READING 8 DAYS A WEEK

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Book Review #492 - An English Boy in New York (Boys Don't Knit #2) by T.S. Easton

As part of his prize for winning the All-UK Knitting Championships, seventeen-year-old Ben Fletcher has won himself an all-expenses paid trip to New York... and to the US National KnitFair. Unfortunately his new girlfriend Megan is (somewhat suspiciously) unable to come with him, which means Ben has the dubious pleasure of being accompanied by his family and his third-choice-friend Gex.

The other problem is, Ben's not really sure he wants to be known as teenage knitting genius any more. His idea for a knit-able hoodie could make him millions... or turn him into a laughing stock forever. An existential knitting crisis turns out to be the least of Ben's concerns though, as he quickly finds that his apparent magnetism for trouble has followed him across the pond. Join Ben for another hilarious misadventure, involving some overly-eager Knitting Expo representatives, suspicious men in dark suits, some potential trouble from the Mob, a mix-up of epic proportions with Megan... and still rather a lot of knitting.

My Rating: 4/5

I received this book for review from Five Mile Press and it is the sequel to Boys Don't Knit.

This book was just as funny and witty as the first one. I love the situations Ben gets himself into and the randomness of the people he always seems to meet.

The majority of this book is set in New York. The only issue with this was that he was stuck in press related stuff the whole time so he didn't get to explore the city. This frustrated me a lot.

The characters in this book are the best part. Ben's parents are the most embarrassing parents you could possibly think of and his friend Gex gets himself into the weirdest situations with no thought of the consequences.

I loved the pop culture references throughout the book. Both Harry Potter and The Hunger Games got a reference which I loved.

Overall, I think this book would appeal to just about everyone. It has just the right about of humour and is a great realistic, contemporary read.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Book Review #491 - Goose (Paper Aeroplanes #2) by Dawn O'Porter

It's a year and a half on from Paper Aeroplanes, and Renée is now living with her Aunty Jo. They even have geese, and Renée likes to sit and watch them, wondering if she'll ever find 'the One' - someone who will love her no matter what, and be there for her no matter how bad things get. She and Flo are in their final year at school, and they've got some tough choices to make - like will they go to university? And if so where - and will they go together? Renée's usual ambivalence on the matter shocks Flo, who had assumed they'd continue as they were, the best and closest of friends, forever. She feels as though she needs Renée's support more than ever, so when a handsome young boy enters Flo's life, she finds herself powerfully drawn to his kindness, and his faith. Renée and Flo's friendship will soon be tested in a way neither of them could have expected - and if Paper Aeroplanes was a book about finding friendship, Goose is the novel that explores whether it's possible to keep hold of it.

My Rating: 3/5

I received this book for review from Five Mile Press and it is the sequel to Paper Aeroplanes.

This book is set roughly 18 months after the first one and so although there have been a few changes in their lives they both still remain good friends.

Goose deals with with a lot more darker and complex issues than Paper Aeroplanes did particularly towards the end. These really edged out the characters and matured them.

This book deals with the strain their friendship goes through when they both get boyfriends. This is such a realistic situation and was really relatable.

I don't feel like this book was completely necessary as I was happy with the way Paper Aeroplanes ended but at the same time I am happy it was written because I enjoyed the updates on their lives.

The only part of this book I didn't particularly like was the fact there was a lot of talk about religion. It's not than I am against religion or anything, I just found it boring and it slowed down the middle portion of the book.