Seeing as it is almost Valentine's Day I thought a romantic book would be in order, and when you want a girly romance to whom else do you turn than to Sophie Kinsella?
The queen of writing witty stories about modern women, her novels always make you chuckle and have a good dose of romance to them. I thought her latest book, the hilarious Wedding Night, would be a good one to pick up if you are in need of a light fluffy valentines read, but don't worry if you're single, this is just as funny a read if you aren't loved up yourself.
Lottie is unmarried and impatient, so when her current boyfriend Richard fails to propose when she thought he would she throws caution to the wind and ends their relationship. Left single and miserable, when her old flame Ben reminds her of their pact to marry each other if they were both still single at thirty Lottie jumps at the chance to avoid all the hassle and go straight for the ceremony. When Lottie's older sister Fliss hears of her plans she knows they are disastrous and tries to step in and ruin Lottie and Ben's wedding night, and subsequently their honeymoon, it proves to be no easy task, it is however full of laughs!
Obviously, this is Sophie Kinsella, it isn't going to tax the brain or make you feel like your life is full of meaning by the end of it, but when all you want to read is something fun and flirty this is the ideal story. The characters are daft, the plot line is crazy stupid, but that is absolutely what makes this story so enjoyable to read. I love Sophie's writing as she adds in such witty one liners which I identify with completely, her writing is often how my brain thinks ("putting the sausage in the cupcake" anyone? I snorted my tea when I read that one!) which I think is part of what makes them such easy reading.
We all have funny moments like Fliss and Lottie, and reading from both of their perspectives adds to the humour. I have a little sister and I often identified with Fliss's frustrations, and I am sure Tonia would identify with Lottie's annoyance at her overbearing big sister. The male characters are equally as enjoyable to read, I absolutely loved Lorcan and his interactions with Fliss's son, he comes across as haughty but is such a softy deep down and is only after his friend's best interests, something we all want in a man. Richard though a bit stiff at first quickly becomes a heart melter, and you end up rooting for him and Lottie despite his lack of proposal.
Wedding Night is a standalone novel, and although I loved both the characters and how funny it was I am glad that this isn't going to be stretched out into a series, the idea for the novel is so perfectly encapsulated in this individual volume that to try and adapt the situation to a wider range of plots would stretch it too far.
So why not treat yourself to a valentine's gift of a girly romantic read?
Let The Games Begin by Niccolo Ammaniti is a story about a party, a novelist, a singer, a satanic sect and a psychopathic property tycoon. Throw in a lot of alcohol, some elephants, and some fugitives from history and you get Let The Games Begin, where modern life combined with endless amounts of money causes chaos.
When I first received this book I have to admit I was a bit dubious about it. I had read very little about it as the majority of reviews were in Italian, and I had never heard of the author. The novel seemed to be the most intriguing book on the list of titles to review, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt and I am glad I did. The synopsis tells you very little, and I think that this is both a positive and a negative. You go into the novel with little preconceptions, but you also spend a good deal of your time reading it wondering what on earth it is actually about.
When I first started reading it immediately struck me that the writing was similar to Neil Gaiman, one of my favourite authors, in that it is full of wonder, you read unable to imagine how this story popped into the authors head as it is so full of creativity. This novel isn't one of fantasy though, but one of an extreme reality the likes of which would dumbfound a person if they were to be thrown into the middle of it, but it is a circus which celebrities and people in the public eye probably feel like they are often in the middle of.
The novel is funny, that I cannot deny, but it is certainly not laugh out loud funny, it makes you smirk at the idiocy of the characters. It is a satire of modern life, and you can obviously draw similarities with celebrity culture, excess and materialism, and so you chuckle as you imagine that real life celebrities are actually that self centered or dim witted, or on the rare occasion, that self sacrificial.
I enjoyed this book immensely, and I think my reading of it was only hindered by a couple of things, mainly that there was so much else going on in my life that I didn't get to just sit and read it. This is a novel which requires you to sit and pay attention because events unfold that wouldn't have even occurred to you as being possible. The second being that this is an Italian translation, and although it is a very good translation there are the odd words that stall the reader. I found it very difficult to get over the word Roman for instance, as I kept imagining centurions on Vespa's, and the odd few words are still in italian which I find makes it a little hard to grasp if you haven't knowledge of Rome or Italy and its trends in popularity.
Having read this I do think I would consider picking up one of Ammaniti's other works, though I think there is potential for the reader to be disappointed if the tone is different in them. This is definitely the sort of book that not everyone would love, or even have the time for, but if you like to chuckle along with an utterly outrageous story then you might find yourself enjoying Let The Games Begin.
Eddie can see his death coming, an elderly maintenance worker at an amusement park, Eddie leaps to save the life of a little girl after a broken down roller coaster loses its grip on one of its carts. Mitch Albom describes how Eddie goes to heaven, where he discovers that before reaching your own perfect heaven you must first travel through five other heavens, where the inhabitants will show you the poignant moments of your life and the effect you have had, the lessons you should have learnt.
I was excited to read The Five People You Meet in Heaven because the concept just seems so interesting to me. I had never read any of Albom's other books despite hearing so many wonderful things about them, but I love books that question preconceptions about life after death and come up with different ways that it could work so I went with the reviews and grabbed it from the shelf.
This book is an incredibly quick read both because it isn't particularly long and also because it is so compelling a topic, the wonder surrounding the idea that five people would be waiting to tell you your own story when you die is so thought provoking. I read this in July, so I was bound to be more interested in this book than usual having recently lost my Dad very suddenly, but I think it is such an interesting concept that anyone who can think a little outside the box will have their interest piqued by it. While reading I wondered who my five people may be when I reach my own end, and whose life I may help to explain for them.
The story really is quite sad to read because Eddie believes that so little of his life had any meaning, he had so little confidence in his own impact on the world and in reading it becomes clear that he touched many lives even if only a small way. It warms the heart to think that we may all have inadvertently made someone else's life that much more important.
An emotional and thought provoking read, this is definitely worth picking up if you want your brain to start ticking while you read.
I was initially drawn to this book after seeing it mentioned on the ChapterStackss YouTube channel, she mentioned it as being recommended by Gillian Flynn, and although I have yet to get around to reading one of her books (so many books, no where near enough time!) I have a pretty good feeling that I will enjoy them as they fall into the psychological thriller category. Megan Abbott's Dare Me falls into the same category but with a twist, it is an adult crime novel that revolves around the lives of a group of cheerleaders. That alone had me hooked!
Dare Me is voiced by Addy, the second cheerleader in the squad, the best friend of the Queen Bee Beth, when Beth says jump, Addy tells the girls to hop to it and joins in too. They rule their school. When a new young and personable coach comes along in the form of Colette French and spoils the Queen's fun, Addy gets caught in the crossfire. As teenage obsession goes to new lengths and a crime is committed, the inner workings of a teenage girls mind reveals that being a minor in no way means that you shouldn't be a suspect.
I think it was ultimately the reveal about how cheerleaders are still gritty, and quite nasty teenagers underneath all the perky ponytails and wide grins that drew me in, I was hoping to see a novel which isn't all about teen angst but instead touching upon adult topics, and that was exactly what Dare Me is. It was almost like Mean Girls crossed with Law and Order (On Wednesdays we wear pink, dun dun) The importance for sometimes trivial things to teenagers was beautifully demonstrated throughout the novel, the interplay between a petty squabble and then a seemingly quite dark and venomous revenge plot was refreshing in its contrast. The girls were at one point squabbling over a bracelet when there had been a very suspicious and serious death only hours before. It had the mind and the emotions reeling as a reader.
For me this story also demonstrated how dangerous a teenager can be, and how society does not immediately jump to the conclusion that they could be anything more than an innocent bystander unless they have been shown to have personal issues. With the raft of school massacres that have occurred in the states over the years, you would think that teenagers would come under suspicion in the same way that an adult would if they were found to be linked to a crime, but in Dare Me, Abbott highlighted the reality that authorities can sometimes find it difficult to see past the pep to the turmoil within. What I found truly refreshing about this though was that the other teenagers could see the potential danger, and were truly afraid of it. Having been a teenager not so long ago myself, I can honestly say that I too would worry about some teens and their good intentions, and I could identify with the turmoil of Addy's situation.
Dare Me is a great read if you are looking for something to lead you from the typical teen drama into an adult crime novel, or if you are into being slightly freaked out by the possibilities when it comes to your psychological thrillers, either way, Dare Me will make you consider teenagers a little differently!
In S.J. Watson's debut novel Before I Go To Sleep we are told Christine's story, she has severe anterograde amnesia and wakes up every day not remembering any of her life for the past fifteen to twenty years. She wakes to find that she is 47, and married, she spends her days pottering around the house and following her husband's instructions. The day that we meet her she discovers that she has been secretly seeing a doctor and keeping a journal of her daily life, and as she begins to read back through her journal she slowly begins to piece her life back together by the power of written memory. As she puts the puzzle of her memory back together again she notices that not everything adds up, and that her husband has been keeping things from her in order to protect her fragile state of mind, but Christine begins to doubt his good intentions.
This book was an old book of the month at work, and I had passed it by and simply read the blurb and put it back on the shelf many a time before finally deciding that I would bring it home to read. I knew I would enjoy it, because I love a good brain rattler, a psychological thriller that really gets you thinking. You know that feeling you get after watching The Truman Show? I like books that can do that to you.
The book is so interesting, the idea of memory and how it can be so fragile is something that to this day I wish I had continued to study while I was in education. Throughout the whole story we just cannot trust anything that any of the characters have said or done because Christine cannot actually remember it happening. It makes you wonder what you would do yourself without your memory, and it really gave me chills to read as I imagined myself in Christine's position. The plot is very gripping, I didn't want to put this book down at all. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going to happen, I knew something wasn't right and you could guess what that is, but ultimately you really cannot be sure purely because the character herself hasn't a clue either.
I think Watson has achieved something with this book, he has managed to write someone who is in effect re-learning who they are, and I think the journal method was both a wonderful medium and a clever plot device in order to tell this story, it allowed Watson to make the reader feel incredibly close to Christine's character because we were reading the diary along with her, but it also allowed him to get away with leaving parts of the story out that you wouldn't be able to with a third person narrative, and which ultimately made the story such a page turner. This book has earned so many accolades for good reason.
By the end I really did guess what was going to happen, but it isn't guessing that is important with this thriller, it is not truly knowing wether you are right or not that keeps you reading. Absolutely wonderful and I cannot wait to see what Watson produces next!
I think I, like most other Harry Potter fans, when I found out that J.K. Rowling had released a book under a pseudonym had a couple of heart palpitations and immediately tried to get my hands on a copy. I wasn't near any shops at the time and the eBook companies hadn't jumped on it yet so instead I reserved it through the library, I got to the list before most others so it didn't take long for my copy to come in and within a few days I was immersed in the world of Cormoran Strike.
The Cuckoo's Calling is a detective story based around the murder of supermodel Lula Landry, her brother refuses to accept the police verdict that her death was a suicide and hires an old family acquaintance Cormoran Strike, a down and out private investigator, to dig a little deeper. Strike is reluctant at first, but with increasing debts and no clients he decides to take a look into the case a bit more, and discovers things were not all sunshine and roses in the limelight for Lula.
Unlike most other Harry Potter fans who have now grown up, I didn't jump on The Casual Vacancy when it came out, it is still sitting on my shelf unread. There were such mixed reviews about it, I decided to give that one some time before I got stuck in. When I found out that not only had Rowling written another book, but that it was a crime novel however, well, I couldn't wait for this one.
I picked up The Cuckoo's Calling and near enough didn't put it down. It was a great mystery, featured a great detective with a lot of character and the potential for more as the series progresses. He was compelling, we didn't know everything about him, he was hard to read into and that is exactly as a great detective should be. They feature the great mind that can solve the mystery, they should be somewhat elusive. The characters all intrigued me, they were, as always with Rowling, a bit of a study of human nature. they all had faults yet you could identify with them. Robin in particular I enjoyed for her reluctant assistance and her compassion for Strike's situation even without fully understanding. She created a lot of humour also and I loved how inventive she was when dealing with situations.
I didn't solve the mystery, it was a clever one, and I was far too busy enjoying the read. The story flowed from point to point without straining to jump forward as some mysteries do, and the conclusion was lead into gently, without all of a sudden appearing without any suggestion. Definitely a well plotted solving of a crime.
I was surprised to laugh while reading this book, after hearing how serious the Casual Vacancy was I had prepared myself for this being completely different to reading Rowling's Potter works, but actually I found myself getting the same warm feeling of happiness while reading this. It is by no means the same of course, I wouldn't want it to be, but I am surprised that no-one pegged this book as Rowling's work before the lawyer let slip.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and look forward to the next, I feel I should only give it four stars purely because I don't want to peak too soon, as the next could be even better!
★★★★
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling is £12.74 from The Book Depository
Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher tells the story of Zoe, a fifteen year old girl from England who has an awful secret that she cannot share with anyone around her. She is weighed down by the guilt about the terrible thing she has done, and then she discovers the perfect person to talk to, and inmate on death row in Texas. As Zoe writes to Mr Harris, telling him all about the past year of her life, she begins to grapple with her feelings about her situation, and learns a few things about life along the way.
I really like this book, I had picked it up on a whim purely because of the title, I thought it was such an interesting one and wondered how it came about. I won't spoil the explanation for it, in case you haven't guessed already, but it is quite beautiful, and I shall be using it myself in future.
This is a teen novel, the main character is fifteen, but I don't think that this book is limited to that age at all as it has a message that can be understood by many. That message is about guilt and forgiveness, in particular forgiveness of yourself when you believe you have done wrong. Zoe battles with this throughout the book right up until it's conclusion. We read her teenage woes with a trepidation, knowing as a reader that there is something sad coming towards us, and that surely her behaviour must be the cause, but although it feels like watching a crash, you cannot help but keep reading because Zoe is just an innocent girl, and you know there must be a resolution.
The writing is simple yet elegant, the humour both suited to teenage sarcasm and wit, and the complex sense of humour of an adult. Reading it I was hard pressed not to smile at how (for want of a less derogatory word) cute everything was, even though if it had been written with adult characters it would have felt seedy and shocking.
The range of characters were interesting, we did not need many, and weren't introduced to a wide range, just enough to show multiples sides of human nature, their coping mechanisms and problems, their joy and means of expression.
I think this is a great book for if you want to read something which is both fairly simple in plot, but complex in the depth of emotion shown by the characters.
I shall definitely be looking into Pitchers other work.
★★★★
Sticking with the theme of writing reviews about books I have read recently, I finished the first Jack Reacher book last week. I have been told for years that I would love this series so I was reluctant to start it in case all of a sudden it was all I wanted to read, as there are now 18 books and I need to be reading other things really. I bit the bullet though and picked up Killing Floor.
Killing Floor by Lee Child begins by introducing us to a man in a diner in a Margrave, Georgia, a town that has not seen a major crime in over 30 years. Margrave has just however been the site of a homicide, and our mystery man is unfortunately being arrested for murder, he does not accept his rights, he does not give his name, he is not guilty. Why is this man being framed and who really is to blame? As Jack Reacher begins to open up to the local chief detective they begin to work together to solve the mystery, and as secrets spill from the pot they start to uncover an ingenious plot that has corrupted a whole town.
I knew pretty much from the first chapter that I was going to love this book. The opening chapters have that mystery to them that has you completely gripped. Even though Reacher seems a bit dodgy you still find yourself endeared to his edgy manner because you are both clueless to what is going on, Reacher finds himself in an awkward spot and you are stuck there right along with him. He is really very charismatic.
If you have seen the film, which by the way is not based on Killing Floor so you can read it without worrying about knowing what happens, then you will know that Tom Cruise plays this charismatic gritty character quite well. Tom has got the stony faced stare down, it's like Blue Steel but more intimidating. But Cruise really doesn't have Reacher's other great features, he looks nothing like him (six foot five, ha!) and he doesn't seem to exude the same level of confidence that comes from knowledge and skill, not just cockiness. Basically, if you have seen the film, you will probably like the book more.
I wasn't fussed about the romance in the story, mainly because you know that it isn't going to end well. I sort of see Reacher as a bit of a James Bond figure, but a bit grubbier. He is always going to get the girl, but never keep her around. The characters seemed a great match but when one is still living in her home town and the other is a bit of a stray wandering from place to place you just know he isn't going to stick around. I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about that though because it really is just a subplot that helps the story along.
The pace of the story was fast, but not so fast that you felt tired after reading. The circumstances presented you with an event every few chapters that slowly helped you put together what was going on and I liked this, it kept me wanting to read, but it did not necessarily have the characters covering a lot of ground or jetting all over the world which kept the pace even. I didn't want to put the book down but when I needed to I didn't feel like it would be hard to remember where I was and pick back up again.
I haven't felt so much like I wanted to go get the second book straight away since I started reading the Sookie Stackhouse books, that urge to go to the nearest bookshop and snatch it off the shelf and start reading straight away doesn't happen often with me. I did however hold off from buying book two for a week (mainly because it was out of stock, and ordering online just wouldn't be the same) and I have put it on the shelf and will not read it just yet. Maybe I can treat Child's books as a treat after reading a certain amount of other books, or just keep it for when I need a certain pace of book. I am definitely looking forward to picking it up.
Im going to give this four stars, but only because I don't want to give it five and then one of the others in the series blow me away, so who knows maybe I will have to amend this score at some point!
Every so often I really like to just sit and read some teenage/children's fiction. There is something about the plot lines that seems to have a bit more creativity than a lot of adult stories, and when i want to rest my mind and free it from thinking a bit too much about who killed whom I reach for my young adult shelves.
Now that does not mean to say that these pieces of fiction are any less complicated than an adult piece, they just provide a different form of escapism. Here are a few reviews from the genre.
If you haven't read an Artemis Fowl book, you might want to skip this review and instead go and pick up the first in the series as this review is for book 7, but for a quick brief on the story, Artemis Fowl is a millionaire child prodigy who discovers that there are fairies and other similar beings living beneath the earth's surface.
In The Atlantis Complex, Artemis and Co. are faced with a new problem, Artemis has contracted the deadly Atlantis complex, a fairy disease which presents itself as a blend of multiple personalities disorder, paranoia and OCD. This causes all sorts of problems as the general mastermind behind the teams problem solving is currently out of action, and Holly and the rest of the team must find their way out of their sticky escapades themselves.
When I read this I really wasn't sure if I would enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the other Artemis books as I had let my reading of them lapse a little, but I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It often made me chuckle and kept me interested. The characters are fun, likeable and each very distinct personalities, making it easy to follow, and the plot was both clever and imaginative, especially suited to keeping young imaginations well exercised.
A thoroughly enjoyable light read: ★★★★
As you know I have been reading a lot of Philippa Gregory over the past year or so, and when I heard she was going to be releasing a young adult book I knew I had to give it a read. The story is a bit of a departure from the norm, as it is not based in historical fact but a work of almost complete fiction, and the characters are a complete figment of her imagination.
Changeling follows Luca a young investigator sent by Pope Nicholas the fifth to seek out other worldly events and discover what they are all about. Along his way Luca meets Isolde, who is accused of witchcraft, but whom he helps to escape her imprisonment. The two along with their companions set about to investigate further strange occurrences across Europe.
While I was reading this book I felt a bit confused, it was hard to get to grips with and understand where the story was going, however at the mid point I began to feel like the story was actually a pair of shorter stories, like there were two separate adventures. We have Luca's story and Isolde's story and then their adventures together. Knowing that this was to be a series, I began to treat it as a series of connected shorter stories and it began to read a bit easier.
Unfortunately you can tell that Gregory isn't used to completely inventing her characters herself as they seem to lack depth and conviction, she does seem to be much better at adding to existing historical figures. I know it could be excused because she researches those historical characters in great depth, but I feel generally that young adult characters should be as complex if not more so than those in adult fiction.
One strength of the story that is consistent throughout all of Gregory's works is her attention to historical detail. As always she has made sure that we as readers can perfectly picture the places where the drama happens, and you know that she will have researched those details extensively to ensure that they are correct to the time period. For that I cannot help but recommend her.
The story is the first in a trilogy, the second of which, Stormbringers was released earlier this year. I haven't rushed to read it myself but for a young person who would like to try some of Gregory's writing before embarking on one of her epic series, this would provide a good taster.
★★★
I'm bouncing you back again, but if you haven't read Divergent, I recommend you pop over to my review here, and then buy a copy here (or any other good retailer), it is set to be the next big teen dystopian film series in 2014, so I recommend you get clued up!
In Insurgent we kick off right from where Divergent ended, with war looming over all factions. As Tris, Four and the other refugees flee the Erudite, they discover more about each of the other factions, and also discover a good deal about the force that is the factionless.
I was swept away again by Insurgent as the plot is fast paced and action packed, but I didn't love it as much as I did Divergent. I won't call it sequel syndrome, because I don't think that Insurgent could have avoided being "filler" purely because second books always have to pave the way between the development of the world and the solution to the problem, so the events in the story had to take place for there to be a resolution, but I didn't enjoy the read as much as Divergent.
I did love that we got some answers to some questions, and that we have more of a direction for the series throughout this book. It did feel a little choppy as we moved from plot point to plot point, but this added to the unstable feeling that runs throughout the series so far. This is mirrored by Tris's attitude throughout too, she feels a wide range of conflicting emotions which show range for a character who initially had been raised to exercise no self indulgence. I felt it added a level of discomfort to the story and would help a teen reader to identify with the seriousness of the situation.
Overall I felt this was weaker than Divergent, but still left me eager for Allegiant, and excited for the films.
★★★
And that film that is coming out for Divergent? Here is the teaser trailer. Looks good!
The Knife of Never Letting Go is a teen dystopian novel with a bit of a difference, there aren't many dystopian novels for teens with a male protagonist, but here we have one who could inspire boys to make mopre of themselves. The story follows Todd, who lives in Prentisstown in New World, where there are no women, and the men can hear each others thoughts. Todd is the last boy, having been told that all the women were killed by an infection released by the planet's native inhabitants. Todd however makes a discovery, a girl, and after all Todd has been told is revealed as false, he and Viola go on the run along with Todd's dog Manchee.
This book is a heart breaker, just to warn you, and don't let the simplistic language fool you, this story is fairly intricate for often being lumped in with children's fiction. There are instances where things almost didn't make sense, but where it felt intentional like it was there to confuse the reader. There is plenty of discription to assist the reader with imagining New World, and it says something for Ness's imagination that he has managed to come up with such a twisted place.
I love the idea behind this world, and think it has incredible potential, but I have to admit I didnt find myself connecting well with some of the characters, especially Viola, and I much preferred Manchee as Todd's companion. Even though I enjoyed Todd's character, I found him to be underdeveloped at the end of the book. For all of the trials and tribulations he has experienced in such a short space of time he still felt very child like. I did admire the way that Ness showed the difference in maturity levels between boys and girls though, as Viola felt much more mature by comparison.
The book is the first in a triology, and leaves the reader with a great cliff hanger, so I hope we will see some more of Todd's development in the stories to come, though if you have read the book you will know what I mean when I say I feel there will be a little something missing from them (I did shed a tear!)
Published in 1931 Allingham wrote her mysteries in the height of the golden age of crime fiction, a time when mysteries were supposed to adhere to certain rules. The authors at the time did like to surprise their readers though by finding ways to solve the crime that would be entirely unexpected. Cue Allingham's Police at the Funeral.
Albert Campion, an upperclass professional socialite (but with enough brains to class himself as an adventurer and detective) is called upon to help solve the mystery of his friend Joyce's uncle Andrew's death, found drowned in the river, there are suspicious circumstances, and along with his chum Inspector Oates, Campion solves the mystery with flair.
I bought this book years ago, and should have read it in 2009 when I was writing about Margery Allingham as part of my undergraduate dissertation, but for some reason I never got around to it, and I really don't know why because I absolutely love Campion as a character and all the stories he features in. He manages to appear the fool at all times until he pulls an absolutely genius solution out of the bag. He is constantly fooling people into believing that he hasn't the capacity to be of any threat, when in actual fact he is a very good judge of character. I love that allingham has created such a versatile character.
If you prefer your aristocrats to fulfil the stereotypes but still capable of doing some crime bashing, Campion is rumoured to be a parody of Dorothy L Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey, who is rather more as you would expect for a gentleman detective, no hopping out of fireplaces for him.
Police at the Funeral surprises me every time with how clever it is, even when I know how it will end and who has committed the crimes I smile to myself as I read it or watch an adaptation, and marvel at the skill there is to be found in golden age crime fiction. The construction is marvellous, you are presented each clue in turn, but the most probable solutions seems far fetched, but is it?
I love when a classic mystery can boggle the mind, and boggled my mind was.
The Aurora Teagarden mysteries compose of eight seperate stories all of which occur in the town of Lawrenceton, Georgia, and are solved by the local librarian Aurora Teagarden.
Harris wrote these before her sojourn into fantasy crime fiction with the Sookie Stackhouse books, and she really excels at writing standard crime fiction, the writing doesn't feel awkward like it sometimes can in her other work, an although not entirely realistic all the time, it doesn't feel too contrived either. Auroras character has a good balance between firm strengths and realistic weaknesses and as the stories progress she grows as a character demonstrating plenty of gumption, I suspect she also grows as Harris grew into being an author.
So how does a librarian get mixed up in solving crimes? By being a font of knowledge of course. In Real Murders, the first of eight novels, Aurora is a member of a true crime fan club where they discuss real life criminals like detectives would, examining evidence. At one of the meetings a murder occurs and Aurora finds the body, being a potential suspect and being a professional know it all (im allowed to say that when I am one) she begins to investigate to help clear herself of suspicion.
This was the first book I finished on my Kobo, it got me really excited to read on it, I bought the whole collection in two omnibuses and read about one per day. They are incredibly quick reads but also addictive, I was sad when the last one was finished because I simply wanted more!
The only real disappointments I felt we're Harris's need to create drama in Roe's love life mid way through the series (she is known for not allowing her characters to be happy for too long), and that the importance of the crime to the plot varies between stories. As mysteries go these we're light and fluffy while still having some integrity and I often didn't guess the criminal, either through cleverness or being content to float along with the story.
If you are looking to read a new series I recommend you give this one a try.
Obviously, this isn't about that White Queen, but is about the York Queen in the War of the Roses.
The White Queen follows Elizabeth Woodville, a commoner and a widow who charms the new king Edward IV into marrying her with her astounding beauty and a bit of her mothers witchcraft. The story tracks her struggles through the Wars of the Roses over the space of thirty years in which the House of York and the House of Lancaster fought over the English throne in the mid-1400's. The novel is the first in the Cousins War series by Philippa Gregory which covers both houses, with sequels featuring Margaret Beaufort, the Lancaster Queen, Elizabeth's mother Jacquetta and future titles will go on to cover her daughter Elizabeth of York and her contemporaries.
The novel is at its core a historical romance with a bit of mystery and plotting thrown in for good measure. Throughout the story there is a constant reminder of Elizabeth and Edwards love for each other and their relationship always appears strong even when they are separated.
Obviously a good chunk of content is about the actual wars that were occurring during the time period, and for me this was a particularly confusing time. Many of the characters involved have similar names, and as I said in my review of The Constant Princess I am slowly trying to read some historical fiction in order to improve my knowledge of British history (for more about why I started reading them, click here!) In case you too have issues with keeping history straight in your head or you simply aren't aware, to summarise a very long period of time, initially we had Lancasters on the throne, the Yorks took the throne, and then the Lancasters took it back, and that was the start of the Tudor period where both the Lancasters and Yorks were joined by marriage. We follow a good amount of this political shuffling through Elizabeth, even though she is a woman and away from the actual action, Gregory shows us that women often had ways of finding out what was going on around them even though they themselves were not always directly privy to that information.
During all of the hoo-ha with the swapping of the throne between houses, there was a lot of sneaky behaviour and deception going on and it is this which lead me to be so interested in this book in particular. The mysteries in this woman's life are many, she managed to rise up the ranks very suddenly and charmed both king and court completely, her mother was accused of witchcraft as she herself was, and her sons were the Princes in the Tower, one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Tower of London. Philippa Gregory isn't afraid of taking mysteries like these and turning them into a strong, gripping plot and I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
As with the Constant Princess the book was a little hard going at the beginning because you are grappling with so many characters, but I found this story in particular much easier to grip onto than the others. There are several references to magic within the novel as Elizabeth believes herself to be descended from the water goddess Melusina. Although initially this felt like a tacked on plot device that wouldn't necessarily add to the story and instead detract from the factual parts of the tale, Gregory uses it as a tool to overcome some of the mysteries surrounding Elizabeth's life and they are relied upon fairly heavily to tell her version of the story.
The magic is portrayed as a natural born skill that is innate to the women in this line of the family and integral to the characters themselves. It isn't explained in an unnecessary way, it is simply a skill that the women of the family use when they come into hardship. The very frank use of the magic in the story actually lends itself to being more believable, and almost innocent, it doesn't actually feel like cheating at any point in the story when Elizabeth comes across a hardship and her mothers guidance helps her to embrace her ancestry and take on the waters, a metaphor for using her magical influence to sway events. Gregory has managed to use this rumour in history to develop the queen into an empowered woman who will not allow the time that she has been born into to dictate how her life should be affected.
Gregory still manages however to keep the story grounded. Her reputation for research allows her to seamlessly join together the fantastical elements and the facts, and although she has to take a stance on the mysteries surrounding the wars which could or could not be correct Gregory manages to keep the reader believing that this could have been what happened. The story sucks you in because it is so convincing. The time period was full of drama and ups and downs that lend themselves fabulously to the plot allowing for a pace that keeps you reading. In particular I loved her stance on the Prince's in the Tower, as it creates presence of mind for Elizabeths character, showing she isn't just bowing to the stronger, superior men, but is taking steps to control events.
The book had me interested in continuing to read the series with The Red Queen, The Lady of the Rivers, and The Kingmakers Daughter which is released this year. I am especially excited for The White Princess, about her daughter which is rumoured to be due for release in 2013 after a plot point is revealed towards the end of this book. It should prove interesting indeed!
★★★★
I have witheld this review for many months, I finished the first in The Hunger Games series in December of 2011, but I have only just read the two sequels, and decided writing about them all at once would be best.
Obviously there are reviews of this series everywhere since the release of the film, and many many people have read them, seen the film, and are absolutely mad about them. It's Twilight all over again right? Wrong.
I too had initially been very sceptical about reading these, just as I was about reading the vampire novels, and prepared myself for a fun little read where I didn't have to think too much, but I have been pleasantly surprised. The Hunger Games is not simply a dystopian adventure where a kick ass girl gets to save her sister and gets to kiss a pretty boy, but a political lesson about the way we live now and what we could devolve to.
Occasionally I feel like directing the teens who are mad on this series to George Orwell or Aldous Huxley, but The Hunger Games really isn't so bad and it is teaching them a lesson in appreciating what they have, a lesson teens of today appear to be in dire need of.
Like most teen reads nowadays, the first novel is fast paced, we meet Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen year old girl who lives in District 12 of the city of Panem, a city where the Capitol leeches from the produce of the districts and lives in the lap of luxury while the twelve districts only just survive. We know right from the start that Katniss is a rule breaker, she will be our heroine, she steps in to save her younger sister when she is chosen to participate in the hunger games, a competition the Capitol holds for entertainment and to punish the districts for uprising in the distant past, by which each district is forced to sacrifice one boy and one girl to enter an arena and fight to the death where only one child will survive. Katniss is revealed as being quick, smart, but also fast to anger and terribly bitter about the life she is forced to lead.
The main body of the first novel features Katniss' selection at 'The Reaping' and then her preparation for the games themselves, followed by the actual games. The preparation for the games is a part of the novel I did not think I would find interesting, but Collins has turned it into a a venturing into the big wide world sort of situation with Katniss having to grow up fast as she realises she needs to manipulate her situation if she wishes to survive. The games themselves were interesting and kept me gripped, I do not believe I put down the book once while reading about the actual games.
After finishing the first book, which occurs directly after the games have ended, I was not sure I would be much interested in the second and third novels, mainly because it was not entirely clear where they were going to go. The dystopian elements of the series were blatantly obvious, but wether they were going to delve into these political issues was not clear and so I held off reading the sequels, I didn't feel the same rush to pick them up as I had to continue reading the first.
When I did however pick them up and start reading I found them interesting. The political discussion in the following two books makes up the main body of the plots, the result of the first novel has caused ramifications beyond Katniss' imaginings and she has to either fix them or join the apparent forthcoming uprising.
The second novel, Catching Fire, in particular had me going from crying to laughing within seconds, and the development of Katniss and Peeta's relationship truly interested me as it showed some real development to the characters, Katniss who had previously been quite cold and hard on the surface at times allowed more of her emotions to crack through. There is an actual games in this second novel, which I was not expecting, and it was a great twist, a fabulous choice by the author and surprised me.
I would say that the third novel, Mockingjay, is the most political, as at this point Panem is in the midst of a second uprising. I would say that in terms of story this was the weakest of the three novels, I was not gripped as I had been, and I felt the character developed less, but the lessons it could teach to young adults are important. Katniss realises that she is not the most important person in her world, that she is merely a figurehead and is being used somewhat, her attempts to change this situation often place others in grave danger, but ultimately she has some power to change her fate.
Overall I would say that the series is a great way of leading young adults into dystopian literature, and it has sparked many stories in this vein. It has the potential to show that age group that their material goods are not the be all and end all, and should be highly commended for doing so.
I would like to start this review by apologising, because I was absolutely certain I had written and published this one before, so it wasn't even on my radar as a review I had to write.
This book however, is as always with an Agatha Raisin story, hilarious. If you haven't tried M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin stories before I highly recommend them, but I do suggest you start with the first in the series. Today I will be reviewing book 22, As the Pig Turns.
If you haven't tried Agatha Raisin books before, Agatha is a middle aged, twice divorced woman who previously ran her own PR agency, but chose to move to the Cotswolds and has since opened her own private detective agency. The series is a bit like a traditional whodunnit, but set in the modern day, and even features comedy blundering characters, most of which manage to solve the mystery almost by accident, but with a little splash of deduction.
As the Pig Turns features really quite an ingenious crime, at the beginning of the story Agatha and her chums are going to a hog roast and discover that the hog is not a pig of the eating variety but rather a mutilated murder victim in the form of the local annoying policeman. Agatha and her friends come under a lot of stress trying to discover what happened to the pain in the bum police officer and become embroiled in a crime ring they really should have avoided, one of them is even kidnapped!
The book itself is not too long and is a nice light read, which I enjoyed while lapping up some of the fleeting sunshine last March, and I finished it in hardly any time at all. I would actually go so far as to say that this is the most fun of all of the latest Agatha Raisin novels, as Agatha isn't in the midst of one of her "obsessions" with the local men, trying to find herself her next husband. The next book in the series Hiss and Hers is out this autumn, and I shall be giving that a read too, as it looks like it too will be a barrel of laughs.
A couple of years ago I had never heard of Tom Robbins before, and the few times I have mentioned him to fellow readers I always get asked "Tom who?" so you are forgiven if you yourself have never heard of this fun author.
According to Wikipedia, he is American, and his novels are generally funny whimsical stories about current affairs, often approaching them from a new direction. His most well known story is 'Even Cowgirls Get The Blues' mainly because it was turned into a film in the early nineties, though the previous work I have heard of (and have on my bookshelf, though haven't read yet) is 'Still Life With Woodpecker'.
B is for Beer is his latest story, and is touted as a "Children's Book for Grownups - A Grown-up Book for Children" which really is the perfect description of the story. Robbins has in this short little ditty managed to perfectly capture the essence of children's fiction, and then approach an adult topic which is both fun and serious. Something which I am personally very impressed by.
The story follows Gracie Perkel, a young girl aged six who is curious about the great god that is Beer. Gracie is inquisitive, as all young children are, and observes beer's effect on the adults around her and wants to give it a go herself. After a particularly disappointing day she does, and gets a visit and a lesson from the Beer fairy. The story goes on to not only tell the reader all about the creation of beer in an approachable way, but also discusses the social effects beer has and the negative aspects of the behaviour that can be caused by the substance.
In essence, Robbins has managed to approach quite possibly the worlds favourite drink in a similar way to Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' and he does so marvelously with a great sense of humour.
While I certainly wouldn't give this book to a six year old, a teenager would find it interesting and fun, and adults can read and reminisce about their first taste of beer (mine was from a tiny tankard that said "for little boozers" on it, I kid you not!). The story also focuses upon several morals, as the beer fairy tells Gracie "Bravery that comes from a bottle...lacks the full strength and purity of bravery that comes straight from the heart" we are provoked into thinking about the effect that Beer has on society. The book also manages to be quite informative, providing basic information about the fermentation process and history of beer in a lighthearted and easy to grasp medium. While the tone is obviously geared towards giving an adult a giggle, the illustrations throughout are bold and simple, and remind me of sixties illustrations from books I have inherited from my parents.
