The Bears On The Stairs - Julia Jarman & Lynne Chapman

Publisher: Anderson
Genre: Children's Books/Fiction
Stars: 5

This is an adorable children's book, beautifully illustrated and brimming over with colourful imagination.
Are there really bears on the stairs or is it just the clever tactics of a little boy who doesn't want to go to bed?
This is engaging, funny and sweet and the cat is a brilliant sidekick to the little boy.
I had more fun reading this than my child did.

Finding Emma - Matthew Iden

Amazon Media
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Stars: 4

This was a fun short read, perfect for bedtime or a short distance travel read. I really enjoyed the unravelling of the tale and utterly believed the characters and setting. I especially liked the suburban location and the well described mentality of the neighbours: I could totally see them in my mind's eye.
The ending was delicious and somehow I couldn't help liking the main character Jack, even though no-one else in the book seems to.
A juicy morsel for those addicted to the thriller genre. I hope the author will write more.

The One You Love - Paul Pilkington

Amazon Media
Genre: Fiction - Thriller/Suspense
3.5 stars

Emma’s finance goes missing on her hen night. Cold feet or something more sinister?

This was a free book and it kept me turning the pages. Score one.
I did find the story believable aside from the suicide Houdini part and the plot was unpredictable, as true life really can be. Score two.
I also liked the ultimate ending, unexpected and welcome.  Score three
I won’t spoil it. It’s very easy if you are self published to let one or two spelling or grammar mistakes slip under the editorial radar, so it was a shame that this book had too many. Fail one.
Would I read another book by this author. Yes. Score four.
4/1 to the author.

The Greek Islands - A Notebook by Richard Clark

Kindle - Amazon

This is a beautifully written book, not just a travel companion but a journey in itself through Greek History, it’s culture and the countryside.

From the opening pages listing mouth watering food, to the useful brief Greek History lesson, the detailed descriptions of architecture, towns and harbours and the lovingly recounted memories of his time in Greece, it is clear that Richard Clark is a devotee to the country.

He was lucky enough to see the islands during a more innocent time, before tourism beckoned it’s grubby and bejewelled finger and yet he also has seen the effect, both good and bad on the country.
Reading this book was an escape unto itself, I sailed the Mediterranean, explored the streets, ate the food in tavernas and enjoyed the hospitable and often comic nature of the Greeks. It was like returning home. I recognised scenes and occurrences again and again.

Unlike most travel books which just list destinations and regurgitate senseless and boring historical facts, the author describes the locations wonderfully. He recounts tales, explains folklore or interesting sayings and instils in the reader a profound sense of empathy for the Greeks, their rich and tapestried culture and heritage. Reading this book is an education in itself and I found myself so much the richer in having read it.

The only negative thing I have to say is that after putting this book down, I felt a sense of melancholy, to be far away from my spiritual home brought so vividly to life on these pages. Bravo, Richard Clark!

Sasha's List - Lucy Tucker

Self Published

3 stars

The author Lucy Tucker is a straight talking Australian who likes sex and writing and combines the two. She delivers exactly what she says she will.
Although this is erotic fiction, it is fun and light hearted, there is sweetness about this story as the main character Sasha picks herself up after a break-up and pushes back her emotional and sexual boundaries. She literally makes a list of all the things she would like to try and with the aid of a new friend starts ticking off those new experiences one by one.
I liked the tongue in cheek way the book begins and this frivolous tone kept me turning the pages.
The sex is consensual, exploratory, raunchy and fun. This is far better written material than the 50 shades of snoredom and more realistic.  

Season of the Macabre - Damien Kelly

Clarion Publishing

Publication Date: March 17th 2012

4 stars

Short stories for the winter season and the open minded.
An eclectic collection, ranging from a calculating little boy to a murderous wife. I enjoyed the mixture of stories as much as the authenticity of the writing which changed tone beautifully with each character: an upset little boy from Washington, a cynical and sassy pathologist, a stressed and busy Vicar’s wife with a secret. 

My only wish would have been to have even more sting in the tale of each story. 

The Shuffle – Richard Blandford

The Publisher: The Big Hand 

Publication Date: 4 Oct 2012

4 stars
This is one of the best collections of short stories I have read since Roald Dahl’s Switch Bitch.
 A pastiche of postmodernist styles -  as the title explains - that take the reader on a swooping read through a range of subjects from art, sex, relationships, religion, the afterlife, science and social networking.

 
There are recurrent themes of bullying, rejection and guilt and fantastic dives into surrealism with ideas that could quite possibly happen in our information bombarded society, a society obsessed with the supernatural and the work hard/reward system. People stricken with a virus that makes them speak with the voice of Tom Baker, the spirits of the dead taking over the world’s digital media and astral projection of the sexual kind with dire consequences. Satire, irony, a glut of escapism.

Richard Blandford writes with a clear bold voice. This is frontline innovative writing, leaping out over the top and shaming all the dross in no man’s land. I devoured these stories in one galumphing read. More please.

Hotel Noir - Casper Silk

Publication Date: 15th November 2012
Publisher: Pale Fire Press

4 stars
Hotel Noir isn’t a novel you can shamble through, intellect at half mast.
It commands your attention, draws you into the seedy and jaded environment of an island sliding from past glory into poverty and narcotic hell. Honestly, I found the characters revolting, even Francis with his twisted morality. I wanted to pounce on these apathetic lost souls and start by giving them a good wash. 
That is how powerful the writing of Casper Silk is.
Don’t expect comfort. Don’t expect the meaning of life with a happy advertising jingle. This novel is saturated with loss, the heaviness of daily life and routine, addiction, prostitution, guilt and blackmail. Peel off that first layer to find more dirt underneath.
If you want a dark and turbulent read through the underbelly of an island’s lost dreams, this is it, exquisitely written.

The Girl You Left Behind – Jojo Moyes

Publishing date:27^th September 2012

Publisher: Penguin.

4 stars

This is a compelling novel, the tale of two women separated by a century but united in their resolution to fight for what they love and believe in.

It wasn’t what I expected, usually steering clear of war-time novels. However I am so glad I reviewed this. There is nothing better than being pulled into a story, an alternative reality, breathing alongside the characters, emotions rising and falling with the rise and fall of their fortunes. Jojo Moyes does this extremely well and I now want to read all her other books.

I enjoyed the contrasting tales, war torn France, modern day London. I was enthralled by the detective work which kept me guessing until the end. The characters were well drawn, the descriptions authentic, the language rich and neatly written. No superfluous gunk here. I really couldn’t put this book down. The message left in my mind was that across time and nationality, possessions are meaningless. Life is nothing without love and family.

Twice Shy

by Patrick Freivald

3 stars Interesting concept. The zombie disguised amongst us at Senior High.
I liked the main character, I was rooting for her although I would have been happy if she had bitten some of her so called 'friends.'
The book kept me hooked, I felt it easy to read, it flowed well and I wanted to keep reading and found some parts of the book really funny, the droll humour and observations.
Spoiler. The only surprising thing for me was the ending, inevitable? The mother and daughter team worked so hard to keep her secret hidden and experiment on serums, that I felt the end was too sudden and undeserved. Readers will like the main character, so to throw her under the bus (metaphorically speaking) at the end is sad. However, any book that draws such a response from its readers has clearly done well. I say Bravo!

Paperback

Expected publication: October 26th 2012 by JournalStone

ISBN13

9781936564507

English

2 stars

Hope In Small Doses - Nikki Stern


Nikki Stern is a self confessed sceptic, she has been through a great deal and so I liked the sentiment behind the idea of the book. I looked forward to reading the book and looking forward to things, Stern says is the very essence of ‘hope.’
However the book itself I found depressing, oh the irony. Stern has done her research, is opinionated, there are great quotes, beautiful photographs and yet I kept reading because I hoped she might tell me the trick. How might I acquire hope in small doses? Training the mind, one's own temperament or do we make it up as we go along? There was never an answer, just lots of facts and digression. I think this was more an exercise and question in the author’s mind.

ebook, First, 140 pages

Published May 31st 2012 by Humanist Press (first published 2012)

ISBN13

9780931779220

English