It's Monday! What Are You Reading #6

I''m struggling with blogging. Life's all up in the air at the moment and due to settle December/January though so I'm going to persevere for a bit.

Bit of an odd reading week this time, normally I never have more than one book on the go but currently I'm part way through 4 books! Think this explains why I only finished 2 (fairly short) books though.

Plan for this week is to finish the outstanding one and the upcoming book club choice.

Read this week:

It is the summer of 1976, the hottest since records began and a young man leaves behind his student days and learns how to grow up. A first job in a holiday camp beckons. But with political and racial tensions simmering under the cloudless summer skies there is not much fun to be had. And soon there is a terrible price to be paid for his new-found freedom and independence. A price that will come back to haunt him, even in the bright sunlight of summer. 

I feel a bit mis-sold by the subtitle "A Ghost Story"; as it's own story I probably would have rated it higher but as a ghost story I feel disappointed. The atmosphere and characterisation of this book are really good but the character development and their motivations are underdeveloped and the plot lacks purpose. 
Some good elements but overall I feel underwhelmed sadly. I rated this a 2/5.

Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills—and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice. 

I really loved this collection of 'advice'. It did take a little while to get into it because (is this a British thing?!) I find over-sharing of personal information a tad discomforting. I'm very much a "I'm fine" person when asked even if I'm not.  But you quickly realise that these moments of her life she writes about do relate back the the question asked, they aren't gratuitous or showing off. To give the kind of advice she does it's helpful to share a look I fecked up too moment or a yes it is bloody hard to to x or y but I did it and see I came out the other end. 

This is the kind of advice society needs and we'd all be better off if we made the hard calls and admitted life sucks sometimes. A really interesting collection that everyone could get some benefit from reading, maybe not all the columns will resonate with you but I can guarantee at least a couple will really make you re-think your perspective on life and living. I gave this a 5/5.

Currently reading:

Well lots of things! But this one is *really* blowing my mind ... in a good way.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #5

Read this week:

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb.

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

I liked this book, escapist and romantic. But it got a bit too fanciful towards the end. Nice quick read which definitely gave me echo's of 84 Charing Cross Road - probably because it is the same era and written in a series of letters also. If you like sweet charming books then I'd say give this a read, for me it was a nice change of pace. I gave it 3/5.

When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in America—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.

I loved this book, a neat dystopian thriller at heart. There's been some criticism that it isn't well researched on the technical (computing) side but I don't think it needs to be, after all it is fiction! It is a bit like a modern 1984 and actually a lot more scary because it doesn't feel that far off potentially happening. Really makes you think about the nature of modern life. I would mark this down on the actual writing which isn't always very accomplished but goodreads like's round numbers so I gave this a 5/5.

Wayne Weston is found dead in his Cleveland home, an apparent suicide & his wife & six-year-old daughter are missing. But Weston's father knows something is wrong with this scenario. He insists that P.I. Lincoln Perry & his partner Joe Pritchard take the case to exonerate his son & find his granddaughter & daughter-in-law.

This is the first in a PI detective series and I picked it up because I have read some of Koryta's suepernatural books before which had been good. Especially recommend The Ridge. This book suffers from being a first novel and has obviously been over worked and styled but there's a lot of potential however. I gave it a 2/5 because I struggled to keep interested.

At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They're the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they're often labeled "quiet," it's to introverts like Gandhi, Einstein and Rosa Parks that we owe many of the great contributions to society. Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. 

I had heard a lot about this book recently and with the start of Non-Fiction-November I put in a reservation at the library. It is conceptionally a very interesting book but for me the execution lacked a bit. The introduction and first chapter were the most engaging, beyond that point it got a bit repetitive and not much new material was added. Also the book was primarily based for an American audience, which is fair enough but it seemed to be done at the expense of anyone else reading. Overall I will take away the message that it's okay to be an introvert, I have definitely fallen into the trap of feeling guilty myself for some of my introverted traits. I have given this a 3/5.

Reading Next:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #4

Weird week this one: accepted a new job, handed my notice in at my current one and then got poorly. You'd think a few enforced sofa days would be good for reading but as it turns out I just kept reading first chapters of things but not finding anything I could settle to. 

Read this week:

Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them? Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from the riot of adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother.

Really all I can say is this wasn't my kinda book or my sense of humour. I think people do love it, but not for me. I gave it 2/5.

In 1950s English bucolic Bishop's Lacy, narrator Flavia de Luce 11, has a passion for chemistry and a genius for solving murders. Puppeteer Rupert Porson has his strings sizzled, his charming helper Nialla suspect. Astride trusty bicycle Gladys, she investigates Gibbet Wood madwoman, vicar, German pilot, and poisoned chocolates.

Really enjoyed this, it's the second of the Flavia De Luce mystery series and they are so much fun. A lot more detail and characterisation in this but somehow the crime was made peripheral to the story with a very flimsy ending. Which was a shame but I will be reading the third because they are very enjoyable. I gave this a 4/5.

Currently reading:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #3

Now the clever among you will realise it's not Monday, it's Wednesday. But I'm playing catch up so let's all pretend ....

I didn't read much last week, I was suffering with a very distracted mind and when I'm anxious I just cannot concentrate enough to read.

Read this week:

Sent to London to help catch a vicious serial killer, Inspector John Rebus teams up with a beautiful psychologist to piece together a portrait of a depraved psychopath bent on painting the town red—with blood...

This is the 3rd Rebus novel and I really enjoyed it. So far all the books have been so readable and you can just whizz through them in a couple of sittings. I really did miss the Edinburgh setting in this one but it was more than made up for the introduction to a harder edged Rebus. 

I gave this a 4/5.

Gunvald Larsson sits carefully observing the dingy Stockholm apartment of a man under police surveillance. He looks at his watch: nine minutes past eleven in the evening. He yawns, slapping his arms to keep warm. At the same moment the house explodes, killing at least three people. Chief Inspector Martin Beck and his men don't suspect arson or murder until they discover a peculiar circumstance and a link is established between the explosion and a suicide committed that same day, in which the dead man left a note consisting of just two words: Martin Beck.

This is the 5th in the Martin Beck series (mid point as there's 10 in total). And it really wasn't the strongest of the books I've read so far but on it's own merit it is a very good book. I really would encourage anyone who loves crime, especially Scandi-crime, to give the Martin Beck series a go because it's the original before Wallander stuff. Written from 1965-1975 they are also pointed social commentaries. Start with the 1st one Roseanna.

I gave this one a 3/5.

Reading Next:

Honestly I picked this up because it's one of those weird oversize paperbacks that wasn't fitting on my shelves so I wanted to move it on soon! I got it from a bookcrossing meetup because there had been a lot of hype about this book at the time but I'm really not sure I'm going to like it ....

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #2

A good week of reading and again it's 3 books. Though this week I had several days of non reading made up for by spending most of the weekend tucked up with a book. 

Read this week:

After WW1, childhood pals Tommy Beresford and "Tuppence" Prudence Cowley, lack money and prospects, become adventurers for the British Government. Rich American Julius P. Hersheimmer, powerful Mr Whittington, and an evil mastermind Mr Brown all seek Jane Finn who was given papers vital to peace by an agent at the sinking of the Luisitania. Tommy and Tuppence investigate ....

This is Agatha Christie’s second published book (1922) and introduces sleuthing duo Tuppence and Tommy (Inspector Japp makes a brief appearance as well). A while back I decided I wanted to read all the Poirot books in order but then thought it might get too samey so changed my objective to reading *all* her books in order - thus giving some variety in characters. After all two of my remembered favourites from reading Agatha in my teens were A Pocket Full of Rye and Sparkling Cyanide, neither of which features Poirot!

Prior to embarking on my Christie voyage I was not familiar with the Tuppence and Tommy stories. These two really must be the blueprint for a lot of ‘comedic’ amateur sleuthing duos that have followed in the 92(!) years that have followed. This book is a lot of fun to read; an action packed crime caper in the sense of all the cliché 1920s films that spring to mind. It is essentially  an espionage plot which is never Christie’s strongest subject, and it is a little over cooked by the end with a few too many double bluffs but it is a darn good story all considered.

I have given this a 4/5 because The Man in the Brown Suit (1924) is a much better girl + boy adventure amateur sleuthing story. NB: I realised I read this almost exactly a month after my last Christie, that seems to be a good pace , like anything you can get a bit bored if you go in too gung-ho.

The Last Policeman presents a fascinating portrait of a pre-apocalyptic United States. The economy spirals downward while crops rot in the fields. Churches and synagogues are packed. People all over the world are walking off the job—but not Hank Palace. He’s investigating a death by hanging in a city that sees a dozen suicides every week—except this one feels suspicious, and Palace is the only cop who cares. 

This was a very interesting book, the major premise being: What’s the point in solving murders if we’re all going to die soon, anyway?

I really enjoyed the setting and handling of the pre-apocalyptic world. There was a lot of cogitation on how society reacts to imminent death and destruction. What happens to behavior societal structure, rules, morality etc. Within this all the main characters expected in a believable and understandable manner. I also liked mixing this with a hard-boiled type of crime story. However the setting seemed to overshadow the storyline, and the crime plot seemed a little slow and unremarkable in comparison. I will still be reading on to the next in the trilogy and hoping it has a bit more oomph. 

I have given this a 4/5 because it is so different, well written and thought provoking.

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a shy twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness when she meets Ernest Hemingway and is captivated by his energy, intensity and burning ambition. After a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for France. But glamorous Jazz Age Paris, full of artists and writers, fuelled by alcohol and gossip, is no place for family life and fidelity. Ernest and Hadley's marriage begins to founder, and the birth of a beloved son only drives them further apart. Then, at last, Ernest's ferocious literary endeavours bring him recognition - not least from a woman intent on making him her own...

I have passed this book up several times in charity shops because of the awful cover and title - there are too many The X Wife books in publication at the moment. It was only after reading Hemingway's A Moveable Feast recently and wanting to read more about Hadley that I realised that this wasn't a silly chick lit book. 

