This week....

I'm reading

It's been a busy reading this week with books read and author events attended! 

I read Waves of Change in Pelican Cove by Maggie Christensen who is definitely a comfort read author for me. My review will be up later this week!

I also finished reading The Library of Heartbeats by Laura Imai Messina which is an absolutely delightful read. She is an Italian author who has lived in Japan for 20 years. The book felt like a Japanese book, and I can't wait to read more from her. This book will count as a read for Women in Translation Month.

I finished listening to The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. What a book! I really need to find someone to talk to about parts of the book. I will have a review up later in the month, but I can't talk about some of the things that happened as they are major spoilers! Anyone up for a chat about this book?

I then started listening to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt. I am only a short way in but I already know I am going to love this book too! I love Marcellus the Octopus! I am also already looking forward to the movie adaptation. 

The book that has taken most of my reading time is The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson. It's a big book at nearly 600 pages, but so good - a five star read for me! I have now read all of her books which means I just have to wait for the next one. She does tend to have pretty big gaps between books but it will be worth the wait I am sure.

I did also start reading Kelly Rimmer's new book, The Midnight Estate. It is only early days but I am enjoying it so far.

Now I have to work out what my new normal looks like seeing as I won't have as much reading and blogging time going forward. 

At the end of each month I share where my reading has taken me. Before I do that though, I found this quote in the Author's Note for Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen and it sums up bookish travel perfectly!

Books let our imaginations travel where our feet cannot.

You might note a lot of books set in France. I was participating in Paris In July and making the most of it!

Europe

Sweden - Beartown

France - The Magic of Provence, A Bakery in Paris, The Paris Novel, The Village Cafe in the Loire, One Summer in Provence, Fresh Water for Flowers, Eat Your Heart Out

United Kingdom - Your Friend and Mine, One Snowy Day, The Summer Before the War

Iceland - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Italy - A Place in the Sun

Asia

Vietnam - Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour

Australia

Tasmania - The Secrets of the Huon Wren

Sydney - The Deadly Dispute

Queensland - Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing

I also share my favourite reads for the month on Bookstagram and here. I read 18 books in July. Beartown and Eat Your Heart Out were both 5 star reads and the others shown were all 4.5 star reads! Not a bad reading month.

I attended a couple of author events this week. The first was the launch for Alli Parker's new book Until the Red Leaves Fall which was held in a super cool bar with 1950s music playing and there were these adorably cupcakes. It was such a fun night.

The second was an event at a nearby library run by Penguin which featured three of their debut authors, Joanne Miller (The Eights), Chloe Adams (The Occupation) and Michelle See-Toh (Jade and Emerald). It was such an interesting discussion. I ended up buying two of the three books.

There are a couple of theme for August and I am going to be participating in them to some degree or another. The first is Women in Translation and on Instagram also Aussie August 2025 which is a focus on Aussie authors. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of crossover there. After all I shouldn't need Australian translated for me, but I will do my best to read for both of them! 

Have you seen that Lisa from Hopewell has a new monthly link party called A Cup of Tea and a Good Book. The idea is that you can add any bookish links to her link party. All she asks in return is that you visit a couple of other people's links during the month. I am going to be participating where I can.

I'm watching

We finally finished watching season 2 of Andor. The last few episodes were amazing!

We also finished watching the Great Canadian Bake-off. Just in time too, as the Great Australian Bake-off started this week!

We went and saw The Stolen Painting which is a French movie about a painting that was thought to be lost during WWII being found. It was based on a true story. In the movie, a young factory work buys a house, contents and all and it turns out one of the paintings is a masterpiece. Here's the trailer

Life


I spent the last week trying to get some of the things done that I have been meaning to do while I wasn't working. 

I went to the National Gallery of Victoria and took one of their free collections highlight tour. I go to the NGV quite regularly for their big exhibitions but I don't often look at any of the other rooms outside the major exhibition spaces. The tour was super interesting as the guide told us stories behind the pictures, and explained a lot of the symbolism in the painting.  She mainly concentrated on 17 and 18th century pictures but there were some later pictures too. I am definitely going to go and do more of these tours.

On Thursday I went for a very nice massage and facial experience which included a hammam and I could stay in the pool and spa for as long as I wanted to.  

On Friday we went for a drive to the Yarra Valley for a lovely lunch at a winery and a visit to the locat Chocolaterie. It was a lovely way to spend my last weekday before I get back into the working life.

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Sunset Colours

Paris in July: Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin

Paris in July: French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston exhibition
Paris in July: The End
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: August links
The Storytellers by Sue Heath
Weekend Cooking: In My Kitchen - July
Six Degrees of Separation: The Safekeep to I Knew You Were Trouble


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

Six Degrees: Theory & Practice to Sisters of the Resistance

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

This month's starting point is Theory & Practice by Michelle DeKretser, winner of the 2025 Stella Prize.

I have only ever read one book by Michelle DeKretser and that was The Lost Dog which I read back in 2008. 

I could have picked one of many books with the word lost in the title. However, I decided to stick  with the dog theme so my next link is to To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. This is a book that I did a buddy read/joint review with Aarti from Booklust many, many years ago and it was a 5/5 read for me. (Part 1 post and then final post)

The most recent book that I did a joint review of was The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak which was with Bree from All the Books I Can Read but I have already used that book a couple of times, which is my limit, and so I am going to go even further back and use another joint review that we did as my next connection. We read and discussed The Dressmaker of Yarrandarah Prison by Meredith Jaffe.  I gave this book a 5/5 rating back when I read it  in 2021 and still think that the cover of this one is stunning! Here is the first part of our conversation and here is the second.

When I checked my spreadsheet where I record all my reads, I noticed that right before I read that book I had another 5/5 read and that was The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer. 

Kelly Rimmer has a new book coming out soon which is called The Midnight Estate. I am therefore going to use this as my link to The Tolstoy Estate by Steven Conte which is a book I gave a 5/5 rating to back in 2020.

I saw Steven Conte at the Williamstown Literary Festival back in 2022. In the same post where I talked briefly about that, I mentioned that I was reading Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells. This week I won a mug from Christine in a Facebook group I am in!

So there we have it. A couple of joint reviews, some 5/5 reads, and some WWII novels.

Next month, the starting point is 2025 Women’s Prize winner, The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden.

Will you be joining us?

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2025, I have tried not to cross over too much with my previous lists of books that I am planning to read over the summer, although it probably would have been smarter not to add another 10 books to my TBR right?

The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns (October)- What can I say. Rachael Johns is always an autobuy author for me!

In the Paris Fashion by Sophie Beaumont (November) - I have loved both of the Sophie Beaumont books I have read so far! I am looking forward to seeing the final cover too!

Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express by Rebecca Raisin (August)- Super excited about this one!

Daughters of the Batavia by Stefanie Koens (July) - I have long been fascinated by the wreck of the Batavia and we also saw the replica when we went to The Netherlands a while ago, so keen to read this one. 

Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki (October) -  This is the follow up to The Full Moon Coffee Shop which I enjoyed a lot. 

The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin (August) - I am late to the party for Madeline Martin's historical fiction novels, but having read one recently, I am determined to not get further behind!

The Midnight Estate by Kelly Rimmer (July) - Kelly Rimmer has moved away from her excellent WWII novels, so it will be interesting to read this one!

The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber (November) - I really enjoy Heather Webber's books, although I think I am a couple of books behind!

The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts (November) - This is the final book in the Lost Brides trilogy. I have listened to the previous two so I imagine this will be another audiobook for me!

A Woman's Voice by Alli Sinclair (July) - I loved The Codebreakers so I am looking forward to this one!

Do you have any of the same books on your list this week:?

Top Ten Tuesday: Paris books!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Throwback Freebie (Pick a TTT topic that has been previously done. Maybe you missed it, weren’t blogging then, or you’d like to update an old list you made. All previous topics are listed below.)




We are part way through Paris in July (hosted by Emma at Words and Peace), so rather than do a throwback, I am going to choose the last ten books I have read with Paris in the title

A Love Letter to Paris by Rebecca Raisin - My review of this one will be up in the next couple of days! It was good though!

The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood - WWII, dual timeline and a really good read! (my review)

The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer - I have enjoyed all the Kelly Rimmer books that I have read so far

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico - I fell in love with the movie and then read the book. Here's my review of both

Twenty One Nights In Paris by Leonie Mack - This was my first Leonie Mack but I have read everything she has put out since. (my review)

The Girl from Paris by Ella Carey - Ella Carey has a few books set in Paris (my review)

The Black Swan of Paris by Karen Swan - This is a WWII novel but it is more of a thriller than I would normally read.

An American in Paris by Siobhan Curham - Another WWII novel (my review)

Saint-Germain-des-Pres: Paris's Rebel Quarter by John Baxter - I really enjoyed this short non-fiction look at a specific area of Paris

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George - Books and Paris. Yes please.

Have you read any of these, or have any other Paris suggestions for me?

Top Ten Tuesday: April reads

 

 

  

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is April Showers — Pick your own title for this one to reflect the direction you choose to go with this prompt (books with rain on the cover/in the title, that have rainstorms in the story, or that have anything to do with rain)


I expected to find quite a few titles on my list of books I have read with the word rain or showers or something like that but I was wrong. Therefore, my twist is that instead of focusing on the word Showers, I am going to share 10 books I have read in April over the years.

April 2023 - The Lost Daughters of Ukraine by Erin Littekin

April 2022 - Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran

April 2021 - The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer

April 2020 - Chocolate Cake for Breakfast by Danielle Hawkins

April 2019 - Lacey by Fiona McArthur

April 2018 - Year One by Nora Roberts

March 2017 - Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms by Anita Heiss

April 2016 - Quarterback Draw by Jaci Burton

April 2015 - Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

April 2014 - Sylvester by Georgette Heyer 

It is interesting to see how my reading has changed over the years.

Top Ten Tuesday: Backlist Titles

 

 

 

 

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

s Forgotten Backlist Titles (Spread love for books that people don’t talk about much anymore!). I am going to twist the theme a little bit and make my list the last 10 books that I have read that were published prior to 2020. Here we go!

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa - published in 2013

The Red Notebook by Antoine Durain - published in 2015

The Drifter by Anthea Hodgson - published in 2016

The Martian by Andy Weir - published in 2011

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne - published in 1872

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico - published in 1958

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett - published in 1996

Working Class Boy by Jimmy Barnes - published in 2016

Act Like It by Lucy Parker - published in 2015

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer - published in 2019

Have you read any of these?

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2023

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2023.  Normally I have to go looking for books for this prompt but there are so many good books coming out over the next few months!

Codenamed Charming by Lucy Parker - I read the first book in this series a couple of years ago and have been waiting for this ever since.


Daisy and Kate by Meredith Appleyard - This author was at the retreat I went to last month and the book sounds good. It doesn't hurt that the cover is gorgeous.

The Girl from Portofino by Siobhan Daiko - I read The Girl from Venice a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it so I am on the lookout for this one.

Back on Track by Tricia Stringer - Another author who was at the retreat, this book is primarily set on the train that goes from Adelaide to Darwin,  The Ghan, which is a trip I would love to do at some point.

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo - This is this author's first adult book. I loved the YA book I have read by her so hopefuly that this would be good.

 

At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber - I have enjoyed this authors previous books!

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See - So looking forward to this one. I really enjoyed her last book.

System Collapse by Martha Wells - The fact that I still haven't read the last book in the series doesn't mean that I can't be excited about this one!

The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang - Kate Quinn. Need I say more!


The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer - Very excited about this one!

Do you have any of these books on your list this week?

This week....

I'm reading....

Life continues to busy, but I did manage to find some time to do some reading, both in book and audio forms!!  I finished reading It Was All the Pie's Fault by Elizabeth SaFleur which was a fun read! And with all the different flavours of pie mentioned all through the book, it made me just a bit hungry!

I also finished reading The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer. This is the second book I have read by this Australian author. Such a good read!

