Jenny Joins In for 2022

Charlas75 Books Challenge for 2022

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Jenny Joins In for 2022

1socialpages
Ene 4, 2022, 2:24 am

2021 was not a good reading year for me. I didn't reach my goal of 75 books. I lost my reading mojo during lockdown and rediscovered the joy of knitting and crochet. However, 2022 is a new year. We are out of lockdown and the libraries are open.

2socialpages
Editado: Ene 3, 2023, 1:57 pm

Reading Summary

January
1. The Day She Disappeared by Christobel Kent
2. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
3. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
4. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
5. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
6. The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre
Total: 6 books

February
1. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
2. The Imitator by Rebecca Starford
3. The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
4. The Reckoning by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Total: 4 books
YTD: 10 books

March

1. Only the Innocent by Rachel Abbott
2. The Whole Truth by Cara Hunter
3. The Cinema at Starlight Creek by Alli Sinclair
4. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
5. No Way Out by Cara Hunter
6. Two Lost Mountains by Matthew Reilly AUDIO
7. Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly AUDIO
Total: 7 books
YTD: 17 books

April
1. The Cadaver Game by Kate Ellis
2. The Birdman's Wife by Melissa Ashley
3. Someone We Know by Shari Lapena
4. Those Who Perish by Emma Viskic
5. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths
Total: 5 books
YTD: 22 books

May
1. Stranger In the House by Shari Lapena
2. Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively AUDIO
3. The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware
4. The End of Her by Shari Lapena
5. Fifty Fifty by James Patterson AUDIO
Total: 5 books
YTD: 27 books

June
1. One Impossible Labyrinth by Matthew Reilly AUDIO
2. Devotion by Hannah Kent
3. Still Life by Sarah Winman
4. The Restaurant of Love Regained by Ito Ogawa
5. Elektra: A Novel by Jennifer Saint
6. Final Girls by Riley Sager
Total: 6 books
YTD: 33 books

July
1. The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini
2. Wharton Gothics by Edith Wharton AUDIO
3. Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths
4. The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths
5. The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld AUDIO
6. The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
7. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
8. The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Total: 8
YTD: 41 books

August
1. Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby
2. The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
3. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
4. Recitatif by Toni Morrison
5. Smokehouse by Melissa Manning
6. Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson AUDIO
7. Women of Troy by Pat Barker
8. Evans Above by Rhys Bowen AUDIO
9. Emma A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith

Total: 9 books
YTD: 50 books

September

1. Galatea by Madeline Miller
2. Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
3. The Unmourned by Meg and Tom Keneally AUDIO
4. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
5. Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
6. The Death of Lucy Kyte by Nicola Upson
7. Transcription by Kate Atkinson AUDIO
8. The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
9. The Facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer

Total: 9 books
YTD 59 books

October
1. The Murder At The Vicarage by Agatha Christie
2. The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo AUDIO
3. Where Have You Been? by Wendy James
4. Agatha Christie Miss Marple The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple by Anne Hart
5. Wintering by Katherine May
6. Persuasion by Jane Austen
7. Sisters by Daisy Johnson
8. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
9. The Trees by Percival Everett
10. The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

Total: 10 books
YTD 69 books

November
1. Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault
2. The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow
3. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
4. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (REREAD for BOOK CLUB)
5. Murder before Evensong by Reverend Coles

Total: 5 books
YTD: 74 books

December

1. Exiles by Jane Harper AUDIO (February 2023 BOOK CLUB)
2. A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
3. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
4. Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery (March 2023 BOOK CLUB)
5. Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
6. The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
7. The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney
8. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
9. Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor

Total: 9 books
YTD: 83 books

3socialpages
Ene 4, 2022, 2:58 am

The Day She Disappeared by Christobel Kent



I picked this book up at my library book sale. I needed a quick read to start 2022 and for me that means something in the crime genre. From the start Kent creates a tense atmosphere of foreboding. This makes me want to read quickly so I can find out "whodunnit" but then it gets so fraught and strained that I need to put the book down for a while.

