Tag: UK

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#BlogTour: Reports Of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated by James Goodhand

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a hilarious and heartwarming absurdist British drama. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Reports Of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated by James Goodhand.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / Hardcover.app / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Hilarious (If In An Absurdist/ British Manner) And Heartwarming. I’m going to do this review in two parts, because there is a very key similarity between this book and a (possibly now somewhat obscure) movie that was at one time decently well known – but to reveal which movie is a *massive* spoiler.

So here’s the spoiler free part:

This book is going to make you laugh. It is going to make you cry. It is going to make you reach out to speak with and hold those closest to you, and it is going to make you think about your own life. And it is going to do all of that via allowing you to see through the eyes of a loner recluse that nobody gives a damn about who happens to be mistaken for a dead neighbor. Goodhand does another amazing job of telling a story in such a low key way, yet managing to hit exactly the notes he seems to have been going for. Truly an awesome story that will be a great counter weight to both the bubble gum pop or hyper macho action books you’re reading this summer as well as the extreme dark horror tales some (weirdos – joking, to be clear) look to this time of year or even the nonfiction books that a lot of ppl seek to read in the summer. And yes, guys, put down the nonfiction and read this book. It is absolutely for you, and you’re going to be able to have quite a bit of “teh feelz” in a safe space with this book. Ladies, don’t let the last sentence fool you, you’re going to enjoy this book at least as much as the guys, as there is quite a bit here for you too – just not quite as prominent, more in the sub story with some stuff that is going on throughout the book.

And now… the spoilers. DO NOT READ BELOW HERE IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Giving.
People.
Who.
Don’t.
Want.
To.
Be.
Spoiled.
Time.
To.
Leave.

Ok, at this point I’ve given everyone’s eyes a chance to leave before you read what I say next, so HERE COME THE SPOILERS.

Mr. Holland’s Opus has to be one of my favorite movies of all time. Its final scene in particular, where Mr. Holland comes to school ostensibly to pick up his last remaining boxes from his classroom after a lifetime of teaching at this school, only to hear some noise coming from somewhere… then following it to find an auditorium full of his former students and colleagues, all there to celebrate him… simply phenomenal.

If you love that movie, and particularly that scene, as much as I do… well, you’re already in the spoiler section of this review. Suffice it to say, without giving *everything* away, that there is a very similar scene here, and it is just as phenomenal as that one. *Maybe* even a touch better. I don’t *know* that Goodhand was aware of this scene, but it at least seems possible.

Now, my job as a reviewer is to both describe my experience with a book and, ultimately, to try to help sell it, even on books I absolutely detest. So particularly when a book was as excellent as this one, I need to talk about the things that I think could help it sell, and thus I *needed* to mention this movie. Plus, I couldn’t help but immediately think of that movie as the scene here was playing out, so I’m also being true to my own experience with the book in mentioning it. But I do know it is a massive spoiler, so it has been embedded in these spoiler tags.

And.
Now.
We.
Come.
Back.
Out.
Of.
The.
Spoilers.

Ultimately, this was truly an excellent book that I think most anyone will truly have a great time with, and in the lower half of the 300 page range, it isn’t a tome that will take weeks to read either, so it should be accessible to most readers.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Reports Of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated by James Goodhand”

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#BlogTour: What’s Mine Is Yours by Leah Mercer

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a twisty tale that packs a lot of story into its short-ish package. For this blog tour, we’re looking at What’s Mine Is Yours by Leah Mercer.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / Hardcover.app / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Twisty Tale Packs A Lot Of Action Into Its Short-Ish Package. This is one of those sub-300 page books that is going to feel like it *has* to be longer than it is… in all the best ways. For all that happens here, you’re going to be thinking this book is probably 100 or more pages longer than it actually is… and you’re not even going to notice until you get to the end, look down, and question your sense of reality when you see the actual page number.

And speaking of questioning reality, this is absolutely one of those ultra twisty psychological thrillers where both the characters – and you, the reader – will be questioning all that you know (possibly even in your own “real” life) by the end.

