The Second Coming by John Niven

 This book was definitely an example of why you should broaden your horizons and read things you wouldn't normally. Everyone needs to stretch themselves and experience new types of books. So, that's what I did with this book. Reading the blurb I thought that I would hate this book, but it was recommended to me so I thought I'd give it a go!

The general gist of the book is that God has been on a fishing trip and when he returns to heaven, after leaving Jesus in charge, the world has gone to hell in a handcart! So, he sends Jesus or good old JC back to earth to fix things. However, Jesus is a bit of a stoner......and..........well I won't spoil it for you.

I totally loved this book!!! Definitely not for anyone who has fairly strong religious beliefs as they would definitely be offended. Although, the main message conveyed in the story is one of 'be nice' and love your fellow man. Get rid of all hatred and prejudice! I have to say, that as an atheist, if there was a god and heaven was like this then I'd sign up for religion!!! An absolutely hilarious book. God sends his son back to earth, from heaven which appears to be party central, to try and get his message of love across once again to humanity. I defy anyone not to laugh out loud at this book!

 

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Cover Reveal - Storm Clouds Gathering by Pauline Barclay

Brook Cottage Books is very pleased to be part of a new Cover Reveal for Pauline Barclay. Her new book called Storm Clouds Gathering is due for release later this year! I think you will all agree that the book cover looks fab!  Love it!

 

The book cover was designed by Cathy Helms at Avalon Graphics. Cathy designed the covers for Pauline's other books.

 

 

So, what will the book be about? Here's a little bit of blurb to pique your interest.............

 

'Set in the backdrop of the mid 1960's, Storm Cloud Gathering is about love, lies, and loss, but it will be the cheating and the lying, the anguish and the bitterness that will change the lives of three families forever. For Anne Simpson and Paul Betham, Jimmy and Shirley Burton and Joe and Kathleen Mitchell, the events of the summer of sixty five will mean there can be no going back, but to go forward it will take understanding and forgiveness, the question is: Is that possible?'

 

Well, I for one cannot wait for the book!

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Reaching For The Stars by Janice Horton

This was the first book by Janice Horton that I read and I absolutely loved it!  Janice has a wonderful writing style and like his fans I also fell in love with Finn McDuff who is the central character. He just oozes charm and sex appeal and in my very vivid imagination I could see Daniel Craig playing him if this was ever made into a movie! Yes I know I have an over-active imagination! Very quickly into the story the reader can't help but be charmed by Finn and care about what happens to him.

 Finn is a sexy celebrity chef with a reputation to go with his lovely new and much sought after award. However, as Finn finds out, reaching for those golden stars does not guarantee happiness and he is forced to make decisions that he never contemplated before. Finn becomes so overwhelmed with the celebrity lifestyle that he shuns it and disappears. This self imposed exile however only perks the interest of the celebrity hunters and the press!

Where is Finn McDuff? Can he change his life? Will the press be a help or a hindrance? Love and support comes from the most unlikely of places but will Finn accept it and what will be the consequences if he does? Will his public love him or hate him? So many questions! Buy the book and find out! You won't be disappointed!

 

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Author in the Spotlight - Janice Horton

Today, the Author in the spotlight feature is focusing on the lovely Janice Horton. I have read two of Janice's books -

Reaching for the Stars (review to appear on the blog tomorrow - 8th January)

How do you Voodoo (Review to appear on the blog 17th Feb) and enjoyed them both immensely.

Lets find out a little about Janice............

Janice Horton lives in Scotland and writes contemporary Scottish fiction with humour and heart. She says that the Scotch mist, the diffused light, the ancient castles and the old traditions surrounding her remote hillside cottage, inspire her stories and fire her imagination.

Look out for her Amazon Kindle bestselling ebooks 'Bagpipes and Bullshot' and Reaching for the Starts and her latest fun and magical novella 'How Do You Voodoo'. When not writing novels, Janice writes lifestyle articles for national and international magazines and regional newspapers.

Janice has also been involved in BBC Scotland's 'Write Here Write Now' initiative. She is a member of the Romantic Novelist's Association and also a Featured Author and Associate Editor of Bookshelf Reviews at the magazine style website Loveahappyending.com.

Find out more about Janice and her novels:

Author Blog: http://www.janicehortonwriter.blogspot.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter: @JaniceHorton
Like her Author Facebook Page
Featured Author & Associate Editor at: Loveahappyending.com

Link to her ebooks on Amazon.co.uk

Link to her ebooks on Amazon.com

 

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SHADES OF APPLEY GREEN – A modern village Novel by Miriam Wakerly

 

I have to say that this book is not my usual genre but I was keen to read it as I had read so many good reviews about it. I was not disappointed. Whilst the book tells the story of the main character Steph at quite a slow and measured pace this is a perfect style as for me it reflected the unhurried and relaxed pace of the village of Appley Green. If I was ever to go and live anywhere, it would be this village. I could imagine being there! The descriptions of the village that Miriam Wakerly gives throughout the book perfectly sets the scene of a place unaffected by the hamster wheel of modern life that grinds you down.

The main character of the book is Steph a kind and loving young woman who is perfectly suited to her job. She is part of a charity involved with the elderly of Appley Green. One of her‘clients’ Jackson holds a special place in Steph’s heart and throughout the book we discover the reason why. But this is more than a job for Steph. It is a promise she made to one of the few men Steph has ever respected and trusted.

