Book and film reviews

Been too busy reading to do much reviewing

2010-01-15T03:52:00.001-08:00

Will hopefully post some more reviews in the near future.

Book: Case Histories - Kate Atkinson

2009-05-14T03:42:00.000-07:00

Blurb: Cambridge is sweltering, during an unusually hot summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet - lost on the left, found on the right - and the two never seem to balance. Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge, and has a failed marriage to prove it. Surrounded by death, intrigue and misfortune, his own life haunted by a family tragedy, he attempts to unravel three disparate case histories and begins to realise that in spite of apparent diversity, everything is connected...
Rating: *****
Review: An excellent read. The story is well-written and you can sympathise with the characters. A good story that I didn't want to put down once I had started reading - try and ensure you have uninterrupted reading time if you are going to start this book. Believe me, you won't want to be disturbed!!

Book: The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult

2009-05-14T03:39:00.000-07:00

Blurb: Bestselling author Jodi Picoult's The Tenth Circle is a metaphorical journey through Dante's Inferno, told through the eyes of a small Maine family whose hidden demons haunt every aspect of their seemingly peaceful existence. Woven throughout the novel are a series of dramatic illustrations that pay homage to the family's patriarch (comic book artist Daniel Stone), and add a unique twist to this gripping, yet somewhat rhetorical tale.
Trixie Stone is an imaginative, perceptive 14 year old whose life begins to unravel when Jason Underhill, Bethel High's star hockey player, breaks up with her, leaving a void that can only be filled by the blood spilled during shameful self-mutilations in the girls' bathroom. While Trixie's dad Daniel notices his daughter's recent change in demeanour, he turns a blind eye, just as he does to the obvious affair his wife Laura, a college professor, is barely trying to conceal. When Trixie gets raped at a friend's party, Daniel and Laura are forced to deal not only with the consequences of their daughter's physical and emotional trauma, but with their own transgressions as well. For Daniel, that means reflecting on a childhood spent as the only white kid in a native Alaskan village, where isolation and loneliness turned him into a recluse, only to be born again after falling in love with his wife. Laura, who blames her family's unravelling on her selfish affair, must decide how to reconcile her personal desires with her loved ones' needs.
The Tenth Circle is chock full of symbolism and allegory that at times can seem oppressive. Still, Picoult's fans will welcome this skilfully told story of betrayal and its many negative and positive consequences.
Rating: ***
Review: I quite enjoyed this book and found the story was enhanced by the artwork contained within it - unfortunately, I have not been able to decipher the hidden message. The story held my interest but, I feel, its not as good as some of her other books.

Book: Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult

2009-04-30T06:21:00.000-07:00

Blurb: The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to defend Katie, two cultures collide and, for the first time in her high profile career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. Delving deep into the world of those who live 'plain', Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her terms. As she unravels a tangled murder case, Ellie also looks deep within to confront her own fears and desires when a man from her past comes back into her life.
Rating: *****
Review: One of my favourite Picoult books - I was hooked from page 1. Excellently written with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. I empathised with the characters and lost myself in the story. Highly recommended

Book: Keeping Faith - Jodi Picoult

2009-04-29T03:39:00.000-07:00

Blurb: For the second time in her marriage, Mariah White catches her husband with another woman, and Faith, their seven-year-old daughter, witnesses every painful minute. In the aftermath of a sudden divorce, Mariah struggles with depression and Faith begins to confide in an imaginary friend.At first, Mariah dismisses these exchanges as a child’s imagination. But when Faith starts reciting passages from the Bible, develops stigmata, and begins to perform miraculous healings, Mariah wonders if her daughter – a girl with no religious background – might indeed be seeing God. As word spreads and controversy heightens, Mariah and Faith are besieged by believers and disbelievers alike, caught in a media circus that threatens what little stability they have left.Is Faith a prophet or a troubled little girl? Is Mariah a good mother facing an impossible crisis – or a charlatan using her daughter to get attention?
Rating: **
Review: I was disappointed with this particular book by one of my favourite authors. Had this been the 1st book of Picoult's that I had read, I'm not sure that I would have read any more. This book has an interesting concept, but tries to be too many things to too many people. Its part mystery, part love story, with other elements briefly added. It doesn't seem to know what it is - and the ending is a particular let-down. Sorry, but a lacklustre book that doesn't explore fully or explain the questions it raises.

