14 October 2016
Bite Sized Books // The ARCs Which Left Me Disappointed After The Interesting Summaries
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Contemporary, Chick Lit, Women’s Fiction
My Rating:
‘Julia Greenfield is entirely imperfect and completely sympathetic, and Losing It is a bright gem of a novel.’—Lauren Fox, author of Days of Awe and Friends Like UsTwenty-six year old Julia Greenfield has long suspected that everyone is having fun without her.It’s not that she’s unhappy, per se. It’s just that she’s not exactly happy either.She hasn’t done anything spontaneous since about 2003. Shouldn’t she be running a start up? Or going backpacking? Or exploring uncharted erogenous zones with inappropriate men?Trapped between news of her mother’s latent sexual awakening and her spinster aunt’s odd behaviour – Julia has finally snapped. It’s time to take some risks, and get a life.
After all – what has she got to lose?
This is a book I was utterly thrilled to read from the summary. I mean, a 26 year old virgin? That’s going to be an interesting contemporary read. Unfortunately, it didn’t hit all the marks. It was an interesting read but the pace and the story itself ended up falling a bit far from the mark for me.
The positives: I love a book which looks at sex and virginity in a realistic way. Romances where the female MC is a virgin and sweet and innocent and always has a wonderful first time with her one true love leave me rolling my eyes. And any time people view their virginity as this precious thing to be protected frustrates me. The thing with a girl’s virginity is that it is both admired and treasured but is also a burden. Now, this may be TMI but growing up my virginity was very much a burden I wanted to be rid of swiftly. At my secondary school it seemed like all the ‘cool kids’ were having sex and it was a given. I was not one of them and I didn’t just sleep with the first boy who was interested. I waited because I thought that was the done thing. Thing is, by the time I was at uni I felt the burden of my virginity and decided screw this and then did sleep with the first person who showed interested and didn’t seem like they would rape and kill me. It was stupid and I probably could have planned it better so that it was with someone I knew and trusted because I never even told the poor bloke I was a virgin. It was all a messy affair but the sense of relief that came with being rid of that label was ridiculous. I liked that this book showed what a burden virginity can be when you build it up to such great heights.
The negatives: I didn’t like the MC at all. She was annoying and neurotic and that could have been forgiven because I love when books feature these socially awkward characters who feel real and don’t leave me rolling my eyes at their utter flawless ability to have social interactions. The problem with Julia is she is very self involved and unable to see her flaws. I am pretty self involves at times but even I can see my flaws. I know she had gotten obsessed with one aspect of her personality and blamed that for her shortcomings but it was frustrating she didn’t come to a greater realisation about this. I wanted more character growth from her and I just don’t feel like I got that. I felt much the same about her at the end as I did at the beginning. Add into it a comment in the last couple of paragraphs about her aunt and I wanted to punch her in the face. This book was written as if finding love would solve all issues. I mean, you don’t need to be in a relationship to be deemed successful at being a person. I’m pretty sure I’ve managed perfectly well alone.
In the end, this isn’t a bad book and others may connect with the character far better than I, but for me it just didn’t go well. I was expecting a different book to what I got and that always leads to disappointment. I wouldn’t discourage you giving it a read, but be forewarned Julia is not a character for everyone’s tastes.
Published: 6th October 2016
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit
My Rating:
Is it a break? Or is it a blip?
LIV and ADAM are in love.
LIV and ADAM are supposed to be getting engaged.
Until ADAM accidently suggests they take a break.
And LIV starts thinking …
Friends, family and bystanders all have an opinion and one complication leads to another as Adam and Liv try to muddle through in this hilarious, heartwarming comedy.
Are they split up - or are they on a break? What exactly are they allowed to get away with? And, most importantly, what do Liv and Adam really want?
This book was one I was really looking forward to because I love Lindsey Kelk but sadly it didn’t meet all expectations. It’s all about a couple who believed they were building up to an engagement and instead end up taking a break and experiencing a break up. It’s all about them figuring out their life for themselves and figuring out what they want as an individual. It was a change for Kelk’s usual books, it was still funny but sadly I don’t think this was really a book for me.
