On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Andrea Pryke

Published by Penguin Modern Classics

Synopsis

On the Road swings to the rhythms of 1950s underground America, jazz, sex, generosity, chill dawns and drugs, with Sal Paradise and his hero Dean Moriarty, traveller and mystic, the living epitome of Beat. Now recognized as a modern classic, its American Dream is nearer that of Walt Whitman than Scott Fitzgerald, and it goes racing towards the sunset with unforgettable exuberance, poignancy and autobiographical passion.

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My thoughts

On the back of this book it advises that Bob Dylan said that the book ‘changed his life, as it changed everyone else’s’. Well he must have been reading a different book, because I can’t see how this would change your life.

I like the way Kerouac writes, but I don’t like the story, well actually I felt there wasn’t much of a story, there was no real plot. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters, but this could be for several reasons.

Generation gap, first published in 1957, before the sixties took over with hippies and before the feminist movement, women are whores if the sleep with more than one man, but Dean can sleep with as many women and father as many children as he likes and he is a hero!

Also there is constant referring to gay people as fags, this bothers me as well, that also comes under cultural differences as in the UK a fag is another name for cigarette.

Cultural differences, as well as the above a road trip from Cardiff to Bognor would not be as interesting driving from Chicago to San Francisco – we would not do it unless there was a specific reason for us to make the trip.

And I think there is also a Gender issue, Dean is meant to be a hero, but the way he treats women and discards them only to go back for more later is disgusting, and the women for some reason adore him and let him get away with this.

I am afraid I would want to slap him as hard as I could, but this is a modern perspective on a book that is over 60 years old.

Sal, who is telling the story just seems to do whatever it is Dean wants and follows him like a sheep as if he is the be all and end all. A very disappointing read.

 

2/5*

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Angel Faces by Scott Vincent

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Andrea Pryke

Published by Troubador

Synopsis

Vendicare, from the Italian – to avenge or have revenge.
“Vendicare is an independent contractor who quite simply deal with jobs that no government or organisation can put their name to. The world’s a dirty place and we are the ones who do the clean-ups. We don’t answer to any particular government.”
Beneath the sight of the public and the media, the organisation Vendicare operates as a truly international task force, taking on the jobs that governments and official bodies refuse to dirty their hands with. Highly trained, technologically advanced and militarily exceptional, billionaire Vincent Natalie runs a powerful organisation that affects the world on a grand scale.
Their latest mission, ‘Angel Faces’, will take them into the heart of hostile territory in Africa to face some of the most influential and feared terrorists of the modern era. But there could be far more at stake for the team on a personal level than they ever imagined…
As the group face the challenge of keeping order and peace on a global scale, will the weight of expectation prove too much for the men and women facing the ultimate responsibility?

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My thoughts

This book was sent to be free in exchange for an honest and fair opinion

 

 

When the 1st chapter ends and the 2nd chapter begins with 3 years later, you know at some point chapter 1 is going to come back and bit the protagonists in the ass, and this is the case in Scott Vincent’s Angel Faces.

The characters are well written but seem just a little bit too good to be true, but then they are the best in their field and head hunted for the jobs that they take on, these characters are likable but made me feel a little inadequate.

However, I do like the fact that the female characters employed in Vendicare are as strong as the men and are not going to run around screaming but gram a gun and put the boot in, so well done for Vincent writing some very strong yet still feminine female characters.

The plot is a good one Vendicare takes on jobs that world government’s do not want to take responsibility for, created and run by billionaire Vincent Natalie, Vendicare’s employees are the best and sourced from the SAS and Navy Seals among others. However, the plot line that gives the book it’s title ‘Angel Faces’ is over at around the halfway mark and the team go on to plan another operation that did not take place in this book but will I assume be in the next one..

Although it was a slow start, while the characters were introduced and the nature of what Vendicare does was explained, once the story picked up it kicked into high gear and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

I liked the majority of the characters but I found Jodie irritating, always wanting to take part in team operations even though she had no training, Vincent’s daughter Kerry seems the typical teenager, more interested in music and lazing around which kept a nice note of reality to the story.

The book ended on a cliff hanger and while I want to know what is going to happen with regards to this, it isn’t the sort of cliff hanger that means you need to read the next book if you don’t really want to.

 

What I liked –  The story was gripping

                 Strong female characters not just used for decoration

                Characters were will developed with their own personalities and quirks

                Very little romance, but what there was humanised the characters without         detracting from the main plot

 

What I didn’t like –    Very slow to get started

                        As soon as the book got going the title operation was dealt with and the author moved on to setting up the plot for the next installment.

 

Overall this was a good strong read and I will be picking up the next in the series when it comes out.

 3/5*

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The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Andrea Pryke

Published by Sphere

Date 8th November 2016

Synopsis

She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.

Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.

When her former handler offers her a way out, she realises it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires makes her situation even more dangerous.

Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.

