Maddy's Book Blog

  Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger I was beyond excited to receive this sequel to The Time Traveler's Wife , which remains one of my favourite books. While I enjoyed revisiting the fascinating premise that made the original so special, I found this story became a little too political and rather gloomy for my taste. I would have preferred the focus to remain on the characters and their relationships, rather than the bleak political landscape that increasingly took centre stage. Despite that, it was still interesting to return to the world Audrey Niffenegger created and see where the story went next. Henry’s daughter, Alba, has inherited the same rare chrono-displacement disorder as her father, meaning she experiences life out of order. The story focuses mainly on Alba and her husband, Zach, but also reveals what happened to her mother, Claire, after Henry's death, including a new romance in her life. Alongside a wide cast of friends, Alba uses her knowledge of the fut...

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne Cyril Avery grows up knowing that he's not a 'real Avery' as his adopted parents tell him so all the time. He is starved of affection, and feels like he is just a lodger in his own house. His adopted father is a wealthy businessman who doesn't agree with paying taxes and does a couple of spells in prison as a result. His adopted mother is a writer, but doesn't want fame and fortune for her writing. All in all a very strange household to be bringing up a small boy. In the beginning of the book you find out that Cyril was born to a sixteen year old Irish girl, and owing to the location and times is cast out of the village by the local priest and her family. She goes to Dublin and manages to secure a job, and end up living with a friend she makes on the coach to Dublin, but quickly realised that she will be unable to keep her baby without any support and is forced to give him up to a " hunchbacked Redemptorist Nun...

  The Weight of Angels by John Boyne   I am not sure there are enough words to do this latest novel by John Boyne justice. He is a modern literary titan, not unlike the subject of this book was in his own time. I recently had the pleasure and privilege of hearing him speak about the novel and read a chapter from it, and I can happily say that the major difference is that John Boyne is a thoroughly lovely man. This is a substantial book that took me quite a while to read, but I savoured every word. This is a novel that brilliantly blends fact with fiction. In reality, the Marquess of Queensberry left his infamous calling card at the Albemarle Club in February 1895 bearing just his name and five words: "For Oscar Wilde, posing sodomite." Oscar Wilde's decision to sue for libel set in motion a chain of events that led to his arrest, imprisonment and, ultimately, his premature death. But what if he had simply ignored the card? What if he had escaped prison and been given ...

  Counting Down to You by Emily Stone   I have now read four books by Emily Stone, and they just seem to get better and better. Counting Down to You has everything I look for in a great read: deep emotion, romance, humour, and stunning scenery. From the very beginning, I was completely drawn into the story and couldn't wait to see how it would unfold. Ali and Robyn have been best friends and couldn’t be closer, sharing everything, especially their love of Christmas and the tradition of creating advent calendars filled with challenges for each other. When Robyn becomes seriously ill, she creates one final advent calendar for Ali, packed with special tasks designed to push her out of her comfort zone. Devastated by the loss of her best friend, Ali feels completely adrift, but completing the challenges gives her a way to honour Robyn's memory. As she works through each one, she finds herself embarking on a journey of friendship, healing and self-discovery. Emily Stone bala...

  Always A Silver Lining by Jessica Redland I have read so many books by Jessica Redland, and I am always completely immersed in her stories, which feel like sinking into a warm bubble bath. Although Always A Silver Lining can be enjoyed as a standalone novel, it is the sixth book in the series, so I loved revisiting old friends and learning more about characters who have only been mentioned briefly in previous books. Juliet is a wedding planner who has helped many couples achieve their dream day, but despite being engaged twice, she has never made it down the aisle herself. When she meets Christian following a cycling accident in a car park, the attraction between them is immediate, and she cannot stop thinking about him. However, Christian is concerned about their age difference, while Juliet is hiding a secret that she fears could destroy any chance of a future together. As their feelings deepen, both must decide whether they are willing to take a chance on love and hope th...

  Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle by Jaimie Admans I absolutely love a Jaimie Admans book, and this one is right up there with her best. I'm a sucker for a love story, and if it has a healthy dose of comedy, even better. This book has both in spades. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I absolutely loved it! Lula is a window dresser, but disaster strikes just before Christmas and she ends up getting fired. After all, who wants to see Santa decapitating Paddington Bear?! When Lula spots an advert for someone to decorate a castle for Christmas, she jumps at the chance. There's just one catch: she has to pretend to be the owner's long-term girlfriend, Lucy. The fact that Oliver is drop-dead gorgeous certainly makes keeping up the charade a little easier! Add in a couple of fake children, plenty of festive chaos, and some laugh-out-loud moments, and you have the perfect recipe for a heartwarming romance. This was such a fun read, packed with humour, Christmas...

  Under Story by Chloe Benjamin   I hadn't read anything by Chloe Benjamin before, but the premise of the book really appealed to me. I'd previously read and enjoyed a book about time moving backwards, so I was very keen to read this one. It started a little slowly, but picked up around the 30% mark. She covered most of the backwards-time concepts that I'd enjoyed in the previous book, along with some physics, although she didn't touch on the concept of eating. Imagine that going backwards! 😊   Lauren is a renowned scientist, but after experiencing a traumatic event, she and her husband, fellow scientist Eli, separate. Seeking a complete change of direction, she moves to Antarctica and ends up working in the kitchen. When Eli arrives at the research station, old feelings begin to resurface. After Lauren has the epiphany that the mysterious Arc may be a portal, she must convince Eli to take a leap of faith with her. However, sometimes what you think you want isn...