I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

It is 1941. While the ‘war of chaos’ rages in the skies above London, an unending fight against violence, murder and the criminal underworld continues on the streets below.

One ordinary day, in an ordinary courtroom, forensic pathologist Dr Keith Simpson asks a keen young journalist to be his secretary. Although the ‘horrors of secretarial work’ don’t appeal to Molly Lefurbure, she’s intrigued to know exactly what goes on behind a mortuary door.

Capable and curious, ‘Miss Molly’ quickly becomes indispensable to Dr Simpson as he meticulously pursues the truth. Accompanying him from sombre morgues to London’s most gruesome crime scenes, Molly observes and assists as he uncovers the dark secrets that all murder victims keep.

With a sharp sense of humour and a rebellious spirit, Molly tells her own remarkable true story here with warmth and wit, painting a vivid portrait of wartime London.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Molly Lefebure was a writer and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This fascinating memoir (first published in 1954) of her time working as secretary to the acclaimed forensic pathologist Dr Keith Simpson between 1941 and 1945 gives you a real feel for crime detection during this time and also of what life in the Blitz was like although it is a book of its time so some of the off-hand comments about race, disability and gender drew a wince.

The Blurb On The Back:

Welcome to The Barbizon. New York’s premier women-only hotel.

Built in 1927, New York’s Barbizon Hotel was first intended as a home for the ‘Modern Women’ seeking a career in the arts. Over the years its 688 tiny pink ‘highly feminine boudoirs’ housed Sylvia Plath, who fictionalised her time there in The Bell Jar, Joan Crawford, Grace Kelly (notorious for sneaking in men), Joan Didion, Candice Bergen, Charlie’s Angel Jaclyn Smith, Cybil Shepherd, Elaine Stritch, Liza Minnelli, Mona Simpson and a whole host of other writers and actors on the cusp of their careers. Mademoiselle boarded its summer interns there - perfectly turned out young women, who would never be spotted hatless - as did Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School its students - in their white-gloves and kitten heels - and the Ford Modelling Agency its young models.

Not everyone who passed through the Barbizon’s doors was destined for greatness - for some it was a story of dashed hopes and expectations - but from the Jazz Age New Women of the 1920s, to the Liberated Women of the 1960s, until 1981 when the first men checked in, The Barbizon was a place where women could stand up and be counted.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Paulina Bren is professor of international studies, gender and media at Vassar College who uses The Barbizon (a women-only hotel which opened in 1927 and only welcomed men in 1981) as the background to this gadfly look at the social changes that women went through during this period. However, it’s very white middle class and bounces around between women while ultimately only telling me things I already knew about the hypocrisies of the period.

THE BARBIZON: THE NEW YORK HOTEL THAT SET WOMEN FREE was released in the United Kingdom on 18th March 2021. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

”I wonder what people would think if they could take the front off our house, like a doll’s house, and watch us. All in the same house, but everyone separate. No one talking, but everyone thinking the same thing. Will we ever be a normal family again?”

Izzy’s family is under the spotlight when her dad comes out as Danielle, a trans woman. Now shy Izzy must face her fears, find her voice, confront the bullies and stand up for her family.

Warm, honest and hopeful, this is a story about the power of family, friendship and being true to yourself.

You can buy NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE by Sarah Hagger-Holt from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sarah Hagger-Holt’s contemporary novel for children aged 9+ is a sensitive look at what it’s like to have a parent who realises that they need to transition. Although it’s very much an ‘issue’ book, at times I think it soft soaps some of the prejudice that trans people face by merging it in with generic teasing and bullying. However, saying that, it is a book with a lot of heart and a strong theme of friendship that children will enjoy.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Look out, Leonard!

It’s moving day for the Shrew family, and they have quite the jungle adventure ahead of them. Mrs Shrew has asked them all to hold onto each other’s tails so that nobody gets lost. But hold on, where is Leonard?

Little Leonard loses his way and as he tries to reach his loving family, he gets himself in some sticky situations.

Be careful and look out, Leonard!

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Jessie James and Tamara Anegon have created a delightful picture book about the misadventures of a short-sighted shrew and his apparently oblivious family. Young children will enjoy reading this with parents and the repeated warnings of “Look out, Leonard!” are catchy (so parents beware!) while the different jungle animals and dangers are bright and colourful and it’s all done with a lot of silly charm.

LOOK OUT, LEONARD! was released in the United Kingdom on 4th March 2021. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Brat has always lived in the isolated castle on the island, taking care of the vicious creatures that his master creates, waiting in terror for the moment when they are ready to be put to use. But then the unthinkable happens. The monsters get out. Now Brat must overcome his features, and venture into the world he has hidden from his whole life. For the fate of the everyone rests on his shoulders alone …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Lorraine Gregory’s standalone dark fantasy novel for children aged 9+ has a believable central character who needs to overcome his fears and his relationship with Tingle and Sherman and desperation for love from Lord Macawber is sweet without ever being sickly. However the story is a little episodic and dependent on sudden revelations to get characters out of trouble and there’s a twist at the end that I think could have been hints at earlier.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

WANTED: SCARLETT AND BROWNE

Scarlett McCain is a shoot-first-ask-questions-later kind of outlaw. She survives on bank heists, her wits - and never looking back.

That is until she meets Albert Browne, a boy with a dark past and an even darker talent. Thrown together in a lawless future Britain, populated by strange and savage beasts, the two must escape across the wilderness - with deadly enemies close behind.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Jonathan Stroud’s YA post-apocalyptic fantasy thriller (the first in a new series) sets up solid character and world-building against an otherwise straightforward chase plot with enough action and brutal death to hold my attention despite the twists being a little obvious and the antagonists a little two dimensional. That said the unresolved mysteries and hints at a wider arc mean that I will definitely read the sequel.

THE OUTLAWS SCARLETT & BROWNE was released in the United Kingdom on 1st April 2021. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, recuperating from a broken leg, becomes fascinated with a contemporary portrait of Richard III that bears no resemblance to the Wicked Uncle of history. Could such a sensitive, noble face actually belong to one of the world’s most heinous villains - a venomous hunchback who may have killed his brother’s children to make his crown secure? Or could Richard have been the victim, turned into a monster by the usurpers of England’s throne?

Grant determines to find out once and for all, with the help of the British Museum and an American scholar, what kind of man Richard Plantagenet really was and who killed the Princes in the Tower.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 5th book in Josephine Tey’s ALAN GRANT SERIES is a clever look at the murder of the Princes in the Tower, using a mix of fiction and historical record and a detective’s acumen to try and work out whether Richard was guilty or framed. I had not read the previous books but this works as a standalone novel given its focus on the history and while Tey makes clear where her sympathies lie, she nonetheless builds a compelling case that I enjoyed.

The Blurb On The Back:

”In this job, festering skeletons have a nasty habit of tumbling out, sooner or later. So think carefully - is there anything you need to tell me?”

Four best friends with perfect lives.

A once in a lifetime opportunity.

Who can resist the call of fame and fortune?

When Liv, Hetty, Jez and Duffy audition for a new reality TV show, they’re confident they can handle the pressure of being in the public eye. After all, they don’t have anything to hide. Do they? But that’s before Cass produces the photo of the body …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Rachel McIntyre’s standalone YA novel is a heavy-handed morality tale inspired by AN INSPECTOR CALLS with a supernatural twist. Unfortunately the characters are poorly drawn and little more than selfish, rich kid stereotypes, the revelation is pretty easy to guess and the resolution is pretty unsatisfying. Ultimately the book’s just a bit too stiff and leaden for me and as a result I didn’t really enjoy it.

The Blurb On The Back:

A searing exploration of the world we live in - and the ones we don’t.

Ash is used to taking hits for his high school football team - but then those hits start pushing him through a succession of universes almost-but-not-really like his own. As small shifts in reality become significant shits in Ash’s own identity, he starts to question the world he thought he knew, as well as the ones he finds himself catapulted into.

For better or worse, the one thing Ash knows is that he’s got to find a way to put everything back.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Neal Shusterman’s YA SF novel is a high concept tale with a QUANTUM LEAP vibe about being a better person, privilege and tackling injustice while also being honest about apathy and wanting a simpler life. It’s slickly written, fast-paced and a smart way of examining current issues without being preachy while also taking traditional high school tropes and stereotypes and using them in a fresh way.

GAME CHANGER was released in the United Kingdom on 11th February 2021. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

This is a place we can be alone, together.

Drink down the brew and dream of a better Earth.

Skyward Inn, within the high walls of the Western Protectorate, is a place of safety, where people come together to tell stories of the time before the war with Qita.

But safety from what? Qita surrendered without complaint when Earth invaded; Inkeepers em and Isley, veterans from either side, have regrets but few scars.

Their peace is disturbed when a visitor known to Isley comes to the Inn asking for help, bringing reminders of an unnerving past and triggering an uncertain future.

Did humanity really win the war?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Aliya Whiteley’s SF novel is a quiet, contemplative affair about loneliness, independence and the desire for connection. It’s tightly written with interesting ideas and Cronenberg-style imagery but the characterisation is too sparse and I needed more from the relationships, notably Jem and Isley as a key revelation should have made Jem reevaluate it. That said, this is a thought-provoking book and I’d definitely check out Whiteley’s next novel.

SKYWARD INN will be released in the United Kingdom on 18th March 2021. Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy of this book.