September 2026 reading round up

I had an absolutely awful reading month in September - I've been rewatching Bones, which has really taken up all of my time, and I've just generally been in a bit of a reading slump. I am, however, off on holiday in October; a proper 'fly and flop' holiday, where I plan to get *plenty* of reading done! Anyway, here's what I did manage to read in September... 

Whistle by Linwood Barclay

This was our book club pick for September - we always spin a wheel to decide on a genre, then everyone throws in some book suggestions and we do a poll to choose. This month it was horror, and this was the book we landed on. I am a huge fan of Linwood Barclay, and this is his first actual horror book - and my first ever horror read! I didn't think it was particularly scary, though it had very creepy elements. I really enjoyed it; there's a split timeline, and we're following a woman who moves her & her son to a rural house for the summer, where some really weird things start happening. In our other timeline, we're in a small town following the chief as he tries to solve a string of disappearances and very odd events. As the two stories merge, we're allowed a glimpse into a dark underworld that really gets under your skin... 4 stars!

Big Little Truths by Lianne Moriarty

I loveeeee Lianne Moriarty, and I was so pleased to be back in the world of Big Little Lies - this time for the sequel, ten years on, when the little kids are now teenagers and the mums have all moved on from those crazy events... or have they? I listened to the audiobook of this which was fantastically done, and honestly I just really enjoyed it. 4 stars from me.

The Bali Bucket List by Ava Wilde

Genuinely one of the most dreadful books I've ever read; this was a NetGalley ARC and that's the only reason I didn't DNF it - I think it might have been written by ChatGPT, which is gross. Girl's relationship breaks down so she flees to Bali to "find herself" in the most sad and disrespectful way, blogging about it all, and that's basically all that happens.It's very spicy, but in an incredibly cringe way, and the characters are awful. Hate hate hate hate hated it. Poor decisions, awful scenarios, pathetic people. 1 star and that's being generous.

Two Couples by Cathryn Grant

Another NetGalley ARC, and another one that really wasn't great. It's a thriller about two couples (duh) who buy a remote lakeside holiday home and find a dead body in the pool when they arrive. One person wants to call the police while the others are reluctant to do so - nothing really makes sense, and there are a few twists but none that add much to the plot, and generally it was just quite boring/predictable. 2 stars.

Andddd that's everything I read in September 2026. Started off well and went dramatically downhill! We go again in October...

24 hours in Coventry

I'm a big fan of UK travel - just jumping on a train and spending the weekend, or even just a day, somewhere new. And with that in mind my wife and I visited Coventry at the beginning of September, somewhere neither of us had ever been before. With just 24 hours in the city, here's what we got up to...

Hotel Indigo, Coventry

We stayed at the gorgeous Hotel Indigo - I've shared a full review of the Indigo Coventry, but in short it was absolutely fantastic. It's also super close to the train station (less than a 2 minute walk) making it perfect for visiting the city.

Cogs @ Hotel Indigo, Coventry

We had dinner booked for 7pm on the Friday evening, and we ate the Indigo's restaurant - Cogs. It was the ideal place to eat, and the food was sensational. We both had pâté to start, my wife had steak for her main and I had the most delicious truffle & burrata pizza. And there was a decent dessert selection; I had the dark chocolate brownie with salted caramel ice cream, and my wife had a Biscoff tiramisu! The bar menu also had plenty to choose from, including a fair few mocktails for the non-drinkers like me...

One day in Coventry - our itinerary

We had the whole of Saturday to explore the city, and we definitely managed to see plenty of what Coventry has to offer. After a delightful breakfast at Indigo, we headed off to our first stop of the day: the Coventry Transport Museum. It was £17 each to get in, so fairly expensive, but you get a whole year's worth of visits with one ticket. Great if you're more local, but not really relevant for us... There is SO much to see here though, from penny farthings and royal cars to old ambulances and even an F1 car! You can definitely spend a good few hours here, and I really enjoyed it.

On our way here we actually stumbled upon the Lady Godiva Clock, which is a mechanical clock on the front of Broadgate House. Each hour the bells chime and the wooden doors open, then Lady Godiva herself comes out on a white horse following by Peeping Top from a window above. It was just a really fun thing to see, one that we hadn't known about when planning our Coventry itinerary.

From the transport museum we walked down to see the new and old cathedrals, which are side by side - the new one is really quite hideous, truth be told, but the stained glass was very impressive. And the ruins of the old cathedral were also really cool to explore, especially as it wasn't raining... against the blue sky it did look spectacular.

