Illegal and the illicit. David Carter. Definitely not for me this one. Too much chopping and changing with very little to connect it all. I’ll still read the next one, but Carter’s earlier books are my favourite so far.

Little Miss Wise. Rodger Hargreaves. We liked the title of this book very much, given Sophia Talitha’s name! We think Little Miss Wise was very sensible, but think she could do with throwing caution to the wind more.

The Death Broker. David Carter. I got on much better with this book than the last one. I got irritated by the poor safeguarding described, but I guess that’s the point! A good read.

The Pearl of Great Price. Bethan Lycett. Sophia lived the rhymes and pace of the story. We’ll look forward to reading it again and again as she grows.

Princess Poppy: The Birthday. Janey Louise Jones. Sophia liked this story, and noticed how Poppy was sad but then she was happy at the end! We liked her dress and we hope she learned to be a bit more patient!

Anxious People. Frederik Backman. I think I’m going to be a lone voice here, but for me, the best thing about this book is that it eventually ended. I finished it because I’m a started finisher. But I just didn’t connect with it at all. It took me a very long time to read, so maybe it would make better reading when I’m on holiday or something. But it just wasn’t a hit for me.

Little Pink Ballerina. Ronnie Randall. A lovely book from my childhood that I’m sure we’ll read over and over again.

The Last Party. Clare Mackintosh. Another good novel from Clare Mackintosh. There are lots of different characters to get to know, but some interesting core character development. I didn’t see the end coming, either!

This is a dog. Ross Collins. A cute story which Sophia and I had a good laugh about! We love the corrections, silly doggy!

I Want My Potty. Tony Ross. Probably my most read book of 2023! Sophia loves it! We do so many different voices and she likes to shout at the key moment!

Octopants. Suzy Senior. A book I bought when we were out and about to keep S distracted for a bit, but it’s become a real favourite!