YVO’S SHORTIES #89 – Here We Are Now & The Travelling Cat Chronicles

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around a story that failed to convince me completely and another that completely won over my heart. Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga wasn’t as good as I hoped, especially after loving her debut… The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa was a fantastic read though.

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Title: Here We Are Now
Author: Jasmine Warga
Genre: YA, Fiction, Contemporary
First published: November 7th 2017
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Finished reading: March 7th 2019
Pages: 304

“It’s funny how some places just feel familiar in your bones, even if you’ve never been there before.”

I have been looking forward to read more of Jasmine Warga‘s work ever since I loved her debut back in 2015… It took me longer than expected to get to Here We Are Now, but I guess better late than never right? It might have been that I had set my expectations too high, but unfortunately I can’t say I was all that impressed by this story as a whole. It’s not a bad read and fans of character driven YA contemporaries will probably have a great time with this one. It’s not the writing either, which felt natural and I just loved the many musical references. But there was just something about the plot and characters that didn’t manage to convince me. The plot is rather simple and nothing much is going on; it shows that this story is mostly focused on the main characters. This means we see a lot of the sixteen-year-old Taliah as well as her parents Julian and Lena and their past. On its own nothing negative, but there was just something about the characters that started to irritate me. Taliah came over as rather childish and whines a lot… Julian can be a bit intense and Lena is rather annoying even though she also has an interesting aspect with her being an immigrant in the US and her having to adapt to a new country (something I can relate to). I didn’t agree with some of the actions and reactions of the characters and I’m not sure parts felt all that natural. Like I said before, the musical elements were a nice touch though and I liked how the story was partly set in the past as Julian tells Taliah how he first met her mother and what happened. Sadly I failed to connect with this story, but I’m sure the right person will absolutely adore Here We Are Now.

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Title: The Travelling Cat Chronicles
Author: Hiro Arikawa
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary
First published: November 1st 2012
Publisher: Viking
Finished reading: March 11th 2019
Pages: 288
(Originally written in Japanese: ‘旅猫リポート’)

“We cats get all limp and squishy when we have catnip; for humans, wine seems to do the trick.”

As some of you might already know, I am what you call a true catlover or crazy catlady. I have loved these feline creatures ever since I was tiny, and even a bout of childhood allergy couldn’t cure me of that love… Thankfully I grew over my allergy, and I have been lucky enough to share my life with a bunch of different feline friends during the last eighteen years or so. The Travelling Cat Chronicles is the perfect book for anyone who enjoys being around cats. It’s so easy to relate to this wonderful story! The first thing that stands out and makes this book special for me is the fact that the story is narrated by a cat. Yes, you read that right, the main character of this story is a very special cat named Nana who tells all about his adventures together with his companion and owner Satoru. Very original and it definitely made the story that much more powerful. We get to know both Nana and Saturo better through their adventures as they visit various childhood friends of Saturo. It’s not only a journey within Japan, but also a journey to the past as we learn more about the different characters both then and now. I loved how not only Nana, but other animals get to play a role in the story as well. The descriptions are wonderful as is the writing style in general… The characters will win over your heart in record time and will stay with you for a long time. Warning: make sure you have your tissues ready! Because the end will most definitely make you cry (I know I did, and I almost never cry). The Travelling Cat Chronicles is a fantastic read I could see myself reading over and over again.

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YVO’S SHORTIES #87 – Be Frank With Me & A Thousand Perfect Notes

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time a story that unfortunately disappointed me and another that completely blew me away. The only thing that saved me from DNFing Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson was the main character… While I enjoyed every single perfect second of A Thousand Perfect Notes by our fellow book blogger C.G. Drews.

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Title: Be Frank With Me
Author: Julia Claiborne Johnson
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Humor
First published: February 2nd 2016
Publisher: William Morrow
Finished reading: February 25th 2019
Pages: 309

“Sometimes just explaining your predicament–to a bartender, a priest, the old woman in a shift and flip-flops cleaning the lint traps in the Laundromat dryers–is all it takes to see a way out of it.”

I have been meaning to pick up Be Frank With Me for quite some time now, mostly because I love my quirky characters and Frank sounded like someone I just HAD to meet. My TBR jar thought it was about time I finally read it, and although my experience wasn’t all that positive there is one thing for sure: I’m glad I finally did get to know him. The premise behind this story on its own is quite interesting, with the reclusive writer being forced to write a few book after falling for a ponzi scheme. But M.M. Banning, also Mimi, doesn’t steal the show nor is the main character here. Not even the narrator of this story, Alice, seems to be in the true spotlight. Oh no, that place is reserved for the young Frank. He is the sole reason I made it to the final page, because there were things I unfortunately struggled with considerably… There was just something about the writing style in Be Frank With Me that made it hard for me to stay focused and the slow pace didn’t help either. The plot is pretty basic and I really felt the story dragged in parts. I wasn’t at all interested in what was happening in the Bel Air house in general or if Mimi would ever finish her book… Not a good feeling to start with. The many Hollywood references and Frank being Frank were what made me keep reading though. His character is both quirky and unique and is definitely what makes me give this story the benefit of the doubt.

