The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs

 

A stranger has infiltrated your family…and now he's taking over.

Paul's just here to help, or so he claims-sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen's daughter Connie, there's just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He's a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.

The last thing Connie wants is a stranger meddling in the safe routine she's built around Gwen. She loves being the one Gwen turns to for cooking, cleaning and company. But the more Paul visits, the more Gwen is relying on him. By the time he conveniently finds himself between homes and has no choice but to move in, Connie is certain he's trying to push her out completely.

It's her word against his, though, and as her attempts to unmask him become ever more desperate she's not the only one left wondering if she's lost her grip on reality. But when events start spiralling rapidly out of her control, should Connie wage all-out war on Paul and risk losing Gwen forever-or has that been his plan all along?

I devoured this book! I always hear amazing things about John Marrs books, and I’ve only read one before this one (and loved it), so obviously I now plan to read them all haha.

This is a proper twisty thriller which had me guessing all the way through. I could not stop reading! Lets just say I hated Paul, you will find out why when you read it, and you may think you know why, but you won’t. Honestly this book threw so many theories around, I got whiplash reading it. It’s madness, and brilliant. I don’t even want to say anything more as I may end up soiling something, so lets just say read it, and let me know what you think haha!

Thanks for keeping me entertained Mr Marrs, looking forward to reading more of your stories!

Friends, Lovers, and The big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

 

The beloved star of Friends takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this candid, funny, and revelatory memoir that delivers a powerful message of hope and persistence.

In an extraordinary story that only he could tell, Matthew Perry takes readers onto the soundstage of the most successful sitcom of all time while opening up about his private struggles with addiction. Candid, self-aware, and told with his trademark humour, Perry vividly details his lifelong battle with the disease and what fuelled it despite seemingly having it all.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that shares the most intimate details of the love Perry lost, his darkest days, and his greatest friends.

I am a huge Friends fan, so of course I knew as soon as this was announced that I’d be reading it. I also knew as a proud bookworm, I would buy it on release day and it would sit on my shelves for months before I read it. Why did I wait so long? I’m glad my friend Kath asked if we should make this our buddy read in February, i love our chats and this one was no different.

My heart broke over and over again reading/listening to this (yes I know, I got the audiobook version too and flitted between that and the hardback). I kept thinking about how he was doing well, he was in rehab, it might work… to suddenly remember he isn’t here, and it seemed all his hard work was for nothing. He talked about wanting kids, I can’t believe he never got to experience that. I cried more than a few times.

But I also laughed, his comic side showing every now and again. I smiled as he remembered fondly being on the set of Friends, remembered friends and lovers (did I know he was once with Julia Roberts? I can’t remember if I did!), and talked with great love about his mother. He truly loved her, his beautiful mother. 

He had a hard childhood, his father leaving when he was young, his mother not being around a lot due to work, but the hardest times ever were ahead of him, when the drugs took hold. How many times he tried to get sober, did get sober, then something happened to knock him back all over again. I’m so glad he did get there in the end, he done so well and he had to have been proud of himself for that.

The stories of surgeries and medical treatment were enough to make anyone realize he had so much trouble, the colon surgery hit hard as the same thing happened to someone very important to me (not through drugs), it was like reliving it again.

I was quite sad after finishing this one, and I still am thinking about it now. I’ve not watched an episode of Friends since Matthew passed, I will, but it’s not going to be the same anymore. Friends was a huge part of my growing up, dashing to the settee every week with my sister and parents, ready for the next episode. Rewatching old episodes years down the line, knowing so many phrases and having favourite episodes and scenes.

So with tears in my eyes, a smile on my face, and love in my heart, I want to say thank you Matthew, for all of it.

#books #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview #matthewperry #friendsloversandthebigterriblething #addiction #friends #chandler 

Lion by Saroo Brierley

 

As a five-year old in India, I got lost on a train. Twenty-five years later, I crossed the world to find my way back home.

Five-year-old Saroo lived in a poor village in India, in a one-room hut with his mother and three siblings...until the day he boarded a train alone and got lost. For twenty-five years.

This is the story of what happened to Saroo in those twenty-five years. How he ended up on the streets of Calcutta. And survived. How he then ended up in Tasmania, living the life of an upper-middle-class Aussie. And how, at thirty years old, with some dogged determination, a heap of good luck and the power of Google Earth, he found his way back home.

Lion is a triumphant true story of survival against all odds and a shining example of the extraordinary feats we can achieve when hope endures.

I remember watching the movie years ago, and crying and smiling so much I had to go and buy the book. It’s taken me a long time to get to it, but I did. I both read and listened to the audiobook, and I suggest you get to it if you haven’t already.

What a story! How brave Saroo was to do what he did at 5 years old!  A little boy lost, I’m so glad he was smart enough to do some of the things he did, he saved his own life a few times. I was so glad he was adopted by a lovely family, and made a really good life for himself in Australia. 

I loved listening to the parts he talks about sitting with his adoptive mother and describing his village in India, his new mother drawing a map and labelling everything he could remember. No spoilers here as it actually tells you he finds home in the blurb, but that moment when he does, the hope in my heart was huge, I can’t even imagine how it felt for him seeing those images on Google Earth.

What a beautiful story of absolute bravery and love, I’m off to google and find out a bit more information!

Read it, you won’t be disappointed. 

Paris by Paris Hilton

 

Behind Paris Hilton's meteoric rise from Upper West Side club kid to household name lies her self-proclaimed 'superpower' of ADHD and a hidden history that traumatized and defined her. Shocking, funny and surprisingly profound, Paris is the deeply personal memoir of the ultimate It Girl and a stunning inside view of a pop culture phenomenon.

Until, in a revealing documentary, she disclosed that her childhood was shattered by two years of strip searches, isolation, beatings, restraint, and brainwashing within the now infamous 'troubled teen industry', Paris Hilton was simply the billionaire heiress America had watched grow up on television, on the internet, and in tabloids. But there was always more to Paris Hilton than met the eye. Yes, she is the media personality, DJ, entrepreneur, model, singer, actress and icon beloved all over the globe. And yet...

Paris is the story people have always wanted Paris Hilton to tell - the story of who she really is. In this revealing and thought-provoking book, Paris will separate the creation from the creator, the brand from the ambassador, and show the woman who grew up with incredible privilege, but who was also trapped in a world of unreasonable expectation at a moment when young women were humiliated for sport in a gossip economy on steroids. Paris recounts her perilous journey through pre-#METOO sexual politics with grace, generosity, and plenty of fun, rising above a series of heart-wrenching challenges to find healing, lasting love and a life of meaning and purpose.

The parallel story arcs in Paris' braided narrative come to full bloom as a watershed portrait of the Noughties, challenging each of us to question our role in her story and her role in ours. The result is an intimate and unexpected memoir about persona and personification, the price of being young and disobedient, and the complexity of manifesting your dreams after watching part of yourself disappear.

Paris Hilton has always been seen as this daft blonde, who didn’t know much, acted silly and dumb most of the time. But in fact, she is really freaking smart. She runs her own businesses, her loads of her own brands, and is a DJ!! I first came across Paris when she starred in the Simple Life, and loved it. but hearing about her book when it came out made me want to know more about the real Paris. 

Wow, I’d heard about Provo School in the news and socials, but I didn’t know the extent of the things that happened there until I listened to Paris book. What those girls went through, the emotional torture, the physical abuse, the sexul abuse, i’m so glad the school has been shut down now and this shit won’t happen to anyone again. I really like Paris, and I love how she stands for what she believes in. I still can’t believe the stuff she went through, even outside of Provo and the other similar schools, the paparazzi chases sounded so bad. She wanted to be a normal teenager, and it ended with her sneaking out of the house at night, getting into nightclubs, being followed home.

Since finishing this book, I watched Paris’ documentary on YouTube, and it was really good. If you liked the book, go watch the documentary.

I truly wish paris all the best with her life.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagasawa

 

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo is a booklover's paradise.

On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books. Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations.

It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him five years earlier. When Takako's boyfriend reveals he's marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle's offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above the shop.

Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the Morisaki bookshop. As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought.

Ohh I really enjoyed this. First thing I did when I finished was google Jimbocho, and wow it’s amazing!! Go and google it, google map it, look at pictures, you will want to move there lol. What a wonderful little book village, filled with second hand book stores, sounds ideal.

How lucky is Takako, living rent free about her uncles Bookshop?! Meeting so many people everyday, I’d love to do that. I loved reading about her, and finding her way around a new place, meeting new people, and potential new love. The trip she takes later in the book was really interesting too, making a trip like that would be really cool.

A lovely book.

Hope by Niall Harbison

 

Most people think I save dogs, but really they saved me.

Niall Harbison is a dog hero based in Thailand. He spends his days feeding, caring for and rescuing the many street dogs he comes across. With every rescue there's a story. Like the sweet gentle McMuffin who was found with many tumours and hours from death, only to be nursed back to health. She now lives with Niall and is a popular member of the pack. Then there is King Whacker - who escaped a vicious attack and is now ruling the nest living up to his name as the king of the all good dogs. And who could resist the puppy eyes of little Rodney, the beautiful dog with big paws who is melting millions of hearts around the world.

Originally from Dublin, Niall was the owner of a successful advertising company. After selling it, he moved to Thailand where his addictions - drugs and alcohol - almost got the better of him. One day he woke up in hospital, close to death, and realised that something had to change. And that was what spurred him on to start saving and helping street dogs. His aim is to help 10,000 street dogs.

This is his story.

I’ve followed Niall for ages on Twitter now, and love seeing his videos and pictures, updates on his life and all the dogs he takes care of. I knew I had to listen to this when I was scrolling Audible for what to use my next credit on. I loved it. I knew a small amount of Niall’s background but I didn’t know just how bad things had gotten for him. I’m so glad he’s on the road to recovery and found his place in life.

I got most of the way through and thought to myself ‘I haven’t cried!’. I had felt so much emotion all the way through but I hadn’t cried. Then Niall talks about Guiseppe… I gave myself a headache with all of the tears. Niall’s last words to Guiseppe broke my heart ‘I looked into his eyes the very second he was drifitng off and I whispered that he was loved by many people, and we’d make something special for him’.

What an amazing man this guy is, the things he does for the street dogs of Thailand is great, he feeds a ridiculous amount of dogs every day, he shelters, he takes care of them, he takes them to the vet, but most importantly he loves them. They are not his pets, they are street dogs, but he loves them. He has nicknames for them all, some are fantastic. 

We can’t forget Nialls own dog Snoop, he’s been with him from before Thailand. I remember when he passed, I was heartbroken for Niall. And then Tina passed and my heart hurt all over again.

These dogs have been through some awful awful things, from being abused, whacked on the head with an axe (or something similar, how King Whacker got his name), being slashed with a machete, hit with a nail gun, and just being left to their own devices. I’m glad Niall does what he does, and I know he says there are so many other people there who do the same thing too, so they’re brilliant too.

Thanks for sharing your stories Niall, and the stories of these courageous pups. And thank you for everything you do.

Oh Miriam! By Miriam Margolyes

From being escorted off the Today programme (for saying what we were all thinking) to declaring her love to Vanessa Redgrave; from Tales of the Unexpected to Graham Norton's sofa, she is our most loved and most outspoken national treasure. Oh Miriam! takes you inside both her head and her heart. Buckle up for the most irrepressible, hilarious and moving read of 2023

‘Nuff said… best last line to a book!

I knew I had to pre order this as soon as it was announced, her first book was brilliant. Me and my buddy reader Kath had read the first one together,so it only made sense for us to read this one together too.

Miriam is most definitely a national treasure, she’s amazing, funny, and totally outright and bold. She’s also the sweariest woman ever haha, she says what she thinks and doesn't really have a filter. But this is why I love her. You can’t go into this book without expecting some very rude stories, and I bloody love it haha.

Miriam talks about so many things, I loved hearing about all the theatre adn films she worked on, the people she worked with. And it was great listening to it as well as reading it, as shes very good at doing voice impressions. She also shows us her voice work such as Sexy Sonia (an adult tape made for Ann summers a long time ago), and the Cadburys Bunny, which I never even knew she done!! 

She talks very openly about her relationship with Heather, how they live in different houses (and different countries!), but how this works exactly right for them. They’ve been together a long long time, and love each other very much. I’m glad they do what works for them, and not what society dictates a relationship should be.

Miriam likes to talk about sex, and I love listening to her talk about it lol. Because she is just so open about it all. She can list off times when she had sex, where she was, who she was with, what exactly she did (and I mean details lol). She talks about flashing her boobs and bum for a laugh, how she thinks boobs always make a situation lighter, and I think its just bloody great. 

I’d love to meet this lady, I was gutted when I found out she had rocked up in Newcastle Waterstones one day, if I’d have known I’d have been there in a flash.

Read it, listen to it, but make sure this is on your tbr as it’s so good. I don’t think I’ve laughed out loud so much as I did with this one.

Thanks to my pal Kath for reading it along with me.

In The Blink of An Eye by Jo Callaghan

 

In the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds. Just gone. Vanished. In the blink of an eye.  DCS Kat Frank knows all about loss.

A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her instincts. Picked to lead a pilot programme that has her paired with AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock, Kat's instincts come up against Lock's logic. But when the two missing person's cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help Kat when the case gets personal. 

AI versus human experience.  Logic versus instinct. With lives on the line can the pair work together before someone else becomes another statistic? 

I saw this all over social media and knew I had to check it out. Well I’m so glad I did! This was a brilliant book, and I can’t wait for the next one. 

I was a bit dubious going into a book about an AI detective, but it worked so well. I actually liked Lock, I know some people won’t have, and some people might say how can you like an AI? But I loved his ‘character’. I liked seeing how he kind of learns a little compassion and empathy, and says the wrong thing at the wrong time!

I like Kat too, I’m hoping Jo Callaghan turns this into a seies of books as I’d be happy to read them all. I felt so bad for Kat when the case got personal, and I dont’t think I guessed how it was going to turn out either.

Great book, 5 stars from me, my favourite January read! 

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary

 

Two sworn enemies. A failing hotel. One chance to save the season...

It's the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel's front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.

The hotel won't stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest's lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in lost property, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel - and their jobs.

As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there's more at stake here than the hotel's future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?

This was Tsundoku Squads first group read of 2024! We all really like Beth O’Leary so we were excited for this one.

It was good, not amazing, and not her best, but I gave it 4 stars.

I didn’t like the main character Izzy, and I think a few of us felt the same. But I did like Lucas. He was my favourite in the book, along with Mr Townsend. Mr Townsend seemed like such a lush person, he was always hanging around in the background, listening to and watching the world go by. Lucas, ohh I did like Lucas. A tall, handsome Italian? Whats not to love! His family were very sweet too.

The ring thing was a big part of the story, and there were some good bit, but some that I just wasn’t bothered about. The part with the adulterer was quite funny (the situation, not the fact of someone being an adulterer), if you read it you’ll understand.

So a ⅘ from me, excited for her next book!