Book: The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness

2009-04-29T03:33:00.000-07:00

Blurb: Imagine you're the only boy in a town of men. And you can hear everything they think. And they can hear everything you think. Imagine you don't fit in with their plans... Todd Hewitt is just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man. But his town has been keeping secrets from him. Secrets that are going to force him to run...
Rating: **
Review: Nominated for the Carnegie Award (2009). I only read this book because it was on the shortlist, and I am part of my school's Carnegie Shadowing Group. I was quite keen initially, the premise was promising - but the book failed to deliver. The "twist" at the end came across as an excuse to write another book rather than a genuine twist. I didn't relate to the characters, they didn't come across as believable. On the whole, a disappointment.

Book: Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella

2009-04-29T02:57:00.000-07:00

Blurb: Lexi wakes up in a hospital bed after a car accident, thinking its 2004 and she's a twenty-five-year old with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life. But, to her disbelief, she learns it's actually 2007 - she's twenty-eight, her teeth are straight, she's the boss of her department - and she's married! To a good-looking millionaire! How on earth did she land the dream life? She can't believe her luck - especially when she sees her stunning new home. She's sure she'll have a fantastic marriage once she gets to know her husband again. He's drawn up a 'manual of our marriage', which should help. But as she learns more about her new self, chinks start to appear in the perfect life. All her old colleagues hate her. A rival is after her job. Then a dishevelled, sexy guy turns up...and lands a new bombshell. What the **** happened to her? Will she ever remember? And what will happen if she does?

Rating: *****

Review: A funny chick-lit book from one of my favourite authors. If you enjoy the shopaholic series, you won't be disappointed. Lexi is a likeable character - if fact, I think I prefer her to Becky Bloomwood - and you can sympathise with her confusion. I enjoyed reading this one - an ideal summer read by the pool on holiday.

Book: Acting Up - Melissa Nathan

2009-04-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

Blurb: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a large ego must be in want of a woman to cut him down to size...When journalist Jasmin Field lands the coveted role of Elizabeth Bennet in a one-off fundraising adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" she discovers that the play's director, Hollywood heart-throb Harry Noble, is every bit as obnoxious as she could have hoped. Which means a lot of material for her column. And a lot of fun in rehearsals. And then disaster strikes. Jazz's best friend abandons her for a man not worthy to buy her chocolate, her family starts to crumble before her eyes and her award-winning column hits the skids. Worse still, Harry Noble keeps staring at her. As the lights dim, the audience hush and Jazz awaits her cue, she realises two very important things, one: she can't remember her lines, and two: Harry Noble looks amazing in breeches...
Rating: *****
Review: A funny book based on the story line of Pride and Prejudice - if you loved that, you'll love this. It is a modern day interpretation of the story, which sticks really well to the plot of the original - I had fun recognising all the minor characters. I loved it.

It is a shame that Melissa Nathan died in 2007 and can write no more books. She was an excellent authoress.

Catching up

2009-04-28T01:28:00.001-07:00

How time flies, I have not posted on here for so long - so I will catch up with reviewing all the books I have read recently. Hope you enjoy reading them xxxx

Book: The Pact by Jodi Picoult

2009-02-25T01:25:00.000-08:00

Blurb: For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty. Parents and children alike are best friends - so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born. When the midnight calls come in from the hospital, no one is prepared for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head as part of an apparent suicide pact. The gun holds a single unspent bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself, but a local detective has doubts. And the Hartes and Golds, in a single terrifying moment, must face every parent's worst fear: do we ever really know our children at all?
Rating: *****
Review:Another brilliant, heartbreaking book from Jodi Picoult. I couldn't put it down although it was a tough read.

Book: The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy - Fiona Neill

2008-12-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

Blurb: For Lucy Sweeney, motherhood isn't all astanga yoga and Cath Kidston prints. It has been years since the dirty washing pile was less than a metre high, months since Lucy remembered to have sex with her husband, and a week since she last did the school run wearing pyjamas. When Husband on a Short Fuse is no contest for the distractions of Sexy Domesticated Dad; Yummy Mummy No 1 has more cash flow than parenting advice; and Alpha Mum is putting a slur on your questionable domestic habits, it's hard to remember exactly why anyone would give up a career and their sanity for three raucous sons and less than blissful domesticity. Lucy is living in a state of permanent emergency and the white lies to cover up the trail of chaos and illicit desire are about to be exposed ...This is an irresistible first novel about the dilemmas of motherhood and modern marriage for those who never discovered their domestic goddess within.

Rating: **

Review: An okay read in a similar genre to Bridgit Jones et al. Started off okay but I didn't really connect with any character in the book. I found Lucy frustrating and irritating, her husband Tom annoying and the "love intersts" unexciting. Sorry, but I have read better books on similar subjects.

