Midnight in Havana by Peggy Blair

I started this book thinking it was just going to be a plain old mystery book , I realised incredibly quickly that it was out of this world brilliant! This book had everything I could have asked for in a story. There was mystery, suspense , characters I cared for, baddies,a thrilling plot, red herring's , a perfect setting in Havana in Cuba and an ending that blew me away. There is not a single thing I could fault this book on, I can't wait until my friends read this book when it comes out so we can talk about it. I will be reading everything this author publishes in future without a doubt as this book kept me guessing from beginning to end making it very hard to put down.


I was kindly given this book by Lovereading.co.uk but you can get it when it is released in July 2013 from Lovereading.co.uk and all other good bookstores.
Here is a link to this book on Lovereading.co.uk:
http://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/8887/Midnight-in-Havana-An-Inspector-Ramirez-Investigation-by-Peggy-Blair.html

My 1st Year Blogger Anniversary

Well guys I am 1 year blogging today. I never thought for one minute when I began that I would enjoy it as much as I have. Thank you to everyone who follows me, comments, reads and retweets you guys make this so much fun ! I started this hoping to find more people who love books and reading as much as I do and the book community welcomed me with open arms. Here's to hopefully many years of book blogging and talking about books and beauty in the future  .I love you guys xxxxxxxxxxxx

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore by Willam Joyce. Review.

I adored this book from the front cover to the back. The story on its own is beautiful but add in some gorgeous illustrations and you have something very precious to cherish. I will be giving this to my niece as soon as she is old enough to appreciate it. I have read it twice since I got it today as it is such a small special book. This is the story of one mans life with a love of reading . I even shed a tear at the end. I could not recommend this more!

In My Mailbox

 

The fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore by William Joyce.
The above book is suitable for children and those young at heart especially those who enjoy book illustrations.
Below is a link to youtube where you can watch the video of this book.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxrYDaj0dbs

 I was kindly sent the above book by Lovereading.co.uk for review  .Midnight in Havana by Peggy Blair.  I adore this title!!

                                         Guardians At The Gate by Ray Dacolias I won over on Goodreads.

Reading Right Now

 

The Misbegotten by Katherine Webb. Review.

The first thing you should know about this book is that it does not give up it's secrets easily. The second thing you should know about it is that those secrets are well worth the wait. The mystery girl within the entire story is called Alice and although it has been a long time since anybody has seen her she has a very strong presence even though she is believed to be dead. The characters are very strong in this book, some more likeable then others, but none are easily forgotten. Three characters from the book appealed to me the most and they were Jonathon, Rachel and Starling. These three all have their own troubles and it is wonderful seeing their characters develop throughout the story, the more the story went on the more I liked them. The entire book is jam packed with mystery and that is what really carries you through the story. It was definitely a gripping and at times intense read that is well worth every minute you spend reading it. The ending was perfect,  I loved it!!!

I received this book for review by the kind folks over at lovereading.co.uk.
This book is due for release in August 2013
If you would like to know more about this book then please click on the link below.
http://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/9781409131472/isbn/The-Misbegotten-by-Katherine-Webb.html

June Book Haul. Pretty Books

xxxx Pretty Book Haul xxxx

 

 

 A Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Penguin Thread edition. Beautiful!!!!!!!

                                                 The back cover above is just soooo pretty!!

                                    Trenton Lee Stewart. The Mysterious Benedict Society

                                                  Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

                      Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper. I love this series!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  Alice by Joseph Delaney.... Spooks series

                   The Beautiful Wildwood book by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis.

Mini Haul

This book by Molly Harper I have listened to previously to through audible and I loved it so I decided I would get the paperback version. This is book one in this series.

Diners, Dives and Dead Ends by Terri L. Austin . I loved the sound of this book! Cute cover too!      

A mystery book by David Roberts. I have never read anything by this author before but decided to give this one a go.

Having read this book recently I decided to get the paperback so I can underline quotes until my heart's  content.

Hearse And Buggy by Laura Bradford

********* Minimum amount of spoilers***********

....sigh... I loved this!!!!! This is book one in the Amish Mystery series by Laura Bradford and I am hooked. I have since got the next book in this series.
The story is about a young woman called Claire who moves to Amish Country Pennsylvania. Living with her aunt in her B and B and running a new shop selling Amish wares life has really started to improve for this recently separated young woman. Throw in a dead body, red herring's, a different culture and lots of mystery and you have yourself one very enjoyable read. There are some wonderful characters here ,Claire, her aunt Diane and Esther are my favourites. I love the friendship between Claire and her aunt and Claire and Esther. There is something really comforting reading about them, I think Esther looks up to Claire a lot, and with Claire and her aunt I think they both need each other and gain a lot emotionally by living together, maybe a little more so on Claire's side since leaving her ex husband, I think she is still very vulnerable. This was a wonderful book from start to finish and I can't wait to begin book 2.

Doll Bones by Holly Black Review

What a wonderful sinister cover to a book. Check out the green water she it sitting in, the vacant stare.. I mean come on this is awesome!.
This is the story of 3 children, a creepy doll with a sad , surprising history and one very big adventure. I read this book in one sitting. The characters and the plot were intriguing and fast paced so I flew through this. The story is about a little boy called Zach and his friends Poppy and Alice who try to get a doll back to her rightful place. My favourite part of the story was all the detail put in about the doll called " The Queen" and her history and how the story ended for her. A very enjoyable read!!

Mystery Book Review

 

This is the heart warming tale of Ella Montclair , mother/wife/daughter. Ella and her husband Sebastian are going through a tough patch and it is not getting any easier with him living at the bottom of the garden . Marriage and the ups and downs of it are at the forefront of the story, and it's not just Ella's marriage that is in trouble! 

Although the story is touching at times it is filled with humour too. My favourite characters were Ella's parents who both made me chuckle when we get a look at their own marriage with it's own difficulties . There are a lot of lost souls in this story and one thing we see clearly is you get from marriage what you put into it. A beautiful story that's perfect for a relaxing read.

 

This book without title or description was sent to me to try and guess the author and to review it.

I was sent this book by Lovereading.co.uk and it  is due for release in  Autumn  2013 .

 

http://www.lovereading.co.uk/

Geek Girl by Holly Smale

I have to say the first thing that attracted me to this book was the gorgeous geeky cover!
Inside the cover it is just as geeky and fabulous!
The main character is a 15 year self confessed geek called Harriet. Harriet is a sweet character who is going through a real transition phase in her life . Her best buddy Natalie always has her back and during the story she is going to need her friend now more then ever. Of course no story would be complete without a baddie and there is one in the form of a girl called Alexa .. Ohhh she is horrid, and she really dislikes Harriet and makes her life a living hell whenever she is around. There are big changes in this story for this young woman and each one of them was great fun to read about as Harriet is such a funny clumsy girl . This book is aimed at  the 11+ but if you are into YA books you will really enjoy this. Looking at the back cover of the book it looks like there is going to be another book following on from this one so keep a look out if you enjoy this!

Reading Right Now

 

An Unusual Book In My Mailbox

This week I was sent the book below to read and review and to guess who the author is. The winner will win 52 books by the lovely folks over at Penguin.
This was so much fun trying to figure out who the author was. I think I have guessed correctly and if I am right it is an author I have read many times before and loved!!!

June Glossybox 2013

Well folks the summer sunshine has been with us this past few days and so this beauty box could not have come at a more perfect time.

 

Frizz -Ease gets plenty of use in my house during the warmer weather.. This stops me looking  like a frizzy poodle in humidity.

Monu! I have loved each of the samples of this product I have gotten in my boxes. A hard working product that does exactly what it says it is going to do.

I am a big fan of Figs and Rouge and this coloured gloss is just beautiful.The shade I received was Cherry Blosom. Great brand!

                                   MeMeMe eyeshadow in the shade Dusk Mono 02

  Helen E lip liner .There does not appear to be a name for the colour of this pencil.

                       Lip gloss by Figs and Rouge on the left. Lip Pencil by Helen E on the right.

                                                                       The Goodies

                                                            The summer Glossymag

June Kindle Small Haul

The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

 

                                         Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

                                   Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood

The Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares

 

The first time I was ever introduced to this series is through the movie of the same name. The four female lead characters were incredibly enjoyable to watch so when I found out there was a series of  books I could not have been more pleased. Tibby, Lena ,Bridget and Carmen are the four female leading characters in the book and they have a very close bond. Their mothers met  while pregnant with each of them and as soon as they popped out they grew to become friends.
 There are a good few differences between the book and the movie but not so many that you are lost.
The bond these friends have is the most special thing about the story .The story is told in sections where we get a glimpse of each girl and what is going on in her life as the jeans pass to each of them.
Each girl documents what happened while wearing the jeans and then passes them on.  By the end of the book these are one well travelled pair of jeans and their own bond is even closer then before. A lovely story , perfect for summer reading for anyone looking for a YA read.

The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Reading this book was very enjoyable and fun.... also a little bit like what having a temperature well in the hundreds while reading a science fiction comic book while drunk must be like. There is so much to like about this story. OMG the originality !!! Every so often you are just blown away by the hilarious sentences the author sneaks in there. An escapist read at its finest ! I can't wait to read book 2 in the series!