Unscheduled Blog Break

Oh, the joys of reading/blogging burnout. Aren’t it grand?!

So yeah, my brain wasn’t happy with me last month so decided to “Nope!” itself out of here while I was planning to read a few short novels/short story collections and then indulge myself into slowly reading Cassandra Clare’s upcoming adult fantasy novel, Sword Catcher (which I got at an bookish event that I was very excited to be invited and go to. Second bookish event of the year that I managed to go to - and be invited to as I am not longer youthful or down with the kids with TikTok & Threads [innit?])

But nope, not happened like I planned. I still am reading Sword Catcher and I am enjoying the world and sinking into it. I am going to enjoy taking my time over this so no rushing me on this one as I want to savour!

I have done some short, quick reads (a novella [mini-review for that is coming], a short story prequel to a MM romance series I started via audiobook & the first book in that series [yes, a reread - sometimes, you need a platter cleanser] and sample chapters of an recently released novel [which am in two minds about finishing as, while good in places, I wasn’t completely sold on finishing]) and I am going to try and do a few audiobooks this month - should I make this month an audiobook only reading month?

So, yeah, last few weeks hasn’t been great. But am slowly getting back on track with my reading and audiobooking by allowing myself to not worry about it. Easier said than done. I am a worry wart at heart and things do get the best of me, but I feel like with my reading and blogging, I can allow myself to go “ok, I have blogged and read solidly for over 12 years now. I am allowed to not blog everything I read.”
So, that’s what I’m going to do. Take my time, blog not every book and audiobook, and think of some new ideas for fun blogging. I have ideas… let’s see if I follow through with them…

But yes, here I am, once again. Slowly trying to get out of a funk of my own making. Hopefully, normal service will resume shortly with a slightly different twist.

Audiobook Review - The Housekeepers

One of my favourite podcasts, All About Agatha, have a saying as they read and review each Agatha Christie novel: never underestimate the help. And this couldn't be more true for The Housekeepers by Alex Hay. 

Title and Author: The Housekeepers by Alex Hay

Publisher: Headline

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof and Audiobook gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction

Buy From (Affiliate): Bookshop.org

When housekeeper, Mrs King, is dismissed from her role at a luscious house in Mayfair, she has a plan. A plot that has been brewing for quite some time. She plans to pull off one of the biggest heist from her former employer. And she knows who she can call on to pull it off... 

A black-market queen, an actress, a seamstress, a former housekeeper. All have a reason for the heist to work. But can they pull it off while the Mistress of the house is planning to host the biggest ball of the season?

eBook Review - HappyHead

I've been sitting on this review for a while as I'm not sure how to write it. Even now, I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about this, but I wanted to show you guys that I have read this. 

The backstory to this is the same as some of my other reads of late: I originally had an eProof from the lovely publisher via NetGalley. However, over Easter weekend, my Amazon was hacked/deleted, all my eProofs got wiped off my kindle. But, I saw this on sale for 99p, I bought it without a second thought, as this book intrigued me as soon as I first heard it. 

Title and Author: HappyHead by Josh Silver

Publisher: Rock The Boat

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought but I did have eProof via NetGalley in exchange for honest review/reaction

Buy From (Affiliate): Bookshop.org 

When Seb is offered a place at a radical retreat to tackle the national crisis of teenage unhappiness, he is determined to do well. But he find himself being pulled to the mysterious Finn, Seb begins to realise that there's something deeply wrong with HappyHead as the tasks that are meant to be help their wellbeing become more and more disturbing...

Quickie Catch-Up

It’s been a while since I actually sat down and wrote a post about reading. I have been radio-silence for a while for a few weeks (sorry about that). Let me explain why it’s taken so long – laziness. There’s no other excuse. Sometimes, you need to reset and take your time to enjoy yourself. I don’t need to review every story I read/audiobook, right? Plus I did start then put down several titles because I wasn’t in the right mindset for them (Broken Light by Joanne Harris, Old Babes In The Wood by Margaret Atwood, and several others).

Also, I was binge-watching a lot of TV. I have, finally, caught up with Succession (well, that didn’t go in a direction I was expecting and, at the same time, it did. Satisfyingly so) and I have started Pokerface (which I am thoroughly enjoying).

