As you know if you read my (bit of a cheat) mid-holiday post from Provence, I have been on a self-imposed internet detox for the past two weeks. Contrary to my fears, the world hasn't forgotten about me (hurrah), and my books sales didn't completely collapse during the break either. So, what did I … [Read more...]
Book Review: The House of Fame by Oliver Harris
I've loved the North London police dramas written by Oliver Harris for a while, mainly because they are well-written, fast-paced, and star a hard-nosed, but fair-minded and gentle-hearted police detective, Nick Belsey. This third instalment in the Belsey crime thriller series sees our police … [Read more...]
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
My heart sank when I opened 'My Brilliant Friend' and saw the 'Index of characters'. I'd really been looking forward to reading this book, especially as I knew it was the first part in a series set in Italy – and had been written by a woman. All details that attracted me to 'My Brilliant Friend.' … [Read more...]
5 Questions for Crime Writer JJ Marsh
I've been a fan of Beatrice Stubbs, the female sleuth of murder mystery novels by JJ Marsh, for a long while now. When the latest book, Human Rites, (number 5 in the series) came out before Christmas, I again consumed the novel within a week. I've written several reviews of the novels in the series … [Read more...]
Five books for Mother’s Day
It's Mother's Day in the UK this coming Sunday and I thought I'd recommend a few books I think would make brilliant gifts. What could be a better present for a mother than a book? Here are the five titles that I think mothers (and grandmothers) will enjoy reading. Marry in Haste by Debbie Young I … [Read more...]
Marry in Haste by Debbie Young – Book review
Marry in Haste by Debbie Young is a lively selection of short stories around marriage, love and relationships in general. They are arranged in three sections, Seeking, Committing and Enduring. And here I have to come clean: I don’t usually much enjoy short stories. And yet, I read Marry in Haste … [Read more...]
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith – Book Review
I've read and liked all three Robert Galbraith (aka J K Rowling) novels featuring the ex-army private detective, Cormoran Strike, and his aptly named side-kick, the young and beautiful Robin. In Career of Evil, Robin's role as Cormoran's assistant is in jeopardy, when she receives a gruesome … [Read more...]
5 Books for the New Year
I love January and the new year, because I get more time to read than in the busy time leading up to Christmas. This year, because I am a fully-fledged Driven Woman, included in my reading list for the first time is a self-help book (for lack of any other description), which was recommended to me by … [Read more...]
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Awesome Indies Books invites you to join our Read to Review program. If you sign up, once a month we will email you details of the Awesome Indies approved books that are up for review. You then have two weeks to let us know if you’d like to read any of them. The author will then send you the book in … [Read more...]
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler – 2015 Booker shortlisted novel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars Anne Tyler’s books are never predictable – she creates characters that you love to love, but also those that you love to hate and those you cannot get any grip on at all. In A Spool of Blue Thread, among the Whitshanks, there are very few characters that you could even … [Read more...]