WWW Wednesday: 14th August 2019

August 14, 2019 Ali@abookishlife8 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is 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?

Currently Reading

I’ve been jumping around between a lot of different books over the last couple of days as I couldn’t decide what I wanted to read but I think I’ve finally settled on Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky. I haven’t made a huge amount of progress, I’m only around 3% in but so far I’m really enjoying it. I was surprised to discover it was a horror, I should probably read blurbs before requesting, but it did just make me even more excited about it than I was. I’m hoping for something creepy.

On audio I’ve been listening to Daisy Jones and the Six but unfortunately it returned itself to the library an hour ago so it’s now on hold again. Not too fussed as I’ve already read it but I was enjoying the audio version.

Recently Finished

I thought I’d finally gotten my reading mojo back at the weekend as I successfully finished two books but my cat seems to be unwell again (he’s off to the vet tomorrow) and work has been a bit nuts so I’ve lost concentration yet again.

The first book I finished was The Risk by Elle Kennedy. I do love Elle Kennedy books and this, the second in the Briar U series, was a lot of fun to read. I loved both of the main characters but Brenna is one of my fave Kennedy characters so far. She’s just so confident and self assured despite not having the happiest of pasts. There are a lot of feels in this story. Sorcery of Thorns

After The Risk I decided to pick up one of the YA fantasy books I’ve had lurking on my NetGalley shelf for a while, Sorcery of Thorns. I had somehow managed to avoid all of the reviews of this and hadn’t read the blurb so didn’t know what it was about but it pleasantly surprised me. I love books about books and libraries and I loved the idea of these magical books that can transform into monsters. Elisabeth makes for a great main character but it was a certain demon who fascinated me the most. There is something holding me back from really loving this (I can’t quite put my finger on what) but I would recommend.

Reading Next

Given Imaginary Friend is over 700 pages and I’ve been struggling to find time to read I suspect I’ll still be reading it next week but in the event I do finish it I suspect I’ll pick up either The Six by Luca Veste or The Lost Ones by Anita Frank.

The Six The Lost Ones

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Review: Someone We Know by Shari Lapena

August 12, 2019 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

Someone We Know by Shari Lapena

Having read and loved Lapena’s previous book, An Unwanted Guest, I was very excited to pick up her latest. Unfortunately while this was an addictive whodunit with a great premise, I never really connected with any of the characters and the whole thing left me a little cold. I do think this was down to my general dislike of books with multiple povs though so I would still recommend to anyone who likes a good plot driven story with plenty of twists and turns.

THE BLURB

Maybe you don’t know your neighbors as well as you thought you did . . .

“This is a very difficult letter to write. I hope you will not hate us too much. . . My son broke into your home recently while you were out.”

In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses–and into the owners’ computers as well–learning their secrets, and maybe sharing some of them, too.

Who is he, and what might he have uncovered? After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate, and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they’re telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets?

In this neighborhood, it’s not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide . . .

You never really know what people are capable of.

MY REVIEW

I’m afraid I liked the idea of this book more than the execution. It’s a well written and addictive read but for me to truly enjoy a book I have to connect to the characters, to become invested in their story, and in this case it just never happened.

It is a great premise, how well do you know your neighbours, do you really know what goes on behind closed doors? In this story there is a teenage boy who knows more about the neighbours than he really should as he’s been breaking into their homes and hacking into their computers. When his mother finds out she’s horrified and out of guilt she writes anonymous letters to the residents of two of the houses to apologize. Unfortunately one of those houses belongs to the man whose wife’s body has been found badly beaten in the trunk of a car. What follows is a complex and addictive whodunit involving a number of the residents of the street, most of whom seem to have some secret or another.

As far as whodunit’s go this is a pretty good one and I will admit that I never really guessed the murderer. There are lots of clues and hints but there are also more than a few twists and red herrings to throw you off the scent. The story is told from multiple point of views including the victim’s husband, several of the neighbours and the police detectives investigating the case so you get to follow the investigation from a number of different angles and get some insight into the different relationships.

