Natalie Haynes Archives - The Quick and the Read

Book Review: ‘Marple’ by Agatha Christie and others…

Thanks to NetGalley for granting me access to this book, one of the most highly anticipated books of the year for me, a keen Agatha Christie fan!

My Books of 2021

I’ll finish 2021 on about 130 books, way ahead of my Goodreads Challenge target of 100 (yay!)

I just thought I’d take a few minutes to share some of the BRILLIANT books I’ve read this year – 5 fiction, 5 non-fiction. Hope you find something to pique your interest here, just in case Santa didn’t bring you enough books!

This will be my last post of 2021, so wishing you all a Happy New Year and I’ll see you in 2022. Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog this year or chatted to me on Twitter – it has been an absolute pleasure.

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Book Review: ‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes

I’ve had a life-long fascination with the Greek myths which probably stemmed from the (at the time terrifying) ‘Clash of the Titans’ film that made up a chunk of my 80s childhood – very much like Haynes herself, it turns out!

Nowadays, my job as an English teacher sees me teaching Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘The World’s Wife’ so I’ve become a lot more au fait with the details of the women in the ancient texts – especially Medusa, Penelope and Eurydice – which is what brought me to Haynes’ excellent book.

October 2021 Wrap-Up and November TBR

It’s been a surprisingly busy reading month – helped by school half term holidays and the desire to clear some of my proofs before I embark on NetGalley November (more of that in a bit!)

This month, I’ve read 14 books which puts me on 115/100 on my Goodreads Challenge.

WWW Wednesday – 2nd December, 2020

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Taking on a World of Words. Anyone can take part and it is a great way of sharing what you have just finished reading, what you are currently reading and what is next on the TBR.

Affiliate links are provided for books – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

What have you recently finished reading?

It’s been a slow reading week as I’ve found it quite hard to concentrate on books – my mind has moved into Christmas mode and I’ve spent a long time online shopping. Black Friday was not helpful with my attempt to stem the book buying…

I finally finished with the readalong of ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier with The Write Reads lovelies. Their cheery chat, wild speculation and hilarious takes on the novel kept me going and I did even grow to quite enjoy this book. I still think the ending is more ‘huh?’ than I’d like, but my review will be up tomorrow.

I also read ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ by Catriona Ward, an ARC that’s due for publication next year. I thought I’d race through this, but it proved darker and murkier than I anticipated. My review will follow once I have wrapped my brain around what I think of it!

What are you reading now?

I’m going to have to stop mentioning Natalie Haynes’ ‘Pandora’s Jar’ as I have been reading it for an eternity. It is very good, but needs my full attention and that has wandered to Christmas!

I’m reading ‘Lie Beside Me’ by Gytha Lodge and loving the mystery so far. I love this series anyway so I knew this would be a win.

What do you think you will read next?

I’m still really excited about ‘Madam’ by Phoebe Wynne – this is definitely at the top of the pile.

I also feel like I need something cheerful after the batch of murderers and abusers I’ve worked my way through in literature form recently. They’re not my usual genres, but I’m thinking ‘The Summer Job’ by Lizzie Dent or ‘A Wedding in the Country’ by Katie Fforde might do nicely – thanks to NetGalley for the ARCs.

As always, thanks to NetGalley, publishers and authors for giving me opportunities to read some fabulous books. Opinions are always entirely my own and not influenced by free copies of books.

Header photo with thanks to Sincerely Media for sharing their work on Unsplash.

WWW Wednesday: 25th November, 2020

Links are provided for books already published – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

What have you recently finished reading?

It’s been a better reading week, so I actually have some updates! I’m on 107/100 of my Goodreads challenge – it’s nice to be an over-achiever so I’m not moving that target!

I finished ‘Banking on Murder’ by J D Whitelaw for a blog tour in December. This is a lively and cosy murder mystery with a formidable trio of investigators – the (Nosy) Parker Sisters! Review to follow.

I also finished Laura Purcell’s ‘The Shape of Darkness’, a spooky and atmospheric historical mystery set in Bath and featuring some very weird but wonderful characters – especially Agnes, a silhouette-cutter with a mysterious past, and Pearl, an albino girl with a gift for contacting the dead. It’s packed with seances and murders and strange events – and I really loved it! Review to follow closer to publication in January 2021.

