The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

I recently read the paranormal cosy mystery Popcorn and Poltergeists by Nancy Warren and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Is there a murderous poltergeist on the loose? When an Oxford professor is killed by a fall down the library stairs, rumors fly that it’s the work of a poltergeist who’s been causing havoc at the college. The dead prof was a knitter, and a customer at Lucy Swift’s shop, Cardinal Woolsey’s. But Lucy thinks a very human killer is shifting the blame onto a ghost who can’t defend themselves and she’s determined to trap the real killer and get justice for the dead knitter. However, danger lurks at the college where old secrets and new crimes collide. Vampire and old book expert Rafe Crosyer has been called in to value the college’s literary collection, and he witnesses first hand how angry the ghost really is. Furious enough to kill? Or is there something else the tantrum-throwing spirit is trying to tell them? And will they decipher the message...

I recently read the paranormal cosy mystery Bobbles and Broomsticks by Nancy Warren and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Who invited Death to the wedding? When an ancient beam falls on one of the guests at Charlie and Alice’s wedding rehearsal, it looks like the work of the death watch beetle, an insect that eats old timbers. But fledgling witch Lucy and the vampire knitting club aren’t so sure. Could there be a murderer casting blame on the wood-chomping insects? Meanwhile, the old broom that’s always stood in the corner of Cardinal Woolsey’s knitting and yarn shop seems to have a mind of its own, and Lucy’s cat is ready to hop aboard and take the broom for a spin. With or without Lucy. Between learning a new knitting stitch and keeping her broom and cat earthbound, Lucy hasn’t got time to solve a murder—until it turns out the next victim is someone she loves. Join Lucy and her eccentric band of amateur sleuths in Oxford as they attempt to unravel a twisted sk...

It's Friday and perhaps time for a new Let's Talk Bookish post, courtesy of  Book Nook Bits and the theme of the week was reviewing books. Here's the further prompts. What makes you want to review or not review a book? Do you review every book you read? Are some books harder to review than others? Do you review books you disliked? If you’ve ever written a ranty review, have you regretted doing so afterwards? Do you delete reviews that are “outdated” or don’t follow what you think of the book now? I've got the policy that I review all the books I read, apart from when I went to university, as I felt I couldn't review the course books. Regardless of that, some books are harder to review than others, whether they touch upon tough subjects, or are just so average that I can't pinpoint what's good or bad about them. I do indeed review books that I disliked, but I try my best to be diplomatic and constructive in my criticism of whatever book I disliked. Not all ...

I came across The School Days Book Tag over at  What Victoria Read and decided to play along as it looked like a fun tag to do. THE QUESTIONS: The idea of this tag is that you do the 'Times Of Day' questions and then choose any of the 'Subject' questions that seem interesting to you! Pick and choose as many as you'd like and do them in any order - just have fun! Times Of Day: First bell: Tell us about the book that first got you into reading! I honestly can't quite remember the first book, but I did enjoy Roald Dahl books as a kid. Break time: Which book have you most recently had to take a break from or DNF? The Institute by Stephen King Lunch time: Tell us about your favourite book that features food! Chocolat by Joanne Harris. Final bell: Which book have you most recently finished reading? Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima Homework: What was the last non-fiction book that you read and enjoyed? Last Stop Auschwitz by Eddy de Wind Staff room: Tell us about ...

It's Wednesday and perhaps time for another Top Five Wednesday post, courtesy of  the Top Five Wednesday Goodreads group and the theme of the week was bookish happiness. Here's my five picks. Fifteen Seconds of Normal by Alex Marestaing The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen by Ada Bright & Cass Grafton Chocolat by Joanne Harris The Saffron Trail by Rosanna Ley

A while back I ended up reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz. As the author is from the Dominican Republic, I can finally cross of that book on my list for the World Literature Project. Today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fukœ—the curse that has haunted the Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim. Diaz immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insi...

For Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon in April, I read The Story So Far by Jane Eklund and today I'll post my review. Desription from Goodreads It's 1977. A 22-year-old finds herself ensconced in a place of dust and history: the archives room of a second-rate college. She's re-shelving Victorian etiquette books when the door opens and in walks a fabulous, seductive, larger-than-life writer of historical romances--and the young woman's life will never be the same. Set against 25 years of cultural evolution, the love between the two women--the younger librarian and the grande dame of cheesy literature--outlasts a 28-year age difference, romantic dalliances, illness, and the confines of the closet. Along the way, the librarian ponders the nature of life, death, religion, and philosophy with the help of the imaginary counterparts of Socrates, Hildegard of Bingen, and Suzanne Pleshette; samples casseroles with names like Vegetables Psychosis and The Tubers Karamazov; and forges...