Book Review: My True Love Gave to Me

January 18, 2016January 17, 2016 Ali@abookishlife3 Comments

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Winter Romances by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yep, it’s safe to say that I’m very, very behind on my Christmas reading. It’s the middle of January and I’m only now getting round to finishing and posting my review of this book.

My True Love Gave to Me is a collection of twelve short stories by YA authors all themed around the holiday period. It’s quite difficult to rate this collection as it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Some stories I absolutely loved, some were ok and some I just wasn’t too keen on.

I have to admit before I start that I’m generally not a fan of short stories. They’re never quite long enough (I know they aren’t supposed to be) to really draw you in and let you connect with the characters. When they do draw you in, the ending always comes too soon. I want more.

Despite my general dislike of short stories I couldn’t resist this book as it included stories from two of my favourite authors, Rainbow Rowell (Fangirl, Carry On) and Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss) and I have to admit I love Christmassy themed stories.

For the most part this collection didn’t disappoint. I won’t go through story by story but I will say that Stephanie Perkins and Rainbow Rowell did not let me down. Their stories, It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown and Midnights were most definitely the highlights for me. They had very likeable characters and managed to suck me into the story and the emotion from the start. While I would like more (please) the length actually worked.

As well as discovering unsurprisingly that my favourite authors are fabulous I have to say that I was also impressed with some of the other stories. I particularly enjoyed Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntyre as it made me laugh quite a lot and What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman. I’ve never read anything by these authors but I’ll definitely be looking out for them.

The remainder were more of the ok level rather than anything particularly special. I felt that in certain stories things were a little bit too complicated and convoluted for a short story which put me off. Slightly worryingly there are also a couple I don’t remember (Jenny Han and Ally Carter) so I guess they weren’t great or terrible.

Regardless, it’s definitely given me a taste of a lot of new authors and my TBR list has grown exponentially.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy and apologies for taking so long to post the thing.

Book Review: My Kind of Wonderful by Jill Shalvis

January 17, 2016 Ali@abookishlife5 Comments

My Kind of Wonderful by Jill Shalvis

My rating: 4 of 5 Stars

The perfect read to chase away the winter blues.

I’m not a fan of January. It’s cold, miserable, dark from around 4pm and I always end up working completely ridiculous hours to meet unachievable deadlines. Safe to say I’m not a happy bunny.

While this book didn’t really solve anything as far as work or weather it did make me feel a bit better about it and it most definitely put a smile on my face.

My Kind of Wonderful is the second in the cedar ridge series and my first book by Jill Shalvis. I didn’t realise it was the second in a series but to be honest it didn’t matter as it works as a standalone.

Synopsis

The story follows Bailey Moore, a women determined to make the most of her second chance at life by living it to the full. She has a list of things she wants to do and top of that list is to paint a mural. When she’s hired to paint a mural at cedar ridge ski resort in the Rockies she’s determined to do it. What she doesn’t count on though is Hudson Kincaid.

Hudson’s part of the family who own the resort and between working all hours at the resort to keep it afloat, taking shifts at the local police station, looking after his mentally ill mum and trying to track down his missing brother he has a lot on his plate. He’s not looking for any more complications in his life and he’s certainly not looking for a relationship.

They are exactly what the other doesn’t need in their life right now but from their very first encounter there’s an attraction that neither can ignore. A serious relationship is not what either want but once the mural’s finished can they really end it?

My thoughts

It’s a very sweet and romantic read and absolutely perfect for the cold dark winter months. There is the occasional sad moment but most of the time it had me laughing and smiling (unfortunately sometimes when I was on the train which is a bit embarrassing).

The main characters are very likeable. Bailey is so optimistic and determined to live life to the max on her own basis that you can’t help but love her. Hudson is dark and brooding but cares for his family so patiently and lovingly that you really feel for him. There is a lot of chemistry between Bailey and Hudson and the attraction and spark is there from the very beginning making it a very believable relationship.

For me though, one of the highlights of the story was the Kincaid family. I loved the dynamic between the siblings and their partners. Almost every scene made me laugh and smile. There were a lot of pranks and the teasing but you get the feeling that they’re always there for each other no matter what. I come from a small family so I have to admit to being a little bit jealous.

I have to admit to also having a bit of a soft spot for any story set in the snow at winter. They are always so cozy and romantic with rustic lodges and log fires. The author gives a great sense of place in this story and the mountains and resort are almost characters in their own right. From the very first chapter when Hudson is “rescuing” Bailey from a dangerous ski run I fell a little bit in love with the setting. I just want to jump on a plane and head off now.

The story is fairly predictable but that’s kind of what you expect from this type of story. You pretty much know how it will end from the first few pages but it’s nice to join the characters on their journey and the writing is good enough that it’s an engaging and funny read.

I’d definitely recommend it to chase away the January blues.

Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

WWW Wednesday: 13th January 2016

January 13, 2016January 12, 2016 Ali@abookishlife21 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

The WWW Wednesdays meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I’m working a lot of hours at the moment (January is always my busy time) so it’s a bit of a struggle to get much reading done at the moment. I did however manage to start The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness at the weekend. It’s the second in the Chaos Walking trilogy and I’m liking it a lot. It doesn’t hurt that you get to hear the thoughts of the horse the main character Todd is riding (seems very true to me).

As The Ask and the Answer is a physical book and not particularly light I also have an ebook on the go. I’m trying to catch up on some of my ARC’s so am reading My Kind of Wonderful by Jill Shalvis. Again, the second in the series although have to admit I haven’t read the first. I’m enjoying it a lot more than I thought. It’s a nice light read with quite a few laughs and a lot of romance.

Recently Finished

I finally managed to finish My True Love Gave to Me at the end of last week. It’s a nice collection of holiday themed YA short stories. Don’t know why it took me so long as for the most part I found them great reads (there were a few exceptions). Haven’t had a chance to post a review yet but there should be one up over the next week.

After that I had a bit of a reading blitz over the weekend. I needed to wind down from a horrible week and the first proper snow of the winter had arrived so it seemed like a good excuse to just relax and read. I managed to read Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen on Friday night (may possibly have stayed up till 1am to finish). I do like Tess’s writing and it was a quick enough read but I thought genre was a bit confused and there wasn’t enough depth to the characters to make me feel what I should have.

Saturday’s read of Knight and Stay by Kitty French was also a fairly good, light read. It was the second in the trilogy but kind of finished one of the storylines started in Knight and Play. I’m looking forward to reading the final book at some point over the next few weeks.

Reading Next

I think once I finish The Ask and the Answer I’ll go on to read the final book in the series, Monsters of Men. There is no way I’ll be able to stop until I know how it all ends. I tend to be a little bit obsessive when it comes to a series of books. I can’t stop reading until I finish them all.

After that I’m planning to read After You by Jojo Moyes. I managed to find it in the library but gave it to my Mum to read first. She has finally returned it to me so I’m looking forward to getting stuck in. I loved Me Before You and Jojo Moyes is one of my favourite authors so I have high hopes. I just really hope I’m not disappointed (although my Mum says it’s good).

I’m hoping this will be a good reading month. Have you read any of the books above? Do you have any recommendations?

Teaser Tuesday: 12th January 2015

January 12, 2016January 10, 2016 Ali@abookishlife11 Comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of A Daily Rhythm.

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This week I’m reading the second book in Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking series, The Ask and the Answer. Really enjoying this series, the writing style is so unique and draws you into the world and the story. It’s a world where you can hear the thoughts of the animals so I was very tempted to go with a couple of those sentences (which do make me laugh) but decided on the following teaser.

My Teaser

I burn with the stupidity of how easy they trapped me, how easy it was to use her against me. I burn with the shame of crying at the beating (shut up). I burn with the ache of being taken from her again, the ache of her promise to me, the ache of not knowing what’s going to happen to her now.

~ page 203

Happy reading everyone.

Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

January 10, 2016 Ali@abookishlife10 Comments

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love, love, love this book and can’t wait for the next in the series.

I had somehow never heard of this until it was voted book of the month in one of my groups. I wasn’t planning on reading it but then I saw some good reviews and couldn’t resist even though it meant breaking my no book buying new years resolution. I am so happy to have broken my resolution for this book. It was totally worth it.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her ‘proper adventure’.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—trickier than they hoped.

Thoughts

I haven’t been this excited about a series since Throne of Glass. The writing and world building are first class and the author has somehow managed to get the balance between descriptions and action just right.

The characters are very likeable for the most part. Reluctant hero Kell comes across a bit arrogant, bored and aloof at the start but once he is shaken up a bit we get to see a much nicer, funnier and insecure young man trying to do what’s right despite the temptation to just give up. I kind of want to adopt him or even just give him a big hug.

Lila, I thought was hilarious and brilliant. She’s a thief and wannabe pirate who likes to pretend she’s a man. She’ll try to steal pretty much anything that’s not nailed down (and probably things that are) and seems to actively seek out trouble. However although she tries to seem badass and uncaring you see the odd chink in her armour and get the impression that while she’s out for herself she does have morals and there are a few people she cares about despite her best efforts.

When she teams up with Kell their relationship is electric. I absolutely loved the banter between them and how their partnership develops from an uneasy arrangement to a kind of mutual respect and trust. Although it does seem like someone needs to bang their heads together so they can see what’s in front of them.

The other characters in the book are also well executed. The bad guys are truly creepy from their very first scene and always made me feel uneasy and uncomfortable. There are actually quite a few scenes which are quite dark and sinister and even the setting at times is unsettling.

While it should be confusing having four different Londons, they are well described and very distinct so I had a clear picture of each. From Kell’s home in Red London which seems almost too perfect, to Lila’s grey London which feels drab and miserable, to White London where there is an air of desperation, danger and evil lurking at all times, all were unique and you always knew exactly where you were.

The story itself is pretty fast paced and there is a lot of action which I loved. At times I was bouncing on my seat as I was reading, desperate to know what would happen next but afraid to read it. There were a few occasions where I would read a bit, get too wound up and have to stop so I could walk about the room a bit before going back and reading the next bit. Even now writing this review and thinking about it has me a little hyped up. I’m not sure how I’m going to take the wait till the next one is released.

I should say that while this is the first book in a series it does work on it’s own and a lot of the story is concluded. There are no horrible cliffhangers to watch out for. There are however a few things which have only been hinted at and definitely have potential to be expanded on and developed in future books.

It’s a little early to be saying this but I think this could be one of my top reads of 2016.

Book Review: Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen

January 9, 2016January 9, 2016 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m really struggling on how to rate this story. I do love Tess Gerritsen and I think her writing is fantastic but there was something about this story that just didn’t feel right. I picked it up around 10pm at night after a very long day in the office and kept reading till I finished around 1am so it can’t have been that bad but I was left with this kind of unsatisfactory feeling.

Synopsis

The story starts incredibly well. Violinist Julia Andsell is browsing antique shops in Italy when she comes across an old book of music with a hand written page within. Unable to resist she buys the book and returns to her husband and 3 year old daughter in Boston. After spending the day with her daughter Lily she decides to try playing the piece. When she does however Lily exhibits some disturbing behaviour that gives her cause for concern.

She speaks to a doctor who tells her not to worry but a little while later when practicing the piece again Lily attacks her. Julia is positive her child has changed and wants to hurt her but no one believes her. Is there something wrong with Lily, could the music be responsible for the change or is everything in Julia’s head as everyone else seems to think? She is positive the music is responsible so is determined to find out it’s history.

This leads her back to Italy and the story of composer and violinist Lorenzo who was a Jew in Venice during the second World War. It seems however that someone doesn’t want her to find out the truth.

Thoughts

Despite what the blurb on Amazon and GoodReads may say this is really two stories wrapped up in one. On one hand there is the story of Julia and her possibly demonic child and on the other the story of Lorenzo. The book is actually told from the dual perspective of each with alternating sections.

While I mostly enjoyed both stories I felt like the alternating sections didn’t quite work. Julia’s sections were more psychological thriller whereas Lorenzo’ s were about the horrors of the holocaust with a little bit of doomed love thrown in. Both would no doubt have worked on their own but didn’t mesh well with each other. The tension in Julia’s story was broken and I never really felt the emotion and horror of Lorenzo’s.

The writing is pretty good throughout (I devoured the whole thing in a few hours) but I thought the story and characters lacked the depth they needed to bring out the emotion of the themes. It did start well with a couple of very creepy scenes but after that I think it lost it’s way.

The ending in particular I thought really let it down as it felt like a bit of a cop out and was a little too easy.

Overall, a good enough read but a little bit confused in genre and lacking depth.

WWW Wednesday: 6th January 2016

January 6, 2016January 5, 2016 Ali@abookishlife16 Comments

It’s WWW Wednesday time.

The WWW Wednesdays meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So here’s my W’s for the week.

Currently Reading

I’m a little bit between books at the moment as I’m suffering from a serious book hangover. To tide me over until I’m ready for a proper book I’m still working my way through My True Love Gave to Me, a series of short stories by YA authors.

