Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes

Sushi for Beginners
Marian Keyes

Front cover

Date read: 11 - 24 August 2016
Length: 564 pages

Lisa is a magazine editor, hoping to land a job in New York. But when she gets called to Dublin instead, she is devastated. At her new job she meets Ashling, her assistant editor, who is, frankly, her polar opposite. Clodagh is Ashling's best friend. She's married with 2 children, but on the verge of a mental breakdown. Will these ladies retain their sanity?


Ashling is known as Little Miss Fix-It.  In her bag she everything anyone might need; a pen, plasters, an assortment of painkillers. Until her boss convinces her to stop looking out for everyone else, and look out for herself. I quite like Ashling.

Lisa is not someone I would get on with. I think she would be horrible to work for and she doesn't seem to know how to make friends. You do get some glimpses of her compassionate side, but those are rare.

Clodagh seems nice. A good friend and stable family woman. Or not. She turns out to be quite selfish and hurts her best friend by cheating on her husband with Ashling's boyfriend. I'm glad Ashling didn't forgive her and ended their friendship.

Some despicable characters mixed with some lovely ones. Falling out of love, and falling in love. New careers, challenges and hopes. What more could you want from your chick lit?

Marian Keyes

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The Wee Librocubicularist

I Shall Wear Midnight (Discworld #38) by Terry Pratchett

I Shall Wear Midnight
Discworld #38
Terry Pratchett

Front cover

Date read: 2 - 10 August 2016
Length: 340 pages

The Cunning Man is after Tiffany, but that means all magic could stop if he is successful.
The Baron's son is due to get married, but little does he (or his fiancee) know, she is a witch. And witches aren't so popular right now...


I can't belive Tiffany is nearly all grown up! When I read a Tiffany Aching novel, I still expect her to be about 11 years old. I suppose she can't stay young forever. She's growing up well though.

I'm glad the relationship between Tiffany and the new Baron is almost mended. They were such good friends as children, and it's nice to see them rekindle some of that friendship.

And of course it's not a Tiffany Aching story without the Nac Mac Feegle! Those little guys are drunk and disorderly buffoons, but my goodness they're loyal! After ask these years they're still looking out for their ex-Kelda Tiffany.


I'm so sad this series is going to end soon (for me), but I'm very glad to have had the pleasure. Well worth it.

Terry Pratchett

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The Wee Librocubicularist

The Little White Bird by J. M. Barrie

The Little White Bird
J. M. Barrie

Front cover

Date read: 25 July - 1 August 2016
Length: 312 pages

The Little White Bird tells the story of an old man who is infatuated by a young boy named David. The two grow close and spend a lot of time together. So much so David even calls him father. The old man has many stories to tell, including how he was involved with how his parents met,and the beginnings of the tale of Peter Pan.


I liked some of the imagery here. Like the idea of children being small birds waiting to be born to humans. A lot of it is very innocent and quite lovely really.

I thought the old man was a bit creepy. He made up a child of his own in order to get close to David, all despite his hatred of David's mother. Nothing circumspect haopened, and I think he genuinely liked the young boy as a companion. It makes you realise things were much different back in the early 1900s, because something like that nowadays would be seen as extremely suspicious; a red flag.


I'm looking forward to reading Peter Pan. If I've seen an adaptation, I certainly can't remember much about it. I know some of the story, but it will be good to look at it with fresh eyes and mind, as it were.




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The Wee Librocubicularist

Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult

Songs of the Humpback Whale
Jodi Picoult

Front cover

Date read: 14 - 24 July 2016

Length: 427 pages 

When Jane hits her husband Oliver, she freaks out and heads on a cross-state journey towards her brother Joley. Already waiting in the car with everything they need is her daughter Rebecca. 

When they arrive at the Orchard, their lives are turned upside down. They both fall in love (Jane with Sam, Rebecca with Hadley) but for different reasons it cannot last. 

But Oliver is a scientist who is good at tracking. How long will it be before he finds them? 

