In SatNav We Trust - A Travelogue by Jack Barrow

Happy to be on the blog tour today for this amusing book.

Summary

The book takes the form of a journey through one English county a day. Rather than having a plan, other than a rough anticlockwise direction of travel, the trip was largely spontaneous. This unplanned nature is what drives the narrative, similar to the way a MacGuffin drives a story, and opens the possibility of stumbling across unintended experiences.

The journey is taken in a fifteen-year-old 4x4 referred to throughout as The Truck, along with a sat nav referred to as Kathy (actually the voice of Kathy Clugston from Radio 4). Rather than paying for hotels this was a camping trip to keep the costs down. The logistics of finding somewhere to camp each night provided further challenges. All of these inconveniences, and the unexpected solutions that followed, provided useful metaphors for concepts that arose in the philosophical exploration.

The result of this unplanned approach is that the story only covers the areas of the counties passed through. There are no descriptions of the obvious locations in each county because the journey simply didn’t pass that way. However, this means that there were unplanned encounters with places such as a village falling into the sea, the wonderfully mad Tees Transporter Bridge, or accidentally driving a speedboat with two drunk blokes without any consideration about how to get ashore.

Review

This is a book about one man's journey around England with his truck and a Khyam igloo. At first I thought that was a non de plume for Omar Khyyam, but it turns out to be type of tent! His quest is to visit the 39 historic counties of England such as Westmorland and Cumberland (yes, it's not just a type of sausage).

In the tradition of Three Men in a Boat and more recently Bill Bryson books, Jack digresses throughout the journey he tells in the book. There will always be a side story, which probably has a tenuous link with where he is and I felt an excuse for him to regale us with the amusing tales he's amassed over the years.

To begin with there was too much "well I cheated" for my liking. I am a bit black and white when it comes to tasks and so started off on the wrong foot so to speak with this tale. However, as I read on I began to get this author. A bit like meeting a new acquaintance who you need time to get to know their ways and little nuances. So, after a while when he rocked up at a new campsite and compared it to others he'd already visited, I sat there either nodding in agreement with him or dissent whichever was the road he had led me down.

It turned out that the book is not just a tale of his drive around England as the author began to talk about rational and non-rational behaviour and Maslow's heirachy of needs, and a few other soul searching ideas. Don't worry if that isn't your thing though. In the main it is his thoughts and findings of his journey, and sometimes a rant about something which may or may not have happened and just be included for comedic effect.

The more I read I began to sense familiar scenarios unfolding. Like when he went to the library and couldn't have encountered a more unhelpful person (I had a similar experience in a Local Tourist Office). It's just not what you expect, and you find yourself thinking "is it me?" - or maybe it's an age thing which again I began to realise was something else I had in common with the author. Although the SatNav does obviously make an appearance I was expecting more tales of wrong turnings, roads that don't exist and annoyance with the SatNav.

In the present times of being more restricted with travel than usual, this book was a welcome journey to visit through someone else's eyes places I have also been to, and see what they made of it. A bit like reading Pevsner, as a lot of the places I visited many years ago. Although when he got to Rutland and bemoaned the bypass, I knew exactly where he was! One thing I learnt is that Middlesex isn't a county! I thought maybe it disappeared in the 90s as I have definitely written in on an envelope, but on consulting Google it was apparently in 1965!!!

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Random Things Tours and the author for a copy of the book to review together with a jolly nice tote bag. If you want to know more about the author or buy some nice merchandise visit Jack-Barrow.com

About Jack

Jack Barrow is a writer of books and blogs about ideas based on popular philosophy in modern life. He is a critical thinker but not a pedant. He has an interest in spiritual perspectives having been brought up as both a Mormon and a Jehovah's Witness. He’s not sure, but he believes this particular  ecclesifringical upbringing makes him a member of a pretty exclusive club. He is also fascinated by science. At the same age as his parents were taking him to church services, he was also watching Horizon documentaries and Tomorrow’s World, becoming fascinated about science and technology. Perhaps around the time of the moon landings, when he was six or seven, he came to the conclusion that, sooner or later, people would realise that the sky was full of planets and stars, science explained the universe, and that there was no God looking down. He really thought that religion’s days were numbered. Declining congregations seemed to back that up, but since then there has been a growth in grass roots movements that seem to indicate people are looking for something to fill the void left by organised religion. He now has a particular interest in the way people are creating their own spiritual perspectives (whatever spiritual means) from the bottom up using ideas sourced from history, folkloric sources and imagination. Rather ironically it was members of the Jehovah's Witnesses who first introduced him to the landscape of Wiltshire, with its stone circles and ancient monuments, which later kindled his interest in spiritual beliefs taken from more ancient perspectives.

