It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – March #1

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

It’s been another weekend of good weather, allowing us to go on a much longer walk than usual – about 5 and 3/4 miles in the end. And boy do my aching knees and feet know it! I took several screen shots, from my pc, of the area nearby that doesn’t appear on either of our walking maps, as this was where we wanted to explore. The walk involves crossing under, and then over, the M1 motorway – 8 lanes of traffic but not too busy on a Sunday. Sadly the white elephant that is HS2 will cut right through this countryside, possibly cutting off our access to much of it and definitely destroying what is currently a peaceful and beautiful haven.

Tomorrow sees schools fully reopen in England, since the current lockdown started back in January. This is good news for my husband, as he works peripatetically in primary schools so hasn’t been earning a full wage. I work in an alternative provision, so we’ve remained open to all pupils through out this, and most of the previous, lockdown. It feels good, but scary, to take this first step back to normality.

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Read Last Week

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Overload Flux was quite a long read, and I took my time to enjoy it, rather than speeding through and missing key elements. I really enjoyed this and will treat myself to the next book in the next month or so.

356 Days was a DNF at only 6 chapters in. I had only picked up because it is my turn to lead a Book of the Month discussion and this is what the members picked. I’d not bothered with it on Netflix because I’d heard others say it wasn’t that good, the book was no better. I don’t have issues with the content, but the writing was either very bad, or poorly translated and I intensely disliked both protagonists by the time I gave up on it.

The final book is an anthology, from which I’ve read a couple of short stories, the jury is still out on what my final rating will be for this one.

Currently Reading

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I made no progress on the CJ Hall book but I have read more of See No Evil, and hope to complete it this week. I have a couple of arc books to read next week, so it’s just a case of seeing how much time I have for these.

Up Next

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The first two are arc reads, though I also have them both on pre-order. Deep Blue Sea is one of my clear your TBR list reads.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – February Round Up

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

I completely and utterly forgot to pre-write this post, which doesn’t help when it’s a monthly round-up. This weekend brought some glorious weather to the UK, sadly BOTH sets of neighbours felt it was ok to have relatives around – even though we are in a lockdown! One sides “excuse” is that their daughter turned 21 – however MY daughter turned 18 in lockdown, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary and my son’s will turn 21 in lockdown (after having had their 20th birthday ALSO in lockdown) without breaking the law and having people in the garden AND in the house.

On a positive we had a wonderful walk (locally as per the government guidelines) and discovered that we need to purchase a third ordnance survey map if we want to extend this walk in the future. Yes the area we live in is on the cusp of THREE separate maps 😂. My hubby unleashed his inner child and couldn’t resist climbing the fallen tree – unfortunately it was easier to get up it than to come back down!

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Book Read in February

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The final three books above were my completed reads from the past week, over the month I also managed to read 5 books from my TBR list, which feels like a huge success. I really enjoyed (or at least liked) all this months books – albeit the ending of one did send me off an a rant. I also found a new, new author in Lxy Robinson and if her debut book is anything to go by I will be a huge fan of her future work. I *may* (ok definitely did) join another arc team, but my plan is to leave a couple of other ones, and the author only releases a couple of books a year, so it shouldn’t be too much for me to incorporate into my schedule. (Excuses, excuses….)

Currently Reading

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I’m juggling a few books – mainly because the CJ Hall book isn’t speaking to me, but IS a Netgalley arc, whilst the Carol Van Natta is. The Pippa DaCosta book I’m enjoying BUT I don’t own the remaining books in the series, don’t have the money to buy them currently, so don’t want to become invested when I can’t continue the series at present.

Up Next

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These two books are both TBR list (already owned books) that I’m hoping to read in March. I also plan on completing the three books I’m currently reading. Though whether or not I can read a whole book written third person but present tense I’m not sure. That’s my week and month – what have you been reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR

Well time got away from me and I completely forgot to write this post, never mind schedule it. It’s late afternoon now in the UK and what a gorgeous day it has been. The sky is blue, the birds are chirping and the snow drops are out.

Last Week’s Books

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A hugely mixed bag last week – two Urban Fantasy books, one of which was a short story. An LGBTQ+ erotic/feminist tale and a fun but with hidden depths contemporary romance. I enjoyed them all, which is always a bonus!

Currently Reading

I’m loving this story, it’s quite a long read but that just means we get the chance to really know and understand the main characters in it. I’m having to read this around arc commitments and other books, but I am hoping to finish it this week.

Upcoming Reads

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These are three arc books that I hope to get read within the next week or two. Two are new-to-me authors, which is both exciting but also leaves me with a feeling of trepidation as there is always the risk of not enjoying the book.

So that’s my week. What have you been reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

The engineer who was meant to be fixing our boiler let us down, we have got someone else lined up, who hopefully is replacing it as we speak (read?). So I look somewhat like the person in the photo, wrapped in layers and hugging a mug of hot tea to try and stay warm. It’s been the coldest week in the UK for a long time, which has just made the whole situation even more trying.

Read Last Week

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This is the most books I’ve read in a LOOONG time. That said, I had almost finished Hidden Blade the previous week, along with the Beta read, so it’s not that impressive an achievement! It didn’t hurt that they were all enjoyable reads, though only Hidden Blade will be a “stay with me” story.

Currently Reading

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I find myself more and more juggling at least two, if not three, books at the same time. I used to be a strictly one book at a time reader, but sometimes a book I should love isn’t catching my attention. Swapping up with a different genre or author can often help me find my pace again and prevent a DNF.

Future Reads

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The first is an arc, it’s slightly out of my usual genres but if I never try something new I won’t ever know if I will enjoy it! The second is part of the Soul Eater series, and the third is a box set I need to finish.

What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading 2021 Week #4

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

It’s been another snowy weekend in the UK. Because we only get a small amount it thaws and then freezes, leading to some very icy conditions on the roads and pavements. It’s also affected Covid vaccinations in some areas, which is the last thing we need in the UK at the moment. Some of the snowfall is on top of flooding, so hopefully it takes a while to thaw otherwise homeowners and businesses are in for a rough time.



We had a sparrowhawk visit the garden over the weekend, which would explain why the small garden birds were absent! My daughter also joined with us on our Sunday walk, the snow just started to fall again as we got close to home. It’s lovely to see but not so great to get caught out in.

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Books Read Last Week

So I actually started reading a different book to the two I highlighted last week as currently reading. Something to do with falling off the arc wagon and signing up for a few books.

I stalled a little with first book I started reading, so I switched to this one since it fitted with a challenge I’m taking part in over on Goodreads.

I also beta read the first 10 000 words or so of a book by one of my favourite authors.

Currently Reading

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I’m not quite sure which one I’m going to dive into today, though I am halfway through Terrestrial Magic. However I want to have a review for Finding Her Luck ready for release day.

Upcoming Reads

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I hope to have at least one of these read by next week, but then I hoped to have read Chaos and Retreat already, so who knows.

That’s my reading week. How does yours look?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading #3

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

We had a small amount of snowfall earlier this week. Not enough to cause too much disruption thankfully. The majority of the UK gets so little of it that we just don’t have enough snow ploughs or other road clearing equipment if we get a heavier fall of snow. It did remind me just how grown up my offspring are now, only a few years ago snow would have had them digging out the sled and adventuring to the nearest sledgeable hill. I’m not even sure they noticed it has fallen this time.

Books Read Last Week

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This week was quite an eclectic mix of books. It started with an erotic romance, progressed to a suspense, had a hot but sweet mafia novella thrown in and ended with a fast paced, utterly captivating Urban Fantasy. I enjoyed them all, which is always a win!

Currently Reading

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I’m actually without an arc or other book to read. I have had one request to read a book that is available for free on Amazon (Chaos and Retreat), or I might read December: The Sacred Omegas, by Merel Pierce as part of a book challenge on Goodreads. Or I may pluck a book from the TBR pile.

Upcoming Reads

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The first book is a recent purchase, the other two are by one of my favourite authors but until recently I’ve not had enough time to read them. This is why I’ve reduced my arc reading! It’s also feels so good to have options and choices of what to read, rather than constantly being held to a schedule.

That’s my reading week – what are you reading?

#IMWAYR – Week 1

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

Back to work today, amid a growing storm over whether the UK should go into a full lockdown due to the new strain of Covid that has our death toll rising at a frightening rate. Not the most auspicious starts to the new year. However it’s better to focus on the positives, such as the two vaccines that are currently being rolled out across the country.

We also made the most of the weather yesterday, getting out on a late morning walk and finishing it just before the skies turned grey and it began to rain. The middle top picture is of two buzzards, they really are beautiful to watch as they swoop and soar into the sky.

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Books Read Last Week

Normally I do a lot of reading over the holidays, but I’ve struggled to engage with much over the last week or so. I started and shelved 2 books, but did manage to complete a few others, including Deadly Dreams. Another was very much a mindless, “naughty” read, which I often find good for getting me out of a reading rut. I shelved one book when I discovered that there were upwards of twenty other books involving the same two main characters. I don’t mind a series, but 5 or 6 books is my limit and I can’t see how one couple can possibly sustain that volume of books.

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Currently Reading

One of the best things about this book is the quirky humour. In fact I’m sure that there is a lot of Ms Silverwood and Ms Black in the attitudes and behaviours of Q and Sabrina. It’s impossible to say if each other wrote a character, or they took it in turns to write chapters, but what I do know is that it all blends seamlessly into one very entertaining read.

Upcoming Reads

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A re-read, with the plan to FINALLY finish the series over the next month, and an arc read. So that’s how the last few days of 2020 and the first few of 2021 have gone bookwise for me. Happy New Year and may you read some amazing books this year.

#IMWAYR

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

I hope you had a peaceful and merry christmas if you celebrate, a good holiday if you’ve had one and wishing you a much better 2021 than this year has proved to be for most. Once again it’s a weekly and monthly round up post, I’ll be doing my year review separately. Along with some beta reading, I completed almost fourteen books and DNF’d a couple of others in December. I say almost fourteen because I stalled at about 65% on one of my longer reads, though I’ve heard the ending is fantastic, so I will probably finish this before the first of January. Whilst most of these books were originally arcs, I already had many of them on pre-order or bought them anyway.

Books Read in December

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Currently Reading

Future Reading Plans

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I want to extend the range of genres I currently read. I’m easing myself into that by returning to an old favourite, Science Fiction. I then plan to finish Deadly Dreams before doing a re-read of Sin & Spirit in preparation for completing the series. I originally planned to do this over the summer, but totally lost my reading mojo, so am hoping to achieve this goal over the next week or so.


How did your December reading go? What are your plans as we head towards the New Year?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

My youngest child celebrated her 18th birthday last Friday, I’m not quite sure where all those years have gone. Sometimes it feels like only a few minutes since I was dropping her at the school gates. I am so proud of the strong young woman she has grown up to be.


It feels as though the UK is currently in uproar over the last minute changes of what we are allowed to do during the christmas period, along with the new level of Tier 4 restrictions. Since we weren’t planning on meeting up with other households, it really didn’t feel safe to do so, these changes aren’t really going to affect us. However I do feel for those whose plans have just been thrown awry by the latest announcements.

Last Weeks Reads

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I did read the majority of a third book, plus give 2 arc books a second, third and fourth try, but they just weren’t drawing me in or holding my attention. I will finish the book I bought, the arcs just had too many issues for me.

Currently Reading

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Deadly Dreams is the book I struggled with, but am determined to finish. In the meantime I’m completing the Pierced Hearts Box set.

Upcoming Reads

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All of these are arc reads, though only one has an absolute deadline. I’ve read the sample of The Night Sender and was utterly intrigued, so will be starting this one next.

So that’s my week in books. What are you reading at the moment?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

This is the second weekend in a row where the rain has been so persistent, and the weather so dreary, that we haven’t managed to get out for our Sunday walk. It did give my daughter and I time to start building our gingerbread house – though we haven’t quite finished it yet, so no pictures to show.

I also fell of the arc wagon, though the two “new to me” have both proved disappointing and I won’t be finishing or reviewing them. I also need to read two books for a Book of the Month group I help moderate on Goodreads – eek! I haven’t even started them yet!

Read Last Week

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Four books seems like a real achievement of late – even though two of them were fairly short novels. More surprising is just how much I enjoyed all of them!

Currently Reading

I don’t even own this yet – I’m trying to decide if I should pay for KU or buy the books. What’s making the decision difficult is the fact that there is a 6 month half price offer currently on. The question is if I want to commit to paying for 6 months up front, when often come January sales time there are 3 months free? Hmmm, decisions, decisions!

Books To Be Read

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2 arcs and a further BoTM read. Plus my daughter turns 18 this week, so it’s looking like a very busy one!