OCTOBER WRAP UP

Cant believe its Novemeber tomorrow ,time really flies .Here is my monthly wrap up ,I think its been a slow month reading wise life has been hectic and also given up on a  fair few books .

1.Not quite a Geordie by Holly Hagan – reviewed for John Blake books

2.Little sister  by lucy dawson- Library book

3.A whole lot of history by Kimberly Walsh -library book

4.Secret lives by Diane chamberlain-library book

5.your beautiful lies by louise douglas -library book

6.our zoo by june mottershead- reviewed for bookbridgr

7.You by caroline kepnes-reviewed for Simon&Schuster

8.On her own two feet by Pamela evans -reviewed for Bookbridgr

9.The missing one by lucy atkins -library book

10.slated by teri terry-library book

11.one step too far by tina seskis -library book

12.A most desirable marriage by Hilary boyd- purchased

13.the boy who loved rain by gerard Kelly – sent by lion fiction review to follow

14.The oyster catcher by jo Thomas -reviewed for bookbridgr

15.just a girl standing in front of a boy by Lucy anne holmes-library book

16.thirteen  by tom hoyle -library book

17.leaving time by Jodi picoult-won by goodreads and reviewed

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BOOK REVIEW LEAVING TIME BY JODI PICOULT

Jenna Metcalf was with her mother the night she disappeared in tragic and mysterious circumstances, but she remembers nothing.

Over ten years have passed, and still Jenna reads and rereads her mother’s journals, hoping to find some clue hidden there, in the meticulous recording of her scientific research with elephants.

Desperate for answers, Jenna uses all her savings to recruit the aid of a private detective – and a psychic.

Jenna knows her mother loved her. She knows she would not leave her. And she will not rest until she finds out what happened that night. In her most gripping mystery since House Rules, Jodi Picoult brings us a powerful story of a young girl’s determination to uncover the truth, however shocking and life-changing it might be.

I won a copy via goodreads and was so excited as I have loved all of Jodis books I have read . However this left me feeling disappointed and somewhat confused .

The storyline is all over the place and didn’t make sense for me ,it features elephants a lot I had to skim some of those parts .

The narrative of the 13 year old was not believable especially as I have a nearly 13 year old .

I had to push myself to finish this book If im honest .

This is a change of direction for Jodi and some readers may enjoy it but for me it didn’t work .

There is a twist at the end which for some may add to the enjoyment but again this only confused me more .

So many posts not enough time!!!

I keep thinking right I must blog about that ..oo and that an don’t forget that but either I’ve lost my writing mojo or there just hasn’t been the time .I think it could all be exhaustion lol that and half term and an on-going water infection  so thought id do a bit of everything that’s been happening lately .

1.lynx moving new school which has proven to be a hit with him settling in really well.He was star of the week which I blogged about previously .He had his parent/teacher consultation and to have him praised was music to my ears and you can see how this is affecting him .He is happier and im noticing a growth in confidence 🙂

2.Ive been doing a parent course called living with autism which is really interesting .

3.i am In process of appealing the decision made to not assess Lynx for a statement which I have been warned is stressful .Currently gathering information etc .

4.lynx had his initial CAHMS assessment which I wont lie drained me and left me really looking at myself and decisions I have made in this whole process …but I will go into this deeper at some point lol but let me say this whole special needs world is hard and never-ending !!!

5.im still waiting for an important hospital appointment ,I had one but had to cancel due to childcare and it being miles away…yet again I was asked can’t your mum help you ? how about your husband ? sensitive yep …. it made me realise that I am bloody one woman ship and wtf happens if im off-board ???

6.due to me breaking down and having a tough wkd I contacted social services so we have had a case worker and in all honesty she’s lovely and isn’t threatening to remove my kids !! shes in agreement that by lynx having a statement more support will be available to me as its hard going for just me ..

7.lynx will hopefully soon be part of a small group of other children on spectrum who will be doing activities once a week which gives me respite and will help him socially .

8.i have found a babysitter who lynx loves and I have used her twice ,one for me to have few drinks then to take Estelle out to cinema .

9.if all goes through ok I will be volunteering at lynxs school reading as part of beanstalk charity .

10.my ex ……well lets not say too much but I now know why lynx doesn’t go and Estelle clearly feels on edge about him .

So think that’s everything ,and its been half term which has been a great success …another post .

I’m on second lot of antibiotics so been feeling bit low and drained with that . I have also realised yet again some people talk shit which is disappointing not just for me b

COVER REVEAL AFTER THE STORM BY JANE LYTHELL

Im very excited and lucky to share with you on my blog the enticing fantastic cover of Janes upcoming novel .

I loved her debut book and got it signed at a author event and look forward to this book !

A man who had no voice. A woman who helped him find it.

 

Rob and Anna have just met Owen and Kim. Now they’ve chartered their handsome old boat to take them to a far off island in the Caribbean.

 

With only the four of them on board, Rob dreams of lazy afternoons snorkelling. Anna looks forward to the silence and solitude of the sea.

But why does Owen suffer acute insomnia and seem so secretive about his past? Why does Kim keep a knife zipped into her money-belt? Anna, a speech therapist, can usually get people to tell her the truth… but does she want to this time?

This will be published on 7th January 2015 by Head of Zeus .

BOOK REVIEW THE OYSTER CATCHER BY JO THOMAS

Dooleybridge, County Galway. Population: 482 (or thereabouts). The last place Fiona Clutterbuck expects to end up, alone, on her wedding night.

But after the words ‘I do’ have barely left her mouth, that’s exactly where she is – with only her sequined shoes and a crashed camper van for company.

One thing is certain: Fi can’t go back. So when the opportunity arises to work for Sean Thornton, the local oyster farmer, she jumps at the chance. Now Fi must navigate suspicious locals, jealous rivals and a wild, unpredictable boss if she’s to find a new life, and love, on the Irish coast. And nothing – not even a chronic fear of water – is going to hold her back.

Thank you to Frances at headline for sending me a  review copy.

This book is brilliant I enjoyed every bit .Its romantic and heartwarming and also tells the tale of starting over .Fi has to find who she is in a new place with new people and it doesn’t run smoothly at first.

Shes thrown in the deep end of a new job and lifestyle and takes time to adjust but before long its very clear maybe this is where shes destined to be .

I loved sean and the connection between him and fi ,you are willing for romance to blossom .

This book captured  my imagination and you  can visualise the Irish coast setting which I would love to see for myself one day .

A mixture of loveable and not so lovable charactars .

Overall a really uplifting joyful read .

BOOK REVIEW ONE STEP TOO FAR BY TINA SESKIS

Tina Seskis’s stunning debut novel, One Step Too Far, is a gripping and haunting psychological thriller.

‘It’s funny how easy it is, when it really comes down to it, to get up from your life and begin a new one…‘

An apparently happy marriage. A beautiful son. A lovely home.

Yet one morning Emily Coleman wakes up and walks right out of her life. What makes her do it? How will she survive? And, no matter how hard she tries, can she ever really say goodbye to her past?

Emily has a secret. No-one has ever guessed it. Will you?

I had the pleasure of meeting this author last month s when I saw this book at the library I grabbed it and seized this weekends readathon as perfect opportunity to enjoy!

This book is brilliantly written and very very clever .

We know that Emily has run away from something but we don’t know what .

I cant ssay too much without ruining the book but I will say my opinion of Emily changed dramatically once I knew what had happened .

I feel the reader is led to believe Emily is this one person with a questionable character .

I found myself looking confused at some parts until it unravelled .

The one thing that wold have made benefited this story woukd have been labelled chapters as some are set in different times and different narratives and at times that threw me off the flow of the writing .

A debut novel that makes you think and question ,a very well written book and I look forward to her next book ,

24hr Readathon mid event survey

1. What are you reading right now ?

A most desirablmarriage by Hilary boyd …66 pages in

2.How many books have you read so far ?

I finished slated with 200 pages and read one step too far

3.What book are you mostlooking forward to for the second half of the readathon?

I haven’t decided what im going to read yet .

4 Have you had many intereupitions ?how did you deal with those ?

well  im a mum so that’s bound to be expected but have managd a good lot of reading time .

5.what surprise you the most so far ?

how much reading can be done when submit to a readathon lol

My little star

I am linking up with Loud and proud hosted by mammaowl.co.uk in which we share a happy proud moment .For me its Lynx getting star of the week at his new school ,he is doing so well there .He has autism so change is scary and huge so it was always going to be tough but we moved school due to location.2 weeks in and Im so happy we have made that move as he seems happier and this school is ticking a lot of boxes for me as a mum .They have made us feel so welcome and him getting this award makes my so proud .

He had a special assembly which was too overwhelming for him and there was tears so his teacher collected his certificate for him . He got to give me a big hug before going back to his class and here is a picture of him with his invite and certificate .

He has also received 6 privilege cards and they get a certain amount they get invited to a privilege party and I think incentive and rewards are brilliant for supporting and encouraging  a childs learning and behaviour .Especially for my lynx who has low self esteem and lots of anxieties ,he has his first CAHMS appointment next week so this was just a very welcome achievement .

Im a very LOUD N PROUD mummy x

 

OCTOBER 24HR READATHON

Yes I have a busy weekend but im joining in as ive been bit slow lately so need to do some serious reading .Il be taking part in Deweys 24hour readathon and will read as much as possible starting with finishing slated .  This takes place 18th October from 1pm .

The link for this is http://www.24hourreadathon.com  .

BOOK REVIEW THE MISSING ONE BY LUCY ATKINS

The loss of her mother has left Kali McKenzie with too many unanswered questions. But while clearing out Elena’s art studio, she finds a drawer packed with postcards, each bearing an identical one-line message a Canadian gallery owner called Susannah Gillespie: thinking of you. Who is this woman and what does she know about Elena’s hidden past?

Desperate to find out, Kali travels with her toddler, Finn, to Susannah’s isolated home on a remote British Columbian island, a place of killer whales and storms. But as bad weather closes in, Kali quickly realises she has made a big mistake. The handsome and enigmatic Susannah refuses to talk about the past, and as Kali struggles to piece together what happened back in the 1970s, Susannah’s behaviour grows more and more erratic. Most worrying of all, Susannah is becoming increasingly preoccupied with little Finn . . .

A tense, thrilling novel about a family divided by secrets, and the lengths a mother will go to protect her child.

The cover of this is striking and very intriguing .This is the debut novel of this authors which I didn’t realise and you wouldn’t expect from the strength of this book .

This is a very tense dramatic story in which we know something is amiss in  Kalis family history . In Kalis journey to investigate her mums past she discovers more about her self than she imagined .

A well written book about loss grief and family lies .