The Year In Books - June

I had a very slow reading month during May and am still in the middle of one of my May reads and have yet to start another one so those two will move onto my June reads. Not sure really what went wrong this month, I do most of my reading in bed and have been really tired so have found myself drifting off to sleep instead of reading.

I am currently reading this and will review it at the end of June

This was also one of my May selections so have now moved it forward to June

I also hope to read the following during June - let's hope I have a more productive reading month this time around.

I have read Amanda's first book and thoroughly enjoyed it so hoping for the same with this one.

A couple of my blogging friends have recommended Elly Griffiths so am excited to add this to my reading list.

So what did I read during May:-

I selected this one at the end of April as I had completed all my April selection and thought this would be an easy, light and quick read. Unfortunately it seemed to take me a long time to get through it, I have read all of this series of books and have previously enjoyed them for what they are (light village sagas) but this one just didn't do it for me. Rebecca Shaw has now sadly passed away and I am wondering if this was penned by a ghost writer, I cannot put my finger on it but this one just didn't flow for me, the characterisations were poor and the plot line was almost non-existent. There are two more books in the series after this one but I am not sure whether I will bother with them.

This was the only other book I completed during May. 

Three women, one man, and a tangle of lies. 

When the world famous music conductor Leo Bruck dies suddenly, the three women who loved him meet for the first time at his graveside. 

Victoria, his partner of twenty years and mother of two of his children; Maddy, mother of Leo's daughter Phoebe; and twenty-four year old Cat. Can these three very different women, whose lives become inextricably bound, break free from the masterful control Leo exerts - even from the grave - once and for all?

I enjoyed this one, an interesting plot with believable characters. I did feel the book was a little drawn out in places though.

The Year in Books, hosted by Circle of Pine Trees is now in its third year and is a project aimed at ensuring we make time for reading in our busy lives. It's open to everyone and you can join in at any time via your blog, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or Goodreads. For more information please visit http://circleofpinetrees.com/year-books-information/

The Year In Books - May

I am joining with Laura at Circle of Pine Trees once again to bring you my May selection of books. 

I managed to finish my April selection before the end of the month and wanted a light easy read that I thought I would finish by the end of the month, however this wasn't to be so I will continue reading this and review it at the end of May.  

My other choices for May are:-

I will be back at the end of May to review these books.


 So now onto my reviews of the books I read during April:-


I started off the month with this non-fiction read.

I had been looking forward to reading this but I have to say it didn't live up to the expectation - it was ok but not quite what I thought it was going to be. 


Simon Armitage decided to walk the Pennine Way but in the opposite direction (North to South) to what most people do it, walking home towards the Yorkshire village where he was born. He financed his journey by giving poetry readings in village halls, churches, pubs and living rooms. I expected to get more of a feel for the poetry he wrote but in fact the book contained very little of his poetry, just endless repetition of how he collected the money he made in his trusty sock! Although there was some humour and amusing anecdotes in the book these were few and far between, on the whole the walk seemed quite a miserable experience for Simon. You were left with the feeling that it was a forced thing to do in order to write the book. After the very strange ending to the book you were rather left with the feeling of 'why did I bother'. 


My next read was Song of the Skylark by Erica James, a favourite author of mine. I have read every single one of her novels and have enjoyed them all. This latest one was no exception.

The book centres around two females, a young lady (Lizzie) who has made some big mistakes in her life and a ninety year old (Clarissa Dallimore). Lizzie first encounters Clarissa when she is forced to take up a volunteering position in a care home for the elderly. The two characters form an unexpected but firm friendship that will change Lizzie's outlook on life as Clarissa gradually retells her life journey which was fascinating and filled with emotion. I particularly enjoyed the WW2 back story. This is a book I found hard to put down as I became really absorbed in the story.


Next was another emotional read by an author I hadn't read before but which was recommended to me by a friend. 

This book features Lou Clark, a woman who had drifted between dead-end jobs until she takes up a post as a carer to a young man, Will Traynor, who, as a result of a road accident, has been left as a quadriplegic. This might sound as if it is a grim and depressing read but it is far from that. There are some parts that make you cry but equally there is a lot of humour and laughter as well. You certainly go through a roller-coaster of emotions reading this but it is a compelling read that will leave you with a lasting impression.

The last of my April selection was Red Sky At Night. 

Containing country folklore and old wives tales, some chapters were really interesting, others not so much. I felt it contained a peculiar mix of subjects. I guess I was expecting to read more about how some of the old countryside sayings originated so therefore this book didn't live up to some of the expectations I had for it. Perhaps as a dip in and out book it would work better than trying to read it from cover to cover as I did.

The Year In Books - April

I am once again linking with Laura at Circle of Pine Trees to bring you my April selection. If you love reading and wish to join in please visit http://circleofpinetrees.com/year-books-information/  where you will find all the information you need.

