It's my 50th Birthday so let's celebrate with books

They say age is just a number and it's certainly a mantra I believe in the older I have become. But for me birthdays are also bittersweet as they are a reminder that my mum is no longer around as she died suddenly 3 days before my 29th birthday. And now that I've reached the big 5-0 milestone, it's also a reminder as to how young my mum was as I've now only got 2 more birthdays to go until I'll be the age she was when she died.

Sadly with the way life has been for us all in the last 10 months, birthdays, weddings and any other form of celebrations have been rather pared back and mainly celebrated with those in our households or social bubbles so we've certainly got a lot of catching up to do when it is safe to meet up again. Personally I wouldn't have liked a big party or anything but would have liked to have been able to arrange to go out with friends for afternoon tea, instead I'll be celebrating my birthday home alone although will be catching up with friends online. 

But not only is it a special day for me, but it's also a big new books day in the publishing world as there are a LOT of new books out today. Below are just a small selection of some of the books that have caught my eye and made it onto my wishlist. Which ones will you be buying?

Giveaway: Win a copy of Whiteout by Ragnar Jonasson

Today it's my stop on Ragnar Jonasson's Whiteout blog tour for which I had been planning to do a review but sadly I've been ill this week with a chest infection which has affected my energy levels and reading mojo.  So instead I have decided to do a giveaway for a paperback copy of Whiteout and will do a separate review at a later date.

Two days before Christmas, a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted village of Kálfshamarvík. Did she jump, or did something more sinister take place beneath the lighthouse and the abandoned old house on the remote rocky outcrop? 

Crime Fiction Month Giveaway: Win a copy of Rupture by Ragnar Jónasson

Regulars of the blog will probably have noticed that Louise and I are proud members of #TeamOrenda and are always happy to support Karen Sullivan and her authors by reviewing and promoting their fabulous books.  One such book is Rupture by Ragnar Jónasson which Louise reviewed earlier this year and it was one of the first books that sprang to mind as a giveaway prize when I started planning this Crime Fiction feature month.

1955. Two young couples move to the uninhabited, isolated fjord of Hedinsfjörður. Their stay ends abruptly when one of the women meets her death in mysterious circumstances. The case is never solved. Fifty years later an old photograph comes to light, and it becomes clear that the couples may not have been alone on the fjord after all…

Louise's Review: Rupture by Ragnar Jónasson

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

1955. Two young couples move to the uninhabited, isolated fjord of Hedinsfjörður. Their stay ends abruptly when one of the women meets her death in mysterious circumstances. The case is never solved. Fifty years later an old photograph comes to light, and it becomes clear that the couples may not have been alone on the fjord after all…

In nearby Siglufjörður, young policeman Ari Thór tries to piece together what really happened that fateful night, in a town where no one wants to know, where secrets are a way of life. He’s assisted by Ísrún, a news reporter in Reykjavik, who is investigating an increasingly chilling case of her own. Things take a sinister turn when a child goes missing in broad daylight. With a stalker on the loose, and the town of Siglufjörður in quarantine, the past might just come back to haunt them. 

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Blogiversary Giveaway #14: Your choice from Louise's top 4 this year

As regular followers of Sharon’s blog will know, she has kindly hosted many of my book reviews on her blog which has been a wonderful experience for me where I’ve managed to discover so many amazing books and their authors and also develop a friendship with Sharon which at times has been a life line to me on dark days. 

I know social media can be a scary and sometimes threatening place (luckily I have only been witness to this so far) but I am so thankful that discovering Sharon and her blog has meant that there has always been a friendly place on the internet where I can go and surround myself with good thoughts and books so thank you very much Sharon.  I’ve also been lucky enough to meet up with Sharon a few times in real life and our friendship is testament to the fact that you don’t have to see someone every day for them to be an important part of your world. 

Anyhoo in celebration of five years of the wonderful place that is Sharon’s blog I have rounded up the books this year that I have rated five stars and am offering one person the chance to win one book of their choice from my selections below. 

Good luck and has Tess and Claudia would say “Keeeeeeep reading!” 

Louise's Review: Nightblind by Ragnar Jónasson

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

The peace of a close-knit Icelandic community is shattered by the murder of a policeman - shot at point-blank range in the dead of night in a deserted house. With a killer on the loose and the dark Arctic waters closing in, it falls to Ari Thor to piece together a puzzle that involves tangled local politics, a compromised new mayor and a psychiatric ward in Reykjavik where someone is being held against their will...

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback