All posts by skyebjenner

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for julie and julia book cover

Title: Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously
Author: Julie Powell
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Book to Film, Food, Inspiration, Memoirs
Dates read: 18th – 20th November 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: But I did not live in 1961, nor did I live in France, which would have made things simpler.

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Synopsis

Julie & Julia, the bestselling memoir that’s “irresistible….A kind of Bridget Jones meets The French Chef” (Philadelphia Inquirer), is now a major motion picture. Julie Powell, nearing thirty and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, resolves to reclaim her life by cooking in the span of a single year, every one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child’s legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her unexpected reward: not just a newfound respect for calves’ livers and aspic, but a new life-lived with gusto. The film is written and directed by Nora Ephron and stars Amy Adams as Julie and Meryl Streep as Julia.

Thoughts

I absolutely loved the movie Julie and Julia, so when I found the book on sale, I was deliriously excited. Possibly a little too excited. But, as it turns out – I was probably all happy and hopped up on my new book purchase for a good reason. Because this novel is also amazing. I just couldn’t put it down. Actually, I think that my partner got kind of fed up with me talking about this non stop for about 24 hours.

Normally when I read a book that has been turned into a movie, I have a clear favourite. 99% of the time that favourite is the book – let’s face it, they just fit so much more in to a book than they can in a movie! That wasn’t the case with this! Both versions had amazing merit, but differed enough that I still couldn’t wait to read about the next insane experience that Julie Powell experienced in her year long quest for… something. She’s not entirely sure what, and neither am I. But I can tell you that it was a brilliant adventure regardless. And that I have to do something, but I don’t know what – well, that’s exactly how I’ve been feeling lately, so it was probably the best book for me to pick up at this point in my life.

One warning I do have about this book – don’t eat it while you’re hungry. Even if you’ve just eaten, you’re going to want to go into the kitchen and just whip up some random meal. At least, for my food obsessed self – I was constantly thinking about food and cooking while reading this. Sadly, I don’t really have the time to try and master French cooking… but it’s made me want to try!

Mostly this book is funny and cute. But, it’s also a great tale of finding yourself and figuring out what you want to do in your next life… or about a mid-life crisis. Either way, I could relate WAAAAAAY too much to this story. So maybe it’s not such a bad thing that I have NO IDEA what I’m doing with my life! Because you can find a random project to pursue and maybe find a little bit more about yourself in the mean time… although, a PhD could be that random project… I’m getting off track now.

 <- Cleaving ReviewOne (Wo)man, One Vote Review ->

Image source: Amazon

A Flicker of Light on Devil’s Night by Kate Jonez

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: A Flicker of Light on Devil’s Night
Author: Kate Jonez
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Family, Horror
Dates read: 20th November 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: The lines of the symbol are crusted black as though he’s rubbed dirt in the wound.

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Synopsis

She’s just trying to be a good mother… but she can’t seem to get the knack of it. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Thoughts

So. This story is horrifying. Horrible and not quite what I expected. I thought that the children would end up being evil and homicidal… they weren’t. It was horrifying. It was the mother. And I didn’t really want to sleep that night. There’s always something so much more terrifying when it’s the mother harming the children…

One of the things I dread about parenthood is the fact that when the children are being evil – how do you discipline them? This short story tells you exactly how not to deal with naughty children. But, at least it’s interesting. But seriously, don’t ever do this. This is not the way to deal with devil children as they’re termed in this tale.

Without giving too much away, this story isn’t what I expected. It completely surprised me. It made me uncomfortable. And it was a great read. One I’m not going to forget readily.

 <- The Seventeen-Year Itch ReviewWitch Hazel Review ->

Image source: Amazon

Burned Promises by Willow Winters

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover burned promises willow winters

Title: Burned Promises
Author: Willow Winters
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Easy reading
Dates read: 18th November 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Willow Winters Publishing
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Like it’s what I was meant to do.

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Synopsis

From USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes an emotionally gripping, standalone, second chance romance.

He made a promise.
And then he broke it.
That’s what happens with your first love.

I didn’t expect for Derek to fall back into my life and for me to fall back into his bed. Time changes a lot of things, but it doesn’t change everything.

It doesn’t change the way he makes my heart kip or the way my lungs stop when he stares deep into my eyes.

It didn’t change his bad boy ways either and I should be smart enough to tell him no this time around.

I should be, I know what it’s like to be burned by him. But it’s so hard to walk away when his touch begs me to stay and the pain in his eyes cuts me deeper than anything else in this world.

Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed this story – but I was a bit thrown out by the little prologue. It really didn’t fit into the story – and the broken promise from the blurb… not entirely sure where that whole idea came from either. If you ignore those two teases, this is actually a really fun, cute and easy read. It’s romantic, fun and has definitely made me want to buy a few more books by Willow Winters since it was just such a pleasant experience.

I seriously recognise the feeling of falling for someone you’re not entirely sure is good for you. Or that you’re convinced is going to somehow break your heart. I’m sure most people have had that moment. Luckily, like Emma it turned out that the man I fell for was actually falling for me to – it just took him a little longer to show me. And although I started out thinking that Emma’s love really wasn’t going to work well for her and end in some kind of weird compromise, it turned out just as brilliantly as my own off-kilter love story.

I’ve read a lot of romances over the past two years (I never really got into them until recently), but I’ve never actually read one which features a drug lord. Hired killers, shapeshifters and some kind of messed up men, sure… but never a drug lord. With a cancer mother. It was certainly a new one for me. And I think that it worked beautifully. Certainly enjoyed it.

This book was just beautiful. Not only was it about second chances and finding love, but it was also about love and family. A novel that will definitely hold a happy little place in my heart.

 <- Broken ReviewCuffed Kiss Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover the wren hunt

Title: The Wren Hunt
Author: Mary Watson
Series: The Wren Hunt #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Romance, Young adult
Dates read: 11th – 18th November 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘You the intern?’ A voice rang from across the room.

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Synopsis

Every winter, Wren Silke is chased through the forest in a warped version of a childhood game. The boys who hunt her are judges, powerful and frightening pursuers, who nothing of her true identity. If they knew she was an augur, their sworn enemy, the game would turn deadly.

But Wren is on the hunt, too. Sent undercover as an intern to the Harkness Foundation – enemy headquarters – her family’s survival rests on finding a secret meant to stay hidden.

As the enmity between two ancient magics reaches breaking point, Wren is torn between old loyalties and new lies. And rapped in the most dangerous game of her life.

Part thriller, part love story, this captivating debut novel will leave readers spellbound.

Thoughts

It took me a little while to get into this book. But, then once I did, I was completely hooked. The first third took a long time to read. But once I hit that amazing point… I couldn’t put it down. Which probably wasn’t great for my productivity that day. But it was great for my imagination and happiness. After all, sometimes you just need to take time and soar away on the wings of a wren.

This book is pretty intense. It’s a young adult book, and somehow I was expecting it to be quite a simple and easy read. Like many of the books in the same section on my shelves. There was just an added layer of darkness that I don’t normally find. Which pulled you along so quickly that it was impossible to catch your breath. I loved that dark intensity – it fit that perfect darkness inside me that sometimes needs to be fed.

There was a pretty serious twist at the end of this story. Whilst from the very beginning, something doesn’t quite sit right, it was just a slightly niggling feeling. I only guessed what was truly wrong about 2 chapters before the big bomb went off. And boy, was it a biggie. And completely unexpected. As was Wren’s response to the total change in her circumstances. I thought she’d go left, but she went right. I freaking loved the surprise! It makes me want to sink my teeth into the next book in the series… because there has to be more twists and turns that I wasn’t anticipating!

Although this is a little darker and more adult than most of the Young Adult books on my shelves, I would certainly recommend it to anybody who loves the genre. Sometimes its nice to balance out all the happy romances with something a little closer to Romeo and Juliet… albeit not with the tragic ending.

 <- More Mary Watson reviewsThe Wickerlight Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

Winnowing the Herd by Carrie Vaughn

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for kittys' greatest hits book cover

Title: Winnowing the Herd
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Series: Kitty Norville #0.9
In: Kitty’s Greatest Hits (Carrie Vaughn)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy, Werewolves
Dates read: 18th November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Not even a chunk of Brie in sight.

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Synopsis

Picking music for your midnight radio station can certainly be a difficult choice… especially when you have to deal with a fool of a manager.

Thoughts

This doesn’t really feel like much of a short story. More like a little segue, look into Kitty’s daily life, managing her station manager. It did help to crystalize some of the ways in which she views the world though and highlight that before or else, she is a werewolf first and sees things in terms of animal nature of instincts.

Kitty is so clearly an alpha figure in this story. It’ll be interesting how this works into an urban fantasy world. There’s not many stories which feature a strong, female werewolf without a whole slew of issues from her male contemporaries.

Since this really felt more like an anecdote than a story, I don’t really have all that much to say about this. It was fun, easy and makes me keen to sink my teeth into Kitty and the Midnight Hour.

 <- God’s Creatures ReviewKitty and the Midnight Hour Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Seventeen-Year Itch by Garth Nix

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: The Seventeen-Year Itch
Author: Garth Nix
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror, Mental health
Dates read: 18th November 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: He tried to smile, but inside McIndoe felt cold, and old, and frightened.

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Synopsis

Every seventeen-years the itch reaches its peak and Stubbsy locks himself in a container. But the new manager of the psych ward doesn’t want him to be put in such an inhuman container. The consequences are nothing like she anticipated and will carry on to the next generation.

Thoughts

From the title of this story, I was completely expecting a story of a husband and wife which do something horrible to each other. Because, you know… it was in a collection of horrifying Halloween stories. It’s still completely horrifying. Still a creepy Halloween story… but not about a husband and wife. Not really about anything that I expected from the title. Which, of course, made me love it even more… since you know, the joys of a collection of Halloween horror tales.

We’ve all felt itchy. Actually, as I write this and reflect on the short story, I’m wearing a woollen jumper. Which five seconds ago didn’t feel so damn itchy… and now… nope, nope, nope. Expand that by ten thousand and you have the feeling that is described in this story. I think that fact that we’ve all felt the insane urge to itch makes it much easier to relate to this story. And therefore feel WAY more creeped out by it than any other story which you can’t relate to so closely.

The only thing I would say about this story – don’t read it before bed. It’s kind of creepy and full on. I’m so glad that I read this earlier in the day and had enough time to finish other stories before falling into bed. Just don’t read it before you fall asleep…

 <- Wick’s End ReviewA Flicker of Night on Devil’s Night Review ->

Image source: Amazon

Lucy, at Christmastime by Simon R. Green

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for wolfsbane and mistletoe book cover

Title: Lucy, at Christmastime
Author: Simon R. Green
Series: Nightside #8.4
In: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 18th November 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: She never does.

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Synopsis

There’s the Ghost of Christmas Past and then there’s the Ghost of your First Time… after reading this, you tell me which is worse.

Thoughts

At the beginning of this story, I thought it would be quite a sweet, easy little read. It begins talking about the fact that you never forget your first. Which, of course, we don’t. What I didn’t quite realise was that the narrator really wasn’t talking about the first I was imagining. Or at least, that was not all that he was talking about. It turned out to be quite a tragic tale, and one that almost had me in tears.

Alright, this story is still about first loves, but, being that it is a werewolf story, there is a much darker twist on the glory of a first love. Something that I really wasn’t expecting, and was only revealed at the very end. Yet, there is also a bittersweetness to the story – he is able to constantly love and communicate with the spectre of the past, one that eerily reminds me of the ghosts in A Christmas Carol.

Most people dream of true love. And, in its dark, twisted way… this is a beautiful tale of that kind of love. That everlasting feeling that you’ll never get over, and always remember… kind of a nice Christmas tale, but not one that left me with all the warm fuzzies that I normally would like.

 <- The Haire of the Beast ReviewThe Night Things Changed Review ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Company Town by Madeline Ashby

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover company town

Title: Company Town
Author: Madeline Ashby
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Science fiction, Strong women
Dates read: 14th October – 18th November 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: He was moving in the other direction.

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Synopsis

As one of the few people without bioengineered genetic enhancements, Go Jung-hwa has always had to scrape together a living in New Arcadia, the city-size oil rig floating in the Canadian Maritimes.

At the end of the world – life must go on.

After lynch Ltd., a technological tycoon dynasty, purchases the entire rig, Hwa’s talents and lack of any sort of altering attract their attention.

The opportunity of a lifetime… if she can manage to stay alive.

And when one of her former client’s – and friend’s – dismembered body is found floating in the North Atlantic, Hwa finds her loyalties split between her past and future. And it looks as if the future has come to collect in the present…

Thoughts

This story is absolutely brilliant and completely unforgettable! I’m hoping to find many, many, many more tales by Ashby to fill up my shelves… I just can’t seem to get the awesomeness of this story out of my head. Although, since it’s fieldwork season and I’m insanely busy, I basically had to stop reading it early on since I could already tell how hooked I was going to get…

As much as I loved this story, I did find it a little intense. It’s definitely the kind of tale that you have to concentrate on when reading. Although, I tend to feel that way about most SciFis. There is just something a little more complex and intense than most of the fantasies that I pick up…although the commentary on the world that we live in is also so much m ore poignant and beautifully intense than the run of the mill fantasies as well. There is just something so much more… extreme about a SciFi, and a well-written one like this… definitely a rave!

