Musings of a Middle-aged Mum

Monday 6 February 2023

On The Other Side series by Denise Grover Swank

On The Other Side is a two book series by Denise Grover Swank, called Here and There.

The blurb says:

Sixteen-year-old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months.

When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.

Julia is a 16yo school kid who hates her life. Six months ago she was in a car crash with her late best friend, and now she just wants to be left alone. School is doing nothing for her, she's failing all her classes because she cannot see the point anymore, so she is given an ultimatum - have a tutor and catch up or leave for remedial school.

Evan is the most popular boy at school, and he volunteers to tutor Julia. As they become close, it appears that they were destined to be together after some unexplained coincidences. However, all is not as it seems. As the police start to chase Evan, he wants to know if Julia will trust him and come home with him.

I read both these books in a couple of days, so it makes sense for me to review them together.

As always, these are really well written by Swank. I've read a fair few of her books now, and I always look forward to reading them as I get totally immersed into the new worlds. This book isn't as hard hitting as some YA that I've read - there's no sex, no swearing and mild violence - but that doesn't make it less enjoyable. As I was reading through, I kept wanting to discover what was next for our heroes.

The ending of the second book allows for scope for future books, though I think the author has done well to leave it there. If you enjoy sci fi, and enjoy these books, you may also enjoy the classic 90s TV series, Sliders.

Friday 13 January 2023

The Cat who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa

The Cat who Saved Books was chosen by my Book Club, and it is a really sweet read.

The blurb says:

"Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.
After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone . . ."

Rintaro is a boy who lived with his grandfather and spent many hours in the bookshop, reading and helping the loyal customers. After the death of the grandfather, Rintaro turns inwards even more and even stops going to school, thinking nobody would miss him. A relative comes to help sort things out and prepares Rintaro for leaving the bookshop and going to live with her. Before Rintaro can close the shop and leave, he meets a talking cat who needs help with rescuing books from their current sad fates.

This is not the type of book I would have chosen myself, but it was really engaging. Even though I read it after translation to English, the translator kept some of the Japanese words, which helped the book remain in the setting it should. I liked the development of the character of Rintaro as the book progresses, and seeing how he deals with his grief. There are only a few characters in this book, and they all add something to the story. The ending, too, was fitting to the story and I came away very glad that I had read it.

I'd say this book is suitable for any age. I can imagine a child from 7upwards enjoying being read this book, and from 10+ enjoying reading it themselves. As a 40yo woman I enjoyed it too. A short, sweet story.

Wednesday 11 January 2023

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

A friend lent this book to me last year. As it's a paperbook, I had it on pause for a long while. I tend to read kindle books, as I find it more comfortable reading the kindle when lying down, than lying with a book. Not only that, I can carry multiple electronic books around with me, without needing a ginormous rucksack! I do read paper books when I'm in the car, however. Assuming it's light enough to read, that is, I always have a paper book with me in case, God forbid, my kindle runs out of charge and I have nothing to read! A different friend lends me various (paper book) biographies to read, so I had to wait until I finished that book, before slipping this fiction inbetween Joe Lycett (read) and Jo Brand (to read).

I started reading this book in the car, whilst picking up my girls from school, and I was hooked from almost the first page. As such, when I got home, rather than leaving it in the car as I normally would, I took it out and read it all evening until it was finished. I couldn't put it down.

The blurb for The Kiss Quotient says:

"A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

It's high time for Stella Lane to settle down and find a husband - or so her mother tells her. This is no easy task for a wealthy, successful woman like Stella, who also happens to have Asperger's. Analyzing data is easy; handling the awkwardness of one-on-one dates is hard. To overcome her lack of dating experience, Stella decides to hire a male escort to teach her how to be a good girlfriend.

Faced with mounting bills, Michael decides to use his good looks and charm to make extra cash on the side. He has a very firm no repeat customer policy, but he's tempted to bend that rule when Stella approaches him with an unconventional proposal.

The more time they spend together, the harder Michael falls for this disarming woman with a beautiful mind, and Stella discovers that love defies logic."

This book is simply amazing. You can tell the author is autistic as the protagonist's portrayal is spot on. I'm not one to get emotional at books (admittedly I don't often read "harrowing" books, unlike my sister who actively chooses them, but then can only read 1 chapter at a time as it's too emotionally intense), but this is the first book I have cried at. I don't want to give too much away, but there is a scene in the middle of the book where Stella meets Michael's family for dinner, and it is painful reading because it is so close to home.

The book itself is really sweet. It's not suitable for young teens, as it does describe sex in detail, but it is not tacky <cough>50 shades<cough> at all. It fits in with the story and the trusting, but logical, nature of Stella. It's a book about what sex should be (note, I'm not saying that it should be with a male escort, lol): consensual, sensual, erotic and enjoyed.

Highly recommend.

Monday 9 January 2023

Joined a Book Club!

I have recently joined a book club. And I do mean recently! Though I joined the online group (to find out what to read) at the end of last year, yesterday was the first meeting that I could attend.

We meet monthly, reading 2 books each month, and meet in the local pub to discuss and chat. This is right up my alley! December's books (which I will get around to reviewing eventually) were The Christmas Bookshop and Falling, both of which were a really good read in their respective genres.

This month we are going to read Pride and Prejudice (which I have already read and probably won't reread, tbh), and The Cat Who Saved Books. I like that I am reading books that I probably would not have picked up and chosen to read, and also that I have some accountability (as well as some adult time in the pub!). It's wet and windy here, so I'm driving there, but in the summer, I look forward to walking and enjoying a beer or two whilst talking about books.

This is also the perfect time for me to remind you that I'm on Goodreads and StoryGraph as Musings of a Middle-aged Mum, in case you wanted to follow me there too.

Friday 6 January 2023

Conjure The Storm Boxset by Rachel Redding

Conjure the Storm is one of the boxsets I bought to read whilst my eldest was in hospital for her heart surgery.

The blurb says:

Witches? Magic?
Secret organizations that have existed for hundreds of years?
It's all just fairy tales, right?
Or is it?
In this captivating Urban Fantasy serial, we're swept into the world of Catrin Geddings. Catrin is just an ordinary girl. An ordinary girl whose thoughts can sometimes stop the rain or move the clouds. Nothing extravagant, just something she does. Or so she thinks.
Until a strange man shows up in a coffee shop. A stranger that belongs to a secret organization she's never heard of, that's out to see her dead.
Catrin's mother, a respected Druid, finally reveals the source of Catrin's powers to her. And where she must go to hone those powers to protect herself and everyone she holds dear.
Can a simple girl from the border of Wales and England become strong enough to go against a powerful secret organization?
Will Catrin be able to consciously control powers she's been using without even thinking? Or will she and her family become the next victims of the evil Vanators.
Be swept away into this fascinating world where myth and reality mingle into fantasy. Or is it?

Catrin is a Welsh young adult who discovers that there is a secret organisation or Vanators after her due to her abilities. Whilst she is aware of witchcraft, her mother is a druid after all, up until now, it is not something she has been interested in. Catrin, however, gets thrown in the deepend and moves, with her best friend Roxy, to live with relatives in America who hope to teach her how to control her abilities and protect herself, with the ultimate aim of ending the feud with the Vanators.

This book is aimed at YA audience, and I think they'd find it more amazing than I did. That's not to say I didn't like it, on the contrary I liked the storyline, which was predictable in an easy-to-read way, and at the end of each 'book' within the boxset, I wanted to continue to find out what happened next.

What I disliked about it, and these are probably just petty things, so feel free to ignore:
- that is was separate books - this is totally unnecessary, imo, and had I just the first book, I probably wouldn't have bought the rest of the series, which would have been a shame since I did enjoy the story.
- the (im)maturity of the writing. I've tried (admittedly very briefly) to find information about the author, but couldn't find anything. If this were a first novel set, then I will take back this criticism, because I certainly couldn't do better! I, however, would have prefered the writing to be a bit richer and a bit deeper. It all seemed superficial, but again, that could be because it's targetted to the YA audience.
- I am also under the impression that she is American, because some of her "English" things are off. For example, not many people in the UK go to university in their home town and live at home; nor am I aware of any universties that hold their graduation ceremony on the football (soccer) field - English weather just isn't predictable enough for that!

Overall, I am glad I read the book. Whilst it being over 600 pages long (for the boxset of 5 books) it is very quick and easy to read, only taking me 3 days to get through it. The ending gives space for further books in the series (I haven't looked to see if they are already available) if you wanted more.

Monday 2 January 2023

Playing Dirty by Andrew R Williams

Playing Dirty is part of a series of books, but I read it as a standalone.

The blurb says:

"Honey Pursamon has a brief - and the file of names is huge!

Set the honey trap! Lure the opposition into bed, get lurid photos and destroy them, one by one!

The Slash and Byrne Progressive Party want to take over the House of Commons, starting with a sleazy sex scandal code-named Operation Trouser Snake. Slash & Byrne also organise a gas attack on Parliament. Who will survive?

Using Ambronootrop to make their members more intelligent and to move along the evolution of the human race, S&B will stoop to new depths."

I actually really enjoyed it. It's very gripping, and very easy to read. Initially I found it a little tricky to keep all the characters straight in my head, but that sorted itself out swiftly enough. I liked all the intricacy and duplicity in the plot.

Given the prologue, I would have liked Angela to get some kind of revenge/see the downfall of S&B party, but I'm guessing that will be in later books. I didn't feel lost because I hadn't read Superior. However, I would recommend reading Jim's Revenge and then Superior before reading this one, as the context helps.

Overall, my only disappointment is that the rest of the series hasn't been written yet, and I want to know what happens next!

My Books of 2022

Happy New Year!

And thank you for letting me have the last year off blogging. I'll update you all with everything eventually, but for now lets concentrate on the most important things: Books!

I actually read 52 books (1 isn't currently on goodreads), though there were two books that I confess that I didn't finish. I decided that life it soo short to persevere with books that are either too slow or too boring, when there is so much more out there that I want to read!

I should also say, that though I am going to separate out all the books that I have read this year below, the links won't work until I have written up the reviews. And I know that some of you are still waiting for the reviews of the books that I read in 2021. Hopefully, now that I have a bit more time (she says, on the first bank holiday of the year), I'll get around to catching up and filling those in too.

You will notice that some of these books are from my recent A-Z Challenge but that I haven't finished this list. That's because, when my daughter was going in for her heart surgery, I made sure to download a load of free boxsets. As they are currently on my kindle, these are what I have been going through more recently. And I have recently joined my local book club, so I'll be reading two 'random' books each month too. The first meeting I'm attending is tomorrow, so wish me luck!

So here is the list of books that I read in 2022, though I may have the order slightly wrong in some places.
For those who prefer visuals, there is a picture below.

Fiction: