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Book Review: A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
a-boy-called-christmas-matt-haig A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig is the perfect bedtime story to read to your children in the month of December on the run-up to Christmas. It is beautifully illustrated by Chris Mould.

In A Boy Called Christmas, Nikolas and Joel (his father, the Wood Cutter) are poor. Nikolas has no brothers or sisters and Miika (a mouse) is his only friend. Throughout his life, he has only received two christmas presents: a sleigh and a turnip doll.

That is until Anders – the Hunter comes to recruit Joel on a mission for King Frederick. If Anders, Joel and some other men can prove the existence of Elves to the King, he will reward them handsomely.

This is Joel’s chance to lift Nikolas and himself out of poverty. Joel explains to Nikolas that he has accepted this mission, meaning he will be away for Christmas. But that when he returns, Nikolas and he will be rich. That Nikolas will

no longer need to look in the window of the toyshop window wistfully, but will be able to have all the toys he wants. While Joel is away, Nikolas is to be looked after by his horrible Aunt Carlotta.

Joel leaves and Nikolas waits. Nikolas waits for his father to return for a long time. When Joel still hasn’t returned Nikolas begins to worry. Eventually, Nikolas sets out with Miika to The Far North to find his father. The journey is long and treacherous.

When Nikolas arrives at The Elf Village, accompanied by Father Topo and Little Noosh, it is not at all what he imagined. Little Kip has been kidnapped by Anders, Joel and the other men, who have escaped and are heading to King Frederick. The Welcome Tower has been turned into a Prison. Nikolas is imprisoned with a naughty Truth Pixie that likes to watch people’s heads explode and unpleasant Sebastian the Troll.

Nikolas uses magic and the help of flying reindeer Blitzen to escape the prison. He sets off to find his father, Anders and the other men to put things right. The ending is well thought out, fabulous and explains how after many years Nikolas finds his purpose: being Father Christmas.

Young children will love everything about A Boy Called Christmas, including Nikolas and the other characters- all of which have depth, the pacing and the magical plot. It is a captivating read that can be enjoyed by both younger children and grown-ups together.

The only criticism I have about A Boy Called Christmas is that the release date was too close to Christmas. Haig can’t be blamed for this, but the Publisher can. Still, now that A Boy Called Christmas has been released, it can be enjoyed by the many for years and years to come.

I’ll be giving my copy of A Boy Called Christmas to my older brother, so that he can read it to my nephew on the run-up to next Christmas.

Review soon,

Antony

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Saturday 30 January 2016

Book Review: Life And Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagan

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
life-and-other-near-death-experiences-book-cover-camille-pagan Imagine that you go to the doctors and are told that you have a rare form of cancer, one that’s terminal. Then imagine going home to seek the solace of your husband, only for him to drop his own bombshell – that he’s been seeing a therapist and thinks that he might be gay. This is exactly what happens to Elizabeth (better known as Libby) Miller in Life And Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagan.

Tom, Libby’s husband drops the I might be gay bombshell before she has chance to tell him about her cancer. So naturally her first reaction is to stab him with a fork. Libby encourages him to leave for his own safety and he obliges.

Then Libby makes some radical decisions: she quits her job working as a PA to nightmare boss Jackie, she puts the apartment up for sale and she speaks to Paul, her twin brother to get some advice about how much money she would need to live on for a year. Next she tells Tom of her intention to divorce him, knowing that she’ll probably not live long enough to go through the snail-paced legal process.

Libby knows cancer intimately. She watched it slowly take her mother from her, her brother and her father. Making her motherless at ten years old. So Libby decides not to tell anyone about her diagnosis.

After hearing about Tom and the divorce Libby’s father calls her. Libby talks about an idea she has to go to Mexico. Her father discourages her because that’s where Tom and she went on their honeymoon. Her father shares a memory he has of her mother and he going to Puerto Rico. He tells Libby that her mother loved it there. Libby decides to go there instead.

Libby has her first near-death experience getting to Puerto Rico on a small plane piloted by the sexy Shiloh. On the Island, Libby discovers what it is to live, fall in love and experience every moment fully.

Libby’s character is funny, feisty and fantastic. Pagan writes the story from Libby’s perspective and in doing so creates a character that oozes depth and realism. It’s not just Libby’s character that has depth and realism, so does love interest Shiloh, twin brother Paul (whom happens to be gay and is married to a man with two children) and all other characters.

Life And Other Near-Death Experiences is fast paced, has a fascinating plot, has beautiful description and is packed with dark humour. Pagan should be commended on this superb and captivating novel.

You can buy Life And Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagan on Amazon and I highly recommend that you do. You’ll love this thoroughly entertaining read.

Review soon,

Antony

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Sunday 10 January 2016

Book Review: In Darkness by Nick Lake

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
in-darkness-nick-lake-book-cover In Darkness is the debut novel by Nike Lake. The novel is set in Haiti. In the Now, main character Shorty is trapped in the rubble of the hospital following an earthquake. Shorty has had a hard life, growing up in Site Soley. He’s a member of the Boston gang and has been involved in the selling of drugs and murder but also in feeding the people and educating the children.

While trapped he begins to dream of the past. In the Then, Shorty dreams that he is Toussaint l’Ouverture, a black slave who lead a rebellion against the white French leaders in Haiti’s past.

In Darkness switches between the Now where Shorty tells his life story and the Then which tells the tale of Toussaint l’Ouverture’s revolution.

A major issue in In Darkness was that Shorty was trapped in the rubble of the hospital for practically the entire novel. This meant that Lake told Shorty’s story to the reader, rather than showing it. It also meant that Lake could do nothing with his main character, making the character feel a bit redundant.

There was little of Shorty’s story that captivated the reader. Both Shorty and the people in his life felt two dimensional and made up.

The Then parts of the book about Toussaint l’Ouverture were interesting and mildly entertaining, but lacked any real depth.

The reader is unlikely to care about any of the underdeveloped and bogus characters. The plot has nothing to capture the reader’s imagination. The reader may well feel that reading In Darkness is like a chore. Especially as the ending was painfully dragged out.

Lake’s enthusiasm for Haiti could not be doubted, but it’s a shame he didn’t put more thought into creating strong characters and a more interesting plot.

In Darkness is available to buy on Amazon, but if I’m honest I can’t personally recommend it.

Review soon,

Antony

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Wednesday 6 January 2016

Book Review: Dream a little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
dream-a-little-dream-giovanna-fletcher-cover In Dream a little Dream Sarah is just fine. Yes, Dan her ex-boyfriend dumped her two years ago for Perfect Lexie. Yes, she has a crap job being PA to Jonathan, her boss who is a truly disgusting man at Red Brick Productions. Yes, she is also a disappointment to her mother – by being single and not progressing in her career. But she’s fine.

Sarah day dreams of being on the research team at Red Brick Productions, but every time she asks Jonathan about a promotion he fobs her off. Brett enters Sarah’s dreams at night. Brett is an old friend of a friend who she always liked.

Sarah has a good friendship group who meet up every Wednesday for a Pub Quiz. There’s Interior Designer Natalia, Sarah’s Housemate Carly, Alastair, Josh, Sarah’s ex Dan and his girlfriend Lexie. The dynamic between Sarah, Dan and Lexie would be awkward, if it were not for Sarah insisting she’s fine with it.

Then Brett enters her life, landing a job at Red Brick Productions. Sarah does the only logical thing, she calls the man in her dreams Dream Brett and the man in the real world Real Brett (just never to his face, well apart from one slip up).

Sarah has a lot to grapple with. First, Dan & Lexie announcing their engagement and quick marriage. Second, dealing with Dream Brett and Real Brett and remembering that they are two different people. Third having fought for a temporary place on the research team at Red Brick, proving her worth by coming up with an idea for a new reality show called Grannies Go Gap and developing the idea.

The idea that someone whom you have dream fantasies about, where everything is lovely and perfect, comes crashing into your real and imperfect world is a good idea and was well executed in Dream a little Dream. The beginning was slightly over written, with Fletcher seeming to labour hard to get the reader to like and have empathy for main character Sarah.

Sarah was a really likeable character and one that had plenty of depth. Unfortunately the other characters, including Sarah’s friends and Real Brett lacked depth. There is a moving scene with Carly and Josh, which made me tear up. It was extremely well and sensitively written and gave these two characters a sense of realism, but it was such a shame that this scene took place towards the end of the book.

The pacing was reasonable. It was just a bit slow in the beginning and middle, meaning that the end felt wrapped up relatively quick. The plot was mostly predictable, with the odd unexpected twist and turn.

Dream a little Dream is a wonderfully engaging read, made so by Fletcher’s warm and inviting writers voice.

Fletcher has also wrote Billy and Me and You’re the One That I Want, both of which I hope to read and review soon.

Review soon,

Antony

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Wednesday 30 December 2015
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