Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

No worries, I'm not turning into a book blogger all of a sudden, posting a third book review in less than a week.
Behind Her Eyes arrived one day, without any note enclosed. Who posted it to me or why, I am not sure. Nobody asked me if I wanted to review it. It might have been from one of the competitions online, but I had no notification of any kind.
This book had great endorsements from many writers and social media: Stephen King called it "bloody brilliant", Ian Rankin described it as a "piledriver domestic thriller with pull-the-rug-out ending", Harlan Coben marked it out as "A dark, electrifying page-turner with a corker of an ending".

The story starts on a plausible note: a single Mum Louise has a rare night out, meets a man in a bar, they are both immediately attracted to each other. She drinks one too many, and goes for a drunken kiss with the attractive stranger. Things don't go further because David confesses that he is not available and that the kiss was a terrible mistake.
Louise is mortified and humiliated. She's in for a shock when she arrives to work on Monday only to find out that her new boss is that guy from the bar.
To complicate things even further, she bumps into Adele in the street. Adele happens to be David's wife, and is new in town. She attaches herself like a leech to Louise.
Instead of running for the hills and dumping both husband and wife, Louise begins a secret friendship with Adele, who seems to be vulnerable and scared of her controlling husband.
Whose story to believe? Who to side with?

Alert: Spoilers ahead
I detested the ending to the extent I felt like throwing the book across the room, once I finished it. I felt cheated. Why did a book which started as a thriller end as a supernatural nonsense?
I disliked all the characters in equal measure. None of them had any redeeming features.

Louisa, who is supposed to be a devoted loving mother, is nothing of the kind. She cannot wait until her son goes to bed. He goes to school, but has to be in bed as a toddler by 7.30pm, while she indulges in one too many glasses of wine and online browsing.
She doesn't give a second thought about her child's well-being.

Her actions are so difficult to justify or explain. If you are having an affair with a married man, surely you do not befriend his wife and then care for her mental health. She is duplicitous but also extremely stupid and thus easily manipulated by the psycopathic Adele.
If she had an ounce of brain and some love for her child, all this would not have happened.
For all her failings, even stupid Louise didn't deserve such an ending. I'm sorry for her child who has to live now with a creature from Hell.
And the very last page and the threat that comes at the end made my hair stand on end. That's when I wanted to throw the book across the room.
I didn't. I'm taking it to the charity shop.

When the book was published, the PR promoted it with a hashtag #WTFThatEnding. WTF in truth.

Brian Cox's Wonders of Life App (review + giveaway NOW CLOSED)

If you always wanted to discover what the cyanobacteria is, or find out more about the hearing ability of scorpions among many other nature facts and data, Professor Brian Cox will be your personal tour guide to Wonders of Life. This app is a follow-up to the most popular book and TV series. Together with Andrew Cohen, the BBC Head of Science, Professor Cox takes you on a breathtaking tour.
Brian Cox's Wonders of Life app from HarperCollins Publishers Ltd is available from the itunes Store at £3.99. It requires iOS7.

As it contains over 2 hours of HD videos and over 1000 high-res images, I haven't had a chance to explore the app in its entirety. If anything, what I have seen so far, is only a tip of the iceberg. But what I have seen, is very impressive. The photos and videos are dazzling and vibrant.

Swipe to look around the globe and visit the continents, by tapping the labels to explore. Pick the desired location from a 3D satellite view of the globe, zooming into it.
If something catches your attention, drag the thumbnails to read or watch the video documentaries produced by the BBC. Scroll down to read the short essays on the topics.
There is a top navigation bar which allows you to jump from one geographical location to another.

The app page promises:
"From the vast networks of subterranean freshwater caverns of the Yukatan peninsula to the Great White Sharks haunting the South Neptune islands, from the Hermit Crabs of Christmas Island to the Red Kangaroo of Western Australia, this app will help you uncover the secrets of life in the most unexpected locations and in the most stunning detail. Explore the vision of the Kangaroo, the DNA of the Chameleon or the hearing of the Mohave Desert Sand Scorpion in its natural habitat in scintillating 3D detail, delving deep down variously into the detail of microbial life, the inner eye, the second law of thermodynamics and more...
Along the way you'll learn how everything on Earth, from the smallest microbe to the largest giraffe, is constructed from the same fundamental building blocks and is subject to the same laws of nature".

Apps like these make science a cool subject. I wish we had something like this, when I was at school. As it happened, I yawned at my geography lessons and hated the biology. I envy the modern generations with all their access to technology which didn't exist when I grew up.
This is a whole brave new world, open for exploring.

