Author Archives: sarahrwray

A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers – Jackson Ford – 26.01.23

I’m still enjoying the Tegan Frost series. In this novel Tegan has a run in with her brother and sister which results in her losing her powers just in time for her to be caught up in a terrifying hotel hostage drama. A second thread which runs through the book in alternate chapters follows AnnieContinue reading “A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers – Jackson Ford – 26.01.23”

Against the Loveless World – Susan Abulhawa – (AUDIOBOOK) – 25.01.23

I didn’t love this book. It was interesting to read a novel from the perspective of a Palestinian, trying to survive amid all the turmoil in the Middle East. My problem was that I just didn’t warm to the main character, Nahr. Awful things happened to her, and I could totally understand the choices sheContinue reading “Against the Loveless World – Susan Abulhawa – (AUDIOBOOK) – 25.01.23”

If This Book Exists, You’re in the Wrong Universe (John Dies at the End, Book 4)- David Wong – (AUDIOBOOK) – 18.01.23

I’m still really enjoying this series, even if it is infantile in its toilet humour overload. In this instalment the new toy that every child wants, a plastic egg that hatches into one of a few collectable fluffy plushies, turns out to be a tool by evil entities to control children and do really badContinue reading “If This Book Exists, You’re in the Wrong Universe (John Dies at the End, Book 4)- David Wong – (AUDIOBOOK) – 18.01.23”

Nation – Terry Pratchett – 15.01.23

This is a lovely stand alone young adult novel by Terry Pratchett. Set in an alternate Victorian era, a young girl who by a strange quirk of fate turns out to be the daughter of the new king of England (a pandemic wipes out so many people that all the hundred plus closer in theContinue reading “Nation – Terry Pratchett – 15.01.23”

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul: Dirk Gently, Book 2 – Douglas Adams (Audiobook) – 13.01.23

I think I enjoyed the second installment of the Dirk Gently series (once again expertly narrated by Stephen Mangan) even more than the first. The plot reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, or American Gods, with Norse Gods interacting with modern day humans and causing mayhem. Lots of fun.

The Half Life of Valery K – Natasha Pulley – 10.01.23

I have loved the other books I’ve read by Natasha Pulley, all of which have had a magical realism element in an historical fiction setting. When I saw the title of this book, I assumed it would be more of the same so I eagerly bought it. Well, I was wrong in thinking this bookContinue reading “The Half Life of Valery K – Natasha Pulley – 10.01.23”

A Face Like Glass – Frances Hardinge (AUDIOBOOK) – 07.01.23

I always enjoy Frances Hardinge novels. This one is set in a world where everyone lives in an underground city with a well defined class system where the underclasses are exploited by the elite classes. In this world, people do not have the innate ability to form facial expressions and must learn a handful ofContinue reading “A Face Like Glass – Frances Hardinge (AUDIOBOOK) – 07.01.23”

Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro (AUDIOBOOK) – 03.01.23

Like many Ishiguro novels, Klara and the Sun was a beautiful, but surreal and often confusing read. It is narrated by Klara, who is an ‘artificial friend’ or sentient robot person, beginning when she lived in the shop waiting to be bought, and then when she went to live with her new family to befriendContinue reading “Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro (AUDIOBOOK) – 03.01.23”

I Am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas – Adam Roberts – 01.01.23

I have read and loved many more ‘serious’ novels by Adam Roberts (Bête and The Real-Town Murders being among my all time favourite books) and I didn’t realise he had written several humorous parody type books. Since they were pretty cheap on kindle, I bought this and gave it a go. Well, it started offContinue reading “I Am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas – Adam Roberts – 01.01.23”