I can’t believe I’m only reading my first Diana Wynne Jones novel now, at the age of 51! This is exactly the kind of book I have loved since early childhood, and I have no idea how they managed to pass me by?! This is a dark, witty and thoughtful look at traditional fairytale/fantasy storytelling.Continue reading “Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones – 01.09.20”
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Lanny – Max Porter – 27.08.20
Like the fabulous Grief Is a Thing With Feathers, also by Max Porter, this book is a beautiful merging of poetry, prose, magical realism and raw human emotion. It uses the technique (which I had to google but is apparently called concrete or visual poetry) where the arrangement of words on the page is partContinue reading “Lanny – Max Porter – 27.08.20”
The Last – Hanna Jameson – 26.08.20
I’m just back from a visit with my daughter and her boyfriend in Wales, and we had the clever idea to swap kindles for the visit and read each other’s books. When flicking through her kindle my finger accidentally lingered on this book which opened it. I started reading, and was instantly hooked. It’s aContinue reading “The Last – Hanna Jameson – 26.08.20”
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig – 19.08.20
I have loved everything I’ve read by Matt Haig, even his self-help type books, when normally I wouldn’t go near that sort of book. This is a novel, with a bit of self-help thrown in for free. During a suicide attempt, Nora finds herself in the state between life and death in a mysterious libraryContinue reading “The Midnight Library – Matt Haig – 19.08.20”
Everything Under – Daisy Johnson – 14.08.20
I wish I knew how to capture or even quantify the quality that makes some books just so darn beautiful. Like dipping my toes into water that is just the right temperature I knew right away that I would relish swimming through this book (am I stretching this metaphor too far?!). It’s similar in feelContinue reading “Everything Under – Daisy Johnson – 14.08.20”
The Limpet Syndrome – Tony Moyle – (AUDIOBOOK) – 14.08.20
This audiobook is the first in a darkly comedic supernatural series and I received it and also the first in another series by the same author as a free promotion. I approached it with a slightly snobby ‘well, if they have to give it away for free, it can’t be that good’ attitude (despite meContinue reading “The Limpet Syndrome – Tony Moyle – (AUDIOBOOK) – 14.08.20”
The Porpoise – Mark Haddon – 10.08.20
I have enjoyed other books by Mark Haddon, so was looking forward to this one. I didn’t really know what to expect and I was very quickly drawn into the book’s exciting opening scenes of a dramatic plane crash. Then the story follows a father bereaved of his wife and left with a newborn daughterContinue reading “The Porpoise – Mark Haddon – 10.08.20”
Shadowplay – Joseph O’Connor – (Audiobook) – 07.08.20
I just finished listening to this audiobook, and I have a kind of mixed reaction. First, it has a lot to commend it: based on the life of Bram Stoker, mostly during the time when he worked as a stage manager at the London Lyceum Theatre with the famous actors, Sir Harry Irving and EllenContinue reading “Shadowplay – Joseph O’Connor – (Audiobook) – 07.08.20”
The Torment of Others (Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, Book 4) – Val McDermid – 04.08.20
I’m not a huge fan of crime thriller books, although, oddly enough I do enjoy a moody crime thriller series on the tv (Just binge watched all four series of Cardinal and loved it). Jan McDermid is a good writer though, and one of the few crime thriller writers I enjoy. This book had lotsContinue reading “The Torment of Others (Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, Book 4) – Val McDermid – 04.08.20”
The Shell Collector – Anthony Doerr – 28.07.20
This was my book group read for August, and I probably wouldn’t have read it otherwise as I’m generally not a fan of short stories, although I do love Anthony Doerr’s novels – All The Light We Cannot See, and About Grace. Well, I’m glad I did read it as the writing was really beautifulContinue reading “The Shell Collector – Anthony Doerr – 28.07.20”
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