I received a copy of this title from Hachette Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: With a child, successful career and recent divorce under her beI received a copy of this title from Hachette Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: With a child, successful career and recent divorce under her belt, Louise is disconcerted to receive a friend request on Facebook from the victim of a high school stunt, a woman Louise – and all who knew the girl at the time – thought to be dead.
I will be the first to admit to being reluctant to reconnect on social media with acquaintances from the distant past and this book did nothing to dissuade me from clinging to this anti-social stance with a vengeance. Louise made some poor choices (as they would be described in today’s school disciplinary lingo) as a high school student and carries immense guilt due to the terrible outcome of a vindictive prank in which she was involved. Years later, with a child, successful career and recent divorce under her belt, Louise is disconcerted to receive a friend request on Facebook from the victim of her high school stunt, a woman Louise – and all who knew the girl at the time – thought to be dead. The request sends Louise plummeting back into the insecurities and confusion of her high school-aged self as she is forced to confront her past actions while trying to ensure that her son Henry is untouched by this new danger.
This was a book that I enjoyed while I was reading, but in the end, lacked a certain something. There is certainly suspense throughout as we puzzle out with Louise who it might be who has sent the request and the associated questions – why Louise? Why now? – and a mounting sense of dread as Louise’s old school friends come in for a request as well. The ending, although unexpected, just lacked that heightened sense of terror that I was hoping for, in which I’m flipping pages and trying to read faster and faster to find out if the worst will happen. Rather, on discovering whodunnit, I had more of a feeling of “Well, that was unexpected!” The story also has a bit of a double-header in terms of who did what to whom, so the mystery is extended beyond a single reveal.
The author did a good job of providing multiple red herrings with plenty of characters both from Louise’s past and new acquaintances, with something to hide. The book flicks back and forth between the present and Louise’s final year of high school, during which the turbulent relationship between Louise, Maria and Louise’s girl-idol, Sophie is played out with tragic results. The actions of the fateful leaving party, during which Maria dies – or does she? – are revealed piecemeal throughout the book, so it is quite a long while before the reader has a good grasp of why Louise might be a target for Maria’s posthumous friend request.
Overall, this was an arresting read for the most part and one that I would recommend if you are a fan of contemporary mysteries that feature a bit of murder and suspense. Reading this one might be a good reminder to check your privacy settings on your social media accounts too!...more
I received a copy of this title from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
3.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: Delphine and Nate return in this action-and-bee-stinI received a copy of this title from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
3.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: Delphine and Nate return in this action-and-bee-sting-packed adventure, with the Red Death Tea Society AND the League of Ostracised Fellows hot on their trails. When Nate invents an Infernal Engine as part of his "do 3 stupid things on Friday the 13th" tradition, it lands him and Delphine squarely in the sights of two groups who will stop at nothing - even bee-driven apocalypse - to get their hands on it.
This is a story replete with silliness, wild inventions and bee stings in sensitive places. I do enjoy the quirky tone and dry yet silly humour that Tobin has created in these books. There is a certain imagery conjured up by his writing that is truly giggleworthy. Nate and Delphine are also a fun pair and the introduction of Melville - a friendly robot bee adopted by Delphine - adds to the action in this installment. Bosper, Nate's genetically modified talking dog stole the show for me in this book however - something about his manner of speaking just cracked me up every time. The plot of this one seemed a lot more straightforward than in the first book despite the inclusion of the socially awkward League of Ostracised Fellows and everybody, including the jealous Betsy the car, had a role to play in saving Polt from bee-mageddon: The Sting-en-ing.
The one quarrel I have with these stories is that the quirky humour, when added to the action sequences, slows down the pace of the story interminably. My edition clocked in at 340ish pages and by about halfway I was ready for the resolution to start coming into play. While the humour is a massively important part of these books, the constant banter does really slow things down when it feels like things should be speeding up.
I can't remember why I didn't finish the first book in this series, but I think it was something to do with the pacing and a lag in the middle. This book does suffer from the same ailment in my opinion, but I got a lot further along in this story before I really felt the lag, compared to the first book. Nate and Delphine are so likable and the style of humour so enjoyable that I would still pick up a third in the series, but I would be hoping that the story overall would move a bit quicker....more
I received a copy of this title from Ventura Press for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Dependable, trustworthy and empathic GP Martin experiences a deep deI received a copy of this title from Ventura Press for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Dependable, trustworthy and empathic GP Martin experiences a deep depression after the death of his mother. When it seems his mood is looking up, chaos is just around the corner for a man who has always stayed in the middle lane of life.
It must be said that when you've read a lot of books, both fiction and nonfiction, featuring mental illness of one form or another, things do tend to get a bit samey. This is one of the reasons I am in two minds about In Two Minds - if this had been the first novel I had read in which the protagonist has a breakdown and ends up in a psychiatric unit, I may have been more interested in the outcome. Indeed, if I had not had the pleasure of spending some time in a psychiatric hospital myself, I may have been more entranced by the ins and outs of what happens when you are deemed no longer able to manage your own affairs without cocking things up in spectacular fashion. If you have not had such an experience yourself, and you aren't elbow deep in the back catalogue of "books about people losing their marbles in various painful and unexpected ways" then you should find In Two Minds to be compelling reading.
Martin Homer is an all-around good bloke. He loves his wife, is wholeheartedly devoted to his work as a GP and generally sets the standard for good behaviour and personal growth everywhere he goes. Bella is a woman with a past and a borderline personality disorder (**I've always wondered why the "borderline" part is added to the "personality disorder" part of that description, because there ain't nothin' "borderline" about Bella's crazy, vitriolic antics**). When Martin's self-medicating after the death of his mother leads to a manic episode, the trajectories of Bella and Martin cross and Martin's prior grip on his identity, his marriage and his work is shattered.
The story is told in alternating sections between Martin and Bella, with Martin's story taking the primary position. Really, this is a story about Martin and Bella is a bit player, albeit one whose back story is essential to the plot for her actions toward Martin to be in any way believable. The author mentions the Madonna-whore complex early on in the story and all of the women presented here in any detail are indeed Madonnas (Edina, Martin's mother, and Sarah, Martin's wife) or whores (Bella, the Trophettes). Bella's early history, which the reader discovers at the end of the book, even indicates that she was a literal whore, working as a prostitute. There was something unsettling about this for me, and I would have liked to have seen a few chapters written from Sarah's point of view. It seemed a little unfair to have such a focus on the man-slaying Bella and the existential crisis of Martin (post-mania) and so little focus on the woman who chooses to "stand by her man" as it were, despite the fact that he's just undergone a major change in personality and behaviour. In fact, had there been more of a focus on Sarah, this would have been a point that set this novel apart from the multitude that have gone before it; as important as the perspective of the sufferer of mental illness undeniably is, it would be instructive to read something from the point of view of the supporter - the spouse, significant other, family member - of the sufferer.
One thing that really does set this book apart is that it isn't focused on talking therapy in any way. Much is made in the early chapters of Martin's past and the various tragedies and triumphs that shaped who he is. I was expecting that this information would be somehow revisited later in the book as part of Martin's recovery, but this wasn't the case. Instead, the section of the book dealing with Martin's recovery is focused almost entirely on the various medications he is treated with, their side effects and the way they interact. This may explain the slight disconnect I felt between the early parts of the story, in which Martin's family and Sarah play such a strong role, and the latter parts, in which all of the key stressors and factors that almost certainly factored into Martin's illness are glossed over in favour of his response to medication. Even though it wasn't what I was expecting, this certainly was a point of difference that makes this book stand apart from others on a similar topic.
The author may have even not-so-subtly inserted himself into the story by means of Saxon Marshall, Martin's treating psychiatrist. The name of this character struck me as interesting, and this may just be me receiving coded messages through the TV and novels here, but Saxon is the surname of the Master as played by John Simm in David Tennant's run of Doctor Who, while Marshal is the given name of one of a psychiatrist character in Irvin Yalom's Lying on the Couch (see below). I can't help but wonder if this was a conscious choice of character moniker and if so, what does it say about ol' Gordon Parker, eh? (**Probably not much because it's probably not a conscious naming device, and just me projecting. It should have been though - mashing the two characters together is quite evocative, imo**).
I was a little confused at the ending of the book. There is an ambiguous ending for Martin, which I think worked well given we, as readers, leave him so soon after his diagnosis and early recovery. It was a clever move to end his story at this point and leave us wondering what became of him. More curious however was the ending of Bella's narrative trajectory. Toward the very end of the book, we are privy to even more of Bella's backstory and the introduction of a new key character in Bella's life. I couldn't get a grasp on why this was included, unless it was only to set up Martin's ambiguous departure, because it certainly didn't heighten my empathy for Bella in any way and felt like too much of an information dump after the climax of the story.
Having finished up the book, I had a quick flick through some similar books of my acquaintance and, as I mentioned at the beginning of the review, books featuring mental illness of one kind or another do tend to blend together after a while. I definitely experienced shades of The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence (female protagonist with bipolar disorder), Terms and Conditions by Robert Glancy (professional male protagonist coming to terms with a change of identity concept and mental trauma), and most obviously, Irvin Yalom's, Lying on the Couch (multiple psychiatrists go through various psychiatrist-y problems and as in all of Yalom's work, boobs are mentioned a lot).
If you are looking for a truly original story about the whirlwind of depression, mania and psychosis, then I would suggest trying Kathleen Founds' brilliant When Mystical Creatures Attack! If you are an entry level journeyperson regarding novels about mental health or you have an interest in bipolar disorder, depression and mania generally, definitely give In Two Minds a go....more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Eliza and her younger sister Rebecca are unexpectedly I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Eliza and her younger sister Rebecca are unexpectedly shipped out of London to work as house maids at the gloomy Abigale Hall in Wales. With an understanding that they are on their own and Rebecca's mental health rapidly declining, Eliza must plot to escape.
First up, this book felt like a much longer read than its 256 pages. I felt like I was reading for ever and ever and getting sucked deeper and deeper into the lives of the characters and the mire in which they find themselves. In terms of bang for your reading buck, Forry has packed an incredible amount of plot into a standard amount of pages.
