Roundup Six in Six 2022

First of all a very big THANK YOU to everyone who joined in. We might be a small bunch but I hope those that have just read our posts are inspired by some more in their reading, to all the new blog followers, watchers and readers it has been great to discover your little piece of the internet.

Here is a list of everyone that joined in this year.

• Reading Ladies
• She Reads Novels
• The Content Reader
• Words and Peace
• Let’s Read
• Keeper of the Wood between Worlds
• In Another Era
• bibliographic manifestations
• booksplease
• Secret Library Book Blog
• Pining for the West
• Hopewell’s Public Library of Life
• Joy’s Book Blog
• Entering the Enchanted Castle
• Gulfside Musing
• Wicked Witch’s Blog
• Superfluous Reading
• Stumbling Beyond Eden Rock
• The Bookworm Chronicles
• JenniElyse
• Books, Library and Other Babble – our first Norwegian Post!
• Bookfever
• A Darn Good Read
• Bookwyrm Knits
• A Dance With Books

If I have missed you off or you know someone who took part but failed to link back to me, then let me know and I can add. We are growing slowly every year, with people popping back, but we all have one thing in common – we like to read!

And there is some great new suggestions for next year with:

• Six books with living things in the title
• Six books about real people
• The six oldest books I’ve read this year
• Six books I read for book club
• Six books I’ve reread
• Six audiobooks I’ve listened to
• Six books set in a different century
• Six books about a historical woman
• Six stories that are famous from television

Happy reading and discovering folks!

A Crafty Six in Six

It suddenly occurred to me that as well as reading quite a bit in the last six months, I had made quite a few things too. So I thought I would be a bit crafty (see what I did there) and add in a little special Six in Six made up of all things crafty, in this case – crochet and crochet with TOFT wool and patterns. Now I have made more than six items, but I have picked six which are all vastly different, but show the way my brain flits from one thing to another as the whim takes me but also the extensive collection of work that is available to choose from TOFT.

Terence the Budgie – renamed Bobby as my Great Uncle always had a budgie and it was always called Bobby.

Dodd the Great Grey Owl.

Queen Elizabeth II – on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee

Hilda the Jersey Cow

Amore the Rose (Monster)

Turkish Delight & Marzipan Mini Monsters

Six in Six 2022 – My Choices

Here are my choices for this years Six in Six – there is still time to join in. Please see the original post here for all the details.

Six books that feature a building in the title

1. Holly Hepburn – The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures 
2. Sharon Gosling – The House Beneath the Cliffs
3. Helen Rolfe – The Farmhouse of Second Chances 
4. Katie Ginger – The Little Library on Cherry Lane 
5. Nancy Revell – Three Cheers for the Shipyard Girls
6. Tilly Tennant – The Café at Marigold Marina

Six books with jobs in

1. Nita Prose – The Maid
2. Jo Bartlett – The Cornish Midwife
3. Lorna Cook – The Dressmaker’s Secret 
4. Joanna Nell – The Tea Ladies of St Jude’s Hospital
5. Vicki Beeby – A New Start for the Wrens
6. Fern Britton – The Good Servant

Six mysteries, thrillers or crime novels NOT by Agatha Christie

1. Nina de Gramont – The Christie Affair
2. Tom Hindle – A Fatal Crossing 
3. Helena Dixon – Murder in First Class 
4. Robert Thorogood – The Marlow Murder Club
5. Lucy Foley – The Paris Apartment
6. Merryn Allingham – Murder at Primrose Cottage

Six Historical Novels

1. Lorna Cook – The Dressmaker’s Secret 
2. Jennifer Ryan – The Kitchen Front
3. Kate Thompson – The Little Wartime Library
4. Helen Fripp – The Painter’s Girl
5. Molly Green – Summer Secrets at Bletchley Park 
6. Fern Britton – The Good Servant 

Six books from authors I know will never let me down

1. Veronica Henry – The Impulse Purchase 
2. Sarah Bennett – Love Blooms at Mermaid Point 
3. Cathy Bramley – The Summer That Changed Us
4. Katie Fforde – A Wedding in Provence
5. Heidi Swain – The Summer Fair
6. Holly Martin – The Wisteria Tree Cottage

Six new authors to me

1. Sharon Gosling – The House Beneath the Cliffs
2. Sally Page – The Keeper of Stories
3. Tom Hindle – A Fatal Crossing 
4. Kate Thompson – The Little Wartime Library 
5. Bonnie Garmus – Lessons in Chemistry
6. Gill Hornby – Miss Austen

And in a bonus ten year version – here is 6 book covers picked from the 6 categories above!

Do keep joining in and linking back to me as we have plenty of July left. In the meantime keep on reading for the next six months of the year

A roundup post will feature in August of everyone who has joined in.

June Roundup

Six months done in 2022, and after two very slow years this one seems to be speeding by. Certainly in terms of books read though it has been slow and I am certainly no where near on target for my yearly challenge of 100. Enough about wishing the next six months away, what have I read in June?

For the first time in a long time, I signed up to 20 Books of Summer challenge and I hope to at least use that to make a dent in all those wonderful books I have to read. It also made me reinstate my challenges list which can now be found at the top of this blog.

I have managed three off this list – the first being a book I had on my shelf for a while Gill Hornby – Miss Austen. A wonderful retreat to the world of Austen, told from the perspective of one of Jane’s siblings and the letters that were written. The language and the pace of the book felt I was catapulted back to the past.

The past or historical fiction was very much of the reading in this month and I was back into World War Two with Molly Green – Summer Secrets at Bletchley Park. Bletchley Park fascinates me and all these women and men who worked there and never said anything for so many years after the war about what happened there. This is the first in what I hope is a little saga series to get my teeth right into!

You can sometimes read the same things about the same eras but with Jennifer Ryan – The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle she makes a part of the war on the home front that you didn’t realise existed and weaves it into a fascinating story. With great female leads and characters of different classes coming together to fight their own battles on the home front. I am fascinated as to where she goes next.

Featuring the Second World War and the years previous, is where you find yourself with Fern Britton – The Good Servant. This takes us into the heart of the royal family and Marion Crawford. Although this is fact made into excellent fiction, it has made me want to read more about Marion, her infamous book and some of the other excellent resources Fern Britton clearly used for her research.

Sticking with the interwar years finds me with Helena Dixon – Murder at the Country Club in the latest Miss Underhay mystery. If there ever was a time for cosy murder, this is a series of books which fulfil all you require set against a wonderful backdrop. I know this must come to an end but I will gobble them up until it does.

The only contemporary fiction was Holly Martin – The Wisteria Tree Cottage. A change from the original title by the author, but I am lucky enough to get an very early viewing and it is fascinating how these things change depending on uptake and marketing. This is yet another cracker from Holly and I just adore how this time she has given more voice to the male characters.

Not bad for June, but clearly work is taking its toll on all parts of my life. Time to readdress that balance if I am to survive the next six months. In the meantime do look back on your last six months of reading as Six in Six is now ready to go. I look forward to everyone joining in and please link back so I can share the love.

Happy reading!

Roundup – Six in Six 2021

First of all a very big THANK YOU to everyone who joined in. We might be a select bunch but I hope those that have just read our posts are inspired by some more in their reading, to all the new blog followers, watchers and readers it has been great to discover your little piece of the internet.

Here is a list of everyone that joined in this year. Dare I say this is the best year so far????

If I have missed you off or you know someone who took part but failed to link back to me, then let me know and I can add. We are growing year on year ever so slowly but we all have one thing in common – we like to read!

In no particular order please check out these fellow Six in Sixers!

Happy reading and discovering folks!

Reading Ladies Book Club

Hopewell’s Public Library of Life

FictionFan’s Book Reviews

A Darn Good Read

Pining for the West

The Bookworm Chronicles

BooksPlease

She Reads Novels

Bookfever

Secret Library Book Blog

Stacy’s Books

Gulfside Musing

Melissa Firman

It’s All About Books

Twirling Book Princess

Care’s Books and Pies

In Another Era

Bookgirl’s Nightstand

Superfluous Reading

Hopewell’s Public Library of Life

The Chocolate Lady’s Book Blog

Millay’s Musings

findingtimetowrite

Thoughts on Papyrus

You Might as Well Read

See you all in 2022 – when apparently it will be the 10 year anniversary of Six in Six.

Six in Six 2021 – My Choices

Here are my choices for this years Six in Six – there is still time to join in. Please see the original post here for all the details.

• Six authors I have read before

Sarah Bennett – Summer Kisses at Mermaid’s Point

Tracy Rees – The Little Book of Secrets

Heidi Swain – A Taste of Home

Holly Martin – Sunlight over Crystal Sands

Katie Fforde – A Wedding in the Country

Helena Dixon – Murder in the Belltower/Murder at Elm House

• Six books that took me by the hand and led me into the past

Nancy Revell – The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front 

Helen Fripp – The French House 

Kate Quinn – The Rose Code

Emily Hourican – The Glorious Guinness Girls 

Lorna Cook – The Girl from the Island

Liz Fenwick – The River Between Us 

• Six books I have read but not reviewed

Lucinda Riley – The Sun Sister

Julia Quinn – Bridgerton: The Duke and I

Marika Cobbold – On Hampstead Heath

Cressida McLaughlin – The Cornish Cream Tea Wedding

Christine Lee – The Midwife’s Sister

Amanda Owen – Tales from the Farm from the Yorkshire Shepherdess

• Six books that I really want to buy in the next 6 months

Robert Galbraith – Troubled Blood

Stacey Halls – Mrs England

Emma Barnett – Period

Sue Teddern – Annie Stanley, All At Sea

Jodie Chapman – Another Life

Richard Osman – The Man Who Died Twice

• Six books that feature a building in the title

Julie Caplin – The Little Swiss Ski Chalet

Katie Ginger – The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse

Poppy Alexander – The Littlest Library 

Rachael Lucas – The Village Green Bookshop 

Beth Cowan-Erskine – Loch Down Abbey

Gervase Phinn – Tales out of School

• Six book covers that were bright and cheerful

So that is my Six in Six. It is always great to look back and I cannot wait to see where the next six months of reading takes me.

I will be back in August with a roundup post of all the blogs that have joined in and shared their last six months reading. Still time to take part!

Six in Six – 2021 Edition

Here it is again – I hope that the small select few of us that complete this meme can perhaps spread the word so we have a few more participants this year. However it is always great to see fellow book bloggers joining in.

When did all this begin?

I started it in 2012 on a whim and it has been going ever since!

If you want to look back at the previous years and get a flavour then please do.

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

2017 2018 2019 2020

What is it all about?

The idea being that as the end of June approaches and we are then halfway through the year, let us share the books we have read in those first 6 months. In fact let’s share 6 books in 6 categories, or if time is of the essence then simply share just 6 books. Whatever combination works for you as long as it involves 6 books. Of course the same book can obviously feature in more than one category.

What categories can I choose from?

• Six new authors to me
• Six authors I have read before
• Six authors I am looking forward to reading more of
• Six books I have enjoyed the most
• Six books I was disappointed with
• Six series of books read or started
• Six authors I read last year – but not so far this year
• Six books that took me on extraordinary journeys
• Six books that took me by the hand and led me into the past
• Six books from the past that drew me back there
• Six books from authors I know will never let me down
• Six books I must mention that don’t fit nicely into any category
• Six books I started in the first six months of the year and was still caught up with in July
• Six trips to Europe
• Six blogging events I enjoyed
• Six bookish things I’m looking forward to
• Six Espionage or Historical Novels I enjoyed
• Six Cool Classics
• Six Non-US/Non-British Authors
• Six From the Non-Fiction Shelf
• Six books that didn’t live up to expectations
• Six books that I had one or two problems with but am still glad I tried
• Six books that are related to The Great War or Second World War
• Six bookshops I have visited
• Six books I’ve read in an English translation
• Six books which are better than the film
• Six books which are worse than the film
• Six books that have sport as their major theme
• Six favourite places to read
• Six books read on kindle and then went and bought an actual copy
• Six books I abandoned
• Six classics I have read
• Six books I have read on my Kindle
• Six physical books I have read
• Six book covers I love
• Six book covers that bear no resemblance to the story contained within
• Six books to read to avoid politics
• Six books I have read but not reviewed
• Six books I have read in lockdown
• Six classic mysteries
• Six books about Royalty
• Six pretty book covers
• Six books set in a country other than my own
• Six books that feature a Pandemic
• Six books that are great when self-isolating
• Six books recently added to my wish list
• Six mysteries, thrillers or crime novels NOT by Agatha Christie
• Six books with titles connected to rivers, seas and storms
• Six nature related books
• Six books about Librarians and Libraries
• Six books I really want to buy in the next six months
• Six books that feature a building in the title

Or you can come up with your own category,  (If you do: please comment and I can add them to this list for future years)

What do I need to post?

Simply choose six of the categories above and list six books under that category. Some bloggers use pictures, some put excerpts of reviews. The main thing being it is six categories and six books. Of course if you want to do a shorter version, then just post something about six books you have read in the first six months of 2021.

Please link back to this post and/or my blog and share this post so we can have lots of people joining in. All those that participate I will endeavour to collate into one post.

When do I post?

Anytime in July. We have reading days left of June and that book might well fit nicely into one of the categories.

Anything else?

Please spread the word and get people to join in and let them know that we are all halfway through our 2021 reading year!

Six in Six 2020 – My Choices

Here are my choices for this years Six in Six – there is still time to join in and it is looking like a bumper year of blogs taking part!

Six Classic or Modern Mysteries

1. Rachel Rhys – Dangerous Crossing
2. Lucy Foley – The Hunting Party
3. Sophie Hannah – The Mystery of the Three Quarters
4. Agatha Christie  – A Murder is Announced
5. Sara Sheridan – Highland Fling
6. John Buchan – The Thirty Nine Steps

Six book covers that stand out

Six books I have enjoyed the most

1. Brenda Davies – The Girl Behind the Gates
2. Lucy Foley – The Hunting Party
3. Sandi Toksvig – Between the Stops
4. Ali McNamara – Kate and Clara’s Curious Craft Shop
5. Katie Fforde – A Country Escape
6. Veronica Henry – A Wedding at the Beach Hut

Six authors I read last year – but not so far this year

1. Lucinda Riley
2. Trisha Ashley
3. Liz Fenwick
4. Sarah Bennett
5. Ann Cleeves
6. Jessica Fellowes

Six books from the past that drew me back there

1. Lorna Cook – The Forbidden Promise
2. Nancy Revell – Triumph of the Shipyard Girls
3. Jennifer Wells – The Lost Girls
4. Jane Johnson – The Sea Gate
5. Fern Britton – Daughters of Cornwall
6. Jessie Burton – The Muse

Six books set in or near a beach

1. Carole Matthews – Sunny Days and Sea Breezes
2. Veronica Henry – A Wedding at the Beach Hut
3. Heidi Swain – The Secret Seaside Escape
4. Cathy Bramley – A Match Made in Devon
5. Helen Pollard – The Little Shop in Cornwall
6. Phillipa Ashley – A Perfect Cornish Escape

I think I am quite pleased with my choices and 2020 in terms of reading has been good. Of course some books fit in more than one category because they were great and worth reading. Some average books of course but lots that were above average, I hope the next six months is just as interesting!

As I said at the beginning – still time for you to join in!

 

Parish Notices

It has been a couple of months since we have had any notices around here, so I thought it was about time to share some bits and pieces.

I hope you are all well and adapting to the what I think will be the phrase of 2020 ‘the new normal’. It looks like I will be able to take to the swimming pool in couple of weeks, which I am most looking forward to. Work continues, in a rather odd and stilted fashion with no plans to be made and nothing to work towards other than surviving day to day. They tell me 2021 will be better.

I am still enjoying the jigsaws, the craft continues and of course so does the reading…

What have you read in the last 6 months – do come and join in my Six in Six meme which features but just once a year on this blog. We are a select few that join in but it is still fun.

So what other books can I share with you – something summery and holiday themed perhaps?

 

This is a fantastic read. It has everything you want from a book, humour, tragedy, light and dark moments and covers some difficult subjects with careful consideration. Plus I got to learn a lot about viticulture as well as the word itself! Wonderful characters which are introduced gradually and all play a part in the overall story.

The Cornish setting added to the atmosphere and the author has an uncanny knack of making it all three dimensional away from the page. I could taste the salt in the sea air and feel the heat of the sun.

The Path to the Sea works on so many levels and is a book to escape right into and immerse yourself in secrets of history, of life, of family and of love.

 

if you are looking for escapist reads that take you away, where it may not all be rosy but at least some people get their comeuppance and others get their happily ever afters then you need to buy this series of books.

 

The Little French Guesthouse in question is La Cour des Roses and Emmy is still working there, with the wonderful Rupert who has become a firm friends since circumstances brought them together in the first ‘French Guesthouse’ book.

They are as busy as every and Emmy is settling very much into village life…….drip the sunshine into the pages and the rolling hillsides, even the delicious food prepared in the guesthouse has you salivating as you can almost taste the chilled white wine, easing away your troubles.

Links to my reviews of these select books can be found below.

Cathy Bramley – A Vintage Summer

Liz Fenwick – A Path to the Sea 

Sarah Bennett – Sunshine over Bluebell Castle

Helen Pollard – Summer at the Little French Guesthouse

This was a mere random selection – I hope perhaps you find something new to read or you have found the odd post that you have not read before on this blog.

Plenty of books to look forward to in the coming days, July 23rd seems to be the most popular publishing day in recent months.

I am hoping to get back to looking at 2013 on my blog in a round up post at some point, because before I know it it will be December and that will be another thing not achieved this year!

So plenty to keep me busy. What has been keeping you busy?

Six in Six – 2020 Edition

Here it is again – I hope that the small select few of us that complete this meme can perhaps spread the word so we have a few more participants this year. However it is always great to see fellow book bloggers joining in.

When did all this begin?

I started it in 2012 on a whim and it has been going ever since!

If you want to look back at the previous years and get a flavour then please do.

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

What is it all about?

The idea being that as the end of June approaches and we are then halfway through the year,  let us share the books we have read in those first 6 months. In fact let’s share 6 books in 6 categories, or if time is of the essence then simply share just 6 books. Whatever combination works for you as long as it involves 6 books. Of course the same book can obviously feature in more than one category.

What categories can I choose from?

• Six new authors to me
• Six authors I have read before
• Six authors I am looking forward to reading more of
• Six books I have enjoyed the most
• Six books I was disappointed with
• Six series of books read or started
• Six authors I read last year – but not so far this year
• Six books that took me on extraordinary journeys
• Six books that took me by the hand and led me into the past
• Six books from the past that drew me back there
• Six books from authors I know will never let me down
• Six books I must mention that don’t fit nicely into any category
• Six books I started in the first six months of the year and was still caught up with in July
• Six trips to Europe
• Six blogging events I enjoyed
• Six bookish things I’m looking forward to
• Six Espionage or Historical Novels I enjoyed
• Six Cool Classics
• Six Non-US/Non-British Authors
• Six From the Non-Fiction Shelf
• Six books that didn’t live up to expectations
• Six books that I had one or two problems with but am still glad I tried
• Six books that are related to The Great War or Second World War
• Six bookshops I have visited
• Six books I’ve read in an English translation
• Six books which are better than the film
• Six books which are worse than the film
• Six books that have sport as their major theme
• Six favourite places to read
• Six books read on kindle and then went and bought an actual copy
• Six books I abandoned
• Six classics I have read
• Six books I have read on my Kindle
• Six physical books I have read
• Six book covers I love
• Six book covers that bear no resemblance to the story contained within
• Six books to read to avoid politics
• Six books I have read but not reviewed
• Six books I have read in lockdown
• Six classic mysteries
• Six books about Royalty
• Six pretty book covers
• Six books set in a country other than my own

Or you can come up with your own category,  (If you do: please comment and I can add them to this list for future years)

What do I need to post?

Simply choose six of the categories above and list six books under that category. Some bloggers use pictures, some put excerpts of reviews. The main thing being it is six categories and six books. Of course if you want to do a shorter version, then just post something about six books you have read in the first six months of 2020

Please link back to this post and/or my blog and share this post so we can have lots of people joining in. All those that participate I will endeavour to collate into one post.

When do I post?

Anytime in July. We have reading days left of June and that book might well fit nicely into one of the categories.

Anything else?

Please spread the word and get people to join in and let them know that we are all halfway through our 2020 reading year!