It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

 It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a 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! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

What I read last week.

What I'm reading now.

What I'm going to read next.

The Pigeonhole - Dani Atkins and Matt Cain

Bookclub - Toni Morrison and Neil Alexander

Readalong - Amanda Prowse (a rare re read for me) and Shari Low

Audio - Peter May and Hannah Treave

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a 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! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

What I read last week.

What I'm reading now.

What I'm going to read next

On audio - Peter May and Jill Mansell

Booclub - Neil Alexander and Toni Morrison

The Pigeonhole - Matt Cain, Jodi Picoult and Dani Atkins

A Sky Full of Stars by Dani Atkins

 

I'm so late with this review - somehow it slipped off my radar.

The new heart-breaking love story from award-winning romance writer Dani Atkins. 

He'd have done everything differently if he'd known she'd be gone so soon...

When Lisa married Alex, she gave his life meaning. She was a professional astronomer: a stargazer. And when she gazed at Alex, she saw that behind his tough exterior was a man she could love.

Alex, Lisa and their young son Connor made a happy little universe. But when Lisa dies suddenly, their universe is destroyed. Alex is shattered by loss, and overwhelmed by the difficulties of being a single father to a six-year-old boy.

Then Alex meets four strangers. Two men and two women, who never met Lisa, but whose lives changed profoundly because she died. As Alex hears their stories, he begins to realise the world may not be as cruel and senseless as it seems. Perhaps, after all, the future is written in the stars...

What did I think?

I have to say I fell in love with this author writing when I read A Million Dreams back in 2019 - I have to say it was one of my best reads that year. So I had high expectations for A Sky Full of Stars. And I wasn't disappointed.

I don't want to give anything away - as you need to read this book for yourselves - but it was another beautiful if emotional read. The story tackles very sensitive subjects which many people find it difficult to talk about and does so in a very sensitive way. 

Yes this is a sad story - dealing with grief and loss - but it was also a love story which dealt with rebuilding shattered lives and new beginnings.

I loved this book from the first chapter and became very invested in the characters - although tissues were required more than once.

One of my favourite reads of 2021? Most definitely. Although I think I have missed a trick by not having read all her books - but it means I still have them to look forward to. Happy days.

 About the author

 

Dani Atkins is an award-winning novelist. Her 2013 debut FRACTURED (published as THEN AND ALWAYS in North America) has been translated into seventeen languages and has sold more than half a million copies since first publication in the UK.

Dani is the author of five other bestselling novels (THE STORY OF US, OUR SONG, THIS LOVE, WHILE I WAS SLEEPING and A MILLION A DREAMS) and PERFECT STRANGERS, a standalone eBook novella. In 2018, THIS LOVE won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award at the RNA awards in London.

Dani lives in a small village in Hertfordshire with her husband, one Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.

 

Follow Dani:

 

Twitter: @AtkinsDani

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/daniatkinsauthor

Follow Aria:

 

Twitter: @Aria_Fiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Website: www.headofzeus.com

 

Buy links:

 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xl48zf

My Top 10 Reads of 2010

My Goodreads challenge for 2019 was 100 books. To date I have only read 70 (with another one that I should be able to finish later on today) Other things got in the way this year - such as running and joining my local gym - so it's not all bad. I will probably set the same challenge for 2020.

But I don't think I have bought so many physical books this year. Netgalley is probably where most of my books have come from along with The Book Club over on Facebook. I joined The Pigeonhole this year and also was a reviewer for the Romantic Novelists Association again. One new thing is that I was invited to contribute to several blog tours for Head of Zeus and Headline. They have been great fun and I am keeen to carry on doing them next year.

So here are my favourite reads of the year in no particular order.

I had heard so much about this book on social media I had to give it a go - and I wasn't disappointed. A delightful read and I'm looking forward to reading her next book soon.

Amanda knows how to write a cracking read - I feel lucky that I haven't read them all and that I have plenty still to look forward to. Tugs on your heart string this one.

Another one I had heard good things about on social media - a beautiful story which made me cry more than one. 

I hadn't read one of Susan's books in a long time - she used to be one of my go to authors. This was another emotional rollercoaster of a read.

A new author to me this year - I think in total I read 3 of her books all of which were excellent - perfect pieces of escapism.

Fionas reads are always epic and this one was no different. Love books set in this era.

Another one hyped to death on social media but it was a funny read - but shocking. Currently reading the follow up.

Was so glad I joined Clares book club over on Facebook - it was such fun everyone reading the book at the same time and then discussing it. Not an easy read at all - made me cry and certainy makes you think.

This was a beautiful book - one of my judging books from RNA. I doubt I would have picked it up otherwise but I am so glad I got the chance - a beautiful story.

This has to be one of the best books for me this year - how the author thought this up. Heartbreakingly sad and really makes you think. I urge you to read it - especially as it is only 99p on kindle at the moment.

My Month In Books

Only 5 books this month - and all of them were lovely reads. I finished off a series with Midnight and Mistletoe. Started a series with Coming Home To Merriment Bay. Caught up with Miss Moonshine again. And read probably one of the best books this year with A Million Dreams.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a 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! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

What I read Last Week:

(This has to be one of my top reads for 2019)

What I'm Reading This Week:

What I'm Reading Next:

Blog Tour for A Million Dreams by Dani Atkins

 About the book

'A true love story, written by a mother's heart' Milly Johnson.

'A captivating story that packs an emotional punch' Heidi Swain.

Beth Brandon always dreamed of owning a florist, but today the bouquets of peonies and bright spring flowers are failing to calm her nerves. Because today, Beth has a life-changing decision to share with her husband.

Izzy Vaughan thought she and her husband would stay together forever, but sometime last year, their love began to fade. They both find such joy in their young son Noah – but is he enough to keep them together?

Eight years ago, something happened to these two women. Something that is about to bring them together in a way no-one thought possible...

Thought-provoking, emotional and uplifting, this is a gripping love story for fans of Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse.

What Did I Think:

What a book - I loved it from start to finish. A sign of a good book is one that you don't want to put down but you also don't want to read it too fast and finish it.
I don't want to give anything away but the storyline was an emotional rollercoaster with twists and turns that took my breath away at times. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried on more than one occasion.
This is one of my favourite books of 2019 and because of that at least one person is going to be receiving a copy for Christmas.
This is my first book by this author so I am excited that I still have her earlier books still to read.
Thank you to the author and to the publisher for my copy - and for the chance to take part in the blog tour for this new title.

About the author

Dani Atkins is an award-winning novelist. Her 2013 debut FRACTURED (published as THEN AND ALWAYS in North America) has been translated into sixteen languages and has sold more than half a million copies since first publication in the UK. Dani is the author of four other bestselling novels, one of which, This Love, won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2018. Dani lives in a small village in Hertfordshire with her husband, one Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.

Follow Dani:

Twitter: @AtkinsDani

Facebook: @DaniAtkinsAuthor

Buy links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/30LKHyv

Kobo:  https://bit.ly/2JOaAXW

iBooks: https://apple.co/2OjhXdD

Google Play: https://bit.ly/30M6pSE

Follow Head of Zeus

Website: www.headofzeus.com

Twitter: @HoZ_Books

Facebook: @headofzeus

Instagram: @headofzeus