The Cat Mummy by Jacqueline Wilson.

I have been reading books for younger readers because my brain has been struggling with long fiction books. Naturally I decided to return to one of my favourite childhood authors, Jacqueline Wilson. I was surprised at how short The Cat Mummy is. But then the story hinges on the main character finding her cat dead in her wardrobe and deciding to mummify it like the Egyptians did. Then keep the cat in a duffle bag in her wardrobe. There’s only so long you can keep a decomposing body before it … begins to smell. As weird as the premise might sound, The Cat Mummy is a good book on grief and loss.

The Ruby’s Curse by Alex Kingston.

After giving my brain a break, I started to read The Ruby’s Curse. I read it within 2 mornings of solid reading when I was trying to work out if I needed a few more hours of sleep or not after waking up at 4am. I don’t know what to think of the book. I don’t know what age category it fits into. It feels like a light read but at the same time, there are some adult parts in the story. I’m still not sure what I think of the River Song character, to be honest. An aside too, I have always seen River Song on the front of the cover as holding out her hand and is looking at something she is holding in her palm but she isn’t. She is looking down but it’s a statue.

The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie.

Did you know Alarum is an old term for alarm? Because I didn’t until I started reading The Seven Dials Mystery. This story definitely feels like a parody. Similar to another Christie I read Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie.

Wild Embers by Nikita Gill.

There, alone, sitting on the floor of my bedroom, making a list of people who would be happier if I was gone, it never occurred to me that the only person I really need to live for is myself. There I was, wishing, praying for love in the arms of everyone else, and it never hit me even for a second, here, just take those 2 arms you already have and wrap them around yourself.

Wild Embers by Nikita Gill.