Beth and Nat are barmaids working at the local tavern. When Beth sends a text message to their boss saying that she won't be back Nat doesn't believe it. She thinks something bad must have happened to Beth and she starts her own investigation. The Police aren't really interested as they have the murder of a young man to deal with. Nat thinks that someone is watching her. There are lots of potential suspects, Nat's ex partner is drinking too much and wants a second chance and Nat's friend, Victor, who is 92 years old has a stroke and is in hospital. Kent ties it all up nicely in the end.

Told from three different viewpoints - Nat, Victor and the murderer - the most engaging for me was Victor. His determination to help his daughter escape her abusive husband and his struggle to remember what he saw the day of the murder make him a great character.

3 stars

4PaulCranswick
Ene 4, 2022, 4:13 am



This group always helps me to read; welcome back to the group, Jenny.

Hope it is a much better year for all of us, reading and otherwise.

5FAMeulstee
Ene 4, 2022, 7:32 am

Happy reading in 2022, Jenny!

6drneutron
Ene 4, 2022, 9:04 am

Welcome back! I hope 2022 is a great reading year for you.

7thornton37814
Ene 4, 2022, 7:45 pm

Enjoy your 2022 reading!

8socialpages
Editado: Feb 3, 2022, 3:19 pm

2. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones



Another book perfect for my return to reading. It's been on my radar for a while. I believe it was an Oprah Book Club Choice and also won the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction. It didn't disappoint. It was a quick read with short chapters often in the form of letters.

Ray and Celestial have been married for 18 months. They are an upwardly mobile black couple. Ray is ambitious yet traditional in his views of what makes a family. Celestial is an artist from a rich, privileged family. They are staying at a motel while visiting Ray's family when he is arrested for the rape of another guest. Ray is innocent but still sentenced to 12 years in jail. Interestingly, the race of his accuser is not mentioned.

Ray's sentence is overturned after 5 years in jail. He wants his old life back including Celestial but her life has moved on. She has a successful business making overpriced "poupees" (dolls) and is now in a relationship with her childhood friend, Andre. They are planning to marry.

What I liked about this book is that I could understand the story from each of the character's viewpoints. At each change of voice I would change my sympathies to align with that person. A really, good read that makes you think. Highly recommended.

4 stars

9socialpages
Ene 11, 2022, 8:17 pm



3. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
I found this book on a list of thrillers with good twists and it lived up to its inclusion on the list. The setting is a society wedding on an isolated island in Ireland. Add in some bleak, stormy weather, treacherous terrain, some very unlikeable characters and finally a murder to top off the wedding ceremony.

A great holiday read. I couldn't put it down. The story is told by numerous characters and jumps back in forth in time so the reader knows what each one thinks, their personality and their background. I love a book where most of the characters are unlikeable but because Foley allows the reader to know how they got to this point in their lives I felt more forgiving and understanding towards them.

To me the book was reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. More for the atmostpher and building tension than the plot. I enjoyed the way all the back stories entwined to make a very satisfying end.

What a terribly boring cover for a thriller.

Rating : 3 stars

10socialpages
Editado: Ene 31, 2022, 3:39 pm



5. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Set in Glasgow, Shuggie Bain covers just over ten years in the life of the Bain family. Agnes is a beautiful woman who speaks and dresses well which sets her apart from her community. Spoilt as a child she is not satisfied with her life. She wants fun, laughter and good times but times are hard and money is short. Her husband leaves her for another woman and she is left to bring up her three children alone. The older two kids leave home as soon as they are able to escape Agnes' drinking. Her youngest child, Shuggie, adores his mother and tries his best to stop her drinking and keep her safe. Everyday is a struggle for Shuggie as Agnes slowly drinks herself to death. The family rely on welfare to survive. This is the story of a woman's decline into alcoholism and poverty and the effect it has on her children.

This book is well worth a read but if you're looking for an uplifting book this isn't for you. It's hard to understand how a mother could neglect her children preferring to spend her money on alcohol rather than food.

4 stars

11socialpages
Ene 31, 2022, 4:05 pm



5. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Rowan starts a new post as a live-in nanny to a wealthy family in an isolated part of Scotland. The parents are both busy architects and leave Rowan almost immediately to attend a work conference. From the start Rowan feels that something isn't right. The kids are difficult, the technology that runs the house malfunctions and there are mysterious footsteps in the night. The tense atmosphere builds as Rowan finds that the house has a terrible history.

Sometimes it felt like the book was a thriller, sometimes a ghost story but ultimately the ending was a fail for me. It just left me a bit deflated. There were a couple of twists which I wasn't expecting but I didn't feel like the ending was credible. Still it was a good read just not Ware's best book.

3 stars

12socialpages
Editado: Ene 31, 2022, 4:21 pm



6. The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre
Patience is a 53 year old widow and works for the police as a french/arabic translator. She is struggling financially to support her two daughters and her elderly mother who is in a very expensive care facility. One day Patience seizes an opportunity to intercept a large supply of drugs and she enters the criminal world. Her day job helps her stay one step ahead of the police.

It's refreshing to have an older woman as the central character of a book. The book is short, funny and I enjoyed reading it.

4 stars

13socialpages
Feb 3, 2022, 3:15 pm



My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

What a great title. I had to read this book and I was glad I did. Plus it's only 225 pages, the chapters are short and I couldn't put it down. Two sisters: Ayoola is beautiful and kills her boyfriends, Korede is homely, serious and cleans up the crime scenes. Trouble starts when Ayoola begins dating the man that Korede has long been in love with.
Although the book is darkly humerous, it deals with serious subjects like domestic violence, sibling loyalty, duty, ethics and justice. The end was a bit disappointing but on reflection it was the perfect twist. I highly recommend this book. Original and funny.
4 stars.

14socialpages
Editado: Feb 9, 2022, 11:52 pm



The Imitator by Rebecca Starford

It started off well with interesting characters and setting. Basically, it's a familliar story Evelyn, a scholarship girl attends private girls school in England. She's bullied and laughed at until she finds a way to blend in. She gets rid of any traces of her country upbringing.

After she graduates from Oxford University, she is recruited by MI5 and works for the elite counter-intelligence department. Evelyn's first mission is to infiltrate a group of Nazi sympathisers.

It went downhill from here. I just didn't buy into the story or the characters. Some parts were predictable but I struggled to understand the ending.

2 stars
Disappointing read.

15socialpages
Editado: Jun 19, 2022, 11:13 pm



The Restaurant of Love Regained by Ito Ogawa
I picked this book up at my local library book sale. I'm a big fan of Japanese fiction so this looked right up my alley. It started off well. Rinko has worked at several restaurants and dreams of one day opening her own place with her boyfriend. However, she comes home from work one day to find her boyfriend gone along with everything in their apartment. Rinko is forced to go home and try and mend her relationship with her mother. She opens her own restaurant which focusses on locally grown ingredients but serves only one customer each evening.
I did enjoy this book right up until the last few pages. As a vegan, I just hated the graphic description of animal butchery which went on for page after page after page.
Disappointing
1 star

16socialpages
Editado: Jun 29, 2022, 6:32 pm



Devotion by Hannah Kent
This is my book club's June choice. We have read and discussed her two previous books and I was looking forward to reading this one. I loved it. Kent writes beautifully and her sense of place is magnificent, whether it's 17th century Prussia, a not quite seaworthy ship sailing to Australia or the Australian bush. The plot centres on a group of Lutherans who leave their homeland for Australia so they can practise their religion freely.