Unfortunately however, I think it was the multiple povs that were the biggest problem for me. It’s rare for me to really love a book with a lot of narrators. I find it difficult to keep all of the characters straight and I never feel like I get enough of them to really connect with them. I don’t think it helped that I didn’t especially like any of the characters and I didn’t even hate them. I just wasn’t emotionally invested at all so while I could appreciate the complex plot and all of the twists and turns I didn’t care who the killer was or whether they got caught.

Regardless of this though I am still a big fan of the author and would recommend this book to anyone who likes a plot driven murder mystery. Even with the problems I had with it I found it very difficult to put down.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advance copy. This has in no way influenced my review.

ARC Review: The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

August 10, 2019 Ali@abookishlife1 Comment

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

When it comes to historical romance, for me, no one beats Tessa Dare and this is definitely one of her best. It sparkles with all of Dare’s usual humour and wit and the romance is hot, hot, hot. I started this on my way home from work one Thursday evening and had the whole thing finished that night. It was exactly the break from reality I needed after a long and stressful day.

THE BLURB

They call him the Duke of Ruin.
To an undaunted wallflower, he’s just the beast next door.

Wealthy and ruthless, Gabriel Duke clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society―and now he wants to get even.

Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn’t take into her home and her heart.

When her imposing―and attractive―new neighbour demands she clear out the rescued animals, Penny sets him a challenge. She will part with her precious charges, if he can find them loving homes.

Done, Gabriel says. How hard can it be to find homes for a few kittens?
And a two-legged dog.
And a foul-mouthed parrot.
And a goat, an otter, a hedgehog…

Soon, cold-hearted Gabriel, who wouldn’t know a loving home from a workhouse, is covered in cat hair, knee-deep in adorable animals, and bewitched by a shyly pretty spinster who defies his every attempt to resist. Now she’s set her mind and heart on saving him.

Not if he ruins her first.

MY REVIEW

This is the third book in the Girl Meets Duke series so there are some familiar faces from the previous books but it could easily be read as a standalone. If you are familiar with the series, this is the Penny book we’ve all been waiting for (well that I’ve definitely been waiting for). Penny is such a wonderfully unique character I think it would be difficult to not love her. She may be a lady but she avoids society preferring to stick to her close friends and the various wounded and wild animals she has rescued and brought into her home.

Gabe also makes for a suitably dashing hero. He may have come from the slums and have a reputation for ruining the aristocracy but he’s surprising sweet and protective of those around him. He may be gruff and rude at times but he’s incredibly honourable and very conscious of the importance of reputation.

Put them together and they are the perfect match. There is some wonderful banter between them and their chemistry is amazing. They just seem to compliment each other so well. If only they could overcome the usual obstacles that get in their way.

Speaking of obstacles my only slight niggle with this book is that I felt these were resolved a little too easily. I won’t go into details due to spoilers but things that were supposedly major impossible challenges to be overcome were sorted out in a couple of pages.

Who really cares about little details like that though when a story is this much fun to read. I just wish Dare would write faster so I could have the next book now. I suspect we may be getting Nicole’s book next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy. This has in no way influenced my review.

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

WWW Wednesday: 7th August 2019

August 7, 2019 Ali@abookishlife2 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is 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?

Currently Reading

I’m still struggling a little with focus this week due to horse, house and cat drama but I did start reading The Risk by Elle Kennedy on Monday and seem to be making reasonable progress with it. I love Kennedy’s sports romances and this one is proving to be pretty addictive and just what I need to take my mind off things. I am loving main character Brenna and Jake is not so bad either 😉

Recently Finished

Someone We Know

I really haven’t had a lot of time for reading over the last week as I’ve been running around all over the place and driving to work rather than taking the train. I did however manage to read thriller Someone We Know by Shari Lapena over the weekend.

I’ve read one of Lapena’s books before and very much enjoyed it so was looking forward to this but I’m afraid it ended up being a bit of a disappointment. There’s nothing really wrong with it, as who dunit’s go it definitely keeps you guessing, but I never really got invested in the story. It may just have been the mood I was in when reading it but I didn’t really care who dunit. I know it probably shouldn’t factor into it but the victim didn’t come across as a particularly nice person and I didn’t really like any of the other characters either. It didn’t help either that there were multiple pov’s, as I often struggle with that style.

