Top Ten Tuesday: Author Events

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Authors I’ve Met. 

I am very lucky to be able to attend author events pretty regularly, whether it be as part of individual authors, panel events, or even a reader's retreat that I attend every year. For my post today, I am going to share about some of the more recent events I have been too. If I go back 15 or 20 years there are some big name authors I could name such as Paullina Simons, Maria Snyder and more. I could also talk about the time I had dinner with Sara Donati in the Pacific North West or many years ago with Paullina Simons but I won't. For my post today, I am going to share about some of the more recent events I have been to which means that they are all Australian authors. 

Tess Woods -The most recent event I went to was in respect of Tess Woods new release, The Cairo Bridal Shop. Sometimes at these events there are even cocktails

Anita Heiss - I have met this author a few times now, and she was even the author on our table at one of the retreats we attended a couple of years ago. She is such a lively person! I last saw her at a romance panel event I went to a few weeks ago

Also at that same event there were a number of other authors including Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus , Nina Kenwood, Victoria Brownlee, Darcy Green and more. And there was swag!

Jodi McAlister - This author was at that same panel event but I have now met her a couple of times, including at the launch of her latest book

Steph Vizard  - This is another author I have met more than once who was at the panel. I see her at quite a few events, but specifically attended her book launch last year and re-met her at the readers retreat that I attended in June

Emma Grey - I was so excited to attend an evening with Emma Grey and Kate Solly. I read two of Emma's books last year and gave them both 5/5. This one was at a bookstore I had never visited before which is always fun.

Benjamin Stevenson - The author of the Ernest Cunningham series came to my local library as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival so I always try to attend events there because I would like there to be more!

Tom Trumble - a more unusual choice for me given that it is a non fiction book but I chose it because I thought that my husband would like to come to this one and he did. This event was held at the War Memorial. Interestingly, it was only as I searched my blog for a picture for this post that I realised that I had heard this author speak previously at a Melbourne Writer's Festival event 15 years ago!

Holly Brunnbauer  - An event at my previous local library which is about half an hour away from me, so I try to go to events there as well. 

Rachael Johns - Rachael Johns is possibly the only author who I would deliberately go and see twice in one day. On this particular day she was at my local library and also at an event called Books in Bars which is held in a regional city about 90mins away. Of course, I did both! The readers retreat that I have mentioned a couple of times is her brainchild. You can read about the fab time I had at this year's event here. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with books on the cover

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is a Indie Freebie (This topic encompasses a lot: your favorite indie bookstores, indie books, indie authors, indie publishers/presses, indie books on your to-read list, indie authors I read before they became traditionally published, etc.) (submitted by @dark.shelf.of.wonders and Books Are The New Black)

However, I am going to go rogue (again) and I am featuring books with books on the cover!

The Story Collector by Evie Woods - I am a bit hit and miss on books by this author. I loved The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris. This one....not so much. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't great either! (review)

The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson - I have, however, loved all the librarian books by Kate Thompson

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page - Loved this one too. 

A Study in Sparkling by Jodi McAlister - I haven't read this one yet, but I did recently go to the launch. I did love the previous book in this trilogy so I have high hopes for this one!

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn - I had high hopes for this one too as I had really enjoyed quite a few of Kate Quinn's historical fiction novels, but this one was very different from her normal books. (mini review)

The Last Page Cafe by Kate Storey - This book is on my list as it is one I want to read!

The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan - A crumbling Scottish castle, a blizzard, a missing book! A lot of fun. 

The Storytellers by Sue Heath - I am always very excited to read a new Sue Heath book! There's a new one out soon! (my review)

The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns - I love the cover of this book with all the books on the shelf! (my review)

The Paris Bookshop for the Broken Hearted by Rebecca Raisin - A bookshop in Paris! I am there! (my review)

Sunday Salon: Rachael John's Book Club Readers Retreat 2026

Last weekend I attended the Rachael John's Book Club Retreat which, this year, was held at a regional called Geelong which is just over an hour away from where I live. Geelong is a city that I love visiting but I have never stayed there before. Above is the view from my hotel room! 

