I am delighted to share my review today of Drawn to the Garden by Caroline Quentin. This is a fabulous book that the author has illustrated and shared her love of the garden.
I received this book for review from Amazon Vine.
Find solace in your outdoor space in this delightful horticultural journey with actress Caroline Quentin , as she draws on her life-long passion for gardening.
Through the pages of this gift book, Caroline shows how much joy she gets from spending time in her garden, whether it be grappling with the best way to grow plants and vegetables, or raising seeds in her potting shed. Though she now has a large following on her Instagram account, @CQGardens , her attitude to gardening is the same as it has always been – expertise helps but is not essential. Gardening should be fun and enjoyable , filled with the simple pleasures of planning, planting, harvesting and cooking . It is also a meditative and restorative pastime , and a great way to lift your spirits .
Written in a warm and engaging way that reflects her personality , Caroline tells stories of growing chillies from seed in her greenhouse, berating the thieving blackbirds in her fruit cage, and swimming in her pond singing to dragon flies and flag irises. Over the years, she has come to realise that gardening, just like life, is a series of happy accidents, unplanned successes, and baffling and frustrating failures.
Illustrated by Caroline herself, this gorgeous book mixes personal stories of her life and experiences in the garden, with practical tips, recipes for food and drink, and even the occasional favourite poem. As she likes to misquote Dorothy ‘ Take to horticulture, it’s cheaper than a shrink ’.
192 pages, Hardcover
MY REVIEW
This is a fabulous book full of all things nature and being in the garden, growing things, recipes and also illustrated by the author.
This is a book that you can pick up and flick through or read from cover to cover. I did initially flick through but soon found myself stopping and reading through. The author brings her love of the garden through the pages with anecdotes, little tales and a lot of humour as she tries to win a losing battle with bugs, birds and other critters that like to throw a spanner in the works.
Being a gardener myself who grows fruit, veg and flowers there is also something new to learn or discover different ways of doing things. This book does not tell you how you should garden but it is one that just tells how one person does it and she tells of wins and failures.
Being in the garden is great, it feels very accomplishing when things grow and you can harvest things and eat them straight away. Taking time to stop and smell the roses, and other flowers is always relaxing. Sitting with this book has made me realize how much I have missed being out in the garden over the wet winter months and I am looking forward to getting back out there again.
This book is something that would make a wonderful gift or keeping for yourself. I adored this and it will be read outside in the sunshine with a mug of coffee and the birds singing in the background. I would recommend it for those who love being outside, have an interest in growing things or want an insight into the life and thoughts of the author.
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I am delighted to share my review today for Older, Wiser, Fiercer! The Wit and Wisdom of Women by Virginia Wilde. This is a fabulous book and is full of quotes, observations, and one-liners that are aimed at women as they start to get older. As we get older I don’t think we take ourselves as seriously and are more able to laugh at ourselves and this book certainly makes you laugh.
My huge thanks to Alison for getting in touch and arranging a copy of this book from the publisher Michael O’Mara. My thoughts are entirely my own.
Featuring wonderful affirmations and wisdom from brilliant women from all over the world,this funny and wise book will strike a chord with many women. It is a true celebration of the benefits that come with age.
True wisdom comes with age, the saying goes. Of course it does – and this book proves it.
Older, Wiser, Fiercer is a celebration of something that only women in their later decades how glorious, satisfying and FUN getting older can be. We’ve traveled a way down the path of life and we have picked up much experience along the way. Whatever it is, we’ve been there, rolled our eyes and moved on. We know who we are and we’ve realized that we like ourselves, for all our faults (hell, because of all our faults!).
Full of funny affirmations, tongue-in-cheek mantras and sage advice from trailblazing older women, from film stars to musicians, writers to politicians, this book will make you laugh out loud and nod in recognition.
MY REVIEW
As you get older you do get a different sense of humour and for many of us, we are more able to laugh at ourselves. This book takes a look at women as they get older and gives it a humorous slant, made up from quotes that are on the ball, observations and general everyday things that are made obvious or comparable to others. This book made me chuckle and laugh out many times and also nod knowingly.
The quotes are short and they are the sort of thing you often see on the internet or social media. I do like these quotes as they are often to the point and when you read them state the obvious sometimes. There are also some quotes from famous women, if I mention Mae West, Patsy Stone, (Ab Fab), Agatha Christie, Courtney Cox, Joan Collins and many others have mentions, then you know what sort of thing to expect.
This is a collection that has been collated by the author and sectioned into different categories. So there is dating, relationships, socialising, friends, appearance, technology, mid-life crisis and a few others that give a good cross-section of women getting older.
I adored this book and it was a good one to sit and read, I did initially just flick through it and found it so good I stopped and started again from the beginning and read it from cover to cover. Fabulous little book that would make a great gift for a friend or relative or one to get for yourself to chuckle along with. Loved this and I would definitely recommend it.
Here are a few quotes (taken from the synopsis on Goodreads)
‘Tact means the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the journey.’
‘As a teenager, you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you.’ – Fran Lebowitz
‘The friend who holds your hand and says the wrong thing is made of dearer stuff than the one who stays away.’ – Barbara Kingsolver
‘Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.’ – Oprah Winfrey
From the back of the book…
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I am delighted to share my review of Love Will Tear Us Apart by C.K. McDonnell. This is a fabulous book and it is the 3rd one in the series that I adore it a huge amount. I was delighted to be able to review this book early via NetGalley from Transworld Books.
Love can be a truly terrible thing.
Marriages are tricky at the best of times, especially when one of you is dead.
Vincent Banecroft, the irascible editor of The Stranger Times, has never believed his wife died despite emphatic evidence to the contrary. Now, against all odds, it seems he may actually be proved right; but what lengths will he go to in an attempt to rescue her?
With Banecroft distracted, the shock resignation of assistant editor, Hannah Willis, couldn’t have come at a worse time. It speaks volumes that her decision to reconcile with her philandering ex-husband is only marginally less surprising than Banecroft and his wife getting back together. In this time of crisis, is her decision to swan off to a fancy new-age retreat run by a celebrity cult really the best thing for anyone?
As if that wasn’t enough, one of the paper’s ex-columnists has disappeared, a particularly impressive trick seeing as he never existed in the first place.
Floating statues, hijacked ghosts, homicidal cherubs, irate starlings, Reliant Robins and quite possibly several deeply sinister conspiracies; all-in-all, a typical week for the staff of The Stranger Times.
MY REVIEW
This is the 3rd book in the Stranger Times series. Stranger Times is a newspaper that reports on stories that are a little different, well a lot different to mainstream papers. If there is a UFO sighting or a conspiracy that needs an airing, the moon is hollow or any other number of strange theories, bits of gossip or potential stories then you will find these in Stranger Times.
The editor is Banecroft, and his assistant editor Hannah has left, in her shoes has stepped the indomitable force that is the new assistant editor and the rest of the news team is trying to work out what on earth is going on in the office.
Having read and adored the previous two books in the series I was looking forward to seeing what delights the author had in store. As you can see from the synopsis there is a lot going on in this story. It is as if each member of the team at the paper has their own story or mystery that they are following. This means the office is more than its usual organised chaos and is in just plain chaos. The author has mixed stories from the past with the present.
With pretty much every member of staff trying to discover their own thing, you would think that the plots would become mixed but the author keeps his cast in order and the stories flow between one another. This makes it quite difficult to write a review, if I mention too much about one plot then it will inevitably spoil another. I will say that lives are on the line with this one, lives of the living and of the dead, or the nearly dead or of whatever state of death they are in!!!
This is another brilliant read that mixes fantasy and humour together so well. The author has moments of real tense drama and the next had me chuckling at some of the situations his characters find themselves in.
I am loving this series and as it continues I am getting to know the characters more and I can see how this disjointed group are coming together. A fabulous book and series for fans of urban fantasy with a strong humourous slant, full of mystery and mayhem and an altogether excellent read. It is one I would definitely recommend.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.K. McDonnell is the paranormal pen name of the Irish bestselling author Caimh McDonnell. Born in Limerick and raised in Dublin, Caimh is a former stand-up comedian and TV writer. He performed all around the world, had several well-received Edinburgh shows and supported acts such as Sarah Millican and Gary Delaney on tour before hanging up his clowning shoes to concentrate on writing. He has also written for numerous TV shows and been nominated for a Kid’s TV BAFTA.
When not writing about the adventures of the staff at The Stranger Times in his adopted home of Manchester, he is the author of the Increasingly Inaccurately titled Dublin Trilogy of books and the various spinoffs, all of which have been Amazon bestsellers on both sides of the Atlantic.
