Top Ten Tuesday: Beach Reads Week 31/5/16

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!

It's the beach reads time of year again-AMAZING! Now to be a beach read needs to reflect where you're reading it and it needs to keep you occupied whilst you loose yourself in the glorious sunshine, but above all else, it needs to be funny! So my list is going to be reflective of this...

1. Anything by Paige Toon-pure escapism!

2. Anything by Jane Costello-so so funny! 

3. Anything by Lindsey Kelk-see above! 

4. Anything by Marian Keyes-hilarious!

5. The Libby Lomax Series by Lucy Holliday

6. Anything by Sophie Kinsella, take the whole collection on your Kindle if you can! 

7. Anything by Alexandra Brown (I read the whole Carringtons series whilst on a sunlounger in Italy!)

8. Anything by Tracy Bloom-hilarious! 

9. The Island Escape by Kerry Fisher

10. Anything by Lucy Robinson-in fact just read her whole back catalogue right now if you haven't already!

Review: Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran

When Caitlin Moran sat down to choose her favourite pieces for her new book she realised that they all seemed to join up. Turns out, it’s the same old problems and the same old ass-hats.

Then she thought of the word ‘Moranifesto’, and she knew what she had to do…

This is Caitlin’s engaging and amusing rallying call for our times. Combining the best of her recent columns with lots of new writing unique to this book, Caitlin deals with topics as pressing and diverse as 1980s swearing, benefits, boarding schools, and why the internet is like a drunken toddler.

And whilst never afraid to address the big issues of the day – such as Benedict Cumberbatch and duffel coats – Caitlin also makes a passionate effort to understand our 21st century society and presents us with her ‘Moranifesto’ for making the world a better place.

The polite revolution starts here! Please.


Review: if you've been following the blog for a while, you'll know that I'm a massive fan of Caitlin Moran and her work. Now I wasn't so sure what Moranifesto was going to be like when I heard that this was her next project but her books are an auto-buy for me and so of course i had to get it! The book is split into topics and there are previously published columns on these topics as well as some articles she has written specifically for this book. This is a really good format I feel as it means you can pick this book up and put it down again after just reading an article or two. I ended up listening to this book on audiobook so I didn't really read it that way but it would be amazing if you are reading this on a commute because each section is short and so allows you to read in between legs of your journey.

Caitlin Moran's voice is as strong as ever in this latest book. She covers topics such as high heels and relationships, right down to rape and politics. If you've ever read anything by Moran before you'll know she tells it like it is and so if you're easily offended by straight talking, you should approach this one with caution. You know what each section or article is going to be about, however, before you read it and so if any of these are triggers, you can simply breeze last them. Equally, if you really don't fancy the section on women's clothing, you can skip it and come back to it later,

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was Caitlin's introduction before each section and each article. She had some witty comments of an anecdote that out each article into context and so you felt really like she was talking to you and only you the entire time, like the whole book was taking place through your conversation (I would LOVE to have a conversation with this lady I can tell you!) this and the structure meant that it was a fairly quick read. I felt educated on some of the areas I knew less about and learned some interesting statistics that I think had been kept hidden from me for quite a while. The section on sex workers was a particular eye opener. I would really recommend the audiobook of this one, although if you are planning on reading this over your morning/evening commute then perhaps a physical copy might be better suited. I enjoyed this book and it will sit happily with the rest of my Caitlin Moran collection and be bought for many friends as her previous books have been.

Review: The Summer Escape by Lilly Graham

Amongst the beautiful olive groves and sea-front tavernas, summer has arrived on the sun-drenched island of Crete. 

After losing the love of her life, Ria’s life has been on hold. So when her boss becomes completely unbearable she makes the snap decision to run away to the Greek island of Crete, armed only with her passport. 

When Ria finds herself working for eccentric novelist Caroline, she meets handsome vineyard owner Tom. He’s charming, mysterious and Ria starts to wonder if it’s not just the beautiful Greek island that she’s falling for. 

But as Ria gets to know Tom better, she uncovers a tangled web of secrets. What is he hiding? Ria has some secrets of her own. Can she open up to Tom and learn to live again? 

This summer, escape to the sun with this charming and emotional story about starting over and grabbing happiness with both hands. 

Review: Lily Graham is a new author to me, but I was keen to read this novel having had a look at the synopsis. The cover is also something to attract readers, with its lovely summery, Mediterranean feel. I wasn't drawn into the story immediately, but from chapter 2, when the actions of the heroine suddenly became a little bizarre, I was hooked and devoured the rest of the book as fast as I could. 

The main character is Ria (short for Ariadne, the name due to her father's being Greek). She is somewhat disillusioned with her job as an obituary writer for a newspaper, a job made all the more unsuitable for the young woman because of a tragedy in her recent past and also due to the attitude of her fellow workers and her boss towards her seemingly excellent writing, which they really don't appreciate.  Her life takes a turn when she does something completely out of character, gets on a plane and lands up on the beautiful Greek island of Crete. She is very lucky in the people she meets up with there who bring her out of the depression she has been suffering from  for so long. In addition to Ria, there are some other really strong and interesting characters in the story, including the local English newspaper editor, Nigel, a retired travel writer, Caroline, Tom and Tony, brothers connected with the wine business, and Iliana, Tony's wife. Ria ends up helping Caroline to write her memoirs, which lead to some amusing revelations. Caroline and Ria develop a lovely relationship; she's a much better boss than the one Ria left behind.

I really liked the fact that this is not a simple love story. There is some sleuthing entwined with a growing romance for Ria. There is a mystery to be solved, and she is not going to be happy until all the facts are revealed. I also liked most of the characters  Ria meets during her investigations, except of course for the wicked ones that we are not supposed to like at all! Although I was always fairly sure who she was going to fall for, I was not clear until the very end how the mystery would pan out. It was enjoyable watching the growing relationships between Ria and the rest of the characters and also the way in which the clues to the mystery were pieced together.

Lily Graham's writing really brings Crete to life on the pages of this book. You can almost smell the souvlaki and feel the sand between your toes and the sun on the back of your neck.  I'm not so sure about the Greek coffee though!  If you're looking for a summer escape for yourself, pop this one into your bag or suitcase.  I'm sure, like me, you will be transported off to the Greek islands and become immersed in the mystery Ria has found. 

Blog Tour: Summer at Rose Island by Holly Martin

Its my stop on the blog tour today! I have a review for you and if you keep scrolling down there is some author info and of course those all-important buy links! But firstly here's what it's all about:

Fall in love with the gorgeous seaside town of White Cliff Bay this summer and enjoy long sunny days, beautiful beaches and… a little romance. 

Darcy Davenport is ready for a fresh start. Determined to leave a string of disastrous jobs and relationships behind her, she can’t wait to explore White Cliff Bay and meet the locals. 

When Darcy swims in the crystal clear waters of the bay, she discovers the charming Rose Island Lighthouse. But it’s not just the beautiful building that she finds so intriguing… 

Riley Eddison doesn’t want change. Desperate to escape the memories of his past, he lives a life of solitude in the lighthouse. Yet he can’t help but notice the gorgeous woman who swims out to his island one day. 

Darcy is drawn to the mysterious and sexy Riley, but when it seems the town is trying to demolish his home, she soon finds herself having to pick sides. 

She’s fallen in love with White Cliff Bay. But is that all Darcy’s fallen for? 

Pull up a deck chair, sink back with a bowl of strawberry ice cream and pick up the summer read you won’t be able to put down.

Review: This book was a bit of a slow starter for me but once it got going I was loving the romantic tension and the air of mystery surrounding Darcy, Riley and  White Cliff Bay. I think that the reason this book took a while to get going for me was because I haven't read the previous 2 books in the series. I know they are awesome but I had to get to know the characters as I got into this book and I think that if I already knew the characters, things would have fallen into place a lot quicker. So my first piece of advice surrounding this book is that I would read this as the third in a series, enjoy the first two White Cliff Bay books before sinking into this one. 

I quite like that fact that Holly martin writes about the characters we have already met in books one and two with familiarity, she doesn't spend long introducing them into the story. At the same time, we don't get to learn a lot about Darcy or Riley straight away. We know a lot about Darcy's family and some of the reasons that she has arrived at White Cliff bay but it is really quite interesting having to get to know these two characters as they get to know each other. We also discover that there is so much more to them than meets the eyes. 

Now boy-does Holly Martin know how to write a love scene. I was feeling seriously hot under the collar every time Darcy and Riley looked at each other. Despite the fact that this was definitely a slow burner and nothing physical was ever explicit, it was seriously steamy. She must put as much passion into writing about their smouldering looks and soft kisses on the cheek as she does writing her descriptions of the waves, the sea and the atmosphere in the bay itself. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. Overall I think this was a good summer read. For me, it suffered slightly because I hadn't read the previous two novels but if you've read those then I'm sure this one will grab you straight away! I suggest you go and binge read all three and then get back to me to discuss!

Links

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29155233-summer-at-rose-island?from_search=true&search_version=service

Amazon.co.uk - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BTEBK9A/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738

Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BTEBK9A?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01BTEBK9A&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

About The Author

Holly has been writing for six years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine's competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014. Holly lives in Bedfordshire.

Links

Website - https://hollymartinwriter.wordpress.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/hollymartin00

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/holly.martin.167189?fref=ts

GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7336832.Holly_Martin

Amazon Page - http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00DTUNB5E/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&text=Holly+Martin&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Holly+Martin&sort=relevancerank

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Feel Differently About After Time HasPassed 24/5/16

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!

An interesting one this week, you guys know I'm not much of a re-reader but I do like sequels and series of books and sometimes by the time you get a couple of books into a series you can feel differently about the first book in that series. So here goes. (There aren't that many that I feel strongly about so it's just going to be a top 5 this week I'm afraid)

1. Forever by Judy Blume. Now this was one of those books that got me back into reading after a couple of years of only reading books school made me read. I discovered Judy Blume and then I discovers this one, I think it was the first book I pushed on someone actually (and her mother came round and told my mother what I had done and how awful it was) but then I re-read it and...not so sure anymore. It won't change the fact that it was a bookish turning point for me though! 

2. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Now I really enjoyed this book when I listened to it on audiobook after it first came out. Then I read the sequel and I have subsequently seen the film. The sequel and the film add a layer of deeper understanding for me and hearing Jojo Moyes talk about it before the screening of the film only added to this and I feel differently about it now...

3. Fifty Shade of Grey. Now this might seem like an obvious one but bare with me... This was another book that got me back into reading after a little slump. I had just started a new job and I picked this up because it was the weekly offer in WhSmith. I then pre-ordered the next 2 when they came out and read those. I enjoyed each one, they were quick reads and I enjoyed the development of the story. When I went back to read Grey when it came out though, I realised I enjoyed a whole different style of writing now and didn't feel the same way about EL James as I used to. 

4. The Hunger Games. I really thought I wasn't going to like this trilogy, I'm not a fan of dystopian, I lie to read about characters like me set today in a recognisable world, I tried other fantasy type books and didn't win but wow, hunger games! I see it now, they changed my view and I stormed thorough the trilogy! 

5 Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson. This was my favourite Miranda Dickinson novel for a very long time, that is until the sort of sequel to this came out and knocked it off the top spot, thus chNging my feelings about it. I'll Take Manhattan is amazing and I love it and I read it all in one go-YEY! 

So there you have it, five books I feel differently about for 5 different reasons-YEY! What's on your list?.

Guest Review: The Plumberry School of Comfort Food. Part One. FoodGlorious Food by Cathy Bramley

This is Part One in a brand-new serial from bestselling author 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 is about to land 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 has rather gone off the boil. It needs the kind of great ideas that only Verity could cook up . . .

But as Verity tries to balance stirring up publicity, keeping their top chef sweet and soothing her aching heart, will her move to Plumberry prove to be a sheer delight . . . or a recipe for disaster?

The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is an irresistibly charming novel told in four parts – following the adventures of Verity Bloom in love, friendship and cooking. This is the first part.

This is part one of a serialised story from the talented Cathy Bramley. There are three more parts to follow. I found that this instalment grabbed me from page one and had me turning the pages eager to find out what would happen next. I was particularly excited to learn that the inspiration behind the story is a lady who owns a cookery school and runs one of my favourite restaurants in the Lake District.

The heroine of the tale is Verity Bloom (great name) who has been double crossed by her boyfriend and, as a consequence, has lost her job in marketing. As one door closes, another one opens as they say, and Gloria, the mother of a dear friend, asks Verity to help out with the opening of her new cookery school. Gloria's daughter, Mimi, died tragically two years before, leaving husband, Gabe, and young son, Noah, look after themselves, although Verity and Gloria help out where they can. We see Verity begin to rediscover her interest in cooking, which she lost when Mimi died, and become increasingly involved in the cookery school. Other characters she meets include Michelin star chef Tom and Gloria's friend Mags, not forgetting two cute-sounding dachshunds.

I really like all of the characters in the story so far, with the exception of Verity's nasty boyfriend (now thankfully ex). The setting for the cookery school, an old mill just outside the Yorkshire village of Plumberry, sounds quite idyllic. As usual, everything is brought to life by Cathy's writing and the story flows nicely. Of course, being part of bigger story, it left me desperate to find the next part as it ended on quite a cliffhanger.  A nice touch is that Cathy has added a few recipes at the end of the story. Definitely not one to read if you're already hungry!

Cover reveal: The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry

The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane

Ellen Berry

Ebook and Paperback: 14^th July 2016

In the beginning…

Kitty Cartwright has always solved her problems in the kitchen. Her cookbooks are her life, and there isn’t an issue that ‘Cooking with Aspic’ can’t fix. Her only wish is that she had a book entitled ‘Rustling Up Dinner When Your Husband Has Left You’.

Forty years later…

On Rosemary Lane, Della Cartwright plans to open a very special little bookshop. Not knowing what to do with the hundreds of cookbooks her mother left her, she now wants to share their recipes with the world – and no amount of aspic will stand in her way.

But with her family convinced it’s a hare-brained scheme, Della starts to wonder if she’s made a terrible decision. One thing’s for sure: she’s about to find out…

Lose yourself in Della’s world of food, family and friends. The perfect read for fans of Trisha Ashley and Carole Matthews.

Are you ready for the cover? 

This glorious book is full of food, lively characters and, well, books, and we’ve already snapped up two more books in the series coming out each summer until 2018 (keep an eye on Twitter on Monday afternoon for more on those…).