Tag Archives: non-fiction

Books I’ve enjoyed 010

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1. The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page

A warm hug of a book about friendship and belonging, forgiveness and acceptance of oneself, faults and all, with twinkling Christmas lights and snow near the end too.
This is well written and nicely researched, with added historical figures for depth and interest. A little poetry thrown in to the mix and some lovely quotes from the characters. Perfect!

2. Travels with my Aunt by Graham Greene

Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager, meets his septuagenarian Aunt Augusta for the first time in over fifty years at what he supposes to be his mother’s funeral. Soon after, she persuades Henry to abandon Southwood, his dahlias and the Major next door to travel her way, Brighton, Paris, Istanbul, Paraguay.

Through Aunt Augusta, a veteran of Europe’s hotel bedrooms, Henry joins a shiftless, twilight society: mixing with hippies, war criminals, CIA men; smoking pot, breaking all the currency regulations and eventually coming alive after a dull suburban life. In Travels with my Aunt Graham Greene not only gives us intoxicating entertainment but also confronts us with some of the most perplexing of human dilemmas.’ From GoodReads

A riotous journey! I decided it was time to read this classic story, first published in 1969.

3. The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton

‘1705, Amsterdam. Thea Brandt is about to turn eighteen, and at the theatre in the heart of the city she has met the love of her life. At home, however, her family faces ruin. Desperate to change their fortunes, Thea’s aunt Nella is convinced that she must find Thea a wealthy husband, to get her away from the theatre and solidify her place in the society in which she truly belongs. As Thea and Nella clash over the demands of duty and the heart, past secrets begin to overwhelm their present.

And then there is the elusive miniaturist – when mysterious figurines begin to arrive on the family doorstep, it seems someone may have unexpected plans for Thea’s family. Will each woman be able to rescue her destiny from the whims of fortune?’ From GoodReads

The second in The Miniaturist series. I felt there is plenty of scope for another story by the end of The House of Fortune. I really enjoyed visiting eighteenth century Amsterdam.

4. The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell

Jenny is sought out to come and work at the Mercury theatre in London’s West End by Mrs Dyer, the wife of the theatre’s proprietor. She is engaged as a member of the wardrobe room and as dresser to leading lady Lilith, whom she is also to spy upon. Mrs Dyer is suspicious and jealous of Lilith and her suspected attachment to her husband. Meanwhile, Lilith is obsessed with a watch that belonged to a tragic actor. It is said to be possessed by the spirit of Melpomene, the tragic Greek muse of theatre. The watch is said to bestow anything an actor desires, but comes with a gory history. Jenny has witnessed the upsetting event which occurred to its last owner…

Is Mrs Dyer as caring and supportive as she seems? Is Lilith the unpleasant diva she seems, or more human and fallible? What is happening to the people and fabric of the building at the Mercury?

This is a really good premise for a story; there is an array of interesting characters and an excellent setting (a Victorian theatre has to be one of the best, on par with a huge old ancestral home in the country.) The story is structured around the five plays that the company stage.

5. A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

‘When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand last seen in the victim’s home. Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbor clearly keeping secrets from the police. Three women with separate connections to the victim. Three women who are – for different reasons – simmering with resentment. Who are, whether they know it or not, burning to right the wrongs done to them. When it comes to revenge, even good people might be capable of terrible deeds. How far might any one of them go to find peace? How long can secrets smolder before they explode into flame? Look what you started.’ From GoodReads

It’s not a jolly read, which is a great understatement, but kept me guessing and turning the pages.

6. Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

‘The hours pass differently at Black Rabbit Hall. For the four Alton children, it’s the perfect summer escape where not much ever happens – until one stormy evening, something does.And their idyllic world is shattered. Decades later, Lorna is drawn to a beautiful yet crumbling old house she hazily remembers from childhood – feels a bond she does not understand. But a disturbing message left by one of the Alton children tells her that Black Rabbit Hall’s history is as dark and tangled as its woods. And much like her own past, it must be brought into the light…’ From GoodReads

I’m always drawn to English county house settings! I also recommend The Glass House by Eve Chase.

7. Into the Uncanny by Danny Robins

‘This book is the story of these ordinary people who have experienced extraordinary things and want to make sense of them. Each one is a brand-new case I have never shared before; modern day ghost stories that make my blood run cold as effectively as anything that Charles Dickens could rustle up. And they are all entirely true.It’s also a story of my own personal journey of discovery because l’ve realised something from hearing all these incredible stories that come my way. I’ve realised how much I want to believe. I’m asking you to join me, to keep an open mind and to prepare to have your very concept of reality challenged. Are you ready?’ From GoodReads

Excellent audiobook voiced by the author. Genuinely gripping! #TeamNotSure

There’s also the Uncanny podcast, The Witch Farm (haven’t listened to this one yet) and The Battersea Poltergeist podcasts by Danny, also three TV episodes of Uncanny which are on the BBC iPlayer.

