GoodRead - Speaking In Bones

I was very lucky to be given this via NetGalley from the US publisher, Bantam. Then I got a ARC from the UK publisher, Cornerstone. So I must thank both publishers for allowing me a chance to read this.

Also, dear readers, keep an eye on the blog in the next few days as I have plans linked to this book...

So, in Temperance Brennan 18th outing, she meets amatuer detective (or a web-sleuth) of Hazel 'Lucky' Strike. Lucky found a distressing audio file that could be linked to some unknown bones. While Tempe thinks it's highly unlikely, the girl's terrified voice on the audio recorder makes her look up the bones. But what started at trying to prove this wannabe detective wrong turns dark and Tempe finds herself wondering what she has walked into: a cult killing? A serial killer? Something out of this world? Or something much darker?

If you have followed my blog for a while, you would know I am a fan of Kathy Reichs and I do dip in and out of the series. Plus, I did read the last 40-odd percent in a ill-ish haze so I apologise in advance if my review doesn't make much sense.

As a fan, I did like it. We had a crime that had a load of twists, a subject matter that isn't tackled and we have the tech knowhow of bones. While, at the same time, we have Tempe's private life gets slowly more and more messier by the second. Her mother, her daughter and her on-again, off-again boyfriend. It's a nice mix so the book doesn't become too dark and heavy.

It also helps that we have Tempe's snarky humour. I like my books to have an edge of humour in there, somewhere.

However, I did have problems. This is me, of course I will find problems!

While the case is a standalone so is good for anyone - fans of the series or newcomer alike - tempe's backstory could be a tad overwhelming for fans. The last Tempe book I read in the series was Bones of the Lost, missing the book in-between (Bones Never Lie), and even I had a moment where I went "Wait, hang on...".

Now, this is probably something that happened when I did my mad last 40-odd percent reading haze when not feeling great, but there was something about this story that feels off. I can't put my finger on it. But it felt off compared to the other Kathy Reichs books I have read.

But I did enjoy this read and I am excited to read more Tempe in the coming months.

GoodRead - Burn Bright

I am blaming Braiden from Book Probe for talking me into buying this series. I bought the first (I paid for it) only to discover a few days into read this that the whole trilogy is now being sold on Amazon.co.uk for free! FREE! (At time of review's release, the eBooks are now no longer free. Sorry. Must have been a special...) So insert my sigh here and we shall get on with the review.

The island of Ixion is an escape for runaways. A place of ever night. A place where music, lust and parties rule. A place where there are no rules, and the few the Ripers (the Guardians of the Island) give are simple enough. Party hard but rest when you must. Go to confession every now and then. And don't stray from the well-lit paths, or the Night Creatures will claim you.

Retra only comes to Ixion for one reason. Her brother, Joel, ran away there two years ago and now she going to get him back. But once she gets to the island, she finds herself being slowly pulled into the intoxicating world. But she has questions. What happened to Joel? Who are the Ripers? What are the Night Creatures in the shadows that she alone seems to see? What happens to those who become too old to stay on Ixion? And can Retra remain true to who she is?

It doesn't take long for Retra to realise: when you live in a world of darkness, you also live with the creatures of the dark...

Before I go anyway, the cover. Can we please talk about the cover? Isn't it freaky? But in a good way freaky? It gives the vibe of goth-punk which fits the book so well.

Now, the story. I found it very addictive. I started reading this late Thursday night and I finished this on a Sunday. I was busy on the Friday and Saturday (one family related and the other is kinda secret for the time being...) but if I didn't have these, I would have finished this book late Friday night/Saturday morning and I think I would have dived straight into the second book of the trilogy, Angel Arias. I found the world of Ixion intoxicating and fascinating. This story had a gothic punk edge to it and the idea of this world being so dark and because of this, pleasure and danger seem to go oddly hand in hand.