Reading Next

I managed to snag a copy of Three Women by Lisa Taddeo from the library so I suspect I’ll be picking it up next (there are a lot of people waiting on it). This is one of those books that seems to have a lot of buzz around it which is something that usually puts me off but it sounds like my kind of read. We’ll see though.

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Review: The Possession by Michael Rutger

August 3, 2019 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

I can’t remember the last time a book gave me chills the way this one did. I will admit to never really having read Stephen King so I can’t say if it’s as perfect for his fans as the cover claims but for me – who used to devour James Herbert and Dean Koontz books, was a huge fan of shows like X-Files, the Twilight Zone, Poltergeist the Legacy and pretty much any and every horror film – this was right up my street. It’s a lot of fun but so, so creepy and atmospheric. I loved it.

THE BLURB

THEY CAME LOOKING FOR ANSWERS

A group of explorers arrive in the remote town of Birchlake, Northern California, to investigate the appearance of mysterious stone walls.

WHAT THEY FOUND WERE QUESTIONS

A teenage girl has disappeared without a trace.

FOR NOT EVERYONE IS AS THEY SEEM

Soon it becomes clear that the two events may be connected in the most terrifying way. Because sometimes the walls we build end up closing us in . .

REVIEW

I didn’t realize when I started reading this that it was the second in a series but honestly it didn’t matter one bit. Yes there are a few references to the first book (which are mild spoilers if like me you plan to go back and read it later) but I didn’t really feel like I’d missed much. Hell, I was around 150 pages in before I even discovered it was the second in a series (and that was only when I was looking it up on Goodreads).

The blurb is a little lacking in detail but the series is about a team who investigate myths, urban legends and unexplained phenomena, filming it for a YouTube show. When the team’s leader and presenter, Nolan, discovers his ex wife Kristy is in a small town in Northern California investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl he convinces his team that now’s the perfect time to visit that town to look into the mystery surrounding miles of walls in the area. No one knows who built these walls but they’re incredibly old, are scattered throughout the area and often run for miles with no discernible purpose.

This is really an excuse to keep an eye on his ex (and maybe rekindle something) but as both Kristy and Nolan and his team start to experience some very strange things it seems both mysteries may be connected and there may be something very wrong in this town.

It’s a classic creepy horror story with everything that entails – think Blair Witch (dark woods, mist, deserted streets, strange noises in the middle of the night, objects turning up in places they weren’t left and a strange figure only certain people seems to see). Basically there were moments when it scared me witless and yes I did have to put it down to go check the doors were locked (more than once).

What makes it a great fun read though is how the author mixes these genuinely chilling moments with a lot of humor. One second I’d be wanting to hide under the covers and the next I’d be chuckling at a one liner. I loved the relationships between Nolan and his team (Ken, Molly and Pierre). Ken and Nolan in particular are clearly close friends with a long history and there is some great banter between them to break the tension when it all starts to get a bit much.

The story itself fascinated me too. Initially I was probably in a pretty similar place to Nolan’s team when he said walls, I mean how excited can you really get about some walls? But, the more that’s revealed about them the more intriguing it gets and it turns out these walls are a real thing (I googled). I was probably less interested in the missing teenager side of the story (sorry missing teenager) but when the things happening get increasingly strange and spooky it was definitely hard to put the book down.

I do think the first half of the book was the strongest as the mystery around what’s going on in the town, whether supernatural forces are at work or there’s a more rational and scientific explanation, keep you glued to the pages. For me the unknown is almost always scarier than known so once the reveal was made it lost a lot of the tension and on occasion wandered into the slightly bizarre and confusing. As for the ending, I think it worked but was maybe a little too easy or maybe I mean too resolved.

Regardless of this though I loved the author’s writing style and the tone of the whole book. The characters are likeable and the humor just worked for me. Was it a little slow in places? Maybe, but the other parts had enough tension and atmosphere to more than make up for it.

