My Month In Numbers 2016 : February

I did prepare a blog post for last months numbers - but never quite got round to pressing the publish button.

In February we had the first proper snow of 2016 - I have strange cats as they loved playing out in it. Photographic evidence of Maisie making 2 (small but perfectly formed) snowballs!!

I was laid up with the flu for a week so read loads - 15 books in total (although will admit to some of them being itty bitty novellas.

I met 1 hero of mine - Mark Beaumont. Cyclist, ultra athlete, broadcaster and thoroughly nice chap who cycled i.  Could have listened to him for much longer than an hour.

On February 15th 2008 Mark Beaumont pedalled into Paris flanked by a police escort to be met by a welcome party and press that packed the Arc de Triomphe. Mark had cycled 18,296 miles through 20 countries in 194 days and 17 hours, and in doing so broke the previous Guinness World Record by 81 days.

So he inspired me to get out on my bike the next day for an 18 mile ride in the glorious sunshine.

In February I walked almost 20 miles and ran just over 52 miles - and got a PB of a 6.89 mile run in 1 hour.

And finally I am no longer a prawn virgin - I ate 6 of these critters lovingly cooked by hubby - but I don't like them.

Please pop over and say hello to Julie and check out everyone elses months in numbers.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Fionnuala Kearney is a new author to me but the cover of You, Me and Other People jumped out at me in the library - and I just had to pick it up. The blurb says this book is one for fan of Liane Moriarty and JoJo Moyes - and they are right.

THEY SAY EVERY FAMILY HAS SKELETONS IN THEIR CLOSET . . .

But what happens when you open the door and they won’t stop tumbling out?

For Adam and Beth the first secret wasn’t the last, it was just the beginning.

You think you can imagine the worst thing that could happen to your family, but there are some secrets that change everything.

And then the question is, how can you piece together a future when your past is being rewritten?

I am also reading the new release by Fiona Gibson called The Woman Who Upped and Left. Anther one with an appealing cover. I have a feeling this one is going to be a funny read.

Forget about having it all. Sometimes you just want to leave it all behind.

Audrey is often seized by the urge to walk out of her house without looking back – but she can’t possibly do that.

She is a single parent. She is needed. She has a job, a home, responsibilities…and a slothful teenage son’s pants to pick up.

But no one likes being taken for granted – Audrey least of all – so the time has come for drastic action. And no one’s going to stand in her way…

Please pop over to the Book Date to see what everyone else is reading today.

Behind Closed Doors by B A Paris

This was another book that was shouting at me from social media - and I was too nosy so had to give it a go.

Reviews I had read were saying it was going to be the book of 2016 and was perfect for fans of Girl on a Train - but I didn't like Girl on a Train.

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do.

You’d like to get to know Grace better.

But it’s difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart.

Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows.

Sometimes, the perfect marriage is the perfect lie.

Behind Closed Doors is a debut book for B A Paris and I have to say if she writes more books like this one then she is onto a winner. It was quite a tense psychological thriller and it definately kept me turning the pages as it rocked on at quite a pace. Slightly improbable to me - but then when you think more about it you realise it could so easily happen. I did feel like I wanted Grace to grow a backbone at more than one point through the book but the character is very well drawn.

I would certainly recommend this book and I enjoyed reading a thriller instead of my usual chicklit - a change is as good as a rest don't they say?

And I think I saw a post to say B A Paris has a new book coming out later in the year. I will be looking out for that one.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this cracker of a book.

This man is a legend

Today we went to a talk at our local library by cyclist, endurance athlete, broadcaster and all round lovely bloke Mark Beaumont.

He spoke for over an hour about some of his epic adventures - cycling around the world (18000k miles) The Americas  (cycling 13000k miles between the 2 highest mountains in North and South America in one climbing season) and closer to home cycling the North Coast 500 in 1 day!!

The talk was very interesting and amusing and he was so easy to listen to.

Was I inspired?

Too right.

Dusting off my bike tomorrow morning - although it is a mere 15 mile ride to a local coffee shop and back for cake - and the sun is due to shine.

Happy days :)

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Two light reads for me this week - one is a proper books and the other is a pre release (thanks from Netgalley) on my Kindle.

The proper book is One Night in Italy by Lucy Diamond. I love this author - and I was super chuffed to be selected as a giver for World Book Night and it is one of Lucys books I have been given.

Is Italian really the language of love? A new class of students hopes to find out.

Anna's recently been told the father she's never met is Italian. Now she's baking focaccia, whipping up tiramisu and swotting up on her vocabulary, determined to make it to Italy so she can find him in person.

Catherine's husband has walked out on her, and she's trying to pick up the pieces of her life. But she'll need courage as well as friends when she discovers his deception runs even deeper than infidelity.

Sophie's the teacher of the class, who'd much rather be back in sunny Sorrento. She can't wait to escape the tensions at home and go travelling again. But sometimes life - and love - can surprise you when you least expect it.

As the evening class gets underway, friendships form and secrets from Italy begin to emerge. With love affairs blossoming in the most unlikely places, and hard decisions to face, it's going to be a year that Anna, Catherine and Sophie will never forget.

On the Kindle I am reading The Cosy Teashop in the Castle by Caroline Roberts.  This is due for release later this week but I was lucky to get an advance copy from the publisher ( for my honest review) via Netgalley.

Can Ellie bake her way to a happy ever after? A deliciously heartwarming novel for fans of Lucy Diamond and Milly Johnson.

When Ellie Hall lands her dream job running the little teashop in the beautiful but crumbling Claverham Castle, it’s the perfect escape from her humdrum job in the city. Life is definitely on the rise as Ellie replaces spreadsheets for scones, and continues her Nanna’s brilliant baking legacy.

When Lord Henry, the stick-in-the-mud owner, threatens to burst her baking bubble with his old-fashioned ways, Ellie wonders if she might have bitten off more than she can chew. But cupcake by cupcake she wins the locals over, including teashop stalwart, Doris, and Ellie’s showstopping bakes look set to go down in castle history!

Now all that’s missing in Ellie’s life is a slice of romance – can Joe, the brooding estate manager, be the one to put the cherry on the top of Ellie’s dream?

I am loving both of these books - nice gentle reading with well written characters. This is what I class comfort reading.

Please pop over to the Book Date to see what everyone else is reading today.

Skywatch Friday

We had snowy skies last weekend.

I love Winter.

I love snow.

Please pop over to the Skywatch blog to see more skies from around the world

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Two new to me authors this week.

I am reading Summer on the River by Marcia Willett. The cover jumped out at me when I saw it in my local library and is set in Dartmouth - a place where I spent many happy holidays as a child.

Something very different with The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza. I have seen this authors name before but not connected with this genre. I kept seeing people mentioning this book over on Facebook and then I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley.

We have had a snowy Sunday up herein the North East of Scotland - a perfect excuse not to go running (Ihave a sore back anyways) and to curl up on the sofa with a good book (or two!)

Please pop over to the Book Date to see what everyone else is reading.

The Birthday That Changed Everything by Debbie Johnson

I discovered Debbie Johnson as a new author to me last year when I read Pippa's Cornish Dream. I loved that book so was really looking forward to her new release.

The Birthday That Changed Everything was less of a gentle romance in Poldark country and more of a 18 - 30 holiday in Turkey.

Sallys life is turned upside down when her husband leaves her and her teenage children for a Latvian lap dancer. So licking her wounds she takes her children on holiday to Turkey. Enter a world of wacky and oddball characters - some of whom make you laugh out loud. The book was certainly racy in parts but also had some quite touching moments. I loved her teenage children - I am sure anyone who has children of a similar age will see glimpses of their own children in there somewhere.

This would be a perfect lightheared holiday read. I read this on my kindle, popped up on my cross trainer and I read whilst I worked out - and I have to say it made the time pass so much quicker.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this amusing book - and for it's helping hand in keeping me fit.

Skywatch Friday

The view from the back of my house as I head out on a morning run.

Please pop over to the Skywatch blog for more skies from around the world.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

I have come down with the flu. I would like to say this has meant hours spent lying on the sofa, under a blanket feeling sorry for myself - with a book in my hand.

Sadly not. I seem to ache all over - including my eyes - so I haven't been able to read.

I have 2 books on the go as usual - one a real life book and the other on my Kindle.

My real book is The Piano Man Project by Kat French. So far it seems a light hearted sort of read but I am wondering what Hals story is.

A delightfully romantic, heartwarming read for everyone who’s ever looked for The One and found someone better.

You: kind, piano-playing sex god
Me: hopelessly romantic charity shop manager

Honeysuckle Jones has a problem, and her best friends Nell and Tash are on a mission to help her solve it. She needs a man – a caring, intelligent, funny man. But most importantly, a man who’s good with his hands…

Luckily Honey’s new neighbour – moody, antisocial ex-chef Hal – fails on almost every count. Even though the chemistry between them is electric, he’s obviously wrong for her in every way.

But when Honey discovers the devastating reason for his moods she decides to give him another chance. And discovers that the best songs aren’t always in tune…

My second book is the first is a new series by Cressida McLaughlin - The Canal Boat Cafe : All Aboard. There seems to be a trent at the moment of authors realising books in parts (usually 4) on Kindle and the  later on a paperback version comes out. The attraction for me is a quick read - and just 99p an installment. And so far I am loving it.

Summer Freeman returns to the waterside village of Willowbeck to help with the Canal Boat Café, which used to belong to her mother. Valerie, a fortune teller, has been running things, but the business is in a pickle. The coffee machine is jammed, the cake offerings are paltry, and not all of the locals want to see the café succeed. And then there’s the handsome wildlife photographer, Mason, from the boat next door, whose Border Terrier steals some bacon right under her nose. Her Bischon Frise, Latte, loves their boating neighbours, but Summer is less sure.
As her old life and the community of Willowbeck begin to entwine, Summer finds herself setting sail on a new adventure but will she find herself navigating choppy waters instead?

Please pop over to the Book Date to see what everyone else is reading today.

Skywatch Friday

Charlestown of Aberlour (to give it its full name) on a snowy Winters morning - that sky was full of snow.

Please pop over to the Skywatch blog for more skies from around the world.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

I have 2 books on the go this week.

y main book is The Marble Collector by Cecelia Ahern. I do enjoy the other worldlyness of her books but this is a little bit different. It follows the story of father and daughter and the decisions that they make and the consequences they have on both of their lives. An interesting if slightly sad read.

A forgotten childhood. A discovered life.

What if you only had one day to find out who you really were?

When Sabrina Boggs stumbles upon a mysterious collection of her father’s possessions, she discovers a truth where she never knew there was a lie. The familiar man she grew up with is suddenly a stranger to her.

An unexpected break in her monotonous daily routine leaves her just one day to unlock the secrets of the man she thought she knew. A day that unearths memories, stories and people she never knew existed. A day that changes her and those around her forever.

The Marble Collector is a thought-provoking novel about how the most ordinary decisions we make can have the most extraordinary consequences for how we live our lives. And how sometimes it’s only by shining on a light on someone else, that you can truly understand yourself.

My other book is completely different. The Birthday That Changed Everything by Debbie Johnston is a lighthearted (if slightly rude in places) romp mainly set in a holiday resort. This would be the perfect read for the beach.

She wanted a birthday surprise, just not the one she got…

The last thing Sally Summers expected from her husband on her special day was that he’d leave her for a Latvian lap dancer half her age. So with her world in tatters, Sally jets off to Turkey for some sun, sea and sanctuary.

The Blue Bay resort brings new friends and the perfect balm for Sally’s broken heart in gorgeous Dubliner James. He’s just the birthday present she needs. And when the chemistry between them continues to spark as the holiday ends, Sally wonders if this is more than just a summer fling.

But James has scars of his own and Sally isn’t quite ready to turn her back on her marriage. This birthday might have changed everything, but what will the next one bring?

Please pop over to the Book Date to see what everyone else is reading today.