Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Handwriting on the Cover

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

This week theme is Books with Handwriting on the Cover (Or fonts that look like handwriting. Titles, subtitles, covers with letters on them, etc.). There is a publisher that I read quite a lot from who tends to put their author names on the cover in a cursive like font, but I am going to see how far I can get but focussing only books where it is the title that is in cursive. On some covers it might be the whole title but on others it is just words like the or on!

A Venice Summer by Lynne Shelby - I read this a couple of months ago and enjoyed it a lot.

The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson - This one was sitting on my desk right in my eye line so I couldn't not have this on the list even though I haven't read it yet!

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page - same with this one really

An Italian Island Love Story by Leonie Mack - This might look more like handwriting if you squint at it slightly but it is there!

Hopes and Dreams at the Chocolate Pot Cafe by Jessica Redland - Isn't this cover fun?

The Seaside Book Club by Helen Rolfe - This is a cute cover too!

The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa - This is such an eye catching cover. I am glad that it is the one that got.

The Cottage at the Edge of the Woods by Jane Lovering - The contrast between the block letters and the cursive is very effective as we can see on several covers in this list.

The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien - It's only one word but it still counts!

The Boulangerie on the Corner by Susan Buchanan - And now I want to eat France and eat lots of fresh bread.

The Seaside Book Club by Helen Rolfe

 

LIke many of us I am a sucker for a book about books. As soon as I saw this title I knew I needed to read it, particularly given that I know that I enjoy Helen Rolfe's writing.

The centre of this book is an unusual international book club. The members of the club are mainly in the UK and Australia. Given the time difference that means that, for the UK members, the meetings occur in the middle of the night. As someone who is often awake in the middle of the night this does sound appealing, although, to be fair, I never actually get out of bed then. I usually play games or red.

Howard loves meeting online with other book lovers from across the world. He is one of the stalwarts of the group, ever present, and often providing a sounding board to the other members. He loves books so much that he bought a bookshop when he retired. Now, he is fighting off the developers for as long as he can, to keep his bookshop dream alive

Margot attends the midnight book club in secret. Her controlling husband sleeps very heavily and she can sneak into another room and talk freely with the other members. If he had any idea of her activities, she knows he would absolutely put a stop to it. She does not however share her struggles with her friends, not even when she decides that she has had enough and secretly makes plans to leave.

The leader, for want of a better word, is Faye. She inherited the book club from her aunt and she is determined to keep it running, despite the fact that people she counted as true friends are leaving thanks to a huge scandal involving her twin sister. After her fiancé breaks off their engagement over the phone, she decides to join her father in the UK, where she can't be mistaken for her sister. She does not tell the group that she is in the UK, or that her engagement is off.

When Howard uncharacteristically misses a couple of meetings, Faye and Margot decide independently to try and find out what is going on. They both end up staying in picturesque Dorset and they are disheartened to find Howard's beloved bookshop closed. What is going on?

Soon, secrets are being revealed, bonds being strengthened and new friendships developing as everyone comes together, and for some of the group brings new beginnings. 

I really enjoyed the conversations about books where everyone had the freedom to share their thoughts even when there are differences of opinion. I also appreciate seeing where people who have met online are able to come together as friends in real life as well. I have a number of online friends that I have met in person thanks to our mutual love of books.

This was a lovely comforting bookish read. It's the kind of read that I meet right now given how intense work is for me. It was warm and uplifting, despite some of the difficult subjects that are explored through the various characters.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews,  Bookish Books Challenge hosted at Bloggin' Bout Books and British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog. Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for this review copy.

Rating 4/5

This week

I'm reading

Last week I finished reading The Call of the Camino by Suzanne Redfearn. This is the current Cook the Books selection. Now I am just trying to figure out what to cook to accompany my review. I am not sure exactly what yet but I will come up with something this week

After that I read the recently released The Seaside Book Club by Helen Rolfe which I enjoyed. 

Next up I started The Venice Summer by Lynne Shelby which I am on a blog tour for later this week!

Finally, I started Poppy Kuroki's Gate to Kagoshima which is a time travel where a modern woman ends up living in 19th century Samurai Japan. In the end I finished this one as well on the train today. I have to say that there are some pretty scathing reviews on Goodreads but I really enjoyed this one!

I'm watching

It has been a good viewing week. We watched what is being called the third season of Good Omens but it was more a movie to finish off the story which started in seasons 1 and 2. I did enjoy the ending but it did feel like there was a story that was cut short.

It was my husband's birthday on Saturday and we chose to have a fairly quiet day. We did however go to the movies to see The Sheep Detectives. I can't remember the last time I went to the movies to see a family movie. It was a really lovely movie and I am so glad we saw i! It's funny, charming, deep and features some very big names! Go see it if you can! Here's the trailer

We also started watching Welcome to Wrexham season 5. Both of the first two episodes have been very emotional! Such good TV!

