Review: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

My Rating:

 

As part of the TBR Canine Jar Challenge, Middlesex was chosen by Enya. So far she's chosen The Exorcist which was a 5-star read and now Middlesex which I have to say I struggled with.

There is a lot of reading to this one. It's not that it's over-written per se, more that it's over told. It was hard work and I struggled to get through it. For every 100 pages read, it felt like 1000. The author kept going off on tangents, throwing in facts or history which weren't necessary. It was extremely annoying to have to wade through all this extra information while still keeping track of the narrative. It pulled me away from the characters and their stories every time. So much so, that I had to force myself not to skim these sections. It would have been a much faster and a more enjoyable read without the tangents and history lessons.

That being said, I did enjoy the storyline. When the author stuck to the characters and their stories it was an enjoyable read, but way too often it was interrupted by everything else. I wanted to read on to learn what happened to the family. I enjoyed getting to know each generation and seeing how their experiences were influenced by the generation before. Had the book concentrated on this and had all the other stuff removed, I would probably recommend it. As it is, It's not one I would recommend.



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Review: The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

My Rating:


I would like to thank Penguin Random House UK for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book.

The One Memory of Flora Banks was a quick and easy read, but it wasn't executed the way I had hoped. The premise was an interesting one, but I feel that the storytelling only scratched the surface. I found it to be extremely repetitive, I get the idea behind the repetitiveness, but it got too much.

Character wise, all the characters outside of Flora's character felt more like props than actual characters. The storyline was totally unrealistic. Flora's ability to cope when all of a sudden she didn't know where she was, how she got there, or who the people around her were, was far too calm and accepting. There was no sense of panic or danger. The whole journey thing was beyond unrealistic.

I am also disappointed in how Flora's mother was portrayed. I feel her character needed to be explored more to give an insight into her grief and what she was feeling and going through in order to understand her actions, but instead, she had a very negative light shone on her.

Not one I would recommend.



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Review: 1,342 QI Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted

 
1,342 QI Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted


My Rating:

I would like to thank Faber and Faber for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book. 

There's not a lot I can say about this one. It is what it says it is; a book full of weird, funny and interesting facts that will have you either chuckling, WTF'ing, or scratching your head.

Here are a few examples:

- The Very Hungry Caterpillar was originally called A Week with Willie Worm.

- In China, it's illegal to reincarnate without filling in a government Reincarnation Application form.

- Men who watch a lot of porn have smaller than average brains.

- In the 18th century, chickens were known as "cacklers" and eggs were "cackling farts".

- "The Copper-Penis Owl" is the monster used in Hungary to scare children into behaving.

I now find myself throwing out random useless facts during conversations, lol. As an added bonus, my point score has gone up when watching QI on TV!



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Review: The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

My Rating:

As part of the TBR Canine Jar Challenge, The Exorcist was chosen by Enya. This was her first ever pick and she chose a 5 star!

 
Not much I can say about this one that hasn't already been said. It is, after all, a well-known and well-read horror novel, and also a great movie that I'm sure most have seen at some point or another.

If you haven't picked this one up before now, what the heck are you waiting for!?

PS - Am I the only one who kept picturing Columbo whenever Lieutenant Kinderman made an appearance?





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Review: My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal

My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal

My Rating:

I would like to thank Penguin Books (UK) for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book.

My Name is Leon is a story told by a nine-year-old boy called Leon. I'm normally not a fan of child narrators as I find them to be either unreliable or too mature for their age. This book, however, got the balance perfect and I found his story to be both engaging and heartbreaking.

Leon's story pulls on your heartstrings, but at the same time inspires hope and reminds us that family, love, and understanding, can be found in the most unlikely places. My heart broke for Leon, I could feel his loss, confusion, frustration, and yearning, and I cried a few tears for him while reading. I just wanted to hug him and help him make sense of all that was happening.

In summary, My Name is Leon is an emotional, thought-provoking book which will bring both tears of sadness and of hope, and will have you reaching for your tissues.

It's a short read, but it packs a punch. It touches on many sensitive and important issues such as race and racism, mental illness, and the foster care system.

Definitely one I would recommend.


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Review: Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell

My Rating:

 As part of the TBR Canine Jar Challenge, Frozen Charlotte was chosen by Thorin. This is his first pick and I have to say, he done well.

I picked this up at my local charity shop based purely on the cover. I didn't expect it to be as good a read as it was and ended up reading it in one sitting. The atmosphere and characterization really drew me in. It's got everything: things going bump in the night, ouija board, ghosts, creepy dolls, old school house in the middle of nowhere, and disembodied voices coming from the walls. It was a lot of fun and I found myself completely engaged and lost in the story.

The atmosphere was dark and creepy and the writing and world building very visual. I could hear and see everything clearly while reading. The descriptions were so vivid at times that I could almost hear the dolls whispering and scratching within the glass cabinet. The characters were well-written, likeable, and relatable, and the house and its harsh landscape adds a wonderful atmospheric background to the storyline.

I would have liked to have gotten a little more background on the dolls themselves but apart from that I can't fault anything about this one. It's not hardcore horror, but it was delightfully creepy and a lot of fun to read.

Definitely one I would recommend. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and stayed up into the wee small hours just to finish it



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Review: Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land

Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land

My Rating:


I would like to thank Penguin UK for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book.

I enjoyed Good Me, Bad Me at the time of reading, but I was left feeling a bit let down on finishing it. The premise was interesting enough to hold my attention at the time, but I guessed almost right from the start where the story was heading and found it rather predictable as a result.

I couldn't connect to the characters, they didn't have enough depth to make them feel real and there were too many different elements to the storyline. I think it would have enjoyed it more had they been narrowed down and more depth and detail invested in the few rather than skimming the surface of many. I wasn't able to get into the headspace of the main character because there was so much going on around her, her character lacked the complexity and detail needed to portray her situation.

That being said, it wasn't a bad read. The premise was a good one and it was an easy, quick read, but it was lacking the suspense, thrills and tension that I love to experience in a good psychological thriller, and was too predictable.

Not one I would recommend.




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Top Reads of 2016 and Looking Ahead to 2017

For some reason, I feel like I didn't have a great reading year this year. I didn't read as much as I would have liked to have read and the majority of my reading time in 2016 was spent reading books send to me by publishers, authors, or via Netgalley. I have so many books I want to get to that have been getting neglected due to other reading obligations. So, I am planning on changing my reading habits for the year ahead.

I plan in 2017 to read more of the physical books that I have on my shelves. I will still be reading books I receive for review, but I will be more strict with what I accept for review, and more strict with myself to make sure I make a point of reading my own books alongside them. I do try to accept books for review that I know I will enjoy, but I seem to have been a bit less successful on that front in 2016. At one point during the year, I felt myself getting into a bit of a reading slump and I realised that I wasn't enjoying reading as much as I usually do. It had started to feel more like a chore rather than my favourite pastime. I want to make sure I avoid that in 2017, so fingers crossed I will have a more successful year ahead.

Now that my blethering is done, let's get to my top reads. In previous years I have had a pretty decent list of books to choose from at the end of the year, this year, however, there are only a few books that have stood out over all the others.

The following, in no particular order, are my top reads of 2016:


Beloved Poison by E.S. Thomson

I was completely captivated by this book. The imagery was so vivid that I was transported completely to another time. I was so wrapped up in the dark and gloomy world of victorian London, surrounded by the sights, the smells, and the crumbling old buildings, that the world around me ceased to exist. When I wasn't reading I found myself thinking about the world and the people that I had left behind on the pages, eager to get back to them... click here for complete review


Wrathbone and Other Stories by Jason Parent

Wrathbone sat on my mantel for a full month tempting me to read it, but I was determined to save it for Halloween night and I'm so glad that I did. I couldn't put it down. This is how you write a short story collection! I can honestly say that each story was easily 5 star worthy on its own.

Wrathbone is not only the first short story collection to ever make it onto one of my top reads of the year, but it's also the first short story collection to ever to make my favourites list!... click here for complete review

Prince of Nightmares by John McNee

The premise of Prince of Nightmares really intrigued me and as an added bonus I discovered that not only is John McNee a Scottish horror author, the story is also set in Scotland. Result! Being from Scotland myself it's a real treat to come across a Scottish horror author, especially one who sets their story in Scotland, and one who's book is now one of my top reads! Prince of Nightmares is expertly written, a pleasure to read and much more than I was expecting... click here for complete review


Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

It's not very often that a book surprises me in the way that Dark Matter did. Just when I thought I knew where the story was heading and had prepared myself for what was ahead, I was totally blindsided and catapulted down an expertly crafted, extremely clever and mind blowing path...
click here for complete review




 All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is a book that not everyone is going to be comfortable reading. It's a book that had me questioning myself, my feelings and my emotions. On finishing it I wasn't sure how I felt. I enjoyed it but at the same time, my mind was all over the place trying to analyse what I was feeling. It's controversial, it's uncomfortable, it's shocking, it's raw and it's a very powerful and emotional read that will take you out of your comfort zone but it's because of this that I enjoyed it so much. Not many books can create this kind of reaction... click here for complete review

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Before I sign off, I would like to give a couple of honourable mentions to a few books which, despite not making it onto my top list, I really enjoyed and have stuck with me and deserve a mention:



A Living Grave by Robert E. Dunn 
Fantastic female protagonist.
click here for review

Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield

A tragic, beautiful and heartbreaking read.

click here for review

 The Hatching: A Novel by Ezekiel Boone
Man eating spiders who think and move like a hive,
out thinking and outsmarting their prey. There's no escape...
click here for review

 

The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach 

A very poignant story told by a very memorable character

 click here for review

They Rise: A Deep Sea Thriller by Hunter Shea
The sea can be a scary force to be reckoned with on its own
but throw in the horrors found in this book and you have a
whole different level of scary.
click here for review

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 So, there you have it folks! All that is left for me to say is that I hope you have a great 2017 and may all your reads be 5 star worthy.

Happy Hogmanay tae ane an'aw’ an' mony may ye see!

Scarlet x

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