Caimh lives in Manchester with Wonderwife and their two dogs. To find out more about him, visit whitehairedirishman.com, and to find out more about The Stranger Times, and to join the mailing list for updates plus a free short story collection, go to TheStrangerTimes.com.
Also check out The Stranger Times podcast, available almost everywhere, and featuring short stories set in the world of The Stranger Times, written by C.K. and read by some of the finest stand-up comedian talent that are willing to do it for the money.
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I am delighted to share my review for Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter. This is a story that is at times amusing and has some interesting looks at stereotypes and how we can set ourselves targets that are too high.
My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy of this book.
SINGLE – INDEPENDENT – ALOOF – CUNNING – AGILE – CANNOT BE TAMED
We’ve all known a cat lady – and we’ve probably all judged her too.
But behind the label – the one that only sticks to women – what if there’s a story worth nine lives?
Told with Dawn’s trademark warmth, wit and irreverence, CAT LADY is a story about defying labels and forging friendships. It’s for the cat lady in all of us – because a woman always lands on her feet . . .
MY REVIEW
I am a dog owner, I know people can have cats and dogs, but for a lot of us, it tends to be one or the other. The author has chosen the cat and a woman for the main focus of her story, there is a certain stigma or stereotype around female cat owners. They are either old or single. or both. This is something that you don’t really see with a female dog owner as much.
Dawn is neither old nor single, she is married, has a successful job and seems settled. The fact that her husband’s ex-wife keeps popping in on a regular basis is annoying, but it is understandable… to a point. The living arrangements in Dawn’s house are somewhat strange, and the author does take the stereotype of a cat lover to a more extreme scenario. It was not until I learnt more about Dawn that I realised how much the cat is her support system and also why.
When I read the synopsis for this book I was interested, it sounded a bit different and quite humorous, which it is. There is also a lot more to this book though that takes a serious look at life, expectations and dealing with hurts and upsets.
Stereotyping is easily done and the author shows this in several scenarios within a group that Dawn attends. Again there is the expectation that someone looking a certain way should be expected to have a certain pet or breed of dog. In fact, our pets, whether they are furry, scaled, feathered or shelled all have a part to play in our lives. For some, a pet can be the only interaction, but for someone like Dawn, she already interacts with her family and her work colleagues. It isn’t until she starts meeting like-minded people and her life takes an unexpected knock, or two, that she finally takes the time to stop and look at her life.
While there are some funny moments, this is also a story of accepting who you are in life and not trying to live up to unrealistic targets in the belief that this will make you successful and happy. The author uses the character of Dawn to show how life has a way of knocking you down and how you respond to this and deal with it. This was a heartwarming read. I really enjoyed it and I would happily recommend it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DAWN O’PORTER lives in Los Angeles with her husband Chris, her two boys Art and Valentine, cats Myrtle and Boo. Dawn is the bestselling author of the novels The Cows and the Richard and Judy Book Club pick So Lucky, and her non-fiction title Life in Pieces was also a Sunday Times bestseller. Dawn started out in TV production but quickly landed in front of the camera, making numerous documentaries that included immersive investigations of Polygamy, Size Zero, Childbirth, Free Love, Breast Cancer and the movie Dirty Dancing. Dawn’s journalism has appeared in multiple publications and she was the monthly columnist for Glamour magazine. She is now a full-time writer of eight books, designs dresses for Joanie Clothing, LOVES instagram, and has a large following on her Patreon blog.
Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…
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I am delighted to share my review today for Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography by Billy Connolly. I grew up and was aware of this comedian and over the years I have then watched his travelogue shows.
When I saw this on Audible I knew straight away that this was the book I was going to spend my credit on this month. It was a brilliant choice and exceptional audio and one that will be on my Top Books of the Year list!
In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life.
Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy’s life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.
Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician – a ‘rambling man’ – with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart.
As a young comedian, Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken – willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy ‘glam-rock’ stage appearance – wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots – only added to his appeal.
It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson’s chat show in 1975 – and one outrageous story in particular – that catapulted Billy from cult hero to national star. TV shows, documentaries, international fame and award-winning Hollywood movies followed. Billy’s pitch-perfect stand-up comedy kept coming too – for over 50 years, in fact – until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson’s Disease brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then he has continued making TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings… and writing.
Windswept and Interesting is Billy’s story in his own words. It is joyfully funny – stuffed full of hard-earned wisdom as well as countless digressions on fishing, farting and the joys of dancing naked. It is an unforgettable, life-affirming story of a true comedy legend.
‘I didn’t know I was Windswept and Interesting until somebody told me. It was a friend who was startlingly exotic himself. He’d just come back from Kashmir and was all billowy shirt and Indian beads. I had long hair and a beard and was swishing around in electric blue flairs. He said: “Look at you – all windswept and interesting!” I just said: “Exactly!” After that, I simply had to maintain my reputation…’
MY REVIEW
Billy Connolly is a voice I have known of since childhood when Mum and Dad listened to his vinyl LPs, a voice I have known but at the time I didn’t really understand, probably just as well really.
Over the years Billy has been on TV chatshows, radio, Top of the Pops, in film and to be fair in most of the entertainment genres. I have read one of his previous books, it was years ago and it was one that I lent to someone who never returned it!
I decided to listen to the audiobook of this autobiography and I have to say, compared to when I heard his voice as a child, I can understand every word. I mentioned listening to this book to my mum, and the first thing she said was “could you understand him”, yes she still remembers trying to decipher the LPs, not easy especially when Billy starts laughing!
This is a man who has had an interesting life, he has travelled the world and met so many people. He is an observer of people and has taken risks and chances. Some worked some didn’t. But he is a unique man.
Listening to this book had me laughing to a point where I had to pause the book so I could compose myself and also hear what Billy was saying! He sees life slightly differently and this is what makes his improvised stand-up routines so unique.
If you want to listen to an autobiography that gets under the skin of what makes a person tick, then this one is fabulous. Billy doesn’t hide his past, he is open about his mistakes and how he has done things as well as what has affected him over the years.
This is entertaining and funny but it is also honest and a bit of an eye-opener at times. It isn’t all humour and anecdotes, as he discusses the abuse he suffered as a child. It is something that had taken many, many years for him to come to terms with and also to understand. I did also get the hardback of this and read some sections as well as listened. And yes, as I read it I could hear Billy’s voice.
Excellent listening, honest and very addictive. I would absolutely recommend it.
Here are a couple of quotes from the book that I found on Goodreads –
“Blessed are those who yodel – for they shall never be troubled by offers of work.” ― Billy Connolly, Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography
“I hope I’ve shown a few disbelievers that they should never discount those they think are different, disorganised or distractible.” ― Billy Connolly, Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography
William “Billy” Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin (The Big One). His first trade, in the early 1960s, was as a welder (specifically a boilermaker) in the Glasgow shipyards, but he gave it up towards the end of the decade to pursue a career as a folk singer in the Humblebums and subsequently as a soloist. In the early 1970s he made the transition from folk-singer with a comedic persona to fully-fledged comedian, a role in which he continues. He also became an actor, and has appeared in such films as Mrs. Brown (1997), for which he was nominated for a BAFTA; The Boondock Saints (1999); The Last Samurai (2003); Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004); and The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008).
It is as a stand-up comedian that Connolly is best known. His observational comedy is idiosyncratic and often off-the-cuff. He has outraged certain sectors of audiences, critics and the media with his free use of the word “fuck”. He has made jokes relating to masturbation, blasphemy, defecation, flatulence, haemorrhoids, sex, his father’s illness, his aunts’ cruelty and, in the latter stages of his career, old age (specifically his experiences of growing old). In 2007 and again in 2010, he was voted the greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4’s 100 Greatest Stand-Ups.
Connolly has been married to comedian and psychologist Pamela Stephenson since 1989. In the book Billy, and in a December 2008 online interview, Connolly states he was sexually abused by his father between the ages of 10 and 15. He believes this was a result of the Catholic Church not allowing his father to divorce after his mother left the family. Due to this, Connolly has a “deep distrust and dislike of the Catholic church and any other organization that brainwashes people”. In a 1999 interview with “The Sunday Herald” Connolly condemned the SNP as “racist” and the new Scottish parliament as a “joke”.
In November 1998, Connolly was the subject of a two-hour retrospective entitled Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years, which included tributes from Judi Dench, Sean Connery, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Eddie Izzard.
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I am delighted to share my review today for Welcome to Your Life by Bethany Rutter. This is the first time I have read a book by this debut author and it was a fabulous one to read.
My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for squeezing me on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy of the book.
52 weeks. 52 dates. 52 chances to find love. Serena Mills should be at her wedding.
Instead, she’s eating an ice cream sundae and drinking an obscenely large glass of wine in a Harvester off the M25.
Everyone thinks she’s gone mad. She’s jilted the man everyone told her she was ‘so lucky’ to find. But Serena wants to find love. A love she deserves – not one she should just feel grateful for. So, she escapes to the big city and sets herself a challenge: 52 weeks. 52 dates. 52 chances to find love.
It should be easy, right?
MY REVIEW
This is the first time I have read anything by this author and that is because Bethany is a Debut Author, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really liked the sound of the synopsis. The story is of Serena, and she has just left her wedding and is eating ice cream in a chain restaurant. Oh, and she is by herself!
This is the start of a wonderful story about how Serena tries to decide who she is and what she actually wants from her life. Not being the most confident of people and not willing to go out on a limb means she settles for what she knows. Thank goodness she realised in time that what she thought she wanted in life isn’t actually what she was willing to settle for.
This is a very modern feeling romance, that does have some chuckles but also has a more serious side to it. That serious side is one that many of us have had issues with and that is weight. I love how the author has created characters that are happy in their own skins, but still show how hurtful people can be. It doesn’t matter how confident you come across, the comments do still hurt.
So, for Serena changing not only her future but by taking a look at how she perceives what she should settle for is a huge eye-opener for her. It is hard to see herself as others see her and take compliments that are seriously meant. Serena is 28 and is starting to take steps out of her comfort zone. Living in London has opened up a different world to her, giving her some amazing and tantalising new experiences.
This was such a wonderful read. It is light and fun but also deals with some serious issues and the balance was great. This is a romance with a good amount of humour and there are some rather interesting scenes!!
I was definitely interested in how Serena was changing her attitude and also for those around her to support her when she needed it. I really enjoyed this and it is one I would definitely recommend. I am really looking forward to reading more from this author.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bethany Rutter is a writer, podcaster and plus-sized influencer. Her adult debut, Welcome To Your Life, came to life through conversations with her friends over drinks in London. Swapping stories of toe-curling online dates, workplace harassment, new crushes, fashion discoveries and workout classes, she wanted to write a heroine who turns her life upside-down just ahead of her thirtieth birthday and is plunged into the wonderful chaos of contemporary urban life.
In her words: ‘My heroine Serena Mills makes huge decisions. She wants things for herself, she has Big Feelings, she desires people and is desired in return. And… she’s fat. Of course, so much about her story has little or nothing to do with her body, and I hope Welcome To Your Life resonates with you, whatever your body looks like and whatever you feel towards it. This is just one story that I wanted to tell, where a fat girl gets to be the protagonist of her own story, rather than a silly footnote in someone else’s.
Welcome To Your Life is dedicated to ‘anyone who’s ever held themselves back’ and encourages us all to shake off our insecurities and wholeheartedly embrace everything that life has to offer.
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I am delighted to share my review today for Life’s a Catastrophe by Kirstie Pelling. This was a humorous rom-com that I really enjoyed.
My huge thanks to Embla Books for my e-copy that I read via NetGalley.
What if thinking like your cat could solve your problems?
Aly Meadows is a self-proclaimed ‘catfluencer’ using her two beloved pets to earn thousands of likes on Instagram. But behind the lens, Aly is broke, facing eviction and living a life that’s a million miles away from the glamourous world of social media stardom.
Rick Harvard, the CEO of talent agency Glimmer, has the power to change her life, but only if Aly agrees to dive in at the deep end. Can Aly come out of her shell and channel the confidence of her insta-famous cats? And if so, will she finally find the love and laughter she deserves?
MY REVIEW
Life’s a Catastrophe is an entertaining and fun read, but does have a more serious side to it. Aly Meadows is an influencer, her fans are in awe of her cat Instagram site ‘Alycat’. Aly is a ‘catfluencer’ and uses her spare as a carer to build her influence and her followers. This has led to her being offered a real game-changer as she has been head-hunted.
While this is a fun and really entertaining read, there are also some serious sides to this story. A disjointed and not warm home life growing up and living in a flat full of boxes isn’t a situation anyone wants to be in. But for Aly though, it is all hers – for the time being!
It really loved the humour of this story and Aly is a bit of a clutz, a walking catastrophe really does sum her up. She manages to get herself into some random predicaments, and with not altogether negative effects. It does make for some chuckling moments throughout the story.
I am going to admit to being more of a dog person than a cat person, but the author has done such a wonderful job with the feline characteristics and traits with the cats. Also, some really interesting things that I never knew about the care of a hairless Sphynx cat.
\You don’t have to go far on any of the social media sites to find vids and posts of pets and this is what appealed to me about this book when I first saw it. I really liked the balance of fun and seriousness and there is of course a romantic element to this book.
It is a slow-burner of a romance, but one that has Aly in a bit of a quandary. But it definitely does add a steamy extra to this story.
It is an entertaining read and one that I really enjoyed, ideal for lovers of fun and humorous as well as rom-coms and of course everything cat. It is one I would definitely recommend.
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Vampires do not exist. Everyone knows this. So it’s particularly annoying when they start popping up around Manchester . . .
I am delighted to share my review today for This Charming Man by Caimh McDonnell. This is the second book in The Stranger Times series, I adored the first book and this one is just as good. Great for fans of crime/mystery and Magic/fantasy novels.
My huge thanks to Thomas Hill at Transworld Books for sending me a copy of this book and also the first one.
Vampires do not exist. Everyone knows this. So it’s particularly annoying when they start popping up around Manchester . . .
Nobody is pleased about it. Not the Founders, the secret organisation for whom vampires were invented as an allegory, nor the Folk, the magical people hidden in plain sight who only want a quiet life. And definitely not the people of Manchester, because there is nothing more irksome than being murdered by an allegory run amok. Somebody needs to sort this out fast before all Hell really breaks loose – step forward the staff of The Stranger Times.
It’s not like they don’t have enough to be dealing with. Assistant Editor Hannah has come back from getting messily divorced to discover that someone is trying to kidnap a member of their staff and while editor Vincent Banecroft would be delighted to see the back of any of his team, he doesn’t like people touching his stuff – it’s the principle of the thing.
Throw in a precarious plumbing situation, gambling debts, an entirely new way of swearing, and a certain detective inspector with what could be kindly referred to as ‘a lot of baggage’ and it all adds up to another hectic week in the life of the newspaper committed to reporting the truth that nobody else will touch.
This Charming Man is the second book in the critically acclaimed The Stranger Times series.
MY REVIEW
The Stranger Times is the first book in this series that I read and thoroughly enjoyed last year. It is also the name of the newspaper that caters for those with a slightly obscure/different/unique view of the world. This is the sort of paper that will report on alien sightings, mysterious noises in the basement and weird and wonderful goings-on that regularly appear.
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise when a Vampire suddenly turns up, but then everyone knows such things don’t exist! I love how the author uses this vampiric occurrence and it is almost tongue in cheek that his reporters don’t quite know what to call a pale, pointy-toothed anomaly. It struck me as funny that the reporters are fine with demons, aliens etc, but not calling a vampire a vampire. Anyhow, I do digress.
The main characters are the same that appeared in the first book, so we have Banecroft the editor, along with Grace, Stella, Ox, Stanley, DI Sturgess, Hannah who gallantly report the news while Banecroft is breathing down their necks, wanting answers and a story to print in his paper.
The bodies are a unique find and they are shrugged off as such, some things are not that easy to hide and it doesn’t take long for things to start to heat up. Tensions are brittle as lack of sleep and deadlines are approaching as well as some interest from someone higher up!
This is a humorous and quirky read that I really adored, it is a great mystery novel and the one-liners, little snide comments and the unrelenting thick-skinned Banecroft just add to the humour. Magic and special powers work alongside many other phenomena in this story and as I immersed myself in this story I found bizarre things as quite normal.
This is one that those of lighter fantasy and humorous fantasy readers will enjoy. It is witty and fun to read. There is mystery and magic, the odd body because even though Vampires do not exist, you need a corpse, don’t you? I would suggest reading the first book as it does bring you in and introduce you to the characters that you will also find in this second book, and it is also a really good read. This Charming Man is a fabulous read and one I would definitely recommend.
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I am delighted to share my review today for Put a Wet Paper Towel on it by Lee Parkinson and Adam Parkinson. I admit it was the title of this book that definitely caught my eye. I remember that a wet paper towel was used in school for so many things.
A heart-warming and hilarious look at life in the classroom from the teachers who host the most popular UK education podcast, Two Mr Ps in a Pod(Cast).
Have you ever wondered what really happens during the day when your precious little angels are at school?
In this book, The Two Mr Ps will take you on a side-splittingly funny journey through the weird and wonderful world of primary schools. It will also explore the pressures of modern-day teaching, revealing exactly what it takes to wrangle a chaotic classroom (or seven) on a weekly basis. From the absolute characters found in the staffroom to school-trip mishaps and everything else in between, Put A Wet Paper Towel on It is a must-read for teachers and parents alike.
So sit up straight, four legs on your chair, fingers on lips and get ready to take a trip down memory lane. And remember – when in doubt, just put a wet paper towel on it.
MY REVIEW
This is quite an entertaining book about working in a Primary School in the UK. The title immediately caught my eye as I can remember wet paper towels being used for nose bleeds, cut fingers, grazed knees and many other things.
The authors are brothers, both working in primary Education, one a teacher the other a teaching assistant. The authors provide a background that tells their journey into the classroom, and also rather humorously some of the events that have occurred over the years.
They list various types of personalities that you can find amongst teachers, students and also parents. There are various observations from both about the way the education system keeps evolving and how there seems to be more paperwork than ever before.
Both of the authors have a similar attitude but they also have a very strong ethos when it comes down to teaching and helping those in their care.
While this is a humorous book there are also some very important things discussed and it does highlight the plight of education, schools, politicians and the ever-changing goalposts. This is a nicely balanced book and one that I did enjoy reading. It is one I would happily recommend.
Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx
I am delighted to share my review today for Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman. Many thanks to Allen And Unwin who granted my request to read this via NetGalley.
Happy Publication Day to Rebecca as well xx
I do have to mention this cover. As I have read this book I can look at it and it just makes me smirk. A moody teen, a rebel Grandmother and a son who is at his limits 👍😂
Meet the Gogartys; cantankerous gran Millie (whose eccentricities include a penchant for petty-theft and reckless driving); bitter downtrodden stepson Kevin (erstwhile journalist whose stay-at-home parenting is pushing him to the brink); and habitually moody, disaffected teenage daughter Aideen.
When Gran’s arrested yet again for shoplifting, Aideen’s rebelliousness has reached new heights and Kevin’s still not found work, he realises he needs to take action. With the appointment of a home carer for his mother, his daughter sent away to boarding school to focus on her studies and more time for him to reboot his job-hunt, surely everything will work out just fine. But as the story unfolds – and in the way of all the best families – nothing goes according to plan and as the calm starts to descend into chaos we’re taken on a hilarious multiple-perspective roller-coaster ride that is as relatable as it is far-fetched.
Good Eggs is a heady cocktail of that warmth and wit of Marian Keyes, Caitlin Moran and TV’s Derry Girls.
My Review…
This is such a lovely story of three generations of the Gogarty family. Millie, the 83-year-old grandmother, Kevin her son and then the teenage grand-daughter Aideen.
The synopsis does give a good idea that this is a story that is going to have a few chuckles, and it certainly does. Right from the get-go, I adored Mille, she is an elderly rebel and poor Kevin does have his hands full with her. Aideen is a troubled teen, she feels overlooked as her twin sister does tend to get more of the attention.
Between the antics of Millie and the antics of Aideen, Kevin is definitely stuck in the middle. I did feel for him as he is pulled from pillar to post. From one situation to another with often quite funny events in the midst.
This is a story that has a good heart to it, no matter what age you are or generation there is always something that you wish you had done. In some ways, this feels like a coming of age for all the generation involved. Realising that there are options and choices, that changes and chances are part of life.
This was a lovely contemporary fiction novel about a normal family, dealing with situations as they rise. At times it was quite serious as there are topics that the author deals with, but at the same time with a snigger of humour interlaced in between. It did make me chuckle as well as giving me that lovely warm heart-warming feel. One I would recommend to those who like a feel-good story.
Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx
Metal Sculptor based in Long Bennington, Lincolnshire, using recycled materials to create sculptures for your garden or indoor decoration. Sculpture's can be viewed & safely collected, delivery may also be available. Contact for details.
Yvonne - Me and My Books 