The Verdict

So I have the results back from my scans and it turns out I have torn some ligaments in my knee, but because it is a lot better than it was I just have to keep doing what I have been which is resting it when I can and being gentle with it. I am grateful, it could have been much worse but I am frustrated because now that the weather is getting nicer I had plans for doing fun active outdoorsy stuff which I will have to put on hold.
I will be working six days a week for the next couple of weeks which won't leave me much time for anything else but it is only a few weeks before I am on holidays, so excited!

Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica

Title: Pretty Baby
Author: Mary Kubica
ISBN: 9781743690352
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Publish Date: August 2015

Synopsis:

A chance encounter sparks an unrelenting web of lies in this stunning new psychological thriller from national bestselling author Mary Kubica
She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can't get the girl out of her head…
Heidi Wood has always been a charitable woman: she works for a nonprofit, takes in stray cats. Still, her husband and daughter are horrified when Heidi returns home one day with a young woman named Willow and her four-month-old baby in tow. Disheveled and apparently homeless, this girl could be a criminal—or worse. But despite her family's objections, Heidi invites Willow and the baby to take refuge in their home.
Heidi spends the next few days helping Willow get back on her feet, but as clues into Willow's past begin to surface, Heidi is forced to decide how far she's willing to go to help a stranger. What starts as an act of kindness quickly spirals into a story far more twisted than anyone could have anticipated.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed Mary Kubica's first novel 'The Good Girl' so when I saw 'Pretty Baby' I knew I had to read it and I wasn't disappointed.
Pretty Baby grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go. From it's tightly woven plot with enough twists to keep you guessing to the well developed and complex characters, Pretty Baby is everything I hoped it would be and more. Packed full of emotion and mystery it deals with sensitive issues and how sometimes even the most well intended deeds do not always end up going according to plan.
Written from multiple points of view gave a fascinating insight into the complexity of the characters and their interactions, slowly feeding the suspense and mystery of the compelling story line.
I highly recommend this suspenseful page turner and look forward to reading Kubica's future works.

Lifeand a Marathon Weekend Read

As most of you will know I injured my knee a month ago and because I am stubborn I delayed going to the doctor until last week, thinking it would just get better by itself. Alas that did not happen and I am booked in to have and ultrasound next week to see what is actually wrong. The result of my stubbornness is having very painful knees that hardly bend and I am beginning to wonder if I have inadvertently done more damage.
So basically this has led to my days being filled with a very painful work experience, having to stand almost all day on sore knees and being too drained at night to do much more than sit in front of the TV barely able to stay awake. My weekends have been very similar to my evenings with the exception of being able to start and finish reading a recommendation from my boss, Shantaram by  Gregory David Roberts, which I read over a two day period, much to the awe of my 13 year old. This was a marathon for me at over 900 pages! Although I must confess while I enjoyed the first three quarters of the book I did skim read the last quarter as I found myself losing interest.
I can't see much of a change over the next two weeks, but hopefully the scan on my knee and the subsequent doctors visit will shed some light and relief onto my health and things will then begin to return to some sort of normality. I find the forced resting to be frustrating despite that when I am able to do whatever I like all I want to do is sit around and read and watch TV. The fact that I do not have the choice grates on my nerves.

Looking for Podcasts

In my absence I have decided now is the time to start looking after myself more. You know, the usual way like eating better and exercising more... Of course, as fate would have it mere days after making this decision to be more active I happened to fall down the stairs resulting in an injured knee. My own fault for trying to navigate the stairs whilst half asleep and not turning on the light! Fortunately the damage is not too severe and I can still perform normal tasks, such as going to work (oh the joy!) but I am going to postpone any serious exercise for a few weeks until my knee is functioning a bit better. So what better way to pas the time than searching for things to listen to when said fitness time rolls around. I want something other than music to listen to, this is where you come in, my lovely readers... Can you please recommend some podcasts that you enjoy, bookish or non book related, I am open to any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Back on Track

So my life took a bit of an unexpected turn recently and I was not sure if or when I would be able to update this blog, but things have now settled down and with things back on track it is time to come back to the blog. I have also been toying with the idea of sharing some of my other interests here, which after careful consideration I think I will. I look forward to some normality.

On Hold

Just a note to inform my readers that this blog will be put temporarily (I hope) on hold. Due to a major upheaval in my personal life and living arrangements I will be unable to maintain the blog, although I do plan on returning at some stage.
Thank you to all my readers and followers.

The Death House by Sarah Pinborough

Title: The Death House
Author: Sarah Pinborough
ISBN: 9780575096875
Publisher: Gollancz
Publish Date: April 2015

Synopsis:

Toby's life was perfectly normal... until it was unravelled by something as simple as a blood test.

Taken from his family, Toby now lives in the Death House: an out-of-time existence far from the modern world, where he, and the others who live there, are studied by Matron and her team of nurses. They're looking for any sign of sickness. Any sign of their wards changing. Any sign that it's time to take them to the sanatorium.
No one returns from the sanatorium.
Withdrawn from his house-mates and living in his memories of the past, Toby spends his days fighting his fear. But then a new arrival in the house shatters the fragile peace, and everything changes.
Because everybody dies. It's how you choose to live that counts.

My Thoughts:

Normally I write reviews a few hours after finishing a book, a few days later at the most. This time it was different, I waited almost two weeks to write this review, I had to let my experience, settle in my mind and really think about what I wanted to say. I was left feeling conflicted, I really wanted to love it, yet at the same time I can't say that I didn't enjoy it.
Let me start by saying that The Death House did not meet the expectations of what I thought I was getting. I was totally prepared for something a lot creepier, after all that cover just screams creepy! Despite the lack of creepiness, I was not disappointed, instead what I was faced with was the story of a group of children and teens dealing with love, loss and friendship while battling knowledge of their inevitably short futures.
The story focuses on the relationships between the main characters, Toby and Clara with a few secondaries, namely Will and Louis, being the most memorable. The dynamics between the characters are well written and one can't help but feel for these kids as they struggle to make sense of their emotions and cope with their fears.
At first I was disappointed with the number of unanswered questions but as I took more time to process my feelings I feel it is better leaving them unanswered, creating a sense of mystery and providing a wonderful opportunity for discussion, making The Death House a great choice for book clubs.
The Death House is a story of living life to the fullest, a tale of first loves and friendship, with an dark undercurrent of tension which leads to an emotional yet beautiful ending. This is one book I will not forget in a hurry.

Thank you to Hachette Australia and Net Galley for the ARC.