Random Things Tours - Out of Your Head

 

TITLE: Out of Your Head

AUTHOR: Rose McClelland

PUBLISHER: Independently Published
PUBLISHING DATE: April 29, 2021

PAGES: 304

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: 

Fatal accidents do happen. 

 Or was there a plan? 

 A six-year-old dies in a car driven by her father. 

 He barely survives. 

 A simple hit and run? 

 Yet the police think its murder. 

 And who might be next? 

 The mother is out of her mind. 

 If losing her daughter is not enough, why is she being stalked? 

MY THOUGHTS:  If you're looking for a fast paced thriller, Out of Your Head just might be the book for you!  This book features both multiple POVs and dual timelines which personally always speeds up my reading time.  It is rather tragic in that a child so young dies but it's a fun ride seeing all the twists and turns in this novel.

I enjoyed the characters but must say Liam is quite a dog.  He definitely has the best of both worlds with both a wife and a mistress, but his world may be closing in fast.  McClelland takes a solid look at mental health and demonstrates to the reader that you can't always trust what you see because there's two sides to every story.  

I don't want to give too much away so I'll end it here by just saying, if you love thrillers, pick this one up.  There is something for everyone and I'm so glad to have picked this one up.

RATING: 4 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

Out of your Head is Rose McClelland's fifth novel and her second psychological thriller.

Her previous novel Under Your Skin became an Amazon No. 1 Bestseller in the UK and USA/ Canada. It also won Best Books of 2020 in Belfast Telegraph and with several online book bloggers.

Rose has also written two short plays which were performed in the Black Box theatre in Belfast.

 

Find out more at: http://rosiesrag.blogspot.com

 Twitter @RoseMcClelland1

 Instagram @rosiegirl2000

Random Things Tours - The Lost Girls

 

TITLE: The Lost Girls

AUTHOR: Heather Young

PUBLISHER: Verve Books

PUBLISHING DATE: 2021

PAGES: 341

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: 

In the summer of 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes from her family’s vacation home on a remote Minnesota lake. Her disappearance destroys her mother, who spends the rest of her life at the lake house, hoping in vain that her favorite daughter will walk out of the woods. Emily’s two older sisters stay, too, each keeping her own private, decades-long vigil for the lost child. 

Sixty years later Lucy, the quiet and watchful middle sister, lives in the lake house alone. Before she dies, she writes the story of that devastating summer in a notebook that she leaves, along with the house, to the only person to whom it might matter: her grandniece, Justine. 

For Justine, the lake house offers a chance to escape her manipulative boyfriend and give her daughters the stable home she never had. But it’s not the sanctuary she hoped for. The long Minnesota winter has begun. The house is cold and dilapidated, the frozen lake is silent and forbidding, and her only neighbor is a strange old man who seems to know more than he’s telling about the summer of 1935. 

Soon Justine’s troubled oldest daughter becomes obsessed with Emily’s disappearance, her mother arrives with designs on her inheritance, and the man she left behind launches a dangerous plan to get her back. In a house steeped in the sorrows of the women who came before her, Justine must overcome their tragic legacy if she hopes to save herself and her children.

MY THOUGHTS:  The Lost Girls is a perfect novel to get wrapped up in a joyfully read the day away.  I read it in a short amount of time because I had to see where the story ended.  Justine inherits a lake house from her great aunt.  She takes her children and moves there there hoping to escape her current predicament.  Soon, her youngest daughter becomes obsessed with learning all she can about a disappearance of a young relative years and years ago.  

This book incorporates current day (1999) with the past, which is told through a notebook written 60 years ago.  I really felt badly for the women in this family and in fact, all of them, in some ways, were also lost.  The book is relatively slow-paced but the story is strong and the setting of the dilapidated old lake house becomes a character of its own.  

If you love slow burn novels and endings that pack a punch, then this is the book for you.  It's a wonderful way to spend a rainy weekend as its the perfect backdrop for an entertaining tale about generations of women I won't likely forget anytime soon.

RATING: 4 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: HEATHER YOUNG is the author of two novels. Her debut, The Lost Girls, won the Strand Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for an Edgar Award. The Distant Dead has also been nominated for the 2021 Edgar Award for Best Novel. A former antitrust and intellectual property litigator, she traded the legal world for the literary one and earned her MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars in 2011. She lives in Mill Valley, California, where she writes, bikes, hikes, and reads books by other people that she wishes she’d written.

Random Things Tours - The Maidens

 

TITLE: The Maidens

AUTHOR: Alex Michaelides

PUBLISHER: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

PUBLISHING DATE: June 10, 2021

PAGES: 352

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek Tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens.

Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.

Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?

When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.

MY THOUGHTS: I think I'm one of the few people who has not read The Silent Patient but I can assure you, after reading The Maidens, I definitely want to pick it up.  Mariana is living a quiet life as a psychologist in the small home she once shared with her deceased husband.  One evening she gets a call from Zoe, her niece who is studying at Cambridge, that a close friend has been murdered.  Mariana runs to Cambridge to comfort her niece but as more students begin to die, and a mysterious group led by a charismatic leader starts to emerge, Mariana finds herself deep in the middle of the investigation.  But will she like where it heads?

The Maidens was such a quick read.  I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Sometimes I found myself rooting for Mariana and Zoe, and sometimes I cursed them for the secrets they were keeping.  Edward Fosca was the perfect creepy teacher preying on young students and some of the side characters were just enough to keep the reader guessing.

In the end, I can honestly say the twist threw me.  While it did bother me somewhat and I kind of wished it had played out differently, I totally commend the author for the shock factor.  I definitely didn't see it coming which is something I think a lot of us wish for when reading a thriller.  I highly recommend this one which is good because most of the bloggers I follow already have it on their radar.

Small notes - there is a pet death in this one which disturbed me.  However, it happens in a flashback and while I don't fully understand why that made it easier to read about, it did for some reason.  Guess it's just another  quirk of mine.

RATING: 4 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alex Michaelides was born and raised in Cyprus. He has an M.A. in English literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and an M.A. in screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The Silent Patient was his first novel and was the biggest-selling debut in the world in 2019. It spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list and sold in a record-breaking forty-nine countries. Alex lives in London.

Random Things Tours - Let's Fly

 

TITLE: Let's Fly

AUTHOR: Giles Fraser

PUBLISHER: Matador Books

PUBLISHING DATE: May 28, 2021

PAGES: 336

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: How do you survive when a lucky break turns out to be the worst thing that ever happened to you?

Nick Hunter is about to find out. He made a colossal mistake when he was barely out of school and now his whole world is in jeopardy as he races against the clock to save his family and his business from disaster.

In 1979 Hunter heads to London, and a squat in Notting Hill, with dreams of musical success. With his fellow squatters he forms a band and they record four short songs before tensions and misunderstandings drive them apart. Nick lies and tells the record company the songs are all his own work. Six years later one of the songs, Let’s Fly, is picked as the soundtrack to a blockbuster movie and Nick makes a fortune in royalties.

In 2017, Nick, his wife Sam and daughter Jen now live in the house opposite his old squat. His successful gig economy, online food business is about to go public, but someone is on his back. Nick is in massive debt and the heavies are closing in. Disasters are befalling the business just at the wrong time. Then Sam is snatched and, with a price on her head, Nick must come up with the money or lose her. With his life and family on the line – and just days to play with - Nick has to stop whoever is destroying his life and come clean with those he loves in order to hang on to everything he holds dear.

MY THOUGHTS: When the book opens the reader sees the main character, Nick, down on his luck after having lost everything. We are then transported back into the 1970's where we learn Nick used to be in a bad which eventually split up and then he made some pretty questionable decisions as life progressed.  Little by little the story unravels and the reader gets a good picture of what exactly led to Nick's miserable position when the tale first opened.  

While I never really loved Nick as a character, it was interesting to see what happened to him.  I love anything related to music so the parts about Nick and his band were extremely enjoyable, even if everyone made some stupid decisions along the way.  I also really liked how Fraser portrayed Nick - flaws and all.

This was a relatively quick read and I would not hesitate to pick up another book by this author in the future. If you like coming of age stories and don't mind a somewhat depressing scenario along the way, then I'd highly recommend Let's Fly.

RATING: 4 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Giles Fraser co-founded and runs Brands2Life, one of the world’s leading PR and communications agencies specialising in the technology and online sectors. He studied under Richard Skinner at The Faber Academy in 2015/16. He lives in Barnes, West London. 

 

Random Things Tours - The Murder of Graham Catton

 

TITLE: The Murder of Graham Catton

AUTHOR: Katie Lowe

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins

PUBLISHING DATE: June 10, 2021

PAGES: 400

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS:

Who do you believe?

The Wife

Hannah Catton: bereaved wife, doting mother, clinical psychologist; says she remembers nothing of the night her husband was killed.

The Suspect

Mike Philips: a 19-year-old repeat offender whose clothing was found at the scene, but who has repeatedly protested his innocence over the 10 years since he was imprisoned.

The Journalist

Anna Byers: host of the famous CONVICTION podcast that has seen numerous prison sentences overturned. She believes the wrong man is in jail, do you?

Someone knows more about the murder than they’re telling. It may have been Hannah’s husband who was murdered, but listeners are about to become judge, jury, and executioner on the new season of CONVICTION. 

MY THOUGHTS: So basically 10 years ago Hannah's husband Graham was murdered.  Although Hannah was home when it happened, she has no memory of the incident and no one was ever convicted.  Now Hannah and her daughter have moved on - she has remarried, her daughter is older, and Hannah is now a practicing psychologist.  However, a podcast called CONVICTION has decided to look into the cold case, and each episode causes more and more of Hannah's life to unravel.

I love me a podcast book and this one is no exception.  While there definitely is a lot going on in this book, I enjoyed watching everything happening slowly chip away at Hannah's sanity and security.  I liked Hannah but I found I was truly invested in finding out what really happened to Graham.  While this is a somewhat lengthy book, Lowe's pacing was consistent and I couldn't read it fast enough.  Anyone who enjoys a book featuring a podcast element would be doing themselves a disservice if they didn't pick this one up!

RATING: 5 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Katie is a graduate of the University of Birmingham with a BA(Hons) in English and an MPhil in Literature and Modernity, and in 2012 started her blog, Fat Girl PhD - writing about body image, feminism and health. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Independent, and the BBC, as well as a number of media outlets in the US, Canada and Australia. Katie is currently working on a PhD in Female Rage in Literary Modernism and the #MeToo Era. THE FURIES is her first novel.

Random Things Tours - Preacher Boy

 

TITLE: Preacher Boy (The Dr. Harrison Lane Mysteries #1)

AUTHOR: Gwyn GB

PUBLISHER: Chalky Dog

PUBLISHING DATE: June 5, 2021

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS:

A MISSING BOY’S BODY FOUND IN WOODS

A SECOND BOY SNATCHED
CAN THE PSYCHOLOGIST WITH A PAST HELP THE CHILDREN WITH NO FUTURE?

When Police find the body of a young boy they fear a Satanic connection and call in Dr Harrison Lane, Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit. When a second boy is kidnapped, it becomes a race against time to save him. But he seems to have literally disappeared without trace. It’s down to Harrison to work out who could have taken him and where they’ve gone. The trouble is, the investigation reawakens the dark shadows in Harrison’s own past…

Preacher Boy is the first in the Dr Harrison Lane mysteries, fast-paced crime suspense novels full of murder and intrigue, with a little romance and humour included. Harrison travels all over the British Isles: from the atmospheric Cambridgeshire Fens, north to Durham and to the centre of the City of London, as he solves the crimes hiding behind folklore, superstition, religion, and ritual. 

MY THOUGHTS:  I knew when I saw the synopsis of this book it would be a series I'd want to start. And I LOVE getting into series from the beginning (Type A personality anyone?).  And needless to say, I'm so excited that I jumped on the bandwagon for this one and I can wait for the author's future installment.

I tend to gravitate toward dark and twisty thrillers so when I saw the words "satanic," "ritualistic," and "folklore" I had high hopes.  And I was not disappointed.  When a young boys body is found and a second boy is kidnapped, it's up to Dr. Harrison Lane and his Crime Unit to figure out what is going on before it's too late.  We get to delve into this mystery and are privileged to see the big pictures from various people involved in the tale, rather than from just a few characters POV.  It took me awhile to adjust  to the writing style but overall I couldn't read fast enough and had to know what was happening.

