This book will be published on 1st October so time to get a pre-order in now!
In what seems to be turning into a recurring theme for me, I came to this book not realising it was second in the series featuring Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur.
Luckily for me, this one works as a stand alone novel really rather well! The novel opens with the death of an old lady in a flat overlooking Shoreham sea front. She is found by her carer, Natalka, who – along with another elderly resident of the block of flats and the local coffee shack owner – become the unlikely sleuths in a case that starts to spiral.
The key to the mystery seems to lie in the lady’s past and, in particular, her provision of consultancy services on murder methods to writers. DS Kaur leads the investigation into the possible murder and finds herself caught up in a literary puzzle.
This was an enjoyable and light read – very much in the realm of cosy crime as there’s nothing graphic or particularly perilous here. Instead, it’s a quite lovely tale of how some unlikely characters forge relationships and support each other. In particular, DS Kaur’s Sikh family were great – warm and likeable – so I hope they appear more in future outings. I wouldn’t say the events were particularly realistic but it’s a clever premise and I was happy to be drawn along in its slipstream.
Overall, this is a rather gentle but engaging mystery. For all its cosiness, I’d still say that it has plenty of surprises and twists that make it enjoyable for fans of this genre.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Header photo with thanks to Art Lasovsky for sharing their work on Unsplash.
I recently reviewed ‘Dear Reader’ by Cathy Rentzenbrink (you can see the review here) and many of the comments I received were about the fact that people really love books about books!
With this in mind, I thought I’d introduce you to some of my favourites!
Links are affiliate links that I earn commission on at no extra cost to you – thank you for supporting my blog.
‘Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading’ by Lucy Mangan
As a life-long bookworm, I could not wait to get my hands on Mangan’s book about her childhood reading. I’m always keen to read about the experiences of one of my own tribe of book obsessives and was anticipating a blast from the past of my own childhood reading.
I was absolutely not disappointed. Being a similar age to Mangan, a lot of her book choices are cosily familiar and she writes with humour and passion. It was lovely to hear her take on old favourites, such as The Borrowers and Goodnight Mister Tom, as well as many books that I loved as a child and have recently shared with my own children. It was also wonderful to hear echoes of my own adult reservations about some of the books I loved as a child – growing up really does put some of them in a new and unflattering light!
I was also reminded of some books I haven’t thought about for about 20 years…for example, Love and Betrayal and Hold the Mayo (anyone?!) Of course not all of Mangan’s choices were familiar, but it’s so well written that it feels like a friend recommending you great new reads.
What I really loved was Mangan’s defence of being a bookworm as it is something a lot of people don’t understand. Bits of this made me laugh out loud as it was all so familiar.
I’d strongly recommend this to any keen readers who want a humorous, nostalgic trip through the bookcases of their childhood. I suspect it will particularly strike a chord with (probably female) bookworms of a similar age to Mangan (I think 43) who will have a great time rediscovering their love of Sweet Valley High, Judy Blume and other classics!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
‘The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books Saved My Life’ by Andy Miller
This is another one I only have a Kindle copy of and I regret that – it is definitely one that I would love to dip back in to sometimes.
I really loved this book. Andy Miller is very funny and the book really struck a chord with me. He is a Literature graduate (like me) with a young family (like me when I read this) and really missed reading, so he decided to tackle all the books he claimed to have read in the past and the ones he thinks he should have read.
I think we can all relate to this – as a Literature graduate, there are definitely books that were on my course that I ‘should’ have read or ones that I have a vague idea I might have read bits of only (*ahem* most of Charles Dickens and even a lot of Jane Austen. I know).
His ‘List of Betterment’ was really interesting and made me think about what I want to read – it actually inspired me to pick up ‘War and Peace’ again and I did get a fair way through it…OK, not all the way, but it’s a start and it turns out I like the Peace so much more than the War…
It was a shame that the book didn’t cover all 50 of the books, but I really enjoyed reading about his year as he writes so entertainingly. I heartily recommend this if you want a clever, witty and relatable jaunt through a reading challenge.
‘The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature’ by Viv Groskop
Another memoir-style book about books, this one follows Viv Groskop as she relates what she has learnt from Russian literature. Like Andy Miller, she is an engaging and lively narrator and this one is definitely worth a read.
I picked this up because I liked Russian literature at university (confession: all in English translation, obviously, and I didn’t like it enough to read all of ‘Crime and Punishment’. Wow, that is bleak). Groskop actually studied Russian at university and lived in Russia for a time, mistakenly believing she was getting back to her roots (it turns out she actually has Polish ancestry).
The book is a very funny trip through Groskop’s Russian adventures as told in a series of mini-essays about what we can learn from classic Russian literature. A lot of it was familiar to me from my university forays into these books, but there were also some really new (to me) and interesting ones covered too.
‘Dear Fahrenheit 451: A Librarian’s Love Letters and Break-Up Notes to Her Books’ by Annie Spence
This is a really unusual idea, but an interesting one! It’s a series of letters to books that Spence has fallen out of love with and books that she is ‘weeding’ from the library she works at to take out of circulation.
It’s really entertainingly written – there’s a lot about the library and some of its patrons as well as about the books themselves. There’s a lot of American books here (Spence is American) and more Sci-Fi than I would read, but it is so engaging – it would be especially amazing for readers who share Spence’s genre interests.
This is worth reading for the section on Judy Blume’s ‘Forever’ – a book that probably needs no introduction for anyone of my generation!
‘Books that Changed the World: The 50 Most Influential Books in Human History’ by Andrew Taylor
I loved the idea behind this one – to take 50 books that have had a huge impact on the world and write a short essay on each (5 or 6 pages each) explaining their main ideas and why they had such an impact.
Some I was familiar with already and are well-known (e.g. Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and Johnson’s Dictionary) but some choices were really unexpected and it was fascinating to read Taylor’s views on why they were so important. It also gave me more information on books that I really should know more about (for example religious texts, a personal blind spot for me!) It was also lovely to see some old favourites mentioned – a bit of nostalgia for my degree course!
‘1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die’ by Peter Boxall
From 50 books in Taylor’s view to 1001 that you MUST read before you die! I love this kind of list book, but I will never get near having read even a fraction of these books!
This is a lovely reference book for bookworms because it features so many fabulous books – some of which you will recognise and others that are new. Because it isn’t just about books published in English (although obviously English translations are available for them all), it is really interesting to read about classic and highly-regarded books from other countries. Each book also has an accompanying picture too, so this is a great book to have a browse through.
Be warned: this is a dangerous book for anyone’s TBR!
‘Read This Next…And Discover Your 500 New Favourite Books’ by Sandra Newman and Howard Mittelmark
This is another book that might well destroy your TBR. It has sections about some brilliant books (12 books per section, divided into themes like ‘Family’ or ‘Love’ or ‘History’) and then recommendations of other books to read if you enjoyed the focus book.
What I loved about this book was that it contained so many books I already really loved (it is always nice to spot something familiar in these books!) However, it also introduced me to many books that I hadn’t heard of, or knew the title only – the synopses are interesting and really give you a sense of whether you’d like the book. There are also some really interesting boxes of information sprinkled through the book – snippets about writers or quirky facts or context – that are a brilliant addition.
There’s also discussion points for book groups which are fascinating – some real food for thought and ways to think about the books that I’d never really considered.
‘The Novel Cure: An A to Z of Literary Remedies’ by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin
This is another book which recommends books to readers, but this time based on a range of ailments that need a literary cure!
Arranged like a medical dictionary, you look up your ‘ailment’ and get your literary prescription (which is then explained to you so you get a flavour of the book recommended).
Is your problem ‘being fifty-something’? Look it up and there are ten novels recommended for you. Maybe you have that ‘Monday morning feeling’ – the cure is ‘Mrs Dalloway’ by Virginia Woolf! Road rage? Shame? Yearning for home? They’re all here with the perfect literary remedy.
This is a fun idea and an engaging read, but it also introduced me to some great new books!
‘Literary Landscapes: Charting the Real-Life Settings of the World’s Favourite Fiction’ edited by John Sutherland
As well as books, I also have an obsession with maps so this one is perfect for me!
It’s beautifully illustrated (sometimes with maps, often with book illustrations, book covers and author photos) and takes the reader on a trip around the worlds created in fiction. These range from the worlds of Romantic or Modernist novels to contemporary books – date-wise this means from Austen’s ‘Persuasion’ to books published in the last decade.
The focus on the places behind the novels or that shaped them is always fascinating and it is another book that – sorry – will probably add to your TBR!
‘What Matters in Jane Austen: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved’ by John Mullan
This is a must-read for any Jane Austen fan as it explains some of the things that seem a bit puzzling for the modern reader. It is also really engagingly written by someone who really knows their stuff – I saw John Mullan speaking at the Hay Festival and can confirm he is a fascinating chap!
This is a great book if you have ever wondered about the conventions and norms of society sitting behind Austen’s stories – from proposals of marriage to money to how the characters address each other, it’s all here.
It also asks some interesting questions about Austen’s body of work such as ‘Is there any sex in Jane Austen?’ and ‘Why do her plots rely on blunders?’ The answers are always readable and often surprising! (Spoiler: there is a lot of sex in Jane Austen’s books! It might be euphemistically referred to but it is there!)
Phew, that’s 10 brilliant books about books! However, I thought that there should also be some ‘honourable mentions’ – books that are also absolutely awesome but I couldn’t fit on my list here:
‘The Complete Polysyllabic Spree: The Diary of an Occasionally Exasperated but Ever Hopeful Reader’ by Nick Hornby – this is a collection of Hornby’s essays on ‘Stuff I’ve Been Reading’ that were originally published in a US magazine in the noughties. If you like Nick Hornby, you’ll like this.
‘Madresfield: The Real Brideshead’ by Jane Mulvagh – this one really stemmed from my love of Evelyn Waugh’s ‘Brideshead Revisited’. It is about the house and the family that inspired the novel and is a fascinating slice of history.
‘Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead’ – yes, OK, I have a Brideshead obsession! This is really engagingly written, and this time focused on Evelyn Waugh himself and his his relationship with the Lygon family at Madresfield. I read this when I was pregnant and gave me my daughter’s name – Evelyn Waugh was married to a lady called…Evelyn!
‘The Writer’s Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands’ by Huw Lewis-Jones – a gorgeous book that only doesn’t appear higher up the list because I couldn’t find my copy! Packed with maps of lands created only in writers’ imaginations from Treasure Island to the Marauders’ Map in Harry Potter, this is worth every penny.
‘The Literary Detective: 100 Puzzles in Classic Fiction’ by John Sutherland – Sutherland is always an interesting guide to literature and this book (in the vein of Mullan’s Austen book mentioned above) seeks to solve things that might not make sense to readers of classic novels.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my list – please do let me know of any books about books that you love. I’m always on the lookout!
I’ve been a member of NetGalley for years, although I really started reviewing in earnest in 2016. Since then, I’ve reviewed over 330 books for the site and my current feedback rating is at 79%.
This doesn’t take a genius mathematician to work out that there are a fair few books on my shelf still to review!
Today, I thought I’d let you have a quick look at some of what is on my shelf and (therefore) a sneaky look at what may well feature on the blog in coming months.
‘The Whole Truth’ by Cara Hunter – I have loved the rest of the DI Fawley police procedurals by Hunter so was very excited to get the widget for this one! Not published until February 2021, it is an honour to get this advance copy.
‘The Mitford Trial’ by Jessica Fellowes – another series that I’ve followed since the beginning, these books are historical murder mysteries that feature the lives of the Mitford sisters. This latest one looks brilliant as it is based on a real-life murder. To be published in November.
‘The Unforgetting’ by Rose Black – this looks like a glorious historical novel in the same vein as those by Laura Purcell. It is out now and I really need to read it!
‘Between the Covers’ by Jilly Cooper – I love Jilly Cooper and so jumped at the opportunity to read this collection of her musings on life, love and ageing. This is coming out in October.
‘The Secret Life of the Savoy’ by Olivia Williams – this promises glitz and glamour and some fascinating history. It’s out now.
‘The Shape of Darkness’ by Laura Purcell – I’ve loved all of Purcell’s books and was so excited to get this ARC! It isn’t out until January 2021 but it is edging up my TBR as I am so keen to read it.
‘It Takes Two’ by Cathy Newman – I liked Newman’s previous book, ‘Bloody Brilliant Woman’ so jumped at the opportunity to read this account of couples who have made history.
So there you go! 7 books that are at the forefront of my NetGalley shelf. There’s plenty of others and I’m doing my absolute best to get my feedback rating above 80%. I just need to stop requesting now…
Header photo with thanks to Susan Yin for sharing their work on Unsplash.
This lovely book is out this week – it really is one to savour and return to repeatedly!
I love books and I love books about books! This one is partially a series of book recommendations, part autobiography of Rentzenbrink’s life around books and part meditation on the function of books in our lives.
Rentzenbrink intersperses elements of her own life story with discussion of the books that helped her to get through or make sense of it all. Some of that life story is sad, especially the event of her brother’s death which became the focus of her own book. However, it’s also uplifting as she finds meaning and support and inspiration from the pages of the books she reads which, ultimately, sees her rising through the ranks at Waterstone’s and into a writing career.
The books she discusses are varied and interesting, from the childhood comfort of an Enid Blyton book to the Julian Barnes books that inspired her to take a new path in life.
Overall, if you love reading then there is much to enjoy here. Reminders of books that you have read and enjoyed. An interesting autobiography. Recommendations on books by genre. Lots of bits that will make you nod in recognition. The sense that you have found one of your book tribe! Personally, I found this a comforting and engaging read that made me reflect on the books in my own life.
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
If you’d like your own copy of this, please use the link below – it is an affiliate link so I may receive commission at no extra cost to you.
Header photo with thanks to Aung Soe Min for sharing their work on Unsplash.
It’s been another busy month on the blog…soon to be scuppered by my return to work in September.
Once I’m back teaching full time, there’s no way I’ll be reading as much!
Still, for now, let’s look at what I read last month and what I’d like to read in September.
I read 14 books this month and am now on 80/100 on my Goodreads challenge.
AUGUST’S READS
‘The Child Who Never Was’ by Jane Renshaw
This twisty psychological thriller about a missing child and mental health was the focus of my first ever blog tour for Damp Pebbles Tours. You can read my review here.
‘Evil Things’ by Katja Ivar
Gifted to me by Bitter Lemon Press, this is an excellent historical crime novel set in 1950s Finland. The bleak and remote conditions of Lapland make an eerie setting and Inspector Hella Mauzer is one to watch! You can read my review here.
‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins
A fabulous historical novel with a similar feel to Collins’ first novel, ‘The Binding’. Far too intricate to do justice here, I’ll be reviewing this on the blog closer to the publication date in November.
‘Their Silent Graves’ by Carla Kovach
The latest installment of the excellent police procedural series featuring DI Gina Harte. This one is all-out scary as a serial killer starts to bury the inhabitants of Cleevesford alive at Halloween! This is to be published on 17th September so my review will be on the blog then.
‘Longhand’ by Andy Hamilton
This is for a blog tour in early September for Random Things Tours, so watch this space for my review of this funny, poignant, bizarre and truly wonderful novel.
‘People of Abandoned Character’ by Claire Whitfield
This is a brilliant take on the Jack the Ripper story set on the streets of Victorian London. Refreshingly focused on the plight of the women and with a strong heroine, this is one to watch for. Due for publication on October 1st so review will follow closer to that time.
‘The Quickening’ by Rhiannon Ward
A gorgeous, gothic tale of séances and spookiness! The dual narrative flits between 1896 and 1925 with a story about a crumbling family estate and the pregnant female photographer who has been commissioned to work there. You can read my review here.
‘The Watcher’ by Kate Medina
Another blog tour read (for Random Things Tours) so watch this space for my review of this tense and terrifying crime novel!
‘The Great Godden’ by Meg Rosoff
A lovely coming-of-age novel in which the narrator grapples with an obsession with the glorious Kit Godden over a long, hot beach summer.
‘Shakespearean’ by Robert McCrum
One of the many books to be released on 3rd September, this one is a lively and informative jaunt through Shakespeare’s plays and the legacy of the man himself. Packed with historical context and literary criticism, this book also details the way that McCrum turned to Shakespeare in the aftermath of his stroke. Review to follow on the blog this week.
‘State of the Union’ by Nick Hornby
This was (I think) the only Nick Hornby book I haven’t read so thought I had better complete the set! It follows ten conversations between a couple who meet in the pub before their weekly marriage guidance sessions in which they are working through some big issues. As with all Hornby’s writing, it is relateable and witty.
‘A Girl Made of Air’ by Nydia Hetherington
Another one of the huge number of books due for release on 3rd September, this one is about a circus performer on a quest for a missing child in post-war England and America. It is an immersive and engaging read and my review of it will be on the blog next week.
‘Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Givens
I’m always up for a feminist tome and this one is fabulously illustrated. As someone of the *ahem* slightly older generation of feminists, there wasn’t much new here for me, but this would make excellent reading for all young women.
‘A Chip Shop in Poznan: My Unlikely Year in Poland’by Ben Aitken
Ahead of the publication of Aitken’s new book ‘The Gran Tour’ next week (review to follow), I thought I’d read this one which was given to me as a birthday present. It’s an interesting and engaging insight into Poland and its people as Aitken spent a year in the country.
SEPTEMBER’S TBR PILE
I find it really hard to commit to a selection of books as I’m very much a mood reader. However, these look amazing and I really want to get through them (if my workload permits!)
‘Unto This Last’ by Rebecca Lipkin
This MASSIVE novel about John Ruskin is for a blog tour so I’ll definitely be reading this one soon. It sounds perfect for me – a Victorian setting, Pre-Raphaelite art and the promise of an insight into this intriguing figure from history.
‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ by Stuart Turton
Highly anticipated book from the writer of ‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ which I loved! I have a NetGalley copy, but I’ve also pre-ordered the gorgeous hardback with sprayed edges from Forbidden Planet. That’s how confident I am that it’ll be good!
‘And Now for the Good News’ by Ruby Wax
I chose this because we all need good news right now! Although it was written before the pandemic, Wax offers us a cheerful view of the world and the progress humanity has made.
‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes
Carried over from last month’s TBR but still there! I love a myth retelling so am excited to read this.
‘Maiden Voyages’ by Sian Evans
Thanks to Erwan Hesry for sharing their work on Unsplash.
This looks to be fascinating – an account of a selection of the women travelling by ocean liner during the interwar years. I love history and even more so when it focuses on women’s lives so I am looking forward to reading this.
‘The Sanatorium’ by Sarah Pearse
This one isn’t due out until 2021 but it has rocketed up my TBR pile because it looks brilliant! A thrilling mystery set in a remote hotel (ex-sanatorium) high in the Swiss Alps…what’s not to like?
With thanks to NetGalley, Random Things Tours, Damp Pebbles Tours, Bitter Lemon Press and my friends and family for keeping me in books! As always, opinions are entirely my own.
Header photo with thanks to Nong Vang for sharing their work on Unsplash.
The school summer holidays could not have come sooner. Finally, I’ve had the chance to tackle some of those books that have been sitting on my NetGalley list for too long, as well as some new books and recommendations from my fellow bloggers.
I’ve read 12 books read this month – a good month for me and taking me to 66/100 books read on my Goodreads challenge (you can find me on Goodreads here).
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My five-star read of the month is ‘Death in the East’ by Abir Mukerjee – in case you missed it on the blog, my review is here. This led me on to the rest of the series, starting with ‘A Rising Man’ which introduces Captain Sam Wyndham of the Calcutta Police and Sergeant Surrender-not Banerjee. A brilliant series and highly recommended to anyone who loves crime fiction with a vibrant historical setting.
In a similar vein is another of my July reads, ‘Midnight at Malabar House’ by Vaseem Khan. You can read my review here – it is the start (I hope) of a great series set in Bombay in 1950 and taking in the new political landscape of Indian independence from British rule. It features a brilliant lead character, Detective Persis Wadia, who is trying to forge her path as India’s first female police detective.
This month has also been a good one for contemporary crime fiction and I’ve absolutely devoured ‘The Postscript Murders’ by Elly Griffiths, a lively mystery with an unlikely cast of detectives investigating the death of a ‘Murder Consultant’ used by crime writers. This is the second book featuring DI Harbinder Kaur but works well as a stand-alone novel – review to follow on the blog.
I also enjoyed the highly-anticipated debut novel by Richard Osman due out in September, ‘The Thursday Murder Club’. Set in a retirement village, this is a quirky and humorous crime story with plenty of twists – review to follow.
Some other strong contemporary crime fiction novels I’ve enjoyed this month are ‘Lost Cause’ by Rachel Lynch, the latest in the excellent DI Kelly Porter series set in the Lake District, and ‘The Chalet’ by Catherine Cooper, a tense and twisty thriller set in a ski resort and moving deftly between 1998 and the present day.
‘Nothing Can Hurt You’ by Nicola Maye Goldberg was another one of my fiction reads this month; this one is more an interesting exploration of the impact of a murder on a community and is very powerful on the subject of gendered violence. It is dark and really quite unusual, presenting a range of voices of those connected with a 1997 murder.
My new Kindle Oasis
My last fiction choice this month was inspired by a fellow blogger – thank you, Amy at littlelionbooks.co.uk. ‘The Revolt’ by Clara Dupont-Monod (translated from the French by Ruth Diver) is another novel featuring a disparate range of voices in monologue, principally Eleanor of Aquitaine and her son, Richard I of England. This was a historical period I knew little about, but was fascinated by this woman who was Queen Consort to both the kings of France and then England, led a revolt against her own husband and bore future kings as well as having considerable political power in her own right. This book is beautifully written – review to follow.
In terms of non-fiction, I read ‘Three Women’ by Lisa Taddeo, ‘Older and Wider’ by Jenny Eclair and ‘The Gran Tour: Travels with My Elders’by Ben Aitken. You can read my review of Eclair’s funny and wise book about the menopause here. Aitken’s book was also humorous and highly recommended; it’s a Bill Brysonesque travelogue about coach trips that Aitken took and his experiences of these interactions with (primarily) older people on these. The Taddeo book was the book of the month in my Books that Matter subscription box and was an interesting but challenging read about the real life relationships and sexuality of three American women.
Looking forward to August, I’m very much looking forward to using my new Kindle Oasis. I finally upgraded my old Kindle and will share my thoughts when I get used to it a bit more!
Here’s what I’m planning to read:
Evil Things by Katja Ivar
‘Evil Things’ by Katja Ivar (gifted by Bitter Lemon Press – you can see their amazing catalogue here). This is a historical crime novel set in 1950s Helsinki and looks brilliant!
‘The Child Who Never Was’ by Jane Renshaw – I’m joining the blog tour on this one (organised by damppebbles.com) and am looking forward to sharing my thoughts on this tense psychological thriller.
The Child Who Never Was by Jane Renshaw book cover
‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins – her last novel, ‘The Binding’, was one of my favourite books last year so I’m very much looking forward to what comes next!
‘People of Abandoned Character’ by Clare Whitfield – a Victorian setting and Jack the Ripper links so this one could not be more perfect for me.
‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes – this retelling of Greek myths focusing on the overlooked women in the stories looks like an instant classic.
‘The Honey and the Sting’ by E. C. Fremantle – this historical tale of three sisters with a deadly secret sounds absolutely engrossing.
Plus whatever else takes my fancy as the month progresses!
With thanks to NetGalley for ARCs – they supplied a lot of the books but all opinions are very much my own!
