[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

4) The Excalibur Codex - James Douglas

 

 

Synopsis - For countless generations the sword had been kept hidden, ready for a time of need. But not hidden well enough, because on one warm July night in1937 it vanished - its disappearance swallowed up in the storm clouds of war that would soon engulf the world.

1941 - twelve SS generals gather at a castle in East Prussia to re-enact an ancient rite and call on the spirits of Europe’s mightiest warriors to aid them in the coming battle in the East. At the heart of the ritual is a pentagram formed by five swords. One of them is Excalibur, the mythical weapon pulled from a stone by King Arthur.

2010 - Art recovery expert Jamie Saintclair laughs when he reads the codex to a German war veteran’s will, the strange ritual it describes and the mention of a sword named Excalibur. But collector Adam Steele is convinced - and if Jamie can find the legendary sword, he will pay a small fortune for it. The hunt for Excalibur takes Jamie from Germany to eastern Poland and a deadly encounter in Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair. The castle has been destroyed down to the last stone and the only clue to the sword’s fate is the strange tale of a wartime partisan unit murdered by its own commander.

With a team of international assassins on his trail and the distinction between friend and enemy a blur, Jamie finally makes it back to a Britain under siege, where the last piece of the puzzle falls into place and he discovers that the line between obsession and madness is gossamer thin...

 

My Thoughts - I've had this book on the shelf for a while and after I picked it up after a while I realised that this is book #3 in a series. I dont normally like reading books out of sequence but had a look online and it seems that this series is not essential to read in order.

This was as really good story - i like the Arthur story and I am also fasinated by World War 2 and the combination of the two was really good. This book was also full of twists and turns and kept me guessing til the very end. A really good read. I'm not sure if I will read anymore in the series as this book explains what happened in them nut you never know one day I might give it a go!

 

Rating - 4.5/5

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

3) Mum to Mum - Coleen Nolan

 

Synopsis - A book to bring laughter, consolation and solid advice for every mum who's found herself wandering blearily round her kitchen in a milk-stained dressing gown, too exhausted by yet another sleepless night to remember what day of the week it is, or been left wondering where it all went wrong as her teenager screams, "I hate you!" and storms out of the room.

Coleen has been a stay-at-home mum and a working mum, steered her children through toddler tantrums and sibling rivalry, helped with their homework and cheered them on at football, handled their heartbreak at her divorce and the transition to living with a stepfather. She knows how rewarding motherhood is, and how hard. In this book she shares some of her funniest and happiest moments as a mother, as well as the frustrations and tough times every parent faces. She also gives lots of tried and tested, practical advice for each stage of your child's development as well as tips on dealing with issues like bullying, bereavement and divorce. Above all, she reassures us that real mums aren't always perfect, and no one gets it right all the time. Loving your kids and doing your best is what matters.

 

My Thoughts - I brought this book years ago - when I first found out I was pregnant and I went through a stage of buying 'mummy' books! This one was one of the better ones. I found it quite imformative as the author tied in real life experiences with her children to make it a bit more real. I also liked the layout of the book as she had it laid out like an advice column so if a particular topic was not of intrest it could be skipped.

 

Rating - 3/5

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

2) The Party - Robyn Harding

 

 

 

Synopsis - In this stunning and provocative domestic drama about a sweet sixteen birthday party that goes horribly awry, a wealthy family in San Francisco finds themselves entangled in a legal battle, their darkest secrets revealed, and their friends turned to enemies.

One invitation. A lifetime of regrets.

Sweet sixteen. It’s an exciting coming of age, a milestone, and a rite of passage. Jeff and Kim Sanders plan on throwing a party for their daughter, Hannah—a sweet girl with good grades and nice friends. Rather than an extravagant, indulgent affair, they invite four girls over for pizza, cake, movies, and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong?

But things do go wrong, horrifically so. After a tragic accident occurs, Jeff and Kim’s picture perfect life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb suddenly begins to unravel. A lawsuit is filed that irrevocably changes their relationship, reveals dark secrets in the Sanders’ marriage, and exposes the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah.

Harkening to Herman Koch’s The Dinner, Christos Tsiolkas’s The Slap, and Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, The Party takes us behind the façade of the perfect family, exposing the lies, betrayals, and moral lapses that neighbors don’t see—and the secrets that children and parents keep from themselves and each other.

 

My Thoughts - I brought this book in a supermarket towards the end of last year as it sounded quite good a little bit like a Jodi Picoult or a Diane Chamberlain book. Unfortunatly it wasnt as good as the two mentioned authors. The plot was good but it was a fairly standard plot with teenagers doing what teenagers do! I had guessed the plot themes pretty much two chapters in which was a little bit disapponting. It would probably make a fairly good beach read.

 

Rating 2.5/5

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

1)Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

 

 

Synopsis - Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

 

My thoughts - I brought this book as it had a lot of hype surrounding it and I also thought it would be really good. To be honest I'm going to have to put it in the catergory of 'didnt get the hype' book. I mean it was ok and a nice little coming of age story but I just didnt get it too much. Maybe its because I'm a fair bit older than the target audience and I probably would have enjoyed it 10 years ago when I was a simular age.

 

I did enjoy the fanfiction side of this book as its not something that is really touched on in much fiction. I enjoy reading fanfiction especially Harry Potter and it was nice to have this theme throughout the book. I wasnt ready for the book to end how it did though - id have liked it to go on a little more.

 

I do have a couple of other books by the author on my TBR and wishlist so heres hoping I enjoy them.

 

Rating - 3.5/5

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

Well thats my book log for 2018 complete! I've got a couple of reviews to do which I'll do today but I'm already onto my 5th book of 2018!

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

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[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

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[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

Nicolas Sparks - Dear John

Priority Reading

 

This is a list of books that I'd quite like to read this year above some of the others.

 

• Douglas Adams - The Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy
• Bill Bryson - At Home
• GIllian Flynn - Gone Girl
• Robert Galbraith - The Cuckoos Calling
• Kate Harrison - Old School Ties
• Susan Hill - Howards End is on the Landing
• Natasha Kampush - 3096 Days
• Pittacus Lore - I am Number Four
• Caitlin Moran - How to be a Woman
• Rick Rhordian - Percy Jackson
• Dan Brown - The Lost Symbol
• Stephen King - 11.22.64
• Kass Morgan - The 100
• Nicolas Sparks - Dear John

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

Books Brought 2018

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

Wishlist

 

1/1/2018- 108

 

