Book Beginnings On Fridays (Someone Else's Skin)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader and as she says the idea of this meme is for you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name. There's a linky list on the website and you can use #BookBeginnings on Twitter.

 

My book beginning is Someone Else's Skin by Sarah Hilary, I've got a copy from Netgalley and it's due to be published on 27th February.

 

They've cordoned off the house by the time she gets home. A uniformed stranger is unwinding police tape, methodically. Marnie watches from the safety of the car, her fingers icy on the ignition key, the engine running as if she might make a quick getaway, drive past and keep driving...

 

 

 

Book Description:

 

Detective Inspector Marnie Rome. Dependable; fierce; brilliant at her job; a rising star in the ranks. Everyone knows how Marnie fought to come back from the murder of her parents, but very few know what is going on below the surface. Because Marnie has secrets she won't share with anyone.

But then so does everyone. Certainly those in the women's shelter Marnie and Detective Sergeant Noah Jake visit on that fateful day. The day when they arrive to interview a resident, only to find one of the women's husbands, who shouldn't have been there, lying stabbed on the floor.

As Marnie and Noah investigate the crime further, events begin to spiral and the violence escalates. Everyone is keeping secrets, some for survival and some, they suspect, to disguise who they really are under their skin.

Now, if Marnie is going to find the truth she will have to face her own demons head on. Because the time has come for secrets to be revealed...  

Book Blogger Hop (31st January - 6th February)

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted at Ramblings Of A Coffee Addicted Writer and this week's question is:

 

When you receive new books in the mail, do the older ones get moved to the bottom of your list or do you go strictly "by the book" and keep your list with older books first then the new ones?

 

I tend to read whatever I'm in the mood for next, I've got books on my shelf that I was desperate to read when I ordered them but by the time they arrived I felt like a different genre, a couple of years on and they're still sitting there unread. In other cases I've started them straight away, also if it's a review book it may need to be read quite quickly anyway so that gets pushed to near the top of the list. But I don't have a system for reading books, if I choose one because I feel I have to read it rather than want to then I won't enjoy it as much.

 

The Martian by Andy Weir

Mark Watney is left stranded on Mars, presumed dead by his fellow astronauts after an accident during a dust storm. Mark is very much alive though and must now use all his knowledge to try and survive, his story is told from the log/diary entries he writes and also from NASA down on Earth.

I found the story slow to start with and almost gave up but thankfully the pace soon stepped up a gear. I loved the character of Mark and his sense of humour, unfortunately though it was a little too technical for my tastes, something that stops me reading a lot of science fiction. Obviously it's not to be taken too seriously and is a quick read that is good escapism. I wouldn't be surprised if this was made into a film.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Book Description:

 Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first man to die there.

It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him-and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he's stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive-and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to get him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills-and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit-he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Teaser Tuesdays (28th January)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

 

I've been thinking about laws on Mars.

Yeah, I know, it's a stupid thing to think about, but I have a lot of free time.  

 

70% The Martian by Andy Weir

  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

Its Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme run by Book Journey and you can mention books you've just finished, are currently reading and any you plan to read this week. You can leave a link to your blog and read other bloggers posts.

 

This week I read:

 

Calling Me Home  by Julie Kibler

The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt

 

 

I'm currently reading:

 

The Martian by Andy Weir

 

 

 

The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt

Eleven year old Lydia has caught the train home to Suffolk from Wales where she was sent as an evacuee. When she arrives at the station the rural village seems deserted, she makes her way back to her house only to find this is also empty with no sign of her mother. Later that night a German soldier lets himself in, he claims he won't hurt her but she mustn't leave the house and he knows her name despite her never having told it to him. Where is everyone and what is going on?  

 

The book is split into days rather than chapters with each section also telling us what has happened to Heiden, the soldier, and led to him being in England. I did find the way the story jumped between the three different points in time it covers a little confusing at first but soon got into it. As the book progresses and things start to be revealed and become clear then I had to keep reading to find out how it would conclude. If, like me, you're a fan of novels during this time period then you should give this a try, it gives you a different slant on the usual. 

