Spandex and the City by Jenny T Colgan Blog tour

Spandex and the City is the second novel from Jenny T Colgan, the pen-name of bestselling and award winning romance writer Jenny Colgan. It's a fairly flimsy disguise especially as the author's lovely, smiling face adorns the back of the book and I'm guessing there are two reason Ms Colgan is hiding her science fiction alter-ego in plain sight; firstly because she is utterly unashamed of her passion for and interest in stories about superheroes and time travelling doctors and secondly because she wants you to try her delightful genre mash-up and admit that you like it too. I am a big fan of science fiction, fantasy, comics, superheroes and romance so the idea of this book really intrigued me. It's a bit like Bridget Jones falling in love with Superman and it's as wild, funny and laugh out loud as that description sounds.
Holly Phillips is hungry for a job in journalism she wants to write about exciting things, but for now she's working in the PR section of the Mayor of Centreton's office writing boring press releases about subway repairs and traffic disruption. One Friday night while clubbing with best friend Gertie she is rescued from a villain by the city's resident superhero Ultimate Man and throwing her over his shoulder he exposes her underwear to the world. Just hours later her image has gone viral and she's become "Panties Girl". Holly just hopes that interest will die down and that'll be the end of it but as an evil super villain tries to attack Centreton again and again Holly just can't help bumping into Ultimate Man and before she knows it, they are on a date, well sort of.
This is a delightful and funny romantic comedy which has some deep moments and some truly laugh out loud moments. I really loved it. Jenny T. Colgan is a smart, sassy writer who knows her genres and yet breaks all the rules to create something new. If you've wondered how Lois Lane puts up with being Superman's girl and all the drama that entails then you'll love Holly's story. Perfect for fans of Superheroes, contemporary romance and Doctor Who.
Available now from Orbit in paperback. Thanks to Clara Diaz for a copy of the book and a chance to take part in the Blog tour.

Street Song Blog Tour

Sheena Wilkinson's latest novel for young adults is the story of former TV star Ryan. Ryan is not quite 18 but he feels he's already failed, having  had a short lived career as a singer following his appearance on a TV talent show. His fame as RyLee has turned him into an addict. The press have had a field day with his bad boy antics and Ryan has had enough of the manufactured and inauthentic sound that defined him. Following a stint in rehab Ryan is desperate to stay clean but his stepdad also wants him to return to school and the arguments become heated. A chance meeting with a girl called Toni also a musician leads to Ryan taking a trip to Belfast and he persuades himself that he's not running away he's starting over. But starting over with a new name and no money is going to be very tough. This is a fantastically written book; sharply plotted, full of interesting characters and plenty of twists and turns. It was a real pleasure to follow Ryan's journey to reinvent himself from the arrogant and pampered pleasure seeker to someone who starts to take responsibility for himself and others. The details and dialogues of teens lives in contemporary Dublin and Belfast are so spot on. There is real insight in this book about many issues that young people may face; exam pressure, drugs and alcohol, relationships, money and homelessness. The dark issues are dealt with carefully; with honesty but never loosing the air of hope and Sheena's insight is impeccable. If you are a fan of contemporary YA authors like Claire Hennessey, Sarah Crossan, E. R. Murray or Patrice Lawrence then this book is for you.

Today is the final day of The Street Song blog tour. Check out all the other stops listed on the banner for more reviews of Street Song. Thanks a million to Lina at Ink Road for the chance to review the book and take part in the blog tour.

To learn more about Sheena herself you can catch up with her on twitter @sheenawriter
Street Song is published by Ink Road the new YA imprint of Black & White Publishing in Edinburgh.

Before You Go Blog tour

I am delighted to be involved in the blog tour for Clare Swatman's debut novel Before You Go. This is the story of Zoe and Ed. Just a few pages into the book Ed is the victim of a traffic accident and Zoe is left alone and devastated. Before You Go is the story of how Zoe gets the chance to revisit all the significant moments of their lives; university, friendship, jealousy, travel and marriage and second time around Zoe tries to say and do all the things she wished she's said the first time. This is a cleverly structured book which delves back into the protagonists shared past and lets Zoe examine every step they took together or apart as she attempts to prevent fate from intervening. A perfect escapist read and ideal for fans of One Day, Me Before You or The Time Traveller's Wife.

I asked Clare some questions about her inspiration for the book and about writing in general. This is what she said. Clare also has some great writing advice especially for parents and TV watchers!



Q1. What was the inspiration for Before You Go?

Most of my ideas for anything I write come from real people and their real stories. I spent many years working as a journalist on real life magazines and have interviewed lots of people over that time and honestly, people's real stories are far more amazing, heartbreaking and fascinating than anything you could make up! The idea for Before You Go was sparked from a story I read many years ago about a woman who had an accident and hit her head and when she woke up she had forgotten the last 20 years of her life and thought she was still 17. She didn't know who her husband and kids were. Although my story ended up being very different to this, it was the spark to make me think about what it would be like to wake up and be your younger self again. Before You Go grew from that seed. 

Q2. Who are your favourite authors? Tell us about your favourite books?

There are so many but if I had to narrow it down I'd say Margaret Atwood, Maggie O'Farrell, Kate Atkinson and JK Rowling- writing as herself and as Robert Galbraith. They all have different styles of writing and write very different kinds of books, but they're all masters at plotting, characterisation and words. You won't be surprised to hear that most of my favourite books feature some by them! Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood- I haven't read it for a long time but it's always stuck with me. I also adore everything Maggie O'Farrell has ever written but if I had to choose I'd say The Hand That First Held Mine or Instructions for a Heatwave which are both very different. I adored The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenagger and also Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson. Pride and Prejudice is my go-to classic, although Wuthering Heights comes a close second. 

Q3. What is your writing routine?

It depends on what part of the process I'm at. If I'm deep in the middle of the first draft then I'll try and get to my desk straight after dropping the kids to school and stay there until pick-up at 3pm.  I start by getting emails, facebook, twitter and online shopping out of the way and then I try and stay away for the duration. (I don't always manage it!) I start by reading over what I wrote the day before and then try and write a minimum of 1000 words. It's usually more but sometimes it can be a struggle. If I'm editing it's fairly similar, but when I researching  or plotting or writing characters, there's a lot more staring into space and brow-furrowing.

Q4. Has writing the book changed your perspective on spending time with loved ones?

Yes to some extent, although I've always been very aware that you need to make the most of every day because you don't know what the future holds. I think it starts to come home to you more when you have children and as you start to get older. I make sure I always give mu children a kiss and cuddle before they go to bed or in to school, just in case and I'd never let my husband go to work on an argument. Like Zoe you wouldn't want angry words to be the last ones you heard would you?

Q5. Any advice for aspiring writers? Tell us a bit about your journey to publication. 

Make sure you ring fence some writing time and stick to it. It has to be a time when you know you WILL actually write though. I was freelance and stopped taking on  any extra work so I could put Thursdays aside to work on Before You Go. It was a financial hit, especially as I was paying for childcare at the time, but i knew I'd stick to it that way. It's no good saying you'll work on your novel every evening, if you're like me and you just want to sit and watch TV. Your precious novel will become a chore and just not get written. So be realistic. 

My journey to publication was great. I never actually thought anyone would want to read this book I'd written, but after a writer friend read it and encouraged me, i sent it out to some agents. It was less than a week afterwards that Judith Murray from Greene and Heaton agreed to represent me. I was beyond thrilled, and went away and made the changes  to the manuscript that we'd discussed . That was in August 2015 and by October it was ready to send out to publishers. In the end I had two publishers interested in the book but I went with the wonderful Pan Macmillan who offered me a two book deal. Since then it's all been gearing up to the release of Before You Go and I've been learning how it all works. To keep my mind off it I've also been writing book two and I'm currently deep into the editing stage which I love. You just need to have faith in yourself and not be afraid to put yourself out there. It's scary but it pays off. So worth it. 

Thanks Clare.

Before You Go is available in hardback and trade paperback from 9th February.

The blog continues next week (details below) with stops at Jaffa Reads Too, Random Things through my letter box  and Shaz's Book Blog, all great blogs you should check out. 

Thanks to Jess Duffy at Pan Macmillan for a copy of the book.

Relativity by Antonia Hayes

Antonia Hayes is an Australian novelist now living in San Francisco and Relativity is her debut novel. It's a book that explores, love, forgiveness, family and physics. It's a departure from my usual type of book as it's contemporary although there is an attempt at time travel. The book is about Ethan; an incredibly bright twelve year old boy with a passion for physics, his mum Claire a former ballerina and devoted single mum and his dad Mark who has reentered their lives for the first time since Ethan was a baby.
We learn early on that Ethan is a special child and that his brain works differently to other children, it seems he can see physics all around him, while Ethan is overjoyed at his savant abilities Claire knows that Ethan's brain is different because it's damaged and gradually it is revealed that Mark is no longer part of their lives because when Ethan was a baby he hurt him and Ethan's seizures and unusual brain activity are a result of shaken baby syndrome. Relativity is a powerful, compelling and emotional novel. All the more so because it is based on the author's own experiences. Antonia Hayes was just nineteen when she became a mum and when her baby was six weeks old he was a victim of shaken baby syndrome at the hands of his own father. There followed years of developmental delay and tests and Antonia's own struggles with PTSD before a move to Paris to live near her own mother saw Antonia address her literary ambitions. She took a workshop with Jeannette Winterson who advised her students to "write from the wound" and the result of that was a story and a meeting with a literary agent and once the book was ready there was a bidding war among all the major publishers. This book is deserving of any hype you may have heard it is beautifully written and incredibly compassionate. Perfect for fans of Matt Haig and Maggie O'Farrell.
Relativity is published by Corsair in paperback in the UK and Ireland on January 19th.
Thanks to Clara Diaz for a copy. 

Dear Charlie by N. D. Gomes

Dear Charlie is a powerful contemporary debut novel. Set in England in 1996/97, it deals with the aftermath of a school shooting. The book is narrated by Sam; 16 years old and brother of Charlie, the one who carried out the shootings before taking his own life. Sam is desperate to understand Charlie's actions and he is also dealing with the media frenzy, the anger and grief of local people and trying to grieve for the brother he loved but he's not sure if he really knew him. The book is Sam's letter to Charlie and his attempt to work his way through his own grief. 

The book opens with Sam's fear as he starts a new school. He is bullied and harassed but he simply accepts it making no complaint. He soon realises that there are a group who don't attack him and begins to sit with them and eventually make friends. This group of outsiders become Sam's lifeline. He is able to just be a normal teenager; hanging out after school, joking around, going to parties. Somehow Sam is able to pull himself through the tortuous final months of school and try to get his life back on track.

This is a very clever and important book. While the author doesn't try to offer any easy answers to the great question of why school shootings happen she does show us Sam's and his parents struggle with the shock, anger, guilt, grief and recovery. We see Sam slowly make progress in therapy and return to his music and the tentative recovery of a relationship with his parents who had each retreated into their own misery after the killings. 

The author grew up in Scotland and was studying at Stirling University not far from Dunblane when the tragic school massacre took place there. She went on to become a teacher specialising in special needs and she was teaching in the U.S. just a few hours away from the Sandy Hook school when the horrific shootings took place there in 2012. The author's interest in and understanding of vulnerable teenagers really shines through in the writing of this novel and I highly recommend it.

Published by HQ an imprint of Harper Collins on 20th. Thanks to Isobel Fenlon of Midas PR for a review copy of the book.

Beyond the Sea by Melissa Bailey Blog Tour, Guest Post and Review

I was thrilled to be asked by Melissa to review her new novel and to take part in this blog tour. This is only Melissa's second book but she is fast becoming a favourite author. Regular readers of this blog will know that I love historical fiction, gothic tales and ghost stories and Melissa managed to provide all three with her first novel The Medici Mirror (Read my review Here) now with her second novel Melissa has provided more of my favourite things in the form of Scottish islands, Viking treasure and Mermaids.

REVIEW

Beyond the Sea is a poignant and beautifully atmospheric tale of a grieving young woman trying to come to terms with the loss of her husband and young son at sea. After a year of struggling with her grief in crowded London streets Freya has returned to the cottage in the Hebrides that has become home and which is alive with memories of her once happy family. Her parents, her sister and her friends all advise against Freya staying alone on the island but despite the haunting dreams which wake her at night and the fog her brain seems stuck in due to too many pills and too much wine, Freya needs to be there. She finds comfort in the little box of treasures that her son Sam acquired beachcombing and metal detecting. Then she meets a young man Daniel and they are drawn together by their interests in the history and myths that surround the islands especially the tales of the Ceasg; the mermaid but there is a darkness and a danger that surrounds Daniel and as Freya is drawn in by the tales of the Ceasg and the Green Island she must heed the warnings in her dreams. A powerful tale of grief, hope, mystery and magic. Perfect for fans of Posie Graeme-Evans, Elizabeth Gifford, Lucy Atkins and Barbara Erskine and Rachel Hore.

Melissa kindly wrote a piece about the setting of the novel and sent some gorgeous photos too.

SETTING


I have been asked a lot about the setting of Beyond the Sea, and why I chose the Hebrides as the landscape in which the action of the novel plays out.

Interestingly, while the book emerged from a single image of a woman, her hair turned white in grief, standing alone by the sea, a lighthouse in the near distance behind her, I think I probably knew even then, way back in the beginning when I didn’t know much else, that the woman was standing on a beach in the Hebrides. It’s a part of the world that I love. I’m drawn to its wildness, the stark rawness of its beauty, the fact that the weather can change in an instant, sunshine becoming rain becoming sleet. It is brutal, elemental, timeless - craggy mountain ranges, desolate moorlands, restless ever shifting seas. And yet, I feel there is also something redemptive, magical almost about this landscape. The sea takes away, and yet it also gives back. It is an endless, eternal pattern. The sea is often death, but it is also life. So the remote fringes of the British Isles, the untamed edges of civilisation, seemed a very natural and fitting backdrop for a woman touched by devastating loss, her emotions as turbulent and fast changing as the winds or the tides, but perhaps moving slowly towards redemption.

The lighthouse was also crucial in establishing the mood of the novel. To me, lighthouses evoke images of keepers tending a light at night, keeping vigil during both calm and storm. They are symbols of sanctuary, of hope, of light in the darkness. Yet they are simultaneously the quintessential symbol of loneliness and isolation – solitary towers aloft in the middle of the ocean, battered by the elements. Therefore it too seemed to be a wholly appropriate place for the woman to live – a very visual image of her emotional state.

As I started to plot the novel in more detail, the woman became Freya, whose husband and son vanish at sea the year before the novel begins. She returns to the lighthouse they once called home, seeking solace, trying to move beyond her grief. Beyond the Sea is the story of her journey. But it also tells the story of the Hebrides, the lighthouse and the sea – all characters in their own right.

The blog tour continues tomorrow details in the image below and you can find out more about Melissa and her books at her website http://www.melissabailey.info/blog/

Vendetta by Catherine Doyle

This is the first in a thrilling new series from a superbly talented new author and is my other top teen debut of the year. A modern day Romeo and Juliet set amongst the feuding criminal gangs of Chicago. this is a tale of love, power, death and revenge. The story would make an amazing movie with breathtaking action, characters that leap off the page and a love story that will just about break your heart. I cannot wait for the next book.
Sophie thinks the summer is going to be long, hot and deathly dull especially as she and her Mum are coping with her Dad being in prison and having a lot less money as well as being social pariahs, but then not one but five hot boys move into the old abandoned mansion next door. Then Sophie meets Nic Falcone and sparks fly and by the time they learn the truth about each other's family it's too late. Aah just go and buy it okay. 

Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths

This is the fifth book in the series featuring Ruth Galloway; a forensic archaeologist based in Norfolk who teaches at the fictional University of North Norfolk and occasionally assists DCI Harry Nelson with criminal investigations. I read the first four in the series quite close together and then had a break of almost two years before starting this one so I am fairly confident that it could be read as a stand alone but I do urge anyone who hasn't yet done so to read the entire series because it is without a doubt one the best crime series out there. While some authors start to get repetitive after a couple of books this series remains fresh and innovative and in many ways this book sees the author really hitting her stride in terms of character development making this my favourite in the series so far. The action opens with Ruth receiving the news that an old University friend has died in a house fire, although she hasn't seen Dan in nearly twenty years Ruth is devastated but when she gets letter from Dan saying he has made a hugely significant discovery and is afraid for his life she is very worried and shortly after the police confirm that Dan has been  murdered. This book sees the majority of the action moving away from the bleak Norfolk coast to the equally bleak Pendle area of Lancashire. This series is perfect for those who enjoy crime novels focusing on character development and asking why rather than depicting grissly murder scenes. The books will also appeal to those who enjoy a touch of the paranormal with their helping of crime and as such will appeal to fans of James Oswald and Phil Rickman.

You By Joanna Briscoe

Having first read Joanna Briscoe when I reviewed her most recent novel Touched I knew I had found a writer whose writing utterly enthralled me and I had to discover her back catalogue so I picked up this novel from 2011. The story is told by mother and daughter Dora and Cecilia in two periods; the 1970s when Cecilia was growing up the second child in Dora and her husband Patrick's chaotic bohemian household with damp walls, hippy lodgers, music, books and running wild on the moors, and now as Cecilia returns to the moors with her own family after years in London to look after her mother who is ill. This book drew me in from the first line "IT'S HAUNTED, she thought" this is Cecilia returning to her childhood home and finding that her past is here waiting for her. She has been estranged from her mother and she needs answers. Dora meanwhile is feeling vulnerable delighted that her daughter has returned and that she will have time with her grandchildren she is also keeping secrets and the guilt like her cancer is eating her up. Both women have had a devastating love affair that they have kept secret and they are more alike than they would care to admit. I said in my previous review that Joanna Briscoe "takes a scalpel to humanity and shows us the human heart in all its darkness and glory. " (July 3rd Review of Touched )

I second that now and this book is even better than Touched. If you haven't read her before get your hands on her work right now she is a writer of amazing talent. 

The Long Fall by Julia Crouch

I have been a fan of Julia Crouch's work since I devoured her amazing debut Cuckoo a few years ago. Julia specializes in twisty, turny plots and characters that surprize until the last page.  The Long Fall is set in two time periods; 1980 and the present day. In 1980 we follow adventurous young traveler Emma as she sets off alone across Europe having just completed her A levels. In the present day we meet Kate a wealthy London banker's wife running a charity for African girls founded after the tragic death of her daughter Martha. When Kate is contacted by someone from her past it seems her secure world is about the collapse around her. Back in 1980 Emma's adventure has turned suddenly very dark and she heads to Greece escaping in a haze of drugs and alcohol. For Kate the return of her old friend and her daughter Tilly's plan to go travelling alone set her life off in an out control downward spiral of self destructive behaviour. So what is the connection between Emma and Kate and what does old friend Beattie want? This is a hard book to review as I don't want to reveal too much of the plot. However I can say that I sat down to start this book on a Friday evening thinking I'll read a few chapters and finish it tomorrow. Hah that did not happen I sat down started reading and I was immediately hooked. I didn't put the book down until I was finished. It is seriously addictive. When it comes to "domestic noir" which Julia defined in the previous post as "the things people do to each other in the name of love" then probably one of the most talked about books in this genre in recent years was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, all I can say is that Julia writes Gillian under the table or perhaps off the page is a better analogy. Whether you loved Gone Girl and are looking for something even better or it irritated the hell out of you and you are looking for something even better than read this you won't be disappointed. Perfect for fans of Barbara Vine, Erin Kelly, Sophie Hannah and Claire McGowan. 

Blog Tour for The Long Fall by Julia Crouch

Today I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for Julia Crouch's latest novel which is published today in TPB and e-book. Get you hands on a copy now. Julia writes thrilling creepy stories about trust and relationships that are simply unputdownable. Follow her on twitter @thatjuliacrouch. Thanks so much to Elizabeth Masters at Headline and Bookbridgr for the chance to take part. I will be reviewing this book later today so stay tuned.

I asked Julia about her favourite "domestic noir" novels and she sent the most amazing reply (see below), so get ready to add oddles of books to your wish list.

My Top Five Domestic Noir Novels
Julia Crouch

This task has been both completely enjoyable and utterly impossible. Just five? Give me a break.

Looking back over my crammed bookshelves – like most writers, I have more books than available walls – I realised that almost every single book I have loved, whatever the publisher’s classification, could fit into my definition of Domestic Noir.

Domestic Noir is about the things people do to each other in the name of love. It’s about the levels at which we can deceive ourselves and others, and how we manage to live with our secrets. It can include police and murders, but that’s certainly not essential. The mystery lies in the why- rather than the whodunnit.

So, for example, I could include Wuthering Heights, one of my all time favourite novels. But I’m not going to, because a) there are another five that I’d put in front of that now and b) I may have read it about ten times, but that was in my teens and twenties, so it’s not so terribly fresh in my mind.

Also missing from this list are any Barbara Vine books, simply because to choose one favourite is like choosing your favourite child. It’s simply not on. However, flicking through my well-thumbed copies, I realise how formative her writing has been for me – subconsciously I have picked up some very similar themes in my own work.

Another more controversial contender was Ian McEwan. I love his work, particularly his early novels such as The Comfort of Strangers, A Child in Time and The Cement Garden – they are dark, about the outer limits of relationships and sexuality, and explore love and loss. I often wonder, if he were to start writing today, how a publisher would sell him – would he be on the New Blood panel at Harrogate, for example?

Anyway. Enough about what isn’t on the list. Here’s what is, in no particular order.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I love the first person narration, the fact that we only see events through the eyes of the nameless second Mrs de Winter, so, although we learn early on not to completely trust her world view, we are still surprised at how events unfold. There are great set pieces too – the drama of the burning house, the mystery and the placing of the action set up by the first line: Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again... and the sea salted, foggy atmosphere that permeates the book.

The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
I adapted this for the stage many years ago, so it is really quite intimately in my blood. Again, we’re dealing with an unreliable narrator, and again with a famous, scene setting first line: This is the saddest story I have ever heard. If you haven’t
read it, do. It’s like a quadrille: four people dancing around each other, changing partners, looking for happiness and love, and failing catastrophically.

Something might Happen by Julie Myerson
I love Julie Myerson’s work. It was reading this particular book that made me want to write. I particularly admire the sparseness of her writing, and the way in which she manages even so to capture so much domestic detail. This is the story of the brutal murder of a woman in a Suffolk seaside town, and the effect it has on her closest friends. As Alfred Hickling put it in The Guardian: ‘while we are offered the paraphernalia of detective inspectors, sniffer dogs and bereavement counsellors, the reassuring certainty of conventional crime fiction is disturbingly absent.’ It is cruel, unflinching, yet also compassionate.

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly
Erin is such a fantastic writer and I love all of her books. I had to choose just one, and it was really hard, but The Poison Tree is so dark and mysterious, so witty and so lusciously written, that it had to be the one. Also, it came out about the same time as my own first novel, Cuckoo. I didn’t know Erin at the time, but we are now good friends and have often remarked how close the worlds of our books are. Erin’s Biba and my Polly could even be sisters under the skin. It’s often why we love particular books, isn’t it? Because we just get what the writer is doing.

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Such a chilling story, so brilliantly told. Because of the structure, where Eva is trying to work out things for herself, the reader is constantly asking questions – What happened? What’s going to happen? Who did it? Why? Like all the books on my list, Kevin offers no easy answers. It’s up to the reader to do a bit of work as well.

So, that’s the five.

But hold on. What about Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson? Or Room by Emma Donoghue? Or Tideline by Penny Hancock? Or Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn? or…

Oh no. Have I got to start all over again?

**************

So what you think of Julia's selection? Which have you read? Which are you hoping to get your hands on? I have only read two on this list The Poison Tree and Rebecca both of which are fantastic dark and thrilling reads. I will be looking out for the other three as soon as possible.

