Something different for the blog today – I was invited to review a graphic guide to class by Laura Harvey, Sarah Leaney and Danny Noble.
This is a gorgeously-illustrated book – thanks to Random Things Tours and Icon Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Continue reading Blog Tour: ‘Class: A Graphic Guide’Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the latest in the series featuring DI Eve Hunter – ‘From the Ashes’ by Deborah Masson.
Thanks to Compulsive Readers/Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the tour and for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review – as always, opinions are entirely my own. The paperback will be published in August 2022 by Penguin Books, although I believe the Kindle edition is available before this.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘Hotbed’ by Joanna Scutts, a fascinating look at (as it is subtitled) ‘Bohemian New York and the Secret Club that Sparked Modern Feminism’.
Thanks to Random Things Tours for my place on the tour and for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review – opinions are all my own!
This book was published in hardback by Duckworth on 14th July, 2022.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Love that Dares’, a collection of letters by LGBTQ+ writers throughout the ages.
Thanks to Random Things Tours for inviting me on to the tour and for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was published on 27th January 2022 by Ilex Press.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘Hotel Portofino’ by J P O’Connell.
Thanks to Random Things Tours and Simon and Schuster for inviting me on the tour and for the copy of the the book in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Random Things Tours and Monoray/Octopus Publishing Group for including me on the blog tour and for my review copy of the book. As always, opinions are entirely my own.
This book was published in hardback on 30th September, 2021.
From the Publisher:
Known for her sharp, witty and surreal view on everyday life, Lucy shares the unpredictable craziness of being a mum in this brilliant and laugh-out-loud ‘mumoir’.
Mums everywhere will recognise the madness of it all. From when Lucy was hospitalised with indigestion in her third trimester (blame the burrito), to when she
was this close to slapping her hypno-birthing instructor, to finding herself drinking a whole pint of custard in one sitting.
‘Drinking Custard’ also captures Lucy’s marriage to comedian Jon, as they navigate Lucy’s raging pregnancy hormones and balk at pram prices together.
My Review:
Although my own children are older than Lucy’s daughter (this book covers the period from pregnancy to starting school), this early period of parenthood is definitely a time in my life that I haven’t forgotten. As I also love a funny book, I immediately signed up for the blog tour.
And I’m so glad I did!
Once I got beyond the fact that I had totally mis-identified Lucy Beaumont (in my head, she was actress Lucy Punch – whoops!) and then realised that she is married to comedian Jon Richardson, I was happy to immerse myself in their childrearing experiences.
To be honest, I was sold from pretty much the first page when there was that Elizabeth Stone quotation about having children being like your heart walking around outside your body. I’ve always thought this was a creepy idea, so I loved Lucy’s comment – ‘Nice quote, but you’d die if that happened, Liz’. Ahh, it seems we are on the same wavelength from the start…
The book is chronological, covering pregnancy, birth, babyhood/that horrific sleep deprived bit, the toddler years and then coming up to school age. There are footnotes along the way in which Jon Richardson puts across his side of the story and these form a funny commentary – but the lion’s share of the storytelling is done by Lucy.
Lucy Beaumont is a fabulous and witty narrator of her story – I was going to say guide, but she is clear that this book isn’t full of parenting tips and is much more about entertainment, Good, I say – most of the parenting books I did try out of desperation when my children were tiny were no help and laughter would have been better anyway!
There are some really relatable moments, I think, for any parent. While I didn’t resort to drinking custard myself, I’m staggered that my son didn’t emerge with some kind of red meat or fizzy cola bottle addiction… There’s also the exhaustion – Lucy forgets her own child’s name and hires a sleep trainer; I couldn’t confirm my own address in the bank and was heavily reliant on The Baby Whisperer website to fix my own little sleep thief! Lucy’s baby rules the roost at home – and I think a lot of us have been there too.
I thoroughly enjoyed this little peek into another family’s life during those tricky early years. It was heartening to read some of my own thoughts – particularly about ridiculous situations you end up in as a parent – mirrored back at me. Albeit in a funnier way. And without having to actually relive those sleepless months.
I’d recommend this to anyone who has embarked on the parenting journey only to wonder – even if only occasionally – what on earth they are doing. Or anyone who has watched children’s TV and wondered who thought ‘In the Night Garden’ was a good idea. Or anyone who has ever gone to a baby group in the desperate hope of finding kindred spirits (I’m still traumatised by my one visit to Rhythm Time).
Definitely pick up this book if you want a laugh – I zipped through it, giggling to myself as I went and think it would make a great Christmas present for anyone on the parenthood journey. And probably an excellent deterrent for anyone idly considering having a baby!
About the Author:
Lucy Beaumont is a talented stand-up, comedy actress and writer. She is the writer and star of BBC Radio 4’s To Hull and Back, writer of Channel 4’s Hullraisers and co-writer of Dave’s Meet The Richardsons which returns for a second series this year. Lucy is a well-known daughter of Hull and is passionate about her hometown. She has appeared on numerous entertainment shows; Artsnight (BBC2), Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier (Dave), Alan Davies’ As Yet Untitled (Dave), QI (BBC2), Drunk History (Comedy Central), Jonathan Ross Show (ITV), The One Show (BBC1), Cats Does Countdown (C4), What’s Going to Kill Us (C5), Live At The Electric (BBC Three) and featured in a Maltesers advertising campaign.
Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for ‘The Woman in the Wood’, the second book in the series featuring DI Sasha Dawson.
Thanks to Random Things Tours and Head of Zeus for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was published in hardback in March 2021 – this blog tour coincides with the paperback publication.
From the Publisher:
A reality TV star becomes a suspect in an Essex murder case in the sharp, funny and moving new thriller from M.K. Hill.
Three years ago, Danny ‘Abs’ Cruikshank, star of reality show ‘Laid in Essex!’, was living the dream. And then, on the night of the party, everything changed.
It was supposed to be an intimate weekend gathering. Just a few close friends in a remote cottage in Wales. But after a night of heavy drinking in the village pub, a local girl was reported missing, presumed dead. Abs and his friends had been the last to see her alive.
No-one was ever charged, but the controversy destroyed Abs’s career. So now, three years later, the celebrity who once captured the heart of millions is opening Southend’s new branch of Quidstore. And then one of Abs’s mates is murdered. Does someone know what really happened that night in Wales?
DI Sasha Dawson and her team must race against the clock to find the killer before they strike again – but first she must discover what happened to Rhiannon Jenkins on the night she vanished. Will the truth set Abs free? Or bury him?
My Review:
Crime fiction is my go-to genre so I was delighted to get a place on the blog tour for ‘The Woman in the Wood’ by M. K. Hill. I haven’t read the first book in the DI Sasha Dawson series, but this works beautifully as a stand alone.
The novel opens with the death of a man on Hockley Station and DI Sasha Dawson of Essex Police is called in to investigate. She recognises the victim’s name from a list of people questioned about the disappearance of a young woman in Wales three years previously – a disappearance that made headline news as a star of reality TV show ‘Laid in Essex!’, ‘Abs’ Cruikshank, was also questioned.
As Sasha and her team look deeper into the events surrounding the mysterious death, it seems that Abs and his friends are again going to be forced back into the spotlight…
When I picked up the book, I hadn’t really registered the Essex connection – it was lovely to read a book about the areas I grew up in, even if the events are slightly sinister! Hockley, Hadleigh, Southend, Chelmsford…I could picture it all! Even the reality TV dimension – here ‘Laid in Essex!’ – was familiar to me; anyone who has lived in Essex has surely been repeatedly asked if they know ‘Sugar Hut’ in Brentwood, the club featured in ‘The Only Way is Essex’. Reality TV and Essex – it seems – go hand in hand in people’s minds.
(Answer: no, I’ve never been there, Sorry).
Essex connection aside, I could not put this book down. I have cooked meals, done chores and generally ignored my family in the company of DI Sasha Dawson!
One of the real strengths of the book is the plotting. As the novel progresses, we find out more about the fateful night in Wales when the young woman went missing and this thread is cleverly entwined with the present-day lives of those who were there. There were so many twists and turns on the way through this story that I’m surprised I don’t have whiplash! There are some really tense moments too as the characters fight for survival against an unknown threat.
I also really liked the character of DI Sasha Dawson – she’s a likeable, slightly workaholic forty-something who is juggling her stressful job with family life. I could definitely relate to Sasha, although I wasn’t sure whether references to her family tragedy perhaps relate to the first book in the series. Definitely one I need to look into!
Overall, I thought this was a clever and engaging police procedural. The supposedly glamorous reality TV element is interesting but never overshadows the grim truth of the murder investigation – and the race to the finale is proper heart-in-mouth territory. I’d recommend this to anyone who likes their crime novels packed with tension, twists and turns – there is so much to get your teeth into here.
About the Author:
Mark Hill was a journalist and an award-winning music radio producer before becoming a full-time writer. The first novel in the Sasha Dawson series, ‘The Bad Place’, was described as ‘everything a police procedural should be’ by The Times, who also named it as their Crime Book of the Month. He lives in London.
It’s been a slower reading month after July’s 17 books (a record for me!) Still, I’ve read some brilliant books this month – 11 in total. All were 4 stars with the exception of one FIVE STAR read at the start of the month…
This puts me on 92/100 on my Goodreads challenge – the end is in sight!
Links on my blog are Amazon Affiliate ones - thanks for supporting my blog with any Amazon purchases at no extra cost to you.Continue reading August Wrap-Up and September TBR
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Black Dress’ by Deborah Moggach.
Thanks to Random Things Tours and Headline/Tinder Press for having me on the tour and for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was published on 22nd July, 2021.
From the Publisher:
From the ‘Sunday Times’ bestselling author of ‘The Carer’, Deborah Moggach’s ‘The Black Dress’ is a beautifully observed, darkly funny, tender and surprising novel about life changes and the unexpected twists and pleasures of being alone.
Pru is on her own. But then, so are plenty of other people. And while the loneliness can be overwhelming, surely she’ll find a party somewhere?
Pru’s husband has walked out, leaving her alone to contemplate her future. She’s missing not so much him, but the life they once had – picnicking on the beach with small children, laughing together, nestling up like spoons in the cutlery drawer as they sleep. Now there’s just a dip on one side of the bed and no-one to fill it.
In a daze, Pru goes off to a friend’s funeral. Usual old hymns, words of praise and a eulogy but…it doesn’t sound like the friend Pru knew. And it isn’t. She’s gone to the wrong service. Everyone was very welcoming, it was – oddly – a laugh, and more excitement than she’s had for ages. So she buys a little black dress in a charity shop and thinks, now I’m all set, why not go to another? I mean, people don’t want to make a scene at a funeral, do they? No-one will challenge her – and what harm can it do?
Praise for Deborah Moggach…
‘Full of warmth and humour, as well as blistering truths’Daily Mirror
‘Moggach is at the height of her powers’Sunday Times
‘Unputdownable, fun and tender with characters that jump off the page. Perfection’Marian Keyes
My Review:
I’d not read a Deborah Moggach book before this one – but I’d heard good things and was keen to dive in. In particular, I liked the quite dark and interesting storyline of this book and was intrigued…
The central character in this book, Pru, finds herself suddenly alone at the age of 69. Although she doesn’t really miss her husband, she misses the security of coupledom a bit. Buoyed by her friend Azra, Pru begins her search for a new man – a search which takes a rather unconventional turn when Pru finds herself at a funeral and spots the potential of new widowers as an untapped target market.
Although the idea of preying on newly-single men at their wives’ funerals is dark and shocking, it becomes something much more interesting in Moggach’s skilled hands. Pru is given such an emotional depth through her first person narration that the reader can instead read her desperation with poignancy. She may make odd decisions, but actually it all makes sense in the context of the novel and the things she faces.
Ah, yes, the things Pru faces! This is a novel that is constantly surprising and revelatory – there are some big turns in the book which I don’t want to go into (no spoilers here!) However, suffice it to say that this isn’t a gentle book about the older generation’s search for love. Moggach is never that predictable and Pru has a lot to bear – including some real shockers!
I liked Pru a lot as a central character – it was refreshing to read about an older character with the possibility of a new beginning, although I should have expected this from the author of the book that became ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’. The novel is essentially a snapshot of a woman at a vulnerable but also potentially exciting point in her life.
Along the way, we meet a whole cast of well-developed and intersting characters, all flawed in their own ways. Evan is one that really stuck with me – the depiction of him reeling from his wife’s death is heartbreaking. Azra is also a fascinating character, maybe not all for good reasons – she is written with vim and vibrancy and almost jumps off the page.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and read it in one sitting during the July heatwave. I felt that it had emotional interest and humour, but also a clever plot structure that made me feel that I was on constantly shifting ground. There is honestly never a dull moment. I also liked the fact that a book ostensibly about finding a man also focused extensively on female friendship and the love of family too.
I’d recommend this to anyone looking for an immersive and engaging read. Once you get sucked into Pru’s world, as crazy as it is at times, you won’t want to leave – and you won’t put the book down until you have finished Pru’s journey.
About the Author:
Deborah Moggach, OBE, is a British novelist and an award-winning screenwriter. She
has written twenty novels, including ‘Tulip Fever’, ‘These Foolish Things’ (which became the bestselling novel and film ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’), and ‘The Carer’. She lives in London.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘Cut From The Same Cloth’, a fascinating collection of Muslim women’s writing about their experiences of life in Britain.
With thanks to Random Things Tours for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
From the Publisher:
● Perceived as the visual representation of Islam, hijab-wearing Muslim women are often harangued at work, at home and in public life yet are rarely afforded a platform to speak on their own terms.
● From modern pop culture to anti-Blackness, faith and family, politics, education, creativity and working life; Cut From The Same Cloth? Is an anthology which gives visibly Muslim women creatives a space to speak to the matters that mean most to them.
Do you wear that at home? Where are you really from? Does he make you wear that? Do you support acts of terror? Do you believe in ‘British values’? Can I see your hair? Do you have equality? Are you hot in that? Can you be a feminist? Why don’t you just take it off? Do you wear that in the shower? Are you oppressed?
Whether it’s awkward questions, radical commentators sensationalising their existence, non-Muslims and non-hijabis making assumptions, men speaking on their behalf, or tired stereotypes being perpetuated by the same old faces: hijabis are tired. Cut from the Same Cloth? seeks to tip the balance back in their favour, with the space to offer honest insight into the issues that really affect their lives.
Here, twenty-one middle and working class contributors of all ages and races look beyond the tired tropes, exploring the breadth of their experiences and spirituality. It’s time we, as a society, stopped the hijab-splaining and listened to the people who know.
It’s time for change.
My Review:
Having just read ‘The Seven Necessary Sins of Women and Girls’ by Mona Eltahawy, leading Egyptian/US feminist (review here), I was intrigued by her discussion of intersectional feminism and her Muslim faith. Therefore, I jumped at the chance to read this collection of essays by Muslim women which focuses more on Britain than Eltahawy’s (excellent) book.
The essays are very wide-ranging and discuss an array of topics important to Muslim women living in Britain today. The writers each give their unique takes on issues from their own individual experiences – and the results are as varied and fascinating as you would expect.
From reading about how Covid-19 has impacted one woman’s experience of Ramadhan, to discussions on modesty, Muslim motherhood and witnessing the tragedy of Grenfell, this is a collection of essays that are continually engaging and thought-provoking.
As the essays are so wide-ranging, it is difficult to review the overall collection in a meaningful way. However, for me, the most eye-opening pieces of writing were those that catalogued actual lived experiences. The eye-witness account of Grenfell was heartbreaking to read and it was genuinely shocking to hear about the racist treatment of Black African Muslim women in Britain. The concept of misogynoir – the fact that Black women face a double oppression based on their gender and race – really came into sharp focus.
I’ll admit to (shamefully) not knowing much about Islam, so it was enlightening for me to be able to understand more about how religion impacts women’s lives. I didn’t always understand the choices that the women made – as a white, non-faith Brit, this was outside of my own experiences – but it was always interesting to see how other British women live their lives.
It is important to note that this isn’t a book to explain or justify choices made by Muslim women – one of the early essays states absolutely correctly that ‘I am not an essay to show your friend “what Muslims think about X”.’ Instead, the essays were as unique as the women themselves and I loved them.
I’d recommend this anthology to anyone interested in women’s lives and experiences in 21st century Britain. There is some levity and humour, but mainly the collection highlights the difficulties and challenges that Muslim women navigate every day – the Islamophobia, the misogyny, the racism – and it is a powerful book.
About the Editor:
Sabeena is a writer, editor and the Festival Coordinator of Bare Lit, the UK’s principal festival celebrating remarkable writers in the diaspora. She is also the co-founder of the Primadonna Festival which spotlights the work of women writers, and of Bare Lit Kids. She will be available for events around publication, and can be found tweeting at @pocobookreader
