Wednesday Medley - 27/2/19

These questions are provided by Terri at Your Friend from Florida.

Pop over there to join in or to check out who else is taking part.

 

NATIONAL STRAWBERRY DAY

We continue with February’s heart-shaped and red theme by observing National Strawberry Day on February 27. These juicy, sweet berries can brighten up any dish and are delicious all on their own.

1.  Given all that information* on this 🍓National Strawberry Day🍓, do you have a favorite recipe for strawberries?  Would you share it with us?
Shock horror - I'm not a big strawberry fan!  I do like them but I don't love them.  I'd either make a sponge flan with them or more likely an Eton Mess (crushed meringue, strawberries and whipped cream). 

Image courtesy of BBC Good Food

 

2.  Some people think the smaller, northern varieties are sweeter than the larger berries that grow in the south and in California.  What are your thoughts on that?
Never really checked where the strawberries were grown.  I get them from the supermarket.  But I have a sweet tooth so I'm guessing I'd prefer the ones from the north.

3.  There is a Strawberry Festival right here in Plant City, Florida (next town over from Lakeland) and it is a huge event that lasts 11 days with headliner acts each day.  Have you ever been to a Strawberry Festival?

No.

4.  Strawberries are grown in every US state.  Have you ever grown them in your garden?

I have tried but wasn't that successful.  Might have another go this year.

5.  Strawberry is the only fruit that has seeds on the outside, and technically it is not a berry but rather a fruit, and would you be surprised to learn that strawberries belong to the rose family?  Do you have any strawberry trivia to share with us?

Afraid not, although I did know about the rose connection.

6.  Tell us something random about your week!!

We were with Grandson Nathan on Monday this week instead of Tuesday and it's confusing me.  Feels like today should be Thursday and it's only Wednesday but being retired it doesn't really matter!

* see Terri's blog for the full information on National Strawberry Day

Review: The Search

The Search by Howard Linskey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A killer with a secret to tell . . .

Little Susan Verity went missing during the heatwave of 1976. An unprecedented amount of police resources went into finding her, but to no avail. Until now.

Serial killer Adrian Wicklow was always the prime suspect. He's lied to the police about Susan's whereabouts repeatedly but this time, he says, he'll tell the truth. Because Wicklow is dying.

As the case re-opens DS Ian Bradshaw works with investigative journalists Tom Carney and Helen Norton to find Susan. But this is Wicklow's life's work. Would a killer on death's door give up his last secret so easily...? 

I seem to be reading this series backwards but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this one. It's a crime thriller that kept me guessing. A cold case for Detective Ian Bradshaw to try and solve. Where are the bodies? And what really happened to Susan Verity? With the help of investigative journalists Norton & Carney, Bradshaw tries to piece together the events of a summer day back in 1976. In doing so he has to try and get inside the head of Adrian Wicklow a convicted serial killer.

Someone knows what happened that day. Was there a police cover up? What did Susan's friends really see?

Gradually all is revealed and of course not everything is as it seems.

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Tuesday Twaddle - 26/2/19

Well all my meandering yesterday revolved around Grandson Nathan.  We had a change of days this week so I was there yesterday.  We meandered up the hill to the shops in the morning and meandered around the park in the afternoon chasing after his football.  Actually not much chasing was required as he can't kick it very far yet and he was a bit unsure about the bumpy grass so he wasn't running very fast either.  But still, all that activity was tiring.  Add in the factor that the trains weren't running well yesterday so I had to drive there and back it's probably no surprise my blog was neglected yesterday.  My bed was not!

Anyway that meant a reprieve for today but we had a visit from Grandson Rory and my son instead.  He's crawling everywhere now so that means having to be more vigilant with him as, especially if he spots an open door, he seems to cover the floor very quickly!  It is lovely being so close to them and watching them grow up and thankfully, due to social media we can keep in touch with how Noah's doing too.  Although sometimes you get TMI (too much information) particularly on their bowel movements (or lack of them) lol.  Seriously I love all of it so if DIL #2 is reading this don't stop posting!

Talking of bowel movements reminded me of this picture spotted on Facebook today:

with of course the question which one are you?  

There was great debate amongst the comments.  Some people even referred to the patent application picture showing the paper hanging as in B.