So, here I am. Touching base with a small write up on a few books I’ve read and maybe a plan for the next few weeks as I’m thinking of taking a short blog holiday at the end of July/start of August. Just for a week or two, nothing major, but want to do some other non-blog related things before I can back for a summer of reading (I feel like I should have a theme for August reading. Thoughts?)

Since my last posts (Sara Barnard’s Where the Light Goes and Tales from Beyond the Raindow by Pete Jordi Wood), I have read/audiobook three books and just started a book (which I am going to mention before I sign off this post) and I am going to touch all each of the read titles now. Now, all of these were gifted to me from publishers either direct or via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and, if I can, I will include affiliate links for these titles, though I believe one is only available as an ebook at the present so no link to that one, sadly.

Blog Tour Review - Tales from Beyond The Rainbow

Another day, another blog tour review. And this is so up my street that as soon as Bee from Kaleidoscopic Tours emailed about this title, I instantly emailed back and went "PLEASE LET ME BE INVOLVED! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!"

And here we are!

Title and Author: Tales from Beyond the Rainbow by Pete Jordi Wood

Publisher: Puffin

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by UK publisher and PR Blog Tour Company, Kaleidoscopic, in exchange for an honest review/reaction for blog tour. 

Buy From (Affiliate): Bookshop.org

There are fairy tales and folklore that time has forgotten or concealed in one form or another. This could be for a number of reasons. They became out of fashion. The morale of the story doesn't fit with the changing world. Or because the stories in question tackle the issue of gender and sexual identity, and all end (mostly) with happy ever afters. 

In this collection of short fairy tales and folklore from around the world (ranging from Germany, Russia, China, Taiwan, Cape Verde, Canada and other corners of the world), Pete Jordi Wood has collected and adapted them, each illustrated by an artist who shares heritage with he culture of where the stories have come from.

Mini-Review - Where The Light Goes

I've been sitting on writing this review for several reasons. The first is I really needed to think about how I was going to write this. This book was SO GOOD, and yet, point out that there are trigger warnings to you guys. The second was time. I just didn't seem to have the time since I finished this book to actually write a review down. And the third was the recent news in the UK about ... yeah ... 

Title and Author: Where The Light Goes by Sara Barnard

Publisher: Walker Books

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by Walker Books in exchange for an honest review/reaction. 

Buy from (Affiliate): uk.bookshop.org

Audiobook Review - The Witch In The Well

Title and Author: The Witch In The Well by Camilla Bruce

Publisher: Transworld

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof Gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction, though I listened to audiobook, borrowed from local library

Buy From (Affiliate): Bookshop.org

Hundreds of year ago, the town of F- did something bad. Even now, the ripples of that event affects the town and Catherine Evans has been researching and writing a novel about what happened when Ilsbeth Clark drowned in the local well when the townsfolk accused her of being a witch. According to Catherine Ilsbeth wasn't a witch, but a woman who knew her own mind and who didn't fit the norm of what a woman/wife should be... 

But when her old childhood friend, Elena, comes to town, stuck for an idea to follow up her successful book, Whispers Inside: A Reawakening of the Soul. When she rediscovers the story of Ilsbeth Clark, she thinks that would be a great book idea, focusing on her natural magic, and accidentally mentions her idea in an interview, a rivalry between Catherine and Elena form. 

By the end of the summer, one woman will be dead and the other will be accused of her murder. But did she do it? And who is Ilsbeth Clark, really? An innocent, a witch or something much, much worse?

Blog Tour Review - If Tomorrow Doesn't Come

I have a blog tour review for you! Brace yourselves, as I don't normally write reviews for blog tours if I can help it. Mainly because I'm always worry about what would happen if I said yes, then I read the book and go "Oh no, I don't like this. Now what?"

But with this, I knew I had to make an exception as when the Write Reads emailed and I read the synopsis for this, I got very excited. A book that tackles queerness, mental health and it's going to be beautiful and yet, utterly heartbreaking. SIGN ME UP!

Title and Author: If Tomorrow Doesn't Come by Jen St. Jude

Publisher: Penguin Random House Children

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by UK publisher and PR Blog Tour Company, The Write Reads, in exchange for an honest review/reaction for blog tour. 

Buy From (Affiliate): Bookshop.org

On the morning that Avery Byrne plans to kill herself, the world discovers that an asteroid is heading to Earth and there is only nine days left to live. 

With time running out, Avery rushes to get home to be with her family and the girl she's been in love with her whole life. But can Avery try and save her family, the girl she loves and, maybe, even herself...