Review: Invisible Me by Bobby Scoynes (Young Adult, 8/10E)

 .

January 2025, The Book Guild, 400 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Summary from The Book Guild

Invisibility – it’s a superpower, right? Well, not quite. Being the Invisible Boy... it's more of a curse.

Nayu's thoughts

First I need to confess while I didn't think it was a superhero book about invisiblity, I didn't realise it would be extremely detailed about how teen boys think. Some aspects of the book I totally would have preferred not to know! Which probably makes it perfect for young men to read, it just made me blush a bit. Moving on...

...it is a brilliant tale about feeling invisible, which I'm sure everyone feels especially if they aren't super popular in their school. It isn't just school life where he feels unseen, but at home too. Which thankfully he discovers by the end is so far from the truth. I did want to throw a pillow at him for thinking no one in his life cared about him. His mother loves him so much! He definitely struggles with self-esteem a lot, which is enough to deal with let alone figuring out he loved boys rather than girls. The tale is all about first love and how loopy it can make a person. It's about finally letting loved ones know who he truly is, which has a sweet conclusion I'm not going to ruin.

It has been a few weeks since I've read the book, my memory is like a sieve but I don't think the protagonist is ever named. Apart from the diary segments it's told from the first person point of view, and a quick google search hasn't revealed a name. I feel this is a deliberate omission to add to the realism of how invisible he feels. 

I didn't like all his behaviour, but teens do silly things. Falling out with the one friend he had lead to some really mean moments, which he thankfully regrets and does try to make amends eventually. However, all that drama is linked to his depression and poor mental health too. Life isn't easy, and unfortunately one one aspect of life is out of the balance the rest can topple over too, as he discovers. He has much drama at school with singing in a band and learning to be an opera singer (even I knew both wasn't a good idea), as well as juggling finding his true self and his mother's new boyfriend being around a lot. 

Being bullied is unfortunately something a lot of readers may be able to relate to, and does explain a lot of his erratic thoughts and behaviours. There is a resolution of sorts by the end, and it does deal with darker aspects of mental health which possibly should have had a warning at the start. I hadn't heard of Bobby before this book, but I tend to live in a cave when it comes to recognising famous people. 

Suggested read

For more teen drama with a female protagonist who is struggling with life check out Ellen Lives On by Lynda Haddock (Young Adult, 10E/10E)

 

Review: The Six Queens of Henry VIII by Honor Cargill-Martin & Jaimee Andrews (Children's, Non-fiction, 9/10E)

 October 2024, Hachette Children's, 48 pages, Hardback, Review copy

Summary from Hachette Children's

 We all know Henry VIII had six wives. But these ladies are FAR too interesting to only be known as wives. Did you know that Catherine of Aragon rallied her troops in full armour while heavily pregnant? Or that Anne of Cleves met Henry VIII BEFORE they married – only she didn’t realise, because he was in disguise! Or that it was Catherine Parr who persuaded the king to return his daughters Mary and Elizabeth – two of British history’s most famous monarchs – to the line of succession?

Nayu's Thoughts

I studied the Tudors at school, and I can tell you what happened to each wife: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survied, but I can't recall all the names, what happened to which wife and a myriad of other details. Those are all in this absolutely gorgeously illustrated book! The cover is stunning, I love how often what I believe is called the Tudor Rose features for all the queens. The bright colours make the historical facts all the more engaging. Relearning information about the brave women is presented in manageable chunks. 

Some of the queens lacked morals in how they met Henry or dealt with him before they and after they were married, but those facts are clearly explained and not lingered on. They all have inner strength and definitely were lucky to keep living since he was fond of executions. Each has the tale of how they met the King, then key moments in their lives are portrayed which makes them seem more real. I mean I know they were real, obviously,  but their contribution to the world is rather fascinating. I never knew Henry's final wife Katherine Parr wrote a book, or that Anne of Cleves needed an interpreter because she didn't speak English. 

I really liked how at the back the timeline of the queens as well as how they fit in the family tree was explained; sometimes it is easier to understand things visually in a timeline rather than simply having dates written down on the page. This is a brilliant introductory book to the Tudor queens, with all knowledge needed for younger students and perhaps a gateway to more indepth books for older ones. 

Suggested read

If you love learning about facts check out DK My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things by Dorling Kindersley (Children's, Non-Fiction, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review) 

 

Nayu's News #261 Apologies for the absence

Madoka from Aikatsu!

 

 

 Yes, I know it's been almost six months of silence. I'm sorry for that, just as I'm sorry for the delayed reviews to the publishers that are coming shortly. This year has been a bit on the crazy side with issues that indirectly then affected my health in unexpected ways. I needed the time to rest and recuperate, and checking blog emails simply wasn't on the cards. I'm back for now and have missed being here. Outside of the upcoming reviews I hope to post minimum every two weeks, maybe weekly but that will depend on staying pre-scheduled.

I have still been reading a lot, gaming and watching a lot of shows. I sady no longer have Disney Plus but Amazon Prime video surprisingly has  a lot of fun shows I'm enjoying. I've seen all The Grand Tour episodes, James May's cooking and travel shows. For drama I've watched The Handmaid's Tale, eagerly awaiting all the final season to be out. I'm currently slowly plough through The 100 and also The Wheel of Time, although it depends when I'm in the mood for them. It has to be said my favourite show at the moment that I'm watching some on DVD is Miss Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. It's lighthearted, full of charm and comedy. I adore Marinette as she struggles being a superheroine alongside school life. 

Anyway, thank you again for being patient with me. I understand if I have lost some followers (I don't keep track), hope you enjoy the upcoming reviews!

Nayu's News #260: Happy 2025!

 

A new year episode on Aikatsu! means kimono time!

Please bear with me while I catch up with posts and emails. I was very unwell all of December, which sucked as it was one thing after the other. I'm maybe 85% back to normal for me, but still regaining strength and endurance. Doing lots of gaming, some reading, and lots of tv watching. Praying the rest of the year is a healthier one that's for sure!

FYI for now my craft blog is closed for new posts, maybe will reopen in the future but I tend to post on Instagram or Blue Sky now (under the username Nayuleska).

Nayu's News #259 Autumn catch up

Mizuki from Aikatsu! looking gorgeous as ever at night

 

 November has marched along mostly to me having a lot of poor sleep which was not very fun. It's why I decided not to catch up with October reading and playing lists, to give myself grace. Starting to sleep a bit better, kind of, which is nice especially as the weather is getting distinctly colder which my body hates. Busy with gaming or TV watching. I am getting back into the habit of watching anime daily as my rest time, which is fun for sure! 

 As for my laptop charger. My laptop is old, and in the next few years I will need a new one. For a long time whenever I use it the charger gets crazy hot, like so much so I feel it could be a safety issue. Last week I ordered a new one, not too expensive, thankfully. And you know what? It is so much cooler that I have to wonder what on earth was wrong my original one. It's been on a few hours and is cool to the touch apart from a slightly warm area. This is in stark contrast to the so hot I feared it might set on fire older charger. So if a charger is heating up, I advise getting a replacement. Maybe it can be cleaned if you a techincally minded person. I'm not and I don't want to electrocute myself thus a new charger happened!

Hope you all are having a good week start to autumn!  

Sakura from Aikatsu!

 

Nayu's News #258 No reading/gaming posts this month

best girl from AKB0048 anime Mimori! She shines so brightly ^u^

 

The past few weeks have been crazy, mostly recovering from vaccines and poor sleep. I'm thus skipping both September and October What I've read lists. I have read books, a lot have covers I can't show as they are too...mature for my blog. I skip the steamy scenes but do love the books. Plus I still haven't found the book where I like to keep track of what I've read/watched. It has vanished! I have started a temporary one but equally haven't read as much this month. So the next monthly catch up will be in December for November's reading. Apologies, but with little energy I have to focus on rest as Winter is not kind to me health wise. I'm getting through as I always do!

Review: Braids Take A Day by Zainab Boladale (Young Adult, 10E/10E)

 

Stunning cover by Grace Enemaku

August 2024, The O'Brien Press, 240 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Summary from The O'Brien Press

 Uncovering secrets is like undoing braids, one at a time… 

Abidemi can’t wait for summer. She’s ready to spend some time learning new hairstyles and see where things go with her friend Jack.

But when she meets an intriguing woman from Nigeria, secrets start to unravel…

Nayu's thoughts

I have little to know experience in the trials of non-caucasian hair. The little I do know is gleaned from TV shows, movies and books such as this one. I learned so much about haircare from Abi, I'm in awe of how much time and effort goes into creating braids. Her passion for creating cute hairstyles felt infectious (I don't have energy for hairstyles, but if i did I would have learned a few new ones from youtube after reading this book. Not braids, but I'd have learned how to do a french plait for sure)

I also learned a lot about her life. I really liked the relationship she has with her father, who is a single parent. That included when everything went wrong and he made some big mistakes which majorly affected his daughter. True to life, it wasn't just her family that had issues: due to some misunderstanding Abi had friendship issues too. It's the summer after her exams and there are a lot of changes on the horizon because she is at that stage  of life when change is inevitable. I loved how close she is to her best friend, who it turns out is also having issues. Of course there is some potential romance too so Abi has a lot on her plate, there is little that is steady apart from her hair.

The myseterious Nigerian lady added a lot of drama to her life. I liked how it shows families are complicated, there isn't an easy guide for dealing with parental loss and the ensuing grief. I struggled to put down the book to get on with my life because I just wanted to know what happened next. Abi's life at the end of the book is quite different to at the start, and I really hope there is a sequel one day to see how she is doing, as I suspect life will get more complicated in the future too. She has a lot of emotions to deal with about several topics, and she does not always handle them in the best way, but they are her way and she muddles through with help (and without it). I really loved this book and definitely will reread it one day. 

Find out more about Zainab on her website. 

Suggested read

If you like books that make you think try Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais (Young Adult, 10/10E)