The city sits on a bay with beautiful beaches, a fun waterside walk and some interesting museums and art galleries. It is also gateway to the Bellarine Peninsula which has some really lovely wineries, restaurants and fantastic beaches which we enjoy visiting. In other words, we often drive through Geelong!

The advantage of having it at this location is that it was close enough to drive although I did miss the reading time on the plane that I have had when travelling to the previous locations. I do have a tendency to do a lot of my required reading on the plane there! 

So what happens at one of these events? I could say what happens on retreat, stays on retreat, but I won't! There are 120 or so readers, plus around 20 authors and you get to spend the whole weekend talking about books, eating, and generally having a good time!

The event started with a cocktail party on Friday night where the theme was Madams and Miners, which ties in with one of the hosts books. I don't love a dress up, but I do make something of an effort. There are plenty of people who made a really big effort with some amazing costumes.

On the Saturday night it was a formal dinner where the theme was From Poolside to Party Ready: Dress Like You’re on Holiday with your Besties. 

And during the two days? There are book club discussions, author panels, author speed dating (which is always a lot of fun, optional yoga sessions and writer sessions, a bookshop where you can shop the books of all the fab authors you have met over the weekend and more! This year, there was the new addition of a game show called A Romance Knockout where authors competed against each other on specialist subjects, tropes and writing prompts.

The book club reads this year were Anthea Hodgson's The Palace of Lost Virtue which is set in 1890s and 1920's Kalgoorlie, which is a gold mining town in Western Australia. The palace of the title is a brothel, hence the theme of Madams and Miners. I reviewed the book last week.

The other book was The Couples Retreat by Mercedes Mercier who is a new author to me. It is a crime/psychological thriller which isn't my normal cup of tea, but it never hurts to read outside your comfort zone right. This book is set on Kangaroo Island in South Australia and features a rookie cop who gets drawn into a murder at a luxurious property. Kangaroo Island is a place that has been on my list of places to visit for a long time. 

One of the highlights every year is the debate. It is always hilarious and this year was no exception. The debate topic was This house believes that reading romance gives women unrealistic expectations of men and our debaters certainly gave interesting and compelling arguments both for and against!

Pictured above are Rachael and Anthea during the book club discussion, Bree from All the Books You Can Read leading an author panel and Sarah Clutton and Ali Sinclair visiting our table during author speed dating. 

Unsurprisingly I came home with more books, than I went there with, as well as bookish paraphernalia including what we received in the goodie bag,  To be fair, I only bought one book which was very controlled. More surprisingly, I also came home with more clothes than I went with!

I have been to all 4 of the retreats so far, which makes me an OG. This year there was a t-shirt that we could buy to celebrate this fact.  Every year since the beginning I have sat at the same table with the same group of people (pictured above on the Friday night). Some of us knew some of us, but no one knew all of us when we first started sitting together.  We now have a group chat, we are all Facebook friends and we have become more than just book friends. We also had a t-shirts to celebrate this year the group this year!

This retreat is always a lot of fun and Rachel, Anthea and their team does a fantastic job. I have already booked for Hobart next year

You can read about previous years here.

2025 - Perth

2024 - Gold Coast

2023 - Hahndorf

Top Ten Tuesdays: 10 Authors I am Looking Forward to Meeting at the Rachael Johns Book Club Retreat this weekend

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the 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 wish. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address [here’s how to do it on Amazon] or include the email address associated with your ereader 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 am always a bit uncomfortable with this prompt, so I am changing the theme to suit me, which I do pretty regularly to be fair. This coming weekend I am heading down to Geelong, a regional city just over an hour away from where I live, and I will be attending the 2027 Racheal Johns Book Club Reader Retreat. I have been to all four of these and they are such a good weekend. There are usually around 100 readers and 20 guest authors. So here are books by 10 of the authors I am looking forward to meeting or seeing again this weekend.

The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns - Of course I had to have Rachael Johns on the list.

The Palace of Lost Virtue by Anthea Hodgson - Anthea is the co-host of the retreat so I had to have her on the list as well. I really liked The War Nurses by this author. We started hearing about this book at the last retreat and it sounds great. It is one of the book club choices for the weekend!

A Woman's Voice by Alli Sinclair - Last year I went to hear Alli Sinclair talk about this book and it sounds so good. 

The Paradise Pact by Anita Heiss - Anita Heiss is an amazing person to spend time with. Can't wait to hear more about this book! (Update - since I wrote this post a few weeks ago, it has been announced that Anita can no longer attend)

Where the Birds Call Her Name by Claire van Ryn - I have absolutely loved both of Claire van Ryn's books so I am very excited to meet her!

The Paradise Heights Miniature Railway Club by Kate Solly - I have booked a couple of times to go to author events with Kate Solly, but it just hasn't worked out, so I am pleased she is one of the feature authors this weekend.

The Bookshop of Buried Pasts by Sarah Clutton - I was supposed to go to the launch of this book a few weeks ago but I ended up having to work late so I didn't make it!

Better than the Real Thing by Brooke Crawford - Last year I ran into this author at quite a few events, so looking forward to seeing her again.

Sunrise at Sunny Cross Farm by Maya Linnell - I have read a couple of books by this author. This is her new book which has just come out!

The Wedding Forecast by Nina Kenwood - This sounds like such a fun read!

Have you ever been to a reader's retreat?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Books by Favourite Authors

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is My Favorite Books by My Favorite Authors (Pick your ten favorite authors and your favorite book written by each one of them.) (submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext). After going rogue with my topics for the last two weeks, this week I am back on track.

I have broken this into two separate groups. The first five are authors who I have loved for years. The second group are more recent discoveries for me.

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick - I have gotten really behind on EC books but I still count her one of my favourites. I have given a lot of her books very high rating. At the time I read this one I gave it a 4/5 but this is the foundational book for me, about William Marshal and a several of her later books focus on him or his descendants. 

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman - This is SKP's book on Richard III, the first one I had read by her and is absolutely a 5 star read.

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon - I loved the first 4 books in the Outlander series, but if you are forcing me to pick a favourite it is the third book in the series

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley - I could not do a list of favourite authors without including Susanna Kearsley. I also could not do a list of favourite SK books without mentioning The Winter Sea. It's a book I have reread 3 times and I am not a rereader.

The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns - Rachael Johns is one of only two authors that I consistently read when I had a years long reading slump a while ago.

Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey - This author writes a lot of books featuring people moving to France for a new life. This one was a bit different but I loved it!

Head Over Wheels by Leonie Mack - I don't read a lot of sports romances this day but this one featuring professional cyclists was a lot of fun. And book 2 in this world is coming out soon. Can't wait. I also am enjoying her Wedding Adventures series. And her standalone books. You get the idea!

The Paris Bookshop for the Broken- Hearted by Rebecca Raisin - I love the way that Rebecca Raisin writes about food, books and places, especially when she writes about Paris.

The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson - This was my first Laura Pearson and I loved, loved, loved this book!

Summer in Bellbird By by Maggie Christensen - In the last 5 years I have read 26 books by Maggie Christensen. She must be a favourite by definition right? They are my definition of comfort reads for sure.

Do we share any favourite authors? 

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)

Top Ten Tuesday: Last 10 Author Events I Have Been To!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Thanksgiving/Thankful Freebie. It took me a little while to think of something, but I got there in the end.

I am very lucky and yes, thankful, to live in a city with a very active book scene. There are always events on. Some times they are big named authors who attract a crowd of thousands, and sometimes it is a small event at a local library with just a handful of people. Then there are multiple festivals in various country towns and suburban areas. Sometimes I know lots of people in the room and other times not. One thing you do know when you go to an author event is that if nothing else you can talk about books! 

