We do not need magic to change our world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves
J.K.Rowling
This short and inspiring biography of JK Rowling, the writer who made kids fall in love with reading again, is well-researched and beautifully illustrated in an original paper-cut style. It gave me a much better idea of the writer’s background, tenacity, determination and love of writing. I didn’t know about her mother’s MS illness and the profound effect it must have had on her family. I loved her words on the importance of failure which can help you strip away the inessential. I think a lot of teens will relate to her story of not being accepted into the university of her choice due to her less than perfect academic record.
The colour
scheme and the illustrations in this book are just amazing and are so in tune
with the text. I also loved the way JK Rowling’s quotes became marvellous word
art.
This book isn’t just for fans of Harry Potter, who, no doubt, will be delighted. It has some valuable life lessons to offer to every reader.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group /Francis Lincoln Children’s Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Title: J.K.Rowling: Boss the bestseller list like(Work it, Girl) Author: Caroline Moss Publisher: Quarto PublishingGroup Date: 5th of March 2019
‘Nothing but trouble’ is a light enjoyable read with slow-burn-friends-to-lovers relationship in a college setting. Alice Bailey is a college transfer from New Jersey. She is fiercely independent and self-reliant. Unfortunately, on her first day at Malibu University she almost gets run over by a local water polo champion, rich, successful, and drop-dead gorgeous Reagan Reynolds.
Alice refuses any help. At first, Reagan, whose parents instilled in him a healthy fear of lawsuits, is relieved, then, he begins to feel guilty. When he realises Alice lost her job and might even have to drop out as she is not able to move without crutches, Reagan does everything to win her trust and friendship. They begin to spend more and more time together, but Reagan is convinced his last year of pre-med school is not the right time for getting involved seriously with anybody. There is a subplot about Reagan’s brother and his personal tragedy of battling a drug addiction, while being completely shunned by his parents. Eventually, Reagan does understand Alice is the person who understands him, supports him, occasionally puts him in his place and has long become somebody much more than a friend.I loved the dual POV in this novel. The story seemed so much richer being told from the two perspectives. The characters are well-written, whether you agree or disagree with their choices and their behaviour. At the beginning, Alice seemed way too sarcastic, but as the novel progresses, this quality completely disappears and instead we see a sweet and loyal girl.
I didn’t think the last twist (the last 5%) was completely necessary or overly realistic, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.
I will be definitely looking forward to more novels by P.Dangelico.
Someone once told me that you have two families in your life – the one you are born into and the one you choose. Yes, you may get to choose your partner, but you don’t choose your mother-in-law. The cackling mercenaries of fate determine it all.
From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was
kept at arm’s length. Diana is exquisitely polite, but Lucy knows, even
after marrying Oliver, that they’ll never have the closeness she’d been
hoping for.
But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the
community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving
family. Lucy had wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.
That
was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead, leaving a suicide
note. But the autopsy reveals evidence of suffocation. And everyone in
the family is hiding something…
My thoughts
My friends gave this book such mixed reviews, that I approached it with a bit of apprehension. What I worried about the most was that I won’t be able to engage with the story, that it won’t provoke any strong emotions. Well… For the first half of the book I just hated Diana for her inability or apparent unwillingness to give her children the support they needed. Then, gradually, I began to see the other side of the story and started thinking about my own parents and parents-in-law, our numerous quibbles as well as happy moments nobody can take away from me.
Everyone, no matter how old they are wants their mother’s approval. And everyone, no matter who they are, wants their mother-in-law’s…
Every mother needs to know her children can survive on their own when she is gone. Every mother-in-law finds it impossible to reach a perfect balance in her relationship with her daughter-in-law.
I loved Sally Hepsworth’s style: her catchy metaphors and her attention to detail. The mystery element of the story was utterly gripping, I just kept reading compulsively, even though by the end of the book it was clear that there were so many possible culprits with so many motivations, that it was impossible to guess and it probably didn’t matter. What mattered was how and why you end up being so misunderstood.
In social psychology there is a term: the Actor Observer Bias. We readily attribute other people’s actions to their predispositions/ character. On the contrary, we acknowledge the role of external factors, the situation, the circumstances, in shaping our own behaviour.
In her own mind, Diana’s intentions are good. Okay, sometimes she feels she really knows better, having lived through hardships and having made her life a success. But all she can do is watch in dismay how all her attempts to share her feelings somehow go astray.
Another thing I kept thinking about, which I am not going to go into in this post, is how a suicide affects the surviving family members and how impossible it is to predict its consequences.
