Tag My Week In Books

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 Last Two Weeks in Books (w/e 21st May 2023) #bookupdates #booklove #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 6 Comments

Hello and welcome to my latest update of books I have read. I was away on annual leave last week and also visited Mum. It was a good trip there and back and also while I was there I saw the Lancaster Bomber fly over as part of the Dambuster Memorial flight. Living in Lincolnshire when I was younger meant I saw this and other planes on a regular basis, it has been many years since I got to listen and see it.

While I was there I managed to read a few books and a little bit of gardening. Also managed to get a few plants, some bought and some from Mum’s garden. So here are the books I have read over the past two weeks…

The Savage Sisters by Heather Atkinson – is a fabulous gangland thriller that I adored, full review tomorrow.

Revenge by Kerry Kaya – is another fabulous gangland crime thriller. Full review at the end of this week.

Wish Upon a Cornish Moon by Amanda James – this is a wonderful story that is told from different timelines and is a story that is full of magic, intrigue, warmth and romance. Full review this week.

The Last Passenger by Will Dean – was a fabulous story that had me hooked, a locked room mystery set onboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic. Full review this week.

The Orphanage Girls Come Home by Mary Wood -this is the third and final instalment in this trilogy and it sees the girls being reunited. Bringing them back together and also brings their stories up to date. I have adore this trilogy and each book has been amazing. Ideal for fans of historical fiction and romance. Full review as part of the blog tour at the end of the month.

To Die In June by Alan Parks – this is the 6th book in the series and this gets personal for McCoy and he tests the patience of Watson. A tense historical fiction that is a police procedural set in Glasgow. Full review next month as part of the Blog Tour.

Coming To Find You by Jane Corry – I adored this book, I have read all of this author’s books and this is my favourite one to date. Loved this one and the author managed to inject a load of tension and danger throughout this one. Some good twists and a great storyline. Full review will follow soon.

Relentless Melt by Jeremy P. Bushmill – this is a new author to me and this book was a wonderful introduction to him. A mix of detective clue-solving, a little magic and a huge mystery for amateur sleuths to solve. I really enjoyed this one and I look forward to sharing my review later next month.

The Greenwood Poet by Lancelot Schubert – is a collection of poems that I found really interesting, some of them really made an impact on me and were enjoyable. Full review to follow.

There we have it, definitely a mix of genres and topics.

Have a great week ahead

Happy Reading

Yvonne xx

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

My Week In Books (w/e 7th May 2023) #booklove #bookupdates #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 10 Comments

Hello and welcome to my update of books I have read over the past week. For the past couple of weeks, I have only managed 2 books each week, this week I managed 4! Don’t ask me how 🤔

I have a couple of photos of the garden, well this time of year it would not be right if I didn’t.

I bought a laurel tree and also an azalea last month and it is lovely to see them settled and getting ready to flower. I also love the white daisy bush, I know it’s some sort of aster but I can’t remember which one. For a small flower though it definitely does make a good show. Last week I had my first picking of asparagus. I have been waiting for some of the plants for years as I grew them from seed.

Now, time for the books…

No Easy Answers by Robert Crouch – this is a brilliant series and the latest one really does have Kent Fisher having to make some tough decisions. Full review tomorrow.

The Science of Gardening – discover how your garden really grows by Dr Stuart Farrimond yes this book does have science in the title but it is not an overly science-based book. It does have mentions but not in a taxing and brain cell-steaming way. What the author brings to this book is how and why certain things are more beneficial than others. Some of it is common knowledge and other stuff that is easy to understand and makes sense. Full review to follow in a couple of weeks or so.

The Medici Murders by David Hewson – this is a fabulous mix of historical fact and fiction. A modern-day setting with trips back into history. Full review on Wednesday as part of the Blog Tour.

The Predators by Tony J Forder – this is the 2nd book in the DS Royston Chase series and it is a fabulous and quite complex story. The author lays out his murder and then leaves his team to investigate, he does not make it easy for them. A brilliant 2nd book and if you are looking for a tough crime thriller and police procedural series to start then this one is great as you don’t have many books to read to get up to speed.

There we have it, four books and all wonderful reads.

I am going to be around for a couple of days this week and then I am off up country to see my Mum. I won’t be on social media and I have managed to leave a clean sheet for while I am away with no Blog Tours. That is more luck than judgement I might add.