My post this week is the last ten author events I have been too. Usually if I attend an event I will buy the book and get it signed. Sometimes there are goodies, sometimes tasty treats, but the events are always fun!

Holly Brunbauuer - Just last week Bree from All the Books I Can Read went to our local library to hear this author talk about her debut novel, What Did I Miss? It was a very interactive session!

Rachael Johns (twice) - A couple of weeks ago I went to see Rachael Johns talk about The Lucky Sisters (my review) both at my even localler local library and then to a Books in Bars events in a regional city about an hour away from me.

Helen Goh - This was an event in the city where we not only got to listen to the conversation but also got to try some of the recipes from her latest cookbook, Baking and the Meaning of Life.

Steph Vizard - It was standing room only at this event which was the launch of her latest book,  A Smart Girl's Guide to Second Chances. 

January Gilchrist - By contrast, this was a very intimate conversation about January Gilchrist's debut novel,  The Final Chapter, which was held in what is in effect a sales office at a new residential development. This night was so much fun because it was such a small gathering! I took a friend with me who had never been to an author event before.

Madeleine Cleary and Anne Freeman - This was a fun night where these two authors spoke about their two books which both feature sex workers. One was set in 1850s Melbourne, The Butterfly Women (my review) and the other is a modern story about an online sex worker, Me That You See.

Emma Mugglestone - This launch for In the Long Run was held in a bar around half an hour or so away from me. There was even a delicious cocktail!

Alli Sinclair - This was a drive up the highway for an hour or so to an event in Ballarat to hear Alli Sinclair talk about her new book, A Woman's Voice.

Joanne Miller (The Eights), Chloe Adams (The Occupation) and Michelle See-Toh (Jade and Emerald) - This was an event held in a library about half an hour away from me, and featured three debut authors from Penguin. 

Alli Parker - This was a fun launch for Until the Red Leave Fall. It was held in a super cool bar. The mood was set with 1950s music and the crowd was buzzing! And there were these super cute cupcakes

Wow, that has surprised me. That only takes me back to the end of July this year. Oh, and I just realised I missed one too! Sorry Christine Newel! I suspect that there will be only one more event this year which I am going to on Thursday, but bring on next year, when it will start all over again!

The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns

 

Identical twins Nora and Stevie Lucky were adopted at birth and they are as close as they could be, despite having very different personalities and traits. Stevie is more happy go lucky and lets life happen whereas Nora is very controlled and plans everything. Stevie is single parent to the now adult Cherry, whilst Nora runs a successful restaurant with her husband Santi, with Nora being the pastry chef.

Another way that they differ is that Nora has always wanted to find out about their birth parents, whereas Stevie has no interest whatsoever in finding out. She has always had a bad feeling about the whole thing. They both adored their adoptive parents. Years ago they agreed that they would put off searching for their origins until after their adoptive parents had passed. 

The book opens at the funeral of their adoptive mother. Stevie is shocked when at the wake Nora declares that maybe now they can finally find out about their birth parents. I probably would have been shocked at the timing of such a declaration too. As the two women grieve, they have moments which appear like they are growing apart instead of together. As the story progresses, we also find out that they have kept secrets, big secrets, from each other over the years.

This book is a bit hard to discuss without too many spoilers, but the blurb for the book opens with the question What would you do if you thought each day on earth might just be your last? When the girls (I should say women really as they are nearly 50 years old) do find out about their birth parents they find something out that shakes them to their core. 

They each truly look at their lives and wonder if they are really happy and so begin to make some changes. For Stevie, that might mean letting widower Felix into her life more, but how can she let herself get closer to him and his boys when there is this big shadow hanging over her. For Nora, it means wondering about whether the restaurant and Santi are enough for her anymore. And whether all those plans and hours in the gym have been worth it. The two characters almost begin to take on some of their sister's characteristics.

There are so many layers to this book. There is the sister's relationship. There are the questions about what it is like to be adopted and to either want or not want to find out where you come from and there are questions about genetics and how they can influence how you live. While there are some big themes, this is a Rachael Johns book, so along the way you also get great relationships, humour, pop culture references and more. This one does take an unusual turn for part of the book, but I think that is exciting for Rachael as a writer that she feels like stretching herself and her readers. 

Butterflies play an important part in the story and I love the way that this motif goes all the way through the book, including on this stunning cover. 

I will say though....that ending! I had to read it twice to go ....wait....what. It certainly fits the book but I was a bit surprised by it. It's a bit enigmatic.

This book is set in Perth, which is where I am originally from, and I still have a lot of family living there. There were lots of very familiar places mentioned in the book. One scene was set at a restaurant that has been around for years that is maybe 2 kilometres away from my grandparents house and two of my cousins even worked there for a while. And yet, I have never been. Maybe I will make it happen one day. Maybe not.

I chose this as one of my book club selections this month when our theme was free choice. I mentioned how when I had my very long reading slump a few years ago Rachael was one of the few authors I still read and someone in the group asked me why I kept on coming back to her books. I had to think about it, but I think that it is that despite writing rural romance, rom-coms and commercial women's fiction, I always know that I am going to get an enjoyable read, filled with humour and emotion and relatable characters. It doesn't hurt that I feel like I know Rachael. I sometimes listen to her podcasts and I have met her many times now, going to lots of author events and attending all three of her book club readers retreats. I guess what it comes down to is that I can trust her as an author!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews.

Rating 4/5

This week ....

I'm reading

I finished a couple of books this week. I finished reading Maame by Jessica George which is the current Cook the Books selection. On Sunday night we cooked the recipe that I was inspired to get my husband to cook, so my review will be up on Saturday.

I also finished The Midwive's Christmas Miracle by Fiona McArthur. I mentioned last week that I realised that I hadn't read all the books in the previous connected series. I am not sure why but it really bothered me!

I then started reading Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda, which is another Japanese book and I started Good Spirits by BK Borison. After reading the first chapter of that book I am pretty sure I am going to love it!

This weekend was our read on a theme book club meeting. It was a free choice theme this time and above are some of the choices that people read. My choices were Maame and The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns. The first theme for 2026 is Childhood Favourites, and I have a few different ideas of what I might read but I haven't decided yet.


I'm watching

Nothing in particular

Life

On Saturday night we went to see the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra playing the music of Billy Joel which was a lot of fun. You forget how many amazing songs Billy Joel has had over the years! It was a great night!

It was a momentous blogging occasion for me this week! It is 20 years since I started my blog! Can you believe it, because I am not sure I can! Here's my post about it!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Books set in or After WWI
Mini reviews of two Aussie novels
Weekend Cooking: Joanna Lumley's Spice Trail Adventures
Sunday Salon: 20 years!





I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date, Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and the Good Book and a Cup of Tea link up hosted at Boondock Ramblings

This week....

 

I'm reading

This week I finished reading Dear Mrs Bird by A J Pearce, and I am happy to report that I loved it. I have already bought the next book in the series and hope to get to it soon! 

I then read The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama. I read her book What You Are Looking for in the Library last year, and liked it, but there was one particular element of the story which bothered me a bit. No such issue with this one. I am already looking forward to her next book and thankfully there isn't too long to wait as it is out early next year. 

Next I started reading Maame by Jessica George. This is the current Cook the Books selection and I think I already know what I am going to cook. That could change but we will see. 

Finally I started reading The Midwives Christmas Miracle by Fiona McArthur. This is the first in a new trilogy that is set in the same world as a number of other books I have read. Only thing is the main female character is friends with a person who was clearly in another book. I thought I had read all the books set in Wirralong but apparently I only read the first two books in the last series set there! Time to rectify that I think. 

I did go to not one but two Rachael Johns events. I had already bought tickets to the Books in Bar event which is held in a city about an hour away from me and then they announced an event at my local library. I am trying to support anything held at the library so they keep having them so snuck away for a long lunch and went to both events!

I'm watching

We started watching Joanna Lumley's Spice Trails and we are finding it very interesting. In the first three episodes she has visiting Indonesia, India, and Madagascar. 

Life


The day after we got back from holidays was our wedding anniversary but I didn't want to schedule something so close to being away, so last night we went to our anniversary dinner. We did a thing called Le Petit Chef and Friends. Basically it is an animation than uses your table cloth and plate as a screen and tells a story about each course that you are going to eat. It was a lot of fun and the food was surprisingly good as well. 

I mentioned last week that my phone died while we were on holidays. I got it back from the repair shop this week which is good news. The bad news is that they had to replace the motherboard and I lost everything I had on my phones, which is basically thousands of photos. 

Posts from the last week



Top Ten Tuesday: What I am reading and have just read
Blog Tour: Escape to the Northern Lights by Carrie Walker
Blog Tour: Saving Starlight Hall by Debbie Viggiano
Blog Tour: A Family for Christmas in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen
Blog Tour: A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft
What We Ate on Holidays: Sri Lanka and The Maldives

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: October 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: What I am reading and have just read

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf (Stand in front of your book collection, close your eyes, point to a title, and write it down. If you have shelves, point to your physical books. If you have a digital library, use a random number generator and write down the title of the book that corresponds with the number you generated. You get bonus points if you tell us whether or not you’ve read the book, and what you thought of it if you did!)

Because I read physical books, eBooks and audiobooks this felt a bit tricky to me, so instead I am going to be sharing the three books I am theoretically reading at the moment, and then the last 7 books I read. 6 of these were books that I read while I was on holiday and the other was the last one I finished before we went away

Dear Mrs Bird by A J Pearce - This is one book that I am actually reading at the moment. Somehow I ended up both with a library copy and a copy on my Kindle. I am really enjoying this one 

The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan - I started listening to this before I went away. I did take my earbuds with me but I didn't listen to a single second of it. Mostly because I didn't think of it, but also because my phone died on day 2 of my trip. 

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - This is the theoretically book. I was doing well at keeping up with a chapter a day until I went back to work and now I am woefully behind. I do intend to catch up but not sure when that will be

Saving Starlight Hall by Debbie Viggiano - This is the second book in the Starlight series. I read the first one last year and knew I would read the follow up. The review for this will be up later this week. 

The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns - I can always rely on Rachael Johns for a good read and this was no exception. I did feel exceptionally lucky to be able to read this while I was on holiday in The Maldives. I am also attending an author event for her tomorrow night. 

A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft - I really enjoy Sue Moorcroft's books and this was another good one. The review for this one will be up later this week. 

A Family for Christmas in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - Maggie Christensen is a comfort read for me every time so I was always going to read this book, and the next one, and the one after that. The review for this one will be up later this week. 

Escape to the Northern Lights by Carrie Walker - It did feel kind of strange to be reading this book set in snowy Norway while I was in very hot and humid Sri Lanka. The review for this one will be up later this week. 

The Tea Planters Wife by Dinah Jeffries - I chose to read this book as it is set in Sri Lanka. I will read more from Dinah Jeffries now. 

Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin - Christmas in New York. Yes please! (My review)

As you can see I have quite a few reviews to write this week now that we are back from holidays!

This week

I'm reading

It's been a couple of weeks as we have been on holidays but now we are back so it is time to catch up on everything I have read while I was away.

The first book I read was The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jeffries which I chose to read because it is set in Sri Lanka which is one of the places we were going. I carried this book half way around the world with me to try and get a photo of it in a fitting location. It took a couple of attempts but the photo above was taken in front of tea bushes.