Retra is an interesting character. When we first met her, she is quite timid and isn't the type of person that would go to Ixion. She doesn't want to wear clothes that revealing nor is she the type of person would be into easy sex and take drugs that seem to ready available to the other characters. But she isn't completely helpless. This is the same with two friends she makes very quickly: Suki and Rollo. Both characters weren't typical YA characters either. Both wanted to party but both characters have layers. Suki is a fighter and, in my mind, win a fight against my man and yet we see moments of tenderness from her towards Retra and Rollo. Rollo is like a character you would see out of the TV show Skins (the UK version, not the US version). He wants to party and will happily take his clothes off in clubs but he's smart and has information about Retra's old home of Grave and her new of Ixion that makes you wonder how far apart they are (though there are times you think "Isn't him knowing that a bit... well... easy?")

The love interests. Ok, I wanna throw this out there. I didn't see or feel anything for the love interests of the human Markes and the Riper leader, Lenoir. I saw nothing with Markes and her. To me, it feels like a crush you would get as a teen. If this is the case, I will be interested to see how this develops or not develop. In Lenoir's case, I'm not sure how to feel about him and Retra. I can't help wondering if there is an attraction between the two of them or if it's because of the bond that they have by the end of the book. I do hope the rest of the trilogy clears it up for me...

There are flaws and problems which I think you guys will guess. I know some of you will hate the idea of sex and drugs being readily available (if this is the case, you might want to avoid this book), but the main problem I had and I think most readers will have with this book is confusion. If you are not on the ball while reading this, you will get confused very quickly. You will get confused over names of clubs, names of churches (if you want to call them that) and names of characters (some of which changed their names halfway through the book to their Ixion names). If you are not with it, you will get confused. I had my reading crime head on so I kept most of it straight in my head (though there are times I did have to go "Wait! Hang on...")

But I really enjoyed this. I got sucked into this dark, kinda messed-up world and I do plan to read the rest of the trilogy by the end of the year!

GoodRead - Bones of the Lost

I can imagine a few of you seeing this review and going "Isn't this out in late August?", I have my reasons for doing this, the latest Kathy Reichs, now. First, I have a useless memory and want to review this as soon as I can. Second, this is out in August but when I researched it, the dates kept changed so am posting this now. And third, even though I got this from NetGalley from the US publisher (thank you both!), I much prefer the UK cover and, as I am a UK blogger, the UK cover is what I am using.

So, in Temperance Brennan's 16th novel, Temperance is asked to investigate a body of a teenage girl found on an empty road. Simple, you think? Nope. Never in a crime novel is anything simple. Inside the girl's handbag is an ID card of a man who died in a fire five months earlier. How did she get his ID? Did she know him? Is she, what some detective think, a teen prostitute? Or is there something more sinister going on?

As Tempe gets pulled into this case and two others, her personal life is falling apart. Ryan (Tempe's on-off boyfriend) is ignoring her phone calls and texts. Katy (Tempe's daughter), grieving for her boyfriend who died suddenly in Afghanistan, has impulsively joined the Army. And Pete (Tempe's ex) wants Tempe to sign their divorce papers so he can marry his midlife crisis.

Can Tempe hold it all together to figure out how and why her Jane Doe has died...?

As you guys know, I love reading crime. And Kathy Reichs is one of my fave crime writers (even though this will be fifth book I have actually read [but I have audiobooked 4 others so, technically, I have read 9 of her works]) so I knew what I was getting myself into when I started reading this. And it was exactly that. It was fast pace and it kept me guessing. Even when I finished the book and everything was explained, I had to sit down and go "Wait. Let see if I can get this straight in my own head..."

Tempe's snarky humour was there and thank goodness it was as, when the book did slow (not often), the humour carried the story on.

What I liked the most about this story was it wasn't just a crime story of Tempe solving a murder and, because of this, putting her life in danger again (I think she might have a Hero Complex). This felt personal. We saw Tempe being a mother and freaking out that Katy had joined the army. Tempe trying to figure out what relationship with Pete should be. And Tempe trying to go "Why does Ryan not contacting me bother me so?". It has a feel of Bones to Ashes (my first Kathy Reichs novel). Both of these feel personal to Tempe.

Now... I know I enjoyed this and I know some fans of Tempe will enjoy this, but I know that some of you won't like this. And it comes down to two things. The first is the cases itself. There are times I am sure some readers will read this and go "Ok, now we're entering the realms of the ridiculous" (if you have read the story in full, then you understand what I mean).

The second is the lack of technical jargon. In the beginning of the book series, there seems to be heavily-laced with technical information about Tempe's work. Whereas now, it seems much thinner. Some readers will not like the fact that the series is becoming more human aspect driven rather than technically driven.

But I enjoyed reading this. I forget how much I enjoy reading Kathy and that I should read more of her (or maybe return to the TV show, Bones, though I began to get very angry over the whole "Will they, won't they?" of Brennan and Agent Booth [how many seasons/series has that storyline been stretched out for?!]). But I should try and read another of Kathy's novel soon. Maybe Fatal Voyage or Grave Secrets... Or there is a short eNovella coming out soon (or is it today? Will research and let you guys know)?

GoodRead - The Sparrow

In September, The Returned by Jason Mott is being published. And, to get us readers excited, his publisher is releasing 3 eNovella prequels. The first ePrequel (The First) was published last month (not read my review? Here's the link) and the third and final ePrequel (The Choice) will be published next month in August. The second was released earlier this week. So, this is me trying to review the second ePrequel, The Sparrow. 

As a couple drive home, there come across one of The Returned - people who have died and, yet, have come back to life. This Returned is a girl of ten. The couple take the girl home. As the girl remembers her life in war-torn Africa in 1994, the couple's marriage begins to crumble apart...

Out of the two ePrequels, I prefer The Sparrow more than The First. While both were fast reads and both had the first chapter of The Returned in it, there was something about this story that I related to. Maybe it was the couple - Matt and Heather - and how each of them saw the Returned child. Or maybe it was the Returned child - Tatiana - and how she remembered her life in 1994. Or maybe it was how Jason wrote the two stories to complement each other. But, for a reason I'm not sure I understand, I prefer and related to this story more than The First. 

But, yes, this is a short story that most of you guys will read within half an hour so there wasn't much dialogue or emotional impact. But I now am beginning to see Jason is laying down the foundations to the world he is going to write about in The Returned. My other fear with this is I hope that if you haven't read the ePrequels, you can read The Returned without needing this information or feeling like you're lacking something. 

Wich brings me to my next thought: will I download the third and final question: will I read the third and final ePrequel, The Choice. Maybe... I have been approved to read The Returned from the UK publisher (thank you Mira!) so I might read this before I read The Choice. Or I might just skip it completely... we shall see... 

GoodRead - Pros & Cons

This came as a surprise read for me. Randomly, on Twitter, I saw some people tweeting about "The Heist" and I went "What's this heist you guys are all about?". Was quickly brought up to speed. The Heist is the first book in a new series co-authored by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. Janet is the writer of the Stephanie Plum series and Lee is a scriptwriter, TV producer and is an author of several books based of TV shows such as Monk. And this book is about the FBI and con artists. CON ARTISTS! I love cons! And this book seems fluffy and fun (and I am loving fun and fluffy reads at the moment). And the lovely Caitlin sent me a copy of this so THANK YOU! I shall be, hopefully, reviewing this in the coming weeks with some other exciting reads that I can NOT wait to read!

So, while I read the press release, I discovered that there was an eNovella prequel. And, as a taster to see if I was going to gel with the series, I decided to buy this and have a quick read.

Set two years before The Heist (aka the first book in the O'Hare and Fox series), FBI special agent Kate O'Hare has made it her mission to hunt down and bring down international con artist, Nicholas Fox. When she discovers that Nicholas is posing as a wedding planner for "King of Hostile Takeover", Kate knows she's 85% that's Merrill Stubing is actually Nicholas Fox..

Expect, she's only 85% sure. She needs now to convince her boss, Chicago penthouse security and, up to a point, herself. And if she can get into the building, how will she caught Nicholas without disrupting the wedding. And what will happen when the two come face to face?

I really liked this story. It was fun and fluffy. A good summer read. This is a good teaser for people who are unsure if they're going to like The Heist. But I enjoyed this as I read this in one day so reading The Heist is gonna be interesting for me. And, already, I have ideas on whether or not Kate O'Hare and Nicholas Fox will get together/get it on (all I see in my head is Richard Castle and Kate Beckett [aka Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic] from the TV show Castle in my head...). But this series, I sense, is going to be a lot of fun for me to read...

GoodRead - Icons

I know some of you guys LOVE the world of Beautiful Creatures (Sorry. The Caster Chronicles) by Margaret Stohl and Kami Gracia. And now the series is done, both authors are writing their own series. The first book in Kami's new series, Unbreakable, will be out in October while Margaret hits the ground running with the first book in her series, Icons.

Everything changed after The Day. Everything changed when the Lords came from the heavens, where windows shattered and people dropped down dead, losing a war no one knew they were fighting. But a one year old Dol survived. Since then, she has gone in the countryside, away from the Icon's shadowy reach.

But when a teenage Dol and her friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, they begin to wonder. Why did they survive The Day? What makes them so special? And when the two of them meet Tima and, the Ambassador's son, Lucas, they reveal the four of them are bound together in ways none of them could possible imagined.

So, reactions. Honestly, I'm kinda on the fence with this. There were things I liked and things I didn't.

For a start, the things I like. This book isn't like Beautiful Creatures, which is a good thing. When I requested this on NetGalley (thank you NetGalley and UK publisher, Harper Collins/Voyager), one of my main fears was that this would be similar or exactly the same of Beautiful Creatures and, while I liked reading both Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness (I do have EVERY intention to read Beautiful Chaos and Beautiful Redemption), I did find reading them a trial. But Icons didn't feel like a trial to read. I found it interesting. I found the whole idea of The Day and the Icons fascinating. I found that the book asked questions and then, not answer them a smart move (why make it easy for our heroes in book 1?). I found the messages/emails at the end of each chapters making me ask more questions (and I enjoyed reading them and going "Well, what does that mean?" And the world-building in this book was something I enjoyed, even though it was confusing (remember, this is a first in a series). Another thing I liked were the secondary characters like Doc and Fortis as I found them interesting and have depth (I want a prequel/eNovella to these two characters). This is the same with characters I disliked like Colonel Catallus...

Which says a lot as this was one of my main issues with the book. The main four characters: Dol, Ro, Lucas and Tima. When these characters met and were together, they felt flat to me. There wasn't really much depth. On their own, each character had depth and were interesting. For a first few chapters, Dol and Ro were in the countryside and I liked them. I wanted to know more about them. This is the same with Tima when she and Dol were alone as I wanted to understand why she is so damaged. But the four of them together... they just didn't work. It didn't click for me.

I think the problem is the guys in this foursome/love-square: Lucas and Ro. I didn't felt warmth to them in the way I think I was meant to. Lucas, to me, is vanilla. There was nothing great about him, but there was nothing awful about him, either. He just didn't pop out as a character. Ro, on the other hand, I liked at the start of the book. But, halfway through, I found him and his attitude irritating. By the end of the book, I really disliked him. I found his anger and his rage (funnily enough) infuriating. He reminds me of someone who would be at a peaceful protest but who would start throwing patrol bombs and attacking the police. Not because of the reason for the peaceful protest in the first place but because he enjoyed the chaos and the anarchy of it all.

Dol, Tima, you can do so much better then these two. Seriously... what do you see in them?

The second issue I have was repetition. There were phrases and things that characters did and say that annoyed me. I remember reading two or three chapters very early on and the phrase (I can't remember off the top of my head but it was something like "I wanted to cry, scream, run out of the room and not look back") was used four or five times. Luckily, the repetition was used less and less as the book went on, but I found this annoying and it took me a while to forgive the book for this.

So, now I got that off my chest, we come to the big question: will I be reading book two in the series? Weirdly, I think so. Yes, there are cons that annoyed me and, yes, there were times I wanted to throw my kindle across the room, but I kinda wanna know where Margaret goes next. I do hope book 2 beefs up on the character development side, though. I need to want the four to win against the Lords. But I sense book 2 could be a gripping read. I shall wait in the corner, watching the skies...

Oh, for those of you thinking this is the next Beautiful Creatures, stop right there. It isn't. Go into this book with an open mind. That is all.

GoodRead - The Runaway Queen

As you might be aware, after I read the first Bane Chronicles story, What Really Happened In Peru (if you haven't read and feel brave, here's the link for your pleasure), I was very disappointed. Disappointed and a tiny bit peeved. I made a decision after writing the review to stay away from the rest of the stories till either a story came up where the blurb grabs me (so wait for the Alec/Magnus stories) or wait till all the stories are released and read them in one go.

So when Sean from Walker Books asked if I fancied a code to get a copy of the second tale in the Bane Chronicles, I surprised even myself and went "Sure". I can only think of a few reasons why which are: Maureen Johnson (who co-wrote this story with Cassandra Clare), the story sounded kinda decent and SURELY the Runaway Queen can't be as bad as What Really Happened in Peru...

In the height of the French Revolution, Magnus is staying in Paris. When we join our hero, he is on his way to ride a hot air balloon (after he thought it was be great one wine-fuelled evening). But, due to weather conditions, it never happens. He returns home to find a handsome count (with black hair and blue eyes), asking Magnus for his help to rescue the French Royal Family...

Now, I went into this with very low expectations. After What Really Happened in Peru, I held very little hope with this story. And, to my surprise, I enjoyed this. There was a story! And it was a good story at that! It was enjoyable and fun sunny read (which was perfect as I was in the garden one sunny afternoon with a glass of Diet Coke).

I do wish the story was a bit longer and more indepth and I wish that this was published before What Really Happened in Peru (I fear that story lost several fans). But that's not Walker Books fault so I don't hold you to account, dear publisher.

Now, on some of the reviews I've read, I was interested over Magnus's attention. He agreed to the count's plea for help as, according to some reviews I read, Magnus was feeling... er... randy. That's right. To these reviews, Magnus had a crush on this guy. Which makes me want to know more about Magnus's psychology and he's need to be loved. Maybe this issue is tackled in the latter books of the Mortal Instruments series (books 4 to 6, which I am very wary of going near)...

So, I enjoyed this story more than the first installment of the Bane Chronicles. Maybe there is hope with this series. Or maybe I should stick with the stories that Cassandra writes alone or with Maureen Johnson and steer clear of Sarah Rees Brennan...

GoodRead - The First

I thought I would bring my Kindle Month a week early. And when I read this, I thought this would be a perfect start.

So, The First is the first prequel to the novel The Returned by Jason Mott (which should be out in September). And The Returned has already got a bit of hype around it. Brad Pitt's production company won a bidding war to turn it into a TV show and ABC has asked for a pilot (the show will be called Resurrection). So don't get confused over it with The Returned, Channel 4's french zombie thriller.

The First follows Emily. It's been a year since her fiancee Edmund died in a suddenly bus crash. It's been nearly a month since she's taken off her engagement ring. She's trying to move on. Expect one morning, Edmund walks into work like nothing happened...

This is very fast read. It took about half an hour to read the short story and then an extra 15 minutes to read the sample of The Returned. And it did seem to be a taster for the novel to come (and with the fact there is two more eNovellas to come: The Sparrow being released next Monday and The Choice being released on the first of August, which leads to the book's release in September) and, because of that, a tiny part of me thinks this is a very clever advertising campaign. And you can't fault the publishers for doing this, as it's a very smart/clever way to promote the book.

But my feelings on this: it is a short story. There was very little dialogue (which I love) and not much emotion (but this is a short story so what do I expect?). But here's the big question: will I read The Returned? Answer: I'm not sure. I have been rejected by the US publisher to read this on NetGalley (dare I ask the UK?) and while I am very intrigued over this novel, I might have to read The Sparrow and The Choice before I make my final decision.

