The Tattered Box by Paul Schumacher

The Tattered Box is a standalone novel about memories and family, and falls into the general fiction category.

John is a typical teenager in that he has heard all of his grandfather Bill’s stories before, and gets irritated when he brings them up time and time again. One day Bill brings out a box of old objects, treasures to him but a bore to John. A little later John goes to play in a baseball game and gets clocked in the head by a ball. When he wakes up he is in 1941 and has assumed the body of a youngster named John who is friends with Bill. As the war approaches, John and Bill share many events and John learns why the objects have become treasures.

So many people are guilty of brushing aside the older generation’s tales with excuses of “it’s not relevant in modern life” or “we’ve heard it all before” without realising that this was actually part of a person’s life and that one day we will do the same. John learned what it was like to have a father, to be faced with an uncertain future and to deal with death, as well as enjoy the simpler things in life. I did find it strange that he was only a little worried about going back in time and just assumed it would be ok to take over this person’s life for an indeterminate amount of time. The writing was a little too “articulate” for the time period too considering John was only 18. His dialogue or emotions attributed to him were often too mature like “She barely acknowledged me, yet her posture did not portray rudeness” or “Yet she bore a noticeably fraught anxiety on her face.”

Overall I enjoyed how John was able to see his grandfather as a person and participate in some of the experiences that made him who he was. We have a lot to learn from others and while we are prone to try and bring in our own experiences, sometimes we must just quieten down and absorb. 

And then I met Margaret by Rob White

And then I met Margaret is a collection of short stories where the author details how ordinary gurus changed his life.

The author takes you on a journey via his short stories of life lessons he has learned. He begins the book by citing the self-help gurus he has met and the valuable information they shared with him. The rest of the stories begin with a myth he once believed about life, and end with what he deems the actual truth about it. The stories range from his early years and follow his career path and family life.

I decided to read this as it was onlinebookclub’s book of the month and was up for discussion and I must say that it caused a heated debate. The first issue was that of a misleading title. Most of us believed it was a romance novel due to the title, font and background colours, and were then confused as Margaret had a tiny part to play in one story which certainly did not seem pivotal. I found that for every “good” lesson the author learned, someone had to be put in a bad light, and the author seemed to focus a lot on material gains. One of the stories had a scenario which has been used as a “life lesson” before and it got me wondering as to whether it had actually happened to the author or whether it was borrowed for emphasis. There were also a number of unnecessary grammatical errors.

Overall I didn’t really enjoy the book and found so many of the “lightbulb” moments just common sense. I also questioned as to why these people who had such an impact on him were named “ordinary gurus”. Firstly the use of ordinary was condescending and secondly because surely anyone who imparts any wisdom could then be called a guru? I don’t mind self-help books, but this was not my cup of tea.

A Home from Home

A Home from Home is a standalone novel, and in a very subtle and comical way, deals with the mistreatment of care centres for the elderly, and their guests.

Edith grew up in the beautiful house of Stoneycrest, so has vivid memories of her time there. Unfortunately with age her memories seem to be fading and some meld with others. One thing she is sure of however, is that the owners and managers (Marion and Spiro) of the care centre that Stoneycrest has become, are mistreating the guests and filtering money for their own use. With the help of her friend Len, Edith devises a plan to get the police to come to Stoneycrest so that she can alert them to the problems, but as with most well-thought out (or so you think) plans, things never turn out the way you want them to!

The story is a very sweet look at Edith’s past and present and her perseverance in getting the truth out there. Spiro and his mistress Marion are only interested in the money they can claim from the guests, and while there is no overt mistreatment, there is no genuine care either.  Tass (Spiro’s money-hungry niece), joins the story and after a life changing event learns the true meaning of living life and caring for others. There are some crazy moments where one of the guests goes missing in the village and the search party sent to retrieve her is like watching a 3 Stooges movie. The story is very well told but there are a number of grammatical errors especially with missing prepositions which ruin the flow of reading.

Otherwise a good fun afternoon read. 

Hell's Bells by Vincent Bivona and Trevor Firetog

Hell’s Bells is a short horror story; apparently loosely based on actual events.

