Review: The Humans

The Humans by Matt Haig

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Ummm... although I enjoyed "The Humans", I can't get evangelical about it like some readers have. I didn't find it life-changing, just ("just"!) witty, touching and amusing- which is more than enough for a bedtime read. I liked the observations about humanity, and the dog- obviously- and some of the situations were laugh-out-loud funny as "Andrew" navigated his way through social norms and expectations. Good, sweet fun.



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Review: Corpsing

Corpsing by Toby Litt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Clever, in a Clever kind of way. I was hooked from the start, lost my way for a while (Josephine... yuk, yuk and triple yuk) and ended a bit confused. The neat ending didn't work for me and left more questions than it answered. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the pace and intrigue as Conrad tried to figure out who was behind the murder of his girlfriend and the attempted murder of himself. This might appeal more to fans of noir (or graphic descriptions of the effect of a bullet ripping through flesh), but it isn't one I'd read again.



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Review: The Girls

The Girls by Lori Lansens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, a joint "autobiography" by craniopagus twins, but what I got was a sweet and poignant story of sisterly love. It was easy to read Rose and Ruby as distinct characters, with separate hopes, dreams and desires and, although it is made clear early on that the girls are nearing the end of their lives, their story was not depressing. Rather, I found myself admiring them, laughing with them, and hoping they would manage to finish their book (I slowed down reading as I realised I was near the end, to give them time to do it- lol). This won't be for everyone, but it was an easy read that still managed to be uplifting and thought-provoking.



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Book Reviews and Recommendations: 5 Picks for Fantastic Phil

 

Tea, cake and a good book- bliss!

I love stories, whether in book or film form and, when one really moves me, I have a hard time keeping quiet about it. I can get positively evangelical at times... (by the way, have I recommended "Confessions" to you yet?)

 

So, imagine how thrilled I was when Fantastic Phil (you may remember him for his contribution to Rock God) asked my opinion on whether he should read Gone Girl, (yes, obviously) and how chuffed I was that he enjoyed it.

He's asked me again for my recommendations and, after perusing my bookshelves, this is what I've come up with:

Getting My Groove Back...

Well, hellooooo there! It's been a while, for which I make no apologies (other than to those who were worried about where I'd gone- sorry about that). I was having a little restorative me-time and catching up on anything that wasn't writing.

Available for Kindle or in paperback from Amazon

You see, having published my novel, The Hungry-Man, in April, I found that (once again) I ran out of words for a little while. Seriously. I'm starting to see a pattern of post-book blues, a strange exhaustion or creative death that means once a book is out, I need to rest my writing brain for a while before I can begin again. I suppose it's a bit like how introverts wear themselves out being extroverted and social, and need to retreat to their hermit caves in order to recharge before they can do it again. So that meant no writing, no blogging and very little in the way of words whatsoever.

Except reading, of course. Not reading would be like not breathing, as in I start to go purple and make odd noises after a while.

Strange Ideas: The Thursday Throng

Squeeee! I've been interviewed by the lovely Linda Parkinson-Hardman and am now an honoured member of her Thursday Throng!

 

You can read the interview (and discover something I've been keeping a secret) here. Please leave a comment to show your support of this wonderful lady and what she does to support authors.

 

Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions is available from Bookmark, Spalding and Amazon.

Review: Blog of the Dead- Sophie

Blog of the Dead- Sophie by Lisa Richardson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Wow! I've only just got my breath back! Superb page-turner that kept me up late and had me planning my own zombie-apocalypse plan. The blog idea was a novel twist on a diary format and the first-person perspective and no-nonsense description (no time for ruminating on the beauty of the Autumn leaves turning when you're out-running zombies) kept me right in the thick of the action. Will definitely reread- once I've built up my nerve...



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Strange Ideas: 4 stars from LilyElement

 

Many thanks to LilyElement Book Reviews for a lovely, thorough and thoroughly lovely four-star review of Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions.

 

You can read her review here.

Review: Two Penny Blue

Two Penny Blue by L.K. Jay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A gorgeous little gem!

Well-written and well-paced, tight and sound. I got into this really quickly and, although I suspected how the situation would be resolved, I didn't get it exactly right- which was actually a pleasant surprise! The characters are fleshed out nicely with enough detail to make them believable without an "info-dump" to bog the story down. I was aware, as I was reading, that I was emotionally invested in Penny and Florence's happy ending, and whizzed through the ending chapters to make sure they got there safely. 'Phew!'

A lovely quick read (I finished in a couple of hours) to enjoy and be engrossed in while your cup of tea goes cold.



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Review: Spooked

Spooked by Tracy Sharp

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I downloaded this on a whim, as the idea seemed interesting, and I'm glad I did as I enjoyed reading the story.

The opening was intriguing and had me asking lots of questions, most of which were resolved by the end of the book. I wonder if my questions about her parents, for example, will be answered in future books? The characters were developed well enough for me to be able to imagine them and Lorelei's gift is original- this is not a Twilight copy-cat. Although she is bewildered, Lorelei is not the kind of girl who lets people fight over her (although she does accept help). I'm interested in what happens next and how she develops her gift- like some other reviewers, I felt that some assumptions were made and some loose ends left, but this may be deliberate.

An enjoyable read that I whipped through quite happily.



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Strange Ideas: 4 stars from Stefani

Thanks to Stefani at Stefani's World of Words for a detailed four star review of Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions.

 

You can read the review here.

Strange Ideas: 4 stars from Scatty

Many thanks to Scatty at thebignerdofthree.wordpress.com for a lovely review of Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions.

 

You can read the review here. 

Review: Unlikely

Unlikely by Frances Pauli

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I really enjoyed reading this! The characters and locations were easy to imagine due to the detailed but not onerous description, and I loved Satina's quick wit and her banter with Marten. Lots of fun!



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Review: The Little Camera

The Little Camera by L.K. Jay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book caught my attention straight away- initially because I wanted to throttle Ryan, who is everything the middle-aged fear teenagers to be i.e disassociated, disenchanted and disrespectful. Given a community service order for yet another petty theft, young Ryan is forced to spend time with Mr Jedras, a Polish Jew with a tale to share. His story is a worthy of a book all to itself, and I stayed up way too late to find out how he made it to England. Meanwhile Ryan is getting deeper and deeper into trouble with his gang, led by the despicable Jamal. I had a feeling L.K. Jay had something up her sleeve for Ryan and (no spoilers) I'm glad I was right. My only (small) gripe is that Ryan's language seemed a bit formal for one so young and street-wise. Although this book pulls no punches in showing the evil of the past (Nazi invasion) and present (gang culture), it leaves a positive message for the future, and I even warmed to Ryan enough to wish him well as I finished reading. A suitably serious tone, considering the subject matter, and very different to The Ghosthunters Club, but equally as enjoyable.



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Review: The Ghost Hunters Return

The Ghost Hunters Return by L.K. Jay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Absolutely loved this! The girls were as fab as ever, and I chortled my little socks off (in between the scary bits). Lots of fun!



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Friday Five: Five Incredible Indies

Evening all!

 

As I gear up to finishing the final drafts of Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions, it increasingly feels like... working... And you all know by now what I do whenever I have a deadline looming- that's right! I procrastinate!

 

Top of my list for pleasurable procrastination is reading, obviously, and so I thought I'd share with you five indie authors whose books I've been enjoying recently. I recommended you give them a try; all are available as eBooks (free apps allow you to read them on your phone or PC, so don't worry if you don't have a kindle) and some are also available as paperbacks too.

 

Have fun xxx