Personally I'm a B but I don't get in a tizzy over it, especially as it's usually me that restocks the toilet rolls so it hangs how I like it and yes if hubby or anyone else gets it wrong I might change it around.  Although I'm more likely to do this if the two sheets aren't aligned properly and if you don't know what I mean by that you could watch this clip from YouTube
 

Yes really!  Sorry if you watched it.  That's 22 seconds of your life wasted. (Unless of course you didn't know how to fix it when the two layers don't align in which case I've just done you a favour.)

Well of course I'm reading the responses to the A or B dilemma and thinking why are these people getting so worked up over this let alone bothering to check out the patent application to reinforce their opinions?  After all changing the toilet roll doesn't cause brain damage according to many of the images I found when I googled it.  

Or maybe it does.  Why else would I be waffling on about toilet rolls on a lovely Tuesday afternoon?    Rhetorical question!

Review: The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae

The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ailsa Rae is learning how to live.
She's only a few months past the heart transplant that - just in time - saved her life. Life should be a joyful adventure. But . . .

Her relationship with her mother is at breaking point.
She knows she needs to find her father.
She's missed so much that her friends have left her behind.
She's felt so helpless for so long that she's let polls on her blog make her decisions for her. And now she barely knows where to start on her own.

And then there's Lennox. Her best friend and one time lover. He was sick too. He didn't make it. And now she's supposed to face all of this without him.

But her new heart is a bold heart.

She just needs to learn to listen to it . . .

I really enjoyed this. It follows Ailsa's struggles to adapt to her life following a heart transplant. Having spent most of her 28 years being very unwell she is given a chance to actually live. But this requires a lot of adjustments. It's told in different ways, from flashbacks to life before the transplant, present time narrative plus e-mail exchanges and blog posts. This didn't detract from the story though. It's funny at times but also sad. Not everyone gets a happy ending when waiting for a transplant (not a spoiler - it's in the blurb). 

Ailsa is not the only one having to adapt. Her Mum also has to learn to cope with life after the transplant and how this changes their relationship. 

This is a work of fiction but hopefully anyone reading it who isn't on the donor register might actually put themselves on it.

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Sunday Waffle - 24/2/19

It is not a good idea to put something in the oven and then get engrossed in a book.  Especially when you are one level up from the kitchen and don't hear the timer going off.  Even more dangerous when you've put the oven on full to light the gas and forgotten to dial it back to the required temperature for the quiche you're looking forward to.

Fortunately it wasn't badly burned and was still very edible!

I've indulged in a lot of reading today.  (A whole bookful of reading - I'll post a review later.)  Mainly because I got up feeling a little under the weather.  Partying until after midnight and drinking red wine has that effect these days.  Will I learn that lesson?  Probably not.  One of hubby's sisters had organised a sort of school reunion come family party come anyone who wants to event at our local club.  It was a really nice evening.  Lots of family members there plus other people I knew.  She'd organised food, there was a DJ playing music we could relate (and dance) to and if you were brave enough plenty of cocktails to be tried.

I decided to stick to wine thinking I'd pace myself and be fine today.  I think my pace was probably a bit too fast.  

I'm not sure I like this getting old lark.  But I am loving being a Nana.    We had Nathan for a couple of hours yesterday so his Mummies could have some planning time together.  It was nice to have him here and visit our local community garden and shops although keeping him safe from falling up or down our many stairs was less enjoyable.  That and the partying and it's probably no wonder I felt under the weather this morning.

However I did manage to brighten up and get the grass cut for the first time this year.  Fortunately we have a good lawnmower and the recent spell of dry mild weather meant it wasn't as hard a job as I'd expected.  But I still feel it gave me enough brownie points to get back to my book when I'd finished.

Quite a nice way to spend Sunday, especially when dinner is something I cooked a couple of weeks ago and just had to be taken out of the freezer.  And for anyone who's wondering why Hubby doesn't get to cut the grass (shock horror at the suggestion of sexism)  it's partly because he tends to get wheezy if he does and he also volunteered to walk back to the club and pick up the car we sensibly left behind last night and also collect a chair from his sister.  She and her husband have been living in what was Hubby's Mum's house.  They moved in when their Mum needed help thinking it would be for longer than it actually was.  The house has now been sold and they've gradually been clearing the place out ready for the new owners.  Completion is set for next month and it will be the end of an era.  

This is the chair.  It's really heavy.  I might put it in our bedroom by the window.  With a couple of cushions it'll probably be a comfy enough chair for reading in and I'll be able to enjoy the view.

