Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

It's Friday the 13th and Diana is an ambitious young appraiser at Sotheby's in New York. She's about to go on a long-awaited holiday, where she knows Finn, her surgeon boyfriend, will propose and the next stage of her carefully planned life will begin.

But it is Friday the 13th of March 2020.

The new virus hits. Finn can't leave the city, and suggests she goes without him. In the Galapagos, unable to get back to her real life, Diana learns about the devastation hitting the world as she hears intermittently from her boyfriend. She's discovering a new side to herself and a new kind of life, when everything changes . . .

I received a copy of this book from the publisher Hodder and Staunton, and netgalley, in return for an honest review.

I’m a huge Jodi Picoult fan, so there’s no denying I was ridiculously excited to see this book on Netgalley, and even more excited when I was approved! I read this one as a buddy read with 5 of my pals, and we all really enjoyed it (all book reviewers and all approved on Netgalley).

There was a bit of controversy around this book before it came out, people saying they weren’t sure about reading a book based on the pandemic, which is still very much going on. And I get that, I’ve hardly been anywhere in almost 19 months, but I knew Ms JP would write it well. The book is mostly all about Diana and The Galapagos, with Covid mentioned sporadically throughout. 

The book is told from the perspective of Diana, who jets off to The Galapagos alone, only to get there and find everything is closed due to the pandemic, and she is stuck. I loved the Galapagos parts of the story, the descriptions were amazing and I felt whisked away while reading. I really liked Diana, and was rooting for her character all the way through. Finn I wasn’t as fussed on, I felt Earth sorry for him with what he was going through working on the Covid wards. Jodi’s descriptions of how Finn was feeling and the people who lost their lives, it was all very real and close to home. And there was a certain point me and my pals were a bit shocked.

I won’t go into much more detail but yes read this book, then read it again, and fall in love with The Galapagos. Well done again Ms Picoult!

Many Different Kinds of Love by Michael Rosen

 

'Will I wake up?'

'There's a 50:50 chance.'

In March 2020, Michael Rosen became unwell. Soon he was struggling to breathe, and he was admitted to hospital with coronavirus. What followed was months on the wards: a month in an induced coma, and weeks of rehab and recovery as the NHS saved his life, and then got him back on his feet. Throughout it all, a diary was kept at the end of Michael's bed, where his nurses wrote him letters of hope and support. And as soon as he was awake, he was ready to start writing his own story.

Combining stunning new prose poems by one of Britain's best loved poets and the moving coronavirus diaries of his nurses, and featuring original illustrations by Chris Riddell, this is a beautiful book about love, life and the NHS that celebrates the power of community and the indomitable spirits of the people who keep us well.

I bought this book at the weekend and was desperate to get round to it. It’s amazing. I read it so quickly but took in every word.

Michael caught Covid back in March 2020 and became very ill, the world knew about it and we were all hoping he would get better and come out of it.

His book is beautiful, and heartbreaking at the same time. I cried during the first part, I cried during the last. Reading the letters and notes the doctors, nurses, carers left for him while he was in his induced Coma made me realise just how many people cared for him during that time. And these people weren’t all ICU Nurses either, some were usually Children’s Speech and Language Therapists, children’s hospital nurses, rehabilitation staff, who had all came in to help the massively overwhelmed ICU staff. We know the NHS got overwhelmed really quickly, we know the virus took over like wildfire and devoured us, and we know how many people went out of their way, out of their comfort zones of their day to day jobs and were fighting on the frontline against this awful awful thing. The letters are lovely, what a beautiful thing for Michael to have, a reminder of a bad time some might say, but I say a reminder of the loving and  gentle care they all gave him when he couldn’t do it himself. I loved reading his entries throughout too, poems, dreams, thought and musings. And of course his beautiful NHS Poem at the end.

I’m so glad Michael got better, he is on the mend and still more than likely facing difficulties of what Covid has done to his body. But he’s here, as he said in his book ‘I’m not dead’, and I’m so grateful. We lost a family member at the start of the pandemic due to Covid, and another family friend later on. I know of many many people who have lost loved ones this past year, who have sat by their family members side or had to FaceTime to say goodbye. I can’t imagine what Emma and their children went through, but I loved reading how much they mean to Michael and what they did to help him get through he coma and fight back.

A beautiful book full of love, sadness and hope. I wish Michael all the best and hope he is doing well now.

WWW Wednesday 17.3.2021

Hello again! 

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Worlds. WWW means 3 things: What are you currently reading? What have your recently finished reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

The Tsundoku Squad are still reading out March book The Islanders, and are on the third part now. Last week we had our discussion and all seem to be enjoying it. I am starting my next book tour read, Whatever You Are Is Beautiful by Richard Blandford, which is a different book and sounds quite interesting. I started The Last House On Needless Street too which I’ve had forever and really should have got to it by now! Heard good things about it.

