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Word Revel

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December 24, 2018

CHRISTMAS CAKES AND MISTLETOE NIGHTS by Carole Matthews

December 24, 2018

Book cover & 3.5-star rating - CHRISTMAS CAKES AND MISTLETOE NIGHTS by Carole MatthewsTechnically, Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights is a sequel to Cake Shop in the Garden but it stands quite well on its own. I actually only realised that it’s a sequel due to the summarised info dump during the first couple of chapters — think throwback highlight reel at the start of new seasons of TV shows. Once that’s done and dusted, it’s back to regular writing and storytelling.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: baking, british authors, cafes, cheating, christmas, food and drink, friendship, half-siblings, hardship, holidays, illnesses, inheritance, poverty, pregnancy, survival, weddings, winter, work life

April 1, 2018

THE PARIS WEDDING by Charlotte Nash

April 1, 2018

Book cover & rating - THE PARIS WEDDING by Charlotte NashA lot of the time, single people in their late twenties are portrayed as sad, lonely or desperate in the media. I’m glad The Paris Wedding doesn’t go down that road, even if the main character is pining after “the one who got away”. In fact, she’s invited to his destination wedding in Paris, which gives rise to a lot of awkward situations and some humorous ones.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: ambition, australian authors, cheating, death, family, family business, friendship, grief, romance, travel, weddings

March 4, 2018

ALL THAT SHE CAN SEE by Carrie Hope Fletcher

March 4, 2018

Book cover & rating - All That She Can See by Carrie Hope FletcherAll That She Can See is the kind of whimsical that fills you with warmth and puts a smile on your face. In some ways, it reminded me of the TV show Pushing Daisies because (1) pies! and (2) the main character uses her abilities to for intended good. However, the interpretation of “good” is dependent on the larger impact that Cherry isn’t fully aware of. So yes, if like me, you’re a fan of Pushing Daisies, I do recommend giving All That She Can See a go.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: adoption, alcoholism, bakeries, baking, diverse books, emotions, grief, loneliness, mental health, monsters, poc characters, romance, secrets, solid platonic friendship

November 14, 2017

MY ITALIAN BULLDOZER by Alexander McCall Smith

November 14, 2017

Book cover & rating - My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith

Food writer travels through Tuscany on a bulldozer — such a bizarre and hilarious image this premise painted. It sounded so ludicrous and I have to admit, it made me think of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. That set the bar of absurd humour unfairly high but I couldn’t help it. Perhaps it’s a good thing then, that My Italian Bulldozer wasn’t filled with tall tales, even if that slightly disappointed me.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: british authors, culture, food and drink, relationships, romance, travel, work life, writing

July 20, 2017

THE SUMMER SEASIDE KITCHEN by Jenny Colgan

July 20, 2017

Book cover & rating - The Summer Seaside Kitchen by Jenny ColganThe atmosphere of The Summer Seaside Kitchen was incredible. Even though Mure isn’t a real island but an amalgam of various islands of the Northern Isles, it completely came to life. I could picture the scenic views, the landmarks and houses so perfectly, I very nearly felt as though I had been transported to Mure myself. The more I read, the more I fell in love with the island. That’s how well Jenny Colgan detailed everything!

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: british writers, family, food and drink, friendship, identity, lgbtq characters, relationships, restaurants, romance, scottish writers, self discovery, siblinghood, work life

About

Joséphine. Word reveller. Loves books. Reads books. Talks about books. Photographs books. When she’s not blogging, she can be found on Instagram under @wordrevel.

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