Self-Isolation Read - One By One

• Title And Author: One By One by Ruth Ware
• Publisher: Harvill Secker
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: eBook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction
• Length: 352 Pages

Another self-isolation read and I got my dates muddled. After reading Boy Queen by George Lester and audio booking The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home, I craved a murder mystery. I wasn’t sure if I wanted anything heavy, but I was leaning towards Agatha Christie, only to remember I was approved to read this via NetGalley and with some people saying this has strong And Then There Were None vibes, I jumped at it. 

It was when I was a good chunk into the story did I check release date and release that the book was going to be released in November of this year, so, I can release review now and be SUPER EARLY or hold off and hope my opinions on this book stay the same. I’m going to risk being early and, by the time this comes out, I will be more well-read in Ruth Ware’s novels so I can give a more honest and truthful reply/reaction. 

Snow is falling in the exclusive French ski resort of Saint Antoine and the shareholders and directors of the hottest music app, Snoop, hope that, but the end of the corporate retreat, they will have decided their company’s future: a billion pound dot com by out or the not sell. But with a near split on what to do, a decision must be made. 

But when one board member vanishes moments before an avalanche cuts the chalet, its guest and the two staff, off from help, business tensions turn to a desperate urge to survive. But something doesn’t feel right about the disappearance… it’s as if this was a murder. But was it murder, an accident or are they safe somewhere else? Because, if it was murder, that means the murderer is with them…

Book Review - Two Nights

As you guys know, I am a bit of a fan of Kathy Reichs. And it's been a while since I read a good thriller lately, so when I heard that her latest was a standalone, I got excited and a little nervous. So, I requested madly on NetGalley and started trying to power-read it once I finished Invasion of the Tearling when I knew I was going to an event where Kathy Reichs was at (want to read my write-up? TA-DAH!!!).

Well, I finished this last week (just before my blog break, FYI) and I've had time to thing about my thoughts and feels on this. But before I go head-first, let's talk about that this is about.

Sunday Night is a woman with scars - both physical and psychological - and a woman who is running from her past, burying secrets and trying to build a life as far removed from her childhood as possible.

But someone comes to her for a job, needing a private investigator, Sunnie feels like she has to take it. A girl is missing and Sunnie is drawn to this child. And the child vanished mere moments after a bomb went off outside a Jewish school, killing her mother and brother. Is the girl dead, snatched or has something more terrifying and disturbing happened?

As Sunnie hunts down the truth, her past begins to blur with her present and soon, one has wonder how connected Sunnie and this child is...

Ok, now it's time to talk about this. If I am honest, it's not the best Kathy Reichs I've read, but it's solid. It's fast-paced, full of action, drama and the twists kept me on my toes. All very Kathy Reichs.  I can see this working as a mini TV drama (three episodes, maybe, to keep the plot and action tight) and I can see this being the start of a new series (which I would be on board with).

However - yes, there is a however. Like I said, this isn't my fave Kathy Reichs. There are things that people won't warm to. For a start, Sunday Night isn't Temperance Brennan. People are going to compare - I did for a first few pages. This is natural. But, unlike Tempe who is warm and relatable, Sunnie is cold and very prickly. It takes time to warm to her as a character. I liked characters like this but I know some of you won't - plus, with Sunnie not apologising for her coldness, some of you won't like her at all.

While I liked the pacing and the twists, there's something about the story that doesn't right with me. I like the ideas and theories Kathy throws at us - cults, home-grown terrorism, zealots, etc - but there were times I did feel a little overwhelmed. It's as if Kathy was throwing a lot of ideas at the wall and seeing what would stick. It felt messy at times.

Though there were moments that I felt disjoined from the book, I did like it. Maybe not as much compared to other Kathy Reichs's novels but it's refreshing to see an author try and write new characters and ideas outside their series. And I do think Two Nights would make a good TV adaption and is a good solid start to a series, if Kathy wants to return to Sunday Night and her complex backstory. If for nothing else, I want to spend more time with Sunday's brother, August...

eBook Review - You Will Not Have My Hate

This, I am going to admit, is going to be hard to write. I'm not 100% certain where to start, truth be told.

Last year, Paris came under attack by a small group of terrorists. Antoine was at home, looking after his young son when he started getting text messages, asking if he and his wife were ok. He was fine, his baby was fine... but his wife, Hélène was out with friends at a music concert. Hélène was one of the people who died that night.

