How I Choose My TBR

As a life-long bookworm, I’ve made it my mission to read ALL THE BOOKS.

Everything I liked the sound of – added to the TBR. Recommended by someone I trust – added to the TBR. Interesting cover – added to the TBR.

You get the picture – a love of books and an endless TBR.

However, I do (kind of) accept that I cannot read every book.

In fact, my journey into blogging has really made me focus on the elements of books that I really love. I’ve had to really think before I request yet more books – and there are definitely things that tick the boxes for me.

So here we go – an insight into my muddled mind and the TBR that I am desperately trying to tame… I love all these things independently but where they combine is pure magic!

(Disclaimer:  I still reserve the right to read randomly and at whim - that's one of the true pleasure of reading!)
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Continue reading How I Choose My TBR

Resolutions – Book Tag

I’ve been tagged by the lovely Emandherbooks to do this tag inspired by New Year’s Resolutions, but with a bookish twist. This tag was created by Mikaela Reads and it is very tricky!

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1. Exercise More – name a book that has made you want to leap up out of your seat (for any reason).

I recently read ‘The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’ by Grady Hendrix, a book which made me jump in horror but also in frustration! Some of the horror was a lot more horror-y (yes, it’s a word!) than I was really comfortable with – let’s just say rats and insects and unconventional vampire eating methods and leave it there! However, it also made me kind of cross in places as the women of the book club (who I hoped would be lovely but fierce Southern ladies who had each others’ backs) just weren’t very united.

There’s lots in the book to enjoy – if you have a stronger stomach than me!

2. Get Organised – a book with an exceptional plot

I don’t think you can beat Agatha Christie for brilliant plotting. I’m reading ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ with my book group at the moment and it is absolutely brilliant. It is making me want to read and re-read other Christie novels – I’ve always had a soft spot for a Poirot book.

My favourite Christie book is probably ‘Dead Man’s Folly’ so I’ll choose that for this resolution.

3. Learn A New Skill – a book which taught you something

I read lots of non-fiction books with the vague hope that I’ll learn something – I always do, but unfortunately have a memory like a sieve so don’t actually retain much!

However, a few books I’ve read in the last year have really taught me to look at things differently and challenge my thinking. ‘Difficult Women’ by Helen Lewis made me think about how far the fight for gender equality has come (but how far there is left to go) while ‘How Not to be Wrong’ by James O’Brien got me to identify my own in-built prejudices and the possible reasons for them. On a lighter note, James Felton’s ’52 Times Britain was a Bellend: The History You Didn’t Get Taught at School’ gave me a new perspective on historical ‘truths’ (and made me laugh too!)

4. Live Life To The Fullest – a book which inspired you

I’m really not sure I read that kind of inspirational book!

However, Ruby Wax’s ‘And Now For The Good News’ gave me a shot of positivity that there are good people out there achieving amazing things. In the face of 2020, that was quite inspirational.

5. Save more money / spend less money – the most expensive book you’ve bought and was it worth it?

I once spent £50 on a book at the Hay Festival just so I could meet its author and get it signed. That author was Brian May and it was worth every penny! The book is fabulous too, by the way – ‘Queen in 3D’.

6. Spend More Time With Family and Friends – a character you would want to be best mates with

One of my absolute favourite books is ‘I Capture the Castle’ by Dodie Smith. From the second I first read it as a teenager, I was absolutely captivated by the eccentric and charming Mortmain family (especially Cassandra, our narrator).

7. Travel More – a book with a location you’d love to visit

I tend to read a lot of historical fiction, so it’s usually more about when I’d like to visit rather than where!

However, I remember being fascinated by the descriptions of Mesa Verde, Colorado in ‘The Professor’s House’ by Willa Cather. I read this book at university a long time ago and the setting really interested me because of the old cliff-dwellings. In the pre-Internet days (remember them?!), I couldn’t imagine these amazing houses built into the rock and always kind of hoped I’d get to go one day.

8. Read More – a book you are desperate to read this year

I’m really keen to read the new book by Elizabeth Macneal, ‘Circus of Wonders’. I loved her last book, ‘The Doll Factory’ and this one looks just perfect! The blurb had me at ‘Gothic Victoriana…’


There you have it! Hope you’ve enjoyed my answers and I’d like to tag anyone who fancies giving this a go – it is quite a challenge!

Header photo with thanks to Annie Spratt on Unsplash.

My 10 Bookish Surprises of 2020

I am a life-long bookworm, but 2020 marked the point at which a hobby became something so much bigger. This blog was born in July 2020 after years of writing NetGalley reviews and it has supplied the steepest learning curve of all!

Aside from the usual revelations to bloggers (the vagaries of WordPress, for example), there have been some genuine bookish surprises in this very strange year.

Here are just a few things that have given me food for thought this year…

Book Twitter is fabulous…

Many thanks to all the lovely bloggers who have crossed my path this year – I have been genuinely astounded at how lovely the bookish community is on Twitter and grateful about how I’ve been welcomed.

I have to make special mentions of the Tsundoko Squad and The Write Reads crew – you guys have been just wonderful in this otherwise pretty awful year!

but it loves a drama

With this in mind, I’ve also been astonished at how many Twitter spats seem to happen. I get that we are an opinionated bunch of people, but I’ve been bemused by lots of arguments this year. I’m way too old for all that!

Reading non-fiction puts you in a minority

I’ve always read loads of non-fiction and assumed everyone else did too. Wrong!

Incidentally, you can read my top 10 non-fiction reads of 2020 here.

It’s sometimes fun to read outside your genres

One thing that has surprised me this year is how much I’ve enjoyed some books I really didn’t expect to! I think of myself mainly as a reader of historical and crime fiction, plus a lot of non-fiction. However, this year some of my favourite books have been odd choices for me – YA romance (‘The Great Godden’ by Meg Rosoff), vampires (‘Grave Secrets’ by Alice James) and a book about graveyards (and so much more! ‘A Tomb with a View’ by Peter Ross).

Affiliate links are below:

There is always someone who has read more than you

I’ve always read loads but not on the scale of most of Book Twitter! I’ll finish this year on about 120 books and that’s just fine.

Seasonal reading is a thing

Having never read Christmas books, I honestly didn’t really register that seasonal-themed reading was a thing. Not just Christmas, but Halloween and pretty much any other holiday/season/event you can think of – there will be a corner of Book Twitter and many blogs dedicated to it. Mind blown.

I still haven’t read any Christmas books though!

Bookstagram is huge…and I still don’t get it

I’m way too old to get Instagram.

I’m seriously impressed at the dedication of those who lovingly photograph books in gorgeous settings and with fabulous lighting. It’s one of those things that is beyond my skill set, like knitting or skiing or being able to carry off wearing a hat. Carry on, everyone else!

My favourite books of the year weren’t ones I expected

I’m pretty good at choosing books for myself – it’s pretty rare that I DNF books and have enjoyed pretty much everything I’ve picked up this year.

What I’m less good at is predicting the books that I will adore – the ones I’ll be raving to everyone about forever. This year, there have been some brilliant surprises – ‘Cows Can’t Jump’ by Philip Bowne, ‘The Miseducation of Evie Epworth’ by Matson Taylor and ‘The Quickening’ by Rhiannon Ward to name just three fantastic examples.

Affiliate links are below because everyone needs a copy of these! Thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases.

Buddy reading is fun

I’d always been sceptical about buddy reads and reading groups. Then I worked my way through ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier with The Write Reads bunch and I have honestly never laughed so much. I not only finished a book that I’ve failed to read on other occasions, I totally enjoyed the chat and there will be elements of it that stay with me for quite a while!

I’m not sure who book blogs are really for

I’ve loved every minute of setting up and writing my blog this year (technical issues aside – curse you, JetPack) but I’m no clearer on who it is really for. Website hits, though satisfying, aren’t massively high and feedback is limited.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll keep writing the blog for me – and if any of you want to carry on reading then GREAT!

Here’s to a 2021 that is everything that 2020 wasn’t!

My Goodreads 100

In what might work out to be the geekiest post ever, I thought I’d have a closer look at the 100 books I’ve read this year. I completed my Goodreads challenge this week so it seems a good time to pause and take stock.


Things that don’t surprise me a bit…

I know that I read a lot of female writers, so the gender ratio 60:40 in favour of female writers didn’t surprise me at all. A lot of my favourite detective series are written by women (Rachel Lynch, Carla Kovach, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths…I could go on!)

Also unsurprising was the number of books that I read for free this year – I’ve always read a lot through NetGalley, plus have done some blog tours, so it is to be expected that a huge proportion of my reads (74%) were free in exchange for an honest review. I am eternally grateful to NetGalley, blog tour hosts, publishers and authors for keeping me in reading material!

Finally, because of my NetGalley obsession, it makes perfect sense that my most read format this year was on Kindle (71%). I invested in a Kindle Oasis earlier this year because I thought the warm light feature might be kinder on my eyes, especially given how long I stare at it!


Things that did surprise me…

I know I read quite widely, but I thought I’d probably be very heavy on the crime and historical fiction. This did turn out to be true – 44% of my books had some kind of crime element, whether in a contemporary or historical setting. However, only 30% of my chosen reads had a historical setting – something I thought would be higher.

What I was pleasantly surprised by was the fact that 27% of the books were non-fiction. I do love non-fiction but thought it would be more overshadowed than that in the statistics. I was also happy to see that there was a range of genres in the mix too – poetry, humour, romance and ‘other’ (contemporary fiction, play scripts) made up a good chunk.

I seem to be heavily dependent on the 4* rating (71% of my books in 2020) but it was heartening to see that nearly 1/5 of the books I read this year were 5* ones. I wasn’t too surprised to see the small proportion of 3* rating (and nothing below) because I choose my books carefully and DNF any that won’t make 3 stars!


Some lists

My 5 Star Reads of 2020 (so far) – links to reviews where possible!

‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ by Stuart Turton
‘Practically Perfect’ by Katy Brand
‘Essex Girls’ by Sarah Perry
‘Boy’ by Roald Dahl
‘More than a Woman’ by Caitlin Moran
‘Cows Can’t Jump’ by Philip Bowne
‘A Tomb With a View’ by Peter Ross
‘The Quickening’ by Rhiannon Ward
‘Longhand’ by Andy Hamilton
‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins (review coming soon)
‘Death in the East’ by Abir Mukherjee
‘The Miseducation of Evie Epworth’ by Matson Taylor
‘Dead Famous’ by Greg Jenner
‘This is Shakespeare’ by Emma Smith
‘Grave Secrets’ by Alice James
‘Broken Silence’ by Liz Mistry
‘Daughters of Night’ by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (coming in 2021)
‘A Curious History of Sex’ by Kate Lister
‘The Graves of Whitechapel’ by Claire Evans
‘The Switch’ by Beth O’Leary
‘Difficult Women’ by Helen Lewis

Books I Bought With My Own Money and Read This Year:

‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ by Stuart Turton
‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid’ by Bill Bryson
‘Practically Perfect’ by Katy Brand
‘Essex Girls’ by Sarah Perry
‘The Princess and the Prick’ by Wallaburga Appleseed
‘Boy’ by Roald Dahl
‘More than a Woman’ by Caitlin Moran
‘A Tomb With a View’ by Peter Ross
‘Good Samaritans’ by Will Carver
‘The Book of Humans’ by Adam Rutherford
‘A Chip Shop in Poznan’ by Ben Aitken
‘Women Don’t Owe You Pretty’ by Florence Given
‘State of the Union’ by Nick Hornby
‘The Great Godden’ by Meg Rosoff
‘A Rising Man’ by Abir Mukherjee
‘Three Women’ by Lisa Taddeo
‘Dead Famous’ by Greg Jenner
‘This is Shakespeare’ by Emma Smith
‘A Murderous Relation’ by Deanna Raybourn
‘You Took the Last Bus Home’ by Brian Bilston
‘When the Dogs Don’t Bark’ by Angela Gallop
‘A Million Years in a Day’ by Greg Jenner
‘The Golden Tresses of the Dead’ by Alan Bradley
‘A Curious History of Sex’ by Kate Lister
’52 Times Britain was a Bellend’ by James Felton
‘Fleabag’by Phoebe Waller-Bridge

9 Writers I’ve Read More Than One Book By This Year:

  1. Ben Aitken
  2. Greg Jenner
  3. Abir Mukherjee
  4. Carla Kovach
  5. Rachel Lynch
  6. Andrew Taylor
  7. Nick Hornby
  8. William Sieghart (2 poetry anthologies)
  9. Elly Griffiths

Brilliant Debut Novels

  1. ‘Cows Can’t Jump’ by Philip Bowne
  2. ‘A Girl Made of Air’ by Nydia Hetherington
  3. ‘People of Abandoned Character’ by Clare Whitfield
  4. ‘The Chalet’ by Catherine Cooper
  5. ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ by Richard Osman
  6. ‘The Miseducation of Evie Epworth’ by Matson Taylor
  7. ‘The Eighth Detective’ by Alex Pavesi
  8. ‘Grave Secrets’ by Alice James
  9. ‘The Servant’ by Maggie Richell-Davies
  10. ‘The Quickening’ by Rhiannon Ward (first novel published under this name)

5 Surprises This Year

  1. Alice James’ ‘Grave Secrets’ – I don’t read a lot of fantasy novels, but this vampire and zombie one absolutely won me over. Well outside of my comfort zone, but it was just so funny and lively and immersive.
  2. ‘Longhand’ by Andy Hamilton – I had some reservations about reading a book written by hand (in beautiful handwriting though!) However, I was absolutely transfixed by this extremely quirky and humorous novel with a surprising Classical theme.
  3. ‘The Gran Tour: Travels with My Elders’ by Ben Aitken – the charming Bill Bryson-esque travel writing had me totally engaged in this (true) tale of a young man’s coach trips with Shearings (and his Gran!)
  4. ‘The Miseducation of Evie Epworth’ by Matson Taylor – I was prepared for a rom-com, but what I got was a gorgeous 1960s coming of age tale packed with humour and one of the best characters of the year.
  5. ‘A Tomb With a View’ by Peter Ross – I’ve tried to get everyone I know to read this! I thought I’d like this non-fiction telling of stories of graveyards and their people; I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did.

Affiliate links to my books of the year (so far) – I may earn a small commission on any purchases at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog!


So that’s my Goodreads 100! It’s been an odd year – I don’t usually expect to read 100 books, let alone 100 books by October. I hope you’ve enjoyed my trawl through my reading so far this year and thank you for visiting and supporting my blog.


Header photo with thanks to Floris Andréa for sharing their work on Unsplash.

The Sunshine Blogger Award


Today, I am answering some questions set by my fellow bloggers as part of the Sunshine Blogger Award. I was fortunate to be nominated by Danni at ForBooksSake and Ashley at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

Thanks to both of these bloggers – do follow them if you don’t already!

I’ll be answering all their questions in this post before setting my own questions for my nominees!

How does it work?

  • Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
  • Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
  • Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
  • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Questions from Danni:

Have you set a GoodReads Reading Goal for the year? If yes, how many books are you hoping to read?

I set an optimistic challenge of 100 books on GoodReads – this is more than I’ve read in recent years and the first time I’ve consciously set a target. However, lockdown gave my reading a bit of a boost so I’m already on 93 books.

What has been your favourite book of 2020 so far?

How can I possibly pick just one?!

I’ll go with ‘The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor. I didn’t know what to expect from this debut novel, but it is an absolutely charming, funny and sweet novel about a young girl growing up with a quirky and dysfunctional family in the 1960s.