Images refer to © BBC

If you enjoy nature shows and apps, I have a lovely surprise for you.

One of my lucky winners will win a new Brian Cox's Wonders of Life app and a book Wonders of Life, which accompanied the TV series.

If you would like to win the app + book bundle, please answer the question (leave a comment below):

Have you watched the BBC documentary series Wonders of Life and which episode did you find the most fascinating? (If you haven't had a chance to watch it, what was the last nature programme on TV you enjoyed?)

For a bonus entry please Like HarperCollins on Facebook, and leave a separate comment telling me so (including the name you Liked it as).

T&Cs:
the giveaway is open to the UK residents only.
One entry per person.
Please leave some means of contacting you: either your Twitter username or email..
Once the winner is selected, using the Raffleking, I will contact them by email or Twitter, and announce on my blog. If the winner does't respond in one week, another winner will be selected.
I will then email the winner's details to HarperCollins representative. Please keep in mind, I am not responsible for the prize dispatch.
The giveaway ends on 11 March midnight, the winner will be selected the next day.

Good luck!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many thanks to everyone who entered! The Raffleking has selected the winner:
it is KERI JONES. Big well done! Going to get in touch with you re your prize!

Narnia library giveaway (c/d 12 July 2013)

In conjunction with the fabulous Narnia food and feasts competition (you can read all about it in my previous post Are you a Narnia cooking star?) Harper Collins kindly offered a beautiful Narnia book set for one of my blog readers.

The Narnia library includes one copy of each of the following:

1.       The Magician’s Nephew

2.       The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

3.       The Horse and His Boy

4.       Prince Caspian

5.       The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

6.       The Silver Chair

7.       The Last Battle

If you would like to win this prize, please fill in the Rafflecopter form.
T&Cs:
Only the first step is mandatory: all you need is answer the question by leaving a comment.

All the other steps are optional, you don't have to do them all. All it takes to win is just one entry.
Only one entry per person is allowed (however, you can tweet daily and do a bonus click entry daily as well to increase your chances).
The giveaway is open to the UK residents only.
Once the Rafflcopter picks the winner, I will check if the winner has done what was requested. I will contact the winner, if they do not reply within a week, the prize will be allocated to another person.
The giveaway will close on 12 July 2013 at midnight.
Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

White Witch Cake

You might have seen my post about the Narnia cooking competition launched by Harper Collins (see Are you a Narnia cooking star? for all the details, terms and conditions).
This is my own creation, a cake inspired by Narnia.

White Witch Cake
Ingredients:

2 large eggs
2 bananas
200g self-raising powder
1 tsp baking powder
200g golden caster sugar
50g butter, unsalted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2tsp cinnamon
2tbsp ground almonds

For the icing
2 tbps cream cheese, low fat
50g icing sugar
30g butter, unsalted
1 tbsp brandy

For the decorations
3 tbsp Dr Oetker Apricot glaze
Dr Oetker Ready to Roll White Icing
Dr Oetker Soft Silver Pearls
Queen Writing Icing
Ready-made merigues (small size)
1tsp of softened butter

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
Grease the sandwich tins and line with the baking parchment (or use the cake release spray, then you don't need the parchment paper)
2. In a big mixing bowl sift the flour with the baking powder.
3. Mash the ripe bananas with the fork and whisk together with the sugar.
Whisk the egg yolks until the mixture is pale and creamy. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff. Add the eggs to the big bowl with the flour and ground almonds and mix well, adding cinnamon and vanilla extract too. Fold the egg whites in the mixture, using a large wooden spatula.
4. Spoon the mixture into the sandwich tin and smooth the top with the spoon.
5. Bake the cake for about 35-40 minutes or until it feels firm. Using a wooden skewer, check that the cake is done.
6. Leave the cake out for about 10 minutes, then carefully move to the wire cooling rack and leave there until completely cool. Carefully cut into two layers using a thin long knife.
7. Prepare the icing by mixing the cream cheese with the icing sugar in the bowl, then add the softened butter and the brandy, mix until it is smooth and shiny. If the icing is too thick, add another spoonful of brandy.
8. Spread the icing on top of the first layer and sandwich the two layers together.
9. Using a knife, spread the Apricot glaze over the top and sides of the cake.
10. Roll out the Ready to roll icing on a non-stick board to 5mm thickness. Drape the icing over the cake carefully. Use the rolling pin as a support tool to move the icing onto the cake without tearing it. Gently smooth the icing across the top of the cake, using your hands. Be careful not to leave the fingerprints, so don't press to hard. Smooth the icing down towards the base of the cake and trim any excess at the base with the knife.
11. Leave the cake for a day before decorating.
12. Using the writing icing, carefully draw your design. Add the silver pearls at the end.
13. Press each meringue in the softened butter, slightly, just to make it easy for the meringues to hold onto the sides of the cake.