Overall a great read and one I’d recommend if you love a creepy horror story and don’t mind a wander into the weird. I’m off now to read the first book in the series as I think Rutger could become a favourite author.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I won a copy of this book in a Readers First Giveaway. This has in no way influenced my review.

WWW Wednesday: 31st July 2019

July 31, 2019 Ali@abookishlife12 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is 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?

Currently Reading

Ummm….

Well I said I’d have a lot going on this week so I’d either be reading tons or nothing and it seems I’ve ended up on the nothing side. I’m getting a lot of building work done in the house so have been staying at my parents off and on since Sunday (for some reason they expect me to speak to them and not spend all my time reading). Have also been having both horse and cat issues so yeah… been struggling to find the time or focus to read anything.

Recently Finished

I had a few days off work at the end of last week and the weather was a little too hot for me so did manage to get a couple of books finished before the house/animal chaos started. The Girl in Red

First up was The Girl in Red by Christina Henry, a book I’d been looking forward to for ages and it totally lived up to all expectations. Inspired by red riding hood it’s a post apocalyptic story about a girl called Red who’s making her way across the country to get to her Grandma’s cabin in the woods. From the very first page I was hooked and I can’t remember the last time I flew through a book like this so quickly. It reminded me a little of The Walking Dead (albeit without the zombies) and Red is such a brilliant character.

I also took Deanna’s at A Novel Glimpse’s advice and picked up Max Munroe’s Banking the Billionaire, the second book in their Billionaire Bad Boys series. I really enjoyed this but I have to admit I still liked the first one better.

Reading Next

Building work looks like it’s going to continue until the middle of next week so not sure if or what I’ll be reading next but I did manage to get a couple of books from NetGalley (I know, so much for the ban) that I’m really excited about. Both Adam Silvera and Tess Gerritsen are favourite authors.

Infinity Son (Infinity Cycle, #1) The Shape of Night

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

I will apologise in advance if I’m slow in coming back. I don’t really have access to my laptop and don’t have wi-fi at my parents so am dependent on my phone’s data which isn’t always that great.

Happy Reading ❤

WWW Wednesday: 24th July 2019

July 24, 2019 Ali@abookishlife12 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is 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?

Currently Reading

As I’m writing this on Monday evening I’ve just finished a book and am undecided on what I’m going to pick up next but I suspect it’s going to be The Girl in Red by Christina Henry. It’s one I’ve been looking forward to for ages and as I have a physical copy and a couple of days off work it seems like the perfect opportunity to read it.

Recently Finished

If you follow me on twitter or insta you’ll probably know that I’ve been having some cat stress over the last couple of weeks. My boy has had asthma since I got him 7 years ago but it’s recently gotten a lot worse so I’ve had to start him on an inhaler. He does seem to be getting the hang of it at last (or is at least tolerating it) but yeah, I was pretty worried and having problems concentrating on anything much. I did however manage to finish three books (I decided being up all night reading was better than staying up worrying).

The Possession by Michael Rutger – I didn’t realise this creepy horror story was the second in a series but it didn’t really matter as it works perfectly well as a standalone. It’s atmospheric, very creepy in places and a lot of fun. It’s sort of like a creepy X-Files episode.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo – Wow that was an emotional read, I was NOT expecting that. I do not read poetry so was a little bit concerned this wouldn’t work for me but it very definitely did. I did not anticipate how angry and upset it would make me (I mean I suspect there may have been some over tiredness involved) but I cried… A LOT!!!
Tapping the Billionaire by Max Monroe – I was in the mood for a romance and I always said I’d try another Max Monroe after my first experience was not that great. I wasn’t fully convinced at the start but I ended up loving this. It frustrated the hell out of me that they didn’t just talk to each other at times but I laughed a lot (probably a good thing after all the crying).

Reading Next

I honestly have no clue what I’m going to pick up next. It should probably be an ARC but I’m getting work done in the house (it’s turning into a total money pit) so not sure how much reading time or concentration I’ll have. I’ll either end up reading loads to take my mind off things or reading nothing. I do think it’ll probably be a backlist book though. I’m thinking maybe the second Mercy Thompson book or possibly the next Charley Davidson. I’m kind of in a paranormal romance / urban fantasy type mood.

Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, #2) The Curse of Tenth Grave (Charley Davidson, #10)

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: The Girl in Red

July 23, 2019July 22, 2019 Ali@abookishlife1 Comment

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. 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 The Purple Booker.

This week my teaser comes from The Girl in Red by Christina Henry, a book I’ve been very excited about but haven’t had a chance to start as yet. I do love Henry’s books though, they’re always so dark and different from what I was expecting.

As I haven’t started it yet I have no intention of skimming through for a teaser so here’s one from the second page.

My Teaser

She should have cleaned the blade, though not because she was worried about scaring him. She should have done it because it was her only defense besides her brain, and she ought to take better care of it.

pg10 The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

Blurb

From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a postapocalyptic take on the perennial classic “Little Red Riding Hood”…about a woman who isn’t as defenseless as she seems.

It’s not safe for anyone alone in the woods. There are predators that come out at night: critters and coyotes, snakes and wolves. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that doesn’t look anything like the one she grew up in, the one that was perfectly sane and normal and boring until three months ago.

There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Sometimes, there are men. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there’s something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined.

Red doesn’t like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn’t about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods….

WWW Wednesday: 17th July 2019

July 17, 2019July 16, 2019 Ali@abookishlife22 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is 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?

Currently Reading

I started The Possession by Michael Rutger on Monday and considering it’s a hardback (and therefore not the easiest to cart around with me) I’ve been making really good progress. It’s been ages since I’ve read a big hardback and I’d kind of forgotten how awkward it is to juggle them with cups of tea, meals and snacks 🙂 I am however getting the hang of it which is great as I don’t want to have to put it down. It’s just so wonderfully creepy and it’s been far too long since I’ve read a good horror story.

While I did attempt to take it to work with me yesterday I didn’t end up reading any of it so I’ve decided to read The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo on my commute and keep The Possession safe at home. I got this one from Libby so I’m reading it on my phone. I don’t generally read poetry as I always feel like I’m missing the meaning but so far I seem to be getting on ok with this. I’m only 20% in so it’s early days but yeah… I think I’ll probably carry on. I do wonder though if it would work better as an audio as I don’t think I’m getting the rhythm.

Recently Finished

My reading is still a little on the slow side this week, I think I’ve lost my reading mojo again, but I have managed to finish three books.

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee – This was a really fun read but I’m not sure it completely lived up to expectations. I do have a suspicion that my expectations were ridiculously high though as I loved The Gentleman’s Guide. I did love the feminist messages and friendship running throughout and the writing is great. I just felt the story wandered a little.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi – Unfortunately this was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t wow me the way I hoped it would. I don’t know if it’s the writing or the translation (I suspect the writing) but while there was a great premise it really lacked emotion for me and I’m not sure I liked any of the characters.
Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost – My reread (or listen to be more accurate) continued with the fourth book in the Night Huntress series and one of my faves. I seem to remember the series goes downhill after this one so I think I may stop for a while and choose something completely different for my next audio.

Reading Next / Recent TBR Additions

It’s pretty safe to say I’ve wandered off my Summer TBR in the last week and as I’ve been book shopping I suspect this may continue. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Call Me Star Girl and The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind so I couldn’t resist them. I also discovered that my current read The Possession was the second book in a series so decided to pick up book one The Anomaly. I’m in a bit of an odd reading mood at the moment (I think life is stressing me out) so I just want something action packed that I can relax into without having to think too much.

The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind The Anomaly (The Anomaly Files, #1) Call Me Star Girl

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: The Possession by Michael Rutger

July 16, 2019July 15, 2019 Ali@abookishlife1 Comment

This week my teaser comes from The Possession by Michael Rutger, an ARC of which I won in a Readers First giveaway. I only started this yesterday but am already around halfway through and loving it. It’s one of those rare horror stories that’s properly creepy, or at least I’m finding it creepy.

My Teaser

An expression slid across the girl’s face. Slowly, and lopsidedly, as if she was having to remember how it went. It took me a moment to realize it was a smile.

pg86 The Possession by Michael Rutger