What book on your TBR are you most looking forward to reading?

Laura Purcell’s ‘The Shape of Darkness’. I have loved her previous books and a new book is always an event.

Do you have any pets? If yes, please post pictures! (I want to see your cute animals)

Yes – 2 cats (Geoff and Ivy) plus 4 bantam hens.

Geoff (who sleeps like no cat I’ve ever seen before)

Who are your auto buy authors?

I’m not sure I have that many, but definitely Caitlin Moran and Laura Purcell. There are also a couple of crime series that I’m following where I’d buy the next books without question – I really like the Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey and Rachel Lynch’s DI Kelly Porter series.

I’ve read books by a lot of brilliant new writers this year (new to me or debut novelists) that I think this list will grow very rapidly!

What are your favourite books from your childhood?

One of the first books I remember as a child was ‘Peepo’ by Janet and Alan Ahlberg, a gorgeous picture book about a baby in a (not that I realised it then) World War II era family. I’ve since read this to my kids and it is a favourite.

There are loads of books I loved as a child that probably wouldn’t stand up to re-reading – I was an obsessive Enid Blyton fan and absolutely devoured any Nancy Drew books!

Other than that, Dodie Smith’s ‘I Capture The Castle’ was a book I loved as a teenager and have re-read as an adult. I still think it’s pretty great!

Describe your dream reading space.

I’ve always fancied my own library – something along the lines of the one in Beauty and the Beast! Definitely high wall-to-wall bookshelves that need ladders to get to the top and some cosy armchairs!

What is your favourite bookish merch?

So many things that I wrote a blog post on it – you can see my collection of bookish prints, pins and all manner of other things here.

What are your biggest bookish pet peeves?

I really hate books that promise an uplifting read but that turn out to be really, really depressing! I think there is some serious misrepresentation going on with some book blurbs and am always disappointed when I get to a really nasty bit in a book that I wasn’t expecting.

How do you feel about DNF’ing a book?

Guilty. I always think it is going to get better, but I’ve learnt that some books just…don’t. I’m quite good at choosing books that I think I’ll like but I do feel like it is my fault if I can’t finish a book.

You can only read one genre for the rest of your life, what are you choosing, and why?

Historical (preferably historical crime). There’s such a rich variety of settings that I don’t think I’d ever get bored. I love learning about different periods of history (although I have a soft spot for the Victorians) and there are so many brilliant writers working in this genre.

One of my latest historical reads – recommended!

Questions from Ashley:

What is your favorite genre to read?

Historical crime fiction – that’s a very specific genre to choose but I love the combination of the rich setting with a twisty crime story!

What nonfiction book(s) are your favorite?

Oooh, great question! I think non-fiction books often get overlooked in the world of Book Twitter.

I love any of Caitlin Moran’s non-fiction books and I’ve recently really enjoyed (if enjoyed is the right word for a book about death!) Peter Ross’ ‘A Tomb With a View’ – it’s absolutely fascinating, incredibly moving and not as depressing as you might expect.

I’m also a fan of history presented with a bit of wit and flair – ‘Dead Famous’ by Greg Jenner and ‘A Curious History of Sex’ by Kate Lister have been high points this year.

Do you read multiple books at once or just one?

Multiple – I can’t have too many similar books going at the same time, but I’ll often have a fiction (or two, but different genres), a non-fiction and an audiobook going at the same time.

What other hobbies do you have besides reading?

I’m not really sure I do! Between the reading, the blogging and Book Twitter, I’m pretty busy.

When I’m not book-focused, I spend time with my family and teach English full-time at a secondary school.

Do you have a reading goal for 2020? If so, how is it going?

I’d not set a goal before this year, but 100 books seemed like it was going to be a real challenge. However, 2020 has been a weird year in so many ways and lockdown has boosted my reading at times so I’m already on 93 books.

What prompted you to create a blog?

