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.
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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! 9/10/2018 0 Comments Review: All The Hidden Truths
My Review: Another brilliant debut!
I found the book a little difficult to get into but by the third chapter or so, I was well and truly in the story. It is told from three perspectives: Ryan's mother, Moira; Ishbel, the mother of Abigail, the first victim; and DI Helen Birch. The subject matter is hard, dark, and thought provoking, as is how the media and social media respond to such a catastrophe. I really enjoyed the conflicting narration, and felt for all the characters in the hopeless and heartbraking situation. Not to mention the finale is devastating. I hope this is the first installment of a DI Birch series. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. 4/10/2018 0 Comments Review: How to Stop Time
My Review: This book has been out since July 2017, and it passed me by. And all of a sudden it was everywhere and a classic and I had a deep feeling of missing out. The story cuts to different times and locations around the world, there is a magical feeling of travelling through time with Tom, seeing what he has seen. The isolation of not being able to grow close to someone is strongly felt. Together with the realisation that is near-eternal life can feel like a curse rather than a gift. The writing is beautiful and the story is sublime.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Having finished the book, I have discovered that Benedict Cumberbatch has been cast to play Tom – I'm so glad that a film and all the Cumberpeople* will bring more audiences to this deserving book. *Cumberbitches: Cumberbatch expressed objections to this term, referring to the female fans who've adopted the moniker as "Cumberwomen" or "Cumbergirls" instead. He explained: "It's not even politeness. I won't allow [these fans] to be my bitches. I think it sets feminism back so many notches. You are… Cumberpeople." 29/9/2018 0 Comments Review: French Exit
My Review: I was very keen to read French Exit. I loved DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers (about to be released as a film starring John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous brothers).
Noun. French exit (plural French exits) (offensive) A hasty exit made without saying farewells to anybody. DeWitt has a perfect turn of phrase. And the story is pure farce, it was a joy to read. However, it's quite possible I didn't actually like any of the characters, as the story shines a light on human behaviour at its most honest, but that didn't stop me enjoying the page-turner. The ending was the perfect embodiment of the title - a French Exit. A refreshing and enjoyable read. 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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