Book Review ~ A Place For Us by Harriet Evans

Title: A Place For Us
Author: Harriet Evans
Release Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher: Hachette (NZ)
Source: Received from Booksellers NZ for an honest review

The day Martha Winter decided to tear apart her family began like any other day.

So opens A Place for Us by Harriet Evans, a book you'll dive into, featuring a family you'll fall in love with ... and never want to leave. If you devour Rosamund Pilcher and Maeve Binchy and have discovered Jojo Moyes, you'll be thrilled to add Harriet Evans to your collection of favourite authors.

The house has soft, purple wisteria twining around the door. You step inside.

The hall is cool after the hot summer's day. The welcome is kind, and always warm.

Yet something makes you suspect life here can't be as perfect as it seems.
After all, the brightest smile can hide the darkest secret.

But wouldn't you pay any price to have a glorious place like this?

Welcome to Winterfold.
Martha Winter's family is finally coming home.

I have to admit I found A Place For Us very difficult to get into. I found the constant changes in POV far too regular and that frustrated me. I wasn’t given enough time to familiarize myself with one member of the family before I was being thrust upon another.

I had the same problem with the time differences and I had to make a conscious effort to push through my misgivings and carry on because if I hadn’t this book would have ended up on the DNF (did-not-finish) pile less than 100 pages in!

It’s not that it was a bad book in any way, the writing is well developed and the story has merit – a little romance, some mystery, but it was all just a bit ordinary. I mean, I’m sure there are plenty of readers that will love this slowly paced family saga; I just found the time shifts and multiple points of view a little overdone and it made the flow of the book too clunky for me. And I prefer my family dramas more real, heated, scandalous, and full of gasp worthy moments – A Place For Us was just too safe and vanilla for my tastes.

Still a good if safe read, 3.5 stars.

Book Review ~ Mrs D is Going Without by Lotta Dann

Title: Mrs D is Going Without: I used to be a boozy housewife. Now I'm not. This is my book.

Author: Lotta Dann
Release Date: July 1st 2014
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Source: Received from the publisher via Booksellers NZ

Lotta Dann was in trouble - her fun drinking habit had slowly morphed into an obsessive hunger for wine. One bottle a night was never quite enough. When she tried to cut down, she found it nearly impossible to have an alcohol-free day.

Everyone around could see her drinking, but no one realised what a serious problem it was. She was high-functioning, fun-loving Lotta, not some messy, hopeless drunk. Only Lotta knew how sick and twisted her thinking about wine had become.

Desperate and miserable, she was falling deeper and deeper into a boozy hellhole and running out of ideas about what she could do to stop it. What's a girl to do when her beloved wine becomes the enemy?

Here's what Lotta did. She stopped drinking and secretly started a blog that charted the highs and lows of learning to live without alcohol. Mrs D was anonymous, honest and, as Lotta would discover, surrounded by people who would help her on her journey, and whom she could help in return.

Prelude to a book review...

I decided to write a short prelude to my review of Mrs D is Going Without, because it’s not the kind of book I normally read or review; I thought it might be good to give you a little insight.

I am the daughter of an alcoholic.

While I was between the ages of approx 12 and 34 my dad was pretty much drinking and/or drunk all-the-time. I won’t bore you with all the gory details of growing up in a seriously dysfunctional household, but needless to say it wasn’t healthy, or pleasant, or fun.

I’m an occasional drinker, but there is scientific evidence that suggests children of alcoholics may have a genetic predisposition towards alcoholism; and I guess that is always in the back of my mind. Like an inner voice of sorts, telling me to be responsible, reminding me that I don’t want to end up like my father. That’s actually a sad fact to admit to, but it is a true one. I do not want to be like my dad.

So I guess I was looking for some kind of reassurance that it couldn’t happen to me. Maybe reading Mrs D, would provide me with answers to my questions about my dad’s drinking, or perhaps I would be more understanding of his drinking through reading Mrs. D’s story...
 
Review

Mrs D is Going Without is nothing but honest... unabashedly so.
Lotta Dann (Mrs D) leaves no stone un-turned, no secret unrevealed, as she reflects and expands on her first years of sobriety; originally recorded on her blog (of the same name).

Full of insightful ‘light bulb’ moments, tips and tricks for skipping her 5 o’clock wine – Mrs D had a serious case of clean the house to avoid a drink syndrome – she did whatever it took to avoid booze, and it worked for her.

I love the narrative that strings the blog posts together, and the blog comments that slowly appear to offer support are great to read, to see how her story resonates with people from all works of life, all corners of the globe. But the thing I like the most is Mrs D’s relatability.

Mrs D really is like you or I. She is juggling all the exciting and mundane things that make us all hardworking wives and mothers. Sick kids, moving house, housework, school runs, general day-to-day monotony - you name it, she did it – all while going cold turkey, all without her usual wine o’clock relief that would turn in to an inevitable wow, I drank the whole bottle evening!

I saw similarities between Mrs D and my dad.
Hell, I even saw similarities between Mrs D and myself! But there are great differences too, as revealed on page 220.
I wrote this down in my notes: ‘I so loved this moment. I read it with a tear in my eye. Because after almost 40 years of being one, my Dad still can't say those words... you are a brave and honest woman Mrs D, and I applaud you for it.’ I won’t give it completely away for those of you who will read Mrs D is Going Without, but I found this to be one of the most defining moments in Mrs D’s journey.

To say I enjoyed this book would be understating the fact. I absolutely loved this memoir. After finishing, I wrote this note: ‘so I've pretty much cried my way through the last chapters of this book (yes, I am a crier in general) but I have been so moved by Lotta and her journey. Cheers (of the non alcoholic variety) to you :)’

Did I get some of the answers I was looking for – well yes, I think I did.
I definitely have a better realization about how easy the slide from one evening drink to out of control drinking can be. And while I always have been aware, I now have a better understanding about alcohol being a drug, about how it can consume your every thought, having to base every decision you make on what to drink instead of booze and how to avoid slipping back it to its clutches. Because it is so socially accepted, we hardly notice when it gets out of control.

Mrs D is Going Without, is a must read. And not just for those thinking of giving up the drink. Family, friends, loved ones, children and parents of alcoholics; anyone, anywhere can be affected by alcoholism and I would strongly recommend that you all read this book – if for nothing more than to simply understand that someone who may be struggling with alcohol doesn’t have to be falling down drunk every day. Even the person lying in bed beside you could be silently struggling... and you just don’t realise it.
A truly inspiring 5 star read.

Book Review ~ Sheild of Winter by Nalini Singh

Title: Shield of Winter (Psy-Changeling #13)
Author: Nalini Singh
Release Date: June 5th 2014
Publisher: Gollancz
Source: Received from the publisher via BooksellersNZ

Assassin. Soldier. Arrow. That is who Vasic is, who he will always be. His soul drenched in blood, his conscience heavy with the weight of all he’s done, he exists in the shadows, far from the hope his people can almost touch—if only they do not first drown in the murderous insanity of a lethal contagion. To stop the wave of death, Vasic must complete the simplest and most difficult mission of his life.

For if the Psy race is to survive, the empaths must wake…

Having rebuilt her life after medical “treatment” that violated her mind and sought to suffocate her abilities, Ivy should have run from the black-clad Arrow with eyes of winter frost. But Ivy Jane has never done what she should. Now, she’ll fight for her people, and for this Arrow who stands as her living shield, yet believes he is beyond redemption.

But as the world turns to screaming crimson, even Ivy’s fierce will may not be enough to save Vasic from the cold darkness…

Nalini Singh is a big hitter.
If you read her stuff, you know what you’re generally going to get.
Great story, great writing, great tension, intrigue, adventure, romance, and sex!
And that can be said for Shield of Winter, however there is a but!

This (book #13) was a much better read than the previous installment; but that doesn’t mean it was a truly fantastic read either.
The story was slow to start.
It was slow to heat up.
And it was so slow to get to the sexiness that usually comes with any book penned by Nalini Singh.

I can only conclude it has to do with the Psy/Psy relationship.
For me, there was a distinct lack of heat - and that’s understandable when you consider the way of their society – their upbringing – their silence. They are, as a whole, a closed off emotionless breed.
So is that the reason for the slow start, perhaps.
The basic continuation of the story is good – the subplot intriguing – the sneak peeks in to the lives of previously loved couples insightful.
But I just didn’t warm up to the relationship between Vasic and Ivy initially. I didn’t really like or connect with Ivy, but Vasic was a little easier to grasp as we’d seen him in previous books. I always knew he’d be a great leading man!

So yes, it took me quite a while to get in to Shield of Winter – to warm up to another Psy/Psy relationship (book #12 was also a Psy/Psy romance) but Ms Singh came through in the end.

In fact, the emotional roller coaster of Vasic’s situation was rather touching, and the progress gained for all Psy great – and I can only hope that carries forward to the next book, pushing the series ahead somewhat, so we can enjoy more great stories and less info dumping about Psy.

So all-in-all, Shield of Winter is a good read if you can manage to get past the very slow first half of the book. And because it was rather emotional at the end – I may have even had a tear or two – I’m giving it 4 stars.

Book Review ~ Heartland by Jenny Pattrick

Title: Heartland
Author: Jenny Pattrick
Release Date: April 4th 2014
Publisher: Random House NZ
Imprint: Black Swan
Source: Received from the publisher via BooksellersNZ for an honest review

‘Donny Mac was released at Eastertime, about a month before Pansy Holloway, also known as Nightshade, disappeared for good.'

After a short stint in prison on trumped-up charges, Donny Mac returns to the house left to him by his grandfather in the small settlement of Manawa, in the shadow of Mt Ruapehu. Now inhabited by a handful of colourful locals, the once prosperous milling town is only bustling in the ski season when the out-of-towners arrive.

Awaiting his return is the drunken and pregnant Nightshade, who claims Donny is the father. Donny's friends keep watch anxiously: the lace-making Bull Howie; Vera who can be seen every evening wheeling Bull's dinner in a pram down to his house in her own version of meals on wheels; farmer George Kingi and his fey four-year-old daughter Lovey; and the strange elderly sisters who have moved in next door. Also watching is the Virgin Tracey, a sixteen-year-old hiding out in one of the abandoned houses, with her own tiny baby.

When an accident threatens to put Donny back into prison, he and the Virgin Tracey come up with a solution to cover it up. But can the secret remain hidden?

My Thoughts

Heartland is the story of a sleepy little town.
A town of old stalwarts set in their ways; of busybodies, bullies, no-hopers and townies.
A town full of secrets and lies.

Heartland is the story of a lost and broken teenager, saving a slow and misunderstood ex-con from himself, and in doing so they reunite a forgotten family, forge lifelong friendships, and find the strength to face their own demons and truly be themselves.

Author Jenny Pattrick has created a completely believable small town in New Zealand and filled it with lovingly quirky and original characters. I was quickly engrossed by this motley crue of townsfolk, their individual stories were carefully and beautifully woven together in a thoroughly engrossing tale that captivated me from the start.

An easy to read, eloquently written story, Heartland turned out to be a real gem of a read. Full to brimming characters that reminded me of a number of my old rural neighbors mixed in with the almost Chinese-whisper-like tales that only a small town can conjure up made for an entertaining read and a small trip down memory lane for me.

I would have no hesitation recommending this book to many of my friends as I feel it crosses several genres and does so well enough to keep mystery, romance, literature - in fact, all book fans happy!

A slow paced sleepy town, but by no means a sleepy story – 4 stars.
~~~~~

Book Review ~ Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod

Title: Paris Letters
Author: Janice MacLeod
Release Date: March 1st 2014
Publisher: Macmillan Australia
Source: Received from the publisher via Booksellers NZ

“How much money does it take to change your life?”

Unfulfilled at her job and unsuccessful in the dating department, Janice MacLeod doodled this question at her desk. Then she decided to make it a challenge.

Over the next few months, with a little math and a lot of determination, she saved up enough to buy two years of freedom in Europe.

But she had only been in Paris for a few days when she met a handsome butcher (with a striking resemblance to Daniel Craig)—and never went home again.

A love story in the vein of Almost French and Lunch in Paris, Paris Letters is a joyful romp through the City of Light, and an inspiring look at what can happen when we dare to create the life we want.

Realizing that her Parisian love affair would be forever, MacLeod began her own business on Etsy, creating beautifully-illustrated letters from Paris inspired by artists like Percy Kelly and Beatrix Potter. She now paints and writes full-time, bringing beautiful things to subscribers around the world and reviving the lost art of letter-writing

a color example of artworks

My Thoughts

While reading Paris Letters I was somewhat reminded of Bridget Jones’s Diary, except instead of being based around lowbrow humor, excessive boozing and the never ending hunt for the next man to bonk or marry, I was taken away on a daring trip of a lifetime, an experience in faith and hope that all will work out in the end. A love story - not only for Janice and Christophe, but for Paris and its lifestyle, the thrill of the what-if, and more importantly the fulfillment of one’s true heart’s desire.

Part memoir, part self help book, Paris Letters has an easy flow about it that just sucks you in. I was engrossed from start to finish by its simply addictive narrative. Beautifully written, and interspersed with some very pretty artwork I was surprised to find I’d read half the book while pretending to cook dinner; and after a quick trip for takeaways to appease the kids, I finished Paris Letters with a few lists of my own to implement - I was inspired to find my own heart’s desire. And while there will be no crazy overseas trips for me, I am currently de-cluttering my house, my life and mind, while kick starting a new and exciting venture of my own!

A truly inspiring read that really resonated with me, I find it hard to fault Paris Letters at all. But if I was being overly picky, I’d suggest that maybe more of the artwork could have been in color, but even so, I was struck by their subtle beauty. 5 Stars