Tag: book review

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Murder By The Seaside (10 Authors)

I finished this book a few months ago but have not had the opportunity to write a review.

It has been a while since I have read a compilation of short stories like this. This one is by Cecily Gayford. And I did enjoy it. It was nice to be able to read a whole story in just a number of hours and then move onto the next one in the same genre.

The ten authors are Arthur Conan Doyle (honestly it was this name which attracted my initial attention), Anthony Berkeley, John Dickson Carr (Carter Dickson), Gladys Mitchell, Cyril Hare, G.K. Chesterton, Micheal Innes, R. Austin Freeman, G.D.H. & M. Cole, and Edmund Crispi.

The stories have a death, an investigation and are located near or at the seaside hence the book title. Numerous characters are amusing but several are quite stereotypical.

Some of the stories are quite enjoyable. One or two left me wondering if it would ever catch the attention of a writer’s agent today. They all have a good premise but I think it’s the way some of the stories are written which made the difference. A few seem to be just a few people speaking about what happened and a couple had some sections of what might be called info-dumping.

But overall for some light reading, for when you just want to relax with a mystery but don’t really want to overwork your brain, this is a good book.

Happy Reading!

syc

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Book Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Talk about being swept off one’s feet, this book certainly has done that to me. All the accolades about this book are truly well-deserved.

From the get-go, you are drawn into the world of Eleanor & Park. You might not have lived the same teenhood or in the same country or faced the same situations. But the universal ache of first love, of wanting to be loved, of being young and lost is something, I believe, all of us can identify with.

Rowell‘s narrative shows off so well the inner dilemmas and the outer peer pressures that this pair of young lovers face. It makes me remember those feelings of uncertainty in a new blossoming relationship, that fear of loss and the ramblings of a teenage brain. It was all at once wonderful and terrifying. Her writing presents these intense feelings in a real and raw way but it’s not mushy or sickly-sweet. The way the chapters alternate between Eleanor’s point of view and Park’s is brilliant.

I like how the characters around Eleanor & Park are just as imperfect as they are. I also really enjoy how they exchange music and reading materials. Oh, and the sitting by the phone, waiting for THAT phone call… such memories… the days before digital music formats, the internet and mobiles.

The ending is just perfect… yes, like everyone else who has read the book, I am ever so curious about those three words but I understand why Rowell won’t tell anyone, not even her mother, what those three words are. Maybe even Rowell doesn’t know. Those words belong to Eleanor & Park and we need to respect that. We can all enjoy some time fantasising about what those three words might be and how Eleanor & Park go on.

Just a word of caution, I will repeat what is stated on the back of the book: Not suitable for younger readers. Because the story touches on bullying, abuse and suicidial thoughts.

Hope you will find some time to indulge in another world through the fabulous books.

Happy Reading!
syc

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Book Review: A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

I bought this book on a friend’s recommendation and she was so right to recommend this book to me. I really liked it.

I love how magic is portrayed in the story. It is not just a tool to make things happen, it comes from somewhere deep inside of you, it requires that you give of yourself in some way, not just this mysterious force that only some can have or control.

Felicity Juniper Pickle and her quirky family sparkle into my mind as I read about them and their lives. Felicity collects words. She wants so much to stay in Midnight Gulch, where her Mama’s family is from but Mama has a wandering heart. She has been told there was magic in Midnight Gulch. She finds out that somehow she and her family have a strong link to this magic. But can this magic help keep them in Midnight Gulch and allow Felicity to, at last, lay down roots and make friends?

I enjoy how the history of the town is so linked to its people and how family plays such an important role in all their lives. Natalie Lloyd‘s writing is so easy to read that you forget you are reading; it feels like someone is actually telling you the story. Her characters are wonderfully colourful and full of heart. Felicity’s word collection is so interesting and includes amazing words such as “spindiddly”, a tongue-satisfyingly made-up word.

I won’t give away the ending but I do want to say that this book highlights the need to cherish the words we say to each other.

This book deserves every award it has received and it has quite a few! I hope you will add this book to your TBR list.

Happy Reading!

syc