The Confession by Jessie Burton Book Review

Three women. Elise Morceau, her daughter Rose Simmons and the link between them, author Constance Holden.

Elise and Connie meet in the 80s and instantly form a deep relationship together. Rose has been raised by her father, knowing nothing about her mother Elise who abandoned her as a baby. Until one day in her mid 30s her father gives her some books by Constance and tells Rose that she knew her mother and was the last person to see her. The story is told in a duel narrative, we follow Elise and Connie in the 80s when they move to LA as one of Connie's books in made into a movie, as well as present day when Rose pretends to be Laura Brown and takes a job as Connie's assistant in a bid find out more about her mother.

I loved Burton's writing, as I said before with The Muse it just feels so effortless, the descriptions never feel forced or contrived. Every word seems perfectly picked. I had no idea where this book was going as I read it, which just made it even more exciting to read. The book is so much about love, identity and longing, I loved seeing the parallels between Elise's life and Rose's life, from jobs, to relationships, how similarly they dealt with some issues and how different they were with other ones. Everything weaved together lovely, though I'd expect nothing less from Burton! Utterly compelling

NonFiction November Challenge and TBR

This will be my 3rd year doing NonFiction November. I participated in 2016 and last year. What's NonFiction November you ask? Run by Booktuber abookolive, the aim isn't to read only nonfiction but to read more nonfiction than you usually do. So if don't read nonfiction, then reading just one nonfiction book will suffice. If you read one a month, try to read two and so on and so forth. There are also 4 one word prompts for you to try complete as well. The beauty of the one word prompts is that it's open to interpretation, you can bend the meanings to fit your own reading habits and likes. Olive does a great job of going through the prompts and their meaning so you can check out her video here if you'd like. The prompts are as follows:

1. Design
2. Sport
3. True
4. Voice

Here are some of books I'm thinking of reading for these prompts

Design

-Semicolon is unsurprisingly a book about the semicolon, one I wanted to read a few months ago as it was a Book of the Month for the Rick O'Shea Book Club. I thought it suited the prompt as punctuation is a design element of language.

-Microtrends Squared is something I'm kinda twisting to fit the prompt to be honest. Mainly because I'm reading it for Book Riot Read Harder and need to get it finished by the end of the year! But economics and trends can shape the world we live in the how things are designed to work.... yeah it's a stretch but I'm keeping it!

-Sex on the Moon is about breaking into a NASA centre to steal moon rocks, I'm sure there's plenty about the lead up and design of the heist!

-Toast and Marmalade is by Emma Bridgewater, who designs pottery. The cover has some of her designs on the front too!

Sport

-Not going to lie, this is the hardest one for me as I'm not a big sports fan and while I had a few ideas, I ran into hiccoughs like the books being hard to get or the reviews not being great. While making my list the other day I Am the Secret Footballer went on sale on Audible for 99p so I decided to just get it!

-Inverting the Pyramid is one of the only sports books I own, purely because the book was on the free book table at work. I'll either find this book on football tactics incredibly interesting or really boring!

-Walking's a sport right? I'm counting it! London Overground is a walk around the Overground system in London. If it's not counted as a sport in the physical sense, then it most certainly is in the adventure/fun sense.

-If walking around London doesn't tickle my fancy then maybe Circle Line, a book on sailing around London will appeal to me?!

True

-The Library Book is about an arson in a library, I picked it mainly because I need to read a nonviolent true crime book for Book Riot Read Harder (Sex on the Moon will also count for this)

-Something I can not get enough of is stunt journalism, doing something for the pure fun and thrill of it. I picked up A Chip Shop in Poznan while in London back in July.

-I already have The Book of the Year 2019 on preorder and can't wait to listen to all these true facts!

-If you're a book lover and haven't heard of Educated then you're head must be in the sand as it's such a hyped up book, the true story of Tara Westover and her family

Voice

-Last year I read Feminists Don't Wear Pink and this year I'm thinking of reading It's Not OK to be Blue, essays and accounts about depression and mental health

-No One is Too Small to Make a Difference is such a great book for this prompt, one person's voice on climate change, that inspires people and proves that one person can make a difference

-Notes to Self are essays from Emelie Pine which I've heard so many good things about and I've really been enjoying reading books about women and their life experiences

-Talking as Fast as I Can is a memoir from Lauren Graham and I liked the fact that it had talking in the title too!

Obviously I won't be reading all these books in November, I'm good at reading but not that good! I chose these books most because I own them! But also because they fit some other challenges I'm doing and I think there's a good mix of different types of nonfiction. I have other books I might chose instead, especially audiobooks as I love them when I'm commuting and crafting. I also have some books due to come in to the library but I don't think they fit these themes.

Anticipated Book Releases September-December 2019

In my Anticipated Book Releases May-August, I said I'd have a post up in August for my September-December Releases and I've actually managed to keep my word! Not going to lie, the idea of writing this post, getting the photos ready for this post seemed like such a hassle. More so because Blogger just doesn't seem to co-operate with me when it comes to photos. Anyway, there's lots of great books upcoming that I wanted to share which motivated me to get everything sorted!

Filter This by Sophie White

I read Sophie White's part-memoir part-cookbook Recipes For a Nervous Breakdown earlier this year and loved it. Filter This is her first novel which explores the dark side of social media. Ali Jones craves followers and being an influencer. So when she accidentally leads people to believe she's pregnant and sees a spike in followers, she decides to keep going with this lie. Meanwhile her idol and big influencer Shelly Divine seems to have it all, but we see the big stresses that having this fame brings to her and her family Sept 5th

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

I've read and loved other Gladwell books so I'm excited to see a new release. As the title suggests, it's about talking to people you don't know and knowing Gladwell he'll tell us plenty interesting tales and facts to create his point September 10th

Once, Twice, Three Times an Aisling by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen

The 3rd book in the Oh My God What a Complete Aisling series. I'm looking forward to seeing what Aisling gets up to next. They're funny and heartwarming reads September 12th

The Confession by Jessie Burton

I was delighted to see a new Jessie Burton book this year! I enjoyed The Miniaturist and LOVED The Muse. To be honest, I don't know what it's about. I haven't even properly read the synopsis. Nor do I want to, I'm happy going in utterly cold! September 15th

Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake

The final book in the Three Dark Crowns series, set on a secret mysterious island where triplets are born, brought up separately and at the age of 16 fight until one is victorious and becomes the new queen. I'm not super excited about this but it's been an interesting enough series and I want to know what happens September 15th

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty

The 3rd book from Caitlin Doughty, who I first came across with her Ask a Mortician series on YouTube. Caitlin will answer 35 questions that have been put to her by some of her youngest fans. I expect it will be funny, delightful and informative. I have it preordered on audiobook as I listened to her second book this way and love her narration September 15th

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Jasmine writes adorable fun contemporary romance novels, I've read the 1st three she's written so far. This one will be Christmas themed so I'm going to save it for that time of the year. Again I don't know too much about it but I'm ok with that! October 1st

The Places I've Cried in Public by Holly Bourne

Holly is the queen of contemporary YA and I've enjoyed many of her previous books. She covers lots of serious issues and it seems like this one will be no different October 3rd

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

Sequel to her very popular book Carry On. While I did enjoy Carry On, with Simon Snow and Baz (the story that was the basis of fan fiction in Fangirl), I wasn't bowled over by it like others. But I think I might try and read this one to see where the story goes next October 3rd

It's Not Ok to Feel Blue and Other Lies currated by Scarlett Curtis

I really enjoyed Feminists Don't Wear Pink, essays and thoughts about feminism from all different aspects from different women. This is similar but this time the topic is mental health. This list of people included looks amazing! Names I recognise (I can't wait to see what Naomi Campbell has written!) and plenty I don't but will no doubt be interesting October 3rd

Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay

This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay has been a massive success. I read it in July and loved it, it was so funny and sad. This is a shorter book with stories set around being a medical professional at Christmastime. I'm sure it'll be just as funny and sad as the first book October 15th

Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao

I read American Panda by Gloria Chao earlier this year and really enjoyed it, it was a cute contemporary YA novel. Ali, who is the only Asian kid in her high school in Indiana, becomes close to new kid Chase, who is also Tawainese. Though when her mother finds out she forces Ali to end things. Ali uncovers secrets when she digs deeper into why her mum is so reluctant about Ali and Chase October 15th

The Book of the Year 2019 by No Such Thing as Fish

Another book with some of the craziest stories from 2019. As a fan of the podcast I look forward to these and will preorder it as an audiobook when it's available to do so October 24th

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

A new novel by the author of The Night Circus. I don't know much about this book, except there's magic and bound to be so dreamy descriptions of things. That's all I remember about The Night Circus! November 5th

The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West

A book on feminism and pop culture. If it's anything like Shrill it will be insightful and punchy. November 5th

False Value by Ben Aaronovitch

The latest installment of the Rivers of London series. Though to be honest I'm not keeping my hopes up that it'll be out in November, lately these novels keep getting their publication dates pushed back. One can hope! November 14th

And that's it for 2019! There are of course other books coming out that probably have more hype than these. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, the follow up to The Handmaid's Tale, is out September 10th. I'm not sure yet if I'll read it which is why I didn't include it. Other books may also be announced but I'm hoping I haven't missed anything.

What are you most looking forward to coming out over the next few months? Is it one of these books or something else I haven't posted? Let me know in a comment below or on Instagram!

The Reading Rush 2019 Results

Hello! So just over 3 weeks ago I shared my TBR for The Reading Rush 2019 (formerly BookTubeAThon). And then the following week, when I planned to write up my results I got sick with a throat infection. Which turned into a cough and is now a streaming head cold. Hurrah! Nonetheless I want to share which books I read and if I managed to do all the challenges. I'm forever posting the beginning of something on here and then getting too distracted to follow through.

If you didn't read the original post or you're too lazy to click through and read it now, I'm going to share the photo of my TBR that would have fulfilled all the challenges.

And the grand total of books I read from this pile? Two! However I must say now, spoiler alert, that I did read more than one book and I did complete all the challenges

The first book I read was Sweet Valley High: Academic All-Star by Katy Rex and Devaki Neogi. I've been looking forward to this read for a while now, ever since I first heard about it. I read it on day 1 and day 2 in bed to satisfy Read a book in the same spot the entire time. I started just after the midnight on the Sunday and finished it that Monday night.

I then read a lot of other books in different formats. A physical book, an ebook and an audiobook. Between working and then travelling to London to visit friends on the Thursday night, I finished the next book Saturday morning! Like Water for Hot Chocolate by Laura Esquivel was one of the books I was thinking of in my previous post when I said I had changed by mind about the TBR 30 mins after taking the photo. This book fulfills multiple challenges. Read an author's first book. Pick a book that has 5 or more words in the title (the book does seem to commonly go by Like Water for Chocolate but my copy specifically says Like Water for Hot Chocolate). Read and watch a book to movie adaptation. I haven't watched the movie yet, I had plans to watch it the following week when I got back from London but felt so crap. I'm rubbish at watching films anyway but I promise I will get to this one! This book was also a pick for Book Riot Read Harder 2019 for the challenge An #ownvoices book set in Mexico or Central America.

Sunday morning I finished The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory. I read this as an ebook and for the Read a book with purple on the cover. Online the colour looks anything from pink to purple. I think it looks more purple to me, at least the ebook I had did. So I'm counting it!

Sunday evening I finished the audiobook I was listening to, the BBC Radio adaptation of Good Omens. I was given the book years ago by a friend and have attempted to read it 2 or 3 times but never got into it. This adaptation was really good, I loved that it was done by a cast and that there's added sound effects. This one covers Read a book you meant to read last year as well as Read a book with a non-human main character (the two main characters are an angel and a demon).

I also listened to parts of two other audiobooks. The second chapter of Good Omens hadn't downloaded on my phone when I was at lunch one day so I continued listening to Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. I also listened to some of James Acaster's Classic Scrapes by James Acaster in the car with my partner on the Monday.

I'm happy I did The Reading Rush this year and completed it. Ok, *almost* completed it, I will watch that movie! Usually I would read a book for each challenge task but seeing as I was working full time and away on holiday I'm pleased I managed to complete it with 4 books. Also by completing it I managed to maintain my streak of completing/not completing every 2nd year 😆 I also managed to complete some of the Instagram challenges at the beginning of the week, including the picture above of Like Water for Hot Chocolate. You can check out my Bookstagram here @rareopalreads.

Did you do The Reading Rush too? Let me know in the comments below how you got on!

To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers Book Review

 Thanks to massive advancements in science and technology, Ariadne and her 3 colleagues are sent to study 4 habitable planet and their ecology 15 light years away. Somaforming is the means that allows them to do so, a process where the astronauts are put into a sleep-like state while travelling, that slows down their aging and delivers synthetic biological supplements to their bodies to help with each different environment. The novella chronicles their journeys and the problems that arise for the explorers. What it's like to leave your family and loved ones behind on Earth, how much will change while they're away, will their work still be relevant, will they be remembered? I really like Chambers' sci-fi, how things work and their descriptions. It's so believable and intriguing.

The heart of the story for me is the characters and their relationships. Chambers is so brilliant at writing characters, just like her other books these didn't disappoint. The smallest nuances and interactions speaks volumes. I swear she can express so much with just just a pat on the back as another author would need a whole paragraph to convey. I would have loved a longer book to explore Ariadne and the others more, both before and after their trip. That's the only reason I gave this 3 stars (really 3.5), because I selfishly wanted more! It is still satisfying for a novella though, perfect for the summer.

One of my favourite quotes from the story is

'This is what a forest is, after all. Don't believe the lie of individual trees, each a monument to it's own self-made success. A forest is an interdependent community. Resources are shared, and life in isolation is a death sentence'

Becky Chambers has such a beautiful way with words and the scene this quote comes from is beautiful. Becky Chambers could write a shopping list and I'd be clamouring to read it! The novella is out August 8th.

The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan Book Review

Colgan's books are like a mug of hot chocolate by a fire on a stormy day. They're very cosy! This one is no exception. Single mum Zoe and her 4 year old selectively mute son Hari are struggling big time in London. Hari's father is no help whatsoever and Zoe is being to drown. So when an opportunity comes along to work as an au pair and part time bookseller in the Scottish Highlands, Zoe decides to take the leap of faith and give it a go. She arrives at The Beeches, a big Scottish house surrounded in mystery. Here 3 children and their father live and Zoe is to be nanny number 7. And she soon finds out why, as the children are not the easiest to get on with. And there's so much mystery and unanswered questions that Zoe can not get answers to. Struggling to coax the children into behaving, keeping the bookshop van afloat and Hari's well being has Zoe exhausted. Can she pull it all off?

It's easy to dismiss books like this as flight, fluffy and frothy. Yes, this book has its light moments but there are some serious issues dealt with in here and I think Colgan managed them well enough. It certainly brought tears to my eyes! While there is a romance, it isn't the centre of the book, the real centre seems to be Zoe and the children. I loved seeing her encourage them and letting them blossom. There's some touching moments, I especially liked Shackleton's arc. The story was good, I do think it kinda meandered in spots and could have been edited a bit tighter. But overall it was enjoyable, like most of Colgan's books!

Reasons to Be Cheerful by Nina Stibbe Book Review

Three years on from the events in Paradise Lodge and Lizzie Vogel is now 18. She's managed to get a job as a dental nurse, living in the flat above the practice.in Leicester. Lizzie should be having the time of her life, she's young and living a city. But Lizzie is a bit homesick for her home in the country with her alcoholic eccentric aspiring writer mother. On top of that Lizzie hates the dentist she works for, a xenophobe who's obsessed with becoming a Free Mason and who is also in a relationship with another woman who works in the dental clinic . Lizzie starts seeing Andy and in true Lizzie fashion things are never quite clear. Are they seeing each other, is he more into in bird watching than having sex? Things get even more complicated when Andy becomes a lodger at his mother's house.

The book is very much character driven, there is a story arc but it's quite slow. The main focus are the characters and simple observations made throughout the book. Stibbe has a knack for mentioning things that might seem mundane or rambling coming from other people but from her they are charming and sometimes hilarious. There's nice descriptions and touches for life in the early 1980s, nostalgic without being over the top or too schmaltzy. I really enjoy the characters and how they interact with each other, Lizzie and her dysfunctional family are very entertaining. In Man at the Helm, Lizzie was this perfect mix of childhood innocence and maturity for her age. In Paradise Lodge, it's a coming of age story where Lizzie is trying to get to grips with getting older and being a teenager. In Reasons to Be Cheerful, we see Lizzie becoming an adult and trying to find her groove in life. I love her quirks, she's very endearing and it was a pleasure to see Lizzie bloom and grow into the woman she wants to be. I found myself rooting for her. I love Stibbe's writing and look forward to her next book.

Meat Market by Juno Dawson Book Review

When 16 year old Jana Novak is spotted by a Prestige Models scout on a school tour, her life is flipped upside down. Never mind the fact that Jana has never worn a pair of heels before, in a matter of weeks she's walking London Fashion Show and shooting campaigns for high street stores. Life is a whirlwind for Jana as she quickly learns that while modelling has it's perks (free swag, flying around the world, fun parties in New York), it's not all glamour. Jana struggles with the two versions of herself- Jana Novak, child of immigrants from a South London housing estate and Jana, the supermodel. Can Jana keep her feet on the ground or will the seedy underbelly of fashion and modelling sweep her away and change her for good?

