Latest Book Releases: 18th August 2016
Notting Hill Press, 18th August 2016.
Hello all. It’s another Thursday which means another load of book releases. I wanted to share a couple of them that I am looking forward to reading.
I love Michele Gorman’s style of writing and therefore have really enjoyed all the books I’ve managed to read so far. Life Change (which is due out on Kindle today,) is released by Notting Hill Press and sounds great (this book was originally released as Bella Summer Takes a Chance which is one of Michele’s books I’ve not read.)
Michele is really good at the feel good romantic comedy and this book sounds like it is no exception.
The general information on the story is that Bea has been through some big life changes recently (including loosing her job, her flat and finishing a long-term relationship over a takeaway.) With no boyfriend, no job and nowhere to live, things are very shaky for Bea for the first time in thirty-eight years.
Things are not made any easier but the fact that dating has moved on too. With online dating and apps she has no idea how to date anymore.
She used to dream of a music career but the best she can do is performing to drunks in pubs. She’s beginning to wonder whether anything is easy after all.
by 
Book Review: Smoke by Dan Vyleta
W&N, 7th July 2016
Smoke opens in a private boarding school near Oxford, but history has not followed the path known to us. In this other past, sin appears as smoke on the body and soot on the clothes. Children are born carrying the seeds of evil within them. The ruling elite have learned to control their desires and contain their sin. They are spotless. It is within the closeted world of this school that the sons of the wealthy and well-connected are trained as future leaders.
Among their number are two boys, Thomas and Charlie. On a trip to London, a forbidden city shrouded in smoke and darkness, the boys will witness an event that will make them question everything they have been told about the past. For there is more to the world of smoke, soot and ash than meets the eye and there are those who will stop at nothing to protect it . . .
Imagine a world where sin were rendered visible by smoke; where evidence of your deeds and intents was visible for all to see. Large cities like London are hives of sin and corruption, wrapped in smoke and stained with soot, where the common people are forced to live in the thick of it while the very wealthy move out into the countryside away from the corruption and into the fresh air where their own smoke can dissipate.
The children of the wealthy are schooled in how to be mindful of their thoughts and actions so as not to smoke and it is in once such school that the story starts.
Thomas is a young boy who until very recently was home schooled, until a powerful sponsor secured his place at a well-respected school outside of Oxford. On a school trip into London to observe the sinful city Thomas sees something which causes him to question the true nature of smoke.
by Latest Book Releases: 11th August 2016
Hodder and Stoughton, 11th August 2016.
Sphere, 11th August 2016.
It’s Thursday. It’s come around quickly this week. I hope everyone has enjoyed what sunshine we have had. As it is Thursday, it is time for another list of new book releases.
What have you all been reading this week?
The first book released today is Acts of Love by Talulah Riley. If the name sounds familiar that is because she is also an actress and has been in St Trinian’s and The Boat That Rocked. Acts of Love is her debut novel and is about a girl called Bernadette who can be liberal with the truth. She has built her journalism career on lulling men into a false sense of security then exposing them publically through her tell all articles.
However, she may have met her match in Radley Blake. Despite her charms, Radley seems to immediately see straight through her.
This book sounds like a winner and I definitely will give it a read.
The second book released today is Rules: Things are changing at the little school by the sea which is the latest book from one of my favourite authors, Jenny Colgan. This is the second book in the Maggie Adair series and has been described as a Malory Towers for grown ups. I did love that series as a kid.
The basic plot is that it is a new year and the girls are breaking the rules. Which one of them will come out the other side unscathed?
Maggie loves teaching at Downey House. She is maybe less keen on planning her wedding to Stan whilst trying to ignore the crush she has on David who teaches at a neighbouring school.
Simone and Fliss have become friends. Zelda arrives and upsets things.
This sounds like this has the makings of a great series.
Simon & Schuster, 9th August 2016.
Mantle, 11th August 2016.
The third book released today is Miss You by Kate Ebelen. This is the debut novel from Kate and I think this is my favourite cover this week. It’s so simple but so pretty at the same time. This is the story of Tess. The motto she can’t seem to forget is ‘This is the first day of the rest of your life.’ She is in Florence for a final holiday before she goes to university. Her life is about to change.
Gus is also in Italy with his parents. He is being the dutiful son but he wants more. The paths of these two characters cross before the book covers the next sixteen years of their lives.
This book sounds like something I would really like. It has a cross between David Nicholls’s One Day and Vince and Joy by Lisa Jewell feel to it.
by Book Review: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by J.K Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
Little, Brown, 31st July 2016.
This is the review that I’ve titled ‘Harry Potter and the Underwhelmed Reviewer’
Hands up who amongst us have waited with baited breath for a new Harry Potter story? That’s pretty much every one of us. Now, hands up all those who think that this is that story…don’t be so hasty. Yes, this is Harry Potter, and at the same time, no it’s not.
I was so excited when I heard that they were releasing a script-book of the stage-play (I’ve tickets for this for May 2017) that I was determined to drop all my other reading as soon as it arrived. This I did and being a script, it didn’t take as long to read as one of the canon novels we’re used to. It didn’t help that I read it in two sittings, at least that’s no fault of the book itself.
To the bread and butter question; is it any good?
Not an easy thing to answer actually. After so long in between official releases, those of us fans who’ve taken to getting our fix from some of the excellent fan fiction out there were perhaps always going to be the most critical, I’m certainly one of those. I can only give this 3 stars as I think the problem the author(s) came up against was trying to please everyone and when you try and do that, you generally end up pleasing no-one. It’s not quite as bad as that seems, as I did enjoy it. I did come away dis-satisfied though.
Why? Because of the above. Now, I don’t go in for spoilers/telling about the story, if I can at all help it in my reviews, so I’ll do my best here. But some of the things that happen to drive the story along are so contrived, that I’d really like to know who came up with the story? Whose idea was it and who fleshed it out? Characters act out of well, character, to what we’ve come to know about them (except when not in the canon universe – nearest I’ll come to having to give a spoiler alert), things happen that (nothing to do with the capabilities of magic here) are obviously just devices to drive the story along and I found myself saying out loud, ‘Puleeese….’
by The Book To Film Adaptations That I’m Excited About in 2016
Books have the ability to completely transport me to another world. I like escaping into the lives and surroundings of the characters so much. Film adaptations can bring what is in your imagination even more to life (and sometimes completely annoy you if not done properly.)
A lot of the films being released right now seem to be adapted from novels and I wanted to share some of the book to film adaptations that I am looking forward to with you.
Ambling Entertainment, Walt Disney Pictures, Walden Media, Reliance Entertainment & The Kennedy Marshall Company. Distributed by Entertainment One.
The first book to film adaptation I am excited about this year is The BFG and is based on the novel from Roald Dahl
This was one of my favourite books growing up (it was tied with Charlie and The Chocolate Factory in terms of my favourite Dahl stories.) For those few who are not familiar, it’s about a young orphan named Sophie who one night discovers that a giant delivers dreams to children. Sophie is soon introduced to the big friendly giant who takes her on an adventure through Giant country.
I loved everything about this book from the plot to the big friendly giant to the illustrations. I wanted to meet the BFG so much. The imagery scared me and was exciting at the same time. I also was a big fan of the animated version. Anyone remember that?
The film version stars Mark Rylance (who I believe was in Bridge of Spies,) Rebecca Hall, Bill Hader and Ruby Barnhill. It was released in July and I’ve not yet got a chance to go and see it. I can be sceptical of adaptations of books from my childhood but if the trailer is anything to go by, it’s going to be excellent. Mark Rylance looks like he makes the perfect BFG.
(The BFG was released on 22nd July 2016.)
Another book to film adaption that is due out this year is Inferno which is adapted from the novel by Dan Brown.
Yes, for many, Dan Brown may not be the best writer in the world (he’s certainly ahead of me. He’s written a book and I haven’t…yet. I don’t mind his books.) However, he is incredibly good at picking an interesting subject matter and the man can definitely do cliff-hanger chapter endings. I am not sure what it is about Dan Brown’s novels that gets me completely hooked on them. These novels are certainly a guilty pleasure of mine.
Columbia Pictures
Inferno is not my favourite of Brown’s novels in all honesty but I am looking forward to seeing the film. I think Tom Hanks makes an OK Robert Langdon and the movies are perfect escapism.
The general gist of Inferno is that Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with no idea how he got there. Along with Sienna Brooks (who is being played by Felicity Jones who was in The Theory of Everything,) has to stop someone from releasing a deadly virus that has the capability to wipe out half the world’s population.
(Inferno is due to be released in cinemas on 14th October 2016.)
The third adaptation I am looking forward to seeing this year is the film adapted from JoJo Moyes novel, Me Before You. I remember being blown away by this novel (although I didn’t cry at the end. My friend thinks I’m a Vulcan because of it.) JoJo has written the screenplay for this so as a fan of the book, it can’t be in safer hands really.
This tells the story of Lou who is hired by the family of Will who is confined to a wheelchair after a motorcycle accident. She soon forms a bond with Will that she never expected.
This was released in June (and I’m so slow off the mark in going to see it.) I’ve heard some wonderful things about the film. It stars Emilia Clarke as Lou. It’s not quite how I pictured her but from the preview trailers I’ve seen, she suits the role well. It also stars Sam Claflin as Will (he was in the Hunger Games and Love, Rosie.) He makes a very handsome Will in my opinion. I look forward to catching this one when I can.
(Me Before You was released in cinemas on 3rd June 2016.)
by Book Club
