Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Weather Events in the Title

 

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a Halloween Freebie. However, in October 2023 one of the themes was Books with Weather Events in the Title/on the Cover. At the time, I put this list of books together but I never got around to adding the commentary and pictures or posting it....until now! It's a bit scary that it has been sitting in draft all this time. See what I did there?

I am starting with some wind and storms, then moving onto sun, rain and snow.

Ill Wind by Rachel Caine - Rachel Caine has a whole series of books called the Weather Warden series that I could have picked for this prompt. This is the first book in the series. (my review)

Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley - One of the lesser know Kearsley books but, as always, I couldn't resist the urge to include one of her books. Unusually for Kearsley this book is set in Rome.

A Taste of Italian Sunshine by Leonie Mack - Wine making in Italy. Yes please!  (my review)

Under a Greek Sun by Mandy Baggot - Moving on from Italy, this is set on a Greek island   (my review)

An Island in the Sun by Kate Frost - Another country, another island. This time it was Portugal. (my review)

Floodtide by Judy Nunn - I read this years ago and don't remember much about it other than one particular scene. Looking at my rating on Goodreads I didn't like it at all, but the title fits the theme. 

The Right Attitude to Rain by Alexander McCall Smith - This is the third book in the Isabel Dalhousie mystery series set in Edinburgh. (my review)

Midnight in the Snow by Karen Swan - In the past this author put out a summer book and a winter book. Guess which one this was.

Snowy Mountain Cattleman by Alissa Callen - The Snowy Mountains are actually a place in this instance, but they do get a lot of snow. This is the second book in the Bundilla series.

The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman - I still haven't gotten over not enjoying the last Viola Shipman book I read. This one wasn't bad though.

Weekend Cooking: Making Couscous

 

Couscous with ratatouille is one of my favourite meals and I would happily eat it regularly just as those two components, although other people in my house aren't as keen so we normally have to add some kind of meat, other than lamb which is what I would normally have with it.

When I was read Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri earlier this year, this passage really caught my attention for a couple of reasons. The first was that I had never once thought about how couscous is made. Here it is an easy starch that comes out of a packet. Just add boiling water and maybe some butter and then fluff it up with a fork.

The second reason was the sense of joy that comes from the passage. Zahra has only just met her Moroccan family and yet they are already building their relationships.

You can read my review of this fabulous book here. 

"Aujourd'hui, on est vendredi!" Fatiha says, eyes crinkling as she smiles. "It's Friday! Come, we make couscous. Amir, il dort? He is sleeping, no?" I nod.

I follow her to the kitchen - a small, tiled room where a free-standing gas cooker rests against the wall. Facing it is a bench with a deep white sink, and a small table with two wooden stools. The two women I saw the day I arrived have disappeared - neighbours, Fatiha told me, who came to help to cook  a special meal. On the table is a wide flat-bottomed clay bowl. Fatiha pats the stool nearest the door, gesturing for me to sit down.

"Watch," she tells me. "C'est important! In Morocco, you know, when a woman can make couscous, that means that she is read to marry." She laughs, slapping her hand on my thigh. I think of the packet couscous we buy at home, just add water and stir. I smile - I'm pretty sure that's not what she is talking about. With two hands, she opens a large plastic container before pouring yellow grain into the wide bowl.

"La semoule," she explains, putting the bowl on the floor between us. Beside her is a bowl of water. She dips her fingers in it, sprinkling fine drops over the semolina. Her back is bent double, the bowl secured firmly between her slippered feet. In one seamless movement, she runs her hands through the contents, scooping and piling the tiny grains as though her hands were a wind blowing across the desert sand, piling dunes that are just as soon destroyed as they are created. Around and around her hands fly, sweeping the grains with them, mixing the water, picking them up and letting the stream of semolina run through them.

"Try," she encourages. I move my damp fingers tentatively, careful not to let any grains stick together, conscious of the movement of my fingers. There is sensuous joy to the process. She sprinkles more water and when she is happy with the consistency, she pours the grains into a metal steamer. She puts the steamer on top of a boiling pot of water, wrapping the gap with a thick layer of plastic wrap. She hands me a bag of carrots and shows me how to scrape off the peel with the back of a knife.

As we sit and work, I ask Fatiha about her life. 

Fatiha shares about her life, the things that a Moroccan woman accepts as opposed to what an Australian woman thinks, and then"

Amir begins to cry in the bedroom, and my milk has already let down, two wet patches soaking through my grey top. As I feed him, Fatiha begins the second steam of the couscous, piling the vegetables and chicken into the pressure cooker. It will be steamed a third time over the stock water before she transfers it into a large round clay tagine, artfully arranging the meat and vegetables and chicken into a pyramid over the bed of couscous. By the time it's cooked, my stomach is rumbling as the rich scent permeates the house. Abdulrazak, Abdul Karim, Malika and the children join us around the small table. Soon we all laughing as Zeynab tries to teach me to roll the hot couscous into balls in the tips of my fingers; I copy her but fail, couscous spilling all over my lap. Sheepish, I take the proffered spoons, helping myself from the shared bowl, the warmth of the togetherness filling a space in me I had not realised had been there. 

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Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Blog Tour: Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin

 

Do you have a place that you dream about visiting at Christmas? I would love to visit more Christmas markets in Europe, and to visit London and New York! Whilst I can't see actually visiting these places in the next couple of years, I was more than happy to have the ultimate New York Christmas experience through the pages of this book!

Evie Green has gone viral for all the wrong reasons. As an experienced journalist, she should have known better than to fall for a scam. As a pretty decent person she should have known better than to "borrow" the money that she needed for the scam from her housemates. When a video of her housemates confronting her goes viral, she is stood down from her job.

Evie was scammed when scammers offered her a once in a lifetime holiday to New York. It is a place that Evie and her mother had longed dreamed of visiting, but it hadn't happened before her mother passed away. 

The only good thing to come out of this mess is that the Plaza Hotel in New York has offered her a first class, all expenses paid trip to New York at Christmas time. The only catch is she will have to document all of her experiences and share them on social media as a PR exercise.

American Noah Sanderson has some experience of going viral too. Noah is a profession soccer player in the UK and so is used to a little media attention.  This time he made the news for a crunching tackle that broke both of the legs of an opponent. He too is stood down, and so decides to go to New York to get away from all the headlines. 

Noah and Evie first run into each other at the airport but they already have preconceived ideas about each other. When they keep on running into each other, for their managers and the PR team it is a Christmas gift. After all, what could be better than watching two people rehabilitate their reputations as they undertake the various festive adventures in New York. But what if the attraction is real?

I loved the New York setting of this book. If you think of any Christmassy activity in New York, it is here from looking at the fantastically decorated houses, to the big Christmas tree to skating on the lake in Central Park and at the rink at the Rockefeller centre. There are also some activities that I most definitley would not undertake! I was glad that it was Noah and Evie and not me!

Evie does a lot of growth in this book, gradually realising that she has kind of shut herself down since her mother died. There is also growth for Noah who has a very regimented routine and needs to loosen up a little. They are both at places in their careers where they are dependant on other people to make decisions about their futures, and they could lose their jobs. I loved Evie and Noah together.

I have read a few Julie Caplin books now, and I really enjoy the way that she brings each new location to life. So far I have read books set at a vineyard in France, Positano, Prague and now New York and I do have a couple more on my Kindle to read at some point. This is the first in a new series called Christmas Escapes so I am looking forward to seeing what other Christmas romances she brings us!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Thanks to the publisher, Rachel's Random Resources and Netgalley for the review copy. Check out the other stops on the blog tour as well!

Rating 4/5

About the book

Christmas on Fifth Avenue

Welcome to New York, where the Christmas lights dazzle, the snow is falling and love is just around the corner…

Evie Green's Christmas dream turns into a nightmare when a viral video makes her the laughing stock of the internet. But then a 5 star hotel sees a PR opportunity and invites her to New York for a Christmas she’ll remember forever.

Enter Noah Sanderson, a disgraced soccer star seeking anonymity. Forced to fake a festive romance for the cameras, sparks fly – but not the twinkling Christmas kind!

As Fifth Avenue sparkles in all its holiday glory, can The City that Never Sleeps show these two frosted hearts that, maybe, the best love stories are the ones you never see coming.

Don't miss this cozy Christmas spin off series from the million-copy-bestselling author of the Romantic Escapes series! Each book can be read as a standalone.

Guaranteed:

Forced proximity

Grumpy sunshine

Happy ever after

Cozy comfort read

New York Christmas magic – think red velvet bows, chunky tartan-knit scarves, giant red baubles, the Rockefeller Centre Christmas Tree, Macy's, The Nutcracker and more!

Purchase Links 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brand-Christmas-Romance-Julie-Caplin-ebook/dp/B0DJ6HS9NJ/

https://www.amazon.com/Brand-Christmas-Romance-Julie-Caplin-ebook/dp/B0DJ6HS9NJ/ 

About the author

Jules Wake aka Julie Caplin is an internationally bestselling author with over 2 million sales over twenty five books including the highly successful Romantic Escape series which has been translated into over 24 languages. Her books have topped the charts in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Iceland, Italy, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

After reading English at university, Jules Wake worked in PR where she honed her fiction writing skills on press releases and swanned around Europe taking journalists on gastronomic press trips. These visits inspired the locations of many of her books. She’s now a full-time author and what better job is there than making stuff up! It certainly beats housework.

As an avid romance fan, she’s written in several genres including historical romantic fiction, contemporary women’s romance fiction and romantic comedy. October will see the publication of her twenty eight book, Christmas on Fifth Avenue.

Social Media Links

https://www.facebook.com/JulieCaplinAuthor/

Instagram @juliecaplinauthor

Top Ten Tuesday: Arches and Windows

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Cozy/Atmospheric Reads

I am going a bit rogue this week and I am choosing covers which features archways or windows. It's an idea that has been calling to me for a couple of months now, and today is the day that I make it happen! These are all books that I have read this year!

The Lost Garden by Angela Petch - This is the book that made me think about doing this as a topic. (my review)

Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop by Jessica Redland - This arch kind of reminded me of the arch window on Play School, which is the window I hoped they would choose every time. Australians will get this, or at least Australians of a certain age! (my review)

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - This is the first book in the Emily Wilde series. It probably almost doesn't count but the frame forms an arch like shape. At least that's my story and I am sticking to it. (my review)

The Magic of Provence by Alison Roberts - love the view extending out through the arch here. (my review)

The Santorini Writing Retreat by Eva Glyn - It looks like this might be a picture from a balcony but the flowers form an arch to look out across that iconic Santorini view. (my review)

The House at River's Edge by Rachel Burton - The windows are flung wide open on this cover (my review)

A Greek Island Gift by Mandy Baggot - Love the colours on this cover! (my review)

Under a Riviera Moon by Helen McGinn - How nice would it be to sit outside on a beautiful warm Riviera evening and look at this view. (My review)

Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki - I am really looking forward to reading the follow up to the book soon! (My review)

The Secrets of the Rose by Nicola Cornick - I do love it when you see an series of arches covered in flowers like this! (My review)

Spell the Month in Books: October

Reviews From the Stacks

For 2025 I have decided to have a go at Spell the Month in Books which is hosted at Reviews From the Stacks. The link party opens on the first Saturday of the month, but I won't be posting until after that as I already have other things scheduled every Saturday and for the first two Sundays of the month. I will be sharing this post with Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz.

The idea is that you use the titles of books to spell the month name. The theme for October is This month’s theme is Trick or Treat: books that you feel strongly about, whether positively or negatively

Let's get started

O - Once Upon a Thyme by Jane Lovering - I started reading Jane Lovering's books a couple of years ago now and I really enjoy them. Most of them are set in Yorkshire which is near where I lived when I lived in the UK.

C - Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon - Don't be confused. This isn't a Diana Gabaldon book hou havne;t read. In the UK and Australia the first novel in the Outlander series was originally called Cross Stitch.

T - To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis - I feel like a reread of this whole series wouldn't go astray!

O - On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta - I also feel like I could easily reread all of Melina Marchetta's books too. I think of this book every time I hear the song Flame Trees by Cold Chisel. Every time without fail!

B - Beartown by Fredrik Backman - This was a 5 star read from earlier this year. I need to read the second book in the trilogy!

E - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - This one was a five star read from a few years ago!

R - Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly - I loved the Rose trilogy from Jennifer Donnelly and this book. I haven't read much by her since then but I have such fond memories of the books I love.

November's theme is Nostalgia. Not sure what direction I will take that one in. Good job I have a month to think about it.

Weekend Cooking: Dish Podcast

 

Do you ever think that you are always late to the party when you find something that everyone else discovered years ago? I do quite regularly. For example, it took me years to start wearing ballet flats, and now they are all I wear. Another example...I only just started my bookstagram account earlier this year! Another thing to add to the list....I only discovered the Dish Podcast earlier this year.

In case you haven't heard of it before, Dish is a British podcast hosted by radio personality Nick Grimshaw and Michelin starred chef Angela Hartnett. Each week they invite a celebrity to come to the studio where Angela cooks something delicious, they have a drink and then they chat. The show is sponsored by the British supermarket chain Waitrose and the celebrity usually gets to take home a goody bag. 

I first found it when I was watching a Stanley Tucci clip on Youtube and his episode of Dish came up as a recommendation...and from there I found myself working my way back through the episodes. I haven't watched them all yet but I have watched a quite a few. The good thing about discovering this late is that there are several series to watch as it started back in 2022.

The new season has just started and so far the guests have been Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch in the first episode and Graham Norton in the second. Both of these episodes were really great. It doesn't really matter if I know how the celebrities are although there have been some really big names from Gordon Ramsay to Mary Berry, Joanna Lumley and so many others .The conversations are always entertaining with the hosts putting them at ease, and the food always looks amazing. For example, one of the guests was an Irish singer called CMAT. I had no idea who she was, but her episode was really lots of fun.

I was already familiar with both Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett. Nick is regularly on Celebrity Gogglebox and Angela was a judge on a cooking show we watched years ago. They have great chemistry and you can tell that over the years they have developed a really lovely friendship. I have become something of a Angela fangirl after watching this show. She makes me really laugh quite a lot.

I thought I would share the episode that started it all for me. Here is the episode with the ever fabulous Stanley Tucci

Weekly meals

Saturday -  Chicken Thighs with rice
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Beef enchiladas
Tuesday - Beef and broccoli noodles
Wednesday - Pork nachos
Thursday - Out for dinner
Friday - Chicken pasta bake

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Have Returned to the Library Unread

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time (This week was originally scheduled to be a non-bookish freebie, but I realized how close it was to the last non-bookish freebie we did. If you’re super on top of it and already wrote your post for this week, post it anyway! If you’d rather do a non-bookish freebie, go for it!). 

I am, however, going rogue this week and I am going to share the last ten books I have returned to the library unread, and I haven't reborrowed .... yet!

The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris by Daisy Woods - I originally requested this one after it was reviewed for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. 

Return to the Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee - I read the first book in this series a while ago

The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart - Anna Stuart has been on the French bestseller lists for a while. When I did my Bestsellers Around the World post during Paris in July I decided it was time to try her books. 

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman - I read Beartown and loved it ages ago and fully intend to read the rest of the series.

All the Bees in the Hollow by Lauren Keegan - Lauren Keegan used to be a book blogger and I picked up her book when I saw it next to Claire Keegan's books.

The Ingredients of Love by Nicolas Barreau - This is a French author that I am hoping to read soon.

The Yellow Villa by Amanda Hampson - After reading all of the Tea Ladies mysteries, I am now keen to read the other books by Amanda Hampson.

An Act of Love by Carol Drinkwater - I read my first Carol Drinkwater book during Paris in July this year and now I will read her backlist.  

Emily Wilde's Map of the Other Lands by Heather Fawcett - I read the first book in this trilogy earlier this year

Three by Valerie Perrin - I really enjoyed Fresh Water for Flowers by this author earlier this year

I'll be reborrowing all of these at some point!

This week...

I'm reading

I didn't have a huge amount of reading time or inclination this week.

I did finish A New Life in Amsterdam by Helga Jensen which I reviewed here. And now I am immersed in Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin, but I should finish it today. My review will be up next week but basically if you have ever thought about spending Christmas in New York, this is the book for you. 

I did finish listening to Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec and Andi Arndt  on audiobook. This book was an Audible exclusive book and when I was looking for which book to read next I realised that it was leaving Audible soon so I figured I should probably listen to it. It was a lot of fun and I laughed out loud several times. I do wonder what it says about me that the last two audiobooks have both included a list which consisted of different names for the male appendage. To be fair, the first one was non fiction book about writing sex scenes and also included a shorter list of words for the female equivalent. 

I haven't chosen a book to listen to next. It will be a surprise for all of us!

