Welcome new members!
First off, let me apologize to any new members who had to wait for their posts to be released from the moderation queue...LJ failed to alert me that they were featuring this community in the Spotlight, so I was unprepared for the influx! The queue is clear now, so anyone who posted who wasn't seeing their post, should see it now.
Having said that, welcome to all the new members! I invite you to please review the community info found here prior to your first post. Pretty much everything you could want to know about the community and its guidelines can be found there.
Happy reading!
Having said that, welcome to all the new members! I invite you to please review the community info found here prior to your first post. Pretty much everything you could want to know about the community and its guidelines can be found there.
Happy reading!
Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing by Jonathan LeemanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Back when author Jonathan Leeman was younger, his church voted on a group of elders to be appointed; in fact, the same group of elders was subjected to a vote twice, after they failed to get enough congregation members to support them. Leeman was at the time rebellious, and did not agree with the pastor's approach, regarding him as "a jerk and a tyrant", until at a Q and A session, he told the congregation: "I'm asking you to trust me," and the author's view of him was changed.
The Bible has a lot of text on submitting to authority, and especially in today's world, this can seem counter-cultural. The book even makes references to churches who did not want to follow government advice about Coronavirus restrictions, stating that they would only treat God as an authority, while others pointed out how all governments are appointed to God, and therefore they should submit to these earthly authorities.
I quite enjoyed this book; at first, it looked like just a book telling its readers to submit to authority, but I soon realised this wasn't the case. Leeman explains about the difference between good and bad authority, something the Bible is full of examples of, mostly focusing on how authority should be conducted, and emphasises that it should be done with humility and also looking to others, not necessarily in positions of power above us, for support, because a good leader always needs to be respected by those below them.
The last few chapters give examples of authority, including governments, parents, husbands and wives, and the role of the church and its elders. I found it useful that each chapter summed up the points it was trying to make about each, and it did not feel like something solely aimed at those in these positions, for example reminding the reader that it's the job of all the church congregation to pastor to others, and build each other up.
I liked some of the and visualisations that Leeman used in making his points, for example one where he imagined Jesus giving us a sort of job interview to prove our worthiness of going to Heaven. Near the end, the book also put across one of the book's main messages quite simply: People in charge should show authority, but also compassion.
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10. Sleepy Hollow Stories, by Henry John Steiner. A good friend gave me this book, which is chock-full of stories concerning the Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown area. The stories, written in a conversational and warm tone, range from Colonial and Revolutionary War to present day, and include stories of Steiner's own memories of growing up and living in the area. He also includes numerous photos throughout, as well as interviews with several people connected there. Those with an interest in the history of that area (or, heck, just an interest in history in general) will enjoy this book. This was a treat, and a great look into what makes this area what it is.
Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women by Victoria SmithMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Historically, women have had a difficult time, and nowadays, things aren't a lot better. In particular, "older" women have a harder time than younger ones, often being the ones that get overlooked or not treated as human beings. This persecution can be seen as going back at least as far as the medieval witch trials, and based on this book, it seems that there are lots of new struggles, particularly with the need to try and stay beautiful, which is rarely something men have to worry about.
Victoria Smith's book puts across a strong case; I found it to be a compelling read, even though I did not agree with all of her views. I noticed that she condemns Matt Lucas and David Walliams' now notorious "Little Britain" sketch show, though rather focusing on the most controversial sketch, Emily and Florence spouting "I'm a lady", she mostly comments on the portrayal of an older WI woman as being bigoted. She also is very scathing about the nickname "Karen" being used to refer to "entitled women"; as I understand it, there is no consensus for their male equivalent (I've heard "Kevin", "David" and "Josh").
I noticed that she is very defensive of J.K. Rowling, and her controversial views involving trans, as well as criticising a term used to refer to feminists with similiar views to her TERF (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist). I am still unsure is she is anti-trans herself, but some of her comments could prove this book to be as controversial as JK's own statements.
I thought it worth reading, and didn't feel like just a book for women, but also one to open the eyes of more open-minded men like myself. I wonder if she updated the book in a few years time, she could mention some of the other things that I've seen prevalent on social media, much of which involves trolling female comics for being "woke", most notably the Twitter spat between Rosie Jones and comedians such as Ricky Gervais and Jimmy Carr, which seems to be used by toxic men as an excuse to trash Jones and treat Gervais and Carr is gods.
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A Song of Shadows by John ConnollyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Charlie Parker is recovering from the events of the previous novel, "The Wolf in Winter", but when he retreats to a small town, he quickly gets involved in another murder mystery, as a body is washed up on the beach.
Parker befriends a widow called Ruth Winter, and starts getting close to her, but things take an unexpected turn, and as usual the body count increases.
This is the first of the novels to make reference to the holocaust, as the plot introduces neo-Nazi characters and flashes back to Auschwitz.
At times I struggled with this one, because there seemed to be even more characters than usual, and the narrative often featured complex backstories, but one short sentence later on from one of Parker's accomplices was enough to help me follow what some of the characters' part was. The other reason why I wasn't so sure at first was because of the change in narrative style, so for the first time since "The Reapers", which centred on Louis and Angel, the book was written in standard third-person prose, rather than being narrated by Parker himself. This took some getting used to, and I am not sure if this was just because of the larger number of chapters which did not feature Parker, or which were told from different characters' points of view.
I found the last few chapters engrossing enough, to give this a fourth star, and a few late plot twists helped too. I liked that the novel set the plot up for future titles.
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Praying for Sleep by Jeffery DeaverMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The premise of this book is that Lis has testified against the book's antagonist Michael Hrubek for a murder he committed. The premise of the novel put me in mind of Cape Fear, as Hrubek escapes from jail, and seeks a confrontation with Lis.
This confrontation is what the whole book led up to, and I found it hard to get into, mainly because the first hundred or so pages seemed to be characters confirming to each other what the book had just told the reader that Hrubek had done, so it felt quite slow moving.
The book was quite dense with characterisation, and it would jump into flashbacks at times to explain the whole Lis/Hrubek backstory, often without much warning. There was also a lot of commentary about mental health, mostly hinting at the reasons why Hrubek was killing people (including a few murders he commits during the book's timeline).
So, the three stars were because of a fairly engaging narrative, but one where I could see where the plot was going. There was a surprise that came late on, which made me reassess what I thought of most of the main characters, but because it was in the last 20 or so pages, it wasn't enough for the book to earn that fourth star.
I think I'll stick to the Lincoln Rhyme novels if I want to read a Jeffery Deaver book, though; this wasn't quite the same quality.
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Money Men: A Hot Startup, A Billion Dollar Fraud, A Fight for the Truth by Dan McCrumMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I hadn't heard of the "Wirecard" hedge fund before I read this book. Until very recently they were a multi-million dollar company, but the people in charge were involved in a lot of shady dealings including several counts of fraud.
Dan McCrum is a journalist for the financial times, and he also turned whistleblower when he went undercover to find out about the inner workings of the business. He took quite a lot of risks, and even faced a lawsuit by Wirecard at one point, as this book recounts.
At first, this looked like a lot of business speak, jargon and talk about tedious financial dealings, but what really got my interest was the accounts of the behaviour of some of the people who worked for wirecard, which occasionally seemed more bizarre than any fiction writer could have made up. I particularly enjoyed reading about the whole experience through his eyes, and later on his paranoia about being followed on his way to meetings, including how he would wait until the last minute to get off London underground trains, as well as checking his surroundings after he got off.
I was glad I read this book, and when I got to the end, I realised just how much I don't know about a world that revolves around capitalism and huge businesses, or how much corruption is likely to be behind some of these bodies.
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One of Us Is Dead by Peter JamesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
James Taylor is attending the funeral of his friend, when he spots someone who he believes to be Rufus Rorke. The only problem is that Rorke is officially dead, following an incident where he fell off a boat. Taylor even remembers attending Rorke's funeral. Meanwhile, Roy Grace is tasked with investigating the death of the man whose funeral Taylor was attending, killed by a poisonous mushroom.
It really isn't a spoiler, and won't surprise most readers to learn that Rufus Rorke is still alive, using an assumed name, and is linked to what turns into a spree of murders that often feel very inventive. This is another book where the audience learns the truth long before Roy Grace does, giving this less of the sense of a murder mystery, more of a cat-and-mouse game where you wonder how long the killer will get away with their actions.
The story ends in a particularly thrilling scene on a plane, and I might have been tempted to give this a slightly higher score if I could, but I didn't think it deserved a fourth star because the book didn't develop the long-running plot arcs much, aside from a satisfying confrontation with Cassian Pewe in a graveyard. I'm still waiting for something more to be made of the revelations about Sandy in the previous book (mostly its ending).
Also, because Grace is not in the climactic scenes, there was less of a sense of jeopardy for the main character. I also possibly missed the motives behind the killing, but the only one I understood was the death of a university professor quite early on in the book, set up as a Strangers on a Train type revenge killing.
This is the latest novel televised for ITV, and I'd be interested to find out how it was adapted, and I currently am only aware of one further title in the series, The Hawk is Dead, which I hope will add more Grace's backstory. This one almost felt like a filler novel.
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8. The Essential Guide to Federal Employment Laws by Lisa Guerin. I actually started this years ago and made it a goal to finish it this year. Goal achieved. I know the title makes this sound boring and there are a lot of pages but it's actually a fairly quick read — and informative. There's lots of charts, lists and bulleted lists, plus subchapters which break things down into manageable chunks. I ordered an older version so, obviously, I'd recommend getting a newer version than I did (mine is 2017) but even this version is a solid reference to labor laws and protections. Honestly, I think this should be provided for high school students definitely college-aged students. I read quite a few things that were eye-opening. I highly recommend it- it's useful and easy to follow.
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Hiss and Hers by M.C. BeatonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Agatha Raisin has once again fallen in love, but it seems that the man who has turned her head is quite popular with women in the village, and is involved in a number of affairs. He is found dead of a poisonous snake bite in episode two, leaving a long list of suspects.
This sets off the usual, occasionally farcical events that I've come to expect in an Agatha Raisin book, and with a number of murders, and attempted murders, with trained snakes used to perpetrate them. It was full of all the usual content, like the will-they-or-won't-they relationship between Agatha and Charles (particularly with her antics in the final chapter).
I enjoyed this one mostly because of a number of red herrings and double bluffs that got thrown in, before the final reveal. The only real issue was that at times Agatha seemed downright foolish, with one error of judgement proving nearly fatal towards the end. It did all lead to a second climax that I hadn't expected.
This is another book that hasn't yet been adapted for television, and I am wondering if the Sky One series will be renewed again to include this title.
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This book was hard to review without giving spoilers for other books in the Roy Grace series, so behind a spoiler cut it goes.
[Spoiler (click to open)]
They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story by Peter James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Anyone who has kept up with the Roy Grace series to this point will know that his estranged wife Sandy's disappearance was all due to her decision to leave him. Sandy's behaviour in some of the earlier titles made her into arguably the most annoying character in the book series, up until the point where she apparently committed suicide.
This book stands apart from the previous books by making Grace into a secondary character, with Sandy taking centre stage as the book goes into more detail about her disappearance. It all involves a loan shark, and Sandy's growing gambling addiction, plus a brief affair with serial antagonist Cassian Pewe, who she believes may be the father of her son Bruno.
Unlike any of the previous books, there was a lot of first-person narration in this one, all by Sandy, but some of the chapters cut to third-person narratives as she wasn't present, and they charted the developments with the other characters, including the loan shark, and a particularly toxic character who Sandy had ended up in a relationship with.
The foreword of the novel encouraged the reader not to judge Sandy too harshly, and her narrative definitely helped me see events through her eyes, and feel more sympathy towards her. She even comments on how messed up she was in the head when she describes some unpleasant things she did, mentioned in some of the books, as revenge acts for Grace's relationship with Cleo.
Towards the end, I noticed that the events were running parallel to some of the books in the series, by having previous scenes playing out, but from Sandy's point of view. I could guess it would end with the apparent suicide, and because of a hint from one of the TV adaptations, I guessed that the whole point of the story was to show her death in a completely new light. I wasn't disappointed, though I had guessed quite early on what would happen.
Overall, a completely different format for the series, and it also felt like one of the better titles, and hopefully an ending that affects events in the next few Roy Grace books.
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[Spoiler (click to open)]
They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story by Peter JamesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Anyone who has kept up with the Roy Grace series to this point will know that his estranged wife Sandy's disappearance was all due to her decision to leave him. Sandy's behaviour in some of the earlier titles made her into arguably the most annoying character in the book series, up until the point where she apparently committed suicide.
This book stands apart from the previous books by making Grace into a secondary character, with Sandy taking centre stage as the book goes into more detail about her disappearance. It all involves a loan shark, and Sandy's growing gambling addiction, plus a brief affair with serial antagonist Cassian Pewe, who she believes may be the father of her son Bruno.
Unlike any of the previous books, there was a lot of first-person narration in this one, all by Sandy, but some of the chapters cut to third-person narratives as she wasn't present, and they charted the developments with the other characters, including the loan shark, and a particularly toxic character who Sandy had ended up in a relationship with.
The foreword of the novel encouraged the reader not to judge Sandy too harshly, and her narrative definitely helped me see events through her eyes, and feel more sympathy towards her. She even comments on how messed up she was in the head when she describes some unpleasant things she did, mentioned in some of the books, as revenge acts for Grace's relationship with Cleo.
Towards the end, I noticed that the events were running parallel to some of the books in the series, by having previous scenes playing out, but from Sandy's point of view. I could guess it would end with the apparent suicide, and because of a hint from one of the TV adaptations, I guessed that the whole point of the story was to show her death in a completely new light. I wasn't disappointed, though I had guessed quite early on what would happen.
Overall, a completely different format for the series, and it also felt like one of the better titles, and hopefully an ending that affects events in the next few Roy Grace books.
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The Earl and the Pharaoh by Fiona CarnarvonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The 5th Earl of Carnarvon isn't a name that means much to many people, but he is credited for a historic discovery that took place during 1922 and 1923, when he teamed up with the more well-known historian Howard Carter, and they discovered the tomb of Tutenkhamun. They discovered lots of artefacts related to the ancient king, including his famous gold death mask, and even preserved food and wine.
The book was written by his descendant Fiona, Countess of Carnarvon, and it goes into great depth, presumably with information sourced from diaries and conversations with others, so it tells of some things that most textbooks will not.
Whether or not you have an interest in much of the book depends on your interest in the Earl of Carnarvon as a person, and many people might not be interested, particularly in the first third or so of the book, which is about his background, and his priveleged life; I lost count of the number of references to going pheasant shooting at the start of the book.
The sections on the discovery of Tutenkhamun or more interesting, as are a few chapters with accounts of events from World War I, but I noticed that the book flitted from one subject to another quite a lot. It was probably done to keep things chronological, but the sudden shifts from the discoveries in Egypt to more mundane things, for example, were a bit jarring at times.
Also, I realise this is a book about Fiona Carnarvon's ancestor, but I felt that there wasn't much said about Tutenkhamun himself or ancient Egyptian culture, other than a few comments about how they tried to make sure people couldn't break into their tombs, and some speculation as to whether its main subject's death was due to an ancient curse.
It's quite a dense read, so one that not many people would want to read more than once.
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Mere Christianity by C.S. LewisMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this many years ago, and decided to revisit it. The book itself is intended as an introduction to the Christian faith, but as I’ve come to expect from C.S. Lewis, its also a very dense book, and one that I felt that I had to read carefully; there were some paragraphs that I had to read again and again.
This book was quite hard to get into at first; the first part is one that some readers would want to skip, as the book sets out its author’s case in favour of Christianity, almost like he were defending it in a court of law.
Having set out what he believes, Lewis then write about different Christian virtues, and how people of faith might be expected to behave, before finishing with a chapter about the Trinity, and the concept of being transformed into “Little Christs”.
At times, I thought parts of the book hadn’t aged well (there was a reference to “nasty countries” having “nasty religions” that might do more than raise a few eyebrows nowadays, unlike in the 1940s when it was first written. I would have been tempted to give this just 3 stars as it was hard to digest every single argument, but I enjoyed some of the illustrations that were used, and that encouraged me to give it an extra star. Church is described as being like listening to a secret wireless device from God himself.
I’m not sure if this would be a book to encourage all non-Christians who are looking into the faith, as it is definitely aimed at a more scholarly audience, but it felt like an engrossing book, and one that I would probably want to go back to just so I could remind myself of the author’s principal arguments.
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The Vegetarian by Han KangMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another book that I picked up because I'd read good things about it. It starts with a character called Yeong-hye announcing that she's become vegetarian, apparently because of a bizarre dream she had. I don't really know much about South Korean culture, and whether there are more taboos about vegetarianism, which might explain some of the reactions that she gets.
At first, I thought the book was going to be a satire about human behaviour, but as it went on, it evolved into something more, more of a drama about the characters, told in three distinct chapters.
The narrative style changes with each chapter, so the first is all in first person, told from the point of view of Yeong-hye's unnamed husband. The second chapter switches to third person, and focuses on Yeong-hye's brother-in-law, who is also an artist (her husband doesn't appear again in the book). The narrative then switches from past to present tense for the final, harrowing chapter, which I won't spoil much, but involves the most extreme response to Yeong-hye's lifestyle choice.
I enjoyed this book; I liked the fact that it kept going in completely unexpected directions, and I found it one that I could get through relatively fast, with only a few times when I had to flick back a few pages. I had to think a little about the end; it seemed very open-ended, and open to interpretation, but I'd expected nothing less.
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6. The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, by Janie Couch Allen. I'll be keeping this one on my desk while I work through rewrites on my novel. I lost track of the times I thought to myself "oh! that's good to know!" "I need to use this" and "hmm, wonder if I can shoehorn this in?" Even if you aren't doing research on the area, this is still a great read for those interested in the storied Old Dutch Church, which is featured in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving. There's a lot of gorgeous photos and many stories about the church and the people of the area. It's nicely organized, mostly by chronological order. All in all a fairly quick read but packed with great information. Really grateful to be gifted this book by a friend!
7. A Treasury of Laughter, by Louis Untermeyer. This is actually a reread of a collection I read quite a few times as a child and teen. It's a collection of stories, anecdotes and poems from numerous authors. It was a gift from my grandmother, which makes it precious, and I've been loving the reread for my online readings. Some of my favorites include the Little Willie poems, "Pigs is Pigs" and the anecdotes. The humor has held up surprisingly well despite the age of some of the works (there are some stories that do use words and terms that would raise some eyebrows today but that's to be expected).
Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment by Tal Ben-ShaharMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A completely blind read for me, but the title stood out, all about self-help and improving personal happiness. The book identifies four types of mindset, which are set out using an analogy relating to burgers, but which can be put simpler as:
1) Hedonism; doing something that is enjoyable at the time, but which ultimately is bad for you;
2) Rat Race; not living for yourself in the present, with a view to saving yourself for future enjoyment;
3) Nihilism; a sort of "all is futile" mindset, usually a self-destructive one; and
4) Happiness, being happy now, and being happy in the future.
