Category In the Garden

Drawn to the Garden by Caroline Quentin #nature #garden #nonfiction #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today of Drawn to the Garden by Caroline Quentin. This is a fabulous book that the author has illustrated and shared her love of the garden.

I received this book for review from Amazon Vine.

Find solace in your outdoor space in this delightful horticultural journey with actress Caroline Quentin , as she draws on her life-long passion for gardening.

Through the pages of this gift book, Caroline shows how much joy she gets from spending time in her garden, whether it be grappling with the best way to grow plants and vegetables, or raising seeds in her potting shed. Though she now has a large following on her Instagram account, @CQGardens , her attitude to gardening is the same as it has always been – expertise helps but is not essential. Gardening should be fun and enjoyable , filled with the simple pleasures of planning, planting, harvesting and cooking . It is also a meditative and restorative pastime , and a great way to lift your spirits .

Written in a  warm and engaging way that reflects her personality , Caroline tells stories of growing chillies from seed in her greenhouse, berating the thieving blackbirds in her fruit cage, and swimming in her pond singing to dragon flies and flag irises. Over the years, she has come to realise that gardening, just like life, is a series of happy accidents, unplanned successes, and baffling and frustrating failures.

Illustrated by Caroline herself, this gorgeous book mixes personal stories of her life and experiences in the garden, with practical tips, recipes for food and drink, and even the occasional favourite poem. As she likes to misquote Dorothy ‘ Take to horticulture, it’s cheaper than a shrink ’.

192 pages, Hardcover

MY REVIEW

This is a fabulous book full of all things nature and being in the garden, growing things, recipes and also illustrated by the author.

This is a book that you can pick up and flick through or read from cover to cover. I did initially flick through but soon found myself stopping and reading through. The author brings her love of the garden through the pages with anecdotes, little tales and a lot of humour as she tries to win a losing battle with bugs, birds and other critters that like to throw a spanner in the works.

Being a gardener myself who grows fruit, veg and flowers there is also something new to learn or discover different ways of doing things. This book does not tell you how you should garden but it is one that just tells how one person does it and she tells of wins and failures.

Being in the garden is great, it feels very accomplishing when things grow and you can harvest things and eat them straight away. Taking time to stop and smell the roses, and other flowers is always relaxing. Sitting with this book has made me realize how much I have missed being out in the garden over the wet winter months and I am looking forward to getting back out there again.

This book is something that would make a wonderful gift or keeping for yourself. I adored this and it will be read outside in the sunshine with a mug of coffee and the birds singing in the background. I would recommend it for those who love being outside, have an interest in growing things or want an insight into the life and thoughts of the author.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

My Week In Books (w/e 20th August 2023) #booklove #booknews #inthegarden #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 8 Comments

Hello and welcome to my weekly update of books I have read. A slower week this week for books with only two reads, but they were cracking reads. Before that here are some pictures from the garden.

I don’t see many ladybirds around, as a child there used to be loads of them. This year I have seen several so I am hoping they are on the increase again. The ginger Lily is one I got from my mum. She is “miffed” because her’s has never flowered! Oops 🤭

Dahlia
Ginger Lily (Canna)
Crab Apples
Gladioli
An elusive Ladybird,

Here are the books I have read…

A Sparrow Falls by Wilbur Smith – this is the 3rd book in the Courtney series and I am enjoying re-reading these so much. The Great War has ended, and some are returning home to find things have changed and my full review will be out tomorrow.

Three Sisters by O.J. Mullen – Owen Mullen is an author whose books I will automatically read without even looking at the synopsis. This book is amazing, full of twists, unexpected surprises and simply a brilliant crime, thriller and suspense story. Full review will be out on Wednesday.

There we go, another week done and dusted.

Have a great week ahead,

Take Care

Yvonne xx

My Week In Books w/e 13th August 2023) #booklove #booknews #bookupdates #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 6 Comments

Hello and welcome to my weekly book update. It has been a week of mixed weather and I managed to see something I had never seen before, a ghost rainbow otherwise known as a white rainbow or a fogbow. Smaller than the usual colourful one but equally as impressive in an eerie way. My mum reckons it is colourless because the rain washed the colours out! 😉😂 I had not realised it was there until I took a photo on my phone of the one of the fog rolling in with the tide, this is what the phone saw with no tweaking.

Sunday saw the village come together in support of a local family. Being in the country there is a strong farming community and so a charity tractor fun run was organised. 93 tractors of all ages, shapes and sizes turned up and it took 10 minutes for them to exit the field before travelling the 15-mile route. It was an amazing event with lots going on and a chance for lots of photos that I am still going through.

The books have been good this week and I managed to read three.

Runes of Battle by G.N. Gudgion – this is the second book in the trilogy and the author really has got his characters working well. Continuing the story of Adelais, she is on the run and trying to stay out of danger but when she is accused of being a witch then this is going to be hard. Fabulous story and my full review will e here tomorrow.

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard – this is a cleverly twisted book and one that concerns the abduction of women. Lucy is desperate to find out what happened to her sister Nicki. Is she alive or dead? The story is about Lucy’s search and what she does to try to discover any answers. Full review on Thursday.

The French Chateau Dream by Julie Caplin – it has been far too long since I last picked up a book by this author. This one is a gorgeous story of Hattie arriving at a vineyard to organise a wedding for her rich cousin. Wonderful setting, food, friends, land a gorgeous romantic edge to it. Fabulous book and my full review will be out this week.

That’s all for now,

Have a great week an

All the best

Yvonne xx

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

My Week In Books (w/e 6th August 2023) #bookupdates #inthegarden #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 7 Comments

Hello and welcome to my weekly wrap-up of books I have read over the week. It has been a quieter week this week as far as reading goes and I have only managed two books.

I took part in the Big Butterfly Count in the week and I was surprised by how many there were just in one small area of the garden. I have a few photos of some of them that I saw as well as some other critters. I am desperately trying to get a photo of the froglets, they are so small and fast that by the time Ivew spotted them they’ve hopped off again!

Here are the book…

Darkness on the Edge of Town by Matthew Hattersley – is a brilliant book and one that involves the secret service, undercover agents and cover being blown. The full review is tomorrow so keep your eye out for that one.

The F-Word Reality Show by Chris Westlake – this gives contestants a chance to choose between Fame, Fortune or Freedom if they win this reality show. This is a dark and twisted mystery thriller that had me guessing. Full review on Thursday as part of the Blog Tour.

There we go, all done for another weekly wrap-up.

Take Care and have a fabulous week ahead,

All the Best

Yvonne xx

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

My Week In Books (w/e 2nd June 2023) #booklove #inthegarden #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 4 Comments

Hello and welcome to another weekly update, I completely forgot last week’s post so it is a double one this week. I haven’t read that much for pleasure because I have been doing a lot of reading for my course.

I will be on annual leave for a couple of weeks, and so will be going up to visit my Mum and catch up with my sister so I won’t be around from tomorrow for about a week.

Compassionate Leadership by Michael A. West is a book I listened to as part f my course in Health & Social Care, it was something I really enjoyed and it gave some great insights.

Hammer of Fate by G.N. Gudgion – this is a fabulous book that I reviewed last week. A mix of fantasy, mythology and full of action and adventure. I am already looking forward to reading the next one that I have access to from NetGalley. Full review HERE

Book Cover

The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse – this is an absolutely fabulous book, with pirates, romance, historical fiction and an amazing story of determination. Action-packed from start to finish. Full review as part of the Blog Tour in a couple of weeks.

Forever Diamonds by Gillian Godden – I adore this series and this latest one is awesome. Patsy Diamond is in the midst of things with this one, dangerous, fast-paced and dark. From turf wars to romance this book takes some amazing turns. Full review in a couple of weeks.

I have got a few pictures of the garden, we have finally had some rain and it has worked wonders.

This is a Peace Rose that Mum bought for us in memory of Dad. It is a gorgeous flower that changes colour as the flowers develop. I can’t believe that one plant can give you such a display of pastels.

I am really pleased with how the garden is coming on, there are so many different textures and colours. It’s hard to imagine that it was only three years ago that it looked like this ⬇😮

There we have it, all done and dusted for another week.

Have a great week ahead,

Happy Reading

All the best

Yvonne xx

Many thanks for reading my post, alike or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

My Week In Books (w/e 11th June 2023) #booklove #inthegarden #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 7 Comments

Welcome to another weekly update of books I have read. The weather has been warm, and we were desperately hoping for some rain. We did get some, enough to wet the ground but not enough to get too happy about. Better than none at all though I suppose. What we have now is humid and muggy weather, and still in desperate need of rain.

Bears Breeches and Roses
Hypericum
Standard rose
Camomile and lavender

This week I have read two books again, both historical fiction and both amazing 🙂

When the Lion Feeds by Wilbur Smith – I read this book several, well a lot of years ago when I was 16 and adored it. When I got an email from Tracy at Compulsive Readers to see if I wanted to take part in an ongoing tour where I will read several of this authors books over the next few months. My review for this book will be on Wednesday this week.

The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor – this is a wonderful historical fiction story that is set during the Second world war and has some wonderful factual details. The story is about the sea evacuation of children to other countries. The story follows two lines, one is from those who dealing with the bombings and living in London. The other is from those who survive on a lifeboat. A wonderful story and so emotional that I adored and my full review will be later this month.

There we go, nearly halfway through the month already,

Happy Reading and have a great week ahead,

Yvonne 🙂 xx

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

My Week In Books (w/e 28th May 2023) #booklove #bookupdates #inthegarden #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 4 Comments

Welcome to another weekly round-up of books I have read. Finally, we have noticed a difference in the sharing between WordPress and Twitter, the only change is that we don’t get our own posts automatically shared. After reading what was going to happen and seeing for myself it isn’t as significant as I expected thank goodness. It has meant I have had to learn how to schedule my tweets and also remember to do them. Again not a difficult thing to do, but for someone who had never done it before it was an interesting moment to see what I had shared, it had worked and luckily it did. Catastrophe averted and back to carrying on as normal 🙂

Now I am back to work after being away I have noticed a big decline in my reading again. Instead of the 5 books a week, I am back to 2 a week and of course, spending time in the garden as we now have some glorious weather. Here are a few garden photos of what is growing at the moment 🙂

Lemon Bottle Brush, Emily Bronte rose, gooseberries, octopus bush with pink thrift underneath, Californian poppies and a red tea rose.

Here are the books…

Mrs Porter Calling by AJ Pearce is a fabulous book and the 3rd in the series. I adored Mrs Bird which was the 1st book and the author has kept on track building her characters and the storylines. When a new owner comes enters the Woman’s Friend office there are some uncertainties, but on the whole, the staff feel fine, that is until they start to realise what Mrs Porter wants to do with the magazine. Full review to follow soon.

The Fall by Gilly Macmillan is a fabulously tense thriller that had me hooked. When a lottery win gives Nicole and Tom a chance for a new life neither expected that one of them would end up dead. The investigation twists and weaves and throws many red herrings, a sort of locked room mystery as there are only a small number of players in this cat and mouse mystery thriller. Full review to follow soon.

There we go, two fabulous books 🙂

Have a great week

Happy Reading

Yvonne xx

Many thnaks for reading my post,a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

My Week In Books (w/e 23rd April 2023) #booklove #bookupdates #inthegarden #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 10 Comments

Hello and welcome to another weekly catch-up. I managed only two books this week, and I have been trying to get ahead with some coursework. So lots of reading but not all for pleasure as such. I have managed to get some time in the garden and any regular visitors to my site know how much I enjoy my time in the garden.

I have managed to get a few smaller plants in to go alongside a pathway, it won’t be long before they are creeping along the edges. I managed to finally get the last of the flower beds weeded, it just leaves the fruit bed to do, my least favourite when it comes to weeding as they tend to be more embedded in the grass.

Let’s get to the books…

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill – what happens if Viktor Frankenstein’s papers were discovered by a family member. One who had a natural interest in nature, geology and science and is eager to leave her mark. The story is of Mary and her husband in the 1850s, it took me a while to get into this one and I wasn’t sure about it initially, but my goodness it then became very addictive and I adored it. Full review to follow next week.

The Widow’s Weeds by Allie Cresswell – I adore this author, her writing is amazing and once again I am blown away by her latest story. This is the third book in the Widows series, but it can be read as a stand-alone, I have read the series and it would be a shame to start with the third book and miss out on the stories that came before. Viola Is one of the main characters of this story, the author had decided that there was more to this character and wanted to explore her more. Alongside the other women, Maisie also is a main feature and my goodness, what a time the two ladies had. Full review next week.

There we go, two very different books on the surface, but actually they are similar in respect of the nature and natural way of things.

Wishing you all a fabulous week ahead,

All the best

Yvonne xx

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

My Week In Books – a double week update #booklove #booknews #mygarden #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 9 Comments

Hello and welcome to a double week of updates. I was up visiting my Mum last week and I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you wonderful people for sharing my reviews. It was great to spend time with Mum although the journey back home could have been quicker and less eventful! Broke down and needed to have a new alternator fitted, thank goodness for the breakdown cover I had as they fitted a new one and got me going again. What should have been a 7ish hour’s drive turned into just over 13 hours!

We have finally had a chance to get into the garden, which has been great. Started to weed through the flower beds, put in a new path to keep the veg and bottom flower bed separate, and make a start on getting things ready for the veg season all in all, things are starting to look bright and colourful.

KODAK Digital Still Camera
KODAK Digital Still Camera
KODAK Digital Still Camera
KODAK Digital Still Camera

Now for the books…

Dark Mode by Ashley Kalagian Blunt – oh this was a goodie! The synop[sis mentions this being based on true events which makes it even more of a thriller. Reagan has kept herself off the internet for reasons that are revealed later in the book, but when she discovers a body near where she lives she finds herself on edge and how technology has made such an impact on our lives. Full review next week as part of the Blog Tour.

Death on Cromer Beach by Ross Greenwood – I am a fan of this author and loved his books. This is the first in a new series and it is dark and fabulous. Something happened years ago and people think the beach is getting its revenge, a body turns up followed soon after by another and another. DS Ashley Knight and her new partner, a fast-track detective have been teamed up. I did like this a lot and the combination of Ashley and Hector, the newbie, was great. Full review in a week or so.

A Summer Surprise at the Little Blue Boathouse by Christie Barlow – this is the 11th book in the series!!! Each one is amazing and is a story in its own right, but the author has grown her community up over the books and various people make an appearance. A woman who wants a break after leaving her fiance just happens to be in the right place at the right time when she visits Heartcross. The river festival is due and there is a summer job that she may be able to work that will give her a chance to re-evaluate. Oh, and there is a wonderful visiting boat owner. Another gorgeous read and a full review will follow soon.

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch – This is the second book in the series and I adored it as much as the first. Peter is a constable and a sorcerer’s apprentice in this fantasy crime and mystery series. When the bodies of Jazzmen start turning up it is Peter and his boss that is needed due to their special powers. It was great to read another book and see some of the characters from the previous book get caught up in this case. Yes, I do think this needs to be read in order, which, for a change is what I am doing. Full review to follow.

Queens of the Underworld by Caitlin Davies – this is non-fiction and is based on the women who have masterminded crime over hundreds of years. The author has brought together a selection of women who have made an impact but are not necessarily known. Many true crime-based shows, books and articles are on men so it was great to see women in this light as well. I adored this book and it was a shock at times to see just how brutal women have been in the past and how they often slipped under the radar as such. Full review as part of theBlog Tour.

The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud – after recently reading the first book I ordered the second, the first was excellent and this felt even better. The tension and danger are evident in this book as Lockwood & Co are out trying to work out who is stealing magical artefacts. For a YA book, this is quite dark and I adored it, following the agents as they pit their wits against a rival group adds to the drama and tension. Full review to follow.

Well, there we go, not a bad fortnight for reading, visiting and gardening 🙂

Have a fabulous week

All the best

Yvonne xx

Many thanks for reaing my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

My Week In Books #inthegarden #booklove #bookupdates #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee

Welcome to my weekly update of books I have read. We managed to miss the snow but we did have a good amount of rain and some wind. My daffodils have been a bit battered but still, they do look nice and colourful. I have finished getting my pond finished and I now need to get some plants to finish off around it and a couple more to put in it. We are also in the process of laying a pathway, it is a bit too wet it to lay the slabs down that we bought though.

And finally, there is my camelia, I bought this one last year, ermmm I thought it was going to be white. I prefer the colour now it is starting to come out 🙂

Here is what I have read over the past week…

The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird – it is almost a year ago when this book was released. I wasn’t keen on reading it at the time, but a year on and it is a fabulous book. When a plague starts to kill men it is initially ignored, very similar to how Covid was when it was first identified. The author has written a story that has many twists. This story was initially written prior to Covid, and some of the situations are scarily accurate. Full review to follow.

Do No Harm by Jack Jordan – I was delighted to get a spot on the Blog Tour for this book and what a brilliant book it was. A surgeon kills a patient, but it is not as simple as that. The story is addictive and tense and has some very surprising and at times shocking twists. My full review will be at the end of the month.

Hopeful Hearts at the Cornish Cove by Kim Nash – this is an absolute corker of a story and I loved it. I sniggered a few times through this, to be honest, all of Kim’s books have a wonderful sense of humour and her latest one is just fabulous. A new start, some new friends and a bit of romance make for a gorgeous story. Full review at the beginning of next month.

Taken by Shalini Boland – this is the 2nd book in The Vampires of Marchwood series, the third book I am currently reading. I am loving this series and yes you should read them in order as they do have an ongoing storyline. A brilliant story that spans ages and continents with some great characters and involved storylines. Full review to follow soon.

There we go, another fabulous book week.

Happy reading and have a wonderful week,

All the best

Yvonne xx

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx