What I listened to in October!

At the start of the year, I started listening to audiobooks. I always wanted to be a reader but couldn't/wouldn't make the time, so audiobooks were a way around it. I could be busy doing something while still listening to a book. Anyway, I thought I would share what I have been listening to. All of my audiobooks come from my local library through the app BorrowBox. I know lots of what I listen to might be considered old but they are all new to me!

This is what I listened to in October:

An Unlikely Visitor by Joanna Cannon!

Margaret thinks her time is up. Things have been hard since her husband Derek died, and they never got over the disappearance of their daughter, Jeanie, all those years ago. With his support, it seemed like everything would be okay okay enough, that is. But now Derek’s gone. Margaret moves through the days slowly, quietly, alone. Then one day, Margaret returns home to an unlikely visi­tor, and together they set out to discover what really happened to Jeanie. Perhaps if she knocks on enough doors, she might find another end to the story. Part mystery, part ghost story, part meditation on grief, An Unlikely Visitor is a warm hearted and hopeful reminder that the people we love are always with us.

When I started this book I had no idea the unlikely visitor would turn out being who it was. No spoilers but what a twist! Margaret tugged on each and every one of my heartstrings and I just loved following along as she pushed herself out of her comfort zone. This book is sad and I had a tear in my eye at times but it is beautifully written and packed full of emotion! I loved it!

Blacklands by Belinda Bauer!

Twelve-year-old Steven Lamb digs holes on Exmoor, hoping to find a body. Every day after school, while his classmates swap football stickers, Steven goes digging to lay to rest the ghost of the uncle he never knew, who disappeared aged eleven and is assumed to have fallen victim to the notorious serial killer Arnold Avery. Only Steven's Nan is not convinced her son is dead. She still waits for him to come home, standing bitter guard at the front window while her family fragments around her. Steven is determined to heal the widening cracks between them before it's too late. And if that means presenting his grandmother with the bones of her murdered son, he'll do it. So the boy takes the next logical step, carefully crafting a letter to Arnold Avery in prison. And there begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game between a desperate child and a bored serial killer.

I really liked this book. It's heart breaking to realise that Steven was just trying to find the body of his murdered uncle to fix his little broken family. All he wants is to be normal and happy. Even though the story is told from the perspective of a 12 year old boy it is not for children because of the serial killer who was a truly evil and sick man! The ending felt a bit rushed but on the whole it was fantastic to listen to and I didn't want to stop listening. It did make me think of the Ian Brady/Myra Hindley case which made it feel so, so real!

Over Sharing by Jane Fallon!

Can you live a lie without spilling the truth? Once, Iris was happy. She had the home, the husband, the promise of a family. Now she's divorced and renting out her spare room to make ends meet. Life could be worse. But could have been better - if it hadn't been for Maddy: the woman who ruined her life. Social influencer Maddy's brand is happy families. She preaches about loyalty and the sanctity of marriage, and is quickly becoming famous for her wholesome videos of life with her husband and adorable twin girls. Iris doesn't believe a word of it. And she's going to prove it's all false. Because if there's one thing that will bring back Iris's happiness, it's taking away Maddy's.

I wanted to like this book but couldn't get past or relate to the main character. Iris isn’t a very nice person at all! Her behaviour is ridiculous and she really annoyed me because of the way she treat people. She was a car crash waiting to happen but I couldn’t look away. There were some funny moments but overall I found the story a little boring. I did finish listening to it just to see how it ended.

Eyes on You by Adele Parks!

At 15, Amy witnessed her father brutally murder his secret lover. Her testimony sealed her father’s fate. With him in prison, Amy and her mother must rebuild their lives in the shadow of a notorious crime. Years later, Oliver Harrington walks into the restaurant where Amy works. Just like Amy, Oliver has a past he’d rather forget. Amy is drawn to him at a profound level; they feel a connection, an understanding. This seems a lot like love, but does it hide something darker – an obsession that could lead Amy into a web of deception and violence she thought she’d escaped? As the truth looms ever closer, Amy must confront a harsh where there is love, there is often betrayal.

I struggled with the beginning of this one. At first it felt as though the story wasn’t really going anywhere and there were moments when I was very close to giving up. It just wasn’t grabbing me in the way I had hoped it would. I am very glad I carried on because once everything started to come together, the story took a completely different direction. Once the story got going I was completely invested and eager to see how everything would turn out. It is a good reminder that sometimes a little patience really does pay off. I nearly gave up on this one but I am so glad I stuck with it!

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale!

If you had the power to change the past…where would you start? Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is a creature of habit. She likes what she likes (museums, jumpsuits, her boyfriend, Will) and strongly dislikes what she doesn't (mess, change, her boss drinking out of her mug). Her life runs in a pleasing, predictable order…until now. She's just been dumped. She's just been fired. Her local café has run out of banana muffins. Then something truly unexpected happens: Cassie discovers she can go back and change the past. One small rewind at a time, Cassie attempts to fix the life she accidentally obliterated but soon she'll discover she's trying to fix all the wrong things.

I think if I was reading this book I would have got bored with it but hearing it on Audiobook made it fun! I love that it didn't have the typical then and now point of view even though it had wiggly time stuff in the plot. Being autistic Cassandra is not a character that everyone can relate to but I found her well intentioned, loving and loveable. Her effort to deal with the world were at times laugh out loud funny and gave valuable insight into an autistic perspective. The story did leave me with some unanswered like where did the sudden ability to time travel come from? I wasn't too keen on the ending and that is all I will say so I don't spoil it for anyone else. I feel like I need a second book after the ending.

What have you been reading or listening to lately?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #81

Happy Wednesday! I hope you're all having a lovely week so far. It’s time for another round of the Wednesday Hodgepodge hosted by Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond. Joyce gives us six questions, we share our answers and everyone links up! Simple!

1. Marilyn texted me something that inspired this question, so thank you Marilyn! Of the following sayings, typically associated with the (American) southern way of speaking, which do you most relate to right now? Explain.

Bless your heart ~ too big for yer britches ~ madder than a wet hen ~ you're preachin' to the choir ~ knee high to a grasshopper ~ oh my stars.

I love the southern way of speaking and in my head I heard those phrases with that accent! hehehe. Right now I think I would go with "Too big for yer britches". I definitely know a few people who could be described this way. I don't mind someone being confident. In fact, I like people who know their worth and aren't afraid to show it but there's a big difference between being confident and walking around like you're something special. The type who think they're the most important person in the room, have an opinion on everything and manage to make every conversation about themselves. I think it's important to stay grounded and remember where you came from. Just because you've got a fancy job, a bit of money or a nice house, it doesn't mean you're better than everyone else. Nobody likes a show off and there's nothing more embarrassing than someone who thinks they're above everybody else. So if you're getting a bit too big for yer britches, maybe it's time to loosen that waistband, climb down off that high horse and give yourself a little reality check. Bless your cotton socks! Hehehe.

2. The Hodgepodge lands on (US) Veterans Day this year. Are you a veteran? Have a family member who's a veteran? If you answered yes, tell us something about them. Will you do anything to mark the day in some special way?

I'm not a veteran but my grandad served in the Army during World War 2. He was a wonderful man and always made the best dippy eggs and soldiers, he got them perfect every time! I wish I'd had the chance to ask him more questions about his experiences and what life was like for him during the war. When I was younger I didn't think to ask those things.

I'm in England and we had Remembrance Sunday over the weekend a day to remember everyone who has served and lost their lives in conflicts and today is called Armistice Day instead of Veterans Day. I'll be observing the two-minute silence and thinking about my grandad and everyone else who served. I always think it's important to take a moment to remember those who have served, those who are still serving and the families who have supported them. It is a good reminder to stop for a moment and think about the sacrifices people have made.

3. Is breakfast for dinner a stroke of genius or a sign of total household collapse? Is breakfast for dinner a regular thing at your house? Are all family members on board?

I love it! I'm one of those people who could happily eat breakfast at any time of the day. When I think of breakfast for dinner I think of a Full English with sausages, bacon, fried eggs, hash browns, baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and a couple of slices of toast. What's not to love?

It doesn't have to be a full English either. Breakfast for dinner covers all sorts. Beans on toast, scrambled eggs, crumpets, pancakes, waffles, bacon sandwiches or even a bowl of cereal if you're having one of those days. I am happy to eat those foods at any time of day and of course my family are all on board with it!

4. How do you see the world?

This one took a lot of thinking about! I think I see the world in a down to earth way. I appreciate the little things, find humour in everyday situations and don't think life has to be perfect to enjoy it.

I notice the ordinary things that make up everyday life. Family moments, funny conversations, traditions and all those little things that don't feel important to anyone else but make life what it is. I think I am practical in my outlook on life. I appreciate people who work hard, make an effort and don't give up when things get difficult. I believe in giving people a chance rather than judging them. I also like to see the funny side of things. Life is far too short to take everything seriously and I don't mind making fun of myself along the way. I know the world isn't perfect and I am at a stage in life where I know what I like, what I don't like and what I'm no longer prepared to put up with. I don't need an fancy lifestyle or exciting plans. Sometimes a nice meal, a good TV show, a laugh with family or simply having a day where everything goes to plan is enough for me.

I suppose I see the world through a mixture of realism, humour and appreciation. I know life isn't always easy but I don't want to spend all my time complaining about it either. I'd rather enjoy what I've got, look after the people who matter to me, laugh whenever I can and make the most of the everyday moments.

5. And this week's gratitude question-what's something about your surroundings (home, neighborhood, city) you're grateful for?

I'm grateful for where I live! It is just a short walk away from my dad and a 10 minute bus ride from my brother and his family. Being close to family is something I never want to take for granted. I also love that we're surrounded by countryside. I like having open spaces, fields and quieter roads nearby. The best thing is that we're not miles away from everything either. We're close enough to town to pop out for shopping or go for a coffee and if we want something a bit different there's a much bigger city not too far away. I think I've got it quite good. I can enjoy the quieter side of life without feeling cut off from everything.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It's my birthday in just over a week and I finally settled on what I am doing to celebrate. I've just booked the train tickets and a hotel. Stu and I are going to a Christmas market. I did think about going back to York but this year we're going somewhere new. Eek! I love my birthday being at this time of year with all the festive things going on.

Share our Lives - How we express gratitude!

It's that time of the month again to share a little bit of my life and join in with the other Share Our Lives bloggers. This month the prompt is: How we express gratitude!

Gratitude is one of those words that seems to get used everywhere these days, it really has become a big thing! When I hear the word gratitude I always picture pretty notebooks, inspirational quotes and someone writing down five things they're grateful for every morning while sitting with a cup of herbal tea while I'm over here being grateful that I managed to put on matching socks this morning. Gratitude is more simple than that for me. It's seeing the little things that make life better, appreciating the people around me, being thankful when someone does something kind and giving myself a little pat on the back for getting through the day without wanting to scream into a cushion!

I definitely say thank you a lot and each time I mean it. To the bus driver, the person who held a door open, the lovely woman in the local cafe who remembers my order before I've even said what I want, the shop assistant who gives me a carrier bag when I'm struggling with far too much shopping, my girls when they do something without me having to ask and sometimes I'll add a little extra to it and say that really made my day or I really appreciate that. It might only take a few seconds but I think it matters.

I make a note every day of at least one thing I'm grateful for, you might have seen my grateful posts, there's one every month. Some days it's big, emotional stuff and other days it's my cup of tea stayed hot and that's enough. Writing it down makes me notice those little moments and the best part is looking back and realising how many good things happened on days I thought were rubbish at the time. There are things that I would have forgotten if I hadn't taken thirty seconds to write them down.

Food is another big one for me. There's something about feeding people that makes them feel looked after and makes me happy. I cook for my girls friends, I try new recipes to make my fella smile and even when they don't quite go to plan and we pretend it was meant to taste like. Sometimes I make myself a little snack just because I fancy it and because I deserve it too. Food is gratitude.

