I must start with an apology this week for my lack of comments and interaction on social media caused by a cyst below my eye – very uncomfortable and caused my face to swell into something quite horrific looking, and worst of all I could only see through one eye for a while.
Onto happier things – the week before Easter I planted seeds for three sunflowers, three tomato plants and two pepper plants and I’ve had success, in fact huge success for me as I’m the least green-fingered person on the planet – I have one sunflower and it’s growing like crazy.
I was absolutely delighted and honoured to be nominated for the Best Book Blog Award in the Annual Bloggers Bash Award, thank you to whoever nominated me! Voting is now open until 2 June 2017 at 12pm.
This Week on the Blog
Well my week started late due to the blog tour for Need You Dead by Peter James running last Sunday.
On Tuesday my excerpt post was from The Stranger by Saskia Sarginson, which tells the tale of a newly widowed woman living in a small community when a stranger appears…
My This Week in Books post featured the authors C.L. Taylor, Helen McGowan and Helen Walsh
My first review of the week was for Ruth Rendell’s Monster in the Box bringing my total of books read and reviewed for the Mount TBR Challenge 2017 to 14 out of 36 – bang on target.
This was followed by my review for Blood Tide by Claire McGowan, a dark story set on a small island inhabited by people wary of the outside world, not helpful when there are two people missing from the lighthouse! This series set in the fictional Ballyterrin, Ireland just keeps getting better!
Finally I posted my review of The Escape by C.L. Taylor, a thrilling psychological thriller which coincidentally also has its best scenes set in Ireland had masses of action to keep my fully entertained.
This Time Last Year…
I was reading Love You Dead by Peter James, the twelfth in the Roy Grace series set in Brighton. In this book one strand of the story arc which had been going since book one came to an end and I feared Roy Grace would be no more but thankfully that hasn’t been the case and the thirteenth book is out now! In case you hadn’t already guessed, I love this series.
You can click on the book cover for my full review or read it here
Blurb
An ugly duckling as a child, Jodie Bentley had two dreams in life – to be beautiful and rich. She’s achieved the first, with a little help from a plastic surgeon, and now she’s working hard on the second. Her philosophy on money is simple: you can either earn it or marry it. Marrying is easy, it’s getting rid of the husband afterwards that’s harder, that takes real skill. But hey, practice makes perfect . . .
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is feeling the pressure from his superiors, his previous case is still giving him sleepless nights, there have been major developments with his missing wife Sandy, and an old adversary is back. But worse than all of this, he now believes a Black Widow is operating in his city. One with a venomous mind . . . and venomous skills. Soon Grace comes to the frightening realization that he may have underestimated just how dangerous this lady is.
Love You Dead is the gripping twelfth book in Peter James’ Roy Grace series. Amazon
There are no entries for Stacking the Shelves this week!
That’s right no new books in any format have made it into the house this week.
So do let me know what you’ve all found – after all I may run out of good books to read!
Since my last post I’ve read 4 books and gained 0.
The current total is therefore 181 – the lowest total of 2017
Physical Books – 106
Kindle Books – 61
NetGalley Books – 14
No new books! What? Lol ha
I hope there’s double the amount next week 😉
Bless you! Hope your eye is better soon and well done on the plants.
LikeLike
Haha yes it’s got to be a first and don’t you be tempting me… I’m wise to these aims to increase my TBR!!
Thank you my eye is all good now thank you 🙂
LikeLike
I received If We Were Villains this week from Titan. It looks stunning with a black cover and sprayed black pages. Sounds pretty good as well.
LikeLike
Oh that does sound interesting, I hope it lives up to is brilliant packaging!
LikeLike
Congratulations on your nomination and very well deserved x
LikeLike
You too!
LikeLike
No new books?! But Cleo! What about the Book Shortage Apocalypse?! 😂
Sorry to hear about your eye. That sounds quite painful and terribly annoying. Hope it’s much better now!
And congratulations on your nomination! So very much deserved! 💕
LikeLike
I know shocker!! I’m hoping the 181 books I have will see me through for the moment 😉
The eye thing was incredibly painful and annoying but all better now.
Thank you so much I was thrilled to be in such a brilliant list of bloggers 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, poor you, that sounds horrific, you must have been worried sick! Hope the swelling has gone down now and your eyesight is fully restored. Like you, I am the world’s worst gardener, but will attempt some this weekend.
LikeLike
It wasn’t pleasant at all but fortunately I thought it was a sty until the doctor ordered me to the eye specialist at the hospital… fortunately my face has now returned to normal.
I’m incredibly pleased with my sunflower but always wary of the pride before the fall which may follow…
LikeLike
Woah congratulations!! And hope your eye is better now. I wish you luck with the plants, I may beat you at being the least green-fingered person in the world as I’ve never managed to keep any plants alive for some reason 😅
LikeLike
Thank you 🙂 My eye is much better which is a big relief. I’m a disaster as far as plants are concerned so boasting about this one which has actually grown!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So sorry to hear about your eye, Cleo! I hope it’s better now. Your plant looks great, though, and I’m delighted you were nominated for the blogging award. I’m off to vote!
LikeLike
Thank you on all counts 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh dear – that does sound nasty. Hope you’re better now, Cleo, and that the nomination eased the pain for you. Congratulations!
LikeLike
The nomination made my day, thank you 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congrats on the nomination!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope the cyst problem has been resolved! It must have hurt a bit!
Congratulations on your nomination, it is so well-deserved!
I’ll be reading my first Peter James soon, and I’m pretty confident I’m gonna enjoy it!
Have a nice week !
LikeLike
Thank you it’s all better now although I’m not yet ready to put my contact lenses back in!
I do love Peter James so I really hope you do too!! Wishing you a wonderful week 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you are feeling better Cleo–a cyst under the eye sounds nasty.
LikeLike
It was a bit bizarre and looked horrendous but fortunately it has cleared up now and my face has returned to its normal size and shape 😉
LikeLike
So many people have been off the commenting grid this week for one reason or another…hope your eye is feeling better. I really enjoyed The Escape – my first C. L. Taylor but not my last.
LikeLike
Thank you Emma – it’s good to be able to see out of both eyes now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope your eye feels better soon!
I have had a skin rash (allergy to hair dye?), and it was getting better.. but today my neck is swollen and splotchy, so I’m headed to the ER…I think. I keep hoping for magic to heal me. LOL.
An eye that is swollen sounds worse, especially for reading. Feel better!
Thanks for sharing, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
LikeLike
Oh no Laurel that does need medical assistance – thankfully the eye is now better although not enough to brave my contact lenses just yet 😉
LikeLike
Sorry to hear about the eye problem. Sounds very nasty
Sent from my iPhone
>
LikeLike
Thank you – why do these things always happen when there is so much to do…. I certainly was glad for the weekend this week!
LikeLike
Its probably because you were so busy that your immune system went down for a bit and make you prone to whatever bacteria was around at the time. A message to slow down!!!
LikeLike
Congrats Cleo and good luck 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope the cyst has improved! Congratulations and best of luck on your nomination!
LikeLike
Thank you so much 🙂
LikeLike
Totally voted for you! xx Congrats!
LikeLike
Aw thank you 🙂
LikeLike
Hope the eye is on the mend, sounds sore. Congratulations on your nomination and good luck – you have my vote. No books this week, you need to tell me your secret.
LikeLike
That cyst sounds painful and annoying. Hoping it goes away fast. I love to watch things grow. Used to always start from seed. It’s soothing and amazing at the same time. Hard to resist a book with a tile like Love You Dead!
My Sunday Post
LikeLike
Congratulations on the nomination! Very very well deserved ❤
LikeLike
Book Hater! I shall expect to see an increase in your TBR next week, madam! 😉 Love the sunflower! I never manage to grow anything but weeds…
LikeLike
Hi Cleo,
I hope that the eye is better now, although I know how long these things can take to heal, especially when you probably feel quite self concsious about it – I know I did!
The plants obviously don’t seem to mind too much though, but I’m afraid I shall have to challenge your crown as the least green-fingered person on the planet, that definitely belongs to me!
I respect your position as possible ‘Best Book Blog’ though, you definitely deserve that one – Good Luck 🙂
Yvonne
LikeLike
Thank you Yvonne- fortunately my eye has now recovered! My one sunflower has been successfully repotted and is growing daily 🌻
LikeLike
So sorry to hear about your eye and congrats on the sunflower and nomination hugely well deserved. It reminds me that I’ve got some morning glory seeds somewhere …. last time I planted them they turned into a triffid and took over completely so maybe that’s why I’ve ‘lost’ them this time.
LikeLike
Hope your eye is better. Very exciting about the blog nomination and the sunflower! Gardening is so much fun – I just dabble but I really enjoy it. I just sort of put things out there and see what happens. 🙂
181 – that’s hardly anything! 😉
LikeLike