Surprise Blog Holiday Time

Last minute surprise, but am taking a few weeks off blogging. 
 
No big secret on why (in fact, I don’t need to tell you am taking a blog holiday, dear reader, as I’ve seen so many bloggers/vloggers take time away then come back and go “I needed a break”, but I like telling you), but am going on holiday for a few days/weeks and am not taking my laptop with me. Then, when I return, I want a few more days to play catch-up on real life (work, family, mental health, cleaning – oh, I need to do so much cleaning, etc) 
 
Another reason (again, I never hid this) but recently, have been finding blogging a bit of a struggle. I don’t have the energy like I used to. I know it’s because of the events of the last few years and, while I’m out of my summer reading slump, it’s taking me longer to get my blogging mojo back on track. So, hopefully, this little time away will help me come back with zest and vigour. 
 
Plus, my To Be Read has got a little out of control. Earlier this week, I got approved to read several eBooks for review in a space of an hour (HOW?! WHEN DID I REQUEST YOU ALL?!). That doesn’t include the books/eBooks/Audiobooks I already have for review (gifted very kindly by publishers/PR companies/authors/etc in exchange for an honest review/reaction), audiobooks I would like to borrow from my local library and books/ebooks/audiobooks that I have bought. So… yeah, I might need a few weeks away from laptop to focus on reading, hopefully at a leisurely pace, but there are titles I want done… 
 
Plus, I have a plan or two for November and December (plus, I would like a few weeks off for Christmas) but I want to enjoy blogging again and, hopefully, this mini-blog break will do the trick. (Maybe I should book some time away in 2023 for a reading retreat. Just me, my books/kindle and NO WIFI. Maybe some nature walks – sounds like heaven!)

Audiobook Review - Marple

I am not the biggest Agatha Christie fan (though I do plan to read more of her work and more crime novels from the Golden Age of Crime... they are sitting on my kindle, awaiting angrily for me!), but when I first heard of this new collection of short stories, written by twelve female authors, where they tackle one of the greatest crime fighting creation, created by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, I jumped on it! I preordered the author and, being impatient, requested an eProof from NetGalley. 

Title and Author: Marple by Various

Publisher: HarperCollins

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and bought (then returned) audiobook. 

Oh, you saw the little detail in the info paragraph, did you? I will explain, but stay with me for a little while. 

If you ask most Agatha Christie what format works best with Miss Jane Marple - novel or short story - you might get a split, but most people I know think that she works best in short story form. There's something delicious about her in short stories that work so much nicer than when I read short stories with Poirot as the star (he works best in the novels, I found). But here is Miss Marple, solving crime for a new generation. Miss Marple tackling cases in St Mary Mead, London, New York, Hong Kong and beyond.

The Boy Lost In The Maze Extract Alert

An extract from a book, told in verse, where Greek myths is mixed with a modern day quest, written by the UK Children's Laureate 2022 to 2024, Joseph Coelho with illustrations by Kate Milner? HOW COULD I NOT SHARE THIS?! 

When Bee from Kaleidoscopic Tours emailed this, I had an immediate reaction and knew I had to be involved in this tour! I HAD TO BE INVOLVED!

In Ancient Greece, Theseus makes a dangerous and courageous journey to find his father, finally meeting the Minotaur in the heart of the Labyrinth. Theo, a modern-day teenage boy, finds himself on a maze-like quest to find his own father. Both boys quests mirror each other as the two step into manhood, and what true manhood really means... 

And all the while, the Minotaur waits in the darkness... 

Now, before I share the extract, I just want to thank Bee for asking and allowing me to pop onto this tour, and to the lovely people at Otter-Barry Books for sending me a copy of The Boy Lost in the Maze. At the time of writing the beginnings of this post, I am in the depth of the prose and am enjoying myself. I, also, want to point you in the right direction if you want to say hi to Joseph or Kate. You can go to thepoetryofjosephcoelho.com or tweet a quick hi at @JosephACoelho. You can find Kate at @abagforkatie. And if you want to know more about Children's Laureate info, you can go to booktrust.org.uk or @UKLaureate on Twitter. 

Now, onto the extract!!!