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Portobello Book Blog by Joanne - Books & Literature
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#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Jon Davey, #photographer and #author of Fifteen Days in Paris – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to welcome local photographer Jon Davey to the blog today. Jon has written a book about his experiences studying photography in Paris 15 years ago which is published today. Congratulations Jon! Let's hear more about the book. Tell me THREE things about your book It’s about a fortnight in Paris without a guidebook.…
WWW Wednesday 7th May 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? It's been a rather stressful week for reasons I won't go into but thank goodness there are always books to escape into! I am currently reading The Forgotten Book Club by Kate Storey on Kindle. I haven't had much time to listen to my audiobook The Wind Chime by Alexandra Walsh…
Top Ten Tuesday 6th May 2025: Authors Who Live In My Country #Scotland | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: Authors Who Live In My Country Today's topic was submitted by Jennifer @ Funk-N-Fiction and we've to come up with ten authors who live in our country (or state). I've chosen ten authors who live in Scotland and chosen a book from each which I especially enjoyed. These are authors I rate…
The Arts Trail Killer by Emylia Hall | #audiobook #bookreview #crimefiction | @EmyliaHall @AmazonPub #Thomas&Mercer – Portobello Book Blog
The Arts Trail Killer is the fifth in Emylia Hall's Shell House Detectives series. I know that book 6 is due out later this year and I'm delighted to hear that a further three books are in the pipeline. I do worry for the residents of Porthpella though as it's getting a bit like Midsomer…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Claudia Esnouf #author of Walk Like a Girl | @SparsileBooks – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by Edinburgh based author Claudia Esnouf today. She's chatting about her travel memoir Walk Like a Girl which was published earlier this month. Over to Claudia to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about your latest book It’s a Travel Memoir about a not-so-brave and not-so-fit girl decides to…
#6Degrees of Separation for May 2025: From Rapture by Emily Maguire to The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside by Jessica Ryn – Portobello Book Blog
This month's starting book is Rapture by Emily Maguire which is a historical novel longlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize. I haven't read this one and don't know much more about it to be honest! So I have gone for a very straightforward link for my first degree of separation and chosen a book with…
First Line Friday 2nd May 2025: The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce | #FirstLineFriday | @doubledayUK – Portobello Book Blog
I'm currently reading Rachel Joyce's latest novel The Homemade God and, very excitingly, it's the first book I've chosen to read on my new Kindle Colorsoft. I decided to treat myself to a new Kindle since it was on offer just now. I am a big fan of Rachel Joyce's books with Miss Benson's Beetle…
The House of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer | #historicalfiction #bookreview #BoldwoodBloggers | @rararesources @JenniKeer @BoldwoodBooks – Portobello Book Blog
I am endlessly fascinated by Titanic and I love a 'what if' story so when I heard about this book from Jenni Keer I knew I had to read it. A book with a sliding doors type narrative where in one part of the book we follow an orphan of Titanic and in another there's…
WWW Wednesday 30th April 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? My goodness, the last day of April already - how fast is this year going? As we head into May, I'm reading The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose and am enjoying spending time with Molly the Maid again. And of course, I'm still doing my 'slow read' of Middlemarch so…
Top Ten Tuesday 29th April 2025: Books with the Word “Garden” in the Title | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: Books with the Word “Garden” in the Title Today's challenge is to find ten book titles with a certain word in common. I have chosen the word garden as, happily, my GoodReads list tells me I have read exactly ten books with that word in the title. In fact, two of the…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Diane Clarke #author of The Bracelet – Portobello Book Blog
Today I'm delighted to be joined by author Diane Clarke author of The Bracelet. It sounds like a lovely read but I just couldn't fit it in. So Diane has agreed to answer my #ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions to tell us more about the book. Isn't the cover beautiful? Tell me THREE things about your latest…
Captivating Character of the month: Gerard from This Bright Life by Karen Campbell | #LinkParty #bookblogger #memorablecharacter #bookx #booksky #bookreview | @writerKCampbell @writerkcampbell.bsky.social @canongate.co.uk – Portobello Book Blog
Well once again, I haven't quite managed this on the last Friday of the month but I was close! I have read three books I've rated five stars so far this month but there was only one character I could possibly choose for my captivating character of the month and that is wee Gerard from…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Julia Flynn #author of What Have You Done For Mia Lately? – Portobello Book Blog
I'm pleased to be joined by author Julia Flynn today who is answering my #ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions about her book 'What Have You Done For Mia Lately?'. I do like a book title that is a play on words and this one has given me a real earworm with the Janet Jackson song! Tell me…
