Day 1 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is… … Blue Monday by Nicci French! I haven’t read any of this author’s books yet, but I do love a good mystery thriller so I’m…

Day 11 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates! I've heard loads about the TV series (starring David Jason, Pam Ferris and Catherine Zeta Jones) but haven't seen an episode, so maybe reading the book will help me find a new TV series to watch too...! Here's more about the book:

Day 23 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... The Winter Spirits by various authors! I do love a good ghost story and this collection boasts stories by some very familiar authors: Bridget Collins, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Natasha Pulley, Elizabeth Macneal, Laura Purcell, Susan Stokes-Chapman, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Stuart Turton and Catriona Ward.

Day 19 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... One Day in December by Josie Silver! I don't generally pick up festive stories, especially festive love stories - just a personal preference! - but this one sounds really sweet so I'm happy to give it a try. Maybe it will warm my frosty fantasy-loving heart?! Here's more about the book:

Day 5 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... Murder on Friday Street by Russell Cooper! I really love a good funny murder mystery and this one looks very promising according to the blurb and reviews... plus it is the first in a series, which means even more potential books for my TBR - winning all round! Here's more about the book:

Day 24 - the final day! - of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... And So This is Christmas by Brian Bilston! I have been following Brian Bilston's poetry on social media for quite a while now and so couldn't think of a better book to complete my 2024 advent calendar than his book of 'Seasonally Adjusted Poems'. Here's more about the book:

Here we go! It's one of my favourite times of year, as I finally get to open the book advent calendar I curated throughout the year, ready for next year's themed reading challenge. 2024 I read the rainbow, with a book advent of brightly coloured covers and some matching pens and notebooks. The theme for next year involves 24 individual books, so I will be trying to read two per month in 2025. Watch out for daily reveals here and see if you can guess the theme for this year's advent... Day 1 coming up shortly!

Day 22 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... Autumn by Ali Smith! This has been on my wishlist since it was shortlisted for the Man Booker in 2017, so it's about time I finally got round to reading it! Here's more about the book: Blurb: A once-in-a-generation series, Ali Smith's Seasonal quartet is a tour-de-force about love, time, art, politics, and how we live now.

Day 21 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... The Butterfly Summer by Harriet Evans! I've already read a few books by this author, so I know she does a good line in ominous childhood secrets, exploring girlhood and womanhood, and the trauma of dysfunctional family dynamics, so I suspect that light summery cover is hiding something darker! Here's more about the book:

Day 20 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... A Spring Affair by Millie Johnson! I do love a good 'set' of books and this one promises further Four Seasons romances if I enjoy it. Plus, I'm hoping it might inspire me to do a bit of decluttering here at Shine central... miracles can happen! Here's more about the book:

Day 18 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... a day late AGAIN - sorry! Here it is... ... November 9 by Colleen Hoover! I have actually read It Ends With Us by the same author way back in 2017 (before my blog started!) for a book group pick and it sparked some interesting discussions. It'll be interesting to see how this book compares.

Day 17 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... October October by Katya Balen! I do love a good children's book and this one sounds great - very wild and autumnal. Here's more about the book: Blurb: A classic in the making for anyone who ever longed to be WILD. October and her dad live in the woods. They know the trees and the rocks and the lake and stars like best friends.

Day 16 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... a day late - sorry! Here it is... ... September by Rosamunde Pilcher! Another 'Twentieth Century Classic' here, from an author that I have heard of but never read. This looks and sounds more serious than my usual reading fare, so I will be interested to see how I get on with it.

Day 14 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... Enchanted August by Brenda Bowen! For this one, all I needed to see was that it was recommended by Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - I love that book! Here's more about THIS book: Blurb: Everyone needs a place like Hopewell Cottage – a romantic holiday rental on a small, sunny island.

Day 14 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... What July Knew by Emily Koch! I love a mystery that has a unique hook, so the tagline 'One death. Eighteen facts. What's the truth?' grabbed me immediately. Then the comparison to Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey sealed the deal! Here's more about the book: Blurb: One death.

Day 13 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young! This sounds right up my street - mystery, romance and a touch of magic - but it was the gorgeous cover that really sold me on it! Here's more about the book: Blurb: In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her.

Day 11 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is… … The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim! Going back in time to 1922 for this Penguin Modern Classic which is described in most reviews…

Day 10 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... Mrs March by Virginia Feito! Another I haven't heard of, but the striking cover caught my eye and Metro's description of it as 'Nastily good fun' intrigued me. Here's more about the book: Blurb: Shirley Jackson meets Ottessa Moshfegh meets My Sister the Serial Killer in a brilliantly unsettling and darkly funny debut novel full of suspense and paranoia…

Day 9 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is… … Sunflowers in February by Phyllida Shrimpton! I knew nothing about this one, other than I loved the cover and it fit my challenge theme pe…

Day 8 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow! I LOVED Starling House by this author - find my review here - so have really hight hopes for this highly-acclaimed 'love letter to stories'! Here's more about the book: Blurb: ACCORDING TO JANUARY SCALLER, THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO RUN AWAY FROM YOUR OWN STORY, AND THAT'S TO SNEAK INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S…

Day 4 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... Suicide Thursday by Will Carver! This is an author I have heard of so many times but never got round to trying, so this is the perfect chance! (And I'm sure many of you are thinking that my theme is VERY obvious so far, but after the next three days I will still have 17 more books to open...

Day 3 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... Wednesday's Book by Rebekah Isert! I loved this cover as soon as I saw it and the blurb promises lots of magic and mystery... and a talking cat. What's not to love?! Here's more about the book: Blurb: Trillion Orris is no stranger to trouble-or magic. Owner and lead detective for Orris Investigations, he has had more than one odd case stumble across his threshold.

Day 2 of my 2024 bookish advent calendar is... ... Apocalypse Next Tuesday by David Safier! This one is described as 'Life of Brian meets Notting Hill', which sounds right up my street, as I do like my fiction on the lighter side when the days get darker. Here's more about the book: Blurb: Cataclysmic events are nigh in Malente, Germany.