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30/10/2018 0 Comments Review: The Sentence is Death
My Review: As I really enjoyed Mr Horowitz's new Sherlock Holmes in The House of Silk, I was very excited to get the chance to read The Sentence is Death. I read the book in two days and couldn't put it down – it was a sumptuous way to spend the weekend.
Anthony is a writer, (the writer of this book and many others) and Daniel is an ex-policeman turned private detective. I knew immediately I was going to be a fan of Daniel and Tony's pairing. The book opens on the television set for Foyle's War (I couldn't help but check – yes, Mr Horowitz was indeed a writer for said television programme), when Daniel Hawthorne comes blustering onto set ruining an expensive take. The race to solve the murder was on…. Between Daniel and Tony, and between them and the police. A second death that was possibly a second murder, possibly a suicide, or possibly an accident muddied the waters. There were enough clues and red herrings to keep me wondering throughout the book. I didn't realize this was the second book in the Daniel Hawthorne series. And luckily I can now binge straight away on more Daniel Hawthorne with the first in the series The Word is Murder. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review.
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My Review: This book is an excellent collection of essays, at a pivotal time.
Ms Gay's introduction starts: When I was twelve years old, I was gang-raped in the woods behind my neighborhood by a group of boys with the dangerous intentions of bad men. The above may be uncomfortable reading, however it gives an expectation of the contents. The essays are sad, raw, revealing, heart-breaking and they left me feeling downright angry. Having read this book in the days after Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed onto the Supreme Court, and in the words of John Oliver “We believe you [Dr Ford]— we just don’t care.” I couldn't help but think repeatedly, what madness are we living in? A world where women in spite psychical assaults, thank their lucky stars that at least they are still alive. That's the bare minimum; at least he didn't kill me. The accounts will offer solidarity to survivors and relief to those who encountered near misses. It is a shame that the people who really should read this book (rape apologists, perpetrators of abuse, and aggression against women) almost certainly won't pick up Not That Bad. Thank you Roxane Gay for compiling these essays. They will stay with me forever. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. 24/10/2018 0 Comments Review: A Spark of Light
My Review: Wow! What a book.
Forgive my ignorance for not knowing the global landscape on abortion laws – this Wikipedia page helped show different laws and attitudes around the world. What timing for this exceptional book. At a time where women's reproductive rights are going through a huge change (Ireland's referendum to repeal the 8th) and the US seeming het up about overturning Roe vs Wade (read here for what a overturning could automatically set off in respective US states). Ms Picoult's highly-skilled storytelling is a wonder to behold. The story starts in a women's health centre, and a gunman has taken staff and patients hostage. The hostage negotiator discovers his own sister and daughter are amongst those held. As the hostages struggle to stay alive, we hear the interwoven backgrounds and fateful journeys of how every character including the gunman made it to be present at the health centre that ill-fated day. The time lines and the characters stories are changed regularly, which could be confusing but offers detailed glimpse at each of their own respective histories. The book was very engaging and I found myself trying to sneak another page wherever I could between my nightly bedtime reading. (In the queue at the bank, whilst being put on hold, waiting for the kettle to boil). There is an excerpt from A Spark of Light on Jodi Picoult's website – get stuck in! https://www.jodipicoult.com/a-spark-of-light.html VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. 17/10/2018 0 Comments Review: Hippie
My Review: I really enjoyed Paula Coelho's The Alchemist and I jumped at the opportunity of reading Hippie. I shopped short of reading Mr Coelho's Wikipedia page for fear of giving any of his story away.
Hippie starts: The stories that follow come from my personal experiences. I've altered the order, names, and details of the people here, I was forced to condense some scenes, but everything that follows truly happened to me. I've used the third person because this allowed me to give characters unique voices with which to describe their lives. With the above in mind, there are elements that are unbelievable – but as they say – truth is stranger than fiction! It was a quick read, but it still checked in at over 300 pages. In the first chapter I felt I had time-travelled to the seventies and I was reminded of the importance of travel and exploration for the body and mind. What I was expecting; a memoir of hippie-esque travels of free-love and discovery was anything but. It really did contain the bricks and mortar, good and bad experiences (woah, one really bad experience!), which maketh the man. I've not visited South America or Istanbul, nor even Amsterdam. The vivid descriptions of these exotic sounding far-flung lands incited wanderlust. A beautiful, if unexpected, book about love and self-discovery. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review.  I love Jack Reacher, and can't wait for the next installment - Past Tense!
Past Tense, the brand new Jack Reacher thriller by Lee Child, follows our hero on a quest into his father’s past and climaxes in the most nail-biting, hair-raising ticking time bomb of an adventure yet. Jack Reacher plans to follow the autumn sun on an epic road trip across America, from Maine to California. He doesn’t get far. On a country road deep in the New England woods, he sees a sign to a place he has never been – the town where his father was born. What’s one extra day? He takes the detour. At the very same moment, close by, a car breaks down. Two young Canadians are trying to get to New York City to sell a treasure. They’re stranded at a lonely motel in the middle of nowhere. It’s a strange place… but it’s all there is. The next morning in the city clerk’s office, Reacher asks about the old family home. He’s told no one named Reacher ever lived in that town. He knows his father never went back. But was he ever there in the first place? The present can be tense, but the past can be worse. Dead Good Books have the first three chapters of Past Tense by Lee Child - click here to read! |
