February is typically my least favourite month of the year; it always seems to go by too slowly. Luckily for me, I had a whole bunch of books this month to keep me busy! This month, I was able to read 28 books.
Keep reading to check out what I read this month (and which reads I gave a 5-star rating!) and an update on my reading challenges!
Entering into the final stretch of our February buddy reads with The Housekeeper by Sullen Dainty. Keep reading for a synopsis of the book and to see what we thought!
Continue reading “#cjsreads2017: The Housekeeper (Suellen Dainty)”
So mistakes were made. This was my first Lisa Unger book. What have I been doing??!! You better believe this will be rectified immediately and I will be going back to read everything by this author.
My friend Chelsea, from The Suspense is Thrilling Me, recommended this book highly and she did not steer me wrong; if you didn’t guess already, I LOVED this book.
Continue reading “Book Review: Ink and Bone (Lisa Unger) @lisaunger @TouchstoneBooks”
The Doll Funeral, the newest novel by Kate Hamer, was a story that was completely different from any novel I have read lately. Marketed as a mystery thriller, I would have to say this one read more like a contemporary fantasy novel with a twist. Beautiful prose, a strong narrative voice and some mystical elements had me flipping through the pages.
Continue reading “Book Review: The Doll Funeral (Kate Hamer) @kate_hamer @FaberBooks”
The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer was a book I had been eagerly anticipating; in an effort to beat my backlist and after several of my book blogging friends (namely, my good friend Janel at Keeper of Pages) sang the praises of this book, I decided to move this one to the top of my TBR pile. Luckily for me, #cjsreads decided to make this one of our February picks so I had to follow through!
Did I think it was worth moving to the top of my pile?
Keep reading for a synopsis of the book and what we thought about this pick!
Continue reading “#cjsreads2017: The Girl in the Red Coat (Kate Hamer)”
When Joe Lynch sees his wife going into a hotel during the middle of the afternoon, his curiosity gets the best of him and he follows her in. After seeing her in an altercation with a family friend, Ben, he comes to her defence and ends up taking part in a brawl. When Joe’s son has an asthma attack during this argument, Joe makes the quick decision to leave and take his son to safety. After this, Joe is filled with guilt about the fight and tries to apologise to Ben. But Ben is missing. And Joe is a suspect.
Lies, the newest psychological thriller by TM Logan, takes readers on a path of secrets and revenge. I read this one as a buddy read with Danielle at The Blonde Likes Books (you can check out her review here). I found this novel to be fast- paced and complex; this plot had me hooked from the first pages.
Continue reading “Book Review: Lies (TM Logan) @TMLoganAuthor @BonnierZaffre”
Friday Finds (a feature originated by Jenn at Books and A Beat) showcases the most interesting books that I have encountered during the last week and have added to my TBR wish list on Goodreads.
I am constantly adding titles to my never-ending TBR list and I can’t wait to share them with people.
Check out my newest and most wanted additions (or editions?…see what I did there!)
Thrilled to have Sarah Denzil as a guest on Clues and Reviews today! Her novel, Silent Child, was amazing! If you missed my review you can check that out here. Keep reading to find out Sarah’s writing process, why type of research goes into writing a novel like Silent Child and about life in general!
Silent Child tackles all sorts of tough subject matter surrounding the loss of a child, child abduction and relationships. What type of research goes into writing a novel like this?
Right from the beginning, I felt like I knew Emma, so I approached the book from knowing that character. I did browse a few forums about parenting to get the feel of being a mum, but there isn’t much to research when it comes to suffering a loss and then that person returning, that was a very unique experience, so I tried to put myself in Emma’s shoes and feel what she would feel.
In Silent Child, Aidan has no narrative voice until the very end. What made you make this decision?
I wanted the focus to be on Emma because I wanted readers to experience everything with Emma and sympathise with her situation. But I knew that Aiden needed to tell some of his story at the end. I wanted his voice to be heard in the same way Emma wanted desperately to hear Aiden’s voice.
Are there any sections that you decided to edit out of Silent Child?
Actually, no! I tend to write my first drafts as the skeleton of the story and then I flesh it out with rewriting. I tend to add more in than I take out when editing.
Why did you decide to start writing psychological thrillers?
It was really the new wave of psychological thrillers that caught my attention, books like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. Before then I hadn’t read many thrillers because the action didn’t really appeal to me, but the psychology of the characters did. I studied psychology at university, so human nature is very interesting to me. I love writing suspense that focuses around ordinary men and women thrown into exceptional, and often disturbing, circumstances. I’ve always been drawn to the dark side of literature, but in the past I’ve been more interested in paranormal suspense. That’s something I’d like to do in the future – write some paranormal books as well as the thrillers.
If Silent Child were to be optioned as a film, which actors/actresses would you cast as the leads?
First of all I’d lift my jaw from the floor. Emily Blunt did such a fantastic job in The Girl On The Train. I think she’d be great as Emma. David Morrissey from The Walking Dead would be the perfect Jake. Tom Hardy would be amazing as Rob, and for Josie I’d have Olivia Coleman.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I’d love to say that after four years of publishing books it gets easier to read a bad review, but it doesn’t! I just remember that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, that art is subjective, and that every single book out there has a one star review. As long as there are some good reviews in the mix, I’m happy. I try not to read them too much, but of course my eye skims over them when I’m checking my rankings.
What does your writing process look like? Are you a consistent writer? Is it more sporadic? Do you make an outline? Go with the flow? Does writing energize or exhaust you?
If there’s something on my mind, I find it hard to write, but most of the time I manage to sit down and get some words out. I do tend to outline, but sometimes I go with the flow as well. When I’m into the writing I can sit and write for hours, but it always needs a good edit afterwards because I tend to write quickly. I find writing really relaxing, but after writing more than 2-3000 words, I am quite drained. It’s definitely a mental workout!
What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
Oh, I’m definitely a TV addict. I’ve only just started watching Breaking Bad (I know, I lived under a rock for a while!) but it’s great. I love complex characters and good writing. Like most writers, I love any medium that involves a story, whether it’s in a book, a TV programme, a movie or a video game.
Emma, a young mother, is devastated when her son drowns during a terrible flood. His body is never recovered and Emma is consumed with grief. Ten years later, Emma has adjusted to a new life; she is married, pregnant and feels at peace. Until, suddenly, Aidan returns. He cannot speak, he cannot tell anyone where he has been for the past ten years; his body tells a story of abuse. Emma, her life turned upside down, begins to try and reconnect with her teenage son and uncover the truth surrounding his disappearance.
I started this novel in the midst of a book slump. Turns out the cure for such a slump is this book!
Continue reading “Book Review: Silent Child (Sarah A. Denzil) @sarahdenzil”
Clues and Reviews 