Book Review: The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes

The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes
Release Date: 9th April 2013

Publisher: Penguin Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 580
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY and 2013 GVR

Summary from Amazon:

"As the youngest of the five Walsh girls, Helen has had a tough time finding her way in the world—at thirty-three, she has her job as a private investigator that has proven less than fruitful and after losing her flat, she’s moved back in with Mammy Walsh. Her hunky new boyfriend, Artie, and his three adorable children are a great distraction, but his beautiful ex-wife lives a little too close for comfort. Meanwhile, Helen runs into her ex-boyfriend Jay Parker and reluctantly signs on to help him locate Wayne Diffney, the recently disappeared fourth member of Ireland’s biggest mid-nineties boy band, Laddz. Of the five Laddz, the Talented One has long gone on to better things, but the Cute One, the Gay One, and the Other One are all busily shunning carbs and rehearsing their reunion tour, and it’s Helen’s job to track down Wayne, the Wacky One. Wayne hasn’t left a trace, and Helen throws herself into the search wholeheartedly, leaving no stone unturned while watching her own life slowly fall apart, one unpaid bill at a time."

Review:

I love Marian Keyes' novels. Quite a few years ago I bought my first Marian Keyes novel, Anybody out There?, and ever since then I've sought out and read all of her novels. So, when I saw that a new novel was being released, I preorded it on The Book Depository and read it pretty much as soon as it got here. And, just as I suspected, I quite enjoyed it. 

The novel centres on Helen Walsh, a 30-something private investigator who's pretty much hit rock bottom. She struggling for work, but then her ex swoops in and offers her a job to find a missing person, Wayne Diffney. So, over the next 4 or so days, she splits her time between searching for Wayne, spending time with her boyfriend and dealing with her family. I have to say, at first I didn't particularly like Helen - she just seemed snarky and annoying to me. But, as a read further and found out more about her and her back story, I did come to like her. I also enjoyed the reappearance of the Walsh family, who Keyes has centred many of her novels on (each of Helen's 4 sisters have a novel centred around them). 

I like how Keyes tackles big issues in some of her novels. One of my all time faves, Rachel's Holiday, deals with drug addiction and the rehabilitation process. In this novel, we dealt with depression. I liked how Keyes developed Helen's problem, and I thought that the picture she painted of a depressed person was pretty well done. Helen wasn't the stereotypical depressed person, the sort of person who doesn't do anything and stays in bed all day. She worked well and efficiently at her job, she interacted with her family and was getting along well with her boyfriend. Helen was struggling with some big problems, but from the outset, if you didn't know her you probably wouldn't think that she was depressed.

I also liked the mystery aspect of the novel. I honestly didn't know where Wayne was until it was revealed in the novel, and that very rarely happens to me. Some novels these days can be quite predictable in their story lines, and in mystery novels I tend to find that I can predict the endings fairly well. But with this one, I had absolutely no idea. Maybe that's why I loved the ending so much - not only did it fit in quite well with Helen's main storyline, but it surprised me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but I had no doubt when I picked it up that I would. I love that Keyes can write fun and entertaining novels that also deal with big issues - they've got a bit of everything really. Her novels really are great, I couldn't recommend them enough. 

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 

Release Date: 10th January 2012 

Publisher: Penguin Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 313
Rating: 4.5/5.0

Summary from Amazon:
"Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love."

Review: 
After finishing this book, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. What I do know is that I really, really liked this book. I think this might actually be the first novel I've read by John Green, and I can safely say that I will read more of his books in the future.
I loved the plot of this novel. Two teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, both affected by cancer in some way, manage to come together and fall hopelessly in love. And whilst I didn't particularly enjoy reading the end of the novel (and you can probably guess why, considering Hazel and Augustus met at the Cancer Kid Support Group), I did think it was a fitting end to the novel. So, overall, I loved the plot and the characters in this book.
But, the book just didn't meet my expectations. Maybe my expectations were too high to begin with, maybe I'm missing something, I'm not really sure - the book just wasn't one of those books that are so good you can't put them down, at least for me it wasn't. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, albeit a sad one as well, and I would definitely recommend to others.

Book Review: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Release Date: 3rd January 2012
Publisher: Penguin
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 387
Rating: 5/5

This book was read as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge

Summary from Amazon:

"Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future."

Review:

I had been dying to get my hands on this book ever since reviews first started appearing last year. I was a bit wary at first because I wasn't sure how well an appropriation of the classic fairytale Cinderella would fare, considering Cinderella was being updated to a cyborg mechanic. But I have to say that I absolutely loved everything about this book, and the appropriation of Cinderella was done really well. If you didn't know that this was a retelling of Cinderella, you may not have even been able to pick up on it.

Even though you knew basically where the plot was heading, this was still an enjoyable and unpredictable read. And this is mostly the case because this story is set in the new, dystopian world of New Beijing, with Cinderella as a cyborg. These two main plot twists add a whole new dimension to the story, and allow Cinder to stand out as a great story all on its own, and not merely a retelling of a classic fairytale.

My only issue was with the relationship between Cinder and Princess Selene. As soon as the princess was mentioned, I knew what the connection there was, it was so obvious. But nonetheless, this was an amazing debut novel, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Book Review: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Release Date: a long time ago...
Publisher: Penguin Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 302
Rating: 4.0/5.0

Book Blurb:

"The always unflappable Sherlock Holmes solves the world's most baffling puzzles with the able assistance of Doctor Watson. Mysteries of disguise, madness, red-headed members' clubs and missing thumbs must be untangled - and the only woman to ever beat the sleuth must be faced."

Review:
I've always loved Sherlock Holmes. I don't really know why, because this is the first Sherlock Holmes book I've actually read. I think ever since I got into mystery and crime, Sherlock Holmes just became the epicenter of that for me. But I can now say that I am a true fan of Sherlock Holmes after reading the original short stories.

There's a reason why Sherlock Holmes keeps getting recreated (what with movies, TV shows and books) - it's just sooo good. Whilst some of the stories are a bit absurd (a secret society for people with red hair?), its Holmes himself that will draw you into the stories. You read for a couple of pages some person relay all the details surrounding their mystery, and then you are shown piece by piece how Holmes figured it all out, and you say to yourself, "With the next short story, I'll be more attentive and I'll figure everything out." And then you try to do that, and you may work out parts of the story, but you have no chance of figuring out everything. And that's why the stories are addictive - you keep going back because not only are the stories interesting, but you want to see how Holmes solves the next mystery.

Whilst the stories are great, it took me longer than I expected to get through the book, and each story itself took me a while to read. I think the problem is that the book was dense, and I found it hard to finish one short story and then jump straight into the next. Either way, the short stories were worth the read, even if it takes some time to get through them all.

Teaser Tuesday (2)

Teaser Tuesday is a Meme hosted by Mizb @ Should Be Reading. Anyone can join in, as long as they do the following:

• Grab your current read. 
• Open your book to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page. 
• Warning:  Avoid spoilers in your teaser as not everyone has had the pleasure to read your current read
• Share the Title & Author so anyone can add your current read to their list if they wish to do so. 
• Note: links go to Amazon

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmesby Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Release Date: 1st March 1999
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 302

"I see it, I deduce it. How do I know that you have been getting yourself very wet lately, and that you have a most clumsy and careless servant girl?"

"My dear Holmes, this is too much. You would certainly have been burned had you lived a few centuries ago."
pg 5

 

Book Review: Beautiful Days (Bright Young Things #2) by Anna Godbersen

Beautiful Days (Bright Young Things #2) by Anna Godbersen

Release Date: 1st September 2011
Publisher: Penguin Books, Limited
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 358
Rating: 4.5/5.0

Summary from Amazon:

“For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys’ lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan’s bustling metropolis. But Letty’s not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams—no matter the cost.
Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey’s legacy . . . and take her revenge.

Promised to Cordelia’s half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights—and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.”

Review:

Anna Godbersen is shaping up to be one of my favourite authors. Beautiful Days is the second novel in the Bright Young Things series, and I am eagerly awaiting the third instalment in this series [hopefully to be released sometime next year]. What I love about this series is that is mixes both what modern girls want in a good novel with the glitz and glamour of New York in the 1920s. It’s a perfect combination that has resulted in a great novel, one that lives up to the expectations I had after reading Bright Young Things last year.

At first I found myself wondering exactly what had happened in the first novel, but Anna cleverly [but not subtlety] interwove details of the first book into the opening chapters, and within the first 30 pages or so I knew all the key elements in the plot to fill in the back-story. I then could continue on reading about the interesting lives of Cordelia, Astrid and Letty, the three best friends on whom the story is centred. And whilst the novel is told from each of the girl’s perspectives, revolving around each of their lives and differing stories, I have always felt that the Bright Young Things series is centred around Cordelia. Maybe she is just my favourite character, but it seemed to me that most of the novel was dedicated to her.

The story has something for almost any reader out there. Romance, history, crime, scandal, even a touch of feminism in how Astrid disobeys her fiance Charlie. At the heart of it, each girl strives to become their own woman, whether it be Cordelia, who strives to become a part of the family business and prove herself; Letty, who works diligently to become a star on Broadway; or Astrid, who just wants to do whatever she wants without being ordered around by a man. This was an amazing and delightful read, but not quite a full 5.0; it seemed that there was something missing from the mixture. I wasn't completely enthralled in the story, but nonetheless, it was an incredible book and I would recommend it in a heartbeat.