"'You're a blasted idiot, is what you are,' the old man growled in a voice too loud for the middle of the popular downtown diner." I've got a real liking for a 'palate cleanse' of a cosy mystery in between more serious reads, and finding a new series to try is always exciting. I've got … Continue reading Digging Up Trouble – Kitt Crowe
"The bike lay on the side of the road beneath a grey oak, the handlebars at an odd jutted angle, as if it had been thrown with angry force." It seems like such an appropriate coincidence to have an historic tennis finale happen just as this book publishes, as it tells a tangled story of … Continue reading Apples Never Fall – Liane Moriarty
Welcome to Free City. It's here that Guy (Ryan Reynolds) works as a bank teller, dealing cheerfully with the daily hold-ups and naively blind to all the mayhem and destruction constantly going around. That is, until he meets the woman of his dreams, steals a pair of sunglasses, and suddenly sees... everything. Because Free City … Continue reading Free Guy (2021)
"Break free from anxiety and build self-compassion in 30 days!" Perfectionism is one of those 'joke' answers when asked in an interview about your biggest weakness. Oh, I'm such a perfectionist - like it's a good thing. But it's really not much of a joke: it can be a debilitatingly stressful way to live, and … Continue reading The Monkey Mind Workout for Perfectionism – Jennifer Shannon
First a confession: I'm a Promarkers girl rather than Copics, but the two are similar enough that I could still get a lot from this book. About the only thing that wasn't transferable were the colour codes in the examples - and that is a little bit of a shame, as there are loads of … Continue reading Manga Artists Copic Marker Colouring Techniques – various
"A ship may bob, safe at harbor, but that doesn't mean it hasn't experienced the wide world - or won't again." Escaping personal tragedy, former school teacher Charlotte Reed takes over her great-aunt's book-themed Bed and Breakfast, Chapters, in the historic seaside town of Beaufort, North Carolina. Business is going well, especially due to the literary-themed … Continue reading Booked for Death – Victoria Gilbert
"'Is this really a good idea?'" I don't often review short stories, but I did buy (and read!) it, and it fits into my current read through of the whole Murderbot series. Plus, while at this point you obviously love the series and are buying the new books/novellas anyway, you might still have a pause … Continue reading Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory – Martha Wells
"The shape of a crown stood out in the emerald wax of the seal, and Lysande glanced at it once before looking away, staring at anything but that envelope." Lysande is a scholar, and an orphan. Adopted by the Queen of Elira, Sarelin Brey, she's risen to a position of trust and even friendship. But now … Continue reading The Councillor – EJ Beaton
"This is the first thing I remember when I begin to cohere in unity: a woman standing at a railing, peering down into the vats at the final bottom of Bloom City - and a man in a cramped air transport lavatory, watching his reflection n the scuffed plastic mirror point a wave pistol at … Continue reading Unity – Elly Bangs
When an alien crash lands on Earth, he takes the form of Dr Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk) to blend in while searching for the device he lost in the crash. At first everything is going fine as he hides away in Harry's isolated cabin on the outskirts of small Colorado town, Patience. But then the … Continue reading Resident Alien (season 1)
