Since my last Twitter giveaway went down a storm, I am running another this week for a pair of Illumicrate editions. I got a lot of duplicate books last year, so this is a good way to spread the love.

Last week I shared my top ten short books to fall in love with and posted my review of Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May.

I’ve seen a few articles on how spring is getting earlier every year and I can believe it. At the weekend, I split and moved the zebra grass (which I foolishly planted under the apple tree before I realised it would grow higher than the tree). I was expecting it to be dormant still, but it had loads of new shoots already. Hopefully it’s a tough cookie and will survive its new location.

There are other signs of spring too, the first daffodils are out and I feel like the first hints of tree pollen are swirling in the air and going up my nostrils… I do think the catkins look pretty though:

Snowdrops at the duck pond:

Scully looking shifty on our regular daily walk:

I finally finished the audiobook of Mrs England by Stacey Halls. I loved The Familiars and enjoyed The Foundling, but her latest is just so slow. At first it was interesting hearing about the daily life of a children’s nurse at the turn of the century but it took so long for anything “gothic” to happen. The ending was pretty good but it had serious pacing issues.

I also read Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, which I was a bit disappointed with. I seem to be very much in the minority with this book though. I’ll post my review in the near future.

My partner did a structural analysis of my bookshelves and has declared the one by my desk a health hazard. So I need to have a big clear out so I don’t get told off for putting more books on it… and potentially squishing me and Scully.

New books acquired:

Homicide and Halo Halo by Mia P. Manansala (audiobook)
Cold Earth by Sarah Moss (ebook)