8. Winter Animals by Ashani Lewis

Thirtysomething-year-old Elen find herself adrift, lonely and drinking excessively, after the departure of her husband, who leaves her virtually penniless and subsequently homeless. She meets four British teenagers in a bar one day and becomes attached to the group. They travel and squat in empty buildings during the ski season and spend the majority of their days hiking up mountains and skiing back down. This is all possible by the fact that all of the teenagers come from well-off families. They live in relative comfort and without undue anxiety despite the fact they may be discovered by the authority or owners of the properties.

Luka feels himself to be the leader of the group and endlessly spouts the beliefs and ideas of a long-dead philosopher. Due to their isolation and days skiing without seeing many people the group of five become cultish and cut-off from the outside world.

9. Night watching by Tracy Sierra

A women and her two small children are at home in their old house late at night, in a raging snowstorm, the children are asleep. The woman hears a sound, she’s on instant alert and realises that they are definitely not in the house alone. What should she do? Run? Hide? Can she alert anyone without giving their location in the large house away?

This is an on the edge of your seat psychological thriller which manages to sustain the tension of what is happening in the house, even while including flashbacks to allow us to discover more about the woman, her husband and his family.

10. The Story Collector by Iris Costello

The Story Collector tells the stories of three women: Katerina, a German living in the East End of London, running a bakery in 1915, Miriam, a nurse and researcher who is working in a prisoner of war camp in Germany in 1918 and grief stricken Edie who has left London to live in Cornwall, in the present day. There are links which connect the three women. A mysterious box is found with items which will help to reveal the mystery…

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There you go, a good selection of books to check out. Many of those I read as advance copies, months ago before publication. I’m glad that there’s been a buzz around several of them. It pleases me that I picked some goodies.

I’ve currently got a batch of 7 new advance books to read and review from NetGalley, before publication including: Kate Grenville, Harlan Coben and Sarah Perry’s forthcoming releases. Exciting.

Amongst others I’m still ploughing through The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling.) It’s an epic 960 pages, but like the rest of the Strike series is a total page turner. I’m also listening to it a bit on Spotify Premium, because the beauty is you don’t have to commit to the whole audiobook, like on Audible, you can dip in and out of lots of books within a 15 hour listening allowance for the month. I listened for an hour cosied sat up in bed yesterday morning, while crocheting more rounds of my last Coast Blanket granny square. That was a satisfyingly chilled start to Saturday, before I went out for the rest of the day.

Have you any good book recommendations? I enjoy reading about books you’ve enjoyed. It’s always nice when I’ve already read and enjoyed it too.

I wonder if I should start a Books I’ve Hated series?! That could provoke some interesting discussion!

Sunshine, crochet & slow reading

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Hello, have you all survived the storms, if you’re in the UK and Ireland? It’s been WILD the last few days. Last night with over 50 mph wine it sounded like a high-speed train was rushing past the front of the house.

To my surprise, this morning, my few little plastic pots of chilli peppers and parsley in the garden are still standing! Today it’s a total contrast, sunny and bright with a bit of breeze. Lovely and far milder this week at 10°.

It’s hard not to begin January blog posts without a weather report, but amusingly I’m not the only one.

I really appreciative the sun so I could take a clear picture of my Ana Lucia shawl this week. It was the total opposite last Wednesday.

I was tempted to work on something else at the weekend for variety, but actually I want the prospect of a finished item. So I’m going to go on with this until I a) finish it or b) run out of yarn. B is a distinct possibility, or even certainty. If I speed up my crocheting and play yarn chicken, I’m pretty sure I cannot do all the repeats. I may be able to get some of this discontinued yarn on eBay. I’ll first message my local yarn shop, where I impulse bought this ball, just in case they’ve got some tucked away.

I remember when I went to browse and treat myself to something new, I was aiming to change my palette a bit, go for something neutral. Ha!

