Dear friends.  A leafy suburb where people tend their gardens and wash their cars.  A peaceful place. Not in the hands of Joanne Ryan. Poison pen letters are going unchallenged because they speak the truth.  Newcomer to the road, Lena, finds someone is conspiring against her. It all ends in an apocalyptic reckoning.  Thrilled to be in the blog tour for Don't Let Her In.  ..read more

  Dear friends. When Sue from Women Living Well After 50 set this month's Tell Us About challenge,  I was thinking it would be easy. After all, I have often written about Personal Style.  I planned to write about how wonderful it is when you discover "your" style, and you dress in a way that pleases you. That's what my summary said, when I sent it out last week to the other bloggers ..read more

  Dear friends.  A much needed improvement in the weather this week has seen big progress in the garden. I'm sharing 6 photos for #SixOnSaturday. Several take part in this, and a good blog with which to start is Garden Ruminations. 1. Clematis Montana I know this is a bit of a "Marmite" clematis for many. I have 3 intertwined on the back fence, two pink and one white.   I call it "the monster," although its flowering is always a spectacular highlight. This year the flowers are more even. Last year we pruned it late in the summer, which I knew would affect the flowers, but ..read more

  Dear friends. Today's spotlight falls on a police procedural with an intriguing angle. One of the officers is a creation of Artificial Intelligence, manifested as a hologram. But AIDE Lock is treated as simply one of the investigating team. Here is an outstanding thriller, with an exciting conclusion.  It's my stop on the blog tour for Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan.  ..read more

  Dear friends.  I love taking part in outfit challenges as they get the creative juices flowing, and remind us of unloved clothes sitting in the wardrobe. Today's challenge lasts for a month at the Kettlewell Colour Club on Facebook, and it's Birds of a Feather. Here are three outfits inspired by plumage.  ..read more

Dear friends. I'm thrilled to bring you an outstanding debut novel today. The Divorcées transports us to 1950s Reno at a time when divorce was uncommon.  Today is my stop on the blog tour for the acclaimed The Divorcées by Rowan Beaird.  ..read more

  Dear friends. Many thanks for all the responses to the Is This Mutton 2024 survey about our reading habits. It was the best response the annual survey has ever had. It shows how universal books are, across every age group and demographic. So what did we find out ..read more

  Dear friends. Today's book spotlight is on Nowhere to Hide by Keri Beevis.  It packs a real punch. Today is my stop on the blog tour.  ..read more

 And #WowOnWednesday Dear friends.  Hope you all enjoyed Easter and Eid, if you celebrate either of those. In today's post I'm sharing an outfit I wore recently and giving a beauty update on a few skincare products I've been trying. Plus a couple of other buys. I've indicated with an * anything that was gifted.  We went to a pop concert, 10CC, last week, and this is the outfit I wore. The purple coat was a pre-loved gift from Penny at Frugal Fashion Shopper;  the purple wool trousers were bought from Vinted and the 1980s bow blouse was bought pre-loved from Etsy.  ..read more

  Dear friends. March is supposed to arrive like a lion and depart like a lamb. Unfortunately it has remained lionine. But I didn't let rain ruin the month. Highlights include a trip to Plymouth,  John Singer Sargent art exhibition,  a ballet and a retro 70s pop concert ..read more