First trimester nausea/tiredness meant reading has been sloooow over the last few months but here’s what I worked through in between dry heaving over absolutely nothing.
The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer - Joel Dicker
Two mysteries; one in 1994 when the quiet seaside town of Orphea reels from the discovery of four murders and one twenty years later when a journalist approaches the police officers and suggests they got the wrong guy and the real murderer is still out there. But before she can give more details, she vanishes. I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was a well laid out mystery and I read until the end because I wanted to know what happened, but on the other I found myself getting bored at times and felt the book could have been a lot shorter. 2/5
The Road Trip - Beth O’Leary
Beth O’Leary’s third novel follows Addie and Dylan, flashing between the start (and end) of their relationship in France and the awkward road trip they are forced to take together two years later. She is fast becoming an author whose books I’ll buy without even reading the blurb. They are the ultimate feel-good reads but without feeling remotely cheesy. Her characters are always vivid and flawed, she’s not afraid from delving into dark topics and the stories always have the ability to make me laugh & cry. I love them, and The Road Trip was no different. 5/5
A Coat of Yellow Paint - Naomi Davis
I’ve been reading Naomi’s blog Love Taza for several years now so I automatically picked up her book when it came out. A collection of essays on family, motherhood, careers, infertility, life in general. It’s an easy and enjoyable read, although I would say it’s probably more for those who already read her blog. 3/5
The Prison Healer - Lynette Noni
Kiva Meridan has worked as a healer at the notorious death prison Zalindov for ten years. Her only goal is to stay alive in the hope that one day she will be rescued. One day the infamous Rebel Queen arrives at the prison and Kiva receives the message: Don’t let her die. We are coming. The queen is sentenced to the Trial by Ordeal: a series of challenges against air, fire, water and earth. Kiva volunteers to take her place; if she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted freedom. But no one has ever survived. I loved this story; the complex fantasy world was created really well and immediately drew me in. The characters jump from the page and I loved the two twists; particularly the big one at the end. Can’t wait for the next in the series, due out later this year. 5/5
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series - Stieg Larsson
This was a re-read; I’ve read this trilogy a few times over the years. I’m sure many people have heard of these now; they follow Lizbeth Salandar, a computer hacker, and Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist in a complicated story about cold murder cases, violence against women, government corruption, and the power of the media. I’ve always thought that they are brilliant (although they should come with every trigger warning in the book) and would highly recommend if you’ve never read. 5/5
Happy reading folks x
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