Chris Bakos's Blog
January 16, 2019
The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs
Absolutely love The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs!
Do you love animals? Do you love quirky humans and their idiosyncrasies, no? Well then this book is likely not for you, but if like me, you enjoy reading about everyday people living their big lives in a small town, where everybody knows each others business, then I guarantee, this is the read for you.
With the introduction to each new character I likened them to those found in the the fabulous movie, Doc Hollywood, (1991), which by the way, if you have never seen, I urge you to watch!
Dr Cyrus Cobb, veterinary pathologist returns to his childhood home, and his late father’s failing veterinary practice with the aim to close shop and sell to the highest bidder. The path of life rarely is paved smoothly, and this runs true as Dr Cyrus learns just how deeply in debt the practice has sunk.
Dr Cyrus has six days to resolve the financial issues at Bedside Manor for Sick Animals before the bank forecloses on the property.
The reader accompanies Dr Cyrus through a daily journey of none paying clients with a hilarious cast of animal problems that range from consumption of fancy underwear to frisky females of the human kind and some heart-tugging ailments tossed into the mix.
I could picture the small fictional town of Eden Falls and as for the ageing receptionist, Doris, well, I’m sure we’ve all met and either enjoyed or been exasperated by our own “Doris” at some time in our lives! Gotta love her though as she knows her stuff when it comes to the residents of Eden Falls. Nothing gets past her, and as long as she’s on your team she’s invaluable, but watch your back if you fail to make her ‘nice’ list…
Sink into a comfy couch, put your feet up and have a giggle or wipe a tear as you devour this lovely little book and I bet by its end that just like me you’ll be looking for more reads from its author, Nick Trout.
Do you love animals? Do you love quirky humans and their idiosyncrasies, no? Well then this book is likely not for you, but if like me, you enjoy reading about everyday people living their big lives in a small town, where everybody knows each others business, then I guarantee, this is the read for you.
With the introduction to each new character I likened them to those found in the the fabulous movie, Doc Hollywood, (1991), which by the way, if you have never seen, I urge you to watch!
Dr Cyrus Cobb, veterinary pathologist returns to his childhood home, and his late father’s failing veterinary practice with the aim to close shop and sell to the highest bidder. The path of life rarely is paved smoothly, and this runs true as Dr Cyrus learns just how deeply in debt the practice has sunk.
Dr Cyrus has six days to resolve the financial issues at Bedside Manor for Sick Animals before the bank forecloses on the property.
The reader accompanies Dr Cyrus through a daily journey of none paying clients with a hilarious cast of animal problems that range from consumption of fancy underwear to frisky females of the human kind and some heart-tugging ailments tossed into the mix.
I could picture the small fictional town of Eden Falls and as for the ageing receptionist, Doris, well, I’m sure we’ve all met and either enjoyed or been exasperated by our own “Doris” at some time in our lives! Gotta love her though as she knows her stuff when it comes to the residents of Eden Falls. Nothing gets past her, and as long as she’s on your team she’s invaluable, but watch your back if you fail to make her ‘nice’ list…
Sink into a comfy couch, put your feet up and have a giggle or wipe a tear as you devour this lovely little book and I bet by its end that just like me you’ll be looking for more reads from its author, Nick Trout.
February 13, 2018
The Memory Shop - book review
The Memory Shop
By Ella Griffin
Nora, fleeing a disastrous romantic entanglement in London, returns to Dublin, Ireland, to tackle the dissolution of the contents of her deceased Grandmother’s house, which is also her childhood home. It is not a task to be taken lightly as the house is filled with treasured memories garnered from around the world.
In need of a respite from her ‘real life’ in London, Nora, decides to open the little shop attached to the home to sell her Grandmother’s precious collection of assorted items. Using her professional set designer skills, she creates an ever-changing, minimalistic, but innovative, window display featuring a single piece ranging from a Taj Mahal Victorian era birdcage to freshwater pearl earrings.
Her goal is to sell her grandmother's impressive collection not only for the most optimum price but more importantly to the right recipient.
So begins a journey of discovery as Nora unlock secrets from her Grandmother’s past, that rewrite a belief system for Nora and in particular her mother, who has not set foot inside the house for thirty-seven years.
The Memory Shop is really a collection of short stories woven into one delightful story as we meet the customers who enter The Memory Shop and see the impact on their lives and the benefits gained from their encounter with Nora.
The most important story, however, is that of Nora's journey back to the place from whence she came and the insight gained into her destiny.
By Ella Griffin
Nora, fleeing a disastrous romantic entanglement in London, returns to Dublin, Ireland, to tackle the dissolution of the contents of her deceased Grandmother’s house, which is also her childhood home. It is not a task to be taken lightly as the house is filled with treasured memories garnered from around the world.
In need of a respite from her ‘real life’ in London, Nora, decides to open the little shop attached to the home to sell her Grandmother’s precious collection of assorted items. Using her professional set designer skills, she creates an ever-changing, minimalistic, but innovative, window display featuring a single piece ranging from a Taj Mahal Victorian era birdcage to freshwater pearl earrings.
Her goal is to sell her grandmother's impressive collection not only for the most optimum price but more importantly to the right recipient.
So begins a journey of discovery as Nora unlock secrets from her Grandmother’s past, that rewrite a belief system for Nora and in particular her mother, who has not set foot inside the house for thirty-seven years.
The Memory Shop is really a collection of short stories woven into one delightful story as we meet the customers who enter The Memory Shop and see the impact on their lives and the benefits gained from their encounter with Nora.
The most important story, however, is that of Nora's journey back to the place from whence she came and the insight gained into her destiny.
October 14, 2017
Somewhere in France
Somewhere in France is an excellent novel for those of you who enjoy a good periodical story.
The story starts in England and the year is 1914. Lady Elizabeth Neville-Ashford has her life plan mapped out according to society’s expectations.
Sadly, it is not a road that she wishes to travel. Trapped by the restraints placed on her by her parents she is drowning with frustrated boredom, in her sheltered life where a governess delivered her education within the seclusion of the family home.
When war breaks out, she persuades her parent to let her move from London to one of their country estates, where she secretly learns to drive. It is an act that brings about dismissal for one family and provides Lady Elizabeth with the determination to right the wrong and to stand up to her parent’s rigid disapproval.
She secures a job as a ticket collector on the buses and a room in a London boarding house. Eventually, she is accepted into the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps where she is known simply as Lilly Parr.
Treated as an equal, she spends her waking hours transporting wounded soldiers from the French battlefield to the field hospital where her brother, Edward’s, unlikely best school friend, Robbie is stationed.
Robbie is the son of a common dustman from the rough neighbourhood of Glasgow. He met Edward when he won a scholarship to Edward's elite boarding school. His sharp brain enabled him to progress into his career as a much-respected surgeon.
Robbie's achievements do not make him a suitable candidate for marriage, in the eyes of Lily’s parents. He will always be a commoner.
What a pity it is that Lily has the unfortunate circumstance of worshipping the ground Robbie occupies.
Will the events of war and the changing world be enough to bridge the gap?
I loved this story of love, and courage and social boundaries just aching to be broken. I became immersed in the characters and the time period from the get-go and read this book in four days.
The story starts in England and the year is 1914. Lady Elizabeth Neville-Ashford has her life plan mapped out according to society’s expectations.
Sadly, it is not a road that she wishes to travel. Trapped by the restraints placed on her by her parents she is drowning with frustrated boredom, in her sheltered life where a governess delivered her education within the seclusion of the family home.
When war breaks out, she persuades her parent to let her move from London to one of their country estates, where she secretly learns to drive. It is an act that brings about dismissal for one family and provides Lady Elizabeth with the determination to right the wrong and to stand up to her parent’s rigid disapproval.
She secures a job as a ticket collector on the buses and a room in a London boarding house. Eventually, she is accepted into the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps where she is known simply as Lilly Parr.
Treated as an equal, she spends her waking hours transporting wounded soldiers from the French battlefield to the field hospital where her brother, Edward’s, unlikely best school friend, Robbie is stationed.
