Micka by Frances Kay

Micka is a 10 year old boy, who has a hard life to say the least.  His mother can’t be bothered with looking after him, and takes no interest in his education, his father is nowhere to be seen, and at least one of his two older brothers is frequently in prison and physically abuses Micka when he’s at home.

He soon becomes friends with Laurie, a new boy at his school.  Laurie may come from a better background, but his parents are splitting up, and while his mother behaves irrationally, his father is emotionally distant.

Laurie has a vivid imagination, and dreams of cruelty and magic, and as Micka is pulled into his world, the lines between fact and fiction become blurred until both boys find themselves on a seemingly inevitable course towards a horrifying conclusion…

This book was amazingly well written.  It is narrated by Micka and Laurie in turn; in the proof copy I read, each narrator is distinguished by a different font.  However, the difference between the language which the two boys used also distinguished them from each other.

It is certainly a disturbing book to read, which was expected as the book was apparently informed by the Mary Bell and Jamie Bulger cases.  Before we even get to the troubling ending of the story, there are descriptions of physical abuse in the home and cruelty to animals.  However, one of the hardest parts to stomach was the reasoning behind the boys’ actions.

I thought the characterisation of the two boys was excellent.  Micka seemed like an innocent child stranded in a violent world, whereas Laurie was by far the colder and more calculating of the two.

Overall, this is a quick read, but certainly one that will linger in the memory.  Highly recommended – but perhaps not for readers of a nervous disposition.

 

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

In his latest novel, King brings us four tales, linked by the theme of retribution. The first and  longest of these, 1922, takes us deep into rural America. Here we witness the murder of Arlette James by her husband, and all that follows, including the effects on their son.

In Big Driver, a mystery writer is attacked driving home from a book-club engagement. After being raped and left for dead, she finds it in her to plan her revenge, and changes herself for ever.

The shortest tale, Fair Extension, is a darkly humorous story about a dying man who makes a deal with the devil, whatever the price.

Finally, A Good Marriage brings us full circle, looking at a marriage gone wrong. Darcy Anderson discovers there’s far more to her husband than she realised, even after twenty years of being married. After she discovers his terrifying secret, how will she react?

When it comes to Stephen King, this is one of my favourite formats. It allows for more scope than short stories, allowing the story and characters to expand. However, that story needs to be compact and to the point – and in this quartet, he pulls it off brilliantly.

In his afterword, King says that these are harsh stories, with ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. He’s looking to evoke a reaction in his readers, which these tales certainly do. However, they also have a dark humour to them – whilst flinching at some of the descriptions or characters actions, you’ll also find yourself wondering if it’s normal to be giggling.. and whether it’s a nervous giggle!

Even with the shorter format, King still manages to build interesting and believable characters, including Tessa who talks back to her sat nav as she plans her next step, and Wilfred, who tries to do his best for his son, but fails.

They are four different types of story, bound together with the theme of retribution, and the nagging question of how you would deal with a similar situation. 1922 captures living in a rural area in the 20′s, whilst Big Driver takes you deep into the heart and thoughts of a woman looking for revenge. Fair Extension looks at the price we may be willing to pay, and A Good Marriage starts as a great suspense tale, and soon moves into something completely different.

Full Dark, No Stars took me back to the older days of King, with characters and stories which get under your skin, and stay in your memory. It’s a book to devour on a cold winter’s night – I wanted to keep reading, and yet I was sad to finish.. always a sign of a good book! Every Stephen King fan should add this to their collection, and for anyone who hasn’t yet experienced his writing, this could be a good place to start!

Read it!

Full Dark, No Stars is published on 9th November 2010 by Hodder and Stroughton.

Buy Full Dark, No Stars at Amazon

The One I Love by Anna McPartlin

Jane Moore and Alexandra Walsh were best friends, but then Jane got pregnant when she was 17 and as her world became consumed by looking after her child, they drifted apart.

Seventeen years later, Jane learns that Alexandra has suddenly gone missing.  She teams up with her Alexandra’s heartbroken husband Tom, her own sister Elle, and their new friend Leslie in order to try and find her old friend.  Along the way, each of them learns their own lessons about life, love and family…

I enjoyed this book.  I do think that the cover and title give the impression that it might be a light and fluffy ‘chicklit’ read, and while it’s true that this is an easy read definitely aimed at the female market, the subjects of loss, grief and love run through the heart of the story.  Within the first few pages, the reader was introduced to several characters in different time periods, and I did wonder if things might get a bit confusing, but they didn’t at all, and the story then continued in chronological order.

All of the characters are well drawn, as are more peripheral characters such as Jane’s son Kurt, her mother Rose, and Kurt’s father Dominic.  My favourite character was definitely Leslie – a brittle woman who had deliberately isolated herself from others, but found herself letting people into her life.

Jane was by far the most level headed of all characters, although she had her own demons to deal with.  I found it difficult to initially warm to Elle, as she seemed selfish and brazen, but her particular story did develop well.

The story is told in the third person and we see events from the points of view of Jane, Elle, Leslie and Tom in turn.  Although they are brought together by the search for Alexandra, the book focuses on the twists and turns happening in their own lives.

This is very readable, and while it’s not the kind of book I would pick up every day, I did enjoy it.  Recommended to fans of chicklit and women’s fiction.

 

The Girl with the Glass Feet by Ali Shaw

‘The Girl with the Glass Feet’ tells the story of Midas Crook and Ida MacLaird, both very different people who fall in love in the most bizarre of circumstances, Ida’s feet have turned to glass and she does not know why, she knows how they began, so she must return to the fictional St Hauda’s Land to find the only man who can help her.

It’s on St Hauda’s Land she meets lifelong resident, Midas, a man so consumed by his past he does not live, he merely exists, Ida and Midas are so different but they bring the best out of each other and open themselves up to possibilities with the time they have.

I enjoyed ‘The Girl with Glass Feet’, the relationship between Midas and Ida is shown beautifully and the descriptions of the animals and St Hauda’s Land are lovely and well written, you can imagine this harsh but beautiful place. As I said, I enjoyed it but I am in two minds about it (mainly because I was hoping the story would differently) initially it is a very slow read which might put people off but it is worth it to keep reading to read more of Ida and Midas’s story.

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon

‘Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story’ is the story of Lillian, the original fairy godmother, the godmother who was to make sure that Cinderella went to the ball, meet the Prince, lose her glass slipper at midnight which is found by the Prince and then when the glass slipper fitted, they would live happily ever after.

Not in this reality, in this reality, Cinderella never made it to the Ball and Lillian had already fell in love with the Prince and he with her which led to Lillian being banished from the fairy world and sent her crashing to earth as a human.

Many years later, so many years in fact that Lillian cannot remember how long she has lived in New York, she is now an elderly lady who works in Daedalus books, an almost magical book store which is owned by George, Lillian’s boss and friend. Lillian begins to see subtle changes around her, changes which she soon realises are her fairies sisters returning to take Lillian home to the fairy world but first she must do what she was originally supposed to do, make sure Cinderella meets her Prince.

‘Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story’ is a darker (and more realistic) version of the Cinderella story, you have Lillian, a fallen fairy who still remembers her past life and what she lost and how she lived, she strives to correct the mistake she made, as the story progresses you wonder if it was a mistake, but how the story was supposed to be played.

I enjoyed this book but I was left a bit deflated by the ending but the ending is opened to interpretation.

A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French

Meet the Battles: Mo, the mother is fast approaching 50 and feels grey inside and out.  The sparkle has gone out of her life and out of herself, and even though she’s a trained child psychologist, she doesn’t seem to understand her own children.

Dora is nearly 18, and is struggling to juggle her friends, her boyfriend woes, her dreams of becoming a pop star and her addiction to Facebook.

Peter is 16 and insists on being called Oscar, after his hero Oscar Wilde.  He is very intelligent, if perhaps slightly delusional and is about to develop a crush on a most unsuitable candidate.

Even the poor dog Poo has landed in a sticky situation – pregnant by an unknown suitor!

The story is narrated by these three characters, who also make references to their husband/father who’s always in the background trying to hold everything together.

The family are all living in their own worlds, and they’re lurching slowly from one crisis to the next one, and at some point things are going to collide…

Earlier this year I read Dawn French’s autobiograph of sorts (‘Dear Fatty’), which I enjoyed but found difficult to initially get into.  I had no such difficulties with this book, which captured my attention from the beginning.  It’s alternated in turn by Mo, Dora and Peter/Oscar, and the three voices are very distinct.  However, I did think that Dora’s character in particular was very much a stereotype (although this did not stop me warming to her as the story progressed).

The book is essentially a comedy, and while it did not make me laugh out loud, it certainly made me giggle and smile a lot.  However, in amongst the comedy, there were some touching moments.  Oscar, who seems so self-obssessed for much of the story, proves that he can be caring and thoughtful.  And it’s not long before the combative and stroppy Dora is soon revealed to be lacking in self confidence and uncertain about her future.  However, I did find some of her segments slightly jarring (because she like, overused like the word ‘like’ constantly), due to the exaggerated teenage language.

The husband, who for the most part is only known to the reader through the words of his family easily comes across as the most sympathetic member of the family, closely followed by Mo’s mother Pamela, who is also only known to the reader through the words of the family.

My favourite parts were those narrated by the fabulously intelligent Oscar, who has clear delusions of grandeur.  While it would have been easy to dismiss him as ego-centric and self absorbed, he showed moments of genuine tenderness and thoughtfulness.  He loves to talk in the style of Oscar Wilde, and his observations and remarks were often acidly funny.

Overall, while some parts of the book were slightly cliched and predictable, there was plenty to enjoy in this book, and I would recommend it.

Blood Over Badge by Wayne Farquhar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blood Over Badge by Wayne Farquhar

From Amazon ~

Two seemingly unrelated crimes – Two seemingly unrelated killers – And two mysteries waiting to be solved … The murder of the Mayor of San Francisco’s daughter sets the stage for this intriguing and spell-binding crime thriller. Two police detectives, Jack Paige and Casey Ford are assigned to catch a cold-blooded rapist and killer. In this gritty, realistic tale of homicide, unrelated mysteries of two murderers seem to come together and make little sense. What does a man rotting away behind the stench-enclosed walls of Angola Penitentiary have to do with an evil and cruel rapist and killer now on the run from California to Texas? What is the relationship to the killing of the Mayor’s daughter? Blood Over Badge, an intense, taunt and brilliantly told crime thriller, takes readers on a realistic, gritty and real-world tour de force exploring the underbelly of police and detective work. It begs important questions about out justice and penal systems; explores the nature of gray areas of good, evil, immorality, love, loyalty and family promises. Readers will be taken into an intense story with many twists, turns and surprises – and be left wholly satisfied with an incredible and shocking ending well worth the read.

My thoughts ~

Lisa Russell ~ The daughter of the Mayor of San Francisco and murder victim. Found shot to death execution style with her hands and feet bound.
Jack Paige ~ An experienced homicide detective one year shy of retirement and leading the investigation into the murder of the mayor’s daughter.
Casey Ford ~  Just joined the detective squad and is jonesing for his first murder case (not that he wants someone to die of course).
Kyle Sanders ~ Convicted of killing a store clerk, he has spent the past 12 years at Angola Penitentiary in Louisiana.  So how could he possibly know how Lisa Russell was killed?
Justin Pierce ~ Sadistic new corrections officer at Angola who has a deep hatred for Kyle.
The Killer ~ An evil person who thinks nothing of killing whoever stands in the way of freedom.

The murder of the mayor’s daughter, a murdering-rapist on the loose, a sadistic corrections office, a convicted killer and two detectives. These are the people you will meet in Blood Over Badge, a thrilling murder mystery that will literally have you hanging off the edge of your seat. A cast of characters who seemingly have nothing in common, and yet, when it comes right down to it, have the most important common thread of all. This book has everything you’d ever want to find in a solid murder mystery – death, family issues, intense dialogue, believable characters, am amazing attention to detail and enough twists and turns to make you so sick to your stomach that you’ll want to keep a bucket close at hand. Blood Over Badge has an ending that will hit you in the face like a fly ball coming out of left field. An ending so shocking that you’ll go back and reread it to make sure what happened really happened. A first time author with  years of law enforcement experience, Wayne Farquhar certainly knows what he writes about.  This book could only have been written by someone working with the ugliest of criminals, learning what makes them tick and the reasons they do what they do.  He takes you to a place seldom seem by someone without a badge, with words that will have you right there in the prison, on the streets and in the precinct with them.

War On The Margins by Libby Cone

This rather lovely book, which weaves fact and fiction, tells the story of the inhabitants of Jersey during World War II, and in particular, the Jewish people living on the island.

As people are forced to register as Jewish and find themselves subjected to all the hatred of the Nazi regime, some people try to flee for their life, many go into hiding (often in the cellars of non-Jewish friends, who risk their own lives by helping them).  Many are deported, and many perish.

The book tells the story of many of the inhabitants, but focuses mainly on Marlene Zimmer, a young girl with a Jewish father, who tries to outrun the authorities.  She is taken in by two of the other main characters, Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore (the aliases of Lucille Schwob and Suzanne Malherbe, step-sisters and lovers.  The three women aid the Resistance, picking up scraps of news on their forbidden wirelesses, passing information to other citizens, and encouraging German soldiers to desert.  Also featuring prominently in the story is Peter, a Polish Jew who finds himself transported from one prison to another.

The official documents in this novel are real, as are the love letters which Suzanne and Lucille write to each other.  This mixture of real life and fiction underlines the horrors of war in Jersey.  The book is told in clean and direct language, but it is very evocative and I found myself feeling very moved.  Some of the measures taken against Jews were difficult to imagine – not being able to have or profit from their own businesses, not being able to go into shops or theatres, and only being allowed to go shopping between 3pm – 4pm.  (Sadly, we know only too well that these were nowhere near the worst atrocities visited upon them.)

As well as the main characters, the stories of more peripheral characters are also told, which made for a fuller picture of life in Jersey as a whole, rather than just a handful of residents.

Overall, this is a book I would highly recommend.  Eloquent writing and a subject that lingers in the mind make this an excellent telling of an important story.

 

101 things you thought you knew about the Titanic.. but didn’t! by Tim Maltin

Ok, so it’s a long title.. but it says it all really! Many people have a fascination with the fateful sinking of the Titanic, and there are many stories and myths told.

As Tim explains in his foreword, the sinking triggered the first global media storm, with The New York Times devoting it’s first twelve pages to it. There were also survivors ready to tell their stories, but each only saw their own small piece of the complete picture, and the press attempted to fill the gaps as sensationally as possible.. creating many of the myths which still exist today.

Tim has taken 101 theories about the ship, it’s passengers, and their fate, and he studied each one. He tries to use eye witness accounts, many from the official hearings, and the original question numbers are used, for those who wish to research further.

I wouldn’t suggest this book to someone as an introduction to the Titanic, as there are probably books which do that a little better. This is a book of text and quotes, and there are no illustrations. However, it’s a great addition to the bookshelf of someone with an interest. I have learnt new things, and have questioned others – and the format is reassuring when you have a dislike of sensational reporting.

If you’re ready to question what you thought you knew about the Titanic, this is a highly recommended addition to your collection.

Visit the publishers website to learn why steering errors, as recently reported, could not have occurred.

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

22nd June 1941.  This is the date that life for Tatiana Metanova, a young girl living in Leningrad, will change forever.  First, it is the day that Hitler invades Russia, and second, it is the day that Tatiana meets Alexander Belov, a soldier in the Red Army.  There is an instant and very strong attraction between Tatiana and Alexander, but circumstances conspire to keep them apart.  She quickly finds out that Alexander is the new boyfriend of her sister Dasha, and has to choose between her own happiness and that of her beloved sister.  Meanwhile, as the war continues, the living conditions in Leningrad become dreadful, and Tatiana sees people dying all around her, from starvation, illness and bombing.

And still, she and Alexander cannot let go of each other emotionally.  Will they ever find a way to be together – and will either of them survive the war?

Paullina Simons is one of my very favourite authors, seemingly always able to create books which I can’t put down, filled with very realistic and believable characters.  I felt the same way about this book, although I felt it was very different in style to such books of hers as Tully and The Girl In Times Square.

Tatiana was a great heroine.  Although the book is told in the third person, I think that we got to see things predominantly from her point of view, and therefore she was probably the easiest character to sympathise with.  She was feisty but vulnerable, and showed remarkable reserves of strength and courage.

I felt more ambivalent towards Alexander and at times actually disliked him.  Although he and Tatiana had this incredible love, he sometimes treated her less than gallantly, and came across as a spoilt young man.  However, his basic decency also came through and made me root for him.

The most fascinating and interesting part of the book for me was the description of war torn Leningrad.  To read about the tiny rations people had to live on – just a tiny amount of bread often mixed with sawdust or cardboard to pad it out – was harrowing, and it was all too believable.  Electricity was lost, and there was no clean water.  People would attack each other for their meagre rations, or someone would be blown apart from a bomb while waiting in line for their food.  The depictions of such conditions were vivid and distressing, yet utterly compelling.

The book was not perfect – at times it did lapse into slushy, sugary dialogue and I thought I had accidentally stumbled upon a Mills and Boon novel, and there was much handwringing and agonising between the main two characters.  But despite this, it won me round.  I found the book hard to put down, and was genuinely interested to see how the story wound up.

It is the first book in a trilogy, and I will certainly be reading the following two books.  It’s not my favourite book by this author, but certainly one that I’m glad I read.  Recommended.