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Book Review: Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

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Genre: Fiction

In this moving, revelatory literary novel, a young writer finds himself unable to open up to the possibility of love — except through the companionship of his aging dachshund Lily. But with the unexpected arrival of a small octopus that affixes itself, unrelenting, to Lily’s head, it soon becomes clear this invader is strangling the life from his dog and threatening the bond between man and his one true friend.

With transportive spins into magic realism at sea and beautifully evoked universal truths of loss and longing on land, a hilariously sardonic and not altogether reliable narrator, and one unforgettable hound whose simple passions and inspiring wisdom will break your heart and put it back together again, Lily and the Octopus captures the singular search for meaning in the face of death and introduces a dazzling new voice in fiction.

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Excuse me for a moment while I wait for the emotional rollercoaster to slow down and cruise into the docking station, ready for me to get off. Oh my heart. This book is a wonderful, emotional, heart bleeding story of a man and his dog. Of course, once you read the first chapter you’ll know exactly how the story is going to go. Don’t let that stop you. Steven Rowley tells a wonderful tale of a dog and his owner. I fell in love with the relationship he has with Lily right from the beginning. I mean, surely everyone tumblr_mgoopn41in1rz2ot3o1_1280plays Monopoly and talks boys with their dog, right?! My heart is so full of love, but so heavy with sadness. This is a literary wonder. A book that makes you want to read it, but not continue on because you want to save yourself. You’ll never look at another dachshund without thinking of the beautiful Lily. Being a dog person I feel like I may have invested myself heavily in this book. There’s just no description of the love and loyalty a dog and owner have. Read this book… that’s all I can say. Read it and feel the love that exists in this world. I’ll be right back, I need to go and smother my two senior furry babies in lots of love!!!

~ A beautimous (both beautiful and fabulous) must-read. Grab this book! NOW!

Photo:Malina Saval

Book Review: Reluctantly Charmed by Ellie O’Neill

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reluctantlycharmedGenre: Fiction

It’s Kate McDaid’s birthday and she’s hoping to kickstart her rather stagnant love-life and career when she gets some very strange news. To her surprise, she is the sole benefactor of a great-great-great-great aunt and self-proclaimed witch also called Kate McDaid, who died over 130 years ago. As if that isn’t strange enough, the will instructs that, in order to receive the inheritance, Kate must publish seven letters, one by one, week by week.

Burning with curiosity, Kate agrees and opens the first letter – and finds that it’s a passionate plea to reconnect with the long-forgotten fairies of Irish folklore. Instantly, Kate’s life is turned upside down. Her romantic life takes a surprising turn and she is catapulted into the public eye. As events become stranger and stranger – and she discovers things about herself she’s never known before – Kate must decide whether she can fulfil the final, devastating step of the request . . . or whether she can face the consequences if she doesn’t.

Reluctantly Charmed is about what happens when life in the fast lane collides with the legacy of family, love and its possibilities… and a little bit of magic.

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The front cover of Reluctantly Charmed says “Witty, enchanting and utterly addictive” .. I’m going to have to agree. This was such a quirky, gorgeously fun read. It’s a story of a girl, and what she needs to do step out of her comfort and truly ‘trust her instincts’. Can she believe? Can she make the right choices? Ellie O’Neill writes in a fun, easy to read manner that had me a1a01b0c7cb7c586ca2857db7f2a5b76turning the page rapidly, eager to read the words on the next and the next and the next page, until I finally closed the book. There’s a lot of characters that make up the story, and at times I had to double back and re-check who was who, but it didn’t take away from the charming story. The Irish countryside, the characters of the little Irish village, it all had me sighing and wishing I could be whisked away to Ireland and the land of fae, just to see if I could find the fairy fort….. what if…

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About the Author:

Ellie O’Neill sold spider catchers in Sydney, flipped burgers in Dublin, and worked in advertising in London, but all the while EllieOneill427519970_hrshe had that niggling feeling she had stories to tell. Swapping the dizzy disco lights of London for her parents’ suburban Dublin house, she scribbled away knowing that there was something about Irish fairies she needed to share with the world. Then, most unexpectedly, Ellie fell madly in love. Five years later, Geelong, Australia, is home to Ellie, her Joe, and their fabulous baby. Ellie is currently working on her second book.

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A massive huge thanks to Simon & Schuster for the paperback copy of Reluctantly Charmed. It will proudly sit on my book shelf!