Caina

Hello! Hope you’re all doing well, it’s Heather here, posting a quick review on the crime novel Caina by Joe Albanese. Many thanks to the author for sending me a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Information

Author: Joe Albanese

Published: May 2018

Publisher: Mockingbird Lane Press

Length: 174 pages

Brief Description (from Amazon)

Twins tend to be closer than typical siblings. They often share a bond that is oftentimes unexplainable.*

For some reason that bond didn’t apply to Grant and Lee Tolan. Grant was always the responsible one. Lee, on the other hand, was always in trouble and in jail, self-destructing to the point the twins hadn’t seen or spoken in years.

In trouble with the Irish mob who wanted him sleeping with the fishes, finding Grant dead of an apparent suicide, Lee did the only thing that made sense. He switched identities.

Instead of making life easier, Lee is plunged into a world the Irish and Italian crime families, the Mexican cartel and the DEA. Pitting one against the other, Lee enlists the help of friends to save his own life. He will need a miracle.

But Grant’s secret is the biggest shock of all for Lee and he must re-evaluate his entire life.

*Maureen Healy, author of Growing Happy Kids.

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/Caina-Joe-Albanese/dp/1643167847)

Review

Anyone familiar with Dante’s Inferno may already associate the word Caina with the Ninth Circle of Hell and, more specifically, treachery against kindred. That pretty much sums up the main plot. Despite being twins, Lee absolutely loathes his law-abiding brother Grant. However, after discovering his corpse, Lee finds himself impersonating Grant and realises that he may not have been as much of a goody-two-shoes as Lee had anticipated. 

As a person, I don’t know if Lee and I would have been besties. He’s irrationally bitter over his brother’s success, immature, totally unsympathetic, spends too much time dallying about in illegal matters and is generally very selfish and rude, though I appreciate how much he cared for Angela and Clare. However, as a character, I found him refreshing. I cannot count the number of crime novels and shows centred around yet another random busybody that feels like meddling in something that has nothing to do with them but, despite their complete and utter lack of experience or qualification, are granted access to the crime scene and solve the entire thing in less than a week. Or that good old detective with a long, swishing coat and ominous tone laced with sarcasm. To be fair, I normally rave about how wonderful these characters are (the nosy meddlers and very-serious detectives feel like family) despite the blatant stereotypes but nonetheless, Lee was a welcome change of perspective. 

The flow of the plot was good. I never thought I’d encounter a character that would come across their (admittedly estranged) identical twin brother’s body and, rather than grieve, pretend the corpse was their own to trick a gang and take on the deceased brother’s identity without thinking it far-fetched but this proved to be an exception. It’s like a twisted, criminal version of The Pretty One. Lee is just so… Lee that I have no issue with the plot here. However, I did find the excess of gangs a bit much. Personally, I’d have preferred just one or two gangs with more focus on each member of the gang and their background. Instead, the reader relies on a brief description of the majority ethnic group of each gang and the names of the most important members, which can get a little confusing towards the end. The highlight of the plot for me has to be the ending. Albanese really built the everything up well and I was concerned I’d be disappointed but found myself pleasantly surprised. My main question to the author is whether a sequel is on the horizon? I feel like the ending lends itself to another book and I certainly wouldn’t protest reading another novel in Lee’s narrative voice.

I found there were very occasional typos, like a few haphazard speech marks that must have been missed over the editing period, but there weren’t enough for this to be an issue when reading. I also thought the cover of the novel perhaps a bit too dark and serious looking for a crime comedy but looked very smart even so. Aside from that, the formatting was good – the font was slightly larger than average, making it a joy to read, the blurb describes the novel perfectly etc. 

Albanese's strongest skill in this novel would have to be his creative use of perspective. I've already mentioned how interesting Lee was as a narrator, but I haven't spoken much about Grant. We learn so much about Grant without even meeting him when he's alive. He comes across as a hard-working and loving man and I found it quite endearing how he cared about Lee and tried to support him despite Lee's stubborn dislike of him. Naturally I found it irksome how Lee showed very little sympathy towards poor Eric, who was clearly close to Grant, but again, that's just... Lee. Overall, I did enjoy this book despite the slight confusion over the numerous gangs.

That’s it for today, folks. Let me know what you think of Caina if you’ve read it. I’ll be back next month with a review for a memoir on addiction.

