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Book Review: In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume

Posted on by Libby Price

In The Unlikely Event

I am a 40 something – and therefore grew up reading Enid Blyton, Sweet Valley High and then Judy Blume books.  In fact, I could probably, a quarter of a century on, still find you the rude bits in the book ‘Forever’!  So when I read in Red Magazine that Ms Blume had written a new book I was very excited and downloaded it immediately.  I do recall now that the interview was with the author herself and there wasn’t a review of the book – that should have set alarm bells ringing, but it didn’t.

Here is what the Amazon blurb says about the book:

“In 1987, Miri Ammerman returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration of the worst year of her life.

Thirty-five years earlier, when Miri was fifteen and in love for the first time, three planes fell from the sky within three months, leaving a community reeling. Against this backdrop of actual events in the early 1950s, when airline travel was new and exciting and everyone dreamed of going somewhere, Judy Blume weaves a haunting story of three generations of families, friends, and strangers, whose lives are for ever changed in the aftermath.”

So, back in November 2015 I started reading ‘In The  Unlikely Event’.  I tried really hard to get into it – but there seemed to be hundreds of characters, vaguely linked to each other, and no real connections.  It was really, really boring.

I took it with me on my Kindle for a long haul return flight and 10 day holiday over Christmas and New Year.  Admittedly  the 4 kids were with us – but I didn’t get my Kindle out once.  This is not like me at all.  I just wasn’t inspired to read it.

In January I tried again a few times, but still couldn’t get to grips with it.

I am not normally one to give up on a book – hey, I waded through the whole of The Goldfinch – and since I started reviewing books on here I’ve finished every one.  But I have decided that life is too short to persevere with something that is not giving you joy (or emotions of some sort other than boredom and frustration).

So we will remain ‘Forever’ fans of the Judy Blume of our teenage years and not this book.

 

Book Review: Ours Souls At Night by Kent Haruf

Posted on by Libby Price

Our Souls at Night

I wanted to read something different – and out of my usual comfort zone – and this was recommended in Red Magazine – so I went for it.

Here’s the Amazon blurb:

“Addie Moore’s husband died years ago, so did Louis Waters’ wife, and, as neighbours in Holt, Colorado they have naturally long been aware of each other. With their children now far away both live alone in houses empty of family. The nights are terribly lonely, especially with no one to talk to. Then one evening Addie pays Louis an unexpected visit.

Their brave adventures-their pleasures and their difficulties-form the beating heart of Our Souls at Night. Kent Haruf’s final novel is an exquisite and moving story about love and growing old with grace. It is a lasting tribute to the extraordinary author who wrote it.”

I was initially a bit confused as to how it was written.  Often the lines are being said by people in conversation – but there are no speech marks or ‘he said’ / ‘she said’ – you kind of just have to go with the flow – and once I was in the swing of it, I totally ‘got’ it.

It is a really beautiful book. It follows the stories of Addie and Louis – and in part Addie’s son and grandson – and is very beautifully and innocently told.  You really feel you get to know Addie and Louis and it is incredibly moving.

It’s only a short book – and all the more poignant as Kent Haruf passed away shortly after writing it – but I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a heart!

Book Review: Paris for One by Jojo Moyes

Posted on by Libby Price

Paris for One

“Bestselling author Jojo Moyes brings us a charming and heart-warming short story in association with Quick Reads.
Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She has never even been on a weekend away with her boyfriend. Everyone knows she is just not the adventurous type.
But, when her boyfriend doesn’t turn up for their romantic mini-break, Nell has the chance to prove everyone wrong.
Alone in Paris, Nell meets the mysterious moped-riding Fabien and his group of carefree friends. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life?”

I hadn’t heard of ‘Quick Reads’ before – but having just read another Jojo Moyes book ‘After You’ and not wanting to get started on another ‘big’ book on the last day of a break away, this seemed like the perfect thing to download – and I wasn’t disappointed.

Initially I thought Nell was a bit annoying, and I wanted to give her a bit of a talking to about being a doormat with her loser boyfriend, and not trusting her mates more – but I think that was exactly the emotion the author was trying to engender!

As the book goes on you do find yourself rooting for Nell and her new found bravery.

It also made me reminisce about when I ‘almost’ went to work in the Paris office of the accountancy firm I worked for – the partner over there who wanted me to go had great faith in me (even thought I’d told him I would only be able to work speaking French if I kept a plentiful supply of red wine on the go at all times!)  This is also the important person, who when I asked him what sandwich he wanted for a lunchtime meeting in Leicester said I could chose – so I went for a ‘roast beef’ one – at the height of the ‘mad cow’ crisis.  Thankfully he was a Frenchman with a sense of humour!  I often wonder what would have happened if I had braved it in Paris – but that would have been for 18 months plus – Nell’s weekend sounds like a much more sensible starter option.

Although I suspect she will be back!

A lovely, fun, ‘quick read’!

Book Review: After You by Jojo Moyes

Posted on by Libby Price

After You

I, along with most of the world it would seem, really enjoyed ‘Me Before You’.  Enjoyed in a sobbing snotfest kind of way – but enjoyed none the less!  So I was excited to see there was to be a sequel.  This is what Amazon had to say about it:

“Lou Clark has lots of questions.
Like how it is she’s ended up working in an airport bar.
Whether her family can ever forgive her.
And will she ever get over the love of her life.
What she knows for certain is that something has to change.
Then it does.
But does the stranger on her doorstep hold the answers Lou is searching for?
Close the door and life continues: simple, ordered, safe.
Open it and she risks everything.
But Lou once made a promise to live. And if she’s going to keep it, she has to invite them in . . .”

Firstly – you don’t have to have read ‘Me Before You’ for this book to work (although I would highly recommend that you do just because it’s a bloody good book)  ‘After You’ would work as a standalone book – and it references back where necessary, but not overly – so you wouldn’t feel like you were missing any ‘in jokes’ if you hadn’t read the prequel.

It follows Lou’s life now – and that of her family and Will’s family. It has a totally different ‘vibe’ to ‘Me Before You’ – and I would say is funnier, more fast paced and varied – but it somehow lacks the ‘heart’ of ‘Me Before You’ – and there wasn’t any snotty sobbing going on at the end this time.

I really enjoyed it – it was a good, easy, escapist read – and it did have such a lot to live up to.  Going for something completely different was definitely the right way to go.  I enjoyed finding out what had happened to Lou – and some of the twists and turns were really clever (I had to flick back and see if I’d missed the obvious clues to one certain revealing of parentage). It had a real air of ‘Bridget Jones’ at times – particularly the slightly disfunctional relationship of Lou’s parents –  but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

Overall I would recommend it – as I would every Jojo Moyes book I’ve read.  Writing a sequel to such an international best seller such as ‘Me Before You’ is always going to have that ‘difficult second album’ issues – but this was still a good, fun read.  Makes me slightly nervous of when me 12 year old is a few years older though………….

Book Review: The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett

Posted on by Libby Price

The Versions of Us

“What if you had said yes . . . ?
Eva and Jim are nineteen, and students at Cambridge, when their paths first cross in 1958. Jim is walking along a lane when a woman approaching him on a bicycle swerves to avoid a dog.
What happens next will determine the rest of their lives.
We follow three different versions of their future – together, and apart – as their love story takes on different incarnations and twists and turns to the conclusion in the present day.
The Versions of Us is an outstanding debut novel about the choices we make and the different paths that our lives might follow.
What if one small decision could change the rest of your life?”

The Versions of Us was a Red Magazine recommended read for the summer – and so I borrowed it from our local library (get me!)  It was actually quite a novelty to read a proper book, as, despite waiting a long time to be convinced that a Kindle was a good idea, I now rarely read in any other format.

The book follows the stories of Eva and Jim and how their futures pan out dependent on the decisions made at their initial meeting (think Sliding Doors – 1990s film reference there #ontrend).  It is beautifully written and follows their lives through from 1958 to the present day – with many major life events happening throughout the book.  It is very clever in that many of the same events happen in all 3 possible versions (reminding me quite a lot of the recent critically acclaimed TV drama ‘The Affair’).

Occasionally I did get a bit confused – particularly with Eva and Jim’s children and grandchildren – as in each scenario this is one major difference, and I would sometimes forget which was which – but this is my only slight criticism.

It crosses decades and countries effortlessly, and the writing (and editing – I am such a book geek!) is excellent.  It must have been so complicated to ensure that everything stacked up properly in each scenario and in the scenes that featured in more than one version.

It is interesting that in all 3 versions I liked Eva, but my feelings for Jim changed significantly.  Also, I liked the fact that none of the versions were perfect – it wasn’t a typical love story where boy meets girl and lives happily ever after in any of the scenarios.

I would definitely recommend this book – and look forward to reading more novels by Laura Barnett in the future.

Book review: Liar Liar by M J Arlidge

Posted on by Libby Price

Liar Liar

I have really enjoyed the first 3 books in the DI Helen Grace series (Eeny Meeny, Pop Goes the Weasel, The Doll’s House – in that order – as obviously my OCD wouldn’t let me list them in anything other than chronological order!) and so was very excited to see this pop up on my Kindle.  I’d forgotten I’d pre-ordered it (got to love Amazon!)

Because of pre-ordering, I hadn’t read the blurb – but here it is for you:

“In the dead of night, three raging fires light up the city skies. It’s more than a tragic coincidence. For DI Helen Grace the flames announce the arrival of an evil she has never encountered before.

Because this is no firestarter seeking sick thrills, but something more chilling: a series of careful, calculating acts of murder.

But why were the victims chosen? What’s driving the killer? And who will be next?

A powder keg of fear, suspicion and dread has been laid. Now all it needs is a spark to set it off . . .”

Again it was set in Southampton – where I went to Uni (and so I can feel a bit smug that I know how to pronounce Bevois Valley) – and again it was a grim race against time to protect the people of my home for 3 years from a serial killer.  As usual I loved the mix of police investigation and the personal lives of the main detectives – DI Helen Grace, but also her right hand woman Charlie.  The ‘working Mum guilt’ is bad enough as an accountant – but how much tougher it must be when your job puts you in physical danger.

The twists and turns were excellent – as I’ve come to expect from this writer both in his books, and when I see his name pop up as the writer of a similar genre of TV programmes.

I don’t think you would need to have read the first 3 books to enjoy this – but I would definitely recommend starting from the beginning if you haven’t already.

And, I’ve just downloaded the next in the series ‘Little Boy Blue’ to arrive in March 2016 – which I will probably have forgotten about by then, and it will be another lovely surprise!

Book Review: The Lie by C L Taylor

Posted on by Libby Price

The Lie

“This was no accident…

Haunting, compelling, this psychological thriller will have you hooked. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Daughter.

I know your name’s not really Jane Hughes . . .

Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She’s happier than she’s ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist.

Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should have been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two of the women.

Jane has tried to put the past behind her but someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won’t stop until they’ve destroyed Jane and everything she loves . .”

This was recommended to me by a friend on Twitter – and we usually have similar tastes in books, so I had high hopes.  I wasn’t disappointed.

From early on I was intrigued as to what was going to happen both in the present day story and back 5 years ago on the ‘trip of a lifetime’.  The chapters flipped between the 2 time periods, but it didn’t feel formulaic at all.  The tension kept building in both story lines and it really kept me wanting to come back and read more.

There were a few times when I wanted to shout at Emma / Jane – as is often the case in these types of books – but overall I did like her (which is always a bonus – and makes a big difference from Gone Girl where everyone was unlikeable!)

It felt well written, and whilst keeping you entertained, wasn’t too complex a read.  I’d definitely recommend this to fans of this genre.

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Book Review: Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Posted on by Libby Price

I realised that whilst my kids go at least once a week, I hadn’t used my local library for nearly 2 years!! A new found love of my Kindle – and being given books to review – meant I hadn’t actually borrowed anything for myself for all of that time. So I decided to rectify the situation and borrowed ‘Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery’ by Jenny Colgan.

Summer At Beach Street Bakery

As usual – here’s the Amazon blurb:

“Summer has arrived in the Cornish town of Mount Polbearne and Polly Waterford couldn’t be happier. Because Polly is in love: she’s in love with the beautiful seaside town she calls home, she’s in love with running the bakery on Beach Street, and she’s in love with her boyfriend, Huckle.

And yet there’s something unsettling about the gentle summer breeze that’s floating through town. Selina, recently widowed, hopes that moving to Mount Polbearne will ease her grief, but Polly has a secret that could destroy her friend’s fragile recovery. Responsibilities that Huckle thought he’d left behind are back and Polly finds it hard to cope with his increasingly long periods of absence.

Polly sifts flour, kneads dough and bakes bread, but nothing can calm the storm she knows is coming: is Polly about to lose everything she loves?”

It was a lovely, easy, holiday read. Not earth shattering literature – but a fun escapist romp and I was keen to find out what happened next!

Some of it is a little far fetched (pet puffin anyone?!) and some a little predictable (I immediately guessed the culprit for the graffiti on the side of the van) but overall a pleasant book to read.

It reminded me very much of the style of Jenny Oliver, whose books I’ve reviewed before.

I’m not sure I’d rush to buy all of Ms Colgan’s back catalogue – but perfect as a library book.  I think I might have to go and  borrow the first book in the series to see how Polly got to Mount Polbearne in the first place.

Book Review: Saving Grace by Jane Green

Posted on by Libby Price

Saving Grace

“A perfect stranger wants her perfect life.

