The Humans by Matt Haig

“I was not Professor Andrew Martin. That is the first thing I should say. He was just a role. A disguise. Someone I needed to be in order to complete a task.”

This is my second Matt Haig book and I have to say that they just get better and better. This is full of humour, love and maths!
We follow an unnamed alien as he is transported into the body of Andrew Martin, a mathematician who discovers some mathematics solution that the Aliens do not want us to know as they think we can't handle it.  And so begins the aliens account of what it is like to be a human with all their eccentricities like wearing clothes and having noses.
The book begins with his distaste of everything Humans do but in the end it turns into a sort of love story as he falls in love, not only with himself but also the family he has been transported into.  Matt Haig's humour really shines through as the descriptions of things we do everyday are hilarious through the eyes of the Alien.  The way he learns our language by reading Cosmopolitan made me laugh out loud more than once especially as it seemed to be an edition purely of orgasms!!  The relationship between Father and Son was also really well written and could have come off as soppy written by anyone else but Matt Haig but this is full of humour and heart break all wrapped into one.
The book is heart warming, thought provoking, funny and sad and one of the best books I have read all year.  I beseech you all to run out and grab a copy - you will not be disappointed.

Soulmates by Holly Bourne

I have to say I love a book that can make you laugh and cry in equal measures and that is why I loved Soulmates.  For a first novel by Holly Bourne it is in my eyes a complete success.  A book about finding your soul-mate and the consequences this can cause but not written in an overly toe curling way.

The main characters, Poppy and Noah, are well written with good senses of humour and just the right amount of teenage angst.  It is Poppy we follow throughout the story so we see everything from her point of view which I personally think is the right way round as it is her struggle with becoming a cliché that makes the story work.  She doesn’t believe in soul-mates or true love and can barely stand any of the boys in her town until she meets Noah.  It is as if they are destined to meet and fall in love although it takes Poppy some time to come to terms with it all.

I also thought that the supporting characters in the book were really brought to life. My favourite being Lizzie.  Lizzie is one of Poppy’s gang and I love the fact that she is a budding journalist and wants to be the first to get all the gossip.

I love the concept that if two soul-mates come together then it will cause a worldwide disaster and that there is a company who tracks them to make sure it doesn’t happen.  I love the twist that finding your soul-mate is not necessarily a good thing as this kind of turns all your romantic notions on their head.

I really cannot recommend this book enough.  As I said at the beginning it will make you laugh, cry and smile and for me it transported me back to being a teenage girl falling in love for the first time and who doesn’t want to relive that?

Reviewed for Emma - http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com

Lockwood & Co by Jonathan Stroud

I wasn’t quite sure of what to make of this book when it hit my doormat.  The front cover says that there is an apparition contained on it and the back cover tells me to download an app so that I can see said apparition.  Is this the way forward for books and their covers?

So I opened it up – the app and the book and have to say that I’m glad I did.  The book did take me awhile to get into it as to be honest, I really didn’t have a clue what was going on.  It wasn’t until you got some of the back history that everything becomes clear and the gripping story evolves.

The story is focussed on Lucy.  She is a Junior Field Operative who can hear rather than see the Visitors.  The Visitors are ghosts who have now become such a problem that there are companies who specialise in finding their source and getting rid of them for you.  Most of the companies are run by adults but it is the children who actually do the work as they can see the Visitors.  Lockwood & Co is different as it is run by Anthony Lockwood who is a child and George who helps out mostly making tea and doing research. Lucy ends up working with them and this is where the story comes to life.  It follows the trio as they chase the Visitors and come across a ghost who nearly kills them but also gets them to solve the mystery of who killed her.

I really enjoyed this book.  I think the way that Jonathan Stroud has written all three main characters shows that he understands the way teenagers think as there is some great humour in it as well as a cracking story full of mystery and ghosts.  Nothing seemed rushed and he let the story tell itself.  I’m not sure if there is going to be another Lockwood & Co book as this book does have a really good ending with nothing left hanging, well not much anyway but I for one will be first in the queue for the next one, apps and all.

