Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

My Review for The Book of Sheen, by Charlie Sheen, read by Charlie Sheen


"Don't wish your days away."

How Charlie Sheen is still alive is a mystery to many 🀯. The torture that he's put his body through is mind-blowing. Yet here he is, still here and ready to tell his story.

When I saw his memoir was out as an audiobook 🎧, I reserved it from Libby (there was a long wait ⏳), and settled down to listen to the man himself tell me about how in fact, he was still alive!

Charlie Sheen has been in the background of my life forever I think, but I really started to notice him when he was in Two and a Half Men, a sitcom that I loved πŸ“Ί. But he starts his book way before that point.

The book was really sobering (pardon the pun), 🍸🚫 and I found it incredibly interesting. Charlie doesn't pull any punches, he knows he was a total a**h**e, he knows he has no right to still be with us and he doesn't blame anyone but himself. As he finally approaches sobriety, he tells us about it with positivity and hope, and as he writes, he's eight years sober. πŸŽ‰ Considering the life he's led, this is a huge achievement and let's hope it continues for his sake and his kids. ❤️

If, like me, you love the sound of Charlie's voice, then get this on audiobook 🎧 and enjoy his silver-toned voice telling his story in his own inimitable way.


About the Book

For the first time, Charlie Sheen, the star of Platoon, Wall Street, Major League, and Two and a Half Men, writes the story of his extraordinary life in an unfiltered memoir.

“We can live the stories or hear about them later from others. I choose the former.”

Charlie Sheen should not be alive to write this book.

But in The Book of Sheen, the movie and TV star, who has defied the odds, finally presents his story, in his own words.

Charlie Sheen was born the third of four children to actor Martin Sheen and his wife, Janet. He grew up on film sets—from his father’s all over the world, to his own in Malibu. There he made ambitious Super 8s, with a roster of friends who went on to become household names themselves, including his brother Emilio, Sean and Chris Penn, and the Lowe brothers.

Sheen broke into movies in the 1980s, playing a hoodlum in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, a young soldier in Platoon, and an ethically compromised trader in Wall Street. But somewhere along the way, despite a successful transition to TV leading man in Spin City and Two and a Half Men, Sheen descended into a vortex of extracurricular activities.

Now sober, Sheen delivers a clear-eyed narrative of his highs and lows with humor, candor, and a vivid, captivating writing style that is uniquely his. The Book of Sheen reads like a far-fetched, overstuffed novel of Hollywood life—yet it is all true.

About Charlie

As Above πŸ˜‰

Monday, March 9, 2026

My Review for Wisteria by Adalyn Grace, read by Kristin Atherton


“I am not trying to take you from the life that you know. All I'm trying to do is show you a world that you deserve to see". 

#thatbonkersbookclub chose Wisteria for February’s “Sequel Shelf” πŸ“š It’s the third and final full-length novel in the Belladonna series, which is a series I’ve really loved! ✨

Wisteria focuses on Blythe and Fate and their forced relationship — one that slowly evolves with understanding and time spent together. Blythe has never been my favourite character in the series by any stretch, but she did grow on me in Wisteria. I know lots of people loved her, but for me she was always a bit… meh! 🀷‍♀️

Fate (aka Aris) was well grumpy 😀 Quite frankly, he needed a good kick up the a**e to stop him treating Blythe the way he did. I mean, come on — did he really need to be that harsh?!

This is a difficult review to write without including spoilers, but my favourite thing had to be the front door that leads anywhere you want it to πŸšͺ✨ Just imagine how useful that would be!

There’s still the novella Holly left to read and, although I don’t usually read novellas, I’ll definitely finish the series by picking it up πŸ“–

One last stop in this unique world… and I’m not quite ready to leave it yet. πŸŒ™

About the Book

#1 New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace delivers a sensational conclusion to the deathly and decadent Belladonna trilogy, with dramatic twists and a seductive new romance that will set listeners' hearts ablaze.

Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.


About Adalyn

Adalyn Grace is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, IndieBound, and International bestselling author of the Belladonna series and the All the Stars and Teeth duology.

Prior to becoming an author, Adalyn spent four years working in live theatre and studied storytelling as an intern on Nickelodeon Animation’s popular series The Legend of Korra. 

Local to San Diego, Adalyn spends her non-writing days by watching too much anime, and by playing video games with her two dorky dogs.




Wednesday, March 4, 2026

My Review for The Long Way Home by Fanny Blake



“Goodbyes were left unsaid, alongside a multitude of lingering regrets.”
πŸ’”

The Long Way Home is February's read for @hook.me.a.book and the #kindlecrushchallenge, and what a delightful book it was to finally read. Set between 1950s Paris πŸ‡«πŸ‡· and 2019 UK πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§, I loved the adventures Isla’s Mum got up to as a young girl working and living in Paris, and the investigative journey Isla and her granddaughter Charlie navigated back in the UK to finally uncover the answers she’d been searching for. πŸ”✨

It’s rare to find a book with a main character in her sixties, but that’s exactly what we get here — and it was so refreshing 🀍 I especially loved watching Isla and her teenage granddaughter’s relationship grow, as Charlie slowly realises there’s more to life than her mobile phone. πŸ“±πŸ’«

I’ll definitely be seeking out more books by Fanny Blake πŸ“– It was a heartwarming, easy read that I’d happily recommend.

A very belated thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for the opportunity to read and review The Long Way Home by Fanny Blake. πŸ™✨

About the Book

When Isla, a 65-year-old grandmother, is left nothing but an old painting in her mother’s will, while her sisters and aunt inherit the estate, she is devastated. Close to retirement, getting ready to live on her own terms, the last thing she expects at this time of her life is such turmoil. So, to find an explanation for her mother’s rejection, she embarks on a road-trip.

But, right at the last moment, she’s forced to take her sullen – and, in her view, impossible – 14-year-old granddaughter Charlie with her. Cramped together in Isla’s car with her smelly old dog, these ill-assorted travelling companions set off to uncover some shattering and life-changing family truths at the same time as learning to love each other…


About Fanny - by Fanny

I was brought up in Nottinghamshire, then went to Edinburgh university to study French and Spanish. I left there certain that I wanted to be a publisher’s editor. I hadn’t a clue what editors did. I loved reading: that was enough.

After a short stint in Glasgow, working in the university bookshop (the closest I could get to the world of books), I left Scotland and came to London in search of a job. I answered an advertisement from Corgi Books and was appointed as an editorial assistant. From there I went to Star Books, Granada Books and then was appointed senior fiction editor at Penguin where I stayed for fourteen years, interrupted by a three year interlude during which I was publishing director of Heinemann then editorial director of Macmillan. So I spent many happy years, acquiring, editing and publishing fiction and general non-fiction.

Eventually, I crossed to the other side of the fence. Instead of reading for my living, I began to write. After cutting my teeth with various interiors magazines, I was asked to collaborate on books that tied in with TV programmes such as Grand Designs, House Doctor and Place in the Sun. At about the same time, I was asked to be books editor of Woman & Home magazine, a job that to this day keeps me in touch with the world of books and publishing. Since then I have ghosted a number of celebrity autobiographies before turning my hand to fiction, where my heart has always lain.

Over the years, I’ve also enjoyed judging a number of literary awards, including the Betty Trask Award, the Desmond Elliott Award, the Romantic novelists’ Association Award, the Costa First Novel Award and the Costa Short Story Award



Sunday, March 1, 2026

My Review for The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin



“It's accepting the value of things – an old pot, an old person – and understanding that those things have wisdom, that they have seen things. They have value in being.”

The Little Teashop in Tokyo has been on my shelf for a couple of years after I found it in a charity shop one day. It was February’s choice for #thatbonkersbookclub, so I finally had the opportunity to dust it off (literally) and dive into cherry blossom season in Japan.

It was a quick, cute read, and I loved hanging out with Fiona as she enjoyed her prize-winning trip to Japan. The family she stays with are instantly loveable characters, and I found it fascinating to discover their way of life — the simplicity of their home and the warm welcome Fiona receives the moment she steps over the threshold.

I was intrigued by the many tourist spots that Fiona and her mentor, Gabe, visited. I’m not sure whether I’ll ever visit Japan, but if I do, I’d definitely want to go during cherry blossom season!

About the Book

Grab your passport and escape to the land of dazzling skycrapers, steaming bowls of comforting noodles, and a page-turning love story that will make you swoon!

For travel blogger Fiona, Japan has always been top of her bucket list so when she wins an all-expenses paid trip, it looks like her dreams of the Far East are coming true.

Until she arrives in vibrant, neon-drenched Tokyo and comes face-to-face with the man who broke her heart ten years ago, gorgeous photographer Gabe.

Fiona can’t help but remember the heartache of their last meeting but it’s not long before the Japanese art of contentment and a special, traditional tea ceremony work their magic…

Amidst the temples and clouds of soft pink cherry blossoms, Fiona and Gabe start to see life – and each other – differently.

About Julie

Julie Caplin also writes contemporary romance as Jules Wake. 

Julie Caplin is addicted to travel and good food. She’s on a constant hunt for the perfect gin and is obsessively picky about glasses, tonic and garnishes. Between regular gin tastings, she’s been writing her debut novel which is set in just one of the many cities she’s explored over the years.

Formerly a PR director, for many years she swanned around Europe taking top food and drink writers on press trips (junkets) sampling the gastronomic delights of various cities in Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Copenhagen and Switzerland. It was a tough job but someone had to do it. These trips have provided the inspiration and settings for the trilogy, The Little Cafe in Copenhagen, The Little Brooklyn Bakery and the The Little Paris Patisserie.




Tuesday, February 24, 2026

My Review for A Man Called One by Fredrik Backman


“You only need one ray of light to chase all the shadows away”

A Man Called Ove πŸ“– was my February read for @hook.me.a.book challenge – the #NeglectedFaithfulsReadingChallenge. πŸ“š✨ It's been sitting on my shelf for at least two years, and I'm so pleased I've finally got around to reading it. πŸ™Œ

What I didn't realise was that it has already been made into a movie 🎬 – one which I've watched, albeit with a slightly different title, A Man Called Otto. However, I didn't remember a thing about it. 🀦‍♀️πŸ˜…

I really enjoyed this story. ❤️ Ove is your typical "grumpy old man" 😠 with the patience of a gnat 🦟 and a man who appreciates that rules are in place for a reason πŸ“ – and woe betide anyone who tries to veer away from said rules! 🚫 There is a sadness to Ove which will tear at your heartstrings, πŸ’” and as you understand what has happened in his past, you'll maybe appreciate just why he's as grumpy as he is. πŸ₯Ί

I appreciated that slowly and surely, Ove's new neighbours and a random cat 🐈 wormed their way into his life, and without his immediate realisation, he was having a better time. 🌀️ He was useful to people and he was wanted-it was such a heartwarming feeling as I was reading it. 🫢✨

I am pretty sure I have My Friends on my Libro FM shelf, 🎧 so I will get around to that at some point, and I am pleased that Fredrik is now on my radar. πŸ‘€πŸ“š

About the Book

Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.


About Fredrik

Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, The Winners, Anxious People, My Friends, and two novellas, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and The Deal of a Lifetime, as well as one work of nonfiction, Things My Son Needs to Know About the World. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children.




Thursday, February 19, 2026

My Review for The Invisible Life of Addie LeRue by V.E. Schwab


“Do you know how to live three hundred years?” she says. And when he asks how, she smiles. “The same way you live one. A second at a time.”

I’d heard so many amazing things about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, yet I’d never read it. So when I spotted a special edition on the Zon, it jumped into my basket as if by magic ✨ The physical edition is gorgeous — sprayed edges, glossy illustrations inside — and the story is completely my kind of thing. I loved it ❤️ I could have happily carried on reading about all the years we missed in Addie’s past.

I chose to read this now because my cousin was reading it for her real-life book club, and I thought it would be lovely if we could chat about it too πŸ“– I’m not sure she liked it as much as I did, though!

The writing is beautiful, and the story is full of emotion and tragedy πŸ’” I found myself wondering how I would cope if no one remembered me and I were living forever — the places I could go, the things I could see, and of course, having the time to read every book I’ve ever wanted to read πŸ“š✨

This book will stay with me for a long, long time and will be one I return to again and again πŸ’« I haven’t read anything else by this author before, but I’ll definitely be dipping into her back catalogue.

About the Book

When Addie La Rue makes a pact with the devil, she trades her soul for immortality. But there's always a price – the devil takes away her place in the world, cursing her to be forgotten by everyone.

Addie flees her tiny home town in 18th-Century France, beginning a journey that takes her across the world, learning to live a life where no one remembers her and everything she owns is lost and broken. Existing only as a muse for artists throughout history, she learns to fall in love anew every single day.

Her only companion on this journey is her dark devil with hypnotic green eyes, who visits her each year on the anniversary of their deal. Alone in the world, Addie has no choice but to confront him, to understand him, maybe to beat him.

Until one day, in a second hand bookshop in Manhattan, Addie meets someone who remembers her. Suddenly thrust back into a real, normal life, Addie realises she can’t escape her fate forever.

About Victoria

V. E .Schwab was born in California, raised in Tennessee, and currently splits her time between Denver, Colorado and Edinburgh, Scotland. She got her undergraduate degree in book design at Washington University in St. Louis, and her masters in depictions of monstrosity in medieval art at the University of Edinburgh. In addition to writing books and hosting a podcast called No Write Way, she spends her time on tour, or plagued by the knowledge of how short life is, in terms of the number of books she’ll be able to read, and obsessively saving tiktok videos for recipes she’ll probably never make. She also likes to run, and cycle, and swim—though not all at once. 

V.E. is the author of more than 25 books, spanning MG, YA, and Adult, though she’s never been keen on labeling stories for a certain audience. Plenty of young readers like Vicious, and plenty of older ones like Cassidy Blake, and she believes the best story is the one that finds you when you need it. 

Her greatest goal as an author is to make you doubt your reality. Not by convincing you that magic is real, but by planting a seed of doubt that it’s not.



Tuesday, February 17, 2026

My Review for Rambling Man: My Life on the Road by Billy Connolly, read by Billy Connolly


“Some of the nicest people I know are decomposing as we speak. I’ve always liked graveyards. I like reading the headstones.”

Billy Connolly is a legend and one of my favourite comedians of all time, so when I saw this audiobook, I grabbed it and devoured it with both ears.

Billy’s stories never age. However many times you’ve heard them, his observational wit remains second to none. As he narrates — as eloquently as anyone can in a Glasgow accent — his ramblings in that unmistakable, inimitable style, I felt as though I was travelling alongside him. Every road, every adventure, every wonderfully odd character he encounters — you’re right there with him.

He had me in stitches in every chapter. This is the sort of book that makes you laugh regardless of the mood you’re in. On days when life felt heavy, Billy could always lighten it.

He is a gentleman and a scholar, and he will remain a Scottish icon long after he’s gone. Realistically, that time may not be too far away — and that makes this audiobook feel all the more precious. It’s not just comedy; it’s a lifetime of storytelling, preserved in the voice that made it unforgettable.

Thank you, Billy, for entertaining me for my entire lifetime.

About the Book

Being a Rambling Man was what I always wanted to be, to live the way I damn well pleased. I've met the weirdest and most wonderful people who walk the Earth, seen the most bizarre and the most fantastic sights - and I've rarely come across something I couldn't get a laugh at. I don't think I've ever had a bad trip. Well, apart from in the 1970s, but that's a whole other story . . .

When Billy set out from Glasgow as a young man he never looked back. He played his banjo on boats and trains, under trees, and on top of famous monuments. He danced naked in snow, wind and fire. He slept in bus stations, under bridges and on strangers' floors. He travelled by foot, bike, ship, plane, sleigh - even piggy-backed - to get to his next destination.

Billy has wandered to every corner of the earth and believes that being a Rambling Man is about more than just travelling - it's a state of mind. Rambling Men and Women are free spirits who live on their wits, are interested in people and endlessly curious about the world. They love to play music, make art or tell stories along the way but, above all, they have a longing in their heart for the open road.

In his joyful new book, Billy explores this philosophy and how it has shaped him, and he shares hilarious new stories from his lifetime on the road. From riding his trike down America's famous Route 66, building an igloo on an iceberg in the Arctic, playing elephant polo (badly) in Nepal and crashing his motorbike (more than once), to eating witchetty grubs in Australia, being serenaded by a penguin in New Zealand, and swapping secrets in a traditional Sweat Lodge ritual in Canada, Rambling Man is a truly global adventure with the greatest possible travel companion.


About Billy

Billy Connolly was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. He left school to work in the shipyards, becoming a welder, and joined the Territorial Army (in the parachute regiment) at around the same time. He developed an interest in folk music, eventually being an accomplished banjo player and a member of the band Humblebums with Gerry Rafferty (later of Baker Street fame). The jokes he told between songs eventually took over his act and he became a full-time comedian. Already a big star in Scotland, he became a household name in the UK after appearing on Parkinson (1971) in the early seventies. Billy has released many recordings and videos of his concert performances over the years. He has expanded his repertoire to include acting, appearing in a number of television dramas and films, most recently in the USA. In the 90s he made two documentary series for the BBC, about Scotland and Australia respectively, and in 1997 he starred in the award winning film Mrs Brown (1997). He is one of the UK's top comedians.






Monday, February 16, 2026

My Review for Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison read by Joe Morton



“All it takes to get along in this here man's town is a little shit, grit, and mother-wit.”

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison_ was February's read for #classiclitbookclub πŸ“š, and I decided to listen to this one — which turned out to be a very good decision 🎧. I really enjoyed Joe Morton’s narration; he did a fantastic job capturing the many different accents as our unnamed protagonist moves from the Deep South 🌾 to the hustle and bustle of New York City πŸ—½.

We never learn the protagonist’s name, even when he is given a new identity. I believe this reflects the invisibility he feels — as a Black man coming of age in a world with deeply blinkered views about how he should behave in the presence of “white folk.”

Few books stay rent-free in my head πŸ’­, but this may just be one of them. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy but you’re worried about struggling with the colloquial language, I highly recommend the audiobook πŸŽ™️. This is definitely a book I’ll return to, and one I suspect will reveal something new each time ✨.

About the Book

Ralph Elllison's Invisible Man is a monumental novel, one that can well be called an epic of 20th-century African-American life. It is a strange story, in which many extraordinary things happen, some of them shocking and brutal, some of them pitiful and touching - yet always with elements of comedy and irony and burlesque that appear in unexpected places. 

After a brief prologue, the story begins with a terrifying experience from the hero's high-school days; it then moves quickly to the campus of a "Southern Negro college" and then to New York's Harlem, where most of the action takes place. 

The many people that the hero meets in the course of his wanderings are remarkably various, complex and significant. With them he becomes involved in an amazing series of adventures, in which he is sometimes befriended but more often deceived and betrayed - as much by himself and his own illusions as by the duplicity and the blindness of others. 

Invisible Man is not only a great triumph of storytelling and characterization; it is a profound and uncompromising interpretation of the anomalous position of Blacks in American society.


About Ralph

Ralph Ellison was a scholar and writer. He was born Ralph Waldo Ellison in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, named by his father after Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ellison was best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953. He also wrote Shadow and Act (1964), a collection of political, social and critical essays, and Going to the Territory (1986). For The New York Times , the best of these essays in addition to the novel put him "among the gods of America's literary Parnassus." A posthumous novel, Juneteenth, was published after being assembled from voluminous notes he left after his death.



Wednesday, February 11, 2026

My Review for This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page



"Sometimes life calls for a pillow fort. And sometimes you just have to build that fort yourself." 🏰✨

Libby! Why am I only now just discovering you?! πŸ“šπŸ’› It's only February, and I think I've already found the book that is going to be in my Top Ten for 2026. This book is incredible — it made me cry proper tears 😭 (and books rarely do that to me). It's so sad, but so heartfelt, and most of all it's full of hope and promise. Hope that there will be happiness following grief, and the promise that you just need to give yourself time and allow other people to care for you. 🀍

I adored reading about Tilly and how she fell in love with reading again πŸ“–, something she hadn't been able to do since before her beloved husband Joe passed away. It was such a gorgeous memory to have — a book from Joe for every month of a whole year πŸ—“️πŸ’Œ. Oh, and some of those books took her out of her comfort zone and pushed her to do things she would never have dreamed of doing before. 🌊✨

I will definitely be reading Libby's previous books (watch this space!) πŸ‘€πŸ“š, and I'm putting them on my wishlist (I hope my Mum is reading this!) πŸŽπŸ˜‰

Thank you to Penguin UK and Viking Books for the gifted copy of This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page. 🀍

About the Book

Twelve stories. Twelve months. Once chance to heal her heart...

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her fiancΓ© waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly because Joe died five months ago…

The gift is simple – twelve carefully-chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

Tilly sets out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, the bookshop owner, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?



About Libby

Libby Page is the Sunday Times bestselling author of six novels: The Lido, The 24-Hour CafΓ©, The Island Home, The Vintage Shop, The Lifeline and This Book Made Me Think of You.

She is also a writing coach at The Novelry, where she mentors writers through the process of writing their own novels.

Before writing The Lido she worked as a journalist and in marketing. She lives in Somerset with her husband and young son.





Tuesday, February 10, 2026

My Review for The Dad Trap by Ian Eagleton



“Who needs friends when you’ve got books, fabulous felt-tips and a cool notepad, right? Much safer this way. Books over besties. Pens over pals.”
πŸ“š✏️πŸ–️

OMG, I loved this book! 😍 There were so many moments when I actually spat out my tea πŸ˜‚☕ My 11-year-old granddaughter is going to love it!

William is neurodivergent — his brain is wired differently from everyone else’s 🧠✨ — and he knows that. He’s learning how to manage it, although he does like his routines… and woe betide anyone who tries to mess with those! πŸ˜…⏰ He’s a bit like me, if I’m honest. πŸ™‹‍♀️

William and Florence are hilarious 🀣 as they come up with idea after idea to split their dads up! πŸ’‘πŸ’₯ William doesn’t want to share his dad with anyone else, and Florence is convinced that her mum and dad will get back together. πŸ’”➡️❤️

Buy this for your son or daughter (but read it yourself too! πŸ˜‰) and watch their faces as they read — I bet you anything they won’t be able to stop smiling. πŸ˜πŸ“–

Thank you to Scholastic UK for the gifted copy of The Dad Trap by Ian Eagleton πŸŽπŸ“š which will be gifted to my eldest granddaughter next week. πŸ’•πŸ‘§

About the Book

When William and Florence meet on the first day of Year Six, they instantly dislike each other. William is impulsive, endlessly chatty and struggles in school. His home life is safe and predictable - just him and Dad, who adopted him as a solo parent - and that's how William likes it.

Florence is sullen, cold, and everything seems to come easily to her. She's moved after her parents' divorce - but she's convinced she won't be staying long because they'll definitely get back together...

But then Florence and William find out that their dads have started seeing each other. Now they must put their differences to one side. Because only if they work together might they stand a chance of splitting up their dads... Let the sabotage commence!

About Ian

Ian is 35 years old and is the director of The Reading Realm. He is also a content creator and resource writer for various educational organisations, including The Literacy Shed and Authorfy. Ian has taught in primary schools for 13 years and during this time has been a member of the senior management team, a phase leader, and literacy co-ordinator. Ian has also run staff training and writing workshops for children. He still teaches part time at a local school and especially enjoys sharing picture books, poetry and creative writing activities with the children he teaches.



Wednesday, February 4, 2026

My Review for If You Knew...by Richard Plourde


"Are you certain of the diagnosis? Is there any chance you might be wrong?"

πŸ“– A unique and in-depth read, this book explores the trauma the Plourde family face when they receive the devastating news that their son’s leukaemia has returned. πŸ’” If You Knew… is an incredibly emotional story that will tug at your heartstrings every step of the way. 😒 We live through each moment of Gabriel’s treatment plan as he prepares for a bone marrow transplant. πŸ₯

✨ Alongside the true-life elements of the story is a fictional take on how someone might change their life if they knew what the future held. ⏳ Do you carry on as normal, knowing what lies ahead will be traumatic, or do you try to change your path before anything bad can happen? πŸ€”

πŸ“š This isn’t the type of fiction I would usually choose to read — I tend to avoid authors like Jodi Picoult because I often find the stories too sad — but I really enjoyed this one. ❤️ The time-traveller aspect is woven in nicely and adds an interesting layer to the story.

πŸ™ Thank you to Richard Plourde for the opportunity to read and review If You Knew…

About the Book

When their four-year-old son Gabriel’s leukaemia relapses, Richard and his wife are thrown back into the battle they thought they’d won. With time running out, they cling to each other—and to the smallest signs of hope.

Elsewhere in time, Bill, a university student reeling from heartbreak, catches a glimpse of a future that isn’t his to know. What he sees shakes him to the core… and sparks a single-minded resolve to change what’s coming.

As the two stories begin to mirror—and then collide—love, courage, and impossible choices pull them toward the same question : will what they do be enough to change what’s coming… or will fate refuse to bend?

Echoing the emotional depth of The Time Traveler’s Wife and the heart-wrenching choices in My Sister’s Keeper , this novel asks a timeless what would you do, if you knew?


About Richard

Bestselling author Richard Plourde is a retired optometrist with a genuine passion for writing captivating stories. His two novels, originally published in French, were both critically acclaimed and were finalists for the coveted France-Acadie literary prize.

Richard also published a children’s novel that was selected as a one of the top children’s book of the year by the consumer guide “ProtΓ©gez-vous”.

His books have been translated and published in English.

Father of two accomplished young adults and two beloved cats, he lives in a lovely town nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains in New Brunswick, Canada.

Richard is currently working on his fourth novel and is also writing the screenplay for his first book.



Tuesday, February 3, 2026

My Review for All This & More by Peng Shepherd, read by Helen Laser



"LIFE is many things - good, bad, steady, unexpected - but we can all agree that each one is UNIQUE.
"

I didn’t really know what I was getting into with All This & More πŸ€”. It’s a concept I’ve only ever experienced as a child, through the Choose Your Own Adventure stories πŸ“š. Peng takes that idea to a whole different level, delivering it in a far more complex and lengthy way.

I’m not sure how much my experience was affected by listening rather than reading 🎧, but whenever a choice came up, I almost always selected the option that said continue listening. It was simply easier, especially as I was usually doing other things at the same time πŸƒ‍♀️🧹. The only exception was right at the end, when I chose to listen to all three endings πŸ‘€.

The book blends fantasy, sci-fi, and time travel πŸš€✨, which—for the purposes of this story—is explained through quantum physics πŸ”¬. That’s something I don’t understand and probably never will πŸ˜‚! I’m also not sure whether we’re meant to like Marsh, the female protagonist. To me, she came across as selfish, jumping backward and forward through time countless times ⏳ in an attempt to make every single aspect of her life perfect. That said, the TV show she was starring in gave her that opportunity, so I suppose it’s no surprise that she took full advantage of it 🎬.

Despite a very confusing start 😡‍πŸ’«, I did end up enjoying the story πŸ‘. I chose the first ending—which I won’t reveal here, as I don’t want to spoil it if you decide to read it yourself 🀐.

Thank you to Libro.fm and William Morrow for the opportunity to listen to and review All This & More πŸ™✨

About the Book

From the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of The Cartographers and The Book of M comes an inventive new novel about a woman who wins the chance to rewrite every mistake she’s ever made… and how far she’ll go to find her elusive “happily ever after.”

But there’s a twist: the reader gets to decide what she does next to change her fate.

One woman. Endless options. Every choice has consequences.

Meek, play-it-safe Marsh has just turned forty-five, and her life is in shambles. Her career is stagnant, her marriage has imploded, and her teenage daughter grows more distant by the day. Marsh is convinced she’s missed her chance at everything—romance, professional fulfillment, and adventure—and is desperate for a do-over.

She can’t believe her luck when she’s selected to be the star of the global sensation All This and More, a show that uses quantum technology to allow contestants the chance to revise their pasts and change their present lives. It’s Marsh’s only shot to seize her dreams, and she’s determined to get it right this time.

But even as she rises to become a famous lawyer, gets back together with her high school sweetheart, and travels the world, she begins to worry that All This and More’spromises might be too good to be true. Because while the technology is amazing, something seems a bit off.…

Can Marsh really make her life everything she wants it to be? And is it worth it?


About Peng

Peng Shepherd is the nationally bestselling, award-winning author of All This and More, The Cartographers, and The Book of M.

Her novels have been acclaimed as a “Best Book of the Year” by the Washington Post, a “Best Book of the Summer” by the Today Show and NPR, and featured in the New York Times, the LA Times, The Atlantic, and on Good Morning America, as well as a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. Her work also has been translated into more than ten languages, and optioned for TV and film.

A graduate of New York University’s MFA program, Peng is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona, where she rode horses and trained in classical ballet, and has lived in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, London, Mexico City, and New York. When not writing, she can be found planning her next trip or haunting local bookstores.