Book Reviews

Book Review: The Christmas Project by Maxine Morrey

~ ChapterAndCake ~ 3 Comments

Book number 2 in my Goodreads Reading Challenge is The Christmas Project by Maxine Morrey.  Despite Christmas having been and gone, I was not quite ready to let go of the festive cheer so I started working my way through a collection of festive novels I had saved up for Christmas and then had no time to read. I should also warn you all that I have been loving a good fluffy romance, so expect a few reviews in the coming days and weeks.

‘Professional organiser Kate Stone has never – NEVER – been tempted to hit a client over the head with a snow shovel, but Michael O’Farrell is the most obnoxious – and heart-stoppingly gorgeous – man she has ever met. If he weren’t her best friend’s brother, she would not have waited on his doorstep in the freezing cold for five minutes, let alone an hour.

Kate knows, however, that her job isn’t just about tidying up, sometimes she needs to be part therapist too, and Michael clearly needs her help to declutter his heart as well as his home.

But with the festive season just around the corner there isn’t much time to get Michael’s house ready for the O’Farrell family celebrations, but everyone knows that at Christmas anything can happen…’ (Thanks Amazon!)

There are no surprises in this novel, but that is not what I was looking for when I picked up this book.  In fact this novel completely ticked all the boxes for me; it has an organised, albeit slightly neurotic Kat who is expecting to spend Christmas alone (despite having an ‘amazing’ boyfriend who is always too busy to see her); it has the heartbroken but devastatingly handsome Michael, who needs his life and heart pieced back together; it has the very loving O’Farrell’s, the family Kat has never had; and it has the meddling but good-hearted best friend (and sister of said devastatingly handsome Michael), Janey.  So all the pieces are there for a lovely, feel-good Christmas novel.  All I had to do was kick back and watch Kat and Michael fall in love, despite their differences.  An added bonus was that Kat and Michael spent their time re-organising Michael’s beautiful home – I have a thing for home interiors!

I appreciate that it is now February (I did read this in early January), however I think we can all do with a little love and festive cheer at any time of the year.  So get reading!

Rating: 📖 📖 📖 📗

Book Review: Hunger by Michael Grant

~ ChapterAndCake ~ Leave a comment

So my 2016 Goodreads Reading Challenge was pretty unsuccessful – I binge read and then loose my mojo.  Sometimes that’s because of a book, other times real life gets in the way.  However I am not one to give up, and so I am attempting it again in 2017.  50 books…let’s go!

Book number 1 in my Goodreads Reading Challenge is Hunger, the second book in the Gone series by Michael Grant.

‘Food supplies are dwindling and Sam Temple is facing mutiny from the kids in Perdido Beach. Driven into town by hunger, Caine and his psychotic sidekick are spreading fear and violence.

And deep in the ground, the biggest danger of all is getting hungry.’ (Thanks go to Amazon)

So firstly I would say that Hungry is darker than book one in the series, Gone (if it can get any darker than the disappearance of anyone aged 15 and over).  Children dealing with starvation, hunger and many other issues that children would not and should not be expected to deal with.  All issues that are faced by the children in the Fayz are further compounded by the fact that more and more children are discovering they have powers, splitting this young community in two as those without these powers grow ever more fearful of their peers.

There are some powerful messages and lessons within this book – it deals with life and death, power and fear, uncertainty and outright violence.  Despite being a YA book, I have to say I was gripped.  I do love a dystopian novel, and this one doesn’t disappoint.  You will need to read the first book Gone as it gives the background and context to this continuing story, but please do that.  I will certainly be reading my way through this series.  The characterisation is strong as you follow the characters on both side of the conflict, and Drake’s increasingly psychotic behaviour is, quite frankly, a little scary.  I’m hopeful that the next book in the series, Lies, continues to live up to it’s predecessors.

Rating: 📖 📖 📖 📗

Book Review: My Everything by Katie Marsh

~ ChapterAndCake ~ Leave a comment

Book number 30 in my Goodreads reading challenge is My Everything by Katie Marsh.

‘On the day Hannah is finally going to tell her husband she’s leaving him, he has a stroke . . . and life changes in an instant.
Tom’s only 32. Now he can’t walk or cut up his own food, let alone use his phone or take her in his arms. And Hannah’s trapped. She knows she has to care for her husband, the very same man she was ready to walk away from.
But with the time and fresh perspective he’s been given, Tom re-evaluates his life, and becomes determined to save his marriage. Can he once again become the man his wife fell in love with, or has he left it too late?’ (Thanks Amazon)

What an interesting (and much discussed) concept.  To have made a decision following months of heartache, pain and soul-searching just to have that decision taken away from you must be heart-wrenching.  A decision that had the potential to change your life for the better, only to have it removed by fate. What would you do?

I think that Katie Marsh deals with this subject in a manner that will make you want to cry for Hannah, applaud her and cheer for her.  My Everything describes a life changing event that affects both Tom and Hannah, eventually making their life priorities far clearer than either had anticipated.

I think the subject of this novel is fascinating, and  it really makes you consider your own actions in such a scenario.  Hannah’s actions throughout the novel are applaudable, but the flashbacks also help show why Tom had put them in the position that they found themselves in.  The novel highlights the need to find a healthy work/life balance, and the need for communication in any relationship.

This novel is both tragic and heartwarming as a couple seek to ‘fix’ their damaged relationship in the face of adversity.  This is a thought-provoking example of good chick lit – there are no surprises however I urge you to read it if only to prompt you to ask yourself the questions: Would you be strong enough to leave?  Would you be strong enough to stay?

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5

 

Reader’s Block – is it a thing?

~ ChapterAndCake ~ Leave a comment

So it’s been a while since my last blog, and that is because I have had a serious case of ‘reader’s block’.  This has not helped my Goodreads Reading challenge at all!  Sadly, the cause of my reader’s block was a book.

So you may have noticed from my previous blogs that I don’t give ‘bad’ reviews.  I think that your views are very subjective, and what one person likes to read another will not.  I also believe that every book is the product of hours, days, weeks, months of work for the author so destroying that work with a bad review just seems mean.  So I choose not to review books that I do not like. However this leads me to the severe case of reader’s block from which I have recently suffered.  Whilst I will not name this book, I can say that it was a Sunday Times’ Bestseller, with a lovely shiny front cover to draw me in.  Unfortunately, despite it’s lovely reviews, famous author and riveting subject it took me three weeks to get half way through the book and I ultimately put it down before reaching the end.

Putting a book down before reaching the end really does upset me. I always endeavour to finish a novel, however in this case it was impossible. It also stopped me reading anything else! I just couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to pick up another novel.  So, after losing weeks of perfectly good reading time I am finally back in the game.  But the memory of that Sunday Times’ Bestseller still resonates with me.

Have you hit a reader’s block thanks to a novel you’ve read?

Book Review: The Silent Hours by Cesca Major

~ ChapterAndCake ~ Leave a comment

So book number 29 in my Goodreads Reading Challenge is The Silent Hours by Cesca Major.

‘An epic, sweeping tale set in wartime France, The Silent Hours follows three people whose lives are bound together, before war tears them apart:

Adeline, a mute who takes refuge in a convent, haunted by memories of her past;

Sebastian, a young Jewish banker whose love for the beautiful Isabelle will change the course of his life dramatically;

Tristin, a nine-year-old boy, whose family moves from Paris to settle in a village that is seemingly untouched by war.

Beautifully wrought, utterly compelling and with a shocking true story at its core, The Silent Hours is an unforgettable portrayal of love and loss.’ (Thanks to Amazon)

I’ve got to be honest – I found this book very difficult to get into.  I would read a chapter and then walk away for a while before picking the novel up again.  Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character.  We have Adeline, Isabelle, Paul, Tristin and Sebastian.  All of these characters are so different, yet inextricably linked. This story is set in France during World War Two, at the time when the Nazi’s were advancing, eventually taking over France.  The novel highlights the growing tensions around the Jews, their mistreatment by their neighbours and friends, and the effects the war has on those who remain in their homes.