I was excited to see that the new season of Tucci in Italy is out so we watched the first couple of episodes as well! So far we have watched the episodes on Naples and Sicily

Life


Work is frantic and I can't see it changing any time soon!

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: 20 Books of Winter (Part 1)
What We Ate on Holidays: Turkiye

Classics Spin #44

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: Island time!

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

This week the theme is Books About/Set In Places on My Bucket List (submitted by Rachel @ Sunny Side). In theory this is an easy topic for me as I read a lot of books set in places I would love to visit. I have done entire posts just on Paris alone, France, and Greece, Japan, previous holiday destinations, armchair travelling and more. As I start this post, I am away for Easter on a island called Phillip Island which is a couple of hours away from home. So, my twist this week is that I am going to focus on books set on islands, however, I am limiting it to islands that are not countries. To be fair, I could probably do this topic several times over! I am saving islands that are also countries for another time.

Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett - This book is set on Bruny Island which is in Tasmania. I just read this one recently!

The Bad Bridesmaid by Rachael Johns - A lot of this story takes place on Norfolk Island which is a place I would love to visit (my review)

The Secrets of the Huon Wren by Clair van Ryn - This is another book set in Tasmania (my review)

The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi de Lampedusa - This one is set in Sicily (my review)

The Islander's Daughter by Patricia Wilson - I am currently reading this one which is mainly set on a Greek island called Milos during WWII

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - I think a lot of islands are magical but this one is set in a magical world!

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See - This book is set on the island of Jeju in South Korea

The Sweet Life Cafe by Helen Rolfe - Set on an island in the Channel Island (my review)

The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman - Takes place on a tiny island just off the Australian coast where the only structure is a lighthouse

Over the Seas to Skye by Sue Moorcroft - This is the third book in the Skye Sisters trilogy which are all set on the Isle of Skye in Scotland (my review)

The Sweet Life Cafe by Helen Rolfe

When sisters Addie and Susanna receive an invitation to their aunt's funeral, it isn't a done deal that they would attend. Gayle might have stepped in to care for the girls when they were orphaned, but it wasn't smooth sailing. Susanna, in particular, was resentful of having to move to Anchor Island in the Channel Islands, and she could not wait to get out of there when she was old enough. Addie was more settled living with Aunt Gayle, and she had a burgeoning love of baking as she helped in her aunt's pudding bar until she was forced to choose between staying on the island or heading to the mainland with her sister. 

Having arrived on the island, the two girls are shocked to find Aunt Gayle alive, although not necessarily well. A small but crucial word was missing from the invite - it was meant to be a living funeral! For Susanna, this accidental oversight feels like manipulation and she is reminded of why she wanted to get away from the island in the first place. However, Susanna's life is a bit of a mess right now with her marriage seemingly on the rocks, so maybe she can stay for a short time while she thinks about what might come next. What she doesn't need is to run into her first true love but Anchor Island is a very small place!

Addie is a single mother. She lives in London with her young son, and she worries about how she can give him a life where he has the freedom to play in a garden or ride his bike. It all feels like a long way from anything she can achieve now. Could spending time on Anchor Island help her define what her next steps in life are. 

Having agreed to stay for a short time, Addie and Susanna take on the task of clearing out their late father's belongings. Addie adored her father but the two sisters can't talk about him without tensions boiling over. Addie can't understand why Susanna has issues when it comes to him. And Gayle is the keeper of even more of their father's secrets. What happens when the truth is revealed?

I have read quite a few books set on the Channel Islands but most of them have been set during the German occupation during WWII. As far as I can remember none of them have had a contemporary setting. Anchor Island sounded like an idyllic place with it's mix of sea and land and interesting characters!

I loved the sound of Aunt Gayle's pudding bar. The food sounded amazing! From jam roly polys to fruit crumbles, lemon meringue pies and so much more. I would love to visit a place that specialised in all of these different desserts!

I have read a number of books by Helen Rolfe, and I do enjoy them. This was a different setting, and had a different feeling. It took a little while to get going, and it took me even longer to warm to Susanna in particular. Whilst this book is being billed as a standalone novel, it does feel like it could be the start of a series or a duology at last, and I would love to see what happens with one of the characters we met. 

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, with British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog and Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story. And of course with Weekend Cooking which I host. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy. 

Rating 4/5

This week

I'm reading

Happy New Year everyone! 

The beginning of the year means resetting everything, including the counter for the number of books read. However, the counter now sits at 2 after the first 4 days of the year. Admittedly I finished two books yesterday otherwise it would still be at zero. 

I finished reading The Sweet Life Cafe by Helen Rolfe which I really enjoyed. It is set on an island in the Channel Islands. In the list of books it is shown as a standalone novel, but it really does feel like it could be the start of a duology or trilogy! I am planning to review this later in the month!

I also read So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan. Her books are very short, but they do pack a punch!

Finally, I started reading The Girl from Lake Maggiore by Siobhan Daiko.

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 December

Asia

Japan - The Menu of Happiness, Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop

Europe

Scotland  - The Secret Christmas Library

Britain - Golden Girls on the Run, Hot Desk, The War Time Library, One December Morning, 

Ireland - The Oyster Catcher

Normally this is where I talk about my best books for the month before. I read 8 books in December and they were all good but there was nothing exceptional. I gave every book I read a grading of 4/5. That may well also reflect how busy my brain is with other things!

I'm watching

We went to the movies on New Year's Eve and watched Nuremberg which stars Russell Crowe as Hermann Goerring, Rami Malek and Leo Woodall. It tells the story of the Nuremberg war trials, starting with the arrest of Goerring through to the verdicts in the first trial. It's a serious subject but the movie was very compelling. Here's the trailer

After we got home we watched the concert from Sydney leading up to the always spectacular fireworks. We do get a bit of a show in our local area with all the illegal fireworks!

On the lighter side we also watched Big Fat Quiz of the Year, hosted by Jimmy Carr, which is always a fun way to revisit some of the bigger stories of the year.

Life

On New Year's Day we decided to go and visit the Melbourne Museum where they currently have an exhibition called Treasures of the Viking Age which all about the Galloway Horde which was found in Scotland in 2014. The exhibition itself was very interesting. We also took the opportunity to take a look around the other parts of the museum. They have recently reopened the natural history part of the museum with all the stuffed animals etc. It is now very modern, very interactive with the use of lots of technology like screens etc. It's a very different space to what it was when I used to take my son to the museum! My favourite part is the garden, and it was great to see so many families out there!


Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Most Recent Additions
One December Morning by Emma Davies
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - January
January in Japan: Since the last January in Japan
In My Kitchen: December
Six Degrees of Separation: The Four Dutchmen to Case Histories


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: Most Recent Additions

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

I've gone a bit 1 click crazy over the last week or so, which meant that this list has changed a few times since I first started it! Luckily it's a matter of adding anything new to the top of the list and then take the corresponding number off the bottom of the list.

A Year at Appleyard Farms by Emma Davies - I have read the last couple of books by Emma Davies so now I am looking for some of her earlier book. This is a compilation of four of her books. 

Everyone Loves Cake by Alisha Henderson - This was one of my Christmas presents

The Sirens by Emilia Hart - I haven't read any books by this author but they all sound good so I hope to get to this one soon. 

The Honeysuckle Cafe by Lilly Mirren - I was drawn to this one because the cover is gorgeous and the author is Australian although she isn't an author I was previously familiar with. 

Christmas at the Little Knitting Box by Helen Rolfe - Helen Rolfe is an auto read author for me but now I am look at her backlist.

A Starlit Summer by Kate Frost - Kate Frost is another author I have read a few books from. I already own the first and last books in the Romantic Escape series. This is the second book in the series.

The Amsterdam Affair by Kate Frost - And this is the fourth book in the same series. No idea why I didn't buy the third book. I should fix that!

Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki - This is the second book in the Full Moon Coffee Shop series which features human size, walking talking cats, astrology and magical sounding drinks! This is the only one of these books that I have read so far.

The Arctic Curry Club by Dani Redd - I saw this on someone's blog a couple of weeks ago and had to have it. Love the cover on this one.

The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard - This is one that I got through Prime rather than buying outright. I am looking forward to reading it!

Now that I have finished this post I can't buy any more books until Wednesday!

This week

I'm reading

It's been a bit of an odd reading week! 

I finished Golden Girls on the Run by Judy Leigh which was a lot of fun and which I reviewed here.

After that, I pretty much hit a reading wall. I think it is because I don't have any more due dates for blog tours etc so I looked at the 50 books or so that are at the top of the various folders (amongst the thousand or so that I have on there) and couldn't decide which book was next up.

It turns out though, that a delayed flight and three hours sitting at an airport, can help with that. I read Best Wishes From the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, which is the second book in the Full Moon Coffee Shop series and is set at Christmas.

I then quickly read the epilogue to Helen Rolfe's Best Days of Our Lives which was lovely. 

On the way home I read The War Time Book Club by Kate Thompson. I have had a couple of her books on my TBR pile for a long time and I have to say I am wondering why I waited so long!

I'm watching

I haven't watched my normal number of Christmas movies yet this year and I can't see that changing this week which is a shame. I did watch Tinsel Town which stars Keifer Sutherland and Rebel Wilson as well as a few familiar British actors. It is about a washed up American action star who ends up in a small town doing pantomime. It was a bit of fun but if I was given away prizes, the prize for worst Yorkshire accent goes to Rebel Wilson. Here's the trailer

We did go to the movies to see a delightful documentary called The Golden Spurtle. It is all about the World Porridge Making Championships which is held in a small Scottish town of Carrbridge each year. You would think that a movie about porridge might be a bit stodgy but it was a lot of fun! We bought a spurtle when we were in Scotland but we haven't used it yet. Here's the trailer

We watched the first episode of the second series of A Man on the Inside with Ted Danson. We really enjoyed the first series and I hope to watch more this week!

Life

We did a quick trip up to Brisbane this weekend to do Christmas with the kids before they start travelling to their Christmas destinations!

We had dinner at a lovely restaurant and then we went to the beach with Nala, the golden retriever who used to live with us! Oh, and the kids and their partners!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Snowy Places
Blog Tour: Golden Girls on the Run by Judy Leigh
Weekend Cooking: Christmas at Hollybush Farm by Jo Thomas
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: November 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

Top Ten Tuesday: Christmas books that remind me of songs

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a freebie so no set theme. I am choosing to do Christmas books that remind me of songs. The first five are books that I have read (or at least started to read) and the next five are books that remind me of my favourite Christmas songs.

Last Christmas by Clare Swatman - I started this right near Christmas last year but never finished it. I will try again this year because the concept was interesting. 

So This is Christmas by Helen Rolfe - Christmas in Vienna! Yes please! (my review)

Will You Stay Another Day? by Samantha Tonge - I read this book earlier this year. (my review)

Someone Like You by Sandy Barker - This one is set in both London and Seattle! (my review)

A Skye Full of Stars by Sue Moorcroft - This was the second book in the Skye Sisters trilogy set on the Isle of Skye in Scotland (my review)

Let it Snow by Beth Moran - Beth Moran has a lot of books that have Christmassy titles!

How to Make Gravy by Paul Kelly - This might not sound or look very Christmassy but How to Make Gravy is a classic Australian Christmas song. There is even a Gravy Day on December 21 and last year they made a movie of the story in the song. I have included the video below if you want to take a listen.

Driving Home for Christmas by Emma Hannigan - Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea is one of my absolute favourites!

All We Want For Christmas by Phillipa Ashley - Phillipa Ashley is another British author who has lots o Christmassy titles

I'll Be Home for Christmas by Linda Lael Miller, Catherine Mulvany, Julie Leto and Roxanne St. Claire  - Another favourite song. This book is an anthology featuring four short stories.

Do you have any books with titles that remind you of Christmas songs? Or favourite Christmas songs that you would love to see as a book title?

Blog Tour: So This is Christmas by Helen Rolfe

 

Bea and Greta have been close friends for years. Over the years they have written each other many, many letters, of which the annual Christmas letter is a highlight for each of them. Greta now lives back in their original home city of Vienna, after spending many years in the UK working in the hotel business. Widowed Bea lives in a care facility in the London.

Sophie works in the care home, and over the years she has built a lovely friendship with Bea. By extension she feels like she knows Greta and her husband Walter, their son Nick and their almost adopted daughter Jennie.

When Bea passes away peacefully, Sophie is devastated, especially when she realises that she had not yet posted the annual Christmas letter to Greta. Suddenly finding herself with time on her hands after her vindictive boss fires her, the idea strikes Sophie that maybe she should take the letter to Vienna herself and deliver the bad news. After all, her son is spending the holidays in America and Bea and Greta had both been suggesting that she should visit Vienna for years. Bea had even left a small sum of money for exactly this purpose.

The Vienna that Sophie lands is is dressed up in it's Christmas best. There are lights and Christmas trees, markets and Ferris wheels all bringing the beautiful city to life. But the single thing that brings joy to Sophie is the very warm welcome that she receives from the Wynter family. She is particularly drawn to handsome, single Nick Wynter. The only person that is a bit cool towards her is Jennie, who isn't sure that Sophie can be trusted and that she isn't going to try and con the family. 

Sophie and Jennie both have quite a bit in common. They both had difficult family situations and have had to overcome adversity to get where they are today. They also have both denied themselves opportunities to be truly happy because of things that happened in the past. Can they help each other give themselves the ability to forgive themselves and move forward, or will the recriminations from the past continue to shape their lives going forward.

I have read a number of Helen Rolfe books now, and I am at the point where I know I will be reading each new book as it comes out. There is an extensive back list for me to explore, including a number of Christmas themed books. 

As always I enjoy the way that Helen Rolfe weaves different themes through her stories, giving them depth but also delivering feel good, uplifting reads.

