Month of Love Review: Not That Easy by Randika Sanghani

Purchase |Goodreads 


My Synopsis 

Imagine This: You hold an unpaid internship in a publication where your Evil Boss asks you for nothing but tea runs.

You have recently moved into a shared-appartment you can't afford with your friends. And everyday, it takes a mountain to convince your mum you need money to pay your rent (and cook the greek foods she's so passionate about you eating).

Your romantic life is not getting any better after the guy who poked your virginity run off leaving your VJ suffering from a case chlamydia.

But who cares about romance? Maybe you don't. Because you've decided to fuck your way through London marking the points in which you orgasm.

But apparently, orgasming is not so easy at all. All the men you keep seeing can't reach your spot. But perhaps, what if, you don't have a spot to begin with...

Then your boss decides to exploit your dating/sexing life for the benefit of the magazine.

Ellie Kolstakis' elusive g-spot summarized for your delight.

My Review 

I liked this book.

Not so unique storyline as we've seen lots of this stuff in so many commercial titles. But this is fun all the same. Girl plans to enjoy as much sex as she can, because really, who wants to fall in love in their twenties these days. A star to the storyline.—★

You'd love Ellie's voice. Not laugh out loud funny, but you'd be kept smiling for most of the time. Her exploits are equally hilarious and so are her views on sex, relationships and crushes. A star.—★★

Other cast you'd adore are Emma, the friend and roomie who considers slut as an empowerment term—she'd high-five you if you call her one. You'd also love Lara, she's super-interested in this guy who won't take her serious, so she's showing him in her own special way she won't take him seriously too. There's also Maxine, the Evil Boss.—★★★ 

Well, for most part of the novel, I couldn't figure out who Ellie would end up with (or the last person she's going to have sex with). So you could call this unpredictable.—★★★★

My rating: Four out of five stars.

It's Not That Easy is available on Amazon. 

I recommend it to anyone who loves their chick-lit down, dirty and funny.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Amazon as well as Goodreads. 

Killer Review: Shapeshifters by Stefan Spjut

Purchase |Goodreads 

*The Killer Review feature is from my blog feature, A Killer Season, reviewing psychological thrillers on which much fuss has been made, rendering them must-buys (or not)*

Blurb: Summer 1978. A young boy disappears without a trace from a summer cabin. His mother claims that he was carried away by a giant. He is never found.

Twenty-five years later, another child goes missing. This time there’s a lead, a single photograph taken by Susso Myren. She has devoted her life to the search for trolls, legendary giants known as stallo who can control human thoughts and assume animal form. Convinced that trolls are real, she follows the trail of missing children to northern Sweden. But humans, some part stallo themselves, have been watching over the creatures for generations, and this hidden society of protectors won’t hesitate to close its deadly ranks.

My Review 

I loved this book.

The storyline! I have never read into any sci-fi genre before because... I think we all know this already... IMAGINARY CREATURES CAN'T BE REAL LIFE! But What if you are made to believe trolls exist in a relatable storyline. After all, you can never be so sure if there's an OTHER WORLD and the forces that exist in them. What if really giants roam this earth unseen? What if we consider the situation that sometimes missing people who can no longer be found no matter how much search have disappeared off the face of the earth? And what if we knew this, that in fact someone (we loved) was kidnapped by a "giant", but no one would believe us? What if? A star to the storyline!—★

You'd love the main characters. You'd love Susso, the daughter heavily invested in the search for trolls and other unnamed creatures Science can't spot. You'd love Gudrun, Susso's mother who tells her story in a first-point of view predicting doom before it's already happened.—★★

I also loved this book because of the amazing writing. Goes to show good writers can persuade you into taking their sides no matter how far-fetched the ideas they propound seem. Put an unbelievable situation in good writing and everyone might just believe what you put across. A star—★★★

Incredible suspense. This books gives the killers their point of view, so you have to just sit tight and wait for when they'd implement their plans. That's unnerving and deserves a star—★★★★

I know this book didn't emphasize on romance, but I believe some of the romantic scenes could have just not been rushed through. I would have loved to see some chemistry between Susso and her ex to feel they may have once been in love but now they are just together looking for trolls.

My rating: Four stars.

Shapeshifters by Stefan Spjut is available on Amazon. Just go get it.

I recommend this book to anyone who is ready to be swayed by a writer that sometimes kidnappers/killers may not be humans. IF suspense is your thing, well, go get this. If you also want good writing, you are such a snub about works that do not have literary excellence, just turn your snubby attention to this.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Amazon and Goodreads. 

Festive Book Review: A Merry Mistletoe Wedding by Judy Astley

PURCHASE / GOODREADS

MY SYNOPSIS

Imagine This: You are in a relationship that's been ongoing for almost a year. You love him. You find his surfer-boy charm irresistible. Though you wish you guys lived in the same vicinity and you didn't have to journey miles for quick, blissful shags over the weekend.

Then he proposes. And you are thrown in a whirlwind of wedding preparations. A wedding that's happening on Christmas!

Your whole family is excited for you. Except your sister—who would have been your maid-of-honour—decides she's not going to put her family through the potential snowstorm risk they might be facing at the decided venue.

You want simple. But your fiance's mum wants extreme—"I'm not traveling miles so I could have some hot-dogs on a bench and return." And suddenly a wedding that's supposed to be quick and easy is looking difficult and stressful.

Hopefully, this year the mistletoe would work its magic again and you are going to have an amazing wedding without breaking-down...

Then your ex who jilted you weeks before your wedding comes back into the scene—precisely a few houses away—with his adorable dog... Uh-oh.

Thea's chaotic, Christmas wedding summed up for your delight.

My Review.

Great storyline. Not, really unique, but enjoyable all the same. What with Thea's parents contemplating on moving out into a low-maintenance home, fearing the prospect they might get old and get put in homes? And also, Thea's sister Emily who's going through post-partum depression. A star!── ★

The main characters are Great. It's told in the point of view of mother and two daughters who have funny voices and different, likable personalities. There's Anna, the mum, who's fearing the prospect of becoming an oldie cliche complete with a home and a giant ball of crocheting thread to knit. There's Emily, worried London is no more a safe place to live because someone stole her pram. You'd also love Thea, who has to scream how much She loves her fiance into the phone so her ex snooping in through the back-gate wouldn't miss a word. A star!── ★★

You'd also love the funny cast of characters! There's Mike, Anna's husband who won't take being called old because he's only in his early seventies. There's also Charlotte, Mike's younger ex who's popping in and out of Emily's home without invitation helping out with the kids and helping herself with all their bottles of wine. There's also Rich, Thea's ex who thinks he can win her back by flashing by with his dog. Star to all these characters and more.── ★★★

A very funny festive read. So I give it a star too.── ★★★★

Though a sequel, it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. (Not following the stereotype perception about sequels, this sequel is even more enjoying than its prequel.)

My rating:  Four out of Five stars!

A Merry Mistletoe Wedding is available on Amazon.

I recommend this read to anyone who loves their festive titles full of humour, miracles the festive season brings and lots of adorable characters!

My last review of 2015, so a Happy New Year!

Festive Book Review: Christmas on Primrose Hill by Karen Swan

PURCHASE |GOODREADS 


My Synopsis 

Imagine This: You have an ordinary job that has become mundane. You live with your dad. You still have the old friends you used to play with since your wee ages—and that's not a good thing!

One accident. And you are an internet sensation! Retweets, favourites, and of course a little dislikes on YouTube by the always embittered and unsuccessful. And oh, a follow from an international star!

Except your boss and your colleagues want you to keep up with this accident to raise donations for a charity organisation for testicular cancer awareness.

You think they are crazy. You wouldn't possibly make an attempt once more to off yourself... even for charity... even for a popstar who would probably unfollow you realizing how boring you really are.

Until he DMs you. Suddenly you'd do anything for charity! Twelve days of Christmas. Twelve dares of Christmas. 

Include finding your missing mother who just upped and left four years ago, and you've got yourself one heck of a holiday season to get it (your life—professional, love and life) all together. 

Hold up, readers! It's going to be a very Nettie Christmas! 

My REVIEW. 

I loved this book!

The storyline is good! After one tragic accident in which Girl comes out in one piece, she's all over London, doing stunts behind a laughable costume and gaining the interest of one popstar who's practically chasing her all over London. Cue in the mystery of her missing mother and you have an engaging formula!── ★

Nettie is so cool. When in her costume. And a pretty normal girl-next-door stereotype when she's out of it. But she makes a lovely lead whose story you want to see through till the end!── ★★

Other characters need to be celebrated too. There's Jules, the crazy, albeit one-dimensional friend who loves to party and likes guys with hot-bods. There's Caro, the tech, gum-chewing colleague who can't stand the presence of a guy a few seconds acting normal. There's also Mike, the boss who's having a hard time controlling all the women, that is, all his employees. You'd also love Jamie, the popstar who's always following our lead but making it look so normal you wouldn't call him a stalker. A star!── ★★★

Plus, there's also the two's romance! A feature I kept looking out for.── ★★★★

Though I immensely enjoyed this read (thanks to the romance), I couldn't really shake off the feeling that it wasn't as great as Swan's previous festive-not-quite-festive title, Christmas in the Snow. Karen's novels are known for their sweep-you-off-your-feet romantic plots with an engaging sub-plot of mystery. But this title's sub-plot wasn't engaging enough—as compared to her previous title's, I should add. Judging it as a standalone, like it is, I enjoyed it. But doing a comparative analysis I'm not sure I can give it all the stars it deserves.

So my rating: Four stars (judged with Christmas in the Snow!) but definitely a Five-star read when considered as a standalone.

Christmas on Primrose Hill is available on Amazon. Go get it along with Christmas in the Snow if you haven't read that one too.

I recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of festive novels that are not excuses for authors to just get in a Christmas tree and some mistletoe and just add a bit of a storyline. A book that can be read anytime of the year despite it being a festive read! You should also get it if you are a fan of Karen Swan (or not!)


My work not done here. Off to post my reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads. 

Festive Book Review: The A to Z of You and Me by James Hannah

PURCHASE|

GOODREADS 
MY SYNOPSIS

Imagine This: You are forty and in a hospice. 

There's a lot you can do in a hospice without keeling over from boredom. 1: Listen to the loud juddering breaths of your cancer next-door patient.  2: Stare at the walls of your room idly waiting for your nurses. 3: Invite family over and have a blast.

Probably the last option. The most tempting of all. Except you'd die before you speak to the 'family that bought the earliest train ticket to dumping you in this shithole. 

But it's not that much of a shithole is it? There's a nurse who regularly stops by to check (up) on you. There's the family of the cancer-patient waving warmly and—sometimes—sitting in to have a chat with you if they are not going haywire for the health of your neighbour.

But, really there's not a lot to do holed up in bed, all day, everyday, waiting for your last breathe. Of course the thoughts of your past threaten to catch up with you. But you can't have that. You can't think of all the moments you fucked-up your life.

Then one day, your favorite nurse stops in, and introduces the Game that would bring your past right next to your present with a cuppa in hand. A Game that would bring up thoughts of WHO you could have led a clean life for but DIDN'T. 

Ivo's almost-ending life summed up for your delight.  

My REVIEW. 

I liked this book!

Storyline amazing! Guy in hospital thinking of all the times in his past from childhood till adulthood till he met YOU(—not you), naming every body part from A to Z and telling the stories associated with them to keep you(—really mean you this time) engrossed. Lovely──★.

A beautiful narrative. Told in first person-point of view with a dash of second person for when he's referring to YOU. Some parts are so irregularly breathtaking, they read like poetry. A nice incorporation. Prose and poetry all merged into this delight. A star!──★★

Oh, you'd love Ivo! Amazingly unique voice. Perfectly resembles his character. It's a sad thing though for him life is ending at forty. A star.──★★★

OK. Let's take a second to praise all the other amazing cast. A quirky book with a quirky set of characters to match. From Laura, the annoying sister who wouldn't act her age as the oldest. There's Mal, the friend who you'd hate with a passion. There's also Becca, the hot black girl with an amazing skin and body (who everyone loves). There's Ivo's mum—funny as hell! Mr. Miller, the teacher who despises Ivo for being part of the naughty sniggering bastards at the back of the class. There's also Kevin, the threesome of Ivo and Mal who outshines Ivo in the naive and hopeless department. Sheila, the amazing nurse also deserves a honking from my klaxon. And of course, there's YOU. A star to all these delightful characters.──★★★★ 

My rating:  Four/Five stars.
Ivo's beautiful story can be found on Amazon. Big-ups to James Hannah for penning this heartwarming/renching debut.

I recommend this to anyone who loves their fiction with the death, hospice, cancer, kidney failure theme. If you want a book with a quirky cast, oh go for this! A perfect read for this season, a book that topics on kindness and love, forgiveness—attitudes you'd need in large store this holiday season for when that crazy aunt drops by to get on your nerves!

MY work not done here. Off to post my review on Amazon as well as Goodreads 

Fall Book Review: We That Are Left by Clare Clark.

Purchase|Goodreads 

Blurb: Two sisters, born into privilege, are forced to make their way in a world turned upside down by war. One man transforms them both. 

1910. Jessica and Phyllis Melville have grown up at Ellinghurst, a family estate fraught with secrets. A headstrong beauty, Jessica longs for London — the glitter and glamour of debutante life — while bookish Phyllis dreams in vain of attending university. Into their midst walks Oskar Grunewald, a frequent visitor fascinated by the house but alternately tormented and ignored by the Melville children. Oskar seeks refuge in Ellinghurst’s enormous library.  Meanwhile Theo, the adored Melville brother, eclipses everyone around him.
 
The Great War arrives to devastate and reshape their world. In a country unrecognizable from the idylls of their youth, the Melville sisters struggle to forge new paths without the guidance of the old rules. But Oskar’s life has become entwined with theirs once again, in ways—both immediate and unimaginable-- that will change all of their futures.

My Review. 

Beautiful Storyline! Downton Abbey meets... spectacular storytelling. Imagine a world of your favorite series where the estate is now Ellinghurst. War has torn through and muddled the lives of the upper-crust of society. All the characters are marred in some way by the war, and after it's all over, there's a torrential affair between two sisters and one eligible bachelor. A star!──★ 

You would love the main characters! The story is told in the points of view Jessica Melville, a somewhat spoilt mischievous adventurous heiress to the estate and Oscar, a science progidy soon to be an Einstein in his time. Their two points of views are entertaining and engaging. There's no chapter you'd find yourself rolling your eyes to be over and done with (because one character happens to be too boring). A star!──★★ 

Other characters are also fantastic! You'd love Tom Mellvile, Jessica's brother who's the apple of his mother's eye and overshadows the presence of all his siblings when he walks into the room. You'd also love Phyllis, the sister who likes to tuck herself away in a book and go contrary to societal expectations. There's also Jessica's self-obtained lothario who introduces her to the darker areas of London. Lots and lots of amazing characters who aren't redundant in any way!──★★★

Another feature of this book you'd quite adore is its pacy, clever dialogue laden with quick-wit and undertones of sarcasm. All the characters speak in that enigmatically appealing and audacious way of the people of Old England. I felt I was in a time-warp enjoying the company of these amazing characters with their luring conversations and elegant social events.──★★★★

The love triangle between some of the main characters is also an intriguing feature of the novel. Lots of surprising, OMG moments as well.──★★★★★

From start-to-finish, childhood to adulthood, this book was a delight! Not the kind of literature you wish all the characters would just grow up so you get on to reading the "good stuff". This novel develops on a surprisingly pacy plot despite its length. You wouldn't be able to shut an eye!──★★★★★★

My rating: Five/Five stars.

