Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeymoon

A stunning debut. Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than… fine?

 

Review: This book was very different from what I was expecting. I loved that fact that this book  centres around one character and her view of the world and I really loved that fact that this book was set in Glasgow. It means that instantly the reader can recognise what is going on and can experience everything in the book along with the main character. I thought the writing style made it very easy for us to sympathise with the main character and to see the world through her eyes. 

Eleanor as a character was interesting. I wouldn't say that she was easy to like, but she was definitely easy to sympathise and sometimes empathise with. This meant that the book moved quickly. I still wasn't sure by the end of the book whether I liked her or not. She is very com,plex and yet simple at the same time. She obviously has some social issues as well. The synopsis mentions her drinking and so I expected her to be aware of the drinking but she really wasn't aware that this was an issue, or that anything else in her life was an issue for that matter. 

The relationships that Eleanor builds with other characters is very entertaining. You don't always expect things to go the way they do and neither do Eleanor or the other characters, the book is cleverly written in that sense. Other parts of the book move a little slower and some parts are a little repetitive, but I think that this was a conscious choice on the author's part because Eleanor's life relies on those routines and repetitive tasks. 

I enjoyed reading this book, it was sometimes a little slow for my liking but it did make me laugh in parts and I am glad that I read it. 

To order your copy and see for yourself, just click the link: UK or US

Review: The Break by Marian Keyes

'Myself and Hugh . . . We're taking a break.'
'A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?'

If only. Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her. He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in south-east Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it. Yes, it's a mid-life crisis, but let's be clear: a break isn't a break up - yet . . . However, for Amy it's enough to send her - along with her extended family of gossips, misfits and troublemakers - teetering over the edge. For a lot can happen in six-months. When Hugh returns if he returns, will he be the same man she married? And will Amy be the same woman? Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then isn't she?

The Break isn't a story about falling in love but about staying in love. It is Marian Keyes at her funniest, wisest and brilliant best.

Review: Well this book had me in hysterics right from the word go and yet it deals with such a serious topic. I think I had forgotten just how witty Marian Keyes can be, even when dealing with the issue of a marriage coming to an end or not! The way she phrases things, the way her characters react to things, is just so funny and will definitely have you laughing out loud. 

Now the issue of a marriage staying together or not. This really does sound like the kind of issue that would make for heavy reading, and yes the things that Amy goes through over the course of this book are very very real and I really loved that fact that every reaction and her life in every situation whilst she is on her break from Hugh is covered. And yet Amy is just the type of person that deals with things and deals with things in her own way. I think if this issue had been dealt with by another author, this book would have been much darker and  much more 'issues' based. But i loved that fact that Amy was the vehicle for this story, she gets on with her life and deals with her grief in her own way. The book shows Amy at various points before and during her break and we get to count up the days it has been since the announcement. I think that was a great way of structuring it. 

As I mentioned above, Amy is a great character to go on this journey with. She is strong, independent and she has great values, family values and work ethic. Her family are also great to get to know. Marian Keyes always writes great Irish families with slightly bonkers members and they make for great reading. I loved meeting Amy's daughters in this book. They are each so different and unique and I really think they add another layer of depth to the storyline. Hugh also plays a big role in this book even though he isn't always physically present and I think that his growth over the course of the book, has a big hand in Amy's growth and the growth of the girls too. 

My one complaint with this book is that it is a little on the long side. It did take me a while to get through and I kind of regret saving it for a plane journey because I didn't manage to finish it on that journey. I think the length also made me forget some of Amy's friends and family a little too as the book progressed so I was having to try and dredge up relationships as they came and went in the story. Other than that though, this book was an absolute hoot. It deals with the issue of keeping a marriage working, or not working as the case may be. It deals with the issue of what family means to you and it also deals with the issue of self identity. Never does it shove any of these things down your throat though and it is a thoroughly entertaining read. I didn't realise how much I missed Marian Keyes's writing until I picked this book up and fell in love with it all over again!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Review: The Little Bakery on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry

**Take a trip to the Yorkshire village of Burley Bridge, where a new arrival is going to shake things up…**

Growing up in a quiet Yorkshire village, Roxanne couldn’t wait to escape and find her place in the world in London. As a high-powered fashion editor she lives a glamorous life of perennial singlehood – or so it seems to her sister Della. But when Roxanne gets her heart broken by a fashion photographer, she runs away, back to Della’s welcoming home above her bookshop in Burley Bridge.

But Burley Bridge, Roxanne discovers, is even quieter than she remembered. There’s nothing to do, so Roxanne agrees to walk Della’s dog Stanley. It’s on these walks that Roxanne makes a startling discovery: the people who live in Burley Bridge are, well, just people – different from the fashion set she’s used to, but kind and even interesting. Michael, a widower trying to make a go of a small bakery, particularly so. Little by little, cupcake by cupcake, Roxanne and Michael fall into a comforting friendship.

Could there be a life for Roxanne after all, in the place she’s spent 46 years trying to escape?

Review: This book follows on from The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane, which I read with great enjoyment last year. I have been looking forward to reading this sequel ever since, and am delighted that it has appeared at last. Although this is a follow on story, it can be read on its own. Points referring to events happening in the first book are explained as we go along. 

The central character in this story is, in fact, one that we met briefly in the first book about Rosemary Lane. She is Roxanne, sister of Della, who runs the bookshop. Although Roxanne lives and works in London as fashion director of a glossy magazine, she feels that the time has come to visit her sister and take some time away from the hustle and bustle of her busy life and a career that seems to be turning in a direction she doesn't relish. She is also beginning to have doubts about boyfriend Sean. On her return to Burley Bridge, the Yorkshire village where she was brought up, she finds that things are different from how she remembered them, and she soon finds herself relaxing into the much quieter life there. As well as meeting up again with people she knew when growing up, Roxanne gets to know divorcee Michael, who owns and runs the bakery on Rosemary Lane along with his teenage children.

I have enjoyed reading this book just as much as I did the first one. I always enjoy reading stories containing characters I have met before and find out what is happening with them. There are some lovely new characters in this story as well. I particularly enjoyed reading about Roxanne's elderly neighbour in London, Isabelle, who had obviously led a really interesting life; I would really like to hear more about her. Some of the other characters from Roxanne's life in London are not quite so likeable, living strange, almost false lives. The contrast between the two locations in the story is marked; the author makes the little village of Burley Bridge sound so appealing that I would love to visit. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read to curl up with. 

To order your copy now, just click here! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I've Decided Not To Review Recently 5/9/17

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. I'd love to share my lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

I've done a couple of posts recently on books that I've decided not to review. This might be because I didn't manage to finish them or because I did finish them but they just didn't do it for me and I didn't want to write a negative review. I understand that we all have different tastes in books and so I know that other people have liked/will love these books and so that's why I decided to highlight them in this way. 

Here are some I may or may not have mentioned. I will let you know whether I finished them or not!

The first five are mentioned in this post where you can read exactly why I chose not to review them.

And here is the post that explains why I chose not to read the next 5. 

Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?

Review: I Heart London by Lindsey Kelk

Angela’s back on home turf – and in her biggest romantic scrape yet…

Angela Clark has fallen in love with America – and it’s starting to love her back.

Throw one expired visa into the mix, and things quickly take a turn for the worse.

She might love her life as a Brit in New York, but now she has no choice but to return to London. Not only does she leave behind her gorgeous boyfriend Alex – she must also face unfinished business back on home turf.

There’s the ex-boyfriend – who she moved to New York to get away from.

Then there’s her best friend, with her perfect new baby.

And there’s her mum.

Now, there’s another wedding in the offing – and everyone remembers how well the last one went . . .

Review: Another fabulous book in the I Heart series by Lindsey Kelk. I just cannot get enough of these books! This book sees Angela return to London and I loved that fact that this book is set in both New York and London, both great cities. And we also have Angela staying back with her parents so we get the whole 'I've been away and now I'm back in small town England' type of thing too. This just mixed so well with the story line of these novels. I honestly think that the cities these books are set in contribute so well to the plot and the character development so of course London was going to be fabulous!

Obviously we have an amazing cast of characters in this novel. Angela's mum plays a much bigger part than she usually does and I loved her character in this book. I also loved the way Alex's character changes quite a lot during this novel compared to the previous novel. This is probably because Angela is in denial for a lot of this book, about a lot of things. She reverts back to childhood behaviors when she comes back home, thank goodness Jenny is there to sort her out, although Jenny may have a few issues of her own-I guess Alex to the rescue it is-I loved that!

There are some hilarious moments in this book, as there are in the others in this series, but I think it is made even more funny by the fact that we have some American's in England and some Brits trying to accommodate those Americans. There are also some hilarious moments of people jumping to conclusions they shouldn't. Obviously this is not always a good thing, but what would an I Heart book be without a little drama?

I loved this read and it was a great sequel and a great addition to the series. If you are a Brit who has been living in America too and knows what it is like to go back home, this is definitely the book for you! You don't HAVE to read the other books in the series to read this one, you will get to love the characters either way but I would definitely recommend reading them all-what are you waiting for?

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: Chase The Rainbow by Poorna Bell

Punk rocker, bird nerd and book lover Rob Bell had a full, happy life. He had a loving wife, a big-bottomed dog named Daisy and a career as a respected science journalist. But beneath the carefully cultivated air of machoism and the need to help other people, he struggled with mental health and a drug addiction that began as a means to self-medicate his illness. In 2015, he ended his life in New Zealand on a winter’s night. 

But what happened? How did a middle-class Catholic boy from the suburbs, who had an ocean of people who loved him, and a brain the size of a planet, end up dying alone by his own hand? How did it get to this point?  

In the search to find out about the man she loved, and how he arrived at that desperate, dark moment, Poorna Bell, Executive Editor of The Huffington Post UK, went on a journey spanning New Zealand, India and England to discover more about him.

A month after his death, she shared her personal tragedy in an open letter to Rob on the site, which went on to be read by hundreds of thousands of people across the world. This is Poorna’s story, not only of how she met the man of her dreams and fell in love, but also Rob’s story and how he suffered with depression since childhood and had secretly been battling addiction as a means to cope with the illness.
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 and a staggering 1 in 4 of us will experience mental illness disease at some point in our lives, but the stigma surrounding mental health means that millions still suffer in silence.

Chase the Rainbow is an affecting, poetic, and deeply personal journey which teaches to seek hope and happiness, even in the most tragic of circumstances. Shattering the stigma surrounding depression and suicide, Poorna Bell challenges us talk about what we most fear, and to better understand the personal struggles of those closest to us.

Review: This really is, as the tagline says, a life-changing book! I was lucky enough to read this book with a friend so that we could discuss what we were reading and how we were feeling as the book went on, I would really recommend reading this book with a friend or as a group so that you can discuss your feelings because you are going to have a lot of them. 

First of all, this book is beautifully written and I loved the structure of it. Obviously Poorna is a journalist and so the things she wanted to find out and the things she wanted to share dug really deep but also, were beautifully put. This is a book about someone who struggled with depression and ultimately takes their life, but no part of this book felt depressing or made me feel down and I think that this is down to the way the book is structured and the writing that went into it. The book features two parts, Poorna telling her story of her relationship with Rob and then parts where she is in New Zealand stepping along that path that he took, meeting his family and the feelings that she experiences there. Her own story, told in the first person almost feels like a novel rather than a memoir because of the beautiful writing. 

As I have mentioned above, the issues dealt with in this book are obviously serious issues, but they are issues that a lot of people don't want to and don't talk about and so sometimes when we get a book like this, it can feel like these issues are being forced upon us and can be a little heavy to read but this book is not like that. This writer combines her own personal experiences with her own research and the accounts she has from speaking to others. She is honest with us but not graphic, she is frank but not overly so. I really loved the way the issues surrounding mental health were dealt with in this book and I would urge anyone wanting to know more about these issues from a first/second hand point of view to read this book now. 

And finally this book truly was uplifting. Obviously what these people in this book went through, all of them is hear breaking and life destroying but this book is more than that. This book is about facing those issues and how to deal with them during and after the event because this is not something that can just go away. The way this writer has been brave enough to share her experience is truly insporational and I would urge all of you to pick this book up now. You won't be able to put it down and I am sure that you will feel as positive about life afterwards as I did. 

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

September TBR

As you may have seen from previous blog posts or my YouTube channel, I'm cutting august off a few days early and therefore starting September a little early. This is because I am flying to the UK on 30th August and I know I will read on the plane but probably won't have time to update before that. So my September TBR will include books I want to read on the plane.

As usual I will divide this  TBR into September releases/October releases and other books I want to get to. I have some physical books waiting for me in Yorkshire so I know I want to get to those and then the rest are Netgalley read and audiobooks. This TBR is probably going to be slightly less ambitious than usual because I'm anticipating having way less time to read being back in the UK and hopefully back in the classroom (keep your fingers crossed for me)

September Releases

October Releases

Other Books I Want To Get To