Dear friends. Today I'm bringing you a new book spotlight.  Cassie Raven is the antithesis of the usual crime thriller heroine. She's a pink haired, tattooed, feisty mortuary technician ..read more

  Dear friends. I'm thrilled today to feature the latest book from O J Mullen.  I'm a big fan of his gritty and tightly plotted crime thrillers.  This one is in the unusual setting for this genre of an ad agency.  It's my stop on the blog tour for The Wrong Woman.  ..read more

  Dear friends. Here are my reviews of books published this month. Thanks to the publishers for early review copies in return for an honest review. In the Goodreads Reading Challenge I'm at 75 books  (target 100), 22 books ahead of schedule. My reading has slowed down a little. As a NetGalley reviewer I'm typically reading books several months before their publication, and the months November to December seem to be quiet for publishers.  ..read more

  Dear friends.  Blogging is the topic of this month's Tell Us About challenge,  chosen by Debbie of Deb's World.  Tell Us About sees 9 bloggers from the UK, US, Australia and Portugal responding to a different prompt each month. All bloggers are welcome to join the link-up with their own posts on the topic. I've been blogging since 2006. My first blog was A Curious Girl's Guide to Life, which I no longer update, although it will presumably always be "out there" in the ether.  ..read more

 And Wow on Wednesday  Dear friends.  I've just had a colour refresh - style not hair - and it's all good because the colours I've been naturally gravitating towards are indeed my wow colours! If you think I'm talking in gibberish, let me explain.  Regular readers will know I'm a big fan of colour analysis. I was re- confirmed as a spring a couple of years ago, but as I was more concerned then with how I would mix winter and spring colours,  I didn't focus on wow colours ..read more

  Dear friends.  This is the time my garden is at its height. It's fairly small and I focus my attention on spring and summer planting.  It's now July and 1 of my 4 dahlias is flowering; the phlox are out, in very splashy colours, and "shed corner " has returned to its former glory, with brightly coloured containers.  ..read more

  And Wow on Wednesday Dear friends. This summer I've been wearing far more skirts than I normally do, having bought four pre-loved Boden skirts from eBay. It got me thinking about my Boden skirts over the years.  I can see why some of them worked less well for me, and why some were outstanding.  First, my new (to me) purchases.  The skirt at the top of the post has pretty embroidered triangles and goes well with my spring shades of pink.  I wore this outfit to the V & A Museum on Monday. It was a bit chilly so added my Kettlewell Chloe skirt in cream.  Tee ..read more

 (And I Never Exaggerate) Dear friends. A quick post to share an absolutely phenomenal list of books. They're titles I've either just read, or am about to read. Some of my favourite contemporary writers are here:  Elizabeth Strout, Clare Chambers, KL Slater. You'll be wanting to pre-order ..read more

 And Wow on Wednesday Dear friends.  Had a delightful outing with friends from the Kettlewell Colour Club to see the BIBA exhibition at the London Fashion & Textile Museum.  BIBA was a fashion brand started by Barbara Hulanicki in 1964.  It became very influential and along with Mary Quant, was one of the fashion retailers shaping "the London Look."  ..read more

  Dear friends.  June has been a satisfying month. I did quite a lot, and the weather improved. Highlights included a visit to the Kettlewell Colour Studio, a beach holiday on the Greek island of Skiathos and a couple of cycling adventures.  I also saw an excellent exhibition of Vivienne Westwood's private collection, prior to auction.  ..read more