Well – that’s cake week over. Yes. I turned old(er) mid week. Not by much. Only a few days more than the same period of the week before, but apparently because the year tally changes, it’s a big thing. Big enough for me – I had the last three days off work so had a nice long five day weekend – but not big enough to be a significant year just yet. Had a lovely few days. Took a walk by the river, had my first haircut in 18 months (yes – really), went to a garden and then saw some monkeys. To be honest, it was too warm to do much else so by the afternoon it was back into the shade for a cool drink and a nice read. Bliss. I am ignoring the elephant in the tent – missed Harrogate this weekend – but for me it was a touch too soon and a touch too uncertain to do the whole mass gathering thing. Booked my hotel for next year though so watch out world.
Or Harrogate …
Book wise I have been busy, Read a few (more than I’d expected to be honest). Bought a few (more than a few to be honest). Received one or two as well. One piece of #bookpost – The Unwilling by John Hart, gifted by Zaffre. One Netgalley title – All For You by Louise Jensen. Bought a lot – That Reacher Guy by Heather Martin; Bitter Flowers by Gunnar Staalesen; Demon by Matt Wesolowski; The Wedding Party by Tammy Cohen; Absolution, Singing to the Dead, Dark Water, The Blood Of Crows, The Night Hunter, The Tears of Angels, and Rat Run all by Caro Ramsay; a physical copy of Dead Secret by Noelle Holten; and a physical preorder of A Rattle of Bones by Douglas Skelton. Plus, a signed copy of Bad Apples by Will Dean.
I also received a pre-ordered book this week – my signed copy of Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham.
Not a bad week all things considered.
Books I have read
Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena
The new unputdownable thriller from the multi-million-copy bestselling author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR.
In this family, everyone is keeping secrets – even the dead.
In the quiet, wealthy enclave of Brecken Hill, an older couple is brutally murdered hours after a tense Easter dinner with their three adult children. Who, of course, are devastated.
Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their vindictive father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did someone snap after that dreadful evening? Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions? That must be what happened. After all, if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this, you’d know.
Wouldn’t you?
It only takes one…
A murder
A resident of small-town Visberg is found decapitated
A festival
A grim celebration in a cultish hilltop community after the apple harvest
A race against time
As Visberg closes ranks to keep its deadly secrets, there could not be a worse time for Tuva Moodyson to arrive as deputy editor of the local newspaper. Powerful forces are at play and no one dares speak out. But Tuva senses the story of her career, unaware that perhaps she is the story…
The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves
The number one Sunday Times bestselling series featuring Detective Matthew Venn, from author and creator of the Vera and Shetland series, Ann Cleeves – soon to be a major TV series.
North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists. What he finds is an elaborately staged murder – Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed. His daughter Eve is a glassblower, and the murder weapon is a shard of one of her broken vases.
Dr Yeo seems an unlikely murder victim. He’s a good man, a public servant, beloved by his daughter. Matthew is unnerved, though, to find that she is a close friend of Jonathan, his husband.
Then another body is found – killed in a similar way. Matthew finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home . . .
Three books. Not bad considering I was suffering badly with the heat and all I wanted to do, when I could, was sleep. It takes me to 121 for the year to date – one every 1.7 days apparently – so I will take that. Busy enough week on the blog with reviews Monday to Friday – recap below:
#Review – Mimic – Daniel Cole
#Review – Girls Who Lie – Eva Björg Ægisdottir
#Review – The Doll – Yrsa Sigurdardottir
#Review – A Light In The Window – Marion Kummerow
#Review – The Last Days Of Disco – David F.Ross
#Review – Dead Secret – Noelle Holten (Jen)
#Review – Dead Secret – Noelle Holten (Mandie)
The week ahead is full again but only a couple of blog tours. I share MY thoughts on Mimic today and andie has a review of The Lies I Tell by Joel Hames on Friday.
That’s it from me this week. Back at work today, boooo, so I will be short on exciting things to post next week. To make up for it, and for those who may have. been following the posts on Twitter and Instagram, I’ve charted the progress of my little adopted Swan family down on our local canal. From May to yesterday, the twelve little beauts are really growing up.
Have a lovely week. Hope it’s full of bookish fun.
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 
I can sympathise with that feeling of nervousness about mass gatherings; it’s too soon for me too. Restaurants, cafes and gyms are fine because I can be choosy about the ones I enter, making sure that tables are well spaced etc but being in the same room as a crowd of people is not yet on my wishlist.
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I think I want to see more data on the impact of gatherings and also how things pan out as we head back into cold and flu season before I change my behaviour too much. Like you I’m going places I can control my contact, but Harrogate was too slow in confirming what measures they were going to take for me to take that gamble. Fingers crossed for next year, just not right for me this time.
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