My top 5 must read good book guide 2018

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned how much I truly LOVE to read. Reading is one of those things that I find soothing, a way to switch off and I adore crime mysteries or (totally other end of the spectrum) out there sci-fi and fantasy. I really don’t enjoy dramas at all, so if that’s your type of book then I’m not your gal. I do read parenting books like The Unmumsy Mum’s book and Hurrah for Gin but that is about the only factual/real life book I would read.

 When I choose a book I’m looking for total escape. Another world, another reality. With that in mind I thought I would share with you my top reads for 2018. I’m not a big reader because I generally find that work takes over, but I love reading and once I find a good book I struggle to put it down!

 Here goes:

 1.) Guardian of the Word 8 book series by Jolea M Harrison

 I’m only on book 5 but my god I LOVE this series. It’s fab. Think Star Wars meets Lord of the Ring and Harry Potter. It’s all space travel, mystery, legends, prophecies and more. I think it’s ace and I’m really enjoying it. As it’s such a long series it’s quite slow in parts but I still think it’s brilliant, just as you are starting to think “this bit is dragging a bit” it throws a spanner in there and you NEED to know what has happened. I think the whole series on kindle edition is £16.99 or you can download the first few books for free to see if it tickles the fancy and then go from there.

 2.) The Detective Calladine & Bayliss mystery series by Helen Durrant

 You might be getting a bit of a theme here, but I love series. If I like a character I like to know more about them and I’m a sucker for a cliff hanger. The Detective Calladine & Bayliss series is a really good one, one that I’ve really enjoyed. If you like your super gritty murder mysteries (and I do!) then this is 100% for you. I think there are around 6-7 books now; it’s been super popular and that author has written a separate Detective series for a DCI Greco, but that character never really grabbed me when she overlapped the books so I haven’t read it. I’m up to date with the series and I’ve found that some of the books a tiny touch predictable but for the most part the twists have been pretty cool.

 3.) The Detective Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons

 I love Detective series, I do. I love it even more when the lead of the series is a bad ass female with a past. That’s Kim Stone. She’s not as dark as some of the other heroines in this post but she’s guarded and has personal struggles (which are truly tragic actually) which I think slaps a dose of reality on to a character in a series like a squirt of garlicky goodness. There are so many detective series, so many, that they can really blur into one another. This one stood out for me and actually came up as a recommendation because I read the series I’m going to mention next… if you like Kay Scarpetta books then I would think you’ll like this.

 4.) DI Helen Grace series by M J Aldridge

 Remember I said Kim had a “personal struggle” in the previous book series? Well balls to that because Helen, Helen is about as fucked up as it gets. She is a WHOLE different level of tortured and this series has an amazing twist, turn, flip upside down and weave about like a drunk bloke pulling of the caterpillar vibe on a weekend in a retro nightclub. It’s a really hard hitting series, nitty gritty and oh-so-cleverly written. I love it and if you are looking for a Detective series but not into them so much that you want to read all of my suggestions, make it this one. The final book has ended in such a way that I’m more excited about it coming out than I am about the possibility the lazy sod who writes Game of Thrones will finish his books.

 5.) Game of Thrones by George R R Martin

 I’m going to put this in here because it’s a truly fabulous series and TOTALLY different to the tv show (which I’m also a huge fan of) but be forewarned it leaves you frustrated and pretty peeved that this author just can’t be bothered to finish his books. I’m pretty sure he just never will because nothing leaves a legacy like never finishing a book series right? Anyway, forget the TV series, it is only vaguely like the book I found and there will be characters in it that don’t exist in the book and vice versa. Well worth a read, but you have been warned.

 So that’s it! Those are my recommendations – hit me up with yours.

 H 🙂