Perfect for celebrating A Year In Reading #Review of Bookish By Lucy Mangan @LucyMangan #SquarePeg @vintagebooks #NonFiction #BookReview By Lou #Bookish

Bookish
By Lucy Mangan

Review by Louise Cannon

Blurb

A love letter to all those who come alive when they pull a new treasure off the shelf, stay up late reading just one more page and pack their suitcases with clothes wedged between books instead of the other way around.

From exploring the stacks as a student, to finding her feet as a bookseller-turned-journalist, falling for a fellow bookworm in an independent bookshop, escaping the doldrums of new motherhood and finally building a (book) room of her own, Bookish is the story of a life spent falling in love with reading. Bookworm author Lucy Mangan chronicles her years of buying, borrowing and hoarding everything from well-worn literary classics to steamy bonkbusters, gripping thrillers, young adult novels and other not-so-guilty pleasures.

Brimming with literary insights, wry observations and stellar recommendations, this book is an ode to the bookish places – from local libraries to bookstores big and small – and the stories that make us who we are.

Review

Bookish is delightfully fascinating! It is the perfect book to celebrate this official year of reading.

We are reminded about something that we don’t all think about. It is brought into sharp focus about how important reading is and how it plays a part in shaping our lives in every aspect of ourselves.

Lucy Mangan does a sterling job in talking about her love of books, what she was reading and books impact at different life stages. It makes the reader think about how books, like music, say something relevant or takes you back to a certain moment in time.

Bookish reminds us how powerful books are.

Bookish may well give you ideas of what books to try out next or have you reminiscing or growing a desire to re-read a book she talks about. It may also make you look and think about books differently and in ways you perhaps you never did before.

#Review of This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page @LibbyPageWrites @VikingBooksUK #ThisBookMadeMeThinkOfYou #ContemporaryFiction #RomanticFiction

This Book Made Me Think Of You
By Libby Page

Review by Louise Cannon

Libby Page has done it again and written a warming book that lifts the spirits, whilst the wintry weather in the real world rumbles on. It may just be her best yet at penetrating the heart and soul.
Check out my review and the blurb below, thanks to Penguin for the e-book and opportunity…

Review

This Book Made Me Think of You shows human complexities in relationships and navigating life. It pulls on the heartstrings.

Tilly Nightengale’s birthday has arrived. Imagine receiving 12 handpicked books from your fiance as a gift. Sounds amazing for book lovers right? Except her fiance has sadly died. The carefully chosen books are a gesture to help her through her grief and move onwards with her life. She sets out to begin a vlog in her adventurous journey, she ends up sharing her journey with not just family and friends, but Alfie, a bookshop owner and other followers.

In time, Libby Page takes readers from feeling raw and heart-wrenched from where we initially meet Tilly to warmth and humanity. Tilly is someone you can really get behind and want life and love to co-exist for her again.

The power of books truly lives within and out-with the page, something that is realised and understood within this book. It’s something that seems important for readers and non-readers to truly see and experience as they travel through the complexities of life, loss and love.

Blurb

The unforgettable new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Libby Page

Twelve stories. Twelve months. Once chance to heal her heart . . .

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her fiancé waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly because Joe died five months ago . . .

The gift is simple – twelve carefully-chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
Tilly sets out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, the bookshop owner, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?

#Review by Lou of The Start of Something Wonderful by Jane Lambert @JaneLambert22 @HQstories #Theatrical #Bookish #ContemporaryFiction #TheStartOfSomethingWonderful

The Start of Something Wonderful
By Jane Lambert

Imagine hitting pretty much rock bottom in your 40’s. The things that worked before are no longer doing so and then re-building your life, still having hardships to come through to find what you truly want out of the rest of your life. The Start of Something Wonderful is all that in spades. At a time when I too am bit by bit changing a lot in my life, this book is just the one to read.

Blurb

It’s never too late to follow your dreams…

Emily Forsyth is on cloud nine…

She has a high-flying job (literally), a hunky boyfriend (soon to be fiancé?) and a life of luxury. But then, out of the blue, her boyfriend dumps her for a younger woman, and Emily comes crashing down to earth.

