NOS4A2 by Joe Hill ★★★★★

A HELLUVA RIDE

NOS4A2 in USA (pronounced Nosferatu)

NOS4R2 elsewhere

This is one of those stories where fifty pages in you realize you’re having the best reading fun you’ve had in ages. You don’t know where it’s going and you don’t care. It’s a ride, and you realize you are in the hands of a capable author.

It’s no surprise that Joe Hill’s “NOS4A2” is so captivating, as many have felt the same way when reading one of his Father’s books. Joe Hill, son of Stephen King, has entered his father’s domain. And, like his Father, he can tell a mean story and create characters with rich inner lives.

This is his third novel (“Horns” and “Heart Shaped Box”). This story is comparable to the best work of King, and at near 700 pages it’s just as weighty. It’s such a great read, though, you will be glad for every page.

We meet a young tomboy, Vic McQueen, who has a special gift. When she cycles fast enough, while thinking about a lost object, she magically crosses over the no-longer-in-existence “Shorter Way Bridge.” The bridge always takes her to the geographical location of the lost object.

Charlie Manx is a nasty creature who kidnaps young children whom he believes are at risk of an unhappy future. Creepy sidekick, Bing, relishes his role which is killing the children’s parents. The kidnapped children are transported to the strange, magical Christmasland, via Charlie’s 1934 Rolls Royce Wraith, number plate NOS4A2. Along the way the children’s goodness is stolen, so they arrive no longer human sporting little, sharp teeth.

When Vic and Charlie’s paths cross, she becomes the only child to ever escape him, and Charlie finds the adult Vic a determined, dangerous adversary.

The depth of the characters, who are flawed, broken people struggling with huge issues, make this a superior horror story. In “NOS4A2” Hill has created a comprehensive, well imagined world. If you love horror, if you love great writing, if you love reading a story where you can’t predict the end, then climb into “NOS4A2.” It’s one helluva ride.  

Thank you to the great people at Hachette Australia for my copy of Joe Hill’s NOS4A2.

INTERESTING INFORMATION

RELEASED: May 2013

For more information about this book: Click HERE 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    Joe Hill is a recipient of the RAY BRADBURY FELLOWSHIP and the winner of the A.E. COPPARD LONG FICTION PRIZE, WILLIAM CRAWFORD, WORLD FANTASY, BRITISH FANTASY, BRAM STOKER and INTERNATIONAL HORROR GUILD AWARDs. 

His short fiction has appeared in literary, mystery and horror collections and magazines in Britain and America.

     Previous Books: NOS4R2, Horns, Heart-Shaped Box, 20th Century Ghosts

Marie Claire: 10 Years of Great Food by Michele Cranston ★★★★★

ONE FOR “COOKBOOK” COOKS

Reviewed by Carmel (my sister-in-law)

          My sister-in-law, Carmel, is an amazing cook. She has four gorgeous children, and they would have to be the luckiest kids on the planet to eat her meals every day.  At most family gatherings, Carmel is the designated dessert-bringer. Her cakes are legendary and worth driving long distances to scoff.

          She, also, has strong opinions. If she doesn't like something, like books I recommend, she tells me. So, I thought who would be more perfect than my sister-in-law to review a few of the gorgeous cookbooks on offer.  If Carmel says it’s a good cookbook then I can guarantee it is a good cookbook and worth the dollars.

This book she absolutely loves and it has become a mainstay in her kitchen.

Over to Carmel…

          I am what you would call a “cookbook cook” and I like to think I can cook anything as long as I have the recipe in front of me and a picture. Of course, this doesn’t include spaghetti and meatballs or crumbed chicken/meat, as these I can do in my sleep and my family would happily eat only these dishes on alternate nights. However for the sake of variety and nutritional value, I need four to five other meals to fill my dinner week.

          Hence, a good cookbook is essential. And, no, I don’t want to Google recipes on my iPad. I like to turn a page and have a beautiful book sitting on my bench.

So, over the years, my cookbook collection has grown. Despite the fact I have a shelf (actually several shelves) full of cookbooks, I always find myself using the same ones. My favourites include several of the Marie Clare series.

           The people at Marie Clare have released “Marie Claire: 10 Years of Great Food” and it has quickly become the “king” of my cookbook collection. After using this book for a few months I can say it definitely ticks all the boxes for those of us that are dedicated “cookbook cooks”:

þ Simple recipes with precise instructions—Tick

If you follow what is written, you cannot get it wrong. The instructions are short and to the point with no unnecessary family stories or historical references to the origin or region from which it evolved.

þ Recipes use every day, easily sourced products—Tick

You don’t have to drive thirty minutes to the alternative farmer’s market to buy some herb of which you will only use two leaves leaving the rest to wilt in the fridge. And you won’t have to go to the specialty gourmet food shop for a spice costing twice as much as anything in Woolworths or Coles, which then sits in your pantry until it’s use by date expires.

þ Beautiful pictures showing exactly what the dish should look like—Tick

There are no scenes of the countryside or elaborate table settings with flowers and fancy tableware that dwarf the actual dish, just mouth-watering photos of the food.

þ Tips and facts scattered throughout the recipes—Tick

These are short, useful, easy to read, and almost always answer any queries that inevitably come to mind as you read through the recipe.

          The recipes that I have tried all worked very well, not that I necessarily liked each one but that is a personal preference on flavours and taste. And, if in the future I did decide that I liked figs with chicken then I would no doubt make the “Chicken and Baby Fig Tagine” again because, according to my family, it was delicious.

          “Marie Claire: 10 Years of Great Food” is a beautifully presented book with an exceptional variety of recipes that look like ‘dinner party’ food but are actually simple enough to cook any day. So often when you are looking at buying cookbooks you will think “Do I really need another cookbook?” Well, this one you do!

“Marie Claire: 10 Years of Great Food” is available now and RRP is $59.99 (well worth it Carmel says.)

Thank you to Allen and Unwin Australia for Carmel’s review copy

VISIT Murdoch Books for purchasing details and more information on books authored by Michele Cranston.

            

ABOUT THE BOOK

           Join Michele Cranston, award-winning food writer and stylist, on a journey that will transport you from an alfresco table in summer through to a wintery afternoon of comfort food. Along the way you will experience the fresh seasonal flavours that have always been associated with marie claire recipes.

          Simple, innovative and inspiring, this book brings together over 250 of Michele’s favourites — from Lemon and thyme lamb cutlets and Chicken and baby fig tagine to Summertime pavlova and Chocolate mousse cake.

Layered with anecdotal tales and memories 10 Years of Great Food with Michele Cranston captures her passion and talent that form the core of these enticing recipes.

Mob Rule by Hannah Evans ★★★★★

Reviewed by Mel Hearse

You know you've joined the MOB when you hear...

'My, are they all yours?'

'Bless you!' (Occasionally)

'Poor you!' (Frequently)

'Lucky you!' (Once)

And of course, the ultimate: 'So... are you going for a girl?' 

          I rarely say this, being aware that we all have our own tastes, but Mob Rule is a hands-down, must-read for all mothers of boys (MOB). Fellow MOB-er, author Hannah Evans, manages to make you spit your morning coffee in laughter at her tales of the high jinks and hilarious antics of life as the sole female in an otherwise all male family. Being in the same boat, and having read on the topic before, I was prepared for something clichéd and self aggrandizing, but Evans has created a book that is fresh, funny and something that’s as good for a MOB as a solo weekend at good hotel.

           If you’ve ever done the long haul driving holiday (why do we think this will work?) this is the book for you. If you’ve ever questioned your femininity based on your fallback wardrobe of boots, trackies and pull on jumpers, then this is a must read. And if you’ve ever found your house…well, just impervious to any kind of cleaning, then this is a sanity saver – going on the philosophy that laughter is the best medicine.

I gave it 5 stars – and I’m as surprised as you are.

My review copy of Mob Rule thanks to the publisher who rules

My very own paper copy to love and treasure from the very deep but fun people at Bloomsbury Australia

INFORMATION:

Release Dates:        February, 2013

To purchase:           click here

Author’s Site:          http://www.hannahevans.co.uk/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

           Hannah Evans has three small boys. In her world, farting is so much more interesting than phonics, dam-building trumps damsels in distress any day and, astonishingly, she now instinctively knows the difference between a Frontloader and a JCB. It's a world of mud - and just occasionally blood - sweat and tears. It is also a world of indescribable joy.

           Often light-hearted, always engaging, she specialises in researching and creating VIVID and EMOTIVE features, that delve into the idiosyncrasies of the human race. 

MOB Rule is the funny, honest and eye-opening account of Hannah's experiences as a Mother of Boys. Supplemented by recipes, quizzes, mnemonics and mysteries, it is the indispensible book for anyone who finds themselves adrift on a sea of testosterone, wondering when the lifeboat is going to show up.

           You may be outnumbered, your face may be frazzled and your toe-nails black and bare, but know that, far from being alone, you're part of a very special club. Welcome to ... the MOB!

Dust by Hugh Howey ★★★★★

DONE & DUSTED, SADLY

WOOL introduced the silo and its inhabitants.

SHIFT told the story of their making.

DUST will chronicle their undoing.

Welcome to the underground.

          The conclusion of a great series brings great sadness for the fans. Hugh Howey’s “Wool” saga only came into existence just over two years ago. So it’s been quite a whirlwind ride for fans and the author until now the release of Dust brings us the finale.

          Howey leapt from self-published author to New York Times bestselling novelist in record time. On the way, he changed the way authors and the publishing world did business by refusing to relinquish his e-book rights for seven figure publishing deals. He finally signed a historic deal with Simon & Schuster who received only paper-book distribution while Howey kept his lucrative e-book rights.

           With the publication of “Dust,” our visit to the Silo has ended. If you haven’t read “Wool” and “Shift” (the second book), then stop reading this review, and immediately purchase these two. You won’t regret it, and you will join the millions of fans who can’t get enough of this world.

It’s impossible to review “Dust” and not reveal spoilers for the original two, so I will give only a general outline of the world. “Wool” fans this is a brilliant continuation directly from “Shift” and finds the lead characters still embroiled in the politics of the Silo.

           The silo, which consists of nearly two-hundred below-ground, concrete levels, is filled with thousands of survivors from an event occurring over 60 years before. The unremembered event left the outside world uninhabitable with toxic air. Inhabitants who breach the strict Silo laws are sent outside to clean the one screen which gives the occupants a view of the desolate world; their last act before death by the poisonous fumes.

          The silo is segmented into class structures from I.T. on top, through to the middle levels, to the lower class “down deep.” From the “down deep” a hero, Jules, arises. She begins to question their world at a perilous risk to her and, also, the silo.

          “Dust” is an exciting adventure ride introducing new characters and new challenges for those we have come to love. Some will live, and you will be surprised by those who die. It is a satisfying conclusion to one of the greatest science-fiction worlds created in modern literature.

 

Read my review of Wool

Read my review of Shift

Read my interview with Hugh Howey: "A Shift in Power

My review copy of Dust thanks the wonderful and generous HUGH HOWEY

My very own paper copy to love and treasure from the very deep but fun people at RANDOM HOUSE Australia.

INFORMATION:

Release Dates: 17th August, 2013

To purchase from Hugh direct: click here

Australia and New Zealand: September 2013

To purchase:   click here

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

          Hugh Howey is the author of Wool, a bestselling novel that has appeared in the top 5 of science fiction on Amazon. He is also the author of the award-winning Molly Fyde Saga. He lives in Boone, N.C. with his wife Amber and their dog Bella.

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Watching You by Michael Robotham ★★★★

NOTHING BEATS A ROBOTHAM THRILLER

Last year, Michael Robotham’s book, “Say You’re Sorry” was the must-read book

among my friends. Many of them stopped their lives for a few days while they read it, and some reading it in one sitting. It was so good that Stephen King named it in his top three reads for 2012. I wholeheartedly concur with the master of suspense. This is all to say that Michael Robotham comes highly recommended and writes a great story.

He writes dark killer thrillers and “Watching You” is classic Robotham. He really puts his protagonists through the wringer, and again we meet another poor character who is dealing with great adversity. Robotham brings back our favorite psychologist, Joe O’Loughlin, who is also dealing with his own personal physical and emotional adversity, .

Marnie Logan has good reason to be depressed and in need of O’Loughlin’s services. Her husband disappeared over a year ago, without a word, leaving her a poverty-stricken single mother. She has been forced into prostitution in order to pay off her husband’s debts to a money-lender. And she, also, has this strange feeling she is being watched.

When a book of Marnie’s life is discovered which includes pictures, interviews with friends and old teachers, and other people from her past, she believes her husband was creating a birthday surprise. But something is not right. In order to help Marnie, O’Loughlin interviews some of the people from her past, and discovers their stories of Marnie seem to be of a darker and entirely different person.

Robotham writes suspense with the best, and he weaves the story of Marnie’s misaligned past beautifully with the added tension of an unknown stalker. Who is the stalker and, in fact, who really is Marnie?

“Watching You” is another thrilling book in the O’Loughlin series, and while “Say You’re Sorry” is still my favorite. You cannot beat a Robotham thriller.

My review copy of “Watching You” supplied by the very nice people at Hachette Australia

Read my 2013 interview with Michael Robotham on "Say You're Sorry"

Read my review of "Say You're Sorry"

INTERESTING INFORMATION

RELEASED: 

Australia & New Zealand: August 2013

USA: Hardcover March 11 2014

For more information about this book: Click HERE 

Read a sample: First Chapter

Visit Michael Robotham’s Website: Click HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Australia in November 1960, Michael Robotham grew up in small country towns

that had more dogs than people and more flies than dogs. He escaped in 1979 and became a cadet journalist on an afternoon newspaper in Sydney.

For the next fourteen years he wrote for newspapers and magazines in Australia, Britain and America.

In 1993 he quit journalism to become a ghostwriter, collaborating with politicians, pop stars, psychologists, adventurers and show business personalities to write their autobiographies. Twelve of these non-fiction titles were bestsellers with combined sales of more than 2 million copies.

His first novel 'The Suspect', a psychological thriller, was chosen by the world’s largest consortium of book clubs as only the fifth “International Book of the Month”, making it the top recommendation to 28 million book club members in fifteen countries. It has been translated into twenty-two languages.

His second novel 'Lost' won the Ned Kelly Award for the Crime Book of the Year in 2005, given by the Australian Crime Writers Association. It was also shortlisted for the 2006 Barry Award for the BEST BRITISH NOVEL published in the US in 2005.

Michael's subsequent novels 'The Night Ferry' and 'Shatter' were both shortlisted for UK Crime Writers Association Steel Dagger in 2007 and 2008. 'Shatter' was also shortlisted in the inaugural ITV3 Thriller Awards in the UK and for South Africa's Boeke Prize. In August 2008 'Shatter' won the Ned Kelly award for Australia's best crime novel. More recently, 'Bleed for Me' – Michael's sixth novel – was shortlisted for the 2010 Ned Kelly Award. His latest novel 'The Wreckage' has won universal praise and was described by Nelson De Mille as 'one of the best novels to come out of the chaos of Iraq.'

THE KINGMAKER'S DAUGHTER by Philippa Gregory ★★★★

Reviewed by Emily Barber

‘The Kingmaker's Daughter’ by Phillipa Gregory is the gripping story of the daughters of the man known as the "Kingmaker," Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick: the most powerful magnate in fifteenth-century England.  Without a son and heir, he uses his daughters, Anne and Isabel as pawns in his political games, and they grow up to be influential players in their own right.

At the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Married at age fourteen, she is soon left widowed and fatherless, her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy. Anne manages her own escape by marrying Richard, Duke of Gloucester, but her choice will set her on a collision course with the overwhelming power of the royal family and will cost the lives of those she loves most in the world, including her precious only son, Prince Edward. Ultimately, the kingmaker's daughter will achieve her father's greatest ambition.

First of all a disclaimer of sorts: I love Sharon Kay Penman's ‘The Sunne in Splendour’ set in the ‘War of the Roses’ period and I have read it multiple times. So my reactions whilst reading ‘The Kingmaker's Daughter’ are coloured by that. There were multiple times whilst reading I found myself saying "Wait, that's not right" and I had to remind myself that both books are novels and no one can know the truth about character and motivations. However, most readers won’t know this.

In saying that I did enjoy this book and Phillipa Gregory deserves much praise for this series. I highly recommend this book, but I have to warn readers that this is an intense and dark part of history and there is no happy ending.

My review copy of THE KINGMAKER’S DAUGHTER thanks to the very wonderful people at Simon & Schuster Australia.

Release Dates: Australia and New Zealand: August 2013

CLICK THROUGH FOR BUYING INFORMATION: HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the internationally bestselling novel The Other Boleyn Girl. Now she is looking at the family that preceded the Tudors: the magnificent Plantaganets, a family of complex rivalries, loves, and hatreds.

Her other great interest is the charity that she founded nearly twenty years ago: Gardens for The Gambia. She has raised funds and paid for 140 wells for the primary schools of this poor African country. A former student of Sussex university, and a PhD and Alumna of the Year 2009 of Edinburgh University, her love for history and commitment to historical accuracy are the hallmarks of her writing. She lives with her family on a small farm in Yorkshire.

She welcomes visitors to her site www.PhilippaGregory.com

The Shining Girls Lauren Beukes ★★★★½

THRILLER THAT SHINES

    Lauren Beukes said in an interview that the only way she could write her horrific, serial killer Harper was to hurt him at every opportunity possible. And injure him quite often she does which only makes him more frighteningly real.

     She also didn’t want to glorify violence against women. So each victim of Harper’s is given a full life before Harper whisks it away.  They are women who are Mothers, journalists, nurses, social advocates and their lives are revealed within their eras in fascinating detail.

     The Shining Girls is an extraordinary book in that it crosses genres.  It’s a crime thriller but also a work of science fiction.  And it’s about as complicated as a time travelling book can be as the killer leaves victim’s personal objects from one era on the body of another victim in another decade.

     Beukes kept meticulous charts on her wall, while writing the book, showing where and when objects were taken and then placed, where Harper was injured, how long before he healed, along with the timeline of victim’s lives and deaths.

     Harper living in 1926 is drawn to an abandoned house that works as a portal into the future. Any time he thinks about he can travel to.  He has a compulsion to kill and particularly enjoys visiting his victims as children in order to confirm they are his shining girls. Behind their eyes he can see a glow.

     Kirby is the only victim to survive an attack. Years later, interning for the Chicago Sun-Times, Kirby teams up with a reporter who covered her attack and slowly they discover connections between her and numerous murders in the past. 

     We all know Harper is the killer. The real thrill is watching characters discover the truth.  Beukes is a gifted author who works seamlessly in the complex time travel arena.   Just like Audrey Niffenegger’s ‘Time Traveler’s Wife’ this book will haunt you with the possibilities. You will marvel, too, that an author with such a moral compass can write one of the truly most evil killers ever put to page.

My review copy of The Shining Girls thanks to the shiny people at HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHERS Australia

USEFUL INFORMATION

Release Dates:

Australia and New Zealand: May 2013

Purchasing details:      Click here

Author’s Website:        LAUREN BEUKES

Sample Read:             Click here

THE AUTHOR

     Lauren Beukes is a novelist, TV scriptwriter, documentary maker, comics writer and occasional journalist. She won the 2011 Arthur C Clarke Award for her novel ZOO CITY, set in a fantastical Johannesburg where guilt manifests as spirit animal familiars. Her previous works include MOXYLAND, a dystopian cyberpunk thriller set in Cape Town under corporate apartheid. She helped create South Africa’s first half-hour animated TV show, URBO: The Adventures of Pax Afrika, and has written kids animated shows for Disney UK and Millimages in France.