Hwa has to be one of my favourite heroines that I’ve read in a while. Not only does she have this amazing strength, as the story unfolds and you find out more and more about her life beforehand, you truly begin to understand how damn strong this woman is. As I said, completely unforgettable. Not the book that I want to put down at any point soon and not one that I’ll forget. I also love that Hwa is never in any way, shape or form described as beautiful. I get a little over women who have everything, and Hwa definitely doesn’t – which makes me want to be her when I grow up.

I don’t think I’ve read any books that actually feature the society of sex workers. Especially not the power of women in this industry. It turns such a taboo subject into something far more approachable. And the unionisation of the industry? Brilliant – something that I still think would be a brilliant idea, but that’s a political debate for another day…

<- More dystopia reviewsMore science fiction reviews ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover the island of dr moreau

Title: the Island of Dr. Moreau
Author: H.G. Wells
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Science fiction
Dates read: 2nd – 17th November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Cantebury Classics
Year: 1895
5th sentence, 74th page: I dropped the whip and snatched at the pistol in my pocket; for I meant to kill this brute, the most formidable of any left now upon the island, at the first excuse.

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Synopsis

Edward Prendick is shipwrecked in the Pacific. Rescued by Doctor Moreau’s assistant he is taken to the doctor’s island home where he discovers the doctor has been experimenting on the animal inhabitants of the island, creating bizarre proto-humans…

Thoughts

I really struggled to get all of the way through this novel. It wasn’t bad, I just really wasn’t in the mood for the convoluted nature that I’m beginning to associate with H.G. Wells’ writing. There’s always about a thousand things going on and some brilliant symbolism… which means that if I’m not quite as clued in as I’d like… it becomes more than a little difficult to truly get into the book. So, since I wanted to move another book out of my currently reading pile (it’s just getting beyond a joke at the moment), I decided to skim read through.

That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy this story. And I’ll definitely be reading it again. There was something that just sat below the surface of the words which was both haunting and brilliant. An excellent commentary on our world. and, more important to my own life, the status of science. Just because we can, it doesn’t mean that we should… but I’m never sure where the line is. I know that Dr. Moreau definitely crossed it… but that’s about the extent of my opinion on this to be honest.

There are a lot of stories which explore the question – who is more human? The man or the beast? This did so in a far more obvious and graphic manner than almost any of the stories that I’ve had the pleasure of reading so far. It was intense, gave me some incredibly visual consequences and a very intriguing adventure. One in which I’m pretty sure that I missed half of the integral points… after all, I was just skim reading and not 100% into it.

The Island of Dr. Moreau is one of those stories that I’m not going to forget anytime soon. There is something hauntingly familiar about it while it manages to be completely unique and impossible to forget. Although, I did keep thinking about one of the Spy Kids movies while I was reading it… the one with the nutty scientist alone on an island filled with his own creations…

 <- The Time Machine ReviewThe Invisible Man Review ->

Image source: Amazon

Wild Ride by Carrie Vaughn

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for kittys' greatest hits book cover

Title: Wild Ride
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Series: Kitty Norville #0.7
In: Kitty’s Greatest Hits (Carrie Vaughn)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy, Werewolves
Dates read: 17th November 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: The Dustbowl was part of a row of simple wooden buildings set up to look like an Old West street but without disguising the modern shingles, windows, and neon beer sings.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

He’s just discovered that he’s not as well as he wants to be. But a motorbike accident and a twist of fate might provide him with an out. Will he be brave enough to start a new life?

Thoughts

I’ve decided that I absolutely adore werewolf stories which feature gay werewolves. This is only my second. The other is the Mercedes Thompson series. There is just something that pulls me in… I’m not sure why. Probably something to do with the fact that werewolves are often used to indicate our animalistic side, which is very much associated with power and masculinity where the males are concerned… things that are not traditionally associated with gay men. Which is stupid, but that’s another soapbox for another day. The point is… I loved this.

This isn’t a greatly positive story. Although, it’s not entirely negative either. Unlike some of the other lead-up Kitty Norville short stories, the man isn’t turned against his will and there’s really not much trauma associated with his turning. Rather, he trades one “cage” for another and then finds a way to live with the decisions he’s made. A much nicer and more PG story of paranormal turnings and becoming a monster.

What I loved most about this story though is the fact that he actually walked away. Although it was scary, possibly dangerous and could potentially lead to his death. He manages to stand up for himself, walk away and be his own person. Something that not everyone can do. Especially when surrounded by such intense peer pressure and an alpha figure such as the one in this story. All in all, a fantastic read and one that I absolutely ripped through.

 <- Looking After Family ReviewGod’s Creatures Review ->
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