Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult: no 'Mockingbird" alas ...

When a newborn baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, there is no doubt about who will be held responsible: the nurse who had been banned from looking after him by his father. 

What the nurse Ruth, her lawyer Kennedy, and Turk the father of the child cannot know is how this death will irrevocably change all of their lives, in ways both expected and not.

My review:

On the whole, this book is a disappointment especially as usually I really love Picoult's books. This is definitely not her best and not even her most far-reaching work. The trouble is that the author has been so taken up by the nobility of her cause (campaigning against racism) that she has forgotten to write a novel. Most of the first three-quarters of the book could have been better expressed by means of non-fiction, and I felt that the material was being forced into a novelistic form which it definitely did not fit. As a result, Ruth is very dull and irritating and needs a good shaking every now and again - she repeats herself constantly and I ended up skipping her sections in order to read the sections on Turk or Kennedy, which were better written by far.

It's a great relief when the court scenes finally arrive in the last quarter of the book, and Picoult actually starts writing the novel rather than beating us over our heads with her cause. From then on in, I enjoyed the story, and it raced through to the dramatic (and, yes, a wee bit laughable) end. Ruth of course remains unbearably smug, but I loved the way things turn out for Turk. He at least is a great character.

I hope Picoult will remember to let the story and the characters (not the cause, please!) take centre stage for her next novel - a return to form would be appreciated!

Anne Brooke Books

Clariel by Garth Nix: one for the children

Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not adjusting well to her new life in the city of Belisaere, the capital of the Old Kingdom. She misses roaming freely within the forests of Estwael, and she feels trapped within the stone city walls. And in Belisaere she is forced to follow the plans, plots and demands of everyone, from her parents to her maid to the sinister Guildmaster Kilip. Clariel can see her freedom slipping away. It seems too that the city itself is descending into chaos, as the ancient rules binding Abhorsen, King and Clayr appear to be disintegrating.

With the discovery of a dangerous Free Magic creature loose in the city, Clariel is given the chance both to prove her worth and make her escape. But events spin rapidly out of control. Clariel finds herself more trapped than ever, until help comes from an unlikely source. But the help comes at a terrible cost. Clariel must question the motivations and secret hearts of everyone around her - and it is herself she must question most of all.

My review:

This is the first (and I think only) book by Garth Nix that I've read, or will read. It came across very much as a children's fantasy book and not really that engaging for adults. That's absolutely fine of course, but I wish I'd known this before I started. The beginning is very slow so it was a relief to get to the middle where the plot started to kick in.

Then a lot of things (murder! journeys! danger!) happen all at once which is great, but then it got a bit out of hand and there was way too much happening by the end so I lost interest and started skipping. It was odd because I started off really liking Clariel, but when she began to actually do something, I couldn't work out her reasoning so found her rather facile. Oh, and I hated the pesky cat. We really didn't need it - a bit of a 'MacGuffin". So, all in all, an okay read for the young, but not for me.

Anne Brooke Books

Sunshine on a Rainy Day by Bryony Fraser: Worst Heroine Ever Alert!

Blurb: It’s Zoe and Jack’s first wedding anniversary party. They’ve got an announcement! They’re getting divorced…

Marriage isn’t for everyone – something that Zoe and Jack discovered only after they’d walked down the aisle. Bad timing, huh? So now they’re stuck together in their once harmonious marital home, neither one of them willing to move out of their lovely house.

With Zoe’s three sisters always wanting a say, and Jack’s best friend trying his best to fix things between them, misunderstandings arise. Tempers flare. ‘Accidents’ happen…

Zoe and Jack are going to be lucky if they’re still alive when the twelve months are up. But maybe things aren’t quite as final as they seem?

Review: This book could have had a lot going for it, but unfortunately the main character Zoe was very poorly written and simply came across as being very immature and selfish. Not to mention thoroughly annoying. I actually had no idea why her new husband Jack was with her - he could do a lot better.

Indeed this is one of the mysteries of this shaky romance - Zoe is surrounded by an absolute bevy of totally charming friends and family who are very generous, kind and patient with her rank stupidity and downright cruelty. I would much rather the main character could have been someone - anyone! - else.