Our next, and final, stop was St Mary's Guildhall. I booked our tickets in advance on Get Your Guide, for £9 each, and it took a few minutes for us to scan in then we were free to explore. It's much smaller than I expected, but it was an interesting insight into the medieval history of Coventry. More stained glass, a reconstruction of how the kitchen would have looked, some armour... it was cool, but didn't take us long to get around. There is a lovely tea shop attached, though, which has some fantastic cakes and food!

Coventry - our thoughts

Is Coventry somewhere I'd rush back to? Absolutely not, but it was a lovely night away and we did have fun exploring the transport museum and the guildhall; honestly I thought everything would take us a bit longer than it did, so we were left with time that we couldn't really fill. As we don't drive, we were fairly limited to the city centre - and there wasn't much else to do that we couldn't do elsewhere...

Hotel Indigo, Coventry | review

I was recently invited to the Hotel Indigo in Coventry, so myself and my wife hopped on a train to enjoy a gorgeous overnight stay and explore what Coventry has to offer! Below you'll find all of our thoughts on the hotel itself, and spoiler... we loved it.

Hotel Indigo, Coventry - location

The hotel is really well situated, directly opposite Coventry train station (literally a 2 minute walk) and then around 15 minutes into the city centre on foot. This made it super convenient for us! There's a small Sainsbury's and a retail park also within a few minutes walk, and you'll find Elle's Coventry across the road too - this is a social dining space with multiple independent kitchens, bars and coffee shops inside.

Hotel Indigo, Coventry - our room

We stayed in one of the suites at Hotel Indigo Coventry - ours was room 316, and it was absolutely huge. There was an open wardrobe space for us to hang our clothes, a long table space for getting ready, a super king bed, fridge/coffee machine/snack station, massive bathroom with bath, shower & double sink, and a generous seating area with a big TV. There was also WiFi, and the bathroom was stocked with gorgeous products.

One thing I will always say about Indigo Hotels is that the beds are ridiculously comfortable, and this was no exception. It was genuinely sensational, and we both slept SO well! They also do local decor really tastefully, and our room had a little 'peeping Tom' on top of the wardrobe - linked to the Lady Godiva legend, so that was really fun. There was also a ton of artwork throughout the hotel which linked beautifully to the city and its history, as well as murals by local artist Katie O.

Hotel Indigo, Coventry - food and drink

There is a bar and restaurant area in the downstairs of the hotel called Cogs; we had a couple of drinks here after checking in, and I have to say the Ribbon Fizz mocktail was sensational. They have a great selection of wine, beer, cider, cocktails, mocktails, soft drinks and snacks. We were able to charge the drinks to our room and pay for them when we checked out, which was super easy.

We ate at Cogs in the evening, and it was lovely - really quiet and peaceful, and we were sat right by the open kitchen which I always love. We both opted for pâté to start, which came with onion chutney and a lovely chargrilled bread; for our mains, my wife had the steak (which was huge) with chips & peppercorn sauce, while I opted for the delicious burrata and truffle pizza. I absolutely love truffle so this was just 10/10 for me. We ummed & ahhed over getting dessert and decided to just go for it - I had the dark chocolate brownie with salted caramel ice cream which was lush, and the waitress recommended their very own biscoff tiramisu which my wife chose. All of the food was tasty, filling and the perfect temperature. It also didn't take long to come out, which is always a winner!

The following morning we had our breakfast at Cogs too - there's a hot and cold buffet, and you can also order separate dishes off the menu. My wife had a full English from the buffet, and she really enjoyed it; the food was nice & hot which was definitely a plus, as hotel buffets sometimes fall short here. I had yoghurt, fruit & granola as well as a delicious bit of cake, so we were well set up for our day of exploring.

Hotel Indigo, Coventry - final thoughts

Overall we were really pleased with our stay at the Hotel Indigo in Coventry. The location makes it ideal if you're visiting Coventry by train, and the hotel itself is really well thought out and beautifully designed. I cannot overstate just how comfy the bed was, and the suite was just incredibly spacious. The service was also just brilliant, as ever! Would highly recommend the Indigo if you're looking for a really nice hotel in Coventry.

August 2026 reading round up

August was a busy month for me and as such, not actually a great reading month. I'm still ahead of schedule when it comes to hitting my 100 books target for 2026, and as always I'm sharing below all the books I read in August 2026 and what I thought of them...

