Libby Audiobook: Hidden Potential, Adam Grant

Key take home for me is you learn more by teaching others.

4/5
 

Kindle Audiobook: The Blackbird Conspiracy, Tariq Ashkanani

 

Second in the detective Callie Munro series. Enjoy the writing and the characters.

4/5

Kindle Audiobook: The Fallen Angel, Andy Maslen

So enjoying this series. In this one a guy is found crucified in a church.

4/5

Kindle Audiobook: The Country House Murders, Friday Turner

 A sweet, cosy murder mystery set during the Second World War.

I enjoyed the setting and the mystery, although there were a couple of things that didn't quite work for me.

One detail I struggled with was Freddie visiting Polly in her bedroom while they were staying at someone else's stately home, even sitting in there eating with her. They were "engaged", but still unmarried, and it just felt surprisingly relaxed for the period. Perhaps I'm being overly conservative on behalf of 1940s Britain, but it kept pulling me out of the story!

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was good overall. At times, though, the slightly sing-song delivery, particularly when a character was uncertain or questioning something, started to grate on me.

Still, a sweet and enjoyable cosy mystery.

3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Libby Audiobook: The Dalai Lama's Cat, and the Art of Purring, David Michie

Looking at the reviews, I am definitely in the minority with this one.

The content was sweet, and I understood and appreciated what the book was trying to do, but I just didn't particularly enjoy it.

My biggest issue was actually with the audiobook. The story is told from the perspective of a female cat, so I found the decision to have a man narrate it rather odd. At first I assumed perhaps the author was narrating it himself, which would have made more sense to me, but that wasn't the case.

The narrator was good, so this isn't a criticism of his performance. Because the story is told in the first person by a female cat, I found myself wishing the audiobook had used a female narrator. For me, it would simply have suited the character better.

Towards the end, I also started getting confused by all the different names and found myself becoming more irritated than engaged.

Clearly this book has connected with a lot of readers, but unfortunately it just wasn't quite for me.

3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

 

Kindle Audiobook: Until She Dies, Kendra Elliot

Thir

d in the Noelle Marshall series. It's ok. The one where Emma, is kidnapped by the same guy that kidnapped her mom. 

Kindle: Nesting, Roisin O'Donnell

 

I think this might be my favourite book of the year so far.

I genuinely couldn't put it down.

The beginning caused me a huge amount of angst as Ciara tried to navigate leaving her emotionally abusive husband. I was rooting for her throughout and became increasingly frustrated with Ryan and his manipulation and control.

The characters felt incredibly real, and I was completely invested in what happened to Ciara and her children. It's beautifully written, compelling and, at times, deeply uncomfortable.

There were also some wonderful observations about family, love and ageing. This one, when Ciara is describing her mother, particularly stayed with me:

"Is this the final act of love, refusing to see someone ageing?" 

Absolutely loved it.

5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