Month in Review / December 2015

What a really fantastic reading month December turned out to be for me.  Not only did I complete the 6 books (which includes two audio books that were really quick reads I have to admit) in the picture below but I also started reading the Morganville Vampires series (which has been on my TBR shelf for years) and got to book 10 just before the end of the year.  December was an eye opener for me for many reasons.  The first was that I really enjoyed listening to audio books.  Where I would ordinarily put on some music and do housework etc instead I chose to put on an audio book and really loved it!  I will definitely be looking into reading that way again in the future.  The second eye opener for me was when I looked back at my reading list for 2015 and realised how many review books I read.  It was definitely more than I had thought.  Not that receiving and reading review copies are bad but for December I wanted to read more of what was already on my shelf and I am proud to say that every single book I read in December I had bought myself, a few of those were even ones I have had for a very long time.

My favourite book(s) of the month has to be the Morganville Vampires series.  They are very easy reads and the stories are not really that complicated so I can speed through them quite quickly but I just love the world and the characters. Even at book 11 (which is my first read of January 2016) I still feel as though there is more to this world than what I already know and I really can't wait to find out more...

I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday season and wish you all a Happy New Year! 

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Forbidden Game

Seriously I'm Kidding

Hex Hall Trilogy Review

 Read books 1 to 10 of the Morganville Vampires series - Review to follow when I have finished the series...

THE CHILD'S SECRET
A little girl is missing. Her parents are hiding something. Who will pay the price?
When eight-year-old Jasmine Peterson goes missing, the police want to know everything.
What is local park ranger, Sam McIntyre, running away from and why did he go out of his way to befriend a young girl?
Why can’t Jasmine’s mother and father stand to be in the same room as each other?
With every passing minute, an unstoppable chain of events hurtles towards a tragic conclusion.
Everyone has secrets. The question is: who will pay the price?

A WEDDING AT CHRISTMAS
A warm, wonderful and funny Christmas novel from Chrissie Manby - the ideal treat this festive season. Mince pies and mayhem guaranteed!

What comes to mind when you picture a wedding at Christmas? A gorgeous white dress accessorised with a thick velvet cape... bridesmaids in red velvet too? An arch of Christmas greenery: holly and ivy and boughs of fir. Candles and fairy lights. Snow!

Chelsea Benson has just twelve weeks to organise her perfect winter wedding. Her family and friends pitch in to help, but sisterly squabbling, issues with money and an Ice-Queen mother-in-law soon threaten Chelsea's plans for her big day. And that's without the firework fiasco...

Rescuing Chelsea's dream of a proper family wedding might just take all the magic of Christmas...

MOVING

Edwina Spinner has lived in the same house for over fifty years. It used to be a busy, crowded family home but now Edwina lives alone and it has grown too big for her. She has decided to sell it.
The young estate agent who comes to value the house sees potential. Knock down a few walls, add a wet room. 'People like a project.' But as Edwina takes him from room to room, she is transported back to her old life as a young mother. Back to her first husband Ollie and their twins, James and Rowena. Back to lies and dark secrets and to a stepson whose name Edwina cannot even bear to speak aloud.
As Edwina's story unravels she is revealed as a complex and intriguing person. Not just the 'frail old lady' trapped in her dated house, but a woman who has lived an extraordinary life, full of love and tragedy. Why is she now so alone? What happened to Edwina's family all those years ago?


BOY 23
Boy 23 isn't in My Place any more. He can't see The Screen, he can't hear The Voice. Boy 23 is alone.

One dark night, Boy 23 is thrown in the back of the van and driven out of My Place - the only home he has ever known. He is abandoned in a forest with a rucksack containing the bare essentials for survival. Before the van drives away, a voice tells him he must run as far as he can. His life depends on it. Boy 23 has never known another human. Boy 23 has never even been outside. So who is he? Why do people want to kill him? And more to the point, who is the voice that wants to save him?

A hugely fast-paced dystopian page-turner which by the end will leave you in a state of shock. For fans of Chaos Walking and Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror.

THE LIGHT THAT GETS LOST
A small boy hiding in a cupboard witnesses something no child should ever see. He tries not to look but he still hears it. And when he comes out, there's no mistaking. His mum and dad have been killed. And though he's only small, he swears that he'll get revenge one day.

Years later, Trey enters a strange camp that is meant to save troubled teenagers. It's packed with crazies, god-botherers, devoted felons and broken kids. Trey's been in and out of trouble ever since the day the bad thing happened, but he's he not here for saving: this is where he'll find the man who did it. Revenge and healing, salvation and hell are a boiling, dangerous mix, and Trey finds himself drawn to a girl, a dream and the offer of friendship in the dark.