Matt McAvoy Book Review

The opening stories in this volume of dark, melancholy shorts are rather brooding, and existentially bleak – the theme running through them is loss, death, separation, whatever you want to call it; however, by the closing tales the whole mood has changed.  I don’t want to spoil too much, but it is rather a pleasant surprise to find that Chris Kauzlarich dramatically diverts from doom and despair to hope and optimism.  I was awaiting that fifth act in which we have been lulled into false s...

I’ll be honest, I imagine this book is going to appeal to a niche market.  Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely enjoyed it, and Victoria is a superb talent, with a wonderful heart and personality.  She is also an exceptional writer, more about which shortly.  In truth, though, I struggled a little with the second half or two-thirds, not necessarily because it was difficult to follow, but rather because in this stage the book is strongly focused on the horoscope angle of Venus.  It is a fascina...

Rick Porrello is the real deal – a somewhat humble and matter-of-fact overachiever, who I have garnered – and you will, too – massive respect for after reading this memoir.  It is predominantly about his years working as a drummer for Sammy Davis Jr., and the charmed life he led while doing so, travelling the world, mixing with celebs and making some money – all before his 21st birthday.  Many will think this is a dream life of its own, but it was never what Rick really felt was his c...

A rather contradictory review of a book which can perhaps more accurately be described as a project.  A discourse.  A movement!  I have awarded 5 stars for David’s phenomenal achievement, and rightly so, but I am still of the opinion that, as a book, it is far from the finished article.  David advised me before I read that it imparts personal, subjective opinions which may be considered by many as political and politically incorrect, and this may have deterred some from reviewing his book. ...

You’ve got to hand it to Javier de Lucia: when he decides to embark upon a book project, he doesn’t do it by half, publishing his character’s entire fictional memoir as two books, dividing one into a further three to give local context to its epic parts and writing an accompanying dissertation to delve into its elements, literary composition, metaphors, meanings and nuances.  I have been fortunate enough to review them all and to have read them in the order they are recommended (though ...

Sharply scripted and hugely entertaining, with a bittersweet and very important message at its core, Only Half a Person is a biting indictment of society’s approach to otherness and racial difference.  But the real star of this book is how Rowland Grover goes about delivering the allegory, in multiple styles; he is excellent.  The book is a collection of essays, memoirs, short stories, fables and parables – with outright as well as more subtle themes, some of which were perhaps never inte...

A.A. Smith is a fine writer, and has crafted a genuinely intriguing and interesting world, where people are judged by their ability to do magic or the reputation of their peoples.  In it, Mora, a naïve and somewhat innocent teenager at the start, learns hard truths about life and grows up the hard way, through a very unexpected adventure and some genuinely heart-rending and poignant discoveries, against the backdrop of tension and conflict.  As you have surely guessed, there is a great deal ...

Whilst clearly a direct sequel to Javier De Lucia’s The Wake of Expectations, this book couldn’t be more different in tone, style and premise.  The author has assured me unambiguously that Calvin McShane is not real, and his adventures pure fiction, but I have to say that I suspect a good deal of cathartic content for the author, and I suspect Cal is based very strongly on Javier or someone he knows.  I’m also well aware I might be getting a little personal now, and don’t know if I’...

A truly lovely book, with a fascinating storyline; a classic style of mystery given a contemporary pop culture twist.  SF Hayes has created some particularly well-layered characters in The Red Concerto, as she explores the depths of human self-worth, innate aspiration and the conflicting challenge of self-actualization.  Although, at its heart, like most such books, it is a romance drama, which whilst may appear something of a spoiler, I don’t think is going to come as any surprise to anyon...

If I’m being completely honest, and I mean no disrespect by this whatsoever, but I often find books about Scripture and biblical interpretation hard to digest and often even incoherent; I simply don’t follow them.  However, Zachary’s book is something of a refreshing change from this.  Rather than simply preaching God’s word as interpreted by the author (although that will come shortly), first and foremost I would consider this rather more of an autobiographical project.  Zachary is p...

