A Bit of a Stretch by Chris Atkins

A Bit Of A Stretch by Chris Atkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days (in and out)

Publisher - Atlantic books

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

A shocking and darkly funny account of the reality of Britain's prisons.

Where can a tin of tuna buy you clean clothes? Which British education system struggles with 50% illiteracy? Where do teetotal Muslims attend AA meetings? Where is it easier to get 'spice' than paracetamol? Where does self-harm barely raise an eyebrow?

Welcome to Her Majesty's Prison Service, a creaking and surreal world that has been left to rot for decades in the shadows of polite society. Like most people, documentary-maker Chris Atkins didn't spend much time thinking about prisons. But after becoming embroiled in a dodgy scheme to fund his latest film, he was sent down for five years. His new home would be HMP Wandsworth, one of the oldest, largest, and most dysfunctional prisons in Europe.

Horrifying, moving, and darkly funny, this is the unvarnished depiction of what he found. With a cast of characters ranging from wily drug dealers to corrupt screws to senior officials bent on endless (and fruitless) reform, this is the reality behind the locked gates. Full of incredible and hilarious stories, A Bit of a Stretch reveals the true scale of our prison crisis and why it is costing us all.


My Review

I hadn't heard of Chris Atkins, a film maker who got caught up in a huge tax scam and went to jail for it. He was involved in a very small part of it but got sent to jail and this is his story of how it came about, life inside during his time, how he survived and what he experienced.

Life behind bars, we have all watched a million tv shows and read a few books on it, this one was a wee bit different for me, I felt anyway. He tells us of friendships, behaviours of the inmates, the privileges, punishments, guards good and bad and the difference between categories of prisoners and how difficult it can be to get the most basic of requests when you are incarcerated.

The book also shows how more advantaged Atkins was because of his class, skin colour and education compared to some of his fellow inmates. There is a lot of sadness, frustration and downright horror at some of the things that happened, suicide, death, loneliness, abuse of power - it really is an eye opener to people who have never experienced or been exposed to prison life. Hard to read at times due to the brutality of some of the situations, circumstances and just horror of jail life but interesting to see the huge impact it had on Atkins, 3.5/5 for me this time.

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Twas the Nightshift before Christmas by Adam Kay

Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 2 hours

Pages - 144

Publisher - Picador

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas is the hilarious, poignant and entertaining story of the life of a junior doctor at the most challenging time of the year. With twenty-five tales of intriguing, shocking and incredible Christmas incidents, the British public will finally appreciate the sacrifices made and the challenges faced by the unsung heroes of the NHS.

Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas will be fully illustrated (as tastefully as possible) and will delight all of Adam’s fans throughout the festive period of Christmas 2019 and for many years to come.


My Review

If you haven't read Kay's first book you may actually enjoy this more as you have nothing to compare it to. "This is going to hurt" is book one, a few hundred pages and really in depth over his career and what led to him no longer being with the NHS. This book is tiny in comparison and only covers the handful of Christmas shifts he had to do as a doctor over the festive season.

Funny, cringe, sad. horrific and lots and lots of swearing. Kay takes you on a journey with him as he covers many medical situations in his time in the NHS and a wee glimpse of some of the issues the staff face, no time off for a loved ones funeral :O and some of the weird and wonderful things human beings experience.

There is one chapter highlighted before it goes into it that some readers may find horrific and hard going, on abortion and one particular case for him. It is well signposted and you can skip past which I think is really good of him as once seen you can't unsee and abortion is a very emotive subject for many for a variety of reasons. Like I said if you read and loved the first book I am sure you will enjoy this one, I did but I couldn't help but compare the two from the minute I got my hands on the physical book of this one. Lacking in size, depth and maybe a quarter of what the original one gave us, to be fair I could read his stories all day and was left wanting more, 3.5/5 for me.

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46% Better than Dave by Alastair Puddick Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour, I have content for my spot, please check out the other stops as we all over different content.




Blurb

A novel of jealousy, muddy shoes and giant barbecues.

Dave Brookman’s new next-door neighbour is ruining his life. Because in a bizarre coincidence, he’s also called Dave Brookman, he’s the same age and he even grew up in the same town. There is one big difference, though. This new Dave is vastly more successful in every way.

As Dave starts questioning everything about himself, suddenly his perfect life seems a lot less than perfect. And what starts as friendly rivalry soon turns into obsessive jealousy and crazy behaviour that could see Dave lose it all. Can he get a grip before it’s too late?




Biography

Alastair Puddick is a writer and editor who has spent the past 20 years writing for a variety of magazines and websites. His work has spanned many different paths, from jetting off to exciting cities across the world to writing about dating advice, data centres, facilities management and the exciting world of flooring. He also once wrote an agony advice column posing as Elvis Presley's ghost.

Alastair still works as a copywriter and lives in Sussex with his wife, Laura, and cat, George. He has written three novels: The Unexpected Vacation of George Thring, Killing Dylan and his newest book, 46% Better Than Dave.

Click HERE to buy your copy

Alastair Puddick Guest Blog Post – My Favourite Character to Write

My favourite character

Rude, curmudgeonly, crass and outrageous, Freddie Winters is my favourite character to write.

I love an antihero in fiction. People of questionable character, who live by a more complicated moral code. Those people brave enough to live life their own way, without apology. Not always living by society’s rules, or strictly within the law. But who still have a good heart and can be called upon to save the day – even if somewhat begrudgingly. Characters like Lisbeth Salander (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Dexter Morgan (Darkly Dreaming Dexter), Allan Karlsson (The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared) or The Bookseller with No Name (Mystery Man).

When I first had the idea for Killing Dylan, I knew what story I wanted to tell – the central plot, the key crime and the motivation for doing it. I knew what was happening to whom, and why people were doing what they were doing. The very first draft I wrote was actually written from the point of the view of the titular character. But there was something missing. The story needed an extra edge.

I thought about how other crime books worked, with a dedicated detective, armed with years of experience and success, and a burning desire to uncover the truth. Then I thought, why not spin that on its head? Maybe the central protagonist, who had to solve the crime, could be someone with no experience, very little success, no real clue of what they’re doing and who doesn’t really want to be there in the first place. The idea made me smile, and my antihero, Freddie Winters, was born.

The wrong man for the job

Freddie was partly inspired by the TV show Castle, in which a very famous, successful mystery novelist joins up with the NYPD to enthusiastically solve crimes in his spare time (itself a kind of update of Murder She Wrote). However, rather than a successful novelist, Freddie is not very good (although he can’t see that). He just about manages to carve out a living writing books that nobody buys, and organising his own impromptu book signings. He hates that he isn’t more successful, when all of his peers have gone on to do so much better. He can’t pay his rent. He can barely afford to eat. And he hates the world for it.

Freddie is curmudgeonly and rude. He’s bold and outspoken. He can’t understand why people don’t see how brilliant he is. And his bad attitude often gets him into a lot of trouble.

Living life his own way

I always have a lot of fun writing Freddie Winters. He is completely incorrigible. He says things that he shouldn’t (that nobody should), and he doesn’t apologise for it. He does things his own way – even when that way offends or upsets people (or sometimes because of it), or even breaks a few laws. Despite that, his heart is firmly in the right place, and he can (almost) always be called upon to do the right thing – especially if there’s a bit of money in it for him.

I love how brave Freddie is (even though, technically, he’s a bit of a coward). He’s brash and confident. He doesn’t suffer fools and he’s not afraid to tell people what he really thinks. Most of all, he stands up for what he believes in. He stands up for his friends. And when push comes to shove, he’ll put himself in harm’s way to protect those people he loves.

A little bit of me

My wife has often said she thinks Freddie Winters is me, if I were brave enough to really say what’s on my mind. I guess there’s a little truth to that. Although the character is not autobiographical, there definitely is a little bit of me in him. Whenever you create a character, their experiences will always be based upon your own – even if you completely subvert things to create someone completely opposite to yourself. And, okay, I’ll admit some of the things Freddie moans about are the same things that get on my nerves, too.

That’s probably why I enjoy writing Freddie so much. I make him say the most outrageous things, have terrible opinions, act in a completely outlandish way and do really mean-spirited, ghastly things – the sort of things that make me gasp and laugh in equal measure. And hopefully they make other people laugh, too.

Freddie Winters is definitely my favourite character to write. So much so, in fact, that I’ve recently started work on his next adventure. I can’t wait to see what outrageous things he gets up to next, and book two in the Freddie Winters series should hopefully be with you soon. And in the meantime, why not check out my other books at alastairpuddick.com

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 384

Publisher - Bantam Press

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Celebrate Christmas with the ultimate Shopaholic!

The brilliant laugh-out-loud festive novel from the Number One bestselling author.

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) adores Christmas. It's always the same – Mum and Dad hosting, carols playing, Mum pretending she made the Christmas pudding, and the next-door neighbours coming round for sherry in their terrible festive jumpers.

And now it's even easier with online bargain-shopping sites – if you spend enough you even get free delivery. Sorted!

But this year looks set to be different. Unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocado, Becky's parents are moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch and have asked Becky if she'll host Christmas this year. What could possibly go wrong?

With sister Jess demanding a vegan turkey, husband Luke determined that he just wants aftershave again, and little Minnie insisting on a very specific picnic hamper – surely Becky can manage all this, as well as the surprise appearance of an old boyfriend and his pushy new girlfriend, whose motives are far from clear . . .

Will chaos ensue, or will Becky manage to bring comfort and joy to Christmas?



My Review

Keep in mind this is book 9 in a series and my first time reading this series, I know I know, some readers will be exploding reading that! Becky Brandon is a shopaholic I mean it is the shopaholic series but this girl has an addiction you quickly realise how bad within the first few chapters. Her other half is pretty supportive (enabling), she is a parent and Christmas is fast approaching. Christmas is family time and Becky is hosting this year, the list of demands is pouring in, she is trying to keep on top of the shopping (personal and Christmas).

So being new to the series I wasn't sure what to expect, it splits into a few things, Becky's shopping addiction, the whole run up to Christmas and family life. Some of the antics is pretty funny, trying to cater for so many, you know how stressful Christmas can be. Her sister is a vegan so that is extra catering but she also seems quite difficult which causes additional stress and hilarity (for the reader). Becky's parents make some life choices that brings challenges and hilarity, a whatsapp group that moves so quickly that even my head was spinning but I did chuckle. Fling in a high profile ex boyfriend, unresolved feelings, shopping, Christmas, family dramas are a glimpse of what is in store.

I flipped back on forth on Becky, I liked her, I didn't, she was self involved/selfish, thoughtless but then flipped my opinion. One of those characters I took a bit to warm to but mind, this is book 9 and I am just meeting her. I think I would have a different viewpoint if I knew her from book one, I think I will pick the others up as I find them, 3.5/5 for me this time.

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Black Summer by Mike Craven Blog Tour

Black Summer by M.W. Craven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 352

Publisher - Constable

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

After The Puppet Show, a new storm is coming . . .

Jared Keaton, chef to the stars. Charming. Charismatic. Psychopath . . . He's currently serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of his daughter, Elizabeth. Her body was never found and Keaton was convicted largely on the testimony of Detective Sergeant Washington Poe.

So when a young woman staggers into a remote police station with irrefutable evidence that she is Elizabeth Keaton, Poe finds himself on the wrong end of an investigation, one that could cost him much more than his career.

Helped by the only person he trusts, the brilliant but socially awkward Tilly Bradshaw, Poe races to answer the only question that matters: how can someone be both dead and alive at the same time?

And then Elizabeth goes missing again - and all paths of investigation lead back to Poe.




My Review

Tilly and Poe are BACK! An old case of Poe's comes back to bite him and he needs help. Calling in Tilly - Poe has to investigate, delicately, whilst having to answer to his colleagues, judgement and the horrific possibility he got it wrong and an innocent went to jail.

Poe is a good cop, he has great instincts and he knows he put a bad guy behind bars yet proof has come to light he got it wrong. The dynamic duo, Tilly & Poe have to work together to investigate how this could happen.

Chapter one, oh dear Lord, I had the boke! There is a scene in a restaurant and they talk about a dish that is barbaric to the animal in the prep of it. If you struggle with animal cruelty you may want to skip past when they start talking about it, it will stay with me a long time. I thought how lobsters were done was bad, this is the thing of horrors, be warned. That said, there isn't much in the way of animal cruelty after this and we get back to the meat of the story.

The uniqueness that is Tilly Bradshaw and her friendship with Poe is one of my fav things about these books. Tilly is a one of a kind, socially inappropriate at times, funny, caring, innocent, super smart and fiercely loyal. I love their interaction and when the story kicks off I was hooked pretty quick wanting to know how, how could this happen. I think if you snag your reader quickly you know you have a winning formula, Craven seems to have this knack, certainly with this series. I need to check out his other books! Fast paced, interactions with a psychopath, police investigations and the long awaited Tilly & Poe bantz, 4/5 for me, roll on book 3!

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When Stars Will Shine Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for When Stars Will Shine, week one is as follows:





And week two, we all offer different content/reviews so please check out the other stops.




About the book:

Available to buy from AMAZON NOW


When Stars Will Shine is a collection of short stories from your favourite authors who have come together to deliver you a Christmas read with a twist.

With true war tales that will break your heart, gritty Christmas crimes that will shake you to your core, and heart-warming tales of love lost and found, this anthology has something for everyone. And, with every penny made being sent to support our troops, you can rest assured that you’re helping our heroes, one page at a time.

From authors such as Louise Jensen, Graham Smith, Malcolm Hollingdrake, Lucy Cameron, Val Portelli, and Alex Kane, you are in for one heck of a ride!

When Stars Will Shine is the perfect Christmas gift for the bookworms in your life!




A Note from Emma Mitchell:

As the blurb tells us, When Stars Will Shine is a multi-genre collection of Christmas-themed short stories compiled to raise money for our armed forces and every penny made from the sales of both the digital and paperback copies will be donated to the charity.

Working closely with Kate Noble at Noble Owl Proofreading and Amanda Ni Odhrain from Let’s Get Booked, I’ve been able to pick the best of the submissions to bring you a thrilling book which is perfect for dipping into at lunchtime or snuggling up with on a cold winter’s night. I have been completely blown away by the support we’ve received from the writing and blogging community, especially the authors who submitted stories and Shell Baker from Baker’s Not So Secret Blog, who has organised the cover reveal and blog tour.

There isn’t a person in the country who hasn’t benefited from the sacrifices our troops, past and present, have made for us and they all deserve our thanks.

It has been an honour working on these stories, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have.

Authors involved with the book can be found on Twitter:

Twitter handles:

Robert Scragg: @robert_scragg

Paul Moore: @mooros69

Graham Smith: @grahamsmith1972

Malcolm Hollingdrake: @MHollingdrake

Alex Kane: @AlexKaneWriter

Owen Mullen: @OwenMullen6

Gordon Bickerstaff: @GFBickerstaff

Lexi Rees: @Lexi_Rees

Megan Steer: @tjsarcat15

Anna Franklin Osborne: @HomeOsborne

Stewart Giles: @stewartGiles

Jane Risdon: @Jane_Risdon

Louise Jensen: @fabricating_fiction

Rob Ashman: @RobAshmanAuthor

Carmen Radtke: @carmenradtke1

Val Portelli: @ValPortelli

Mark Brownless: @MarkBrownless

John Carson: @JohnCarsonBooks

Kris Egleton: @Mouse6420

Paul T. Campbell: @PtcCampbell

Lucy Cameron: @lucycomeron22

KA Richardson: @KerryAnn77

Billy McLaughlin: @bilbob20


When Stars Will Shine: Helping Our Heroes, One Page At A Time by Emma Mitchell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - In & out over 4 days

Pages - Kindle edition

Publisher - Creating Perfection

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

When Stars Will Shine is a collection of short stories from your favourite authors who have come together to deliver you a Christmas read with a twist.

With true war tales that will break your heart, gritty Christmas crimes that will shake you to your core, and heart warming tales of love lost and found, this anthology has something for everyone. And, with every penny made being sent to support our troops, you can rest assured that you’re helping our heroes, one page at a time.

From authors such as Louise Jensen, Graham Smith, Malcolm Hollingdrake, Lucy Cameron, Val Portelli, and Alex Kane, you are in for one heck of a ride!


My Review

If you follow my reviews you know I am not a huge fan of short stories but because this is for a good cause and there are so many great authors contributing I gave it a go. Not disappointed guys, initially I took note of every title and was going to do a very brief review for each story but decided to just do it as a whole. All the stories have a very diffrent feel/voice as you would expect with so many different authors having input. I felt the initial opening story packed an emotive punch and had the right tone/story content for what the book represents.

The other stories covers a range of topics/issues, war, post traumatic stress, violence, abuse, Christmas, ghosts, family, personal growth, stalker - to be honest you are hard pushed to name a topic that isn't covered in the book.

The stories vary in length but all are relatively short but equally have enough content/depth to drawn you in and keep your interest. There are a few authors who are either new to me or I haven't heard of, because of the writing I will be checking the majority of them out (some I already know). It doesn't really matter what your preferred genre is, I absolutely recommend this book, not only is it a great cause but a fantastic way to try out authors that may be new to you. Well done to Emma for pulling this together, thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and exposing me to many new authors, 4.5/5 for me this time!

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The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan

The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 416

Publisher - HQ Stories

Source - Bought & review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

In the snowy Highlands of Scotland, Suzanne McBride is dreaming of the perfect cozy Christmas. Her three adopted daughters are coming home for the holidays and she can’t wait to see them. But tensions are running high…

Workaholic Hannah knows she can’t avoid spending the holidays with her family two years in a row. But it’s not the weight of their expectations that’s panicking her—it’s the life-changing secret she’s hiding. Stay-at-home mom Beth is having a personal crisis. All she wants for Christmas is time to decide if she’s ready to return to work—seeing everyone was supposed to help her stress levels, not increase them! Posy isn’t sure she’s living her best life, but with her parents depending on her, making a change seems risky. But not as risky as falling for gorgeous new neighbor Luke…

As Suzanne’s dreams of the perfect McBride Christmas unravel, she must rely on the magic of the season to bring her daughters together. But will this new togetherness teach the sisters that their close-knit bond is strong enough to withstand anything—including a family Christmas?


My Review



Suzanne McBride just wants everything perfect, her daughters are coming home for Christmas, business is booming and things are great. Suzanne is stressed, not only is her nightmares still coming but her three girls are going to be together and she just wants them all to be happy. Suzanne adopted the three girls as children and just wants them to be happy, healthy and close. Posy lives there, primed to take over the business when Suzanne retired, Posy loves the mountains, climbing and adventure. Beth is beautiful, has her own little girls and the perfect family life but secretly wants more, something for her. Hannah is career driven and keeps her cards closest to her chest, she doesn't call Suzanne mum and even her sisters feel she is keeping them at length. This will be the Christmas they all need to be honest with themselves, each other and with honesty comes truths, upset and things that will change the family as they know it.

The chapters jump between the characters, seamlessly giving the reader a chance to get to know each of the ladies, how they are and perceived by each other. How they all appear to each other but as we read their chapters we see a different side to them or how they actually see themselves.

As with any family there are issues, perceptions, anger, the past influencing the present/future and this family are no different. The setting is predominantly the Scottish highlands, it is cold, snowy and the perfect setting for a Christmas themed story. If you like family dramas, relationships, love, siblings and unresolved issues from childhood impacting adulthood you will love this. Sank it pretty much in one sitting, characters you can either relate to or invest in, 4/5 for me this time. I will absolutely be looking out for more by this author and actually think I have one or two on my tbrm.

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