Can three sisters stitch their family back together?

Loretta loves running the little village sewing shop in Butterbury. Some of her most precious memories are sitting with her three daughters Daisy, Ginny and Fern, stitching together pieces of material – and their hopes and dreams.

But this Christmas the family is coming apart at the seams: Fern feels like she’s failing at motherhood and marriage, Ginny’s passion for her job as a midwife is fading, Daisy is desperate to prove she ‘ s changed since her wild younger years – and most of all, Loretta seems to be hiding something…

As they come together to create a new festive quilt, the bond between the sisters begins to heal. But when Loretta reveals the real reason she’s brought them all home, can the sisters mend the quilt, and their family, in time for Christmas?

My Thoughts:

If your after a great festive read, this is the perfect book for you, also I love how it was set around the Village sewing shop, it was a little different which I liked. It was the perfect book to snuggle up with on a cold winter’s day. Loretta who runs the sewing shop has three older daughters who have gone off to do their own things. I love finding out more about each one of them, they all have real life issues that they are going through. I felt drawn to this family straight away and I could not wait to read more about them. I felt as though I really got lost in this story and it felt truly magical.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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One month to go. One stressed mum. Can she pull off the perfect family Christmas?

Twas the sh!te before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except for … mum!

Like every mum, Tara wants a perfect Christmas for her family – but no-one else is lifting a finger and she’s losing her elf-ing mind. From the kids behaving badly (vaping! Potty training! The Nativity!), to a distracted husband acting very out of character, the last straw is Tara’s glamorous, feckless, boundary-less mother moving herself back in for the holidays.

Can Tara pull off the holly jolly Christmas of her dreams? Will she deck the halls and not her family? Or is this a Christmas catastrophe waiting to happen?

My Thoughts:

I saw this book and knew I had to read it. I loved it, it had everything and more that I needed. If you are after a hilarious and laugh out loud story, this is the perfect read. This is an author that is definitely going to be on my radar. Tara has a husband and kids and as it is getting closer to Christmas which is the most wonderful time of the year but is anyone helping her? of course not, and Tara is heavily pregnant. In this side splitting and mum related read, I felt sorry for Tara but my god Serena the author knows how to write a funny book. I would highly recommend.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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In 1945 the Soviet Union controlled half of Europe and was a founding member of the United Nations. By 1991, it had an army four-million strong, five-thousand nuclear-tipped missiles, and was the second biggest producer of oil in the world. But soon afterward the union sank into an economic crisis and was torn apart by nationalist separatism. Its collapse was one of the seismic shifts of the twentieth century.

Thirty years on, Vladislav Zubok offers a major reinterpretation of the final years of the USSR, refuting the notion that the breakup of the Soviet order was inevitable. Instead, Zubok reveals how Gorbachev’s misguided reforms, intended to modernize and democratize the Soviet Union, deprived the government of resources and empowered separatism. Collapse sheds new light on Russian democratic populism, the Baltic struggle for independence, the crisis of Soviet finances―and the fragility of authoritarian state power.

My Thoughts:

This is one of the three finalist for the Cundill History Prize. Even though it is not really something I would read, there are parts that I found fascinating. Reading about the meltdown of the Soviet Union and how slow it was eye opening. If you want to learn more about the Soviet Union this I would say really takes you there and helps for a better understanding of what happened. I did skim parts but the parts I did read were interesting enough.

To find out more about the Cundill History Prize, check here for more information:

https://www.cundillprize.com/

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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“Whether you’re into flambés, soufflés, or simple loaf cakes this book offers over 100 different answers to that all-important question: What’s for dessert?”―Claire Saffitz

Claire Saffitz returns with 100 recipes for all dessert people―whether you’re into impressive-yet-easy molten lava cakes, comforting rice pudding, or decadent chestnut brownies.

In this all-new collection, Claire shares recipes for icebox cakes, pies, cobblers, custards, cookies and more, all crafted to be as streamlined as possible. (No stand mixer? No problem! You won’t need one.)

To keep the recipes straightforward and simple, Claire makes sure each recipe is extra efficient, whether you’re making a Whipped Tres Leches Cake with Hazelnuts or Caramel Peanut Popcorn Bars. Fans will find all the warmth, encouragement, and deliciously foolproof recipes with loads of troubleshooting advice that they’ve come to count on from Claire.

My Thoughts:

I was so excited to read and review this delicious dessert cookbook, and I literally cannot wait to bake pretty much everything in this book. My husband has made me a list of everything he wants me to bake for him. It is such a wonderful cookbook with over 100 recipes from easy to hard. I like how the book is made up into different sections and the images are just amazing. I always like a cookbook where it shows you what the end product should look like. It is easy to follow, with lots of encouragements through out so you feel as though you can make the dessert. There are so many good recipes in here and I also like how it shows you different techniques at the back of the book so if you are a novice it gives you step by step guides on how to achieve a good result. I cannot wait to start making some of these recipes. Don’t read this book when hungry.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Of all the essentials for survival: oxygen, water, sleep and food, only food is a vast treasure trove of memory and of sensory experience. Food is a portal to culture, to times past, to disgust, to comfort, to love: no matter one’s feelings about a particular dish, they are hardly ever neutral.

In My First Popsicle, Zosia Mamet has curated some of the most prominent voices in art and culture to tackle the topic of food in its elegance, its profundity and its incidental charm. With contributions from David Sedaris on the joy of a hot dog, Jia Tolentino on the chicken dish she makes to escape reality, Patti Smith on memories of her mother’s Poor Man’s Cake, Busy Philipps on the struggle to escape the patterns of childhood favourites and more, My First Popsicle is as much an ode to food and emotion as it is to life. After all, the two are inseparable.