I’ve read several of Mercer’s books now, and this is absolutely both a solid look at her style (for new readers) and quite easily among the best she’s done to date (for readers who have been around a while and already get excited when they see her name on a book). Either newbie or established fan, this one is one that will likely gain her far more fans than it loses. (Let’s face it, *no* book is for everyone, and there *will* eventually be – wrong – reviews that claim this book is lacking in some aspect. Some people are idiots, and you just have to move on. 😉 (And yes, I fully acknowledge that some consider *me* to be an idiot, but I also doubt those people are reading this review. :D) )

There will be at least some who don’t want to read it for the simple reason of its basic premise, which largely hinges on mothers’ fears, even years after the baby is born, which is respectable. As a childfree married dude, I *fully* get this, particularly given the book’s release date between UK Mother’s Day and US Mother’s Day. For these types, I think the book is strong enough and doesn’t really dive into too many problematic issues within the childfree community that I think many of us can still enjoy this book as much as I have, but again, from this angle (and similar), I absolutely get deciding that this book maybe isn’t for you. Just please, I beg you – you’ve now been warned about this in this very review, so PLEASE don’t DNF / 1* this book because of these issues. Just skip it entirely. You. Have. Been. Warned. 🙂

Overall truly an excellent tale superbly told, and great for when you maybe don’t have as much time as you’d LIKE to read, but still don’t want to read a sub-200 page book either (even though there are many at that length that are also awesome, fwiw).

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: What’s Mine Is Yours by Leah Mercer”

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#BookReview: Other People’s Summers by Sarah Morgan

Another Solid Sarah Morgan Book. Long time fans of Morgan know what to expect with her non-Christmas books (nearly the same thing as with her Christmas books, but generally in a more “Summery” location and without the magic of Christmas playing a role). For those new to Morgan, this is actually a solid enough representation of her style to welcome you in.

The characters are (mostly) fleshed out well enough, particularly our various female characters, and they’re all flawed enough in those real world kind of ways to make them relatable to most of us to some degree or another without being so flawed as to be caricatures. The men… could probably have been better fleshed out, but meh, that can be said of most of Morgan’s books. At least with Morgan you’re never going to get a man shown as utterly irredeemable… even as he may not be the *best* man around. (And yes, amongst our men in this book, there is absolutely one that is… not so great, let’s say… among a few that are much better.)

The conflict here is tense enough to drive the plot and provide for at least some Hallmarkie level drama without being such that anyone’s pulse will really raise at all. For those looking for “spice”… not exactly Morgan’s style, and this is no different This, as with most of Morgan’s books (at least in my few years reading many of them now), is about as “spicy” as a warm glass of milk… even with the super hot actress and the adultery discussed herein.

One interesting thing for me in particular is that I’m currently playing Atomfall, which was released just weeks before this book, on my XBox, and both happen to be set in the same general region – the UK’s Lake Country – yet tell *very* different tales. (Atomfall being an alt-history in the style of the Fallout games, but based on a real life nuclear accident in this region back in the 1950s.) So it truly was quite interesting seeing the region from such different perspectives. 🙂

Very much recommended.

This review of Other People’s Summers by Sarah Morgan was originally written on May 1, 2025.

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#BookReview: The Big Necessity by Rose George

Interesting. Possibly Benefits From My Reading Audible Version. The day I was finishing reading this book, my own dad was being congratulated for reaching 15 years working at Cobb County, Ga’s RL Sutton Water Reclamation Facility. One of my brothers had also worked at a similar facility several years ago, before dad even started working there, so I’ve had a tangential knowledge of at least some of the issues raised in this book for even longer than the near 20 yrs since George first began writing it back in 2006.

And this tale is absolutely interesting. Perhaps a bit dry at times, and certainly with many references from earlier tales in the book the deeper you get into it, but as a global tale of how the world takes on the issue of “solid waste management”, as the US euphemism goes, this was truly a fascinating and globe trotting tale that perhaps spent a bit more time in the Indian subcontinent than it arguably should have and could maybe have used a foray into South America, but was still utterly fascinating in what it did cover nonetheless.

From the origins of sewers as we currently know them in London to the high tech roboticized toilets of Japan to the open defecation so prevalent even then in India as George was writing this book, this is a globe trotting adventure that takes us on a look at an area of life that we all do… and do our best not to think about.

Ultimately this was a very well written examination of its topic, and one that I would love to see yet another update to – or perhaps even a full on sequel of – now that we *are* approaching the 20 yr anniversary of George’s first research into the topic.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Big Necessity by Rose George was originally written on February 3, 2025.

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#BookReview: The Hunt by Gregg Dunnett

Intriguing If A Touch Meandering. Will Be Divisive. I believe this is my first ever review with an asterisk on the rating as far as I’m concerned – because for the first time ever I may well come back and reduce it by a star, depending on how the next book plays out. My reasons here can’t be explained without delving into spoiler territory, but I’ve written about my thoughts on what happens here in other contexts in other places, so they are at least quantities that can be known – and which should be at least partially obvious to those who have read the book.