Friday's Fave Five - 22/2/19

 

It's Friday again and time to count our blessings for the week.  This meme is hosted by Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story.  Pop over there to find out more and see who's taking part.

Here are my five for this week:

1.  Getting out for walks again.  The weather has been so mild for this time of year during the day so I've been working on my step count.  This scenery never gets old.

2.  Progress on house projects.  I blogged about this here.  At last my bedroom is no longer a bedroom/office.  Hubby is adapting to the changes - slowly!

3.  Snuggles with Nathan.  When he woke up from his nap on Tuesday he was happy to see Grandpa had arrived but he wanted to stay with me.  He sat with me like this for about 20 minutes.  He probably would have stayed asleep a bit longer if I'd rocked his buggy but I didn't mind the opportunity for just sitting and cuddling.   That's what I love about Grandparenting, generally I can let the Grandkids set the pace.  We're not having to rush about in the same way as I felt I always was with my own kids.

4.  Reading time.  I spent quite a lot of this morning reading, finishing a book which I reviewed here. 
I still find it hard not to feel guilty about doing nothing but reading so this morning I listened to my Fitbit and made sure I was active each hour as well as doing a chore or two everytime I was told to move!  My kitchen is tidy, the dishwasher emptied and refilled and a load of laundry done.  I think I earned my reading time.  I've also just put away some laundry.  So far my Marie Kondo folding is still working.

5.  I've booked a house for my birthday weekend!  My birthday is not until June but I wanted to go away the weekend after with all the Kids and Grandkids.  I've been meaning to get around to this for weeks but finally this week I made time for it and it's booked.  It was hard finding somewhere that ticked all the boxes (all double beds, space for the Grandkids, near amenities, child friendly etc) but eventually I did and it was available.  (I did find one place that looked great until I realised it had a stream running along the side of the garden, not fenced off and at the bottom of a slope - perfect for little ones to fall into!)  That was a big tick on my To Do list.

Enjoy the weekend!

Review: The Queen of Bloody Everything

The Queen of Bloody Everything by Joanna Nadin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dido Sylvia Jones is six years and twenty-seven days old when she moves from London squat to suburban Essex and promptly falls in love with Tom Trevelyan, the boy next door. It's not just Tom that Dido falls for, though: it's also his precocious sister, Harry, and their fastidious, controlling mother, Angela. Because Angela is everything that Edie—Dido's own mother—is not. And the Trevelyans are exactly the kind of family Dido dreams of: Normal.

Dido wants to be normal more than anything else in the world. But it's the very thing that Edie can never be, as Dido—and the Trevelyans, including Dido's beloved Tom—will eventually learn the hard way.

Like the very best families, Joanna Nadin's The Queen of Bloody Everything is funny, warm, tender and heartbreaking in equal measure. Part love story, it's ultimately about mothers and daughters: about realizing, however long it takes, that family might be what you make it, but you can't change where you come from. 

I loved this book. It's written from Dido's perspective as she talks to her Mother (Edie) who is in hospital. They are in their 40s and 60s respectively but the story charts their relationship from when Dido was a child. It's a difficult relationship - an alcoholic single parent, a child desperate to fit in and feel "normal".

Dido starts the story with the day that changed her life when, aged 6, Dido and Edie moved into an inherited house in Saffron Walden and meet the Trevelyan family. Moving through the decades we follow Dido and Edie along their troubled pathways.

I found the book easy to read. Sad at times, funny at others but believable. It's the author's first adult book but hopefully not her last.

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Review: The Hourglass Factory

The Hourglass Factory by Lucy Ribchester
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

1912 and London is in turmoil...

The suffragette movement is reaching fever pitch but for broke Fleet Street tomboy Frankie George, just getting by in the cut-throat world of newspapers is hard enough. Sent to interview trapeze artist Ebony Diamond, Frankie finds herself fascinated by the tightly laced acrobat and follows her across London to a Mayfair corset shop that hides more than one dark secret.

Then Ebony Diamond mysteriously disappears in the middle of a performance, and Frankie is drawn into a world of tricks, society columnists, corset fetishists, suffragettes and circus freaks. How did Ebony vanish, who was she afraid of, and what goes on behind the doors of the mysterious Hourglass Factory?

From the newsrooms of Fleet Street to the drawing rooms of high society, the missing Ebony Diamond leads Frankie to the trail of a murderous villain with a plot more deadly than anyone could have imagined...

I found this a challenge to start with but I was gradually drawn in and I found myself enjoying it. It was interesting to read about London in the early 20th century, especially as I recognised so many of the areas in the book. I also learned more about the Sufragette movement at the time.

I wasn't so convinced about the police involvement in the book and, as other reviewers have commented, some characters were more developed than others. Overall though I thought it was a very good debut.

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Wednesday Medley - 20/2/19

Thanks to Terri over at "Your Friend from Florida"  for hosting the Wednesday Medley.  Pop over there to see who's playing or join in.

 

NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY

On February 20th, pet lovers everywhere observe National Love Your Pet Day.  This holiday is a day set aside to give extra attention to and pamper your pets.  This is a good day to focus on the special relationship that you have with your pets.

Did you know that most households in the United States have at least one pet?  While there are more cats than dogs in the United States, more households have dogs than cats, but not by much. Pets are not limited to the canine and feline categories.  There are quite a few who prefer the companionship of birds, reptiles, fish or rats.  Whoever your pet companion is, we are sure you will enjoy spending a little extra time with them on National Love Your Pet Day and reap the benefits, as well such as stress relief and lower blood pressure.  So on February 20 (and every day) show your appreciation to your pets!

HOW TO OBSERVE

Bring your pet a special treat, take an extra long walk or give them more attention on National Love Your Pet Day.  Whatever you decide to do, spoil and appreciate your pets!  Use #NationalLoveYourPetDay to post on social media.

HISTORY

Within our research, we were unable to identify the creator of National Love Your Pet Day.

1.  Have you ever had a special pet in your life?  Will you tell us about it?

We've had several pets and they were all special in their own way from the budgie to the guinea pigs, dog and cats.  Oh and the goldfish!  Sadly we don't have any pets now - we lost both our cats over the recent past but now our son brings his greyhounds with him when they visit we couldn't have another cat and in some ways I'm grateful not to be tied down.  But it was sad when we lost the cats. 

Willow

Faith

2.  Did you grow up with pets in your home?  What did it teach you?

We had a dog when I was young and it taught me about loyalty and how to put others before yourself.

3.  Do you ever wonder what animals are thinking?

That is the one frustrating thing.  What are they thinking?  Although I'm not sure we might always want to know lol.

4.  Sometimes a pet gets out and doesn't return for a few days. What do you think happens to them when they go on a walkabout?

I think it might depend on why they chose to go in the first place but they probably end up hungry and possibly a little scared.

5.  With cats and dogs being the most popular pets, what is the most exotic pet you have personal experience with (didn't have to be yours)?

One of my brothers kept rats when he lived in a flat.  Once he had his own home and space he's always had dogs (5 at one point) and he owned a goat for a while too.

6.  Please tell us something random about your week so far...

I blogged on Monday about moving furniture around in the house and trying to get Hubby organised.  This is where he left his slippers last night!  In the middle of the bedroom floor.

Fortunately I did not fall over them on my regular middle of the night trip to the bathroom.  Actually I didn't get up at all last night so I only spotted them this morning but, needless to say, he won't be leaving them there again.

 

Mayhem on Monday - 18/2/19

Finally my bedroom is a bedroom and not a bedroom/office.

I have been wanting to remove the large desk from our bedroom and move it to the room that my son and his wife were using until they moved out.

This is the offending desk - it's huge and, thanks to Hubby, usually messy. 

 

This is where my dresser used to be - right in the window and blocking the heat from the radiator.

 

This is how the bedroom looks now and here is Hubby at the desk in its new location.

We still have a lot of sorting out to do (I want to get an easy chair for the bedroom and change a few other things) but Hubby is finding it hard to adjust.  We've also moved my sewing machine from our bedroom into one of the smaller rooms that I want to be more of a hobby room for me.  This means Hubby lost a big surface that he used to dump a lot of stuff on.

I've tried to make it as easy as possible for him but I'm sure it will take time to get used to the changes.  But I'm pleased we've got this upheaval done.  I just wish I'd stuck to my gut instincts when it came to moving the desk.  I wanted to take it apart but Hubby was worried it wouldn't go back together too well and that we would be able to get it down a flight of stairs.

Well he was right that we could get it down the stairs, we just couldn't get it through the second doorway so had to dismantle it anyway.  It was very easy to take apart and it went back together ok too.  I'm proud of myself for not saying "I told you so!"  but I definitely thought it lol.
 

Review: Why Mummy Swears

Why Mummy Swears by Gill Sims
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s every parents’ nightmare – the start of the school holidays – and instead of sitting in the sun, reading a book over a cold, crisp glass of Pinot Grigio, Mummy has two bored moppets to attend to. After frantically booking sports camps, child minder slots, not to mention time off work, Mummy is exhausted. But this is only the beginning…

After being dragged to join the school’s PTA in the new term by an annoyingly kind-spirited neighbour, Mummy is stuck with organising the Christmas Fayre and pleasing all the overly disapproving parents. In combination with getting to know her father’s surprise new glamorous (and much younger) wife, and being forced to spend more time with her narcissistic mother, life isn’t cutting her much of a break. What more could possibly happen?

I really enjoyed this light hearted read but if you don't like swearing it probably won't be to your taste. There is a LOT of swearing in it. Lots of it rings true and although it's essentially a humourous take on the struggles of a woman trying to juggle family life with working full time, it also highlights the disparity that still exists between working parents.

However, one thing that really annoyed me was how did no one spot that 12 year olds are not still at primary school? A glaring error that should have been picked up by an editor although actually, as the author has children of her own, should not have been made in the first place.

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#SoCS on Sunday 17/2/19 - Yawn(ing)

Well I seem to be running a day behind on everything at the moment.  And doing a lot of yawning.

Busy week, late nights so no surprises really.  But....

We got Nathan to sleep in his cot last night!

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about a horrendous evening of babysitting when Nathan was totally distraught at his Mummies going out and how I'd had a hard job getting him to sleep.  Well yesterday I was taking no chances - I brought in reinforcements - Granga.  (Grandpa)  Nathan loves his Granga and although he did cry when his Mummies left we were soon able to distract him.

We also managed to bath him and get him ready for bed, following his usual routine.  Then it came to putting him in his cot.  He was not impressed.  But we stuck to our guns - listening to Twinkle Twinkle Little Start on loop on the ipad for a what seemed like ages.  So much so that I stopped it and we started singing our usual (limited) repertoire of lullabys.

He stood up for quite a while and then eventually sat down.  Several times he was almost asleep sitting up but then he would rally and laugh at us but gradually his yawns became more frequent and I was able to persuade him to lie down.  He insisted on holding Granga's hand but EVENTUALLY he fell asleep!

Actually it probably took us about half an hour which isn't bad going but I think we were helped by the fact he hadn't had as long a nap as usual in the afternoon so he was very tired.  He also stayed asleep until just after his Mummies got home.  He seems to have a bit of a sixth sense about that!

#SoCS is hosted by Linda.  You can find her site here with all the details etc.

Friday's Fave Five - on Saturday! 16/2/19

Friday's Fave Five is hosted by Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story. Pop over there to find out more and check out other participants.

Yes I know it's Saturday and this is supposed to be a Friday thing but yesterday just ran away from me and then I got so tired I just closed my laptop and went to bed. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body.

And now it is late on Saturday but I have a lot to be thankful for:

1. Grandson Noah and his parents were here last weekend plus their furry friends Joe and Ness. We also had Rory and Nathan and parents here too for lunch on Saturday. It was hectic but I love having them all here together. I want the little ones to know their cousins.

2. Good weather. It's been quite mild this week for the time of year and we've had some good spells of sunshine.

3. A catch up with some friends on Thursday evening. Always good to get out and have some adult conversation after spending lots of time with little ones!

4. Walking. The nice weather encouraged me to get a couple of walks in this week. Just out in the local area but it improved my step count for the week.

5. A visit from Grandson Rory yesterday. He was on good form and I actually managed not only to get him to sleep but to transfer him to my travel cot without waking him up. The only problem is he usually only naps for about 30 minutes during the day!

That's me done. I started this post in the morning but hadn't finished it by the time I had to leave for a hair appointment. I'm actually at my daughter's now, babysitting Nathan who we (hubby and I) managed to get to go to sleep in his cot! He took a bit of persuading and we had to sing lots of lullabys but eventually he was too tired to stay sitting up so he had to lay down and then he went to sleep. We had a few tears when his Mummies left for the cinema, and a few more when he realised he was going in his cot but overall it was a lot better than the last time I babysat him in the evening. Hopefully he'll still be asleep when his Mummies get back.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Wednesday Medley - 13/2/19

Terri over at "Your Friend from Florida" hosts the Wednesday Medley.  Pop over there to see who's playing or join in.

Terri didn't fancy either of the options on the National Day calendar for today (Cheddar or Tortellini) so instead we're jumping forward to tomorrow:

VALENTINE’S DAY – February 14

VALENTINE’S DAY

Valentine’s Day began as St. Valentine’s Day, a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus.  February 14th, Valentine’s, Day first became associated with romantic love during the High Middle Ages as the tradition of courtly love was then flourishing.  During 18th century England, this day evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery and sending Valentine cards.    

HOW TO OBSERVE

Get something special for your Valentine and use #ValentinesDay to post on social media.

HISTORY

Credit is traditionally given to Pope Gelasius for declaring February 14 as Saint Valentine’s Day around the year 496 to separate the church from the Roman celebration of Lupercalia, an ancient pagan fertility festival which occurred on February 15th.  

1.  I think St. Valentine's Day is for everyone, whether you have a romantic love interest or not.  I received a Valentine card from my sister (thank you Patti!) - case in point.  It is all about LOVE, not just romantic love.  What are your traditions for celebrating Valentine's Day?
Well you'll be disappointed to know we acknowledge it but don't celebrate it as such.  Why do we need a special day to declare our love - we should be doing it all the time.  Plus like so many things it has become so commercialised.   I much prefer to have surprises or unexpected treats on any day, just because it occurred to Hubby then, not because there were so many red hearts everywhere he couldn't help but feel he had to do something special.

2.  When you were in elementary school, did you decorate a shoe box and deliver those little valentines to all your classmates?   Perhaps in Sunday School?

No although I think we may have made cards.

3.  Do you enjoy playing Cupid?  Have you ever introduced a couple who really clicked?
I'm not sure I'd want to play Cupid.  What if it went horribly wrong lol.

4.  Which traditional Valentine's Day gift would you rather receive:  Chocolate, flowers, or a card with a personal message?
Do I have to choose?  Ok, then I'll go with the card.

5.  What is the best movie to watch on Valentine's Day?
Love Actually even though it's centred around Christmas.

6.  Tell us something random about your week!
Our car went it for its annual service today and we had the opportunity of a courtesy car.  When I dropped our car off the receptionist said, "We have a nice little model for you, brand new, oh and is manual ok?"  Hmm, I've been driving an automatic now for years but I'm sure I'll remember what my other foot is for!  I also just about remembered to put a parking permit in it when I got home. (We live in a controlled parking zone.)  It wouldn't have been very courteous if it earned me a parking ticket.

Going from this:
to this:

was also a bit of a shock to the system!

Monday Meander 11/2/19

Image by Cool Text: Free Graphics Generator

Here we go again.  It's Monday. I've spent most of the day catching up.  With all the kids and their kids here at the weekend the house was a bit of a mess and the laundry had piled up a bit.  Add to that extra towels used, plus towels for the dogs, bedding in the travel cot etc etc etc I'm sure you get the picture.

But of course it was lovely to have all the little ones here together, especially Noah who we don't see quite so much of.

He's very dribbly at the moment with his first teeth looking like they'll erupt any minute but nothing so far.

One of the reasons they were here this weekend was for Noah's Daddy, our eldest son, to take part in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Half Marathon.  He was pleased with his time of 1 hour 45 minutes.

I did manage to get to the library today - I had a couple of reservations waiting for me for a book club but somehow I managed to bring all these home!

At that rate my To Be Read pile is never going to decrease. The top two are the book club choices, The Search is another one in a series I've read before, I always enjoy Sophie Kinsella and I've read several of Dan Brown's before but not this one.

First though I have to finish this one:

 I think an early night beckons.

Review: The Chosen Ones

The Chosen Ones by Howard Linskey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Eva Dunbar wakes in a large metal box. She has no idea who has taken her. She has no way out . . .

Eva isn't the first young woman to disappear. Detective Ian Bradshaw, leading the search, has no leads - and precious little time.

When at last a body is found, the police hope the tragic discovery might at least provide a clue that will help them finally find the kidnapper.

But then they identify the body - and realise the case is more twisted than they ever imagined . . . 

This was a quick pick from my library and the blurb made it sound interesting.

I liked it but definitely didn't love it. It's a solid crime thriller but it's not a stand out book. If you like this genre you will probably enjoy it although it's the 4th in a series. Having said that I didn't feel it spoilt my enjoyment by not having read the earlier books. If I come across the earlier books I'd be happy to read them but I certainly won't be actively seeking them out.

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