Mad by Chloe Esposito

Read June 2018.

When Alvie decides to leave her humdrum, dead end life and visit her "perfect" twin sister, with the "perfect" life, so begins a mad-cap trail of mayhem and destruction.
While Beth appears to have all Alvie could ever want, things are not quite as they first appear. Soon, Alvie is on the run from the Mafia, with an assassin as an accomplice.

This book certainly lives up to its title. It is a fun, glamourous and sexy caper across Italy and I can't wait to follow Alvie in her continuing adventures in the sequel Bad.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Read June 2018.

The Godfather is such an iconic book and is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year!

I first read this when I was 15, after my dad gave me a copy, telling me it was a great book - I can only think that he had forgotten about the steamy sex scene just a few pages in!

This book should need very little introduction. It is a total classic must read in the Mafia genre, even if a couple of the minor story lines are a bit suspect (thankfully omitted from the classic movies).
It stands up well to the test of time and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time around.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Read May 2018.

A security breach at a secret government installation unleashes a terrible plague upon the Earth, dooming mankind to become either blood thirsty, night-prowling monsters or prey.

As the World falls apart, FBI agent Brad Wolgast is horrified at the things he was forced to do and is determined to protect the little girl Amy Harper Bellafonte, who he delivered up to his pay-masters to become part of the failed project.

So begins an adventure for Amy, that will take her through many years and across the wide, sparsely populated landscape of the future. For Amy is set to be the saviour of Mankind.

The Passage is book one of the Passage trilogy and is an epic tale of the struggle of good against evil. It is a book of two halves, which is a bit disconcerting at first, as the story travels into the future about half-way through. It is quite a ride and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Books two and three - The Twelve and The City Of Mirrors - are waiting patiently on my tbr pile.

The Retreat by Mark Edwards

Read May 2018.

Lucas, a horror novelist with writer's block, decides to go back to his hometown in rural Wales, where the tragic Julia has opened up her home as a writer's retreat. Julia is trying to piece her life back together after the disappearance of her daughter, Lily, and the death by drowning of her husband, two years ago.
Lily's body has never been found and Julia believes that she is still alive.

Lucas himself is trying to recover from the death of his wife and he finds himself drawn to Julia. Can he discover what happened to Lily? Who is the mysterious Red Widow and was she responsible for the disappearance of Lily?

What a great read. Creepy, dark and thrilling, I could not put it down until I knew the truth about the Red Widow.
I am a sucker for books about small town communities full of secrets and lies and this fits the bill nicely.

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Read May 2018.

Theodosia was six when her homeland was invaded and her mother (The Fire Queen) murdered before her eyes. Theo must learn how to live as a captive, as part of a Court where she is ridiculed as The Ash Princess. How far will Theo go to free her people from the rule of the cruel invaders?

This YA story is quite enjoyable and definitely tripped along at a good pace. I am sure it will be enjoyed by many YA readers. I did find the formula a bit samey though - "captured princess falls for enemy prince" has been done a few times before!

It will be interesting to see how the series develops. Perhaps this may turn out to be something more? I will wait and see.

The Boy With The Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera

Read May 2018. Non-fiction.

This is an unusual and touching memoir about Sathnam Sanghera growing up a Sikh in Wolverhampton, and his journey via Cambridge, to life as a journalist in London. There is however, an added dimension - Sathnam found out in his 20s that his father and eldest sister have schizophrenia, which caused him to go back over his childhood years and question some of the behaviours he thought of as "normal" when he was a boy, and to find out all he can about the history of his family....and to attempt to break free from his family's ideals.

This ends up being a touching and beautifully written tribute to his mother really, as he learns how she kept the family together under very difficult circumstances, alongside the story of the impact of mental illness and cultural differences.

The subject matter sounds heavy, but this is told with love and humour and is very readable.
Highly recommended.

Salvage The Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Read May 2018.

I really was not sure if this book would be for me, when I started reading it, but how wrong I was.

This is a beautifully written story of a poor, black family covering the 12 days in the run up to hurricane Katrina, the storm itself and some of the aftermath. You are drawn into the lives of the characters, through the eyes of Esch, a pregnant 15 year old, as the story builds like the storm, and if you don't shed a tear at the end you must have a very hard heart!

Beware: Ths book is aimed at the YA market, but there is a significant amount of sexual content in this book. Read it first if you are thinking of giving it to a young adult.

Everything \you \know About London Is Wrong by Matt Brown

Read April 2018. Non-fiction.

I love books about the history of London. It is always fun to have a wander around our capital city after reading this sort of book, and searching for the sights mentioned.
This one is full of "facts" that you think you may already know about London, but which in fact are urban myths, and are thoroughly debunked by Matt Brown.

This is full of interesting stuff, told in a very readable and humourous way. Great if you like shows like QI.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Read April 2018.

This book has won loads of awards and been given very high praise indeed.

It tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world, in which an ex-Hollywood star tours the out-posts of Great Lakes USA with his band of nomadic musicians and actors, performing plays. Their aim is to keep Art alive for the people who have very little else left in their lives. Now throw in a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet and you have the recipe for danger ahead.

I am not really sure what to make of this book. Maybe I just did not get it, but the promise did not live up to reality for me. There is plenty of excitement, but the story did not run as I expected at all. David Brin's The Postman did this much better.

This is more of a philosophical book, about the relationship of Art and Mankind, rather than an out and out thriller. David Brin's Postman did this much better.

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Read April 2018.

Coming hot on the tale of Circe, my next read was also about the Greek myths.
This is a strange and short retelling of the story of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, as only Margaret Atwood can.

Margaret Atwood is not for everyone and although I have enjoyed some of her books, I am not sure if I really liked this.
The format of the chapters is a bit unusual, alternating between Penelope's narrative, and dramatic scenes told by a chorus of Greek maids. The bits by the maids were not really for me, but I did enjoy Penelope telling her side from beyond the grave.

A bit of a mixed bag.