Hello bookish pals. Long time, no see! I’ve been away recuperating following an operation on my shoulder for the last month and a bit but I am delighted to confirm that I am back for the foreseeable. My shoulder has healed nicely and I returned to work at the end of last week. Not only have I missed you lovely lot in the online bookish community but I have also missed the fabulous folk who frequent our local library (best job in the world!). It’s beyond marvellous to be back and chatting all things bookish again. Whilst away I have been reading like a trooper. Writing reviews has taken a bit o ..read more

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? The Puppet Master by Sam HollandHe watches your every move We’ve all experie ..read more

“When Ben was seven, his mother was murdered in the woods while he waited for her in their car. The case made the front pages, but her killer was never found. Thirty years later, Ben has a safe, grown-up life: a job, a ramshackle cottage and, most importantly, a happy marriage to Rebecca. His mother has receded to the corners of his mind, lingering only in the nightmares that won’t quite go away. Then Rebecca takes on a new job, painting a fairy-tale fresco for a wealthy businessman who starts asking questions about Ben’s mother . . . Is it time for the truth to come out – and for Ben to face ..read more

Hello and a very warm welcome to you. It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post. I’ve decided to occasionally (that’s the keyword here, occasionally!) take part in That Artsy Reader Girl’s Top Ten Tuesday meme. The meme was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish but has lived with Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl since January 2018. It was created to encompass a love of books, of lists and to bring readers together. If you would also like to take part then you’re very welcome: the more, the merrier. Just make sure you link back to Jana’s post every week. If ..read more

“Ellen Walsh has done something very, very bad. If only she knew what it was . . . Teacher, mother, wife, and all-around good citizen Ellen is juggling non-stop commitments, from raising a teen and two toddlers to job-hunting, to finally renovating her dream home, the Meadowhouse. Amidst the chaos, an ominous note arrives in the mail declaring: SOONER OR LATER EVERYONE SITS DOWN TO A BANQUET OF CONSEQUENCES. Why would someone send her this note? Ellen has no clue. She’s no angel – a white lie here and there, an occasional sharp tongue – but nothing to incur the wrath of an anonymous enemy. Ev ..read more

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? The House at the Edge of the Woods by Rachel Hancox When Ben was seven, his ..read more

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. It’s so good to see you! It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post. I’ve decided to occasionally (that’s the keyword here, occasionally!) take part in That Artsy Reader Girl’s Top Ten Tuesday meme. The meme was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish but has lived with Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl since January 2018. It was created to encompass a love of books, of lists and to bring readers together. If you would also like to take part then you’re very welcome: the more, the merrier. Just make sure you link back to Jana ..read more

“The perfect opportunity… A manor house available rent-free to house-sitters is an offer too good to miss for Cass and James, who have been saving for a deposit on their own home for so long. Although it had been abandoned for almost thirty years, after a home invasion left almost all the inhabitants dead, it is an amazing chance for them to build their future. But is it worth the price? Shortly after moving in things take a sinister turn. Objects disappear and turn up in odd places, the clock always stops at the same time, the house is strangely oppressive and sometimes it feels like Cass an ..read more

“Some people are in On the last Saturday in August, politicos and socialites trade tidbits of gossip and sips of Pimm’s under the tasteful bunting of a Richmond garden party. They’d never guess that the police are just a stone’s throw away, pulling a body out of the river Thames. Some people wish they were The drowning appears to be a tragic accident – until Detective Caius Beauchamp gets an unexpected tip. The victim, it seems, had enemies in high places. Did being on the wrong side of them get her killed? Either way, being out is absolute murder.” Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I ..read more

Hello and the warmest of welcomes to damppebbles and the second #CaseClosed post of the year (of several years if truth be told – for context please see February’s post where I admit to being quite dismal at maintaining a monthly wrap-up feature!). March felt a long old month, didn’t it? Perhaps after the ‘always abrupt’ end to February (even with the extra day), March doesn’t ever stand a chance and will always feel like a long, old month. Easter was early. That was strange. The children are now off school for the next two weeks and I can’t use the excuse of ‘the Easter bunny arriving soon’ t ..read more