Reading Again With Paper Cut Outs

It’s been such a long time since I last read a book - our ‘Readers’ book club has died a sad little death, and when it comes to relaxing once the kids are in bed, escaping with a book is usually the last thing on my mind! Saying all this though, I’ve found myself getting increasingly sucked into the black hole of social media comparison, and beating myself up about my imagined flaws etc, so it’s probably about time I switched off and enjoyed a treat from the literary world!

 

Where Have I Been?

Gosh, it’s been such a long time since I wrote anything here, almost six months to be precise! The last time you heard from me, I was living the luxury cinema life at the new Odeon Luxe in Glasgow, but that now feels like an age away. I’ve had a lot of things on my plate in recently, mainly my PhD thesis, but I now feel like it’s time to come back – especially when I’ve always found my blog so helpful for dealing with stressful life situations.

The Readers - #7 Magenta Opium

It really has been a struggle to keep up with The Readers recently. With all the stress of my miscarriages, and then moving house, I’ve had so much on my plate that I’ve not been able to concentrate on reading. Top that off with the imminent conclusion of my PhD and the general decline in our mutual love of Book Club (we lost a member in the shape of Nikki), and it’s now six months down the road again. I also feel particularly bad, as this one was my choice, but I was the one holding everything up! Anyway, now that I’m finally finished, I present to you our latest slice of fun fiction – ‘Magenta Opium’ by Sharon Baillie.

A Sneak Peek of Domina

When we first started our ‘Readers’ book club, I was delighted with the opening choice of novel – Maestra, by L. S. Hilton, was a fantastically sexy thriller, which played with the idea of the traditional heroine figure and lead the reader on a fast-paced tour of Europe, filled with intrigue, blackmail and murder. This April (today in fact), we are once again treated to a further instalment of this world in the form of Maestra’s sequel – Domina.

 

The Readers - #6 I Let You Go

It seems like ages since my last ‘Readers’ post, but with my wedding and Lesley’s work commitments, it has proved difficult for us all to get together and discuss our latest choice. Given recent upheavals in my own life, I’m also glad I finished this one a couple of weeks ago, as I’d have hated to hold up the proceedings any further. So, without further ado, I present you with Lesley’s latest choice - ‘I Let You Go’ by Clare Mackintosh.

 

The Readers - #5 The Christmasaurus

Is anyone else feeling festive yet, I know I am! With Christmas officially beginning for many of you tomorrow, I’ve decided to bring the fifth instalment of ‘The Readers’ forward a month and provide you all with even more seasonal cheer in the lead up to the big day!

 

The Readers - #4 The Wolf Road

Gosh, I can’t believe it’s November already! It only seems like yesterday that I was away on my hen do, and now we are another novel further down our book club track. This time, Nikki selected a tense thriller in the form of ‘The Wolf Road’ by Beth Lewis.

 

The Walking Dead – New Novel and Giveaway

Is anyone else as obsessed with The Walking Dead as I am? With the TV series returning to our screens on the 24th of this month, I’m sure a few of you are curious to see who survives! While you deal with the agonising wait, you may also be interested to learn that the next instalment of The Walking Dead book series – by Jay Bonansinga – is released in the UK today. Being an all over Walking Dead fan, I also love these novels and even managed to sneak the first of the series into our book club, much to Sarahjane’s dislike! When the lovely people at Pan Macmillan publishers got in touch and asked me to run a giveaway to celebrate the release, I jumped at the chance!

 

The Readers - #3 The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

It’s that time again, another two months have passed and another book has been the subject of our casual reading group. This time, Sarahjane chose a time travelling adventure in the form of ‘The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August’.

The Readers - #2 The Walking Dead – Rise of the Governor

Another two months have passed and our group of Readers have finally finished the second instalment from our book club. This time, Sarahjane joined myself, Lesley and Nikki for a trip into the apocalyptic landscape of a zombie ravaged Georgia in the form of my novel choice – ‘The Walking Dead – Rise of the Governor’.

 

Bringing Back The Happy Thoughts

Yet again, I feel like it’s been ages since my last post. With work getting busier and wedding plans now moving forward with increasing speed, I seem to have fallen out of step with my blog – but I’m determined to get it back! Given the rather grim outlook for the UK currently after the ‘Brexit’ vote – and also the fact that we have just scared ourselves silly watching ‘The Conjuring 2’ – I figured that recalling the happy events of the past week wouldn’t be a bad way to go. Despite the fact I’m typing this after midnight, I doubt sleep will come easy when I’ve just spent the past couple of hours sat in the dark with a demonic nun!

 

 

The Readers - #1 Maestra

Reading has always been a passion of mine, however I’ve neglected my bookshelf of late. When my friend Lesley told me about her book club, I immediately convinced her into starting another one with me and Nikki (and Sarahjane for #2)! I’m also quite happy with my status of ‘Reader’ again as (in an academic environment) it suggests I have a better job than a PhD, ha!

 

The first book selected for us to immerse ourselves in was ‘Maestra’ by L. S. Hilton. New out for March 2016, this one had caught the eyes of both Nikki and Lesley, so we agreed it was a good place to start. I picked up my copy from Waterstones for £12.99, but you could probably get it cheaper, as the paperback is now available. It is also available on the Kindle, but I prefer to go ‘old school’ with my reading!