Recently a friend and I were talking about her holiday options for Christmas time. They are leaving the adult kids at home and headed to Europe for Christmas. The big question for her was where. The two options were Spain and Portugal or Germany and Austria. As much as I love the idea of Spain and Portugal when she said they would be there for Christmas, my instant response was that my vote was for Germany and Austria, if only for the Christmas markets! I am going to suggest this book to her to read before she leaves. I was already jealous of her trip, but now I am even more jealous, and I wish I was going to Europe for Christmas, but it is not to be this year. 

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




Rating 4/5

About the book

So This Is Christmas

Care assistant Sophie loves the holidays, and nothing makes her feel more festive than helping 82-year-old resident Bea keep in touch with her old friend Greta. In their Christmas letters, the women update each other on their lives – Bea’s in the quiet residential home in London, Greta’s in the heart of Vienna and the grand Wynter Hotel.

But everything changes when Bea passes away before Sophie’s had a chance to post this year’s letter. Devastated, Sophie struggles to imagine this Christmas without her dear friend. But then Sophie finds one last note from Bea – and this time, it’s not addressed to Greta. It’s to Sophie, telling her to go to Austria.

Which is how Sophie finds herself in Vienna at Christmas, with the snow falling, and an important delivery to make… But when Sophie reaches the Wynter Hotel, there are surprises in store, and before she returns to England, her life will have changed in ways she could never have imagined…

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/ThisIsChristmas

About the author

Helen Rolfe is the author of many bestselling contemporary women's fiction titles, set in different locations from the Cotswolds to New York. She lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and children.

Social Media Links

Facebook: @HelenRolfeAuthor

Instagram: @helen_j_rolfe

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/HelenRolfeNews

Bookbub profile: @helenrolfe

This week....

I'm reading

The highlight of my reading week this week was finishing The Whisky Widow by Karen Brooks. I have no idea why I have never read her before but I really wish I had! I have several of her books on my Kindle and I will now be trying to read them because I loved The Whisky Widow so much!!! This was a 5/5 read for me.

Another book that I finished reading this week was The Friendship List by Beth Miller which I reviewed here. 

I also read So This is Christmas by Helen Rolfe, which I am due to review this week. This is my second Christmassy novel already this year and I have a few more lined up to read too!

I mentioned last week that I was very late in starting my book club book. I finished the book late on the Friday night before our meeting on Saturday morning. Normally we are a read on a theme book club but this month we all agreed to read Butter by Asako Yuzuki. It's fair to say that this was not a popular choice with one of the members declaring it her most hated book ever! It definitely made for a lively discussion! We are going back to our normal format next month with the theme being romance. I am pretty sure I am going to have no trouble finding books to read for that theme!

Now I just have to figure out what I will read next! I have a number of books out from the library at the moment, so I think I will start with Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. I have only found out recently that he is Australian so it will count as a last minue read for Aussie  August 2025. (Edited to add - I did indeed start this book!)

I did go to an author event this week. It was a library sponsored event and there were maybe 10 of us in the room, so it was just like we were just chatting with author January Gilchrist about her book The Final Chapter. The book is a murder mystery set at a writer's retreat. It was a really fun evening with lots of laughs even though there were just a few of us. I invited a friend who is now engaged to one of my friends that I have had for years. It was the first author event she has ever been too, but I think she will come to another one! I may have converted someone to the joys of author events! One convert at a time!

I'm watching

Nothing new really!


Life

Not a lot here either


Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Big Books!
Blog Tour: The Girl from the War Room by Catherine Law
Blog Tour: The Friendship List by Beth Miller
Your Friend and Mine by Jessica Dettman
Weekend Cooking: The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett



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: Book titles that remind me of a song

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Bookish Wishes (List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to your wishlist so that people can grant your wishes. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address or include the email address associated with your e-reader in the list description so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Please don’t feel obligated to send anything to anyone!). 

I always feel a bit uncomfortable with this topic. I don't really have a wishlist and I would feel uncomfortable putting one up in the hope that someone would gift me something, and feeling uncomfortable if no one did!

Instead, I am bringing you 10 books with titles that remind me of a song. And you are welcome for any earworms that you might receive as a result of this post. I certainly gave myself some!

Best Days of Our Lives by Helen Rolfe - This phrase reminds me of the chorus of Thank You by Dido where one of the lines is  I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life. (my review)

Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens - Makes me think of the Joe Jackson song that was released in 1978. It's a very catchy tune!

Girls Just Want to Have Sun by Jo Lyons - This is an obvious play on the title Girls Just Want to Have Fun by the fabulous Cyndi Lauper

You Can't Hurry Love by Susan Buchanan - Phil Collins anyone? And look, there's a sloth on the cover. 

Someone I Used to Know by Paige Toon - The song title is actually Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye and Kimbra, but it's close enough to make me thing of the song. 

I Knew You Were Trouble by Sandy Barker - Now we are in our our Taylor Swift earworm era. I feel like if I went looking hard enough I would find quite a few Taylor adjacent titles. (my review)

Don't You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane - Back to the 80s with Simple Minds for this one!

Over the Sea to Skye by Sue Moorcroft - The title of this song is actually The Skye Boat Song and it is a very old song, originating in Scotland in the 19th century. You may also be familiar with it as the theme song for the Outlander TV series. I will have my review up for this book later in the week.

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by Claudia Carroll - Not quite as old given that it was originally released in 1960  the title of this song by The Shirelles is sometimes shown as Will You Love Me Tomorrow but the lyrics include the word still. 

Suspicious Minds by Martin Edwards - Edwards has a whole series featuring detective Harry Devlin where several of the books have song titles. I chose this one because I love both the Elvis and Fine Young Cannibals versions.

Can you think of other titles which remind you of a song. I am sure there are lots!

Blog Tour: The Best Days of Our Lives by Helen Rolfe

 

When Mallory receives some bad news regarding her health, she is determined to keep it a secret until she is ready to share the news on her own terms. She knows that she needs to get everything organised so that her daughter, Jilly, has all the support that she will need should the worst happen! 

Penny is Mallory's cousin and best friend which is ironic seeing as their mothers, sisters Gigi and Rose, haven't spoken to each other for decades. Penny and Mallory really don't know what caused the estrangement. Now Gigi is a widow and Rosa probably needs to retire from her wedding dress shop in the small village of Saxby Green. 

One day, Jilly comes home and shows Mallory a picture of a famous movie star from the 60s wearing the dress that Gigi wore for her wedding - a dress that the two sisters made together. What could have happened to cause such a rift between two sisters who used to be so close.

Mallory decides to spend some time in the village and Penny comes home from London to try and talk some sense into her mother, and to find out what is going on with Mallory. She knows something is just not quite adding up with her cousin and she is determined to find out the truth. And if a little well intended meddling could help reunite the estranged sisters all the better. 

Gigi and Rose's story is interspersed throughout the book. Both of them have carried around the hurt of what happened for years, and as a reader you get to see both sides of the story. In some ways, some of the issues discussed about the past are very much of their time and yet still relevant in many ways, but the repercussions are felt through the years. 

It did take me quite a while to get into this book, mainly because I had a bit of a book hangover from another book, but once I did immerse myself into it, I was very emotionally affected by it, and cried a couple of times. The way that the friendship between the two cousins, the fears that Mallory had for herself and her daughter were sensitively handled, and then there was a nicely nuanced romance that felt exactly right for the book!

I have read Helen Rolfe before. I really enjoyed her Skylarks series which was set in an air ambulance centre. If I'm honest, I was a bit disappointed that we weren't getting another book with that setting. However, I ended up really enjoying this one.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. 

Rating 4/5

About the book 

The Best Days of Our Lives

When Mallory receives life-shattering news, she decides to use this summer to make sure her family and friends are prepared for whatever might come.

But Mallory has a challenge when it comes to her mother, Gigi. Following the loss of her husband, Gigi is lonely. So when Mallory makes a shocking discovery that shows a new side to Gigi's relationship with her estranged sister Rose, she decides to intervene and make a last attempt to reunite them.

Returning to her mother’s quiet hometown, Mallory and her cousin Penny try to get to the bottom of a dispute that has lasted more than sixty years, involving a lost wedding dress and a heartbreaking secret. But with Rose and Gigi determined to ignore their daughters’ efforts, will Mallory be able to put her affairs in order before it’s too late?

Gorgeous and emotional new novel from Helen Rolfe, perfect for fans of Shari Low, Cathy Bramley and Lucy Diamond.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/bestdaysofourlives

About the Author

Helen Rolfe writes contemporary women's fiction and romantic fiction. She enjoys weaving stories about family, friendship, secrets, and relationships. Characters often face challenges and must fight to overcome them, but above all, Helen's stories always have a happy ending.

Helen loves creating village settings or places with a small-town feel and a big sense of community. Location has always been a big part of the adventure in Helen's books and she enjoys setting stories in different cities and countries around the world. So far, locations have included Melbourne, Sydney, New York, Connecticut, Bath, Paris and the Cotswolds.

Born and raised in the UK, Helen graduated from University with a business degree and began working in I.T. This job took her over to Australia where she eventually turned her attentions back to the career she'd dreamt of since she was fourteen. She studied writing and journalism and wrote articles for women's health and fitness magazines. Helen began writing fiction in 2011 and hasn't missed the I.T. world one little bit... in fact she may just have found her dream job!

Social Media Links –



Facebook: @HelenRolfeAuthor

Instagram: @helen_j_rolfe

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/HelenRolfeNews

Bookbub profile: @helenrolfe

This week

I'm reading

I did a lot of starting books this week! Some finishing but nowhere near as many as I started!

One book that I finished was the audio of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker, the final book in the Seven Sisters series. I have listened to all of these on audiobook. Given that each of these books is more than 20 hours long that's a lot of listening time! I started listening to the first book more than 6.5 years ago, so it has been a bit commitment! This final book was narrated by Richard Armitage for Pa Salt's parts and Tuppence Middleton for the modern story. It feels like this book did what it needed to do in terms of tying all the origin stories together, and telling Pa's story, so I was satisfied with the end of the series. I did have one question about what happened on the luxury super yachts (IFYKYK) but overall it was good. 

I then started listening to Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Kerry Greenwood had passed away recently, so I thought it would be a good time to go back to the next Phryne Fisher book. It did surprise me a little that is 16 years since I read one of the books but I think I have slipped back into the world quickly. After listening to Richard Armitage for so long it did take me a little while to get used to the sound of a new narrator but I think I am there now!

We did a bit of a roadtrip on the Friday and Saturday of the Easter weekend, and I convinced my husband that we could listen to a book while we drove. It needed to be something that he would enjoy too, so I chose The World According to Kaleb by Kaleb Cooper. Kaleb Cooper is a young British farmer who is now a bit of a celebrity thanks to his appearances on Clarkson's Farm, a reality TV show featuring well known British....presenter I guess is the best word....Jeremy Clarkson. It is only a short book at around 2.5 hours and it was amusing. Kaleb is a young man who knows exactly what he likes (farming) and what he doesn't like (sheep among other things!). 

As that book was so short, we then started listening to The Satsuma Complex which is both written and narrated by Bob Mortimer. Bob Mortimer is a British comedian who appears regularly on panel shows such as Would I Lie to You and he makes us laugh a lot every time he is on! He's a great oral storyteller. We will listen to this when we are in the car together for the next little while!

In terms of books I was reading myself, I finished The Best Days of Our Lives by Helen Rolfe. The review for that will be up this week. 

I then read The House of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer, which is another super interesting book by her! It's a bit of a genre bender but I will say more when I review it next week!

I also started The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson which is going to be my read on a theme book club selection this time around. The theme is 1960s and this book is set in 1966 so it fits the theme beautifully. 

I also started The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe by Catherine Greer. I picked it up on a whim when I went to the library last week, but I can only borrow it for a week so I needed to get going with that one sooner rather than later!

Finally, I didn't take the physical books I was reading with me when we went away so started The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods. I am a bit torn now as to which book to finish first as I did get sucked into this one pretty much straight away!


I'm watching


We are big fans of the archeological show Time Team here in my house. It is often on the Real History channel at around dinner time so we will watch it if it is on, even if we have seen the episode multiple times before. I was a bit surprised to find that over the last couple of years they have been making Time Team specials that are only on Youtube! This week we watched one called Digging Band of Brothers which was an excavation of the camp where the US 101st Airborne Division was based in Britain. There are a few other specials that we will watch now! If you are interested this is the link.

We also started watching a new series of  the American Baking Show which is the first one I have seen where Paul and Prue are the judges.

I also watched How to Steal a Million as part of the Springtime in  Paris event hosted by  Erin from Still Life, with Cracker Crumb and Lisa from Boondock Ramblings. What a fun movie! It starred the beautiful and ethereal Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, who was very handsome as a young man.  The premise is that Audrey Hepburn's father is a serial art forger. He agrees to hand over a famous statue to display in a museum without realising that he has agreed to have the piece authenticated. If it is tested, then it will be revealed as a fake then he will be found out. Hepburn's character then enlists the help of a man she caught stealing a painting from her own house (or so she thought) and hijinks ensue. The movie had such charm and naivety. I couldn't help but think if the movie was made today how very different it would be! I am planning to watch the next couple of movies for the event this week.


Life

I had to go to the funeral of a friend last week. He was a larger than life character who drew people to him. It was a reminder to live life to the best of your ability as you don't really know how long you have. Also #$%$ cancer.

In Australia, Easter is a four day weekend with public holidays on both Good Friday and Easter Monday. A lot of people choose to go away for the weekend. Originally, we were planning to go away overnight next weekend, but then my son is going interstate that weekend so we decided to go on Friday and come back on Saturday.

You probably recall that we like a good art silo, and this trip we managed to see 4 full size ones, plus a collection of smaller ones. The main reason for heading up the highway was to go to the Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum. During WWII, Lake Boga was a secret base for the repair of flying boats like the Catalina aircraft and saw Australian, American and Dutch planes landing on the lake.  It was also a key point in the communications between the Allies. It was a fascinating place, and I think it might be a place that we go back to should we be up that way again. Recently there has been a new art silo done at Lake Boga, which reflects this history. The other photo is of a silo at a place called Sea Lake, which was cool because in the day you can see the image below, but at night they projects some films onto the silos taking about the farming and the dark sky environs around which means amazing stargazing

One of the highlights of the trip was going to a nearby lake called Lake Tyrrell which is the largest salt water lake in the state of Victoria.  We went at sunset the first night and it was spectacular. I took so many photos. The next morning we went at about 8am and we were pretty much the only ones there. Well...us and the flies. 

We had to come back on Saturday as we had a show from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival featuring another British comic, Tom Allen! He is on various UK show and he was very entertaining. This was the only show we got to go to in this year's festival as we were away for most of it!


Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: What I Read on Holidays
Blog Tour: Under a Riviera Moon by Helen McGinn
Blog Tour: Secrets Under a Riviera Sky by Jennifer Bohnet

Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holidays: Japan and South Korea - the Sweet Edition

Spell the Month in Books - April





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

This Week..

I'm reading

We are back from holidays! We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Japan and South Korea. We are already talking about when we will go to Japan again! One thing that was surprising was how much reading time I had! I think it is because there was no TV to watch on the ship, and I wasn't playing any games  or doom scrolling on my phone due to limited internet. I also had pre- written all the blog posts for the time I was away so no blogging required either! I normally wouldn't read too much while on holidays but this time I finished 10 books! I am not going to list them all here as I am planning to share them in next week's Top Ten Tuesday post. I also now have a ton of reviews to write as I used this time to get a little bit ahead on review books, but also read a few books just for fun!

What I will talk about is what I have been reading since I got home.

A book that I started on the plane but finished yesterday is Secrets Beneath a Riviera Sky by Jennifer Bohnet. This is a book that I will be reviewing in a couple of weeks time.

Another book with a review due in a couple of weeks time is The Best Days of Our Lives by Helen Rolfe. I loved her Skylarks books set in an air ambulance unit, and was hoping for more, but this is not connected to that series at all!

This morning I started reading Pictures of You by Australian author Emma Grey. I could say I started this on a whim, but the reality is that the library wants its book back, and I don't really want to return it unread, so binge read here I come!

March was a really good month for me. I finished 17 books which is probably the highest I have had in quite some time. I know that I am not going to maintain that pace going forward though. Of the books I read in March, I gave two of them 5 stars (The Jam Maker and The Winter Sea), and another five books rating 4.5/5! Here they are:

I just wanted to mention the passing of Kerry Greenwood. She was the author of the Phryne Fisher and Corinna Chapman series, and lived a very colourful life. It has been a number of years since I read any of her books, but I think I will pick one up when I go to the library!

I'm watching


I didn't watch anything on the plane on the way to Japan, but on the way home I watched Wicked. I saw it in the cinemas when it came out, but I had forgotten how long the movie is! It was a delight to watch it again though.

The French Film Festival finished yesterday and because I was away for most of it, I didn't get to see all the films that I wanted to see. I was therefore delighted to see that a couple of them were available on the plane. I chose to watch The Marching Band! It was such a good film, although I do seem to have the knack of picking films to watch on a plane that will make me cry! 

Here's the trailer

Speaking of films set in France, kind of, Erin from Still Life, with Cracker Crumb and Lisa from Boondock Ramblings are hosting a Springtime in Paris movie event. The idea is that each week we watch a film and then share our thoughts. The schedule is below.

I did come home from holidays with a bit of a head cold, so sitting down and watching Mrs Harris Goes to Paris was the perfect way to spend Sunday afternoon. It is a movie that I have watched numerous times, and I have listened to the audiobook! I shared my thoughts about the book and the movie a couple of years ago during Paris in July which you can find here.

We also started watching Amanda and Alan's Spanish Job. We loved the two series set in Italy so we were always going to watch, and it is interesting to see the Spanish culture and food.


Life

I am hoping to have big news next week! Let's just say I had to do some job interviews via Teams whilst I was on the cruise, which is a bit odd! I am crossing everything for one of the roles in particular. 

In big news, I bought a new fragrance while we were away. I am one of those people who tends to wear the same fragrance for years until they stop making it, and then it takes me an age to find another one that I like. And then I wear that until they stop making it! Over and over. I also got a sample bottle of another one so now I have three choices every morning!



Max

As seems to be normal with Max he needed to go to the vet while we were away as he had some sores suddenly appear on his belly. He's good in himself, so nothing to worry about but we do need to get his medical conditions under control which I suspect means a change of medication. 

I think he is glad we are home though. He has barely left our sides in the last couple of days. This is a live action shot from a minute ago.

Posts from the last week

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - April links

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Degrees of Separation

Sunbirds by Mirandi Riwoe

Weekend Cooking: In My Kitchen - March

Six Degrees of Separation: Knife to Here Be Dragons


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