#Review By Lou of Found In A Bookshop By Stephanie Butland @under_blue_sky @headlinepg @HeadlineFiction #FoundInABookshop

Found In A Bookshop
By Stephanie Butland

Who wouldn’t want to be found in a bookshop in York? Discover the blurb and my review below the cover.

Blurb

Loveday Cardew’s beloved Lost for Words bookshop, along with the rest of York, has fallen quiet. At the very time when people most need books to widen their horizons, or escape from their fears, or enhance their lives, the doors are closed. Then the first letter comes.

Rosemary and George have been married for fifty years. Now their time is running out. They have decided to set out on their last journey together, without ever leaving the bench at the bottom of their garden in Whitby. All they need is someone who shares their love of books.

Suddenly it’s clear to Loveday that she and her team can do something useful in a crisis. They can recommend books to help with the situations their customers find themselves in: fear, boredom, loneliness, the desire for laughter and escape.

And so it begins.

Review

York is a beautiful city, a place I have visited many times. It has quite a history, with lovely streets to boot and is a great setting for Found In A Bookshop as basically some of those streets lend themselves wonderfully to this. You can truly picture a bookshop on a quaint street and want to work there.

Loveday Cardew sets up her bookshop, Lost For Words (which incidentally actually made me remember a fantastic children’s book of the same name of the shop by Natalie Russell, that I have read to many children). Anyway, back to the book in question.

The year is 2020 and lockdown has happened as Covid sweeps the nation. Loveday Cardew comes up with an idea of recommending books to people in certain situations, whether the author was piqued by part of what librarians organise, who knows or some Indie bookshops do too.
Anyway, as you read the book, it becomes something quite heart-warming as this adds some soul as, in a sense it shows a little of community spirit. It shows that, whatever you do, even in business, you can do something to help people’s lives a little in times of uncertainty.
It’s also interesting getting to know customer’s lives and not all are happy ones as there’s some real hardship for some of them, with broken relationships and loneliness playing a part.
There’s also a love story as Rosemary and George, married for 50 years set on a wonderful journey and “travel” for miles, through books as they come closer to the end of their life. For me, they were most endearing and it is them that kept me the most hooked.
Books play a big part, one way or another in the character’s lives, to remedy them, be part of them etc. It is, after all, true to say that there is/was a time when books were prescribed and certain places held lists and stock of what to read for wellbeing and certain circumstances and this book touches a bit into this.

Overall, it’s an interesting book with succinct narratives that intrigue and give a feeling of warmth. It may even make you wonder what you might find in a bookshop and which one you’ll be found in.

#Review By Lou of Expert Gardening Guide – Create Your Own Nature Garden By Joe Swift #JoeSwift #GardenersWorld #CreateYourOwnNatureGarden #Gardening #GardeningGuide #Spring #Summer #Nature #Plants #Flowers

Nature Garden
By Joe Swift

Now’s the time to start thinking about your garden and planning ahead for spring and summer. Will you add to it? Change it? Nature Garden is inspiring. Find out more in the blurb and my review below of Create Your Own Nature Garden, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or expert, there’s always something new to pick up.

Blurb

Support and protect the natural world with tips from expert gardener Joe Swift.

With around 16 million UK gardens covering a larger area than all our nature reserves, you could say our largest nature reserve is one big garden! In this practical guide, Joe shows you how to support and protect our rich and varied wildlife habitats.

Joe’s no-nonsense approach covers everything you need to know about doing your bit for wildlife. Learn how to manage soil and carefully select plants to create rich and varied habitats, from tall trees down to tiny, spring-flowering bulbs.

In this book, Joe demonstrates how to manage your outdoor space sensitively, and debunks the common misconception that ‘wildlife-friendly gardens’ have to be unkempt.

From bug hotels to pollinators, he also shares his ideas on fun and innovative projects to help kids, as the future custodians of our planet, engage with nature.

Joe Swift is an author, TV presenter and garden designer. He makes regular appearances on BBC’s Gardener’s World and the RHS Flower Shows

Review

I like Joe Swift’s books. I reviewed a book of his about Houseplants. It was so good, I bought a copy for a friend’s Christmas and she loved it very much for its tips.

Nature Garden is another book with a great, easy to use layout, full of hints, tips and practical advice for what to plant to create or add to your garden.

We all know garden’s are great for the environment and for wellbeing. With this book, you can attract bees and butterflies etc and create a wonderful chilled out space for you and your family.
This book shows it doesn’t have to be complicated and you can create something good, whatever your budget and space.

