I have a lot of books to read – FACT!!
My source of books is varied. I’m lucky enough to receive quite a few from publishers and authors. I also purchase books and have a friend who is an avid reader and is great for passing them on to me.
Sometimes I look at the pile in complete panic, saying how? Just how?
So I came up with this idea. If I write about what I intend reading, I then will have no choice. It worked last time so I’m hoping for similar success!!
‘Avant-garde Paris is buzzing with the latest ideas in art, music, literature and dance.’
I was so excited to receive The Joyce Girl from Natalie over at Impress Books for review. I expect it to be a truly fascinating read about Lucia Joyce. I know very little about James Joyce so this will be learning as much as reading for me!!
The Book Blurb:
1928
Lucia, the talented and ambitious daughter of James Joyce, is making her name as a dancer, training with some of the world’s most gifted performers. When a young Samuel Beckett comes to work for her father, she’s captivated by his quiet intensity and falls passionately in love. Persuaded she has clairvoyant powers, Lucia believes her destiny is to marry Beckett. But when her beloved brother is enticed away, the hidden threads of the Joyces’ lives begin to unravel, destroying Lucia’s dreams and foiling her attempts to escape the shadow of her genius father.
1934
Her life in tatters, Lucia is sent by her father to pioneering psychoanalyst Carl Jung. For years she has kept quiet. But now she decides to speak.
Inspired by a true story, The Joyce Girl is a compelling and moving account of thwarted ambition and the destructive love of a father.
The Joyce Girl won the Impress Prize for new writers in September 2015. The shortlist was judged by a panel of experts in the publishing industry. The novel was also longlisted for the Bath Novel Award and the Caledonia Novel Award.
To buy please click here : http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1907605878
‘An Irish crime thriller with a difference’
A Man with Two Faces is the debut novel from Comedian, Writer and Irishman Caimh McDonnell.
I read about this book on the blog of fellow bookblogger Cleo Banister over at http://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com and my interest was piqued. Luckily I was contacted by the publisher so now have a copy to review!!
The Blurb:
‘The first time somebody tried to kill him it was an accident.
The second time was deliberate.
Now Paul Mulchrone finds himself on the run with nobody to turn to except a nurse who has read one-too-many crime novels and a renegade copper with a penchant for violence. Together, they must solve one of the most notorious crimes in Irish history…
…or else they’ll be history.’
A Man With One of Those Faces is a fast-paced crime thriller set in Dublin. Along with the thrills, there’s a fair amount of comedy in there, that’s because Dublin is a funny town where very bad things happen.
To purchase a copy of Caimh’s debut click here
Sometimes growing up is seeing someone else’s side of the story.
Christina Philippou, a fellow book blogger has written her debut Lost In Static. I’ve been reading quite a bit about this book and luckily have an ARC from Urbane Publications to review.
What it’s about:
Four stories. One truth. Whom do you believe?
Callum has a family secret. Yasmine wants to know it.
Juliette thinks nobody knows hers.
All Ruby wants is to reinvent herself.
They are brought together by circumstance, torn apart by misunderstanding. As new relationships are forged and confidences are broken, each person’s version of events is coloured by their background, beliefs and prejudices.
And so the ingredients are in place for a year shaped by lust, betrayal, and violence…
Lost in Static is the gripping debut from author Christina Philippou. Whom will you trust?
To buy…just click here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910692700
‘In post-9/11 New York, Zou Lei is an illegal immigrant from northwest China.‘
Preparation for The Next Life by Atticus Lish is a novel receiving excellent reviews across all media sources. Tina over at http://www.tripfiction.com sent me a copy for review so I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into this rather different read.
The Book:
Forced to work fourteen-hour days and live in squalor, Zou Lei embraces the many freedoms her adopted homeland has to offer.
Damaged by three tours in Iraq, veteran Brad Skinner comes to New York with the sole intention of partying as hard as he can in order to forget what he’s seen. Impulsive and angry, Skinner’s re-entry into civilian life seems doomed.
But when he meets Zou Lei they discover that new beginnings may be possible for both of them, that is if they can survive homelessness, lockup and Skinner’s post-traumatic stress disorder.
Set in the underbelly of New York, Preparation for the Next Life exposes an America as seen from the fringes of society in devastating detail and destroys the myth of the American Dream through two of the most remarkable characters in contemporary fiction.
To purchase a copy for yourself click here : http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1780748337
A sensitive woman fearing insanity…
Through the wonder that is twitter I came across American writer Joyce Schneider. It turns out Joyce is well known with all my blogging buddies and in due course I was offered an ARC of Fear Dreams to read and review. Joyce is about to launch her next novel Her Last Breath. For an extract & cover reveal click on the link
https://www.swirlandthread.com/j-schneider-back/
Fear Dreams Book Blurb:
Liddy Barron, an artist, was injured in a hit-and-run accident that left her with recurring nightmares, gaps in her memory, and an increasing obsession with the disappearance of a coed named Sasha Perry.
Was Sasha murdered?
Liddy’s turmoil grows as she begins seeing ghostly images. Her husband Paul, a scientist, tries to help but insists it’s just her imagination…while intuitive Detective Kerri Blasco, also obsessed with young Sasha’s disappearance, senses that Liddy may have a key to solving the case, and tries to unravel the shocking truth of what really haunts her.
To purchase Fear Dreams please follow the link:
PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF ALMOST ANYTHING
The Couple Next Door came to me via my book buddy with a very positive recommendation.
Written by Shari Lapena and receiving all 4* and 5* reviews, I expect it to be a very riveting read.
What’s it about?
‘You never know what’s happening on the other side of the wall.
Your neighbour told you that she didn’t want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn’t stand her crying.
Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You’ll have the baby monitor and you’ll take it in turns to go back every half hour.
Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last. But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realized. She’s gone.
You’ve never had to call the police before. But now they’re in your home, and who knows what they’ll find there.
What would you be capable of, when pushed past your limit?’
To purchase The Couple Next Door please follow the link here
A gripping psychological suspense mystery
I was contacted through my blog by Jake Parent, an American writer to review his novel Christina. I don’t always accept requests in this fashion but the premise of Christina attracted me so I now have a copy to read and review.
The Blurb:
‘Driven by a desperate need to escape her past, Cristina Rodriguez moves into a picturesque hilltop home with an ocean view. The same place where, four years earlier, a young girl was kidnapped and murdered.
At first, both the house and the scenic California beach town seem perfect. Fresh air. Fresh faces. And the ocean is just ten minutes away. But as Cristina and her daughter set about rebuilding their lives, they soon discover that the past is not about to let go so easily.’
If you wish to purchase a copy of Christina, please follow the link
Two women, twenty years of secrets and a man who can’t remember…
I have never read any of Lisa Jewell’s books so when I received a copy of I Found You I was delighted, even more so it was a hardback…I love hardback!!!
The Book Blurb:
‘How long have you been sitting out here?’
‘I got here yesterday.’
‘Where did you come from?’
‘I have no idea.’
East Yorkshire: Single mum Alice Lake finds a man on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, no idea what he is doing there. Against her better judgement she invites him in to her home.
Surrey: Twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.
To treat yourself to a copy of I Found You…follow the link:
So there you have it!!
I’ll be a very busy reader over the next few weeks. Reviews on all books will be up on blog as soon as I have read them.
I do hope you found something there of interest and please let me know if you select any of these books for yourself.
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I really enjoyed Lost in Static .. it’s one that gets under your skin! x
Hearing all v positive reviews Alison. So looking forward to reading Christina’s book!!
Good luck Mairead. Your list sounds interesting and doable.
My TBR list scares me!
There’s more gathering dust by my bed…but it’s a start!! Baby steps!! I’m committing myself ☺ Thanks Caryl. X
What I do is mark them ‘currently reading’ on Goodreads, so it’s out there! The only problem comes when you end up not liking it, and abandon, of course….
Well there’s always that fear Terry so there are a few I’ve held back that I’m not so sure of…. Will keep you posted. Thank you so much for all the shares. Really means a lot. xx
I hope that you enjoy the couple next door – nice to see a Canadian thriller on your list!! It will be a quick read and keep you guessing until the end!
Thanks Susan. I’m getting very varied reports on this one so will probably have to push it to my next read!! Seems to be rather a controversial one with regards to people’s reactions….a bit like marmite…people either love it or not… Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post. Always appreciated. x