Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all doing good today. I am actually writing this post a lot earlier than usual, it’s actually the 21st May as I’m writing this, so I’ve still got time to read more books – two in particular that I am taking on holiday with me.
But for now, here are the books I have read so far in May!
First I read Northranger, a graphic novel that I am grateful to have been sent by publishers, and I thought it was okay, considering I don’t love graphic novels.
Next, I started Murder Before Evensong by Richard Coles- I won’t be writing a review for this book because I DNFd it after 100 pages, I got the feeling that the book was trying to sound too clever and the murder took way too long to happen, I found it boring.
Then I read A pen Dipped In Poison which I will be reviewing here this month so make sure to come back and see what I thought of this book.
Finally, I read Vera Wang’s unsolicited advice for Murderers which has been my favourite read for the month of May so far.
So, I have read four books this month definitely which is not bad at all and I still plan on reading the london seance society and I hope you’re listening this month.
Happy Friday bookish people! I found this Astrological Book Tag from Peace Love Veggies, I hope you all enjoy it!
Aries: Name a book that is full of fire, desire and passion
This is my star sign and there is one book I think of instantly..
Taurus: Name a book you have read that was beautifully written
Gemini: Name a book you have read featuring twins
What a difficult question! I don’t think I have read any books that have twins in them, if you know of one then let me know down below!
Cancer: Name a book you read that was a real tear jerker
I am not really the person that cries at books but Gwen and Art are not in love did actually make me cry, I am not even sure why because it was not an overly emotional book
Leo: Name a book you’ve read with courageous characters
Virgo: Name a book you’ve read which was pure perfection
Libra: Name a book you’ve read that was neither good nor bad
Scorpio: Name a book you’ve read that was dark and mysterious
Sagittarius: Name a book that is full of adventure
Capricorn: Name a book that made you think
I am cheating here a little bit, every book makes me think in a different way.
Aquarius: Name a book that is really quirky
Pisces: Name a book you’ve read which was very imaginative
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you all enjoy my book review of the third book in the Thursday Murder Club series, The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman.
In this book review, I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to avoid spoilers, but as a review of a book in a series there might be one or two.
The Bullet That Missed Plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I have a love hate relationship with this series of books. First, I struggle with how the author got published so easily because he is a celebrity and I feel that the books do reflect this, if they weren’t famous a few of the plot lines I do not think would have been published. As a fan of murder mysteries I will read all the books that come out, however, I often find in this series there are too many strands within it. I said to someone after I read the second in the series, it is like the author threw the kitchen sink at it.
In the Bullet That Missed I did enjoy it more than the second book, it had a clearer sense of the murder in the plot. If it veered from the subject it soon came back to it and the surrounding investigation which I liked.
The Bullet That Missed Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I do love the characters in this series, each one has their own personality and by the third book in a series you really do feel as though you know them. I would have liked to see more character development in this book for Ron, he didn’t seem to feature or do much.
The Bullet That Missed writing and dialogue:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I think it is pretty obvious by now that Richard Osman can write, and he can write well. I do think that the books are straying form the cosy crime genre that it is pitched as being so I would like to see a return to that.
The Bullet That Missed Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Blurb/Synopsis:
It is an ordinary Thursday, and things should finally be returning to normal.
Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A local news legend is on the hunt for a sensational headline, and soon the gang are hot on the trail of two murders, ten years apart.
To make matters worse, a new nemesis pays Elizabeth a visit, presenting her with a deadly mission: kill or be killed…
While Elizabeth grapples with her conscience (and a gun), the gang and their unlikely new friends (including TV stars, money launderers and ex-KGB colonels) unravel a new mystery. But can they catch the culprit and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?
Happy Friday bookish people! Today I am doing the Amy’s Book Tag which I believe was originally started by The Dusty Bookshelf on Youtube. I hope you all enjoy!
Double Bergamot Ear Grey: A robust, deep, intellectual and flavourful book
I read this book while I was in primary school and there are so many layers to the story, that build emotion within the reader.
Tim Horton’s Steeped: A book you read on the go that you came back to again and again
I will always come back to this book, it is in a very very well read condition!
Meyer Lemon: A tangy fast paced read gone before you’ve fully savoured the flavour
This was difficult but I eventually settled on
Chamomile Lavender: A relaxing, calming, late night read
To be honest I mainly read in the evening, especially before I go to bed so for this question I am cheating a little because I am choosing every book!
Lady Grey: A smooth, subtle classic book perfect for a serene winter morning
This book is the first book I think of when I think of winter
English Breakfast: A british classic
I had to choose this one, I read it for my BA degree and loved it
Canadian Breakfast: A title that tastes a little like an english breakfast but reads like the new world
Orange Petloe: a popular novel that everyone has read
Green: A healthy book that that feeds your mind
For this I am choosing a genre rather than a book, I think that historical fiction gives me this feeling.
Iced Tea: A sweet summer treat for the days of summer
Today I am bringing you my book review for Gwen and Art are not in love by Lex Croucher, a proof copy of this book was sent to me for review which was a lovely thing to receive.
In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try not to give any spoilers.
Gwen and Art are not in love plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Gwen and Art are not in love is a new exploration of Arthurian legend, if Gwen was interested in women and Arthur was interested in men. The catch is, Gwen and Arthur are engaged to each other.
I thought the plot of this novel was a very interesting take on what is a well known story and I enjoyed it for the most part. This is a difficult book to discuss without spoilers but there were a few events within the novel that seemed to not fit as well as others. The romance threads were one part but there was another thread to the story and I found it complicated the novel.
Gwen and Art are not in love characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Gwen is a very headstrong princess who is struggling with what she wants and what everyone around her wants and how to balance the two, this creates a lovely tension within the novel.
Arthur is a character who I think would be a lot like marmite, he takes a while to warm up to his character. The first half of the book I truly thought how on earth as a reader am I ever going to find any sympathy or interest for him but the second half of the book changed my opinion on him.
Gwen and Art are not in love writing and dialogue:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The writing in this book has a lovely blend of comedy and historical and romance, the writing really helped to convey the lives and emotions of the characters.
Gwen and Art are not in love overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants to try a romance that has a quirky difference to it.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.
It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.
They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen’s childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.
Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen’s royal brother. Lex Croucher’s Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.
Happy Saturday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I don’t usually post on a Saturday but I was asked by @BreakevenBooks to do a book spotlight for Like Sapphire Blue today and of course, I said yes.
So, let me introduce you to Like Sapphire Blue by Marisa Billions
Synopsis:
“Your eyes are amazing. I’ve never seen a blue like that.”
Emma Landry is tough, independent, beautiful, and smart. Being an outcast unable to identify with her classmates, she was willing to do whatever it takes to climb her way out of poverty.
“What color would you say they are?”
Like Sapphire Blue
Having never known a mother’s love, her father “Bear”, raised her on the wrong side of the tracks in a wealthy town.
When success beckons, the woman she’s been in love with is, finally, within her grasp. Life is now worth living and loving.
That is, until a dark family secret is revealed. A secret tied into the very fabric of who she is, and what she spent a lifetime working to overcome.
Faced with a foundation shattering treachery, Emma finds herself at the crossroads. Can she overcome a destiny stronger than death, destitution, and murder, to prove she is more than just her father’s daughter? Or will this new knowledge lead her to destroy the world she’s spent a lifetime building?
Winner of the 2023 Reader Views Reviewers Choice Fiction Book of the Year.
Author Bio
Marisa Billions is a high school English teacher in Southern California. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Criminology. She is the author of the fiction novels, This Too Shall Pass,Like Sapphire Blue, and Into the Blue Again. She is working on her upcoming fourth novel. Like Sapphire Blue was the Reader Views Reviewers Choice Fiction Book of the Year. She lives in Southern California with her wife, Stephanie, and son, Alexander, and two Boxer dogs, Max and Ruby.
If this novel sounds interesting to you, here is an excerpt:
~ 1 ~
Humble Beginnings
The Present…
Discord, meaning a lack of harmony or unity by the definition. In a relationship it is that moment when the realization hits that there is no turning back and the damage is done. It’s irreparable.
Why won’t she look at me? Emma looked about the room. The table was set with the good china. Their favorite bottle of wine sat corked in the center, and across from her, was her beautiful wife. This was the woman that she spent the last two decades of her life with, and she won’t even look up? There was no way I was ever going to really fall in love with anyone else, you made sure of that. Whenever I thought you were out of my life, you miraculously reappeared every time. With narrowed eyes, gripping the ends of the table she looked around in the dimly lit room.
The dining room was immaculate, crown molding lines the ceiling, and a tapestry of a French courtyard hangs on the back wall. A china cabinet delicately displaying the unused settings on the opposite wall. The dimmer switch was set to low and candles flicker in silver holders (inherited from her wife’s grandmother, who inherited them from her grandmother and so forth and so on). Her wife was sitting, with her thick strawberry blonde hair in delicate waves down her back. Her favorite dress clung to her curves. She has a beautiful body, and not a lot of things look bad on her. Her chin was down, and her beautiful blue eyes are downcast, refusing to look at Emma. She is leaning back against the chair with her head down. She’s there, but she’s not.
Emma sat back, still staring across the table at her wife. One hand rested on the table, the other on the back of her chair. She worked so hard on this dinner. She made their favorite meal – eggplant parmigiana, pasta, home-made garlic bread. Not even an acknowledgement of the fact that the bottle of wine costs what Bear used to make in two weeks working at Jessie’s shop.
Her wife just sat there unmoved. Unimpressed. Not looking. Not speaking. This was her schtick though. The cold shoulder. The silent treatment. It wasn’t the first time she did this to Emma. But still, it was frustrating to her. And to think, this woman has a PhD. You would think she has better coping mechanisms than the silent treatment.
The dinner itself and the beautiful and impressive dining room it was served in, could not be a further cry from Emma’s meager beginnings. To keep from looking at her silent wife, Emma looked around at the room.
“You had everything growing up. This dinner, and what I did to prepare it, probably don’t mean much to you. But to make this, to have this, this is the world to me. What we built together, has meant the world to me.” Emma’s voice was quiet. Tears had welled up in her eyes.
The Past (1976-1991)
Emma Landry never knew her mother. She didn’t even know she had one until she was in kindergarten. She thought she only came to be because of one parent, her dad Frank, who she called Bear, short for Papa Bear.
She lived with her dad in a small trailer near the town. It was behind the auto shop that her dad worked at, which was owned by his brother, her uncle Jessie. The trailer was rundown, and there was a hole in the corner of the floor in the living room where she could see the ground beneath. In the winter time, she would stick a towel in the hole to keep the cold out, but sometimes the mice beneath the trailer would take it. Bear’s room was located at one end of the narrow trailer, and hers was at the other. There was a small living room with a tv that had bootlegged cable running to it. The walls were lined with a dark, faux wood paneling. An old card table with folding chairs was where they ate from dull plastic plates with mismatched silverware and chipped ceramic mugs. The couch was old, cream colored with brown and orange flower print, sagged in the middle and smelled faintly of mildew.
Their trailer and the shop were located on a small, wooded plot of land. They didn’t have neighbors, and she didn’t have friends. Her friends were two plush animals, Teddy (a floppy eared dog) and Brownie (a threadbare cotton tailed bunny).
And if you are still interested in reading more (which I hope you are!) here is a purchase link:
If you would like to see more content from other bookish people about Like Sapphire Blue, check out this timetable:
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope the month of April has been good for all of you, for me it has been a rollercoaster nightmare! All medical things seemed to happen at once, so hopefully May will be a better month. BUT my reading has been okay this month, I didn’t really stick to my TBR but I was reading which is something good.
Books from my TBR:
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I started to read this book (finally!), I haven’t finished it but I have started it and it is a long book so I am pleased with myself for that.
Crescent City House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas – I did not start this book, waaaay too big for me to tackle this month!
Crownbreaker by Sebastien De Castell – I did read this, which means I finished the series!
The Girl In The Tower by Katherine Arden – I did not read
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – I did not read
Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco – I did not read
Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber – I did not read
Sadie by Courtney Summers – I did not read
Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow – I did not read this
European Travels for the Monstrous Gentlewomen – I did not read, another big book I don’t know what I was thinking when I made this TBR
Sense and Second Degree Murder by Tirzah Price – I did read this and loved it
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano – I did not read this
A Little Bit Country by Brian D Kennedy – I did not read this
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel – I have been dying to read this all month but it just hasn’t happened yet
Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb – I did not read
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon — I did not read
So, I read two books and started another from my TBR. outside of my TBR I also read: Gwen and Art Are Not In Love, Kingdom of the Cursed, The Bullet That Missed and I have started Murder Before Evensong. Overall in April I read 7 books!
How did you do in April?
What was your favourite book that you read this month?
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