Review: Waiting for Doggo by Mark B. Mills

Waiting for Doggo by Mark B. Mills

Publisher: Headline Review

Release date: 20 November 2014

Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: One man. One dog. One big love. The perfect novel for anyone who loves MARLEY AND ME, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE or ONE DAY. No-one ever called Dan a pushover. But then no-one ever called him fast-track either. He likes driving slowly, playing Sudoku on his iPhone, swapping one scruffy jumper for another. He's been with Clara for four years and he's been perfectly happy; but now she's left him, leaving nothing but a long letter filled with incriminations and a small, white, almost hairless dog, named Doggo. So now Dan is single, a man without any kind of partner whether working or in love. He's just one reluctant dog owner. Find a new home for him, that's the plan. Come on...everyone knows the old adage about the best laid plans and besides, Doggo is one special kind of a four legged friend...and an inspiration.

I have a confession to make, I've never read a Mark B. Mills novel before, but if 'Doggo' is anything to go by, I wish I had, so whilst you read this, I'm off to look up his back catalogue ;)

Waiting for Doggo is a heart warming tale about a small white ugly (the author's words not mine!) dog called Doggo and his owner Dan, who at the beginning of the novel is dumped, by letter. If that's not heartless enough, Doggo doesn't actually belong to Dan, and was recently rescued from Battersea by Clara, Dan's now ex.

The thing is with Doggo, him and Dan don't get along, he was Clara's to look after, and now she has left them both high and dry. Doggo without an owner and Dan without a partner.

Still, things could be looking up, as much as Dan's mates don't like to say 'I told you so' about Clara - they all did. He is better off out of the relationship and after a false start with Doggo, where he fails to return him to Battersea, the pair begin to build a proper dog-owner relationship.

So much so, that when Dan is offered an exciting new job, he only accepts on the condition that Doggo can come to work with him. At the time this is purely down to logistics (no one home during the day to look after Doggo) rather than any loyalty towards Doggo.

But things are about to change.

Throw in a Clara's sister, a hot work colleague, the mystery of Doggo's previous life and his fascination with all things Jennifer Anniston... and you have a compelling tale of man, and man's best friend.

Waiting for Doggo is one of my favourite reads so far this year, and I really want a Doggo of my own!
 

 Waiting for Doggo is available to buy now from Headline, Amazon and all good book shops.

 

 
Huge thank you to the publishers who sent me a proof copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review: A Place For Us by Harriet Evans

A Place For Us by Harriet Evans
Publisher: Headline Review
Release date: 15 January 2015
Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: The day Martha Winter set in motion the chain of events that would tear apart her own family began like any other… Siblings Bill, Florence and Daisy Winter are alarmed when they receive an invitation to their mother’s 80th birthday party. It’s this line that worries them: ‘There will be an important announcement’. What on earth has their mother planned now? Life’s hard enough as it is without anything else to upset the applecart. Florence will have to make a special trip back home – she ran away to Italy almost twenty years ago, and buried herself in her history of art studies in order to forget her troublesome family. It’s not been so easy for Bill. He’s stayed close to his parents, like the good son he is. As the trusted village doctor, he is loved by all, his wife excepted. She’s playing away… And what of Daisy? No-one dares speak of her... contd... 


A Place For Us is a novel that I was alerted to (very kindly) by it's publishers, Headline Review. I was invited to read 'Part One' via netgalley back in July, and from the first page I was hooked. I initially read all four parts of the serialisation separately and then went back (in between other reads) to read it all as one novel so that I could recall certain parts to ensure my review was fair, but it works well as either a full novel or serialisation as the characters and plot line are so well written.

 Part One - Martha Winter is about to turn Eighty, an occasion which she wants (understandably) to celebrate with the rest of her family. Most of her family members however are no longer local to Winterfold, the Winter residence, and so Martha has to send invitations for her party far and wide. Invitations that include a promise that a special announcement will be made. The invitations are received with mixed reactions and each family member is introduced to us in turn, chapter by chapter as we learn their reaction. The family itself seems complex, each of them harbouring their own secrets as they try to fathom what Martha's announcement could be. Part One ends with a cliffhanger that will leave you impatient to begin Part Two...

Part Two - Having been introduced to the Winter family in Part One, Part Two sees the arrival of family members at Winterfold in preparation for Martha's Birthday party. For some members of the family this goes less smoothly than others, and we see some awkward introductions made that shape future relationships/friendships in the novel. Part Two continues with the story being told from a different characters viewpoint and this helps us to get to know the characters that little bit better. Most of the characters are likeable but each has their own quirk that will delight or frustrate. Martha I think has the unique ability to do both, particularly when she delivers her revelation, only for it to have devastating consequences for one family member.

Part Three - The fall out from Martha's revelation and the devastating event that occurred at the party is the dominating theme in Part Three of A Place For Us. Here we find it's characters true strengths and this part in particular for me was where the serialisation really gathered momentum. We see who is able to cope with the revelations and who is less able. But will they return to the heart of the family, Martha and the beautiful Winterfold, or will they continue to stay away? Part Three is where the characters relationships with each other are really explored and some secrets that have been kept for decades are slowly exposed as we begin reasons behind certain behaviours.

Part Four - is all about picking up the pieces and tying up the loose ends of the novel. Those friendships/relationships that we have questioned throughout are either cemented or broken. But will the family ever be together as one again, or has Martha shattered everything? Part Four for me was a satisfying conclusion, and whilst I don't want to give too much away in my review, I would urge anyone reading this to pre-order a copy and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.

As an aside, I think A Place For Us would make for a wonderful film or TV series, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

A Place For Us is available to pre-order now from the publishers Headline and Amazon online or you can also buy Parts 1 -4 of the serialisation via the above methods..

    A huge thank you to Headline for approving each part via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Written In The Blood by Stephen Lloyd Jones

Written In The Blood by Stephen Lloyd Jones
Publisher: Headline
Release date: 6 November 2014
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: High in the mountains of the Swiss Alps Leah Wilde is about to gamble her life to bring a powerful man an offer. A promise. Leah has heard the dark stories about him and knows she is walking into the lion's den. But her options are running out. Her rare lineage, kept secret for years, is under terrible threat. That is, unless Leah and her mother Hannah are prepared to join up with their once deadly enemies. Should the prey ever trust the predator? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Now I'm not normally one for reading supernatural type thrillers, but I am glad I made an exception for Written In The Blood as it is a beautifully written novel.

Leah Wilde our main protagonist is young, but determined. Determined to help her people in any way that she can, putting herself in immense danger for the sake of others.

'Written In The Blood' I'm told is a sequel to a novel called 'The String Diaries' which I haven't read, but I found myself getting in to 'Written In The Blood' with no trouble. 

 

Others have said that you should read 'The String Diaries' first, but having not done so didn't detract from my enjoyment of 'Written In The Blood'.

That said, it is a book that requires concentration, otherwise you will not have a clue what is going on... To be fair it is one of those sorts of novels anyway where you have no idea what's going to happen next, but for me that was part of its charm!

 

I don't want to give any of the plot away because this is truly a book that you have to read yourself to appreciate, and I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone.

With a beautiful setting in the Swiss Alps and some truly wonderful characters 'Written In The Blood would make an excellent film' and I look forward to seeing if there is going to be a sequel.

 

Written In The Blood is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

 

    Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes

The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes
Publisher: Penguin Books UK (Michael Joseph)
Release date: 07 November 2014
Rating: ***

Back cover blurb: 'Okay, I'll write my introduction. 'Name: Stella Sweeney. Height: average. Recent life events: dramatic.' Stella Sweeney is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life with her husband Ryan and their two teenage kids in Dublin. She works with - or really for - her terrifyingly ambitious sister Karen in their beauty salon. Nothing to get excited about here. Nothing to make her particularly unhappy. Or happy... No-one would be interested in stealing her life. But then things started to happen... One day, Stella, attempting a good deed, causes a little car accident and faces down a bad tempered, handsome stranger. She hardly gives it much of a thought. But karma is hovering, and is about to take over, swoop in and change Stella's life for ever. For better or worse. Suddenly Stella has a life. A thrilling glamorous one. A life that other people might start to covet...

So here's the thing, I really like Marian Keyes and I've read many of her previous novels. However I'm really disappointed to say that this one just didn't do it for me. Maybe it's because I've recently been ill and my concentration levels might not be great, or maybe it just didn't have Marian's usual magic.

The Woman Who Stole My Life is a novel about, well just that, however although it is hinted at quite a lot through the novel, the actual 'stealing' doesn't happen until quite near the end, and maybe that's why I didn't love it. I felt like I was always waiting for something to happen.

In fact I even questioned at one point whether the title was an accurate one because although I could see what was going to happen, it didn't seem to come any closer to happening the further I read. Indeed, events could still have followed a similar pattern even without the help of the 'stealer' due to Stella's own personality and experiences.

