Quickie Catch-Up

It’s been a while since I actually sat down and wrote a post about reading. I have been radio-silence for a while for a few weeks (sorry about that). Let me explain why it’s taken so long – laziness. There’s no other excuse. Sometimes, you need to reset and take your time to enjoy yourself. I don’t need to review every story I read/audiobook, right? Plus I did start then put down several titles because I wasn’t in the right mindset for them (Broken Light by Joanne Harris, Old Babes In The Wood by Margaret Atwood, and several others).

Also, I was binge-watching a lot of TV. I have, finally, caught up with Succession (well, that didn’t go in a direction I was expecting and, at the same time, it did. Satisfyingly so) and I have started Pokerface (which I am thoroughly enjoying).

So, here I am. Touching base with a small write up on a few books I’ve read and maybe a plan for the next few weeks as I’m thinking of taking a short blog holiday at the end of July/start of August. Just for a week or two, nothing major, but want to do some other non-blog related things before I can back for a summer of reading (I feel like I should have a theme for August reading. Thoughts?)

Since my last posts (Sara Barnard’s Where the Light Goes and Tales from Beyond the Raindow by Pete Jordi Wood), I have read/audiobook three books and just started a book (which I am going to mention before I sign off this post) and I am going to touch all each of the read titles now. Now, all of these were gifted to me from publishers either direct or via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and, if I can, I will include affiliate links for these titles, though I believe one is only available as an ebook at the present so no link to that one, sadly.

If I Made a TV Soundtrack for... HIDEOUS BEAUTY

It's been a while since I've done a music-themed post linked to a book I've read or am desperate to be turned into a TV show/movie. But when I read Hideous Beauty by William Hussey earlier this year (review for that is here, in case you're curious), I had a strong reaction to it. I thought it would make a good UK TV version of 13 Reasons Why (I can see this on Netflix or BBC iPlayer/BBC Three) and, for the first time in a very long time, I started listening to music and going "Oooh, this fits" and "That song would be perfect for this moment here". 

Which makes a weirdly mixed list of music. And, as today is Hideous Beauty's bookish birthday, I thought I would pick some for the music songs that I would use if I was in charge of the music playlist if this was turned into a TV series.

No, I'm not going to put spoilers in my reasons and I'm not going to put all songs on my list down (five, maybe? If there are a few songs I want to have an Honourable Mention, I will put at the bottom of the post. So, get your headphones and have a listen.

Badass Devil Darling Ladies

BLOG TOUR TIME!!! And we are dealing with spies!

Devil Darling Spy is the sequel to the shortlisted Costa Children's Book of the Year 2018, Orphan Monster Spy, and we return to Sarah who, after her last mission, is back in Nazi Berlin, spying her way through champagne-filled parties. But not for long as she is thrown into a dangerous journey into  central Africa to stop the mysterious White Devil who is planning to unleash a deadly virus, using it as a weapon...

So... try not to watch or read the current news when reading this, ok?

I am thrilled to have Matt Killeen on the Pewter Wolf, chatting about the top 5 badass women in fiction. Because why the heck not!

Now, before I hand it over to Matt, I just want to thank him for writing this guest post in such a short time (I kept "oooh" and "erm"ing over what we wanted this post to be!) and to both Katarina and Jessica at Usborne for allowing me on this tour and helping me out!

Also, if you want to say hi to Matt, pop over to his Twitter at @by_Matt_Killeen and if you want to know more about Devil Darling Spy, you can pop over to Usborne for more info. Now, Matt's top 5 fictional badasses!

Book Review - Hideous Beauty

• Title And Author: Hideous Beauty by William Hussey
• Publisher: Usborne
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Physical
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by publisher in exchange for honest review/reaction
• Length: 336 Pages

OMG! Am writing a blogpost reaction to a book! Which isn’t out yet! For several months! For once, i’m AHEAD OF THE GAME!!! And before you ask, I might be coming down with a cold but barring that, this is unheard of for me! 

Ok, I am going to say I was’t really away till I started chatting to the author, William Hussey, on Twitter. I’m out of the loop on most things, so when he asked if the publisher could send me a copy of his debut, I was “Ok, why not”. Then I read more of the blurb (not much, but enough) and I went “I need this in my life as soon as!”. I mean, an thriller with a gay romance at its heart? Sign me up! Plus, I knew I would be in the mood for a thriller this time of year - screw soppy romance novels, give me murdery reads!

After his secret relationship with Ellis is exposed on social media, Dylan has the come out. But, to his surprise, everyone is really kind and supportive. Or at least, seem to be. So when Ellis’s car loses control and things take a tragic turn, Dylan begins to realise that he knows very little about the boy he love and the people around him. But Dylan knows he has to figure out the truth… no matter how painful and heartbreaking it could be…

GoodRead - Money Run (Guest Review)

When I was offered to read Money Run, I was interested but I knew I couldn't find the time to read it due the HUGE amount of books I have at the moment. BUT, the Person I'm With (aka Dan) read the brief and said he would read it on my behalf. So, THANK YOU! And now, here is a quick Q&A review. Hope you like!

What made you decide to read Money Run when I was giving the brief?
It sounded interesting and kinda like what I would normally read, which are adult thrillers! I didn’t realise quite how big the step down from adult to young adult is, meaning there isn’t nearly as much graphic detail, bloody scenes or swearing. I also don’t think many authors would torture a child, especially in YA.

So, what is the story of Money Run?
It’s about two teenagers who meet at a younger age, when both trying to steal the same cake! YES CAKE! Several years and lots of thefts later, they get an anonymous tip about a £200m item owned by a billionaire businessman. And from there it all hits the fan with, flames, cars, guns, hitmen, government assassins, anthrax, policemen and gold. SHINY GOLD!

How did you feel about the main characters of Ash and Benjamin?
I have to say I’m not a fan, they are children and thieves! Bad parenting? I think so!!! These are children, and they are breaking into a billionaire’s office! When I got over that rant, I feel they were good and bounced off each other well, couple in the making? Yes.

Did the story hit the ground running or did it take its time for you to find your footing?
It didn’t grab me like an adult thriller would, but to be fair it took me a while to get over the above rant. BUT, once I did, it was addictive and kept me interested. I wouldn’t say I thought about the book all the time but it did get me thinking a lot. I have to admit I guessed the ending (the main twists) pretty early on, but it didn’t affect the amount I enjoyed the book.

I know you read a lot of adult thriller-type novels, like James Barrington and Vince Flynn. How did this compare to the novels you read?
I don’t think I can really compare the to for a few reasons. Firstly, reading this was like watching the story from the ‘bad guys’ point of view, the thieves, unlike from the government agents point of view ‘good guys’. Secondly, there is a bigger difference from ‘young adult’ to’ adult’ books than I realised. Finally, this was written like the thieves are being the good guys which still doesn’t make sense in my head.
From an action point of view, it was toned down compared to an adult thriller, but not to the point it was boring, which I feel is good. This could easily have been an adult book with a few tweaks, but I think young adult was the right target audience for this storyline.

What did you like about this book?
I liked it for a start, it was good, and I think I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads. My three favourite bits were - Firstly the twists, very good ideas and I like the way the story came together in the end. Secondly, the romance, even though it wasn’t there it kinda was at the same time, and kept it open for future books, sneaky love if you like. Thirdly, the actions scenes were good, especially the car scenes.

Was there anything that you didn’t like?
Two things I wasn’t keen on - firstly the children thieves I have mentioned already, and secondly also mentioned, the guessable twists.

To summarise in a sentence - I enjoyed the book, the action, the lead characters and the way it came together nicely. Will I read another one? Maybe, depends if the brief grabs my attention.

Jack Heath Guest Blog!

To celebrate the launch of his novel, Money Run, in the United Kingdom, author Jack Heath wanted to take over the blog and chat about how he researched and how extreme he research took him while writing Money Run. All yours, Jack!

When you spend your life writing about safe-cracking, skydiving and bomb-defusing, the fastest way to lose your readers is to skimp on the research. They're already suspending as much disbelief as they can. The more preposterous the story you're building, the more solid the foundations have to be.

This is a great excuse to do things that are outside your comfort zone. You may not be able to find a real-life bomb to disarm, but your characters will need other skills. For Money Run, I wrote a scene in which the protagonist drove a stolen sports car off the roof of a skyscraper. I signed up for a defensive driving course beforehand, in order to learn how my car would handle high speeds in hazardous conditions. Not well, as it turns out. One of the exercises found an instructor sitting in my passenger seat as the car roared towards a stack of traffic cones at 110 km per hour. At the last second he'd shout either “left!” or “right!” Even on the few occasions in which I swerved the correct way, I always knocked over the cones.

It's not always a specific scene which prompts such a venture. Sometimes opportunities just arise. My brother, Tom, is an actor. Thanks to his connections, I was able to join a group of professional stuntmen as they learned how to handle firearms. It was with them that I learned never to write a scene in which a character takes aim, pulls the trigger, and upon hearing a click, realises that her pistol is empty. As it turns out, the chamber of almost any handgun will pop open as soon as the last round is fired, so it's impossible not to know when you're out of bullets. I also learned that no smart protagonist would fire two semi-automatics simultaneously – even if it were somehow possible to aim, the muzzle-flash would burn both hands, and the recoil would probably cause the character to shoot himself in the wrist. Unfortunately, I learned this too late for my first novel, The Lab.

The desire for authentic research is a suitable replacement for bravery. I once abseiled down a sixty-metre cliff face in the Australian outback. As I waddled backwards towards the edge, the rope clenched in my sweaty fist, trying not to look down, trying not to listen to the distant clatter of the pebbles I'd dislodged, it wasn't guts that kept me going. It was greed, and the knowledge that this experience would make a great opening chapter.

It's all well and good to seek these opportunities out, but the very best research is usually the kind that sneaks up on you – sometimes literally. I was snorkelling off the coast of Queensland as a 17-year old boy when Tom grabbed my wrist, and I followed his gaze to see a two-metre shark lying on the sand below us. Its dorsal fin was almost within arm's reach. We both floated in silence as the current towed us towards two other sharks, lying as still as shipwrecks. We'd inadvertently swum into a breeding ground. My heart leapt up my throat when the sharks launched themselves off the ocean floor, stirring up a blizzard of sand. When I could see again, they were gone.

Tom later told me that they had been lemon sharks, a species which rarely attacks humans, and so far has never been the official culprit of a fatality. I didn't find this as reassuring as he intended it to be – but recollections of the fear have helped me write several shark attack scenes since then.

But personal experience has its limits. I've never defused a bomb, or picked the lock in a set of handcuffs. I've never been infected with anthrax, or attacked by a gorilla. If I refused to write about these things just because I'd never done them, my books would be half as long and a third as interesting. Instead, I bridge the gaps by reading books whose authors have done them. Christopher Hitchens has been water-boarded. Ian Fleming commanded a unit of commandos during WW2. Philip K. Dick was investigated by the FBI (and now he actually is a robot.)

No one person's life has ever matched the combined intrigue of a hundred books. That's why, when I research, I rarely go any further than my library. The events listed above are mere exceptions. An interesting life is a wonderful thing to aspire to. But whether you're a writer or not, it's equally important to read about the lives of others – real and fictitious alike.

(Quick thanks to Jack writing this guest post and Liz for setting this up! THANK YOU!)