Whilst I struggled initially to get into this novel, once I did I could not put it down.  As you are aware by now, I love a historical novel and particularly one set during World War Two.  I highly recommend starting (and sticking with) this novel.  The premise of the novel, which does not become fully clear until the end, is loosely based on a true event during the war in France.  As I was not aware of this particular event in French history, I was not expecting the twists and turns that this novel very subtly takes to reach its conclusion.  It’s not a novel to read if you’re looking for something light – it deals with some heavy and traumatic historical issues. However I cannot recommend it enough.  Cesca Major’s fictional characters bring to life a truly tragic and barbaric event in French history that we should all be aware of to ensure that such things never happen again.  The poignancy of this novel is so compelling; it draws you in as you become embroiled in these characters, feeling their love and their pain as they continue their own journeys through wartime France.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

~ ChapterAndCake ~ Leave a comment

Book number 28 in my Goodreads Reading Challenge (and book number 9 of the summer holiday where it has been confirmed that I was unreasonably unsociable) was We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.

‘We are the Liars.
We are beautiful, privileged and live a life of carefree luxury.
We are cracked and broken.
A story of love and romance.
A tale of tragedy.
Which are lies?
Which is truth?’ (Amazon, thanks)

Firstly, I had no idea what to expect when I started this novel.  I genuinely had no idea what the book was about, and I did not know how it would end.  I don’t want to give too much away, but the novel focuses on Cadence Sinclair Eastman, a member of the wealthy Sinclair family.  Over the course of the novel she talks of her summers on Beechwood Island, her families island where she and her cousins spend the warm days living their privileged lives during their teens.

It is clear that Cadence had a horrible accident, as she tells us of stories from before and after her accident, but does not give much information about the accident itself as she can not remember.  She hopes that returning to Beechwood Island and spending the summer with her cousins and friends will jog her memory so that she can finally come to terms with why she suffers from such terrible migraines.

I am not going to talk about this novel anymore than this.  We Were Liars is a clever, poignant novel that deals with love, privilege and tragedy.  This is a young adult novel, but I would recommend it to anyone to read.  I can’t actually say that I loved it – however it raised a number of issues and was so thought-provoking that I must recommend it.

Rating: 3 and a half out of 5 stars

Book Review: Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

~ ChapterAndCake ~ Leave a comment

Book number 27 of my Goodreads Reading Challenge (and book number 8 of my increasingly unsociable holiday) was Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan.

‘Great friends. Amazing Apartment. An incredible job. Paige has ticked off every box on perfect New York life checklist. Until disaster strikes and instead of shimming further up the career ladder, Paige is packing up her desk.

Her brother’s best friend Jake might be the only person who can help her put her life back together. He also happens to be the boy she spent her teen years pining after, and Paige is determined not repeat her past mistakes. But the more time she spends with Jake, the more Paige realises the one thing that was missing from her world all along: The perfect New York love story…’ (Amazon, you rock)

Sleepless in Manhattan is the first in the From Manhattan with Love trilogy by Sarah Morgan. I have to be honest – I read this entirely based on the Snow Crystal trilogy which I absolutely loved – check out my previous review!

Sarah Morgan knows how to write a good chick lit series – I love that each story in the series is a new story based around a character that features in each of the novels.  It gives you a real insight into these characters, and gives you the opportunity to follow them through the novels.

I enjoyed reading about Paige and her friends as they face an uncertain future and how they are able to grow in the face on adversity.  As with all Sarah Morgan novels, the love story between Paige and Jake is the central focus, and this is a lovely, relatable story.  I can’t say that I preferred Sleepless in Manhattan to the Snow Crystal trilogy (sorry but I loved that!), however I did really enjoy it and I will be reading Sunset in Central Park.

Rating: 3 and a half out of 5 stars

 

Book Review: Breakfast at Darcy’s by Ali McNamara

~ ChapterAndCake ~ 1 Comment

Book number 26 of my Goodreads Reading Challenge (and book number 7 of the summer holiday) was Breakfast at Darcy’s by Ali McNamara.

‘When Darcy McCall loses her beloved Aunt Molly, she doesn’t expect any sort of inheritance – let alone a small island! Located off the west coast of Ireland, Tara hasn’t been lived on for years, but according to Molly’s will, Darcy must stay there for twelve months in order to fully inherit. It’s a big shock. And she’s even more shocked to hear that she needs to persuade a village full of people to settle there, too.

Darcy has to leave behind her independent city life and swap stylish heels for muddy wellies. Between sorting everything from the plumbing to the pub, Darcy meets confident, charming Conor and sensible, stubborn Dermot – but who will make her feel really at home?’ (Thanks Amazon!)

Firstly, I bought this book quite some time ago, and then didn’t re-read the blurb so it was not what I was expecting at all.  This is classic chick lit (something I needed after The Two of Us) except that it’s set on the tiny Irish Island of Tara. In order to inherit from her Aunt Molly, Darcy must give up the city life that she knows and loves to set up a new community on Tara.

I enjoyed the concept of setting up a new community on an island where the total inhabitants equal one (think Ben Fogle in Castaway 2000).  It’s a little different from your usual chick lit.  Darcy however was a little too stereotypical city girl for my liking, and a number of details were often glossed over (her extensive debt for example – where did that go??  I know my credit card bill wouldn’t just disappear because I decided to take a year out!)

This book has all the classic elements of a good chick lit: a story of growth for the heroine; two very different men vying for her attention; a BFF to stand by and support her and a challenge to overcome.

I read this book on the beach, and it was the perfect easy read for that situation.  It wasn’t  a thought provoking novel but that wasn’t what I needed.  This fitted the bill perfectly, and if that is what you’re looking then please read this book!

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Book Review: Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

~ ChapterAndCake ~ Leave a comment

Book number 24 of my Goodreads Reading Challenge (and book number 5 of the summer holiday) was Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.

‘Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone – and serendipity, coupled with sheer curiosity, has landed him a new job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead they simply borrow impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behaviour and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore…’ (Thanks Amazon)

As previously mentioned, I am a fan of books about books, so Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore was an obvious choice.  If you have read and enjoyed Genevieve Cogman’s The Invisible Library series, then this is a book to read.  It contains an intriguing bookstore full of mysterious books, and a secret organisation who are seeking the answer to a centuries old question – how to achieve immortality.  Amidst all of this, modern technology is introduced to ancient traditions by Clay Jannon and his friends as they search to unlock the secrets of The Unbroken Spine, the ancient society that the bookstore owner Mr Penumbra belongs to.

This book is mysterious with a plot that twists and turns.  I enjoyed the mix of the old with the new, although I felt that the journey to the answer by The Unbroken Spine was, perhaps, more important than the answer itself.  The clashing of modern technologies with ancient traditions was touched on but could maybe have been explored a little more, highlighting the impact such technology can have, not just on processes but also on people.

I do recommend this book, particularly to those of you who love books about books like I do.  There is also now a prequel to this book – Ajax Penumbra 1969.  I will be adding that to my To Be Read list.

Rating: 3 and a half out of 5 stars

Book Review: The Year of Taking Chances by Lucy Diamond

~ ChapterAndCake ~ Leave a comment

We’re up to book number 23 of my Goodreads Reading Challenge (and book number 4 of the big holiday read) – The Year of Taking Chances by Lucy Diamond.

‘Because love is always worth the risk . . .

It’s New Year’s Eve, and Gemma and Spencer Bailey are throwing a house party. There’s music, dancing, champagne and all their best friends under one roof. It’s going to be a night to remember.

Also at the party is Caitlin, who has returned to the village to pack up her much-missed mum’s house and to figure out what to do with her life; and Saffron, a PR executive who’s keeping a secret which no amount of spin can change. The three women bond over Gemma’s dodgy cocktails and fortune cookies, and vow to make this year their best one yet.

But as the months unfold, Gemma, Saffron and Caitlin find themselves tested to their limits by shocking new developments. Family, love, work, home – all the things they’ve taken for granted are thrown into disarray. Under pressure, they are each forced to rethink their lives and start over. But dare they take a chance on something new?’ (Blurb taken from Amazon – thanks!)

Gemma, Saffron and Caitlin meet by chance on New Years Eve, each with their own hidden problems, but feeling hopeful for the year ahead.  This novel is told from each of their points of view, as we learn more about the secret demons they face whilst forging a budding friendship with each other.

This novel has everything a chick lit novel should have: main characters faced with adversity, female solidarity, family issues and a will they/won’t they romance.  Lucy Diamond certainly ticks all the boxes with The Year of Taking Chances.  There are no surprises in this novel, however sometimes that is what we want from a novel.  This is a great beach read, showing just what women are capable of when they pull together and help one another.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars