Tag: reading

What organising a Book Festival feels like 2 months out 💙📖

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I cannot fathom that this little idea I thought up around 2 years ago is now a ACTUAL REAL THING!

Like legit, it is real – it’s happening in less than 2 months and I think I’m still on the high of excitement and not in the pits of nervousness.

I cannot predict what emotions I’ll be feeling in a months time, or even in 2 weeks out from the event but what I can say is that right now – things are on track and somehow, I don’t know why, but I feel settled in this feeling that people will turn up and it will all be okay. A bit like when we were in the thick of applying for grants and I just had this gut feeling, we’d be okay.

I think one of the main things keeping me feeling centred and focused is that I’ve had such a positive experience working within a team of strong, intelligent and generous women. For these women to surround me, encourage me and propel me forward has been hands down, one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. And they’re all volunteering their time to do this! I get emotional thinking about it – the weight of that encompassing belief of “you can do it” and “we believe in you”.

It feels like we’re just putting the finishing touches on now and creating a run-sheet of what our team has had running over and over in our minds for the past 6 months.

So two months out and my day-to-day looks like – planning our social media content, trying to post 3 times per week with paid promotions behind some posts. Myself and the team are distributing promotional posters, bookmark and bits and bobs around the region. We’re organising media interviews and I’m getting calls from newspapers.

The sense of community excitement is creeping in and it’s a wonderful feeling that is hard to describe. Maybe on the day of the festival, I’ll find the words.

How things change over time 🕰

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Hi book friends!

It’s been little while since I dedicated some personal time to writing on my blog … and I’ve missed it SO MUCH!

I think a big part of me not making the time to write, debrief and escape is because this is a place where a big portion of my life hasn’t been shared before. And in turn, I haven’t really made space for it before on here either.

So that’s about to change!

I wanted to give you an update of where things are up to at the moment in the life of Mel Reviews Her Books and what you can expect to see going forward. Here goes:

🤓 I have been reading so many books – I think I’m at a total of 20 already this year – but I’ve been debriefing them in a Reading Journal. I’ve really enjoyed this process and would like to maybe share bits and pieces of that more on here. I think I’d also like to run a local and/or regional workshops for this as well sometime soon! I find the downtime, away from a screen and listening to F.R.I.E.N.D.S on the tv in the background, incredibly relaxing.

🎥 I still ADORE planning and filming Author Talks on here as a long-form written interview and also via Instagram Live. This is something I’ve dedicated to hosting once a month, with predominately debut Aussie Authors to help bring light to their wonderful work and celebrate this new exciting path they’re on. You’ll still find me doing this on the ‘Author Talks’ tab and on my Instagram –> here

💙 I have been creating, forming, planning and am now 2 months away from delivering a book festival, called the Riverina Readers Festival. This has been over a year in the making. Our Festival is set to take place in the Riverina, NSW on Saturday 13 July.

To say my life has been consumed by this epic endeavour is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s been an absolute dream come true to work on morphing this younger Mel idea into fruition. It’s real and it’s happening – I don’t think that has really sunk in yet.

I cannot believe the excitement already building and anticipation in the air. So in saying this, I want to share a little more about what the journey and experience has been like in creating a Book Festival. The hows, whens, oh no’s’, and ‘oh my god this is happening’ moments. Right now, you can find us at www.riverinareadersfestival.org.au

📧 I did have all good intentions of producing and delivering an email into your inbox once a month – it was a new years goal. But you know, sometimes new years goals don’t work out the way you expect and instead, I now create newsletters for the Riverina Readers Festival! So if you’d like to hear from me in newsletter form, click here –> sign up

📖 I also had good intentions of running an online bookclub, however that has now transitioned into planning and coordinating a book club for the Riverina Readers Festival following our one-day book festival! So if you’re interested in a book club that highlights Aussie talent and meets only a few times a year, click here –> sign up to book club news

So in essence, I’m well and run off my feet + filling with nervous excitement as time inches closer to the Riverina Readers Festival 💙 I can’t wait to start sharing some bits and pieces with you and changing up this webpage a little.

👀 Keep your eyes peeled!

Mel xx

Book Review: ‘When in Rome’ by Sarah Adams

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You know that feeling when you find a new book that will continue to be the book you re-read to get you out of a book slump?

When in Rome by Sarah Adams is that new book for me 💖

It’s been a hot minute since I last had a book that I just simply NEEDED to spend my whole Sunday reading. When in Rome had me hooked from the moment we open the first pages and Amelia is in her beat up car driving off into the middle of nowhere, in an effort to just escape the overwhelm that is her current celebrity life.

Amelia, or better known as Rose Ray, is a pop superstar with T-Swift levels of fame. Her singing career is at its peak but her wellbeing is not. Her relationship with her Manager is overbearing. Her mum only wants her to pay for extravagant trips around the world. Her dating and true friendships are basically non-existent because of the grinding life she leads.

