Tag: r.p.bolton

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Katriona O’Sullivan – Poor #bookreviews #positiveonly #5*

MY VERDICT? Katriona O’Sullivan’s Poor is a brutally honest memoir that recounts a traumatic childhood, filled with abuse and hardship. Her writing is raw and compelling, but what struck me is not just the pain she endured, but how she transformed her life. While I can’t help feeling anger for what she went through, my main takeaway is admiration for the tremendous strength and resilience she shows. Poor is heartbreaking but ultimately triumphant.

The Blurb:

Like young girls everywhere Katriona O’Sullivan grew up bright, enthusiastic, curious. But she was also surrounded by abject poverty and chaos, and after she became pregnant and homeless at 15, what followed was five years of barely surviving. Yet today Katriona is an award-winning academic whose work explores barriers to education for girls like her.

What set Katriona on this unexpected path were the mentors and supporters who truly saw her. The teachers who showed her how to wash in the school toilets or turned up at her door to convince her to sit at least one GCSE. The community worker who encouraged her to apply for training schemes. The friend who introduced Katriona to Trinity College’s access program while she was a cleaner. Simple acts that would help her turn her life around.

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Marian Keyes- Again, Rachel #bookreviews #positiveonly #5*

MY VERDICT? I love all Marian Keyes’ books and really enjoyed Again, Rachel which brings us up to date with Rachel and Luke’s story. The sections about Yara are sad, moving but handled with real sensitivity. It’s a brilliant follow-up to Rachel’s Holiday. Loved it!

The Blurb:

Rachel Walsh is a survivor: she survived rehab and the loss of her greatest love.

These days everything in her life is good – good job, good dog, very good boyfriend. Then Luke – her ex of six years – shows up.

Suddenly she’s fragile and falling.

They ended badly and neither can speak of the secret hurt which drove them apart.

But is it fear of what happened? Or what might happen next?

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Gabrielle Zevin – Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow #bookreviews #positiveonly #5*

MY VERDICT? Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin took me by surprise. It’s not the kind of book I would typically go for as I’m not really into gaming or tech. But this novel is so much more than that. At its core, it’s a deep dive into the relationships between a group of friends, each carrying their own burdens and traumas. The way these connections are portrayed is so moving that I was in tears. Zevin’s ability to weave together the world of gaming with such raw and heartfelt emotion makes this book a standout – as does the beautiful cover.

The Blurb:

This is the story of Sam and Sadie. It’s not a romance, but it is about love. When Sam catches sight of Sadie at a crowded train station one morning he is catapulted straight back to childhood, and the hours they spent immersed in playing games. Their spark is instantly reignited and sets off a creative collaboration that will make them superstars. It is the 90s, and anything is possible. What comes next is a decades-long tale of friendship and rivalry, fame and art, betrayal and tragedy, perfect worlds and imperfect ones. And, above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love.

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Liz Nugent – Strange Sally Diamond #bookreviews #positiveonly #5*

MY VERDICT? The protagonist, the Sally of the title, reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant with her unique perspective on the world and the gradual unfolding of her past trauma. The author interweaves two main narratives, set in Ireland and New Zealand. Switching back and forth between these stories kept me hooked and I found myself racing through the pages. If you’re looking for a novel that is both thought-provoking and a cracking read, Strange Sally Diamond is the one.

The Blurb:

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she cannot remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends and big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.

But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world? And why does her neighbour seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged . . .

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Mike Gayle – A Song of Me and You #bookreviews #positiveonly #5*

MY VERDICT? If you’re looking for a can’t put down summer read A Song of You and I by Mike Gayle is perfect. The story follows Ben and Helen, two old friends who reconnect after years apart and the ups and downs as they navigate their complicated past and present. Gayle’s characters feel so real and relatable, and his writing is touching and heartbreaking. I loved it, even though it made me cry. 5*

The Blurb:

Helen and Ben parted as heartbroken 18-year-olds and went their very separate ways. Twenty years later, mother-of-two-teenagers Helen is still in Manchester, a part-time primary teacher, stunned by the behaviour of her love-rat husband. In an old T shirt and scruffy jeans, she feels at the lowest point in her life. And suddenly, impossibly, Ben is standing on her doorstep. Tired maybe, lonely even, but clearly still the world-famous, LA-based multi-millionaire rockstar he has become.Can you ever go back? For Helen and Ben, so much has happened in the years between. But just to sit in the kitchen for a while and talk – that would be nice. Before the world comes crashing in. Friendship, love, heartache and hope collide in this unforgettable emotional journey, from the author of Half A World Away.

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Patrick Grant #bookreviews #positiveonly #5*

MY VERDICT? I really enjoyed Patrick Grant’s book Less. I expected it to focus on sustainability, which it did, but it also covered much more. The parts about the social impact of the decline in manufacturing, especially in northern towns, were very interesting. Grant explains how factory closures have hurt local economies and communities, leading to job losses and cultural decline. The book connects environmental issues with social and economic ones, using personal stories and historical context. Overall, Less is a powerful look at how our lifestyle choices affect both the planet and our communities.

THE BLURB:

In this passionate and revealing book about loving clothes but despairing of a broken global system Patrick Grant considers the crisis of consumption and quality in fashion, and how we might make ourselves happier by rediscovering the joy of living with fewer, better-quality things.

Weaving in his personal journey through fashion, clothing and the other everyday objects in his life, this is a book that celebrates craftsmanship, making things with care, buying things with thought and valuing everything we own. It explains how rethinking our relationship with clothing could kickstart a thriving new local economy bringing prosperity and hope back to places in our country that have lost out to globalisation, offshore manufacturing and to the madness of price and quantity being the only things that matter.

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Abi Dare – The Girl with the Louding Voice #bookreviews #positiveonly #5*

MY VERDICT? The Girl with the Louding Voice” is a total gem of a novel. Abi Daré’s poignant storytelling brings to life the journey of Adunni, a courageous young girl determined to overcome the many obstacles in her life. Adunni’s voice is as loud and compelling as her spirit, and drew me in from the very first page. 5*

THE BLURB:

Meet Adunni, a teenage girl born into a rural Nigerian village. Aged fourteen, she is a commodity, a wife, a servant. She is also smart, funny, curious, with a spirit and joy infectious to those around her. And despite her situation going from bad to worse, she has a plan to escape: she will find her ‘louding voice’ and get her education, so that she can speak up for herself – and all the girls who came before her.

As she turns enemies into friends and superiors into aides, Adunni will take you with her.

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Joe Hill – Heart -shaped box #bookreviews #positiveonly #5* #horror

MY VERDICT? Can you enjoy a book with a dislikable main character? Joe Hill’s Judas Coyne is an unpleasant misogynist who refers to his many younger girlfriends by the their birth state, not their birth name. He is, in short, a revolting man. But…the premise is fantastic; the tension unbearable and the plot hooked me in and didn’t let go. I didn’t know Joe Hill was Stephen King’s son until after I’d read it, but the influence is unmistakable. So, gross main character and dodgy attitudes aside, 5*.

THE BLURB:

Aging death-metal rock legend Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals…a used hangman’s noose…a snuff film. But nothing he possesses is as unique or as dreadful as his latest purchase off the Internet: a one-of-a-kind curiosity that arrives at his door in a black heart-shaped box…a musty dead man’s suit still inhabited by the spirit of its late owner. And now everywhere Judas Coyne goes, the old man is there–watching, waiting, dangling a razor blade on a chain from his bony hand.

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Mrs England – Stacey Halls #bookreviews #positiveonly #5* #gothicfiction

MY VERDICT? I’ve read – and loved- all Stacey Hall’s books. Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and I really enjoyed this Edwardian Bronte-esque tale of family secrets and deception set in the wonderfully gothic Hardcastle Hall. 5*.

THE BLURB:

West Yorkshire, 1904. When newly graduated nurse Ruby May takes a position looking after the children of Charles and Lilian England, a wealthy couple from a powerful dynasty of mill owners, she hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. But as she adapts to life at the isolated Hardcastle House, it becomes clear there’s something not quite right about the beautiful, mysterious Mrs England.

Distant and withdrawn, Lilian shows little interest in her children or charming husband, and is far from the ‘angel of the house’ Ruby was expecting. As the warm, vivacious Charles welcomes Ruby into the family, a series of strange events forces her to question everything she thought she knew. Ostracised by the servants and feeling increasingly uneasy, Ruby must face her demons in order to prevent history from repeating itself. After all, there’s no such thing as the perfect family – and she should know.

Simmering with slow-burning menace, Mrs England is a portrait of an Edwardian marriage, weaving an enthralling story of men and women, power and control, courage, truth and the very darkest deception. Set against the atmospheric West Yorkshire landscape, Stacey Halls’ third novel proves her one of the most exciting and compelling new storytellers of our times.

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Just. Got. Real – Jane Fallon#bookreviews #positiveonly #5*

MY VERDICT? Humour and heart-tugging moments abound in this exploration of the pitfalls of online dating and the forming of unexpected friendships. Jane Fallon never disappoints. 5*.

THE BLURB:

She’s faked her profile picture. He’s just a fake . . .

When happily divorced Joni finds Ant via a dating app, neither is entirely honest about who they are.

But when they meet in real life, they fall for each other. Soon they are a happy, steady item. Until Joni discovers Ant is still on the app, still dating other women . . .

Having secret rivals devastates Joni. So she decides to take revenge. But not on them.

Can she turn these rivals into allies to get back at the real enemy . . . Ant