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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

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

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

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

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!

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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

Books Brought 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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