Top Ten Tuesday: Ten facts about me 12/7/16

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. I'd love to share my lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Ok so...trying to come up with some fun facts you don't know about me or may not have noticed so far..

1. I am an assistant headteacher at a primary school and rather than being all about the books as you might imagine, I am in charge of maths!

2. I am getting married in November in las Vegas

3. I collect Starbucks. You will probably know this if you follow me on Twitter but each new branch of Stabucks I go into and buy something, I check in to. It doesn't count if I've aleady been there but if it is new to me it counts as a check in. I have to buy something unless I get to the front of the queue and they've run out of what i went in for or don't have any skimmed milk or drip coffee or something like that-there have to be rules to these things. I'm visitin Seattle in 2 weeks and so 2 weeks tomorrow i will visit the original Starbucks and that will be number 250 for me!

4. I am scared of Balloons and other things that make sudden loud noises (party poppers, hand driers, hoovers etc)

5. I don't follow any sport

6. I am an only child

7. I have a massive collection of shoes but i regularly clear them out by selling a load on ebay to make room (and money) for new ones

8. During my first year of GCSEs I wasn't very well and so I only went to school in the mornings, my attendance that year was below 50%

9. I don't like orange flavour anything EXCEPT mimosas

10. I really haven't read any classic novels apart from those I HAD to read for school

So there you go. I hope you learned something interesting and new about me that you didn't already know. Please link your own top ten facts below so i can learn a little more about you!

Happy Reading!

Review: Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

People today have more romantic options than at any point in human history, and thanks to social media, smartphones and online dating, our abilities to connect with these options are staggering. Yet we also have to face new and absurd dilemmas, such as what to think when someone doesn't reply to your text but has time to post a photo of a pizza on Instagram. But this transformation of our romantic lives cannot be explained by technology alone. Whereas once most people would find a decent person who probably lived in their neighbourhood and marry by the age of 23, today we spend years of our lives on a quest to find our soulmate.

While Ansari has long aimed his comedic insight at modern relationships, here he teamed up with award-winning sociologist Eric Klinenberg to research dating cultures from Tokyo to Buenos Aires to Paris, crunch the quantitative data and interview some of the world's leading social scientists. The result is an unforgettable tour of the romantic landscape.

Review: I so enjoyed this book, it is such fun! I listened to this book on audiobook and I actually listened to it with my other half. It was so interesting and thought provoking that it took us ages to listen to because we had to keep stopping it to talk about the observation that had just been made! I think the whole concept of the book is something that should be explored nowadays, the way we date and the way we meet people in general is so different now, so reliant on technology that it is something really interesting to sit down and actually think about. One of the observations towards the end of the book is to do with the fact that we wouldn't speak to someone in real life the way we speak to them on a dating app.

Ansari obviously adds his own humour into this book and that's what really tipped it from a four star into a five star read for me. I was laughing the whole way through. Obviously you can have some Hilarius stories stemming from any kind of dating scenario but particularly online dating and so the subject is funny anyway. When you add Ansari's brand of dry quick witt into there, you've got a match made in heaven! Some of the things he was saying were a little risque and definitely not for the most sensitive of souls, but his brutal honesty was what made it for me really.

I really liked the way the book was structured as well, It is always difficult knowing what to expect with a non-fiction title and this book just had it all for me. I liked the fact that we dealt with one subject matter after another. There were scientific studies, comments from anthropologist, results from surveys and observations from people who are actually living in this age of modern romance from online and in real life interviews. I thought it was a really good way to bring the whole subject together. Of course, because i listened to this on audiobook, I got to hear it read by Aziz Ansari and that added another level to the whole thing but I think I would still like to own a hard copy of the book so that I can see the charts and graphs and studies that lie within.

This was such a fun read but also though-provoking and definitely something that it needed in today's society. Add it to you TBR now!

Review: Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson

The Comfort Food Cafe is perched on a windswept clifftop at what feels like the edge of the world, serving up the most delicious cream teas; beautifully baked breads, and carefully crafted cupcakes. For tourists and locals alike, the ramshackle cafe overlooking the beach is a beacon of laughter, companionship, and security – a place like no other; a place that offers friendship as a daily special, and where a hearty welcome is always on the menu.

For widowed mum-of-two Laura Walker, the decision to uproot her teenaged children and make the trek from Manchester to Dorset for the summer isn’t one she takes lightly, and it’s certainly not winning her any awards from her kids, Nate and Lizzie. Even her own parents think she’s gone mad.

