#recommendedread

🌿 Recommended Read | A Warm Spring Festival Story from Lingnan

Not every Spring Festival is about grand celebrations—sometimes, it’s the small, everyday moments that stay with us the longest.

From homemade sugar rings and laughter-filled kitchens to lively village gatherings and quiet walks through a 1,700-year-old water town, this story by Chen Haifeng, HR Supervisor at Kinghelm & Slkor, captures the warmth of family, hometown roots, and life’s simple joys.

It’s also a reflection of our generation—balancing ambition, responsibility, and the search for belonging in a fast-changing world.

✨ A gentle, heartfelt read about reunion, tradition, and what truly matters.

📖 Recommended Read: From Graduate to Creator at Kinghelm

A relatable story for anyone starting their career.

Lai Jiacheng shares his journey from stepping out of campus to finding his place in the workplace—navigating uncertainty, building skills in video production, and gradually gaining confidence.

What makes this story stand out is not just the work itself, but the mindset behind it: staying humble, paying attention to detail, and growing through every small step.

It also touches on something many of us can relate to—the quiet but powerful support from family along the way.

If you're a fresh graduate, content creator, or simply reflecting on your own career path, this is a story worth reading.

I’ve just finished reading Run to the Blue by P N Johnson. Now, I’m (impatiently) waiting for the next instalment in the series to come out later this year. Here’s what I thought:

*****

This crime thriller has journalist Tess Anderson in constant fight or flight mode. I mean, who wouldn’t be with a dangerous thug on your tail and possibly around the next corner?

Incredibly well written, exciting, and in the wonderful setting of the Greek Islands around Corfu, this was a novel I just couldn’t put down. With betrayal, romance, friendship, government intrigue, and a gutsy journalist thrown into the mix, this was always going to be a brilliant read.

I can’t wait for the next one in the series.

*****

Here’s my 5 star book review of sci fi novel Echoes by Phil Oddy.

*****

Poor Estrel. He just wants an easy life but what starts out as a standard sales trip soon turns into a mystifying run for his life. What is he meant to be doing? Why is he meant to be doing it? And who exactly can he trust?

This is time loop sci fi used to its full, intriguing potential. A brilliant start to the Entanglement series.

*****

The blurb:

Here’s my 5 star book review of witchy cosy mystery, Christmas, Killers and Clues by Bella Colby.

*****

I've been looking forward to reading the latest Witchy at Fifty instalment, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. Josie and Einstein are back with a full B&B of guests, a touch of romance, and a murder to solve.

This whole series is a wonderful marrying of magic with murder mystery, supported by a colourful cast of locals, guests, and suspects. And after reading Christmas, Clues and Killers, I feel strangely drawn to baking and gingerbread lattes. I'll leave the sleuthing to Josie though.

Brilliant novel. Can't wait for the next one.

*****

And here’s the blurb:

She’s making a list and checking it twice… because someone gift-wrapped a Christmas murder.

Josie Appleton is full of yuletide cheer. Her B&B is fully booked, her magic is behaving, and even her usually snarky familiar is purring with turkey-fuelled sass. With snow falling and magical cinnamon buns rising, this rookie witch is ready for the perfect celebration. But news that the local animal rescue shelter might close for lack of funds bursts her festive bubble, especially when its owner turns up dead.

Josie’s sleuthing instincts kick in faster than a broom racing home in a snowstorm when the local detective enlists her help. And with a crime colder than a snowman’s backside, and her handyman heart-meltingly handsome in his jingle-bell jumper, it’s a challenge staying focused… and alive.

Here’s my 5 star book review of The Bone Roots by Gabriela Houston. I was sad to finish this one – it was so good.

*****

The Bone Roots has all the elements of a good fairytale. Humans living on the edge of magic and the supernatural, superstitions and folklore, mystical animals, and relatable characters who drag the reader into their conflicts.

From page one, this novel had me hooked. It’s a wonderful take on folklore and fairytales, portraying heartfelt family struggles alongside a rich world of gods, spirits, and magical beasties.

The ending was heart-breaking, completely unexpected, but incredibly rewarding.

*****

The blurb:

It’s been 40 years since the Fox took Kada’s brother. Though she ran and kept herself hidden, she fears it may be stalking her again, this time to steal her daughter.

Every year, Vedma Kada gives thanks to the bone roots – those that belong to the child-bearing tree who gave Kada her desperately-wanted baby, Secha. Kada lives her life in service of the bone roots and the goddess Zemya, but they cannot keep her daughter safe. Not when Secha’s emerging powers, both mysterious and brutish, threaten to out her for who she truly is…