Five Things Friday Book List [#13]

Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a great week and managed to sneak in plenty of reading time for yourself. If you’re ready for more reading and book related suggestions then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s my weekly Five Things Friday Booklist, from books to tv, movies and podcasts. Each week I provide five suggestions to tempt you for the weekend. So here’s this week’s list…

ONE

For your TBR List

This week I’m suggesting Captain Tom’s Life Lessons as a book to add to your ‘To Be Read’ list. This book has been flying off the shelves since it’s release on the 2nd April and went straight into the Bestsellers List.

The feedback amongst readers and book bloggers has been 5 star ratings. ‘An uplifting and motivating read from a true gentleman who won our hearts over the past year.’ Here’s the book details:

Book Cover Notes

The uplifting and heartwarming life lessons from a truly inspirational man, Captain Sir Tom Moore.

If Captain Tom’s big heart and generosity of spirit helped see us through difficult days, this was his parting gift.

In Life Lessons, Captain Tom has shared all that he learned from living a full and vibrant life. With cherished anecdotes and his signature humour, these heartening life stories will teach you how to:

· Be comfortable with who you are
· Keep smiling through the tough times
· Walk in someone else’s shoes
· Keep an open mind
· Find your purpose

Full of the wit, warmth and wisdom that made him so special, his reflections and guiding principles form a long life, well lived; Life Lessons will be a source of reassurance, hope, and encouragement for generations to come.

And a reminder, whenever times are hard, that tomorrow will be a good day.

TWO
What I’ve been reading

This week I’ve been reading Stealing The Spanish Princess by Bea Green. This is a detective mystery thriller, which has taken me to Madrid and immersed me in the world of art. So far I have enjoyed following DCI Richard Langley of Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiquities Unit as he works a case of a missing priceless painting (The Spanish Princess).

The author Bea Green has kindly sent me a copy of her book to read and review. I shall be sharing my thoughts as part of her book blog tour in the middle of May. In the meantime here’s the book details for detective series fans, why not grab yourself a copy and read along with me.

Book Cover Notes

In this captivating and dazzling art crime mystery, eccentric detective Richard Langley hunts for a 16th-century masterpiece by the artist El Greco. The thief stole the priceless painting from an apartment in Kensington, London, and in the process knifed to death a Russian woman.

DCI Richard Langley from Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiquities Unit joins colleagues from Homicide as they pursue a trail that leads them to St Petersburg and then to Madrid. Following closely in their footsteps is a maverick private investigator hired by the painting’s owner. Knowing how hard it is to sell on stolen artworks of that calibre, Richard wonders what the motive behind its theft might be. The answer, when it comes, takes everyone by surprise.

Looking for more book inspiration?

Here’s the Amazon Bestsellers List (updated hourly)

THREE

Something to Watch

During the week I attend the online World Book Night event hosted by Sandi Toksvig. World Book Night is the annual celebration of books and reading that brings people from all backgrounds together for one reason – to inspire others to read more. Presented by The Reading Agency, this years event celebrated World Book Night’s 10th anniversary. The theme of the evening was ‘Books to Make You Smile’.

The evening included an interesting conversation between two great authors, Kate Mosse and Kazuo Ishiguro. During the hour conversation, both authors shared their thoughts on writing, inspiration for their books and what they love to read themselves.

Next up was a panel interview hosted by Sandi Toksvig with guests David Nicholls, Bolu Babalola and Jamie Byng (founder of World Book Night). This was a lovely FREE live online event, which I would highly recommend for book lovers to attend next year. But you don’t have to wait until next year, there’s plenty on off on the World Book Night website including a FREE eBook or audiobook to download of Stories to Make You Smile.

As well as the live online event, during World Book Night several thousand books are given away to care homes, youth centres, colleges, prisons, public libraries and mental health groups. Here’s the World Book Night book list of selected books donated this year. There are some fabulous looking books on this list, so worth a look if you’re looking for inspiration for your next book read.

FOUR

Something to Listen to

I’ve been catching up on book related podcasts this week. Simon Mayo ‘Books of the Year’ Podcast has some great interviews with authors such as Abigail Dean (Girl A) and Sarah Pearse (The Sanatorium). For more suggestions on bookish podcasts check out my previous post below.

Related Post: 8 Great Podcasts for Book Lovers

FIVE

What’s been happening at Touring Tales

Finally on this weeks Five Things Friday Book List:

Dave & I have binge watched Line of Duty this week. We’ve also caught up on the latest fabulous series of Faith. Both of these are on catch up TV so check them out if you’ve not seen them.

We’re still spending most of our time at home but we’re taking little trips out into the world again. We spent a few days in Devon, just outside Swanage in our motorhome which was lovely. We’ve also had a wander around Cirencester, one of our favourite local Cotswolds market towns. It was lovely to see most of the shops are open again, the indoor market was open too so we spent a couple of hours, masked up, wandering around and sitting outside a coffee shop. How are you getting on with transitioning out of lockdown?

On the blog side of things, I’ve been brushing up on my SEO skills this week with the help from the guys at SEO Yoast. If you run a blog then I’d highly recommend their plugin. I find it really helpful to structure each of my book blog posts. Search Engine Optimisation is quite complex, luckily I do have some knowledge in SEO but things often change so it’s good to review and keep up to date with how best to optimise your online writing.

Weekly round-up: Here’s a quick round-up of my book blog posts published this week on Touring Tales Book Blog…

• The Woman in the White Kimono – read my book review of this fabulous book. I haven’t stopped thinking about this one.
• Author Guest Post – this week I was joined by JE Rowney the award winning blogger and now author of ‘Starting Out’. Read the authors post where she introduces the main characters and the inspiration behind her book.

What’s coming up: I’ve added more exciting book reviews, book launches and author interviews to my Book Blog Schedule. Have a look at my book reading schedule, why not follow a link and treat yourself to a new book this month. Read along with me and join in the discussion.

Now over to you

Q: What are you reading this weekend? Share in the comments below one or more of your own Five Things Friday book list. I’d love to hear them.

Have a fabulous weekend. Happy reading.

Miche xxx

PS: If you’re new to Touring Tales then welcome. You can read more on my About Page. My book blog was launched in October 2020. I have lots planned for Touring Tales Books for 2021, so I hope you’ll follow along and say hi in the comments below.

Related Post: Five Things Friday #12 (Previous week)

Calling all dog owners.

Have you discovered Butternut Box?

Read my review of Butternut Box fresh dog food and grab yourself 50% off a box for your four-legged friend to try.