Her new job at the cafe, and the hilarious people she meets there, give Laura the chance she needs to make new friends; to learn to be herself again, and – just possibly – to learn to love again as well.

For her, the Comfort Food Cafe doesn’t just serve food – it serves a second chance to live her life to the full…

Review: Another masterpiece from Debbie Johnson! This is a really engaging story that I read in next to no time. It's really easy reading, full of Debbie's usual humour, but not lacking in depth of storyline. The book starts with the most amazing job application letter you could possibly imagine; that hooked me in immediately, as I'm sure it would most readers.

The main character is widower Laura Walker. She is an incredible woman, who has suffered a huge tragedy in her life, but is still brave enough to up sticks, pack the children and dog into the car and drive from Manchester to the Dorset coast to take up a summer job in the Comfort Food Cafe. The children, Lizzie, 14, and Nate, 12, are not fans of this idea and give her a hard time on the journey. The little seaside town where the cafe is set is fairly brimming with interesting, and sometimes hilarious, inhabitants, not least the owner of the establishment, Cherie Moon.  She has an amazing knack of knowing just what to serve her customers to make them happy, hence the name of the cafe. The cafe itself has a wonderful location, teetering on top of a hill that overlooks the beach. The other major character we meet is Matt, the somewhat dishy local vet. He is another incomer with a misfortune in his past.

Although the story is so funny it had me laughing out loud at times, Debbie is such a great writer that she could also have me sitting in tears, of sorrow or joy. There is a lot of humour in the situations that Laura and her family experience, but underneath it all is a story of people healing from a great shock, coming to life again and learning to let others back into their hearts. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone. If you are not familiar with Debbie Johnson's work, it would be a perfect place to start

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For The Second Half Of The Year 14/6/16

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. I'd love to share my lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

So I missed this post from 2 weeks ago and I wanted to do this more than this week's post so I did a little switch...

1. Letters from Lighthouse Cottage by Ali Macnamara-14th July


2. On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher-14th July



3. I Found You by Lisa Jewell-14th July



4. Killer Diamonds by Rebecca Chance-26th July



5. Letters From My Sister by Alice Peterson-4th August



6. Wildflower Bay by Rachel Lucas-11th August



7. Autumn at the Star and Sixpence by Holly Hepburn-6th September



8. We Were on A Break by Lindsey Kelk-6th October



9. Searching For a Silver Lining by Miranda Dickinson-20th October

No cover yet.....

10. All I Ever Wanted by Lucy Dillon-1st December



I am so excited to read all of these now and there are so many others I could've included too!

Guest Review: Summer at The Star and Sixpence by Holly Hepburn

When sisters Sam and Nessie left the city lights to take over The Star and Sixpence pub in Little Monkham, little did they realise they'd be taking on the villagers too... 
 
Thrown in at the deep end with a wedding to organise at the same time as launching their new hotel rooms, the last thing they need is Sam's past catching up with them.
 
As the scandal strikes, the only question is will the villagers stick their necks out for two relative newcomers? Or will Franny, the terrifying postmistress, see them gone for good... 

This is the third part of the serialised ebook describing events in and around the Star and Sixpence pub in the quaint country village of Little Monkham.

As we learnt in previous parts of the story, sisters Sam and Nessie have inherited the pub from their estranged father and have left their city lives to try and make a go of running it. They have met with resistance from some locals, but are becoming accepted as time goes on.  In this instalment, the pub is being prepared for a big wedding that could have far reaching ramifications, as the bride is a travel editor in a major newspaper. A good review of the pub and its newly refurbished attic bedrooms could be just the boost the business needs. In addition to all the excitement caused by the big event, there is high drama for the girls as Sam's big secret that has been referred to in previous parts of the story suddenly flares up to become national news in the worst possible way. How is this going to affect the sisters' standing in the village, and, more importantly, Sam's blossoming relationship with Joss, the barman? The romantic atmosphere surrounding the wedding preparations is also making Nessie think about her future and her involvement with Owen, the village blacksmith.

I very much enjoyed this part, and the story so far. I am looking forward to catching up with the sisters when the next instalment, Autumn at the Star and Sixpence, is released. Holly Hepburn's descriptions of the pub and the idyllic-sounding village had me once again wishing that I could visit. The rooms at the pub sounded so luxurious that I could almost picture myself lying in the deliciously comfortable bed looking out over the typically English village green.

This would be a lovely read for a summer's day in the garden or on the beach. You wouldn't necessarily have had to read the other parts of the novel to gather what's going on, but I'm sure it would make you want to seek them out to complete the picture so far. 

Cover Reveal: Watch Me by Angela Clarke

Another Sunday, another cover reveal, very exciting though!

WATCH ME

Angela Clarke

Publishing in eBook and paperback: 3rd November

You have six seconds to view this suicide note, and twenty-four hours to save the girl’s life.

The brand new novel from rising star Angela Clark, and the second in her chilling and provocative Social Media Murders series. Feisty young journalist Freddie Venton and ambitious police officer Nasreen Cudmore are up against a depraved killer who takes pleasure in taunting them online.

If you liked Follow Me, then just you wait for this one. When a girl shares a photo of herself begging for help only moments before she goes missing, it goes viral. But was the picture really sent by her, or was it a threat?

As the same process happens over and over, it's time for Freddie and Nas to team up once more. But neither of them are quite the same after the Apollyon case. Can they hold their nerve to face another faceless threat?

Are you ready for the cover then?

Guest Review: The Plumberry School of Comfort Food by Cathy Bramley

Verity Bloom hasn't been interested in cooking anything more complicated than the perfect fish finger sandwich, ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago.

But an opportunity to help a friend lands her right back in the heart of the kitchen. The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is due to open in a few weeks' time and needs the kind of great ideas that only Verity could cook up. And with new friendships bubbling and a sprinkling of romance in the mix, Verity finally begins to feel like she's home.

But when tragedy strikes at the very heart of the cookery school, can Verity find the magic ingredient for Plumberry while still writing her own recipe for happines.

Review: I have just finished reading the final 2 parts of this story, which has been published as a 4-part e-serial, and thought that I would review it as a whole. I am always excited to see a new offering from the talented Cathy Bramley, and this story was definitely up there with her best. I'm not a great fan of serialised stories as a rule, and am glad to see that the entire story is being released in print and electronic format in a few weeks.  I really enjoyed this tale from the start. The concept of the cookery school and its idyllic-sounding setting were both attractive, but I was particularly intrigued to find that the inspiration for the story is a lady who runs not only a cookery school but also a restaurant that I know well in the Lake District. 

The main character, who I took to straight from the start, is Verity Bloom. She is a lovely, but a little naive, person, who, at the very start, loses her job in marketing and her underhand boyfriend, who was not likeable in any way. However, as luck would have it, Verity's best friend's mother, Gloria, who is starting up a cookery school, needs a little help in the marketing area, and asks Verity if she could step in for a month. Verity always loved cooking with Gloria's daughter, Mimi, but when Mimi died suddenly 2 years previously, Verity's passion for cooking died with her.  As well as keeping in touch with Gloria since her friend's death, Verity regularly sees Mimi's husband, Gabe, and young son Noah. There is some kind of mystery there which unfolds as the story goes along. The other major characters we meet in the story are: Tom, a pretty dishy sounding if a little serious, Michelin-star chef who has been engaged to work at the cookery school; Mags, a great friend and neighbour of Gloria's who also works with her; Pixie, an aspiring chef; Verity's housemate Rosie; and two extremely cute dachshunds. As the title of the book suggests, the action takes place primarily in the Yorkshire village of Plumberry, where the cookery school is housed in an old mill, complete with river flowing by and original mill wheel - sounds just lovely. The whole village is very food oriented, with all sorts of specialist shops and even its own small brewery. It's all so well described that I felt I had to go and have a snack after each instalment. 

Although, as I say, I am not a great fan of serialised stories, the parts are very well presented, each ending on some kind of cliffhanger, leaving the reader desperate to find out what will happen in the next instalment. I really enjoyed watching the relationships developing between the various characters, and to see Verity gradually rediscover her passion for cooking. However, It was not all plain sailing - there were some very sad incidents along the way. A really nice touch is that each instalment ends with a few recipes to try out, including, as it happens, my favourite pudding from that restaurant I mentioned at the beginning of this review. 

I'm sure that this story will appeal to anyone, and not just those interested in cooking. There is a good, strong story line running through the book. Whether you read it in parts or as a whole, I hope it will pull you in, as it did me. Don't be surprised, though, if you end up a bit peckish; those recipes at the back may just come in handy!