This book made me think about my own relationships and the endless potential for miscommunication and misinterpretation of other people’s intentions.
The casual eye doesn’t see everything…
Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
Chloe Piper is the mysterious author of a racy bestseller novel based on the village gossip her ex-husband used to bring her from the local pub. Now her marriage is suddenly on rocks and Chloe moves to a new house, quite isolated but with stunning views and friendly neighbours.
Chloe suffers from a severe social anxiety disorder – even shopping in a crowded supermarket is out of question.
One evening, in an alcohol-induced leap of courage, Chloe joins The Singleton Club, owned and managed by her neighbours. Step by step, she faces her fears, gets to know the members of the club, tries out new activities she would have never tried otherwise and makes great friends. There are romantic developments as well, although they do not seem to take as much prominence in this book. I really enjoyed reading about Chloe’s new life and her newly-found belief in herself. The characters are well-developed and with the exception of William are all likeable. The humour is kind and gentle and makes you grow fond of and sympathize with the characters, rather than laugh at their predicaments.
Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Digital Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Did you know that the material used to make firefighter helmets and bulletproof vests was invented by a woman?
Brilliant Ideas From Wonderful Women: 15 incredible inventions from inspiring women is a brilliant tribute to fifteen amazingly creative women whose inventions made our world a better and safer place to live in. Car heaters and windshield wipers, Wi-fi, Bluetooth and GPS, sea flares and life rafts, diagnostic tests and syringes -all of them were invented by women. Millions and millions of mothers can spend happy hours playing, interacting, raising their children instead of spending half of their life on mindless housework drudgery thanks to dishwashers, nappies and washing machines.
I loved the way this book lets us discover the story behind the inventions and how hard these women had to fight to get their ideas accepted. Children should grow up knowing these names: Margaret Wilcox, Marion Donovan, Stephanie Kwolek, Hedy Lamarr to name just a few.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group Wide Eyed Editions for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Title:Brilliant Ideas From Wonderful Women: 15 incredible inventions from inspiring women
Authors: Aitziber Lopez, Luciano Lozano
Published by: Wide Eyed Editions Quarto Publishing Group
I loved this funny little story which reminded me of Bulgarian Gabrovo tales. The inhabitants of Chelm, a small town in Eastern Europe, were well-known for their supposed ‘wisdom’ (or rather total lack of it). They loved moonlit nights when a walk on Chelm’s muddy streets would not be as periculous as on the darkest nights when the moon disappeared and ‘the sages’ of Chelm wandered into other people’s houses by mistake. They decide to buy a moon of their own and all contribute to make a sizeable collection. They search and search for somebody who would sell them a moon. Finally, a sly innkeeper seels them a barrel of water! Viewed outside under a moonlit sky, the barrel seemed to have what the Chelm scouts were looking for. Of course, once the barrel is opened and the Chelmites see they have been tricked, they decide the innkeeper must have stolen it when they weren’t looking. I loved the final words of the story: ‘The Moon looks down on them and smiles- just as it does on us all’.
Beautiful quirky illustrations in exquisite colour schemes add to the kind humour of the story. I can see myself reading this book to my little one many, many times. Looking forward to more titles in the Chelmite series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pen&Sword /Green Bean Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Title: The sages of Chelm and the Moon Author: Shlomo Abas Published by: Pen&Sword Green Bean Books Date: 31/03/2019
I’m going to jump on the TTT wagon as recommended by Ich lese . The original idea comes from Jana That Artsy Reader Girl who hosts these weekly challenges (see her blog for more info and upcoming topics).
1 Sicily of Andrea Camilleri and Palermo of Simonetta Hornby
2 Dublin of Tana French
3 Idaho from Rachel Gibson books
4 Istanbul from Orhan Pamuk’s My name is red and Istanbul
5 Botswana and the Kalahari desert from Alexander McCall Smith books
6 Jamaica from Andrea Levy’s Fruit of the Lemon
7 Japan of Kazuo Ishiguro
8 Newfoundland from The shipping news by Annie Proulx
9 Barcelona from The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
10 And finally, London from Frieda Klein series by Nicci French and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Have a good Tuesday and think about all the wonderful places we have visited thanks to reading.
Looking for a bit of light-hearted romantic reading? This month I chose a few books that seemed to cover the romance genre from different angles: a legal romance (I am a big fan of Julie James), a sports romance (yes, hockey again, there’s nothing wrong with that) and …a bit of Greek-mythology-meets-contemporary-world rom-com. And the latter one proved to be the most fun.
The main character of Crazy Cupid Love, Eliza Herman, comes from a family of Erosians, descendants of Ancient Greek God of Love, who run a slightly old-fashioned matchmaking business. Eliza, however, is a bit of a black sheep in her family- she is clumsy and prone to accidentally enchanting senior citizens, and, worst of all, she does not really believe in love. When her father suddenly falls ill, she finds out her parents’ Cupid agency is in financial trouble. Eliza is keen to stand in, but she needs to get a temporary licence even to answer phones- Cupid business is heavily regulated by A.S.S. (Affection, Seduction and Shellfish department). In order to get that, she needs a mentor who would supervise her first enchantments. Enter Jack Sanders, her childhood BFF and lifelong crush, who has somehow turned into one of the sexiest men alive. The chemistry between the two main characters is amazing, and is one of the best features of this novel. Eliza’s first three cases go really well and she begins to feel she can make her parents proud. Then, things go pear-shaped and it is up to our heroes to help the hapless couples and save the world. I must admit, I did not see the twist and did not guess the villain until the very last moment, which made it even more enjoyable for me. I loved the humour, the banter, Eliza’s incredible predicaments, the Nereid night and, of course, Ron deserves a special mention. Everybody needs a Ron in their life…
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Have you
ever wondered why your life is such a mess and going nowhere, while your friends
seem to have got it all together, living in beautiful houses with their
wonderful children and hot and sexy and caring husbands?
Meet Cat. A former stand-up comedian, she is funny, intelligent, efficient at work, reliable, and an amazingly loyal friend. And yet, at the age of thirty, she is still living in a shared flat with nightmare roomies, her love life is non-existent, and the highlight of her week is taking her best friend’s son to see Santa’s grotto in a shopping centre. One day, she is reading a newspaper over a stranger’s shoulder on the Tube and sees that her ex, who left for Australia five years ago) is going to have a gig in London. Cat suspects parts of his routine might be about her, so how can she not go? During the gig she sees Harvey, her ex’s brother. Are relationships with your exes’ siblings always off-bounds? What if he is the One? Cat needs to sort her life and understand why the most important people in her life seem to leave her and go away.
What I liked about the book is how realistic it felt at times. The setting and practicalities of life (the nightmares of looking for a room in shared accommodation somewhere you can barely afford, packing your life in a few boxes and discarding the rest), the relationships, the Tube (yes, snow is magical). I loved the way the description of a stand-up venue was so vivid and full of sounds, smells and visual details, while Cat’s office remained uncharted territory (her heart and mind were not there, despite Cat being good at her job). Kelly, Cat’s BFF, is given such a prominent place in this book, that we almost fall in love with this no-nonsense-voice-of-reason-love-and-eternal-support girl.
It was a
fast and enjoyable read. Highly recommended for somebody who likes comedy,
banter, family relationships and thinks London is a fantastic setting for a light-hearted
romantic book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandchild about life:
‘A fight is going on inside of me..It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolvees. One wolf is evil- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, guilt, self-pity, resentment, inferiority, deception, false pride, ego, and superiority. The other wolf is good- he is peace, love, hope, joy, serenity, humility, benevolence, empathy, empathy, generosity, truth and faith. The same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.’
‘Which wolf will win?’
The old Cherokee simply replied, ‘ The one you feed’.
I approached this book with a bit of apprehension due to my own
food-related issues as a teenager. It is not easy, however important, to
write about this sensitive topic. I needn’t have worried. The book is kind and patient, and lyrical at times.
At the beginning Simone Wheeler’s voice is sad and resigned. She is
about to be sent to Kamama camp for girls with morbid obesity. Her
brother Bucky informs her that Kamama is the Cherokee for ‘an elephant’.
She is about to embark on a life full of meagre food, obstacle courses
and most dreaded powwow/group sharing sessions. But it is not all that
simple and straightforward.
“A butterfly looks like it has elephant ears when it stretches out its wings, and an elephant has ears like a butterfly, so the Cherokee use Kamama for both elephant and butterfly’. Both are beautiful and special creatures. Just as Simone and her new friends.
I loved the slow reflective pace of this book. Whenever there is a lot of hard work to do (and personal development is always hard), things do not happen overnight. I also loved the emphasis on communication and friendship to combat loneliness and self-isolation and, above all, active acceptance. Beautiful setting, vivid, memorable characters. I keep thinking about the book and I’ve realized that I know quite a lot of people who have had similar life experiences and struggled to find their way of dealing with the issues.
Thank you to NetGalley and Leslie Tall Manning for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
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