Lucy Mitchell's Blog, page 50

Why There Are So Many Doors In The Life Of A Writer #WritingCommunity

Want to be a writer? Well…my advice to you is to get used to a life of doors. Yes that’s right – doors!

Before your eyebrows start arching with surprise at my door revelation, I want to make it clear I am not in the middle of a breakfast cereal induced sugar rush and my hormones are not in a state of chaos.

This is a topic which I have been thinking about for a long time and it is time to share.

Let me show you how many doors I think there are in a writer’s life. I have highlighted my favourites:

Stories are doors that open and transport the reader off to a different place, world or time.

Trying to think of how you are going to start your story is basically where you start searching for a secret door. On some stories you will locate the secret door with ease and there will be other stories where you will spend MONTHS stumbling up and down the darkened corridor trying to find the secret door.

A painful episode of writer’s block is where someone has locked a door inside your head and thrown away the key.

Too many plot ideas is a head full of open doors.

In literature doors can represent opportunity and hope for characters.

Experiencing a lightbulb moment with your writing is when a new door opens inside of you. 

Sometimes we decide to sadly close the door on a story that is no longer working.

Doors are creative tools which can be used protectively or secretively.

Sometimes we have to force ourselves to close the door on a first draft. It needs to rest.  However we have such a strong emotional attachment to it and will spend days loitering outside the door wondering whether it is the right time to go back in.

There is nothing like a good door slam when you are in the midst of a creative tantrum.

In literature doors can be used to represent turning points in the lives of characters.

Certain fictional characters can get so annoying inside your mind; jumping up and down, shouting and moaning. Grrrr – you feel like chucking them in a room and locking the door – until they have quietened down.

Closing the door on your past literary mistakes and failures can be liberating.

Only you hold the key to the door of your literary dreams. No one else can unlock it but you. A tough one to come to terms with if you are still waiting for the literary elves to show up.

If a literary door shuts in your face – try another!

The special story that we can’t write or isn’t ready to be written is kept behind a locked door in our brain. Hands up who has one of these? I do – please don’t say I am the only writer who has one of these. One day we will find the key (guts) and write it.

Sometimes going on social media can be disheartening because it feels like everyone else is opening doors you have not even come across yet.

 

So, I have been chewing my pencil and thinking about why it feels like there are so many doors in the life of a writer. Here are my thoughts:

Doors symbolise the transition from one world to another. As writers we are constantly travelling between reality and the fictional world.

Doors played a big part in our childhood. As kids we were constantly saying, “let me see” while pulling things out of cabinets; opening, closing, and slamming doors. All the time getting excited about finding a “treasure” behind a shut door. Writing is a search within ourselves for treasure.

When we were book hungry children we devoured stories where children stepped out of their real world and into fabulous fictional worlds. Doors like the wardrobe door in Narnia took us away from our sometimes mundane existence and dropped us into new and exciting worlds. As writers we want to recreate this magic for our readers.

Doors symbolise beginnings, ends or choices presenting an unknown path for the curious writer to embark on.

You will be glad to know I am now getting off my door soapbox. Please share any thoughts you have on doors.

I hope all the doors you are experiencing in your writing life right now are open or opening

#BookReview Summer Hates Christmas @WriterDove #TuesdayBookBlog #WhatToRead

I was planning to leave this review until nearer Christmas but I am desperate to shout about this book and the fact this was my first experience of reading a Rachel Dove novel.

As a Yorkshire lass myself and someone who spent MANY a family holiday in Bridlington during her youth, you can imagine my reading delight when I found out that this book was set in Bridlington. My brain did try to take me back down memory lane with my Dad taking an ENTIRE DAY to drive from Leeds to Bridlington (it’s not that far) in a cramped family car, with NO air con, squabbling with my sister in the back about who was going to eat the most seaside rock (a seaside sugary treat) and being forced to listen to my father’s odd guitar music, but luckily Rachel’s opening chapter chased all that away. Nice one, Rachel!

Secondly I will say that…I am not a huge fan of Christmas either so I was instantly drawn to heroine Summer…who actually kicks a Christmas tree in the FIRST chapter. Now before all the Christmas tree fans of my blog readership cry out with dismay, no Christmas trees were actually hurt in the making of this book. To calm down all the Christmas lovers of my blog readership, this book, by Rachel Dove did cause a THAW in my cold dislike of Christmas!

Here’s the blurb:

Summer Hastings hates Christmas. She loves sunshine, the beach and running her travel agency, sending people off to their dream destinations – even if she doesn’t get to see the world for herself. For Summer, Christmas is nothing but a reminder of all the things that have gone horribly wrong in her life, so when handsome Noel Pritchett moves his pop-up Christmas shop in the store next to hers, Summer is livid.

Noel loves Christmas…and he also has a sneaking suspicion that he might be falling in love with Summer, if only he could break through the armour she has surrounded herself with. Just why does Summer hate Christmas so much? And can Noel be the one to prove to her that life can be sweet all year round?

Here’s my review:

This book Summer Hates Christmas has the perfect love / hate relationship. Summer and Noel’s relationship did make me laugh. These two flit from pleasant conversations to banter to full scale bickering. They reminded me a lot of the interactions between me and my loved one – sigh! Summer and Noel were a lovely comedy duo right from the start.

Favourite line:

Summer suddenly had an image of Noel, years from now, selling his wares from the front of his shop, zimmer frame whooshing around whilst she watched in horror from the comfort of her mobility scooter.

I am going to say Noel has made it onto my Hot Fictional Male Character List for 2019. He’s sweet, sensitive, very funny AND from LEEDS! Thank you, Rachel for Noel. I thought he was adorable and he can sort me out a breakfast of champions anytime.

The stand out was that this read like a realistic romance because it happened against a backdrop of other emotional issues. When you fall in love with someone, other areas of your life, which are already broken or on a downward trajectory don’t pause for a few months so that you can enjoy some heart fluttering, sweaty palm moments. Oh no! Real heart wrenching life carried on around Summer and Noel while they were trying to hide their lustful feelings for each other. I also thought Rachel handled the other sensitive issues really well.

I’m actually looking forward to Christmas this year

How to Find Your Way Back to Writing #WritingCommunity

Ever since I published Instructions for Falling in Love Again I have struggled to find my way back to writing.

Soon after my debut novel launched I threw myself into my second book; working title Heartbreak Cafe. This is a story which has been through six drafts and the Romantic Novelists New Writers Scheme. I had started writing it in the gaps between the drafts of Instructions so it seemed logical to me it would become book 2.

But then my writing wheels fell off; the creative tingles disappeared, my characters went quiet, my ideas dried up and fear set in. I had many failed attempts at forcing myself to sit down in a chair to write my seventh draft, it was horrid. Writing felt like an unreachable faraway land.

So, I stepped away from writing, ranted a lot on social media, put my heart into hitting my Goodreads challenge, started going to the gym and ignored the dust gathering on my laptop.

Something which has been comforting and has given me a lot of reassurance is spending time reading my old blog posts and writing journals. This has shown me that I am no stranger to finding my way back to writing.

Over the years I have endured several bleak spells and every time I have, somehow, found my way back to writing.

So, how do you find your way back to writing?

I have gone through my writing journals dating back to 2014 and noted down what has worked in the past:

Let go of whatever you are working on. I did have a conversation with author Lucy Keeling about this. She suggested putting Heartbreak cafe aside for a bit. It’s worked for me in the past. Well, I have now done this and I already feel lighter.
Positive self talk. I haven’t been talking to myself in a positive way during this bleak spell. Questioning whether I am still a writer and telling myself I am a one trick pony has not been helpful. So over the last few days I have started talking positively to myself and saying stuff like, I am creative, I am a writer and I will write lots of books in my lifetime.
Visualisation. I have been visualising me sat at the kitchen table writing and scribbling in a notebook. I am doing this when I wake up and before I go to sleep.
Change the music. I listen to a lot of music and since the summer I have been listening to a lot of 90’s dance music. It reminds me of my youth. So I have changed my music. I now listen to classical music. I don’t know why but classical music always gets my creative juices going.
Signal to the universe you are open to receiving new ideas. I have stuck a sign on my mirror which says, I am open to receiving new ideas.
Be patient. While you are busy working on something new your brain assign a few brain cells to assessing what went wrong on the project which caused the block.

I can confirm I do feel different. After spending time with two friends earlier I did come home and scribble down a wisp of a new idea.

