Tag: Book

Book Review: Dreadnought – April Daniels

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After witnessing a superhero fight between the ultimate hero, Dreadnought and a new unknown villain, Danny’s life is going to change forever. As Dreadnought dies he gives Danny a gift like no other, his powers and the body he’s always longed for. Daniel, becomes Danielle.

Yes everyone, we have a transgender superhero and about time too! I heard about this book from CeCe at Problemsofabooknerd over on Booktube and immediately went and put in a request to Netgalley,which I was lucky enough to be granted. I wanted to read this on holiday and did so in less than 24 hours. If that’s not enough to get you excited for this book, then I don’t know what is.

Daniels is a brilliant writer, she doesn’t make this a disney-type happy story. Danny has to deal with a lot through the novel and her transition. She deals with transphobia, an abusive parent and sexism after transitioning, all of that on top of getting some of the most powerful super powers ever known. Just what a 15-year old needs to deal with while going to High School.

One of the best things about this novel, which has been mentioned before, is that this sets out to show that superheroes aren’t instantly good and uncomplicated people. Within the novel Danny does struggle with the judgements of others because of their own prejudices because her transformation includes a transition of gender. This was really interesting as it challenges the idea that superheroes all being instantly accepting. On the other hand, Daniels also explores that not everyone with powers wants to be a well known super-hero, something that not many of us would have considered.

I have so much love for Danny and another character, Calamity, although I won’t spoil too much other than she’s an amazing character and persona, I could see her in my head so clearly. The relationship that evolves between them is just something that the novel needed. I cannot love it any more than I already do.

If you love superheroes, action and diversity then Dreadnought is one for you. I gave this wonderful novel five stars, a rare score but it truly deserves it. So much has been packed into this book to set up a series and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next in the series, Sovereign which is released THIS MONTH. I honestly can’t contain my excitement to see what’s going to happen next to Danny after that ending.

As always thank you to the publisher and April Daniels for this copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Book Review: Nutshell – Ian McEwan

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‘So here I am, upside down in a woman. Arm patiently crossed, waiting, waiting and wondering who I’m in, what I’m in for.’

This is honestly one of the strangest, yet intriguing books I’ve ever read. Told from the perspective of a foetus about to be born with the mind of a middle-aged man. If you want the weird and wonderful this is definitely the book for you. In the past I’ve only read McEwans On Chesil Beach for my AS Level, I thought that was incredibly strange until I read Nutshell. That said, I have no doubt that it’s one of the best written I have ever read.  What struck me was how utterly unlikeable all the characters outside the womb were. Truly awful people but that just made it event better to read. You don’t want these people to succeed, you want the foetus to have a better chance at life and keep the

What struck me was how utterly unlikeable all the characters outside the womb were. Truly awful people but that just made it event better to read. You don’t want these people to succeed, you want the foetus to have a better chance at life and keep the intelligence he seems to have. Of course, this is NOT a realistic novel there aren’t babies who can formulate thoughts like this but you’re so absorbed in the story you don’t care.

I’ve been told since reading that this was based on Hamlet, a play I haven’t read. Whether it was or not the way in which the novel is written is incredible. There is a rhythm to it that kind of makes it feel like you’re reading poetry which is never a bad thing. McEwan also makes you think about the world around you with the things that the ‘baby’ hears and considers. It’s hard to explain more than that.

I gave this novel 4 stars, only for the fact that sometimes it can be quite difficult to follow. That said, I couldn’t stop reading and had it out at every opportunity I could. I would definitely recommend this to anyone with a curious mind or who is up for something new to read. I’ll definitely be picking up more of his novels too!

Sunday Seven: My Holiday Reading Shortlist!

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Aside from spending time with my boyfriend and exploring, the thing I’m looking forward to most on holiday is having time to sit and read without distraction! I’ve had a few ARC copies sent to me that I want to sit and get through as well as one or two newer releases that I want to pick up! So let’s take a look through my shortlist.

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The Summer of Impossible Things – Rowan Coleman 

In the blurb there is talk of time-travel, family bonds and some form of secrecy, it sounds like a great next read and I’ve heard great things about Rowan Coleman.

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A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms – George R.R. Martin

I’m going to admit that I haven’t gotten through all of the Game of Thrones books because, well you could hold a door with them (get it…yes my jokes are terrible) but I’m up to date with the TV show so know enough. I took a look through this, not only is it shorter but it’s also illustrated! I can’t wait to go and pick this up before I go away.

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See You in the Cosmos 

This is a young teen book but seems interesting. Music, space and family are all included in this book. I’m not sure what initially made me want to read it but I think it’s going to be a heartwarming novel.