Reviewed for Emma - http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

What a lovely book.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I said I would review it but it really was a delight.  I know the illustrations were not all finished in the copy I had but they really made the story come alive and I looked forward to seeing them throughout.

We follow Flora and her incredible tale of life with a superhero squirrel, Ulysses.  Ulysses is made into a superhero by a rampant vacuum cleaner and in a heartbeat (literally) he can understand Flora and wants to be able to communicate with her.  As Flora has read The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Icandesto!, for years she doesn’t bat an eyelid at this turn of events.

Throw in a romantic novelist Mum, a slightly batty Dad, the boy next door who is temporarily blind and Tootie the lady who sucked Ulysses up in the vacuum and you get one hell of a charming novel.

And if that wasn’t enough Ulysses decides that he wants to write poetry and learns how to use a typewritter.

As I said a charming book that is enhanced by the illustrations that really captured my imagination and heart.

Reviewed for Emma at - http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com

Brotherhood of Shades by Dawn Finch

Dawn Finch invites us into a world that sits between life and death in this utterly readable first novel. The world she has created goes back to the Reformation that took place in Tudor times but skips forward to modern day life in a heartbeat.

Adam is a homeless kid living in modern day London until he dies and then meets D’Scover who tells him of the Brotherhood and their constant quest to keep the evil spirits away.  D’Scover is convinced that Adam is the Sentinel who will once and for all banish the forces of darkness and so begins their quest.  Along the way they meet Edie, an actual living breathing person, who can read minds and has been reincarnated for hundreds of years. 

I loved all three main characters and especially Adam’s sense of humour.  It feels at times that the relationship between Adam and D’Scover is one of Father and Son as D’Scover is hundreds of years old although still a child in his original form.  I found it amusing to listen to Adam joking about the world of the dead and could virtually feel D’Scover’s lip curling up in distaste.  I also thought the blossoming relationship that was forming between Adam and Edie as very sweet and had something of a teenage crush feel to it.

Also as a Londoner it really brought the City to life and now I find myself wanting to visit the places that are in the book. I really appreciated the facts at the end that tell you where to find some of the places and objects so you can go on a little treasure hunt yourself.

For a first novel I thought it was a really great read and I do hope there is going to be a sequel as I would love to meet up with Adam, D’Scover and Edie again and find out what becomes of them.

Another thankyou to Emma for the book -  http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/

The Secret Kingdom Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo

Wow Jenny Nimmo knows how to tell a cracking story.  The Secret Kingdom books are my first taste of her novels and I have to say won’t be the last.  The trilogy follows Timoken, a young boy who is enchanted by a magical moon spider web cloak when he is born and leaves him with one foot in this world and one in the realm of enchantments.  When he is just eleven tragedy strikes and his parents are killed by evil viridees who are after the cloak and to survive Timoken and his sister Zobayda have to leave the castle. It is only when his Mother advises him to fly from the Castle that Timoken learns of his magical powers.

The first book then follows their journey as they try to find another home where they can live as a family.  Along the way they have some fantastic adventures and meet Gabar, a talking camel who helps them and then becomes part of the family. Timoken can speak to all animals so the reader finds out what Gabar is saying and this brings some very humorous passages within the book.  It is within this first book that he learns of most of his magic and how both the elements and animals will help him in times of trouble.

The second book – The Stones of Ravenglass follows Timoken and his ever growing family to medieval Britain where he desperately wants to find his own Kingdom so that he can find a place of his own. Unfortunately he meets Osbern D’Ark and the Damzel of Decay who both want to harm him.  He does meet some new friends along the way though, a magician called Eri and his dragon Enid.  Can I just say that I loved the relationship between Gabar and Enid with Enid being the flirt and Gabar trying not to fall for her charms.

The last book – Leopards’ Gold jumps ahead to a place where Timoken has his family and Kingdom but all is not well within the magical walls.  So follows a plot to overthrow the King and create disharmony between his children.  In this book we are told the story by Petrello, one of Timoken’s younger children, who has not yet learnt of what his magical talent might be.  I think that out of all the books this is the weakest as we are not hearing Timoken’s voice and so feels a little disjointed compared to the other two.

These are truly magical books that explore the love of family, loss and the need to truly belong somewhere.  The books are extremely descriptive and it feels as though you are in the plains of Africa or the deep dark forests of Britain.  Jenny Nimmo creates such great characters throughout all the books that by the end you feel as though they are friends and you are deeply committed to find out what is going to happen to them all. 

All in all a great trilogy that I think would make any young readers want to dip into Jenny Nimmo’s world again.

Once again thanks to the lovely Emma for the books - http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/

The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling

 



This is a thrilling mystery set in Victorian London that follows Remy, a high wire circus act, who is also a very clever thief.  We follow her as she attempts to steal the Darya-ye Noor diamond from the Tower of London but is thwarted by a clever adversary, Lord Abernathy.

I have to say that I really loved this story.  I really warned to Remy who I found to be a very reluctant heroine.  The way her tale entwines with Thaddeus Rec is extremely entertaining and utterly convincing.  Thaddeus Rec is a young policeman who when not trying to save Remy is trying to arrest her.  They are both orphans and it is really interesting to see how their paths have differed, Remy being a thief and Thaddeus a policeman who was once living destitute on the streets of London.  They are both catapulted into the underworld of the London sewers and underground rivers.  That part of the story was really interesting as I never knew how many rivers there were under London.

There are other characters that play a huge part in this Indian Jones style story.  My favourites being J and the Professor.  J had all the charm you would expect of a Victorian cockney lad who lives on the streets and he reminded me of a character from Oliver Twist.  The Professor is like a mad scientist with all his futuristic inventions including night vision glasses. In my head he was “Doc” from Back to the Future!

All in all this is a truly entertaining book that captured both my heart and imagination and I for one cannot wait to read more books by Sharon Gosling.

 

Many thanks once again to the lovely Emma for the book - http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/

Goblin Sectrets by William Alexander

This book confused me! For starters I am not sure what time period it is set in.  Not that it always matters but I kind of like having some sort of reference.  It feels as though it is set in older days but there are mentions of trains and complicated clockwork characters so I am still not sure. 

The story revolves around Rownie who is searching for his brother.  He ends up with a group of Goblins who are also looking for Rowan.  The Goblins are a group of actors although acting has been outlawed by the Mayor.  This is another part of the book that did not make much sense.  You are never really told why it has been outlawed and I think if we had the book may have made more sense.  The Goblins also have masks that they wear whilst performing and I would have loved to know more about them, the history of why those particular masks and their meanings.

There also doesn’t seem to be enough back story to tell you why there are clockwork people and animals and how they came about.  You don’t really know who is clockwork and who isn’t and again a bit more about that would not have gone a miss.

The book is only 220 pages long and I think this is its downfall.  If the author had written a longer book that could give you some of the back stories then I would have enjoyed it a lot more.  Maybe it is this short as it is targeted for the 8-12 age range but I think they could have coped with something a bit more in depth.

Thanks again goes to Emma for the  book - http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

"The circus arrives without warning.  It is simply there, when yesterday it was not."

The Night Circus is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.  Erin Morgenstern writes in such a bewitching way that you are soon captivated hook line and sinker.  This is a story about a circus that appears without warning and only opens as the sun sets and closes when it begins to rise again.  It treats the visitors to every magical aspect of a circus but is it real or just an illusion?

The story is set in the late 1800's and we follow numerous characters throughout the book.  The main two are Celia and Marco.  When Celia is six she is entered into a complex competition by her Father, Prospero the Enchanter, and from then on she is bound by the rules even though she does not always understand them.  Her Father then goes on to teach her his illusions and at times takes her lessons a bit too far.  Marco, her opponent, we first find in an Orphanage and he is discovered by his teacher Alexander.  Marco is taught with books and learning and is often left by himself to work things out.

