Nine-year-old Milo Moon has retinitis pigmentosa: his eyes are slowly failing and he will eventually go blind. But for now he sees the world through a pin hole and notices things other people don’t. When Milo’s beloved gran succumbs to dementia and moves into a nursing home, Milo soon realises there’s something very wrong at the home. The grown-ups won’t listen to him so with just Tripi, the nursing home’s cook, and Hamlet, his pet pig, to help, Milo sets out on a mission to expose the nursing home and the sinister Nurse Thornhill.

Insightful, wise and surprising, What Milo Saw is a novel filled with big ideas, simple truths and an emotional message that will resonate with everyone. Milo sees the world in a very special way and it will be impossible for you not to fall in love with him, savour every moment you spend with him and then share his story with everyone you know.

I won a review copy from The little book café on twitter so thank you very much!

This is a very different insightful read, it reminded me of wonder as it tells a story from the mind of a young boy .A boy who sees the world differently .

It is honest and heartwarming .

The cover is really intriguing and eye catching .

You meet a variety of charactars in this book and they all have a story to tell of loss love and heartache.

We get to see first hand the inappropriate way eldery people are treated in a nursing home which is heart-breaking but do not fear as Milo is on the case!!

Very cleverly written .

Jul 28 2014

Bout of books 11

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

This is my sign up post to the upcoming bout of books !! I will add details of books I plan to read nearer the time. I enjoyed reading lots in the last one and with it being summer hols it will be a challenge!!

Jul 25 2014

Summer holidays .

Well its that time of year folks ….summer holidays !! 6 weeks of pleasure or hell?? lol

I will be very honest and say I always have mixed feelings about the long stretch of kids being off. Pros and cons.

This year it has all changed and I find change and endings hard .

I usually share the holidays with their dad which does ease the pressure . However its only Estelle who has gone there so I have lynx for weeks ,which is ironic as hes the harder one lol .

So I will admit it is a little daunting to know im doing the whole 6 weeks and ive had to get my head around it.

I feel exhausted already ,literally stop for 5 mins and my eyes get heavy and this makes me think shit how will I feel after 6 weeks !!! eek!

However I am so glad to kiss goodbye to that bloody school run which since we move in feb has lierally been my life .I literaly don’t feel I have stopped since then.

With the summer comes no routine no pressures no rushing out the door and quality time with my kids .

So heres what we have planed /hope to do .

Holiday club with Bexley nas club
Haven holiday
museums
Parks
Swimming
Reading challenges /library visits
Lazy days

However with lynx sometimes things don’t always run smoothly but I am positive we will have a fun summer ,even more positive is fact we have a garden this year which is fantastic after years of being in a flat.

Be warned I will have the odd moany tweet because I am a single parent with no support,i have a child with autism and I suffer with mental illness but more importantly because im a human and I wil say it as it is lol.

Jul 25 2014

BOOK REVIEW REMEMBER ME THIS WAY BY SABINE DURRANT

Everyone keeps telling me I have to move on. And so here I am, walking down the road where he died, trying to remember him the right way.

A year after her husband Zach’s death, Lizzie goes to lay flowers where his fatal accident took place.

As she makes her way along the motorway, she thinks about their life together. She wonders whether she has changed since Zach died. She wonders if she will ever feel whole again.

At last she reaches the spot. And there, tied to a tree, is a bunch of lilies. The flowers are addressed to her husband. Someone has been there before her.

Lizzie loved Zach. She really did.

But she’s starting to realise she didn’t really know him.

Thank you to Bookbridgr for sending me a copy to review .

The cover really enticed me and sounding really chilling and indeed it was .

You could feel the paranoia and tension that Lizzie was feeling daily.She was beginning to lose trust in everyone around her and even within herself .

I have read several books this year with similar context,of realising they don’t know the person who died as well as they thought and I have to say this wasn’t as gripping as others.

I did get confused reading the different narratives .

Her husband did sound like a manipulative controlling guy so no wonder she was so on edge .

A good read that will have you second guessing .

Or what he was capable of . . .

Jul 24 2014

BOOK REVIEW THE SUMMER GUEST BY EMMA HANNIGAN

Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy, a lovely, warm, Irish family saga of three generations of women coming together one magical summer in the small seaside town of Caracove Bay.

A little magic is about to come to sleepy Caracove Bay…

Lexie and her husband Sam have spent years lovingly restoring No. 3 Cashel Square to its former glory. So imagine Lexie’s delight when a stranger knocks on the door, asking to see the house she was born in over sixty years ago.

Kathleen is visiting from America, longing to see her childhood home… and longing for distraction from the grief of losing her husband.

And as Lexie and Sam battle over whether or not to have a baby and Kathleen struggles with her loss, the two women realise their unexpected friendship will touch them in ways neither could have imagined.

In Caracove, there’s more than a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Firstly thank you to bookbridgr for sending me a copy to review .

The cover is beautiful and perfect setting for a summer read

I adored driving home for Christmas which I read last winter so I was looking forward to reading another of her titles.

I had heard good reviews of this book .

For me personally it was a nice read but towards the end I was very eager to finish .It did feel like it dragged a bit.

I adored Kathleen and her bucket list of things to do and her spirit shone off the pages . I felt instant warmth towards her and how she captured everyone’s hearts on her visit.

