The It’s Monday! What Are You Reading meme is hosted at BookDate
Life…
Do you ever experience weird coincidences with your reading? Sometimes it’s something simple, like the same name used in two different novels, at other times an unexpected esoteric topic crops up in conversation with a friend, or in the news, which is the subject of the next book you pick up. Once, when visiting my mother, she showed me a tea towel she’d bought on a recent trip that listed unusually named towns that I’d never heard of, the next day I started a new book which mentioned two of those towns. In this instance, I unintentionally scheduled two books to read in the past week that both feature a synesthete teenage boy – one is a murder mystery, The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder, the other a literary novel, The Book of Dreams, which gave no hint as to a synesthete character. In addition, my daughter casually mentioned that synesthesia was a topic in her biology class this week after I mentioned the coincidence to her. ( ♪♫♪ Insert Twilight Zone theme here ♪♫♪)
By the way, you may find I’m posting more frequently over the next few weeks. In an effort to tidy up things left undone (particularly my netgalley account) during my hiatus I’ve been writing posts for books I read but didn’t review at the time. I’ve also been attempting to update my Goodreads shelves (which are still glitching) and my LibraryThing account (feel free to add me as a friend on one, or both) Thankfully I at least kept my BookCollectorz app up to date during my absence.
Oh and it was my birthday yesterday.
🎂 Happy Birthday to me 🎂
It was a quiet day, I lounged and read. My kids bought me some new slippers for the fast approaching winter weather, and made me a cake 🙂
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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…
After the Party by Cassie Hamer
The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder by Sarah J. Harris
Bridge Burning and Other Hobbies by Kitty Flanagan
Fortune’s Son by Jennifer Scoullar
The Weight of Him by Ethel Rohan
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New Posts
Review: I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella ★★
Review: The Lost Girls by Jennifer Spence ★★★★1/2
Review: The Book of Dreams by Nina George ★★★
Review: Bridge Burning and Other Hobbies by Kitty Flanagan ★★★
Review: The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder by Sarah J. Harris ★★★1/2
Weekend Cooking: Slow Cooker Central 2 by Paulene Christie (and me!)
Review: After the Party by Cassie Hamer ★★★
(a better late than never) Review: Recipes of Love and Murder by Sally Andrew ★★★★1/2
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What I’m Reading This Week
‘Is marriage just a series of texts about where the children are and whether we need milk until one of you dies?’
Susannah Parks – wife, mother, cleaner of surfaces and runner of household – is a viola virtuoso. Except she hasn’t picked up a viola for over a decade. She has, however, picked up a lot of Lego, socks, wet towels and other exhibits of mundanity. She has also picked up on the possibility that her husband has lost interest in her. (And frankly, she’s not very interested in Susannah Parks either.) But this year, she has resolved to be very interesting. Also thoughtful, useful, cheerful, relevant, self-sufficient, stylish, alluring and intelligent.
In her highly confidential diary, Susannah documents the search for the elusive spark in her marriage, along with all the high and low notes of life with her four beloved children, with her free-spirited (and world famous) best friend Ria, and with Hugh, the man who fills her heart with burning passion and her washing pile with shirts.
And perhaps amid the chaos she might be brave enough to find the missing pieces of herself.
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Brisbane 1999. It’s hot. Stormy. Dangerous. The waters of the Brisbane River are rising.
The rains won’t stop. People’s nerves are on edge. And then…
A body is found.
And then another.
And another.
A string of seemingly ritualized but gruesome murders. All the victims are men. Affluent. Guys with nice houses, wives and kids at private schools. All have had their throats cut.
Tabloid headlines shout, THE VAMPIRE KILLER STRIKES AGAIN!
Detective Sergeant Lara Ocean knows the look. The ‘my-life-will-never-be-the-same-again look’. She’s seen it too many times on too many faces. Telling a wife her husband won’t be coming home. Ever again. Telling her the brutal way he was murdered. That’s a look you never get used to. Telling a mother you need her daughter to come to the station for questioning. That’s another look she doesn’t want to see again.
