Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good weekend so far. I have had a lovely weekend of reading chores, knitting and reading.
Blog Posts
Currently Reading
I just started reading this today and so far so good.
Happy Reading
The Weekly Brief
Month: August 2025
Stacking the Shelves: 30/8/2025
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Hello!
This week has involved a lot of book shopping and a preordered book arriving. I can’t wait to get stuck into reading them all. I went to my favourite bookshops in Bath this week and had one delivery from Waterstones.
Persephone Books
I’m not going to do pictures of these books because they all have the same cover and are never very clear in the pictures. My dream is to own the complete set of Persephone Books and one day read them all.
- Mariana by Monica Dickens
- Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple
- Fidelity by Susan Glaspell
Mr B’s Emporium
I’ve seen some interesting reviews of the Great Eastern Hotel by Ruchir Joshi so I thought I would purchase it and give it a read. The book is huge so it will take me a while.
Unfortunately She Was A Nymphomaniac by Joan Smith looks like a very different history of Rome’s Imperial women.
Toppings and Company Booksellers of Bath
I always try and add another Alison Weir book to my collection and I am thoroughly looking forward to reading Elizabeth The Queen because Elizabeth is my favourite monarch.
Phoenicia Rogerson is a new author for me but I am looking forward to reading her version of Aphrodite.
She Played and Sang by Gillian Dooley looks like a fascinating read about Jane Austen. As a musician myself I am looking forward to reading about Austen’s love of music.
Waterstones
This was my preordered book. R. F. Kuang is a bit of an auto buy author for me so I am very excited to read her new book.
I can’t wait to get reading!
Happy Reading
Friday Poetry: Salena Godden
Happy Friday Everyone!
My chosen poem this week is a new to me poet. Salena Godden (1969) is an English poet, author, activist, broadcaster, memoirist and essayist.
Courage is a Muscle
Courage is the muscle
we use when we speak,
if we're being talked over
and told we're too weak.
And when we get weary
and when it gets tough,
it's our united courage says -
Enough is enough.
Courage is the muscle
we work night and day,
to get equal rights
to get equal pay.
Our blood is taxed
our blood is shame,
our courage unites us
for we all bleed the same.
Courage is the muscle
we flex when we must,
courage is the muscle
for truth and for trust.
Courage is the muscle
we use when we speak,
if we're being walked over
and told we're too weak.
And when we get weary
we march side by side,
1000 years we're still marching
with courage and with pride.
Salena Godden
Happy Reading
This and That Thursday
Hello!
It has been a busy summer for me so I thought it was time to do a This and That Thursday post.
Rhodes
For our summer holiday this year we went to Rhodes. We loved Kos when we went in 2023 so we thought it was time for another Greek island. We spent some time seeing the sights and some time by the pool reading loads of books.
Harvington Hall History Festival
I attended two of the events at the history festival this year. One by was Alison Weir and one by Tracy Borman. I also attended the book signings they kindly did at the end. The Harvington Hall cats were also in attendance but I wasn’t lucky enough to get a photo.
National Trust
We have also attended a few National trust places this summer. The first was a new one for us called Canons Ashby. Canons Ashby was a lovely Tudor property which was just like a maze. There were so many little staircases and little corridors I absolutely loved it.
Next was Waddeson Manor which was a return visit for us. It is definitely one of our favourite places to visit and they do a very nice afternoon tea as well.
We met my best friend at Charlecote Park last week and the weather was beautiful. We also had a great time helping my best friend’s son fill out the activity sheet where we had to work out whether certain things were ‘Tudor’ or ‘Not Tudor’.
Bath
We spent Bank Holiday weekend in Bath where we visited the Victoria Art Gallery and No. 1 Royal Crescent. I also did a lot of book shopping and eating of yummy food.
I am back teaching next week but this summer has been a lovely break with some great adventures. I am hoping that we will fit in more adventures around work.
Happy Reading
Mid Week Quote: Anais Nin
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I have just returned from a trip to Bath which involved a lot of book buying so look out for my Stacking the Shelves post on Saturday.
My chosen quote this week is by the French born American diarist, essayist, novelist and writer of short stories Angela Anais Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (1903-1977).
“Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together.”
Anais Nin
Happy Reading
Mid Week Quote: Edith Wharton
Hello!
My chosen quote this week is by American writer and designer Edith Wharton born Edith Newbold Jones (1862-1937).
“If only we’d stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time.”
Edith Wharton
Happy Reading
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (Review)
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Bookshop.org | Harper Collins | T G Jones Online | Waterstones
Blurb
The young Gascon d’Artagnan and the legendary musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis are ready to sacrifice everything for love, glory and the common good. The wicked machinations of Cardinal Richelieu and his accomplice, the magnetic Milady de Winter, propel the devoted friends across seas and battlefields from masked balls to a remote convent, in order to defend the honour of the Queen and the life of Constance Bonacieux, d’Artagnan’s true love.
Review
I absolutely love this book and have read it many many times. My original copy completely fell apart and I lost some of the pages so this read through was a different book and a different translation which threw me to start with but I soon got back into one of my favourite stories.
The main thing I absolutely love with this book is the amazing characters. Aramis is so unbelievably vain but always wants to appear holy and devout. Porthos is all about image, he must have the best of everything and he always makes me laugh with his antics. d’Artagnan is adorably frustrating, sometimes I want to smack him and tell him to be quiet and other times I wanted to hug him. Athos was a troubled man but the perfect guiding hand that d’Artagnan needed and the calming influence that Porthos and Aramis needed. Athos is my favourite character because of his calmness but also because of his eccentric behaviour. The scene where he locks himself in the inn keeper’s cellar for weeks and drinks all the wine and eats all the food is hilarious.
The other character that was impressive was Milady. Milady is a complete psycho! She has a poison ring, she seduces men who are meant to be impossible to seduce, she happily stabs herself to appear suicidal and she is always trying to kill the musketeers. I even think Cardinal Richelieu was frightened of her at times.
The story of The Three Musketeers is well known as it has been the focus of many films but these films will never be a patch on such a wonderful book. The storylines that are based on historical events and characters work brilliantly. The book is packed full of action, romance and humour. I give this book a massive 5 out of 5 Dragons and will be reading the next book in the series very soon.
🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲
About the author
Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the most widely read French authors.
Beach Hut 512 by Dorothy Koomson (Review)
Beach Hut 512 by Dorothy Koomson
Blurb
When vandals destroy beach hut 512 on Brighton’s iconic seafront, they reveal a dead body that has apparently lain undisturbed for two months. But according to the hut’s owner, Sims, its locks rusted shut three months ago and she hasn’t had access to it since. So how could the man have got in, and why is there no evidence of the murderer?
Sims has spent the past three years recovering from the trauma of being targeted by a serial killer and narrowly escaping with her life. But this grim discovery feels like too much of a could the person who put the body in her hut be the same man who wants her dead? In a desperate race against time, can she uncover the truth behind beach hut 512 before a murderer with a chilling obsession strikes again?
Review
I got this short story on the Amazon Prime First Reads scheme and I’m really pleased I did as it was a good introduction to a new author for me.
I always struggle with short stories as I get frustrated when a story feels rushed and some authors are just not great short story writers but this was not the case with Koomson’s short story. This short story was brilliantly written and didn’t feel rushed or like details were missing. The story was well rounded and lacked for nothing.
The story goes between current events and past events. The past shows Sims as a Chemistry professor who was targeted by a serial killer but she survived. Sadly the serial killer escaped and is still on the run. The current events show Sims discovering her beach hut vandalised but what she didn’t expect was a dead body to be in her beach hut. She has no idea how the body got there as the locks on the hut have been rusted shut for 3 months and apparently the body has been in the hut for 2 months. Sims must work out what is going on.
At the beginning I did find Sims a little odd but once I realised her past trauma I understood her more and understood her actions. She really was a fascinating character. I also really liked the idea of a locked room (beach hut) mystery and it really reminded me of a Jonathan Creek episode.
I really enjoyed this short story and give it 4 out of 5 Dragons.
🐲🐲🐲🐲
About the author
Dorothy Koomson (born 1971 in London) is a contemporary British novelist of Ghanaian descent. She has been described as “Britain’s biggest selling black author of adult fiction”.
The Weekly Brief
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I’m still not doing very well with my blog but I am hoping to get back into routine soon and back to reviewing more regularly.
Blog Posts
Currently Reading
Just started this today and it is good to get back into The Expanse series.
Happy Reading
Stacking the Shelves: 16/8/2025
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Happy Weekend Everyone!
This week I went to visit Ironbridge so that obviously meant a visit to Ironbridge Bookshop. The bookshop has recently extended and I was very excited to see how they had changed the shop. I absolutely loved the new layout and loved the extra space in the shop. I obviously bought myself a few books whilst there.
New Books
- A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths by Stephen Kershaw
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I’m very excited to read these books. I have only read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald so I’m looking forward to reading more of his work.
Happy Reading
Lady Book Dragon 