Nicki's book blog

Queenspotting- Hilary Kearney- Factual A wonderful colourful read for anyone interested in bees. This begins by saying why spot the queen and giving several reasons for doing so. Here in the UK we would maybe add one extra reason. For us one of the main reasons for finding the queen is to see if she is still there and actively laying eggs. Seeing eggs can be one method but if you see the queen you definitely know she is present. The next section is inside the hive and gives the jobs of the bees. There are some stunning pictures in this book and it would make a perfect coffee table book that could be enjoyed by both adults and children alike. I enjoyed the story about swarm removal. Anyone who has tried to do this will know i ts never as easy as you first think. Plan A quickly turns to b,c,d…. you get the picture. The book covers everything from the role of each type of bee, the dances they perform , turning nectar into honey and even storing honey. There a

Twisted- Steve Cavanagh- Psychological Thriller A famous author is dead. One who is highly successful and sells by the millions. His books always have twists in them adding to his notoriety.  A man is standing with a gun ready to take out one of the four people in the world who know who the author really is. Marie is having an affair with Dylan a local waiter. Her husband is rather controlling and although she thought he was “the one” early on, this has now changed as things are so good between her and Dylan. One evening when her husband is away, yet again, she goes in to his office with Dylan to try and find his secret stash of cigarettes she knows he keeps there. What they discover is far more than they ever expected. Paul, a marketing executive,  has been keeping a secret from Marie, a huge life changing one and now she isn’t sure what to do about it other than she wants the benefit from it, almost at any price. Paul has his own secrets from his past

The Suspects- Katherine Johnson - P syc hological thriller Five young people are training as journalists each staying in places they would rather not. When one suggests buying somewhere together it seems the perfect answer. This is the late nineteen eighties. Mortgage prices are rising and they are struggling to meet their bills. When they find a body a few days after a new years eve party in their basement, a place they rarely go as it is so damp and unsafe, they have to find a plan as to how this is going to be sorted. The book begins at the funeral of one of the five a few months later. We are told the story mainly from the perspective of Emily who herself has secrets. She has epilepsy and although mostly under control it’s not something she likes to be widely known. Stuart, one of the boys, has had a brush with the law before which he confessed to Emily at the party. As it was so noisy and she was slightly the worse for wear she didn’t really hear

Rosie and Ruby  Patricia Dixon- Women's Fiction (previously published as Three Mothers) Rosie has a nightmare of a mother. One who controls her every move and wants to control every aspect of her life. Once Rosie is old enough and her mother Doreen pushes her once too often she ups and leaves. Her cousin Ruby fairs little better with her own mother, Stella who brings home an array of men one of whom tries it on with Ruby. Again pushed too far Ruby makes her own way in the world. Eventually she marries Marcus and was thrilled by his glamorous existence, wanting for nothing. Very different to her own upbringing. Little did she know then that Marcus behind closed doors is a control freak and dictates everything to his wife and is not only cruel to her but also to their children. Rosie is now working her way up the ladder, a ladder that in her mother’s eye’s was “bringing shame on the family” however Rosie is now happy not only in her career choice but

Bridesmaids by Zara Stoneley rom-com Jane is having a nightmare. She has recently split from her fiance and the woman she works for, Coral an instagrammer, is ever demanding. She flatshares with a old school friend Freddie and is looking forward to an all expenses trip to New York with Coral. Of course things don’t go to plan as this is Jane. When her best friend Rachel announces she is getting married- to the man she split with but couldn’t live without Jane is at sixes and sevens as to if she should be pleased or not- or worried. Two of her friends are in love with the same man. One split from him and the other one is now married to him. Another has had a baby and won’t reveal who the father is. Jane is the one who holds them all together whilst at the same time trying ot sort out her own life and problems. What ensues is a hilarious look at life with all its’ ups and downs. Of friendships and relationships of the rough and the smooth and of sec

TROTTERDOWN (the first three Detective Harriet Taylor thrillers)  by Stewart Giles Do you like gripping thrillers that are a little different?  Meet Detective Harriet Taylor in this gripping series set in Cornwall From  #1 best-selling author:  Stewart Giles.  Three gripping thrillers in one, great value, box set.   BOOK ONE: THE BEEKEEPER Alice Green is a beekeeper in the small Cornish village of Polgarrow. She lives with her pet jackdaw in a beautiful cottage not far from the sea. One evening, Alice finds something strange under the hollyhock bush in her garden. The gruesome discovery will change everyone’s lives. And then Alice’s best friend Milly disappears… BOOK TWO: THE PERFECT MURDER Two cats are found mutilated in the same town. Detective Harriet Taylor is reluctant to investigate, but then one of their owners is killed a bizarre way that same day.  Harriet and the team step in. The dead woman has four words written on her neck — four very ambiguous words.  The

The Silver Ladies of Penny Lane- Dee Macdonald- Humourous fiction Tess and Orla have been friends forever. Now in their sixties they together run ”Curvacious”  a boutique specialising in clothes for the larger lady which they make and tailor themselves. Both are now single having lost one or more partners and Tess thinks that they should get back into dating before they are too old and whilst they can still enjoy themselves. This leads to signing up to a dating agency MMM. Included in the price is a discount on a cruise- so what’s not to go for? This is the story of their lives around the dating adventures and the cruise. Orla soon finds someone nice and then another. Tess however goes through the mill of learning that people are not always who they say they are and may have other intentions. You have to smile! The ex husband’s rather bitchy new wife. Also thin- something both Tess and Orla aspire to and have also joined the local slimming club to a

OUR LIFE IN A DAY by Jamie Fewery - Contemporary fiction/Literary romance Tom and Esme have been seeing each other for 10 years. On their anniversary Esme surprises Tom with a card and a game. He has to come up wit a memory of them being together for each hour of a twenty four hour period and it has to coincide with the correct time. She states “not always the best memory just an honest one”  and this is true, they are just as they are. Through each hour we learn the story of their relationship. Things like that Esme told Tom early on, very early on, that she never ever wanted to get married (hence the 10 year relationship). The memories are not in any time order (either hours or years) just honest memories warts n’ all of life. Tom however had a secret about his health which as time went on despite pushing from his mother and his own guilt, Esme knew nothing about.  A very different concept idea for a book, Not “just” a relationship of live story, somethin