#BookReview RAMBLE BOOK by ADAM BUXTON #Audiobook

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ramble
/ˈramb(ə)l/

Verb1. walk for pleasure in the countryside.‘Dr Buckles and Rosie the dog love rambling in the countryside.’
2. talk or write at length in a confused or inconsequential way.‘Adam rambles on about lots of consequential, compelling and personal matters in his tender, insightful, hilarious and totally unconfused memoir, Ramble Book.’
Ramble Book is about parenthood, boarding-school trauma, arguing with your partner, bad parties, confrontations on trains, friendship, wanting to fit in, growing up in the ’80s, dead dads, teenage sexual anxiety, failed artistic endeavours, being a David Bowie fan and how everything you read, watch and listen to as a child forms a part of the adult you become.

PUBLISHED BY MUDLARK

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

I listened to the audio version of this book – and I recommend you do the same!!

Just wonderful!! It made me laugh and cry in equal measures and was just a walk down memory lane of the 70’s and 80’s in terms of music, films, and life memories that really struck a chord with me being a very similar age as Adam! He recalls his childhood, schooldays, family life into adulthood and he’s just so honest and endearing you can’t help but love every minute of his ramblings! It is just like listening to an old friend and feels very much like a long podcast episode! He even makes his own jingles to use throughout and then there’s a lovely bonus podcast episode at the end featuring Joe!

And alongside the funny stuff, there’s the emotional tale of his father who moved in with Adam and his family as he became ill, and it’s so touching and made my eyes leak a lot as he shares the reality of seeing a parent pass away.

An utterly brilliant book! Go listen to it… NOW!!

★★★★★

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#BookReview AND AWAY by BOB MORTIMER #Audiobook

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bob Mortimer’s life was trundling along happily until suddenly in 2015 he was diagnosed with a heart condition that required immediate surgery and forced him to cancel an upcoming tour. The episode unnerved him, but forced him to reflect on his life so far. This is the framework for his hilarious and moving memoir, And Away…

Although his childhood in Middlesbrough was normal on the surface, it was tinged by the loss of his dad, and his own various misadventures (now infamous from his appearances on Would I Lie to You?), from burning down the family home to starting a short-lived punk band called Dog Dirt. As an adult, he trained as a solicitor and moved to London. Though he was doing pretty well (the South London Press once crowned him ‘The Cockroach King’ after a successful verdict), a chance encounter in a pub in the 1980s with a young comedian going by the name Vic Reeves set his life on a different track. And now, six years on, the heart condition that once threatened his career has instead led to new success on BBC2’s Gone Fishing.

Warm, profound, and irrepressibly funny, And Away… is Bob’s full life story (with a few lies thrown in for good measure).

PUBLISHED BY GALLERY UK

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

I listened to the audio version of this book.

How can you not love Bob Mortimer?! He’s one of those people who comes across as being a blooming nice bloke! And listening to him read his autobiography has been a wonderful delight!

Mixing the happier times with the sad, his life has been one of variety! He mixes the stories of the past in well alongside the time he finds himself in hospital about to undergo a heart bypass. From the shyness he suffered, to trying out a number of jobs along the way, to meeting up with Vic Reeves to set him on the path to TV fame, it was just fascinating to hear him looking back over his life and how it has all panned out!

Lots of laugh, and happy memories from his many TV shows, made for a very enjoyable listen!

★★★★★

#BookReview THE PANDA, THE CAT AND THE DREADFUL TEDDY: A PARODY by PAUL MAGRS

ABOUT THE BOOK

The surely soon-to-be million-copy bestselling sort-of inspirational parody…

Enter the world of me, Panda, plus my sometime-friends Cat and Teddy. You will find us living our best lives, trying (and occasionally succeeding) to be kind to each other. The cat is quite nice but can be a little bit selfish. Teddy can come across as very nice, with his squeaky voice and looking so tiny and helpless. But I must warn you, Teddy can be a vicious little backstabber, actually.

This is a book of nice illustrations and some words from which you will likely gain some sort of inspiration. Like:

‘Just because you’re struggling, it doesn’t mean you’re failing… But it might do.’
‘Nothing beats kindness,’ said the cat. ‘Gin does’, said Panda.
‘If you don’t stop saying inspirational things to me, I’m going to punch you up the hooter.’
‘You OK, hun?’ asked Panda, but he was just taking the piss.
‘We’re just so, so lucky to have each other as friends, and it’s going to make a marvellous book.’