Thanks so much Julia for coming up with this great list.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

I read this for my book club and it was not the kind of book I would usually choose myself. However I really enjoyed it. I have a habit of judging books by their covers and this one really does not appeal. The significance of the lobster becomes clear early on in the story but it is not a major part of the plot so I'm curious as to why it was chosen. Anyway the basic premise is that Don Tillman; a geneticist at a top Australian University would like to find someone to share his life with. Don likes order and calm and rational thinking so he decides that a scientifically calculated questionnaire will help to narrow the search for the perfect woman. Don enlists the help of his (only) two friends womaniser Gene and his long suffering wife Claudia. One day Gene sends a striking young woman to Don's office, Don asks her out to dinner and Rosie accepts. Despite a few mishaps they have an enjoyable time and it turns out that Rosie needs Don's help to find her biological father. Despite the fact that Rosie is a complete mismatch according to his questionnaire Don starts to spend an increasing amount of time with Rosie reorganising even at times abandoning his previously rigorous schedule. This is a wonderful story about people, their quirks, realtionships, family, friendship and the search for love. A wonderful warm emotional read. Don is a fun character and Graeme Simsion's writing is incredibly well pitched. 

Published by Penguin The Rosie Project is out in paperback now and is part of the Waterstones Book Club.

A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke

This is a Guest post from Margaret Madden of Bleach House  Library which originally appeared on her own blog. http://bleachhouselibrary.blogspot.ie/2014/05/single-breath-by-lucy-clarke.html

One of my first ever reviews was for Lucy Clarke's debut novel, The Sea Sisters.  I adored that book and bought numerous copies for family and friends.  It was one of my top reads of 2013 and I genuinely could not wait for her second novel.  When this popped up in a prize pack from The W6 Book Cafe, I snuck it to the top of my reading pile and retired to my bedroom with an air of "Do Not Disturb" about me!

Eva has lost her husband to a tragic drowning accident in England and feels a trip to his homeland, on a remote Tasmanian island, will help her come to terms with her loss and perhaps gain some insight into his past.  She has never met his family and wants to know more about his life on the other side of the world.  Unfortunately, things do not always turn out the way you expected, and Eva's whole experience of married life, and the depth of her feeling for her husband comes under question. How well did she really know Jackson?  How much does she want to know now that he is gone? 

Lucy Clarke has written another novel full of intrigue and mystery.  The descriptive passages are, yet again, to the forefront of the book as she has such an affinity with the ocean and the wild and wonderful way it can effect people.   Each chapter is lovingly peppered with locations I can only dream of and she draws the reader into this world of unspoilt beaches, sun kissed skin and amazing sea creatures.  I'm not a swimmer or a huge lover of the sea (despite growing up in a seaside village in Ireland) but yet I could almost feel the experience of free diving and snorkling, catching fish for dinner and shaking sand from my hair.  

The story of Eva and Jackson is a clever one, with a few twists and turns along the way and the character, Saul, sounds like every woman's idea of heaven.....Rugged, handsome and good with his hands!!

Lucy is a very talented writer who spreads her love of travel to her readers with gentle ease, with more emphasis of the descriptions than the narrative.  I am curious to see if her next book will also contain epic travel based stories, or will she shake it up and stay closer to home.  Either way, I will definitely be buying her next novel.  I am a big fan.......

Lucy Clarke can be contacted vis Twitter @LucyClarkeBooks and is also on Facebook/LucyClarkeAuthor

A Single Breath is published by Harper and is available in paperback and ebook format

The Missing One by Lucy Atkins

After her mother's death Kali McKenzie is desperate to know more about her mother's life before she came to England and lived a seemingly dull and quiet life in the countryside. Kali feels that her Dad is either unwilling or unable to tell her more so having discovered some postcards in her mother's studio all sent on the same day each year and all with the same message "thinking of you" Kali sets off with her toddler son Finn to Canada to find the mysterious Susanah Gillespie who has sent the postcards. Arriving to an isolated island with no internet or phone service Kali is unable to contact her family and as the past is slowly revealed she realises that she and Finn are in grave danger. This is the kind of "women's fiction" I love, though I hate labelling and pigeon holing authors I realise as a bookseller and as a blogger that it helps readers to find the kind of books that they like. Lucy Atkins is part of a growing and exciting trend of female authors who have inherited the mantle of Daphne du Maurier and are dealing in domestic drama where character, storytelling and atmosphere are heightened. This is a thrilling and intriguing tale from debut novelist Lucy Atkins which will enthrall and delight fans of Emily Barr, Lucy Clarke, Erin Kelly and Julia Crouch.

Out now in paperback and e-book from Quercus

Someday Find Me by Nicci Cloke from Guest Reviewer Margaret Madden

Another Guest Review from my dear friend Margaret of Bleach House Library

This novel is mainly about two characters: Fitz, a 25year old barworker/DJ and his girlfriend Saffy, an art student. After meeting at a party, they are drawn to each other and very quickly move in together. However, Fitz discovers Saffy has issues. Drink, drugs and an eating disorder are all symptoms of deeper problems. He is slow discovering these issues though, as he is completely blinded by his love for her. When the seriousness of her addictions begin to threaten Saffy's health, and even her safety, Fitz feels he has no option but to call for help.

