Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman's Daughter, #2)
10.0
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To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it. Months have passed since Juliet Moreau...
The Oracle Year
7.0
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Knowledge is power. So when an unassuming Manhattan bassist named Will Dando awakens from a dream...
Summerland
6.0
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'A great beach read' - Every Little Thing She Does Book Blog On the night of high school...
I Know You Know
7.0
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From New York Times bestselling author Gilly Macmillan comes this original, chilling and twisty...
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated All She Wants in Books
Sep 5, 2021
We follow Jodie McGee, a girl from Liverpool, who’s dreams seem to have come true. She’s an actress on the soap that she’s always dreamed of starring in and seems to have the perfect life, or does she?
We go back in time with Jodie to where her life started to go wrong, and comically so. We see that she doesn’t have the perfect life at all, and it makes you love her character all the more. She’s incredibly sarcastic and funny, which I absolutely loved. While some of the things in her life seem incredibly outlandish, they are also quite believable.
As someone from around the Liverpool area, the references to Liverpool were much appreciated in this book and I could imagine all of the places mentioned in the book and appreciated the references that may not have been appreciated by those not familiar with Liverpool or the scouse sense of humour.
I’ve loved Jonathan Harvey’s writing and will be on the lookout for more of his books. I would love a follow up to Jodie’s life but he ended it in such a way that it’s not needed and you can imagine where her life will go from there.
ClareR (6118 KP) rated Wandering Souls in Books
Mar 25, 2023
This is the story of a family who make it by boat to Hong Kong from Vietnam. At least Anh and her two brothers do. Their parents and younger siblings come after them and drown.
This is Anh’s story, and how she copes on their journey from Vietnam to Hong Kong, and then on to London where they settle permanently. It’s a story of loss, life-long trauma and the struggle to find security and happiness. It brought home the continuing issues of refugees - particularly those who take the dangerous route of the sea. It always makes me think of these lines from Warsan Shire’s “Home”:
“You have to understand that no one puts children in a boat
Unless the water is safer than the land”
Anh and her family want a better life than that of poverty, war and political oppression.
This is a dark story and the experiences have such a huge effect on every aspect of Anh and her brothers lives, and you can still see this in the interactions that Anh has with her own children.
It’s a wonderful book, and well worth reading. I’ve learnt so much about the Vietnamese people who resettled in the UK and their journeys here.
I wouldn’t be at all disappointed to see this make the short list.
Cold Blows the Wind
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Hobart Town 1878 – a vibrant town drawing people from every corner of the earth where, with...
Historical Fiction Biographical Fiction Women's Fiction Australian Fiction
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2520 KP) rated A Plus One for Murder in Books
Dec 10, 2021
As the first in a new series, this book has to balance setting up the premise of the series with giving us a good mystery. It does a good job of doing just that, and I was engaged the entire time. Naturally, the plot gets stronger the further we go into the book until we reach the logical climax. I did find one of the characters a little overbearing, but that was my only complaint. On the whole, I am already falling in love with the characters in the book, and it made me reflect on the friendships I have in my life. I also enjoyed the humor throughout the book. I laughed several times along the way. A new series from Laura Bradford is always reasons to rejoice, and this book proves why once again.
ClareR (6118 KP) rated The Ghost Theatre in Books
Sep 10, 2023
Shay is an Aviscultan, but she is distracted from her home and way of life when she meets Nonesuch and his fellow young thespians at the Blackfriars theatre. She falls in love with him, neglects her failing, blind father, and eventually becomes something of a celebrity when she uses her ability to predict the future for Queen Elizabeth I. Soon, all wealthy Londoners want to see her, and the owner of Blackfriars theatre realises he can make some serious money out of Shay.
This is an exciting story with lots of running-across-rooftops-action, but I thought the real magic was in the descriptions of the narrow London streets, the smells, sights, the people and the animals. The descriptions of the birds, especially that of Devana, Shays falcon friend, truly expressed the wonder and reverence that Shay and her fellow Aviscultans had for all birds - and frankly, I can’t see what would be bad about a belief such as this!
The fact that a rebellion could be stoked by a guerrilla theatre group - a Ghost Theatre - showed the power of art, theatre and stories.
This is a mesmerising book; I was completely immersed in the birds, the magic and the dark London streets. And I didn’t want it to end.
Highly recommended.