The It’s Monday! What Are You Reading meme is hosted at BookDate
I’m also linking to The Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Reviewer
And the Sunday Salon @ ReaderBuzz
Life…
We held my youngest son’s birthday party over the weekend, his 14th birthday is Dec 30th but we have it early each year because his friends are usually busy with family commitments over the holiday period. I took him and six friends to the beach for the afternoon/evening on Saturday, and then they all slept over. I’m still exhausted.
The younger kids will finish school this Wednesday for the year! They have all done well and I’m very proud of them. Next year they will be in years 9, 10, and 12.
This weekend we are having a surprise birthday party for my husband’s 50th, when that’s over we will finally put up the Christmas tree and decorations.
I participated in the Aussie Readers and Bloggers Secret Santa this year and was delighted to receive Nevernight by Jay Kristoff from Annie at Read3r’z Re-Vu. Both I, and my middle two kids, will enjoy reading it over the summer.
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What I’ve Read Since I last Posted…
One Summer Between Friends by Trish Morey
Murder, Misadventure, and Miserable Ends by Catie Gilchrist
Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
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New Posts…
Review: Darkness for Light {Caleb Zelic #3} by Emma Viskic
Review: One Summer Between Friends by Trish Morey
Review: Troll Hunting by Ginger Gorman
Review: Murder, Misadventure, and Miserable Ends by Catie Gilchrist
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What I’m Reading This Week…
If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
When Laurie’s partner of eighteen years, Dan, dumps her to ‘find himself’ (and leave her on the shelf at 36), she is blindsided. But not as blindsided as when he announces that his new girlfriend is now pregnant.
Working in the same office with Dan is soon unbearable – until the day she gets stuck in the lift with her handsome colleague Jamie. Jamie is looking for a way to improve his reputation in the company and what better way for Jamie to advance and Laurie to give the rumour mill something else to talk about than a fake relationship?
As Laurie and Jamie progress from Instagram snaps to dates, dancing and more, Laurie feels herself falling further for her unlikely hero. But you can’t break your heart in a fake relationship. Can you?
xxxxxx
The Girl In the Painting by Tea Cooper
Maitland 1913. Miss Elizabeth Quinn is something of an institution in Maitland Town. For longer than anyone could remember she and her brother, businessman Michael, have lived in the impressive two-storey stone house next to the church. When she is discovered cowering in the corner of the exhibition gallery at the Technical College the entire town knows something strange has come to pass.
Was it the prehistoric remains or perhaps the taxidermy exhibition that had reduced the whale-boned encased pillar of society to a quivering mess? Or is there something odd about a striking painting on loan from the National Gallery?
Mathematical savant Jane Piper is determined to find out. Deposited on the doorstep of the local orphanage as a baby, she owes her life and education to the Quinn’s philanthropic ventures and Elizabeth has no one else to turn to.
As the past and the present converge, Elizabeth’s grip on reality loosens. Can Jane, with her logical brain and penchant for puzzles, unravel Elizabeth’s story before it is too late?
Ranging from the gritty reality of the Australian goldfields to the grand institutions of Sydney, the bucolic English countryside to the charm of Maitland Town, this compelling historical mystery in the company of an eccentric and original heroine is rich with atmosphere and detail.
xxxxxx
Corrupt Bodies by Peter Everett
Must-read memoir of managing a morgue, dealing with death and murder to chaos, corruption and organised crime.
In 1985, Peter Everett landed the job as Superintendent of Southwark Mortuary. In just six years he’d gone from lowly assistant to running the UK’s busiest murder morgue. He couldn’t believe his luck.
What he didn’t know was that Southwark, operating in near-Victorian conditions, was a hotbed of corruption. Attendants stole from the dead, funeral homes paid bribes, and there was a lively trade in stolen body parts and recycled coffins.
Set in the fascinating pre-DNA and psychological profiling years of 1985-87, this memoir tells a gripping and gruesome tale, with a unique insight into a world of death most of us don’t ever see. Peter managed pathologists, oversaw post-mortems and worked alongside Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad – including the case of the serial killer, the Stockwell Strangler.
This is a thrilling tale of murder and corruption in the mid-1980s, told with insight and compassion
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Aurora Rising by Amie Kauffman by Jay Kristoff
The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…
A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering
And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.
They’re not the heroes we deserve. They’re just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.
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Thanks for stopping by!
Dec 16, 2019 @ 02:23:01
It sounds like you have lots of reasons to celebrate during the month of December. I used to hate when my son had sleepovers but he loved them and seemed to want to have them all the time!
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 02:39:58
This is a busy time of the year for you, not even considering Christmas. I hope your party for your husband goes well. Fifty is an important age for men, I think. And how well I remember sleepovers with a bunch of boys. Exhausting.
If I Never Met You sounds like an interesting story. I just finished The Flatshare, and I liked it very much.
I hope you survive all the craziness of these holidays, and that you get a little time to yourself.
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 04:25:55
Corrupt Bodies sounds really good.
My birthday is just before the holidays, so I feel for your son. Actually it wasn’t that bad until college when no one wanted to go out because of finals… Wish him a good day!
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 06:06:16
Wow! What a busy and memory making December!
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 06:29:44
Happy birthdays to your husband and to your son. What a fun time for you all!
I like the sound of If I Never Met You. Enjoy your week.
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 06:36:08
So many birthdays and reasons to celebrate !!! Enjoy all of these 😉
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 07:22:20
Enjoy your celebrations and holidays! It is a busy month for you. Yay for summer. My brother’s wife is from Brazil and they also are starting summer holidays there. Happy reading!
Anne – Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 08:34:44
Lots of birthday fun it sounds like! Enjoy your holidays!
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 09:15:48
Corrupt Bodies sounds interesting even though I am not big on non-fiction but if I do it’s that kind that I would read. 🙂
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 09:46:20
We had a very similar weekend with my youngest son’s birthday! We didn’t get to go to the beach, though. That sounds amazing.
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 11:27:32
Hope the 50th goes off well and the summer holidays are enjoyed and the fires keep away.
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 11:32:51
Sleepovers and kids can be exhausting, I agree. 🙂 Glad they got to go to the beach though, that sounds pretty good. It’s cold here now and wintry so the beach is sounding fantastic haha.
Have a great party and decorating!!
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 11:41:13
Aww your sons party sounds like fun. My daughter likes to do sleepovers and yes they are exhausting. 🙂
I hope you have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 13:26:33
Wow, you’ve got a lot going on. Happy birthday to your son and husband. Have a good week!
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 17:21:32
Nice mix in your latest additions. Enjoy.
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 17:30:01
The Girl in the Painting looks good. My weekly update
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 18:20:54
Sounds like a busy week and a lot of stuff to look forward to! Out of the books you are planning on reading, I have to say that I like The Girl in the Painting:) enjoy your week and reads!
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Dec 16, 2019 @ 19:12:27
Corrupt Bodies sounds good.
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Dec 17, 2019 @ 00:37:35
So much celebration! I know you’ll enjoy every minute of it… hope you can fit ina little reading, too! 😉
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Dec 17, 2019 @ 00:45:15
Glad you survived the sleepover! I really loved Aurora Rising on audio. Your other books look good too. Enjoy the surprise party.
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Dec 17, 2019 @ 00:53:40
December birthdays are always a little tough. We have 3 in my family and it’s hard to keep the birthdays and all the Christmas hoopla separate. Sounds like you do a great job with that.
Corrupt Bodies sounds intriguing and a little creepy. I’ll be curious to hear what you think.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
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Dec 17, 2019 @ 06:06:20
Nice assortment of books. I enjoyed Aurora Rising and hope you do too. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
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Dec 17, 2019 @ 09:03:08
oh yes… I recall sleepovers when the children were teenagers! I hope your husband’s 50th goes well – I look back on that decade with a great deal of fondness. I haven’t yet got hold of Aurora Rising – it looks like great fun. Have a great week – and I hope you get a chance to put up your feet with a spot of enjoyable reading in amongst all the Christmas preparations and birthday celebrations!
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Dec 17, 2019 @ 10:10:26
Sounds like your son and his friends had a fun time. My weekly update
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Dec 17, 2019 @ 12:58:06
Happy Birthday to all! I remember those sleepovers, you need two day to recover.
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Dec 17, 2019 @ 14:46:50
Happy Birthdays and holidays! Enjoy all your books and have a great week!
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Dec 17, 2019 @ 15:10:03
The books you’re reading this week look good. I hope you all enjoy your holidays!
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Dec 17, 2019 @ 21:51:21
Gosh you have a busy couple of weeks in December! I hope you get to unwin properly with some good reading — if I never met you definitely sounds wonderful!
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Dec 18, 2019 @ 00:17:58
Happy Birthday to your son and congrats to all of your kids on wrapping up another school year. And yay for Nevernight. I still need to continue the series but really enjoyed that first book when I read it.
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Dec 18, 2019 @ 04:10:19
Happy birthday to your boy!
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Dec 18, 2019 @ 07:09:55
December is a busy month for you and your family! Enjoy all the fun!
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Dec 21, 2019 @ 14:37:52
Congrats on your secret Santa gift—hope you enjoy the book!!
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Dec 22, 2019 @ 07:05:15
That sounds smart to celebrate his birthday a bit earlier, what an unfortunate date for a birthday so close to the holidays. I hope he had a fun time, but that does sound exhausting. I hope your current reads are good ones.
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