This is a highly original and inventive book. Full of colourful characters and a charismatic circus setting. This novel contains elements of the fairy tale, a love story as well as drama. Celia and Marco are attracted to one another, both blessed with magical talents that allow them to manipulate objects and animals to their will. The problem, as they discover, is that they are to be star crossed lovers, pitted against one another by their mentors, locked together in a challenge to perform the best magic. Can they find a way to outwit the challenge and be together.
Then there is Bailey who is dared to enter the circus as a young boy, the circus that is only open at night and known as the circus of dreams. He does so and there starts a lifelong obsession with the circus that sees him building up to play a pivotal role in the life of the circus. Everything about the circus is mysterious and strange. A fan club who identify one another by wearing red springs up following the circus all over the world and record their adventures. There is the magical clock that inspires the patrons, a magic carousel and mazes that come and go as well as acrobats, contortionists and amazing illusionists!
The novel draws in the reader as the circus attracts its patrons, it has to be read carefully and absorbed, there are a host of characters whose motives are not entirely clear, the performers never age, the bonfire that is lit with great ceremony seems vital to the survival of the circus and one is never sure if the magic they see is real or an illusion. A wonderful novel and a fantastic read. 5/5
Category: Reviews
On this page find out about things I have read, watched or experienced. I am happy to receive proofs in paperback or via Kindle for review and aim to be honest with my thoughts. My family are also open to trying out new gadgets and gizmos. Reviews are published to this blog, Amazon, Goodreads and Shelfari. Please leave a comment or find me on Facebook or Twitter and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. I aim to review withing three weeks of receipt but with three young children this can sometimes slip.
The Causal Vacancy by J K Rowling
I was both eager and reluctant to read this book. I loved the Harry Potter books because I liked the characters, and I was concerned that this book simply wouldn’t be as good. A complete change of age target age range and genre also gave me concerns, but the novel is good. I liked it, it is a bit like midsomer murders without the murder!
The story is centred on the village of Pagford which is near to a larger distrusted town Yarvil, the residents are divided about the town and more specifically about an area known as the Fields. This is an area that was built to house poorer residents and is generally run down and filled with the more undesirable elements. Not only that but some of the council want to get rid of the addiction clinic that they feel is using up all their precious resources and encouraging the undesirables.
The problems begin for Pagford when their local councillor Barry Fairbrother dies suddenly and unexpectedly triggering an election. As the power plays being dark secrets are exposed via the ghost of Barry Fairbrother, revealing secrets that no-one wants revealed. As the election looms and the secrets are revealed a series of events contributed to by the simple power plays of the would be councillors have devastating results, leading to epiphanies, job losses, and even funerals. I was sad at the end of the novel but to some degree satisfied, in the main the characters had seemed to get what they deserved but I won’t spoil it by telling you what happens to who.
The novel is well written and captures the voices of the individual characters, both young and old very well. It reveals in details how a community of people who in the main co-operate with one another, live together without too much acrimony keep secrets from each other, their parents, their children and their partners. Emotions are well portrayed and the tensions between the pro and con fields people are played out authentically. I much enjoyed reading this novel and would recommend it. 5/5
LOL Drinks
We were recently sent some drinks hitting shelves of the supermarkets anytime now! They were LOL drinks, they contain a portion of fruit per can, but the thing that makes them stand out is the fact that they are carbonated. My children have not been keen on the whole fizz thing but they agreed to be guinea pigs and try each of the three flavours;
Apple and orange, apple and blackcurrant, apple and raspberry.
We enjoyed all the varieties but our favourite was the apple and raspberry, all of them had a nice fruity flavour with just the right amount of fizz, the kids felt comfortable with. They liked the distinctive bright coloured smiley faces on the cans and thought that they would like to see them in the shops and older children will be familiar with the LOL meaning from text speak, I have been asked to buy some for the older children as they stated that it would be something different to squash and water. I have to admit I don’t mind too much as a whole portion of fruit in a drink I can get into the kids is always good, especially one that can make them feel a bit more grown up because it is fizzy.
LOL Drinks are available at Waitrose and will be rolled out further this summer.
The Fifty Shades Trilogy
CONTAINS SPOILERS
I finally jumped on the bandwagon to see what all the social media fuss was about. The lead characters Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey meet when Anastasia arrives to interview Christian in place of her sick room-mate Katherine. What follows is slightly ludicrous as she a virgin agrees to embark on a sexual relationship with him based on a contract dependent on her submission.
It turns out that sexy, loaded has everything Christian is very damaged having been raised until the age of four by his crack addicted mother and was then rescued via adoption by the Grey family. The main problem is Anastasia simply isn’t good at being submissive, she struggles and begins to tame some of Christian’s issues convincing him that ‘vanilla’ sex will be OK. Gradually along with lots of fights and sex they fall in love.
In the second and third book their lives are complicated by her disobedience and his constant over-reactions to her friends and desire to socialise, she learns how to work her way around him and it usually involves the ‘playroom’.
The third book actually has a plot that doesn’t just involve sex and so get 4/5 stars compared with the other two which only get three. The problem is you have to have read the first two books to understand who the characters are and how they are related to Anastasia and Christian. With fiction the events of the story obviously need to be condensed but in this case Anastasia goes from virgin to sex slave, to married and pregnant in a matter of months, there is a lot of sex, that goes without saying and some of it tends to the kinky side as Anastasia learns to lover her own body. Her inner goddess and consciousness seem to constantly comment on her life and to be honest they get rather irritating as do the constant ‘oh my’, ‘whoa’ and assorted other repetitive phrases. The story line is at times a little stretched, for instance someone tampers with Christian’s helicopter, he manages to land, hike back to Seattle and comfort his distressed girlfriend and assorted family members, then to recover he indulges in hours of sex!
Anyway entertaining in its own way although the first book in particular has a rushed feeling it held my interest enough for me to read the remainder of the trilogy, even if at times I was rolling my eyes and biting my lip!
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
An amazing read. As I went about my business today having read this book I couldn’t help but think how much I take for granted. Narrated by a young girl this novel has an honest matter of fact tone, the emotions the girl feels at the strange events as well as the trials of approaching adolescence are well constructed and come through perfectly.
We assume the world is going to keep turning, the sun is going to rise and set and no matter what other trials we are experiencing the natural world will, in the main, look after itself, except what if it doesn’t. What if something shifts and it affects all of us, this is the concept the novel explores. The way the different people react and how new allegiances and rivalries are formed as a result, can the human race simply continue, ignore the will of the planet that hosts us?
As well as depicting a screenshot of growing up this book is thought provoking, it is a good read for the individual and would work really well in book groups. It is accessible and sweetly told whilst unfolding mind bending events. Thoroughly recommended. 5/5
One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon
A lovely summer read with the right amount of suspense, angst and romance. From the very beginning of the book I was hooked. As eighteen year old Alice journeys to Dorset for a summer holiday with her parents she is expecting a quiet time. Her best friend Lizzy has had to pull out and so she is on her own with her preparation reading! Upon visiting the local pub she receives a warm welcome from the bar tender Joe. The sparks between them fly until they are interrupted by his less than welcoming parents. The rest of the summer passes in a blur for Alice and Joe whose relationship intensifies quickly much to the distress of both sets of parents.
Things grind to a halt when Joe’s older brother Ryan re-appears and his prison past is revealed as well as his propensity for violence. It isn’t long before Ryan ruins the momentum building up between Joe and Alice and the family return to London without Joe, who promises to come and find her.
As Alice journeys to Cambridge to begin her university career she meets Jessie and Emily, becomes a punter and the spirit of Cambridge is captured in the wonderful descriptions of the city. Then the rich and slightly awkward arrives on the scene intent on capturing the still broken-hearted Alice. Lukas is German and rich but he too has a family with issues – he has an arranged marriage waiting for him in Germany, still he romances Alice, but is always intent on having his own way and his desire to control Alice can be slightly unsettling. Meanwhile everyone it seems is keeping secrets as Joe comes back into their lives in an unexpected way. Finally, nine years after the perfect summer they shared together Alice and Joe are re-united and there are some difficult decisions to be made.
Paige Toon has captured the teenage angst of first love perfectly as well as the spirit of Cambridge and friendship, a thoroughly recommended read. 5/5
For more information about Paige Toon check out her website;
http://www.paigetoon.com/
Room by Emma Donoghue
Room is an original and thought provoking book. Told from the point of view of just turning five Jack the language and view of the world is spot on. Jack uses childish names for things and I was curious as to why Room was capitalised and it took a long to find out. I tried to guess why Jack and his mum were confined in such a small space but I wasn’t close to the real reason.
As the story unfolds and we discover just how evil Old Nick is it is both horrifying and startling. As he describes some of the events in graphic detail it is stated so simply and innocently that the impact is more terrifying. Watching his emergence into the world is akin to a baby beginning it’s journey into the world but with the ability to eat, speak and count and so on. The wonder of everything and the confusion is touching and well described. This is particularly apparent when Jack panics when he sees car on the other side of the road and thinks they are all going to hit him until it is explained that cars use both sides of the road but don’t cross into each others paths.
Some of the events whilst totally believable, (Jacks mum’s suicide attempt) come out of nowhere and the characters are all seen through Jacks eyes. Getting used to the way other people such as Grandma and Steppa do things after so long with just his Mum show how big an adjustment he is having to make. The social adjustments from TV to real show how well his Mother has managed to shield Jack from the awful reality of his predicament but the toll on her is made apparent by both the physical ailments such as her teeth and her inability to interact with the world around her.
This is not a book that you ‘enjoy’, but it is a book that is worth reading, it is thought provoking and in the light of some recent news stories completely plausible. I would have loved to find out more about Jack and his adventures in the world which is always a sign of a good read, you leave your reader wanting more.
The English Monster by Lloyd Shepherd
I enjoyed this book as it was quite different from most of the other books out there at the moment! Combining the grimy dockyards of Wapping and the exotic Jamaica.
The story combines a shipping expedition to collect slaves and the descriptions of the capture of the slaves and the treatment of them is detailed and disturbing making the title The English Monster very apt. What happens to Billy Ablass on one of these expeditions is startling and links the two parts of the story together.
Two centuries later someone is committing grisly murders, again the detail of these scenes is not for the faint hearted! Suspects come and a go but the lack of authority and the disarray of the magistrates make catching the one responsible more difficult. As slavery becomes outlawed it is driven underground, slave ships refitted or quietly sold on.
The Royal Society is holding secrets as well, and has been for some time, it is only when the unofficial investigation of Horton takes decisive action that the true horror from both sides is put to rest. The detail in the book is credible and informative and the characters vivid. The sense of the different environments in which the characters find themselves in are vibrant and captivating, this may not be an ‘easy’ read in the sense of the subject matter but it will make you think and is definitely worth a look.(less)
Zumba Fitness XBox 360
Having enjoyed the first Zumba games for the X-Box I awaited the release of this game with interest. It was billed as being bigger and better than the first outing and indeed in many ways it is. The graphics are more lifelike, the music and background environments more varied and interesting. There are also more instructors featured and in the classes, particularly the 45 and 1 hour classes they are all featured.
The game works in a similar way to the previous one, with the added benefit of voice control, having said that I have found that this feature is not very responsive, the hand signals do seem to be better in this game but even so it still take a fair amount of time to navigate through the various menus to the game itself, there is also a lengthly introduction video which if you miss the opportunity to skip holds you up for a couple of minutes.
The game itself can be played for 20, 45 or 60 minutes at low, medium or high intensity. You can get a sample of each class before you start. If you prefer to practice a single song or learn a step you can do that by following the appropriate link in the main menu.
As stated the graphics are very different from the original game, the classes take place in a variety of places including rooftops, clubs and swimming pool. The thing that takes some getting used to is the way the camera angles change even mid-move. Like many of the dance games a next move indicator appears just before you need to carry it and rather than the ‘encouraging’ comments from the instructor are gone and replaced by an image of you and your moves. Instead of the zumba double points you collect stars and if you get a big enough chain of moves correct you trigger zumba euphoria. This means that the screen seems to have a mist over it for a small amount of time. Once you get used to the odd camera angles and the euphoria mode you’ll find the graphics more detailed and useful than the previous version.
Included in this version is a calorie counter, however having played the game at different levels and for different lengths of time I have come to conclude that it isn’t very accurate. I also run a lot and 45 minutes running monitored with a GPS monitor burns approximately 450-500 calories depending on speed, according to the game 45 minutes of mid-intensity zumba burns over 900! Anyway that aside I think this game is an improvement on the previous one and suitable for all levels of ability. I would definitely recommend it a fun way to tone up and burn calories!
All the Single Ladies by Jane Costello
An interesting tale where once the heroine gets what she thinks she wants she immediately begins to question it. Samantha, the lead character is likeable and is devastated when she learns that her boyfriend Jamie is planning to travel. She acknowledges that he is a free spirit and that this is the most frustrating thing about him.
Instead of lying around brooding Samantha summons the help of her two closest friends and comes up with a plan – to make Jamie jealous and make him see the error of his ways. We enter the world of internet dating with mixed results and then Ben arrives and things begin to get complicated.
As well as the problems Samantha has in her love life she comes to realise that her best friend is spiralling towards alcoholism and there are some touching scenes when she confronts her in an effort to help her deal with the problem. There are plenty of surprises and upbeat moments in the book. Samantha’s family also feature and add to her worry load as her sister decides to seek out her birth father which leads to the unearthing of a few skeletons in the closets.
An entertaining read that is both funny and touching.