Gardens change in fashion all the time and now is the age of the nature garden, where plants and configurations of them is to encourage wildlife and help it along. Joe Swift guides you by the hand to do this, in a gentle and helpful way. Even on the page, it feels like he could easily be there in-person as the book tells you everything you need to know, even which plants are best and how to plant them.

I highly recommend this easy to use book, that you can dip in and out of for help and to inspire. So, I wonder what you’re going to plant this year…

#Review By Lou of The Secret Beach By Veronica Henry @veronica_henry @OrionBooks @RandomTTours #BlogTour #TheSecretBeach

The Secret Beach
By Veronica Henry

I’ve enjoyed Veronica Henry’s books for ages, but even more so in recent years, so it was great pleasure to read this book, now it’s time to enter The Secret Beach to discover the blurb and my review below on this Random T. Tours blog tour.
There’s more in this book than you’d think… The very title is cleverer than you’d think… All based in Cornwall, which I’m truly loving as a setting at the moment and always feeds in my decade or so, long desire to go there one day.

Blurb

Twenty years.
One secret.
A promise never to tell…

Nikki finally owns the little coastguard cottage of her dreams – and it’s a few steps away from the hidden beach that means so much to her.

But when a handwritten note lands on her doorstep, she realises it’s only a matter of time before the heartbreaking truth of her past is uncovered.

Twenty years ago, her whole world was turned upside-down when a terrible storm rolled into the small seaside town of Speedwell.

Ever since that night, Nikki has been keeping a secret. One she knows has the potential to destroy the lives of those she loves most.

Because as sure as the tide turns, there are no secrets in a small town…

Review

A Secret Beach, the mere idea of it sounds idyllic and special. The Secret Beach is one that contains secrets in Speedwell, Cornwall.

You can really get a feel for Cornish life, especially with Helen being very wrapped up in community life, including volunteering for the life boat service. A character, who is interesting as the RNLI is a big deal in Cornwall and also that she is heavily involved in volunteering, since, I myself have volunteered for over 2 decades in many organisations. There’s a reason for Helen volunteering for the life boat service and there’s a special memorial service, that’s also tinged with sadness.
Graham runs the family building maintenance firm and his wife is an interior decorator. Jess is a nurse, who causes chaos and there’s Nikki who runs a wedding business. They all make up a family, with Helen, the matriarch of it all, in what is a town that’s very much alive with the hustle and bustle of life.

Nikki is the main character, who is fascinating and just moved into the property of her dreams, where she discovers a secret beach.
Suddenly, the confidence of running her own business and being popular is followed by anxiety as a strange notes land on her doorstep. They contain something big that harks back to her past. This, she knows, could have a devastating impact on a wider sphere of people than just herself.

This is a delightful book, with some mystery and intrigue amongst meeting great characters going about their daily lives.
It’s terrific for pure uplifting, escapism that is so lovely to savour.
From cakes to beach to style and massive secrets this is a book is one I highly recommend.

#Review By Lou of The Kitchen Sanctuary Cookbook @KitchenSanc2ary @Octopus_Books @RandomTTours #NickyCorbishly #TheKitchenSanctuary #CookBook

The Kitchen Sanctuary – Quick And Easy Cookbook

5 stars

Dinner need not be a chore with The Kitchen Sanctuary. This particular one is as quick and easy as it says. It’s by popular You Tuber, Nicky Corbishly. She has 387k subscribers and over 43 million views. On Instagram she has 120k followers. But what can you expect to find in the book and are the recipes actually easy and delicious?

Blurb

Making dinner from scratch can feel like a chore – often half the battle is trying to find something that’s quick, nutritious and, most importantly, delicious. But delicious doesn’t have to mean demanding.
After their debut book, Sunday Times bestseller It’s All About Dinner, Kitchen Sanctuary is back – this time focusing on quick and easy meals, all made in 30 minutes or less!
With chapters such as Champion Chicken; Moreish Meat; Fantastic Fish; Vitally Veggie; Perfect Pasta; Rice, Noodles, Grains and Bread; Snack Suppers; Super Sauces – as well as a section dedicated to Smart Shortcuts containing Nicky’s top tips for speeding up dinner – you’ll be able to whip up a range of fabulous meals for the whole family, every day of the week, no matter how little time you have.

Review

I like the sheer array of options to create. There are recipes from Street Food to Asian food to Fish to Meat to Chicken. They are practical recipes for dinner as in you could actually pick this book up and make something for dinner, whether it is during the week or the weekend.

The book is great. Scan QR codes on each recipe page and you can see a clip of how to make the dishes as well as have it all in the written word. For me, this works really well and adds to the simplicity of creating really tasty food, without wondering how to do something, since you can watch and follow too.

