This week....

I'm reading

This week I read A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang by Lee Onhwa. The main reason I read it is because it fits the AAPI month category for the Goodreads challenge, but as a bonus it also counts for the Speccy Fiction Challenge. Hopefully I will will review it soon!

I also started The Call of the Camino by Suzanne Redfearn. This is the next Cook the Books read so I need to finish it and cook something inspired by it too before the end of the month.

I did go to one event for Melbourne Writers Festival this week. As part of the in the suburbs series author Benjamin Stevenson came to visit my local library. Unfortunately I could not fit in any other events for the rest of the festival so I am glad that I at least got to attend this one! Benjamin Stevenson is the author of the Ernest Cunningham mystery series. It was very interesting to hear about his inspirations, about a potential TV adaptation, about how he nearly killed off Ernest at the end of the second book and so much more!

It was our read on a theme book club meeting this weekend. There were only 4 of us there but we still managed to have some lively discussion feature books about Mothers and Daughters. I read Amy Tan's book The Bonesetter's Daughter. Our next theme is Immigration, so I will have to see what books I have that suit this theme. 

I'm watching

Now that we are back from holiday we have started watching Masterchef Australia. I wasn't sure whether we should go back and watch all the episodes from the beginning but in the end we just jumped in at episode 8 or so and went from there!

We also finished watching Alan and Amanda's Greek Job which features them renovating a house in Corfu! The series is always a lot of fun!


Life

It was back to work this week. I might have only done four days but I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the week!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors You Wish Were Still Writing Today
Weekend Cooking: Taste of Two Continents Food Walking Tour - Istanbul
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - April 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

Mini reviews: Three Aussie books

 

The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage

When Lexi Villiers' father and brother are killed while skiing, she suddenly finds herself whisked off to London to take up her place in the succession to the the throne. Princess Alexandrina had walked away from the royal family years before and was living in Tasmania and studying to be a doctor. Now she needs to decide does she want everything that being royal means (both the good and the bad) or does she want to live a normal life.

This is the royal family but not as we know it. The starting point is that Charles II makes his mistress Barbara Villiers his queen and the crown passes down through the Villiers family. It is a really interesting premise to base a story on! Even though it is a fictionalised royal family, you can definitely see where it has been inspired by the real royal family. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this story, although it was probably too long. 

Rating 4/5

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

This is the third book in the Ernest Cunningham series and as you might surmise from the title this time the story is set at Christmas time. Ernest gets a phone call from his ex-wife whose new partner has just been found dead and she is the prime suspect. Soon Ernest is trying to solve a murder where there everyone has a secret, where sleight of hand and magic are the everyday business of some of the suspect and where nothing is quite as it seems. 

This was shorter than a normal book but longer than a novella and at times it felt a bit rushed, but it also has a fun advent calendar style format! Already looking forward to the next book! And I have just found out that Benjamin Stevenson is coming to my local library in May so I have booked tickets for that!

Rating 4/5

Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon by Sophie Green

I have been meaning to read Sophie Green's books for several years now but I just hadn't been able to fit one in! This book tells the story of four women who are all at different stages of their lives who all come together in a hairdressing salon in a small town on the Central Coast of NSW. What they all have in common in addition to the salon is that they are all trying to find themselves.

Trudy is a widow who is the owner of the salon. Since her husband died she has sort of been going through the motions. She doesn't really connect well with her only son, but the people in her salon are almost like family to her. 

Single mum Evie has never really had much luck with relationships. She is trying to balance work with raising her son but really her secret desire is to fall in love. Could the new male hairdresser Sam finally bring love into her live.

Anna is feeling neglected in her marriage and so she separates from her husband Gary. She brings her mother into the salon regularly but could changing her life start with changing her hair.

Finally, there is Josie who joins the salon as an apprentice. She has been bought up in a very strict household and so when she meets a young man, she needs to keep everything a secret!

I had so much fun with this one. It is set in the mid 1980s and there were so many nods to music, pop culture, world events and of course hairstyles!

This one counts for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host

Rating 4/5

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Autumn 2026 To-Read List

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. 

This week the theme is Books on My Spring 2026 To-Read List but as always we are in the opposite season so this is my Autumn 2026 To-Read list

Something in the Air in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - If Maggie Christensen has a new book out then I am reading it! Turns out she has this one coming out in April and another stand alone novel coming out in June!

Love Blooms at the Cornish Cottage by Kim Nash - I do enjoy Kim Nash's books and this is the third book in the Sandpiper Cove series. 

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak - We are meant to be going to Turkiye in a couple of weeks time. I am not sure if that is going to happen or not given the state of the world. I have loved Elif Shafak's other books so this was a good opportunity to read her given that she is a Turkish author.

Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki - Someone reviewed the follow up book to this for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge and I was intrigued!

Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama - I have read a couple of this Japanese authors books previously so I am keen to read this one 

Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson - This is the fourth book in the Ernest Cunningham series. After reading this one I will be all caught up with the series and will have to wait for the next one.

Start at the End by Emma Grey - I am so excited to read this one! I read both of Emma Grey's books last year and they were both 5 star reads. 

Early Mornings at the Laksa Cafe by Janet Tay = The title of this one caught my attention. 

Call of the Camino by Suzanne Redfearn - This is the next Cook the Books selection. I am expecting to feel the need to make something Spanish after reading this!

The Rebel Romanov by Helen Rappaport - Trying to read this one by the end of March as the Her Story category is the last one I need to finish for the current Goodreads Challenges

Top Ten Tuesday - Chronologically speaking!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Book Titles Featuring Ordinal Numbers (Ordinal numbers are numbers that define an item’s place in a series. For example: first, second, third, fourth, tenth, fourteenth, thirty-third, one hundredth, etc.) (submitted by Joanne @ Portobello Book Blog)

I have chosen to twist the topic a bit. I am going to do books that are the number in the series by which I mean the title might be the fifth book in the series for example. At least one of them will be ordinal! 

1. An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister - Last year I read and adored this book. The second book in the Love Notes series is due to be released in July! I am so looking forward to it!

2. Us Against You by Fredrik Backman - This is the second book in the Beartown trilogy. I am hoping to read the third one soon! (my review)

3. The Deadly Dispute by Amanda Hampson - I read and loved all three books in this series last year, of which this is the third. The fourth book is out next month! (my review)

4. Everyone in This Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson - This is the fourth book in the Ernest Cunningham series. I have only read and loved the first two but I do know that I will read this one eventually

5. Safe Harbour in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - I do really enjoy Maggie Christensen's books. This is the fifth book in the Pelican Crossing series. The eighth book in the series is out early next month (my review)

6. The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters - This is the sixth book in the excellent Amelia Peabody series. I unintentionally stopped reading this series at book number 14. It has been more than 15 years since I read that book but I do have such fond memories of it, and I feel as though I could pick the next book without too much difficulty.  (my review)

7. The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley - This is the seventh book in the Seven Sisters series. It feels a little bit ironic that there was an eight book released!

8. Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon - This is the last book I read in the Outlander series. I don't know if I have the energy to pick up the next book in the series at the moment.

9. To the Nines by Janet Evanovich - I continued to read up to book 19 before I deliberately stopped reading this series. This book was the last one that I rated as a 5 star read. It was all downhill from here.

10. Witness in Death by JD Robb - I read up to book 17 in the series before I unintentionally stopped reading them. Book 62 in the series was recently published so I don't see myself ever catching up on this series. (my review)

This week..

I'm reading

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!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Cooking the Books!

Blog Tour: The Strawberry House by Rachel Burton

In My Kitchen: March

Six Degrees: Wuthering Heights to The Secrets of the Huon Wren




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

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Books

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Books for Armchair Travelers (Submitted by Laurie C @ Bay State Reader’s Advisory). 

I don't often save quotes so I am going to do a twist on the topic this week. This year is my third year of participating in the Bookish Books Reading Challenge hosted at Bloggin' 'Bout Books. For my TTT post this week I am going to share the last ten bookish books I read! I think books about books is something that most of us love!

Soyangri Book Kitchen by Kim Jee Hyde - This is a Korean book about a young woman who opens a bookshop and kitchen out in the country. 

The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn - A trio of characters sails from island to island in Croatia to share library books. (my review)

Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada - Another book that combines food and books! This is a Japanese story about a strange library which holds the books that writers loved. (my review)

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson - What happens when multiple crime authors get on a train for a crime writers festival, but less people make it to the end of the line. (my review)

The Wartime Bookclub by Kate Thompson - How a Channel Island community comes together through the love of books! (my review)

The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan - When a woman is asked to find one particular item in a falling down stately home in the Scottish highlands at Christmas time, what could go wrong?

I Give You My Body...How I Write Sex Scenes by Diana Gabaldon - This was a very short audio book about writing sex scenes and featuring a lot of quotes from her books as example.

Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop by Jessica Redland - Featuring a gorgeous sounding small town bookstore at Christmas. (my review)

The Cruise Club by Caroline James - An author with writer's block goes on a cruise where one of her author heroes is giving writing lectures. (my review)

The Storytellers by Sue Heath - A group of very different people come together at a local library with the aim of writing a short story competition entry together! (my review)

Top Ten Tuesday: Armchair Travelling

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Books for Armchair Travelers (Submitted by Laurie C @ Bay State Reader’s Advisory). I love armchair travel and books where people make a new start. I can and have done posts about specific destinations like Paris and Greece. My take on the theme this week is choosing books where the travelling is an integral part of the story, and I am using all different forms of transport!

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells - I have gone big with my first form of transport - space travel!  And the transporter is actually a key character in the book. 

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson - I have read a number of books where travel on the Ghan is featured. The Ghan is a train that runs through central Australia from Darwin to Adelaide and vice versa. (my review)

Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express by Rebecca Raisin - This is another train book. This time the train goes through Europe ending up in Lapland

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - This book probably have a bit of a different feel to most on this list, but at it's heart this is a road trip as a young man travels from Nebraska to New York.

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary - This is the story of an uncomfortable road trip to Scotland when two sisters give on their exes and his mate a ride to a wedding. 

A Wedding in the Sun by Leonie Mack - Speaking of road trip to weddings, this book features the ex wife and the ex husband of the happy couple who are thrown together at the last minute and have to make it to the wedding in Spain in time! (my review)

The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn - Our characters spend the summer sailing between Croatian islands providing a library service. (my review)

The Arctic Cruise by Caroline James - I have read a couple of books set on cruise ships by this author. This was my latest and saw the characters chasing the Northern Lights. (my review)

Golden Girls on the Run by Judy Leigh - When two older women borrow one of their grandson's red Ferrari, they travel from Ireland to the south of England. (my review)

Where the Birds Call Her Name by Claire van Ryn - The modern part of this dual timeline features a mother and daughter travelling from far north Western Australia to Tasmania (my review)

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Covers Featuring Interesting Typography

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Book Covers Featuring Cool/Pretty/Unique/etc. Typography (Typography is the art of arranging letters so they look visually appealing and more interesting than, for example, the body text of this blog post you’re reading now.). I am going to broaden the theme a bit to pick books where there are more than one font on the cover or where I found them interesting in some way.

Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada - I like how they fit the title, author and translator all in the sky of the illustration by putting it on an angle (my review)

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson - I like the mix of fonts, and the way they did the word train (my review)

The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson- Three different fonts probably shouldn't work but it does (my review) 

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman- This is a different font choice

Good Spirits by B K Borison - I like the font choice here

Dear Mrs Bird by A J Pearce - I really like how the cover looks like a typewriter (my review)

Escape to the Northern Lights by Carrie Walker - chose this purely because of the curly bit on the end of the word Escape (my review)

The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina - I like how they use all lower case on this cover (my review)

Hooked by Asako Yuzuki - This book isn't out yet, but I like how the title is vertical instead of horizontal

The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden - Love the font and the colour on this one. (my review)

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

We met Ernest Cunningham in the first book in the series that has his name in Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, which I read last year and loved. While I don't read a lot of mysteries any more, that one was fresh and funny and I knew I would be reading more. Lucky for me I am coming to the series late so I still have two more books in the series that are already published!

After the events of the last book, Ernest changed from being someone who wrote books about how to write books, to actually writing a book of his own, all about the events at his family reunion which turned out to be very deadly. But now he needs to write a follow up. The pressure is on!

He and his partner are invited to be guests at the 50th anniversary of the Australian Mystery Writer's Society festival, of course they say yes which is being held on The Ghan. Ernest does know that he is pretty lucky to be there although he is not entirely confident that he belongs there. There are going to be 7 guest authors in total ranging from one of the biggest names in crime fiction in the world, to an author who had a big hit twenty years ago and is about to release their next novel, the literary (with a capital L) writer and then Ernest who has just published his debut novel. Ernest is hoping that he will get the inspiration he needs to pen his next book using his imagination, but before he gets to that point he has to work out hidden connections, old crimes, bad reviews and so much more. Add to that mix some publishers and the fans and the scene is set.

Once the train leaves Darwin, it doesn't take long for things to start getting off track (see what I did there?). There are some interesting interactions between the guest authors and Ernest starts to wonder if he is just seeing signs of things that aren't really there. However, when one of the authors dies, it would seem that there is definitely something deeper going on. Who better to solve a crime than six crime writers, although to be fair, they probably also know the best ways to get away with a crime.

Just like in the first book, there are plenty of times that Ernest breaks the fourth wall with the reader. He is writing the book after the events, so you know that he has to survive, but we get the benefit of hindsight where he can see the errors he has made along the way. We also get handy recaps of where we are at, including a name check count as he believes that according to the Golden Rules of mystery writing the killer's name will be mentioned a precise 106 times by the end of the book. Despite this, I was still surprised at several of the reveals!

Ernest tells us very early in the book “Seven writers board a train. At the end of the line, five will leave it alive. One will be in cuffs. Body count: nine. Bit lower than last time. And me? I don’t kill anybody this time around." As readers we get to ride the story as it unfurls one surprise, one body, one big reveal at a time. Murder isn't funny, but we certainly get a few laughs along the way!

As much as my husband and I do love to explore the world, we also still love to explore Australia. One experience that is definitely on our to-do list is to take the train known as The Ghan which goes from Darwin to Adelaide (and vice versa) through the middle of Australia. When we do get to do the trip, I am glad that it won't be with these people!

Another fantastic entry in the Ernest Cunningham series. Can't wait to read the next one!

I am sharing this review with the Bookish Books challenge hosted at Bloggin' Bout Books.

Rating 4.5/5

This Week....

I'm reading

We are well and truly back into the swing of things in terms of being back at work (not that I took a break), reading and blogging! 

Last week I finished a couple of books.

The first was the super fun Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson. This is the second book in the Ernest Cunningham series. I already have the third book in the series out from the library.

Another library book I read this week was Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Hirada, who is a successful Japanese author. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more from her once the English translation is released.

I have started reading Soyangri Book Kitchen by Kim Jee Hye who is a Korean author. So far this one is cute!

I have a couple of other books on the go which I have started and not made much progress on. I am hoping to at least finish my audiobook this week. We'll see.


I'm watching


Last year I listened to an audiobook called The Man Who Pays the Rent by Dame Judi Dench. I had also previously watched an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? where she could trace her family line to members of the Danish Royal Court. This week I watched a show called Shakespeare, My Family and Me where she was looking for evidence that maybe her ancestor could possibly have met Shakespeare when the Danish court visited England. It was very interesting!

I also watched the recently released movie adaptation of The People You Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. I thought it was a very watchable rom-com. I laughed out loud at some points, and rolled my eyes at others!




Life



It is summer in Australia but our weather has been a bit all over the place. Last week we had a few very, very hot days! I was glad that I was just able to stay at home. Unfortunately, that means it is also bushfire weather and there were several burning over the last few days. They are fortunately a fair way from me, but there have been lives and homes lost. The biggest impact for me was when I did open the back door, all I could smell was smoke. It is always eerie and brings back bad memories of really bad fire days we have had in the past.

Last week, it was our meetaversary. Apparently we can't call it an anniversary now that we have a wedding anniversary as well. It was 9 years ago that we first met, so we went out to dinner at the Meat and Wine Company. It was a delicious meal.

Have you ever seen the two movies about The Fisherman's Friends? They are really nice, feel good films about a group of fisherman who were discovered singing sea shanties at their village harbour and have gone on to have successful music careers. We went to see them on Saturday night, and it was so much fun! My favourite parts were when they sang without any musical accompaniment - oh the harmonies! - but really the rest of the songs were just sung with an accordion and some guitars. It was a really fun night!

Here's a taster

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I Read in 2025
Two Historical Fiction Novels - The Wartime Book Club and The Tea Planter's Wife
Weekend Cooking: Three Japanese Books Set in Cafes/Restaurants
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge Statistics for December and whole of 2025




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

This week...

I'm reading

I managed to finished a few books this week. 

I finished reading Hot Desk by Zara Stoneley which I had out from the library. I mentioned last week that I first discovered this author through her books written under the name Sue Heath. I will definitely be reading more Zara Stoneley books through the library. 

I also finished One December Morning by Emma Davies. My review will be up in the next couple of days. 

I also started and finished The Oyster Catcher by Jo Thomas. I have read quite a few of her later books so now it is time to start catching up on the earlier releases.

Next up, I started reading Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson, as I am trying to get ahead of the library due dates. This is not being helped by the fact that I have 6 books all waiting to be picked up!

I'm watching

In the lead up to Christmas, I watched several different Christmas themed music events which were fine. Carols by Candelight is an Aussie tradition and this year I watched the Salvation Army Carols in the Domain, plus Delta Goodrem's Christmas special which were nice to have on in the background more than anything. 

Wed did watch quite a bit of the cricket this week. The game should have lasted 5 days but it was all done in 2. I don't think it is that great for the game really. It's exciting to watch but losing 3 days of ticket sales, advertising revenue etc has to hurt the business side of the game!

I did also watch a TV show called Europe's Greatest Gardens all about Hortus Botanicas in Leiden in the Netherlands. Next time we go to visit my brother in law it's a place I would like to visit.

Life

Welcome to that awkward week between Christmas and New Year where you lose track of what you are meant to be doing, what day of the week it is and general confusion prevails. I do have to keep an eye on the calendar as I am working every day this week except New Years Day. Robert isn't working so he has created his own Honey Do list.

Christmas was lovely as usual. We go to my sister's most years, and have a very traditional meal of prawn cocktail, roast turkey and ham, and then a Christmas pudding and other desserts.

I did make a cheesecake on Saturday because I had a lot of berries left over and I used them to decorate.  Then on Sunday we went for a drive in the country to a small town near us called Trentham. it was a lovely day out.

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Christmas Reads This Year
Festive Treats: 2025
Weekend Cooking: Best of 2025
Sunday Salon: 2026 Reading Challenges




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

Spell the Month in Books - December

 

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 theme for this month is Giftable. The biggest challenge is finding three E books!

D - Dinner by Nagi Maehashi - We have been cooking out of this cook book for more than a year every week and I am sure anyone could find recipes to cook out! 

E - Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson - This book is funny, irreverent and the start of a series, so you could give someone the next book next year as well! (my review)

C - I am cheating with this one but picked it because it is a lot of fun and is now part of my Christmas tradition. I think I totally get away with it because after all the C in December sounds like an S anyway! Secret History of Christmas by Bill Bryson 

E - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - This is an older book but it was on that gives you all the feels. It is also a YA book so would work for a range of giftees. (my review)

M - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - Another book with all the feels. I have read, and loved, this a few times now! (my review)

B - Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - This might be something a little different but it gives Japanese foodie charm vibes. (my review)

E - Emma by Jane Austen - maybe a lovely special edition in honour of Jane Austen's 250th birthday.

R - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt - I would recommend the audio of this one. The guy who does the voice of the octopus was exceptional and he is voicing in it the upcoming movie!

I hope that you all get the books you want as gifts this year!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books set in a snowy place

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Books Set in Snowy Places (If snow isn’t your thing, pick another kind of place and share books set there!)

Normally when there is a seasonal theme I swap it to represent the season here in Australia. However, this time I decided to go with the theme even though it is summer here.

The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan - I just finished listening to this. There is a lot of snow in this book to the point that the characters get snowed in for some of the book!

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson - This isn't a common Australian setting as it is set in the Alps in winter, and there is a lot of snow. (my review)

Meet Me Under the Northern Lights by Mandy Baggot - This one sees our main character heading off on a last minute trip to Iceland (my review)

Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express by Rebecca Raisin - This luxury festive train travels across Northern Europe and ending up in Lapland

Small Things Like These by Claire Foster - Now, I didn't read this book all that long ago, and I am relatively sure that there was snow in the book, but I am prepared to be wrong about that!

Escape to the Northern Lights by Carrie Walker - our main character thinks she is going to a luxury spa weekend but really it is a winter back to nature, vegan wellness retreat (my review)

A Winter Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack - This is the second book in the Adventure Wedding series, set in the Italian Alps, and Mother Nature plays a bit part in the story! (my review)

One Snowy Day by Shari Low - I mean it even tells you about the weather in the title! (my review)

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - This one is set in winter in Norway! (my review)

Beartown by Fredrik Backman - It's ice hockey season in Sweden. Of course there's snow! (my review)

Mini reviews of two Aussie novels

This year I said that I was going to aim to review all the books I read that were either historical fiction or by Australian authors. I am a bit behind, but I think I will have some space to be able to catch up over the coming weeks. Today, I am going to share two mini-ish reviews of books by Australian authors. These books have very little in common apart from the fact that they are by Aussie authors and  I really enjoyed them both.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Ernest Cunningham is not looking forward to the Cunningham family reunion which is being held to celebrate the release of his brother from prison. He has no idea how his brother is going to feel about him given that Ernest was the one who testified and got him convicted in the first place. 

The Cunningham family dynamic is very complicated. Ernest's mother has disowned him, his wife has left him for his brother whose own wife is hoping for a reconciliation and his auntie has every minute of the reunion meticulously planned. There's a stash of money, a number of crimes and a snow storm. What could go wrong? Well, quite a lot actually.

This story has a very unusual structure. Ernie is a self published writer who writes books about how to write mysteries. When a body is found, Ernie is the one who needs to investigate (because he has experience) but he is telling us the story after the event. As such, he knows what happened and so can give us asides. For example, he might say that a character went outside for her last cigarette but of course she didn't know that at the time. And we know in the prologue at exactly what page we should expect all of the deaths to occur. Yes, there are multiple deaths

This was so much fun right from page 1, with twists and turns, a narrator who regularly breaks the fourth wall to talk directly to the reader, fantastic characters and so much more!

I am not really sure why but it was only recently that I realised that the author was Australian, and in the end it was this fact that prompted me to finally request the book from the library! I can't wait to read the next book in the series. 

Rating 4.5/5

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

You really could not get more different books. Where Everybody in My Family Has Killed Someone is funny and a bit disingenuous, The Last Love Note is deeply emotional. That's not to say that it isn't hopeful because it is, but it takes the reader on a devastating journey on the way, 

Kate Whittaker is a young widow who is raising her son on her own following the death of her husband Cam. Cam had been ill for quite some time with early onset dementia, going from a dynamic university lecturer to a man who needed full time care. Kate and Cam were one of those couples who were just meant to be together forever. No one expected forever to be so short.

The story of Kate's life both before and after Cam's death slowly unfolds. We see Kate facing all sorts of challenges but thankfully she has some great support from her friends to her boss, Hugh. Hugh had also been a great friend to Cam but Kate is sure that he has secrets that he is keeping from her and she doesn't understand why.

This is the story of a woman who has had to face one of the most difficult situations and her slow journey to a new, different life. 

Author Emma Grey has lived experience of many of the things that happened in this book. Her husband died suddenly at a young age, leaving her a widow with young children to raise on her own which gives the storytelling a real authenticity. I laughed and I cried. In short, I felt all the feels.

This is the second book I have read from Emma Grey, with the first being Pictures of You which I reviewed here. 

