Cows Can't Jump - Philip Bowne

I'm so pleased to be on the Blog Tour today for this book.

Description

17-year-old Billy has just left school with no A levels and he's desperate to escape middle England. As a grave-digger, he’s working the ultimate dead-end job. Billy’s home life isn’t any better. In the evenings, he observes his dysfunctional family: his Grandad’s engaged to a woman half his age, his xenophobic Dad’s become obsessed with boxing, and he suspects his deeply religious Mum is having an affair. 

All the while, celebrities are dropping like flies and Britain is waiting for the EU referendum. Everything is changing, and Billy hates it.

Meeting Eva, though, changes everything. She’s Swiss, passionate about Russian literature, Gary Numan, windfarms and chai tea, and Billy gambles everything for a chance to be with her.

When things start to go wrong, Billy’s journey across Europe involves hitch-hiking with truckers, walking with refugees, and an encounter with suicidal cows. But the further he goes, the harder it is to be sure what he’s chasing – and what he’s running from.

Review

I've really enjoyed reading this book, it certainly kept me entertained and wondering what on earth would happen next.

We meet Billy as he is wondering what to do now he's left school. His Mum finds him a job through the Church and she sends him off to the local cemetery. Where it turns out he's going to be a grave digger! It's here we learn how naïve and unworldly Billy really is and this led me to I fear for him from this point on and throughout the whole book. 

Billy gets another job and meets Eva. They have a whirlwind romance and eventually she returns home to Switzerland. As can happen with long distance relationships it's not going too well and Billy wants to join her in Switzerland. With no money and no job that's not going to be easy though.

Whilst Billy is naïve (he borrows and looses 3k!) he's very resourceful and through one means or another he scrapes enough together to set out for Switzerland. Although when he gets there the lovely Eva (not so sure she is that lovely in my eyes) has gone to Slovenia and asks him to meet her there. This is when Billy's education (and mine) really begins as he makes his way across Europe. 

It's this part of the book that had me gripped. Who was he going to meet next, what was going to become of him? It all reads so true to life, that I wonder if the author hasn't experienced at least some of these same life events. Meanwhile back at home his Grandad is engaged to a woman half his age, his Father is obsessed with boxing and his Mum is having an affair!

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. Brilliantly written with fantastic humour. I feel like I've been on a journey (in more ways than one) with Billy and it was great one too. My thanks to the author and Random Tours for a copy of the book for review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Instagram @ philipbowne Twitter @chumpybloke https://philipbowne.com/

Philip Bowne lives in London and works as a writer for The Wombles, a children’s entertainment brand.  Like his protagonist, Billy, Phil attended a failing and severely under-resourced school in Bicester, Oxfordshire. However, unlike Billy, Phil ended up studying English Literature and Creative Writing at university. While studying, Phil published short stories in literary magazines and anthologies in the UK, US, Canada and Germany. After graduating, Phil spent time in Europe and the US, working and volunteering in various roles and settings: repairing boats at Lake Como, housekeeping at a mountain lodge in California and working with charity Care4Calais in the former Calais ‘jungle’ refugee camp. Cows Can’t Jump is Phil’s debut novel, which he worked on while managing a bar in London. As well as a writer for The Wombles, Phil also works on a number of independent writing projects, including a musical set in 1970’s Soho and a sitcom set in a failing leisure centre.

So You Had to Build A Time Machine - Jason Offutt Narrated by Emily O'Brien

 

Description

Skid doesn’t believe in ghosts or time travel or any of that nonsense. A circus runaway-turned-bouncer, she believes in hard work, self-defense, and good, strong coffee. Then, one day, an annoying theoretical physicist named Dave pops into the seat next to her at her least favorite Kansas City bar and disappears into thin air when she punches him (he totally deserved it).

Now, street names are changing, Skid’s favorite muffins are swapping frosting flavors, and Dave keeps reappearing in odd places like the old Sanderson murder house.

And that’s only the start of her problems. Something in the world has gone wrong. Terribly wrong. Absolutely f--ked up.

Someone has the nastiest versions of every conceivable reality at their fingertips, and they're not afraid to smash them together. With the help of a smooth-talking haunted-house owner and a linebacker-sized Dungeons and Dragons-loving baker, Skid and Dave set out to save the world from whatever scientific experiment has sent them all dimension-hopping against their will.

Review

I love time travel novels and I am currently really into listening into audio books so this appealed to me straightaway. I did listen to a preview first just to make sure I was going to like the narrator - and I did on the short sound burst. Seven hours or so later I felt a little worn out by this fast talking Americian narrator, it can be a little harsh for UK ears.

This is certainly a different approach to time travel. Usually nothing bad really happens in a time travel novel and you wonder how people get to fit into an alternate reality - what about their clothes, money etc. Well in this time travel world sh*t really hits the fan big time. Sort of how it would really happen if you could time travel. When people appear in a different time line it fits perfectly into the ghost tours at the old Sanderson murder house - a genius plot device.

There was a lot of humour and it made me laugh out loud it was so good. As I was listening to the audio and multi tasking there were times I got a little confused about what was happening and in which time period. If I had been reading the book I would probably have referred back, but I just carried on listening and really as it was so off the wall it was easier to just go with it and eventually all became clear again.

I enjoyed this audio on the whole. I couldn't listen to a lot of it at one time. I going to give it 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the audio book to review.

The Truants - Kate Weinberg

Description

People disappear when they most want to be seen. 

Jess Walker, middle child of a middle class family, has perfected the art of vanishing in plain sight. But when she arrives at a concrete university campus under flat, grey, East Anglian skies, her world flares with colour.

Drawn into a tightly-knit group of rule breakers – led by their maverick teacher, Lorna Clay – Jess begins to experiment with a new version of herself. But the dynamic between the friends begins to darken as they share secrets, lovers and finally a tragedy. Soon Jess is thrown up against the question she fears most: what is the true cost of an extraordinary life?

'In the vein of Agatha Christie herself. Startling'
Irish Times

Review

I think I was drawn to this book because of the Agatha Christie links. A little like a Christie novel the book darted here and there and then revealed something you could never have guessed. 

I wasn't too keen on the book. It started slow with a college life I wasn't too interested in reading about, at times it felt like it was set in 1920 rather than 2020. With privileged young things at Uni and a woman who only checked her mobile phone once a day. Once the lecturer Lorna began her Agatha Christie lectures my interest piqued and I couldn't wait to get back to the book, only to find it was a short lived interest and I began to get a little bored.

Lorna is an enigmatic character and throws out red herrings and veiled clues to her students. She's very knowledgeable about Agatha Christie and that really was the parts that kept me reading. Soon things moved on from the Uni life and Lorna becomes more than a tutor to a few of her students. But can they trust her?

At about 75% through the book there is suddenly a glimpse of a Christie type plot emerging and again I was gripped. Finally I thought - I'm glad I stayed with the book. Only for this to fizzle out and a long slow ending ensued.

I think this book could have been a lot better edited, as there were some great ideas in it. The long drawn out cat and mouse antics just got boring after a while, as did reading about the bright young things and their problems.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Mr Loverman - Bernardine Evaristo

Description

Barrington Jedidiah Walker is seventy-four and leads a double life. Born and bred in Antigua, he's lived in Hackney since the sixties. A flamboyant, wise-cracking local character with a dapper taste in retro suits and a fondness for quoting Shakespeare, Barrington is a husband, father and grandfather - but he is also secretly homosexual, lovers with his great childhood friend, Morris.

His deeply religious and disappointed wife, Carmel, thinks he sleeps with other women. When their marriage goes into meltdown, Barrington wants to divorce Carmel and live with Morris, but after a lifetime of fear and deception, will he manage to break away?

Mr Loverman is a ground-breaking exploration of Britain's older Caribbean community, which explodes cultural myths and fallacies and shows the extent of what can happen when people fear the consequences of being true to themselves.

Review

I wanted to read this book as I enjoyed the writing in "Girl, Woman other" so much. I haven't been disappointed, this is just as well written. At times it had me actually laughing out loud. 

We meet "Barry" (74) who although he didn't go to Uni has self educated himself over the years and now can hold his own against the best of them. Except perhaps Carmel his wife, who his thumb he seems to be permanently under, whilst under her roof anyway. 

Barry has been in a secret relationship with his friend Morris since they were teenagers. After an epiphany (brought on when Carmel strikes him) he decides he's going to divorce her and finally live his own life while he still has some years left. Except Carmel is called away to Antigua to the funeral of her Father. Barry thinks it cruel to tell her he wants a divorce in the circumstances, so he will wait until she returns. Meanwhile as the "cat" is away he begins to partly live a life he's supressed all these years.

I wasn't keen at first on the chapters in which we hear from Carmel in her own voice. I was team Barry all the way. Towards the end of the book she definitely comes into her own though, and those chapters I really loved reading. I also saw the story from both sides. I did enjoy the patois and antics of Barry all through the book, he was so vividly painted. I think audio would be even better to really get the character. 

There are some equally good supporting characters in the form of his two daughters and his grandson. One of the daughters  doesn't really like him and he dotes on the other daughter. I was surprised at some of the 1970s homophobic language that came out of Barry's mouth. I can only think it was part coping mechanism and partly what he was brought up to believe.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars and my thanks to borrowbox and my local library for the loan of the book to read.

don't bother to dress up - Maly Sayle

 

Description

Lizzie was an army child. She went on to marry an army officer and believed a life or routine and order would follow. But after 34 years of, relatively, happy married life she received the bombshell that her overweight, balding husband was leaving her for a Polish woman 20 years her junior. 

Within a month Lizzie was single, penniless, about to be homeless and very, very angry. It was also becoming obvious her mother was fast heading towards full dementia. The stability and help that Lizzie had hoped to give her aging parents was heading out the window, along with her husband’s clothes and possessions. 
After the sale of her home, Lizzie moves into the spare room of her daughter Lucy’s flat. A situation somewhat complicated by Lucy, at the same time, setting up a sex party business. For the next six months Lizzie shared the room with condoms, sex toys and champagne. When life could not seem to be any stranger, Lucy then decided to sign her mother up on Times Encounters, an on-line dating service. And then the fun really began. 

It was time of chaos, laughter, tears and a lot of very interesting encounters.

Review

I've really struggled with this book. There was certainly chaos and some laughter but overall I just found it terribly depressing. 

I believe the book is partly based on the author's own real life experiences and at times that came through, as the detail was so real it had to be taken from real life. That for me was the problem, it was just too real. If you have ever met or cared for someone with dementia you may wish to read about it in a book covering the subject but not in what purports to be a laugh a minute novel.

Lizzie has been married for 34 years when her husband leaves her for a younger woman in a very harsh and brutal way. I did enjoy some of the revenge she exacted, but most of it came over as a long moan about her circumstances. Justified moans I agree, but just boring and unsettling to read about. 

Meanwhile her Mother's behaviour becomes erratic and it was obvious what her diagnosis would sadly turn out to be. Some of the events that are described made me want to cry rather than laugh out loud. Once Lizzie began online dating things got a little more comedic. 

Overall I found the writing style to be a little long winded and brusque. Almost like pages from a diary.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida - Clarissa Goenawan

 

Description

A bewitching novel set in contemporary Japan about the mysterious suicide of a young woman.

Miwako Sumida is dead.

Now those closest to her try to piece together the fragments of her life. Ryusei, who has always loved her, follows Miwako’s trail to a remote Japanese village. Chie, Miwako’s best friend, was the only person to know her true identity ― but is now the time to reveal it? Meanwhile, Fumi, Ryusei’s sister, is harbouring her own haunting secret.

Together, they realise that the young woman they thought they knew had more going on behind her seemingly perfect façade than they could ever have dreamed.

Review

I'm not sure how, but the beautiful writing of this book perfectly evokes the sense and being of Japan. The phrasing and gestures described throughout the book spoke to me of Japan, and reminded me of my visit there. Although the author is from Singapore she has spent a lot of time in Japan.

I was drawn to this book because it was set in Japan and wasn't sure what to expect, what could be mysterious about a suicide? The book delves into the past of the characters and also shows us the story from the different perspectives of those who met and interacted with Miwako before her death. Her friends discovering themselves as they go in search of who Miwako truly was and what it meant to be her. As the book progressed there were several unexpected turns of events that I had not encountered within a book before. So many questions were left unanswered driving you onto to want to read more and find out what it all meant.

Whilst the subject of suicide could be seen as dark for a novel, the writing never lets you feel that way. The spirit of Miwako is alive through the book and all you want to do is to discover her character. I am not totally sure I understood all of the book, especially the ending - obviously it is open to personal interpretation. Having read the book with Pigeonhole and the author, I think that is how she intended it to be. 

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars and my thanks to Pigeonhole for the staves to read. 

Stick A Flag In It - Arran Lomas

 

So pleased to be on the Blog Tour for this book today.

Description

From the Norman Invasion in 1066 to the eve of the First World War, Stick a Flag in It is a thousand-year jocular journey through the history of Britain and its global empire.

The British people have always been eccentric, occasionally ingenious and, sure, sometimes unhinged from mad monarchs to mass-murdering lepers. Here, Arran Lomas shows us how they harnessed those traits to forge the British nation, and indeed the world, we know today.

Follow history s greatest adventurers from the swashbuckling waters of the Caribbean to the vast white wasteland of the Antarctic wilderness, like the British spy who infiltrated a top-secret Indian brothel and the priest who hid inside a wall but forgot to bring a packed lunch. At the very least you'll discover Henry VIII's favourite a***-wipe, whether the flying alchemist ever made it from Scotland to France, and the connection between Victorian coffee houses and dildos.

Forget what you were taught in school this is history like you've never heard it before, full of captivating historical quirks that will make you laugh out loud and scratch your head in disbelief.

Review

My problem is I was never taught history in school! We were part of a revolutionary new way of learning to detect things and then apply it to understand history. As a consequence I am always on the hunt for history, but in an accessible way, this is just the book to do it. I don't want to learn by rote and this is as far from that as you can get. Within pages of starting the book I had learnt about Matilda (who I had never heard of) and her role post 1066. Even I have heard of 1066 however not the down to earth telling of the tale within the pages of this book.

With the unique witty writing of the author you will find yourself racing through history in an enjoyable way.  At the end of the book is a wonderful index of every character you might wish to look up in the book from history. Including the Cromwell's - all three of them, which I realise over the years I had mixed up in my head as being one person or maybe two but not three. Thankfully I've got a handle on them all now because of this book.

So for me this has been more than just a comedic journey through 1,000 years of history, it's actually been a history lesson too. If you're already well versed in the line of the throne and such like, then you will definitely enjoy the escapades that previous history books (or school) didn't tell you about. 

I'm giving this book five out of five stars. My thanks to Random Things tours, Unbounded and the author for a copy of the book to review.

About the Author

Arran Lomas is the man behind the hit YouTube channel Thoughty2. Since 2012 he has created videos on every topic from space, crime and medicine to conspiracy theories, food and social issues – and, of course, history. He was raised in Lancashire – the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution – and has always been captivated by the world around him, driving him to uncover its history and secrets.