Reviews: The Lessons and The Power

Publisher: Viking

 

 

I'm going to bash these two together as I know Naomi Alderman needs no intro and I have NO IDEA WHY THE BOOK COVERS HAVE GONE ALL WEIRD...SORRY

 

The Lessons

This popped up on a Bookbub email and I thought why the hell not and I am so glad I read this book as I bloody well loved it. Especially it had a bit of If We Were Villains and The Secret History about it, two books I thoroughly enjoyed.

 

The POV as a bloke written by a woman worked perfectly. NA is very adept at adopting voices and personas with skill and confidence. And her writing style in this novel was totally beautiful, no doubt about it.

 

The story itself is so delicate and natural and I had none of my usual compulsions to try and guess what would happen and how things would work out...which is a big problem of mine and often ruins books for me. The book just flowed and took me with it.

 

For the characters they are varied and wonderful running from the mundane main man to the total caricatures but all were fab.

 

And as a final note, this book made me really melancholic for uni...even though my uni experience wasn't half as wild.

 

The Power

I think I may be one of the only people on the plant that doesn't really like this book.

I was really disappointed to not really like it, especially as I enjoyed the above so much.

 

I can see what NA was trying to do, I really can, and bravo, it was well executed to an extent. But I felt that the whole Power thing was far too OTT and it just didn't sit with me. It felt a all a bit too try hard.

 

I for sure get the comment that this book is brining and why it needs to be out there but I just don't think this book was for me.

 

I did however thoroughly like the fact finding parts and the start and end letters.

 

Cheers

 

BG

Review: The Dinner

Publisher: Hogarth

 

First off, Kudos on the super translation....wasn't a thing I thought was weird or lost in translation....Brills.

 

 

For some of this book I had a feeling I may have read it before...so can someone tell me if either I have, or if it has maybe been made in to a TV series??

 

Anyway, on with the review.

Spiffing read. I loved the pace and how fast it all unfolds. But it unfolds with a certain subtlety and takes so many twists and turns that you don't' expect. You think it's just about something terrible a bunch of kids have done, but it is about so much more. Mental health, familiar relations, trust, violence....it's got layers.....

 

I don't want to say much more as I'm afraid I'll give things away, but this is a really fabulous read that comes from something that is to be honest so simple.

 

READ IT

 

BG

Review: Star of the North

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

 

Another book that had been in my possession for a while before I read it. And I sorry but it was the fact that it was hardback that delayed my reading.

 

It is however a fascinating fictionalisation of factual events....or as factual as things can be when talking about North Korea. It brought back a lot of memories of reading Escape From Camp 14 which I would also like to offer as a recommendation for people who like reading about North Korea as this is a memoir.....

 

Anyway, this is a story of a girl looking for her kidnapped sister and I was thoroughly impressed by how this book was constructed. The author obviously knows the story this is based on well but has obviously done their research.

 

It's a real page turner from start to finish. It's fast paced and disturbing and distressing in places, but the book needs that edge of emotion that brutality for the reader to really understand the horror of a lot of what is being discussed and talked bout.

 

The only criticism I have is the high drama that really isn't needed. Some of the action scenes seem really unrealistic and detract from the ending of the novel in particular. These were really not required considering how absorbing and alien the book was as a whole.

 

Cheers

 

BG

Review: The loosening skin

Publisher: Unsung Stories

 

I will start by saying sorry to AW, and the fact that I didn't really like her last book....SORRY. And I say sorry because I feel totally different about this one...

 

I wish I knew what to say to be honest. The book totally blew my mind.

 

I think and I know for readers of Unsung's books, I am not clever enough to totally get them and I am sorry about that. But this book I think is about how emotions, love, friendship and all the things that bring big, hard and deep emptions are skin deep, in some ways, but not all are.

 

I kinda think that this book is about how life and people change and how you can have the most amazing experiences with someone for years but life moves on and people change.

 

I think it's about the moment and living it, but also the book tells you to keep what you can and what you want but in a sane and healthy way.



I could be REALLY wrong, but that's what I took from this book and TBH it is one of the best things I've read in a long time.

THANK YOU

BG

Review: The Familiars

Publisher: Zaffre Publishing         

 

 

So, I've been away for a while. Sorry about that. I've been travelling A LOT for work and work has been taking up most of my life/time. But I am going to try and play catchup and I do apologise in advance for the fact that the next set of reviews will be written from notes I made in some instances over 3 months ago.....so thanks for persisting...

 

The Familiars landed on my doormat a while ago and I was most intrigued from the start. The book is obviously steeped in fact, and it seems to be somewhat of a historical drama as it is based and steeped in the history of the Pendle witch trials.

 

The book is a really easy read and is pretty compelling. It sucked me in and has made me realise that I'd like to know even more about these trials and even, quite possibly, British history....but don't tell Boy Geek that.

 

When it came to characters, Fleetwood was ok, I got on with her. She didn't particularly annoy me but neither did I want to champion her. And even though hubby is distinctly a bit of a dick, I couldn't help but have a bit of naughty affection for him.

 

Overall, good first novel, good work

 

Cheers

BG

Review: Fourth Element Trilogy

Publisher: Acorn

 

 

Before I review, I'm sorry I'm not really keeping up with the reviewing lately, work is just so busy all the time...and my reviews keep falling to the bottom of my list...sorrrrry

 

Anyway, the fourth element trilogy

 

Well, I was prepared for it to be a trilogy so I went in pleased. I was going NUTS with things not being stand alone but only finding out when I got to the end of the book. BOOOO

 

 

I'm going to review all three in one and here goes.

 

The characters are varied, and vast, so you will need to refresh yourself I would imagine if you leave time between each book. There are baddies, BIG baddies, goodies, TOO good goodies and those guys inbetween. The relationships between these characters are also amazing and developed completely and complex, from love, friendship, confusion and hatred. The characters really blossom in themselves and their relationships as the three books develop.

 

Plot wise, it's pretty darn good. There is the main plot of sorting out just what's gone on in the past an dhow we clear up the lies and the what could be interpreted as slavery. But then there are the subplots of love and friendship, mini/minor quests and all that jazz. They interweave perfectly.

 

Style wise, I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of POVs/voices included in the books as we went along and the story and characters broadened. The continuously changing voices gave the book variety and excitement and things like that. YAY.

 

The only downside I see is at the end we are told there are more adventures for the characters.....why can't things really be just left alone?

 

HAppy Reading for these three though

 

BG

Two VERY different autobiographies

Sooo, I am not a huge reader of biographies or autobiographies, but I've found myself reading two of late, two that I enjoyed thoroughly but are SO very different. And here they are

Trevor Noah is a recent addition to my life, Boy Geek discovered him a few years ago, and since then has been a fan. I bought Boy Geek TN's book for his birthday and he devoured it on holiday, so I followed suit.

It's an incredible book, it is funny, devastating, unbelievable, heart-breaking and inspirational all at the same time. It really is amazing that TN has become one of the 100 most influential people in America after all the shit he's put up with and the odds that were so very against him for such a long time. Also, I have to point out that TN's voice and personality are wonderful, I obviously don't know the man but it sounds like him and I don't think it has been too heavily edited or influenced.

But, despite this book being about TN and his life, it is also about his Mum. She seems like an amazing woman, an inspiration in her very own right. And considering all SHE has been though emotionally and physically it's amazing that she's still the strong woman she seems to be. And in one piece too.

This really is a wonderful book. It still makes me think, it had me in tears of joy, despair and laughter and even caused me to be very silent and speechless for a while....which NEVER happens.

THANK YOU MR N for this book.

The second book comes from northern delight Sarah Millican. She's not as new to me as TN but still pretty new. The bezzie has ALWAYS been a huge fan of SM and about 6 years ago I took the bezzie to see her for her birthday, live. And since that moment I've been a fan, the woman is hilarious.

The book indeed, tells us of SM's life, her experiences, her personal struggles and how she's overcome them with the support of her friends, family, cake, pets and comedy.

I found it easy to relate to many parts of this book, which made it strike a few chords with me and also made me feel like giving SM a massive hug for telling her story that's one so many people can relate to. Not so much the comedy, I'm not as funny as SM by any means, but the anxiety, the love of cake and the struggle with what people think about you and how they see you.

The other thing I'd like to say about this book is I love the words of wisdom at the end of each chapter. The advice that's given on how to be champion. It really is some very sound advice on many an occasion.

Fabulous.

Well, have a read, something for everyone here for sure

BG

Review: The Vanishing Season

Publisher: Titan Books

 

 

We are with Ellie, she's had a horrific past but now she's a cop in a small town, where seemingly nothing ever happens. Seemingly, as something has been going on for the last three years and she's determined to get to the bottom of it.

 

 

So, yeah, the plot is decent, the page turner fuel is definitely there too for this book. It's grim, it drip feeds you key facts about the past and about what's going on now. And Ellie and Reed are decent characters. Ellie is your stereotypical angsty but tough yet at the same time vulnerable lead female and Reed is your standard hero with a fatal flaw....it's kinda all you would expect from this genre and book.

 

I did guess who the baddie was VERY early on, but this didn't ruin the book for me, I just enjoyed seeing how and why the baddie did what the baddie did and how it developed in to the finale.

 

Have a read if you like crime and thrillers

 

BG 

Review: The things we learn when we're dead

Publisher: Accent Press

 

When I came across this book I was really very intrigued, and now, to be honest, I feel a little let down. And I'm not 100pc sure what I think about it.

 

 

Lorna has died and has gone to heaven and things are not completely as they seem. God is strange, Irene is unusual. And whilst we navigate heaven and death with Lorna we also see her past life, we see things that shaped her.

 

 

So, that's the general idea of it, and it had a lot of promise, but I don't quite think the book got to where it was maybe intended to by the author. It seems like it didn't quite achieve everything it wanted to.

 

I think it lacked some umph and some poignancy and exploration of second chances and events moulding life that would have really made this the book it was meant to be/could have been.

 

But then again I could be completely wrong.

 

Anyway.....the story of Lorna's life was good, the heaven stuff was alright but it lacked a bit of welly.

 

Cheers



Review: Two Nights

Publisher: William Heinemann

This will be a brief review as I'm afraid I've not got all that much to say. This isn't the best book I've read but neither is it the worst. It's about Sunday a retired cop who is hired by a rich old lady to go on a mission to find the perpetrators of a crime that wracked her family.

I liked the parts about Sunday's past more than anything and I would actually like a book more about her past than her now. She's, to be honest, just another angst ridden and unhappy ex-cop who has somethings to get off their chest and finds a way to do it....that's maybe why I can't see this book as more than just a source of formulaic entertainment.

It's an easy read, the action scenes are decent, the plot is alright, you can kinda see somethings coming, the sub-plot/past story is really what carries it, well in my eyes.

I'm sure people will like it, easy holiday read, but nothing special

Cheers

BG

Review: The Good Women of China - Hidden Voices

Publisher: Vintage

So, I've had this book a while, quite a while and I'm sorry I've only just gotten around to reviewing....I even read it a little while ago now, I'm not good at staying on top of this lately, sorry....

Carrying on, this book reminded me of White Swan, but it was possibly even more bold, brave and open in its content and dissection and exposition of the Chinese world in which women have and do live.

The book is a series of stories and experiences experienced by one very impressive and brave Chinese radio journalist and broadcaster. In this collection she manages to show you every aspect of women's lives in China in a series of stories that have heartbreak, hope, love, joy, war and hate as components almost without exception.

This book really is an insight beyond what you think you know about the culture of China and the place women hold in the society.

Xinran is the voice of the hidden Chinese woman and everyone needs to read this book to hear what she has to say.

BG

Review: The Book of Hidden Things

Publisher: Titan Books

 

 

This book took me by surprise. I was expecting fantasy and magic and wizards, but instead you get gangsters, crime and a touch of comment on mental health, with indeed a little hint that maybe, somewhere there is some magic but you can't be too sure.

 

I love the fact that we are on a journey to find out what the hell has happened to Art, whilst we look at and analyse relationships between three old friends, their relationships with their loved ones and all from different points of view. The POV switches are fantastic and allows you to see character flaws, plot subtleties, and relationships in many different ways.

 

There is also the big question always of what the hell is real and what the hell isn't? Are we looking at real sneak peaks of fantasy in the real world or are we dealing with God or are we dealing basically with someone's terrible break down and mental health?

 

Overall a book I thoroughly enjoyed, a book that totally took me by surprise and a book I was very sad to finish.

 

Cheers

 

BG

Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Publisher: Harper Collins

This book is brilliant. My colleague read the back and said, ‘so basically this is Bridget Jones’. Oh how very very wrong.

Imagine Bridget but a version of it that’s got grit and balls and takes you to places about mental health, social care and beyond that you never thought it would go.

 

This book is full of so much love and compassion. Raymond is a glorious and beautiful creation but then again so is Eleanor. The book is obviously covering topics that the author deeply cares about and that is apparent the whole way through. The language is carefully selected and the progress of EO from who she is at the start of the book to who she is at the end is brilliantly crafted.

 

Definitely a book that all should read and the accolades, attention and awards enjoyed by the author and the team behind this book are much deserved.

 

Brilliant

Review: Assassin’s Fate

Publisher: Harper Voyager

 

This is the final book of the world of Fitz and the Fool and now I feel a bit like my life is a little bit empty. I will fully admit that I started reading this book in May 2017 and finished it on Saturday 2 June 2018. I was trying to draw it out for as long as I could to ensure that they would stay in my life for as long as they could. I’ve been in love with Fitz since I was 15 years old…I’m 32 now.

 

Anyway, I’m not going to say much as I don’t want to give too much well, any, of the plot away but what I will say is this……The Bee chapters, as with the other two books in this trilogy are tedious. I really cannot be arsed with her at all. She’s boring. Even if events that happen to her are not boring, her voice is incredibly boring…BUT, this book is a fantastic ending to what for me has been an amazing 17 years of heartbreak, adventure, love and joy.

 

Read these books, read them and love them. High Fantasy at its very best

 

OH – one thing I will say, do read ALLLLLLLLLLL of Robin Hobb’s books in order which are outside of these 9 books as they will add Hugely to your context – so read the live ships, read the dragons…read them all and read in order….YAY

Review: Forever on Thursdays

Publisher: City Fiction

 

 

So this is the third one I've in the Novella Nostalgia series and I have to say I like this one, and I'm glad we are back to the depth of character that we saw in The Man Who Hated.

 

We get to know the characters in the main plot, and even the subplots a lot more, get to know their backgrounds, their lives, understand them and what's going on with them and I think regardless of length of book or novella that's important.

 

I also indeed like the fact that even though this is a novella, with Neil and Jonathan we do indeed get a few hints of subplots and that's cracking.

 

I do think that there is a bit more cheese than I would generally tend to like in a book in this read, but I imagine the film Brief Encounter upon which this is based has buckets of the stuff, so for that I forgive.

 

Also, I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the email elements of this book. It was a really interesting and intriguing aspect that kept me guessing, the whys and the point?

 

 

Have a read

 

BG

 

P.S. I'm writing this from some notes I made in May - so very sorry it's a bit shit

Review: The Last Librarian

Publisher: Laughing Rain

 



I know I've had a moan on here more than once about books in a series and how there are too many of them these days. But this time, THIS TIME, I think I may have found a series I would very much like to continue with.

 

We are in the future, the world has changed, not beyond recognition so that things are totally alien, but there is a new global power, we have super technology, and we're apparently getting rid of all the physical books - I'm sure you'll also all find it amusing, if you read this or have read it, that I read this on my Kindle.....

 

Anyway, we're with the world's last librarian and we're helping him and his friends save the books, the key books, the books that can change the new world we're introduced to when we commence reading and exploring this new space.

 

The characters are great, there are some complex ones, mad ones, loveable ones and completely hateful ones but they all have their place, time and position in the novel and not one feels unneeded.

 

The plot is great, there are as I'm sure you can imagine twists and turns, but they are very well concealed and if you do see one coming it's more often than not the opposite of what you are expecting.

 

I really do have everything crossed for book two.

 

Cheers

BG

Review: My Absolute Darling

Publisher: Fourth Estate

 

 

This book was given to me by a friend as a present at my Hen Do...but have only just got round to reading it.....

 

I can safely say I was not prepared for this book, I should have taken more notice of the blurb. I don't want to say too much about what I wasn't prepared for as it'll give things away. But the level of abuse in this book is brutal if you are not expecting it.

 

The novel is well written and also the relationships particularly between Turtle and her father, Turtle and her peers, and Turtle and her teachers are thoroughly interesting to read about and watch develop.

 

It's also very interesting that a man is providing you with a convincing story, narrative and emotional analysis of a teenage girl's life, emotions, experiences. This is very well done indeed.

 

But, what I think let the book down was the almost ending. I found a bit too much to cope with and a bit over the top. It almost didn't fit with the subtly and muted bubbling of the rest/previous part of the novel.

Short but, here it is

Cheers

BG

Two that need no introduction

I've been reading some books lately by authors who need no introduction and I'd just like to talk about two of them:

The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb

As these books surely need no review from me, I'm going to just gush a bit

The Course of Love
This was a wedding present from Boy Geek's colleague and I thoroughly loved it. I didn't really know what to expect and when I read the blurb I was rather perplexed as to why it was given to us a wedding present. But as I read it, I realised...it's very real, it's very honest and it's fantastic in it's composition. It tells you how love really is and should be viewed and it is totally attuned with how I see the world. It also I think show's how well Boy Geek's colleague knows not only him but me.

I can see this book as a Woody Allen style film with a narrator over the top of the action, and those who have read this book will get what I mean...

Do read this book, it's wonderful!

Assassin's Fate
So, I got my pre-ordered, signed copy in May last year. I finished just over 5 days ago. I have been reading it slowly, so very slowly it's taken me nearly 13 months to read. BUT I didn't want to rush it as I knew this would be the last book in which Fitz would be present. The last book in which the character I've been in love with since I was 15 would feature. The man has been in my life for nearly 17 years and I didn't want to lose him quickly.

Of the trilogy this book was the strongest, there was less Bee - she's annoyed me a bit in the previous two - and when she was around she was more grown up and more intelligent so that made me feel a lot better.

I don't want to say a lot about this book as I don't want to spoil it for people who are on the road that's Fitz's mad life. But what I will say is BRAVO, it was a wonderful ending. But Hobb, I won't forgive you for all the CRYING I did on about 5 occasions whilst reading this book....you broke my heart just as many times as well!

If you haven't read any Hobb books, start at the beginning, The Farseer Trilogy, do it!

So, two books by two authors that need no introduction....go for it if you haven't already

BG

Review: 12 Troubled Jurors

Publisher: City Fiction

 

This is another of the shorties from Tony Drury where he takes inspiration from the world of film.

 

I think this one could have benefitted from being a tad longer as it was more short story than novella and I feel that there was some more to explore here with regards to juror backgrounds/intentions/relationships. I think it lacked the depth of the first one I read.

 

The last portion of this book held a glimmer of that talent and character exploration that we were shown in The Man Who Hated. So maybe this would have been spiffing if it had have been longer. The potential was definitely there.

 

Indeed, once more I am inspired to return to 12 Angry Men and watch it once more!

 

Happy Reading

BG

Review: The Almond Tree

Publisher: Garnet Publishing

 

Wow, just wow.

This is truly an incredible book. I was drawn to it as I don't really know as much about Palestine as I think I should. I don't quite know the whys and wherefores so this I thought would be more of an exploration. And indeed it is that, but it's also emotional, personal and beautiful.

 

 

Yes, the book focuses on one family and one man in particular but as you explore Ahmed's life and the lives of those around him you realise that this book represents the struggle of not just one man but of an entire people and MCC, author, has compassion and hope.

 

The entire book is beautifully crafted and truly heartfelt and it has moments where it brings not only tears of sadness to the eye but those of joy as well.

 

I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who wants to either understand more about Palestine and also those who want to read a beautiful book, regardless of what it is about.

 

BG