About me

SV208514

I am a 60+ year young, ex librarian (public libraries) and I’ve always loved books. I met my first real author at the library at the age of  9 or 10 as a member of the Bookworm Club. I went along on a Saturday morning for a talk by H E Todd as I loved his Bobby Brewster books. I was so excited but so scared to speak that I never did tell him my idea for a new Bobby Brewster story!

I joined NetGalley in 2014 as a reviewer and it has introduced me to many new authors and friends on Goodreads. I’d never actually written a review before I joined but as they keep sending me books I must be doing something right.

I’ve had a Kindle offers book blog on Facebook since April 2015 before deciding to start this one.

I read a variety of genres but you will normally find me reading the following. I like UK based police procedurals and psychological thrillers, but tend to avoid anything that hints at graphic domestic violence, child abuse or animal abuse (I’m a softy really). I enjoy well researched historical fiction and I’m partial to a bit of chick lit (or Choc Lit as I prefer to call it) of the more intelligent and humorous kind ie not London centric, sex and shopping sagas featuring twiggy twenty year olds with too much money and not much sense (I suspect that’s my age showing). I also enjoy quirky and interesting novels and what would be described as women’s fiction.

It is probably easier to say what I don’t like. I don’t read sci-fi/fantasy, horror, or vampire/zombie related books. I don’t normally read paranormal/supernatural books but occasionally stray into mild magic realism. I’m happy to read both tree books and e books. While I’ll admit to having shelves full of books, I’m also amassing a fairly hefty tbr list on my Kindle (3,600 at last count!).

In the summer of 2017 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer (you can read all about it under Boob Blog). During treatment (and now as a consequence of post treatment side effects) my reading took a real hit. Rather than being able to take advantage of the enforced time away from work, my ability to concentrate just disappeared. Although I’ve started to read again, that also comes and goes. The notion of ‘chemo brain’ I can attest is very real and it’s frustrating when I either can’t concentrate on reading or remember what I have read with enough clarity to write a review. As a consequence, I am sadly not taking any review requests. I already had a hefty pile of books to review before the diagnosis and I would like if possible to read them, or at least give them some sort of shout out while reading/reviewing is proving difficult.

32 comments

  3. Thanks for being a ‘book blog’ friend. We have a lot in common I think – what with being ex-librarians and all… I appreciate your following and I enjoy your reviews.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Lynne, we librarians need to stick together 😊 I think when I left the library I missed talking about books and passing on book suggestions, and this allows me to do that. I also love the way it allows you to ‘meet’ like-minded people via other blogs to make a whole new set of book friends. Happy Reading xx

      Like

      Reply

  4. Hello Jill,
    I couldn’t find a contact email so I’m saying hello here! From your reviews, I think you might enjoy my 300 Days of Sun. If you pop over to my blog and have a look, please do get in touch. I could let you have a NetGalley widget. All the best, Deborah

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Hi Jill
    Having read your reviews I would love you to consider reviewing my new novel “Hidden Chapters” It is about the hidden chapters in all our lives and how , sometimes, they have to be owned.The novel is set on Rhossili Bay and explores motherhood, adoption and addiction. The link is http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01L0EZ6MQ
    with many thanks
    Mary

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi Barbara, nice to meet you too. When I left the library service I’d just spent two years as Reference Specialist for the libraries in my area so reference libraries have a place in my heart. As I’ve worked across most aspects of the library service it would be fair to say, they all have really. In the UK libraries are not doing well due to budget cuts and a lack of government will to support them. I hope things change before it’s too late, libraries still have a big role to play in creating a literate, educated society.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. Hello Jill, I came across your blog because I was trying to submit my new book for your reviewing, but I’ve read that you are not accepting submissions for reviews at the time, which I understand and respect. I’m writing to you just to say that I had been through a liver cancer in 2012 and that experience touched me deeply, but I learned a lot from it too. I believe I came out a better person. I’ve just finished writing about my experience, and when you feel ready to read about it, will be my pleasure to share it with you. I wish you all the best.

    Like

    Reply

    • Hi Gideon, thanks for visiting the blog and having the courtesy to read my review policy, so very few people do, so it’s very much appreciated. Glad to know that you also came through your cancer diagnosis, it certainly does leave you a different person, but that’s not always a negative. I’m still taking medication which does have an impact on what I can do, but those effects won’t last forever (hopefully). Thanks for your good wishes and all the best going forward with your book.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. Hi Jill. I’ve just attempted to comment on your latest ‘new titles’ post and got a message that my comment could not be posted. Did you close comments on that post, or is it something on my end?

    Like

    Reply

  12. So happy to have found you (via Jessica’s Facebook post) Jill. You have totally described my attitude to choc lit and happy to agree with the new name! I could have written every word! Looking forward to an evening of checking out your Christmas book list and trawling back through some of your posts.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Hi, Jill,
    I’ve arrived here via Eloise’s blog – we’re both book mad, aren’t we Eloise? I don’t ‘go’ Facebook or any of the social media sites, but I do have a blog of my own and often mention books (but of course!) I might add that “Choc Lit” as well as a way of describing a certain genre, is actually a book publishing company, Choc Lit, so you might wish to investigate their stable of books at some stage.
    I have also had breast cancer (diagnosed in 2004 with a stage 3 tumour, which had spread to my lymph nodes). But I had what was then the gold-star treatment and, well, I’m still here 15 years later. I hope you have now completed your treatment. I was very fortunate in many ways that I didn’t suffer during my course of chemo (6 months on one drug, a further year on another, plus surgery of course, plus radiotherapy) and apart from the occasional slightly sore mouth and food tasting metallic, and that awful tiredness that overcomes you so you simply have to leave whatever you are doing and lie down, I actually went through my treatment without any problems. I wish you all the best and hope that, as I say, your treatment is complete.
    I love your list of Christmas books – I’m currently reading Trisha Ashley’s latest Christmas novel, and I have read several Heidi Swain novels, all of them excellent. It’s just what we want right now, isn’t it? A lovely, heart-warming romantic read in these stressful times.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hi Margaret, lovely to hear from you. Delighted to hear you’re still thriving after 15 years, it’s always good to hear. Mu treatment is essentially complete, I’m now 3 years post diagnosis and just on tablets for the side effects of chemo. I stopped my other prescribed tablets in favour of a better quality of life.
      I do know the publisher ‘Choc Lit’, I suspect we both preferred that as a descriptor than Chick Lit – I am no ‘chick’!
      Glad both Eloise and yourself have found my Christmas list. It’s become an annual feature and I suppose is my little gift to Christmas book lovers. I think we do need some love and light in our lives right now.
      Many thanks for all your best wishes and hope you’ll join me again to see what I’m posting xx

      Like

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.