Top Ten Tuesday: V is for...

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Villains (favorite, best, worst, lovable, creepiest, most evil, etc.). 

I did start having a think about villains and a couple did spring to mind, but not ten, so in the end I decided to twist the topic a little bit. V is for villains but it can also be for many other words, so here are my ten V is for....books

V is for Venetia by Georgette Heyer - I couldn't not include this book seeing as I have listened to it at least 4 times. Narrated by Richard Armitage this is an ultimate comfort book to listen to. Aural bliss! (review)

V is for Vintage 1954 by Antoine Laurain - This was such a fun read. A group of strangers share a bottle of wine from 1954 and find themselves back in the past. (mini review)

V is for Voice of the Falconer by David Blixt - I loved, loved, lovedthe first book I read by David Blixt which was The Master of Verona. This was the sequel to that book and I thoroughly enjoyed that one too! (review)

V is for Virgin River by Robyn Carr - I mean, there are a whole heap of books in this series set in a town called Virgin River, and a few of them have the word virgin in the title. I couldn't not have at least one of them in the list! (post about the whole series)

V is for Vision in White by Nora Roberts - I loved this whole series of four books which features a group of wedding planners, coordinators, florists etc who work together and it's their turn to fall in love!

V is for Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik - As soon as I saw this title I knew I would have to have a V for Victory included in the list. This book is the 5th book in the excellent Temeraire series by Naomi Novik which features dragons and Napoleonic history. So much fun! (reviews from earlier books in the series)

V is for The Vineyards of Champagne by Juliet Blackwell - This was an enjoyable dual timeline which tells the story of the Champagne region of France and the events that happened there during WWI

V is for The Visitors by Jane Harrison - This book tells the story of the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney but from the perspective of the indigenous people who were already here.

V is for The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods - I would love to be in Venice. Sigh. 

V is for The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey - I would, however, be just as content to be sitting at a cafe in the Loire as well! (review)

There are plenty of other words that I could have used for this list, but there are ten books with titles begining with V.

Top Ten Tuesday: Get a Job!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books With Occupations in the Title (Submitted by Hopewell’s Public Library of Life)

The Postmistress by Alison Stuart - A young woman moves to a small country town in Victoria in the 1870s and starts working as the postmistress. (My review)

The Map Maker's Promise by Catherine Law - This is a WWII novel which follows a woman whose top secret job is to update the maps with new information following bombing runs. (My review)

The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy - I'm pretty sure I could find a lot of baker titles, but I am going to limit to just two. This one is one of the earliest WWII novels that is like the novels you would expect to read today. (My review)

The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller - I read this a couple of years ago as part of Cook the Books. (My review)

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin - I really enjoyed this WWII novel which is set in both Portugal and France. (My review)

The King's Messenger by Susanna Kearsley - It was only when I read this book that I found out that The King's Messenger is a very specific role, and it still exists. (My review)

The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens - I have really enjoyed all of Mary-Lou Stephens historical fiction foodie novels set in Tasmania (My review)

The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner - This is another WWII novel where a dancer becomes caught up in resistance activities. (My review)

The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain - What happens when the president leaves his hat in a Paris restaurant. Quite a lot actually. (My review)

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai - The food detective help bring the memories of past meals back to life. (My review)

Top Ten Tuesday: Historical Fiction Novels set in France

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books Set in/Take Place During X (Pick a place, time, era, etc. Examples: Books set in Europe/Italy/Australia/Chicago, books set in Regency England, books that take place during the 1900s, books set in imaginary worlds/post-apocalyptic/dystopian worlds, books set on the ocean, books set it castles, books that take place during WW2, etc.)

On a recent post Deb from Readerbuzz asked me to do a post on historical fiction set in France. Challenge accepted Deb!

When I read books set in France, they are most often either contemporary stories about people moving to France (usually from the UK) or they are set during WWII. For the purposes of today's exercise I am going to mostly books avoid set during WWII as I could probably do multiple TTT posts on that theme. The books I have chosen are mostly shown in chronological order. There are some relatively old books on the list too!

Let's get started.

The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick - Eleanor of Aquitaine is a woman who I have read quite a bit about. I find her completely fascinating. Did you know that she is the only woman who was queen of both France and England and a major landowner in her own right? This is the first book in a trilogy about her life and it starts in 1137

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C W Gortner - Catherine de Medici is another fascinating woman from history, although her life and actions are much darker. A member of the famous Italian Medici family, Catherine married the man who became Henri II. This books starts in 1527 and charts the tumultuous reigns of both her husband and her son. We visited the beautiful chateau at Chennonceaux when we went to France a couple of years ago. This was one of her homes after she confiscated it from her husband's lover following his death. (My review)

The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll - This is the first in the Faire Isle trilogy which is set in the 1570s during Catherine de Medici's reign. In theory, this is a romance, but it is firmly based in history, albeit with a bit of witchcraft thrown in. This whole trilogy is excellent and I was obsessed with them for a while. (My review)

Angelique by Sergeanne Golon - If you want to read a rip roaring, huge and epic novel try this series which was originally published in 1957. This book starts in 1648 and Angelique gets into all sorts of adventures throughout the series. At various times she is welcomed at the highest levels of court, at others she lives with the poorest of the poor. At one point later in the series she is even captured by pirates. Towards the end of the series it all gets a bit silly but the early books are spectacular.  (My review)

An Astronomer in Love by Antoine Laurain - Antoine Laurain is the first of three French authors I have in this list. In this book Antoine Laurain tells the story of Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de La Galaisiere, astronomer to the Academie Royale des Sciences who is chasing the first of two Transits of Venus which occurred during the 1760s.  (My review)

The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B by Sandra Gulland - This book is the first in a trilogy that tells the story of the woman who we now know as Josephine Bonaparte. This story starts 1777 when we first meet young Rose, a planters daughter from Martinique in the Carribean. This author has also written about a couple of other infamous women who were mistresses of kings (My review)

Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg  - This story starts in the late 1790s and tells the story of a young woman called Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, who we now remember more famously as Veuve Cliquot - the widow Cliquot. This tells the story of how this remarkable woman revolutionised the champagne industry. (My review)

For the King by Catherine Delors - Set in 1800, this book tells the story of an assassination plot against Napoleon. Delors is a French author. I read a couple of her books and really liked them but apparently never reviewed them! 

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - What a huge book this is! It took me a good couple of months to gt through this story that starts in 1815 and follows the political upheaval through to the 1830s. This story would be as well known through the musical and movies as it from the book, but I am glad that I took the time to read it a few years ago. (My thoughts)

A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K Runyan - This is the most recent historical novel that I have read set in France (as at the time when I am writing the post any way). This is a dual timeline set in the 1870s and in the immediate aftermath of WWII in 1946. I did say I was going to avoid WWII but I really wanted to include this book because of the 1870s storyline which is about the Prussian siege of Paris and the subsequent uprising of the Communards. (My review)

I am sure that there are lots of other books I could have included on this list. What books would you add?

I am also sharing this post as part of Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.

Top Ten Tuesday: Honorifics

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books with Honorifics in the Title (“…an honorific is a form of address conveying esteem, courtesy or respect. These can be titles prefixing a person’s name, e.g.: Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Mx., Sir, Dame, Dr., Cllr, Lady, or Lord, or other titles or positions that can appear as a form of address without the person’s name, as in Mr. President, General, Captain, Father, Doctor, or Earl.” For more info, click here.) (Submitted by Joanne @ Portobello Book Blog)

I am always grateful for my handy dandy spreadsheet that I have been maintaining for 20 years or so for these kind of topics. Apply a couple of filters and you at least have the start of a list!

My first 5 books have a French connection in honour of the fact that we are half way through Paris in July. 

The Madamoiselle Network by Natasha Lester - This book tells the story of the only woman to lead a resistance network in WWII. It is a really interesting book, although I must confess I am not sure why it is called Madamoiselle given that the main character was married when the main part of the story started! Guess it just sounded better than the Madame Network which could be something completely different! (my review)

Madamoiselle Victorine by Deborah Finerman  - I hadn't thought about this book for years which probably isn't a surprise given I didn't really like it. Interestingly finding out what happened to Victorine Meurent is one of the strands of The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl which I was reading last week.

Mrs Harris goes to Paris by Paul Gallico - I love the movie of this book and have watched it several times. I did also listen to the audio. At some point I will listen to more of the Mrs Harris books. In future books she goes to New York, Moscow and Parliament! (my review of the movie and the book)

A Star for Mrs Blake by April Smith - This book tells the story of some mothers of soldiers from  WWI who were given money by the US government to travel to France to find the graves of their dead sons.

The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain - I thoroughly enjoy reading Antoine Laurain's books and this one was a lot of fun! (my mini review of this book and two others by Antoine Laurain)

Miss Graham's Cold War Cook Book by Celia Rees - I really enjoyed this book in which a young teacher is sent to post WWII Germany to help in the rebuilding process but she is also there to provide information, which she does by sharing coded recipes. (my review)

The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer and Anne Stuart - This is an older book now which when I read I thought was a super fun idea but I wasn't sure about how it turned out as a reading experience. I do still love the cover on that one though (my review)

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - I have such fond memories of reading this book many years go. I recently read Simonson's latest book, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, and that was a lot of fun too! (my review of Major Pettigrew)

Sir Thursday by Garth Nix - This is part of the The Keys to the Kingdom series. I read all seven books in the series between 2007 and 2010 but I only ever reviewed the first three. 

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon - This is part of the spin-off mystery series which features Lord John Grey who we originally met in the Outlander books.

Paris in July: Three books by Antoine Laurain

Thanks to Paris in July, over the last couple of years I have been making my way through the backlist of popular French author Antoine Laurain.  Last year, I shared a review of what is still my favourite, An Astronomer in Love, as well as mini reviews of three other books. Today, I am back with another three mini reviews of the books that I have read since last years Paris in July event.

I was trying to get French Windows read for last years event, but I ran out of time. In this book, Nathalie is a photographer who is having therapy as she can no longer do her job after she accidentally photographed a murder. Her doctor, Doctor Faber, sets her the task of writing stories about the people who live in the building opposite her. Soon he is having to wonder whether she is making up the stories, or if they might be true. And if they are true, how is she finding everything out. One of the things that I notice regularly in these books is the smoking, and here Doctor Faber is a self proclaimed gifted smoker and this is central to the plot. This seems pretty French to me!

The President's Hat is probably my second favourite story from this author. One night accountant Daniel Mercier is having dinner in a Parisienne restaurant when the President comes in to dine. At the end of the night, Mercier realises that the president has left his hat behind. Daniel takes it home and realises that when he wears it he feels empowered to behave differently. However, it isn't long before Daniel loses the hat himself and other people get to feel the power of the hat!  What follows is almost caper-ish as various parties try to locate and obtain the hat. It's a lot of fun.

My most recent read was French Rhapsody which was published in 2016. This was a little deceptive as it started out as though it was going to be very nostalgic about music and about the different lives that people can lead when they start from a similar point in time. It did, however, end up being quite political, talking about right wing politicians in French politics. Structurally, it is very interesting, and the starting premise for the book is very clever. A doctor named Alain receives a letter through the post that should have been delivered 30 years previously. At the time, he was a member of a cold wave rock band and they had submitted a demo tape in the hope that they would get picked up by a record company. When they didn't get any interest, the band all went their separate ways. Now Alain is trying to contact them all again. Whilst we get perspectives from the band members, there are also additional perspectives from other characters as well. It does have some trademark Laurain elements in here from unusual meetings and unseen connections to silly humour. 

I love that whilst there are some trademarks in his writing, each of the books is very different.  

I think I still have The Portrait and Smoking Kills waiting for me on my Kindle, and then hopefully there will be an English translation of his latest book which is called La Dictee in French (The Dictator) coming soon as well.

A shout out to the translators for these books. French Windows was translated by Louise Rogers La Laurie. She also worked on the translation of The President's Hat along with Emily Boyce and Jane Aitken. These last two also translated French Rhapsody.

French Rhapsody was one of my Twenty Books of Winter and also counts for the Books in Translation Challenge

Paris in July/Top Ten Tuesday: Books with the Eiffel Tower on the Cover

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Freebie/Throwback (Come up with a topic you’d like to do or go back and do an old topic you missed or just want to do again!). Given that today is the kick off for this year's Paris in July event (hosted by Emma at Words and Peace) how could I resist doing something Paris-y? My theme today is Books with the Eiffel Tower on the Cover.

That gives me another chance to share one of my favourite photos of the Eiffel Tower although deciding which one was a challenge!

Some are books that I have read earlier this year. Some are books that I found when I searched the word Eiffel on my blog. The reality is that I could probably do this topic again without too much difficulty.

A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont - I have really loved both of the books set in Paris by this author! I am looking forward to the next one which is out later this year. I will be sharing my review of this book at some point in July!

The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted by Rebecca Raisin - This author actually has a lot of books that I could have chosen for this theme. I think this is her best book yet! (My review)

The Anywhere Hotel by Gisele Stein - Unlike the rest of the books on this list, only a tiny part of this book is set in Paris. However, I love the cover, and the Tower is there so it counts for this theme!

The Dressmaker of Paris by Georgia Kaufmann - Haven't read this one yet, but I love the way that the Tower is represented here.

Die for Me by Amy Plum - This is an older book which might count as romantasy these days. It features revenants and numas who are fighting their age old battle in the modern streets of Paris. And the cover is gorgeous! (My review)

The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood - A WWII story that I read and loved a couple of years ago now. (My review)

Twenty One Nights in Paris by Leonie Mack - The first book I read by this author. Now she is an auto-buy. (My review)

Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - I have loved all of Gillian Harvey's books set in different parts of France. I read this one earlier this year and loved it. I think it is my favourite of hers so far! (My review)

The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain - Another case where I had my pick of several covers! And it's nice to have an actual French author on the list as well!

The Little Paris Toyshop by Lauren Westwood - I will take any opportunity I can get to talk about this book which I read and loved a couple of years ago. (My review)

I am pretty sure that there might be another French themed Top Ten Tuesday this month, but I haven't quite decided just yet! Who am I kidding! Of course there will be! It's just a question of what it will be!

20 Books of Winter - June

 

We are already a month through the 20 Books of Summer/Winter event! Can you believe how quickly that has gone?

Our hosts, Emma from Words and Peace and Annabel from Annabookbel have come up with some fun questions for our end of month recaps.

I am pretty happy with my progress so far. I read 7 of the books that I nominated on my original lists which puts me on track to finish the list. I did read 19 books in total in June so I do have some opportunities for swaps should I need them later. 

Here's my full list. The ones in bold are the titles I have read.

20 Books of Winter

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn - Review

A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K Runyan

Over the Seas to Skye by Sue Moorcroft - Review

Three Juliets by Minnie Darke

A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont

The Midnight Bakery by Emma Davies

Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri - Review

The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey

The Storytellers by Sue Heath

The Story Collector by Evie Woods

French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain

The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick

The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary - Review

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

The Library of Heartbeats by Laura Imai Messina

Emily Wildes Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee

If your #20BooksofSummer25 TBR were a beach, what’s the most surprising thing you’ve unearthed so far – a hidden gem, a total shipwreck, or something unexpectedly delightful?

I think the book that surprised me was The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary mainly because of the light it shone of the hidden or forgotten history of Melbourne!

Imagine your reading progress as a summer road trip. Which book has been the scenic route, which has been the highway, and is there a rest stop book you’re looking forward to?

The book which was the scenic route was Over the Seas to Skye by Sue Moorcroft because it took us to the Isle of Skye in Scotland and was the final book in the trilogy, so we got the opportunity for all three stories to be wrapped up. 

The highway was The Storyteller by Sue Heath, because once I started it, I just could not put it down!

The rest stop book that I am looking forward to is The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey which I am reading soon. I really love her books and have high hopes for this one. It will also bring back memories of our visit to the Loire a couple of years ago.

Thinking about the books I have read collectively, it has been quite the road trip so far. I have visited the Ukraine and US, Scotland, Paris (twice), Morocco, Britain and historical Melbourne.  

If one of the books you’ve read this month was turned into an ice cream flavor, what ingredients would it have, and what would it be called?

I would turn Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri into a pistachio and saffron ice cream. The colour of the pistachio could represent the green and gold of Australia and the saffron the flavours and cultures of Morocco. I feel like an ice cream would be very welcome in the heat of Morocco. 

If you could swap places with a character from one of the books you’ve read this month, purely for the summer, who would it be and what items would you absolutely take with you?

My answer to this one will surprise no one I am sure. If I could swap places with a character from one of the books I read it will be Charlotte from A Secret Garden in Paris. Why specifically Charlotte and not one of the other characters. She is staying rent free in her aunt's house in Paris! And the item I would take with me would be the hand drawn map of the garden tour that Emma's grandmother Mattie drew so that I can wander all over the city finding hidden and lesser known gardens.

“Plot twist!”: If your summer reading challenge were a book, what unexpected event just happened to shake things up? Or did life get in the way of your reading plans?

Whilst I did think a lot about what books to include in my original list, only two from the original list were from my list of committed blog tours, and I also didn't really take into consideration all of the books that I already had out from the library. This means that I have several reading lists going with due dates looming! That could become a problem over the next couple of months.

And now, onto July!

This week....

 I'm reading

This week was a pretty good reading week! I finally caught up on my War and Peace readalong and I finished a few other books too!

Firstly, I finished reading Not My Greek Wedding by Sue Roberts. There were some good parts to this book but it wasn't my favourite. My review is here.

I then picked up The Storytellers by Sue Heath which was one of my most anticipated upcoming new releases, and for good reason! I loved it. I have read both books that have been released under the Sue Heath name and loved them both! Now I just have to work out when I can post the review and wait for the next Sue Heath book. 

I started reading Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri last week and was glad to finish it this week! I am planning to share my review of this one this week some time.

I also read French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain. I will be posting about this during Paris in July.

Those last three books were all on my Twenty Books of Winter list so I am making some progress there!

Finally, I started and finished The Girl from Normandy by Rachel Sweasey which I am due to review at the end of this week. 

I'm watching


I started watching a TV series called Mixtape, which is based on a book of the same name which I read and reviewed a while ago. I felt a connection with the book as I had lived in both Adelaide and Sheffield which is where it was set. They have changed the Australian setting to Sydney for the TV series. I will keep watching and listening to the music of the era! Here's the trailer:

I also watched the first three episodes of Gary Barlow Food and Wine Tour of Australia. Gary is the  lead singer of Take That and while they were touring last year he was also filming this show. He has famous friends (for example Tim Minchin and Danni Minogue) join him as he explores a particular region in Australia. I do always enjoy seeing how other people view Australia.

While I am waiting for new episodes of the Australian series, I am also watching his Wine Tour of South Africa. The first episode was set near Cape Town and featured some areas that we visited a few years ago!

We binge watched the second season of Ted Lasso this week. I suspect we will probably watch season 3 this week. 

Life


After picking up some germs last week, I have still been sick all of this week, so it has been a very quiet week. I suspect it might be the same this week.

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Winter 2025 to Read List
Blog Tour: The Island of Hope and Dreams by Kate Frost
Head over Wheels by Leonie Mack 
Blog Tour: Not My Greek Wedding by Sue Roberts

Weekend Cooking: Everything is Indian by Justin Narayan

Spell the Month in Books: June




I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date and Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 of my 20 Books of winter

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a Summer/Winter Freebie so there is no set theme.

Recently it was announced that Emma from Words and Peace and Annabel from Annabookbel have taken over the 20 Books of Summer event that was previously hosted by Cathy at 746Books. It was an event that I always intended to participate in, but it's winter here and so it just didn't happen. This year though, there is even a 20 Books of Winter graphic, so my post this week is 10 of the 20 books that I intend to read for the Books of Winter event. I haven't decided if I am going to aim for 15 or 20 books and chances are that I won't review everything even if I do read them. We'll see. We also have a Books of my Winter TBR topic coming up in a couple of weeks so I will probably share the rest then. 

The books themselves are a combination of old and new books, books that I want to read for events, and some that I have been meaning to read for the longest time but just haven't gotten to yet.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman - I know a few people who LOVE Fredrik Backman. So far, the only thing I have read from him is a short story called The Answer is No. 

A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K Runyan - This is the current Cook the Books selection and also will be one of my posts for Paris In July.

Half Truth by Nadia Mahjouri - I heard Nadia speak at the Rachael John's Readers Retreat last month, and I just had to buy the book straight away. I am really looking forward to this one! In fact, I have hold myself back from starting this one too early in case I finished it before 1 June.

Three Juliets by Minnie Darke - I have really enjoyed everything I have read from Minnie Darke so I have high hopes for this one too!

A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont - I really liked The Paris Cooking School, and I have been intending to read this one ever since it came out. Sophie Beaumont has just announced her next Paris book which will be out later in the year.

French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain - I have read a number of Antoine Laurain books over the last couple of years. This year I think I will read this one.

The French Kitchen by Emma Davies - Unsurprisingly this will likely be a Paris in July books too.

The Village Cafe in the Loire by Gillian Harvey - I am on a blog tour for this book in July, and it will also be a Paris in July book. 

The Story Collector by Evie Woods - I have read two Evie Woods books now. I thought one was fine but the other was fantastic so I am keen to read this one to see where it lands!

The Kings Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick - I have had this on several lists as a book I really want to read. I am determined to read it soon!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Never Reviewed

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's them is Books I Never Reviewed. When I set my reading/blogging goals this year, I said that I wanted to make sure that I reviewed all the historical fiction I read and all the books by Aussie authors. So far, I have well and truly exceeded that and have reviewed just about everything I have read. It isn't my intention to go back to reviewing every book I read as there is too much "I am so far behind" pressure that comes with that, but when it happens organically....great.

So I will start with the couple of things I have read but not reviewed this year, and then go back to last year's list to see what I can find there!

The Wedding People by Alison Espach - I read this a couple of weeks ago and absolutely loved it! It's a 5 star read for me. I intend to review this later this week.

Never Want to Sea You Again by Leonie Woods - This is a short story freebie from the author's Substack page. It's a fun, forced proximity romance. One fun thing is that you can choose if you want to read the spice version or the not so spicy version of the story! I chose the spicy version. A billionaire's secret daughter hides on board a yacht and finds herself in the middle of the ocean with a grumpy sailor! 

The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods - I read this towards the end of last year and really enjoyed it! It brings together a group of characters in a Venice hotel at Christmas time and they end up having to work together to help one of the guests. It was darker than I expected but very good!

The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley - You know, I have read all but the last book in this series and never reviewed any of them! I listen to them all on audio and they are big books. I do find the accents that are used, and the fact that there are different narrators for every audiobook, a bit odd. Maybe when I finish the series I will do some kind of retrospective review!

The Last Night in London by Karen White - I meant to pick up a Madeline Martin book when I started this one, but I liked it nonetheless!

The Ex Factor by Rachael Johns - This was another free short story and is still available on Substack. In this story a woman returns to the town and the husband she left behind so that she can get her divorce papers signed. This one was a bit spicy too!

Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - This is part of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. I have reviewed a couple of them but not all of the. Seeing this author at Melbourne Writers Festival was one of my bookish highlights of last year. I listen to this series on audio too!

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods - Another audio read. I liked this one, without loving it. It's about a bookshop that has disappeared and a modern quest to find out what happened there. I am super excited about Evie Woods next book which is out soon called The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris!

The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson - Yes, another opportunity to gush about how amazing Laura Pearson is. I have now read three of her books and they are all so unusual with really imaginative ideas! And, of course, great reads! My favourite is The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine, but this comes a close second.

The Yellow Wood by Minnie Darke - I have been a huge fan of Aussie author Minnie Darke since I read The Lost Love Song which is an absolutely beautiful book. This was an Audible only book about a free spirited woman who doesn't want to be tied down to anyone or anywhere and the artist who loves her and is trying to move on.

The Presidents Hat by Antoine Laurain - Over the last couple of years I have become a bit of an Antoine Laurain fan girl. There's every chance I will still review this for Paris in July later this year.

And yes, I know that is eleven choices but I thought I would throw in an extra given that two of them are short story freebies from the authors!

Have you read any of these?

Top Ten Tuesday: Best books of 2024

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Best Books I Read in 2024

The first three are easy! These are the three books that I rated as 5/5 reads.

The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath - I knew from the first couple of pages I was going to love this book! And I did! (my review)

The Naturalist of Amsterdam by Melissa Ashley - This was my very first read of 2024 and I loved it! (my review)

The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson- This book is the book that I recommended to the most people this year. I loved the whole concept! I also gave 4.5/5 to another book from this author. Can't wait to read her next book which I have waiting for me to read soon. (my review)

After that, it gets a bit harder as I had 15 books that I rated as 4.5/5 but I can only choose 7 more, so here goes!

The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns - This was a big book, and I read it in a day! Can't remember when I last did that! (My review)

A Wedding in the Sun by Leonie Mack - Given that I had two books by Leonie Mack that I gave 4.5/5, I had to have at least one of her books in the top ten today. (My review)

Funny Story by Emily Henry - Emily Henry is consistently good!

An Astronomer in Love by Antoine Laurain - I read several books by this author this year so it is only right that he is on this list. (My review)

Summer at Santorini Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin - I love the way that Rebecca Raisin writes about food, books, places! (My review)

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See - I pretty much always enjoy Lisa See's books! This was no exception!

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros - I gave this a 4.5 just because of the fact that I could not put it down! I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series when it comes out!

Are any of these books on your favourite list?

Countdown to 2025: Day 4

 This year I am participating in Countdown to 2025 hosted by Lynn from Lynn's Books. Today is day 4 and the prompt for today is  Gifts – a book you enjoyed more than you expected to

Now don't get me wrong, I knew that I liked Antoine Laurain's books, but this one surprised me due to the dual timeline with a great historical storyline!

Tomorrow's prompt is Chocolates – a book that was simply delicious

Top Ten Tuesday: Not new!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Oldest (aka Earliest Published) Books On My TBR (submitted by Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits)

As I have a tendency to do, I have twisted this week's topic just a bit. Like most of us, I have a tendency to read new books, so my post this week is all about the books I have read this year that were published before 2020.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai - originally published in 2013. I have the follow up book ready to read on my Kindle. (review)

Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - originally published in 2018. Seeing this author at Melbourne Writers Festival is one of my highlight for this year. (review)

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa - originally published in 2010. Interesting that the first three are all Japanese books.

Sylvester by Georgette Heyer - originally published in 1957. One of my all time favourite audiobook experiences is listening to Richard Armitage narrate the books of Georgette Heyer. I tend to listen to them every couple of years ago. Audible bliss!

Relish by Lucy Knisley -  originally published in 2013. This was a Cook the Books selection and a re-read for me. (post)

The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith - originally published in 2015. It had been a good few years since I had listened to or read one of the Precious Ramotswe books. Highly recommend the audio versions. Might be time for the next one.

Family Tree by Susan Wiggs - originally published in 2017 - Another Cook the Books selection (review)

Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran - originally published in 2017. I loved the first Chandran book I read so I decided to give this one a go on audio.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - originally published in 2001 - This is another Cook the Books selection. (review)

The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain - originally published in 2012 - I did do a bit of a Antoine Laurain binge this year. Another book I read by him was published on 4 January 2020 so just missed out on being counted for this purpose 

So, what have I learned from this? I am likely to read older books thanks to Cook the Books. I am also likely to read older books in translation or to listen to them on audio. And it must just be a coincidence that so many of the surnames of these authors start with a K right?

This week....I mean month..

I'm reading

Well....I was intending to keep on doing these weekly posts while I was on holidays, but it turns out I was too busy having a great time, so I have missed the last three weeks, but I am back now.

I don't normally read much while I am on holidays but this time I managed to read quite a lot, mainly because we weren't doing all that much driving. We used a lot of public transport, and we were on a coach for the best part of a week.

Since the last time I posted I finished reading The Mapmaker's Promise by Catherine Law which I really enjoyed and which I reviewed here.

I then read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. No, I can't believe I have never read it before either! This is the current selection for Cook the Books so I will be sharing my review once I have figured out what I am going to cook to go with the post.

Next up was Look What You Made Me Do by Amy Andrews which I reviewed here.

I then read The Start of the Story by Jane Lovering. The book itself is set on the moors, I was reading it while we were driving through Scotland and it felt like a really timely read. 

From the moors, my reading then took me to France where I read A French Country Escape by Jennifer Bohnet. My review for this and the previous book will be up shortly.

Still in France, I then decided to read something just for fun and so I chose The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain.

In the last post I talked about a collection of short stories that I had read a couple of while on the first plane trip of our holiday. I read another one of those on the last plane trip. This time it was Amelia's Shadow by Marie Benedict.

Finally, I started Written in the Stars by Helen Rolfe, which I finished today. 

Last night I started reading The Before Life of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson. So far I love this book! As in really love it. Hopefully it will continue to be amazing.


I'm watching

After watching quite a lot on our first flight I didn't watch much at all on the next four flight. On the last flight we couldn't watch anything anyway given that the entertainment system wasn't working. The same thing happened when we had an overnight flight from Singapore last year too.

The one movie I did watch was Bernadette, which is called The President's Wife for it's English release. It's the story of Bernadette Chirac, wife of the French President, Jacques Chirac from 1995-2007. It was a movie that I wanted to see as part of the French Film Festival but couldn't fit it in so I was very happy to find it available to watch.

Here's the trailer:

Life


Life's pretty good when you are on holidays!!

Posts since last time 


Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Have Read on Holidays
Blog Tour: The Secret Keeper by Renita D'Silva
Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holiday - South Africa
Weekend Cooking:What We Ate on Holiday - London
Blog Tour: The Map Maker's Promise by Catherine Law
Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holiday - Scotland
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - September links
Blog Tour: Look What You Made Me Do by Amy Andrews
Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holiday - Scotland/Hong Kong

Six Degrees of Separation: After Story to The Stolen Hours




I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

This week...

 I'm reading

I've finished a couple of books this week, and started a couple more. 

I finished the audiobook that I was listening to, which was Funny Story by Emily Henry. This was narrated by Julia Whelan, who always does a great job. I haven't quite decided which book I will start listening to next. I have a few options I guess.

I also finished reading French Windows by Antoine Laurain, which was another excellent read. I started and finished An Island Promise by Kate Frost, which I will review later in the week.

Now I am reading The Secret Keeper by Renita D'Silva, who is a new to me author! I'll have the review up for this next week

I'm watching


Is there anything on other than Olympics? We've been watching whatever sport comes up from BMX to swimming, to kayak cross which is a crazy event I had never seen before!

We did go to the movies with friends on Saturday night to see Deadpool & Wolverine. Like all the Deadpool movies there was a lot of in jokes, and I am sure that I missed a few. There was also a killer soundtrack and lots of action. 


Life


We are getting ready to go away, so yes that means that there will be holiday spam coming up over the next few weeks! Just need to make it through the last couple of days at work, and then collapse into the seat on the plane ready for the long flight.

Max and Nala

This is Nala watching the dressage at the Olympics. She was very confused by the dancing horses.


Posts from the last week

Paris in July: Bestsellers Around the World - France
Paris in July: The Three Musketeers
Paris in July: C'est Fini!
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge August links
Weekend Cooking: What I Baked in my Kitchen in July
Six Degrees: Museum of Modern Love to Hamnet


I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

This week....

I'm reading

I feel like this was a good reading week. I finished Poppy's Parisian Patisserie by Daisy James, and then I went back and finished reading The Stolen Hours by Karen Swan. This was my read on a theme book club book for this month, with the theme being Scotland. The third book in the Wild Isle series has just been released so I will be keen to see how the story resolves itself.

I am also trying to squeeze one more book in before the end of Paris in July, so I started reading French Windows by Antoine Laurain.


I'm watching


If you had of told me 5 years ago that I would be happy to sit and watch multiple episodes of Gogglebox I would have laughed at you. And yet, that is exactly what I have been doing a lot of this week.  

Of course, we have also been watching a fair bit of Olympics. As I type this I am watching some of the men's diving. It is a bit weird to hear one of our cricket commentators doing the commentating on the diving though.

Over the weekend we also watched The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which is the new Guy Ritchie WWII movie. It reminded me a lot of the TV series we watched last year called Rogue Heroes. The movie is loosely based on true events....very loosely I would suggest.

Here is the trailer




Life

It is starting to get close to our holiday so I am trying to keep things low key at the moment

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: First Books!

Paris in July: Paris Songs!

Blog Tour: The One That I Want by Sandy Barker

Blog Tour: Poppy's Parisian Patisseries by Daisy James

Weekend Cooking: Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg

Paris in July: Antoine Laurain

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date

Paris in July: Antoine Laurain

Antoine Laurain is a French author who I was introduced to as part of previous Paris in July events. I read my first book last year, but then in the last 12 months I have read 3 more of his books, and I am now halfway through the fourth. I think I have also bought all of the books that I can get in English, except for one. I feel like I should have been more across this author well before now, but better late than ever I am sure! 

For today's post, I thought I would share a couple of mini reviews of the books that I have read, which I am sharing with my fellow participants of Paris in July, hosted at Words and Peace, and with Sunday Salon, hosted at Readerbuzz.

The first Laurain book that I read was The Red Notebook. When Laurent Letellier finds an expensive handbag when he is on his way to work, he is determined to return it to it's rightful owner. The only problem is there is nothing in there to help him find out who that it is. Instead, there are a number of random looking items which helps him track her down. Lauren is a bookseller, and one of the items in the bag is a copy of a book by Patrick Modigliani. There are therefore plenty of literary references, lots of Paris and a fun story. Obviously I enjoyed  it, otherwise I wouldn't have continued onto read so many more of his books.

The next book I read was Vintage 1954. An eclectic group of people find themselves sharing a bottle of  vintage 1954 Beaujolais. There is Hubert who owns the building, Magalie who is an antiques restorer, Julien who is a mixologist, and finally there is Bob, an American widower who is on his dream first trip to Paris. When the group wake up the next day, they find themselves back in 1954. Their mobile phones and credit cards don't work, Paris is very different to the Paris of 2017. The group needs to figure out a family mystery and then how to get back to 2017.

The Reader's Room is more of a mystery, but with a twist. Every one gets excited when a debut novel is found and published to great acclaim. It is a bit odd though. The editor, Violaine LePage, doesn't actually know who the author is, and when there are series of murders that echo those that appear in the book, the police come knocking.

I have enjoyed all of the books, but if you were forcing me to pick a favourite so far it would be An Astronomer in Love, which I reviewed earlier this month (review here). One of the reasons when I like the books so much is that everyone of them is different. There are some commonalities (for example, there seems to be something about smoking in his books, his characters often have interesting occupations, and Paris comes to life in the pages of his books. There are often unexpected connections between the characters which only come to life as you keep on reading the book. 

I am currently reading the latest book, French Windows, and then I have The President's Hat, French Rhapsody, The Portrait and Smoking Kills waiting for me on my Kindle. Yes, you can now call me an Antoine Laurain fan!

Have you read any books by Antoine Laurain?