My thoughts about Shopaholic on Honeymoon by Sophie Kinsella
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As readers of the Shopaholic series will know, I have never described Becky and Luke's honeymoon, which happens after they get married in Shopaholic Ties the Knot. So as a free update for Shopaholic fans, I have decided to share with you one of the adventures of the newly-wed Becky and Luke. I hope you enjoy it! Love Sophie x
The new Mr and Mrs Brandon are on honeymoon, and Becky has big plans! They’ve got a whole year to explore Venice, learn yoga in India, sleep in little wooden huts in South America… maybe even see penguins in the Antarctic. And of course they’ll need to buy just a few essential souvenirs along the way (everyone needs a set of Murano glass goblets, after all).
They’re not just tourists, they’re travellers. Becky is sure it is just the thing that Luke needs – time to unwind. He’ll come back a changed man… with all the good bits still intact of course.
But it soon becomes clear that Luke has different plans entirely. Can Becky help him let go, or will this little disagreement threaten their whole honeymoon?
We’ve been here for two days and already I’m completely used to travelling about on canals. In fact, I don’t know why we don’t use the Thames more when we’re in London. Why don’t we have gondolas and water taxis whizzing about all the time?
‘Won’t it be fun when we get home and open everything we’ve bought?’ I turn to Luke. ‘It’ll be like Christmas!’
Everyone knows that when you get married the slate is wiped clean and neither party should refer to any unfortunate incidents in the past, either Guggenheim-related or non-Guggenheim-related.
I was thinking about how I want to change you, all except your good bits.
After an hour my arm is aching and my head is throbbing and I’m feeling a bit discouraged. This art business is harder than I thought. I know what I want to draw, it’s just … it doesn’t seem to be happening on the page.
Surely it’s against the marriage vows to bail out of your honeymoon? Talk about lack of commitment. Talk about lack of priorities.
‘You’d be attracted to me “if it weren’t for the cardigan”,’ he echoes at last. ‘Of course!’ I say, reassuringly. ‘I’d probably get infatuated, just like those clients of yours. Unless there were any other amazing clothes to compete with,’ I add, for honesty’s sake. ‘I mean, like a Chanel suit with ninety-nine per cent off. I don’t think any man could beat that!’ I give a little laugh, but Kai’s face has gone a bit rigid.
My thoughts about A Secondhand Lie by Pamela Crane
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Sometimes you know things you’re not supposed to know. Things that you can never un-know. Things that will change the course of your life…and the fate of the ones you love.
I found her in our living room, bleeding and close to death, but alive. Barely. Until morning stole her last breath. The media called her killer the “Triangle Terror” … and then forgot about her. But I never forgot—my murdered sister, and an investigation that led to my own resurrection from the dead.
Twenty-two years ago, on a cold February night, Landon Worthington lost his father for the last time. After an armed robbery gone wrong, evidence and witness testimony pointed a shaky finger at Dan Worthington—deadbeat dad and alcoholic husband. But before the dust could settle over the conviction, Landon’s preteen sister, Alexis, is murdered in their home, plunging Landon’s life into further despair.
Two decades and a cold case later, Landon is dogged by guilt over their estranged relationship and decides to confront his incarcerated father-of-the-year about what really happened the night of the robbery. But the years of lies are hard to unravel. And the biggest question of all haunts him: How does everything tie into his sister’s murder?
And so begins Landon’s journey to piece together the puzzle of secrets, lies, and truths that can free his father, avenge his sister, and perhaps save himself.
A short mystery perfect for fans of Robert Dugoni's Third Watch and Dean Koontz's The Neighbor.
Read as a standalone or as the companion book to A Secondhand Life.
In the pregnant pause between my birth and death, life had become little more than a series of cruel jokes, and I was always the punch line.
What is there to live for if nothing and no one can be counted on?
Me, Landon Worthington—a man who survived without love my entire childhood—would come to know love with such intimacy even Shakespeare couldn’t find words to describe it.
Some people leave footprints that wash away from the ebb and flow of life, while others cement them as a permanent reminder that they touched you in some meaningful way.
It was a psychological game of Russian roulette, but unfortunately Derek wasn’t holding the gun. Fivehead was.
Doom circled above, like a vulture zeroing in on a carcass, delighting in its decay.
Eyes that had caused and relished violence watched me with malice. Hard faces crinkled with curiosity—and some, I shuddered to realize, with desire. I felt like an endangered species on display—vulnerable, ready to flee, and wanting never to return.
“Landon, grow a pair.” My “lack of a pair” had been up for debate throughout the entire meal of fresh bread and homemade stuffed ravioli as I tried explaining to her that overturning a twenty-two-year-old conviction against my father was easier said than done.
Once upon a time I trusted that all things happened for a reason. But that theory collapsed under the weight of pain. I’d lost so much, which was ironic because I had so little to begin with.
Today I'm part of a virtual book tour organised by The Write Reads forWhite Trash Warlock By David R. Slayton. The tour for ‘White Trash Warlock’ will run from Jan 24th to Feb 4th
Guthrie was a good place to be from, but it wasn’t a great place to live, not when you were like Adam, in all the ways Adam was like Adam.
Adam Binder hasn’t spoken to his brother in years, not since Bobby had him committed to a psych ward for hearing voices. When a murderous spirit possesses Bobby’s wife and disrupts the perfect life he’s built away from Oklahoma, he’s forced to ask for his little brother’s help. Adam is happy to escape the trailer park and get the chance to say I told you so, but he arrives in Denver to find the local magicians dead.
It isn’t long before Adam is the spirit’s next target. To survive the confrontation, he’ll have to risk bargaining with powers he’d rather avoid, including his first love, the elf who broke his heart.
The Binder brothers don’t realize that they’re unwitting pawns in a game played by immortals. Death herself wants the spirit’s head, and she’s willing to destroy their family to reap it.
I grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now I live in Denver, Colorado and write the books I always wanted to read.
My debut fantasy, WHITE TRASH WARLOCK, is available now from Blackstone Publishing in paperback, ebook, and audio.
In addition to writing, I have taught workshops and appeared on panels at Denver Pop Culture Con, the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, the League of Utah Writers Quills Conference, and the Seymour Agency Winter Retreat. By day I’m a software implementation consultant.
I love connecting with readers, librarians, and booksellers.
As you might know, I've been part of BookTube/AuthorTube for years now. In fact, I uploaded my very first video to my channel over 13 years ago! In recent years I use my YouTube mainly to post book reviews for the books I've read.
One of the reasons I love video as a medium for sharing my reviews, and discussing topics, is that it gives a more personal feel for both the content and the person creating it. A lot of the time you get to know the person better... or at least feel like you know them better.
As well as creating video content of my own, I also like to watch the video content put out by others. Not only is it enjoyable but it also gives me inspiration for new ideas I can adapt for myself in the future too.
Below you can find a list of 30 BookTubers you should check out and a brief description of the sorts of video content they post. I've also picked a video for each that I feel gives a good idea of the sort of content they post to their channel.
The following channels are listed in no particular order.
Why makes the list: If you like longer videos that let you get to know the person better then Molly is one to follow. She also has a really cute energy about her.
Why makes the list: Kathy has been on Booktube for over 5 years and posts regularly with a wide range of video content. Most of her videos have captions. She also gets bonus points for her awesome bookish fashion.
Why makes the list: I love how natural she is in her videos. I also like the variety in each of her videos. The main focus is definitely on books but she shares other stuff along with it like recipes, the tea she's drinking, life updates, etc... You get insight into her world.
Why makes the list: Great editing. Relaxed video with strong, well balanced arguments. Emphasis on vlogs but mixes other content too. Posts both BookTube and AuthorTube content.
Why makes the list: Bethany does quite a lot of tag videos. I love her whole vibe in all her videos. Really comes across as the sort of person you want to be friends with and chat about books.
Why makes the list: She always has great energy in her videos. Tends to post wrap up videos as opposed to individual book reviews. Also does a lot of readathons and tags.
Why makes the list: "Just a guy that likes to read. A lot." His tagline sums him up perfectly. Second reason is that I found the Umbrella Academy tag on his channel. I love that show and so happy there's a tag connected to it.
Why makes the list: Someone who creates a reading journal like the one in the above video needs to be on this list. She does these every month and they are always swoon worthy.
Why makes the list: Because reviews don't have to just be for books. I would actually love to see more video reviews of bookish accessories on BookTube.
Why makes the list: I have serious bookshelf jealousy for this BookTuber. On her channel she has several videos of bookshelf tours and bookshelf organisation. Also a member of AuthorTube, the content on this channel is quite a mix. She's done several lengthy videos too for those of you that prefer more in-depth content.
Why makes the list: If you like videos that rank books this is a channel for you. The best books, the worst books, the most anticipated books, book tier ranking... this channel has them all (with a few book tags, wrap ups, and TBRs thrown in).
Why makes the list: She recently made some changes to her channel and decided to concentrate more on the BookTube content (see featured video above). Book reviews, book box openings, and tags.
Why makes the list: As an Indian BookTuber a lot of her content and the books she reads have an Indian/Asian focus e.g. "Books by Indian Authors", "The Indian Book Tag", "Asian Readathon TBR". She does also include other more general content too though.
Why makes the list: The thing I like most about this channel is that it's a bit different from most of the mainstream BookTube content out there. A good mix of content including experiments into her reading routine, balancing reading and school, and more.
Why makes the list: Bonus points to this Booktuber for always adding a warning to the start of her videos about strong language, trigger warnings, etc...
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