Tishylou's World

I've decided to revisit this post today, in memory of my beautiful Mum. As I've said before, I lost my Mum to lung cancer on May 29th 2010. It happened really quickly. She became ill in mid April, was told it was lung cancer and that she had less than a month to live. She wanted to be at home so I arranged a hospital bed and a care plan. I nursed her for 11 days. She shut down, wouldn't really talk much. She didn't want music, which was hard because music had always been a huge part of our lives. But every minute was precious. Those 11 days and nights were so special to me. I barely left her side. I talked to her, held her hand and just sat with her so she was never alone. I constantly told her i loved her.  At the end, the night Mum died, I was sitting with her and she became agitated and looked scared. I instantly knew what was coming so I soothed her and calmed her down. I told her very personal things and told her I loved her. She said "Love you too"...

Here is a Re-Post of my Review of The Travelling Tea Shop by Belinda Jones on her US publication day. With a tag line like "A deliciously funny and delicately moving novel perfect for anyone with an appetite for baked goods and sweet romance", how could I NOT love this book?? The Travelling Tea Shop is perfection! I'm a huge fan of Belinda Jones, having read all of her books several times so I was SO excited to hear about this one! We meet, in my opinion, the perfect cast of characters and follow them on an absolutely life changing journey around New England. I actually have them all pictured in my head (I'm SO Laurie!!). The locations, recipes, locals... EVERYTHING about this book makes me want to read it again. And then do the trip myself... I am actually struggling to find the words. Someone on Twitter recently said "Oh, the feels!" That pretty much sums this up! A Huge Cake-tastic 10/10

I love Michele's books and have been looking forward to reading this for ages! I'm so glad I finally did! What They Say: Can the curvy girls have their cake and eat it? Meet best friends Pixie, Ellie, Katie and Jane. Fed up with always struggling to lose weight, they start a social club where size doesn’t matter. Soon it’s the most popular place to be – having fun instead of counting carbs. And the girls suddenly find their lives changing in ways they never imagined.But outside the club, things aren’t as rosy, as they struggle with the ups and downs of everyday life. In this funny, heart-warming read about normal women learning to love themselves, the curvy girls soon realise that no matter what life throws at them, together, anything is possible . . . What I Say: Well, Michele has done it again! The Curvy Girls are a fantastic group of friends who just want to feel normal in a society somehow dominated by skinny minnies. The slimming group they attend week...

Well, long time no blog. Sorry guys. I officially suck at this! Here's what we've been up to... The bus now has a completed bedroom (except for the back wall, which will soon have a door put in it that will lead to the new bathroom). It is gorgeous, like a little log cabin, all wood and cosy. I will post photos soon, I promise. The floor is stunning but the long shelves are my favourite bit, they hold a lot of books! The lounge is taking shape slowly. We have ripped out the old settee, moved the table and chairs (which are actually the original coach seats and table!) to the other side of the bus, we have built the new window frames (we are shrinking the windows) and 3/4 of the ceiling is up. The ceiling is incredible! I am so, so proud of Justin! It's arched like an old Gypsy caravan and it looks amazing! We are awaiting the new light fixtures and a few bits of wood in order to finish it and when it's done, I promise I will post pics. For now, there are a few on ...

First off, let me just say that I listened to the audio book of this story (although I do have a review copy of the ebook to) and I would like to thank the author for sending this to me in exchange for my honest review. What They Say: Journalist Anna McCall has never understood people who collect things so, when she’s asked to interview local collector and eccentric, William Kitson, she isn’t exactly looking forward to the experience. But she soon falls under the charm of Fox Hill Manor as well as its owner, even though she thinks there’s something very strange about the collection there. What exactly is William hiding in the unused wing of the manor house? And is it a story Anna could sell? Set in the beautiful Cotswolds, The Secret of You is a novel about love, trust and antiques. What I Say: I've spoken to a few people about how to review an Audio book and have come to the conclusion that I will review just as I would for a normal book. It is, after all, the same ...

