Three Juliets by Minnie Darke

I am a big fan of Minnie Darke and so I was super excited when her new book was announced last year. I rushed out and bought it, I added it to my 20 Books of Winter list, I started it, but then other books got in the way and I put it aside. When I was creating my 20 Books of Winter list for this year, I added it back on the list again (along with two others I didn't get to read). The difference this year is that I actually read it! I am so glad that I did.

Claudie Miller is a very successful fashion designer who is a household name in Australia. She encourages people to make their own children's clothes using the patterns that she shares through the women's magazine that she works for. The most famous of these is the Juliet dress. 

For all her professional success, Claudie has faced and is facing big challenges. When she was sixteen, she got pregnant and was forced to give away her baby, leaving her both physically and emotionally scarred. Every year, she designs an outfit that would be suitable for the little girl she never even got to hold. The Juliet is one of the designs that she has made, and it is packed away in a secret box with the label "Now you are sixteen" alongside all the other items for each year.

When she learns that she has cancer, Claudie is determined that she will find her daughter before it is too later. As readers, we meet three young women, who all have a story to tell about their own version of the Juliet dress. Roisin, Mandi and Miranda were all born on the same day, and all three were adopted into their families, and live in different parts of Australia.

Structurally this is a very interesting book. Firstly, there are three timelines. We see what happened to Claudie as a scared young girl, whisked away to the country to hide her pregnancy and the associated shame. Fast forward to the 1980s and we meet all three young women as they navigate their own lives, particularly with questions in relation to who they are, and then we fast forward again to contemporary times where three versions of the Juliet are on display as part of an exhibition of the 25 most influential Australian dresses. In addition, there are multiple narrators (at least seven if I recall correctly), some of whom only have one or two chapters, but others who get a lot of page time. 

What Minnie Darke always does really well is write emotional, poignant stories with multiple viewpoints. There are very emotional themes underpinning the whole story, and yet it doesn't feel heavy. In fact, I closed the book with a very satisfied sigh, and then immediately went to order the one book that I haven't read by this author.

As I mentioned previously, this was one of the books on my 20 Books of Winter list. It also counts for Aussie Author August, the Big Books of Summer and Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. 

Rating 4.5/5

This week....and last week!

I'm reading

I was in Bali last week, so this week's post is really all about the things that I have done over the last two weeks! Because we deliberately didn't over schedule too much, I did get quite a bit of reading done. First though, how cute is this mural that we saw near a bookshop in Ubud! Ubud is home to the Sacred Monkey Forest so there are references to monkeys everywhere!

Before we went away, I finished reading The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin. I always enjoy Rebecca Raisin's books, and this was no exception. It was, however, exceptional and I loved it! a 5/5 read for me. You can read my review here.

I then started reading And Now, Back to You by B K Borison but I didn't finish it until we were on the plane! My library book went on a plane ride! This book is the second book in the Heartstrings series and I am already looking forward tto the next book which is out in February next year! It was the first book I tagged as Want to Read in 2027! I read this book because I wanted to but also because it fit one of the GR Summer Challenge categories!

Next up I read Kate and Frida by Kim Fay, which is connected to her previous book Love and Saffron, and also was eligible for one of the GR Summer Challenge categories. 

Next up was Italy and Forever by Leonie Mack, the final book in the Wedding Planners series, which I have really, really enjoyed! 

On the plane home I finished reading Three Juliets by Minnie Darke which the last book I needed to read for 20 Books of Winter this year. It is one that I actually started reading for last year's event but I didn't finish it! I had to start again but I sped through it this year! I really enjoy Minnie Darke's writing and this was no exception. 

I then decided to read The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Tokuya Asokura, mainly because I thought it would count for the Women in Translation month. Turns out, it doesn't because the author is a man, but never mind! It still counts for a couple of other challenges!

Finally, I started reading Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T J Klune! It's early days yet, but I am enjoying being back in that world!

While I was away the Classics Spin selection was announced! I am going to be reading The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith! Just have to go and pick it up from the library so I can get started on it!

I'm watching

I didn't watch anything while we were away, not even on the plane. Before we left we did watch the Masterchef Australia grand final

We also finished watching Bake off the Professionals.

It was exciting to see that the Great Australian Bake Off is back, so last night we watched the first two episodes! Now we have to wait for the new episode to come out each week!

Life

We spent all of last week in Bali. We stayed in Ubud and it was lovely. We tend to have go and out see all the things holidays, but we tried to only have a couple of days where we were busy. The rest of the time it was massages and pool and just doing whatever time, including plenty of reading time!

One of the treatments I had was a Japanese Head Spa and I am now obsessed with where I can go to get another one! It was such an amazing experience! Of course, it costs about a quarter of the price in Bali compared to at home but never mind!

I mentioned on my Weekend Cooking post that Bali wasn't somewhere I was all that interested in visiting until around 18 months ago or so. I saw some pictures and realised that I didn't like the reputation as being full of partying Aussies and that was why I wasn't that interested in going but that I really had no idea about the actual country. It was so interesting to learn about the culture and food. Could have done without the traffic though!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: On this day...
Classics Spin #45
Weekend Cooking: Truffled Chicken with Champagne Sauce
Top Ten Tuesday: Series Reading
Blog Tour: The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin
Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holiday: Bali
20 Books of Winter: August recap and wrap up!


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 Tuesdays: 20 Books of Winter list (Part 1)

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is May Flowers (This is a companion to the April Showers topic from last month. Interpret however you’d like: books with flowers on the cover, colorful covers, books set in springtime, books where flowers/plants are a common theme, titles with flower names in them, characters named after flowers, covers that are as pretty as flowers, books featuring gardens, etc.)

However, I have done a flowers on the cover theme for the last couple of years now, so I am turning my thoughts to the 20 Books of Winter which is hosted by AnnaBookBel this year. So here are 10 of the 20 books I am planning on reading for at some point between 1 June and 31 August. I'll be back next week with the next 10 (assuming that I have completed building my list!)

This list is subject to change but at this stage, this is the plan

Charlie's Last Angel by Maggie Christensen - I read a lot of Maggie Christensen's books that are part of series, but this one is a blog tour for a standalone novel.

Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft - I do enjoy Sue Moorcroft's books. It's been a while since I read one of her books set in Italy. This is also for a blog tour

Escape to the Turquoise Seas by Carrie Walker - My final blog tour book is this one which is the fourth book in the Holiday Romance series. I am due to review this in July but it looks like publication has been pushed back to October so that date might change. 

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal- This is the next Cook the Books selection

Three Juliets by Minnie Darke - The next three books are all books that I meant to read last year but I ended up swapping out so they are back on the list for this year. I actually read at least a third of this book but I will have to start again now.

The Kings Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick - It's been so long since I read an Elizabeth Chadwick so I need to prioritise this one. 

The Story Collector by Evie Woods - I have had mixed results with Evie Woods books so far, so I am interested to read this one to see where it lands for me!

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - Last year I was trying to read War and Peace and I was doing pretty well until I started work again in August at which point I stopped. I think I have about 300 paged to go so my plan is to finish it. This will also count for a Goodreads challenge. 

The Maid by Nita Prose - Both this and the next book are for Goodreads challenges

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - This book has been on my TBR pile for a long time now. I plan to read it before the end of June.

Are you planning to participate in the 20 Books of Summer/Winter?

Six Degrees of Separation: Seascraper to The Four Dutchmen

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

This month the starting point is a novella called Seascraper by Benjamin Wood, which was fitting given that there was an event called Novellas in November. 

Keeping with short stories/novellas and the word wood, I am choosing The Yellow Wood by Minnie Darke.  This was an Audible original short story that I listened to last year. 

I am focussing on the word yellow for my next selection and choosing Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan, which was a short story collection. I really enjoyed Margo Lanagan's writing but she disappeared of the publishing scene years ago now, which is a real shame.

A full length novel from the same author is Sea Hearts. I did think about going down the route of books which have different titles in different markets as this one was called Brides of Rollrock Island elsewhere. 

However, I couldn't resist sticking with the sea connection so I have chosen Never Want to Sea You Again by Leonie Mack. This short story was a fun read from earlier this year. One thing about this story is that you can choose your own spice level, so if you like closed door action you can choose one version and if you like it spicy you can read the open door version 

If I think of the sea, the one thing we know is that there are plenty of fish in the sea, and so I have chosen The Fish Girl by Mirandi Riwoe. (my review)

The Fish Girl was inspired by a character from a short story called The Four Dutchmen by W Somerset Maughan. In Vaughan's story, the character is a nameless "Malay trollop", whereas in The Fish Girl she is given a name and a whole backstory. 

Next month is a wildcard to begin the year so we need to start with the book you finished this month’s chain with. That will be interesting given I haven't actually read The Four Dutchmen. I actually found this month a bit challenging so hopefully next month's will be a bit easier!

See everyone next year!

This week....

I'm reading

Well, I guess it was to be expected. I started my new job last week and my reading time took a complete nosedive! Things weren't helped by the fact that I chopped and changed what I was reading so I currently have several books on the go. At the moment I am struggling a little bit to juggle review due dates with library due dates with the books I have left on my 20 Books of Winter list, and with the books I want to read for Aussie August and Women in Translation month. And, of course, then there are the books that I just want to read for the sheer fun of it!

I started reading The Three Juliets by Minnie Darke, which is one of the books I nominated for my 20 Books of Winter list but I had to put it aside to read 100 Years of Betty by Debra Oswald as I realised it was due back at the library and could not be extended.

Another book from my 20 Books of Winter list that I started was The Midnight Bakery by Emma Davies. This will also be a post for Weekend Cooking at some in the future, assuming I can get back to it. 

I did read Will You Stay Another Day by Samantha Tonge which I will review this week as part of a blog tour.

I started The Girl from the War Room by Catherine Law which is one of two books due to be reviewed next week for blog tours.

Then I started The Florence Sisters by Tessa Harris, thinking that book would be the next book due back at the library but then two more books came up as non-renewable. I therefore started reading The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida. Fortunately this was the perfect book to read in one sitting on a Sunday afternoon! I really loved it!

I may be putting too much pressure on myself!

I did go to an author event this week! I took a drive up the highway to a town called Ballarat which is just under an hour away. Whilst that sounds like a bit of a drive, it is actually easier to get to than some of the bookstores on the other side of town. This time, I went to hear Chloe Adams and Alli Sinclair talk about their new books. I went to see Chloe Adams last week but this is the first time I had heard Alli Sinclair talk. I have been a fan since I read her book The Codebreakers. Her new book is called A Woman's Voice and it sounds so good! I have a couple of author events this week which I am really looking forward to!

I'm watching


Portugal and Spain are places that are on our bucket list so when I saw that Michael Portillo had a show on Portugal we binge watched all three episodes. The first three shows focussed on Porto, Braga and The Algarve. When there are new episodes we will watch more.

We also started watching Michael Palin in Nigeria. My son is half Nigerian and my husband lived there for a couple of years (before me obviously) and so I was keen to see something about Lagos which is where my ex was from.

I also watched the Netflix movie My Oxford Year, which is based on the book by Julia Whelan, better known as audiobook narrator extraordinaire. I liked the movie, although I was a bit surprised by the melodramatic turn in the story. 

I finally watched the second Fisherman's Friends movie which is called Fisherman's Friends: One and All. I have had it on my list for a few years at least! I really enjoyed this movie, and especially the sea shanty soundtrack.



Life


So far, the new job is great! The people are nice, there are going to be plenty of challenges and opportunities, and I feel like a can make a difference. There is a lot of information overload at this point though! It is a bit of a change after being off work for nearly 10 months, especially on those days when I have to get on the train relatively early! I am sure I will get back into the routine soon enough.

Posts from the last week


20 Books of Winter - July 
Top Ten Tuesday: Sports Romances
Blog Tour: A Place in the Sun by Jo Thomas
Blog Tour: One Snowy Day by Shari Low
Blog Tour: Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen
Afternoon Tea Diaries: The Tea Rooms
The Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: July 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: 10 of my 20 Books of winter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spell the Month in books - May

 

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.

The idea is that you use the title of books to spell the month name. There is also usually a theme each month, but May is a freebie! It is also the shortest month so it should be relatively easy, right? Except I have really struggled to come up with my own theme. 

In the end, I looked at my spreadsheet of books read and look for the most recent book I have read and then would figure out a theme from there. The first book was something I listened to, so my theme is books I listened to!

Mis-directed by Lucy Parker - Narrated by Nicola Coughlin and Gwilym Lee, this was a fun story about two cast members in a historical TV drama fall in love!

Atlas:  The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker - Narrated by Richard Armitage (swoon) and Tuppence Middleton, this was the final book in the Seven Sisters series. 

The Yellow Wood by Minnie Darke - This was another Audible original and it was narrated by Remy Hii and Aisha Aidara.

Interestingly, all of these performances were by two narrators which I wouldn't have said was something I normally listen to a lot!

The June theme is Summer Reading Begins; use books you found at the library or see there. I will probably twist this to Winter Reading but I am not sure yet

I am sharing this post with Sunday Salon hosted by Readerbuzz.

Top Ten Tuesday: Surprise!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books that Surprised Me (in a good or bad way)

I wasn't sure how I was going to go about this topic, but in the end I found ten books which surprised me in different ways

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley - I was recently looking through the reviews that I have written for Susanna Kearsley books, and I came across this review for The Rose Garden where I said that I gasped in surprised when I read the big twist!

My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult - This was a surprise in a bad way. That ending made me want to throw the book against the wall. And I have never read another one of her books in the 20 years since.

White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton - The surprised for me in this one was that I didn't know that Japan had occupied Korea for so long! I knew that they had invaded Manchuria in the years before WWII but not Korea.

The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke - I searched my blog for the word surprise and this is one of the books that came up. I do love this book! (my review)

Undercover Billionaire by Amy Andrews - The surprise for this one was that I forgot to add it to my blog tours list and suddenly realised I had to read and review it in the space of a couple of day! Surprise! (my review)

Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr - I was surprised that this book was released 8 years after the previous book in the series. Still haven't read it!

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson - I am a bit surprised I haven't read any more of Helen Simonson's books given how much I loved Major Pettrigrew's Last Stand which I reviewed here. I will be reading this one soon!

A Christmas Surprise in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - I was surprised I had so few books with the word surprise in the title! (my review)

Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - I am a bit surprised I have had so many 5 star reads so far this year. Normally I have two or three but so far this year I have had 6! This was the first. (my review)

Pictures of You by Emma Grey - And this was the most recent!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Autumny Covers

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books with Springy Covers (Pastel colors, flowers, baby animals, sunshine, etc.)Books with Springy Covers (Pastel colors, flowers, baby animals, sunshine, etc.) Given that we are now in autumn in Australia I am doing books with Autumny Covers instead. 

Red Leaves by Paullina Simons - This was the first book I thought of when I saw the theme. When went to search for it on my blog, I realised that I read it in my pre-blogging days. It wasn't even on my spreadsheet where I keep my list of reads going back to mid 2004! I read this book a very long time ago!


Red Leaves by Thomas H Cook - When I was filtering on my spreadsheet for the title Red Leaves, I came across this book, which I don't remember a thing about. I read this back in 2007. 


Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore - When I think of American Fall, then one word that comes up a lot is pumpkin. I just read this book while I was away so it is a very, very recent read. 

Full Moon Coffee shop by Mai Mochizuki - This book doesn't have anything to do with autumn really, but the colours feel autumny to me.

In Italy for Love by Leonie Mack - By contrast, this book is all about living in Northern Italy during autumn!

The Yellow Wood by Minnie Darke - When you go for a drive to check out the autumn colours in nature then yellow and reds dominate, so a yellow wood fits the theme for me!


The Family Tree by Susan Wiggs - Look at that tree! Doesn't it scream autumn in the colour of it.

Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran - The next three books don't have anything in the subject to do with autumn, but the colours on the covers feel like they fit in this post. This book is set in Sri Lanka which is very tropical and doesn't really have autumn as a season as far as I know.


Fire Study by Maria V Snyder - The colours of fire and the colours of autumn feel very similar to me!


The Place on Dalhousie by Melina Marchetta - It might be time for me to relisten to some Melina Marchetta books! It's been a while.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Never Reviewed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read any of these?

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

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (April) - I expect to see this on quite a few lists today!

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (January) - Speaking of books I expect to see on lots of lists!

Kate and Frida by Kim Fay (March) - I enjoyed Love & Saffron when I read it a couple of years ago so looking forward to this one!

Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey  (January) - Over the last 18 months, Gillian Harvey has become one of my must read authors so I am looking forward to this one.

The Bad Bridesmaid by Rachael Johns (January) - Rachael Johns has long been an autobuy author for me. I read the connected book to this one, The Other Bridget, in one sitting late last year. I expect to love this one just as much!

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods (March) - The description for this book could be written just for me - Paris, Baking, a bit of magic

The Many Future of Maddy Hart by Laura Pearson - The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine was one of my favourite reads of 2024. I then read The Last List of Mabel Beaumont and loved it! I have high expectations for this one.

The Jam Maker by Mary-Lou Stephens (January)- Another food based historical novel set in Tasmania!

The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted by Rebecca Raisin (February) - I love the way that Rebecca Raisin writes about books, food, and Paris!

Three Juliets by Minnie Darke (April) - I loved The Lost Love Letter by Minnie Darke. I have since read With Love from Wish & Co and listened to the Audible short stories she has written. I am very excited a new book from her.

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

Top Ten Tuesday: Short stories

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a freebie so we can pick topic whatever we like. I am choosing to share the last ten short stories I have read or listened to, as the case maybe

The Secret History of Christmas by Bill Bryson - I listened to this last year, but decided to listen to it again this year. There's every chance that this might become an annual event. It's full of really interesting facts about the history of Christmas.

The Ex Proposal by Rachael Johns - This was originally published in an anthology but the author has just got the rights back so published it for her fans to read. It's available from her author facebook page.

The Christmas Book Hunt by Jenny Colgan - I got this as part of Amazon First Reads. I think it is now released and it was a bit of fun.

The Yellow Wood by Minnie Darke - This was an Audible only book, with about 4 hours of listening time.

Amelia's Shadow by Marie Benedict - This is part of a collection called Blaze about lesser known but interesting female characters. This one was about Ruth Nichols who was close friends with Amelia Earhart

The Tasting Menu by Stuart Macbride - I was tempted because this was set in Scotland, where I was when I read the story, and it was foodie, but it was a bit too much horror for me.

The Forgotten Chapter by Pam Jenoff - Another entry in the Blaze collection. 

Barriers to Entry by Ariel Lawhon - This is another Blaze book and I really enjoyed it. This one was about a woman who changes the way that people thought about criminal investigations.

The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman - I haven't read any of Alice Hoffman's full length books, but I have enjoyed these linked short stories 

How Captain Found the Anywhere Hotel by Gisele Stein - Last year I read an imaginative book called The Anywhere Hotel and Captain was the dog in the book. This story tells how he came to be at the hotel. I think this was only available to newsletter subscribers so I can't find a cover image for this one.

This week....

Life


We took advantage of the beautiful weather on the public holiday and went for a drive in the country to a garden where there were both cherry blossoms and tulips in bloom! All the way through the gardens there were these inviting benches to just sit a while.

On Sunday afternoon, we went and had high tea at Koi Dessert Bar. We have been to the Sydney restaurant years ago, but this is the first time we have been since they opened in Melbourne

I'm reading

It's been a busy reviewing week for me. I finished reading The Resistance Bakery by Siobhan Curham and then read both  A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen and Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin.

I also finished listening to The Yellow Wood by Minnie Darke. I started listening to it a couple of months ago but I didn't listen while we were away and so it has taken me a long time to get through, especially considering that it is only 4 hours long. 

I started listening to The Lost Bookstore by Evie Woods. I also started reading The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson after loving her latest book, The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine. Yes, I am still gushing about this book!

I mentioned last week that my next book club theme is Going Back. So far I could choose from The Resistance Bakery, A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing,  The Yellow Wood and presumably Mabel Beaumont as well as options and I still have another 4 weeks before the meeting!



I'm watching

It was the AFL grand final on Saturday  so we had a long weekend (I know, odd reason but still). In addition to watching some of the final we watched some of the Americas Cup sailing, and started a new cooking show called The World Cook

On Friday night, we went to movies and watched an Italian movie called Comandante. It's a WWII move, based on a true story about a submarine commander who sinks a merchant navy ship and then picks up the survivors and is trying to get them to a safe port.

Here's the trailer

Posts from the last week


Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Spring 2024 To Read List

Blog Tour: The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson
Blog Tour: Falling for Provence by Alison Roberts
Blog Tour/Weekend Cooking: The Resistance Bakery by Siobhan Curham
Blog Tour: A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

Blog Tour: Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin

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

This Week....

 

I'm reading

Not a lot of reading got done this week. I have gone from being two weeks ahead in my reading to being only a few days ahead! I really need to finish The Resistance Bakery by Siobhan Curham and then I have two more books to read before the weekend! Better get onto that. Good job we have a public holiday on Friday so I get the day off work. The reason why we have a day off. It's the day before the Australian Football League grand final. Yes, it's a day off for a football game!

Weeks and weeks ago now I started listening The Yellow Wood by Minnie Darke. This is an Audible only audio by an Aussie author I know I love! It's only about 4 hours long but I haven't had much listening time. I do have a couple of other audiobooks lined up to start straight after this one.

We did have our read on a theme book club meeting on Saturday. Our theme was Sport and we had an interesting range of choices. The next theme is Going Back so I will have to have a think about what my choice is going to be!


I'm watching

The main thing we have watched this week is the qualifying races for the Americas Cup. 

Other than that, we watched the first episode of Great Australian Bake Off. We will be watching this for the next eight weeks or so!

Life


The highlight of this week was that we went to set the musical Six. It was so good. It's amazing that someone looked at Henry VIII marital history and thought...yes, I can write a musical about that! It was smart and funny, and great music!

Posts from the last week

Blog Tour: The Start of the Story by Jane Lovering
Blog Tour: A French Country Escape by Jennifer Bohnet

Blog Tour: Written in the Stars by Helen Rolfe

Cooking the Books: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd



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

Top Ten Tuesday: Love

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is a Love Freebie (in honor of Valentine’s Day tomorrow). I have kept it simple and I am sharing the last ten books I have read with some variation of the word love in the title.

The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke - Still love this book so much! (my review)

Those Who Are Loved by Victoria Hislop - I do enjoy Victoria Hislop's books although it has been a while since I read one.

The Railway Girls in Love by Maisie Thomas - I am a bit behind on this series. (my review)

Love Stories by Trent Dalton - This was such a fun book. Short vignettes on love. It could be a person or a thing.

With Love from Wish & Co by Minnie Darke - Another good book from this author

Book Lovers by Emily Henry - Because we all love books right?

Finding Love at the Christmas Market by Jo Thomas - I really need to read more Jo Thomas books.

Love and Saffron by Kim Fay - I am wondering how many more times I can sneak this book onto a TTT list. (my review)

The Christmas Love Letters by Sue Moorcroft - This was a lovely Christmas story (my review)

Love in the Time of War by Adrienne Chinn - This is the most recent book I bought with the word love in the title. I haven't actually read it yet.

Have you read and loved any of these books?

Top Ten Tuesday: Have you read this?

 

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Books I Recommend to Others the Most.

I am going to mix the theme up a bit. I am going to do some books that I recommend to others, and the rest are books that were recommended to me.


Books I recommend to others



The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley  - I have recommended this author to so many people!

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley  - I have recommended this author to so many people!

The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke - Most recently I recommended this to my boss.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry - I also recommended this to my boss. She has since read more Emily Henry books than I have!

The Island of MissingTrees by Elif Shafak - Love this book

Virgin River by Robyn Carr - Back in the day pushed this book on multiple people

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder - I was looking back through my blog and found a post where Bree and I from All the Books I Can Read talked about me recommending this book to her years ago.

Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison by Meredith Jaffe -This was so good!




Books recommended to me by Bree

Chocolate Cake for Breakfast by Danielle Hawkins - Bree and I often recommend book to each other. This author is one that she recommended to me as a great read!

Act Like It by Lucy Parker - And this one!

The Drifter by Anthea Hodgson - We went to an author event, and this was not one of the authors, but it was a book that we talked about while there.

There are plenty more but that's for starters!

Have you read any of these books? What other books would you recommend to me?