Saffy's side of the story interlaces with Fitz's and the reader can see how she has many problems that are spiraling out of control. Her dependence on drugs reads as a dark and dirty place to be, and her problems surrounding food are causing bouts of OCD. Basically, she is drowning and cannot see anyway through the surface of her despair.

Rehab has not worked for her before, and she describes being force fed and being watched as she visits the toilet, but with no happy ending. When she sees that she may have to return to the rehab centre, she runs away. As with the drink and drugs, running away seems to be her only way to escape. Saffy's family clearly do not see any light at the end of the tunnel and when her sister Jelli, talks to Fitz about her, this is when he questions if he has made a mistake by asking for help.

" "Don't get hung up on Saf. She lives on her own planet most of the time," "Find yourself someone new, hon, without issues. Saf's sweet but she'll always put herself first, it's just the way she's wired." The ache in my chest grew bigger and bigger and my hands and feet felt itchy and I realised all of a sudden that the Saffy her family knew wasn't her - maybe it was a her they'd just made up to explain it all away but whatever it was, it wasn't her. My Saffy was the real Saffy, and I knew her better than any of them ever would and there was no way in hell I was letting her just leave or be alone or be afraid. "

Nicci Cloke has written an in-depth look at love which knows no judgment. Fitz is just blown away by Saffy and will do anything to be with her. Saffy, while adoring Fitz, is just too far gone in her depths of darkness to see how much he wants her, how much he can help her, how he can try to fix her. It is a harsh read, with some very dark moments. The scene where Saffy's mother is force feeding her is heartbreaking. Another where Fitz tried to make her eat an apple is also disturbing. However, we can't ignore the realities in this world and this book is as real as it gets. Recommended.

Check the original review on Margaret's blog http://bleachhouselibrary.blogspot.ie/2013/11/someday-find-me-by-nicci-cloke.html

Thanks so much to Harper Collins for a review copy of this book

The Incredible Life of Jonathan Doe by Carol Coffey Guest Review by Margaret Madden of Bleach House Library

A Guest Post from my lovely friend, book club buddy and fellow blogger Margaret Bonass Madden of http://bleachhouselibrary.blogspot.ie/ 

Having read Carol Coffey's previous novels, The Penance Room and Winter Flowers, I was delighted to see this on my To-Be-Reviewed pile.  I am a big fan and was dying to see if this new novel was as good as her others.  I was not disappointed.

Brendan is forced to go to live with his Uncle in New Jersey after a brush with the law.  He has also to complete some community service as part of his bail conditions.  A big change for a man in his 30s who lived a pretty self centered life in New York. 

His ex-cop Uncle is hard, tough and extremely old school.  His Aunt is meek and mousy.  Their daughter, Eileen is a nervous, shy  woman who is completely controlled by her bullying Father.  However, Brendan and Eileen form a bond and the changes in their lives mean their days become a bit more bearable for both of them.

Eileen introduces Brendan to staff and residents at a local homeless shelter where she  volunteers, and this is where Brendan meets the unusual character, Jonathan Doe.  Found as a child severely battered, neglected and abused, he has lived at the shelter for years and no one knows where he came from or why he speaks fluent Spanish. This man's story becomes too intruiging to ignore and Brendan decides to investigate the man's past, despite warnings from staff to let it be.

The characters in this novel are just perfect.  Warmly researched, the attention to detail that has been afforded to the individual stories leads to some of the best writing I have come across for years. The concept of what a home is, what family means and how our past can influence our future is delicately interwoven throughout the chapters and you can almost feel as if you are in the middle of the wonderful story along with the cast. 

There are several threads throughout the book but they are so well linked that there is no apparent divisions. Smooth, sleek and compelling, the wonderful characters just tug at your heartstrings and you are wishing them well as they explore their past, present and future.

Similar in style to the 2009 BestSelling " The Silver Linings Playbook " by Matthew Quick, this underrated novel by Carol Coffey deserves a chance to be up there with the best novels of 2013.

Highly recommended.

" The Incredible Life of Jonathan Doe " is published by Poolbeg.

Thanks to Poolbeg for a review copy of this great book.

Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach

Lottie Moggach's first novel was the subject of a bidding war between eleven different publishers, she had a lot of pressure on her as the daughter of bestselling novelist and a real favourite of mine; Deborah Moggach (check out Deborah's hilarious rules for writing here) I wondered whether the daughter would live up to the promise of the mother.

I can certainly say that Lottie's book is as good as some of Deborah's work though not as good as my favourite Tulip Fever but that's probably because she writes in a very different style and that's not a bad thing, just a different thing.  Kiss Me First fits neatly in the category of post Gone Girl female led thrillers. There seems at the moment to be a shift towards a darker edge in contemporary women's fiction and I don't think there is any sense that writers are jumping on the bandwagon, rather writers are simply responding to the zeitgeist and the sex and shopping and cosy humour at either end of the scale during the "chick-lit" boom is of no interest to writers or readers in a post financial crash reality. 

Kiss Me First is the story of Leila she is a socially awkward young woman who has lived in a very closed world, her adult life has been focused on looking after her Mum who suffered from MS and now that she has died she has no-one. Her whole life takes place on-line. In between on-line role playing games she works remotely as a software tester. It is after she joins a philosophy discussion site called Red Pill that her world begins to change. The site administrator Adrian singles her out for attention and noticing her liberal views on euthanasia her tasks her with taking on the on-line persona of a woman who has chosen to die called Tess. Tess and Leila never meet in person but through on-line chats, emails and facebook Leila studies Tess and learns about a life utterly different to her own. Tess has had a priveleged upbringing and an expensive education, she is an artist suffering from bi-polar disorder who has traveled widely, experimented with drugs and had realtionships with a lot of men. Leila finds her fascinating.

However as the story begins with Leila searching for Tess at a commune in Spain we know from the start that it all goes wrong and the drama lies in how exactly it all unravels. This is a short book and it is well written and tightly plotted. I think Lottie Moggach has touched on the dangers of our reliance on social media and the need to make genuine connections. This is a sharp and fast paced thriller which I would highly recommend. Kiss Me First is out now from Picador. Thank you to Francesca Main who sent me a copy to review.

Holiday Reads Part Three Contemporary/Crime/Thriller and everything else

Last one some contemporary reads

Paperback

Dying Fall- Elly Griffiths

Reconstructing Amelia- Kimberley McCreight

Love is the Easy Bit- Mary Grehan

How to be a Good Wife- Emma Chapman

Penelope- Rebecca Harrington

The Shining Girls- Lauren Beukes

The Sea Change- Joanna Rossiter

The Sea Sisters- Lucy Clarke

Alex- Pierre Lemaitre

Hardbacks and Trade Paperbacks

The Incredible Life of Jonathan Doe- Carol Coffey

My Father's House- Bethany Dawson

The Second Life of Amy Archer- RS Pateman

Dot- Araminta Hall

An Englishwoman in New York- Anne-Marie Casey

The Doll's House- Louise Phillips

Non Fiction

Possessed by The Devil- Andrew Sneddon ( The History of the Islandmagee Witches)

Flappers- Judith Macrell (Six extraordinary women of The Jazz Age)

The Disappearance of Emily Marr

Louise Candlish’s latest book is an intriguing take on morality and celebrity culture. Emily Marr is a dissatisfied thirty year old who longs for more from life, her mother died when she was young, her father suffers from dementia, her job is poorly paid and she is bored with her long-time boyfriend. When she meets Arthur she feels her life has truly began but she couldn’t have known the tragic sequence of events that had been set in motion, events that will make her infamous and hated. Tabby has been abandoned by her boyfriend while they were travelling; she has made her way to France and the beautiful Ile de Re. She is penniless and desperate, contemplating sleeping rough when she overhears Emmie repeat the access code to her front door, thinking that she won’t be back for a day or two Tabby lets herself. Caught by Emmie asleep in the house Tabby expects to be reported to the police instead Emmie invites her to stay and slowly as the women bond she reveals her story. The twist when it comes in unexpected and incredibly clever. Do not mistake this book for a fluffy romance it is gripping, intense and will get book groups talking everywhere.  A perfect beach read with a dark thread. Ideal for fans of Emily Barr and Hannah Richell.

Thanks to Stacey Bartlett of The Bookseller for the chance to read this book before publication.

Coco's Secret by Niamh Greene Reviewed by Margaret Madden

This book is a little bit perfect!

A little slice of chic-lit heaven all packaged into 339 pages.

Coco finds an original Chanel handbag at the bottom of an odds and ends box purchased at auction. On closer inspection she discovers an old letter inside the bag and it moves her to search for the bag's original owner. With not much to go on, she trusts her inner voice and follows the leads from her small hometown to London and Paris. She begins to get a picture of the owner's life and so does the reader. 

From the first page I was hooked. I too wanted to know the origins of the bag and along with a great set of characters Niamh Greene brings us on a a nice easy trip from the 1950s to the present day.

Coco's grandmother Ruth is a wonderful addition to the tale and a character I would love to meet in real life. I could just picture their little antiques shop and all its little bits and bobs, and could almost smell the atmosphere.

Very chic, very sweet, very clever. Well done Niamh Greene.

Another guest review from the lovely Margaret Madden who now has her own blog at http://bleachhouselibray.blogspot.ie/ so follow her blog to keep up to date with Margaret's four book a week book habit and the many books she and her five children share.

Thanks very much to Cliona Lewis and Penguin Ireland for an early reading copy. Coco's Secret will be published on August 15th and will make a perfect holiday read.