That said, the premise of a newly wedded couple opting for divorce is an interesting one, but poorly executed here. Such a shame.

Anne Brooke Books

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty: fabulous and gripping read

This is a brilliant piece of women's fiction and I absolutely loved it. I've not read any Moriarty's novels before but once I started this one I couldn't put it down. Yes, the time between Cecilia discovering THAT letter and actually opening it might be a tad too long for my taste, but I kept on reading, particularly because I was getting to know the other characters well too. There are some wonderful twists and turns in this book, and it includes moments of comedy and moments of great sadness.

The contrast between the terrible tragedy from the past and how people simply have to keep living their lives and dealing with all the hundred and one everyday situations which keep cropping up is excellently described, and I really felt for all the characters. In fact I was thinking about this book and the people in it even when I wasn't reading it - which in my view is always the mark of a great novel. Other things I enjoyed were the voice of Janie (the deceased daughter) and how her story weaves in and out of the present day crises. How the situation is understood and resolved by all the characters is both gripping and moving, and the section at the end where we see onward into people's lives and how characters have turned out is simply wonderful and I very much appreciated this unexpected epilogue.

Yes, this book is very good indeed and I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to my next Moriarty novel already.

Anne Brooke Books

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara: a flawed work of genius

This is a very powerful story and very powerful writing, with a good range of character viewpoints - almost Dickensian in fact, although the focus is purely on the rich and talented. The trouble with it is that it's about 150 pages or so too long - a lot of Jude's (terribly tragic) story needed to be cut as it has too much repetition and misery in it which weakens the tragic effect. Indeed, after a while, Jude's utter refusal to get professional help for his very understandable mental health problems becomes selfish and irritating. It was also unfortunate that the too intense focus on Jude means we lose out on the delight of the other characters' voices - I missed the middle years of JB and Malcolm especially.

There are however some achingly lovely turning points, and I was particularly struck by the negative and positive balance of the 'what if' scenario, i.e. what if we'd never met the horrible person who hurt us, as set against what if we'd never met the wonderful person who loves us - a good philosophy to ponder. So, in spite of obvious flaws, this book is still in my opinion a work of genius and I doubt I'll read anything better this year.

9 out of 10

Anne Brooke Books

Life after Church by Brian Sanders: a narrow view of God

This is all very worthy, but only really speaks to evangelical or charismatic Christians. For those of us who are neither of these, this book is unhelpful at best and damaging at worst. Sanders has a rather judgemental attitude that I definitely didn't warm to, and I suspect his vision of God might be far too narrow. Read it if you must, but take any advice it offers with a large pinch of salt!

Anne Brooke Books

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: a Dull and Longwinded Tale

I had high hopes of this book which were sadly dashed. I should have been warned by the list of characters at the beginning of the book - as if an author needs to have a list of characters, then they're really not doing their job correctly in bringing them to life for us in the text. And there are so many of them and they all sounded the same! I certainly couldn't keep track and wasn't interested enough to refer back to the list .. I found the main characters irritating as well, which didn't help matters. I wouldn't have been friends with either of them, LOL!

Anyway, the story is long and ambling and ends up in blind alleyways far too many times - it seems to be written in a very clunky and flat style, and focuses on the dullest parts of a scene rather than the most exciting ones. It's certainly no Dickens! There's a moment or two of excitement when Lena goes away to an island somewhere and has a few interesting experiences, but then she returns to the homeland (sadly) and her life falls back into its dull routine. The ending is abrupt and made no sense at all to me. Surely even in a series, a novel can't just stop for no apparent reason, but there has to be some kind of closure even though strands are left open for the next book.

As an aside, I really hated the cover - it's quite horrid. That said, the story idea is a good one (and deserving of 2 stars out of 5) but someone should write it properly.

Anne Brooke Books

I See You by Clare Mackintosh: Gripping Crime Thriller

This novel has excellent pace and very good tension throughout. The female characters are very well rounded, and there is good development during the story. I also loved the fact that the violence was not centre-stage, but the focus was on the psychology of crime. The ending is totally fabulous and I really enjoyed THAT twist.

The only down sides to this book were the fact that the men weren't very well developed, and also the general cliche of women being victims of sexual crime - surely there are other crimes to explore! Anyway, that aside, this is a gripping read and I will be putting this author on my list.

Anne Brooke Books

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter: an average pot-boiler

Aspects of this novel which I enjoyed were: the fast pace; the strong women characters, the sections with the dead father; and the poignant ending.

Aspects I disliked were: the level of violence was ridiculously melodramatic and on occasions laughable (sorry!) - this is no Silence of the Lambs, that's for sure. The plot was highly unlikely, and also sometimes made me giggle with disbelief. The villain was very cliched and one-dimensional, and there were far too many coincidences.

On the whole then, not a great success and basically an average crime genre pot-boiler.

3 out of 5 stars.

Anne Brooke Books

The Emergency Poet: An Anti-Stress Poetry Anthology

The Blurb: 

A brilliant new anthology of poems that will help you to overcome stress, depression and other anxieties. 

Arranged by spiritual ailment, the sections include a range of verse, new and old, which may be of comfort to those in need of a pick-me-up for the soul. 

The collection has been carefully compiled by Deborah Alma, the world's first and only emergency poet, who travels to schools, libraries, festivals and other events in her 1970s' ambulance to offer consultations and prescribe poems as cures for various maladies. This collection is designed to lift your mood and offers poetic help whenever it may be required.

My review:

This is a gorgeous selection of poetry and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some poems were old friends and it was a pleasure to reacquaint myself with them; other poems were totally new and I am adding these poets to my reading list. I love the way the poems are gathered into key themes as this is very helpful if you want something for a particular crisis occasion. I thoroughly recommend this book.

Anne Brooke Books

Mad About You by Sinead Moriarty: mishmash novel with some sparky sections

The plot involving the mad nanny really needs to be put to sleep now, on a permanent basis - it's very 1980s and very dull. And actually, I have no idea why it appears as such a main item in this book as it doesn't need it - I had the feeling that Moriarty was trying too hard to jazz the chick lit genre up a little, but adding a (boring) thriller element to it just isn't the answer.

It was also strange that all the characters are dull, flat and whine a lot up until p242 (in my paperback copy) when something exciting and funny happens, hurrah! The scene here with new friend Poppy telling the gals how honest she's been with her new man is hysterical and very satisfying indeed - why can't Poppy be the main character? That would be a wonderful read for sure!

Anyway, after the marvellous page 242, it was as if the author suddenly woke up and starting giving us a decent story - well apart from the crazed nanny thing (yawn) and our super-shallow irritating heroine. More than that, the minor characters start to feel real for the first time and I even began to fall in love with the 'in your face' sister Babs, from a position of absolutely hating her at the beginning! Now, give me a novel with Poppy and Babs in and I'm definitely buying it ...

So, something of a mishmash but with some good characters in secondary roles, once the author got round to writing them.

5 out of 10.

Anne Brooke Books

Conversations with God Book One by Neale Donald Walsch: New Age irritation

This has some interesting gems of wisdom, but on the whole it's New Age-type vagueness writ large. Sometimes it strays into dullness, and it needed a lot of editing to make it have any kind of impact for me.

Still, I'm glad the writing of it helped the author through a difficult time, but it's curiously irritating. I won't be rushing out for the sequel!

Anne Brooke Books

The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton: a wasted opportunity

The story is rather too full of cliche for me - 'woman in jeopardy', and partial 'environmental thriller' were both just a little dull here. The journey across the snow was also far too long and uninteresting and I did a lot of skipping. That said, Ruby (the daughter) has a very strong voice and is by far the most interesting character in the book. I particularly liked how Ruby describes words by taste and smell. The sign language is also well used as a key part of the plot.

I also enjoyed the mother/daughter relationship and tensions, but Matt (the father) was just far too flat and really very annoying. He appears directly in the book at far too late a stage, and then launches into a huge section of 'info dumping' concerning what exactly has gone on, which is very amateur. It would have been better if Matt could have had sections earlier so we discover things in the same timeframe as he does - this would have been far more exciting.

In general, this book could easily have been cut by a third, and I suspect the film will be far better than the novel. That said, the final scenes of drama are fun (though anything would be good after that dull trawl through the snow!), and the ending surprisingly delicate.

