All the books I have read during lockdown – spoiler free reviews

All the books I have read during lockdown – spoiler free reviews

When lockdown started back in March I was spending an unhealthy amount of time on my phone. Every spare minute I had I was scrolling through news website with a knot in my stomach as I read about shortages of PPE, panic buying and rapidly increasing death rates. This constant exposure to so much bad news was causing my anxiety to soar and I made the decision to stop checking my phone so much. It was a great decision. Without reading the same news ten times a day and getting lost on twitter for hours, I started to feel  in a better mental place. Another positive of cutting the screen time has been I’ve started to read more again. Since March I have read four books and have another two on the go. For some avid readers this may not seem many at all but my ‘free time’ is limited and if I  continued to spend as much time on my phone there’s no way I’d have made it through two books let alone almost six. I thought I’d share with you the books that have been helping to keep me distracted and entertained during lockdown. Maybe you’ve reached the end of your to be read pile after months of staying indoors or perhaps you just need a bit of reading inspiration. Here is a list of all the books I’ve read recently, with spoiler free short reviews. Let me know if you’ve read any, I love a bit of book chat!  View Post

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Book club – One Small Thing review

Book club – One Small Thing review

I have always secretly wanted to be a part of a book club. I love reading, I love talking about what I am reading and I am always interested to hear about what others are reading. How cool would it be to share this love of books with others and to read and talk about a book together each month? I have also always thought that being in a book club was just something for middle aged women, the retired ladies with grey hair and the seriously academic types who probably only read Shakespeare or Jane Austin every month. Turns out, I was wrong. You can be in your twenties and be a part of a book club, it’s not weird at all. A fellow blogger sent out a request on Twitter asking for bookworms to join her new book club and I just though, why the hell not? We don’t meet in coffee shops or have a rota for holding monthly meetings in members houses, we congregate in our Instagram DMs and I am absolutely loving chatting books with these ladies. For our first book, the head of the book club chose One Small Thing by Erin Watt. I had never heard of this book before and was excited to give it a try. Here is my review of One Small Thing, if you’re into young adult fiction then I’m sure you will enjoy it. View Post

Wilde Like Me – book review

Wilde Like Me – book review

Have you ever been sat reading a book and wished you could climb inside the pages, say hello to all the characters and live out their story with them? That’s exactly how I felt reading Wilde Like Me by Louise Pentland. View Post

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine – book review

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine – book review

For a very long time I have been searching for a book that could rekindle my love of reading. Being a busy mum of two, I really crave the escapism from real life that a book can offer but I have been struggling to find a story that was able to hold my attention. I have been on a mission to find a book that takes over my life, a real page turner worth staying up late reading and sacrificing my precious evenings binge watching Netflix for. I needed one of those books that’s leaves it characters and their lives lingering in your mind long after you’ve reluctantly put your paper back down to get on with something else. I did as anyone would do with a dilemma in this day and age and I turned to social media for help to find my perfect book. I had a fair few suggestions but when someone suggested a unknown title to me on Twitter, I knew it was the one, the book that could bring my inner bookworm back to life. That book was Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine and, if this paragraph hasn’t already given it away, I LOVED it. Here is my full review .. View Post

The Bear Cub Bakers – children’s book review

The Bear Cub Bakers – children’s book review

If you read my blog regularly you will know that I am a Boolino Friend blogger. This means I get sent wonderful new children’s books to review and it is one of my favourite things to come from my blog as Leo loves books and he always get’s excited when a new one arrives in the post. Recently we were sent a copy of The Bear Cub Bakers by Caroline Baxter, here’s what we thought.. View Post

Is it time we put our smartphones down? – #babyLove My Toddler Life book review

Is it time we put our smartphones down? – #babyLove My Toddler Life book review

“I will play Lego with you in a minute.” *said while staring at a screen*

“You want me to read that book again? I will do in a sec.” *said while staring at a screen*

“Can mummy just take a break from playing hide and seek for a bit?” *said while reaching for a phone*

“Why don’t you just watch some cartoons for a little while?” *said while reaching for a phone*

“You look so cute in this photo.” *said while immediately uploading to social media*

“Can you just do that again, this picture is blurry.” *said while trying to get a perfect picture for social media*

Does any of this sound familiar? Do you feel like there is an extra person in your family? That extra ‘person’ being not a human who actually needs and craves your attention but a technological device that somehow seems to steal so much of your time. I am going to be completely honest, I feel like I am living as part of a family of 6. This family set up appears near enough nuclear on first appearances but it’s true make up goes like this: Mummy, Daddy, child 1, child 2, Mummy’s phone and Daddy’s phone. View Post

We were sent a copy of #babylove My Toddler Life free of charge in return for this honest review. All words and opinions are my own.

The Snugglewump – children’s book review

The Snugglewump – children’s book review

It is time for another children’s book review, I am a blogger for Boolino and regularly get sent exciting new books to read and review with Leo. Recently we were sent a lovely story called The Snugglewump, here is what we thought.. View Post

Wishker – children’s book review

Wishker – children’s book review

Recently I received a few lovely children’s books in the post as I am a Boolino blogger. I love getting children’s books to review as, I am sure you know by now, my Leo absolutely loves books and I always enjoy finding some new stories to share with him. I will be sharing my reviews of these three exciting books over the next few weeks, first up is my review of Wishker, a fun story all about a magic cat. View Post

FUM – children’s book review

FUM – children’s book review

Ever since he was a baby Leo has loved books and his love for stories has just continued to grow and grow as he has got older. My boy is such a bookworm and I love it, it is one of the things he has inherited from his Mummy. As I am a Boolino Friend I get sent fabulous children’s books to review and Leo gets so excited every time a book is delivered from Mummy’s ‘work’. Recently we received a wonderful book called FUM, here is what I (and more importantly Leo) thought of this fairy tale with a twist. View Post

The Joker, Deborah A Stansil – A book review

The Joker, Deborah A Stansil – A book review

It has been quite a few months since I last wrote a book review. It’s not because I haven’t been reading, I have been reading lots but I just haven’t managed to actually make it to the end of any books recently. Nothing has managed to keep a hold of my attention, no story has drawn me in so much that I physically struggle to put the book down. No book, that is, until I received a copy of The Joker  from blogger turned author Deborah Stansil. Some of you may know Debbie from her blog My Random Musings or you may have read her collection of short stories, Twisted Tales. The Joker is Debbie’s first novel and if you like a taste of the supernatural, this is one not to be missed. View Post

My Big Tree – children’s book review

My Big Tree – children’s book review

Regular readers of my blog will know that my boy Leo is a very active toddler. He is always on the go, running all over the place and it wouldn’t be unfair to describe him as a bit of a handful. Although Leo loves to be outside exploring and using up his heaps of energy, one of his favourite past times is to snuggle up with me and read some story books. I was delighted when children’s author Maria Ashworth got in touch asking if Leo and I would like to have a read of her new story, My Big Tree. View Post

The Great Dragon Bake Off – children’s book review

The Great Dragon Bake Off – children’s book review

I have said it time and time again on this blog, Leo loves reading. My boy is a complete book worm and when he’s not causing chaos (which, admittedly, he is most of the time), Leo loves being read a story or looking through his books himself. When I was given the opportunity to become a Boolino Friend and review children’s books regularly on my blog, I was so excited! Leo and I just love curling up on the sofa and reading and when The Great Dragon Bake Off by Nicola O’Byrne came flying through the letter box, we couldn’t wait to get cosy and have a read. Here is what we thought… View Post

Me before you, JoJo Moyes – A book review

Me before you, JoJo Moyes – A book review

Before Me before You became the must see romantic film of 2016, it was a beautifully moving novel written by JoJo Moyes. Me before You is a love story like no other I have ever read and although a tearjerker at heart, the comical moments and lovable characters entwine together to  make this book a really enjoyable read. View Post

The Grownup, Gillian Flynn – A book review

The Grownup, Gillian Flynn – A book review

Over the past couple of years Gillian Flynn has become my favourite author, ever. I love her writing style, the untrustworthy characters she creates and her ability to keep her readers guessing before shocking us all with plot twists that no one saw coming. When I picked up The Grownup in the bookshop and realised it was less than 70 pages long, I was slightly concerned Flynn was not going to be able to deliver her trademark dramatic twists and turns in so few words. How very wrong I was…

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The Lie – A book review

The Lie by C.L.Taylor, well what can I say? I read this book in 3 days and this is not something I have been able to do since becoming a parent. The opportunities to sit and completely submerge yourself in the pages of a book for hours on end are lost once you have an actual human to look after. However, for The Lie I made the time, picking it up whenever I had a spare minute or 2 and spending whole evenings devouring chapter after chapter.  If you are looking for a fast paced, gripping read then you need not look any further.

The Lie is a novel that easily sits in the thriller genre. If you like mysteries and suspense novels then I am sure this one is for you. The story follows Jane Hughes, a 30 year old woman living in Wales, happily dating her prince Charming Will and enjoying her dream job working in an animal sanctuary. All is not as perfect as it may seem, Jane Hughes is really Emma Wolfe. 5 years ago Emma and her university friends Daisy. Leanne and Al went on what was supposed to be a relaxing, dream holiday to Nepal, that ended up being the complete opposite.
C.L.Taylor leads you on 2 different plot paths as the story begins to unravel. Some chapters you find yourself in the present day with Jane and others you are in the claustrophobic and often terrifying mountain retreat of Ekanta Yatra in Nepal. In the present day, Jane quickly learns that she has not managed to escape her past as she receives eerie letters and messages, the writer claiming they know she is hiding her true identity. Taylor has a very clever way or building up suspense and intrigue in one time frame before making us travel back in time and fly to Nepal and carrying on with an even more mysterious narrative there. 
I was hooked on this book from the start, as soon Jane received her first letter I was desperate to know why she was hiding her identity. Once in Nepal, the dream holiday in Ekanta Yatra quickly descends in to a hellish cult like prison for Emma, yet her group of friends appear oblivious to the danger they are all in. The retreat founder Isaac is a creepy character and whenever he was present I felt on edge yet gripped at the same time; Isaac is unpredictable and his character takes the story to some pretty dark places. 
The book gathers pace very quickly and events in present day Wales and Nepal 5 years ago are all drenched in threat and tension. Taylor strategically switches between the two plots so your need for more is left lingering for a couple of chapters at a time. I seriously couldn’t put it down, just when something important was revealed in the present day, I knew the next chapter would contain the answers to the questions I had been asking myself about what was going to happen in Nepal since reading them a few chapters previously.
Although I found  The Lie fascinating, gripping and it was like nothing I had read before, I was slightly disappointed by the ending. After reading a book in such a short space of time, where the story picked up so much momentum and created so much intrigue, the big climactic finish just fell a bit flat for me. I needed a little bit more from the confrontation and a little bit more of an explanation. Unfortunately, for me anyway, although the ending was good and fit well with the story it just didn’t wow me in the way all the pages leading up to it had done.
Do not let my thoughts of the ending put you off reading this book, like I have said the plot is really exciting and will keep you guessing the whole time you are reading. If you want to get lost in a book and escape for a little while, give The Lie a go. Be warned though, escaping to the idyllic retreat of Ekanta Yanta will not be as relaxing as you may think…
Have you read The Lie? What did you think? What are your thoughts on the ending (no spoilers)? If you haven’t read it, do you think you might give it a go?
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My Random Musings