Carol Naylor's REVIEW it...

                                  C RUEL SUMMER by Bernard Jan. " I'm lost in a world I do not understand and I'm trying to find myself." It's mid-August and NYC is established as the main setting to this tragic and disconcerting story about Michael Daniels a 17 year old, suffering grievously from the recent death of his mother Melanie, losing the will to live. We are plunged into a cold NYC suggesting that America is experiencing a new climatic disorder and establishing pathetic fallacy to set the scene for some shocking revelations. It is " a perfect setting for his {Michael's} gloomy feelings and depressing thoughts." "Cruel Summer" is an apt title, ominous, reflecting Michael's mind and life. Young adults will understand and appreciate the intensity, dark moods and melancholic tones. His relationship with his step-father, Hank is a brutal one. He works at RIRL-Roosevelt Island Research Institute wh...

                  Fragments of a Dream by Ruth Larrea. "If only Angelos and I could rewrite our lives on a blank page equipped with fresh wisdom and insight." Describing Larrea's debut novel as a simple love story doesn't quite do it justice. Considering the ageing population, marriages that collapse in later years and the need to be loved, it is refreshing that the protagonist is in her senior years, close to retirement. It is a romantic story of people in the third age of life rediscovering themselves and their loved ones. Rosie Burden is a survivor and the novel has a positivity about it in spite of the setbacks. "A lifetime of sacrifices" is how she described putting Harry first. No tell-tale signs that he would leave Rosie for a younger woman. There were tensions throughout their marriage which affected their offspring, Lisa and Matthew but nothing unusual compared to other families. Rosie had se...

                        The C Word.TV Drama. "Losing someone to cancer really resets your perspective. It makes me value life, cherish my loved ones and be grateful for every day I have with them."(Sheridan Smith) 4.2 million people recently tuned in to watch an outstanding and powerful performance by Sheridan Smith (recently seen in Cilla) and whose credits include the sitcom Gavin & Stacey, Two Pints of Lager & A Packet of Crisps, Quartet with Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon to more highbrow Ibsen. A versatile actress and an accomplished singer. Staring cancer in the face may be construed as a bravado act but it takes a lot of courage. Smith, affectionately known as the queen of the biopic agreed to play Lisa Lynch, a journalist, or more specifically a magazine editor. Lynch was adamant that her alter ego should be played by Smith and only Smith. ...

White Nights by Ann Cleeves. "It's the time of year. The light nights. It makes us all go a little bit mad." Sounds like Shakespeare? A Midsummer Night's Dream? This is Cleeves' second book in the Shetland series. Tourists are streaming ashore in Lerwick, mainly Americans to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of Shetland. In one breath we are told of how safe the place is then we are confronted with a clown wearing a sinister mask giving out flyers as the tourists disembark. It's midsummer when the birds sing at midnight and the sun never sets. It's a crazy time of the year when night blurs into day and nothing is quite as it seems! Jimmy Perez has his own down-to-earth style of detective work in between pursuing Fran Hunter, his love interest for the past six months. It's still early days and he is treading carefully. Bella Sinclair, described as being rather unapproachable, intimidating and rich was exhibiting her art work at Herri...

                  Marriages Are Made in Bond Street by Penrose Halson . "The men come over here, the girls are already here, they all want to get together but they never meet! Let's introduce them-let's start a marriage agency." It's spring, 1939 just before the war started. Two young women, both twenty-four, Heather Jenner and Mary Oliver decided to open a marriage bureau in Bond Street, London. The book by Halson celebrates ten years of matching couples during a difficult period in English history. Many years later, Halson found herself proprietor of the Katherine Allen Marriage and Advice Bureau (1986). In 1992 it had incorporated Heather Jenner's agency. Her source came partly from Jenner's daughter, Stella Sykes who had archived her mother's copious notes as well as three books on marriage, two by Jenner and one by Mary Oliver collaborating with Mary Benedetta. The stories are interesting...

                 The Calico Cat by Amanda James.  "Then life takes huge bites out of you, chews you up, spits you out and watches you slowly bleed to death by the wayside." I find it refreshing to come across writing that is somewhat different and far removed from the world of crime and detection, my usual genre. James indicates that this is about a journey of self-discovery, life, love and adventure mainly for the persona, Lottie Morgan, a "damaged" individual because of how her parents mismanaged an extremely "delicate" situation when their daughter was at an impressionable age. Lottie is not your average female and she is so complicated, having suffered a rejection by Jenny her mother then further betrayals from people she cared about. It got so bad for Lottie that she started to self-harm, followed by suicidal thoughts then displayed what is referred to as psychotic behaviour. We get a glimp...