I was reading and reviewing on NetGalley and it seemed like the logical next step. I love talking to people about books and so was looking to infiltrate myself into the bookish community…it seems to be working, I think…

What is your favorite trope?

I don’t read a lot of horror at all, but I’m totally won over by anything with vampires!

What is your least favorite trope?

I’m getting quite fed up with the detective with the tragic personal life. It has been very over-done and I’d quite like to focus on the crime plot without having to work through the trauma of the detective first!

What fictional world would you like to visit?

Because I read a lot about the past, I think my world would have to be step back in time! I’d love to visit the world inhabited by Jeeves and Wooster – an idealised and very jolly version of 1920s and 1930s London that never really existed outside the imagination of P.G. Wodehouse.

There are other less salubrious time periods I’d love to visit but I’d not want to stay long!

What book disappointed you this year?

I always feel bad if I’m disappointed by a book because I do try to choose my reading carefully. I did read a crime novel that was quite hyped that I was disappointed with (and didn’t feature on the blog) but I won’t name it.

What is your favorite cover from 2020?

‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins (out in November) looks glorious. I read the Kindle version but have been jealously looking at other people’s proofs and advance copies!

I’m going to nominate:

(Sorry if you’ve even tagged before!)

Mystery Bookworm Blogs

Rosegold Reports

JenJenReviews

Books are 42

A Writing Soul’s Story

Bookfever

Ellie Mai Blogs

Hooked with Books

Lily Reads

NovelDeelights

And YOU! Please do link to me so I can read your answers!

My questions for you:

  1. What was the last book that surprised you?
  2. What is your favourite book series?
  3. Is the book always better than the film?
  4. Which book would make a brilliant film (that hasn’t been made yet)?
  5. What was the last book you DNF?
  6. What is your favourite setting for a book?
  7. What title would you choose for your own autobiography?
  8. What 3 things would a book need to include to make it a must-read for you?
  9. Which genre do you like least and why?
  10. What’s been the most popular post on your blog?
  11. Which are your favourite book blogs to visit?

Meet the Book Blogger: The Quick and the Read

My blog has been running for two whole months now and it has been an absolute pleasure to run it and to meet so many lovely book people on Twitter!

I’m quite shy by nature, but I thought I’d pick up the blog tag from @BlogsBookworm at Mystery Bookworm Blogs and introduce myself properly. This was an original tag by Lauren at Lala’s Book Reviews so I’m using her questions…

Introduce yourself!

Hi, I’m Kate. Sometimes known as The Quick and the Read on the internet, but usually Kate or Mum or Mrs B (in the classroom). I live in the very rainy area to the south of Cheshire where I teach, read and raise my two children.

Do you have any pets?

2 cats and 4 bantam hens – I’ve kept chickens for about 10 years and they are fantastic pets, plus there’s always the bonus of fresh eggs!

One of my cats, Geoff, whose party trick is sleeping in weird positions!

What is your favourite thing to drink?

Always coffee. I’m very caffeine-dependent, I think, and it is the only reason I’m vertical most days!

What is your favourite season?

I’m really not good in hot weather so probably autumn. It rains all year round in south Cheshire anyway, but there’s something about the darker evenings and the beginnings of anticipating Christmas that I like.

Do you have any special talents?

Haha, no. I once won a prize for my weaving at summer school when I was 9 – does that count?!

When and why did you start your blog?

I’ve always been absolutely passionate about reading, so I hoped that blogging would connect me with like-minded people because I’m quite shy in real life. In the two months since I started the blog, this has definitely been the case. I’d also reviewed on NetGalley a lot over the past few years but wanted more of an outlet for my bookish thoughts!

What is something that you wish you knew about blogging when you first started?

This could probably be a book in its own right! Mainly, I wish that I had known more about the quirks of WordPress because it has been a very steep learning curve for me as a technophobe!

What has been the hardest part about blogging?

The writing is the easy bit – the messing around with pictures is the bit I find hard. I’m not a natural photographer – one of the reasons I avoid Instagram like the plague – but have had to reluctantly start snapping!

