My 2019 Book Reading Statistics

From 1 January to 31 December 2019 I have read 42 books.  

The shortest book was Key Under Blue Pot and Please Milk the Goat by Marie Sever which was only 121 pages (a Kindle book). 

The longest book was The Dying Hours by Mark Bellingham which had 498 pages. 

I have read a total of 14,814 pages over the year which is almost 1000 more than in 2018.  

Tomorrow I will begin my first book of 2020.  

Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson

Every morning Christine wakes up and does not have any recent memories.  She awakes next to an unknown man who explains that he is her husband Ben.  He shows her a photo album to remind her of their lives together and tells her that she was involved in a hit and run car accident 20 years ago.   

After Ben has gone to work she receives a phone call from Dr Nash who tells her they are working together to try to help restore her memory and to look in the shoe box in the bottom of her wardrobe and read the journal she has started to write.  The journal tells her what has been happening over the last few weeks.  Slowly bits of memories pop into Christine’s mind.  She remembers that she was attacked in a hotel room and that she and Ben had a son.  Why is Ben not always telling her the truth?  Could it be that it is just easier for him to not tell her the whole truth every day as it is painful to keep on reliving it and grieving again and again? 

Die Again by Tess Gerritsen

A Rizzoli and Isles Thriller

Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles are called to the scene of a murder.  They find a man hanging in a garage who has had his insides removed.  Soon afterwards they attend another murder which has similarities.  Maura is convinced that these murders are connected with some old cases she has seen.  

Six years ago a small group of people had set off on a safari trip in Africa. One by one they were murdered.  Only one person, Millie Jacobson, returned from the trip alive.  If the connection that Maura suspects is correct then all the murders were carried out by the same person and Millie may be the only person who has seen, and can identify, the murderer.  

Rizzoli and Isles need to find a connection between the murder victims, work out who the murderer is and convince Millie to return to America to help them find him.  

The Ghost of Blackwood Lane by Greg Enslen

As a teenager Chris O'Toole entered the witness protection system with his father after his father had testified in court against his employer who was the leader of the local Mob. Before moving and changing name Chris had been hypnotised and had some of his memories suppressed.  

Years on, living in LA under the name of Gary Foreman, he starts to have some disturbing dreams.  There is a regular nightmare where a woman is being attacked and he can't help her.  There are some things about the dream which seem vaguely familiar but he can't remember what they are.  Gary needs to know what has happened in his past and who these people are. 

Mistletoe Mansion by Samantha Tonge

Kimmy dreams of owning her own cupcake business and becoming rich and famous.  Her down to earth boyfriend has a very different plan for their future together.  When Kimmy refuses to ignore her dreams she ends up on her own and homeless.  

To find somewhere to live she pretends to be a professional house sitter and moves into Mistletoe Mansion.  The house is up for sale but previous house sitters have quickly left fearing that the house is haunted.  Kimmy has nowhere else to go and so must stay put even though strange things are happening. 

First and Only by Peter A Flannery

Psimon is a young man who has psychic abilities.  He is also able to personally feel the torture that the serial killer Lucifer inflicts on his victims.  Psimon knows that he will soon be murdered by Lucifer.  

Psimon contacts Steve Brennus, a former SAS soldier who has just lost all his money and his new business, and offers to pay him £3000 per day for the next 5 days to keep him safe.  The first thing they do is travel to America to visit the James Randi Educational Foundation so that Psimon can prove his abilities and collect the coveted $1M prize money which is on offer.  

They then need to get out of America and back to Britain before Psimon is detained as a threat to the country.  Steve Brennus has to use all his training to keep Psimon safe from both a serial killer and also the government agencies of Britain and America.  

Chameleon by Ken McClure

Women on the post operative gynaecology ward at the Kerr Memorial Hospital are becoming infected with a deadly strain of a bacterial infection which is resistant to antibiotics.  Already three women have died.  Scott Jamieson is sent to work for Sci Med, a government agency, to investigate the outbreak and find what is causing the contaminations.  

A number of the people he has to question are not happy about Jamieson’s involvement.  He begins to suspect that, as all the required sterilisation checks have been carried out and appropriately logged,  equipment may deliberately be being contaminated.  If this is so he needs to find out by whom and how it is happening.  

The Watchmaker's Daughter (Glass and Steele Book 1) by C J Archer

After India Steele’s father dies and her fiancé leaves her, whilst keeping her father”s inheritance for himself, she is left homeless, without money and is unable to find work.  She has been refused membership of the watchmakers guild, as she is female, and so is unable to work on her own and none of the local watchmakers will employ her.  They all seem to be afraid of her.  The only employment she can find is working for the American Matthew Glass, helping him search for a London watchmaker who is believed to be the only person who can mend the mysterious and magical watch he has which seems to help keep him in good health when he becomes very tired. 

India knows nothing about Matthew’s life in America but believes he could be Dark Rider the wanted American outlaw thought to be in London.  

Women Within by Anne Leigh Parrish

This is the story of three women.  Constance is in her 90s.  She used to be a history professor and is now living in a retirement home.  Her two main carers are Eunice who is in her 50s and Sam who is in her 20s.  

All three women had unhappy childhoods.  They all seem to find it difficult to make friends and also to find love.  Yet each in their own way is good at looking after and taking care of others. 

A Good Heart is Hard to Find by Trisha Ashley

Cass Leigh is a gothic horror writer.  She has been having an affair with Max, who is a married man, for 20 years.  Max has promised that they will eventually get married and have children.  At age 44 Cass feels that time is running out and if she doesn't have a baby soon it won't happen.  Max has gone off to America for a year, with his wife, and left Cass behind.  Cass isn't sure if she actually wants Max to come back and pick up their relationship.  

Whilst writing her novels Cass regularly visits the local graveyard at night to get inspiration.  She has been desperate to get inside Kedge Hall, the local haunted manor house, to see if there are any ghostly sightings.  The old caretaker leaves her the key one day so she ventures out for a night-time visit.  In the house she finds Dante Chase, the new and very attractive owner.   

Jason is very attracted to Cass, especially when she is wearing her vampish vampire outfit to earn extra money singing Crypt-ograms for her friend Orla's business.  Jason would be very willing to offer his services as father to Cass's baby.

Whilst trying to decide if she does want to have a baby, if so how and with who, or perhaps she should just get a dog, Cass also has to meet her next deadline to finish her current novel. 

The Queen of Wishful Thinking by Milly Johnson

Bonnie Brookland is not happy.  She is working in an antique shop for a minimum wage with a boss who knows very little about antiques, is rude and treats her badly.  At home she is in a loveless marriage.  Her husband Stephen controls all the finances and likes to show his displeasure in most things she does.  

Bonnie is suddenly sacked from her job and so she visits The Pot of Gold, a new antiques shop which has opened in town, to see if there is any chance of work.  Lew Harley, the owner of The Pot of Gold, sees Bonnie as a breath of fresh air against his previous assistant and so offers her a job. 

Finding happiness in her new job gives Bonnie the push she needs to decide that it is time for her to leave Stephen.  To do this she needs time to plot and plan.  She knows that he won't make this easy for her. 

For their own different reasons both Bonnie and Lew find sanctuary in The Pot of Gold away from their unhappy home lives.  

Daisy's Vintage Cornish Camper Van by Ali McNamara

When Ana's friend Daisy dies, Ana inherits an old camper van.  Ana has to travel from London to St Felix in Cornwall to collect the van.  When she gets there she finds that it is not roadworthy so she has to stay in St Felix whilst it is restored.  During the restoration some old postcards, written from the 1940's onwards, are found hidden around the van.  They are all written to Frankie from Lou but were never posted.  

With the help of new friends she makes in St Felix, Ana begins to search for Lou and Frankie so that the cards can be returned.  Staying in St Felix, spending time by the sea and with the friendliness and helpfulness of the locals Ana has a chance to grieve for Daisy and begin to find happiness again.  

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Polly Waterford owns and runs the Little Beach Street Bakery on the island of Mount Polbearne in Cornwall.  She lives in a lighthouse with her American boyfriend Huckle and their pet puffin Neil.  

Christmas is approaching, the temperature is getting cold and the Little Beach Street Bakery is busy.  

Huckle would like to marry Polly and start a family but she keeps putting it off.  When Kerensa, Polly's best friend, tells her a secret things start to become awkward and knowing this secret begins to put a big strain on Polly and Huckle's relationship.  They were expecting to spend a quiet Christmas together just watching films and drinking champagne, but with all the demands on Polly's time it doesn't look like this is going to happen. 

The Woman in the Window by A J Finn

Dr Anna Fox is agoraphobic.  She has not been outside her house for 10 months.  She spends a lot of time watching people through her window and knows the habits of her neighbours.  A new family, the Russells, move into a house across the park.  Anna investigates them on-line to find out who they are and then starts to watch them too.  

First Anna hears a scream.  She can't see what has happened but she knows that it has come from the Russell's house. Then she sees the mother slump down, with a knife in her stomach, and reach out towards the window with a bloody hand.  

Anna phones the police.  They do not believe her story.  Mr and Mrs Russell and their son Ethan all confirm that nothing has happened in their house.  The Mrs Russell the police introduce to Anna is not the same lady she has met and seen stabbed.  

Anna is determined to find out what has happened and who the imposter Mrs Russell really is.

Midwinter Sacrifice by Mons Kallentoft

This book is set in Sweden and has been translated into English. 

Early one morning, during a very cold winter in Linkoping, the injured and naked body of a man is found hanging from a tree.  His identity is unknown.  Detective Malin Fors has to work out who he is, how he was injured and strung up in the tree and by whom.  

Malin starts her investigation but finds that people do not want to engage with her and families have lots of secrets they do not wish to share.  She fairly quickly learns that the body is that of Bengt Andersson who was a loner and was teased by some of the local children.  Interest is raised when the local newspaper reports that the death could be connected with a midwinter sacrifice ritual.  

The voice of Bengt is heard throughout the story as he watches over Malin and encourages her to find out the truth about his death. 

Finding Colin Firth by Mia March

The chapters in this book alternate between Bea, Veronica and Gemma.  

At age 22 Bea learns, via a letter from her mother who died a year previously, that she was adopted.  

Veronica has moved back to Boothbay Harbour in Maine and is making pies filled with happy thoughts for the local community.  This is the place where, at age 16, she was sent to a home for pregnant teens and was abandoned by her family.  

Gemma has lost her job as a journalist and is being pressured by her husband to start a family and move from New York to the country to be closer to his parents.  She is not ready to give up her career but discovers that she is unexpectedly pregnant. 

Bea travels to Boothbay Harbour to meet her biological mother.  Gemma travels there to attend the wedding of an old friend and stays a while to write a story for the local paper as it is the 50th anniversary of Hope House, the home on the edge of town for pregnant teens. 

A film crew are setting up to shoot a new movie in which Colin Firth will star.  All three want to see Colin Firth, and Gemma wants to get an exclusive interview.  This brings them all together, new friendships are formed and lives and futures re-assessed.  

The Hunger by Carol Drinkwater

This book is in the 'My Story' series and is - An Irish Girl's Diary 1845-1847

The story starts on 10 May 1845 when on her 14th birthday Phyllis McCormack is given an empty book by her brother.  She uses the book as a diary and regularly writes about her life and the struggles of the local farmers.  At harvest time the potato crops are found to have been attacked by a disease and most of them are ruined.  The diary then follows the struggles of all the local farmers, her brother becoming a wanted rebel, the deaths of thousands of people through starvation and the political fighting which takes place across Ireland. 

Life Swap by Jane Green

Single, successful, 35 year old Vicky Townsley is the features editor with Poise magazine in London.  Although she appears to live the perfect life, she would love to be married, have children and live in the country.  When a throw-away comment is made about her swapping lives with a married woman this sets off the idea for a reader competition - the winner will swap lives with Vicky for a month.  

Amber Winslow is a married mother of two who lives in a large house in Highfield, Connecticut.  She is involved with the fundraising local ladies league, but it is really an opportunity to dress up and out-do each other.  She is tired of this but doesn't really know how to escape from the forever spiralling 'keeping up the Joneses' in which she has become  so involved.  

Amber applies for the chance to Life Swap with Vicky.  This will give her an opportunity to step away from Highfield, re-assess her life and decide what it is she really wants.  

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

Lou Suffern is a successful businessman.  He is always juggling meetings, leaving one early to get to the end of another as he doesn't have enough time to attend them all.  At home he has a wife and young family who don't get to see him very often.  

On his way into the office one morning he stops to talk to Gabe, a homeless man, who is sitting in a nearby doorway.  As the office is short staffed, Lou later offers Gabe a job.  He turns out to be extremely efficient and very worldly-wise.  Lou's life is changed enormously by meeting the very mysterious Gabe.  

Us by David Nicholls

Douglas and Connie have been married for over 20 years.  Not long before they and their son Albie are to set off on 'the grand tour' which is to be their holiday of a lifetime travelling across Europe, Connie announces that she thinks that she may want to leave Douglas.  

Douglas plans out the trip in minute detail in the hope that it will be his opportunity to show Connie that she doesn't really want to leave.  The first few days go well but then Connie and Albie start to go off plan which annoys Douglas.  After an argument, Albie decides he has had enough and sets off with a young woman he has met and does not want to be followed.  

Douglas realises that he needs to apologise to Albie and so, leaving Connie at the airport, he sets off to find his son and make amends.  

I have also read 'Starter for Ten' and 'One Day' and have 'The Understudy' on my bookshelf.  
I did not enjoy this book as much as the others I have read by David Nicholls.  

The Summer of Serendipity by Ali McNamara

Serendipity 'Ren' Parker and her assistant Kiki travel to Ballykiltara on the West coast of Ireland to search out the perfect property for their client.  After a few days they come across The Welcome House.  The house seems perfect and it has the splendid views that are a must for their client.  The only problem is that no-one knows who owns the house.  It has been open and used as a refuge for weary travellers and those in need of sanctuary for centuries.  There are many local legends about the house.  

Ren is determined to find out who owns the house and to dispel any local myths.  Whilst she is investigating the house's history she becomes drawn in to the local community and especially to the manager of the local hotel where they are staying. 

I have read 'Breakfast at Darcy's' which takes place in the same area of Ireland and Darcy makes an appearance in this book too.  I also have 'From Notting Hill with Love ... Actually', 'From Notting Hill to New York ... Actually' and 'Daisy's Vintage Cornish Camper Van' on my bookshelf by the same author.  

A Friend of the Family by Lisa Jewell

Gerry and Bernie London have three grown up sons.  Tony, the eldest, runs his own company and is recently divorced.  Sean, the middle son, has found fame since writing a novel but is now struggling to write his next book.  Ned, the youngest, flew off to Australia three years ago with a woman he had just met in a bar and has now returned home alone.

All three of the sons are struggling with difficulties in both their work lives and in their relationships with their girlfriends.  

Gervase, who has recently started lodging with Gerry and Bernie, is an unusual character.  He can see that Tony, Sean and Ned are heading down the wrong paths and in his own strange way helps them to see where they need to change.  

One Day In May by Catherine Alliott

Hattie Carrington runs 'The French Partnership' selling French antiques and undertaking interior design projects with her partner Maggie du Bose.  They are asked by Hattie's brother in law to decorate some rooms in The Abbey, his ancestral home, into which he and his family have just moved.  Their home is in the village of Little Crandon, where Letty, the widow of Hattie's first love, still lives.  When visiting her sister she always avoids going into the village as she does not want to bump into Letty.  

When work starts on The Abbey Hattie has to face up to some of the things that have happened in her past.  She can't continue to keep so many secrets if she is to find happiness and move on with her life.  

Other books by Catherine Alliott I have read are 'Not That Kind of Girl', 'Going too Far', 'A Rural Affair', 'The Old Girl Network' and 'The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton'.  I also have 'The Wedding Day' on my bookshelf which I have yet to read. 

The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham

This is a Tom Thorne Thriller.

Tom has been demoted and is back working as a uniformed officer.  When he attends the scene of what appears to be the double suicide of an elderly couple he just gets a feeling that something isn't quite right.  The officer in charge of the Murder Investigation Team doesn't see it as being at all suspicious and dismisses his concerns. 

More suicides keep happening and Tom is convinced that they are murders staged to look like suicides.  The only way he can look into these is to start his own personal investigation.  He needs to find out what links the people and why they are prepared to take their own lives.  

This is the first Mark Billingham book I have read.  It is obviously one in a series of books with the character Tom Thorne.  There are a few references to a previous story which give background as to why Tom has been demoted, but this can be read as a stand-alone story. 

Dark Pines by Will Dean

Tuva Moodyson is a deaf newspaper reporter in the small Swedish town of Gavrik.  She is hoping to write a great story which will help her career and get her noticed by a big national paper.  

A body is found in the local Utgard forest and Tuva is sent to investigate.  The dead man has been shot by a rifle and his eyes have been removed.  About 20 years before there were a series of 3 murders, the victims were all men, were all in the forest and they had also had their eyes removed.  The original murders had been nicknamed the Medusa killings.  

Within a few days yet another body is found.  Tuva has to overcome her fear of the dark forest to visit the few people who live there so that she can question them and find out what they know of the old and new killings.  One of the residents had been arrested as a suspect in the original murders but had been released without charge.  Tuva struggles to get the police to take her concerns seriously so she tries to find out who Medusa is on her own.   

The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah

Hercule Poirot is sitting alone in a London coffee house waiting for his evening meal to be served and a distressed young woman dashes in.  He starts to talk to her and she says she is afraid that she is about to be murdered.  She does not want help and does not want her killer to be brought to justice.  

At about the same time three dead bodies are discovered at The Bloxham Hotel.  They are in three different rooms but the scenes are the same and each body has a monogrammed cuff-link in their mouths.  Poirot starts to investigate.  He fears that there is a link between the murders and the scared young women who seems to now have disappeared. 

This is the first Hercule Poirot mystery that Sophie Hannah has written.  

Hurting Distance by Sophie Hannah

Naomi Jenkins is the 'other woman', she has been seeing Robert Haworth every Thursday afternoon for the last year.  When Robert fails to turn up to their meeting one week, and Naomi can't contact him, she is convinced that something terrible has happened.  

After a few days of trying to make contact she reports him to the police as a missing person.    The police aren't really convinced.  They visit Robert's home and his wife says he is away for a few days staying with friends.  

In a desperate bid to make the police look for Robert, Naomi visits them again and reports that he has raped her.  She wants them to think that he is dangerous so that they will search for him.  She tells them the date the rape occurred and lots of very specific details about what happened.  She is providing details of what really happened to her a few years before she met Robert.  

When the police do start to investigate they find evidence that other women have experience the exact same thing and have told very similar stories to Naomi.  They now need to find what links all these cases and if Robert Haworth is actually involved.   

Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin

Following his retirement Rebus is back working on the force, but at the lower rank of Detective Sergeant. 

Rebus and DCI Shiobhan Clarke are called out to the scene of a car accident.  There was no-one else involved and the young woman, Jessica Traynor, who was found unconscious in the drivers seat, has been taken to hospital.  Rebus finds one of her shoes in the passenger footwell and becomes suspicious that she wasn't actually the driver and that there was someone else involved.  

Malcolm Fox has been given one final assignment from the complaints department.  He is to investigate 'the Saints' who were the old school police officers.  He needs to know if they were covering up their own crimes.  

Rebus becomes involved in both investigations, he is helping Fox as well as being under a slight shadow of suspicion himself from his earliest days on the force.  

Slowly more information is uncovered in both investigations.  

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

There are many twists and turns in this story.  It goes backwards and forwards between the time when Vanessa was married to Richard and then to the present when she is the ex-wife who seems to be intent on damaging his current relationship and stopping him from marrying again.  At first we assume this is from jealously.  

As the story unfolds we see different sides to both of them and find that they have both been intentionally manipulating situations to suit their plans.  

This is a really interesting and gripping emotional thriller.  

I Know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen

This is a Rizzoli and Isles story. 

The dead body of a young women is found.  She is lying on the bed in her own apartment and has some horrible injuries which have taken place post-death, but the actual cause of her death is not established.  Then the body of a similar aged young man is found.  He too has injuries which have been inflicted after his death but the cause of death is unclear.  This is the one thing that seems to link them.  

Pathologist Maura Isles begins to suspect there is a significance to the wounds and Detective Jane Rizzoli investigates to establish if there is any other way that the victims could be linked.  The lives of other people are then thought to be in danger as the killer may strike again.  

Music From Home by Geraldine O'Neill

Set in Manchester in the 1960's, teenage Maria Conti has a very close relationship with her Italian father Leo.  Her Irish mother Anna died many years before and they have no contact with Anna's family.  

Leo owns and runs an Italian restaurant called Leonardos.  The business is doing quite well but Maria is concerned about her father's drinking and gambling.  When he suddenly announces that he has bought a 50% share in a racehorse she is worried that he is getting himself more and more into debt he can't afford and that his gambling may become out of control.  

Leo is seriously injured when he goes to the rescue of a vulnerable young man who is being bullied on the road outside the restaurant. Life for Maria is dramatically changed as she has to honour her father's very unexpected wishes for her future. 

This was a free kindle download.  

Key Under Blue Pot and Please Milk the Goat by Marie Sever

This book is a diary, it is a year in the life of Jean who is a house sitter.  Jean travels around mainland Britain to provide her services, she looks after houses and animals.  Mainly she has cats and dogs to care for but sometimes she has other animals such as rabbits, chickens, tortoises and goats.  

Jean is trying to juggle the time she needs to be away for work with her home life where she has a husband and son.  Her husband just wants a quiet life and time to spend writing his books and their teenage son keeps getting into trouble at school.  When Jean is away they live on take-away food and never bother with any housework or washing.

Whilst working Jean finds herself in lots of unusual situations.  She has a past client who claims that her dog must have become pregnant whilst Jean was in charge as the litter is of mongrel and not pedigree dogs, she has the police turn up on the doorstep as a neighbour thinks the house is being burgled, and one client turns out to be a bigamist.  She weathers the storm of all the unusual situations whilst also trying to sort out her son's life and keep him on track to pass his exams. 

Here Come the Boys by Milly Johnson

Angie and Gil Silverton have booked a holiday to celebrate Gil's 40th birthday.  This is their first ever cruise.  Gil is excited but Angie is apprehensive.  

They set off from Southampton and after a couple of days at sea, when Gil is quite seasick, they reach Malaga for their first stop.  Angie gets off the ship to do some shopping and misses the re-boarding time and sees the ship leave the harbour for its next port of call.  She finds herself stranded in Malaga along with another passenger.  This turns out to be Selina, her one time best friend, who 20 years ago had stolen Angie's boyfriend and then married him.  The two women have not spoken to each other since.  They now have three days to spend together whilst arrangements are made for them to travel to Croatia to re-join the cruise ship and their husbands who are waiting on board. 

This is a e-book exclusive story.  

I have previously read 'An Autumn Crush' and 'Ladies Who Launch' by Milly Johnson and I have 'The Teashop on the Corner' and 'Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Cafe' on my bookshelf. 

Perfume by Patrick Suskind

This book was originally written in German and has been translated into English. It is set in France in the eighteenth-century.  

The story follows the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille.  It begins with his birth and the arrest and decapitation of his mother.  Grenouille is at first looked after by wet nurses and then placed in a house by the church to be cared for by Madame Gaillard.  He stays there for a number of years until the church fail to pay for his care.  Everyone who has looked after Grenouille has felt there was something odd about the boy, even as a small baby he had no smell.  

Although he has no personal body odour himself, Grenouille has a very acute sense of smell and, even if he does not know what it is that he is smelling, he remembers and can identify every single smell he has known.  

Tracking down and chasing smells leads Grenouille into different jobs and ultimately to committing murder.  

This is a really unusual story in a gothic style. 

Between Sisters by Cathy Kelly

When sisters Cassie and Coco were aged 7 and 1 their mother left them and never returned.  They were brought up by Pearl, their father's mother.  Their father never recovered from his wife leaving and he died young.  

The sisters are very close but they both have a fear of being abandoned again.  Coco runs a vintage dress shop and Cassie, who is married and mother of two teenagers, tries desperately hard to create the perfect family which she did not have.  

Their mother is never discussed.  When Coco starts a conversation with Cassie about their mother things start to go wrong, old wounds are opened up and life suddenly becomes very difficult for them both. 

I have read 'It started in Paris', 'The House on Willow Street' and 'Christmas Magic' by the same author. 

The Daffodils of Newent by Susan Sallis

This is the second book in the series about the Rising family.  They live in Gloucester.  There are 3 daughters named March, April and May.  April, the youngest, is about to marry a local man who has come back injured from the war.  May is married to Monty who is a music hall actor and they are about to have a child.  March has returned home from Bath with her son to live with her parents having left her elderly husband behind.  

The story spans quite a few years of the different members of the Rising family, the loves and heartache of the daughters, the frail mother, the adulterous father and also their relationships with some of the members of other local families.    

Whilst part way through this book I discovered that I also have 'A Scattering of Daisies' on my bookshelf which is the first book in the series.  I also have 'By Sun and Candlelight' and 'Sweeter Than Wine'. 

The Carousel by Rosamunde Pilcher

Prue is about to go to Scotland with Nigel Gordon for a short holiday and to meet his parents.  Her mother is absolutely delighted that she has found a suitable man and is convinced that they should get married.  Prue is not so sure.  The holiday plans are suddenly changed when Prue receives a request from her Aunt Phoebe to spend a few weeks with her in Cornwall as she is has just broken her arm and needs help in getting around as she is unable to drive her car.  

Prue sets off on the train to Cornwall and meets Charlotte, a young girl, who is put on the train by her father.  Charlotte has to go to Cornwall to stay with her Grandmother for a week or so as her school has closed for boiler repairs.  They are both heading for the same village and so travel all the way together.  

When in Cornwall Prue meets Daniel whilst out for a walk.  Daniel is an artist who, a few years ago, spent the summer with Phoebe and Chips studying art.  He has been out of the country for a while and has returned for an exhibition and has come to visit Phoebe.  Within just a few days all their lives are to change dramatically.  

Other books I have read are 'The Shell Seekers', 'September' and 'Coming Home'.  Although I read The Shell Seekers many many years ago I remember being totally gripped by the story. 

The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris

Zozie de l'Alba is a collector of people.  She steals identities and creates for herself one new life after another.

She meets Yanne and her daughters Annie and Rossette who live above a chocolate shop. Yanne is trying really hard to not stand out, to quietly fit in with the locals and make a living through selling chocolates.  Zozie can see their colours and hatches a plan.  She is devious and befriends Annie to find out as much information about Yanne as she can.  She starts helping out in the shop and slowly begins to influence Yanne, Annie and also the customers.  

This is the second book in the Chocolat series.   

