Tag: Book blog

Book Reviews

A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better – Benjamin Wood (Book Review)

Theodore's Bookish Thoughts

3 out of 5 Stars ✯✯✯

This is another book I picked up from my local library, along with The Number One Chinese Restaurant which I reviewed last week (https://tbt.art.blog/2019/08/18/number-one-chinese-restaurant-by-lillian-li-book-review/), and the Welsh version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harri Potter a Maen yr Athronydd – yes, even his name is spelt differently in the Welsh version).

This is one thing I have gained from my Book Blog – an added incentive to pick up books from different sources (book shops, libraries, charity shops etc), which I may not have done otherwise. And more books read can only be a good thing!

About the book
The story is told from the perspective of Daniel who begins by telling us about his Father, Fran Hardesty, and how Daniel would often defend his Father against criticism, despite his faults, and always believed that one day his Father would one-day prove himself to everyone. His Mother, Kath, however, did not.

Kath would constantly remind Fran of all his faults, using him as a verbal punching bag – especially after he had cheated on her. She also saw him as a sleazebag of a father, always letting people – including Daniel – down. He was not always like this, however. He once showed great potential for set design and, when he landed a job on the set of ITV’s The Artifex, he had finally found a job he could enjoy and feel content with.

This job also gave him an opportunity to bond with Daniel who had a keen interest in The Artifex. And this sets up the main plot of the book, as Fran Hardesty has promised to take Daniel on the long journey to Leeds to show him around the set of The Artifex. Daniel is excited at the prospect of meeting his hero, Maxine Laidlaw, who plays the main character of The Artifex.

During this journey, Daniel will learn about his Father’s past. How he got to where he is now, and about the different sides to his Father’s personality – his humour, his charisma which makes people immediately drawn to him, but also his anger which knows no bounds. Daniel will see a side to his Father which he has never seen before and, after the trip, he will never be able to see his Father in the same light.

My thoughts on the book – 3 out of 5 Stars ✯✯✯
I was a bit disappointed in the story. When I read the blurb, and started the book, I was expecting a story full of tension which would keep me at the edge of my seat throughout. When the story got going, I really was on the edge of my seat and I could feel the tension in the pit of my stomach – which is when you know the story is getting really good. I felt, however, that the story took a long time to get going, and then the suspense didn’t last as long as I would have liked.

And so it was only for a few chapters in the middle of the book that I could feel that tension I was looking for, while nothing much seemed to happen for the rest of the book. This is a shame, as the moments of suspense were written in so brilliantly – I felt the anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach getting deeper as I kept reading to find out what would happen. And I wish I could have experienced this for a while longer.

I did, however, greatly appreciate Benjamin Wood’s quality of writing which enabled me to keep reading, even when nothing much was happening. It flowed so smoothly, felt easy to read, and the way he told the story from the perspective of 12 year old Daniel was brilliantly executed.

Conclusion
While I felt a bit disappointed with the story itself, I felt no disappointment with the actual writing – and Benjamin Wood is clearly a highly talented Writer. Therefore, while the story itself was not for me (except for that middle, very exciting, part of the book), I was still able to enjoy the book due to the quality of writing which allowed me to appreciate the book.

It is for these reasons that I have awarded the book 3 out of 5 stars.

I hope you enjoyed my review of A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better – if you have read it and would like to share your thoughts, or would like to suggest my next read, then feel free comment down below. If you wish to see more of my reviews in future, please do follow/like/other – my social media pages are available on the ‘Contact & Social Media’ tab at the top of the page.


Thank you very much for joining my for my review – and I hope to have another book review up shortly!


TBT

Book Reviews

Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li – Book Review

Theodore's Bookish Thoughts

5 Out of 5 Stars ✯✯✯✯✯

Number One Chinese Restaurant is a book I came across while browsing the shelves of my local library. The cover is unspectacular, but enough to catch the eye’s attention – subtle but appealing.

Number One Chinese Restaurant was longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction (not bad for Lillian Li’s first novel!). Despite this, it is not a book which I had previously come across – and does not seem to have received much publicity.

About the Book
The story starts from the perspective of Jimmy, the ‘little boss’ of the Duck House restaurant. Jimmy is discussing business with Uncle Pang. During this chapter, we start to get a sense of Jimmy’s ambition, desire, and his anger, as he shouts at employees when things go wrong and even dismisses an employee on the spot. This does not, however, prevent his fear of Uncle Pang – about whom his father (the original owner of the Duck House) had warned him about.

Uncle Pang is portrayed as a powerful and sinister character – if crossed, he will not take it lightly. And it is easy for Uncle Pang to get revenge when he knows all the people in the right place, allowing him to bend the rules. And in this first scene, Uncle Pang is crossed – by Jimmy.

Next, we are given the perspective of Nan (and through the story we also get the perspective of Ah-Jack). Nan and Ah-Jack have been close friends and colleagues for many years and, through the story, we see their friendship develop. Nan’s role often involves looking after Ah-Jack who is unable to do very much as his body has gradually grown weaker. Ah-Jack’s role is to keep Nan happy with his playful personality.

Throughout the story, we also get the perspectives of Pat (Nan’s Son) who has become troublesome and rebellious, and Johnny, the ‘big boss’ of the Duck House Restaurant and Jimmy’s older brother – he is also the calmer and more calculated brother, and if there is a problem, he knows what to do. We also, very briefly, get the perspective of Feng Fei, Jimmy and Johnny’s mother.

Despite being family, Jimmy, Johnny, and Feng Fei do not get on – and often seem to be plotting against each other in some way. Jimmy dislikes Johnny for always inserting himself into every situation, while Johnny dislikes Jimmy for his carelessness and feels that he is required to step in to stop things going wrong. They both, however, have a mutual dislike of their mother who is constantly criticising them, while their mother is disappointed by how her two sons have turned out and often asks what she has done to deserve them.

Each chapter flicks between each person’s perspective, as we see how their relationships develop through the problems which arise.

My thoughts on the book – 5 out of 5 stars ✯✯✯✯✯

Firstly, the characters feel very authentic in their personalities, the things they do, and the way they react to certain situations. So much so that they seem like real people, which makes it easy to bring the characters to life in your mind while reading the book. There is also a great mix of characters, from the impulsive Jimmy, to the calculated Johnny, to the playful Ah-Jack and the loyal Nan.

Secondly, the way the story is written – switching from a different character’s perspective each chapter – is brilliant. As a result, the story does not spend too long on one moment at a time and remains engaging throughout. In fact, I felt engaged and interested throughout the whole book. To keep a book entertaining throughout is very difficult, and yet this has been achieved brilliantly by Lillian Li.

This also allows you to see different sides to each character, without actually changing how the characters act. For example, from Jimmy’s perspective, Jimmy is driven and unstoppable – nothing will get in his way. From Johnny’s perspective, however, Jimmy is reactionary and careless, causing problems which he then has to deal with. Throughout both viewpoints, however, Jimmy is still acting in exactly the same way, and nothing has actually changed about him. This, for me, shows Lillian Li’s wonderful writing ability.

Finally, the story itself is thrilling and you never know what is going to happen next. Due to the changing perspective, you are sometimes kept waiting for an answer, which makes you want to read on and find out what will happen. And when you get there, it is always worth it.

This book was really wonderful to read, and I had nothing I would change about the book, making it one of the favourite books I have read so far. This is why I have given this book the top rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

Conclusion
As you can tell, I loved this book – its characters, the story, and the writing which all came together so brilliantly. I do not think the book has received the publicity it deserves, but I feel lucky to have found it in my local library (you never know what you might find in a library!).

I hope you enjoyed my review of Number One Chinese Restaurant – if you have read it and would like to share your thoughts, or would like to suggest my next read, then feel free comment down below. If you wish to see more of my reviews in future, please do follow/like/other – my social media pages are available on the ‘Contact & Social Media’ tab at the top of the page.

Thank you very much for joining my for my review – and I hope to have another book review up shortly!

TBT

Book Reviews

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Translated by Geoffrey Trousselot) – Book Review

Theodore's Bookish Thoughts

5 out of 5 Stars ✯✯✯✯✯


This is a book which I requested, and was granted early access to, on Netgalley. For those of you who do not know, Netgalley is a website on which Book Reviewers/BookBloggers can request books before they have been released – in return for a review of the book. This is my first Netgalley book review.

As suggested by the title of this post, this was originally written in Japanese but later translated into English. The book was originally released in Japan in 2015, and is set for release in the UK on 19 September 2019.

About the book
The entire story takes place in a coffee shop, Funiculi Funicula. From the description, this seems like an ordinary coffee shop – a few tables with a few customers, and a counter behind which members of staff prepare and serve coffee. In fact, the only things which appear to be out of the ordinary are the three clocks, all of which show different times (only the middle clock tells the correct time), and the constantly cool temperature, despite only a ceiling fan to regulate the temperature.

However, as the story develops, we learn that this is not an ordinary coffee shop. This coffee shop allows people to travel in time!… But there are some rules. In most books and films involving time travel, the first rule would usually be to not interfere with acts which happened in the past – this could cause irreparable damage. The first rule of time travel from this coffee shop, however, is that the present, no matter how hard you try, cannot be changed.

Altogether, the rules are:

  1. The present cannot be changed (not that this is prohibited. Rather, that it is impossible to change the present);
  2. You must sit in a certain seat (this seat is usually taken up by a ghost, who cannot be forcibly moved – but she does move once a day to use the toilet) and you cannot move from this seat or you will return to the present;
  3. Because of Rule 2 above, you can only travel back (or forward) in time to meet someone who has visited (or will visit) the coffee shop;
  4. You can only time travel once;
  5. There is a time limit – to travel in time, you will be poured a cup of coffee. You must finish this coffee before it gets cold, otherwise you must take the place of the ghost (referred to in Rule 2 above).

Given the very strict rules, the number of scenarios in which you would want to time travel would appear to be very limited. The book, however, is split into 4 parts, each part providing a different person’s story in which they choose to travel back (or forward) in time.

Story 1
This is the story of Fumiko Kiyokawa, a career-driven woman who was in a relationship with Goro Katada, and was hoping that he would propose to her. Instead, however, he announced that he would be moving to America for work, and rushed off to the airport.

Fumiko hopes to go back in time to convince him to stay – despite her hopes being dashed by Rule 1, she is determined to give it a shot.

Story 2
This is the story of Kohtake whose husband, Fusagi, has developed Alzheimer’s. During the first story, we could see how Fusagi’s Alzheimer’s was affecting him. By Story 2, however, he can no longer recognise his wife – though he remembers that he has a wife and has an envelope containing a letter he wishes to give to her, if he can find her.

Kohtake wishes to go back to a time when Fusagi still recognises her, and find out what was written in that letter.

Story 3
This is a story of two sisters, Hirai and Kumi. Hirai, being the big sister, was destined to run the inn owned by her parents. Hirai, however, had other plans. She instead left home, and Kumi took over Hirai’s responsibilities in relation to the inn. Since Hirai left, Kumi had often asked Hirai to return home to the inn. At first, Hirai would listen to her requests patiently, before making it clear that she will not return home. But as the requests continued, Hirai grew weary, and started avoiding Kumi altogether. Until, one day, Kumi died in a car accident.

Hirai feels guilty. She feels that the accident was her fault – and her parents seem to think this too – and wishes to go back in time. She wants to tell Kumi how sorry she is for avoiding her all these years, and to see her face one last time.

Story 4
This is the story of Kei and her unborn child. Kei was born with a weak heart, and yet she is never seen without a smile on her face. She has been told, however, that because of her weak heart she is unlikely to survive the pregnancy, and there is no guarantee that the child will survive. This affects Kei’s mood – not because she herself might not make it, but because her child might not make it. And even if the child does make it, the only thing she will have given her child, is life.

Kei therefore wishes to travel to the future, to find out if her child survives and, if so, if they can forgive her for not being able to offer anything during their life.

My thoughts on the book – 5 out of 5 Stars ✯✯✯✯✯
Although, at times, the writing style was not the best, this was such a wonderful book that I was able to overlook the writing style. The book carried so much charm, while also being packed with emotion (as you can probably tell from the breakdown of the stories above, some of the stories are quite upsetting).