Anne Brooke Books

Miranda's Big Mistake by Jill Mansell: an average romance

Miranda is thrilled when she meets Greg at a cocktail party. He's gorgeous, he's funny - and he's very keen. Just what a girl needs to put some sparkle in her life. Heavens, he's practically perfect! Greg likes Miranda a lot. She's young, she's pretty, and she never talks about babies. Of course he hasn't told her everything about himself - even the sweetest girls can be a bit funny about a man who's just left his newly pregnant wife. But there's no way she's going to find out - or is there? Luckily for Miranda men are like buses - you don't see any for ages then three come along at once. She just needs to catch the right one…

This started off well enough, though I did find Miranda faintly irritating from the start - she's just too ditsy and so terribly nice that I instantly took against her, as it were. However, that's not a huge problem, as her friends and colleagues provide a far greater level of interest and have a decent-ish amount of page space - so if you get fed up with Miranda, then you soon have Chloe (who is Greg's newly pregnant and abandoned wife) and Bev (the man-mad colleague) to look forward to and concentrate on.

Greg, of course, is the man we all love to hate - he blames Chloe for getting pregnant and breaking her word to him about not wanting babies and instantly leaves her. Because he's just a very nasty man, to be honest. He's also rather unbelievable as I simply didn't credit that Greg could be such a downright despicable cad and yet get two nice women (Chloe and later Miranda) to fall for him. He's really more caricature than character - and this is also the case with Chloe's dreadful boss and his wife. Both of these people are frankly so horrible that I just kept laughing at them, and I'm not convinced that was the reaction Mansell was intending. Oh well.

Never mind, as there are a couple of menfolk in the mix who are adorable in every way - Fenn, the definitely straight hairdresser, and Miles, the lovely and witty famous racing driver, are a delight and should have had far more page space here than they actually do. It's a bit of a lost opportunity for the men, to be honest. Also, something dreadful happens to Miles about three-quarters of the way through which I think was totally unnecessary and rather stupid - and this leaves the way free for journalist Danny to take the place of the dreadful Greg as Miranda's potential partner. Are you keeping up at the back? I do hope so!…

It's a shame then that Danny is so terribly shallow and unattractive - in fact at one point after the Miles Debacle, he thinks something so utterly prejudiced and unloving about Miranda's potential relationship with Miles that I wanted to beat him to death with his own laptop. What a horrible man! Really, he and the irritating Miranda probably deserve one another but they're definitely not going to be happy as they simply don't gel …

So there it is. A mixed bag of a book, with an unlikeable heroine and hero, but with some very good secondary characters we should have seen more of.

Verdict: 3 stars. Average.

Headlong by Michael Frayn: Rambling Nonsense with a Spark of Genius

Martin Clay, a young would-be art historian, suddenly sees opening in front of him the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to perform a great public service, and at the same time to make his professional reputation - perhaps even a lot of money as well. Thus he finds himself drawn step by step into a moral and intellectual labyrinth.

I'm normally a fan of all Frayn's work and count him as one of the best living writers we have. However, I'm sorry to say this book is on the whole a significant error of judgement in a wide variety of ways, and only just managed to redeem itself in the last one hundred pages or so. This isn't enough to make it a great work of literature or even a good book.

Here are the issues that are wrong with it:

1. Martin is a dull and weak man, who thinks of himself far more highly than he needs to. As a result, he's neither strong enough nor attractive enough as a character to carry this story.
2. The characters, particularly the wife Kate, are very shadowy indeed and really more caricatures than genuine people.
3. The long and dull ramblings about art and Bruegel are … well … long and rambling. Mind you, the ability to make the magnificent Bruegel dull is itself quite impressive. If Frayn had wanted to write an historical novel, he should have done so, as Martin is not strong enough to make the historical sections interesting. It's more of an info-dump than a narrative.
4. The first 280 or so pages are mind-numbingly tedious.

Here are the issues that are right with it:

1. After page 280, the plot suddenly becomes interesting and fast-moving enough for the weak characterisation to be unimportant. Actually, the plot did very much remind me of one of the episodes of Midsomer Murders, but for me that's no bad thing as it's a crime series I enjoy.
2. The Lady of the Manor Laura finally comes into her own at the end of the novel, though she's still sadly underwritten.
3. The final page is spot on, and (possibly, though the jury's still out ...) worth the 280 pages of drivel to get there. Much like Wagner then in that you have to suffer through one hell of a lot of opera boredom to arrive at that glorious final note.

Verdict: 2.5 stars (the 0.5 for that end page). Rambling nonsense, with an odd spark of genius here and there.

Anne Brooke

Gay Reads UK

The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy

The Apple Picker's Daughter - 'a perfect tale for anyone who ever felt different'

Novel of childhood The Apple Picker's Daughter has received its first review - a 5-star one at Amazon UK, entitled 'A perfect tale for anyone who ever felt different.' So I'm very thrilled about that!

"Such a beautiful, gentle book, telling the story of Clare's life from birth to adolescence. A delightful and intriguing tale of a child who feels herself 'different', who neither fits in nor understands the people around her ... I loved it and read it in one sitting."

You can read the rest of this review here and find out more about the book here.

And as a reminder for you, here's the blurb:

Born in the 1960s on a UK apple farm, Clare Rivers is a girl out of time, living in a family and a world that makes little sense to her. Determined to carve out her place somehow, and with her deep love of her father to see her through, Clare begins a unique journey to discover the reasons for her own existence. If she can. However, accompanied by the oddities of family, school and the strange lyrical life of the apples, can Clare really find a place within herself to call home? 

This novel will appeal to lovers of rural life, recent history and a child's quirky but clear-sighted view of the adult world.

Happy reading! - and don't forget that everything that happens in this novel is actually true, as it's really the story of my own childhood in a fictionalised form. Now, there's a confession, eh …!

Anne Brooke Books
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK

Gay erotic review: The Beginning of Knowledge

There's a 4.5 star review of gay erotic story The Beginning of Knowledge over at TWLib Reviews today:

"I haven’t read an Anne Brooke story in quite a while. As mentioned, I love the author’s skill in creating character driven stories. I was captivated (with trepidation) by the emotional range of the characters without the story turning to melodrama ... The Beginning of Knowledge is not a romantic interlude with wine and roses but a walk on the dark side…"

You can go and read the rest of the review here.

And here's the blurb to whet your appetite further:

When University administrator Alan Castleton meets temporary worker and talented pianist Luke Milton, he doesn't expect to become obsessed with the handsome young blond. But soon he is heavily involved in a passionate and angry affair, and exploring the dark shadows of his own personality in a way he's never encountered before.

The more Alan tries to break free from his obsession, the deeper it entangles him. The dangerous split between his reason and his sexual desires threatens his peace of mind and, when the crisis point comes, he must decide once and for all the kind of life he should lead.

Happy reading!

Anne Brooke Books
Gay Reads UK
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy

5-star review for The Gangster's Wife

Much to my astonishment and relief, quirky crime novel The Gangster's Wife has just received its first Amazon review and it's a 5-star one, well gosh!

"The Gangster's Wife, by Anne Brooke, was not only an excellent read, but a bit on the realistic side as well. I found this book to be so relatable because it does happen in the real world. Many wives go through their marriages being so completely unsure of what their spouse is up to, until someone comes knocking on their door … I loved the character developments in this story, and the character of Elise is exciting as well. I was engrossed in this one from start to finish, and would definitely recommend it."

I do feel quite choked up about this, as this novel is my first real indie book and so far there's been a terrible silence about it - which these days is actually something I'm getting used to, hey ho, but it's still not particularly pleasant. But today, this review has put a smile on my face and made being a writer feel just a tiny teeny bit less hopeless for once, so thank you.

You can read the rest of the review here. And if you're so inclined, you can even explore the book a little further at Amazon here. Thank you!

Anne Brooke Books
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK

FREE Awesome Indies fantasy: The Gifting

I'm happy to announce that Awesome Indies fantasy The Gifting is FREE at Amazon for today and tomorrow!

Simon Hartstongue is a mind-reader, and branded a coward and a murderer. When his overlord and lover Ralph Tregannon turns against him, he is forced to embark on a treacherous journey to the distant and magical land of Gathandria in order to save his country and his own soul. During a series of terrifying trials, Simon must encounter the trickery of the deadly Mind Executioner and the secret dealings of those he ought to trust. 

The Gifting is an Awesome Indies novel, and is showcased at the Awesome Indies website. 

Reviews: 

"The Gifting is a unique fantasy where mental and physical worlds merge in a flight of unrestrained imagination. Unlike much fantasy I've read lately, this book soars with hope. It's a story of redemption gained through a mystical journey through earth, air, fire and water that tests the deepest recesses of a man's soul." (Awesome Indies Reviews) 

"The Gifting is merely the introduction to the Gathandrian Trilogy; it's a big world, filled with intrigues and magic, loss and redemption. It's a fantastical place where almost anything is possible, where a coward can become a hero, where the promise for more excitement and enchantment are guaranteed, and I look forward to seeing where Anne Brooke will take us next, as well as discovering what Simon's future holds." (Top2Bottom Reviews)

Happy reading!

Not only that but my latest gay fantasy The Taming of The Hawk yesterday received a 4-star review at Boy Meets Boy Reviews:

"Nice pace that is action-packed with an ongoing war, rebel forces, and a failing absolute power structure. When the lines are unclear there is plenty of room for questionable ethical and moral opportunities and it is no different in the city of Tetran … Overall, the uncertainty of no man's land during war is well portrayed with a budding romance on the side." (From a 4-star review at Boy Meets Boy Reviews)

Thank you, Vivian, for that review - much appreciated!

And as a reminder to you and to whet your appetite for more (I hope!), here's the blurb for The Taming of The Hawk:

When escaped prisoner Redallek Castonar goes on the run in the war-torn city of Tetranal, he finds himself in the pleasure-house of Councillor Jarrod Tetran. Unaware that Redallek has made a blood-promise with the rebel factions to kill him, Jarrod is instantly attracted to the man. Although Redallek is determined to complete his mission as soon as possible in order to gain his freedom, he quickly finds his new master to be full of surprises and not the man he expected.

Meanwhile, Jarrod is secretly planning to take the ruling Council captive, and to begin a negotiated peace with the rebel army. Even though such an act goes against all his family stands for, he is willing to risk everything to save the country he loves from destruction.

Both Redallek and Jarrod are determined to fight for freedom and peace, but in two very different ways. Will their differences drive them apart, or can they find a way to work together for the good of all? And, even if they do, will the passion springing up between them lead to victory or defeat?

Anne Brooke Books
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK

Julia by Otto de Kat: a missed opportunity for greatness

As a young man working in Lubeck in 1938, with Germany already in thrall to the Nazis, Chris Dudok is irresistibly drawn to Julia, a light-footed, bold and libertine engineer who has emphatically rejected Hitler’s new order. But that same year his courage is tested to its limits: he is forced to leave both Germany and the woman he loves, even though he suspects that he is making the greatest mistake of his life. It is only many years later, a long time after the war, that Julia’s true story comes to light.

The first chapter of this novella was utterly brilliant – I loved the chauffeur, Van Dijk, and his discovery of and reaction to his dead boss. I thought he was a wonderful character and was instantly gripped by his voice and story.

It’s a shame then that from the second chapter onwards and for almost the rest of the book, we are given instead the story of Chris, the dead boss, and the events both in the war and leading up to his death. I’m sorry to say that Chris was a very irritating character and one of the most indecisive and weak literary men I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. This may be in part due to the fact that a large portion of his story is told to us rather than being shown to us, so I felt very disengaged indeed from what is happening to him. How I longed to return to that first chapter.

I also didn’t believe in Chris’s deep and abiding love for Julia, the woman he loses in the war. Indeed, Julia, like Chris, also tells us a great deal of things and becomes very quickly wearisome as a character. Really, the two of them deserved each other, but were of little interest to me as a reader. That said, the prose is very nice, but this factor is nowhere near enough to make a book sing. And Chris takes far too long in getting (at last!) to the moment of death, alas …

So it was with great relief that the final chapter brings us back to that wonderful chauffeur once more, and the ending is very powerful indeed. Van Dijk very much deserves his own book and is wasted in this one.

3 stars: a missed opportunity for a great character who is forced to remain on the sidelines

Anne Brooke Books

The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy

Gay Reads UK