Review: Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land

* Copy courtesy of NetGalley *

Pitched to readers as an extraordinary, controversial and explosive debut, Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land is a psychological suspense novel with an exciting premise.

Annie's mother is a serial killer and the only way she can stop her mother from killing is to go to the police. Her mother is arrested and Annie begins a new life as Milly while awaiting her mother's trial for multiple counts of murder. Will Milly end up like her mother or will she break free from the cycle of violence?

It's an excellent premise and concept for a crime novel and when I read the blurb for the first time it sounded entirely fresh and I was excited to read it. Unfortunately for me it didn't quite deliver.

The beginning of the novel started off with a bang and I was instantly drawn in, but it just didn't maintain the heightened level of engagement, although I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps the novel needed to begin a week prior to Annie going to the police in order to experience the horrors she went through and for the reader to feel just how much of a menace her mother was.

Perhaps the novel didn't go deep enough or wasn't dark enough.

The relationship Milly develops with her new foster sister was absolutely fascinating and I would have enjoyed exploring that a little further and a little deeper. This relationship created more menace and suspense than the relationship with Milly's mother which should have been the driver for the novel.

Overall, Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land is a good read and I'm confident it'll be enjoyed by many crime fans in the months ahead.

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Review: The True Story of Guns N' Roses - Last of the Giants by Mick Wall

* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *

I've been a fan of Guns N' Roses since my teenage years and their music formed the basis of the soundtrack of my adolescence. I enjoyed reading Slash's self-titled autobiography in 2011 but when I heard Mick Wall was writing a book on the band, I was eager to read it. Mick Wall has written about other bands including: Metallica, AC/DC, Prince and Led Zeppelin - to name a few - and seems to have an acute understanding of the industry.

In The True Story of Guns N' Roses - Last of the Giants, Wall introduces the reader to each member of the band and then shows us how their paths converge and the band we know as the original line up of Guns N' Roses was formed. Their time living together in the 'hell house' was shocking and informative and it was interesting to learn about the slow and steady rise of their first album Appetite for Destruction. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover just how popular and successful they were.

Wall goes into great detail about the managers and staff around the band, contracts, concerts and tours and of course background on each of the songs. The inability of the band members to handle their fame and new found wealth is discussed as is the effect drugs had on Duff and Slash, almost killing them, and in Slash's case, killing him 5 times. 

Wall documents the gradual decline of the band and the impact Axl's behaviour had on each of the band members. Steve Adler's drug habit and eventual firing from the band is covered as is Izzy Stradlin's eventual resignation.

Axl's perfectionism and controlling behaviour is discussed - with a few surprises - as is the way in which he slowly took over control of the band until he was the last original member left. We learn about the new/replacement members of the band and the formation and success of the 'new line-up.' My favourite tidbits in the book were on page 178 and 228 and provided insight as to who wrote which songs. Little known facts such as You Could Be Mine was originally recorded during the Appetite for Destruction sessions made for interesting reading.

Reading The True Story of Guns N' Roses - Last of the Giants in the lead up to attending their Not in This Lifetime Tour earlier this month was the best preparation possible and gave me a better appreciation of just how far they've all come. I thoroughly recommend The True Story of Guns N' Roses to fans of their music all over the world.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

Book vs. Movie: The Light Between Oceans

In 2012 I reviewed The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman, giving it 5 stars. I enjoyed exploring the moral dilemma faced by the young married couple living on remote Janus Island post World War I. Tom is seeking refuge after the war and applies for the job of lighthouse keeper on Janus Island off the coast of Australia. He meets and marries Isabel and together they try to start a family; albeit unsuccessfully. When a baby in a boat washes ashore, they're faced with a moral dilemma and the repercussions of the dilemma weigh heavy on them both.

When I learned the book was being made into a film, I was excited and hopeful the movie would successfully capture the stunning scenery and communicate the isolation. I needn't have worried. I thoroughly enjoyed the film - and the cinematography in particular - and recognised a few well-known Aussie actors amongst the cast members. It's a slow and atmospheric movie exploring love and grief, so those looking for action and adventure will need to look elsewhere.

In this case I maintain the book was better, but the movie was a solid and true translation of the novel and was entertaining on the big screen. You don't need to have read the book to enjoy the movie.

Carpe Librum!

Winner of Last of the Giants - The True Story of Guns N' Roses by Mick Wall announced

Thanks to the dedicated Guns N' Roses fans who entered my giveaway to win a copy of Last of the Giants - The True Story of Guns N' Roses by Mick Wall. Entries closed at midnight on Wednesday 8 February 2017.

The most popular favourite song was Sweet Child O' Mine, however the entrant who said Sheryl Crowe's version was 'stunning' is mistaken. Now, onto business. The winner was drawn today, so big drum roll and guitar solo for the winner:

Drew Fuller

Congratulations Drew, you'll receive an email shortly and will have 7 days to provide me with your mailing address. Thanks again to Hachette Australia for the prize.

Carpe Librum!

Friday Freebie to WIN a copy of Last of the Giants - The True Story of Guns N' Roses by Mick Wall

* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *

RRP $32.99 AUD

Have you got a Bad Obsession? Do you love to read in The Garden or do you prefer to read in bed listening to November Rain? You're going to need a little Patience because I have a One In A Million opportunity for you to WIN a copy of Last of the Giants - The True Story of Guns N' Roses by Mick Wall. You're Crazy if you miss this giveaway because It's So Easy to enter. Just fill in the form below and tell me your favourite GNR song; just Don't Cry if you miss out.

I finished reading my review copy yesterday and it was an excellent insight for fans, especially in the lead up to their Australian tour later this month. Smoke 'em if you got 'em!

Blurb
A major, definitive biography of Guns N' Roses by the man who was very much a part of what remains the most iconic rock story of the last three decades.

Many millions of words have already been written about Guns N' Roses, the old line-up, the new line-up. But none of them have ever really gotten to the truth. Which is this: Guns N' Roses has always been a band out of time, the Last of the Giants. They are what every rock band since the Rolling Stones has tried and nearly always failed to be: dangerous. At a time when smiling, MTV-friendly, safe-sex, just-say-no Bon Jovi was the biggest band in the world, here was a band that seemed to have leapt straight out of the coke-smothered pages of the original, golden-age, late-sixties rock scene.

'Live like a suicide', the band used to say when they all lived together in the Hell House, their notorious LA home. And this is where Mick Wall first met them, and became part of their inner circle, before famously being denounced by name by Axl Rose in the song Get in the Ring.

But this book isn't about settling old scores. Written with the clear head that 25 years later brings you, this is a celebration of Guns N' Roses the band, and of Axl Rose the frontman who really is that thing we so desperately want him to be: the last of the truly extraordinary, all-time great, no apologies, no explanations, no giving-a-shit rock stars. The last of his kind.

Giveaway

This giveaway has now closed.