The Night I Met Father Christmas - A Magical Christmassy Treat!

The Night I Met Father Christmas, by Ben Miller, is a great read for anyone wanting a sprinkling of Christmas magic. Jackson is a boy who knows all about Christmas ... the elves, the flying reindeer, the workshop in the North Pole ... but there's one thing that puzzles him ... how did Father Christmas BECOME Father Christmas? All that is about to change when, on one Christmas Eve, Jackson gets to meet Father Christmas who has, of course, come down his chimney and twisted his ankle. Jackson is keen to help and, in the process, quiz Santa about his origin story. And so we enter a fairy tale retelling of "A Christmas Carol" featuring Torvil, a mean-spirited elf, who is visited by three Christmassy spirits (yes, a snuffly reindeer is one of them!) who show him his past, present and future ... inspiring Torvill to change his ways and embody the spirit of Christmas. This is such a fun story, with plenty of heart and humour and great characters who, although magical, are totally believable. If you haven't read A Christmas Carol, it doesn't matter, this story completely stands on its own merits. It's aimed at a younger audience, but is still immensely readable for children of ANY AGE! Highly recommended to give you a lift during the long, dark nights of winter, especially if you get the chance to listen to the audio edition (which I did) narrated by Ben Miller himself. It's an absolute treat of a book, and one which I didn't want to end, which is always a good sign! It might well become a new Christmas tradition for me to read this every year! Ho ho ho!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 304 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Confession - The Trouble With Relationships ...

The Confession, by Jessie Burton starts in 1980 when Elise Morceau meets Constance Holden on Hampstead Heath. She falls under the spell of Connie, who is a successful writer and, when Connie's novel is picked up and destined to be turned into a Hollywood film, Elise accompanies her to LA for the duration. Initially dazzled by the surreal life in Hollywood, Elise is soon spending more and more time on her own and soon tires of playing second fiddle to everything and everyone, becoming increasingly unhappy and resentful. When she spots Connie canoodling with the leading lady from her film, Elise makes a rash decision that changes everything. In parallel to this story is one set 30 years later, where Rose, Elise's daughter, is also adrift in an unhappy relationship and unfulfilling job. She is pretty rudderless and has always wondered about her mother, who she'd never known. When her father mentions that maybe Constance Holden might know what happened to her mother, Rose sets out to find the author and, through a case of mistaken identity, actually goes to work for her as an assistant, using a pseudonym. The two get on very well and Rose really likes her life with Constance, and ends up living with her. But when Constance finds out who she really is, Rose thinks she might have blown her chance of unravelling the mystery of why her mother abandoned her. This was an interesting read, and I really enjoyed the relationship between Rose and the older Connie. However, I found it hard to warm to the Elise and Connie relationship which felt quite toxic. I also found it difficult to relate to either of them and wanted to give them both a "good shake" to get them to actually talk to each other ... but how often do we regret not doing so in our own lives? After all, we all make mistakes. I was also disappointed that everything wasn't wrapped up in a bow by the end of the novel, and I felt like we were left hanging. I suppose that's also true to life - we don't always find the answer to the question we are asking. An interesting study of relationships - both real and hoped for - that is well written and that will keep you turning the page.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 480 print pages.

Price I paid: £1.00.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Spy Who Loved Me - Interesting Change of Pace

The Spy Who Loved Me, by Ian Fleming is a very different kind of Bond book. The narrator is Vivienne Michel, a French Canadian woman who was raised in the UK and embarked upon two love affairs (one when she was very young and the other at her workplace) which both ended badly. To get away from things, she goes travelling and heads to the USA, where she embarks on a road trip on her Vespa. As her budget is very tight, she is persuaded to boost her funds by caretaking at the Dreamy Pines Motor Court motel for the night. Left all alone, two hoodlums appear and proceed to rough her up and threaten her with even nastier things - why, she doesn't know. But then, who should appear knocking on the door ... Mr James Bond, who has had a flat tyre and is seeking refuge for the night. He immediately picks up that something is afoot and goes into "protection" mode. Things come to a head in the middle of the night when the hoodlums attack Viv and set the motel on fire. Bond rescues her and, when she is safe, goes to sort the two thugs out. But Bond seems to be a little off his game and nearly comes a cropper, and it's only when Viv steps in that the tables are turned. We think all is okay and, of course, at that point, Viv and Bond end up in the shower together where ... well, you can imagine the rest. But just when you think all is sunshine and roses, there's a sting in the tail ... I think I enjoyed this book more than the previous Bond tomes as it isn't really a spy novel at all - the driver for the criminals is insurance fraud! Bond doesn't make an appearance until over halfway through the book and he really isn't on his A game. Viv is an interesting character and plucky too, but, of course, she does fall for Bond, which kind of annoyed me ... surely he's not THAT irresistible!!!! Anyhow, it's full of Fleming's usual detail - clothes, food, scenery ... which is always enjoyable. This is still very much a book of its time where the author's attitude to women is pretty clear and is one that would make most modern audiences wince. It kind of feels like a writing exercise where the author has tried to put himself in the shoes of a female character - and as such, it's not entirely successful, but there are some good moments. An interesting change of pace to the other Bond books and, one last thing, if you are expecting this to be "just like the movie" then look away now - it bears very little resemblance to it at all. The version I read was narrated by Rosamund Pike, who did an admirable job.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 128 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, print.

The Dictionary of Lost Words - Melancholic But Hopeful Too

The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams is the tale of Esme, a child growing up without a mother but whose closeness to her father is very touching. She spends her childhood at her father's feet while he works on gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Over time, she rescues "lost words" that are dropped or not being included and keeps them safe in a box. In her teens, and with the aid of a great array of extraordinary females including Lizzie, a servant who is a substitute mother, Ditte her aunt and Tilde, an actress, she realises that the majority of these words are "female" words and are often deemed vulgar. It becomes apparent that this huge and esteemed project of capturing the English language is being edited and skewed by the compilers - middle class, highly educated white men. So Esme seeks out the words that are in common use in the market or pubs and she adds them to her collection. Over the course of time, she has a child out of wedlock, who is adopted, which she never really gets over. However, love does come calling later on in life in the form of Gareth who works at the printers. He takes the words she has collected and creates The Dictionary of Lost Words, especially for her before he heads off to fight in the First World War. This is a book full of melancholy and loss - for words, for innocence and for lives cut down too soon. However, it is also full of hope and determination and the guiding principle that many things deserve to be remembered and celebrated. It is also a tribute to the brave, formidable and indeed the quiet women who were fighting for the right to vote in Great Britain at that time in their own way. A really enjoyable read on many levels and definitely one that I would recommend.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 412 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio, ebook.