Suddenly, she’s single and homeless, and the prospect of staying in the same job as her cheating ex is unbearable. So, at forty years not-so-young, she quits steady employment and decides to chase her lifelong dream of becoming an actress.

But with eccentric acting teachers, unreliable agents, and some decidedly unglamorous roles on offer, has she made a huge mistake? Or is this the start of something wonderful?

Previously published as Learning to Fly.

Review

There’s something quite refreshing and real to read about a forty something year old’s life not going to plan and the fact that they’ve not got it all and even when they try to catch their dreams, it doesn’t all go swimmingly well from the beginning.

Emily Forsyth is an interesting, multi-faceted character to read about. She did have it all, as typically lots of people do have a lot in their lives when in their 40s, but for her, things come crashing down. The boyfriend leaves and to top it off, she is made homeless. It’s this total rock bottom and having to start again in a way that feels fairly realistic, that makes this a compelling read from a plot point of view. From a writing point of view, the words just flow off the page and easily draws you into her life.

The book feels pretty inspirational, that even when nothing is going right anymore, there’s still hope to grasp onto and a lot of living still to be done. The plotting, however, stays fairly grounded in the way that, even when Emily is chasing her dream of becoming an actress, she comes across tough times and challenging people and roles, there’s a realistic feel.

There’s humour, theatrics and romance in this book that’s full of engaging drama that’s inspirational and entertaining.

Thanks to Jane Lambert for sending me the book and I look forward to reading more.

#Review By Lou of Buried – Book 1 of the Jack Warr Series By Lynda La Plante @LaPlanteLynda @ZaffreBooks #DCJackWarr #CrimeFiction #CompulsiveReaders #BlogTour

Buried
By Lynda La Plante

I am pleased to be back on the blog tour for books by Lynda La Plante, previously I was reading and reviewing all of the Tennison series. This time I’ve been reading and reviewing the Detective Constable Jack Warr series.
I will be reviewing 4 books and then the hotly anticipated 5th when it’s made available.

SOME THINGS SHOULD REMAIN BURIED . . .

DC Jack Warr and his girlfriend Maggie have just moved to London to start a new life together. Though charming, Jack can’t seem to find his place in the world – until he’s drawn into an investigation that turns his life upside down.

In the aftermath of a fire at an isolated cottage, a badly charred body is discovered, along with the burnt remains of millions of stolen, untraceable bank notes.

Jack’s search leads him deep into a murky criminal underworld – a world he finds himself surprisingly good at navigating. But as the line of the law becomes blurred, how far will Jack go to find the answers – and what will it cost him?

In BURIED, it’s time to meet DC Jack Warr as he digs up the deadly secrets of the past . . .

Review

Buried is a great beginning to a series. You start to really get to know Jack Warr in a way that makes you want to know him more. He has a girlfriend, Maggie, whom he truly loves and they’re trying to find how they fit into their ‘new life’ in London. This makes them interesting characters. There’s already a profession in place and it isn’t about losing a love first, which all makes great stories, but this adds a different slant to creating a new life and feeling lost. I liked this and it felt authentic.

Buried is a clever, fully loaded title. There’s the concept of something being buried and to be uncovered in the investigation, such as a body from the cottage fire and the money from a cold case involving a train robbery, but also in DC Jack Warr’s personal life where he starts to uncover his own past as he delves into trying to uncover who his biological father is.

There’s lots to hook you into the characters with the complex personal life as well as the, sometimes, perhaps unorthodox methods of working within the case in DC Warr’s professional life. There’s quite a bit of depth for readers to explore and be gripped by.

It’s a brilliant beginning of a series that I can’t wait to continue…

You can have the pleasure of discovering this series too:

Buy Links:

https://lyndalaplante.com/books/buried/

Bookshop.org

My Top 16 Fiction Books of various genres of 2024 By Lou #BookReviews #ReadingCommunity #BookTwitter #Thrillers #RomanticFiction #LiteraryFiction

First of all, I, Louise Cannon wish you all a good New Year! Thank you so much for reading my blog and sharing my posts onto your social media. It’s much appreciated!

