Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

Surely there's nothing wrong with a tin of pilchards that are 27 years out of date....?! Fiona's books are funny, you can usually hear me giggling away to myself somewhere when I'm reading one, and The Full Nest was very definitely witty, with loveable characters, from Carly's eccentric Dad who's addicted to game shows, to Eddie - Carly and Frank's eldest child who finds himself having to grow up superfast. I wanted to slap Frank around a bit for acting like papa bear and retreating to his cave when the going got tough, but on the other hand, he just needed a big hug to show him that everything will work out when you all stick together. I didn't manage to have kids of my own and when my stepdaughter's kids stay, I love them being with me, but it's so lovely when they go home!!! If you're in the mood for an easy-read, that'll have you laughing out loud, then grab yourself a copy of Fiona's new book, you won't be disappointed. Thank you...

Smee had pleasant names for everything, and his cutlass was Johnny Corkscrew, because he wiggled it in the wound. Peter Pan was chosen as March's book for our #classiclitbookclub, in fact I think it was one of the ones I suggested, and I so wanted to love this, but I didn't, I just couldn't. Of course the majority of us know the story of Peter Pan, but I'm sure, like me, many of you have only ever seen movie versions. The Disney version is whimsical and delightful and fun. The book is very much the opposite in my opinion. It's incredibly dark in places, with a lot more implied and actual death than the movie ever shows us. Tinkerbell is quite honestly a bitchy, jealous little fairy who wants Peter all to herself and is quite happy to allow people to be killed, in order to achieve this.  I found the parents strange, they are supposed to be living in the adult world as their kids are off on their adventures in Neverland, but the Nanny is a dog and as a punishment to h...

Archer, Iris and Olive, a gorgeous family in the making... Laurie Gilmore has once again blown me away with another cute story from Dream Harbor (yes, I'm using the US spelling)! I love the small town vibe, where everyone knows everyone, and that includes everyone's business. The elderly contingent of Dream Harbor are awesome, such gossips, but equally their hearts are in the right place, and they just want to help.  Olive is a cute, sassy little girl who knows what she wants, and goes all out to get it, and that includes getting her Dad and Iris together. She was so funny and made me laugh a lot. Regina Reagan, as the narrator did a great job with all the characters, but particularly Olive, she had her spot on. I listened to this book in less than 24 hours, whilst I was outside, getting my garden ready for spring. If you're up for an adorable, slightly spicy, small-town romance, then grab a copy of this and settle down with a cuppa and a packet of biscuits and relocate t...

Gorgeous, beguiling, enchanting, heartwarming, enthralling! There are not enough synonyms to begin to describe, Finding Serenissima.  You may have gathered, from the first sentence, that I absolutely adored this book! My favourite trope is 'new life' when a character leaves their old life behind and starts over somewhere new. My imagination always goes with them, and this is exactly what happened as I was reading Apple's new book.  Apple hauled me from my chair on the east coast of the UK, right into the pages, into Amelia's life and into the winding canals of Venice. I felt every breeze, I smelt every coffee, and I relished every meal that was made. I was right there as, for the first time, Amelia experiences the delights of Venice, the quirky buildings, and some eccentric characters, as she navigates her way through her exciting and sometimes scary new life, budding friendships and the possibilities of love.  Finding Serenissima delves into a couple of difficult topi...

Scotland's beautiful landscape, in all its glory. I loved being a part of Alex's Street Team and I loved immersing myself into Brooke and Jack's lives and their trip along the Skye Trail, with all the authenticity of the incredible scenery, as the pair are thrown together once again, as they hike their way along, taking incredible photographs and writing up their travels as they go.  Told in two timelines, then, (seven years ago) and now. We flip between the two with 'then' explaining just what happened between the two of them and in my opinion, the mistake Jack made, all those years ago when he broke Brooke's heart. But now they get a second chance at the love they had for each other, but only time will tell if Brooke can put the past behind her. Scot and Bothered is another enjoyable read from Alex, and her love and passion for Scotland and all things Scottish is evident through her writing.  Thank you to NetGalley and Alexandra Kiley for the opportunity to re...

I wish I'd discovered Ross before now! I'll be honest, the only reason I chose to read this book was because I live just a few miles from Horsey Mere - yep, it's a real place, with lots of seals, but no dead bodies - as far as I know! But by God, I wish I'd discovered this series earlier! Now I want to read all the Norfolk series, followed by the rest of Ross's books.  I loved it, from beginning to end. It's fast-paced, descriptive, full of great characters (well the good guys anyway) and lots and lots of references to real places in Norfolk and Suffolk. We only moved here a couple of years ago, but it's cool to see the pop-up references to the villages and tourist attractions.  The story was brilliant, if dark, but honestly, stuff like human trafficking is prevalent and even though this is fiction, it's good to see it written about, and it'll definitely make you think about the completely evil people there are in this world.  Apparently this is the ...

Wizard waffles and a noodle cult! The Legend of Uh is hilarious! The humour had me laughing out loud and reaching for my phone to add notes, as I listened to this on my long walks through local villages. Often I stopped in the middle of a quiet country road to write something down so I wouldn't forget it in my review.  The narrator is honestly one of the best I've listened to - and I listen to a lot of audiobooks. He brought the characters to life, and his Scottish and Irish accents were incredible. I have no idea whether those were the accents Aaron was thinking about when he wrote the book, but Adriel nailed it! I loved the weird and wonderful characters that DJ and his friends met along the way, in particular, the waffle wizard (who pops up in the most unusual places), had my heart and yes, I want to try one of those waffles please! Aaron hits the mark with the cult of Phillips and Friar Steve. I couldn't help but laugh and enjoy those plain old names that bring such int...