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Dreadnought – April Daniels

I am so stupidly excited to read this book. This is another YA novel but this time focusing on Superheroes, Gender and saving humanity. Sign me up.

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One of Us is Lying – Karen M. McManus 

This seems like a The Breakfast Club meets murder mystery. The Breakfast Club is one of my favourite films so the whole idea of these teenagers who are so different coming together could go really well. I’m hoping it goes really well.

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The Best of Adam Sharp – Graeme Simison 

I LOVED The Rosie Project when I read it a few years ago and I’m so excited that there is a new direction that Simison is going in and I’m excited to read his style of writing again.

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The Power – Naomi Alderman 

We were going to read this for my new book club, but on a vote, we decided on another book. This really seems intriguing with female power and a fear of it being the central point, I’m really hoping to pick this up at the airport.

 

What are you looking to read this summer? Let me know in the comments below!

Easy ways to read more!

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Each year I set myself a target of the number of books I’d like to read, normally it’s 100. That said since graduating last year things have changed in my life and trying to get through books has been a lot more to fit into my life, I’m obviously working 5 days a week (which really cuts into your reading time). A lot of people I speak to say they just don’t have the time to read more, so I thought I might help.

 

Always have a way to read with you 

Physcial book, Kindle, eBook, it doesn’t matter! You never know when you’ll have time to spare. You can also read on laptops, phones, iPods, tablets, you name it! Get reading!

Set time in your day to get a couple of pages in 

I like to try and read either at the beginning of my lunch break or before I go to bed at night. It doesn’t matter if you read one page or ten, giving yourself that little bit of time means you’re reading!

Audiobooks are your friend! 

I love audiobooks. I have a monthly subscription with Audible which allows me to get two audiobooks for £15. They’re great when you have a lot to do. I can listen at the gym, while driving, while cleaning. Personally, I like to listen to memoirs rather than fiction, but that’s my personal preference and there are SO MANY too!

Get a library card 

Anyone remember the tune from ‘Arthur’, our favourite Aardvark ‘Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card!’. If you don’t have much money to spare on books, your local library is a great place to start reading without the cost!

Attend a local book club or meetup

I’ve started going to a new local book club, meaning I can talk about books and get new reads. It also gives you a reason to read, a lot of the people in my book club are trying the group so that they have the motivation to read! Sounds good to me.

Enjoy what you read! 

If you don’t have a lot of time don’t feel bad about stopping a book you’re really not enjoying! Find something you enjoy and get stuck in!

What are your tips? Let me know in the comments below!

Book Review: Wildflower – Drew Barrymore

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“Be authentic. Be yourself. And most important of all..make it personal”

You’ve probably heard of Drew Barrymore, child star, actress, writer and business woman. I picked up the audiobook of Barrymore’s latest book ‘Wildflower’. I didn’t know when starting that Barrymore had already released a book as a teenager ‘Little Girl Lost’ (which is incredibly hard to get hold of). This is a different story, while it touches upon that part of her life, this is a positive story where Drew is nothing if not grown up.

Barrymore was legally independent at the age of 14, something which she was for at the time. There are points where I just wanted to give her a hug. As a 14-year-old she was living in an apartment, working shifts at a coffee shop, unable to cook or clean and completely alone. This is part of the story that she tells. On the other hand, Drew writes about the love and wonder the being a mother brings, letters to both of her daughters as well as her anxiety at parenting when she didn’t have her parents around.

Each chapter shows a different part of Barrymore’s life in a kaleidoscope. From what it’s like to be on a boot camp with her fellow Charlie’s Angels to crazy antics from her twenties. There’s a lot to laugh about while creates a balance. Barrymore is a breath of fresh air and has an obvious flair for writing and being able to inject humour too, something which not many can.

This book has definitely kick started a fascination with Drew Barrymore. She had so many challenges in what seemed a life of privilege, she came out of the other side and now she’s a kick ass business woman, writer, actress and more. I’d fully recommend this book, it’s not a chronological book, while it does jump around a lot I thoroughly enjoyed it. For this book, there was definitely an added benefit hearing her act it out.

I gave Wildflower four stars ****. This is an excellent read with an important message. She doesn’t make excuses and admits when she made mistakes. Humorous, thought-provoking and brilliant. Get reading.

Book Review: The One – John Marrs

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If you could meet your perfect DNA match, why wouldn’t you do it?

A new relationship revolution is happening. After a gene is discovered to match you to ‘the one’ thousands find unimaginable happiness with the person they’re meant to be with, but the path of true love never runs smooth.

Now, personally, I just found the idea of this super creepy, which instantly makes it a novel I want to read. The idea that there is one person who shares a DNA match, in my head it made you sound like you were related. Nevertheless, it is a great idea for a novel. This is what made me originally request a copy for review. I’m always hopeful for a good thriller.

I really wanted to enjoy this novel, and I did to a point. There are a lot of twists and turns, quite a few I didn’t see coming and that made the novel move faster. It also did a great job of making you want to read on, for the last quarter I needed to finish it and find out what happened. I did care more about what happened to some characters more than others.

The main gripe I had with this is that there were just too many characters and it wasn’t until I was more than halfway through that I could remember who was with who and what their backstory was. There was so much going on it almost felt like a collection of short stories, which maybe it should have been. It seemed like because there were so many characters, by the end, the endings became a little disappointing and some big holes appeared.

Marrs clearly has a talent for suspense and writing violence, that was one of the most well crafted parts of the novel I believe. Each character had been given their own flair, however, it was slightly disappointing that I did see some stereotypes playing out which was quite frustrating because it didn’t really fit with the rest of the novel.

I gave The One 3 stars. Overall this was a good read but ultimately the ending just really let it down for me. That said I would still recommend it but make sure you have time to concentrate because it does get confusing and can be hard to remember exactly that is going on. I would still like to read some of Marr’s other work as he clearly has a talent for writing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to give an honest review.

Book Review: One – Sarah Crossan

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This is my story.

It is a single story,
not two tales tangled up in each other
like lover’s limbs,
as you might expect.

Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins sharing every single experience with one another. While they may not be ‘normal’ teenage girls that doesn’t stop them wanting to have the same experiences as everyone else. Written through the eyes of  Grace, Crossan presents the story of two heads, two hearts, two souls, one body.

I was intrigued by the idea of this novel, I’ve never read about conjoined twins before in a fictional setting before, must less from the perspective of one of the sisters. That said, this novel is about both Grace and Tippi and who they are as individuals, as more than just ‘the twins’.  The novel considers their family life, job loss and what it means to be a ‘normal’ teenager when you are the subjects of stares and whispers of all around you.

This novel was endearing and quite clever, what I didn’t know upon buying it is that the novel is written in verse. While this is different and shows that Crossan is incredibly talented, I found it incredibly difficult to read in this format and while I was trying to work it out it took away from the story for me. I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I think I would have should it have been prose.

I did enjoy, however, that Crossen didn’t show the girls as a freak show or as one person. Both Grace and Tippy have their own personalities, their own likes and dislikes. While some would see Graces ‘bucket list’ as depressing, in fact it makes the book more realistic. There is a chance that these girls will die as their bodies try to cope with being conjoined.

Crossan isn’t afraid of realism within the novel. The focus on the feelings of exclusion they feel and judgement are not shied away from. Nor are the financial problems that Grace and Tippi’s family face from their condition. The struggle and worry of being able to afford treatment that keeps them both alive highlights the unfairness and strain on a family for something they simply can’t help.

Overall, I gave the novel 3 stars. While it did enjoy it and thought it was an interesting story I felt that while the prose was a brave choice, it wasn’t for me. Trying to work my way through the prose as well as following the story, I found myself constantly distracted. I would recommend this novel if you want something a little different and want to expand your reading experience.

Book Review: Without a Doubt – Marcia Clarke

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Overnight Los Angeles prosecutor Marcia Clark went from a hard working single mum dealing with a divorce and the cases that came through for her to one of the most recognised women in the world. In June 1994 O.J Simpson was accused of the brutal murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. As a result of the celebrity nature and an infamous car chase, Marcia was a central player in the media circus that became ‘the trial of the century’, this is her story.

I had never heard of Marcia Clark until last year when I watched the American Crime Story series on the Simpson case. I was instantly drawn to this woman, played by the magnificent Sarah Paulson, and wanted to know more. I watched interview upon interview. I liked that she spoke her mind, she was quick, intelligent and most of all, human.

Clark’s account isn’t a glamorised version of the case, nor is it an autobiography. She goes into detail that is relevant to her reactions to the case and that is that. I was exactly the straight talking, honest opinion I expected from Marcia. There are no ‘woe is me’ moments, she knows that there were things that should have been done differently and things that impacted the case.

Reading about the trial from Marcia’s perspective made the case more real to me than ever. I wasn’t even born at the time of the murders, but Marcia’s detail made me feel like I was. She talks without hesitation about her frustration and anger at the ‘dream team’, Simpson’s defence lawyers, at Judge Ito and his quest for fame and the seeming uninterest of the Jury.

The book goes through evidence and, basically, breaks down evidence and why the team did exactly what they did at each point in time. She doesn’t shy away from the problems, the Fuhrman tapes, the infamous glove, she tackles them head on.