For what it is though, this book itself is truly a fun and intriguing look at a Sherlock-variant “super detective” who finds herself placed in a situation she refuses to believe is actually true. The story then meanders quite a bit before the big reveal, which then explains the meandering before leading into the final sequences here.

Even in the meandering, the plot is well paced with a lot going on in different areas around the globe, making this easily the most expansive book in the series to date. The characters all play their roles superbly, and the result is a book that reads at least as good as some of the movies that are of its ultimate form. But again, because of the nature of this book, there is really only so much that can be said without revealing spoilers of some form or another.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Hunt by Gregg Dunnett was originally written on January 10, 2025.

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#BookReview: We Three Kings by Kristen Bailey

If Charles Dickens Wrote A Hallmarkie Christmas RomCom. Seriously, this is one of those Christmas Hallmarkie type tales that in its basic set up brings to mind almost a modern version of A Christmas Carol… but as a romcom rather than a “glimpse” based drama. Here, Bailey works her usual comedic genius in the various situations Maggie finds herself in, even if the ultimate outcome (not just the romantic one, but the specific plot one) was rather obvious almost from the moment the “problem” is introduced in the tale. But there again: Hallmarkie. As in, such obvious outcomes are damn near a reason to read the book to begin with – there won’t be much unexpected here, and what does show up unexpectedly will be used for either comedy or light drama that won’t really go much of anywhere other than to add a few dozen more pages to the tale.

I will note that as someone in tech who actually experienced an unexpected “reduction” earlier this year, this one hit a touch harder than many for me personally – and given the blood bath that tech has been experiencing these last few years, this will likely be the case for many readers. One of the better things here though is that Bailey captures our world so well that one begins to suspect she may have been one of us before beginning her writing career.

Ultimately a feel good Christmas romcom, this is going to be exactly what some people want… and exactly what at least a few others want to avoid. Know thyself and which camp you’re in and read (or not) accordingly. 😀

Very much recommended.

This review of We Three Kings by Kristen Bailey was originally written on November 1, 2024.

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#BookReview: Death Pact by Matt Hilton

Gruesome Crime Horror/ Thriller Starts With A Bang. Seriously, the start of this book feels like Hilton read Jeff Guinn’s Waco, because it truly feels like Hilton took Guinn’s hyper realistic descriptions of what actually went down there to scaffold his own fictional version.

Which is actually a *phenomenal* way to begin this particular tale.

The rest of the tale then flashes forward a bit and crosses the “pond”, becoming a UK based police/ crime tale featuring some particularly horrific murders that fans of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter trilogy or Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Pendergast series will absolutely enjoy. The pacing of the investigation is solid, and the way the various characters meld together is done quite well.

Surprises late are well executed, and by the end you’re going to be questioning if this is meant to be a series starter afterall…

Overall truly a great crime story excellently told, and a solid change of pace from Hilton’s Grey and Villere thrillers in particular in that while the action is equally intense, the criminals here feel so much more decidedly dark and truly evil. Very much recommended.

This review of Death Pact by Matt Hilton was originally written on April 14, 2024.

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#BookReview: Little Sister by Gytha Lodge

Solid UK Police Procedural Thriller. I picked up this book because I was invited to based on my reviews of other similar books, not knowing that it was number four in the series. As such, it was readily apparent in the beginning that if this was the start of a series there would likely be prequels down the road… or this was deeper into the series (which turned out to be the case). That noted, for me it was still easy enough to follow along with where each member of our police team was in their journeys. Though for those more sensitive to any hint of a “spoiler”… eh, you’ll want to make sure to start with Book 1.

What I *did* find in this book is that for the most part, if you are a fan of this subgenre of mystery/ thriller, you’re going to like this book and (likely) this series as well. If you’ve never experienced this subgenre before, this is a pretty solid example of it with a compelling mystery, tense thriller moments, and relatable characters.

Overall a solid work, and I look forward to seeing what Lodge has in store for the team next. 🙂 Very much recommended.

This review of Little Sister by Gytha Lodge was originally written on July 5, 2022.

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#BookReview: Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams

Excellently Executed. This is a romance tale where the entire premise is that our central couple keeps *just* missing each other, and it *really* works. The cuts between perspectives in different scenes are amazing, showing the couple at various points literally in the same place at the same time… and completely missing each other. It *is* a romance though and *does* have a happily ever after, but Williams does an amazing job of holding that off until almost literally the last second. Funny where it needs to be, serious where it needs to be, and overall a fun romantic comedy. Very much recommended.

This review of Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams was originally published on June 12, 2019.