chesilbeach

All Fall Down by Ally Carter Synopsis (from waterstones.com): I don't mean to get into trouble. Trouble just sort of finds me. Grace has been shipped off to stay with her diplomat Grandpa in the glittering Embassy Row, a place where trespassing into the wrong garden can cause an international incident. Grace knows the rules - she's ignored them before - but however much she wants to change, she can't. Not while she's certain of three things: 1. She isn't crazy. 2. Her mother was murdered. 3. Someday she's going to find the man with the scar, and then she is going to make him pay. Review: I love Ally Carter's stories. In the past she's written series about a spy school for teenage girls and another about a teenager high society criminals. This book is the first in her new series Embassy Row and is a bit darker in tone. Grace has been treated by psychiatrists following witnessing the death of her mother when she was just thirteen. Her father is in the military and and now at sixteen, she's back in the embassy where her grandfather is a US ambassador, in the city where the tragedy happened. I love the energy is her stories, and there's an urgency to this one as Grace tries to convince everyone that her mother was murdered, and then tries to solve the mystery for herself, while all the time trying to overcome people's perception of her mental state, despite still suffering from crippling flashbacks at times. It's credit to the author that I didn't see the the end coming. It was a complete surprise and an absolute shock, but wasn't afraid to shy away from a difficult resolution. And then when you think it's all over, she throws you another curve ball and sets up the series to go in a whole new direction. Loved it.

Finished The Apple Tart of Hope this morning … loving the Waterstone's shortlists this year.

Frasier - it's the one where he first meets his agent Bebe

I'm off work this week too, and even though I got up at 6:30am, it was still a lie-in for me, and I've managed to finish off my book already this morning. Not sure what I'm going to do today … but looking forward to it anyway!

Chucking it down here … sleet forecast for later

No idea what's in the news today … trying to avoid it all until I get chance to watch the Oscars and don't want any spoilers!

Sorry, not answering the door to anyone tonight … no way am I letting the heat out now!

Have a lovely week, Kat! I have to admit, the main benefit of popping into Bath on the train yesterday, was the hour of reading it gave me, instead of two hours in the car.

It's so frustrating when the change the cover design of a series of books, isn't it? Like when they changed the Thursday Next series at First Among Sequels … even worse that the hardback had the same style as the previous books One of the benefits of Kindling my books in most cases.

Pretty much the same here, Chrissy. I'm sat in front of the wood burner with my hot chocolate and laptop, and a book next to me waiting to be read! So much rain …

Doctor Who - The Empty Child

I wonder whether they take into account all their earnings, e.g. merchandise, film options, etc. or just those from books? Either way, you're probably right, even on her own, I'm sure it would be enough to increase the average!

Even more evidence to back up my own theory that this book is not for me!

Popped out for ten minutes and came back to find the cricket on again! Tail end of the coverage of the SA v IND game.

Another very good review for Flowers For Algernon. For some reason though, no matter how many great reviews of it I read, I have no inclination to want to read it for myself!

Toast with lemon curd

For the first time in I don't know how long, I didn't set the alarm clock this morning. I slept until I was ready to get up, but I sort of knew it would be a mistake, as I have a tendency to oversleep and then get up with a headache. I do have a niggly little headache, but I'm hoping it won't last long, and I think I needed the sleep, so it was probably worth it. I might get better sooner if I didn't have to listen to the dog next door barking again. I think the owner must be out a lot this weekend, as he tends to bark when he's left alone, but it was all yesterday afternoon, and he's already started again this morning.

Thanks for reading and reviewing The Psycopath Test, Kay … I now know it's definitely not the book for me! I can't read true crime, even within the confines of a wider ranging book, so one for me to avoid, no matter if I do like Ronson's writing.

I agree with this completely. One of the things that made me want to go back to it was the setting of Lyme Regis, as I've spent a lot of time there on holidays and days out. Falling Angels is still my favourite of her books, but Remarkable Creatures is one I enjoyed a lot.

Finale tomorrow night … can't wait to find out the verdict, but we usually watch it on a Tuesday night, so I'll have to try and avoid spoilers before then.

Good to know I've seen a few YA authors on twitter reviewing it positively as well, so fingers crossed. I'm starting The Apple Tart of Hope this morning.

Here's another view on writing as a career from author Tim Lott http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/20/tim-lott-life-as-an-author

Bought myself a few more of the books on the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize shortlist today: Half Bad by Sally Green Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton I've also started one of the ones I bought last week … Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens and I'm loving it so far.

Caught the train into Bath early this morning, and had a mooch around the bookshops. Got in nice and early, and had a good read on the train there and back … so much nicer than having to drive!

Beautiful bright, clear day but still a bit chilly … a perfect winters day