Monday 26 May 2014

Jenny Downham: You against me

When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her, his world begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the offence, her world begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. This is a brave and unflinching novel about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love.

Another young adult book that is demanding and challenging and links strong emotions.

Sunday 18 May 2014

Emily Barr: The perfect lie

For Lucy Riddick, Venice has always been the dream destination. A dream inspired by the pretty picture pinned to her mother’s kitchen wall. To Lucy, Venice seems the ideal place to lose herself. And now she needs to do just that. The secret she’s been keeping from her boyfriend and her friends has finally caught up with her and Lucy needs to disappear – and fast. There’s no better time to pack her bags and head for Italy. But what if, when she sets foot in Venice, Lucy finds that the one thing she has been running from, the one thing she has been trying to escape, is already there, lying in wait for her? Time to run away again? Or time to end the chase, once and for all?

This was a great read although in places it was a little slow and too predictable. The story around Lucy and her secrecy were perhaps far-fetched, but the characterisations made up for that.

Monday 12 May 2014

Michael White: The Medici Secret

In the crypt of the Medici Chapel in Florence, palaeopathologist, Edie Granger, and her uncle, Carlin Mackenzie, are examining the mummified remains of one of the most powerful families in Renaissance Italy. The embalmers have done their work well in terms of outward appearance. But under the crisp skin, the organs have shrivelled to a fraction of their original size, which means it is difficult to gather a usable DNA sample. Edie and Mackenzie both have serious doubts about the true identity of at least two of the five-hundred-year-old bodies. And no one can explain the presence of an alien object discovered resting against Cosimo de Medici's spine. For Carlin Mackenzie, this is the most fascinating and the most dangerous discovery of his life. For Edie, it is the beginning of an obsessive, life-threatening quest.

Having just come back from a holiday in Tuscany, this was the best possible read. It was great to read about Florence and Venice and still having the great buildings in mind. I only didn't like the side-story about Jeff's daughter. I am looking forward to another Tuscany book some time soon.

Thursday 1 May 2014

Susanne Hanika: Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung

Lisa Wild hätte sich wirklich eine Menge Ärger sparen können, wäre sie nicht so unfassbar neugierig. Hätte sie nicht besser das verzweifelt vor sich hin klingelnde Handy ignoriert? Dann wäre sie nämlich nicht auf den toten Besitzer gestoßen, der wenige Zentimeter von seinem Telefon entfernt auf dem Waldboden liegt. Während Lisa Hals über Kopf den Tatort verlässt, stolpert sie über zwei unbestrumpfte Frauenbeine: die nächste Leiche...

Diese Geschichten rund um Lisa Wild sind nicht ganz so meine Sache, aber der bayrische Dialekt und das Dorfleben in Bayern sind unterhaltsam. Ich werde mir sicher keine Hanika-Bücher kaufen, aber sollte man mir welche borgen, dann lese ich sie schon...