In this tautly plotted novel, Stephenie Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialised skill set. And she shows once again why she’s one of the world’s bestselling authors.

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My thoughts

If you have any preconceived ideas about this book because it has been penned by the author of the Twilight series, please disregard them now.

The chemist is a gripping, fast-paced, action packed, excellently written thriller.

All the characters have well developed back stories which are revealed during the course of the story and are well defined and with their own personalities which both clash and compliment the other characters.

The Romance between Alexa and Daniel is well written and does not overshadow the seriousness of their situation, nor does it stop the action dead but actually helps with the plotline.

Daniel’s brother is tough yet protective of him and as a team, the three characters work extremely well together, despite their disagreements and initial distrust of each other.

The science depicted in the plot is scarily believable and Meyer conveys a sense of menace that the government – any government could be developing these kinds of truth and torture drugs.

A fantastic read for any thriller lover.

I gave this 5 out of 5*

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Bourbon Creams and Tattered Dreams by Mary Gibson

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Andrea Pryke

Published by Head of Zeus

12th January 2016.

Synopsis

Handsome Frank Rossi took Matty Gilbie away from her working class roots in Bermondsey, East London and promised her fame and fortune. In America, the Cockney Canary would become a movie star. As his wife, she would be half of a power couple, fêted and adored by all. But the Wall Street Crash of 1929 puts paid to all that, and as Frank becomes more violent and unstable, Matty flees in the dead of night.

Once home in Bermondsey, she goes into hiding and starts desperately looking for work. But only Peak Freans, the hated biscuit factory, is hiring staff. Then, as a secret from her past comes back to haunt her, Matty learns that Frank is on the move, determined to find her and get her back.

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My thoughts

This book was sent to be by Head of Zeus in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is a perfect comfort book. Mary Gibson’s beautifully written characters and prose come to life in your imagination. Her characterisations are both believable and true, with our main protagonist, Matty, being sympathetic while also human. As she comes to terms with the end of her film career and tries to run from the gangster boyfriend who controls her. That gangster, Frank Rossi, is suitably intimidating and frightening, but all of Matty’s friend rally round to help.

Set in 1930s Bermondsey, London, a time of job losses due to the great depression after the First World War and the slum housing conditions that were prevalent at the time, it could have been a depressing scenario of a young woman’s dreams, instead the book is filled with love, laughter and hope, and while the characters do have their share of misfortunes and tragedies, (this was a time when TB was rampant with no real cure, and antibiotics for other ailments hand not yet been invented.), what comes across in Gibson’s writing is something that is sadly missing in today’s modern, fast paced world – Community.

The Bermondsey of Gibson’s’ narrative has community and community spirit, something that would hold the Country together in the coming war years.

This is a place where you are not just Neighbours – you are family and family always comes first and sticks together no matter what. That community spirit comes over in spades.

A great plot with adventure, heartbreak, tragedy and romance, the instilled in me a sense of well-being that con only come from an author who knows her subject.

The book made me happy and sad, filled me with anticipation and fear for the mail characters, but more than anything it gave me a sense of being home.

And that home is the best and safest place to be.

I gave this book 5 out of 5*

 

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Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Andrea Pryke

Published by Little Brown Young Readers

27th October 2016

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story’s shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

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My thoughts

Dark and gory, this brilliantly written account of the haunt for Jack the Ripper is both gruesome and captivating at the same time., although the author changes the timeline slightly this does not impact on the quality of the storytelling. The characters are believable especially Audrey Rose, who feels trapped and stifled by societies expectations of her as a young lady of the times. Haunted by her mother’s death she years to learn about death and forensics and trains with her Uncle who is a surgeon and coroner who autopsies the victims of the Ripper, and this is how she becomes involved.

The locations of the Ripper murders are correct as are the order of each killing, some changes were made to location access particularly with regards to Dorset Street and Miller’s Court, the location of the murder of May Jane Kelly, the last of the Ripper’s victims, however this was so subtly done that I did not notice it and it did not spoilt the narrative and plot.

Maniscalco describes  the injuries inflicted on each of the victims in detail, and some of this information is pretty gory, especially that pertaining to Mary Jane Kelly. The murder of Elizabeth Stride as part of the Double event is mentioned only in passing and more detail is given to Catherine Eddowes.

This was so well written that I was only aware of the slight changes Maniscalco made at the end of the book, when she explained them in a note explaining why this was done .

 

An excellent book definitely worth picking up

4 out of 5*

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The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Andrea Pryke

Published by Random House

Synopsis

West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter.
Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara s farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that has weighty consequences when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished. In her search for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea’s diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother’s bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked into the historical mystery, she discovers that she s not the only person looking for someone that they’ve lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.

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My thoughts

Beautifully written but extremely creepy, Jennifer McMahon sets up the story beautifully as she lays out the background and story of the ‘sleepers’.

The way the story is told using Sara’s diary from the past and Ruthie in the present is very clever, a story of tragedy grief, loss and sacrifice, and explores what could happen if you could bring the dead back even if only for a little while.

This book has everything love loss and revenge, desperation leads Sara to try and bring her little girl back to life culminating in a brilliant yet twisted ending.

A dark horror story, perfect for cold, stormy winter evenings, you will be thinking of Sara and her daughter Gertie, long after you close the book, and Gertie’s fate and that of Ruthie will serve as a reminder that trying to bring the dead back to life is never a good idea

4 out of 5*

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2017 – A whole new year of books

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Andrea Pryke

Well here we are in a new year, I admit I have a lot of books to read and a lot of reviews to post, so you will be seeing a lot more content posted on the blog this year.

I will also still be making videos about books and posting them on Youtube.

I really wish that instead of working I could just stay at home and read all the books and write reviews, unfortunately if that happened I wouldn’t be able to buy more books, so I will carry on reading when I can and sharing my thoughts with you throughout the year.

Posted in Bookish Thoughts, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin

Posted on December 28, 2016 by Andrea Pryke

Synopsis

Throughout Westeros, the cold winds are rising.

From the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding lands of Winterfell, chaos reigns as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms stake their claims through tempest, turmoil and war.

As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky – a comet the colour of blood and flame – five factions struggle for control of a divided land. Brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night.

Against a backdrop of incest, fratricide, alchemy and murder, the price of glory is measured in blood

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My thoughts

I could not wait to get stuck into this, the 2nd book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, and although Martin has a propensity for killing off his characters, it really felt like I was visiting with old friends and I am glad to report that so far none of my favourites have been dispatched in an untimely and violent manner. (It probably won’t be long)

The characters are growing as we find out more about them and the fight for the Iron throne is heating up.

I do have my favourite characters as I am sure most people who read this series do, so far they have made it through but who knows what will happen to them next. So although my favourite characters are still intact so are my least – I hate Cersei and Joff and wish that someone would do them in once and for all.

Can’t wait to get the next book in the series and continue my journey with George RR Martin’s creation

 

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The Glasgow Coma Scale by Neil D A Stewart

Posted on December 15, 2016 by Andrea Pryke

Published by Corsair

17th July 2014

Synopsis

Lynne is a young woman who once dreamed of being an artist, but whose promotion to supervisor at a call-centre in Glasgow is sucking the soul out of her.

When Lynne hands a fiver to a homeless man on the street in town one day, she is shocked to recognise Angus – her former art teacher on whom she once had a crush. What on earth could have reduced him to life on the street? In a gesture of uncharacteristic rashness, she invites him home.

So begins The Glasgow Coma Scale. Set against the gentrification of Scotland’s second city, this is a taut, ticklish, tender and truly unexpected story of art, of the city, of feelings, and about the redemptive power of an unconventional kind of love.

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My thoughts

A slice from two people’s lives, formally they were pupil (Lynne) and art teacher (Angus), now the teacher is homeless and the pupil offers him a place to stay.

The writing style is very simple to read except for when the Scottish characters like Angus talk in a heavy Glaswegian accent, this accent may be correctly written but it is very difficult to understand the words, which distracted from the main story.

There isn’t much of plot  and the characters are not particularly likeable, both seem to be using each other to make themselves feel better about themselves, although there does appear to be some genuine affection between them.

In a way this book reminded me of a Harold Pinter play, lot’s of people talking, without much going on at all, the key with Pinter is that his plays only worked if performed by extremely strong actors, in a book there is no actor to carry the narration.

Unusually for this style of book there is no romance between the two main characters, which I actually liked, as men and women  can be friends without needing to have a fling. This was a nice touch but could not save the book from being a disappointment.

I gave this only 2 out of 5*

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Heartless by Merissa Meyer

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Andrea Pryke

Published by Feiwel and Friends

8th November  2016

Synopsis

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen. Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

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My thoughts

How did the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland become the Queen of Hearts?

Merissa Meyer’s Heartless tells us, Meyer is brilliant at retelling stories (The Lunar Chronicles anyone?) and she does it again with Heartless.

Meyer’s writing grips you from page 1 and you read the book constantly wondering how can the kind, wonderful, gorgeous Catherine becomes, well, heartless. A beautifully realised character we follow her as she fights her destiny to marry the King of Hearts and instead peruses her dream of opening a bakery. On the way she meets the Court Joker – Jest and they fall in love, Jest is another well written character and the romance between them throughout the book is so sweet and keeps you longing for a happy ending.

I read this book in two days, cheering in Jest and Catherine and hating her mother who thinks the best thing is for her daughter to be Queen.

We meet the wonderful characters of Wonderland, learn why the Hatter became made and how the Mock Turtle became the Mock Turtle., each character carrying their own secrets and hopes as the book hurtles towards its shocking but inevitable ending.

This book broke my heart, and not every story has a happy ending as Merissa Meyer proves in Heartless.

I gave Heartless 5 out of 5*

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