Rewind, Recap: Weekly Update W/E 14/05/23

Well week has felt a bit more like the old me. I went for a couple of walks, saw the baby birds (ducklings, moorhens, coots and cygnets), went to the theatre and read AND bought some books. Yep. Normal service has been resumed. Lots of things still going on a bubbling around in my head, tinnitus is off the charts bad and sleep it patchy at best, but life still isn’t so bad. How can it be when you have this on your doorstep?

How has your week been? I had a brilliant week book post wise and honestly can’t complain too much about anything else, as it’s been a nice relaxing weekend for once too. Went with Mandie to see Peter James’ at the local theatre. Mandie has read the novella that it is based on but promised not to give the game away 😉 Aside from that we took a nice walk along the river, had a lovely lunch and even managed to find time to treat ourselves to a scone each. Magic. Got in two lovely sunny walks along the canal too and saw all the babies who are have now hatched – always a wonderful time of the year to visit.

Speaking of Wish You Were Dead by Peter James, although I have the hard copy book, decided to treat myself on kindle as it’s often easier for me to read that way. I also preordered the special edition of After That Night by Karin Slaughter (22 June), and Cover The Bones by Rachel Amphlett (18 September), the next Mark Turpin book, and bought We Can Be Heroes by Paul Burston (June 1st or available now via Kindle First Reads for Amazon Prime Members) and A Killer In The Family by Gytha Lodge.

Book post this week was so welcome and so amazing I am still smiling. I received a message in the week asking if I’d like a copy of MW Craven’s upcoming new thriller, Fearless (29 June). How could I say no to that? A huge thank you to Little Brown/Constable for the copy and the blogger pack. I also received a a copy of The Opposite of Lonely by Doug Johnstone (14 September), which I have already devoured. Thank you Orenda Books. Then, as if that wasn’t enough magic, I was sent a copy of debut novel, The Unforgiven Dead by Fulton Ross (27 July) courtesy of Laura Sherlock and Inkshares. So happy this week.

No new Netgalley this week, but think I’ve probably been spoiled enough. 😉

Books I have read

Weyward by Emilia Hart

KATE, 2019
Kate flees London – abandoning everything – for Cumbria and Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great-aunt. There, a secret lurks in the bones of the house, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

VIOLET, 1942
Violet is more interested in collecting insects and climbing trees than in becoming a proper young lady. Until a chain of shocking events changes her life forever.

ALTHA, 1619
Altha is on trial for witchcraft, accused of killing a local man. Known for her uncanny connection with nature and animals, she is a threat that must be eliminated.

But Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamed…

Weaving together the stories of three women across five centuries, Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

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You Can’t See Me by Eva Björg Ægisdottir (6 July)

A wealthy Icelandic family is investigated and dark secrets are exposed when a body is found on the lava fields outside the hotel where they’ve gathered for a reunion … the chilling, gripping prequel to the addictive Forbidden Iceland series

The wealthy, powerful Snæberg clan has gathered for a family reunion at a futuristic hotel set amongst the dark lava flows of Iceland’s remote Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Petra Snæberg, a successful interior designer, is anxious about the event, and her troubled teenage daughter, Lea, whose social-media presence has attracted the wrong kind of followers. Ageing carpenter Tryggvi is an outsider, only tolerated because he’s the boyfriend of Petra’s aunt, but he’s struggling to avoid alcohol because he knows what happens when he drinks … Humble hotel employee, Irma, is excited to meet this rich and famous family and observe them at close quarters … perhaps too close…

As the weather deteriorates and the alcohol flows, one of the guests disappears, and it becomes clear that there is a prowler lurking in the dark.

But is the real danger inside … within the family itself?

Masterfully cranking up the suspense, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir draws us into an isolated, frozen setting, where nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted, as the dark secrets and painful pasts of the Snæberg family are uncovered … and the shocking truth revealed.

A Golden Age mystery for the 21st Century, with a shocking twist.

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The Opposite of Lonely by Doug Johnstone (14 September)

A body lost at sea, arson, murder, astronauts, wind phones, communal funerals and existential angst … This can ONLY mean one thing! The Skelfs are back, and things are as tense, unnerving and warmly funny as ever!

The Skelf women are recovering from the cataclysmic events that nearly claimed their lives. Their funeral-director and private-investigation businesses are back on track, and their cases are as perplexing as ever.

Matriarch Dorothy looks into a suspicious fire at an illegal campsite, and takes a grieving, homeless man under her wing. Daughter Jenny is searching for her missing sister-in-law, who disappeared in tragic circumstances, while grand-daughter Hannah is asked to investigate increasingly dangerous conspiracy theorists, who are targeting a retired female astronaut … putting her own life at risk.

With a body lost at sea, funerals for those with no one to mourn them, reports of strange happenings in outer space, a funeral crasher with a painful secret, and a violent attack on one of the family, The Skelfs face their most personal – and perilous – cases yet. Doing things their way may cost them everything…

Tense, unnerving and warmly funny, The Opposite of Lonely is the hugely anticipated fifth instalment in the unforgettable Skelfs series, and this time, danger comes from everywhere…

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And there we have it. Finished three books by Sunday morning – can’t complain about that. Busy enough week on the blog too – recap below:

#Review – Picture You Dead – Peter James
#Review – The Vanishing of Class 3B – Jackie Kabler
#Review – Thirty Days of Darkness – Jenny Lund Madsen
#Review – The Last Passenger – Will Dean
#Review – The Proof In The Pudding – Rosemary Shrager

Another busy week ahead and we’re actually reviewing right up until the weekend. No blog tours this week, but definitely an interesting mixture of reviews. Watch this space.

In better news, after breaking my last reading tally on Kindle by reading a book book and not dipping into my kindle for a few days, I have now managed to beat my previous record of 297 days in a row, climbing to the lofty heights of 299 days. Go me. 252 weeks in a row too, although I know for a fact it’s been much longer than that, I just don’t think kindle logged it before. Hey ho

Hope you all have a lovely week. I off to bask in what remains of the sunshine (writing this up on Sunday), type up a few reviews (three to complete from this last week), and then probably do some more reading. It’s how I roll … or something.

Jen x