Big Little Lies - Liane Moriarty

Description

From the author of Truly Madly Guilty and The Husband's Secret comes a novel about the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

Jane hasn't lived anywhere for longer than six months since her son was born five years ago. She keeps moving in an attempt to escape her past. Now the idyllic coastal town of Pirriwee has pulled her to its shores and Jane feels as if she finally belongs. She finds friends in the feisty Madeline and the incredibly beautiful Celeste, two women with seemingly perfect lives - and their own secrets. But at the start of a new term, an incident involving the children of all three women occurs in the playground, causing a rift between them and other parents. Minor at first but escalating fast, until the whispers and rumours become vicious and spiteful, and the truths blur into lies. It was always going to end in tears, but no one thought it would end in murder . . .

Review

I've read a few of Liane Moriarty's books now and loved them, and this was no exception. Written in a slightly different style than her other books. It flips back and forth but also there are inserted into the story the viewpoint of witnesses perception of what they think happened on "the trivia night". This really adds to the tension of what on earth did happen that night.

The book counts down from six months before the night up until the night itself and then the present day. Through this time we get to know each of the characters and find out more than their so called friends do about them and their lives.

Liane paints such a realistic picture of the small community and how the parents all interact at the school. I found the Blonde bombs parents as they are nicknamed hilarious and I am sure true to life. The small minded busy bodies who begin with other parents to make life very uncomfortable for one of the parents after a playground incident - but did it really happen the way it seems to have done?

Although you know from the outset that there has been a murder I kept wondering who it was that was dead, and I never worked it out. A few twists some nice, some not so nice and it was a pleasant change not to have been able to see them coming.

I'm giving this book four out of five stars. Only because I felt it was a little long for my taste.

My thanks go to Netgalley for a free copy of the book to review.

The Snow Kimono - Mark Henshaw

Description

On the same day that retired police inspector Auguste Jovert receives a letter from a woman claiming to be his daughter, he returns to his Paris apartment to find a stranger waiting for him.

That stranger is a Japanese professor called Tadashi Omura. What's brought him to Jovert's doorstep is not clear, but then he begins to tell his story - a story of a fractured friendship, lost lovers, orphaned children, and a body left bleeding in the snow.

As Jovert pieces together the puzzle of Omura's life, he can't help but draw parallels with his own; for he too has lead a life that's been extraordinary and dangerous - and based upon a lie.

Review

Having recently been to Japan I have begun to be attracted to books associated with Japan. This book was recommended in an article, not realising it had won an award, I would otherwise have been wary as those books are often too "literary" for my tastes.

Overall I found this book very confusing - I decided to just go with it and read on not really understanding how sections of the book linked together. The story weaves back and forth across time and held my interest briefly with some of the narrative, but there was always the nagging doubt in my mind of how it related to the present day. There is also the "other wordly" side to the book for which you must suspend disbelief. When I finished the book I read the beginning again and this gave me some semblance of closure on the book. I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Designing Clothes with the Flat Pattern Method - Sara Alm

Description

Learn how to customize your clothes--designing new pattern shapes, style lines, and fashion details with Sara Alm's easy-to-follow instruction!

In Sara Alm's Designing Clothes with the Flat Pattern Method, sewers learn a technique that opens up myriad possibilities for making one-of-a-kind garments. By using basic pattern blocks called slopers, Alm shows sewers how to design new shapes, style lines, and fashion details--creating patterns for nearly any piece of clothing they want to sew. Take a basic straight skirt pattern, for example, and convert it into any other skirt design. Change the hemline or the basic shape of a skirt from straight to A-line to full swing with multiple gores. Try adjusting the waistline placement or convert it from waistband to waistline-facing. Change the style and placement of the closures. The options are endless once sewers understand the basics of flat-pattern designing, which is explained in the book.

Designing Clothes with the Flat Pattern Method is divided into sections: skirts, tops, and pants. While many of the same principles apply to each garment type, there are different techniques to take into account. As soon as sewers know how to design from these three slopers, that knowledge is easily transferred to designing dresses, shorts, jumpsuits, and outerwear. The principles and techniques taught are also easily transferable to designing children's clothes. By following extensive technique instruction in each of the three categories, twelve different garments are designed from each basic sloper and photographed on models so readers fully understand the process and the end result.

Thanks to Designing Clothes with the Flat Pattern Method, passionate sewers will be as skilled as Project Runway contestants in no time!

Review

I have been a dressmaker for over 40 years and was intrigued by this book as years ago I did make garments cut from other garments - hence flat pattern. However, this is not what this book is about really. The book shows you how to make a pattern from which you will make a muslin or shell as the author calls it. You will then use this as the basis for your other makes.

There is no basic pattern included, you must draw your own, either from scratch or an existing pattern you own. You can see this is not really a book for a beginner as you will need to have some understanding of how patterns work first.

Personally I have done this method without the need to make an actual paper pattern and am confident with adjusting patterns so found the book is maybe not for me. If you do purchase the book you will find it very comprehensive and all aspects of pattern making are covered.

I must say that it is a beautifully photographed book and I love the clean and simple layout of the pages. It is a lovely book to just flick through and be inspired.

Believe Me - Eddie Izzard

Description

Critically acclaimed, award-winning British comedian and actor Eddie Izzard details his childhood, his first performances on the streets of London, his ascent to worldwide success on stage and screen, and his comedy shows which have won over audiences around the world. 

Over the course of a thirty-year career, Eddie Izzard has proved himself to be a creative chameleon, inhabiting the stage and film and television screen with an unbelievable fervor. Born in Yemen and raised in Northern Ireland, Wales, and England, he lost his mother at the age of six and that has affected the rest of his life. In his teens, he dropped out of university and took to the streets of London as part of a comedy double act. When his partner went on vacation, Izzard kept busy by inventing a one-man escape act, and thus a solo career was ignited. As a stand-up comedian, Izzard has captivated audiences with his surreal, stream-of-consciousness comedy—lines such as “Cake or Death?” “Death Star Canteen,” and “Do You Have a Flag?” have the status of great rock lyrics. As a self-proclaimed “action transvestite,” Izzard broke a mold performing in makeup and heels, and has become as famous for his “total clothing” rights as he has for his art. In Believe Me, he recounts the dizzying rise he made from the streets of London to West End theaters, to Wembley Arena, Madison Square Garden, and the Hollywood Bowl.
 
Izzard is arguably one of today’s top comedians. At the time of publication, he is still performing his Force Majeure show—so far in more than forty countries worldwide and in four languages: English, French, German and Spanish. With his brand of keenly intelligent humor that ranges from world history to historical politics, sexual politics, mad ancient kings, and chickens with guns, he has built an extraordinary fan base that transcends age, gender, and race. Writing with the same candor and insight evident in his comedy, he reflects on a childhood marked by the loss of his mother, boarding school, and alternative sexuality, as well as a life in comedy, film, politics, running, and philanthropy. Honest and generous, Izzard’s Believe Me is an inspired account of a very singular life thus far.

Review

I've been a long time fan of Eddie Izzard so I was really interested to find out more about him and what happened in his life to make him such a unique artist.

I've been to see Eddie a few times and the book is very much like watching him live - it weaves back and forth and is written a lot of the time as if he is in a show. Great for a live show but not so much on the written page. I like books to be chronological or at least have some order, so it rankled a little with me when I thought we were done and dusted with a period in his life, only for it to be recounted again later with a new anecdote.

I never realised where Eddie "came from" and even now can't recall how I first heard or saw him, I was hoping the book would jog my memory. What it did do was provide a great insight into his early childhood and formative years. It also gave a glimpse of his total resolve in "getting things done" of which in recent years the marathons were a part of. His capacity to learn new languages and use them for stand up comedy is another of his many feats.

He really is a remarkable man and I am not sure after reading this book I really know a lot more about him, as I feel he is still a private person and only let the veil slip on parts of his life. If you love Eddie you will love getting to know more about him.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review.

Crosstalk - Connie Willis

Description

Briddey is about to get exactly what she thinks she wants . . .

Briddey is a high-powered exec in the mobile phone industry, overseeing new products from concept ('anything to beat the new apple phone') to delivery. And she works with her wonderful partner, Trent. They've been together for six magical weeks, in a whirlwind of flowers, dinners, laughter and now comes the icing on the cake: not a weekend away or a proposal but something even better. An EDD. A procedure which will let them sense each other's feelings. Trent doesn't just want to tell her how much he loves her - he wants her to feel it.

Everything is perfect.

The trouble is, Briddey can't breathe a word of it to anyone (difficult, when the whole office is guessing) until she's had two minutes to call her family. And they're hounding her about the latest family drama, but when they find out about the EDD - which they will - they'll drop everything to interrogate her. And it might just be easier to have the procedure now and explain later.

Only Apple are poised to deliver an amazing new product and she has to be one step ahead . . . if she can only persuade their tech genius, C. B., to drop his crazy ideas about a 'privacy phone' with its 'do not disturb' settings, and focus on what people really want: more efficient, instinctive and immediate ways to communicate.

The race is on: not just for new, cutting-edge technology, but also for a shred of privacy in a public world and - for Briddey - a chance for love at the heart of it all.

This is a brilliant, heart-warming romantic comedy from one of the wittiest and wisest of our authors. Written with a light touch and a smile, we're swept up in Briddey's romance - and into the difficulties of a world just one technological step away from our own, as technology and social media blur (or indeed remove) the line between personal and public.

Review

I loved To Say Nothing of the Dog also by Connie Willis so I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately I was a little let down by the immense detail in the book which made for slow reading and kept losing my interest.

The book begins with Briddey about to get an EDD - an implant to be able to sense what someone you are emotionally bonded to is feeling and vice versa. As she has only been going out with Trent for six weeks it seemed a little drastic to me - but then so did the way her entire family kept trooping into the office to tell her their woes - how did any work get done in this place?

Of course nothing goes to plan and their are some radical complications after she has the EDD fitted and these form the basis of the book. She gets connected but to whom? 

There is nothing I love more than a great Sci-fi novel and this could have been one if it had been edited down more. Pages and pages of what was essentially the same thing over and over again, which I felt as the reader I had got the first time around. 

Glimpses of the plot kept me going as I was keen to find out was going to happen in the end. Certainly the last 100 pages or so the plot was more refined and less rambling and I was gripped. If only the book could have been more concise throughout.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars with thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the book for review.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman

Description

A stunning debut. Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than… fine?

Review

I knew as soon as I began reading this book that I was going to enjoy it. Narrated by Eleanor the words just flew off the page as if I was listening to someone right there in the room telling them to me. I loved going on this voyage of discovery with Eleanor, about who she is and is becoming.

Eleanor has built a life and a routine which begins to be broken down - eradicated, until unfortunately she doesn't know who she is anymore. One simple action and it begins to unfold so many avenues for Eleanor. For every laugh there was a moment of sorrow and for that you need to be prepared.

At first I thought Eleanor was much older than her 30 years, she has such mannerisms and ways which belie her youth. She certainly speaks as she finds, meaning no malice, but simply the truth as she sees it. Reminding me of someone on the Asperger's spectrum. If she needs help she just goes to who logically can provide it, putting herself completely in their hands, such as the ladies at the department store and their choice of new clothing for newly acquired social life. Many a time I gasped out loud at some of her nuances and turn of phrase, so entertaining and laugh out loud funny.

I did begin to guess some of Eleanor's past but only towards the end of the book. as she begins to reveal more of true self. I like the way the book ended, just a couple of loose ends. It is rare to read a book in which the voice is so completely of a character that I forgot I was reading a novel, but the author achieved just that for me.

I wonder if we will see more of Eleanor? I do hope so as I would love to catch up with her again some time.

I've thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am giving it 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review.

When She Was Bad - Tammy Cohen

Description

YOU SEE THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH EVERY DAY.

BUT WHAT CAN'T YOU SEE?

Amira, Sarah, Paula, Ewan and Charlie have worked together for years - they know how each one likes their coffee, whose love life is a mess, whose children keep them up at night. But their comfortable routine life is suddenly shattered when an aggressive new boss walks in ....

Now, there's something chilling in the air.

Who secretly hates everyone?

Who is tortured by their past?

Who is capable of murder?

Review

I began reading this book and all was as described in the jacket blurb. An office where a new boss arrives and everyone has to be on their toes. Then the book skipped to a character called Anne - a child psychologist who seemed to be in America. Whereas the office was in the UK. 

I read on and then it happened again! This seemingly unrelated story that Anne was telling - it was like another book had got mixed up with the one I was reading. I checked the blurb again - definitely no mention of what was turning into a bit of a horror story. 

Then we were back in the office again and all the humdrum office life that you will have witnessed if you ever worked in one. Even a team building away weekend.

Suddenly the book began to gather some pace about two thirds of the way through and I realised that these two unrelated stories were in fact going to collide, in a big way. The whodunnit aspect kicked in and I began to try and second guess the answer to no avail.

Ultimately this was a clever if confusing book at times. If you've ever worked in an office you will certainly identify with that part of the book - although hopefully your team building never ended quite like the one in the book.

I'm giving this book four out of five stars. My thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review.