The How To Do Stuff (Right) Book

Hey everyone, it's Heather here. We've all just started university, so have each been a little busy with adjusting to a new home, new friends, and lectures - posting has been slow. We'll probably get back to a better pace when we've all settled in more. Anyway, massive thanks to Pegasus Publishing for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review. I thought the title was suitable for starting a new chapter in my life!

Information

Author: Glen P. Aylward

Published: August 2017

Publisher: Vanguard Press, Pegasus Publishers

Length: 223 pages

Brief Description (from Amazon)

In this humorous look at everyday life, psychologist Dr. Wayward explains how to deal with everyday situations using findings from his extensive (and field-tested) research. Learn how to do stuff (the right way) with Dr Wayward's expert advice on everything from wine tasting and buying a car to raising toddlers and maintaining the perfect garden lawn that's sure to impress those neighbors when they peek out from behind the curtains. Witty, smart and full of laughs, The How to Do Stuff (Right) Book will teach you to survive the modern world and its pitfalls, whether you're a technology-savvy Millennial keen on growing the perfect bonsai, or a Baby Boomer struggling to keep up with the advances of the twenty-first century.

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Stuff-Right-Book-Situations/dp/1784652938)

Review

It's going to be a short review because this is a non-fiction book, so there's less that I need to comment on. Each chapter of this book is dedicated to a random topic; like how to maintain a lawn, and how to do wine tasting. With 16 chapters, there's so many situations discussed that even if you don't drink alcohol, are allergic to pets, cannot drive, and have no garden, most of the other chapters will still be applicable at one point in your life. Chapter Twelve, which detailed how to survive living with an adolescent, was my favourite. Despite being in the later adolescent stage, looking back on the first two stages I could definitely see where the writer was coming from, and I know many of my peers were the same! Although the content of the book is interesting, Aylward's writing style is the highlight. Witty, clever, sarcastic and amusing, it's a fun read, so even if some of the situations written about are not necessarily relevant to the reader, they can be entertained by reading about it nonetheless. Many of the tips are genuinely quite useful to take on board, whilst others are more light-hearted, for instance a tip in the wine-tasting section is to avoid "asking the proprietor to break out the jello shots". 

The design of this book has really exceeded my expectations - this one looks really classy with an appealing and bold green cover. This kind of book would make a perfect stocking filler as well (we're fairly near Christmas... right?), and is the type of book that someone like my dad would adore to get as a gift. I loved how the book includes graphs and diagrams sometimes, and bullet point lists to make full use of formatting, making it extremely easy to understand exactly what the writer means.

This is a really funny book, definitely the sort of non-fiction book I like to read in my leisure time. I'd recommend it for most adults. Leave me a comment if you've read, or are curious about The How To Do Stuff (Right) Book below!

Sweet Reality (Reality Star)

Hey, it’s Heather posting. We’ve all been devouring our university reading lists, so these last few weeks have been spent basically becoming books (I swear my hair smells slightly like the paper somehow now). Needless to say, after a week of reading Shakespeare, however wonderful that may be, I was in dire need of something lighter, and thus was delighted to read the sequel to America’s Next Reality Star (see my review on that), Sweet Reality. Many thanks to the author for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Information

Author: Laura Heffernan

Published: September 2017

Publisher: Lyrical Shine

Length: 236 pages

Brief description (from Amazon)

Jen Reid's life after walking off a reality show has been great--she's gone from being a broke twenty-four-year-old Seattleite with no love life and no job to the twenty-five-year-old who got the guy, moved to Miami, and is starting a bakery with her best friend. She thinks her showmance love might be about to propose. And with mouthwatering goodies based on everyone's favorite shows, her business, Sweet Reality, is destined for success.

That is, until a killer competitor opens right across the street. If she's going to save Sweet Reality, Jen has to come up with a secret ingredient--like the recipe that won Totally 80s Bake-Off. Jen can get it--if she steps back into the spotlight. Soon she and her boyfriend are out to sea on a cruise ship full of reality stars, including her nemesis, Ariana; her lying, cheating ex; and some wicked producers looking to bring the drama. Separate cabins, "surprises" from her past, and scenarios tailor-made to spark fights are just the beginning. But with her self-respect, her business, and her future on the line, the fallout from this made-for-TV plotline will be all too real . . .

