This and That Thursday

Happy Thursday!

So this week has been a bit more adventurous for me which has been nice.

Organ Playing

This week I went to one of the churches I am an organist for and practiced the organ for a good hour. It was so nice to be back and the fact that I was in the church with no interruptions was wonderful as I could just play until my heart’s content. Thankfully the organ is still working because it is needed for a wedding in September and it hadn’t been played since March. By the way the organ’s name is Bob.

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Walking

This week we have been on two lovely walks which have been really nice as it was somewhere different.

 

Exercise

I have been really getting into my exercise and have been trying out different workouts. This has meant the recent acquisition of a step box, hopefully this will mean some more fun workouts or with my coordination I end up falling off it.

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Cat photos

This week has also involved a lot of cat photos for some reason. Think the cats are getting a little sick of it but they are so cute. Here is my favourite of Lyra.

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TV Series

We are still working our way through our TV series. We have finished all the Absolutely Fabulous episodes and are still working our way through Buffy the Vampire Slayer, sadly the annoying sister Dawn has turned up now and she does drive me insane.

There is my week. Still quiet but I’m still teaching and studying most days so not too quiet. Right now I’m currently frantically watching out for the enormous spider that is running around our living room.

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WWW Wednesday: 26/08/2020

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you will read next?

 

Happy Wednesday!

Half way through another week and I really can’t work out where the week has gone.

What I am Currently Reading

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About 200 pages in and it is going ok so far but I am finding it all a bit far fetched but I will stick with it.

 

What I Have Recently Finished Reading

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Loved this so much! Review will follow shortly.

 

What I Plan to Read Next

Ok, let’s be honest this could be anything! I am a mood reader and change my mind all the time about books.

 

There is another WWW Wednesday complete. Drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.

 

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The Weekly Brief

Hello my fellow Book Dragons.

I hope everyone is ready for Monday.

So everyone knows the drill by now, here is my week in blogging…

Posts this Week

 

Currently Reading

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Books I’ve Acquired 

 

 

Blogs I’ve Enjoyed this Week

I love The Chronicles of History because as a history fan I love the posts and I have been learning about subjects I wasn’t overly familiar with like American History.

Next up is Sofi with her blog A Book. A Thought. I really enjoy Sofi’s posts and especially her book reviews.

Finally we have Blair at Feed the Crime. I really enjoy a good crime novel so I’m always checking out Blair’s reviews to see what she thinks of the latest crime thriller.

 

So that is my week in the blogging world. I hope everyone has also had a good week in the blogging world.

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The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary (Review)

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

About the author

Beth studied English at university before going into children’s publishing. She lives as close to the countryside as she can get while still being within reach of London, and wrote her first novel, The Flatshare, on her train journey to and from work.

You’ll usually find her curled up with a book, a cup of tea, and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).

Blurb

Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast.

Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash.

Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly-imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…

Review

This book was recommended to me by my best friend and so I bought a copy as soon as I could and I am so pleased I did. I started reading this book and read a bit a day until I got about a quarter of the way through and then I just could not put it down and I binged the whole book in one afternoon.

The book is told from Tiffy’s and Leon’s perspective and it is really interesting seeing their different perspectives. Leon is very shy who needs quiet and alone time to process things but Tiffy is the complete opposite: she has to talk to her friends to process things and thrives on noise and people.

Tiffy and Leon communicate via post-it notes that they post all over the flat and through this method of communication they get to know each other and they also help each other through their troubles. Tiffy has problems which revolve around her ex-boyfriend but with Leon and her friends’ help she is working through these problems.

Leon also has problems of his own in the fact that his brother is in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Leon is a palliative care nurse who spends all his time trying to help and care for everyone.

This novel deals with some difficult issues but O’Leary writes about this in a sensitive and realistic manner and is very respectful. This novel was a big surprise to me as I was expecting something a lot more light hearted and chick lit read but in fact it had depth and understanding. O’Leary is a talented writer and I really look forward to reading more of her books. I rate this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.

Purchase Links

Book Depository • Waterstones • Wordery

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you)

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First Lines Friday: 21/08/2020

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

 

Happy Friday!

Now let’s get guessing that book.

“The Polydorus is a charming family-run hotel, located a short walk away from the lively town of Agios Nikolaos, one hour from Heraklion. Rooms cleaned daily, all with Wi-Fi and air con, some with sea views. Coffee and home-cooked meals served on our lovely terraces. Visit our website or find us on booking.com.”

 

Answer is below the cats!

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Featuring his famous literary detective Atticus Pund and Susan Ryeland, hero of the worldwide bestseller Magpie Murders, a brilliantly complex literary thriller by Anthony Horowitz. The follow-up to Magpie Murders.

Retired publisher Susan Ryeland is living the good life. She is running a small hotel on a Greek island with her longterm boyfriend Andreas. It should be everything she’s always wanted – but is it? She’s exhausted with the responsibilities of making everything work on an island where nothing ever does, and truth be told she’s beginning to miss her old life in London.

And then a couple – the Trehearnes – come to stay, and the story they tell about an unfortunate murder that took place on the same day and in the same hotel in which their daughter was married, is such a strange and mysterious one that Susan finds herself increasingly fascinated by it. And when the Trehearnes tell her that their daughter is now missing, Susan knows that she must return to London and find out what really happened …

Book Depository

Waterstones

Wordery

Drop me a link with your First Lines Friday and I will head over for a visit.

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Friday Poetry: Lord Byron

Happy Friday!

My chosen poem today is by the notorious Lord Byron who is known for his often outrageous writings and misadventures.

 

So, We’ll Go No More a-Roving

 

So, we’ll go no more a-roving

So late into the night,

Though the heart be still as loving,

And the moon be still as bright.

 

For the sword outwears its sheath,

And the soul wears out the breast,

And the heart must pause to breathe,

And love itself have rest.

 

Though the night was made for loving,

And the day returns too soon,

Yet we’ll go no more a-roving

By the light of the moon.

Lord Byron

 

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This and That Thursday

Hello!

Welcome to my week!

Cats’ Instagram

The cats’ instagram is going really well. They have nearly 100 followers and I must admit my husband and myself are enjoying posting pictures and videos of the cats possibly a little too much. The cats are not bothered in the slightest.

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Online Cocktail Parties

On Friday it was my best friend’s birthday and we had planned a cocktail party but because of the current situation we had an online one. My bestie’s husband sent us cocktail making kits and we all made the same cocktails during a Facetime call and had some lovely drinks and a good laugh.

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Piano Playing

I have two weddings coming up in September to play for so I have been learning some new pieces that have been requested. I have also been looking at other piano pieces for fun and really enjoying playing the piano.

Fish and Chip Picnic

On Saturday we met my family for a fish and chip picnic which was brilliant. It was so good to see my brother and sister and my parents all together after so long. Also we haven’t had fish and chips for ages and my brother had brought ice cream for pudding. It was a brilliant picnic even if it did rain on us.

Baking

I also tried a new recipe this week, chocolate banana loaf. I don’t really like bananas but this loaf is rather yummy as it is so full of chocolate.

The usual bits and pieces that happen during the week have happened but it has been wonderful to catch up with friends and family. All socially distanced of course.

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WWW Wednesday: 19/08/2020

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you will read next?

 

Happy Wednesday!

What I am Currently Reading

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Still thoroughly enjoying this and very near the end now. Such a good translation.

 

What I Have Recently Finished Reading

Have literally just finished The Flat Share and loved it, review will follow shortly.

 

What I Plan to Read Next

Always a tricky question as I never have a clue but here are a few options I have on the cards.

 

Drop me a link with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.

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