The Martian - David Weir

I rated this book 9/10
First published February 2014

I’m stranded on Mars.

I have no way to communicate with Earth.

I’m in a Habitat designed to last 31 days.

If the Oxygenator breaks down, I’ll suffocate. If the Water Reclaimer breaks down, I’ll die of thirst. If the Hab breaches, I’ll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I’ll eventually run out of food and starve to death.

So yeah. I’m screwed.

A bold, tense tale of survival on Mars.

What a brilliant read! Mark Watney finds himself stranded on Mars as the rest of his team presume him dead and make their get away from the Red Planet without him. Reporting via journal/blogging entries, we follow Watney's desperate (and often witty) struggle to survive everything that the planet throws at him. Weir uses such realistic terms to describe Watney's daily trials, that it's hard not to believe that this could be a real issue in the not so distant future. 

Strong characters, laced with humour and full of suspense; this is a fast and addictive page turner to put on your reading list.

I absolutely can't wait until the film starring Matt Damon is released in October. 
The advert for it looks pretty spot on so far...

Available at Waterstones

The Confectioner's Tale - Laura Madeleine

I rated this 6/10...

At the famous Patisserie Clermont in Paris, 1909, a chance encounter with the owner's daughter has given one young man a glimpse into a life he never knew existed: of sweet cream and melted chocolate, golden caramel and powdered sugar, of pastry light as air.

But it is not just the art of confectionery that holds him captive, and soon a forbidden love affair begins.

Almost eighty years later, an academic discovers a hidden photograph of her grandfather as a young man with two people she has never seen before. Scrawled on the back of the picture are the words 'Forgive me'. Unable to resist the mystery behind it, she begins to unravel the story of two star-crossed lovers and one irrevocable betrayal.

Laura transports us back and forth between Paris in 1910 and Cambridge in 1988.

It's a book of two halves interlinked, the Parisian story and description is beautiful; well written, dramatic and full of the sensory marvels of a French Patisserie. These parts of the book would get 8 out of 10 from me. The three central characters are well written and charming: Jeanne is the daughter of the wealthy businessman who owns Patisserie Clermont, Gui is an ambitious young railroad worker looking for something more. Throw a new friend Jim into the mix with a backdrop of choux pastry and macarons, and there is the perfect set up for an easy holiday read that will be perfect for trips to Paris.

The other half of the story, set in England, is not quite as magnificent and could have been cut out altogether. Towards the end you will find yourself skipping through these parts to get to Paris, and it feels a bit like filler to pad out the scandal that happens in France. You can happily read the story without hearing from Petra as she tries to work out what big secret her grandfather was ashamed of all those years ago.

All in all, 'The Confectioner's Tale' is a wonderful debut for anybody that wants to be whipped up into a historic, Parisian tale of powdered sugar and forbidden romance.

Available at Waterstones

Sacred Country - Rose Tremain

I rated this book 8/10...

"I have a secret to tell you, dear, and this is it: I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I'm a boy." Mary's fight to become Martin, her claustrophobic small town, and her troubled family make up the core of this remarkable and intimate, emotional yet unsentimental novel. 

'Sacred Country' is a wonderful read about gender identification in the 50s-70s, and sexuality. It doesn't go as deeply into the emotions that Martin feels as I would like, but there is definitely a real sense of anguish and despair throughout the novel, as his family (particularly his father) reject his transition from Mary to Martin.

The characters are all very well written, mostly hopeless and self absorbed in their small country farm village. Despite this, you do feel for them and want life to improve for them. There is the odd unexpected event here and there - one of which I didn't feel was believable for the character, but I won't spoil the story.

I was absorbed by this book and ploughed my way through it. Not ordinarily an author I would pick up but I was hooked by the blurb and I'm glad I did. Well worth reading, and would be perfect for those that like a bit more depth to their summer paperbacks.

Under Ground - S. L. Grey

I rated this book 5/10...

The Sanctum is a luxurious, self-sustaining survival condominium situated underground in rural Maine. It's a plush bolt-hole for the rich and paranoid - a place where they can wait out the apocalypse in style. When a devastating super-flu virus hits the States, several families race to reach it. All have their own motivations for entering The Sanctum. All are hiding secrets.

But when the door locks and someone dies, they realize the greatest threat to their survival may not be above ground - it may already be inside . . . 

The idea of this thriller sounded perfect for me - millionaire families buying into an underground complex to escape a deadly virus on the surface. They end up getting trapped inside, and then the chaos begins when the bodycount starts to rise...

I was initially disappointed with the authors’ writing style (a collaboration between Sarah Lotz and Louis Greenberg). The characters aren't great and I didn't feel much depth to them, despite knowing their backgrounds and why they were there. The setting isn't well described and the tension is on the whole, a bit of a wash out. There were only two characters I thought felt genuine - James and Reuben. It doesn't feel much like there is a killer on the loose, but Brett, a brutal 18 year old who bullies his way around the complex, gets away with a LOT and that also didn't seem genuine given the circumstances. The book isn't scary or thrilling and reads a lot like teen fiction rather than (as mentioned in the blurb) a Stephen King/Michael Crichton mash-up.

I stuck with 'Under Ground' however because the pages were turning quickly enough and I'm glad that I did. After 250 pages of stumbling along, the style and the substance ramps right up. The tension is full on throughout the last 40 pages and the build up is actually worth the effort. James really comes into his own as a character and the ending is satisfying enough to not feel like a cop out. THIS is where the 'thrill' comes into play. I couldn't take my eyes off it and ended up sat in a car park, racing through to finish before I felt I could drive home from work.

I think that if the whole book had been written with the same tension and skill as the final section, I would have been able to give it 8 stars, but as it stands I will give it 5.

'Under Ground' will be published in July.

(Proof copy kindly given to me by Pan Macmillan in exchange for honest feedback)

Review also posted on Urbanista UK

The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton

I rated this book 7/10

On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. She has come from the country to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later does Johannes appear and present her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in unexpected ways...

I felt like I really had to read this, and maybe that's where this book fell down for me straight away. It's not my usual style, but I'd heard enough about it to be coaxed into picking it up the other day and got stuck straight in.

It starts well enough; the pages turn and the plot unfolds quickly - I never really felt connected to the main protagonist, Nella in any way shape or form at the beginning, and to me the author struggles to have Nella's character develop in a rather rushed and strained manner. I didn't have any sympathy for her towards the end either, she just didn't seem to have much personality. The secondary characters are Jessie's real strength, feeling a little less forced and a lot more well rounded despite their shifty secret-keeping.

And the Miniaturist - this is the bit that gets me - so central to the theme of the book but could have been left out completely! In fact, if the Miniaturist and everything about it had been left out of this novel I think I would have been more absorbed by it; I think the plot would have been more credible and nothing much about it would have had to change. The Miniaturist had no real effect on any of the events as they unfolded and there was no real explanation for it either. This to me is a major fail.

If I ignore the 'Miniaturist' element (how could I!?!) then Jessie's book is very readable. It's dark and twisted and sheds light on the lives of women during the 1600s in Amsterdam. It's the perfect winter read - cold and heartless and heartbreaking. There isn't much hope or light between the pages, but if you like your books to be gritty, centred on strong women and steeped in history then this might be for you.

Fingersmith - Sarah Waters

I rated this 8/10

No one and nothing is as it seems in this Dickensian novel of thrills and reversals. Sue Trinder is an orphan, left as an infant in the care of Mrs. Sucksby, a "baby farmer." Mrs. Sucksby’s household also hosts a transient family of petty thieves--fingersmiths--for whom this house in the heart of a mean London slum is home.

I really loved the first half of this book, it was absorbing and I found myself lost between the pages. And the shocker at the end of part one was just brilliant - maybe I'm naive for not seeing it coming. The following descriptions of life in the 1800s were enchanting, and I felt as though she captured the atmosphere really well. Sue and Maud are great female protagonists, each strong in their own ways and each with their own flaws. I found myself connecting with them and caring for them both.

But once all of this has passed and part two is a fair way in, I started getting a little put off with the ensuing complexity of Sue and Maud's tale. It felt a bit weak (without giving anything away) when the truth eventually came out in full.

And so I think in all I was a little disappointed by Fingersmith, but Waters writing style is simply stunning, and so I will probably pick up more of her books if I come across them.

Diary - Chuck Palahniuk

I rated this 7/10

Misty Wilmot has had it. Once a promising young artist, she’s now stuck on an island ruined by tourism, drinking too much and working as a waitress in a hotel. Her husband, a contractor, is in a coma after a suicide attempt, but that doesn’t stop his clients from threatening Misty with lawsuits over a series of vile messages they’ve found on the walls of houses he remodeled.

Suddenly, though, Misty finds her artistic talent returning as she begins a period of compulsive painting. Inspired but confused by this burst of creativity, she soon finds herself a pawn in a larger conspiracy that threatens to cost hundreds of lives. 

What a read!

I liked the tension and the build up and the absurdity of this book. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the overly gruesome 'Haunted' but I was hypnotised by it and it was keeping me glued to the pages.

Blaze - Richard Bachman

I rated this 8/10

He's got a plan.
But he hasn't a clue...

Clayton Blaisdell's capers are strictly small time until he meets George Rackley. With Blaze's brawn and George's brains, they pull off a hundred successful cons. Then George plans the one big score every small timer dreams of: kidnapping the infant heir to a family fortune.

A fabulously tense account of a big 'dummy' who finds himself in the wrong situations with the wrong people.

I love the way that Stephen King weaves Blaze's past with his present to give an all round view of his life and his quite soft natured personality. There wasn't a character in the book that fell flat, they were all so well written and three dimensional.

I really found myself connecting with Blaze despite his wrongdoings, and rooting for him to be happy though I knew this could never happen. I wasn't quite sure about the voice of George in Blaze's head however, I feel that Blaze seemed to be magically aware of things that he wouldn't have otherwise known.

King is the master of building tension and character, and Blaze is no exception. Definitely worth a read, and I will be reading more and more by him.

The Masque of the Red Death - Bethany Griffin

'The charcoal sky spits cold
rain as we rumble to a stop at
a crossroad.'

Rated 1.5/10

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who survived live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them... Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for - no matter what it costs her.

My thoughts: I know that this book has had some positive reviews, and I also know that it is heavily influenced by Edgar Allan Poe's drama with the same name - but I just couldn't get on with it.

This is a YA novel, and so there will be inevitable romance and angst as a result, but the protagonist is a whiny teen with absolutely no endearing qualities about her whatsoever; And yet she is at the centre of a heated love triangle (of which I won't go into detail due to spoilers). Araby punishes herself due to her twin brother's death by supposedly never experiencing the things that he will never get to experience in life - and yet here she is in the centre of a club taking drugs and drinking quite casually. This is one of the many plot holes that I just couldn't get my head around.

The coherence of the novel is barely there - it rambles on irritatingly in 1st person, present tense using a myriad of very short sentences and utterances...

And so many unanswered questions! Why can't you catch the airborne plague when you're indoors? the air in a room is completely refreshed on average every two hours, even if all doors and windows are closed. Why do girls wear 'negligible' dresses despite the fact that pretty much every 'penniless' man is horny and dangerous, and it's so cold all the time? Would the need to be safe not outweigh the fashion of showing off you have no plague? And so on.

Not a single strong female character was present throughout the whole book either, not great for the young female teen audience that this book is aimed at.

The motives and actions of the antagonists also did not make sense to me but again, not going to reveal due to spoilers.

This book did survive my scrutiny right until the final sentence however, and I did finish the whole thing. Although it is not to my tastes, I know that others will enjoy it. If you want a really good YA novel that does everything that this one doesn't, then check out 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.

That Near Death Thing - Rick Broadbent

The broken man pushes a leftover
calzone around a plate in Paparazzi
and falls off the Verandah.

Rated 10/10

The Isle of Man TT is a throwback to a maverick era that existed before PR platitudes and PC attitudes. William Hill shortlisted author Rick Broadbent gets inside the helmets of four leading motorcycle racers as they battle fear, fire and family tragedy for a gritty sort of glory.

My Thoughts: I was already a fan of Rick Broadbent when I picked up his in depth account of the TT, as I had read his work on the Moto GP a while ago and adored it.

I was not disappointed this time round either. That Near Death Thing scoops you up from your seat, carries you over to The Isle of Man, and gives you a glimpse behind the visors of some of the most fearless men (and Jenny) in the world. But these guys would never see it that way - they just love racing, finding the pencil line that marks out their limit and stepping over it. Sometimes they make mistakes. Sometimes they pay big time for these mistakes. Sometimes they get lucky and bring it home in one piece.

I could never say that I have a favourite rider as I respect every single one of them for their sheer gut and determination, and I believe Broadbent shares the same view. I love the way that he sheds light on the individual characters that he writes about - really opening my eyes to the differences between the riders, their passions, emotions, family feuds, what makes them tick. McGuinness and M.Dunlop are a mile apart when it comes to emotion and race ethic, and yet they scrape leathers on track and have the utmost respect for one another. Same goes for all of them.

I loved the way that Broadbent described the difference between road racers and circuit racers too. They are very much in different classes, but the passion for both is very much at the forefront of every single word.

I could read his observational descriptions all day - and I really hope that he is planning to write more on racing, though I get the feeling I would be happy enough to pick up any of his works, no matter the topic.

The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey

There will be no awakening.

Rated 10/10

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

My Thoughts: This book was powerful from the very first sentence. It's a dark and gritty teen read (though it has a maturity in style that adults will enjoy too). Relentless and full of action throughout, I actually couldn't put it down. 

The characters are strong, very strong; and as they are children from the age of 5 upwards, they are battling with self-discovery alongside the inconvenience of a full on alien invasion. But not the cheesy, big-eyed, hairless, green life forms you might see in an old film or tv programme - we're talking something a lot more sinister than that. Something that could really make your skin crawl...

What struck me the hardest about this novel was Yancey's style. It's no holds barred, grown up writing; short, sharp, shocking. 

Packed full of violence, death and the urge for survival; this is a book for those not too faint at heart. If you love grit and grime then this could be for you - might be best not to read in the dark...

The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides

"On the morning the last Lisbon
daughter took her turn at suicide-
it was Mary this time, and sleeping
pills, like Therese- the two paramedics
arrived at the house knowing exactly
where the knife drawer was, and the
gas oven, and the beam in the
basement from which it was possible
to tie a rope."

Rated 10/10

The shocking thing about the five Lisbon sisters was how nearly normal they seemed when their mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear.

My Thoughts: A stunning, dark novel that captured me from the first word. Although you are given the conclusion of the story from the outset, the book never fails to impress. 

Eugenides drew me in with his description of the girls, who were not perfect - but were perfectly elusive, mysterious and very real. Their lives seemed so vivid and so easy to picture as his language was exquisite. I actually found it touching that the boys were so obsessed with these girls, and it all seemed so innocent as they kept their distance, observing and wondering, wanting to connect with these girls and never managing it, reminiscing even into their later lives. Writing about teenage girls in such a convincing manner takes a lot of skill, but the pains of adolescence are clear both from the girls perspective and the boy's too.

I think that people taking the title 'Virgin' Suicides too literally need to think a little more into the deeper connotations connected to the word. The girls were young, had no life experience, and yet cut their own lives short for reasons that nobody could fathom.

A chilling and yet beautiful tale of tragedy that it is easy to lose yourself in, Eugenides style is perfect - and I want to read more from him.

If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things - Jon McGregor

Date Finished: 30th December 2011

Risky in conception, hip and yet soulful, this is a prose poem of a novel -- intense, lyrical, and highly evocative -- with a mystery at its center, which keeps the reader in suspense until the final page. In a tour de force that could be described as Altmanesque, we are invited into the private lives of the residents of a quiet urban street in England over the course of a single day.

My Thoughts: A really deep and involving read that perhaps goes too far with the wistful description and longing atmosphere. I can't really describe it but I shall give it a go: This book laid heavily on me until I had finished the last page. I needed to finish it, which can only be a good thing.

Some of the small characteristics that McGregor paints into the novel are raw and remarkable. 

I RATED IT 7/10

A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway

Date Finished: 30th November 2011

Hemingway's memories of his life as an unknown writer living in Paris in the 1920s are deeply personal, warmly affectionate and full of wit. Looking back not only at his own much younger self, but also at the other writers who shared Paris with him - literary 'stars' like James Joyce, Wyndham Lewis, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein - he recalls the time when, poor, happy and writing in cafes, he discovered his vocation.

My Thoughts: I loved this. Picked it up on a lunch break because I had temporarily lost the book that I was in the middle of reading, and I found that I couldn't put it down.

I love Hemingway's style; the way that he describes people is breathtaking and it is quite obvious that he has the art of observation nailed. It's a short read, the perfect length for the laid back feel of the book and I was drawn in to the atmosphere right from the first page.

Definitely a classic to put on everybody's 'to-read' list.

I RATED IT 10/10

Outpost - Adam Baker

Date Read: February 2011

Kasker Rampart: a derelict refinery platform moored in the Arctic Ocean. A skeleton crew of fifteen fight boredom and despair as they wait for a relief ship to take them home. But the world beyond their frozen wasteland has gone to hell. Cities lie ravaged by a global pandemic. One by one TV channels die, replaced by silent wavebands. The Rampart crew are marooned. They must survive the long Arctic winter, then make their way home alone. They battle starvation and hypothermia, unaware that the deadly contagion that has devastated the world is heading their way...

My Thoughts: I read this as a proof read and I loved it! The main character is honestly told, she has her flaws but is a very strong character in a way that I haven't really happened across before. It's atmospheric and chilling, you really get a feel for the icy, metallic conditions that the book is set right in the middle of.

Sometimes this thriller had me thinking about what it would look like on the big screen or in a video game. Really gritty and edgy stuff - a fantastic debut. I can't wait to read more from Baker.

I RATED THIS 10/10

I am Legend - Richard Matheson

Date Read: February 2011

A terrible plague has decimated the world, and those who were unfortunate enough to survive have been transformed into blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Except, that is, for Robert Neville. He alone appears to be immune to this disease, but the grim irony is that now he is the outsider. He is the legendary monster who must be destroyed because he is different from everyone else.

My Thoughts: I can't believe I've never picked this up before! Richard Matheson manages to create a page-turning vampiresque classic using the inner thoughts of just one character for most of the book. It's a fantastic piece of work - dark, claustrophobic but constantly pushing forward until the shocking conclusion. You forget that this was written over 50 years ago.

I loved the film starring Will Smith, of course, but this book is entirely different - definitely worth reading.

I RATED THIS 10/10

Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

Date Read: July 2010

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs or the joy of watching pages consumed by flames, never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do...

My Thoughts: Being a fan of fiction with a dystopian element to it, I had to give this classic a go. It has some amazing little quotes in it throughout and is quick and pretty easy to get through.

Despite it's simplicity, it definitely raises some intriuging questions: Burn books? Why ever would you want to do that!!! I was not disappointed with the ending of this either. An interesting read that leaves you plenty to contemplate.

Recommendation: If you liked 1984 by George Orwell or Brave New World by Aldous Huxley then it might be worth giving this a go.

I RATED THIS 8/10

Dark Matter - Michelle Paver

Date Read: June 2010

January, 1937. Twenty-eight-year-old Jack is poor, lonely and desperate to change his life. So when he's offered the chance to be the wireless operator on an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Five men and eight huskies, cross the Barents Sea from Norway by the light of the midnight sun. At last they reach the remote, uninhabited bay where they will camp. Gruhuken. But the Arctic summer is brief. As night returns to claim the land, Jack feels a creeping unease. One by one, his companions are forced to leave. He has to decide, stay or go. Soon he will see the last of the sun, the point of no return - when the sea will freeze. And Gruhuken is not uninhabited. Something walks there in the dark.

My Thoughts: I read this as a pre-publication proof. Upon first putting this book down, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it. Not much had happened. It wasn't really scary. It wasn't really suspenseful.

But when I continued to contemplate upon the matter, I realised that I actually really enjoyed it. It has a picturesque setting; it has a moody atmosphere; the characters are realistic (and there's a nice little twist to one of them that is revealed more fully towards the end).

I think I may have been unsure in the first instance because I was looking to get the wrong experiences out of it. This isn't a horror story and it doesn't have any action at all - it's one to sit back, relax and enjoy without any preconceptions.

I RATED THIS 7/10

The Strain - Guillermo Del Toro

Date Read: May 2010

A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Ephraim "Eph" Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.

My Thoughts: This book hooked me from the first page - starting off with some amazing and mystifying scenes. Del Toro really brought his directing skills to the text and had me hanging off the edge of my seat. It was almost like reading my way through a mind-blowing film at first.

I say "at first" because after the intitial problem is set up - the whole thing starts to go down hill and begins to feel a little cheesy. I began to skim through pages with -Okay, so get to the point now- swimming around in my head. I found it very difficult to connect to the main characters on any kind of level and much preferred the secondary characters Gus and Fet (who make only very brief appearances).

Don't get me wrong - this book should not be cast aside lightly. Some of the descriptions are as awesome as they are shocking, and there is the odd gem of a scenario mixed in with all of the filler. You won't want to get on a plane for a while after reading the opening.

Recommendation: Sci-Fi and horror lovers may get a kick out of this, and anybody who is a fan of Del Toro's work. If you're looking for an easy and shocking read then this one might be right up your street. Just read the first chapter or two and you will be hooked.

I RATED THIS 7/10

Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane

Date Read: May 2010

The year is 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new -partner, Chuck Aule, have come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Multiple-murderess Rachel Solando is loose somewhere on this barren island, despite having been kept in a locked cell under constant surveillance. As a killer hurricane bears relentlessly down on them, a strange case takes on even darker, more sinister shades--with hints of radical experimentation, horrifying surgeries, and lethal countermoves made in the cause of a covert shadow war. No one is going to escape Shutter Island unscathed, because nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is remotely what it seems.

My Thoughts: Shutter Island is a dark and pretty pacy read with plenty of mysteries to keep your thoughts ticking over. I was ever so slightly annoyed with Lehane's tendency to constantly use "and" whenever there was some major action going off - but I did get used to it after a while and I could come up with a couple of reasons as to why he might do it.

The characters were well-written, but not ones you could really connect to (even Chuck was a little bit awkward round the edges) and the ending was predictable, but didn't leave me feeling cheated in any way. I haven't seen the film yet, but I am pretty sure that it is going to be better than the book - the visual element may add a little bit extra to the action.

I RATED THIS 5/10