Book: Harvest - Tess Gerritsen

2008-12-16T06:02:00.001-08:00

Blurb: Dr Abby DiMatteo - a second-year surgical student in Boston Bayside's elite cardiac team - is about to make a decision that will jeopardize her career. A car-crash victim's healthy heart is ready to be harvested, having been cross-matched to a private patient, forty-six year-old Nina Voss. Instead, Abby makes sure the transplant goes to a dying seventeen-year-old boy who is also a perfect match. The repercussions leave her plagued with self-doubt. Suddenly, a new heart appears, and the transplant is completed - and Abby makes a terrible discovery. The new heart has not come through the right channels. Defying the hospital's demands for silence, Abby begins her own investigation that reveals an intricate and murderous chain of deceptions...

Rating: ****

Review: Another brilliant book by one of my favourite authors. Gerritsen draws you in from the first page and keeps you gripped until you finish. A definate page-turner which I nearly solved. The ending was a bit of a let-down but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

TV: The complete series of Inspector Morse

2008-12-16T05:52:00.000-08:00

Due to the fact that I have had 3 weeks off work, I took the opportunity to watch my entire collection of Morse DVDs. This is an excellent series - obviously some are better than others, but I enjoyed watching them. John Thaw is still sadly missed, though Kevin Whatley is still good in "Lewis". A highly recommended series.

Rating: *****

Book: Lovers and Liars - Josephine Cox

2008-10-21T02:31:00.000-07:00

Blurb: The powerful new bestseller from Josephine Cox -- one of our foremost storytellers. It is 1902. Emily is sixteen years of age and blissfully in love with John, two years her senior. Together they are secretly planning a life, when they are violently driven apart. Denied the man she loves, and dominated by a brutally possessive uncle, Emily is devastated when she is cruelly taken advantage of. When a child is born, her life is in tatters. And she cannot reveal the identity of the father to anyone, or there will be a terrible price to pay. Trapped and ashamed, she seeks solace in her daughter, Cathleen, but there is little consolation. As time passes, and still there is no sign of the man she loved, Emily resigns herself to the fact that he may never return, and her life begins to take another direction. However, John is never far from her mind. Is her love still waiting for her?But when history threatens to repeat itself and the father of her child once again preys on her, she must put all thoughts of John aside and find a way to safeguard her daughter.

Rating: ***

Review: A decent romantic book which follows fairly predictable lines. One or two surprises during the story, but, on the whole, you know what you are getting when you read a book like this - and it doesn't disappoint. Easy to read and not really much of a challenge, a good book for a quiet evening or if you enjoy romantic novels.

TV film: Abigail's Party

2008-10-20T01:10:00.000-07:00

Blurb: Abigail’s Party is a play for stage and television written in 1977 by Mike Leigh. It is a suburban situation comedy of manners, and a satire on the aspirations and tastes of the new middle class that emerged in Britain in the 1970s.

Rating: *****

Review: Finally, after many years of hearing about this play, I have mangaged to watch it. It is a brilliant dark comedy - well written and well-acted. Alison Steadman steals the show as the nasty Beverley, who continually manipulates those around her for her own ends. None of the characters in the play, especially those who are married to each other, seem to like one another - the atmosphere is uncomfortable from the start. I spent most of the play waiting for something to happen, the tension is there between the characters so you know something will kick off sooner or later, and when it does, it is almost comedic in its delivery whilst managing to be tragic too. A brilliant play.

Book: Branded Robert Swindells

2008-10-17T04:39:00.001-07:00

Blurb: Dale's older brother has been convicted of killing five women. The family are branded forever as relatives of a murderer - they're forced to change their names, move away and start new lives. That's bad enough, but Dale is also afraid that he might take after his brother and turn into a monster too. Then the family's new-found peace is threatened when a tabloid journalist gets on the trail - and all Dale's fears are put to the test.

Rating: ****

Review: Although aimed at older teens, this book is a good quick read for an adult - it took me a couple of hours to read it. An interesting take on a murder story, it tells the aftermath of a murder and the impact upon the murderer's family. It is not sentimental and has enough substance to make you care about the central characters. Overall, a good read.

Book: My Sister's Keeper Jodi Picoult

2008-10-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Blurb: In my first memory, I am three years old, and I am trying to kill my sister. Sometimes, the recollection is so clear I can remember the itch of the pillowcase under my hand, the sharp point of her nose pressing into my palm . . .’
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and injections to help her sister, Kate, fight leukaemia. Anna was born for this purpose, her parents tell her, which is why they love her even more.
But now she can't help but wonder what her life would be like if it weren't tied to her sister's . . . and so she makes a decision that for most would be too difficult to bear, and sues her parents for the rights to her own body.

Rating: *****

Review: A brilliant book that tackles a difficult subject head on, with a heart-breaking ending that I, for one, didn't see coming. This book will inspire you, make you think and make you cry before the end. A fantastic read.

Book: Jigs and Reels Joanne Harris

2008-10-14T00:59:00.000-07:00

Blurb:Take your partners, please. Suburban witches, defiant old ladies, ageing monsters, suicidal Lottery winners, wolf men, dolphin women and middle-aged manufacturers of erotic leatherwear. In these twenty-two short stories from the author of HOLY FOOLS and FIVE QUARTERS OF THE ORANGE, the miraculous goes hand-in-hand with the mundane, the sour with the sweet, and the beautiful, the grotesque, the seductive and the disturbing are never more than one step away. JIGS & REELS is Joanne Harris' first collection of short stories, As she says in her Foreword, a good short story can startle, ignite, and illuminate...giving you vivid, anarchlc glimpses into different world, different people. Here, she proves she is as good as her word by creating an eclectic selection of tales for our times that will delight, surprise, entertain and horrify in equal measure. Sly, funny, sometimes provocative but always personal, JIGS & REELS shows a side to Joanne Harris you have never seen before. So go on, be tempted. After all, it's only dancing.

Rating: ***

Review: I enjoyed reading some of the stories in this book - but found it a little hit and miss. One or two had disturbing endings, some were funny and a couple I didn't bother to finish because I had no interest in the subject matter. On the whole, a reasonable satisfying book that you can dip into.

Book: Body Double Tess Gerritsen

2008-10-13T03:28:00.000-07:00

Blurb:

Dr Maura Isles makes her living dealing with death. As a pathologist in downtown Boston, she has seen more than her share of corpses – many of them victims of violent murder. But never before has the lifeless body on the medical examiner’s table been her own.
But there can be no denying the evidence: the dead woman before her and her close friend and colleague Detective Jane Rizzoli is the mirror image of Maura, down to the most intimate physical details. Even more chilling is the discovery that they share the same birth date and blood type. When a DNA test confirms that Maura’s mysterious double is in fact her twin sister, an already bizarre murder investigation becomes a disturbing and dangerous excursion into a past full of dark secrets.
Searching for answers, Maura is drawn to a seaside town in Maine where other horrifying surprises await. But even more frighteningly, an unknown murderer is at large on a cross-country killing spree. To stop the violence, and uncover the twisted truth about her own roots, Maura must probe her first living subject: the mother she never knew …
In her brilliant and terrifying new novel, Tess Gerritsen – bestselling author of The Surgeon and The Sinner – taps into the deep well of murder and obsession, and builds an almost tangible atmosphere of tension and suspense before arranging for an explosive release that is as horrifying as it is unexpected.

Rating: *****

Review: A brilliant book that had me hooked from the start. I have never read any of Tess Gerritsen's books before but, after this, I certainly will keep an eye out for her. I didn't guess whodunit - although I was close (will say no more on this so I don't give anything away). Well worth a read.

Film: Flightplan

2008-10-13T02:38:00.000-07:00

Blurb:
Jodie Foster plays Kyle Pratt, a recently widowed aircraft designer who must fly her and her daughter back from Berlin to America in order to bury her late husband. When she awakes from a much-needed nap, she realises to her horror that her six-year-old daughter Julia is missing. Kyle initially thinks her daughter may have wandered off, but mild panic turns to full-scale hysteria when after an exhaustive search Julia is nowhere to be found on the plane. More worryingly, it emerges that Julia was never even registered as a passenger on the flight. With no one on board confirming that they had seen her, the audience is left guessing as to whether this is all a figment of Kyle's strained state of mind. Tense action follows as Kyle must rely on her own instincts to save herself and find her daughter.
Rating: ***
Review:
Saw this DVD last week for the 1st time. Good thriller - though if you have previously seen "The Lady Vanishes" you can guess most of the clues before they arrive. The ending was a bit weak, but - on the whole - not a bad film.

Do you agree - leave your comments below.

Books and films

2008-10-13T01:05:00.001-07:00

Hi, I am an avid reader and film watcher. What I intend to do with this blog is: every time I finish reading a book or watching a film (including DVDs), I will write and review and post it here so that people who have also read or watched them can express their views too. All ratings will be a number of stars, max 5.

Hope you enjoy reading this and leave plenty of comments. Thanks xx