Book review: One Day by David Nicholls

One Day by David Nicholls
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As usual, I'd seen the film before I'd read the book. One Day isn't the book I'd normally go for. I don't read romance novels but seeing the film, with the humour and characters and a recommendation from my friend Helen, I finally picked it up from my shelf.
I love the concept. The idea that the story is told through one day over several years is brilliant and is certainly unconventional. You go straight to the interesting parts without the waffle.
However, there were some downsides. Any of the early chapters where Emma and Dexter were together was annoying. All they did was argue. I know that it was supposed to be playful etc. but really it just got on my wick. It put me off both characters.
Even separately, they were a bit annoying. Emma was hypercritical, disapproving of Dexter's numerous girlfriends but banging the headmaster and Dexter blamed the majority of his problems on his mother's premature death. I just wanted to bang their heads together.
However, as they grew older, they became less annoying and finally the inevitable happened and the last chapters are lovely. I came to like Dexter more and more as he tried his best to be a good husband, father and manager. Emma meanwhile was still a bit childish. She still started arguments for the sake of it.
At the end, the characters got to me and by the final chapters I was bawling my eyes out. It is exceptionally well written, made me laugh out loud and is full of eccentric and eclectic characters.

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Book review: Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom

Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was one hefty book. That was all I thought as I travelled halfway across the country reading it!
I loved Dissolution, the first in the Matthew Shardlake series, and although I didn't always agree with the main characters point of view, I was swept up with the medieval murder mystery and all it's characters. It was a bit like Agatha Christie, in that it was a limited number of suspects, yet a bit like a modern day thriller, where people died dramatically and there was tonnes of tension.
This was a different kind of story. We had two mysteries, one was a young boy's death and his supposed cousin who killed him. The other was Greek Fire, whether it existed and how to make it.
I'll be honest, I don't care about politics, or religion all that much, not when reading a murder mystery anyway, so the whole stuff about Greek Fire and whether Henry VIII was pleased or not with his wife was of no interest to me whatsoever. There were some exciting moments related to this, but I was generally on Guy's side throughout this book. I'll let you read it to find out what his opinions are!
The other murder mystery was good, but rather predictable. There's a young girl who has been imprisoned for murdering her spoilt brat of a cousin and who won't say a word about it. Reading about the different characters within the family are interesting, even if none of them are likeable. I must also add that the wrap up of their storyline is completely ridiculous. It seems like Sansom thought he'd just add that in there along with the fire, the rooftop chase and everything else that happens in the twelve days that Shardlake is investigating both cases.
This brings me nicely to his new assistant Jack Barak. A brilliant name to start with! He's appointed by Cromwell to help Shardlake with his investigations and to keep an eye on him. At first, I was a bit unsure whether I liked him or not. I liked Mark very much from the first book and was hoping he'd come back, but by the end I was smitten.
Sansom does write characters and events very well. There is a physical tension when reading the book and I found myself holding my breath several times as I read. But I was let down by the plot. It won't stop me reading this series though, and I look forward to the next in the series.
Just one added note. C.J. Sansom is obsessed with straight white teeth and mentions that pretty much every character has them. It's annoying and I'd imagine a bit unrealistic for the time period!

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Book review: Miles Behind Us (The Walking Dead Vol. 2) by Robert Kirkman

The Walking Dead Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a massive fan of the TV series, and have read the first of The Walking Dead graphic novels, so I'm going in with a lot of preconceptions.
For a start, I love the characters, the idea (although not original, has been made fresh) and the story. However, I imagine a lot of that has come from the TV show. I imagine Rick in my head as Andrew Lincoln as I look at the pictures on the pages.
Miles Behind Us covers the second series of The Walking Dead, introduces us to Hershel, Maggie and Otis, and ends where they do. I won't say where in case you're catching up on the series. But for me, it's too quick a read. In the end, it always fall back on the same argument, that this would be brilliant if it was a normal book. It would also let my imagination run wild. There's no time scale in the graphic novel either, unless a character mentions that a couple of weeks have passed since a certain event.
Despite all my negativity, there are some good points. A section which revolves around a housing estate is particularly exciting, but I won't give it away. There are also relationships and characters that I wish were explored on the TV show.
This is still a brilliant, gripping book, that I read in less than an hour. You hold your breath all the time and feel for the characters and what they're going, wishing that you had this idea before Robert Kirkman. But my final note and possibly the most important as this is a graphic novel, is the illustrations. The drawings for Vol. 1 were clear, crisp and beautiful. Vol. 2 is a bit of a disappointment in comparison. Characters appear completely different and the drawings are slightly muddier and dirtier. Maybe I've been generous giving this four stars, but I can't wait to sink my teeth (in a zombie like manner) into Vol. 3.

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Book review: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my first foray into the legend that it Agatha Christie. I had heard a lot about this book before I started it and by chance I picked it up on a stall.
I knew the concept before I started, ten people on an island together and each of them gets picked off one by one. When I started, it was quite a lot to take on board. You're introduced to all the characters within the first chapter. It wasn't until they were all at the island that I started settling down with the characters. I had to turn back a few times to check I was reading about the right person. However, once the first few people start to die off, it makes it easier to keep track of everyone.
Not only is this an excellent murder mystery, with a well thought out plot, Agatha Christie is a brilliant writer. I must admit, having characters say 'by jove!' and one girl getting slapped to stop her being hysterical was something I loved as well. It was everything you expect from a murder mystery of the time period, and more.

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Book review: Nineteen Seventy Seven by David Peace

Nineteen Seventy Seven by David Peace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was the second in the riding quartet and after an exciting start in 1974, I couldn't wait for this.
Eddie Dunford is no longer on the scene, instead the reader follows Jack Whitehead, a burnt out reporter and Bob Fraser, a young policeman.
Anyone who's read 1974 will recognise these characters, but they're not overly familiar. However, having two narrators isn't necessarily a good things. Whitehead and Fraser sound similar and it can be confusing. Frequently I had to turn back to check and see who I was reading about.
I wasn't born at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper so I was going in more or less blind. David Peace doesn't shy away from violence, or bad language, which makes the book come alive, the characters and scenes leaping from the page.
It's a brilliant book and I can't wait to read the next installment. From the start to finish, I feel like I'm holding my breath, waiting to see what the next page will bring.

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Book review: Play Dead by Richard Montanari

Play Dead by Richard Montanari
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my second Richard Montanari novel, but the fourth in the series. The Rosary Girls I enjoyed, but I didn't particularly warm to Kevin Byrne, but after this one I have changed my opinion of him.
The story is an interesting one, about Ludo and his magician's tricks and the lives of seven teenage runaways.
It's a clever idea, one of the more original ones I've come across, but I still feel like they didn't use it to maximum effect. Montanari describes this fantastic house with rooms that move and secret hatches. It's a brilliant opportunity for the characters to get lost inside with the victim and the murderer but nothing like that happened, instead the house got burnt down!
At the start of the novel, I found it annoying that the author constantly mentioned how hot it was and what it was like in Philly, which although was interesting, got irritating pretty quickly.
Montanari never fails to provide a quick, exciting read, but doesn't retain in the memory very long.

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London Baby!

Mum in the hotel room.

Me at the V& A

It's finally here, the long awaited weekend (I know it's Wednesday) to London. After a long trek from Euston Station to our Travelodge, it turns out there are more Travelodges than red buses in London, we managed to settle ourselves in and get ready to see the epic Rock of Ages, a show about classic rock and strippers. As we walk in we find out we've been upgraded to the Royal Circle, a level below our original tickets. Then we're given fake lighters to wave along with the slow songs, of which there are plenty, full of funny (Lonny and Dennis singing 'I Can't Fight This Feeling') and touching (the whole cast singing 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn') moments. Rock of Ages is a very audience involved show, they encourage you to stand up, sing and the cast are fully aware they're in a musical, which as you can imagine has amusing consequences. But there was also a down side to that, as the theatre was half empty. Good for us, as we were upgraded but I'm sure the cast aren't particularly thrilled when they're looking at a hundred or so spare seats.
On day number two we went to the V&A. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I mostly thought it would be fashion and design, my brain didn't connect that to sculptures. It's an incredible museum with some of the most amazing pieces, but it doesn't really fall under one category. We saw amazing archways (check me out in the pic on the right!), beautifully jeweled boxes, books from the 12th century and jewelery from across the ages. There was a whole section dedicated to theatre and performance and that held some fantastic costumes. My particular favourite was the outfit Adam, of Adam and the Ants wore for the Prince Charming video.
After we left the V&A we headed to the number one shopping place in London, Harrods. To start with, I was amazed by the carpet. I know that's a weird think to say, but my shoes must have sunk an inch into it, it was so thick! And the place is huge! There is a whole room just for handbags, the same goes for make up and food! I was in heaven! The only way to describe it is a museum of modern, lovely things. Even the rooms have themes as well. Parts of the building had Egyptian decoration. Needless to say me and Mum came out there with one or two bags, thirty pounds down.
In the evening of the second day, me and Mum went to the O2 arena to see the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Tavares and the Crystals. Mum's been to see the Four Tops and the Temptations before but this was my first time. It was my first time to see an indoor concert full stop so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. The arena itself is pretty magnificent and me and Mum had awesome seats on the floor. The Crystals were the first up and they were good, definitely getting the party started. There was a bloke that kept getting up to dance in the aisles. The second group to perform were the Tavares and they were the best. They boogied and blasted their way through their hit songs, like 'More Than A Woman' and 'Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel'. What's more, four of the five original members were there. Both of the Four Tops and the Temptations were good, but they wanted to sing new music, or covers, which although there good, the atmosphere kind of depleted at that time. The Temptations were also on for too long, like they were milking their moment. Overall, they were excellent, but I wish I had the chance to edit the order of the night, and the songs they chose.
London is always an incredible place to be, but those three days were exhausting and next time, we need to pick a hotel closer to a tube station!

Me and Mum

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