"Diary of a Stressed Out Mother: Bedlam" by Nicola Kelsall

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know that they have all started with the same paragraph, and this review ain't any different: all the books that I read and review start off with the full shebang of 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will still be solidly in place by the time I close the back cover. I'm also not shy about removing stars if necessary and the usual reason is because of copyright and/or trademark infringement. I always give my reasons for knocking off each star, I don't just suddenly take a star off for no reason.

I'm hoping that this is an upbeat and humourous book to help me to see the week out in a good mood. Humour is always a difficult one for me 'cos there's not a lot that makes me laugh - there have been occasional good ones and if the text in this book lives up to the image on the front cover, then it'll have me raising a smile with any luck.

Let's get reading and reviewing shall we?

Oh yes. This is gonna be a book filled with my kinda humour - sarcastic. chuckling and head shaking to the max - spot on so far!

Ooooh, the first two days of this diary have been sooo good - I can picture the children and Octavia soo clearly and I've only read 17 pages!

Up to page 38 now and this is an totally awesome book so far... I've had absolutely no reason to even *think* about knocking a star off yet which is even better... will this be a somewhat rare 5 star book from me? I really do hope so!

Up to page 48 and the author has got my sense of humour spot on which is very rare to be able to do!

I'm gonna stop reading there until after I've had my lunch... this book has been just what I needed this morning and I'm sooo glad I picked it up and started reading this morning!

Back for the afternoon's reading and reviewing now... will it be as good this afternoon as it was this morning? I certainly hope so!

Oh dear. There have been a couple of Trademark mentions - one is definitely alive and kicking so the first star is, of course, totally reluctantly coming off.

I'm already up to page 107 and I'm loving reading every word of it! This is definitely a must-read book if you need a gentle lift in your mood - the author has got the children's personalities spot on and I'm really feeling my heartstrings being pulled for poor Dora!

WTG on enrolling, Dora... I can't see it lasting for long with your family but it's good to stretch yourself occasionally!

Well *that* came out of nowhere! The silly thing is that I could easily have done the same myself - waaay too trusting of professionals and I wouldn't have the first clue that anything dodgy was going on right under my nose!

I'm gonna read one more chapter before I start winding down for the night I think then take things as they come until I head to beddy-byes.

Exactly 101 pages left to read tomorrow 'cos I've stopped at page 201 for the night. This book has definitely lifted my mood and usually got my sense of humour spot on.

Oh yes, definitely parent humour there lol

What a great end to a great book... definitely should have been 5 stars though, if not for the dratted Trademark things!

"How NOT to Kill Your Teenager" by Deborah Aubrey

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already have read the first paragraph where I say that every book starts off with the full rucksack of stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all still be there by the time I close the back cover.

Apparently this book is only 29 pages long so I should have it done, dusted and reviewed within an hour or so lol

Let's get going shall we?

The first 10 pages were good and the author skillfully avoided using several well-known brand names... until she got to page 11 when the author used a well-known online bookshops name that I got this book from so the first star is, unfortunately, coming off.

I think/hope I was a pretty OK kinda teen - there were slanging matches and disagreements with my also teen brother of course, but I think/hope that I was quite a pleasant teen to be around at least some of the time, judging by this book (cue my mum disagreeing of course lol) My bedroom was a pigsty of course, I will admit that, and I waited as long as possible to do my homework but I never had a bucket of water tipped over me to get me out of bed and I loved baking with my mum and Nana. The only time I got ratty was when it was "that time of the month" and that was purely because I was in absolute agony that was diagnosed as Endometriosis 15 years after it all began. I even loved fruit and veggies back then and became a vegetarian at 11 much to everyone's surprise lol It's now 34 years later and I'm still a vegetarian even now as well as still loving my fruits (especially cherries and red delicious apples) and vegetables (I willingly live on muesli and salads during the warmer months and I've usually had my five-a-day by the time I've finished my lunch every day, which is another thing that hasn't changed).

My tip for teens who refuse to eat fruit and veg is to find out what exactly they *do* like (as in flavours rather than specific foods) then find a food that is mainly that flavour (my go-to is sweet things so I've always loved sweet apples and grapes), then start by offering them, for example, toffee apples and take it from there.

Just finished reading and it really *was* only 29 pages long, so a nice, quick read and makes me feel for the parents of modern-day teens if they go through everything this book talks about on a daily basis!

"Diary of a Flight Attendant" by Marika Mikusova

Kindle Unlimited: Paperback:
out of 5

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know this first paragraph off by heart, right? If this is your first review of mine that you've read then I start all my book reviews off in the same way and that is by saying that every book I read starts off with the full cargo of stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all still be solidly in place by the time I close the back cover. I'm not shy about removing stars if necessary but I always give my reasons for it within the review so a five star book doesn't suddenly become four stars and nobody has got a clue why. The usual heartbreaking reason for knocking an otherwise 5 star book down to four stars is because of copyright and/or trademark infringement. Saying that though, there has been one book that gained the dropped star back thanks to a magical little sentence after the story had finished and I'm always hopeful that it'll happen again if I have to knock a star off for that reason.

I'm a nosey-parker and love to be thrown in to the innermost thoughts of otherwise secretive professions like doctors and lawyers and yes, flight attendants are included in that list.

I'm hoping that these chapters will be short and self-contained 'cos they are a diary so that I don't have to remember what happened 5 chapters ago... if that's how this book is written then the stars are firmly in place and I can't wait to get my nose stuck into it.

Let's get going shall we?

Ooh! The little information pop-up on my Kindle says that it's a 6 hour and 20 minute read, so maybe I'll get it finished by bedtime tonight or possibly first thing tomorrow morning while I'm waiting for my carer?!

Ooh a sarcastic flight attendant who promises humour... this should be fun - I'm a notoriously hard nut to crack with humour though, will this author achieve what many others have failed to do?

Oooh! The first 3% of the book has been good and the chapters reasonably short, but my Kindle is telling me it'll be over 10 hours for me to read it in, not the 6 hours on the first page, but that's OK 'cos it's Saturday tomorrow so I'll be able to duck in and out between carer visits.

Up to 4% now and I'm already looking forward to keeping reading this book after my carer has left for the day... it certainly hasn't taken an hour to read 4% though, so maybe my Kindle is still calculating my reading speed? I'm certainly not going to be doing much other reading and reviewing after I've had my lunch!

I'm only at 4% and this review is already starting to get a bit long, so I'll try and remember to only comment on the noteworthy bits after lunch so that it doesn't take you as long to read this review as it does the book ;-)

I'm 23% of the way through and it's bedtime for me now. I'll continue reading and reviewing waaay too early tomorrow while I'm waiting for my first carer of the day.

I've been reading for the last little while and I'm at 32% now, so it won't be the quickish read that I thought, but that's OK 'cos I'm not rushing through it and there are a couple of hours before my next carer arrives then I will dive in again tomorrow. Definitely still a 5 star book.

There have been some shocking and some thoroughly gross bits but don't worry, no spoilers from me - just make sure you've got a strong stomach mid-way through!

I'm up to 82% and my back is killing me so I'm gonna stop reading for the day again. I'm hoping I'll be able to finish the book tomorrow and get this review up before bedtime - so much for a 10 hour read eh?

What a great end to a great book. It took considerably longer than 10 hours to read and there's promise of at least one more book to come too! deinite read for nosey-parkers or regular flight goers!

"Laughter is the Best Medicine: Confessions of a Young Surgeon" by Peter Sykes

Kindle Unlimited: Paperback:
out of 5

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know the first paragraph off by heart because I always start my reviews in the same way: every book starts off with the wardful of 5 stars and I'm always hopeful that they will all still be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I'm not shy about removing stars but that I always give my reasons for doing so. The usual culprit of an otherwise 5 star book heartbreakingly becoming a 4 star book is the use of copyright and/or trademark brands without permission. There has been one book in all the ones that I've read that has had a magic little sentence right at the back, on the last page after the story had finished that the fifth star was instantly returned and I let out a huuuge sigh of relief. It's only happened once but I'm always hopeful that it'll happen again.

Let's get reading and reviewing shall we?

That first chapter was soooo intense! It took about half an hour to read and my coffee is stone cold, but it was soo worth it. Gonna stop reading there until after I've had my lunch, but I can already tell that I'm gonna really enjoy this book and definitely set to be a five-starer IMNSHO!

The second chapter was a rapid read that had me tutting and shaking my head.... it even brought a smile to my face which is pretty much unheard of!

The third chapter too... I knew what B.I.D was and shuddered when he opened the back door of the 'van'

Chapter 4 was also a rapid read... but I suggest that you don't read it around the time you eat lol

You'll never guess how I feel about chapter 5! lol

Thankfully chapter 6 wasn't anywhere near as gross as I'd been dreading.

I've usually stopped commenting on every chapter by now, so I'll continue until bedtime then only do bigger comments next time I pick up the book.

Chapter 7 was surprising but understandable after what she was going through.

It's a new day and a new chapter... I can't wait to get stuck in!

I'm not gonna comment on every chapter, but chapter 8 got me understanding why some doctors asked certain questions at the start of my illness/disability!

Up to chapter 21 now and the chapters have been waaay too long and dull so I've skipped my way through about 150 pages in the hope that it's just a rough few chapters but each time I've stopped it's still been long and dull, so unfortunately the first star is coming off :-(

No spoilers, but chapter 29 should have been more carefully thought about and, IMHO, not been included at all... it could easily have triggered a reader who had been through it and given the not-so-innocent reader an idea of their next prank. Highly irresponsible.

What an amazingly positive end to an at-times heartbreaking book. If you can forgive the dull middle then it's definitely worth a read for nosey-parkers!

'The Chancer' by Fiona Graham

Kindle: Hardcover: Paperback:
out of 5

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know that the first paragraph is always started in the same way and that's by me saying that every book I read and review starts off with the full shebang of 5 stars and that I'm forever hopeful that they are still stuck solidly in place by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I'm not shy about removing stars if necessary but that I always give my reasons within the review. The most common reason, by far, for dropping a star is copyright or trademark infringement but there has been one book so far with a magic little sentence right at the back which instantly replaced the star... it's only happened once so far, but maybe it'll happen again in future?

Let's get on with reading and reviewing this book, shall we?

It says in a little box thing that the reading time for this book is under 6 hours, but considering how long it is, I doubt that somehow. Does the shortish reading time mean that it's a dull book that previous readers have skipped through most of it? I hope not, but we shall see.

Oh deary me, on the first page there were two mentions of a famous place and on the second was a celebrity potentially without permission, so after only 1 page and 1 paragraph, the first star is already coming off.

Oh boy. On the third page is the brand of a famous film award so the second star is coming off at only page 7... this isn't looking good - two stars already gone and we're not even into double figures page-wise yet!

Chapter 1 was OK... not the best, but not far from mediocre unfortunately. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm already bored out of my skull with this book and it's looking like I'll be doing a lot of flicking forward unfortunately.

Oh boy, I've only just started chapter 2 and I'm already skipping forward... I can see why it was such a quick read now!

Chapter 4 is no better, so that's the third star coming off already, unfortunately, which means there's just one star left before I officially give up on this book.

There's been a death in the chapters that I've skipped but I genuinely don't care about that unfortunately so the last star is coming up and I'm officially giving up on this book at only 14% of the way through... it takes a truly special (and not in a good way) book to achieve that.

"Diary of a Female GP: A Week in the Life of a 'Lazy' GP in the UK" by Joni Martins

Kindle Unlimited: Paperback:
out of 5

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know that I start them in the same way and that is by saying that all the books I read and review start off with the full ship-load of stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all still be there when I close the back cover. You'll also know that I always give my reasons for knocking off any stars, usually for copyright or trademark for reasons. I've replaced a fallen star once thanks to a magic little sentence right at the back of the book.

Let's get this book opened and read shall we? At 492 pages, it's gonna be a loooong read but the nosey parker in me can't wait!

I'm enjoying the book so far, but there has been a mention of a very famous book character so unfortunately the first star is looking wobbly.

Oh dear, that's two trademarks and one copyright in a chapter and a half, so the star has to come off and I'm really hoping that magic sentence is at the back of the book so that I can return the fifth star!

I'm up to chapter 4 now and I'm really enjoying it so far... definitely a 5 star book if it hadn't been for those dratted trademark and copyright mentions!

All the staff at my GP surgery are definitely getting a Christmas gift from me, based on the last two chapters!

I'm up to page 105 already and it's not even lunchtime yet... will it be a 1.5 day book instead of my usual two-dayer? The chapters are pretty much self-contained too, so I can put it down and pick it up whenever I need or want to as well, which I much prefer.

I knew that doctors were busy, but 30 ring-backs just in one morning, as well as the sit-and-waits and the routines is just eye-watering!!

After reading that chapter alone, I know for certain that I couldn't be a doctor - they have to deal with so many heart-breaking cases already that they don't deserve the complaints on top of it all!

I've had a busy afternoon and now techy troubles as well as my Kindle only having 10% battery left, so I'm gonna stop for the night at p188 and I'll hopefully remember what I've read today if I need to, but don't think I will 'cos of the mostly self-contained chapters.

It's a new day and I'm ready to rock and read today - will today disappear like yesterday morning especially did?

Wowsers. Such a lot happened in that chapter and I feel for the doctor, especially, even more now.

This is an incredible book for nosey-parkers like me and I'll definitely try to be a better patient from now on!

Up to p316 now and I'm loving every page... nothing that turns my stomach yet either, which is a huge relief and this sentence means that I've just jinxed it lol

Page 376 and I'm debating on whether I should read the next chapter now or after I've had my lunch, just in case it's gross lol

I was wrong and I'm glad I kept reading and it was an interesting chapter too, which is another plus point. Up to page 396 now... do I risk another chapter before I have my lunch?

Just finished this incredible book and those uses of brand names and a fitness tracker pretty regularly is the only reason this isn't a full five stars.

If you're a nosey-parker like me then definitely get those pennies spent on this book!

"Drops of Reality: Tales from a doctor's surgery" by Dr M A Moss

Kindle Unlimited: Paperback:
out of 5

I'm having connection troubles this morning so I'm gonna spend the day reading 'cos that doesn't need an internet connection. If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll already know that I start them all in the same way, by letting you know that each book I read and review starts off with the full whack of 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I always give my reasons for removing each star and that there has been one book where I've rapidly returned a star thanks to a magic sentence right at the back.

I'm a self-confessed nosey parker so these glimpses into the life of an otherwise private profession always gets my attention. Apparently this is a biography rather than fiction so my interest is peaked even more.

Let's get going shall we?

lol typical - my Kindle is out of juice so I can't read the book on there, but my internet connection is back, so I'll see if I can start reading it on the Amazon site instead... will it be third time lucky for me?

I've managed to read the first two chapters without any more techy troubles, so I'm trying to remain cautiously hopeful. They have been good chapters and have really set the tone for the rest of the book - it's relaxed and seems to be pretty much self-contained chapters, which is an added bonus and reassuringly still all 5 stars stuck firmly in place.

Ah-ha! My Kindle has enough juice to let me read now!

Another good chapter... unfortunately there was a mention of a trademarked item, so unfortunately the first star is looking a bit wobbly, like with each of the other books that's happened with - fair's fair after all!

Chapter 4 was another good'un... this is just what I needed after all the issues I've had this morning!

The fifth chapter was interesting too... I love our NHS but everything comes at a cost to someone, somewhere!

Chapter 6 rang huge great alarm bells for me 'cos it's part of what I have and know now that I'll be on the pills for a while yet 'cos I had a similar experience (although not involving the police, thankfully) when I lowered let alone stopped my pills!!

My lunchtime carer is due any time now, so I'll finish reading there until after I've eaten and then start again until my groceries are due... it says there's an hour and 28 minutes left to finish reading the book, so I should have finished it in plenty of time before I head to bed.

Up to page 63 now and it's almost bedtime, so I'm not gonna rush it... just see how far I get and how much more there is to read by the time I take my last pills of the day.

Just finished this incredible book and it very much deserves every one of those five stars!

"Drops Of Reality 2: More tales from a doctor's surgery . . . and beyond" by Dr M A Moss

Kindle Unlimited: Paperback:
out of 5

If you've read my more recent book reviews, you'll already know that I start them all off in the same way, by saying that every book starts with the full whack of 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will still be stuck firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I always give my reasons for taking off any stars - they don't just vanish for no reason. My usual reason for taking a star off an otherwise 5 star book is 'cos of the author's use of trademarked or copyrighted things but there has been one book that has had the star replaced because of a magic little sentence right at the back and I'm always hopeful that it'll happen again.

I read the first book in this trilogy yesterday and really enjoyed it, so I'm hoping that this will be equally enjoyable if not better now that the author has got a book under their belt.

Let's get reading shall we?

So far so good with this book and I'm hopeful that, like the first book, this will be another 5 star-er.

The first chapter was interesting and I'm grateful for the opportunity to get to know Mary... she sounds like the ideal patient to me!

The end of chapter 2 was fun and it sounds like everyone got out of a sticky situation with a good sense of humour.

No spoilers, but it's amazing what such a simple little change can make! I've had a similar result by pretty much cutting out caffeine for a different medical issue!

I've just finished 'Part One' of the book and I'll start on the second part ('Beyond The Surgery') after I've had my lunch so that I don't have to stop mid-way through a chapter.

Again, no spoilers, but 'Part Two' could have ended a lot worse (understatement of the millenium) if the doctor hadn't already been there with his emergency bag!

What a great end to a great book! Like with the first book, this is worth every penny for nosey-parkers like me!

"Ambassador For Spirit" by Rita Haworth

Kindle Unlimited: Paperback:
out of 5

All the books I've read and reviewed recently have started in the same way and that is by me explaining that the books all start off with the full trolley-load of 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all be stuck firmly in place when I close the back cover. I also say that I always explain my reason for knocking off each star - it doesn't just vanish for no reason. The most common reason for me knocking off a star is for copyright or Trademark infringement... there's been one book so far that I've replaced the star thanks to a magical little sentence right at the back of the book - it's only happened once so far but I'm more than prepared to do it again if I read that special sentence either at the front or back of the book.

One of my usually pretty guarded secrets is that I've got an interest in the spirit world and since becoming a young Yule widow last year, that's become even more important to me than ever before. I said on my blog very recently that my blog readers would be finding out some secrets about me, based on my current TBR pile - this is the first one.

Let's get going shall we?

This should be a pretty quick read 'cos it's only 93 pages long, apparently, so I'll make a start on it now and finish it after my bath this afternoon.

The first chapter was good 'cos it gave a kinda background introduction to the author and where she was in her life when she first started discovering her abilities... still 5 stars so far, thankfully.

Chapter two has got me a bit emotional for some reason, but I haven't got a clue why! I'm gonna stop reading there so that I don't answer the door to my carer in floods of tears lol

I've just spotted that it's 126 pages instead of 93 so it's longer than I thought, but that's OK 'cos my Kindle is telling me it's just over 2 hours reading for me, so I should hopefully be able to get it finished and reviewed in plenty of time before I head to bed tonight.

I was wrong about not reading chapter three 'cos I've just finished reading it lol I really *am* gonna stop reading now though 'cos my carer could turn up at any second lol

Back from my bath now and this review is already too long so, like with the vast majority of other books, I won't comment on every chapter any more.

Chapter 9 was beautiful in soo many ways! No spoilers, but that chapter has given me a message in a round about way too, which I will always be greatful for.

After reading chapter 11 and now seeing the exercises at the back, it's almost like I've been drawn to pick up this book today... almost as a message from my late hubby or even my twins?

Just finished reading the book and it's sooo hard to describe how I'm feeling now... it's like the author has been sitting next to me and talking to me through her words and I now feel lighter and more positive than I have for many years... is this the start of my next journey down the cobbled streets of my life? Have all my hardships in life been lessons bringing me to this point? Is this how spiritual enlightenment feels? I feel more prepared than ever before to meet whatever tomorrow brings now and it's all thanks to this book.

"Take That - Uncensored On the Record" by James McCarthy

Kindle:
out of 5

If you've read any of my other book reviews, you'll already know that I kick them off in the same way and that is by saying that ever book starts off with the full load of 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful they will all still be firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. You'll also know that I always give my reasons for knocking off each star - they don't just disappear.

Take That have been my secret crushes since 1989, just before they released their first single (Do What U Like) after reading about them in a medical magasine. Their music has been my go-to mood-lifter-upper ever since.

Let's get going with the reading and reviewing shall we?

Amazon says that it's only 92 pages long so it should be a pretty short and quick read, but the last book I read had a similar number of pages on the Amazon site and it ended up being almost half as long again, so we shall see.

As a TT fan from the very start, I've already picked up a few minor errors in the first chapter... not a good start, Mr McCarthy lol

There are errors in the second chapter too, so the first star is, unfortunately, dropping off.

Ooh! This section is about my crush for the last 30 years... I won't be happy if the author has been negative about him in any way!

The book has lightly touched on the break-up and I still remember to this day where I was and how I felt when I heard... it was one of the rare times I openly cried in public.

It's been a good book so far, but hasn't really told me anything new unfortunately.

There's a huuuuge song title blooper at 84% so the second star is coming off unfortunately.

Just finished reading and it was a touch disappointing 'cos it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know and that a quick search of the internet couldn't tell you. It's got some things very wrong, for example one of the album song titles. Basically a disappointing waste of money unfortunately.