Reading in the Daisies

Publication - 21st September 2017 Rating - 5* Synopsis - After a young woman is brutally attacked on her way home from the local supermarket, checkout girl Bea is determined to find out who’s responsible. She enlists the help of Ant, the seemingly gormless new trainee – but can she really trust him? Customers and colleagues become suspects, secrets are uncovered, and while fear stalks the town, Bea risks losing the people she loves most.  I've been invited to post an extract from Rachel Ward's brilliant new cosy-crime novel The Cost of Living, published by Sandstone Press,   and I've chosen a brilliant scene set in the supermarket our heroes Ant and Bea work in. Rachel Ward brings her characters to life with humour and a brilliant eye for detail. My favourite crime novel of the year!!! Hope you guys enjoy it as much! By half past eight the store was well past the ‘What’s for tea?’ evening rush. There were a few stragglers late home from work and a cou

Since my last blog post my life has changed a lot! I moved to Scotland, away from every single friend I had, away from the support network of pizza nights, ridiculous nights in 'Pinks' (local club), away from the safety net of the Waterstones I practically grew up in, away from the cinema which holds some of my favourite memories and also away from my job in Publishing. I made a choice to leave because I wasn't happy, more so than I cared to admit at the time. A year and a half earlier my family had decided to move to Highland Perthshire and yes in the grand scheme of things 426 miles is not that far, but in my case it felt like it. At the point they decided to go I'd spent the last 4 years in and out of surgery, and unfortunately was very dependent on pain medication (thankfully I've broken through that now), so it felt like a million miles away. Yes I had my friends around me and they are some of the best people I know, so at first it didn't feel like a

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave  Published by Chicken House (UK)   Buy From Waterstones  This is the tale of Isabella, who along with her father lives on the small island of Joya.  Joya is controlled by the wicked Governor who came from across the sea and forbade all to leave, then banished those who resisted his rule away from the town Gromera and put up borders to divide the island.  When, one day, a girl from Isabella's school is murdered, everything in her life begins to change. Chasing after her friend Lupe (the governor's daughter) who runs into the forest to prove she's brave and find the murderer, Isabella gets caught up in the myth and magic of the island and soon finds out that the bed time stories she was told may be closer to the truth than anyone thought.  *****  I was recommended this book by a bookseller friend at Waterstones, with the caveat of it being similar to Philip Pullman's 'Northern Lights&

Taking a cue from my friend Emily over at theminimermaid.com , I'm putting together a wish list of books for the month and here it is.... London Belongs to Us by Sarra Manning.  I've loved Sarra's books since I was 13 and I absolutely can't wait to go and buy this! It sounds like the perfect love letter to London, filled with the teenage love and angst that make her books sparkle. Review soon to come no doubt.  Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (sort of).   I know this has been out a while, but I have to pace myself with crime books as they aren't my go to. Really looking forward to see what Strike does next. The last one, The Silk Worm, was a little bit close to home in the world of Literary Agencies, but I love Rowling's ability to keep me guessing (almost) to the end.  Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo I read Leigh's original series earlier this year and I've been told that Six of Crows packs ever more of a punch! I can't wait. 

So on Tuesday this week I went to see Romeo and Juliet, as performed by the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company. It had some amazing cast members - Lily James, Richard Madden and the pure brilliance of Derek Jacobi - and it was really enjoyable! In fact I think I had more of a smile on my face coming out, than I did when I saw Cumberbatch in Hamlet last October. But..I don't think it was the most outstanding piece of theatre I've seen. As a play R+J is performed across the world, in schools, in the West End, in gardens with children and in blockbuster films. And not only is it one of the most well known of Shakespeare's plays but it also inspires many piece of storytelling with its story of love through enmity and its tragic (but terribly romantic) ending.

So the plan going forward is to make an appearance at least once a month to share my favourite books (mostly) with everyone.... Obviously with my track record of posting I really need to get into a routine before I commit fully, so at the end of may there will be a glorious recap of what I've read, including the embarrassing choices/maybe my favourite films/possibly some awesome moments. The end of June is bringing a big change in my life so I'd really love to be able to share all the things that are opening up in my world, along with sharing the my always reliable love of reading.  That's it for now!  Taran x