The Ghost Cat - Alex Howard

 

Description

Early morning, 1902. In a gloomy Edinburgh tenement, Eilidh the charlady tips coal into a fire grate and sets it alight. Overhearing, a cat ambles over to curl up against the welcome heat.

This is to be the cat's last day on earth. But he is going to return... as The Ghost Cat, a spirit-feline destined to live out his ghostly existence according to the medieval proverb of "The Cat with Nine Lives" - For Three He Plays, For Three He Strays, For Three He Stays.

Follow The Ghost Cat as he witnesses the changes of the next two centuries as he purrs, shuffles and sniffs his way through the fashion, politics and technological advances of the modern era alongside the ever-changing inhabitants of an Edinburgh tenement.

As we follow our new spirit-feline friend, this unique story unearths some startling revelations about the mystery of existence and the human condition and provides a feel-good read full of charm for any fan of history, humour and fur-ridden fun.

Review

This is a must for cat lovers.

Grimalkin the cat is our guide through over 100 years of a residence in Edinburgh and it's changing residents and decoration. We also get to witness the discoveries and achievements of those living at the time, such as the discovery of penicillin and the Coronation and demise of Elizabeth II.

Despite his passing Grimalkin gets granted nine lives as the proverb goes "For Three He Plays, For Three He Strays, For Three He Stays". Only they are as a ghost cat which at times I felt so sorry for him as he could see everyone but they couldn't see him.

I found out about this book through the author's tik tok account. I was intrigued by the idea of retelling history from a different point of view, and through a time travelling cat. I wasn't disappointed as history was brought to life and also seen from the viewpoint of a cat who didn't really appreciate the changes of societal values through the decades.

My favourite moment was when Grimalkin learnt to use a laptop! Albeit in a haphazard but effective way.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Look Both Ways - Linwood Barclay

 

Description

They think as one. They act as one. They kill as one.

‘Look Both Ways is devilishly good – exciting, thrilling – Barclay at his best!’ SHARI LAPENA, No. 1 internationally bestselling author

The residents of Garrett Island are part of a ground-breaking experiment. For a month, their cars will be replaced by self-driving vehicles – voice-controlled, comfortable and safe.

Single mum Sandra is prepping for the huge media event, and she’s ready for a driverless future. Widowed after her husband fell asleep at the wheel, she’s relieved that her kids may never need to drive themselves.

But as the day gets underway, disaster strikes. A journalist vanishes, possibly murdered. And before long, it’s clear something is very wrong. The cars are no longer taking orders from their passengers. They’re starting to organise. They’re starting to hunt. And they’ve got the residents of Garret Island in their sights.

Review

Different from the author's other books. This was not the usual read from Linwood Barclay, but that was no bad thing for me.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator took a little getting used to I found. He had some very dramatic pauses which were not warranted. At first I thought the player was stuck as the pause was so long. Once I settled in to his nuances I was ok with listening. 

This is an 8 hour read, after I reached 4 hours of listening I began to wonder what else could happen for there to be that long left. I thought everything that could happen more or less had happened and pretty good it was too. I couldn't have been more wrong as there was plenty of action to come and twists.

The story is told from the perspectives of several of the residents of Garrett Island and their interaction with the AI Arrival cars. I liked all of the characters, which turned out to be a little misguided, but that was the beauty of the writing. Once things begin to happen with the Arrival cars there's a lot of descriptive action which I found better being read out on the audio. I think I may have scan read some of it if I had been reading. For that reason I think it would make an excellent film.

It's certainly food for thought with the driverless car future we are headed for. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the audio file to review.

The Seven Year Slip - Ashley Poston

Description

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

Six months ago, Clementine West had the worst day of her life. So, she came up with a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, take no risks. And it’s been working.

That is until one day she finds a strange man standing in her kitchen. A man with kind eyes, a crooked smile, and a recipe for the perfect lemon meringue pie. The kind of man that, before everything, she could have fallen for . . .