Are you a Narnia Cooking Star?

HARPER COLLINS ON THE HUNT FOR A NARNIA COOKING STAR

HarperCollins are launching a global competition – Narnia Food and Feasts – giving fans the chance to feature in The Official Narnia Cookbook ebook. If you’ve ever wanted to sample Edmund’s Turkish Delight, satisfy your sweet tooth with Mr. Tumnus’s sugar-topped cake, or enjoy roast apples with Lucy, then HarperCollins invites you to bring the magic of Narnia to life in your own kitchen with Narnia Food and Feasts!

White Witch Cake (by Galina Varese)

Maybe you’ll create a lamppost liquorice straw treat, a White Witch egg white omelet, Reepicheep’s bite-sized cheese hors d’oeuvre, or a foraged foods salad from the Narnian forest floor! Take inspiration from the stories, characters, or events of The Chronicles of Narnia, and let your imagination run wild.

Fans could win a prize fit for Aslan:

A one night stay and meal for two at The Goring Hotel in London – where Kate Middleton stayed the night before her big day
A food foraging Taste the Wild day course for two from Countryfile presenter Chris Bax
A beautiful complete colour Narnia library
Plus, the chance for their Narnia themed dish to star in our new recipe collection in ebook!

Judged by a top chef from The Goring Hotel, food foraging expert and Countryfile presenter Chris Bax and stepson of C. S. Lewis – Douglas Gresham – the competition will be launched to the 3.7 million fans on the Official Narnia Facebook page on June 17th.

To enter, fans must go to the Facebook tab at TheChroniclesofNarnia from June 17th and enter their recipe and a photo of their creation. Deadline for entries is 10am on 1ST July, when there will be a two week voting period.  All the entries will be subject to the public vote from launch, our judges will then pick their five favourites after the entry period closes and the one with the most public votes will be the winner!
The winner will be announced with a special media event at The Goring in August.

White Witch Cake (detail)

The Scent of Death by Andrew Taylor

I confess I am addicted to reading historical thrillers. It is a pure escapism for me. There's nothing better after a long difficult day than to snuggle in bed with a book and get engrossed in the murder mystery set in the times long past. Having thoroughly enjoyed The American Boy by Andrew Taylor, I was excited to get hold of Taylor's latest novel The Scent of Death.

If you are a fan of the historical thriller genre, you might have come across some pretty mediocre examples of it, where the plot often does not hold water and the characters seem to be totally implausible.

Andrew Taylor has created a gripping detective story, with a convincing plot and compelling characters.
Taylor has chosen a fascinating period of history: the novel is set during the American War of Independence.
The pace is teasingly slow at the start, the style of writing is exceptionally good.
You get the taste of how good the writing is from the very first lines:
"This is the story of a woman and a city. I saw the city first, shimmering from afar like the new Jerusalem in the setting sun. I smelled the sweetness of the land and sensed the nearness of green, growing things after the weeks on the barren ocean... It was Sunday, 2nd August 1778"

The story is narrated by Edward Savill, a London clerk from the American Department. He is assigned to New York to investigate the claims of dispossessed loyalists who are evicted from their lands by the republican rebels. You get the insights into the routine horros of the civil war, injustice, internal contradictions, tough conditions and precariousness of life.
Savill is billetted with the respected Wintour family. The enigmatic Arabella Wintour is the heroine who appears in the first sentence of the book and who would propel the story to its unforgettable end.
Savill is a sympathetic and observant story-teller.

The narrative is visually dramatic and marvellously atmospheric, the darkness hiding the danger and proving treacherous, the light - be it shimmering candles or glowing windows - highlighting the facial features and revealing the mysteries. Flashes of light and darkness are symbols of the human nature, as almost each character in the book has a secret they want to hide.

The title of the novel is quite apt, as the scent of death follows you from the beginning, with the memorable description of the "merman" in the sea, the graphic scene of execution, with more deaths to follow, coming to a very poignant attempt of escape of the ice and the most intense and agonizing dénouement.

score: 10/10

P.S. Harper Collins kindly sent me a copy of the book for reviewing. All opinions are mine.