BLOG TOUR: A Lobster Tale - Erica Manwaring

Laura Robinson can’t be doing with people. She understands the theory but seems to have failed the practical. One day she receives the gift of a lobster. The fact that no one else can see it is less astonishing than what it allows her to see – visions of people’s inner motivations and torments. Laura goes from knowing nothing about people, to knowing everything. Using her new superpower Laura finally gets the life her mother always wanted. But is she happy? To distract herself from that question, she sets out to pay her gift forward, with Lobster’s help. It's tough saving the world but it’s simpler than dealing with the things Lobster is showing her about her own life. Must she really face why her father left and what happened to her as a child? She has been living underwater and it’s time to come up for air.

 

What did I think?

Oh I loved this fabulous little book.  It may only be 238 pages long but it's definitely quality over quantity in this case.

The premise of the book is very intriguing: imagine if you could see things about people that would explain their actions.  A little magical lobster shows main character Laura why people behave the way they do but you have to wonder whether this is a gift or a curse.  I loved that Laura tried to help people with her gift, despite dealing with people being so far outside of her comfort zone, and it was quite eye-opening to consider the emotional baggage that a lot of people carry around with them.

I could be Laura; I can't be doing with people either so I totally empathised with her.  The things she does and says had me exclaiming, 'that's me!' on many occasions throughout the book.  I absolutely adored little lobster and I think everyone who reads this book would want one for themselves.

Erica Manwaring's vivid and evocative writing really brings the characters to life and the lobster felt so real that I wouldn't have been surprised to find her doing a little dance on my coffee table when I finally looked up from the book.  I feel like I have been on quite an emotional journey with Laura and her lobster and I'm missing them already, so this book is definitely going on my 'to read again' shelf. 

Delightful, entertaining and incredibly thought-provoking, A Lobster Tale is a fantastic book that helps you to understand people a little more while embracing the fact that we are all different and we don't always have to fit in.  Very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

I learn for a living and write for fun. An extrovert by nature, for some reason I very much enjoy closeting myself in a room with imaginary people and letting them surprise me with what they say and do. Having worked in mental health improvement for many years I write about the struggles that people face and the strength they show in living with and overcoming them. 

I’m a single mum to the best thing I have ever done and a grateful resident of Scotland for over 25 years. I’m surrounded by a community of writers who have helped me achieve my dreams of seeing my work in print. This is my second book.

Website: http://www.dean-park.com/ericamanwaring 

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ejsj 

Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/ericamanwaring 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ericamanwaring 

Follow the tour:

Backstories - Simon Van der Velde

 

These are people you know, but not as you know them. Peel back the mask and see.

CAN YOU FIND THE FAMOUS PERSON HIDDEN IN EVERY STORY?

Dreamers, singers, heroes and killers, they can dazzle with their beauty or their talent or their unmitigated evil, yet inside themselves, they are as frail and desperate as the rest of us. But can you see them? Can you unravel the truth?

This book is dedicated to the victims of violent crime, the struggle against discrimination in all its forms and making the world a better place for our children. That is why 30% of all profits will be shared between Stop Hate UK, The North East Autism Society and Friends of the Earth.

What did I think?

I was immediately intrigued by the premise of Backstories but the magic was really revealed when I read an excerpt from the book.  In this ingenious concept, Simon Van der Velde peels back the outer layers of famous people and enables the reader to get under their skin and inside their minds to the real person beneath.  It's the mark of a talented writer when each short story has their own unique voice shining through; it's almost as if the personality of each particular character has been supernaturally summoned from beyond the grave.  

There are 14 stories in the book and their subjects range from people from history to rock stars and everything in between; Simon Van der Velde's imagination knows no bounds.  I loved the incredible variety of characters which meant that I recognised some quite quickly, some right at the end and others I had to google.  This book is almost interactive as it sends readers off on a treasure hunt to collect clues in the story then on to google to decipher them.  No matter which story I was reading, the incredible moment of recognition either made me gasp out loud or made my eyebrows attempt to disappear into my hairline; it's a truly astonishing book.

Backstories is so unique that it's impossible to categorise; it covers history, mystery, music and crime (among others) but mostly, it's a kind of magic.  It's definitely the most fun I've ever had with a book and I'm completely hooked.  The stories are quite short so you can either read it in one go, like I did, or choose to dip in and out at your leisure (if you can put it down once you do so, of course).  Even though I've now identified all of the people, I definitely want to read it again.

Unique, astonishing and ingenious, Backstories is the most engaging and entertaining book I have ever read.  Encompassing so many genres, it will appeal to all readers and it is so unusual that it would be the perfect gift for that hard to buy for person; I feel like I want to buy it for everyone I know!  A definite 5 star read and a highly recommended book.  It's an absolute must read!

Many thanks to Simon Van der Velde for sending me an ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Pavlov's Dog: And 49 Other Experiments That Revolutionised Psychology - Adam Hart-Davis

Experimental psychology burst onto the intellectual scene in the middle part of the nineteenth century, radically transforming the way we understand human thought and behavior.

Featuring clear explanations and first-rate scholarship, Pavlov’s Dog introduces the reader to iconic experiments, including Pavlov’s salivating dogs, Bandura’s Bobo doll experiments, Milgram’s obedience studies and Zimbardo’s classic Stanford prison experiment. In each case, context, procedure, results and implications are carefully considered, allowing the reader to gain a strong sense of psychology as a living, breathing endeavour.

What did I think?

I just have to say first that I love the graph paper cover; it made me want to get out my pencil and ruler and plot some charts!  I also love the funky images that you can see at the top of the cover, they are replicated throughout the book and reminded me of Monty Python's Flying Circus.  The cover actually says a lot about the style of the book: it's science made fun by Adam Hart-Davis.

I've always had a keen interest in psychology and I think there's nothing more interesting than finding out how the human mind works.  I hadn't heard of Pavlov's Dog before reading the book but that is only one of the many amazing experiments that Adam Hart-Davis describes in bite-sized pieces.  The book is written in chronological order with experiments grouped into six parts so you can see how psychology has evolved throughout the ages.   

I not only found myself intrigued by the experiments, but I saw myself in so many of them.  Anyone who knows me will have heard me mentioning space invaders at one time or another.  No, not the video game but those people who stand TOO CLOSE!  Felipe and Sommer studied invasions into personal space in their 1966 experiment so I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in 'moving along the bench' when my space is invaded.

Another experiment that intrigued me was the peer pressure test conducted by Asch in 1956.  I remember going on a management course not long after I had read a psychology book (for fun, as you do).  The trainer conducted an experiment whereby he stated three facts about himself and asked the group which one was a lie.  The group's answers were split between two of the facts, whereas I was the only person who chose the fact that was actually the lie.  The psychology book I read had told me how to identify a lie but the point is that mine was the only answer that differed to the whole group.  Perhaps some of my colleagues agreed with my choice, but succumbed to peer pressure and went with the majority as Asch's study concluded.

So if you've ever wondered why you can't tickle yourself or wanted to know how you can hear with your eyes, this is the book for you.  It's a fascinating introduction to psychology for those new to the science, but also a fantastic reference guide to the main experiments that have shaped psychology into the science we know today.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon