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I'll Be Home for Christmas
Tom Becker | 2016
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I specifically left this book till December to get me into the Christmas spirit.

I love reading short story collections, it’s a great way to find new YA authors and sample their writing.

‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ is a collaboration of UKYA authors and their stories of young adults and what ‘HOME’ means to them. I loved that this book has several genres including science fiction, Horror and Contemporary with such diverse characters. We have refugees, race and sexuality being explored and there was something for everyone to enjoy. I obviously had my favourites in this book and it was surprising that it was the horror, it was so intense and atmospheric and definitely got my pulse racing and that was Claws by Thomas Becker. There was not one story that I disliked in this book and after each story was finished I was left wanting more. I will definitely be purchasing my own copy of this book. There are 15 short stories/poems in this book including a competition winner.

This book is heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time and definitely recommend reading.

Stripes teamed up with the charity Crises for this book to raise awareness of the hardships young people are facing today. This book is definitely impactful and made me think of the people who are less fortunate and homeless, £1 from every sale is donated to the charity.

*I received a E-copy of this book from Netgalley and Stripes in exchange for an honest opinion.*
  
LT
Long Trail Home (Texas Trails, #3)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Long Trail Home is a compelling story about forgiveness and ultimately coming back home. Not only in the natural but in the spiritual.

We follow the story of Laura, Annie and Riley. Laura is the instructor of a school for blind children. She has sacrificed her own long term dreams for the children that she loves and adores. But when the school has been threatened to be shut down, will those dreams resurface? Annie, once was a homeless orphan. Now she has a family at the school, but will her deception be her undoing? She has found God's forgiveness but will her fellow man be as forgiving? Riley, a soldier come home to devastation after the war has found peace and refuge working at the school. But will he ever find "home" again?

I enjoyed Long Trail Home. Although the story line was a bit slow at times, there is enough action to keep it going and Vickie McDonough relays a great message. Forgiveness is the main basis of the story. God's forgiveness of the sins we have committed. Forgiveness of our selves. And the forgiveness of others. Coming clean and telling the truth can be the hardest thing to do at times. Especially when we are afraid of what others think. But the best thing we can do for our selves is to walk in the truth and trust that our Heavenly Father will care for us and protect us and lead us home.

I received a free copy of Long Trail Home from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
  
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ClareR (5864 KP) rated Lock Every Door in Books

Jul 27, 2019  
Lock Every Door
Lock Every Door
Riley Sager | 2019 | Thriller
9
8.0 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Lock the Door had me wanting to leave the building, never mind locking the door!
Lock the Door had me wanting to leave the building, never mind locking the door! This suspense-filled thriller by Riley Sager is about a young woman called Jules who finds a job as an apartment sitter in one of New York’s most exclusive buildings. She is jobless, penniless and homeless after an acrimonious split with her boyfriend, and this job comes along at just the right time. It’s a job for three months, and there are rules. They’re not terrible rules (other than no visitors, and absolutely no overnight guests), and the pay is too good to be true - and as it turns out, that really is the case.

This had my heart in my mouth for most of the book: there are definite echoes of Rosemary’s Baby (without the baby). An old building with strange, unfriendly inhabitants, a new tenant who feels like she might be going mad with all the strange goings-on. There the similarity ends though.

The writing terrified me in places: who knew that a dumb waiter could have the same effect as a horror movies cellar (I won’t be using either for the foreseeable future!)? And it’s a twisty, turny read with some really good red herrings along the way.

I loved every minute of this, and highly recommend it - maybe it’s best not to be read just before you go to bed, though!

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for another fantastic serialisation.
  
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Kaz (232 KP) rated Shadows of the Wind in Books

Jul 28, 2019 (Updated Jul 28, 2019)  
Shadows of the Wind
Shadows of the Wind
Carlos Ruiz Zafón | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.6 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
The writing, the story, characters (0 more)
It's a bit slow in a couple of places (0 more)
A fantastic Novel
I was recommended this book by a friend who has read this book, and its follow up books, many times.

When I first started reading this, I thought that it was going to be a fantasy novel. It's a lot more than that.

Firstly, I thought that the writing was fantastic. This novel was originally written in Spanish, but the English version I read was very well translated. It was poetic and beautiful. This story is a brilliant mixture of suspense, humour and intrigue, which has vivid, almost noir depictions of Barcelona which I loved. I loved how the plot weaved, twisted and turned and still remained understandable. Occasionally the plot slowed a little, but actually, I liked that, because it meant that you could really take in the atmosphere, the writer was creating. In fact, I slowed down whilst reading this, so that it wouldn't end.

I loved the characters in this novel. Even though Daniel is the main protagonist in this novel, for me Fermin, was better. I loved his humour and, even though he is a homeless person, he was still portrayed as incredibly intelligent.

I've read a lot of books in my time, but by far, I think this is the best book I've ever read. I think this is going to be a book that I'll read again and again. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the novels in this series.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Feb 23, 2021  
Sneak a peek at the Southern fiction/mystery novel ALFIE CARTER by BJ Mayo on my blog, and enter the giveaway to win your own signed copy of the book - 3 winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2021/02/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-alfie.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
The seemingly never-ending Cabinda War (1975—) has left multitudes dead in its wake and thousands of children homeless and orphaned.

Jackaleena N’denga, a young Angolan girl, has become the sole survivor of one specifically brutal village massacre carried out by a band of guerrilla boy-soldiers.

Jackaleena’s resilience leads her to an orphanage on the west coast of Africa, known as Benguela by the Sea, where she and other children are taken in and protected. Her brilliant mind and endless questions capture the heart of her mentor, Margaret, who ensures her that her survival thus far—especially being the survivor from her village—must mean she has big things ahead of her. When the opportunity arises, she must find her purpose.

Not without a plan, Jackaleena stows away on a mercy ship that has made its yearly visit to the orphanage and is now preparing to return to America. Her journey takes her across the ocean, into the arms of New York City's customs officials, and finally into placement in a temporary foster home in Texas.

Enter Alfie Carter—a workaholic, small-town detective who is also battling memories of his past. His life is forever changed when he meets a young African girl looking for her higher purpose.