The circus is designed as their arena and this is where the real magic is woven.  They try to out do each other with different tents filled with amazing things.  My personal favourites are the Garden of Ice and Widget's tent filled with all different bottles.  This is where the book is exceptional.  Erin's way of writing brings all the various tents to life and really makes you want to believe it is real.  She concocts not just visual treats but also those of smell and taste. You may well get hunger pangs reading it! 

I loved this book and would highly recommend it to everyone as we all need a bit of escapism now and again.



Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

 

 

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This is a compelling crime novel that I just could not put down.  The first part tells Nick's side from the first day of Amy's disappearance and Amy's by way of a diary that she has been writing for the past seven years.  It is really interesting how you form impressions quickly just because the Author wants to take you down a certain route.  I don't want to give anything away as the plot has more twists and turns than a roller-coaster but suffice it to say that first impressions are not all they seem.

 

I love the way that the whole book is told by just these two voices and the fact that you don't really see the twists and turns coming. It is full of suspense and really good writing and I am really sorry this isn't a longer review but you can't really say too much without giving the plot away.

 

I would highly recommend this as I finished it within 2 days!!!





Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell

 

 

Azincourt, fought on October 25th 1415, St Crispin's Day, is one of England’s best-known battles, in part through the brilliant depiction of it in Shakespeare's Henry V, in part because it was a brilliant and unexpected English victory and in part because it was the first battle won by the use of the longbow - a weapon developed by the English which enabled them to dominate the European battlefields for the rest of the century.

The book centres around Nick Hook who is an expert with the longbow.  It follows his journey from Southern England to across the Channel and one of the most famous battles in history.  Nick is not the most likeable character when we first meet him but he does grow on you and you will him to survive all his battles.

I have to say that the battle scenes are very graphic and sometimes you did need to take a breath but Bernard Cornwell has the amazing ability to make you feel like you are there amongst the soldiers.  You literally fight each step alongside Nick and the men and see each gruesome death but I think this is what makes it such an interesting read.

I do love an historical novel but this is the first one by Bernard Cornwell that I have read and I must say that I don't know why I have waited for so long.  It may be graphic but the story also captures your heart and imagination.  I love the story between Nick and Melisande as this shows a different side to the soldier we come to know in Nick but it also shows just how brutal a place a battlefield can be for a women.

As I said this is my first Bernard Cornwell novel but it won't be my last.





By Any Other Name by Laura Jarratt

“New girl, new school, new home, new life – everything about Holly is new. That's the point of witness protection; nobody knows the truth. But one wrong move will put her whole family in danger..."

 

This is a great premise for a book and I somewhat naively thought it was going to be set in the States as you don't really hear much about witness protection over here but how wrong I was. It is set in a typical English village along with very typical English attitudes to strangers. Holly and her family move into a house she doesn't like and she has to start a school that she knows she won't like. It won't be the same as her old life where she had cool friends and a cool boyfriend.

Holly is a very complex character as she tries to battle her past identity, Louise, with her new one. She tries to think how Holly would act instead of being herself and she falls in with the kind of crowd she wouldn't have looked at twice in her past life. I love the way Laura Jarratt keeps the suspense of what happened to Laura throughout the book, just drip feeding us when she has a nightmare or something reminds her of what happened. I enjoyed reading it this way round as it made you want to see what happened to Louise and you don't really find out the whole story until right near the end.

This book makes you think how you would react if you were in witness protection. You are cut off from everyone you know and love and most of the time you cannot even say goodbye. Imagine not being able to have a facebook or twitter account and not being able to look at your old ones as someone may be watching you trying to find out where you are. Imagine being a teenager going through this and you get exactly what Holly goes through. This book is really well written and the characters are easy to like so much so that you race to the end to find out what happens. I won't give anything away as the journey on getting to the end has to be savoured and not rushed.

 

Many thanks to the wonderful Emma for the book - http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/

The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann

“The boy turned back to the lady. She clasped him close. There was a burst of darkness, a storm of black wings flapping. It exploded up around them, screaming towards the sky. Then they were gone...”

This is Stefan Bachmann's debut novel and in most parts it is an enjoyable read. It follows the story of Bartholomew Kettle, a peculiar living in Old Bath. A Peculiar is half human and half faery and despised by all so Bartholomew is always in hiding along with his sister Hettie. He craves a friend and when he tries to summon a faery servant he sees a strange lady taking away the boy from across the road and wonders where he has gone and if he could go too.

For the most part I enjoyed this book but felt like it took far too long to get going. It wasn't until the end of the book that I realised that there would be a sequel and I think that it distracted from the actual novel as it felt a bit like the warm up for the main event. Don't get me wrong the book is well written and easy to read and I really like the character Mr Jelliby who turns into an unlikely hero but it felt like there was something missing. Maybe this is a ploy to get you to read the next one as it does end on a cliffhanger!

If you are looking for a book that you know will have to continue in maybe one or two more books then this is for you. I have to confess that I may well pick up the next one just to see what happens.

Many thanks to Emma for the loan of the book - http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/

Henry VIII's Wives - History in an hour

 

 

 

 

As I seem to have a bit of a thing about Henry VIII it seemed like this 99p Kindle book would be a great quick read and I was right.  It easily goes through each wife in turn saying when they met Henry and what happened to them once they married him. It also included photos of the characters we met along the way.

 

This is a perfect book for anybody studying the Tudors and can't remember the song, "divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived!"   It is also a good starting block for those who are a little put of by historical novels as this is a read that only takes an hour but will wet the appetite for more.

 

A good read and only 99p - bargain!

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

"When Harold Fry leaves home one morning to post a letter, with his wife hovering upstairs, he has no idea that he is about to walk from one end of the country to the other.  He has no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass, waterproof or mobile phone.  All he knows is that he must keep on walking.  To save someone else's life."

I must have a thing about older men at the moment as the last two books I have read are all about older men who go off on an adventure!  Rachel Joyce really captures the imagination and as soon as I started this book I could not put it down.  Harold Fry is an unlikely hero as he is just a quiet unassuming man who is newly retired and trying to find things to do with his day.  As soon as he receives a letter from Queenie, an old friend who is dying of cancer, he writes back and intends to take it to the nearest letterbox but he carries on walking to the next one and then the one after that until soon he is out of his village and heading North.  The journey he then embarks on is not just a physical one but also mental as the more he walks the more his memories come back to haunt him.
The relationship between Harold and his wife Maureen is very complicated for reasons that become clear as the book evolves.  She doesn't understand why he is walking and he finds it difficult to explain it to her.  I grew very fond of Maureen as the book develops although at the start I couldn't warm to her as she seemed such a cold character and one I couldn't see with Harold but their story soon becomes clear and I found her funny and heart warming.
As for Harold he is just such a character that you instantly fall for him.  You will him to carry on walking even when he finds it so tough all he wants to do is go home.  Some of the people he meets along the way are kind to him but I have to say that it all got a bit much for me when the Pilgrims started walking with him and took over what was, for Harold a walk of need and not so much a desire to be famous.  A nod to our society maybe?
All I can say is rush out and get this book and enjoy your walk with Harold, enjoy the stunning countryside that England has to offer and most of all enjoy a stonking good read.

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

 



"It all starts on the one-hundredth birthday of Allan Karlsson. Sitting quietly in his room in an old people's home, he is waiting for the party he-never-wanted-anyway to begin. The mayor is going to be there. The press is going to be there. But, as it turns out, Allan is not...Slowly but surely Allan climbs out of his bedroom window, into the flowerbed (in his slippers) and makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals, several murders, a suitcase full of cash, and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold, we learn something of Allan's earlier life in which - remarkably - he helped to make the atom bomb, became friends with American presidents, Russian tyrants, and Chinese leaders, and was a participant behind the scenes in many key events of the twentieth century. "

Can I just say what an absolute joy this book is to read? Giggling throughout the epic tale of Allan Karlsson's life pre and post his 100th birthday, this book charmed the pants off me.  The modern story follows Allan as he does a bunk hours before his 100th birthday party and follows him to the bus station and the one decision that will change the path of his life forever.  He takes a suitcase that isn't his and so follows a classic caper of bungling cops, mean baddies and some fascinating friends he makes along the way, oh and not forgetting the elephant!!  I did say it was funny.
The flash backs take us back throughout his life and the people he tends to meet.  From Presidents of the USA to Winston Churchill to Stalin we follow how someone so non political as Allan seems to change the history of the world without even trying. The story of him meeting Stalin is a particular favourite and found me giggling out loud on trains!
Jonas Jonasson really is a gifted story teller and I will be shouting about this book for a long, long time.



The Somnambulist by Essie Fox

"When seventeen-year-old Phoebe Turner visits Wilton's Music Hall to watch her Aunt Cissy performing on stage, she risks the wrath of her mother Maud who marches with the Hallelujah Army, campaigning for all London theatres to close. While there, Phoebe is drawn to a stranger, the enigmatic Nathaniel Samuels, who heralds dramatic changes in the lives of all three women.

When offered the position of companion to Nathaniel's reclusive wife, Phoebe leaves her life in London's East End for Dinwood Court in Herefordshire - a house that may well be haunted and which holds the darkest of truths..."

Essie Fox offers the reader a glimpse of gothic Victorian London in this gripping novel.  She paints a picture of gritty urban streets to the luxury of a sprawling estate in Hertfordshire as we glimpse into the life of Phoebe Turner.  Essie Fox is very passionate and knowledgeable about this era and that certainly shows in the details that she writes as it transports you back with all the sights, smells and tastes.
I did think that this would be more gothic then it is and maybe follow some of the sinister characters that were around at the time but as it was I worked out the plot twists way before they happened.  Although she does delve a little into an incestuous relationship that is as dark as it gets really and I for one could have done with a more sinister plot line.
Saying that I did enjoy the book and would look out for any others written by Essie Fox.  All in all a good book club book as there are loads of discussion topics.

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

 

When Arn Chorn Pond was eleven, the Khmer Rouge, a radical Communist regime, came to power in Cambodia, herding the entire population to work camps in the countryside.  Families were separated, and everyone, including children, was forced to work long gruelling hours digging ditches and growing rice.  Tens of thousands of people died from starvation, overwork and sickness.  Many more were tortured, forced to swear they were traitors, then killed and buried in  mass graves that have come to be called the Killing Fields.  Nearly two million people died – one in every four people.  It is the worst genocide ever inflicted by a country on its own people.”

I have to say that I do not know a lot about Cambodia and the war that went on there so was fully engrossed from page one.  The book is written as Arn and takes on his speech patterns and language which did take me awhile to get used to but once I did it was like he was speaking to you through the pages and you went on his journey with him.  And what a journey it was.  Sometimes it was brutal and was very hard to read especially when it focused on the children and how they were tortured. I enjoyed, if that is the right word, the relationships he formed with people he met especially his music teacher and one of the Khmer Rouge soldiers who, in their own way help him to survive and show that even in the toughest surroundings you can form relationships.

 It is hard to get your head around the fact that this is a true story and quite remarkable that Arn and others like him actually managed to stay alive.  It was a draining read but one I would highly recommend especially for those who are learning this period of history in school.

 

Once again many thanks to Emma for the loan of the book:

http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/

 



Black Heart Blue by Louise Reid

“Hepzibah and Rebecca are twins.  One beautiful, one disfigured.  Trapped with their loveless parents, they dream of a normal life.  But when one twin tragically dies the other must find a way to escape.  Because if she doesn't then she'll end up like her sister.”

