Summer Reading

Our grandson is the absolute light of my life, I love the bones of him and love being a nanny, but phew... I think I must have forgotten about littlies and all the germs they like to share around! Zackary goes to nursery the days we don't have him and has just had a nasty cold and chest infection. While I'm sure this is boosting his immunity being exposed to these nasties, it isn't doing a lot for me as I appear to be his favourite person to share them with and have been laid low recently with a bad chest, temperatures and cold.

It means I get some time to sit and read though, so I thought I'd share a few of the titles I've read recently with you.

I'm probably very late to the party here, but have discovered Marian Keyes. I picked up a copy of 'The Break' and just couldn't put it down.

It's not a book I would generally pick up, but fancied something a bit different and while it didn't make me laugh out loud, I did find it amusing in parts. I think what I enjoyed so much was the way I felt that I got to know the characters and felt caught up in their world. This is the blurb on Amazon about it

If only.

Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her.

He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. 

Six months in South-East Asia. And nothing she says can stop him.

But when does a break become a break up?

For a lot can happen in six months. And it's enough to send Amy and her family of gossips, misfits and troublemakers teetering over the edge.

When Hugh returns if he returns, will he be the same man she married? 

Will Amy be the same woman?

Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then isn't she?

I actually felt a bit lost when I finished it and wanted more. Off to the charity shops where I found this

I didn't enjoy it as much as 'The Break', but 'The Other Side of the Story' was a good read and I shall now keep my eyes open for any more Marian Keyes books. Here's the blurb for this one from marian's site

The agent

Jojo, a high-flying literary agent on the up, has just made a very bad career move: she’s jumped into bed with her married boss, Mark …

The bestseller

Jojo’s sweet-natured client Lily’s first novel is a roaring success. She and lover Anton celebrate by spending the advance for her second book. Then she gets writer’s block…

The unknown

Gemma used to be Lily’s best friend – until Lily ‘stole’ Anton. Now she’s writing her own story – painfully and hilariously – when supershark Jojo stumbles across it …

Three girls hoping and sometimes needing to make it big in the publishing world. But did anybody ever tell them that there’s always another side to every story?

Change of pace now, after reading Paula Hawkins' 'Girl on a Train', I was keen to read her next book 'Into the Water'. 

Again, a thoroughly enjoyable read, page turner and told through different view points the same as her last book. Here's the blurb bit

Just days before her sister plunged to her death, Jules ignored her call.

Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules must return to her sister's house to care for her daughter, and to face the mystery of Nel's death.

But Jules is afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of this small town that is drowning in secrecy . . . 

And of knowing that Nel would never have jumped.

Another author I hadn't read before, Camilla Way and 'The Lies we Told'

A novel with lots of twists and turns, here's the blurb to entice you

A DAUGHTER

Beth has always known there was something strange about her daughter, Hannah. The lack of emotion, the disturbing behaviour, the apparent delight in hurting others… sometimes Beth is scared of her, and what she could be capable of.

A SON

Luke comes from the perfect family, with the perfect parents. But one day, he disappears without trace, and his girlfriend Clara is left desperate to discover what has happened to him.

A LIFE BUILT ON LIES

As Clara digs into the past, she realizes that no family is truly perfect, and uncovers a link between Luke’s long-lost sister and a strange girl named Hannah. Now Luke’s life is in danger because of the lies once told and the secrets once kept. Can she find him before it’s too late?

This next book I read was called 'No Escape' by Lucy Clarke, but the same book is also under the title 'The Blue'

I enjoyed it, but it wasn't as exciting as the others I've mentioned. Here's the amazon info on this one

When there’s danger in paradise, will you be the one to stay alive?

With a quick spin of the globe, Kitty and Lana escape their grey reality and journey to the Philippines. There they discover The Blue – a beautiful yacht, with a wandering crew.

They spend day after languorous day exploring the pristine white beaches and swimming beneath the stars, and Lana

drifts further away from the long-buried secrets of home.

But the tide turns when death creeps quietly on deck.

A dangerous swell of mistrust and lies threatens to bring the crew’s adventures to an end – but some won’t let paradise go…whatever the price.

They were a few I've picked up recently, still a big pile of books to read, isn't there always! Let me know what you think of them if you've read any.

Off to make a hot drink and open a fresh box of tissues

Take care

xxx