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Title: A Thousand Perfect Notes
Author: C.G. Drews
Genre: YA, Fiction, Contemporary
First published: June 7th 2018
Publisher: Orchard Books
Finished reading: March 3rd 2019
Pages: 288

“Music is nothing unless it fills your soul with colour and passion and dreams.”

It’s always fantastic to see a fellow book blogger being published and I’m sure a lot of you now C.G. Drews for either her Paperfury book blog or gorgeous Instagram account (or both!). Her debut A Thousand Perfect Notes was published last year and I’m still kicking myself I didn’t pick it up sooner… Because the reviews are right: this is an absolutely fantastic and heartbreaking read! Well worth the 5 stars and without doubt one of my 2019 favorites. There is just something about the writing style that will draw you right in and I wasn’t able to let go until I reached the final page. I loved how big of a role music played throughout the story, the many musical references both relevant to the plot and enchanting at the same time. The power of A Thousand Perfect Notes is in its characters though. Both Beck, August and Joey are so easy to love; you will adopt them straight away and your heart will ache for them as the plot evolves. I love how the personality of Beck and August are completely contrary and balance each other that way. The Maestro is a horrible character and source of a few trigger warning worthy elements including abuse and violence. She is the perfect villian for this story though and I loved her background and the fact German words are incorporated in the text. A Thousand Perfect Notes will make you laugh and cry and the characters will stay with you for a long time. It’s a fantastic contemporary read which balances happy moments and a romantic interest with a thousand musical notes and a dark twist. If you like the genre and haven’t read this debut yet, you should definitely remedy that. I personally can’t wait until her new story comes out in April!

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YVO’S SHORTIES #86 – Moon Over Soho & The Woman In The Window

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time a sequel I have been meaning to read ever since enjoying the first book last year and a 2018 hyped release I’ve been putting off but was also really curious about. Moon Over Soho turned out to be an excellent read, while The Woman In The Window failed to convince me completely.

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Title: Moon Over Soho
(Peter Grant #2)
Author: Ben Aaronovitch
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
First published: April 21st 2011
Publisher: Gollancz
Finished reading: February 22nd 2019
Pages: 375

“For a terrifying moment I thought he was going to hug me, but fortunately we both remembered we were English just in time. Still, it was a close call.”

I’ve been meaning to continue the Peter Grant series ever since I read the first book last year… With book number three ordered and currently on its way to my home, I thought it was about time I did. Not only do I love the covers of this series, but I really like the mix of different genres the stories represent. Moon Over Soho can be read as a stand-alone, although you do miss background information about the characters and magic… I suggest reading them in order anyway, since the stories are without doubt entertaining. Book two has a musical twist and includes the London jazz scene as one of the elements of the story. The focus of this story is on Grant and Nightingale again, and we have new supernatural beings to hunt. The writing style makes it easy to read the story and the sarcastic and dry humor was right up my alley. I liked the plot and the way the story follows two different cases at the same time. Part of the plot is solved by the time you reach the final page, but we have a new dangerous character still on the loose we will probably see more of in book three. I’m really enjoying my time with this series so far and I will be looking forward to the next book.

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Title: The Woman In The Window
Author: A.J. Finn
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: January 2nd 2018
Publisher: William Morrow
Finished reading: February 24th 2019
Pages: 449

“My mind is a swamp, deep and brackish, the true and the false mingling and mixing.”

Surprised I hadn’t read this one yet? With all the hype around The Woman In The Window last year and the mixed reviews out there I had decided to stay away… But curiosity took over and with the news of a movie on its way I decided to give in and give it a go. I ended up having mixed feelings about this story. In a way this is quite an entertaining psychological thriller with the typical unreliable narrator you understand right away can’t be trusted to tell you the truth. I appreciate the focus on agoraphobia, as this story might help people understand better what it is like to have to live with it. The writing flows and makes it easy to keep turning those pages, although I do admit the pace was slower than I would have expected and especially in the first half of the book. The Woman In The Window is mostly focused on the main character Anna and nothing much happens until you reach the final part. Another thing that was a huge turn off for me: I was able to guess almost every plot twist from a mile away. Especially the first big one was so easy to see through that I was really disappointed. Anna is not an easy character to like, and while I feel for her having to deal with her agoraphobia and nobody believing her, I was never able to warm up to her or the other characters for that matter. The plot itself was a bit weak and, as I said before, nothing much was happening during most of the story, which made the pace feel a tad slow and the story dragged in parts. It wasn’t all bad and there were certain aspects of this story I liked, but I wasn’t blown away by it either.

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YVO’S SHORTIES #61 – Every Note Played & The Cheerleaders

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around two completely different stories I both ended up enjoying. Every Note Played by Lisa Genova and The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas, both Goodreads Choice Awards nominees.

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Title: Every Note Played
Author: Lisa Genova
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
First published: March 20th 2018
Publisher: Scout Press
Finished reading: November 3rd 2018
Pages: 321

“Life is not a static organism. Every day, he’s a little more shut down, shut in, turned off. A little less in motion. A little less alive. “

This is already my third Lisa Genova story… I’m always in awe how she is able to put a devastating neurological disease in the spotlight, mixing medical facts and symptoms with a fictional story in such way that you end up both being educated and entertained at the same time. This balance between facts and fiction is what makes Every Note Played such an interesting read for me. It’s not just a simple description of ALS and its symptoms. Through the main character Richard we get to see exactly how this disease evolves and what effects it has on both his life and those close to him. This impact is shown really well through both Karina and Bill, and in a lesser role Grace and other characters  as well. As always, I enjoyed the writing style and the way the story was told, although I do have to say I wish there would have been a bit more focus on the character development itself. I understand and appreciate a very present role of ALS in the story, but it did make me feel the main characters as persons were pushed a bit in the background. I would have liked to learn more about Richard and Karina and their background. I guess this would have made it easier to connect to them straight away… I loved the musical element though, and how music played a role throughout a story. In short, despite a few minor details Every Note Played was without doubt another excellent and fascinating read.

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Title: The Cheerleaders
Author: Kara Thomas
Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller
First published: July 31st 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Finished reading: November 5th 2018
Pages: 384

“Everyone goes through shit, and there’s always someone somewhere who has it worse. It doesn’t make what you’re feeling any less real or any less shitty.”

After really enjoying Little Monsters last year, I’ve been looking forward to read more of her work. It took me longer than expected, and it isn’t the book I originally planned to read first, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t excited to be starting The Cheerleaders. There was just something about the blurb that caught my attention, although the blood spatters on the cover alone weirdly made me want to read this story already. A possible high school murder mystery with cheerleaders involved? Talk about an interesting twist! I already knew I was probably going to enjoy the writing style after Little Monsters, and my instincts were absolutely right. There is just something about the writing that draws you right in, makes you forget about your surroundings and just read. I was intrigued from the start, and even though not all characters are likeable and there are a few high school cliches involved, somehow the mystery around the death of the five cheerleaders was enough to forget about those objections and keep on reading. Entertaining and twisty enough to finish it in record time. The Cheerleaders is without doubt one of the strongest YA contemporary/mystery reads I’ve had the chance to read this year, minor flaws and all.

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ARC REVIEW: Dear Mr Pop Star – by Derek & Dave Philpott @DerekPhilpott

Title: Dear Mr Pop Star
Author: Derek & Dave Philpott
Genre: Non Fiction, Humor, Music
First published: September 20th 2018
Publisher: Unbound
Finished reading: October 26th 2018
Pages: 416

“Furthermore, you needn’t worry about the intoxicating effects of scrumpy on us; we’re not like those festival lightweights who have a couple of pints of the crazy apple and end up piddling in their own welly boots. We’ve been drinking it for so many years it no longer has any alcofrolic effect; we actually consider it one of our ‘5-a-Day’.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Even though I confess quite a few of the artists featured in Dear Mr Pop Star are before my time, I do love my music and I have been having a great time discovering and rediscovering songs. Tip: put the corresponding band/song on Youtube in the background while you read each letter and reply. It will make your reading experience even better! (Or even better: listen to this Spotify playlist ready to use!) I had a blast going through the letters in Dear Mr Pop Star. I love that they sent letters to famous musicians in the first place, and the fact that so many actually responded is simply brilliant. And so many are such clever and funny replies at that. My favorite replies include those of Doctor And The Medics, Dr Hook, Tears For Fears, Cutting Crew, Katrina And The Waves, The Wurzels, Smokie, The Climax Blues Band, The Jags, NuShooz, City Boy, Johnny Hates Jazz and Republica. I could go on and on, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise and give them all away. Dear Mr Pop Star would make a perfect gift for any pop and rock music fan. The letters will make you shuckle out loud and bring a smile to your face on numerous occasions, and it’s interesting to see how the pop and rock stars react to those letters in the first place. Thank you for compiling this brilliant collection and giving us the chance to get a glimpse of what is going on in the heads of some of the famous artists out there!

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BOOK REVIEW: Maybe Someday – by Colleen Hoover

Title: Maybe Someday
(Maybe #1)
Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: March 18th 2014
Finished reading: April 22nd 2016
Pages: 385

“Sometimes in life, we need a few bad days in order to keep the good ones in perspective.”

I seem to be having a love/hate relationship with Colleen Hoover books. While I loved November 9 and enjoyed the first two Never Never novellas, I really disliked both the third Never Never part and Ugly Love. It doesn’t happen often that an author is able to cause such contradicting feelings with their work… And to be honest I was a bit afraid to pick up Maybe Someday. Luckily enough I ended up mostly enjoying this book. In fact, up until about 55-60% I would have given it the highest rating, because I really loved the first part. The lyrics that are incorporated in the text make the already entertaining and easy-to-read prose even more enjoyable and I LOVED Sydney and Ridge. The musical elements in general and their roommates Warren and Bridgette were definitely a huge bonus as well and even Ridge’s girlfriend Maggie seemed like a great character. Unfortunately, after the mark mentioned above things took a turn for the worse. I won’t go into details to avoid spoilers, but let’s just say Maggie has a ‘secret’ and when it was revealed and things escalated I wasn’t so sure I liked the story OR the two main characters anymore. And it wasn’t even because of the love triangle, because the first part of Maybe Someday was actually one of those few exceptions where the love triangle didn’t bother me. In short, for me the story started out with a blast and got weaker towards the ending… And I still kind of wish she wouldn’t have added the ‘Maggie plot twist’. Still, the first part is good enough to (mostly) make up for it. Recommended for fans of the genre!

Sydney things she has a perfectly comfortable life as a student with a steady part-time job, living with her best friend and a great boyfriend she has been with for a long time. Even her afternoons studying in listening to the music coming from the balcony opposite hers seem to be perfect. But that all soon comes to an end when she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her with her best friend. She storm out of their appartment and is suddenly homeless… But not for long, as the mysterious man behind the music, Ridge, decides to let her stay in his appartment he shares with two more roommates. Their initial connection is purely related to music, since Sydney seems to be able to put the lyrics to the songs he plays. But the heart can cheat on the mind, and things are starting to become more complicated…

Like I said above, I LOVED the first 55-60% or so of Maybe Someday and literally flew through the pages. The prose, the musical elements, Sydney and Ridge, Warren and his hilarious comments… Everything was just perfect and I even managed to ignore the love triangle. But then… BAM! The plot twist happened that made me change my feelings for the two main characters and I kind of lost my respect for them. In the end it is still an interesting story, but not as good as I thought it would be when I was reading the first part.

BOOK REVIEW: Dead Wood – by Dan Ames

Title: Dead Wood
(John Rockne Mysteries #1)
Author: Dan Ames
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: August 31st 2011
Finished reading: January 5th 2016
Pages: 204

“It was like a beautiful melody to him that ended in a blazing crescendo of blood and violence, capped off by the silent applause of a roaring crowd inside his head.”

I have been neglecting the mystery/thriller/crime genre last year, so I made myself a promise this year to read more books belonging to what is basically one of my favorite genres. During the read-a-thon last week I was in the mood for a crime read, so I decided to pick up one of my kindle crime freebies Dead Wood. It turned out to be a quick and quite entertaining read I was able to finish almost in one sitting. Dan Ames (pseudonym Dani Amore) writes in a way that keeps you interested throughout the story, using plot twists and full blown action to keep the pace fast. The characters are interesting enough, although I didn’t like all of them and some of their actions were not completely credible. In short: Dead Wood might not be a perfect masterpiece, but if you like a good crime story with some interesting music references I would definitely suggest picking this one up.

John Rockne used to be a cop, but he had to turn in his badge after making a fatal mistake. He now works as a private investigator in a small town named Grosse Pointe in Michigan. Nothing big ever happens ever there, but with Detroit around the corner things are never completely safe. When a woman who builds custom guitars is murdered, her father contacts Rockne to investigate the murder. The father believes her daughter’s ex is the killer even though he has an alibi. Rockne is not sure what to think, but he decides to investigate a little anyway. What he doesn’t know is that the case is more complicated than he first thought and he soon finds himself in danger… Will he be able to find the killer before the killer finds him first?

What made Dead Wood truly special were the many musical references throughout the story. A professional killer obsessed with music and The Rolling Stones; not something you read about every day in a crime novel. The rest of the story is good enough, although some of the plot twists and action scenes are a bit too fantastical to my taste. Still, in general I really enjoyed reading this story. If you are looking for a quick and entertaining crime read, Dead Wood would definitely do the job!