This was one of my #auldlangsspine24 books from @DebinHawaii and I am so glad as I would like to read more from this author. Great, rich historical fiction. This follows Mercy a smart young girl from San Francisco‘s Chinatown in the weeks prior to & then immediately after the earthquake. Mercy is brave & funny as she navigates her way into an elite girls school ready to take on the world before circumstances remind her of what truly matters.

This was one of my #auldlangsspine24 books from @DebinHawaii and I am so glad as I would like to read more from this author. Great, rich historical fiction. This follows Mercy a smart young girl from San Francisco‘s Chinatown in the weeks prior to & then immediately after the earthquake. Mercy is brave & funny as she navigates her way into an elite girls school ready to take on the world before circumstances remind her of what truly matters.

High literature these are not and yet I am living this series. This time we have an enemy to lovers story set against a family feud of sorts. I really do like the world this author has created and how there is a depth to the writing even when a little fluffy. In this I like the exploration of family and what it means to belong

@DebinHawaii my things are 1. I have a day off!! 2. I got to have a sleep in! 3. I just had my food shopping delivered and get to food prep this afternoon to make next week easy! 4. My parents have had their Covid and flu jabs which makes me worry a little less 5. The pup and I are going to a Sunday adventure so something nice to look forward to!

fantastical & mystical I picked this up as i needed ‘a book about a city‘ & it was recommended. It‘s a special, beautiful odd book. A story about a demon who claims a city for her own, growing it over decades & blessing or cursing its people & what happen when it is destroyed by 3 angels - one of whom she curses in her rage. As she mourns & grieves & remembers, the angel returns to her over decades as she (they) build the city once more. ⬇️

Reading out of order but another really enjoyable story in this series. There is a couple of layers here - yes a cool lgbtq romance but also a story about fear and fitting jn. An easy read

Bought in Salem last weekend to meet a book about magic prompt for peak witchiness. This is on the surface a light and frothy cozy tale of a magical competition in a Salem-esque town in Illinois. Dig a little deeper and there is a some great female friendships, a lovely lgbtq romance and an interesting story about how and where you might belong

I almost put this down - it was very sow and high on the magical realism which. Is not my favourite but slowly it pulled me in. I really loved the atmospheric old house in Durban, truly a character in its own right and also enjoyed hearing about the Indian immigrants to South Africa something I did not know about about. Ultimately I think this will stick - a story of missed opportunity, trauma and childhood hurt and more

Loved this. Eons ago at university I did a half module on Arthurian legend of which I remember almost nothing! This story of the youngest daughter of the Duke of Cornwall fighting against a genuinely evil stepfather, seeking knowledge to heal to take control of her own destiny was a fabulous rich story and the introduction of Arthur‘s hints for interesting things ahead in this trilogy

Another outing for Raisa the fabulously employed FBI agent forensic linguist who is pulled into a seemingly closed serial killer case connected to book 1 and her own challenging family background. Less linguistic leaps than book 1, or at least until 70% in bi when they come they are good. It‘s twisty and asks some interesting questions about the impact of trauma and what it means to trust. Rapidly becoming a go to author for me

This was almost perfect as a thriller let down a little bt the straw out ending. Teenager Eliza arrives at the fbi office in Seattle in the middle of the night and confesses to a murder insistent yo speak to only 1 person. What emeres is a creepy tale of a small town and a cult like church community where secrets and half truths@are commonplace. A good way to spend a couple of hours after a busy week.

This is a captivating story about Rachel, a slave in Barbados who seeks to find her stolen children after emancipation comes. It‘s powerful on a mother love and freedom but I found it strangely flat - full of coincidence and a large cast of often more interesting characters of whom we learn only some of their story. Bought those one for #readingtheamericas2023. D only just got to it!

I suspect his will be my most read author this year as I am really enjoying. This was a really strong twisty murder mystery featuring all the good tropes. There is a troubled police offer and her incredibly patient partner. A rich powerful pillar of the community and a troubled family with a missing child. Somehow however it‘s so much more than all of its parts. Now to find what else is on kindle unlimited !

I‘ve been really enjoying this authors books but this, a stand alone is a bit of softer pick with em. Loved the atmospheric and isolated setting of a small island off of Maine coast and the secrets that come out when a police officer returns home for the first time in many years. Trigger warnings abound

This was almost perfect. It‘s a fast paced tale of the life of Hercules told not by himself but by those around him - a mix of those he loved and those who hated him. It‘s refreshingly honest and embraces the queer nature of Ancient Greece but keeping track of all of the people and voices is a lot. The tone is quite Jodi Taylor esque (esp when you get to the character list) and feels a bit much across so many narrators.

Quite enjoying this so far. Lots of different perspective on Hercules from people who crossed his path. If I can finish this before September 1st which is an off chance given my upcoming work week I will make my first ever line in bingo!