Finally, I have to say that I cannot wait to learn more about Dr. Lane.  He has a unique background in that his father was Native American who was part of the American Shadow Wolves, a unique drug enforcement group and his mother was very Bohemian in nature.  We learn that his mother was murdered which led Dr. Lane to spend his life tracking down evil.  I am sure in future installments the reader will only learn more and more about what makes him tick.

Preacher Boy is wonderful start to a new series.  If you like your mysteries with an element of dark and twisty thrown in, then this is a book for you!

RATING: 4 Paws

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gwyn is an Amazon Top 20 bestselling author. She’s a former UK national TV newscaster and presenter, and journalist for national newspapers and magazines. Gwyn became a journalist because all she wanted to do was write and has finally realised her dream of being a full-time fiction author. Born in the UK, Gwyn now lives in the Channel Islands with her family, including a rescue dog and 17-year-old goldfish.

Gwyn launched her debut novel, Islands as Gwyn Garfield-Bennett in 2016, the romantic suspense book rose quickly into the Amazon top 20. Her first crime mystery series, featuring DI Falle, launched with Lonely Hearts in 2017.

You can find out more about Gwyn at www.gwyngb.com
Or on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GwynGBwriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GwynGB
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gwyngb/

Random Things Tour - The Cursed Girls

 

TITLE:  The Cursed Girls

AUTHOR: Caro Ramsay

PUBLISHER: Black Thorn

PUBLISHING DATE: June 3, 2021

PAGES: 256

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS:

Megan Melvick has returned home after a three-year absence to visit her dying sister, Melissa, for the last time. As she approaches the grand Scottish country estate where she grew up, the memories come flooding back. Just what did happen on the night of Melissa's wedding five years before? Where has Megan and Melissa's mother disappeared to? And why does Melissa whisper that solitary word before she finally slips away: Sorry. 

In order to overcome her demons, Megan must confront her painful recollections of that terrible night, the night of Melissa's wedding. The night somebody died. But can she really trust her memories? And who is so determined that she should forget?

MY THOUGHTS:  If you are looking for a slower-paced unpredictable, atmospheric read with an intense family dynamic then look no further!  I wasn't sure what I expected when I picked this book up but it surely wasn't the fact that I would devour its contents in less than 24 hours.  Megan Melvick is returning home to her elite family estate because her sister Melissa is dying.  Right from the beginning Ramsay clues the reader into that everything may not be what it appears and then weaves a tale and gives more bite to a story than I ever expected.  We have a missing mother, a dying sister, an elusive father who may love art more than his children, mysterious household staff and a character who I came across to me as a ghost - at least initially.

I really enjoyed this book and although I will warn that its definitely on the slower-paced side, the pacing completely fits the story and actually lent itself to the mysterious atmosphere.  I'm not sure I ever really loved any of the characters, but boy was I interested in them and what secrets they held.

If this sound like something you're interested in, then I definitely recommend you give it a go.  And might I add that I found it to be a perfect rainy day read!

RATING: 4 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Caro Ramsay is the Glaswegian author of the critically acclaimed Anderson and Costello series, the first of which, Absolution, was shortlisted for the CWA's New Blood Dagger for best debut of the year. The ninth book in the series, The Suffering of Strangers, was longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize 2018.

Random Things Tours - The Loch

 

TITLE: The Loch

AUTHOR: Dee Taylor

PUBLISHER: Conrad Press

PUBLISHING DATE: January 6, 2021

PAGES: 224

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: 

‘The Loch’ is set on the shores of Loch Ness. 

It’s a harrowing, unforgettable tale of courage and romance, unfolding between the backdrop of the Scottish Highlands and in the murky depths of the loch itself. With drama escalating in suspense, this entertaining and thrilling novel is the story of a former stripper from the Aberdeen clubs emotionally torn between two men: a deep sea diver from the oil rigs and a highlander with a violent and tragic past. 

There is greed and horror in a search for Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite gold within the ever-present menace of the fabled creature of the Loch.

MY THOUGHTS: I've always been very interested in the Loch Ness Monster so when I saw this book involved old Nessie, I couldn't wait to give it a try.  Tina and her boyfriend Jack are camping one night when they believe they have spotted Nessie.  They soon become obsessed and set out to capture a picture and prove the Monster's existence.  However, in learning about the Loch Ness lore, they decide there may be more benefit in finding the Prince Charlie's Jacobite Gold.  

I loved learning about the area's lore and Taylor's book transported me to the Scottish Highlands, a place I've always wanted to visit.  And personally, I'd love to see Nessie.  The Loch is a quick read and while not exactly a thriller per se, the pacing was good and rather chilling at times.  I've not read any other books by this author but would definitely be interesting in checking more out in the future.  And if that cover doesn't draw you in, I don't know what will!

RATING: 3 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dee Taylor is now a professional artist, after spending most of his career in the advertising profession as art buyer at two of London's top ad agencies.

His many artistic achievements include designing a now famous flag for the Romney Marsh area of Kent in south-east England.

Dee’s other passions are angling and Loch Ness.

Random Things Tours - Hit and Run

 

TITLE: Hit and Run

AUTHOR: Maria Frankland

PUBLISHER: Autonomy Press

PUBLISHING DATE: May 5, 2021

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: When secrets and lies are the cogs that keep a family turning

Fiona Matherson is a recovering alcoholic. Fighting to keep her life on track, her world is blown apart by some dreadful news one sunny June afternoon.

Fiona’s insular life becomes lonelier as she gets to know her husband more after his death than when he was alive.

Who can she believe? And who will believe her?

A story that shows the darkness which exists within families, and the damage that people can do to each other. 

MY THOUGHTS: This book grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go.  As mentioned, Fiona is a recovering alcoholic whose life is turned upside down by her husband's unexpected death.  She is immediately one of the prime suspects and as she learns more and more about her husband, she starts to question their life together. 

There are some truly unlikable characters in this novel which instead of hating, made my reading experience that much more enjoyable.  Frankland really knows how to weave a tale and she had me guessing something different as the book progressed.  While quite a character-driven, the book has a steady pace.  I enjoyed learning everyone's backstory and loved that the author didn't hesitate to create some really flawed individuals. 

If you like domestic thrillers and dysfunctional family dynamics, look no further!  Hit and Run is the book for you!

RATING: 4 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Maria Frankland's life began at 40 when she escaped an unhappy marriage and began making a living from her own writing and becoming a teacher of creative writing.

The rich tapestry of life with all its turbulent times has enabled her to pour experience, angst and lessons learned into the writing of her novels and poetry.

She recognises that the darkest places can exist within family relationships and this is reflected in the domestic thrillers she writes.

She is a 'born 'n' bred' Yorkshirewoman, a mother of two and has recently found her own 'happy ever after' after marrying again.

Still in her forties, she is now going to dedicate the rest of her working life to writing books and inspiring other writers to also achieve their dreams too!

Random Things Tour - Don't Ask

 

TITLE: Don't Ask

AUTHOR: Paul Carroll

PUBLISHER: Matador

PUBLISHING DATE: April 28, 2021

PAGES: 336

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: 

A DNA ancestry test opens up a Pandora's Box of secrets. 

When Elsa Watson takes a DNA ancestry test out of idle curiosity she little imagines the devastating consequences she is about to unleash. Two families become reluctantly entwined as inconvenient truths and long suppressed memories resurface. 

A #whodunnit with a difference, Don’t Ask visits the glam rock Seventies, Britpop, Operation Yewtree and #metoo within its alternating past and present chapter structure.

MY THOUGHTS: I was initially drawn to this book because of the music aspect and I have to admit, it has me wondering how many children out their were fathered by musicians taking groupies backstage in their heyday.  Seriously, why aren't more crawling out of the woodwork.  That being said, Don't Ask not only looks at the not-so-glamorous look at fame but also focuses on the ugliness of some of those who have became famous.

As an afterthought, Elsa Watson takes a DNA test after receiving a free one at the photography business where she works.  She's not expecting much but soon she's opening a major case of worms.  Add in with two family's struggling with various issues and some very well-written mental health concerns and you have a book which was definitely not the contemporary/mystery read I was expecting.

There was a lot of things I liked about this book.  I really enjoyed getting to know most of the characters and as mentioned, I always enjoy a good music tale.  I really felt for both families caught up in this DNA disaster and as the story evolved, it took a downright depressing turn.  And let me tell you, Carroll knows how to end a book.  I'm still thinking about the ending.

My main complaint with Don't Ask is that for at least the first 100 pages, I was confused.  There are multiple players in the tale and multiple timelines as well and it often took me a page or two into each chapter to figure out who I was reading about now.  

Other than that, Don't Ask is a fairly hard-hitting book and if you enjoy British novels, glam rock and family drama, then this might just be the book for you.

RATING: 3 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Paul Carroll has been drawn to ink and the written word since launching a rock fanzine in his late teens.  

Born and bred in Leeds, Paul crossed the Pennines in the mid-70s to study English Language and English Literature at the University of Manchester.  

Chasing a job in journalism he stumbled into the world of PR and ten years after starting his career set up his own PR consultancy, Communique PR, in Manchester.

 There he worked on many well-known brands including Boddingtons, Heineken, Thorntons Chocolate, Chicago Town Pizza, Big D peanuts, Co-op Funerals and Manchester Airport. 

These days, Paul concentrates on his writing. 

Paul’s books are full of dark humour and satirical takes.  His writing has been compared to that of Ben Elton, Nick Hornby and Jonathan Coe in tackling serious contemporary issues in a highly engaging and entertaining way.

Don’t Ask (Matador 2021) is Paul Carroll’s fourth novel, following A Matter of Life and Death (Matador, 2012), Written Off (Matador, 2016), and Trouble Brewing (Matador, 2017). 

Random Things Tours - The Twenty Seven Club

 

TITLE: The Twenty Seven Club

AUTHOR: Lucy Nichol

PUBLISHER: Lark

PUBLISHING DATE: January 20, 2021

PAGES: 231

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: 

It’s 1994. The music industry is mourning Kurt Cobain, Right Said Fred have re-emerged as an ‘ironic’ pop act and John Major is the country’s prime minister. Nothing is as it should be. 

Emma, a working-class rock music fan from Hull, with a penchant for a flaming Drambuie and a line of coke with her best mate Dave down The Angel, is troubled. 

Trev, her beloved whippet, has doggy IBS, and her job ordering bathroom supplies at the local caravan company is far from challenging. So when her dad, Tel, informs her that Kurt Cobain has killed himself aged 27, Emma is consumed with anxiety. 

Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix…why have so many rock musicians died aged 27? And will Emma be next to join The Twenty Seven Club? 

The Twenty Seven Club is a nostalgic, often humorous, drug and booze-infused tale of friendship, discovery and anxiety as Emma tries, for once, to focus on life, rather than death.

MY THOUGHTS: I adore music and listen to all types of genres so when I saw the title of this book, and then read the synopsis, I knew it was one I would have to read.  I listened to a lot of grunge rock in the 90's and while I don't really remember where I was when Kurt Cobain died, I do recall the impact it had on a lot of people and the mourning of talent lost too soon.  

Emma learns of Cobain's death from her father during breakfast one morning.  This sets her off on a quest of self discovery in hopes of coming to terms with her own mortality and where her life is headed.  Emma is somewhat wild and crazy and time but it always contemplative about the direction her life is taking.  She has a close friend Dave, who I also enjoyed, and an adorable rescued whippet named Trev.

While the plot of this book doesn't necessarily slap you in the face, it's definitely there and will hit anyone who came of age in the 90's hard.  It takes a hard look at the price of fame from an outsider's POV and Nichol does a wonderful job of showcasing a young woman who is struggling just to get through each day.    There's some humor thrown in which I always enjoy and Nichol is definitely an author I'll be watching.

RATING: 4 Paws

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lucy is a mental health campaigner and PR consultant, and a former columnist with Sarah Millican's Standard Issue magazine.  She has written for The Independent, The I Paper, NME, Red Magazine, Den of Geek, Men’s Fitness, Metro and Huff Post.  Her first book, A Series of Unfortunate Stereotypes, a non-fiction mental health memoir, was published by Trigger in 2018. Lucy has worked with the media in PR and marketing for almost 20 years and has experienced Generalised Anxiety Disorder for even longer.  

Random Things Tours - Dog Days

 

TITLE: Dog Days

AUTHOR: Ericka Waller

PUBLISHER: Doubleday

PUBLISHING DATE: March 11, 2021

PAGES: 368

SOURCE: ARC 

FROM GOODREADS: 

George is very angry. His wife has upped and died on him, and all he wants to do is sit in his underpants and shout at the cricket. The last thing he needs is his cake-baking neighbour Betty trying to rescue him. And then there's the dog, a dachshund puppy called Poppy. George doesn't want a dog - he wants a fight. 

Dan is a counsellor with OCD who is great at helping other people - if only he were better at helping himself. His most meaningful relationship so far is with his labrador Fitz. But then comes a therapy session that will change his life. 

Lizzie is living in a women's refuge with her son Lenny. Her body is covered in scars and she has shut herself off from everyone around her. But when she is forced to walk the refuge's fat terrier, Maud, a new life beckons - if she can keep her secret just a while longer... 

Dog Days is a novel about those small but life-changing moments that only come when we pause to let the light in. It is about three people learning to make connections and find joy in living life off the leash.

MY THOUGHTS: Going into Dog Days I'm sure I expected a book completely different than the one I got.  I often thing of dog-centric titles as fun, chick-lit romances or quirkly talking/thinking pets solving mysteries or getting into trouble.  You will find none of that in Waller's book.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a disappointment at all, but I did find it somewhat depressing at times which is also okay.

In Dog Days we find meet three different individuals who are not friends but whose paths do cross from time to time because of their dogs.  And this book goes to show that I do not necessarily have to like the characters to enjoy the book because honestly, besides the dogs, my favorite character was a dead woman.  George is mad because his wife died without telling him, Lizzie is trying to escape an abusive existence and Dan is exploring real love for the first time in his life.  And each of them just happen to also be loved by a dog - whether they want to or not.

As I mentioned, these are extremely likable people.  The scary thing for me was the fact that I actually liked George the most and he was probably the worst.  He is mad at the world.  He is mad at his wife for dying, and he certainly is mad because she bought them a puppy before she died.  But the relationship between him and Ellen is truly beautiful and probably spoke to me the most.  Only in George's grief does he finally realize how much he loved his wife.  And Ellen was a gem.  Not only did she put up with possibly the world's grumpiest man, she anticipated his every move after her death and for months he found love notes around their home and throughout the town.

I enjoyed spending time with these three characters.  In a way, each were healed by the love of their dogs.  They found solace and comfort in their snuggles and affection.  It's try that at the end of the book I found myself saddened, but I don't regret reading the book and I would recommend it for people looking for a tale of love, loss, grief and rebirth.

RATING: 4 Paws

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ERICKA WALLER lives in Brighton with her husband, three daughters and pets. Previously, she worked as a blogger and columnist. Dog Days is the sum of everything she has learned about love, loss and the healing power of dogs. Twitter: @erickawaller1 Instagram @erickamary http://muminthesouth.co.uk/

ERICKA WALLER’S NOTE ON DOG DAYS: “One of the inspirations for Dog Days came from walking my own dogs. It’s this weird alternative universe - dog owners could by psycho killers, but we approach them alone on windy beacons, because they have a dog. Dog owners might be battered wives, addicts, cheaters, thieves. 

I also wanted to use dogs to reflect how we, as humans, are consumed by things we cannot control or change. Dogs live from one falling leaf to the next. Their emotions are simple. I wanted to set them against the lives of three characters battling with real life issues such as depression, anxiety, OCD and grief. 

I wanted to explore how people force themselves into a shape we can understand, that goes along with the stories we tell ourselves. I didn’t want to write a romance, but I did want the book to be suffused with different kinds of love: platonic, sexual, maternal. 

I wanted to explore how women are perceived by other women and the way we need to force them into a shape we can understand, that goes along with the stories we tell ourselves. Everything is always about how it makes us feel, so we alter reality or bend truths to make them fit in how we need the world to be.”