Book-Mad-Mum

Me Mam. Me Dad. Me. by Malcolm Duffy My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the wonderful debut novel by Malcolm Duffy who tells the story of 14 year old Geordie Danny who lives with his single Mum in a flat in Gateshead. On the internet she meets Callum, who has a fast car, and an even faster fist when it comes to hitting Danny’s mum. In an effort to escape the life that they’re in, Danny goes in search of the dad he never knew, hoping that he’ll be able to solve everyone’s problems. The subject matter of this book is a difficult one to write about but I felt that the author dealt with it really well, and it was touching to read it from the child’s point of view. Domestic violence happens in every town, rich or poor, and it needs to be talked about, and if by telling the story from a different perspective starts a conversation, then it might just save one more life. Bravo Mr Duffy – a fantastic first novel, and I look forward to the next one. ...

The Wildflowers by Harriet Evans My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Wildes are a family of means – father Anthony (Tony) and Mum Althea are both actors, living a glamorous life, but once which is jam packed with adultery. With their children, Cordelia and Ben, they spend their summers in the Bosky – a summer house down in Dorset. It is here that the family meet Mads, a year younger than Cordelia, but who has been abandoned by her own family. Each summer they take Mads under their wing, but it appears that their complicated lives start to unravel. I have to be completely honest and say that I didn’t enjoy this book. The story didn’t really keep me guessing there was no magic twist at the end and one whole chapter towards the finish of the story was of Althea completely repeating what had already happened earlier on in the book. It felt like jury service – you sit and listen to all the evidence twice, once from the opposition and once from the defence, and th...

Skin Deep by Liz Nugent My rating: 5 of 5 stars I am a massive fan of Liz Nugent, and have been since the day I read the opening line of her first book Unravelling Oliver. What makes her books so enjoyable for me are the opening lines which always make me gasp, and this one was no different. I was enthralled from the moment I read “I wondered when Rigor Mortis would set in…” The story starts in the south of France, with Cordelia Russell standing over a dead body in her apartment and wondering what to do. If she ran, where could she go, as she had previously isolated herself from her husband and son, and her family had tragically died in a fire many years before. The story takes you right back to how Delia became narcissistic Cordelia who seemed to ruin the lives of everyone she came into contact with. Usually I have a favourite character, but not so in this book, and not because they were unbelievable, but because the main focus of this story is Deli...

Him & Me by Jack Whitehall My rating: 5 of 5 stars I listened to this book on Audible, and I absolutely loved it!! It is read by both Jack and his father Michael. I must admit that I went into the book blind, as I didn't know anything about the story, but my teenage son listened to it, and I could hear him laughing out loud, so once he'd finished, I couldn't resist giving it a go myself, and I'm so glad that I did. This isn't an autobiography, it just felt like a father and son sitting reminiscing about family stories...holidays, schooling, sports and girlfriends, and it was hilarious, real laugh out loud funny. They didn't edit out the mistakes either, so mispronunciations, and fluffs are left in which makes it feel more personal. I struggle to sleep, so listen to audio books on my i-pillow, and it was brilliant, however, it did the opposite effect and actually kept me awake, because I wanted to hear more of their anecdot...

Hetty’s Farmhouse Bakery by Cathy Bramley My rating: 5 of 5 stars Hetty lives with her husband Dan, and daughter Poppy on a sheep farm in Cumbria. Life is ideal, but money is tight, and every penny must be accounted for, but the three of them live a happy life surrounded by friends and family. However, Hetty has occasional pangs that life might have passed her by, so when her sister-in-law secretly enters one of Hetty’s pies into a local food competition, life changes for entire Greengrass family. I fell into this book and absolutely adored it. Being a complete townie, I have always fancied the idea of living in the country, and the beauty of this book is that I was able to live that dream without having to step outside of my house! I didn’t warm to Dan, Hetty’s husband, I thought he was incredibly selfish, but I must admit that I thawed towards him at the end. Hetty was my absolute heroine, I adored her, and could see myself sitting around the farmh...

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow! This book rocked me to the core! I got it as a Christmas present, and have been itching to read it since. I’m a member of an online book club, and everyone there was absolutely raving about it and they weren’t wrong! Eleanor Oliphant is quirky (think Roy Cropper from Coronation Street). She lives alone, dresses in a dowdy fashion, has worked in the same job in a finance office for all of her life, and she has no social skills. She is one of life’s loners, and every Friday evening, on her way home from work, she buys enough vodka to see her through the weekend until Monday morning comes along. One day a set of events changes Eleanor, and the way she looks at life, and puts her on a different path. To begin with, I wasn’t sure about her! I struggled with the first 40 pages and didn’t actually like Eleanor as a character. I took her brashness personally until I realised th...

Anna: One Love, Two Stories by Amanda Prowse My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have read loads of Amanda Prowse’s books now and would call myself a massive fan of her writing. I always joke that I think she has my house bugged with hidden cameras because I can relate to her books in some way or another, and that has happened yet again in this book. Anna lives with her Mum and older brother Joe in Honor Oak Park, South London, and although the family are poor, Anna and her mum are happy, older sibling Joe struggles with life and his drug addiction. Anna simply idolises Joe, and one afternoon she plans her wedding to him, lining up her cuddly toys as wedding guests, and with a pillowcase on her head to act as a veil, she proudly tells her mum that they will have two children Fifi and Fox. But after one row too many for Joe’s liking, he leaves and Anna is left with her mum. When Anna was nine and at school one day, she was taken to the Headteachers office where...