Steph juggles a very busy career with the very serious job of being a single mum to Faith and Barnaby. Her job is not made easy by the man who must oversee her work, Greg. Steph feels he is there at every turn, waiting for her to slip up and putting extra pressure on her.

Steph explores her past through a series of diary entries. A past that is filled with happiness and heartache. A past she must face before she can look to the future. Her mistrust of men threatens to lead her to a lonely life where she feels unloved. But, her life begins to take many unexpected and at times difficult paths that Steph must deal with. Can she do this alone or will help come from a very unlikely source?

Miriam Wakerly has a writing style that shows a special relationship with her characters. She explores many issues within the book. Issues such as grief, loss, love and the need for family. The issue of how the elderly are affected by loneliness, separation from family and isolation is also explored and gives the reader some food for thought. This a great book for a lazy Sunday afternoon or for on the beach. It won’t have your pulse racing but it’s not meant to. It’s a ‘feel good’ book with an unexpected twist at the end. I’ll definitely be reading more work by this very talented lady.

 Kindle format         Paperback format

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Classic in the Spotlight - Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

 

Wuthering Heights is a wonderful classic written by Emily Bronte. Like most people I was introduced to this great book as part of the school curriculum many years ago. I instantly loved this book from the first page and have read it a couple of times. I still have the copy I had in school! Wuthering Heights is a dark and brooding love story, filled with passion, intrigue and deep seated revenge. Its a story of social divide, doomed love and obsession. It is cruel and shocking in places.

Mr Lockwood rents Thrushcross Grange to spend some time recuperating. He visits his landlord Heathcliff at his home, Wuthering Heights. However, a snow storm leaves Mr Lockwood stranded at Wuthering Heights and he is forced to spend the night with its strange inhabitants. He sleeps in a bedroom once inhabited by someone called Catherine and later dreams of her ghost. He later finds out the story of Catherine from his housekeeper upon his return to Thrushcross Grange. This leads us to find out about the early life of Heathcliff and Cathy.........

Heathcliff, an orphaned gypsy boy is adopted by a well to do gentleman Mr Earnshaw and raised as one of his own, much to the chagrin of Hindley, Mr Earnshaw's natural son. Heathcliff and Catherine (Cathy) Earnshaw become firm friends and spend much time on the moors. In later years when Mr Earnshaw dies, Heathcliff is relegated to the status of servant when Hindley becomes the master at Wuthering Heights.

One day while spying on the inhabitants of Thrushcross Grange, The Lintons. Cathy is caught and spends the week there. She returns a lady and soon Heathcliff seems rough and uneducated to her. Catherine soon becomes entangled in a relationship with Edgar Linton despite being in love with Heathcliff. And thus heralds a saga of love, hurt and a dark passion that is often reflected through the imagery of the moors, weather and Wuthering Heights itself and spanning over a number of years. It is told through flashbacks and diary entries. A wonderful book and definitely one of the classics to read! Its currently free from Amazon on Kindle but also available at a cost in paperback.

   

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New Year and a New Reading Challenge

As you can see from the blog, I like to take part in the Goodreads reading challenge each year. I am pleased to say that I met that challenge head on and read over my goal of 24 books. I read 27!  Quite often when life gets in the way our reading time falls to the wayside. Books can often lie ignored for days or weeks when domestic chores, caring chores or that horrible word 'work' gets in the way of us lying on the sofa and falling head first into a good book. I find this horrible and frustrating just knowing there's a book somewhere in my house that needs to be read!

 

It seems that my TBR pile is reaching epic proportions so I won't be short of a book or two to read throughout 2013. With requests for reviews etc that pile will continue to grow bigger rather than get smaller. Having more books to read is like having a warm, comforting blanket around me. I'd be cold, lonely and a little bit depressed without them!

 

When you decide to read a book do you pick a book randomly? Or, are you a reviewer who sticks to a schedule depending on what book needs reviewing? Or, do you spend ages and ages looking at your TBR pile and not know which book you want to read next because you want to read them all?! I'm a bit of all three of those types of readers. Of course I have to stick to my schedule to fit in reviews. But, in between reviews I like to choose books from my own bookshelves. I have so many to choose from that it's actually becoming an obsession. Of course, having a kindle now just further adds to the wonderful array of books to choose from! Yay!!!

 

So what will be the first book you read in 2013 and have you set a reading goal? Well, for me, one of the first books to read early this year will be Sheryl Browne's new book A Little Bit of Madness! The cover reveal will be taking place here on the blog on 29th January with a review of the book on 14th February which is official launch day! I cannot wait! I've already read 2 of Sheryl's books and have absolutely adored them. Until the book is available I'm pleased to say I have one or two other books to choose from to tide me over! (I can hear mutterings from Mr JB that I have about a million to tide me over!)

The reading goal I am setting myself is for 30 books to be read throughout the year. If you click on the 2013 reading challenge page on the blog there will be links to the reviews for these book.s Good luck with whatever reading challenge you set yourself. Just remember however, reading is for fun, and once it becomes a chore then you are doing it wrong! Love the book. Love the wonderful places it takes you to and never forget how it left you feeling. HAPPY 2013!

 

2013 Reading Challenge

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