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sweet-Reality-Star-Laura-Heffernan-ebook/dp/B01N1R8PV6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504621082&sr=8-2&keywords=sweet+reality)

Review

I sometimes struggle with reading sequels. The first book is often so much better than the second or third, which can sometimes ruin the entire series for you. Even years later, the prospect of reading the Hunger Games frightens me because Peeta’s character turns so nasty in the third book, and poor Prim had such a rushed death scene. Honestly though, I’m so glad I persisted with this one because it’s just as well written as its predecessor.

In my review for the prequel, my main criticism was that the ending felt hurried, so I had high hopes that this novel would tie up some of the loose ends – something definitely achieved. Jen’s about to open a cake business with Justin’s sister, Sarah, with the unique selling point of the baked goods being reality television themed. Meanwhile, Justin’s finishing his studies in law and helping the others out with the legal side of opening the shop. The couple also decide to go on a cruise for reality television stars, in which a few familiar faces pop up again. Typically, Jen gets the worst luck possible and finds herself stuck on a cruise with her enemy, Ariana, and her ex-boyfriend, as well as the wife he hid from her throughout their past relationship.

Jen definitely retains the same flaws as in the last book; she’s easy to agitate, insecure, bitter, has severe trust issues… this is excellent. Jen is far from a perfect person, that’s what makes her real and relatable, especially after the last serious relationship she had. Similarly, Justin is so stressed out with family problems, worrying over when to propose, and his academic results, that we see some of his less ideal boyfriend traits. Ariana’s character has a very clever and interesting twist at the end, making her character have dimensions and development which I adored. Another praise has to go to the author for including a deaf character, and subtly approaching the challenges the deaf have to face, I really hope that in the next book we see more of this character, or Jen learns sign language. Ed and Rachel are such lovely people, wonderful friends for Jen to have made, I can only compliment them too.

Friendships were another highlight of this novel, both old and new ones, Heffernan wrote them with the perfect amount of banter and support that’s realistically involved. The relationship between Jen and Justin was so problematic though, that I have to confess I kind of hoped they’d break up at times – it’s clear that Jen needs more time to realise that she can fully trust Justin, and they could certainly use a bit more communication. Maybe she needed more of a break after her last relationship? Although, they did have a couple of calmer, cute moments.

As usual, Heffernan writes in an imaginative way, including snippets of private interviews, news reports, and standard narrative. This creative written style is lifted even more by the measures of humour and drama, poor Jen really has to go through some mortifying situations. And, oh my goodness, that secret ingredient had me laughing out loud. I’d really recommend this series for anyone that wants a funny, light read.

America's Next Reality Star

Hi folks, it's Heather here, hope your summer is going swell. Many thanks to the author for letting me review it in exchange for an honest review. There's a sequel to this coming out soon so expect another review in September! 

Information

Author: Laura Heffernan
Published: March 2017
Publisher: Lyrical Shine
Length: 256 pages

Brief description (from Amazon)

Twenty-four-year-old Jen Reid had her life in good shape: an okay job, a tiny-cute Seattle apartment, and a great boyfriend almost ready to get serious. In a flash it all came apart. Single, unemployed, and holding an eviction notice, who has time to remember trying out for a reality show? Then the call comes, and Jen sees her chance to start over—by spending her summer on national TV.

Luckily The Fishbowl is all about puzzles and games, the kind of thing Jen would love even if she wasn’t desperate. The cast checks all the boxes: cheerful, quirky Birdie speaks in hashtags; vicious Ariana knows just how to pout for the cameras; and corn-fed “J-dawg” plays the cartoon villain of the house. Then there’s Justin, the green-eyed law student who always seems a breath away from kissing her. Is their attraction real, or a trick to get him closer to the $250,000 grand prize? Romance or showmance, suddenly Jen has a lot more to lose than a summer . . . (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Americas-Next-Reality-Laura-Heffernan-ebook/dp/B01HA426MI/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499862709&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=laura+hefferman)

Review

Poor Jen! Having just lost her job, home and boyfriend after it’s unraveled that there’s a very interesting reason why he hasn’t proposed, she’s definitely going through a rough spot. The chance to win a quarter of a million by becoming a reality television star certainly appeals to her at this time. The show in question is an intriguing concept called The Fishbowl, in which a selection of people (the fish) are put in a glass house that resembles (you guessed it) a fish bowl. Like most reality shows, there’s a confessional booth, challenges and lots of snarky attitudes.