He has also written a novel; The Hidden Masters and the Unspeakable Evil is a story of a group of magicians who discover a plot to build casinos in Blackpool and so turn the resort into a seedy, tacky, and depraved town. During this hard-drinking occult adventure, with gambling and frivolous trousers, Nigel, Wayne and Clint travel north on Friday night but they need to save the world by Sunday evening because they have to be back at work on Monday morning.

Jack lives in Hertfordshire, England, where he earns a living writing about things in engineering; this usually means photocopiers and bits of aeroplanes. He shares his home with R2D2 and C3PO, occasionally mentioned in his blog posts. People used to say he should get out more. At the time of writing he is currently shielding from the apocalypse, having been of a sickly disposition as a child, and wondering if he will be able to go to a live music pub ever again.

The Unravelling - Liz Treacher @Liztreacher @lovebooksgroup

So pleased to be on the Book Tour today.

Description

'The Unravelling combines sinister atmosphere with witty insight, and characters we can relate to facing the supernatural fear of our most human nightmares' - Helen Sedgwick, author of The Comet Seekers

‘A cappuccino.’ He spoke clearly but slowly, as if he were a stranger here.
‘One shot or two?’
He gazed at me with thinly veiled contempt. ‘Oh, you only get one shot.’

For Ella Aldridge, a brilliant Classics student, life was supposed to be exciting. Thirty years on, she’s stuck in the suburbs in a boring job and a failing marriage. Even her daughter, the one she gave it all up for, seems distant.
But a sinister encounter on platform three is about to change everything. Under the watchful eye of a shadowy ticket inspector and his mysterious associate, Ella finds herself spiralling into a murky underworld where portentous signs appear from nowhere, thoughts are stored on memory sticks and speeding express trains may be more than they seem. As she begins to lose her grip on reality, Ella embarks on an extraordinary journey that touches everyone around her, forcing her to confront the biggest question of all.
By turns poignant, chilling and tinged with dark humour, The Unravelling is a novel full of heart and beauty, about the myth and magic of everyday life, and the sacrifices we make for what really matters.

Review

This is the third book of Liz's I have read and it is a departure in a different direction for her, and one I liked very much.

The book begins with Ella finding a railway station car park ticket on the ground that she can use for the day. She thinks this means it's going to be a good day for her. However, a little later this misdemeanour and an out of date season ticket, land her in the Transport Police office - but it's not of this world!

I enjoyed the character of Ella who puts up with her nosey neighbour Ken and his daily salutation of "Salve" with more than a little good grace on the surface. Her innermost thoughts are a little different though, and could be the undoing of her. Unless she follows the coaching from Nigel Roach who she met in the Transport police office. But then she catches sight of a miniature Nigel inside the photocopier at work, and everything starts to spiral away from her.

As her the hold on her life seems to be slipping out of her grasp who can she turn to?  Her husband has other priorities with an exhibition of his photographs and is for most of the book a complete arse. Her daughter has her own worries.  It seems only little Lily her grand daughter can sense things are not as usual for her Granny.

You've probably guessed by now this is not a tale of ordinary life - or rather it is but with encounters of some other forces which may or may not be at work. As Ella's dreams and reality begin to merge, it felt like the things that happened were so prescient of the Covid-19 lockdown, that it almost seemed normal. 

I enjoyed this book so much and Liz's writing is really quite superb. I'm not one for over descriptive writing but in Liz's hands she makes every word count and you feel yourself savouring them as you devour each one.

I'm giving this book five out of five stars and fingers crossed for a sequel. My thanks to Liz and Love Books Tours for a copy of the book to review.

The Existence of Amy - Lan Grace Riva

 

Description

Amy has a normal life. That is, if you were to go by a definition of 'no obvious indicators of peculiarity', and you didn't know her very well. She has good friends, a good job, a nice enough home. This normality, however, is precariously plastered on top of a different life. A life that is Amy's real life. The only one her brain will let her lead.

A fictional story that depicts the reality of mental illness behind a perception of normality.

Review

When I began the book I wasn't sure it was going to be for me as Chapter 1 was a first hand experience of Amy's bus journey. I had empathy with her issues on the journey, but I worried it was going to be a little depressive to read. Chapter 2 came and I was hooked!

Over the years I have met and worked with many people who others have considered not "normal". I've been laughed at for giving them the time of day or even being friends with them. When Chapter 2 begins Amy is at the office and I could see an all too familiar scenario of how she was being perceived by others. I could also relate to the actions of her boss in dealing with her behaviour of not committing, seemingly blanking social occasions with her colleagues and generally acting weird. 

Whilst this is a novel I felt that the book gave a real insight into what it is like for someone in Amy's position. Narrated in the first person you begin to see the world through her eyes. She can't sit and relax on the bus in case she touches anything she doesn't know is clean, she can't touch the bell to stop the bus. She wants to but she just can't.

