Bookish and Feint

By Tina Seskis An apparently happy marriage. A beautiful son. A lovely home. So what makes Emily Coleman get up one morning and walk right out of her life? How will she survive? And what is the date that looms, threatening to force her to confront her past? No-one has ever guessed her secret. Will you? ------------- A terrible event causes an otherwise happily married mother to abandon her family and the reader is left to second guess the nature of the event almost to the end of the novel, which of course is the point: ' No-one has ever guessed her secret. Will you?'. It ’s an intriguing premise but one I felt that was ultimately under-developed, and whilst I found the book to be very readable I was left dissatisfied at its conclusion. I enjoyed the exploration of not only the main character’s (Emily/Cat’s) history, but also that of her wayward twin Caroline, and their parents. This meant that the reader is able not only able to see Emily’s family from her poi...

Most bookworms have to resign themselves at some stage to the excruciating anticipation that comes with awaiting a new book from  a favourite author or  series. If you're reading a  fairly prolific author you might be lucky and only have to wait a year before you'll get your next fix, regardless the  wait often seems  never-ending, but fortunately that's usually a trick of your over-eager bookish brain. Except of course when it's not (you have my deepest sympathy Game of Thrones fans).  In recent years my own wait has been for The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes. I received an advanced reading copy of Hayes' debut novel  I Am Pilgrim  -  I'm not sure how far in advance now but I'd hesitate a guess at 6 months and the book was due to be published in July, so let's say in early in 2013. At the time I didn't read much in the way of crime thrillers but I had just finished my current read and I Am Pilgrim was the closest book to hand,...

by  Cat Clarke   Jem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend.   Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it. Then the unspeakable happens. Kai is outed online ...and he kills himself. Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back. But she wants to know who was responsible. And she wants to take them down… ------------- First off, I think it prudent to mention that given of some of the themes that run throughout it may not be suitable for younger teens or more sensitive readers, although as ever use your own judgment. I absolutely fell in love with Jem - what a fantastic main character! Abandoned, broken and filled with a kind of Shakespearian vengeance, Jem had me simultaneously relishing the dark satisfaction of a dastardly scheme and weeping in frustration at the madness of it all. It was an emotional rollercoaster. I was completely unprepared for how engaged – how downright opini...

HAPPEE BIRTHDAE, HARRY ! Today marks the 39th birthday of Harry Potter, the eponymous hero of the series that arguably transformed children's publishing forever. Rowling’s series demonstrated that children’s fiction could surpass 300 pages and young bookworms would remain undeterred . Older book series were republished in bind-up editions as a new generation of readers became accustomed to lengthier books, and established children’s authors found they had been ‘ let off the leash ’ . What could previously only be achieved in a series of books could now be realised in fewer, or better still, the series' world-building could become more expansive. Adults who hadn’t read a children’s book since their own childhood were surreptitiously reading purloined copies (under duress, of course, to see what the fuss was about) and rediscovering what kids intrinsically understand; that the world is filled with hope and joy, sadness and fear, and none of it is half as comp...

by Ashley Edward Miller  and Zack Stentz I read and reviewed this a while ago but I've been re-watching the TV programme  Elementary,  which for those who don't know, is a modern incarnation of the literary Holmes and Watson dream team, and I always think fondly of the eponymous Colin Fischer whenever Sherlock Holmes pops up, so I thought I'd put it up here. ------------- 'Colin Fischer cannot stand to be touched. He does not like the color blue. He needs index cards to recognize facial expressions. But when a gun is found in the school cafeteria, interrupting a female classmate’s birthday celebration, Colin is the only for the investigation. It’s up to him to prove that Wayne Connelly, the school bully and Colin’s frequent tormenter, didn’t bring the gun to school. After all, Wayne didn’t have frosting on his hands, and there was white chocolate frosting found on the grip of the smoking gun…' ------------ Colin Fischer   is marke...

by  Alice Oseman 'Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they've never met ... until one day when they're made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance.  But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised. Heartstopper  is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.' __________ Heartstopper ,   Volume 1 , collects together the first two chapters of Oseman's LGBTQ+ webcomic about teens Charlie and Nick, whom readers may recall if they have previously read Oseman's earlier YA novel,   Solitaire .   Solitaire   focuses on Charlie's sister Tori, but in   Heartstopper   Tori becomes a background character whilst Charlie ...