What Rachael Reads

Every year I set myself the Goodreads Reading Challenge, but this winter I decided to go a step further and try to complete some of the extra seasonal challenges, too. It’s the perfect excuse to pick up books that have been sitting on my TBR for far too long, mix up the genres a little, and hopefully discover a few new favourites along the way. For my March Reads, I’ve chosen a mix of contemporary fiction, thrillers, and a couple of hugely popular titles that I've seen recommended for years. Here’s what I’ll be reading to help tick off those winter challenge prompts. Daisy Jones and The Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid Buy on Amazon | Buy on Kobo Blurb Set in the 1970s Los Angeles rock scene, this novel follows the meteoric rise of the fictional band Daisy Jones & The Six. Through a series of interviews, the band members recount their journey from obscurity to global fame—and the dramatic events that led to their sudden breakup at the height of their success. Told in an oral history ...

Matchmaker by S.E. Lynes My rating: 4 of 5 stars Matchmaker by S.E. Lynes is a psychological thriller, based in the north of England. Told through multiple POV’s, we meet Cat and Megan. Cat is a young woman with a troubled history, and she deliberately seeks out Megan to chase a link from her own past. Megan, a married mum of two, has an agenda of her own for Cat - a ploy to out her husband as a cheat. Little do they both know, not everyone is who they say they are. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. A bit of a slow burner to start with, but really picks up the pace towards the end and leaves you wanting to keep turning the pages! A couple of clever twists and great character development. I’ve read a couple from this author now, and would definitely recommend. My rating: Genre: Psychological Thriller Publisher: Bookouture Publication date: 13th March 2026 Pages: 364 Buy on Amazon    View all my reviews

The Last Page Cafe by Kate Storey My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Last Page Cafe is a beautiful tale of friendship, community, and new beginnings. Erin McRae is a middle-aged business owner, who single-handedly raised her son, Jack, who has just returned from university. Erin inherited The Bookmark Cafe from her late mother, and makes ends meet by providing a welcoming space for locals to come and relax with a coffee and a book. She runs a small book club, and struggles with change, but when a letter arrives that puts the future of the cafe in jeopardy, Erin needs all the help she can get to save it. Beautifully written and heartwarming, I will definitely be picking up more from this author. My rating: Publication date: 12th March 2026 Page count: 349 Buy on Amazon | Buy on Kobo View all my reviews

Happy 1st December! The festive season is already well and truly underway at our house. Tree and lights are up, advent calendars are opened, and the naughty little elf has already made its appearance! I'm usually one to stick to tradition and start decorating around 12 days before the big event, but (and as I've heard so many say already) it's 2020! Why not? I think we all need a little Christmas joy right now. As you may know, I've been rereading the David Raker series by the incredible Tim Weaver. I'm currently up to book number 4: Never Coming Back. As always, I am thoroughly enjoying it and can't wait to get to the remaining 6 books in the series. I'm hoping to squeeze all of them in before the Christmas madness really gets going! I have a few others on my 'TBR' pile that I'm really looking forward to reading, so let's hope I stay organised and on track to get around to them before 2020 is out! What are you reading? Share with us in the ...

The Dead Tracks by Tim Weaver My rating: 5 of 5 stars Read this for the second time four years later. Increased my rating from 4 to 5 stars. Fantastic book and I love the series. David Raker is an incredible character - a bit like a Smartie; hard as nails on the outside but incredibly soft on the inside, driven by emotion and the events of his past. The Dead Tracks is gripping, thrilling and creepy. Weaver has transformed modern London into a Victorian dystopia here, in a Jack the Ripper style mystery, meshed with more contemporary crimes. The Dead Tracks setting really gives you a feeling of wanting to satisfy curiosity, but also stay away from the danger. You can almost feel the tension through the pages, and I was genuinely both saddened and impressed to discover that the location described as The Dead Tracks, doesn't exist in real life. Tim has expertly brought it to life and created the perfect setting for the grisly storyline. 5 stars and on to the next in the series. 😊 ...

I can't believe it's been over two years since my last post. I feel like I'm sitting at a Confessional right now! Lol. Do people even say "lol" on blogs now? Who knows? Anyway, what a crazy two years it has been. Life has taken some pretty unexpected turns since my last post, and some pretty unexpected turns for most of the developed world in 2020 with the arrival of COVID-19. Yes, I said the c-word. Let's face it, it's pretty inevitable right now that any form of life update or even regular conversation will include at least one reference to coronavirus. April 2018 was the last time I posted. I left you on the cusp of a new business venture, which, although short-lived, I very much enjoyed. I had endured a health scare at the beginning of that year and had begun to make some changes to my lifestyle, mainly diet-related, and had already started to lose some of the weight that I had gained over the previous 18 months or so. Thankfully this weight loss and l...

The Child by Fiona Barton When a paragraph in an evening newspaper reveals a decades-old tragedy, most readers barely give it a glance. But for three strangers it’s impossible to ignore. For one woman, it’s a reminder of the worst thing that ever happened to her. For another, it reveals the dangerous possibility that her darkest secret is about to be discovered. And for the third, a journalist, it’s the first clue in a hunt to uncover the truth. The Child’s story will be told. The Child by Fiona Barton My rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic. 5 star read. If you liked Fiona's previous novel, The Widow you will love this. The Child brings the return of heroine reporter Kate Waters, investigating the discovery of a newborn skeleton found on a building site. We are told the story of the baby through various narratives, but mainly focusing on Kate and two other characters, Angela and Emma. Who does the baby belong to, and how did it end up being buried decades ago? A gri...

Western Fringes: Winner of the CWA Debut Dagger by Amer Anwar My rating: 5 of 5 stars Deserves every one of those stars! This is the Punjabi answer to Guy Ritchie's hit movie Snatch. Fast paced, violently thrilling with hints of humour throughout; a cracking read and more than worthy of its Dagger Award. View all my reviews

I'm back! (Again!) We all have that time of year that is super busy and it seems like nothing gets done; now is that time for us! The past few weeks have been a blur of revision, exams, school trips, children's parties and more! It's a wonder that I have managed to do any reading, but as any book lover knows, you fit it in somewhere! For those of you who follow me on Goodreads, you already know what I've been reading! For those of you that don't, see my list below! I have varied my choices quite significantly this year and I am really enjoying reading novels that I would normally avoid. Most of what I have read has been phenomenal, with the exception of just a few. Take a look below and let me know your thoughts in the comments below! The Stranger in the Woods - Michael Finkel Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan Butter - Erin Lange The Perks of being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky The Circle - Dave Eggers Fat Chance - Nick Spa...

All Fall Down by Tom Bale My rating: 4 of 5 stars After reading See How They Run I was very much looking forward to more from Tom. All Fall Down did not disappoint. Initially, for reasons unknown, I struggled to really connect with the novel. Eventually, however, the Turner family and their hidden pasts hooked me. Tom has a seemingly effortless ability to create an aura of fear and anticipation somewhat akin to Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn. All Fall Down is a gripping thriller and one to watch out for this year. View all my reviews

The Bone Field by Simon Kernick My rating: 5 of 5 stars I think Simon is definitely on my favourite author list after reading this. I couldn't put it down. Something about cold cases always piques my interest so I had a feeling I would enjoy this. After reading a guest blog post by Simon I was in equal parts horrified and excited to discover that The Bone Field is just the start of the story with the remainder split over several books to come. I was unsure how this would end and whether I would be left bereft waiting for the rest of the tale. Simon wrapped it up satisfyingly enough but with a humdinger of a cliff hanger! The Bone Field was the first of Simon's novels for me but definitely won't be the last. I loved his style and flow and found this book unpredictable which was a refreshing change from predicting the ending. One to watch out for in 2017 and eagerly anticipating the next installment. View all my reviews

A Year and a Day by Isabelle Broom My rating: 5 of 5 stars Oh, my heart is bursting after reading this! It's not my usual choice of genre, but in the spirit of widening my reading choices I gave it a go. I am so pleased that I did. The book is set in the beautiful city of Prague during the winter time. Having visited Prague many years ago myself, and with a little help from Google Earth (don't judge me!) I felt myself reminiscing the sights and sounds which made the reading experience even deeper for me. I loved the trilogy of tales woven intricately together to create one single saga. I have never read anything from Isabelle before, but I can truthfully say that next time I won't hesitate. I fell in love with the characters in the book so much so that it almost felt like my emotions were tied to theirs. A tale of love, expression, wonderment and loss, a beautiful release from reality. Da Iawn Isabelle Broom. View all my reviews

Rattle by Fiona Cummins My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow! Just, wow! The first novel I have read by Fiona and I just loved it! I knew from the first few chapters that it was going to be a good one! I love her style, the ease of reading and attention to detail. The pace of the story was perfect and the character depth was just enough to get to know them, without all the extra baggage. Overall it was much better than I had expected. The synopsis didn't scream at me to make me want to read it, but having done so, I would highly recommend it and I am looking forward to more from Fiona. View all my reviews

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan My rating: 5 of 5 stars What can I say about this book, other than beautiful? It just confirmed everything I love about literature. The author really drew me in and allowed me to be a part of the story. I read it as if it were my own adventure, and what an adventure it was! Heart-warming and awe-inspiring, I want to read it all over again. View all my reviews

Watch Me by Angela Clarke My rating: 5 of 5 stars Angela Clarke is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Having devoured her debut Follow Me last year I couldn't wait to read more from her. The ultra-modern take on the serial killer thriller is fantastic and bang up to date. Watch Me is another cool, crisp thriller that's right at home in 2017. View all my reviews

Sunday mornings are my favourite time of the week, especially during late Autumn when it's all dressing gowns and fluffy socks! In fact, I have cosied up that much the last week or so that I forgot to blog. Oops! I have read a fair few books in that period. All of which I have enjoyed immensely and will include a short review and links below.  It seems my 'to be read' pile (TBR for short) is getting longer by the day! I have discovered a fair few new authors in 2016 including Alex Lake and K.L. Slater and I cannot wait to read their next installments! Speaking of K.L. Slater, I read the brilliant Safe With Me last week. A gripping psychological thriller. Thirteen years ago someone did something very bad to Anna. Now it’s her turn to get even … Anna  lives a solitary existence, taking solace in order and routine. Her only friend is the lonely old lady next door. She doesn’t like to let people to get too close – she knows how much damage they can do. Then...

Wow, can't believe how long it has been since my last post! What a year it has been too. 2015 finished amazingly as always with a beautiful family Christmas and New Year. 2016 has been incredibly bittersweet so far with some amazing things and some not so good. My lovely Dad was diagnosed with bowel cancer, but thankfully he made a full recovery quite swiftly. I don't know what I would do without him. The little ones are not so little anymore. The smallest started nursery and we had a visit to the 'big school' for the eldest. Cannot believe this time next year she will be in Year 7! We had a new addition to the family of the canine variety. A beautiful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Cooper! He keeps me busy and we are enjoying going out for walks and snuggling up on the sofa together. I have had a difficult year personally, and was recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. It's a daily struggle with the energy required to raise 3 children and keep house, bu...

I would like to say that I am disappointed with this offering from Liane Moriarty, but I can't. Towards the end of the book I felt let down, wanting more from the story, feeling that it should be... better somehow. Big Little Lies was explosive with plenty of twists and turns and I had, maybe wrongly, expected the same here. It was predictable and I guessed what was about to happen for almost the entire story. Until the epilogue. The epilogue was a game changer and a welcome surprise. It changed the story entirely and made the book worthy of the brilliant reviews I had read beforehand. It cemented Liane Moriarty as one of my new favourite authors despite only having read two of her books so far. I find her style very easy to read and I am looking forward to reading the rest of her collection. This afternoon I start What Alice Forgot and I have already loaded the rest of Moriarty's collection onto my Kindle. Until next time! Rachael x

My recent obsession: Goodreads Earlier this year I discovered something called  Goodreads  and I have recently started to use it A LOT so I thought I would dedicate a blog post to it, so that I could give it a full review and the credit it deserves. For those of you who don't know what it is, it is basically THE social media site for books and book lovers. According to their own 'About Us' page it is the "largest site for readers and book recommendations in the World" with over 40 million members and more than 1 billion books. From 2013 on it became a part of the Amazon family and has since gone from strength to strength. It is a great place to connect with like-minded readers all over the world, to discover what's 'hot' right now, to find your next read and much more. Whenever I purchase a book online, which is usually through Amazon anyway because I have a Kindle, I like to browse through some reviews and maybe look at it's star rating. ...

Well, it's been a crazy few days since my last post. It's the Summer Holidays here in the UK and so my three little darlings are at home taking up what precious little time I have for blogging and other such activities! Although we have had heaps of fun so far in between the outbreaks of rain! (Another perk of living in Wales!) Today I finished Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I loved it! To begin with I was a little apprehensive about my choice as it is not the usual genre that I enjoy reading. I am very much a True Crime / Thriller girl at heart. I chose this particular book because I am currently participating in a Reading Challenge that I stumbled across on Goodreads . The challenge is comprised of 52 books, one per week, with a different topic for each book. This week's topic was a book with antonyms in the title and Big Little Liars was one of the more popular choices with the other challengers in the group.  The first few chapters were a little slow, int...