It's a sure sign that the nights are drawing in when I suddenly up my reading game again - cosy nights in front of the fire in my pjs with a great book & a glass of wine....perfect! Here's a few of my most recent reads....
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
There's a fabulous teashop I go to nearby that always has books to borrow or take for free & last time I was there, this particular one caught my eye as I'd seen it on the bestseller lists since its release in April 2013.
This is a really, really great book & the best way to describe it without giving the story away too much is that it's a time-travelling murder mystery set in Depression-era Chicago. If follows the story of serial killer Harper Curtis who has to kill the Shining Girls, 'bright young women who burn with potential'. It's so clever & it gripped my attention right from the off, I think I finished this one in 2 nights - cue bleary eyes the following morning on the school run after staying up until 2am!!
I absolutely loved this & if you like thriller/crime/murder/grisly stories, you'll love it too I'm sure!
Passion by Louise Bagshawe
When I'm after a bit of girlie escapism from a book, Louise Bagshawe just doesn't disappoint & I've been reading her books for years. Yes, they kind of follow the same story in that you can pretty much guess who will end up together within the first couple of chapters but it doesn't make them any less enjoyable. However, this one took a slightly new direction in that it's part chick-lit, part thriller!
The story follows Melissa Elmet, an Oxford academic & Will Hyde, billionaire banker. This couple fell madly in love in their teens & swiftly married but Melissa's parents guilt-tripped her into having the marriage immediately annulled. Heartbroken Will fled Oxford & their paths never crossed again until many years later when he becomes the only one who can save her from an assassin out to get her....kind of James Bond for girls if you like!!
Again, you know pretty early on what the outcome will be but I still loved it, as I have all of her books that I've read. Definitely worth a read if you're after something a bit lighter.
'Kathleen Turner' series by Tiffany Snow
I actually downloaded these books after receiving a daily Kindle offer email from Amazon as I thought they were crime thrillers. Well, they are I suppose but in a racy, girlie, dare I say it, Fifty Shades kind of way! They were definitely not was I was expecting.......but I loved them!!
The protagonist is Kathleen Turner, a runner for a top law firm in Indianapolis & follows her story of getting closer to her boss, the inevitably gorgeous, rich & clever Blane Kirk. She accidentally becomes involved when her friend & neighbour is brutally murdered & finds herself fearing for her life. Predictably, Blane vows to protect her & at one point, someone who she initially fears is trying to kill her, turns out to also be gorgeous, rich & clever........& Blane's younger brother Kade.
The three stories all centre around these three main characters & how the brothers battle over who will protect.......& love......Kathleen the most, mixed in with some crime-fighting & sex scenes of course! From that point of view, it's hard not to compare them to the Fifty Shades books but whereas I couldn't stand the main female character in those books, this one I do like! I read all three books in four days & then went straight onto Amazon to download the fourth in the series only to find out it doesn't come out until December, wahhhhh!!!
So yes, these are such typical girlie storylines but I really got sucked into the story of the Blane v. Kade.....ooooh, it's just like Team Edward v. Team Jacob all over again, heh heh!!! But enough with the chick-lits (jeez, I still despise that term!!) I'm just about to start The Grapes of Wrath for my October Book Club read!! That should bring me back to earth with a bump.....
Toodles!!
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