T is for Taylor (A-Z Challenge 2026) 23/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The T authors I've read are:

• Taylor C L
• Teague Paul J
• Tessaro Kathleen
• Thomas Jo
• Thompson James                                                                
• Tokarczuk Olga
• Tolkien J R R
• Toltz Steve
• Tomlin Jenny
• Toon Page
• Tope Rebecca
• Townsend Sue
• Tremain Rose
• Tremayne S K
• Trollope Joanna
• Truss Lynne
• Tsiolkas Christos
• Turley Jane
• Anne Tyler

Joanna Trollope is my most read T author with 6 books.  A change from my usual crime thrillers, Trollope writes about the trials and tribulations of domestic life.  And I think she's very good at it.

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien tick the classics box.  I loved the Hobbit.  I've read it twice.  But Lord of the Rings took me a while to get through.  I do enjoy a bit of fantasy, now and again, and we had all the films on DVD so I had to get through the book.  I always prefer to read then watch. And once I'd finished the book I binge watched the films.

One crime story on there that I would probably never have read if the book hadn't been gifted to me was Drive your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk.  I didn't find this book an easy read - it took me quite a few days and it's not actually that long.  The blurb on the cover sums up the book quite well and it is about the mystery surrounding several deaths in a community in Poland with an ending I hadn't predicted.

Why 5 stars?  Because it is beautifully written.  It's clever.  It doesn't just tell the story. I wouldn't say I loved it but I can appreciate why the author is a Nobel prize winner.

There's also a 1 star book on this list, The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas.

At 485 pages this is quite a long book given it all relates to "The Slap" that takes place during an afternoon barbecue for friends and family.  (Not a spoiler - that's quoted in the blurb.)  What follows is the story of subsequent events as seen through the eyes of 8 of the people who witnessed the event.  Time moves forward as we are given insights into the lives of each of these 8 people.

Clearly Tsiolkas has a good understanding of people but I found the style of interspersing actual speech with the thoughts of the person annoying.  I had to check for quotation marks on many occasions to separate one from the other.  And the characters were horrible.  I nearly gave up after about  a third of the book but I really hate to DNF and this was a book earmarked for a challenge choice so I made it to the end, just.  I think it's fair to say that the idea of "the slap" being a catalyst for an interesting book did not deliver.

It also contains lots of swearing, sexual scenes and racism.

What makes you give a book 1 star?

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 22/4/26

Joyce provides the questions, we provide the answers and the link up is here.

1. April 22nd is Earth Day...what's the most 'out of this world' place on earth you've ever visited? Tell us something about it. 

I'm not sure I've been anywhere that I would list as out of this world.  I've been up mountains skiing and the Norwegian Fjords were pretty spectacular but that's about it.

2. A favourite quote, verse, or song lyric with the word earth in it? 

Well I had to do some googling for this but I quite like Michael Jackson's Earth song as appropriate for Earth Day.  But for something more cheerful I'd go for Heaven is a place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle.

3. What's the most trivial thing about which you have a strong opinion? 

Putting things back where they belong.  I hate things being out of place so that I can't find them.  I commented on Monday about my dustpan and brush being missing.  It's usually in the cupboard under the kitchen sink but it is missing.  It has to be somewhere but it's proving elusive.

4. What's your most commonly used kitchen utensil or tool? What's the last thing you made using that tool? 

Our air fryer gets used most days.  It was used for bacon this morning.

5. Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me a great book of 3000 questions, and I'm going to try to use one in our Hodgepodge every week. Here is today's - 

What is your greatest extravagance? 

Not sure it was my greatest extravagance but I can remember the first time I bought a brand new car that it was probably not the best move given how much a car goes down in value as soon as you drive it away from the dealer.

I also spent more to get my engagement ring repaired recently than the ring cost when new but I'd managed to lose a diamond from it and the setting needed repairing too.  That was worth every penny though.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our flights are booked.  We're heading to Vermont in June!

S is for Salinger (A-Z Challenge 2026) 22/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The S authors I've read are:

• Salazar Noelle
• Salinger J D
• Samson Polly
• Sandy Claire
• Sansom C J
• Seeber Claire
• Sebold Alice
• Serle Rebecca
• Seton Anya
• Sewell Anna
• Shaffer Mary Ann
• Shemilt Jane
• Shortall Eithne
• Shriver Lionel
• Simms Gill
• Slaughter Karin
• Smith Dodie
• Sparks Nicholas
• Spyri Johanna
• Stanley Mary
• Stedman M L
• Danielle Steel
• Steeples Jill
• Steinbeck John
• Steiner Susie
• Stevenson Benjamin
• Stevenson Robert Louis
• Stockett Kathryn
• Stone Lisa
• Strout Elizabeth
• Summers Judith
• Swaby Rachel
• Swain Heidi
• Swan Karen

Unsurprisingly a crime writer - Karin Slaughter - is the most read S author on my list with 12 books read.  Many of these are very dark and grisly in places.  Not to everyone's taste.

There are a couple of children's classics on there, Black Beauty and Treasure Island but the only real adult classic is Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger which I only gave 2 stars to.

This was a book I felt I should read rather than wanted to read. It's a classic - it made the BBC Good Read list but it had never made its way to the top of my TBR pile. It fitted a prompt for the 52 book club challenge tin 2025 so I decided it was time. Well, it was hard going. I can't say it's a book I enjoyed or liked. I was impressed by the way it was written. Salinger definitely seems to have managed to get inside the head of a 16 year old boy, filled with grief, but I just wasn't drawn into the story. Thankfully it was quite short at 220 pages but it took me 11 days to get through it. Never a good sign.

Danielle Steel features on the list although only for 6 books.  I'm sure I've read more of hers but that must have been before I kept records of my reading.  Unfortunately the one I read most recently, Trial by Fire, I only gave 2 stars.  It needed a lot of editing.  It was very repetitive and felt formulaic for me.  Steel has written over 200 books but it feels to me that maybe she has reached her limit.

One of the 5 star books on this list is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peal Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer.  A much lighter read which I loved.  I've watched the film twice.

Two other authors that stand out for me on this list are Elizabeth Strout and C J Sansom.

Strout just has a lovely way with prose.  Her books are quite different from my usual reads and although they're not thrilling or even full of events they were just good to read.

C J Sansom is the author of an historical series revolving around Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer in the times of Henry VIII who gets involved in mysteries.  Again not my typical read but I'm really enjoying the series.  I've read 5 of the 7.  Another set of tomes though.  The first in the series was over 400 pages and they've got longer.  The final instalment is over 800 pages!

Do you have a limit on a size of book that you will read?

R is for Rankin (A-Z Challenge 2026) 21/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The R authors I've read are:

• Rankin Ian
• Rayner Sarah
• Redmond Pamela
• Reichs Kathy
• Reid Carmen
• Reid Kiley
• Reid Taylor Jenkins
• Reilly Martina
• Rekulak Jason
• Ribchester Lucy
• Riley Lucinda
• Rimington Stella
• Roberts Caroline
• Roberts Geraldina
• Roberts Nora
• Roberts Sheila
• Robinson Anne
• Robinson Peter
• Robotham Michael
• Robson Amanda
• Rooney Sally
• Rosen Jane L
• Ross LJ
• Rowling J K
• Rubin Gretchen

Well it's more of a close run thing for most read favourite "R" author with  L J Ross winning with 16 but Ian Ranking (13) Kathy Reichs (12) and Michael Robothom (11) all come close behind.

Interestingly these are all serial writers and writing about crime.  Actually that's not such an interesting fact when you know that's my favourite genre.  

L J Ross writes about DCI Ryan with stories set around the NE area of England.  Ian Rankin's books are set in Edinburgh and feature Inspector Rebus.  These are quite gritty and dark.  Kathy Reichs writes about Temperance Brennan a forensic anthropologist but all the stories involve crimes.  This was televised as "Bones" which I loved watching.

Michael Robotham writes about Joseph O'Loughlin who is a clinical psychologist.  He's also written other books of which I've read a couple.

There are another couple of series that I've read on this list:

Lucinda Riley's Seven Sisters which was a huge undertaking as the books are all long.  I found there to be a little bit too much repetition at times at the beginning of some books.  I know that was probably to enable each book to be read on it's own but it was annoying.

And of course who hasn't read Harry Potter?  Especially if you have children.  Ok maybe you haven't and yes not everyone is into magic and make believe.  I loved them all though, and the films.

I've also read The Casual Vacancy   well I thought I had.  An adult novel by J K Rowling.  I shall have to investigate that.  And although I haven't read the novels she's written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, I have watched most of the televised versions of these. (Strike)

No classics on this list and no real stand out books although I did give 5 stars to Amanda Robson's Guilt which was a good psychological thriller.

I'm also probably in the minority over Normal People by Sally Rooney.  I didn't really like this book.  I understand the hype and I think the basis of the book is sound but the execution didn't do it for me.  I particularly disliked the lack of punctuation around speech and thoughts.  Made it very confusing at times and I found myself re-reading paragraphs to work out who had said what, or if it was actually just a thought process.

I also was not impressed with the ending.  Is there a sequel planned?

Any thoughts?

A bit of Waffle - 20/4/26

Well I've done quite a few chores this morning so time to sit down with a cup of tea and do a bit of waffling.  Especially as I've got all this week's A-Z posts done and scheduled to post.  Although I might need to double check them - I just noticed that the formatting on today's post wasn't quite right and had to amend it.

Anyway, one of my blogging friends Marie commented on how organised I was to do the A-Z challenge and still do regular posts.  Well, sort of.  I haven't done all my regular posts.  I think I'm a bit like a swan - I appear calm and serene but underneath I'm paddling like mad to stay afloat.

I'll give you an example - it was Hubby's birthday on Saturday.  Now it's true that we don't go big on birthdays or Christmas presents for each other now.  But it's still nice to have something to open.

Here are two of the things I bought him:

He is definitely a coffee lover but he doesn't drink enough water so I bought him a cup that will work for hot or cold drinks for when he goes out that might encourage him to take water with him.  And yes that mug is fairly large.

I also bought him a new charger for his phone.  It was easier than trying to wait for him to go and do it instead of "borrowing" one of mine constantly.

Yes really nice presents, all bought during a food shop in Tesco!  Totally planned and organised, NOT!

We did have a nice evening out for his birthday but that wasn't planned by us either.  I will try and organise a lunch or a dinner out soon but this week we have HelloFresh coming.  Another mishap - I didn't get around to cancelling the delivery for this week, or choosing the meals so we're in for surprises!  I have been online this morning and skipped the next few weeks.

So there you have it, perhaps not as organised as I appear.  I have also managed to misplace my dustpan and brush.  Yes I have checked the dustbins just in case.  I've also checked the garden and the front of the house.  It seems to have vanished.  Fortunately I did have a spare set in the garage so I don't have to go out and replace it.  And of course if I did replace it the missing one would suddenly turn up.  For now I'm not looking for it anymore, but it is bugging me.  

Right, time to get some lunch.  Hubby has gone out to get a new battery for his watch and "I might just check out the charity shops while I'm there."  He'll probably be gone for a while.

Have a good week all.

Q is for Quinn (A- Challenge 2026) 20/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The Q authors I've read are:

• Quinn Kate

Yep that's right.  Only 1 Q author on my list and the book I read was The Phoenix Crown which I gave 3 stars.

San Francisco, 1906. In a city bustling with newly minted millionaires and scheming upstarts, two very different women hope to change their fortunes: Gemma, a golden-haired, silver-voiced soprano whose career desperately needs rekindling, and Suling, a petite and resolute Chinatown embroideress who is determined to escape an arranged marriage.

Their paths cross when they are drawn into the orbit of Henry Thornton, a charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the fabled Phoenix Crown, a legendary relic of Beijing’s fallen Summer Palace.

His patronage offers Gemma and Suling the chance of a lifetime, but their lives are thrown into turmoil when a devastating earthquake rips San Francisco apart and Thornton disappears, leaving behind a mystery reaching further than anyone could have imagined . . .

Until the Phoenix Crown reappears five years later at a sumptuous Paris costume ball, drawing Gemma and Suling together in one last desperate quest for justice . . .

