Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

“She would work hard, save money and buy every single book that she liked.” A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith was the August choice for #classiclitbookclub. I hadn't heard of this book, let alone read it, but I was absolutely blown away. 📚❤️ I can't even explain why. I loved the writing, the characters and the insight into 1900s Brooklyn. There isn't much of a story, not a lot happens, and yet so much does. Am I making sense? 🤔 All Francine wants to do is learn, to read as many books as she possibly can and to try and get herself, her brother and her mother a better life. 📚✨ The children's life is tough. They have little money, an alcoholic father and a mother who works as many jobs as she can to make ends meet — but still, it's not enough. And yet, for the most part, they are happy. I found the story an honest depiction of what life would have been like for those living in poverty in Brooklyn in the early part of the twentieth century. Yes, it's bleak....

"To think of any one of them not there anymore was to think of a hole at the heart of a mosaic." I really enjoyed this story. It sent me reeling back forty years to my days of reading the Famous Five and Secret Seven books by Enid Blyton. It had the same sort of cosy mystery feel for younger readers. 🥰📚 I loved that Meredith, Macy and Colin joined forces to try to solve the murder, with the assistance of a dotty old lady who also lives in the hotel. 🔍🏨 This is one of those stories where you want to be a kid, living alongside the kids and helping them solve mysteries. With secret passageways, corridors and lifts that guests aren't allowed in, it's exciting and fun, and a really cool way to introduce kids to reading and enjoying books on their own. ✨🔎 Thank you to Scholastic for the free copy of Murder at the Ivy Hotel by Emily Hourican. All thoughts are entirely my own. 📚💕 About the Book Twelve-year-old Meredith and ten-year-old Macy feel like the luckiest girls...

"As soon as she walked through that exit, the spell would be broken, and she'd be back to reality." I had a physical and audio copy of this book but chose to listen to it during our long, long hot summer in the UK. ☀️ I really enjoyed it. The characters were funny, and Maggie especially, I thought, had a very sarcastic sense of humour. 😏 Maggie and Flick bounced off each other — once they actually decided they wanted the same thing — to bring down the man who had wronged Maggie. 👀 As the two travelled across Europe, chasing a cruise ship, I slipped into their adventures with them. I mean, who wouldn't fancy a flutter in Monte Carlo or a cocktail in Sicily?! 🍸🇮🇹 The twist towards the end was unexpected but kind of made sense as to why Flick was so invested in Maggie's story. 🤔 A very belated thank you to Pan Macmillan for the free print copy and to Libro.fm & Zibby Books for the free audio copy of So, I Met This Guy... by Alexandra Potter. All thoughts ar...

"The house sighs, and eases, an overwhelming emptiness subsiding into a quiet melancholy." This quote! It instantly made me feel like I was the house and a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I loved it. And houses are alive, aren't they? You can just tell whether someone or something belongs there or not — or perhaps that's just my airy-fairy brain talking! ✨🏡 Such a gorgeous idea, that Nicole, our protagonist, is 'told' when to move an object and, equally as lovely, that she knows where it's meant to be 'relocated' to when the time is right. I wonder if there are people out there who are really like this? I'd like to think so. 🥰 With a large dose of magical realism, Other People's Things made my heart soften and my tummy flutter, and I really want to be able to have the ability to 'relocate' items! ✨📚 I chose this one for July's read for #kindlecrushchallenge. A very belated thank you to Lake Union Publishing an...

“To all the nerds out there, we think you look hot in your glasses” 🤓❤️ The sixth visit to Dream Harbor and I really enjoyed following Daisy and Elliot’s relationship, as they begin with fake-dating and inevitably end up falling in love. I don’t think that’s a spoiler — we all know it’s going to happen in Dream Harbor! 😂💕 Elliot is so sweet, kind and thoughtful, and always seems to be putting Daisy’s feelings first. Daisy was a bit naughty at times, and I did feel she was stringing him along a little because she didn’t know whether she wanted this relationship or not. Just as with all the other Dream Harbor relationships — which pop up every now and again in this one too — it’s all about the thoughts and feelings. Daisy and Elliot work well together, and their friends all love them. It’s cute, easy-to-read and a little bit spicy. 🌶️🥰 I loved it! Thank you to HarperCollins and Libro.fm for the opportunity to listen to and review The Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore. 💕📖 ...

“All the other children at my school are stupid. Except I'm not meant to call them stupid, even though this is what they are.” I'm probably not supposed to like this quote, but I do! 😂 All this kid is doing is speaking the truth as he sees it! The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time  was my July read for #NeglectedFaithfulsReadingChallenge 📚 and one that has been sitting on my shelf for a few years. Now, the dog dies — right at the beginning — and this isn't a spoiler, it's what much of the book is about, but I still wasn't prepared for it! 😲 Christopher, a teenage boy with autism, then sets out to solve the mystery. 🔎 I really enjoyed reading the story from the point of view of a neurodivergent child. I was fascinated by how his brain worked, with the lists, patterns and his absolute need to tell the truth. 🤔 I wasn't as interested in the dog mystery itself, but all the challenges that Christopher and his family faced as he attempted to make his ...

“The kind of love that anchors you and sees right into the messy core of you.” 🖤 Broken Dove was our August read on the Sequel Shelf for @thatbonkersbookclub, but I couldn't wait that long! So, as soon as my hold came in on Libby at the end of June, I popped in my AirPods 🎧 and let Teddy Hamilton's luscious voice sweep through my ears. 🫠 I have absolutely no idea how I feel after listening to Broken Dove! 🤯 Wren has confused me, just as she's confused herself, with the hint of a love triangle that looks inevitable. I have so many theories! Is Gray a double-double agent? 🧐 Now I'm even more perplexed — does this mean he's on the side of the Primes or the Mods? Who are the good guys? I thought I knew... now I'm not so sure! 😵‍💫 Full of action, Broken Dove was a joy to listen to. Both narrators are incredible and threw me straight into the heart of the Continent, and that ending left me breathless! 😱 How long do I need to wait for the next book??!! 😭📚 Abo...