This story is told from the characters' different view points, which is a style I quite like. I feel you get to know the individual characters better and it's less presuming. 

The story switches between different times, which can be confusing at first but actually works quite well. It's interesting to see what the different characters think at different stages in their lives, and how those opinions change over time. 

I quite liked all the characters, there are none truly despicable. My least favourite is probably Oliver though. He seems a bit self centred and expected everyone to do what he wanted. I didn't really have a favorite character. None of the others particularly stood out.

Quite good for her first novel I'd say. 

Jodi Picoult

Overall rating

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The Wee Librocubicularist

Unseen Academicals (Discworld #37) by Terry Pratchett

Unseen Academicals
Discworld #37
Terry Pratchett

Front cover

Date read: 30 June - 13 July 2016

Length: 541 pages

Football has returned to Ankh-Morpork! After 20 years, the University need to get a team together to compete. Luckily Mr Nutt is on hand to help, who seems to be good at everything. Even if he is an Orc. (Orcs used to rip people's heads off!) Can the Unseen Academicals win?


I like Mr Nutt! He's a bit confusing at first, but once you get to know him he really is quite lovable. We should all have a Mr Nutt in our lives.

Pratchett really has a way with accurate portrayals in his characters. He is consistent and provides a great deal of depth and room for growth! His humour is very subtle; blink and you'll miss it!

I'm never not going to recommend a Discworld novel. Just read them!

Terry Pratchett

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The Wee Librocubicularist

Bred in the Bone (Sharp Investigations #3) by Christopher Brookmyre

Bred in the Bone
Sharp Investigations #3
Christopher Brookmyre

Front cover

Date read: 20 - 29 June 2016
Length: 407 pages

When Stevie Fullerton is murdered in his car, everything points to Glen Fallon being the murderer.  But Jasmine knows he is innocent. 
Meanwhile Catherine is assigned to the case, and although all seems straightforward, she discovers a symbol on the body and realises there's more to it. 
Can they get to the bottom of this? 


I'm writing this as Bred in the Bone rather than Flesh Wounds (as it is published in the UK) because at the time of buying the book, I wasn't aware of the title difference. I trusted Goodreads. It let me down. 


So it turns out the cliffhanger at the end of Where the Bodies are Buried is right! It's a bit annoying having to wait until the end of book 3 to find out, but it's good to know the truth! 

I thought there was a nice ending to this trilogy. You finally learn the truth about the relationship between Jasmine and Glen, which to be honest is the main issue I had. 


A great trilogy, which I would read again. 

Christopher Brookmyre

Overall rating

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The Wee Librocubicularist

From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz

From the Corner of His Eye
Dean Koontz

Front cover

Date read: 30 May - 19 June 2016
Length: 819 pages

At the age of 3, Bartholomew loses his sight due to a tumour. But he doesn't let this stop him from living his life to the fullest. He is very clever and excels at pretty much everything he tries. 
Junior kills his wife by pushing her off a tower. He is determined someone called Bartholomew is going to destroy his plans, and sets out to find him.
Vanadium is a detective, who is convinced Junior is a killer, and wants to see him behind bars.
Celestina brings up her sister's baby Angel. Seraphim was raped and then died during childbirth.
But how are these people linked? What will happen if Junior finds Bartholomew?


There's so much going on in this novel I don't even know where to start! I really like stories that begin unrelated, then as you delve further in they overlap and merge. I like seeing how all the pieces fit together. I think each of the character's stories would have made pretty decent novels alone, but together they're so much more.

And the characters. Barty is unique. The things he can do, never mind the fact he is blind, are astonishing. He has such a joyous outlook on life despite everything he's been through.
Junior is a psychopath. Hell bent on finding anyone called Bartholomew because of an obsession is not healthy.  And don't forget all the murders.
Vanadium is your unlikely hero. He is determined to find justice when everyone else has given up.
And Celestina just does the right thing, even though it could jeopardise her career.

I really enjoyed this book. With the excepting of Junior, the characters are amazing, and restore your faith in humanity a little.




Overall rating

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The Wee Librocubicularist