My other cat, Ivy, really not helping with blog photography!

What has been the most rewarding part of blogging?

Definitely finding my tribe on book Twitter. Everyone has been really supportive and lovely – it is genuinely a pleasure to find people always willing to talk about and recommend books.

Do you write your posts ahead of time or write them the day of posting?

Always ahead of time – I’m fitting blogging round family and work so there’s no chance that I’ll be able to predict when I’ll get writing time!

Who are your top five favourite authors?

This honestly varies all the time! Right now, I’m loving these:

  1. Laura Purcell
  2. Caitlin Moran
  3. PG Wodehouse
  4. Jeanette Winterson
  5. Nina Stibbe

What genre do you read the most?

I’m obsessed with historical fiction – I will read anything set in the Victorian era, but also Edwardian/Regency/1920s are favourites. I love crime fiction too, so historical crime fiction really floats my boat!

What genre surprised you by how much you love it?

If asked, I’d say I don’t like horror books but I have started edging into ghost stories and books about the supernatural and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I do like a vampire too, it turns out (although I still can’t get on with ‘Twilight’ – sorry!)

Which popular book didn’t live up to the hype for you?

I’m so reluctant to slate any books because of how much love and work goes into their creation. There are a few classics I really didn’t enjoy when I was at university for a whole host of reasons – I’ll go with saying I am not intelligent enough to have got anything worthwhile out of ‘Moby Dick’!

Who are some popular authors you haven’t read?

Loads of them, but mostly in genres that I’m not really into – just looking at the bestselling authors list on Wikipedia I can spot Stephen King, Barbara Cartland, Dean Koontz, Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham… I’m also a bit contrary (some may say awkward…) so I don’t read things just because they’re popular.

What upcoming releases are you excited to read?

I’m lucky because NetGalley have already given me some amazing ARCs for the end of 2020 and 2021 so I’ve read some of the ones I really wanted – ‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins and ‘Daughters of Night’ by Laura Shepherd-Robinson to give two examples. Other than those, I’m looking forward to Laura Purcell’s new book, ‘The Shape of Darkness’ and the next books from Abir Mukherjee and Vaseem Khan – both murder mystery series set in India.

Do you listen to music while reading?

No – as I’ve got older, I can only concentrate on one thing at a time!

Where else can I find you online?

On Twitter as @thequickandthe4 mainly, or you can link to my Goodreads through this blog.


I open this blog tag to anyone who wants to take part! If you do decide to do it, please credit Lauren (link at the top of the post) and me for the tag.

Thanks for reading. Please do find me on Twitter for a chat and follow this blog for more bookish things!

Header photo with thanks to Giulia May for sharing their work on Unsplash.

Notes from a Nervous Newbie…

I can’t remember a time I wasn’t obsessed with reading. From the early days of illicit Secret Seven books devoured after lights-out to breakfasts spent poring over cereal packets to the more highbrow demands of a Literature degree…if there’s reading material available, I’m there!

Having spent years talking about books with anyone who would listen, I then found NetGalley and settled in to reviewing books alongside my day job as secondary English teacher. I kind of refined my genres and interests and my passion for books continued to grow. I’d say it was a well-cultivated and controlled development, like a beautiful bonsai tree. My husband would say an obsession growing more like knotweed, but heigh-ho…

So I’ve finally taken the plunge and here is my very own blog. You can expect book reviews covering a range of genres – historical crime is a favourite, alongside anything set in the Victorian era, but I really am not prescriptive. I love funny books, fiction and non-fiction, ‘Women’s fiction’ (always thought that was a weird category title, to be honest), police procedurals and books about books. But also anything else that takes my fancy along the way.

You also don’t get to be a long-term bookworm without becoming au fait with all kinds of literary gifts, subscription services and other connected bits and bobs. I’ll be chatting about these too.

Most importantly, all the opinions are my very own and have no ulterior motive. If I don’t love it, I’m not recommending it!

So welcome to my blog and thanks for stopping by. This is one scary step so please be kind!