The setting and descriptions captured my imagination .

A pleasant read but just not enough to keep me hooked .

Jul 19 2014

BOOK REVIEW THE TEASHOP ON THE CORNER BY MILLY JOHNSON

Life is full of second chances…if only you keep your heart open for them. Spring Hill Square is a pretty sanctuary away from the bustle of everyday life. And at its centre is Leni Merryman’s Teashop on the Corner, specialising in cake, bookish stationery and compassion. And for three people, all in need of a little TLC, it is somewhere to find a friend to lean on. Carla Pride has just discovered that her late husband Martin was not who she thought he was. And now she must learn to put her marriage behind her and move forward. Molly Jones’s ex-husband Harvey has reappeared in her life after many years, wanting to put right the wrongs of the past before it is too late. And Will Linton’s business has gone bust and his wife has left him to pick up the pieces. Now he needs to gather the strength to start again. Can all three find the comfort they are looking for in The Teashop on the Corner? And as their hearts are slowly mended by Leni, can they return the favour when she needs it most…? A story of love, friendship and second chances that will warm your heart and rekindle your hope.

I have just finished this book and had to get lots of tissues. This book is beautiful and heartwarming.As much as I wanted to whizz through with delght im sad to part ways with all the charactars.Each character had their own stories that will warm you to them in different ways.

The teashop itself was just a dream for me and I demand this to be real.

My favourite character is Leni and her effect she and her teashop has on everyone and her relationship with ryan is what choked me .

As someone who has been in care and will admit to the damage this can cause on other relationships and how you become a adult this book really connected with me .

This is a story of friendship love heartache and how hope will always win through with added bonus of tea ,cake and a love of books .

Jul 17 2014

BOOK REVIEW THAT DARK REMEMBERED DAY BY TOM VOWLER

One family, one town, devastated by one tragic event.

Can you ever know what those closest to you are really capable of?

When Stephen gets a phone call to say his mother isn’t well, he knows he must go to her straight away. But he dreads going back there. He has never been able to understand why his mother chose to stay in the town he grew up in, after everything that happened. One day’s tragic events years before had left no one living there untouched.

Stephen’s own dark memories are still poisoning his life, as well as his marriage. Perhaps now is the time to go back and confront the place and the people of his shattered childhood. But will he ever be able to understand the crime that punctured their lives so brutally? How can a community move on from such a terrible legacy?

Thank you to Bookbridgr for sending me a copy to review .

The cover really intrigued me however the story didn’t match .

It took the whole book to actually find out this horrific crime that happened all those years ago, but for me by the time that was revealed it had lose its appeal .

A disappointing review im afraid as im still quite new to this .

I think older readers would enjoy it and those who have read the authors previous work .

Jul 15 2014

BOOK REVIEW DONT TELL THE BOSS BY ANNA BELL

When newlywed Penny turns her hand to some casual wedding planning she only wants to help other women afford the big day of their dreams.

But taming bridezillas turns out to be a full-time occupation, and what began as a hobby becomes a personal and professional nightmare.

Soon Penny is struggling to keep her day job and prevent her own marriage from collapsing under the strain : tired, stressed and knee-deep in ivory satin, is Penny’s life and livelihood hanging by a thread?

I really enjoyed don’t tell the groom which I read and reviewed earlier this year which can be found here https://charlenejess.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/book-review-dont-tell-the-groom-anna-bell/ s when I knew there was a sequel I was excited to read it.

This book is funny and there are several moments you find yourself cringing on pennys behalf! I love penny and how these things happen to her .

You will find yourself cheering penny on right to the end.

It still covers ground of gambling and this time penny is helping someone who is in same position she was in which was a great idea .

It was like catching up with old friends and such a feel good read .

I also think her covers are beautiful.

Jul 15 2014

BOOK REVIEW QUARTER PAST TWO ON A WEDNESDA AFTERNOON BY LINDA NEWBERY

It was the day when everything stopped.

At quarter past two on a hot afternoon in August, Anna’s beautiful, headstrong elder sister Rose disappears.

Twenty years later, Anna still doesn’t know whether Rose is alive or dead. In her early thirties now, she sees her future unfolding – with sensible, serious Martin and a grown-up, steady job – and finds herself wondering if this is what she really wants.

Unable to take control of her life while the mystery of her sister’s disappearance remains unsolved, Anna begins to search for the truth: what did happen to Rose that summer’s day?

The stunning first adult novel from the distinguished Costa Award winner.

Thank you to Alison Barrow from Transworld books for sending me a review copy.

I haven’t read any of this authors previous work and this is her first adult novel so that was exciting.

I love the cover which will be on the final copy which will be available from the 17th July.

As I write this review im feeling very tired as I simply had to finish this book once I started .I couldn’t put it down ,I ahd to know what happened to Rose.

There are twists ,turns and many shocks .

It is a story of secrets ,lies,love and family connections.

The book changed from the present to when Rose and Anna were younger so we got to see what the charactars were like growing up which was crucial I think .

We also were able to read the mums story In present time and when she was a teenager. This enabled the book to have variety and intrigue.

I really enjoyed this book and hope Linda is writing more adult books .

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Monthly Archives: July 2014

July books

BOOK REVIEW WHAT MILO SAW BY BY VIRGINIA MACGREGOR