What have you recently finished reading?

This week I finished 2 books. A Taste of Home by Heidi Swain, which I loved so much. Look out for my review tomorrow. I also read The Snow Song by Wray Delaney, which I’ve had for a while, and really enjoyed it. Review next week.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Next up I think will be When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister. I was sent a proof of this and have been looking forward to it. Also my next Netgalley read will probably be Damage by Caitlin Wahrer.

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time

WWW Wednesday 24.2.21

Well hello again! 

It’s WWW Wednesday again, and if you don’t know what that is yet, it’s a tag hosted by Taking on a World of Worlds, in which it asks 3 questions:

What are you currently reading? What have you recently finished? What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

I still have Breaking and Mending by Joanna Cannon on the go, I haven’t read any more pages since last time. I should get round to reading a bit more of it this week. I’ve also started My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, heard so many good things about it and its all over Twitter and instagram all the time. 

What have you recently finished?

This last week I finished 3 books. The Last One at the Party by Bethany Clift, which was bloody great. My review was up on Monday so if you haven’t already looked then go ahead! I read Backstories by Simon Van Der Velde. This was a good one, really interesting spin on a book, I’ve not read anything like it before. My review will be up near the end of Mach when it’s released. I finished Paris by Starlight last night, which was our Tsundoku book group read. look out for mine and the groups thoughts soon.  

What do you think you’ll read next?

Next I hope to get on with The Lip by Charlie Carrol, which I have for a blog tour soon. Also, guess what.... The Push! Haha, I told you it will stay there until I actually get round to reading it!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope I’ve inspired you to pick up something new! 

WWW Wednesday 3.2.21

 

Hi, happy Wednesday! 

Today we’re back to WWW Wednesday, which is a tag being hosted by Taking on A World of Worlds. It means 3 things: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Over on Tsundoku Squad we’ve started our second book of 2021 which is Paris by Starlight by Robert Dinsdale. It is broken down very nicely into 4 books so perfect for our 4 week February.

I’m also still reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, my very first Christie! I’m not far into it but hoping I can get through it and enjoy it.

What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished our Tsundoku Squad read Love at the Northern Lights by Darcie Boleyn, which didn’t go down great. Collectively we scored it 2/5 and were all quite happy when we were done with it. I haven’t posted a review for it but will add a very quick review to the Tsundoku Squad Page soon.

I read Effie’s House by Raven McAllan who I’m happy to call a friend. This was sent to me by her on publication day so thank very much for that.

My last book of January was Meet Me in Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo, which is the second of her novels. I loved this as I did the first, and gave it 5/5. Review to come soon.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Next I would still like to get started on The Push by Ashley Audrain, The Last House on Needless Street, and Breaking and mending by Joanna Cannon. Let’s see how that goes! 

Thanks for stopping by, happy reading :)

The Captive by Deborah O’Connor

 

He killed her husband, Now he’s living in her house...

Hannah is grieving the loss of her husband, a policeman who was brutally murdered. Jem was convicted of the crime. But under a new system he will serve out his twenty five year sentence in a cell in Hannah's house. There it is hoped he will learn the true cost of his terrible crime. But who is the real captive? Jem, whose whole world is now confined to a few square feet - or Hannah, whose responsibility it is to look after her husband's killer? As Hannah and Jem settle into their strange new situation, they begin to get used to their new routines. But then something happens. Jem tells Hannah he's innocent. He tells her something else too. That her husband had been lying to her. Before long, the relationship between Hannah and Jem begins to shift, as Hannah questions everything she thought she knew. But was Jem really wrongly convicted? Or is he simply a desperate man, willing to say and do anything that might grant his freedom?

I received a copy of this book from the publisher Bonnier Books/ Zaffre and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I don’t know why I kept this one for so long on my Netgalley list, it was so intense!! 10% in and I was freaking out, didn’t want to go to sleep! I had lay in bed, in the dark reading that first 10% and if I hadn’t started to fall asleep I may have stayed awake reading more and being scared.

The idea behind the toy is amazing, can you imagine having to have someone live with you who had damaged your family in some way, murdered a loved one, caused harm to your children? Well for Hannah she has to do just this, her husbands murderer is placed in a cell built in her kitchen, to live out his prison sentence. I mean it’s crazy right! But wow does this book grip you!

The first half of the book was getting used to the characters, finding out all sorts of new information and becoming a detective yourself trying to work out the clues. The second half was so full of twists I honestly never knew what was going on.

I’d definitely recommend this one, and its made me want to check out Deborah’s other books!

Thanks again to Bonnier Zaffre and of course, as always, the author Deborah O’Connor

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