#WOYBS? What’s On Your Bookshelf? – February 2025

It’s time for the monthly What’s On your Bookshelf? link up .

I’m looking forward to you sharing what you’ve read at our monthly link up co-hosted with my friends Deb from Deb’s World, Donna from Retirement Reflections and Joanne Tracey – Author. Remember to check out what has been on their bookshelves as well.

We are currently on a 4-night cruise to Sydney where we will spend some time sightseeing my home town and spending time with family. I made sure I had plenty of books loaded on my kindle before departing. I will read all of your posts and comment on my return.

My reviews cover books read and listened to over the last month. I have much to share so you might need to make a cuppa and take time to enjoy reading through my post.

Book Reviews What’s On Your Bookshelf? – February 2025

The ‘How to Read a Novel’ Course

During January I started the How to Read a Novel – Online Literature Course – FutureLearn. It is a short 4 week course which I found very interesting. I love to read but do I often delve further into the book than just the surface story? Not often unless it is the book I’m reading for our Stunners Book Club. Doing the course has given me a reminder that there is more to be gained from a novel than just the storyline.

This is an excerpt of what the course covers:

What makes a great novel? How is a novel woven together? How can we best appreciate works of fiction?

Answer these questions and more with this course from The University of Edinburgh.

On the course you’ll discover four of the main building blocks of modern fiction: plot, characterisation, dialogue, and setting using examples from a range of texts including the four novels shortlisted for the 2024 James Tait Black fiction prize. You’ll also explore the formal strategies authors use, how they came to be, and how they affect us as readers.

My book(s) of the Month

‘Grave Talk’ and ‘The Scent of Oranges’ are beautifully written and I would give them 5+ stars. It was a delight to read them and I highly recommend them to you.

Grave Talk – Nick Spalding – 5+ stars

I absolutely loved this book by Nick Spalding but you will need your tissues handy at times, especially towards the end. The writing is sensitive and handles the subject of grief beautifully. We all grieve in different ways and I always feel that words are inadequate when trying to comfort someone who has suffered loss.

In Grave Talk we find two strangers, Ben & Alice who meet at the grave side whilst they are both visiting their lost loved ones. Still hurting from the loss of her husband, Alice is visiting his grave on his birthday but she is taken aback when a green talking frog appears at the next grave. Ben, is the green talking frog – not a real one of course, but a human who has lost his big brother, Harry to leukemia. Harry has written a special request in his Will that Ben has to undertake each year on this date.

Both Ben and Alice are struggling to come to terms with their loss and start to talk. They decide to meet up every year at the graves of their loved ones and check in with each other. What starts as a tentative conversation, develops into a warm friendship which challenges both of them at times but is the one thing that keeps them going.

I highly recommend this book.

The Scent of Oranges – Kathy George 5+ stars

Another beautifully written book which I highly recommend. The Scent of Oranges is a retelling of Oliver Twist but from the perspective of another character, Nancy. I soon became engrossed in Nancy’s life during Victorian times and it certainly wasn’t an easy one. Experiencing domestic violence from Bill Sikes, being under the control of Fagin to the faint hope of finding love with Mr Rufus. A wonderful nod to Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist and after reading this book I realised I hadn’t actually read Oliver Twist even though I knew the story. I’ll be putting Oliver Twist on my list and will probably have a different view of the book after reading The Scent of Oranges.

Other Reads this month which I recommend

Other books that I read during the month included two Nordic Noir genre by author Ragnar Jónasson. Set in Iceland I enjoyed both books but only rated them 3 star. The Cypress Maze set in Tuscany, Italy in WWII and present day rated a 4 star from me as did The Lost Bookshop which was an enchanting story.

Non – Fiction

Stunners Classic Book Club

The Alchemist

52 Book Club Challenge 2025

I am participating again in the 52 Book Club Challenge 2025 and have managed to tick off more of the prompts

Here is the link to the guide which explains all the prompts and how it works, if you would like to join in the 2025 challenge.

These are some of the books that have been on my bookshelf during the month. What’s been on yours? I would love you to share with me your recommendations.

Dates for the Diary 2025

The What’s On Your Bookshelf? Link Up dates for 2025 are listed below. Make a note in your diary as a reminder as we would love to have you join us.

The link for What’s On Your Bookshelf (WOYBS) is open on the third Friday of each month at 8 am (AEST) – that makes it sometime on the third Thursday of each month if you’re in the northern hemisphere…

February 20/21
March 20/21
April 17/18
May 15/16
June 19/20
July 17/18
August 14/15
September 18/19
October 16/17
November 20/21
December 18/19

Happy reading and remember to pop over to read what books have been on my co-hosts shelves.

 Deb from Deb’s World, 
Donna from Retirement Reflections 
Joanne Tracey – Author

The next #WOYBS Thursday March 20/Friday March 21. I’m looking forward to seeing and reading What’s Been on your Bookshelf? during the month.

Women Living Well After 50

Living Life Your Way