Latest Posts – Page 120

‘The Memory Hit’ – Carla Spradbery

I loved the cover of the book, and the general idea of a drug that allowed you to relive your memories was intriguing. I was full of hope for this read, and I am rather disappointed that it didn’t live up to my expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a digital copy of the novel to review. I really wanted to like this book, and parts of it were great. The friendship between Jag and Cooper, and some of the ideas behind the memories that people relive had real potential.

Unfortunately, the events of the novel just seemed a little incredulous. I didn’t feel like I cared enough about the characters to really be affected by the events described, and the character that the story hinged upon had been so under the radar throughout that I had to remind myself who they were!

I’m going to pass this book on to my son, and see whether the intended audience has more of a positive reaction.

‘This is Where it Ends’ – Marieke Nijkamp

This book isn’t due to be published until January 2016, but this is why I signed up to NetGalley – to get the opportunity to get my mitts on wonderful new books before they hit the shelves.

I really hope this book becomes one that people talk about for the right reasons when it is published. I’m giving nothing away when I say that this focuses us on 54 minutes of every parent/teacher/students’ worst nightmare – a high school shooting.

From the off this had me completely gripped. Some early reviews have criticised the Tweets included, saying they are off-putting. I think they place us within a clear social context, but I did not find them overly distracting. The central characters who the story focuses on are all well-written and I felt like I wanted to know more about their backgrounds/what happens to them after the story.

I do not want to give away any spoilers as publication is some way off, but I would earmark this as one to recommend.

Tracy Chevalier – ‘The Last Runaway’

The book opens with the passage of Honor Bright, a sheltered Quaker, to America to start a new life. This is not a journey for the faint-hearted, but it allowed us to empathise with Honor as a character set adrift from all that is familiar to her.

During the course of the journey Honor’s sister dies, and she is thrown on the mercy of her brother-in-law-to-be and his family. Honor quickly realises that if she is to survive in this new land she will have to adapt. She marries into a local family, but life is not quite as she hoped it would be.

Through Honor’s eyes we see the changes that are wrought upon groups of settlers, and we gain a clearer understanding of some of the issues surrounding life in 1850s America. When Honor encounters a runaway slave on her family’s farm, Honor’s principles are tested.

From the outset this was a book that raised questions. Having some prior knowledge of the Underground Railroad system that is referenced here I was gripped by this story. Loved it!

Adele Parks – ‘If You Go Away’

At the start of the novel Vivian Foster is a passionate and somewhat wilful young woman, throwing herself into her debutante season in the hope of securing a suitable marriage. The start of the novel was what some might call a slow-burner. Vivian was not particularly likeable, but her passion and temperament became clear early on as her parents try to manage the fallout from her indiscretion. Rushed into a marriage, as I assume many might have been, Vivian’s life seemed destined to be one that would not bring fulfilment.

When War is declared on the day of her wedding, Vivian’s new husband determines to do his duty and volunteers for action. Vivian is left to move to the country and manage her husband’s estate, as everyone is encouraged to do their bit. Howard Henderson, a brilliant young playwright, also gets involved in the war, as a journalist reporting on the scenes at the Front. He is scarred by what he sees in these early years, and when conscription becomes law in 1916 he refuses to join up. Imprisoned for his beliefs, Howard becomes one of the country’s most famous conscientious objectors. He narrowly escapes a death sentence by agreeing to carry out essential farming work for Vivian.

From their first meeting, the attraction between these two characters is evident and the relationship between them seems inevitable, though socially unacceptable. If it were not for the backdrop of the War, their story would have been very different but, as a reader, I’m so pleased that it panned out as it did.

An absorbing novel, and the blending of historical detail within this story was fascinating. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Lianne Moriarty – ‘Big Little Lies’

This was one of those books that wormed its way into my basket at Waterstones, thanks to their amazing buy one get one half price offer and a vague recollection of someone talking about something else Moriarty had written.

Three very different women come together when their children start school. Single mum, Jane, is new to the area and she is taken under the wings of Madeline and Celeste. Some of the characters were a little stereotypical, and felt like devices used to move the plot forward but the central characters were intriguing. The ‘thriller’ element of the plot was capably handled, though I think many readers will guess how all the pieces come together. I did, on occasion, find the interview snippets a distraction and felt they got in the way of the story rather than adding anything to it.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book as I was reading it but it isn’t one that I’d go back to.

‘The Versions of Us’ – Laura Barnett

As a young child, I went through a phase of being heavily addicted to those Choose Your Own Adventure books. I loved the concept of different choices resulting in different outcomes. Sometimes it worked; all too often it didn’t, but I loved the idea that you could get varying outcomes depending on what you did. So, you can imagine how excited I was when I spotted this while browsing one day. I’m not sure Waterstones were doing it any favours by describing it as a literary ‘Sliding Doors’ (unless they’re subconsciously trying to appeal to Gwyneth Paltrow fans) but the whimsical notion of following someone through three different versions of their life was intriguing.

When Eva and Jim first meet, they are nineteen year old students at Cambridge in the late 1950s. Jim is walking along a lane when a woman approaching him on a bike swerves to avoid a dog. What happens next depends on which thread of the story you are reading.

Following the three separate threads was, I feared, going to prove something of a stumbling block but this couldn’t have been further from the truth. None of the strands quite worked out as I’d have liked, but I was fascinated by the varying stories. I loved the way little details reoccured within strands, each time slightly different. Barnett’s writing style was confident and controlled, capably guiding us through the different permutations of the stories.

I’ve recommended this to so many people already, and would love to see this adapted (as long as they didn’t put Gwyneth Paltrow in it!)

I was looking for something a bit different, and I think I found it here.

‘I Let You Go’ – Clare Mackintosh

This is, definitely, a book that you want to know nothing else about – other than what is given in the blurb – before you read it.

The opening description of the accident that changes Jenna Gray’s life is heart-wrenching. I was so immersed in the book that the ‘astonishing twist’ referred to on the cover took me totally by surprise and I had to go back and re-read a section as I thought I’d missed something. Once I realised I hadn’t, I was gripped and desperate to find out just what was going on!

Sometimes a book comes along that you want to devour. This was one of those books.

‘Darkest Night’, Department 19, Book 5 – Will Hill

As a fan of this series, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed by the concluding book.

Zero Hour has passed, Dracula is at full strength and the inevitable fight draws closer. The operatives within Department 19 are all facing their own battles, but they have to draw together in order to save humanity. The Blacklight Operatives are exhausted. The general public have discovered the truth about vampires, and there remains the small matter of what to do about the first vampire. Graphic violence and genuinely tense scenes.

At more than one point in the book I had my hand in my mouth…and, at more than one point (don’t worry, no spoilers) I was wiping away the tears. I can’t reveal my favourite parts without giving details away, but for those who’ve followed the series this is a fitting conclusion. A genuine must-read!

I would have got a copy of this somehow, but I was very grateful to Netgalley for approving my request…

‘Every Last Word’ – Tamara Ireland Stone

I received a digital copy of this from Netgalley, and I am so pleased that I did.

Sam is 16, a fantastic swimmer and part of a popular group of girls. It might sound like a perfect life, but she also has a secret. Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD, and her life is ruled by the fear of anyone other than her family finding out.

I’ve only just finished this, and my feelings towards it are quite raw.

It was beautiful, and for so many different reasons. I loved the portrayal of a character finding their way and managing their condition. The focus on words and poetry was always going to appeal, but I wasn’t prepared for how moving some of the poems were. I loved the insight into the patient/therapist relationship, and I’d have to be pretty callous not to be affected by the character of AJ.

All in all, a book I would love to read again. It has already been recommended to a couple of students, and I will certainly suggest it should be in our school library.

‘Broken Harbour’ – Tana French

I had been introduced to this author by a colleague in work. ‘Faithful Place’ intrigued me and was certainly an enjoyable foray into crime writing. The blurb for this gave little away, but I was hooked by the idea that someone who was murdered would have, even inadvertently, done something to ‘invite it in’.

I couldn’t resist checking out reviews on Amazon, and I’m not giving anything away to reveal that the novel opens with the deaths of two children and their father being discovered, and their mother being taken to intensive care. What follows is a detailed and thorough account of the investigation into the murder case by Scorcher Kennedy, Dublin’s star detective.

From the opening pages I felt like I trusted our narrator; he was a character that I wanted to do well. He was not without his flaws, and the effects on him and his personal life of the investigation were compelling reading.

I was less sure about his partner, rookie Richie Curran, but I felt the developing relationship between the two men was engaging, and allowed French to explain some of the procedure involved in the investigation without patronising us. At times the total immersion into the experience was far from comfortable, but I could not put the book down. Once it became clear that there were two suspects, neither of whom seemed completely plausible, I was desperately trying to work out what had happened. I didn’t come close!