Update !

I’ve mostly been doing rereads of books I already have so far .

Pandoras Jar by Natalie Hayes

Troy by Stephen Fry

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (I also have The Maidens but haven’t really gotten into to much !}

Murder Before Evensong By Richard Coles

Updates , Updates !

2021 reads :

Audiobooks :

John Le Carre The Looking Glass War

Ben Aaronovitch Moon Over Soho

Ben Arronovitch Rivers of London

John le Carre The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

Pompeii Mary Beard

Lindsey Davis Shodows in Bronze

John le Carre A Murder of Quality

Ebooks : {2022}

The Monogram Murders Sophie Hannah

Closed Casket Sophie Hannah

The Mystery of the Three Quarters Sophie Hannah

The Sanatorium Sarah Pearse

The Maid Rita Prose

The Paris Apartment Lucy Foley

Vagina A Re-Education Lynn Enright

Autism in Heels Jennifer Cook O’Toole

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn HardCastle Stuart Turton

The Young Autistic Adult’s Independance Handbook by Haley Moss

Tags

ASD, ASD and related, mental health, Top Pick

Are you living away from home for the first time, graduating from school or perhaps getting a new job? These transitions can be especially overwhelming to deal with as a young autistic adult. This survival guide is bursting with neurodivergent-friendly advice from autistic people themselves (and a few neurotypicals too) for young adults embarking on their own journeys of self-discovery and independence. From guidance on organising your own money, looking after your home and organising your social life to tips on self-advocacy and important life skills such as driving, voting and volunteering, Haley Moss has you covered.

Using personal stories, interviews with experts and tips from other young people, this book gives you tips and tools to boost your confidence, ready to make your mark on the world!

The Museum by Owen Hopkins

Tags

History, Netgalley, Top Pick

Visited by millions around the world every year, discover the untold story of the history of the institution of the museum, one of mankind’s most essential creations.

Using examples of the greatest cultural institutions to shape the narrative, this book outlines the history of the museum movement, tracking the evolution from princely collections in Europe and the Enlightenment’s classically inspired temples of curiosities, via the public museums of the late nineteenth century, on to today’s global era oficonic buildings designed by the world’s leading architects.

Over the course of five chapters filled with stunning imagery that highlights the beauty of these venerated buildings, the origins of key institutions are revealed, including: LouvreMetropolitan Museum of ArtBritish MuseumTate ModernHermitageGuggenheimSmithsonian InstituteAcropolis Museum

Also outlined are the motivations of the architects, curators and patrons who have shaped how we experience the modern museum, a cast that includes names such as King George II, Napoleon, Henry Clay Frick, Peggy Guggenheim, Andrew Carnegie, Alfred Barr, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Frank Gehry, Richard Rogers, Nicholas Serota and Zaha Hadid.

By examining how these venues became intrinsic to our shared cultural experience, analysing the changing roles they play in society and questioning what the future holds in a digital age, this book is for anyone who has stood in awe at the spectacle of a museum.

My Life With Muderers by Professor David Wilson

Tags

Crime, Psychology

“Professor David Wilson has spent his professional life working with violent men – especially men who have committed murder. Aged twenty-nine he became, at that time, the UK’s youngest ever prison Governor in charge of a jail and his career since then has seen him sat across a table with all sorts of killers: sometimes in a tense interview; sometimes sharing a cup of tea (or something a little stronger); sometimes looking them in the eye to tell them that they are a psychopath.

Some of these men became David’s friends; others would still love to kill him.

My Life with Murderers tells the story of David’s journey from idealistic prison governor to expert criminologist and professor. With experience unlike any other, David’s story is a fascinating and compelling study of human nature .”

The Darkside of the mind by Kerry Danes

Tags

Crime

“Welcome to the world of the forensic psychologist, where the people you meet are wildly unpredictable and often frightening. 

The job: to delve into the psyche of convicted men and women to try to understand what lies behind their often brutal actions. 

Follow in the footsteps of Kerry Daynes, one of the most sought-after forensic psychologists in the business and consultant on major police investigations. 

Kerry’s job has taken her to the cells of maximum-security prisons, police interview rooms, the wards of secure hospitals and the witness box of the court room. 

Her work has helped solve a cold case, convict the guilty and prevent a vicious attack. 

Spending every moment of your life staring into the darker side of life comes with a price. Kerry’s frank memoir gives an unforgettable insight into the personal and professional dangers in store for a female psychologist working with some of the most disturbing men and women.”

Learning How To Leave by Michael Padraig Acton

Tags

Netgalley, Self help, Top Pick

The most comprehensive, easy-to-read, survival guide for co-dependents packed with practical advice: from identifying and understanding toxic narcissistic relationships, to learning how to leave and heal. 

Narcissists thrive on isolating their ‘victim’, cutting them off from the life they could be living, and making them so dependent that they feel unable to survive outside of the toxic relationship. This book challenges the reader to refuse to accept the toxic life any longer. To choose a worthier existence. Because we all live the lives we accept for ourselves.

“A narcissist is only done with you when they’re done. For those in a relationship with a narcissist, the most powerful step you can take now is to learn how to leave.” – Michael Padraig-Acton.

Michael Padraig-Acton’s 30+ years experience in psychological therapy and counselling, plus incredible case studies and insights from leading experts, are packed into this accessible, hard-to-put-down guide that will empower codependents – and those who care for them – to understand and identify why and how they need to step away from toxic narcissistic relationships forever… and how to heal. Tackling domestic abuse, domestic violence, addiction, coercive control and more, Learning How To Leave explores myriad narcissistic relationships (romantic, family, work etc). 

Michael Padraig-Acton is dedicated to finding a lasting solution to the silent pandemic of narcissistic personality disorder abuse that is spreading disaster and death across the world. The power of knowledge, understanding and support offered to co-dependents through this book can be a life-changing step towards freedom.

How to Survive in Medieval England

Tags

History

“Imagine you were transported back in time to Medieval England and had to start a new life there. Without mobile phones, ipads, internet and social media networks, when transport means walking or, if you’re fortunate, horse-back, how will you know where you are or what to do? Where will you live? What is there to eat? What shall you wear? How can you communicate when nobody speaks as you do and what about money? Who can you go to if you fall ill or are mugged in the street? However can you fit into and thrive in this strange environment full of odd people who seem so different from you?

All these questions and many more are answered in this new guide book for time-travellers: How to Survive in Medieval England. A handy self-help guide with tips and suggestions to make your visit to the Middle Ages much more fun, this lively and engaging book will help the reader deal with the new experiences they may encounter and the problems that might occur. Know the laws so you don’t get into trouble or show your ignorance in an embarrassing faux pas.

Enjoy interviews with the celebrities of the day, from a business woman and a condemned felon, to a royal cook and King Richard III himself. Have a go at preparing medieval dishes and learn some new words to set the mood for your time-travelling adventure. Have an exciting visit but be sure to keep this book to hand.”

Murder At Madam Tussauds

Tags

Historical Fiction, Mystery, Netgalley, Top Pick

“London, 1896. Madame Tussauds opens to find one of its nightwatchmen decapitated and his colleague nowhere to be found. To the police, the case seems simple: one killed the other and fled, but workers at the museum aren’t convinced. Although forbidden contact by his superior officer, Scotland Yard detective John Feather secretly enlists ‘The Museum Detectives’ Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton to aid the police investigation.

When the body of the missing nightwatchman is discovered encased within a wax figure, the case suddenly becomes more complex. With questions over rival museums, the dead men’s pasts and a series of bank raids plaguing the city, Wilson and Fenton face their most intriguing and dangerous case yet.”

Christmas books 2

The Darkness Echoing by Gillian O’brien

Ireland is a nation obsessed with death. We find a thrill in the moribund, a strange enchantment in the drama of our dark past. It’s everywhere we look and in all of our beloved myths, songs and stories that have helped to form our cultural identity. Our wakes and ballads, our plays and famine sites, all of them and more come together to tell ourselves and the world who we are and what we have suffered to get here.

Gillian O’Brien had a beloved grandmother who tried on outfits in preparation for her wake. Always fascinated by the Irish preoccupation with death and the rituals around it, Gillian sets out to explore this intriguing habit of ours, to be compelled to celebrate the macabre and relish the darkness of own mortality. In The Darkness Echoing she tours Ireland to find our most haunted and fascinating historical sites, to discover the stories behind them and reveal what they say about Ireland as a nation.