We first meet Eliza and her younger sister Rebecca while they are in the custody of their Aunt Bess, after the death of their mother in the Blitz and the suicide of their father. Aunt Bess isn't the warmest of mother-figures and life for the girls is unpleasant in London, despite the fact that their immediate needs are more or less met. Eliza enjoys her work at a theatre and is hoping that her beau, Peter, will cement their relationship by popping the question without too much delay. All this changes when Aunt Bess announces that the girls are to be shipped off to work as housemaids at Abigale Hall, a country house in Wales. Without so much as a by-your-leave, the girls are manhandled out of their Aunt's flat and away to the middle of nowhere to be left at the mercy of the unrelenting Mrs Pollard and the nightmarish spectre of Mr Brownawell. The girls' tenure at the house is filled with secrets, rumours from the villagers about curses and missing girls, and the marked absence of the Lord of the manor. Things are not as they appear at Abigale Hall - and they appear pretty grim indeed - and it is clear to Eliza that the longer they stay, the worse the impact will be on Rebecca's tenuous mental health.
The story is told from the perspective of Eliza and later on, Peter, as he tries to track down Eliza herself as well as another missing girl from their workplace. The narrative flicks between the paranormal, skin-crawling atmosphere of Abigale Hall and the far more banal dangers of post-blitz London and its seedy underbelly. Throughout the story Eliza is never quite sure who she can trust and is torn between securing her own safety and remaining a dutiful and loyal sister.
I must warn the sensitive reader that there is a bit of animal cruelty in the story as well as a collection of incidents that will make you say, "Ick!" mentally, if not aloud. I quite enjoyed the looming unease of the parts of the story set in the house. These were neatly balanced by Peter's sections of the story and this stopped the story becoming too paranormal or too mundane at any given point. The plot, taken in its entirety, is full of twists, turns and unexpected revelations that spin the reader's train of thought and switch the trajectory of the characters at every turn.
The ending was remarkably satisfying to me as well...but then I've always been one to enjoy the downfall of characters who feel like they should get a swift clip around the ear.
This would be a great choice for a holiday read if you're looking for something a bit creepy and complicated with a historical setting....more
I received a copy of this title from HarperCollins Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Ethel lives with her grandmother, is plagued by terrible aI received a copy of this title from HarperCollins Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Ethel lives with her grandmother, is plagued by terrible acne and has become the unwilling friend of new boy Elliot (Smelliot) from London. When Ethel discovers she has the ability to become invisible via her new skin treatment and the generous application of UV light, her life suddenly becomes a lot more complicated.
If you are looking for a story with charming characters, a solid friendship and some shenanigans involving a sunbed and seriously dodgy alternative medicine this is the book for you. On immediately finishing the book I felt that I didn't feel this one as much as Time Travelling with a Hamster, but with a bit of distance since the time I finished it, I've decided that I'm actually more fond of the main characters of this novel than the previous.
Ethel lives with her grandma and is bullied for having terrible acne. Elliot is a recent blow-in from London and seems unaware of his status as social pariah. An unlikely but heartwarming friendship is formed over the course of the book (and I mean that in the least vomit-inducing way possible) and by the end one can really believe the bond between Ethel and Elliot is authentic. Did I mention that Ethel also suffers from spells of invisibility now and then? Well, she does, and that's where most of the humour comes in, but really, this is a story about family past and present and the family you build for yourself.
I did have one niggle though. Hailing as I do from the country with the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, I have a natural and pathological aversion to sunbeds given the fact that they are proven to increase rates of deadly skin cancers and have rightly been banned here. It did grate on me that Ethel happily gets into one multiple times throughout the story and I feel there should be some author's note at the end (or the beginning, or throughout) that plainly points to the dangers of placing your naked skin under intense UV radiation for any period of time for the sake of a bit of a tan. It will kill you people.
Admittedly, this is not a good enough reason not to read the book though.
Apart from sunbed irritation, this was a thoroughly enjoyable story that skilfully incorporates elements of magical realism to lift the plot out of the expected boundaries for contemporary middle grade and YA "issues" books. Yes, Ethel is dealing with some difficult issues about identity, bullying, loyalty and honesty, but the inclusion of the invisibility works both as a humorous side plot, and a metaphor for escaping one's problems and taking decisive action. Elliot is a fantastic character who, it seems, can only be himself and this provides a nice foil for Ethel's desire to become someone different. All in all this is a strong contemporary story about growing up, with the added bonus of fun and fantasy woven in....more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
4.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: A light yet thorough look at some of the most devastatinI received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
4.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: A light yet thorough look at some of the most devastating plagues to have...er...plagued humanity throughout history and how the action or inaction of governments, scientists and the general public affected the outcome.
I can't remember when I last giggled so much while reading about infectious disease as I did while reading this book. In terms of making nonfiction books accessible, Wright has done a bang-up job here with a narrative style that is light - but never makes light - despite content that can result in some pretty sobering reading. The humour in this book is almost a necessary vent for the anger and sadness and bafflement some readers may experience while finding out about the ways in which some very sick people - as well as the people who tried to help them - were treated at various points throughout history.
The book covers various plagues in separate sections and includes famous plagues, such as the Black Death, Spanish Influenza, and Polio, alongside lesser known ailments such as the dancing plague mentioned in the blurb, the "plague" of lobotomies orchestrated by William Jackson Freeman III and the plague of Encephalitis Lethargia, which results in the loss of any kind of emotion or motivation and leaves sufferers, in some cases, like living corpses. Part of the focus of the book is on how authorities and others dealt with these diseases when they first appeared and how this action or inaction affected the disease's spread. It's fascinating to see how the work of some individuals and groups to gain evidence for the causes of certain diseases - cholera being a case in point - was pooh-poohed (pardon the pun) by the authorities and scientific community even in the face of growing numbers of people contracting the disease.
I suspect this book won't necessarily cut it for those hoping for a scientific look at plagues and their causes, but for the casual reader and those interested in social responses to medical disasters, the book will provide enough information to be going on with. The style of writing feels like narrative nonfiction, in part because of the way in which the author has highlighted the individuals involved in the outbreaks of each specific disease. While the use of the term "heroes" to describe these people feels a bit twee to me, I appreciate the fact that these people should be acknowledged and possibly lauded as household names more than they usually are.
My favourite part of the book was the section dealing with Spanish influenza, simply because of the dastardly bad timing that meant this disease came to prominence at the same time as World War 1, leading to catastrophic breakdowns in communication between authorities and the general public that, had this been different, could have saved many lives. Looking back on the content, I was mildly disappointed that the Ebola virus was not included in the list of diseases, but I suppose you can't have everything.
If you, like me, enjoy reading about major global disasters in a style that won't freak you out too badly or exacerbate general feelings of anxiety about the state of the world, this would definitely be one to add to your TBR....more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
2.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: A foray into the vagaries of the insanity plea in VictorI received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
2.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: A foray into the vagaries of the insanity plea in Victorian Britain and the criminals who used it for good or ill.
Having previously read two tomes about crime in Victorian Britain (The Secret Poisoner by Stratmann and The Wicked Boy by Summerscale) and having digested the above blurb thoroughly enough, I expected that Mad or Bad would be a similarly accessible foray into the vagaries of the insanity plea in capital crimes, with case studies that illuminate the atmosphere of the time and give an insight into the human elements of each case.
Mad or Bad is a lot drier than that.
Although the case studies aim for an accessible tone, the complexities of the laws surrounding the insanity plea and the brevity of description of each case meant that by the end of the book I just felt confused and ready to put the whole topic to bed. It seemed to me that in trying to highlight the seemingly random nature and chaotic legal background of the insanity plea, the author has been drawn into the chaos, resulting in a collection of case studies that seem disconnected and lacking in context.
Having said that, there are some extremely interesting points raised about the use of the insanity plea, particularly with regards to women committing crimes. I was hoping for a more narrative tone to the case studies, rather than dry information, but regardless, there are certainly some studies that boggle the mind in terms of evidence that was acceptable at the time and evidence that was overlooked or counted as irrelevant to the proceedings.
The biggest problem I had with this book was in its organisation and format. Bear in mind that I was reading an uncorrected proof and certain of my criticisms may have been ironed out before publication, or in subsequent editions, but I would have preferred to have seen the case studies grouped under relevant headings rather than placed one after the other. As a couple of the case studies reference previous (or subsequent) studies mentioned, it would have been helpful to have a mental framework, in the form of similar studies collected together, on which to hang (pun unintended) the information. I suspect I would have got more out of this book had I been able to, at a glance, look over and compare all the cases in which the prisoners received a reprieve for instance.
As ever, pictures would also have been helpful!
On the whole, if you are looking for a book about crime in Victorian Britain, I would probably plump for either the Stratmann or Summerscale tomes that I mentioned at the beginning of this post before going to this one, but if you are specifically looking for some background to the treatment of the "insane", you should find what you're looking for here, even if it takes a little while to find it....more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley for review.
3.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: A tale of murder told from the point of view I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley for review.
3.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: A tale of murder told from the point of view of the murderer, this book is an in-depth study of the carrying out of a "perfect" crime.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting into this one, even if the “mystery” element of the murder-mystery equation was thoroughly absent. It was fascinating to follow the protagonist’s – Charles Swinburne’s – train of thought as a convenient solution presents itself to his financial and personal difficulties. Despite being a murderous murderer, Charles is quite a likable and ingenious bloke, with a real knack for malice aforethought, once he gets going.
Some readers may find the story a tad repetitive. Because we are privy to all Charles’s pre-planning, the information brought out at the inquests and trial is not at all new to us as readers, and by the end I did find it a bit odd that I was sitting through what amounted to a detailed retelling of the story that I had already read. By that stage I was thoroughly invested in the outcome however, and putting the book down was no longer an option. The ending is something of an anti-climax, in that it wraps up quite abruptly, but the author has done a fantastic job of tying up every possible loose end.
I would highly recommend this if you are in the mood for a bit of classic historical mystery, from a slightly unexpected angle....more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
2.5 stars
DNF at 76%
Ten Second Synopsis: Five siblings come together in their father's I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
2.5 stars
DNF at 76%
Ten Second Synopsis: Five siblings come together in their father's final days. The cracks between them are obvious and may only grow wider when their patriarch passes.
I need to say up front that I decided to put this book down at three quarters of the way through and my star rating is based on that. I found that the book started off well, but I grew tired of the selfish, unlikable siblings of the narrator and the generally depressing tone of the writing.
On the positive side, the writing is lyrical despite the subject matter and creates clear imagery that brings alive the cold realities of caring for someone with a terminal illness in their final days. It is obvious that the main character loves her father dearly despite the difficult upbringing and continued troubles amongst family members that have coloured these relationships, and is undergoing some substantial growth throughout it all.
I found the fantasy/magical realism element of the plot a bit confusing to say the least - clearly it is meant to give a bit of life to the emotions of the main character as a child and symbolise her emotional state, but it felt a bit at odds with the very earthly problems of the characters.
I suspect that to really enjoy this book I would have to go into it in the right sort of headspace. As well as discussing some pretty dour subject matter, the writing creates an atmosphere that compounds this sense of wading through treacle, waiting for a loved one to die, and I wasn't up to the challenge of wading in deeper with the characters.
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: A beautifully presented round up of killer flora for your colouriI received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: A beautifully presented round up of killer flora for your colouring pleasure.
If this time of year generally has you making a list (of people who have wronged you during the past year) and checking it twice, then you are definitely the sort of person for whom the colouring of deadly plants could be a relaxing and educational experience. I was woefully unaware of the original nonfiction title that spawned this black and white spin-off, but Wicked Plants is now definitely on my TBR list.
As well as providing some gorgeous and detailed line drawings of the aforementioned floral evildoers for you to wile away the hours colouring in, each plant picture is accompanied by a short paragraph of text explaining the specific wickedness of said plant and providing tidbits of scientific information about it. The cover star of the book, in case you are wondering, is the Betel Nut, a highly addictive nut prized for its chewability, but a chief cause of mouth cancer and asthma. A small selection of the 40 delightfully deadly plants included here are the innocent-seeming Water Hyacinth (waterway clogger extraordinaire), the highly toxic Death Camas (well, the name did warn you), and the completely-poisonous-except-for-one-tiny-bit (can you guess which one?) Yew. The plants are listed in alphabetical order, with a foreword from the author at the beginning, and some blank pages at the back for you to draw your own plants.
I think the most charming thing about this particular activity book is that it bears a "This book belongs to" stamp at the front, so that budding poisoners can ensure that nobody makes off with their tome of flowering death. If you are, or you know, a green thumb who is also quite at home with the dark side of plant life, this would make the perfect gift. Other than that, perhaps you could keep it beside your list of enemies, for when you need a light break....more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: As he is driven, tied up in the boot of a car, to his probable grI received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: As he is driven, tied up in the boot of a car, to his probable grisly death, a man reflects on how his life choices led him to this moment. Also, there's a lot of cricket.
Not being known for having a deep and abiding love of cricket, some of you may be wondering why on Earth I would have been interested in reading a book that clearly states that cricket will be involved in the story. Well, Judgey McJudgerson, even though I find watching professional cricket interminably boring (except for Big Bash...that's only mildly boring), Backyard Cricket, as every Australian knows, is a far more interesting game. And so I decided to give this one a go.
I am in two minds.
The book flips between Darren's present predicament of being locked, against his will, in a car boot, zooming toward probable death (or at least social unpleasantness), and his entire life story before the present moment, beginning with his and his brother's exploits as young cricketers. As well as dastardly deeds, violence, gambling, untimely death, failed relationships, secrecy and betrayal, there is an awful lot of cricket in this book.
An awful lot of cricket.
From the backyard variety to the professional international circuit, this book is chock full of cricketing parlance.
I did not particularly enjoy the cricket bits. Of which there were a lot.
I did, however, enjoy the suspenseful, stuck-in-the-boot-on-the-way-to-unsightly-death bits and there were enough of these to keep me reading. The redeeming bit of the story for me was definitely the final few chapters which featured only minor cricket symbolism, but a lot of excitement and danger and a hugely satisfying, ambiguous-but-not-really ending that only a mastermind of bookish misery could concoct.
Well played, Jock Serong.
If you enjoy reading about cricket and you love suspense and backstabbing and secrecy and so on as well - my, you'll be in for a treat with this one.
I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
DNF at 135 pages (Chapter 23)
Ten Second Synopsis: The Zeroes are trying to make a safe spI received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
DNF at 135 pages (Chapter 23)
Ten Second Synopsis: The Zeroes are trying to make a safe space in which to explore their newfound powers, but their world is shattered by the appearance of two newcomers who seem to have no regard for ordinary people. Not only that, but they look like they're bringing danger in their wake.
Given the hype that surrounded Zeroes, the first book in this series, it stands to reason that fans would want to be getting their grabby hands on Swarm. I had heard of this series, and in particular, the interesting three-author aspect of it, but had not read Zeroes when Swarm landed on my doorstep. For the uninitiated, the book follows the fates of a small band of teenagers who have developed a range of what could be termed superpowers. These range from seeing through other peoples' eyes, to deflecting the attention of others away from oneself, to the ability to destroy electronic equipment with the power of the mind. Interestingly though, it appears that these powers only seem to manifest in people within a certain age range, and usually have some connection to crowds and the energy generated by crowds.
As I said, I haven't read the first in the series, but the authors have gone to great lengths to inform new readers of what's what in the first few chapters. The book flicks back and forth between the points of view of all the Zeroes - about six in all, who all have code names as well as regular names. I found this to be a handy way to quickly be introduced to each character and their power, as well as to get a handle on some of the happenings of book one.
After the opening round of chapters however, the constant switching between perspectives really slowed the pace. I grew a little bored with hearing about various situations from each person's point of view and a few plot points get rehashed over and over as certain characters have to explain to other characters things that we, as readers, already know, because we just experienced it through the point of view of the character it happened to.
I ended up DNFing Swarm at Chapter 23, or 135 pages of the total 388, not because it was a sub-par read, but because I felt I had missed out on some of the action and excitement and character connection that may have been generated in the first book. I would recommend starting at the beginning (which is what I plan to now do) if you think this series sounds like your cup of superpowered tea.
I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Welcome to the near-future, where justice is swift and the mantra ofI received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Welcome to the near-future, where justice is swift and the mantra of the people is "an eye for an eye". Martha Honeydew, an orphan from the Rises, is about to find out just how real reality TV can get.
Cell 7 is an intriguing take on the mob mentality and the ways in which mass media, entertainment and critical thinking intertwine in today's society. In a near-future that doesn't look too far different from our present, courts have been abolished and the fate of prisoners is decided over a seven-day public voting period. The motto "an eye for an eye" is the driver behind the TV program Death is Justice, and the viewers feel that they have a personal stake in dealing out deadly justice to perceived wrong-doers. This book is a bit unusual in that it flicks between a number of points of view - Martha, from the inside of her death row cell; and Eve, her counsellor, in particular - as well as employing flashback scenes and running scripts from the Death is Justice television show. This variety of style actually kept me more interested in the story than I otherwise would have been because it allows the situation in which Martha finds herself to be explored from a number of angles, and exposes the motivations of various characters. The book takes its time in giving the reader the full picture, although the information that is held back at the start of the novel does provide for an interesting mystery.
There was something about this book that screamed "high school set text" to me because it is such an issues-focused book, with justice, fairness and power being the issues under examination. It was obvious from the beginning that there was more to Martha's case than initially meets the eye, and it seemed to take quite a while to get to the crux of the issue. I did enjoy the final few chapters of the book, when the flaws of the public voting system become apparent for all to see. This part of the book was faster-paced than the earlier sections, and the impending and inevitable sense of danger added a bit of excitement to proceedings. Because this did feel a bit didactic to me as an adult reader, I was a little disappointed to find out that there is a second book in the works. I was quite satisfied with the ambiguity of what might happen to the characters given the events of the ending and I think it would have been a stronger conversation-starter if the story was left there.
Recommended if you are looking for a read that will get you thinking about your own opinions on justice and the revenge mentality....more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: Ambrose has nothing in common with his upstairs neighbour Cosmo, I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: Ambrose has nothing in common with his upstairs neighbour Cosmo, except for the fact that they both enjoy Scrabble. Searching for a way out of boring nights alone while his mother works, Ambrose convinces a reluctant Cosmo to drive them both to a local Scrabble club.
This is one of those middle grade reads that can be enjoyed by older readers mostly due to the fact that it takes place, for the most part, outside the trope-laden school setting. Ambrose is home-schooled (by the time a few chapters have passed) due mostly to his mother’s overblown anxiety about his well-being and therefore the book is free from the stereotypical child characters one might usually find in books for this age group. Instead, Word Nerd feels like a book for a grown up (or growing up) audience, as Ambrose is forced by necessity and circumstance to take a look at himself and decide what kind of person he wants to be.
The thing about this book that pleased me the most was the authenticity of the characterisation. Ambrose is a genuine rendering of a twelve (nearly thirteen) year old boy, with all the misplaced confidence, anxiety, awkwardness, and interest in pubescent issues that being a twelve (nearly thirteen) year old boy entails. The author doesn’t gloss over the grown-up issues that Ambrose is confronted with through his interactions with his upstairs neighbour, Cosmo – including, but not limited to, jail time and drug use – but neither are these gratuitously exploited. Essentially, Ambrose reads like an unfeigned interpretation of a young boy attempting to make his own choices and emerge, flaws and all, from his mother’s protective shadow.
I knocked this one over in only a few sittings because the narrative was both absorbing and undemanding, and peppered with quirky but real-seeming characters. I’d definitely recommend this for young readers of middle grade who can handle some grown-up issues, or for older readers looking for a charming and memorable pre-coming of age tale that is wordy in all the right places....more
I received a copy of this title from HarperCollins Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: When classmates start spontaneously combusting around her,I received a copy of this title from HarperCollins Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: When classmates start spontaneously combusting around her, Mara realises her senior year is going to be far from ordinary. That's not so bad though, because Mara is far from ordinary herself.
So, Spontaneous. I would be lying if I said I enjoyed it as much as I did The Riverman - the two books are wildly different in narrative style - but Spontaneous has a gory, bizarre charm all its own. The book reminded me strongly of Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend by Alan Cumyn, in that it hinges on one absolutely wacky and unexpected concept - in this case, spontaneous combustion of students in a particular high school class - and tries to wring an entire novel out of the same.
Mara, the narrator, has a serious problem with flight of ideas. As a storyteller, she's all over the place, hopping from topic to topic like a bunny trapped in a geodesic dome constructed entirely of springs, in a manner that readers will either find hilarious or extremely irritating. There are some genuinely funny scenes and one-liners here, but I'm pretty sure some readers will find Mara's rapid changes of topic tiresome after a bit. Apart from Mara, characters include Dylan, a mysterious and possibly delinquent boy that Mara immediately falls for (which, rather than being a case of insta-love, seems to just be how Mara rolls), and an X-files-esque FBI agent who Mara may or may not have an unhealthy fascination with. I won't mention any other teen characters because I don't want to spoil the surprise when one or another of them goes pop when you least expect it.
Overall, I found this to be a fun, if utterly outlandish, read and I would recommend it to those of you who are stout of heart and happy to just go with the flow as the world of your current read falls down (or blows up, as the case may be!) around you....more
I received a copy of this title from HarperCollins Australia for review.
3.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: After being abruptly released from hospital, CharI received a copy of this title from HarperCollins Australia for review.
3.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: After being abruptly released from hospital, Charlie is left on her own to find a job and a place to live. After finding a job as a dishwasher, Charlie must fight to maintain her sanity as changing relationships try to bring her down.
Girl in Pieces is one part standard psychiatric hospital story, one part standard recovery story and one part interesting take on "homeless girl makes good" story. What Glasgow has done particularly well here is the realistic depiction of the post-hospitalisation experience, in which Charlie is left on her own with no support and is expected to manage both her illness and the basic problems of life, like finding a job and somewhere to live. The short, choppy chapters, particularly at the start and towards the end of the book, reflect Charlie's state of mind and her precarious situation. It's obvious that Glasgow has insider knowledge about the internal conflict experienced by someone trying to recover from trauma or mental illness that swings between choosing life-affirming strategies and giving in to familiar impulses. Charlie is a young woman who has experienced abandonment, the loss of family and friends, drug abuse, homelessness and sex trafficking before her sixteenth birthday and as a result, is left with a steep hill to climb towards a comfortable life. Hope prevails though, surprising as that is, and Charlie keeps putting one foot in front of the other, despite being rocked by those around her.
Even though there are some hopeful aspects to the story, overall it can come across as a pretty depressing read. The amount of struggling that Charlie has to do just to catch a break is a bit of a downer, but once again, that's often the reality for people on the bottom rung of society trying to climb up. There's also a fair amount of violence (self-harm in particular), drug use and sexual assault, so if those are topics that you'd rather steer clear of, this is definitely not the book for you.
While I think this is an authentic and engaging story about a traumatised young woman trying to make a go of her life against all odds, I still feel like I've read this all before. Call it an occupational hazard of blogging, or the consequence of having a special interest in fiction (and particularly YA fiction) relating to mental health, but I do feel like I've seen this story, or versions of it, umpteen times before, in Girl, Interrupted, The Mirror World of Melody Black, The Pause, Skin and Bone, It's Kind of a Funny Story, Cracked and pretty much all of Ellen Hopkin's work, not to mention the memoirs of Kate Richards, Sandy Jeffs, Anne Deveson and Patrick Cockburn. If you have not delved quite as deeply as I into the realms of fiction relating to mental illness and trauma, then Girl in Pieces would probably be a good place to start, provided you are prepared for some confronting content in places. Glasgow has left out no detail of the travails and triumphs on the road to recovery from a place of deep suffering and readers will be wishing Charlie the best of luck and all good things by the time the novel reaches its conclusion....more
I received a copy of this title from Hachette Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Evan is a nurse whose job involves assisting terminally ill patI received a copy of this title from Hachette Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Evan is a nurse whose job involves assisting terminally ill patients to end their own lives. After he is forced to make an unexpected choice during an assist, his future in the profession becomes uncertain, leading to a succession of situations that test his resolve.
This isn’t the first novel featuring assisted dying (or euthanasia or suicide or whatever you want to call it) I’ve read, but Amsterdam impressed me here with the subtle way in which the topic has been approached. That might seem like an odd statement to make – a book that plainly states that it’s about assisted dying might hardly be deemed to be “subtle” – but Amsterdam has done a brilliant job of laying out many of the complexities, be they legal, ethical or practical, that surround the idea of assisted dying and allowing the reader to absorb these without steering the discourse in a particular direction.
Without making it obvious, the author has included all types of end-of-life choices throughout the novel, including suicide of the conventional type (if we can call it that), the “pre-planned” type of assisted dying that features a clear end-of-life directive, the “look the other way” sort of medically assisted dying that goes on in hospitals all the time for those who are terminally ill and in pain, and the “legally sanctioned” assisted dying of which Evan’s job is a key part. Simply by including a wide range of characters whose deaths impact on the story, Amsterdam has neatly thrown out the question to both advocates and those opposing an individual’s right to choose their death as to how this concept can be managed realistically.
If you’re the sort of person who has strong views on whether or not an individual should have the right to choose the manner and time of their death, this book is going to provide plenty of fodder for your thought-processes. Should a mentally ill or socially isolated person have the same access to end-of-life processes as a terminally ill person, for instance? Should a family’s objections to an end-of-life choice have a bearing on the access to assisted death of the person choosing to die? What should happen if the person has made a clear choice but is physically unable to carry it out by the time the legal processes are finalised? I certainly don’t have the answers, but I’m glad that this book has raised these questions (and more!) for pondering.
I should also point out the ending is satisfyingly ambiguous also, which is a clever touch.
Apart from being an “issues” book, The Easy Way Out is also an absorbing and highly readable novel. Depending on how deeply you want to engage with the ethical content of the story, the book could certainly be read as a sort of grown-up “coming of age” novel that just happens to feature a main character in a highly unusual job. Evan, the protagonist, does an awful lot of growing and soul-searching throughout the novel as things he thought were clear in his mind become muddied by one life experience or another. His relationships, family history and work environment all force him to re-evaluate things he thought were obvious, and as his situation changes, so too does his ability to be sure of his decisions. I particularly liked the authenticity of Evan as a character and the fact that he sits in that hazy position in which most of us have found ourselves at one time or another – that of being completely sure of something until we aren’t – and the absolute upheaval that this can cause on a personal level.
If you’re looking for a reasonably quick read that also provides some food for thought and a cast of fascinating characters, I’d definitely recommend taking The Easy Way Out…off the shelf and giving it a go....more
I received a copy of this title from the author for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: When Lisa's father is brutally murdered, she decides to stop at nothingI received a copy of this title from the author for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: When Lisa's father is brutally murdered, she decides to stop at nothing to bring his killer to justice. What she doesn't count on is being whisked away to live with an estranged uncle in his vast funeral home, where more than a few mysteries are playing out around her.
The first thing you need to do before reading this one is suspend your disbelief. This is meant to be entertainment, not a reflection of reality. It took me a few chapters to realise this and early on I was thinking, "But that wouldn't really happen!" and "Why would she behave like that?" and so on and so forth. After I twigged that this wasn't meant to be an actual, reality-reflecting murder investigation type book, I suspended said disbelief and things got a whole lot more fun and engaging really fast.
It's no secret that I love books about cemeteries and morticians and the death industry in general, and this book features an absolute cracker of a cemetery. It's enormous and labyrinthine and you just know there are at least a few shady goings-on hidden amongst the viewing rooms and mausoleums and morgues. Ned, the assistant manager character who initially brings Lisa to Grand Hallow (in a hearse, obviously), became my favourite by the end, in no small part because he reminded me so much of the "Yes" guy on the Simpsons. Tina, Lisa's potty-mouthed friend, also became one of my favourites, simply for the colour and life that she brings to the story, as well as her forthright manner.
The story has a few distinct parts to it - or at least they felt distinct to me as I was reading. The first focuses on the murder of Lisa's father and the unexpected intervention of her estranged Uncle Clayton. The second part really makes a feature of Grand Hallow and we start to see that all is not as it appears at this vast necropolis. After that there is a section in which Lisa doesn't know who she can trust - I found this to be quite a suspenseful part of the story with lots of action, although....the next bit blows all that to pieces and turns the story right on its head as some rather unsavoury practices are brought to light and the murder is finally solved. HA! BUT IS IT REALLY SOLVED?! You'll have to read to the end to tie up all the loose threads - and this final part of the story features most of the gore and horror action in a satisfyingly exuberant fight to the death.
If you are looking for a YA book that contains an absorbing mystery (well, more than one actually), a good dose of atmospheric suspense, some twists that you won't see coming (and will probably make you go "Ew", when you get to them), and a solid helping of supernatural tumult, then I would highly recommend giving In the Graveyard Antemortem a crack....more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: Petula has suffered with extreme anxiety ever since her younger sI received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: Petula has suffered with extreme anxiety ever since her younger sister's tragic, accidental death as a toddler. When Jacob turns up in her YART (art therapy) class, his easy optimism and way of looking at things may just help Petula come out of her self-imposed shell.
Having read and enjoyed Nielsen's work before, I had a pretty good idea what I was in for going into this and I wasn't disappointed. Much like in Word Nerd, Nielsen combines a quirky hobby with a serious social issue - in this case, young people's mental health - and manages to successfully blend seriousness and humour.
Petula is still grieving the loss of her younger sister and has developed a major generalised anxiety disorder partly from the guilt she feels about her possible role in her sister's death. New boy in therapy group, Jacob, seems to take his prosthetic arm in stride and although he is secretive about the reasons he is in therapy group in the first place, is able to bring the group together in a way they haven't managed before. As the two become better friends, it will be the issue of guilt - perceived and actual - that may drive the two apart even as it brings them together.
Even though there is a bit of romance in this one, I still quite enjoyed Petula and Jacob's road to friendship and the connections they make with the others in their therapy group. There are a few twee bits here and there - particularly the ridiculous activities suggested by the leader of the art therapy group - but overall the book shows the growth of the characters and the group in a realistic (if simplistic) way.
I particularly enjoyed the blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo from Cosmo, a character in one of Nielsen's other books. Despite the fact that the ending is pretty predictable from the outset, I liked spending time with these characters and I appreciate the way that Nielsen manages to address difficult issues without ever losing the ability to inject humour into the situation....more
I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Johnny lives in North Tower of an estate with his mum, after his dadI received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Johnny lives in North Tower of an estate with his mum, after his dad - a policeman - was killed in a botched drug raid. Hoping to make it as a private detective, Johnny will stop at nothing to find out the truth, particularly when it involves his family, but in doing so, will put those he loves in danger.
For a high interest/low reading level YA offering, this is a remarkably engaging and suspenseful book. Despite this not being my particular preference for content in YA contemporary, I will admit to being riveted by Johnny's story because it is action-packed from beginning to end. The stories are aimed at readers of YA who can handle mature themes such as drug use, gang warfare and urban poverty. The stories don't shy away from the overbearing sense of despair and entrapment in the poverty cycle that pervades the estate in which Johnny lives, and the writing brings to life the depressing conditions of council house tenants living cheek by jowl.
The characters are, for the most part, authentic representations of the kinds of folk who might populate such an estate and Johnny himself is believable as a young man driven to discover the truth behind his father's death. The vivid action and, dare I say, believable violence contained in the stories will no doubt be a draw-card for reluctant male readers, but overall I would recommend having a look at this series simply for the exciting narrative style, suspenseful action and graphic depictions of urban life in a rough locale....more
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