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Showing posts from May, 2018

Blind Date with a Book #9

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Another week, another appointment with Blind Date with a Book Thursday, a new weekly tradition initiated by Ebru from Ebs And Her Reads . The rules are simple: You choose a book --> You write a few clues that will help people identify it --> You ask people to guess the title of the book, including the bloggers that have inspired you to join --> You later reveal the identity of the book Ready? Here we go… I was published in 2010 I was written by an Australian actress I am a memoir I explore themes of sexuality and self-acceptance I talk about eating disorders Any guesses? Leave your answers in the comments below and come back tomorrow morning to find out if you were right. You can also share your guesses on Twitter and don’t forget to invite your friends to join in the game. The more, the merrier!

We need to talk about books! #11

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This week I have the pleasure of catching up with Ebru from  Ebs and Her Reads Book Blog , where she writes about books, books and more books . Are your bookshelves a ‘work in progress’ like mine or are they clearly and systematically organised? My shelves are always a “work in progress” I can’t stop myself from constantly buying books and am currently running out of space. Another thing is that we are currently living in limbo, so half my books are where we are right now, and the other half are at our condo. But I do have a system when I am putting them on the shelves. I like to put the books from same authors together, in order of their size. A part from books, what is to be found on your bookshelves? On my bookshelves, you can also find; bookends, bookmarks, my insta camera and once we figure our situation out and I can get to my bookshelves again, pictures. What do you do with books once you’ve read them? I like to keep them. Especially if the covers are pretty, they

In conversation with... Amanda Jennings

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Hi Amanda! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of The Cliff House . Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: The Cliff House is set in 1986, in Cornwall, not far from Land’s End, and centres around a glamorous Art Deco house and dramatic swimming pool, situated on the clifftop overlooking the sea. It tells the story of two teenage girls - Tamsyn, a local girl still grieving for her father, and Edie, the daughter of the wealthy family who own The Cliff House. Tamsyn has a deep attraction to the house and spends her days watching it through binoculars. To her it is perfection and anybody lucky enough to live there must be happy. Surely? But when the two girls strike up a summer friendship, cracks in the perfection being to show, and soon attraction turns to obsession and things take a darker turn. Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing or did it develop before your eyes as the characters grew on the page and did

Book review: Hope is our Only Wing + competition

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By Rutendo Tavengerwei Published by Hot Key Books Synopsis: For fifteen-year-old Shamiso, struggling with grief and bewilderment following her father's death, hope is nothing but a leap into darkness. F or Tanyaradzwa, whose life has been turned upside down by a cancer diagnosis, hope is the only reason to keep fighting. As the two of them form an unlikely friendship, Shamiso begins to confront her terrible fear of loss. In getting close to another person, particularly someone who's ill, isn't she just opening herself up to more pain? And underpinning it all - what did happen to her father, the night of that strange and implausible car crash? How did this book end up in my hands? I won a copy of this book ahead of its publication date and I was thrilled as this is my first YA novel in a long time… probably since I was a young adult myself. As I said, a long time! Was it a page-turner? This is not a fast paced novel in the way that a thriller can be b

Blind Date Book Reveal #8

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Welcome back to Blind Date With a Book Thursday… even if it’s Friday morning! Thank you all for joining in the fun and sharing your guesses on Twitter or on the blog. I hope you enjoyed yourselves! A quick look at the clues: I was published in 2011 and I am a debut novel I was written by a female British writer I am set in London One of my main characters is... a department store There is romance among my pages I tell you all about a Christmas miracle My heroine transforms herself from ugly duckling to beautiful swan (but not literally!) Any last-minute guesses? No? Ok, here we go… This week’s book was… Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris. A good read at any time of the year, I first reviewed this book in December 2011 and you can read all about it here . I hope to see you next week for some more fun!

Blind Date with a Book #8

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Another week, another appointment with Blind Date with a Book Thursday, a new weekly tradition initiated by Ebru from Ebs And Her Reads . The rules are simple: You choose a book --> You write a few clues that will help people identify it --> You ask people to guess the title of the book, including the bloggers that have inspired you to join --> You later reveal the identity of the book Ready? Here we go… I was published in 2011 and I am a debut novel I was written by a female British writer I am set in London One of my main characters is... a department store There is romance among my pages I tell you all about a Christmas miracle My heroine transforms herself from ugly duckling to beautiful swan (but not literally!) Any guesses? Leave your answers in the comments below and come back tomorrow morning to find out if you were right. You can also share your guesses on Twitter and don’t forget to invite your friends to join in the game. The more, the merrier

We need to talk about books! #10

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Today I have the pleasure of catching up with Adrianna from For the Love of Books , where she writes about all things book related: book reviews, book tags, favourite lists. Are your bookshelves a ‘work in progress’ like mine or are they clearly and systematically organised? My shelves are organized by genre and then I have a TBR section. But I don’t consistently organize new books this way, it usually takes me weeks to re-organize. Apart from books, what is to be found on your bookshelves? I collect Funko pops, bookish candles, bookmarks and prints, mostly from book box subscriptions. What do you do with books once you’ve read them? I pretty much buy all my books. Or I check out books from the library, but I usually end up buying a copy. I never get rid of books I’ve bought, I love them too much! Do you tend to re-read books? Definitely. I have books I call my comfort books. I re-read them when I’m sick or if I’ve had a bad day and even sometimes just because.

Happy Publication Day to...

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Publication day is here and you can now find this atmospheric page-turner both in shops and online... Congratulations to author Amanda Jennings on the publication of her new book, The Cliff House ! I would also like to thank her publisher – HQ – for allowing me to read this dark drama ahead of publication. As ever, I feel extremely privileged! You can read my review of the book here – where you can also find out how to win a copy of this book. Plus, keep checking back as the author has kindly accepted to answer a few questions for my blog!

In conversation with... Eithne Shortall

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Hi Eithne! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of Grace after Henry . Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: Thank you! And thanks for the kind response to it. This is the story of Grace, a young woman whose partner dies suddenly just as they’ve bought their first house. She must learn how to survive without Henry. She sets about doing this with the help of friends, neighbours and new pals she has made at the graveyard. And then, out of nowhere, a man with Henry’s face turns up at her door and her world is blown open. That might sound very sad, but it is funny and uplifting too – I hope. Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing or did it develop before your eyes as the characters grew on the page and did something that you were not expecting? A: Not at all. The book that has been published is not at all the book I pitched to my editor. Thankfully she thought the finished version was better! It started with thi

Book review: Grace after Henry + competition

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By Eithne Shortall Published by Corvus Synopsis: Grace sees her boyfriend Henry everywhere. In the supermarket, on the street, at the graveyard. Only Henry is dead. He died two months earlier, leaving a huge hole in Grace's life and in her heart. But then Henry turns up to fix the boiler one evening, and Grace can't decide if she's hallucinating or has suddenly developed psychic powers. Grace isn't going mad - the man in front of her is not Henry at all, but someone else who looks uncannily like him. The hole in Grace's heart grows ever larger. Grace becomes captivated by this stranger, Andy - to her, he is Henry, and yet he is not. Reminded of everything she once had, can Grace recreate that lost love with Andy, resurrecting Henry in the process, or does loving Andy mean letting go of Henry? How did this book end up in my hands? I won this novel in a competition online ahead of publication date and I was super happy because it sounded right up my str

Blind Date Book Reveal #7

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Welcome back to Blind Date With a Book Thursday… even if it’s Friday morning! Thank you all for joining in the fun and sharing your guesses on Twitter or on the blog. I hope you enjoyed yourselves! A quick look at the clues: I was published in 2018 and I am a debut novel I was written by a female British writer I am set in England I explore the meaning of parenthood I will ask you: What constitutes a family? One of my characters has a disability One of my characters is a football-playing teenage girl Any last-minute guesses? No? Ok, here we go… This week’s book was… The Second Child by Caroline Bond. To read my review of this emotional rollercoaster of a book, please click here . I hope to see you next week for some more fun!

Blind Date with a Book #7

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Another week, another appointment with Blind Date with a Book Thursday, a new weekly tradition initiated by Ebru from Ebs And Her Reads . The rules are simple: You choose a book --> You write a few clues that will help people identify it --> You ask people to guess the title of the book, including the bloggers that have inspired you to join --> You later reveal the identity of the book Ready? Here we go… I was published in 2018 and I am a debut novel I was written by a female British writer I am set in England I explore the meaning of parenthood I will ask you: What constitutes a family? One of my characters has a disability One of my characters is a football-playing teenage girl Any guesses? Leave your answers in the comments below and come back tomorrow morning to find out if you were right. You can also share your guesses on Twitter and don’t forget to invite your friends to join in the game. The more, the merrier!

We need to talk about books! #9

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This is week I have the pleasure of catching up with Sarah from Beauty Addict , where she writes about beauty, lifestyle and fashion, and of course books! Are your bookshelves a ‘work in progress’ like mine or are they clearly and systematically organised? My bookshelves are very full! I try and keep them in some sort of order – I try and group together all books from the same author if possible, but I’m not totally obsessed about them being in colour order or size order! Apart from books, what is to be found on your bookshelves? I have a candle and some small photo frames with pictures of my partner and family. What do you do with books once you’ve read them? KEEP THEM! I can’t bear to part with any books. I always say I will have a sort out of my bookcases, and maybe only manage to get rid of one or two. Do you tend to re-read books? Yes, some of my favourite books I have re-read several times over – this is why I can’t bear to part with any books because I love re-r