TOP TEN TUESDAY: CHARACTERS I’D FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Could Elizabeth Bennett be witty in 280 characters or less? Would Becky Sharp go into debt to become an Insta influencer?

I struggled not to go overboard with this week’s challenge. We were asked to pick ten – that’s right, just ten – literary characters to follow on social media. 

Review: The Toy Makers by Robert Dinsdale

This is a book for cold winter nights and cosy evenings with crackling fires. Possibly stupidly, I read it during one of England’s rare mini-heatwaves. The story enchanted me despite the weather. The icy streets Robert Dinsdale describes made a nice change from my overheated home.

Review: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of A Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

You’re never too old for adventure or vodka. In this quirky shaggy dog story, hundred-year-old Allan Karlsson escapes his strict retirement home and goes on the run.

After climbing out of the window in urine-splattered slippers, he wants freedom – and a stiff drink.

The Internet – A Love Story

They say you don’t truly love something until it’s gone. I disagree. I always knew how special the internet was to me.

Very young people won’t remember the awful time when we lived without instant… well, instant everything. Real paper maps, timetables and rows of encyclopaedias have all been replaced by a wonderful word: Google.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve fallen back in time. Nope, I haven’t been sucked into a wormhole. It’s worse. I’m moving home and there’s a delay in getting broadband.

Review: The Friend by Dorothy Koomson

I owe someone out there a lot of chocolate. It’s the person who told me to read Dorothy Koomson’s work.

The Friend is the first book I’ve tried by this author and I’m already hooked. I’ve started making plans to binge-read her back-list.

Top Ten Tuesday: Things That Make Me Pick Up A Book

Hello readers! With so many books out there, and so little time, readers have to make hard choices. Which books will we add to our must-read piles and which ones will we (gulp) abandon forever?

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic asks why we choose the books we do.

Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I don’t like this book. I love it. The main character is brave, brilliant and ruthless.

Evelyn Hugo has more pizzazz that most real people (me included). How can a life this vibrant be fictional?

As an actress in Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’, she was world-famous. Now in her late seventies, Evelyn’s retired from the big screen. 

Still a household name, she’s known for her movie career and her many husbands. The press is desperate for interviews with this elusive former-leading-lady.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books To Read This Spring

Hello readers, spring is here! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday looks at books I want to read over the next few weeks.

There are so many titles I want to try, it’s hard to whittle it down to ten.

Other bloggers aren’t helping; they keep throwing out amazing reviews. My must-read pile is getting bigger by the day.

Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Some readers are pioneers. There’s nothing more boring for them than going back to stories they know. They delve into libraries and hunt through recent releases to find exciting new bookish experiences.  

Sadly, this isn’t me. Just as I have a favourite cup (seriously, it makes all hot drinks taste better) there are a few much-loved plots I wrap around myself like a warm quilt. The characters are old friends and turning the pages feels like coming home.

So, when wondering what to read this week, I opened Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe for the second time. OK, it’s not on my multiple rereads list yet but it’s a strong contender.

Top Ten Tuesday: More Please! Books That Need A Sequel

Hello readers! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday. This week’s theme is ‘standalone books that need a sequel’.

If you’d like to create your own list, give it a go. Top Ten Tuesday was launched by The Broke and the Bookish and has been hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl since January 2018. To find out more simply visit the host website by clicking here.