Stone Rider - David Hofmeyr

I rated this book 7/10
First published in July 2015

Adam Stone wants freedom and peace. He wants a chance to escape Blackwater, the dust-bowl desert town he grew up in. Most of all, he wants the beautiful Sadie Blood. Alongside Sadie and the dangerous outsider Kane, Adam will ride the Blackwater Trail in a brutal race that will test them all, body and soul. Only the strongest will survive.

The prize? A one-way ticket to Sky-Base and unimaginable luxury.

And for a chance at this new life, Adam will risk everything.

Stone Rider is a little like a mix between Death Race, Mad Max and with a dash of Elysium thrown in for good measure. 

It features bikes (though the spelling "bykes" was probably unnecessary) and plenty of bloodshed, and is the kind of YA novel that I wish I had thought up. Right up my street!

Hofmeyr's writing style is simple - the sentences are short and the descriptions are fairly minimal. It took me a little while to get used to this, but eventually the short sentences lend themselves to quick and brutal action scenes that keep the pages turning.

I wasn't keen on Adam as a main protagonist - he is a modest and shy orphan, with exceptional riding skills that don't really come across as well as they probably could in the book. He blacks out whenever there is a hint of danger and avoids violence at all costs. The only female in the book is drawn to him despite him being characterless - I like Sadie though, she's very well represented. Kane has to be my favourite character however, and Hofmeyr has really put some thought and understanding into the background of this strange teenager; given him plenty of grit.

Overall a great read that I would recommend without any reservations. Full of friendship, action and full on racing!

(Thank you to Penguin Random House for the proof copy)

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

The Story of a New Name - Elena Ferrante

I rated this 10/10...

The second book, following 2012’s acclaimed My Brilliant Friend, featuring the two friends Lila and Elena. The two protagonists are now in their twenties. Marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila. Meanwhile, Elena continues her journey of self-discovery. The two young women share a complex and evolving bond that brings them close at times, and drives them apart at others. 

The Neapolitan Series is absorbing, dramatic, perfect...

I loved the first book in this series and was lucky to be sent the second from the publisher in exchange for honest feedback.

The Neapolitan series makes for compulsive reading - once you learn a little about Elena and Lila as children, you're in it for the long haul. The second book 'The Story of a New Name' follows the girls as they are grown up and take different paths in life - finding themselves seeking each other out on occasion despite their mixed feelings towards each other. They are both adults now and still they are destined to compete emotionally, leading to very turbulent scenes.

A market place in Naples, 1950s

Elena and Lila's lives continue through marriage, affairs, university and motherhood - with their on and off friendship being the backdrop of it all. Throw in a beach holiday with star crossed romance and you have a rich saga that is so difficult to tear away from.

I am particularly drawn to the narrator, Elena - she is still struggling to 'find' herself and to accept herself for who she is; she compares herself to other women and other students often - easily influenced by those who are more successful than she is or may seem to have more going for them in their lives than she has. Ferrante expertly mirrors the turmoil that a lot of young people have in accepting themselves and moving on.

The book is full of whirlwind drama and unstable characters, and Ferrante writes with a power and intimacy that brings the grit of every day 50s and 60s Naples to life. The realism and depth of the situations that the characters find themselves in suggest to me that Ferrante uses a lot of personal experience to write her novels. Well worth a read and it's perfect for summer - start at book 1 'My Brilliant Friend'.

(Thank you to Turnaround UK for the reading copy.)

@turnarounduk

Available at Waterstones

The Cake Shop in the Garden - Carole Matthews

I rated this 3/10...

Can Fay find the strength to make a life-changing decision - even if it means giving up the thing she loves the most? Life, love and family are about to collide in The Cake Shop in the Garden.

Slow, old fashioned summer read with good sub-characters.

Very much outside of my comfort zone, but I really wanted to try and read something light and summery as my brain was overloaded with other bits and pieces. I loved the idea and decided that this would be a nice one to read in the sunshine.

I didn't mind that Matthews had created a really twee concept - Fay runs a cafe in her home by the canal and sells cakes from the narrowboat that she inherited from her late father. I thought that maybe there would have been more emphasis on the baking, sights and smells of the cafe. It would have been nice for recipes to be inserted into the novel as you read through it, particularly as Mary Berry has left her endorsement on the front cover. However, despite the lack of description, we still get a feel for the idyllic surroundings that Fay is tied down to.

The issue that I had with this book was that the main protagonists were really weak and fairly one dimensional. Fay is a very naive 44 year old who is going on 70 and thinks that her life is over - and the man that's caught her eye - Danny - is much younger than her, has left his busy business lifestyle and friends for the quiet life of the canal (for a reason not really explained properly) and it just isn't believable.

The sub-characters were more interesting and were much more well rounded, which was nice. I enjoyed reading about Stan, and even Anthony (who is supposed to be a dull character) had more to him than Fay which I'm sure wasn't intentional. 

In all it was a slow, easy summer read without much to it which was what I expected. 

 Available at Waterstones

Boy in the Tower - Polly Ho-Yen

I rated this book 10/10...

Ade loves living at the top of a tower block. From his window, he feels like he can see the whole world stretching out beneath him. His mum doesn’t really like looking outside – but it’s going outside that she hates. She’s happier sleeping all day inside their tower, where it’s safe.

But one day, other tower blocks on the estate start falling down around them and strange, menacing plants begin to appear. Now their tower isn’t safe anymore. Ade and his mum are trapped and there’s no way out . . .

A strange, scary thriller for kids that grown ups will love too.

I've been raving about this book since I finished it a couple of weeks back. It's a thrilling, scary kids book with a sci-fi edge to it; but is more about the personal experiences of Ade. Ade finds his life is shaken up by the strange occurrences that are happening in his town. Buildings are falling down and killing the people inside them, and nobody really knows why. 

But things get much worse for Ade, when he realises that his mum is going through some tough personal issues of her own and can't bring herself to even look out of their tower block window, let alone leave and escape the city through the front door. And still the buildings around them fall, and it will be their turn soon!

It's this exploration of his mum's difficulties that make 'Boy in the Tower' work on multiple levels. I know that many adults have read and enjoyed this book alongside their children, because they draw a completely different message from the text than the kids do.

'Boy in the Tower' is a fast and gripping read about a brave young boy facing some massive challenges. I'd recommend it both for (brave) 9-12 year olds and parents alike. And that ending! My heart was in my throat!

Available at Waterstones

The best reads for Father's Day

It's Father's Day in just under a fortnight (I'm sure you haven't forgotten!) - so here are some of my favourite books that I think will make the perfect read!

GHOSTMAN: Roger Hobbs

I make things disappear. It’s what I do. This time I’m tidying up the loose ends after a casino heist gone bad. The loose ends being a million cash.But I only have 48 hours, and there’s a guy out there who wants my head in a bag.
He’ll have to find me first.

They don’t call me the Ghostman for nothing...

A fast and furious debut novel that centres on an anti-hero whose name we never learn. With two plot lines intertwined, Ghostman is full of action and suspense, and is being adapted for the silver screen. 

Get this for your dad if he likes full on thrillers, bank jobs and underworld crime. 

HOSTAGE: Robert Crais

Jeff Talley, the police chief in a small Southern California town, still has nightmares about the young hostage who died when he made the wrong call in his previous job as a negotiator for an LAPD SWAT team. Now, three smalltime punks go on the run after a grocery store robbery and killing in Talley's town. 

Soon his deputies have surrounded the house where the inept robbers have taken Walter Smith and his two children hostage, and Talley's back in his worst dream again: until the county sheriff's full-fledged SWAT team arrives and takes over, he has to negotiate for their lives.

Another full on thriller with anti-heroes at the core. Three petty criminals accidentally hold two children hostage, and it is up to Jeff Talley to negotiate with them despite it being the very thing he wanted to escape from in his previous position.

Robert Crais creates brilliant characters and sets them on a downwards spiral - the reader can't help but suffer a little Stockholm Syndrome while reading. With hidden secrets and plenty of twists; Hostage is a fabulous read and I think you should all go out and get it!!!

THE PSYCHOPATH TEST: Jon Ronson

They say one out of every hundred people is a psychopath. You probably passed one on the street today. These are people who have no empathy, who are manipulative, deceitful, charming, seductive, and delusional. The Psychopath Test is the New York Times bestselling exploration of their world and the madness industry.

If your dad prefers his books "factual" and a little bit unusual, you can't go far wrong with Jon Ronson. An all time favourite of mine and the other booksellers is 'The Psychopath Test'. 

Often witty, very colourful and always shocking - Jon Ronson goes on a hunt to find out what a 'psychopath' is and why they have been labelled as such. This book is a real eye opener and plenty of fun to read. 

My favourite anecdote is about a patient that lied about being criminally insane and it was determined that because he lied about being criminally insane, he must be criminally insane... No, I can't do this book justice. Just read it!

FIRE IN THE EAST: Harry Sidebottom

AD 255—the Roman imperium is stretched to the breaking point, its authority and might challenged throughout the territories and along every border. One man is sent to marshal the defenses of a lonely city and to shore up the crumbling walls of a once indomitable symbol of Roman power, a man whose very name means war: a man called Ballista. So unfolds an epic drama — a story of empire, heroes, treachery, courage, and most of all, of brutal, bloody warfare. 

Ballista is a barbarian, adopted by the Romans as commander of an under resourced group of soldiers - and sent to defend the city of Arete from Persian attack. Sidebottom's novel is well researched and develops really well; the characters really grow as the novel moves on.

'Fire in the East' is full of blood, battle and betrayal and will be perfect for any fans of Roman fiction.

FAHRENHEIT 451: Ray Bradbury

The classic dystopian novel of a post-literate future, Fahrenheit 451 stands alongside Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World as a prophetic account of Western civilization’s enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity.

Imagine a world in which firefighters don't put fires out - they start them. Fahrenheit 451 is a classic dystopia which centres around the idea of society being controlled via destroying books, 451f being the temperature at which paper burns. A scary premise.

Bradbury also explores the idea of television taking over our social lives and reading becoming a dying pass time in the most literal of senses. This book is for a dad that loves to read; who likes books that evoke many deep questions. It's quick and bleak but beautifully written, and is one of those books that should be read by all.


So there you have it - my favourite books for Father's Day! I hope that there is at least one here that might suit, but if not, why not suggest some more brilliant reads in the comments section. I'd love to know your recommendations...

My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante

I rated this book 10/10...

A modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante’s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship.

A stark, honest exploration of friendship in 50's Naples

Elena Greco is endlessly fascinated by her friend Lila, the daughter of a shoemaker and a flame that everybody else in their rundown area of Naples also seems drawn to. 'My Brilliant Friend' explores the lives of these two girls growing up in the midst of violence, where women are valued mostly for their housework and child-bearing capabilities above all else; where families and gangs have a 'get them before they get us' mentality. The violence and squabbling is relentless throughout, and is practised by pretty much everybody living in the neighbourhood. Men beat their wives, girls throw rocks at boys, brothers punch sisters - life is a constant battle to settle scores or show who is boss.

As Elena and Lila grow up, their paths take different routes. Elena manages to secure her place in school and continues to study, whereas Lila (who excels the other students in every way) has to leave school in order to help her family at home. Still Elena's life is entwined with Lila's and they remain inseparable. The twist at the very end was brilliant and I will definitely be picking up book 2 to read on holiday in Italy.

Ferrante's style is very honest. There are no frivolities and she doesn't waste time on lengthy prose or description. Despite 'My Brilliant Friend' being almost exclusively character-driven rather than plot-driven, there never seems to be a lull in the flow of the book. Ferrante throws numerous characters together but it never seems to be too much. It's a real pleasure to read and the perfect work of summertime escapism.

'My Brilliant Friend' is the first of the Neapolitan series by the elusive Elena Ferrante, who can only be speculated over as she remains a mystery to the media and readers alike. She doesn't partake in face to face interviews, instead writing to few journalists via letters. Some have suggested that Ferrante could be a male writer, but her letters have once or twice eluded to her being a mother. Whatever the mystery, the first book in this saga is a wonderful read and I would recommend it as one to add to your TBR list this summer.

The fourth and final book in the Neapolitan series will be out in September 2015.

(Reading copy kindly given to me in exchange for honest feedback by Turnaround Publishing)