Give me something with oodles of flavour.
Sticky Pineapple Chicken
I am a decent cook, but even I had my doubts about this being quick and easy. I was proved wrong. It really was and provided a great dinner.

I tried out the Teriaky Salmon. It was easy to create and tasted delicious.

This is a cookery book where you can learn how to make chilli con carne, fillings for tacos and so much more. It shows everything you need to know and you don’t have to break the bank. There are recipes for everyone, making it really accessible. It shows by £ signs like restaurants sometimes do, grading £, ££, £££. It doesn’t look like any skimp on flavour.

I’d make more from this cookbook for sure.

#Review By Lou of Miss Cat By Jean-Luc Fromental and Joelle Jolivet @thamesandhudson #GraphicNovel #MissCat #MiddleGrade #ReadingForPleasure #BlogTour @RandomTTours

Miss Cat (Graphic Novel)
By Jean-Luc Fromental and Joelle Jolivet

Graphic Novels have been on a rise and rise for years, with certain series now being firm favourites of children and teens alike. They, especially encourage reading for those who don’t think that’s for them and are termed “reluctant readers” and show a different type of book to add to the pile of the more exuberant, proficient readers.
Miss Cat is a great mystery for the young middle-grade readers.
Discover the blurb and my review of the first in a brand new series in this genre below.
Thanks to the publisher and authors, I also have a couple of pages and the cover to show you. You’ll see them as you go down this blog post.

Synopsis

The first book in an irresistible new graphic novel series for young readers, featuring a cool detective dressed in her cat-ear hoodie.
Meet Miss Cat, a private eye with ears on her hat and a nose for mystery!
Mr Titula, a sad old man, comes to see Miss Cat at the old dairy shop she uses as an
office. Someone has kidnapped his canary, Harry, his pride and joy! He begs the young detective to find him.
So, Miss Cat sets on the trail of Harry and a strange couple, the sultry Doris and the aggressive Jean-Pøl, a talking dog.
What could they be trying to hide? And could the senile Titula and the dashing Titus the Magnificent, a magician with extraordinary powers, be the same person?
Miss Cat, who thinks she’s a cat and hides underneath a large hoodie with cat ears, is a perfect new heroine to encourage children to read. With a Scandi-noir mood, Joëlle Jolivet’s dynamic illustrations and Jean-Luc Fromental’s thrilling plot and irresistible dialogues whisk young readers through Miss Cat’s crime-solving adventures!

Review

Miss Cat is quite the private eye, all clad in her cat-like hoodie. It’s a story that entertains and is quite the magical page-turner, with short chapters for 7-10 year olds, with its intriguing characters. There’s Miss Cat, a human who has set-up a detective agency and wears a cat-like outfit. She has dealings with Olaf the talking octopus, a member of the Octopus 6, Wolfgang who’s a talking dog and Maximus and Doris who are humans.

The book is entertaining with its mystery of a talking canary being bird-napped, magic and humour. You get a really good feel for the captivating characters in what’s great story-telling. What do the digits mean? Why are they so important to some of the characters? There’s goodies and baddies and a whole lot of fun for readers.

All is well-illustrated in a fun way, original way, that builds a good amount of atmosphere in what becomes a good page-turner.
It will leave children wanting more…

It would sit well with anyone’s collection of graphic novels, from schools to libraries to personal collections.
This is certainly one for children to look out for.
I’d certainly review more, given the opportunity.
The second will be ‘The Gnome’s Nightmare’.

#CoverReveal Post By Lou of the final #Tennison book – #WholeLifeSentence By @LaPlanteLynda @ZaffreBooks #CrimeFiction #Tennison #TeamTennison

I am so excited to reveal the cover of the finale in the Tennison series –
Whole Life Sentence, thanks to the publisher, Zaffre Books.
It’s an absolutely terrific prequel series to Prime Suspect.

“It all ends where it began”.

Today, you are lucky to get a sneak peek of the cover and blurb to what sounds like a fantastic last in the series book to come…

Blurb

Newly promoted Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison has elbowed her way into the Area Major Incident Pool, or AMIP, an elite team investigating non-domestic murders.

With her new position, she hopes things will change: the rampant sexism, the snide remarks, the undermining. Then she gets her first assignment: a five-year-old cold case of a missing teenager no one else has any interest in investigating, and an assumed suicide Tennison suspects is, in fact, murder.

But as Tennison gathers the crucial evidence to secure arrests, her new colleagues watch like vultures circling prey. And one by one the cases that she has built from the ground up are taken from her – and the glory along with them.

Tennison has seen it all before – but this time feels different. Get the job done here and she will rise to a level never before reached by a woman. It’s hers for the taking. She just has to do what she’s been doing brilliantly for years: find her prime suspect . . .