We That Are Left by Clare Clark is available on Amazon! Go get it!!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves storylines evolving with a background of the Wars fought in history. Anyone who wants literature that's so just Downton Abbey must race for this. Plus you know most historicals are never lacking a blend of enigmatic, entertaining and bold characters, and I'm sure this is your kind of book if you are looking for these... characteristics. 

My work not done here! Off to post my review on Amazon and Goodreads!

Fall Book Review: The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine by Alex Brunkhorst

   

Purchase|Goodreads

Blurb: A modern-day Gatsby tale of forbidden love, family secrets and the true price of wealth.

The story begins with a dinner party invitation. When young journalist Thomas Cleary is sent to dig up quotes for the obituary of a legendary film producer, the man's eccentric daughter offers him entree into the exclusive upper echelons of Hollywood society. A small-town boy with working-class roots, Thomas is a stranger in this opulent world of private jets and sprawling mansions.

Then he meets Matilda Duplaine. 

Matilda is a beautiful and mysterious young woman who has never left the lush Bel-Air estate where she was raised. Thomas is immediately entranced by the enigmatic girl and the two begin a secret love affair. But what starts as an enchanted romance soon unravels a web of secrets and lies that could destroy their lives and the lives of everyone around them forever.

My Review. 

A really amazing book!
This book has the charm of Gatsby, and the beauty of Hollywood all embedded in its storyline! So Boy gets into the exclusives of L.A Rich and Famous Scene, and commits the black-listing mistake of getting on the bad side of a man who owns all of Hollywood and more as a result of love. Lovely!  A star──★.

I couldn't put it down! The charm of the LA scenes, the people of Bel Air, its inhabitants and the very exclusive parties reeled me in. Amazing setting!──★★ 

I also fell in love with the lead character of this novel. He's very deep—from which you can deduce he isn't flat at all. It's hard to read a book featuring a male lead which is also Women's Fiction without wishing the author didn't make the colossal mistake of employing a male lead in this book. But with this book it's different. Not a chauvinistic, slutty stereotype at all. Probably the kind of lead that would be referred to as the 'Housewife's Favorite' were he to be in real life. A star.──★★★

I can't do this book and not talk of other characters who made it thrilling for me. There's Lily, the overpowering friend of our lead who is his ticket to the world of the famous and rich. There's also Carole, the famous actress who doesn't give our lead the time of the Day or even just the look of the day. There's also Matilda Duplaine, who this whole book is about, naive to a fault and of substance you only see in women of the monochrome motion pictures—women of the golden age.──★★★★

One of the features that makes this book thrilling is the whole mystery of Matilda Duplaine. Who is she? And why is she being kept as someone's biggest Hollywood secret?──★★★★★

My rating: Five/five stars.

This title is available on Amazon. 

I recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy something very Gatsby-like! If you also want a tile dipped in mystery with lots of (upper) class, pick this up. An ideal fall read!

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads and Amazon. 

Fall Book Review: The Piano-Man Project by Late French

Purchase|Goodreads 

MY SYNOPSIS 

Imagine This: You are never the type of woman to orgasm. No matter what your friends say, you just know no man can do THAT for you, thanks very much!

So when your friends contemplate on the kind of man who can just make you have that much multiple 'O's: a piano-playing sex-god, you know when they set out to get him wherever he is, it's going to be a disaster! But you play on, because you want to keep your hopes up that out there there's a (piano-playing) sex god who can just make you come (for once!)

Meanwhile, the man next-door is tinkling your interest. He's rude, bad-tempered and only needs company when he's getting a bottle of whiskey in return. He plays no Piano, people. Except when he mentions your name, you feel you might as well come with the ripple of sensations that courses through you. 

How do you work your way into the bed of a man who is deeply troubled and emotionally distorted? It's only for the orgasm, you keep telling yourself. But why do you want to stake a claim on his heart (even when sometimes he makes you feel like driving a stake throught it!)

Honeysuckle Jones' trouble-seeking, orgasm-less life summarized for your delight. 

My Review. 

I loved this book!

The storyline is very run-off-the-mill chicklit title. Though it is not unique in its sense, it's very enjoyable. So Blonde wants an orgasm, she wants to keep her oldies from being thrown out of their home and she wants the man next-door to stop being such an arse. A star.—★

I loved Honeysuckle, the main character. What a funny name. But Rose and Lily would have been quite non-unique, wouldn't it? She's very charismatic, loves to STEP in to help anyone everywhere, the kind of neighbor who would help you pick up your fallen groceries whilst secretly wishing you would be the one to make her come. A star to her.—★★

Other characters also made this title IMMENSELY fun. There's Lucille, the kind-hearted co-worker of Honey and Mimi, her eighty-year old sister who comes off as hard but is genuinely a sweetheart and is just your ordinary senior citizen who just wants to have a normal adventurous sex life. There's also old Billy, Mimi's boyfriend who loves being handcuffed. You'd love Tash (the Samantha Jones-lookalike friend) and also Nell (the Charlotte-esque friend of Honey who's lately experimenting with more tools with her sweater-clad husband). Christopher, the villain of the book is humorously wicked. Plus, you'd love Hal, the tempestuous next-door-man.—★★★ 

One of the features about this book is its humor. It's also one of those community books in which the whole town joins in to protest major, abnormal changes to their town.—★★★★

My rating: Four-stars.

This book is available on Amazon. Go get.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants a feel-good, funny read full of senior citizens engaged in lots of shenanigans. Another good book to add to your fall reading list. 

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Fall Book Review: Disclaimer by Renee Knight

PURCHASE|GOODREADS 

My Synopsis. 

Imagine This: You have been hiding this big secret all your life. With your adorable husband and son who's recently moved out of home, your life is perfect. You recently won an award in your field of investigative journalism. Everything is going like it's supposed to. Your secret is safe. No one knows. Your life isn't in tatters... yet.

During a pastime, you pick up a book to while the hours away—you have no one to look after these days, why don't you look after yourself then? So you begin reading this novel with your feet up, a glass of wine by your bedside—more like it!—and happen to be enjoying this novel. Until you realize you are reading about you. The secret you kept all these years unraveled in a book.

Who knows? Who's out to destroy you? You would only find out if you go back in the past. 

Meanwhile, the writer of your work of 'fiction' is presently working on their best revenge yet. You will pay for what you did years ago.

Catherine's life summed up for your delight! 

My Review. 

I love this book!

The storyline was what reeled me in! I loved the whole idea conceptualized for a psychological thriller! Woman finds herself reading a book about her dark secret. Writer is out to make Woman pay with pen... or more! Lovely! A star!—★

Oh, you'd love its main character, Cath! Very ruthless (at times), very bold. Kind of the character you'd expect to handle a writer who's lost their hinges! A star to her!—★★

I cannot read this book and not comment about its opening chapters! Edge-of-your-seat fun! Very gripping and fast-paced! Most thrillers do not begin this way!!!—★★★

You'd love other characters too. The deluded writer out to get our main character's blood, our lead's husband who's for most part of the book supportive (till he finds out...)—★★★★

Ugh! What killed me about this book is its anti-climax, with such a promising start I was expecting more for an ending. Though, the ending was very soulful and fulfilling, I just wanted... something that would have this book imprinted in my mind forever!

So my rating: Four-out-of five stars. 

The Disclaimer is up on Amazon!

I recommend this book to anyone in need of a psychological thriller laden with flashbacks (of so many versions from the POVs of some characters) that are as gripping as the current day events! You won't be able to put this book down!

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Amazon and Goodreads! 

Fall Book Review: The Book of Memory by Petina Gappah

Purchase|Goodreads

My Synopsis 

Imagine This: You've spent two years in prison.  About to face execution. In Zimbabwe. 

It's a known fact that African prisons are not exactly the safe havens Western prisons are. The food is shitty. The toilet rolls are not enough to contain your shit. And every time, there's a new death recorded. Even in the women's ward.

So you killed the man your parents sold you to. And you are the only woman in Zimbabwe on death-row—so you are quite a sensation in the media. Except there are no hangmen in the country to put you out of your misery (from the annoying sadistic guards who ensure you have absolutely nothing to enjoy).

So while you are waiting for the hangman position to be filled (by someone heartless and brave enough), your lawyer insists you write about every little detail about your crime to gain amnesty.

Your life is no more in the government's hands. It's in yours. How do you detail your murder enough to get a pardon? And more importantly, where do you begin? (You are not too sure of your recall skills).

Memory's impending doom summarized for your delight. 

My Review  

Oh, I adored this book! So you know in my review I'd be as crude as some of the inmates of Orange is the New Black!

The storyline! Amazing! Albino girl commits murder, gets sent to prison, is bullied because of her features, and because she's a woman with education, gets opportunity to write herself out of jail. I like that it's set in Africa, Zimbabwe, giving an insight about the people, their culture through the point of view of a character who's been overseas! Lovely! A star!──★

You'd love Memory. Very dull yet intriguing. She has a voice that has the power to reel every reader in to take her side though she's committed a heinous crime. You'd find yourself sympathizing with her about the harsh conditions in Zimbabwean prisons, and her impending doom. More important, you'd love her story from a traditional background (with strange believes to match) to her transformation into a fine Zimbabwean woman with a very English mindset that erases all traces of her native upbringing. A star.──★★

Other characters you'd love are: Synodia, the authoritating prison guard who has a (teasing) version of baby-talk that aggravates every prisoner and is enough to make any reader wish her tragic end. There's Loveness, the prison guard who's more understanding to Memory due to a secret she keeps. You'd also adore Lloyd, the white man who's  Memory's guardian and the reason she's in jail. Memory's traditional community also embodies characters with primitive (superstitious) beliefs that give an insight into the psychological makeup of the uneducated and rural Zimbabwean.──★★★

It was nice delving into a story with people of different cultures and backgrounds that also has a killer plot to match. Plus this book has a very fulfilling end, so what's not to like?──★★★★

Good work by Petina Gappah. Hope to read more code-mixing/setting-mixing titles from her.──★★★★★

My rating: Five out of five stars!

Petina Gappah's novel debut is available on Amazon! 

I recommend this to anyone who loves a very different read set in the most remotest locations with people of different culture. Anyone who wants a novel on the painful state of prisons in Africa, should grab this book. Plus if you love very biographical novels that are so true and real, this is just a great pick for your fall reading. 

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Amazon and Goodreads. 

Fall Book Review: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Purchase|Goodreads 

My Synopsis.

Imagine This: You were abandoned by your mum when you were but a toddler. This has marred your life heavily: you are not like all the other kids at school, you are more science-ly for someone at your age because your mum was, your dad has been institutionalized since her departure and your grandmother doesn't want to talk about it (or anything at all).

You have never given up on your search for her. Even though it's mostly in old drawers finding her endless research notes on elephants in the process. You are sure she would never willingly abandon you. Something must have happened. But no one wants to talk about it. So your only solution:

Find her to tell you exactly what happened.

Your search begins intensely when you are thirteen. You are sneaking out of home with the lie of babysitting a teacher's son, getting a con psychic to give you answers, finding a shady cop who worked on your mom's case.

Soon, you are in too deep to quit. Chances are your mum was a lot of things you never hoped to find out that would taint your (little) memories of her. You find answers that lead to heavy unsettelment and if you are not lucky enough, your own demise.

Jenna Metcalfe's puzzling life summed up for your delight.

My Review. 

I loved, loved this book so in my review you know I'd be throttling you and yelling in your face to go get it!

Amazing storyline! A young teen sets out to find her missing mother and discover answers to why she just disappeared yet she has no idea the ghosts of her past still pertain in the present. Beautiful! A star.── ★

Jenna, the main character is very, very hard to dislike. No, she's not your normal teen! She's very practical about her search for her mum due to her science-liness. And she's adorable all the same because nothing beats a well-developed character who's not just a stereotype of another lead finding a missing character.── ★★

This book is told in point of views of the vanishing cop, Virgil; the fake psychic, Serenity; and Jenna's mysterious mum, Alice. These characters were all peculiar and fabulously developed. You'd love Virgil for his shifty yet great investigation techniques and his love for too many Jack Daniels. You'd love Serenity the no-nonsense, (no-good), bulshitting psychic who's praying she gets back her ability of communicating with the spirit world. Alice is a brilliant animal research scientist, her stories about elephants in the wild are so insightful you cannot wait to flip into her chapter next.── ★★★

Other characters you'd love are: Thomas, Jenna's Dad, who is off his mind. Tallulah, the lab scientist who wants Virgil to go out on a date with her (and then some). One waitress who thinks Serenity is off her hinges (no kidding there). All characters necessary and not redundant in any way!── ★★★★

This is one of those few pieces you could go on and on about the excellent writing (even if you clearly have no idea what excellent writing is, but are sure this is!). From every scene or chapter Jodi Picoult ends with a cliffhanger or some hallmark heartful quote that makes you want to note that down for a little Facebook update! Plus, you'd love her technique of foreshadowing by—wait for it!—using a past character's (Alice) research notes about elephant grief and parenting to give readers an idea of what might take place in the upcoming chapter. So you are sure to have your heart skip a beat if something negative is happening to an elephant in Alice's narrative! A not-done-before technique! Brilliant!── ★★★★★

I loved this book because it offered more than its blurb let on. The blurb makes you feel like reading this book so much. But it leaves out other amazing things I had no idea I'd encounter in this title. And I'm not even talking about the suspense and humor! It's like getting a DVD with lots of fun extras!
I hail the OMG-moment in this book! A star!── ★★★★★★

Oh, heavens! Plus, it supports a cause! Who doesn't want to read a book that makes them want to get on a superhero costume and save the world in their own special way (if not to end poaching of elephants in African countries for Ivory)

My rating: Six out of five stars!

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult is available on Amazon. Just go get it now!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a well-written title (—lots of people use this term loosely, I don't!). Anyone who wants to read a book that would fill out all their boring times. Anyone who wants a book that is so different from most of the women's fiction titles out there! Plus, you could do worse for your choice of Fall reads (this is doing best!).


Woo! Loved this title. Would Look out more for Jodi Picoult's works! Spreading the word on Goodreads, Amazon and Twitter!

Fall Book Review: That Day In June by Martina Reilly

Purchase|Goodreads


My Synopsis 

Imagine This: You run away from home when you were seventeen. You've gotten used to the streets, at night and day. You like to exist on the sidelines of all the human traffic.  That way, no one can recognize you are that Girl whose face was splashed all over the 'Missing' headlines seven years ago.

Now your life is a constant endless routine you have been used to. Getting a shower, getting some food at the shelter, pickpocketing when the need arises and sitting on one bench staring at the world go by.

Until a stranger works his way into your routine and buys you coffee every morning.

You like him. He's very nice. Plus he wants to know of your thoughts of each coffee. Now isn't that just FAB? Something to use your voice for, innit?

Except, one morning, there's no coffee, there's no stranger, there's no company and certainly no talking.

Where the hell is this guy? You find yourself asking after the third day. If he doesn't show up the next day, you are going to look for him.

Sandy's search for a stranger which leads to touching results and a heart-melting story about a journey to recover all that's been lost.

My Review. 

I loved this book.

It has one of those rare unique storylines that reel you in from the start. I love the whole curiosity angle played from the onset. I was aching to know what happened to this stranger and how the lead character was going to locate him. OK, a star.── ★

You would also love the lead, Sandy. Her voice is... how do I put it?... very earthy, raw, with a dash of innocence that proves a character whose development had been stifled all through adulthood.

You would also love Max. The story alternates between their two point of views (Max's and Sandy's). It's really nice that the point of views of both characters are marred by their mental state. It gives character to the narrative and helps the reader sympathize with both leads. That said, this book is very quirky. A star.── ★★

Other characters in the madhouse are also fun to read about from Norm and his wife Evie, to Vic. All these characters were cool and kinda nuts. You'd also love Molly, the diseased woman who wouldn't leave her flat because she's succumbed to her situation—"I am dying soon, so rather be bedridden." A star.── ★★★

Backstory was one of the amazing features of this novel. From the onset, you are intrigued by the upbringing of Sandy because of her narrative voice. Max's backstory was also nice to read about for it explains why a perfectly sane character would find themselves in a madhouse losing it all.── ★★★★

My only problem with this title is, I wanted more earth-shattering secrets and revelations to make for fantastic OMG moments. It was all so mild on this front.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Go buy this book, on Amazon, it's worth the read.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants something unique and very, very quirky (—in a good way). Anyone who wants something touching this Fall should go get this. If you want an unusual love story, this is one of the titles you must buy.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Summer Book Review: My Sister's Secret by Tracy Buchanan

Purchase|Goodreads

My Synopsis

Imagine This: You are still reeling from the death of your parents. Parents who were the best anyone would ever want, at least that's all you know.

You go on with your life traveling from one location to another, just fleeting through, hoping some way your job as a diver would give you both the thrill and the time to heal. But years have passed and you are not exactly sure if you've moved on from this loss. The pain is always as fresh the night your aunt broke it to you they died underwater.

Upon a recent diving gig, to uncover lost possessions from your parents and see their underwater grave, you find out the initials "N&C" in your mother's purse.

Of course, it can't be a designer label. Your dad had been rich enough to buy your mum "D&G" (because who exactly is "N&C"—not someone anyone would be wearing, that's for sure). It doesn't help your mum's name begins with a 'C' and your dad's DOESN'T begin with an 'N'. 

What's going on in this purse? Why is your aunt so secretive about your past? Why is no one telling you the truth? 

Answers you can only find in the past. You must travel back in time to uncover your life story. You must dive deep down submerged forests underwater for answers you need.

Willow's complicated past laden with secrets, suspense and lies summarized for your delight.

My Review. 

I liked this book.

Good storyline. Writing a book about past secrets, family secrets is always a winner. So much unraveling to do. So much layers upon layers of secrets revealed to keep the reader glued to his seat. A star.── ★ 

The main characters were good too. You'd love Charity, the mother of Willow whose story is told in the past. Her complicated ties with a man who ruined her family. Her affair with a married man trying to get his wife on track. Willow's life is also plagued with enough mysteries of secrets of the past and her underwater adventures.── ★★

Other characters I loved were: Niall, the guy Charity can't ever forget but should. Dan, the married man Charity feels she has an unmistakable chemistry with. There's also Ajay, Willow's Indian diving companion. You'd also love the secretive and surly Hope, aunt of Willow. And Lana, wife of Dan, who's not all right upstairs.── ★★★ 

I love the persistent mystery in this title. Secrets capable of making any reader gasp out loud. A star.── ★★★★

All in all, I liked this book. But I wished I could have loved, loved it. Reading it was like watching the heart monitor of a dying patient. Too many flat-lines then you are jolted awake by a peak (which happens when another layer of secret is uncovered).

My rating: FOUR/ Five stars (4/5 stars).

My Sister's Secret is available on Amazon.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves to books on family secrets. Anyone who loves a title featuring exotic locations should go grab this too.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads as well as Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Sisters-Secret-Tracy-Buchanan/dp/000757939X

Summer Book Review: All Together Now by Gill Hornby

Purchase|Goodreads

My Synopsis. 

Imagine This: You live in a small town and have single-handedly raised your child. You are now in your forties and happy to live with your son who won't move out already—something you are pleased with.

Your new identity in this new town is to stay away from all sense of community, stay at home all day when you have no work and do rock and roll marathons with your son yelling at the top of your lungs. 

One evening, after your son has finally decided to go get a job—which wouldn't last, you know him—you are singing to a soulful rhythm till you hear the doorbell ring.

A novelty. No one has ever rang your doorbell. 

It's a man from the community choir, calling on you to come join. 

Reluctantly, you attend. And here are three things you note about Bridgeford Community Choir:

1. The only singing done is hardly harmonious. More of a group of people butchering songs from Sound of Music.

2. No one in the town cares about the choir.

3. No one in the choir cares about the choir.

You do not care too, really. Till you perform a soulful Abba and everyone's straining to hear more. Soon, all these choir members with their personal dilemmas are crowding into your doorway, convincing your son to leave you for Africa and "training" for a championship they've set their eyes on ever since.

