Notes of Life

Author: Mary Hooper
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 978-0-7475-9921-0

Velvet is an orphan. With nobody else to care for her, Velvet must get on with life and that means doing exhausting and back-breaking work in a steam laundry, struggling to make ends meet.

Just when she thinks she’s lost not only her parents but the very job that’s keeping her from the workhouse, Velvet’s life is turned around by Madame Savoya, a famous medium. Brought to live in a grand London house and given elegant clothes to wear, Velvet enters the mysterious world of a spiritual medium.

However, Velvet soon begins to realise that her new life and that of her new employer is not quite all that it seems. And her realisation could put her own life in danger…….

I was lucky enough to win a copy of Velvet by Mary Hooper through The History Girls blog where authors such as Mary hang out and give us some insightful blog posts. Having already read a couple of Mary’s young adult, historical fiction books and enjoyed them, I was looking forward to getting stuck into Velvet.

I’ve always found Mary Hooper’s books atmospheric and Velvet is no different. You can so easily imagine the hot and sweaty conditions of the steam laundry, the life of late Victorian London and the creepy seances. Mary Hooper certainly brings that period to life.

Velvet is a compelling read and there are a few unexpected twists and turns thoughout the story. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a book meant for a young adult audience or if it’s because of Mary Hooper’s writing, but I found Velvet an easy read and I felt the story flowed really well.

I’ve noticed that Mary Hooper likes to include one or two real-life famous characters into her books. People such as world-famous Arthur Conan Doyle (a known believer in spiritualism) and Amelia Dyer, the baby farmer appear in Velvet. The author researches her history and characters, and some interesting notes are included at the end of the book. Mary Hooper is good at balancing fact with fiction, so you’re not just getting to read good historical fiction, you’re also learning along the way too!

If you’re a fan of historical fiction or have read Mary Hooper’s books before, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy Velvet too.

Buy Velvet by Mary Hooper from The Book Depository.

Other books I’ve read by Mary Hooper:

Fallen Grace (Read my review)
Newes from the Dead (Read my review)

Mary Hooper is a British author, born in London.

This is the 26th book I’ve read for the British Books Challenge 2011.

I was lucky enough to be invited to Lauren Kate‘s book launch by Random House Children’s Books.

For those who don’t know (and if you don’t, where have you been?!), Lauren Kate is the author of The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, as well as the Fallen series featuring Fallen, Torment, Passion and the upcoming summer 2012 release, Rapture.

You can read my reviews of the books from the Fallen series via the links below:
1. Fallen
2. Torment
3. Passion

The event was held at Proud in Camden, London last night. Unfortunately, I arrived at the venue soaking wet as our lovely British weather gave a downpour as soon as I came out of Camden Town tube station!

As soon as I arrived I was given a glass of bubbly and an eyeful of two topless male angels (See photo to the right showing Lauren Kate at the UK Passion Launch at Proud in Camden with angel waiters! Photo courtesy of Random House Children’s Books). What a great start to the evening!

Lauren Kate was delightful. She read us the prologue for Rapture, the fourth and final book in the Fallen series I can’t share any of it with you, but I loved it and can’t wait to read the book. I’ve got quite a wait though as it’s not out until next June (right in time for my birthday!). I loved listening to Lauren read and I think she’d be great at reading her own audiobooks.

Breaking News…

On 2nd February 2012 Random House Children’s Books will publish an original novel by Lauren Kate that is connected to her Fallen series. The novel, Fallen in Love, is a collection of four intertwined love stories featuring the Fallen characters we’ve come to love and adore… Miles, Shelby, Roland, Arriane and, of course, Luce & Daniel.

So that’s something to keep us fans going until the long awaited release of Rapture!

Giveaway (Ends midday Sunday, 2nd October 2011 – UK readers only – CLOSED!)

I’d taken my copy of Passion to get signed by Lauren, and, as we were also allowed to grab a copy of Passion at the launch party, I got to have the second copy signed for one of you. Yes, that’s right, one of my readers will win a signed copy of Lauren Kate’s Passion! To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. That’s it!