The things I love most about Kelk’s books is that I grow attached to her characters and sympathise with them but this wasn’t the case in this one. This time it wasn’t that I didn’t like the characters (I’ve had that before in a Kelk book) I just wasn’t interested enough to be dying to see their ending. I skimmed to see what happened and it was sweet but, unfortunately, love did not occur. I just couldn’t work up the passion for these characters which I get with some books and that upset me. Instead, I felt a distance to them and felt almost indifferent to their troubles. I don’t like that feeling when it comes to reading.
This is an enjoyable read with the usual humour of all Kelk’s books (seriously, it’s hard to be laugh out loud funny without being absurd). This was funny and different but just not what I wanted to read which characters who feel a bit ‘meh’ but that may have been my mood reading talking. This will be a book some will love with the humour and will really enjoy the character’s journeys, but sadly I cannot count myself as one of them.
Have you read any books lately that you were really excited to read but they didn’t live up to their summary?
I am excited, today, to have a different kind of post for you. I was recently emailed about a book called The Secret Letters. I read the book summary and I was thoroughly intrigued by it. I was asked if I wanted to participate in a blog tour for the book. I am always uncertain when it comes to blog tours but reading the book summary and then hearing the author had some original ideas of what she wanted to discuss about the book. How could I say no?
The Secret Letters – Catherine Law
Published: 6th October 2016
Genre: Historical, Romance
I was lucky enough to get the topic of buildings and the role in which they play in a book. How they can almost become characters themselves within a story. The role of buildings and the secrets which they may hide is just such an interesting concept, especially in a book which takes place over along period of time so it has time to become a part of a story. I was so interested reading Law’s thoughts and I hope you will be too and hope you get a chance to enjoy her release of The Secret Letters.
Published: 6th October 2016
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rose Pepper has kept her wartime past a secret for decades. Forty years ago, she fled communist Prague and left behind the love of her life.
Now in her sixties and with two daughters, Rose discovers a bundle of unopened letters sent to her by her lost love, hidden beneath her home.
Confronted with the possibility of facing up to her past, she decided it’s finally time to go back to where her story began and uncover the truth buried for so long in Prague…
From the author of Map of Stars comes a heartbreaking story of love, hope, secrets and lies. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Hughes and Leah Fleming
In search of a story
By Catherine Law
Inspiration comes to me in many ways, from gazing out of a train window at sublime landscapes and overhearing intriguing conversations, to the places I visit and fall in love with.
Over twenty years ago, my sister and her family moved into a Victorian vicarage right next to the church in a Staffordshire village. From the first time I visited, I felt intrigued, as if the house was stirring my creativity. Imagine a classic Gothic-style property, double fronted and gabled, the front door opening onto a wide hallway with the original mosaic floor, an archway – gothic of course – leading to the back of the house. I have spent a lot of time there, from Christmases to birthdays and beyond and, slowly and surely, almost without me realising it, the old house has inspired me.
When I created the home of my character Rose Pepper in my first novel, A Season of Leaves (to be re-published as an e-book on 6 October 2016, with the new title The Secret Letters) I thought of the Staffordshire vicarage, even though my book is set in Cornwall. This style of building, frequently the biggest in the village, is quite common throughout all counties, often sold off when the church builds the vicar a brand-new bungalow next door, a detail I also included in my novel. And what most intrigued me about my sister’s house, apart from listening to the church clock close by strike the watches throughout the night and the sparkling peal of bells on Sunday mornings, was the view of the churchyard, with shadowy yew trees and leaning gravestones, from every bedroom window.
Houses are central to many stories. They are evocative, create a sense of place, ground the people in the novel and become characters in their own right. The most obvious one that springs to mind is Wuthering Heights, atop the windswept moor, and its counterpart Thrushcroft Grange, sedate in the valley below, both of which seem to embody the personalities of their occupants. And who will ever be able to forget derelict, haunted
Rebecca’s Manderley, the intriguing pile glimpsed at first in a dream, revealing its secrets one by one.
For me, houses – from a suburban semi-detached to a crumbling castle – are never just bricks and mortar. They contain memories, the fabric of history. The walls absorb conversations and mirrors reflect the goings-on, both every day and tragic, played out inside the rooms. I love to explore great country houses, courtesy of the National Trust and English Heritage. But the places that stay with me are the ones where you witness the ordinary lives behind the all the finery. Lanhydrock house in Cornwall is a favourite. Here you encounter Victorian life, from the lowly servants’ quarters right through to the private boudoirs. And Dennis Severs’ house in Spitalfields, London, is another. Here, the exquisite atmosphere invokes a feeling that the Georgian silk weaver’s family has just left the room.
But the houses that have had most impact on me are the tiny and downright mean Back-to-Back dwellings in the centre of Birmingham – just 12 miles from my sister’s vicarage – which were home to hundreds of families of factory workers and artisans throughout the Victorian Industrial age. The conditions of sanitation, lack of light and overcrowding must have been, at some times, unbearable. Despite this, the residents decorated their walls with stencils and kept their best china out on show.
Last time I visited my sister in her Victorian vicarage, we had a house-full, so I slept in a small box room at the back of the house. Used for a long while as a cupboard, it had recently been cleared out and had enough space for a single bed and a side table. I immediately guessed that it had once been the maid’s room. Looking out of the window straight on to crooked gravestones crowding the churchyard, I wondered about the many women who had once slept in this tiny room. And what secrets they may have kept.
If I listen hard enough, all of these houses - from the lowliest to the most grand - will tell me their stories and inspire some of my own.
About the Author
Catherine Law was born in Harrow, Middlesex in 1965 and has been a journalist for twenty-two years, having trained first as a secretary at the BBC and then attending the London College of Printing. She now works on a glossy interiors magazine and lives in Buckinghamshire.
http://www.catherinelaw.co.uk/
@cathmarialaw
Have you read anything by Catherine Law? What are your thoughts about the roles a building can play within a story? Which books have a building which almost are a character themselves?
I requested this book on NetGalley a while ago now and it was sat on my Kindle getting no love whilst I tried to talk myself into getting excited for my ARCs again. I couldn’t figure out how to review this book because I really enjoyed it but how do you explain that properly? How do you put into words what clicked with this book which get people to read another debut? Then I remembered my 5 reasons reviews and figured that was perfect.
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Young Adult
My Rating:
It’s Boston, 1919, and the Cast Iron club is packed. On stage, hemopaths—whose "afflicted" blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art—captivate their audience. Corinne and Ada have been best friends ever since infamous gangster Johnny Dervish recruited them into his circle. By night they perform for Johnny’s crowds, and by day they con Boston’s elite. When a job goes wrong and Ada is imprisoned, they realize how precarious their position is. After she escapes, two of the Cast Iron’s hires are shot, and Johnny disappears. With the law closing in, Corinne and Ada are forced to hunt for answers, even as betrayal faces them at every turn.
Here are five excellent reasons to give it a go.
Friendship! Because You Can Never Have Too Many Friends
Look, when the book begins with a letter from the author explaining she wanted to write a book about friendship then you know you’re in for a good book. Destiny Soria stated the heart of this story is the friendship between Ada and Corinne and she is completely right, it is. There is romance and family drama and a bunch of really interesting characters but the heart of this novel lies in that friendship between Ada and Corinne. These are two girls who couldn’t have had a more different upbringing who are best friends. They may not have always known each other and they most definitely do not always like each other but they are always there covering one another's back.
I loved that this book included a genuine female friendship that was not overshadowed by a romance and there was no fighting over a boy. They were just two girls struggling in a world which seemed to be against them. They didn’t always bring out the best in each other (best friends can always bring out your ugly side too) but they certainly tried to do the best they could and they always looked out for one another (even if the other one thought that they were wrong).
Diverse Cast Who Aren’t Afraid To Address Issues
I liked that this wasn’t a whitewashed cast of characters but instead an interesting collection from black characters as well as characters from other parts of the world who were also part of a minority (I feel like specifying who it is and where they’re from my count as a spoiler so I am keeping schtum).
I loved that inequality was also highlighted in the book. Be it the fact one character was part of a nationality of immigrants who were marginalised and looked down upon. Then there was Ada who was not only a mixed race character who had enough stigma from being black in a country that has a long history of racism, but also had a mixed heritage with one black parent and one white so she had a whole other set of stigmas placed upon her growing up and that shows in her personality in the book. And let's not forget the book had two gay characters in there as well and their struggles to be together with dealt with so well taking into consideration the period it was set in. This book had it all but none of it ever felt like it was just added in for brownie points.
I mean, this book was obviously dealing with social stigma from the fact hemopaths have basically been outlawed but there was no hesitance about addressing other issues either! I mean, surely any idiot can see the parallels, right?
It Was Historical
I full on had flashbacks to history lessons. This book is set during the run up to prohibition and during a time when asylums were still a well known and acceptable kind of institution. I mean, it was all so interesting and seemed pretty well researched (although, as I am not an expert I cannot say that with any kind of authority).
I mean, the set up for hemopaths and the banning of them performing seemed a logical set up for prohibition. It was done so intelligently that I really loved it.
Look, I Love Criminals
Look, I am a sucker for criminals and con artists and they are here in abundance in this book. I do feel cheated that there are a couple of characters I would have liked to know better, but the ones we did get to know I loved.
I mean, Ada and Corinne with the perfect criminal double act because who would suspect them? They are con artists but they have morals and they are lovely about it. And the people who they live with? They have questionable morals but you can’t help but like them. They little club gang is sweet and I loved them for it. They all have their own roles but they all seem to be leading a life of crime to help one another. Who can hate on a crook with heart?
Family Is Important!
This may seem like a random reason to love a book but I don’t care. The fact is I loved the various family dynamics of this book. There was Ada’s family, who were very close when she was younger who she has drifted away from for various reasons. There is her amazing mother who adored to bits and her father who I adored from the brief mentions of him. Then there was Corinne and her family and how she felt utterly other from them and the connection they had (seriously, that family has a lot of issues but I wanted to hug them a bit towards the end). And then there was Gabriel and his mother, his family dynamic was sweet and didn’t scream mama’s boy even though it totally should have.
Outside of the actual blood family there was the family these characters had chosen in the form of the club and it’s members and those they began to welcome into their circle. I really loved how you had the contrast between born and and chosen family and those who Ada and Corinne to keep close to them.
***
Basically, I could go on for a while. I really liked this book and it’s a debut I strongly recommend. Go read it now!
Have you read Iron Cast? What were your thoughts? What was the best really good debut you’ve read lately?
Welcome to another Sunday. For once, I am actually writing this on a Sunday morning because I spent my Saturday at a family party. I usually spend Saturday afternoons blogging away and catching up on blog posts and comments so it was a little disconcerting to get home in the evening and then have to find some motivation for blogging. It doesn’t help that I’ve been popping paracetamol and throat sweets like candy as I have a bad throat and lingering cold making me feel like utter crap. I will not let that stop me reading and blogging, though. Even if it means I am not getting quite as much sleep as I need to recover.
As I said, this week has ben filled with family things and birthdays. It was my nan’s birthday on Friday so I spent Saturday morning visiting her and just spending time with her. That was nice, even if she did relegate my great uncle's flowers to the hallway when my brother brought a bouquet for her. I then had to go to a second cousin's birthday, it was his seventieth and he was celebrating at a local brewery that has a bar over it. That was a nice afternoon, I am not a beer drinker but I got to try a couple of ciders I’ve never tried before. It did nothing to help my throat day drinking and not taking any of my self-prescribed drugs. I am regretting it now, but there is little I can do except curl up and do some reading.
What I’ve Been Reading
I’ve had a reading week filled with really good reads, and that is a rarity. I took it into my head to start catching up on the Spindle Cove series this week and began reading Any Duchess Will Do (and adored it). I then decided that Lord Dashwood Missed Out would be a good read as my cold hit and I was under the weather so a short read was fitting, unfortunately, that led me to have to purchase Tessa Dare’s latest release because I needed more of her writing. Each of her books was utterly satisfying in ever way and I really want to review them but I don’t know how.
I then ended my reading week with The Thinking Woman's Guide To Real Magic and all I can say is wow! That book ticked all my boxes and surpassed all expectations and I adored every second of it. It was amazing and want to thrust it into everyone’s hands and make them read right now. It's a book that I must have added to my to-buy list about three years ago and I am so glad I finally got around to reading it.
New To Me
For once, my shopping doesn’t shockingly outweigh my reading. I am impressed with myself. I treated myself to that Rhoda Baxter book because I wanted to read it after listening to her Smart Bitches chat on the podcast. I had pre-ordered the illustrated edition of Chamber of Secrets and it is stunning. I received a copy of the latest Shalvis book for review (yay! Thank you Headline Eternal). I bought the latest Tessa Dare book because I simply couldn’t stop myself and I received my pre-order of Blood for Blood too.
I am off to hide under the covers and drink Lemsip I think. How has your week been? Anyone read anything good, or read a book that’s been on their TBR forever and absolutely adored it?
07 October 2016
It Must Be Christmas // A Great Festive Read To Get You In The Spirit (Without Overwhelming You)
Published: 4th October 2016
Source: Publisher (St Martin’s Paperbacks)
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Christmas, Short Stories
My Rating:
"It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when love is in the cold and frosty air and desire reaches the boiling point. . ."
"Hot Toy"
From "New York Times "bestselling author Jennifer Crusie comes a hilarious, sexy story about a determined shopper who grabs the last action figure off the shelf, only to find herself plunged into the arms of a sexy secret agent. Mayhem under the mistletoe ensues. Business as usual this Christmas season right?
"Christmas with the Billionaire Rancher"
Nate wants to stay away from all the women who want his money in Mandy Baxter s story set deep in the heart of Texas. But when gorgeous do-gooder Chloe Benson comes knocking at his door in search of funds for her charity Nate can t ignore the passion he feels for her. Maybe love is priceless after all?
"Christmas at Seashell Cottage"
’Tis the season in Jewell Cove when local doctor Charlie Yang finds her quiet, steady life disrupted by both an abandoned baby in the nativity manger and ex-SEAL Dave Ricker. Are these turn of events too good to be true? Or is Christmas working its magic for real Donna Alward s heartwarming holiday story?
I will begin by saying it’s never too early to get into the festive spirit so I have no regrets about reviewing a Christmas book so early. Second of all, for those Scrooges out in the world who hate Christmas things this is the shorty story collection for you. It is simply three novella length stories combined together in one. None of them are too crazy Christmas-y and they are all very fun. The only complaint I had was that none of the stories were long enough for my liking.
Hot Toy – Jennifer Crusie
I had already read this totally fun short story before and adored it. It had all of Jennifer Crusie’s humour and skill packed into a limited number of words it was perfect.
It’s all about Trudy being determined to get a very specific toy for her nephew last minute. It is the hottest toy out and it’s obviously cleared from the shelves on Christmas Eve. She bumps into Nolan, who just happens to be out trying to find the exact same thing but for very different reasons. It turns into this crazy drama of spies, shady dealings and gun fights. It was ridiculous and so enjoyable to read. I love everything Crusie writes so I inevitably loved this book and I loved how it was farfetched but just within the realms of reality for me to enjoy it. I mean, secret agents with coded messages and poor Trudy caught in the middle swept away by charming Nolan. Who wouldn’t get caught up in this book. This is one of the craziest novellas I’ve read and it was great.
Christmas at Seashell Cottage – Donna Alward
This was a charming festive read. It is set around Christmas and begins with the setting up of a nativity scene ready for this small town to turn on it’s Christmas lights. The new doctor in town is heling out when the man she has been spying on and daydreaming about comes along to help. The two end up finding a baby abandoned in a manger and their time together begins. I found this an utterly charming read, definitely the sweetest of the three. I loved Dave, the ex Navy Seal who Dr Charlie Yang has been lusting after. It was so nice to get to know his character in comparison to the daydream Charlie had created in her head. And seeing Charlie getting to know him when he is completely outside of her carefully laid plans was great.
This was the easiest read and I was utterly charmed by it. I know I want to read more from Donna Alward.
Christmas with the Billionaire Rancher – Mandy Baxter
I mean, the title says it all really. I was least impressed with this story and not because there was anything wrong with it, but because of the kind of story it was it felt like it didn’t fit within the limited number of words. This is a book filled with a lot of sex. It was sexy and fun and slightly ridiculous but great because of it. It sadly meant that I felt the characters weren’t developed enough for my liking and I didn’t have time to get to know them before they were jumping into bed together. I get passion but it all felt a bit rushed.
That being said I enjoyed it all the same. I did like the characters and I enjoyed reading the twists and turns and troubles they got themselves into because they kept things hidden for logical reasons. It was an enjoyable read that wasn’t overly festive (always good for you muttering ‘bah humbug’ as the day approaches).
Have you read any festive reads yet? Are you even a fan of reading seasonal reads? And what is your favourite book to read at Christmas (so I can get ready with it)?
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