And looking into the eyes of a killer, yet doubting you’ve got it right. That’s the worst look of all – the one you see in the mirror. Get it right, you’re a hero and the city is a safer place. Get it wrong and you destroy a life. And a killer remains free. Twenty years down the track, Lara Ocean will know the truth.
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Rivalries and resentments between mums and non-mums spiral wildly out of control in the compelling new book by the bestselling author of The Fifth Letter
Poppy’s world has tipped sideways. The husband who never wanted children has changed his mind. The trusted childhood best friend has betrayed her. And the new friend from work, Annalise, insists she need to let loose.
At least Annalise is on Poppy’s side – she has no interest in having kids either. After they create a private Facebook group dedicated to women like themselves who don’t have or want kids, the memberships soar, and Poppy feels like she’s in control again. Then things take a nasty turn. They have a mole – someone in their group isn’t who she says she is.
But Poppy and Annalise aren’t the only ones who are fed up. Their colleague, Frankie, is tired of being judged at every turn: by colleagues when she leaves early to pick up her kids, by stay-at-home mums when she can’t volunteer at school, and by her own children for missing events. Her frustrations are complicated by a secret she’s keeping, and she doesn’t know how much longer she can pretend everything is fine.
As the online hostility between parents and non-parents spills out into the real world, things begin to slide disastrously, dangerously out of control, exposing carefully concealed secrets and lies that will have a devastating effect on these three women’s lives.
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Christine Nilsson and her husband, Marcus, are desperate for a baby. Unable to conceive, they find themselves facing a difficult choice they had never anticipated. After many appointments with specialists, endless research, and countless conversations, they make the decision to use a donor.
Two months pass and Christine is happily pregnant. but one day, she is shocked to see a young blond man on the TV news being arrested for a series of brutal murders-and the blond man bears an undeniable and uncanny resemblance to her donor.
Delving deeper to uncover the truth, Christine must confront a terrifying reality and face her worst fears. Riveting and fast-paced, with the depth of emotionality that has garnered Lisa Scottoline legions of fans, Most Wanted poses an ethical and moral dilemma: What would you do if the biological father of your unborn child was a killer?
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For more than a decade, the “Complete Review “has been an essential site for readers interested in learning about new books in translation and developments in global literature. Expanding upon the site’s content, this wide-ranging yet user-friendly resource is the perfect guide for English-language readers eager to explore fiction from around the world. Profiling hundreds of titles and authors from 1945 to today, with an emphasis on fiction published in the past two decades, this reference provides a fascinating portal into the styles, trends, and genres of the world’s literatures, from Scandinavian crime thrillers and cutting-edge works in China to Latin American narco-fiction and award-winning French novels.
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Thanks for stopping by!
I’m also linking to The Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer
And the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz
Apr 15, 2019 @ 11:13:04
It is great to see you posting again. Enjoy life’s coincidences…and I liked that Nicola Moriarty book. I enjoy the Moriarty sisters.
Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 11:48:08
Yes! I love it when that happens–those little unexpected coincidences or connections that sometimes pop up in my reading, either in back to back books I read or from book to real life or vice versa.
Happy Birthday! A nice quiet birthday sounds divine, especially one that involves reading. 🙂
Your current reads all sound good. I hope you are enjoying them. I do enjoy Lisa Scottoline. And the Blood River book sounds especially good.
I hope you have a wonderful week!
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 13:05:19
Happy Birthday to you! This week’s books look great.
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:20:28
Thanks Nise
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 13:12:57
An interesting mix of reads both done and still to come.
Happy birthday.
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:19:56
Thank you Mystica
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 13:31:47
Happy birthday!! Hope you had a great one! And yes bookish coincidences can be weird sometimes!
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 13:54:48
Happy birthday! I’d not heard of the Complete Review, but it seems like a useful resources. I really like when my books unexpectedly connect to one another. Especially with nonfiction or historical fiction, I feel like the context connections give helps me better remember what I’ve read.
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:19:35
Thanks, and I agree with you
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 15:00:46
ooooh how lovely they made you a cake! Happy Birthday! ❤️ And I LOVE books about synesthesia! I will have to look those up. I do understand the reading dejavu you’re talking about. I experience it every once in a while and its so creepy. hahaa
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:18:29
Thank you Dani, and it is creepy sometimes.
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 21:16:39
I often find a bit of synchronicity in my reading, where something pops up in a book and then it appears in another, completely unrelated book. I’m not sure what to make of that. It would be lovely if it were evidence of a bit of guidance in my reading choices.
I can think of many people who would enjoy Sparkle Pages. I hope I can find a copy of it. I have the odd feeling (synchronicity?) that I have looked for Complete Review Guide to World Fiction in the past, unsuccessfully, but I think I will try again today.
Thank you for joining Sunday Salon today!
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 21:18:29
Oh my! I forgot to wish you a happy birthday!
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:17:56
Thanks Deb 🥳
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 21:34:32
Happy Birthday! I started to read I Owe You One but I couldn’t get into it and my reading schedule was crazy. I put it to the side but plan to eventually get back to it. Your books this week look good. Have a great week!
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:17:32
You aren’t missing much. Thanks for the birthday wishes.
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 22:50:23
Happy Birthday! I love coincidences like that.
Enjoy your reading this week.
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:16:53
Thanks Carol.
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 22:50:45
Happy belated! Sounds like a wonderful day. I briefly tried the new Kinsella but couldn’t get very far. I think your rating is in the majority!
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:16:26
Thank you 😀
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Apr 15, 2019 @ 23:02:52
Happy birthday! Glad you had a relaxing day.
You’re really working hard on catching up. Keep up the great work. Hope you enjoy your new books.
Thanks for visiting my blog earlier today. Have a great week.
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:15:48
Thanks and you’re welcome
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 02:32:22
Happy birthday! And so glad to see you around more often.
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:14:55
Thanks Beth, I’m glad to be back.
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 02:44:58
Happy birthday!! I love how you just slid that in there so subtly like it might even go unnoticed. LOL Nope, we see it! 🙂 I love it when those little coincidences happen. That happened to me just a couple weeks ago but I’m already blanking on what it was.
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:13:54
Thanks Tanya, I feel like I’m a little old to make a big deal of it anymore 🙂
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 03:45:53
Happy birthday! The Sparkle Pages sounds like fun. I hope you enjoy it, and the other books you got this week. And best of luck with your catching up! I’m pretty far behind, too, but I’m starting to make a minute dent in my pile of neglected reviews…
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:14:28
Thank you 🙏
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:01:02
Happy Birthday! *throws confetti and glitter*
(Don’t worry, I’ll clean that up.)
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:12:50
I quite like it, feel free to leave it there 😉
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 04:32:21
Complete Review is one I check out regularly. It really covers all sorts of things I wouldn’t know about otherwise. It’s a good one.
And Happy Birthday!
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 05:21:06
Good to hear you had a relaxed family centred birthday. Well you had me reaching for the google dictionary for synesthete, but I think i have it now! What coincidence.
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 06:47:03
Happy birthday!!!! I totally know what you mean about weird coincidences in books. They always freak me out. Have a great week!
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 07:41:28
We’ve evolved to notice patterns. Things do clump together naturally even when things are random. https://www.audubon.org/news/a-rare-bald-eagle-trio-two-dads-and-mom-captivates-webcam-fans
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 09:22:42
Happy Birthday!!!! I love Library Thing for scanning my print books. It helps me keep at least a facade of organization!
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 10:39:30
Yes!! That is so crazy when it happens! And for me it is always something super random! I love it though. 🙂
Happy Birthday! You share the day with my niece! 🙂
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 11:45:26
Happy Belated Birthday! Good luck with getting caught up on all of your reviews.
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Apr 16, 2019 @ 13:23:21
Hope you had a lovely birthday! Those coincidences are kind of strange, lol.
Blood River sounds good! Happy reading! 🙂
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Apr 17, 2019 @ 10:01:40
Happy belated birthday! I hope you have a great week!
Anne – Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post
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Apr 18, 2019 @ 06:45:38
Happy birthday!! And yes sometimes life is strange LOL
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Apr 19, 2019 @ 01:25:35
Oh it is a little crazy when that happens but neat, too. Happy little late birthday!
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