Category: books

The Ipswich Book Festival 📚

Hi guys 👋🏻

Last weekend I attended the inaugural Ipswich Book Festival, Chapter One…here’s how it went…

1st Stop – 12pm Talk Author ‘Tim Sullivan’

‘ The Bookseller’

This was a brilliant and funny talk from Tim Sullivan, the author of the George Cross Mystery novels. It was so interesting to hear about the writing process, where he gets his ideas from and to hear his passion for the brilliant character of George Cross. George is great, and I’m glad I managed to pick up the latest in the series (signed 😃) as well as a few that I haven’t read yet.

The Cross novels are so enjoyable to read, and the subject of Neurodivergance is well researched and beautifully represented in these exciting and gripping novels.

Tim was very funny and witty, and the team interviewing were great, so it made for a really enjoyable talk.

2nd Stop – Lunch & a spot of reading 📚

My current Book Club read 📚

Stop 3 – Time for a bit of book browsing/shopping

I had to pop into one of my favourite shops in Ipswich, and our only independent book shop,’Dial Lane Books’, on Dial Lane.

I also popped into Waterstones to use a book voucher that I conveniently found that morning. I love their buy one get one half price deal!

Stop 4 – 4pm Talk Author Wendy Holden

‘The Teacher of Auschwitz’

This talk was beautifully moving, and it was so inspiring to hear their brave stories.

In the current world, it was wonderful to hear some courageous and self less stories about humans helping each other and putting others before themselves, even in the most unthinkable situations and conditions. These are stories that now more than ever need to be heard.

Stop 5 – 4.45pm Talk John Wark and Mark Prentice

‘He’s here, he’s there’

As a lifelong Ipswich town fan, I thoroughly enjoyed John Warks talk to round off a brilliant day.

Every Ipswich town fan knows who the legend John Wark is, but I have to admit I had no idea just how much of a mark he has made on the world of football, the stats and accolades are insane, awards and lists with some of the world’s most famous footballers – formidable in Europe and the highest leagues of football in his day, he really helped put little old Ipswich Town on the map.

It was a great way to end a fantastic day, and I for one cannot wait until next years festival.

Next year, the event is proposed for the first weekend of October 2026!

https://www.ipswichbookfestival.com/

Sign up to their newsletter to keep up to date with their plans.

I wish I could do it all again this weekend 📚

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

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August Reads 📚

Hi guys 👋🏻

Let’s take a look at this months books.

Month Eight!

Total Reads:

9

Favourite read:

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

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July Reads 📚

Hi guys 👋🏻

Let’s take a look at this months books.

Month Seven!

‘Book Boyfriend’ by Lucy Vine
‘The night she disappeared’ by Lisa Jewell
‘The Paris Apartment’ by Lucy Foley
‘Hotel Avocado’ by Bob Mortimer

Total Reads:

4

Favourite read:

Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

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June Reads 📚

Hi guys 👋🏻

Let’s take a look at this months books.

Month Six, we are halfway through the year!!!

‘The Split’ by Sharon Bolton
‘Funny Story’ by Emily Henry
‘Traitors Gate’ by Jeffrey Archer
‘Project Hail Mary’ by Andy Weir

(Audible) – would 100% recommend, the narrator was brilliant. It made the experience 100 times better.

Total Reads:

4

Favourite book:

Project Hail Mary & Traitors gate

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

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May Reads 📚

Hi guys 👋🏻

Let’s take a look at this months books.

Month Five – let’s go!

‘The Best Summer Ever’ by Heidi Swain
‘The Boy Who Lived’ by David Holmes (Audible)
‘The Tenant’ by Freida McFadden
‘Never Lie’ by Freida McFadden
‘The Unwanted Guest’ by Shari Lapena
‘Dallergut Dream Department Store’ by Miye Lee
‘Return To The Dallergut Dream Department Store’ by Miye Lee (Audible)

Total reads:

7

Favourite book:

The Best Summer Ever by Heidi Swain

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

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April reads 📚

Hi guys 👋🏻

Let’s take a look at this months books.

Month Four – let’s go!

‘I haven’t been entirely honest with you’ by Miranda Hart
‘Someone in the attic’ by Andrea Mara
‘The Girls’ By Lisa Jewell
‘The Woman on the ledge’ by Ruth Mancini
‘The Boyfriend’ by Freida Mcfadden

Total reads this month:

5

Favourite book this month:

The Woman on the Ledge by Ruth Mancini

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

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March Reads 📚

Hi guys 👋🏻

We have just finished the third month of the year, and we are on a book count of 15.

Let’s take a look at this months books.

Month Three – let’s go!

50% the 2nd half read – Book Club Pick
‘With This Kiss’ by Carrie Hope Fletcher
‘The Doctors Wife’ by Daniel Hurst
‘Ward D’ by Freida McFadden
‘The Wake – Up Call’ by Beth O’Leary

Total reads this month:

4.5

Favourite book this month:

‘The Wake – Up Call’ by Beth O’Leary

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

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2025 Memories 3/12

Hi guys 👋🏻

So, I had an idea to document some more memories on my blog. I used to do a lot more of these sort of posts before I started posting more book/reading content, and when I had more time haha, life seems to be busy these days!

So I thought as we are a quarter of the way through the year, I could do a quarterly memories update to capture 2025.

This is part one, the first three months of the twelve of 2025!

Let’s take a look.

January

I’m not always a fan of January. It always seems such a miserable month after the festivities if Christmas, but this one wasn’t too bad! Me & my husband went to London together for the day, we saw ‘Harry Potter and The Cursed Child’ (again) and had a delicious dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant. 

There was more footie with my nephew and lots of reading this month!! I love making my new reading lists and new book purchases for the new year. I also had two baby showers to celebrate, which was lovely! Not a bad start to the year, really!

February

In February, we had some fun sleepovers with my Nephew’s and Niece, me and my twin sister played the OG ‘The Sims’ game on its re release anniversary special, so amazing nostalgia there! I went to London to meet up with my Uni friend Kirsty and we watched ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Musical… we also had dinner with another friend afterwards which was a great catch up (The show was  really good).

Me and my Twin sister also saw a show, but in Norwich, we watched Giovanna Fletcher in ‘The Girl on the Train’. It was so cool to see Gi in a show and it was done really well on stage (I love the book!!) Speaking of books, Me and some friends from work started up a reading library in our staff room which has been going well and is nicely stocked now.

This month I also added some colourful accessories to our bathroom to finish it off, (we had it redone at the end of last year), and I have been meaning to add some colourful for a while!  And we, of course, enjoyed a lovely Valentines evening together at our favourite Turkish restaurant.

In the February Half Term me and my husband went away for a long weekend. We stayed in Norfolk at a lovely inn and enjoyed a chilled weekend! The pub was lovely and cosy, the food was brilliant (breakfast included, always a winner with us!) And we had a little trip to Banham zoo, which I haven’t been to in years. We even had a Meerkat experience whilst we were there as they were only £15 each, bargain. It was a lovely relaxing weekend, much needed.

March

We had lots of fun in March, including the football and limited edition Ed Sheeran stickers!! My besties little boy had his first birthday party (under the sea themed),  and our new sofas finally arrived!!

There was lots of yummy food, including a work meal at Prezzo, Wagas with my sister and our friend Dan, as well as our traditional Mothers Day homemade Afternoon Tea with my sisters and a Mothers Day lunch with Mum. I’ve also been ill a lot this month with coughs and colds, which is not ideal, so here’s to a healthier April.

What have been your highlights this year so far?

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

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February Reads 📚

Hi guys 👋🏻

We are into the second month of the year, and we are on a book count of 10 (.5 halfway as halfway through one 🤣)

Let’s take a look at this months books.

Month Two – let’s go!

The Other Tenant by Lesley Kara
Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding (RE READ)
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (RE READ)
Friends Forever by Danielle Steel
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Company Of Liars: A Novel Of The Plague by Karen Maitland 

50% read so far – Book Club Pick

Total reads this month:

5.5

Favourite book this month:

Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

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25 books in 2025 📚

Hi guys 👋🏻

25 books in 25… a new challenge…

This is bit of a different take on this challenge by @katie_ellison (instagram)  whose lovely template I have used.

I have chosen 25 books from my tbr shelf that I am finally going to read in 2025!

My double stacked shelves were getting a little out of hand, so what better way to clear them a bit than to actually read some of the books I’ve bought!!

I tried to go for a mixture of genres, there is still a lot of thrillers in there because it’s me so that’s what I buy 🤣 but I do also have some fantasy books, romance, a sci fi, some historical fiction and some crime in there. It’s not a bad mixture.

Here’s my selection…

  • A Court of Thorn and Roses
  • That Night
  • How to Kill Your Family
  • The Suspect
  • The Castaway
  • The Air Raid Book Club
  • The Lies You Told
  • The Woman On The Ledge
  • The Teashop Gurls At War
  • A Slow Burning Fire
  • An Unwanted Guest
  • Hold back The Stars
  • The Paris Apartment
  • How To Stop Time
  • The Wake Up Call
  • The Split
  • Tomorrow and Tomorrow
  • Traitors Gate
  • The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
  • The Boyfriend
  • Come Back For Me
  • With This Kiss
  • Love Untold
  • The Night She Disappeared
  • I Died On A Tuesday

Have you read any of these?


Wish me luck with my challenge  ✌🏼📚 I will try and remember to do a little update halfway through the year.


What’s on your tbr list for 2025?

Until Next Time,

Roseanne 🙂

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