BLOG TOUR: Soyangri Book Kitchen - Kim Jee Hye, translated by Shanna Tan

 

In a peaceful village in the countryside, far from the bustling heart of Seoul, lies a book lovers’ paradise. With its wafts of delicious food and book-filled shelves, Soyangri Book Kitchen is managed by its plucky proprietor Yoojin. Her aim? To create a sanctuary for weary souls like herself.

But the book kitchen is more than just a place to eat or read – it’s a place which offers its guests a true escape, not just inside the pages of its many books, but in the warm embrace of an overnight bookstay.

Over one year, seven people at a crossroads in their lives find their way to Yoojin’s book kitchen. Among them are Da-in, a singer grappling with an identity crisis, Sohee, a promising lawyer confronted with a daunting medical diagnosis, and Soohyuk, a young musical director whose dreams have been stifled.

As they arrive in Soyangri, each of them will find their life subtly transformed by the magic of its books and the kindness of its people.

What did I think?

I love reading books about books and I really enjoyed my virtual visit to the Soyangri Book Kitchen.  With references to various classic books, it is clear that Kim Jee Hye is a book lover and her beautiful story is flawlessly translated by Shanna Tan.

There are a number of characters who find their way to the book kitchen and they each have a chapter dedicated to them.  I really enjoyed reading each story and finding out what drew them to Yoojin's unusual book kitchen.

The location is idyllic and the scenery is so beautifully described that I felt as if I was there; I could almost smell the cherry blossoms.  I don't often include excerpts from books but I wanted to share a sublime quote that I think will resonate with many readers:

"Whenever I find myself getting upset or angry, I reach for a book that allows me to immerse fully in another world - maybe like a crime or fantasy novel. They're my painkillers. In those moments I'm absorbed in a book, I can forget the pain of reality."

Soyangri Book Kitchen is a quick and charming read that makes me wish I had the magical ability to step inside a book and visit the beautiful book kitchen myself.  This is an unmissable book for book lovers and readers of translated fiction.

I received a gifted hardback to read and review for the bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Bea’s Book Wagon - Julie Haworth

Set in the fictional Sussex village of Blossom Heath, and featuring characters you will know and love from Julie Haworth’s RNA Katie Fforde Debut of the Year Always By Your Side and follow up New Beginnings at The Cosy Cat Café, Bea’s Book Wagon is a cosy, uplifting and comforting romance that tells the story of two love-interest heroes vying for Bea’s heart – her artisan-cheesemaking childhood sweetheart and a knock-you-off-your-feet property developer. 

After impulsively jacking in her dead-end temp job and investing her life savings in a ramshackle old horsebox, Bea sets about turning her dream of running a bookshop into a reality, and opens Bea’s Book Wagon. But it’s not all smooth sailing, and as Bea struggles with the challenges of running her own small business, she can only hope that her love of literature and the power of reading can help transform the lives of her friends, her community and herself in the process.

 

What did I think?

Bea's Book Wagon is my third virtual visit to Blossom Heath and I absolutely loved it.  You don't need to have read Julie Haworth's previous novels to enjoy this one but you will definitely want to read them if this is your first visit to Blossom Heath.

It was lovely to catch up with some familiar faces but this is very much Bea's story.  Bea loves books so I had an immediate affinity with her.  Once the panic subsides after resigning from her job she decides to do something she really loves: sell books and share her love of reading.  An old horsebox may not sound like the ideal bookstore but with a little help from her friends Bea transforms it into something special.

I adored Bea from the very start and she has the most amazing ability to be able to match a person to a book so she's the perfect bookseller.  As well as starting her business, Bea meets Lochlan in a very swoony Mr Darcy moment that had me reaching for my virtual fan, but it was farmer Nathan who I was hoping would win Bea's heart.  You will need to read the book to find out how it all ends though!

Cosier than your favourite pair of slippers, Bea's Book Wagon is a delightful, heartwarming and captivating book.  One not to be missed for book lovers!

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

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BLOG TOUR: The Battle of the Bookshops - Poppy Alexander

A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals.

The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years…

The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember.

Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, unlikely to make it to its own centenary celebration, and the lease on the building is up for renewal. With a six-figure sum needed, the future looks bleak.

To make matters worse, the owner of the property is the insufferable Roman Montbeau, from the posh, local family who owns half of Portneath. The Montbeaus and Capelthornes have feuded for years, and Roman has clearly not improved since he tormented Jules as a child. Fresh from a high-flying career in New York, he is on a mission to shake things up, and—unforgivably—proves his point about Capelthorne’s being a relic of the past by opening a new bookshop directly opposite—a shiny, plate-glass-windowed emporium of books.

Jules may not be able to splash the cash on promotions and marketing like the Montbeaus, but she’s got some ideas of her own, plus she has a tenacity that may just win the hardest of hearts and the most hopeless of conflicts.

Let the battle of the bookshops commence…

 

What did I think?

Poppy Alexander is back with another fabulous book for book lovers everywhere!  I loved reading The Littlest Library so I was delighted to be back in Middlemass village for more bookish escapades.

It's a fresh and charming take on Romeo and Juliet with a long-standing feud between the Montbeaus and the Capelthornes.  Roman Montbeau and Jules Capelthorne are the latest generation to continue the family feud which is complicated by the fact that they really fancy each other.  Of course they can't admit their feelings as their families are at war!

When Jules' Great Aunt Flo has a fall, Jules returns home from London to help her run the only bookshop in the picturesque town of Portneath.  Roman returns home from New York at the same time but his reason is kept under wraps for a while.  As the pair frequently bump into each other, Jules start to warm to Roman but then he goes and opens a rival bookshop.  Roman's shiny new bookshop is sure to put Capelthorne Books out of business but Jules isn't going to go down without a fight.

Oh this story is simply adorable!  A book about books is always going to appeal to me and The Battle of the Bookshops is outstanding.  I loved the Shakespeare references that are hidden like Easter eggs throughout the book and it's not just Romeo and Juliet ones.  I'm not that familiar with Shakespeare but I noticed quite a few and I loved finding them.

Incredibly romantic and completely charming, The Battle of the Bookshops is an unmissable and unforgettable book.  I will definitely be reading it again as I adored it.  Very highly recommended.  An easy five stars.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Poppy Alexander is the author of The Littlest Library, Storybook Ending, and 25 Days 'til Christmas. She wrote her first book when she was five. There was a long gap in her writing career while she was at school, and after studying classical music at university, she decided the world of music was better off without her and took up public relations, campaigning, political lobbying, and a bit of journalism instead. She takes an anthropological interest in family, friends, and life in her West Sussex village (think The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks), where she lives with her husband, children, and various other pets.

Links:

Website: https://poppy-alexander.com/

Instagram: @poppyalexanderbooks

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Bookmagnet Best Bookish Buys: Postscript Books

I've only recently discovered Postscript Books so I thought it was worthy of a best bookish buy post as they have loads of brand new books at discounted prices.  Postscript Books is a family run business that was established in 1987 and they have a free monthly catalogue (produced in the UK on paper from sustainably managed sources) as well as a website.  Delivery is free when you spend over £25 and their packaging is eco-friendly.

July catalogue

Click here to order a free catalogue featuring over 400 books from multiple fiction and non-fiction genres.

Postscript very kindly offered to send me a couple of books so I could share my shopping experience and I have to say that I was very impressed from order to delivery.  The website is easy to navigate and there are so many books I could have ordered, so I could easily spend £25 to take advantage of the free delivery offer.

So, what did I order?   I decided to order a book from three different categories: contemporary, crime, thrillers & mystery and historical.  

In contemporary, I chose The Snow and the Works on the Northern Line by Ruth Thomas that was published in 2021 and was priced at £3.99.  

My choice in the crime, thriller & mystery category was A Bitter Remedy by Alis Hawkins that was published in 2023 and was priced at £4.99.  

In historical fiction, I chose The Murder of Harriet Monckton by Elizabeth Haynes that was published in 2019 and was priced at a bargainous 99p.

So I got three books for under £10 without even leaving my home!  Bargain!

Postscript Books is a Bookmagnet Best Bookish Buy and a great bookseller for some bookish retail therapy.  Go on, treat yourself to some new books!

BLOG TOUR: The Book-Lovers' Retreat - Heidi Swain

One long summer. One perfect setting. Can fiction inspire real life…?

Sometimes a book grabs you by the heart and grows to mean everything to you. That’s what Hope Falls is to friends Emily, Rachel and Tori. So, when they get the chance to spend a whole summer at the cottage in Lakeside where the film adaptation was located, they know it is going to be the holiday of a lifetime.

Spending six weeks away will give them a chance to re-evaluate their life choices. For Emily to decide which way her career will go – the safe route, or the more risky creative option? And for Rachel to decide whether to move in with her partner Jeremy. Then Tori has to drop out at the last moment, and her space is offered to another Hope Falls afficionado, Alex. 

But when Alex turns out not to be who they expected, the holiday takes an unforeseen turn. And as the summer develops, so does their friendship. Could this be where they uncover their future selves, find love in all its forms and where their lives will change course forever…?

 

What did I think?

I love Heidi Swain books and I absolutely adored The Book-Lovers' Retreat - all her books are fabulous but I think this one is my favourite so far.  The characters, the setting, the writing and the plot are all perfect and I thoroughly enjoyed my virtual visit to the Lake District.

It's such a wonderful story of three friends who have been planning to visit the film location from the screenplay of their favourite book: Hope Falls.  I can just imagine their excitement as their dream trip to the idyllic cottage in the Lake District becomes a reality.  When one of the friends drops out the whole trip is thrown into jeopardy, but luckily there's a lot of Hope Falls fans waiting in reserve...all Emily and Rachel have to do is pick one of them.

I loved everything about this novel and I feel like a Hope Falls fan myself as The Book-Lovers' Retreat is a book I want to read over and over again.  All the characters have so much depth and there's a lot to discover about each of them, as well as a fabulous storyline as they live their dream in Lakeside.

Hugely entertaining, incredibly compelling and absolutely wonderful, The Book-Lovers' Retreat is a book-lover's dream: I don't think you'll find a reader who won't love a book about a book.  Very highly recommended - I'm putting it on my favourites shelf and I can't wait to read it again.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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Bookmagnet Best Bookish Buys: The Library Book Cushion

This month's best bookish buy comes from a surprising place: homeware store, The Range.  I saw this posted on one of my many Facebook groups and thought it was perfect for my reading chair.  So I sent my personal shopper (my Mam) along to The Range at the MetroCentre to pick one up for me.

Measuring approximately 43cm long by 33cm wide, it's a lovely plump cushion around 10cm deep.  Currently priced at £8.99, I think it's an absolute bargain and you could often expect to pay that for just the cover but you get both the cover and the cushion.  It's perfectly sized for lower back support whilst reading and despite repeated use, it still bounces back into its lovely plump shape.

The only thing I don't like about it is the plain brown back.  I would have much preferred to pay a bit more for the tapestry style print to cover both sides.  Not that it matters, as you can't see the back of the cushion, but I know it's there and I don't like brown!

Front

Back

Here's a close up of the tapestry style texture of the front of the cushion.  It really is beautiful, although you can't read the book spines no matter how hard you try!

The Range also have foam seat pads for kitchen or patio chairs at £6.99 each.  Delivery is £3.95 if your local The Range doesn't have one in stock.

The Library Book Cushion from The Range is a Bookmagnet Best Bookish Buy and a really unusual gift for any book lover.

Bookmagnet Best Bookish Buys: Klevercase Magic Reading Lamp

So I've been thinking for a while about starting a new feature on the blog for all of those amazing gifts out there for book lovers.  It's actually harder than you think to buy a gift for a book lover as the one thing you can't really buy them is a book!  So what do you buy the book lover who has everything?  That's where the Bookmagnet Best Bookish Buys comes in, where I plan to share reviews of bookish products I have bought and also to look at some other great gift ideas for bookworms available online.

First up, is the Book of Spells Magic Reading Lamp from Klevercase.  This is an absolute MUST BUY for any Harry Potter fan.  It's available in purple or Hogwarts house colours, either all four together, red Gryffindor, black Hufflepuff, blue Ravenclaw or green Slytherin, but I went for the purple as it's my favourite colour.  It can even be personalised for an extra £5.  Priced at £70 full price but Klevercase have many promotions throughout the year where you will be able to pick one up for around £35 or £40.  Klevercase ship internationally and offer free tracked delivery to most countries.

Klevercase have expanded the reading lamp range to include vintage personalisable penguin covers and classic books.  The penguin covers come in orange, pink, blue, lilac, green, turquoise, yellow-geo print and cat print, so there's something for every decor.  The current classic books range includes: Pride and Prejudice, Jungle Book, Sherlock Holmes, Secret Garden and Alice in Wonderland.

*Note the lamp doesn't actually play music when opened or we wouldn't be able to concentrate on reading 😃

The lamp is rechargeable via USB and arrives already charged so it lights up straight out of the box.  It's the size of a large book measuring 21.5cm high by 17.5cm wide and 2.5cm deep.  Both the front and the back of the lamp are beautifully illustrated so it looks good from all angles, whether standing up or lying flat.

You can open the lamp either flat like you're reading a book or standing up on its edge - either look stunning and give a good burst of light.

There's also the amazing full 360 degree light by folding the book back on itself (I cringe just thinking about doing this to a real book).  The cover is magnetic so the cover sticks to itself and creates a breathtaking circle of light.

Some careful consideration has also gone into the charging port as it blends in nicely with the edge of the cover and you wouldn't even know it was there if you weren't looking for it.  I had to draw a big red arrow on my photo to point it out!  The lamp comes with full instructions for charging along with a Harry Potter thank you leaflet and a flyer showing other fabulous items that Klevercase make.

The Klevercase Magic Reading Lamp is a Bookmagnet Best Bookish Buy and a recommended gift for any book lover.

Click here to visit Klevercase and buy one today!