Finally, I read ‘The Split’ by Laura Kay, a book which was exactly what I needed – a lively and humorous book that follows the story of Ally after she is dumped by her girlfriend. Returning to her dad’s house in Sheffield, she finds comfort in an old friendship, a new job and a rather stressful new hobby (running a half marathon!) It’s got gorgeously-written characters, relatable bits and plenty of uplifting cheeriness as Ally finds happiness again. Review will follow nearer to publication date in March 2021 but this is one to watch for!

What are you reading now?

I’m embarrassed that I’m still reading Natalie Haynes’ ‘Pandora’s Jar’ but there we are – it is a fascinating read but keeps being put aside for blog tour books.

I’m also still working my way through ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier with The Write Reads gang. I’m enjoying it, but mainly because my fellow readers are a group of people with some interesting and hilarious ideas!

What do you think you will read next?

Having worked my way through a grand total of three out of my top 10 2021 ARCs that I’m really excited about, I need to keep working on those. Catching my eye next are ‘Lie Beside Me’ by Gytha Lodge (crime fiction), ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ by Catriona Ward (serial killer thriller) and ‘Madam’ by Phoebe Wynne (gothic spookiness!).

Header photo with thanks to Alena Ganzhela for sharing her work on Unsplash.

WWW Wednesday: 11th November, 2020

Links are provided for books already published/pre-orders – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

What have you recently finished reading?

I have finished reading ‘The Wrong Sort to Die’ by Paula Harmon, a historical mystery novel that is for a blog tour with Damp Pebbles. It’s an engaging story about a pioneering female pathologist in Edwardian London. My review will be on the blog tour next week.

Then I read ‘The Cousins’ by Karen McManus, a YA thriller, for a blog tour at the end of November with The Write Reads. This one is a twisty story of family lies and long-buried secrets in a small island community on Gull Cove Island in America.

Another blog tour book also turned up this week and I devoured it in one sitting! ‘How Love Actually Ruined Christmas (or Colourful Narcotics)’ by Gary Raymond is a hilarious skewering of the 2003 Richard Curtis film, ‘Love Actually’. It made me laugh so much and nod in agreement. My (extremely gushing) review will be on the blog later in the month as part of the Damp Pebbles tour.

What are you reading now?

I’ve joined a reading group on Twitter in order to (hopefully) knock through some of the NetGalley backlog – this was set up by the lovely Emandherbooks and is a supportive group of bloggers working on #NetGalleyNovember2020.

Due to them, I’ve made excellent in-roads to Laura Purcell’s ‘The Shape of Darkness’ which I am absolutely loving! It’s a historical, spooky, gothic tale involving spiritualism and murder – right up my street! This one will be published in January 2021.

I’m also reading ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier with the fabulous bunch at The Write Reads. It’s a book that (I’m ashamed to say) I’ve failed to read on two previous occasions but I’m making progress this time.

I’m still reading ‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes. I’m enjoying it but can’t seem to make much progress as it is packed with ideas and interesting stuff. I keep having to put it down to digest bits!

Finally, I’m still working my way through the audiobook of Jasper Rees’ ‘Let’s Do It’, the biography of Victoria Wood that is read by so many famous voices. Although I love the narration, I am finding it quite slow going and – coming in at about 21 hours – I have a long way to go. I’m not sure I’m going to make it.

What do you think you will read next?

I’ve just taken on another blog tour for Damp Pebbles as there was a date that needed filling so my next read is ‘The Heat’, a crime novella by Sean O’Leary.

Then it’s back to NetGalley and the brilliant ARCs vying for my attention! Top of the pile at the moment (but always subject to change) are these gems:

‘Hyde’ by Craig Russell – I loved ‘The Devil Aspect’, his previous novel, and cannot wait to immerse myself in Victorian Edinburgh with this one
‘The Dead of Winter’ by Nicola Upson – I love this detective series in which the sleuth is crime writer Josephine Tey and this is the latest
‘Lie Beside Me’ by Gytha Lodge – the latest instalment of another brilliant crime series and the blurb on this one is incredible!
‘Threadneedle’ by Cari Thomas – I’ve seen a lot about this book all over Twitter and it sounds magical
‘Nick’ by Michael Farris Smith – a novel focusing on the narrator of ‘The Great Gatsby’ before the events of that story

As always, thanks for reading and following my blog!

With thanks to the blog tour hosts, publishers, authors and NetGalley for providing me with the books in exchange for honest reviews. The only book not provided for free in this week’s round-up is ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier.

Header photo with thanks to Jessica Fadel for sharing their work on Unsplash.

WWW Wednesday: 4th November, 2020

Links are provided for books already published – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

What have you recently finished reading?

I finished my audiobook of ‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid’ which was written and read by Bill Bryson. I really enjoyed this autobiographical tale of Bryson’s childhood in Des Moines, Iowa, in the 1950s and would recommend it.

Then I read ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ by Stuart Turton which I LOVED! It’s a dark and twisty tale of murder and mayhem on a ship travelling between the Dutch East Indies and Amsterdam in 1634. My review is here.

Lastly, I read ‘The Whole Truth’, the new DI Fawley book from Cara Hunter which is due out in March 2021. What starts as a he said/she said investigation into a sexual assault becomes something much more deadly for Fawley and his team. Review will follow in the blog nearer to the publication date.

What are you reading now?

I’m reading ‘The Wrong Sort to Die’ by Paula Harmon for a forthcoming blog tour. This is about a female doctor in 1910, a pioneering pathologist and one making her way in a man’s world. It’s also a mystery story so it is keeping me guessing!

I’m still reading ‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes – I really like it but it has been pushed aside for various blog tour books. I’m currently reading about Helen of Troy and it is very interesting to hear a different perspective to usual as she is normally portrayed quite negatively.

I’ve started listening to the audiobook of ‘Let’s Do It’ by Jasper Rees, the biography of Victoria Wood. It’s engaging so far and interesting to hear about the more private side of Wood, the shy perfectionist, rather than her on-screen persona. The cast reading this are absolutely brilliant so I’m glad I went for the audio version.

What do you think you will read next?

I am about to read ‘The Cousins’ by Karen McManus for a blog tour with The Write Reads. I’m looking forward to this one as it is a standalone mystery about secrets within a family and sounds very tense!

I am also determined to get to the books that are top of my pile on Netgalley – ‘The Shape of Darkness’ by Laura Purcell and ‘Hyde’ by Craig Russell. I’m so looking forward to these two above all others. I’m determined to make a dent in the NetGalley backlog so that will be the focus of the next month or so.

So that’s another WWW Wednesday done! This year is flying by and I’m on the countdown to Christmas now…

Header photo with thanks to Alisa Anton for sharing her work on Unsplash.

WWW Wednesday: 28th October, 2020

Links are provided for books already published – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

Hurrah! The reading slump appears to be at an end! I’d not read much in the past few weeks, despite having excellent books (and ones I’ve really enjoyed).

No more! It is no coincidence that this coincides with half term holidays, but I’ve managed to read a lot this week and I’ve LOVED what I’ve read.

What have you recently finished reading?

My kids and I finished our ‘reading’ (via audiobook) of Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy’. They both absolutely loved the stories and the narration by Dan Stevens (who brings the anecdotes to life with some great accents and voices).

I have also just finished ‘The Phoenix Project’ by Michelle Kidd, the first in a series featuring DI Jack MacIntosh. It’s a page-turner of a thriller on a huge scale with twists that just keep coming! This is for a blog tour in November so keep an eye on the blog for my stop on the tour.

Next up was ‘The Princess and the Prick’ by Walburga Appleseed, a collection of feminist retellings of fairy tales, nursery rhymes and myths. It’s clever and funny, although I anticipated a few more words – each story is encapsulated in a few sharp and to-the-point sentences and accompanied by some brilliant illustrations. It’s thought provoking about sexism, dodgy moral codes and issues around consent among other things and definitely worth a read!

Then I read ‘Essex Girls’ by Sarah Perry, a book I was really looking forward to as I am an Essex girl by birth. It was exciting to read Perry’s comments on Chelmsford, my home town, which is where she grew up too. I loved the feminist take on the notion of the ‘Essex girl’ as someone who is outspoken and fearless and unconventional. At only about 80 pages, this is a short but fascinating read about some historical Essex girls and their impact on the world. You can read my full review here.

Finally, I read ‘Practically Perfect: Life Lessons from Mary Poppins’ by comedian Katy Brand. I read this in one sitting, absolutely loving the nostalgic tone of the writing combined with some really incisive ideas about the film and its messages. You can read my review here.

What are you reading now?

I’m still reading (or have started reading) an awful lot of books and I cannot decide what to finish first as they are all great!

I’m still reading ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ by Stuart Turton, a fabulous historical murder mystery – I’m rattling through this now and it is gripping.

My reading of ‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes is also still ongoing – I love the depth of analysis of the women from mythology.

I’m also nearing the end of my audiobook, Bill Bryson’s ‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid’ – this autobiography about growing up in 1950s small-town America is fascinating, funny and read by Bryson himself.

Finally, I’ve also started ‘Books for Living: A Reader’s Guide to Life’ by Will Schwalbe which someone on Twitter (sorry, I can’t remember who!) recommended when I wrote my post on The Best Books about Books. It’s very promising so far – I love reading about other people’s reading experiences.

What do you think you will read next?

As my book buying habits haven’t taken into account the reading slump, I have plenty of options!

I’m looking forward to moving onto the audiobook of ‘Let’s Do It’ by Jasper Rees, the biography of the late, great Victoria Wood.

I’m also hoping to clear some of the NetGalley shelf over half term – Laura Purcell’s ‘The Shape of Darkness’ and Cara Hunter’s ‘The Whole Truth’ still await, as does ‘Hyde’ by Craig Russell which looks amazing – I loved his previous book, ‘The Devil Aspect’, so I am looking forward to this.

I don’t know why I even try and predict what I’ll read next…I’m such a mood reader that it is impossible to tell where I’ll end up. I am quietly craving a vampire book though… (*buys ‘The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’ by Grady Hendrix*)

WWW Wednesday: 21st October, 2020

Affiliate links are provided for books already published – thank you for supporting my blog with any purchases.

What have you recently finished reading?

It hasn’t been a great reading week for me – I’m finding it hard to concentrate on books at the moment, even ones that I am loving!

I have just finished ‘The Servant’ by Maggie Richell-Davies, an immersive historical crime novel set in Georgian London and featuring a fabulous heroine who really does get put through some tough times. You can read my review here.

What are you reading now?

Because I can’t focus on any one thing for very long, I’ve started a lot of books!

I’m listening to the audiobook of Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy’ with my children which is read – rather well, it must be said – by Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey fame. We are all loving this one and anything that can get my 9 year-old interested in an actual book is nothing short of a miracle!

I’m also listening to Bill Bryson’s ‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid’, the story of Bryson’s childhood in 1950s America. I’ve always enjoyed Bryson’s travel books but hadn’t come across this collection of autobiographical tales before. It’s (as expected) funny, interesting and engagingly read by the writer himself.

I’ve finally started reading Stuart Turton’s ‘The Devil and the Dark Water’ which is…dark so far! It’s early days but it seems to be building a historical setting that I can really buy into.

I’m also still reading ‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes. I really like this exploration of the (perhaps unfair) portrayals of women from the world of Greek myth. It is a very involved read though and requires concentration so I’m not progressing as quickly as I thought I would.

What do you think you will read next?

Unfortunately, my reading slump hasn’t coincided with a desire to stop requesting books on NetGalley or buying even more 99p Kindle deals. I am not short of books to read.

Catching my eye at the moment though are the new Cara Hunter book, ‘The Whole Truth’ and ‘The Shape of Darkness’ by Laura Purcell.

Given my new-found love of audiobooks, I’m also thrilled to have been given access to the audiobook biography of Victoria Wood, ‘Let’s Do It’ by Jasper Rees and narrated by a selection of Wood’s friends and colleagues including Julie Walters and Celia Imrie. It’s a slightly daunting 20 hours of listening but I loved Victoria Wood and am looking forward to finding out more about her life.

Header photo with thanks Joanna Kosinska for sharing their work on Unsplash.