The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

Pages: 392

Publisher: Bantam

Released: 15th of February 2024 

If you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go?

In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favourite customer. It's a book - an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door .

What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of travelling to anywhere they want.

But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals - individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses.

Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons - a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .

Because some doors should never be opened.

What I Have to Say 

I loved the concept of this book so much. Books having different powers and the magic to do different things. I liked what was done with it. It didn't disappoint me in that regard at all. It made me think of all the things I could do if I had the Book of Doors. Going anywhere I pleased. Which is what a book like this is meant to do. It makes you think about what you'd do if you had the powers in the book and takes you away into a new world. 

I also liked the way it all fitted together. It was a really good standalone read. Everything was explained and it all fitted neatly together. I wasn't confused or left wondering about any of it. I liked the ending, I felt it tied up all the loose ends nicely and though while I'd like to see another book with this magic and these characters, it didn't feel like it needed one. 

The only problem I had with it is that it needed a sensitivity reader in some parts. The author tried really hard to include diverse characters, but he didn't treat them as well as they should have been treated. He fell into the trap of having the female main character look in the mirror and describe her boobs for one thing, which is something I hate to see. I was also particularly shocked to see him describe a black man as an animal. He meant it because he was evil, but considering the history of how black people and especially black men can be treated, it felt entirely inappropriate.  A sensitivity reader could have picked up on these things and made it a much better book. 

All in all though, I enjoyed it a lot, despite it's flaws. 

3 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Bantam for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

 

Something Wicked and Spell Bound by Gretchen Rue

Something Wicked 

Pages: 304 

Publisher: Aria 

Released: 14th of September 2023 

Recipe for a potion to demolish life as you know it:

Step one: pack up your life and move to your aunt’s old house in a small, sleepy town.

Step two: discover that she was a witch.

Step three: discover that you’re also a witch.

Step four: Add a sprinkle of butterflies for your childhood friend (who’s suddenly incredibly hot), a dash of prying neighbours who want you to leave their town and never come back, and – the key ingredient – a murder on the steps of your aunt’s old tea shop (which, as it happens, is also a magic apothecary).

Voila. Your spell is complete.

Spell Bound 

Pages: 314  

Publisher: Aria 

Released: 1st of February 2024 

Since moving to Raven Creek, Phoebe Winchester has had a lot on her plate.

She’s renovating the Victorian manor she inherited from her Aunt Eudora, running a tea shop (and secret magical apothecary), and learning to be a witch. But when she discovers a dead body at an estate sale, and suspicion falls on her, even Phoebe wonders if this is simply too much.

Forced to take action to clear her name, Phoebe enlists Rich Lofting, handsome private detective and childhood friend, to assist with her investigation, all while sorting out her unresolved feelings for him.

Is there something more sinister lurking in the shadows of this small tight-knit town? And does Phoebe really want to find out?

What I Have to Say 

I enjoyed both of these books a lot. Tea, books and cats are a really good combination and adding in a murder mystery and a sprinkling of witchcraft pretty much made it the story for me. It was really nice just immersing myself in the little town of Raven Creek. It had a very Gilmore Girls vibe to it that I really enjoyed. 

During the first book, I found that there weren't enough mystery elements involved. It seemed like the mystery was something that was happening to Phoebe rather than her going out and investigating. The second book really made up for it though. The only thing I would change is, I would like more witchcraft. Again the second book did more of this, but I still felt it was a big lacking

There were also plenty of books and plenty of cat moments. The cat was not an incidental character in the books, he was central to all of the action, especially in the second book, which I found really great. So often there's a cat on the cover and the cat is just there in the background. But not with Bob! Bob is definitely a main character. 

I hope there are more of these books because I'm not quite ready to leave Raven Creek just yet! 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Aria for providing me with this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (audiobook)

Pages: 150 

Publisher: Manila Press 

Released: 4th of July 2023 

The moving international sensation about new beginnings, human connection, and the joy of reading.

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo, is a booklover's paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books.

Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him five years earlier.

When Takako's boyfriend reveals he's marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle's offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above the shop. Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the Morisaki bookshop.

As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.

What I Have to Say 

This was such a sweet book, but it was almost written in two halves. The first half was pretty much a love story to Japanese Literature. It sang with the joy of reading and made me want to read some of the authors mentioned. 

The second part is more about family. I was a little disappointed as there wasn't so much set in the bookshop and I wanted more warm cosy bookshop vibes, but it was a still a nice little story with touching emotions. 

The audio was good, the voice actress is half Japanese so there's no pronunciation issues with the Japanese words and she was exactly right for the voice of Takako. 

4 stars

My thanks go to Netgalley and Manila Press for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 355

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 

Released: 11th of June 2019 

Tabby Brown is tired of trying to fit in. She doesn't want to go to parties - in fact, she would much rather snuggle up on the sofa with her favourite book.

It's like she hasn't found her people ...

Then Tabby joins a club that promises to celebrate books. What could go wrong? EVERYTHING - especially when making new friends brings out an AWKWARD BUZZING feeling all over her body.

But Olivia, Cassie, Henry and Ed have something that makes Tabby come back. Maybe it's the Austen-themed fancy-dress parties, or Ed's fluffy cat Mrs Simpkins, or could it be Henry himself ...

Can Tabby let her weird out AND live THE BEST BOOKISH LIFE POSSIBLE?

TW: Friendship endings, mental health, panic attacks

What I Have to Say 

THIS IS THE BOOK THAT HAS BEEN MISSING FROM EVERY BOOK LOVERS SHELF! Especially for contemporary fans. Lucy Powrie has written a book lovers dream, filled with references to so many of my favourite books! Every time a title of a book I loved was name dropped, I felt a rush of excitement!! It especially feature a lot of UKYA books, which Powrie has always been a big supporter of, which I found so great because it's always nice to get some good British culture in books that I can relate too! 

As a former resident of Bath, I loved the bits where they were in Bath. It's just always so fun to see familiar places in books. And though there were some very important places missed out (Sally Lunn's Buns? THE JANE AUSTEN CENTRE!!!) it was written so well that I can definitely forgive Powrie for her oversights. I very much loved the scene set in Topping's Bookshop as that is a lovely place to shop for books! 

The issues tackled in the book were so important and well written as well. Obviously, I want to spend this whole post fangirling about books, but it was so good to see Powrie tackle the break down of a friendship and the after effects of that kind of life event and how it can haunt you and follow you as you try to make new friends. 

This book has so many things going for it. I can't sing it's praises enough.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hodder Children's Books for providing me with this free copy for review. 

Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Harper Collins 

Released: 18th of September 2018 

Eleven year-old Tilly has lived above her grandparents' bookshop ever since her mother disappeared shortly after she was born. Like the rest of her family, Tilly loves nothing more than to escape into the pages of her favourite stories.

One day Tilly realises that classic children's characters are appearing in the shop through the magic of `book wandering' - crossing over from the page into real life.

With the help of Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland. Tilly is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago, so she bravely steps into the unknown, unsure of what adventure lies ahead and what dangers she may face.

What I Have to Say 

There are some books that you just want to curl up and live in. Not only is Tilly and the Book Wanderers one of these books, but it also shows you a world where you can do just that! Throughout the book, Tilly explores some of her favourite books, much beloved children's classics such as Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland. Seeing the characters from the books interacting with Tilly and her family was a wonderful part of this book. Alice was perfect and I loved the glimpses of Lizzy Bennett and Sherlock Holmes even if they weren't named. 

The best part of this book was definitely the bookshop though. It was definitely my dream bookshop. Tilly gets to live in this amazing independent bookshop with winding shelves full of books and loads of comfy chairs and sofas. Add in a cafe where you can get delicious often book inspired cake and hot chocolate whenever you want and book characters occasionally popping up for a chat? Tilly is truly living any bookworm's dream. 

The plot was  excellent as well. All the mystery around Tilly's mother and the little details that were scattered throughout the book that led to the thrilling conclusion were fantastic and though it was maybe a little predicatble, it had enough surprises to throw at me and a really satisfying conclusion. 

I can't wait for the next book in the Pages & Co. Series. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with this copy for review. 

Bookish Boyfriends: A Date With Darcy by Tiffany Schmidt

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Amulet Paperbacks 

Released: 1st of May 2018 

Boys are so much better in books. At least according to Merrilee Campbell, fifteen, who thinks real-life chivalry is dead and there’d be nothing more romantic than having a guy woo her like the heroes in classic stories. Then she, her best friend, Eliza, and her younger sister, Rory, transfer to Reginald R. Hero Prep—where all the boys look like they've stepped off the pages of a romance novel. Merri can hardly walk across the quad without running into someone who reminds her of Romeo. 

When the brooding and complicated Monroe Stratford scales Merri’s trellis in an effort to make her his, she thinks she might be Juliet incarnate. But as she works her way through her literature curriculum under the guidance of an enigmatic teacher, Merri’s tale begins to unfold in ways she couldn’t have imagined. Merri soon realizes that only she is in charge of her story. And it is a truth universally acknowledged that first impressions can be deceiving . . . 

What I Have to Say 

This was just the book I was in the mood to read. It was a nice light contemporary filled with boy drama and bookish daydreams. It explored different types of romance and the realities of book romance versus how it works in real life, showing that dramatic gestures that are made in books are often over the top and just plain embarrassing in real life. 

I found the characters all very interesting and very quickly grew to love Merrilee, her friends and her sisters very much. I can't wait to read more in this story. I want to know about some of the stories that were hinted at during the book and I hope that we can learn more about Trent and Lilly in the next book and how they met as well as Rory'story which I definitely want to find out about. 

The only criticism I have is that for a character who is supposed to read all the time and be obsessed with book romance, not only had she not read Pride and Prejudice before (let alone not even knowing the story, especially since Darcy is one of the most talked about love interests, which Merrilee knew nothing about), but she didn't read much at all through the whole book. For a girl who started off not being able to put her book down for long enough to get dress, she then barely read anything that wasn't for school for the rest of the book. 

Still, I'm really looking forward to the next book. I want a whole series of people being steered towards their stories. It's a wonderful idea. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and ABRAMS kids for providing me with this copy for review. 

A Library of Lemons byJo Cotterill

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 256 

Publisher: Piccadilly Press 

Released: 5th of May 2016 

Calypso's mum died a few years ago and her emotionally incompetent Dad can't, or won't, talk about Mum at all. Instead he throws himself into writing his book A History of the Lemon. Meanwhile the house is dusty, there's never any food in the fridge, and Calypso retreats into her own world of books and fiction. When a new girl, Mae, arrives at school, the girls' shared love of reading and writing stories draws them together. Mae's friendship and her lively and chaotic home - where people argue and hug each other - make Calypso feel more normal than she has for a long time. 

But when Calypso finally plucks up the courage to invite Mae over to her own house, the girls discover the truth about her dad and his magnum opus - and Calypso's happiness starts to unravel.

What I Have to Say 

A touching tale about a girl living with neglect and responsibility to look after her father while he struggles with depression, A Library of Lemons was beautifully written to show an accurate and very touching view into the world of a young girl. 

I enjoyed the way that throughout the start of the book Calypso goes about her own business, making friends and enjoying stories before the carpet is pulled out from under both her and her father and the truth is revealed about just how bad things are. It shows how many young people can just see these things as normal and everyday because they don't know any differently. 

I loved Mae and Calypso friendship as well. It started out seeming like a story about a girl making friends for the first time and seeing how much better it can be to have someone in her life to share things with, but as it turns out Mae and her family provide a vital amount of support for her as the plot unfolds.

Overall this was just a beautiful book that tackled some very tough issues in a sensitive and informative way, while also making it an enjoyable story.

My thanks go to Piccadilly Press for providing me with this copy for review.