There is also a spotlight on the mistreatment of Marcia by not only the public but those in the courtroom. It’s easy to see now that she was the victim of rampant sexism and badgering. Every inch of Marcia was judged and discussed in any type of media, from many accounts she was mistreated by Judge Ito and Simpson’s lawyers, to the point that her personal life was brought up in court. This wasn’t a woman hungry for fame or with media savvy, she just wanted to do her job.

I devoured this book via Audible (I like listening to memoirs in the author’s voice if possible). Of course, I gave it a five-star rating. This book is more than just a tell-all about a celebrity trial. You can feel through the pages the responsibility that Clark felt to get justice for Ron and Nicole, her anger and frustration at the verdict. This is an extraordinary read and I would highly recommend it to all.

 

Illumicrate review and unboxing

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It’s my first Illumicrate of the year! Once again it has been absolutely incredible. As always this post will be a full review of the box and its contents so if you don’t want to know what’s inside look way now!!

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Inside the box were the normal paper goodies which I loved! This included a postcard for Gilded Cage, bookmark for upcoming novel Following Ophelia and two magnets with V E Schwabb quotes on, although I’ve never read her books they’re exactly the kind of quote I want to surround myself with.  My favourite though was the adorable New Scamander bookmark with my favourite quote from the film, this was designed by Jane’s Tiny Things and an exclusive to Illumicrate.

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Exclusive early copy of Red Sister by Mark Lawrence 

Now this is a big book, an absolute corker. The blurb talks about a young girl being trained to kill while living in a convent…sign me up.

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Hand Stitched Jungle Book Pouch 

This pouch is absolutely adorable. I’ve been a huge Jungle Book fan since I can remember (although I only mean the original Disney movie, I’m not a fan of remakes in most cases) this is another exclusive for the box itself.

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Magic and Mischief Lip Balm 

A funny thing is that I really needed a lip balm and was going to buy one but opened the box first. This is an absolutely incredible at healing cracked and dry lips. I’ll definitely be using this every day until it runs out and it smells gorgeous!

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Wintersong – S. Jae-Jones 

I’d never heard of this novel but has seen it’s cover. It’s another large book which includes a Goblin King. It’s not something I’d personally pick up at the bookshop but I look forward to giving it a go.

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FLame in the Mist Sample 

I really like getting samples, it’ll give me an idea of whether this is something I want to get invested in. Can we take time to appreciate the beautiful artwork on the cover too?

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There may not look like a lot is in this box but I’m a firm believer in Quality over quantity. I loved everything in this box and thought they really out done themselves with the exclusives within it. I’m 100% happy with my box and can’t wait until 2 months time when I get my next!

Book Review: Happy Mum, Happy Baby by Giovanna Fletcher

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Now, I’ll start this review by saying I’m not a Mum, I’m not planning to become one anytime soon, so I’m not exactly the target audience for Giovanna’s new book. For those of you who haven’t heard of Giovanna, or ‘Gi’, she is an author, YouTuber, singer, actress and you may have heard of her equally talented husband, Tom Fletcher of McFly.

This is Gi’s first non-fiction book, talking about her experiences as a mother to two young boys. Now, if you’re looking for a book of tips or ‘how-tos’ this is not the book for you. Gi makes this clear throughout and her honesty is what is so refreshing. I picked up this book after watching Gi’s Youtube Channel for a year or two, she seemed smart, funny and honest about what it was like to be a mother. The book truly reflects this.

There is no holding back in this book. Gi talks about everything from her miscarriage, hypnobirthing, her worries and thoughts about her changing body, how children sometimes are just unreasonable, the joy her sons bring, the times she sat and just cried with them. Everything in this book is from the heart. She talks about the worry of mum guilt and how everyone has an opinion, how this has impacted her. The best part though is that it makes you laugh and not in a way that would embarrass her children. Gi can look back and laugh at things she may have gotten wrong or found stressful at times.

Much like in her videos this book is an extension of the friendliness Gi radiates. She is clear that there is no one way to parent a child, there are no set rules about what you should and shouldn’t do. Every child and every mother is different and that is something celebrated in Happy Mum, Happy Baby. There is discussion on breastfeeding and how hard it can be, on Mum sweats and more but it’s done in a way that you realise it is possible, you can get through it.

This book has made me feel more confident that one day I could be a mother, that I could actually do it. It’s brilliantly written and made me want to laugh and cry simultaneously. As of writing, this book is currently number 1 and I wholeheartedly agree (I’ve been recommending it to everyone to pick up). This is a five-star read and I haven’t read one of those in a while. Giovanna is not only an incredible writer but a fantastic mum and I can’t wait to see what she does next.