The book that I started was The Night Ship by Jess Kidd which I am really excited about. It is the story of a ship called The Batavia which was shipwrecked on the Western Australian coast in the 1600s. I have long been interested in the story of this ship.

In addition, I have made good progress in listening to Working Class Boy by Jimmy Barnes as my book club book.

I'm watching....

Have you seen the I am Groot shorts films? They have just been released on Disney+.  They are just 5 minutes long and they are very cute!

We also watched all the current episodes of Welcome to Wrexham. This is the story of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buying Welsh football club Wrexham.  It is touching and funny and I will definitely be watching more episodes as they come out.

Life

We had a very busy weekend!  Let's start with Sunday. 

In the morning we went to Lune Lab. Lune is a very famous croissanterie here in Melbourne. Often the line is out the door on the weekend but we had a prime position which gave a view of the cube inside the building which is where they roll out all the different shapes for the croissants. Lune Lab is a degustation where you get to try experimental fillings. What it was was delicious!

After a delicious breakfast, I headed into Melbourne Writer's Festival and attended three sessions. The first featured Sulari Gentil and Hayley Scrivenor talking about Frenemies. The second was a discussion was titled The Age of Anti-Ambition. The third session was a sensation conversation with Sarah Winman, author of Still Life! I could have listened to her talk all day! 

Really though, the highlight of our weekend is that we got a dog! Meet Max!

We have been talking about getting one for a while. However, I got impatient waiting for my son to make a decision last week, so I provided him with a shortlist of five different sets of puppies to choose from and Max was the lucky dog! Expect to hear more about Max!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Lost Books

Weekend Cooking: Blind Ambition

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

This Week....

 

I'm reading....

I really struggle to find time to listen to audiobooks, so when I do listen it takes me forever to finish one. For example, I started listening to Love Stories by Trent Dalton months ago. Fortunately this is a series of short stories so it didn't matter that it took a long time to listen to it, but I am glad to say that I finished it this week! Yay! Now to choose the next one. I do think it will probably be the latest Jenny Colgan book because I have listened to that whole series on audio but we will see.

I also am struggling to find reading time at the moment becasue there is a lot going on, but I did start reading The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer last week.

I'm watching....

The main thing I have been watching over the last couple of weeks is the new series of My Kitchen Rules. Manu Fiedel is back but he has a new co-host, Nigella Lawson, the domestic goddess herself. It's funny because usually it is Manu that everyone goes wild for, but it is almost a case of Manu who when Nigella turns up.

I am not feeling great today so I ended up watching a very odd, no let's call it quirky, movie called Lost in Paris. I also finished watching the second season of Sweet Magnolias. Now I think I can find some viewing time to watch Virgin River, or Outlander, or Emily in Paris or...well there's a lot I could be watching.

Life...

Well we were supposed to be moving over the weekend just gone, but once again our situation changed and so we have had to postpone for two weeks. We did still go and lay down the grass in the backyard, which is an odd order to do things in but that was one of the things we couldn't change at the last minute.

We are gradually taking things over so the longer it takesto actually move the less the movers will have to move.

It's  all a bit stressful really.

Posts from the last week

Weekend Cooking: International Scone Week

Historical Fiction Reading challenge - July stats

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

Top Ten Tuesday: Books from My Past Seasonal TBR Posts that I Still Haven't Read

 

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

is Books From My Past Seasonal TBR Posts I STILL Haven’t Read (Submitted by Dedra @ A Book Wanderer). Can I just say, I have PLENTY of options here!

Below is a selection, including the list that they originally appear on.

Marriage of Lions by Elizabeth Chadwick - Autumn 2022

10 minutes 38 seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak - Autumn 2022

Go Tell the Bees I am Gone by Diana Gabaldon - Summer 2021 (and Spring 2021)

Act Like it by Lucy Parker (Spring 2021)

The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley (Winter 2021)

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer (Winter 2021)

Road Trip by Beth O'Leary (autumn 2021)

Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr (Spring 2020)

Clap when you land by Elizabeth Acevedo (Winter 2020)

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams(Winter 2020)

Which of these books do you think I should move up the list to read now?