New Year and a New Reading Challenge

As you can see from the blog, I like to take part in the Goodreads reading challenge each year. I am pleased to say that I met that challenge head on and read over my goal of 24 books. I read 27!  Quite often when life gets in the way our reading time falls to the wayside. Books can often lie ignored for days or weeks when domestic chores, caring chores or that horrible word 'work' gets in the way of us lying on the sofa and falling head first into a good book. I find this horrible and frustrating just knowing there's a book somewhere in my house that needs to be read!

 

It seems that my TBR pile is reaching epic proportions so I won't be short of a book or two to read throughout 2013. With requests for reviews etc that pile will continue to grow bigger rather than get smaller. Having more books to read is like having a warm, comforting blanket around me. I'd be cold, lonely and a little bit depressed without them!

 

When you decide to read a book do you pick a book randomly? Or, are you a reviewer who sticks to a schedule depending on what book needs reviewing? Or, do you spend ages and ages looking at your TBR pile and not know which book you want to read next because you want to read them all?! I'm a bit of all three of those types of readers. Of course I have to stick to my schedule to fit in reviews. But, in between reviews I like to choose books from my own bookshelves. I have so many to choose from that it's actually becoming an obsession. Of course, having a kindle now just further adds to the wonderful array of books to choose from! Yay!!!

 

So what will be the first book you read in 2013 and have you set a reading goal? Well, for me, one of the first books to read early this year will be Sheryl Browne's new book A Little Bit of Madness! The cover reveal will be taking place here on the blog on 29th January with a review of the book on 14th February which is official launch day! I cannot wait! I've already read 2 of Sheryl's books and have absolutely adored them. Until the book is available I'm pleased to say I have one or two other books to choose from to tide me over! (I can hear mutterings from Mr JB that I have about a million to tide me over!)

The reading goal I am setting myself is for 30 books to be read throughout the year. If you click on the 2013 reading challenge page on the blog there will be links to the reviews for these book.s Good luck with whatever reading challenge you set yourself. Just remember however, reading is for fun, and once it becomes a chore then you are doing it wrong! Love the book. Love the wonderful places it takes you to and never forget how it left you feeling. HAPPY 2013!

 

2013 Reading Challenge

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BLOG OF THE YEAR AWARD 2012!

Brook Cottage Books has only been in existence since 1st December 2012 and I am thrilled to have been awarded a BLOG OF THE YEAR award by those lovely talented lot over at www.loveahappyending.com. This has really made my Christmas and New Year! Thank you so much. There's not much time left to nominate for this year but here are the rules:

 

 

Trying to narrow down the blogs I love was so difficult and it literally took me ages. There are so many wonderful bloggers out there. However, the 6 blogs I have nominated have been chosen because of the wonderful work they do to bring the world of books to so many people. Their committment to promoting wonderful books and authors is outstanding. So, as well as nominating them I am giving them a virtual high five!

 

So, without further ado (Drum roll please) the 6 bloggers I'd like to nominate for their wonderful blogs are -

 

Sharon Goodwin

 

Nikki Bywater

 

Carol Wright

 

Kim Nash

 

Sheryl Browne

 

Pauline Barclay

 

Janice Horton

 

 

THE RULES:

1. Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012? Award.

2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – and ‘present’ them with their award.

3. Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012 Award – and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)

4. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them.

5. You can now also join the Facebook group.

6. As a winner of the award — please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award — and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars… Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once — this award is different!

When you begin you will receive the ’1 star’ award — and every time you are given the award by another blog — you can add another star! There are a total of 6 stars to collect.

Which means that you can check out your favourite blogs – and even if they have already been given the award by someone else – you can still bestow it on them again and help them to reach the maximum 6 stars!

 

 

 

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Friends and Rivals by Tilly Bagshawe

 

Jack Messenger and Ivan Charles are partners in the music management business. Both have very different styles of management. Ivan is ruthless, self-centred, womanising and egotistical. Jack is a kind, reliable and trustworthy with a sensible business head and a set of morals. Into this unlikely partnership throw in Kendall Bryce, up and coming pop sensation who has the same effect as a hand grenade with everyone and anyone she comes into contact with. She is ambitious and selfish and has tunnel vision where her career is concerned. Along the way, there are casualties caught up in the war raging between Ivan, Jack and Kendall. Casualties such as Catriona Charles, Ivan’s wife who is a kind and trusting woman, unfazed by the glitz of the music management business.

This is a story of ruthless characters that don’t care about anyone but themselves. Even those characters that appear to have some scruples are forced to fight dirty. There are very few characters that are likeable in this book. However, I think that’s the point. The book has a feel of Jackie Collins about it and is a very enjoyable read full of interesting, complex and glamorous characters! We are given a glimpse into the star studded world of the music business with all its backstabbing and quests for fame, no matter what the price. Throw in a bit of sex and interesting characters and you have a book that is hard to put down.