Three days later, Antoine wrote an open letter to his wife's killers on Facebook. He stated to them that he would not let himself or his 17 month old son cower or be defined by their acts. That his son will insult them by his happiness and freedom. That they will not have either his or his son's hate. The Facebook message went viral and this memoir follows both Antoine and his son, Melvin, in the days that followed.

I am going to admit that this isn't my normal reading. This is so far removed from my normal reading, I can't even really tell you why, when I got the email from NetGalley, I rushed there and requested it. This felt vital to read.

This isn't an easy read. This is a short novel, with short chapters (as Antoine describes it later in the memoir, these chapters are like polaroid shots of those days, touching on some events but not all), but I found reading them difficult. I would only read a few pages - maybe a chapter - before having to put my kindle down. This isn't an easy read - the event is recently, it's fresh in everyone's mind and with events that have recently happened, it feels more closer to the bone than ever.

But, saying that, there is a hopefulness to Antoine and his son's story. Yes, what they went through those days and the days/weeks/months/the year that followed and the future to come is hard and painful, but there is hope. There is hope, joy, love, kindness in the world and, no matter how dark the world is, we still have these elements and we must treasure them with every fibre of our being.

Antoine says he started writing this after Hélène's death to cope, and because of this, you can feel the rawness to it. And the fact this is felt through the translation work of Sam Taylor is beautiful.

Not everyone will like this book, but it is important to take the themes - hope, kindness, love - can carry them with us.

Murder Month - 15th Affair

Let's start this month with a bit of a bang, shall we?

15th Affair is the fifteen volume in the Women's Murder Club series and it follows Detective Lindsay Boxer who is now juggling married life, being a mother and her career within Homicide within San Francisco Police Department. But life can change in an instant, as Lindsey knows.

When she is called to the Four Seasons Hotel, Lindsey is shocked at what she sees. A man in one hotel room, shot at close range with no form of ID on him. In the next room, a young man and woman are shot as well, but they are surrounded by high tech surveillance equipment. Who were they spying on? And with a house maid dead down the hall, the murders are connected. But how?

But before long, the case takes two shocking twists. How far will Lindsey and her fellow Women's Murder Club members will to go to the truth?

As you guys know if you follow my blog for a while, I have a weird love/hate relationship with James Patterson. I think this is because I read quite a bit of him when I was a teenager and after a while, I just had my fill and it's taken me quite a while to return to him, and even then, it's seems to be the Women's Murder Club that I'm happy to return to.

Which is nice as 3rd Degree, the third book in the Women's Murder Club series, was my first James Patterson novel.

As someone who is rediscovering this series, I enjoyed myself with this story. I was on the edge of my seat while listening and I sped through this. It was a fun thriller, a story I could have read while on the beach one summer's day.

But if you are a James Patterson fan, you might not be blown away with this plot. It's very much sticks to the James Patterson's brand with short, punchy chapters and a plot that will feel the same as other plots within this series or in any of his others. Plus, there is one tiny plot twist that might make readers go "That's one step too far..." It's like a repeat of the Yuki plot within Unlucky 13 (oh, that plot was a jump the shark moment, wasn't it?)

Another thing is that this story very much stays with Lindsey. This is Lindsey's story and the other members of the Women's Murder Club are very much supporting characters. With the story and the direction it takes, it makes sense to focus on Lindsey but I like the other characters and feel that a little more screen time wouldn't have hurt that much.

If you want a fun, fluffy thriller, this series is the place to go. Just don't expect it to get heavy and intense. That's not the James Patterson way.

4 Weeks of Summer - Bones on Ice

As your guys are probably aware, I am a bit of a fan of Kathy Reichs. So, of course, when I discovered this novella, I wanted to read it. I wanted something to fly through before I returned to my Harry Potter 2015 Reading Challenge and then, after that, attack the ARCs that needed my undivided attention (which is gonna fail. I know that now).

The daughter of a powerful and wealthy family has been missed on Mount Everest for the past three years. Until the earthquake happened, no one could get to the body and bring her in to confirm it is the daughter.

And the family wants only one person to identify the body: Tempe Brennan.

Though reluctant to take the case, Tempe soon discovers that there's something wrong with the body. What if it wasn't an accident, like everything thinks?

For some unknown reason, this novella seemed meaty compared to Kathy's previous. Maybe it's me - it has been a while since I have read Bones In Her Pocket and Swamp Bones. But this novella was very interesting. Yes, it does follow the same pattern as Kathy Reichs's previous works (this could be seen as a bad thing for some people - Tempe takes a case, get too involved and, because of this, puts herself in mortal danger), but I found the whole story of someone being frozen fascinating.

Like I said, some people might not like the pattern of the story as it follows Kathy's writing pattern. But I like this pattern. What I found a tad annoying was the ending. It felt rushed for some reason.

I did like this and I think other Kathy Reichs fans will like it, as it has a sample chapter of her latest novel, Speaking in Bones. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but this might be a good place to start with you want to try Kathy Reichs out.

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 - A Robot In The Garden

I was very kindly sent this for review from Ben at Random House after I watched a review of this book from Sarah Churchill. It's a bit grown up for me, but it sounded cool so was excited to read it.

Set in the near future, Ben Chamber is told by his wife that there's a robot in his garden. So when he goes to investigate, he finds a small robot with a broken tube inside. Instead of throwing the lost and rusty thing away, Ben takes him home. After that, events happen. His wife, Amy, leaves him and, before he thinks about, Ben decides to find the robot's - Tang's - creator.And with that, they go travelling round the world...

Now, this is an interesting read as I am very torn over it. I do like this book, but there are faults.

This book is set in the near future with robots and androids, but I liked that these weren't the driving force. The robot - Tang - acts at times like a toddler or a young child and, at times, you had to actively remind yourself that Tang was a robot, not a child.

Also, while this is set in the future, this was a very human story. The story dealt with a marriage breaking down and the fall out. It touched on a few issues, but it was a light read. It has an Alexander McCall Smith feel.

However, I have issues. Well, one issue really. And that was the adults in this book. Most of them are not nice people. It was the way they acted to our main character, Ben, a man who it took a while for me to warm up. Later in the book, Ben admits that he wasn't the easiest person in the world, but I found it hard to believe that he was ok with how his sister and his wife treated him. They apologise for their actions, but for some reason, I found most of the characters actions (barring Tang and 2/3 adults that should have their own book! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM!!!) a bit hard to accept.

This was a light read for me. While I didn't love it, I did like it and I kinda want a Tang. Plus, this would make a wonderful uplifting movie.

A Robot In The Blog Tour

Hi everyone. Welcome to my spot in the Robot In The Garden blog tour! And I am thrilled that Deborah Install is taking over the blog and chatting about the book's playlist! So, before I go any further, I would like to thank Deborah for taking time out to chat about music and I would, also, like to thank Ben from Doubleday/Random House for inviting me on this tour!

Now, shall we get this blog post started and hand it over to Deborah? I think we should, so all yours

1. "The Garden" - Take That
Don’t judge me ;-). The title is relevant, of course, but also the lines 'This is the life we've been given, so open your mind and start living' are relevant to Ben

2. "Distant Sun" - Crowded House
Similarly, 'Tell me all the things you would change, I don't pretend to know what you want.' I also always thought this song was about a guy completed bowled over by the brilliance of a girl, and I always thought that was something that drew Ben to Amy.

3. "Fix You" - Coldplay
I love this song. I find it really emotional. I used it once in an amdram play I directed once. In this context it fits the point near the beginning where Ben really realises Tang needs his help. Also the line 'But if you never try you'll never know just what you're worth' is what people have been trying to say to Ben all along, but never found the words.

4. "Hotel California" - The Eagles
I called the place in the book the Hotel California because I always reckoned the one in the song to be a really unpleasant, seedy sort of place, so it fitted.

5. "Born To Be Wild" - Steppenwolf
The chapter where Tang dances to this song was one of the earliest I wrote. I just had to have my robot do 'the robot' and this song was just always in my head for it, partly because it's a total driving song, but also because it gave Ben the opportunity to ponder Tang's sentience.

6. "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
I confess I picked this one entirely for the title. I wanted one for Kyle and there aren't too many songs about radioactive sausage dogs.

7. "One For My Baby" - Frank Sinatra
A song about a guy, nursing a drink, being miserable about a girl who's left him. Either fits in the sports bar section or when Ben is drinking the Old Fashioned in the hotel in Tokyo.

8. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler
Ben's song of choice for karaoke. Traditional heartbreak song and easy to belt out drunk. I do not know this from experience, I hasten to add.

9. "The Robots" - Kraftwerk
A Doubleday recommendation, and it makes me think of the bit in the book with all the androids lined up in the Japanese shop.

10. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead
Purely for the title. And because I like it. :-)

11. "Digital Love" - Daft Punk

Had to put some Daft Punk in, and this one seemed to fit best. I put it at this point in the playlist because it would be at about the point where Ben and Tang are on Palau and, as the saying goes, 'shit gets real'.

12. "The Scientist" - Coldplay
Bollinger = mad scientist figure. But also, it feels to me that pretty much every line has relevance for the story.

13. "Mr Brightside" - The Killers

Placed here for the point where Ben feels that he is losing Amy all over again.

14. "We Are Family" - Sister Sledge

The end of the book is very much concerned with family. And it's a fun song.

15. "Happy" - Pharrell Williams

What can I say? I'm not sure I could bring myself to write an unhappy ending...perhaps I'll surprise myself one day. :-)

GoodRead - Mort

A few years ago, I did a readalong with Stevie of SableCaught fame of Murder of the Orient Express by Agatha Christie on Twitter. We planned to do a video on her channel and talk about our reactions to the book, so we met up, did the video (which has NEVER SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY because of the audio. And hopefully, because of this, we will NEVER SEE IT! EVER!) and chatted about Discworld as I was curious on the series and wondered where I would start. Stevie said this was the book to start, even though it's the fourth book in the series.

Death comes for us all. But when Death came for Mort, he offered Mort a job. What could possibly go on? A lot, is the answer. A lot.

Ok, I am going to start with this point before I go any further. I HATE THIS COVER! HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT!!! I know why this is the cover and I get why you lovely people love it but, in my opinion, it's awful. I trying to understand why Keli is wearing very very little - so much so that her boobs are going to pop out any second. I don't like how Mort is drawn. What is up with his neck. And with up with Ysabell? Where is Ysabell's body and isn't both Mort and Cutwell meant to be in their late teens/early twenties? And don't get me started on Death!

*exhales loudly* Sorry. I had to get that rant out of my system! I really dislike the cover, in case you didn't guess...

Ok, my reactions to the book. I am a tad mixed on this book.

My main reason, I think, is because I had such high expectation over this series - I mean, it's one of those series that everyone who reads adult fantasy read and love. So, the bar was always going to be high and, of course, the book was never going to reach my expectations.

But it's an interesting read. And an odd book.

For me, this is a good book to start with the Discworld series as the first half of the book touches on the weirdness of Discworld and, once the world is explained and the story gets on its feet (around 100 pages or so), I liked it. It wasn't what I was expecting.

Death is a character I love. As weird as that makes me sound, he intrigues me. He's a walking contradiction. He shouldn't meddle in human lives, and yet he finds us fascinating. He likes cats and has a horse called Binky. Oh, and he has an adopted daughter.

Yeah, this is the Grim Reaper as we know him.

I think tht's one of the reasons I liked this book. This book - ok, this series from my chats with "real" Discworld readers - takes fantasy very seriously. And yet, because it does, it knows where the humour lies. Its tongue is firmly in its cheek without making the world seem ridiculous or unreal, even though the Discworld is unreal and ridiculous.

But, like I said earlier on, I had high expectations over this book and it's my own fault that I didn't like it as much as I hoped. BUT I'M NOT GONNA GIVE UP! I won a beautiful hardback edition of Reaper Man and I have plans to read that and maybe one or two more Discworld books. When I feel brave enough to tackle them...

GoodRead - John Doe

This was meant to be my first read for a themed month I was planning for next month - Murder Month - but something happened (will reveal the news soon) so thought I would throw this at you now, rather than keep it on the back burner. And it's with one of my fave crime authors (and one I haven't read in AGES!), Tess Gerritsen with her eNovella, John Doe.

Dr Maura Isles is at a boring social event. So when a good looking young man chats her up, she's thrilled. And then... nothing. She can't remember anything about that night after he goes gets her a glass of champagne. She's at home, with Jane Rizzoli banging on her front door with two pieces of news. A man is dead - and he has Maura's address in his pocket...

As someone who follows the TV show, Rizzoli and Isles (which the book series is inspired from), this short story sounded very similar to an episode in season 4 called Killer in High Heels. This is one of the main reasons I held off reading this till now.

But once I started reading this, I realised that the two are very different. The TV show pushes Maura into a situation we have never seen her in - a prison. Whereas the book took a much darker turn in questioning how sexual assault is handled by the Police.

I was hooked in reading this - like I said, it's been FOREVER since I read Tess Gerritsen and I haven't got any of her latest books on my TBR pile! - and while I think most crime fans will read this and go "Typical eNovella thriller", I'm quite excited to go back to her again. It's been too long. Maybe I will reread Body Double (my first Tess Gerritsen), Vanish or The Mephisto Club... Or should I try her latest...?

GoodRead - The Dagger in the Desk

So, on my way home from the Fire Sermon blogger event, rather than read the book the event was about, I wanted to read something quick and addictive. I had a short train journey and the London Underground today was busy and I didn't want to use my newly signed copy as a weapon. So, to stop this from happening, I read my kindle and I read the eShort of Lockwood and Co. The Dagger In The Desk.

And yes, I haven't read the first book in the series. I KNOW! The great Jim from YA Yeah Yeah gave me a copy and it's sitting on my TBR shelf, waiting. And, as it's about ghosts, I'm trying not to give it eye contact. Otherwise, I am doomed. 

In Dagger In The Desk, London's (ok, not our London but another London) most talented psychic detective agency (and ghost hunters) are called on to investigate a ghost in St Simeon's Academy for Talented Youngsters. A ghost that lurks in the shadows, is angry and carries a very sharp and very real dagger. Will they survive the night...? 

I sped through this and I wished I have read the first book in the series, The Screaming Staircase. This was fun, fast-paced and funny. I can imagine The Screaming Staircase having very scary moments (one of the reasons am quite fearful to read ghost stories - am a bit of a wuss). 

But I flew through this and am very excited to read this series. Fans of the first book, I feel, will love this. It will tie you guys over till book 3 comes out later this year. 

For those of you curious over this series and wondering if this would be good starting point to see if you like the writing, I would say yes. You get a feel for the world (though I think Screaming Staircase will do a better, more in depth job) and with this, you get a tiny galley of the ghosts and an sneak peek of Screaming Staircase so if you like it and want to read more, you can read that and see if you like it.

I chose not to read the sneak peek as I want to be surprised when I read Screaming Staircase, but I had such fun reading Dagger in the Desk that I hope to enter this world again very soon... 

GoodRead - Swamp Bones

As you might be aware of you have been following my blog for quite a while, I am a bit of a Kathy Reichs fan. So, when I saw this pop up on NetGalley, I knew I had to get my kindle on it! 

Set in the Florida's Everglades, all Dr Temperance Brennan wanted was a holiday. A break from the chaos that is her life. But, sadly for her, she stumbles into a case. The bones of a foot, found inside the stomach of a python... Now, evidence shows that the python didn't kill the victim 

I really enjoyed reading this. It was fun and fast and very Tempe. It's been a while since I read Kathy Reichs (last year - I know, feels like ages!) and it feels like ages where we focused on the case and on Tempe's humour. The previous cases have focus not only on these two elements but on Ryan (her ex boyfriend), Katy (her daughter) or her ex-husband, Pete. And it was a bit refreshing to read solely on the case and the return of some of the technical jargon (well... on pythons, that is. Pythons are a big thing in this eNovella). 

Comparing this to Bones In Her Pocket, Kathy's first eNovella, I much prefer this story better. Now sure why, though as they are kinda the same vibe. 

But fans of Tempe will love this latest adventure with Tempe, although someone might want to tell Tempe to say in the morgue as going out  to do police business, alone, will get her killed one of these days...!

(PS - sneaky peek of Tempe's next book, Bones Never Lie, [that title always makes me this of the Sharika song, Hips Don't Lie. Is Kathy Reichs a secret Sharkia fan?] is in this and I am quite excited to read it. Either this or the two copies of Kathy Reichs I nabbed from a charity shop - Bones Are Forever [a secret James Bond fan?] and Fatale Voyage [one I won't be reading on a plane, I sense...])

#BondBrunch (Random House Blogger's Event)

How can I start this blogpost sound like a spy novel...?

At a top secret-ish location in London, a bunch of book bloggers met. Asked by Random House to see, chat and gush over books for their children's and YA list that will be published in the coming months. And I managed to tag along (thank you Luna's Little Library for allowing me to tag along)! So, I snuck in (under the alias of Regina - don't ask!) and after a good chat-up with all the other book bloggers (hello to you all!!!), we were split into four groups...

... to be "No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die!"

I'm kidding! I'm kidding. Honest!

What the Random House team decided to do was to have a speed-dating type thing - a speed book date, if you will. There were four tables and each team had its own title. These four titles were:- Fiction to Make You Ponder (aka the table that will make you cry), Swoon (aka the gushy table), Things That Go Bump In The Night (aka the table of fantasy and scariness) and Fantastical Fiction and Action Packed Adventure (aka the table everyone wanted to visit).

Because there's a few books I want to chat about, let me pick one/two books from each table and skim over it (there's one book I am leaving till the end because... well... in the worlds of River Song...)

So, let's start with FICTION TO MAKE YOU PONDER. From the man who wrote The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (John Boyne), Stay Where You Are And Then Leave is a story set in the First World War about a boy whose father leaves for a reason he doesn't truly understand. Until he discovers a letter on a train platform... Touching on themes of Post Traumatic Stress and what happens to those who are left waiting, I sense this book will be very important and will have most of its readers sobbing.

And Boy In The Tower by Polly Ho-Yen is going to be an interesting book. A mutant plant is growing, forcing people to leave their homes. But one boy can't leave his tower block. His mother refuses to leave. Soon, they can't leave. But there are other who didn't leave... Though it sounds like an alien book, it sounds and feels more a story about family - the family we are born into and then the family we make...

There's one book I want to touch upon in SWOON and that is If I Stay by Gayle Foreman. This is because the movie is coming out (I will pop the trailer at the bottom of the post...) and because I REALLY want to reread this book. So, with this new film edition (I know, film edition covers are usually awful, but If I Stay seems to break that rule, no?) cover, Mia is in a car with her family. Then there is an accident. Her parents are dead, her little brother is touch and go and Mia... well, Mia is looking down at her body and she has no idea what to do... All her choices are gone, bar one. To live or to die. To stay or to go...

I was very lucky to be given a copy of this (I misplaced my old hardback edition to If I Stay) so a reread is HAPPENING! Not sure when but soon. And you will know when I'm doing it as I shall be tweeting about the feels/the heartbreak this book will give me!

I really want to talk about all the books from the THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT table. But the Lockwood and Co series by Jonathan Stourd sounds awesome and scary, and Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller sounds very interesting (a few of us decided that this book could be desrcibled/have the tagline of "Like the movie Labyrinth but without the awful sexual awaking". (See? I told you all that I would put this in the blog) but the one that I REALLY want to talk to you guys about is Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens. An Agatha Christie style murder mystery with a sense of humour, diversity and the sentence "I am much too short to be the heroine of this story, and who ever heard of a chinese Sherlock Holmes?". And bunbreaks! This book I went out after the event and bought. Yep, I HAD to have this book!

Now, the FANTASTICAL FICTION AND ACTION PACKED ADVENTURE table. I am going to talk about two because the third is the next paragraph. So, Dragons at Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett is a collection of short stories which contain dragons, fast cars, dinosaurs and cavemen. If you can, WAIT FOR THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION! There will a heck of illustrations and they sound yummy! And now, the book everyone gasped over - The Iron Trail: The Magisterium by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. Call has been told never to trust a magician and to never go to the Magisterium... You can guess what happens next, don't you?

And now, the reason for the event. Random House is going to publish Young Bond. They have a new author and the first book sounds AWESOME! And we were very lucky to have the author, Steve Cole, talk to us about Shoot To Kill. From the little he could tell us, this will be set in 1930s in Hollywood, where something very wrong is happening in Tinseltown and it looks like one James Bond might find himself in the middle of it.

Steve is one very funny and very passionate guy and, after the event, he came with us to the pub to chat books (aka our plans to set up a Book Mafia and how we were going to make Malorie Blackman to be the next Prime Minster [#MalorieBlackmanForPM]). I shall also put the book trailer for Shoot To Kill at the end of the post as well.

So, what do you guys thinks? Are they any books that you are very excited over to read? I have a bunch and it looks like my bank account will hate me...

GoodRead - Unlucky 13

As you guys know, I do like listening to audiobooks. It's a rare treat, but if I can, I would try. So, when Teresa from Midas PR asked if I fancied reviewing an audiobook on behalf of Audible.co.uk, I jumped at the chance and looking over her email, I saw the latest James Patterson and I picked that.

Now, as you might be aware, I have a weird love/hate relationship with James Patterson. Years ago, when 3rd Degree was first released, I bought it on impulse and devoured it! Then, I went on a small James Patterson reading binge. But then, I got half way through a book (I can't remember which. I know it wasn't Mary Mary. Was it Cross?), I suddenly realised that James Patterson was, basically, repeating the same plot over and over again. Plus have you seen how many co-authors he works with? I stopped and when I tried to him, I felt myself getting angry and force myself to stop reading. But I have always had a soft spot for the Women's Murder Club series. So when I saw that the latest, Unlucky 13, was up for review, I had to go for it. Give the series one try and because 13 is my lucky number.

Two bodies are discovered in a wrecked car on Golden Gate Bridge, Detective Lindsay Boxer knows it's isn't a simple car accident. But what she sees shocks her: both victims died of belly bombs. As Lindsay tries to make sense of these belly bombs and the scary threat that a belly bomber is on the loose, Lindsay gets a phone call from her police buddies with shocking news: former colleague turned mass murderer Mackie Morales has been seen. She's come out of hiding. As Women's Murder Club member, Cindy, does her crime reporter digging, she discovers that Mackie's on the move... she's heading their way, back to San Francisco... And it's not a social visit...

Now, like I said before, I have a weird relationship with James Patterson. So imagine my surprise when I started listening to this audiobook and I was gripped within a few chapters! A tiny part of me thinks it's because of the narrator, January LaVoy, who just made the story gripping. Was it the music and sound effects (yes,there was sound effects and they were used to heighten tensions)? Was it that I found a James Patterson that I just worked with or was it because it was a Women's Murder Club.

But I was on the edge of my seat with some of its tension. Barring one of the three storylines within this not exactly being needed (it really kicks off just over the halfway mark), the book gets tense within the last 2 hours! I had to listen to the last few hours in one day!

This might make me go back into the books of James Patterson, but I might stay within the realms of the Women's Murder Club (or the story where Mackie Morales first appears. I want to know more about her twisted back story). But this was a good thriller that might make me not look at a hamburger in the same way again...

GoodRead - WayLand

This book came as a complete surprise. Jasmine from David Fickling Books/Random House emailed me one day and asked if I would be interested in reading Wayland. This book is very much outside my normal reading. Some people will read this as poetry and others as a retelling of a Viking legend. But I said yes because of Philip Pullman. He called this tale "enthralling" and as I was thinking of rereading one of Philip's novels, I said yes and read this book with a mic of excitement and wariness.

Based on a little-known legend, this tells the tale of Wayland, a blacksmith whose skills have made him know across the land. But also onto the ears of a greedy king who take Wayland into slavery. In an attempt to return to his swan-bride, Wayland must rely on his skills, courage and hope to survive.

You need to read this out loud. I feel like that I need to make this clear. It is written in verse and, while reading in your head is alright, reading it out loud helps a lot to get the heartbeat (as I call it) of the story and Tony's writing. Because of reading it out loud, you fall under he story's spell.

And as for John Lawrence's illustrations, they fit the story perfectly. It has the feel of hand-carved block press and this fits with the story as it gives a feel of the time when this story takes place.

And for those of you thinking "This sounds a bit like a Disney tale", it isn't. There is a few moment of violence and one grown-up moment so... yeah... moving on!

But I really enjoyed reading this. And if you are a fan of proses and/or Viking tales, I think you all love this!

GoodRead - Bones In Her Pocket

Another day, another Kathy Reichs review. This time, Tempe's first short story/eNovella - Bones in Her Pocket.

Dr Temperence Brennan has seen a lot of disturbing things in her line of work. But when she's asked to the foothills of North Carolina, she goes thinking she's going to find bones. Expect she has a bone of a young woman on her hands. And then she discovers something weird in the dead girl's pocket. Discovering this will set off a chain of events that will make Tempe discover something truly disturbing...

I liked this. Of course I'm going to say this. I like Kathy Reichs and I manage to read this over the course of two days (from some readers on Goodreads, they read it within an hour) and it was interesting to have a story move this quickly.

As weird as this sounds, I would have liked a tiny bit longer. Just so we got a little more detail. But the story is good. And we have no subplot - we are focused solely on the case. None of Tempe's lovelife dramas. And when we touch on the subject, it's very brief and... well... Tempe shoots it down. Like she would in the novels, but at least with the novels, they are there and make themselves known to the readers.

I think the eNovella might confuse some newer readers to the series as Kathy doesn't spend time introducing characters but this would be a good thing so new readers can read this and see if they like Reichs's writing style and Tempe's dry humour.

And with this, series fans can read this and enjoy something tying them over till the next novel, Bones of the Lost, comes out (I reviewed this last month - here's the link for you guys!).

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 - Callum

I know some of you guys are huge Noughts and Crosses fans. So the fact I say I haven’t read any books (barring An Eye for An Eye a few years back) might shock. “And you call yourself a YA book blogger” I hear one or two of you cry (I still find that odd. Being called a book blogger. And yet, I accept it now whereas a few years ago [and at the Hot Key Books/Templar book blogger event a few days ago], I would be very “Oh no! No, I’m faking it! No one’s twigged yet but I’m here for the free cake!”). Well, I do have every intention to read Noughts and Crosses (it’s on my kindle) after someone at my temp job recommended it to me. And I am going to reread An Eye for an Eye when I do so. But, I wanted to read something fast, hence why I read Callum.

