Book Review: Blood Sisters by Jane Corry

Book Review: Blood Sisters by Jane Corry

Sunday, 21 May 2017

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Around Mother’s Day, I received an incredibly exciting package in the post. I get a lot of books in the post (much to my downstairs neighbours’ despair) but this one threw me as being a LITTLE bit different. Coupled in with the ARC was a teensy-weensy bottle of the good stuff- sparkling white wine! A book and a glass of wine- is there anything better? I think not. I’ve read The Husband’s Wife by Jane Corry before, so I knew that Blood Sisters would be right up my street.

The book was one that I was intrigued by immediately. They do say not to judge a book by its cover, but for this one it was incredibly difficult not to because the cover is just SO beautiful. The story centres around two characters, Alison and Kitty, who we are led to believe from the offset are sisters. The story skips back and forth between chapters from their perspectives. Alison, an art teacher at a local college, comes across an advertisement for a job as an in house art specialist… at a local, open prison. The story principally follows her getting stuck into her new job, the relationships that she forms with the inmates, and all links back to a particular point in her life where everything changed forever. In contrast, Kitty lives in a care facility following an accident that left her with brain damage and requiring constant support. We hear the story from Kitty’s thoughts, as opposed to her spoken words, because her accident has left her void of the ability to communicate coherently.  The two stories from the sisters’ perspectives are separate but as the tale progresses, become more apparently intertwined and the end result is nothing short of fantastic.

The book is brilliantly written and absolutely nothing is left unanswered at the end of the story. I absolutely loved the switch between perspectives- I found Kitty to be such an interesting and intricate character, having both a contrasting intelligent voice and childish naivety about her. She is so blissfully unaware of certain situations and the appropriateness of certain behaviours, but so sharp and witty in others. I love how tense the chapters involving Alison are- I found myself on the edge of my seat as twist after twist was unravelled. It’s fair to say that I definitely didn’t see the vast majority of the twists coming, but at the same time they were definitely twists that were just oh-so believable- no predictability at all. The book approaches some pretty tough topics and does so in a very realistic and thoughtful way. The characterisation throughout the tale is en point, and all characters, principle and secondary, are relevant and have a useful role to play. I found myself questioning everyone and everything about the story, yet I still failed to come to the correct conclusion- the tell of a practically perfect tale! The pace of the story was excellent- it started off quite slowly but burst into a story that I literally couldn’t put down within a few pages. I’ll have to be honest with you - I’m finding it difficult to write this review without blurting out all the amazing things that happened, so you’ll have to just take my word for it and pick up a copy of the book when it’s published on June 29^th!

Thank you so much to the amazing team at Penguin books for sending me this book for review- I’m so excited to see other people’s thoughts on it. It really is a fantastic and chilling tale.

4.5/5 

Food: VIP PRESS event at Liv, Bold Street

Food: VIP PRESS event at Liv, Bold Street

Friday, 12 May 2017

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Being invited to press events is all good fun- it’s even more fun when you get invited to VIP openings of brand new businesses! Last week, myself and a few blogger friends were fortunte enough to be invited along to the Grand Opening of LIV on Bold Street, a brand new organic food market in the heart of Liverpool City Centre.

Bold Street is quickly becoming THE place for good food and independent stores – whenever I’m stuck for where to go to eat, I tend to gravitate towards this little wonder and I’m never disappointed. Whilst I was living in France, the option to eat organically was pretty much the only option- Organic supermarkets play a massive role in French society and you can find one on pretty much every street corner. Having a shop like this in Liverpool will make all the difference and definitely be there to actively encourage people to consider what and how they eat. 

You may well be aware that I try to keep dairy out of my diet as far as I can, although I am very easily tempted by cheese. Dairy doesn’t agree with me or my stomach, so usually the safest option is to just avoid it entirely. LIV specialises in vegan and vegetarian products, products which mean that I can enjoy the amazing, fabulous things in life – like chocolate brownies, for example- without the horrendous after effects that being lactose intolerant causes. I’m in no way vegan- or even veggie – but cutting down on meat and eating more plant based food can only be a good thing, right? 

The market itself was absolutely fabulous. We got there a bit earlier than the hosts were expecting, which caused a bit of a coffuffle but nothing that was too much of an issue. When we arrived, we were offered lovely flutes of fancy lemonade and invited to try a range of different hors d’œuvres, all of which were presented in the most appetising way. We were also able to speak to different brands who had set up stalls inside the market, including Mi Vida, an independent store based on Bold Street (and one of my favourite places to browse for birthday gifts!). I also tried out a number of organic crisps (MMM) and had a talk with a brand about magnesium salts. I’d only been complaining ten minutes prior about having a bad back and this lovely godsend of a man provided me with a generous sample of one of their products to try and get rid of the pressure a little! All the while, it was lovely to catch up with my fellow bloggers and do it in an engaging and organic environment. I’m really excited to go back at some point and try out the food in their café; there really is something for everyone, as they even choose to serve meat, in spite of their vegan background. Absolutely no discrimination or judgement here. 

I have absolutely no doubt that the market will be a total hit! LIV Organic Market is open now on Bold Street. 

Goodreads: My May To Read List

Goodreads: My May To Read List

Monday, 8 May 2017

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Month 5 is upon us and I’m 23 books deep into my Goodreads reading challenge – can I get a woo?! I have a very busy month in May so I’m only going to give myself the target of 4 books this month- don’t want to set myself up to fail, after all.

The first book I’m reading this month is one that I’ve already read a significant chunk of – Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I’m really keen to watch the TV series based on this book, but naturally I can’t do that without reading the book first. I’m absolutely LOVING this story so far- I’m about three quarters of the way through and quite frankly, I have absolutely NO idea what the twist is going to be. I can’t wait to get it wrapped up tomorrow so I can finally sleep easily!

The second book I’ve chosen to devour for the month of May is one that was recommended to me by a fellow blogger! I reread The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes last month, and having posted about it on twitter was advised to give Barnes’ Levels of Life a go as well. This one is only a short read, so I imagine I’ll finish it quite quickly. I’ll be using it as a little break from psychological fiction- there’s only so much a girl can take before she gets way too jumpy!

Caraval is a book that I’ve been hearing SO much about over the last few months so I picked up a copy the last time I went book haul-ing. I’m not really sure what the story is about, other than the fact that it is a fantastical, magic-filled piece, so I’m excited to go into it completely blind to the plot. My final choice for the month is another fantastical novel, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. I am way too excited to finally get stuck into this one; it’s a book that’s been on my radar for way too long now, so my goal for this month is to finally tick it off my incredibly long list.

What are you planning on reading this month? Let me know!