This was a quick read for me, and I picked up a bunch of key lessons from reading this, mainly the fact that I shouldn't be seeking a kind of fairy tale-like "happily ever after", as such a thing doesn't exist; life always has good moments, and bad moments. The key message is to try to do things that make you happy; one of the meditations in the final third of the book refers to "happiness boosters" that you can use to aid your own happiness.
The book also suggested lots of practical exercises that I only skimmed over, but which I would like to put in practice, usually writing things down about what makes me happy, or compiling a list of five things that made me happy each day.
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The Wolf in Winter by John ConnollyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The twelfth Charlie Parker novel is mainly set in the small town of Prosperous, Maine, and it becomes increasingly apparent that something is not right. It's a typical small town horror-thriller novel that starts with two deaths.
First off, a homeless man who came to Prosperous searching for his daughter dies in an apparent suicide, although it becomes increasingly apparent that it was more than it seemed. Then, his daughter, apparently held hostage, is shot in cold blood after attempting to escape the town. The book introduces a number of the town's inhabitants, all of them villainous in some way, not least the town's sheriff, Moreland, who seems to be intent on increasing his power by any means necessary.
When Parker showed up in the town to investigate, I started to feel that this was different from the previous novels I had read in the series, particularly that I was two steps ahead of Parker in knowing what happened to the missing woman. I noticed that the book started to hint at links with some of the recurring plot themes, not only because the Collector made another appearance, but also of a hint at a group introduced several titles ago being involved (one minor character was called Brightboy, which definitely recalled Brightwell from "The Dark Angel", and was probably not a coincidence). There was also a wolf, whose story involved discovering the dead girl's body, and seemed to be used as some sort of metaphor for Parker's storyline (though I'm not definite on that one).
Towards the end, the book took a turn that I had not expected, and it almost completely turned the storyline on its head, by having Angel and Louis take centre stage. Its an event that I can't spoil, but it left the conclusion open-ended in a way that made me want to read the next title very soon. While some of the plot threads got tied up in the book, there were a few unanswered questions that I am assuming get addressed later in the series.
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The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Miguel RuizMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Okay, so I only read this book based on what I perceived as a recommendation after I read "The Let Them Theory", and it purports to be a book about allowing the reader to be happier. It is mainly based on wisdom from the Toltec, apparently "men and women of knowledge" in southern Mexico, thousands of years ago.
I might as well summarise the four "agreements" that the book tells you to make with yourself here; its simpler than weeding your way through this one:
1) Be impeccable;
2) Don't take anything personally;
3) Don't make assumptions; and
4) Always do your best.
Some parts of the book seemed quite profound; for example, one of the early chapters states:
"To be alive is the biggest fear humans have. Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking risk to be alive - the risk to be alive and express whas we really are. Just being ourselves is the biggest fear of humans. We have learned to live our lives trying to satisfy other peoples' demands. We have learned to live by other people's points of view because of the fear of not being accepted and of not being good enough for someone else."
Early on in the book though, I noticed that there was a lot of strange language used; one of the early chapters stated that we are apparently "dreaming" for most of the time, and the subject of "black magic" constantly came up. There were numerous references to using "black magic" with our words if we don't choose them carefully, and even the concept of turning ones self into a "white magician". I realise the book is all based on ancient wisdom, but I'd rather the book felt more grounded in reality.
The book ended in a quite generic prayer, made to feel like it could apply to any set of beliefs, although at times it felt like the book was trying to be a Christian book, with a few references to God and Jesus that seemed almost out of place, taking into account the secular nature of the book.
So unfortunately, a disappointing read that made a few good points and tips, but I had to weed through a lot of long-winded philosophy and talk of black magic to get to it. You're better off just reading the four main points I listed above, and skipping this one.
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Stop Them Dead by Peter JamesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The 19th book in the Roy Grace series opens with a farmer being murdered by intruders on his farm, but the incident plays only a small role in a book that is about illegal dog breeding. It introduces a particularly creepy villain called "Gecko", who has a habit of eating spiders and flies, and has been tasked with kidnapping dogs that can be used by the illegal breeders.
The book also involves Grace and Cleo deciding to buy a dog of their own, and a separate story that dovetails into the main plot, in which a girl is bitten by her new dog, and gets ill. It first looks like an allergic reaction, but eventually develops into something a lot more sinister.
For once, this book didn't involve much of the continuing backstory, and did not further any of the plotlines, so it felt almost like a filler story that could be easily read as a stand-alone. The subject of illegal dog breeding isn't one that I've ever seen tackled in a book either, so this felt like new territory for the series.
As for the recurring plotlines, the next book in the series focuses on the character of Sandy, so will probably involve a lot more exposition, and will possibly hint at an event alluded to in the TV series, but not yet in the books.
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This was a book that I found difficult to review without giving a way a lot of the plot, so SPOILERS AHOY!
[Spoiler (click to open)]
The Tenth Man by Graham GreeneMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The action in this book starts in a French prison during World War II, and revolves around a group of prisoners. However, one of them must die, and to choose they draw lots; whoever chooses a slip of paper with a cross on will die.
The lots are drawn, and the book's main anti-hero character, Jean-Louis Chavel, a wealthy lawyer picks the paper with the cross on. However, he convinces another prisoner called Janvier to die in his place, on the provision that Janvier will become the owner of Chavel's house, which will in turn be left to his family.
This is followed by a time cut, to Chavel, bearded and now calling himself Charlot, meeting Janvier's sister, and starting a relationship with her, meaning that he gets to spend time in his former house. Janvier's sister has no clue to her lover's new identity, but does speak of her hatred for Chavel. Things get more complicated when another man arrives at the door, claiming that he himself is Jean-Louis Chavel.
This was another dense Graham Greene novel, and one where I again had to flick back a few pages to make sure I had understood it, but I really enjoyed it. It was written back in 1944, but not published until 1983 after being forgotten about. I really enjoyed it; it put me in mind of Les Miserables, with its theme of living with guilt, and the idea of whether someone can be redeemed regardless of what they have done. Despite Chavel/Charlot being ostensibly a coward, he came across as a character who I wanted to root for.
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Wish You Were Dead by Peter JamesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a novella, which according to Goodreads takes place between the 17th and 18th Roy Grace books (I read it a little late, having missed it). If you've read those books, you may well assume it takes place slightly earlier, based on the characters who appear in it.
Grace and his family take a holiday in France, but things aren't as they seem, as early on the reader is told that their host has been tied up in a cellar. From then, it becomes more and more like a survival story than a murder mystery story; it also sees the return of an old enemy of Grace.
I wanted to enjoy this one more, but when the main villains showed their faces, they were just as cartoonish as they had been before, and their appearance was almost fleeting. It was good to see Grace in a different setting, but ultimately this didn't really feel like a necessary addition to the series.
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The Intimacy Deficit: Fully Enjoying God, Yourself, Others and Creation by Ed ShawMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A lot of people (including me) struggle with relationships and intimacy, so this book is all about the different ways that you can be intimate, in a non-sexual way, with friends and God.
I found the book quite detailed, and there were a lot of concepts that I might have not thought of before. The book mentions Psalms that were written out of anger (I wonder if this refers to some of the ones from when King David was on the run from Saul). The book also paints the common image of Jesus and the church having the "ultimate marriage" in the future, and also the image of talking to God at the end of the day being like a typical married couple before going to sleep.
I liked how this book set out how to seek this intimacy with Jesus, as the author cites his own experience of Jesus, including how a relationship with Him helped during the difficult days of lockdown. There were also some good comments on male relationships, and the difficulty men have in particular with opening up, mostly because of typical ideas of masculinity that are ultimately unhelpful. One of my favourite comments was a reference to another author who jokingly pointed out that Jesus just having twelve close friends in his mid-thirties was a miracle.
I also liked the frequent references to other sources, with CS Lewis mentioned a lot; for example, he is referred to as having stated that when "Our Father" is said in the Lord's Prayer, it represents "dressing up as Christ", but in a non-blasphemous way. I also liked the fact that the author did not condone being self-deprecating, and set out how there is no problem with enjoying God's creation, both of which are things that I get the impression some Christians might have difficulty with.
The book made some good comments about how we spend our time; it wasn't the first Christian book that I'd read that made reference to screen addiction, and it also made a good point about how if you try to keep too many friendships going through constant catch-ups, you will never be able to turn them into anything more than just superficial.
Overall, in an age when mental health has become more important, this book felt like a good reminder of how we can safeguard our own wellbeing, by seeking a relationship with our Creator, who will be with us "until the very end of the age".
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The Heart of the Matter by Graham GreeneMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Set during the war, this novel centres around a police officer, Henry Scobie, serving in West Africa during wartime. Scobie and his wife Louise have a troubled past, mostly because their daughter died in infancy. Louise is unwell to the point where Scobie sends her away to South Africa.
It is after she leaves that Scobie's life starts unravelling, following a tryst with Helen, a widow, and from there on, things just get worse and worse.
I hadn't read any books by Graham Greene for years until I picked this one up, and I'd forgotten how difficult his books are. This one was quite dense, with a lot of the chapters dedicated to Scobie's internal monologue; it even cut at times to his journal entries. The book was quite talky at times, and I often had to remind myself which characters were some of the scenes. There was also a lot going on, involving a subplot involving diamonds, and also one of Scobie's fellow officers being in love with Louise.
This was the sort of book where I kept hoping for the characters to do the right thing, and for there to at least be some hope for them. Without giving too much away about how it ends, the book just kept getting bleaker, until it reached a shocking conclusion.
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The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane HowardMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Book one in an epic family saga set in the 20th Century, making up five books. This is set in the 1930s, heading up to the time of the World War II, with the book commenting on the real-world events while recounting the small dramas affecting the Cazalet family.
The book starts with a lengthy cast of characters, and I needed to constantly remind myself who everyone was; I wished I'd started making notes because of the different slow-burning plotlines involving all of the main characters, which seemed to include occasional extra-marital affairs, amongst the constant references to parenting troubles and family days out.
I took a while to get into this book, and this is another title where a more honest rating might have been 3.5 stars, but about halfway through the book I did start to enjoy reading about the different characters, as tension grew about the prospect of the war. It was a difficult book because of the dense writing style, and huge amount of detail about even mundane events. I was occasionally flicking back several pages just to remember who the main characters were in individual scenes.
I am not sure yet if I would go on and read the other novels in the Cazalet Chronicles.
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3. The Egyptian Cinderella, by Shirley Climo, with illustrations by Ruth Heller. From another book I read, this is an adaptation of what may very well be the first Cinderella tale ever. Here, Rhodopsis, a girl from Greece, is a slave in an Egyptian household. Many in the estate of the wealthy man treat her poorly- she looks entirely different from the others. Rhodopsis loves to dance and the master of the household, enchanted with her skill, gives her a beautiful pair of shoes. However, one day, one of those shoes is snatched up by a falcon, which leaves the girl heartbroken. The falcon (associated with the god Horus) drops the shoe into the lap of the Pharoh, who is determined to find the owner of the shoe and make her his queen. It's not hard to figure out what follows. I like the stylized illustrations, which suit the story.
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The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About by Mel RobbinsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Life can be difficult, especially when dealing with people whose actions you have little or no control over. This book purports to be life-changing, and could have been titled "Let Me", as author Mel Robbins, herself an ADHD sufferer, talks about how to stop worrying about little things that you can't change.
The first section about the behaviour of others and how you should react, and then the second section is all about your relationships. The book goes into great detail about difficult friendships and romantic relationships. Towards the end, I noticed that it seemed to lean towards the latter, but it felt like the advice given could apply to anyone you are close to in your life.
One of the main messages was to stop trying to control others, and instead ask about their behaviour, and then take a step back to see how they react, and also that if you want someone to change, it should be their decision, and they should feel that way, rather than you trying to control them.
I did find the book useful, as someone who can get often bothered by little things from strangers and friends. I enjoyed reading Mel Robbins' accounts of FOMO, mostly coming from social media and acquaintances sharing pictures of fun times they had without her. I think the only reasons I didn't give it 5 stars was because when there was a lot about romantic relationships, it felt less relevant to me, and also this was another book that probably needed one more proof read because I did spot a few typos.
Overall, I'd say give this book a go, especially if you struggle with other people.
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The Impossible Fortune by Richard OsmanMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The fifth book in the Thursday Murder Club series starts with the wedding of Joyce's daughter, where one of the guests, Nick Silver, approaches the friends, as he believes someone is trying to murder him. This soon leads to a typical mystery, involving a bomb in a car.
The novel's Mcguffin turns out to be a large quantity of Bitcoin, and specifically the code needed to access it, which two people knew: one is dead, and the other is now missing, and possibly dead.
So, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the previous novels in the series. First off, it seems to have got to the point where there are so many characters, I felt like I needed a list at the start of the book to remind me of who everyone was. Secondly, this meant that because of having to get so many characters into the chapters, others felt less present. I'd have definitely liked to have seen more of Joyce, and her diary entries in this title. There were also a lot of sub-plots to this story that I had to keep up with, and remember what connection they had with the main plot.
There was a plot reveal involving a hidden code that I didn't find terribly original (it felt like it had been done before), but I was thankful when my armchair detectiving proved to be wrong, as I'd expected the book to end in the sort of cliche that you can see coming a long way off.
Overall, this book was okay, although there seemed to be a bit less of the usual light-heartedness and "cosy crime" feeling that I enjoyed from the previous books, and hope that the sixth book focuses more on the core group of characters, without too many side characters.
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On This Holy Island: A Modern Pilgrimage Across Britain by Oliver SmithMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The word "pilgramage", often associated with the Canterbury Tales can apply to a lot of things, and many interests. I could tell from reading that book that writer Oliver Smith had visited all of the places he mentions, in a book that mainly (but doesn't exclusively) refer to walking. In each chapter, he paints a vivid picture of where he went, occasionally using some almost Bill Bryson-esque humour.
A famous pilgramage is the one from London to Canterbury, associated with the shrine to the murdered Thomas a Becket. However, a lot of Britain's landscape is connected to our ancient ancestors, and also their own myths and legends, so he mentions caves and their use by druids quite early on. Stonehenge is perhaps the most famous site associated with pagan practices in Britain, and there is an entire chapter about it, and the different activities (particularly festivals) that take place out there, usually at the solstices.
Later in the book, Smith also recounts a story involving a pub (which unfortunately turned out to be closed), and also the pilgramage of many football fans to Liverpool FC to pay their respects in the aftermath of the Hillsborough distaster, which united the club with their local rivals, Everton FC.
This was such a detailed book, I wanted to give it 5 stars, but in places I started to suspect the book needed one more proof read; it was just minor, but noticeable, errors. I really enjoyed this book though, and may have to check out some more of Oliver Smith's books.
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Afterthoughts: or Some Pistachios Won't Open – Wisdom for the Unreflective by Richard AyoadeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's easiest to copy the blurb on the back of this book:
"Richard Ayoade has set down some of his most enormous thoughts for the benefit of all who dare to read them.
Thoughts like...
TV decectives need a gimmick. Mine would be not caring who did it.
If, when one door shuts, another door opens, there's something wrong with your doors. They shouldn't be doing that.
Where's the box to tick if you are a robot?
My mother used to say, 'Manners maketh the man', but I didn't think it was very mannerly of her to make fun of my lisp."
This book almost feels like a list of footnotes detached from the main text, but I enjoyed reading this. Most of the points were very relateable, though I'd maybe disagree with his agnostic views when the subject of God comes up.
Most people will recognise Richard Ayoade from the IT crowd, and this is the type of often self-deprecating humour that I've come to expect from him.
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Kairos by Jenny ErpenbeckMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The year is 1986; Katharina is widowed, and embarks on an affair with Hans, an older, and married, man. While the narrative in this booker prize winning novel tells of the highs and lows of what turns out to be a very on-off relationship, it also mentions at great length the political climate in Germany, where the book is set, inevitably leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
I found this difficult to get into at first; a dense, and very detailed narrative, with what felt like very few paragraph breaks. The book felt very much like a slow-burner, with lengthy descriptions of where the characters went, going into minutiae detail that most books wouldn't bother with. There were also a few changes in the narrative style, with sudden switches to first-person, even second-person, and the whole thing was written in the present tense, which is becoming an increasingly popular way to write fiction.
I started to realise that as well as being an account of the real-life events that were happening while the main story took place, that there was a lot of commentary on human nature, and about how people will stay in a relationship, despite it being clear that they are toxic for each other. It felt like a realistic portrayal of a couple involved in a secret affair, especially at one point, when Katharina, asked why she was still with Hans, replied: "Because I love him".
I wasn't sure if the intention of the book was to side with either of them, or dislike both of them, but I found myself inclined to dislike Hans a lot, because of many of his actions, and how controlling he seemed towards Katharina. I noticed that the book almost felt critical of the reunification of Germany, which surprised me, having been very pleased as a child to hear of the historical events mentioned near to the end of the book.
So, this proved to be an intimidating read at first, but turned out to be more accessible than I had first thought it to be. The only issue I had was as with many modern books, there was a lot of uses of "he" and "she" that had me turning back a few pages occasionally to check which characters were in the scene that I was reading.
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Page Summary
gavinf1980 : Book #27: Authority by Jonathan Leeman [+0] - ningerbil : Book 10 [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #26: Hags by Victoria Smith [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #25: A Song of Shadows by John Connolly [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #24: Praying for Sleep by Jeffery Deaver [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book 23: Money Men by Dan McCrum [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #22: One of Us is Dead by Peter James [+0]
- ningerbil : Books 8 and 9 [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #21: Agatha Raisin: Hiss and Hers by M.C. Beaton [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #20: They Thought I Was Dead by Peter James [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #19: The Earl and the Pharaoh by the Countess of Carnarvon [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #18: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #17: The Vegetarian by Han Kang [+0]
- ningerbil : Books 6 and 7 [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #16: Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D. [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #15: Little Sister by Gytha Lodge [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #14 for 2026: The Wolf in Winter by John Connolly [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #13: The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #12: Stop them Dead by Peter James [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #11: The Tenth Man by Graham Greene [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #10: Wish You Were Dead by Peter James [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #9: The Intimacy Defecit by Ed Shaw [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #8: The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #7: The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard [+0]
- ningerbil : Books 3-5 [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #6: The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #5: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #4: On This Holy Island by Oliver Smith [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #3: Afterthoughts, or Some Pistachios Won't Open by Richard Ayoade [+0]
- gavinf1980 : Book #2: Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck [+0]
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Time to recall this year's moments in the holiday photochallenge. Get 5 random photos uploaded to the blog in 2024 and share them with the audience!
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