Who & what do you read? Questions I get asked as a book blogger (Pt II) Michael J Richardson

Well we've covered the classics, horror and apocalyptic (see 03/10 post), so what's left?

I don't really read crime or thrillers as the few I have read over the years seemed rather formulaic, and I don't read much Sci-fi (although what I have read has mostly been entertaining) but I do read Literary Fiction, authors like Ishiguro, McEwan (Enduring Love being a firm favourite) Cormac McCarthy's sublime No Country for Old Men, Ali & Zadie Smith and Jesmyn Ward to name but a few and although short in length, most have left lasting impressions.
Y/A (Young Adult), books like, Since You've been Gone, Thirteen Reasons Why, We Were Liars, Emma Cline's, The Girls, All The Bright Places, The Hate U Give, After the Fire and of course, John Green's back catalogue (Looking For Alaska being my favourite), have also entertained beyond maybe what I thought they would and are well worth checking out - most of what I write is in the Y/A genre so maybe I'm being slightly biased there - but I often find books in that category have far more substance than their initial subject matter might imply.
Book series then, like Justin Cronin's The Passage, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (I'll blog about that one soon, after another reread), Ben Aaronovitch with his witty magical Rivers of London novels, Stephen King's Dark Tower, the aforementioned Harry Potters series and Carlos Ruiz Zafon's (yes him again), stunning Cemetery of Forgotten Books collective are some of my all-time favourites, so much so that I have read most of them more than once and some of them too many times to actually remember, and will no doubt do them all again one day.
I also love history and so, Robert Harris and his superb back catalogue is one I can whole heartedly recommend, The Office and the Spy probably being my all-time favourite of his but it's not all fiction. James Holland's Fortress Malta and The Battle of Britain, rate alongside Antony Beevor's Stalingrad and Max Hastings' All Hell Let Lose, as some of the most horrific five star books I have ever had the pleasure (if you can call it that), of reading and are books I'll never hesitate to recommend.
So where does that leave us?
Anywhere I suppose. Which is where I recommend you let your mind wander the next time you're in a bookshop (physical of virtual). Bypass the shelf you think you want, mix it up a bit, pick the book next to the one you thought you wanted, the one in the plain brown wrapping that some shops now sell, and see where it takes you, and if you've got a birthday coming up and someone asks you what they can get you, ask them to surprise you because, if it's any of the above and you've not read them yet, you're in for one hell of a ride.

Happy reading.

Don't forget to search my blog for your favourite authors and books to see if I have read them and if I haven't, why not message me with your recommendations.

John Green. (Author focus)

Welcome folks to another, author focus and in this edition we're looking at the Y/A (young adult) author, John Green.

You may know John Green from his book, The Fault in Our Stars, which of course was made into a film and went on to sell ridiculously well, and very good it is too, but, luckily, there are more books to explore and enjoy.

Don't let his target audience put you off either because, for those who don't know me, I can tell you, I am far from a young adult, but reading John Green still puts a smile on my face, and a frown come to think of it.

In England we have just been treated to a new eight-part miniseries based on John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, which wasn't bad, but whatever you may think of that, please don't let it put you off reading the book because, in my humble opinion, Looking for Alaska is his best.

It deals with death, alcohol, teenagers finding their place in the world and it touched a nerve with me, there seemed to be an honesty about it, it felt raw, which I liked.

Turtles (for short) runs it a close second, dealing with anxiety and mental health issues with aplomb, and has I think, influenced many an author I have read this last few years.

I found, An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Town quite formulaic and so less enjoyable but they are a quick read and all I want sometimes is a little teen angst to get me through the day.

So, The Fault in Our Stars, the big one, the movie one, the book most of you would have heard of. As I said above, The Fault in Our Stars is a good book, the subject matter (children dying of cancer in case you didn't know) is sad but handled in an interesting way and I can see why this book has found fame. I found Augustus and Hazel's relationship believable and you feel the emotion throughout the book, that one of them may die, but their obsession within the story about a fictional book about a girl with cancer did annoy me somewhat.

Overall though, I can recommend John Green to all, regardless of age or gender, just don't stick to The Fault in Our Stars, the world is bigger than that.

After the Fire, book review. (Will Hill)

This book came to me by chance, a link from Goodreads I think, probably on the back of another book I'd read which an algorithm thought was similar: it was not. Although this book is told in the first person by a teenage girl (Hunger Games, Divergent, We Were Liars) the premise is quite different, which is refreshing.

The book follows Moonbeam's life (bear with me here) through a series of flashbacks and interviews conducted by Dr. Hernandez and Agent Carlyle. As the book progresses we get to hear more about what happened in the compound of 'The Lord's Legion' a religious cult that had isolated itself from the outside world until, well, until now, their perceived apocalypse.
Moonbeam and the surviving young members of the cult are in a hospital/gaol, exactly where Father John said they would be if they didn't sacrifice themselves for his god, so when they all meet in the rec room there are clashes: there is love, hate, fear and retribution which all adds to the realism of the narrative.
The book alternates between 'before' and 'after' chapters, which keeps the pages turning, and Moonbeam is both tough and vulnerable, never really believing the rhetoric of Father John but at the same time, doubting herself - wondering whether she should have died for his god.
I liked her internal battles: whether Dr Hernandez and Agent Carlyle could be trusted, whether her surviving would send her to hell, or gaol, or both, and as the novel moves on, we learn more about the changes that happened in the compound, the hardening of Father John's rhetoric, the increase in work and punishment that ended in Moonbeam’s mother leaving. Her sense of abandonment that follows, which inexorably leads to the grand finale, the battle between good and evil, is well executed, being fast furious and somewhat frightening, whilst retaining a good sense of reality.
So the characters are good, the story is different, has pace, so why only three and a half stars? It's silly things like Moonbeam's heart pounding in her chest all the time as if it might pound somewhere else, and when fire ignites everything the author adds, 'it came into contact with', which is totally unnecessary. If fire ignites everything, it ignites everything, you can leave it at that.

There were numerous examples of this throughout the book and suffice to say it took the edge off of things. Sometimes, less really is more.
After the Fire isn't amazing then but it does have something worth exploring and as it's neither apocalyptic nor mystical/sci-fi, it differentiates itself from other Y/A books, which is good.

The Hate U Give, book review. (Angie Thomas)

There is a lot of love out there for this book, on Instagram, Goodreads and the likes but I only found some of it; let me explain.
Going to parties is not Starr's thing, and we soon find out why. Shots are fired, a teenager is killed, and in the mayhem that follows, she and a friend, Khalil, manage to escape, only to be pulled over by a cop a few streets away.
The premise of this story is that when Khalil leans back into his car to ask Starr if she is alright, (the cop having given no reason for stopping them), whether the cop felt he was a conceivable threat, or just shot him because he was black.
The shooting, the emotions that follow, the characters in general and Garden Heights, where Starr and her family live, are all very believable, but there’s other aspects of this book that are even better, more realistic.
When Starr's friends' find out she’s dating Chris, who’s white, there are all sorts of accusations, and when her father finds out - something she and her mother have deliberately kept from the dad - the shit hits the fan, albeit temporarily, and this I thought was very clever, because as we all know, the reality is that there is a fear in any ethnic group of outsiders, strangers, and although that fear can sometimes be overcome by being civil and wanting to learn, it quite often boil over into the hate that this book draws its name from, racism.
The protests, the verbal and physical threats that follow Starr through the book, are both edgy and believable, but the scene that created the most tension for me, that was genius in its simplicity, was when Starr's father is made to lie on the pavement by two cops in broad daylight, in front of his children and neighbours, for nothing more than a perceived argument. Again, as is so often the case, less is more.
So the author handles riots well, convinces us of the injustices of law enforcement, uses a subtlety around emotions, and has believable characters, so, why not five stars?
Two reasons: Firstly, this book has the story the characters and the trials and tribulations of a Y/A novel, but it's littered with far too much profanity. Call me old if you like but, The Hunger Games dealt with death, torture, maiming and worse, but never felt the need to use the F-word once, let alone the many times you see it here. Secondly, the 'N' word. We're told not to use it, that it is racist, defamatory, ugly, all sentiments I agree with, so why is it here? For an adult book, fine, go for it, knock yourself out, but for Y/A, I say no.
So, four stars then, for this tightly written rollercoaster book of emotion, fear, racism and understanding.
I hope the film is half as good.

Turtles All the Way Down, book review. (John Green)

Sorry I've been absent for a while, but I've been writing a lot recently and the books I've been reading are like doorsteps, and as I read at a snail’s pace, it takes me a while to get through them. Anyway, with that little update over, let's move on to John Green's, Turtles All the Way Down, (one of the smaller books I've consumed in the last few months).

You'll know John Green from, The Fault in Our Stars, of course, which is a fine book, but, Turtles All the Way Down, is just as good, if not better, (my favourite so far is, Looking for Alaska). Turtles All the Way Down, follows Aza, who, along with her best friend, Daisy, go in search of a one hundred thousand dollar reward, that's being offered in connection with the disappearance of her old classmate's father.

Within a handful of pages, you're sucked in to Aza's world and can't get out (don't want to get out) and it's like we become her friend, the third person in the room, the fly on the wall, and before you know it, you've turned the last page and cursed the author for not having a more extensive back catalogue.

But Aza has issues, (what teenager doesn't? I hear you ask, and this is teen fiction after all), but here, I think John Green handles these issues with conviction, and you find yourself mooching along in the poor girl's head, feeling hot when she's hot, scared when she's scared and just a little freaked out when she goes a bit nuts.

Aza and Daisy have a massive row, there are boys, a possible romance brewing, mental illness, jealously, the fear of success, of moving away when school finishes, doctors, mums and a missing billionaire to find, and John Green just makes it all so believable. He has a knack of making his characters and the world they inhabit so relatable, that the book just runs away with you, and then, when it’s done, (Note to author: your books are too short), you hanker for more. The author is so good in fact, at writing teenagers, that I have to question whether he's still one himself!

A solid four stars then for, Turtles All the Way Down and a good read however old you are. Next up from John Green, Paper Town; yeah!!!

Oranges are not the Only Fruit, book review. (Jeanette Winterson)

This book had passed me by for too long. So long ago in fact, did I watch the BBC dramatisation, that the only thing I remember about it, was the excellent portrayal of Jeanette, by the much missed, Charlotte Coleman, (who most of you will know from her role in Four Weddings & A Funeral).

Set in the north of England, the story charts our heroine's journey through her adolescence, arguing with her mother, beavering away in the church and questioning her sexuality, only to fall in love . . . with a girl!

The shock, the anger, the ostracisation from her community, builds to a point where Jeanette’s mother and fellow members of her church - the church where Jeanette once believed she would become a missionary - perform an exorcism.

She feels alienated, has nowhere to go, no-one to turn to, and suddenly, no lover, no future, nothing.

I like this book a lot, it's short but packs a punch, and has great atmosphere. You get the sense that Jeanette's mother and friends, truly believe that evil has taken her, that her being gay can actually be cured, as if she's caught a cold, or has the flu!

I also agree with one of the author’s quotes I found on the internet, if it be true:

"I've never understood why straight fiction is supposed to be for everyone, but anything with a gay character or that includes gay experience is only for queers”

. . . because this book is a love story, pure and simple, and like hundreds of other love stories, there are hurdles to jump and hills to climb, but gay or not, this is a book for everyone. Enjoy.
Four well deserved stars.

Magician has taken flight. (I've sent it out to the agents)

So, Magician, or Magica, as it might end up being called, has flown the nest.
Being the first book of a trilogy, I've had my work cut out, making sure I have no continuity issues, (book two is in what I like to call, the pre-production stage); in other words, I've only just finished the first draft, but bear with, I do work full time and I have a family to talk to once in a while, 'and pubs to visit', who said that?
But, Magician is done. Well, done to the degree that I think it punches in all the right places, cuddles you when you need it and gives you a jolly big slap around the face towards the end.
Magician, charts Charlie and Eve’s journey from their home town of Enfield, (where they go on a magical shopping spree), to Hertford, (where Eve listens, in a swimming pool), to the famous University City of Cambridge, (where they spend a few days hiding in a camper-van), to the harbour town of Brixham, (where they find Heather). [For any international readers: Enfield and Hertford are just north of London, whilst Brixham is on the south coast of England, in Devon].
Whilst being pursued, we experience the ups and downs of their relationship, the stresses and strains, as they get evermore isolated from their friends and family. We share their most intimate fears, marvel at Charlie’s magic, and rejoice at Eve’s most wonderful gift!

So, it's with the agents, I'm in their hands now; wish me luck cyber friends, 'cause I might need it.
Thanks of course, go to my long suffering, (yes I still live here, I'm in the back room editing again), wife, (a good cup of tea keeps me in her good books), my junior editors, Nathan and Verona, for ideas aplenty, and Sam from Texas, for all her editorial and grammatical advise last year.
I've not got any proper artwork for Magician yet - here's hoping I won't need it - but if I have to go down the self publish route, the picture to your left, might have something to do with it, so, let me know what you think.

Girls on fire, book review. (Robin Wasserman)

Oh boy!

When I read the blurb on this one, I thought, okay, sound like this could get messy.

Rarely do I purchase a book, take it home and start reading it the same day; normally because I'm in the middle of reading something else, but not this time. 
Having just finished Stephen King's Revival, (see blog post 14th July) I was about to start a selection of short stories, but got sidetracked by 'Girls on Fire', diving in the moment I got home. (Well, I actually read the first few pages whilst sitting in my car, and I hadn't done that since I purchaser 'The Book Thief' by Marcus Zusak). 
So, to the characters. 
We have the loner, Dex, the beautiful prom queen, Nikki and we have the outsider, (read: bad influence) Lacey. 
This book is told mainly in the first person by Dex (real name Hannah Dexter), and Lacey. 
This is a story of teenage anger, peer pressure, drugs alcohol, Nirvana and sex, and things certainly start to burn quickly; alcohol is consumed in large quantities, drugs are smoked, sex is mostly consensual and the music is turned up to eleven. 
After the suicide of a well liked, well respected and very talented high school boy, Craig (who happened to be dating Nikki), Dex and Lacey are thrown together. 
The story runs on two timelines, the present, told by Dex, and the year before, told by Lacey, which (spoiler alert) gradually reveals how she had been having an affair with Nikki and her talented high school boyfriend. 
Lacey's voice speaks mostly from the past in almost apologetic reflection to Dex, as if she is writing a journal, and I though this worked well. 
The climax is sort of what I was expecting, but I don't think it was written with the intention of being a big secret, (Lacey gives too many clues as we journey through the book for that), but the very very end was a bit of a let down.
I suppose you can only have so much kindle for a fire, and when it's gone it's gone. Oh well!