Rating 5/5

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

And just like that August is over, winter is over for another year and spring has sprung. Well, actually it's still pretty cold today but it should start to warm up a little bit. We are certainly seeing quite a few blossoms starting to appear on the trees.

I have had a pretty busy reading and a very wintery reading week which might be appropriate given that it was the last week of winter. I read Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson which was a whole heap of fun. It is set in the Australian Alps during the winter so there was a lot of snow.

I then read A Winter Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack which is the second book in the Wedding Adventures series and was set in the Italian Alps. so plenty of snow  I also read Meet Me Under the Northern Lights by Mandy Baggot which is for a blog tour this week. This one was set in Iceland. And yes, there was snow.

We don't get snow where I live but I certainly read a lot about snow this week!

In non snow related reading I read The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas which was a fascinating French historical fiction novel. I really enjoyed this one.

I also started The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden. It's due back at the library so I am not sure if I will get it finished or not. I hope so.

Yesterday I also started reading The Last Love Note by Emma Grey and it was a real push to get it read so that I could count it as one of my Aussie August reads. I only just made it but it was so worth the effort!

This week I finished listening to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, which is an audiobook experience I would highly recommend. I loved the way that Marcellus the Octopus was voiced and I was pleased to learn that the same guy is going to be giving Marcellus a voice in the upcoming movie! 

I started listening to Daughters of Batavia which is a debut novel by Australian author Stefanie Koens. I I have long been fascinated by the story of the Batavia shipwreck. It does always take me a little while to get used to listening to Australian audiobooks but I think I am getting there now. 

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

Here's where I travelled this month through books

Australia 

Sydney - One Hundred Years of Betty 

Canberra - The Last Love Note

The Alps - Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone

Americas

Washington DC - The Briar Club

Washington State - Remarkably Bright Creatures

Asia 

Japan - The Library of Heartbeats, The Convenience Store by the Sea, Butter

Europe 

England - The Summer Before the War, Will You Stay Another Day?, The Midnight Bakery The Girl from the War Room, The Friendship List

Italy - Glorious Exploits, The Florence Sisters, A Winter Wedding Advenuture

Scotland - The Whisky Widow

Austria  - So This is Christmas

France - The Mad Women's Ball

Iceland -  Meet Me Under the Stars

August was an exceptional reading month both from a numbers and quality wise and to be honest I am a bit shocked. I managed to read 20 books this month, which is surprising since I went back to work full time early in the month.I truly expected my reading to drop right off, and yet it didn't really. And then of those books I rated half of them as either 4.5 or 5 star reads Here are the books that rated either 4.5 or 5 out of 5 with the first three books being 5/5 reads. 

I'm watching

We watched an older superhero movie called Bloodshot with Vin Diesel last night. It was supposed to be the first in a series based on the Valiant comics. It wasn't bad. I've certainly seen worse. It doesn't appear that any more movie set in this world got made though.

We did watch The Thursday Murder Club on Saturday night, and really enjoyed it. It has a phenomenal British cast including Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Richard E Grant, David Tenant and more. It had a good storyline and I did laugh several times. Here's the trailer:

On Sunday night we watched a documentary movie called The Last Journey which tells the story of a Swedish man who takes his dad on a driving adventure to France in a bid to try and shake him out of is post retirement blues. Along the way he learns that ageing is something that is inevitable and can't just be shaken off. I have seen it before at the cinema a while ago and it was just as lovely the second time around.

Life

On Tuesday night we went to see Keith Urban's High and Alive tour. I think this is maybe the ninth or tenth time I have seen him and he was great as always! He always puts on such a great show!

Have you ever done DNA testing. I did mine this week, and I was a bit surprised by. The test says  that I am only 3% Welsh and 14% Germanic. Given that I believed that my mother's father was Welsh, it is something of a surprise. And I have no idea where the Germanic comes in. Guess I will have to start looking to see what I can find!

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Aussie August 2025
Blog Tour: So This is Christmas by Helen Rolfe
One Hundred Years of Betty by Debra Oswald
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
Weekend Cooking: The Midnight Bakery by Emma Davies
Sunday Salon: 3 Mini Reviews for Women in Translation Month
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: September links

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