GoodRead - Glass Houses

This was one of the first ebooks I got when I was given my Kindle. It was on a sale and I was curious of it. And then, just when I had half-forgotten about it, Jo from Once Upon A Bookcase started her Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge (don’t know about it? Click here to read more about it). This reminded me that I had Glass Houses.

So, when I was doing my Kindle Month, I had three choices (Glass Houses, Poison Study and Intrinsical). I threw it out there on Twitter (pick 1, 2 or 3) and, randomly, Glass Houses was picked.

In the small town of Morganville in Texas, Claire Danvers just started college. And it looks like it could be murder. Not only has she found herself on the wrong side of the meanest girl in town, Claire finds herself inside a secret. A secret so big, it engulfs the town and everyone in it. Expect for Claire...

Now, this isn’t your typical vampire story (did I reveal the secret? Oops!). Well, it wasn’t a typical vampire read for me, and maybe it’s because of this, it didn’t sit well with me. I’m not 100% certain if its the writing style that bother, how she tackled bullying (which is a huge issue I have with the story, FYI) or how Rachel wrote the story, but there was something about this that I couldn’t warm to.

With most of the vampire novels I have read in the past few years (Twilight, Blue Bloods & Sookie Stackhouse to name a few), they twist the vampire myth to make the mythology their own. However, with Glass Houses, this seemed to be very close to the mythology. Vampires don’t really like going out in the daytime, they have fangs and they have a hierarchy. But there are some times that weren’t answers (if they hate sunlight, why are they in the middle of Texas? [I believe that was answered in a later book]) and I think that (and the character development) is the key to why this series is so popular.

Now, I want to talk quickly about the bullying that was featured in here. As you know, I am quite edgy when it comes to certain subjects. Bullying isn’t one of them. When I read Hollow Pike by James Dawson, I felt that he tackled the issue of bullying with a great amount of sensitive, yet was unflinching over what this does. This book wasn’t anything like that. Within the first chapter, Claire is pushed down the stairs and, halfway through the book, someone tried to throw battery acid on Claire’s back. This wasn’t bullying. This was worse. The character lived in fear that Monica was going to kill her and, to me, it felt like this wasn’t tackled and, when it was, it was brushed aside with a “Oh, Monica’s a vampire so she can do what she likes so you have to put up with it or shut up”, and that upset me. People get bullied and to have that reaction was horrifying!

But, saying that though, I found the last 20% of the book gripping. And for that cliffhanger ending – if you fell for the story, you will be itching to get your hands on book two, Dead Girls' Dance, as you won’t see it coming....

As for me... it’s not my cup of tea. But I won’t say no to reading book two in the series (I did want to jump to book 11, Last Breath, but I have been told by two bloggers (Jo & Braiden) told me that you have to read the series through due to the game-changing nature of the series and the character development). I’m in no rush to read Dead Girls’ Dance so when I do get round to it, I expect something awesome and shocking to happen or I might leave the series alone...

GoodRead - Witch Eyes

I have no idea how I came across this book. It was either Emma from Book Angel Booktopia or Vivienne from Serendipity Review. I read the synopsis on their blog and instantly bought it on my kindle. Then it took... er... several months to actually get round to reading it.

So, the story. Braden is a witch with the power to see the world as it truly is with his witch eyes. To see explosions of colours, of memories, and of spells. But with his witch eyes, he must pay a high price. When he sees a vision that puts his uncle in danger, Braden runs away to Belle Dam to protect him. Only to find himself in the middle of feud between two warring witch dynasties. But as the two heads of the families, Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe, are try desperately to use Braden's powers, Braden decides that he won't be pawn in their war.

But Belle Dam has secrets, lies and not everyone's motives are as clear cut as their first seem. Braden better watch his step...

I have a crush on the lead, Braden. I do! I want him to be my Fictional Boyfriend/Husband (so to all my blogger pals, BACK OFF!). He was just a character I instant connected with and rooted on. And when you fall in love with the lead of a novel as fast as I did (within the first few chapters), you know you're going to love the book. And to get that feeling is very rare for me...

As I stated in a earlier paragraph, not everything is a clear cut as their first seem. So, when you read this, you must keep that in mind as, often, the rug will be pulled out from under you. So, you have to hold on to your hats.

Now, this book isn't perfect. Let me say this now before I go "Oh, Braden! He's a dream-boat!". First, the love interest, Trey. I have real trouble trying to figure him out and to understand why Braden has fallen for him. He kept changing. One moment, he was a nice guy. The next, he was a mindless soldier. It was impossible for me to warm to him. The second was the twists. There were several, but two were revealed in the synopsis. WHY?! Why did the publisher do that?!

I wish I read Witch Eyes sooner. And I can't wait till October for the sequel, Demon Eyes (have you seen the cover?!) is released. Not sure how I can cope till then, but there's a prequel, Homecoming, that I plan to read in the coming months...

GoodRead - Gin O'Clock

I'm pretty sure you guys know I am a fan of Twitter. Might be classed as an addict by some of you (well, I use it for stupid things and for the blog, so I'm on it most of the time!) and one of the great things about Twitter is the parody twitter accounts. Some are stinkers and others are hilarious! I follow @MrsStephenFry, @CherylKerl & @Queen_UK and all three of them have made me snort with laughter. And they all, out of nowhere, have books out! I read @MrsStephenFry's Diary last year (she has another book on Unbound, revealing the secrets to a perfect marriage…)and I know of @CherylKerl's book but haven't got my hands on a copy yet.

 Now, the @Queen_UK. I had Waterstones' giftcard for Christmas and, remembered I wanted this book, I asked if they were in stock. Nope, not in that branch. So, checked on Kindle and treated myself to the ebook version (only to have a lovely person at Hodder ask if I wanted a review copy a week or two later…).

 While sipping her drink of gin and tonic (minus the tonic), The Queen [of Twitter] decided to reveal her diaries and shows us how, quietly, she is ruling the world while trying to keep her family in check. All with a gin and bacon sandwich in hand…

Oh, @Queen_UK! I knew I was going to like this because of your twitter but, when I read a teaser where you called Catherine's (Duchess of Cambridge's) mother Mrs "Please call me Carole" Middleton, I knew I was going to howl at this book. And I did! There was always something that made me smile or snort unexpectantly with laughter. It was just fun to see One calling her weekly meeting with the Prime Minister his "ego-realignment", her throwing fancy dress parties for the Corrie Tram Crash, Eurovision and other events (only to lose Camellia who was last seen going outside for a quick smoke…), and her coping with her landmark trip to Ireland, her handling of the Obama's' visit and having to deal with the Middletons…

 I do hope Hodder talk her Majesty into writing a sequel after the events that happen in 2012 (her Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics) as it would be very interesting (and probably rolling on the floor-worthy) to have her take on the world. Also, the PIW (it's been ages since I used that term - Person I'm With) think I should read the audiobook as my "posh voice" will add to the humour. If they can't, I'm sure Hodder could give the @Queen_UK some gin that will help change her mind…

GoodRead - The Match In The Tank

SURPRISE! A quick review about a short story that you guys will probably read within half an hour on your ereader.

In Edward Hogan's short story, we follow the life of a stuntman. A man who throws himself off cliffs, in front of cars, under trains for a living. And she, his girlfriend, doesn't mind. It's thrilling... at first. But she knows it will only be a matter of time before the inevitable hits...

When I saw this on Amazon while I was trying to find one of Edward's adult novels, the Hunger Trace, I couldn't believe. I had to tweet Ed to confirm, which he did. And I was surprised how quickly I flew through this short story (but isn't that the point of a short story? To be fast?)

And with short stories, you don't get much detail. But that's to be expected, people. I really like this shorts I read it in two 15 minute sitting (and the second sitting was reading info about Shortfire Press, which was interesting... weirdly, as I discovered its Submission section. Let's say I started plotting short story ideas that will NEVER see the light of day.)

But I like this and this makes me want to read Hunger Trace more. I just need to find time!