An Eagle In The Snow by Michael Morpurgo

I have read a few books by Michael Morpurgo over the years and Running Wild has always been my favourite.

An Eagle In The Snow was recommended to me and after putting it aside (I've had quite a reading list to get through) I read it the other day. It is aimed at the 9-12 year old market. It isn't a big book and kid's wont be intimidated by the font or size. In fact, it can be read by younger kids as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this powerful new novel. Michael Morpurgo is at his usual best. Here he writes a story inspired by true events and a man who could have stopped World War II.

The year is 1940, and young Barney is travelling with his mum when suddenly their train comes under attack by German bomber planes. The train finds shelter in the darkness of a tunnel. A stranger in their carriage starts telling a story to pass the time and ease Barney's fear.

The story is of a young soldier who could have prevented the war, by doing what he thought was the right thing at the time. It turned out to be the biggest mistake he could ever have made and one that needs to be put right.

As the story unfolds you realise the narrator is actually the soldier from the story.

This story is both compelling and thoughtful, based on events from the life of Private Henry Tandey VC.

If you're anything like me, then the little I learned about him in the book's afterword encouraged me to find out more about this brave man.

See Me by Nicholas Sparks

I couldn't get into this😔 

I kept waiting forever for the story to pick up in pace and content. I felt insulted by the author explaining statements. It is great when a reader is credited with intelligence to make deductions from the  dialogue. 

This was my first read of a Nicholas Sparks novel and I wasn't very impressed.

I have read other reviews which raved about it so I'm just going to put this down to me not liking the style of writing. 

If you are a fan, I suggest reading it yourself. You may enjoy it.

The Jungle Book Trailer

One of my favorite authors and poets was the brilliant Rudyard Kipling. I think I have watched almost all of the movie/tv adaptations of The Jungle Book and I cannot tell you all how excited I am to watch this.

Follow the link below to watch the newest adaptation!

http://youtu.be/HcgJRQWxKnw

Dark Places Movie Review

"The books are always better than the movies." That's a line we're all familiar with.

That being said, this was probably the worst adaptation of a book I have ever seen.

The story, as always, was changed for a viewing audience. I was not surprised to see that Gillian Flynn's name did not appear in the credits. I think if she had some input, it wouldn't have been half as bad.

Seeing the trailer, I assumed that after her  performance in Monster, Charlize Theron would have played a brilliant Libby Day. Unfortunately, I doubt she even read the book. 

Overall, the movie failed to convey the mood of the book and Charlize failed to convey Libby Day's desperation.

I hope that Sharp Objects, should it ever be made into a movie, will have the creative input of the genius that is Gillian Flynn.

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordon

I have never been interested in Norse mythology-until now!

Rick Riordon takes us on the beginning of yet another adventure with Magnus Chase and his motley crew! 

Action, humor coupled with a witty dialogue  make this book my favorite kid's release this year!

Magnus has been living on the streets since the death of his mother, two years ago. 

One day he hears that his Uncle Randolph is looking for him. Once he finds him, Randolph starts spouting off stories about Magnus's lineage, Norse mythology and a secret sword!

Before Magnus realises, he's knee deep in trouble and soon finds himself dead! And that's where his story begins...

The Tournament by Matthew Reilly

Matthew Reilly writing historical fiction? Say what?!




Set during the reign of King Henry VIII,  this book follows a young Princess Elizabeth on a supposed defining period of her life.




The great Sultan of Constantinople has invited kingdoms from far and wide to participate in a chess tournament in the world.




England is slowly being ravaged by the plague and the King sees this as an opportunity to get the young Princess out of harm's way. Roger Ascham, teacher of the young Princess Elizabeth thinks that this will be the ideal teaching opportunity for her. They along with the country's best chess champion and a travelling party of companions and chaperones travel to Constantinople.




Once there things are not as they seem, they get caught up in a murder mystery and politics amidst the greatest chess tournament of all time!


A surprisingly entertaining read from the master of the high octane action thriller, this will keep you well entertained. Interestingly he weaves his story around factual figures, with amusing and thought provoking fiction while teaching you the basics to mastering your chess game.


Matthew Reilly shows his versatility with this Historical thriller.

I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

A few people had recommended  this to me and I had it on my bedside table for a few weeks. After reading a random review comparing it to Frederick Forsyth, I opened it one Friday and didn't put it down for the rest of the weekend.

A detective notices murders based on a book he wrote anonymously when he was a spook. Following leads he discovers a terrorist plot against the United States. Reluctantly he goes back into the spy world, trying to foil the upcoming attack. He realises that the terrorist responsible has gone undetected   and is as brilliant, if not better at his tradecraft than anyone else. Unravelling first the connection and cause he sets out to catch him before the unthinkable...

It is everything a spy novel should be; enough twists to keep you turning the pages, believable characters and a tight plot! Stunning debut from one of Hollywood's great scriptwriters.

KD 

Books with related topics

I have recently finished two books dealing with a  common topic; the deep dark web:

I was given a forward copy of Lee Child's Make Me from the publisher. I couldn't wait to crack open the latest Jack Reacher and I wasn't disappointed!

He drifts into a Midwestern town, Mother's Rest, on a whim (as he does ) and invites trouble (as he does). He literally bumps into a woman whose PI colleague is supposed to be meeting with here. Against his better nature he finds himself assisting in her search for her colleague. The town folk are suspicious and something seems amiss. After digging around they realise that he was working on something big. Following his vague leads, they stumble upon a website found on the deep web. What they uncover is far more disturbing than anything Child has written about before...

If I go any further it would be pointless for you to read the novel AND Reacher fans would never forgive me!

I write a monthly newsletter of current and forthcoming titles for the bookshop I work at. So I often come across intriguing blurbs. Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter  caught my eye.

This is the story of a loving family torn apart by the abduction of the eldest child. 

Claire, newly widowed after a violent crime finds out that her husband is not the man she thought he was for 19 years. Discovering snuff porn on the day of his funeral and caught in a game of cat an mouse with the police, her estranged sister Lydia is the only person who can help her. 

Together they discover the extent of Claire's husbands betrayal. 

Together they must fight to stay alive, fight to find truth and finally find their sister.

A tight plot taut with suspense, this book must not be missed. Fans of Gillian Flynn will LOVE this!

After reading what goes on in the deep dark web I realised that 99% of us are oblivious to this hidden world and all the the nastiness associated with it. 

There is an actual market for the most heinous crimes you could think off. And in this day and age with the internet being so easily assessable, these violent crimes are exploding!

Two utterly fascinating reads. 

Go ahead... Do it! Pick up that book, I know you want to... Dinner can wait 😉

KD

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

I had watched Gone Girl a few months back and enjoyed it, probably because I hadn't read the book!

While going through movie trailers one afternoon, I came across a film adaptation of Dark Places starring the talented Charlize Theron. Dark, emo and with a hint of madness I knew I had to hunt down a copy.

Whew!

Gillian Flynn is one talented lady! Her words have the amazing quality to leave me supremely uncomfortable yet greedy for more!

Libby Day. Survivor of a family massacre. A family massacred by one of their own. 

Fast forward 20 odd years and Libby is broke and bitter. (I loved to despise Libby) Needing money quickly, she agrees to meet with a "murder club", accepting payment to speak about her ordeal at the hands of her brother. Once she gets there it's not the sympathy she expects. They convince her of the lack of evidence and her testimony against her convicted brother.

She is forced to confront childhood memories of the murders and the possibility of her brother's innocence.

Leaping between present day and the week leading up to the murders and told from the POV's of Libby, her mother and brother, this is an ending you never saw coming!

As prescribed by another reviewer, "this book should be read out in the bright sun while surrounded by happy people."

Loved it!

KD