Time is another way I express gratitude. Life is busy, everyone is always tired and there is always something to do so pressing pause it all to give someone all of my attention feels like a big deal these days. Listening to someone even if it's a story I've heard a hundred times before shows them that I care, sitting down for a proper chat when someone needs to vent or listening to the girls talk about their day. That is my way of saying you matter to me and how I show I care.

Being grateful to myself hasn't come naturally. For a long time gratitude was something I showed to other people who deserved it and had earned it. Now I show gratitude to myself by scrolling on my phone without feeling guilty, resting and not feeling bad for not doing something productive and letting myself enjoy an episode of a TV show without needing to justify it first.

So that's how I express gratitude in my corner of the world. How do you express gratitude?

I am linking up with:

Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

Our weekly meal plan! 9th - 15th November! #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend! We had a good one here. We didn't get up to much which was fine with me. Most of my time over the last few days has been spent listening for the door, bringing parcels in and doing the delivery people's jobs when they keep dropping other peoples parcels here. I have quite a pile of parcels in the corner of the living room, which are mostly Christmas gifts. I really need to find somewhere to put them before somebody comes round and spots something they shouldn't.

Last week's meal plan went well. Of course we ended up moving a few things around but everything was eaten! My favourite meal was from the freezer dive. I found some chicken casserole and Stu and I had that with mashed potato while the girls were out with their people at the fireworks display eating hot dogs and pizza.

I have a few things on this week but the highlight is going to be the afternoon tea which was postponed from a couple of weeks ago. Also, this week I am planning on making a dent on what we have in the freezer. I need to get it emptied and defrosted ready to fill up with food for Christmas. I deliberately didn't get a Gousto box or much for the fridge so we have to eat out of the freezer.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Sausage pasta and garlic bread!

I don't know how but we seem to have a couple of bags of sausages in the freezer and a ton of garlic bread. I'm not complaining because both are things we enjoy and this is a nice easy meal to start the week. Sausage pasta is one of those meals that is always a winner here. It's filling and doesn't take too much effort to make

Tuesday - Pie, mashed potato and veg!

A little while ago my dad brought us quite a few boxes of meat and vegetable pies and chicken and vegetable pies. They've been sitting in the freezer so this week I'm going to get a few of them used up. Using these will free up half a shelf in the tall freezer which is quite exciting when you're trying to make room for Christmas food! We'll have the pies with mashed potato, carrots, peas and of course lots of gravy.

Wednesday - Chinese style pork rib steaks and rice!

We love these Chinese style pork ribs and I actually forgot they were in the freezer. I came across them while having a rummage and decided we need to eat them this week. We'll have them with microwave egg fried rice, which makes it an easy meal. I'll also make some homemade sweet and sour sauce to go with them because my family love it.

Thursday - Honey soy chicken and sweet potato fries!

This is a meal I'm looking forward to trying. I found a couple of bags of chicken in the freezer and thought I'd do something a little different with them rather than making another chicken and potato meal. Honey soy chicken sounds like a great way to add some flavour to the chicken. I have a couple of bags of sweet potato fries in the freezer too and I think they will go with the chicken.

Friday - A takeaway of some sort!

Friday night is an easy night for me. I don't cook and we order takeaway. It could be Chinese or Indian food or even ordering from the fish and chip shop. We will decide on the day what we fancy.

Saturday - Freezer tapas!

Saturday is going to be freezer tapas. We'll be having all the random finger foods that have been taking up space in the freezer. I know there's chicken nuggets, onion rings, spring rolls and some breaded garlic mushrooms. I think there are also mini pizzas hiding in there somewhere. I'll have a proper look through everything and see what else we can find.

Sunday - Minced beef & tatties!

We're finishing the week with a proper comfort food favourite. Minced beef and tatties! This is one of those meals that doesn't need much explaining. Minced beef cooked in gravy with plenty of flavour, served with potatoes. Simple, filling and just what I fancy on a Sunday.

What are you eating this week?