Book Review: How Far We Fall by Jane Shemilt

Book Review: How Far We Fall by Jane Shemilt

Saturday, 30 June 2018

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At the moment, for me, books are a little bit like buses: I read nothing for a long period of time and then smash through a pile in an incredibly short space of time. I’m not sure what it is about this time of year, but I find that I always find myself much more motivated to read now than I do in the earlier months of the year. Must be the weather! A few months ago I received a very exciting book in the post and I’ve been eager to get it read and reviewed since then: time hasn’t allowed for me to zoom through it in the way I would have liked, but I had some spare time last week and managed to read it in a single afternoon. 

How Far We Fall by Jane Shemilt is attracting from the word go – armed with a gorgeous cover and an intriguing tag line The perfect marriage. The perfect murder? I had an inlking from the word go that this book would be one that I would really enjoy reading. It’s safe to say that I wasn’t disappointed and the story caught me from the offset. 

Beth is a surgical nurse, full of grief after the loss of her daughter. She meets Albie, an ambitious neurosurgeon, at a party hosted by her former lover, Ted. Their relationship ends after Ted’s daughter goes missing and Beth births a still-born baby shortly after. Her feelings towards Ted are, quite naturally, toxic as she blames him for their child’s death. Ted also happens to be Albie’s superior, which puts her, naturally, in a bit of an awkward situation. In an unconnected turn of events, Ted offers Albie a promotion and the opportunity to lead on a trial for a possible cure to a rare children’s brain cancer. Slowly but surely the tables start to turn and Albie finds that Ted has taken credit for the hard-work that he has put in over the years. Couple this with Beth’s immense hatred towards Ted and it’s fair to say that no good can come from this situation and the two work together to come up with a final solution. 

Jane’s characterisation is incredible. I found myself really connected to the characters – all of them, in differing ways- and her medical experience is evident throughout the story. The story was thrilling and I found myself imagining all sorts of crazy conclusions to explain bits and pieces about what happened. In the end, I didn’t need to imagine- every question that I had was answered fuss free and wrapped up beautifully at the end of the story. I’ve never read anything by Jane Schemilt before so I’ll definitely be going and picking up some of her other books next time I do a cheeky book haul. The story centres itself around manipulation, jealous and a web of lies – the story did start off quite slowly but it was quick to pick up the pace. Once you got used to the writing style it was a very enjoyable and well written piece of fiction. I’ll definitely be recommending this book to people who ask -  and probably to people that don’t, as well! 

4/5. 

(Mini) Book Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

(Mini) Book Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Saturday, 23 June 2018

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A few years ago, I wrote a blog post about Why I Read War Fiction and since then I’ve been slowly adding more and more books to the list of War Fiction that I’ve enjoyed reading. My most recent War Fiction read is actually less fiction and more historical fact – and a book, rightfully so, may I add, that has been on a lot of peoples’ radar over the last few months.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is based on the true story of Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who is sent to Auschwitz in 1942. Lale stands out from the rest of the people sent to the camps – he is well dressed, well educated and speaks a number of different languages. At home, he is known as being a lady’s man – a smooth talker. These language skills and seemingly his personality allows him to stand out and he is asked to become the camp’s Tatowierer, a job that carries multiple repercussions but also provides a number of benefits. As Tatowierer, he is given better sleeping arrangements, he accesses more rations – which he shares with the other prisoners, no less- and he is able to move around the camp much more freely than everyone else. In doing so, he meets Gita, a young girl who he falls instantly in love with and suddenly his reason to survive becomes all the more clear. His attraction to Gita is clearly instantaneous.

The book is particularly poignant in the sense that it depicts the horrors of the war at their worst, highlights the difficulty of survival in the bleakest of occasions, but also the beauty of life and appreciating it in its purest form. It’s about showing compassion to people who deserve it and not taking the little things for granted. Told to the author by Lale himself, it highlights the significant role that non-compliant people had in the war effort and how people on either side of the war front had to make difficult choices to survive. 

My love of history goes deep within me and having the opportunity to read such a book was just fantastic – knowing that the characters within the story were real and the story that they had to tell was just as real really affected me and made the story all the more enjoyable for me. The story – in spite of its somewhat bleak content- has a happy ending and it’s nice to see that sometimes, for some people during the war, there was a light at the end of the tunnel and they were allowed some happiness in their lives. 

I’m looking around for books with similar themes at the moment so if anybody has any recommendations then I’d be incredibly happy to hear them! 

Food: Bold Street Coffee x Santa Maluco Collaboration*

Food: Bold Street Coffee x Santa Maluco Collaboration*

Wednesday, 4 April 2018

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Anyone who knows me well will know that I’m an absolute fiend for good food and going out for dinner is my favourite thing to do. I love the rush of looking at a brand new menu and picking out something that looks and sounds absolutely delicious. The idea of being a ‘lady who brunches’ appeals to me on an exponential scale so any opportunity to try out a good old fashioned brunch menu goes down a treat. 