 

This is Jason Hewitt's debut novel, according to the interview with him in the back of my copy he has started on his second which is also set during the Second World War, I look forward to reading it. 

 

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this novel, it's due to be published on 27th March. 

 

 Rating: 4 out of 5 

Book Beginnings On Fridays (The Dynamite Room)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader and as she says the idea of this meme is for you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name. There's a linky list on the website and you can use #BookBeginnings on Twitter.

 

My book beginning is The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt. It's due to be published at the end of March and I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Simon & Schuster.

 

She was the only person to get off the train and as it pulled out again, leaving her on the empty platform, she watched the receding line of carriages tail into the distance; the dried leaves, caught in a flurry of air, chased after them down the track. She walked out through the gates into the sunshine and onto the road, but there didn't seem to be anyone else about. 

 

 

Book Description:

July 1940. 11 year-old Lydia walks through a village in rural Suffolk on a baking hot day. She is wearing a gas mask. The shops and houses are empty, windows boarded up and sandbags green with mildew, the village seemingly deserted. Leaving it behind, she strikes off down a country lane through the salt marshes to a large Edwardian house - the house she grew up in. Lydia finds it empty too, the windows covered in black-out blinds. Her family are gone.

Late that night he comes, a soldier, gun in hand and heralding a full-blown German invasion. There are, he explains to her, certain rules she must now abide by. He won't hurt Lydia, but she cannot leave the house.

Is he telling the truth? What is he looking for? Why is he so familiar? And how does he already know Lydia's name? 

 

 

Book Blogger Hop (24th-30th January)

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted at Ramblings Of A Coffee Addicted Writer and this week's question is:

 

Do you think you will ever read every book in your TBR stack?  

 

Unfortunately I don't think I will as I seem to add more books to it quicker than I can read them. I read, or at least try to, library books as soon as I get them so my own get pushed gradually down the pile. Also review books need reading by a certain time so they have to take precedence as well. I don't buy lots of new novels but do like a bargain, especially wishlist books that are in the kindle daily deal or for a good price in a charity/second hand bookshop.

 

Waiting On Wednesday (The Three)

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to be published.

 

 

This week mine is The Three by Sarah Lotz

 

They're here ... The boy. The boy watch the boy watch the dead people oh Lordy there's so many ... They're coming for me now. We're all going soon. All of us. Pastor Len warn them that the boy he's not to­­--

The last words of Pamela May Donald (1961 - 2012)

Black Thursday. The day that will never be forgotten. The day that four passenger planes crash, at almost exactly the same moment, at four different points around the globe.

There are only four survivors. Three are children, who emerge from the wreckage seemingly unhurt. But they are not unchanged.

And the fourth is Pamela May Donald, who lives just long enough to record a voice message on her phone.

A message that will change the world.

The message is a warning.

 

Published: May 22nd 2104 by Hodder and Stoughton 

 

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler

Seventeen year old Isabelle falls in love with Robert but there's an issue. He is black and she white and, as this is 1930s Kentucky, interracial relationships are completely unacceptable. Their story is heartbreaking, the path of true love certainly doesn't run smooth.

 

In the present day Isabelle is being driven to a funeral from her home in Texas to Cincinnati by her hairdresser and friend Dorrie. Dorrie is a black single Mum and has problems of her own. The story is told from both women's point of view, Dorrie tells us about their journey and Isabelle about her life in the past and at the end of the book we discover the identity of the person whose funeral they are attending.

 

This is well written but at first I was disappointed, I'd heard good things and the story just wasn't grabbing me. Once Robert and Isabelle got together though it became much more interesting and I raced through, desperate to find out what would happen to them. It doesn't matter how many times I read about these times and how people were treated it never fails to shock or upset me. Will definitely appeal to readers who enjoy Southern fiction and good storytelling.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

Its Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme run by Book Journey and you can mention books you've just finished, are currently reading and any you plan to read this week. You can leave a link to your blog and read other bloggers posts.

 

 

This week I read:

A Serpentine Affair  by Tina Seskis

Clever Girl by Tessa Hadley - I loved most of this book, particularly when it was about Stella's childhood and her early adulthood. The last part though I found dull and it dragged which was a shame.

 

 

I'm now reading:

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler

 

 

Book Beginnings On Fridays (Clever Girl)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader and as she says the idea of this meme is for you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name. There's a linky list on the website and you can use #BookBeginnings on Twitter.

 

My book beginning is Clever Girl by Tessa Hadley. I've never read anything by this author before but saw this book mentioned on another blog last week, it looked like one I would enjoy and I am.

My mother and I lived alone. My father was supposed to be dead, and I only found out years later that he'd left, walked out when I was eighteen months old.

 

  

Book Description:

All the qualities that readers praised in The London Train are present in Clever Girl, Tessa Hadley's brilliant new novel. It follows the story of Stella, from her childhood as the daughter of a single mother in a Bristol bedsit in the 1960s into the mysterious shallows of her middle age. The story is full of drama - violent deaths, an abrupt end to Stella's schooldays, two sons by different fathers who aren't around to see the boys grow up - but as ever it is her observation of ordinary lives, of the way men and women think and feel and relate to one another, that dazzles. Yes, you think. This is how it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday (The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to be published.

 

This week my choice is The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt

 

 

July 1940. 11 year-old Lydia Pendell walks through a village in rural Suffolk on a baking hot day. She is wearing a gas mask. The shops and houses are empty, windows boarded up and sandbags green with mildew, the village seemingly deserted. Leaving it behind, she strikes off down a country lane through the salt marshes to a large Edwardian house -- the house she grew up in. Lydia finds it empty too, the windows covered in black-out blinds. Her family are gone. Inside, a man sits beneath a window, in the dark, waiting calmly for her, a gun in his hand. He is part of a reconnaissance mission heralding a full-blown German invasion. There are, he explains to her, certain rules she must now abide by. He won't hurt Lydia, but she cannot leave the house. Is he telling the truth? What is he looking for? Why is he so familiar? And how does he already know Lydia's name? 

Publication date: 27th March 2014

A Serpentine Affair by Tina Seskis

Seven women who all in their forties have known each other since university, they meet in Hyde Park by the Serpentine for a picnic. They no longer seem to have much in common or even enjoy this annual get together and it isn't long, with the alcohol flowing, before arguments start. Sissy is already a widow and blames another for the death of her husband, Natasha is convinced one of them is having an affair with her partner and JoAnne slept with Juliette's boyfriend years ago, Juliette has never really forgiven her. By the end of this disastrous meeting none of their lives are going to be the same again.

 

Secrets about the women's lives are revealed through flashbacks and the book jumps back and forth over the last 25 years. I did find the beginning of the book difficult because of the number of characters, even towards the end I was still having to remind myself of some of them and who was married to who. I didn't like many of them either, but then you're not supposed to. What I think this author does do well is make you believe one thing only to reveal something else.  It is also full of short chapters to keep you reading.

 

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

 

 

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

Its Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme run by Book Journey and you can mention books you've just finished, are currently reading and any you plan to read this week. You can leave a link to your blog and read other bloggers posts.

 

I managed to get a lot of reading done this week:

 

Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey

Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith

Wake by Anna Hope (I loved this one)

   

I'm now reading:

 

A Serpentine Affair by Tina Seskis

 

Wake by Anna Hope

Wake is set in London during five days in November 1920 when the body of the unknown soldier is being brought home to England from France. It is also about three women who are linked in some way to each other, have all been affected by and are struggling to get over loss following World War I. Evelyn works in the Pensions Office and deals with injured soldiers who need money and help. Ada has been married to Jack for twenty five years, their son was killed in France and she believes she keeps seeing him in the street. Hettie is a young dancer who works at the Hammersmith Palais, she dances with men for sixpence a time and has to hand a lot of her earnings to her mother to help look after the family, her father is dead and her brother Fred hasn't worked since the end of the War. 