I definitely think this is worth a read, and if you are ever stuck and want a quick story to brighten your day I say pop to the local bookshop or library and grab this from the shelf, you might just find yourself with a smile on your face :)
Another teen series for you this week, but this time one which is traditionally aimed at the boys.
The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of books by Rick Riordan is a set of five books (with a spin off set of books having just recently been published) featuring the main character Percy Jackson and his group of friends going on adventures.
As the title suggests the series is based around the mythical Olympus, the adventurers in the stories are children of the Greek Gods, half bloods, who are brought to Camp Half-Blood in order to train to undertake quests just like Hercules and the other heroes of myth and legend. Percy, the hero of the stories is the son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three Gods (along with Zeus and Hades) who were forbidden from having any more children, and so is in somewhat of a lonely position at the beginning of the series. The quests he undertakes with his friends vary in nature but they all relate in some way to the prevention of the rise of the Titans, who in the old myths were the race who came before the Gods and Demigods and Heroes. Is this sounding like a history lesson?
Although the whole idea of Greek mythology can be crazily complicated, the series manages to make it interesting and simple enough for kids (the books are technically placed in the 9-13 age bracket) while getting enough of the mythology in there for it to be educational. A full range of characters from the myths make regular appearances as both friend and foe, and the challenges are exciting enough to keep the reader entertained and thrilled.
While they are obviously written to entertain, these books also manage to provide a role model for kids, especially kids who might traditionally shy away from reading. The main characters, the teenage Heroes, all have a range of learning difficulties such as dyslexia and have ADHD due to their God genes, and they use these features, which traditionally would be classed as a weakness, to help overcome battles, for the right child this sense of purpose could really provide inspiration.
For anyone interested there is also a film which is fun, though not as good as the books, and I know several adults who have read these as well as a fair few teens as well, they managed to keep them all happy, so good all round!
Now, this isn't a post about hanging around in graveyards and acting a bit weird. It is about Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.
Sorry the lighting isn't great, it is really overcast here today.
p.s. check the knitting in the background, sneak peeks of what I have on the needles!
Let me just set the scene for me reading this book for a second.
I believe I started this book about a year ago. If you look at my list you will see a lot of Neil Gaiman on it, and that is because I read both Stardust and American Gods and LOVED them! No joke, they are some of my favourite books, ever. So of course I read some more of his, and then when I was working at Waterstone's the christmas before last I bought them all so I would have my own copies. That is the sort of thing I do, and why I have such a huge list of unread books!
I think The Graveyard Book was the second one that I read out of the new copies I bought, and I got about half way through, (page 156, thank you Read More app on my iPhone) and I stopped. I can't remember why because I really love this book, I imagine I just got distracted by something new and shiny which happens a lot with me.
So, the book. It tells the tale of Nobody Owens, a boy whose family are murdered and he escapes as a toddler to the graveyard at the end of the street where he is gifted the 'friend of the graveyard' honor and raised by a family of ghosts. I know, sounds strange, and bear in mind that this is a book which is marketed for the teenage kind of age range but adults could definitely read and enjoy it. It is a classic coming of age/mystery story, with a twist.
There is a definite murder mystery plot line as the person who murdered Bod's living family is still looking for him, and not only that but he doesn't know who he really is. He doesn't know what his name was, who his family were, what happened to them or how he ended up in the graveyard and Bod begins to discover the answers to these questions as the book progresses.
It is a coming of age story in that it details the many difficulties Bod has with living in a graveyard, he is constantly outside of the norms of his world; when in the graveyard he isn't dead, so he isn't quite a part of that world, and when in the real world he still retains some of the secret benefits of being a friend of the graveyard so he also isn't a normal kid.
My copy of the book also had the most amazing illustrations by Dave McKean in it. I'm not sure if they all do, but my Bloomsbury 2010 edition did, and I just had to take a quick picture to show you these because I think they are wonderful and really capture the atmosphere that the graveyard in the book creates.
Again, sorry about the lighting.
Now Neil Gaiman has said that this book was influenced and inspired by Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Books, which I haven't read. This book is really good to just read, and I found it really fun, It has great characters and the details about the graveyard are just great, the plot is equally exciting, with twists and turns that keep you reading with a pleasant little smile on your face. I think however that it would be even more interesting if you have read The Jungle Books. That might just be because I am rather fond of over analysing literature, but I think it would be interesting to see how Gaiman has updated each little story.
Over all, a great read, especially if you want something which is fun while being smart and informed. I would definitely recommend it for teenagers as it has those fun weird elements that they seem to like, and there is enough action to keep them reading. Plus if you give it to a teenager, you can read it once they are done!
★★★★
Next time look out for a review of Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, which was the book I read before starting the challenge. I can tell you now, that will be a five starred one!
A/N: If you have checked the reading list page recently, you might have noticed that I have changed the "Week X" bit next to the books I have read to just "Book X". Following my last post, I received even more work at university, so instead of setting a book each week (as I am clearly not managing that) I am just listing them in order that I read them. I am still hoping to read 52 books, and I am not going to buy any other books etc, I am just not going to try and force myself to read a book a week. It just isn't feasible at the moment, and this was supposed to be fun, not a chore.