James and Andres are off to meet their favourite author, Richard Gordon, at a book signing. On the way they meet an old hag on the subway; her hair lank and her face covered with pus-filled spots (read here volcanoes). Unfortunately she is Richard Gordon’s biggest fan and is also on the way to see him. The more they try to stay away from her at the book signing, the more she tries to befriend them. Grossed out by her appearance and behaviour they decide to play a prank on her. Big mistake…

This is a well-written, fun (?) story with classic horror inserts. It’s quick to read, yet with a moral that should be heeded. The characters could have been fleshed out a little more, but I guess you can only fit so much into a short story. I liked the snippets of other work by the authors also included in the book. I’ll definitely be looking for these writers in the future.  

Out of the Storm by Jillian Elizabeth

Out of the Storm is the debut novel by Jillian Elizabeth and is a cop/thriller/romance with adult content interspersed (the author does warn about this at the beginning).

Carter has always loved Andrea. Even though they had a period apart where hot-headedness kept them separate, their hearts only belonged to each other. Now back together they are stronger and more in love than ever. Their idyllic life is about to be horribly interrupted when a string of murders points to a nefarious underground circuit which Carter throws his whole being into solving. Andrea is also feeling a little uneasy about something or someone, but can’t quite put her finger on it. Could their pasts be about to collide in a very bad way with their present? If so will their love be strong enough to endure it all?

The story was good for a debut novel. It is confusing in the beginning as so much of their past is alluded to and is only explained in the middle of the book onwards. The writing is easy to read with only a few grammatical errors, but sometimes speech from the same person was broken up into different paragraphs which interrupted the flow of reading. The story is told from different POV which helps with the emotions and understanding of the characters, especially in certain heartbreaking scenes. The story itself is nothing new and is tied up a little too neatly for everyone, but is told with the passion and enthusiasm of a new writer.

I enjoyed it as a quick afternoon read and would be interested to see what happens to the couple. 

The Other Side of Him by Alice Rene

The Other Side of Him is part thriller and part general fiction and is a standalone novel.

Claire comes from a family that doesn’t shirk from working hard to get where you need to go. Her mom wants her to find a “ladies” job and a good husband to settle down with. Claire wants to go to college and become a social worker to help others. Her brother Tim introduces her to a doctor named Greg who seems absolutely idyllic. Perhaps a little too idyllic. As Claire goes forward in her relationship with him and finds things are not as they seemed, can she change its course, or is she bound by the constraints of an era that certainly didn’t afford its women enough protection?

I was ambivalent about this novel as the thriller part is gripping, but all of a sudden it becomes a general life story. With all the twists and turns that recent books have, I found the direction that the book took to be flat! I kept hoping for something exciting to happen and then all of a sudden it was over.

The editing and style of writing is good, but I don’t think the story will still be with me tomorrow. If you feel like an afternoon read where you can just go with the flow of a book then this one’s for you.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

Behind Closed Doors is a standalone thriller that delves into psychological games/traps.

Jack and Grace have the perfect marriage. He is the attentive, handsome and thoughtful husband every wife longs for, while she is the ideal example of a rounded homemaker. It is strange though that Grace never follows up on promises to join friends for lunch, or constantly has a tummy bug, rendering her unable to see her sister every weekend. How does Grace manage to be a master of it all and still keep a gorgeous man so in love with her? Is there such a thing as perfection? Surely there must be more than meets the eye? (I can’t say more than that without revealing spoilers!)

This book was recommended on an fb group and I love psychological thrillers so I thought I’d give it a bash. While it was definitely a thriller, I thought that the psychological aspects of it were less subtle than implied as they were actually laid out for you. You can pretty much tell that there will be a twist just by the blurb and it’s obvious early on what it is. Knowing certainly does not detract from the feelings of revulsion and incredulousness you experience as the mind games continue. Grace does come across as a little soft, but I understand the frustration and reasons behind her decisions. Jack, well, Jack is certainly a piece of work. I did enjoy the way the book went from present to past and you get to see exactly how the story got to its point. What led to the ending felt a bit rushed, but it wrapped up well and you support the decisions taken that led to the finale. Some disturbing scenes will be upsetting, but you can see them coming so skip those parts!

I enjoyed this book, as the way it was written made me feel as though I was experiencing the emotions first-hand. The psychological aspects are quite draining and while the story does draw aspects from other books, I recommend this one for a gripping read.