Liverpool is renowned for having a mighty fine breakfast scene with restaurants all over the city hosting their own take on the most important meal of the day. The most recent take comes from a collaboration between two renowned Liverpool favourites – Santa Maluco and Bold Street Coffee. 

I am a massive fan of Santa Maluco, making absolutely any excuse to visit for pizza and a cocktail. Bold Street Coffee is another firm favourite, with their brunches drawing in the crowds from all sides of the city. When they announced that they were closing for refurbishment reasons, naturally, disappointment and frustration was wide-spread. Opening a pop-up shop in the Santa Maluco restaurant was a bit of a no-brainer really, utilising the mornings to share good old-fashioned breakfast and keeping the pizza loving customers happy with their traditional rodizio and mouth-watering wood fire pizzas in the afternoons and evenings. Being invited along to taste their menu made for a very happy Hollie. 

With my brunch side-kick in tow, we arrived at Santa Maluco with our stomachs empty (very impressive, considering it was Easter weekend and Easter eggs were sat there waiting to be eaten) and our expectations high. We were seated quickly and it was clear to see exactly why Santa Maluca is the perfect location for a brunch pop-up – the atmosphere of the place was relaxing and very chilled out, making for a fantastic first impression.

Deciding what to order was a difficult one, as there were so many delicious sounding options to choose from. In the end both Emily and I decided on scrambled eggs on toast, with sides to accompany our dish. I decided to add bacon on the side of my dish and Emily was a little more ambitious, going for bacon AND mushrooms. We ordered lattes to accompany them – or, as Emily referred to them as; those fancy coffees that look good on Instagram- and settled down for a good gossip while we waited for our food. The wait wasn’t a particularly long one and before long we were tucking into a generous portion of scrambled eggs on fresh crusty toast. The bacon was crispy and salty, exactly how I like it and the eggs were beautiful. I always worry that I’ve ordered the wrong thing when eating out but this was definitely not the case here – the food was delightful, left me full to the brim and feeling incredibly content, ready to seize the day (and the shops). I can guarantee I’ll be definitely going back there of my own accord in the coming months, ready to try the other items on the menu and get a feel for their entire menu.

The menu offers for people of all dietary requirements, with gluten free options and options for vegetarians as well. I’m not sure how well the restaurant accommodates vegans but I’m sure they’d be happy to change things around if you follow a vegan diet. I’m completely recommend trying out the brunch menu here while you have the chance – top notch food, a lovely environment and friendly, thoughtful staff make for a wonderful and fulfilling experience. 

You can try out the Bold Street Coffee menu at its new home in Santa Maluca from 7.30am-3.30pm during the week and 8.00am-3.30pm over the weekend. 

*Food was provided in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thoughts, as always, remain my own.

Book Tour: Only Child by Rhiannon Navin*

Book Tour: Only Child by Rhiannon Navin*

Wednesday, 28 February 2018

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Having a very busy schedule means that I have to be pickier about which book tours I agree to, especially at the moment where meetings, planning and marking take complete precedence. Of course, some publishing houses are prioritised and when the team at Mantle, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, got in touch to see if I wanted to take part in one of their book tours, I wasn’t going to look a gift-horse in the mouth and after a read of the book synopsis and press release, I quickly signed myself up to take part, especially on the basis that lovers of Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty would be a fan of the book.

Very rarely does a book have the effect on me that Only Child had.

The story is written from the perspective of Zach, a 6-year-old boy who is a student at the local elementary school. The story commences with Zach and the rest of his small class, including his teacher, forcing themselves into a small cupboard during a lockdown situation, terrified in the knowledge that a gunman is walking the school, shooting whatever crosses his path. The children and their teacher sit silently as they listen to the ‘pop’ of the bullets outside. Luckily for Zach and the rest of his classmates, the gunman evades their classroom and they are escorted safely out of the school into the nearby church to be collected by their parents. When they arrive at the church, the real heartbreak of the situation reveals itself – amongst the 19 fatalities is Zach’s elder brother Andy, aged just 10. Zach, at just six years old, doesn’t quite understand the finality of death at first

The story follows the anguish that the family face in the aftermath of their son and brother’s death. Zach in particular struggles to deal with the death of a brother that he didn’t particularly like or get on with when he was alive. Zach takes on the role of the healer, attempting to fix his parents’ already failing marriage and struggling to deal with the both survivors guilt and the relief that his troubled and cruel brother is gone.

The characters were incredibly well written and I fully understood why they acted the way they did in the aftermath of the events. We are introduced to a mother who is completely dedicated to getting justice for her dead son, to the extent where she sets out to enact her revenge on the family of the shooter, in spite of their own tragedy. This response is completely contrasted to the father, who shuts himself away entirely and blocks out his emotions, refusing to cry. Zach struggles with his emotions, lashing out at his parents and spending most of his free time locked in the closet in Andy’s room, where he’s made a shrine of sorts to his brother. He reads his story aloud – to Andy and to himself- and allows himself the time to think.

The book was beautifully poignant. Starting it on a train journey a few weeks back, I found myself quickly choked up and had to stop reading on multiple occasions. I finished the book quickly; it read incredibly well and was tragic in a thoughtful and provoking way. Having it written from a child’s perspective was particularly clever and made the writing all the more realistic. There are some beautiful moments between Zach and his dad, which made me tear up quite a bit and it’s safe to say that the entire book blew me away in the best kind of way and I feel privileged to have been invited onto the book tour.

If there is one book you pick up this week, month or year, let it be Only Child by Rhiannon Navin. You will not be disappointed. This book is definitely a book that will stay with me for a very long time, particularly whilst school shootings occur so unnecessarily frequently in our own lives. Let’s make change happen.  

Only Child will be published by Mantle books, an imprint of Pan Macmillan on 8^th March 2018. Thank you so much to the lovely Jess Duffy for sending me a copy of this fantastic book! Book was provided freely but all views remain my own.

5/5.

Book Review: Force of Nature by Jane Harper

Book Review: Force of Nature by Jane Harper

Tuesday, 13 February 2018

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This time last year, I was lucky enough to be involved in the Little, Brown Book Group book tour for the highly acclaimed, highly anticipated book The Dry by Jane Harper. I absolutely loved the book, and was so excited to get on board and review it. When Little, Brown got in touch again to ask if I'd like to be a part of the book tour for Jane Harper's second book, the second in her series featuring Aaron Faulk, I practically bit off Kimberley, the lovely marketing and publicity intern's hand. With two copies of the book in hand - a lovely ARC copy that I sent on to a friend and a finished copy of the book, that I kept for myself- I was even more excited to get stuck into the book and find out just what happened to Alice...

Force of Nature is the perfect follow up to Harper's first novel The Dry, continuing the investigations of her protagonist Aaron Falk. Whilst it's really easy to compare follow up novels to their proceeding story, I do think it's a little unfair to do this as the two stories are so -different- in what they stand for. I loved The Dry and I loved Force of Nature, as well, but for entirely different reasons. The Dry, which narrowly missed out on being on my Top 10 of 2017 list, was always going to be a book that had a lot to live up to but I'm so happy (and slightly relieved, if I'm totally honest) to reveal that I loved Force of Nature just as much. 

Force of Nature focuses its attention on the disappearance of Alice, a hardworking, robust and often mean-spirited woman who is taking part on a corporate retreat in an Australian nature reserve. The whole concept definitely doesn't sound like my idea of a good time, but there you go. Alice, along with 4 other women who work for her company, find themselves camping and travelling through a reserve that is known for being a place where people have vanished in the past, either never to be seen again or revealed to be murdered by renowned serial killer. As we slowly learn the details that lead to her disappearance through the eyes of the women, we also join Falk and his colleague Carmen in discovering what happened to Alice. The dynamics and relationships between the different characters are clearly flawed from the start - what is supposed to be a retreat to form stronger relations and repair disputes quickly turns into a trip full of even more anger and resentment. You find yourself, as the reader, forming very strong opinions about each character and it's easy to see why things didn't go as smoothly as the organisers of the retreat had hoped. 

The novel came together oh-so-beautifully in the end. This is one of those novels that ended without any plot holes, and everything was resolved with seemingly no questions left lying. Each clue that led to the conclusion was dangled so subtly that it was impossible to see past and I have to admit that I finished the book having had no idea at all about what had happened to Alice until it slapped me in the face. I love being able to figure out what has happened before the denouement comes together, but having that air of mystery and leaving the reader completely perplexed is a quality that only becomes the most intricately clever of psychological thrillers. 

I am, once again, incredibly excited to see what Jane Harper comes up with next. I'll be awaiting her next novel with anticipation! 

4.5/5 stars. 

Force of Nature is now available to purchase from the usual places, in both hardback and in ebook form. I'd like to thank Grace Vincent for my advanced copy of the book, and Kimberley Nyamhondera for allowing me to take part in the blog tour this time around! 

Food: Tickling My Tastebuds at The Vincent Kitchen, Liverpool

Food: Tickling My Tastebuds at The Vincent Kitchen, Liverpool

Monday, 23 October 2017

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Of all the things that Liverpool is famous for, I really do believe that it’s fabulous restaurant scene is the one that is the most underrated of all. There are a wide breadth of different cuisines readily available all over the city, with no street no more populous than Bold Street if you’re looking for the perfect place to dine. Whenever I’m struggling for somewhere to eat, I tend to take a wander down Bold Street and see what tickles my taste buds the most. New to the joint, The Vincent Kitchen sits perfectly amongst well-reputed restaurants with their own personal styles and unique palettes and when I was invited to check out their new menu, I was full of optimism for a fantastic evening of food. I was not to be disappointed.

Boyfriend in tow, we arrived at the restaurant with our expectations high and our stomachs rumbling. The place has a cool, chilled out vibe, furnished to a high standard with quirky wall art and a self-serve drinks machine that offered a crazy amount of flavoured fizzy drinks. I loved the added ‘spooky’ touch that had been put in place for Hallowe’en, although Rich wasn’t best pleased with the fake (but very realistic looking!) spiders scattered around the restaurant. The restaurant has built its reputation on the fact that the vast majority of its meals and drinks are suitable for those with special dietary requirements, with vegan and gluten free options available in surplus. I personally eat a predominantly (with the exception of drunken cheese feasts) dairy free diet and I know of people close to me who eat gluten free, so already I had high hopes for the food offerings. Knowing that there were gluten free beers available as well was an additional positive.

Having perused the menu, both Richard and I decided to build our own bowls, to really get the most out of the experience. I combined rice noodles with Moroccan lamb, butternut squash and sweet potato, a teriyaki glaze and cucumber salad. The butternut squash and sweet potato was seasoned in the most delicious chilli, mint and garlic mixture, and the lamb was sweet and minty, the perfect accompaniment to the sharp teriyaki glaze. Richard went for rice noodles with Thai grilled chicken, and after discussion with the waitress over spice levels, decided to try out the recommended peanut sauce; a bit of a kick, but not one that’ll leave you senseless. He went for butternut squash, sweet potato and cucumber salad on top. We were really impressed with the standard of the food, everything was cooked beautifully and went together so well, in spite of the range in choice. You can pair your meat, fish or veg choice with a whole range of different toppings, veg accompaniments and seasonings- there really is something for everyone, no matter your preference.  

I would definitely recommend The Vincent Kitchen to lovers of Thai and Asian style food and I must say that the experience on the whole was a fantastic one and I think we’ll be heading back to The Vincent Kitchen very, very soon.

Blog Tour: The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Snaith

Blog Tour: The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Snaith

Wednesday, 21 June 2017

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When I was contacted a few weeks ago by Thomas Hill, the Press Officer for Transworld Books, an imprint of Penguin Books, about a new book, naturally I jumped at the chance to get stuck into it. I didn’t know much about The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Smith, prior to reading so I was able to go in with a completely open mind and thoroughly enjoy everything that the book had to offer. The story follows Ravine, a young girl, after her diagnosis with chronic pain syndrome and is set in Leicester and her and her mother’s council estate block. I loved how detailed the description of the setting is; I really could imagine the cramped but cosy flat, and the surrounding neighbours who really add to the multicultural nature of Leicester as a city and the UK as a whole. The neighbourhood is incredibly close knit, which I think definitely affects Ravine’s state of mind- being confined to her bed, in constant paint, and having everyone know your business really doesn’t seem the ideal situation to me.

I found Ravine’s character incredibly interesting, particularly because I don’t really know anything about chronic pain syndrome. I found her struggle with her feelings, particularly surrounding her best friend’s disappearance particularly poignant and she was definitely a character that I felt a lot of sympathy for, in spite of her tendency to appear selfish. Ravine’s mother, Amma, is a very fascinating character and I resonated with her more than I did with Ravine; her personality was full of spice and sass and her commitment to her daughter and her daughter’s health was admirable. She attempts to get on with her life, hiding her romantic relationship as far as she can, but also puts her daughter first, sacrificing her own basic needs to ensure that those of Ravine are fully met. She really is an admirable character and reminds me of my own mum, in many different ways.

I honestly cannot believe that this novel is a debut, much less that the initial write was done when the author was 16 years old. I think back to the own pieces that I penned at that age and find myself overwhelmed with the sheer sophistication of the writing. The whole mystery surrounding Marianne, Ravine’s best friend’s, disappearance is one that pulls you in from the offset and makes you want to continue reading. I’m not one to use the word “unputdownable” willy-nilly but this book honestly was. It’s hard to talk too thoroughly about the story without spoiling the best bits, so I’ll leave it to you to explore it further.

Thank you so much to the team at Penguin Random House for my copy of the book, in exchange for this review. I really look forward to reading more by Mahsuda and exploring her prose more over the coming years.

The Things We Thought We Knew was published by Penguin Random House on 15^th June 2017.

5/5.