Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

Book Review

"I was a shoplifter, a pervert, you might say, and a liar of course, but nobody knew that."

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh (Vintage) is the 2016 Man Booker Prize short list option that's got everyone talking. Some are praising the novel and hoping it wins the award, while others say it doesn't deserve to be on the list at all.

It's a controversial choice and definitely a controversial book, dividing it's readers. So this, of course, made me want to read it.

Book Shop Spot: Mermaid Tales Bookshop, Tofino, Canada

...and a mini book haul

I'm going to start doing semi-regular posts on Book Shop Spots; a brief review of bookshops I've visited. The majority of these will probably be located around Suffolk in the UK as that's where I'm based, but I'll start off with a book shop on the other side of the world; Mermaid Tales Bookshop in Tofino in British Columbia, Canada.

The Girls by Emma Cline

Book Review

Being loosely based on the Manson Family cult, apparently selling for a $2 million contract and written by an author who's only 25 years old, The Girls by Emma Cline (Random House) was a must-read before it was even published.

I'd seen lots of good reviews of the book and also a couple of ones that hated it, so I thought I'd see what all the fuss is about.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Book Review

First off, I apologise if this review is rambling and confused; I've only been back from my honeymoon in Canada for a couple of days and I'm still incredibly jet-lagged. I'm actually writing this to try and stay awake.

I meant to review Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (Gollancz) ages ago but it somehow got lost on the list. It was one of the books that I won in my crime book bundle from Orion and I read it a few months ago now. I was reading the second of the series, Moon over Soho, on holiday and realised that I never got round to reviewing this one.

Which I'm now rectifying because I thoroughly enjoyed it, I haven't read such an original book in a long time.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Review

I thought I'd better get in there soon with my opinion on Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (Little, Brown Book Group). The only things is, I'm not sure what my opinion is.

I loved the Harry Potter books and would usually devour them pretty quickly then be left feeling that lost and unconnected feeling you have when finishing a brilliant book. This one didn't have quite the same affect, it was there but not as strong as it had once been. Maybe this is because I'm a bit older, maybe because it's based on a story by J.K. Rowling but not written by her, but I think it just didn't have the, excuse the pun, 'magic' of the novels.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the '8th Harry Potter story,' but in play form instead of a novel. It's based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffay and Jack Thorne, and written by Thorne.

Watching Edie by Camilla Way

Review

Watching Edie by Camilla Way (HarperCollins) was published on Thursday 28th July and I meant to post this review before that, but I'm afraid I got pretty busy (cough, publishing my own book, cough), so I've only now just got round to it. I wanted to crack on with this review though as Watching Edie was one of the most gripping but also unsettling thrillers I've ever read.

It's a tale of friendship gone sour and the mistakes of youth catching up with you.


Publisher's Blurb:

"THERE ARE SOME FRIENDS YOU'LL NEVER FORGET
NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY...

BEFORE
Edie is the friend that Heather has always craved. But one night, it goes terrifyingly wrong. And what started as an innocent friendship ends in two lives being destroyed.

AFTER
Sixteen years later, Edie is still rebuilding her life. But Heather isn't ready to let her forget so easily. It's no coincidence that she shows up when Edie needs her most.

NOW
Edie or Heather?
Heather or Edie?

Someone has to pay for what happened, but who will it be?"

News...

I'm sorry I haven't posted for a while but I've been ridiculously busy. Part of the business has to do with this post. I've been wanting to post about this for a while and I finally can because everything is finished and ready to go in a week's time.

Enough being elusive, here's my news...

I've written a book!

Well actually I've co-written a book. Highlanders' Revenge by Paul Tors is being published by Matador Publishing and will be released on Thursday 28th July.

It was written by myself and my uncle, Paul Richman, hence the name Paul Tors (Tors is my nickname).

We have a website with more information here.