Reading my journals and blog posts have really helped. I can find my way back, I have done it before and I will do it again. Which brings me on to my last tip – keep the faith!

It’s not easy finding your way back to writing.

 Keep writing x

 

#BookReview

This book took me to new heights of reading pleasure. It is a wonderful uplifting read and I felt rejuvenated afterwards. Before I read this book I was in a bit of reading rut and I was longing for a book to rush to my aid.

This is a book written by a booklover. It was clearly written for booklovers and guess what? It is a story about a BOOKLOVER! *Screech*

It ALSO has a DELICIOUS romance in it which unfolds in a bookshop. Damn it – I want to now rewind twenty years or so and meet my beloved in a book shop (as opposed to  a dodgy nightclub in Wolverhampton).

The first chapter of this book drew me in. Sara, main character, a booklover, leaves Sweden, and goes to stay with her American pen friend, Amy, also a booklover, and when Sara arrives in the forgotten town of Broken Wheel she discovers some shocking news.

Before I give too much away, here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen…

Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy’s funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don’t understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that’s almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend’s memory.

All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love

Here’s my review:

The book captures the craziness of a Swedish stranger in a small forgotten town in America beautifully.

Sara, the main character, shares my obsession with books.

“For as long as she could remember, she had thought that autumn air went well with books, that the two both somehow belonged with blankets, comfortable armchairs, and big cups of coffee or tea.”

Agree, Sara!

“Can you smell it? The scent of new books. Unread adventures. Friends you haven’t met yet, hours of magical escapism awaiting you.”

Yes I can, Sara!

If more bookshop owners had taken the responsibility to hang warning signs, her life would have been much easier. Cigarette packets came with warnings, so why not tragic books? There was wording on bottles of beer warning against drinking and driving, but not a single word about the consequences of reading books without tissues to hand.”

High five to this idea!

“One of the most difficult things when you were trying to navigate the world of books was dealing with all the unreliable authors. They were so unbelievably tricky to keep track of. An author might write a brilliant book, only to follow it up with something utterly mediocre. Or, and this was almost worse, one might have written a brilliant book but then turn out to be dead. Then there were those authors who started a series but never finished it.”

I loved everything about Sara, even how she and Amy exchanged letters whilst living in Sweden and America, and in spite of their difference in age and location (Amy is an old lady, Sara a woman in her 20s) they bonded over books.

The town of Broken Wheel needed healing. I loved this setting for the book.

There are strong themes of community and belonging running throughout the book. Prior to arriving in Broken Wheel Sara felt like she only ever belonged between the pages of a book.

Sara’s idea for a bookstore is inspired and the way it was described in the book made me want to hot foot it down B&Q, buy in a shed load of yellow paint and then go buy some old vintage sofas. Wouldn’t we all like to go to a sunshine yellow bookshop, full of every sort of book and two comfy old armchairs to sit in and read all day?

There’s a lot of references of good books throughout the story and this adds to one’s reading enjoyment.

This book is a great read and it is on my list of top reads for 2019. I want to buy copies for the booklovers in my life, press into their hands and tell them to go and enjoy.

Thank you to Katarina Bivald who reignited my love of books.

Check it out here.

Have a great day reading fans!

 

 

 

#BookReview

This book took me to new heights of reading pleasure. It is a wonderful uplifting read and I felt rejuvenated afterwards. Before I read this book I was in a bit of reading rut and I was longing for a book to rush to my aid.

This is a book written by a booklover. It was clearly written for booklovers and guess what? It is a story about a BOOKLOVER! *Screech*

It ALSO has a DELICIOUS romance in it which unfolds in a bookshop. Damn it – I want to now rewind twenty years or so and meet my beloved in a book shop (as opposed to  a dodgy nightclub in Wolverhampton).

The first chapter of this book drew me in. Sara, main character, a booklover, leaves Sweden, and goes to stay with her American pen friend, Amy, also a booklover, and when Sara arrives in the forgotten town of Broken Wheel she discovers some shocking news.

Before I give too much away, here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen…

Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy’s funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don’t understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that’s almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend’s memory.

All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love

Here’s my review:

The book captures the craziness of a Swedish stranger in a small forgotten town in America beautifully.

Sara, the main character, shares my obsession with books.

“For as long as she could remember, she had thought that autumn air went well with books, that the two both somehow belonged with blankets, comfortable armchairs, and big cups of coffee or tea.”

Agree, Sara!

“Can you smell it? The scent of new books. Unread adventures. Friends you haven’t met yet, hours of magical escapism awaiting you.”

Yes I can, Sara!

If more bookshop owners had taken the responsibility to hang warning signs, her life would have been much easier. Cigarette packets came with warnings, so why not tragic books? There was wording on bottles of beer warning against drinking and driving, but not a single word about the consequences of reading books without tissues to hand.”

High five to this idea!

“One of the most difficult things when you were trying to navigate the world of books was dealing with all the unreliable authors. They were so unbelievably tricky to keep track of. An author might write a brilliant book, only to follow it up with something utterly mediocre. Or, and this was almost worse, one might have written a brilliant book but then turn out to be dead. Then there were those authors who started a series but never finished it.”

I loved everything about Sara, even how she and Amy exchanged letters whilst living in Sweden and America, and in spite of their difference in age and location (Amy is an old lady, Sara a woman in her 20s) they bonded over books.

The town of Broken Wheel needed healing. I loved this setting for the book.

There are strong themes of community and belonging running throughout the book. Prior to arriving in Broken Wheel Sara felt like she only ever belonged between the pages of a book.

Sara’s idea for a bookstore is inspired and the way it was described in the book made me want to hot foot it down B&Q, buy in a shed load of yellow paint and then go buy some old vintage sofas. Wouldn’t we all like to go to a sunshine yellow bookshop, full of every sort of book and two comfy old armchairs to sit in and read all day?

There’s a lot of references of good books throughout the story and this adds to one’s reading enjoyment.

This book is a great read and it is on my list of top reads for 2019. I want to buy copies for the booklovers in my life, press into their hands and tell them to go and enjoy.

Thank you to Katarina Bivald who reignited my love of books.

Check it out here.

Have a great day reading fans!

 

 

 

#BookReview

This book took me to new heights of reading pleasure. It is a wonderful uplifting read and I felt rejuvenated afterwards. Before I read this book I was in a bit of reading rut and I was longing for a book to rush to my aid.

This is a book written by a booklover. It was clearly written for booklovers and guess what? It is a story about a BOOKLOVER! *Screech*

It ALSO has a DELICIOUS romance in it which unfolds in a bookshop. Damn it – I want to now rewind twenty years or so and meet my beloved in a book shop (as opposed to  a dodgy nightclub in Wolverhampton).

The first chapter of this book drew me in. Sara, main character, a booklover, leaves Sweden, and goes to stay with her American pen friend, Amy, also a booklover, and when Sara arrives in the forgotten town of Broken Wheel she discovers some shocking news.

Before I give too much away, here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen…

Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy’s funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don’t understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that’s almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend’s memory.

All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love

Here’s my review:

The book captures the craziness of a Swedish stranger in a small forgotten town in America beautifully.

Sara, the main character, shares my obsession with books.

“For as long as she could remember, she had thought that autumn air went well with books, that the two both somehow belonged with blankets, comfortable armchairs, and big cups of coffee or tea.”

Agree, Sara!

“Can you smell it? The scent of new books. Unread adventures. Friends you haven’t met yet, hours of magical escapism awaiting you.”

Yes I can, Sara!

If more bookshop owners had taken the responsibility to hang warning signs, her life would have been much easier. Cigarette packets came with warnings, so why not tragic books? There was wording on bottles of beer warning against drinking and driving, but not a single word about the consequences of reading books without tissues to hand.”

High five to this idea!

“One of the most difficult things when you were trying to navigate the world of books was dealing with all the unreliable authors. They were so unbelievably tricky to keep track of. An author might write a brilliant book, only to follow it up with something utterly mediocre. Or, and this was almost worse, one might have written a brilliant book but then turn out to be dead. Then there were those authors who started a series but never finished it.”

I loved everything about Sara, even how she and Amy exchanged letters whilst living in Sweden and America, and in spite of their difference in age and location (Amy is an old lady, Sara a woman in her 20s) they bonded over books.

The town of Broken Wheel needed healing. I loved this setting for the book.

