Tishylou's World

Hello you beautiful people! It's that time of the year again, time to round up the books I have read in 2018 and tell you which ones made my list. I love and hate this in equal measure. I love looking back on my reads from the year but I hate feeling like I left off a book that I loved or missed a hidden gem. I worked long and hard on this list and I feel really good about it this year. I have read 53 out of the 45 books I had hoped to read this year, so I'm pretty pleased with that. So, here we go! Best Character In A Series: DI Natalie Ward written by Carol Wyer Best Debut: The Lido by Libby Page Best Memoir: I have a tie here between Eat. Drink, Run by Bryony Gordon    AND  Born In The Bed You Were Made by Brooklyn James Children's/YA Book: We Are Young by Cat Clarke Most Surprising Book: I Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting. I don't normally read New Age or Romantic books, but I went to school with the author and was excited to try one of her book...

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Woman Who Kept Everything by Jane Gilley What They Say: The Lady in the Van meets The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry in this uplifting, funny and moving debut novel about a 79-year-old hoarder who is convinced the world is against her. 79-year-old Gloria Frensham is a hoarder. She lives amongst piles of magazines, squashed cardboard boxes, surplus carpet rolls, heaps of towels and knick-knacks littering the stairs. She hasn’t left her home for years, until a loud bang and a sudden smell of singeing sets in motion Gloria’s unwilling exodus from her home… That day is the start of a journey that will never return Gloria back to her beloved, hoarded possessions, nor to her son’s house to live. For it is the start of her journey to discover life again – and she’s going to make some good friends and defiant decisions along the way, with just one very small suitcase in tow… Heart-warming and poignant in equa...

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for Last Lullaby by Carol Wyer! What They Say: Charlotte’s baby is safe. But is she? When the body of mother  Charlotte Brannon  is discovered by her husband  Adam , in their bedroom,  Detective Natalie Ward  is first on the scene. The killer has left a chilling calling card: The word  ‘Why? ’ written on the wall in blood.  As Natalie begins to delve deeper into the couple’s lives, she discovers that Adam has a dark past he’s been hiding and she’s sure that the Brannon’s teenage babysitter Inge has secrets of her own. Then another mother is murdered on her doorstep in front of her young son, the word  ‘why’  scrawled on the wall next to her.  All the key suspects have alibis and with her own marriage hanging by a thread, Natalie is struggling to stay focused on cracking her toughest case yet. When a young woman and her baby disappear, a member of Natalie’s own team is put in terrible...

Welcome to my Review of I Wanted To Tell You by Anna Mansell! What They Say: ‘Sometimes I think that if I’d found a way to talk, we’d be together now…’ When Helen finds a bundle of unsent love letters, tied with a red ribbon, and signed only  ‘the love you wished I could be’ , she wonders who they could belong to. The same day, however, her husband  Alex announces he’s leaving. She’d believed their love would last a lifetime, but now he’s gone and she hadn’t even realised there was anything wrong. Desperate to understand, Helen doesn’t know where to look for answers. But the letters keep drawing her back. As she reads the words of loneliness, loss and regret, something in them helps her start to make sense of it all… Even as she realises someone has been keeping heart-breaking secrets. But  who do the letters belong to? Can the sender ever be reunited with the one they love, or is it too l...

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Christmas at the Palace by Jeevani Charika!  What They Say: Snuggle up with the perfect Christmas romance that readers have fallen in love with this year, as one ordinary girl learns what it means to love a prince. Not even in her wildest imaginings did Kumari ever think she'd become a princess. But having fallen for Ben - or rather Prince Benedict, sixth in line to the throne - it looks like nothing will ever go as planned again. And as Christmas rapidly approaches the distinction between family festivities and  Royalty becomes ever more apparent. With the paparazzi hounding her, her job on the line and some rather frustrating royal training, Kumari feels panic set in. Does loving Prince Charming mean she'll get her fairy tale ending - and on her own terms? What I Say: I love a festive book. Sadly, there isn't much holiday cheer in this book. That doesn't mean I didn't like it. Far from it! I enjoyed it a...

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for Hush Hush by Mel Sherratt!  What They Say: A killer is on the loose, attacking people in places they feel most safe: their workplaces, their homes. It’s up to DS Grace Allendale to stop the murders, and prove herself to her new team. All clues lead to local crime family the Steeles, but that’s where things get complicated. Because the Steeles aren’t just any family, they’re Grace’s family. Two brothers and two sisters, connected by the violent father only Grace and her mother escaped. To catch the killer, Grace will have to choose between her team and her blood. But who do you trust, when both sides are out to get you? An unforgettable thriller that fans of MARTINA COLE and won’t be able to put down. About The Author: Mel Sherratt is the author of ten novels, all of which have become bestsellers. In 2017, she was named as one of her home town of Stoke-on-Trent’s top 100 influential people. She lives in Stoke-on-T...

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Dreaming of Christmas by TA Williams! This book sounds absolutely wonderful and I can't wait to read it! Extract From Dreaming of Christmas: She had barely stepped into her flat when the phone started ringing. Pushing the door closed behind her, she set down her weekend bag and her briefcase and answered it. ‘Zoë Lumsley, hello.’ ‘Hi, Zo, it’s me.’ ‘Hi, Jules. Long time no speak. How’re things with you?’ She and Juliet had shared a tacky old house with a bunch of other students when they were in their last year at university. That was all of ten years ago now and she had pretty much lost contact with lost of the others – apart from Grant, of course. She and Juliet had remained really good friends and, seeing as they both lived in London, normally managed to meet up several times a year, but she realised she hadn’t heard from her since the winter, and now it was already late summer. ‘Not bad really. I’ve moved on from A & E a...

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Snowflakes and Cinnamon Swirls at the Winter Wonderland by Heidi Swain! What They Say: After calling off her engagement, Hayley, the Wynthorpe Hall housekeeper, wants nothing more than to return to her no-strings fun-loving self, avoiding any chance of future heartbreak. Little does she know, Wynbridge’s latest arrival is about to throw her plan entirely off course . . .  Moving into Wynthorpe Hall to escape the town’s gossip, Hayley finds herself immersed in the eccentric Connelly family’s festive activities as they plan to host their first ever Winter Wonderland. But Hayley isn’t the only new resident at the hall. Gabe, a friend of the Connelly’s son Jamie, has also taken up residence, moving into Gatekeeper’s Cottage, and he quickly makes an impression on Wynbridge’s reformed good-girl.   About The Author: Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted brie...