I started it a few weeks ago but for some reason it seems to be taking me forever to read. Nothing against the book (a lot of the stories I’ve read have been great) I just struggle a bit with short stories. You’re just getting into a story when it comes to an end and you’re on to the next one. They do tend to be a good way to find new authors so no doubt it will result in an increased TBR pile 🙂

Recently Finished

My younger brother was getting married last week so between that, Christmas and New Year things have been a bit hectic. I kind of missed my WWW Wednesday post (I was too busy burning up the dance floor) but I did manage to squeeze in quite a bit of reading.

First up I read A Christmas Carol to get me in the holiday spirit. Twas my very first Dickens and found I enjoyed it. For some reason I’ve always been a little scared of his writing but found it quite accessible. Someone recommended Great Expectations to me so this has encouraged me to give it a read.

After A Christmas Carol I moved on to The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Haven’t quite gotten around to posting a review but I thought it was a great book. The narrative style is pretty unique and I think puts a lot of people off but I thought it was some of the best world building I’ve come across and I liked the characters (particularly Manchee).

Unfortunately my third book, The Perfect Match by Katie Fforde, was less of a success. Katie Fforde is one of my favourite authors but there were just too many things about the main character and plot which wound me up. You can see my full slightly ranty review here.

Things picked up a little with the next story I read, Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick. It’s a YA thriller and is an ok read. It’s quite easy going and has an interesting plot. I just didn’t think there was anything to make it stand out.

Last up and the book that’s left me with the most humongous book hangover is A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This was a book of the month on GoodReads and I’d seen some great reviews so broke my new year’s resolution to buy it. I’m so glad I did. It’s a bit early to say this but I think it could be one of my favourite reads of the year.

Reading Next

Since breaking my no book buying resolution (on the 2nd January…oops) I’ve had a bit of a splurge so I have quite a few choices for my next reads. I think my plan though is to read Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen which I’m due to return to the library next week. I love Tess so looking forward to it although I’m expecting something a bit different from the Rizzoli and Isles series.

After Tess I’m moving on to another of my favourite authors, Jojo Moyes, with the book After You. I loved Me Before You and a lot of Jojo’s other stories so I have high hopes. I just really hope I’m not disappointed.

In the unlikely event I finish those books I’m planning to read the rest of Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking Series. The Knife of Never Letting Go finished on a bit of a cliffhanger so I can’t wait to find out what happens next in The Ask and the Answer.

I’m hoping this will be a good reading month. Have you read any of the books above? Do you have any recommendations?

Teaser Tuesday: 5th January 2015

January 5, 2016 Ali@abookishlife8 Comments

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This week I’m between books. I just finished A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab and am suffering from an almighty book hangover. It is such a good book I need a couple of days to recover from it before I start anything else or post a review. In the meantime here’s a teaser from it.

My Teaser

“My life is mine to spend,” she said. “And I will not spend it here, no matter how nice your city is, or how much safer it might be.”

~ page 327

If anyone hasn’t read it yet I would definitely recommend.

Happy reading everyone.

Book Review: Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

January 4, 2016January 2, 2016 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is my second book by Becca Fitzpatrick so I had a rough idea what to expect as far as writing goes and was looking forward to reading this new story. Unfortunately, while I found it an enjoyable enough story and an easy read, it wasn’t anything particularly special.

Synopsis

17 year old girl, Stella, witnesses a crime and is forced to leave her home, family and her boyfriend to go into witness protection. She moves from a big city to a small town in Nebraska where she has to try to adjust to a new way of life. As her mother had money and a drug habit Stella is used to doing her own thing so it’s safe to say she rebels a bit at the start even though it’s for her own safety.

It’s not long though before she meets boy next door Chet and starts to realise life in Nebraska might not be too bad. However someone in town starts stirring up trouble and there is a chance the secrets from her past will catch up to her putting her life and the lives of those around her in danger.

Thoughts

Overall I had nothing against this book I just seem to be struggling to find reasons to love it.

The writing is pretty good and the story ticks along at a nice pace. I liked the idea of the whole witness protection thing and it definitely had the potential to be a real page turner. Added to that there is a bit of mystery around the events Stella claims to have witnessed which makes you wonder what really happened that night. There are a few twists and surprises in the story which do keep you guessing (and reading) but I felt like there could have been a little more tension. I was never really on the edge of my seat.

In terms of main character Stella, I’ve read a few reviews talking about how much they disliked her but I actually kind of admired her attitude. Yes, for a girl in hiding she does some remarkably stupid things which are guaranteed to get her noticed but I liked how she stood up for herself and others even when it led trouble her way. Like a lot of YA heroines she is a little bit boy crazy which kind of annoys me but it seems to be standard in these types of books. I also found it quite strange how quickly she developed feelings for someone other than her boyfriend (who she apparently couldn’t live without at the start).

Boy next door Chet is nice enough and I did enjoy the banter between the two of them but I felt it lacked that little bit of spark that would have made their attraction a bit more believable.

The remaining characters could also have done with a bit more depth as I felt they were a little stereotyped. There was the bullying high school jock with the massive ego, the underage pregnancy, younger teen going off the rails due to lack of parental role model etc. I’m not sure what else the author could have done but I think I’m getting a bit fed up of the same types of character in every YA book. Although I have to admit that I did like that there were a lot of strong women.

As far as the ending to the story, I have to say that I found it a little unsatisfying. It seemed like there was a lot of build up to not a lot of action. What action there was seemed to be over in a few pages with minimal fuss or emotion. It wasn’t bad it just wasn’t as good as I hoped and I would have liked a slightly different ending for Stella.

Overall therefore I would recommend it if you’re looking for an easy read with some action for a lazy afternoon but I don’t think it’s a stand out book.

Book Review: The Perfect Match by Katie Fforde

January 2, 2016 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

The Perfect Match by Katie Fforde

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really hate having to give two stars to a Katie Fforde book but considering how much the whole thing annoyed me I couldn’t justify giving it any more. Sorry.

Before this book I probably would have rated Katie Fforde as one of my all time favourite authors. I don’t know whether her writing has changed or if my tastes have changed but this book just really didn’t work for me.

Synopsis

There isn’t really much of a story, a twenty something estate agent Bella goes to stay with her 60 year old Godmother Alice after leaving her previous home and job to get away from a man. She’s now settled, dating her boss and fairly happy finding houses for difficult clients but then the man she tried to get away from, Dominic, reappears in her life as the relative of a friend. You can pretty much guess what happens after that. There are sub plots about her boss (and boyfriends) dodgy dealings and her godmothers romance with a younger man but that’s about it.

Thoughts

The writing is pretty typical Katie Fforde style and is an easy enough read (although I was disappointed to find a few errors) but it’s starting to feel a little bit dated and old fashioned to me particularly compared to some of my more recent reads.

I think what really bothered me however was main character Bella, I just couldn’t understand her and she frustrated me so much that at one point I almost gave up on the whole book.

Firstly she left her home and her job and moved miles away because she had a thing for a married man and was heartbroken when his wife got pregnant. Nothing, other than a kiss under the mistletoe, had ever happened between them so I don’t understand what all the drama was about. I’ve had feelings for co workers (married and single) but have never felt the need to move home and quit my job to avoid them. Get over it, they’re married.

Secondly, after she was “forced” to leave her life and job due to a crush on a man she then immediately gets into a relationship with her new boss. Did she not learn to keep work and romance separate? As a result she puts up with a boyfriend she doesn’t love, who regularly insults her and treats her atrociously because she doesn’t want to lose her job and have to move again. I mean come on. Can someone be so silly and weak? Chuck him and if he sacks you sue him for all he’s worth (unfair dismissal, sexual harassment).

Finally she meddles in things that are either none of her business or should be reported to the police. I won’t go into details as it’s a bit of a spoiler but who in their right mind gets involved in someone else’s custody battle or confronts a criminal to ask them to stop breaking the law.

OK mad rant over, it’s safe to say Bella annoyed me. The romantic interest wasn’t much better. I can’t really think of much to say about him. He seemed nice enough but nothing particularly special or exciting. He’s not actually in the story that much and they don’t spend a lot of time together so not much in the way of conversation or spark. I’m not sure I believed the supposed attraction between them which I think was the point of the book but maybe I was missing something.

So to sum up I didn’t like the characters, there wasn’t much in the way of plot and I didn’t really feel the romance. Maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind. Other Katie Fforde fans may still love it but this one just wasn’t for me.

A Bookish Life

People say life is the thing, but I prefer reading ~ Logan Pearsall Smith

Tag: books

Book Review: My True Love Gave to Me

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Winter Romances by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars