Elizabeth Is Missing- Emma Healey

I have never really appreciated what it is like to 'grow old', or even put that much thought towards the subject but I have to admit the reality of this book awakened a whole era I had dismissed as way off in my future (the foolishness of youth right?) This book captured old age in a way that I have never read before, or even seen in film.

The book depicts the life of Maud, narrated by herself in present day in which she is an old lady with a grown up daughter and grandchildren, as well as narrating past events from her childhood when her sister disappeared. The writing style is lovely, if not a little sad due to the nature of Maud having memory difficulties which gradually get worse throughout the book, and refreshingly told through the eyes of someone (due to age/ ability) who is often overlooked as narrator. From the very first page the reader is struck by how obviously Maud's opinions and voice are over looked and ignored and dismissed as foolish/irrelevant due to her condition and age- its shocking to see how frustrated family, friends and carers get with her and yet she has no way of explaining how frustrated she is that she can't explain herself properly or simply forgets the thread of her thoughts. I made an active note to try and be more patient with my own family and others.

I also loved the parallels that are subtly drawn between the past and the present story lines- in particular the similarities between present day Maud as an elderly lady and the 'mad women' she remembers from her childhood; this is clever writing at its best. These similarities are so subtle they would be easily missed but they add so much depth to the book and I imagine if I re-read it in a few months I would be able to spot many more parallels. Another thing I love about the writing is the beautiful imagery created, in particular when characters are alone with their thoughts, and the complexity of the description elevates the story and characters to whole new level.

The story is cleverly crafted, if the tiniest bit slow, and because of Maud's memory issues you get a very unique but captivating crime mystery story although I think avid crime readers might be a little frustrated with the story and would probably guess the ending easily. That is not to say that crime fans should stay clear its just something to bear in mind- those that are new to crime would most likely find this a fantastic storyline. And yes part of the reason I bought the book was because it has a stunning hardback cover but life is too short to deny oneself beautiful books.

Skinny - Donna Cooner

I picked up this book at the Edinburgh International book festival a couple of weeks ago which I attended when I went up to Edinburgh for the fringe festival (please let me know if anyone is interested in seeing some sort of haul/ ramblings about the book festival!) - I spent a lot but it was an amazing festival and I will most likely be going again next year. Anyway, back to the point, I was drawn to this book simply because of the cover and because like so many girls, and boys, I have struggled with the way I look/ my size for a great number of years; and I thought 'hey with a title like that I'm probably going to relate to this one'.

I was not wrong.

The story depicts the life of Ever, a 302 pound (thats almost 22st I think my dear British folk) 15 year old girl, and her struggles with weight. I have to say the story quality left me ever so slightly disappointed, however the ideas and message were very interesting. Certain scenes blew me away with their accuracy to how I, and I'm sure thousands of others, feel during everyday situations and confidence and insecurities were addressed and highlighted brilliantly- in particular when it came to insecurities from people who may be deemed 'too pretty' to have confidence woes, something that I have never seen addressed in any sort of literature before or indeed given much attention too.

In addition to this, I was forced to reconsider my relationship with how I look- something that I will admit has always been hard for me- no one can make you feel worse than the changing room mirrors- and I adored the scenes where Ever addressed 'skinny' directly. This book has less to do with the characters themselves and more with our own attitudes towards ourselves.

I can't claim this is the best book I have ever read or that it has changed my life dramatically, but it did make me think; not only about myself but about the society as a whole. What concerns me the most about the story is that this girl is 15 years old and she hates herself so much, I was shocked 'surely no one that young feels that way!?'. But then I remember- was I not about 15 when I first started to wear make-up? 14 when I cried because I had been called ugly at school? I remember distinctly having concerns at 13 about love handles...

It shocks me that it was so important and necessary that a book like this was written to highlight how young children are when they start to become preoccupied with what others think about them and how big their thigh gap is, as well as confronting the increasing obesity epidemic that is taking a hold of the world. I would recommend this book to all those who have ever had any doubts about how they look or what others think about how they look- please don't expect some great classic but this is defiantly worth reading.

Colorworld - Rachel.E.Kelly

This book is pretty genius, like this is clever writing. Unique and gripping.

The only problem I had with the story is, dare I say it,  it is a little 'twilight', in my opinion. However what is different about this love story as opposed to the Bella/Edward scenario is that it is not based on lust; but love. That being said you can't really escape the clawing intensity of the relationships of the book, which mainly stems from the character of Gabe. Now I could understand why people wouldn't like Gabe as a character; he is unreal in a sense that no one in the real world actually behaves the way he does (declarations of love/ very forward ect ect) however I feel that the situation and setting of the story allows him to be believable in this context. In addition to this, and I might be completely alone in this, who wants to read about a guy just like every other man out there? Not me. I want to read about someone who isn't in the real life- its a lovely change! I know, I know- I'm a sucker for knight in shining armour. 

The storyline is solid, and surprisingly easy to follow as well, with fantastic development from all the most interesting and important characters. I also want to say that the characters are in no way flat here- oh no- they are as multidimensional and changing as real life people and I love that. Its refreshing to read a book that both transports me to a world that is completely unrealistic and imaginary but also makes me believe that these characters could be walking around my world anyway. 

Another thing that I liked about the book was that it doesn't hide the fact its part of a series, if you pick up this book its only a section of the story and it leads on brilliantly to further books which I fully intend to read. It generally irritates me no end when a book could 'stand alone' from a series- when I start a series I want the writing and story to be completely invested in itself right till the end and this first instalment in the series allows for that superbly. 

This book managed to shock me, although I do personally believe that that particular section could have been dragged out longer, it offered another level to the story that was completely unexpected and was really well written. If you enjoy the supernatural/sci-fi and even mystery this is a fantastic book to read and it seems to me the series can only get better from here. 

Note: This book was sent to me to review. This is no way alters or affects my opinion of the book and I only review books sent to me that I genuinely would have considered
purchasing for myself.

The Mine - John A. Heldt

I will be honest with you; time travel is not something I have ever really read about, I adore films and TV shows about time travel (don't get me started on Doctor Who), but I've never really stumbled upon a book concerning time travel that took my fancy. That was until I read the description of The Mine.

What I really love about the story, and writing style, is how clear the difference between  the year 2000 where Joel (the principal character) travels from, and the the year he travels to, 1941. The whole era is captured really well, in particular the changing face and perception of women. 1941 and the second world war was so vitally important to the development of women in society and this is really clear in the book, but subtly so the story still flows well.

I was gripped whilst reading this book, especially for the last 50 pages or so, because the time travel offers the reader the exclusive ability to glimpse the future before it happens. Despite this ability, you are still drawn in by twists and turns, as well as the story (mostly) not being diluted with 'fairytale' twists of fate that don't happen in real life. It allows, surprisingly, for a time travel book to be, almost, believable.

My only real criticism of the book is when Joel first realises he has travelled to 1941; he doesn't really seem at all concerned, just accepts it and moves on. I can't help but think my response would have been 'holy moly how an earth am I going to get home!? *insert dramatic scream*' (maybe not holy moly but you get the idea). That being said, he is aware of the need to get back and does make an attempt; I myself perhaps would have made more attempts but then again he is a clever chap and most likely realises his attempts need to be better timed.

Joel is an interesting character, not the typical tragic hero he first appears, because, to put it bluntly, he's selfish and a bit of an idiot. I love that. Too many books focus on creating a perfect male character and although Joel does lean that way, he still knowingly makes mistakes and suffers the consequences. I am also a sucker for a cowboy, for fear of spoilers I'm not going to explain that further, but I pretty massively digress.

This is a lovely book and one I would really recommend to any age, unfortunately it is only available as an ebook, but it will make you smile and is one of those books that will make you reflect a little on both our collective past, and your individual future.

Note: This book was sent to me to review. This is no way alters or affects my opinion of the book and I only review books sent to me that I genuinely would have considered
purchasing for myself.

Fools' Gold - Philippa Gregory

I have loved Philippa Gregory book for years now and absolutely adore the cousins' war series in particular, as I have said before I love historical fiction and I have a (geeky) love for the war of the roses. I assumed I would love her other books just as much.

I was not disappointed, but this book was defiantly not what I was expecting.

Firstly, it turns out this book is right in the middle of a series, the order of darkness series, something I didn't have a clue about when I started to read but quickly worked out after the first couple of chapters. Why did I not realise when I bought the book you ask? Because I borrowed it from my Nana and she didn't have a clue, she had just thought it was 'a bit of a funny book'. That all being said, it didn't effect the reading of the book much, granted some details would have been easier to grasp and the back story would have been improved, but I enjoyed it none the less.

Secondly, I foolishly assumed this would also be historical fiction. I was wrong. Although it is set in 1454, its not based around historical events, but still I really enjoyed it. The story was fun and quick, not difficult to follow, and the characters were likeable, if a little bland.

I say bland but really they weren't, I am just hard to please when it come to characters and I had high hopes for this book after I had enjoyed so many of her others. What I really mean is that the characters were a little 'samey' - you could plonk them into many other books and stories and they would have got along fine. I like characters that demand to be read; that fight to belong in the book they are in.

On the whole I enjoyed this book, nothing that spectacular but amusing and light hearted. I would say that if you are fond of Phillippa Gregory and her writing style ( I love her style of writing!) then it might be worth picking up the first book in the series and see how you get on, and would be really great I think for younger teen readers (beware reference to sex and drunkenness).

The Black Magician Trilogy- Trudi Canavan

I have loved this series for a number of years now, and love re-reading the final instalment- The High Lord- which happens to be my favourite. This is what I would describe as 'a good fantasy/magicy' book, not the mildness of Harry Potter (my opinion please don't eat me) but also not your full on dragons elves and cloaks/wands combo often found in fantasy books. It has a lovely balance between an accessible story with fantasy intertwined.

That being said, this series is a little too long. What I mean by that is not that three books in a series is too much, on the contrary, but that the whole series could have been written in two if not one book instead of the three. Some sections are a little boring and do drag the pace of the story a little and don't really bring that much to the development of the story, however this is not something you would notice until you had finished the series. I have been known to skip whole chapters that, really, do nothing for the story, and I'm assured by other reviews that I'm not alone in thinking this. The same goes for some characters, in my opinion, some are just unnecessary for the story. 

I must admit though, this is one of my favourite series, especially as I am a sucker for a strong character. I adore the character Akkarin, the high lord, (hence my love for the final book in the trilogy) and I think his development as a character is really interesting- the more you learn about him the more you like him. However, their is a definite shift in the character in the final book that, dare I say it, is odd and vastly changes the perceptions of the character which some readers may find annoying and unnatural. I personally don't mind but just a heads up. 

On the whole I do love this series, and I do reach for it do reread when it takes my fancy. I would say don't rush to get the whole series in one go, get your hands on the first book 'the Magicians Guild' and see how you go- if you don't enjoy it you most likely won't enjoy the rest of the series but keep in mind that the series does get better the further you get into it. 

Side Note: I adore the covers on my copies, I just think they are really well designed

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

Firstly; please excuse the film version book cover.

I have been told to read this book for a number of years by a close friend, but managed to put it off and put it off until I rediscovered it an abandoned stack of books in my house. I guess I had been putting it off because I thought, after foolishly watching the film first, that it really wouldn't be my thing however with my efforts to expand my reading horizons I ventured in. I was not left disappointed.

Granted, this book is graphic; both in the physical sense and emotionally. Despite this, the graphicness is important and valuable to the story, offering a tragic contrast to the innocent mind and voice of Susie, the principal character and the voice of the book. Susie’s narration of events is stunning and perfectly portrayed however I feel that, personally, I would have struggled a little with the imagery and events if I had not seen the film prior to reading the book (controversial I know but it’s possible I'm alone on this one). 

What I love about this book is that it is an interesting and unique interpretation of teenage life and growing up and what is important about growing, as well as the way a family can adapt and change as time progresses. The unusual and detailed characters bring the story to life and offer such depth and to the story, as well as being interesting and likeable. My only real issue with the characterisation is how the characters on earth are much more detailed and interesting than the characters in 'heaven'- however it would be easy to argue that this is a stylistic technique.   

In addition, some scenes are a little far fetched, brilliantly written, but a little far fetched; which brings in an element of sci-fi. I would be really interested to hear others opinions on this (if you read the book it will become obvious which scene I'm talking about but for the sake of spoilers I don't want to go into too much detail) as I have heard mixed reviews and various differing opinions- some love it some just don't get it. 

Although this book is a little tricky its well worth the read, beautifully written and crafted, however maybe stay clear if you are maybe younger (say below 16? although I'm not one for being good at age recommendations).