My reading was somewhat back to normal this week. I finished reading Business Casual by B K Borison, and I also finished reading Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.
I also finished reading The Slow Cooker Supper Club by Sue Heath. My plan is to review this one on Saturday. I enjoyed this one but not as much as the earlier books she published under this name.
I also started reading Twenty Dates by Ko Porteous. I need to get a hurry on with this one as my review is due up on Wednesday! I then have three books I need to read in the next week!
I'm watching
No time for watching anything at the moment!
Life
My youngest stepdaughter is back from the UK on holidays with her partner, and the older one got engaged in July, so they decided to combine a celebration of the two events and so we had 17 people here for lunch on Saturday. Because most of the guests originally came from South Africa we had a South African flavoured barbecue, with boerewors, pap (pounded maize meal) and chakalaka and then milk tart and peppermint crisp for dessert. It was a really lovely afternoon, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves which is great.
The photo at the bottom left is my husband holding court at the barbecue with the two girl's partners, both of whom happen to be English.
The next day we took a bit of a road trip along the Great Ocean Road which is one of the great drives in the world. On Sunday we drove as far as Apollo Bay and then on Monday morning we went to the Twelve Apostles and then home again. Along the way we managed to see a koala and a wallaby (and not just the painted one at the Chocolaterie.
I go back to work tomorrow but they are here for a couple more days and then they drive up the east coast of Australia
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books that Conjure Up Happy Memories (Feel free to tell us about those memories if you’d like!).
I was going to keeping it simple and share ten titles that have some variation of the word happy in the title. I had all the titles chosen and then I realised that I did the same thing two years ago and only two books would be different, so I had to think of something different. I am going to keep those two books in the list though!
So here are some bookish references to things that make me happy
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith- Whilst our street name isn't Zebra Drive, my good husband is from South Africa originally (review)
The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson - I love books and I love books about books, and this authors books about WWII librarians are right up there! They are so good.
The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin- Love travelling, and planning travel. Portugal is my next must visit destination. Reading books set in the destinations I want to visit do give me ideas of things to include in our itinerary (review)
The German Ward by Pip Williams - Love going to author events. I went to an event for this book last night!
You Had Me at Cake by Emelia Jackson - Loving baking out of this book at the moment, or any of her books really
Summer at the French Bakery by Jo Thomas - Set in France and foodie! To be fair I do like Jo Thomas's books wherever they are set. (review)
Mixed Signals by B K Borison - I am loving on B K Borison's books right now, although I am pretty much caught up on all of them. Just need to read her latest book.
The French Christmas Market by Gillian Harvey - For a long time I was a bit of a scrooge when it came to Christmas, or more precisely I was faking it until I made it, but over the last few years I have begun to love Christmas books. This one is the latest one I read and has a bonus element as it is set in France
The Menu of Happiness by Hisashi Kashiwai - Japanese, foodie and it has the word Happiness in the title! (review)
Happily Ever After by Jane Lovering - I do enjoy Jane Lovering's books which are set predominantly in Yorkshire in England (review)
Well it finally happened. Things are so frantic and stressful at work that I didn't actually finish reading anything this week!
However, I did start reading another book because it makes perfect sense to do that when you already have three on the go, and two more that you say that you are desperate to read right?
The book that I started to read was Business Casual by B K Borison. It is a book that I have out of the library and some other patron had put a hold on it so I couldn't extend it. How rude!
It is time to look at my best reads on September. I only read 9 books this month, which is a bit less than usual. I had three 4.5 star reads, but I did one 5 star read which I reviewed here
Books let our imaginations travel where our feet cannot - Nora Nguyen
Every month I also like to look at where I travelled through the pages of the books I read! Here's where I travelled in September
US
South Carolina - Other Birds
Europe
England - Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame, The Way We Are Now (Yorkshire) Scotland - Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle Ireland - The Pirate Queen France - The French Christmas Market
Asia
Japan - Before I Knew I Loved You, Matcha on Monday, Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop
I'm watching
Not much really
Life
Last weekend the weather where we were was beautiful. This weekend, we were back to winter weather! Melbourne is known for changeable weather most of the time though, so probably shouldn't be surprised! What was a surprise was that we had a pretty decent sized earthquake early on Saturday morning. There's no damage but it is unusual for us.
Despite the rain, we had a lovely day on Saturday. We started by going to a Virtual Reality experience called Starstruck, which takes you exploring through the cosmos. After that we went to one of the fancy hotels in town and had a afternoon tea. This was pretty traditional but with a twist - everything had native flavours in it! It was really delicious! One of the unusual things I tried was a butterfly pea tea which changed colour when you added lemon into it!
Then on Saturday night we went to an event to hear the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform the songs of Elton John! It was a really fun night!
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 if Life of M by Rachel Cusk. At first, I wasn't sure I had any ideas ono where to start with my first link. In the end though, I did three different chains with different ideas for each starting point, but eventually had to pick one and go with it.
My first link uses the initial M being part of the title as the connection. The Unselected Diaries of Emma M Lion Vol. 1 by Beth Brower is a book that I am desperate to read. I have downloaded the audio but just need to finish my current audio book before I can start it. I also have it requested it from the library but I am in the queue. I may still end up just buying the ebook so I can read it but I do have two books on the go already.
My next link is to Emma by Kaoru Mori which is the first book in a graphic novel series set in Victorian England. Whilst I have been read quite a few Japanese books over the last few years I had forgotten that I was reading this series more than 15 years ago!
Another first book in a graphic novel series that I was reading around 14 years ago is Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham. This series feature many familiar fairy tale characters like Cinderella, Prince Charming who come to live in our modern world.
Good Spirits by B K Borison features a Ghost of Christmas Past who also finds himself living in our modern world where he is meant to be haunting a woman
I am going to take the word spirit and use it in a different context. A good spirit is whisky, so my next choice is The Whisky Widow by Karen Brooks, which tells the story of a woman trying to make her way in 18th century Scotland.
I was going to use the word widow as my next length and then I was pleased to see that Champagne Widows: First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot by Rebecca Rosenberg shares both the word and a form of alcohol in the title!
Next month, the starting point is to start with a novella that's on your reading list, in recognition of Novellas in November. Hmmm. Might have to start with a very short book LOL
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Fall-Themed Freebie (or Spring if you live in the Southern Hemisphere)
Recently it was time to get my nails redone, and I wanted to get something a bit fun to celebrate the end of winter. In the end I chose to get my nails done in spring colours - think five different pastel colours. I have a different colour on each nail - yellow, pink, purple, green and blue - so here are 10 books with covers that feature those colours.
Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama- see how well my nails match this cover. Totally a coincidence! (mini review)
A Song in Daylight by Paullina Simons - This book was one that jumped out at me from my bookshelves with the yellow vibes. Now that I look it at though, it doesn't really go with the others as the others are all cartoon-y style.
Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais - This cover bring the pink vibes. (review)
In the Paris Fashion by Sophie Beaumont - I could have chosen any of the covers from this author. The other covers are pink and green. (review)
And Now, Back to You by B K Borison - This book made me feel anything but blue!
How to Fake it in Society by K J Charles - This book was such a fun read and totally bring the green vibes
First Time Caller by B K Borison - I know, I know. Two books by B K Borison and from the same series is possibly cheating but it had both pink and yellow so I couldn't resist.
Before I knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Purple is my favourite colour so this cover caught my attention straight away when it was revealed. And it is the book I had just finished listening to when I started putting this post together
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisash Kashiwai - I am just about to reread this book so it was a book I thought of when I was looking for my last green cover (review)
We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida - The second half of this list has taken a decidedly Japanese turn!
Back to work this week, so in theory I had less reading time! I did still manage to get through several books.
I had started Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T J Klune last week and I finished that book, which was one of my Goodreads Summer Challenge selections. I liked the book, but it did feel a bit preachy.
I then read A Secret Diary in Rome by M A McLaughlin for a blog tour. My review will be up later this week!
Then I moved onto Mixed Signals by B K Borison. I am working my way through all of Borison's books, and only have one more book to read before her new book comes out in October.
The last book I started this week was One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle, which is another challenge selection. I have been meaning to read Rebecca Serle for a long time! After this book, I only have one more challenge book to read. I do know what I am going to read, I just have to read it
Did you notice that three of these four books had author names with just initials! That's a bit of a funny coincidence!
I'm watching
We didn't start anything new this week
Life
Why is it when I return from holidays I often get sick! Pushing on though. No time off work as things are ramping up on the project I am involved in.
On Saturday I went to the inaugural Readings Romance event (Readings is a bookstore chain here in Melbourne). The even featured the always amazing Dr Anita Heiss as a guest speaker, and then there were two really fun panels. The first talked about the meet-cute and the second was about mis-matched characters! There was swag, a paper cup of bubbles, great conversation and lots of books lovers in the room!
I was in Bali last week, so this week's post is really all about the things that I have done over the last two weeks! Because we deliberately didn't over schedule too much, I did get quite a bit of reading done. First though, how cute is this mural that we saw near a bookshop in Ubud! Ubud is home to the Sacred Monkey Forest so there are references to monkeys everywhere!
Before we went away, I finished reading The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin. I always enjoy Rebecca Raisin's books, and this was no exception. It was, however, exceptional and I loved it! a 5/5 read for me. You can read my review here.
I then started reading And Now, Back to You by B K Borison but I didn't finish it until we were on the plane! My library book went on a plane ride! This book is the second book in the Heartstrings series and I am already looking forward tto the next book which is out in February next year! It was the first book I tagged as Want to Read in 2027! I read this book because I wanted to but also because it fit one of the GR Summer Challenge categories!
Next up I read Kate and Frida by Kim Fay, which is connected to her previous book Love and Saffron, and also was eligible for one of the GR Summer Challenge categories.
Next up was Italy and Forever by Leonie Mack, the final book in the Wedding Planners series, which I have really, really enjoyed!
On the plane home I finished reading Three Juliets by Minnie Darke which the last book I needed to read for 20 Books of Winter this year. It is one that I actually started reading for last year's event but I didn't finish it! I had to start again but I sped through it this year! I really enjoy Minnie Darke's writing and this was no exception.
I then decided to read The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Tokuya Asokura, mainly because I thought it would count for the Women in Translation month. Turns out, it doesn't because the author is a man, but never mind! It still counts for a couple of other challenges!
Finally, I started reading Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T J Klune! It's early days yet, but I am enjoying being back in that world!
While I was away the Classics Spin selection was announced! I am going to be reading The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith! Just have to go and pick it up from the library so I can get started on it!
I'm watching
I didn't watch anything while we were away, not even on the plane. Before we left we did watch the Masterchef Australia grand final
We also finished watching Bake off the Professionals.
It was exciting to see that the Great Australian Bake Off is back, so last night we watched the first two episodes! Now we have to wait for the new episode to come out each week!
Life
We spent all of last week in Bali. We stayed in Ubud and it was lovely. We tend to have go and out see all the things holidays, but we tried to only have a couple of days where we were busy. The rest of the time it was massages and pool and just doing whatever time, including plenty of reading time!
One of the treatments I had was a Japanese Head Spa and I am now obsessed with where I can go to get another one! It was such an amazing experience! Of course, it costs about a quarter of the price in Bali compared to at home but never mind!
I mentioned on my Weekend Cooking post that Bali wasn't somewhere I was all that interested in visiting until around 18 months ago or so. I saw some pictures and realised that I didn't like the reputation as being full of partying Aussies and that was why I wasn't that interested in going but that I really had no idea about the actual country. It was so interesting to learn about the culture and food. Could have done without the traffic though!