Stella herself our main protagonist has undoubtedly been through a lot in her life, including the contraction of a rare disease. Upon her recovery Stella is given the opportunity to promote 'her' book of sayings etc that she communicated by blinking whilst unable to speak. The self-help book is set to be the next big thing and Stella swept up in everything moves to the States with her two children and her new boyfriend, leaving her ex-husband and family with mixed opinions about her future 'career'.

Stella is quickly integrated in a luxurious lifestyle that many would envy and begins work on her second novel to keep her publisher and publicist happy. Struggling to cope, she enlists the help of her new personal trainer Gilda, never believing that she would betray her....

Back in Dublin Stella begins to reflect on her past, and what might happen in her future, consequently the novel could get a little confusing for some, and does require a little concentration. Personally and sadly it wasn't really my cup of tea. I didn't feel particularly engaged with any of the characters and the story seemed to take a long time to get going, but this is only my opinion and I am sure there will be others who will love it.

The Woman Who Stole My Life is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

      Thank you to the publishers who approved my request in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Soundtrack To My Life by Dermot O'Leary

The Soundtrack To My Life by Dermot O'Leary
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release date: 09 October 2014
Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: Dermot O'Leary has always loved music. Throughout his life and career, music has been a constant companion, best friend, confidant and at times, tormentor. The Soundtrack to My Life is Dermot's personal memoir of a life in music told through the songs that were playing at key moments in his life. With a wonderful gift for storytelling, Dermot describes his journey from a childhood in Colchester with his Irish family, to some of the biggest jobs in TV and radio in the UK. It's a story which is accompanied, in every scene, by music. Dermot would be the first to admit, they are not all great songs. This isn't Desert Island Discs; the songs chose him, not the other way round. Dermot went to his first gig at the age of nine, and saw Irish troubadour Brendan Shine, he roller-skated to Baby I Can't Wait by Nu Shooz and got his first job in TV while ..... Contd.

Dermot O'Leary is a man that many of us feel we know, he has been in our lives consistently throughout the last fifteen years at least, from Big Brother's Little Brother through to the mighty X Factor. But of course, we don't really know him, we just think we do.

The Soundtrack To My Life is a chance to get to know Dermot a little better through the medium of music. 

Each of the book's chapters is based on a particular song, a suggested listen (sometimes helpfully accompanied by a you tube video) and what that song means to Dermot.

It could be a song he grew up with (some interesting Irish choices), a song that was prominent in his teenage years (Mr. O'Leary I salute your taste in Music; Morrisey, the Smith AND The Housemartins!!!!) or a song that was playing when he started his career in television (I won't spoil the surprise for those that haven't yet read!).

Dermot writes well, his book is engaging, warm and funny. Much like the man himself. You will find yourself reading it in his voice and laughing out loud at some points along the way. 

The Soundtrack To My Life is a book that you will find difficult to put down and a brilliant insight in to the life of a man who has become as much of a 'National Treasure' as the shows he has presented.

Dermot and I have never actually met properly, and there is no way on this earth that he could be expected to remember every single person who auditions for the XF, but from what I have seen, he always comes across as a thoroughly lovely bloke. Something that comes across well in this book.

'Soundtrack' is a brilliant book that will engage any reader and not just fans of Big Brother or the X Factor. A big Thank You from me Dermot for writing such a fab book!

The Soundtrack To My Life is available to buy from Amazon online and all good book shops.

Review: Malice by Keigo Higashino

Malice by Keigo Higashino

Publisher: Little Brown UK

Release date: 9 October 2014

Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: Acclaimed bestselling novelist Kunihiko Hidaka is brutally murdered in his home on the night before he's planning to leave Japan and relocate to Vancouver. His body is found in his office, in a locked room, within his locked house, by his wife and his best friend, both of whom have rock solid alibis. Or so it seems. Police Detective Kyochiro Kaga recognizes Hidaka's best friend from years ago when they were both teachers. Kaga went on to join the police force while Nonoguchi became a full-time writer, though with not nearly the success of his friend Hidaka. When Kaga suspects something is a little bit off with Nonoguchi's statement, he investigates further, ultimately executing a search warrant on Nonoguchi's apartment. There he finds evidence that shows that the two writers' relationship was very different than they claimed... 

There is something about Japanese fiction that I absolutely adore, add in a sprinkle of crime/detective novel, and you have a fan for life.

Keigo Higashino is one of Japan's most successful and well-read authors and it's not difficult to see why.

Malice is a novel that could actually appeal to any reader, not just fans of Crime and/or Japanese fiction.

Having said that Crime fans particularly will adore this novel, Keigo's is a fresh approach to the familiar world of the crime novel. The writing is clever and intricate and will keep you guessing until the very last chapters.

If you are looking for a 'quick' read, then you might be disappointed, as with most translations it requires concentration, but it is worth taking the extra time in my opinion.

Malice opens with Osamu Nonoguchi seeing off his best friend's emigration to Canada, but something is not right and Nonoguchi returns later that evening to find that his friend, best selling author Kunihiko Hidaka has been brutally murdered.

Detective Kaga is soon on the case and is certain he has a suspect, but is unsure of the killer's motive. What follows is a complex tale of mystery, intrigue and at times confusion, with Kaga under pressure to bring the killer to justice. 

Malice will keep you engrossed as a reader until the bitter end and yearning to read more by Higashino.

Malice is available to buy online and from all good book shops.

    Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: If I Knew You Were Going To Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go by Judy Chicurel

If I Knew You Were Going To Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go by Judy Chicurel
Publisher: Tinder Press
Release date: 30 October 2014
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: Katie and her young friends face a changing world, with prospects very different from those presented to their parents. The Vietnam War seems pointless to many but has devastated lives that remain broken even after the fighting is over. As, with bitter-sweet humour, the characters' experiences unfold, daily events mirror bigger issues: an illegal abortion is plotted; the town is sinking into an economic abyss forcing Katie's friends to leave in search of more promising horizons; drugs claim the lives of those often too high to recognise the danger until it is too late; and Katie dreams of a boy back from 'Nam who's still fighting a battle she doesn't understand. 

Ever since I saw the front cover (and epic title) of this novel on Twitter, I knew it was a novel that I just had to read.

#ThisBeautiful - to use the publishers Twitter abbreviation is a beautifully written tale of 1970s America.

Told to us through the eyes of Katie; a young woman about to finish High School with the rest of her life ahead of her.

Residing in Elephant Beach, a fictional Long Island town, Katie and the rest of her friends are eager to spend one 'last' summer together, before they truly settle into adulthood. And this summer is spent, in the way that many teenagers summer's are, by drinking too much, smoking too much and having (unprotected) sex with people that probably you shouldn't.

At times they appear oblivious to the ever changing world around them, but we must remember that they are teenagers and largely uninterested in the economic state of their home town. Many of Katie's friends are eager to leave Elephant Beach, but Katie herself is comfortable where she is, and more importantly comfortable with who she is, although she herself wouldn't see this.

Yet there is only one thing that Katie truly yearns for, that seems unobtainable to her, and that is Luke, a former student at her High School and a Vietnam 'veteran'.

The Vietnam war and it's survivors feature prominently and there are also other major life issues dealt with in #ThisBeautiful and all of them are written beautifully and tackled sensitively. 

If I Knew You Were Going To Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

    Many thanks to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Confessions of a Qantas Flight Attendant by Owen Beddall

Confessions of a Qantas flight attendant by Owen Beddall
Publisher: Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Release date: 1 July 2014
Rating: *****
Back cover blurb: Want to know what really goes on on an aeroplane? Let's go behind the scenes and fly high with these tall tales and gossip from the galley! Everyone wants to be a flight attendant, or at least they want to know about the cushy lifestyle they lead - flying to exotic destinations, swanning about in five-star hotels, daytime lazing around the pool and night-time tabletop dancing with Bollywood stars. At last the lid is lifted. Come on board a real airline with a real flight attendant and find out what really goes on. In Confessions of a Qantas Flight Attendant - True Tales and Gossip from the Galley, Owen Beddall dishes the dirt - he tells you the things you always wanted to know (and maybe a few things you didn't) about the glamorous world of flying. This book is packed with cabin crew adventures and misadventures contd...

Ladies and Gentleman, please fasten your seatbelts, you are in for a bumpy ride...

I'm sorry, I know it's a terrible cliche to start a review about a flight attendant with a faux passenger annoucment, but I just couldn't help myself.

Ever wondered what it's like to be a flight attendant? Well if you want a 'warts and all' account then Owen Beddall is definitely your man!!

I have always personally had a strange fascination with all things airplane, and used to want to be a flight attendant myself many years ago, before I realised that I was too short, too clumsy, and would probably just piss the passengers off!

Owen though is a natural flight attendant, if there were such a thing.

He is also a natural story-teller, his accounts are truthful, hilarious and in parts down right heart-breaking. He battles with jet-lag, serious illness and betrayal in a way that most of us could never manage.

Flying for a living is certainly not an easy (or glamorous) job and Owen is put through some testing times during his many years service with Qantas.

I have to say had I ever flown Qantas I would definitely have wanted him for my flight attendant...

Confessions of a Qantas Flight Attendant is available now from Amazon online.

 

Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.