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Top Ten Tuesday 7th October 2025: Satisfying Book Series | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: Satisfying Book Series This week's topic asks us to think about satisfying book series. I'm not entirely sure if that's meant to be series which are complete or just a series of books we have found satisfying. The the books I've chosen are from a mixture of series which are complete and…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Vicki Foote #author of Moor to Sea: A Journey Along the Cleveland Way – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by Vicki Foote today, author of Moor to Sea: A Journey Along the Cleveland Way. The book was published in July and available now in paperback and digital editions: full details below. Over to Vicki to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about your latest book Moor to Sea:…
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman | #bookreview #ThursdayMurderClub | @VikingBooksUK – Portobello Book Blog
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman is the fifth in the Thursday Murder Club series and it was a welcome return to Cooper's Chase for me. Having recently watched the Netflix adaptation I did read it with those particular actors in my head. To be fair, I'd always imagined Helen Mirren as Elizabeth and Celia…
#6Degrees of Separation for October 2025: from I Want Everything by Dominic Amerena to Second Chance Summer by Phillipa Ashley #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
This month we're starting with Dominic Amerena’s novel about authors and publishing, I Want Everything. Well, one book came immediately to mind for my first degree of separation and that's Rebecca F Kuang's Yellowface which also focusses on the publishing world and an author who wants everything. It's a straightforward jump to my second degree of…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Alexandra Addams #author of The Self-Made Saint @AAddamsWrites – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by Alexandra Addams today, author of The Self-Made Saint. The Self-Made Saint was published just yesterday by High Frequency Press: full details below. Over to Alexandra to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about your latest book The Self-Made Saint is set in Australia where the city of Adelaide is as much as…
The Vanishing Act by Jo Jakeman | #BookReview #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
Today I'm sharing my review of The Vanishing Act by Jo Jakeman. It sounded so intriguing - human remains are found, believed to be a long missing person. However, the main character knows it can't be that person because she is that person! A big thank you to Hannah Harman for sending me a copy…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Adrienne Chinn #author of The Queen’s Necklace | @rararesources @AdrienneChinn – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by Adrienne Chinn today, author of The Queen's Necklace. The Queen's Necklace was published last week by One More Chapter and is available now in paperback, digital and audiobook formats: full details below. Over to Adrienne to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about your latest book It’s set…
WWW Wednesday 1st October 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? I'm still dipping in and out of The Restless Coast and have got back into The Mirror and The Light audiobook again. I'm about a third of the way through that now - only another 27 hours to go! I've just started Bea's Book Wagon by Julie Haworth as I'm…
Top Ten Tuesday 30th September 2025: Books covers with an Autumn vibe | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: Book covers with an Autumn vibe Autumn is my absolute favourite time of year and I always think that there aren't enough books set in this season. There seem to be loads of books about spring time and new beginnings, or summer holiday beach reads and of course Christmas reads are big…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Caroline McGhie #author of The Sitter – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by Caroline McGhie today, author of The Sitter. The Sitter was published by Waterland Books in September: full details below. Over to Caroline to tell us more. Three Things About The Book The Sitter is set in the magical landscape of North Norfolk as Queen Victoria dies. It follows the…
Reflecting on another fabulous Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival @EdWomensFicFest – Portobello Book Blog
The third Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival took place last Friday and Saturday and I was delighted to be part of the blogging team once again. The festival is celebration of writing for, by, and about women. It is an inclusive event which welcomes everyone who finds joy in reading women's fiction. The festival aims to showcase authors…
The Names by Florence Knapp | #bookreview | @Phoenix_Bks – Portobello Book Blog
The Names is the debut novel from Florence Knapp and what an incredible debut it is. The concept is simple enough: do our names affect the person we become and influence the paths of our lives? Names used to be chosen very carefully for their meaning, although we don't do that so much these days,…
The Lone Writer? Far From It! #GuestPost from Barbara Henderson #author of To War With Wallace | @LuathPress – Portobello Book Blog
Barbara Henderson is a brilliant children's writer with her books really bringing history to life! I've read quite a few of them but couldn't fit in her latest, To War With Wallace. I'm delighted though that she agreed to write a guest post for the blog and to share that with you today. Read on…
Captivating Character of the month September 2025: Sybil from The Correspondent #LinkParty #bookblogger #memorablecharacter #bookx #booksky #bookreview 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
This month I have chosen Sybil van Antwerp for my Captivating Character of the month. I'd been wanting to read Virginia Evans' The Correspondent for a while and it didn't disappoint. Sybil is a fantastic character. She's intelligent and capable and doing her best to make sure the art of letter writing doesn't die out.…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Charlie Dean #author of The Pumpkin Pact | @rararesources @CharlieADean – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by Charlie Dean today, author of The Pumpkin Pact. The Pumpkin Pact is available now in paperback and digital editions: full details below. Over to Charlie to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about your latest book It has a Pride and Prejudice inspired “Meet Cute” involving a very…
WWW Wednesday 24th September 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? I'm reading the latest in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series, The Impossible Fortune, which is due for publication tomorrow. Perhaps it's because I've recently watched the Netflix adaptation but I feel that I've instantly got back into their world! I've listened to a little more of the audiobook of…
Top Ten Tuesday 23rd September 2025: Books on my Autumn reading list | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: Books on my Autumn Reading List I consider the Autumn months to be September, October and November. A couple of the books on this list are books I have already read this month so I'm still counting them as part of my Autumn reading. These books are a mixture of early copies…
Spotlight feature: A New Hope in the Highlands by Rachel Debrave | @rararesources – Portobello Book Blog
Today I'm shining a spotlight on A New Hope in the Highlands by Rachel Debrave as part of the book tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources. The book is available in digital and paperback formats and is the first in the Highland Hearts: The Haddon House Duets series. Let's find out what the book is…
Only a few days until the third Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival! @EdWomensFicFest – Portobello Book Blog
The third Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival will be taking place this coming Friday and Saturday, 26th-27th September and I'm delighted to be part of the blogging team once again. If you don't already have your tickets, it's not too late. Buy them from the website to make sure you don't miss out - see link…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Carolyn Davis Cid #author of A Mother’s Love – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by Carolyn Davis Cid today, author of A Mother's Love. It was published in June and available now in paperback and digital editions: full details below. Over to Carolyn to tell us more. Tell me three things about A Mother’s Love This fictional drama presents the point of view of…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Vanessa Wooley #author of Secrets at Sunset | @VanWooll – Portobello Book Blog
I'm pleased to be welcoming author Vanessa Wooley to the blog today. Her debut novel Secrets at Sunset was published in late July. It's not often you see a baby rhino on a book cover! Over to Vanessa to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about your latest book It is set against the…
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans | #bookreview | @MichaelJBooks – Portobello Book Blog
The Correspondent is a book people have been highly praising for the past few months and it was chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club. In particular, reviews from Lynne (Fictionophile) and Carol (Reading Ladies) made me buy this book when I spotted it on a Kindle deal recently. And what a delightful read it…
First Line Friday 19th September: The Vanishing Act by Jo Jakeman | #FirstLineFriday #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
This week I'm sharing the first lines of The Vanishing Act by Jo Jakeman. It sounds so intriguing - human remains are found, believed to be a long missing person. However, the main character knows it can't be that person because she is that person! I've read some really great reviews of this one so…
#ThreeTwoOne quick-fire questions with Nanda Roep #author of Midlife, Mayhem and Merlot | @nandaroep – Portobello Book Blog
I'm joined by Dutch author Nanda Roep today whose latest novel Midlife, Mayhem and Merlot sounds like it's about my life - especially since the main character is called Joanne! Sadly I couldn't fit it in but I'm pleased that Nanda has agreed to answer my #ThreeTwoOne quickfire about the book. Over to Nanda to…
WWW Wednesday 17th September 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? I'm reading The Names by Florence Knapp which come highly recommended by pretty much everyone I know who has read it! I am nearly finished the audiobook of Made in Scotland by Billy Connolly. I have renewed The Mirror and The Light so I might get back to it, we'll…
Top Ten Tuesday 16th September 2025: Ten books from my own book shelf check-in | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: Ten from my book shelf check-in This week's topic should be the ten literary/bookish candles I'd make but I don't have the imagination for that! Instead, I'm checking in on the ten books from my own book shelf that I had good intentions of reading this year. I've read seven out of…
All Wrapped Up by Heidi Swain | #bookreview #Autumn #romfiction | @TeamBATC – Portobello Book Blog
As a huge fan of the Autumn season myself, Clemmie is a girl after my own heart. She is the creative behind a hugely successful Instagram account focussed solely on Autumn, albeit anonymously. Clemmie has experienced tragic loss leaving her a young widow. To try to come to terms with her heartache and grief she…
Paris reading #bookreviews: The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher and The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Feret-Fleury – Portobello Book Blog
I was recently in Paris (I may have mentioned this once or twice!) and wanted to read a book set in the city while I was there. I borrowed The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher from my library and what a fabulous choice that was. It's inspired by the true story of Sylvia Beach who…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Sarah Healey #author of A Week in the Life of Amelia Nash – Portobello Book Blog
I'm joined today by author Sarah Healey who is answering my #ThreeTwoOne quick-fire questions about her latest novel A Week in the Life of Amelia Nash. Over to Sarah to tell us all about it. Tell me THREE things about your latest book - It’s a powerful novel about a damaged mother/daughter relationship - It’s…
More Than A Woman by Caitlin Moran | #audiobook #bookreview – Portobello Book Blog
I recently listened to Caitlin Moran reading the audiobook of More Than a Woman via the Libby app and I thought it was brilliant! I can't believe it's been more than ten years since How To Be A Woman came out. Caitlin Moran's writing is funny, clever and punchy. In this book she discusses what…
The Michaelmas Daisy by Paul Marriner | #audiobook #bookreview | @lovebookstours @kellyalacey – Portobello Book Blog
I'm pleased to be joining the book tour for The Michaelmas Daisy by Paul Marriner and sharing my thoughts today. Thanks to Kelly at Love Books Tours for the invitation to take part and for providing a copy of the audiobook for review. Like many people my age, I am now at a stage in…
Coming soon to the Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival Laura Wood #author of Let’s Make a Scene | @EdWomensFicFest @TeamBATC – Portobello Book Blog
The third Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival will be taking place on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th September and I'm delighted to be part of the blogging team once again. In the lead up to the festival, all of us on the blogging team will be featuring the authors who are taking part. Today I'm featuring…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Alice Fitzpatrick #author of A Dark Death | @alicefitzp.bsky.social @stonehousepbl – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by author Alice Fitzpatrick today. Alice lives in Canada but would love to live in Wales and her book is set on an island off the Welsh coast. A Dark Death was published by Stonehouse Publishing in June this year. Over to Alice to tell us all about it. Tell…
The Malt Whisky Murders by Natalie Jayne Clark | #crimefiction #bookreview | @lovebookstours @nataliejayclark @birlinnbooks @BloodyScotland – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to welcome back my occasional guest reviewer today aka Mr Portobello Book Blog! The Malt Whisky Murders by Natalie Jayne Clark is shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, the winner of which will be revealed on Friday. More about that below. My husband is a big fan of whisky (as am I!)…
WWW Wednesday 10th September 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? I've just started reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans which comes highly recommended by many of my fellow bloggers. Although I've only read the first few letters in it, I'm already enjoying it. I'd say I'm still reading The Restless Coast by Roger Morgan-Grenville but to be honest I haven't…
Top Ten Tuesday 9th September 2025: Ten books set in Paris | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: Paris Today's topic should be Top Ten Villains but I've gone for a completely different topic for a few reasons. First of all, I tend to read feel-good fiction so there aren't very many proper villains in those books. Secondly, as this post goes out, I will be enjoying the last day…
Slow Burn by Oti Mabuse | #bookreview #OtiMabuse #SlowBurn | @TeamBATC – Portobello Book Blog
It's September which means the imminent return of Strictly Come Dancing bringing sparkle and entertainment to Saturday evenings. So what better time to read a book by former professional dancer from the show Oti Mabuse? Thanks so much to Sara-Jade at Team BATC for sending me a gorgeous early copy of Slow Burn and for…
The Love of Our Lives by Emma Steele | #audiobook #bookreview | @BolindaAudio @MtLeopardPress – Portobello Book Blog
The Love of Our Lives is the story of Maggie, a young woman who has been living a very limited life due to having had a heart transplant. Her family had already suffered loss and it seemed to me that she felt she had to live cautiously so as not to cause any more hurt.…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Sabrina Lund #author of Consequence of Power: Isabella’s Season | @lundauthor – Portobello Book Blog
I'm joined by author Sabrina Lund today who is answering my #ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions about her novel Consequence of Power: Isabella's Season which was published last year. It's the first in a planned series of historical novels. Over to Sabrina to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about your latest book 1. The first…
#6Degrees of Separation for September 2025: from Ghost Cities by Siang Lu to Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
This month's starting book is Ghost Cities by Siang Lu, the winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2025. I haven't read this book but I considered several ways I could take this chain. For my first degree of separation, I decided to start with another book set in China. The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang…