In Dance Upon the Air, Roberts sticks with her trusted modus operandi of giving us a female characters with a difficult past looking for redemption. Nell comes to Three Sister’s Island looking to establish herself into a new community after spending time on the run. As Nell’s story is slowly teased out and her attraction to Zack sizzles along we learn that all is not as it seems. Roberts takes you on a journey that keeps you flicking the pages as the tension ratchets up on several levels.
What I like about Roberts is that there is a certainty to what you are reading. There will be strong vulnerable female leads who find their inner strength through their own deeds and the help of the community around them. In many ways reading Roberts is reaffirming as you are often reminded that for all the struggles there is plenty of good out there. You know what you are getting into, pure escapism and there is nothing wrong with that.
What I like about Roberts is that there is a certainty to what you are reading. There will be strong vulnerable female leads who find their inner strength through their own deeds and the help of the community around them. In many ways reading Roberts is reaffirming as you are often reminded that for all the struggles there is plenty of good out there. You know what you are getting into, pure escapism and there is nothing wrong with that.
Something has happened to the youth of the USA as the vast majority die once they reach ten years of age, the few who survive, find themselves endowed with psychic abilities. Rather than be lauded for surviving a terrible disease, the survivors find themselves ripped away from family and friends and cast into detention camps.
Ruby has been living in one of the worse camps since she was ten years of age when her skills manifested. Scared to use what she has, Ruby is able to hide her abilities from the authorities until one day a new test, reveals her secret.
Bracken has created a dark dystopian world where fear over runs common sense. She has crafted layers of Government bureaucracy, social groups and imagined a world that could become real. The characters have depth and interesting backstories. Bracken writes with great pace and keeps the reader engaged in the story.
However the novel does not wholly work. The main quibble I have is this book appears to be long set up for the next book. Now I do not mind more being revealed in future books but I just found too much was held back from the reader. Ruby as the main character bounces from one adventure to the next with no real strong purpose. Her motivation is either ‘I need someone to teach me how to use my powers’ or ‘how do I contact my family?’. At least Liam, has an agenda to release the rest of the children from the camps. There are hints that Ruby may develop a bigger agenda but you need to wait for that in the show more next book. There are also additional hints that perhaps the power behind the incarceration of the children is more than just the Government. That maybe an individual has his own agenda for power. There are several groups seeking to impose their agenda on the children and society but it is only hinted at and again, wait for the next book.
I can understand why this book is popular and why it is now a movie. Bracken has created a world on paper that is realistic and scary. show less
Ruby has been living in one of the worse camps since she was ten years of age when her skills manifested. Scared to use what she has, Ruby is able to hide her abilities from the authorities until one day a new test, reveals her secret.
Bracken has created a dark dystopian world where fear over runs common sense. She has crafted layers of Government bureaucracy, social groups and imagined a world that could become real. The characters have depth and interesting backstories. Bracken writes with great pace and keeps the reader engaged in the story.
However the novel does not wholly work. The main quibble I have is this book appears to be long set up for the next book. Now I do not mind more being revealed in future books but I just found too much was held back from the reader. Ruby as the main character bounces from one adventure to the next with no real strong purpose. Her motivation is either ‘I need someone to teach me how to use my powers’ or ‘how do I contact my family?’. At least Liam, has an agenda to release the rest of the children from the camps. There are hints that Ruby may develop a bigger agenda but you need to wait for that in the show more next book. There are also additional hints that perhaps the power behind the incarceration of the children is more than just the Government. That maybe an individual has his own agenda for power. There are several groups seeking to impose their agenda on the children and society but it is only hinted at and again, wait for the next book.
I can understand why this book is popular and why it is now a movie. Bracken has created a world on paper that is realistic and scary. show less
Charlotte and Samantha Quinn, teenage years should be the beginning of new adventures but a brutal home invasion turns their lives upside down. The real pain of what occurred will be brought to light, some twenty odd years later when the family confront the ghosts of the past through the events of a school shooting.
There is little let up as events unfold and you become embroiled in the character’s lives. Charlotte Quinn is determined, bull headed and broken. You find yourself rightly frustrated by Charlotte’s approach to the situation around her and her flaws makes her believable. Sam Quinn who comes into the story a little later is also broken, but her determination comes from a desire to do more than just survive.
Slaughter knows how to launch a reader straight into the action and keep you plunged into the depths of the tragedy of the past and present. She expertly weaves all the characters and storylines together with ease and has you flipping pages at a rate of knots. Slaughter knows how to keep the reader engaged and this is cracking read.
There is little let up as events unfold and you become embroiled in the character’s lives. Charlotte Quinn is determined, bull headed and broken. You find yourself rightly frustrated by Charlotte’s approach to the situation around her and her flaws makes her believable. Sam Quinn who comes into the story a little later is also broken, but her determination comes from a desire to do more than just survive.
Slaughter knows how to launch a reader straight into the action and keep you plunged into the depths of the tragedy of the past and present. She expertly weaves all the characters and storylines together with ease and has you flipping pages at a rate of knots. Slaughter knows how to keep the reader engaged and this is cracking read.
Barbara Gold is a retired CIA Agent and is finding retirement a chore. Going from being in danger on a daily basis to attending a book club to discuss romance novels is not really working out. When one of the book club members is murdered, Barbara has a found a reason to get the gun out of the holster and have some action.
This is a short read, around about 175 pages and told in the first person. Being a thin book, the action is plenty and there is little padding in the writing. For the first time ever, I would have to say a bit more padding in a novel is warranted. It would have allowed the characters to be rounded a bit more and allow the reader to get to know them.
It's a fun read, a quick read and it's okay.
This is a short read, around about 175 pages and told in the first person. Being a thin book, the action is plenty and there is little padding in the writing. For the first time ever, I would have to say a bit more padding in a novel is warranted. It would have allowed the characters to be rounded a bit more and allow the reader to get to know them.
