Emily
I picked up this book on a total whim recently. It was released in the UK this year but with very little fanfare as far as I can tell, which is a shame because it's brilliant.
The author's debut novel, this is a fantastical saving-the-world themed book in which the main character's brother can read characters from books into the real world. He's a bit of a genius so I think Parry chose wisely in narrating from the more-relatable brother's POV.
H. G. Parry is obviously a literature lover and incorporates characters from Dickens, Austen, Conan Doyle and others. I think this is a hard thing to do well, but she really does! It was a great read and I found myself longing to get back to the book when I had other things I should have been doing
Oh this book made my heart happy ❤️ It came highly recommended by another teacher who had read it to their class and said that it totally changed how they treated one of their autistic peers, so I already had pretty high expectations.
It met them all! It's such a wonderfully simple yet effective recount into the world of Tally, an autistic girl, as she starts secondary school. The book switches between a third person narrative and Tally's diary entries, which offer the reader an insight into how she is feeling and provides facts, pros and cons about being autistic.
It made me smile; it made me cry; it made me frustrated at times. It helped me to understand more about how I can support the autistic children that I teach. I know that it will do the same with other children in my class so I'll definitely be reading it to them. It's a great way to invite discussion about the transition into secondary school in general, and to encourage people to be more accepting towards others.
It might be a children's book, but I think it's a must-read for everyone. ⭐️5/5⭐️
“The moonlight chose an unexpected path through the pines, laying shadows about in rhymes. She strolled like a sleepwalker as the moon pulled herself naked from the waters and climbed limb by limb through the oaks.”
How beautiful is this writing? Every word is so precisely and perfectly chosen. It's like reading poetry.
I've spent two days ignoring my other books to finish Keep Him Close by Emily Koch. It's marketed as a thriller, but is so much more - a well-written, thought-provoking book about families, relationships, friendship and loss.
Following the tragic death of a young man, this book tracks the journey of two women - the victim's mother and the alleged killer's mother - as they struggle to come to terms with the death and aftermath, and to understand exactly what happened that night.
The book switches mainly between the perspectives of the two mothers, although it occasionally flashes back to the night of the death too. I enjoyed this switching back and forth - it was good to see the development of both characters and the author used first-person for one and third- for the other which meant it never got confusing.
I didn't want to put this book down. The characters were flawed but immensely likeable on the whole and I loved the way that it explored the very different relationships between all the characters and the way that these developed throughout the novel. It covered a number of themes that aren't typically seen in a thriller, which really added some depth to the book. ⭐️ 3.75/5 ⭐️
Keep Him Close is due to be published in March 2020. Thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Finally got round to reading Between Shades of Gray, a book that has been sitting on my tbr for about two years, and what a book it was.
Along with being part of my #theunreadshelfproject, this was also book two of my #popsugarreadingchallenge2020 (Prompt: A book with a map).
It was a hugely affecting novel, a devastating account of the experiences of Lithuanians (and others) as they were forced out of their homes by the Soviet secret police and killed or forced into labour camps and prisions. Sepetys, whose grandfather was a Lithuanian military officer, has done a huge amount of research into the deportations in her quest to write this book. It is horrifying, a truly dreadful reminder of what the human race can do to one another.
But, despite the subject matter, this book was beautiful. A story of art, of hope, of the strength of those put into such awful situations and of the importance of looking after one another. I loved every word. I still cried A LOT though. ⭐️4.75/5⭐️
In short, this novel is simple yet touching story which follows four young protagonists as they try and get to Royal Observatory in London to name a star.
Onjali Q. Raúf is like the Jodi Picoult of the kids' world. She does an incredible job of tackling tricky issues in a way that kids can easily access. In this book, she looks at the impact of domestic violence and children being put into the foster system. At the end of the novel, an author's note tells the reader about Raúf's personal experience with this: she had an aunt who was killed by her husband. As a result, Raúf has set up a women's rights organisation called Making Herstory. And wrote this book, obviously.
If I'm totally honest, I didn't enjoy this quite as much as The Boy at the Back of the Class. Despite the different context, the plot seemed fairly similar, with a young girl travelling into London with a group of friends to try and talk to ‘people in charge'.
I also feel like things wrap up just a bit too neatly in her books. I understand that they're for children, but the fact that the people in charge always give the main character exactly what they want seems like it's going to give kids an unrealistic view of the way the world works.
Despite this, I enjoyed the book and will definitely take to school as I think my class will love it. 3.75/5
In this children's book, Vashti Hardy explores the idea of bringing people back from the dead through the use of machines - although these ‘second-lifers' have no recollection of their previous existence.
This novel was a fast-paced and exciting read for its target audience, and is an excellent way for children to venture into the sci-fi and fantasy genre. With echoes of Frankenstein, I also found parts of it reminiscent of Harry Potter, which I know many people hate comparisons to. But I don't think it's a bad thing! I'm sure there aren't many authors who don't take inspiration from books they've enjoyed. The story itself was unique and well-developed and I found myself reaching for it often over other books to find out what would happen next. I thought the world building was very good and I enjoyed the strong female characters. Not only that, but it addressed issues of family, love and death in a sensitive way that could open good talking points for children. I've read that it's a stand-alone novel, which is a shame as I'd definitely read the rest of the series and feel like Hardy has set it up well for a sequel.
I'm going to give it a 4.25/5, but if I'd been its target audience (ie a kid) it probably would have been a five star for me.
A brilliant, interactive story. The reader must use the puzzles in the book, along with the accompanying map and magnifying glass, to navigate their way through the pages and solve the mystery. Although the puzzles are relatively simple, my brain felt like it'd had a real workout by the end of the book.
It's nicely laid out - a nice mixture of ‘scrapbook' pages and pictures - and there are additional puzzles that complement the main storyline. I can see this book being enjoyed by adults and children alike. It claims it's suitable for ages 6+ but I think younger children would definitely need some adult support.
All in all, a novel concept and wonderfully executed. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I listened to the audible version of this book.
The narrator (it was read by Joanne Froggart) was outstanding. Her performance was easy to listen to and kept me interested throughout. 5 stars.
The actual story and text I felt was weaker. The writing felt a little forced at times and there were a couple of plot holes. 3 stars.
If you want to try this book, I definitely recommend listening to the audio version.
The most beautiful cookbook I've ever owned! Not sure I'll ever cook anything from it (I'd rather just go to his restaurant and have it cooked by him...) but worth owning just to gaze at all the beautiful pictures of food. Also loved being able to read about his journey from the beginning up to opening MJP@ The Shepherds. Initial print run is only 1000 copies so definitely grab one if you can!