Its Monday! What Are You Reading?

The Its Monday! What Are You Reading meme is hosted at Book Journey.

Life…

On Tuesday I had the chance to listen to author Kirsty Eagar speak at my local library after which we went for a drink and chatted for three hours non stop. She was lovely and I now have signed editions of her books pride of place on my bookshelf. I also met Monique from The Book Mystress who is a  local YA blogger, we didn’t have much of a chance to chat but its lovely to know we are not alone in our small town.

Kirsty Eagar and I

For Mother’s Day yesterday my children showered me with lovely homemade cards, a teddy bear, a sun catcher, a crystal bear and a coupon to clean the car. I hope all those who celebrate had a wonderful Mother’s Day. This week I am bracing myself for daughter’s 16th birthday party on Saturday night. She wants a cake made into the Batman symbol (don’t ask) and we are expecting a crowd of teenagers in the back yard.

What I Read Last Week

Dinner at Rose’s by Danielle Hawkins ★★★★

On Haunted Ground by Lisa Rogers ★★1/2

Lucinda’s Whirlwind by Louise Limerick  ★★★

The Shell Keeper by Robin Nolet ★★★1/2

The Cottage at Glass Beach ★★★1/2

Reviews Posted

(click the titles to read  my reviews) 

Heart of the Valley by Cathryn Hein ★★★★

Let the Dead Lie by Malla Nunn ★★★★

Love & Hunger by Charlotte Wood ★★★★

**Guest Post: Charlotte Wood on Love & Hunger**

Mary Bennet by Jennifer Paynter ★★★

Dinner at Rose’s by Danielle Hawkins ★★★★

On Haunted Ground by Lisa Rogers ★★1/2

Ridiculous by Ricky Tsang ★★

Lucinda’s Whirlwind by Louise Limerick ★★★

What I Am Reading Today

Tasmania is in the grip of one of the longest, bleakest winters on record and it’s particularly icy at the Hobart Police Station. Of the many golden rules in policing, one is especially sacred: what happens at work stays at work. So when a naive young constable, Lucy Howard, makes an allegation of sexual assault against a respected colleague, the rule is well and truly broken. Soon the station is divided. From Lucy’s fellow rookies right up to the commissioner himself – everyone must take a side. With grudges, prejudices and hidden agendas coming into play, support arrives from the unlikeliest of corners. But so too does betrayal ..

What I Plan To Read This Week

Going undercover is second nature for Private Investigator Lola Cruz, but she’s out of her league when the case of a murdered Royals Courtside Dancer leads her to a local nudist resort. Parading around the sidelines of Sacramento’s professional basketball scene in a barely-there cheerleading outfit is one thing—but parading around in nothing but smile? If she has any chance of hiding this from her traditional family and on-again/off-again boyfriend Jack, she’s going to have a lot more than her duct tape bra and killer dance moves to keep under wraps…

At nineteen, Molly Jones has the world at her feet. Then one drunken night she falls into bed with Mark, a cowboy just passing through. By the time Molly realises she’s pregnant, Mark is long gone. Now, at twenty-six, Molly’s life is almost perfect. She’s the devoted mother of Rose, and a renowned horse trainer. She lives amid the beauty of Jacaranda Farm, surrounded by family and friends – none closer than hunky stockman Heath. But she’s still looking for the love of her life, and a father for Rose. When Mark stumbles back into her world, as charming as ever, Molly begins to hope for a future she’d long ago relinquished. But how will Mark react when he learns he’s a father? And could the man of Molly’s dreams be closer to home than she thinks?

Never in her wildest dreams did Clara Black imagine she’d fly to Vegas just to eat at America’s biggest buffet, or that she’d be digging holes in her mother’s backyard to unearth her brother’s screechy plastic recorder. But if that’s what it takes to get past the car accident that changed her life . . . she’ll do what she must. Eight months after losing her fiancé just before their wedding, Clara still can’t seem to escape her fog of sorrow. On a visit to her childhood home, she encounters her fifth-grade time capsule and a very special bucket list written by her ten-year-old self. When she impulsively fulfills one item, Clara finds that revisiting the woman she thought she’d become may just be her way out of grief and back to life. With Milk Dud the one-eared wonder dog, her zany but loving family, and an unexpected someone from her past by her side, Clara discovers that sometimes life’s unplanned moments are the sweetest, and sometimes the only bridge to your future is your past.

Quirky jobs, wacky friends, hot crushes, and an unraveling marriage are all part of this darkly funny novel describing 45 year-old newlywed Wendy Sinclair’s life in Las Vegas after she impulsively decides to stay following a bizarre girls’ weekend in 2005.

First in a new environmental thriller series featuring Blackout the dog. Someone is polluting the French Broad River in Asheville, North Carolina with benzene. Retired environmental investigator David Samuels and his chemical-sniffing dog Blackout are asked by David’s former employer to find out who’s doing it and why. David and Blackout get caught up in a chain of events that’s more sinister than anyone can imagine. In fact, river pollution is just the beginning of this wild ride. Ultimately, Blackout plays a key role in uncovering the plot — and David finds out that “retirement” is more than he bargained for!Water’s Edge is an environmental thriller with plenty of twists and turns. This novel marks the beginning of a new series featuring two unlikely heroes, Blackout the dog and his baby boomer owner.

While you are here…

What do you think about book trailers? Tell me here…

Charlotte Wood shares an extract from her new book Love and Hunger – part memoir /part recipe book. Read more here…

This week don’t miss…

My chat with Malla Nunn – you can make fun of my nervous Aussie accent as we talk about her newest release, Silent Valley

Thanks for stopping by, I’ll be along to visit you shortly!