This novel was my first by Juno Dawson and I was very impressed! Jana is such an interesting character, I loved her story arc and how she found her voice. I found myself rooting for her. I wanted her to succeed, felt for her when she was lonely and exhausted, cheered her on when she started standing up for herself. The book touches on a lot of dark topics. With a book about models, eating disorders and diets is of course touched on as well as body shaming, drugs, sexual harassment, misogyny, sexual assault. None of it felt like it was used for shock value though, it all felt natural to the story. Something I'd credit to Dawson and all the research that was done for this novel. I wasn't sure what to think before I picked up this book, I thought it would feel cliched, instead it was compelling and in the end of was dying to pick this up and finish it!

Anticipated Book Released 2019 May-August

Don't mind me, I'm just late as per usual. Better late than never I guess! Some of the books have already been released (I've even read some!) but thought I'd post them anyway to show what I was excited about before they came out. I've already started keeping track of the late releases for 2019 so hopefully that post will be on time!

Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Sarah Crossan writes beautiful YA books, they never fail to bring a tear to my eye. Allison has run away from home and is squatting in the shed at the bottom of an abandoned house. However when she goes to take a closer look at the house, she finds it isn't abandoned and that an elderly lady called Marla lives there. She mistakes Allison for someone for Toffee and so Allison, who is used to constantly hiding who she really is, pretends to be Toffee in order to stay. May 2nd



I Heart Hawaii by Lindsey Kelk

The I Heart series is one of my favourites, I love seeing what Angela and Jenny are up to! This is the 8th and last week in the series and while I still have to read the 7th, I Heart Forever, this one looks like such a fun summery read. I bet it'll have me dreaming of sandy beaches, cocktails and pineapples! May 30th






The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan

Speaking of favourites, Jenny's books are always so feel good and cosy! And this is a bonus as it's about books! Set in the same world as The Little Shop of Happy Ever After it sees single mother Zoe, living in London and desperate to make ends meet for herself and her 4 year old son Hari, who decides on a whim to take a job as a live in nanny in the Scottish Highlands. Jenny's books always make me want to go off and live in these dreamy locations she creates, they're always so idyllic. Perfect sunny summer reads. June 13th



Sweet Valley High: Academic All Star? by Katy Rex

I think I've been waiting for this book for over a year! It's a graphic novel edition of Sweet Valley High. What's not to love?! July 9th









The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

You may be noticing a theme by now and that's books that some might call 'chick lit'. I love a good funny romantic book for summer, something that sweeps you away when you can't get away yourself. This will be the 3rd in The Wedding Date series, which focuses on different couples with some overlapping characters. I won't say too much about the plot in this but if it's anything like the others I'm expecting good fun and lots of amazing food descriptions! July 16th



To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers

Becky Chambers' first novella following the previous 3rd novels in the Wayfarers universe. I don't know if this is in the Wayfarers universe but I'm still excited as Becky writes such amazing character driven sci-fi stories. Following a break through in science, humans can travel and survive far from earth in hostile environments. Adriadne is an explorer using these methods, 15 light years away from Earth, which has changed since she left. Tasked when heading back to a planet that may have forgotten those that left, she chronicles her journey. August 8th


Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster

January 2017 found James Acaster hungover and freshly single. In an attempt to comfort himself, he decides to buy as much music from 2016, before things went to shit. I'm sure this'll have the same zany James Acaster stories I know and love. I've already preordered this as an audiobook as I listened James Acaster's Classic Scrapes by audiobook and never laughed so much before in my entire life. August 22nd





Sex Power Money by Sara Pascoe

Animal by Sara Pascoe was one of my favourite books the year it was released and I was hoping Sara would release another book! Sex Power Money is a study of who we are and what motivates us, all from a from a feminist angle. August 27th







There's some good books here but I can't wait for the releases from September! There's some cracking books from some of my favourite authors coming out then. Hopefully I'll have the post up in August!

Anticipated Book Releases 2019 January-April

There’s something about the beginning of the year, new year new book releases new reading challenges, that gets me hyped about reading. I love seeing if any favourite authors have upcoming books and coming across books from authors I haven’t heard of before. I’ve come across so many releases that I’ve split them into different blog posts. This one will concentrate on the first four months of the year.

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus

I really enjoyed One of Us is Lying, which was a murder mystery meets a mixture of The Breakfast Club and Gossip Girl. So I’m looking forward to reading the next book from the same author. I don’t know too much about it as I want to go into it cold. Ellery has to move in with her Grandmother in Echo Ridge, a town that has mysteries (her aunt disappeared from there at the age of 17) and dark secrets (5 years ago a homecoming queen was murdered). Of course, secrets have a way of coming out and causing mayhem. This book is already out, it was released January 10th and I’m on the wait list at the library

Duped: Double Lives, False Identities and the Con Man I Almost Married by Abby Ellin

After discovering that her fiancé was lying about who he was, Abby Ellin explores her own story, looks into the art of lying and talks to other people who have had similar stories. It sounds so fascinating, I’m always floored when I hear stories about people who have successfully lived double lives. January 15th






The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin

Take the story of Henry VIII and his wives, put it in a modern high school setting and you get a story that’s being billed as The Tudors meets Mean Girls. There’s a lot of mixed reviews for it on Goodreads but I’m just hoping for some campy good fun! January 29th







On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give was one of my favourite books from 2017. There’s a reason it’s so hyped and it’s well deserved. The story and characters are fantastic and the messages in the book are so so important. I was disappointed On the Come Up was pushed back from its release last year but I’m sure the wait will be well worth it. 16 year old Bri is the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died before he hit it big. Bri really wants to become a rapper and when her mom loses her job and bills start piling up, Bri no longer just wants to hit it big, she needs to hit it big. February 5th


The Wych Elm by Tana French

I mentioned this book in my September to December 2018 Book Releases post. It seems it was released in the US last October, as The Witch Elm, but it’s due to be officially released here in February as The Wych Elm. It’s Tana’s first stand alone novel, it’s not part of the Dublin Murder Squad series. I’ve heard it’s very slow paced and atmospheric but worth reading. As I’m a big fan of Tana, I’ll definitely be picking it up. February 21st




Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Written as an oral history of a fictional band, Daisy Jones and the Six, it tells the story of their rise in popularity and why the band split at the height of fame in the 70s. The concept sounds super unique, I’m getting a Fleetwood Mac vibe off the whole thing and it’s already been opted for a TV series by Reese Witherspoon’s company Hello Sunshine. And she has soon good taste in books judging by her book club! If that wasn’t enough, given that The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was one of my favourites last year, it makes me even more hyped about this book. March 7th



The Department of Sensitive Crimes by Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith perfectly nails cosy crime books with his other series (I’ve read a lot of the No.1 Ladies Detectives Agency as well as some of the other ones too). Scandi-noir crime novels are dark, bleak, moody with serious subject matters. This is being billed as the opposite, Scandi-blanc! Detective Varg and his department deals with cases that the other police deem not worth the time, things that seem strange or inconsequential. Like why the local business owner was stabbed in the back of the knee. It sounds like the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency if it was set in Sweden and I know I’ll probably pick this up if I’m looking for something gentle but different. March 7th


Sounds Like Titanic by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman

When Jessica joins a classical music ensemble as a violinist in New York City, she thinks it’s a dream come true. Until she discovers the whole thing is a sham, the microphones are never on and the music is coming from a CD that sounds suspiciously like the Titanic soundtrack. From what I can tell this book doesn’t just centre around the story but is also a memoir of her life. The story alone though as me intrigued as it sounds batshit crazy! March 12th




Microtrends Squared by Mark Penn

I read the original Microtrends book back in college, about 10 years ago. It focuses on how the behaviour of tiny groups of people can have a larger effect on the population (off the top of my head I remember soccer moms being one of the groups in the first book!). With so many changes and advances over the past ten years, it’ll be interesting to see what’s being proposed as the next big small things in society. And it’ll be perfect for the Book Riot Read Harder challenge for a business book as it’s all about microeconomics. March 20th


The Mobster’s Lament by Ray Celestin

The Mobster’s Lament is book 3 in City Blue Quartet. The first book is The Axeman’s Jazz (set in New Orleans) and the second book is Dead Man’s Blues (set in Chicago). I’ve only read Dead Man’s Blues but it didn’t spoil The Axeman’s Jazz for me (I have a copy of this actually, I didn’t know Dead Man’s Blue was the follow up when I started reading it, otherwise I would have started with The Axeman’s Jazz!). The Mobster’s Lament is set in New York City and I plan on picking up The Axeman’s Jazz before this one! March 21st



Reasons to be Cheerful by Nina Stibbe

I’m a big fan of Stibbe’s books and this will be the 3rd book with Lizzy Vogel, the first being Man at the Helm and the second Paradise Lodge. Lizzie is now 18 and trying to be an independent woman. Though she has a lot to learn about the realities of life and love. I’m sure it’ll be a great mixture of Stibbe’s usual charm, dry wit and dark humour. March 28th





Sex Power Money by Sara Pascoe
Animal by Sara Pascoe is one of my favourite books on feminism. It’s not perfect as it doesn’t have a lot of experiences with intersectionality but a lot of it is from Sara’s own experiences and Sara acknowledges and addresses the lack of intersectionality by saying she doesn’t expect her book to be the definitive in feminism, she just wants to be apart of the conversation. I expect this will be a follow on look at feminism and I’m hoping it’ll be just as funny as Animal. The publisher’s catalogue says March 28th but Amazon says 27th August so fingers crossed it’s sooner rather than later! March 28th


Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

I’ve heard of Jess Kidd before and you probably have too (Himself and The Hoarder) but have yet to pick up any of her novels. This caught my eye as it’s a Victorian murder mystery with a female detective. Er, yes please! Sign me up! April 4th







The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion

This is book 3 in The Rosie Project series, book two The Rosie Effect came out 2o14. I enjoyed the previous two books, though as I was unaware this series was to be continued I’m not super hyped for it. However I’m sure I will pick it up at some stage as I am interested in seeing how the story progresses. April 4th






Cruel Acts by Jane Casey

Book 8 in the Maeve Kerrigan detective series and I can’t wait to read it! One of my favourite crime series and this book can’t come out quick enough. I read books 2-7 over the space of a month in 2017 so it really can’t come quick enough! April 4th







I’ve already started to keep tabs on the releases for May onwards but I’m going to wait to post these until the end of March or beginning of April. Let me know what new books you’re most looking forward to reading this year.

On another note, I wrote this post in January but then Open Writer, the programme I use to write and publish posts, developed some issue with Google changing something to do with how photos are uploaded or something. IDK. Anyway, I ended up removing the photos, adding this as a draft to edit on Blogger and then got super frustrated because I can NEVER get my posts to look the way I want them to using the Blogger editor. It took me ages, editing the HMTL to get the post to look semi decent and it makes me regret not choosing WordPress when I originally started the blog. Sigh

2019 Aims

It’s 2019! It’s been a while since I’ve done a New Year’s Resolutions post but there are some things that I want to improve on. Not so much resolutions, I looked at the meaning for that and it’s something you absolutely intend to do or not do. I don’t like the sound of that, it’s too firm and rigid for me. So I’m calling them aims, something I have the intention of achieving. At the moment I just want to put down my intentions, I’ll work on setting goals to help me get there. And I’ll assess these things as I go along, something that’s important now might not be in a few months time, things change, people change. But for now these are the things I have in mind.

1. Reading

I have in the past done Reading Resolutions posts but for now I’ll just keep it to this post. I want continue doing the Book Riot Read Harder challenge, reduce the amount of books I own that I haven’t read and read a big book, preferably a Russian classic.

2. Creativity

I own a lot of cooking, baking and crafting books, as well as using Pinterest and Ravelry to save things I’m interested in. So I want to make at least one thing from each of my books, as well as some Pinterest and Ravelry items. I own a lot of craft supplies too, I get swept up in wanting to try things but then once I have the supplies I get scared to use them in case I mess things up and ‘waste’ the supplies. Essentially I need to work on my fears that it’s ok for something not to be 100% perfect.

3. Small Changes

The title of this is a bit vague but I saw something recently on Instagram about small changes when it comes to being eco. I want to incorporate that with buying less stuff, clearing out my home and using up things I have. Choosing the item with less packaging, not buying that cheap t-shirt, bringing a reusable cup when I get coffee, supporting more indie shops and businesses in person and online, eating more vegetarian meals. Just being a bit more aware of how I impact the world around me.

4. Planning for the future

Specifically money and health wise. But also jobs, travel plans, being more vocal on issues that are important to me etc. I know this is vague but I guess while the previous point was about how I impact the world, this one is to be more aware of how my actions now impact my future and the person I want to become.

So that’s it for now. Like I said, I’ll work on setting goals for these things, I might do a post on that or I might just get a notebook. Happy New Year and may 2019 bring great things for us all!