4 stars

17socialpages
Editado: Jul 6, 2022, 6:21 pm



Still Life by Sarah Winman

My book club's July read.
I was so disappointed in this book. I wanted to love it but I just didn't. It's very well reviewed and rated so maybe it was just the wrong book for me at this time. It's very slow paced compared to crime novels I've been reading lately. Anyway, it will be interesting to see what the other members of my book club think. I'm betting they all enjoyed it. We have also read Sarah Winman's Tin Man which I absolutely loved and rated 4 stars.

The book starts in WW2 and ends in the 1970s and follows a quirky group of English friends and a macaw parrot who end up living in Florence. The friends become a family and support each other throughout life's ups and downs.

2 1/2 stars

18socialpages
Editado: Jun 27, 2022, 3:39 am



Final Girls by Riley Sager
I heard about this author from a knitting podcast, Sock Witchery, and decided to give Riley Sager a try. This was a very fast paced book and thoroughly rivetting. "Final girl" refers to the lone female survivor of a slasher/horror film. In this book, there are three final girls who have survived horrible massacres, but then one of them dies.
Quincy is one of the final girls. She and her friends were staying in an isolated cabin when they were attacked leaving only Quincy alive. To others it looks like Quincy has her life together but in reality she is addicted to pills, drinks too much and suffers from anxiety. She cannot remember the events of that night.
Excellent thriller 3 stars. I will be reading more Riley Sager.

19PaulCranswick
Jun 19, 2022, 10:57 pm

Nice to see you posting, Jenny. I want to get to Still Life sooner rather than later.

20socialpages
Jun 27, 2022, 3:26 am

>19 PaulCranswick: thanks Paul. I want to try and keep my book reviews up-to-date this year. It's a great way to record my reading. Still Life is in the time-out corner at the moment. I've read so many good reviews but it's not grabbing me. I'll go back and finish it next week.

21socialpages
Editado: Jun 29, 2022, 6:32 pm



Elektra: A Novel by Jennifer Saint
A re-telling of the story of Troy from the viewpoint of three women: Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon and sister of Helen of Troy; Cassandra, princess of Troy but cursed by Apollo to see the future but not be believed and Elektra, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I still found the novel suspenseful. The three women are well rounded characters and I empathised with Cassandra and Clytemnestra.

Wonderful, wonderful read. It reminded me of Natalie Haynes' A Thousand Ships which I also loved.

4 stars

22socialpages
Editado: Jul 1, 2022, 5:26 pm



The Bread The Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini

What a book! I'm emotionally exhausted but thankfully the book ends on a note of hope.

Alethea Lopez is turning 40. She manages a boutique in Port of Spain, Trinidad. On the surface she is independent, smart and clever but behind closed doors she's the victim of domestic violence. She witnesses a woman murdered by a jealous partner and starts to think that this might be her own future. Gradually Alethea reveals the truth about her childhood which is shocking. I don't think I'll forgot the horrors contained in this book for a while.

This book contains lots of triggers points so it is not for everyone. Alethea's voice is Trinidadian creole which adds an authenticity to the novel and does get easier to understand the more you read.

The title of the book intrigued me. It comes from a quote in the book "If the two of all you don't stop all you nastiness, you go eat the bread the devil knead".

4.5 stars.
Fantastic cover art.

23socialpages
Editado: Jul 13, 2022, 6:53 pm



Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths

This is book number thirteen in the Ruth Galloway series. There's a body on the beach found by a group of metal detectorists or Night Hawks as they call themselves. More murders occur and Nelson has his work cut out for him. I love this series more for the relationship between Ruth and Nelson than the murders themselves. Nelson is married to Michelle and they have a young son, George. His two older daughters are now adults and have live their own lives.

A satisifying read.
3 1/2 stars

24socialpages
Editado: Jul 13, 2022, 6:53 pm



The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths

Ruth Galloway Mystery No 14

Ruth is now the head of the archaeology department at UNN and she's dealing with budgets, first year students and a difficult new staff member. Then the Covid 19 pandemic hits and the British people are in lockdown.

Nelson has a locked room suicide (or is it murder?) to investigate and it appears there could be more victims.

Wonderful read
4 stars

25socialpages
Editado: Jul 17, 2022, 5:26 pm



The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

Why this book?
It won the 2022 Women's Prize for Fiction though reviews were mixed. I had previously read and enjoyed Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being.
Cover
Terrible. This cover would not entice me to pick this book up to read. Get rid of the ugly yellow rubber duck.

I was a bit intimidated to start reading this book after struggling to finish Still Life. It's a whopping 546 pages which is longer than the books I've been reading lately. However, I found it a compelling read. Reading it was like watching an out of control train and knowing the only possible outcome is a train wreck.

The story starts with the death of Kenji Oh, a jazz musician returning from a late night gig who was just metres from home and fell over and was too drunk/stoned to get up. He fell asleep and was run over and killed a by a truck carrying live chickens.

Kenji leaves behind his wife, Annabelle, and their eleven year old son, Benny. Neither of them are coping with his death. Benny starts to hear the voices of inanimate objects. Their constant chatter is overwhelming and his mental state declines as he tries to block them out. Annabelle struggles to keep her job and be there for Benny. She becomes a hoarder collecting things comforts her.

Benny finds refuge at the public library as the voices are quieter in the library. There he meets a homeless poet and a young female artist. These two friends help him navigate his life.

Things come to a crisis point with Benny's mental health and he is hospitalised once again and Annabelle's hoarding is out-of-control as she is fired from her job and faces eviction. Benny could also be taken out of her care and placed in foster care if she doesn't clean up.

The book is told in alternating voices: Benny and an all-knowing book. The book is about grief, resilience, creativity, consumerism, buddhism, the importance of books and reading and also friendship/community.

This book was a wonderful read.
4 stars

26socialpages
Editado: Jul 20, 2022, 6:25 pm



The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Set in the time of the Trojan War, Pat Barker tells the story of Briseis who was a princess until her city was sacked by Achilles and his army. She becomes his "prize" for winning the battle. However, the leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, takes Briseis back as his prize. This upsets Achilles and he refuses to fight with the Greeks. Without Achilles it looks like the Trojans will win the war.

Barker does a brilliant job of bringing the lives of the captured women to the foreground.

I loved this book and can't wait to read the sequel The Women of Troy
5 stars.

27socialpages
Editado: Jul 25, 2022, 3:20 am



The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld

A dark novel full of violence towards women through the ages and the reader understands that the violence continues to our current time. The violence is physical and psychological.

The novel structure is interesting. There are three stories. The first one is set in modern times - Viv - is struggling with the death of her father who happens to be the step son of Ruth. Ruth is the subject of the second story set after WW2. She is struggling with the death of her brother Anthony. The third story is set in the 1700s where a teenage girl is on the run accused of being a witch. Overseeing all three stories is the Bass Rock, a huge monolithic rock that bears witness to the violence.

Incredible book.
4 stars

28socialpages
Editado: Jul 29, 2022, 5:36 am



The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

In 1617 a sudden, fierce storm at sea off the coast of Norway kills all the adult men from a small, isolated town called Vardo. To survive the women must take on the traditional roles of their menfolk. They are getting low on food supplies, so some of the women take out the fishing boats out and cast out nets.

A new commissioner and is wife arrive at Vardo.

29socialpages
Editado: Jul 29, 2022, 5:19 am



The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

Pat Barker continues the story of Briseis that she started in The Silence of the Girls. The Greeks have won the Trojan war, Helen has been returned to her husband, Menelaus and Briseis is pregnant with the dead hero, Achilles' child but they all Greeks and Trojains alike remain in limbo camped in the shadow of the destroyed city. The Greek soldiers are desperate to return to their homes after being away for ten years but strong winds are preventing their departure. It seems the gods have deserted the Greeks.

Barker is concerned with the fortunes of the women of Troy as they come to terms with the loss of their loved ones and homes. Briseis is now a free woman married to Achilles' friend Alcimus. Hector's widow, Andromache is now a slave belonging to Pyrrhus (Achilles' son) and is grieving the loss of her husband and baby son who was thrown off a roof by Pyrrhus. Queen Hecuba, Priam's widow now serves Odysseus. Cassandra has been claimed by Agamemnon. She is foretelling his death and her own but as per Apollo's curse no-one is listening.

A worthy sequel to The Silence of the Girls
4 stars

30socialpages
Ago 2, 2022, 6:47 pm



Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E Kirby

A collection of 21 short stories. Wonderfully, different and playful stories from a female's perspective. Some stories resonated more than others but this is always the case with short story collections.

I'm torn between 3 1/2 stars and 4 stars.

31socialpages
Ago 4, 2022, 6:13 pm



The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

David is a fisherman on the island of Black Conch, a small Caribbean village. Whilst fishing he encounters a mermaid who comes to the water surface to listen to David's singing and guitar strumming. David tells no-one about the mermaid, Aycayia. A fishing contest brings an American father and son to Black Conch. The Americans catch the mermaid and bring her to shore where they hang her up on the dock as a trophy catch. David rescues her and gradually earns her trust as she transforms back into a woman.

He learns that young Aycayia was cursed to live in the sea as a mermaid by the women of her tribe because she was too beautiful and receiving too much attention from their menfolk.

This is such a beautiful novel. It's a love story, a story of jealousy, racial tension, friendship, history and belonging. Aycayia is a mermaid like no other but ultimately she cannot escape her fate.

4 stars

32socialpages
Editado: Sep 13, 2022, 9:22 pm



Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

I loved this book. 4 stars
Ariadne from Greek mythology is the daughter of the King of Crete. Her brother is the minotaur who is trapped in a maze under the castle. Every year Athens sends twelve of their young people to be sacrificed to the minotaur. This year Prince Theseus is part of the group. Ariadne and her sister Phaedra defy the gods and betray their family & city to help Theseus to defeat the minotaur and escape from Crete.

Theseus turns out not to be the hero we thought he was.

33socialpages
Editado: Sep 13, 2022, 9:28 pm


Recitatif by Toni Morrison

This is a short story and quick read that presents a puzzle for the reader. One of the girls is white and the other black but Morrison does not tell us which is which. I kept changing my mind about the race of each girl.

Two girls spend a few months in an orphanage and form a friendship. The girls now women meet again as adults at intervals.

Fabulous read. 4 stars

34socialpages
Editado: Sep 13, 2022, 9:29 pm



Smokehouse by Melissa Manning

Book club choice for August.

Short story collection set in Tasmania, Australia, loosely connected.
I'm not really a short story fan but I did enjoy this book.

35socialpages
Editado: Ago 23, 2022, 4:41 pm



Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson

An audio book was probably not the best choice for this novel though the reader did a great job. It was difficult to get the characters clear in my head. Ari Thor has got his first job as a policeman and has moved to a small town in the north of the country. His girlfriend, Christine, remains in Reyjkavik completing her medical studies. An old man who wrote a famous Icelandic novel falls off a ladder and dies. Ari Thor believes there is more to it than a simple accident. And he is right!

Quite a good murder mystery. However, Ari Thor annoyed me. He took the job without discussing it with Christine and he blamed her for not calling him on xmas day. He wanted her to chase him even though she's working and studying full time to become a doctor.

2 1/2 stars.
I enjoyed the descriptions of Iceland but won't be looking for anymore books by Jonasson.

36socialpages
Ago 23, 2022, 4:32 pm



Emma A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith

I usually avoid books based on Jane Austen's novels but I enjoy Alexander McCall Smith's work and the book was a bargain at my local library book sale so I took a chance.

It took a while to warm up but McCall Smith's gentle humour eventually won me over. There were some nice touches in this modern retelling which made me smile. The weakest section was the romance between Mr Knightly and Emma.

An enjoyable if forgettable read.
3 stars. Suitable for a seaside holiday.

37socialpages
Editado: Sep 13, 2022, 9:37 pm



Galatea A Short Story by Madeline Miller

In ancient Greece a goddess gives life to a marble statue of a beautiful woman. The sculptor marries Galatea. He is very controlling and expects absolute obedience and humility from her. He locks her away under the constant supervision of doctors.

Loved it. Writing is fantastic. I wish it was longer.
4 stars

38socialpages
Sep 13, 2022, 9:44 pm



Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

Set in Japan 14 year old boy with a lazy eye and a female classmate are relentlessly and brutally bullied. The two support each other and grow close.

It's hard to read about a child being beaten so badly that hospitalisation is required. Not an easy read.
4 stars.

39socialpages
Sep 13, 2022, 9:52 pm



Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

Long listed for the Booker Prize 2022. Leila Mottley is the youngest writer ever to make the long list. She's a very talented writer and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Kiara and her brother are struggling to pay rent. Their mother is in jail and their father is dead. Kiara has a part time job and her brother records rap songs hoping to become rich and famous.

40socialpages
Editado: Sep 25, 2022, 5:44 pm



The Unmourned by Meg and Tom Keneally

Book club choice for September.
Initial thoughts before our book club discussion. Easy read set in Australia in the 1800s involving two ex convicts, Hannah and Monsarrat, who now completed their sentences and now have their 'tickets of leave'. Hannah and Monsarrat investigate the murder of the much-hated warden at the Female Factory (prison).
I found the book disappointing. Not enough facts about conditions at the Female Factory. What does come across well though is the precarious existence lead by Hannah and Monsarrat who feared their tickets of leave could be cancelled at any moment and they would be returned to a cruel prison system.
2 stars
Let's see if my opinion is changed by our discussion.

41socialpages
Editado: Oct 12, 2022, 4:30 pm



The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

A great premise for a book that ultimately did not deliver. Anders is a white man who turns black overnight. He is ashamed and angry.
He only leaves the house completely covered up so that his skin colour is not visible. Other white people turn black too. There are riots and violence as the remaining white people feel that the existing order is being threatened. Eventually everyone is black and the country returns to the way it was.

It was a short read, only 180 pages but I felt that Hamid did not really deal with the issue of colour. Although the book deals with death, family, mental instability and love well.

3 stars

42socialpages
Editado: Oct 12, 2022, 4:39 pm



The Facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer

I really like Belinda Bauer's crime novels. The story is told from the perspective of young Ruby but as an adult reader we can easily read between the lines and the murderer is apparent to us from early on but not to Ruby. The setting is atmospheric and unique with a small community living between a dark, impenetrable forest and the encroaching sea. The twin impending perils of the natural world and a serial killer collide making for a nail biting finish.

Another great read. 3 1/2 stars

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Ene 3, 2023, 2:15 pm

After failing to read 75 books in 2021 I was very motivated to reach my goal in 2022. And I exceeded it by reading 83 books. 2022 was a great reading year for me with the discovery of new authors and returning to old favourites.

Here is the breakdown of the books I read:
Female authors : 65 Male authors : 18
Print version: 70 Audio : 13

Most books I read were from the crime genre and by an UK author though I did read 1 French author, 2 Trinidadian authors, 1 Nigerian, 1 Chinese and 1 from Ghana. I read 3 short story collections and only 2 non fiction books.

My favourite 5 books:
The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostino
Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Honourable mentions:
The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney

Least favourite books:

The Cinema at Starlight Creek by Alli Sinclair
The Unmourned by Meg Keneally

Unfortunately, these are both written by Australian authors. I read them for my book club.

Ask me to list my best books tomorrow and the list would probably not look the same as I had a lot of 4 star reads.