The Sisters by Claire Douglas

Abi struggles to cope following the death of her identical twin sister.  She moves from London to Bath to make a fresh start and be closer to her parents.  After meeting Bea and Ben she moves into their home which they share with a number of people.  

Strange things start happening, some of Abi's items go missing and she is accused of stealing from Bea.  Relationships within the house become strained and threatening.  What is really happening?  

This is a debut novel.  I have previously read 'The Text' which is a short story.

If Not For You by Debbie Macomber

Beth Prudhomme moved to Portland from Chicago to get away from her overbearing mother and to take control of her own life. 

After being set up on a blind date to meet mechanic Sam Carney, Beth is involved in a car accident.  Sam witnessed the accident and went to Beth's aid.  Sam regularly visits Beth in hospital and they become friends.  Beth's mother would definitely not approve of Sam, he is not at all what she wants for her daughter.  

Sam has not had a serious relationship for many years.  He has been hurt in the past and has some secrets he really doesn't want to share. 

I have previously read 'Falling for Christmas', and have 'A Mother's Gift' and 'On a Snowy Night' on my bookshelf by the same author. 

Extreme: Hard Target by Chris Ryan

Joe Gardiner and John Bald are SAS colleagues.  When Joe receives a distress call from John he immediately flies out to Rio de Janeiro to track him down and help.  

Joe then finds himself in a difficult situation and whilst struggling for survival is contacted by Leo Land from MI6 who gives him a mission to fulfil.  Joe has to use all his skills and training to keep himself and other allies alive.  

Other Chris Ryan books I have read are 'The Watchman', 'Creed', 'Shadow Kill', and 'Tenth Man Down'.  This is the first of his books from the Extreme series that I have read.

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Anne and Marco have been invited to a dinner party next door with Cynthia and Graham.  They have been told not to bring the baby.  At the last minute the baby-sitter cancels.  After an argument about not going to the party, Marco and Anne agree that as they are only next door they will take the baby monitor and check on Cora every half an hour.  Cora is fine at 12.30.  

When they get home just after 1am the front door is slightly ajar.  They rush upstairs to Cora's bedroom to find her cot empty.  The police are called and a search for Cora begins.  The first people under suspicion are the parents.  Anne has post-natal depression - has she accidentally killed her baby and they are covering it up?  Marco's business is in trouble - has he staged a kidnapping to get money from his in-laws?  

This is a great story which keeps shifting the suspicion from one person to the next and then back again until we finally find out what really happened on that night.  

From Paella to Porridge by Peter Kerr

This is the fifth and final book in the series about Peter and his family relocating to Mallorca. 

In this book they fail to find a larger fruit farm in Mallorca and so decide to sell Ca’s Mayoral and return to Scotland.  Their next venture is to be deer farming.  To do this they need to find and buy the right sized piece of land.  During the time they have been away in Mallorca the cost of land and buildings in Scotland has increased and they struggle to find the right land at the right price.  

To make ends meet whilst continuing the land search, and to avoid losing their capital money in rental costs, they buy an old house in need of repair and undertake the renovations themselves.  This proves to be a bigger undertaking than they has expected.  

I have enjoyed reading this series, but did find that this last book contained a lot more about Scottish history than I would have expected. 

My 2018 Book Reading Statistics

From 1 January to 31 December 2018 I have read 39 books.  

The shortest book was The Text by Claire Douglas which was a short story with only 40 pages (a Kindle book). 

The longest book was Stand By Me by Sheila O'Flanagan which had 590 pages. 

I have read a total of 13,827 pages over the year which is only just slightly more than I read in 2017. 

Today I will begin my first book of 2019! 

A Basketful of Snowflakes by Peter Kerr

This is the fourth travel biography book by Peter Kerr telling the story of him and his family setting up a new home on a fruit farm in Mallorca. 

During this book progress is made on adapting the old work/store room into a family games room and a swimming pool is dug out in the garden.  They are trying to make the place more comfortable for themselves and to add value to the property.