 

Blue Heart Black is a dark menacing book telling the story of twin girls, Rebecca and Heph.  Heph is the beautiful one whereas Rebecca is disfigured due to her suffering from Treacher Collins Syndrome.  They live in a very small village with their Mother and Father, who is a vicar.  From the start we know that one of the twins has died and the story is told by both sisters before and after this event, Heph before and Rebecca after. In this way we get to find out more about each sister and their painful upbringing with a, frankly, sinister Father.  This is a tense tale of abuse and religious fervour and not for the feint hearted but if you can stomach it Louise Reid writes the two sisters so well that you are gripped from the outset and as emotional as the book becomes you want to see it though if only to find out what happens next. The girls have such a deep love that connects them that this is where you find the light passages of the book and so have a mini break from the darkness that surrounds them.  The book has moments where you want to cry and then shout out in anger at their situation.

 

Please do not get me wrong, this is an enthralling read and I highly recommend it and will now look out for other books by Louise Reid.

 

Many thanks for Emma at Book Angels for the loan of the book:

http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

“An elderly artist and her six-year old grand-daughter, while away a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland.  Gradually, the two learn to adjust to each other’s fears, whims and yearnings on independence, and a fierce yet understated love emerges – one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the island itself, with its mossy rocks, windswept firs and unpredictable seas.”

 

This is the first book I have read by Tove Jansson but I know her from writing the Moomins so I was excited to see what sort of grown up book she would write and I was not disappointed.  She writes with such vivid prose that you are instantly transported to the little island where she had similar experiences with her family.  The story is all about the bond between grandmother and Sophia, sometimes they love each other, sometimes they can’t stand each other but more often than not there is always humour at the core of their relationship.  This is not a long book but Tove Jansson manages to delve into such varied subjects from death and questions about heaven to how an angleworm feels when he is split in half!  I have to say that this is one of the best books I have read this year.  It is really easy to read and I love a book where you find yourself smiling as you read it.  Go on I urge you pick up a copy today.



A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir

“A Dangerous Inheritance tells the dramatic story of two heroines, separated by time, but intriguingly linked by history’s most famous murder mystery.”

 

It seems like fate that I finished this book on the day that they verified Richard III’s bones were found in a car park in Leicester as this book tells the story of the Princes’ in the Tower but takes a different look at it through the eyes of two girls.  The girls are Katherine Grey and Katherine Plantagenet separated by a nearly one hundred years but sharing a common bond by trying to solve the mystery of what happened to those boys in the tower.

Katherine Grey is the Sister of Lady Jane, the Queen who reigned for just 9 days and her story follows what happens to both Jane and Katherine as their parents stop at nothing to get them the Crown of England.  We know what happens to Jane but I hadn’t read much about Katherine so it was really interesting to see the story from her eyes.  From her early marriage to Harry whom she falls head over heels in love with to her incarceration in the Tower by Queen Elizabeth I the book shows her spirit and also her determination not to turn out like her Sister.  Katherine wants the Crown at the start but realises after all that it is love she craves.

Katherine Plantagenet is someone I had never heard of.  She was King Richard III’s illegitimate daughter who wants to believe that her Father is not the demon that he is portrayed.  She remembers the kind hearted Father who she lived with in Middleham who she could tell anything to and she does all in her power to carry on with that belief.  When the rumours start about her Father having the two Princes’ put to death she tries her hardest to find some evidence to the contrary and that is where the mystery starts.

I really do enjoy books by Alison Weir as you don’t realise how much history you are learning whilst you read.  She is such an imaginative story teller that you get carried away in the era that she is writing about and all too soon the 500 hundred pages have flown by.  I was intrigued to see how she would write the events with Richard III as there is a lot of hearsay about this King but I found it all believable and really wanted Katherine to find out something that would exonerate her Father.  Of course she doesn’t as after all this is a book about history.

If you haven’t picked up anything by Alison Weir I would highly recommend any of her books, just jump in and let the history wash over you. 

Into that Forest by Louis Nowra

“We were lost, and the only thing that could help us were the tiger.  The more I looked at its black eyes, the more I seen kindness, and I knew it were saying, Come, I’ll take you home.”

 

This is a truly remarkable novel that had me spellbound from the first page.  It weaves the story of Hannah and Rebecca who are stranded in the wilds of Tasmania after being washed ashore following a storm that kills Hannah’s Mother and Father.  As they are only six and seven and a half they have no way of knowing how to get home and so appear two tigers who Hannah believes will lead them home.  Only the home they take them to is the tigers and not the girls.  And so we follow them for four years, living with and becoming tigers themselves.

 

You read the book as Hannah, the younger of the girls and it is written as she now speaks as her English is not so good.  I thought Hannah was a great character and she really came alive on the page.  The narrative really made you feel as though you were in the jungle living as a tiger and going through all the necessary transitions they went through.   The way she describes her first hunt and kill are gripping to read.  Her friendship with Becky is the basis of the book as this is something that will link them together forever.  I did feel, however, that Becky wasn’t a full a character as Hannah but maybe this is because it is not told from her perspective.  I just didn’t seem to warm to her as I did Hannah. 

This book made me realise that whatever nurtures you in younger life you take with you your whole life and for Hannah that was the love and guidance of two tigers that formed her character and gave her abilities she would never have found if she had lived a “normal” life with her Mother and Father.  This is a book I will take with me through my life as it truly was wonderful.

 I want to thank Emma once again for the lovely book.

http://www.bookangelbooktopia.com/

My 100 Books

Here is the list of books I have read this year:

1.  Savage by Alex Morel.
2.  Into that Forest by Louis Nowra.
3.  The Girl who Fell Beneath Fairyland and led the revels there by Catherynne Valente.
4.  North of Nowhere by Liz Kessler
5.  A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir
6.  The Summer Book by Tove Jansson.
7. The Somnambulist by Essie Fox.
8.  The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.
9.  The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.
10.  The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann.
11.  Henry VIII's wives - History in an hour by Julie Wheeler.
12.  By Any Other Name by Laura Jarrett.
13.  You had me at hello - by Mahairi McFarlane.
14.  Azincourt - Bernard Cornwell.
15.  Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn.
16. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
17.  Sentence of Marriage (Promises to Keep) by Shayne Parkinson.
18.  The SoulKeepers by GP Ching.
19.  Mud and Gold (Promises to Keep) by Shayne Parkinson.
20. Settling the Account (Promises to Keep) by Shayne Parkinson.
21. A Second Chance (Promises to Keep) by Shayne Parkinson.
22.  The Dying Game by Beverley Barton.
23.  Weaving the Destiny by GP Ching.
24.  Return to Eden by GP Ching.
25.  Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher.
26. WolfHall by Hilary Mantel.
27.  Lockwood & Co by Jonathan Stroud.
28.  Goblin Secrets by William Alexander.
29.  The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling.
30.  The Secret Kingdom by Jenny Nimmo
31.  The Stones of Ravenglass by Jenny Nimmo
32.  Leopards' Gold by Jenny Nimmo
33. Soulmates by Holly Bourne
34.  Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
35.  Brotherhood of Shades by Dawn Finch
36.  The Humans by Matt Haig
37.  Soul Catcher by GP Ching
38.  The Seven Stars by Simon Leighton-Porter
39.  The Universe versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence

100 books for 2013

 

 

Well I thought this would give me a kick up the backside to actually read and blog about the books I read this year.  The challenge is to read 100 books in 2013 - let's see how many I can do :)



http://www.bookchickcity.com/2012/12/details-sign-up-bccs-100-books-in-a-year-reading-challenge-2013.html/100books