Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 10

Book review: Newsletter Ninja 2 by Tammi Lebrecque

This is an interesting book – written in a very approachable style. It helps to have read Ninja 1 so that you have a lot of the basics already.
There are some interesting ideas in this, which I will put into practice as soon as I can (ahem … no, honestly!). All in all, it’s a very useful book, clearly written.

Buy your copy*

*This is an affiliate link. If you click through and buy, I get a few pence (literally, like 1p or 2p). It will not cost you anything extra.

Book review: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

This is a book about book lovers – written for book lovers.

Nora is the woman who is so focused on her career that she doesn’t have time for love. Charlie is almost the male equivalent of her. I liked that they understood each other and that they traded barbs so well.
Sunshine Falls is … your typical small town romance setting. The writer plays with romance tropes with affection. The banter was wonderful. The darker moments where we see Nora’s sadness were handled beautifully.

Now I hav...

Book review: The Ghost of Ivy Barn by Mark Stay

Having read the first two books in the series, I was excited to read this latest instalment to see what trouble Faye got into (and out of) this time.

This one is a bit less dark than the others, but the threat was very real. I really liked the serial killer witch! The ghost was creepy – as is proper. My favourite thing was probably the flying machine (to say any more would be a spoiler).
I love the bickering witches. The nudist one was very funny. Bertie is adorable as always too.

Once ...

Book review: Last Victim of the Monsoon Express by Vaseem Khan

This book is described as ‘charming’ and it really is!
Inspector Chopra is on a revived steam train and his ward, the baby elephant Ganesha is travelling with him. An Indian politician is murdered and Chopra has to solve the mystery before the train stops or risk there being a major international incident.
I liked how the history of partition was woven into the story (only where it was relevant). I really appreciated the Poirot-esque murder mystery.
This was a fun short read. I liked the gentle...

Book review: The Forgotten House on The Moors by Jane Lovering

Another corker!
Alice is woken up by the police coming to tell her that her ex husband, Grant, has died in an explosion. When she goes up to the site where it happened, she meets his current girlfriend, Jenna and her brother Max. She ends up seeing more of them because Jenna needs someone to talk to about Grant, Alice is curious as to why Grant was out there in a deserted house in the first place and well, seeing Max again wouldn’t be all that terrible either.

It’s nice to see a heroine who...

Plot your Novel In One Morning

It’s back!

Doing NanoWriMo in November but don’t have a plot yet?
Need a bit of time dedicated to thinking about your book with helpful advice on hand?
Going to the RNA York Tea and want to make a day of it?
We have just the thing for you.

The Plot Your Novel in a Morning workshop is happening 9.30am – 12 noon, on the 3rd of September at Miller’s Yard in York.

Date: Saturday 3rd September 2022
Cost: £35 (£30 if you book before the end of July).
Venue: The Loft, Miller’s Yard, Gillygate, Y...

Book Review: You had me at Halloumi by Ginger Jones

Flora Butterly is competing for the Golden Spoon – a Masterchef/ Bake off style competition featuring only Cypriot food. This is such a fun beach read. I felt like I was in sunshine myself. I also felt very, very hungry. I had to keep stopping to have a snack.

I liked that Flora was so relatable. I also liked that the story touched on kids who have been carers and what it’s like to look after someone who has schizophrenia. These elements were touched on only lightly, but it was good that ...

Love At First by Kate ClayBorn

This book is so lovely!
Having enjoyed Love Lettering, I was pretty sure I’d enjoy Love At First too. And I did!

Will fell in love with Nora when he first saw (well, heard) her as a teenager. When he meets her again as an adult, he falls in love with her all over again. Nora meets Will as the guy who is about to destroy the peace in the beautiful old building that she lives in. What starts as a battle of wits, ends in friendship and love.

It’s hard to say more without giving too much away. It’s...

The Change by Kirsten Miller

When I spotted The Change on Netgalley, I requested it straight away.
Three women in a Long Island seaside community realise that they have powers. Nessa, who sees the dead; Harriet who is the punishment that fits the crime and Jo who will destroy it all at the end.
Nessa sees dead girls (not women, teenaged girls) who have been murdered by men. She knows there’s a serial killer on the loose, but it’s hard to prove it when the bodies haven’t actually been found. As the three women seek to get ...

Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry

A friend of mine sent me a copy of this book because she was so sure I’d love it. She was right.
Elizabeth Zott is a scientist – a chemist- and a good one. But sexism in the science community and general nastiness towards her because of her beauty force her out of science and she ends up bringing up her daughter alone. Then she is offered a job as host for a TV cooking show…

Zott is awesome! She’s clever and practical and strong. Her life isn’t easy, but she handles it in her own unique wa...