Goodreads Review: A Year and a Day by Isabelle Broom

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.

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Goodreads Review: Rattle by Fiona Cummins

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.

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Book Review: The Woman in Cabin 10

Happy Publication Day to the amazing Ruth Ware and The Woman in Cabin 10! I gratefully received an advance reader copy of this last year and I loved it! Read my short review and grab your copy today!

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved In A Dark Dark Wood by Ruth and I hoped that The Woman in Cabin 10 would be as good. It was better! The mysterious plot outline of a supposed murder occurring on a ship where all its passengers are present and accounted for is riveting. Fantastic thriller and looking forward to more from Ruth Ware.

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What is your reading speed?

Whilst browsing online book stores yesterday I came across a book called Speed Reading; How to increase your reading speed and comprehension by Bryan Botwin. I like to think of myself as a relatively fast and competent reader, but thought I would read it anyway. Any of us bookworms will admit that being able to read faster can only be a good thing as it enables us to read more and more books in less time.

Speed Reading: How To Increase Your Reading Speed And Comprehension by Bryan Botwin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A few helpful tips to increase your reading speed. Short and sweet.

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I have encountered the notion of speed reading before and vaguely remember doing an online test to discover my reading speed. Taking an online test is recommended by the author to establish your current speed and to be able to monitor any progress made in future.

I took this speed reading test today and I was genuinely shocked by my results. The site says that the average speed at which we read is around 200 words per minute and we retain roughly 60% of the information before us. I was pretty confident of beating this, being an avid, long-time reader. I was incredibly pleased to see my reading speed was a whopping 550 words per minute and my retention rate was 91%!! I took the test again as instructed and my words per minute had increased to 638! Apparently only 1% of readers have a retention of more than 85% and can reach speeds of up to 1000 words per minute! Pretty interesting stuff! If you want to take a look at the book, get it now for free below.

Book Review: The Breakdown by B A Paris

Wow! What a read! After the halfway point I genuinely could not put this down!! I became a huge fan of B A Paris after last year's Behind Closed Doors (who didn't?!) and The Breakdown has only cemented my opinion.

Fast-paced and gripping, it will leave you wanting more and more. Just as with Jack and Grace in Behind Closed Doors, here we are introduced to Cass and Matthew, a seemingly ordinary couple with run of the mill jobs and a few close friends to hang out with. Paris' character development is pure genius and the attention to detail second to none. On a personal level I really connected with Cass as someone who has suffered with anxiety and memory problems. We follow her as her life is almost falling apart at the seams, with the ever present and dependable husband to lean on. When a murder occurs a little too close to home, and with a murderer still at large, will the strange things going on around her be enough to send Cass over the edge before its too late?

Pre-order your copy today! Release date 9th February!