The ever wonderful Belinda Jones has some exciting news! Her books are getting GORGEOUS new covers! Three of them have been given new titles too. Summer in Greece is Out of the Blue Dancing Girls is Living La Vida Loca Hollywood Calling California Dreamers (Don't worry, the UK ebooks will still have the same titles). Belinda has also offered to send one of you Lovely lot a postcard featuring one of the fab new covers, complete with a California post mark! All you have to do is leave a blog comment telling me which is your favourite Belinda Jones book and why and I'll choose a winner at random on Friday 23rd. 

Well, here we are. A week and a half into the new year. Are you all sticking to your resolutions? I am, so far. I decided that I want to be more Sparkly. That to me, means happier, nicer, more kind and caring. It means feeling good about myself and my choices. It means feeling free to love and laugh. Over the years I have lost my giggle. That was one thing my Mum told me in a letter she wrote me before she died. Never stop giggling. And I'm sad to say I did stop. People have noticed, family and friends have commented on it. My fiancé has mentioned it more than once and it was starting to cause problems. I got quite depressed and struggled on a daily basis. Books were kind of a saving grace as was Twitter. But the real world and my REAL life were shut out. So, this year I have decided to change all of that. 2015 is my year of laughing, loving, travelling, working, smiling, playing and giggling. I will still read and review, but only the books I choose. No more blog tours unl...

Happy New Year! My first book completed in 2015 is the fabulous Bodie on the Road by Belinda Jones! The idea of a book written as a travel guide for a canine companion sounds kinda bonkers. But you know what? This is Belinda Jones we're talking about. Of course it's going to be brilliant! Bodie on the Road tells the story of how Belinda came to be Bodie's guardian (as was so wonderfully put in the book) and the journey they took getting to know each other. It's full of dog friendly places to visit, delicious sounding food and spectacular scenery as well as some brilliant characters they met along the way. Bodie is a real gem. It sounds like he healed Belinda's heart and made her feel complete. I totally get how a dog can do that. He's a sweet, good natured guy who loves nothing more than a tummy tickle or scrap of food. Belinda puts him in such a charming, human light that sometimes you forget he has 4 legs. He really is the ideal travelling companion! The...

Hello! I hope you've had a lovely Holiday period and got loads of lovely book-ish gifts! We had a very chilled out, relaxed time and spent some time with good friends. Right, down to business... It's time for the Top 10 Books of 2014 (in my opionion!) 10 - The No Kids Club by Talli Roland. This is a lovely story about the struggle to decide whether parenthood is right for you or not. It made me think, cry and laugh. 9 - The Teashop on the Corner by Milly Johnson. A warm and touching tale featuring a dreamy teashop, loveable characters and lots of cake! 8 - Where Love Lies by Julie Cohen. This book was so emotional and beautiful! Just wonderful! 7 - You Had Me At Merlot by Lisa Dickenson. Hilarious, sweet, sexy! This book was everything a summer read should be! Grab a glass of wine and enjoy! 6 - The Judas Scar by Amanda Jennings. This book broke me in to a million pieces! I sobbed so hard but was completely compelled to finish it. Gritty, gripping and emotional! ...

Welcome to my Stop on the Blog tour for The Stall of Second Chances by Dana Bate. What They Say: Sydney Strauss is obsessed with food. Not just with eating it - though she loves that too - but with writing about it as an aspiring cookery reporter. But food journalism jobs are more coveted than cupcakes, and so Sydney is stuck working for one of TV's biggest egomaniacs - until she's left scrambling for shifts at the local farmers' market. Selling muffins at the Wild Yeast Bakery is hardly going to make her the next Nigella. But soon Sydney is writing the market's weekly newsletter, and her quirky stories gain attention from a prominent food columnist. After years of being left on the shelf, she's even dating again. And then Sydney gets a shot at the story, one that could either make her career or burn it to a cinder - along with her relationship and her reputation . . . What I Say: I've never read any of Dana's books before so I was quite exci...