Infinite Blacktop by Sara Gran

We received this book fore free in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book was not well received by my book group. There are 8 in the group and only 4 of us finished it. The other 4 tried but decided that the book was so awful they weren’t going to waste their time.

The character of Clare de Witt was felt to be extremely unlikeable and seems to exist in total isolation.  We felt that in some ways that the book had an almost comic book feeling to it. We didn’t really get the relationship with her mentor.

The 3 plot lines made it difficult to follow and track what was happening. Interestingly the character of Clare seen over the three time periods showed little evolution or development. We felt that she was stuck at the unlikeable teen stage. This made following the plot of the story difficult as we had to keep checking the chapter headings to see which time period we were in.

We had to suspend disbelief about some of the crimes they didn’t seem to be believable and real.

We did wonder if reading the others in the series would have helped with the book but decided that life was too short to waste our time on this.

We were all surprised by the glowing reviews on the various websites and wondered what we had been missing but decided that 8 people had read or tired to read it and not one of us liked it. We found the book to be disappointing and unnecessary.

We would not recommend this book to anyone or to another book group.

This was viewed as one of the worst books we had read as part of our book group an unfortunately not one person was able to say something positive about this title!

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Summer reading

A week in Spain has given me a chance to catch up on my reading especially the pre-pub books that I have on my e-reader from Netgalley. The only problem being that most have now been published! Apologies for this but work and home life have got in the way of my reading. As things appear to be settling down on those fronts now (wait for A levels now over - and one child off to uni, just the wait for GCSEs now) I have an opportunity to catch up on my reviews.

Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

The latest addition to the Princess Diaries  series and Mia is now a fully fledged adult balancing work commitments, royal duties, boyfriend, stalker and friend issues. Her father appears to be having a mid-life crisis, her mother is coming to terms with bereavement and a family secret is about to be unearthed - how is a princess supposed to cope? Coupled with this there is a wedding to plan.
The book races along and there is not much chance to develop some of the plot lines or characters. I was expecting more humour and the stalker plotline was never really developed properly or explained in my view.
 This book is apparently aimed at the readers who grew up reading Princess Diaries and I wouldn't recommend it to younger readers (11 or younger) as there are plenty of references to sex in the story. I think the readers who grew up on these books would want a book with more depth and development of plot and character.

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows

I was really excited to get this as The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society which the author co-wrote is one of my favourite books.
Set in 1930s America, Layla Beck arrives in a sleepy Virginia town to write a history of the town for its 150 anniversary. Layla has been cut-off by her wealthy family due to her refusal to marry the 'right sort of man' picked out by her family. Arriving penniless she is taken in by the Romeyn family a once noted family in the town. As Layla begins her investigation in the history of the town secrets start to become unearthed and many in the town would prefer to remain hidden.

Willa the 12 year daughter is drawn to Layla and the stories she unearths, but her childlike view of her family puts everything she holds dear at risk, The story is very much about a child starting to realise that the world is far more complicated  than you first realise. Growing up means recognising that those you love are not always as perfect as you think. The Romeyn family in all their southern eccentricity are a great comic element in the story but there is a tragic side to them as well.

I enjoyed this book but I have to admit I think The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society is better

 

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

 As a Librarian how could I not be drawn to a book about the power of books and reading?
 I enjoyed this book about Sara arriving in Iowa from Sweden to visit her penfriend on the day of her funeral. The small town almost as broken as it's name take pity on her and takes her in whilst she works out what to do next. The next involves opening a bookshop and so the transformation of the town and its residents begins.

I know it sounds stereotypical and it is - small town characters that have appeared in other books, I can definitely see the influence of Fannie Flagg in this book but it is an enjoyable read. You may have to suspend belief at times but the author's love of books and reading comes across in this story.

It is true finding the right book for the right person at the right time can change a life, it is hard to believe that that is true but I've seen it myself. The right book at the right time can turn a non-reader into a reader or help someone through a difficult time .

This is a summer read that you never know may change your life!

The Liar by Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts is on top from with the latest title. Shelby's life falls apart after the sudden death of her husband reveals the life that she has come to expect has been built on a tissue of lies.Trying to rebuild a life for herself and her daughter she returns to her home in the Smoky Mountains, In usual Roberts style not everything is what it seems and soon unexplained and suspicious events start to happen impacting on Shelby, her family & her new love interest.  Shelby starts to dig into her husband's past to try and find out people are being murdered around her she discovers a man she never knew, he is in stark contrast to the new man in Shelby's life. Roberts seems to equate good men with those who are hardworking and practical, something Shelby discovers her late husband was anything but.

Nora Roberts romantic thrillers are pure escapism and do follow a predictable formula but that doesn't stop them from being a good read. The premise of this novel is much better than the previous one The Collector which was slightly questionable as the heroine enjoyed spying on other people with her binoculars.

Nora Roberts depiction of strong women is a particular strength of hers and there a three generations of them in this novel - all Southern women - all steel magnolias. She doesn't equate being strong with being mean though; kindness, good manners respect and  loyalty are all important elements of strength and all lauded by Roberts.

The only negative I have is not directed at this book in particular. I have read most of Nora Roberts books over the years and really enjoyed them but I have to admit I am starting to find her use of one particular word is starting to grate - how many times can pretty be used as an adjective? Apart from that one small gripe this is Nora Roberts on top form - a great escapist read!

I received this book from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review

Of Irish Blood

Of Irish Blood by Mary Pat Kelly has a long story arc starting in early 20th century Chicago and moving to pre-WW1 Paris, on through the trenches and hospitals of war-torn France, and then on to Ireland and the stormy period after the Easter Rising, through the Anglo-Irish War and then the Civil War.

The book is based on the life of the author's aunt and it was certainly eventful. Nora Kelly is a strong believable character who sees the best in people and this often leads her down difficult and dangerous paths. She is swept along on the romance of Ireland painted by Yeats and Maud Gonne amongst others but doesn't always understand the nuances of politics. .


Nora discovers a whole hidden part of Paris when she stumbles across the Irish College and meets the students, priest and lecturers. One in particular shapes her life and future direction and the romance and tragedy of their relationship frames the plot.

The main drawback I felt was that the author was trying to show off her knowledge of famous characters who lived in Paris during the early 20th century: Chanel, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scot Fitzgerald, Matisse and many more pass fleetingly across the story without really moving it on. Other historical figures are key: Maud Gonne in particular, and these add to the flavour and plot.

If you like big sagas grounded in history this is the book for you!

I received this copy free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.