Stephen King

Weekly Wrap-Up (December 15)

~ noveldeelights ~ 18 Comments

Diiiiiiiid ya miss me? 🤣

Technically, I suppose this is more of a monthly wrap-up because it’s been a while. That pesky socialising crap got in the way of writing up these posts. That would have been somewhat okay if the weekends of socialising had actually been the best time ever but no such luck.

One I spent struggling through a migraine, which meant painkillers and no wine and really, being around people without alcohol to drown out the stupidity is tough. The second one ended with blisters on both feet, resulting in yours truly not being able to walk properly for three days and telling those who asked about the odd limping thing that I had sprained my ankle because that sounded infinitely cooler. The third one was spent with … kids. I don’t have any. To be honest, I’m not even particularly fond of them. Yet they seem to gravitate towards me like magnets. On a good day, I can handle these two I’m talking about just fine. But that day, they were proper little germ factories, tad whiny, puking all over. I mean, hey, fun! *facepalm*. Last but not least, weekend of socialising number four. That didn’t start out so well as we arrived to a party quite late and everyone was drunk. Some drunk people are fun. Here though, one couldn’t stop crying because my dog has died and it was really hard not to join in with her. Her husband has wandering hands and I spent most of the evening trying to bat those away. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I despise that kind of behaviour. At least I was in charge of the music so I was just sort of having my own wee party on the sidelines 😂

In the midst of all of that, the other half hired some decorators to paint our downstairs ceiling and walls. No hassle for him since he was at work all day. For me though? I spent three days upstairs in my bedroom because obviously our furniture was covered in plastic sheets and I couldn’t actually sit anywhere! And at the end of those really long three days, I realised I didn’t like the colours we picked. 😳

Anyway! To the books because yes, I have actually been reading! My competitive self refuses to fail at the annual Goodreads challenge. If I make it, I will have read 50 books less than last year and a 100 less than the year before that. I’m stunned. I know my reading mojo was as hormonal as it gets but struggling to get to 200 books in the middle of December is utterly shocking for me.

| WHAT I HAVE BEEN READING |

I’m still (only) averaging about four books per week but I’ll take it. After all, it’s way better than nothing, right? I’m quite enjoying not reviewing most of them too. Bad blogger 😉. Bar one or two, these were all fantastic books and you might just be seeing some of them again at some point.

| WHAT I HAVE BOUGHT |

That’s quite a low number for me. These were all bought in the last two weeks as well. I was close to putting out an alert for the return of my book buying mojo 😂

I’m totally in love with those special Agatha Christie editions and just had to have them. As for Stephen King, apparently I’m supposed to read more of his books. A very wise person said so. 😜

| BOOK POST WHAT LANDED ON MY DOORSTEP |

As a thank you for helping out with the cover reveal, the lovely people at Headline sent me a proof copy of Heatstroke.

| AS FOR THE BLOG |

Hm. Well, I’ve been quite good at keeping up with the “This Week in Books” posts every Wednesday but other than that, it’s been a tad quiet around here. I’m pretty sure that the reviews I’ve posted in the last month or so can be counted on one hand. To be honest, I don’t see that changing any time soon because I am really enjoying grabbing a book from my shelves and just reading it for pleasure. I do have one review coming up before Christmas but that’s it.

Next week, I will be sharing my top 20 favourite stand-alone books of the year. And at some point, I’ll be sharing my most anticipated ones for next year but that list keeps growing on a daily basis and I may need to split it up into parts. If you thought 2019 was a fabulous bookish year, just you wait for next year! It’s going to be awesome! (with regard to books anyway, let’s not even think about all the other shit). I apologise upfront for your out-of-control wish lists 😂

That’s a wrap for this week! I have just realised it’s only ten days until Christmas (how the hell did that happen?!) and I haven’t written a single card yet so I suppose I should get on that right away.

Wishing you all a fabulous week and lots of happy reading! xx

Weekly Wrap-Up (November 17)

~ noveldeelights ~ 26 Comments

Miserable, miserable week. Cold and dark and wet and blah. Is it Spring yet?

Nothing much else to report. The other half is coming up to the busiest time of year at his job which means long, long hours and lots of alone time for me. And apparently the people in my life have simultaneously decided that three weeks is way more than enough time to spend grieving over the loss of your pet and it’s time to start socialising again. Double blah. So that’s what I’ll be doing this afternoon. With the in-laws. I feel like I’m being punished for something 😂

Reading-wise, you know, I didn’t have such a bad week. Buddy reading is such a great way to keep me motivated because I’m apparently incredibly competitive (who knew?!) and I get a kick out of reaching the checkpoints first. I even wrote a review but Netgalley screwed me over by saying the book I reviewed was published in October when it’s not actually coming until late December. 🙄

So, which books left the TBR pile this week?

| BOOKS I READ THIS WEEK |

Okay, four isn’t all THAT impressive but I’ll take it. I thought about reviewing The Outsider but to be honest, my buddy (reader) Janel did a much better job than I ever could so have a look at her thoughts right here. Furious Hours was unfortunately a huge disappointment and went right onto the charity pile. Non-fiction and I, let’s just say it’s not exactly a match made in heaven. 😂. Keep your eyes pealed for the new Jo Spain, coming early next year. It’s a goodie! As is The Guardians, which I may attempt to review next week.

| BOOKS I BOUGHT THIS WEEK |

I had pre-ordered this months ago. It’s so incredibly pretty! With the jacket on, with the jacket off … gorgeous 🥰

| THE BOOK I’M CURRENTLY READING |

This book …. I mean, I’ve only read about 100 pages but if things keep going as they are, it may just kill me.

| LISTENING TO |

Yep. Still the same audiobook. Granted, it’s really long (have I mentioned that? 🤣) and I since I was actually reading, I didn’t have much time to listen to this one but I’m still only at 43%! Good though, really really good!

Which leads me nicely into some things I’ve been thinking about lately regarding this here blog of mine. Saying “no” to blog tours has been a lot easier than I expected and this in turn is freeing up lots of time to spend on my own TBR. A TBR that holds quite a few classics. Some of which I’m sure I read some time in the dark ages but don’t remember anything about, some that have just been sitting pretty on my shelves since the day I bought them. I think the time has come to tackle them and I fully intend to read at least one of them each month, starting in January. Think The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, Tess of the D’Urbervilles and many more. I’m ridiculously excited about this. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to step away from the new and shiny books from time to time, which quite frankly, in my most humble opinion, are beginning to sound a lot alike lately. As if people have run out of inspiration. Or maybe I’m just reading the wrong books 🤔

Also coming up in the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing my favourite stand-alone books of the year and my favourite additions to series. As soon as I can make sense of my messy lists, that is. I may actually be able to get it down to a Top 10 this year. Maybe.

Right, that’s enough babble for this week. Time for some lunch and to mentally prepare myself for the arrival of the in-laws. Hope there’s wine. 😂

Wishing you all a fabulous week! Until next time! xx

This Week in Books (November 13)

~ noveldeelights ~ 9 Comments

Hosted by Lipsy Lost and Found, my Wednesday post gives you a taste of what I’m reading this week. A similar meme is run by Taking on a World of Words.

| LAST BOOK I FINISHED READING |

When an eleven-year-old boy is found murdered in a town park, reliable eyewitnesses undeniably point to the town’s popular Little League coach, Terry Maitland, as the culprit. DNA evidence and fingerprints confirm the crime was committed by this well-loved family man.

Horrified by the brutal killing, Detective Ralph Anderson, whose own son was once coached by Maitland, orders the suspect to be arrested in a public spectacle. But Maitland has an alibi. And further research confirms he was indeed out of town that day.

As Anderson and the District Attorney trace the clues, the investigation expands from Ohio to Texas. And as horrifying answers begin to emerge, so King’s propulsive story of almost unbearable suspense kicks into high gear.

Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy but there is one rock-hard fact, as unassailable as gravity: a man cannot be in two places at the same time. Can he?

| THE BOOK I’M CURRENTLY READING |

He was framed for murder.
Now he needs a miracle. 

22 years ago Quincy Miller was sentenced to life without parole. He was accused of killing Keith Russo, a lawyer in a small Florida town. But there were no reliable witnesses and little motive. Just the fact that Russo had botched Quincy’s divorce case, that Quincy was black in a largely all-white town and that a blood-splattered torch was found in the boot of Quincy’s car. A torch he swore was planted. A torch that was conveniently destroyed in a fire just before his trial.

The lack of evidence made no difference to judge or jury. In the eyes of the law Quincy was guilty and, no matter how often he protested his innocence, his punishment was life in prison.

Finally, after 22 years, comes Quincy’s one and only chance of freedom. An innocence lawyer and minister, Cullen Post, takes on his case. Post has exonerated eight men in the last ten years. He intends to make Quincy the next.

But there were powerful and ruthless people behind Russo’s murder. They prefer that an innocent man dies in jail rather than one of them. There’s one way to guarantee that. They killed one lawyer 22 years ago, and they’ll kill another without a second thought. 

| WHAT I’M (PROBABLY) READING NEXT |

Yorkshire, 1845. A young wife and mother has gone missing from her home, leaving behind two small children and a large pool of blood. Just a few miles away, a humble parson’s daughters–the Brontë sisters–learn of the crime. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë are horrified and intrigued by the mysterious disappearance.

These three creative, energetic, and resourceful women quickly realize that they have all the skills required to make for excellent “lady detectors.” Not yet published novelists, they have well-honed imaginations and are expert readers. And, as Charlotte remarks, “detecting is reading between the lines–it’s seeing what is not there.”

As they investigate, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne are confronted with a society that believes a woman’s place is in the home, not scouring the countryside looking for clues. But nothing will stop the sisters from discovering what happened to the vanished bride, even as they find their own lives are in great peril…

Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that Bone China by Laura Purcell didn’t survive the week. That is not to say I wasn’t enjoying it but other books suddenly prioritised themselves and let’s face it, this whole reading-three-books-at-the-same-time-thing was never going to last 😂.

Have you read any of these? Would you like to? What are you reading this week? Do let me know! Happy reading! xx

Weekly Wrap-Up (November 10)

~ noveldeelights ~ 49 Comments

Well, not exactly a weekly one as it’s been a while but hi, hello, I’m back!

First things first. For those who don’t know, on October 23rd we were sadly forced to say goodbye to this gorgeous wee face.

It’s been a tough couple of weeks. She and I were together pretty much 24/7 for almost 16 years and I feel utterly and completely lost without her. 💔

Books, my usual escape, have not quite been the remedy to distract me. As you will see from the rest of this post. But I’d rather not let this blog fade into obscurity, even if it means only one post a week and it’s not one about books. 😳

| BOOKS I READ IN OCTOBER |

That’s right. Eight books. In an entire month. Remember the days when I read that in one week? No? Me either 😂

| BOOKS I READ SO FAR IN NOVEMBER |

A sad two. Two books in ten days. And one of them took me a week to get through as well.

Notice how I’ve not reviewed any of them (apart from one which was for a blog tour)? That’s because if you thought my reading mojo went up in smoke, my reviewing mojo is somewhere in another universe, I think. 🙄

| CURRENTLY READING |

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. I am in fact reading three books at once. Slowly. A snail’s pace is nothing compared to how slowly I’m making progress on these. I’m enjoying all three so far but the one that’s able to hold my attention just that little bit more is The Outsider.

| CURRENTLY LISTENING TO |

You’re all going to start thinking you’ve stumbled on the wrong blog, aren’t you? 😂. Me? An audiobook? Why, yes, indeed. And it’s absolutely amazing! I’ve been wanting to listen to this one for ages but never had the time. Thank goodness I finally saw the light and just said no to blog tours 😂

| BOOK POST THAT LANDED ON MY DOORSTEP |

Lucky, lucky blogger.

| WHAT I HAVE BEEN WATCHING |

All 7 seasons of The West Wing, which in my most humble opinion, is one of the best tv shows ever made. The first three or four seasons anyway. And twenty years after it first aired, it is still oddly apt. It’s quite confronting to realise how little has changed in all these years, or how things have become worse even. Stellar cast, fantastic writing, delightful witty moments …. I have a feeling this is a series I will be returning to on a regular basis. Have you ever watched it?

Some of you may remember from a while back, that I quite like my Lego. The other half has been collecting some humongous Star Wars builds and on Monday, he picked up another one. So while listening to David Copperfield, I’ve been doing this :

That’s an internet image, by the way. Did I mention it’s big? I couldn’t get a decent picture of it myself 😂. I finished it yesterday so now I have to find something else to do while listening to my (really long!!!) audiobook.

And that’s it. You’re all caught up. I will be back. Just don’t know when, or with what 🤔

Wishing you all a fabulous week! Until next time! xx

This Week in Books (October 9)

~ noveldeelights ~ 15 Comments

Hosted by Lipsy Lost and Found, my Wednesday post gives you a taste of what I’m reading this week. A similar meme is run by Taking on a World of Words.

| LAST BOOK I FINISHED READING |

Edinburgh, 1850. Despite being at the forefront of modern medicine, hordes of patients are dying all across the city, with doctors finding their remedies powerless. But it is not just the deaths that dismay the esteemed Dr James Simpson – a whispering campaign seeks to blame him for the death of a patient in suspicious circumstances.

Simpson’s protégé Will Raven and former housemaid Sarah Fisher are determined to clear their patron’s name. But with Raven battling against the dark side of his own nature, and Sarah endeavouring to expand her own medical knowledge beyond what society deems acceptable for a woman, the pair struggle to understand the cause of the deaths.

Will and Sarah must unite and plunge into Edinburgh’s deadliest streets to clear Simpson’s name. But soon they discover that the true cause of these deaths has evaded suspicion purely because it is so unthinkable.

| THE BOOK I’M CURRENTLY READING |

Deep in the woods of Maine, there is a dark state facility where kids, abducted from across the United States, are incarcerated. In the Institute they are subjected to a series of tests and procedures meant to combine their exceptional gifts – telepathy, telekinesis – for concentrated effect.

Luke Ellis is the latest recruit. He’s just a regular 12-year-old, except he’s not just smart, he’s super-smart. And he has another gift which the Institute wants to use…

Far away in a small town in South Carolina, former cop Tim Jamieson has taken a job working for the local Sherrif. He’s basically just walking the beat. But he’s about to take on the biggest case of his career.

Back in the Institute’s downtrodden playground and corridors where posters advertise ‘just another day in paradise’, Luke, his friend Kalisha and the other kids are in no doubt that they are prisoners, not guests. And there is no hope of escape.

But great events can turn on small hinges and Luke is about to team up with a new, even younger recruit, Avery Dixon, whose ability to read minds is off the scale. While the Institute may want to harness their powers for covert ends, the combined intelligence of Luke and Avery is beyond anything that even those who run the experiments – even the infamous Mrs Sigsby – suspect.

| WHAT I’M (PROBABLY) READING NEXT |

Carrie’s best friend has an accident and can no longer make the round-the-world trip they’d planned together, so Carrie decides to go it alone.

Violet is also travelling alone, after splitting up with her boyfriend in Thailand. She is also desperate for a ticket on the Trans-Siberian Express, but there is nothing available.

When the two women meet in a Beijing Hotel, Carrie makes the impulsive decision to invite Violet to take her best friend’s place.

Thrown together in a strange country, and the cramped cabin of the train, the women soon form a bond. But as the journey continues, through Mongolia and into Russia, things start to unravel – because one of these women is not who she claims to be…

My next read is subject to change because I’m once again finding myself in that mood where I read 20 pages of a book and put it back on the shelf, only to pick up another one. I’m just rolling with it.

What are you reading this week? Do let me know! Happy reading! xx

September Wrap-Up

~ noveldeelights ~ 31 Comments

Well, hello there! Long time, no see! Hope you’re all well.

I didn’t plan on taking almost the entire month off but the post-holiday blues are strong and the blogging mojo is low. Not helped by coming from two weeks in glorious 30+ degrees temperatures to what is that awful time of year called Autumn. Ugh.

For those who don’t know, I spent two weeks in Umbria with gorgeous views of Lake Trasimeno. It’s a good thing we had that view to gaze at without ever getting sick of it since on the first Wednesday, I pulled a muscle in my back and was unable to move for three days. I have excellent timing, don’t you know. 🙄

Of course there was also yummy food, delicious wine, a 2 litre bottle of Limoncello that was mysteriously empty three hours later with dire consequences 😳 and I even went on a boat. Twice. Some of you will know what a big deal that is. 🤣

Bookish talk. I took 8 books with me, which the other half thought was way too ambitious. I laughed in his face, despite having only managed two books during last year’s holiday, and was determined to do better this year.

So I read one. And a half. I finished the other half when I was already back home again. Oops. Technically though, they were two books from the Shardlake series. One of 715 pages and the other one 706. So that’s three books, right? 🤔

Let us now take a look at the grand total of books yours truly has read during the entire month of September.

| BOOKS I READ IN SEPTEMBER |

What’s the word I’m looking for here? Pathetic! Absolutely and utterly pathetic! Even though technically, 🤣, the three Shardlake books count as 6, that is still a measly 7 which doesn’t sound that much better, to be honest.

Let’s just quickly move on, shall we.

| BOOKS I BOUGHT IN SEPTEMBER |

Ah, well, at least the book buying mojo still works!

| BOOKPOST WHAT LANDED ON MY DOORSTEP THIS MONTH |

With thanks to Michael Joseph and Orenda Books.

I’m skipping the round-up of my blog posts from this month because there wasn’t all that much to see anyway.

And that may be a recurring theme from now on. I may have to seriously reconsider the weekly wrap-up posts I’ve been doing, although I love doing them and interacting with you guys. It’s not that I’m not reading. In fact, I’m about 100 pages away from finishing my first book of October. It’s that I can’t be bothered to review them. That’s bad, right?

On top of that, my determination to slow down with blog tours has really paid off. I currently have one review tour for October and two for November. Hence why I had the time to finally get caught up on the Shardlake series. I’m immensely looking forward to reading my own books and clearing my shelves because I’m running out of room and according to the other half, piling stacks of books on the floor in front of the bookshelves isn’t an option. 🙄

But I’m sure you see the problem here. If I’m not writing reviews, there will be no blog updates and thus no wrap-ups. Unless you’d all like to stare at a blank page every Sunday. I’m happy to oblige 😂

Anyway, we shall see. Right now, I’m perfectly happy about slowing down for a while and maybe catching up on my Netflix list for a change. Or maybe next week, I’ll be back to reading and reviewing like there’s no tomorrow and I’ll be left to wonder why I wrote all this stuff.

So, stay tuned, I guess. 😂

Hope everyone has a fabulous week and October is off to a great start for you all! See you next time and in the meantime I wish you all lots of happy reading! xx

Weekly Wrap-Up (June 2)

~ noveldeelights ~ 20 Comments

I refuse to believe it’s June. Absolutely refuse. I only just got used to writing 2019 everywhere and we’re almost halfway through the year. What is happening?!

Hey, guess what? Weather update! 😉. I am roasting! Out of nowhere, we suddenly have 30°C temperatures today and now I’m impersonating one of those old farts that complain about it being too hot to go outside! There’s just no pleasing me, is there? I have no problems being outside all day in this kind of weather in Italy but here? Not so much.

Speaking of Italy, three months to go and I’m off! Not that I’m counting down or anything.

This week has mostly been spent digging up old Playstation games and having a blast. You might be surprised to hear that I did manage to read though. Not a lot, by my standards anyway but it is what it is and I’m not fretting. Yet.

| BOOKS I READ THIS WEEK |

Three is the new seven (or eight). I’m actually quite enjoying this change of pace and I’m still ten days ahead of the schedule so I will actually have some time to squeeze in one (or two) of my 20 Books of Summer books this week too. As soon as I can decide which one to start with, that is. I just need two or three books in a row to really pull me back in and I’ll be off so watch this space. Might even manage four books read next week 😂

| BOOKS I BOUGHT THIS WEEK |

Oops. Not entirely sure what happened here. Not to worry though. I’m sure this is just a blip. 😉

| BOOK POST THAT LANDED ON MY DOORSTEP THIS WEEK |

With thanks to Titan, Endeavour and Transworld. Two for blog tours, one I just couldn’t resist when it was offered to me. That’s The Colorado Kid. Although I must admit there was some pressure from the other half to accept it. Not entirely sure why. I mean, it’s not like HE will read it! 🙄

| ON THE BLOG THIS PAST WEEK |

Monday : Hosted a stop on the blog tour for Your Deepest Fear by David Jackson

Tuesday : Joined the blog tour for The Wartime Midwives by Daisy Styles

Wednesday : Shared My Week in Books

Thursday : Nothing

Friday : Posted my 20 Books of Summer Challenge list

Saturday : Took the day off

Sunday : Hosted a stop on the blog tour for Someone is Lying by Jenny Blackhurst and posted my weekly wrap-up

| NEXT WEEK ON NOVEL DEELIGHTS |

Monday : Probably nothing

Tuesday : There may be a review. Or not. We’ll see.

Wednesday : This Week in Books

Thursday : Blog tour | Extract | The House On The Edge Of The Cliff by Carol Drinkwater

Friday : Blog tour | Review | Wolves At The Door by Gunnar Staalesen

Saturday : Taking the day off

Sunday : Weekly Wrap-Up

Please tell me it’s obvious that I did make a conscious effort at some point to slow down with the blog tours? 😂 Can I keep it up though?

Question of the week : Likeable versus unlikeable characters. Do they make a difference to your reading experience? For example, Skin Deep by Liz Nugent features the most unlikeable main character ever but it’s one of my favourite books. Some people were put off though. Some people need a likeable character to get behind and I understand that completely. It makes no difference to me though. I often find I lean towards to the unlikeable characters instead because they always intrigue and fascinate me more. Thoughts?

The other half is off with his former army buddies for the day and I have the whole house to myself! I’ll be catching up on some reviews, maybe read a little but most of all, try my hardest not to melt.

Hope everyone has a fabulous week and I wish you all lots of happy reading! xx