UK Book Club discussion

For this years challenge I am going to read books set/written in the past, set in the future or set abroad.

Completed 23/26



A - Beneath a Burning Sky - Jenny Ashcroft - 20.8.21 - 5 stars

B - One Summer in Santorini -Sandy Barker - 28.6.21 - 4 stars

C - The Little Teashop in Tokyo - Julie Caplin - 12.2.21 - 3 stars

D - Girls Rule - Alesha Dixon - 21.9.21 - 3 stars

E - Hot Six - Janet Evanovich - 9.2.21 - 5 stars

F - The Danger Gang - Tom Fletcher - 22.10.21 -4 stars

G - Confessions of a Curious Bookseller - Elizabeth Green - 26.5.21 - 5 stars

H - The Secret Signal - Simon Haynes - 25.8.21 - 4 stars

I - From Thailand with Love - Camilla Isley - 15.11.21 - 5 stars

J - Letters From the Past - Erica James - 11.6.21 - 5 stars

K - The Party Crasher: The Sunday Times bestseller - Sophie Kinsella - 19.11.21 - 4 stars

L - Kidnap on the California Comet - M.G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman - 1.10.21 - 4 stars

M - The Pursuit of Love - Nancy Mitford - 22.6.21 - 4 stars

N -

O - Dept. of Speculation - Jenny Offill - 25.2.21 - 2 stars

P - The Summer House in Santorini - Samantha Parks -29.7.21 - 4 stars

Q - The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn - 14.5.21 - 5 stars

R - One True Loves - Taylor Jenkins Reid - 27.4.21 - 5 stars

S - Spies Like Me: A Teen Spy Thriller - Doug Solter - 31.3.21 - 4 stars

T - Peace Breaks Out - Angela Thirkell - 11.3.21 - 5 stars

U - Epic Zero Series: Books 1-3: Epic Zero Collection - R.L. Ullman 5.10.21 - 4 stars

V - When the Moon Takes Over the Dream: "Love Poetry" - Stjepan Varesevac-Cobets - 16.4.21 - 4 stars

W - A Useful Woman - Darcie Wilde - 22.1.21 - 5 stars

X -

Y -

Z - Indigo Swift - Welcome to the Cerebriverse - Zander Simpson - 12.10.21 - 4 stars

EXTRAS

- Janet Evanovich - 19.3.21 - 5 stars
- Kiera Cass - 21.4.21 - 5 stars
- K.L. Slater - 5.5.21 -3 stars
- Elizabeth Goudge - 3.9.21 - 4 stars
- Beverly Cleary - 13.9.21 - 4 stars
- Julia Quinn - 21.9.21 - 5 stars
- Sophie Kinsella - 26.11.21 - 5 stars
- Julia Quinn - 22.12.21 - 5 stars

Interesting idea

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "Interesting idea"

Thanks. My first is set in Regency times and I am really enjoying it.

- Darcie Wilde - 5stars.
I truly enjoyed this Regency murder mystery. Honestly the society rules of the times were scary - no one today would cope, but it was interesting to read about them. And I did like Rosalind. I recommend it.

- Janet Evanovich - 5 stars.
I love Stephanie Plum as she is a great character and I can identify with her - well, on some level...junk food mainly - and she always makes me laugh.

- Julie Caplin - 3 stars. I have read a couple of others by this author and have loved them, don't know why I did not warm to this as much. But it was still ok.

- Jenny Offill - 2 stars. I didn't love this but I didn't hate it either.

- Angela Thirkell - 5 stars. Another excellent Barsetshire novel. The war has ended but not everyone is overly thrilled, still they make the best of it :) Nothing stops love and marriage ;)

- Janet Evanovich - 5 stars. I love Stephanie Plum; I say it everytime :) This time she is engaged to Morelli, but tempted by Ranger - REALLY tempted!

- Doug Solter - 4 stars. I really enjoyed this fun read. all the girls were likable and I would read more in the series.

- Stjepan Varesevac Cobets - 4 stars. I found plenty to love in these love poems, the imagery and ethereal quality was right up my street.

