28.7.11

Book Review: The Goldsmith's Secret by Elia Barcelo

One snowy night in New York City, a successful, solitary goldsmith reflects on his life, and his unreliable memories intertwine and collide. Journeying to the village in Spain where he grew up, he hopes with some trepidation that he will encounter Celia, "the Black Widow", a beautiful and mysterious friend of his mother with whom he had a short and passionate affair when he was a teenager. But instead he meets a young women who opens doors into an unimagined world, and takes him back in time. The Goldsmith's Secret is a remarkable story of a love trapped between two parallel times, set in Spain in the 1950's, 1970'2 and in the last year of the twentieth century.
The Goldsmith's Secret is a novella at just 93 pages and it took me just under an hour to read it. We see everything through the goldsmith's eyes, he looks back on his relationship with Celia which was passionate and intense. He returns to Villasanta, the spanish village where he met Celia, here things get a little confusing and I'm not entirely sure if they are intended to be. The goldsmith meets a young girl also called Celia and it seems that she takes him back in time. I still enjoyed these parts of the book but it was very difficult to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
However, I must say that Elia Barcelo's writing is simply beautiful. Although it has been translated, none of its descriptive power has been lost. Barcelo masterfully chooses words to effortlessly provide the reader with a clear image of the scene in their head. Although I didn't fully understand the story, I still really enjoyed reading The Goldsmith's Secret as the writing was very special.

Many thanks to Quercus for sending me the book to review, it is out now.

26.7.11

Do you prefer a male or female lead?

I couldn't sleep the other night and I began thinking about the types of books that I read and whether they mainly have a male or female character. I decided that in the main I read books with a female lead and this led me to wonder whether that is because I am female, am I just drawn to books where women play the main part? Plus I realised that I mainly read books by female authors too, I wonder if this means that I am missing out on some brilliant books written by men. I know that there have been times when I have put down a book in a shop mainly because it was written by a man and not a woman. The only exception to this seems to be crime novels, I have no idea why but I do prefer my main character in those to be male. Don't get me wrong, I love the Maura and Isles series by Tess Gerritsen but I know that I would pick Hercule Poirot over Miss Marple any day!
I think I am going to try and be a little more open minded when it comes to male authors next time I am looking for a book as I am sure I have passed up some excellent books in the past.
Have you ever thought about this? Do you tend to read books by mainly a female or male author and what sex do you prefer your main character to be?

25.7.11

Book Review: The Summer Season by Julia Williams

Heartsease House is in desperate need of renovation. It's owner, widower Joel is struggling with life as a single dad. His plans to refurbish the house and garden suddenly seem like one burden too many. 
Mum to twin girls, Lauren's life is a constant juggling act. When her ex, Try turns up, wanting to see his daughters, she's determined to keep her distance. But it's a lot harder than she imagined...
Then guerrilla gardener Kezzie bursts into their lives, with her infectious enthusiasm to restore the gardens. But who is Kezzie? And what is she running away from?
As the warm days of summer drawn on, Heartsease House and its love-knot garden are transformed. But will Joel, Kezzie and Lauren be able to restore their own hearts?
It has taken me ages to read this book because of one reason or another but I have enjoyed it so much. Julia Williams has written such a good story and I was completely taken with the characters of Heartsease both past and present.
Heartsease House is a owned by Joel who is a widower with a young son, Sam. The house used to belong to his great-grandfather Edward who was married to Lily. Edward was a famous gardener in his time and lovingly created a knot garden in the grounds to celebrate his wife and their three children, Connie, Tilly and Harry.
Joel and Kezzie are working to restore the garden back to its former glory and this leads them to delve into the family history. What tragedies befell Edward and Lily and why was the garden abandoned when so much love and attention had been put into it?
Joel is pleased to have Kezzie's help and they get on very well but he knows so little about her other than the fact that she is hiding away in Heartsease. When is she going to face up to reality rather than running away from it?
Then we have Lauren, a friend of Joel's and Sam's unofficial child-minder. Lauren is a single mum to two girls and life isn't always easy. When the girls father returns, she is torn between wanting the perfect family life or shutting the door in his face. Also why does she feel jealous every time she sees Joel and Kezzie together if Joel is just a friend?
The Summer Season is only 363 pages long but I felt as though Julia Williams packed so much into it. I loved how it jumped between the past and the present to gradually give the reader a full picture of the story and characters. This is the first book by Julia Williams that I have read but she is an author that I will look out for in the future as she certainly knows how to tell a good story.

Many thanks to Avon for sending me a copy of the book to review, it is out now!

21.7.11

New to Dot Scribbles Shelves

Wow, I haven't done one of these for ages so I shall have to give you the edited version or we would be here for a very long time! Okay, here goes:

Panic by Jeff Abbott (Atom 28th July 2011) Evan Casher had a perfect life: great parents, his first girlfriend and a huge online following for his films. But when he comes home from school to find his father missing and his mother dead, Evan's going to learn the hard way that the people he trusted most were the people he knew the least. And that a 16 year-old kid might be the only one who can bring a murderer to justice.

Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance (Simon and Schuster) Deeley is the girlfriend of a Hollywood hunk- a secretly gay Hollywood hunk. But when her 'girlfriend' contract is up, his cut-throat publicist wants Deeley out. Dejected and penniless, Deeley heads back to London, where she hopes to re-establish links with her two estranged older sisters- only to find herself struggling with a forbidden attraction.
Devon is married to the nation's favourite rugby hero, and has a successful TV career as a seductive, voluptuous presenter of her own cookery show. But behind her perfect facade, Devon is lonely and frustrated. When a live celebrity cook-off goes disastrously wrong, she flees to Tuscany- and learns a few lessons in the bedroom as well as the kitchen from an Italian master...
Politican's wife Maxie is fiercely ambitious. She's furious when Deeley sells the sisters' childhood story to a gossip magazine, revealing their impoverished roots and their mother's criminal past. Maxie must use all the weapons in her armoury to preserve her image as a future PM's wife and avoid the devastating fallout. But Maxie is only too aware that there are many more secrets Deeley could yet reveal...

The Look of Love by Judy Astley (Transworld) Bella has given up on men. Her latest boyfriend 'forgot' to tell her about his current wife so she is single again. And then her ex-husband turns up, wanting to sell the family home in which she and their two teenage children are happily living their lives. The Bella sees a chance to stay in the house and earn some money from it. She rents it out for a reality TV fashion makeover programme and it turns out that the house isn't the only thing that will benefit from a change...

Destiny by Louise Bagshawe (Headline) Orphan Kate Fox is determined to make her mark in the world. Life hasn't been easy and when she attracts the attention of media mogul Marcus Broder- sophisticated, powerful and wealthy beyond measure- it seems as though all of Kate's dreams have come true. But marriage to Marcus isn't everything she imagined. A closet filled with designer clothes and nothing to do with her time but shop, lunch and be beautiful, does not bring happiness. Before long, Kate wants out of her marriage, a career of her own, and a chance at love. But Marcus has other ideas, and he will stop at nothing in his attempts to destroy her...

Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon (Simon and Schuster) Meg is terrified. She lives in the South of France with her doting boyfriend Christian and their beautiful son Barney who has just turned one. Life should be idyllic. But she is living a lie- a lie that will turn their lives upside down and inside out. Because, as every day goes by, Meg's son looks less and less like Christian. How much longer can she keep her devastating secret from him, from their friends and family, from Barney? How much longer before the whole world realises that the father of her child is none other than Johnny Jefferson, wild boy of rock, constantly in the headlines, constantly in Meg's thoughts?

Always on my Mind by Colette Caddle (Simon and Schuster) With only weeks to go until her Dublin wedding, Molly Jackson is happily anticipating married life. She has everything she ever wanted: her perfect job, as an agony aunt for an online magazine Teenage Kix, Declan, the love of her life; and, in Belle, Oliver, Rory, and Laura, a loving and warm, if slightly eccentric family. Then Declan drops his bombshell: he has to go abroad, on business. The wedding must be postponed. Hurt, and reeling from the shock, Molly is seeing Declan off at the airport when she bumps into her childhood sweetheart, Luke Fortune. Luke left the country when they were both eighteen. Seeing him again, Molly realises that she has a window of opportunity, while Declan is away, to put a few of the ghosts in her past to rest...

Last Dance With Valentino by Daisy Waugh (Harper Collins, 4th August 2011) 1916. Leaving war-ravaged London, Jenny Doyle sets sail for New York where she is to work for the de Saulles family. Their home, Gatsby-like in elegance, is rife with intrigue and madness. Only Jenny's friendship with dancer Rodolfo offers escape...until, one tragic day, the household is changed forever.
1926. America booms, prohibition rules and Rodolfo has taken his place on the silver screen as Rudolph Valentino. Will the world's most desired film star and his lost love have their Hollywood happy ending, or will the tragic echoes from their time with the de Saulles thwart them one last time?

Until Thy Wrath Be Past by Asa Larsson (Quercus Books, 18th August 2011) In the first thaw of spring the body of a young woman surfaces in the River Torne in the far north of Sweden. Rebecka Martinsson is working as a prosecutor in nearby Kiruna. Her sleep has been disturbed by haunting visions of a shadowy, accusing figure. Could the body belong to the ghost in her dreams? Joining forces with Police Inspector Anna-Maria Mella, Martinsson is drawn into an investigation that focuses on old rumours about the disappearance of a plane carrying supplies for the Wehrmacht in 1943. Shame and secrecy shroud the locals' memories of the war, with Sweden's early co-operation with the German's still a raw wound. And on the windswept shore of a frozen lake waits a killer who will kill again to keep the past buried forever beneath half a century of silent ice and snow. The physical courage of Martinsson is remarkable, and her at times uneasy collaboration with Inspector Mella- two women confronting murderous criminals- is dogged at every step by an unflinchingly chauvinistic police establishment.

I was hoping that things would have got a lot busier on the blog this week but I came down with an awful cold at the weekend and so have spent the last three days in bed, no reading for me unfortunately. I am much better now though and normal reading speed seems to be resuming! Let me know if you have read any of these or heard anything good or bad!

14.7.11

Book Review: Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

Olivia Bellamy has traded her trendy Manhattan life for a summer renovating her family's crumbling holiday resort. Tempted by the hazy, nostalgic memories of summers past- childhood innocence and the romance and rivalries of her teens. It's the perfect place to flee after her broken engagement. But what began as an escape may just be a new beginning...
As Olivia uncovers secrets buried thick with dust, one by one her family return, their lives as frayed at the edges as the resort. Her father and the mystery woman in the tatty black and white photograph. Uncle John, who's trying to be a father again to his teenage kids. Connor Davis, the first love she never forgot.
Laughter is ringing around Willow Lake once more. This could be Olivia's summer of a lifetime!
Summer at Willow Lake is a very easy-going, enjoyable read. Olivia is spending the summer renovating Camp Kioga, the summer camp owned by her family and a place where Olivia spent her childhood summers. Those were the summers when she was chubby and awkward, now she is stunning and highly successful except in the romance department where she has just experienced a broken engagement with one of New York's most eligible bachelors.
Olivia is determined to get the camp back to it's former glory so that her grandparents can celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary there. Olivia didn't expect to have to see Connor Davis again though. He was her first love at camp but things did not end well and they haven't spoken for years. As the only building contractor in the area, Connor is Olivia's only choice for doing the work at Willow Lake so it looks like they will be spending the summer together again. As Olivia works on the camp, family secrets are uncovered and old feelings awakened. It looks like it is going to be a very interesting summer.
I did really enjoy this book and I thought that the pace was great. It is a very nostalgic read and has you remembering the summers of your childhood. It is a book that I would highly recommend sitting in the sunshine with to pass a few hours.

Many thanks to Mira for sending me a copy of the book to review, it is out now.

13.7.11

New to Dot Scribble's Shelves: The pitter patter of tiny feet!!

I thought it was time to come clean as to why the blog has been so quiet of late!! I am expecting my first baby! I am 12 weeks pregnant today and we had the first scan yesterday and all was well and baby Dot Scribbles is due around January 25th 2012.
I have still been reading but not at my usual rate as the morning sickness (which lasts all day!) has not been great, it's getting better though so things shall hopefully be getting busier round here in the next few weeks!
Don't worry, this isn't going to become a baby blog, I just wanted to share the news with you lovely people! The only baby related reading I have done so far is the book pictured which I have to say is excellent, I am very lucky in having Dr S as he can answer my questions but it is great to have this to dip in and out of too. I have also been knitting to distract me from the queasiness and I have nearly finished my first baby cardigan but I have had so many lovely books arrive over the past few weeks, I am really excited about reading and reviewing them now that I'm feeling a bit better!

7.7.11

Book Review: Body Double by Tess Gerritsen

Dr Maura Isles started at the corpse in the car, at the face illuminated by Rizzoli's flashlight beam. It's me. That woman is me. 
Maura Isles deals with death. As a pathologist in downtown Boston, she has seen more than her share of corpses. But never before has the body on the medical examiner's table been her own.
There can be no denying the evidence though. The dead woman is the mirror image right down to the most intimate physical details. Even more chilling is the discovery that they share the same birth date and blood type.
Then a DNA test confirms that Maura's mysterious double is indeed her twin sister, and suddenly an already bizarre murder investigation becomes a disturbing  excursion into a past full of dark and deadly secrets...
Tess Gerritsen just gets better and better! Body Double is so hard to put down,  I was completely carried away with the plot and the characters.
Dr Maura Isles returns from a trip to Paris to discover the police outside her house. Everyone is looking at her like a ghost and she soon understands why when they reveal why they are there. Slumped over the steering wheel, a gun shot victim is parked in Maura's driveway and looks exactly like her. A heavily pregnant Jane Rizzoli is leading the case and whilst she is relieved that her friend is alive and well, she is is no way prepared for where this case will take the two of them.
After a DNA test confirms that the victim is actually Dr Isle's sister, a whole can of worms is opened. In her quest to find the truth, Maura discovers that she may have quite a macabre heritage and that she may not be the only member of her family interested in the dead.
As usual, Tess Gerritsen has delivered a story with a terrific pace, each chapter makes you want to read on. I really liked how this book focused on Dr Maura Isles and I thought that it was a very clever way to explore the idea of nature vs nurture. Are we really just a product of our shared DNA or can we shape our own lives?
I'm already looking forward to reading the next book in the series and I will be very sad when I get to the last one.

5.7.11

Book Review: Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts... but they believe in her.
Violet has spent years taking part in her mother's fakes seances, putting the rich and powerful in touch with the dead, and their success has brought them a life of luxury they could only have dreamed of and Violet the prospect of a society marriage.
The last thing Violet expected was to start seeing and hearing the dead for real. But now she is haunted day and night but the ghost of a drowned girl who won't let her rest until her murderer is uncovered. 
Violet must use her talents to unravel the mystery surrounding the girl's death- and quickly before the killer strikes again.
I have read and enjoyed Alyxandra Harvey's Drake Chronicles so I was very excited to learn that her new young adult book had gone in the direction of historical fiction. Haunting Violet is set in 1872 and the world of Victorian spiritualism. Violet's mother is a fraud, she pretends she has the gift and holds the seances for the gentry who hold her in esteem as a celebrity of the day. It is these bogus talents that earn Violet and her mother an invitation to Rosefield, which is Lord Jasper's country estate. Mrs Willoughby is to entertain his guests who are staying and Violet is her unwilling accomplice. Rosefield is a new beginning for Violet though as it is here that she discovers that she truly does have the gift of seeing the dead. Violet tries to fight against it as she knows that her mother will think nothing of exploiting her only child.
One of the ghosts that Violet sees is pretty terrifying. Rowena was the daughter of one of Lord Jasper's neighbours he apparently drowned leaving behind her sister Tabitha. It soon becomes clear though that Rowena was murdered and the only way that she will leave Violet alone is if she can reveal the identity of her killer.
Violet wants justice for Rowena but soon finds herself the victim of several 'accidents', Rowena's murderer is clearly prepared to silence Violet if needs be and to have another death on their conscience.
Haunting Violet is hugely atmospheric, I think that Victorian spiritualism is fascinating and the author talks about many of the tricks of the trade. Alyxandra Harvery creates some terrifying scenes when Rowena appears to Violet and you get a real sense of her desperation for justice and the need to protect her sister.
If you like historical fiction or books with a paranormal twist then you would enjoy this one. Haunting Violet is young adult fiction but I think it will easily cross over to adult readers. I really hope that Alyxandra Harvey writes more in this genre as this is my favourite books that she has written so far.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of the book to review, Haunting Violet was published yesterday.

All change here!

I have made the decision to stop doing written reviews on here for a little while. I shall keep this page open but for the time being I sha...