January 2020 Book Reviews
Ad | Gifted | Affiliate Links
Good afternoon and happy Thursday. I had a few books on my read pile that needed reviewing and so I thought i would shar themn with you today.
I’ve been struggling with not feeling 100% lately and have had a lot of uni work to get through so I have been a bit quiet, but I do have lots of things planned for the blog so stay tuned!
Can You Feel This?
by Julie Orringer
The Blurb
In the chaos of a maternity ward, memories of tragedy and grief come flooding back for an anxious mother-to-be as she struggles to balance her child’s needs with her own healing.
Rushed into an emergency cesarean section, a woman finds herself in the same hospital where her suicidal mother died. She’s buried the trauma of her mother’s last hours—and also the dread that she might be just as vulnerable to breaking. As the new mother relives one crisis in the midst of another, prize-winning author Julie Orringer turns the joyous event of birth into a harrowing, poignant short story.
Julie Orringer’s Can You Feel This? is part of Inheritance, a collection of five stories about secrets, unspoken desires, and dangerous revelations between loved ones. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single setting. By yourself, behind closed doors, or shared with someone you trust.
What I Thought
This was a beautiful and totally relatable short read. It described so many of the emotions you experience during birth and in those first few hours following having your baby.
The language used was emotional, raw and honest, describing both the positive feelings and the negative. A fantastic read for new parents who will see that all of these different and sometimes conflicting emotions are completely normal.
Where To Buy
Amazon Kindle (ÂŁ0.99, FREE on Prime) or Audiobook (ÂŁ1.65)
This Is Motherhood – A Motherly Collection of Reflections + Practices
by Jill Koziol and Liz Tenety
The Blurb
By Moms, for Moms—Redefining Motherhood for a New Generation
With This Is Motherhood, the cofounders and contributors of the Motherly online community present a collection of essays and practices to celebrate motherhood in all its complexity.
Here you’ll find reflections on each phase of “the wild ride of motherhood,” including the soaring highs of meeting your new baby, the ground-shaking lows that make you doubt everything you’ve ever known, and all the beauty and pain in between. Each chapter closes with practices from Motherly’s team of wellness experts to help you define, clarify, process, and celebrate your journey.
This book was created to inspire and guide you through some of the most miraculous and stressful milestones of your life, such as:
• New Mama—get ready for the mysterious, unpredictable, and beautiful start to your new life as a mother
• Firsts—each step is brand new to you and your baby . . . and a chance to discover your way to learn and love
• Mental Load—even with the worries, the to-do lists, the midnight emergencies, you deserve time and attention, too
• Village—how to find the support that’s all around you, because you aren’t meant to do this alone
• Transformation—discover and embrace the powerful, loving, capable woman who’s been molded by motherhood
There are many ways to get motherhood right. It’s not your mother’s path or your sister’s path or that seemingly-perfect mom from your kid’s preschool’s path. It’s yours. You get to define—and redefine along the way—your experience of motherhood.
And you are not alone.
Each essay in This Is Motherhood is a letter to you, from one mama to another, to remind you that your feelings are normal. That you’re doing an amazing job. That you’re stronger than you even realize.
Most of all: You’ve got this, mama.
What I Thought
A beautiful collection of essays by all different mothers. The experiences are genuine and honest and there is something for everyone here.
This book is a fantastic representation of the online ‘Motherly’ community and the many different views and stories will encourage and inspire as you read.
Where To Buy
Amazon – Kindle (ÂŁ13.93) or Paperback (ÂŁ17.60)
Ragdoll
by Daniel Cole
The Blurb
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
‘Superb thriller writing.’ Peter Robinson
‘A brilliant, breathless thriller’ M.J. Arlidge
‘A high concept solution to a mystery’ Sophie Hannah
A body is discovered with the dismembered parts of six victims stitched together, nicknamed by the press as the ‘Ragdoll’. Assigned to the shocking case are Detective William ‘Wolf’ Fawkes, recently reinstated to the London Met, and his former partner Detective Emily Baxter.
The ‘Ragdoll Killer’ taunts the police by releasing a list of names to the media, and the dates on which he intends to murder them. With six people to save, can Fawkes and Baxter catch a killer when the world is watching their every move?
Translated into over 30 languages, RAGDOLL is a quality, rocket-paced thriller with twists and turns you won’t see coming. For readers of Jo Nesbo. You will not stop talking about this book.
What I Thought
I read this some time ago and noticed I hadn’t put a review up – although I can remember writing it! Who knows! I had to share it though as it was a fantastic read!
The perfect thriller with everything you want – grim discoveries, action, suspense and fab characters. The twists and turns kept coming and the book didn’t let up from start to end. The central character of Wolf is a great one and he would be amazing on TV or in film.
Daniel Cole’s debut is fantastic and I will be reading more from him. Not for the fainthearted – there us quite a body count which does get rather gruesome – but thriller fans will love it.
Where To Buy
Amazon – Kindle (ÂŁ1.99), Audiobook (ÂŁ17.49), Paperback (ÂŁ7.37), Hardcover (ÂŁ1.98)
Wicked Girl
by Jeanie Doyle
The Blurb
How do you teach a mother to love her child, when she’s still a child herself?
Jeanie Doyle nurtures, teaches and cares for young and dysfunctional mums, showing them how to care for their newborn babies, sometimes even taking the mother into foster care before the baby is born.
The first in a brand-new series of books by the foster ‘super-gran’, Wicked Girl is the shocking true story of the very first case Jeanie dealt with: a baby girl who was found abandoned on the steps of a church just before Christmas. While the 14-year-old mother was tracked down, Jeanie took her little daughter into her own care. But while she tried to help the two of them heal and bond, the terrible truth about the baby’s father was revealed…
A twist on the standard Cathy Glass books, Wicked Girl offers Jeanie’s rare perspective of fostering young women alongside their babies. Will mother and daughter be reunited for good, or will the vulnerable young mother make the heartbreaking decision that they are both better off apart?
What I Thought
I picked up this one as I am a big fan of Cathy Glass’s books and this was based on a similar theme.
I really enjoyed the book. It was great to hear about Jeane’s background and the experiences which propelled her into becoming a foster carer, especially working with young mothers.
Foster carers do an amazing job and after reading this you will have an even bigger respect for what them and what they do.
Where To Buy
Amazon – Kindle (ÂŁ6.37), Paperback (ÂŁ6.37)
The Year I Left
by Christine Brae
The Blurb
Carin Frost doesn’t understand what’s happening to her. A confident businesswoman, wife, and mother, she begins to resent everything about her life. Nothing makes sense. Nothing makes her feel. Maybe it’s the recent loss of her mother in a tragic accident. Or maybe she’s just losing her mind. Enter Matias Torres. As their new business partnership thrives, so does their friendship—and his interest in her. Carin is determined to keep her distance, until a work assignment sends them to Southeast Asia where a storm is brewing on the island. In the midst of the chaos, Matias asks her to do something unimaginable, exhilarating, bold. Carin knows the consequences could be dire, but it may be the only way to save herself. An honest look at love and marriage and the frailties of the human heart, this is a story of a woman’s loss of self and purpose and the journey she takes to find her way back.
What I Thought
This one had me hooked although I did have mixed feelings about it.
Carin was a fantastic character, full of raw and honest emotion which I loved. The situation she found herself was highly unlikely but if you can put up with this, the idea of the story and the feelings behind it are actually very common and relatable.
I could barely put this one down and needed to keep reading. I don’t want to spoil anything – you really have to read it for yourself. This left me with a lot of thoughts and will stay with me for a while!
Where To Buy
Amazon Kindle (0.99) and Paperback (ÂŁ17.01)
I hope you have enjoyed reading these reviews. Which one from the list do you like the look of most? Any you have also read? Let me know in the comments below,
Thankyou to NetGalley fro my ARC of these books. I was given the books for free in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Using the affiliate links in this post will not affect your purchase in any way but may earn the blog some pennies – so thankyou if you purchase through one.
The Spoonie Mummy 