The pacing of the book is good, with healthy doses of comedy to reflect Jen’s personality, meaning that the story is pretty much optimum for entertainment. Despite all the little details, I still felt like I was yearning for more – like how exactly the personality test and psychiatric assessment were done in the application process. The ending was especially rushed and left me feeling a little dissatisfied if I’m totally honest, but considering there’s a sequel out I’m hoping that that will answer my many questions about how Jen will proceed after the Fishbowl. As I said earlier, the plot is intriguing (even for someone that’s never watched reality television) and I caught myself up till the early hours of the morning when I decided I’d read just thirty more pages, which transpired into a hundred and fifty.

The characters were a bit over the top, like Birdie speaking in hashtags, but given that this is a comedy book, it only added to the amusement factor. I really enjoyed watching as different characters were developed, particularly Rachel and Justin, who Jen’s feelings on changed drastically as the story progressed. Joshua was perhaps the most infuriating individual I’ve ever read about; I completely shared Jen’s dislike of him. Ariana, though very attention seeking and dramatic, I thought was treated a bit too harshly by the others, Jen reacting to the majority of her antics. I’d have enjoyed to have read more about her journey in The Fishbowl and seen her attitude alter. The platonic relationships in the novel were excellent, really well written; many authors can get overly distracted by romance and leave out friendships entirely.

The challenges themselves were inventive, it’s clear that the author had a lot of fun coming up with them and putting Jen in uncomfortable situations, especially those involving her sexual tension with Justin. Again, I’d have liked to have seen more of them though! I was particularly fond of the reference to the Triwizard Tournament from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Nominations were again well written, with Jen’s stress blatant from her prying to find out who the other contestants would vote her.

Teens and adults alike would probably enjoy this the most, there’s a sprinkling of adult language but nothing offensive. If you’ve read or are planning to read this, leave me a comment below! I’m going to end this post with my favourite quote, which surmises Jen perfectly;

“I wouldn’t let this b*tch get the best of me. Kill ‘em with kindness, like Mom always said.”

When Lucifer Met Calamity

Hello! It’s Heather again, hope anyone celebrating Easter had a lovely weekend! Here’s a book review for a contemporary comedy/romance.

Information

Author: D. Alyce Domain

Published: April 2016

Publisher: Self-published

Length: 328 pages

Rating (all out of five)

Characters: ★★★

Plot: ★★★★

Writing Quality: ★★★ ½

Overall: ★★★

When Calamity uses her ninja skills to hit back at her boss after they sexually assault her, she finds herself hauled into trouble and a (very rightful) thirst for justice. This leads into herself, twin sister Charisma and her friend Reese following a plan to get evidence of the boss’ dodgy behaviour and get a legal case against him. Soon, Calamity manages to enlist the help of her crush, a lawyer named Lucifer, and together they find a more professional way to register the inappropriateness of Perkins. Sadly, sexual assault is a common issue in the workplace, so it was interesting to see how much effort goes into proving it.

The main characters all had rather unusually fitting names – Charisma, Calamity, Lucifer. Calamity is a fiery, sassy, independent protagonist that strives for justice but often her schemes result in the meaning of her name; I still find it a little odd that her parents would name her that, literally foreshadowing disaster. I liked how the author gave her flaws, like lying, which added to the realism of the book. Her twin, Charisma is presented as a likeable person that gets pulled into Calamity’s scandals frequently, including this one despite being pregnant. I found Reese and Sly stand-out characters though and really enjoyed their input, both having powerfully eccentric personalities. The squabbling between Sly and Calamity was definitely my favourite scene; it’s evident that the author had some fun writing this part.

Whilst many elements of the book were really great, there were some bits that I was less keen on. The use ‘eh’ was slightly overused at points! I also found it difficult to actually like Lucifer; I know that his dazzling looks, deep voice and chilling personality are supposed to make him an attractive individual, I’ll admit that at first I warmed a little to him after he stopped being so distant… then he removed Calamity’s clothes while she was sleeping without consent… and he quickly became creepy. Though he did redeem himself somewhat by helping Calamity so much, being an honest guy and simply owning a cat, and I’m sure other readers will find him more appealing. I did also note a few missing apostrophes but this didn’t really bother me.

This is a funny and very different romance to the norm that addresses the issue of sexual assault well. There’s some kissing and implied other bits but nothing too graphic, making the book a comfortable read for adults.

Here's a link to the Amazon page to buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Lucifer-Calamity-Jones-Book-ebook/dp/B01ATV3UUG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492457452&sr=8-1&keywords=when+lucifer+met+calamity

The Miseries of Mr. Sparrows

Hello dearies, this is Heather! Like a very dreary twist on Alice in Wonderland, we’ve all fallen down a rabbit hole, sadly filled with textbooks and spring revision materials, so if we’re a little less frequent with the updates then that’ll be why. Thank you to the author for sending us this book in exchange for an honest review!

Information

Author: Matthew A.J. Timmins

Published: November 2015

Publisher: Self-published

Length: 179 pages

Rating (all out of five)

Characters: ★★★★★

Plot: ★★★★ ½

Writing Quality: ★★★★★

Overall: ★★★★★

“Directly over the clerks’ room, on the ground floor—nearer to Heaven by elevation only—was the office of the Winstons, two thirds of Winston Winston & Crumpet: perhaps the most powerful, certainly the wickedest firm in all the Empire.”

The Miseries of Mr. Sparrow tells the story of Robin Sparrow; a clerk working for the law firm Winston Winston and Crumpet, as he embarks on a quest to deliver a parcel to Mr. Tarnish. Set within the Victorian era any fans of Dickens will be sure to enjoy this quirky tale as they follow the troublesome and somewhat fatal adventures of Robin.

The plot to description ratio was excellent. I found the plot fairly easy to follow, my only slight (and I mean very minor indeed) criticism being that there could be more information about how Robin found all the places and people he visited. I particularly enjoyed the ending, and was pleased to find that it was not at all rushed; a consistency of quality writing being apparent throughout. The entire story was coherently written, Robin having the sole aim of delivering the package, there were no unnecessary romances blossoming or bizarre additions. The characterisation was another element to be praised. The reader pities dear Robin who is rather thrown into the task of locating Mr. Tarnish without any kindness from his evil employees, and seems to be blamed for a multitude of extraordinary things. The police team were perhaps my favourite – with outstandingly wild theories over how Mr. Tarnish had committed some deeds, they proved to be very comedic.

The writing style is confident, witty and intelligent with all the warmth that the best authors carry. From the genre description of somewhat Dickensian I knew that this would be a good read and I was certainly not wrong there – it’s rare that I’ll write an honest review for an author’s first novel and struggle to find any improvements at all but in this circumstance even the font was beautiful! The book contains lots of literature goodies, with minor references to Greek mythology, Dante’s Inferno, Sherlock Holmes and character comparisons to Iago (Othello) and Merlin. As an English Literature student, naturally this meant I was beaming at each.

Normally I’d write a longer review but I’m not sure what else I can say except that it is an excellent read. There’s nothing in it that stands out as inappropriate so I’d recommend this to all ages. I look forward to reading more of Timmin’s work in the future! 

If you'd like to buy this, here's the link to the Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Miseries-Mr-Sparrows-Matthew-Timmins-ebook/dp/B017Y7N8D2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491847912&sr=8-1&keywords=the+miseries+of+mr+sparrow 

Didn't get Frazzled

Hello, it’s Heather with another book review!

Author: David Z Hirsch

Published: April 2016

Publisher: Self-published

Length: 284 pages (this varies depending on the copy you get I think)

Rating out of 10: ★★★★★★★★

Didn’t get frazzled is a fictional medical-comedy told through the sarcastic narrative of Seth Levine; it pans over the years he is working hard to get his degree. With exams coming up and stress blooming like steam coming out of a kettle, I felt pretty fortunate to get such a fun book to read. Seth narrates the story in such a light-hearted manner that between cringing at his misfortunes in sympathy, you have to laugh. The plot itself is easy to follow, the reader checks in at him during several parts of his life, gaining an insight as to how the American medical schooling system works but more importantly understanding how his relationships with friends and his girlfriend develop. There is some medical jargon, but it’s in no way confusing to the reader, simply adding a sense of realism.

Seth’s interactions with the other characters mimicked those on comedy shows beautifully, making nearly every conversation an excellent read. The medical twist to it provides plenty of chances for these comedic moments, several gross stories being shared with the reader and the first chapter being literally called: A beautiful slice of dead penis (he performs a transection on this area of a cadaver). And yet the humour did not squash out the morality – you can’t help but love Seth, he stands up for what he believes in, even if it may lower his popularity from other doctors. He’s also a human. Lots of comedy authors forget that their characters have other emotions aside from happy and laughing at their life; Seth goes through a troubling time, battling with a bad-relationship that he struggles to maintain but also does not want to leave, on top of all his studying and witnessing some patients in severe pain. His empathetic attitude makes him thrive in his work, as does his ability to not get ‘frazzled’. Though if the book were to improve, I think it would have been insightful to see how he dealt with more pain through his profession, since those involved in medical careers will often cross paths with death usually by no fault of their own. The other characters accompany the story brilliantly, and the author managed to juggle between his different friends without any confusion.

“I saw a mom last week who brought her daughter to the ER because she thought her kid had chicken pops.”

Jeff cracked up, and I joined in. I always called Jeff when I needed to cheer up.

“I knew she meant chicken pox, but each time she said chicken pops I thought, did Kellogg’s come out with a new chicken-flavored Pops cereal?”

I finally found the skills gained from watching Casualty – do not eat or think about eating whilst the characters are inspecting a patient. Anyone squeamish will need to skim through these parts to avoid anything too unsettling. Personally, I was fine with it, to be honest if you are troubled by surgical shenanigans then perhaps not reading a book set around a medical student is better. In fact, the only parts I was less keen on were the more sexual, intimate scenes, which is purely my personal preference in books. Like the medical parts, this was not overly explicit, and these only popped up a few times, so did not make the read bad by any means.

Targeted at an adult audience that appreciate comedy, I really enjoyed this one. Any students will find they can relate to the multitude of awkward situations and quantity of studying as well as the need for friends in such frantic time to retain ‘unfrazzled’; if you’re a medical student then this is a must-read. If you’ve read this or are considering doing so, please do leave me a comment!

Links for anyone that wants to purchase this are below:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Didnt-Get-Frazzled-David-Hirsch ebook/dp/B01DOHSK0M/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Didnt-Get-Frazzled-David-Hirsch-ebook/dp/B01DOHSK0M/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29748682-didn-t-get-frazzled

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/didnt-get-frazzled-david-z-hirsch/1123610624 ean=2940152949414

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/didn-t-get-frazzled

Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/didnt-get-frazzled/id1099034309?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/work/18996986

The Eye of Neferiti (Book 2 in the Pharaoh's Cat series)

Hiya, this is Heather posting today. When we received an email asking us to review a book about a time travelling Egyptian cat, I basically begged the other two to let me do this one, and I was not let down.

Author: Maria Luisa Lang

Published: November 2016

Publisher: Self-published

The Eye of Nefertiti does act as a sequel to The Pharaoh’s cat, but can be read as a stand-alone novel without leaving the reader lost or confused since the book refers back to any vital events. No surprises here - the protagonist is a time travelling kitty from the Egyptian era named Wrappa-Hamen, accompanied by the High Priest with his partner Elena and their son. They occupy Elena’s home before zipping over to England for Elena to work in Bath. This book is filled with all the classics of a fantasy book: prophecies, a dysfunctional family, a bit of humour and the fast-paced, dialogue packed writing style that still lets us visualise what’s happening without any confusion. Since this week has been far too chaotic, I’m doing this review in a simpler way than I normally do – things I loved and things that could have been improved.

I really liked how the author included snippets of Egyptian history in the book, much like Sutcliff’s novel The Eagle of the Ninth, the reader can become enthralled with learning about ancient history as they follow the story. I’m pretty sure at least half of my knowledge of Ancient Greece is based from the Percy Jackson series. The relationship between Wrappa-Hamen and the High Priest was cleverly constructed, with both of them sharing amusing experiences and covering for each other to keep their deviances from Elena. Their bond from being from Ancient Egypt means they show trust between each other. I found Elena to be another great character and would have liked to have seen more of her, she proved herself to be a nice contrast between the more comedic and clumsy others with her smart, earnest and caring qualities. There were several settings within the book, but the clarity of writing meant this was not puzzling. The most confident and vivid descriptions were certainly the ones of Egypt, particularly when they visit the market. The final part I'd like to praise is the front cover, I only have this in a pdf version but isn't it beautiful?!

Whilst I must stress that this book was very much an enjoyable read, I do confess that I had a few qualms. Firstly, Wrappa-Hamen was a little bit too humanised for me – this is a purely personal view, but I found that the charm of having a cat protagonist less apparent when he was able to make a peanut butter sandwich, develop feelings for a woman and drink alcohol as well as talk. It is very clear that the novel is fantasy, but regardless I would avoid animals consuming alcohol in literature, even some adults can be stupid enough to dismiss the fantasy label and give their cats alcohol (I know a family that gave their dog chocolate, which is a crazy risk to take considering it’s poisonous). I was not quite certain of the target audience for this book, the style reminded me somewhat of Rick Riordan; it was light-hearted, educative and descriptive but not overly so. Thus, I was startled to see words like ‘womb’ pop up and mention of testicles and breasts, changing my perception of the audience to at least over 13s. To be honest, I think this book would rise a lot in popularity if the author had left out these bits and made it more PG to attract a pre-teen audience. Especially since the protagonist is a cat, which is a pretty dignified animal, the talk of testicle size is a little uncomfortable.

Any fans of fantasy novels with elements of comedy and history mingled will find this book appealing. There were a few minor aspects that I wasn't too keen on but this is based on my opinion so don’t let it sway you away from reading this; the majority of the book is a charming read.

To buy this book, order it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Nefertiti-Maria-Luisa-Lang/dp/0996335218/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480706159&sr=8-1&keywords=maria+luisa+lang

Bricking It

Alright, I had just watched over two hours of The Jeremy Kyle Show, so my brain was half attached to wondering why anyone would want to date a man whose slept with your friend and their mother… anyway, that’s my excuse for this not being written brilliantly. This is my (this is Heather by the way, should probably have said that earlier) review on Bricking it.

Author: Nick Spalding

Published: December 2015

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

My rating: 4.5/5

My motivation behind buying this book mainly lies behind the lovely £1 price tag on the kindle store. It is most definitely not the type of book that you label as a poetic and deeply philosophical; it won’t make you hum and ponder the meaning of life, but it will make you laugh and smile, which is good enough for me. The book is told through the perspective of two siblings who have inherited a derelict farmhouse from their grandma and decide to take up the challenge of renovating it. The writing style is endearing, concise yet full of strong character and humour; ‘There could be anything in there. Rats… spiders… the Grim Reaper.’

The highlight of the novel was Pat The Cow and her relationship with Daniel. Pat The Cow is a legendary cow (you probably guessed that by her name) that Daniel is convinced has supernatural powers. She seems to inhabit the house when they first arrive. She somehow appears one time, surprising Daniel when he is wandering upstairs singing Taylor Swift’s Blank Space. I don’t really know how to sum up the friendship between a cow and a man, so I hope these quotations do a better job than I can supply:

‘Pat The Cow is obviously part ninja, and I don’t want to end up skewered on the end of an expertly thrown ninja cow dagger.’

‘But we are dealing with a very special cow here. One able to vanish without a trace, like Batman.”

‘It is Pattus Cowisicus, Roman deity of death and destruction. She has come to claim me! Claim me for her own!

‘It’s Pat The Cow, she’s Pat The Cow. If you’re in trouble, she’ll come right now. She catches thieves, she catches thugs. She’ll tell her your dad if you grow drugs.’

‘”Moo,” Pat The Cow says, the menace dripping from every syllable. Yes, I know moo has only one syllable, but Pat The Cow laughs in the face of your stupid grammatical rules.’

Another impressive aspect of the novel was the bundle of vivid personality put into each character. The relationship between the builders was another thing that made the book easy to visualise; I adored the nicknames that Fred used for Daniel, like ‘my old cupcake’. I also loved the sibling friendship; they were blunt, honest and protective.

I was absolutely thrilled by the ending – it’s really hard to find an author that can write about love without tarnishing it with pretentious and cliché lines topped with a bit of selfishness. So when I read the last few pages, I was chuffed to see one character do something entirely selfless without requesting a reward or requited feelings, he just wanted to make the person he loved happy. Also, Spalding includes a homosexual relationship as another element of the novel which, as Shani has stressed before, used to be quite rare. There are far darker views of love expressed as well, one of the protagonists having gone through a rather abusive marriage. It is a massive challenge for an author to include such serious matters in a light-hearted book. Though for this reason and the incidents themed around… adult subjects (as an after note I’d like to add that no, this is not a reference to explicit sexy scenes, that’d be gross, just some adult humour) perhaps an audience of over twelve would be more suitable.