Grace Chapman has the perfect life, living comfortably with her husband, bestselling author Ted, in a picture-perfect farmhouse on the Hudson River in New York State.

Then Ted advertises for a new assistant, and Beth walks into their lives. Organized, passionate and eager to learn, Beth quickly makes herself indispensable to Ted and his family. But Grace soon begins to feel side-lined in her home – and her marriage – by this ambitious younger woman.

Is Grace just paranoid, as her husband tells her, or is there more to Beth than first thought?”

I downloaded this because it was a bargain on Amazon for my Kindle – but for once, this was a good method of choosing a book!

I enjoyed it from the start.  I really liked Grace – and was rooting for her throughout.  There were some flashbacks to her youth – but these felt like they were needed for part of the story and weren’t contrived.  The story also flipped between the US and UK – but both felt really well written (and from looking afterwards, I can see that Jane Green has lived in both countries – and that is evident in the believability (is that a word?!) of both locations.

I felt it was very well written – and the recipes at the end of certain chapters were fabulous – I will definitely be cooking some of them in the future!!

Overall a fabulous escapist read.  Another triumph for Ms Green.

Book Review: A Meditation on Murder by Robert Thorogood

Posted on by Libby Price

I was offered a copy of this by Mumsnet to review – and never one to turn down the opportunity of a free book – I jumped at the chance.

A Meditation on Murder

I must confess at this point that I have never watched the BBC series ‘Death in Paradise’ – it has always struck me as something my 86 year old Nan would like – real ‘Sunday night telly’ in the style of Bergerac but on a slightly more exotic island than Jersey. (Got to love a 1980s TV reference!) However – I’ve seen enough trailers to know what the original main cast looked like – and their mugshots are also on the back of the book – so the characters were immediately pictured in my head.

Here’s what Amazon says about it (and it’s pretty much the first page of the book too).

“An original story from the creator and writer of the hit BBC One TV series, Death in Paradise, featuring on-screen favourite detective, DI Richard Poole.

Enhance your enjoyment of the series as, for the first time, Robert Thorogood brings the characters to life on the page in an all-new locked-room mystery.

Aslan Kennedy has an idyllic life: leader of a spiritual retreat for wealthy holidaymakers on one of the Caribbean’s most unspoilt islands, Saint Marie. Until he’s murdered, that is. The case seems open and shut: when Aslan was killed he was inside a locked room with only five other people, one of whom has already confessed to the murder.

Detective Inspector Richard Poole is hot, bothered, and fed up with talking to witnesses who’d rather discuss his ‘aura’ than their whereabouts at the time of the murder. But he also knows that the facts of the case don’t quite stack up. In fact, he’s convinced that the person who’s just confessed to the murder is the one person who couldn’t have done it. Determined to track down the real killer, DI Poole is soon on the trail, and no stone will be left unturned.”

You are immediately transported to a spiritual retreat in the Caribbean – having been to a similar place in St Lucia, I could really imagine being there (rather than in a slightly damp West Midlands which is where I was actually reading the book).  The author really evokes the feeling of the tropical island throughout the book.

The prologue sets the scene (and at the end of the book I had to go back and read it again to see if I’d missed any clues) but within a few pages the murder has been committed and Aslan is dead.  The story then follows the murder investigation.

DI Richard Poole (a UK police officer now based in the Caribbean) hates the sun, sand and sea and living in Saint Marie.  His people skills are rubbish – but I must admit to really liking him.  His geekiness, analytical mind and sand-phobia all making him rather similar to me………

I have to say that I did guess the means of the murder very early on – if not the definite culprit or the reasons why – and I found myself shouting at the book a bit because neither the DI or his colleagues had sussed it out.

There are loads of twists and turns, with red herrings and seemingly random bits (the removal of the lizard from Richard’s ‘house’?) – but I can see how it would make great TV. In fact it almost feels like it’s been written for the TV rather than as a book.  There are a few places where the plot to date is summarised – like it’s the start of a new episode.  One thing I did really like is that at a three or four junctures in the book, the contents of the white board in the police station are written down giving details of the victim, suspects etc – and that was great – and I guess something, as a reader, you are always doing in your head.

The conclusion of the book comes quite quickly – and all the loose ends are very cleverly wrapped up.

Overall I did enjoy the book.  It was very ‘nice’ and ‘harmless’ in the traditional style of an Agatha Christie or Murder She Wrote episode. It was well written, excellent at bringing about the character of the Caribbean and concluded well.  It made a nice change from some of the more psychological and graphic thrillers that seem to be the genre of the moment. A pleasant, easy summer read.

Now maybe I’ll lend it to my 86 year old Nan…………