I wrote last year about how my plan was to use the year to evolve and adapt to leaving full-time work and embrace a more leisurely pace of life. And on the whole I have, though it’s taken a while and plans have changed a little along the way. Not everything happened as we’d hoped - the summer was far too hot, and the ground too baked to really set about any kind of landscaping work, and we’ve not moved house. But evolve was a good word, and one that had enough flexibility to bend to the circumstances the year brought.

I’ll most likely talk about our house move in another post, we’re still hoping it will happen though we’re not sure when, or exactly to where. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster that’s for sure, and one that picks up speed of its own free will at times, as these things do. I’m not sure when I’ll update you on the thrills and spills yet, as there’s some pondering to be done - and some of it is still raw. But I’m hopeful that things will work out.

Once again I’m setting a word for the year, and this year it’s a simple one. Big. Or perhaps that should be BIG.

Like last year its one that will flex, and most likely challenge us. But as MOH said to me on New Year’s Eve 2023 has the potential to be our biggest year yet, and he could be right. We’ve already made some big decisions house-wise this year, they haven’t all come off so far, but it’s still only March.

In other news MOH is finishing work next month, slightly later than his revised date but he’s ready. The problem with working remotely and contracting is that he doesn’t take proper holidays, and when he does he’s still more often than not at home. He’ll have his own adjustments to make I’m sure, but it will be good to be able to spend time together during the day getting out and about. We will both want, and need, time on our own but I know that walks and house/garden visits are much more fun in company than alone.

And who knows we might even manage a proper holiday later in the year. I still can’t believe we haven’t been abroad since February 2020 and before the pandemic, so that in itself will be pretty big!

Woman on a swing made from big, graffitied concrete blocks, at the sea's edge with further concrete blocks into the distance — Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

And if you’re wondering about my choice of image, well it reminds me that sometimes we need to think beyond what we first thought, and try things we might not have considered before. Something I think it’s likely we’ll need to remember at times this year.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared what I’ve been reading, and I’ve been through a phase of devouring books so there’s quite a few to catch you up on. In my last ‘what I’ve read lately’ post I was toying with the idea of keeping on with Kindle Unlimited past its trial period, and I did and it worked out well for me encouraging me to read more. The price has since gone up, like everything, and so it’s once again under review, but this time I want to finish some of the books that are on my reading list, so we’ll see.

I also shared two books which were on my started by not finished pile, one has move to the finished pile but I still have to make progress with the second - The Wilderness Cure, by Mo Wilde - and I really want to, but with everything else I’ve been reading I haven’t got back to it yet. That’s a real shame that I haven’t made it back to this book, and I should try harder, as I think it’s beautifully written and on a subject that many of us can learn from, even if we don’t take it quite to the extremes of only eating wild food for a year.

Books arrange by colour on open shelves with ornaments, nic-nacs and pictures — Photo by Vladimir Mokry on Unsplash

1 The Storyteller of Casablanca, Fiona Valpy

I did enjoy this one, even though it took me a while to get into it - though I think that was because the diary style and switching between timelines was similar to my previous read, and I was still suffering a small book hangover. This is a historical fiction novel set between Zoe in current times and young Josie from 1941, and we discover how their lives weave together in ways you might not expect.

2 Wilde Like Me, Louise Pentland

Louise is an Instagrammer who I dip in and out of, and so I knew some of her style and saw her debut novel so thought I’d give it a read. The book features a single parent and all that brings, the negatives of social media and trying to deal with the ‘emptiness’ and live her life. There were dates, a few mess ups which turn out well even if they aren’t your traditional happy ever after.

3 The Beach Party, Amy Sheppard

A mystery thriller so a step away from the genre I’d been reading, but it was good to have a change - and this one engaged me from the off. Two podcasters are discussing an unsolved murder from one of their hometowns, and one of their not exactly friend, but in their year group. As they look into it more they discover lies and the truth is closer to home than first thought.

4 Reminders of Him, Colleen Hoover

This is the first book I’ve read by Colleen Hoover and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I enjoyed the writing style and the plot here, even though I’ve headed back to a contemporary romance genre. It’s the story of Kenna, who after serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake returns to the town where it all went wrong. She hopes to be reunited with her daughter, but that’s not an easy task, however, well no spoilers from me, just to say this was one I couldn’t put down. And yes, I cried.

5 The Vienna Writers Circle, JC Maetis

This was another tear jerker, for many and different reasons. It’s set as you might imagine in Vienna on the brink of World War II and two members of Freud’s Circle try to keep themselves and their loved ones safe as the SS closes in. Throughout they face stark and desperate choices and their loyalties and courage are tested, but there is hope, and it’s their writing that is also their hope. For me this started slowly, but then all of a sudden I couldn’t put it down.

6 Seven Sisters, Lucinda Riley

I devoured this book so quickly! I couldn’t put it down and found myself snatching moments to continue reading whenever I could so you can imagine how pleased I was to discover that this was the first of a series of seven books. As you’ve probably guessed the book features seven sisters, well there’s six and a missing one. The six daughters have been adopted by Pa Salt who passes away suddenly. Each of the six daughters are named after Pleiades, in Greek mythology, the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione - and also coincidentally the name of a netball club I played for many years ago.

When he passes Pa Salt leaves each of them a letter and a clue about their true heritage, and in this book the eldest Maia follows the clues uncovering her past and discovering her future. The book ends with an introduction link to the next sister in line and her story.

7 Storm Sister, Lucinda Riley

The next sister in line is Ally and her destiny is in the “eye of the storm” and throughout this book we follow her journey as a world class sailor, her loves and losses and how she also flourished through her love of music and a complicated birth family. I read this one equally as quickly, only briefly pondering how both sisters we’d met so far were such high achievers in almost everything they do - the beauty of fiction, I’m sure! That said I was keen to learn and follow the story of the third sister.

8 Shadow Sister, Lucinda Riley

Thankfully there’s a change of tone in this book, I’m not sure I could have read, or believed, if all the sisters were go-getting, high achievers. In this book, Star, the next sister in line steps out of the shadows to learn about her past, and to manage the present with the fourth sister, CeCe. These sisters who appear to be closer in age, but have opposite personality traits, seemed to come as a pair as they grew up with their own language and one talking for the other. I enjoyed this book as much, and was keen to read just as much as the other two books so far.

When I finished the third book, I raced back to my Kindle Unlimited subscription to discover that the fourth book is not yet available there - that threw me! I thought about buying the book, but I’m sure that I’ll want to buy five, six and seven too and that’s kind of the point of having the Kindle Unlimited subscription, to reduce my spending on books. So I’m waiting, patiently, and checking - waiting for this one, and the subsequent ones to become available.

And if you’re reading these too, then I also learnt that a seventh book is due out in May, so it looks like I’ll be dipping back into and out of these for a while yet.

9 Rock Bottoms Up, Nita Pearl

After the previous three books, I fancied a writing style change but I wasn’t sure what I wanted. Well, I do know, I wanted to read book four! In the end I selected this book which while I enjoyed it - and would read any sequels - it wasn’t one that had me as hooked as previous reads, so I’m not sure if this suffered because I’d been so engrossed in those.

This story is set in New York and covers the horrors of dating during the pandemic and then when things start opening up again. So a much more modern timeframe with a lovable heroine who has what can only be described as some questionable choices, and some really amusing adventures. A good light-hearted read which I’m sure many of us will find more than one element we can relate to!

10 Regretting You, Colleen Hoover

Having enjoyed my first novel by this author I dipped my toe back in for a second book and I wasn’t disappointed. This is primarily the story between mother and daughter and how they navigate their relationship after loss, the assumptions, the guilt, and the secrets. But there’s so much more than that too - the mother and her sister and their childhood sweethearts, and how their lives are knowingly - and unknowingly - more interconnected than they ever thought possible. Definitely recommend this one.

11 A Postcard from Italy, Alex Brown

A heartwarming read with twists and turns and great characters who I really connected with. Grace works for a storage company in Greenwich, which as you’ll know is just down the road from me and throughout the story there’s local landmarks woven in, and clearly with a local’s knowledge. Grace also lives with and cares for her quite demanding mum, without too much practical input or help from her siblings. At the storage company there’s a unit which has been abandoned and with the company owners, Grace investigates the contents to uncover the story behind them, and why such valuable and personal pieces have been left untouched for years. During this Grace embarks on her own journey, both literal and emotionally, which changes her life. A real feel good read, which I didn’t want to end.

12 The Forgotten Village, Lorna Cook

This is another one that’s set in two different time periods, 2017 and 1943 - I seem to be drawn to them. In 1943 the world is at war and the small village of Tyneham is requisitioned by the Army and this part of the story follows the family at the big house at the time. In 2017 it’s the love story of Guy and Melissa who meet when the village has its reopening, something has Melissa hooked on the stories from the past and together they uncover the secrets of the village, and the family too. I loved this book, but as I said at the start - this seems to be my thing!

13 The Paper Girls, Alex Smith

This is my first DCI Robert Kett novel, and definitely not my last. There’s eleven books to read, and unusually for me I’ve managed to start at the beginning. I’ve hopped over into the mystery thriller genre for this one, and for a change. In this book two newspaper delivery girls have gone missing, and the clues point to a serial killer. DCI Robert Kett, whose own wife is missing and whom he’s been unable to track down, has recently moved to the area with his three young daughters and he gets involved in this case, as you do. The investigation is demanding, as is his young family but as you’d imagine it mostly works out in the end. Looking forward to reading more about DCI Kett and his cases, and hopefully he’s able to resolve the case that’s so close to home.

Well done, if you’ve made it through all of this post - I did promise a bumper edition at the start didn’t I? It wasn’t until I sat down to write this post that I realised just how much I’ve picked up to read since the last post in this series. I think more regular posts are going to be needed if I’m going to continue reading at this pace!

What’s next?

Apart from aiming to post more often, I’m also going to try harder to get back into The Wilderness Cure that I mentioned at the start of this post. I’ll also be keeping my eye out for the release of the fourth book in the Seven Sisters series on Kindle Unlimited, along with anything else that catches my eye.

Let me know if you’ve read anything recently which you think I’d enjoy, I’m always happy to add recommendations to my ever growing ‘to be read’ list!

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