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Sunday 16 February 2014

Ultraviolet

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Ultraviolet by R J Anderson
Published June 2 2011 Orchard
 
I wasn't sure about this one. I thought it was another 'issues' YA novel with a hint of crime drama so I certainly didn't expect the Sci-Fi ending.
 
16 year-old Alison wakes up to find herself in a psychological unit.
 
She can't remember arriving, why she is there or why her arms are covered in scratches.
 
Alison has always been...different, and from an early age she learned to hide her differences from others. She knew her Mother thought she was crazy and maybe she is right because all Alison can remember is killing Tori.
 
I found this book a bit...meh...until three-quarters of the way through when it became really really good! Faraday is a hottie and I hope there will be a sequel - it could be awesome!
 

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

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The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Published March 16 2010 Hodder & Stoughton
 
Sarah Addison Allen is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. This is the second book of hers I have now read and her writing is just...magical. Opening one of Sarah's books is like pulling on your most favourite comfy cardigan and when you start to read time just slips away.
 
Emily moves to Mullaby, North Carolina to live with her Grandfather following the death of her Mother. Her Mother had never spoken of growing up in Mullaby or of the family she left there, and for good reason. Emily's Mother uncovered Logan Coffey's family secret - in front of the whole town.
 
This event would never be forgiven and so Emily's reception from the residents of Mullaby is not exactly warm. Soon Emily finds herself with more questions than answers but in small towns, secrets don't stay secret for long.
 
The Girl Who Chased the Moon is delicious - full of warm, loveable characters and a storyline that sparkles. If you are looking to read something different, try this one.

Monday 10 February 2014

A Heart Bent Out of Shape

 
A Heart Bent Out of Shape by Emylia Hall
*Proof Copy*
September 12 2013 Headline Review
 
You may remember Emylia's name from The Book of Summers (a Richard and Judy Bookclub pick) which I read in August 2012. I loved that book - read it from the Library and then went out and bought my own copy! So I was very excited when I heard Emylia had a new book coming out (thank you Ben for the ARC).
 
Hadley is spending a year studying abroad. She won a university place at Lausanne, Switzerland and for Hadley it is a fresh start, an adventure and a year full of promise.
 
In halls she meets Kristina - energetic, vivacious, and in love with a married man. The two form a close friendship until, on a Winter's night, Kristina is killed in an accident and Hadley's world is turned upside down.
 
Enveloped in guilt and grief, Hadley resolves to find the man Kristina loved and tell him what has happened. She feels she owes Kristina that. Hadley enlists help from two very different sources; crime author Hugo who loves a good mystery, and Joel - Hadley's American Lit Professor and a man Hadley can't stop thinking about.
 
Will the circumstances of Kristina's death be discovered and will Hadley finally be able to put her to rest? Read the book and find out!
 
I practically inhaled this novel. Its terribly good! The Lausanne descriptions are simply magical but for me, it is the character relationships that really make this story special. We get to see Hadley grow as a person; see what she gains, what she learns, from having each person in her life. I especially like Hugo - an intuitive continental gentleman with a glint in his eye and a penchant for chocolate and cognac.
 
The end of the novel is filled with dramatic tension - I guessed at the ending - and was wrong, which was brilliant! I *may* have gasped aloud (totally did!). Emilya Hall brought Lausanne to life and Lausanne taught Hadley to live. A truly wonderful novel.
 

 


Lazy Days

19341994
Lazy Days by Erlend Loe
November 1 2013 Head of Zeus
 
Lazy days is the narration of a Norwegian family's holiday to Germany, well, to Mixing Part Churches to be precise, if online translators are to be believed.
 
Theatre director Telemann doesn't like being in Germany - where, apparently, Nazism is rife and all German people talk about is the Second World War (Telemann doesn't speak German). He has a habit of letting his mind...wander...artistically you understand - to the theatre, plays he has seen or must write, and to Nigella Lawson who needs saving from her husband. Very little of Telemann's time is taken up thinking about his wife Nina or his three children who are all at various stages of curiosity.
 
Family holidays - what's not to love?
 
This is a darkly amusing novel from Norwegian Erlend Loe, author of Doppler. I suspect I enjoyed this book all the more as Nigella Lawson is currently very newsworthy.
 
Lazy Days is kooky, observant and highly original with a fabulous arty cover design.
 
Love it!