Nollaig

@Michelle Definitely agree about being past the 12 usual regeneration - if any time is right for a drastic change, it's when he's going into a new regeneration cycle. I like the idea about keeping a tattoo across various regenerations, that's really cool!

@frankie Couple of hours, it wasn't too bad. It was regular run time plus however long it took to fast-forward or rewind as necessary. I must re-watch that film, though, I remember virtually nothing about it though I know I loved it.

I'm intrigued by the Slaughter novel - never read anything by her, and I like quite dark books.

Happy retirement, Willoyd!

Bit behind on this, but delighted you loved Bird Box. It's one of my favourite horrors. Did you know they're making it into a movie? No idea how that's gonna work, though low production value if it's a black screen for 90 mins @bobblybear you do have a point with your spoiler, I can see how that would be offputting for some people. I usually like things to be revealed, but I was okay with it in this book!

Blueberry Nutrigrain.

The critique is a hard book, we studied it in third year of Philosophy. I honestly found that his way of writing was far more complicated than his actual ideas. I couldn't read the book at all, I just googled his ideas. Glad you found it rewarding, though.

Sorry to hear you have to move house. I've moved 6 times in 11 years, and two of those were in the last 7 months. It's stressful and not at all fun. I hope it goes as smoothly as possible for you. Be interesting to read your thoughts on 13 Reasons Why. I haven't read it, but I've seen the show (which you may know was surrounded by controversy).

Sorry to hear you've been having a bit of a tough time without your therapist. But as you say, you're at the halfway point so you're getting there! I hope you feel better soon, too. I tried to read WNtTAK years ago, but couldn't get into the writing style. I might have to give it another go.

I've been watching season 2 of Love on Netflix. It's not great, but it works as a distraction while I'm on the exercise bike.

Wow, I am in awe of your library. It's amazing, and exactly what I'd love to have at some point in my life. I'm glad you enjoyed re-organising everything and that you're happy with the end result I love the throw pillows, too!

I do agree that it's a boost that the show badly needs, because it was very samey. I haven't watched it since Capaldi's first season.

Probably! She's actually a fantastic little dog, just a bit anxious/needy at time. Last night we were playing Uno and she insisted on being on Barry's lap. When he eventually told her to get down coz it was too difficult, she sat on the stairs and grumped at us. She doesn't like being left out I make her sound like a nightmare, but she's actually great.

Oooh I like the sound of Holy Island. Could do without the romance angle but I like the sound of the rest. And Ryan! that's my name Adding to wishlist

Bright and sunny here, looks warm out but I'm hoping it isn't. Was cool enough coming in to work.

@Madeleine you have no idea

Haven't seen it since the times of video cassettes - I recorded it, and after watching it through once, I then went back and watched it in chronological order (can't remember how it goes, but it's something like all the colour scenes are going forward and black and white going backward, or something!) So I rewound and fast forwarded as necessary to watch the whole thing chronologically I most recently watched Punisher and Dredd. Punisher was okay, I prefer the version of him in the Netflix series Daredevil. Enjoyed Dredd, felt the characters were thin and the film not fleshed out enough, but I enjoyed it and am now interested in the world of Dredd. Apparently there's a character called Preacher who sounds really interesting,

7 new reviews posted (mostly at the end of page 4). Summary of them in case anyone doesn't feel like browsing the full reviews: [Fiction] The People At Number 9 - Felicity Everett 2/5 [Crime Thriller] Gone Astray - Michelle Davies 4/5 [Crime Thriller] For Reasons Unknown - Michael Wood 4/5 [Horror] Last Days - Adam Nevill 3/5 [Thriller] The Other Side Of The Wall - Andrea Mara 4/5 [Crime Thriller] Outside Looking In - Michael Woods 4/5 [Psychological "thriller"] Exquisite - Sarah Stovell 3/5

Exquisite - Sarah Stovell ★★★✰✰ Genre: Fiction Synopsis: Bo Luxton has it all—a loving family, a beautiful home in the Lake District, and a clutch of bestselling books to her name. Enter Alice Dark, an aspiring writer who is drifting through life, with a series of dead-end jobs and a freeloading boyfriend. When they meet at a writers’ retreat, the chemistry is instant, and a sinister relationship develops. Or does it? Breathlessly pacey, taut and terrifying, Exquisite is a startlingly original and unbalancing psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page. *** Review: This book is marketed as a thriller, but it really isn't. It certainly has elements of suspense which are somewhat thrilling, as the story progresses, but I feel it is far too random and meandering to be a thriller. It's character driven, and driven entirely by two characters. The narrative perspective shifts between Alice and Bo, documenting their encounters and email/messenger exchanges. First we get one woman's perspective, then the other, and gradually they come together to reveal the truth of the story. I loved both characters, and I loved the writing. I got immediately invested in Alice's life and really liked her. Bo was a little more mysterious at first, but she was interesting enough that I wanted to know more. Being honest, though. I never really felt the chemistry between the two women. I didn't understand the captivation each held for the other. Unfortunately, this meant that as the story progressed the events seemed rather unfounded and difficult to relate to. It also got quite confusing, and the resolution wasn't overly satisfying. A bit too much unlikely behavior from an unlikely friendship. Sadly, despite getting off to a brilliant start, I can't fairly give this book more than a 3. I did enjoy it, but it ultimately just wasn't very good. Definitely not pacey or terrifying. That said, the writing alone would inspire me to give Stovell another chance, so we'll see. Rating: 3/5

Outside Looking In - Michael Woods ★★★★✰ Genre: Thriller Synopsis: When elderly George Rainsford goes to investigate a suspicious noise one night, the last thing he expects to find is a bloodbath. A man has been killed and a woman brutally beaten, left for dead. The victims are Lois Craven and Kevin Hardaker – both married, but not to each other. Their spouses swear they knew nothing of the affair and, besides, they both have alibis for the attack. With nothing else to link the victims, the investigation hits a dead end. The pressure is on for investigating officer, DCI Matilda Darke: there’s a violent killer on the loose, and it looks like her team members are the new targets. With no leads and no suspects, it’s going to take all Matilda’s wits to catch him, before he strikes again. *** Review: This will be a short review as is often the case when I'm reading the second in a series. As per the first book, I love the character of Matilda Darke. I actually like her more in this book, as, in addition to my reasons for liking her in the first book (tormented soul bouncing back) she seems to be a character with an understand of moral gray areas. There are some threads that feed in from the first book to this one, a few references to a certain character, and Matilda's response to them is something I really relate to. So, I like this human aspect of her. I think Michael Woods just has a knack for making his characters really human. The mystery was once again compelling and it was a joy to revisit the old investigation team members as they go about solving a complex case. The bouts of humour and darkness from the first book are still present, and as per the first book, the ending seems a little bit unlikely in places, but it's still enjoyable to read due to the great writing. I have the third book in the series already, and can't wait to start it. Rating: 4/5

The Other Side of the Wall ★★★★✰ Genre: Thriller Synopsis: When Sylvia looks out her bedroom window at night and sees a child face down in the pond next door, she races into her neighbour's garden. But the pond is empty, and no-one is answering the door. Wondering if night feeds and sleep deprivation are getting to her, she hurriedly retreats. Besides, the fact that a local child has gone missing must be preying on her mind. Then, a week later, she hears the sound of a man crying through her bedroom wall. The man living next door, Sam, has recently moved in. His wife and children are away for the summer and he joins them at weekends. Sylvia finds him friendly and helpful, yet she becomes increasingly uneasy about him. Then Sylvia's little daughter wakes one night, screaming that there's a man in her room. This is followed by a series of bizarre disturbances in the house. Sylvia's husband insists it's all in her mind, but she is certain it's not - there's something very wrong on the other side of the wall. *** Review: I picked this one up because I noticed it's set in Ireland, which is always a treat for me. It's actually a surprisingly good book. For a significant portion of the book we're following blocks of narrative, first from Sylvia, and then a really long block from Kate, with a sprinkling of Sam. There are also two or three different childhood recollection chapters from different characters, and chapters from a mysterious 'woman' and her 'husband'. This borders on confusing for about half the novel (as you can well imagine), and I also found myself flicking ahead during Kate's block to see if the story would even return to Sylvia, or if that was some oddly long introduction to the family next door. However, everything does actually come together really well. The characters are sufficiently fleshed out (for the most part, I did get confused by whose parents were whose a bit in the childhood flashbacks). So it is easy enough recall their stories and the events they're experiencing, and when the light bulb moment comes, it does all make sense. Now, the villain's motive is a little difficult to believe, but then isn't that almost always the case with thrillers? What I would say makes this one different is that the there is a pretty clever twist and enough substance to make the incredible reason a little more credible. My only complain is that one thread of the novel is completely distinct from the rest of the book, and makes for a very unnecessarily confusing moment at the end of the novel. It could have been left out entirely, but in fairness not so much time was spent on it as to make it sufficiently detrimental to the rest of the book. Rating: 4/5

Last Days - Adam Nevill ★★★✰✰ Genre: Horror Synopsis: When guerrilla documentary maker, Kyle Freeman, is asked to shoot a film on the notorious cult known as the Temple of the Last Days, it appears his prayers have been answered. The cult became a worldwide phenomenon in 1975 when there was a massacre including the death of its infamous leader, Sister Katherine. Kyle's brief is to explore the paranormal myths surrounding an organization that became a testament to paranoia, murderous rage, and occult rituals. The shoot's locations take him to the cult's first temple in London, an abandoned farm in France, and a derelict copper mine in the Arizonan desert where The Temple of the Last Days met its bloody end. But when he interviews those involved in the case, those who haven't broken silence in decades, a series of uncanny events plague the shoots. Troubling out-of-body experiences, nocturnal visitations, the sudden demise of their interviewees and the discovery of ghastly artifacts in their room make Kyle question what exactly it is the cult managed to awaken – and what is its interest in him? *** Review: This novel was a bit of a rollercoaster ride in expectations, which ultimately fell very flat. I loved the basic concept, as I have a bit of a thing about cults (morbid, I know). Having read The Ritual by Nevill, I had high hopes that he would be able to present a very creepy cult, and if I was really lucky, make it quite dark too. It started off relatively light - nothing about the cult seemed particularly outlandish or disturbing, though it was fun to learn about it as the film production crew went on their travels to interview and record. Unfortunately, the first half of the book, while creepy in places, is slow to reveal much of anything. it is quite atmospheric at times, with a sense of impending doom and all that typical horror jazz, but mostly it's just too drawn out. Then, the second half goes crazy with detailed exposition and way too much over-plotting. It took me quite a while to actually finish this book because I was so sick of reading explanations. Nevill is a talented writer, his actual sentences are usually a pleasure to read, but sometimes his ability to pace and wind up a story are somewhat lacking. Had this book been 100 pages shorter and the history/truth of the cult more gradually revealed, this could have been a super scary book. Unfortunately, I was a bit too bored to be scared. Points for effort, and nice writing. Rating: 3/5

The People At Number 9 - Felicity Everett ★★✰✰✰ Genre: Fiction Synopsis: When Gav and Lou move into the house next door, Sara spends days plucking up courage to say hello. The neighbours are glamorous, chaotic and just a little eccentric. They make the rest of Sara's street seem dull by comparison. When the hand of friendship is extended, Sara is delighted and flattered. Incredibly, Gav and Lou seem to see something in Sara and Neil that they admire too. In no time at all, the two couples are soulmates, sharing suppers, bottles of red wine and childcare, laughing and trading stories and secrets late into the night in one another's houses. And the more time Sara spends with Gav and Lou, the more she longs to make changes in her own life. But those changes will come at a price. Soon Gav and Lou will be asking things they've no right to ask of their neighbours, with shattering consequences for all of them... *** Review: I thought this was going to be a thriller when I bought it. I mean, it looks like a generic one, the title sounds like a generic one - but admittedly I now cannot find the word 'thriller' anywhere in association with this novel. My bad. It didn't even have to be a thriller though, one dead body from 20 years ago or something would have been fine. That said, I tend to enjoy a bit of all kinds of books, so when I say this one was really wasn't great, it's not just because I was expecting a thriller - it's just dull as dishwater. This is essentially a character driven novel, which tells the story of how one couple is dazzled and drawn into the crazy lifes of a super charismatic couple. But the problem is, not one single character in the book is even interesting, let alone charismatic. Gav and Lou are a bit weird, but that's all they are, and when Sara and Neil start acting out of (what little) character (they have), I was honestly just left sitting there thinking, 'heh? Really? How can you be falling for that?' Additionally, the novel skips along in fragments, reviewing events which occurred in the interim, presumably to indicate the passage of time and draw the story out over a sufficient period of time, but it mostly felt like the author didn't know how to pad out those gaps. I couldn't wait to get to the end of this one, a very disappointing purchase. Rating: 2/5

For Reasons Unknown ★★★★✰ Genre: Thriller/Detective Synopsis: Two murders. Twenty years. Now the killer is back for more…DCI Matilda Darke has returned to work after a nine month absence. A shadow of her former self, she is tasked with re-opening a cold case: the terrifyingly brutal murders of Miranda and Stefan Harkness. The only witness was their eleven-year-old son, Jonathan, who was too deeply traumatized to speak a word. Then a dead body is discovered, and the investigation leads back to Matilda's case. Suddenly the past and present converge, and it seems a killer may have come back for more… *** Review: I didn't expect this book to be good at all, considering I just nabbed it as a cheap Kindle purchase. I was, however, pleasantly surprised. I loved the characters (Matilda particularly), and found the central murder mystery very intriguing. The writing is excellent, and I'm looking forward to reading more by the author (this is the first in a series). There were a few slight issues with the story, which ultimately I decided to overlook in favour of a four star rating - towards the end, events spiral a bit for a couple of the characters and it didn't seem very credible. Additionally, there are a couple of elements in the story which are quite dark/graphic and, while I'm all for that in books, it felt a bit out of place with the middle-ground feel of the rest of the book. Overall, though, I loved it. When you have a series which is going to be based around an individual, you need that individual to be well-written, well-rounded, and very interesting. For me, this was the case with Matilda. Being honest, she doesn't seem like an overly accomplished detective, (she seems to magically figure stuff out 'off-screen' later in the book) but there's something about her that I like. Maybe it's just her relate-able human-ness. She has faced a tough time, but she handles it pretty well despite the impact its had on her life. She comes close to losing it sometimes, but always pulls back from the edge. There's something admirable about how she does this, and tackles this case while she's at it. For all the unlikely wackiness that takes place towards the end, it was an enjoyable read. Looking forward to book two. Rating: 4/5

Finally, some reviews! Gone Astray - Michelle Davies ★★★★✰ Genre: Thriller/Detective Synopsis: Lesley and her husband Mack are the sudden winners of a £15 million EuroMillions jackpot. They move with their 15-year-old daughter Rosie to an exclusive gated estate in Buckinghamshire, leaving behind their ordinary lives - and friends - as they are catapulted into wealth beyond their wildest dreams. But it soon turns into their darkest nightmare when, one beautiful spring afternoon, Lesley returns to their house to find it empty: their daughter Rosie is gone. DC Maggie Neville is assigned to be Family Liaison Officer to Lesley and Mack, supporting them while quietly trying to investigate the family. *** Review: I was a little hesitant about starting this book, as it is the first in yet another detective series - and having just read (and loved) two books in the Matilda Darke detective series, I was afraid this one would not live up. However, I decided to give it a go as the two leading ladies play quite different roles - while DCI Matilda Darke heads a Murder Unit, DC Maggie Neville is assigned as a Family Liason Officer. Her role sounded really interesting, and I don't think I've ever read a thriller/detective novel from that perspective before. I'm pleased to say it was well worth the read. I liked the premise of the story as well, as you often hear about the pleas lottery winners receive from the public for some of their winnings. This story takes that to extremes, with the apparent kidnapping of young Rosie. The characters are generally very likeable, and the story is well written. Maggie herself is maybe not the most interesting character in the world (her personal crises are just not as engaging as those of tortured Matilda Darke), but she's at what she does and most importantly is not UNlikeable. As with many of these types of books, the ending was a little unbelievable, but overall it held together pretty well. It's definitely enough to leave me wanting to read the next installment in the series. Rating: 4/5