It's a fun read, a quick read and it's okay.
Three Pines is a quiet, quaint little town in Canada that has a diverse population, a strong community and a murderer amongst their midsts. To solve the mystery Chief Inspector Armand Gamache arrives with his squad of investigators to discover the truth.
For a first in a series, this really does a wonderful job of setting up the current and giving you hints for the future. The characters are extremely well crafted and have plenty of flaws. The pacing is fantastic and the clues are there, you just have to find them. This is a mystery about people, how they act, think and not so much about the forensics. It is a highly engaging read and I certainly will have no hestitation in picking up the next book in the series.
For a first in a series, this really does a wonderful job of setting up the current and giving you hints for the future. The characters are extremely well crafted and have plenty of flaws. The pacing is fantastic and the clues are there, you just have to find them. This is a mystery about people, how they act, think and not so much about the forensics. It is a highly engaging read and I certainly will have no hestitation in picking up the next book in the series.
The Party looks at the relationships and interactions primarily between Martin Gilmour and Ben Fitzmaourice from their high school days to becoming men with families, careers and ambitions.
Martin is at the bottom of the ladder at a private school where elitism runs rampant and it is not until he meets, handsome, charmastic and rich Ben Fitzmaurice that life is on the up. For Ben, he is being a friend but for Martin commences a life-long obssession of love.
The story is told by Martin and broken intermittedly with recollections by his wife. Lucy. The format does work and you are engaged in the process. The story is a slow burn as Martin takes his sweet time to reveal the incidents of the past and the evolving problem that is before him. There are some interesting character studies, but you have to remind yourself they come from Martin's perspective so are some what tainted.
I have to be honest and say at times I really did not want to finish the novel. What keeps you going is the need to know what happened. You don't keep reading because you care about the welfare of the characters as they are mainly deplorable (and that is okay) but to know. Once you know the outcome, it is not really suprising but deftly handled by Day.
Martin is at the bottom of the ladder at a private school where elitism runs rampant and it is not until he meets, handsome, charmastic and rich Ben Fitzmaurice that life is on the up. For Ben, he is being a friend but for Martin commences a life-long obssession of love.
The story is told by Martin and broken intermittedly with recollections by his wife. Lucy. The format does work and you are engaged in the process. The story is a slow burn as Martin takes his sweet time to reveal the incidents of the past and the evolving problem that is before him. There are some interesting character studies, but you have to remind yourself they come from Martin's perspective so are some what tainted.
I have to be honest and say at times I really did not want to finish the novel. What keeps you going is the need to know what happened. You don't keep reading because you care about the welfare of the characters as they are mainly deplorable (and that is okay) but to know. Once you know the outcome, it is not really suprising but deftly handled by Day.
"Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve treated our world like it was a hotel room and we were rock stars. But we aren’t rock stars."
Special Agent Ethan Burke is trying to discover what has happened to two of his colleagues who have gone missing. Burke is involved in a car accident and finds himself in Wayward Pines, a town that is just not quite right. This is an action packed thrill of a ride as you try to figure out just what is happening in Wayward Pines.
Crouch has created an atmospheric story where all the clues that are presented do not quite prepare you for the reveal at the end.
Burke is a tenancious man who really wants two things in life, to go back to his family and discover the truth. It those two motivators that drive the story along and keep the interest levels high. The writing is tight and the pacing of the novel keeps you flicking pages over. There are interesting characters and the world building is clever.
It is the first time I have read one of Crouch's works and it certainly wont the the last.
Special Agent Ethan Burke is trying to discover what has happened to two of his colleagues who have gone missing. Burke is involved in a car accident and finds himself in Wayward Pines, a town that is just not quite right. This is an action packed thrill of a ride as you try to figure out just what is happening in Wayward Pines.
Crouch has created an atmospheric story where all the clues that are presented do not quite prepare you for the reveal at the end.
Burke is a tenancious man who really wants two things in life, to go back to his family and discover the truth. It those two motivators that drive the story along and keep the interest levels high. The writing is tight and the pacing of the novel keeps you flicking pages over. There are interesting characters and the world building is clever.
It is the first time I have read one of Crouch's works and it certainly wont the the last.
Baynton is an Australian author who wrote short stores, poems and articles and Bush Studies is a collection that was first released in 1902.
The stories are as the title denotes set in the Australian bush, whereas other early works would romanticise this environment, Baynton does not. For the women this is brutal, unforgiving environment and men who are primarily drunks and abusers.
As you read the sense of dread that you get is really gripping and you find yourself really invested in the fate of the character. From the woman who is severely injured and is left unattended by her partner. The woman with a baby, left alone on a farm who is menaced by a swag man. The Bush Church certainly is dark in its humour and is the only story that is narrated from the same point of view. That is something that I found interesting in that Baynton will change point of view, not once, not twice but up to three times in some of the stories. It is done really well and you know when the switch has occurred.
Even though I am Australian, I did struggle with some of the lingo and found reading it aloud, I could figure out what was being said.
I enjoyed the book as gave a different perspective to those early pioneering days of Australia. It is not a complete view but it is part of the missing puzzle.
The stories are as the title denotes set in the Australian bush, whereas other early works would romanticise this environment, Baynton does not. For the women this is brutal, unforgiving environment and men who are primarily drunks and abusers.
As you read the sense of dread that you get is really gripping and you find yourself really invested in the fate of the character. From the woman who is severely injured and is left unattended by her partner. The woman with a baby, left alone on a farm who is menaced by a swag man. The Bush Church certainly is dark in its humour and is the only story that is narrated from the same point of view. That is something that I found interesting in that Baynton will change point of view, not once, not twice but up to three times in some of the stories. It is done really well and you know when the switch has occurred.
