Category: week in books

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: November 6 – November 12

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A fairly steady week of reading all things considered. Some Christmassy stuff is creeping in now, and a mix of new releases and a dash of things I thought while writing the Kindle offers! This week is looking busy though so we’ll see what that does to the list next Monday.

Read:

Murder on the Marmora by Edward Marston

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy

Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham

Fancy Meeting You Here by Julie Tieu

The Proof of the Pudding by Rhys Bowen

Begin with You by Petra Velezboer*

Started:

Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth

Still reading:

Silver Lady by Mary Jo Putney*

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

Two preorders – one paperback, one kindle – arrived but that was it.

Bonus photo: is a gingerbread alpaca too cute to eat (hint: no, it was delicious)

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

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: October 30 – November 5

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Well, I may have fallen a little behind in October, but the start of November has gone ok so far. Fingers crossed it continues!

Read:

Somebody at the Door by Raymond W Postgate

Intruder in the Dark by George Bellairs

The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters

Luke and Billy Finally Get a Clue by Cat Sebastian

Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham

Picture Perfect by Jeevani Charika*

Guaranteed to Bleed by Julie Mulhern

Death in Fine Condition by Andrew Cartmel

Started:

Silver Lady by Mary Jo Putney*

Murder on the Marmora by Edward Marston

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

I may have bought a few books because of the fresh batch of Kindle offers. More on that on Wednesday…

Bonus photo: watching Lover Come Back on Saturday afternoon

*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, books, romance

Book of the Week: To Swoon and to Spar

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It was a long list last week, and there were a couple of options for this post, but I settled on To Swoon and to Spar because it’s really fun and it’s been a while since I picked a historical romance!

Viscount Penvale has spent his adult life trying to buy back his family’s home in Cornwall. When his uncle finally agrees to sell it to him, there is one condition: Penvale must marry his ward Jane. The two meet and although first impressions aren’t the best, both agree to a marriage of convenience. What Penvale doesn’t know is that Jane has been spending months persuading his uncle that Trethwick is haunted so that he would move out, and she’s going to use the same tactics to try and rid herself of her new husband. What could possibly go wrong?

This is the fourth book in Waters’ Regency Vows series, and Penvale was a side character in the other book in the series that I’ve read and given how close he seems to his friends I assume also the two that I haven’t, so I suspect I’ve read the series you’ll have some feelings about him already. And of course the faux haunting made it a good book to read in the run up to Halloween. It rattles along nicely and the plot has enough turns to keep you wondering what will happen next. I had a few minor niggles with some of the language choices – at one point Jane is surprised Penvale is still hungry as he’s eaten “an entire rasher of bacon” at breakfast – and I’m not sure Jane really would be surprised that Penvale hadn’t read a novel, but I enjoyed it enough that I let it off. Although I suppose as I’m mentioning it here, I haven’t really have I?! Anyway, there is a fifth book in the series coming next year and I’ll keep an eye out for that, and if any of the two I haven’t read come my way I wouldn’t say no to reading them.

My copy of To Swoon and to Spar came from that trip to The Works, so it hasn’t even been on the pile for very long which is unusual for me, and means you should be able to get hold of the paperback fairly easily I think. And it’s also available in Kindle and Kobo.

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: October 23 – October 29

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A really busy week in reading. Lots of books read – and lots of different genres. The audiobook re-listen is now deep into Albert Campion, which is fun. And we’re nearly at the end of October which means all the usual things for the blog this week.

Read:

Tis the Damn Season by Kimi Freeman*

Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham

Mystery in Provence by Vivian Conroy

A Christmas to Remember by Beverly Jenkins

Flowers for the Judge by Margery Allingham

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa*

The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham

Death on the Down Beat by Sebastian Farr

A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin

To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Walters

Started:

Somebody at the Door by Raymond W Postgate

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

One pre-order arrived but that was it.

Bonus photo: this is the curtain call (they said we could film and photograph it) at the Coliseum on Wednesday for the final night of the ENO’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe. My first Gilbert and Sullivan and it was really good and much funnier than I expected – not least because someone from my favourite comedy theatre company was in it!

*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, books

Book of the Week: Duke Actually

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Bit of a marginal choice this week, but I thought I’d do something different and throw in a rare Royal Romance read that’s also a Christmassy one – even if we’re not past Halloween yet!

Dani Martinez is a professor hoping for tenure. She’s also hoping her ex-husband will sign the divorce papers and has sworn off love completely. Trouble is, she’s about to be an attendant at a royal wedding and this involves some contact with the playboy duke the bride dumped for Dani’s friend. Max has issues of his own: his parents are awful, he’s finished his studies and doesn’t have a job, and now his engagement has been broken off, his parents are trying to find a replacement fiancée for him, stat. Dani and Max become unlikely friends, but it can never turn into anything more – can it?

This was absolutely delightful until about the 80 percent mark at which point it just didn’t quite stick the landing. I’m not quite sure what went wrong – whether it was too much to do in not enough time, if I just didn’t like the way Jenny Holiday decided to resolve the conflict/tension in the relationship or if it was a combination of the two but after an absolutely cracking unlikely friends, vanquishing the evil ex, rebuilding sibling relationships ride, it just didn’t quite end as well as I wanted it too. But it’s still pretty good – and better than a lot of the other romances I’ve tried lately, many of which haven’t even made it on to the list because I didn’t get further than 50 pages before I gave them up in a rage. And not always in a Sunday afternoon funk either!

This one is on offer on Kindle and Kobo at the moment, and it’s the second book in a trilogy of related romances which are also on offer. Enjoy!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: October 16 – October 22

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I don’t know what happens to me on a Sunday at the moment where I lose the ability to pick a new book and stick to it. It’s a real puzzle to me, but it seems to happen every week at the moment. Still identifying a pattern of behaviour is the first step to breaking it right? Still I had a good week – with a lovely trip to Old Friends and then two nights in Essex. This week has a few nights in London and I might go and see another show. So we’ll see what that does to the list next Monday!

Read:

Shot with Crimson by Nicola Upson*

Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham

The Love Rematch by Kay Marie*

Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday

The Magpie Lord by K J Charles

Sweet Mercies by Anne Booth

Started:

Tis the Damn Season by Kimi Freeman*

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa*

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

One ebook bought. Restrained

Bonus photo: Christmas is coming – the fancy advent calendars are starting to appear! This was in the window of Liberty on Tuesday – it’s their famous (well depending on whether you follow makeup/skincare bloggers a few years back or not) beauty one. Every year I think about treating myself and then remember the amount of lotions and potions I have kicking around that I need to clear out and give myself a stern shake.

*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, books, LGTBQIA+, romantic comedy

Book of the Week: 10 Things that Never Happened

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Today’s Book of the Week is actually out today – so it’s very apt and I’m sort of pleased with myself for the timing of my reading. Look, it’s the small things at the moment. I’ll take positives where I can find them.

Sam is the manager of a bed and bath store. His days are spent trying to pull the rest of the staff out of whatever disaster they’ve just caused. They need the jobs and he likes them. Trouble is, Jonathan, the owner of the chain has noticed that’s Sam’s store isn’t doing as well as the others so he sends for him to visit the head office in London. The trouble is, while Sam is there, there’s a little accident involving a shower enclosure and the next thing Sam knows he’s in hospital with concussion and he’s accidentally made Jonathan think he has amnesia. With no one to call to help, Sam ends up staying at Jonathan’s house and how on earth is he going to get out of this, especially as maybe Jonathan isn’t as bad as he thought he was…

So, amnesia-related storylines are not my favourite type of romance plots, but generally I have loved Alexis Hall’s contemporary romances, so I made a rare foray in to the trope to see what he would do with it. And it’s a lot of fun. It made me surprisingly emotional at times – and obviously faked amnesia is an easier sell for me than actual amnesia – although there are some issue still around how you un-fake the amnesia. It’s a grumpy-sunshine sort of thing, although I’m not sure we really got to understand enough of why Jonathan is the way he is – especially as he’s so mean to start off with – I wanted more of him being kinder. Also I wanted to know a bit more about Sam – but then when I did, I got what was going on there, and yes I know that’s a bit cryptic but it will make sense if you read it! I don’t think I love it as much as I loved Boyfriend Material, but it’s still a really, really good read and I will happily recommend it. In fact I already have, even before this post!

My copy came from NetGalley (praise the gods of books!) but as I said at the top it’s out today in Kindle, Kobo, audiobook and paperback – which Waterstones seem to have in stock across their Central London branches so I’m optimistic that you’ll be able to get a copy if you want one!

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: October 9 – October 15

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Well that was quite a week. I don’t really have much to say today, except that my reading mojo is a little bit awol at the moment but I’m working on trying to get it back.

Read:

Murder on the Lusitania by Edward Marston

10 Things that Never Happened by Alexis Hall*

Worralls on the War-Path by W E Johns

New Adult by Timothy Janovsky

Started:

Shot with Crimson by Nicola Upson*

The Magpie Lord by K J Charles

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

Sweet Mercies by Anne Booth

One book bought and that was a pre-order of part three of the Fangirl Manga that had arrived at the comic book store and I hadn’t had time to pick up until this weekend!

Bonus photo: a London skyline on Friday night.

*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, books

Book of the Week: Three Times a Countess

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A non-fiction pick again this week, after a bit of a mixed week, where as I said I got side tracked by re-reading some Mrs Pargeter!

Tina Gaudoin’s book is looking at the life of Raine, Countess Spencer. Now if you’ve heard of her it’s probably because she was Princess Diana’s stepmother, but she was also the daughter of romantic novelist Barbara Cartland, a debutant of the year and had a career in politics as well as. I’m a Northamptonshire girl, so Althorp the ancestral home of the Spencer’s is just down the road from me and so I knew a bit more. The stories about the changes/renovations she made to the house have lingered, as has the fact that her Spencer step children called her Acid Raine. But that’s about it. So I picked this up to find out a bit more and see what the rest of the story was behind this.

And I now know a lot more about it all. It’s a really interesting life and a much more purposeful one than I was aware of. But this book is also so positive about her which is obviously the opposite of the stories that I had heard previously. And (again as a Northampton local) I spotted a couple of little errors that should have been picked up in fact checking. So now I want to go and find some more stuff about Raine to try and work out whether Raine’s legendary people skills have managed to seduce Gaudoin from beyond the grave in the research of this!

But it’s very readable – and that’s why I’m writing about it today. I read the whole thing in about four days – which is fast for me for a non fiction paperback when I’m not on holiday (because I don’t take physical books on my commute anymore now I’m schlepping a laptop around with me the whole time) and I’m now going to lend it to my mum who is much better on the local history than I am and will undoubtedly have a view on it all.

I hadn’t heard of this until I spotted it in Waterstones that day when I had a spending spree in The Works, but it’s in Kindle and Kobo as well as in paperback. I’m not sure how easy it’ll be to find in the shops – I suspect Northampton Waterstones had it because of the local connection and I haven’t really looked for it elsewhere (I didn’t make it as far up Foyles as the history/biography section when I was in there last week!)

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: October 2 – October 8

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Did I get distracted midway through the week by rereading the first couple of Mrs Pargeter books? Absolutely. Do I regret it? Not really! I also had a bit of a weed of the to-read pile on Sunday evening unintentionally because everything I started I didn’t like. Still every little helps doesn’t it.

Read:

Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters

Ministry of Unladylike Activity by Robin Stevens

The Body in the Blitz by Robin Stevens*

Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang

A Nice Class of Corpse by Simon Brett

Three Times a Countess by Tina Gaudoin

Mrs, Presumed Dead by Simon Brett

Started:

Sweet Mercies by Anne Booth

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

Animal, Vegetable, Criminal by Mary Roach

One ebook and one preorder.

Bonus photo: I do love a good stat milestone, even if I am still annoyed that I missed a day 900 days ago…

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