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is the theme is Book Series I Want to Catch Up On (or series you’d like to start)
I know that the prompt says series I want to catch up on or start, but I am simplifying it to the most recent books I have read that are part of a series
Heartstrings series by B K Borison -And Now Back to You - I am reading a couple of different series by B K Borison at the moment. This is the second book in the Heartstrings series.
Cruise Escapes series by Caroline James - The Nile Cruise - This also has another cruise based series by this author called Diamond Star Cruises.
Pelican Crossing series by Maggie Christensen - Finding Forever in Pelican Crossing was the ninth book in this series.
Threads of Resistance series by Jenny O'Brien - The Secret Dressmaker is the second book in this series featuring undercover agents in Paris in WWII.
Wartime Librarians series by Kate Thompson - This isn't linked as a series on Goodreads but there are three books connected by theme and some characters. Recently this author announced a new librarians book and she called it the wartime librarians series so I am counting it! The most recent book I read was The Secret Society of Librarians.
Holiday Romance series by Carrie Walker - Escape to the Turquoise Seas is the fourth book in the Holiday Romance series. I haven't read books 1 or 2 yet. I do normally try to read series in order.
The Millbrook series by Hannah Claire - The Book Lovers Bucket List is on Amazon as being part of the Millbrook series
The Ernest Cunningham series by Benjamin Stevenson - Everyone in this Bank is a Thief is the fourth book in the series. I am now all caught up with the Ernest Cunningham series.
Head Over Wheels duology by Leonie Mack - Don't Brake My Heart is the second book in the duology which features professional cyclists.
The Italian Legacy trilogy by Sue Moorcroft - Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse is the first book in the trilogy which is set on the shores of Lake Como.
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Books That Live in My Head Rent-Free (submitted by Emma @ damppebbles.com).
I am focussing on the word Free in this and choosing to share the next ten books that are due back to the library. I know it isn't really free. I mean I pay rates and taxes which pay for it, but no money changes hands when I visit the library so it is as good as free!
The Island of Mists and Miracles by Victoria Mas - I finished this yesterday and liked it!
The Palace Women by Jennifer Ryan - And started this one today!
How to Fake it in Society by K J Charles - This one sounds like fun!
The Paradise Heights Craft Store Stitch up by Kate Solly - I am going to an author event with this author tomorrow night!
Delicious: Love to Eat: Around the World in 120 Delicious Recipes by Valli Little - My selection for the current Lambs Ear Cookbook Club
And, Now, Back to You by B K Borison - Looking forward to this one!
Better Than the Real Thing by Brooke Crawford - I have run into this author a number of times at bookish events.
A Far-Flung Life by M L Stedman - I really need to read this one before I have to return it.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T J Klune - This should be a fun read!
Kate and Frida: A novel of friendship, food and books by Kim Fay - Loved the previous book I read by this author
Well, it's been a week! We have just gone through end of financial year which means it has been pretty full on. There are still some final tasks to be done, but we are definitely nearly there. Having said that, I still managed to get some reading done.
I finished The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. As I mentioned last week I was really pleased that this book is predominantly set in the city of Konya in Turkiye which is a place that we visited a couple of months ago. I found this book a bit dense, but it was extremely interesting with lots of layers. I do enjoy this author's books and have already requested the next one from my library.
Next up I read In the Weeds by B K Borison which is the second book in the Lovelight Farms series. This is a very different read to the last book but it one that I found hard to put down!
Next up, I finished The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick. I count Chadwick as one of my favourite historical fiction authors and yet I hadn't read any of her books in years. It was so nice to be back reading one of her books.
Next up, I started reading The Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft. I am on the blog tour for this book so my review will be up in a couple of days. If you are in the UK there is also a giveaway for this book so keep an eye out for the post which will be up on Wednesday.
