Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger by Nigel Slater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was not sure about this book when I first picked it up. It's different from the books I usually read and not knowing Nigel Slater (and apparently, after talking to friends, I realise I'm in a minority here) it was just another memoir. However, after a couple of short chapters, I really started to enjoy it. At first I thought it would be impossible for the story of his childhood to be told through anecdotes about food; that it was a novelty that would get old quickly. I was wrong.

The chapters are short and often leave you wanting more detail, but not needing more. It is very cleverly written, so that at first it seems more about the food, but as he builds up the picture of what his life was like, we are drawn in, anxious to discover how things turned out.

He has an unusual style of writing some chapters in the present tense as if the events are unfolding as he writes, and other chapters in the past tense. It works well and is done so cleverly that it does not leave the reader confused about the order of events as I would have anticipated. He also has the ability to let the reader know what is happening, while he himself was unaware of what was happening, like the time he heard his parents talking and thought they were having another baby and wondered why they hadn't told him yet.

Although this story is not all about food, I'm sure any chef reading Nigel Slater's book would identify with many of the tales he tells later in the book about his experience in Hotel kitchens. This book made me cringe, sigh, laugh and cry. I recommend it to anyone who likes reading interesting memoirs, especially fans of the TV chef.

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Just like the first three books in the Harry Potter series, after reading all of the books a few years ago, I have just re-read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my children (12 & 7). They are loving this series and have really enjoyed this book too.


What I loved most about this book though, was that there was so much going on. Apart from the Triwizard Tournament, there were so many other threads to follow and even right up to the very last pages of the book, there were questions we wanted answers to, such as who Fred and George were blackmailing and why, and how Rita Skeeter was getting her information.


They are all great books to read aloud, with interesting and well rounded characters, fantastic description and exciting storylines. I highly recommend them for parents to read to their children.

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Book Flame: 13 Day's of Halloween Madness: Interview and Givea...

Book Flame: 13 Day's of Halloween Madness: Interview and Givea...: Welcome to Book Flame's 13 days of Halloween Madness!

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We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I went on a real journey with this book. I picked it up on recommendation from a friend and after reading the first few chapters, I began asking myself whether or not I should continue reading. It's not that it wasn't interesting; indeed the event around which the book revolves is controversial and, due to our natural tendency to be drawn towards other people's private lives and tragedy, is intriguing, but I believe the fact that it's written in the format of letters to Franklin makes it hard for the author to create suspense. In addition to this, the vocabulary which is diverse is sometimes too obscure making it hard on the reader, even a reader with a good vocabulary.

I took a break from the book, thinking that perhaps if I went back to it in a few weeks with a fresh pair of eyes and a different frame of mind, I might find it easier to read. But after returning to the book, I still found little to grab my attention, to make me gasp in surprise, to make me think, 'Ooh, I certainly wasn't expecting THAT to happen!' By half way through I was almost ready to give up, only spurred on by my own obsessive need not to leave a book half read.

Then about half way through, an event suddenly creates some suspense and the story builds around this making it instantly more interesting. So after struggling to keep going through the first half of the book, I could not now put it down. The storyline was gripping; I wanted to know how this would turn out. From that point onwards I knew I was not going to put this book down until I had finished. It was fantastic.

The author has written about things we don't want to think about. As a mother, reading this book is, of course, thought provoking, but it's also frustrating. I found myself wanting to shout at Franklin, not understanding why nobody could see what Eva could. I kept asking myself the same questions, long after I finished the book; was it her fault? What if...?

This is a book I will not forget for a long time. When the Daily Mail stated that it was 'Harrowing', they were not exaggerating. It's a book I would recommend to others with warnings: 

1. Keep reading, no matter how hard going it is. 

2. Don't make assumptions

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