This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

Happy publication day, the book is available to buy NOW, from Amazon hardback, ebook and audio I think.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days (in and out as able)

Pages - 416

Publisher - Penguin Viking

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

Twelve stories. Twelve months. Once chance to heal her heart...

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her fiancé waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly because Joe died five months ago…
The gift is simple – twelve carefully-chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
Tilly sets out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, the bookshop owner, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?


My Review

Tilly is navigating life without her husband Joe, after a sudden illness robbed their future Tilly is doing what she needs to to get through an hour, a day, a week. Very much still in the throes of grief she gets a call from a small local book shop owner, a book for her. She naturally says there must be a mistake, she hasn't ordered anything then her world turns on its axis, it is from Joe. Once she gets over the shock, Tilly discovers that Joe has left her the most thoughtful gift, a book every month with a note from him. Each book is chosen by Joe to challenge her, make her take new adventures, push herself and start living again. When she thought her life and new memories with Joe was over he had planned ahead and every month (for 12 months) she gets a little gift in the form of a book and love to help her in the hardest time of her life.

AHHHHHHHH you guys! This very much gave me echoes of P.S I Love You, offt. Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things but losing your husband before you really get a chance to do the things you planned. And we are all book lovers so this is just *chef's kiss* of an idea. The book store owner, Alfie, is a wee bit awkward but so so nice and I love his work colleagues, guys there is a cat in the shop like WHAAAAAAAT, love love love it.

So without giving spoilers cos we don't do that here, Joe spent a lot of time and thought into the books and gifts. Picking things that would push Tilly out her comfort zone, challenge her, make her enjoy new experiences and of course all whilst dealing with raw grief.

We learn about their relationship, how they met, Tilly being a total bookworm and a wee bit unique and the slow building friendship between her and Alfie. Whilst we mostly follow Tilly and her months leading up to and following the new book surprise we also get to met Alfie, his history, work colleagues and why the shop means so much and what he is hiding and trying to protect his workies from.

Emotive, sweet, navigating grief, work and Tilly's journey of personal growth and healing as she tries to get through every day of life without Joe. The book idea is just so lovely because well hello books, you know I LOVE LOVE LOVE books but picking out of her comfort zone, why, the accompanying letters and how he is helping her heal from beyond the grave. This was my first book of Page's it won't be my last, 4/5.

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Update and adventures

The previous week I wasn't on much (although if you follow my Insta or Twitter you will have seen the updates. So I went to England to visit family, miss paws wasn't amused although she does enjoy climbing on my case.





The weather here was horrible and when I landed it was almost like when you actually go on holiday, it was such a nice change in the weather.





I was only down for a couple of days and it was more about family time but we did get to do a wee bit of sight seeing.




I got to feed baby parakeets - they were so cheeky and beautiful, love them!




So many beautiful animals and we got to get so close, I loved it.




I got to use his Zelda glass, this is a big deal. I am not a Zelda fan but this is a pretty fab glass.




I stayed in the wee Premier Inn, I kinda prefer them when going on mini trips, you know what you are getting. Bar a wee incident with the kettle and limescale it was fine.

There was a wee garden outside which was perfect to grab a wee read whilst waiting to meet up with family.




It was so nice although I didn't really read much except when I was back at the hotel.




Colchester Castle and the surrounding grounds is stunning, I didn't go into the castle but hope to when I visit next time.




Some of the buildings are stunning, I do love an old building and would have loved a wee walk around inside.




I took my Game of Thrones wee blanket with me, cookies, books and junk tv was a great way to unwind at the end of the day, after a bath of course.




When I got to the airport there was a lot of aggression, a lot of flights had been delayed, my own included so I bought junk food, found a quiet spot in the airport, tuned into my book and caught a wee bit of the live show for "For The Love of Horror" talking about their horror con event in Manchester in October. If you like horror check them out guys, they go live once a we, the guys banter is on point and I thought I was a huge horror movie yet every show I am taking note of movies not only I haven't seen but haven't heard of!





I got home pretty late, the sky was lovely but it was cold, nothing new there!




Pretty safe to say Princess Trixie missed me, I was only away three days but she shadowed and stayed by my side most of the night I got home. So that was my wee adventures, catching up now on my book reviews and looking forward to my next visit!

Our road trip

So if you follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram you will know we took miss paws on her first ever road trip and ticked a few things off her bucket list. Trixie is seventeen, has a lot of health problems and we had to come home on an emergency flight in March as we thought we were going to loose her as she took unwell. I tell you, the trip up north, the country air fair agreed with her. She was up on counters (I haven't seen her do that in years!), actually sprinted three times in one morning and played chasing a light reflection.





She gets really car sick, she was only sick once on the way up and not at all on the drive home. I think the travel cage really seems to help. Look at her wee harness!








I took a fair few books, mostly hardback and my kindle and now catching up with the reviews and prepping blog tours I have agreed to before focusing on work stuff. My foot is getting better and whilst going through intense physio hoping to get back to work soon!





Because I now have the boot off and focusing on the exercises we managed to go a decent walk whilst we were up there. An abandoned building is normally all shut off. This time they have opened a wee path you can walk in to go in so I was delighted to get a wee nosey through it. No miss paws this time and we got caught in the rain but it was so worth it, I love abandoned buildings and whilst we couldn't go inside properly and I certainly couldn't climb anyway I was delighted to get so close.


The sky pictures, if you follow my instagram you will know how much I love them, managed to get a fair few snaps.











We always go up to the tourist shops at John O'Groats and I buy a bookmark, sweets or a book. I saw this and couldn't resist. I used to collect coins as a kid, now it is books/bookmarks and look, a wee wren (I think) on the farthing so I HAD to buy it.





Miss paws is exhausted but I think she had a great trip, I certainly needed a few days away, just some down time, recharge and it is lovely seeing family. I think we will keep up trying to get kitty to see a bit more of the outdoors (she is an indoor cat) as she coped so well out and about. Climbing furniture like a kitten, on the beach and up on her first wall looking like a boss!





So, that has been our adventures, 370 piccys by the way just from the phone - she is the most photographed kitty in the world. Happy 1st of August, I am looking forward to the new shark movie Meg (may even get a chance to re read the book before we see it), it is my birthday this month, I am looking forward to seeing some of my fav humans. Being stuck indoors so much and seeing so little people has been horrific for a gab a minute social butterfly like me. So I am just going to draw the winner for July's comp and I will get August's giveaway prepped and ready to go. Have an amazing August you guys, a fresh new month.

Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets by J K Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 341

Blurb from Goodreads

All Harry Potter wants is to get away from the Dursleys and go back to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby - who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone--or something--starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects... Harry Potter himself.


My Review

This is the second book in the series, I would recommend reading the first, whilst you can pick this up and read it by itself, you would enjoy it more knowing the 1st story. Harry can't wait to get back to Hogwarts, the Dursley's are being their usual horrible selves & a wee house Elf warns Harry he can't go back to Hogwart's. Lots of things seem to go wrong as Dobby predicted, Snape seems to really hate Harry, their new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher is fame loving nightmare and something horrendous is loose in Hogwarts. A monster that was once loose before & a student died is back, suspicion falls on Hagrid and Harry needs to find out who or what is responsible.

This year we also meet Ginny, Ron's little sister and her first year at Hogwart's, Malfoy's father features a bit more and we see where young Draco gets his attitude from. Another tale of friendship, boundaries, secrets, love & bravery as the youngsters try to piece together more of the history and happenings at the school.

I love these books, this is a re read for me, if I could shut off the adult world for a week I would read these back to back. If you haven't read Potter before I would certainly recommend, if you have I would tell you to re read it. A great story with ups and downs, as much for the mature reader as the young adult, 5/5 for me this time!

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