You would think that with all those books on the go I would know better than to just start another book that isn't a review book, isn't due back at the library, doesn't count for the Goodreads Summer Challenge or isn't on my 20 Books of Winter list. Apparently, my brain doesn't work that way so I started reading Don't Brake My Heart by Leonie Mack. Good thing it will at least count for Paris in July!
Last week I said that my next audiobook would be the latest Before the Coffee Gets Cold book. I did listen to the intro but now I have decided that I am going to listen to Unruly: The Ridiculous History of the Kings and Queens of England by David Mitchell. I have chosen this book for the Fact or Fiction prompt on the Goodreads Summer Challenge. I'll go back to the other one once I have finished this book
I am not sure how, but I managed to get through 16 books in June, and 9 of those counted for the 20 Books of Winter challenge. I gave several novels 4.5/5 but there was only one that I gave a 5/5 rating to and that was First Time Caller by B K Borison. Looking at the list now, I could probably have given one other book 5/5 which was This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page.
Books let our imaginations travel where our feet cannot - Nora Nguyen
Bookish travel
Here's where I travelled too through the pages of books during May
Europe
Ireland - Three Bags Full
France - Piglettes
UK - This Book Made Me Think of You
Russia - War and Peace
Turkiye - The Forty Rules of Love
North America
First Time Caller, The Maid, Atmosphere, The Frozen River, Project Hail Mary
Australia
Queensland - Charlie's Last Angel
NSW - The Model Murder, Careful, He Might Hear You
WA - The Palace of Lost Virtue
SA - The Couples Retreat
Asia
Japan - We'll Prescribe You Another Cat
I'm watching
I started watching Eva Longoria: Searching for France over the weekend! So far we have watched 3 episodes and it is good, although she's no Stanley Tucci. Here's the trailer!
A couple of months ago we went to watch Project Hail Mary at the movies, which then prompted me to listen to the audiobook. We decided to watch the movie again while the movie was fresh in our minds. It has been really interesting to do this as there were things that I definitely didn't remember seeing the first time around. Of course, the book is more detailed than the movie and has more depth, but I do see myself watching this movie over and over!
The Tour de France has started! That means a few weeks of seeing beautiful scenery, amazing chateau's, big churches. Oh, and a few cyclists as well!
Life
Yesterday a friend and I went to see the Cartier exhibition which is currently on at the NGV. It was an absolutely gorgeous exhibitions of all things that glitter! Fabulous!
I will have a post up about the whole exhibition later in the week but here's a taster. And yes, that is a gigantic emerald in the middle of that piece!
We also tried a new brunch place this weekend! It has a very different vibe from the usual industrial style of most modern cafes! We will definitely be going back.
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 atReaderbuzzand A Good Book and a Cup of Tea hosted atBoondock Ramblings.
This month the starting point is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.
For my first selection I am choosing another title which has two words joined together to create a word that doesn't really exist. I absolutely loved The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson when I read it a couple of years ago. The title for this book has been changed post publication to The Lives and Loves of Becca Valentine, so originally my plan was to talk about books whose titles have been changed. However, I ended up taking different direction.
A couple of weeks ago I finished reading First-Time Caller by B K Borison. This is a book which is set on a radio show where the main announcer is called Aiden Valentine.
Another romance featuring people working on a radio show is Lonely Hearts Radio by Adeline Knight. This was an Audible original and featured an Australian radio announcer living in New York in 1999.
Moving away from romance novels, but still using the radio link my next choice is The Radio Hour by Australian Author Victoria Purman. This time the setting is 1950s Sydney
My next link is through the word hour. I am choosing The Gilded Hour by Sara Donati which is also set in New York, but this time in the late 19th century.
The word gilded is not one that comes up every day these days, but it is in a few titles, including The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift. If I needed to keep on going from her there are any number of flower books out there, which oddly is a theme that I quite often end up with on these posts. Good job I am stopping here today!
Next month, the starting point is Land by Maggie O'Farrell
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026
A Study in Sparkling by Jodi McAlister (July)- I am going to the launch of this one and can't wait!
Matcha on Monday by Michiko Aoyama (July) - This is the second book in the Marble Cafe series and is out later this week.
Time Travel for Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty (August)- This one is a bit outside my normal wheelhouse but it does sound like fun!
The German Ward by Pip Williams (September)- I am going to a book event for this one too!
The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters (September) - The Berry Pickers was a five star read for me so I have high hopes for this one.
Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen (September) - I haven't actually read a SAA book in years, but I still look forward to every new release
The Cairo Bridal Shop by Tess Woods (September) - Looking forward to this one!
Grim Tidings by B K Borison (September)- I only own one book with sprayed edges which is Good Spirits, the precursor to this book. I have pre-ordered the sprayed edges version of this book too!
Orlando by Harry Whittaker (November) - This book is set in the same world as The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley. This is her son who is continuing the series. It could be great. Or it could not be. I will have to read to find out!
The Heart Note by Vanessa McCausland (December) - I have loved the Vanessa McCausland books I have read and this one sounds great too!
Looks like September is going to be a bumper month for new books! Do you have any of these on your list?
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted byThat Artsy Reader Girl.This week theme is Books on My Summer 2026 To-Read List.or in my case, the Winter to read-list.
For the most part, my winter TBR list should be dictated by the books that I nominated for the 20 Books of Winter which I have shared in previous TTT posts here and here. It is, however, inevitable that as soon as I create a list I will start reading books that are not on that listj! Often those books are library books, so today I am sharing the next ten library books I plan to read, some of which are on my 20 books list, and some which are not. There is also a fair chance that at least one or two of these might go back unread but hopefully not too many!
A Far Flung Life by M L Stedman - I have heard a lot of good things about this book!
And Now Back to You by B K Borison - This is the second book in the Heart Strings series.
In the Weeds by B K Borison - Yes, I really do have two B K Borison books out from the library at the same time.
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak - This will be my third Elif Shafak read and I have high hopes for this one too!
Careful He Might Hear You by Sumner Locke Elliot - This is my Classics Spin choice
We'll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida - I actually finished this one today after I put this list together.
Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson - I will be all caught up on this series once I read this one.
The Palace Women by Jennifer Ryan - I picked this up on a whim on a recent visit to the library.
The Island of Mists and Miracles by Victoria Mas - I really enjoyed the last book I read by Victoria Mas.
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood - This should be a quick read at least!
Do you ever feel like it doesn't matter how much you read, the amount of books that add to your TBR is always far greater than the number of books that you actually read! That is definitely the case for me at the moment.
I did get get through several books last week, and then I started or picked up other books that I had previously started and put down.
I finished reading Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. We went to see the Movie of The Sheep Detectives a few weeks ago and I picked up the book after that. It is fair to say that this is one of those rare occasions where the movie is better than the book. To be fair, they have two completely different story lines which only have some character names and the basic premise of the sheep doing the investigating in common but still.
The I sped through First Time Caller by B K Borison. I have only read a couple of her books so far but I have loved them both and I know that I am going to enjoy whatever she puts out!
I also read The Maid by Nita Prose. This was a selection for one of the Goodreads challenge categories. It's not my normal genre but I did enjoy it!
I then read Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais. I swear I saw that someone had read it for a previous iteration of Paris in July but I can't find who. It has been years since I read a YA book, and there were a couple of things that bothered me but overall it was a fun read. My review will be up in July as part of Paris in July
I am on the blog tour for Charlie's Last Angel by Maggie Christensen this week so I need to get on and write the review.
I then started This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page. I am not very far in but I am loving it already. Can't wait to get back to it!
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is another Goodreads challenge selection, so this is the book I am reading when I can't sleep at night!
I am making a concerted effort to finally finish War and Peace. My aim is to finish it by the end of this month! Currently I would need to read an average of 8 pages a day to get there. Wish me luck.
I was sorry to see the news that Iranian/French author Marjane Satrapi has passed away at the very young age of 56. Many years ago her Persepolis books were doing the rounds in the blogosphere. I also loved the movie adaptation of her book Chicken with Plums. In particular there is a montage scene towards the end of the movie which I still remember with fondness now.
I'm watching
A couple of months ago we re-watched the first two seasons of Ted Lasso. This week we started re-watching season 3 so it should be relatively fresh in our minds for when the next season comes out in August.
I did go to the movies this week to see a Mexican/Uruguyan film called Nothing Between Us which is showing as part of the Spanish and Latin American Film Festival. It is about two people who have an affair while on a work trip to Mexico. I am going to see a Spanish film this week so I will post about both of them soon.
Life
It was my birthday on Sunday so we went to our favourite afternoon tea destination. As always it was an exceptional experience with amazing customer service!
My husband bought me this cute booknook for my birthday! Now to find the time to start to put it together!
It's been a pretty good reading week for me this week, including a 5 star reads!
I mentioned last week that I had started The Little Wartime Bookclub by Kate Thompson. I was surprised when I first picked it us to see how long the book is. It's very close to being a chunkster, but despite it's size I sped through it in just a couple of days. I loved it! And it was a 5/5 read!
Next I picked up Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Japanese author Michiko Aoyama. This is the third book I have read by her, and it was her debut and I thought it was fabulous. I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this book which is out in a few weeks. I will post a review of this one for Weekend Cooking in a couple of weeks time.
I then read The Paradise Pact by Anita Heiss. It has made me laugh out loud a couple of times but it also irritated me at times. I made it to the end though.
Finally, I started my first Twenty Books of Winter read which was First-Time Caller by B K Borison. I think I started it too early though as I could easily have finished it yesterday. I had to pace myself so I could finish it today and have it count as a June read!
How on earth is it the end of May already? And isn't that what I think at the end of every month! May was a pretty good month for me. I had two 5 star reads this month being In the Paris Fashion by Sophie Beaumont and The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson. Shout out to Hot Chocolate on Thursday which was a standout read too, even if it didn't quite make it 5 stars. It was very close. In total I read 11 books for the month so that it s a pretty good average.
Books let our imaginations travel where our feet cannot - Nora Nguyen
Bookish travel
Here's where I travelled too through the pages of books during May
Asia
China - The Bonesetter's Daughter
Korea - A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang
Japan - Gate to Kagoshima, Hot Chocolate on Thursday
America
California - The Bonesetter's Daughter
Hawaii - The Paradise Pact
Europe
Italy - An Italian Island Love Story, A Venice Summer
Spain - Call of the Camino
UK - The Seaside Book Club. The Little Wartime Library
France - In a Paris Fashion
I'm watching
We are big fans of Welcome to Wrexham, so the other night we watched the first episode of Nexacas which is where Eva Longoria buys into a Mexican soccer team. It is aiming for the same kind of feel as Wrexham. Not sure we will watch all the episodes but it was interesting. Now it has been announced that there will be a similar series about the Bonds Flying Roos which is the Australian Sail GP team owned by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.
On Saturday night we finally got around to watching Remarkably Bright Creatures, which is based on the book by Shelby van Pelt, which I read and loved last year. I listened to the audio where the voice of Marcellus was provided by Michael Urie. When I first heard that they were making a movie I did hear that Urie would once again providing the voice which I was excited about. However, in the end Marcellus was voiced by Alfred Molina and he did a great job.
Here's the trailer
Life
On Thursday night we went to a new to us restaurant and had a delicious dinner and then we went to an event at the Immigration Museum called Enlightenment which is an immersive light and sound experience. The light show is set to the music of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It was a really nice evening. I do think we will go back to the restaurant, particularly because they had some truly amazing looking cocktails!
On Sunday afternoon I did something a bit different for me called Sip and Slay. Basically it was a makeup class accompanied by as much wine, champers or soft drink as you like, which may or may not be a good combination. Most days my idea of putting make up on is foundation, mascara and something on the lips, and the thought of having to put eye shadow on puts me in a cold sweat. It was a fun afternoon and I did learn a bit but I am not sure I can do the full routine that we learnt while I am sitting at traffic lights in the car!
Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Favorite Secondary/Minor Characters. However, I am following on from last week's post and giving you the second part of my 20 Books of Winter list.
Here are the second group of ten books that I am intending to read before the end of August.
The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin - I really enjoy this author's books. I already had it on my list as a review book but now I am going to be on the blog tour for it in July.
The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson - I am attending the Rachel John's Bookclub Readers Retreat in June and this is one of the two book club reads.
The Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercier - This is the second book club read
The Secret Dressmaker by Jenny O'Brien - This is a blog tour read for July
The Nile Cruise by Caroline James - Another July blog tour read
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak - This is a library book that I have borrowed a couple of times now. Hopefully I will read it this time!
First Time Caller by B K Borison - I have really enjoyed the two B K Borisin books I have read so I am looking forward to this one!
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood - This is a historical fiction novel that has had good reviews since it's been released
Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson - This will be a book I read for the Goodreads challenge
Careful, He Might Hear You by Sumner Locke Elliott - This is my Classics Spin selection
In what was a complete coincidence I found myself reading two Christmassy books this week. I started reading B K Borison's Lovelight Farm book because it has been on my shelf for months, and it fits for one of the Goodreads challenge prompts! I really loved it and have requested the next book in the series from the library.
Then I picked up Everyone this Christmas has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson which is the third book in the Ernest Cunningham series. The fourth book is waiting for me to pick up at the library and then I will be all caught up with this series.
In answer to the question above, it usually is too early, but in the case of these two books I have made an exception!
I did also finish reading The Strawberry House by Rachel Burton, which I really enjoyed. My review is here.
I also then read a couple of chapters of James by Percival Everett. It is my intention to try and get this read while I am away.
I also started The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage which I was desperately trying to finish before I left but it isn't going to happen. I have to return the book to the library, so I am going to have to buy it so that I can finish it on the plane. Both James and this book fit Goodreads Challenge prompts too.
The other book that I am intending to read while I am away is my Classics Spin selection, The Leopard by Tomasi de Lampedusa. The hardest part of travelling is always deciding what you are going to read while you are away!
I'm watching
I started watching Neil & Martin's Bon Voyage which is a British travelogue featuring Neil Morrissey and Martin Clunes who starred in a show together back in the 1990s. Morrissey now lives in France, so Clunes joins him and travels to various destinations. So far, it isn't all your normal French destinations. I will watch more at some point.
Life
I went to a library talk for International Women's Day. The talk was about Australian Women's Land Army which operated during WWII, and got very little acknowledgement after the war. They weren't really treated all that well during the war either! It was a very interesting talk.
On Saturday, I went with some friends to see the Vivianne Westwood/Rei Kawakubo exhibition that is currently on at National Gallery of Victoria. I thought it was interesting, although I don't enjoy the fashion exhibitions as much as I do when it is art. It was interesting seeing so many iconic Westwood looks and some really famous items on display. Of the two, Westwood was more recognisable but Kawakubo was more interesting because her clothes are really, really different. The items there were not anything that you would see someone wearing on the street! Maybe abstract is a word I would use.
We are also going to a farewell for a friend who is moving to Queensland and a wedding on Sunday afternoon. The wedding is formal and so I have been stressing for a couple of months about what to wear and getting shoes that I could wear for several hours. I have trouble buying shoes because I have big feet and they are very wide. Ankle straps are a no no because my ankles swell so I have ended up with a slingback. I realised at 5 o'clock on Sunday morning that I haven't thought about jewellery.
I mentioned that I am going away for work. I am headed to Kolkata in India on Monday. I am very excited for several reasons including that I have never been to India and I never imagined that I would get such an opportunity in my line of work. Most excitingly, I am flying business class which is a first for me. Yes, I am going to be that person taking all the pictures in business class!
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