Hi everyone – or maybe I should say Ciao! As I started an Italian course this week and really need to practice. I have always proved useless at languages but have always wanted to at least be able to order a glass of wine in at least one that wasn’t English so wish me luck and then keep your fingers crossed I can convince my husband that a weekend in Rome is a perfect way to test my new skills out. Other than that this has been a pretty slow week but I’m not complaining – in fact it was nice to not have a lot on. It also meant I managed to get plenty of blogging and reading done.
I posted two reviews this week. Deliver Her by Patricia Perry Donovan was a family drama / suspense (I am never sure how to categorise books where there isn’t murder) about an out of control but also missing teenager. The Last Lullaby by Carin Gerhardsen is definitely crime fiction and a great one. Set in Stockholm, the police are on the hunt for a brutal killer and one of their own detectives who is missing. I would recommend both books, though they are both very different. I also posted by monthly update for May and a book blogger hop on comments and commenting.
Book wise I finished The Girl In The Ice (see my Tuesday Intro post) which I’d heard great things about and wasn’t disappointed by and also The Darkest Secret, which I can say the same about. Reviews for those should follow this week. I also have three new books on my shelves…
You live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where your children run free, in and out of other people’s houses.
You’ve known your neighbours for years and you trust them. Implicitly.
You think your children are safe.
But are they really?
Midsummer night: a thirteen-year-old girl is found unconscious in a dark corner of the garden square. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?
When a wanted war criminal, masquerading as a healer, settles in a small west coast Irish village, the community are in thrall.
One woman, Fidelma McBride, falls under his spell and in this searing novel, Edna O’Brien charts the consequence of that fatal attraction.
This is a story about love, the artifice of evil and the terrible necessity of accountability in our shattered, damaged world.
The icing on the cake though is The Swimming Pool by Louise Candlish, whose book The Sudden Departure of the Frasers was one of my favourites of last year. To make it especially sweet though I won it – and I never win anything – so a big thank you to Linda at bookboodle for running the giveaway.
It’s summer, and for teachers Ed and Natalie Steele this means six weeks off work with their young daughter Molly. Their lives are predictable and uncomplicated — or at least they were until they meet the Faulkners.
Suddenly, glamorous Lara Channing, a former actress leading an eccentrically lavish lifestyle, is taking Natalie under her wing and the stability of summer takes an exciting turn.
But are there hidden motives behind this new friendship? And when the end-of-summer party at the lido is cut short by a blackout, Natalie realizes that she’s been kept in the dark all along.
And that’s about it for me. How about you – what have you read and how has your week gone?
Emma
This week, I’m linking in with Kimba at the Caffeinated Book Reviewer and her Surnday Post and with (a little early) Katherine at Book Date for It’s Monday, What Are you Reading? Head over to see what other bloggers have read, written about or just added to their shelves.
One Readers Thoughts 
Congratulations on winning The Swimming Pool- an excellent read even better than The Sudden Departure of the Frasers which was my introduction to Louise Candlish – I have one of her earlier books on 20 Books of Summer (and she both books got pride of place on my header)
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Thank you. Am rather chuffed as wanted to read it. I have only read The Sudden Departure as well, though I did download another book on audio from my library but it kept crashing so I gave up ( not her fault obviously!)
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Good luck with the course- and with Rome. 🙂 Your reads look good and suspenseful, and I like the cover of The Girls. Looks like it could be a bit creepyish.
Have a nice week. 🙂
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Thanks. I have already failed with my homework this weekend thanks to the tennis so not boding well. I like the cover of The Girls too. Very eye catching. Have a good week.
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Good luck with the Italian lessons:). Treating yourself to a week-end away in Rome sounds a lovely idea. Another great week of reading and blogging. I take it you are an Edna O’Brian fan… I’ve not read this one – in fact I haven’t read any of her books for quite a while. Have a lovely reading and blogging week. My Sunday Post – https://sjhigbee.wordpress.com/2016/06/05/sunday-post-5th-june/
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Thanks…I don’t hold out much hope but you never know, I could surprise myself. I think there is a confidence thing because I did so badly at school French I believe I can’t do it. I’ve never read any Edna O’Brien and always meant to then I saw this in the book shop and had to buy it.
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Not that I’m any kind of expert – but at least Italian is far more phonetic than French – and I don’t know how well French was taught at your school, but ours was very patchy…
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It was taught by a woman who had no patience with children and rolled her eyes a lot…not encouraging! Italian does seem like it’s something I should be able to get but I panic when I have to speak.
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Ouch – no wonder you struggled to learn! We went to Venice last year and although I – literally – only know a handful of words, I did find that everyone seemed pleased that I made the effort. Even if they replied in faultless English…
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I have never been good with languages either. It’s a real struggle. But I think you should convince your husband that a weekend getaway to Rome is needed. I’d love to visit there one day 😀 Hope you have a great week!
My Sunday Post
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I’m sure a trip could only improve my skills right? I am definitely going to start working on him!
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I think a quick trip to Rome would be the perfect reward for completing your course!! The books all look wonderful, but I would be too preoccupied planning my hypothetical trip to concentrate on them 😉
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Wouldn’t it just and so well deserved. Mind you I have to remember more than Ciao first!
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I loved The Girls, and I am eyeing The Last Lullaby. Enjoy your week, and thanks for sharing. Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
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I have heard really great things about it so I am excited. I love the cover too, which always makes me feel more positive about picking a book up. The last lullaby is a good piece of crime writing which you can’t beat if you like those type of books. Plus it’s set in Sweden which I can’t resist.
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Haha! Good luck with the Rome trip! XD Interesting books this week! I haven’t read any of them, but The Little Red Chairs looks really interesting!
Here’s my Weekly Recap!
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Yeah, I’m not holding my breath but you never know. I am interested in The Little,Red Chairs myself as I am stepping slightly outside my comfort zone but it sounded so good. Have a good week!
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Ciao and congrats on your win. I am loving what you are reading and reviewing. I Want to read or listen to them all. I am craving this genre of late! Hope you have a simply wonderful week Emma!
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Grazie. I am so chuffed to win something, and such a great sounding book. I feel like I’m on a bit of a crime reading (and otherwise) roll at the moment.
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The trip to Rome can count as an Italian lesson, right! LOL Sounds fabulous and so are all of your books this week. Some will be finding their way onto my TBR.
My Sunday Post
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I would hope so! I just need to convince my husband. I should have thought of it for my recent wedding anniversary – darn!
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Well done on starting to learn Italian!! That will be such fun to learn!
Have a lovely week!
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Not sure how well I’m doing but it is fun. I feel like I’m in The Godfather!
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Hi, I am trying to visit some new blogs that I don’t know from The Sunday Post in order to find more great blogs and wow, I have been missing out. You read a lot of the same types of books I do so I am not following you via email. 🙂
Enjoy your haul as The Little Red Chair and Swimming Pool sound really good!
Happy reading and have a great weeki
Stormi
Week in Review
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Thank you! I try to find new blogs through the linky too but don’t think I’ve seen yours so will check it out – like you I am always in search of like-minded souls. 😀
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Good luck with the Italian. If you’re going to Rome, you might as well spend a whole week. Although I would rather go to the coast, some of the pictures I’ve seen have been unbelievable.
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Thanks. I would love a week or more. Unfortunately I don’t have enough holidays left this year for that. Though getting there at all this year will be a push 😞
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Ohhh… lots of books I like there this week Emma, though I’ve read The Darkest Secret.
And Italian? I haven’t travelled in ages (like a decade) but the only place I really want to visit is Italy. Not sure I’ll ever get there but I fantasise about a week (or longer) in Tuscany or similar!
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I think I may be the last person on this planet to read The Darkest Secret. I went to Italy when I was 10 or so but never as an adult and it’s always been on my list. One day…
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The Swimming Pool sounds really good and I have The Girl in the Ice. Happy Reading!
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I have heard great things and if it’s half as good as The Sudden Departure of the Frasers it will be.
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I want to read The Girls for sure, it certainly is in the blogosphere at the moment. Enjoy the Italian, I am hopeless at languages I don’t pronounce them well.
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I’m assuming it’s being released in the states as I’ve seen it everywhere too but under a slightly different title (so as not to clash withEmma Cline’s book?). I’ve heard good things though so fingers crossed. My problem with languages is I think too much before I speak and I panic it won’t be perfect. I need the confidence to just let go but I don’t have it. *sigh*
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Lots of good books.
I just finished The Girls In The Garden too. It was good, but had odd characters.
The Darkest Secret and The Last Lullaby look good.
ENJOY your reading week.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
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I have never red Lisa Jewells before so don’t know if this is standard for her? I just remember reading good reviews when it first came out. Plus I love the cover. Thanks for visitors 😄
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Those look like interesting books 🙂 Just stopping by to say hi!
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Hopefully they will be good too. I have high hopes for all of them, which doesn’t always end well! Thanks for visiting. 😄
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Congrats on winning The Swimming Pool – I hope you enjoy this book as much as you did the previous one by the same author.
Ooo… I’m intrigued by The Girls. I’ll have to look in to that one a little more.
Happy reading!
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Thank you. Very pleased. I really hope I’m not disappointed. I worry with The Girls I liked it so much other people won’t – though there does seem to be a lot of positives reviews out there.
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