Then I read several review books which are all due to be reviewed this week so now I need to get cracking on writing the reviews. Those books were Escape to the Northern Lights by Carrie Walker, A Family for Christmas in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen, A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft and Saving Starlight Hall by Debbie Viggiano

I then read The Lucky Sisters by Rachel Johns which is also a review book but not a blog tour book!

Finally I started reading Dear Mrs Bird by A J Pearce just for fun, and so far it is! I can't wait to read it and I am pretty sure I will be picking up the next book in the series as well.

In October I read a total of 11 books. While most of them were good reads which I gave a rating of 4/5 stars there was nothing that I rated as a 5/5 read. I do want to specifically call out The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns which was the only book that I gave a rating of 4.5/5 stars to.

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

Here's where I travelled through books in October

Europe

The Netherlands - A New Life in Amsterdam by Helga Jensen

Lots of countries - Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express by Rebecca Raisin

 - Escape to the Northern Lights by Carrie Walker

UK - A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft, Saving Starlight Hall by Debbie Viggiano

America

Minnesota - Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec and Andi Arndt

New York - Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin

Asia

Sri Lanka - The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jeffries

Australia

Queensland - A Family for Christmas in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

Western Australia - The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns

Before moving on I wanted to acknowledge the sad new of the passing of Christopher Gortner, who wrote as C W Gortner. I have read a number of his books over the years and loved most of them. I first met him on the forums at Historical Fiction Online which must have been 22 years or so ago. Since then I have been Facebook friends with him. He was articulate and opinionated and far to young to have passed. RIP Christopher. 

I'm watching

I've pretty much been watching the world go by and watching sunsets. This photo was taken from the sunset cruise we did on our last night in The Maldives. I didn't even watch a movie on the plane even though they were quite long flights.

On Saturday night we watched Operation Mincemeat which was quite interesting. It has quite a few big names from British cinema in it but the main two are Colin Firth and Matthew MacFadyen. The story tells of how sending a body carrying fake papers was the key to the successful landing of the Allied forces in Sicily in WWII. Here's the trailer

Life

We had an amazing time in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. We stayed in some amazing hotels, ate some great food and saw some amazing sites. I will try and share some photos across the next couple of weeks. One downside was that my phone died on day two of our trip so my husband's phone became our phone. Hopefully mine can be fixed without losing all my data as I have lots of photos from our last couple of trips on there that I never quite got around to downloading.

It was our sixth wedding anniversary the day after we got home. We didn't do much this weekend but we are doing a fun meal next weekend to celebrate.

Posts since my last This Week post



Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Have Returned to the Library Unread
Weekend Cooking: Dish Podcast
Spell the Month in Books: October
Top Ten Tuesday: Arches and Windows
Blog Tour: Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin
Weekend Cooking: Making Couscous

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Weather Events in the Title

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: November Links

Weekend Cooking: In My Kitchen - October

Six Degrees of Separation: We Have Always Lived in a Castle to The Girl Who Chased the Moon

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: It's a flower!

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Book Covers that Give off Fall Vibes (Or, if you’re not a cover person, share the books in general that feel like Fall.). It is Spring here, so I am choosing to focus on gardens and flowers this week. 

The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns - This book isn't even out yet but how could I not include it in a post about flowers on covers!

The Lost Garden by Angela Petch - The title says it all really. This garden is found again in WWII Italy. (my review)

Once Upon  a Thyme by Jane Lovering - This book is set in a herb garden (my review)

The Whisky Widow by Karen Brooks - I love the thistles on the cover of this book (my review)

The Woman Who Got Her Spark Back by Fiona Gibson - The main character of this book runs a plant hospital (my review)

A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont - This books takes it's characters on a walking tour of the gardens of Paris. (my review)

Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin - This books features a cemetery caretaker who takes care of the garden and the graves (my review)

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - I love the cover on this book! (my review)

The Magic of Provence by Alison Roberts - I like the way the flowers frame the arch on this cover. I am thinking about doing a TTT all about books with arches on the cover. (my review)

The Secrets of the Huon Wren by Claire van Ryn - This cover is so pretty with all the flowers cascading down the cover. (my review)

Have you read any of these books?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Spring 2025 to-read list

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books on My Fall 2025 to-Read List

This list is a mix of the review books I have coming up, books I ownf and the library books I currently have on my shelf.]

The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns - I always look forward to a new Rachael Johns book. I have booked in to go to a Books in Bars events in October which I am looking forward to.

Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin - If I think about the iconic cities to spend Christmas in New York would be right up there! 

A Family for Christmas in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen - I look forward to each new Pelican Crossing book. I do like seeing Christmas in Australia portrayed in books

Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express by Rebecca Raisin - This came out a couple of months ago but I haven't got to it yet. I am looking forward to reading it!

The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jeffries - We are going on holidays to Sri Lanka shortly so I thought I would find some historical fiction to read. 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - It is RIPXX where we read all things spooky and mysterious. I have participated many times over the years but I didn't really have anything that fitted on my TBR shelf. I therefore borrowed this book from the library as it is the readalong book.

The Enlightenment of Bees by Rachel Linden - I recently read my first Rachel Linden book and I loved it, so I have borrowed this one from the library.

An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister - The theme for my read on a theme book club this month is romance. Whilst I have many, many, many books I could choose for this theme, I am nominating this book.

The Life She Could Have Lived by Laura Pearson - I usually really enjoy Laura Pearson's books and I don't see why this will be any different!

The Chocolate Maker's Wife by Karen Brooks - This is another author that I recently read for the first time and really enjoyed, so I have borrowed this book from the library.

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:?

The Bad Bridesmaid by Rachael Johns

 

When Winifred Darling's mother announces that she is getting married again, she is horrified. Winifred, more commonly known as Fred, is also determined that she is not even going to even attend the wedding, let alone stand up as maid of honour. After all, this is her mother's sixth wedding and Fred is tired of picking up the pieces when things go wrong.

Fred isn't necessarily against love, at least not for other people, but she is very determined that it isn't for her. She enjoys meeting men, but she lives her life according to a strict set of rules will prevent any kind of deep connection. Now she has a contract to write a book about these rules which will be called 21 Rules for Not Catching Feelings

Her mother, Tracy is marrying a man named Paul she has known for years. They were teenage sweethearts but they broke up, and went their separate ways. Despite her objections Fred finds herself on the plane to Norfolk Island where the two families are meeting for the first time. At the very least Fred hopes that she will find some time to write some of her book. Paul's son Leo isn't particularly pleased with how quickly his dad is remarrying after his mother's death. Can Fred and Leo join forces and put a stop to the wedding once and for all? And what happens to Fred's rules and book deal if she starts to feel something for Leo? 

The Bad Bridesmaid is connected to The Other Bridget which I read last year and loved. It's not strictly a sequel and it could be read as a standalone, but it probably is helpful if you read it first. 

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book is the Norfolk Island setting. Seriously, the tourist office could just sell this book and tell people to read it as a guide of places to visit. I haven't been to Norfolk Island myself, but I have wanted to for a long time and reading this book has absolutely reiterated that desire!

There is a cast of colourful characters from Paul's kids and grandkids, including a very sassy granddaughter, Fred's brother and his partner, and not to forget the locals who all seem to have multiple jobs on the island and therefore keep on popping up everywhere! There is also the magic of a gorgeous island location (albeit with limited creature comforts), the mayhem of multiple things going wrong, but ultimately there is much love.

Whilst I didn't love this book as much as I loved The Other Bridget there is still plenty of fun and entertainment to be had when reading this book!

As always, Rachael Johns is a must-read author for me. I am already looking forward to her next book

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews

Rating 4/5