Tag: Book Blogger

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Fiction Romance

An Accidental Life, Chelsea Cannon

Margaret Wilcox dreams of studying literature at college but with disapproving parents, who refuse to pay for a course which they believe has no purpose, Margaret’s aspirations for college are short-lived. When William Hill asks Margaret to marry him at the age of seventeen Margaret says yes as she doesn’t see an alternative life. William’s job allows her to stay at home, giving her time to read, and she remains a home maker and brings up their two children Michael and Emily.

Fast forward 15 years, and an opportunity arises for a screenwriting course. Margaret is desperate to sign up but the class is full. However, an opportunity arises which allows Margaret to sit the course, but it involves the need for her to live a double life. We all know lies don’t last forever and always have consequences- but what does this mean for Margaret?

At first I wasn’t sure what to make of this book! I loved it and hated it all at the same time! It was an easy, light read but also predictable and unrealistic. I found that the novel touched upon some great themes such as identity, being true to oneself and following our own passions in life, but I think the lack of depth let it down. There were areas where not enough attention was given to and the story seemed to skip out important bits, such as when Charles was born, what were William’s reactions at the time? And many other questions which I won’t state as I don’t want to give away spoilers.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of An Accidental Life in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Fiction Historical Fiction Romance

A Ration Book Wedding, Jean Fullerton

Until I read ‘The Surplus Girls’ a few months ago, this had never been my usual genre of book to read. However, I seem to have grown a new love for historical fiction which was why I was keen to read ‘A Ration Book Wedding’.

Set in 1942, during The Blitz, Francesca Fabrino’s mind is occupied by Charlie Brogan, her best friend’s brother, who she has been in love with forever. Charlie, who is currently serving in North Africa, is already married to Stella, who has a questionable reputation.  

When Francesca begins a job as a translator for the BBC Overseas department, she meets Count Leonardo D’Angelo, who quickly falls for her but where does this leave Francesca’s feelings for Charlie?

‘A Ration Book Wedding’ was beautifully written. I felt like I got to know each and every character and was able to see the world through their eyes and feel the emotions they felt, and the descriptions of the era were depicted very well. With being new to this genre, I have not read the other books in The Ration Book series however this did not seem to be a problem and the book read fine as a stand alone. However, I am keen to read the rest of the series by Jean Fullerton.

Categories
Non Fiction Self help

Attention! Rob Hatch

‘Attention!’ is a guide for how we can reclaim power and make simple decisions in a world full of endless distractions. With information available to us at the tip of our fingertips and more choices available to us than ever before it is no wonder anxiety levels are extremely high. In fact, sometimes all this information and choices almost paralyses us as we feel inhibited to make simple decisions, which are best for ourselves in terms of happiness and success. As a result, Rob teaches us approaches to reclaim power so that we can confidently make decisions which are aligned with our wants and needs.

Throughout this book many topics are touched upon including how to ‘put success in your way’, how we can reduce decision fatigue and many tips to avoid getting distracted. In a period where working from home has become the new norm, I found the latter particularly helpful. For example, just one tip Rob suggests is how when he is working, he keeps a blank piece of paper on his desk so that if anything pops into his head he writes it down without allowing it to distract him from his work. I for one, often remember I need to pay a bill, order something online or make a phone call mid work, and that distraction takes me out of my focus zone. I often let these thoughts distract me as I fear I will forget to do it later, however by writing it down Rob knows he will remember to go back to it later without losing focus of his work. This was just one of many things I related to and have vowed to implement many of the practices Rob talks about in my own life.

Overall, a great guide and lots to take from it! Whilst, it could be argued that a lot of Rob’s ideas are not new and you may have heard them in some form before, it goes without saying that this book was full of brilliant reminders and certainly could not have come at a better time.

Categories
Fiction

We Begin At The End, Chris Whitaker

Based in Cape Haven, a small town in America, We Begin At The End starts by setting the scene of an event which happened 30 years ago. Sissy Radley’s body was discovered and Vincent King was charged and sent to prison for her murder. Move forward to the present day and Vincent King is about to be released. His childhood friend, now Chief Walker, the one who found the body, is the only one happy to see him released.

The story switches between Chief Walker and Duchess Day Radley, a 13 year old doing her best to look out for her troubled mother, Star (who is the older sister of Sissy and was the girlfriend of Vincent at the time of the murder), and six year old brother, Robin. In order to deal with adversity Duchess refers to herself as an outlaw throughout the book, imagining that she is of a persona which is to be feared. Unfortunately, despite always having good intentions, Duchess’ actions lead to a series of events which threaten all their lives.

Whilst, in parts I found this book a bit slow burning (compared to my usual reading material) I really admired the way Chris Whitaker bought the characters to life. I felt particularly invested in Duchess as you cannot help but feel for the amount of weight on her shoulders at such a young age, yet the strength she shows and the determination she has to carry on.

Overall, this book takes you on a journey with the characters. You experience their broken lives, their battles to survive and the lengths they will go to protect their family.

Categories
Fiction

A Good Father, Catherine Talbot

A Good Father is told from the perspective of Des, who lives with his wife Jenny and their 3 children. The book flicks between the past and the present day and Des is, as the title of the book suggests, A Good Father. However, Des also struggles with control, jealousy and obsession, which we see unwind throughout the tale.

From a psychological element I thought Des was an interesting character, I never knew whether to hate him or to feel sorry for him. I found that Catherine Talbot demonstrated Des’ complexities very well. However, I would have loved to have either delved more into Des’ past to try and understand how and why his personality was moulded that way, or to hear from Jenny to try and understand Des’ character from her point of view.

Overall, despite some parts of the book being slow I thought this was a decent psychological read and good for a debut novel.

I would like to thank Net-Galley and Penguin Books UK for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.