I actually read this in October for Halloween, but as you may have noticed, 2023 was a bad year for reviews for me, so I’m now trying to catch up with those I needed to review and I thought I woulf start with this one. So, thanks to netgalley for gifting me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
All Hallows seems to have been a top trending horror read for Halloween last year, and for more reasons than just the title.
If you have been following me for a while you will know I have been a Christie Barlow fan for quite a few years so I was excited to read the next in the series, A Summer Surprise at the Little Blue Boathouse. The Love Heart Lane series is so fun, light-hearted, and uplifting it’s always a pleasure to read one, and this one is no exception.
This time, we follow Bea Fernsby, who arrives at the village of Heartcross for a 2 week holiday after discovering how fiance has cheated on her….and not for the first time but certainly now for the last time. After overhearing, they are short on staff at the boat rental shop she offers to help out whilst she’s there.
This job means that she has a purpose for staying a little longer and also comes with the added benefit of accommodation in the form of an adorable blue river boat. However, after an almost accident involving a visiting child and the realisation this part of the water has no lifeguard service, she takes it upon herself to help improve water safety in HeartCross. And of course it wouldn’t be Love Heart Lane without a Love interest whom in this case is another newcomer, Nolan who sails into town for the festival, and like Bea only intends to stay there for a short break.
I won’t deny it, I am so far behind with my book reviews that I won’t do them all but this one stood out as a book I needed to review.
Thanks to Netgalley UK for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Silence Project is written from the point of view of Emilia Morris. On her 12th birthday her mother, Rachel decided to move into a tent at the bottom of the garden. She also commits to never speak a word ever again. As word spreads about the silent woman who listens and doesn’t speak, other women come to join her and before long a community is built up. But, only 8 years later many of these followers decide to silence themselves forever in an event which shakes the world and pushes Emilia into the spotlight as the surviving daughter.
Continue reading “Book Review- The Silence Project by Carole Hailey”
Another episode of your favourite bookish podcast is LIVE. This month we welcome the lovely Jenn Bouchard on the show.
Author of First Course we talk all things foodie and romance as well as her upcoming new book Palms on the Cape.
Don’t forget you can listen to our episodes anywhere you listen to your podcasts, but here is the podcast Spotify link.
As always we also discuss the upcoming book releases as well as your monthly dose of bookish news.
So go and have a listen and let us know what you think, we would love to hear from you.
You can follow our Instagram account here.
Much love 💘
For anyone that doesn’t know me, I am a massive foodie, always have been. I love to try new food, and I also love cooking and baking. I also happen to love foodie fiction. In fact, one of my favourite books I go back to time and time again is Food of Love by Anthony Capella. So, when I saw that our upcoming podcast guest, Jenn Bouchard wrote a book called First Course, I couldn’t resist jumping in.
I am very proud to have been a part of Siobhan Macgowan’s book tour for her debut novel, The Trial of Lotta Rae which I loved and once again I get the pleasure of hosting her new book here at Lizzieslittlebooknook. Thanks to Siobhan and Welbeck for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
When it comes to books, if you tell me that it is set in Ireland and is either historical or based on historical events, I will jump straight on it. Having a strong Irish heritage, I greatly enjoy broadening my knowledge of the country’s dark and often troubled past, which often affected my ancestors. The Graces is one such book.
My first experience with a book by TJ Klune was Under the Whispering door, which I adored. Then I read House on the Cerulean Sea after it was recommended to me, and it became my favourite read of 2021. So when he has a new book out, I can’t help but jump on the band wagon. Thanks to Netgalley for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Wolf Song is the first book in the Green Creek Series and is about Ox, a 16 year old who has always been told by his father he will amount to nothing and that he is stupid. He is told it so much that he believes it. Then the Bennett pack moves in next door, and they hold a deep secret. They are shapeshifters. Ox is launched into a whole other world he never imagined possible and discovers perhaps he is more than his father told him.
Ok, so TJ Klune has done it again. This is a beautifully told, emotional, cosy read with adventure, love, family, secrets, and so much more. It is a story of self-discovery and of self belief. It is also the perfect example of found family.
Klune always has this way of imbuing his worlds with so much emotion, which comes out and leaks into your heart and soul. Wolf Song is one of those books that will stick with you for a while, and I’m very excited for book 2.
It is a big book, and it is slightly slower paced at times, but this story embraces you in a big warming hug and doesn’t let you go. Just like The House in the Cerulean Sea, we meet some great characters you can’t help but fall in love with.
But the main character, Ox, is everything a main character should be. He is complex. He is brave, but more importantly, he is real and raw. He has flaws, and he is far from perfect, but this makes him all the more interesting. Having spent his whole life being told he is dumb and won’t amount to anything, all it takes is one young boy, Joe, to help him see that he should never believe everything his father told him. Thus, we see Ox embark on a journey of self-discovery, which will make you feel every emotion.
The supporting character and said young boy, Joe, is also a wonderful addition to the story. We first meet this young boy when he runs up to Ox, all innocent and happy. He comes across as bubbly, fun, light-hearted, and a ray of sunshine, but there is much more to Joe than meets the eye, and as we get to know him we learn just what he has had to overcome at such a young age.
I read this book as part of our Speaking LITerally Podcast Book Club. If you would like to listen to our discussion (there are spoilers in the episode), you can listen to the podcast episode here.
Wow, where do I start. If you have ever physically picked up or read 11.22.63, you will know how much of a beast this book is. At 740 pages it is not necessarily an abnormally big book for Stephen King (have you seen how big It is?) But, from the King novels I have read so far, it is the book which has been the most thought provoking and has left me with a lot to say, but I will try not to ramble on too much.
It’s time for another indie author, and this time, it is one whom you may recognise as we have had her on our Speaking LITerally Podcast about a year and a half ago. She also recently returned to talk about this book, her next novel, which comes out today on Amazon and tomorrow (25th April) everywhere else.
Her first two novels were part of a series, with the first one called Another Beast’s Skin, which if you are a fan of fantasy and haven’t read it, do yourself a favour and get it and read it. However, Stars Like Gasoline has a brand new set of characters and features a missing Japanese artist, ghosts, an international art scandal, and a stalker among many other things. What else could you want?
Continue reading “Book Review – Stars like Gasoline by Jessika Grewe Glover”
The next review of the year, is something a bit different from my other reads so far of 2023. This time we are dabbling in a bit of murder mystery with The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.
For my secret Santa present at work I received the third book in the series, The bullet that missed, but problem is, I hadn’t read the previous two, and being the sort of person I am, I had to go back to the beginning so I picked this up one day in town.
The Thursday Murder Club is about a group on pensioners living in a retirement complex. When a newcomer appears by the name of Joyce, who is an ex-nurse the group decide to invite her to the Thursday murder club to discuss previous cold cases and try and spot potential leads or clues that the police didn’t pick up on. Basically, they each become a version of Sherlock Holmes.
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