Being Bookish

Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé is the first novel in The Gay Street Chronicles by new author William Keeling. Based in Regency Bath, it's a gentle cosy mystery that combines a sunken souffle into a tale of death, kidnapping and corruption at the heart of Bath politics. I was sent this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and that's exactly what you're going to find when you click play.

Featured episodes:

Agatha Raisin: There Goes the Bride

Bombshell

And don't forget to show your support for Livestream for the Cure.

Eight Perfect Hours is a contemporary romance written by Hertfordshire based author Lia Louis. It was released in June 2021 and uses one of my favourite tropes ever, soulmates. Join me this week with my friend Debi, as we talk about this novel, as someone who isn't a fan of the genre, will I sway her to my way of thinking?

Featured episodes:

Cursed Luck by Kelley Armstrong

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Someone I used to know by Paige Toon

Paradise was released in 1994, it made the Booker Shortlist and then for some reason my county library had just one copy available county-wide. Since then, Gurnah has written 6 more books and in 2021 won the Nobel Prize for Literature. So, did I like this work that is said to define his talent?

Paradise follows the story of Yusuf from boy to man, in a country on the brink of political and cultural change. It's very different to other books I have reviewed, but I promise, it's worth it.

There Goes the Bride is the 20th book in the Agatha Raisin series by author MC Beaton. What do you get when a determined private detective attends her ex-husband's wedding to a younger, prettier and wealthier woman? Well, in Agatha Raisin's case, you get murder! In this review, I take a look at the book released in 2009 and the subsequent TV episodes produced in 2021. Which did I prefer? Which handled the story better? Listen to find out.

Featured episodes:

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death

The Thursday Murder Club

Murder at the Vicarage

Death in Paradise

It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey are collectively known as The Bellinger Sisters series. Today I am going to be giving you my spoiler-free rundown of this romantic comedy/contemporary romance series. Enemies to lovers, friends to lovers and a few things in between, this series could have everything a contemporary romance reader thrives on, but does it? Find out what I thought of these two books in this latest review.

Featured episodes:

Spoiler Alert

All the Feels

The Spanish Love Deception

Knives Out, a surprise 2019 hit from director Rian Johnson had a massive and incredibly A-List cast including Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, the late Christopher Plummer, Ana de Armas and of course Chris Evans (it couldn't be included in Chris Evans season without him). So join me and my guest, Lorraine from Once Upon a Nightmare (who had never seen the film before) as we talk about the film, what we liked, what we didn't, anything that came as a surprise, and was Joni really entitled to an inheritance?

Snowpiercer had a limited release in the US in 2013, yet it received critical acclaim, earning 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and is the second film in 2022's Chris Evans Season. So, what did I think of this dystopian film that features a role so different from everything else Evans is so well known for. He's no boy scout in this one, that's for certain!

Don't Burn Your Ships. This week I am introducing another podcast you should be listening to. Strive Seek Find with Chance Whitmore. Every episode I learn something new, discover something about myself and have a few moments of retrospection. Chance is great at giving you new things to think about.

This week on Strive Seek Find, Chance looks at the old analogy "burn your ships behind you", talks a little about its history and how it's been co-opted by the wrong ideas in leadership. 

Scott Pilgrim vs the World was released in 2010 and stars a pre-Captain America Chris Evans in a role that many won't associate him with, the bad guy. For Chris Evans Season 2022 I am going to be looking at films where he isn't the nice guy, or the totally black and white morality man. You'll find no Steve Rogers here! So, what did I think?

Episodes mentioned: Spaced

I read so much that I figured I would add in a bonus episode every month to talk about the books that I haven't previously mentioned. So let me give you a recap as well as a rundown of some new book releases coming in the next week.

Episodes mentioned: The Thursday Murder Club, Bombshell, The House in the Cerulean Sea, Skyward.