Watch - Eat

Finding Cinderella (Hopeless, #2.5)

11:00 am 29 October 2017

Note: I have not read anything else in this series or by this author.

I loved the descriptions of teenage love in this novella but that is about all. The writing was ok but not very good characters or settings or story for me. I understand others might love this simpleness but for me it was just not enough. I am not sure I will persevere with others in the series. Maybe given some time and the right holiday I might give it a go but not sure there was quite enough to entertain me - on the plus side it was a very quick read on a flight and in the airport and it did keep my interest and boredom at bay.

Consolation Prize

12:00 pm 9 October 2017

This one was not for me. I think it moved just far too quickly from "she looks nice" to "she is the love of my life" and I just couldn't move that quickly without a bit more buildup and information.

The writing was vivid and descriptive but sometimes a little clumsy and obvious for me - I think if you were very stressed/distracted it would be an easy read but I found it just a bit too in your face and not subtle enough in the descriptions or the storyline.

It is a simple story, girl and boy meet, like each other, have dramas, ends. There was nothing particularly engaging about either of the main characters as they seemed a bit bland and simple and not very aware of others. Not for me but I can see how it might appeal to others. I will say it was short which was good as I started to want to have it done pretty early on and I don't like to not finish a book.

The Former Chief Executive

12:00 pm 6 October 2017

I received this book to review but took some time to actually get around to reading it. Surprisingly the cover sort of put me off thinking it would be about the life after having power.

I guess this was covered in this short novel but it might have been more apt to call it the retired widow. The fact of the past worklife is not as relevant to the story as the current relationships and the imprint of some past events. I don't think I was expecting quite such a lot of "british suburban detail" as it struck me from the description there might be more corporate/NHS/media or similar societal factors.

I thought the writing was clear and descriptive and the range of characters was broad and I think it would appeal to a wide audience. For me the end was quite abrupt and although the climax was definitely being worked up to for some time it felt a bit blunt in the end and the ins and outs could have definitely had more exploration. The revelations were well handled throughout the novel and definitely had a few surprises. I did not think there was much that was not relevant to the story included which made it a nice tight story. I will definitely try something else by the same author again.

Made for Me

12:00 pm 1 October 2017

a well written light story with a good pace. Predictable but that is ok. Lots of good details and descriptions. A great read if you like fashion

The 12 Step Program (Book #1)

12:00 pm 26 September 2017

A quick and simple read. Light easy and nothing surprising. Well actually that is not true. It stops on a cliffhanger which wasn't to my liking. This story definitely has more in it.

I liked the characters - simple and clear and easy to relate to. I thought the style was breezy and easy and the relationship to the 12 step program was well handled.

Payback and a Bottle of Merlot: Like Sisters Series Book One

12:00 pm 20 September 2017

An easy and fun read. Nothing complicated or serious. I liked the main characters, I liked the story moving along quickly and the light descriptions seemed to work. It was not a deep book in any way but that was fine. I would recommend this as an in between read or something to read when life is a bit busy.

Public Property

12:00 pm 15 September 2017

This is the sequel to a story I enjoyed quite some time ago. I did enjoy reconnecting with a few of the characters but felt it was not a great sequel for me. The story was good and there were a few twists I definitely didn't see coming but I didn't connect with the setting and the characters as well as I did with the first book. It was nice to revisit but I think I would struggle to read any more about them - even if the story felt like it ended quite abruptly for me.

Dating You / Hating You

12:00 pm 7 September 2017

This was a light read. The characters were easy to understand, the writing style was mostly clear. I found this a good easy read between more demanding stories. I did find that I was kind of waiting for it to end and no big surprises kind of disappointed me but on the other hand it did not demand much which was what I felt like.

I would not read anything else by the same author for a while but I would read again perhaps on holiday or at a stressful time.

Light and a good example of that.

Never The Bride (Dilbury Village #1)

12:00 pm 21 August 2017

Great easy read. Whizzed through this as it was light and well written. Style was easy to follow and gave enough detail not to feel like a short story. The descriptions and characters jumped ahead a little bit fast at times but you filled in the gaps as the story developed. I think it probably could have been a bit slower in parts but on the other hand it was not boring!

Last Night, When I Prayed

12:00 pm 17 August 2017

I received this book through BookLikes and I found it an interesting read for children. I received an ebook so for my reader there were a couple of layout issues that were not massive but weren't great.

The illustrations were really vivid, the language was good. I would share this book with some children and maybe adults I know but I am aware it was some pretty heavy content. It would be of interest to people dealing with a hard point in their lives.

The book deals with the unseen realms around us and I think sometimes that can be upsetting. This book handled the subject well though.

The Summer of Naked Swim Parties

12:00 pm 4 August 2017

I enjoyed the style that this was written in - very evocative of the period. I found the characters interesting but for me it didn't go "far enough". I felt there could have been more surprises/developments and it ended rather abruptly for me. It was however a nice conclusion and the story did tie together with the style throughout

11:28 am 29 May 2017

Testing out this photo thing

Is it a book?

Emergency Exit

12:00 pm 23 May 2017

This book took a while to get going for me. I enjoyed the main character and especially the cross cultural elements. I found a few characters completely unbelievable but I think that might be the point.

It was a good explore of what happens when you operate with a completely different "compass"

I would recommend this book as a fairly light read - its not all flowers and chocolates though. The style is very easy to read and you just need to keep the time period you are in correct in your head or you will wonder why a particular person is doing or saying something. That said it wasn't too hard to pick up and keep reading. If you like a bit of a twist but a strong end this is for you.

Truly Madly Guilty

12:00 pm 17 May 2017

I was surprised that this felt like a "harder read" than some of the other Liane Moriarty books I have read. I am not sure I identified with enough of the characters or their situations but it was still skillfully woven around very ordinary lives. I tried it back during christmas and gave up on the hardback for another more topical read and didn't get back to it until the beginning of this month. I tend to read most days in my lunch breaks so maybe this would be suited to a holiday read (longer sessions of reading). I found it wasn't much of a "can't put it down book" and I don't think I ever stayed up later than I should have trying to get to the next bit.

The style was similar to the Big Little Lies and Three Wishes though which for me were much more gripping reads. I like her style and the way in which the details are written in very vividly. Basically I can't get enough of these books and the only reason I didn't give it five is that my expectations are probably quite high given the twists/reveals in earlier books so I might have been looking for more of a surprise journey. However I cannot fault the writing or the story or the pace. Maybe I just needed not to be sitting reading in the rain in the suburbs as it felt a little too ordinary at parts :)

Would recommend for fans but not necessarily as your first taste of the author.

Second Life

12:00 pm 5 April 2017

I found this book heavy going in places. I am not sure I was ready to dislike the main character quite as much as I did. It is difficult to write a less than sympathetic core collection of characters and this is a good example of it being done quite well.

I liked some of the details/descriptions and style this was written but overall for me it was a bit grim. I think if you like these sorts of "tied up tightly together" stories it is well written.

I found the pace was slow for the last 1/3 of the book but that may have been again related to not identifying well with the core characters and therefore not feeling empathetic to their situation. I appreciate this is my interpretation and I cannot fault the writing - it is just not for me in this case.

The Last Day

12:00 pm 27 March 2017

Well written, good characters but a little more detailed descriptions would have helped in some parts (would have made it a longer book though)

I enjoyed the set up and the threads that continued right through the story. In a lot of ways not much happened but somehow it was still a good read.

Watch - Eat - Read