Books, Glorious Books...

I have been in a bookish mood lately and lots of different genres have been entertaining me. NOS4R2 I haven't quite finished yet, I am only a couple of hours from the finish line though and it has been the first story for a good while that has nagged at me to want to know how it ends. Joe Hill's writing is visceral and fearless, I picked up his first novel a good few years ago called Heart Shaped Box and I loved how much it scared me alongside the heavy rock music influence. His second novel, Horns, I didn't even finish I found it took too long to get to any point, so when I saw NOS4R2 I decided to give it a chance. I am so glad I did, this book has a villain that makes my blood run cold and one of the most kick ass heroines. This story is so awesome, the concepts in it are really clever and it has been keeping me on the edge of my seat. I would even be brave enough to say that Joe Hill is our generations Stephen King.  

I accidentally stumbled on Elijah's Mermaid whilst I was browsing through Amazon. I adored Essie Fox's first book The Somnambulist. So when I saw her second book had been released I trekked into town to buy it so I could take it on our last camping trip. Both Essie Fox's books are based in the Victorian era in London and Hereford (which isn't far from where I grew up). Elijah's Mermaid really highlights the emancipation of women and how awful some of the conditions women had to endure. This book is fantastic and the twists and turns were really satisfying. If you like a Victorian story full of intrigue and well crafted characters then you will love this book. 

I have a love affair with Scandinavian crime fiction, I just love it in all of its dark, exciting drama. I have read or listened to three of the Harry Hole thrillers. I have very mixed feelings on them and Harry Hole. I have found Harry a very difficult protagonist to get along with, but I am starting to realise that is part of what brings me back to keep reading these books. I really enjoyed this book, even though I was a little underwhelmed about the big reveal at the end. But I don't think it detracted from the book because the rest of the story was seeped in great detective work. I love this book because I also learnt quite a lot about what happened in Norway in WW2. I think Jo Nesbo's fifth book The Snowman had a lot more twists, turns and reveals which kept me excited and eager to finish the book, but The Redbreast enhanced Harry's character for me, as more time was spent on him. 

The next few books on the top of my reading list are Half the Sky that I am reading for The Feminist Book Club, Anno Dracula and The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson, that I discovered through a video on Ted talks.

Hope you have had a great weekend <3

Much Love.

xkx 

Audio Book of the Month - The Somnambulist.

I had looked at the hard copy of this book a few times, especially after seeing it featured on telly on 'The TV Book Club'. But something always held me back from buying it. When my Audible credit came up and this book took my eye again I decided to take the plunge. And wow am I glad I did! And don't worry there are no spoilers in this review.  

The Somnambulist is a Victorian, Gothic mystery that sees the heroine, Phoebe Turner, navigate her way through a plot that has many deliciously satisfying twists and turns. The book is set in Victorian London and Hereford in Shropshire (which coincidently is near where I grew up). Both locations are so rich and the writer, Essie Fox, stimulates all the senses. My favourite example of this is how she uses a scent by Penhaligons, who have been London's finest perfumers since 1870, like glue to bond memories, people and events together. 

I loved listening to every second of this audio book! I undulated with the good times and the turbulent times that Phoebe went through and rooted for her the whole way through. The ending made me very content like I had just eaten a three course meal and had finished some lovely wine. I would recommend this book to anyone who is captured by the Victorian allure and enjoys a novel that keeps you pondering the whole way to the end. This book definitely deserves 5 out of 5 stars.