Category: week in books

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: January 12 – January 18

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So I was off work last week, but I was also spending 7 hours a day watching figure skating, so not a lot of reading happened! It was a fabulous week though, it was amazing to see all the European skaters at their last competition before they head to Milan for the Olympics next month. The atmosphere in the arena was amazing and all the people sitting around me were great too. It all went very fast, and I can’t believe it’s over already. Normal reading should be resumed this week…

Read:

A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

Pawsitively Perilous by Patti Benning

Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh

Running Scared by Patti Benning

How to Spot a Fascist by Umberto Eco

Started:

A Not So Model Home by David James

The Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy*

Future Saints by Ashley Winstead*

Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway by Mary-Jane Riley*

Still reading:

Square Haunting by Francesca Wade

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Three books bought, and you’ve seen them all already.

Bonus picture: an action shot of the Brits on their way to a bronze in the ice dance.

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

Book of the Week, Book previews

Book of the Week: Meet the Newmans

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Happy Tuesday everyone and this week I’ve picked one of this week’s new releases – it’s out last week if you’re in the US or on Thursday if you’re in the UK. Check me out being actually topical for once.

It’s 1964 and Del and Dinah Newman and their two sons are household names across the States as the stars of a prime time TV show based upon their lives. But their 12 year contract is coming to an end and the ratings are down, the times are changing and behind the scenes the family itself is fraying: Dinah and Del are sleeping in separate rooms, elder son Guy has a secret in his private life and younger son Shep, a rock and roll teen idol, may have run into a problem his dad can’t buy him out of. And then Del is in mysterious car crash that leaves him in a coma with just weeks to go before the season finale – which could well be the series finale. Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands and take over the reigns of the family and the show. But can they keep it all together to get the finale across the line?

This is Jennifer Niven’s latest novel and is being blurbed as for fans of Lessons in Chemistry and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I would say that that is a pretty good comparison. The family live in the spotlight and who struggle with it in various different ways but as well as that the world has changed around them and their brand of entertainment hasn’t changed fast enough. It’s also a look at the way that women were viewed in society in the 1960s and the restrictions that they chaffed against (or not in some cases). It felt really timely to me, because the fight for various rights has never really gone away and it is good to have a reminder of how recently some of these things actually happened. But that makes it sound a lot heavier a read than it is – it’s fun and frothy and surprised me in how things all resolved at the end. I do hope that’s not too much of a spoiler!

My copy came from NetGalley and I’m writing this before the release in the UK so it’s quite hard to tell how widely available this will be in the bookshops, but I’m hoping to spot it soon because Waterstones are showing plenty of copies on their website. And of course it’s also available in Kindle and Kobo and as an ebook.

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: January 5 – January 11

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Honestly I really picked the wrong week to do the commute in to work daily (rather than staying down there for a few nights) and it was as very rude awakening for the post Christmas return to normality. Still that number of train delays means more reading time I guess? Anyway, I’m pleased with myself – I’ve read two of my January NetGalley books already and also a non-fiction book so I’m off to an alright start to the year really.

Read:

Silenced at the Book Show by Kim Griswell*

Meet-Cat by Adele Buck

Deliberate Cruelty by Roseanne Montillo

Nose Dives by Patti Benning

Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven*

The Ape Who Guards the Balance by Elizabeth Peters

Started:

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

Still reading:

Square Haunting by Francesca Wade

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Three kindle books bought because of poor will power while writing the offers post!

Bonus picture: Snow week…

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

Book of the Week, romance

Book of the Week: Totally and Completely Fine

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It’s that time again: the first Book of the Week of a New Year. And you can tell that we’re in the depths of winter purely from the photo of the book, because it’s getting harder and harder to get enough daylight to get a not-dark picture of anything. Hey ho. We’re past the shortest day now…

In Totally and Completely Fine, Lauren is still in the same small town in Montana where she grew up. She’s the widowed mother of a teenage daughter, but her reputation as a teenage tearaway still looms large in the mind of some of the town’s residents. She doesn’t really care about how others see her, but she’s still drifting through life after the loss of her husband. Then when she visits her brother Nate on the set of a movie he’s working on she meets his co star Ben. Ben is a decade younger than her and about to be an even bigger deal than he already is, but their attraction is mutual. But when Ben comes to town to help Nate relaunch the local theatre, there’s a chance that it could be something more than a one time thing – if Lauren can find a way to reconcile the different parts of her life.

Now if some of the names here sound familiar, that’s because Nate is the hero of one of Sussman’s previous books, Funny You Should Ask in which Lauren and her daughter Lena also make an appearance. I loved that previous book, and it’s fun in this to see Nate and Chani again and get some more of their story. But this really is about Lauren as the narrative switches between parts of her past – her teenage years, her marriage to Spencer – and her present. Lauren and her husband were happy, she is heartbroken by his death and this is about a new way of living with grief as well as about finding a new love.

It’s a bit of a tearjerker at times, and if I really just wanted Lauren to use her words to her therapist to help herself more, I get why she didn’t and it made for a great payoff at the end. None of the characters here are neat and easy, they’re all messy and complicated and have baggage – which is what makes it so satisfying when they work things out in the end. I enjoyed reading it, and it reminded me why romances with Proper Grown Up Characters are so good, after what feels like a bit of a string of romances with leads who were exasperating in their inability to adult properly!

My copy was a paperback, but it’s also available in Kindle and Kobo and should be fairly easy to find in a big enough bookshop – I’ve definitely seen it in a few.

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: December 29 – January 4

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I finished the Christmas and New Year Period with some more time off work, so I got some more reading done, even if I didn’t managed to finish the two incredibly long runners. Yet. I have made progress though, I really have. Anyway, enjoying the freedom from challenges I read two books that I had been saving since last year because I already had those states ticked off (Illinois and Montana) and two more books that I’d been wanted to read but had had to wait because of the need to finish the 50 States (the Nev Fountain and Mimi Pond) Happy New Year to me!

Read:

The Christmas Alibi by J G Colgan

Do Admit by Mimi Pond

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards*

Lies and Dolls by Nev Fountain

Sylvester by Georgette Heyer

The Merchant of Menace by Jill Churchill

Jammed with Secrets by Selina Hill*

Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman

Started:

Silenced at the Book Show by Kim Griswell*

Square Haunting by Francesca Wade

Still reading:

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

One pre-order dropped onto my Kindle and two more ebooks bought

Bonus picture: We went to Lyveden New Bield for a New Year stroll. You gotta love a finished moat but an unfinished house. Priorities.

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

Book of the Week, Christmas books, reviews

Book of the Week: Season of Love

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It’s the last Tuesday of 2025 and that strange period between Christmas and New Year where no one is quite sure what day it is, where we’re all still eating meals at strange times and there’s a box of chocolates just open on the counter. So before the Christmas mood is completely over, I’ve got a festive BotW pick for you.

Cover of Season of Love

Artist Miriam Blum hasn’t been back to her aunt’s Christmas tree farm in a decade, but when she hears that Aunt Cass has died, she heads back to Carrigan’s to sit Shiva. Her plan is to be in and out as quickly as possible – avoiding her family and having to deal with the difficult emotions that being back there bring up. But that’s all thrown up in the air when she discovers that Cass has left her a share in the business – and it’s at risk of going under. Noelle is the farm’s manager and she really doesn’t want Miriam around – she’s spent years dealing with the fall out from Miriam’s flight and she thinks Miriam is nothing but trouble. But sparks fly as they’re forced to work together to try and save the Christmas tree farm.

There is a lot of trauma in both Miriam and Noelle’s backstories – Miriam’s father is absolutely terrible in ways that I can’t really go into because: Spoilers, and Noelle has severe abandonment issues, so although this is billed as a rom com, the plot and underlying conflict here are less frothy and fun that that might suggest. But don’t let that put you off, because there is a lovely found family in the Carrigan’s community, there are people who use their words to sort out conflicts (well mostly) rather than them being fixed by magic sex. In fact this is pretty closed door on the actual romance front as well as being pretty slow burn, reluctant attraction in trope terms.

I really enjoyed this and read it in less than 24 hours. And as you might expect from a book about a Jewish-owned Christmas tree farm, the actual Christmas content here is mostly decoration and baubles (rather than church and Jesus) because the characters are only really interested in Christmas as far as it is needed for their business to work – and part of the plot sees them looking at how they can become less dependent on Christmas as a money earner. There are now two more books in this series, and I really want to read them!

This is available on Kindle and Kobo and allegedly in paperback although I haven’t seen it in the bookshops (and believe me, I’ve looked).

Happy Reading

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: December 22 – December 28

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I do hope your Christmas season has been filled with good food and good company and that Santa brought you what you wanted/were hoping for. The weather where I am is Baltic now, which is good because that’s what it’s meant to be like in December, but also a bit of a shock given how mild it has been until now. Still it’s perfect weather for staying inside and keeping warm with a book, and if you have time off because of the festive season or New Year all the better. It should be noted that I have now finished my final state and have read my way across the USA for the year and am freeeeeeeee to read whatever I want. Which may explain why I’ve started two more Christmas books this week and haven’t finished the long runners. But I do want to try and start the new year with a clean sheet so I will keep trying…

Read:

Murder Most Modern by Hugh Morrison

The Christmas Egg by Mary Kelly

Murder Boogies with Elvis by Anne George

Season of Love by Helena Greer

The Wedding Bait by Adele Buck

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer

Started:

The Christmas Alibi by J G Colgan

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards*

Still reading:

Do Admit by Mimi Pond

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Oh dear. There have been a rash of post-Christmas sales from authors that I like and it has been somewhat dangerous. And then I got a stack of books for Christmas which was delightful and you can see what I got on Saturday.

Bonus picture: the Christmas Tree. Tis the season etc.

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

Book of the Week, detective

Book of the Week: Murder Most Modern

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It’s Christmas Eve Eve and this is a bit of a cheat because I finished it on Monday morning – but I did finish it so early that Goodreads still tried to date it as Sunday, so that’s almost like I did finish it on Sunday right? I’ll keep telling myself that…

It’s 1931 and Clarice and Cliff have been invited to a housewarming party at a new modern mansion on the coast. Their host, Sir James, has been persuaded to build it by his second wife Lady Theodora, who seems determined to set her stepchildren agains her. But when she’s found dead in the swimming pool they are not the only people who might have wanted her out of the way. The police think they know who did it but Clarice and Cliff aren’t convinced so set out to investigate themselves.

This is the second In Hugh Morrison’s new series. I mentioned the first one in Quick Reviews back in February but you really don’t have to have read that to enjoy this, which is why I’m fine with breaking my own rules about only recommending first in series. I like a mystery set at a country house and this one has plenty of suspects and a denouement that makes a change from suspects sitting around in a drawing room to be accused. It’s definitely a summery book, so reading it in the depths of winter will make you pine for a bit of sunshine – particularly if you’re reading it on the winter solstice! – but if you’re in the southern hemisphere it might feel more apt this week than a snowy Christmas book!

This is in Kindle Unlimited at the moment, as is the first one. This of course means it’s not on Kobo. Amazon claims to have a paperback, but I suspect it’s a print on demand type situation so I don’t think you’ll find it in the shops – certainly I don’t think I’ve seen any of Morrison’s other books in the wild.

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: December 15 – December 21

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Three more states ticked off this week, leaving me with only two states to go. Just two. And I’ve still got nine days left in the year. Exciting times. Apart from that, a bit of Christmas reading, a bit of non Christmas read and a lot of Christmas parties last week!

Read:

Death in Ambush by Susan Gilruth

Venetia by Georgette Heyer

The One with the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel

Merry and Bright by Ali Rosen

All Wrapped Up In You by Rosie Danan

You Better Not Point by Mia Sosa

A Disguise to Die For by Diane Vallere

Murder at the Library by Ellen Jacobson

Started:

Murder Most Modern by Hugh Morrison

Do Admit by Mimi Pond

Still reading:

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Four ebooks bought

Bonus picture: View of wintery London from one of the aforementioned Christmas parties!

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

Book of the Week, Forgotten books, mystery

Book of the Week: The Odd Flamingo

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Yeah, I know, it’s only been three weeks, but I’m back with another British Library Crime Classic pick. I can’t help myself but in my defence, this only came out in the summer, so it’s a relatively recent release and it’s also in Kindle Unlimited at the moment, so I’m going with it.

Cover of The Odd Flamingo

When Will gets a phone call from the wife of an old school friend to come and help her, he finds himself drawn into a rather seedy potential scandal. A young woman called Rose has come to call on Celia and says she is pregnant, and the father is Celia’s husband Humphrey. Celia wants Will firstly to deal with the visit, but then because he’s a lawyer to try and handle the situation for them. The Odd Flamingo of the title is a seedy club where Will and Humphrey both used to visit when they were younger, but where Humphrey it seems is still a habitue. Will’s staid life is soon caught up in potential murder and blackmail as he tries to work out what is going on.

Nina Bawden is probably most famous for her World War Two set children’s novel, Carrie’s War. This is from the very start of her career – her second published novel which originally was published in 1954, twenty or so years before Carrie’s War. But you can see the shadows of her later work in it, even though the audiences are so different. It’s got plenty of twists and turns and it keeps you turning the pages. The portrayal of the London underworld is really atmospheric and there isn’t really a sympathetic character among any of them, which I liked about it but may frustrate others. I really enjoyed it – I raced through it to see how it all turned out and which particular awful person was going to be responsible for it all.

As I said at the top, this is in Kindle Unlimited so it’s not on Kobo at the moment but of course it’s also in paperback and the British Library shop is still doing three for two again at the moment – so you could buy this and Death in High Heels and get A N Other BLCC for free!

Happy Reading!