Her

Title: Her
Author: Harriet Lane
Type: Paperback
Read: 4th February - 6th February 2016
Rating: 3/5
Published: 1st January 2015 by Weidenfield & Nicolson

Two women; two different worlds.

Emma is a struggling mother who has put everything on hold. Nina is sophisticated and independent - entirely in control.

When the pair meet, Nina generously draws Emma into her life. But this isn't the first time the women's paths have crossed. Nina remembers Emma and she remembers what Emma did.

But what exactly does Nina want from her? And how far will she go in pursuit of it?

I ignored the really low rating of this book on goodreads, I picked up because i was loving the bright colour of the book. It really does demand your attention. So i listened.

The book tells of two people, Emma and Nina. They know one another, although Emma doesn't remember Nina at all. Nina however remembers Emma and she remembers what she did.

That alone made me want to read this book, it seemed very psychological thriller, I wanted to know what brough these two together and what had happened in the past. The book is told through chapters from each Emma and Nina. Sometimes it went over the same thing just from the other characters view. Occasionally bringing through hints of the past with Nina.

I liked the premise of the book, it really should have worked. There was just a few things wrong for me. The speed of the book, it took forever to get somewhere and when it did, it still felt so flat. Then the ending. That ending was just wrong. On every level. It never made sense at all. Not one bit. I don't care exactly what Emma did in the past (i still don't think it was major!), but no one with a motherly bone in their body would have even considered allowing that to happen.

I think Emma was just a mum caught up in having a new friend, (even tho she knew her once before) and Nina just needed to grow up and move on. She was crazily obssessed with Emma to the point she should have been locked up.

A really good basis for the story and the cover stands out, i just think at times, the author wanted it to be much more dramatic which didn't work. 

Go Get it From: Amazon UK | Book Depository | Waterstones | Wordery
Follow @HarrietLane_

You, Me & Other People

Title: You, Me & Other People
Author: Fionnuala Kearney
Type: Paperback
Read: 28th January - 3rd February 2016
Rating: 3/5
Published: 18th June 2015 by Harper

THEY SAY EVERY FAMILY HAS SKELETONS IN THEIR CLOSET . . .

But what happens when you open the door and they won’t stop tumbling out? For Adam and Beth the first secret wasn’t the last, it was just the beginning.

You think you can imagine the worst thing that could happen to your family, but there are some secrets that change everything. And then the question is, how can you piece together a future when your past is being rewritten?

I really really wanted to like this book and I did, just not as much as I had hoped for.
The book is centred around Adam and Beth. A couple who have recently seperated due to Adams cheating once again on Beth. The story is told through chapters from each Beth and Adam. Often retelling the sceen from the others view point.

I adored Beth. She was a cracking character, a song writer who hoped to have that one big hit. But with recently throwing Adam out, she's angry and upset. Her writing is probably at its best. She's also got her daughter to think of Meg, who loves both her parents and would do anything for them to get back together.

Adam just annoyed me. I dont' want to say he's a typical bloke because thats unfair on all men. But he needed his bits chopping off. He had a rough childhood, fine. But thats not reason for you to use as an excuse to justify cheating on your wife. Not just once, twice.

But as with every relationship, there are secrets, Adam has plenty. How does he get through it all when his world around him is not going to plan. In order to survive the truth, all of it, must come out. No matter the consequences. But that will tear the family apart more.

The thing is, if Adam wasn't such an idiot and took responsibility from the start, I might have liked him a little. But he didn't and therefore I don't.

Like I said, Beth was a great character, especially when paired upw ith her friend Karen or when she was jaunting off to LA. I routed for her from the start.

A good book, but just wasn't something I enjoyed sadly.
The cover however, is striking, I think its' why i brough the book. It stood out.
Go Get it From: Amazon UK | Book Depository | Waterstones | Wordery
Follow @fionnualatweets

January Wrap Up & Book Haul

I've had such a good reading month in January. As much as I set out to read a certain number of books a year, the geek who works in accounts within me, works out how many books I then should read a month. To hit the target of 60, it worked out to be five a month. Now I know come summer, thats going to reduce and there is one book I am holding out to read this year, if i have the courage to do so.

But this month I'm well on my way to hitting that target of 60 with 8 books read. I made a teeny dent in my TBR pile, with only one book which wasn't a part of that originally.

Eight books. No author duplicated, four paperbacks and four hardbacks. The newest eddition was 'The Trouble with Goats & Sheep' - it arrived early and I wanted to read it badly!

Total pages read: 3,123 

My favourite was Carry On & Goats & Sheep. Both books matched the hype surrounding them. I want more from both authors.. although Rainbow Rowell does have a mini book out for World Book Day. I shall be on the search for it!

I did also buy books.. but I'm sorting out my shelves to donate those I know I won't read again.

- Nymphs - Sari Luhtanen - Rec'd from BookBridgr

- The Art of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson - Signed from Maximumpopbooks

- The Good Luck of Rigth Now - Matthew Quick

- The Trouble with Goats & Sheep - Joanna Cannon

I loved Goats & Sheep and I really do recommend this book. Its just amazing. I've heard alot of great things about The Art of Being Normal so thats going to be read soon and Nymphs just caught my attention. It probably isn't my normal read but sometimes its great to branch out to new genres. So i'm looking forward to reading it in February.

Finally...

Today i got some interesting book mail...

#yousentmealetter

Watch this space.

The Trouble with Goats & Sheep

Title: The Trouble with Goats & Sheep
Author: Joanna Cannon
Type: Hardback
Read: 24th January - 27th January 2016
Rating: 5/5
Published: 28th January 2016 by Borough Press

England,1976.

Mrs Creasy is missing and The Avenue is alive with whispers. As the summer shimmers endlessly on, ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly decide to take matters into their own hands.

And as the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives will find much more than they imagined…

I try so hard to avoid books that have a massive hype. But this one really caught my attention. So much so, june last year i asked Borough Press if i can have an ARC copy and even tried to pre-order on various book sites before a date of release got annouced. Somethin about this book really made me want to read it. And these past few weeks theres been Goats & Sheep everywhere over twitter! But yay for Waterstones sending out early i finished this just before release date. And it matched the hype!

Firstly i have to say i adore the cover, the whole design is just stunning. I love that the cover doesn't give anything away about what is inside. Is a book on farm-yard animals? No. It a tale set in the heatwave of 1976 and told through Grace and Tilly, ten year old best friends. I adored these two. I loved Tilly a teeny tiny bit more - but together they're awesome. Grace is just a little mini grown up who has an older head on her shoulders. We also discover Mrs Creasy has disappeared and Grace & Tilly take it upon themselves to find out where she has gone and after a visit to church, decide to find god along the way.

Once Grace & Tilly are back on the Avenue they decide to talk to all their neighbours in the hope of finding god in someones house. If they find god, then he will keep everyone safe and bring back Mrs Creasy. Through their innocent questions you begin to realise not everything is as it seems within the Avenue and that secrets are hidden waiting to escape. Through their questioning, they make the adults being to rethink the past and the parts they've played in situations.

The chapters do change from the girls view and then we get the adults side to understand the mysteries they are unraveling. It's addicting. I really couldn't put this book down. You get drawn to all the characters, you can't help but adore Grace & Tilly and you just want to help them every step of the way.

I have lots of favourite parts, but i'm very geeky when it comes to places i can very much relate to. When Birmingham was mentioned i had a goofy smile and then just a teeny mention of a drink, makde me giggle and tweet Joanna. The drink was a mention of a place I work at and i just loved that reference, so much so i've told the company I work for!

This is a stunning debut, it really does match all the hype surrounding it. Joanna is an excellent story teller. I really can't wait to see what comes next!

Go Get it From: Amazon UK | Book Depository | Waterstones | Wordery
Follow @JoannaCannon
 

The Rain

Title: The Rain (The Rain #1)
Author: Virginia Bergin
Type: Paperback
Read: 21st January - 23rd January 2016
Rating: 4/5
Published: 17th July 2014 by Macmillan Childrens Books

It's in the rain...and just one drop will kill you.

They don't believe it at first. Crowded in Zach's kitchen, Ruby and the rest of the partygoers laugh at Zach's parents' frenzied push to get them all inside as it starts to drizzle. But then the radio comes on with the warning, "It's in the rain! It's fatal, it's contagious, and there's no cure."

Two weeks later, Ruby is alone. Anyone who's been touched by rain or washed their hands with tap water is dead. The only drinkable water is quickly running out. Ruby's only chance for survival is a treacherous hike across the country to find her father-if he's even still alive.

I won this book via instagram a while back. I've never read anything by this author before and the blurb seemed interesting.

The book is set in the UK, Ruby is at a party with her friends and the hottest boy she knows. When suddenly they're all dragged inside. The radio says nothing but it's in the rain, stay in doors and keep calm. One drop of rain on you and you're dead. It makes you bleed and there is no cure. So how do you survive when everyone around you is dead. How do you live when you need water but you can't drink whats in the taps, you can't wash or anything.

This book is very much aimed at teens. It will probably actually annoy some as well. Ruby is selfish but she's young, she's lost her best friend, her mum and baby brother and now her step dad. What can she do? She decides to set off to London to find her real dad. He will be there he would have survived and he will keep her safe.

Throughout all this Ruby discovers she's not the only one to survive. She's stubborn though. She doesn't want help until she gets to a police station and realises there's people locked in the cells. When help comes from the biggest nerd she knows, Darius, together with a small child, they release the prisoners and animals. Careful to never be caught in a downpour, Darius, Rugby and the child are on a journey to get to London. Whilst routing around in abandond shops to find anything thats left to drink. They must contend with anything and everyone that comes in their way.

Ruby is your typical teenager though. She's always felt like she's been restricted from everything and finally having freedom she's able to do everything from dying her hair to putting on a crazy amount of makeup. To wanting her phone to work and dressing up the the fanciest of clothes.

It sad as well though. Ruby is alone. She wants to be but then never wants anyone to leave her. She's a tough little cookie. The book is written as if Ruby is writing a diary or a movie. She's narrating it and its' quirky. It can distract you often from the storyline, the world is pretty much ending and yet this girl only cares about make up or kissing.

Overall its a good book, its sad as well, especially near the end. I'm certianly going to aim to read the sequal - The Storm.  

Go Get it From: Amazon UK | Book Depository | Waterstones | Wordery
Follow @VeeBergin

 

The Girls

Title: The Girls
Author: Lisa Jewell
Type: Hardback
Read: 16th January - 21st January 2016
Rating: 4/5
Published: 2nd July 2015 by Century

You live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where your children run free, in and out of other people’s houses.

You’ve known your neighbours for years and you trust them. Implicitly.

You think your children are safe.
But are they really?

Midsummer night: a thirteen-year-old girl is found unconscious in a dark corner of the garden square. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?

Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors, that i will buy any book she releases. I got this on release day and its sat on my shelf for too long. It was a brilliant read.

The story is of Pip, Grace and their mother Clare who move to a flat which shares a communal garden. This part kinda reminded me of Notting Hill. As the new girls, Pip and Grace are ignored pretty much at first, they're noticed but ignored. Then gradaully they're intwined in the lives of the communal gardens residents. Grace more so than Pip.

Pip seems the more mature one of the two although she was the younger sister. She was so aware of everything and didn't trust many people at all. Grace being thirteen was just trying to find her own space, to distance herself from the past and get in with the new people in this garden. It caused a lot of drama especially between Tyler and Grace. When boys are thrown in the mix its every girl for themselves.

A night of a party and also Grace's thriteenth birthday, Grace is discovered lying motionless by Pip. Who has attacked her sister and why. This book then looks at what happend before that night, what came to it and why.

I loved the mystery part of it all. With Grace in a coma we only have Pip who is trying to figure evrything out and also the Police. Plus we also have resident Adele who's three daughters are known out in the garden. Adele is also known for her open door, anyone can come and she'll look after them.

But once Grace is hurt, secrets come out that are meant to stay hidden and everyone is suspect. Relationships are tested and boundries pushed.

It's a great story, I'm sorry i never read it sooner. I adore everything Lisa does and this is certainly one of the yes you must read books. I won't give out if we find out who has harmed Grace. Theres so many people you think have done it that as a reader we'll question everything.

Go Get it From: Amazon UK | Book Depository | Waterstones | Wordery
Follow @LisaJewellUK

 

Concert: The Corrs

Artist: The Corrs

Tour: White Light Tour

Location: Genting Arena, Birmingham

Date: 19th January 2016

My first concert of 2016 and what a cracking one to start off with. The Corrs haven't toured together for over 10 years, and perhaps in the fashion of groups coming back together, they released a new album "White Light" and a tour to go with it. So i was straight on the computre with my millions of screens open just so i can get decent seats. I got them. Then Genting moved me because it wasn't a sell out. But it was still bloody brilliant.

The support act was 'The Shires' - I'm not sure who they are and were non the wiser after watching them. However they have had an album out so I don't think are brand new. They were good, sung some catchy country songs, so a pretty good act to start up with. 

When The Corrs were together years ago, I never seen them on tour. I wanted to just didnt' get around to it. So with this tour I was really excited. I made sure I brought their new album when it got released so to learn all the songs before the tour. Then i dusted off all the old albums and got listening to them. The Corrs are timeless. Their music doesn't seem to age at all and I can still remember singing in my bedroom as a teen to their songs thinking one day I could do that. I've not got a musical bone in my body!

The songs were a mixture of both old and new. I had my favourites and was hoping they'd perform them. The show started off with a white curtian hiding the stage and suddenly Caroline is projected on there playing the drums. Then the curtain falls and the group break into the song 'I Do What I Like'. The crowd was a mixed bag. I was thinking it would attract mid-thirties and stuff but there was some older folks too and they knew every word! 

Two highlights of the night for me was when they performed 'Runaway' a very classic song which everyone knows and the crowd sung it back to them. You could see Andrea's face glow - like a little kid in a candy shop. And also when they performed the song 'Ellis Island' from their lastest album. This song is just touching and heartbreaking. It's about the times when Irish imergrents went to the US to live but had to go via Ellis Island to be checked over. It just a beautiful song.

The Corrs very much stuck to their Irish roots, they perfomed a song in gaelic 'Buachaill Ón Éirne' which as a language is hard to say let alone sing. They also played some Irish instrumentals seeing as all four are talented musicians too.

The stage was very simple, just the band and a screen behind them which showed them. It was probably daunting for them, being away for 10 years and then selling out numerous arenas, to come back out. I think they did a cracking job and the audience loved them. If they just interact slightly more with them, they'll have a great rest of tour.

Set Listing:

1. I Do What I Like
2. Give Me A Reason
3. Forgiven, Not Forgotten
4. Bring On The Night
5. What Can I Do
6. Radio
7. Lough Erin Shore / Trout In The Bath / Joy of Life
8. Runaway
9. With Me Stay
10. Ellis Island
11. Buachaill Ón Éirne
12. Love To Love You
13. Only When I Sleep
14. Queen Of Hollywood
15. Dreams
16. Kiss Of Life
17. I Never Really Loved You Anyway
18. So Young
19. Encore
1. White Light
2. Breathless
3. Toss The Feather