ARC - MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 11 days

Publisher - Bloomsbury

Blurb from Goodreads

A man-made plague has swept the earth, but a small group survives, along with the green-eyed Crakers – a gentle species bio-engineered to replace humans. Toby, onetime member of the Gods Gardeners and expert in mushrooms and bees, is still in love with street-smart Zeb, who has an interesting past. The Crakers’ reluctant prophet, Snowman-the-Jimmy, is hallucinating; Amanda is in shock from a Painballer attack; and Ivory Bill yearns for the provocative Swift Fox, who is flirting with Zeb. Meanwhile, giant Pigoons and malevolent Painballers threaten to attack.

Told with wit, dizzying imagination, and dark humour, Booker Prize-winning Margaret Atwood’s unpredictable, chilling and hilarious MaddAddam takes us further into a challenging dystopian world and holds up a skewed mirror to our own possible future.


My Review

Before I put my thoughts I want to express that my issues with this book are a lot to do with not realizing it was part of a trilogy. I would strongly recommend to everyone they should go and read the first two before purchasing or attempting to read this one.

The book deals with the aftermath and current struggling of a small group of survivors after a man made plague has slammed earth. Along with the few survivors is "Crakers" a species created through bio-engeneering, gentle creatures to replace humans. The tale follows Toby, Snowman the Jimmy, Zeb and a few other characters throughout. As they try to survive and get on with "life" as best they can, along side the Crakers and avoiding the painballers who are hell bent on violence and destruction.

The book gives a four page catch up on the previous two books, this is no where near enough for someone who hasn't read anything of the previous story as this book is very much a follow up to them. The book is heavily focused on Toby and Zeb's relationship as well as throw backs to Zeb and his brother Adam's relationship. To be fair to the writer, when it was dealing with Toby and Zeb or going back to everything that happened with Zeb and Adam I could follow it and what was happening, it just seemed almost everything out with this I didn't understand what was going on.

Creatures and a lot of terms mentioned throughout the book I had no idea what they were, although pizzlies and grolars explanation was covered. Mo'Hair herds I assume are cow like creatures, Pigoons I think may have been huge pigs although I am not sure were they bio-engineered or a cross with pigs and something else? I think had there been an appendix with the unknown words and a brief explanation, at the front or back of the book, this would have made such a huge difference to my reading experience and understanding of the tale. Sadly I spent a huge amount of time confused reading the tale and not always sure what was going on or how it came to be. After 200+ pages I felt I understood a bit more of the hows and whys but it was hard going. I think if your a fan of the previous books you will get on well with this as it gives closure on the main characters and where their paths lie. I struggled with the tale, terms and what was going on most of the time although I did enjoy reading about Zeb and Adam so for that reason I am giving this book a 2/5. My thanks to Waterstones for introducing me to a new author and giving me an advance copy to review in exchange for an honest review. This book is available to buy now from all good retailers.

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Review - The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald

The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Publisher - Faber and Faber

Blurb from Goodreads

He's gone. And telling the truth won't bring him back...

When a baby goes missing on a lonely roadside in Australia, it sets off a police investigation that will become a media sensation and dinner-table talk across the world.

Lies, rumours and guilt snowball, causing the parents, Joanna and Alistair, to slowly turn against each other.

Finally Joanna starts thinking the unthinkable: could the truth be even more terrible than she suspected? And what will it take to make things right?

The Cry is a dark psychological thriller with a gripping moral dilemma at its heart and characters who will keep you guessing on every page.

'Fitzgerald is dark, clever, highly inventive.' Lovereading.co.uk

'FitzGerald excels at twisting the reader's expectations and turning our assumptions on their heads.' The List



My Review

This is a story about Joanna, Alistair and their baby Noah, more characters come into play but these three are the starting point. On a long haul flight from Glasgow to Australia, a distraught Joanna tries to console and quieten an even more distraught and screaming Noah. Once they arrive in Australia Noah goes missing. People are interviewed from the plane, speculation is rife, the news and police are all over it and Joanna and Alistair are hiding a big secret that will threaten everything they have. This is a story that looks at a relationship and what a traumatic event like this can do to a couple and how easily things can spiral out of control.

I went to the author event launch for this book, tickets were free and I wasn't sure what to expect as I had only read one of her books. She read two excerpts from the story, the very beginning and near the end, I had to buy a copy immediately and find out what happens.

Everyone judges people and this book gets into that when the world speculates on what happened to Noah, the Internet is used to show how quickly people make up their own minds and get involved. The heart of the book is centered on the relationship between Joanna, Alistair, his ex wife Alexandra and her daughter Chloe. You find out very early on what happened to the baby so it isn't a who done it or mystery, it focuses on the relationships, manipulation, blame, loss, grief, deceit, anger and hurt, to name a few of the themes going on.

