Going Off Alarmingly- Danny Baker

I've been waiting and waiting for this second instalment of Danny Baker's autobiography to be released.  And it has been a wait.  Originally it was expected to be released back in the spring, and I'd listen to Danny Baker STILL talking about writing his book on 5 Live or VSPO and think 'just hurry up!'.  I'm not sure if it was the notorious 'tricky second album' syndrome, health or work commitments which delayed the release of Going Off Alarmingly, but by the time I got my hands on a copy I was more than ready.

Going to Sea in a Sieve, part one of the Danny Baker story, was charming.  Life in post-war London, larger than life characters and the roguish, cheeky chappy personality of young Danny at the heart of it all.  Going Off Alarmingly is the next step, the 'settling-down-and-Daz-doorstep- challenge' years, if you will. 

If you're already a fan of Danny, a lot of the more entertaining stories in Going Off Alarmingly are ones you might have heard before.  There were a few times I thought 'yep, I know this one' when the familiar opening gambit of a favoured anecdote started up.  I guess what I'm saying is that I hoped for some new tales from his interesting life (the ones with his Dad involved are always, without fail, corkers).  That's the negative out of the way.

The most lovely thing about Going Off Alarmingly is how the love for his family radiates off the page.  From the beautiful, brief and touching preface which talks of his brother Mickey's death in terms anyone who has lost a loved one can relate to ('I am just no good at morbid reportage...my brother died...how do you think it fucking felt?') to the tales of house buying with his beloved Wend and the birth of his first two children- it is a heartfelt love story.  And the best bit?  Danny and Wendy are a couple like every other couple, buying veg for their tea at Asda and asking their parents for advice about house renovation. They just seem normal, not like celebrities.

The obvious name-drop moments (Gazza, Chris Evans, Jonathan Ross) associated with the genre are all there, which will satisfy the nosey blighters looking for gossip.  No scandal though, so rubberneckers can wind it in, but enough titbits to feel you get an insight.

Overall, I didn't enjoy Going Off Alarmingly as much as Going to Sea in a Sieve and there were pages I skimmed over, but there were also parts of this book I loved.  Danny talks about pivotal moments in his life in a relatable way, and this is where the book succeeds.  He'd do a great job writing a book based around key moments in life-first day at work, first buying a house etc- because he infuses enough humour to make it interesting.  'First Times with Danny Baker', I can see it now...if he does that though, I deserve royalties.

Going Off Alarmingly is out now in hardback, published by W and N.

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I talk about my favourite bookshop Rossiter Books to celebrate the wonderful Books are my Bag campaign

 

I grew up in the beautiful town of Monmouth in the Wye Valley, and it is there, on Church Street, that you can find my favourite bookshop Rossiter Books.  They do also have a branch at nearby Ross-on-Wye but it is the Monmouth branch which I adore.

 

So, what's so good about it?

 

Firstly, as you can see from the picture of the shop front, it is welcoming and full of charm.  The windows advertise readings, signings and other bookish events and showcase not only the latest bestsellers but quirkier titles too.

 

But it is when you get inside that you really get a feel for this unique bookshop.  Just look at this cosy corner which has made fabulous use of two Books are my Bag totes!

 

 

 

As well as shelves full to the brim with a wide range of titles they also sell stationery and gifts-perfect presents for any booklover.

 

 

They also have a children's area which my son adores. 

 

 

And the staff are amazing.  They know their stuff, don't turn their nose up at me as being a weirdo when I say I collect copies of Jane Eyre and they make wonderful displays like this fabulous homage to Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar!

 

 

If they don't have a book in store they will always order it in, they offer a customer loyalty card, and most of all it is a welcoming environment where you never get pushed out of the door for browsing. 

 

I can't wait for my next visit home.  I have already earmarked the books I want to buy. 

 

You can follow Rossiter Books on twitter @RossiterBooks

 

Celebrate books and bookshops this weekend as Books are my Bag's 2014 campaign to champion the booksellers on our  high streets begins.

 

All pictures my own, taken August 2014.

 

The Rosie Effect- Graeme Simsion

The Blurb

The Rosie Effect is the charming and hilarious sequel to Graeme Simsion's bestselling debut novel The Rosie Project.

Until a year ago, forty-one-year-old geneticist Don Tillman had never had a second date. Until he met Rosie, 'the world's most incompatible woman'. Now, living in New York City, they have survived ten months and ten days of marriage.

But though Rosie has taught him the joys of unscheduled sex and spontaneous meal planning, life is still not plain sailing for Don. Not least with the sudden arrival of his best friend Gene, serial philanderer, who takes up residence on their sofa.

Then Rosie drops the mother of all bombshells. And soon Don must face her hormonally induced irrational behaviour as he prepares for the biggest challenge of his previously ordered life - at the same time as dodging deportation, prosecution and professional disgrace.

Is Don Tillman ready to become the man he always dreamed of being? Or will he revert to his old ways and risk losing Rosie forever?

The Review

There are some books in life which are just special.  They manage to reach out and touch people, perhaps even changing opinions along the way.  The Rosie Project did just that (see my review here ).  It is one of my absolutely favourites, a stunning debut which first introduced us to the unlikely pairing of Don and Rosie. 

The Rosie Effect carries on their love story, and like any other married couple out there, there are bumps in the road.  Impending parenthood is difficult for Don to comprehend and the book largely focuses around his efforts to learn the necessary skills to be a father.  He does this in typically Don like ways which causes chaos and leads to a deceptive nine months for both himself and Rosie.

I probably enjoyed this even more than The Rosie Project, in part because I was rooting so much for things to work out well between this unconventional, sometimes extremely irritating couple.  I love Don and Rosie, I really do, but their outlooks on life made me want to bang their heads together and say 'LOVE IS ENOUGH!!!  JUST DO YOUR BEST ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD!' But of course that would never do for either of them, what with Don requiring straightforward explanations and Rosie convinced that her way is the right way.

One of the best things about The Rosie Effect was learning more about Gene, Don's player of a best friend.  His infidelity made me dislike him immensely during the first book (although I thought as a character he was fabulous) but I warmed to him so much more this time around. 

Graeme Simsion is an absolute marvel when it comes to creating warm characters that readers will care about. They are flawed, every single one of them, but they still have charm, beauty, redeeming features. 

I can honestly say I want to read everything Graeme has ever written.  Shopping lists, exam papers- I don't care.  He manages to put a thought provoking spin on everything he writes and as a reader I find that both challenging and engaging. 

I NEED to know what happens next.  And fast. 

No pressure, Mr Simsion, no pressure...

Bad Bridesmaid- Portia MacIntosh Blog Hop

 

I've really enjoyed Portia MacIntosh's previous books and cannot wait to read Bad Bridesmaid.  If it is half as entertaining then I know I'll be in for a treat!  Here's a bit more info to explain what I'm so excited about.

 

Synopsis 

 

‘My wedding is ruined and my marriage is going to fail. And it’s all your fault!'

LA romcom writer Mia Valentina has it all; money, success, a tanned and toned body, golden blonde hair and a string of sexy lovers. She’s almost forgotten her previous self: plain old Mia Harrison. Until a wedding invitation arrives requesting (demanding!) her presence as chief bridesmaid at her younger sister Belle’s upcoming nuptials.

Mia’s barely been back in England before she’s accidentally injured the groom, unintentionally ‘cursed’ the wedding and been caught in a compromising position with her sister’s soon to be brother-in-law!

 

With the wedding of the year going dangerously off the rails, Mia has no time to waste – especially with sexy fireman and best man Leo on hand to help… Will she use all of her expert romance knowledge to save the day or will she just walk away? No one ever said a bad girl had to turn good…

 

Buy Links

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

iBOOKS

About The Author

 

When she was fifteen-years-old, Portia MacIntosh fell in with a bad crowd… rockstars. 
After disappearing on tour and living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle for a few years, Portia landed a job in the music industry – but only so that she didn't have to join the real world just yet.

Now in her twenties, Portia is ready to spill the beans on the things she has witnessed over the years. Well, kind of. If her famous friends knew that she was borrowing their lives to inspire her fiction, they would stop inviting her on tour and banish her from the inner circle. Then she really would have to rejoin the real world, and she’s still not ready.

Portia only started writing novels to share her secrets, but then she realised she actually quite liked writing – maybe even more than she likes living on a bus with a bunch of smelly boys – and has since tried her hand at writing about other things.

Social Media Links

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Kids Gone Wild- Joel Best and Kathleen A Bogle

 

The Blurb

 

To hear mainstream media sources tell it, the sex lives of modern teenagers outpace even the smuttiest of cable television shows. Teen girls “sext” explicit photos to boys they like; they wear “sex bracelets” that signify what sexual activities they have done, or will do; they team up with other girls at “rainbow parties” to perform sex acts on groups of willing teen boys; they form “pregnancy pacts” with their best girlfriends to all become teen mothers at the same time. From The Today Show, to CNN, to the New York Times, stories of these events have been featured widely in the media. But are most teenage—or younger—children really going to sex parties and having multiple sexual encounters in an orgy-like fashion?

Researchers say no—teen sex is actually not rampant and teen pregnancy is at low levels. But why do stories like these find such media traffic, exploiting parents’ worst fears? How do these rumors get started, and how do they travel around the country and even across the globe?

In Kids Gone Wild, best-selling authors Joel Best and Kathleen A. Bogle use these stories about the fears of the growing sexualization of childhood to explore what we know about contemporary legends and how both traditional media and the internet perpetuate these rumors while, at times, debating their authenticity. Best and Bogle describe the process by which such stories spread, trace how and to where they have moved, and track how they can morph as they travel from one medium to another. Ultimately, they find that our society’s view of kids raging out of control has drastic and unforeseen consequences, fueling the debate on sex education and affecting policy decisions on everything from the availability of the morning after pill to who is included on sex offender registries.

A surprising look at the truth behind the sensationalism in our culture, Kids Gone Wild is a much-needed wake-up call for a society determined to believe the worst about its young people.

Joel Best is Professor of Sociology & Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. He has published more than twenty books on social problems and deviance, most notably Damned Lies and Statistics.

 

The Review

 



What can I say? I found this book repetitive, based largely around disproven urban myths and generally exploiting sensationalised headlines to grab attention. 

I'm sure there is a market for books aimed at parents around what is the 'normal' sexual activity for a teen (although why any parent would want to scare themselves half to death is beyond me) but Kids Gone Wild discussing sex bracelets and rainbow parties...I'm sorry, but these are not what you as Mums and Dads need to be worried about.  If as a parent you teach them about safe sex and self respect, you are doing it right.  This book refers to media bringing activities like sexting to the fore, yet that is exactly what this is doing under the guise of '(s)experts educating parents'.

Personally, I cannot think of anyone I would recommend this to, unless they were writing a thesis on the subject of teens sexual activity.

Death of an Avid Reader- Frances Brody BLOG TOUR

 

I've been swept along by the resurgence in 'cosy crime' and Frances Brody is an author I've been wanting to try for some time now.  Her Kate Shackleton books have already got quite a following, one which is growing with each instalment of the series.

 

And the beautiful covers (I mean look at this one- how beautiful can you get?) are old-school mystery with enough of a modern hint to grab the attention of readers of all ages.

 

I can hear what you're saying though... 'Covers are all well and good, but it's what's inside that counts...' so let's get going with the review!

 

The Blurb

 

A lady with a secret
Kate Shackleton's sterling reputation for courageous sleuthing attracts the attention of the venerable Lady Coulton. Hidden in her past is a daughter, born out of wedlock and given up to a different family. Now, Lady Coulton is determined to find her and puts Kate on the case.

A mysterious killing in the library's basement
But as Kate delves deeper into Lady Coulton's past, she soon finds herself thrust into a scandal much closer to home. When the body of the respected Horatio Potter is found in the Leeds Library basement, the quiet literary community is suddenly turned upside down with suspicions, accusations and - much to Kate's surprise - the appearance of a particularly intelligent Capuchin monkey!

The most puzzling case in Kate's sleuthing history yet
Convinced an innocent man has been blamed, Kate sets out to discover the truth. Who would want Dr Potter dead? Does Lady Coulton's missing daughter hold a vital clue? As the stories start to emerge in the seemingly quiet Leeds Library, Kate is learning fast that in this case, she can't judge a book by its cover . . .

The Review

 

There is nothing better on a cold autumn evening than curling up with a wonderfully written mystery and getting totally transported to a different time and place.  Death of an Avid Reader whisked me away to a bygone age, one which in many ways was easier- more simplistic and straightforward.  However, for sleuth Kate Shackleton, life is anything but simple.

 

Lady Coulton is desperate to find her illegitimate daughter and calls upon Kate's expertise in the hope of a speedy discovery.  Yet name changes, family dramas and moving inland from the Yorkshire Coast mean Kate's job is not as easy as it may at first seem.  And before long Kate has the additional challenge of finding a murderer as well as reuniting the mother and daughter...

 

There was a lot to love about this book.  The writing style manages to be fluid and flowing whilst still containing oodles of description which makes it extremely engaging and fast paced.  The quick, snappy dialogue also adds to this, making it a quick, easy read.  On a personal level, I loved the scenes in Scarborough-our UK holiday destination of choice.

I also really warmed to Kate, she is a likable character and a strong woman against the 1920s backdrop.  Death of an Avid Reader is entertaining and a good old-fashioned mystery without the gore and brutality which is often a by product of crime/thriller writing. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Death of an Avid Reader from beginning to end.  It is a gentle, mildly humorous book and I am now a fully paid up member of the 'converted to Kate' crew.  I want to get hold of the rest of the books now and see what other adventures are in store!

FOLLOW THE TOUR!

 

 

 



 

Death of an Avid Reader is released on Thursday 2nd October and available for pre-order now from all good bookshops and online stockists.

 

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

After- Anna Todd BLOG TOUR

 

 

 

ORGASMIC AUTUMN IS HERE!!!  YIPPEEEEE!

 

This is a weird one for me to be writing about as it feels very close to home!  I'm friends with a lot of the other bloggers on the UK tour for After, but I don't think they were familiar with it until The Hot Bed, Simon and Schuster's raunchy side, started promoting it.  Whereas I knew all about After. 

 

If you've read my blog before, you'll have seen me talking of my love for One Direction-maybe even the 'celebrity crush' promo video for a book earlier in the year, where I'm holding a picture of Louis and the drool is almost visible.  That's the small scale side of the obsession.  Here comes the full on confession.  I saw them four times this summer-twice as VIP (absolutely amazing.  Niall did the Better than Words thrust practically IN MY FACE).  I went to support Louis and Niall in their charity games.  I've been tweeted by Anne, Ruth and Dan, and DMed by Keith.  Liam's car nearly ran me and my friend Svenja over at 1am on his way back from a late night trip to KFC to beat the munchies.  And I actually met Dan and nearly died with excitement (I'm a huge Dangirl Fangirl. Gotta love someone who strums that well.  Ahem).  

 

Basically, I'm just sharing a few credentials here so people who find my blog via Anna know I'm not a carrot ;) 

 



Any excuse to relive the 'meeting Dan' moment, even though my hair did look exceptionally shit that day

And if none of that made any sense to you, you're obviously one of the bookish visitors not a Directioner...

 

If you know me then you'll know I unashamedly read/write/champion fanfiction.  And One Direction fanfiction is my area of expertise.  I've read it all-the good, the bad, the ugly, the downright weird.

 

Anna Todd is the most well known writer of fanfic in our fandom.  She has an absolute 'Anna Army' clamouring for updates and there are people who've had 'Hessa' tattoos, make endless manips and are probably as obsessed with 'After Harry' (who has been renamed as Hardin for the print version) as they are with Harry himself.  And because Anna is so bloody lovely, answering hundreds of fans tweets daily, running an online reading group and aiming to meet as many fans as she can in person, it has grown, and grown, and grown.  It's like an After snowball running away down a hill, building up speed and bundling up new readers with each update.

 

I'll be honest.  I resisted After for a long time, partly because of the hype.  And also, I seriously struggle with any serialised fiction because I am the most impatient human on the entire planet, and waiting for updates on fanfics I read nigh on kills me.  It was only when I started interacting with Anna on twitter that I finally started reading it, but when that happened I was hooked.

 

This is quite a rambly opening for a blog post, I admit.  But I couldn't launch straight into a review without a bit of background, because it is the background which has brought us to this point-where After is on the verge of release to an unsuspecting public.  Fans will be slightly reluctant to share, because Hessa is part of our fandom and we are a very tight, loyal bunch (best fans in the world, eh Nialler?).  Yet in saying that, I think everyone that's enjoyed After on Wattpad will be thrilled for Anna and the success she is having. 

 

She's one of us, afterall. 

 

The Blurb

 

Anna Todd's After fan fiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet's most talked-about book, now newly revised and expanded, for yourself! There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there's everything AFTER...Life will never be the same. #Hessa

 

Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She's got direction, ambition, and a mother who's intent on keeping her that way. But she's barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is undeniably hot! But he's also rude - to the point of cruelty, even.

 

For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does - until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she's never known before. He'll call her beautiful, then insist he isn't the one for her and disappear again and again.

 

Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper.

 

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin's prejudice about nice girls like her? Unless...could this be love?

 

The Review 

 

Here goes nothing... This is literally one of the most scary reviews I have ever had to write!

 

But before I start, I need to get the negative out of the way- I really don't like the name change to Hardin.  I understand why it had to be altered, but Hardin just sounds so unBritish. I did kind of get used to it after a while, and for anyone coming to After for the first time it wouldn't be an issue at all.  I guess he'll just always be Harry to me *shrugs*  The other major name changes are Liam/Landon, Louis/Logan, Niall/Nate, Zayn/Zed- I actually really like the last one, but the others not so much.  They're only names though, and I can get over that.

 

For those who don't know, the story itself is in classic New Adult frenemies territory- preppy girl (Tessa) goes off to college leaving her reliable-yet-unexciting boyfriend (Noah) back in her hometown.  Finding herself thrown into a group of alternative types with tattoos and piercings, Tessa wonders where she fits in.  It's her roommate Steph who really opens Tessa's eyes to how appearances can be deceptive, and I love her.  She's a strong female with a real sense of her own identity and is a good friend to Tessa-she's got that rebellious streak but a good heart.  I'd love a friend like her.

 

Hardin is a bit more complex.  He's troubled, and broody and at times downright rude.  But he's also sexy as hell and has a reputation for being pretty darn amazing in bed. Oh, and he likes reading the classics.  Which all in all makes for a lethal and undeniably attractive character.  In real life I look for devotion and honesty, but in fiction I like my men with a bit of attitude and Hardin has that in bundles. 

 

Hardin was physically based on this beautiful man. What's not to love?

 

Of course, I'm not giving anything away if I let slip Tessa and Hardin become 'involved'.  It's messy and toxic with some steamy sex thrown in for good measure, but mostly their story is of fraught arguments and a power struggle. 

 

This is where some people find After hard. 

 

Both Tessa and Hardin can be selfish, both Tessa and Hardin are stubborn.  There is a lot of game playing between them where they seemingly testing each other. Tessa does this through meddling in Hardin's fractured family life, whereas Hardin closes off, uses sex to control Tessa and for large parts of the book is pretty awful.  There are people who have said After glamorises abusive relationships and that it shouldn't be released, especially when teen girls are reading it.  Two points on this from me.  Firstly, I don't think it does.  Tessa goes into the relationship with her eyes wide open and builds enough confidence to leave if she so wished.  And After has always been more about infatuation than straightforward love.  Secondly, those who say 'teens shouldn't read after because it gives an unhealthy view of relationships'- would you let teens read Jane Eyre?  Because having a wife locked in an attic isn't really healthy either, but I don't think Bronte was advocating it just because she used it as a plot device...

 

The editing has definitely improved the quality of the writing.  Wattpad is a fabulous place to get down ideas but Anna and her editors have really added to the style and substance of the book.  It is really, really readable- one of those books where you settle down to read a few pages and BAM- half your day is gone because you have been suckered in.  Put simply, if you're a fan of new adult fiction, then you have got to read After. 

 

Overall, I am really, really proud to 'know' Anna.  She built up from writing updates on her phone to a publishing deal and the After series is going to be a huge global phenomenon, even moreso than it already is.  I'm glad to have found Hardin and Tessa before the explosion which is coming.  And although it makes me a bit sad to say it, it's time for the fandom to share Hessa *sob*

 

*******

 



And I am EXCEPTIONALLY fortunate to have a little video snippet of the gorgeous Anna that she made exclusively for Books with Bunny (see, told you she was lovely) thanking everyone for their support.  Mwah. xxx

 

 1D fanfic lovers, you can find me on Wattpad here .

 

AND IF YOU WANT TO PREORDER AFTER....

 

 

Ebook links:
Kindle: amzn.to/1D9Yj6w
Google Play: bit.ly/1pgjfOW
Kobo: bit.ly/1uzvUDc
iTunes: bit.ly/X5Dd87

Paperback links: Amazon: amzn.to/1Da0OWI
Waterstones: bit.ly/1oOrMt3
WHSmith: bit.ly/ZmpHPt
Foyles: bit.ly/1qYb27M