All that’s bright and gone

I’ve recently finished reading the book ‘All that’s bright and gone’ by Eliza Nellums. This book is due to be published on 10th December 2019! This is Eliza Nellum’s debut novel and is written through the eyes of a six year old as the family deal with their issues and mental health. It may give the reader a glance at the possible inner mind workings of how a 6 year old sees the ‘adult’ issues, the conclusions they draw and the way they deal with it.

I know my brother is dead. But sometimes Mama gets confused.

There’s plenty about the grownup world that six-year-old Aoife doesn’t understand. Like what happened to her big brother Theo and why her mama is in the hospital instead of home where she belongs. Uncle Donny says she just needs to be patient, but Aoife’s sure her mama won’t be able to come home until Aoife learns what really happened to her brother. The trouble is no one wants to talk about Theo because he was murdered. But by whom?

With her imaginary friend Teddy by her side and the detecting skills of her nosy next door neighbor, Aoife sets out to uncover the truth about her family. But as her search takes her from the banks of Theo’s secret hideout by the river to the rooftops overlooking Detroit, Aoife will learn that some secrets can’t stay hidden forever and sometimes the pain we bury is the biggest secret of them all.

Driven by Aoife’s childlike sincerity and colored by her vivid imagination, All That’s Bright and Gone illuminates the unshakeable bond between families–and the lengths we’ll go to bring our loved ones home. 

~ Thanks to netgally for the ARC ~

Little Darlings Book Review

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

Published 30th April 2019

THE TWINS ARE CRYING.

THE TWINS ARE HUNGRY.

LAUREN IS CRYING.

LAUREN IS EXHAUSTED.

Behind the hospital curtain, someone is waiting . . .

Lauren is alone on the maternity ward with her new-born twins when a terrifying encounter in the middle of the night leaves her convinced someone is trying to steal her children. Lauren, desperate with fear, locks herself and her sons in the bathroom until the police arrive to investigate.

When DS Joanna Harper picks up the list of overnight incidents that have been reported, she expects the usual calls from drunks and wrong numbers. But then a report of an attempted abduction catches her eye. The only thing is that it was flagged as a false alarm just fifteen minutes later.

Harper’s superior officer tells her there’s no case here, but Harper can’t let it go so she visits the hospital anyway. There’s nothing on the CCTV. No one believes this woman was ever there. And yet, Lauren claims that she keeps seeing the woman and that her babies are in danger, and soon Harper is sucked into Lauren’s spiral of fear. But how far will they go to save children who may not even be in danger?

Personally I found it tricky to get into this book at first but then I was captured! I could not put it down! I had to know the truth! It is a creepy, dark story that will have you hooked! If you like an unsettling read, this ones for you!

And I’ve just read that it is being made into a film! 📚

The Accident

So I’ve just finished reading The Accident by CL Taylor. I’ve become quite a fan of this author and have enjoyed her other works the lie and the text, and I have the missing on my bookshelf! This book is her first and it’s definitely a read that I would recommend!

KEEPING THIS SECRET WAS KILLING HER…

A gripping psychological thriller about the deadly secrets your children can keep …

Sue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma she is forced to face a very dark reality.

Retracing her daughter’s steps she finds a horrifying entry in Charlotte’s diary and is forced to head deep into Charlotte’s private world. In her hunt for evidence, Sue begins to mistrust everyone close to her daughter and she’s forced to look further, into the depths of her own past.

Sue will do anything to protect her daughter. But what if she is the reason that Charlotte is in danger?

The book flits between the present – Sue’s life as wife to Brian and mother to Charlotte who is currently in a coma, and her past – when she was the girlfriend of James. As the story progresses, it becomes more captivating. Sue tries to piece together what happened to her daughter and what the secret is as others around her fear for her sanity. As Sue starts to complete the puzzle my heart was in my mouth as I had also realised. and what an end!

Next by Michael Crichton

I’m not going to lie, this book did confuse me in places but I couldn’t put it down – especially towards the end! I decided to read this book as I had previously read another book by the same author and this book was sitting on my bookshelf (and has been for a while)!

The Blurb

Welcome to our genetic world. Fast, furious, and out of control. This is not the world of the future—it’s the world right now. Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There’s a new genetic cure for drug addiction—is it worse than the disease?

We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps; a time when it’s possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars; test our spouses for genetic maladies and even frame someone for a genetic crime. We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes…

Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn.

I’d give this book 3/5 stars.

Pages: 528 (plus author pages)

Published: November 2006

Animal fun

A favourite trip of mine is to the zoo! Today we did that! We went with family we are staying with to their local wildlife park. Such a great place! It felt like you were so close to the animals and they were all well looked after!

The trip made me think about the various animal books I have read over the years.

Watching the giraffe bend out his legs so that he could eat made me think of the children’s story Giraffes can’t dance by Giles Andreae. The Penguins (one of my favourite animals) made me think about Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell. A book I read a long time ago, as an ARC, based on a true story. It’s the tale of saving a penguin and the bond that then forms between man and penguin.

I also recall back in school borrowing books called animorphs from the school library. These were a science fit too. Series of books from a husband and wife team known as K.A Applegate. There were 54 books in the series and I know I didn’t read them all, but they were also made into a children’s TV show on Nickelodeon!

What animal books do you love? Children’s, YA or adult fiction? Let me know in the comments!

Mother knows best

A must read! due to be published September 2019! I couldn’t put it down!

Claire Abrams’s dreams became a nightmare when she passed on a genetic mutation that killed her little boy. Now she wants a second chance to be a mother, and finds it in Robert Nash, a maverick fertility doctor who works under the radar with Jillian Hendricks, a cunning young scientist bent on making her mark–and seducing her boss.

Claire, Robert, and Jillian work together to create the world’s first baby with three genetic parents–an unprecedented feat that could eliminate inherited disease. But when word of their illegal experiment leaks to the wrong person, Robert escapes into hiding with the now-pregnant Claire, leaving Jillian to serve out a prison sentence that destroys her future.

Ten years later, a spunky girl named Abigail begins to understand that all is not right with the reclusive man and woman she knows as her parents. But the family’s problems are only beginning. Jillian, hardened by a decade of jealousy and loss, has returned–and nothing will stop her from reuniting with the man and daughter who should have been hers.

Road trip reading

It’s bank holiday weekend! When I woke up this morning, I had no idea what today would bring. There was no food in the cupboards and even the milk was out of date. After a quick stop at McDonalds, we decided a road trip to my brothers.

First off, I need to pack! I’m in charge of packing the families clothes while the hubby takes little one to a party. Everything’s packed and I leave my books til last. Kindle is in the handbag and I’m clutching Next by Michael Crichton. I started it last night, but didn’t get very far. I’m not sure if this is a read I’m going to get on with but hey ho, it’s worth a try. I also picked up another … just in case.

I chose this book as it’s over 500 pages …. and it’s been sat on my bookcase for a while now! I’m part of a small group on Facebook with reading challenges. One of the challenges is to read a book over 500 pages, so hopefully this ticks it off my list! Also, I really enjoyed his book Prey!

I love reading in the car! It’s filling a rather boring space of time with something I love! I’m always reading whenever I can, and I’m glad I have a kindle now too, specifically for reading in the dark!

So far, I’m onto chapter 2 ….. we shall see how this goes! Wish me luck!

The Rules of Seeing

When her brother convinces her to have an operation that will restore her sight, Nova wakes up to a world she no longer understands.

And then she meets Kate, whose past hides a different kind of darkness.

Together, can they both open their eyes to the lives they could be living?

This book tells the tale of Nova, a lady born blind, who undergoes an operation to restore sight. As she’s always been blond, it takes a lot to come to grips with being able to see. How do you learn to see? Does she like what she sees?

Along the way she meets Kate, who has her own issues to deal with. Can they muddle through them together? It’s good to see how their relationship progresses throughout the novel and how they become to depend on one another. It’s hard to imagine how hard it is to be able to suddenly have sight when you’ve grown up blind and this give us a good insight. I’d certainly recommend giving this book a read!