Life & Soul of the Party by Mike Gayle - Salisbury Station

This is the other book that I picked up at Salisbury Station.


I liked Mike Gayle books as a teen, they were simple and a little like life, and always a really easy read. The blurb didn't sound terribly intriguing, but then I opened the cover.

Written on the Title page was the kind of message which makes me smile, (and also inspired me to start this blog).

"Hey, my name's Yiota,
I picked up this book at the train station before heading off to a festival. Save yourself the trouble this book is shit. X"

Then below in slightly different pen
"The only constant thing in your life is change. Athena 2016"

After I chuckled, the first thing that came to my mind was;
'Seriously, who has time to read books at a festival???' And then of course I had to check if Yiota was right.

Turns out Yiota was indeed correct.

This book is about a few 20- something couples growing up (or not) together. It certainly took me to my 20s, but had the familiar surface scratch of Mike Gayles books. It doesn't delve deeper, the characters are predictable, and 2d.

If you like those sort of books, OR if you like to prove people wrong, then check out this book, when I deposit at a station. (will update with what station it has been placed).

UPDATE:  This book has been left at Reading Station, on a bench on platform 2. If you read it, don't forget to comment. And please share. 

Don't forget to subscribe and share. Oh and if you have read it, please share your comments below, I would love to know your thoughts.

Until next time!

Annie May's Black Book. Salisbury Train Station.

So, I picked this book up in the middle of a long journey with my family.
The bookcase in Salisbury Train Station is in the Waiting Room. If you have a big gap in your journey, it is well worth dropping in.

Sadly when I went pickings were slim, but I had just finished the book that I had brought with me and it is rare that I get a chance to read, so I picked up two books as I wasn't sure that either would catch my attention.

 Annie May's Black Book by Debby Holt.

I picked this book up for one main reason, and that is that the author (Debby Holt) is from Bath, and having lived in Bath for 14 years I felt that the local connection may keep my attention.

Annie is an acting coach, in Bath. She has a Black Book in which she records the name an offence of anyone who has ever done her any wrong...anyone! I found this little insight into the character witty and intriguing, and in a way I was expecting a far more quirky character because of this.
Her biggest offender, of course is the man who jilted her seventeen years ago, and that has kind of led onto her being a commitment-phobe. But in a twist of fate, 'that man' ends up moving just around the corner. Can Annie learn to forgive? Or is the Black Book just too important?

The first interaction in this book is between Annie and her sister Lily, who happens to be getting married. I love the relationships between all three sisters in this book, and indeed the family as a whole. They were a very believable family, but due to Annie being 'happily single', her sister getting married,  and her parents quizzing her about anyone 'special' in her life, I just couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Annie during that first part of the book.

Without giving too much away, I found the twists fairly predictable, but I think that it satisfied something in my, it was how it should have been.
I did enjoy the book as a quick and easy read. I guess what I really engaged with was  the locations around Bath, which were all there at a time when I was going out, which I like to dub as TimeBC (before Children).

My main criticism is that when a female character is written as 'happily single', more often they turn out not to be so happy. I feel that this isn't a fair representation.

Overall, it is a great read to put down, so you can read it when you have short bursts of reading time.

I will Update when I have dropped at a station.

UPDATE:  This book has been left on the bookshelf at Axminster Station. It is in the ticket office, which is only open until 6pm.

Bye for now!!!