 

This is Anna Hope's debut novel and I was lucky enough to receive a copy from Transworld. I started reading it as soon as it arrived, I'd heard good things about it and it certainly lived up to the hype. This is a book you pick up to read just a few more pages only to find an hour later that you haven't managed to put it down. I loved all the characters, particularly Evelyn and Ada, and they felt very real. Parts of the story are heartbreaking and it gets across very well what life must have been like during and after The Great War and what people had to contend with.

 

Now I've finished this book I'm going to miss these three women, all books I read this year are now going to measured up next to Wake.

 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Book Beginnings On Fridays (Wake)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader and as she says the idea of this meme is for you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name. There's a linky list on the website and you can use #BookBeginnings on Twitter.

 

My book beginning is Wake by Anna Hope, it's being published on 16th January by Doubleday and I was lucky enough to get a copy from Transworld, I'm really enjoying this one.

 

Three soldiers emerge from their barracks in Arras, northern France. A colonel, a sergeant and a private. It is somewhere close to the middle of the night and bitterly cold. The men make their way to a field ambulance parked next to the entrance gate; the colonel sits in the front with the sergeant, while the private climbs into the back. The sergeant starts up the engine, and a sleepy sentry waves them out and on to the road beyond. 

 

 

Book Blurb:

 Five Days in November, 1920:
As the body of the Unknown Soldier makes its way home from the fields of Northern France, three women are dealing with loss in their own way: Hettie, who dances for sixpence a waltz at the Hammersmith Palais; Evelyn, who toils at a job in the pensions office, and Ada, a housewife who is beset by visions of her dead son. One day a young man comes to her door. He carries with him a wartime mystery that will bind these women together and will both mend and tear their hearts.

A portrait of three intertwining lives caught at the faultline between empire and modernity, Wake captures the beginnings of a new era, and the day the mood of the nation changed for ever.

 

 

Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith

Glaciers follows a day in the life of Isabel who works with damaged books in a library basement in Portland, Oregon. She likes old postcards, vintage dresses and Spoke, a work colleague who is an ex soldier, but he doesn't know of her affection towards him. On the day this is set she goes to choose a dress for a party that evening, a party she wants to invite Spoke to.

It took me a while to get into the story and this is a shame as it's only a very short novel. I loved the parts set in the present day, especially with Spoke, but found the flashbacks to her childhood in Alaska didn't hold my attention and I would start to lose interest. If the novel had been a standard length then I may have even given up on it. Nothing much happens in it plot wise, it's character driven and very well written. Perhaps it's a book that should be read slowly, I rattled through it.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

Waiting On Wednesday (The Facts Of Life And Death by Belinda Bauer)

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to be published.

 

This week mine is The Facts Of Life And Death by Belinda Bauer

 

 

Call your mother.'

'What do I say?'

'Say goodbye.'

This is how it begins.

Lone women terrorised and their helpless families forced to watch - in a sick game where only one player knows the rules. And when those rules change, the new game is Murder.

Living with her parents in the dank beach community of Limeburn, ten-year-old Ruby Trick has her own fears. Bullies on the school bus, the forest crowding her house into the sea, and the threat of divorce.

Helping her Daddy to catch the killer might be the key to keeping him close.

As long as the killer doesn't catch her first...

Publication date: 27th March 2014

Teaser Tuesdays (7th January)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

 

His given name is Thomas, but everyone calls him Spoke, even their boss. Spoke is the nickname he got in the war, and though no one here was in the war with him, it comes out naturally, as if it were the only way to acknowledge what he has been through without actually bringing it up.

 

Page 42 Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith 

 

Kringle Candles

I know that strictly this is supposed to be a book blog but I do occasionally post about other things. Today I thought I'd let you know about my latest obsession, Kringle Candles. Now, I was a fan of Yankee for a long time and particularly liked their Silver Bells scent. As often seems to happen with the ones I like it was withdrawn and while trying to search for some online I heard about Kringle and decided to give their Christmas fragrance a go as it was getting good reviews. I loved it and have also bought a large jar in the sale for Christmas 2014. 