Callum is a “What If” story. Told from Callum’s point of view, he tells the story of what if… what if, instead of deciding one important decision in Noughts and Crosses (as I haven’t read, you will have to pardon my lacking of information), he decided something different. Would his fate be the same as in Noughts and Crosses? Or would it be completely different? Now, “What if” is a dangerous thing to ask any storyteller in whatever medium. Hence why there are so many “what if?” books/TV shows/movies out there. It sits in the person’s brain and then, that all they can think about. “What if…?”

Sorry, am rambling. Anyway, as you know I haven't read the series but this is very much a fan read. If you're a fan of the series, you will love it. More Callum and Stephy? I sense you guys want that! As someone who knows very little of the series, I did find certain things the characters mentioned a bit of a "Huh?" moment, but I really enjoyed the story. I read it in over an hour and was a little upset when the story came to an end (HOW COULD IT END THERE?!) And with a teaser of Noughts and Crosses at the back, I devoured that. I'm quite excited to read Noughts and Crosses now. But that will have to wait for a while, sadly. So many books, so little time...

I wish the story was longer, but yes, I thoroughly enjoyed Callum. I will be checking out more of Malorie Blackman in the near future...

GoodRead - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

I have to admit something. I adore the Disney versions (both the animation and the Tim Burton version - "The Alice?"), but I have never read Lewis Carroll's stories of them. I knew they were two stories of Alcie adventures merged together, but never read them. So, when the lovely Emma from Book Angel Booktopia sent me a copy as a surprise (I love her because she thinks of books and shares them with people), I thought "Ok, I will have to read you in the near future." But it took reading several quite dark books and me beginning to feel I might slip into a reading slump to grab this.

I think we all know the stories. In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice falls down a rabbit hole, chasing the White Rabbit. Here she meets the Dodo, had tea with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, play croquet the Queen of Hearts and met (my fave character) the Cheshire Cat. In Through The Looking Glass, Alice walks through a mirror into world that feels like a huge chess game, meets the Red and White Queens, talk to some talking flowers, was told the tale of the Jabberwock ("She kills my Jabber-baby-wocky!?") and meets Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

It's very weird to read this as an adult because, I think, if I read this as a child, I would have loved it. And a tiny part of me love it. But while I was reading it now, as an adult, all I could think was "If Lewis Carroll tried to get this publish today, he couldn't. It would near impossible to get this publish today. So, how did this become a children's classic?" That was what I was thinking. I wondered how it became a classic. I think Disney help cement it, but I might be wrong.

It was weird. And insane. And I needed that. So, this was the perfect book to have after reading dark books as it was a relief. There was no pressure. And, I watched Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and I kept going "Oh, this was in Alice in Wonderland" or "Oh! That's why her knights are chess pieces!" or "So, that's why we have the Bandersnatch, the Jubjub Bird and the Vorpal Sword! They're mentioned in the Jabberwocky poem!" (I didn't know Lewis Carroll wrote the Jabberworky poem so this was very new information for me!)

I did have issues when I first finished the book but, since then, I have watched an Alice In Wonderland so some of my issues have gone. Bar one. And this is aimed more at the publishers than you guys so...

To my knowledge, before a book gets published, publishers have editors and proofreaders to read the book and make sure that there are no mistakes in the book. However, I found TONS of mistakes. TONS! Most of them were grammar mistakes (for example, Alice would think something and then she would speak. Expect you had no idea when the thought ended and the speaking began because there was no quotation marks at the start of Alice speaking. Or the one sentence when Alice was playing croquet and the sentence read She she went in search of her hedgehog. Sorry, but she she? Only one she is needed). Small mistakes and yet, these slipped through and they got published. If this happened once or twice, I would have let it go, but these kind of mistakes happened ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE BOOKS! And that is very annoying to a reader. Well, to this reader. I can't speak for all of you guys.

I know this happens rarely (this is the first book that this has happened since I have started blogging - if not, ever!) but it's makes reading the book harder as you're going "Is that how it's meant to be...?"

While I do like it and I now truly "get" the Alice movies, I have been bought up on the Disney movies so my love is going towards them. But, if you want to read what the movies are based on, then get your hands on a copy (maybe not this edition, if you can help it)...