Robbie is the son of a common dustman from the rough neighbourhood of Glasgow. He met Edward when he won a scholarship to Edward's elite boarding school. His sharp brain enabled him to progress into his career as a much-respected surgeon.
Robbie's achievements do not make him a suitable candidate for marriage, in the eyes of Lily’s parents. He will always be a commoner.
What a pity it is that Lily has the unfortunate circumstance of worshipping the ground Robbie occupies.
Will the events of war and the changing world be enough to bridge the gap?
I loved this story of love, and courage and social boundaries just aching to be broken. I became immersed in the characters and the time period from the get-go and read this book in four days.
September 2, 2017
Moonlight Over Paris
Moonlight over Paris
By Jennifer Robson
It is such a pleasure to write a book review for a Canadian writer, especially as all of my previous book reviews have featured either UK or USA authors.
Jennifer Robson is a new to me author and her novel Moonlight Over Paris an unexpected delight.
Set in 1924, Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas Parr has led a privileged but sheltered life. Jilted by her fiancé society shuns her without just cause. Life as a spinster stretches interminably before her until she contracts the Scarlet fever. As she lies on her death bed, she vows to grasp life with both hands if granted the chance for survival.
She rallies and determined to fulfil her silent promise she embarks on a journey to Paris to live with her Aunt Agnes for one year while attending the Academie Czerny to study art under the tutelage of the formidable Maitre Czerny. But first, she has the summer to enjoy whiling away the days in the sun kissed South of France, with her Aunt Agnes and a host of family friends.
Sam Howard an American Journalist working in Paris crosses paths with Helena, now known as simply Miss Parr. An unlikely friendship is born on the French Riviera and continues in Paris.
With the arrival of fall, bags are packed, and a returner to Paris sees Helena commencing her study under the tutelage of the formidable but revered Maitre Czerny.
On the first day, Helena meets and bonds with three students, Etienne, Mathilde, and Daisy, all from different backgrounds, which help to bolster Helena’s plummeting self-confidence as she struggles to fulfil the Maitre’s high expectations.
As friendships bloom the reader is given an insight into the Jazz Age Paris of the 1920’s with behind the scenes look at Paris in the 1920’s from both the privileged and not so monetary viewpoints.
Moonlight Over Paris a delightful book about friendship and love and reaching for one’s dreams.
By Jennifer Robson
It is such a pleasure to write a book review for a Canadian writer, especially as all of my previous book reviews have featured either UK or USA authors.
Jennifer Robson is a new to me author and her novel Moonlight Over Paris an unexpected delight.
Set in 1924, Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas Parr has led a privileged but sheltered life. Jilted by her fiancé society shuns her without just cause. Life as a spinster stretches interminably before her until she contracts the Scarlet fever. As she lies on her death bed, she vows to grasp life with both hands if granted the chance for survival.
She rallies and determined to fulfil her silent promise she embarks on a journey to Paris to live with her Aunt Agnes for one year while attending the Academie Czerny to study art under the tutelage of the formidable Maitre Czerny. But first, she has the summer to enjoy whiling away the days in the sun kissed South of France, with her Aunt Agnes and a host of family friends.
Sam Howard an American Journalist working in Paris crosses paths with Helena, now known as simply Miss Parr. An unlikely friendship is born on the French Riviera and continues in Paris.
With the arrival of fall, bags are packed, and a returner to Paris sees Helena commencing her study under the tutelage of the formidable but revered Maitre Czerny.
On the first day, Helena meets and bonds with three students, Etienne, Mathilde, and Daisy, all from different backgrounds, which help to bolster Helena’s plummeting self-confidence as she struggles to fulfil the Maitre’s high expectations.
As friendships bloom the reader is given an insight into the Jazz Age Paris of the 1920’s with behind the scenes look at Paris in the 1920’s from both the privileged and not so monetary viewpoints.
Moonlight Over Paris a delightful book about friendship and love and reaching for one’s dreams.
August 4, 2017
High Tide
High Tide is a delightful book. There are no cliff-hanger moments or scenes of high drama. No swooning damsels in distress to keep one turning the page, just quite simply a lovely story with characters that one cares about upon first meeting. One of my favourite kinds of book that I dread finishing as it means I have to say goodbye to my newly made friends within the pages. I am sure that anyone who seeks to write a contemporary romance novel wishes they could create as charming a book as High Tide.
High Tide is set in Penfleet a picturesque English seaside village where the weekenders rub along with the town locals.
Kate returns to her childhood home from her high flying New York life to bury her mother, a much loved local, who had a friend on every corner. Kate has forgotten what it is like to love thy neighbour and chit chat over a cuppa or something stronger. Folks in New York are way too busy and important to waste time caring about each other, or at least the spoiled clients that Kate revolves her life around, as she caters to their every whim, mollycoddling them.
Sam, a widower, is a transplanted Londoner, seeking a slower pace to lick his wounds as he raises his teenage children. Love is the last thing on his mind.
Vanessa is also undergoing bereavement, but her future is decidedly rosy as she ditches the funeral party in favour of a party for two with a distinctly younger man.
High Tide is a lighthearted read with a few twists and turns stuffed inside its sleeve. Pull up a beach chair, hammock or whatever you fancy and take a stroll through Penfleet.
High Tide is set in Penfleet a picturesque English seaside village where the weekenders rub along with the town locals.
Kate returns to her childhood home from her high flying New York life to bury her mother, a much loved local, who had a friend on every corner. Kate has forgotten what it is like to love thy neighbour and chit chat over a cuppa or something stronger. Folks in New York are way too busy and important to waste time caring about each other, or at least the spoiled clients that Kate revolves her life around, as she caters to their every whim, mollycoddling them.
Sam, a widower, is a transplanted Londoner, seeking a slower pace to lick his wounds as he raises his teenage children. Love is the last thing on his mind.
Vanessa is also undergoing bereavement, but her future is decidedly rosy as she ditches the funeral party in favour of a party for two with a distinctly younger man.
High Tide is a lighthearted read with a few twists and turns stuffed inside its sleeve. Pull up a beach chair, hammock or whatever you fancy and take a stroll through Penfleet.
May 5, 2017
ABridge Across the Ocean
A Bridge across the Ocean is another superb dual-time book written by Susan Meissner. Oh, how I wish I could write as well as she.
1946 – A ship full of war brides set sail from Southampton to New York aboard the legendary RMS Queen Mary, a flagship for the Cunard White Star Line.
The year is 1946, and the war is finally over. It is with great anticipation, mixed with a measure of trepidation that the women and children board the ship that will reunite them with their American husbands.
All that is, except, for one single woman who is not who she claims to be. Seeking the freedom and anonymity of a new life in a new forwarding thinking country, she wishes for nothing more than a successful escape from the violence and deceit that shadows her every move. She meets Simone, a French survivor, who has every right to instantly dislike her room-mate, haunted as she is by her memories of lost love. Only one of them will exit the gangplank at journey's end.
Present day – Brett Caslake is not your average person – she sees ghosts. Having spent a lifetime denying her ability she is drawn reluctantly into assisting a child who is insistent that her dead mother is very much alive and living on the now retired RMS Queen Mary, now in its permanent mooring at Long Beach California. Her act of good faith will set her on a course of self-discovery as she unravels a truth long ago put to bed.
A Bridge across the Ocean is an alluring story that introduces a very real ship upon which the fictional characters mingle before the book reaches its thought provoking conclusion. I loved this book.
1946 – A ship full of war brides set sail from Southampton to New York aboard the legendary RMS Queen Mary, a flagship for the Cunard White Star Line.
The year is 1946, and the war is finally over. It is with great anticipation, mixed with a measure of trepidation that the women and children board the ship that will reunite them with their American husbands.
All that is, except, for one single woman who is not who she claims to be. Seeking the freedom and anonymity of a new life in a new forwarding thinking country, she wishes for nothing more than a successful escape from the violence and deceit that shadows her every move. She meets Simone, a French survivor, who has every right to instantly dislike her room-mate, haunted as she is by her memories of lost love. Only one of them will exit the gangplank at journey's end.
Present day – Brett Caslake is not your average person – she sees ghosts. Having spent a lifetime denying her ability she is drawn reluctantly into assisting a child who is insistent that her dead mother is very much alive and living on the now retired RMS Queen Mary, now in its permanent mooring at Long Beach California. Her act of good faith will set her on a course of self-discovery as she unravels a truth long ago put to bed.
A Bridge across the Ocean is an alluring story that introduces a very real ship upon which the fictional characters mingle before the book reaches its thought provoking conclusion. I loved this book.
April 5, 2017
The Lake House - book review
Every novel that I have read by Kate Morton makes me yearn to be a better writer and has me wishing that I could be even half the story teller that she is. The Lake House is no exception. From the moment I opened the book and read the first page, I was hooked, and every time I thought I’d sussed the mystery out, it led to nowhere, leaving me to puzzle some more.
I love the way Kate Morton weaves the past and the present into the story so effortlessly and here I sit and sigh, resenting her skill and yet longing for more.
Cornwall – 1933 - A family estate and a missing child. The police, the questions, the secrets and the loss of innocence for Alice Edevane aged sixteen years.
It was a day of celebration and fun, with the fireworks being its grand finale. By morning, their lives would never be the same. An era had ended not with a whimper but with a resounding bang. Theo the youngest child, the revered son in a house full of daughters had vanished into thin air. The secure life of the Edevane family lay in tatters, irreparable. Their house stood shuttered and closed. To return was unthinkable.
Seventy years later, on an enforced stress leave detective Sadie Sparrow, visits her grandfather in Cornwall. Out walking, she comes across the rambling and abandoned Edevane estate. Sadie finds it lure irresistible. She delves into the history of the property, and her enquiries lead her to the now elderly Alice Edevane.
Perhaps it is her awareness of her own mortality or perhaps she something of herself in the youthful fervour of Sadie Sparrow. Alice has, after all, spent her entire adult life as a successful mystery writer. Whatever the prompt, Alice decides to open her mind’s vault and to share the shocking secrets long ago locked within the recesses of her heart and mind.
Find a comfy spot to curl up and prepare to be whisked into another Kate Morton masterpiece
I love the way Kate Morton weaves the past and the present into the story so effortlessly and here I sit and sigh, resenting her skill and yet longing for more.
Cornwall – 1933 - A family estate and a missing child. The police, the questions, the secrets and the loss of innocence for Alice Edevane aged sixteen years.
It was a day of celebration and fun, with the fireworks being its grand finale. By morning, their lives would never be the same. An era had ended not with a whimper but with a resounding bang. Theo the youngest child, the revered son in a house full of daughters had vanished into thin air. The secure life of the Edevane family lay in tatters, irreparable. Their house stood shuttered and closed. To return was unthinkable.
Seventy years later, on an enforced stress leave detective Sadie Sparrow, visits her grandfather in Cornwall. Out walking, she comes across the rambling and abandoned Edevane estate. Sadie finds it lure irresistible. She delves into the history of the property, and her enquiries lead her to the now elderly Alice Edevane.
Perhaps it is her awareness of her own mortality or perhaps she something of herself in the youthful fervour of Sadie Sparrow. Alice has, after all, spent her entire adult life as a successful mystery writer. Whatever the prompt, Alice decides to open her mind’s vault and to share the shocking secrets long ago locked within the recesses of her heart and mind.
Find a comfy spot to curl up and prepare to be whisked into another Kate Morton masterpiece
October 25, 2016
The Girl on the Train
This review will be my briefest yet. My message is, read the book, which is enthralling, and only then, watch the movie, which although, fabulous, can never be as detailed as the book.
In a nutshell, this is an awesome novel.
If I could have suspended life and all its dreary commitments for the duration of my reading this book, then I would gladly have done so and read it from start to finish very swiftly. As it was, I read it in four days while still managing to complete the activities of daily living, like working, cooking, eating, picking up after family members, etc.
Rachel, the main character, has issues, but nevertheless, it does not stop her from witnessing a perceived, potentially life-destroying event. No more to say, without spoiling.
In a nutshell, this is an awesome novel.
If I could have suspended life and all its dreary commitments for the duration of my reading this book, then I would gladly have done so and read it from start to finish very swiftly. As it was, I read it in four days while still managing to complete the activities of daily living, like working, cooking, eating, picking up after family members, etc.
Rachel, the main character, has issues, but nevertheless, it does not stop her from witnessing a perceived, potentially life-destroying event. No more to say, without spoiling.
September 26, 2016
The Flower Arrangement by Ella Griffiin
The Flower Arrangement
By Ella Griffin
Ella Griffin has landscaped a beautiful story around a bouquet of different characters with Lara, a divorced florist, as its centrepiece.
She is the owner of Blossom and Grow, a Dublin flower shop with a regular clientele. Lara is disappointed in love, and her work has become her focal point. She has created a successful business.
A variety of characters are intertwined as their lives are affected in different ways with Lara and her delightful flower shop.
Ella Griffin writes in various time periods that are not clearly defined as we read, however, everything folds together nicely.
The message I received from this book is the reminder that no one person is an island, and one seemingly inconsequential action or turn of event is like the ripples on the pond of life. Small favours granted and actions can yield a greater impact than we may ever realise.
The Flower Arrangement is a lovely book which encompasses love, friendship, hope, loss, and a renewal of faith in the spirit of kindness.
It is well worth the time it may take to slot the pieces of the story together.
The Flower Arrangement
By Ella Griffin
Ella Griffin has landscaped a beautiful story around a bouquet of different characters with Lara, a divorced florist, as its centrepiece.
She is the owner of Blossom and Grow, a Dublin flower shop with a regular clientele. Lara is disappointed in love, and her work has become her focal point. She has created a successful business.
A variety of characters are intertwined as their lives are affected in different ways with Lara and her delightful flower shop.
Ella Griffin writes in various time periods that are not clearly defined as we read, however, everything folds together nicely.
The message I received from this book is the reminder that no one person is an island, and one seemingly inconsequential action or turn of event is like the ripples on the pond of life. Small favours granted and actions can yield a greater impact than we may ever realise.
The Flower Arrangement is a lovely book which encompasses love, friendship, hope, loss, and a renewal of faith in the spirit of kindness.
It is well worth the time it may take to slot the pieces of the story together.
The Flower Arrangement
September 12, 2016
The Missing Wife, by Sheila O'Flanagan
The Missing Wife
By Sheila O’Flanagan
Not all scars are visible on the outside.
Meet Imogen Naughton; fearless lion-heart turned lamb. Married to Vince, theirs is the perfect marriage, or is it?
She is desperate to escape the chains of love that bind her and build a new life. Imogen travels through France on a journey to the place where she was once the happiest, the most secure.
Can she throw off the shackles of a controlling relationship and many years of feeling somewhat displaced and not quite good enough?
Vince is not accustomed to losing. Less than amused, he sets off on a cat and mouse game that has him trekking across France. He is determined to find his wayward wife and bring her back home where she belongs. Clearly, she is not well and needs his protection.
Meanwhile, Imogen convinced that she is safe tentatively begins to drop down her barriers and accept the tendered hands of friendship from the locals.
Once again, Sheila O’Flanagan engages the reader with another hard to put down book.
I recommend you join Imogen on her heartwarming journey of self-discovery.
By Sheila O’Flanagan
Not all scars are visible on the outside.
Meet Imogen Naughton; fearless lion-heart turned lamb. Married to Vince, theirs is the perfect marriage, or is it?
She is desperate to escape the chains of love that bind her and build a new life. Imogen travels through France on a journey to the place where she was once the happiest, the most secure.
Can she throw off the shackles of a controlling relationship and many years of feeling somewhat displaced and not quite good enough?
Vince is not accustomed to losing. Less than amused, he sets off on a cat and mouse game that has him trekking across France. He is determined to find his wayward wife and bring her back home where she belongs. Clearly, she is not well and needs his protection.
Meanwhile, Imogen convinced that she is safe tentatively begins to drop down her barriers and accept the tendered hands of friendship from the locals.
Once again, Sheila O’Flanagan engages the reader with another hard to put down book.
I recommend you join Imogen on her heartwarming journey of self-discovery.
