I'm so pleased to host Debbie's guest blog about her love of reading and writing today. And here's her post about her favourite book of the year so far...
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To say I'm a book worm would be a bit of an understatement, so when I was asked to do a guest post for Suz about books, I jumped at the chance and today I would like to share with you all my favourite book I've read this year so far - In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware.
builds in the current situation, we start to learn more about the back story between the characters of Nora and Clare - once best friends, but who haven't spoken in ten years.
From the moment Nora receives the invite to Clare's hen weekend, we are left wondering why they haven't spoken in so long, and why Clare is reaching out to Nora now. As the book progresses, we are given enough information to keep us interested and wanting to know more, but never quite enough to paint the full picture until right at the end.
The hen weekend is set to take place in a remote country side house. I love how what starts out as an idyllic location, peaceful and beautiful begins to seem dark and oppressive as the story becomes darker. The setting adds a definite layer of sinister intent to the book.
All the characters in the book are really well written - some you'll love, some you'll hate, but they all make you feel something towards them which is not easy to achieve as a writer.
My favourite character in the book is Nina, a mutual friend of Nora and Clare. Nina is straight talking, sarcastic and tough. She is funny, bluntly honest and doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. She is cleverly constructed to provide a voice of reason through the story and inject some wry humour. She is also the only character who knows both Clare and Nora and a part of their history together.
The character of Flo, Clare's new best friend is a very interesting addition to the book. She is very needy and wants to be the centre of Clare's world. Although seemingly a weak character (weak emotionally, not the way she is written), her claws come out when her obsessive plans are disrupted and she thinks Clare may be upset at the turn of events. She is quite paranoid and not someone you would want to spend three days in isolation with.
The book is written from the point of view of Nora, and through her eyes, we see the underlying tensions between the characters even before things start to go wrong.
The setting, coupled with Flo's obsessive need for everything to run perfectly to plan (and her obvious dislike for Nora) make an uncomfortable experience for Nora, who plans to just get it over with.
The fun soon starts to turn sour and the characters begin sniping at each other from pretty much the point of meeting of each other. As things spiral out of control, and on the surface they band together, there is still the underlying feel of tension between them, and it's only a matter of time before something has to give.
Overall, In A Dark, Dark Wood is one hell of a good read and I would recommend you pick this up as soon as possible. You can view it on Amazon here.
Thanks for having me Suz!
Born in 1982 in North East England, I knew from an early age I wanted to be a writer. Life got in the way, and the dream was put on the back burner, although never forgotten. I now write my own blog, My Random Musings, and write guest posts for other blogs. My debut book of short stories, Twisted Tales, is due for release June 21st 2016 and I have just completed my first novel.
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To say I'm a book worm would be a bit of an understatement, so when I was asked to do a guest post for Suz about books, I jumped at the chance and today I would like to share with you all my favourite book I've read this year so far - In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware.
In A Dark, Dark Wood: Background
In A Dark, Dark Wood is categorised as a thriller. I think it's so much more than that. It is certainly a suspense filled thriller, but it also touches on the horror genre. I have a written a review of this book on my own blog, which you can read here - In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware - to get a general overview of the book if you are unfamiliar with it. In A Dark, Dark Wood is Ruth Ware's debut novel. It is New York Times and a Sunday Times best seller, and it set to become a movie.In A Dark, Dark Wood: Why I Chose This Book As My Favourite Book So Far This Year
I love how Ruth Ware takes us on a journey through both the past and the present simultaneously. As the tensionbuilds in the current situation, we start to learn more about the back story between the characters of Nora and Clare - once best friends, but who haven't spoken in ten years.
From the moment Nora receives the invite to Clare's hen weekend, we are left wondering why they haven't spoken in so long, and why Clare is reaching out to Nora now. As the book progresses, we are given enough information to keep us interested and wanting to know more, but never quite enough to paint the full picture until right at the end.
The hen weekend is set to take place in a remote country side house. I love how what starts out as an idyllic location, peaceful and beautiful begins to seem dark and oppressive as the story becomes darker. The setting adds a definite layer of sinister intent to the book.
All the characters in the book are really well written - some you'll love, some you'll hate, but they all make you feel something towards them which is not easy to achieve as a writer.
My favourite character in the book is Nina, a mutual friend of Nora and Clare. Nina is straight talking, sarcastic and tough. She is funny, bluntly honest and doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. She is cleverly constructed to provide a voice of reason through the story and inject some wry humour. She is also the only character who knows both Clare and Nora and a part of their history together.
The character of Flo, Clare's new best friend is a very interesting addition to the book. She is very needy and wants to be the centre of Clare's world. Although seemingly a weak character (weak emotionally, not the way she is written), her claws come out when her obsessive plans are disrupted and she thinks Clare may be upset at the turn of events. She is quite paranoid and not someone you would want to spend three days in isolation with.
The book is written from the point of view of Nora, and through her eyes, we see the underlying tensions between the characters even before things start to go wrong.
The setting, coupled with Flo's obsessive need for everything to run perfectly to plan (and her obvious dislike for Nora) make an uncomfortable experience for Nora, who plans to just get it over with.
The fun soon starts to turn sour and the characters begin sniping at each other from pretty much the point of meeting of each other. As things spiral out of control, and on the surface they band together, there is still the underlying feel of tension between them, and it's only a matter of time before something has to give.
Overall, In A Dark, Dark Wood is one hell of a good read and I would recommend you pick this up as soon as possible. You can view it on Amazon here.
Thanks for having me Suz!
Born in 1982 in North East England, I knew from an early age I wanted to be a writer. Life got in the way, and the dream was put on the back burner, although never forgotten. I now write my own blog, My Random Musings, and write guest posts for other blogs. My debut book of short stories, Twisted Tales, is due for release June 21st 2016 and I have just completed my first novel.
You can find me here: My blog, My Random Musings, Twitter Facebook and Instagram Please do stop by and say hi!
Thanks so much for having me :)
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