What could have been better? Well I would have loved some visual aid to the book – whilst Spalding somehow manages to provide enough imagery to form a mental image of the house in the reader’s head, I like pretty pictures. My rating is notably high because I left the book feeling satisfied, the ending was sweet and had nice morals to it.

To conclude on the book, it’s a beautiful distraction to make one forget about whatever woes they may have. In case the several synonyms for ‘funny’ haven’t been noticed, the book is hilarious. Usually whilst reading, I’ll puff an extra quantity of air out when something funny occurs, but this time I actually did really laugh. Luckily I only read it at home else I fear I’d have gained some rather strange looks. So, because of the adult themes I’d recommend this to most people over the age of twelve - I must reiterate the fact it costs ONE POUND on kindle at the moment, so buy it! Of course, anyone that dislikes comedy should probably also stay away from the book.

I should be uploading a review on The Invisible Man soon since I’m about a third of the way through it and am slightly hooked. You never know, one day I might even torture the blog to some of my creative writing. Please have a read of my fellow readers blog entries and their own pieces; Shani and Lydia are excellent writers! 

Sane New World: Taming the Mind

Hiya, this is Heather, today I'm posting about a non-fiction book for a change! 

Author: Ruby Wax

Published: June 2013

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton

My rating: 5/5

I purchased this book in the charming Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye whilst on holiday last year. For those unfamiliar with the place, it is home to around 38 bookshops so naturally my parents and I were drawn (much to the dismay of my brother, who I think would rather have gone to the cinema and seen terrible book-to-film adaptations). 

The books that are worthy of five stars are the ones that change your perspective on the world for a minute. I think this is quite possibly the first non-fiction book to have had that affect on me, making me honestly believe that every second of life is so beautifully significant. The book is dedicated to ‘taming the mind’ through gaining a basic understanding of how the mind works. The idea is that if you can learn to comprehend how emotions are provoked, to an extent you may also control them.

“Gloria Gaynor was wrong when she sang, ‘I am what I am’. She will have to change those lyrics but it won’t be so easy to dance to. What rhymes with neuroplasticity?”

Wax writes in a style that both entertains and educates, whilst also bearing on some of her own personal challenges. Her honesty is refreshing and relatable most of the time, at many points I have been tempted to retrieve a pencil and circle lines with the caption ‘LOL’ and ‘#sotrue’, but have refrained due to the fact that when rereading the novel I do not want to cringe at my commentary.

The book is divided into five sections; the first two sections talk about humanity and mental disorders like depression, the next is basic neuroscience, then the last two show you how to master your own thoughts. I found the third section so interesting that I worried I might forget it later and wrote five pages of notes on it, creating my own dictionary of neuroscience. When I reached the fourth section, I realised how ridiculously pointless this was – I am not being tested on the content of the novel and I will be able to refer to bits of the novel later on – then read the remainder of the book like a normal person would. The highlight of the novel was a method of mindfulness whereby Wax instructed that the reader should put a piece of chocolate on their tongue and spend time noticing the texture, taste sensations, how the mouth moves to chew it etc. The technique aimed to remind the reader that they are often in autopilot mode and do not think about how they are doing something, I sometimes appear at school and ponder what actually happened during the weekend because I honestly cannot recall, then get stuck in the clouds thinking about how to spell ‘May’ and boom, it’s June and I have achieved nothing with my life. I also appreciated being told to eat chocolate, that’s always a benefit of any book.

I’d recommend this book to literally anyone (okay, maybe not anyone, my cat would struggle with it). The book has eight and a bit pages devoted to showing evidence that mindfulness works and can significantly weaken depression, OCD, anxiety and tons of other mental disorders that one in four of us suffer from. A few people I’ve mentioned the book to have shuddered at the word ‘neuroscience’ and ‘psychology’ and even ‘brain’… I really don’t get the ‘brain’ reaction; a guy in Arthur was nicknamed Brain and he was hardly daunting. Wax explains everything so clearly that even I got what she was on about. For instance, at one point she details how the somatosensory cortex has a map of body parts in order of sensitivity by saying; “It’s as if your body parts are getting bigger plots if they’re used; genitals and tongue the size of Texas, armpit is Chattanooga.” I actually have a list of quotes from the book, but that’d make this review way too long for anyone to bother looking at, so I’ll end it here.

I do hope that you liked the review and will consider buying the book sometime. If anyone has any other suggestions for books to read, or views on the book then please do comment them below!