The character are very well carved out, great emotion is evoked when you get a feel for them and some of the choices they make. I went through different emotions with Joanna, I felt for the ex wife and her daughter and I hated Alistair with a passion. The story flips around from the initial lead up to the baby's journey, him going missing, to months later and then back to the initial time period at the start of the tale. Joanna's voice starts the tale and then we flip to Alexandra's, the two time periods and hearing the same events through two people are fantastically done. This doesn't always work out well in stories as I feel you can get confused with the time jumps let alone bringing a second voice into it. Fitzgerald does it with an ease that you follow exactly what is going on without having to jump back a page or two to see who is talking or what time period it is. Also the chapters are listed by whose voice it is in case anyone does have problems following and the month is also listed so you know where in the time scale the story is. The chapters are fairly small, which is always a favorite with me, I found this book hard to put down. Had work not got in the way I would have easily read this in one sitting, this book will take you on an emotional roller coaster and stay with you long after you have finished it. It has taken me days to decide how I would write this review as I have so much to say about things within it however I do not do spoiler reviews so it took a lot of thought. I would recommend this book to everyone, no matter what genre you like as it is a great read that packs a punch and leaves you wanting more. 5/5 for me and I already have a few more by this author on my tbr so I will be reading her again. If she continues along this path I may have to put her on my favorite writers list.

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Review - You belong to me by Karen Rose

You Belong to Me by Karen Rose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Blurb from Goodreads

Baltimore city Homicide Detective J.D. Fitzpatrick has seen a lot of violence but nothing like the trail of tortured bodies that are turning up throughout the city. And now he's starting to suspect that his medical examiner, Dr. Lucy Trask, may be shielding a dark secret that could connect her to these vicious killings-and put her next on the killer's hit list...


My review

Dr. Lucy Trask has a past she would rather forget however as a killer starts pilling up bodies and Dr Trask is at the center of the killers attention she may need to face it sooner than she expected. J.D Fitzpatrick is the homicide detective investigating and can't help but be distracted by Lucy while he tries to discover what the link is between her and the killer.

I really like Karen Rose, I have the books I have read so far and I did enjoy this one. The killer has a voice throughout the book and we go from chapter to chapter from Trask and Fitzpatrick to our killer and what he is doing. The killings are graphic and bloody, there is some sexual scenes throughout so it is not for the faint hearted. The pace is fairly quick and the killings start from the outset. The only thing I would maybe grump about would be the way the interaction/relationship plays out between our two main characters, Trask and Fitzpatrick. It is almost like a cat and mouse game with them to begin with and they are very cat on hot coals with each other yet they need to work together to figure out what is the obsession with this killer.

Another detail that will keep you hanging on is the motive the killer has is dragged out, in his chapters he makes it clear he blames Lucy for his vendetta and what happened and this is teased out in very small snippets throughout the book. Otherwise it is a book that keeps you going and interested until all is revealed. I like a book that ties up all loose ends and Rose delivers with this one, 4/5 for me this time.

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Author book launch - The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald

So a friend from my book group noticed that Helen Fitzgerald was going to be at Waterstones to launch her new book The Cry. I had never heard of this author so went off to have a nose, got her first book Dead Beautiful to see what her writing was like. You can read my review of this title by using the search box on the left hand side, I did try and link it in this post but the blog is having none of it today, apologies.

The tickets were free and it is always nice to go to an author event. This was one of the best events I have been to and I have seen a fair few author book events, both in the Waterstones in Glasgow and a few held in Sloan's pub. Normally you can get a ticket for free or sometimes you have to pay, it varies with each one. At Sloan's there is a bar where you can purchase your own drink, the previous Waterstone launches have been later so their wee cafe is closed and you can't get a refreshment. Me and my friends where the first to arrive as everything got set up. One of my friends, Kat, had been to a few of these but for Emma it was her first time.

Well Helen went over and above what any of the other authors did. There was glasses with water, fresh orange and wine available, complimentary as well as home made cakes and sweet pastries, homemade by her sister Rea. She had brought her family with her and they all put some plates and food on the tables and along with the staff ensured everyone had a drink. I believe there was other writers there that night also as I recognized some faces but couldn't put a name to anyone.

Helen gave the audience some background, read a little from the start of her book and then some from later on in the book, then took some questions from the audience. After the event had finished she announced she was going for a few drinks, said where and invited everyone to come along if they wished, how nice was that!

Back to the book, the story is very different from the one I read, this one concerns a family traveling on a long haul flight and they accidentally overdose their baby. The story follows on from what happens from there, I haven't read it but after the wonderful evening at Waterstones and hearing the excerpts from the book I have ordered it. I also bought some of her earlier work too, this is the power authors can have when they interact with their readers. I went there as a meeting point with friends and to hear about the new book and because it was a free event. After being treated so nice, exposed to her family and listening to her talk about her work I have not only bought her new book but bought three of her previous books. My advice to authors doing any events is by showing your readers a bit of appreciation for coming to see you, taking time to make things a wee bit more personable it benefits you in the long run. Even having the offer of a glass of water I feel would go a long way and to no cost of the author, as I say Helen Fitzgerald went over and above that and I loved that her family came and had some interaction with the crowd too. I would definitely go and see this lady again and my thoughts on her works will follow as I get to them.

