‘The Cornish Cream Tea Christmas’ is the third book in the Cornish cream tea book series. The first book was a great love story, the second was a struggle to get through but this book was the best of the series.

In a time like this year when families and friends can’t be together you can lose yourself in the warm glow of this book.

Hannah Swan has to go to the Cornish village of Porthgolow just before Christmas for work. She leaves her family and friends behind in Scotland while she works to try and get back home before Christmas Day.

This book has so much to it such as a ghost story, the meaning of friendship and the joy of new love.

‘Some Desperate Glory’ is a combination of biography and poetry. Following the lives and poetry of 11 poets Max Egremont looks at what was happening during each year of the war. Each year of the First World War is accompanied by a short biography of the poets and some of the poetry they had written in that year.
The book overall shows the mortality rate of the war because out of the 11 poets Max Egremont picks only 5 survive the war.
Although the book is interesting it can feel a little disjointed with the jumping back and forth between the poets.

When Mrs McGillicuddy is visiting her friend Miss Marple after doing some shopping she is horrified when she looks out of her train window to see someone getting murdered.

The only thing is when she reports it, no body is found. Enlisting the help of her friend Miss Marple, they are determined to prove that a murder did happen. After signs point to an old family house Jane must get help herself to stop the murderer from striking again.

This is a brilliant story with a small bit of humour and with interesting characters. Miss Eyelesbarrow is an interesting character who is helping Miss Marple throughout the story.

The addition of the two children playing detectives is a stark contrast between a game and the reality of a murderer who is running around.

With a Linwood Barclay book you know you are in for a story full of twists and turns. This one does not disappoint.

When his wife dies in a drunk driving accident Glen Garber is shocked. When he gets told it looks like she was the cause Glen is unable to accept that it was an accident and searches for answers. Very soon he finds himself down a rabbit hole of deceit, blackmail and murder.

The Accident is a fantastic book which you will not want to put down. The chapters are short and quick to read but it is brilliantly written. Barclay knows how to turn the lives of average households upside down and into the world of crime.

The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes are very enjoyable. They consist of four novels and fifty-six short stories. The short stories are around twenty pages long which makes them just enough for enjoying a lovely afternoon read.

The stories range from the simple (The Noble Bachelor) to the most bizarre (The Engineer’s Thumb). Some can even be comical (The Red-Headed League). The Final Problem really tugs at the heart strings as Watson recalls the show down between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty. Despite being a fictional character, you can really feel Watson’s emotions whether it is excitement, disbelief or deep in grief. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle really makes you feel for the characters and the cases that get brought to them despite only having twenty pages to convey it all in.

The characters of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are very enjoyable to read. Watson is the narrator of each individual case and although it is meant to have been written after the case has been solved. It is great to see how the case unfolds and the reader only knows new information when Watson knows it allowing for Sherlock’s big reveal at the end. The dynamic between the two works really well. Sherlock brings the knowledge and Watson bring the compassion.

Although Holmes can be abrupt and considered rude, he is not prejudiced between classes and accepts a case on how interesting it is rather then how much money the client has. In the short story The Speckled Band Miss Stoner is unable to pay Holmes until she is married for that is when she comes into her small inheritance. Holmes replies that no reward is needed and any expenses that he occurs during the solving of the case can be paid when Miss Stoner is able to. Holmes takes cases from the government and royalty who have come for his advice. Holmes also gets assistance from time to time from boys off the streets who can go around undetected due to their social background and being largely ignored by the higher classes. He does assist the police and usually gives them the majority if not the full credit of solving the case.

Overall, they are brilliant mysteries that are very enjoyable to read. Some of the novels can be a bit long but shape the story line well.

The Fault In Our Stars is a brilliant book. It’s got humour and sadness all mixed into one.

Hazel is a teenager with cancer. The book follows her through a time in her life when she meets Augustus Waters. Throughout this story you see the harsh realities of life, death and the little things that can keep them going.

It’s a lovely written book and I would recommend it along with a box of tissues. It looks at what cancer can do to relationships and to the mind.

Although it is generally marketed as a book for young adults I feel that it can be for other ages. It is a beautiful but sad story that shows how life can be so important no matter how short.

You’re The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher is a fantastic book. As Maddy walks down the aisle she wonders if the man she is marrying is the right one. Maddy has been friends with Robert and Ben since they were nine years old and have been inseparable since. The narrative follows their lives as they navigate through seventeen years of friendship going from school, to university and later becoming adults with jobs.

It is very well written and makes you feel for Maddy as she needs to decide between Ben and Robert. This book makes you feel for the characters and to sympathise with them. I would say that it can get frustrating with the characters going back and forth on how they feel, however this does make the reader read on and there is a lot to enjoy with this book. The characters although frustrating feel very real and life-like making them relatable. It also puts the reader into the characters shoes about what choices they would have made in the same circumstances. Overall a very enjoyable book and one I would heartily recommend.

After a normal visit to see his great aunt Ada, Tommy Berresford gets the news that she has died. After Tommy and his wife Tuppence find out an elderly lady who lived in the same home as Ada had been taken away during the night Tuppence believes something suspicious is happening.

With Tommy not believing her and needing to go away for a few days on business Tuppence takes the opportunity to find the missing Mrs Lancaster. Armed with a painting and a vague recollection of an old house she sets off to find out what is going on.

But when Tuppence doesn’t return home and no one has seen her Tommy must try and pick up any clues his wife has left behind in order to find her.

This is a brilliant Agatha Christie novel that keeps you reading from beginning to end.

‘Geekerella’ by Ashley Poston is a funny modern take on the classic Cinderella tale. Not only does it keep the characteristics of Cinderella but has a new twist and lots of references to nerd culture. Elle Wittimer wants to go to a cosplay competition to win an invitation to the Excelsicon Cosplay Ball and a chance to meet the actor playing a federation commander in a film reboot of a television series she has loved since she was a child. Elle tries everything she can to go through all obstacles to get there.

It is a great story that is so easy to read. The references to nerd culture will keep you going throughout and get you thinking. It is a very funny book that you will finish quickly without realising because it flows so well.

‘I Owe You One’ is a fun chick lit book that will make you laugh and cry. When Fixie Farr helps a complete stranger out at a coffee shop she would have no idea how much their lives would intertwine and how far a small I owe you can go. The characters are nicely done with their own flaws and quirks. It’s a great easy book to read on a holiday and can be hard to put down as you fall in and out of love alongside Fixie.