#SoCS - 13/3/26 - Review

The Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompts are provided by Linda.  To find out more or to take part go here.  Thanks Linda.

Your prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “review.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

I seem to be writing a lot of books reviews lately.  I'm definitely doing a lot of reading and I try to review all the books I read even if it's only a few lines.

Being a member of two in person book clubs that were set up through my local library means getting through at least 2 books per month but taking part in the 52 Book Club challenge means I actually trying to get through a book a week.  Which is doable.  Just.  Although some of the books I've earmarked to read for the 52 Book Club Challenge are long.  

Wherever possible I'm trying to find prompts for the book club reads and so far I've managed to do that this year.  Not sure where I might fit "The trouble with goats and sheep" by Joanna Cannon into but hopefully it will work for something.  I haven't started it yet but it's a re read for me so I'm sure it won't take me too long to get through it.

I quite enjoy doing those sort of reviews - helps me to remember the book having written about it.

The reviews I hate doing, and actually don't do very often are the ones from companies after you've bought a product.  Or the delivery companies wanting to know how the delivery was.  Including how the person delivery the item did.  Well how should I know?  Most times you don't even see them.  They leave the parcel in my porch.  If I'm lucky they might ring the doorbell or use the knocker but most times they don't.  But of course there will be an e-mail telling me they've delivered the parcel.  Which will probably be about the 5th or 6th email about that item.  You know how it goes:

Thank you for your order.

We're processing your order.

We've despatched your order.

The courier has your order.

We'll let you know when your order is out for delivery.

Your order is out for delivery.

Your order was delivered.

How was your delivery?

How was your order?

Actually that amounts to at least 9 emails about ink cartridges I ordered.  And of course if something goes wrong there are even more e-mails!

And then you want me to leave a review?  Sorry, not happening.  Unless I have something to complain about, then you'll hear from me.

I have better things to do.  Happy weekend.

Friday's Fave Five - 13/3/26

Each Friday Susanne reminds us to look back on the week and remember the things that have made us grateful.  Then we join up here to share.  Thank you Susanne.

1)  A chat with my best friend yesterday by phone.  I'm going to visit her next week to properly catch up - she's currently recovering from a fractured pelvis - fortunately it's only on one side so no surgery was required but it's still been a difficult few weeks for her but she's doing better.

2)  A long phone chat with my closest cousin today.  We don't see each other often but when we do or when we get on the phone we just pick up from where we left off.

3) 2 good book group meetings on Wednesday.  (Afternoon and evening.)  Both were well attended and we had some good discussions.

4)  Hubby mowed the lawn today without having to be asked!  Mowing the lawn is definitely one of his jobs but I often have to remind him it needs doing.

5)  Our neighbour's cherry blossom tree is in full bloom and that's a very pretty view from my kitchen window.  Just a shame that it is already losing the blossom.  It is so short lived.  But we've also had some sunshine too this week.

Have a good weekend all.

Read then Write 12/3/26

It's been a good week for reading and all things books!

I finished Past Reason Hated by Peter Robinson. This was another good crime thriller featuring DCI Banks. This one felt a bit slow in places and there was a lot of repetition about the smoking and drinking that went on at the time but I still enjoyed the unravelling of the clues and solving of the crime. 3 stars

I moved on to this one

Yes, another crime thriller.  I think it's fair to say it's my favourite genre.

This one features DCI Karen Pirie a detective working on cold cases in Scotland.  

The blurb reads:

"On a freezing winter morning, fishermen pull a body from the sea. It is quickly discovered that the dead man was the prime suspect in a decade-old investigation, when a prominent civil servant disappeared without trace. DCI Karen Pirie was the last detective to review the file and is drawn into a sinister world of betrayal and dark secrets.

But Karen is already grappling with another case, one with even more questions and fewer answers. A skeleton has been discovered in an abandoned campervan and all clues point to a killer who never faced justice - a killer who is still out there.

In her search for the truth, Karen uncovers a network of lies that has gone unchallenged for years. But lies and secrets can turn deadly when someone is determined to keep them hidden for good...."

This was actually #6 in the series but I was familiar with the character as she has been televised. Karen is definitely a no nonsense character and it was interesting reading about how things are done in Scotland and what happens when the work overlaps with policing not only in England but also abroad.

The cold case was wrapped up by the end of the book and there were quite a few twists and turns to that but the case of the skeleton didn't feel finished to me.  I might have to look out the next book in the series to see where that actually ends up going.  But I'll be looking out for the earlier books in the series first - I do like continuity.  I'm not even sure where I got this book from.  Possibly from my BIL - he passed on a lot of books last summer but it may have been a charity shop buy.

Definitely worth the read though - 4 stars from me.

I also had 2 Book Club meet ups yesterday.

The first one in the afternoon had our biggest attendance yet - 7 people.  The book we'd been reading for that was Grandad there's a head on the beach by Colin Coterill which I wrote about here.  Five of the group had read it and surprisingly 3 people really enjoyed it while I was in the minority of 2 who hadn't enjoyed it all.  

The evening group also had 7 people there which was a good turn out and we discussed The Muse by Jessie Burton which we'd all enjoyed although some more than others.  We had 5 regulars and a couple of newcomers so it was a nice mix and of course we moved on to discussing all sorts of things!

The next book I'm going to read is this one which was one I'd reserved a while ago and I picked it up from the library on Tuesday.

I've read a few books by Ann Cleeves in both her "Vera" and "Shetland" series as well as the more recent "Matthew Venn" books but this one follows the original Shetland detective Jimmy Perez after his relocation to Orkney.

Time for bed and a few opening chapters.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 11/3/26

The Wednesday Hodgepodge is brought to us each week by Joyce. We join up here to share our answers. Thanks Joyce.


1. Are you a naturally trusting person? Is trust built on logic or 'gut instinct'? Does everyone deserve a second chance? Elaborate.

I'm not a naturally trusting person, once bitten twice shy and all that. I think it's a bit of both when it comes to logic and instinct. Whether someone deserves a second chance depends on what they did and whether they are remorseful.

2. 'Beware the Ides of March'...March 15th on the ancient Roman calendar, these words were made famous by William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar. Caesar was assassinated on March 15th 44 B.C. Have you read any Shakespeare? If so, do you have a favourite? Have you ever been to Rome?

We read a couple of Shakespeare's works at school, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. I'm familiar with a couple more especially A Midsummer Night's Dream. I keep meaning to look out for a book that just gives the outlines of each play and characters etc. I do have a copy of his complete works but that's not an easy read. Useful for reference sometimes.

I've been to Italy but not to Rome. (We went skiing there many years ago!)

3. Do you like a Caesar salad? If given the choice between a garden/house salad or Caesar which do you order? Anchovies or no? What's your favourite salad dressing?

I do eat Caesar salad but not with anchovies thank you. I prefer a French dressing if given a choice.

4. Where do you typically work (or blog if that's easier) at home? Do you have a dedicated home office space? Are you happy with that space?

At my dining room table or on the sofa! (That's the advantage of using a laptop or iPad rather than a PC.) We do have a bedroom that's more of an office but it also doubles up as Hubby's music room so I rarely use it.

5. Snow drops, daffodils, lenten roses, crocus, hyacinth, or early tulips...what's your favourite early Spring flower?

Well I had to look up lenten roses and see that I know them as Hellebores. I love all the spring flowers but I love the colours of tulips. We had a lot of different varieties of Hellebores in our garden in our former house.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It's nice to lose myself in a bit of blogging and avoid the news for a bit.