The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley

I was so deep into this series throughout July, and I read the seventh book in the series at the beginning of August. It's a bit of a weird one, as the original sisters embark on a journey to discover the 'missing' sister - the seventh piece of the puzzle, who wasn't actually adopted by Pa Salt for reasons unknown. Honestly at this point I felt like I was kind of over it all, and the story really dragged a bit, and as she was never actually adopted into the family I still struggle to see the relevance. There's only one book to go, the story of Pa Salt, and I'm hoping that will make *everything* a bit clearer. 3 stars.

Glow Job by Kristen Bailey

I had soooo much fun with this one. It follows Ben, a chef/restaurant owner who has inherited a villa in Ibiza, and Chloe - burnt out and in desperate need of a holiday, who winds up attending the retreat that Ben starts hosting at said villa. It's just a whole barrel of laughs, awkward moments, fumbling romance and sunshine. One of my favourite reads of the year! 5 stars. (NetGalley arc)

Getting Away With Murder by Shari Lapena

I listened to this as an audiobook, and it's a decent domestic thriller; Jill and Ted are broke, and Ted's brother is incredibly rich, and together they decide to get rid of him in order to inherit his millions. But of course, things don't quite go to plan... it's nothing groundbreaking but it was an easy, enjoyable listen! 4 stars.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

This was our book club pick for August and my god was it gorgeous! It's a sensational read about grief and the power of both books and friendship, and Libby Page just writes so beautifully. We follow X, a grieving young widow, who discovers that her late husband has left her one book a month starting from her birthday 6 months after his death. These books all have a reason behind them, and lead to some incredible adventures that allow her to heal over time. Simply gorgeous, 5 stars.

Around the World in 80 Dates by Jasmine Burke

Another one I just enjoyed immensely and had so much fun with; Amorie accidentally goes viral with a rant about her love life, and ends up with a column in a travel magazine where she has to go on 80 dates in the span of 6 months, while inter-railing around Europe. On day one she meets Noah, who becomes her travel buddy - he's looking for a steady girlfriend, so they agree to help each other. You can imagine the rest... stunning, brilliant, funny and just a good time for a holiday read. 4 stars! (NetGalley arc)

So, not many books read but some real gems in there this month - hopefully September, as we get into cosy season, will have a few more good ones coming through...

July 2026 reading round up

July is my birthday month, and while I didn't get any books for my birthday (shock horror!) I still read a fair few. Without further ado, here they are with quickfire reviews and ratings...

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones

This was a free audibook I listened to, and it was fine - one of those domestic thrillers where somebody turns up claiming to be a family member, and everyone is left to unravel the truth of the situation before danger hits. It was fine, nothing spectacular but a good listen! 4 stars from me.

Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent

I absolutely love Lizzy Dent and have read all of her previous books, and as a big F1 fan I was really looking forward to this. I do think it might be time for me to just admit I can't read F1 romances - because there are always so many things that just don't add up when you actually know and love the sport. But that aside, this is a really cute and fun romance read for sure. 3 stars!

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

I decided on a whim to start Lucinda Riley's Seven Sisters series and as you'll see, I've been flying through them. For context, this is an epic series following a group of sisters who were individually adopted by a wealthy, mysterious man named Pa Salt. When he dies, he leaves each of the women a letter with a clue to their birth heritage. Each book is a split timeline, between the sister in question and someone from history with a strong link to them - so we follow two stories in each book.

Book one follows Maia, the oldest sister, as she discovers the death of Pa Salt and sets up the initial story for us. Her letter leads her to Brazil, and we see her story play out alongside that of a young woman called Izabela in the 1920s. This story is told to Maia by her biological grandmother, who she finally finds, and it's a fascinating tale that takes place in both Rio and Paris. 

Overall I think this is a great opening to the series and it really drew me in; the series as a whole is not without problematic characters/descriptions etc and you do have to really suspend your belief while reading, as the whole thing is a bit odd, but I enjoyed it a lot. I gave this one four stars!

The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley

Book number two follows Ally, the second oldest sister - who was out on a yacht when Pa Salt died, and comes back to the family home to get her letter and begin her own journey to finding out her heritage. Ally's story, marred by tragedy, takes her to Norway; here she learns the story of a young singer called Anna, which takes place 100 years ago and is linked to Ally's own heritage. At this point I started to realise how formulaic the books would be, but that's fine - they're just whimsical historical stories, and not everyone in them is good. But again it was an enjoyable read and I was still keen to continue the series! 4 stars for this one.

The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley

I was racing through the series at this point and book three was no exception; this one follows Star, a really meek sister who is joined at the hip with CeCe of book four. The two are living in London, and Star's letter from Pa Salt directs her to an old bookshop in the city - here she meets a man called Orlando, and learns about a family history that goes back to the Edwardian times. The historical portion of this book follows Flora, thrust into London society when she least expected it, which sets off a chain of events that really change the course of history quite a bit. I absolutely adored Flora and her story - Star's side of things, not so much... overall I also gave this one 4 stars!

It should be said that in all of the books in The Seven Sisters series, the characters make really quite dreadful decisions when it comes to love and loyalty, at least in a romantic sense. You'll find a lot of reviews on Goodreads that will criticise the unlikeability of the characters, and honestly this is mostly true, but something about the series just really has me hooked.

The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley

Book four was one I really wasn't looking forward to, as everything I'd seen of CeCe in the previous three books was just not doing anything for me. However, I was surprised to find myself really loving this one and I thought her character development was much better than most of the other sisters'. CeCe drops out of art college and heads to Sydney to follow her letter from Pa Salt; en route, she has a strange affair with a mysterious man, which isn't really relevant, but once in Aus she begins to learn about her heritage. The historical story, set 100 years earlier, follows Kitty - a clergyman's daughter who also ventures to Auatralia, where she marries the heir of a pearling company, and rallies against the mistreatment of Aboriginals. This history trickles down to CeCe herself and honestly I adored both halves of this story - I gave it 5 stars.

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell

I listened to this as an audiobook, and as always with Lisa Jewell I thoroughly enjoyed it. We follow Jane, who finds a missing dog in her garden which leads her on a whirlwind amateur investigation into a missing girl, a creepy man, and a story that ties back to her own youth. It has a dual timeline, and a LOT of characters, but it's a really interesting plot and a great book.

The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley

Back into The Seven Sisters with book five, which follows the second youngest sister: Tiggy. Working on an estate in the Scottish Highlands, Tiggy is very spiritual and after a near miss with death decides to head to Granada - which is where the historic portion of the story starts, following a younger dancer named Lucia in the poor gypsy community who live in cave houses in the hills. Lucia grows up to be insufferable, but her family is intertwined with Tiggy's story and overall the historic side of this book is still quite interesting. It was my least favourite of the series so far, and I gave it 3.5 stars.

One element that's really common in this series is infidelity; as I said earlier, the characters throughout do make a lot of poor decisions when it comes to love. There is also another really random recurring character called Zed who has featured in a few of the stories (though not all) so far, who is a creep and an awful man, and will presumably become more relevant later down the line - if not, it's been an entirely pointless addition!

The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley

The sixth book in the series follows superstar/addict Electra in NYC as she makes a series of terrible decisions (shock) and ultimately takes herself off to rehab, which is the making of her. This is interwoven with a historic story about a society girl called Cecily who heads to Kenya with her godmother in 1939 as the world is on the cusp of war - and honestly, I really enjoyed both the present day AND the past elements of this particular book, which made me happy. This was also the only one so far to make me cry and I gave it 4.5 stars!

As always, the characters do things that are totally unrealistic, but it is what it is. And there's a huge twist in this one at the end which had me so excited to read the next book.

Broken Rival by Tessa Bailey

I adore Tessa Bailey for her rom coms and sports romances - and this is completely different, but still fantastic. It's a sci-fi romance about a young girl who's parents figured out time travel and got in a LOT of trouble over it, so she's stuck in the wrong time and dealing with the consequences. When something tragic happens to the boy she loves, she finds herself trying to travel back in time to fix things - with very unexpected events along the way... I really really enjoyed this, it's a great concept and as always has excellent spice but a lot of plot. 5 stars!

The Nile Cruise by Caroline James

It's always been my dream to go on a Nile cruise, but alas - reading about it is as close as I'll get for now. This was a really strange book in all honesty, featuring a private detective who takes some time off to go on a Nile cruise, where she meets a whole cast of fascinating characters and takes plenty of inspiration from her favourite author Agatha Christie. This is definitely character-driven rather than plot driven, and overall it's just quite a sweet and charming book. Not for me, but has great reviews! 3 stars.

That was such a long blog post, as honestly there is so much to say about The Seven Sisters series - I might even write a full blog post once I've finished the whole series, just to get all of my thoughts out properly. Anyway, onto August...