Read for a challenge with a book by a journalist this was .. a lot. Ex marine turned SBS is now trying out life in the security services when he gets pulled into a twisty issue that would have James Bond shaking his head. It moves very fast from cartels to more traditional enemies of the state and ends up in a rush to solve before a terrible attack. For me there was too much h here and it took away from the story⬇️

Trope laden but still quite fun. Fake marriages, billionaires, billionaires who are also awful, sparky young kids - it doesn‘t set itself up to be classic literature but tells a the tale well. I liked the protagonist who takes no crap and doesn‘t buy into her makeover to make her a worthwhile person which I appreciated. I suspect I won‘t remember this in 6 months but enjoyed for a few hours in the sunshine

Trope laden but still quite fun. Fake marriages, billionaires, billionaires who are also awful, sparky young kids - it doesn‘t set itself up to be classic literature but tells a the tale well. I liked the protagonist who takes no crap and doesn‘t buy into her makeover to make her a worthwhile person which I appreciated. I suspect I won‘t remember this in 6 months but enjoyed for a few hours in the sunshine

In many ways very similar to her first book this is a more assured novel. secrets, complex families and locked in location all come together for a somewhat unbelievable but quite creepy lock in murder mystery. Like her first novel the weather - initially hot, sticky and unforgiving turning to wild winds is as u h a protagonist as the bad guy (my reading location is pretty fun for today)

A Ya distopian threat been on my kindle for 8 years. It‘s a great set up. a national lottery has allowed 20 plus years of genetical modifying 1% of babies born. Now the rest aren‘t sure they like seeing this group - ‘the ones‘ succeed…in steps in big government with the equality COmission and act aimed to controlling and minimising the risk they believe the ones hold. The decent into violence & hatred is almost inevitable. ⬇️

This has the potential to be a great and fun romantic comedy but falls a little short. The male protagonist has a bucket load of issues and I am not sure they fully get solved more than magiced away - also there is a fair amount of reflecting on life lessons versus showing them. For all that though it was an easy enjoyable read and perfect for the start of a short break in the sunshine

My #bookedintime read for Indian independence that I really loved. It‘s great historical fiction but also has a really strong family story with excellently rendered female relationships. Following 3 sisters through the violence of independence and partition it was both profoundly sad and incredibly hopeful. Also more thoughts below ⬇️ My copy came from India last year and so is also my twentieth for #readaway2024 @Andrew65

A bit bonkers but good fun. The start of a new leaves series with conman turned lawyer Eddie Flynn reluctantly defending the Russian mafia… a fast double crossing ride

I have never really understood the pull of a cozy mystery but one set in a lighthouse library in the outer banks - one of the most beautifully places I have ever been and I couldn‘t resist. It was saccharine sweet but I did think characters were fleshed out well and could see the appeal of diving back into the world created (was v into filters in 2013 clearly!)

In an effort to clear the kindle I picked this 2013 buy. it‘s a solid if perhaps unecesssrily complex murder mystery set in the Arizona desert. Narrated by Bridget Quinn in the first person its the story of a somewhat disgraced, early retired FBI agent and the case that got away. Bridget is frankly infuriating but also kind of awesome and it was interesting to have a slightly older protagonist. Apparently now there are also another 3!

Picked this for 30s dust bowl for #bookedintime and whilst starting and finishing late I LOVED this book. It‘s a story of an orphan on the bridge of adulthood who finds himself talking his way into driving 2 African giraffes across the states from New York to San Diego. A road trip in the best tradition of both adventures en route alongside a deeper story of growing self awareness and acceptance. and giraffes! ⬇️ @Cuilin

Here‘s my very vague list for the month @TheAromaofBooks

A kindle special I probably would not have bought had I realised it was short stories but actually quite enjoyed. Grisham brings his characters alive with deft pen portraits - the stories are a real mix but overall I enjoyed even if there is some mining of previous themes

The story here is simple - a young boy disappears from his best friends garden where they had both been camping and the unsolved case echoes through the following 30 years impacting everyone in the small community where it happened. An interesting story but for me a bit flat - the flashbacks were cut into small pieces and the loosely drawn current time characters were only loosely painted so I wasn‘t ever that sure I cared who had done it.

This could have been a fun but with purpose five star rom com but fell flat to me & is a low pick. Both Emma & Justin are grappling with big issues, parental dramas and general trauma to the extent that their story feels heavy under the weight. Justin is more well rounded but seems to be written to be a bit try to hard on the quirky- dog named after his best friend, surveys for dates etc. ticks of my season in the title prompt for #readthedate

@dabbe love this #tlt #threelistthursday I opened your playlist and could see I had over 20 of the songs on various lists of mine ! My picks today (tomorrow will be different again) ! The 1 guaranteed to get me moving on a slow morning - Harry styles As It was… the second a song to get someone singing to Africa by Toto and third the song that makes me think of family parties is the 4 tops sugarpie honey bunch

So I have not read Antigone so didn‘t know it was a retelling which perhaps explains a couple of what felt like slightly clumsy additions to the book but overall thought this was powerful and painful. Follows several characters starting with an older sister left to bring up her twin siblings at 19 and is compelling as we understand their families painful history

I relatively recently remembered I liked Linwood Barclay but this is probably not one of his best. Pacing and characters were great but the mystery and storytelling felt convoluted and it all sort of just happened in the last quarter or so. Low pick

Here I am again Reading an Emily Henry on a plane to India ! Overall I think it‘s a good one, a return to form - easy to read, saccharine in places but decently well rounded characters (who do not seem to quite have the maturity I‘d expect for their age but maybe a sign I am getting old!) and a slow burn love story that includes a healthy dose of self awareness and personal growth outside of the relationship.

I read this as the Cassandra complex but same book! Iiked much more than I thought I would. Cassandra is neurodivergent and after a genuinely terrible day realised she can time travel and sets off to fix what went wrong - in the interim learning a huge amount about herself. The main character is obsessed with Greek mythology and so stories of the gods are liberally sprinkled throughout - sometimes in a quite jarring way

I started this with the expectation it would be a non fiction I dipped in and out of. Instead I found myself seeking opportunities to read. The judge who has written this has done a phenomenal job of explaining our legal system with all of its benefits and flaws. She does this via the medium of a school visit to her court at the Old Bailey and then 6 composite cases / I could easily have red another 6. Insightful, painful and thought provoking. ⬇️

So I am horribly late for mays #bookedintime - sorry!This was a compelling story of Rahab a prostitute who survived the fall@of Jericho and went on to marry Salome. Christian fiction is not something I have ever really read but I did enjoy the strong message of faith, forgiveness and more.

This was short and quite difficult - it explores the impact of content moderation on a meta style tech giant. It‘s a novella with an abrupt ending but in it builds a sense of dread as folks react in different ways to what they see - from numbness to believing. Great example of an unreliable narrator

First time I have not been able to find a book in the database this is the 21st Ryan novel and a return to form with an intriguing case that expands into something i am once sure I saw on an episode of Bones! Moves swiftly to a. Challenging and perhaps little too abrupt conclusion but a solid pick. 📸 an old one of bamborough where this one opens (I was obvs into filters at time of taking!)

I‘m finding that I increasingly enjoy the time police as much if not more than St Mary‘s whose timeline at this point has me befuddled. This is a super enjoyable romp into the mystery of a disappearing train that may or may not be jumping through time and space. Some great character growth in this one - like is starting to look like a leader and Matthew is retaliating himself with the time map - sure to lead to more high jinks downstream

Another hotel and another from this series I think the final book. Another compelling case and interesting insight into sociopath Gretchen‘s mind and approach to work. Solid procedural

So I gobbled up book 2 as quickly as book 1! This entered into new territory where book 1 felt familiar. The case Gretchen sets out to solve is her own and its dark and twisty and yet despite that Marconi as the new detective offers light and a little bit of hope. I loved and as a a murder mystery gets too earrings from me! Off to see if book 3 is also on kindle unlimited!

So I gobbled up book 2 as quickly as book 1! This entered into new territory where book 1 felt familiar. The case Gretchen sets out to solve is her own and its dark and twisty and yet despite that Marconi as the new detective offers light and a little bit of hope. I loved and as a a murder mystery gets too earrings from me! Off to see if book 3 is also on kindle unlimited!

A non violent sociopath consults for the Boston PD in conjunction with the police officer tied to her brutal past. Bizarre set up but familiar from other series this was none the less brilliantly written and I consumed in one delightful poolside sitting! The damage of lies, violence and family secrets are at the forefront of this. Will read the rest of the series

Somewhat predictable but still compelling this dual storyline in the 70s and the 40s is an interesting take on British treatment of Italian first generation families at the start of the war, The SOE and more. Read to accompany a holiday so was pleased to hear Joy share how much she and her father enjoyed the Ancient Greek ruins - exactly what I have been up to when not reading !

This hits hard. The stultifying heat of 1518 seeps off the page. The angst and sadness of Lisbet who has hung ribbons for 12 lost babies is heartbreaking. The combustion engine of Strasbourg as women start to ‘dance‘ in their ‘plague‘ is wonderfully rendered. Is this a book about faith? Loss? Love? Hatred? I am not sure but I am glad I pulled it off the tbr - only the 16th already owned that I have managed! For this year #readaway2024

Just seen a fab play called Underdogs at the National it‘s all about the Brontë sisters, sibling rivalry, being a woman in a man‘s world alongside a heavy dose of who gets to tell the story type vibe. Also really funny. I suspect a rereading of the collected works of the collected Brontes is in my future. London accessible Litsy folk this finishes Saturday but I suspect will be back and I would recommend SO SO much. Playwright is Sarah Gordon ?

Well this is an tough one to review. A ginormous cast of loosely interlinked characters from 2 families travel a 50 year history - it‘s deftly written and the characters and insight into human nature are clever but for all that very little actually happens.

Trust is an odd one. Clearly very clever, 4 different voices, 4 different perspectives all coming together to create something of a truth about a financiers family in the years pre and post crash. Whilst intrigued and taken in by the power of the writing and the different voices I was left a bit cold by the actual story and the reveal. I am not sure they did all add up to a better story