Emily
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did - it was a total delight to read.
I've spent two days ignoring my other books to finish Keep Him Close by Emily Koch. It's marketed as a thriller, but is so much more - a well-written, thought-provoking book about families, relationships, friendship and loss.
Following the tragic death of a young man, this book tracks the journey of two women - the victim's mother and the alleged killer's mother - as they struggle to come to terms with the death and aftermath, and to understand exactly what happened that night.
The book switches mainly between the perspectives of the two mothers, although it occasionally flashes back to the night of the death too. I enjoyed this switching back and forth - it was good to see the development of both characters and the author used first-person for one and third- for the other which meant it never got confusing.
I didn't want to put this book down. The characters were flawed but immensely likeable on the whole and I loved the way that it explored the very different relationships between all the characters and the way that these developed throughout the novel. It covered a number of themes that aren't typically seen in a thriller, which really added some depth to the book. ⭐️ 3.75/5 ⭐️
Keep Him Close is due to be published in March 2020. Thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I picked up this book on a total whim recently. It was released in the UK this year but with very little fanfare as far as I can tell, which is a shame because it's brilliant.
The author's debut novel, this is a fantastical saving-the-world themed book in which the main character's brother can read characters from books into the real world. He's a bit of a genius so I think Parry chose wisely in narrating from the more-relatable brother's POV.
H. G. Parry is obviously a literature lover and incorporates characters from Dickens, Austen, Conan Doyle and others. I think this is a hard thing to do well, but she really does! It was a great read and I found myself longing to get back to the book when I had other things I should have been doing
Wow, what a collection of poems. A combination of laugh-out-loud funny (Goggles, for example) alongside some incredibly poignant and hard-hitting subjects (Split, Strest, Broken and so many more), with some that are just generally beautiful (like Mist and Book People). There wasn't a poem I didn't love and I'll read it over and over.
I really didn't enjoy this book.
I picked it up on the recommendation of a website I trust (desperately wishing I'd checked the reviews on here too) and because I love a dystopian novel, but I found this really disappointing.
I don't want to write a long review, but here are a few of the things I didn't like about this book.
Lack of backstory: we're told that two types of sea monsters emerged due to climate change, but not a lot else. In some parts, it seems like they've been on the jellyfish for nearly as long as they can remember. In others, it insinuates they haven't done a winter before on there. We're also told very little about how they live day-to-day on the jellyfish (except for toileting, which is brought up frequently). Obviously the idea is unrealistic, but I feel like it could have been brought to life a lot more with some more specific details.
Main character: she was irritating and bossy, and even though she was a kid and had no real reasoning behind her decisions, everyone just seemed to go with it.
Other characters: aside from the fact that most were completely undeveloped, and even the main four had not a lot about them except that they were ‘typical teenagers' who really only cared about shopping and fart jokes, the other characters didn't even keep to their MO. They spend half the time defending the children and keeping them safe, and then ditch them at the first sight of an emergency.
Random, irrelevant events: the crime fighters with multi-coloured hair who then appear nowhere else again? What are they about?! And the random sex which adds literally nothing to the story and isn't mentioned again?
The most beautiful cookbook I've ever owned! Not sure I'll ever cook anything from it (I'd rather just go to his restaurant and have it cooked by him...) but worth owning just to gaze at all the beautiful pictures of food. Also loved being able to read about his journey from the beginning up to opening MJP@ The Shepherds. Initial print run is only 1000 copies so definitely grab one if you can!
A well-written novel exploring the impact of class, race and gender in the criminal justice system - I've seen complaints of two-dimensional characters but personally I found them mostly well-rounded and interesting. ⭐️ 3.5/5
A brilliant, interactive story. The reader must use the puzzles in the book, along with the accompanying map and magnifying glass, to navigate their way through the pages and solve the mystery. Although the puzzles are relatively simple, my brain felt like it'd had a real workout by the end of the book.
It's nicely laid out - a nice mixture of ‘scrapbook' pages and pictures - and there are additional puzzles that complement the main storyline. I can see this book being enjoyed by adults and children alike. It claims it's suitable for ages 6+ but I think younger children would definitely need some adult support.
All in all, a novel concept and wonderfully executed. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A great example of men writing women terribly. Also completely far-fetched and tediously repetitive.
⭐️ 2.75/5 ⭐️ would have been a 2 star for the one-dimensional characters and romance (like the idea of all of these, just needed much more development) but dragged up by the feminist message. I like the writing style - just feel the characters fall a bit flat.
I LOVED this verse novel. I love the representation, the authenticity of it, the writing. I read the whole thing with my heart in my throat. Joe Todd Stanton's illustrations are brilliant too ⭐️ 5/5 ⭐️
This was the first book of my 2020 POPSUGAR reading challenge. (Prompt: a book with an upside down image on the cover). This was a unread shelf book too.
Finally got round to reading Between Shades of Gray, a book that has been sitting on my tbr for about two years, and what a book it was.
Along with being part of my #theunreadshelfproject, this was also book two of my #popsugarreadingchallenge2020 (Prompt: A book with a map).
It was a hugely affecting novel, a devastating account of the experiences of Lithuanians (and others) as they were forced out of their homes by the Soviet secret police and killed or forced into labour camps and prisions. Sepetys, whose grandfather was a Lithuanian military officer, has done a huge amount of research into the deportations in her quest to write this book. It is horrifying, a truly dreadful reminder of what the human race can do to one another.
But, despite the subject matter, this book was beautiful. A story of art, of hope, of the strength of those put into such awful situations and of the importance of looking after one another. I loved every word. I still cried A LOT though. ⭐️4.75/5⭐️
A great concept but unfortunately I didn't like the execution. The characters were undeveloped and the writing is staccato and lacks cohesion. I won't read the next book (which, based on the ending of this one, is the second part of one whole book split into two - at least, there's a lot left unexplained at the end of this book).⭐️ 2.5/5⭐️
This book was hit and miss for me. I absolutely loved the character of Lily and thought her chapters were incredibly well-written and engaging. Jennifer Finney Boylan is an excellent writer and could bring her own experiences which made it feel very real and raw. I'll absolutely read more from this author.
The parts written by Jodi Picoult I found far less interesting. Although I (mostly) liked the character of Olivia, it felt to me like JP had done an extensive amount of research on bees and wanted to include every bit of it in her chapters. Yes, there were (sometimes tenuous) links to the main story line but generally these information dumps dragged and I found myself skimming over them to get back to the story.
I find it frustrating that this concept was (literally) dreamed up by Boylan and half written by her, and yet Jodi Picoult is the only named author on Goodreads, and the one being publicised. I appreciate that JP is the better known author here, but she is not the one doing the story justice. In the author's note, Boylan talks about writing Ava's story and that she would have to do it without Picoult - I hope she does.
Overall, I think this is a really important and eye-opening story highlighting trans peoples' rights and experiences. I just think it would have been a far superior book if it was written solely by Boylan. I like Picoult and will usually read most books she releases, but IMO she was definitely the weaker link here.
A wonderful book about the impact of humans on the world and the rewilding that happens when we leave a place - in equal parts fascinating, terrifying and uplifting. ⭐️ 4.5/5
I liked the premise of this book but, dear lord, it was painful to read.
Firstly, Shine is obviously trying really hard to write poetically and that's exactly what it felt like - trying too hard. He uses an overabundance of similes (some okay, some absolutely ridiculous) and it made the writing feel so clunky to me. We're talking two to four similes a page and including highlights such as the MC arranging cheese on his tuna sandwich ‘like fresh linen' or looking out of a window to see his neighbour's windows ‘like a glowing frame hung from a star.' Just really terrible figurative language that adds nothing to the book. He also switches to the passive voice for paragraphs at a time, which again makes the writing feel very stilted and affected.
There was no character development at all and I found that I really didn't care at all about what happened to anyone. The male characters are particularly irritating and self-absorbed and all characters are essentially one-dimensional caricatures. The protagonist, Ben (or, as he constantly refers to himself, Benny Boy), meets the female main character, Chloe, for about ten minutes before falling for her and wanting to ‘protect her', while also referring to her - more than once - as his ‘anchor'. He also talks regularly about how small and child-like she is. Ick. She, in turn, seesaws between being super fun and a fragile little girl, with no other emotions towards Ben, even when he's being a total d**k. I have to draw attention to a particularly painful exchange between them:
‘So you're going to be the next Lara Croft,' Ben said with mock earnestness. ‘Eh?' ‘She's probably the world's most famous archaeologist after Indiana Jones. I just assumed you'd modelled your life on a video game.' ‘That's a pretty bold assumption.' She smiled. ‘I doubt Lara Croft ever had to scratch through ten feet of mud with a trowel for weeks on end. But who knows, maybe if I get this PhD the university will buy me a massive pair of fake tits so I can look the part.' Ben choked a little, mid-swallow, on a crust of bread. ‘Don't make them too big,' he said. ‘I hear it's not good for your back.' ‘As if that's ever bothered you men before,' she replied, tearing off some bread and throwing it at him. ‘I reckon I'm too small to be lugging around a big pair of boobs anyway. I'll just get some booty shorts and a skimpy tank top, and stuff my bra with a few socks or something.' Ben enjoyed the imagery more than he let on.
An excellent contender for r/menwritingwomen.
The publisher is independent so I'd really like to be able to write a more positive review, but it feels like this book was published about ten drafts too early. ⭐️ 1.5/5⭐️
I really struggle with Shine's writing style - he tries too hard to make it sound literary, overuses the passive in totally inappropriate places and chucks in far too many similes (although thankfully not as many as in his second novel). His characters are one-dimensional and lack any common sense. This was a real slog to read. ⭐️ 1.75/5⭐️
Arudpragasam writes in inordinately long sentences but he is wonderful at painting images with words and I enjoyed learning more about Sri Lanka and the civil war. ⭐️ 3.5/5
Krauze is incredible at painting a picture of life in South Kilburn - a place not too far from me and yet it could be another world. Gritty and moving. ⭐️ 3.5/5
Oh this book made my heart happy ❤️ It came highly recommended by another teacher who had read it to their class and said that it totally changed how they treated one of their autistic peers, so I already had pretty high expectations.
It met them all! It's such a wonderfully simple yet effective recount into the world of Tally, an autistic girl, as she starts secondary school. The book switches between a third person narrative and Tally's diary entries, which offer the reader an insight into how she is feeling and provides facts, pros and cons about being autistic.
It made me smile; it made me cry; it made me frustrated at times. It helped me to understand more about how I can support the autistic children that I teach. I know that it will do the same with other children in my class so I'll definitely be reading it to them. It's a great way to invite discussion about the transition into secondary school in general, and to encourage people to be more accepting towards others.
It might be a children's book, but I think it's a must-read for everyone. ⭐️5/5⭐️
In this children's book, Vashti Hardy explores the idea of bringing people back from the dead through the use of machines - although these ‘second-lifers' have no recollection of their previous existence.
This novel was a fast-paced and exciting read for its target audience, and is an excellent way for children to venture into the sci-fi and fantasy genre. With echoes of Frankenstein, I also found parts of it reminiscent of Harry Potter, which I know many people hate comparisons to. But I don't think it's a bad thing! I'm sure there aren't many authors who don't take inspiration from books they've enjoyed. The story itself was unique and well-developed and I found myself reaching for it often over other books to find out what would happen next. I thought the world building was very good and I enjoyed the strong female characters. Not only that, but it addressed issues of family, love and death in a sensitive way that could open good talking points for children. I've read that it's a stand-alone novel, which is a shame as I'd definitely read the rest of the series and feel like Hardy has set it up well for a sequel.
I'm going to give it a 4.25/5, but if I'd been its target audience (ie a kid) it probably would have been a five star for me.