Tag: books

books, books on offer, Recommendsday

Recommendsday: September Kindle offers

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It’s that time again – second Wednesday of the month means it’s Kindle Offers o’clock. Hide your wallets, disable your one click, this could get pricey!

And lets start with a recent BotW The Boyfriend Candidate and something I recommended really quite recently – Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard which are both 99p (and Boyfriend Candidate is in Kindle Unlimited too). A BotW from slightly longer ago is The Roughest Draft which is the same price. And I’ve written a lot about Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy this summer, but her first novel Prep is on offer this month.

The movie version of Red, White and Royal Blue came out a few weeks ago on Amazon Prime – and the book is 99p at the moment, presumably as a tie in. And Ashley Herring Blake’s Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail is 99p at the moment, just over a month out from the release of the third book in that series.

I’m a bit New Adult-ed out at the moment, but I know that Elle Kennedy is very popular – so thought I’d mention that The Summer Girl is 99p. I read Chloe Liese‘s If Only You from her Bergman Brothers series earlier this year -and that is 99p at the moment but one of her Shakespeare retellings, Two Wrongs Make a Right, is also on offer so I may give that a go despite the aforementioned New Adult fatigue.

One of my favourite recent historical romances, Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin is 99p – I assume to coincide with the release of the sequel. Eloisa James’s latest romance, Not That Duke, is 99p – I’ll admit that that’s one of the ones that I bought while writing this, as is Alexis Halls‘ Mortal Follies! Sarah MacLean’s latest is out – but the first in this series Bombshell is £2.99 on Kindle which is the cheapest I’ve seen it. And Cat Sebastian‘s latest We Could Be So Good is also 99p. It only came out in June and yes, I bought that too.

In plain historical (as opposed to Historical romance) the final Philippa Gregory Tudor book The Last Tudor is 99p. I mentioned it in the Waterstone’s post on Saturday, but Whalebone Theatre is also 99p on Kindle at the moment as well as getting a big push in stores. Gill Hornby‘s Miss Austen is also 99p

In classic novels, Daphne Du Maurier‘s Rebecca is 99p, as is P G Wodehouse’s The Code of the Woosters and the very first Albert Campion Murder at Black Dudley . In other classic crime, Unnatural Death is the Peter Wimsey at 99p this month in an edition I know are decent as opposed to the ever increasing number of alternative editions – some of them even cheaper but with descriptions and covers that give me reason to not entirely sure they’re to be trusted. This is also happening to the Agatha Christies now too – which is very frustrating. The 99p Georgette Heyer is The Nonesuch and there are a couple more at £1.99 including These Old Shades. And this month’s bargain Terry Pratchetts are Dragons at Crumbling Castle for 99p (this is one of his children’s short story collections) and in the Discworld it is Sourcery at £1.99.

And finally a quick bit of non-fiction – Greg Jenner‘s Ask a Historian and Dead Famous are on offer too. And Antonia Fraser’s Charles II biography is 99p as well – if you want 900 pages on the last King Charles before the current one.

Happy Wednesday!

Book of the Week, Chick lit

Book of the Week: The Secret Bridesmaid

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As is often the way with me in the weeks after putting a Recommendsday post together on a theme, I’ve started reading some of the books related to the theme that I discovered on my Kindle in the process. And today it’s one that I’ve read after writing the Romances with Weddings post the other week!

Cover of The Secret Bridesmaid

Sophie is a professional bridesmaid. What’s that I hear you ask? Well harnessing the skills she developed as a PA, she’s hired by brides-to-be to pose as a friend and be their right hand woman throughout the wedding process. Think of it as a halfway house to having a wedding planner – but without admitting it! Anyway, she’s carving herself out a little word of mouth niche as the Best Bridesmaid Ever and then lands her biggest gig yet: to organise the aristocratic wedding of the year. Only trouble is, she’s been hired by the Mother of the Bride, and the bride herself is not happy about it. Can she pull it off – and keep her secret intact?

Now this is being shelved a lot as a romance – and as I said I read it after writing a post about romances set at weddings – but I think it’s actually closer to some of the women’s fiction I used to read back in the early 2000s, when it was being called Chick Lit (and although I have problems with that as a phrase, it is a useful descriptor in this case). It has a romantic element, but it’s not at all the main thrust of the plot. This is about Sophie trying to win over the prickliest and most hostile of clients and also figure out who she is after her own long term relationship ended. With lots of humour. Now some of that humour is a little too cringe/embarrassment-based for me, but I often found that with authors like Sophie Kinsella too and I know that other people love it.

That aside, I did really enjoy reading it – I miss books like this, or at least my memories of books like this – where they’re funny and female-centered with some competency porn in there too. It also has an added side of stately homes and rich people problems, so it’s ticking a bunch of my boxes.

My copy came from Netgalley aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages ago – but in a brilliant stroke of fortune it’s in Kindle Unlimited at the moment AND it’s also still available on Kobo and in paperback.

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: September 4 – September 10

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So it’s been a super busy week. Work plus two Rufus Wainwrights in a night, plus an evening watching the Freddie Auction, plus a weekend away does not a long list of reading make. But hey, I finished one of the long runners so that makes up for it right? Anyway, onwards!

Read:

Mrs Pargeter’s Public Relations by Simon Brett

The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes by Kate Strasdin*

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall*

Started:

Maiden Voyages by Siân Evans

The Ghost It Was by Richard Hull*

Still reading:

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker*

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney*

One paperback bought in Waterstones, three more bought online and an ebook too. Oops!

Bonus photo: the Outside Broadcast trucks outside Sotheby’s for the big first evening of the Freddie sale, as I walked past on the way down to Waterstones Piccadilly.

*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: August 28 – September 3

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I’m actually quite pleased with this for a week of reading. I was super busy but I enjoyed what I read. There’s a few things that have inspired some thoughts about things to write about too, which I really felt like I was needing. Now it’s September and the schools are going back so of course this week is predicted to be very hot, so we’ll see what that does to everything!

Read:

JFK is Missing by Liz Evans

Harum Scarum Married by Esmé Stuart

Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner*

Mrs Pargeter’s Point of Honour by Simon Brett

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Mrs Pargeter’s Principle by Simon Brett

The Betel Nut Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu

Started:

Mrs Pargeter’s Public Relations by Simon Brett

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall*

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney*

Still reading:

The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes by Kate Strasdin*

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker*

I don’t think I bought anything. What restraint!

Bonus photo: it was the open day at the vocational training centre at the weekend – and this is from inside their tropical plant tunnel. It made me feel like I could actually fit some more plants in the house after all…

*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: August 21 – August 27

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Well. I feel like August has been so busy that I don’t know where I am any more, except for the fact that it’s nearly over, so the school holidays are coming to an end and we’ve had more rain and miserable weather than I would hope for in a summer – even a British one. Still a pretty good week in reading all in, despite not finishing any of the long runners. I spotted the Shades of Magic graphic novel was in Kindle Unlimited and read that to remind myself of the world ahead of potentially reading the new book when that comes out. And I re-entered the world of Mrs Pargeter, which was a lot of fun.

Read:

Arabella by Georgette Heyer

Death at Crookham Hall by Michelle Salter

Suddenly at His Residence by Christianna Brand

Mrs Pargeter’s Patio by Simon Brett*

Mrs Pargeter’s Plot by Simon Brett

The Wedding Piper by Isabel Rogers

Shades of Magic Vol 1: The Steel Prince by V E Schwab et al

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez et al

The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters

Started:

JFK is Missing by Liz Evans

Still reading:

The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes by Kate Strasdin*

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker*

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

One book acquired on an evening walk to Waterstones Gower Street. I just can’t keep away…

Bonus photo: Friday night at the polo club (!) pop up restaurant. Possibly even more Happy Valley-esque than it felt last year!

*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, bookshelfies

Bookshelfie: My next project

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This is exactly what the title says it is – this is where I want my next bookshelf. This is the gap at the top of the stairs into the spare room. As you can see, at the moment, it’s currently the home to the Trisha Ashley books, which are in heaps because I couldn’t be bothered to put them all back shelf-style after I did the measuring up. I was hoping it was going to be a little antique bookshelf that I find somewhere in a shop or one of those vintage markets but I’ve been looking for a while and haven’t found anything yet, so maybe I’m going to have to find a carpenter to make some for me. In which case I’ll have to decide if I want it to go the whole way up (probably) which would mean relocating the Matilda poster (still can’t believe that original run at the RSC is so long ago) and probably rehanging all the theatre posters on that stairway – of which there are a few (half a dozen) and would mean doing some tidying up to hide the marks and would probably lead to redecorating the lot. So maybe I need to ask you to cross your fingers that I find a delightful little bookshelf in a shop soon that I can just slot in there. I already had a set of shelves here in mind – with some of the cozy crime series that are outgrowing their space on the downstairs shelves and because they’re mass market maybe not the best use of space on the bookcase they are in – but when my sister suggested that a bookshelf with a tempting selection for guests would be a good idea and that seemed like a good plan too. So who knows what will actually end up on there. And yes as you know, the spare room does have a bookshelf but as it’s slightly chaotic overspill and where books live is partly determined by how often I might want to use them, the travel books definitely live the furthest away from me and so any potential new bookshelf should be for books I might want more often than that. Which brings me back to cozies and romances. And I promise that the logic of all this makes sense to me, even if it might seem crazy to you!

Happy Saturday everyone!

Book News

Book news: New Emily Henry

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So I missed this being announced about ten days ago – but we have a date and a cover for the next Emily Henry novel. The blurb is out as well and has a heroine who is starting over after her fiancé realised he was actually in love with his childhood best friend and a hero who is the ex of that childhood best friend. They end up as roommates and decide to stage photos of themselves together for revenge on their mutual exes, just for show of course, definitely no real feelings involved…

Fake relationships are totally my cup of tea as you know, so this sounds delightful – if only I didn’t have to wait until April for it! But it is already pre-orderable on Kindle and Waterstones have a signed hardback edition up for preorder too.

books

Recommendsday: Gentle Fiction

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Inspired by yesterday’s post about Small Miracles, I thought I’d write today’s recommendsday is a batch of books that are similarly gentle but uplifting, but it was harder than I expected.

So Small Miracles is blurbed by A J Pearce as in the Emmy Lake series – which have more sadness to them than these (or at least more on page sadness) but the first one Dear Mrs Bird is in Kindle Unlimited at the moment, so that’s fairly risk free if you’re a KU member.

It’s actually really hard to come up with something that feels really similar – but I think maybe The Diary of a Provincial Lady would work – it’s funnier and also nearly 100 now, but it has a similar gentle, low stakes feel to it. Which also made me think of Miss Buncle – another woman trying to get some money, although in this case because her dividends have failed and Ladies don’t have jobs.

There were a few things in the people also read/bought columns that looked promising Julietta Henderson’s The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman – still haven’t read but kept coming up as a suggestion when I was writing this – so maybe I should get around it to! Also popping up is Claire Pooley’s The People on Platform Five – which I don’t have, but is 99p at the moment, so it’s entirely within the realms of possibility that I’ll end up buying it after writing this post! Again, I haven’t read them, but I know my sister and my mum really like Rachel Joyce’s novels and I think they’re doing something similar too.

Oh, and I’ve pre-ordered the Small Miracle’s sequel…

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: August 14 – August 20

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So, I didn’t get anything ticked off the long-runners list – although I have made some progress. But the new Lucy Parker arrived and I just couldn’t help myself. Also it was another super busy week – with a theatre trip and three nights away from home. This week might be slightly less busy, but I hesitate even to type that because it feels like tempting fate. Who said August was a quiet month?!

Read:

Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer

Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer

Small Miracles by Anne Booth*

Codename Charming by Lucy Parker

The Mystery of the Sorrowful Maiden by Kate Saunders

Fence: Striking Distance by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Biscuit Barrel Murder by Geoffery Start*

Started:

n/a

Still reading:

The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes by Kate Strasdin*

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd

The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker*

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Well I didn’t buy any books either on Kindle or when I went to Waterstones Gower Street, which is an achievement in itself. One pre-order did arrive though – as you may know – but they’ve already been counted.

Bonus photo: taking the disappointment over the World Cup final out on the jasmines in the back garden.

*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 related, books

Books in the Wild: The Works

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As I mentioned on Monday, I made a trip into town ash Sunday and did two bookshops. And as The Works seemed to have a lot of books I have read and recommended it seemed like I should do a post for those of you who fancy a 3 for £6 deal (or two)

Firstly: please note my first sighting of The Unsinkable Greta James in the wild – I didn’t see the hardback in stores (I ordered it) but here is the paperback. Next to it is The Fiancée Farce, which I own but haven’t read, but I have enjoyed some of Alexandria Bellefleure’s other romances. Also on the TBR pile are The Fake Up and The Setup – I will get to it, I promise. And then there is very recent BotW Mrs Nash’s Ashes!

Next across from that is probably the bookshelf in a store I have read most of this year! There’s a healthy stack of Christina Lauren: Roomies was a BotW, I have Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating on the pile and I’ve read but didn’t love Dating You, Hating You – it violated my no sabotage at work as a love language rule! Daisy Jones and the Six has already had one mention this week but it was also a BotW, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was a BotW as was The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice was too – and I wrote a whole series post. The Marlow Murder Club is one of the crop of similar series that have cropped up since – and I’ve read that and the sequel and they were fun.

Slightly less here, but still a good group – although now we’re out of the 3 for £6 group. There’s one of my favourite books of last year – Lessons in Chemistry – which I recently loaned to a colleague who loved it – and two Ali Hazelwoods Love Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis. I’ve read all of the Heartstopper – not long now for the final part – but I haven’t (yet) got into Sarah Jane Maas (although I have a friend who loves her), or Elle Kennedy or Lucy Score (or Colleen Hoover on the last shelves) and I had a bad experience with my first Tessa Bailey so I know she’s not for me – although (again) I know people who love her.

And finally, actually this is the one with the most I’ve read! Dead Romantics was a BotW (as was Poston’s latest don’t forget!), I’ve read The Kiss Curse too (and have Hex Appeal on the Kindle too), I’ve read both the Amy Leas and the Richard Coles and another Heartstopper. I read The Problem with Perfect last week – it was another of my flawed options for BotW this week – Weather Girl is not as good as Business or Pleasure but it is fun. I’ve read Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and it didn’t work for me, but as it has sequels (one of which you can see here!) it clearly did for others. I would rather read Gail Carriger – but if you’ve read her you might like it. And finally I really need to read the Jesse Sutanto.

And so to sum up: an excellent time for you to go to The Works – as long as you don’t mind carrying books home with you. You’ll have to wait until the next Books Incoming to see what I took home with me though!

Have a great weekend!