Noll's 2016 Books and Cross-Stitch

[Nollaig]

Don't blame me if ye don't like it - I did point out its flaws in my review! It's Girl On The Train kind of good - not going to win any prizes for quality or a good ending, but compelling enough to keep you tearing through (hopefully!)

[Nollaig]

#69 Foster - Claire Keegan

   

Genre: Fiction/Irish Culture
Synopsis: A small girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm in rural Ireland, without knowing when she will return home. In the strangers’ house, she finds a warmth and affection she has not known before and slowly begins to blossom in their care. And then a secret is revealed and suddenly, she realizes how fragile her idyll is. Winner of the Davy Byrnes Memorial Prize, Foster is now published in a revised and expanded version. Beautiful, sad and eerie, it is a story of astonishing emotional depth, showcasing Claire Keegan’s great accomplishment and talent.

*** 

Review: This is going to be a pretty short review, as I just don't have much to say about the book. I didn't initially realise it was so short - essentially it amounts to a short story, and I think it began life as such. I can see how - there isn't a huge amount of substance here. What there is, is lovely - but the emphasis is definitely on atmosphere and emotion, and on the passive observations of a girl sent to live with an elderly couple for a short period of time, rather than on any major plot.

While the writing was beautiful, and I would absolutely love to read a full novel by Claire, I didn't honestly see much point to this story. I feel like there was a point, buried, but barely touched upon. Something about a girl who is somewhat neglected in a massive family, who finds more love with a couple who lost their only child. Unfortunately, I didn't really feel anything for the unnamed main character, or her situation, as it was depicted in this story.

Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind or something - I feel like the emotionally-weighted response evoked in me by Belinda McKeon's "Solace" is similar to what this story was meant to achieve, but it didn't. It was a quick, pleasant read, but not one that had any real impact on me.

Rating: ★★★✰✰ (I liked it)

[Nollaig]

#70 Calvin and Hobbes - Bill Watterson

 

Not gonna review this, as it's a book of comic strips. I'm just making a note here for the sake of not getting confused with numbering again! I love Calvin and Hobbes - though obviously I'm not going to enjoy every single comic. I read the book in about 90 mins and gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

[Athena]

I believe I've read some Calvin and Hobbes many years ago. I'm glad you enjoyed reading the comic strips (overall).

[Little Pixie]

Don't blame me if ye don't like it - I did point out its flaws in my review! It's Girl On The Train kind of good - not going to win any prizes for quality or a good ending, but compelling enough to keep you tearing through (hopefully!)

 

 Sometimes, it`s not the quality of the writing so much as the storytelling power that makes it a good book, for me.

[Athena]

 Sometimes, it`s not the quality of the writing so much as the storytelling power that makes it a good book, for me.

I agree with that .

[Nollaig]

#71 The Kind Worth Killing - Peter Swanson

   

Genre: Thriller
Synopsis: A devious tale of psychological suspense involving sex, deception, and an accidental encounter that leads to murder. On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the mysterious Lily Kintner. Ted talks about his marriage and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. But their game turns dark when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.” From there, Ted and Lily’s twisted bond grows stronger as they plot Miranda's demise, but soon these co-conspirators are embroiled in a game of cat-and-mouse--one they both cannot survive--with a shrewd and very determined detective on their tail.

*** 

Review: For some reason, I got it into my head that this was going to be an excellent read, although when I went back to Goodreads after finishing it, the first review I saw was a mediocre (and accurate) one. While highly readable (I read it in two evenings), and while it does start off pretty well, the sheer volume of incredulity it inspires is never outweighed by a good story. It's definitely a very twisty novel, with one very unexpected twist right at the point where, for me, the book started going downhill, and then a small onslaught of them towards the end, jumping back and forth and, in fairness, never really letting you have a chance to guess what is actually going to happen. That could have been a good aspect, but I thought there was just too much of it.

