Rambling About Writing and Being 'A Writer'

I remember as teen, when I was at school and university, feeling really embarrassed to tell people I liked to write. Mainly because they would then go on to ask 'oh cool, can I read something?' and the answer to that was always a big, giant 'NOPE'. As a result of keeping that card close to my chest, a lot of friends now have no idea that I tend to enjoy sitting in front of my laptop with a cup of coffee and writing down whatever my stream of consciousness tells me to to. I also tend to enjoy stalking the cast of Supernatural on social media, but another post entirely...

As a child, I constantly had my nose stuck in a book or a notebook, reading and writing. I remember regularly eating my dinner with one hand, with a book clutched in the other then afterwards spending hours in front of my dad's computer writing kids stories and short novellas. Most of them were nonsense, granted, but the odd one had a ring to it. And as I got older, more and more things I scribbled down felt OK, until I decided that one day I would put my nose to the grindstone and get something published. That day hasn't come, because life got in the way, but another 2017 goal might be to finally hit that milestone...

October Book Recommendations

I don't think a day went by last month when I didn't pick up a book or two, or didn't have Audible playing in the background. Audible has to be one of my favourite things ever, and I don't think I could live without it. (Exaggeration? Maybe, maybe not.) If you don't already know what it is, basically it's an app you download to your phone/tablet that enables you to listen to audiobooks whenever and wherever. Life-changing, for those of us who have long commutes, spend hours cooking in the kitchen, or want a distraction other than music while out running.

I went on a MAJOR Blake Crouch spree this month, after seeing Dark Matter featured on the Instagram accounts of a few book bloggers, and bought it on a whim. I love the way his books flow, every chapter is incredibly gripping and I honestly feel like a huge Wayward Pines hole has opened up in my life now that I've finished that trilogy.

If you're looking for something good to get you through the dark, chilly Octoer evenings here are my recommendations:

• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
• Pines by Blake Crouch
• Wayward by Blake Crouch
• The Last Town by Blake Crouch
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I also re-read a couple of chick-lit (I loathe that phrase) books for some light relief:

• Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella and Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella. The two latest instalments in the life of Becky Bloomwood, one of my favourite characters. Fun, easy reading.
• Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend by Jenny Colgan. Not great, but not terrible. Riches-to-rags story, worth a flick through but I wouldn't rush out and buy it. 

Currently reading:

• Run by Blake Crouch
• Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
• The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Whatever will I do when I run out Blake Crouch? Be asking you all for recommendations I imagine!

September Book Recommendations

September already? My, my, where is the year going?!

I get asked this question a lot: what are you reading right now? Can you recommend any good books? And the answers are always: 'I'm reading about four different things' and 'Of course I can!' So if you're looking for something to get stuck into this September, here are my recommendations:

When I discover a new author that I really like, I tend to go on a bit of a spree with their books, so you may see a theme here...

• I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. 'In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh.' Beautifully descriptive work, with a huge twist which grabs your attention and doesn't let go.
• I See You by Clare Mackintosh. 'You do the same thing every day. You know exactly where you're going. You're not alone.' My favourite of the two Mackintosh books, but only just. This one I found particularly haunting, days after finishing it. 
• Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson. 'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning.' I read this in two days while on the beach in Sardinia, so that shows how gripping this novel truly is.  
• Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty. 'Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small dog. It’s just a normal weekend. What could possibly go wrong?' This has to be my favourite book in a while. Addictive, perfectly-paced, and well-built characters you can't help but grow to love. 
• What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. 'Alice Love is twenty-nine, crazy about her husband, and pregnant with her first child. Or so she thinks...' Funny, sad, heart-warming and the type of book that wrings wry smiles from anyone reading it. 
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. You'll have heard of this one, I'm sure. I found this a particularly chilling, gripping read and struggled to put it down. 

As for what I'm reading right now...

• The Natural Way of Things, by Charlotte Wood - recommended to me by my lovely friend Giselle, this book is haunting and so well-written I can't put it down. 
• The Husband's Secret, by Lianne Moriarty - continuing my Moriarty love-affair. I've got this on Audible to listen to on my morning/evening commutes. 
• Come Away With Me, by Karma Brown - a wonderful debut novel about finding yourself after a tragic loss. Goodreads.com calls it 'a luminous celebration of the strength of the human spirit' and so far, I have to agree.

Summer Reading List

I'm counting down the days until our holiday to Sardinia (only 26 sleeps left!), and no plane journey and holiday by the beach is complete without a good selection of holiday reading. I'm doing a 2016 book challenge - 50 books in a year - and I'm doing pretty well, so 7 days in the sun will certainly help towards that.

I already have most of these either on my Kindle or hard copies, so don't really have to worry about spending a lot on books the way I normally do in the last few days before catching a plane/in the airport shops.

Book Review: In A Dark, Dark Wood

My advice? Cancel your plans this evening, pick up a copy of this eerie novel on your way home, curl up with a cuppa, and get drawn in.

Summary:

Nora hasn’t seen Clare for ten years. Not since Nora walked out of school one day and never went back.

Until, out of the blue, an invitation to Clare’s bachelorette party arrives. Is this a chance for Nora to finally put her past behind her?

But something goes wrong. Very wrong.

Reading List 2016

I always make long, elaborate reading lists at the start of every year and seem to add so many books to them every week that, in the end, they resemble something insurmountable. This year is going the same way, I can tell...

This year's theme is: Try Something New...
1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass
I'm already halfway through this, and I struggle to put it down. The characters are wonderfully written and developed, and I really warm to the protagonist, Celeana, who is feisty and strong-willed. I think this is a series I'm going to enjoy a lot.

2. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
To be honest, the summary of this story (and the series in general) doesn't excite me. But I've heard so many glowing reviews from book bloggers on Instagram that it's time I gave it a shot.

3. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
I haven't read any of the Grisha Trilogy - perhaps I should? But this one intrigued me much more, so it's third on my list and sitting ready on the shelf next to my bed.

To-Read List

I love reading. My favourite thing to do after a long day is to kick back with a cup of coffee (or something stronger if the situation commands) and dive into a new book. I have a never-ending list of books to read and am guilty of buying piles of them at once. 

Here is my current to-read list:

1. Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham (above). I've heard mixed reviews about this book, mostly good, but wanted to give it a shot. I haven't seen Girls so I'm coming into it totally fresh, and the first few chapters are pretty good so far!

2. The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer. I'd heard precious little about this book, but then one of my good friends Instagrammed a photo of her copy and I went straight to Amazon and bought one of my own. I just have a good feeling about this one.

3. Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan. This is on my Kindle, which I take everywhere with me, and as I'm just finishing up Little Beach Street Bakery I figured this would be an excellent time to dive into the sequel. I loved the first one, so I hope this one is just as good. 

4. The Secret Garden by Johanna Basford. OK so this isn't exactly on my to-read list since it's a colouring book for adults, but it's sitting on my coffee table staring at me sweetly, so I had to include it. I love scribbling, so when I read an article about this book I had to pick up a copy (and a set of art supplies) ASAP, and I'm glad I did. I can see so many relaxing afternoons to be had with this. 

5. Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking. I have an obsession with Stephen Hawking (last year you could find me on the beach in Cyprus reading A Brief History of Time) so when my friend mentioned this book I insisted she lend me it. 

What are you reading right now? Do you have any recommendations?