It's clear from the fact that this book took me 10 days to read that I didn't find it riveting. I didn't dislike it but it was slow going for about the first two thirds then it improved. However I thought the ending of the story was also a bit rushed compared to the beginning so not very balanced.

Anyway....some of the comments people have left suggest that I read all the time, I mean how have I read books by so many authors? Well the data I'm using goes back to 2008. During 2008 through to 2014 I probably averaged about 27 books a year. Once I left work in 2015 that number increased and I now probably read just over 50 books a year. 2020 was a good year (can't think why lol) because I managed 73 books. Now I usually set my target as 52 which of course ties in nicely with the 52 book club challenge but the last couple of years I've passed the 60 mark.

But... it doesn't matter how many books you read, what matters is that you read. Or listen. I know some people only do audio books. Nothing wrong with that. I am not a reading snob. Similarly it doesn't matter what you read. I try and read 1 or 2 classics each year but I don't beat myself up if I don't. I've tried Wuthering Heights twice and still haven't finished it. Maybe that's one I should try out on audio. Or maybe not lol.

Do you set yourself a reading goal each year?

Weekly Photos 12th - 18th April 2026

Another mixed week for photos!  I blame the A-Z challenge - I've just made sure all of next week's posts are ready to go.  Thank goodness I'd prepped the outlines in advance.

Anyway here are some of the photos I took during this past week:

Well no photos on Sunday or Monday - I was still getting over a cold.

Tuesday I felt better so not only did I get some washing dry outside, I also did some admin for the library book clubs - printing out the lists of books that can be ordered in sets.

    

                                                        

on Wednesday I was showing someone how to access the library app.

I didn't take any pictures of the quiz we attended on Thursday so I nabbed this one from Facebook.  The church was packed!  Lots of money raided for the Foodbank.

We all paid £20.00 for our quiz tickets but got a discount for booking a whole table so I used the extra money to buy much needed rice and pasta for the Foodbank on Friday.

And this was Saturday night at a fundraiser for a church in Chingford.  Hubby doing what he loves best, and on his birthday.  One of his walking group friends organised the event and Nick and various other people he knows who go to local open mics and/or play in bands performed during the evening.  It was a good night.

P is for Page (A-Z Challenge 2026) 18/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The P authors I've read are:

• Page Libby
• Page Sally
• Palin Michael
• Paris B A
• Parks Adele
• Parmar Priya
• Parsons Tony
• Pascoe Sara
• Patchett Ann
• Patterson James
• Patterson Richard North
• Peake Mervyn
• Pearse Lesley
• Pearson Allison
• Pelzer Dave
• Penner Sarah
• Perkins Sue
• Perkins-Valdez Dolen
• Perks Heidi
• Perry Philippa
• Perry Sarah
• Phinn Gervase
• Picoult Jodi
• Pine Alex
• Plath Sylvia
• Pooley Clare
• Pratchett Terry
• Pullman Philip

Well a lot more P authors and, given that he has written an enormous amount of books, well over 200 as at 2024, it's not surprising that James Patterson is my most read P author with 37!  Of course lots of those are written with co-authors but still....he puts his name on a lot of books.  But he also gives back - donating to literacy focussed philanthropy, providing scholarships, supporting independent booksellers amongst other things.

I don't think I've read any bad Patterson books.  Yes they can seem a bit formulaic at times, especially the series, but they're often fast moving, action packed page turners.  I'm sure they're are lots of critics out there who will find flaws and faults but sometimes you just need a book that keeps you from thinking about everything else that is going on around you.

Another great author, in my opinion, on this list is Jodi Picoult.  I've read 18 of her novels and, of those I've rated and reviewed only 1 got a 2 star rating (House Rules) - it was written back in 2010 and features Jacob who has been diagnosed with Asperger's.  The book could do with an update.  

Most of her books rate at least 3 if not 4 stars from me with a few getting 5 stars:

Small great things

A Spark of Light &

Mad Honey

Picoult is not afraid to challenge difficult subjects and her research is usually excellent.

Other books I've rated 5 stars from this group of authors include:

The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page

The Stranger in my House by Adele Parks

Take my Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

A couple of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series also made it onto this list from my BBC challenge.  Sadly Pratchett died in 2015 having been diagnosed with a form of Alzheimer's back in 2008, he was only 66.

