March Book Reviews

Published by The Reading Agency, The Library Book is a celebration of the institution from authors, celebrities and self-confessed bibliophiles. Published during the height of library closures personalities ranging from Alan Bennett to Caitlin Moran share anecdotes on their library adventures, lessons learnt, friends made and beliefs made possible by the power of books and the dark grey buildings that house them. 

Uplifting and humorous at times - a good addition to any bedside or coffee table.




When Kendra moves back to England from Australia she leaves a turbulent past behind to be confronted with a new problem. Becoming an inadvertent nanny to her new landlord's children, she is embraced by the whole family.. not as happy as you may think she'd be by this turn of events. Kendra tries to strike a balance in her new life whilst trying to fight her own demons and come to terms with what happened in the past.

An unusual choice for me but I'm glad I persevered with it. I wasn't aware till very recently that one of our prime ministers had been assassinated and once I found out, I wanted to know the whole story. Ready for the history lesson... Turns out it's all rather dull and British really. John Bellingham had had enough in 1812 after a long dispute with the British government regarding a wrongful and long stay in a Russian prison. having no aide to afforded to him by the government of the day he did what he believed the last possible act of justice by shooting Spencer Perceval in order to gain an audience for his grievances.

For the novice historian this was very easy to follow with extracts from the trial and background of both the principles well explained. A must for any history buffs.

A Monster Calls is Patrick Ness' fourth novel after the Chaos Walking trilogy. Built upon from the original idea of Siobhan Dowd, this tells the story of 13 year old Connor coming to terms with his mother's fatal illness. This story is beautifully illustrated by Jim Kay and won both the Carnegie and Greenaway awards in 2012 (the first o do so in the medals history).

An emotional and heart wrenching story, easily read in one sitting when the monster comes calling he helps Connor to admit the truth and share his story, his fears and hopes. A coming of age story for this generation which will resonate for years to come.

 A zombie story with a twist.... R is a zombie but when he meets Julie, things start to change. As they get to know each other and share their stories, R is changing, memories are returning, life could be getting back to normal but the boneys don't think that way. 

It's so nice to read a zombie story with an original perspective and I thoroughly enjoyed Warm Bodies.. can't wait for another instalment.








An exploration of two teenage girls from very different backgrounds looking for love and acceptance in a world turned upside down.

When Jill's father died she lost all meaning to her life, closing herself off from family, friends, and her boyfriend Dylan she tries to find her new place in the world. Her mum is trying to do the same and invites Mandy into their loves.

Mandy is 33 weeks pregnant, fleeing from her mother who doesn't love her and a stepfather who abuses her, the only love she's ever known is an afternoon with a boy called Christopher.. who may or may not be the father of her baby. 

A story full of powerful emotion and self discovery, I couldn't put it down!