When Amy's firm decides that she and her colleagues should go to Australia for a work trip I was so hoping she was going to make it. I was so invested in her that I even told my partner about what I had read so far, it felt so real.  Was she going to bow out at the last moment. She makes it to the airport - great. But then she feels ill and goes to the toilets - now will she be able to face her fears and make it onto the flight...

I think fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" would enjoy this book. I would hope that those who have little time for someone who is "different" might read the book. But I worry that if they are not sympathetic they will just see it as a book where someone is moaning.

I'm giving this book five out of five stars. I won a copy of this book and enjoyed it so much I decided to review it.

Love Me Like You Do - Aimee Brown

I'm on the blog tour for this book today - yeah!

About the book

A runaway bride. A handsome stranger. Two pasts to put behind them.

Parker is ready to marry the man of her dreams. But he isn't ready to marry her. It would be helpful if he didn't choose their wedding day to tell her this. But as she flees from the travesty behind her, she literally runs into the arms of a handsome stranger. The southern drawl, the dreamy eyes, she can't fall for another man after being left at the altar – can she?

When Liam agreed to go to go on a date he didn't expect to leave with the bride. Nor did he expect to take her the emergency room. Immediately he's drawn to her fiery spirit, her kind heart and beautiful smile. Liam's got a whole host of problems and a past that keeps coming back, now can't be the time to fall in love, but Parker might just be the one to break down his barriers and let him live a little – if she'll let him in.

Will these two strangers allow serendipity to put them together, or will their fears keep them apart?

Review 

This is the third book by Aimee that I have read and this time we get to meet one of the previous characters again. Liam was also in The Last Dance and he proved to be such a popular character he got his own story this time. It's not necessary to have read the previous book as this is completely standalone story, it's just if you have, you already know he is one of the good guys!

The book begins with Parker fleeing from her wedding and after a near miss with a car seeing a bright light she thinks she's died and gone to heaven. I found the opening sequence to be so funny - and it sets the tone for the rest of the book. Parker certainly has some good lines although she's got some other responsibilities she has to face up to, like dealing with her Mother who is diagnosed as now having  dementia when she already has mental health issues. All of the mental health references were really sensitively written.

The one character that truly annoyed me was Becker - he who jilted Parker, and so he really did need to be cast in a bad light, and he totally is. It got so that I couldn't stand to see his name on a page knowing I would have to listen to him and his drivel. 

Many references to Parker's fave film Sleepless in Seattle (and one of mine too!) and two girls of the younger generation have all those acronyms that were popular in it. Like thinking Parker and Liam are MFEO. Are they? Well Idk, you will have to read the book to find out......

A nice amusing escapist read - what's not to like?

My thanks to Netgalley, Head of Zeus and Aimee for the ARC to review.

About the author

Aimee Brown is a writer of romantic comedies set in Portland, Oregon, and an avid reader. She spends much of her time writing, raising three teenagers, binge-watching shows on Netflix and obsessively cleaning and redecorating her house. She’s fluent in sarcasm and has been known to utter profanities like she’s competing for a medal. Aimee grew up in Oregon, but is now a transplant living in cold Montana with her husband of twenty years, three teenage children, and far too many pets. She is a lot older than she looks and yes, that is a tattoo across her chest. (In the Portlandia spirit, yes, I lived many years in PDX and I do indeed have a bird tattooed on me (2!)) Aimee is very active on social media. You can find her at any of the networks below. Stop by and say hello!

Follow Aimee:

 Twitter: @AimeeBWrites

Instagram:@authoraimeeb

Facebook: @authoraimeeb

 

Buy links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bpI2zK

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2WvEA2g

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2WYRZ1K

iBooks: https://apple.co/3gdxciw

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

The Guest List - Lucy Foley

 

Description

Another murder. Another mystery.

 
The brand new thriller from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.

On a remote island, guests gather for the wedding of the year – the marriage of Jules Keegan and Will Slater.
 
Old friends.
Past grudges.
 
Happy families.
Hidden jealousies.
 
Thirteen guests.
One body.
 
The wedding cake has barely been cut when one of the guests is found dead. And as a storm unleashes its fury on the island, everyone is trapped.

All have a secret. All have a motive.
One guest won’t leave this wedding alive . . .

Review

I was eager to read this book after loving the author's previous book The Hunting Party. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much though. It has again the classic Agatha Christie feel to the plot. A Wedding party on a remote island - bad weather and not too good a phone signal, help to make it feel more like the 1920's than the 2020's and ensure that the plot thickens.

I understand the scene needs to be set, but for me the first half of the book went on for far too long and needed some serious editing. Flipping between the different mainly over privileged characters, who I cared nothing for, in fact at one point I wouldn't have minded if they had all been killed off. The book also flips between now, then, the day before and several months and weeks before. You have to keep up to get a handle on what you think might be happening.

Then it happened - the action and the red herrings and everything began to get interesting and moved it up in my estimation. Just like that all the red herrings then began to be tied off a little too neatly, too many coincidences and I was a little disappointed in this book.

I'm giving this book three out of four stars. My thanks to netgalley for an ARC to review.

Orfeia - Joanne M Harris

 

I am absolutely delighted to be on the book tour today.

Published in hardback by Gollancz on 3rd September 2020, £14.99 

The stunning new novella from No 1 bestselling author Joanne Harris: Orfeia is a  gender-flipped retelling of the Orpheus Myth, beautifully illustrated by  Bonnie Helen Hawkins 

Description

When you can find me an acre of land,
Every sage grows merry in time,
Between the ocean and the sand
Then will you be united again.
(Inspired by The Child Ballads 2 & 19)

So begins a beautiful and tragic quest as a heartbroken mother sets out to save her lost daughter, through the realms of the real, of dream, and even into the underworld itself.

But determination alone is not enough. For to save something precious, she must give up something precious, be it a song, a memory, or her freedom itself . . .

Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins, this is a stunning and original modern fairytale.

Review

I recommend getting the hardback copy of this book to read. The beautiful gilding on the cover and the gorgeous end papers ensure the fairytale begins even before you start to read!

Once you do commence reading you will be immersed into a fairytale for grown ups set amongst familiar London landmarks such as Kings Cross and Piccadilly. For me this contemporary setting meant whilst being a fairytale, it had some anchors in places I knew and could picture. For the underworld London, which had such charming names as London Beyond and London Beneath there are beautiful illustrations to help you imagine that world.

Fay's daughter Daisy has died and Fay doesn't feel like she belongs in this world anymore without her. She has a grief councillor who isn't helping and she goes running at night to try and forget. Is everything that happens to her just a dream, or is she really in an underworld with a chance to find and bring back her daughter?

When Fay first arrives in London Beyond she thinks there must have been a power cut, for she can see the stars, and there are no stars visible in London. It's these modern day references that really brought the story alive for me and I believed in a world that is just out of our grasp through the cracks in the pavement. 

This novella whilst not long should not in my opinion be rushed. I looked forward to delving between the covers and into the amazing and detailed illustrations each time. It was so delicious, like slipping into a bath of warm chocolate. Like all good fairytales there is darkness and light. I can see the similarities to the tale of Orpheus, however this modern twist brings home the feelings of loss and grief in a more accessible way. 

The name of the author may seem familiar to you? - it is of course Joanne Harris of Chocolat fame and whilst she has added the "M" for this series of books, you can be assured as always of a wonderfully expressive written book.

I'm giving this delightful and charming book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Random Things Tours and Joanne M Harris for a copy of this beautifully bound book to review.

Praise for Joanne’s previous novellas: 

“It may be a little book, but it has considerable power to enchant” – METRO on A Pocketful of Crows 

“Love, treachery, the call of the ocean: this wintry modern fairy tale features all three… perfect for anyone who  loves a good story.” MAIL ON SUNDAY on The Blue Salt Road

Joanne Harris is an Anglo-French writer, whose books include fourteen novels, two cookbooks and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology and fantasy. In 2000, her 1999 novel CHOCOLAT was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. CHOCOLAT has sold over a million copies in the UK alone and was a global bestseller. She is an Honorary Fellow of St Catherine’s College, Cambridge, and in 2013 was awarded an MBE by the Queen. Her hobbies are listed in Who's Who as 'mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion'. She plays bass guitar in a band first formed when she was 16 and runs the musical storytelling show Storytime. Joanne lives with her husband in Yorkshire, about 15 miles from the place she was born. Find out more at www.joanne-harris.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @Joannechocolat

My Sister the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite

 

Description

When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...

My Sister, the Serial Killer is a blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker - and more difficult to get out of the carpet - than water...

Review

At 240 pages this didn't take me long to read. But is there ever a lot packed into those pages. Korede's sister has murdered her boyfriend, it's happened before and this leads Korede to Google, "how many murders makes a serial killer?" - the answer "three or more", so it's official her sister is a serial killer.

Set in Lagos, Nigeria this book tells the tale of Korede and her sister Ayoola. Korede has always been blamed by her mother for anything that Ayoola gets wrong, she's the older sister and should be looking out for her. So, it's unlikely she can share with her Mother what's happened for the third time. She does though share it with a patient whose in a coma in her hospital. Then there's the Dr that Korede hankers after, but nothing will come of that now he's seen her sister, will he become another one of her victims?

I'm not one for reading about serial murders but I felt this could be taken with a pinch of salt so to speak, it felt at times a little farcical even. There is a more serious side to the story when we learn more about the girl's backstory. When I got to the last page I turned to read the next page - it didn't feel like an ending, so I read it again. Actually it was a brilliant ending. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Borrowbox and my local library for lending me the ebook.