A little different again… Click the images for my review!
I’m a little slow with getting reviews up this month – I read the last three books whilst away in Finland! The reviews for the bottom two books will be written and uploaded this following week!
Posted by awaywithkatie.com on May 1, 2014
https://lifeofkitty.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/books-in-april/
Well, this ‘Books in’ post is a little different – I actually reviewed every book this month! I’ll do a little summary and the links will link to the review! It feels a little pointless to post a second review, so I’m going to show what I rated them and you can just click on the links to view my review.
# The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight – Jenny Valentine
“Chap is a 16 year old runaway, and when he is mistaken for a missing boy he takes on the identity, hoping to gain the family and friends that he’d never had. He discovers that everything is not as it seems, and someone has a dark secret.”
This book was quite an easy read, but it still had some twists to make your mind think!
My rating: 3/5 stars.
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# Further Confessions of a GP – Benjamin Daniels
“It is what it says… Basically the diary of a GP and each chapter is a short anecdote.”
Definitely a book to read when you’re busy – short chapters mean that you can take advantage of those few free minutes during the day! Always funny reading about silly stories and the strange encounters that GPs have!
My rating: 3/5 stars.
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# Precious Thing – Colette McBeth
“Precious Thing tells us the story of Rachel and Clara, best friends who do everything together as young girls. They’re 14/15 when they first meet and become inseparable until Clara is hospitalised in a psychiatric institution. Seven years later, Rachel is a successful tv reporter and is working when she discovers that Clara has gone missing.”
I really enjoyed the way this was written, and I think the mystery worked.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
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# The Hunters – Chris Kuzneski
I’ve realised that I haven’t actually reviewed this one!
“The Hunters: a team of renegades – an ex-military leader, a historian, a computer whiz, a weapons expert and a thief – financed by a billionaire philanthropist are tasked with finding the world’s most legendary treasures.”
Admittedly, it took me a little to get into this book. Once I was a quarter in though, I really enjoyed it. Each character was different and brought a different feel to the team. The book includes some good action, a bit of mystery and some history. Not knowing a lot about this time, I’m not sure if that’s why I didn’t get into straight away. I was hooked for most of the story though and I’m really looking forward to the next book!
My rating: 4/5 stars.
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“There’s a murderer about, and Jake Mottram, head of the FBI Spree Killer Unit is trying to find him. Angie Holmes is a psychological profiler, primarily focusing on serial killers. This latest attack on the city is sending everyone crazy, and Jake and Angie are struggling to see eye to eye.”
This one had to be my favourite of the month. There was always something happening, and I really did feel like I was in there with the characters. I like this type of book because you form ideas when the characters do, and you’re also trying to solve it as you read.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
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# The Baby’s Coming – Virginia Howes
“Virginia Howes became a midwife quite late really, compared to the usual. After working with the NHS for a few years, she decided that she wanted to go independent. This book tells us about Virginia’s life, her journey to becoming a midwife and working independently.”
I love a good book about babies! I enjoy reading about real life, and what happens.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
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# A Heart Bent Out of Shape – Emylia Hall
“All in all, I loved this book. It made me laugh, cry and I almost throw it across the room in anger… Always a good sign if you ask me! One twist in the book – I loved it. I didn’t know whether my guess would be right or wrong and it didn’t disappoint. Would definitely recommend this book if you love a good (sort of chick-lit) mystery with a bit of romance!”
My rating: 3/5 stars.
Posted by awaywithkatie.com on April 1, 2014
https://lifeofkitty.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/books-in-march/
# Three Wishes – Liane Moriarty
Three wishes is about triplets Lyn, Cat and Gemma. They are about to turn 33 and all have huge things happening in their lives. The story basically follows them in the lead up to their birthday and tells us of the struggles, the secrets and the rivalry. I particularly liked the way it started, but only actually appreciated it towards the end of the book. You’ll understand if you’ve read it! It begins with a scene that sort of introduces the triplets, but not really. Then we get right into the story, and at the end of the book we come back to the first scene. So it all linked up in the end. Anyway, it’s sort of a typical chick lit book, but I really enjoyed the different ‘storylines’ if you will.
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# Eve Green – Susan Fletcher
This is one of the books that I found in The Works, and I paid either 50p or 25p… I would definitely pay full price for it!
Eve Green tells us about her childhood, recalling her mother’s death and the struggles she went through at eight years old. Eve didn’t know her father and she tells us about the first year when she moved to her Grandparents’, making new friends and trying to find out more about her father. I admit, it took me a fair bit to get into the book, but I think once I was halfway I just couldn’t put it down. It has mystery and romance, but the real story is Eve growing and learning in her new environment. It shows the innocence of a child, with an older Eve asking questions and mulling over regrets. The writing is beautiful and made the countryside setting feel real. This is definitely worth a read.
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# Ruby Red – Linzi Glass
This was also one that I found at a cheap price! Ruby Red is set in South Africa and is based around the Soweto Riots.Ruby is a white teenage girl, whose father is a lawyer defending the rich and the poor black activists. Her mother is the owner of an art gallery, who helps up and coming black artists. This is all wrong in the eyes of the government, and Ruby must keep her family’s life secret. Ruby doesn’t think about a person’s race or colour, and falling in love with an Afrikaans boy was not supposed to happen! Her family gets caught up in the riots and everything changes. I think this book has a very serious topic, seemingly written for young teens. At times, I did feel like it was a ‘young’ book, if that makes sense. That said, I really enjoyed it and it was an interesting topic! It’s good to see books like this, with actual real problems!
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# Beautiful Disaster – Jamie McGuire
This one was given to me as part of the secret valentine swap that I took part in. I loved it. Beautiful Disaster gives us Abby – a good girl who stays away from drinking and anything bad. She has a dark past, of which we learn about at some point in the book. She meets Travis, a boy who drinks, swears, gambles and sleeps with a ton of girls. He is exactly what she doesn’t want. Tricked into a bet, Abby ends up having to stay with him at his apartment for a month. It has all the basics for a typical teenage romance, except it isn’t one of those… I just cannot even begin to describe it. I laughed, I cried, I hated the characters and I loved them. I became involved in their lives. I can barely put it down to actually get on with my own life! Thank you so much to the person who sent it to me, and I definitely recommend.
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# Otter Country – Miriam Darlington
So I had high hopes for this one! A nature book about otters, and trying to find them.Miriam Darlington writes about her hunt for the otter, talking about her experiences in nature, meeting other otter enthusiasts and also talking about a few books she had read. I have to say it was a little disappointing. The describing was brilliant, and so was the writing, but I just got a little bored! I suppose it did make me want to get out and explore in the countryside, but it just didn’t completely hook me.
I don’t know what else to say – it did get more interesting in the last quarter though.
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# The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
Not quite finished – hopefully finished by the end of today! I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while, and when I spotted it in The Works it was a must-buy. (25p!) I have vidid recollections of playing a Wind in the Willows board game when younger, and although I hadn’t read the book I was fond of the story. The Wind in the Willows tells us about the adventures of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad. The characters all have their own quirks and character. It’s a classic, and you can tell. I’ve never managed to love a classic book. The writing is just so different. I’ve never managed to like a book about talking animals either! That said, I have been enjoying it. It has just taken me a lot longer to read than I expected. My favourite character is Badger.
Posted by awaywithkatie.com on March 1, 2014
https://lifeofkitty.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/books-in-february/
First books of the year! I thought I would lay these posts out a little differently, and try to do more of a review monthly. I will still of course do a full big review for books that I especially loved (or hated!). As of now, I am one book ahead in my Goodreads 2014 goal!
# The Execution of Noa P. Singleton – Elizabeth L. Silver
This book was given to me by my boyfriend’s dad, and he told me it was ‘different’ and wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy it but it was a good read. That immediately had me intrigued… The story basically follows a woman on death row, having been found guilty of first-degree murder. With months to go until her imminent death, two visitors appear. Oliver Stansted, a young lawyer, and Marlene Dixon, the mother of the murdered girl. Marlene just wanted answers, and Oliver actually wanted to save Noa’s life.
I don’t think the story gave us a clear enough ‘answer’ for Marlene’s reasonings behind the visits. There was just something strange about her. The narration was something that I liked about the book though, I liked Noa’s ‘voice’. She’s sarcastic and funny – you couldn’t help but be drawn to her and want to know about her. Despite being well written it did feel a little incomplete, however I did still enjoy it and I’m glad I did read it.
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# His Last Bow – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Well I finally finished this story collection, which is why I’m including it. I had started it sometime in August, and kept going back to read bits in between reading other books. Last year I began to steadily make my way through all of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock books. I can’t really choose a favourite – there’s just so many stories! His Last Bow did take me a while to get through though, I found this collection of stories slightly harder to get through than the rest of them! I think everyone needs to try a bit of Sherlock though, it’s just so iconic! I have one more collection to read now!
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# And The Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini
Having read The Kite Runner and really enjoying it, I had high hopes for this one! I was not disappointed! And The Mountains Echoed follows a family all over the globe. It shows the relationships between siblings, parents, cousins and caretakers. Each person brought something into the family.
One thing that I liked in this book (which I usually dislike!) is that each character gets their own section in the book. Within these chapters you learn about the character narrating and you start to see the relationships and connections between each person. I will admit that I didn’t really love the stories of a couple of the characters – for me, the first bit with Pari and Abdullah is what really drew me in. That said, everything connected together and everything just felt complete at the end.
Many people state that And The Mountains Echoed doesn’t quite stand up against The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I haven’t read the latter book (It’s on my list!) but I do rate The Kite Runner more. This book is definitely one to read though!
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# What Alice Forgot – Liane Moriarty
I first discovered this book having read a review on a blog… I had heard of The Husbands Secret (which of course I went on to read as you can see below!) but didn’t know that Liane Moriarty had other ‘really good’ books out there. What Alice Forgot focuses on a woman named Alice (obviously!) who slips and bangs her head, losing her memory. She believe she’s 29 and everything is blissfully perfect. It’s quite a shock when she realises that she’s 39 and everything is actually falling apart…
Now this book is mostly written in Alice’s voice, but there are the occasional random sections written in journal form by her sister and letter form by her adopted Grandmother. These confused me a little at first, but it seems I’m just a little dim when it comes to things like this! I really enjoyed this book because it showed someone looking back on their life and seeing it from a whole new perspective. It would great to be on the outside and to really have a look at what was happening in your life. I think the whole story is quite believable and makes you wonder about what it would be like to go through amnesia of this sort! I loved the ending.
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# The Husbands Secret – Liane Moriarty
So after reading What Alice Forgot, I had to read The Husbands Secret. I remember it being quite ‘big’ last year, and I kept telling myself that I would read it…
The Husbands Secret follows three different woman. Cecelia’s husband has a huge secret, Tess’s husband falls in love with another woman, and Rachel is still mourning the murder of her daughter. These three women barely know each other, but soon enough their lives intersect and that huge secret has a massive impact. Now is it really just me that gets confused when the narration changes so much? I quickly get into the flow of it, but at first I am always having to really think about what is happening to whom!
Anyway, I wasn’t immediately hooked into this story. It took a few chapters to get going for me. I can’t say that I really loved any character (though I did have a soft spot for Connor!) but I really loved the story as a whole. There are so many complex layers which did all fit together in the end, that I just couldn’t wait to see how it all panned out. The epilogue was weird though, and I’m not sure I really liked how it finished.
Posted by awaywithkatie.com on February 1, 2014
https://lifeofkitty.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/books-in-january/
Well 5 books this month – not as impressive as the last few… I set myself a goodreads challenge to read 100 books in 2013, and unfortunately I didn’t meet that. I did manage 75 though and I’m still happy with that 😉
I will be carrying on this series next year as it’s great to look back on what I’ve read each month!
Solomon’s Tale – Sheila Jeffries
The Perfect Family – Kathryn Shay
War Horse – Michael Morpurgo
So Solomon’s Tale was written from the perspective of Solomon, the cat. The book details his life and how he helps his owner. It was a little strange getting used to that writing, but, as an avid cat lover, I couldn’t help but love Solomon! This book actually had me in tears at one point.
The Perfect Family was a brilliant book. It’s about a family who discover that one of the sons is gay, and shows them struggling to cope with it. I think this book would be great for anyone who struggles with the idea of having a gay son/daughter/friend/relation, because it touches on some real problems that can be faced. I really felt sorry for the kid, and this book also had me in tears. Definitely one to read!
I didn’t actually know that War Horse was written from the horse’s perspective, and having recently read Solomon’s Tale it was weird! War Horse is a great book though. I haven’t seen the film properly (have only caught the ending!) so I can’t say how close the two are.
Murder at the Maples – Joanne Phillips
Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
Now Murder at the Maples was a little strange. For me, it felt like quite a comedic mystery. I mean, it had an actual mystery, and you know some things that happened were quite serious, but the whole setting made it less serious for me. It did have me guessing though, and I was never immediately sure about what was going to happen…
This last book had me hooked straight away. You get Lou and Will, and lets face it… there’s going to be some sort of romance in a book like this. I think the topic covered was a great one – it’s not something I’ve really read before. For that, it was a different kind of romance and one that had some substance.
Posted by awaywithkatie.com on January 1, 2014
https://lifeofkitty.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/books-in-december/
A little late this month! I’ve just had no time with work, uni and assignments…
I Remember You – Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Long Time Coming – Edie Claire
Now I loved both of these books. Both mystery, but the first was a thriller and more of a creepy mystery, whereas the second was part romance novel too. I wrote a review on Long Time Coming, and it can be found here!
Confessions of a Hostie – Danielle Hugh
More Confessions of a Hostie – Danielle Hugh
These too books give a funny and eye-opening insight into the life of a Flight attendant… I really enjoyed it! Review here!
Divergent – Veronica Roth
Insurgent – Veronica Roth
Allegiant – Veronica Roth
Finally, the Divergent trilogy… Now these books are hyped up a lot. I loved Divergent so much. It was exciting, and kept me hooked. The latter two books, I didn’t enjoy as much. I liked how it was finished, but I still didn’t love the last book. A little disappointing, but may just be me! Divergent was brilliant though.
Posted by awaywithkatie.com on December 3, 2013
https://lifeofkitty.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/books-in-november/
Horns – Joe Hill
Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour – Morgan Matson
Bridget Jone’s Diary – Helen Fielding
Horns was really weird. I wouldn’t really say I enjoyed it, I just needed to carry on reading to try to understand what the hell was happening! It’s probably not something I would ever recommend… Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour was good, but I was a little disappointed after seeing all the hype about it. That said, I’m the same with John Green’s books – I just really don’t understand the hype. They’re good, but not amazing and something I would read over and over again!
The Edge of Reason – Helen Fielding
The Rules of Survival – Nancy Werlin
Bridget Jones was good, but again, I thought it would be better seeing as so many people really love it! I read them in anticipation of the new book that has come out, but I haven’t gotten around to that one yet! The Rules of Survival is a good read… Really liked this one!
The Book of Souls – James Oswald
Natural Causes – James Oswald
Yep, that is right… I read the second book in the Inspector McLean before the first… I was gutted when I realised – I had started The Book of Souls on my way back from London. When I got home and was half way through the book, I couldn’t start on the first one! Luckily, the second didn’t ruin the first at all as it was a completely different storyline.
Currently reading I Remember You – Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. Really liking it so far, but as I’m halfway I’m going to include it in next months!
Posted by awaywithkatie.com on November 1, 2013
https://lifeofkitty.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/books-in-october/
Ooh, I’ve read quite a few books this month! More than last month…
314 – A.R. Wise
Soul Catcher – E.L. Todd
Black & Blue – Khelsey Jackson
314 was a bit of a strange book. It was so weird that I just had to keep reading. There is a second book, but I haven’t got to that!
Soul Catcher and Black & Blue were both given to me to read and review. You can find my review of Soul Catcher here, and the Black & Blue one is on goodreads. Both books were good, but I really loved Soul Catcher! Will definitely read the sequel!
Fixing Delilah – Sarah Ockler
Saving June – Hannah Harrington
Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell
Fixing Delilah was about a family that just wasn’t ‘working’ so well. The characters were easy to read, and the story was interesting. As you read on you hear more of what broke the family apart and it just had me hooked. Saving June had a similar effect. This was about a girl who had just lost her sister, and it was just about making everything ‘right’ again. It focuses a lot on friendships, with a bit of family! Fangirl was about a girl who was starting college, and just basically her experiences throughout the year. I really liked this one because I can relate to it! I’ve dabbled in fanfiction before so it was quite frightening how similar things were at times! Definitely a good read!
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Chasing Harry Winston – Lauren Weisberger
Everyone Worth Knowing – Lauren Weisberger
Well, I have previously read The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger and I absolutely loved it so I thought I would read these two books! I didn’t really enjoy Chasing Harry Winston. I couldn’t really get into the story – the characters didn’t draw me in. I didn’t really like any of them! That said, I really liked Everyone Worth Knowing. It annoyed me at times, but I enjoyed the characters more. It is basically about a girl who gets a new job and sort of becomes a celebrity, and what it could be like in that world with paparazzi and news stories and that. It doesn’t beat The Devil Wears Prada though!
So 8 books this month, not bad! I’ve just started reading Horns yesterday, so that will be on next months list!
Posted by awaywithkatie.com on October 1, 2013
https://lifeofkitty.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/books-in-september/
On the first of each month I am going to do a post to show the books that I read in the last month… Just so I can show what I thought and to see how many I read! So here we go…
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
The Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling
The Travel Auction – Mark Green
Shoe Strings – Christy Hayes // About A Boy – Nick Hornby
I did a review earlier this month on The Time Traveler’s Wife (here!), and I really enjoyed it!
I only found out about The Cuckoo’s Calling when it was discovered that J.K. Rowling was the author, and I’m glad I bought it because I really loved it! It’s the sort of book that I do like to read, and it kept me guessing. I actually wasn’t expecting the ending!
The Travel Auction and Shoe Strings were found on Amazon in the free books. The Travel Auction was really different, and I liked how the story was told. It’s definitely worth a read! Shoe Strings was kind of your typical romance novel, with a little twist to add the extra. Yes, parts were obvious and you knew what would happen, but don’t you always?! I love a good romance novel, no matter how repetitive they can get!
Finally, About A Boy… I just read this for the first time and I loved it! The film is good, but the book is so much better!
Five books this month – more than I thought actually! I read Shoe Strings in a day though, when I went to Wembley for the challenge cup! Nearly 10 hours on a coach helps with reading…
Posted by awaywithkatie.com on September 1, 2013
https://lifeofkitty.wordpress.com/2013/09/01/books-in-august/
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