PUBLISHED BY HARPERCOLLINS

PUBLICATION DATE –  30TH SEPTEMBER 2021

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

If you like your books very sweary (I do!), hilariously funny (I do!) and snarky to the nth degree (yep!) then look no further!! This book has it all!

A parody of the extremely successful The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse ( which I adored!), this is the sarcastic version!! If you ever get sick of the sometimes patronising ‘do your best’, ‘be kind’ way of the world, then this is the book that gives you it straight! Sometimes you don’t want to be nice! Or kind!! Just foul mouthed and left alone!! And this book does that brilliantly with the wonderful characters that inhabit the world of the author! I have a sweary teddy at home too!!

It’s brilliantly illustrated, a quote on every page that had me in stitches and crying with laughter and I would love to have some of these ‘inspirational’ quotes on posters around the house! Or on T-shirts!! Bring on the merch!! Loved it!! Funniest book of 2021!!

★★★★★

My thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in return for a fair and honest review.

#BookReview THE LOCK IN by PHOEBE LUCKHURST #TheLockIn @phoebeluckhurst @Lucyfhall @michaeljbooks

ABOUT THE BOOK

THE FRESHEST FUNNIEST ROM COM OF THE SUMMER!

‘Entertaining, endearing, and truly unique. Found myself wincing and laughing with familiarity’ EMMA GANNON

‘Hilarious’ Evening Standard, ‘Best New Books in 2021’

‘Funny and compelling from page one and so well written. Officially a huge fan of Phoebe Luckhurst!’ LUCY VINE
______

Ellen and Alexa have survived hangovers, dodgy landlords and most of their twenties together.

But can they survive this?

One Saturday morning, while nursing The Hangover from Hell, a flooded kitchen leads best mates Ellen and Alexa, and hapless housemate Jack, into their attic to turn off the water supply.

But when Ben – Alexa’s date from the night before – walks in, the door slams, the handle breaks and all four of them are trapped.

Cue The Worst morning-after-the-night before.

As the hours tick by, Ellen nurses her sore head and watches as her best friend falls for this handsome stranger.

Only for a horrifying realisation to hit. She is sure she knows Ben from somewhere.

Frantically searching her memories, Ellen tries to piece together exactly how they’ve met before.

When a distant memory finally comes to her, she desperately wonders: could Ben really be who she thinks he is . . .

And more importantly, what on earth is she going to do about it . . .

Welcome to The Lock In.

This is a hilarious story of housemates and hangovers and friendship and dating as four twenty-somethings discover what The Worst morning-after-the-night-before really looks like . . .

Fans of Dolly Alderton, Beth O’Leary and Mhairi McFarlane will LOVE this oh-so relatable tale of love, landlords and what can happen behind locked doors

AS SEEN IN GRAZIA

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

This was a fabulous, funny farce! The perfect Summer read and has now got me thinking I might have to leave a pack of essential supplies in the loft…. just in case!!

It’s the story of a group of friends who end up getting locked in the attic after a disastrous morning!! Ellen, Alexa and Jack are friends and housemates, and they’re joined by Ben who had spent the night with Alexa…. there may be some hangovers in play too!! When the kitchen floods it is panic stations as to how to stop the water and, to avoid calling their nightmare landlord, they try and fix the problem themselves with disastrous consequences!!

There’s no better way to get to know people than in being in close contact with each other, so when they’re all trapped up in the attic all they can do is talk and try and figure out ways to break out! It’s hilarious to watch them trying to come up with new schemes and I loved the use of social media – both new and old forms! Brought back many memories of MSN messenger chat!! As time ticks by, they discover shared pasts, Twitter posts go viral, and a few squabbles break out!

I blasted through this book as it was just so much fun! It made me laugh out loud many a time and there needs to be more books in the world that make you smile!!

★★★★

my thanks to Lucy of Penguin books for the advanced copy in return for a fair and honest review

#BlogTour BAD HABITS by FLYNN MEANEY @penguinplatform @The_WriteReads #BookReview

Delighted to be with you today to share my thoughts on BAD HABITS by FLYNN MEANEY – all part of a wonderful Blog Tour put together by The Write Reads!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hilarious, bold, sparky and surprising, this is the funniest feminist book you’ll read all year.