A championship you know they won't win. But everyone needs a little Hope these days. The community needs it. The choir needs it. Apparently, you need it too...

And singing your lungs out, hearts out, your secrets out, your drama out, your past out, might just be the only way to reignite this Hope for the future.  
Tracey Beckford—who isn't Tracey Beckford at all—'s life summed up for your delight.

My REVIEW. 

I loved, loved this book! So you know in my review I'd be butchering all your fave songs in your ear to go get this book!

The storyline is fantastic! You have never read a book about a community choir this amazing, this inspiring! So Woman with hidden secrets as well as an amazing talent decides to take the community choir under her wing and whip it into something that's close enough to be a choir, at least! Meanwhile, property developers are about ruining their small town and together, with one voice—which no one in the community seems to have at all—they must prevent this.──★ 

Secondly, you'd love the main characters! It's not every author who can pull a multiple character read of both genders and still gain my attention. (Well, some try!) This book's main characters are true, real and engaging! Meet Tracey Leckford, in her forties battling with losing her only son. There's also Annie already approaching sixties too involved with her community to put away the emptiness she feels when her daughters and now her husband have moved on to another life. There's Bennett, jobless, divorced man, who's family gets off making jokes at his expense, who also lacks the enthusiasm for life. A star!──★★

Other characters are also great! My favorites, Lynn and Pat, the two oldies who are always giving of snarky asides to each other about members in the choir. There's Judith, who goes on and on about her boyfriend who everyone believes is imaginary. There's Lewis, whose democratic values lie out of deciding which song the choir should sing—so no democracy then. There's Jazzy, she fancies herself as a soloist but cannot concentrate on her singing because of her junky mother who keeps coming and leaving. Trust me, lots of well-developed minor characters you can't get enough of! A star!──★★★

This book is a laugh-out-loud read! You see this term being used all over on books but no, none are not even (close). But this book would make you laugh till strangers cast weird looks your way and wonder if they are safe around you. (Give reading at public places a go!)──★★★★

My rating is a five out of five stars!──★★★★★

Gill Hornby's All Together Now which I'd never forgive myself for reading too late in the year is available on Amazon! 

I recommend this book to anyone who loves something kicking, and exciting and inspirational to conclude all your summer reading! Anyone who wants a title with likable and relatable and real characters should go grab this! If you have a voice that sucks (—not very much like mine), there's no stopping you from singing at the top of your lungs even if everyone around you wants to jump in front of a moving car than have to deal with your slow torture, because, this book teaches no matter what voice you have, you shouldn't put off singing (a little). Hope is the thing with singing. 😀


My work not done here. Off to post my review on Amazon and Goodreads. 

Blog Tour + Review: Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes by Jules Moulin

Purchase|Goodreads

My Synopsis 

Imagine This: You are a mother pushing through forties. Your only daughter is twenty. And here's a secret you do not tell anyone:

You do not have sex all times, any time.
But ten years ago, something remarkable happened in your life. One of your students in your Fem Economics class, stepped too far with you. He's young, you are older. He was leaving college the next day. But somehow you two managed to have sex—make-love all over your appartment. So many times.

Ten years later, he's back into your life. He needs your help. He might be still in love with you. You might enjoy more of him than you want to. But he brings your daughter home for dinner...

And that's when your life implodes: your daughter needs a nose job. She's getting it no matter how much you tell her she's perfect. And she's getting into porn to prove that she can make it (her nose) in life without your help.

Ally Hughes' life summarized for your delight.

My Review  

I liked this book.

Storyline is amazing. A feminist professor with her daughter and her lover go through lots of shenanigans to prove sex represents power for all females, and support the neo-feminist stand but agree that women need men for a whole lot of things: sweeping them off their feet, giving them some good loving. It trashes the porn industry and Hollywood/society for the image they confine on all women. A star to the storyline!.──★

It's fun when you pick up a chick-lit title which is a staunch-educator on women affairs. It crosses the thin line between commercial and literary fiction and appeals to audience of both genres. A star..──★★

The characters are great. Ally Hughes, the main character represents all (middle-aged) women who believe celibacy is underrated, but sometimes getting a break and having sex is also good. There's Lizzie, the daughter who's deeper than she likes to portray with a pool of knowledge on women affairs (post-feminism) she picked up from her mum. There's Noah, the actor who has a thing for older women and has never forgotten Ally since he sat in the back row of all her classes, listening attentively. There's also Anna, the super-funny friend of Ally who I loved (more than the lead). There's the super-fishy Fishman and Ted who run a porn business. A star..──★★★

Humor in this title is also a plus. And the SEX!.──★★★★

I liked this book. But I wish I could have loved, loved it. I wanted more. More suspense, more plot twists, less predictability. 

My rating: Four/Five stars.

Jules Moulin's debut available on amazon 

I recommend this book to anyone who wants a funny chick-lit title that also touches on issues that affect women. Anyone who wants something romantic (—because it is very) to cosy up to this summer.


My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads as well as Amazon.