Six For Sunday – Books and holidays, a match made in heaven: Perfect pool reads

I’m still not entirely sure how we’ve made in to August but some how that’s exactly where we are which means it’s time for another set of prompts from Steph. August is all about books and holidays!

Six for Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Steph at ALITTLEBUTALOT. You can find a list of prompts from July to December 2019 here

Perfect Pool Reads

What makes for a perfect pool read? I’m not exactly sure… I happen to rather like dark crime novels so you’re far more likely to find me lying on a sun lounger with one of those than with some light and fluffy chick lit novel which the airports seem to suggest we should be sheltered under palm trees reading! If I had a couple of weeks lined up with nothing but palm trees and poolside cocktails to look forward to I think I’d try and catch up on some backlist books I’m still to get to. So these are my perfect poolside reads – books that are currently all sitting on my shelves.

Moonlocket – Peter Bunzl

It’s hard to escape the secrets from the past.

Storm clouds gather over Lily and Robert’s summer when criminal mastermind the Jack of Diamonds appears. For Jack is searching for the mysterious Moonlocket – but that’s not the only thing he wants.

Suddenly, dark secrets from Robert’s past plunge him into danger. Jack is playing a cruel game that Robert is a part of. Now Lily and Malkin, the mechanical fox, must stay one step ahead before Jack plays his final, deadly card…

This was only recently added to my TBR after discovering Cogheart on my library’s eBook loan site. It was first published back in 2017 though so I’m a little behind the times, and with the announcement of the fourth and final book in the series Shadowsea I must catch up soon!

Beautiful Broken Things – Sara Barnard

I was brave
She was reckless
We were trouble

Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie – confident, funny and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated. As Suzanne’s past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realises, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own.

I started reading this and then I was distracted by something else, and I’m still to pick it back up which means I’m yet to finish a Sara Barnard book which I know will horrify some friends! This one is from 2016 so I’m only 3 years behind!

The Sin Eater’s Daughter – Melinda Salisbury

Sixteen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, no one speaks to her. No one even looks at her. Because Twylla isn’t a member of the court. She’s the executioner. As the goddess-embodied, Twylla kills with a single touch. So each week, she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love her. Who could care for a girl with murder in her veins? Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to her touch, avoids her.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose playful smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the goddess. Yet a treasonous romance is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies-a plan that requires an unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

Yes, another huge name in UKYA that I’ve not yet read a single book by… I did get as far as buying the first in this trilogy and putting it on my shelf but it hasn’t moved from there… 4 years behind on this one! I must confess to being very tempted by the Sorrow duology thought…

The Sentence is Death – Anthony Horowitz

Death, deception, and a detective with quite a lot to hide stalk the pages of Anthony Horowitz’s brilliant murder mystery, the second in the bestselling series starring Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne.

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s too late . . . “

These, heard over the phone, were the last recorded words of successful celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce, found bludgeoned to death in his bachelor pad with a bottle of wine—a 1982 Chateau Lafite worth £3,000, to be precise.

Odd, considering he didn’t drink. Why this bottle? And why those words? And why was a three-digit number painted on the wall by the killer? And, most importantly, which of the man’s many, many enemies did the deed?

Baffled, the police are forced to bring in Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, the author Anthony, who’s really getting rather good at this murder investigation business.

But as Hawthorne takes on the case with characteristic relish, it becomes clear that he, too, has secrets to hide. As our reluctant narrator becomes ever more embroiled in the case, he realizes that these secrets must be exposed—even at the risk of death . . 

I absolutely adored The Word Is Murder which is the first in this series and pre-ordered this second book. It came out at the end of 2018 but I’ve still to read it.

Becoming – Michelle Obama

An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States.

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African-American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.

My best friend knew I wanted this book and bought me it as part of my Christmas present. I only know what I’ve seen on the TV but Michelle Obama seems an incredible woman so I’m really intrigued to find out more about her. This is the newest book on my list and a nice warm spot to discover her history from would be perfect.

A Study In Charlotte – Brittany Cavallaro

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

I love Sherlock Holmes so this series intrigued me from the moment I first spotted it mentioned. I ordered it from Amazon as I don’t think the series has a UK publisher yet but despite owning it since February 2018 I’ve not yet read it…

They were my #SixforSunday! If you’ve taken part leave a link to your post below and I’ll be sure to check it out!