It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Hi.

I am a cat lover so Molly and the Cat Cafe by by Melissa Daley appealed to me straight away.

When two-year-old tabby, Molly, loses her beloved owner, her world falls apart. Re-homed with three cat-hating dogs, she decides to take matters into her own paws and embarks on a gruelling journey to the nearest town. As Molly walks the cobbled streets of Stourton, she begins to lose all hope of finding a home . . .

Until one day she is welcomed into the warmth by caring café owner, Debbie. Like Molly, Debbie is also an outsider and, with a daughter to care for, she is desperate to turn around the struggling café.

But a local battleaxe is on the warpath and she is determined to keep out newcomers, especially four-legged ones. It looks as if Debbie will have to choose between the café and Molly. Yet maybe the solution to their problems may not be as far away as they think.

Will Debbie and Molly be able to turn their fortunes around to launch the Cotswolds' first Cat Café?

A couple of my favourite |TV chefs are Dave and Si aka The Hairy Bikers so their story Blood, Sweat and Tyres also appealed to me. I had no idea what their backgrounds were and their childhoods were both quite sad. An entertaining read and you can hear their voices whilst you are reading. Their Hairy Dieters cookbooks are the most used cookbooks in my kitchen and I am happy to see that they have a new book coming out in May.

Si King and Dave Myers, AKA the Hairy Bikers have travelled an interesting road. Born in the north of England, both Si and Dave had their childhood challenges. For Si, being bullied as the fat kid in class was part of his daily school routine. For Dave, his life changed when he became a childhood carer for his mother. But through the challenges of their early years came a love of really good food.

And it was food that brought Si and Dave together. Their eyes met over a curry and a pint on the set of a Catherine Cooksoon drama, and they knew they would be firm and fast friends for life.

From deserts to desserts, potholes to pot roasts, the nation's favourite cooking duo reveals what's made their friendship such a special and lasting one. They've eaten their way around the world a good few times, but have never lost sight of what matters: great friends, great family and great food.

In this heartwarming memoir of friendship and hilarious misadventure, Si and Dave take you on the ride of their lives!

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

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Probably trying to read too much this week - but books needing to be back at the library and reviews to be written.

My first book - and it's a big one - is Over The Top and Back : The Autobiography by Sir Tom Jones. I love Sir Tom - growing up in Wales it is difficult to avoid him. Amazes me how he reinvents himself and remains so popular. I can remember my Nan going to see him in concert many many years ago and more recently he has been one of the coaches on The Voice. So far this seems like a very honest and well written account of his life.

Across six decades, Sir Tom Jones has maintained a vital career in a risky, unstable business notorious for the short lives of its artists. With a drive that comes from nothing but the love for what he does, he breaks through and then wrestles with the vagaries of the music industry, the nature of success and its inevitable consequences. Having recorded an expansive body of work and performed with fellow artists from across the spectrum and across every popular music genre, from rock, pop and dance to country, blues and soul, the one constant throughout has been his unique musical gifts and unmistakable voice.

But how did a boy from a Welsh coal-mining family attain success across the globe? And how has he survived the twists and turns of fame and fortune to not only stay exciting, but actually become more credible and interesting with age? In this, his first ever autobiography, Tom revisits his past and tells the tale of his journey from wartime Pontypridd to LA and beyond. He reveals the stories behind the ups and downs of his fascinating and remarkable life, from the early heydays to the subsequent fallow years to his later period of artistic renaissance.

It's the story nobody else knows or understands, told by the man who lived it, and written the only way he knows how: simply and from the heart.

Raw, honest, funny and powerful, this is a memoir like no other from one of the world's greatest ever singing talents.

This is Tom Jones and Over the Top and Back is his story.

Treasure of the Heart by Ruth Saberton is the 4th installment in the Polwenna Bay series and I was excited to see a post on Facebook from Ruth asking for people to read and review her new book - too good an opportunity to miss. Each book is written from a different characterrs point of view - and this time it is Issie Tremaine.

Arrive a stranger in Polwenna Bay, the picturesque Cornish fishing village full of drama and surprises, and leave as a friend. 

The heart is a deep ocean of treasure… 

For twenty-two years Issie Tremaine’s wild behaviour has driven her family to distraction. Now, with the future she’d dreamed of in tatters, she’s returned home to try and forget the past. When a huge winter storm and the arrival of a handsome stranger cause upheaval in the village there is an even greater tempest in Issie’s heart. Dare she trust again? Or will she only face more betrayal? 

As a professional treasure hunter, American Luke Dawson can’t risk any distractions. With his reputation hanging in the balance he’s staking everything on a major find in England and daren’t let anyone get in his way. Not even the passionate and free spirited girl he can’t stop thinking about. 

Alice Tremaine’s world has been her family. Since the death of her daughter-in-law she’s single handedly raised her grandchildren, often at the expense of her own happiness. Now they are grown up, Alice is resigned to a quiet life in Polwenna Bay until her past returns to challenge her and awaken a love she’d thought long lost … 

With a stormy start to the New Year, secrets and fears are swept away with the crashing tides and long forgotten truths are laid bare. What treasure lies beneath the ocean and in the hidden depths of hearts? And who will be brave enough to claim it? 

And finally a book I received from The Book Club over on Facebook in exchange for an honest review - Beyond Evidence by Emma L Clapperton. I left it sitting on my Kindle for quite a while before starting it - and now I am wondering why I left it so long - gripping is the word.

In an alley way of the back streets of Glasgow there lies a decomposing corpse of a slain female baking in the midday heat. No one has found her yet, but medium Patrick McLaughlin knows she is there. It is not the first time he has dreamt of death... and he soon finds out that it is not to be the last. 

Meanwhile, the local police start to request DNA samples from twenty something men in the bustling city of Glasgow where several bizarre murders have taken place. 

Through a hunch and in the belief that the terrifying dreams hold the key to the identity of the murderer, Patrick works alongside the police to track down the predator before they can strike again. 

The nightmares do not ease up and begin to tear at Patricks sanity and in the midst of the investigation, at what cost would Patrick have to pay to stop the killer striking again? 

His friends? 

His family? 

His life?

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

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Monday again.

I have just finished reading The Little Flowershop by the Sea by Ali McNamara - a new author to me. Really enjoyed this light quirky read set in Cornwall. Slowly the story unfolded to introduce a miriad of colourful characters and revealing their pasts. Highly recommended.

The blossom is out in the little Cornish harbour town of St Felix

But Poppy Carmichael's spirits aren't lifted by the pretty West Country spring. Inheriting her grandmother's flower shop has forced her to return to Cornwall, a place that holds too many memories.

Poppy is determined to do her best for the sake of her adored grandmother, but she struggles with the responsibility of the more-shabby-than-chic shop. And with the added complication of Jake, the gruff but gorgeous local flower grower, Poppy is very tempted to run away...

The pretty little town has a few surprises in store for Poppy. With new friends to help her and romance blooming, it's time for Poppy to open her heart to St Felix and to the special magic of a little flower shop by the sea!

I have almost finished The Woman Who Upped and Left by Fiona Gibson - an amusing read.

This morning I started My Lynda by Michael Pattermore. I read Lynda Bellinghams last book a few months ago which was written just before she passed away - and I wil admit to crying in places as I read it. I thin this book might be something similar as it is written by her husband.

Lynda Bellingham died in her husband Michael's arms on 19th October 2014. Lynda touched many lives in her memoir, There's Something I've Been Dying to Tell You, and in My Lynda, Michael tells his side of the story. He talks movingly about their ten years together and describes how, in the past year, he has struggled to cope. He shares candidly his experience of grief, offering hope and support to others who have lost partners and loved ones. His is a book to comfort those who loved Lynda, to tell the missing pieces of their life together, to write about how they both confronted the news of her illness, and how he managed to continue since that moment of hearing that she had a teminal illness.

And finally a squeal of delight when one of my favourite authors posted on Facebook last night that she was after people to read advance copies of her new book, Treasures of the Heart, in the Polwenna Bay series. It arrived on my Kindle this morning and I so want to start it straight away.

Arrive a stranger in Polwenna Bay, the picturesque Cornish fishing village full of drama and surprises, and leave as a friend. 


The heart is a deep ocean of treasure… 

For twenty-two years Issie Tremaine’s wild behaviour has driven her family to distraction. Now, with the future she’d dreamed of in tatters, she’s returned home to try and forget the past. When a huge winter storm and the arrival of a handsome stranger cause upheaval in the village there is an even greater tempest in Issie’s heart. Dare she trust again? Or will she only face more betrayal? 

As a professional treasure hunter, American Luke Dawson can’t risk any distractions. With his reputation hanging in the balance he’s staking everything on a major find in England and daren’t let anyone get in his way. Not even the passionate and free spirited girl he can’t stop thinking about. 

Alice Tremaine’s world has been her family. Since the death of her daughter-in-law she’s single handedly raised her grandchildren, often at the expense of her own happiness. Now they are grown up, Alice is resigned to a quiet life in Polwenna Bay until her past returns to challenge her and awaken a love she’d thought long lost … 

With a stormy start to the New Year, secrets and fears are swept away with the crashing tides and long forgotten truths are laid bare. What treasure lies beneath the ocean and in the hidden depths of hearts? And who will be brave enough to claim it? 

Do I? Don't I?

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

parkrun

parkrun (with a small p!)  finally arrived in Moray on 5th March.

parkrun  for the uninitiated is a timed 5k run held every Saturday morning come rain or shine. It is open to all abilities - including pushing buggys, dogs on leads and well behaved children. It is most definatley not a race.

Elgin now hosts the most Northerly parkrun in the British Isles.

A team of volunteers stage the event - I was a marshall on the first corner - and entry is free. All you need to do is register on the parkrun website, print off your barcode and arrive for 9.30am.

We were all amazed when 216 runners turned up for our inaugural event - including a chap who had driven all the way up from Southport!

An amazing write up in the local press.

This Saturday I decided to run - along with 158 other like minded people.

Even though it was raining.

And was chuffed with my sub 30 time.

Roll on next Saturday.

The Cosy Teashop in the Castle Tour.

Caroline Roberts was a new author to me before I read this scrumptious book - but I will now be going back to read Torn Up Marriage in the very near future.

The storyline appealed to me from the outset - a castle - a teashop - cakes - and a love interest. What is there not to like?

And for the cover - it is gorgeous and I do secretly harbour a desire to run a little teashop selling homemade goodies.

The story followed Ellie - stuck in a bit of a dead end job - but with dreams of running her own teashop. Somehow she manages to wing the interview and with her Grandmothers legacy she sets to work at Claverham Castle. It all seems a daunting prospect at first and Ellie does struggle somewhat to get her enterprise off the ground. Enter the castle manager - the lovely Joe and then there is a love interest.

I loved this gentle story with its historic setting, romance and recipes. I am sure I am not the only one who can't wait to try out the Choffee Cake!

Sadly for me I am on a diet so cake is a bit of a no no. If I visited the tearooms at Claverham Castle I would have a bowl of soup to fill me up. This recipe below is for my favourite soup at the moment - lentil and bacon - and the bonus is it is Slimming World friendly.

The Cosy Teashop in the Castle is available to buy on Amazon in paperback or for the kindle (which is an absolute steal at just 99p)

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Not one. Not two. But three books this week.

I don't normally have 3 books on the go but when a new title pops up on your Kindle that you really really want to read - what are you to do.

This week I am reading Coffin Road by Peter May. A dark mystery set on the Western Island of Scotland. I am really not sure which direction this book is taking me in but it so well written and atmospheric it has drawn me in. It helps also that we visited the islands of Lewis and Harris a few years ago so I am familiar with the setting.

A man is washed up on a deserted beach on the Hebridean Isle of Harris, barely alive and borderline hypothermic. He has no idea who he is or how he got there. The only clue to his identity is a map tracing a track called the Coffin Road. He does not know where it will lead him, but filled with dread, fear and uncertainty he knows he must follow it.

A detective crosses rough Atlantic seas to a remote rock twenty miles west of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. With a sense of foreboding he steps ashore where three lighthouse keepers disappeared more than a century before - a mystery that remains unsolved. But now there is a new mystery - a man found bludgeoned to death on that same rock, and DS George Gunn must find out who did it and why.

A teenage girl lies in her Edinburgh bedroom, desperate to discover the truth about her father's death. Two years after the discovery of the pioneering scientist's suicide note, Karen Fleming still cannot accept that he would wilfully abandon her. And the more she discovers about the nature of his research, the more she suspects that others were behind his disappearance.

I am also reading The Woman Who Upped and Left by Fiona Gibson. I have read a couple of her books and they have both been fun reads - this one has had me laughing out loud in places.

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…

And the one I couldn't wait to read? The first in a new series by Cathy Bramley called The Plumberry School of Comfort Food. So far it looks to be shaping up very well - perfect for curling up with with a cuppa.

Verity Bloom hasn't been interested in cooking anything more complicated than the perfect fish finger sandwich, ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago. 

But an opportunity to help a friend is about to land her right back in the heart of the kitchen! The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is due to open in a few weeks’ time and has rather gone off the boil. It needs the kind of great ideas that only Verity could cook up . . .

But as Verity tries to balance stirring up publicity, keeping their top chef sweet and soothing her aching heart, will her move to Plumberry prove to be a sheer delight . . . or a recipe for disaster?

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