It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

I am reading Out of Bounds by Val McDermid. She used to be one of my favourite authors and I loved the Tony Hill series.

When a teenage joyrider crashes a stolen car and ends up in a coma, a routine DNA test could be the key to unlocking the mystery of a twenty-year-old murder inquiry. Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie is an expert at solving the unsolvable. With each cold case closed, justice is served. So, finding the answer should be straightforward, but it's as twisted as the DNA helix itself.

Meanwhile Karen finds herself irresistibly drawn to another case, one that she has no business investigating. And as she pieces together decades-old evidence, Karen discovers the most dangerous kinds of secrets. Secrets that someone is willing to kill for . . .

I am also reading a book by a brand new author to me - The Girl at the End of the Road by K A Hitchins. So far so good.

Vincent's world has imploded. Only by confronting the past will he discover his future.
High-flying financier Vincent Stevens has lost everything in the economic crash - smart London flat, trophy girlfriend, champagne lifestyle - and is forced to return to the village of his birth. Dogged by family obligations and unsettling childhood memories, he wants his extravagant life in the City back at any cost. But then he meets Sarah, the enigmatic girl whose friendship will throw everything he values into question. A shocking discovery forces him to make the biggest decision of his life. Will he return to a world defined by winners and losers, or will he choose love?

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

Skywatch Friday

Lunchtimes now involve walking a mile before I have to head back to my desk. Lucky to have a park close to my office.

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

#walk1000miles2017

It's Monday. What Are You Reading.

Why am I reading Christmas books in February??

I got them out of the library but didn't get round to reading them over the festive period - and now they need to be returned. I hate taking books back to the library unread.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Lisa Dickenson is a light funny read.

At thirty, Claudia's life is stale and the romance with long-term boyfriend, Seth, has disappeared. Determined to inject some festive spark back into their love life, Claudia and Seth go on their first date in a very long time. But when the night ends in disaster, Claudia suddenly finds herself facing life - and Christmas - alone.

Life alone is exciting, scary and full of soon-forgotten exercise regimes and ill-advised attempts at crafting sexy underwear. It's also filling up with dates, surprisingly. With best friends Penny and Nick at her side, a surplus of festive markets, mulled wine and Christmas tunes, Claudia attempts to face all this change with gusto. One thing's for certain: this year, Christmas is going to be very different . . .

This is the story of Claudia and her twelve dates of Christmas. Hilarious, uplifting and romantic, it's a story about losing love, finding love, and discovering what's been there all along. Expect Christmas sparkle, butterflies-in-your-stomach romance and a lot of very funny moments in The Twelve Dates of Christmas.

And I really really hope The Breakdown by B A Paris lives up to my expectations.

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

It all started that night in the woods.

Cass Anderson didn’t stop to help the woman in the car, and now she’s dead.

Ever since, silent calls have been plaguing Cass and she’s sure someone is watching her.

Consumed by guilt, she’s also starting to forget things. Whether she took her pills, what her house alarm code is – and if the knife in the kitchen really had blood on it.

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

New parkrun pb

Not sure where it came from this morning.

Didn't feel great when I woke up - so a couple of Ibuprofen along with my cuppa when I woke up.

Turned up at the allotted time thinking I would just go for my usual plod round the park.

Met a friend - had a chat - he gave me several power beans - was told they are jelly beans for runners - tasted OK.

Got stuck behind a small dog on a lead which was weaving all over the path.

Put on my usual attempt at a spring finish and was amazed to see a time of under 28 minutes - 27.55 which is 4 seconds off my previous pb.

There is life in the old dog yet :)  

Skywatch Friday

A 7 mile run through the forest with this fabulous group of girls.

It was icy in places.

It was cold.

We had big smiles.

But who cares when you are rewarded with a view like this.

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

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Good morning.

Today I am reading two totally different titles.

First I am reading Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. A weightly book and not an easy subject matter but so well written.

When a newborn baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, there is no doubt about who will be held responsible: the nurse who had been banned from looking after him by his father.

What the nurse, her lawyer and the father of the child cannot know is how this death will irrevocably change all of their lives, in ways both expected and not.

Second I am reading Jungle Rock by Caroline James - a light hearted rom com but very readable.

Handsome young chef Zach Docherty is feeling the heat. Following an exposé in a national newspaper, his fiancée Poppy Dunlop has broken their engagement. Heartbroken at the thought of life without Poppy, Zach drowns his sorrows and, when his agent suggests that Zach becomes a contestant in a reality TV show, Jungle Survival, he reluctantly agrees. Plunged deep in the jungle, into a bizarre mix of talent and trials, Zach meets glamour model Cleo Petra, and the cameras go crazy. 
Will Zach survive and be crowned Jungle King? Or will his latest exploits push Poppy further away...

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

Skywatch Friday

A walk along the Moray Firth at Nairn.

#walk100miles2017.

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