Unfortunately, this giveaway is restricted to UK readers due to postage costs, but my international readers can look forward to another giveaway very soon.

UK readers have until midday on Sunday, 2nd October 2011 to enter the giveaway. A winner will then be chosen at random. (Giveaway entries now closed!).

Thank you so much to Lauren Kate and everyone involved in organising the book launch. I had a wonderful time, with plenty of bubbly top-ups by the gorgeous angels (Do you think I could have my own angel waiter at home?!) and met some lovely people. Thanks to Random House Children’s Books for inviting me.

Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde
Publisher: Black Swan
ISBN: 9780552776677

Don’t Let Me Go is a refreshing change in my reading schedule. Regular visitors will know I’m often found reading crime, thrillers and urban fantasy novels (as well as my niece’s books), but I jumped at the chance to read Catherine Ryan Hyde’s latest UK release.

Poor Grace sits alone on the step outside her apartment block. Grace knows that her mum loves her, but she knows that her mum loves drugs too. However, it won’t be long before ‘the woman from the county’ threatens to put her into care.

Hope for Grace comes in the unlikely form of Billy. He sees her from his apartment and worries why a ten-year-old girl would be sitting out there all alone. Only Billy hasn’t left his apartment in years and other people scare him.

Suddenly both their lives change. A plan is put into action, but it won’t be easy, because they have to take away the one thing her mum needs the most…

I loved all the characters in this book, well, maybe everyone except Grace’s mum and Mr Lafferty (the human not the cat – though you may have to read the book to understand that!). The way the book is written, I really felt like I got to know the characters. However, Billy has got to be my favourite. Billy hasn’t been out of his apartment in over a decade and what with his agoraphobia, anxiety disorder and panic attacks, Billy’s quite a quirky character! Grace brings him somewhat out of himself and gives him something, someone to care for. After having a near non-existent life for over a decade, Billy’s life is turned around by Grace. The book is just as much about Billy as it is about Grace.

While the story isn’t all plain sailing, I really do think that Don’t Let Me Go is an uplifting story. It’s like no matter how bad things get they can always be turned around, if you try hard enough. We see changes in people brought about by the people around them.

I read Don’t Let Me Go over 3 days and loved every page of it. I was compelled to keep turning the pages and would definitely recommend this book to others!

Don’t Let Me Go is released on 29th September 2011.

Pre-order Don’t Let Me Go by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Check out my review of another of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books – Second Hand Heart.

Look out over the next week or so for my special “Meet the Author” post featuring the lovely Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Don’t Let Me Go (there may even be a giveaway!).

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Please note: I received this book free from Transworld Publishers in return for a review. However, this has in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

Author: Mary Hooper
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 978-0747599128
ASIN: B0043D2BHK

In Victorian London, Grace is having to do what no-one should, bury her child. Following advice from a kind midwife and to save the baby from being buried in a pauper’s grave, Grace places his small body in the coffin of a rich lady’s coffin to be buried in Brookwood Cemetery. There she meets two people, James Solent and Mrs Unwin, both of whom will have a profound affect on her life in the months to follow.

Grace can’t dwell on the death of her baby, instead she must continue as before, scraping together enough money to be fed and to keep a roof over her and her sister, Lily. But even this sorry life is shattered and Grace & Lily are thrown to the mercy of a manipulative family.

I had wanted to read another of Mary Hooper’s books ever since reading Newes from the Dead last year, so last night, when I saw the Fallen Grace at £2.49 for the Kindle edition, I just had to buy it. This morning, I also decided I’d dive straight into it and I enjoyed it so much that I finished reading it this afternoon. It’s a rare occasion for me to sit and read a whole book in a day!

(Just one note regarding the Kindle edition: The beginning of each chapter has a small illustration such as an announcement or tombstone epitaph. I found I could only just read the text on the illustration and suspect they are easier to read in the print editions of the book).

Mary Hooper has a knack for historical fiction. The scenes in Fallen Grace are atmospheric and I found myself easily imagining being in Victorian London at the time. We get to see both sides of the coin – the people who are scraping by, doing anything they can to get themselves fed, to keep a roof over their heads and to stay out of the workhouse, as well as those who don’t have to worry about money ,yet never seem to be satisfied with what they’ve got.

As with Newes from the Dead, Mary Hooper has done her research of the period Fallen Grace is set in and we’re given notes at the end of the book (though they’re not needed to enjoy the story). Of course, as with any author, Mary Hooper has used a little artistic license in regards to history in some areas.

Despite her circumstances, the main character, Grace, is strong and determined. She has to be to get through the tragic life that has been dealt to her and to care for her sister. Grace’s sister Lily is, in fact, Grace’s older sister, yet comes across as a much younger sister due to being incapable of looking after herself. Lily provides a bit of light to the story with her child-like naivety.

The reader also meets a number of other characters throughout the story. Some aren’t to be trusted, but we learn that not everyone has an agenda. I found Grace to be a good judge of character, but Lily not so much!

There’s more than one story strand to Fallen Grace and as the story goes on they all become entwined. I had guessed how one of those strands might end, and I’d guessed correctly, but that didn’t detract from the story at all.

Fallen Grace has been written for teenagers, but I think it is enjoyable for teenagers and adults of any age. I’ve certainly never let a guidance age put me off reading a book. If you’re looking for an easy-to-read, interesting and gritty historical novel, then I’d definitely recommend giving this book a go. If you’ve read another of Mary Hooper’s historical novels, then your bound to enjoy this one too. If you’ve never read a Mary Hooper book, then why not give this one a go?

Buy Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper in paperback format (Book Depository/Amazon UK) or Kindle format (Amazon UK).

See my review of Newes by the Dead by Mary Hooper.

Mary Hooper is a British author, born in London.

This is the 18th book I’ve read for the British Books Challenge.

Author: Ransom Riggs
Publisher: Quirk Books
ISBN: 978-1594744761

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is a story about Jacob and his storytelling Grandpa Portman. The tales Grandpa tells Jacob are magical, fantastical and quite unbelievable!

After Grandpa’s shocking and horrific death, Jacob sets out on his own adventure to find the children’s home his Grandpa once lived at and to find out just how much, if anything, of what his Grandpa told him is true. Having arrived on the remote Welsh island, Jacob sets about finding Miss Peregrine, could she still be alive? Having found the old children’s home in ruins and about to give up, little does Jacob realise that he’s about to discover a lot more, not just about Grandpa and the home, but about himself too.

This is no ordinary book. It isn’t just presented as text, we’re also treated to a wealth of black & white photos and hand-written letters dotted throughout the book as if they were in a photo album or scrapbook. The book was perfect for me… I love looking through old photographs and imaginging the story behind them.

The chapter titles are also thoughtfully presented on their own page decorated with a patterned background. Even the spine of the book is designed to look like an old leather-bound book found in the library of a big house.

So, does the story live up to the wonderful presented book? It certainly does! This is a fantasy story without any vampires, wolves or angels involved. It’s beautifully written with descriptive (but not overly so) text. While some of the story is set in the present day, a lot of it is set during World War 2. Despite the differing times, it is easy to follow. It’s haunting, fun, adventurous, mysterious and creative.

Despite really enjoying this book, I did have a few little niggles…

Niggle 1: Not a big niggle, but Cairnholm sounds more Scottish than Welsh. While we have a few islands ending with *holm, Cairn is Irish or Scottish Gaelic. (I’m just being really picky here though).

Niggle 2: Worm sounds more like a city kid and “sickest” in the sense that he says it is more American slang than Brit.

Niggle 3: The big niggle – More than once “taking a piss” is said when it should be “taking THE piss” (as in taking the mick or having a joke). “Taking a piss” is an entirely different thing!

Niggles aside, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is a wonderful book for teenagers and adults alike. I didn’t know quite what to expect with this book, but was pleasantly surprised. It’s definitely a book I’d recommend!

Buy Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs at the Book Depository.

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Please note: I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for a review. However, this has in no way influenced my opinion of the book.