First Line Friday 25th April 2025: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon | #FirstLineFriday – Portobello Book Blog
Today I'm sharing the first line from a book I've been desperate to read for about two years! No, it hasn't languished on my to-be-read pile like so many books: it's only just been published on this side of the Atlantic. I saw many of my fellow bloggers from America and Canada raving about this…
The Eights By Joanna Miller | #historicalfiction #Oxford | @JoannaMAuthor @figtreepenguin – Portobello Book Blog
The Eights is an excellent debut novel from Joanna Miller. It follows the lives of four women undergraduates who meet when they matriculate at Oxford University in 1920, amongst the first cohort of women to have the opportunity not just to attend the university, but also to receive degrees. The title of the book and…
2025 Reading Firsts Book Tag #booktag – Portobello Book Blog
It’s Tag Thursday and today I’m doing the 2025 Reading Firsts Book Tag which I've seen on a few blogs but most recently on Kyles' Bookish Me blog. Sometimes the same book could have appeared in several different categories so I have cheated slightly and chosen the next book if that was the case. First book read…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions on #publicationday with Linda Newbery #author of The One True Thing | @lindanewbery @WritersReview1 @HannahHargrave8 – Portobello Book Blog
I'm pleased to welcome another author to the blog who is answering my #ThreeTwoOne quick-fire questions. Today it's the turn of Linda Newbery whose new novel The One True Thing is published today. Tell me THREE things about your latest book It asks of its characters (and readers): what is the main thing in your…
WWW Wednesday 23rd April 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? I've just started Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis which is my book group read for next month. It's due back at the library on Friday and I can't renew it as there's a waiting list! I've read another couple of chapters of 'slow read' Middlemarch and am now about 15% through…
Best Summer Ever by Heidi Swain | #bookreview #romanticfiction | @heidi_swain @TeamBATC – Portobello Book Blog
Best Summer Ever is Heidi Swain's twentieth novel and I have read and enjoyed most of them. That doesn't mean there are some I haven't enjoyed - just that I haven't quite read them all! Congratulations Heidi on such a wonderful achievement. I was reading this over the Easter weekend and it certainly brought the…
Where Do We Go From Here by Nick Alexander| #audiobook #bookreview | @bookouture – Portobello Book Blog
Where Do We Go From Here? is a book which includes some surprisingly hard hitting issues. It's about Wendy who takes a sabbatical of sorts and rents a house in a remote part of the south of France for six months. She is full of unresolved grief coupled with the enormous stress of being a…
The Second Chance Book Club by Stephanie Butland | #bookreview | @under_blue_sky @headlinepg – Portobello Book Blog
I have read all of Stephanie Butland's books and loved them all, although I confess that Lost For Words is a particular favourite. Having read this new book, The Second Chance Book Club, I think I'd now be hard pushed to choose between the two. As always, Stephanie Butland has created some wonderful characters who…
The Intrepid Steps of John Ruffam by Robert Ferguson | #bookreview – Portobello Book Blog
The Intrepid Steps of John Ruffam is a slim novella covering the short life of the eponymous protagonist from his dramatic start in the National Gallery of Scotland to his end in Princes Street Gardens in the shadow of the Scott Monument. It is fair to say that John Ruffam's life was packed with drama…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Joni Marie Iraci #author of Vatican Daughter – Portobello Book Blog
I'm pleased to welcome author Joni Marie Iraci to the blog today. Her latest novel, Vatican Daughter, will be published next week and is available to pre-order now. Over to Joni to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about your latest book When journalist Sophia Travato meets Joseph Morris, an American cardinal stationed in…
First Line Friday 18th April 2025: Best Summer Ever by Heidi Swain | #FirstLineFriday | @Heidi_Swain @TeamBATC – Portobello Book Blog
I was lucky enough to have a very early review copy of Best Summer Ever by Heidi Swain which is due out next week from Simon & Schuster. I'm on the blogtour for this one next week and I'm looking forward to pretending it's summer when it's actually quite grey here in Edinburgh this Easter…
This Bright Life by Karen Campbell | #bookreview | @writerKCampbell @writerkcampbell.bsky.social @canongate.co.uk – Portobello Book Blog
I loved Karen Campbell's Paper Cup and within just a few pages of This Bright Life, I knew I was going to love this one too. An misguided decision has unexpected consequences which bring together young Gerard, elderly Margaret and lawyer Claire. All have challenges to face and this chance event will change all their…
All The Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker | #bookreview – Portobello Book Blog
I've had All The Colours of the Dark on my kindle for quite some time having bought it after seeing so many people talking about how brilliant it is. I put it on my 'ten from my bookshelf' list to make sure I read it this year. At just short of 600 pages, you'd think…
WWW Wednesday 16th April 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? I'm continuing my buddy reading of Middlemarch - I'm now about 10% through it. Reading two chapters a week is certainly a slow way to read! I'm still listening to The Arts Trail Killer by Emylia Hall which is very good. And I'm reading The Eights by Joanna Miller which…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Nicola May #author of How to Fix a Broken Heart | #publicationday | @NicolaMay1 @rararesources – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by author Nicola May today who is here to answer my #quickfire questions about her novel How To Fix a Broken Heart which is published today! I'm really disappointed I can't fit in reading this one as it sounds fab! Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to take…
Top Ten Tuesday 15th April 2025: A book recommendation from each of the past ten years | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: A book recommendation from each of the past ten years Yes, I'm going off-piste again this week! Recently I celebrated ten years of blogging and I spotted this theme from the Top Ten Tuesday archive so thought it would be a good one to do. I have chosen one book from each…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Margaret Gardiner #author of Damaged Beauty: Joey Superstar – Portobello Book Blog
I'm pleased to be joined by Margaret Gardiner today who is talking about her book Damaged Beauty: Joey Superstar. Set in 1980s America, it is the story of supermodel Joey Superstar. As a former model herself for almost 50 years, and a fashion editor, Margaret has a real insider’s knowledge of the industry. Over to Margaret…
West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge | #historicalfiction #bookreview | #LakeUnionPublishing – Portobello Book Blog
I read West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge for my book group a week or so ago. I finished it literally an hour before we met so I was definitely cutting it fine. At least it was fresh in my mind! I was quite fascinated to see the protagonist dies in 2025 although the book…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Chloe Openshaw #author of Lunar – Portobello Book Blog
I'm pleased to welcome another guest who is taking part in my #ThreeTwoOne feature today. Chloe Openshaw is here to tell us all about her fifth novel, Lunar. Tell me THREE things about your latest book Lunar provokes big emotions from the reader and deals with hard issues like grief and loss. The writing style…
First Line Friday: 11th April 2025 – This Bright Life by Karen Campbell | #FirstLineFriday | @writerkcampbell #CanongateBooks – Portobello Book Blog
Today I'm sharing the first lines of This Bright Life by Karen Campbell. I've only read one of this author's previous novels, Paper Cup, and I loved that. I've just read the first few chapters of this book and can already tell I'm going to love this one too. I want to take wee Gerard…
Other People’s Houses by Clare Mackintosh | #crimefiction #bookreview #DCFfionMorgan | @BooksSphere – Portobello Book Blog
Other People's Houses by Clare Mackintosh is the third to feature DC Ffion Morgan. The story begins in dramatic style when a body is discovered in a kayak in a lake and Ffion suspects foul play. Just over the border in Cheshire, Ffion's partner Leo is investigating a series of break-ins in The Hill, an…
The Golden Hour by Kate Lord Brown | #historicalfiction #bookreview | @Katelordbrown @TeamBATC – Portobello Book Blog
I heard Kate Lord Brown read from The Golden Hour at the Simon & Schuster Team BATC showcase back in February. But even before her evocative reading, I was already captivated by that classy cover. Right from the prologue, I was gripped by the beautiful storytelling as the author whisked me from 1930s Cairo to…
WWW Wednesday 9th April 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? Well it's been a hectic old week with not much reading time but for the best of reasons: my daughter got married on Monday! It was a wonderful day, the sun shone and I'm so happy for her and my new son-in-law. Onto the books: I'm still reading Middlemarch as…
Top Ten Tuesday 8th April 2025: Books with Springy Covers | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: Books with Springy Covers This week's topic is books with Springy covers. Jana suggests this could be pastel colours, flowers, baby animals, sunshine, etc. I've decided to go with five books with Spring in the title and five books with flower somewhere in the title as I always associate Springtime with flowers.…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Mark Baillie #author of Salvage | @TippermuirBooks @mbaillie – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to welcome fellow Portobello resident Mark Baillie to the blog today. Mark's novel Salvage was published last year by Tippermuir Books and featured in Book Week Scotland's showcase of 2024 debut novels. Over to Mark to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about your latest book My debut novel, Salvage, is a missing…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Alex Franklyn #author of Cleaners Wanted – Portobello Book Blog
Today I'm joined by author Alex Franklyn who is chatting about her novel Cleaners Wanted. I've seen this around on social media quite a lot and it sounds really good. Over to Alex to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about your latest book 1 – it’s a daft comedy, gangster, crime, also been…
#6Degrees of Separation for April 2025: From Knife by Salman Rushdie to It Takes One to Know One by Isla Dewar – Portobello Book Blog
I've had such fun putting the chain together this month and I hope you enjoy my choices. We begin with Knife by Salman Rushdie, a book which chronicles the shocking and life-changing attack he endured in August 2022 and its aftermath. I haven't read Knife but am beginning my chain with the only one of…