The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence

  

A rare meteorite struck Alex Woods when he was ten years old, leaving scars and marking him for an extraordinary future. The son of a fortune teller, bookish, and an easy target for bullies, Alex hasn't had the easiest childhood.

But when he meets curmudgeonly widower Mr. Peterson, he finds an unlikely friend. Someone who teaches him that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make it count.

So when, aged seventeen, Alex is stopped at customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes on the front seat, and an entire nation in uproar, he's fairly sure he's done the right thing ...

Introducing a bright young voice destined to charm the world,The Universe Versus Alex Woods is a celebration of curious incidents, astronomy and astrology, the works of Kurt Vonnegut and the unexpected connections that form our world.

The opening introduced the supposedly missing Alex Woods at 1 o’clock in the morning, held up by border police in Dover -with a stash of weed, an urn of human ashes, and the Messiah blasting off to a maximum out from the car-  inadvertently during a seizure attack and bad weather. And he thinks it was Fate’s funny joke.

Well, it seems I began at the ending, too, the same way Mr. Extence did. Anyhow, Alex took a time lead and showed us when it all began –from a meteorite that pierced their roof and his skull, to the bullies that broke a neighbor’s greenhouse, and the shared admiration for Kurt Vonnegut. What started as a punishment grew into an unconventional friendship with great respect and profound understanding, even when circumstances are grave and irreversible. Maybe Alex is right, after all, Fate had something to do with it.

Alex is such a unique individual with a heart like a sponge. He provides space for people and accepts them for who they are. He looks at people and tries very hard to see the person in them instead. I believe Mr. Peterson is a very lucky old man to have him as a friend, especially during his most feeble state. Likewise, Mr. Peterson is exactly what Alex needed at his age -a fatherly figure that treats him as an equal and indulges his uniqueness. And the love…well, that happened unsurprisingly.

I honestly find it hard to come up with the right words to describe how much I really love this book; that even though I’ve read it eight months ago, I still can’t shake it off me. Whichever hit me more, the moral dilemma or the faithfulness grounded on true friendship, I can’t rightly point out. Maybe both. Two things I am sure though, this book is one of my best reads and I highly recommend it. 

Book details:

Title: The Universe Versus Alex Woods

Author: Gavin Extence

Publication:  January 31st, 2013 by Hodder & Stoughton

Genre:  YA Fiction

Rating:  ★★★★★

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Book Review | THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER by Phaedra Patrick

3 May 2016; 
MIRA

When Arthur Pepper discovers a mysterious charm bracelet in his late wife’s wardrobe, he sets off on a journey to discover, charm by charm, her secret life before they met.

Having been married for over 40 years, 69-year-old Arthur Pepper is mourning the loss of his wife. On the anniversary of her death, he finally musters the courage to go through her possessions and happens upon a charm bracelet that he has never seen before.

What follows is a surprising adventure that takes Arthur from London to Paris and India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife’s secret life before they met, a journey that leads him to find healing, self-discovery, and love in the most unexpected of places. ~Goodreads

THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER is like butter, it simply melts in your mouth. It is effortlessly beautiful and palatable. It hooked me from the very first page, and I just kept turning.

Arthur’s adventures are never short of excitement and curiosity. I can’t help myself rooting for him all through them. The oddity of how each adventure unfolded is a great illustration of how big and strange life is, but wonderful, at the same time.

Arthur’s reactions and realizations on each trip are poignantly heartwarming. Ms. Patrick did not only create a very attachable lead character but a much unexpected one too. Arthur may come out as someone that is “too good to be true”, but he is so unconsciously charming and convincing, I instantly became a fan.

And I'm still alive. I wish you were, too, but you're not.
And I want to live even though it hurts. I don't want to be a dried up crab.

The story’s themes are quite simple but very relevant to both the young and the old. It’s about people and connections. It’s about the stories we share and relationships that are worth keeping. It’s about the determination to never stop making memories.

THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER is that inspiring book you want to curl up with. I highly recommend it.

Book details:

Title:  The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

Author:  Phaedra Patrick

Publication: 3 May 2016; MIRA

Genre:  Fiction

Rating:  ★★★★★

*Thank you Mira and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for this honest review.

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Wednesday Spotlight | The Secret of Sinbad's Cave by Brydie Walker Bain

About the Book:

Nat Sheppard’s world is turned upside down on the first day of the school holidays by the discovery of a secret room containing cave maps with clues to an ancient treasure. But Nat and her friends soon discover they’re not the only ones chasing the jewels. Professional treasure hunters are on the trail – and they’re prepared to eliminate anyone in their way.

Get your copies from Amazon, Smashwords, and iTunes.

About the Author:

Brydie Walker Bain is a playwright, poet and children's author. 

She studied History and Theatre & Film at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and furthered her studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Back in New Zealand, she worked as an adventure cave guide for The Legendary Black Water Rafting Company, jumping off waterfalls, abseiling into caves and pretending to be her childhood hero MacGyver. 

Brydie's plays have enjoyed readings in London, rave reviews and sell out audiences in Auckland, Hamilton and Waitomo. Her latest project is The Natnat Adventures. This young adult series successfully launched with 'TheSecret of Sinbad's Cave,' and continues with 'TheShip of Sight and The Hand of Shadow.'

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Book Review | The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven: A Novella and Stories by Rick Moody

  

Kindle Edition
November 10, 2015

The collection is composed of eleven stories portraying life in different voices, styles, and lucidity. It was previously printed in 1995, although, most of the stories first appeared in some literary magazines across the web.

Among the stories, The Grid got my attention. The intricate connection of people through the simple act of the first kiss, amidst robbery, heartbreak, separation, and change, is an idea worthy of exploration.

I must hand it to Rick Moody for braving wordplay and breaking the rules of writing. Each story is a risky step beyond reality. However, it felt too contrived, as if the stories were written detached from any emotion. He took the time to take something profound and muddled it up deliberately. I said this because every now and then a beautiful passage bobs to the surface, like:

There was a pattern to loss, I knew, as there was a pattern in fractals, a there was a pattern to the way city planners designed public spaces, as there was a pattern to the orbit of heavenly bodies, to the distribution of stars rushing outwards from a first infinitely dense singularity, there was a pattern to loss. Losses came in threes. Losses were inexplicable. Losses could be contained and controlled in the elegance of equations.

This detachment also mired the much-needed depth of characters. Normally, I am intrigued by unattractive, anti-hero characters leading a story. Here, it was a stretch to empathize with any of them.

THE RING OF BRIGHTEST ANGELS AROUND HEAVEN is mind-provoking, but a disjointed collection that, even with the risk-taking and bursts of unexpected quotes, struggles to emerge altogether.

Book details:
Title: The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven: A Novella and Stories
Author: Rick Moody
Publication: November 10, 2015; Open Road Media
Genre: Fiction, Short Stories
Rating: êê

*Thank you Open Road Integrated Media for granting me access to this book in exchange for this honest review.

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Wednesday Spotlight | Beginning Again Trilogy by Steven Hugh

About the Books:

Barbara Baker:

Barbara Baker is indebted and alone, trying to bring up a child on her modest salary as a nurse. Following a vicious attack, she is befriended by a colleague’s brother who offers her a comfortable home and the chance to recover from her recent problems. She accepts, a little reluctantly at first, and despite their differences a cozy family life begins to form around them. However, Barbara’s past is starting to catch up with her.

Ian Pemberton:

Looking for a better life in the sun, the British couple Ian and Madeleine Pemberton give up their jobs and head off to the south of Spain to make a new start. At first they are charmed by the pleasant climate and lifestyle, but soon the practical side of making a living in a different country presents them with some unexpected experiences and challenges. Not the least of which is 'Venus'.

Verity Xuereb-Smith:

After many years of avoiding the press, the Gibraltarian actress Verity Xuereb-Smith finally agrees to give an interview to be published as a series of articles in a women’s magazine. As the conversation with the journalist progresses, she watches the years of her life go by and begins to evaluate her achievements.

Featuring clips from all her major TV and film roles.

You can get your copies from Amazon. com


About the Author:

Steven Hugh was born in 1966 and has lived, studied and worked in three countries: the UK, Germany and Spain. He currently lives in Algeciras, province of Cádiz in the south of Spain, with his partner. Apart from reading and writing, he also loves travelling, red wine and history. 

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Book Review | NIGHT STUDY by Maria V. Snyder

January 26, 2016, MIRA 

New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder transports readers back to the realms of Sitia and Ixia in an exciting new Study novel full of magic, danger, and intrigue. ~ Amazon.com

Similar to Shadow Study, I dropped everything I’m reading to start on NIGHT STUDY straight away. To my regret, it ended much too soon. I was so enraptured with the events that I literally hate to stop. Night Study picked up pretty much where Shadow Study left off, followed by a series of twists and turns. Everything just keeps on pushing forward. There is no such thing as “downtime” in this installment.

Yelena is still struggling without her magic, but it’s not stopping her from hunting Owen and his band of miscreants. And this time, Valek is mostly there to tackle the challenges with her, while facing his own issues.

I am really wound up how this series is turning out.  The thrilling adventures accompanied by a set of very remarkable characters with their perpetual squabbling and wit makes for an incredible read. I love everything Ms. Snyder did in this installment. I can’t wait and read how she’ll fuse everything together in Dawn Study.

I highly recommend that you read this too!

Book details:

Title:  Night Study
Series:  Study series #5

Author:  Maria V. Snyder

Publication:  January 26, 2016, MIRA 

Genre:  Fantasy, Fiction

Rating: ★★★★★


*Thanks to Netgalley and Mira Ink for the e-galley in exchange for this review.

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Wednesday Spotlight | The Time Key by E.L. Durant

About the Book:

On a school trip to historic Minerva Hall, popular troublemaker Luke Morgan, and loner Chyna Blue, are reluctantly thrust together in the hope that each will be a positive influence on the other. But then they are drawn through a painting and travel back in time.

With only their twenty-first century wits, and a few modern day gadgets to help them, they must outwit a relentless Persian soldier, evade a mountain lion, and escape slave traders. They also have to learn to get along in order to trace a route home.

Then, a mysterious Samurai warrior informs them that the multiverse behind the paintings is much more complicated and far-reaching than they could ever have imagined, and that their destiny is not what they had once presumed. 

Buy your Kindle copies at Amazon or Amazon UK.

About the Author:

I write for no other reason than I enjoy it deeply. I like the challenge of making a story work. I get a thrill from tinkering with the structure, of creating characters that I care about, and of manipulating a plot that unravels unpredictably, yet logically. I like to write myself into a corner and then see how I can escape. To me, writing is a puzzle I like to spend my time trying to solve.

When my children were small and I used to read to them, they had their favourites. Bizarrely, my son used to like a Ladybird book about Florence Nightingale, I never understood that. But my daughter preferred me to freestyle new stories to her, and The Time Key grew from there. Originally the Princess of Sarcasm, I wanted to find out if I could pull together the different worlds we used to create together and solve the puzzle of writing for a different age group.

My greatest thrill in life now, is seeing my children enrich their lives through books, and I like to think I played my part in that. It’s a presumed legacy that gives me a greater sense of achievement than anything I might create. I would much rather my headstone read ‘he was a good father’ than ‘he wrote books’.

For more information, please visit the author's website.

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2015 Reading Challenge | December

So, here we are. December finally caught up with us. Days are already filled with listing, planning, shopping, and gift wrapping. I'm still hoping to include reading on that list.

Here's what I read last November:

• Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen - 5/5 stars - I love the tone of the narration, and I simply breezed through this.
• The Undoing by Averil Dean - 3.5/5 stars - Surprised by how good this book was. I just wished for a better intro. Book release on the 29th this month.
• Alternative Alamat  edited by Paolo Chikiamco - 3/5 stars - TFG's book for November, which we happened to discuss last FilReaderCon. This is an average rating. I should probably write a comprehensive review on which stories I liked best and which I don't. 
• The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury - 4/5 stars - I was granted to take a sneak preview, and I am looking forward to its release on February 2016.

And that concludes my Reading Challenge for 2015 of 70 books. Although, I was not able to read Winter People like I planned last month; and I've put both The Invention of Wings (64%) and The Golem and the Jinni (68%) on hold. I'm still thinking of finding ways to finish them within the year.

Before I go, allow me to be the first to greet you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead!

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Sneak Peek Review | THE FORBIDDEN WISH by Jessica Khoury

  

• February 23, 2016, 
• Razorbill

I have this unspoken love for reimagined fairy tales, myths, and legends. So when NetGalley offered a sneak preview of this book, I took it without any hesitation.

This is a retelling of Alladin, narrated from the Genie’s point of view. Finally, the genie was given a history, a backstory that goes beyond the Lamp. Ms. Khoury’s added twists are really intriguing. After reading the first eight chapters, I can readily say that she has a very cohesive plot. A lot has been put together to plausibly answer some millennial-old questions without losing any of the magical elements that made Alladin a beloved story for all time.

A few cleaning up, here and there, and this book is ready to go. Something great and exciting to look forward coming February 2016.

Book details:

Title:  The Forbidden Wish

Author:  Jessica Khoury

Publication: February 23, 2016; by Razorbill

Genre:  YA Fiction / Fantasy

Rating:  ★★★★

*Thanks to NetGalley and Razorbill for the preview.

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Wednesday Spotlight | The Call of Gelduur by Jack Alriksson

About the Book:

Meet Ivar Skullcleaver. Lovely lad. He likes to read. Plunder. Slaughter. Shamelessly manipulate friends and foes. And he's the hero of this lighthearted fantasy adventure. 

Start your journey in the mysterious islands of Norrland, embark on an adorable pillaging cruise, sail bravely through a fierce storm and reach the island-kingdom of Ingorle... shipwrecked and defenseless. But don't worry, it's not that bad. Not yet. Not until the soldiers of Ingorle turn you into a slave and send you up north to defend their borders from a hidden threat that only reveal itself moments before killing the beholder in a very rude way. Now it's truly bad. So, again, don't worry. It should get better. Especially since the hidden threat strikes and...OK, that's enough for spoilers. Read the book! 

SOUNDS INTERESTING, BUT WHAT DO I ACTUALLY GET? 
- A delightful adventure in a fantasy world inspired by a Europe at the dawn of the Viking Age ;
- A story of conquest, vengeance, friendship, bravery and subtle manipulation ;
- Battles. An obscene amount of battles. Land battles, sea battles, sieges, duels, slaughter, a bit of torture (not much, though. The author is not very fond of it), basically every act that can be performed by upstanding pirates, cutthroats and murderers ;
- A war of wits. Because wars are not won simply by hurling soldiers at the enemy ;
- A big and happy smile on the cover, just to brighten your day :) ;
- Plenty of twists and unexpected turns of events that are overcome with the most powerful form of magic. The magic of the mind ;
- Definitely not the "you must love the hero because I've made him so unbelievably perfect and you must hate the antagonists because they're bad in such a cheap way" approach. Definitely not that. Feel free to love or hate the characters based on your own morality. Or lack of;
- A bit of humor and a lighthearted story. Just because the characters are busy slaughtering each other doesn't mean the tone of the novel has to be dead serious. 

HURR-DURR! 
You mean "I'm still unconvinced"? Then buy it "ironically". In fact, buy it "ironically" for everyone you know. There's your chance to make a change! Fight for your beliefs! Come the revolution and all that.                                                                             

Get your copies now from Amazon, Smashwords, and Kobo.

About the Author:

Jack Alriksson is the famous writer of the even-more-famous-yet-unknown The Norrland Saga, a series currently consisting of one book. Because he is a lazybone and won't finish the second one. Besides, he's also working on a series of books for children, since a frightening hulk who writes about bloody Viking-inspired warriors is the perfect man for job - or so he thinks. And people let him think that 'cause, as stated previously, he's big and scary.

Seriously speaking (even though he hardly does that), Jack practices the black art of satire journalism every now and then and is a staunch believer in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Except for when he believes in Pizza and Beer.

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Book Review | THE UNDOING by Averil Dean

     

December 29, 2015
Mira

THE UNDOING is a psychological thriller based on a familiar subject, relationship. This is the story of three people who blurred the lines between family, friends, and lovers. A relationship that started on the common need for belongingness, with hopes of enduring anything together, but ended in a tragedy born of jealousy and deft manipulation.

Five years after the murders, Julian Moss returned to the Blackbird Hotel to kill himself.

I had a hard start with this novel. The introduction was interesting -the suicide, the spoiler, and the quote from The Raven- but it’s not arresting enough to hold me completely. I guess it came from my reading too much crime and mystery novels. So, I'm glad that my will as a finisher ruled over, or I would not have known that this is quite good. I am pointing that out because, with the plot adopted by the author, the reader needs to be totally in the zone from the very beginning to lure her easily into the next chapter. The unique timeline of this novel moves from the present to the past, until everything was sorted out slowly, but accurately, into a complete story. I think it’s the greatest characteristic of this book, which is a waste if not given a concrete introduction and the reader giving up on it after 2-5 pages in.

Nevertheless, Ms. Dean wrote a solid story, the reader realized after sticking with it. It has all the fine points and sequence vital to a slowly building suspense that did not rob this reader of her imagination. Likewise, the characters were fully substantiated. Like the location, tethering on the edge of a mountainside, the characters are always on the border of breaking and catapulting. The flaws and secrets disturbingly roll-off, one after another. Nothing is predictable. No one knows where the next twist will hit, only that it hits like a bus!

THE UNDOING is Ms. Averil Dean’s 4^th novel.

Book Details:

Title:  The Undoing

Author:  Averil Dean

Publication:  December 29, 2015, Mira

Genre:  Fiction / Psychological Thriller

Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars

*Thanks to Mira for providing the e-galley of this book in exchange for this honest review.

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Wednesday Spotlight | The Book Daniel by Mat Ridley

About the Book:

Daniel Stein is having the worst day of his life. The last day of his life, in fact. And things are only going to get worse for him tomorrow.

Death is only the beginning for Dan. Waking up to find that his wife, Joanna, has also been killed is bad enough, but then Dan also finds a sword shoved into his hand, and is told that the only way he's ever going to get to Jo—and Heaven—is if he does as God tells him and fights against the forces of Satan's army.

But demons are the least of Dan's problems in the afterlife. There's also his hatred of God to contend with.

And Dan is pretty sure that God hates him right back.

Welcome to Purgatory.

Get your copies from Amazon now.

About the Author:

Mat Ridley was born and bred in England, where he studied hard to become a biochemist, but then decided to jump ship and work with computers and theologians instead. In between days at the office, he enjoys journeying far and wide in his imagination, and published his debut novel, The Book of Daniel, in 2015. He looks forward to publishing many more. He still lives in England.

You can find out more about Mat Ridley here.

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HOME by Marilynne Robinson

Somewhere, Nowhere

     

Home takes us back to the characters of Gilead, viewed from a different angle. While Gilead was told from the perspective of Rev. John Ames, a Congregationalist Pastor, Home is told by Glory Boughton, Rev. William Boughton’s youngest daughter.

I’ve read this back in June, but somehow my thoughts kept coming back to it every time I start a new book. It seems ridiculous, I know since I’ve been convincing myself that I cannot, hard as I try, review every book I read. Yet, somehow those thoughts persist.  I love Home because it was painfully beautiful, and I find that words fail me to adequately describe it. So I ask myself, “How do I come back to something so painful?”

Jack Boughton, despite his self-loathing, is far braver. He dragged himself back home, where both memories of pain and joy have an unsettling consequence on him. He came back to a dying father, who for two decades had been grieving for his son’s return; and to a sister brokenhearted by her own failed attempt at life. Being the black sheep of the family, Jack is totally convinced that he can never redeem himself in the eyes of anyone he's known at home or in town. He is constantly troubled by his past mistakes and his low appraisal of himself. And being so, he is no help to both his father and sister.

There's so much to be grateful for, words are poor things.

Redemption is always a troubling theme. Yet, Robinson took it and laid it out flat for us to examine closely. Using the rustic familial relationship, mixed with the old religion, and a good helping of guilt made it utterly acute. She is a master of human observation. She put into words human emotions and instinct that is difficult to convey. Her accurate description of how the Boughtons tiptoed around each other, their guarded exercise of grace, and careful mincing of words clearly describe familial love on trying grounds.

HOME is slow and deliberate. There’s not much action, really, except for the dishwashing and gardening. There are no earth-shattering events, no monumental dramas, but I held on to every moment, maybe because every moment is filled with emotions, plain and eloquent.

Book details:

Title:  HOME

Author:  Marilynne Robinson

Publication:  September 2, 2008; Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Genre:  Fiction

Rating:  ★★★★★

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Book Review | NIRVANA by J.R. Stewart

Final Draft

  

November 10, 2015; 
Blue Moon Publishers

When I read the 1^st draft, I have to be honest, I was not excited enough despite the authenticity of the premise. Then, I got offered to read it again, because JR Stewart basically rewrote the whole book based on the reader’s feedback.

I’m glad that I agreed!

Nirvana is the 1^st installment of a three-part series. Everything started with the extinction of bees. It seems irrelevant, but no. Without the bees, there was zero pollination in our future. Soon the whole ecosystem got affected. There are people fighting to bring it all back, but there are powerful people who work to amass great profit from the situation. Instead, most people are pacified by the virtual reality world, Nirvana, created by the big corporation Hexagon.

The perspective of the story is not far-fetched from the reality we live in right now. The environmental issues we are facing, the voracious appetite of the society for computer-generated escape, and big companies taking advantage of the aforementioned situations -these are the reality of our present lives. Relating to this story is not difficult.

Find out who fights along with Andrew and Larissa to gain back what was lost. Find out where reality ends and make-believe begins in this new exciting series.

Book details:

Title:  Nirvana

Author:  J.R. Stewart

Publication:  November 10, 2015; Blue Moon Publishers

Genre:  Science Fiction

Rating:  3.5 stars

*Again, thanks to Blue Moon Publishers for sharing a copy in exchange for this unbiased review.

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