Reading round-up: August 2026

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Featherstone Hall Hotel: A Dolls House Story: Julie Jackson

Watch and Prey (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Series Book 15): JM Dalgliesh

When Death Calls (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Series Book 16): JM Dalgliesh

The Killing Code (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 3): JD Kirk

Blood And Treachery (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 4): JD Kirk

The Last Bloody Straw (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 5): JD Kirk

A Whisper Of Sorrows (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 6): JD Kirk

The Big Man Upstairs (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 7): JD Kirk

A Death Most Monumental (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 8): JD Kirk

A Snowball's Chance In Hell (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 9): JD Kirk

Ahead Of The Game (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 10): JD Kirk

An Isolated Incident (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 11): JD Kirk

Colder Than The Grave (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 12): JD Kirk

Come Hell Or High Water(DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 13): JD Kirk

City of Scars (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 14): JD Kirk 

Here Lie The Dead (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 15): JD Kirk

One For The Ages (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 16): JD Kirk

August was a very productive month for reading, no doubt helped by the fact that I had a fair bit of time on my hands whilst we travelled to and from Norfolk for Dad's 90th birthday holiday 😏

As you can see I did read another couple of the Hidden Norfolk Murder Mysteries but I've been very much side-tracked by the DCI Logan books, which I am enjoying immensely.  Despite his gruff and fierce manner, there is just something so very appealing about Jack Logan!  I will get back to the Hidden Norfolk books in due course, though 😉

I came across the Featherstone Hall Hotel book quite by accident whilst I was doing one of my favourite things: surfing dolls house-related stuff on the internet 😃  I vaguely remembered it being serialised in the now-defunct Dolls House & Miniature Scene magazine and whilst I really don't think I shall ever make a dolls house hotel, I thought it was nevertheless a nice book to add to my collection.  

No magazines were caught up with this month, alas, but that is something I really need to get stuck into before they pile up too much!  

Reading round-up: July 2026

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The Private Patient (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Book 14): PD James

The Maul and The Pear Tree: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders 1811: PD James and T.A. Critchley

To Die For (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mysteries Series book 9): JM Dalgliesh

Fool Me Twice (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mysteries Series book 10): JM Dalgliesh

The Raven Song (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mysteries Series book 11): JM Dalgliesh

Angel of Death (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mysteries Series book 12): JM Dalgliesh

Dead To Me (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mysteries Series book 13): JM Dalgliesh

Blood Runs Cold (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mysteries Series book 14): JM Dalgliesh

A Litter of Bones (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 1): JD Kirk

Thicker Than Water (DCI Jack Logan Crime Thrillers Book 2): JD Kirk 

Slimming World August/September 2025

July was a surprisingly productive month for reading, considering the big garden job we're currently tackling!  It's been rather nice not to just veg out in front of the television after dinner, reading instead ~ my poor 'ole body may be knackered, but my brain is still raring to go 😄

I have reached the end of the Adam Dalgliesh books, which is sort of a shame.  However, I think his story has ended in a good place so that's really nice.  So many stories seem to end with death and destruction so it makes a change for a series to finish on a happy note!

The Maul and The Pear Tree just popped up in the "suggested for you" bit on Amazon, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I have occasionally read real-life crime books, but I must admit that I found this one a bit dry and hard-going in places.  Still, I persevered to the end and to be fair it was quite an interesting case.

I'm still really enjoying the The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mysteries and there are still more left in the series for me to read 😊  As you can see, I've come across yet another series of detective novels.  The Jack Logan books are set in and around Inverness, which is an added attraction for me as we fairly regularly travel through the city when we go south to visit family and friends.

As for whittling down my magazine pile ~ well, I managed to read just one this month.  Still, at least that's one more than I managed last month 😏

Reading round-up: June 2026

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The Blitz Detective Investigates - The Covent Garden Murder: Mike Hollow

The Blitz Detective Investigates - The Soho Murder: Mike Hollow

The Blitz Detective Investigates - The Bloomsbury Murder: Mike Hollow

The Lighthouse (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Book 13): PD James

Kill Them Cold (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Series Book 7): JM Dalgliesh

A Dark Sin (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Series Book 8): JM Dalgliesh

Sew Felt Animals From Apple Blossom Wood: Claire Bowman

Making Luna Lapin;

Luna Lapin Making New Friends;

Sewing Luna Lapin's Friends;

Luna Lapin & Friends A Year of Making

(four book set): Sarah Peel

Dopamine Home: Rachel Verney

Dopamine Décor: Kate Rose Morgan

Granny Square Fashion: Cassie Ward

The Pattern-Free Wardrobe: Kimberley Hind

June was a pretty productive reading month, not least because I had birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, so treated myself to some non-fiction books 😄

I appear to be up-to-date with the Blitz Detective for now, but I'm hoping that as the war isn't yet over in the books there will be some more stories to come.

It seems that I have now read the penultimate book in the Adam Dalgliesh series, with just book 14 left.  I shall be sorry to say goodbye to Adam and his squad but I guess 14 books in one series is a lot of plots and twists to create for an author.

I'm still really enjoying the Hidden Norfolk Murder Mysteries books ~ there seem to be a fair few stories in the series yet to come.  It will be interesting to read JM Dalgliesh's two other series, one set on the Isle of Skye and the other in Yorkshire, but I am trying hard to resist the temptation to start on them 😏

No magazines read this month as I had plenty of other reading material to amuse myself with, so the pile is still sitting there and is in fact growing ~ I really must make an effort to get some of them read 😄  

Reading round-up: May 2026

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The Blitz Detective Investigates - The Pimlico Murder: Mike Hollow

The Blitz Detective Investigates - The Camden Murder: Mike Hollow

One Lost Soul (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Series Book 1): JM Dalgliesh

Bury Your Past (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Series Book 2): JM Dalgliesh

Kill Our Sins (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Series Book 3): JM Dalgliesh

Tell No Tales (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Series Book 4): JM Dalgliesh

Hear No Evil (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Series Book 5): JM Dalgliesh

The Dead Call (The Hidden Norfolk Murder Mystery Series Book 6): JM Dalgliesh

Slimming World May/June 2025

Slimming World July 2025

I have come across a new-to-me author of detective novels ~ JM Dalgliesh.  His books are set in Norfolk, a county I lived in for much of my childhood, and I am enjoying reading them very much.  He also has two other series of detective novels, one set in Yorkshire and the other on the Isle of Skye.  Obviously I will be giving them a whirl in due course 😉

I did read a couple more of the Blitz Detective novels during May but got a bit knocked off track by JM Dalgliesh's DI Janssen 😏 I also managed to catch up with two more issues of last year's subscription to Slimming World magazine but still have a fair few of them to get through, plus this year's subscription is adding to the magazine pile.  As we've already started to get pretty busy with all the work out in the garden, I suspect I may be a tad too tired for much reading over the coming weeks.  Perhaps I'll manage to get more magazines caught up with instead, as they don't require quite the same amount of concentration as novels 😄

Reading round-up: April 2026

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The Blitz Detective Investigates - The Custom House Murder: Mike Hollow

The Blitz Detective Investigates - The Stratford Murder: Mike Hollow

The Blitz Detective Investigates - The Dockland Murder: Mike Hollow

Death In Holy Orders (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Book 11): PD James

The Murder Room (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Book 12): PD James

Gardeners' World August 2025

Gardeners' World September 2025

Gardeners' World October 2025

Gardeners' World November 2025

Making Happy Things: Sue-Ching Lascelles

Stay-Stitched: Erin Arsenault

Despite feeling somewhat low and dispirited, I nevertheless managed to read a fair few books during April.  As you've probably realised by now, I do rather enjoy a good detective murder mystery 😉

I have come to the end of catching up with the Gardeners' World subscription I took out last year.  I dropped these last four copies off at our local library this morning, which is where I've been donating all the GW magazines once I've finished reading them.  The librarians are always highly delighted to receive them, as cost-cutting measures has meant that they can no longer buy subscriptions for the library.

My little butterfly mind is also flitting back to the possibility of having a go at making some clothes for myself, hence the sewing books.  I haven't actually done any "dressmaking" since I was in my first year at senior school, and then it was a subject that I really couldn't get the hang of ~ it took me a whole school year to make one simple item, a little skirt in red crimpolene 😄  In recent years though I have come across the concept of sewing without paper patterns, instead just using basic shapes to make simple clothes.  I'm working up the courage to try this idea to make myself a skirt, as I haven't been able to find anything that really appeals to me.  I currently only have one to my name and would really like another couple as a change from always wearing wide-legged jeggings.  I'll be sure to let you know how things go when I actually pluck up the courage to try!

Reading round-up: March 2026

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The Way to Icy Death (Pitkirtly Mysteries Book 30): Cecilia Peartree

Devices and Desires (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Book 8): P.D. James

Original Sin (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Book 9): P.D. James

A Certain Justice (Inspector Adam Dalgliesh Book 10): P.D. James

The Blitz Detective: Mike Hollow

The Blitz Detective Investigates - The Canning Town Murder: Mike Hollow

Well, March was certainly a much better month for reading than February was!  It's amazing how many books can be got through when doing lots of train travel 😉  

As you can probably tell by the fact that the latest Pitkirtly book is number 30, I really enjoy these stories by Cecilia Peartree and have worked my way through all of them to date.  I had a little look through the books stored on my Kindle and came across the Inspector Dalgliesh ones that I hadn't yet got round to reading, so they also helped pass the time sitting on various trains!

Mike Hollow is a new-to-me author who popped up in my Amazon recommendations, so I thought I'd give him a whirl to see whether I liked his writing.....which I do, so he's yet another author for me to add to the list😏 I'm a bit naughty, to be honest, because I've got masses of unread books on my Kindle but get so easily get distracted by a lovely shiny new one!  All I can say is that it's a bloody good job that they are in a digital format otherwise we wouldn't be able to move in the house for stacks of books 😄  

 

Reading round-up: February 2026

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Slimming World March/April 2025

Gardeners' World July 2025

February really was a rather shameful month for reading, yielding a grand total of just two magazines and no books whatsoever 😳

As I mentioned in a previous post, I just haven't been able to get going with anything these last few weeks.  This is a situation that just pops up out-of-the-blue for me from time-to-time and I know that it will pass.  In the meantime I'm trying not to beat myself up over it all and hopefully will find more joy and enthusiasm for getting on with things soon. 

Reading round-up : January 2026

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Gardeners' World April 2025

Gardeners' World May 2025

Gardeners' World June 2025

Slimming World October 2024

Slimming World November/December 2024

Slimming World January/February 2025

City-Chic Knitting Patterns for Fashion Dolls: Susan Dunlop

Urban-Chic Knitting Patterns for Fashion Dolls: Susan Dunlop

As you can see, I'm still working my way through that pile of magazines 😉  I mentioned in last month's round-up that I was considering taking out a new subscription to Slimming World magazine as I was really enjoying reading through them ~ I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you, my lovelies, that I went ahead with that plan so I won't be running out of magazines any time soon😏   

Reading round-up: December 2025

image from Clipart Library

Vegetarian Living January 2019

Vegan Food & Living December 2021

Slimming World July 2021

Slimming World August/September 2021

Slimming World November/December 2021

Slimming World January/February 2022

Slimming World January/February 2022

Slimming World March/April 2022

Slimming World May/June 2022

Gardeners' World January 2025

Gardeners' World February 2025

Gardeners' World March 2025

Clothes to Sew for 11 1/2" Fashion Dolls Volume 1: Linda Wright

 

Clothes to Sew for 11 1/2" Fashion Dolls Volume 2: Linda Wright

Modern Knitting Patterns for Fashion Dolls: Susan Dunlop

I mentioned in last month's round-up that I had a lot of magazines to get through and I've made a start on 'em, as you can see 😄  I'm not a vegetarian, let alone vegan, so I really don't know why I bought those two magazines!  I've enjoyed the Slimming World magazines, though, especially the inspirational stories of the folk who've managed to lose weight.  There are some good recipes in them, too.  I've got a fair few left to read as I took out a subscription for a year, as well as a whole year's worth of Gardener's World magazines, along with two other subscriptions that I haven't even made a start on yet 😯  I haven't taken out any more subscriptions recently, though, so once I've worked my way through the pile there should only be the occasional magazine now and again ~ mind you I am considering taking out another sub to Slimming World so watch this space 😉

I didn't get round to reading any more of the humungous list of fiction that I've still got on my Kindle, but did read through some of the sewing and knitting books I treated myself to with Christmas money.  I must say that I was extremely impressed with how quickly said books got here, especially as the estimated delivery date was 5th January!

I'm afraid that the rest of Mr Austin Freeman's collection of stories has indeed been put on the back-burner and to be quite honest at the moment I'm not sure if I will ever finish reading them 🤷  Never fear, though, I still have plenty of books, both on my Kindle and sitting on a shelf, patiently awaiting my attention 😏

I've enjoyed sharing my book lists with you in 2025, my lovelies ~ it was so good to get my "reading mojo" back!  Here's hoping that 2026 will be another year filled to the brim with lots of reading, too 😊

Reading round-up: November 2025

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The Stoneware Monkey (a Dr Thorndyke novel - British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

Mr Polton Explains (a Dr Thorndyke novel - British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The Jacob Street Mystery (The Unconscious Witness) (a Dr Thorndyke novel - British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

OTHER NOVELS:

The Golden Pool: A Story of a Forgotten Mine (British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The Unwilling Adventurer (British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The Uttermost Farthing (A Savant's Vendetta) (British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

As you can see I have come to the end of the Dr Thorndyke novels and am now making my way through R. Austin Freeman's other offerings in this seemingly never-ending collection 😳  I must confess that I'm not enjoying these as much as I did the Dr Thorndyke books.  There are only three more left in the collection, nevertheless I think I may put them to one side for the time being and read something different!  I've recently bought a few new books, including the latest novels in two series that I really enjoy, so I'm very tempted to abandon poor old Mr Austin Freeman for pastures new ~ plus I still have a humungous pile of magazines to work my way through!   

 

Reading round-up: October 2025

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Mr Pottermack's Oversight (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

Pontifex, Son and Thorndyke (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

When Rogues Fall Out (Dr Thorndyke's Discovery) (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

Dr Thorndyke Intervenes (a Dr Thorndyke Novel - British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

For the Defence: Dr Thorndyke (a Dr Thorndyke Novel - British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The Penrose Mystery (a Dr Thorndyke Novel - British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

Felo De Se? (Death at the Inn) (a Dr Thorndyke Novel - British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

I'm very pleased with the amount of reading I managed to achieve during October ~ it does rather make up for my lack of enthusiasm earlier this year!  As you can see, I am still reading the British Mysteries Collection ~ or to be more accurate, re-reading them.  I'd forgotten just how many stories are in this collection, and they aren't exactly short stories, either.

Adrian usually goes up to bed a fair bit earlier than I do (I'm very much more of a "night owl" than he is 🦉😄), and that's when I do most of my reading.  I've been finding, though, that I'm also reading more during the day rather than putting the TV on, which has to be better I think 😉  I don't know if I shall get through so many books this month, though, as I've just finished one crochet project and have started on a new one!

I still haven't got round to dusting her, but thought you might like to see how Miss Schlumbergera's blooms are coming along ~ she is just so pretty, even with a light covering of dust 😊

Reading round-up: September 2025

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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: Douglas Adams

Mostly Harmless: Douglas Adams

The Red Thumb Mark (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The Eye of Osiris (The Vanishing Man) (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The Mystery of 31 New Inn  (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The Silent Witness (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

Helen Vardon's Confession (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The Cat's Eye (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The Mystery of Angelina Frood (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The Shadow of the Wolf (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

The D'Arblay Mystery (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

A Certain Dr Thorndyke (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

As a Thief in the Night (a Dr Thorndyke novel -British Mysteries Collection): R. Austin Freeman

Despite my admonitions to myself back in May to do better with my reading in June, I failed to achieve any goals in June, July and August *slaps self on the wrist* 😉 I really have no excuse, especially in early August as I could have easily done some reading ~ after all, I wasn't able to do much else whilst the gout was in full progress!  Oh well, I think I made up for it during September ~ one benefit of long hours spent travelling 😏

As you can see, I pushed on through the last two books in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Complete Trilogy in Five Parts by Douglas Adams.  I really can't say that I particularly enjoyed any of the books in said "trilogy" ~ no doubt jaws are dropping in disbelief, my lovelies 😄 ~ but it would be a sad old world if we all liked exactly the same things.  At least I can now say that I have read the books!

I confess that I have read the British Mysteries Collection before ~ I actually purchased the book, on Kindle, way back in 2016.  When I replaced my old device, I migrated all the books over to the new one but they were no longer sorted out like I had had them previously.  I decided to just leave them be and work my way through them all again, sorting into appropriate categories as I read (or re-read) each book.  The stories start with the "crime" and to quote Wikipedia:

Nowadays, the inverted detective story, where we first witness the crime and then watch the attempt to solve it, is commonplace. For example, this is the format of almost every episode of the television detective series Columbo starring Peter Falk. However, this approach was an innovation in November 1910 when Freeman's "Oscar Brodski" appeared in Pearson's Magazine.[45] and immediately attracted attention. The Northern Whig said that "Oscar Brodski" was "one of the most powerful detective stories we have ever read".[46] Bleiler said that this story "has always been considered one of the landmarks in the history of the detective story".[47]

In his essay The Art of the Detective Story Freeman wrote that in the inverted story: "The reader had seen the crime committed, knew all about the criminal, and was in possession of all the facts. It would have seemed that there was nothing left to tell, but I calculated that the reader would be so occupied with the crime that he would overlook the evidence. And so it turned out. The second part, which described the investigation of the crime, had to most readers the effect of new matter."[48] However, Binyon notes that Freeman is being too modest here, and that it was Freeman's art that kept the reader's attention in the second part.[47]

Reviewers approved of Freeman's inverted tales. The Scotsman said that Freeman had "... proved that a tale which tells the story of the crime first, leaving us to follow the sleuth as he tracks the criminal down, may be at least as absorbing as the old yarns which left us in the dark until the end".[49] Rodgers noted that "Great narrative skill is needed in order to keep the reader's interest" in a story where the crime if revealed at that start and that there have been imitators "Freeman alone stands as not only the originator, but as the most successful proponent of this form of detective fiction"

As I say, I enjoy these stories but feel I must point out that the earlier ones in particular are definitely not "politically correct", especially with regard to racial stereotyping.  I realise that for a lot of folk this aspect alone would preclude them from reading the stories, quite apart Freeman's own unsavoury political views.  Whilst I have found those traits extremely unpleasant, nevertheless I realise that he was very much a product of the times he lived in (1862 - 1943) and as such I have chosen to concentrate simply on the "detective" aspect of the stories.  And once again to quote Wikipedia:

Such offensive representations of Jews in fiction were typical of the time. Rubinstein and Jolles note that while the work of many of the leading detective story writers, such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Freeman, featured many gratuitously negative depictions of stereotyped Jewish characters, this ended with the rise of Hitler, and they then portrayed Jews and Jewish refugees in a sympathetic light.^[33] Thus with Freeman, the later novels no longer present such gratuitously offensive racial stereotypes, but present Jews much more positively.

Reading round-up: May 2025

image from Clipart Library

Well, my lovelies, this is rather embarrassing 😳 I have absolutely no books to share with you ~ for the simple reason that I did next-to-no reading during May 😯

I'm still wading through So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, which is the penultimate book in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Complete Trilogy in Five Parts by Douglas Adams.  Other than a few crochet patterns, that was the sum total of my (unfinished) reading for the whole of May!

Note to self: must do better during June 😏

 

Reading round-up: April 2025

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April was a fairly good month for reading:

Sleeping Murder (Miss Marple series): Agatha Christie

Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Cure (Monsieur Pamplemousse series book 4: Michael Bond

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Douglas Adams

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Douglas Adams

Life, the Universe and Everything: Douglas Adams

 I'm really enjoying the Miss Marple books.  As you might expect there is an awful lot more detail in the actual stories themselves than can be fitted into the television series!  My favourite on-screen depiction of "Miss Marple" is Joan Hickson ~ I love the way she plays the character.  I confess that I also have a bit of a soft spot for Margaret Rutherford's version, even though it came across as a tad over-the-top.  Although I did watch the TV series adaptations with Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie, I can't say that I enjoyed them anywhere near as much as either Joan Hickson or even Margaret Rutherford.  I suppose we all have our favourite on-screen depictions of characters.  For me it will always be Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, in the same way that Jeremy Brett is Sherlock Holmes and David Suchet is Poirot 😊

The Monsier Pamplemousse books are old favourites that I first read many years ago, borrowed, I suspect, from the library.  I can't remember now how I came across them again in the Kindle store but I'm glad that I decided to buy the first few books in the series.  I think I just have one more downloaded that I have yet to read, then no doubt I shall be popping back online to get some more, as I'm pretty sure that there are more than 5 books in the series 😏

The Douglas Adams books are in an omnibus edition: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Complete Trilogy in Five Parts.  I don't recall ever reading any Douglas Adams books, and to be honest I can't say that I remember watching the TV series either.  To be honest I've can't say that I've thoroughly enjoyed the three books I've read so far, but on the other hand I've not struggled with them like I did with Ted 🤷  Despite neither really liking nor disliking them, I will nevertheless finish the last two in this omnibus.

Confession time: the magazines from my various subscriptions have built up over the last year or two so, along with the gazzillions of yet-to-be-read books waiting patiently in my Kindle, I have a fair few mags piling up too 😳  I suspect the coming monthly round-ups will feature both books and a sprinkling of magazines, although with work in the garden now getting into full swing methinks there may well be a downturn in the amount of either that I can stay awake long enough to actually read 😄

Reading round-up: March 2025

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March proved to be a "slow" month for reading.  As I mentioned in my February round-up I struggled to finish Ted ~ A Pawtobiography, which ate into my reading time considerably.  I should have put it to one side to try another time way sooner than I actually did 😏  Anyhoo, here's what I read during March:

The Moving Finger (Miss Marple series): 

Agatha Christie

Crochet Makes From Scrap Cakes: Naomi Vincent

Hello Tiny World: Ben Newell

Fitwaffle's Easy Air Fryer: Eloise Head

Corner-to-Corner Blankets to Crochet: Leonie Morgan

Create Your Own Crochet Blankets: Jessica Leggett

Only one fiction book last month, but reading is reading whether that be fiction or non-fiction, so I've actually read more than I was giving myself credit for 😉   Let's see what April brings! 

Reading round-up: February 2025

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I completely forgot to share with you what I read during February 😏  I only managed three books, one of which I'd started back in January:

High Island Blues (George & Molly Palmer-Jones series book 8): Ann Cleeves

(started in January)

The Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple series): Agatha Christie

The Body in the Library (Miss Marple series): Agatha Christie

 I also tried to get through a book that I got Adrian for Christmas (after he'd finished reading it of course LOL): Ted ~ A Pawtobiography: My Adventures on Gone Fishing by Ted the Dog.  Adrian is a big fan of Gone Fishing, in which Ted features alongside Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse.  He thoroughly enjoyed the book but I confess that I found it pretty hard going to be honest, and in the end decided to put it to one side to perhaps try again sometime in the future.  It's not that there was anything particularly "wrong" with the book, and as I say, Adrian found it a great read.  Just not my "thing" I guess 🤷

So, only three books in February and March is looking pretty sparse as well!  Let's see what I can manage over the last few days of the month 😉

Reading round-up: January 2025

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I managed to read three new books, and finish one I had started in December, during January.  I'm really pleased to have got my fiction-reading mojo back!

Another Man's Poison (George & Molly Palmer-Jones series book 5): Ann Cleeves

(started in December 2024)

Sea Fever (George & Molly Palmer-Jones series book 6): Ann Cleeves

Murder at the Brightwell: Ashley Weaver

The Mill on the Shore (George & Molly Palmer-Jones series book 7): Ann Cleeves

 I'm off to a fairly good start this month.  I finished the last in the George and Molly Palmer-Jones series that I started last month and I'm now on my second book from the first collection of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple boxed sets I treated myself to with Christmas money.

Here's to a lovely year full of books 😊

The joy of books

image from Clipart Library

Back in the day I was a voracious reader of fiction, but when I had the kids I sort of got out of the habit.  I would have the odd bout of reading, but the habit has never really returned like it was when I was young and for a long time I just couldn't be bothered to even pick a book to read.  A bit ironic, then, that my Kindle has 485 titles on it 😳  It's not entirely filled with fiction but I soon discovered that, for me, craft books are nowhere near as easy to use in a digital format as they are in a hard/softback edition!  I haven't purchased everything that's on there, I hasten to add ~ some were free downloads and a lot were very cheap, with some as little as 99p.

During the latter half of last year, though, I rediscovered my love of reading fiction and that enjoyment has stayed with me.  I've always been a fast reader so I got through quite a few books in those last few months of 2024, but it's still only made a little dent in my collection 😄  I did have a brief hiatus during the second half of December as there was lots to do to get the house half-decent for the family coming up and I found myself a wee bit too tired to concentrate on reading to be honest, but I got my nose stuck back into the 'ole Kindle after they went home.

I follow a few bloggers and had noticed that a number share what books they have been reading.  Every time I come across the latest book-sharing it always strikes me as a lovely idea, not least because it perhaps brings to the blog readers' attention books they might not have come across before.  When I got back into the familiar routine of reading fiction last year, it crossed my mind that I could share with you what I currently had my nose stuck into ~ of course, as you might have guessed my lovelies, I kept forgetting to do any such thing 😏

  Today, though, I was reading Ann's blog ~ Polyester Princess ~ and her post gave me a reminder to finally get myself organised!  I have now set up a page (in the list running across the top just below the blog header) to catalogue the books that I read during 2025.  It will just be a book list, although I may post occasionally about a book that I've particularly enjoyed ~ or not, as the case may be 😉

As you can see I've managed to read four books this month, although Another Man's Poison was started in December.  The three Ann Cleeves books are all on my Kindle, with the Ashley Weaver being a book that Adrian picked up when he was in the library recently as he thought I might enjoy it ~ it was okay but not as enjoyable as I thought it might be.  I'm about to start on what I think is the last in the George and Molly Palmer-Jones series, High Island Blues, on my Kindle then I shall move onto some "real" books I splurged on with Christmas money:

 Excuse the photo quality ~ I took them in the evening, and the plastic wrapping didn't help either!  I wouldn't normally buy "real" books as I don't have a lot of shelf space, but these were too tempting as they were considerably reduced 😄

Houseplant inventory August 2020: the rest of the house

Ta-daa! ~ the remaining few of my houseplant inventory for August 2020.....What's that I hear?? Surely not sighs of relief, eh 😄

Anyhoo, we're starting off in the downstairs bathroom with this kalanchoe blossfeldiana ~ aka Flaming Katy.  My word she was in a bit of a state, leggy and bending in all directions.  Despite her being in bloom, I decided that she really needed to be cut back and re-potted sooner rather than later.  I'm glad I went ahead as she hasn't missed a beat and is looking much happier.  The window is west-facing and Katy seems to really like it here.  I trimmed off enough to make seven little plants, each with a small amount of root.  I kept two of the larger cuttings for myself (they are now sharing a space on the coffee table with my schlumbegera) and gave the others away. 

I don't know which variety this ctenanthe is but I've had it a long time.  It lived in the bathroom before we had it altered, where it was away from the window.  I tried it in the same position that the kalanchoe is now in but it didn't like it very much when the sun shone through the window!  Now it sits on the cupboard in the utility room, where it gets indirect light, and is thriving.

The monstera obliqua "Monkey Mask" seems to have settled well in the kitchen.  There are some new little buds appearing on the stems 😊

Another ctenanthe, in fact it was part of the same one in the utility room that I split way before we moved up here.  This one lives on the half-landing, in the "shade" of two of the walls.

I put the anthurium back on the upstairs bathroom windowsill as it was already doing much better there than in its previous position.  The "flower" has grown considerably over the last week or so! 

And finally the last of my houseplant family, the aspidistra that lives in a corner of our bedroom.  I think I must have used the flash function when I took this photo as the area seems somewhat brighter than it actually is.  It's a slow-growing plant that sits quietly in the corner exuding an air of calmness and tranquillity ~ one of my favourites, if I'm honest 😊

So there we are, that's all my houseplants now photographed and recorded: 9 in the dining room, 12 in the living room, and 6 elsewhere in the house, making a grand total of 27 altogether.  Oh, I tell a lie ~ I've also got two out in my craft room!  I guess 29 plants sort of sounds like a lot but compared to some folk in the couple of Facebook houseplant groups I'm in, it's a mere drop in the ocean LOL  

Before we leave my houseplant world for the time being, I thought I'd share with you my go-to houseplant books.  I have a few other books on houseplants too, but these three are my favourites and the ones I refer to the most 😊