Cecelia Ahern - A Place Called Here

Michael Alexander - Confessions of a Male Nurse

Kate Atkinson - Behind the Scenes at the Museum

Jennifer Bardsley - Genises Girl

Nina Bawden - Carries War

Christina Benjamin - The Geneva Project

Meave Binchy - Light a Penny Candle

Frankie Boyle - Work, Consume, Die

Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451

Albert Brooks - 2030 The Real Story of What Happens to America

Rapheal Brous - I Am Max Lamm

Rob Buyea - Because of Mr Terupt

Rachel Caine - Glass Houses

Emma Carroll - Frost Hallow Hall

John Le Carre - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

Kristen Cast - Marked

Diane Chamberlain - The Midwifes Confession

Diane Chamberlain - Summers Child

Joelle Charbonneau - The Testing

Sam Christer - The Turin Shroud Secret

Genivieve Cogman - The Invisable Library

Rachel Cohn - Dash and Lilys Book of Dares

Cheryl Cole - My Story

Allie Condie - Atlantia

Michael Cunningham - A Home at the End of The World

Annie Darling - The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts

James Dashner - A Munity in Time

Degli - Block 11

Isla Dewar - Dancing in a Distant Place

Colin Dexter - Last Book to Woodstock

Lucy Dillon - One Small Act of Kindness

Paul Dowswell - Auslander

Jaycee Dugard - A Stolen Life

Nick Edwards - In Stiches

Antonia Forest - Autumn Term

Cornelia Funke - Inkheart

Micheal Grant - Gone

Neil Gaimen - Good Omens

Neil Gaimen - Neverwhere

Eva Gray - Behind the Gates

Jane Green - Jemima J

Ellie Griffiths - The Crossing Places

Heather Gudenhauf - Little Mercies

Aramentia Hall - Dot

Charlaine Harris - Living Dead in Dallas

Helen Hanff -  84 Charing Cross Road

Johan Harstad -  172 Hours on the Moon

Veronica Henry - The Long Weekend

Charlie Higson - Silverfin

Barry Hines - A Kestral for a Knave

James Holland - Darkest Hour

Anthony Horowitz - The Power of Five

Helen Humphries - Conventry 

P.D. James - Innocent Blood

Pam Jenoff - The Winter Guest

Millie Johnson - The Yorkshire Pudding Club

Katie Kavinsky - Awaken

Liz Kessler - A Year Without Autumn 

Stephen King - Under the Dome

John Knowles - A Separate Peace

Mike Lancaster - 0.4

Lori Lansens - The Girls

Mark Logue - The Kings Speech

Rosamud Lupton - Afterwards

Andrea McLean - Confessions of a Good Girl

Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy

L. M. Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

Amy Sue Nathan - The Glass Wives

Caragg M O'Brian - Birthmarked

Maggie O'Farrell - After You've Gone

Joel Ohmen - Meritopolsis

Amanda Owen - A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepardess

Julie Pandl - Memoirs of a Sunday Brunch

Katherine Patterson - Bridge to Teribitha

Stephanie Perkins - Summer Days and Summe Nights

Elizabeth Peters - Crocodile on the Sandbank

Margaret Peterson Haddix - Among the Hidden

Jodi Picoult - Between the Lines

Gabriella Poole - Secret Lives

Doreen Rapport - Beyond Courage 

James Rebanks - The Shepards Life

Erica Marie Remarque - All Quiet on the Western Front

Sean Reymont - Bomb Hunters

Veronica Roth - Insurgent

Rainbow Rowell - Attachments

Lorna Sage - Bad Blood

Dorothy L. Sayers - Whose Body?

Rita Sepetys - Between Shades of Grey

Sarah Shepard - Pretty Little Liars

L.J. Smith - The Vampire Diaries

Emily St John Mandel - The Lola Quartet

Roger Sutton - A Family of Readers

Ian Tregillis - Bitter Seeds

John Updike - Couples

S. J. Watson - Before I Go to Sleep

Eliza Wass - The Cresswell Plot

Wendy Wax - While We Were Watching Downton Abbey

Elizabeth Wein - Code Name Verity

Arabella Weir - Does my Bum Look Big in This?

Geoff Wikes - Alone in Berlin

Geoffrey Willians - Molesworth

Connie Willis - Blackout

N. D Wilson - 100 Cupboards

Ben Woolfenden - The Ruins of Time

Connie Worth - Call The Midwife

Rick Yancy - The Infinate Sea

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

TBR List S-Z

 

TBR 1/1/2018 - 35

 

2018 - 35

 

C'J' Sansom - Dominion

Gary D Schmidt - Orbiting Jupiter

Alice Seebold - The Almost Moon

Mary Ann Shaffer - The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Bob Shepard - The Infidel

Sara Shepard - Pretty Little Liars

Anita Shreeve - Fortunes Rocks

Adam Silvera - History is all you Left ME

Helen Simonson - Major Pettigrews Last Stand

Stephen Smith - Underground London

Edward Smithes - Backroom Boys

Nicolas Sparks - Dear John

Nicolas Sparks - The Choice

Nicolas Sparks - The Last Song

Nicolas Sparks - The Notebook

Danielle Steel - Legacy

Keith Stuart - The Boy Made of Blocks

Lulu Taylor - The Winter Children

Oliver Tearle - The Secret Library

Trisha Telap - The Mamoth Book of Paranormal Romance

John Terrane - To Win a War

Teri Terry - Book of Lies

Carrie Tiffany - Mateship WIth Birds

Barbara Tiperlo - Noahs Ark

Jack Trevane - Invisable Women

Sue Townsend - Adrian Mole

Sue Wallman - Lying About Last Summer

Katherine Webb - The Legacy

Denise Welch - Starting Over

Lucie Whitehouse - The Bed Made

Laura Wiess - Leftovers

Susan Wiggs - The Goodbye Quilt

Jaquline Wilson - Lola Rose

Kevin Wilson - Journeys End

Tim Winton - The Winter Dark

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

TBR List M-R

 

TBR 1/1/2018 - 80

 

2018 - 79

 

Sarah J, Maas - A Court of Thorns and Roses

John MacGuhurn - That They Might Face the Rising Sun

Ian Mackersy - No Empty Chairs

Catherine Machpill - Roxys Baby

Michelle Magorian - Goodnight Mister Tom

Norman Mailer - The Castle in the Forest

Scott Mariani - The Shadow Project

Scott Mariani - Forgotten Holocaust

Sharon Marshall - Tabloid Girl

Andrew Marr - A History of Modern Britain

Andrew Marr- A History of the World

Jean Marsh - The House of Eliott

George R R Martin - Game of Thrones

Jennifer Mathieu - Moxie

Karen Matland - The Vanishing Witch

Ian McEwen - Atonement

Carole McGiffen - O Carol

Ewan McGregor - The Long Way Round

Andy Mcnab - Battle Lines

Andy Mcnab - Seven Troop

Ali McNamara - Breakfast a Darcys

Ali McNamara - Step Back in Time

Malie Meloy - Liars and Saints

Charlotte Mendelson - Daughters in Jeruslem

Charlotte Mendelson - When We Were Bad

Melissa Meyer - Cinder

Stephanies Meyer - The Host

Sue Miller - The Senators Wife

Anchee Min - Empress Orchid

Caitlin Moran - How to be a Woman

Kass Morgan - The 100

Liane Moriarty - THe Husbands Secret

Nicola Moriarty - The Fifth Letter

Kate Morton - The Cresent House

Kate Morton - The Lake House

Sara Nelson - So Many Books So Little Time

Patrick Ness - A Monster Calls

Lindsay Nichloson - Living on the Seabed

Coleen Nolan - Upfront and Personal

Ronan O Brian - Confessions of a Fallen Angel

Sharon Osbourne - Survivour

Amanda Owen - A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess

Peter Padfield - Hess,Hitler and Churchill

Christopher Paolini - Eragon

Penny Parker - Practice Makes Perfect

Adele Parks - Men I've Loved Before

Adele Parks - The Stranger in my Home

Louise Penny - The Brutal Telling

Elizabeth Peters - The Curse of the Pharoah

Jodi Picoult - Keeping Faith

Sylvia Plath - The Bell Jar

Ben Pollen - The Summer of the Bear

Terry Pratchett - The Colour of Magic

Francis Pryor - The Birth of Modern Britain

Phillip Pullman - Northern Lights

Jim Quellen - Inside Alcatraz

Mathew Quick - The Silver Linings Playbook

Naseem Rakha - The Crying Tree

Gordon Ramsey - Humble Pie

Sarah Rayner - One Moment, One Morning

James Rebanks - The Shepards Life

Laurel Remington - The Secret Cooking Club

Elvie Rhodes - Caras Land

Rick Rhordian - Percy Jackson

Lucy Ribchester - The Amber Shadows

Shane Richie - Rags to Richie

Ransom Riggs - Miss Perigrines Home for Perculiar Children

Lucinda Riley - The Angel Tree

Lucy Riodian - The Shadow Hour

Tom Rob Smith - Child 44

Caroline Roberts - The Cosy Teashop in the Castle

Deborah Rodriguez - The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

Meg Rosoff- How I Live Now

Matt Rudd - William Walkers First Year of Marriage

Abby Rushton - Unspeakable

Meridith Russo - If I was Your Girl

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

TBR List G-L

 

Total 1/1/2018 - 88

 

Total 2018 - 88

 

Robert Galbraith - The Cuckoos Calling

Jane Gardan - Old Filth

Alex Garland - The Beach

Lisa Genova - Love Anthony

David Gibbons - Troy

Julia Glass - Three Junes

Robert Goddard - Never Go Back

Linda Grant - The Clothes on there Backs

Jane Green - Second Chances

John Green - The Fault in Our Stars

John Grisham - The Chamber

John Grogan - Marley and Me

Luther Gunter Bcheim - The Boat

John Gwynne - Malice

Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Geri Halliwell - If Only

Izzy Hammond - Someone to Watch Over Me

Kristan Hannah - Firefly Lane

Yuval Noah Harari - Sapiens

Yuval Noah Harari - Homo Deus

Laura Harrington - Alice Bliss

Joanne Harris - The Lollypop Shoes

Robert Harris - Fatherland

Kate Harrison - Old School Ties

Pamela Hartshorne - Times Echo

John Harwood - The Ghost Writer

Joseph Heller - Catch 22

Holly Hepburn - A Year at the Star and Sixpence

James Herbert - 48

Mary Higgins Clark - Second Time Around

Melissa Hill - The House at Mulberry End

Susan Hill - Howards End is on the Landing

Will Hill - After the Fire

Peter Ho Davis - The Welsh Girl

Peter Hoeg - Miss Smillas Feeling For Snow

Wendy Holden - Marrying Up

Wendy Holden - Born Surviors

Cathy Hopkins - The Kicking Bucket List

Christina Hopkinson - The Weekend Wives

Nick Hornby - The Complete Polysyllabic Spree

Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner

Elizabeth Jane Howard - The Light Years

Christopher Huff - Haunted Second World War Airfields

Charmaine Hussey - The Valley of Secrets

Greg Iles - 24 Hours

JLS - Forever and a Day

Anna Jacobs - Farewell to Lancashire

Lisa Jewell - The Truth About Melody Brown

George Johnson - The Last Dambuster

Natasha Kampush - 3096 Days

Lisa Kane - The Report

Jackie Kay - Red Dust Road

Kathy Kelly - The Honey Queen

Brigid Kemmerer - Letters to the Lost

Marian Keyes - This Charming Man

Marian Keyes - Under the Duvet

Raymond Khorury - The Sign

Stephen King - 11.22.64

Sophie Kinsella - A Desirable Residence

Renee Knight - Disclaimer

Dorothy Koomson - The Ice Cream Girls

Giles Kristian - God of Vengance

Chris Kyle - Sniper One

Alex Lake - After Anna

Larrson - The Girl WIth the Dragon Tattoo

Larrson - The Girl who Played With Fire

Richard Layton - The Travellng Vampire Show

Trenton Lee Stewart - The Extrodenary Education of Nicolas Benedict

Trenton Lee Stewart - The Perilous Journey

Trenton Lee Stewart - The Prisoners Dilemma

Jem Lester - Shtum

Louise Levene - A Vision of Loveliness

Joshua Levine - Forgotten Voices of the Blitz

David Levithan -Everyday

Andrea Levy - Small Island

John Lewis - Stempel - Six Weeks

Howard Linskey - The Search

Steven Lloyd Jones - The String Diaries

Pittacus Lore - I am Number Four

Emery Lord - The Start of me and You

Sean Longden - Blitz Kids

Lorenze - No Safety In Numbers

Robert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island

Harry Ludlum - Great Ghost Stories

Robert Ludlum - The Amber Warning

Arnold Lusto - Lovely Green Eyes

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

TBR List A-F

 

1/1/2018 - 106

 

2018 - 106

 

Frank Abagnale - Catch me if You Can

Marc Acito - How I Paid for College

Douglas Adams - The Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy

Monica Ali - Brick Lane

Anon - Girl A

Ros Asquith - I Was a Teenage Worrier

Jay Asher - 13 Reasons Why

Margaret Atwood - The Blind Assassin

David Baldacci - One Summer

Jenny Barden - Mistress of the Sea

Emily Barr - The One Memory of Flora Banks

Alex Bell - Frozen Charlotte

Maeve Binchy - Tara Road

Maeve Binchy - This Year it Will Be Different

Katarina Bivald - The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

Malorie Blackman - Naughts and Crosses

Fanny Blake - With a Friend Like You

Judy Blundell - What I Saw and How I Lied

Sam Bourne - The Rightous Men

Mark Bowden - Black Hawk Down

Nina Bowden - Carries War

Oliver Bowden - Assassins Creed

James Bradley - The Resurectionist

Cathy Bramley - White Lies and Wishes

Amy Bratley - The Saturday Supper Club

Simon Brett - Murder in the Museum

Joanna Brisco - You

Amanda Brooke - The Affair

Alexandra Brown - Th Great Christmas Knit Off

Dan Brown - Digital Fortress

Dan Brown - Inferno

Dan Brown - The Lost Symbol

Cpt Eric Brown - Wings on my Sleeve

Bill Bryson - At Home

Bill Bryson - Shakespeare

Suzanne Bugler - This Perfect World

Candice Bushnell - Sex and the City

Meg Cabot - Size 12 is not Fat

Meg Cabot - The Princess Diaries

Helen Callaghan - Dear Amy

Louise Candish - Before we Say Goodbye

J L Carrell - The Shakespeare Curse

Diane Chamberlain - Kiss River

Diane Chamberlain - Nessessary Lies

Diane Chamberlain  - The Escape Artist

Diane Chamberlain - The Lies We Told

Lucy Christopher - Flyaway

Tom Clancy Executive Orders

Tom Clancy - Net Force

Tom Clancy - Point of Impact

Cassandra Clare - Clockwork Prince

Cassandra Clare - Lady Midnight

Cat Clarke - Girlhood

Lucy Clarke - Last Seen

Clarkson - Dont Stop Me Now

Clarkson - How Hard Can It Be

Clarkson - The Topgear Years

Anthony Clayton - Paths of Glory

Marika Cobbold - THe Purvayor of Enchartment

Harlen Coben - Just One Look

Rachel Cohn - The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily

Eoin Colfer - Plugged

Jenny Colgan - The Good,The Bad and the Dumped

Jenny Colgan - The Little Shop of Happily Ever After

Ally Condie - Crossed

Ally Condie - Matched

Ally Condie - Reached

Gordon Corrigan - Mud,Blood and Poppycock

Diney Costello - The Girl With No Name

Dilly Court - The Cockney Sparrow

Michael Cox - The Meaning of Night

Sarah Crossan - Resist

Siobhan Curham - The Moonlight Dreamers

Kathleen Demarco - Cranberry Queen

Grace Dent - Its a LBD Thing

Lucy Diamond - Summer at Shell Cottage

Phillip K. DIck - The Man In High Castle

Kate Diffenbarugh - The Language of the Flowers

Readers Digest - Great Ghost Stories

DK - The History Book

DK - The Shakespeare Book

Rebecca Done - The Secret Were Keeping

Emma Donoghue - The Lotterys Plus One

Catherine Dunne - Set in Stone

Catherine Dwyer Hickey - Tatty

Clare Dyer - The Moment

Jeremy Dyson - The Haunted Book

Kim Edwards - The Memory Keepers Daughter

Imogen Edwards-Jones - Hotel Babylon

Ben Elton - Two Brothers

Harriet Evans - The Butterfly Summer

Jane Fallon - Strictly Between Us

Sebastian Faulks - Birdsong

Sebastian Faulks - Charlotte Grey

Ellen Feldman - The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank

Tom Fletcher - The Creakers

Katie Flynn - We'll Meet Again

Foley - Remarkable

Cayle Foreman - If I Stay

Gayle Foreman - I Was Here

Karen Fowler - The Jane Austin Book Club

Moira Fowley Doyle - The Accident Season

John Francome - Storm Rider

Stephen Fry - The Fry Chronicles

Claire Fuller - Our Endless Numbered Days

GIllian Flynn - Gone Girl

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

Books Read 2018

 

Books Read January 2018

1)Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

2)The Party - Robyn Harding

3)Mum to Mum - Coleen Nolan

4)The Excalibur Codex - James Douglas

 

Books Read February 2018

Books Read March 2018

Books Read April 2018

Books Read May 2018

Books Read June 2018

Books Read July 2018

Books Read August 2018

Books Read September 2018

Books Read October 2018

Books Read November 2018

Books Read December 2018

[Laura Loves Reads 2018]

Well - very slow start to starting this for me this year - we ended up moving very quickly at the end of last year. We had 1 week to get out of our house as things deteriorated very quickly there. Unfortuantly it means that all my books are boxed again for the time being as we probably will only be in the house we are in for a year.

 

This year I'm seriously going to try and reduce my TBR and really not buy any more books until I've done so. I know I say this most years but I'm really trying to make the effort as my TBR is now at 307 books! I brought double what I read last year which is really not good. I also had a rubbish reading year last year so I'm hoping that I can really make a dent in the pile!

 

Books Read in Previous Years

 

Books read 2010 - 56
Books read 2011 - 76
Books read 2012 - 76
Books read 2013 - 40
Books read 2014 - 18
Books read 2015 - 42
Books read 2016 - 37

Books read 2017 - 24

Books read 2018 - 4

 

TBR at 1/1/2018 - 308

TBR 2018 - 304

 

Wishlist 1/1/2018 - 109

Wishlist 2018 - 109

 

Books brought 2018 - 0

[How Did 2017 Treat You?]

To be fair I cant wait to see the back of 2017 - been the hardest year of my life!

 

We have lost 4 amazing people from our lives this year - 3 of which were very unexpected and have really taught me that life is not to be taken for granted and oppertunities have to be taken as you dont know if you will ever get them again.

 

We are in process of moving away from where we are and relocating our business as others have gone back on there words and have ended up costing us nearly our business which has been difficult. We have had really bad money worries with the business because of this and I dont think I've actually slept properly since about April because of all the stress.

 

However I have learnt that I do have some amazing friends in life that have been there for us when others could not be bothered.

 

I cant complain too much as I am lucky enough to have a wonderful OH and amazing DS who i adore and they adore me back which is amazing as some people dont have that and we have our health which again is brilliant as a lot of people dont have that either!

[Laura Loves Reads 2017]

24)Bernie Nolan - Now and Forever

 

 

Synopsis - Two years ago Bernie Nolan was given the initial all-clear after a courageous battle with breast cancer. Over the moon, Bernie set about rebuilding her life and making plans for the future.

Then in the summer of 2012, she was in her bedroom getting dressed when she found a lump just above her breast. Terrified, she immediately made a hospital appointment, where she was given the devastating news that the cancer had returned. It had spread to her brain, lungs, liver and bones and was incurable.

Bernie's first thought was of her daughter. Erin had just turned thirteen and was approaching a time when young girls need their mums more than ever. In true Bernie spirit she vowed not to let the cancer stop her from being 'Mum'.

Bernie always said that her family was her greatest achievement and she wanted to be the best wife and mother she could be in the time she had left. In this book Bernie shares her struggle to become a mother - the miscarriage she suffered and the heartbreaking stillbirth of her daughter Kate, and the joyous arrival of her beautiful daughter Erin.

Bernie loved seeing this book published and was thrilled when it became a number 1 bestseller. It meant a great deal to her that so many people wanted to read her story. This is a memoir brimming with happy memories, and although Bernie tragically lost her battle on the 4th July 2013, she lives on in the hearts of the nation and in the pages of this book.

Moving and wonderfully warm-hearted, this is a powerful story of a remarkable life and a mother's brave fight against a vicious disease.

 

My Thoughts - I've had this book on my shelf for a long time - I used to be a fan of the author when she was in The Bill and as I got older I discovered the Nolans as I was a bit young to know who they were before! Also I used to watch Loose Women and Coleen was on that a lot. I enjoyed this book - if thats the right words for it. It was so sad a times especially the parts where she discusess leaving her daughter behind and her husband. But I also thought she showed so much strength in herself and carrying on working while she was so poorly. It was a good read - very eye opening as it makes you realise that you are not always here forever!

 

Rating - 4/5

[Laura Loves Reads 2017]

23)Billy and Me - Giovanna Fletcher

 

 

Synopsis - Sophie May has a secret.

One that she's successfully kept for years. It's meant that she's had to give up her dreams of going to university and travelling the world to stay in her little village, living with her mum and working in the local teashop.

But then Sophie unexpectedly meets the gorgeous Billy Buskin - a famous actor with ambitions to make it to the top. As they begin to grow closer, Sophie finds herself whisked away from the comfort of her life into Billy's glamorous - but ruthless - world.

After years of shying away from attention, can Sophie handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy? How much is she prepared to give up along the way? And is their love strong enough to keep them together against the odds?

 

My Thoughts - I'm a massive fan of Gi and her husband Tom with their youtube channels, books, social media etc - they have two little ones who are roughly the same age as my little one and I really like them! I have read a couple of her books before and loved them and this one really didnt disappoint either. It was really well written and the story was really good too and I read most of this in one sitting. Absolutly fantastic and I'm now off to order a couple of her books that I havent read!

 

Rating - 5/5

[Laura Loves Reads 2017]

22) The Camelot Code - Sam Christer

 

 

Synopsis - What if King Arthur was more than a myth?

On a starlit summer's night in the Welsh mountains, an old man is torn from sleep as an ancient prophecy unfolds.

On the other side of the Atlantic, an American antiques dealer lies dying on the floor of his shop, blood ebbing from a fatal stab wound.

In San Francisco, Mitzi Fallon begins her new job as lead investigator for the FBI's Historical, Religious and Unsolved Crimes Unit. When it emerges that a priceless Celtic relic has been stolen from the murdered antiques dealer, Mitzi finds herself drawn into a mystery that reaches from the heart of the modern US government back to a man once dismissed as myth: King Arthur.

Sam Christer, author of the international smash hit, The Stonehenge Legacy, returns with his most dramatic, race-against-time thriller yet. Packed with heart-stopping, addictive suspense and historical intrigue, The Camelot Code is a brand new thriller that is perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Simon Toyne. The King Arthur legend is about to come to life...

 

My Thoughts - I've had this on my shelf for a while as I'd read one of the authours books before (The Stonehenge Legacy) and really enjoyed it but had not got arond to reading this one. This book is very  like a Dan Brown book but without the massive plot twists - in this book it was quite clear where the story was going to go and what was going to happen to the main characters. It was an enjoyable story though - I would have liked more information on the King Arthur story as in the Stonehenge book there was more historical information but this was ok. I would read more books by this author.

 

Rating - 3.5/5

[Laura Loves Reads 2017]

21)The Land Girls - Annie Wilkinson

 

 

Synopsis - Hull, 1943. Seventeen-year-old Muriel Dearlove has weathered the Blitz unscathed, earning her keep in Miss Chapman's grocery shop. But with her sweetheart Bill away fighting and and her friends conscripted into the WRENs and WAAF, life has become tedious.

Then a friend returns from a stint in the Land Army, rosy cheeked and healthier than ever thanks to the outdoor work she has been doing on Northumberland's farms. She also comes with tales of dances with the troops stationed nearby and high jinks with her fellow Land Girls. Desperate for the chance to broaden her horizons, Muriel signs up.

But getting back to the land is not all about making hay in the sunshine. The reality is long days of back-breaking work with little thanks from the hard-nosed warden Mrs Hubbard. Meanwhile the relationship between the Land Girls and the locals has reached crisis point.

Then Muriel meets Ernst, a German prisoner of war, and has a choice to make. In fraternizing with the enemy she breaks the law, but to never see Ernst again would break her heart.

 

My Thoughts - I've had this book on my shelf for a long time but have only just got around to reading it now. This isnt normally thesort of second world war book that i read - its a bit more romantic than I normally like but I thought I'd give it a go. It tells the story of Muriel who gives up her job in a grocery shop to join the Land girls and ends up falling in love with a German POW and all of the issues that could be caused by that. It also tells the details of the work that the Land Girls had to enjure and what it was like for them during the war. Overall I enjoyed the book - it was quite sobering at times to read about how quickly life could change for the girls and how all of a sudden they could be loosing loved ones fighting in the armedd forces. It was also the first book I have read by the author - I would read her books again.

 

Rating - 3.5/5

 

 

[Your Book Activity - October 2017]

I got The Creakers by Tom Fletcher in the post the other day - totally forgot I had pre-ordered it!

[How many books have you read this year?]

Only 19 - I somehow dont think I'm going to hit my goal of 52 for the year

[Laura Loves Reads 2017]

20) The Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker

 

 

Synopsis - One morning, Julia and her parents wake up in their suburban home in California to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth is noticeably slowing. The enormity of this is almost beyond comprehension. And yet, even if the world is, in fact, coming to an end, as some assert, day-to-day life must go on. Julia, facing the loneliness and despair of an awkward adolescence, witnesses the impact of this phenomenon on the world, on the community, on her family and on herself

 

My Thoughts - I've had this book on my shelf for ages but I've onl just got around to reading it. The book tells the story of Julia who had a normal life until the earth began to slow. The books plot does feel so real almost like it could actually happen - that mother nature is finding a way of fighting back. I would have liked it to go on a little bit more with what happens in the future and to draw that out a bit more but overall it was a good read.

 

Rating - 3.5/5

[Your Book Activity - September 2017]

Currently reading The Age of Miracles - it's good I'm really enjoying it!