Mrs Cooke’s Books

Shelf Respect by Annie Austen

Today, for my ‘last minute (bookish) Christmas gifts’ post, I thought it rather apt to pick a book about books!

Synopsis

There’s no such thing as too many books, simply not enough to places to put them.

Decluttering is all the rage, but what do you do when your preferred interior decor is miles of overstuffed bookshelves? If you can’t bring yourself to clear your collection, SHELF RESPECT will validate your life choices.

Do you alphabetise your books or organise by genre… or (heaven forbid) colour? Have you merged your collection with your other half’s? (And do you write your name inside the cover, just in case?) Do you keep all the books you’ve read, or only the most cherished? Is there such a thing as too many books? (No.)

Bound to provoke (good-natured) debate between Bibliophiles, SHELF RESPECT is a charmingly illustrated book in defence of towering TBR piles and overflowing shelves… no matter how you choose to organise them.

My Thoughts

This book is an absolute delight. Firstly it’d be rude not to mention how aesthetically pleasing it is to the eye; a beautiful, sleeveless hardcover with a picture of every bibliophile’s dream: a bursting bookcase.

I knew I was going to love this book when I read the opening pages reliving the heinous crime that was that picture: the bookcase where every single volume had be turned to face the wrong way!

Shelf Respect is a hilarious tongue-in-cheek look at all things book-related. It contains wonderful bookish anecdotes and fascinating lists e.g Five Novels That Take Place in a Day, Barack Obama’s Presidential Summer Reads, Ten Rejected Titles For Great Books, to name but a few.

I enjoyed the discussions pertaining to DNFing books (leaving them unfinished), the trials and tribulations of lending your books, and my personal favourite: merging book collections with a loved one. There are also tips for arranging your own bookshelves.

This is an entertaining, witty, and informative read which celebrates all things bookish; an absolute must have for all book lovers; the perfect stocking filler for every bibliophile in your life.

My thanks go to Kirsteen Astor at Little Brown for my gorgeous finished copy of Shelf Respect in exchange for my honest review. Shelf Respect is out now and you can buy it here

Until next time!

@mrscookesbooks ♥️

Calm Christmas and A Happy New Year by Beth Kempton

I thought I’d try and do a few posts in the days leading up to Christmas, talking about last minute (bookish) Christmas gifts. What better way to begin than with a lovely self-help book which aims to help maximise joy and minimise stress at this time of year?

Synopsis

This is a book about Christmas. But it’s also a book about belonging, connection, self-care, joy and ordinary magic.

Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year offers inspiration for a new kind of holiday season – one where you radiate calm and cultivate delight. Spanning late November to early January, Calm Christmas embraces the festive build-up, the celebrations and the turn of the year in a holistic, nurturing way. Beth Kempton will whisk you away from the frenetic energy of the high street and invite you to come sit awhile by the fire, pausing to explore what a more mindful festive season could mean for you.

Full of personal stories, tips and advice for slowing down, staying calm and connecting with others, it offers a welcome retreat from the pressure to create ‘the perfect Christmas’.

At its heart Calm Christmas is about a book about wellbeing in winter, which will encourage you to use this time of natural hibernation to germinate new dreams and nurture a beautiful life in the year ahead. Instead of entering January exhausted, further in debt, and already regretting broken resolutions, you will begin the New Year with precious memories, feeling rested, rejuvenated and inspired.

This atmospheric book will lead you through the darkness of winter, back to the enchantment of an authentic and meaningful Christmas and New Year.

My Thoughts

Well this really is as it says on the cover; “a little book of festive joy”. I’ve had the pleasure of dipping into it for a few weeks now and it is wonderful. I have found it to be totally revolutionary in its affect on my approach to Christmas and totally inspiring.

Calm Christmas has helped me to question, rethink and reflect on all things festive in a structured yet accessible way. It felt beautifully relaxing to curl up and let the calmness of the words wash over me whilst simultaneously learning how to reconnect with the real meaning of Christmas (for me).

Whilst religion was covered, this was by no means the centre of this book. Calm Christmas is about focusing your mind to ensure maximum enjoyment of the festivities and limiting the stress thereby associated, to an absolute minimum.

Calm Christmas is helpfully divided into pre/during/ and post Christmas and offers a plethora of tips on budgeting, meaningful gifting, and food organisation. It is also an excellent tool for finding joy in the deepest, darkest winter and reclaiming Christmas for your own.

I have throughly enjoyed reading this book and absorbing the wisdom it has imparted on me and am looking forward to continually referring to it in the coming years. Why not give the gift of letting go of the “perfect Christmas” this year, with this ideal stocking filler.

My thanks go to Bernadette at Piatkus Books for my gorgeous finished copy of Calm Christmas in exchange for my honest review. Calm Christmas is out now and you can buy it here

Until next time!

@mrscookesbooks ♥️

The Boy with the Blue Trousers by Carol Jones

Welcome to my stop on the #blogtour for The Boy with the Blue Trousers by Carol Jones. Apologies for my belated posting – I was recently struck down by a nasty virus and am only just beginning to feel vaguely human again!

Synopsis

On the goldfields of 19th-century Australia, two very different girls are trying to escape their past.

1856, China.

In the mulberry groves of the Pearl River Delta, eighteen-year-old Little Catcarries a terrible secret. And so, in disguise as a boy in blue trousers, she makes the long and difficult passage to Australia, a faraway land of untold riches where it is said the rivers run with gold.

1857, Australia.

Violet Hartley has arrived off the boat from England, fleeing scandal back home. Like the Chinese immigrants seeking their fortunes on the goldfields, Violet is seduced by the promise of a new frontier. Then she meets Little Cat, a woman who, like her, is trying to escape her past.

As their fates inextricably, devastatingly entwine, their story becomes one of freedom, violence, love and vengeance, echoing across the landscapes of two great continents.

My Thoughts

Firstly, I have to mention the cover of this novel because it is simply stunning! A gorgeous mix of blues and greens and exotic wildlife; it’s quite something!

I jumped at the chance to read and review The Boy in the Blue Trousers purely because the premise sounded so wonderful. Happily I was not disappointed and raced through it in record time.

Jones’ meticulous research shines though in the details of this story; I found myself fully transported to both China and Australia and completely captivated by the decadent descriptions of both landscapes.

An inspiring tale of courage and hope; this was a throughly enjoyable and engrossing read, which will stay with me for some time.

A delightful blend of exquisite writing and a mesmerising story, The Boy in the Blue Trousers is a wonderful piece of historical fiction and I look forward to reading whatever Jones offers up next.

The Boy with the Blue Trousers is out now in paperback and you can buy it here

My thanks go to Lauren Tavella and Head of Zeus for my invitation to the #blogtour and also for my gorgeous finished copy of the book. If you enjoyed my post, please do check out my others, and also the other stops on the #blogtour (see below).

Until next time!

@mrscookesbooks

Stay Mad, Sweetheart by Heleen Kist

Welcome to my stop on the #blogtour for Stay Mad, Sweetheart by Heleen Kist. I was intrigued by the premise of this book and was delighted to be invited to review it!

Synopsis

THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN INNOCENCE AND GUILT. AN EVEN FINER LINE BETWEEN JUSTICE AND REVENGE.

Data scientist Laura prefers the company of her books to the real world – let alone that cesspit online. But when her best friend Emily becomes the victim of horrific cyberbullying, she makes it her all-engulfing mission to track down the worst culprits.

Petite corporate financier Suki is about to outshine the stupid boys at her firm: she’s leading the acquisition of Edinburgh’s most exciting start-up. If only she could get its brilliant, but distracted, co-founder Laura to engage.
Event planner Claire is left to salvage the start-up’s annual conference after her colleague Emily fails to return to work. She’s determined to get a promotion out of it, but her boss isn’t playing ball.

As the women’s paths intertwine, the insidious discrimination they each face comes to light. Emboldened by Emily’s tragic experience, they join forces to plot the downfall of all those who’ve wronged them.
But with emotions running high, will the punishments fit the crimes?

My Thoughts

Hot off the heels of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, Kist cleverly creates a smart tale of everyday sexism, discrimination and harassment, which is thought provoking yet remarkably easy to devour.

Pacy and well plotted; I was totally gripped by this book and Kist’s powerful and empowering prose coursed right through my veins; making for an emotional rollercoaster of a read.

The cast of likeable yet believable characters really adds to the appeal of this book; I found myself captivated by Laura, Suki, Claire (and Emily) and utterly consumed by Edinburgh’s techie world. With twists and turns galore, I defy anyone not to become addicted to this devastatingly topical story.

Kist is a new author (to me) and until I read Stay Mad, Sweetheart, I had heard very little about her and her work. Well if this gem of a book is anything to go by, I’ll definitely be reading her first and eagerly anticipating her next!

This is an exhilarating story which really slaps you in the face and wakes you up to the reality so many women face on a daily basis.

Stay Mad, Sweetheart is a dizzyingly relevant read; if you only read one #MeToo book then make sure it’s this one.

Stay Mad, Sweetheart is out now in paperback and you can buy it here

My thanks go to Dylan Thomson of Red Dog Press for my invitation to the #blogtour and also for my stunning finished copy in exchange for my honest review. If you enjoyed my post, please do check out my others, and also the other stops on the #blogtour (see below).

Until next time!

@mrscookesbooks

I Will Miss You Tomorrow by Heine Bakkeid

Here’s my late #blogtour stop for I Will Miss You Tomorrow by Heine Bakkeid. I was rather inconveniently struck down with a head cold a few days ago and normal service is only just resuming! I loved this Scandi-Noir and I hope you do too!

Synopsis

The first in a new Norwegian crime series featuring disgraced ex-Chief Inspector Thorkild Aske, a damaged man with a complicated past

Fresh out of prison and a stint in a psychiatric hospital, disgraced ex-policeman Thorkild Aske only wants to lose himself in drugged dreams of his beloved Frei. Wild, unknowable Frei. The woman he loved. The woman he has lost forever.

Yet when Frei’s young cousin goes missing off the Norwegian coast and Thorkild is called in by the family to help find him, dead or alive, Thorkild cannot refuse. He owes them this.

Tormented by his past, Thorkild soon finds himself deep in treacherous waters. He’s lost his reputation – will he now lose his life?

My Thoughts

What a surprise this book has turned out to be! I knew nothing about it other than that the premise sounded intriguing and BOY did this book deliver!

I was totally captivated by this dark, atmospheric and creepy book from the first chapter. I read it in less than four sittings and was so engrossed in the haunting prose that I lost track of time on a number of those occasions!

I Will Miss You Tomorrow is a fantastic piece of crime fiction; an absolutely mesmerising debut. Complex, and at times gruesome, this tense Nordic Noir made me thoroughly uncomfortable and I felt totally on edge throughout it. I am genuinely astounded at how brilliant this debut is.

Dark, powerful and at times, twisted; I found I Will Miss You Tomorrow to be a fascinating read and I can’t wait for the next installment of this brand new series. If you like your crime fiction darker than dark, then this book is for you!

I Will Miss You Tomorrow is our now in paperback and you can order it here

My thanks go to Ella Harold of Bloomsbury Publishing for my invitation to the #blogtour and also for my proof copy in exchange for my honest review. If you enjoyed my post, please do check out my others, and also the other stops on the #blogtour (see below).

Until next time!