Anastasia's Books

Independent reviews of your favourite books & role play games

Anastasia’s Books

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

This book appealed to Cousin Anastasia, given her recent move from London back to what some might consider the North (although she is yet to discover vampires in Nottingham). Bella Swan leaves Phoenix Arizona to move to the north of the US to a town called Forks where it never stops raining. Not weather that appeals to humans, but it appeals to some (non) life forms....
Bella leaves Phoenix because her mum has a new boyfriend and she goes to live with her dad in damp, green Forks. At their new school she meets Edward Cullen who is clever, witty, good-looking and, er, a vampire. But he's a member of a good vampire family (there are only two in America) which has integrated itself into society (his vampire dad is a doctor, and his siblings are at school with him). Nevertheless, the sight of Bella's blood could cause him to kill her...
But in this first novel, it isn't Edward who is the threat. His family introduce her to some stranger vampires, and one of then turns out to be a deadly "tracker" vampire. The ensuing chase across America is thrilling, in the real sense of the word.
Anastasia

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Anastasia loved this follow up to Twilight. It could have been an anti-climax after the stunning first novel, but it was not. The simple event of cutting her finger whilst at a birthday party hosted by her vampire friends (all that blood!) causes Bella's boyfriend Edward and his vampire family to leave town, and Bella is devastated. She slowly recovers and tentatively makes a new close friend - Jacob. But is anyone in Forks what they seem? Well, erm, no. Jacob's kind (werewolves) have been enemies of Edward's kind (vampires) since the dawn of time. But if Edward is gone forever, that doesn't matter - or does it? Edward returns, Bella is stalked by a revenge hungry vampire (readers of Twilight will remember Victoria) and on top of that she must choose which college to go to after high school (Alaska is a good option, since it doesn't have much sun so Edward can go there too). Anastasia had started reading Eclipse the third novel within minutes of finishing New Moon, because New Moon is so riveting. Anastasia will post her review of Eclipse very soon. Anastasia

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Cousin Anastasia, with her urban sophisticated metropolitan tastes was convinced that by the time Meyer wrote her third novel Eclipse the series would be running out of steam. Surely you cannot create a story around a guy who is 17 forever, and a girl who is edging towards 20 and, moreover, a couple who have never slept together and make its appeal last 3 books? It seems Meyer can. Bella has some tough choices to make, such as whether to become a vampire before or after graduation, and between her best friend Jacob (a werewolf) and Edward (a vampire). The fact that Edward and Jacob can't stand the sight of each other doesn't help. Oh yes, and Bella is still being stalked by crazy Victoria, the vampire who doesn't like her very much (OK, she's sworn to kill Bella). Part of Meyer's success is the way she structures her novels along classical lines - there is always a climax and the one in Eclipse is brilliant. It's a battle between vampire and werewolf. Oh, and yes, Bella and Edward talk some more about sleeping together (which Bella wants a lot) and getting married (which Bella really doesn't want). This is one for the girls - but it's fab. Anastasia

The Cradle Snatcher by Tess Stimson

Readers who, like Cousin Anastasia, enjoyed Stimson's Adultery Club and Infidelity Chain, will love her latest offering. Like her earlier novels it is set in modern day London, with characters facing modern day dilemmas. The Cradle Snatcher also features characters from Stimson's earlier novels who make cameo appearances which provide a sense of continuity and connection with the earlier books. And Stimson follows her usual technique of telling the story from several different viewpoints which is a clever way of showing that there are always several valid versions of the truth, and perception is everything.
Clare is married to a banker ten years her junior when she has twins. She can't cope with the babies (or thinks she can't) even though she runs a successful business on a day to day basis. Her husband is like a third child, and he does nothing to help. So Clare hires a young and pretty nanny, and then things really start to go wrong (but not in the way you would expect). The young and pretty nanny is Jenna, who is desperate to escape an abusive relationship which is playing out in a council flat in South London, far from Clare's world of privilege....
Clare is more sympathetically drawn than the lead female characters in Stimson's earlier novels. Nevertheless, this is a sophisticated read in which there is no right or wrong or value judgements - just perceptions as the story unfolds through the eyes of the protagonists. So although this is classic Stimson territory full of well-heeled London career women, it is darker and more complex that your average chick lit. This is a satisfying, pacey and intelligent read with both drama and psychological insights, but at the end of the day it is chick lit so it is easy to read in short bursts whilst on the tube, train or the bus (that's where Cousin Anastasia does all her reading)."
Anastasia

The Ballroom Class by Lucy Dillon

Anastasia only bought this book because it was in a 3 for 2 promotion, and the blurb on the front cover - which promises a mix between Strictly and Corrie - didn't seem attractive. This book is way, way better than that rather simplistic description suggests. The central characters are all vividly real, with instantly recognisable, modern-day problems, some of which are resolved by the end of the novel and some of which are not. The main character is working mum Katie who starts to resent the fact that husband Ross is a house-husband who looks after the kids and who doesn't have to put up with office politics, endless meetings, the long hours culture, and the boss from hell. How these two (plus two other engaging couples) cope with the problems in their relationships (with the help of some ballroom dancing) is described realistically and entertainingly. Anastasia found this book unputdownable, but offers a word of warning. Don't read the last chapter in a public place because you will cry at the ending - Anastasia was on the tube at the time (Jubilee Line at Green Park) and had to find a tissue quickly. This is a great, real-life heart-warming read.
Anastasia

Husbands and Lies by Susy McPhee

When happily-married Fran logs on to a dating website she is horrified to find her husband's photo there, along with his profile and a nickname - "Footloose". As he is married to Fran and father to their year old daughter Lottie, Max is anything but footloose. Fran can't believe how unfair life is - especially when she only logged on to the dating website as a favour to her dying friend Alison (who wants to find her husband a new partner so that he is not alone after her death). With a heavy heart and after some well-meaning but slight crazy advice from her older sister, Fran decides to adopt a dating profile of her own and so that is how "Sassy" ends up e-mailing "Footloose" for a date. This is just the start of a thoughtfully-narrated series of misunderstandings and all-too-realistic examples of lack of communication between best friends, sisters and, ultimately Fran and Max. Set in London and a brilliantly awful IT software development company in Bracknell (where Fran works) this is a fast-paced, intelligent novel that Anastasia enjoyed, particularly because, right up to last page, she had no idea how it would end and whether Fran would finish up alone, back with Max, with Alison's husband or with a colleague from work who has had a crush on her for years. A good summer read - one for the beach bag.
Anastasia

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Quirk Classics)

Cousin Anastasia is a great fan of both Jane Austen and Sci-Fi, so "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" (Quirk Classics) did rather appeal to her. Basically, it is the Austen classic albeit set in what Star Trek fans will immediately see is a parallel universe to the one in which the original is set. The story enfolds in the quiet Hertfordshire village of Meryton at the start of the 19th century, and a regiment of soldiers is billeted in Meryton, which causes great excitement in the Bennet household, consisting as it does of five sisters. However, the England in which the action is set has been infested by zombies for the past fifty five years, and the Bennet sisters are trained warriors, charged by the King to defend Hertfordshire from the zombies (ordinary humans who are bitten by existing zombies who then become "stricken" themselves) until they marry. This they do magnificently until such time as distraction arrives in the form of two young men called Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy. Although the novel doesn't quite deserve Anastasia's award of merit (there are a few infelicities which Anastasia will leave die-hard Austen fans to spot), it's a great read and in lots of ways it makes more sense than the original. For example, 21st century girls will probably never understand why - in the original - the Lizzy Bennet's best friend marries the odious Mr Collins, but in this version the answer is simple - Charlotte has been attacked by zombies and has only months to live until she too becomes one of the "sorry stricken". An amusing idea, well written by Seth Grahame-Smith and, er, someone called Jane Austen. Watch out for a film version soon.
Anastasia

Now Boris always thought that in the original book Mr Collins was a vampire, just shows how wrong you can be.
Boris

Boris reckons they live in the caves underneath Nottingham Castle. He went down there once, but that’s another story. Boris

Going Home by Harriet Evans

‘Going Home’ by Harriet Evans is running neck and neck with Stuart McConie's last offering for Anastasia's Book Of The Year. It is Evans' first novel, but it is confident, assured and intelligent. A description like that does not usually come before the words "funny" and a "laugh on every page". But in this case it does. Lizzy Walter has a sweet but mad sister, middle class parents, a gay cousin and a really complicated love life. The beauty of this book is that the reader really does not know which of her three suitors previously-plain, oboe playing but now London career girl Lizzy will end up with until about 5 pages before the end. This is a great summer read but if you don't get time to read this book on the beach it will be a novel to enjoy as the nights draw in. Both Anastasia and Mrs Boris love this book.