Probably my biggest issue with the novel, besides the abundance of potential and actual murderers floating around the place, was that when a second female voice came into place in the second half of the novel, there was nothing distinctive enough about either voice to tell them apart, and I had to keep reminding myself which person was who, and what details/actions/history was associated with who I was currently reading about. It distracted me and drew me out of the novel, as well as making it more difficult to follow an already twisty novel. Additionally, the addition of a new voice in the final third did absolutely nothing for the book, adding a couple of quirks for the sake of another twist at the end, as well as padding out character background for a character we've seen hardly anything of, right before the book finishes - not the time for introductions and background.

All in all, it was very well written in the sense that it kept me reading and wanting to know what would happen, but I think it just tried too hard. There was too much unnecessary detailing, too much that was just unbelievable, characters I couldn't get invested in and an underwhelming ending despite the twists. Three stars for sheer readability, and I will try the other book by this author.

Rating: ★★★✰✰ (I liked it)

[Nollaig]

#72 The Many Selves of Katherine North - Emma Geen

   

Genre: Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction
Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old Kit works for the research department of Shen Corporation as a phenomenaut. She's been “jumping”--projecting her consciousness, through a neurological interface--into the bodies of lab-grown animals made for the purpose of research for seven years, which is longer than anyone else at ShenCorp, and longer than any of the scientists thought possible. She experiences a multitude of other lives--fighting and fleeing as predator and prey, as mammal, bird, and reptile--in the hope that her work will help humans better understand the other species living alongside them. Her closest friend is Buckley, her Neuro--the computer engineer who guides a phenomenaut through consciousness projection. But when ShenCorp's mission takes a more commercial--and ominous--turn, Kit is no longer sure of her safety.

*** 

Review: This is a seriously fun book. It's definitely not without its flaws - the main one being that I would have liked a broader, more immersive experience of this technologically advanced world - I felt like I was pretty blinkered while reading Kit's story. While I've noticed the skipping back and forth in time from past to present was confusing for some reviewers, I actually thought it was largely well done - explaining the events of the present in pieces only as they would make sense, having read about some event in the past. However, given that in the present Kit is on the run, I feel this would have been a great opportunity to explore the world much more, when in actuality, very little happened. My other issue is the jumps from one chapter to another - frequently a chapter begins with Kit jumping into a new animal, and time has passed since the previous chapter. We're told what happened in the intervening time, rather than experiencing it ourselves as it happens. The sum total of all this is I felt like I was reading sporadic diary entries, rather than a continuous narrative. I only find that disappointing because I loved what I was reading so much.

The upsides include the really great writing and a pretty unique - and extremely exciting - concept. I love the idea of phenomenauts, and of experiencing what its like to be another creature. Honestly, far moreso than the story, I loved reading Geen's immersive descriptions of what it might be like to be a spider, a fox, a polar bear, a tiger. As she states herself in an author's note, she's no zoologist, so she's imagining these awesome experiences. I would love to 'jump' myself, despite the risks and fallout of doing so - I can absolutely relate to Kit's determination to keep doing what she's doing.

Kit herself was a bit of a non-event for me - naturally at the heart of this novel is the idea of self, who Kit is and what is left of her after dividing her experience of life among all these other bodies, but again I felt this was an aspect of the novel not explored to its full potential. I felt the same about the ending, which I saw coming a mile off. All in all, everything that was present in the novel was really really great, in terms of both writing and content, I just wanted a bit *more* from it to make it a five star read.

Rating: ★★★★✰ (I loved it)

[Nollaig]

#73 The Damage Done - Linda Newbery

 

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Kirsty has told no one about her night-time panics, and is in the habit of lying to everyone - to her father, to her absent mother, to her friends - to conceal the fact that she never goes into public places. With too much responsibility, Kirsty is given a new worry about the horses in her care - horses locally are being brutally attacked at night. When Kirsty meets Dally, living rough and giving away none of his secrets, she doesn't know whether he is to be feared or trusted.

*** 

Review: I really liked this book as a teenager, though not as much as The Shell House by the same author. Having re-read The Shell House a couple of times as an adult, and having enjoyed it just as much, I decided to finally re-read The Damage Done. Unfortunately, it didn't hold up as well, for me. That said, it's a very well-written book and I think if I were a teenager I would still love it. Whereas The Shell House centres more around identity, and subsequently love, The Damage Done is almost like a coming of age story with little focus on the coming of age part. The peripheral aspects - the broken family, the dependence of Kirsty on her brother for security and her coming into independence, the mysterious local horse attacks - these should have been built upon more. The main focus was Dally, a completely uninteresting, uncharismatic, unlikeable character, who is for some inexplicable reason, incredibly alluring to Kirsty. I must have liked him when I was a teenager, to like this book, but why on earth?

My other issue with my re-read is that it was the Kindle edition, released in 2011, ten years after the original release of the novel. It references Robert Pattinson and iPods, which were 15 years old and not released for another six months, respectively, when the novel was originally published. This, to me, reading the book for nostalgic reasons, was incredibly jarring. I get wanting to make the book more relevant to a modern audience, but it didn't work for me at all.

As I said, it is a beautifully written novel - regardless of content, Newbery's writing is always a pleasure to read, and she does not pander to younger readers, which is always nice to see in YA. An okay book, with some good moments, but honestly I'd recommend The Shell House over this.

Rating: ★★★✰✰ (I liked it)

[Athena]

My other issue with my re-read is that it was the Kindle edition, released in 2011, ten years after the original release of the novel. It references Robert Pattinson and iPods, which were 15 years old and not released for another six months, respectively, when the novel was originally published. This, to me, reading the book for nostalgic reasons, was incredibly jarring. I get wanting to make the book more relevant to a modern audience, but it didn't work for me at all.

That is such a shame.

 

Great reviews! I'm glad you liked all three books at least somewhat.

[Nollaig]

#74 14 Days to Die - A. B. Whelan

   

Genre: Thriller 
Synopsis: To what extent would you go to avenge your husband's infidelity? Stay-at-home mom Sarah Johnson has the perfect family—a handsome, hardworking husband and two healthy and beautiful children. At least, that’s what she’s been telling herself for years. After the tragedies in her youth, Sarah deemed living a lie easier than dwelling on the past and facing her everyday failures. To avoid any kind of confrontation at home she doesn’t read her husband’s emails or spy on him like most jealous wives do.  But Sarah’s world is about to crumble around her when she receives a phone call from a man with a heavy foreign accent telling her that her perfect husband has put a price on her head. She is offered two weeks to come up with a counteroffer or die. Why would her model husband Mike want her dead? Hasn’t she been the perfect wife? Or has her karma finally caught up with her—making her pay for her former transgressions? The final countdown begins and now Sarah has to race against time to find out what went wrong in her marriage and find a way out of this nightmare. Will there be a winner in this dangerous game when no one can escape the twist of fate?

*** 

Review: I very rarely give a book one star. I did consider giving this one two stars, because I thought maybe I was being too harsh. Then I thought how offensive it would be to some of the two star books I've read, to be lumped in with this.

Where to begin? Plot, characters, writing.

1. Plot: It was thin. To say the least. Most of the story was repetitive ranting by a main character so clearly unhinged that her ranting is completely unrelateable. One minute she's plotting to kill, the next she's wondering how she, a quiet housewife, has been reduced to this. Then she's doing nasty things to her husband, then she's wonder how she, a quiet housewife - you get the idea. That's not even why she's unhinged - unhinged is the rapidity with which she buys the authenticity of the phone call telling her she has 14 days to die. On that note - it's 14 days to LIVE. She has 14 days to LIVE, UNTIL she dies. Saying she has 14 days to die means she has to die within 14 days, or she won't. The ending is ridiculous. It's overkill. Absolute overkill. Even that synopsis is ridiculous - 'To avoid any kind of confrontation at home she doesn’t read her husband’s emails or spy on him like most jealous wives do.' Ummm. Women who do that are nuts are shouldn't be in their relationships, so don't even 'doesn't even' with that. And secondly, you're implying she's not doing that, in order to keep the peace, even BEFORE she gets the phone call about the affair?! What?!