Have you or your children read anything by Pratchett?

Friday's Fave Five - 17/4/26

Time to look back on the week and find the blessings.  Susanne is our host for this and you can find her blog here.

1)  Thankful for a quiet weekend last week.  It had been quite busy here the week before with family visiting etc so it was nice just to have some down time particularly as I was fighting a cold.

2)  Thankful that the cold has now gone and I'm feeling much more my usual self and less sleep disruptions.

3)  A Knit and Natter session on Tuesday this week.  We've also changed venue to the upstairs room of the local pub.  It means we have more space and can natter over a glass of wine.

4)  A good library book club meet up on Wednesday.  We had a new member and all the regulars were there so 8 of us in total.  

5)  A fun evening last night at the Foodbank - another wine tasting and quiz evening organised by the local wine bar.  It was a sell out with 120 tickets sold.  Hopefully it will have raised a lot of money for the Foodbank.  It was a long day for me though as I was there at 9 am for the usual foodbank session until 1.30 then we had 2 of Hubby's sisters and their husbands for dinner as they joined us to make up a team for the quiz.  We didn't get home until around 11 pm.  Thankfully nothing was planned for today.

And as a bonus it's definitely spring time now - I got washing dry outside during the week!

Have a good weekend all.

O is for O'Brien (A-Z Challenge 2026) 17/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The O authors I've read are:

• O’Brien James
• O’Farrell Maggie
• O’Flanagan Sheila
• O’Leary Beth
• O’Loughlin Ann
• Obama Barak
• Obama Michelle
• Oliver Jenny
• Orwell George
• Osman Richard
• Owens Delia

My lists seem to be shrinking - only 11 "O" authors with 15 books between them.  They are mostly single choices with the exceptions of Sheila O'Flanagan, Ann O'Louglin, Jenny Oliver and George Orwell who have 2 each.

Only 1 5 star book too - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.  I loved it but you can also find 1 star reviews on Goodreads from readers who hated it.

There aren't many stand out books on the list.  Predictably the 2 George Orwell books I've read are Animal Farm and 1984 both of which feature on the BBC list.  Of the Obama books, I found Michelle's autobiography a bit hard going and long.  Barak's book (Dreams from my Father) gave an open and honest insight into his background and how he became the person he is.

The oddball in the list is probably James O'Brien's How not to be Wrong: The art of changing your mind.

O'Brien is a presenter on LBC radio and I find him quite opinionated.  He often starts his show with a long monologue about a particular subject and he can be very unforgiving to people who don't present their arguments very well, especially if there are holes in them.

This book was refreshing as it presented a more balance image of O'Brien and showed that there have indeed been times when he's realised that he needed to look at something differently.

Finally I must mention Richard Osman.  I have actually only read his first book The Thursday Murder Club.  My review was as follows:

"Well I'm a bit torn on this one. It's a nice cosy read - think Midsomer Murders meets Miss Marple except Miss Marple has a gang of residents in a retirement village. The group meet once a meet to discuss cold cases but then they're presented with an actual murder.

It all gets a bit silly at times although in a funny sort of way. I just felt the author was trying to be too clever with the plot lines - there are lots of them to keep track of. And characters. It also switches between 1st and 3rd person POVs which didn't really add to the narrative.

I didn't hate the book - I got through it in two days - but I certainly didn't love it. Unfortunately I think some books by well known celebrities don't always get the rejections an unknown writer does."

Of course lots of people loved it.  He's written 4 more and 2 in a new series (We solve murders) so he's obviously doing something right.

Are you a fan?

N is for Nadal (A-Z Challenge 2026) 16/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The N authors I've read are:

• Nadal Jay
• Nadin Joanna
• Nally James
• Nesbo Jo
• Ng Celeste
• Nicholls Adam
• Nicholls David
• Niffennegger Audrey
• Noble Elizabeth
• North Freya
• Norton Graham
• Norton Mary
• Nugent Liz

Not as many names on this list and and in terms of most books read Norwegian Jo Nesbo tops the list with 10 books, The Thirst, (Harry Hole #11) earning 5 stars.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger also got 5 stars.  This started off slowly for me then I started to really enjoy it. Not my usual genre and wasn't really sure how to categorise it. It's a love story, a ghost story and it's also about the relationships between twins.  I also learned a lot about Highgate Cemetery.

Many of you may know her for The Time Traveller's Wife which I read a long time ago so I don't have a rating or review for that one but I know I enjoyed it.

I've read a couple of books by Graham Norton better known for being a TV presenter, and was pleasantly surprised by them.  

No real adult classics here but The Borrowers by Mary Norton is definitely a children's classic that I loved.

Do you have a favourite children's classic?

Start here

M is for Mackie (A-Z Challenge 2026) 15/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The M authors I've read are:

• Mackie Bella
• Mackintosh Clare
• MacMillan Gilly
• Magnanti Brooke
• Mallery Susan
• Mankell Henning
• Mansell Jill
• Margolyes Miriam
• Marks Rachel
• Marsh Henry
• Marsh Katie
• Martel Yann
• Martin Madeline
• Marwood Alex
• Mason Richard
• Matthews Carole
• May Peter
• McAllister Gillian
• McBeth Collette
• McCullough Colleen
• McDermid Val
• McEwan Ian
• McGregor Jon
• McInerney Monica
• McNish Hollie
• Michaelides Alex
• Milne A A
• Money-Coutts Sophia
• Montgomery L M
• Moorcroft Sue
• Morgan Ann
• Morgan Sarah
• Morgenstern Erin
• Moriarty Liane
• Moriarty Sinead
• Morrey Beth
• Morris Heather
• Morrison Toni
• Morton Kate
• Moyes Jojo
• Murakami Haruki

Another mixed bunch of authors here with Carole Matthews being the most read with 8 titles.  A quick scan of the titles would show them to be chick lit but with a bit of depth.  I gave many of them 4 stars.

A few classics on there - who doesn't love Winnie the Pooh?  Plus some titles many of you will recognise:

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery

The Tattooist of Auschwitz & the sequel Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris (Both 5 * in my opinion.)

All of the Me Before You series by Jojo Moyes although the first one is definitely the best.

A couple of books fell outside my usual remit:

Do No Harm by Henry Marsh who worked as a neurosurgeon, this book outlines case studies and shows how difficult it can be when one mistake can change a patient's life in a devastating way or even result in death.

Nobody Told Me: Poetry and Parenthood by Hollie McNish 

Loved this book. Hollie kept a diary from the start of her pregnancy until her "Little One" reached the age of 3. But more than just a diary, it's also full of poems. She really captures the ups and downs of parenthood and manages to convey in words so many of the trials and tribulations and the joys of becoming a Mother. Great poems but her prose is beautiful too.

I also enjoyed Miriam Margolyes' autobiography "This much is true" but it wouldn't be to everyone's taste.  Miriam is a bit like Marmite, you either love her or hate her. For me she is ok in small doses. As your friend, she would always have your back but you'd never want her as your enemy. She's also very crude.

A few other 5 star books on this list:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Homecoming by Kate Morton

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (Great twist in this one.) and

Saving Missy by  Beth Morrey.

Are you good at spotting the twists before they come?

PS Toni Morrison appears on the above list and I did start "Beloved" by her but I could not get into it.  I hate giving up on books but it really wasn't doing it for me so I passed.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 15/4/26

Joyce provides the questions each week, we prepare our answers and then we link up here.

1. Big week in the US of A...do you do your own taxes? What's something you've found 'taxing' lately?

Thankfully we don't have tax returns to do - our life isn't that complicated.  Although we do have to keep an eye on the codes issued by the Tax Office as they're not always correct.

Keeping up with normal blogging while doing the A-Z challenge is taxing.  I've let a few of my regular things go during this month but if Joyce can still find time to prepare the Hodgepodge then I can make time to post my answers.

2. When it comes to travel are you a last minute packer or a lay it all out a week in advance type? Do you struggle to pack light? Share a packing tip that has worked for you.

I'm in between.   I don't pack too far in advance but I do lay it all out before it goes in the suitcase.  My tip - make a list of EVERYTHING you need to take with you.  I can pack light if I have to.

3. April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Hmmm...who knew it got its own month? Do you like a grilled cheese sandwich? What ingredient do you add to take yours to the next level?

I don't tend to grill a sandwich - I'll pop it in a toastie bag and into the toaster.  I often use something like these but the cheese has to be matured cheddar.

4. There's a well known quote that says-

'A ship in the harbour is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." John A. Shedd

Is constant growth necessary or do you think it's more important to prioritize stability and peace in your life?

I don't think growth has to be constant and yes stability and peace are good things to have but sometimes we do need to step outside our comfort zones or we'd never experience anything new or test our capabilities.

5. Let's wrap this up with a fun spring this or that-

daffodils or tulips  Both
lemonade or iced tea  Builder's tea please (English Breakfast)
gardening or hiking  Hiking
ladybugs or butterflies  Butterflies
umbrella or raincoat  Raincoat
floral patterns or polka dots  Either but I tend to wear more stripes than patterns.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Today it's letter M on the A-Z challenge.  Yay, half-way there! 

L is for Lagercrantz (A-Z Challenge 2026) 14/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The L authors I've read are:

• Lagercrantz David
• Lapena Shari
• La Plante Lynda
• Larsson Stieg
• Le Carre John
• Lee Harper
• Leith Prue
• Leon Donna
• Lewis C S
• Lewis Susan
• Lindstrom Eric
• Linskey Howard
• Llewellyn Julia
• Logan T M
• Low Shari
• Lupton Rosamund

Well a tie again for most read author on my L list between Lynda La Plant all featuring the female detective Anna Travis and Susan Hill who also writes crime fiction but many of her books that I've read focus on family situations and relationships.

TM Logan comes closely behind these 2 with 6 books which have all been good page turning thrillers.

There's one on there by Prue Leith who in my opinion should stick to cooking.

I'm trying to work my way through Narnia but so far I've only managed the first two. 

Several Le Carré books and Stieg Larsson's Millennium series are all there including #4 which was written by David Lagercrantz.  I felt it blended well with the first 3 but it was a bit too futuristic for me with lots about the development of AI.  I am not a fan of AI, probably because I don't know enough about it.

Are you a fan of AI.  Do you use it when blogging and if so how?

K is for Kabler (A-Z Challenge 2026) 13/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The K authors I've read are:

• Kabler Jackie
• Kay Adam
• Kelk Lindsey
• Kellerman Faye
• Kelly Cathy
• Kernick Simon
• Keyes Daniel
• Keyes Marian
• Kidd Sue Monk
• King Sophie
• Kingsolver Barbara
• Kinsella Sophie
• Kinsley Erin
• Knapp Florence
• Kondo Marie
• Koomson Dorothy
• Koontz Dean
• Krauss Nicole

A nice selection of K authors here with Marian Keyes taking top place with 8 of her books on my list.  Several of those were about the Walsh family and they featured in a television series recently which I enjoyed.

Barbara Kingsolver is there and I expect you can all guess that means I've read Demon Copperhead which in my opinion lived up to its hype and I gave it 5 starts.  The trouble with that one though was that I had to read David Copperfield by Dickens first to be able to see the comparisons.  That was the first long Dickens I've read and it took me a while.  Demon Copperhead took me over two weeks but it was during the Christmas period.

Another 5 star book from these authors is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.  I really loved this book. The main character Lily's journey of understanding her past is sensitively done and interwoven in the book is a lot of information about bee keeping.  I do like it when there is more to a book than just the story.

Florence Knapp's "The Names" is on here.  I found the premise of this book interesting - how does the choice of a name affect our lives going forward? The name choice isn't what really affects the life of the baby in the book but rather the effect its Mother Cora's decision has on her marriage and the events that follow. It should be noted that the marriage is an abusive one. Overall it's a good debut but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's great so 4 stars from me.

There are no real classics on this list but there is a non-fiction book - "The life-changing magic of tidying up" by Marie Kondo.  I'd seen some TV programmes featuring her and my daughter had a copy of the book to lend me but I was surprised it was just a small paperback.  I'd expected something more glossy and with pictures.  There were some useful tips in there and I'm sure if we ever truly downsized I might revisit it but I'm fortunate to have space and storage option in my house.  Much needed for all the books!

Are there a lot of books in your home?

Weekly photos 5th - 11th April 2026

Firstly a big thank you to everyone who has been commenting on my A-Z posts (and my regular posts).  I do appreciate it.  Unfortunately I haven't been as good at responding as I'd like.  This was a busy week with grandchildren here and now I have a rotten cold.  One that has a tickly cough with it.  I woke up in the early hours this morning doing nothing but cough.  Deciding I needed to be propped up I came downstairs and wrapped myself up on the recliner.  I also took some honey in warm water which helped but not the most restful of nights.

Not all doom and gloom though.  For once I said no to a visit from our granddaughter - didn't want to spread my germs so I've been able to relax all day.  I've managed to get all of this week's A-Z posts finished off and scheduled to post so one less thing to worry about. (Until next weekend at least.)

But as for photos well let's see how I did:

No photo taken on Sunday but this was my reading book:

This was taken on Monday.  Not sure what they were begging for, might have been dessert as we'd just finished dinner.

Tuesday had Noah and Daddy playing draughts

and Miles blowing bubbles.

Nathan & Ella were here all day Wednesday - it was the warmest day so far this year I think.  Warm enough for ice lollies anyway.

Four of them here on Thursday and racing cars kept them amused for ages!

On Friday we spotted that Miles had left some of his Easter treats behind so I packaged them up to be posted.  They were supposed to be collected from the house and although I was in all day I didn't hear the postman.  I suspect he didn't knock very hard let alone ring the doorbell!  Thankfully I rearranged collection on Saturday from the front porch.  Not secure but the parcel wasn't visible from passers by and was successfully collected.  Hopefully Miles will get them early this week.

I didn't take any photos yesterday.  I was busy reading this:

Pretty grim reading but it was written by Peter Apps who was at the same school my boys attended.  He was in the year between them.  I also have a book lined up written by his sister and the two together will fulfil two of the 52 book club challenge prompts.  My review of the book can be found here.       

J is for Jakob (A-Z Challenge 2026) 11/4/26

The A-Z home page can be found here.

My theme this year is authors that I've read. More about the books I've read than the authors themselves.

I'm an avid reader. I'm a member of 2 in person reading groups through my local library. I'm gradually working my way through an old BBC reading list of 100 books (I'm about half way through) and I'm taking part in the online 52 Book Club Challenge for the third time this year where the challenge is to read 52 books over the year based on 52 different prompts. You can also find me on Goodreads here.

The J authors I've read are:

• Jakob Juno
• James P D
• James Peter
• Jane Corry
• Jeffrey Diane
• Jewell Lisa
• Johnson Alan
• Johnson Milly
• Jonasson Jonas
• Jones Christina
• Jones Wendy
• Jonsson Ulrika
• Joyce Rachel

Well a few more authors for J and I had to read the one by my namesake (Juno Jakob) titled Atticus. This book details living with schizophrenia, in particular during hospitalization. It's a hard read in that it's graphic - bad language occurs frequently throughout the book and it's dark. But it feels truthful and although sad at times it is also hopeful. Atticus is a fox that appears in the main characters hallucinations.

The book was recommended to me by one of my DILs as it was quite short and fitted a prompt for the 2025 52 Book Club challenge.

Lisa Jewell is my most read author on that list but despite not having many authors on the list there are a few quirky titles:

The Hundred-year-old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared (Jonas Jonasson)

The thoughts and happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals (Wendy Jones) and

The Unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry. (Rachel Joyce)

The Harold Fry was a book club read which I enjoyed and it has since been made into a film which I hope to get around to watching at some point.

There's also an autobiography on there (Please, Mr Postman by Alan Johnson a former MP.) which is not my usual genre and I definitely wouldn't recommend this one. It covers a relatively short period of his life when he worked as a postman and was heavily involved in the union. It was soooo boring. A good snapshot of life at the time but it certainly didn't make me want to read about any more of his life!

Do you enjoy autobiographies?