He’s perfect but for one thing: he lives in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact.

Review

Loved that this is a time travel novel, about a book publicist, set in NYC!

Clementine has inherited her late Aunt's apartment on the Upper East side. She had lots of travel adventures with her Aunt who she misses dearly. Her Aunt also had what seems to me a lot of sensible advice which Clementine shares with us. 

Her Aunt had told her the apartment was magical - but that was just when she was little - surely? Except for the day Clementine arrives home from work and finds a strange man in the apartment. He doesn't know her Aunt is dead. In fact he says she has invited him to stay while she's away travelling. 

This was a cute romantic story and a little escapist read into the publishing world and NYC. Falling for a man 7 years in the past when time travelling is hit and miss obviously proves a little difficult for sustaining a relationship. It doesn't hurt though that Iwan is a wannabe chef and cooks some amazing food. 

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The New Wife - J P Delaney

 

Description

'Unputdownable' MICK HERRON
'Fast-paced and exhilarating, you'll be hooked' HEAT
'A summer read which exudes menace' SARAH VAUGHAN

When Finn Hensen gets a call from his sister Jess to say their father has died, neither is heartbroken. Their parents divorced many years ago, after which their father, Jimmy, continued to live a bohemian lifestyle in sun-soaked Mallorca.

Ownership of his beautiful but dilapidated farmhouse in the mountains now passes to Finn and his sister. The only problem is that Jimmy recently remarried and his new wife, Ruensa, is still living there.

The pair agree that Finn should go to Mallorca and tactfully take possession of their inheritance. When he arrives, however, Finn is surprised to find that Finca Siquia has been completely transformed into a chic Mediterranean bolthole by Ruensa and her twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Roze. The Spanish police, meanwhile, are asking awkward questions about Jimmy's death . . .

Are Ruensa and Roze the helpless victims of circumstance? Or will they stop at nothing to get Finca Siquia for themselves?

Review

More twists and turns than the Sa Calobra Road.

Set in Mallorca this book had more of the air of the 1930s than a modern day tale. Perhaps it was the remote farmhouse setting, as modern technology was hardly mentioned. I felt it gave an eerie but calm feel to the story.

Finn and his sister Jess inherit a farmhouse in Mallorca. Their estranged Father recently remarried and neither of them have met the new wife. However, due to an arrangement with their late Mother, Finn and Jess actually inherit the farmhouse not the new wife. 

A trip to Mallorca is called for to ensure they do not have squatters. So Finn agrees to go and sort out the inheritance rights. When he gets there he is not at all prepared for what he finds. He definitely doesn't recognise the characteristics being described as those of his late father. Did he change that much?

I found this book a little like a magic square puzzle. Just as you thought you were getting to the truth you realised there were so many dead ends to stop you from getting there. For me it was a real page turner and I found the writing easy and enjoyable to read as with other books by this author.  Though this is not in the usual vein of the earlier books it is nonetheless for me a masterpiece.

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

The Little Italian Hotel - Phaedra Patrick

 

Description

Escape to Italy this summer with The Little Italian Hotel, the uplifting new book from Phaedra Patrick, the bestselling author of The Library of Lost and Found.

'The perfect book to read when you want to give your heart a holiday' Sally Page, bestselling author of The Keeper of Stories

’An uplifting story full of hope, love and healing. A perfect summer read’ B. A. Paris

Ginny Splinter, acclaimed radio host and relationship expert, prides herself on knowing what’s best for others. So, she’s sure her husband, Adrian, will love the special trip to Italy she’s planned for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. But when Ginny presents the gift, he surprises her with his own very different plan: a divorce.

Beside herself with heartache, Ginny impulsively goes live on air to invite four heartbroken listeners to join her instead. From hiking the hills of Bologna to sharing a gondola in Venice and dancing until dawn, Ginny and her guests embark on a holiday of full of fun, hope and healing.

Sunny, tender and brimming with charm, The Little Italian Hotel explores love, the importance of friendship, and reclaiming the present moment – even if it means leaving the past behind.

Review

A nice summery read.

Ginny is an agony art on the radio and has the answers for everything, or so she thinks. Until one day a certain caller queries whether she knows what's happening in her own life. Her life spins out of kilter as she had arranged a surprise Italian holiday for their 25th wedding anniversary and now he wants a divorce. It seems like the listener did know more about her life than she does!

Determined not to waste a 3 week holiday, Ginny downgrades and invites four heartbroken listeners to accompany her for the holiday, who are chosen by her producer. She has no idea what to expect until she meets them all and then maybe she wishes she had stayed home.

What follows is a charming, if not sad in places, account of each of the listeners lives and why they are in Italy with Ginny. The owner of the hotel and his daughter also have their own story to tell and the rivalry between them and the more expensive hotel Ginny was originally to have stayed in. The descriptions of the beautiful Italian countryside and cities was wonderful and I was keen to read on to find out how everyone's story would end.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Bad Men - Julie Mae Cohen

Description

Saffy Huntley-Oliver has a secret. A secret that she is deeply ashamed of. It's not the fact that she's a serial killer in her free time. In fact, she's quite proud of that. After all she's only killing the bad men. She is making the world a better place.

No, her secret is far worse than that. Saffy has a messy, inexplicable, uncontrollable crush. So while she's busy plotting her next murder, she also has the much harder task of figuring out how to get a boyfriend.

But if there's one thing Saffy knows, it's how to get her man . . .

The feminist serial killer you didn't know you were waiting for. Bad Men is sensational ― CLARE MACKINTOSH

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a thriller this much. Bad Men is a delight on every page. Saffy is an unforgettable character, funny, charming, horny, posh, homicidal in the tradition of Villanelle or Sweetpea, but also totally original. 10/10 from me ― ERIN KELLY

What a great read - revenge-hungry female killer, hot true crime podcaster, body parts a-gogo. What's not to like? Had me turning the pages like a fiend ― CJ SKUSE

Review

If you liked Killing Eve and Fleabag then you will probably really like this book.

The main characters are Saffy the serial killer and Jon who makes true crime podcasts and is a writer. Saffy only kills bad men and not women as she figures there are enough people in the world doing that already. Her heart really is in the right place, as she delivers what she sees as a kind of public service. 

I loved the character of Saffy from the first page and was hooked right in. Whilst there is humour in this book and it's not too gory, it does contain some bad stuff, as that's what bad men do. So be prepared for that side of things amongst the light hearted moments. 

I really couldn't put this book down. The flipping between the characters telling the story worked so well. Whilst Saffy is a hardened murderer, love eludes her. She wants a boyfriend but obviously not one that asks too many questions. There's also a dog called "girl" who stole a lot of the show, she was a great character. 

This would make a fantastic film or how about we get a Bad Men 2?

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

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop - Satoshi Yagisawa

 

Description

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo is a booklover's paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books.

Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him five years earlier.

When Takako's boyfriend reveals he's marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle's offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above the shop. Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the Morisaki bookshop.

As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.

Review

Translated from the Japanese, this book is quirky and maybe an acquired taste. 

Takako doesn't get jilted, but she may as well have been. Her long term boyfriend tells her he is getting married, but not to her! As you can expect she is heartbroken and also this leads to her giving up her job. 

An uncle she hasn't seen for many years offers her a room rent free above his bookshop. This might appeal to many readers, but Takako doesn't read books. When she agrees to the arrangement she has to move a lot of old books to get to her room, and that is all they are to her piles of books. Until she decides to read one, and then things begin to change for her.

This tale is not like a lot of other Japanese books I have read. There is no magical bookshop or books. Takako just learns a lot from her Uncle about life and of course from books. Just when I thought the book was going exactly where I thought it would a new character appears, and the book changes completely. A little intrigue as to what is happening, and who the new person is, and what they are about led me to love the book even more.

A gently paced book with loveable characters I came to care for, this is a comfort read.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.