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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…
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…
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…
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…
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!)…
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…
First Line Friday 5th September 2025: The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher | #FirstLineFriday #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
It's a special First Line Friday from me today. I'm sharing the first lines of The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher. When this post goes out I will be en route to Paris and am very much looking forward to reading this on location. It's inspired by Sylvia Beach who founded Shakespeare and Company, the…
#ThreeTwoOne quick-fire questions with Philip Parish #author of #shortstory collection Exiles Incorporated | @ParrishPhil – Portobello Book Blog
I'm pleased to be joined by author Philip Parrish today. His third book, Exiles Incorporated, is a collection of short stories set in a variety of times and places as you will discover. Over to Philip to find out his answers to my #ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions. Tell me THREE things about your latest book Exiles…
Pastures New by Clare Balding | #bookreview | @harpercollinsUK @fictionpubteam – Portobello Book Blog
Pastures New is the debut novel from Clare Balding who has previously written memoirs and a series of children's books. I read her memoir, My Animals and Other Family, some years back and thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the sound of this one and really liked the Autumnal cover so I was pleased that the…
WWW Wednesday 3rd September 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? I've started reading The Restless Coast by Roger Morgan-Grenville. It's non-fiction so I'm dipping in and out. I’m on the blog tour for Oti Mabuse’s debut novel Slow Burn next week so I've made a start on that too. I'm still working my way through Middlemarch of course - 60% through now! I'm…
Top Ten Tuesday 2nd September 2025: Books with Occupations in the Title | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: Books With Occupations in the Title This week's topic is a fun one - Books With Occupations in the Title - which was submitted by Hopewell’s Public Library of Life. I enjoyed looking through my GoodReads shelf to see what would fit. Here's what I've come up with. The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter…
Captivating Character of the month: August 2025 – Zoe from Births, Deaths and Marriages by Laura Barnett #LinkParty #bookblogger #memorablecharacter #bookx #booksky #bookreview 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
Captivating character for August 2025Zoe from Births, Deaths and Marriages by Laura Barnett August has been a very busy month between the Fringe Festival, the Edinburgh Book Festival, my daughter's birthday and various other events. As a result I didn't read as many books as I usually do. However, when I was deciding what character…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Jay Spencer Green #author of Descanso – Portobello Book Blog
I'm pleased to be joined by author Jay Spencer Green who is here to answer my #ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions about his recent novel Descanso. It certainly sounds like a quirky and unique read! Over to Jay to tell us all about it. Tell me THREE things about your latest book Descanso is a very dark…
First Line Friday 29th August 2025: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen | #FirstLineFriday #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
It's a few weeks since I took part in First Line Friday for one reason and another but I couldn't resist joining in today. I'm re-reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice which surely begins with one of the most famous first lines in literature? It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in…
Whispers in the Glen by Sue Lawrence | #bookreview #historicalfiction #scottishfiction | @lovebookstours @SueHLawrence @sarabandbooks – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be re-sharing my review ofSue Lawrence's latest novel, Whispers in the Glen, as part of the book tour organised by Kelly at Love Books Tours. I am a big fan of Sue's historical fiction and have had the pleasure of interviewing her twice at Portobello Book Festival. She puts women at the…
#20BooksOfSummer2025 final recap questionnaire – Portobello Book Blog
Following on from yesterday's check-in on how I did with my challenge, today I'm answering the questions posed by Annabel and Emma who were hosting this year's challenge. FIRST SOME BASIC QUESTIONS Did you manage to finish all 20 books? If not, what kept you from completing the challenge? Very nearly! I'm working my way through the…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Jane Harvey #author of The Landlord of Hummingbird House | @rararesources – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by Jane Harvey today, author of The Landlord of Hummingbird House. We're celebrating the book birthday of The Landlord of Hummingbird House which was published this day in 2021. Thanks to Rachel for the invitation to take part. Over to Jane to tell us more. Tell me THREE things about…
20 Books Of Summer 2025 Reading Challenge final check-in #20BooksofSummer2025 – Portobello Book Blog
Cathy at 746 Books has handed over the baton of the 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge to two new hosts: Annabel at AnnaBookBel and Emma at Words and Peace. I always enjoy taking part in this challenge so thank you, Cathy for hosting for the past ten years and thank you to Annabel and Emma for carrying it on.…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Patrick Ismond #author of Amikae: Stirrings of an Abolitionist – Portobello Book Blog
Joining me today to answer my #ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions is Patrick Ismond. Patrick's novel Amikae: Stirrings of an Abolitionist was published earlier this year. Over to Patrick to tell us all about it. Tell me THREE things about your book It is a story about what can be achieved when people collaborate and fight against…
The Forest Hideaway by Sharon Gosling | #bookreview | @TeamBATC – Portobello Book Blog
The Forest Hideaway will be published by Simon & Schuster tomorrow and I'm delighted to share my review today as part of the blogtour. A big thank you to Sara-Jade at Team BATC for the invitation to take part in the tour and my gorgeous review copy. As you can see from my photo, it…
WWW Wednesday 27th August 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? I'm still reading Pride and Prejudice which is the final book in my #20BooksOfSummer challenge. I might finish it by the end of the week but I'm not sure as I'm also reading my library book reservation: The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller. Unfortunately I can't renew it as…
Top Ten Tuesday 26th August 2025: Favourite Films | #TopTenTuesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #TuesdayBookBlog #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
This week's topic: Favourite Films Photo by ClickerHappy on Pexels.com This week's Top Ten Tuesday will be very varied as it's a non bookish freebie. I was going to choose ten favourite book to screen adaptations then I realised that actually, that was still bookish! So instead, I've gone for ten of my favourite films.…
Edinburgh Book Festival round-up 2025 | @EdBookFest – Portobello Book Blog
It's been a extremely busy month in Edinburgh with the International Festival, the Fringe Festival and the Edinburgh International Book Festival all taking place. After today, the city will return to normal or as normal as it gets for August! Did you know that during the festivals, the population of Edinburgh is estimated to double…
Edinburgh Fringe Show Review: Hahaha–Hamlet performed by Chai Wan Rabble | #edfringe #review – Portobello Book Blog
Today I'm reviewing: Hahaha–Hamlet This is Hamlet as you'll never have seen it before with a singing ghost, dancing chickens and a duel with light sabres. This energetic and enthusiastic young company incorporates scenes from present day Hong Kong, cleverly linking them to Shakespeare's classic tragedy. The show is performed mainly in Cantonese with translations…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Susan A King #author of Toffee Apple Strudel plus details of a giveaway | @SusanKing63 @rararesources – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by Susan A King today, author of Toffee Apple Strudel. Toffee Apple Strudel was published on 13th August and available for e-readers: full details below. Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to take part in the blogtour. Don't miss details of a lovely giveaway too. Over to Susan…
Never Tear Us Apart by Rowan Coleman | #bookreview #romanticfiction #WW2 #Malta – Portobello Book Blog
Having enjoyed several of Rowan Coleman's previous novels, I was delighted when a surprise copy of her latest Never Tear Us Apart, popped through the letterbox a few weeks ago. Thanks to whoever at the publishers Hodder & Stoughton sent this my way. Never Tear Us Apart takes places over several timelines but mostly focusses…
WWW Wednesday 20th August 2025: what am I reading? | #WWWWednesday #amreading #bookrecommendations #BookSky 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
What am I currently reading? I'm juggling quite a few books just now! I've finally started reading The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang which is my choice for my book group next week. I'm still reading Middlemarch as a slow buddy read and am now at 56% - on course to be finished by the…
#ThreeTwoOne quickfire questions with Apple Gidley #author of Finding Serenissima | 💙📚 – Portobello Book Blog
Today's guest is author Apple Gidley who is answering my #ThreeTwoOne quick-fire questions about her latest novel, Finding Serenissima, which was published earlier this year. Isn't that cover so pretty? I'm sorry I haven't been able to fit in reading this book but and delighted that Apple has agreed to tell us all about it.…
Births, Deaths and Marriages by Laura Barnett | #bookreview | @DoubledayUK – Portobello Book Blog
I have to start off today with a huge apology to Hannah at Doubleday Books. She sent me a copy of this book way back in January and it just got lost in my tbr pile! I'm so glad I finally re-discovered it as I absolutely loved this book. From the title, Birth, Deaths &…
Coming soon to the Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival Lucy Vine #author of Book Boyfriend | @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 Amy Sparkes #author of The Players Act 1 | @rararesources – Portobello Book Blog
I'm delighted to be joined by Amy Sparkes today, author of The Players Act 1: All the World's A Stage. The Players Act 1: All the World's A Stage was published in July and is available now in paperback and digital editions: full details below. Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to take…