December Book Haul part 1

                                                        December Book Haul Part 1

There is a lot of sales out there right now and one place I love to see sales is bookshops . I have picked up a few new books and a few pre-loved books too.

Girl Reading  - Katie Ward is a perfect book for people who enjoy a book about books(if you know someone who might enjoy that kind of book you might want to put this into their Christmas stocking)

Josephine Cox -Journey's End is the story about a woman coming home after many years away and now looking for answers from her husband who she left behind.

Barbara Taylor Bradford-Voice of the heart is the story of two women and a man who they loved and lost. This one looks like a real page turner.There is 928 pages!!!!!! Yikes but she is such a wonderful storyteller I know it will be easy to stick with.

The Olive Season- Carol Drinkwater is a autobiographical book about the author's travels to France where she and her partner buy a house and Olive farm.This is the second book about the author's move to France.The first book is called The Olive Farm. I think I may save this book to read over the summer.

The Space between us-John MacKenna .This is the story about when a man loses his wife and has to raise their young daughter by himself. This looks like  a  really good read !!

 

The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy by Fiona Neill is the story about Lucy Sweeney a mother who regularly does the school run in her p.j's. Think motherhood is glamorous ?? You might want to consider reading this before conceiving.Full of laugh out loud moments !!

 

Bloomability by Sharon Creech is the story about a young girl called Dinnie who is being moved to a different country by her aunt and uncle despite her wishes..surely no good can come of that....well we will have to read this and find out.

 

Nell's Novel by Maeve Flanagan is the story about Nell who is a writer, teacher ,daydreamer... about to write a book or two.... I have a feeling this is going to be delightful!

 

Too close for comfort by Clare Dowling is the story about families and all the complications that go with them.. Looks like a fun read !!!

 

A Woman Of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford is the story about a young kitchen maid who leaves Fairley hall 16,single and pregnant...Let the drama begin !!!

 

All I Ever Wanted -Kristan Higgins is the story about Callie Grey thinks she has it all, a great job and boyfriend/boss and she is hoping to very soon have an engagement ring. Unfortunately he gives it to someone else . It looks like it is time for Callie to organise a brand new life for herself.

 

 Belle by Lesley Pearse is the story about a young girl raised in a London brothel.After seeing a murder she is thrown out and ends up as a courtesan in New Orleans.Belle has to try to find the courage to try and escape and find her way home.

 Second Time Around -Erin Kaye is the story about a woman called Jennifer Irwin who is coming up to her 45th birthday. Jennifer has a family and a successful business but is now feeling a bit lonely. In comes Ben Crawford,16 years younger then her and a affair begins. This really peeves off her daughter and as she is dating someone unsuitable she can hardly talk so this sounds like the perfect drama fix on a boring sat night.

 

Girl Friday -Jane Green's the story about a couple Kit and Adam who break up after 15 years of marriage.After the divorce Kit is working for a novelist Robert and is very fond of him so when her yoga instructor takes a fancy to him Kit is not impressed. There is a lot of secrets in this one and Tracey may be holding a lot of them. Can't wait to start this one.

 

An Appetite For Murder by Lucy Burdette

                                                             An Appetite for Murder
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It's freezing cold outside and when the weather is soooo rotten it is the perfect time for a cozy mystery. My choice for this week was An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette. This is the first book in the Key West Food Critic Mystery series and it's a truly fab book for the first in a series.
We start with our main character Hayley Snow as she is trying to get a job as a food critic for Key Zest magazine, the new Key West style magazine. Hayley adores food and talking about it so it would be her ideal job. There is one snag to all her dreams coming true and that is her ex boyfriend's current girlfriend Kristen Faulkner is co-owner of the magazine...
If things were not hard enough Kristen is murdered and a stunned Hayley has some questions to answer down at the police station. Hayley then begins to do some investigating of her own to find out who exactly hated Kristen enough to make sure she would never be eating another tasty morsel again.There are lots of great characters in this book , I was particularly fond of little old Miss Gloria, she is a great character that I hope we are going to see a lot more of in the future.
At the beginning of each chapter there is a quote/ item of interest from the likes of Miss Piggy,Mark Twain and my particular favourite one was about Irish law and a mouse..truly entertaining !!
This was a real fun cozy mystery with great characters in a lovely setting in Key West with mouthwatering descriptions of food with some added extras of cake,cookie and eggplant recipes at the back of the book plus an excerpt from the next book in this series. This is def a book to check out if you enjoy cozy mysteries, red-herrings and whodunnits..A great read :0)
Link to Lucy's website below where you can find out about all her books.

You can find Lucy here:http://lucyburdette.com/

Book Habits for 2013

                                                             Book Habits for 2013


We are not even finished with 2012 and I am already thinking about all the great books that are coming out next year. Around this time last year I promised myself that I would really push myself with my reading for this year and I am glad to say that I met my goal for 2012 on Goodreads and have since gone past it.There has been a lot of TV programs I missed this year!
I had wanted to read a certain amount of books from each genre and not just stick with my favourites and I did that too. It opened my eyes to some wonderful writers and some great new book series.
I was esp surprised by how much I enjoyed Dystopian books and I really got into audio's and the classics. 2012 was the year I introduced myself to the Bronte sisters and I have to say Charlotte was my favourite. Jane Eyre I loved!!! It was a shame I left it so long to read it.
So are you at all interested in what I have planned for 2013?
Well friends if you are then sit down and make yourself comfy and lets begin.

Goal 1= To reach 225 goal on Goodreads.
Goal 2=To read all the works of Dickens.
Goal 3=To read a minimum of 30 children's books(not modern children's books)
Goal 4=To read 10 books with magical/fantasy element such as fairy,zombie,witch, vampire, Greek Gods.
Goal 5 =To re-read the Harry Potter series.
Goal 6= To read 30-60 Horror/Thriller books.
Goal 7= To find and recommend some new Authors and Book bloggers and Booktubers.
Goal 8=To read 30 cozy mysteries minimum.(This is one of my most favourite genre's)
Goal 9=To regularly use my library. ( come on guys lets not forget about these great places where you can wander around for hours drooling over books and they wont shoo you away out of there)
Goal 10=I am going to give more books as gifts so I can support the writers that give me so many hours of happiness while also encouraging others to read more.



So  have you any bookish plans made for the new year? If you do  pop them in the comments below,I would love to here about it.Cheerio friends and I hope where ever you are that you are cosy and warm with plenty of books to read.

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy

 

A Week in Winter

 

 

 

 

 

When Maeve Binchy writes a story you can be certain of many things. The first being that it will have great characters that you will care about,second that it will have secrets that you almost feel that only you know, and third her wonderful books will tug at your heartstrings .This book does all of that. Maeve created a story about a place called Stone House on the west coast of Ireland, a hotel where all sorts of people from all over the world will find themselves. Each person has their own tales and hardships and the one thing that almost all of them have in common is  that Stone House almost heals them while they are there.The hotels happy atmosphere and pleasant surroundings relaxes those who will let it and it is run by a former troubled woman called Chicky. Chicky has had her own fair share or hardships and secrets but who also found solace here, she has made the hotel the santuary that it is  with the help of some staff that she calls friends .
If you have read previous books by Maeve then you will not be surprised to see mention of some familiar places that were in some of her previous books.
There are a good few deaths in this book which I found even more sad when as we all know Maeve died very recently ,this is her final book and as I read the last sentences I did it with tears in my eyes . What a glorious last novel by a gifted writer and wonderful storyteller

Sixpence House by Paul Collins

                                                                  Sixpence House

This is the book for anyone who wishes to visit Hay-On-Wye, the town of books or daydreams about it like I do. I was there three years ago this week and I was so pleased when I found this book this week. Paul left San Francisco with his family for this sleepy little town in the Black Mountains in Wales on the border of Hereford and Hereford-shire. It was lovely going back there through Paul's eyes hearing about the streets he walked down that I walked  down myself( I too was in that Chinese..for hours on those sofas).The book is full of tit bits of information about the booksellers in the town and it's history...even a notorious poisoner from the early 1920's.This is a book I would recommend to everyone esp those who love to read books about books or wonderful quaint book towns

Jasmine Nights by Julia Gregson

                                                                  Jasmine Nights

Jasmine Nights was the perfect escapist read. It had everything you could want from a book. Family troubles, exotic locations, and two main characters trying to hold love together during a time of war. This book had me almost in tears a few times , the way this author tells a story really speaks to the reader. Keep the tissues handy!

This book was based in 1942 when war was raging throughout the world, there was also rationing and moral was low. But one beautiful young singer called Saba decides to help the troops by going over to foreign countries to sing to them .By choosing to go and work by singing to the troops she goes against her abusive fathers wishes and so leaves home without his blessing much to the distress of her mother.Before she goes away she meets Don who had seen her previously in a hospital for soldiers wounded. Saba's relationship with Dom was often heartbreaking when they were often separated due to war work,then when Don's plane is supposed to have crashed Saba fears for his life. Saba's own life is also put to risk when she is given a mission. This book had me guessing all the time, I hated having to set it down , I feared for Saba's and Don's safety and that they would find each other again. It was a real page turner .Dishes were left to be washed and husband unfed until I finished! I will now have to find other books written by this author.

Reading List for December

                                                       Reading List For December

Hi there friends! This past while my reading habits have been a bit famine or feast so I thought for December I would plan my reading in advance. I do not normally do this as the likelihood of me being that disciplined with my reading is a bit meh!
So while crossing fingers and toes(that is going to make turning the pages loads of fun) I am going to attempt to read these little beauties this month......Actually some are not so little:0)

Here goes: