Holiday book review

I had the most relaxing holiday ever! Two weeks in Greece were obviously what I needed. We did plenty of adventuring but also had some long overdue chill out time by the pool. I read 5 books whilst there and I definitely recommend a few of them.

#1: A Place Called Perfect by Helen Duggan

To be honest the reason I was drawn to this book was because the illustrations reminded me of the Uncommoners and I loved those books. It was a good choice though as this book had me hooked. I read it in about 24 hours as I needed to know what happened. I look forward to the next book.

Its well written and the characters are believable. The storyline makes you feel really worried for the characters and I love the imagery of the settings. I’d definitely recommend this for anyone who likes fictional stories with lots of imagination.

#2: Cast Iron by Peter May

A complete contrast to the first book. This is a crime thriller and has lots of dark storylines throughout it. The characters are gritty and full of emotional issues.

Hugely perilous and keeps you on your toes. This one didn’t take me much time to get through either. Worth a read if you like trying to work out who did the crime.

#3: Lost Boy by Christina Henry

This one confused me as I read the blurb and thought it was going to be a Peter Pan reality check through Wendy’s eyes. But as I started to read it I realised it’s written by a lost boy (hence the name I guess).

its pretty dark and Peter is a seriously disturbed boy. It was an interesting read but I feel like the whole ‘villain origin story’ is a bit overdone now. I’d like to read something more original.

#4: Chaos by Patricia Cornwell

This wasn’t a bought book, I borrowed this from the hotel bookshelf. I finished it because I wanted to know the outcome but it was a real slog to read. There were 47 chapters and the real action didn’t happen till about the 40th. The rest was a looooooong description of each and every characters every thought. I’ve never known descriptions take so long. Even just the main character walking down the road is about 3 chapters long. Each of her thoughts is described. It was too much for me. I like decent imagery and scene setting but this took it to extremes.

It’s not dissimilar to the Bones books but I prefer the way they are written. I don’t think I’ll read anymore from this collection.

#5: The Trees by Ali Shaw

This book I saved till last. It was a birthday present from my soul sister Vicky. She said when she read it she immediately thought of me and bought it for me to take away.

I read the last few chapters on the plane coming home and I cried. This book affected me like no other has in a long time. I felt such utter sadness it was surreal. The storyline had me conflicted and unsure of who’s side to be on; yet always coming back to realising that I’ve always sided with the trees and always will. I’ll never blame them if they reclaim the Earth. We’ve done enough damage for one species life time.

If you read one book this year, make it this one and then reconsider your life choices and live a happier, mindful and nature orientated life.