I did go to an author event last week. It was a bit different to my normal author event. I went to hear cookbook author and Ottolenghi co-writer Helen Goh speak. As a bonus there were nibbles which were several of her recipes. Helen Goh was born in Malaysia but moved to Australia when she was young before moving to London which is where she started working for Yotam Ottolenghi. The conversation was a bit of fun, and she confessed to things like loving the meat pies that you can get at the petrol station and that being one of the things she misses when she was in not in Australia. She was promoting her new baking book, Baking and the Meaning of Life.

It was Love Your Bookshop Day this weekend so I did my duty and visited a bookshop which was a new one to me! I did get this adorable little penguin because I bought two books from Penguin (the publisher). 

We also visited a local farmers market where there was a stall selling lots of book related paraphernalia, mostly 3D printed items. My husband bought me this cute bookshelf pictured above, which you can expect to see popping up in my Bookstagram photos at some point! Also fun to play with all the little books and the blocks!

I'm watching

The only thing that I watched that was not quiz shows or British comedy shows this week was a movie called All of You. It was billed as a sci-fi romance but I am not sure it was really either of those things. The sci-fi element was that you could pay to have a test done that tells you who your soulmate was. The story is about two friends played by Brett Goldstein (of Ted Lasso fame) and Imogen Poots. She does the test and is matched with a man, but they have always circled around each other. It follows them for 12 years or so as they battle their attraction to each other, sometimes with more success than other times. It was interesting, but ultimately didn't truly work for me.

Here's the trailer

Life

We are getting ready to go on holidays later this week. 2 weeks in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Can not wait! 

There will be no This Week post for the next couple of weeks

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Satisfying Series
Blog Tour: A New Life in Amsterdam by Helga Jensen
Weekend Cooking: The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: September Statistics 




I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date, Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and the Good Book and a Cup of Tea link up hosted at Boondock Ramblings

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: September statistics

Every month I share some of the statistics related to the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. I try very hard to visit every post which has been linked (time permitting) and I find it interesting to see what are the books that people are reading and reviewing! I often end up adding a couple of books to my never ending TBR list.

In terms of the books read in September, there were 57 reviews linked up for the challenge, shared by 19 participants. There were 53 individual titles reviewed, written by 44 different authors, There were 4 reviewers who reviewed 5 or more books each. Thank you to everyone who shared their links whether it be 9 or just 1.

So which books were reviewed more than once in July? There were four this month which is the most that we have had for a long time! All of these books were reviewed twice this month.

A Carol for Mrs Dickens by Rebecca Connolly tells the story of Charles Dickens' wife. It was reviewed by Laura from Laura's Reviews and also at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. 

Agatha Christie is always well represented in the challenge and this month was no exception. At Bertram's Hotel was reviewed twice by Laura at Laura's Reviews and by Shellie at Shellie Loves Books. 

I was a bit surprised to see The Briar Club by Kate Quinn reviewed twice this month given that it was released a few years ago now. I reviewed it here and it was also reviewed at Reading World

The final book to be reviewed twice this month was The Heir by Darcie Wilde which is the first book in a new series which features the future Queen Victoria as a sleuth! It was reviewed by Kim at Goodreads and Laura from Laura's Reviews.

We also had multiple authors who were reviewed more than once this month

Kim at Goodreads is continuing her reread of the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R King. This month she shared 6 reviews of books from the series. You can check out Kim's Goodreads profile here.

There were four books by Irina Shapiro reviewed this month. Laura at Reading Books Again reviewed The Highgate Cemetery Murder which is part of the Tate and Bell series and then Bev from My Reader's Block read three books from the Redmond and Haze series.

I was pleased to see that Kim on Goodreads also contributed reviews for a format we don't often see. She read two of the graphic novels in the Enola Holme, The Graphic Novels series by Serena Blasco.

If you love historical fiction and reading challenges, it isn't too late to join us! All the details can be found in the sign up post.

I am sharing this with Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and A Cup of Tea and a Good Book hosted at Boondock Ramblings

Weekend Cooking: The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden

 

Sometimes you can look at a book cover and title and think yes, that sounds like my kind of book. If you are super lucky, you then read the first few pages and know that you are going to love it, and this was one of those books for me!

When Lolly was in her early teens she wrote down 5 goals for her life. They were:

Live in another country

Own my own restaurant somewhere amazing

Fall in love

Help my family be happy together 4 ever

Get my own horse

Now in her early thirties, Lolly finds the diary and she is somewhat disappointed with her life in comparison to her younger self's dreams.

Lolly feels like she lives a life driven by her obligations and duty. Ten years earlier, her mother had died leaving Lolly, her dad and her younger sister behind. Every day Lolly rises early, bakes lemon drop pies (even though she doesn't even like them herself) for the family diner where her dad dutifully cooks each day. The reality is that the restaurant is not really viable any more no matter how much her family and their regular customers wish it was. To make things worse, her younger sister seems to be moving in a different direction to the one that Lolly imagined for her when she gave up her own dreams to help her sister through college.

When she looks back, Lolly only sees failure. She did spend a few months in England and fell in love with the town of Brighton, but there's no way she can open a restaurant there now. Her family is as together as it can be given the tragic death of her mother and the pressures of running a failing business. As for falling love, Lolly lost the only man she ever loved when she had to choose between supporting her family or moving away to support his career. Rory and Lolly had been inseparable since they were teenagers but there is no chance for them to ever be together again but she can't see herself meeting anyone else.

The only thing on her list that she doesn't feel like she is missing out on is the horse!

One day her eccentric Aunt Gert gives her an extraordinary chance to see what her life would be like if things would be different. Aunt Gert has a hidden supply of Lemon Drops which, if you suck them and think of where you want to go, give you the ability to have just one day in another version of your own life. Lolly finds herself running a successful business, or married to the man of her dreams or having just one more day with her mother. What soon becomes clear is in every version of her life, there are things that are great, but there is a cost for the different turns that life has taken.

Through these various experiences and the things that are happening in real life, Lolly begins to realise that it is still possible for her to live her dreams. It just might look a little different than it did in her imagination all those years before. 

I do enjoy books with this kind of magical realism, where everything looks normal with just that element of a magical twist. This is a really good example of a feel good read, with loads of delicious sounding food, and an inspiring message. And there is also a recipe for Lemon Drop Pie in the back of the book.

This was my first Rachel Linden book and I can't wait to read more. If her other books are as good as this one then she now has a new fan!

I am sharing this review with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story. 

Rating 4.5/5

Weekly meals

Saturday - Nasi Goreng
Sunday -  Chicken Kebabs, baked potato and coleslaw
Monday - Honey Pepper Chicken
Tuesday - Out for dinner
Wednesday - Pork Chops, mash, broccoli and gravy
Thursday - Creamy sausage pasta
Friday -

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Blog Tour: A New Life in Amsterdam by Helga Jensen

 

Sandy is feeling a bit lost in life. Her ex husband has moved back to Australia and started a new life, and now her daughter has done the same thing. Sandy tends to make herself feel better with impulse buys. Her house is stuffed with items and clothes that she just had to have but they after the initial buzz when she purchases them, they don't really bring her any joy.

When she makes the biggest online impulse buy of them all, a houseboat on a canal in Amsterdam, it is a chance for a new adventure, a new start. Amsterdam was a place that she visited years before with her friend and loved, and so it almost feels like a dream to be able to live there.  The houseboat needs a lot of work inside and out, and before long Sandy finds herself immersed in life in Amsterdam, mainly thanks to her friendly and very attractive neighbour, Abe, and the real estate agent who sold her the boat.

I did enjoy all the sights and sounds of Amsterdam, especially when Sandy's former neighbour Debbie came to visit. 

It would be totally cool to be able to stay on a houseboat in the middle of Amsterdam and be right in the city. I don't know that I would want to have to do all the renovations, although my husband does love a project so it could be right up his alley.

In some ways this book felt a bit surface level to me. Whilst her shopaholic tendencies were important in setting up the story, they were just glossed over that, almost like the problem was solved as soon as she moved into the houseboat. If there's one thing that I do know from having moved countries and states it is that the one constant is you, and so your problems do tend to go with you.

My brother in law and his family live in the Netherlands, not too far from Amsterdam, so the likelihood is quite high that I will visit there again. I am slowly collecting a few ideas for places I would like to visit when next we go there. For example, from Melissa Ashley's The Naturalist of Amsterdam I found out about Hortus Botanicus, the oldest botanical gardens in the world. If I could only choose one place to visit from this book it would be the Amsterdam Boekenmarkt - the book market.

I did also find myself going down the rabbit hole looking at felted animals. They look so cute!

Helga Jensen writes the kind of books I love to read right now. They feature older characters making a new start in amazing places. I look forward to reading more from her! Oh, and how lovely is this cover!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Thanks to the publisher, and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

Rating 3.5/5

About the book

A New Life in Amsterdam

Could down-sizing her life mean up-sizing her dreams?

Since her daughter grew up and left home, Sandy has found herself filling her house with things - impulse purchases that she just has to have but that quickly lose their sheen. Why would she need an expensive set of copper pans when she has no one to cook for?

Realising that her shopping habit is out of control, she asks herself: can she de-clutter, downsize and start a new life?

She has always wanted to live on a barge, and she reasons that there is no way she would have room for random purchases on a boat. Taking the bravest decision of her life, Sandy buys and refurbishes a barge in the beautiful city of Amsterdam.

Relishing her independence, she is not looking for love, but as the nights draw in and the leaves start to fall from the trees, she finds herself drawn to cafe owner and expert hot chocolate maker Abe.

Is she willing to take a second chance on finding the one?

Purchase Link - https://geni.us/k2IyNBF

About the Author 

Helga Jensen is an internationally award-winning British/Danish best selling author and journalist. Her debut novel was a winning entry in the 2017 Montegrappa First Fiction competition at Dubai’s Emirates Literary Festival. Her debut was also a contender for the coveted 2021 Joan Hessayon Award for new writers. Helga's best selling novel, Fly me to Paris, was a finalist for the 2024 Popular Romantic Fiction Award. In 2025, her novel, A Christmas in Prague, was also a finalist for the Popular Romantic Fiction Award.



Helga holds a BA Hons in English Literature and Creative Writing, along with a Creative Writing MA from Bath Spa University. She is currently finishing a Creative Writing PhD.



Social Media Links –

Twitter - @HelgajensenF

Instagram - @Helgajensenauthor

Facebook - @Helgajensenfordeauthor

Top Ten Tuesday: Satisfying Book Series

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Satisfying Book Series (Maybe all the books were amazing or there wasn’t any second book syndrome or the final book wrapped everything up soooo perfectly.)

My list today will feature some of the more recent entries in a book series that I have read.

The Calico Cat at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi - Like a lot of Japanese books this was a cute and satisfying read! This is the second book in the series. I reviewed the first book, The Chibineko Kitchen, here. 

A Winter Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack - This is the second book in Leonie Mack's series which features adventure guides and weddings. (my review)

Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson - I only realised recently that Benjamin is an Australian author. This book, the first in the Ernest Cunningham mystery series, was a lot of fun!

The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida - I might be cheating a little bit with this one. There are currently four books in the series but this is the only one that has been translated into English....so far. I really hope we get to see more books in the series. (my review)

Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - This is the third series that I have read by Maggie Christensen. I love her books. They are the ultimate comfort reads for me. (my review)

The Deadly Dispute by Amanda Hampson  - i have read all three books that are out so far over the last few months. The next book in the series has just been announced and I will be reading it! (my review)

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - This is the first book in the Emily Wilde series. (my review)

Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee - This is the first book in the Dallergut Dream Department Store series which is by Korean author Miye Lee. (my review)

Beartown by Fredrik Backman - This is another first book in a trilogy and was a 5/5 read for me! (my review)

The Bookstore Family by Alice Hoffman - This is the fourth in a series of connected short stories. I still haven't read nay full length books by Alice Hoffman yet but I will because she really nails the short story format so I will be interested to see how she handles a longer story. 

What are some of your favourite series?

This week

 I'm reading

After a few quieter weeks it was a busy reading week this week!

I finished reading The Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express by  Rebecca Raisin which was a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas romp on a train through Europe.

I also finished listening to an audiobook this week. Somewhat unusually it was a non fiction book about writing. I Give You My Body...How I Write About Sex by Diana Gabaldon was mentioned at the reader retreat I attended earlier this year, purely because of some of the names she lists for the male appendage which was mentioned as being particularly humourous. The book was narrated by Herself (which is what dedicated DG fans call her) but it also featured a lot of excerpts from the audiobooks of the series. The two things I took away from it were that Diana Gabaldon talks really fast, and it also reminded me how much I loved this series back in the day. I still haven't read the last book because the last couple have been a bit like hard work to get through. I haven't yet started my next audiobook. Not sure what I am going to choose. 

I started reading A New Life in Amsterdam by Helga Jenssen. I will have the review for that one later this week. 

I also started The Oyster Catcher by Jo Thomas. I have read a few of Jo Thomas' books over the year and really enjoyed them all, so this is me now starting to go back through her backlist.

A few months ago now, I went to an author event which featured Jodi McAlister who had just launched An Academic Affair. This weekend was our read on a theme book club meeting and the theme for this time was Romance. Now, I am never going to be short of a read for this theme, but I decided that this book was going to be the one that I specifically chose to read. And I loved it!

I also talked about The Last Love Note by Emma Grey.

Here are just some of the books that other members read this month!

We agreed that for next month is a freebie. Not sure if that is going to make it harder or easier to choose which book to talk about. 

I did go to a book launch this week. Steph Vizard's new book A Smart Girl's Guide to Second Chances was launched at a local bookstore, and it was standing room only there were so many people there! It was a good night, and I got to see a few other bloggers, bookstagrammers and authors that I am getting to know as we all turn up at the same events from time to time. I am looking forward to reading the book. 

Books let our imaginations travel where our feet cannot - Nora Nguyen

Here's where I travelled through books in September

Australia

Tasmania - An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister

Western Australia - Daughter of Batavia by Stefanie Koens

Asia

Japan - The Calico Cat at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi, The Phone Box at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina

Europe

France - A French Inheritance by Jennifer Bohnet

Ireland - Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Italy - The Lost Garden by Angela Petch, Daughter of Genoa by Angela Petch

UK - Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop by Jessica Redland, The Life She Could Have Lived by Laura Pearson

US 

Seattle - The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden

I also share my favourite reads for the month on Bookstagram and here. I read 11 books in September which is down a bit from the last couple of months but not really surprising. An Academic Affair was a 5 star read and the others shown were both 4.5 star reads! 

I'm watching

After book club on Saturday three of us went and sat at a cafe near the beach and just watched the world go by before we went to see Napoli - New York as part of the Italian Film Festival. It was a good movie. It's the story of two orphans from Napoli who stow away on a boat to get to America and all the things that happen to them along the way. I actually like it a lot. It was a big melodramatic but ti was entertaining.

Life

We booked our next year's holiday and I am so excited! However, my attention is now turned to our next holiday which is in a couple of weeks. Better start getting organised. 

Max

Because my son was away at the same time we were, we had to get a petsitter in for Max. I think he was okay with it! She shared a lot of photos with us over the three days we were away.


Posts from the last week



Top Ten Tuesday: It's a Flower!
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - October links

In My Kitchen - September

Six Degrees of Separation - I Want Everything to Dear Mrs Bird





I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date, Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and the Good Book and a Cup of Tea link up hosted at Boondock Ramblings

Six Degrees of Separation: I Want Everything to Dear Mrs Bird

 Welcome to this month's edition of Six Degrees of Separation, which is a monthly meme hosted by Kate from Books Are My Favourite and Best. The idea is to start with a specific book and make a series of links from one book to the next using whatever link you can find and see where you end up after six links. I am also linking this post up with The Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz and A Good Book and a Cup of Tea hosted at Boondock Ramblings.

This month the starting point in Dominic Amerena’s novel about authors and publishing, I Want Everything. I must confess I found this book a bit difficult to find links from, which isn't normal for me. I tried a couple of different option but couldn't make them work through to the end. This was my third attempt. 

I love reading books set in places that I know. For example, I Want Everything is set in Melbourne and so I am choosing the last book I read set in Melbourne which is The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary (my review). This book tells the story of women living in goldrush Melbourne and working in a fancy brothel.

Another book with a goldrush connection which I read years ago was Mr Chen's Emporium by Deborah O'Brien. (my review) 

There aren't that many books with the word emporium in the title. I have read a number of books by Jojo Moyes but haven't yet read The Peacock Emporium, despite having owned it for years.

I have read and loved The Peacock Summer by Hannah Richell

It feels as though I end up with bird related books pretty regularly so was looking through my list of books read for one that I haven't used before too many times which lead me to Liar Bird by Lisa Walker

And sticking to the bird theme I am finishing the chain with Dear Mrs Bird by A J Pearce, which is a book I currently have out of the library.

Using that library link I could now go in multiple directions but that's it for this month!

Next month, the starting point is We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson


Will you be joining us?