 

 All of the Kringle candles are white so they fit in with any colour of decor. The candles I have tried have burnt very cleanly and the jars can be re-used after the candle has burned down. I'm using two in the bathroom with pebbles and shells in. 

 

I'm also a new convert to wax melts, you can break bits off easily so you don't need to use the whole melt in one go.

 

Here are some of the candles and melts I was given for Christmas and have treated myself to:

I've placed two orders directly with Kringle UK and both times was impressed with how well the items were packaged, delivery is only £2.50 and free if you spend over £30.

Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey

Maud is getting more and more forgetful, so much so that she has to write notes to remind herself of things. She often finds bits of paper with "Elizabeth is missing" written in her handwriting, but what has happened to Elizabeth?  Maud is determined to find out. Her thoughts often drift back to just after the end of World War II, a time when her older married sister Sukey disappeared without a trace. She was never found and what happened to her still remains a mystery seventy years on.

I loved the narration of this story told from Maud's point of view and it was unlike anything else I've read before. Her memory gradually gets worse throughout the book and the author gets across very well what it must be like for someone with dementia or alzheimer's, as well as their relatives. Maud's daughter Helen is very patient with her but you can feel her frustration at having to explain and answer the same questions over and over again. This book isn't published until June and I can't see it being anything other than a bestseller.

 

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Rating: 4 out of 5


Publication date: 5th June 2014 by Penguin

Book Blurb:

'Elizabeth is missing' reads the note in Maud's pocket in her own handwriting, and the one on the wall.

Maud's been getting forgetful. She keeps buying peach slices when she has a cupboard full, forgets to drink the cups of tea she's made and writes notes to remind herself of things. But Maud is determined to discover what has happened to her friend, Elizabeth, and what it has to do with the unsolved disappearance of her sister Sukey, years back, just after the war.  

Book Beginnings On Fridays (Elizabeth Is Missing)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader and as she says the idea of this meme is for you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name. There's a linky list on the website and you can use #BookBeginnings on Twitter.

 

My book beginning is Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey - I've got an ARC copy from Netgalley and this is due to be published in June by Penguin.

 

'Maud? Was I boring you so much that you'd rather stand outside in the dark?'

 

A woman calls to me from the warm light of a cluttered dining room. My breath curls towards her, wet and ghostly, but no words follow. The snow, sparse but bright on the ground, reflects the light on to her face, which is drawn tight in an attempt to see. I know, though, that she can't see very well, even in the daylight.

 

 

Book Blurb:

'Elizabeth is missing' reads the note in Maud's pocket in her own handwriting, and the one on the wall.

Maud's been getting forgetful. She keeps buying peach slices when she has a cupboard full, forgets to drink the cups of tea she's made and writes notes to remind herself of things. But Maud is determined to discover what has happened to her friend, Elizabeth, and what it has to do with the unsolved disappearance of her sister Sukey, years back, just after the war.

 

 

Familiar by J. Robert Lennon

Elisa is driving home after visiting her son's grave, she focuses on a small crack in the windscreen when suddenly the crack is no longer there. Then she realises her car is quieter, in fact it's not the same car and she is wearing different clothes. She soon finds out that her job is different as are her friends and some people she knew before she hasn't haven't even met yet. She's still married to Derek and they had two sons as in her previous existence in this life her oldest, Silas, is alive and wasn't killed in an accident. Derek tells her that she seems different but he can't quite work out how she has changed. She becomes convinced that she has slipped into a parallel universe.

 

We are never sure if she is living an alternate life or is suffering from some kind of breakdown.    Although this may annoy some in the end for me it wasn't really important. This novel is a story about marriage, parenthood and a dysfunctional family.

 

Probably not for readers who like everything sown up and explained at the end but this didn't bother me. I finished Familiar yesterday afternoon and I'm still thinking about it and Elisa this morning, this one is going to need a bit more time for me to digest it before moving onto the next, it gives you plenty to think about. 

 

Rating: 4 out of 5