The Tsarina’s Daughter by Carolly Erickson

The third novel in Carolly Erickson's series of "historical entertainments", as her publishers call them, is a good read. These novels are not for purists. In The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette we saw the luckless Queen of France escaping for a secret tryst with her Swedish lover, and The Tsarina's Daughter is no different in that respect (one cannot quite imagine Grand Duchess Tatiana, second daughter of the last Tsar actually managing to get out of the palace and spend the day with the working classes in St Petersburg, but that is what she does). The charm and great strength of Erickson's novels is that she creates a credible, parallel universe in which this just might happen (it helps that Erickson is a noted scholar with many fine non-fiction works under her belt and her detailed knowledge of the period shines through). Grand Duchess Tatiana is the second daughter of Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra. when revolution comes she is the one - out of the Tsar's five children - who really experiences the true horror. Her mother the Tsarina is mentally unstable, as is her weak father. Her older sister has little emotional intelligence and finds it difficult to connect with others, her brother is chronically sick and her other sisters to young to understand. So Tatiana - or Tanya - carries the burden alone, and - in Erickson's parallel universe - escapes to tell her tale whilst her family are shot in the cellar at Ekaterinberg. This is a charming and intelligent book told through Tanya's eyes - another good summer read."

The Warrior Princess by Barbara Erskine

Cousin Anastasia is a big fan of Erskine's novels. Many of them give the reader a real chill of fear, and Midnight is a Lonely Place is the novel which had her too scared to get up in the night to go to the loo after she had been reading it, in case she was nabbed by ghosts!. Erskine's latest, The Warrior Princess is not in that league, and it follows Erskine's usual formula of a modern-day girl drawn inexorably to the past. Having said that, the Warrior Princess is a well told story, moving between Roman Britain and early Christian Rome with some well-drawn modern characters, and some intriguing glimpses into the past (what did happen to the British rulers deposed by the Roman forces and sent to imprisonment or death in Rome?). This is a good read for lovers of historical novels, especially those who want a brisk, fast moving gallop through some well-described history without Erskine's usual dollop of terror."

Hmm, better hope that Ethelred doesn’t find out you’re scared of Ghosts. Remember the Rooks..... Mrs Boris

Adventures on the High Teas by Stuart Maconie

If you enjoy Bill Bryson's writing you will love Stuart Maconie, although Maconie is probably funnier. Cousin Anastasia really enjoyed "Pies and Prejudice", Maconie's affectionate tour of the North of England and what it means to be Northern, and she's read it three times. She was a bit nervous about reading Maconie's follow-up, but needn't have worried as it is just as good. In "Adventures on the High Teas" Maconie goes in search of Middle England. He visits a number of places from Bath to Burton-on-Trent and Grantham to Harpenden, but what he is really after is a sense of what Middle England is all about. He perhaps doesn't quite achieve that - there is no compelling analysis of what it means to be a Middle Englander - but what he does deliver is something much more amusing. His book is in essence an essay about modern England, and it is entertaining, intelligent and highly amusing, covering Top Gear, Strictly Come Dancing, service stations and The Office to name but a few features of 21st century life, as well as Jane Austen, Pink Floyd and the lasting legacy of the First World War. There is a laugh on almost every page, and the book is worth reading for Maconie's description of the average Daily Mail reader's view of the BBC alone. Anastasia was reading that as she passed through Harpenden on her train home from London, and didn't stop laughing until Nottingham. One that Anastasia will definitely read again, and a front-runner for her award for best book of 2009. Highly recommended, intelligent fun.

Sashenka by Simon Montefiore

Sashenka Zeitlin is part of the privileged world of Tsarist Russia. but even before the Revoluion of 1916 this nobleman's daughter is drawn towards the Bolshevik party and she becomes an activist. After the Revoluiotn she is a fully signed up member of the new Communist order, married to Vanya ( a secret policeman for the state). They have two children and - the last word in luxury in Soviet Russia - an American fridge. they are friendly with Stalin and other top members of the Communist party, and life seems perfect. But as the Second World War draws near in 1939 Sashenka, who edits a magazine, has an eleven day affair with one of her writers, and her family's world spirals into chaos. Simon Montefiore creates an engaging heroine, a difficult task given her adherence to the Communist cause, and a real sense of time and place which is an achievement given that this story spans a century from the 1900s to 1994. Not quite deserving of Anastasia's award (yet to be awarded in 2009) this is nevertheless a good Summer read."

Provided you don’t kiss me by Duncan Hamilton

If you enjoyed Fever Pitch and/ or The Damned United then this is the book for you. In fact, it's slightly more accessible than The Damned United even though its subject matter is the same - Brian Clough. Provided You Don't Kiss Me has a wider span, however, covering Clough's entire managerial career and eventual decline into alcoholism with brutal, coruscating honesty. It also charts the father/son relationship between Clough and the author of the book, local journalist Duncan Hamilton. It doesn't make the mistake of many other books about Clough in that it doesn't consist of a list of amusing sketches and one-liners. Rather, it charts the effect of his injury that ended his playing career, his dismissal from Leeds and the effect both had on his miracle years at Nottingham Forest. What it shies away from is analysing the link between all of that and Clough's drink problem but, apart from that, it is an entertaining and, towards the end, frank assessment of his life and legacy. It does face up to the challenge of analysing the destruction of Clough's relationship with Peter Taylor and, in fact, Cousin Anastasia only read this novel because her

I’ll Be There For You by Louise Candlish

Anastasia really enjoyed this novel - it's the kind of book that puts the "lit" into "chick lit". It follows the fortunes of two sisters - Hannah and Juliet Goodwin when Juliet's boyfriend of seven years is killed and Hannah marries the very affluent Michael (who comes from the sort of family where they give you £20,000 for school fees on the birth of your first child - Juliet, meanwhile, is living in a rented room somewhere in North London with a landlord she detests). It's a novel which mirrors life as both sisters discover they know little about the men they love, find out iteratively and deal with the ensuing pain. Their story will appeal to anyone who has left a working class background to live a professional, busy London life but also to anyone who wants an entertaining story which is very well written.
Anastasia

The Master Bedroom by Tessa Hadley

Anastasia approached The Master Bedroom by Tessa Hadley with some trepidation. First, it is set in Cardiff. Anastasia has only been to Cardiff once, for a meeting at Companies House, and she didn't like it much (Cardiff, not the meeting). And it is set amongst Cardiff's chattering classes, which is usually a bit of a no-no for her. But this is a lovely novel. Hadley's prose is brilliant - and worth reading for itself despite the lack of story. Lack of story? - well, maybe not. Stuff happens, and it is accurately observed, which makes for compulsive reading, but Anastasia does like a beginning, middle and end, and this is more like a chunk of middle class life in Cardiff. Having said that, it is realistic, and fast moving. Kate Flynn gives up her career in London, at 43, to return home to Wales to look after her mother. There she meets married David, whom she knew years ago at school and - simply because she is bored - she begins to obsess about him. What happens after that is acutely and richly observed. A pacey yet fiercely intelligent read from a writer who bridges the gulf between chick lit and Guardian readers rather well.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

What initially attracted Anastasia to Kate Atkinson's Case Histories is that it is set in Cambridge, where Anastasia pretended to study for 3 years. Atkinson's attention to detail when describing the city is brilliant - Anastasia couldn't fault it. And Atkinson's hero, Jackson Brodie, former police officer turned private investigator, is an attractive lead character. Jackson attempts to get to the bottom of three different case histories, which, the back cover tells us, are all linked despite seeming very different. That's enough to hold the reader until the end of a pacey exciting read, the only problem being (for those who like neat endings) is that the only link between the case histories is Brodie himself and his experience of investigating them, as opposed to an exciting underlying mystery. That aside, this is in part a detective story (or three) and in part a well-observed family drama that Anastasia enjoyed for the humour (there are some laugh out loud moments), the detail and the attractive hero, even though she felt a bit let down by the ending.