Blog Tour / Watch Me by Angela Clarke

YOU HAVE SIX SECONDS TO READ THIS MESSAGE…

The body of a 15-year-old is found hours after she sends a desperate message to her friends. It looks like suicide, until a second girl disappears.

This time, the message is sent directly to the Metropolitan Police – and an officer’s younger sister is missing.

DS Nasreen Cudmore and journalist Freddie Venton will stop at nothing to find her. But whoever’s behind the notes is playing a deadly game of hide and seek – and the clock is ticking.

YOU HAVE 24 HOURS TO SAVE THE GIRL’S LIFE.
MAKE THEM COUNT.

 

A Definitive List of the Best Places to Read a Book

ny Angela Clarke

In Bed

Despite what my partner nags around 3am when the bedside light is on and I’ve been saying ‘just one more chapter’ for the last four hours, in bed is one of the most rewarding places to read. It’s comfortable, warm and atmospheric all at once. Plus, I’ve seen countless articles aimed at insomniacs, those who are stressed, and those who are close to burn out, all saying not to look at a screen for the few hours before bed. That’s basically telling you to read a book. Which is practically proof reading in bed is good for you.

In the Bath

One of the best things about being freelance and working from home? When I need to read for work I do it in the bath. Is there anything more guaranteed to make you feel indulgent and a touch like Cleopatra, than flicking through pages in a candlelit bath tub? Glass of wine optional. Just don’t dunk your tome, or worse: your e-reader.

On the Beach

Why do they sell so many books at airports? Because beaches and books go together like cocktails and tiny paper umbrellas. At university I had a week each term that had no classes or lectures, but was instead dedicated to reading. I think reading weeks should be mandatory four times a year for the health and happiness of the workforce. A holiday dedicated to reading. Add sunshine, the sound of the surf, and all-inclusive drinks and we’d be set. Bonus points if you take a photo of your book and your toes in front of the pool.

On a Train

There is something old school romantic about train journeys. Not the short squished commuter ones, where books act more as a shield against the horror of reality, but those delicious ones where you’ve settled in for the long haul. Where you have a table seat to yourself, a hot chocolate to warm you, and rolling countryside, err, rolling past outside. Looking from the pages and out the window and back again, while being gently rocked like a baby, is one of the purest forms of joy known to book lover. Want to spice it up? Add gin in a can. All aboard!

On the Loo

A controversial entry here, and one few are likely to admit to, but sometimes being on the loo is the only place you can get enough peace to read. I’ll confess, there have been times during my former office jobs, where I’ve been so desperate to continue the book I was reading I’ve booked an appointment in the one-woman library cubicle that is the toilet. Always wondered why women take their handbag to the bathroom with them? They’ve got a book in there.

In a Comfy Chair in Front of a Log Fire

It can be in a writers’ retreat, in a pub, a hotel, or at home (jammy), but there are few places as divine as reading in front of the fire. It is my ambition in life to have a real fire at home, just so I can build a library round it. Forget television, books are at the hearth of a home. It’s a base human instinct, passed down from cave dwellers, we’ve always told stories round the fire. Reading is just one way of doing that. Throw on another log and enjoy.

And there must be many more. Where’s your favourite place to read? Do you have a book nook? A secret hideaway? Or could you do it walking down the street? (I have). Let us know below!