2. Characters: Well, the unhinged ranty housewife describes one husband while entirely another presents himself in actions and words, and that discrepancy is never really explained. I'm assuming it's because she's unhinged. This random lover comes out of nowhere and the 'only friend' Unhinged McRanty has is someone she hasn't spoken to in twelve years. Can we say 'paper thin'? The hitman and the other lover (yes there are multiple lovers) are also utterly undeveloped, and the hitman slightly moronic.

3. The writing. Oh. My. God. 'My lips latched onto his with the coldness and precision of a spaceship latching onto a space station', or some such. And once the repetition died down, suddenly everyone was 'whom'ing all over the shop. Whom this and whom that - way to make every character indistinct. There were tons of examples of poor writing - I should have made a note of more, but trust me, it's just bad. So bad.

This book has no redeeming qualities. Avoid.

Rating: ★✰✰✰✰ (Gah)

[bobblybear]

The writing. Oh. My. God. 'My lips latched onto his with the coldness and precision of a spaceship latching onto a space station'

 

Sounds like one to avoid then!

[Athena]

Great review! Wow, it doesn't sound like that book was enjoyable at all. I hope your next read(s) will be better .

[Nollaig]

I have about seven reviews to catch up on, that was definitely the worst book!

[Anna Begins]

Lol at that line

[Nollaig]

Y'all are welcome I saved ye from this book!

[Little Pixie]

Y'all are welcome I saved ye from this book!

Hee ! It's a public service, saving anyone from a bad read. Thanks for the self sacrifice.

[Anna Begins]

Hee ! It's a public service, saving anyone from a bad read. Thanks for the self sacrifice.

Lol

[Nollaig]

#75 The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry
 

Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis: Set in Victorian London and an Essex village in the 1890's, and enlivened by the debates on scientific and medical discovery which defined the era, The Essex Serpent has at its heart the story of two extraordinary people who fall for each other, but not in the usual way. They are Cora Seaborne and Will Ransome. Cora is a well-to-do London widow who moves to the Essex parish of Aldwinter, and Will is the local vicar. They meet as their village is engulfed by rumours that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming human lives, has returned. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist is enthralled, convinced the beast may be a real undiscovered species. But Will sees his parishioners' agitation as a moral panic, a deviation from true faith. Although they can agree on absolutely nothing, as the seasons turn around them in this quiet corner of England, they find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart. Told with exquisite grace and intelligence, this novel is most of all a celebration of love, and the many different guises it can take.

*** 

Review: Oooh, what a pretty, pretty book. The cover is beautiful, the writing is exquisite. I had a lull while reading this - the writing is what I would call flowery and dense - more than once I got to the end of a sentence and then had to return to the beginning to put the ending into the context of the beginning because the sentence was about as complicated as this one. Yep. The lull occurred simply because I needed something lighter for my simple brain to digest. However, it was very easy to pick this book back up even after a break, as it is not difficult or complicated - in fact, the plot is quite simple.

I am knocking off one star for that reason - if the plot had as much detail or as much happening as the writing itself did, this would have been one hell of a busy book. But in the end, it lacked a little bit of substance, in my opinion. I still loved it, but I wasn't blown away, not by the characters, nor their interactions, nor the relevations behind the serpent itself (the mystery of which was, for me, the driving force of the novel, as the relationship between Will and Cora was inexplicable at worst and uncompelling at best.). All the same, it was such a beautifully written book and I'm more than happy to have read it.

Perry has another novel out (shorter than this one), which does not have such good reviews, so I am wary of reading it, but I've already got it so I'll give it a fair go. If you have any interest in non-traditional female characters in Victorian times, and flowery writing, you'll enjoy The Essex Serpent.

Rating: ★★★★✰ (I loved it)

[Nollaig]

#76 I See You - Clare Mackintosh

 

Genre: Thriller
Synopsis: You do the same thing every day. You know exactly where you're going. You're not alone. When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it's there. There's no explanation: just a website, a grainy image and a phone number. She takes it home to her family, who are convinced it's just someone who looks like Zoe. But the next day the advert shows a photo of a different woman, and another the day after that. Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make . . .

*** 

Review: I was looking forward to this book for so long, having loved the author's previous novel I Let You Go. My expectations were unrealistically high - I let You Go is known for having the twistiest twist in current thriller fiction, pulled off with such finesse that it alone made the book stand out a mile. That, obviously, was not going to happen again - it would be very difficult to pull off a second time, and I didn't expect it to happen. I did hope there would be some other element of I See You, however, that would make this book as unique in its own right.

That said, the fact that it didn't is okay - it was a thoroughly enjoyable read, because even without anything particularly unique about it, Mackintosh is a bloody good writer. With both books, I've known that no matter where the plot goes, the writing is a treat in and of itself. I just think her characters are really realistic, I can picture them as actual people who might exist. The premise behind this novel is also not one I had read before, and I really enjoyed it. It was creative and impossible to figure out what was going to happen.

I guess the only real fault with this novel, as was slightly the case with her previous one, is the ending. I found it Girl-On-The-Train level unbelieveable. Not just the big reveal of the antagonist, but actually more the motivation behind the whole story. There was one reference to how a character acts which was barely illustrated at all in the novel, and really does not amount to a reason for acting crazy unless you're already crazy.

That said, apart from the big reveal and showdown, it was  a great read. I'm underselling it here, to be honest. Oh, also, kudos for the stunning cover. It's teal, but made of light. Dem colours, yo.

 

 

Rating: ★★★★✰ (I loved it)

[Nollaig]

#77 Disclaimer - Renee Knight

   

Genre: Thriller
Synopsis: Finding a mysterious novel at her bedside plunges documentary filmmaker Catherine Ravenscroft into a living nightmare. Though ostensibly fiction, The Perfect Stranger recreates in vivid, unmistakable detail the terrible day Catherine became hostage to a dark secret, a secret that only one other person knew--and that person is dead. Now that the past is catching up with her, Catherine’s world is falling apart. Her only hope is to confront what really happened

*** 

Review: I've actually read so many thrillers recently that they're all starting to blend together in my head. This is the one with the book, and the son, and the holiday... yeah okay.

This was an okay enough read that I read to the end, but it relied heavily on actions which, to a clueless reader, are fine, but in hindsight, are utterly bizzare. In other words, this book really only works until you know what's going on, and then it becomes apparent that everything should have been resolved far more simply and much sooner. In fact, the allegations against the main character and the potential breakdown of her life as a result of the novel really seems completely unnecessary when she could just be honest with everyone and save herself the additional distress. It just makes no sense.

The premise, of finding a book written about you, is quite intriguing, but it's also incredibly over the top and in the end the reasoning seems very thin and very little of it is credible at all. The characters aren't great either. If I recall correctly, there were parts of the writing that irked me too, but I can't remember why. Clearly, it was ultimately quite a forgettable novel.

This is a pretty short review, I just really don't have a lot to say about this book. Wouldn't recommend it.

Rating: ★★✰✰✰ (It was okay)

[Nollaig]

#78 Apple Tree Yard - Louise Doughty
 
Genre: Thriller
Synopsis: Yvonne Carmichael sits in the witness box. The charge is murder. Before all of this, she was happily married, a successful scientist, a mother of two. Now she's a suspect, squirming under fluorescent lights and the penetrating gaze of the alleged accomplice who's sitting across from her, watching: a man who's also her lover. As Yvonne faces hostile questioning, she must piece together the story of her affair with this unnamed figure who has charmed and haunted her. This is a tale of sexual intrigue, ruthless urges, and danger, which has blindsided her from a seemingly innocuous angle. Here in the courtroom, everything hinges on one night in a dark alley called Apple Tree Yard.

