Book Review: Meeting Lydia by Linda MacDonald

Last week I read Meeting Mydia, the debut novel by Linda MacDonald, and as I thoroughly enjoyed the book I thought I would write a review of it for you all to read. I first heard about Meeting Lydia after speaking to Linda on Twitter. I quickly added it to my Amazon Wishlist (which is growing longer by the day!) and I bought it shortly after receiving my Kindle at Christmas.

The main character in Meeting Lydia is Marianne, a 46-year-old Psychology teacher, struggling to deal with her daughter flying the nest, the woman Marianne believes is spending far too much time with her husband, and attempting to come to terms with the effect that being bullied at school has had on her by seeking out one of the only people she remembers not bullying her on Friends Reunited.

Meeting Lydia is like no book I have read before. It looks at everything from a psychological angle - understanable as the author is a Psychology teacher herself. Having studied Pyschology myself when I was at Sixth Form several years ago, I have a keen interest in the subject and so found this book interesting and intriguing. However, I don't think you have to be in to Psychology to enjoy this book. Marianne is a character the reader can really connect with and as so many aspects of her life are explored, I'm sure many will be able to connect with her and her story in some way and enjoy the book.

Since reading this book I have discovered that Linda is in the process of writing it's sequel, which she hopes to release later this year. I personally can't wait to read it and am looking forward to its release.

Meeting Lydia is out now and can be purchased from Amazon (UK site)

Me and my Kindle (Egg)

As some of you may know, I was lucky enough to receive a Kindle for Christmas. And I've been having a great time playing with my new toy. I have over 50 books downloaded already, although I am now starting to worry when I am going to find the time to read them all, particularly as I have a pile of paperbacks still to get through and there are lots of new releases I'm looking forward to reading over the coming year too.

My Grandparents bought me my Kindle, and I thought I'd share with you the conversation that led to its purchase as it made me chuckle and is the reason behind the title of this blog post. It goes as follows:

Nan: What would you like for Christmas?
Me: A Kindle, please.
Nan: A Kinder Egg?
Me: No. A Kindle.
Nan: What's that?
Me: It's a device you can read books on.
Nan: *Silence* A Kindle Egg?

And there you have it! I may be the only owner of a Kindle Egg, thanks to the words of my Nan! And do you know what? I've even taken to calling it just that.

In 2012 I'm Looking Forward to Reading . . .

I read some great books last year, and have been reading through the list of books due for release this year. There looks to be some great books hitting the shelves over the coming 12 months, so I thought I'd comile a list of the ones I'm looking forward to getting my hands on. I was going to make a list of 10, but I've ended up with 13 instead (oops!)

Jane Costello - All The Single Ladies
Jane's books alwas make me laugh out loud. They have great stories and humour dotted throughout them, and I love the short and snappy chapters she writes too!

Paige Toon - One Perfect Summer

My favourite author! I could read Paige's books over and over again - in fact I have! I love Paige's story telling, her characters and the way she makes me feel like I am experiencing exactly what her characters are when I am reading her books.

Sophie Kinsella - I've Got Your Number
The Queen off Chick-lit and the writer of the fabulous Becky Bloomwood, Shopholic series. I love the series and her one-offs (possibly even more). I've Got Your Number sounds like a great read and is one I can't wait to get my hands on.

Melissa Hill - The Charm Bracelet

Melissa always manages to put some unforgettable twists and turns in her stories that take me by surprise. I'm looking forward to see what she's got in store in her book which is out later this year.

Ali Harris - The First Last Kiss

Ali's debut novel Miracle on Regent Street was released at the end of last year, it was a feel good, Christmassy read and I voted it my Read of the Month back in November. I thought there was something special about her writing style and characterisation, so I can't wait to read more of her work.

 Jill Mansell - A Walk in the Park

I have read every single one of Jill's books and have loved them all, so I'm not going to stop now. Jill's stories are were down-to-earth, her female leads are likeable and she always comes up with a corker of a story.

 Ali McNamara – From Notting Hill To New York… Actually

The follow up to From Notting Hill with Love . . . Actually, a book I adored! I can't wait to see where the next installment takes us and what antics are in store for Scarlett. 


Roisin Meaney - One Summer
First of all I can't wait to see the cover for this as her last two novels have had mouth-watering covers. Roisin is a great writer and story-teller and manages to connect an array of characters in a charming way, which I am hoping for more of with this one.

 Allie Spencer - Summer Nights
Allie is an author I discovered last year. Summer Loving was a read I loved from the very first page and I read the entire book in a little over a day. It was light-hearted, fun and had some lovely characters in it. I am hoping Summer Nights will grip me just as quickly as her previous novel.

Carole Matthews - Summer Daydreams
I love Carole's books! They're charming, well-written and feature touching stories and characters. She writes short, snappy chapters which are my favourites and always fly through her books.


Miranda Dickinson - When I Fall In LoveI've only read one Miranda Dickinson novel so far, although I aim to read her other two at some point this year. Miranda has a lovely writing style and a real knack at telling a great, heart-warming story. I look forward to following her writing progress of this book on her blog and then reading it when it's released at the end of 2012.

Pippa Wright - Unsuitable Men
Pippa's debut novel Lizzie Harrison Loses Control was released last year and I loved it! It was real feel-good chick-lit and Lizzie was a fun and likeable character, so I'm hoping Unsuitable Men will also be a great read.

Victoria Connelly - The Runaway Actress

I remember reading and loving Molly's Millions by Victoria several years ago and have read all her books since. This is her first book away from the Jane Austen series that she has released over the past couple of years, so I am looking forward to what this one is going to hold.

So that's just some of the books I'm looking to reading over the coming year. What's everyone else looking forward to?

Chick Lit Challenge 2012

Samantha over at ChickLitPlus is running a reading challenge, which I have just signed up to take part in. 

The rules of the reading challenge are:

• Challengers will read 12 chick lit books throughout 2012. You can (obviously) read more books of other genres, but you need at least 12 chick lit to count for this challenge.

• Two of the twelve books need to be from debut authors. The debuts should be released in 2012.

If you're interested in signing up to the Chick Lit Plus 2012 reading challenge, you can find out more about it here