Her by Harriet Lane

Her
by Harriet Lane

I think it's just coincidence that I chose to read two very sinister books one after the other. First there was The Night Guest, and now this, 'Her'. Harriet Lane's first novel, 'Alys, Always' was given very good reviews. I haven't read it, but with review words such as "thriller", "chilling", "surprises", "dramatic", "Ruth Rendell", "tragedy", "mysterious", "suspense", and "psychodrama", I can imagine that it is in the same vein as this, her second novel. I could use all the same nouns and adjectives to describe the story. Think "Single White Female" crossed with "Fatal Attraction" and even though the premise is different, the feelings you get while reading the book aren't.

The one thing about the book which annoyed me, was that you were told a scene from the viewpoint of the one main character, Nina, and then told the same scene from the viewpoint of the other, Emma. So I found myself skimming through a few paragraphs to reach unknown territory. Other than that, if you like to be made feel uncomfortable and on edge at the end of a reading session, then this is for you. Watch out who you let into your life.

The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane

The Night Guest
by Fiona McFarlane

Ruth is in her 80s and lives alone in a house by the sea in Australia. She is a widower and her two sons, Jeff and Phil, live away. The only thing she has for comfort and companionship are her two cats and her memories. She is happy and she gets by. The only thing she is slightly troubled by is the feeling that some nights she has a visitor - a tiger. She thinks she can hear it in her living room, slinking around. She telephones Jeff, her nearest son, in the middle of the night to tell him about her fears, but she can tell he is slightly irritated by the interruption of sleep, and especially with a farcical, fantastical tale of a tiger in the house.

The next day, she gets another visitor, this time in human form. She is Frida and she says she's been sent by the government as home help for a few hours every morning. Ruth lets her in without many questions and even Jeff, on being telephoned and informed of this, does not seem to be surprised or anxious about this sudden arrival of a very larger-than-life character. Frida fusses, cleans, cooks, posts mail, takes calls, shops, looks after bills, and eventually, but quietly, moves in.

If this already hasn't started to sound unsettling and unnerving, then the rest of the book definitely will. Poor Ruth seems totally incapable of halting Frida's intrusiveness. You feel so sorry for her helplessness, and angry with her sons for not hearing any alarm bells ringing with the whole situation. The author does a very good job of drawing you deeper into the suspense and the horror of a poor defenceless old lady up against a big, bustling, matronly, bullying, dark character of a lady that is Frida. It cannot end well.

The tiger continues to make appearances throughout the book, and you start to wonder who or what this animal actually is or stands for. Is it out to harm or protect. Ruth does not always seem to fear the animal's visits, in fact she seems to enjoy to seek out evidence of its existence in her home.

This is the author's first novel, and if you love mystery and psychological suspense and the workings of the mind, then this is for you.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart

When the proof of this book arrived, there was a torn-out piece of graph paper inside with a typed message on it - "we are here for you, call us to talk" with a telephone number after it. Well that got me intrigued. What could this book possibly be about that would affect me in such a way to search for help from a stranger? I read it in a day. I could not put it down. Even though I was not in need of counselling by the end, I can see why some readers may want to talk with other readers about it immediately. Something happens that some readers may not see coming and be thrown by, but unfortunately I worked it out about half way through. I won't say it spoiled the rest of the book - I still had to wait to have it confirmed near the end.

 Cadence Sinclair goes with her mum every summer to the family island in Massachusetts to stay in one of 4 big houses built by her granddad. The other houses are filled with Aunties and cousins. Cadence forms a little gang called The Liars with her cousins Johnny and Mirren and a family friend Gat, and they spend the summer weeks playing tennis, sailing, walking around the island and rock climbing. She starts to fall in love with Gat. But one summer there is an accident - she hits her head on rocks while in the sea and thereafter suffers excruciating headaches and suffers from amnesia. She remembers nothing about how she got in the sea or what happened in the days before or after the accident. However nobody seems to want to tell her what happened. What are they hiding from her?

All I can say is - read the book and find out.

Fire Storm by Lauren St John

Fire Storm
by Lauren St John

I can't believe this is the last in the trilogy of the One Dollar Horse series. I've loved every one of them (as I have all of Lauren's books - do read her White Giraffe series set on an animal reserve in South Africa and her Laura Marlin Mysteries - all excellent). I tried to read this one slowly to make it last and savour it but of course it's impossible. You have to read one chapter straight after another.

Casey is now looking to win the Grand Slam of horse 3-day eventing by training for the Burghley Horse Trials. But a few changes in her life start to pose a threat to this possibility. It all literally becomes a matter of life and death. The young and handsome Kyle walks into her life playing with her emotions, and the reappearance of Anna Sparkes causes Casey to fear for the safety of herself and her adorable horse Storm. But is it Anna that Casey has to watch out for?

I look forward to finding out what exciting series Lauren St John has in store for us next.

Rock War by Robert Muchamore

Rock War
by Robert Muchamore



Robert Muchamore is HUGE in the male young adult audience with his CHERUB and HENDERSON BOYS series. Teenage agents, terrorism, action, adventure - everything young boys want in a series. Well, I've just finished Rock War and I'm a bit, well, underwhelmed. I think the young boys may be rather disappointed. There might be more for the girls to love here. Was I expecting too much? The story revolves around three different groups of characters - Jay and his siblings and friends, Summer and her mad school friends, and public school boy Dylan and his mates. They all have one thing in common - music and being in a band. There's a Battle of the Bands type competition to enter, and a Rock War TV series to audition for - but the latter is only really mentioned right at the end of the book so you'll have to wait for book 2 to find out more about that.

As a bookseller, I've still got to get the age right of who I'm recommending the book to. There is a huge amount of bad language and adult references, so I've got to say at least 13/14, but will boys in that age group actually enjoy the storyline? I had a quick peak at an online chat forum for Cherub lovers, and they'd heard about Rock War. Their ages were about 11-13, and most of them said they didn't think the storyline would interest them, but they would read the first book to find out.

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the book, it's the fact there's a lot of hush hush about it (I'm writing this in October, and am not allowed to post the review till the book's publication in February), it's embargoed, there'll be a huge build up, and I just don't think the book is worth all the hype. Just release it now as a new title and let the audience quietly decide.

Amy & Matthew - A Love Story by Cammie McGovern

Amy & Matthew - A Love Story
by Cammie McGovern

Amy has cerebral palsy. She can't talk, so she types her words into a special voice machine that says them for her. She has to use a special walker to get around. Matthew has OCD. They are both students at the same high school and neither have any friends. Amy and her mother decide to allocate school peers to help Amy around school during the day and to introduce her to their friends. Matthew becomes one of the peers. They quickly realise that though they have different illnesses and handicaps, they are very similar people - they are both looking for friendship and love. But the path to love is not always a smooth one, and Amy in particular has to go through a huge upheaval in her life to realise that what she is looking for has always been there.

The book tackles the two disabilities quite well but I didn't like Amy's character very much. She was self-centred and secretive and I'm not surprised Matthew was so very frustrated with her. I did feel very sorry for him. He starts to make friends on his own and gets a job and even finds that a girl has a secret crush on him, but his love for Amy stays with him, even when she does something that no other boyfriend would forgive.

If you are interested in other books which tackle disabilities, then try Wonder by  R.J. Palacio which tackles facial disfigurement, The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison which tackles OCD, and Colin Fischer by Miller and Stentz which concerns autism.

Campari for Breakfast by Sara Crowe

Campari for Breakfast
by Sara Crowe

Sara Crowe is an award-winning British actress, starring in films such as 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', and the West End productions of 'Private Lives' and 'Calendar Girls'. This is her first novel, and what a cheeky little bundle of fun it is! It is a comedic and romantic farce, but with little serious bits in the middle. I did truly laugh out loud in most of her chapters. It took me about a chapter to realise that the horrendous spelling and grammatical mistakes were in fact intentional and just added to the hilarity of the book.

Sue Bowl is 17. She decides to go and stay with her Aunt Coral at her aunt's gigantic 16-room manor house, 'Green Place'. Her reasons are two-fold - to write her novel, and to get away from her father and his new girlfriend, Ivana from Denmark. Sue's mother, Buddleia, committed suicide in their local library a year previously (leaving no note) after finding out about her husband's affair, so Sue can never forgive her father nor face Ivana. Now I know that doesn't sound very hilarious so far, but please bear with it.

Once she enters Green Place, she and her aunt decide to run a writer's group, and it's from here that the fun starts. We are introduced to some colourful characters, including the Admiral who rents out a wing in the house, Delia who rents out another wing in the house, Delia's daughter Loudolle, Joe and Icarus from the local café 'Toastie' where Sue gets a part-time job, and many more besides.

It is during her stay with her Aunt that Sue discovers more than just her love of writing. The mystery of her mother's suicide note, the true story behind her parent's marriage, the revelation of the truth behind a family member, and how love can be right under your nose and you still can't see it.

If you're looking for a chuckle, look no further than this book.