Wishing everyone a fabulous couple of weeks and I will see you all when I get back.

Take Care Happy Reading

Yvonne xx

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

My Week In Books (w/e 30th April 2023) #bookupdates #booknews #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 12 Comments

Hello and welcome to another weekly round-up of books I have read. Today I received a rather shocking email from WordPress. If you have not received it and are a WordPress user, check your spam.

Here is the email:

From April 30, 2023 you will no longer be able to share your WordPress.​com posts automatically to Twitter using Jetpack Social.

Twitter decided, on short notice, to dramatically change the terms and pricing of the Twitter API. We have attempted to work with Twitter in good faith to negotiate new terms, but we have not been able to reach an agreement. As a result, we will need to remove the functionality.

You can still auto-share your posts to Tumblr, Facebook, and LinkedIn. And you are able to share your posts to Twitter manually by pasting the post link into the body of your tweet. In the near future, we are adding the ability to auto-share to Instagram and Mastodon and we are continuing to release new features in Jetpack Social.

Thank you for your understanding with this situation. Please feel free to connect with support if you need any help.

Thanks, The WordPress.​com team

As Twitter is the main place for me to share my Blog Posts this is something that is going to disrupt how I share. I will have to manually share posts using links, rather than hitting the Tweet button. I schedule my blog posts to automatically share to Twitter, but now this is not going to be an option. This is going to make it more time-consuming for me.

This has made me think a bit more about my Blog, and it is something I have been wrangling with for a while now. I work nights, and I am in the process of doing a course which takes up time. Having to manually share, or remember to share a post after a 12-hour night shift when all I want to do is go to bed! It is making me wonder whether or not to continue blogging. I don’t have as much time as I did and I am finding that I am sharing posts without reading them properly, often just scanning.

My yearly fee for using WordPress is due for renewal in around 4 months and I think I will take the time to see how things go before I renew. For many, books and reading is a hobby. I want it to be something that is stress-free and want the same when it comes to blogging. Rules are constantly changing and so I have stopped sharing to various Facebook sites and I am not a big user of Instagram, I have tried Mastadon but not really getting it. So, I am thinking that I may go back to reviewing as I used to before my blog came into being, on my own Facebook Page, Amazon and Goodreads only. I think it is going to be an interesting time over the next few months.

It has been another quiet week for reading again, just 2 books.

Run to the Blue by P N Johnson. This is a wonderful and thrilling crime story that had me hooked, I am not going to say too much about it as my full review will be tomorrow as part of the Blog Tour.

Changing Times at Harpers by Rosie Clarke. As you can see this is the 7th book in the series and it is a series I adore. This is a fabulous story for fans of historical romance and fiction. Full review on Wednesday as part of the Blog Tour.

I am cutting a little fine for reading books for Blog Tours, well fine for me, I am usually a good couple of weeks in advance. Luckily I will have a break in the Tours so it will give me a chance to catch up again:)

Have a wonderful week ahead, we will see if this automatically shares in the morning or not.

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 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 (w/e 16th April 2023) #booknews #bookupdates #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee

Hello and welcome to another weekly update of books I have read. I sit here to write this up feeling quite chilly, yesterday I was outside in the sun and had to move as I was getting a little too hot! No two days are ever the same 🙂

It has been a good week for me, and I feel like I have achieved things. Sometimes you get stuck in the same routines and then every now and again you have a week where you think … that was a good week. I think a lot has to do with being able to get out in the sun and the fresh air. To wander around looking at things that are growing and sprouting. The bird’s songs seem to be more cheerful as well.

Here is what I have been reading…

The Monk by Tim Sullivan – I have not read all the books in this series, but I have read a couple so I am aware of the style DS Cross has. When a monk is murdered it shocks the community as you would expect, but why on earth would someone do this? This is such an intriguing storyline and one that had me guessing all the way. It is a complex story to explain but the author has it laid out so well that the flow is great. Full review in a couple of weeks.

The Fall by Louise Jenson – twin sisters, cousins, best friends and grandparents are close in this book. They are supportive but they do not share everything with their loved ones. Oh, this is such a tense story and one that had so many things happening that I didn’t see coming. Full review to follow soon.

