Wrap Up: July 2025

Hi everyone

July was a fantastic reading month for me! We were on holiday for two weeks, which meant fewer chores and more time to relax; especially in the evenings. With two daughters (3 and 7) and plenty of fun activities during the day, finding quiet time to read can be a challenge, but I managed to sneak in some pages whenever the girls were playing together. And, of course, once they were in bed and everything was tidied up, it was my time to dive into a book and my husband's time for gaming or watching a series.

Here's what I read in July:

- Brian McClellan: Promise of Blood

- Yuval Noah Harari: Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

- Ilona Andrews: Magic Burns

- Peter Brown: The Wild Robot Protects

- Christian White: The Nowhere Child

- Terry Pratchett: Carpe Jugulum 

- David Dalglish: A Dance of Mirrors 

- Marie Brennan: The Waking of Angantyr 

- Margaret Atwood: Surfacing 

And there's one book I didn't finish:

- Blake Crouch: Dark Matter 

How was your reading month? Did you find more time to read, or did life get in the way? Do you read more or less when you’re on holiday? I’d love to hear how you balance reading and relaxation!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Christian White: The Nowhere Child

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Wrap Up: October 2024

 Hi everyone

Last month, October 2024, I read and finished 6 books.

Here's the list in chronological order along with links to the reviews I wrote for each:

- Shelby Van Pelt: Remarkably Bright Creatures

- Gretchen Rubin: Better Than Before

- Alice Hoffman: The Museum of Extraordinary Things

- Travis Baldree: Bookshops & Bonedust

- Devin Madson: We Ride the Storm

- Christian White: The Wife and the Widow

 And sadly there's one book I could not finish:

- R. F. Kuang: Babel

What did you read this month? Anything you loved, hated, or want to recommend? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Christian White: The Wife and the Widow

 Hi everyone

This is my review of The Wife and the Widow by Christian White. It's his second book but the first one I read. I read it on my e-reader.

"Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and The Widow is an unsettling thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband’s secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when she’s forced to confront the evidence of her husband’s guilt. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives."

I really enjoyed this.

The writing is easy and has a nice flow. The story is neither too slow nor too fast to follow, and I really wanted to find out how it all happened. The twist was great, and I didn’t see it coming, which is always a plus!

Once you realize the whole story, there’s quite a bit of the book left, and that was a bit of a bummer. There were also a few plot holes and questions about the efficiency of the police that left me scratching my head.

All in all, The Wife and the Widow is a quick, enjoyable murder mystery that sucked me in. Just don’t think too hard about the plot because it’s best enjoyed as a fun, fast-paced ride.

Have you read The Wife and the Widow? Did you enjoy it as much as I did, or did you spot the twist early? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading.
Helena