Book Haul

As much as I love books,  when it comes to Christmas and birthdays people are often wary about getting me books fearing that I may already have any that they would choose , so that being said , when I found a lovely book gift card under the tree I was thrilled beyond measure . Books that I had my eye on were now going to be mine ...... after all , I had promised them in the store I would be back for them ;0) 

Here are the goodies I got : 

Ann Prachett , Commonwealth 

The Diary Of A Bookseller

A Little Life

Bullet journal 365

Festive Greetings

Hello lovelies ! For those who celebrate , are you having a lovely Christmas ? I do hope so ! It was my birthday on Christmas Day and I had a nice and busy day . Christmas dinner was hosted in my house this year so I was up early preparing everything and then spent the evening watching comedies and trying not to fall asleep cuddling up beside my mum and my dogs on the couch as the men snored . This year felt a little sad , there are people I have lost from my life and it feels a little emotional thinking of them and past times , but I have some lovely memories to cherish and that’s what counts . 

Now on with the goodies :0)

This picture above was sent from my best male friend Ivan. We have been friends for many many years and each year we send each other parcels for our birthdays and Christmas . How spoilt was I !!!! Everything a woman could ask for and more . 

I got treated to some very special gifts this year, here’s a look at some of my lovely bookish gifts . 

My hubby got this wonderful book about all the literary places in London . Last time I was in London I visited a place very special to me in Charing Cross . This will give me loads more inspiration for my next visit. 

I can’t wait to read all about the early days of one of my favorite literary families .

An old favorite ! The women in this family are a delight to read about . A story about family and female bonds. 

My lovely American friend Ivan send me this book above and below in a beautiful trunk labeled “ Hygge” . It was the perfect gift! 

My darling friend in America sends me a fabulous box every year with treats . This beautiful book was in it this year. 

Ohhhhh so lovely

I was so excited when I saw this 

My husband has always supported my journaling and always gets me lovely ones every year.

My new bullet journals courtesy of my lovely husband

Feeling Festive

I love Christmas and each year I get excited about decorating and making the house extra cosy and a place I want to be when it’s cold and rainy outside,not forgetting the real reason behind it all .

 I don’t really buy many decorations anymore , maybe one or two a year . I often get gifted them from my friend in America and they are fab! 

What I particularly enjoy are the lovely smells of Christmas , they are gorgeous , from the foods and the tree to the clementines and the drinks , Christmas really is a treat for the senses . Well my friends I thought I would give you a peek at my home this Christmas and hope you are enjoying the run down to the big day if that’s something you enjoy celebrating , I wish you a safe and happy December . Xx 






I love this bookish vase I got from my mum for my birthday .



A week ago when it was very cold ( above) . 



I love this little car :0)

Mistletoe Murder by Karen MacInerney . Review

This is book 4 in the Dewberry Farm mystery series by Karen MacInerney . This book is set around Christmas time  and has a wonderful festive feel to the story as well as some awesome recipes and oh yeah , some cold blooded murder ! I loved it! 

Lucy is very busy in this book , selling at the Christmas markets as well as running her farm ,spending time with her dishy veterinarian boyfriend  , and trying to solve a murder . This was the perfect book to cosy up with on a cold night , and I read it all in one sitting , it was just too good to set down . I highly recommend ! Enjoy this festive treat!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review . 

Check out the link below where you can find this book and lots of other great books by this author . Karen is one of my all time favorite authors and you can’t go wrong with any of her books . 

http://karenmacinerney.com/

In My Mailbox

Well guys I have a real mixed bag of goodies to read and review this December . Here they are ,YA and Adult fiction . All books sent in for review courtesy of @lovereading.co.uk 

While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt

Last Letter Feom Istanbul by Lucy Foley .

Flying Tips For Flightless Birds by Kelly McCaughrain

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Life Of Crime by Kimberley Chambers

Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon 

Big Bones by Laura Dockrill

The Truth And Lies Of Ella Black by Emily Barr. Review

Ella Black is a seemingly ordinary seventeen year old girl with a great family and normal upbringing . Nearing her 18th birthday things in her life drastically change when she is taken out of school suddenly one day and taken to Rio . 

The story was interesting in many ways , I was not sure if Ella was having some sort of mental breakdown and possibly imagining some of it , or if this heartbreaking situation was actually happening to her. It soon becomes clear what’s going on and the surprises just keep going . When a life has been filled with secrets and lies it’s going to cause problems one day and this is what happens when it really blows up for Ella shaking her to her core . Finding your own identity and place in the world is incredibly important as Ella finds out . 

I received this book for review from the lovely people over at Lovereading4kids.co.uk

This book is being published January 2018 and will be available from Lovereading4kida and all other good bookstores then . 

Below please find the link:

http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/9780141367002/isbn/noredirect

Coming Home To Island House by Erica James . Review

This is a story about families , the ups and downs , heartbreaks and breathtaking moments . The story is based around Romily and Jack , an unconventional marriage based upon the opinions of the locals in the village  , but there is much more going on with them under the surface . When tragedy occurs and family members  have been pushed together again at Island House ,limits are pushed and emotions are running high .

This was a beautiful epic story of one family with a very strong couple at the helm. I loved Romily's character , she had the right amount of common sense with a good dose of empathy even though her entire life changed and she had to share her home with some people who did not feel much love towards her . This is a feel good story with lots of moments that leave you with a lump in your throat. A must read ! 

I received this book for review from the lovely people over at lovereading.co.uk

This book is being published January 2018 and will be available from lovereading.co.uk and all other good bookstores then . 

Below please find a link :

https://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/17898/Coming-Home-to-Island-House-by-Erica-James.html

Reading This Weekend

Hi guys! Hope you all had a lovely week . 

This evening feels really like autumn , the heating is on , there is hailstones bashing the windows and I have a stack of books by my side and some lovely Yogi tea . 

There is something about this time of year that has me reaching for mysteries more then other time of year , nothing like a cosy mystery to solve before you hit the hay every night !

Some of this weeks books you may have seen on previous weeks blog uploads , I am only finishing them this weekend , they have all been started . 

Here we go!

I Am Thunder by Mohammad Khan . Review

This is a story about a teenage girl called Muzna , she dreams of being an author when she gets older but her strict Muslim parents have other ideas for her . Muzna is a great character , she is funny and down to earth with ambition and gumption . Muzna lives in the UK with her family who are originally from Pakistan , she has had a rigid upbringing where her parents are always trying to keep her safe in every way,  but especially where boys are concerned , so when she meets a boy she likes her straightforward world gets a lot more complicated and dangerous for her and those around her . This was a beautiful and heartbreaking book , the main character had such a great sense of humour I was rooting for her to do well . I read this in one sitting , it was marvellous . 

I received this book for review from the lovely people over at Lovereading4kids . This book is being published January 2018 and will be available from Lovereading4kids and all other good bookstores then . 

Below please find a link :

http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/9781509874057/isbn/noredirect

Happy Halloween

 Hi guys ! Happy Halloween ! It would not be Halloween without a Halloween list of my favourite fear inducing reads so here is my list for this year with some reappearances of some old favourites :

1: NOS4R2 by Joe Hill

2:The Woman In Black by Susan Hill

3: Dracula by Bram Stoker

4: Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

5: Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

6: 14 by Peter Clines 

7: Misery by Stephen King

8: The Shining by Stephen King

9: It by Stephen King 

10: The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

Wishing you a spooktacular Halloween !  

In My Mailbox

In my mailbox today for review is this fab book:

I Am Thunder by Mohammad Khan 

Reading This Week

Hi guys! Hope you are having a lovely Monday . I was at the library last week where I picked up some more awesome cookery books and a few other bits and bobs . I tell you , there is nothing like autumn weather for making you want to pull out the cookery books  and make something hot and nourishing . I am still working my way through the cookery books from my blog post of last week and I can truly say I found more then just  a few gems to cook in those books. Ahhhh books and good food , the perfect  pair for the cold months . 

Also , in other news  have you seen "A Quiet Passion "  ,featuring Cynthia Nixon where she plays the poet Emily Dickinson ?  I am hoping to watch it this weekend and I can't wait! I love books about authors/ poets  and books or bookshops ..... sigh .... I only wish there was more of them. I might post a review on here when I finish it . 

Anyway my lovelies have a great day.  

Competition Goodies

Hello lovelies ! I recently entered a competition on Instagram that MissBohemia and Littlebookwormig were running . I was the very lucky winner and here are the gorgeous bookish goodies I picked as my prize . 

If you enjoy bookish goodies or like to buy them as gifts for your book loving friends MissBohemia has an Etsy shop where there is oodles of loveliness !