Jenson Button: Life to the Limit: My Autobiography - Jenson Button

Jenson Button is one of the greatest racing drivers of his generation. His seventeen years in Formula 1 have seen him experience everything the sport has to offer, from nursing underpowered cars around the track to winning World Championships and everything in between.

Here, Jenson tells his full story for the first time in his own honest, intelligent and eloquent style. From growing up as part of a motor-racing-mad family under the guidance of his father, John, to arriving at Williams as a fresh-faced 20 year-old, to being written off by some as a playboy and his fight back to the very pinnacle of his sport. Jenson's World Championship victory for the unsponsored and unfancied Brawn GP team is one of the most extraordinary against-the-odds sports stories of the century.

Jenson's book lifts the lid on the gilded and often hidden world of Formula 1. He reveals his relationships with some of the biggest names in Formula 1- Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso as well some of the most colourful characters like Bernie Ecclestone, Ron Dennis, Frank Williams and serial winner Ross Brawn. Above all, he puts you right inside the cockpit, in the driving seat, travelling at over 200 miles per hour, battling the fear of death, showing you what happens when it goes wrong at high speed and allowing you to experience the euphoria of crossing the line first.

What did I think?

I've followed Formula 1 since 1997 so I'm fortunate to have seen the whole of Jenson Button's F1 career on my TV screen.  As a rookie F1 fan, I took a shining to Williams as Sir Frank is a sanddancer, like myself, and the first F1 t-shirt I ever bought had a fresh-faced young British guy on it (see picture below).  The guy was Jenson Button and I am proud to call myself a fan.

I was so excited to see that JB had written his autobiography and I would have cut my arm off for a signed copy but alas the great man didn't make his way to the chilly North East of England.  Thankfully, Amazon delivered on release day and I had my treasured (unsigned) book in my greedy hands.

What stood out straight away for me was Jenson's amazing sense of humour.  That smile we know so well is woven into each page of this book as we relive the highs and lows of his life so far.  I honestly didn't expect to laugh so much at what is in essence the same joke, namely the many mispronunciations of 'Jenson'.  Hopefully the world champion doesn't have this problem any more!

Key races are replayed through Jenson's eyes, including one of my favourites: Canada 2011.  The writing is so vivid that you can clearly see the race in your mind and I felt my heart racing as the chequered flag approached, even though I knew that JB had won!

The book is also interspersed with photographs of Jenson's life and career, including my favourite, the iconic image of Jenson's first ever Grand Prix win in Hungary 2006:

It's perfectly balanced with the highs and lows.  Wouldn't we all love to forget those awful Honda years?  Only somebody as naturally talented as Jenson Button could bounce back in such style and go on to win a world championship.  Although naturally talented, we know that money talks in F1 and I felt as if JB has had to fight for every race seat.  It saddens me to think that money trumps talent but I am delighted to see that sometimes hard work pays off and dreams can come true.

No review of this book would be complete without talking about Papa Smurf, John Button, who was as much a part of an F1 weekend as the drivers themselves.  His support and love for Jenson is immortalised in print and I finally understood JB's reasons for leaving the sport.

Life to the Limit is an entertaining, candid and emotional account of an outstanding racing career that no F1 fan should miss.   Thank you for sharing your life, memories and special moments with us, Jenson.  On to the next chapter...

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: A Library Miscellany - Claire Cock-Starkey

I'm thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for this fabulous little book: A Library Miscellany by Claire Cock-Starkey.  I've previously read and thoroughly enjoyed The Book Lovers' Miscellany and you can read my review here.

What can be found in the Vatican's Secret Archive? How many books did Charles Darwin's library aboard the Beagle hold? Which library is home to a colony of bats? 

Bursting with potted histories, quirky facts and enlightening lists, this book explores every aspect of the library, celebrating not only these remarkable institutions but also the individuals behind their awe-inspiring collections. 

From the ancient library at Alexandria to the Library of Congress in Washington DC, A Library Miscellany explores institutions both old and new, from the university library to that of the humble village. It opens the door to unusual collections such as herbaria, art libraries, magic libraries and even the library of smells, and charts the difficulties of cataloguing books deemed to be subversive, heretical, libellous or obscene. 

Packed with unusual facts and statistics, this is the perfect volume for library enthusiasts, bibliophiles and readers everywhere.

EXTRACT

I haven't had time to read and review A Library Miscellany but I have something even better for you today: an extract from the book itself.  As someone who is interested in the RMS Titanic, I am delighted to share the extract about the two libraries aboard this iconic ill-fated ocean liner.

You can buy a copy of the book from Amazon UK here and you can find out more about the author on her website www.nonfictioness.com and by following her on Twitter @nonfictioness 

For those of you lucky enough to be in the Oxford area on March 20th 2018, you can hear Claire Cock-Starkey talking about A Library Miscellany (and The Book Lovers' Miscellany) at Oxford Literary Festival on March 20th at 12pm - click here to find out more.

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BLOG TOUR: False Prophet - Richard Davis

As the third book in the Saul Marshall series is imminent (yay!), I am delighted to take part in the False Prophet blog tour.  I am re-posting my review for the tour but make sure that you check out all of the other stops on the tour to read all of the great reviews.

When a rogue cult turns deadly, the authorities call on former conman Agent Saul Marshall. Drawn into a cat and mouse chase with the leader of the cult Ivan Drexler, news arrives that he has taken Marshall’s son hostage. Removed from the line of duty, Marshall must work alone, off-grid.

As the attacks intensify, Saul will stop at nothing to defeat Drexler. But people are questioning Saul’s own part in the carnage. He must work fast to save both his country and his son. 

As wave after wave of attacks break, the clock is ticking...

What did I think?

I took far too long to get around to reading False Prophet but once I started to read it, I really couldn't put it down and it turned out to be a very quick, riveting read.  Saul Marshall is such a multi-faceted character; he's a con-man turned FBI agent so he knows more than most how the criminal mind works, basically because he has a criminal mind himself. 

The prologue will not fail to hook every single reader that turns the first page of False Prophet.  Imagine sitting down to breakfast with your morning newspaper and seeing your obituary in the paper.  That's what happened to Aaron Woolf, who then received a phone call from his missing son rapidly followed by masked men entering his apartment to stage his apparent suicide.  Saul Marshall has something in common with Aaron Woolf; his son, Samuel, has gone missing too.  As Saul races to save his son, he uncovers something bigger than he could ever have imagined.

False Prophet is an absolutely stonking first thriller from Richard Davis and a fast-paced rollercoaster of a read; I think I held my breath several times during the book and almost forgot to breathe at the heart-stopping finale.  It certainly gets you thinking as the story links to the 20th anniversary of the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and the 40th anniversary of the 1973 failed bomb plot codenamed Tribomb.  It's a brilliant idea, and one probably very true to life, to have a false prophet using religion to 'cash in' on the jihadi mentality of willing suicide bombers.  Are these islamic militants really any different to religious cult leaders?

With a character as strong and flawed as Saul Marshall, Richard Davis is definitely on to a winner here.  I was so eager to read more of Saul's story that I immediately went on to read the next book in the series, Never Forget.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon


About the author:

Richard Davis graduated from University College London in 2011 and Cambridge University in 2012.

The Saul Marshall series was born from Davis’s extensive travels around the United States and his long-standing obsession with thriller fiction.

He lives in North London, UK, with his girlfriend.

If you want to know more you can find Richard on Twitter @DickDavisDavis

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BLOG TOUR: Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves - Rachel Malik

When Rene Hargreaves is billeted to Starlight Farm as a Land Girl, far from the city where she grew up, she finds farmer Elsie Boston and her country ways strange at first. Yet over the days and months Rene and Elsie come to understand and depend on each other. Soon they can no longer imagine a life apart.

But a visitor from Rene's past threatens the life they have built together, a life that has always kept others at a careful distance. Soon they are involved in a war of their own that endangers everything and will finally expose them to the nation's press and the full force of the law.

What did I think?

Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves is a beautiful, gentle story with characters who were real people, in fact Miss Hargreaves is the author's maternal grandmother.  I love stories that have a nugget of truth in them, however small the nugget may be.  Rachel Malik came up with the idea for the book when she decided to find out more information about the elusive Miss Hargreaves, and what a beautiful story she has created from so very little information.  Aside from the few facts stated in the Historical Note, we are reminded that Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves is ultimately a work of fiction.

I found it a refreshing change to have a book set during World War II which shows us the war from the perspective of the farmers and the countryside.  There are no bombs and air raid shelters, although they might see a passing aircraft that has veered off course.  With the men away to war, help on the land arrived in the form of land girls.  Rene Hargreaves is allocated to Starlight Farm, owned by Elsie Boston.  The pair get on so well that they naturally become good friends, but Rene is weighed down by secrets that threaten her new life in the countryside.  We all know that secrets don't stay hidden for long in books, and Rene is about to see some devastating consequences when her past and present collide.

Like life in the country, the pacing is quite slow so it did take me a while to get into the book.  I think it really livened up when Ernest came to live with the ladies, although he was like a naughty child leaving his sticky fingerprints everywhere.  It did make me chuckle imagining him eating and drinking Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves out of house and home.

The whole story becomes more poignant when you read the Historical Note at the end as Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves evolve from 'characters' to 'people'.  I didn't know until I read this that it was based on real people and it certainly made me pause for thought at the turn of events in the book.  I think this would make a great book to ponder over with friends at book club; the quality of Rachel Malik's writing is very impressive, she has such an amazing attention to detail that enables her to draw beautiful pictures with her words.  Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves is a  beautiful, moving and impeccable debut.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Force of Nature - Jane Harper

FIVE WENT OUT. FOUR CAME BACK...

Is Alice here? Did she make it? Is she safe? In the chaos, in the night, it was impossible to say which of the four had asked after Alice's welfare. Later, when everything got worse, each would insist it had been them.

Five women reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking along the muddy track. Only four come out the other side.

The hike through the rugged landscape is meant to take the office colleagues out of their air-conditioned comfort zone and teach resilience and team building. At least that is what the corporate retreat website advertises.

Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a particularly keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing bushwalker. Alice Russell is the whistleblower in his latest case - and Alice knew secrets. About the company she worked for and the people she worked with.

Far from the hike encouraging teamwork, the women tell Falk a tale of suspicion, violence and disintegrating trust. And as he delves into the disappearance, it seems some dangers may run far deeper than anyone knew.

What did I think?

I named The Dry as one of my Top Books of 2017, so wild horses couldn't have kept me away from reading Force of Nature.  Although it didn't quite match The Dry, in my opinion, it was still a great read.  I apologise in advance for comparing Force of Nature to The Dry, but I blinking loved that book so will drop it in wherever I can.

Alice Russell joins her work colleagues on a team building corporate retreat.  Now, anyone who has ever been on one of these will know just how much fun they are NOT!  I always say that I spend enough time with them at work, I don't want to socialise with them in my free time (sorry, work 'mates').  So 10 colleagues set out to hike across the bush split into men’s and women’s camps.  Alice, along with her colleagues Jill, Lauren and twins Beth and Bree, make up the women's camp.  Nothing good is ever going to come of pitting 5 women against the elements and it isn't long before they turn on each other, resulting in Alice storming off.  The others assume that she has made her way back to the meeting point but Alice never made it back and a search party is assembled.  The reader knows that Alice's last phone call was to Aaron Falk, with Aaron putting pressure on Alice to 'get the contracts'.  Did somebody silence Alice before she could deliver evidence to the police?

When the colleagues turn on each other, I could have pointed my finger at any one of them, as women are so vicious.  The speed of implosion of the relationships was staggering, and frighteningly true to life.  I could totally imagine this happening and I'm never going on a work outing ever again - I'm sure Jane Harper will write me a note (Yay!).

Back to comparisons with The Dry, the only reason I knocked one star off Force of Nature is that there just wasn't enough Aaron Falk in the book.  He seemed like a secondary character so for anyone who hasn't read The Dry, they might not recognise him as the glue that binds the two.  I would have liked a bit more about Falk so we could have developed his character a bit further.  

Aaron Falk aside, Force of Nature is a mighty fine story that shows just how far women will go to protect themselves and their loved ones.  Don't ever underestimate a woman - they have claws!

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon


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Coal House - W.S. Barton

When property developer Finn Harper impulsively decides to make an investment with his wife whilst away together in North Wales for their anniversary, it seems an opportunity almost too good to be true. But as the disturbing truth of the home's abandonment unravels itself, Finn finds himself alone, and a martyr of the local community. He must confront some personal demons, forcing him to consider what, or even who, is real.

What did I think?

I won an e-book of Coal House in a competition quite some time ago and it took far too long for Coal House to jump to the top of my TBR.  It's a quick read at only 200 pages, but it's definitely a book to be savoured rather than raced through.  The cover gives us an idea of what to expect: a spooky old house with dark clouds hanging over it and the fractured letters of 'HOUSE' depicting the shifting reality that the main character experiences.

Finn and Clara are on a romantic getaway in Wales when they buy a ridiculously low priced house in an auction.  They don't even seem alarmed that there we no other bidders for Coal House, known locally as Tŷ Glo in Dyffryn Du, The Black Valley.  Clara returns to London so Finn prepares for his first night in their new home...alone.  I felt as if the house was expecting him as he settles into a ready made bed, only to be woken during the night by a blood-curdling scream.  This is the point I would have been running for the hills but Finn is determined to find out more about his house and the people who lived, and died, there.

I was unsure of the period Coal House was set in, it's possibly the 1950's, but it's a story that doesn't need to be stamped with a date (only to perhaps explain the very low price of Tŷ Glo).  W.S. Barton's writing is of such a high standard that it reminded me of the dark brooding text of Daphne du Maurier, giving Coal House a classic literary feel with a sense of impending doom creating enough suspense to keep the pages turning.

Spooky and creepy, I'll definitely be reading Coal House again; preferably on a cold winter's night as the bare branches of the trees scratch against my window and with only the light from my kindle piercing the darkness, if I dare...  

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Spaces in Between - Collin Van Reenan

There is Truth and there are Lies; there is Fiction and there is Fact; there is Life and there is Death.

And then there are the Spaces in Between.

Paris, 1968. Nicholas finds himself broke, without papers and on the verge of being deported back to England. Seeking to stay in France, Nicholas takes a three-month contract as an English tutor to the 17-year-old Imperial Highness Natalya. It is the perfect solution; free room and board, his wages saved, and a place to hide from police raids. All that is asked of Nicholas is too obey the lifestyle of the Victorian household and not to leave the house's grounds. It should have solved all his problems...

The Spaces In Between details the experience of Nicholas as he finds himself an unwitting prisoner within an aristocratic household, apparently frozen in time, surrounded by macabre and eccentric personalities who seem determined to drag him to the point of insanity. Much deeper runs a question every reader is left to ponder - if this tale is fact and not fiction, then what motivation could have driven his tormentors?

What did I think?

Before I even talk about what I thought of the book, I have to say that the cover of The Spaces in Between is absolutely magnificent.  At first glance, I just saw a Venetian style mask but on looking more closely I noticed the skeleton underneath and then my eye was drawn to the amazing detail of the mask itself.  The whole story is told in this mask so it's worth lingering a little longer on the cover before diving into the book.

It is clear from the preface that this is an unusual book.  The preface is written from the point of view of Marie-Claire, a doctor of psychology.  Newly qualified, Nicholas is her first patient and he has given Marie-Claire permission to publish his story.  A story that is so unbelievable, I had to keep reminding myself it was true.  It is the truth as Nicholas remembers it in his bewildered state after his escape from the house.

Even before a chapter was named Danse Macabre I had the memorable piece by Saint-Saëns playing in my head and I think it would be the perfect theme song for this book as Nicholas is manipulated and manoeuvred into place like a puppet.  He is powerless to resist the charms of Natalya, the Russian princess he is employed to teach, and her guardian, Madame Lili.  As his stay in the house lengthens, Nicholas starts to see figures in monochrome including Russian soldiers in the library and a family walking in the garden.  Only one member of the family is in colour, the mysterious Tatiana, but only Nicholas can see her.

I loved the format of the book with Marie-Claire talking about her patient, Nicholas.  It gives a level of credence to the story that could very easily be mistaken as fiction without such endorsement.  I was fascinated and intrigued from start to finish and it felt so very psychedelic at times that I think I will need to read the book again to appreciate every little nuance.

It's an astonishing true story, written so very vividly that you can easily picture each scene, both monochrome and technicolour, in your mind.  Scenes of life in colour, scenes of death in monochrome but what colour are The Spaces in Between?  A very enjoyable read with dark gothic undertones and trippy psychedelic moments that make it impossible to separate fact from fiction, leaving the reader limited only by their imagination.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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