Whittling down lots of books is a challenge, but here are 16 of my best fictional reads of many genres of 2024. Each link will open in a new tab so you can navigate back here as you please with ease. Below this list you will find a link to a previous blog post about my 5 top non-fiction/memoirs to read.

The Teacher By Tim

The Headmaster isn’t liked by many others. When a body is discovered, in comes DS Cross and his team to uncover what becomes a search for motive and there’s plenty of suspicion to get stuck into.
Tim Sullivan mixes mystery and humour very well.
If you liked Ludwig on tv, you’ll enjoy this.
This is part of a series that can be read as a standalone.
2025 will see the next book – The Bookseller.

Discover the blurb and full review here: The Teacher

An Ideal Husband By Erica James

Louisa’s needing to carve out a new life. An Ideal Husband shows that everything can seem just fine and could well last forever, but sometimes secrets can be concealed very well… There are compelling twists and turns to this refreshing romance that tackles a bit of a disaster in life that isn’t often talked about…

Discover the blurb and my review here: An Ideal Husband

The Wedding of the Year

Expect the unexpected with cracks, bumps and twists in the road. Is it the wedding it’s cracked up to be? The Wedding of the Year becomes quite the page-turner as characters, refreshingly tell of their not so easy-flowing romances.

Discover the blurb and review here: The Wedding of the Year

Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings

Beauty on the outside doesn’t always mean beauty on the inside. Riches don’t always buy the perfect life are perhaps the takeaways from this psychological thriller. Victoria escapes her broken home for university life where she meets people who can open new doors for her. The very people who she thought were “Beautiful People” aren’t all they first seem in this darkly twisted psychological thriller that takes you into moments where you may well be holding your breath…

Discover the blurb and full review here: Beautiful People

Edge of The Land by Malcolm Hollingdrake

Part of the Merseyside crime series, this particular book is darkly compelling, set around the docklands and the famous Liverbird building. It can also be read as a standalone. How did an 8 year old turn to being a petty criminal and later fall foul with a drugs gang? Why are homeless people suddenly being murdered? Detective Inspector April Decent and Detective Sergeant Skeeter Warlock have tricky puzzles to unravel to uncover the serial killer.

Discover the blurb and review here: Edge Of The Land

True Love By Paddy Crewe

Set in the 1980’s Finn and Keely are growing up in the north east of England and life is hard in this gritty book of tragedy, yet also shows edges of romantic, agape, unconditional love. With characters to root for, it’s an immersive read.

Discover the blurb and review here: True Love

The Beaver Theory By Antti Tuomainen

Antti Tuomainen writes Scandi Noir with humour. The last in the trilogy that began with The Rabbit Factor, Henri Koskinen, the quirky mathematician who is the last person you’d think would own the theme park “YouMeFun” notices an unscrupulous rival is at play. Things get rather messier when there’s a death and soon after, the body count increases. The series is one of the most entertaining Scandi Noir I’ve ever seen.

Discover the blurb and review here: The Beaver Theory

Home for Christmas By Heidi Swain

This is the most festive book ever, ever! Heidi Swain takes people back to her community in Wynbridge and she weaved everything that is heartwarming and festive into a book to cosy up with.

Discover the blurb and review here: Home For Christmas

The Night In Question By Susan Fletcher

Florence Butterfield, an octogenarian with a colourful past. She was quite the adventurer and now is an amputee in a care home. The thing is, there’s a lot more sinister things than just care that’s going on…

Discover the blurb and review here: The Night In Question

The Island of Dreams by Helen McGinn
Meet Martha, she’s won a holiday to Paxos and is daunted by going it alone. Along with challenges, she also meets a rather welcoming community. McGinn gives a great sense of place and draws you into everyone’s personalities.

Discover the blurb and my review here: Island of Dreams

One of Us Is Dead By Peter James

One of Us Is Dead is part of the successful Grace series that you may have also seen on TV. This is the latest book. It can be read as standalone too.

