Nic Dempsey

Trial By Fire – Josephine Angelini

More Josephine Angelini. Easy to read, fantastic world building and easy to read book crack.

 What a Wallflower Wants – Maya Rodale

Historical romance, that starts with a heroine who’s been raped and doesn’t say anything because if believed she have to marry her rapist. That part of the story was good, it all goes a bit unrealistic towards the end but it’s a romance, they’re not big on social realism. I enjoyed it and it’s good to see a genre book address the issues that the genre has (women and the working class and the bottom of the rungness of their existence)

The Apple Tart of Hope – Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

One of Helene’s picks. I liked some of it but it didn’t ring true to me, I really wanted to like it more but I couldn’t, it all felt a bit shallow and everything was resolved too easily.

Stately Pursuits – Katie Fforde

I picked this up at Barter Books the last time I was in Northumberland and although I quite enjoy early Katie Fforde, I didn’t really enjoy this. It was all a bit too much and certainly too easy.

The Blood of Olympus – Rick Riordan

Another of Luc’s picks. We were always going to finish the series, they are enjoyable. Rick Riordan has got some flack for being too accessible, an opinion that I totally disagree with, I lean firmly to the view that all reading is good reading. People read for all sorts of reasons and I really loathe the idea that reading that children do has to be educational.  Children are fires to be lit not pots to be filled and some children will read the Percy Jackson books and be entertained and some children will be entertained and inspired to go and learn more about the Greek myths, both are fine. I like these books for other reasons too, although girls read them, they are very much boys books  (as much as I wish it wasn’t so, my experience tells me it’s harder to get boys to read books they think are ‘for girls’ than it is to get girls to read these books – but maybe that’s just my godchildren!) but during the series things happen to both the male and the female characters that are human and real but the books aren’t issue books and the story doesn’t suffer while everyone sorts out their emotions. One of the characters comes out, another character learns to come to terms with not being the ‘chosen one’ but to value the things that they can do and have, all of them learn about being a team and giving and accepting love and friendship and help. It’s important and if it does all of that whilst being funny and entertaining, that’s a good thing.

Truly – Ruthie Knox

Fluff but interesting for me in that these characters didn’t have their act together. He wasn’t wildly successful, she wasn’t sure what her work life was going to be, they made a decision to work on all of that together. I like romances where there is no rescuing…

We Are All Completely Besides Ourselves – Karen Joy Fowler

I really enjoyed this, I wasn’t sure if I would. It’s about family and loss and experiments that go wrong.

 The City’s Son – Tom Pollock

Luc’s pick for half term. We both really enjoyed it and yes some of the metaphor was a little heavy handed and some of the writing felt older than YA but it’s nice to see London in a YA and bonus points for calling the police ‘the filth’ and other slang. I thought we were going for romance but it turned out to be more about friendship and the next book, which Luc is already reading (it’s a YA fantasy of course it’s a trilogy!) is about that friend. I enjoyed it and didn’t want to let it go so I imagine that I’ll be reading the next book pretty soon!