My planned reads for April are:-

The Simon Armitage book has been one I have been wanting to pick up for some time, I have made a start on it and I think I am going to enjoy it. Erica James has long been one of my favourite authors so am looking forward to this one, she weaves such a great story and never disappoints. The JoJo Moyes is a new author to me but the book has been recommended by a friend who says it is really hard to put down and the Jane Struthers is one I downloaded onto my Mum's Kindle and she has said that she thinks I will find it interesting so I think I have some good reads lined up for me this month.


Now for a review of my March reads:


Firstly I finished off one of the books I didn't quite manage to finish in February.

This was an interesting read for me as Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey) is somewhere I know well and have lived close to all my life. I have met the current Earl of Carnarvon and also the previous Earl so it was interesting to find out more about the family through the generations. 

I then moved onto a book by Santa Montefiore, I have read several of her novels and she didn't disappoint with this one. This book is set in the wild countryside of West Cork, Ireland in the early part of the 20th century and is an epic tale of three very different women who have one thing in common, a fierce and unwavering longing for Castle Deverill and the memories contained within it. I was pleased to hear that there will be two more books in this series as there were lots of ends left untied. 

My next read was The Sea Change. This was a debut novel for Joanna Rossiter but the synopsis sounded interesting.

Yesterday was Alice's wedding day. She is thousands of miles away from the home she is so desperate to leave, on the southernmost tip of India, when she wakes in the morning to see a wave on the horizon, taller than the height of her guest house on Kanyakumari beach. Her husband is nowhere to be seen.

On the other side of the world, unhappily estranged from her daughter, is Alice's mother, Violet. Forced to leave the idyllic Wiltshire village, Imber, in which she grew up after it was requisitioned by the army during the Second World War, Violet is haunted by the shadow of the man she loved and the wilderness of a home that lies in ruins.

As Alice searches for her husband in the debris of the wave she is forced to face up to some truths about herself she has been hiding from. Meanwhile Violet is compelled to return to Imber to discover just why she abandoned her great love . . .

I have to say that this book took me a long time to get into, I almost abandoned it but I am glad I persevered. It does leap about a lot between the generations with lots of flash backs to previous generations and it was a bit confusing at times but after reading about a third of the book I did get fully engaged with the story and began to be gripped by it. Some unpredictable twists as the book unfolds make it worth sticking with.

My final book in March was The Lake House. I loved this book - an epic piece of storytelling. The main plot line concerns the mystery of baby Theo Edevane who disappears from the family home in Cornwall during a Midsummer party in 1933, a mystery which has never been resolved. The book does jump about a bit between three different time lines but is easy to follow. An intriguing story with an intricate plot with many twists and turns. Several times I thought I had solved the mystery to find my theory was incorrect but in the end the threads weave together in an interesting and satisfying way.

The Year In Books - February

I have really enjoyed participating during January in the Year In Books hosted by Laura at Circle of Pine Trees and am looking forward to continuing throughout the year. The aim is to read at least one book a month.


Unlike most book clubs we usually select the books we wish to read rather than all reading the same, however for February the plan is for as many people as possible to read The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon. I was lucky enough to be selected by Laura to receive a free copy of this book from Harper Collins. 


My choices for February are:- 

I initially only selected one book to read in January but I did add more books to my January reads as I went through the month.

The first book I read was In Falling Snow. This was a very interesting read. The main character was Iris, an Australian, who travelled to France in WW1 to find her brother who had signed up to fight during WW1 despite not being of age. She intended to find Tom and bring him home. However before she found Tom she discovered an old abbey at Royaumont where a group of women were working to set up a field hospital. Iris decided to stay and help. The story goes back and forth from WW1 to the days back in Australia when Iris was an old woman who had just received an invitation to travel to France once again to attend a reunion at Royaumont. Her granddaughter, a doctor, tried to persuade her that she was too old and frail to make the journey. But does she decide to go? 

My second read was Bill Bryson's The Road to Little Dribbling. This is a continuation of his book Notes From A Small Island twenty years on. I had heard reports that this was not as good as the first one but I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Lots of laugh out loud moments, I found this book hard to put down. Yes, he is more cranky than he used to be but I guess as we get older we all suffer the same fate and I have to say that in many cases I agreed totally with what he was saying. Part of the book was about some areas I know well and he was absolutely spot on with his descriptions. 

My third read was The Turning Point by Freya North. I still have about 20% of the book to read so I will review this at the end of February along with my February reads. I have never read one of Freya's books before and am really enjoying it and wondering why I haven't picked one up before.

I think to get through all my February reads I will need to not spend so much time on my iPad during the evenings and crack on with reading earlier than I currently do, when I am usually so tired that I find myself drifting off to sleep before I have read very much.