Given the rather strange rules to time-travelling in this coffee shop, it set a very interesting basis for the story and it was nice to see a different approach taken to time travel, which must have been difficult to do given the amount of books and films which involve time travel. I also appreciate the description of the coffee shop – the two things which seem unusual at first (the clocks and cool temperature), later seem to give the coffee shop a sense of timelessness. And the minor role the ghost plays through the stories is also a nice touch.

This was admittedly quite a short book, but this does not change the fact that I flew through the book because of how much I enjoyed it – once I got partway through a story, I just had to know how it ended. Therefore, despite the writing style not being to my taste at times, I still loved this book and all the charm and emotion it carried. This is a great example to show that you don’t have to have the best quality of writing to be able to write a beautiful story.

The story itself, therefore, earns 5 stars for what is my first NetGalley review.

Thank you for reading another of my book reviews. I hope you enjoyed, and I hope to have another book review coming soon.

TBT

Book Reviews

The Binding by Bridget Collins – Book Review

Theodore's Bookish Thoughts

4 out of 5 Stars ✯✯✯✯

The Binding is Bridget Collins’ eighth published novel. The Binding, however, is Bridget Collins’ first adult fiction novel, with the other 7 novels falling within the young adult genre. This is the first of Bridget Collins’ novels I have read, and so I was interested to see what this novel would be like.

Before even opening this book, it makes an exciting impression on the eye and is probably one of the prettiest books I have come across – I felt myself unable to resist purchasing this book.

About the book
The beginning of the book takes a different approach to many others I have read. It starts with an unwell Emmett (the main character of the novel) working in the fields, when a letter arrives. In this letter, it is announced that Emmett has been specifically chosen by Seredith to be her apprentice.

This leaves Emmett’s Mother in shock, his Father enraged, and Emmett himself in a state of confusion. Seredith is a Binder, and Emmett’s parents had always warned Emmett against Binders and books. And yet Emmett’s Father has suddenly decided that it would do Emmett some good to work as Seredith’s apprentice and, eventually, Emmett’s Mother and Sister are in agreement too.

Emmett is therefore taken to Seredith who starts teaching Emmett about binding, and how to bind people. We learn that to bind a person, is to take certain memories away from them and store those memories in a book. So if you wish to forget about a traumatic event, a past relationship, or just something really embarrassing you once did many years ago, you can ask to be bound. Once bound, that memory will be stored (somewhat) safely in a book, and you will no longer remember whatever is now in the book.

At first, the art of Binding troubles Emmett – particularly the way a newly-bound person left blank-eyed, as though a part of them were missing. Seredith, however, remains resolute in her defence of Binding, showing Emmett the horrors that this person had gone through and how Binding is, actually, the lesser of two evils. Binders do not bind for the hell of it, but in fact they bind to make lives better for others. At least, this is the case when it comes to Seredith’s version of Binding.

But what happens when Binders wield their powers irresponsibly? Imagine what people could get away with if they were willing to pay Binders to make their victims forget what they have done to them. Seredith warns Emmett against this kind of Binding. Through no choice of his own, however, Emmett ends up with this type of Binder, and this is when we see the damage which unscrupulous Binders can cause.

My Rating – 4 Out of 5 Stars ✯✯✯✯
I used to love reading Fantasy novels – I found that there was little which provides as much pleasure to the imagination than a novel whose story seems so far from reality, and yet somehow realistic enough to be able to immerse oneself in the story. The Binding, however, is the first Fantasy novel I have read for years, and I feel that I chose a good book to re-join the world of Fantasy Fiction.

It took me some time to properly get into the book, but this is unsurprising given that Bridget Collins has had to create a whole new world in which Binders (and even books) are seen as an evil magic.

However, the way the story is built up from the start creates such a great sense of mystery and suspense which makes you want to keep reading and find out more. Why is Binding seen as an evil magic? What happens when this power is abused? How did Emmett get to this position, and why was he chosen? These are questions which we gradually get answers to as the book progresses.

Once I got past this point, I really started to enjoy this book. Bridget Collins created a wonderful story and characters I felt I could really connect with (or which I despised). I also enjoyed the questions of morality which arose – such as, is it right to have your memory erased to forget your bad memories? Do those bad memories actually form a part of who we are (which would explain the blank-eyed look of the person Emmett witnessed, shortly after they were bound)? These are the kind of questions I asked myself for a while after reading this book, which is a sign of the book leaving its own imprint on my brain.

Conclusion
It is the wonderful story, the characters that are easy to connect with, and the questions of morality you are left with to think over, that earn this novel the high score of 4 out of 5 stars. This was, therefore, a pleasurable return to the world of Fantasy fiction and I think I might come here more often.

Thank you for reading another of my book review. I hope you enjoyed, and I hope to have another book review soon.

Book Reviews

Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller – Book Review

Theodore's Bookish Thoughts

4 out of 5 Stars ✯✯✯✯


Bitter Orange is the third book published by Claire Fuller, after ‘Our Endless Numbered Days’ and ‘Swimming Lessons’. I have not yet read Swimming Lessons, but I read Our Endless Numbered Days years ago and it is still ingrained in my mind. I remember a story so well written, and I still feel the same shock as when I read that bombshell of an ending. So, Bitter Orange is a book which I was looking forward to reading.

About the book
The book begins with Frances Jellico on her deathbed with Victor (‘Victor the Vicar’, as Frances later jokes). The story switches back and forth between a younger Frances Jellico who has been tasked with inspecting the Lyntons and creating a report on her findings, and the older Frances Jellico who is making her dying confession to Victor. And this dying confession forms the basis of the story.

As the story progresses, we learn more about young Frances who, hoping to discover a Palladian bridge, instead finds her first true friends in Cara Calace and Peter Robertson, a couple who are living downstairs from the room in which she is staying. We are also introduced to Victor the Vicar who, though he does not make many appearances in the story of young Frances, becomes a close friend of Frances – but also utters warnings against her developing friendship with Cara and Peter.

A seemingly innocent friendship, all three get along well and make the most of their time together. However, as the three tell their own stories from their own perspectives (often with one of the three not present), it slowly becomes apparent that something is not quite as it seems. As some untruths are revealed, and warning signs appear, we are taken through the mystery of what happened all those years ago. As the tension builds, we assume the position of Victor – the concerned friend who is waiting for the final confession.

My Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars ✯✯✯✯
Claire Fuller is a master storyteller, and her book is a prime example to show that a book does not have to be jam-packed with action to be thrilling. The story is so wonderfully told that, even when little out of the ordinary is happening, you will find yourself hooked and anxiously reading each line with anticipation.

While it is nice to switch off while reading a book, so as to enjoy the story without having to pay too much attention, I felt it was worth paying extra attention to Bitter Orange. Claire Fuller’s level of detail was, at times, incredible. Sentences which appeared to have little relevance to the story, would later turn out to be of great significance when read together with a later (and of seemingly equal relevance) sentence.

An example of this level of detail is Cara speaking of how great it would be to be a cat and cats only wanting to be loved. At first, this seemed irrelevant and merely something to show Cara’s character. But when a dead mouse was later found on Frances’ windowsill I felt that this, along with Cara’s musings, actually had a very clever and symbolic relevance. I will, of course, allow you to read the book and make your own interpretations (particularly as I do not wish to go so far as to include potential spoilers) – but from the interpretation I took, it really hit home for me the level of detail of Claire Fuller’s storytelling.

Claire Fuller also explores several themes – love, religion, loneliness, death, control – wonderfully and subtly. Sometimes with a passing comment which would be easy to miss if you were not paying enough attention, other times through the actions of the characters. Which is another reason why it is worth paying extra attention to this book, because this is a level of detail which makes you fully appreciate the tremendous effort which must go into writing a book like Bitter Orange.

While the book is not filled with action and excitement, the wonderful storytelling and level of detail of Claire Fuller earns this book the high rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Conclusion
If you are looking for a book full of action and adventure, this is probably not the book for you. If, however, you are looking for a great book with high levels of suspense and a well-told story, then I would recommend giving Bitter Orange a read. It was a pleasure to read, and I am still astounded by the level of detail which allowed me to fully appreciate the hard work which went into creating the book.

Thank you for reading my first book review. I hope you enjoyed, and I hope to have another book review soon (the next book to be reviewed will be introduced shortly).

Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller, and the notebook for all my bookish thoughts.
Also, TBT (‘Theodore’s Bookish Thoughts’)