Tag Archives: Book Review

How to Have a Baby and Not Lose Your Shit By Kirsty Smith Book Review

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How to Have a Baby and Not Lose Your Shit By Kirsty Smith is a funny and searingly honest book about parenting. You will nod in agreement and laugh out loud. Well written and humorous, this is a great book for first time parents, and even for those who are having another, just so you know you were not, and are not, alone. Fun, entertaining and definitely worth a read.

 

So you’re having a baby! Congratulations! Have you started panicking yet?

How to Have a Baby and Not Lose your Shit is for women who want to start a family but are not sure quite how ‘into’ babies they are. Women who have no intention of ever making their own Play-Doh (yes, that’s a thing). Women who think that babies are a teeny, weeny bit boring.

Appealing to new and expectant mums (as well as existing mothers who will identify with many of the experiences!) this is not a book about surviving parenting: having a baby is not an ordeal, it’s a brilliant life-affirming experience. This book is about enjoying parenting but acknowledging its challenges, about how you can love your children to the moon and back but still not like having fingers that smell of poo.

If you want to know how looking after a toddler is basically just like that time your mate got dumped and went on a six-month bender, or why holding a baby at a wedding and immediately wanting to swap it for a glass of champagne doesn’t mean you’re not ready for motherhood (it just means there is champagne) – this is the book for you. It answers the real questions modern women have about parenting. Can I wipe bottoms and still kick-ass? What if all the other mums are really, really boring? Is it okay to Google the answers to everything?

Written by a mum of two who thinks her children are wonderful but wishes they could be wonderful in a quieter, tidier, less annoying way, this book is a funny, insightful, and honest account of being at home with babies and small children and all the wondrous things that entails: like carrying a pot of dead bees in your handbag and trying to source ice cubes that aren’t ‘too cold’.

It won’t make your baby sleep through the night, or cure colic, but it will make you laugh when you’ve been up all night… which is the next best thing.

About the Author In her career as a TV Producer working in magic & comedy, Kirsty Smith introduced Russell Brand to an erotic lady wrestler, locked two presenters in a cage with 60 chickens for a week, and was made to magically appear dressed as a Morris Dancer from a giant pair of underpants. Now at home with two small children, life is almost exactly the same but even funnier and with added rice cakes. Kirsty blogs as Eeh Bah Mum.

How to Have a Baby and Not Lose Your Shit By Kirsty Smith is available here.

 

Best Day Ever By Kaira Rouda Book Review

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best day ever, kaira rouda
Best Day Ever ticks all of the boxes for what people want in a thriller these days: an unreliable narrator, domestic discord, and enough twists to keep you guessing. A tense domestic suspense novel, a zoomed through this novel at a quick pace, always wondering what was going to happen next. It is superbly written and keeps you hooked until the last page. The novel takes place over 24 hours and has an unreliable male narrator, two things which make it different. A great novel from USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda. Read it now. Our Day In The Life with Kaira Rouda is here.

 

Paul Strom has spent years building his perfect life: glittering career, beautiful wife, two healthy boys and a big house in the suburbs.

But he also has his secrets. That’s why Paul has promised his wife a romantic weekend getaway. He proclaims this day, a warm Friday in May, will be the best day ever.

Paul loves his wife, really, he does. But he also wants to get rid of her. And with every hour that passes, Paul ticks off another stage in his elaborately laid plan…

 

Best Day Ever is available here. 

 

 

The People At Number 9 By Felicity Everett Now Out In Paperback

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One of Frosts favourite books of the year is now out in paperback. You can read our review of The People At Number 9 here. We recommend you get your hands on a copy.

Meet the new neighbours. Whose side are you on?

Have you met the People at Number 9?

Sara and Neil have new neighbours in their street. Glamorous and chaotic, Gav and Lou make Sara’s life seem dull. As the two couples become friends, sharing suppers, red wine and childcare, it seems a perfect couples-match. But the more Sara sees of Gav and Lou, the more she longs to change her own life. But those changes will come at a price.

 

Felicity Everett grew up in Manchester and studied English Literature at Sussex University. She worked in children’s publishing in London, whilst raising a family and is the author of more than twenty works of children’s fiction and non-fiction. After a short career break, Felicity returned to writing full-time and in 2011 published her debut novel, The Story of Us, a funny and touching account of the friendships forged between five women at University in the 1980s. Her second novel, The People at Number 9, published in April 2017, is a dark satire on sex, envy and betrayal in the suburbs. Felicity has recently returned from a few years living in Melbourne, with her husband and now lives in Gloucestershire. Her new work in progress is a gothic tale of marriage and mental instability set in the dark heart of the countryside. You can follow Felicity @ittymay and on Facebook, Felicity Everett – Author.

The People at Number 9 is available here.

 

The Reminders By Val Emmich Book Review

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The Reminders By Val Emmich has a very interesting premise: a man who wants to remember, and a little girl who wants to forget. It is a wonderful concept but not all great concepts make great novels. Luckily for Val Emmich The Reminders does work. It is a novel which is both happy and sad, funny and painful. It is well observed and has just the right hint of melancholy.  It is a beautiful story of an unlikely friendship. The Reminders is ultimately a heart-warming novel that will lift your spirits, while also making you just a little bit sad, but in a good way. Yes, that is possible. Recommended.

 

Overcome with the loss of his boyfriend Sydney, Gavin Winters has set fire to every reminder in their home. A neighbour has captured the blaze on video, turning this little-known TV actor into a household name. Gavin flees LA for New Jersey, where he hopes that ten-year-old Joan, the daughter of a close friend, can reconnect him with the memories of Sydney he is now in danger of losing for ever. 

Joan was born with a rare ability to recall every single day of her life in perfect detail, and in return for sharing her memories of Sydney, Gavin will help her write a song for a local competition. For Joan has had enough of being the girl who can’t forget – she wants to be the girl who will never be forgotten . . .

Charming, beautifully observed, poignant and funny, The Reminders by actor and musician Val Emmich is an irresistible story of the unlikely friendship between a grief-stricken man who can’t remember and a ten-year-old girl who can’t forget.

The Reminders By Val Emmich is available here. 

Dubbed a “Renaissance Man” by the New York Post, Val Emmich is a writer, singer-songwriter, and actor. He has had recurring roles on Vinyl and Ugly Betty as well as a memorable guest role as Liz Lemon’s coffee-boy fling, Jamie, on 30 Rock. Emmich lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his wife and their two children. The Reminders is his first novel.

Published 10th August 

 

 

Give Me The Child By Mel McGrath Book Review

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Give Me The Child drew my in immediately from the cover. Then the blurb drew my in further. As a mother I worried it might be horrible and depressing, but Give Me The Child is a clever and riveting psychological thriller. It leaves you guessing and is well written by an author who is clearly at the top of her game. Gripping and addictive: you will probably sacrifice sleep to race through it. A great book indeed.

 

Give Me the Child is an explosive thriller set against the backdrop of the 2011 London riots

Mel McGrath is the co-founder of the UKs top all-female London-based writing collective, The Killer Women, which has 19 members including Paula Hawkins and Erin Kelly http://www.killerwomen.org/who/

An unexpected visitor.

Dr Cat Lupo aches for another child, despite the psychosis which marked her first pregnancy. So when Ruby Winter, a small girl in need of help, arrives in the middle of the night, it seems like fate.

A devastating secret.

But as the events behind Ruby’s arrival emerge – her mother’s death, her connection to Cat – Cat questions whether her decision to help Ruby has put her own daughter at risk.

Do we get the children we deserve?

Cat’s research tells her there’s no such thing as evil. Her history tells her she’s paranoid. But her instincts tell her different. And as the police fight to control a sudden spate of riots raging across the capital, Cat faces a race against time of her own…

Mel McGrath is an Essex girl, the author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling family memoir Silvertown. She won the John Llewellyn-Rhys/Mail on Sunday award for Best Writer Under 35 for her first book, Motel Nirvana. She has published three Arctic mysteries featuring the Inuit detective Edie Kiglatuk under the name MJ McGrath, the first of which, The Boy in the Snow, was shortlisted for a CWA Gold Dagger.

In the last year she has been one of the founders and moving lights of the website Killer Women, which has rapidly established itself as one of the key forums for crime writing in the UK. This new standalone marks a change in direction

Give Me The Child By Mel McGrath is published on the 27th July and is available here. http://amzn.to/2tFKiAR

 

Half a Sixpence by Evie Grace Book Review

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Frost is always excited to discover a new author and our excitement was huge upon the discovery of Evie Grace. Her debut novel Half a Sixpence is a dazzling debut that remined me of the Catherine Cookson books I have loved so much. Brilliant historical fiction that draws you in and does not let you go. Even better, this is the first book in a trilogy. We can’t wait until the next instalment.

 

Set in Kent in the 1830s, Half a Sixpence by Evie Grace is the first in the Maids of Kent trilogy, published on 13th July. Described as Catherine Cookson meets The Darling Buds of May, Half a Sixpence marks the change in rural life on Rook Farm as the mechanisation of the industrial revolution sweeps across the countryside and changes the fate of families forever.

HALF A SIXPENCE

by

EVIE GRACE

Published by Arrow

Paperback

13th July 2017

Priced £5.99

True love sometimes comes at a price

East Kent, 1830

Catherine Rook takes her peaceful life for granted. Her days are spent at the village school and lending a hand on her family’s farm. Life is run by the seasons, and there’s little time for worry.

But rural unrest begins sweeping through Kent, and when Pa Rook buys a threshing machine it brings turbulence and tragedy to Wanstall Farm. With the Rooks’ fortunes forever changed, Catherine must struggle to hold her family together.

She turns to her childhood companion, Matty Carter, for comfort, and finds more than friendship in his loving arms. But Matty has his own family to protect, and almost as quickly as their love blossomed their future begins to unravel.

With the threat of destitution nipping at her heels, Catherine must forge a way out of ruin . . .

Evie Grace was born in Kent, and one of her earliest memories is of picking cherries with her grandfather who managed a fruit farm near Selling. Holidays spent in the Kent countryside and the stories passed down through her family inspired her to write Half a Sixpence.

She loves researching the history of the nineteenth century and is very grateful for the invention of the washing machine, having discovered how the Victorians struggled to do their laundry.

Half a Sixpence is Evie’s first novel in her Maids of Kent trilogy. Half a Heart and Half a Chance will follow.

 

 

The Business of Books or Not: Jane Cable talks to Abby Endler about book blogging for love

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Jane Cable talks to Abby Endler about book blogging for love

 

1) What is your book-related job or business?

I run Crime by the Book, a crime fiction review website and its associated social media accounts. My largest platform is on Instagram (@crimebythebook), where I take photos of the books I’m reading and provide my audience with updates as I read them. I also use Instagram to link to my website, where readers can find reviews, author interviews, and more. Crime by the Book can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, and has a weekly newsletter as well. Crime by the Book is a passion project – while I would never write off the possibility of turning it into a business down the road, the goal is purely to share a love of books, and as of this moment I don’t make money from it.

2) What is the most rewarding part of it?

I would be hard-pressed to find an element of CBTB that is not rewarding, but if I had to narrow it down, the most rewarding part is the knowledge that I’ve connected readers with books they love. Whether that feedback comes from readers who have bought a book on my recommendation and loved it, or from authors who have seen the enthusiasm of my audience for their book, nothing could be more exciting to me than knowing I’m helping those books find great homes! There’s such an appetite for crime fiction out there, even on a platform like Instagram which is dominated by a younger audience, and I am thrilled and humbled every time I hear from my audience that I’ve helped spark their interest in crime fiction. Likewise, it’s extremely rewarding to hear from authors who are excited by the ways I’ve helped connect their book to those readers!

 

3) What do you consider to be your major successes?

The growth of my platform on Instagram has been a huge success. Crime by the Book just turned two years old, and also just passed 40,000 Instagram followers. As previously mentioned, Instagram does have the reputation of being dominated by a younger audience, so I consider it a huge success that I’ve found footing with a younger demographic! It’s very exciting to me, as a younger crime reader myself, to see my peers connecting with crime books. I also consider every single chance I have to interview an author a major success, whether that author is a big name (authors like Jo Nesbo, Sara Blaedel, and Clare Mackintosh have all appeared on Crime by the Book), or a debut author. No matter the author’s name-recognition, I’m honored to speak with and learn from every single author I interview. It’s a huge privilege!

 

4) Have you always loved books, and what are you reading at the moment?

I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember. I started reading mysteries when I was very young – I started with Nancy Drew! And then as I grew up, I transitioned into Agatha Christie, James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell… and my love of reading crime books has just evolved and grown from there. At the moment, I’m reading ORDEAL by Jorn Lier Horst. This Norwegian crime book is part of his William Wisting series, and is the newest installment to be released in the US. I love this series for its detailed portrayal of police work, and its endearing characters.

 

Bio: Abby Endler is the creator and reviewer behind Crime by the Book, a crime fiction review website and its associated social media accounts. www.crimebythebook.com

 

 

One Summer In Tuscany By Domenica De Rosa Book Review

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One Summer In Tuscany By Domenica De Rosa Book Review

It is always interesting reading a book about writers as a writer. I always find it fascinating. I loved the way One Summer in Tuscany is written. It is easy to read and flows very well. Each writer who is heading to Patricia Wilson’s writers’ retreat is a great character, and each is introduced in a quick biography at the beginning. From the mothers who want more from life, to the older people who want to finally publish that book. The setting- an idilic writers retreat in Tuscany- is a good one. It made me want to go on holiday. Domenica de Rosa also has a gift when it comes to writing about food. I was constantly hungry reading about all of the delicious Italian food in this book.

One Summer in Tuscany has all of the ingredients of a great book: a good plot with enough mystery, interesting, well-written characters and good observations. Add in Italy and the food and this book is a winner. The perfect holiday read.

 

Rivalries and romance in a Tuscan paradise. A relaxing writers’ retreat? If only! Perfect holiday reading from Domenica de Rosa, author of the bestselling Dr Ruth Galloway series under the name Elly Griffiths. Previously published as SUMMER SCHOOL.

Patricia Wilson’s carefully composed ads for the writers’ retreat she runs at her thirteenth-century Italian castle promise so much. But while the splendour of their surroundings and chef Aldo’s melanzane never fail to wow the guests, huge maintenance bills and bad news from the bank threaten to close Patricia down. It’s make or break time for the Castello.

Each of her seven aspiring authors arrives with the inevitable baggage alongside their unpublished manuscripts. But this August something is different, and soon lifelong spinster Mary is riding on the back of Aldo’s vespa, and smouldering odd-job man Fabio has set more than one heart racing.

As temperatures rise, the writers gossip, flirt and gently polish their prose by the pool. But with ghosts, scorpions, and some unexpected visitors to contend with, one thing’s for sure: neither the Castello, nor Patricia, has ever seen a summer like this.

 

One Summer In Tuscany By Domenica De Rosa is available here.