*This review appeared on www.lovereading.co.uk and I was lucky enough to be sent an advanced reading copy of the book which was a lovely limited edition hardback.

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Merry Christmas!

The holiday season is finally upon us and for lots of us there's not going to be too much time for reading. However, if you are lucky enough to get some reading time, I hope Brook Cottage Books has helped you choose a good book. It has been a very successful first few weeks for the blog and I'd like to thank everyone for all their support. The response has been just wonderful and lots of lovely people have been tweeting and facebooking their little literary hearts out for me. I look forward to 2013 being the year that Brook Cottage Books really takes off and with all your support I just know this will happen.

 

Have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year. May 2013 be a year full of love, laughter and books! Just remember, your next adventure is only a page turn away!

Lots of love JB!

 

 

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Satchfield Hall By Pauline Barclay

Satchfield Hall by Pauline Barclay is an outstanding piece of writing. For all of you who remember the Mallen Streak, this is exactly who our main villain of the piece reminds me of - Thomas Mallen. Henry Bryant-Smythe is the heartless, ruthless and loveless squire of Satchfield Hall. He is unlucky in business and constantly has money worries. He treats his wife and daughter like they are something he has trodden on, and treats his staff as playthings for his own sick gratifications. When his young daughter Celia brings 'shame' onto his family name by conceiving a child out of wedlock, Henry sets off a terrifying and heartbreaking chain of events that have consequences for Celia and all those she loves. Consequences that will continue to change the lives of everyone for many years.

This book is a good old fashioned family saga about love, power, heartbreak and good old revenge and I very quickly become totally engrossed in it. It follows Celia from the time of the second world war when she was just 17, right up until she is a middle aged woman. It is heartbreaking in places and made me sob! It is also maddening in places and Henry is the type of villain you just love to hate! He is such a horrible man and Pauline has created a wonderfully intriguing character in him! He literally made me want to scream!

 All of the characters in the book are introduced and developed so well and you very quickly get caught up in what is happening to them and can almost feel their pain. I found this book very hard to put down. It is definitely a real page turner where you are desperate to find out what happens next because you care about the characters so much. The lives of the central characters are interwoven and Pauline's writing style ensures that each of her characters are equally interesting. By the final chapter I was sobbing over my Kindle. I'd recommend this book! Perfect for sitting down with a cuppa, a chocolate biscuit and a box of tissues because I can guarantee you will be sobbing too by the end!

   

 

 

 

 

 

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Sister by Rosamund Lupton

I loved this modern thriller! In the book, Beatrice is very determined to find her missing sister Tess. Her story charts her journey and describes vividly her feelings and heart-breaking moments.

Beatrice gets to know about her sister's life and finds out some very surprising things about her.  It seems she didn't know her at all. She is very  surprised by how little she knew.  Who was this stranger that she thought she knew so well? 

 Walking in her sisters shoes and almost becoming part of her life, Beatrice's own life changes in ways she couldn't imagine. I cried during parts of this book. The very stuffy Beatrice soon becomes a modern Ms Marple and she evolves so rapidly throughout the story. Is she herself finding that in the search for her sister she is actually finding herself too? What Beatrice thought she knew about her life dramatically changes, taking on new form. This is as much as a surprise to Beatrice as it is to those who know her.

This book is a definite page turner with an unexpected twist at the end! The story is very cleverly written and I love Rosamund Luptons writing style as the story is retold through a series of letters and Beatrice recounting the story to a lawyer. All through the book, every time we are introduced to a character I kept thinking 'oh is he involved', or 'I think she had something to do with it'. I kept changing my mind with every page. Drove me nuts but in a good way. Loved it! Would highly recommend it!

 

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Discovery at Rosehill by Kathryn Brown

 

 

The story centres around Camilla, a medium, who buys, following the advice of her grandmother, a farmhouse called Rosehill. From the moment Camilla enters the house she is met by a variety of Spirits, all with some sort of story to tell her and a mystery for her to solve! Its a very spooky book and Kathryn's descriptions of Camilla's encounters with the Spirit world make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end! As if that wasn't enough, Kathryn introduces a love interest for Camilla. However, there's a story behind this too and a Spirit is determined to make this relationship as complicated as possible for Camilla. As if a relationship between a Medium and Reverend Marcus Calloway isn't going to be complicated enough!

 

 

So, not only do you have a touch of the paranormal, being scared out of your wits and extremely likable characters, and a mystery but you also have romance! What else could you ask for! I'd strongly recommend reading at night, in the quiet! I guarantee you will be a bundle of nerves by the end of the night! I was convinced I could see shadows moving out of the corner of my eye! As I was reading it one night my mobile phone rang just as I got to a particularly spooky bit in the book. I almost jumped right out of my skin! Theres also a really good twist at the end of the story that I didn't expect. So good!

 

Kathryn Brown is a truly talented writer and I look forward to further books. 

 

Discovery at Rosehill can be purchased in either paperback format or Kindle format.

 

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