*** 

Review: When I noticed this book massively dividing opinion on Rick O'Shea's bookclub, I knew I had to read it asap just to see which side of the debate I'd sit on. On average, when I read a book for this reason, I come down on the side of those who didn't enjoy it. Not sure why, but there you go.

This book was an exception! I actually thoroughly enjoyed Apple Tree Yard. Now, me saying that is slightly conditional.My enjoyment of ATY kind of came in two waves - first, the intial pleasure of reading writing that is about 98% awesome (the other 2% consists of 'my love' being thrown all over the shop, which eventually stops making any sense) and speculating about all kinds of awesome that might be in store. There was a brief lull, maybe halfway through, when I realised this book was going to be far less thrilling than I had hoped, and a lot more ordinary. However, once I accepted that, and got into the swing of the courtroom section of the book, the second wave of enjoyment of good writing hit. I really enjoyed the lead up to discovering the significance of Apple Tree Yard, which was mostly suspence, and then I really enjoyed reading the courtroom proceedings, despite already knowing exactly where it was all going.

Now, the characters aren't spectacular. In fact, the primary thing the book has going for it really is the writing, and possibly its depiction of place - I've never felt like I've 'seen' London before in a novel. Native or local Londoners may scoff at me for that, but I don't scare. In most negative reviews I've read, its dislike and incredulity regarding the main character which put readers off. I can understand that, for sure. I didn't dislike the main character, but she definitely ranged from unrelatable to outright inconsistent. What can I say, I loved the writing. Loved it.

Rating: ★★★★✰ (I loved it)

[Nollaig]

#79 The Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins

   

Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts. After all, she was a normal American herself once. That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. Now, Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation. As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.

*** 

Review: I picked this book up pretty much on a whim, as fantasy is not my usual fare. Something about it sounded pretty fun, so I thought I'd give it a go. At first I really loved it, for a couple of reasons. The writing is good fun - there are moments of (sometimes dark) humour that really made me laugh, and Hawkins has the ability to make dropping you in at the deep end not so daunting a thing. Even though you have to just go with the flow for a while before you realise what's happening, the ride is pretty enjoyable. I guess the overall effect of that, is that I did enjoy the book, but I came away feeling a little underwhelmed. I've edited quite a lot out of the synopsis (taken from Goodreads), because it basically tells you half the plot and all of the themes, and really I think people would get more out of this book knowing basically nothing going into it.

This book feels like it should be a giant epic, and it's not. The problem with that is that there's not a whole lot of room for character development - especially when you have 12 librarians and 2 regular guys. Erwin was a well-developed character, one of the funniest, and I really liked him. Steve was pretty cool and I liked the part he played, but he was less developed. Without those two guys, the book would probably have had very little to draw a reader in emotionally. Carolyn is incredibly bland - even with her backstory, I found I just never warmed to her. The rest of the librarians, and Father - wellll. Mostly what happened with them was surreal, and desensitizing. There is a lot of brutal violence in this book, but there is just so much of it that it became run of the mill and ineffectual. None of them were likeable, relatable or memorable.

It's a shame, because I feel like if it had been much more developed and spanned a couple more books, I feel like it could have been one of those rare fantasy stories I actually loved. Unfortunately, it was only okay.

Rating: ★★★✰✰ (I liked it)

[Marie H]

Glad that you loved The Essex Serpent  . I'm not sure that I will get on with the writing style, but I will keep it on my library wishlist.

[Nollaig]

#80 Adulthood is a Myth - Sarah Andersen

 

Not a proper review as it's only a collection of comics, but noting it for the purposes of my numbering system.

 

I bought the book because I always read Sarah's comics as they are posted on Facebook, and I relate so much to 95% of them. As a socially awkward, introverted, unprepared-for-life woman, cartoon-Sarah is like my spirit animal. I felt like buying the book to repay the joy I get from the comics. I gave it 5 stars.