I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

Lexi has been in an accident.

But she can’t remember it – or any of the events leading up to it.

The only thing she knows for sure is that she’s still in danger.

As fragments of her past start to return, Lexi thinks she knows what happened.

But can Lexi trust her own memories? Because if she’s wrong … she’s in more danger now than ever before.

Exactly what happened on that spring evening down by the railway tracks?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sarah Mussi’s YA psychological thriller convinces on the emotional effects of domestic abuse on victims but is hamstrung by a deeply silly plot that sees Lexi make ridiculous decisions for unconvincing reasons, plot twists that are too easy to guess and two-dimensional antagonists. This is a shame because Mussi tries to deal with the serious themes of abusive relationships, bullying and sexting but the plotting lets the themes down.

YOU CAN’T HIDE was released in the United Kingdom on 7th February 2019. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Every family has a secret – this one is the last of its kind.

When Camille discovers the secret her grandmother has protected for decades, she knows that to tell anyone would be to tell everyone – with terrible consequences.

But it could also bring the rest of her family back into her life.

This is a story about love and loyalty, truth and lies. Real news, fake news and how far you’d go to protect what you love.

It’s a story for now with its roots in ancient folklore.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

J N Harris’s YA novel with a paranormal twist has an engaging main character, I enjoyed Camille’s relationship with her grandmother while the elements incorporated from Welsh folklore are intriguing but the plot meanders, the missing father storyline is a little silly and Duncan and Sarah solely exist to serve the plot – such that while it’s an okay read, I think it would be of more interest to tweens than teens.

THE LA’LUN was released in the United Kingdom on 10th October 2018. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

One country, four languages, 26 cantons and 8 million people (but only 75% of them Swiss): welcome to Europe’s most individual country. But there’s more to Switzerland than banks and skis, francs and cheese. This is a place where the breathtaking scenery shaped a nation not just a tour itinerary, and where tradition is as important as innovation. It’s also been home to travel writer Diccon Bewes for over a decade.

Diccon started his Swiss explorations by seeking Heidi and finding the best chocolate, but soon became the ultimate outsider on the inside. He discovered that not all the cheese has holes, cuckoo clocks aren’t Swiss and the trains aren’t always on time. In fact, he uncovered the true meaning of Swissness and, in this new edition, started on the road to becoming Swiss himself.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Diccon Bewes is a travel writer and British expat who lives in Switzerland and is currently applying to be a Swiss citizen. In this 3rd edition of his wryly amusing, informative and well set out book, he aims to get under the skin of Switzerland, combining a jaunt through its tourist highlights with an examination of the country’s structures and values to create a fascinating look at this most neutral of nations.

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

The Blurb On The Back:

One day, a cat and dog meet on a bench.

The cat eats her lunch.

The dog reads his book.

But the sun twinkles, the breeze blows, and there’s something sweet in the air …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Yooju Cheon’s charming self-illustrated picture book for readers aged 9+ (translated from Korean by Okkyun Choi) is a pared back but utterly delightful affair that shows a cat who wants to eat lunch and a dog who wants to read his book meeting each other for the first time beneath the blossom of a cherry tree and taking the first steps towards friendship.

IN BLOSSOM was released in the United Kingdom on 17th January 2019. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Peter Guillam, staunch colleague and disciple of George Smiley of the British Secret Service, otherwise known as the Circus, has retired to his family farmstead on the south coast of Brittany when a letter from his old Service summons him to London. The reason? His Cold War past has come back to claim him. Intelligence operations that were once the toast of secret London are to be scrutinized by a generation with no memory of the Cold War. Somebody must be made to pay for innocent blood once spilt in the name of the greater good.

Interweaving past with present so that each may tell its own story, John le Carré has given us a novel of superb and enduring quality.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

John le Carré’s exquisitely plotted spy thriller should be read in conjunction with THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD as it revisits that book through Guillam’s eyes as he’s forced to account for what he did in the name of his country while also dealing with the ‘modern’ security service that cares more for public relations and visible accountability than the national interest.

The Blurb On The Back:

In this devastatingly witty new book, Carl Cederström traces our present-day conception of happiness from its roots in early-twentieth-century European psychiatry, to the Beat generation, to Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. He argues that happiness is now defined by a desire to be ‘authentic’, to experience physical pleasure, and to cultivate a quirky individuality. But over the last fifty years, these once-revolutionary ideas have been co-opted by corporations and advertisers, pushing us to live lives that are ever more unfulfilling, insecure and narcissistic.

In an age of increasing austerity and social division, Cederström argues that a radical new dream of happiness is gathering pace. There is a vision of the good life which promotes deeper engagement with the world and our place within it, rather than the individualism and hedonism of previous generations. Guided by this more egalitarian worldview, we can reinvent ourselves and our societies.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Carl Cederström is Associate Professor at Stockholm Business School, Stockholm University and in this interesting look at the notion of happiness as being the fulfilment of your potential (with failure deemed to result from a poor attitude and inability to manage your life), he examines how the idea started with Wilhelm Reich and tracks its rise with the Beatniks and co-opting by big business to its impending demise with the rise of Trump.

THE HAPPINESS FANTASY was released in the United Kingdom on 24th September 2018. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Ajay
Find out how I accidentally sort of became the ACTUAL president of the USA – yeah baby!

Hank
My opposition – he sure knows how to throw a TEMPER TANTRUM, his face can turn from pink to bright beetroot in 20 seconds flat.

Sophie
Behind every great leader, there’s a Sophie. Nothing phases her … well, nothing but a MARMITE SANDWICH.

Joe
My BFF was the first kid Prime Minister in the history of the WORLD and is the first leader to call in a cheese related crisis

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 5th in Tom McLaughlin’s self-illustrated THE ACCIDENTAL SERIES for children aged 9+ is a delightfully silly affair that pokes fun at politicians, rich businessmen and what it means to be British. Ajay is a well-meaning main character whose tendency to drift off topic and wing it gets him into all sorts of trouble but whose enthusiasm and desire to do the right thing means that readers stay with him through it all.

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

The Blurb On The Back:

When you’re hiding from a world that hates you, who would make you risk everything to be seen again?

It’s the year after 9/11, and Shirin has just started at yet another new high school. It’s a difficult time, but especially so for a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who wears hijab. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be.

She hides away, drowning her frustrations in music, and spending her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. But then Shirin meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know her – and it terrifies her. He’s not like everyone else – but Shirin has had her guard up against the world for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Tahereh Mafi’s historical YA romance combines fierce anger with a steamy, intense relationship and is based on her experiences of being a Muslim teenager wearing hijab in post 9/11 America. The behaviour displayed towards Shirin is sadly believable and although I think some of the supporting characters are thinly drawn, the passion between the central characters carries you through such that I’d definitely check out Mafi’s other work.

A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA was released in the United Kingdom on 18th October 2018. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Meet Amelia Fang.
Everyone’s favourite little vampire!

It’s Amelia Fang’s big birthnight party and she is VERY excited. But the creatures of Nocturnia are acting strangely and no one can seem to remember anything – even Amelia’s party!

Has someone stolen their memories? Can Amelia find out why, and save her friends and family, before they have all forgotten who she is?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Laura Ellen Anderson’s AMELIA FANG SERIES for children aged 7+ is another charming, self-illustrated gothic fantasy tale about friendship and sacrifice and being worried that your parents don’t understand you. I really enjoy the relationship between Amelia, Squashy and Tangine and between Amelia and her mum but Florence and Grimaldi do get lost in the background and I would really like to see more of them.

AMELIA FANG AND THE MEMORY THIEF was released in the United Kingdom on 4th October 2018. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

How many hours have you worked this week? When you’re working, do you constantly feel stressed, rushed, and under pressure? Has it reached the point where you delay restroom visits because three minutes away from your desk will throw everything off-schedule? You, my friend, are overworked – and you’re not alone. We are all being asked to do more and more with less and less, and it’s all so vitally important and has to be done ASAP. Lacking a magic wand, we work at a furious pace for hours on end, only to collapse into bed so we can wake up and do it all again tomorrow. There is always more to be done, but the days aren’t getting any longer; something’s got to give, but don’t let it be your sanity.

The Free-Time Formula is your lifelines back to happiness, focus, and true productivity. Action-packed and to-the-point, this sanity-saving guide will help you reclaim your days as you discover just how much power you have. Prioritising is key, but deprioritising is even more critical – and this book gives you a clear and workable framework for becoming the focused, efficient achiever you’ve been trying to be for so long. You’ll begin with a time assessment that gauges your current levels of stress, strategies, and output, then you’ll work step-by-step toward a new daily routine that will reawaken your spirit as you start to get it all done – with time left over!

- Gain an extra hour of free time – every day – to read, exercise, or spend time with friends and family.

- Double your productivity without feeling overworked or overwhelmed.

- Ask the right questions, clarify what matters, and cut out the nonsense to reclaim your day.

- Predict and prevent distractions in order to stay on track with the important stuff.

- Formulate a seven-day action plan for revamping your calendar and revitalising your life!

Productivity is not about cramming more “stuff” into each day. It’s about focusing on what matters to you and your current goals, and building the habit of saying “no” when you want to. It’s about never again missing a deadline or being late for a meeting, but also attending every single one of your kid’s recitals. It’s about climbing the ladder while building a life, and feeling absolutely a-okay about leaving your phone in the hotel room on vacation. Life is what happens outside of work, and The Free-Time Formula helps you reformulate your day to enjoy more of it.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Jeff Sanders works as a productivity coach and in this book (read in conjunction with exercises available on Sanders’s website) he provides strategies to work more efficiently and productively. It’s a very American book with a way of looking at life and work that I found difficult to relate to in places and much of the advice is common sense but the use comes from having it in one place and there were tips I found useful.

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