The Cry is available from Amazon for £5.75 and from Waterstones although I am not sure how much they are charging for a copy as I forgot to buy mine on the night. The book is available to buy now. You can follow Helen Fitgerald on Twitter @FitzHelen she is also on Facebook and has a blog available online.

September giveaway - A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

This is a brand new copy of A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. It has a tiny wee mark on the top right side of the cover, residue from a sticker. Otherwise the book is in perfect condition and brand new, unread, see picture below.

As with the past few competitions I am using Rafflecopter, there are different options to enter and each option will give you extra names into the draw increasing your chances of winning. Good luck everyone and as always thank you for taking part. If you have any problems completing the form or any other problems please get in touch.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review - Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Publisher - Hodder & Stoughton

Blurb from Goodreads

The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to defend Katie, two cultures collide -- and for the first time in her high-profile career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. Delving deep inside the world of those who live "plain," Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her terms. And as she unravels a tangled murder case, Ellie also looks deep within -- to confront her own fears and desires when a man from her past reenters her life.



My Review

It starts with a birth in the Amish barn, a young woman giving birth to a child. It then goes to the same barn a little later and the body of a baby being discovered and the police soon arrive. The story unravels with a young girl denying pregnancy and birth despite evidence to the contrary and the police looking to charge her with murder. Ellie, her distant cousin comes in as her attorney, reluctantly, to defend her and finds herself as much a prisoner as Katie, in the Amish farm as she tries to build a defense with no modern technology. Is Katie guilty of killing a baby she denies all knowledge of, will the truth out and can Ellie defend someone she knows is lying to her.

I feel bad saying I enjoyed this book as one of the main events is the murder of a baby however I couldn't put it down. I know very little about the Amish community so it was nice to have a bit of education in that respect. There is also some medical terms throughout the book, not in large parts, but as a student I found this really interesting too.

Katie is a young woman and comes across as a wee girl at times as she is so innocent. The mystery is there from the start as to what happened to the baby and we are teased along as the case progresses and Katie is interviewed by psychologists. Slowly Katie's memory is teased to reveal what she actually remembers whilst the story also focuses on Ellie and how she adjusts to living with the Amish people.

There are so many levels, I felt, to this story and relationships explored and budding. The pace goes along in some parts slowly but always enough to keep you drawn in. There are a few surprises in store and as always I love how Jodi writes so if your a fan this one is sure not to disappoint, 4/5 for me this time.

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Review - Filth by Irvine Welsh

Filth by Irvine Welsh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 days

Publisher - Jonathan Cape

Blurb from Goodreads

With the festive season almost upon him, Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson is winding down at work and gearing up socially -- kicking off Christmas with a week of sex and drugs in Amsterdam. There are irritating flies in the ointment, though, including a missing wife, a nagging cocaine habit, a dramatic deterioration in his genital health, a string of increasingly demanding extra-marital affairs. The last thing he needs is a messy murder to solve. Still it will mean plenty of overtime, a chance to stitch up some colleagues and finally clinch the promotion he craves.

But as Bruce spirals through the lower reaches of degradation and evil, he encounters opposition -- in the form of truth and ethical conscience -- from the most unexpected quarter of all: his anus. In Bruce Robertson, Welsh has created one of the most corrupt, misanthropic characters in contemporary fiction and has written a dark, disturbing and very funny novel about sleaze, power, and the abuse of everything. At last, a novel that lives up to its name.



My review

Oh dear Lord what on earth can I say about this book! I have read some of Irvine Welsh before, it was years ago but I remember it being rude, naughty, disgusting and this one is no different unless it is to say it is bigger and badder on each level. Our "star" of the book is Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson and one of the vilest human beings to ever walk the earth. He is a corrupt police officer, nasty, vile, a sexual deviant and those are probably his better points!

There has been a murder with possible racist motives which Bruce has to try and solve in between going on vacation to Amsterdam, take illegal drugs, battle intestinal issues, a skin condition and women troubles. As the case goes on, Bruce gets drawn into darker ventures as his fight for power and his grip on sanity hangs in the balance.

I can honestly say this book would offend just about, if not every single person, I know! Racist, sexist, bestiality, prostitution, sexual deviancy are just a few things touched on. I picked this book up as the movie is due to be released soon and I am worried I may hate James McAvoy as he is playing Bruce. The story pushes all the pc boundaries and through certain bits of the book there would be text covering the story underneath with text within bracket like illustrations, as the book goes on this becomes clear what it is but it irritated me as you had to guess the words underneath.

I can't say I enjoyed this book as I was offended far to much by it but it has to be said Irvine Welsh is a genius for bringing characters to life and making your skin crawl with their vileness. You can see the character and the picture is painted so well it is as clear as a movie playing in your head. Please note this is a Scottish novel and the speech is written in slang for large parts which some people may struggle to get through. 3/5 for me this time and as before I would read Irvine Welsh again but I think I would need a drink or three to blunt the offensiveness.

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