books Archives - Page 9 of 15 - The Quick and the Read

Ten books I should have shouted about before now!

I’ve hit a bit of a reading slump. It happens to the best of us – a run of good books but not peppered with the absolutely great ones. The ones you put down all other books for, ignore your phone and your family…yeah, those.

To find my inspiration, I had a look back at the books I’ve read this year and noticed that 10/73 had got my top mark of 5 stars on Goodreads. Now seems like a good time to revisit the top ten…in no particular order.

Turns out I really like crime fiction!

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Book Review: ‘All About Evie’ by Matson Taylor

‘The Miseducation of Evie Epworth’ was one of my books of 2021 – I couldn’t wait to see how Matson Taylor was going to follow up his impressive debut novel. Thanks to NetGalley for granting me access to this sequel in exchange for an honest review.

This novel picks up a way after the first one finished with 1960s Evie heading for London. She’s now 10 years older and living the high life in 1970s London – until a surprising and unfortunate incident involving Princess Anne ends her BBC career a little prematurely. Faced with a number of possibilities, Evie picks herself up and tries some different paths with the help of her friends.

Book Review: ‘Cat and Mouse’ by M J Arlidge

You pretty much know what you’re getting with an M. J. Arlidge crime novel – a high body count, scary and gruesome murders, lots of twists and DI Helen Grace doing her maverick thing along the way! This one is no exception and it’s a satisfying addition to the series.

In this book, a killer is targeting people in their Southampton homes – attacking when they are alone or vulnerable. DI Grace and her team are called in to investigate, but immediately struggle with finding the link between the victims. As the murders continue, the police investigation seems to be going nowhere and the stakes continue to rise. With DI Grace in danger herself, it’s a race against time to stop a killer.

Book Review: ‘Hope to Die’ by Cara Hunter

A new Cara Hunter book is always a treat – and this is no exception. I read A LOT of crime fiction and think that Cara Hunter’s books are among the best.

This is the sixth book in the series featuring DI Adam Fawley and his team – although there are some plotlines that run across the books (mainly to do with the team’s personal lives and relationships), I think this could be enjoyed as a standalone novel.

Book Review: ‘A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting’ by Sophie Irwin

I don’t usually read a lot of historical romance, but this one proved irresistible. The recommendations promised ‘witty’, ‘fun’ and ‘sassy’ which I’m absolutely here for, so I was pleased to be granted a copy by NetGalley for review. As always, opinions are entirely my own.

Blog Tour: ‘From the Ashes’ by Deborah Masson

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the latest in the series featuring DI Eve Hunter – ‘From the Ashes’ by Deborah Masson.

Thanks to Compulsive Readers/Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the tour and for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review – as always, opinions are entirely my own. The paperback will be published in August 2022 by Penguin Books, although I believe the Kindle edition is available before this.

Book Review: ‘The Botanist’ by M W Craven

A new book by M W Craven is always a treat – usually a gory, gruesome, twisty treat, but a treat nevertheless!

This book – the fifth featuring Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw – is another excellent addition to the series. Regular readers will not be at all disappointed, but if you haven’t made the acquaintance of Poe and Bradshaw before then I’d recommend that you start with Book 1, ‘The Puppet Show’. This novel makes total sense as a standalone, but you really don’t want to miss the rest of the books!

Book Review: ‘The Slow Road to Tehran’ by Rebecca Lowe

This is absolutely the best type of travel writing – engaging, humorous, vibrant and packed with historical and cultural detail. Many thanks to Rachel Quin for bringing this book to my attention and for sending me a review copy – opinions, as always, are entirely my own.

May 2022 Wrap-Up and June TBR

It’s been a very slow reading month for me – life got in the way and I only managed 6 books, putting me behind in my Goodreads Challenge on 46/120.

Still, onwards and upwards! I’ve now got many half-read books that I hope to finish in June along with some new additions to the TBR.

April 2022 Wrap-Up and May TBR

It’s been a weird month – Easter holidays (yay!) so lots of reading, followed by a school inspection (not so yay!) and no reading.

This month, I read 10 books – which puts me at 40/120 on my Goodreads Challenge. Exactly on target but not exactly racing through the reads…

All my reads this month were three or four stars – a good month. Keep reading to see what books I enjoyed in April and what I plan for May.