Even though I am Australian, I did struggle with some of the lingo and found reading it aloud, I could figure out what was being said.
I enjoyed the book as gave a different perspective to those early pioneering days of Australia. It is not a complete view but it is part of the missing puzzle.
This is my first read of a Jack Reacher novel and starting somewhere in the middle seemed like a good idea. Now I know there is a really strong, dedicated fan base who can get a bit rabid when a five foot something actor, is cast in the movie adaption. Anyway, Reacher is called into to assist a secret service agent protect the vice president. Reacher is all brooding, thinking, action and gets things done kind of guy. So there are bad guys, there is a mystery and there are plenty of clues along the way.
Child knows how to keep the pages turning and he has Reacher pretty much down pat by book six. I enjoyed the read, I enjoyed the characters but I have not been made a devotee.
Child knows how to keep the pages turning and he has Reacher pretty much down pat by book six. I enjoyed the read, I enjoyed the characters but I have not been made a devotee.
Ibsen's Rosmersholm is an intricate play that crosses across many platforms of relationships, fear of change, conservatism, morality and it is all done deftly. It would be easy for all these ideas and motives to make the play a complete mess but it is far from that. The character of Rebecca West is a revelation, she is the woman who is intelligent, observant and an enigma. Those around her are either in awe or feel threatened by her abilities. Johannes Rosmer is a man cast adrift after the death of his wife. He no longer believes in God and questions a great deal the motives of those around him.
This is a wonderful play about relationships and power.
This is a wonderful play about relationships and power.
Lydia Crow has reluctantly returned to London after 5 years in Scotland as a private investigator. Coming home, she wants to hold her own and not be caught up in the family business but Uncle Charlie is having none of that as he needs Lydia’s help to find Maddie. For the family business has been around for a couple of hundred years and is currently involved in a loose truce with three other families, the Foxes, Pearls and Silvers. Each family has their own unique skill set.
Lydia is offered a place to stay and soon finds that she has a 30 year old ghost for a roommate and a couple interesting romantic interludes.
As a foundation novel, it certainly has a great deal of promise. The alternate world is well established, the history between the families is solid and there are enough hints and nudges of future complex interactions.
The majority of the characters are well crafted, with Lydia taking the main stage. She knows her own mind and is not infallible. She has enough hang ups and previous history that you can see there is always going to be trouble on the horizon. Lydia’s main love interest Fleet is solid, dependable and I am not sure that the fireworks flew off the pages. The characters on the peripheral of Lydia are hit and miss in their development. While there are a number of characters managed only one or two have a significant part in this story arch. Which means they caused a bit of clutter in the story. It was nice to know who they are, that they might play a show more role in the future but they did not move the story forward at all. The ending of the story was anti-climatic, all this build and just petered out.
There is plenty of potential, requiring a bit of a polish but a good piece of escapism. show less
Lydia is offered a place to stay and soon finds that she has a 30 year old ghost for a roommate and a couple interesting romantic interludes.
As a foundation novel, it certainly has a great deal of promise. The alternate world is well established, the history between the families is solid and there are enough hints and nudges of future complex interactions.
The majority of the characters are well crafted, with Lydia taking the main stage. She knows her own mind and is not infallible. She has enough hang ups and previous history that you can see there is always going to be trouble on the horizon. Lydia’s main love interest Fleet is solid, dependable and I am not sure that the fireworks flew off the pages. The characters on the peripheral of Lydia are hit and miss in their development. While there are a number of characters managed only one or two have a significant part in this story arch. Which means they caused a bit of clutter in the story. It was nice to know who they are, that they might play a show more role in the future but they did not move the story forward at all. The ending of the story was anti-climatic, all this build and just petered out.
There is plenty of potential, requiring a bit of a polish but a good piece of escapism. show less
Reeling from the suicide of her husband, Nick, Jane Hawke goes on a quest to prove this is could not have happened. Jane discovers that over the last couple of years the number of suicides has been increasing. That there are too many examples where the suicide is completely out of character. As she digs, the mysterious power behind what is happening threatens not only the life of Jane but her 5 year old son. Realising that she is dealing with an organisation that has government reach and can easily locate her, Jane goes off the grid. As a FBI agent, Jane Hawke has the necessary skills to and survive and discover the truth.
Jane Hawke comes across as a female Jack Reacher, able to pick locks, live off the grid, make friends who can help and has the wits to survive. She is an interesting character and is certainly not helpless.
I really thought I would like this book but I struggled with it. There were short chapters that were fillers and chapters that went on. Some of the interactions Jane has with other characters are more about giving background to her circumstances. There was just something that held me back on really getting into this novel and it is hard to determine what.
I have the next two books and will give them a go.
Jane Hawke comes across as a female Jack Reacher, able to pick locks, live off the grid, make friends who can help and has the wits to survive. She is an interesting character and is certainly not helpless.
I really thought I would like this book but I struggled with it. There were short chapters that were fillers and chapters that went on. Some of the interactions Jane has with other characters are more about giving background to her circumstances. There was just something that held me back on really getting into this novel and it is hard to determine what.
I have the next two books and will give them a go.
Everyone believes that their family a mash of complex and fraught relationships with no possible way of ever being understood. In Vicki Laveau-Harvie’s ‘The Erratics’ you are introduced to a family that has been split apart over many decades and has an opportunity to possibly mend some of those fractures.
In 2007, Vicki and her sister are advised that their mother has suffered a broken hip and that their father needs at home care while she recovers. When the sisters arrive in the town of Okotoks, not only are they faced with trying to prove they exist as their mother has disowned them, they find she has been starving their father. As Laveau-Harvie slowly reveals the memories of what has happened in the past combined with the ongoing attempts to take care of elderly parents, makes for some heady and confronting reading, tinged with humour.
There is a great deal to unpack in a memoir that runs under 200 pages. The relationships and interactions between family members are extremely complicated. Laveau-Harvie slowly reveals these intricacies and shows the family members as multi-faceted not one dimensional. The mother who stands over the family, haughty, manipulative, vicious and mentally unstable. A father who seems resigned, defeated and malleable by his wife. Two sisters who have made the best of traumatic childhood and find themselves trying to care for parents that have ostracised them from their lives. The approach by the two sisters to resolving what is happening show more is vastly different but they seem to silently agree on one thing, it has to be done and they have no choice. Both try to do the best they can but are overwhelmed by the events of the past and dealing with present. There is another character in this book and that is the town of Okotoks, from the landscape that surrounds, and the community that supports each other.
Laveau-Harvie writes with great beauty, each word is exactly where it needs to be. There is no wastage, no over use, the words flow across the page. You are invoked with a real sense of place and time. Descriptions are honest and even the author scrutinises her own behaviour and attitudes.
This is a book stays with you, it resonates and you feel yourself drawn into the family drama as it swirls around you. show less
In 2007, Vicki and her sister are advised that their mother has suffered a broken hip and that their father needs at home care while she recovers. When the sisters arrive in the town of Okotoks, not only are they faced with trying to prove they exist as their mother has disowned them, they find she has been starving their father. As Laveau-Harvie slowly reveals the memories of what has happened in the past combined with the ongoing attempts to take care of elderly parents, makes for some heady and confronting reading, tinged with humour.
There is a great deal to unpack in a memoir that runs under 200 pages. The relationships and interactions between family members are extremely complicated. Laveau-Harvie slowly reveals these intricacies and shows the family members as multi-faceted not one dimensional. The mother who stands over the family, haughty, manipulative, vicious and mentally unstable. A father who seems resigned, defeated and malleable by his wife. Two sisters who have made the best of traumatic childhood and find themselves trying to care for parents that have ostracised them from their lives. The approach by the two sisters to resolving what is happening show more is vastly different but they seem to silently agree on one thing, it has to be done and they have no choice. Both try to do the best they can but are overwhelmed by the events of the past and dealing with present. There is another character in this book and that is the town of Okotoks, from the landscape that surrounds, and the community that supports each other.
Laveau-Harvie writes with great beauty, each word is exactly where it needs to be. There is no wastage, no over use, the words flow across the page. You are invoked with a real sense of place and time. Descriptions are honest and even the author scrutinises her own behaviour and attitudes.
This is a book stays with you, it resonates and you feel yourself drawn into the family drama as it swirls around you. show less
Gemma Woodstock is a police officer with a lot of baggage and is struggling to live in the now. She is having an affair with her partner, is trying to make it as a woman in a man's world and now an old school friend and drama school teacher has been found dead. Everyone wants an answer and Gemma is trying to walk a very fine line.
For a debut novel it is a corker. Bailey has captured the incessant hear of Australia, the difficulties of working and living in a town where everyone knows your business. What a loved is the little moments of character that Bailey creates, when Gemma is comparing herself with another woman and she laments how she is wearing odd socks and it signifies just how out of control her life is.
Gemma is far from perfect and that is what I really enjoyed about the story. She is unreliable, she is unsure of herself but she is stubborn and determined.
I certainly will pick up the next in series to see where Gemma goes.
For a debut novel it is a corker. Bailey has captured the incessant hear of Australia, the difficulties of working and living in a town where everyone knows your business. What a loved is the little moments of character that Bailey creates, when Gemma is comparing herself with another woman and she laments how she is wearing odd socks and it signifies just how out of control her life is.
Gemma is far from perfect and that is what I really enjoyed about the story. She is unreliable, she is unsure of herself but she is stubborn and determined.
I certainly will pick up the next in series to see where Gemma goes.
On one single day Anthony Peardew lost two things, the woman he loved and a token she gave to him. Both of these losses drive Anthony to collect lost items and catagolgue the exact date, time and location of his find. Hoping that one day items will be reunited with the people who have lost them. Into Anthony's world enters Laura, a lost soul, wandering aimlessly after a messy divorce and no career prospects. Gifting Laura the house, Anthony challenges her to undertake the job he was unable to do. Running parellel is another story about Bomber and Eunice that weaves back into the main story towards the end.
The characters are distinct and lift off the page with Sunshine being the most perceptive and really the driver of the story. Laura is a woman doubting herself after the trauma of a divorce. Eunice yearns for a man who can never love her back. Anthony tries to find meaning in life after the loss of his partner.
This is a gentle book, there is little confrontation, some humour, a smidge of romance, and a tad of supernatural. The story takes some time to unfold and it is very plain where things will end.
The characters are distinct and lift off the page with Sunshine being the most perceptive and really the driver of the story. Laura is a woman doubting herself after the trauma of a divorce. Eunice yearns for a man who can never love her back. Anthony tries to find meaning in life after the loss of his partner.
This is a gentle book, there is little confrontation, some humour, a smidge of romance, and a tad of supernatural. The story takes some time to unfold and it is very plain where things will end.
Constance, Norma and Fleurette Kopp live a secluded life on a rural property outside of New York in 1914. Their seclusion is in part to their deceased mother’s behaviour and protecting a family secret. On a venture into town they are placed directly into the pathway of Henry Kaufman, who rams his car into Kopp women’s horse drawn buggy. For Constance seeking payment damages from a factory owner such as Kaufman should be an easy task. Instead the three women find themselves thrown into a world of danger.
Amy Stewart has written an authentic historical fictional novel that carries you into a world where technology is at a crossroads. Where cars are becoming popular, factories are scaling up and women’s rights are pretty much non-existent. For three unmarried women attempting to live a life of their own is very much a unique concept. The story rattles along at a good pace, with plenty of side plots and action to keep you interested. The characters are well crafted but do tend to stay stuck in a certain direction. Fleurette is always going to complain about being confined to the house and Norma is always going to complain about the outside world coming in. The focus is on Constance as she begins to step into the woman she has longed to be. She starts off unsure but grows in confidence as she realises that she is the master of her own destiny.
If you like a historical mystery that captures the spirit of the time you will not be disappointed.
Amy Stewart has written an authentic historical fictional novel that carries you into a world where technology is at a crossroads. Where cars are becoming popular, factories are scaling up and women’s rights are pretty much non-existent. For three unmarried women attempting to live a life of their own is very much a unique concept. The story rattles along at a good pace, with plenty of side plots and action to keep you interested. The characters are well crafted but do tend to stay stuck in a certain direction. Fleurette is always going to complain about being confined to the house and Norma is always going to complain about the outside world coming in. The focus is on Constance as she begins to step into the woman she has longed to be. She starts off unsure but grows in confidence as she realises that she is the master of her own destiny.
If you like a historical mystery that captures the spirit of the time you will not be disappointed.
I have had this book on the to be read pile for a long time and kept putting off reading it. There has been an awful amount of hype about the book and to be honest it was putting off reading it for that reason. Well, this book is a little gem. It is friendly, funny, engaging and just a wonderful escapist read.
World War 2 is slowly receding away and Juliet Ashton is touring the English country promoting her latest book a collection of articles is favourably reviewed. This brings into Juliet's world the New York publisher Markham V. Reynolds, Jr and he woos her by sending copious amounts of flowers. Sidney her publisher, warns Juliet to be careful about Mark but his intentions are romantic. Then
Juliet receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a complete stranger from Guernsey. He writes to her about his love Charles Lamb and how he possesses a copy of a book with Juliet's address. They correspond and soon Juliet finds herself writing to other members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and finds herself intrigued by these warm and friendly people.
From her the story evolves and each of the characters circulate through and you really do want to know what happens to them.
Being a former letter writer, I loved reading the letters and missed those days. Nothing beats the thrill of getting a letter in the mail and then finding some nice quiet place to read it.
The hype around the novel is well deserved and this is just a wonderful charming read.
World War 2 is slowly receding away and Juliet Ashton is touring the English country promoting her latest book a collection of articles is favourably reviewed. This brings into Juliet's world the New York publisher Markham V. Reynolds, Jr and he woos her by sending copious amounts of flowers. Sidney her publisher, warns Juliet to be careful about Mark but his intentions are romantic. Then
Juliet receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a complete stranger from Guernsey. He writes to her about his love Charles Lamb and how he possesses a copy of a book with Juliet's address. They correspond and soon Juliet finds herself writing to other members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and finds herself intrigued by these warm and friendly people.
From her the story evolves and each of the characters circulate through and you really do want to know what happens to them.
Being a former letter writer, I loved reading the letters and missed those days. Nothing beats the thrill of getting a letter in the mail and then finding some nice quiet place to read it.
The hype around the novel is well deserved and this is just a wonderful charming read.
This is a book that will be decisive and it should be so. Eddo-Lodge has brought to the fore front a view point that is often lost, overlooked or ignored in the debate about race, class and culture.
Now I am white and I understand why Eddo-Lodge is frustrated at trying to discuss this topic. It is difficult, it is layered and there are so many players who have made it that way. To unpick that is even more difficult but Eddo-Lodge does a very impressive job of doing that.
For me, this book helped me understand and gain perspective. I can not claim to fully comprehend all the issues, nor will I ever. It does make me more aware and there is plenty in the book to mull over.
If you are looking for easy answers, such as how to end racism, this book will not do that. It will make you think and question. That is the value and importance of this book.
Now I am white and I understand why Eddo-Lodge is frustrated at trying to discuss this topic. It is difficult, it is layered and there are so many players who have made it that way. To unpick that is even more difficult but Eddo-Lodge does a very impressive job of doing that.
For me, this book helped me understand and gain perspective. I can not claim to fully comprehend all the issues, nor will I ever. It does make me more aware and there is plenty in the book to mull over.
If you are looking for easy answers, such as how to end racism, this book will not do that. It will make you think and question. That is the value and importance of this book.
I came back to Howl's Moving Castle after a ten year gap and what an absolute joy this book is.
Sophie has been cursed by the Wicked Witch of the Waster and has become an old woman ahead of her time. Ashamed and mortified by what she has become Sophie lives her home and heads out of the city and finds herself living in Howl's moving castle. A series of adventures, mishaps and danger all face Sophie as she discovers who she really is and how she really feels about Howl.
Wynn Jones truly is the master of creating interesting complicated characters that you love and detest at the same time. Howl is just a wonderful man, who has amazing temper tantrums and takes man flu to a whole new level. Sophie as the oldest child really does grow up quickly, has angry cleaning sprees and knows how to make friends. I especially love when she is stubborn and everyone clears out of her way.
The book is a delight and it was really enjoyable to escape back into this rich and vibrant world.
Sophie has been cursed by the Wicked Witch of the Waster and has become an old woman ahead of her time. Ashamed and mortified by what she has become Sophie lives her home and heads out of the city and finds herself living in Howl's moving castle. A series of adventures, mishaps and danger all face Sophie as she discovers who she really is and how she really feels about Howl.
Wynn Jones truly is the master of creating interesting complicated characters that you love and detest at the same time. Howl is just a wonderful man, who has amazing temper tantrums and takes man flu to a whole new level. Sophie as the oldest child really does grow up quickly, has angry cleaning sprees and knows how to make friends. I especially love when she is stubborn and everyone clears out of her way.
The book is a delight and it was really enjoyable to escape back into this rich and vibrant world.
For 16 year old Starr trying to balance living in two opposing worlds has been hard but manageable. Living in 'the hood' that is immersed in poverty, crime and drugs there are good people who try to stand against the tide but it's hard. Her parents wanting the best for Starr and her siblings send them to a high school where the parking lot is filled with expense motors and her friends bedrooms are bigger than some houses she has lived in. One night a series of events occur that puts Starr in the fore front of the an incident not of her choosing but all too common. As Starr and her family comes to terms with what has happened and why, Starr finds her two worlds colliding.
The character of Starr is flawed, vulnerable and courageous. As we walk alongside Starr we see her difficulties, the difficulties placed on her and how she tries to navigate the world.
Angie Thomas has crafted a novel that works on so many layers and enables you to spend time reflecting on what happens. The brilliance in her writing is that nothing is overt and as a reader you get to unpack the characters motives as they arise. I could provide a commentary on the issues but that does any future readers a disservice. You need to read this and make your own decisions.
The character of Starr is flawed, vulnerable and courageous. As we walk alongside Starr we see her difficulties, the difficulties placed on her and how she tries to navigate the world.
Angie Thomas has crafted a novel that works on so many layers and enables you to spend time reflecting on what happens. The brilliance in her writing is that nothing is overt and as a reader you get to unpack the characters motives as they arise. I could provide a commentary on the issues but that does any future readers a disservice. You need to read this and make your own decisions.
Leatherface is set during the period when the Spanish are working their way through Holland and seeking to oust and punish Prince William of Orange. Spy and protector of Prince William is Leatherface, who uses a disguise to protect his identity and create an air of mystery about his abilities. With the Spanish eyeing of the town of Ghern, an arrangement is made where Donna Leonora de Vargas is to marry a local dignitaries’ son Mark van Rycke. Donna is to become a spy in the van Rycke family and hopefully reveal the traitors and whereabouts of Prince William. The question is what alliance will Donna Leonora take, will she side with her new husband or remain loyal to her father and Spain?
There is plenty of intrigue in the pages of Leatherface, with many a double cross, many a misdirection and plenty of misunderstandings. Donna Leonora is the central character, for she plays a pivotal role in determining the fate of the people around her and is used as a pawn by others. She is fickle, prone to fainting and great moments of courage. Mark is the chameleon character, he plays many parts and when finally revealed shows his true nature.
It is interesting to read a novel that is over a 100 years old and you realise how the craft of novel writing has evolved and remains the same. Parts of the story become overly melodramatic but there is energy and pace to keep the story engaging.
There is plenty of intrigue in the pages of Leatherface, with many a double cross, many a misdirection and plenty of misunderstandings. Donna Leonora is the central character, for she plays a pivotal role in determining the fate of the people around her and is used as a pawn by others. She is fickle, prone to fainting and great moments of courage. Mark is the chameleon character, he plays many parts and when finally revealed shows his true nature.
It is interesting to read a novel that is over a 100 years old and you realise how the craft of novel writing has evolved and remains the same. Parts of the story become overly melodramatic but there is energy and pace to keep the story engaging.
Kesh Lasota is a messenger with a special skill set that allows her to be invisible to surveillance systems thus making her perfect to deliver illegal and high paying messages. Tasked with informing a local thug he only seconds to live was always going to be tricky but when he is assassinated in front of Kesh, proving her innocence is going to be tough. It is even tougher with Kesh having two people trying to hunt her down the assassin and Marshall Kellee.
A great deal of thought has been given to melding the fairy world into a futuristic space world and making it believable. There is plenty of action and it is well crafted. You find yourself moving through the story at a quick pace.
The story hangs on Kesh and at times it almost falls over. Kesh as a character is an unknown as her history evolves it becomes more complex and confusing. You are never sure where her loyalties lie or what her actual motives are. When there are switch in loyalties by Kesh it is somewhat confusing as it is not clear just what the hold the other characters have over her. At the very end of the story is it is even less clear as we have not met the character, she is beholden to, or witnessed any interaction between the two.
It was a fun read, interesting ideas but not one that I will follow. Others certainly will and I can understand why.
A great deal of thought has been given to melding the fairy world into a futuristic space world and making it believable. There is plenty of action and it is well crafted. You find yourself moving through the story at a quick pace.
The story hangs on Kesh and at times it almost falls over. Kesh as a character is an unknown as her history evolves it becomes more complex and confusing. You are never sure where her loyalties lie or what her actual motives are. When there are switch in loyalties by Kesh it is somewhat confusing as it is not clear just what the hold the other characters have over her. At the very end of the story is it is even less clear as we have not met the character, she is beholden to, or witnessed any interaction between the two.
It was a fun read, interesting ideas but not one that I will follow. Others certainly will and I can understand why.
An eclectic group of people gather at a family house in the country for a weekend away. They gather at the dinner table and the host Mr Alistair Bing is annoyed that explorer Everard Mountjoy has not taken a seat. A search ensues and Mountjoy is found dead in the bath. Is it murder, a suicide or an accident?
This is a delight of a novel, told from differing points of views but centring on Mrs Beatrice Lestrange Bradley. Mrs Bradley is quite a remarkable woman she comes to us middle-aged, married, with adult children, well travelled and writing a book on psychology.
While several men try to unravel what has occurred it is Mrs Bradley who knows what is going on. When ever she comes into the narrative the stakes are raised and you are left agog at the versatility of this wonderful character (some one should tell Emma Thompson to adapt and star in).
Mitchell has taken some extraordinary risks in this book given it was written in 1929. I did wonder if some of her male characters she may have been poking fun at them. She allowed them to try and show their intellectual brilliance but Mrs Bradley always had their measure.
Something different and the ending is not what one expect from a leading character.
This is a delight of a novel, told from differing points of views but centring on Mrs Beatrice Lestrange Bradley. Mrs Bradley is quite a remarkable woman she comes to us middle-aged, married, with adult children, well travelled and writing a book on psychology.
While several men try to unravel what has occurred it is Mrs Bradley who knows what is going on. When ever she comes into the narrative the stakes are raised and you are left agog at the versatility of this wonderful character (some one should tell Emma Thompson to adapt and star in).
Mitchell has taken some extraordinary risks in this book given it was written in 1929. I did wonder if some of her male characters she may have been poking fun at them. She allowed them to try and show their intellectual brilliance but Mrs Bradley always had their measure.
Something different and the ending is not what one expect from a leading character.
Sitting down to write this review, I struggled to succinctly put into words just what this novel about. We meet Frey who in her words is pretty much a brat, she is struggling to do basic magic set before her but she has recently gotten mad with someone and hurt them using magic. Frey appears before the Council, she escapes, she travels with a group of people, has a couple of fights, does a lot of training, expands her powers, loses her powers, gets into a possible love triangle and there is a big revelation at the end.
Telling the story from Frey’s point of view, really has hamstrung this book. As Frey spends most of her time whining about all the injustices of her life, how she can trust no one and how she just might be attracted to a couple of guys. Through snippets of overhead conversations, we learn that Frey has some special powers that everyone is aware of her background but nobody bothers to tell her and she never bothers to seek out the truth. The major revelations do not come from Frey seeking out the truth but by her becoming engrossed in reading a diary. As we are limited to Frey’s POV we never get to understand why she is considered so dangerous by the Council and why they are so committed to binding her powers. As a reader, you do feel that you are being kept away from some really juicy elements of the story.
There is some clever world-building here with the Council and the powers they exert, the difference between the elf groups and the political games show more that are occurring. These are but fleeting and it would have been nice to see these teased out more to give greater depth to the story. show less
Telling the story from Frey’s point of view, really has hamstrung this book. As Frey spends most of her time whining about all the injustices of her life, how she can trust no one and how she just might be attracted to a couple of guys. Through snippets of overhead conversations, we learn that Frey has some special powers that everyone is aware of her background but nobody bothers to tell her and she never bothers to seek out the truth. The major revelations do not come from Frey seeking out the truth but by her becoming engrossed in reading a diary. As we are limited to Frey’s POV we never get to understand why she is considered so dangerous by the Council and why they are so committed to binding her powers. As a reader, you do feel that you are being kept away from some really juicy elements of the story.
There is some clever world-building here with the Council and the powers they exert, the difference between the elf groups and the political games show more that are occurring. These are but fleeting and it would have been nice to see these teased out more to give greater depth to the story. show less
Luella Winthorp wants to be the best writer and in a man’s world she has to disguise her true identity. Having written a few puff pieces, Luella writes a story that has the magazine flying off the shelves. In need of more inspiration she meets Bram, a retired magician who offers her a magical pen. The pen is able to make her imagination come to life and that leads to a whole host of consequences.
Set in Victorian London, Luella is struggling to eke out an existence for her and her sister Anna. Both are hoping that marriage will ease their troubles. For Luella, marriage is treated as a must have, no matter how you feel, while for Anna it is about marrying before becoming too old.
When we meet Luella she is engaged and writing for a publication with puff pieces, like how to hang your curtains correctly. Desperate to increase sales of the fledgling magazine and have her fiancé in a better financial situation she heads to the local police station to discover some more juicy stories. It is only her chance meeting with Bram and the magic pen that the story begins to find some direction.
With the book written from Luella’s point of view, you are heavily reliant on connecting to the character and that was very hard to do. For one there is a lot of internal monologue where Luella would try to rationalise whatever it was she was feeling or experiencing. This is extremely repetitive and it really drags the story down, for example, her incessant examination of the reasons behind show more her relationship with Byron become really tedious. What also needed to be better defined was what Luella’s primary motivation was? Did she want to become the best writer, no matter the cost or marry bloody Byron or Andrew or Bram? I never got a strong sense of what was driving Luella to keep going forward. The characters in the story are distinguishable but some of their motivations are a little bit weak.
Baldwin has created a rich world and is able to bring Victorian London to life on the page. The story holds a great deal of promise and focussing from the outset on the influence of the magical pen would have assisted.
If you like stories set in Victorian England, with a determined female lead and some magic thrown in you will not be disappointed. show less
Set in Victorian London, Luella is struggling to eke out an existence for her and her sister Anna. Both are hoping that marriage will ease their troubles. For Luella, marriage is treated as a must have, no matter how you feel, while for Anna it is about marrying before becoming too old.
When we meet Luella she is engaged and writing for a publication with puff pieces, like how to hang your curtains correctly. Desperate to increase sales of the fledgling magazine and have her fiancé in a better financial situation she heads to the local police station to discover some more juicy stories. It is only her chance meeting with Bram and the magic pen that the story begins to find some direction.
With the book written from Luella’s point of view, you are heavily reliant on connecting to the character and that was very hard to do. For one there is a lot of internal monologue where Luella would try to rationalise whatever it was she was feeling or experiencing. This is extremely repetitive and it really drags the story down, for example, her incessant examination of the reasons behind show more her relationship with Byron become really tedious. What also needed to be better defined was what Luella’s primary motivation was? Did she want to become the best writer, no matter the cost or marry bloody Byron or Andrew or Bram? I never got a strong sense of what was driving Luella to keep going forward. The characters in the story are distinguishable but some of their motivations are a little bit weak.
Baldwin has created a rich world and is able to bring Victorian London to life on the page. The story holds a great deal of promise and focussing from the outset on the influence of the magical pen would have assisted.
If you like stories set in Victorian England, with a determined female lead and some magic thrown in you will not be disappointed. show less
Hyperion Dreams (Hyperion Dreams of Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and the Singularity Book 1) by Edgar Asimov Poe
I was given a copy to read for an honest review.
Hyperion is having a crisis, not sure if his dreams are real, if he is in an alternative world or trapped in a computer program. As Hyperion tries to figure out what is happening we are taking through a few scenarios where he tries to comes to terms with what is going on.
This is a short story about 80 pages and while there is promise some of it needed editing just to bring in some consistency. Too many times Hyperion would tell/describe something like 'he stuck his head through the door, it was a square head, it was our boss, he was here to tell us something and he told us this.' Then there was Hyperion saying he had been in his office several months on his own and the next page his workmate was only gone for eight weeks. It is those issues that needed to be tidied up to make elements of the story flow better. The premise of the idea is solid and intriguing, the main character was engaging.
Hyperion is having a crisis, not sure if his dreams are real, if he is in an alternative world or trapped in a computer program. As Hyperion tries to figure out what is happening we are taking through a few scenarios where he tries to comes to terms with what is going on.
This is a short story about 80 pages and while there is promise some of it needed editing just to bring in some consistency. Too many times Hyperion would tell/describe something like 'he stuck his head through the door, it was a square head, it was our boss, he was here to tell us something and he told us this.' Then there was Hyperion saying he had been in his office several months on his own and the next page his workmate was only gone for eight weeks. It is those issues that needed to be tidied up to make elements of the story flow better. The premise of the idea is solid and intriguing, the main character was engaging.
In ‘How to be a Woman’ tells you all the things people expect a woman to be and it is a long bloody list. That is the genius of the book in that Moran looks at a few areas where becoming a woman is not seen as a rite of passage but a must do. If you do not do these things, have an expensive wedding, announce when you will become pregnant and how many, have the obligatory beauty treatments can you call yourself a woman? Well you can as Moran uses her life to expose where she has failed to become the woman she was designated to be by society and carved out her pathway.
There are plenty of laugh out moments and there is plenty of areas where you can muse whether Moran is full of shit or not. Some areas, well I would like to have a discussion with Moran as I agreed with her views especially on women’s achievements historically. I know what Moran was aiming at but I think Mary Beard’s manifesto on Women and Power better articulates the reasons why women have not necessarily achieved historically. Moran’s analysis of Jordan Price and Lady Gaga and their position as feminists was interesting. I have to admit I know little of Jordan Price who is more a UK thing. The two chapters on why you have a baby and why you should not were great as so many women find themselves cast into this predicament of should I pop or should I not.
There are moments when Moran has nailed what being a woman is all about and the myriad of expectations. What is clear is that Moran is right on show more one thing, you are a feminist if you have a vagina and you want to control what happens to you. show less
There are plenty of laugh out moments and there is plenty of areas where you can muse whether Moran is full of shit or not. Some areas, well I would like to have a discussion with Moran as I agreed with her views especially on women’s achievements historically. I know what Moran was aiming at but I think Mary Beard’s manifesto on Women and Power better articulates the reasons why women have not necessarily achieved historically. Moran’s analysis of Jordan Price and Lady Gaga and their position as feminists was interesting. I have to admit I know little of Jordan Price who is more a UK thing. The two chapters on why you have a baby and why you should not were great as so many women find themselves cast into this predicament of should I pop or should I not.
There are moments when Moran has nailed what being a woman is all about and the myriad of expectations. What is clear is that Moran is right on show more one thing, you are a feminist if you have a vagina and you want to control what happens to you. show less
Lydia Crow is trying to get her private detective business on solid ground but investigating philandering relationships is really not what she wanted to do. Especially when she is trying to keep her mind and hands off Detective Fleet. Lydia is still trying to manage the other men in her life, her Uncle Charlie and resident house guest ghost, Jason. The murder of a man under Blackfriars Bridge has Crow intrigued and she decides to do her own investigation into the case.
Having read the first book, I was looking forward to the second in the series but I was a tad disappointed. We certainly know more about the Fox family and their abilities but still remain clueless as to what Lydia is truly capable of. The development for Lydia is a character is more about becoming an adult and ticking off the daily chores. Which is great but when you are having some gnarly dreams telling you can fly and one of the families sending you mysterious parcels you are hopeful for a cliff hanger ending but that does not quite happen.
Don't get me wrong this is still a really enjoyable novel but I was expecting a bit more development. Still it will be interesting to see where the next in the series goes.
Having read the first book, I was looking forward to the second in the series but I was a tad disappointed. We certainly know more about the Fox family and their abilities but still remain clueless as to what Lydia is truly capable of. The development for Lydia is a character is more about becoming an adult and ticking off the daily chores. Which is great but when you are having some gnarly dreams telling you can fly and one of the families sending you mysterious parcels you are hopeful for a cliff hanger ending but that does not quite happen.
Don't get me wrong this is still a really enjoyable novel but I was expecting a bit more development. Still it will be interesting to see where the next in the series goes.
This is the first in an urban fantasy series by Kim Harrison and centres on the adventures and exploits of Rachel Morgan. Morgan decides she has had enough of her Government job and branches out into establishing her own bounty hunter business. Only trouble is that Ivy Tamwood, one of the Government's best in the business decides to quit and join Morgan. That results in Morgan's previous boss putting a price on her head and the only way out for Morgan is to unravel a major crime and clear her debt. That all depends on Morgan being able to survive.
Harrison has a track history in writing engaging urban fantasy with a twist. She creates alternate worlds that are believable and characters that flawed and imperfect. As a establishment novel this does not fail as though there is resolution, Harrison teases with the threads of what is to come.
If you want a books series to escape into, you really should consider The Hollows.
Harrison has a track history in writing engaging urban fantasy with a twist. She creates alternate worlds that are believable and characters that flawed and imperfect. As a establishment novel this does not fail as though there is resolution, Harrison teases with the threads of what is to come.
If you want a books series to escape into, you really should consider The Hollows.
This is a wonderful diverse collection of Scottish Folk Tales. It is engaging, it is captivating and thought provoking. Great escapism.