The Power of Trees by Peter Wohlleben – this book is brilliant. As a gardener, I adore being outside, so when I saw this book I knew I had to sign up for the blog Tour. the book is brilliant and lays out how and why trees are so important. We are aware that they do play a large role in the environment but having the right trees in the right place is something that is vital. Out ancient forests are diminishing and it is still happening. Full review as part of the tour in a week or so.

Three books again this week so I am very happy with that.

Wishing you all a great 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 (w/e 26th March 2023) #booknews #booklove #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 6 Comments

Welcome to another weekly round-up of books I have read over the past week. It has been a mixed-genre week and I have read three amazing books.

I may be a bit hit-and-miss on social media this week and next, I am getting ready to go to visit Mum. I have various things to get organised for this and then I will obviously have the time I spend visiting. If I was more organised I would have all my reviews ready to go, I do have the reviews written but I need to set the posts up so not too bad.

Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey – I have been eager to start this book as I do adore this author’s stories. A science fiction story that spans the universe, well actually the multiverse. An infinite number of different versions of the earth are populated by different species, some barren, some worked by machinery and all different and unique in small ways. Following key characters and getting to grips with this first book in the series was amazing. I cannot wait for the next one to see what happens.

The Little Board Game Cafe by Jennifer Page is a lovely story about Emily, she decides to follow her dream of running a cafe but there are pitfalls and problems along the way. This is a story that is full of food, board games, good characters and a dash of romance.

Go As A River by Shelley Read – Oh this is a gorgeous story, it is more literary fiction as I learnt about Victoria and how she grew up in the 1960s in a small out-of-the-way town that is eventually drowned by the building of a dam. I adored this story and the description, emotions and lives of those directly involved with Victoria.

Back to my regular three books this week. I was sure I had read another one, but it seems not! I have looked through my list of books read but can only find these. Oh well, I am still very happy with three books 🙂

Have a great week ahead and Happy Reading

All the best

Yvonne xx

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

MY Week In Books (w/e 19th March 2023) #booklove #bookupdates #MeAndMyBooks

yvonnembee 3 Comments

Welcome to another weekly update of books I have been reading. It has been a nice week and we have had the odd day of nicer weather to be able to make a start on getting things in order in the garden. General tidying up and getting the veg bed ready.

As for the books, well I have had another really good week as far as reading goes. I have managed 5, one of which I have been reading over the past couple of weeks as it is a non-fiction.

Forgotten Women by Zing Tsjeng – is a brilliant book and looks throughout history at women that have left an impression in various fields. I was fortunate to receive a hardback copy of this for the upcoming Blog Tour and I have to say it is definitely worth it. Having a physical book makes it easy to just pick up and flick through until something catches your eye. If, however, you are anything like me you will soon get sidetracked doing this and actually read it in sections. The full review is at the end of the week.

Hunted by Shalini Boland – this is the third and final book in this series and it has been an excellent one to read. I have read all the books and really enjoyed them. This final one has tension and danger and is a thriller right the way through. Full review of this book will be next week.

A Truth for a Truth by Carol Wyer – this is a series that I adore, its main protagonist is Detective Kate Young. She is an intriguing character and I do suggest that this is a series you read in order. There is an ongoing plot and also the way Kate behaves and acts is something you did, in my opinion, need to understand form the beginning. They are also fabulous books. This one has Kate on the edge, her moral compass is a little off-kilter and she is so vulnerable. The full review will be at the beginning of next month.

Summer at Green Valley Vineyard by Lucy Coleman – I do adore this author and her books are engaging and just wonderful to read. This one follows a change at a vineyard in Wales. It is a family-run business and it is one that several of the workers have a huge amount of respect for. What will happen when the new manager comes in, how will he change things and will he understand the ethos behind the vineyard. A full review of this gorgeous book will be tomorrow, although you can grab a copy today as it has just been published.

An Unexpected Guest by Hannah Ellis – I have read this series from the beginning and it is a shame that the author will be moving on to another project. I do hope that she returns to this series at some point. Each book has focused on one of the members of the Treneary family who live on the Scilly’s. It is the turn of Jago, he has been in New York and has returned to the islands. If you have read any of these books then you know there will be something crop up to throw a spanner in the works! Full review in a few weeks as part of the Blog Tour.

A bit more of a mix and not so much on the dark or criminal side.

Have a wonderful week ahead,

Happy Reading and Take Care

Yvonne xx

Many thanks for reading 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