My Thoughts:

This was a great and different kind of read, one that is thought provoking and is light hearted. It was an interesting mix of contributors revealing their favourite food and why it means so much to them. We all take food for granted, but when do people ever really saviour the taste of what ever they are eating and think about what goes into making said food. It is a fun and quirky book all about food, with some great illustrations and some delicious recipes to try for yourself packed in. This book has made me really appreciate food and my love for it.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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A glamorous ship

During a New Year’s Eve party on a large, luxurious cruise ship in the Caribbean, the ship’s dancer, Lola, goes missing.

Everyone on board has something to hide

Two weeks later, the ship is out of service, laid up far from land with no more than a skeleton crew on board. And then more people start disappearing…

No one is safe
Why are the crew being harmed? Who is responsible? And who will be next?

My Thoughts:

I love a book that is set somewhere completely different to normal and this book was set on a cruise ship. I have read one of Catherine’s books before and it had me hook, line and sinker, I was completely drawn into the story about being on board a large cruise ship, when one person goes missing then more people start disappearing. I felt as though I could not trust anyone and I felt as though everyone was acting suspicious. I didn’t know what the outcome would be but I enjoyed turning the page and discovering something else. The twists in this book are fantastic and kept me guessing the whole way through. It had a brilliant pace the whole way through and I could never expect what happened to happen. Such a brilliant thriller.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Paris, 2037. Alexandre Lamarque of the French external security service is hunting for eco-terrorists. Experience has taught him there is no one he can trust. Experience has taught him there is no one he can trust – not his secretive lover Mariam, not even his old mentor, Professor Fayard, the man at the centre of the web. He is ready to give up. But he can’t.

In search of the truth, Alex must follow the trail through an ominous spiral of events, from a string of brutal child murders to a chaotic coup in North Africa. He rapidly finds himself in a heart-thumping race against chaos and destruction. He could be the world’s only hope of preventing THE COMING DARKNESS . . .

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this book, set in Paris in 2037. Alexandre is the main character and he works for a security service in France. He trusts no one even those that are close to him. He is on the hunt for eco terrorists and will stop at nothing to find them. There is a lot of tension and grittiness to this story, I liked Alexandre, he is a very bold character. There are parts to it that are dystopian too. I feel like it was not punchy and thrilling enough for a thriller which is a shame because it could of been a really good read.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Angie, 6, and sister Polly, 4, are utterly distraught when they arrive to stay with foster carer Cathy Glass. Their older half-sister Ashleigh has accused their father of something horrible, and the two young sisters have been removed from home to keep them safe.

Cathy tries to comfort the girls, but they are inconsolable. They just want their mummy and daddy, whom they love dearly.

The girls appear to have been well looked after, but as they settle and start to talk of life at home, it becomes clear something is badly wrong. Then a chance remark sets in motion a chain of events that eventually changes everything.

My Thoughts:

I have read all of Cathy’s books and loved following her and her family, I feel as though I know them. This time we follow Cathy as she fosters Angie and her sister Polly, they arrive and have to be fostered by Cathy because of what their older sister Ashleigh has accused their father of. The girls are young and understandably distraught at the thought of leaving their parents and their home. But as usual Cathy is absolutely brilliant with them and has such a heart of gold. All the stories are sad, but they really drive home that there are children suffering in the world. Also it was interesting to see what fostering is like in Covid times. Great catch up with Cathy and her family. Look forward to the next book.

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Ivy, Mateo and Cal used to be close – best friends back in middle school.

Now all they have in common is a bad day. So for old time’s sake they skip school together – one last time.

But when the trio spot Brian ‘Boney’ Mahoney ditching class too, they follow him – right into a murder scene.

They all have a connection to the victim. And they’re ALL hiding something.

When their day of freedom turns deadly, it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out . . .

My Thoughts:

This is my first book from Karen, I liked the sound of the blurb, three friends decide to skip school and when they see another class mate skipping school too, they follow him and he leads them to a murder scene. What the hell happened here? we see it all unravelling through out the story. It is more of teen crime for me, I just found it a bit over dramatic and a bit silly. It was not my favourite unfortunately. It could of been a lot better.

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MISSING
When Gemma Kline is reported missing after setting off on a solo hike in the remote Pennines, her sister, Sarah, is dumbfounded. How can someone disappear without a trace?

PRESUMED
Travelling to the isolated town where Gemma was last seen, Sarah discovers it’s not the first time a young woman has vanished from the hills in mysterious circumstances. As she digs deeper, it quickly becomes apparent that neither disappearance is what it first seems – especially when unwelcoming locals share chilling tales about what’s really lurking on the moors…

MURDERED
Whatever has happened to her sister, one thing is clear: this town has secrets someone would kill to keep. But even on the fells, nothing stays buried forever…

My Thoughts:
I really liked this story, I liked how both girls stories ran along side each other and intertwined with each other. It set a good pace right from the start and kept me entertained till the end. I wanted to know what would happen. It is such a fresh idea and one I have not read before. Sarah is on the hunt for her sister to a isolated town where her sister was last seen, but with the locals being mysterious and a bit suspect what actually has happened to her sister and will Sarah be able to find her before it is too late? A really good story, I felt as though you could almost feel as though you are there. You could cut the tension with a knife and it all felt very unpredictable. A great thriller.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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