Welcome to Day 11 of #12booksofchristmas. During December I am sharing 12 festive reads. The idea came from the wonderful Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod where a book is given on Christmas Eve

Welcome to Day 9 of #12booksofchristmas. During December I am sharing 12 festive reads. The idea came from the wonderful Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod where a book is given on Christmas Eve

Welcome to Day 4 of #12booksofchristmas. During December I am sharing 12 festive reads. The idea came from the wonderful Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod where a book is given on Christmas Eve

Welcome to Day 2 of #12booksofchristmas. During December I am sharing 12 festive reads. The idea came from the wonderful Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod where a book is given on Christmas Eve

I was delighted that Jo Brand brought along Big Sky by Kate Atkinson, which I reviewed way back in 2020, and also loved... I just love it when someone picks a book I have also read and makes me think I have a famous friend.

While we have no snow it is currently -4. We have just been out for a walk with Hattie and have all practically run back to the warmth of our home. So what better title to read then a book set on a sunny holiday.

Today I am reviewing a book that I predict will feature on my books of the year post for 2024. If you know of a bigger spoiler then let me know! But first let's rewind to the weekend.

Throughout the year, dear reader, I am scouring the bookshelves of shops for #12booksofchristmas. This starts immediately after Christmas and continues month by month until I have decided on my 12 books,

I'm sorry I went missing in action last week. A nasty virus managed to fell me, and there was no way I could even contemplate looking at a computer, let alone writing a review.

Hello everyone, and happy Bank Holiday weekend to you. Here is the UK it is a 3 day weekend. Wahoo! We have a busy weekend culminating in our Village Hog Roast where we all bring a salad, table, cutlery and any beverages we like

Happy Monday everyone. I fancied a bit of blogging this evening and wanted to share a brilliant book I have just read. But first of all, I need to tell you Hattie has had a hair cut and is looking very swish indeed.

Hello, Hello, I hope you are having a smashing week so far. We have had a little bit of a weekend away to celebrate our 7th Wedding anniversary and it has a slight literary connection

I am very aware that I spend a lot of time talking about the weather on this blog. This is because I am British and we do seem to have a propensity towards this fascinating subject.

The location is lovely, and quintessentially English, dreamy homes by the lazy Thames waters. If you do get chance to watch The Marlow Mysteries TV Series then please do.

I am coming to you this morning at 5.55am as I can't sleep and decided to pick up my laptop and have a bit of a blog instead. I have been off this week as needed to use up some holiday hours.

I attended a Eurovision party dressed as Ireland along with a ballerina, Gene Simmons, 2 Vikings and SuperMario. The performances have definitely become ruder! If I didn't see a pair of buttocks it would not be too soon

I have opened my May book from my friends and discovered a face-pack and a copy of The Second Stranger by Martin Griffin. This books looks full of wintery crimeness and I cannot wait!

I sat on my sun lounger hooting at this quote which typified this book as classic 1930s crime writing and great fun. After all, in a matter of life and death there is always time to have a light lunch.

the shop mum. Every shop had one, she mothered us all and we would often be bossed around gently and made to go for a cup of tea if we were feeling stressed at al

We've had a very busy week here, but looking forward to exploring a nearby city this weekend for a spot of shopping, dinning out and maybe a drink or two.

And of course, it is entirely appropriate to read a classic crime set in snowy eastern Europe on the way to a country with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.

At the moment my posting on the blog seems to be a mix between feast and famine. I have 3 books I have read and am waiting to review on here. And I have holiday reading lined up. Yes, you heard that right Holiday reading!

January turned out to be rather a fabulous month. Despite January being roughly 636 days long, I enjoyed celebrating a milestone birthday at the end of the month

It's achingly beautiful, and quiet. Like snow. And was the perfect read to curl up with during Twixmas. It is a 5 star read,

We still have lots of Christmas eats going on including my daily porridge blessed with a piece of Terry's Chocolate Orange!

A couple of years ago, I became rather obsessed with a book called Rules for Perfect Murders. This could have been a contender for #12booksofchristmas as it was set at Christmas

A modern day retelling of Murder on the Orient Express with a journey on the sleeper train from London to Fort William during a terrible snowstorm.

So for me, Christmas is about those many catch-ups over dinners and lunches, the simple messages, a thought in a Christmas card. It's a pretty magical time of year.

You have probably realised by now my penchant for golden age crime. Think Agatha Christie, art deco and lots of people sat around smoking from one of those delicate, long cigarette holders.

I am publishing this slightly early, as I am fully in the reading of (and sweating a bit about if I'm honest) my #12booksofchristmas. I have not been organised this year at all.

Whilst it is wonderful to see a rather splendid array of new titles on the bookshelves at our favourite stores, sometimes you just have to revisit an old friend.

I genuinely did not start out my year deciding to read the Hercule Poirot books in order, it sort of just happened that way. This is the 9th book to feature our wonderful Belgian friend

Probably the biggest book of the year and one which I am sure will find its way onto many Christmas lists throughout the land is the 4th in the Thursday Murder Club series

Last year, my husband and I were lucky enough to visit the beautiful city of Edinburgh. We stayed very centrally and enjoyed exploring the local sights and just being in this vibrant city.

And so we begin with our Autumn reads. It feels fitting to start thinking all about cosy reads, as I saw the first golden leaves on the huge oak tree that we pass on our daily walk with Hattie today.

As the weather became wetter and wetter over summer we gleefully rubbed our hands. And then Saturday dawned and we knew we had lucked out. Haha

Life has been a bit crazy over here at Coffee Books and Cake Towers and for the very best reasons. I must say a big thank you for the lovely messages we received about Hattie

Happy Friday! I hope wherever you are you have had a good week and are looking forward to a fun weekend. We are up early for a brunch and a party on Sunday

I always appear to be a bit obsessed with the weather on the blog at the moment. I believe it becomes of being British. Today's review swerves away from those lovely summery reads that I have been talking about

Now I know for a lot of you this book will already be on your radar, and if not, then it should be. If the book hasn't reached you yet, or if you are feeling overwhelmed

The weather here in the UK has been rather wonderful as we have had a mini-heatwave. This has involved lots of sitting in our terrace, drinking orange squash and generally enjoying the sun on one's bones.

First of all, I want to say a massive thank you to those authors, Marketing teams and publicists who have reached out. I'm already doffing my hat to you authors for writing a book

Hello lovelies, I hope you all had a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend. (Was it Memorial Day weekend for my US readers?). For me I had a weekend that was truly good for the soul.

In the UK we are treated to a third Bank Holiday in May this year. Personally, I am loving all of these Bank Holidays and am looking forward to some very special visitors arriving on Saturday.

Good afternoon from a very sunny North Yorkshire. Web have had a very lovely weekend doing, well, a bit of everything. Walks, shopping, visiting new places.

Happy weekend everyone! I hope wherever you are, it has been an excellent weekend. I am a very person this week as I am now on leave for a week and boy do I need a rest.

Friday nights are often spent curled up watching Death in Paradise. A cosy, crime TV series set in the Caribbean, featuring beautiful clear waters, magical sunsets, and an eye-wateringly high crime rate.

I do promise normal service will be resumed next week on the blog. We've been having a wonderful time celebrating a number of important birthdays and events. We've got another birthday this week

First of all, I need to apologise again for the lateness of this post. We've had a bit of an ill-health January here at Coffee Books and Cake Towers First of all, both me and my lovely husband had the flu

I'm digressing again because I am currently in a state of confusion. At the time of writing, it is actually Thursday, as I have switched my working day for this week only. I am convinced it is Friday or blogging day.

I can't believe we are already at Day 10 of 12booksofchristmas. The time is flying. Today's book was recommended by another friend over on Instagram and is the first in a series of books which have become immensely popular.

Today's book was a completely random spot in a supermarket, by an author who is much beloved but I have completely managed to never read. Epic fail on my part!

One of the inspirations behind #12booksofchristmas is Jolabokaflod, the wonderful Icelandic tradition of giving a book on Christmas Eve. My husband and I do this.

I was having a chat with my colleagues at work the other day and we cannot believe how quick this year is going. It doesn't feel like 2 minutes since we were looking at the spring bulbs coming out

Do you have Pantomimes where you are? I ask this because this weekend saw our village Pantomime 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and I got to thinking about it during the performance.

I tend to think Autumn lends itself wholeheartedly to either books with a bit of atmosphere, or a good crime novel. The heady days of summer with those classic beach reads are a dim and distant memory

This week I had great fun getting into the Christmas spirit at our local garden centre. This had transformed itself into a Santa's grotto of baubles, decorations, Christmas linen and lights

This week saw the return of BBC2's Between the Covers. Well done BBC, this is the perfect show for those Autumn evenings. Each week a panel of 4 people discuss a brand new read

This week marked one whole year since we moved to our new home. Having lived in our previous village for nearly 20 years and making lots of friends along the way, it was hard to leave.

Back in Spring 2021, I disappeared down a rabbit hole of reading crime thrillers, and this was in particular thanks to Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson. I loved this book.

I've got my crystal ball out again. I've already predicted what book will be on the end of year best books lists, and now I've gone all Septic Peg by predicting this year's bestseller. And here it is.

First of all, apologies for missing my regular post on Friday, I was on a week's holiday from work and decided to extend this to the blog. It was a sad start to the week with the Queen's funeral

After the blazing heatwave we have all experienced, I am getting ready for Autumn. Already I am dreaming of crisp mornings, scarves and an autumnal coffee or two. Obviously this will be punctuated by our second summer

Have you been watching the latest series of 'Between the Covers', the BBC programme all about lovely books complete with a celebrity panel and hosted by Sara Cox?

I am currently sat watching the semi-final of Wimbledon in the middle of heatwave sipping a raspberry lemonade. I could not be embracing summer more. We had our village reading group last night

I am in a definite full-blown summer reads moods over here which has been helped by the heatwave we are currently having in the UK. This week, I found myself craving something light, fun and foreign

Life lately has been very busy, we have celebrated the Queen's Jubilee, which we marked with a street party in our lovely village. 'Between the Covers' the BBC series about books has started up again

After finishing the dirge like Anna Karenina, I felt in the mood for something a lot lighter. Where better to turn then the first 3 Hercule Poirot novels by my comfort author Agatha Christie

One of the lovely things about writing a book blog are the people you meet. I have been lucky enough to learn more about my favourite authors, meet new friends on Instagram and uncover new gems to read.

I am very pleased to report that our family book group is still going strong. We started this in lockdown when, quite by chance, it turned out we all wanted to read the same book.

At the time of writing, the UK is currently sandwiched between 2 storms. Tuesday night saw us buffeted by Storm Dudley, bins went missing, birds were blown out of the sky and driving was rather exciting

Ok folks, we are flying by the seat of our pants today. I normally write out my review on pen and paper, but I'm attempting to write directly onto the computer. No idea what this is going to look like

Having talked about New Year and January in my previous post, I'm turning back the clock today to the festive period, which seemed like an absolute eon ago. I clearly am still enjoying messing with time.

You will heard me mention Jolabokoflod, the Icelandic tradition of gifting a book on Christmas Eve for the individual to read as evening comes. My Husband and I started doing this tradition a couple of years back

At the time of writing this review, it is actually March. That’s right dear reader, I spend all year hunting for the very best Christmas books for you all. Truth be told, I love it

Do you ever have a sudden yen to read a particular book. Maybe it is one you spot on your bookshelves, or, like me, you spot a copy in your new local bookshop and remember the enjoyment of the first time you read it.

I saw an interesting debate over on Twitter the other day. A number of people were suggesting that the success of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club was down to the author's status as a celebrity.

Here it is! 2021's most anticipated novel! Last year's Thursday Murder Club dominated all the bestseller and Books of the Year lists and there was a real sense of excitement to its follow-up.

My husband and I were talking about the types of books we read at different times of the year. At the time of writing, I have just published my Autumn wrap up and it was all summer, summer, summer.

First of all I must apologise, I had promised the long awaited To Be Read post for today and it just has not happened. It's been a busy week here with house move stuff and throw in illness and no sleep

If you are looking for a gentle crime TV series, the I would definitely recommend Death in Paradise. Imagine Midsomer Murders with a range of 'locked door' seemingly impossible mysteries all set on a beautiful Caribbean Island.

I am venturing into summer reads territory for this this post and am loving it. When I go away for a summer holiday, I tend to take a mix of good thrillers and light frothy summery novels.

Of the many books featured in Rules for Perfect Murders, I was delighted to see Ann Cleeves' Raven Black mentioned. Ann is an author with a lot of links to the area in which I live.

Back in my bookselling days, if we received a damaged book from the Publishers, rather than returning the whole book, we would have to send back the title page of the book.

How was Easter for you all? Wherever you are and if you celebrated it or not, I do hope you managed to have a nice break. As the UK is still in lockdown, we were unable to go anywhere apart from around the duck lake.

I'm not saying I've become obsessed with Rules for Perfect Murders but if it quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, then I'm probably obsessed with Rules for Perfect Murders.

I hope that wherever you were, that you enjoyed World Book Day yesterday. Once I had hit publish on my post, my friends and I began a chat about our favourite World Book day experiences and my mind was cast back to one Thursday

Happy St David's Day or Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! I do hope that the translation is correct and I haven't mortally offended anyone. I've decided to put in 'Spring' on the blog. This weekend has been glorious.

At the time of writing, it is currently the middle of January, and I am not quite ready to give up reading my Christmas books just yet. Especially as it is snowing outside. I had already enjoyed Hercule Poirot's Christmas

So it was that I stumbled upon 'The Chalet' by Catherine Cooper. The cover promised 'Four guests, one luxury getaway and one perfect murder' and depicted 5 champagne flutes, one broken with a hint of blood on it. I was intrigued!

I think I've talked before about Jolabokaflod. This is the lovely Icelandic tradition of exchanging books on Christmas Eve so that families can curl up with a cosy book and some chocolate.

Are you watching 'Between the Covers' at all? This is a programme on the BBC (available on iplayer) presented by Sara Cox featuring a panel of 4 celebrities talking about books.

I am sat here writing this on a very atmospheric day. People across the UK have been celebrating Bonfire Night; Bonfires were lit, toffee apples consumed and it seemed as if about a million fireworks were let off.

Like lots of people locked down, semi-locked down, whatever the rules are, we have been doing a weekly quiz with our in laws. This has consisted of the Radio Times Egghead quiz and Richard Osman's alphabet quiz.

On a golden Autumn day, I was craving something cosy and familiar. Naturally I turned to my old friend Miss Marple. This is the 12th outing for Miss Marple and finds her in St Mary Mead living the quiet life

One of the very first books I reviewed on the blog was The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. This was a delicious thriller about a group of pretty ghastly friends drinking and drugging too much on a New Years break in Scotland

I am sat writing this review on the August Bank Holiday weekend and in typical British weather fashion, Saturday has been a washout. I mean seriously?

There was a moment where I suddenly had an image of bowling pins lined up waiting for a great big bowling ball to come hurtling down the lane as the waft of slightly dodgy hot dogs and fried food attacked my nostrils.

Like quite a few of the novels I review on the blog, I read this book back in the 1990s and had a real phase of devouring anything written by Paullina Simons. Red Leaves has all the 'Secret History' feels.

I do not know if it is the sunshine that has addled my mind but I spent most of this novel trying to remember if I had read it before. I racked my brains, checked the bookshelves and in a last ditch attempt checked audible.

These remind me of The Rockford Files and Quincy M.E, TV shows that my family watched growing up. They have the early 1980s Californian filter where the sun always shines, the computers were massive and people wore a lot of brown

Former Air-Force pilot, Jerry Burton is recommended by his doctor to convalesce in the sleepiest and most dull town possible. Jerry and his sister Joanne therefore move to Lymstock expecting a quiet convalescence.

I have very hazy memories of The 39 Steps being a black and white film starring Kenneth More and involving him pursued through Scotland while handcuffed to a glamorous lady. What is very odd is that the film bears little

This debut novel suited the time of year beautifully as it is situated at a house party at New Year. A group of 30 something university friends descend on a remote Scottish Highland estate to see in the New Year.