A Dopple-ganger, a strange figure at a funeral of someone who’s supposed to be dead, all woven into a gripping case.

Discover the blurb and review here: One of Us Is Dead

The Guests By Nikki Smith

Sink into the luxury of the Maldives, feel the sand and sun on your skin. All isn’t all it seems in one of the resorts where secrets lie and the psyche of human nature truly comes through.

Discover more in the blurb and review here:
The Guests

This Motherless Land by Nikki May

A retelling of Mansfield Park, set between 1986 and 1992, retellings aren’t normally my thing, but this book was one piqued my interest by the author of WAHALA.

Eavesdrop on conversations and have fun with pop culture as well as having a feel of the original book by Jane Austen, it’s cleverly written with humour.
Discover more in the blurb and review here This Motherless Land

Gone To Pieces by Rachel Cosyns

A spider spinning a web like a labyrinth is cleverly how Gone To Pieces begins. It’s thought-provoking as it sets the story up to show human life, the web of connections and home as well as demonstrating the fragility of life.
Follow Rebecca into places people don’t always get to see…
Check out the blurb and review here: Gone To Pieces

Geneva By Richard Armitage

It’s easy to feel trapped and desire a good facility such as the carehome in Geneva.
The emotions and tensions build as does something rather sinister.
I’ve also included a link within the full review to a write-up of a talk Richard Armitage gave in the autumn of 2024.

Discover blurb, review, talk here: Geneva

Her Deadly Friend By Rachel Sargeant

It’s a thought-provoking thriller that makes you wonder how you’d feel if you suspected someone you knew of murder and may also destroy your life!

Discover the blurb and review here: Her Deadly Friend

See here for my top 5 Memoirs/Autobiographies:
Memoirs

#Review By Lou of A Room of One’s Own #FringeReview @edfringe #FringeEdin #WhatsonEdi #Edinburgh #Fringe #EdinburghFringe Venue 105 @fringeatpfield

A Room Of One’s Own

Original Text by Virgina Woolf
Stage Play Adaptation By Dyad Productions

The Fringe at Prestonfield – Marquee 2pm – 1hr 5mins

A Room of One’s Own, originally written by Virginia Woolf, performed with gusto and passion by Rebecca Vaughan of Dyad Productions in the marquee in the grounds of Prestonfield House is powerful and in many ways, inspiring. Check out the synopsis and the rest of my review below.

Synopsis

Award-winning Dyad Productions (Lady Susan, I, Elizabeth, Female Gothic, Austen’s Women) return with a 21st century take on Virginia Woolf’s blisteringly brilliant pre-TED talk. Take an amusing and incisive trip through the history of literature, feminism and gender. Meet Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Aphra Behn, and Shakespeare’s sister, Judith! Introducing a different way to look at creativity, it even comments on what life will be like in the 2020s! Come and be amused, challenged and changed. Rebecca Vaughan performs Woolf’s 1928 exploration of the impact of poverty and sexual inequality on intellectual freedom and creativity.

Review

A Room Of One’s Own is all you need to create is what Virginia Woolf’s works tells us. A room, however big or small and mind-space. It’s inspiring! It’s humble and one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever heard, in the world that we live in today, that seems to concentrate on vying for university places, of perhaps not belonging to the “right class”, it’s inspirational and says anyone can create something, no matter what class you come from. So, that’s the overriding message that remains with me.

There’s a bit of a history lesson in this too about the arts, especially writing in-terms of female writing. It’s well-constructed and adds in some well-known modern writers too, so it becomes a piece that bridges the past with the present. It has short moments of being dry, hence not quite the 5 stars, but on the whole, it holds a great amount of attention and is a compelling watch as it shows the journey of how far feminism has come, how far women have come in pushing the boundaries and writing what’s in their heads and being published.

It’s a great play to watch in a beautiful setting, whether you’ve read the book before or not. It’ll make your heart “sing”.

Dyad Productions also have other plays coming soon, such as a Christmas Carol to look out for.

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/room-of-one-s-own