There are strong themes of community and belonging running throughout the book. Prior to arriving in Broken Wheel Sara felt like she only ever belonged between the pages of a book.

Sara’s idea for a bookstore is inspired and the way it was described in the book made me want to hot foot it down B&Q, buy in a shed load of yellow paint and then go buy some old vintage sofas. Wouldn’t we all like to go to a sunshine yellow bookshop, full of every sort of book and two comfy old armchairs to sit in and read all day?

There’s a lot of references of good books throughout the story and this adds to one’s reading enjoyment.

This book is a great read and it is on my list of top reads for 2019. I want to buy copies for the booklovers in my life, press into their hands and tell them to go and enjoy.

Thank you to Katarina Bivald who reignited my love of books.

Check it out here.

Have a great day reading fans!

 

 

 

#BookReview

This book took me to new heights of reading pleasure. It is a wonderful uplifting read and I felt rejuvenated afterwards. Before I read this book I was in a bit of reading rut and I was longing for a book to rush to my aid.

This is a book written by a booklover. It was clearly written for booklovers and guess what? It is a story about a BOOKLOVER! *Screech*

It ALSO has a DELICIOUS romance in it which unfolds in a bookshop. Damn it – I want to now rewind twenty years or so and meet my beloved in a book shop (as opposed to  a dodgy nightclub in Wolverhampton).

The first chapter of this book drew me in. Sara, main character, a booklover, leaves Sweden, and goes to stay with her American pen friend, Amy, also a booklover, and when Sara arrives in the forgotten town of Broken Wheel she discovers some shocking news.

Before I give too much away, here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen…

Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy’s funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don’t understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that’s almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend’s memory.

All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love

Here’s my review:

The book captures the craziness of a Swedish stranger in a small forgotten town in America beautifully.

Sara, the main character, shares my obsession with books.

“For as long as she could remember, she had thought that autumn air went well with books, that the two both somehow belonged with blankets, comfortable armchairs, and big cups of coffee or tea.”

Agree, Sara!

“Can you smell it? The scent of new books. Unread adventures. Friends you haven’t met yet, hours of magical escapism awaiting you.”

Yes I can, Sara!

If more bookshop owners had taken the responsibility to hang warning signs, her life would have been much easier. Cigarette packets came with warnings, so why not tragic books? There was wording on bottles of beer warning against drinking and driving, but not a single word about the consequences of reading books without tissues to hand.”

High five to this idea!

“One of the most difficult things when you were trying to navigate the world of books was dealing with all the unreliable authors. They were so unbelievably tricky to keep track of. An author might write a brilliant book, only to follow it up with something utterly mediocre. Or, and this was almost worse, one might have written a brilliant book but then turn out to be dead. Then there were those authors who started a series but never finished it.”

I loved everything about Sara, even how she and Amy exchanged letters whilst living in Sweden and America, and in spite of their difference in age and location (Amy is an old lady, Sara a woman in her 20s) they bonded over books.

The town of Broken Wheel needed healing. I loved this setting for the book.

There are strong themes of community and belonging running throughout the book. Prior to arriving in Broken Wheel Sara felt like she only ever belonged between the pages of a book.

Sara’s idea for a bookstore is inspired and the way it was described in the book made me want to hot foot it down B&Q, buy in a shed load of yellow paint and then go buy some old vintage sofas. Wouldn’t we all like to go to a sunshine yellow bookshop, full of every sort of book and two comfy old armchairs to sit in and read all day?

There’s a lot of references of good books throughout the story and this adds to one’s reading enjoyment.

This book is a great read and it is on my list of top reads for 2019. I want to buy copies for the booklovers in my life, press into their hands and tell them to go and enjoy.

Thank you to Katarina Bivald who reignited my love of books.

Check it out here.

Have a great day reading fans!

 

 

 

#BookReview

This book took me to new heights of reading pleasure. It is a wonderful uplifting read and I felt rejuvenated afterwards. Before I read this book I was in a bit of reading rut and I was longing for a book to rush to my aid.

This is a book written by a booklover. It was clearly written for booklovers and guess what? It is a story about a BOOKLOVER! *Screech*

It ALSO has a DELICIOUS romance in it which unfolds in a bookshop. Damn it – I want to now rewind twenty years or so and meet my beloved in a book shop (as opposed to  a dodgy nightclub in Wolverhampton).

The first chapter of this book drew me in. Sara, main character, a booklover, leaves Sweden, and goes to stay with her American pen friend, Amy, also a booklover, and when Sara arrives in the forgotten town of Broken Wheel she discovers some shocking news.

Before I give too much away, here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen…

Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy’s funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don’t understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that’s almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend’s memory.

All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love

Here’s my review:

The book captures the craziness of a Swedish stranger in a small forgotten town in America beautifully.

Sara, the main character, shares my obsession with books.

“For as long as she could remember, she had thought that autumn air went well with books, that the two both somehow belonged with blankets, comfortable armchairs, and big cups of coffee or tea.”

Agree, Sara!

“Can you smell it? The scent of new books. Unread adventures. Friends you haven’t met yet, hours of magical escapism awaiting you.”

Yes I can, Sara!

If more bookshop owners had taken the responsibility to hang warning signs, her life would have been much easier. Cigarette packets came with warnings, so why not tragic books? There was wording on bottles of beer warning against drinking and driving, but not a single word about the consequences of reading books without tissues to hand.”

High five to this idea!

“One of the most difficult things when you were trying to navigate the world of books was dealing with all the unreliable authors. They were so unbelievably tricky to keep track of. An author might write a brilliant book, only to follow it up with something utterly mediocre. Or, and this was almost worse, one might have written a brilliant book but then turn out to be dead. Then there were those authors who started a series but never finished it.”

I loved everything about Sara, even how she and Amy exchanged letters whilst living in Sweden and America, and in spite of their difference in age and location (Amy is an old lady, Sara a woman in her 20s) they bonded over books.

The town of Broken Wheel needed healing. I loved this setting for the book.

There are strong themes of community and belonging running throughout the book. Prior to arriving in Broken Wheel Sara felt like she only ever belonged between the pages of a book.

Sara’s idea for a bookstore is inspired and the way it was described in the book made me want to hot foot it down B&Q, buy in a shed load of yellow paint and then go buy some old vintage sofas. Wouldn’t we all like to go to a sunshine yellow bookshop, full of every sort of book and two comfy old armchairs to sit in and read all day?

There’s a lot of references of good books throughout the story and this adds to one’s reading enjoyment.

This book is a great read and it is on my list of top reads for 2019. I want to buy copies for the booklovers in my life, press into their hands and tell them to go and enjoy.

Thank you to Katarina Bivald who reignited my love of books.

Check it out here.

Have a great day reading fans!

 

 

 

#BookReview

This book took me to new heights of reading pleasure. It is a wonderful uplifting read and I felt rejuvenated afterwards. Before I read this book I was in a bit of reading rut and I was longing for a book to rush to my aid.

This is a book written by a booklover. It was clearly written for booklovers and guess what? It is a story about a BOOKLOVER! *Screech*

It ALSO has a DELICIOUS romance in it which unfolds in a bookshop. Damn it – I want to now rewind twenty years or so and meet my beloved in a book shop (as opposed to  a dodgy nightclub in Wolverhampton).

The first chapter of this book drew me in. Sara, main character, a booklover, leaves Sweden, and goes to stay with her American pen friend, Amy, also a booklover, and when Sara arrives in the forgotten town of Broken Wheel she discovers some shocking news.

Before I give too much away, here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen…

Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy’s funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don’t understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that’s almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend’s memory.

All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love

Here’s my review:

The book captures the craziness of a Swedish stranger in a small forgotten town in America beautifully.

Sara, the main character, shares my obsession with books.

“For as long as she could remember, she had thought that autumn air went well with books, that the two both somehow belonged with blankets, comfortable armchairs, and big cups of coffee or tea.”

Agree, Sara!

“Can you smell it? The scent of new books. Unread adventures. Friends you haven’t met yet, hours of magical escapism awaiting you.”

Yes I can, Sara!

If more bookshop owners had taken the responsibility to hang warning signs, her life would have been much easier. Cigarette packets came with warnings, so why not tragic books? There was wording on bottles of beer warning against drinking and driving, but not a single word about the consequences of reading books without tissues to hand.”

High five to this idea!

“One of the most difficult things when you were trying to navigate the world of books was dealing with all the unreliable authors. They were so unbelievably tricky to keep track of. An author might write a brilliant book, only to follow it up with something utterly mediocre. Or, and this was almost worse, one might have written a brilliant book but then turn out to be dead. Then there were those authors who started a series but never finished it.”

I loved everything about Sara, even how she and Amy exchanged letters whilst living in Sweden and America, and in spite of their difference in age and location (Amy is an old lady, Sara a woman in her 20s) they bonded over books.

The town of Broken Wheel needed healing. I loved this setting for the book.

There are strong themes of community and belonging running throughout the book. Prior to arriving in Broken Wheel Sara felt like she only ever belonged between the pages of a book.

Sara’s idea for a bookstore is inspired and the way it was described in the book made me want to hot foot it down B&Q, buy in a shed load of yellow paint and then go buy some old vintage sofas. Wouldn’t we all like to go to a sunshine yellow bookshop, full of every sort of book and two comfy old armchairs to sit in and read all day?

There’s a lot of references of good books throughout the story and this adds to one’s reading enjoyment.

This book is a great read and it is on my list of top reads for 2019. I want to buy copies for the booklovers in my life, press into their hands and tell them to go and enjoy.

Thank you to Katarina Bivald who reignited my love of books.

Check it out here.

Have a great day reading fans!

 

 

 

#BookReview

This book took me to new heights of reading pleasure. It is a wonderful uplifting read and I felt rejuvenated afterwards. Before I read this book I was in a bit of reading rut and I was longing for a book to rush to my aid.

This is a book written by a booklover. It was clearly written for booklovers and guess what? It is a story about a BOOKLOVER! *Screech*

It ALSO has a DELICIOUS romance in it which unfolds in a bookshop. Damn it – I want to now rewind twenty years or so and meet my beloved in a book shop (as opposed to  a dodgy nightclub in Wolverhampton).

The first chapter of this book drew me in. Sara, main character, a booklover, leaves Sweden, and goes to stay with her American pen friend, Amy, also a booklover, and when Sara arrives in the forgotten town of Broken Wheel she discovers some shocking news.

Before I give too much away, here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen…

Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy’s funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don’t understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that’s almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend’s memory.

All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love

Here’s my review:

The book captures the craziness of a Swedish stranger in a small forgotten town in America beautifully.

Sara, the main character, shares my obsession with books.

“For as long as she could remember, she had thought that autumn air went well with books, that the two both somehow belonged with blankets, comfortable armchairs, and big cups of coffee or tea.”

Agree, Sara!

“Can you smell it? The scent of new books. Unread adventures. Friends you haven’t met yet, hours of magical escapism awaiting you.”

Yes I can, Sara!

If more bookshop owners had taken the responsibility to hang warning signs, her life would have been much easier. Cigarette packets came with warnings, so why not tragic books? There was wording on bottles of beer warning against drinking and driving, but not a single word about the consequences of reading books without tissues to hand.”

High five to this idea!

“One of the most difficult things when you were trying to navigate the world of books was dealing with all the unreliable authors. They were so unbelievably tricky to keep track of. An author might write a brilliant book, only to follow it up with something utterly mediocre. Or, and this was almost worse, one might have written a brilliant book but then turn out to be dead. Then there were those authors who started a series but never finished it.”

I loved everything about Sara, even how she and Amy exchanged letters whilst living in Sweden and America, and in spite of their difference in age and location (Amy is an old lady, Sara a woman in her 20s) they bonded over books.

The town of Broken Wheel needed healing. I loved this setting for the book.

There are strong themes of community and belonging running throughout the book. Prior to arriving in Broken Wheel Sara felt like she only ever belonged between the pages of a book.

Sara’s idea for a bookstore is inspired and the way it was described in the book made me want to hot foot it down B&Q, buy in a shed load of yellow paint and then go buy some old vintage sofas. Wouldn’t we all like to go to a sunshine yellow bookshop, full of every sort of book and two comfy old armchairs to sit in and read all day?

There’s a lot of references of good books throughout the story and this adds to one’s reading enjoyment.

This book is a great read and it is on my list of top reads for 2019. I want to buy copies for the booklovers in my life, press into their hands and tell them to go and enjoy.

Thank you to Katarina Bivald who reignited my love of books.

Check it out here.

Have a great day reading fans!