This week...

I'm reading

It's been a busy reading week!

I finished my first 5 star read for the year! Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey. I was already a fan of this author, and this book took it to the next level for me! You can read my review here.

Next up was The Storyteller's Daughter by Victoria Scott, which features a WWII mystery, an old house and so much more. My review is here. 

I also read the third book in the Skylarks series by Helen Rolfe which is called Something in the Air. My review for this will be up later this week. 

My current read is An Italian Island Secret by Victoria Springfield, which has whisked me off to the Italian island of Ischia. I wish I could visit for real, but alas, it isn't to be as we have other travel plans for this year.

I'm watching



I am very excited as Bake off : The Professionals is back for another season! I love this particular version of Bake Off which features professional bakers being set the most amazing and difficult challenges. There are some amazing creations. There are also some disasters!

Another thing that was back this week was Sail GP. They changed one of the key elements on the boats for this race and it led to some very exciting racing!

I started watching the TV adaptation of Beth O'Leary's book, The Road Trip. I will get back to that next week I think.

We watched a new movie on Netflix this week called The Six Triple Eight, which tells the story of an all African American female battalion who are tasked with the almost impossible task of clearing a huge backlog of 17 million letters and packages during WWII. It stars Kerry Washington, and features a couple of notable cameo appearances. We really liked it and thought it was pretty well done.

Life

Last week was a pretty quiet week really. 

My thoughts have turned towards actively looking for a new job! Wish me luck!

Max

A couple of  months ago, Max was really sick, but he is pretty much like he was before now. He still has quite a few big patches of hair missing which you can see on his head and belly, but he is wanted to play tug of war, chase the ball and so much more, which is quite a relief.

Here he is lying on the cool of the tiles because it is hot here at the moment!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Books and Blogging Goals for 2025

Blog Tour: Widows Waive the Rules by Julia Jarman
Blog Tour: Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey
Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holidays - South Australia

Sunday Salon: 2024 Year in Review

Blog Tour: The Storyteller's Daughter




I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date and Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz

Sunday Salon: 2024 year in review

Welcome to my annual year in review post!

2024 was a pretty good reading year I think. Initially I set my goal at 75 books for the year but I exceeded that so I revised my goal to 104 books for the year. I did end up reading 120 books during the year, but I am still leaving my goal at 104, as that feels quite doable at a rate of 2 books per week.

You can see all my reading and blogging goals for this year in my recent Top Ten Tuesday post.

Let's get into the stats....

Despite my best intentions I do tend to read a lot of new releases. I ended up reading 75 books that were published in 2024. The oldest book I read was A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens which was originally published in 1843.

Genre wise, there are no surprises that my reading is dominated by general fiction (which is a kind of catch all for all sorts of books), historical fiction and contemporary romance.I did read 4 non fiction books last year, which seems to be about my normal amount.

One of the things that has changed over the last few years is that I am reading a lot more British authors. This is mainly because of the blog tours that I am doing which feature of couple of British publishers. One of my goals for this year is to focus a little more on Australian authors.

Not sure why there was a dip in March, but most of the rest of the year was pretty consistent in terms of the number of books read per month.

No surprises here really. My preferred reading format is definitely e-books these days. I do so enjoy the paper book experience when I have it though.

From a blogging perspective, I do have a fairly established routine. I will pretty much always post on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday, and a couple of Sundays a month and then as needed on other days of the week. 

Some other stats:

I read 44 new to me authors in 2024, which is 37%. 

The authors who I did read multiple books by were Maggie Christensen with 5 books,and Antoine Laurain with 4 books. This is the fourth year in a row that Maggie Christensen has been my most read author. I also read 3 books each from Gillian Harvey, Rebecca Raisin, Sandy Barker and Toshikazu Kawaguchi

I don't do a lot of rereads at the best of times. This year there were four rereads. Two of those are Hogfather by Terry Pratchett and The Secret History of Christmas by Bill Bryson which are now both part of my annual Christmas traditions. 

As always my reading is always skewed to read a lot more women authors than men. This year I read 76 books by female authors and 44 by men. 

A new statistic that I started recording this year is whether I have reviewed a book or not. I don't intend to go back to reviewing every single book I read, but I am pleasantly surprised that I reviewed 60% of the books I read.

The final statistic for me to share relates to the grades that I have given out. I am always pretty stingy with my 5 star grades, with the vast majority of my reads being a 4/5 if I liked it. Here are the grades for what I have read this year. There was one book that I gave 2.5 and only 3 that I gave 5/5 grades to. Those 3 books were:

You can read my review here.

You can read my review here. 

You can read my review here.

Previous year in review posts. If there is no link I skipped that year.

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

I am sharing this post with Sunday Salon, hosted at Readerbuzz

Blog Tour: Midnight in Paris by Gillian Harvey

 

Gillian Harvey! You made me cry, smile, wish I could visit Paris, and given me a book hangover! This was 5/5 read because ...... All the Feels!

I am not sure how to review this book, because there are a couple of twists in it that it is best to not know about before you read it. I'll give it a go though!

Shortly after Sophie and Tom got together, he surprised her with a weekend trip to Paris. For Tom, it's no big deal. He's had quite a privileged upbringing where money is no object. Sophie comes from more humble beginnings and so it feels extravagant, especially given that she is struggling to get by with a part time job while they are students. However, she has always dreamed of Paris, and so off they go. Tom has no interest in visiting the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, Sophie must! He doesn't like standing in the queues with other tourists, but Sophie wants to visit all the places.

This is just the beginning of what becomes their thing - an annual trip to Paris, visiting all of the places that become theirs, but most especially the Pont de Carrousel at midnight.

There are multiple timelines in the book. We see Sophie and Tom as they visit Paris each year, but then we have a two weeks ago timeline as well, where Sophie is visiting Paris alone, hoping that Tom will show up. 

It is only as the two timelines converge that we get more of an idea of what is going on. Life and it's struggles have worn away some (but not all) the uninhibited joy that they feel with each other, and sometimes the trips to Paris aren't as exciting as others. As you are reading the book, there's a word or phrase here or there that makes you go....hold on. And then, well then you realise that this book is something other than the book you thought you were reading!

I first read Gillian Harvey back in 2022, and I have read everything that she has had published since then. I really enjoy the way that she writes about the expat lifestyle, people moving to France and following their dreams, something that she has done herself. And to be honest, I was expecting the same from this book. Instead, we got something completely different and at a whole other level! 

By turns beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful, this is a book that I will cherish, and it is my first 5/5 read for the year.

If I lived in Europe, I can guarantee you I would be visiting Paris on a regular basis! As it is, I can't quite convince my husband that it is worth 24 hours on a plane (plus the cost) to visit every year! It's probably going to be another couple of years before I get to visit again. In the meantime, I will continue to read Gillian Harvey's books to give me that taste of France that I crave! And look at my photos from when we last visited just to torture myself that little bit more.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. 

About the book

Midnight in Paris

Ten years. Two people. One last visit…

Sophie and Tom first visited Paris together as students. During their weekend away in the world’s most romantic city, falling in love – with the place, and each other – was simply inevitable.

They resolved to return every summer and kept their word, until something happened that changed their world forever.

Five years on, Sophie’s travelling to Paris alone to meet Tom again in their special place, on the Pont du Carrousel at midnight.

Because life has torn them apart. And now Sophie has something to tell Tom. Something that will change everything…

The most heartbreaking, uplifting and powerful novel you’ll read all year. Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Kristin Hannah and The Notebook.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/midnightinparis

About the author

Gillian Harvey is a freelance journalist. She has lived in Limousin, France for the past twelve years, from where she derives the inspiration and settings for her books such as A Year at the French Farmhouse and A Month in Provence.



Social Media Links –

Facebook: @GillianHarveyAuthor

Twitter: @GillPlusFive

Instagram: @GillPlusFive

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/GillianHarveyNews

Bookbub profile: @gillplusfive

Top Ten Tuesday: Best books of 2024

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Best Books I Read in 2024

The first three are easy! These are the three books that I rated as 5/5 reads.

The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath - I knew from the first couple of pages I was going to love this book! And I did! (my review)

The Naturalist of Amsterdam by Melissa Ashley - This was my very first read of 2024 and I loved it! (my review)

The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson- This book is the book that I recommended to the most people this year. I loved the whole concept! I also gave 4.5/5 to another book from this author. Can't wait to read her next book which I have waiting for me to read soon. (my review)

After that, it gets a bit harder as I had 15 books that I rated as 4.5/5 but I can only choose 7 more, so here goes!

The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns - This was a big book, and I read it in a day! Can't remember when I last did that! (My review)

A Wedding in the Sun by Leonie Mack - Given that I had two books by Leonie Mack that I gave 4.5/5, I had to have at least one of her books in the top ten today. (My review)

Funny Story by Emily Henry - Emily Henry is consistently good!

An Astronomer in Love by Antoine Laurain - I read several books by this author this year so it is only right that he is on this list. (My review)

Summer at Santorini Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin - I love the way that Rebecca Raisin writes about food, books, places! (My review)

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See - I pretty much always enjoy Lisa See's books! This was no exception!

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros - I gave this a 4.5 just because of the fact that I could not put it down! I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series when it comes out!

Are any of these books on your favourite list?

Countdown to 2025: Day 29 and 30

 This year I am participating in Countdown to 2025 hosted by Lynn from Lynn's Books. I am travelling at the moment so I am doing both yesterday and today's prompt today. The prompt for yesterday was A roaring fire – a book that was heartwarming

II actually struggled with this prompt a bit but in the end I chose this book because it tells the story of a woman who is starting life over after tragedy and the community that she begins to build. You can read my review here. It was also one of my 5/5 reads for the year and you can read my review here

 The prompt for today is Family and Friends – a book with great characters. I chose The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman because I am really looking forward to seeing how these characters come to life when the TV series is released! I must read the next book in the series.

Tomorrow's prompt is Bottle of Bubbly – your first read for 2025. I have one book that I really want to finish before I start thinking about my first book of the year for 2025. Fingers crossed I finish it!

Countdown to 2025: Day 28

 This year I am participating in Countdown to 2025 hosted by Lynn from Lynn's Books. Today is day 28 and the prompt for today is Candlelight – a book that kept you up into the early hours

For this prompt I have chosen the first book I read this year, which was my first 5/5 read for the year!

Tomorrow's prompt is A roaring fire – a book that was heartwarming

Blog Tour: The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson

 

I have a question about what constitutes a review. Would it be sufficient for me to just say I LOVED THIS BOOK? I mean really loved it, as in recommending it to multiple people even before the book  was released. Loved it!

Okay, so apparently there needs to be more.

The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine has a very unusual premise. Eliza and her siblings Samuel, Lucy and Thomas are Almosts. They are the children that their mother, Becca Valentine, might have if all the stars align. They came into existence on the day that Becca was born and have been with her her whole life. They know what their dates of conception might be, but they don't know who their father is until they see him for the first time. If they aren't conceived, then they disappear from existence and if they are conceived they won't remember their potential siblings. Obviously as their date of existence approaches there is a growing degree of angst because they don't know what their fate will be and they have very little control. And things are complicated because the there are two different dads in the picture!

Through Eliza's eyes we get to know Becca. Becca is a young girl whose parents split up and she makes a poor choice, finding herself pregnant whilst still at school. She tries to make it the best of the situation and to be a good mum, but in addition to being estranged from her mum, her friends are all moving on with their lives whilst Becca was learning to be a mum. Thank goodness for her dad, who believes in Becca and who will support her no matter what!

I was completely involved in this book. There were several times where I had to put it aside because I knew that something dramatic was about to happen. However, I was then compelled to pick it up again because I needed to know what happened next.

The whole concept was completely different to anything I have read before and it was so well done!

I was less than a quarter of the way through the book and I had already bought another 3 of Laura Pearson's book. I can guarantee that this book will be on my best of list for this year!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

Rating 5/5

About the book

The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine

 

You’ve heard of the Afterlife. Welcome to the Beforelife.



There are four of us: Samuel, Lucy, Thomas, and me – Eliza.

We came into being the day Becca Valentine was born. We’ve been by her side ever since. What she doesn’t know yet, is that one day she might become our mother.

Then two men come into her life. Both seeking her heart. And then we realise: everything rests on Becca’s love story. Because one of the men is Lucy and Thomas’s father. And the other is mine and Samuel’s. And there’s simply no way we can all be born.

We all want her to make the right choice. We all want to be born. To hold her hand one day. To feel her stroke our hair. To call her our mother.

Then we discover there is something we can do. We can change Fate. But we only have a single chance each. How would you make sure you were born? And what if doing that isn’t what’s best for the person you already love the most in the world – your mother?

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/elizavalentinesocial

About the Author –

Laura Pearson is the author of the #1 bestseller The Last List of Mabel Beaumont. She founded The Bookload on Facebook and has had several pieces published in the Guardian and the Telegraph.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraPAuthor

Twitter (20) Laura Pearson (@LauraPAuthor) / X (twitter.com)

Instagram Laura Pearson (@laurapauthor) • Instagram photos and videos

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/LauraPearsonNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laura-pearson

Weekend Cooking/Blog Tour: The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath

Sometimes you pick up a book, start reading and just know it is going to be a great read from the first page.  This was one of these books for me!!

Kate was very happy in her marriage to Eddie. He cooked for her, he made friends with the neighbours, and generally was an all round good guy, until he went out one day and never came back. Kate was beyond devestated and blindly stumbled through life for a period of timeuntil she realissed that she actually needed  to take stock of her life. She quit her job, anddecided to start by learning to cook for herself. She has her grandmother's recipe book, which includes lots of handwritten notes such as "Kate's favourite".

Whilst she is making a terrible mess whilst attempting to make lemon sugar pancakes her doorbell rings. At the door is  an older man who lives just down the street. He asks if he can come in as he remembers when Kate's house used  to be a tea house where he courted his wife. At times, Charles seems confused but Kate is intrigued and agrees to set the house up as it used to be so that Charles can bring his wife Mary for tea. Now Kate really needs to learn to cook scones if she is going to host an afternoon tea.

Soon Kate is getting to know her neighbours, sharing recipes and food, and learning just how much time Eddie had spent getting to know the people in their street and how thoughtful he was. For  example, Eddie made homemade liver treats for the dog that another neighbour, Della owns. He was just that kind of guy.

One neighbour who Eddie never met was newcomer Jack. Jack ran a very successful local restaurant  and was something of a local celebrity chef, until he suddenly closed down his restaurant and has basically withdrawn from life. Jack and Kate clash from the first second they almost meet. Everyone is intrigued as to why he has stepped away from his life as a chef and why. He has his reasons, but he is not ready to share them just yet.

Each of the characters has lost or are losing someone or something, and at times it is heartbreaking as the story unfolds, especially for Charles and Mary.

When you meet each of our main characters it would be easy to expect that this would be a melancholy read. It is, but it is also funny, feel good reading about finding cross generational, community based friendships, about new starts. I genuinely laughed out loud when Kate made pancakes and the aforementioned dog treats! I did wonder if I should try to use the recipe in the book to make dog treats for our dog but when she talked about how bad it all smelt I decided against it!! 

There was only one moment in the book, and it was a very brief moment, where Kate confessed about something that made wonder about her but other than that I really loved getting to know all the characters and learning their stories.

And the food!! Obviously this book is about a lot of things from loss and friendship but also about Kate learning to cook, how to love cooking, but also more importantly about how food and cooking can be used to show love to the people in their lives.

This is Sue Heath's first book under this name, and I loved it! I already can't wait to read whatever she publishes next. 

I am sharing this review with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story and with the New Release Challenge hosed at The Chocolate Lady's Book Blog

Rating 5/5

About the book

The Secret Ingredient

She’s writing her story one recipe at a time…

‘A delicious story that wraps itself around your heart’ Evie Woods, bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop

It’s been three years, two weeks and one day since Kate Shaw’s life changed forever. Three years, two weeks and one day that Kate has been angry – with herself and life.

But today is different. Different because Kate has finally taken the step she’s been avoiding…back into the kitchen. Now, what begins as a (disastrous) attempt to make pancakes becomes a culinary journey that is not only a love letter to someone so important to her, but also an unexpected means of connection to a community she never knew she had…

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Ingredient-Zara-Stoneley-ebook/dp/B0BF96B49J/

https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/the-secret-ingredient-sue-heath?variant=40275147096142

About the author:

Sue Heath lives in Cheshire, England. When she isn’t working, she can often be found running around agility courses with her spaniel, and in the evenings, she loves to cook and spend time with family and friends.

‘The Secret Ingredient’ is an uplifting story that explores how a sense of community, sharing, friendship, love, and a feeling of belonging can help us make sense of life, find comfort, and heal. How we can find our happiness in ordinary things.

Sue has also written fourteen USA Today bestselling romcoms under the pseudonym Zara Stoneley and has sold over half a million copies of her stories worldwide.

You can find out more about Sue on her website – www.sueheath.co.uk

Social Media Links –

Website: http://www.sueheath.com
Twitter: @ZaraStoneley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zarastoneley/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Sue-Heath/author/B0CBVHB8T5

Weekly meals

Saturday -  Butter chicken and rice

Sunday -  Nothing

Monday - Creamy Mustard Pork Chops

Tuesday - Chicken Parma and chips

Wednesday - Takeaway

Thursday - Pork Nachos

Friday - Takeaway

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

The Naturalist Of Amsterdam by Melissa Ashley

 

I don't know about you, but I am always on the lookout for historical fiction that is something that bit different, whether it be setting, subject or something else. As soon as I heard about this book, I thought it sounded really interesting for a number of reasons, but if I had to pick just one reason then it would be because of my husband's Dutch heritage.

I originally intended to read this mid last year when my read on a theme bookclub chose Science as a theme. However, I realised that it was too early compared to release date so I ended up reading Lessons in Chemistry instead. The theme for our January meeting was a book with a place name in the title.  I must confess I did have about 40 different titles on my Kindle  that would have fit the theme, and that doesn't include any titles with Paris in it, but this was the perfect choice for me!

 

We first meet Dorothea Graff (also known as Dortje or Dort) she is living in a Labatist community. Her mother has moved with her daughters into the religious community, leading to the breakdown of her marriage. It is a very austere life, and the only joy for Dortje is the times when she gets to spend time with her mother assisting with her work.

Her mother, Maria Sybilla Merian, is a famous naturalist, someone who observes nature and then, in Maria's case, creates amazing manuscripts full of detailed paintings and descriptions. Her work is popular and incredibly collectible at the highest levels of society. Dortje grows up assisting her mother, and when Maria decides to travel to Suriname there is no question as to whether she will be her mother's companion. It is a remote and dangerous life, but there is also incredible beauty in the unique plants and creatures that abound.

Whilst Dort loves her life in Suriname, she does wonder if she will ever have an identity of her own, whether she will ever meet an appropriate suitor. When the family returns to Amsterdam, it seems like her time may have come, but sometimes life gets in the way, and soon it becomes clear that not only is she her mother's companion, assistant and student she will be responsible for the protection of her ongoing legacy.

This is not necessarily an easy read. There is lots of details around the insects, about the printing processes and techniques and more. It is a book that feels pretty meaty but for me that was one of the things I loved about it. 

I also love it when you are reading great historical fiction and you find yourself going off to Google to search for information after reading about something and that is what happened with this book. This is especially true give that this book tells the story of real women from history.

I found myself searching for information about things like the Labatists religious community. Another thing that I learnt about was the existence of the Dutch West Indies Company. I feel like I know a bit about the Dutch East Indies Company, particularly given some of the history where Dutch explorers found the West Australian coat, and being involved in Indonesian history and more. I can't say I knew a lot about the Dutch West Indies Company. In a way, I would think it should be more well known given that the Dutch West Indies were responsible for founding New Amsterdam, which in time became New York, but it isn't really.

I also found myself searching for more information about Suriname, as I am not sure I could have said where it was prior to reading this book.

After having read about it in this book, I have added a place to visit next we go to Amsterdam to visit my brother in law and his family, which may be as soon as later this year. Hortus Botanicus is the oldest botannical gardens in the world and I definitely intend to go and explore at some point.

I am so glad that I got to read this book, and I am very interested to explore Melissa Ashley's backlist. It seems as though she rights about fascinating women from history, and I am looking forward to reading more.

I will be sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Rating 5/5

About the book

Amsterdam, at the turn of the 18th century. For as long as she can remember, Dorothea Graff has lived in service to her mother, Maria Sibyilla Merian, one of the greatest naturalists in Europe. But as she collects insects and colours illustrations for Maria’s world-famous publications, Dorothea longs for a life that is truly her own.

When Maria becomes entranced by the plant and insect life of Suriname, she is determined to record it for herself, taking Dorothea with her. All the family’s savings are ploughed into the dangerous expedition, but greatness is never achieved without sacrifice. The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname will be Maria’s masterpiece, but ensuring its legacy – and her own survival – will become her daughter’s burden. When offered a chance of happiness, will Dorothea have the courage to take it, and risk everything her mother built?

From the jungles of South America to the bustling artists’ studios of Amsterdam, The Naturalist of Amsterdam gives voice to the long-ignored women who shaped our understanding of the natural world – both the artists and those who made their work possible.

Sunday Salon: 2023 in review

Welcome to my annual year in review post. I would classify 2023 as a pretty good reading year. Let's see if the stats reflect this!

My Goodreads challenge target for 2023 was 60 books, which I met with ease. I actually completed 71 books which was approximately 22256 pages. This year I have made my challenge total 75 books so that might be a little more challenging. 

Let's take a closer look at the stats

I do tend to read a lot of new books so no surprise to me to see the vast majority of books I read were published in 2023. The oldest book I read was Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Once again fiction was the genre that I read the most of, although that is a bit of a catch all for every novel that isn't exactly a romance, could be women's fiction or foodie fiction or whatever. It is also not a surprise to see Historical Fiction right up there either!

As a rule, I don't reread a lot. The only books I reread last year were Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (which has become a bit of a Christmas tradition for me now) and The Secret History of Christmas by Bill Bryson which I listened to, and then listened to again when my husband was in the car with me. Interesting that they were both Christmas related and both audiobooks!

The fact that I read so many new to me authors was a bit of a surprise for me. I think it reflects the blog tours that I participate in more than anything. There were a number of authors who I read more than one book. I read 3 books by Gillian Harvey, Maggie Christensen, Sandy Barker and Siobhan Daiko and then there were 6 authors I read two books from. This is the second year in a row that Maggie Christensen has been one of the authors I have read the most books from. Actually, scrap that. It's actually the third year in a row!!

I mentioned last year that my reading has completely swung around from being predominantly paper based to now being most E-book and I don't see that changing any time soon really

No surprises with this stat either. My reading has long been skewed towards female authors

This is another stat that did surprise me for this year. Last year around 40% of my reads were by Australian authors but this year, I read quite a few more British authors. I think this is being influenced a lot by the blog tours I am participating in.

Back in the day, I would have sourced most of my books from the library but these days I am more likely to either buy books or get them for review.

I am always pretty stingy when it comes to giving out 5/5 grades. The four books I gave top marks to in 2023 were:

The Lost Daughters of Ukraine by Erin Littekin - I hadn't read any WWII fiction set in the Ukraine before (my review)

The Book Binders of Jericho by Pip Williams - I went to hear Pip Williams speak at Melbourne Writers Festival this year which prompted me to read this book. I still need to read Dictionary of Lost Words, hopefully before I go see the play in a couple of months.

Dreaming in French by Vanessa McCausland - I loved this book so much! Haunting and evocative. (my review)

The Little Paris Toyshop by Lauren Westwood - I read this as part of a blog tour and I was blown away by it! (my review)

So there is it is....my 2023 reading year in review!

Previous year in review posts

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005