This month I've been reading...

This is Tempe Brennan tale number 16, and I found it quite disappointing. There were two disparate strands to the story, both of which had promise, but which were woven together in a way that was totally unbelievable, with some very loose ends left hanging. There were also some disappointing/frustrating things going on in Tempe's personal life. Book 17 is out now, and I will be keeping my fingers crossed that it is back to classic Kathy Reichs form. Please don't go all Kay Scarpetta on us, Tempe.

*****

Here we have another of those 'bargains' that have been sitting unloved on my virtual bookshelf for months. But HOORAY- when I finally read it this month I really enjoyed it! Set both during the Spanish Civil War and in the 21st century, this story is well-written, with well-crafted characters, and is part romance, part family mystery. If you have enjoyed Katherine Webb, Kate Morton and Victoria Hislop's writing, you'll like this. I mention Victoria Hislop because her book The Return is pretty much by only previous education on the Spanish Civil War, to my shame. I won't give any spoilers, but the ending of The Perfume Garden is really pleasing in the way that it links together lots of key incidents that occur during the story. A fab read.

*****

I am very nearly at the end of Entry Island, and it is completely brilliant. Partly murder mystery (set on Entry Island in the Gulf of St Lawrence in Canada), and partly a man's experience of the forced clearance of crofters the Scottish Highlands, it is a very cleverly woven story with lots of atmospheric detail about the islands. If you have read and enjoyed The Lewis trilogy you will also enjoy this. I am really hoping that the ending of the story is as good as the first three quarters have been.  If so, it is my book of the month!

*****

Ahem. Remember me?

*waves* I'm the one who hasn't updated her book blog since June. School holidays, sunshine, lazing around etc etc- I won't even bother to try and make excuses. Strangely enough I HAVE read quite a few books over the summer though, so behold a quick whizz through my summer reading library. Many of these had been languishing on my kindle for quite a while, so don't expect anything 'currently popular' (I have been making a conscious effort to read the books that I bought thinking "just £1.99- what a bargain!" and then promptly forgot about). Also, I don't profess to be someone who picks a high-brow book to read on a sun lounger, but for the most part these books kept me gripped and/or entertained during the glorious summer of 2014.

Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors when it comes to writing about families and relationships. The Third Wife contains a host of brilliantly realistic characters and complex family dynamics. I loved it from that point of view- first class. I found the ending really frustrating though. I won't say anymore for fear of spoiling it for anyone reading.

*****

This book is focused on a period of European history that I knew nothing about- 1970's Italy, when the Red Brigades were attemping to destabilise the country through sabotage, kidnappings and assassinations, including that of the prime minister Aldo Moro in 1978. The story switches between the 1970's and modern-day Florence, where an American girl has disappeared. Of the two I preferred the historical sections of the book, but the story has something for everyone- crime, romance and political history. I recommend!

*****

I had been meaning to read this for ages, and quickly followed it up with the sequels Tuesday's Gone and Waiting For Wednesday. Part four of the series, Thursday's Children, has also been published and awaits me. Now, I enjoy a psychological thriller, but not one that hits too close to home or is too creepy. This series is perfect for me from that point of view- some other Nicci French books that I once enjoyed (I'm thinking in particular of Secret Smile and the Safe House) are a bit too creepy for my tastes now. Frieda Klein is a really interesting character and I enjoyed reading the books one after another, which heightened the tension of one particular storyline that runs through the series. Something about the books niggles me and stops me from rating them more highly, but I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

*****

I feel a bit controversial here- Amazon is full of rave reviews for The Rosie Project, and although I liked it, I didn't love it. I'm sorry. If you know lots of scientists or geeks, there is a lot that feels familiar here. It's funny and sweet, but it just didn't hit me. I must have a heart of stone.

 ***** 

By contrast, I loved this book. I had few preconceptions about it, other than that it was American and black in humour, and that can go one of two ways for me (no one EVER mention Vernon God Little to me please). After about two chapters I was utterly confused about where on earth the bonkers story was going to go next, but in the end I loved it. I really grew to like Harold, the Silver family and the raft of associated characters. Despite the crazy plot and the blackness of the humour it is heart-warming and ultimately about a family learning to work together to deal with whatever life throws at it. There are a lot of clever little observations about modern life. There's also quite a lot of awkward grubby 'action' too (if you get my drift)- don't say I didn't warn you! Anyway, moving on. I was sad to finish this and say goodbye to the Silvers.

***** 

And there you have it- my holiday reading (I might have missed some-I will have a look through my 'read' folder and check). And I'll be back later in the week (honest!) with what I've been reading in September. If you've read any of the above or anything brilliant over the summer, do let me know!

The Unfinished Symphony Of You And Me

I can sum up this book in a sentence for you by saying that it is a perfect holiday read. Buy it now (only £1.99 on Kindle- what a bargain) and enjoy whilst lounging around in the sun (with a G&T if the sun is over the yard arm).

 I discovered Lucy Robinson's writing last year, when I laughed and laughed at A Passionate Love Affair With A Total Stanger (prior to that she wrote The Greatest Love Story Of All Time, which I haven't read yet). I think you can probably guess from the titles and jackets that they aren't high-brow reads, but they are very well-crafted indeed. They are essentially romances, so you can guess what the end-point of the plot is going to be, but they are definitely not formulaic, and there is plenty of humour and swearing along the way. 

I absolutely loved the backdrop to The Unfinished Symphony Of You And Me. It is set in the world of operatic music, and Sally the heroine is a wonderful but untrained singer (within the confines of her wardrobe). There is reference to Alfie Boe (bonus point from me for that one) and a cast of brilliantly eclectic characters. I found Jan Borsos, the Hungarian student who had walked across Europe Mister Magnolia-style with only one shoe, completely hilarious, and ex-boyfriend Julian was really quite delicious. The story isn't all a laugh a minute, there is a terribly sad story in Sally's past, and for a little while I wasn't sure that the ending that I had predicted was going to be the case at all. I ended up doing my usual trick of staying up until midnight with my eyes propped open to enjoy the last third of the book in one go, and it was just brilliant. 

Funny, heart-warming and mentioning both Alfie Boe and Les Mis. That's pretty much all the boxes ticked as far as I am concerned- a great read!

*****

Three more to try

 Jojo Moyes is brilliant; I think we all know that. The One Plus One is her most recent book, and has believable characters, warmth, sadness and humour. I loved it.

I am a bit obsessed by You Had Me At Hello . I recommend it to everyone, and it's still only 99p on Kindle. You'd be BONKERS not to own it at that price. Think of One Day, but funny and with characters that you care about. It's perfect.

Vince & Joy are my favourite Lisa Jewell couple, I love them. This is an oldie but a real goodie.

The Strange Fate Of Kitty Easton

After my last read, I needed to choose something from my virtual bookshelf that I was fairly certain to enjoy, and this was just the ticket. The Strange Fate Of Kitty Easton is the sequel to The Return Of Captain John Emmett , in which we are introduced to former infantry officer Laurence Bartram, who is called upon to solve the mystery of a man's death in the aftermath of WW1. I read the first book at the end of last year and enjoyed it, and was looking forward to picking up the story of the main character again.

The Strange Fate Of Kitty Easton takes place in 1924, four years after the first book, and once again Laurence Bartram becomes embroiled in mysteries- this time linked to the estate that he is invited to visit. There are puzzles galore, all connected to the Easton family, who have seen a series of tragedies in their lives. Elizabeth Speller's writing is definitely not fast-paced, and with both books I found that it took me a little while to adjust myself to the pace of the story. The Easton family mysteries are interesting, and cleverly interlinked, but what I enjoyed most about the book was the historical setting of the story, with the aftermath of WW1 still clearly so affecting in a variety of ways. I am fascinated by this period of history and yet only know a very limited amount about it, so I really welcomed  reading a fictional account of a visit to the Empire Exhibition, and considering the impact of whole villages enlisting for regiments together. Laurence Bartram is a really interesting character with his own demons to battle, and these are beautifully woven into the story too. 

I really hope that there will be more Laurence Bartram stories, because they are so well-crafted and a delight to read.

*****

Three more to try

The true story of the disappearance of Saville Kent is cleverly referenced in The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton and is a fascinating read. 

I confess, I haven't read Wake by Anna Hope yet, but I have heard brilliant reviews of it, and have just added it to my wish-list. It focuses on the same era as Kitty Easton, and bears similarity in its take on the impact of the Great War on life afterwards.

Very different in style and mood to the other books mentioned here, but still set in the aftermath of the Great War, the Daisy Dalrymple mystery series sees the heroine and amateur sleuth stumble across a huge number of murders. Murder on the Flying Scotsman is the fourth in the series, and I think, the best of those that I have read so far. The impact of the war on Daisy's life is often mentioned, despite the light-hearted nature of many of the stories, so it isn't an entirely frivolous choice on my part.

As ever, please let me know your thoughts, or if you have read any other books in a similar vein that you would recommend. I am racing through my current read, so I'll be back again soon!

The Beauty of Murder

I've been rather useless at blogging of late it seems- we had a busy half-term, but I also got a bit caught up on this, my latest read, for what seemed like weeks, and I still can't decide what I thought of it.

The Beauty of Murder is A.K. Benedict's debut novel, and it is a clever and ambitious story. It was a Kindle Deal of the Day when I bought it, and a synopsis describing a complex murder mystery set within Cambridge is always going to get me One-Clicking. The main character has just arrived in the city as a lecturer at the fictitious Sepulchre College, finds the body of a young woman in the grounds of Great St Mary's Church, and so the mystery begins. The book takes place in more than one time-frame (I won't spoil it by saying more than this), and there is reference to the draining of the Fens around Ely in the 17th Century, which I found quite interesting (I'm a bit of a geek and we visited Ely last weekend and went out on the river, so that might just be me though). 

I liked the book, but I didn't love it. I found pretty much all the characters other than mysterious older lady Iris unlikeable (there was potential for me to warm towards the female DI though, if she appeared in future books), and I'm not really very good with philosophy- I glaze over a bit, so I struggled with some minor elements of the story. I did really enjoy the setting, the atmosphere and the overall concept of the story though, and I would look of for future work by the author.

*****

Three more to try

Alison Bruce is the Queen of Cambridge crime writing in my opinion, and The Backs is the latest in her excellent DC Gary Goodhew series.

Kitty Peck is one of my absolute favourite heroines, and I am anxiously awaiting the sequel to this gruesomely gripping tale. I loved this book.

A far more gentile third choice- the Sidney Chambers stories are set in beautiful Grantchester (and occasionally Cambridge city) and are both quirky and easy to read. An ITV series (starring Robson Green) should be on our screens at some point in the next year, but for the meantime, this is the first book in the series (Mysteries 2 and 3 are also available now).

I'll be back again soon I hope! If you've read The Beauty of Murder, let me know what you thought of it please!

Coming Up Trumps

I can't tell you how much I loved this book. I have become a bit of a fan of Baroness Trumpington in recent years (since seeing her on Have I Got News For You), and I was so delighted to be able to sit down and read this book. So delighted in fact that I spent most of the day with my nose in it and eventually went to sleep at midnight (which is very late indeed for me).

What a fascinating life Jean Trumpington has led: land girl, civil servant at Bletchley Park, headmaster's wife, magistrate, life peer. This memoir is packed with stories from all these periods of her life and all the other equally fascinating bits in between. Growing up in social circles that included the Lloyd George family, Trumpers's tales often feature well-known names from the period, and helped me to better fit together the pieces of stories that I have read sketchy details about in the past. I enjoyed reading about all the stages of her life, but a particular favourite part came once she and her husband Barker had moved to Cambridge, where he was headmaster of the Leys School for seventeen years. I very much enjoyed reading about her experiences of living in a city that I know so well.

What I really loved about the book though was the humour, the spark, the naughtiness and the glass half-full attitude to life. Trumpers has had a wonderful life, but she has really embraced all the opportunities that she has been given and made the best of everything. I have huge admiration for her and I am absolutely thrilled that her book is currently riding high in the best sellers list.

Long live Trumpers!

A Dark And Twisted Tide- Sharon Bolton

Ex-Detective Lacey Flint has quit the police for a safer, quieter life. Or that's what she thinks. Living alone on a houseboat, she is trying and failing to get over the man she loves, undercover detective Mark Joesbury. But Mark is missing in action and impossible to forget. And danger won't leave Lacey alone...

When she finds a body floating in the river, wrapped in white burial cloths, she can't resist asking questions. Who is this woman and why was she hidden in the fast-flowing depths? And who has been delivering unwanted gifts to Lacey? Someone is watching her very closely. Someone who knows exactly what makes her tick...

I was very kindly given a chance to read this early by the publisher (it is out in the UK tomorrow) and I absolutely LOVED it. I confess, I haven't read any of the earlier books in the Lacey Flint series (this is number 4) , and I now feel that I need to know more about the character's backgrounds and stories, so I will be starting again at the beginning. This didn't spoil my enjoyment of this book as a standalone thriller at all though. The characters (despite my limited knowledge of their past-lives) are strong, realistic and quite fascinating, and the plotting is sharp, with twists galore and raising some very interesting cultural issues. Near the end I thought that I had an idea who the culprit was, and in the end I was right, but not before the story had twisted back and forth several times, with me absolutely gripped.

The River Thames is a fabulous backdrop to the story, and Sharon Bolton describes it brilliantly. I only know London as a visitor, and love wandering over the central bridges, looking down at the river. Here though, away from the main landmarks of the city, the Thames, with its creeks and channels, is dark, menacing and quite frankly terrifying at times. I'm not sure I'll be able to look at it in the same way again the next time I stop on a bridge with my children to wave at people on the boats below.

All in all a very well written gripping page-turner of a thriller. I thoroughly recommend it!

First posts are a nightmare.

Once I get into this blogging lark I am sure I'll be perfectly fine, but starting to write is hard, so I'll just jump in.

I love books, more than pretty much any material item that I can think of. I love fashion, I love skincare and beauty, I love music and good tv, but I LOVE books. In my head I am Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail, with my little independent bookshop that children and adults love to visit, and good hair and knitwear. Nora Ephron was a genius.

This is all somewhat to the bewilderment of my husband, who likes books, but fails to understand why all the bookshelves in our house are overflowing, my Kindle account is very actively used and the courier who delivers my Book People orders drives to my house on auto-pilot. The latter is a bit embarrassing, I'll concede. 

Anyway, books and reading are my thing, and I really enjoy being able to recommend amazing books to friends, so I thought I could do so here, and if I have any readers, they can tell me what they are reading, and so on. Or, if no one reads this, I can just write to myself about my favourite books. That would be a bit weird though, so please read!