Deciding that the only way to clear her head and get a little perspective, Amelia drives to Rome, Kentucky in an effort to loosely recreate her favourite Audrey Hepburn film, When in Rome (that’s Rome, Italy, but sadly her scheduling cannot allow for that plane flight).

15kms out of Rome, Kentucky, Amelia’s car decides that it’s had a good life and it’s ready to call it a day … right on Noah’s front lawn. That’s right, we have a good old grumpy X sunshine trope goin’ on and I was stocked about it!

Noah has returned back to his home town of Rome after a heartbreaking relationship that upended his life. He’s just starting to resettle into country life again. He’s opened and is running his family pie shop with the help of his sisters and is certainly NOT in the mood for romance. Noah immediately recognises Amelia and assumes she a spoilt, rich and stuck up superstar who expects to be treated like royalty. But that is certainly not the case. Amelia is reserved, shy and uncertain of the fame and stardom that is her current stressor. And this experience in Rome, and with Noah, could be just what she needs.

Their bickering, joking and heat is so well paced and I adored Noah for all his grumpiness! He’s the protector in his family, has emotional intelligence (at times) and ends up opening his world to Amelia + we have the addition of his sisters! Gosh I loved them! And it you want more of their stories, read Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams.

I do hope we see these small town characters again in future Sarah Adams’ novels because this was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) star for me!

My Year in Book (2023 edition)

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2023 was an epic year in books for me – in the form of reading, reviewing, talking about books with all you book lovers and also talking with authors about their work!

This year I have:

⭐️ Conducted over 10 in person, online and panel interviews

⭐️ Participated in NaNoWriMo & now have 20,000 words on page

⭐️ Started the Riverina Readers Festival

⭐️ Attended two book festivals

⭐️ Met some seriously talented people!

In 2023 I read a total of 26 books! If you’d like to see & follow my individual ratings for each book, you can jump onto my GoodReads (click here)

  • The 📖 BOOK will indicate that there is a book review of this title on Mel Reviews Her Books
  • The 🎤 MICROPHONE will indicate that there is an Author Talks with this author on Mel Reviews Her Books
  • The 🎥 FILM will indicate that you can watch an Instagram Live Interview with this author on @melreviewsherbooks

Heartstrong by Ellidy Pullin 📖

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley 📖

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni (2x reread) 📖

The Spice Roads by Maia Ibrihim 📖

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

The Redgum River Retreat by Sandie Docker 🎤

The Dangers of Female Provocation by Zoë Coyle 📖🎤🎥

Five Bush Weddings by Clare Fletcher 📖🎤🎥

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey 📖🎤🎥

How to be Remembered by Michael Thompson 📖🎤🎥

Ascension by Nicholas Binge 📖

The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams 📖

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (3x reread) 📖

The Whispering by Veronica Lando 📖

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 📖

The Hummingbird Effect by Kate Mildenhall 📖🎤🎥

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

A Beginner’s Guide to Scandal by Alivia Fleur

Happy Place by Emily Henry

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary 📖

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary (3x reread) 📖

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace 📖

The Love Contract by Steph Vizard

The Only One Left by Riley Sager 📖

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett 📖

Kill Your Husbands by Jack Heath 📖🎤🎥

Love and Other Scores by Abra Pressler

Here’s to another year full of books, joy and reading 💖

Book Review: ‘Kill Your Husbands’ by Jack Heath

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I did not expect to devour this book in under a week but I’m not ashamed to say that I did! What I am ashamed to say is that this is my first Jack Heath book! If the rest of his adult crime fiction are anything like this … book friends, you know what’s on my Christmas list 📕

Kill Your Husbands is a witty, stand alone crime fiction novel that takes place in a secluded, digital detox holiday house. Three couples, who are high school friends, take the opportunity to leave behind their every day life baggage and spend some time reconnecting with themselves, their partners and … other couples partners.

There are many different perspectives and characters to flick around in this book, so let me start by introducing them as outlined to us in the front of this novel:

*written by Detective Kiara*

FELICITY, stand-up comic, married to Dominic (trophy wife?)

DOMINIC (Dom), finance bro, gave $10K to Cole (gift or loan?)

COLE, gym owner, married to Clementine (but attracted to Isla?)

CLEMENTINE, fitness model, Isla’s best friend (find someone who’s done IVF, see if story is credible)

ISLA, full-time mum, married to Oscar (what ‘truth’ was he referring to?)

OSCAR, real estate agent (but didn’t rent the house?)

Just reading these I was immediately intrigued! So, we have Dom and Felicity, a very glitzy pair who show off their wealth in a new Tesla & branded clothing. Dom also forked out and rented the grand holiday house for everyone – he’s a bit of a show off really. Felicity is quite a bit younger than Dom and has an interesting background before meeting Dom. Felicity is the one to suggest the partner swap … or is she?

We have Cole and Clementine who are the ‘perfect’ couple. However for them, their seemingly wonderful relationship is not complete without a baby. They’ve been through multiple rounds of IVF and the cost is setting Cole’s gym business backwards. He is also starting to see Clementine as becoming fragile and not able to fulfil his desires. Cole is beginning to feel helpless and he has an urge that needs fulfilling … will the partner swap be just what he needs to fulfil these continuous thoughts?

Finally, we have Isla and Oscar, and they have a little one named Noah who is the light of their life but Oscar is beginning to feel twinges of jealously, like he is left behind and that his wife is only sexually attracted to him because she wants another baby. Mentally, Oscar is finding it hard to stay balanced, and a weekend away from his son, somewhat from his wife, is exactly what he needs. And also because there will be another woman there he’d like to focus on … Oscar never thought he’d be a man who would cheat on his wife, but he’s obsessed.

Snipping through each perspective, two week time period, as well as being lead through the investigation process by Kiara , Kill Your Husbands is a very quick read 📕 There is no time to put this story down because at the end of every chapter, you’re left hanging for the next.

Each character has a motive for murdering another in the group. Each character you feel sympathy for because we learn, care and understand how they feel – it’s only human. Each character is a suspect. Up to the very last pages, I promise you, you will be kept guessing as to who, when, how and why.

Kill Your Husbands was a 5/5 read for me, no doubt about it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’d like to hear Jack Heath and I discuss Kill Your Husbands, join us on Instagram Live Saturday 23 December @ 10am 🔪

BIG THANK YOU to Allen & Unwin for generously sending me this copy of Kill Your Husbands for review 💫👏🏼

WWW Wednesdays

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WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words 📚 It is a book tag to broaden the reading community and help connect avid readers!

All you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

CR: Love and Other Scores by Abra Pressler is my current read, and I am devouring it! This easy to follow romance fiction is set on our very own Australian shores at the Australian Open (tennis glam slam – for those who don’t follow sports). Gabi is is professional tennis player seeking a moment of solice from the pressure, overwhelm and commitment that is tennis ruling your life. He wanders into a basement bar only to come across Noah. Noah is working out his days in this bar with it’s new owner. He feels connected to this place even now when it’s going down hill. He remembers what it used to be – jazzy, fun, inclusive, alive. Noah has no idea who Gabi is and to Gabi, this is a breath of fresh air. Will Noah be the perfect yin to Gabi’s yan? You’d better read and find out! Grab a copy here if you like 🎾

RF: Kill Your Husbands by Jack Health is a suspenseful, crime fiction novel I powered through in under a week! I was trying my best to read this non-stop because every chapter ended on a cliff hanger and by the end, as the reader we’re left trying to piece together what happened in a frantic mess of webs! Kill Your Husbands follows 3 couples as they venture on a digital detox holiday in the Australian bush. The holiday house they’ve rented is isolated, beautiful and the perfect place for things to go wrong. Que the suggestion of partner swapping, one person murdered and an unknown squatter on the property – things start to go very wrong, very fast. Full book review for Kill Your Husbands coming this weekend ✅

RN: Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey is next up on my TBR and she’s going to be glorious – I can already feel it! Every time I pick up a novel by Tessa Bailey I think to myself, ‘Why have I left it so long before picking up another one of her books!’. I always adore them and how I could I say no to this; it’s Christmas; it’s giving cozy vibes; AND it’s romance. Yes, yes, yes from me 💖 + it’s our December pick for our online Romance book club called ‘THE ROMANTICS’. If you’d like to join, click this link: Join Here!

💫 Mini Review 💫

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The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams is your new smutty book on the block ✅

I can promise that in 48 hours, you will snavel this novel up and will be continuing on your book buying binge for ALL other Sarah Adams books. (click me and you can see them 😉)

Bree and Nathan have been best friends since high school. Nathan dreamt of becoming an NFL superstar and Bree dreamt of becoming a professional ballet dancer. Sadly, only one of their dreams came true. After having a few years apart in collage, Nathan and Bree have reconnected and their friendship is stronger than ever. It is also particularly threatening to any of the women Nathan’s chooses to dates, mainly as all of these woman can see the unrequited love between the two of them that neither care to admit.

This friends to lovers trope takes a great turn when Nathan’s celebrity stardom approves of Bree as a potential cutesy girlfriend after yet another breakup goes wrong. Que, the two of them in a fake relationship and oh how this is entertaining to read!

Okay positives and contrary aspects:

+ve’s:

  • Written as if the author is talking to you in conversation which makes the novel extremely easy to read
  • Friends to lovers trope
  • Characters are really warm and loveable
  • Dual perspective
  • Bree is so quirky and cute that she is what every girls dreams the main character is in these smutty novels (… or maybe that’s just what I enjoy reading!)
  • The whole premise of this book happens over quite a short period of time

Contrary:

  • Not a lot of depth to the environment or back story of each character. I wanted a little more historical detail surrounding Bree and Nathan’s teenage years and friendship bond back then
  • Wasn’t long enough … I was invested 🤗
  • There wasn’t a big dramatic peak as there usually is in 80% of novels in this genre. I was kind of waiting for a big secret to be exposed or a disagreement to happen over something minuscule and then have the main characters make up … but it didn’t really happen. In a way this was kind of a positive as the character’s didn’t resent, argue or disagree with one another. The novel just ended in a peachy kind way which was warm and fuzzy.

All in all, this smutty read is perfect for a rainy day, with a nice hot cup of tea!

Purchase or download your copy via this link: The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

WWW Wednesdays

~ melreviewsherbooks ~ 1 Comment

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words 📚 It is a book tag to broaden the reading community and help connect avid readers!

All you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

CR: Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin has me captivated and desperate to find out where these characters lives are at the end of the novel. I cannot wait to break down each character and my thoughts in a full review when I finish this. I have SO many thoughts on Sadie, Sam, Marx and Dov. Golly, if any of my previous encouragement has not gotten you over the line in reading this novel, this is your calling – DO IT!

RF: The Redgum River Retreat by Sandie Docker was an Australian fiction I recently finished and loved this month. As you longtime book blog followers will know, Sandie is not only one of my favourite authors but also one of my favourite people! Sandie was the first Australian author I interviewed on this blog and she was/is incredibly kind. I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to actually meet Sandie in a week as she visits my local bookstore. It was an absolute pleasure reading her latest novel (in 48hr as per usual – I ADORE them all) and to have organised a few events for her.

RN: How To Be Remembered by Michael Thompson is a perfectly modern and unique spin on The Time Traveller’s Wife and also a novel that I am half way through … meaning, I desperately need to finish it and write a review. Additionally, having the pleasure of meeting Michael recently upon my organisation of his visit to our local store, ensured my desire to finish Tommy Llewellyn’s story.

What are some novels on your TBR pile?

Bookish Recommendation

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I’m all about comfort when I’m reading. I will squirm, switch spots, cross and recross my legs and then huff that I’m in a good spot but then forget where I sat my coffee. Squirm, switch, cross, recross and huff I go again! Seriously, the life of a reader 🙄🤣

Essentially, what I’m saying is that comfort is key to immersing yourself in a good book and feeling content. I recently researched, compared and purchased the most fabulous staple for book worms – a Reading Cushion!

Where did you get it Mel? Pillow Talk Australia or pillowtalk.com.au

How much was it? I purchased this striped, soft grey reading cushion at full price, HOWEVER, it is currently on sale for $47.95 (I would jump on that!)

How often have you actually used it? I’m not joking with you when I say that every time I pick up my book, I also pick up this reading cushion (see the handle). I’m hiking this bad boy with me everywhere!

Perfect for sitting perched up in bed, relaxing on the couch, or maybe even on the lawn while reading in the sun. I’m obsessed – you might be too!

3 DNF’s (did not finish) in August

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Reading tastes are like a wave, they come and go, they morph and evolve. And you know what readers, this is okay! In my opinion, it can mean that you are growing as a person 🌱 What you may have enjoyed a month, 6 months or a year ago is now different. It can also mean that your environment or situational experiences at the current time of your book selection just didn’t correlate with your feelings at the time. And again, this is okay! Books draw you in at different times of your life – that’s why I find it hard to let go of them 😉📚

Legendborn by Tracey Deonn

At the moment, this YA Fantasy isn’t for me. Myself and a lovely friend were planning on marathoning this book for the month of September but sadly, it’s not gripping me.

I give a book 100 pages before sinking my teeth in and settling in for the reading ride. I gave this 111 and still wasn’t feeling connected. The magical language, environment and events of the first 100 pages lost me… I will give it another go soon.

Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

I was looking for a romance book, then it turned sad! REAL QUICK! This isn’t a bad thing and I can see that the book has potential. I’ve laughed and been left thinking about some scenes throughout this book but again, it wasn’t giving me the feels I was looking for.

DNF’ed for now. I purchased this on Kindle when it was on sale, therefore I am not overly upset about setting it aside. It will stay on the Kindle until it jumps out to me again.

Careless by Kirsty Capes

Now, now, now – this book is temporarily on hold but I am determined to finish it! A debut novel with stunning reviews, young adult challenges and first person fictional experience of the foster care system in the UK. These are all topics that interest me, yet at the moment I’m looking for something with quick, fast-paced and immediately immersive writing. This has beautiful lyrical writing that I want to savour. I’m sadly just not wanting that in my reading this month therefore, Careless is staying very close to my bedside and ready to resume next month 📚