Tag: Jenny O’Brien

Monthly Wrap-Up – October 2023

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Good evening readers and welcome to this monthly wrap-up post for October! I had a pretty good month with reading progress, and I have plenty to share with you in today’s post.

In October, I had a few reading commitments towards the end of the month. That gave me plenty of time to read those books first and then make it to my chosen mood reads later on.

Shall we dive into my recap for October in earnest?

 

Books Read

 

Priest of Bones

My first read I feature in today’s monthly wrap-up post is actually a carryover from September. I started Priest of Bones at the very end of September, and ended up reading all but the first three chapters in October!

I had high hopes for Priest of Bones. I feel like it is one of those books that got a lot of hype. Do I feel it lived up to expectation though? Not particularly. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed the book. It was a decent read and I ultimately rated it three stars. I may continue on with the series, but I’m undecided as of right now.

 

The Puppet Maker

After reading Priest of Bones, I started making headway into my ‘fixed reads’ on October’s TBR. The Puppet Maker is the first of the blog tours I was taking part in during October, with my review due on the 20th.

The Puppet Maker was an opportunity to read a genre I haven’t picked up in a while. I have read mysteries, but not so much with a police procedural element. I enjoyed this change of scenery, so to speak. The book is also uniquely enjoyable for its representation of life as a new wheelchair user. Alana is the protagonist to this story, and she has to navigate multiple complex cases whilst personally coming to terms with her own personal tragedies.

If you want to check out my full review of the book you can find that here.

 

Warrior Prince

My next read, also for a blog tour, had me reading something new again. I’ve enjoyed multiple historical fiction novels featuring Vikings, but not outside modern-day England.

In Warrior Prince, we adventure along with exiled Harald Sigurdsson and his men throughout modern Eastern Europe. This new setting and political landscape made for a complete change to what I’m used to, and I loved that. There is a lot of conflict (not to be unexpected really) and complex character arcs/relations that drive the plot well.

Again, if you like the sound of this book and want to read my full thoughts, I’ll pop a link to my review here.

 

Cinderella’s Crimes

The last of my obligations for the month was to provide a review for Cinderella’s Crimes by the 31st October. Cinderella’s Crimes is a fairytale retelling with a lot darker nature than the traditional and well known version of the story.

Instead of sitting at home and hoping to attend the ball, Cinna takes matters into her own hands. In competition with her best friend Johann, she conducts a heist and aims to come out the better off of the two. She’s ruthless and cunning in pursuit of her revenge.

Cinderella’s Crimes is a fast paced tale and I liked how the events unfolded. As I’ve reviewed the book, you can check out my thoughts using this link.

 

TBR Jar – The Flood

My final ‘fixed read’ of October was my TBR Jar pick for the month. I have picked up The Flood by listening to the audiobook version. The narrator’s style is really lending itself to the book and genre. The story is compelling and the characters are clearly hiding things from us at the moment. I’m enjoying the dual timeline and I’m curious to see how this will come together at the end.

I’m carrying The Flood over into November to complete it. As of this monthly wrap-up post, I am coming up halfway through the book.

 

Surrounded by Idiots

Whilst reading the physical/ebook fixed reading list above, I also listened to Surrounded by Idiots.

I wanted to pick up the book as the content closely correlated to a work course I took recently. The two ended up complementing each other well, and now I feel I have some practical tips to take away. Taking the time to progress with the audiobook has also meant that it’s a subject I’ve gotten used to paying attention to and actively thinking about… which you have to if you want to make the most of the content!

Surrounded by Idiots was really informative and I’m glad I took the initiative to follow up on the content of the course through that audiobook when I did.

 

September’s Instagram poll runner up – Killing for Company

The last book I completed pretty much in full in October is Killing for Company: The Case of Dennis Nilsen by Brian Masters.

I added the book to my reading list three years ago, and it came up as the contender against Priest of Bones in my Instagram poll pick in September. It was always my plan to read the winner in September and the runner up in October; it’s ironic that I ended up reading both in October, but there we go!

Killing for Company is a grisly non-fiction about the life of Dennis Nilsen, who in adult life went on to murder 15 men and attempt taking the lives of several others. It’s not a book for those sensitive to grisly detail. It’s an intimate account of what happened for each of the men, as well as exploring the life and psychology of the man who fully admitted to and provided full accounts to the police about perpetrating the crimes upon capture.

 

The Shining

It was my intention to pick up and read The Shining late on in the month for Halloween (or Hop Tu Naa here). As it happens, I picked up the book to read the first 30 pages or so after visiting family that night.

Naturally, I’m currently continuing with my read of the book and I’ll be in a position to tell you more in my next monthly wrap-up!

 

Summary

Whilst I have carried a couple of reads over to November, I have managed to pick up everything on my October TBR, and a little more besides. I haven’t included that in this post, but you’ll see the fruit of that labour on my blog soon!

I’m looking forward to an equally productive November! Stay tuned for November’s Monthly TBR going live on Saturday.

Thanks for checking out today’s monthly wrap-up and until then, happy reading!

 

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Blog Tour Review: The Puppet Maker – Jenny O’Brien

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Happy Friday friends and welcome to a highly anticipated review. I’ve been looking forward to sharing my thoughts on The Puppet Maker since I finished the book about a week ago.

Before I jump into my thoughts on this fantastic book, I always like to take the chance to thank both Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources and the author Jenny O’Brien, for giving me the chance to read this book and share my thoughts today.

I really enjoyed The Puppet Maker. It’s been a little while since I picked up a book of this genre and it was a great re-introduction!

 

The Puppet Maker – Jenny O’Brien

Genre: Police Procedural

Pages: 298

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Storm Publishing

Publication Date: 17 Oct 2023

Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

 

Goodreads – The Puppet Maker

The scrap of paper looked as if it had been torn from a diary. The words written in faint pencil. The letters rounded, almost childlike: Please look after her. Her life and mine depend on you not trying to find me.

When Detective Alana Mack arrives at Clonabee police station, in a small Irish seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin, she doesn’t expect to find a distressed two-year-old girl sobbing on the floor.

Abandoned in a local supermarket, the child tells them her name is Casey. All Alana and her team have to go on is a crumpled note begging for someone to look after her little girl. This mother doesn’t want to be found.

Still recovering from a terrible accident that has left Alana navigating a new life as a wheelchair user, Alana finds herself suddenly responsible for Casey while trying to track down the missing mother and solve another missing person’s case… a retired newsagent who has seemingly vanished from his home.

Forced to ask her ex-husband and child psychiatrist Colm for help, through Forensic Art Therapy, Alana discovers that whatever darkness lies behind the black windows in Casey’s crayon drawing, the little girl was terrified of the house she lived in.

Then a bag of human remains is found in a bin, and a chilling link is made – the DNA matches Casey’s.

Alana and her team must find the body and make the connection with the missing newsagent fast if she is to prevent another life from being taken. But with someone in her department leaking confidential details of the investigation to the media, can Alana set aside her emotional involvement in this case and find Casey’s mother and the killer before it’s too late?

Heart-pounding and totally addictive, The Puppet Maker is the first in the Detective Alana Mack series that will have fans of Ann Cleeves, Angela Marsons and LJ Ross racing through the pages late into the night.

 

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C9JJ5XYB/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9JJ5XYB/

 

My Thoughts…

 

Plot

The Puppet Maker has a lot of dark and difficult themes. That shouldn’t come as a surprise in a narrative whose synopsis involves body parts. There’s a lot more to it than that, however. Poverty, abuse, illness and disability also have their place this book. It colours what could be a beautiful setting (and I’m sure it is when painted in a more natural light) into a city with an underbelly… and that’s perfect for this type of book. It’s gritty and highlights the less savoury side of life – something we are perhaps too keen to look away and ignore otherwise.

The plot unravels at a perfect pace to keep us readers on our toes and guessing what could possibly come next. Every chapter has a purpose, from setting the scene to sharing pivotal information. Overall, I enjoyed the balance in establishing the setting and characters with the action within. I enjoy both aspects, so taking time  to make the most of both appealed to me as a reader.

 

Characters

I enjoyed the representation in our protagonist Alana. It isn’t very often we find ourselves with a detective with a disability. Alana’s disability is physical and the book does a fantastic job of illustrating difficulties wheelchair users suffer… even down to being able to perform such basic and mundane tasks by themselves. Taking the time to explore such detail within this complex narrative adds to the overall setting and makes for an immersive experience.

That said, Alana isn’t defined by her disability either. She is a complex character with a strength of spirit even before you consider her recent history. Alana has suffered more misery than the loss of her legs. It’s abundantly clear to us readers that this has a profound effect on her, but she’s doesn’t let it drag her down into the darkest depths either.

Alana is just one character amongst a complex cast. Whilst she unravels the mystery of a young girl and a missing parent, there are lots of other characters that add to this interesting narrative. Casey’s mother is also a really exciting character to read the perspective of. Could you imagine leaving your daughter in a supermarket in the hopes that someone will take her in and care for her? A lot of people might consider that unthinkable, but believe me, she has her reasons and those come to light as the book unfolds.

 

Narrative Style

The Puppet Maker is multi perspective, which really worked for me. This writing style is my preference, and with this type of book and narrative it works really well to unveil plot twists and secrets to the reader in a timely fashion and maintain suspense until all the pieces come together.

The chapters are a great length. Each voice has plenty of page-time to explore their own stories within the wider narrative. At the same time, they are concise enough to get the message across and have us compulsively reading the next chapter for a further revelation. This balance, in my opinion, was perfect for the genre and subject of the book!

Each character and perspective has a distinct voice and narrative style, so we know whose perspective we are reading at any given time. With a decent number of characters to pull off, this is well managed throughout.

 

Summary

The Puppet Maker is a compulsive page-turner with an intricate and twisty plot line to keep readers engaged. It’s a wonder I managed to put the book down from time to time and actually function as an adult. Well, I suppose that’s a matter of opinion, eh?

 

Author Bio

Born in Dublin, Jenny O’Brien moved to Wales and then Guernsey, where she tries to

find time to write in between working as a nurse and ferrying around 3 teenagers.

In her spare time she can be found frowning at her wonky cakes and even wonkier breads. You’ll be pleased to note she won’t be entering Bake-Off. She’s also an all-year-round sea swimmer.

Jenny is represented by Nicola Barr of The Bent Agency and published by Storm Publishing and HQ Digital (Harper Collins).

Social Media Links

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ScribblerJB
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/scribblerjb/

Monthly TBR – October 2023

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Happy Friday friends and welcome to my Monthly TBR for October! For us nine-to-fivers, it’s the end of another working week. I’m looking forward to a relatively chill weekend. Yes, I’ll have my usual housework to do, and some gardening to try and squeeze into an upcoming short dry weather spell. Otherwise, you know I’ll be curled up with a book… or playing a new seasonally apt game on my Switch called Graveyard Keeper. No… I’m not morbid at all…

But, you’re not here for that! I’m sure what you’re really interested in is to find out what I will be reading throughout the month of October, so don’t let me keep you anymore – let’s get onto that subject. 

In my monthly wrap-up for September, I discussed my intention to be a little less ambitious with my reading lists. For several months, I’ve not gotten to the end of my monthly TBR’s. There’s nothing wrong with this, but I have been setting myself a reading pace of about 100 pages a day, which is quite a lot. This month’s list has a more conservative 1,900 pages to be read in the ‘traditional’ way, compared to my previous goals of 2,500 odd a month! 

As a means of a compromise, I am going to try and utilise audiobooks a bit more to help me get through the page count. I’ve not listened to them for a little while, and they give me the opportunity to cover content during times when I can’t cosy up on the sofa and read conventionally. October’s Monthly TBR has five books and two audiobooks on it: – 

 

Fixed Reads

 

Priest of Bones

The first book of this monthly TBR is my carryover from September – Priest of Bones by Peter McLean. Having heard great things about the book, I was excited for this to come up as the poll pick on Instagram.

I am enjoying the narrative so far, although as of right now, it’s not quite living up to the hype for me. It’s decent, don’t get me wrong. Would I say I loved it though? Not yet at the least. I can see some elements coming into play, that might make the narrative more interesting… but we’ll see how this goes!

 

The Puppet Maker

The next book on my fixed reading list for October is one that I am reading to provide a review for later this month. Cue thriller season, as it’s one of several books in the genre I’ll be picking up throughout the course of the month. I’m also excited for this police procedural thriller because it representation in the form of a disabled protagonist. It’s not an narrative you see very often, and certainly not in a professional setting.

I’m excited by the mystery that the synopsis of this book presents, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you on the 20th of October.

 

Warrior Prince

Another book I am reviewing as part of a blog tour is Warrior Prince by J.C. Duncan.

This is one for my historical fiction fans! As a regular reader of the genre, I’m looking forward to a slightly different take on the setting of the Vikings. Instead, we are based in what is now European land rather than on English soil.

Many of the books I have read in the genre are from the perspective of Saxons. I’m looking forward to exploring this time period from a new perspective. It promises all the conflict and action that I know and love, but from a fresh viewpoint!

Stick around for my review of this book on the 26th of October.

 

Cinderella’s Crimes

A little, while ago, I decided to check out some upcoming releases on BookSirens and found Cinderella’s Crimes. My review for this book is due by the very end of the month. I don’t download from this site very much, often because I commit to blog tours instead.

I’m looking forward to making time for this book though. The main event of the book is a heist. Having enjoyed other fantasy books with a heist as the main objective of the story, I’m excited to see if the book pulls it off so well. As well, there are hints at the book including thriller elements. What better time than to read the book in the most sinister month of the year?

 

TBR Jar – The Flood

I’m looking forward to the book I picked out of my TBR jar this month as the author is a fellow Manxie!

This month’s pick is The Flood – a story of a woman who returns to her hometown to find the place flooded, and her sister’s body. The synopsis has me intrigued enough, though I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to potentially feature and support a local author. The book is also conveniently a mystery/thriller as well, making it a perfect selection for this month!

In order to help me get through this reading list, I have decided to pick up a copy of The Flood via Audible. Having sampled the narration, I like the style and I’m interested to ‘dive’ in…

Alright, I’ll see myself out…

 

Mood Reads

 

Killing for Company

Killing For Company was my runner-up in the Instagram poll I ran at the end of August. It may have come 2nd to Priest of Bones, but it brought the book into the forefront of my mind and I’ve decided to pick it up and include it in this monthly TBR.

Killing For Company is also an ideal read as I am aware that I’m behind schedule to read 15 non-fiction books by the end of the year. So far, I have completed eight books this year from the genre. Killing for Company is the first of two non-fiction books on October’s monthly TBR.

I remember awhile ago I watched a documentary about Dennis Nilsen and I was intrigued. What is it about morbid fascination with serial killers? Regardless, I am one of those people who find them interesting. With this in mind, I’m looking forward to picking up Killing For Company.

 

The Shining

it wouldn’t be October without a King novel making it to the list. I’ve been threatening to read The Shining during spooky season for a number of years now, and as of yet, I have not done it. This is the month that changes!

I’m looking forward to picking up this iconic horror novel. I intend to try and read this closer to the end of the month (hopefully for obvious reasons)…

 

Surrounded by Idiots

The second non-fiction book and second audiobook I will be listening to in October is one I’ve ironically already started – the irony being that it is the last on my list, but one of the first I’ve picked up! I recently attended a training course at work that covered different communication styles. Surrounded by Idiots is largely based around the same communication model that course was based on. I want to learn more, and so I’m picking up Surrounded by Idiots to explore how these different styles can affect people behaviour.

I’ve already listened to about 10% of the book just today, a little around lunch at work and about 40 minutes worth whilst cooking tea this evening. These are exactly the types of times I’m looking to utilise in order to make more reading progress. Depending on what I’m doing, I may or may not have capacity to multitask. However, where I can, I’m going to try and make it habit to listen to at least a little bit of an audiobook at the same time. If all goes well, this can definitely help me with some of the page count ‘burden’ I’ve experienced in the last few months.

 

Summary

So, have I stuck to my word of having a more conservative reading list in this monthly TBR? Perhaps not. I can only try to see if changing up the format I use in order to read them of my books can help me towards my reading goals. If it doesn’t work out for me, then maybe I’ll just have to admit defeat and not oversubscribe myself in future.

Have you read any of the books I feature in today’s Monthly TBR?

 

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