- Kiera Cass - 5 stars. I have loved this whole series and the ending was perfect.

- Taylor Jenkins Reid - 5 stars. This is so good. I loved how it questioned what is TRUE love. I can't recommend it too highly.

- K.L.S later - 3 stars. Good story, but I found it a bit depressing instead of thrilling.

- Julia Quinn - 5 stars. I am thrilled to say I really enjoyed this - thrilled because it is approx. 5 years since I read the first, that there was a 5 year gap should explain all! The excitment around the Netfix series made me decide to give the books a second chance. So glad I did. Although it deals with some mens issues, it is mostly an absolute hoot!

Glad you enjoyed the Julia Quinn Linda. I read Just Like Heaven which is the first in her Smythe-Smith Quartet series. I only gave it 3 stars and haven't read any more of hers. Maybe I'd be better off with the Bridgertons instead. To be honest I think I grabbed it because I needed a Q author for my A-Z!

Kate wrote: "Glad you enjoyed the Julia Quinn Linda. I read Just Like Heaven which is the first in her Smythe-Smith Quartet series. I only gave it 3 stars and haven't read any more of hers. Maybe..."

Yes, 'Q's' for A-Z's are hard to come by, which was why I read the first Bridgerton. It was a bit too X rated for my liking hence the long gap. But like I said all the hoo ha about the Netflix series made me think of it again, and I am really happy I did. So happy I am looking forward to reading the third in the series, An Offer From a Gentleman - there was an extract in the back of The Viscount and it was excellent.

Elizabeth Green - 5 stars. By page 20 I was ready to bin this. By the end I was giving it 5 stars. It is unique, I have never come accross a heroine like Fawn. Some readers might not like her but I did.

- Erica James - 5 stars. At 508 pages, this is a bit of a long one. The chapters are all told from the perspective of one of nine main characters. It took me a while to get to grips with all the different characters and their relationships to each other but once I did I really enjoyed it.

- Nancy Mitford - 4 stars. I am glad I watched the recent TV series as it helped to follow the book which can be a bit tricky. In the end I really did enjoy it.

- Sandy Barker - 4 stars. Really good. I do enjoy a chic-lit geography lesson - much more likely to stick than one in the classroom :)

- Samantha Parks - 4 stars. I am begining to know Santorini rather well :)

- Jenny Ashcroft - 5 stars. Oh my, what a story, so many strands! Set in exotic Alexandria in 1891, I was gripped from page one right to the end.

- Simon Haynes - 4 stars. This is a fun middle grade novel and I am sure all kids will enjoy it.

- Elizabeth Goudge - 4 stars. I have never read a spiritual book like this before, and overall I enjoyed it.

- Beverly Cleary - 4 stars. This is really sweet and lovely.

- Alesha Dixon - 3 stars. This was ok.

- Julia Quinn - 5 stars. I loved this, Sophie's cinderella story is great fun and it was great to meet some more of the Bridgerton family.

- M.G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman - 4 stars. This is a brill adventure and I did not work it out.

R.L. Ullman - 4 stars. Right, when I bought this I did not look at the cover properly, I thought I was buying book 1 in the series NOT books 1-3. So this relates to book 1 - Tales of a Not-So-Super 6th Grader. I loved this. Elliott is a great character and I love the illustrations of the heroes and villains

- Zander Simpson - 4 stars. This story is weird, but strangely compulsive, and Indigo is as good a heroine as any.

- Tom Fletcher - 4 stars. Lots of laughs, and the illustrations are fun.

- Camilla Isley - 5 stars. Fab, Fast and Funny. Loved it.

- Sophie Kinsella - 4 stars. I know this does not fit the brief, but as it is nearly the end of the year, I am allowing myself a wild card or two. Not as many laughs as I have come to expect from Ms. Kinsella, but I found it imposible to put down.

- Sophie Kinsella - 5 stars. I am such a fan of Kinsella. This was brill as always.

-Julia Quinn - 5 stars. I am loving this series.