Books Via Ashley

Gone Viking by Helen Russell * I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review * Synopsis (from Goodreads) Frazzled mum Alice Ray likes to think she’s on top everything – she has FOUR bags-for-life in the boot of her car for heaven's sake. But after spectacularly embarrassing herself at work, she finally gives in to her sister’s pleas to take a much needed break. But this is not the luxury spa holiday Alice hoped for – instead, she finds herself in Denmark, in the middle of nowhere, on a ‘How to be a Viking’ getaway. Can the two sisters finally learn to get along or will learning to embrace their inner warrior just make them better at fighting? Review This book had zany characters and hilarious situations, but also some tender, heartfelt moments. It also made me want to craft a sword and build a boat and be a Viking! Alice is a very uptight woman who has a tragic past. Her way of dealing with that--with anything really--is to...

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan Synopsis In the recent recession, Clay Jannon is out of a job, until he stumbles across a 'Help Wanted' sign in the window of an unusual bookstore, owned by the kind yet mysterious Mr. Penumbra. Clay is hired for the nightshift in the store, and it's clear that it's a front for something else--strange customers come in to the store at all hours of the night, urgently requesting to check out some of the store's unique volumes. Clay decides to get to the bottom of what's going on. Enlisting the help of his friends, their investigation leads them on a wild adventure to solve a mystery that's hundreds of years old. Review The plot is extremely compelling, but lighthearted--it doesn't take itself too seriously. I really didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book--I had seen it was popular and looked interesting. But after the first couple pages I was hooked and in for a fun adventur...

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella Synopsis Poppy Wyatt is engaged to handsome Magnus Tavish, a brilliant academic from a brilliant, nerdy, academic family. They're all set to get married in just a few weeks, though she struggles with feeling inadequate and inferior to her fiancee and his family. But then she loses her phone, and her engagement ring, on the same day. Luckily she finds a spare phone in the rubbish, which happens to belong to Sam Roxton, a practical and often socially inept executive at a prestigious company. He agrees to let her keep the phone if she helps him with some work while he looks for a new assistant (the last one having ditched the phone in the bin when she quit). Poppy begins to find out more about Sam's life, and begins to interfere little by little, her actions having often hilarious consequences. As Poppy juggles wedding prep, hiding the missing ring from her fiancé, and meddling with Sam, she begins to really think about what--and...

Redshirts by John Scalzi Winner of the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Novel Synopsis Andy Dahl has just arrived the galactic ship  Intrepid . But things aren't... quite normal. For one thing, people seem to die a lot, especially on away missions, and especially newer people who come on board. People act weird too, suddenly saying things or having knowledge and skills they never mentioned before, along with incredible technology that has no explanation. And it all seems to center around the Captain and four of his closest crew members, who manage to survive every away mission. So Dahl and his friends decide to do some investigating to figure out what's going on, and potentially save their own lives. What he discovers isn't at all what he was expecting. Review This is one of the more clever and humorous books I've read. It's great satire on the tropes and stereotypes of science fiction shows *cough*Star Trek*cough* (before anyone gets on my case, I was raised ...