The Marmalade Diaries by Ben Aitken

I saw that this was included on Audible’s Plus Catalogue so gave it a whirl, but preferred to read it at my own speed rather than the author’s. I ended up buying it on Amazon. It’s the diary of Ben who needed somewhere else to live in autumn 2020. Winnie had advertised for someone to live with her and lend a helping hand, be a presence in the substantial house. Family moving in with her had not worked out at all…

Winnie is 85, has lived in the house in Wimbledon, in south west London, for decades. Ben is 35, it has to be said is rather under her thumb, within a very short space of time. He wisely chooses the path of least resistance on most things. The peppercorn rent must have helped too.

Winne is extremely idiosyncratic, as we all are in the comfort and familiarity of our home, but additionally she is up and down emotionally as she is grieving the loss of her husband of 60 years, who died only 10 months before. On top of that the second National Lockdown comes only 10 days after Ben moves in. (Incidentally, we moved days before the first lockdown. It took ages to get to know neighbours, unless waving while trying to clap and banging saucepans counts. Doesn’t all that seem strange when we think about it now? Daily walks and socially distanced chats with strangers in the fields were highly valued.) Anyway, back to Ben and Winnie. So, life is not at all he imagines or is used to, in a nutshell he ends up spending most of his time with an octogenarian.

There’s a lot of humour in the diary. I recognise Winnie and like her immensely. She reminds me of family and people I’ve known. She recounts stories to Ben of places I know very well. I’ve slowed my reading right down. I know that I do this when really enjoying a book I don’t want to end. I did the same with Nina Stibbe’s most recent diary.

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Joining in with Kat and the gang for Unravelled Wednesday to also share what I’m making and reading. Why don’t you too? Or at least have a look at the links. There were some cracking blog posts last Wednesday.

It’s been pointed out to me with a burst of laughter that we had 50mph wine last night. I’m keeping it! Must be iPhone dictation’s sense of humour.

Books I’ve enjoyed 009

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It’s cold, grey and windy outside today, luckily I’ve got a pot of Teapigs darjeeling earl grey brewing, will stack the log burner and light it soon, I also plan to maybe do a bit of crochet. I’m using chunky yarn, it’s black and what I’m making is, I suspect, probably quite eccentric. More about that another time!

The Hotel by Louise Mumford

A dual storyline thriller. Four teenagers go to an abandoned Victorian hotel, which of course comes with a murky past. They plan to make a film and generally get up to hijinks in the gap between school and university. Things go terribly wrong and only three leave the hotel. Where is Leo? What happened on that fateful night?

It is now ten years later and there are fans who organise an annual convention, complete with merchandise, which has grown up around the original film that was put online. There is also intense speculation about what really happened.

The now scarred twenty eight year olds are invited to meet at the hotel once again, to join in the making of a reunion film with a professional company. What could possibly go wrong?

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay

The Housekeepers is about a heist in the Edwardian era, dreamt up, planned and executed (mostly) by women in a Park Lane mansion in London.

This is a story of revenge, for deeply personal reasons and an attempt to right some wrongs. There are female friendships which tug at the heartstrings and a few love stories too. It’s an absolutely cracking read.

When I read an advance review copy of The Housekeepers, at the beginning of the year, I remember thinking that I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there was a film or TV series commissioned in the future…

The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams

The story of twin sisters, Peg and Maude, who live on a narrow boat on the Oxford canal and work in the book bindery in nearby Jericho, at the Clarendon Press.

Peg wants far more from her life, but is stymied due to her gender and place in the world. Society is fixed for the working class and generations of families have worked in the same buildings. She is continually told not to read the books, but to bind them. Peg is tied to her sister Maude and feels that her life is narrow, full of responsibilities and a frustrating lack of freedoms.

Women are still not allowed to vote. Despite being accepted into university and able to study at Oxford, they are not awarded a degree. Going to study English at Somerville college is Peg’s dream, but this feels completely unattainable to a woman of her class and educational background. Then, World War 1 begins, bringing a wave of Belgian refugees fleeing devastated cities, through this mixing of the classes society begins to be irrevocably altered. Peg’s life alters she forms different relationships and new opportunities begin seem to be possible.

PS, if you are a fan of Pip’s The Dictionary of Lost Words, then you should know that this is set in the same period of time, in another area of Oxford. Look out for a few familiar characters.

No! I Don’t Want to Join a Bookclub by Virginia Ironside

I Don’t Want to Join a Book Club. Marie swears off all kinds of things that her friends and contemporaries are embracing: book clubs, yes, but also learning new things like foreign languages and joining gyms. Activities that challenge the mind and body, activities that others like to brag about—these are not for Marie. From the Penguin and Random House website

This was one of my holiday reads when we were away at the end of May. I picked it up from a community centre bookshelf where I’ve found lots of good reads before. Something about it grabbed me. And I realised I kept picking it up and putting it down. It’s basically the diary of Bridget Jones when she’s sixty and quite grumpy.

There are four books in the Marie Sharp series. I may look for the next sometime.

The Beginning of Everything by Jackie Fraser

A linear story about Jess who has escaped a bad situation and arrived in Wales seeking sanctuary. She and Gethin begin a friendship which is sustaining and positive for both, albeit beginning with a very unusual meeting.

This feels like an original story. The author gently and sensitively reveals Jess’s emotions, how she really feels about herself and about the beginning of a new relationship. It’s really beautifully written, I’m not sure that it will be for everyone as it’s not dramatic, it doesn’t have huge twists, but it’s really compelling. You want to find out what will happen and you root for them both.

For such a simple story I really could not put this book down! I read until the early hours to finish it; always the sign of an enjoyable book.

And Away by Bob Mortimer

Bob Mortimer’s life was trundling along happily until suddenly in 2015 he was diagnosed with a heart condition that required immediate surgery and forced him to cancel an upcoming tour. The episode unnerved him, but forced him to reflect on his life so far. This is the framework for his hilarious and moving memoir, And Away… From Goodreads

I’m not sure that you will have heard of Bob if you’re not in the UK and haven’t ever lived here. Would Shooting Stars etc have been shown internationally? I wasn’t ever a fan of Bob’s comedy with Vic Reeves a.k.a. Jim Moir, but absolutely LOVE Gone Fishing, which he presents with Paul Whitehouse. (It’s not about fishing!)

This was the first audio book I listened to last month, when I delightedly discovered Spotify Premium membership now gives you 15 hours of audiobooks a month. I was missing Audible but didn’t want to pay for another subscription.

Lovely audio book. Laugh out loud funny, particularly the first half, really warm, classic Bob.

Soups by Maggie Ramsay

There is a wide variety of soups; plenty of vegetarian, some meat and fish based varieties, also those containing pulses and grains. There are 80 recipes in all, including garnishes.

The author has given plenty of instruction, so it would be suitable for a novice cook. There are suggestions for adding or substituting ingredients. Many soups can be adapted to be vegetarian and vegan.

The one downside for me was there are no photos at all, bar the one on the front cover. I really do not care for the illustrations, as I felt that they neither represented the recipes, or were particularly attractive. The book is lacking in this respect.

I am planning to cook the Moroccan-Style Vegetable and Chicken Soup for dinner soon, the recipe instantly appealed as it will be a warming autumn meal.

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Currently I’m re-reading The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan, before I can borrow her latest; Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop from the library. It’s warm, cosy and easy reading at bedtime, or in the middle of the night when I’m wide awake. I’m trying Simon Mayo’s Mad Blood Stirring again after abandoning it in 2019, listening to Oh Miriam! By Miriam Margoyles (NOT for the faint hearted) on Spotify. Lastly, I’m considering ditching Stanley Tucci’s Taste which is boring me, although I have got to the 60% point, so it seems a shame to give up now. I’ve tried a bit of the audiobook too, but for an actor his reading style seems very monotone.

Are you stuck into any books at the moment? Can you recommend something you’ve enjoyed this year?

Books I’ve enjoyed 004

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The Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Lyer

My current favourite recipe book which I’m using to bring some fresh meat-free meals to the table. Last week I made the courgettes roasted with olives, feta and tomato bake. It was delicious both hot and cold, though perhaps not for someone who is advised to use eat a low-salt diet. You could maybe miss out the olives and cut it down that way, but it wouldn’t be quite the same. Tomorrow when I’m doing my groceries order I’ll choose another recipe to make this week.

The Diet Myth by Tim Spector

Tim trained in medicine and rose to the position of consultant rheumatologist before turning to genetic epidemiology, the study of genetic factors in health and disease. Now he is professor of genetic epidemiology and director of the TwinsUK registry at Kings College London. He is a specialist in twin study, genetics, epigenetics and microbiome, and diet. (Wikipedia) You may also recognise his name and his face from the Zoe website. He’s very active on Instagram and Twitter too.

The Diet Myth is an exploration and explanation of why most diets fail, why despite, the multi million pound diet industry, and so much advice about what to eat, and what to avoid, people are still gaining weight and populations are becoming fatter every decade. This is a fascinating read.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim

Published a hundred years ago, in 1922, this story is about a couple of women who are unsatisfied in their marriages and leading pretty dreary lives. They decide to rent a small castle on the Italian Riviera and gather two others to help pay for it during a summer holiday, without their husbands. It’s a lovely read, with some very touching and humorous lines. Apparently at the time it did wonders to advertise and bring tourism to the area. This paperback was a surprise sent by a friend when I was unwell, along with Midnight Chicken which I wrote about in my last books post. Friends who post books they think you’ll enjoy and cheer you up are treasures!

Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves

The second in the Vera series. This time she’s investigating a crime which happened ten years before. New evidence has come to light, which throws doubt on the original verdict. I found this absolutely masterful; the characterisation, setting and plotting. It could be any one of the community, it’s impossible to guess the ending.

The Woman on the Island by Ann Cleeves

If you have any interest in reading the Vera series then you MUST go to Amazon next and select this because it’s currently FREE! (Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can get the free Kindle app on your phone or tablet and read the short story.) We learn the motivation for Vera becoming a detective during this short backstory. As she goes on a day trip to Holy Island with her father Hector. There’s an excerpt at the end for the new Vera book (number ten) The Rising Tide, which is set on the same island. This should whet your appetite for when it comes out on 1st September (sorry, I’m not sure of international publication dates) next week. I read of a proof copy, back in May, and it’s a 5 star read.

The Night Ship by Jess Kidd

I’ve been looking forward to telling you about this one. The Night Ship is structured with a dual time period, which tells the stories of two nine year old children Mayken and Gil more than 300 years apart. The author weaves fiction around fact to tell the story of Mayken, who is a newly motherless child en route to the care of her father. She is travelling with her nursemaid Imke on an East India Company ship The Batavia. The ship is undertaking the long and hazardous sea voyage from Holland to Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies as it was (Jakarta in Indonesia as it is now called.) It is carrying goods and 200 passengers. Gil is also newly motherless and has been sent to his Grandfather Joss to spend the fishing season on a remote island off the west coast of Australia. Their story and developing relationship is rather touching as both adjust to each other and become closer.

Mayken is a fabulous character, she and Imke definitely have all the best lines. Mayken’s story made me both laugh and cry. She is a character who will stay with me.

Jess Kidd paces this atmospheric story perfectly, as usual in her writing there is folklore and supernatural elements. The tension gradually ramps up until the denouement for both children. I enjoyed the parallels between the two and found myself thinking a lot about cultural norms and what is thought of as endearing, or alternatively as weird; particularly from a gendered point of view.

From now on I shall be keeping witch’s stones / hagstones that I find on the beach and trying to see what has already been and what is to come! This is another 5 star read. If any of you have not yet read any of Jess Kidd’s books I urge you to find them. She’s such a talented and entertaining writer. I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

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There are some absolutely cracking books coming out in the autumn, I’ve read a fair few advance reader copies this year and I’m looking forward to writing about them, when I get the publishing dates.

We’ve had a good summer here, albeit far too dry, but now I’m looking forward to autumn. This is usual for me at this point in the holidays. I’m beginning to anticipate apple picking, soup making, cooking stews, walking through crunchy leaves and having cosy evenings crafting (crossed fingers) with lots more good books to curl up with on the sofa.

Want to share what you’re currently reading? Any book recommendations for us?

Books I’ve enjoyed 003

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Midnight Chicken by Ella Risbridger

Part memoir of a specific period in Ella’s life, mostly recipe book. What makes this an ideal book to dip in and out of is the lovely way that she writes about food in the introduction to each recipe. And the recipes sound good too!

Very sad endnote, but I’m glad she’s sounding happier and all is ok on the other side of everything now.

I’m definitely going to make the Midnight Chicken and a few other recipes too.

Kiss Myself Goodbye by Ferdinand Mount

‘Aunt Munca never told the truth about anything. Calling herself after the mouse in a Beatrix Potter story, she was already a figure of mystery during the childhood of her nephew Ferdinand Mount. Half a century later, a series of startling revelations sets him off on a tortuous quest to find out who this extraordinary millionairess really was. What he discovers is shocking and irretrievably sad, involving multiple deceptions, false identities and abandonments. The story leads us from the back streets of Sheffield at the end of the Victorian age to the highest echelons of English society between the wars.’ From GoodReads

This is a rollercoaster of discoveries, and it never stops! I read it while away last weekend by the sea and found it distracted me from paddling, ice cream and rock throwing games. It’s a goodie.

An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan

A welcome return to the Scottish fictional island of Mure and lots of familiar characters. I enjoyed catching up with Flora, her family and friends. It was a welcome escape from the news and everything going on in the world. (I read an advance copy in March.)

I feel Jenny Colgan is at her best writing this series; it’s not sickly sweet like some of the others and it’s not repeating the same basic premise over and over like the recent Bookshop series. (Girl moves to new area due to unhappy previous situation, has to find a job, ends up selling books, meets a cast of quirky characters, including one or two possible boyfriends. Chooses one, lives happily ever after.) There’s some attempt at reality, grit, hardship and exploration of how characters really feel in the Mure books. These aspects take you on rather an emotional journey and you find you care about them.
The story has really moved on throughout the series, sometimes in unexpected ways, and there is definitely space for more; as this latest book ended with plenty of ends dangling. I’m glad.

(It is odd how from book 1 to book 4 Jan’s maiden name and both her father’s first and last names have been changed. I couldn’t work out why I didn’t recognise Malcy Doherty, head of the local council. Well, that’s because he was Fraser Mathieson in the first book!)

Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen

For Maeve and her friends daily life holds not just the common feelings experienced by all teens: anxiety waiting for exam results, the mad swings of love and lust, boredom with where they grew up, and worry about earning enough money to save for what comes next. Their days are also full of frustration and fear as the threat of violence flares up around them on a daily basis as there’s continual tension between the Catholics and Protestants and resignation about the troubled political situation in the country. Mixed into this mix there is heaps of black humour. It’s hilarious from the beginning and the humour doesn’t let up. This is a story where well-drawn characters are living in dangerous and strained circumstances over the border from the Free State, under British control in Northern Ireland, but it’s not nearly as grim as it sounds.

‘But it’s all these good intentions that’s killing me,’ Maeve said. ‘Everyone’s always asking us to paint pictures or write poems. Ye’ve artists sculpting doves. Teachers sucking the fucken lifeblood outtay us by asking us tae sing “Imagine” – like, no harm, but is that not showing a total lack of imagination?’ ‘Aye,’ Fidelma said. ‘Nobody’s tackling the hard stuff.’

Maeve and her friends then outline how they believe life could be different without segregation, starting the process of integration from the earliest years. The insider knowledge and lived experience of the author shines out, this is not clearly not researched, but drawn from the author’s own life growing up in County Tyrone.

It has to be said (and I know I won’t be the first to say this and certainly not the last) but it is a good companion if you’re watching Derry Girls. Some of what is sketched out in Derry Girls will make much more sense after reading Factory Girls.

Factory Girls is laugh out loud funny, irreverent and touching. I loved it. I know this because I read it slowly and properly, always a good sign as I did not want it to end.

How long until until there is a film or television series? I’m positive the rights will be snapped up. At the end I felt there was also a lot of scope for a follow up book about what Maeve (and friend) do next ….

The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves

Detective Vera Stanhope’s first appearance, this was published in 1999.

Three very different women are living together in an isolated cottage, while undertaking an environmental survey. An apparent suicide, then another death and Vera Stanhope appears to try to piece together what has happened…

The first ever I read in the series was a proof of the tenth book, lucky lucky me. That’s coming out in the autumn. I have to say that’s a fabulous read, if you’re a fan then you’re in for a treat! Then because I enjoyed that so much, I decided to read all of the books in order.

I was already a fan of the tv series, but I think you need to let some time go by to forget details if you watch first, then read. In the TV adaptations motives have often quite changed and it can be disorienting to remember who and why, then find a completely different murderer in the book. That was why I stopped at the first Shetland book; it was too soon after I’d watched that episode. I’ll go back to the books when I’ve finished Vera and have forgotten a lot of what I’ve seen. (By the way: do you know the last series of Shetland has begun to air? The first episode is available on the BBC iplayer now.)

Ann Cleeves writes so well. I love her clear style of writing. I’ve got to look out for the fourth book, I keep checking on Amazon and finding random Kindle deals on different books in the series. I’ve only paid full price for one so far. Huzzah!

The Corset by Laura Purcell

Melodramatic and tense gothic storytelling set in the Victorian era. I started out listening to the audiobook, but I was finding it so anxiety inducing and generally horrible that I decided to read at my own speed (faster! Get past the gory parts!) and power through the e-library book instead.

I underestimated this book. It was a 3 star read all the way. Then, I got to maybe 80% of the way through, maybe more, and realised that it was going to be quite a rollercoaster of an ending. Upgraded to 4/5 stars, don’t underestimate a talented author like Laura Purcell.

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What have you been reading lately? Anything you want to recommend to us all?