This is the third Fiona McCallum book I've read, and the second one I've rated two stars. There's one main reason this book tanked in my opinion. 

Apologies in advance for the tirade below:

Jessica, the main character, is a self-centred, immature and selfish adult-child. The constant inane babbling of her inner thoughts drove me batty, and her complete inability to think about anyone outside of herself left me wanting to wring her scrawny neck. 

Add to this continued form of abuse to the reader, Jessica's incapacity to put basic symptoms of pregnancy together after the reader was subjected to copious PG-rated coitus between Jessica and Steve, her rough-on-the-outside-but-soft-on-the-inside husband, and you're left wondering how this TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) character even made it to adulthood. 

Considering the amount of inner dialogue the reader is subjected to, Jessica's character has very little character growth, the one tiny speck of change really didn't warrant the 220 pages of torment within the covers. What's with that?! Really? Are there people like this in the world?

This book gets added to my swear-tastic shelf, not because it has a lot of vulgar language in it (there is a little, it's fairly light on), but instead it's added because of the quantity of vulgar language it elicited from me as I read it.

The ONLY reasons this book gets 2 stars instead of 1, is Laurel and Hardy, the farm dogs who were adorable, and the Plain-Jane-but-not-really, Faith. The little filly, Faith, is a welcome piece of sunshine and amusement to the book. If only we'd spent more time in her mind and less in Jessica's. 

I was left thinking:



Not Fiona McCallum's best, but still might appeal to horsey people who don't mind reading about characters that are annoying and downright unlikable.

**Note: I was provided a copy of this book from the Publisher in return for an honest review**

Makedde Vanderwall's series has come to a close.

A pretty spectacular close too.

Mak is harder, grittier and downright ballsy in this book, she's taking a stand against the big baddies and she's doing it her way.

Considering it has been five years since I read the last Mak book(Siren), I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it all came flooding back to me. Tara weaves little tidbits of information into the story but it doesn't feel like you're being drip fed it. It reads well.

I liked how we got to see Mak grow and change in this book, far more than the other books. And while one of the twists I picked very early on, the way I thought it'd go, was certainly not the way the story went.

I always had a bit of a soft spot for Andy, and this book cemented that for me. He's raw and real, both incredibly strong, yet vulnerable at the same time. Rough around the edges, but sweet and gentle too. He felt very real in this book. More so than Mak and any of the other characters.

Overall, this felt like a strong and fitting end to Mak's tumultuous journey, but it didn't blow my mind so I can't give it 5 stars. It fell just a little shy of amazing.

A quick and easy read, pick it up today but probably not until you've read the other books in the series first.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is a great book that covers the basics of editing your own work, or that of others, and how to apply those skills. Having been involved with editing and writing for a number of years, the book didn't offer me anything ground-breaking, but it did reaffirm my love of editing and brought to the forefront of my brain, the things to keep in mind when reading and reviewing a piece of writing. The book gives you plenty of examples of poor writing, mediocre writing and some fantastic writing. It hacks apart some of the greats, and showcases some works by authors unknown. I found the snippets that were edited two or three times in the book to be the most impressive. It really gave meaning to what the book was trying to say. Seeing the process in one paragraph of text really pushed the ideas home and solidified them in my mind. Not really one on rules, this book is written in the hope it will guide you towards better writing. If you're a writer but not so good with editing, this should be top of your book wishlist. P.S. It got my 'editing required' shelf because there's some shockers these pages.

Are you suffering from insomnia?

Yes?

Well, try picking up this book. It should put you to sleep in 10minutes flat.

The story about the most boring people in the world, told by a girl who has the most boring thoughts and ideas in history. Even while getting groped in the alley, she thinks of the clouds! I mean really!!!

At times, I liked some of the description used, but at others it was so wrong I wanted to poke my eyes out and burn the book.

Characterisation does not seem to be something Tracy is familiar with, all of the characters (including Griet, the protagonist) were flat and boring and stock standard.

There is only one word I can use to describe this book: BORING!

This book starts off with a rather hefty dose of reality check about the Christmas period shopping binges we all partake in.

Set in an all-American town, in a street not unlike those you see in the kids Christmas movies, Skipping Christmas follows a couple through an interesting idea.

Luther and Nora Krank give up the turkey and all the trimmings, turn a blind eye to the street Christmas light competition and refuse to decorate their house, and, instead plan a get away to the Caribbean on a cruise.

I liked the sound of this story, but the first 80% of the book was a bit too negative for me. All the trials and tribulations Nora and Luther face seemed a bit too much, their supposed friends and colleagues not being even remotely supportive.

It was, for a fair chunk of the story, tracking for a two star rating, but the Christmassy ending boosted its overall likability.

Certainly very christmas oriented, this one should get you in the Christmas spirit if you can make it to the end.