Having now read this highly enjoyable trilogy in full, I can gleefully confirm (with something of a smile) that it isn’t really about anything notable, per se – or certainly not a dramatic or progressive narrative in any way… and that’s wonderful!  I admit, I spent the first two books, and the first in particular, thinking: Where’s all this going?  What’s going to happen?  But it’s rather more slice-of-life than that, and I realized quite some time back that enjoyment of this gr...

Soap-like melodrama doesn’t come much more for the purist than this slice-of-life exploration deep into family dynamics and relationships generally; from a three decade love triangle, through running a billion-dollar corporation to fears over hosting Thanksgiving dinner, there is more than an air of Dynasty about this – and much of it is even set in the same city, of Denver, I believe.  I liked it for the most part; Wyvonne Page is articulate eloquent and, I’m sure, utterly elegant.  Sh...

Funnily enough, although not quite as much happens in this second instalment of the Calvin McShane trilogy as in the first outing, I actually preferred and genuinely quite enjoyed it.  This is a pure comical literary fiction saga, which seems to be about little more than young people wanting to do what young people do – but that’s great because, as already established, Javier de Lucia is a cracking writer, and I’m slowly becoming a fan (as he maybe confidently intimated that I would).  ...

This epic, lengthy space opera is an ancient story set in a future with themes more resonant with contemporary society.  The story itself is rather more a sweeping general narrative than anything particularly convoluted, which is usually better, in my opinion, though combined with the word count does make for a long, drawn-out read.  It is not so much a fictional excursion as an immersive experience for the reader, and if you aren’t prepared to invest your time and attention in getting to k...

The author makes clear at the start of Becoming Calvin that it is the first instalment of a larger book split into a trilogy.  It therefore stands alone as a slice-of-life, coming-of-age, literary-fiction offering, which doesn’t delve too much into narrative.  It is rather about young Calvin’s later teenage years, his friendships, ambitions and goals, and predominantly their sexual experiences.  If 1990s teenagers having and talking about sex is your thing, then you’ll probably find the...

As I’ve a tendency not to read blurbs before reviewing a book, I was pleasantly surprised by this narrative retelling of one of the better-known yet perhaps lesser-written parables of the Bible’s Book of Kings (2): that of Naaman, a formidable and haunted Semitic commander who renounced his king and god Rimmon, to worship the one true god Yahweh.  The more famous summary of this tale is that Naaman was miraculously cured of leprosy then went on to lead vast crusading armies against the br...

Absolutely heartbreaking, this candid, warts-and-all journal from Sherry, about living with a husband she clearly still adores after more than half a century, despite his rapidly progressing dementia.  She has poured her whole being into this project for months, if not several years – I know how hard she has worked and how much it has meant to her, because I have helped a little with feedback in the beta stage – so there’s a little disclosure from myself; be assured, though, it has no b...

Hear the words “dating comedy”, and you might think, Meh…  Put a man in the role of primary protagonist and that Meh might become, Okay…  Now also consider the fact that this isn’t a romcom, or what some ill-advised old timers might call “chick-lit”, but rather a simple, relatively decent, old-fashioned comedy of errors – almost like those British Confessions… and It Shouldn’t Happen To… movies of the 1970s, with a more contemporary cultural twist.  It’s pretty good, t...

Slow burning and cerebral, this is another girl-meets-dragon tale, which are going through something of a renaissance since Game of Thrones.  This one is profound and more human than action based – and exceptionally well written and edited, it has to be said.  Don’t expect swashbuckling or sweeping battle scenes, though they are there, if covered relatively superficially.  This is book more about the character development and the story, as young Astria finds herself exiled and denied her ...

There is an air of old-school espionage about this, reminiscent of the international crime and spy thrillers which enthralled and excited, on the page and on the screen; in the sixties and seventies; it certainly has that feel about it.  Where it differs, though, I would say, is twofold.  Firstly, of course, technology has come a long way since those days, making our protagonists’ quest that much more contemporary; secondly, as today’s writing has a tendency to do, it goes way beyond its ...

This is quite an unusual book to read, in that it is first-half background fact and second-half fictionalization of it, furthermore delivered in the format of a screenplay.  Justin Stamm makes no secret of the fact that it is his intention to serialize his television show one episode at a time, presumably as a marketing strategy to generate buzz and capitalize on his hard work.  I don’t know if this plan will work out for him – I hope it does – but from the reader’s point of view it p...

I was really drawn to the premise of this mystery, which is probably best described as “intriguing”.  Opening with an obviously heinous incident which is not revealed until the end of the book, we follow a flawed and obsessive individual as he tries to get to the bottom of the riddle behind his heroine’s demise, whilst trying to stop her diary falling into the wrong hands.  To be honest, whilst it was a genuinely pretty decent, gripping read, I felt it started to tail off more as the st...

Although at times deeply distressing, this wonderful book is actually a joy to read.  Set at the time of Indian independence and partition, it is a vivid yet subtle portrayal of the corrupting power of wealth and class, subtly understated yet ever-present beneath the surface.  When a very poor young man unexpectedly finds himself the recipient of a windfall, he and his family are destined to become something abhorrent, as they immerse themselves into the – at the time – unregulated, unlic...

As far as memoirs go, this is an intriguing one, with a premise engaging enough to entice even a die-hard atheist like myself (which I guess is the exact opposite of Louisa’ s die-hard woo-woo).  I won’t share my opinion on the authenticity or credibility of Louisa’s claim to a degree of transcendence since a bad recreational-drug experience, for the primary reasons that a) it’s just rude to do so, and b) I have no right to, as a book reviewer.  Whatever her experience is, she believe...

There’s a particularly old-school feel about this business self-help book.  With its roots very firmly in winning in a capitalist society, and not being the one left out of pocket, it harks back to the 80s and 90s, when the accumulation of personal wealth at the expense of your negotiating opponent was seen as a virtue.  Times have changed a little, I think, and with them a shift in attitude, so in that respect this book will probably appeal now to more of a niche reader.  There is absolute...

As cosy as it gets, there is something particularly warm and nostalgic about the dual-timeline narrative of this simple yet poignant tale set in a fictional northern English village.  For such a short offering, it feels surprisingly profound and layered, particularly when the tales interlink.  This is a book which simultaneously both immerses us in its emotional depths while actually not laying the sentiment too thickly; it lets us make our own way there, with our own thoughts and feelings ab...

Pure sci-fi from Sherri, and it’s pretty much a crowd pleaser.  Thankfully, for a futuristic sci-fi offering, this has a standalone storyline which resolves without loose ends or cliffhangers – a passionate pet hate of mine, I must admit, and the reason I am often sceptical to read the genre; but on this occasion the book was satisfying and complete.

The premise is a pretty decent and grand-palette one, about a string-theory expert who accidentally bridges the dividing space between para...

Something of a fable, this short, poignant and moving tale; I know there is some sort of moral or cautionary tale in there somewhere, but I think therein lies a mystery for the reader, for I believe much of this book is open to interpretation.  Whilst not necessarily metaphorical, it is fair to say that the cerebral and discoursing nature of the narrative implies it is intended to get you thinking, not just about death, but about the things which are important while we are alive: the world ar...

If you like creepy tales with a good, old-fashioned, fairytale horror premise, then this one might tick your boxes.  Perhaps for a family audience with slightly older children, Francine’s fun short story includes all the best traditional scary tropes: a mythical villain from an ancient bloodline looking to prey on children, in a remote, rural setting.  There are some great hints at folklore around witchcraft and trolls, as well as nice touches on old Scottish wives’ tales.  A quick read a...