – so it’s always really interesting to learn something new as well has having a good mystery.

The six Su Lin Mysteries that I have read have all been in Kindle Unlimited at some point – and I’m hoping that the arrival of number eight means that number seven with become a KU title soon, and as soon as it does, I’ll be all over it.

Have a great weekend everyone.