Black Joy by various authors

Black Joy by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over a month

Pages - 416

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Vine

Blurb from Goodreads

Love, literature, friendship, music, carnival, travel, dance, work, nature, food - Black Joy can be found in so many places.


Edited by award-winning journalist Charlie Brinkhust-Cuff and up-and-coming talent Timi Sotire, join twenty-eight inspirational voices in this uplifting and empowering anthology as they come together to celebrate being Black British, sharing their experiences of joy and what it means to them.


With incredible pieces from:

Diane Abbott - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé - Fopé Ajanaku - Athian Akec - Travis Alabanza - Haaniyah Angus - Rukiat Ashawe - Bukky Bakray - Richie Brave - Munya Chawawa - Ruby Fatimilehin - Theophina Gabriel - Lauryn Green - Ife Grillo - Isaac James - Chanté Joseph - Vanessa Kisuule - Henrie Kwushue - Tobi Kyeremateng - Mikai McDermott - Jason Okundaye - Tope Olufemi - Melz Owusu - Leigh-Anne Pinnock - Mayowa Quadri - Lavinya Stennett - Timi Sotire - Sophia Tassew

An exciting, much-needed collection of writing perfect for readers of Feminists Don't Wear Pink, Slay in Your Lane and Love in Colour.


My Review

Normally when I take so long to read a book it is because I am not enjoying it, it was the opposite with this one. I really liked it however because it is real stories from people you want to take time to digest it. Each story also ends with a box telling you to do, think, try, call so you just take a bit of time going over what you read.

Lots of experiences, some uplifting, some emotive but all with joy, happiness and or personal growth. You will recognise some of the names in this book, famous people whose experiences may well shock you, the girl from a well known successful pop group being treated very different to her colleagues because of the colour of her skin. How she became stronger and learned to love herself, we learn about her heritage, growing up in love and encouragement.

Some of the stories have some challenging issues to say the least the authors have experienced in their lives and things of joy, power, happiness they share with the reader. It really makes you stop and think, so much tradition, family values and food it was so nice reading so many different life stories infused with ideas for the reader to find their own joy.

It is a different book, it touches on harder aspects of life/inequality/feelings/emotions and despite the things some of the authors have endured they still find happiness, pride and joy and share that with the reader, 4/5 for me!

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How to be a Boss at Ageing: Real advice on how to navigate and embrace midlife by Anniki Sommerville

How to be a Boss at Ageing: Real advice on how to navigate and embrace midlife by Anniki Sommerville
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 months

Pages - 289

Publisher - Thread Books

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Do you find yourself fighting the urge to go to bed at 8pm? Do you look at your laughter lines and wonder what was ever so funny? Do you listen to the charts and not have a clue who’s singing? Do images of celebrities over forty in swimsuits just make you want to drink more wine?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then this is the book for you.

Funny, honest, and packed with advice, this is a must-read for any woman experiencing – and not particularly relishing – the effects of ageing. Anniki Sommerville shares her own experiences with those of other women as well as advice from experts – Sali Hughes, Cariad Lloyd, Meg Mathews, Emma Gannon and Dr Karen Gurney among others – to help you navigate this journey (condensed)



My Review

This is my first book by this author, I think we all hit a stage in life where we start reading more books like this. Sommerville takes us through a very personal and honest journey of the stages of her life, experiences we all can relate to or know is headed our way.

I think the thing about this book is as women we got through similar experiences, journeys, pathways albeit we each have different responses, emotions but we can identify with each of them. When Sommerville talks about hers she gives very honest insight into hers, discussions of sex, drugs, alcohol, doubts, fears. Things she experienced at work, what she saw as personal failures or challenges in her personal life and professional.

The book isn't just a woo is me or a personal offload although she does talk very frankly open and honest about so much of her life/stages. She gives advise including some from professionals and touches on some emotive topics. Menopause and how to cope, fertility issues, relationship issues, work, friendships, death, grief, loss, love.

It is a lot to cover and depending on your life a lot to digest, personal/past experiences may *trigger* some responses from your life. I found myself putting it down to digest and think about what I had read, in between other books, then go back and do the same with the next chapter, 3.5/5 for me this time. It was an interesting read, I am finding myself drawn to more non fiction books these days.

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Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 310

Publisher - HQ Stories

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Think you know the person you married? Think again…

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.



My Review

Every marriage has its troubles, secrets, issues but some more than others. Hello bookworms ooft well prepare for a rollercoaster. Winning a getaway and it is their wedding anniversary - make or break time. A deserted old chapel, creepy - we have the opening chapter, Amelia & a belter of an opening line. I found this phenomenon, Prosopagnosia, really interesting & wanted to read more on it, also a nice hook for literally the first sentence.

The chapters flip between characters and we get to know the married couple more and more as we delve in. Something creepy is vibing at the chapel, you get that right away but is the author just setting a great scene (I find abandoned old building often creepy) or is there skulduggery afoot.

Inbetween the character chapters we also have a letter every year from the wife, disclosing intimate thoughts/truths and or secrets. They are marked by what you give on that particular year - I am hoping to retain some of that because it always pops up on quizzes and I love learning something new when reading a book.

You want to know what is happening at the chapel, what is hiding in the shadows, why are the couple so gripey with each other but then you want the next letter and confession of the wife and seeing what is coming next!

A book that keeps you on your toes, creepy, eerie, some questionable characters and when you think you know where the book is going Feeney throws something else into the mix. I really liked this one 4.5/5 for me!

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Every note Played by Lisa Genova

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 316

Publisher - Allen & Unwin

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

An accomplished concert pianist, Richard received standing ovations from audiences all over the world in awe of his rare combination of emotional resonance and flawless technique. Every finger of his hands was a finely calibrated instrument, dancing across the keys and striking each note with exacting precision. That was eight months ago.

Richard now has ALS, and his entire right arm is paralyzed. His fingers are impotent, still, devoid of possibility. The loss of his hand feels like a death, a loss of true love, a divorce—his divorce.

He knows his left arm will go next.

Three years ago, Karina removed their framed wedding picture from the living room wall and hung a mirror there instead. But she still hasn’t moved on. Karina is paralyzed by excuses and fear, stuck in an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher, afraid to pursue the path she abandoned as a young woman, blaming Richard and their failed marriage for all of it.

When Richard becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard’s muscles, voice, and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their past before it’s too late.


My Review

Richard is a gifted piano player, travelling and playing worldwide. He left his wife and daughter three years ago, lives in a beautiful apartment & eats and drinks the best of foods. Karina his ex wife gave up her own musical career so he could flourish and she would raise their kid. Grace is now in college - loves mum, hates dad, Karina (wife/mum) is a bit lost and Richard is intolerable with his self absorbed attitude. Everyone knows their place in the world and everything is fine until Richard starts to experience some issues with his fingers/hand. Richard is diagnosed with ALS, he remains stubborn and refuses to accept the inevitable, regardless of his acceptance or telling anyone ALS is here and life as they know it is about to change.

Oh you guys, I love Genova's books (not always how they end) but she brings these horrific diagnosis's to life, gives them faces, names and the reader experiences and lives it with the characters. The one with the condition, the families and loved ones viewing it, processing it, enduring it, the person trying to come to terms and a very real picture of how it tears their lives apart.

I had a hard time relating to Richard, he is not a likable character but you soon feel for him as everything he knows is stripped away. I had a lump in my throat a few times because it is just such a horrific condition that strips the person of everything, literally everything they have. By using an unlikeable character I think it punches in a bigger impact because you can't help but be pulled through it, from all their experiences. The wronged ex wife, the neglected child (playing second best to his precious career) and him, the person as he is and his battle as he is stripped, bit by bit, of the very things we all take for granted every day.

Hard hitting, graphic descriptions and scenes of exactly what this condition steals from you and in such a short period of time. Character development, sadness, grief, relationships, family, love, loss, health and at the end of the book a website you can read more on this and donate. 5/5 for me, I think I went through a whole host of emotions and I have never known anyone personally who has had this, I can only imagine the impact of someone who has reading it. Grab the tissues and comfort food, you will need it. I love these kinds of books because despite it being fiction, because of her career she pulls from actual experience and creates characters to give it heart, a face, ooft it is brutal and lets you learn as you go, absolutely recommend!

I read this last year, no idea why I forgot to post it here, this book has stayed with me!

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The Woman in the Middle by Milly Johnson

The Woman in the Middle by Milly Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Source - Bought

Publisher - Simon and Schuster

Blurb from Goodreads

Shay Bastable is the woman in the middle. She is part of the sandwich generation – caring for her parents and her children, supporting her husband Bruce, holding them all together and caring for them as best she can.

Then the arrival of a large orange skip on her mother’s estate sets in motion a cataclysmic series of events which leads to the collapse of Shay’s world. She is forced to put herself first for a change.

But in order to move forward with her present, Shay needs to make sense of her past. And so she returns to the little village she grew up in, to uncover the truth about what happened to her when she was younger. And in doing so, she discovers that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to find the only way is up.


My Review

Shay is just one of those good wholesome people. Married for double figures, grown kids, her mum has dementia so she is in and out caring for her whilst visiting her dad who has never recovered after an acute medical emergency. Her sister could be doing more but she is one of those people who do the bare minimum and has a superior attitude about it and toward pretty much everyone. A big anniversary is coming up for Shay and she intends to make the most of it with her husband. Fate always likes to fling a curve ball and Shay is about to get a few.

Oooft I found myself getting a wee bit emotional and raging at some points in this. Some people are just horror bags and Shay is so so nice, I honestly wanted to reach in and punch one of the characters. So very true to life and I know and had to endure having a bamstick like this character (not Shay) in my life. Some people are just so selfish and self absorbed, nasty and have no concern for anyone else other than what they can get out of them, can you tell it struck a nerve?! I love when a character evokes an emotive response & it made me feel even more for Shay.

Johnson always weaves multi issues or themes in her books, people you like, love, hate or in this case want to punch! I have read most of her books and always eagerly await the next. I need to check my Goodreads and see what ones I have still to read. If you want to ditch your own reality and lose yourselves in someone else's lives/dramas you will love this, 4.5/ for me!

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Just Another Liar by Mandy Byatt

Just Another Liar by Mandy Byatt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2.5 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Avon

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

He says he loves you. He says you’re the only one. He’s just another liar…


Three women love him. But he’s lying to them all.

Denise, Petra, and Anna all have their reasons for being alone.
But they’re not ready to share them.
David is the answer to all their problems.
But they’ve only met him online.
Each woman wants her happy ending.
But only one of them can get it.
One of these women will end up dead.
But which one? And will you ever work out who killed them?


My Review

Meet Denise, Petra and Anna, three very different women with one thing in common - they are all dating the same man, David. David is perfect, everything each of them needs but none know of the others and none of them have met David. One of them will die but who and why?

There are a fair few unsavoury characters in this book so you can't help but turn page after page for more revelations. We hear from each of the women and short snippets from David. Whilst this is a fiction book the online dodgy dating many could ring off stories very similar. David offers them an escape or comfort, understanding, a distraction, romance, love, a relationship, something different to each of them.

It offers a perspective of online dating as the three women experience it, to look at the type of people they are and the old no-one is quite what they seem, especially online. Character flaws, very shady behaviour and questionable morals. This is one of those books you could quite happy sit with a bucket of popcorn as you go page to page with a oh no, cringe, ahhhhh. Lots of drama - a bit like sinking into a fab epiosde of one of your fave soaps! 4/5 for me, this is her debut novel I cannot wait to read more from Byatt!

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To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse Blog Tour

Today is my turn on the blog tour for To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse. For my stop I have my review.

About the author

Amanda Prowse is an international bestselling author of twenty-eight novels published in dozens of languages. Her chart-topping titles What Have I Done?, Perfect Daughter, My Husband’s Wife, The Coordinates of Loss, The Girl in the Corner and The Things I Know have sold millions of copies around the world. Other novels by Amanda Prowse include A Mother’s Story, which won the coveted Sainsbury’s eBook of the Year Award. Perfect Daughter was selected as a World Book Night title in 2016. She has been described by the Daily Mail as ‘the queen of family drama’. Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today. Her titles consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda is a regular panellist on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine show, as well as featuring on numerous daytime ITV programmes. She also makes countless guest appearances on national and independent radio stations, including LBC and talkRADIO, where she is well known for her insightful observations and infectious humour. Amanda’s ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning off the bedside lamp at night, that ensure you walk every step with her great characters, and tales that fill your head so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades…

Book buy link, Amazon Uk - Click HERE.

Twitter links

@mrsamandaprowse

@lovebooksgroup

@lovebookstours

To Love and Be Loved by Amanda Prowse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 2 days

Pages - 346

Publisher - Lake Union

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

In this life-affirming tale from bestselling author Amanda Prowse, one woman built a new life to escape her humiliation. Now, can she put the shame behind her and finally find happiness?

Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.

It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again.

Reluctantly back in the arms of her community, Merrin begins to realise what she’s been missing out on all these years. As she begins to remember the person she used to be, she is forced to make choices about her future, and to question the past. What does she want from her life? Who is important to her? Who is to blame for everything that went wrong? And can she forgive them, let old wounds heal and finally be her true self again?


My Review

Merrin is a small town girl from a working class family, when she falls for Digby Mortimer, old money but the attraction and love is mutual. The big day should be everything she ever wanted and more....the day takes a turn and Merrin has to run, from heartache, embarrassment, small town gossip. Six years later Merrin is still scarred by her heartbreak - tragedy strikes and Merrin must come home, will she finally be able to face her past and move on with her future?

This isn't my first Prowse book, I had bought a few after reading some in 2017 but this has been my first in a while. I forgot how she weaves a story and pulls you into the pages, invested in the characters, love or hate you want to know more about them and what dramas unfolding next.

Aw Mirren I so felt for her, when reading this book I thought a perfect song for her and her predicament is absolutely Paloma Faith Only Love Can Hurt Like This. God love her, I did feel for her, loving her small town, super close to her family but having to move to protect herself.

The book covers so much, love, betrayal, loss, friendships, family, recovery, personal growth - I don't think anyone hasn't been burned by love yet we all respond differently. It was like sinking into a soap opera and following those you loved, didn't like so much, drama's that never really change despite the years because it is a small town and some things stay the same regardless of time passed.

I will be bumping up my other books by this author, if you just want to leave your own issues, worries and life behind for a wee while then I can't recommend this enough. We are having a rough time just now and my reading has absolutely suffered as a result yet I sank into this and despite having a million distractions and jobs to do I read this in two days, 4/5 for me this time!

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