Tag: Olivia Williams

A Sneak Peek at my NetGalley Shelf

I’ve been a member of NetGalley for years, although I really started reviewing in earnest in 2016. Since then, I’ve reviewed over 330 books for the site and my current feedback rating is at 79%.

This doesn’t take a genius mathematician to work out that there are a fair few books on my shelf still to review!

Today, I thought I’d let you have a quick look at some of what is on my shelf and (therefore) a sneaky look at what may well feature on the blog in coming months.

  1. ‘The Whole Truth’ by Cara Hunter – I have loved the rest of the DI Fawley police procedurals by Hunter so was very excited to get the widget for this one! Not published until February 2021, it is an honour to get this advance copy.
  2. ‘The Mitford Trial’ by Jessica Fellowes – another series that I’ve followed since the beginning, these books are historical murder mysteries that feature the lives of the Mitford sisters. This latest one looks brilliant as it is based on a real-life murder. To be published in November.
  3. ‘The Unforgetting’ by Rose Black – this looks like a glorious historical novel in the same vein as those by Laura Purcell. It is out now and I really need to read it!
  4. ‘Between the Covers’ by Jilly Cooper – I love Jilly Cooper and so jumped at the opportunity to read this collection of her musings on life, love and ageing. This is coming out in October.
  5. ‘The Secret Life of the Savoy’ by Olivia Williams – this promises glitz and glamour and some fascinating history. It’s out now.
  6. ‘The Shape of Darkness’ by Laura Purcell – I’ve loved all of Purcell’s books and was so excited to get this ARC! It isn’t out until January 2021 but it is edging up my TBR as I am so keen to read it.
  7. ‘It Takes Two’ by Cathy Newman – I liked Newman’s previous book, ‘Bloody Brilliant Woman’ so jumped at the opportunity to read this account of couples who have made history.

So there you go! 7 books that are at the forefront of my NetGalley shelf. There’s plenty of others and I’m doing my absolute best to get my feedback rating above 80%. I just need to stop requesting now…

Header photo with thanks to Susan Yin for sharing their work on Unsplash.

WWW Wednesday: 16th September 2020

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for everyone to join in and share what they have been/are/will be reading!

Affiliate links are provided for books already available – I may earn commission on any purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!

What are you currently reading?

I’ll admit that I’m still reading ‘Unto This Last’, the fictionalised biography of John Ruskin, for a blog tour later in the month. The length of the novel and the complexity of the writing mean that I’m slowing and savouring this one!

I’ve just started my buddy read with the lovely Jodie at Relish Books – we are tackling ‘Good Samaritans’ by Will Carver. It’s early days but all good so far.

What have you recently finished reading?

I’ve just read Gill Sims’ latest book in her ‘What Mummy’ series – this one, the fourth and last – is called ‘Why Mummy’s Sloshed’ and follows Sims’ protagonist Ellen through the parenthood highs and lows of having teenage children. My review will be on the blog nearer to publication date (1st October) but it is – delightfully and hilariously – more of the realistic and relatable views of parenting we have come to expect from Sims.

I’ve also just finished Ruby Wax’s ‘And Now For the Good News’, an uplifting non-fiction book about the things that humanity is getting right – something I really needed to hear about! The review will follow on the blog nearer to the publication date next week.

Finally, I finished an audiobook by Adam Rutherford called ‘The Book of Humans’. It is a really interesting analysis of how humans differ (or perhaps don’t!) from other animals. I also love Adam Rutherford’s voice and could probably listen to him read the phone book so all was good!

What do you think you will read next?

I am absolutely never accurate with this because new things arrive and bump everything else down the TBR!

I’m still very excited to read some of the line-up of ARCs I’ve got on NetGalley, although I’m trying to prioritise in order of publication. I’m keen to read Stuart Turton’s ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’, Laura Purcell’s ‘The Shape of Darkness’ and Nick’ by Michael Farris Smith (based on the narrator of ‘The Great Gatsby’).

I’ve also just received this glorious-looking book, ‘Cows Can’t Jump’ by Philip Bowne for a blog tour in October that is just calling out to be read! It’s a debut novel that’s already won a Spotlight First Novel prize and I am looking forward to it. It will be published on 24th September.

My non-fiction TBR is also looking huge and precarious! Jilly Cooper’s ‘Between the Covers’ (ARC), Dawn O’Porter’s ‘Life in Pieces’ (ARC) and Olivia Williams’ ‘The Secret Life of the Savoy’ are all clamouring for my attention!

I received these books (apart from the Will Carver and Adam Rutherford ones) from NetGalley or a blog tour company in return for an honest review.

Header photo with thanks to Robert Anasch for sharing their work on Unsplash.