Chook’s Book Blog

13 June 2024

No Time for Goodbye - Linwood Barclay

Kia ora chookers - hope this finds you well. We have had a great couple of weeks back at the markets in Paraparaumu Beach but will be taking the next 3 weeks off because we have a lovely holiday planned in Samoa. I am pretty excited about this trip as it is the first time in Samoa for us. Looks like a beautiful country. Fingers crossed I get to swim with some turtles off the northern coast of Savai’i.

I have just finished reading No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay. I have a few of his books in stock but he isn’t an author I have read before - this is one of his older books (published 2007) and I will certainly be reading more of his. Great twists and turns and an intriguing mystery. Basic synopsis is a teenager wakes up early one morning and finds her family is gone - no note, no sign of packing, no bodies… just gone. I loved it, a great read and highly recommended.

I must confess that I have been a little unmotivated lately so progress on the website has been slow (ok… non-existent!) but I feel I am in hibernation mode in this cooler weather - give me a cuppa, a blanket and a book and I am happy. Having said that, I have more books now than I have ever had, so do reach out to chooksbooks24@gmail.com if you are looking for a particular author, book or genre. I have built up quite a bit of stock for younger readers and a reasonable collection of non-fiction and biographical books as well as the usual contemporary fiction.

Take care of yourselves, keep warm and, as always, happy reading!

30 May 2024

Well, hello there! It has been a while since my last blog. I have been busy sorting through the many books that have come my way since I started this venture. I have also finished up my day job so, for the time being, this side hustle is my only hustle! Now that I have more time, I am hoping to start listings on this website (once I figure out how to do that) so please reach out if you see anything you like. Winter is making its presence felt so what better time to grab a book (or seven) to while away the longer evenings?

Do you have a particular book that you have read over and over again and would never part with? A book that you read every few years and go back to when you are not sure what to read next? That book, for me, is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. A few years ago I traded up to one volume that brings together the “five books in the trilogy” and am currently reading the fourth installment - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish. I love Douglas Adams - his ability is grasp what is truly ridiculous about the world and human nature is yet to be surpassed by any other writer. Although he is best known for the Hitchhikers books, he was quite prolific and I enjoy all of his stuff.

See you at the Paraparaumu Beach markets this Saturday. We will be there most weeks, weather permitting.

Take care, keep warm and happy reading.

19 April 2024

Kia ora Chooks! It is nice to be back. Sorry for the radio silence - life has been a little hectic lately. We had a lovely holiday in Western Australia only for us both to catch a nasty head cold on our return. However, we will be back at the markets tomorrow - should be a lovely day in Paraparaumu Beach. I must say that Autumn is, by far, my favourite time of year.

A rare occurrence for me, but i find myself between books and not sure what to read next. I finished Mick Heron’s Bad Actors (8th in the “Slough House” series) while i was away. Anyone that has seen the “Slow Horses” TV series will instantly recognise the protagonist, Jackson Lamb (brilliantly played by Gary Oldman in the series). I enjoyed the TV series but hadn’t read any of the books and I am now very keen to get my hands on the rest of them. I love spy stories - but the intrigue of a good spy novel set to a backdrop of dark humour, political backstabbing and, at times, outright slapstick comedy is hard to put down.

Hope to see you all soon. As always, take care and happy reading.

14 March 2024

Hi chookers - I am briefly checking in to wish you all well and let you know that Chook’s Books will be taking a break until the end of the month. We will be back at Paraparaumu Beach markets on 6 April 2024.

During our break, we will be in Perth and southern WA holidaying and visiting with friends. It isn’t just books and chooks that I love, there is also travel. I think I was born with itchy feet!

One of the best things about travel is the opportunity to take time out and have a good read. At the moment i am hugely spoilt for choice with lots of lovely books just waiting in my “read pile”. I am currently half-way through another Sophie Hannah book (A Room Swept White). I really do enjoy her writing style.

So, what to take on holiday? What do you usually do? Are you one of those people that packs a book in your luggage and another 1 (or even 2) in your carry-on? Or do you use it as an excuse to make a new find at the airport bookshop? Expensive but hey, you are on holiday, right?

Either way, I look forward to blogging about my trip and my latest reads on our return.

Happy reading, see you soon.

4 March 2024

A World of Curiosities - Louise Penny

Hello fellow bibliophiles - I hope you are all fit and healthy and life is treating you well.

I am blogging about a book that I am currently half way through - i realise this is not the usual way of reviewing a good read, but I am taking it on faith that the book will continue in the same vein and serve up a few more twists and an ending that nobody sees coming (least of all, me).

This book has been a pleasant surprise so far. it was leant to me by one of my lovely colleagues (yes, I have a day job!). I hadn’t read any of Louise Penny’s books but knew it was likely to be a good read if recommended by this particular lady - we seem to have a similar taste in books.

The pleasant surprise came when I read that this book is set in a place called Three Pines and centres around Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec.

When I am not reading and have some downtime, I do enjoy a good TV show - mainly thrillers and crime (no surprise there). By a happy coincidence, I have recently finished watching the series “Three PInes” and loved the main character, the setting and the quirky town locals (including a cantankerous poet called Ruth that has an equally grumpy duck as her constant companion). This colourful cast of characters is lovingly portrayed in A World of Curiosities and I am looking forward to tracking down and reading some more in the series.

Thanks to those of you who turned out for a browse and a chat at our market stall last weekend. We will be back at Paraparaumu Beach Markets this Saturday 9th March. After that, we are taking a break as we fly out to Perth to visit friends and have a lovely holiday.

See you soon - take care of yourselves.

23 February 2024

The Narrow Bed - Sophie Hannah

Hi chookers! Hope you are all fit and well and currently enjoying a good book. We are taking a break from the markets this weekend and the focus for the next week or so will be finding more books to sell.

I just finished reading Sophie Hannah’s “The Narrow Bed”. This is a new author for me but, judging by this first read of her work, I think i will become a fan pretty quickly.

As I have already mentioned, I love mysteries and police procedurals. The Queen of the murder mystery genre, in my humble opinion, is and has always been Agatha Christie. However, if Christie is the Queen then Sophie Hannah must be close to a Princess Royal.

The Narrow Bed centres around a stand-up comedian reluctantly drawn into a police investigation into the “Billy Best Mates” murder inquiry. Billy, it appears, likes to dispatch pairs of best friends (thus the moniker). But, as with any great mystery, nothing (and I mean, nothing) is what it seems.

Without giving too much away, all I can really say is that the usual motives for murder are completely thrown out of the literary window in this highly entertaining (and humorous) read. You may need to suspend disbelief ever-so-slightly when all is revealed (but, hey, if you read fiction then reality is easily suspended, am I right?)

Since finishing this book I have indulged in a little google research on the author. Sophie Hannah is both an author and poet - and she is prolific. Interestingly, my initial impression of her Christie-like genius was proven correct. It seems the guardians of Christie’s legacy have entrusted this author with the beloved character Hercule Poirot and Hannah has produced 5 novels dedicated to the world-famous detective.

I love finding a new author to read - I am going to be busy!

See you soon.