On Hampstead Heath by Marika Cobbold Blog Tour

 I seem to be late to the party more often than not when it comes to authors. What I mean by that is that I don't read a novel of theirs until perhaps they've already released a few and I'm always left wondering why I haven't read any of their books before. 

This was definitely the case when it came to Marika Cobbold. On Hampstead Heath is actually her eighth novel and in this moment I find myself with a great need to have the chance to now devour her previous stories.

Thorn Marsh was raised in a house of whispers, of meaningful glances and half- finished sentences. Now she's a journalist with a passion for truth, more devoted to her work at the London Journal than she ever was to her ex-husband.

When the newspaper is bought by media giant The Goring Group, who value sales figures over fact-checking, Thorn openly questions their methods, and promptly finds herself moved from the news desk to the midweek supplement, reporting heart-warming stories for their new segment, The Bright Side, a job to which she is spectacularly unsuited.

On a final warning and with no heart-warming news in sight, a desperate Thorn fabricates a good-news story of her own. The story, centred on an angelic apparition on Hampstead Heath, goes viral. Caught between her principles and her ambitions, Thorn goes in search of the truth behind her creation, only to find the answers locked away in the unconscious mind of a stranger.

Certainly a book that will warm your heart.

Reading Round Up 2021 #18

 Hello fellow bookish people.

I struggled to write this post for my weekly reading round up. It's been a busy week working etc, which meant I forgot to post my reviews via Goodreads, which in turn meant that I actually had a hard time remembering just what I read in the past 7 days.

Has anyone else had this problem before?

After much thinking time (and going back over my Twitter page for evidence) I can now share with you the books which I now have memory of reading lol.

The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan Blog Tour

 My love of books has always been very diverse because of this, I don't really have a favourite genre. I'm more of a 'when I am in the mood for a certain story' kind of girl.

However, if a thriller is waved under my nose I'm likely to pick it up quite rapidly. And that is exactly how I felt when I was given the chance to be a part of the blog tour for Phoebe Morgan's latest release, The Wild Girls.

It’s been years since Grace, Felicity, Alice and Hannah were together – The Wild Girls, as they were once called, are no longer so wild. Alice has settled with a new baby and partner. Hannah is now a teacher. Grace has gone to ground. Only Felicity seems to have the same spark she once had.

And now Felicity has invited them all on the weekend of a lifetime – a mini-break in South Africa to celebrate her birthday, a chance to put that night two years ago behind them, when things went so very wrong between them, and their bomb-proof friendship was shattered for ever.

But on arriving at the luxury safari lodge, a feeling of unease settles on Grace, Hannah and Alice. Felicity isn’t there to meet them. There’s no sign of the party she promised. The awful phone signal means that they are on their own, in the wild…

It’s a weekend with a difference. But who is hunting who?

Reading Round Up 2021 #17

 Hey there bibliophiles, how goes it?

Last week was another one of those weeks where I just didn't seem to have an awful lot of time to read, because of that I focused my efforts on reading the novels that I had scheduled in for blog tours (so do look out for the full reviews in the coming weeks).

In other news, I did get a fantastic new book shelf - which I've pictured below - an excuse to buy some more books right.

So I've sort of filled up my book shelves ....

It's a mix of colours, series, paperback and hardbacks

Feel like I have my own little bookshop in lounge ❤📚@bookoffimreadin @JessicaLeeke
I promised I'd tag you so here it is.#booktwitter #booktwitter #bookshelfie pic.twitter.com/OrP4cVVWjE

— Chantelle Hazelden - Brewtiful Fiction (@Brew_Fiction) April 21, 2021

On to the books I did read...

BOOKS ON THE HILL - OPEN DYSLEXIA PROJECT - BLOG TOUR

Working in a school, I see quite a few children who have dyslexia that have initial struggles with reading, and this is partly down to many books not being published in a way that makes them be accessible to everyone. 

Unfortunately this carries on into later life and the fight for dyslexic adults to have access to suitable books is a big one.

Dyslexia is a learning difference that primarily affects reading and writing skills. The NHS estimates that up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK have some form of dyslexia, while other dyslexic organisations believe 1 in 5 and more than 2 million people in the UK are severely affected.

Dyslexia does not stop someone from achieving. There are many individuals who are successful and are dyslexic. Famous actors, such as Orlando Bloom; Entrepreneurs like Theo Paphitis, and many, many more, including myself. All of who believe dyslexia has helped them to be where they are now. Dyslexia, though, as I can attest to, does not go away. You don’t grow out of it, and so we are acknowledging that and trying to without being patronising, create a selection of books that will be friendly to people who deal with dyslexia every day.

Books on the Hill Publishing are currently creating a powerful project that will make exciting, good quality fiction available to a minority group, which in these current times are not properly provided for by today's UK traditional mass book market.