Alex is a rebel from the tip of her purple fauxhawk to the toes of her biker boots. She’s tried everything she can think of to get expelled from her strict Catholic boarding school. Nothing has worked so far – but now, Alex has a new plan.

Tired of the sexism she sees in every corner of St Mary’s, Alex decides to stage the school’s first ever production of The Vagina Monologues. Which is going to be a challenge, as no one else at St Mary’s can even bear to say the word ‘vagina’ out loud . . .
published by Penguin Books

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Flynn Meaney is the author of The Boy Recession and Bloodthirsty. She studied marketing and French at the University of Notre Dame, where she barely survived the terrifying array of priests and nuns, campus ghosts, and bone-crushing athletes who inspired Bad Habits. Since completing a very practical MFA in Poetry, she works for a French company and travels often between New York (when she’s in the mood for bagels) and Paris (when she’s in the mood for croissants).

MY REVIEW

This was the much needed lighter read that I needed in these darker times we find ourselves in!  Alex is a fun and funky character who doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘conforming’ and is desperate to do things her own way – no matter the consequences!!  She’s standing up for her rights but that isn’t always going to be well accepted at her very straight laced boarding school!!
You do feel sorry for her as a person as the school has become her family – her own parents are way too busy to do the ‘parenting’ thing so have shipped her off to a Catholic Boarding School – so you can understand why she’s desperate to rebel.  She wants some attention and she doesn’t care how she gets it!  Wanting to perform the Vagina Monologues with her Feminist Club isn’t going to have too many fans amongst the staff, but they set her a challenge and she is ready to accept that challenge!!
There’s lots of the normal teen stuff in this book that you can always relate to – friend issues, teen angst, boys being boys – and it made for a really entertaining read to follow her on her quest for success with her play!  This is no Mallory Towers though and this is a book of the times, with buzz words galore!!
Alex is a character who is not backwards in coming forwards, and I loved her attitude and ‘can do’ attitude! A funny and pleasing story!

★★★★

#BookReview THREE WOMEN AND A BOAT by ANNE YOUNGSON @HJ_Barnes

ABOUT THE BOOK

Eve expected Sally to come festooned with suitcases and overnight bags packed with everything she owned, but she was wrong. She arrived on foot, with a rucksack and a carrier bag.
‘I just walked away,’ she said, climbing on to the boat. Eve knew what she meant

Meet Eve, who has departed from her thirty-year career to become a Free Spirit; Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children; and Anastasia: defiantly independent narrowboat-dweller, suddenly vulnerable as she awaits a life-saving operation.

Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Sally and Eve embark upon a journey through the canals of England, guided by the remote and unsympathetic Anastasia. As they glide gently – and not so gently – through the countryside, the eccentricities and challenges of canalboat life draw them inexorably together, and a tender and unforgettable story unfolds.

Disarmingly truthful and narrated with a rare, surprising wit, THREE WOMEN AND A BOAT is a journey over the glorious waterways of England and into the unfathomable depths of the human heart.

PUBLISHED BY DOUBLEDAY

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon

hive.co.uk
blackwell’s

MY REVIEW

What a wonderfully touching and funny book this was! If you’re looking for a hug in bookish form then look no further! It sweeps you up and gives you that embracing squeeze that we could all do with right now!!

It’s a story of 3 women who come together for a little adventure on the waterways of England, while dealing with personal problems that have brought them together in the first place. They often say that the world works in mysterious ways, and it was only by chance that Eve, Sally and Anastasia came to be in each others lives to start with, and they prove to be the tonic they all need!

Eve has left her career behind her to become a free spirit, Sally has walked out on her husband and kids to find herself, and Anastasia is facing a dark time in her life with illness so the story begins with their paths crossing and what led to their extraordinary adventure!

The impact each woman has on each other is so empowering and heartwarming. It also shows the effect that others can have on you, be it from just offering a different opinion on a problem to giving people the confidence to move on in their lives. As they were older women, I loved their spirit and their honesty and their ‘can do’ attitudes! I loved being on the journey with them, and the characters that they met along the way which really showed the community feel of the boat world in which they found themselves.

This is a story of hope and friendship and it was a wonderful read.

★★★★★

My thanks to Hayley at Transworld Books for my advanced reading copy, in return for a fair and honest review.

#BookReview THE CASTLE OF INSIDE OUT by DAVID HENRY WILSON

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lorina, a young schoolgirl, is led by a black rabbit through a wood to a magical land. There she finds a race of green people, who are all overworked, starving and suffering from the toxic fumes billowing out of a nearby castle. She decides to gain access to the castle for the poor green people, and within its walls she meets the “insiders”, selfish creatures who hoard all the resources and treat the outsiders as slaves. Her quest leads her to encounter the bureaurat, the superviper, the farmadillo and, eventually, the awful Piggident himself.Will she be able to save the green people from the cruelty of these “insiders”?

PUBLISHED BY  Alma Classics

MY REVIEW

Anything that has a nod to Alice In Wonderland is fine by me, and what this book does is cross that with a bit of Animal Farm so has a little bit of everything for readers of all ages to enjoy and was a really enjoyable and quick read. There’s lots for younger readers to enjoy in a story about a young girl standing up for the rights of others while older readers will appreciate the links to AIW and AF, and just to enjoy the fantastical world created by the writer, and all brilliantly illustrated by the wonderful Chris Riddell. Lorina is aghast at the world she comes across when a black rabbit leads her through the woods to a magical world of green people who are starving and dealing with toxic fumes from a castle.. She finds out about the pigs living in the castle who only care about themselves and as she tries to reason with them, she is faced with their greed and self centred behaviour but she keeps fighting for what she knows is right. It’s a story told with heart, and often in rhyme which really adds another layer of enjoyment. It’s super sweet and fantastically funny and it’s a book I thoroughly enjoyed ★★★★

#BookReview Effin’ Birds by Aaron Reynolds

ABOUT THE BOOK

Have you ever looked a bird dead in the eye and wondered what it was thinking?

With Effin Birds, the most eagerly anticipated new volume in the noble avocation of bird identification, you can venture into nature with confidence. This farcical field guide will help you identify over 200 birds, but more importantly, for the first time in history, it will also help you understand what these birds are thinking:

• The vainglorious grebe is acutely aware of its own magnificence.
  
• The hipster pelican thinks the world is a sh*tbarge.
  
• The overbearing heron wishes you better luck next time, f*cknuts.
  
• The counsellor swallow wants you to maybe try not being a d*ckhead.

Alongside beautiful, scientifically accurate illustrations and a whole lot of swearing is incisive commentary on modern life and the world we, as humans, must navigate. Or maybe it s just some pictures of effin birds, okay?

published by UNBOUND

publication date – 17th October 2019

PRE-ORDER LINKS

hive.co.uk  £10.99

whsmith  £10.49

MY REVIEW

I may be a little biased as I was one of the 1,800 who pledged to get this book made via Unbound, but I loved this book! It’s flipping funny, very sweary, beautifully illustrated and not for those who are easily offended!

But if you’re looking for a book to escape the misery of the world we live in nowadays , it’s a total blast! And I won’t ever listen to birds chattering away in the garden in the same way again, knowing they are probably saying many of the phrases in this book! Rude birds!!

From the wise and insightful to the downright rude, it’s perfect escapism, hilarious and I loved every single effin’ page of it! More please!!!

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

#BookReview The Summer of Chasing Dreams by Holly Martin

About the book

A joyously romantic, feel-good summer read that will make you laugh, cry and fall in love. Eva Blue is about to go on a trip of a lifetime, but one adventure she didn’t count on was falling in love…

Eva is quite content with her life in London. In her job as a cover designer, she works at home, and often in her cosy pyjamas. She’s happy to stay in her safe little world and not explore much outside of it.

She is the opposite of her mum, a free spirit who craved finding adventure and thrills in all corners of the world. But on the day her mum’s will is finalised, Eva finds a list of all the dreams her mum wanted to achieve in her life. Things she never did because she fell pregnant with Eva.

Eva decides these dreams will not go unfulfilled — she is going to be brave and complete them for her mum. As Eva has no experience travelling the world, she hires a guide to go with her on this holiday.

Gorgeous but rude Thor Anderson is not the person she would choose to accompany her on this journey, but somehow she gets stuck with him. As they discover the world together Eva starts to think he might not be as bad as she first thought. She is swept away by Thor’s kindness and mischievous sense of humour. But will it be a simple holiday romance or could this wonderful adventure lead to so much more?

The stunning new story from the bestselling author of The Cottage on Sunshine Beach. Discover an unforgettable romance this summer. If you enjoy reading Sarah Morgan, Miranda Dickinson and Jill Mansell, this book is for you.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK – Paperback – out now!

Amazon UK – Kindle Edition – release date 29th March 2019

MY REVIEW

If you’re looking for a way to take a trip around the world in the company of wonderful characters without having to move from your sofa, then you NEED this book in your life!! I’ve been utterly mesmerized by this book from start to finish …..and I may have fallen a little in love with Thor!! But more of him later!!

This is the story of Eva who is facing up to life without her mum. They were totally chalk and cheese in personalities – Eva is more than happy to stay indoors surrounded by what she knows and loves, whereas her mum was a life grabber! If an opportunity to do something came along she grabbed it. But the world scares Eva and you really feel for her as she starts to consider life outside her comfort zone.

When she starts clearing out the loft she uncovers a letter from her mum Juliette, that she wrote to her daughter when she was just a year old. Alongside the letter she finds a box of dreams – a list of things her mum always wanted to try, places she wanted to visit – and the combination of the letter and these bucket list items really gets to Eva and she takes a walk on the wild side and starts living life a little dangerously to fulfill some of her mums’ dreams.

She researches an escorted holiday – safety first, she won’t be travelling alone! – and soon her trip around the world becomes reality. Her first trip to the travel company she uses doesn’t quite go according to plan but allows her to meet Rebecca who will be her travel companion and she gets on well with her. Unfortunate events on the day of departure lead to a change in her companion though, and this is when Thor steps in to save the day and escort her – considering their first meeting was a little fraught to say the least, it doesn’t bode well but it’s too late to change so off they go!

What follows is just a wonderful journey through a number of countries and experiences, along with some memorable and heartwarming experiences that Eva and Thor end up sharing and it was just so delightful to laugh along with them on a number of occasions as they become the kind of characters you warm to so easily!

Thor has been on a number of these trips before, but he’s never met anyone like Eva before and he begins to enjoy the trip a little more as he’s able to relax and be himself – funny, caring….. He’s just wonderful! (see, told you I was smitten!)

There’s lovely touches throughout as Eva never forgets her mum and finds a way to include her as she works through the list of dreams which I found to be so sweet.

This was a delicious treat of a read and I would have been happy for it to be at least another 200 pages long as I just loved my time with Eva and Thor. I adored this book!!!

💖💖💖💖💖

My thanks to the author and publisher for the advanced copy in return for a fair and honest review.

Colt Harper: Esteemed Vampire Cat by Tyrolin Puxty – book review

THE BLURB

Colt Harper hates it when you pat a cat the wrong way, or when you upload their faux pas to YouTube. In fact, he’ll probably kill you for it.

As a self-proclaimed master vampire cat, Colt never imagined he’d be sent to community service at a revolting community theater. And for what? Killing humans who don’t buy the expensive brand of cat food? Talk about unfair.

Still, working with a nervous werewolf and a monster addicted to tickling wasn’t on his to-do list.

What’s worse, is he’s falling for a human. Sure, she has green eyes. Sure, she fosters stray cats. But she’s still a disgusting human.

So why is he risking his own life to save her from the chasers?

Publisher – Curiousity Quills Press

Publication Date – 27th June 2017

Amazon UK

Author Website

MY REVIEW

This is a story about a cat who possesses humans and then kills those who are mean to cats…..and those who just annoy him… what more do I need to say?! You NEED to read this story for this fact alone! I also loved the extremely funny quotes at the start of each chapter – Colt Harper is one very opinionated kitty!!

Colt Harper is a very funny, rude, witty, sarcastic but lovable Vampire Cat! And for his crimes against humans he is sent on community service to community theatre!! The perfect punishment but not in his eyes and he’s not best pleased when he finds out what awaits him. Along the way he meets up with a werewolf, a tickle monster (yes they exist!), and other weird and wonderful monsters from his walk of life who are living amongst us! But as he spends more time in his human form, could he be going soft and falling for Saffy at the Theatre – and why is he even drawn to her in the first place?!

I have loved the previous Broken Dolls series by Tyrolin Puxty, and this is just as quirky and wonderful as those stories so can highly recommend that if you are looking for a hilarious new character to embrace, then Colt Harper is your cat!! And I was very pleased to find out that there will be another story about Colt to follow!!

Thank you to Curiousity Quills for the advance copy in return for a fair and honest review