Month in Review

June Reading Round Up

Total books read this month:  11

Book Ratings

The Library at the Edge of the World.  3.5 stars
Riverbend Road. 3 stars
The Homewreckers 4.5 stars
The Wedding Dress Circle. 4.5stars
Summer on the Island 4 stars
Count to Ten 4.5 stars
How Hard Can it Be?   3.5 stars
Bloomsbury Girls. 4 stars
The Tuesday Night Survivor’s Club  4 stars
The Cartographers.  3.5 stars
The Edge of Summer. Viola Shipman 4.5 stars

New to me authors:

Felicity Hayes- McCoy
Allison Pearson
Lyn Cahoon*

ones I’d want to read again. *

Top Book for June.

It was really hard to pick the top book this month as I had a few that were equal, so I looked at them and I said if I could only keep one what would it be?

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Looking forward to reading in July

I liked the first book by this author and so I am hoping I’ll like this one too.

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Review of Reading Goals  for June

Completed except for the reading of Pride and Prejudice.

Main Reading Goals for  July

Read five from my own print shelf.
Read more of Pride and Prejudice.

Linking up with Nicole from FeedYourFiction Addiction.

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Book Connections

Five Books Read From My Shelf in June

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Count to Ten by Karen Rose. Another very good addition to this series. The bad guy is so bad and far too many murders. Had to skip some of that. Why do I read them though? The good guys – in this case Mia and Reed and the team are so dedicated to their work of bringing justice and putting themselves on the line. And there is such innate goodness in them. Loved seeing the origin of Faith Buchanan who we meet later on in the series.

4.5 stars

book coverThe Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan. 4.5 stars. A really feel good story set in England during WW2. I love these kinds of stories that tell of women doing things that made a difference in their local community. The three characters – Grace, the vicar’s daughter, Violet daughter at the manor and Cressida – Violet’s aunt and well known dress designer all change and grow as the war goes along and various opportunities come their way. The local community and their support was wonderful and it was good seeing class barriers fall. Well worth reading. 4.5 stars

How Hard Can it Be?How Hard Can it Be sat on my shelf for three years so good to attend to it. It is set in England and tells the story of an almost fifty year old and her life with a husband, and two teens Ben and Emily.

The best part of this book was the relationship between Emily and her mother Kate. So full of the teen issues of today.

It’s not my style of book really. It is sort of Rom Com style of writing although it’s a women’s fiction novel.That said it is very well written and while the style didn’t appeal to me, the general premise and issues explored did.  3.5 stars

book coverIt took me a little while to warm into this story, The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews. I think the Hollywoodish angle put me off a little. I liked Hattie and Cass and I felt they could have had more to say about what went on with the renovation of the house. That said, it was a very good read, I enjoyed the mystery – the unravelling of an old murder. Hattie’s relationship to her father-in-law, her own father and loss of a husband were all low key but provided background. There is a low burn romance and that worked out well in the end. That house would have looked amazing by the end.  4.5 stars

The Library at the Edge of the WorldNot quite sure about this book. I did find part of it overly descriptive and slow. Yet there is a charm and pull in to it. There is the library, Hanna finding her own two feet after divorce. Did I like Hanna and her mother Mary? Well in some ways not really. Who wants a gruff “keep quiet” librarian? My least favourite kind! Yet they grow on me and I was wishing them life and growth. My favourite character was Fury, the builder who obviously has a kind heart but isn’t beholden to anyone and rules can be side stepped. He is rather creative. Will I read any more. I don’t know. Our library doesn’t hold any of these books so I’d need to buy them. Will I? Time will tell.  3.5 stars.

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.
Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

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Welcome to another Monday. I had a quiet week really, not a lot going on! As I am in winter here it is sort of a time to hunker down. Hope its not too hot where you are.

What I read last week:

What I am reading now:

A review book and first in the series.

The Tuesday Night Survivor's Club

And still listening to the Bloomsbury Girls.

Up next:

From the library…

The Cartogrophers 

Last Week’s Posts

Riverbend Reunion Carolyn Brown

More 2022 Books on my WTR List

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.
Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

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Hello all. Well I am over weather this week. Wet, extremely windy with small twisters and rain and hail, thunder and lightning and we have another few days of it. I had a visitor yesterday and we decided it was better staying over night and travel this morning. Which we did. Just yucky. Fortunately so far I haven’t been in the path of the twisters or flooding but many others have. One of sisters was having problems with a flooding street.

My sister posted this, this morning on Facebook. So funny – we have an ongoing joke because one of our sisters got mad with us all for awhile and called us witches. My brother thought this was hugely funny and built a block for us all ( 5) to park our broomsticks at mad sister’s place.  My sister  says “Weather conditions are so bad here I was only going to get some milk from the dairy. got blown off course .”

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Miss 6 year old came home from school very bouncy and excited. She said there had been thunder, lightning, heavy rain, hail and strong wind. It was so awesome! I can remember my teaching days when if you got extreme weather, lessons “were out the window” as the class just massed at the windows to watch!

I had a good reading week, read and discussed volcanoes as we read Max’s reading book. (Helping him with reading), we have lots of volcanoes in NZ so quite relevant with one huffing and puffing at the moment. I wrote 6 postcards I am ready to send off to USA and Canada as part of a Facebook quilting group who are mailing out postcards to people in the group. Thought it would be fun. Hope they get there, my pen has smudged a bit on the card so need to look into what kind of writing tool is better! So going to brave the weather after preparing this post to get a few more stamps and post them. Who knows when they’ll arrive. Postage is pretty erratic these days.

What I read last week:

What I am reading now:

The wedding dress sewing circle

And still listening to Bloomsbury Girls which I am enjoying but just seem not to be getting to it.

Up next:

Catching up on a back log review book I chose by accident but hope its enjoyable.

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Last Week’s Posts

Twilight Shadows.  Emilie Richards

Five books I had read from the Modern Mrs Darcy SRG 2022

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2022 Books I want to Read

I like to keep my eye out on what is publishing that I might want to read and of course at this time of the year the publishing world seems to be planning lots of goodies! These are books that are publishing May or have published already.

I am not sure which one I’ll go after first, but I hope to work my way through them via audio, library or a …. buy! I have already been pricing some of them and seeing where it is the cheapest for me to buy! The Book Depository is now quite expensive so if I can get it here it is much the same.

Flirting with FiftyFlirting With Fifty. Jane Porter

A  later in life romance that sounds good. I like Jane Porter’s books and haven’t read one for ages. May read this via audio or print. Not sure yet. However it is already published.

Nightwork

Nightwork Nora Roberts. Her latest which comes out on the 24th of this month in audio format and this is most likely the way I will go. Read by male narrator and will be suspense but haven’t even read the blurb.

The wedding dress sewing circleThe Wedding dress Sewing Circle.  Jennifer Ryan. I have enjoyed her other books and publishes at the end of May. It is set in WW2. I may go for audio or print.

Book LoversBook Lovers Emily Henry.    This too is on audio or may  read it in print. I’ve requested this one from the library.

Bloomsbury Girls

 Bloomsbury Girls. Natalie Jenner.   story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore, and three women determined to find their way in a fast-changing world. I know this is on audio but so far isn’t available for my part of world so may have to go for print which I can do. Heard the audio is great though.

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Month in Review

July Reading Look Back

Total books read this month: Eight.

New to me authors:

Tif Marcelo

Top Book for July

Mainly because its well written and I went along with the fun story. Light, fun reading. That said there were a number of books that could have filled this spot for July.

Looking forward to reading in August

Main Reading Goals for August

Ignore all I could and ought to read and just read what I feel like.

Read slowly.

Linking up with Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.
Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

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Hope you all had a good week. I had a visit from Miss 8 year old. I asked her what she wanted to read next. When she mentioned a series and I didn’t know what she had and what she didn’t, we looked on Goodreads. Then I let her be, while I chatted with her mother and grandmother.

Next day I was surprised to see someone on Goodreads liked that I wanted to read Matilda by Roald Dahl! “What!” I laughed when I saw about three books had been added to my TBR list on GR that Miss 8 year old wanted to read!

What I read last week:

So first two are library books and both good. I especially really enjoyed The Kitchen Front. I didn’t realise rationing didn’t finish until 1954 in Britain.  The Sweeney Sisters was okay, an audiobook. Knot Ready for Murder is a review book.

What I am reading now:

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And listening to

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Up next:

book cover Last Week’s Posts

The One You are With

Recently Bought Books

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.
Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

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Welcome in. As I sit here its 1 degree Centigrade ( about 34 F I think) outside with a good frost on the ground. I am about to have a cup of coffee and then hit the pavement for my morning walk. I think I am building a good habit there!

Last Thursday I went into the city, picked up a friend and then went around the other side of the harbour, to Eastbourne, and had for lunch, chips, Bluff oysters and coffee. I had never had oysters before and these are a delicacy from the bottom of our South Island. Okay I now get why they are! We sat beside the sea to eat them. The harbour was like a mill pond. We could see Wellington across the other side and through the harbour mouth the alps of the South Island covered in snow. When I got home I thought what a perfect blissful day! Simple but the best.

What I read last week:

Enjoyed both. Two Steps Onwards takes up where Two Steps Forward left off really, three years later. It is written by a husband and wife team.  Most likely these books aren’t for everyone, but if you enjoy walking as in the Camino and people making walking journey’s and inner journey’s then you’ll like them. I do, well I am not going to do such walking, I don’t mind if others do! But I like the inner journey.

What I am reading now:

Hope to finish this one today or maybe tomorrow morning. Heard about it on a podcast, not sure which book one now! It’s more about friendship and tension rather than books but a good enough read. From the library.

In a Book Club Far Away

Up next:

Another from the library. There are two Jennifer Ryan author’s. This one is the English one! I like her WW2 books. I have listened to the other two, so first time reading in print.

The Kitchen front 

Last Week’s Posts

June Reading Round Up

Library Pile Up

Frosty morning
And yes I did have my walk and its still 1 degree C. Now to see what I want to do for the day. Happy life of the retired!

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Library Pile Up.

I had planned to read two or maybe three library books this month. But now I have a pile up and while I am just finishing one, and have another ready to start reading tomorrow, now I need to go collect five more. I may or may not get to them before having to return  them.

I will prioritise those that have someone else after me on the reserve list. If no reserves there is a good chance I can renew them and keep them longer. I’ll do my best to read them all because I want to. Meanwhile all the ones I bought recently. plus all the old TBR ones wait!!

I also went nuts asking for a number of quilting books from other libraries. I have six to collect. They are pleasure browsing ones so that’s okay. But it makes 11 books sitting on the library shelf waiting for me to collect. Bliss!

Digging Up DirtBy Australian author Pamela Hart. It is the start of a new mystery series and involves a renovation of a heritage house and the finding of a dead body.

Five copies of this and I think they are all out and I am the only reserve. Safe to say I can put this near the end.

Rachel to the RescueThis sounds good and I saw it at least in one place (Laurel Rain’s blog). Rachel Klein is sacked from her job at the White House after she sends an email criticising Donald Trump. As she is escorted off the premises she is hit by a speeding car, driven by what the press will discreetly call ‘a personal friend of the president’. 

No reserves at the moment so doesn’t have to be read straight away. Library has two copies.

The Sweet Taste of MuscadinesThis is a debut novel I mentioned earlier in the year and I’ve been waiting for it to be available at the library.

Women’s fiction with some suspense. Two copies at the library, the other one will be due in before mine so that should protect me if someone else wants to read it before I get to it.

The Kitchen frontI’ve enjoyed the couple of other books by this author and so I’ve seen some of you say this was good and I want to read it.

Four women compete for a spot hosting a wartime cookery program called The Kitchen Front – based on the actual BBC program of the same name – as well as a chance to better their lives.

Two copies and while no one has it on reserve now, my copy will come due first so needs to be read earlier rather than later.

Twisted threadsThe first in a mystery series recommended by Katherine over at I wish I lived in a library!

Set in Maine and involves a needle pointing business. I don’t do that craft but its rather pretty. If I had time! Next life!

Angie is returning home after the remains of her mother are discovered.

One copy. I am the only one wanting it, and as written in 2015 probably I won’t be hassled by anyone else wanting it immediately.

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