Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

The novel tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.

I read this with my pal Kath as our buddy read in May. I’ve not read any Ishiguro before so I wasn’t sure what to expect, I also went into this blind and didn’t read the blurb. 

This was such a lovely story of friendship and love. I kept forgetting that Klara was an AF, she seemed so real at times, and she cared about Josie so much. I loved how she watched and made mental notes about people, and she didn’t forget a thing. I loved Rick too, the boy from across the field, Josie’s best friend. There was one part I felt so sorry for him, but things worked out, and I liked that. Josie was such a lovely character. She was going through so much and my heart broke for her. But she had Klara, and Klara was hell bent on doing whatever she could to help Josie get better.

The mother was a bit strange, but you kind of get why when you get further into the story. The whole ‘lifted kids’ thing went over my head a bit, I still don’t think I know why it was done to be honest.

This was a lovely story. I’ll definitely read another of Ishiguro’s books.

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Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang

 Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.

White lies...

When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.

Dark humour...

But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

Deadly consequences…

What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.

We all know the cover of this book by now, we all know its all over the BookTok, Bookstagram, and BookTwitter, not to mention all emails ive received recently from book related companies. So I obviously was dying to know what it was all about! 

I went into this with high hopes, everyone is raving about it. I didn’t love it. I liked it, and gave it 4 stars, but I thought with all the hype surrounding it, I was going to really love it. The scene of Athena’s death was quite traumatic, and I felt so bad for her, and June. I liked Athena, we didn’t really see much of her in the book but I kind of liked her character. I did quite like June too, a bit snarky at times etc, but she was alright. 

The story was a good telling of what I can only assume probably does go on in the writing industry, some not so great stuff, I just hope it doesn’t go on a lot.

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The Clearing by Simon Toyne

 

Women are going missing

Something deadly lurks in the forest around Cinderfield. Locals put the unusually high number of disappearances down to transients or runaways; some even blame the Cinderman, a figure of local legend rumoured to haunt the woods looking for unsuspecting victims.

Vanishing without a trace

Forensic specialist Laughton Rees doesn't believe in monsters. Already investigating the area's history of missing women, news of the latest 'runaway' Maddie Friar brings her to Cinderfield to find out the truth.

No one's talking

But, from the gruff leader of an off-grid commune to the mysterious Earl who presides over the crumbling abbey in the heart of the forest, everyone in Cinderfield has something to hide

But what lies in the shadows?

As Laughton searches for answers, with the help of DCI Tannahil Khan back in London, someone is watching - cataloguing her every move, prepared to do anything to keep their dark secrets from coming to light

I’ve never read any of Simon Toynes books before, my husband (who isn’t a reader) got halfway through Solomon Creed and loved it. So when I saw InstaBookTours doing a tour for this one I jumped at the chance. And I’m sso glad I did!

The prologue is only 3 pages long but boy did it have me hooked from the get go! Honestly, if you’re unsure on this one, get a sample and read those first 3 pages, you will want to read the rest! This book was creepy as hell, the chapters were short which helped as I kept wanting to read ‘just one more’, and ended up devouring the book over roughly 2 days. 

I loved the characters, Adele and Laughton being my favourites. The creepy side characters were interesting, and ‘the guy with no face’ weirded me out more than once! There were twists I didn’t see coming, some I did see, and some I thought I had figured out but turned out to be wrong! I will definitely go back and read the first book in the Laughton series, and I’d totally recommend this one to any thriller fan.

Thanks so much to InstaBookToursfor letting me join the tour, Harper Collins for my #gifted copy, and Simon Toyne for creeping me the hell out!

Don’t Look Back by Jo Spain

For one week, everything in Luke Miller's life is perfect. Surprised with a belated honeymoon by his wife, Rose, he's had seven days with her in a Caribbean paradise. It's more than he ever thought he'd deserve.

But as they pack their bags, Rose breaks down, confessing that on the day they left London, a violent man from her past tracked her down and broke into their home. He wasn't expecting her to fight back. And, in her terror, Rose killed him. Now there's a dead body in Luke's apartment, and only one person he can think to turn to.

Mickey Sheils never expected to hear from Luke again, not after he disappeared the first time. Luke knows Mickey can't deny a woman who needs help, so she promises she'll deal with things - she'll make sure Rose doesn't have to keep running. 

But it turns out, some lies are too big to run from.

Thanks so much to Quercus and Netgalley for my e-arc in return for an honest review.

I buddy read this with my good pal Janet, we both had similar thoughts on it.

So the second half was much better than the first half, we were 52% in saying it was a bit slow then bam, it hit us with a lot lol. The characters were quite easily likeable, and easy to follow who was who. I liked the 2 main characters Luke and Rose, but I think I likes the side character of Mickey the best. She works with vulnerable women trying to escape violent partners, she seems very head strong and persistent.

I’d read another of Jo Spains books, this was good.

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Graceland by Nancy Crochiere

Hope Robinson can't seem to please anyone lately, especially not her mother, the flamboyant soap star Olivia Grant. Olivia loves Elvis more than Jesus and, convinced she's dying, insists on a final visit to Graceland. Unfortunately, that's the one place Hope can't take her. Hope fled Memphis years ago with a shameful secret and a vow never to return.

Olivia, though, doesn't understand the word no. Instead, she wrangles Hope's pink-haired daughter, Dylan, to drive her to Memphis by promising to reveal the mystery of her long-lost father. Hope must stop them before they expose the truth and all hell breaks loose.

As the women race from Boston to Memphis, encountering jealous soap actors, free-range ferrets, and a trio of Elvis-impersonating frat boys, everyone's secrets begin to unravel. In order to become the family they long to be, Hope, Olivia, and Dylan must face hard truths about themselves and one another on the bumpy road to acceptance, forgiveness, and ultimately, grace.

I was very excited to be on the tour for this one, I love Elvis so this one appealed to me from the get go.

Graceland is a lovely book, totally different to what I expected. There were a load of Elvis nods throughout, mentions of his songs (which has me totally listening to his songs and watching his videos by the way, it also helps that I watched Elvis on the plane ride to Florida a few weeks ago), and plenty more. I loved the character of Olivia, I could see Dolly Parton playing her in the movie! She was so funny, a total schemer, but I bet she would be so much fun to be around. Hope was a good character, not my favourite I must admit, but I liked her. 

The story is full of adventure, fun, hijinx, and a twist I didn’t see coming but I loved!

Thanks so much to InstaBookTours for letting me join in, Avon Books for my gifted copy of the book, and Nancy Crouchiere for the fabulous trip to Graceland.

Windswept and Interesting by Billy Connolly

'I didn't know I was Windswept and Interesting until somebody told me. It was a friend who was startlingly exotic himself. He'd just come back from Kashmir and was all billowy shirt and Indian beads. I had long hair and a beard and was swishing around in electric blue flairs.

He said: "Look at you - all windswept and interesting!"

I just said: "Exactly!"

After that, I simply had to maintain my reputation...'

In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life.

Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.

Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician - a 'rambling man' - with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart.

As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken - willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy 'glam-rock' stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal.

It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1975 - and one outrageous story in particular - that catapulted Billy from cult hero to national star. TV shows, documentaries, international fame and award-winning Hollywood movies followed. Billy's pitch-perfect stand-up comedy kept coming too - for over 50 years, in fact - until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson's Disease brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then he has continued making TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings... and writing.

Windswept and Interesting is Billy's story in his own words. It is joyfully funny - stuffed full of hard-earned wisdom as well as countless digressions on fishing, farting and the joys of dancing naked. It is an unforgettable, life-affirming story of a true comedy legend.

So I have this on my kindle, but when I found it available on my audiobook subscription, I had to listen to it instead. Billy Connolly is an absolute diamond, hes a living legend and I was so happy he narrated his book himself. 

Billy is full of so many hilarious stories, I laughed so much listening to his random memories and tales. But it wasn’t all laughs. Billy tells of his childhood, his mother abandoning him and his sister when they were just young, his father being in a different country. He talks about his mother with so much love, how he remembers her beauty and kindness. But I felt so bad for him, hearing how she still didn't really come back, fleeting visits once in a blue moon. And how life with his father when he returned wasn’t the best at all, abused by the person who is supposed to take care of you.

But the laughs and the comedy, as usual in true Billy Connolly style were there. So many stories of bums, running naked, and whacking willies left right and centre had me in stitches. I laughed so hard listening to him retell how he and his sister were taken and put to bed by a drunk neighbour who thought they were one of his 9 children! He’s an absolute true legend and I’m loving that he’s living his best life right now.

Keep on keeping on Billy!!

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