I was very impressed with this book. It seamlessly picks  up the tone Hemingway had in A Moveable Feast and works it into a very good 'story'. One of those blurred story/biography books because it's based on fact but embellished into fiction. This was so beautifully done and obviously with much interest and research involved.

The setting, plot and characters were all brilliantly crafted. There were no caricatures or stereotyping and as a reader I could forget that *the* F Scott Fitzgerald or Gertrude Stein was involved and accept them as just characters. I just got swept away in the story of Hadley and first love and when love alone is everything and not enough at the same time. I may even been close to tears at the end too ...

Gave this 5/5 because it was truly a book I lost myself in and didn't want to end.

Reading Next:

The 3rd Inspector Rebus book because after the emotion of The Paris Wife I needed something I knew I would find undemanding. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #1

Fairly typical reading week for me, with my commuting I do tend to average 3 or 4 books a week without it feeling a strain.

Books I finished this week:

Like most families, they had their secrets...
And they hid them under a genteelly respectable veneer. No onlooker would guess that prim Vera Hillyard and her beautiful, adored younger sister, Eden, were locked in a dark and bitter combat over one of those secrets. England in the fifties was not kind to women who erred, so they had to use every means necessary to keep the truth hidden behind closed doors - even murder.

The first outing for Ruth Rendell as Barbara Vine and the first Vine I've read too. I found this one difficult to get into initially because Vine wanted to do a slow reveal on what the plot was going to be. But after that point it was a decent read; very well plotted and superb characterisation as you would expect from Vine/Rendell. Also interesting to be outside London which is the setting Rendell uses most in her books. I gave it a 4 out of 5 because it was just lacking that bit of bite her very best books have, e.g. The Bridesmaid.

Bilodo lives a solitary daily life, routinely completing his postal rounds every day and returning to his empty Montreal apartment. But he has found a way to break the cycle—Bilodo has taken to stealing people's mail, steaming open the envelopes, and reading the letters inside. And so it is he comes across Ségolène's letters. She is corresponding with Gaston, a master poet, and their letters are each composed of only three lines. They are writing each other haikus. The simplicity and elegance of their poems move Bilado and he begins to fall in love with her. But one day, out on his round, he witnesses a terrible and tragic accident. Just as Gaston is walking up to the post-box to mail his next haiku to Ségolène, he is hit by a car and dies on the side of the road. And so Bilodo makes an extraordinary decision—he will impersonate Gaston and continue to write to Ségolène under this guise. But how long can the deception continue for? 

In my head I liken this a tiny bit to the film One Hour Photo. But actually it's far less creepy that that. More philosophical on the grey area between right and wrong sometimes. And the ending reflects that in a very Japanese way. This is a tiny book but it is a great read, definitely one of my highlights this year. 

Also as normally a poetry avoider I was really surprised how much I enjoy the haiku in this, And the author managed to put some subtle history on Japanese poetry in between the story so you actually learnt about it too. I gave this a 5/5.

Tom Sherbourne, released from the horrors of the First World War, is now a lighthouse keeper, cocooned on a remote island with his young wife Izzy, who is content in everything but her failure to have a child.

One April morning, a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man - and a crying baby. Safe from the real world, Tom and Izzy break the rules and follow their hearts. It is a decision with devastating consequences.

Think this was a big hit a couple of years back, generally I don't read much historical fiction but this was a book I was leant by my Mum. I wasn't sure I was going to like it and sadly it did little to alter my expectations. Very readable but more on a "womens's lit" level than anything more challenging. And all the 'dilemma' in it didn't sit well with me as it was so clearly forced by the author to create the story - obviously this happens in all fiction by definition but here it was too visible.  I can see how a lot of people would love it but not my cup of tea, I gave it a 3/5.

June 1890. Leeds is close to breaking point. The gas workers are on strike. Supplies are dangerously low. Factories and businesses are closing; the lamps are going unlit at night. Detective Inspector Tom Harper has more urgent matters on his mind. The beat constable claims eight-year-old Martha Parkinson has disappeared. Her father insists she s visiting an aunt in Halifax but Harper doesn t believe him. When Col Parkinson is found dead the following morning, the case takes on an increasing desperation. But then Harper s search for Martha is interrupted by the murder of a replacement gas worker, stabbed to death outside the Town Hall while surrounded by a hostile mob. Pushed to find a quick solution, Harper discovers that there s more to this killing than meets the eye and that there may be a connection to Martha s disappearance.

This is a book I really wanted to like this, having a massive spot for Leeds in the 4 years I have lived here and wanting to support a local author. Unfortunately plot and characterisation was very flat. The location of Leeds was the best part of the book, but it was a case of too much research seeping in. For example when a  character is walking across town you are told they are walking down street x, passing street y, seeing business a and business b, not choosing to step in business c. It made it quite clunky and it isn't normal (in anything I read) to have such a level of detail. I have given this a 2/5.

What I will be reading:
I rarely know beyond my current book as I'm such a mood reader.  Currently reading Agatha Chrisitie's first outing of Tommy & Tuppence, The Secret Adversary. Which is definitely a good tonic for a Monday.