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Sep 3, 20231 min read
1091. A K Blakemore - The Manningtree Witches
I didn’t really enjoy this. Set in 17th century Essex, when the men were all away at war (which war?), and society was largely...
Jul 19, 20231 min read
1079. William Boyd - The Romantic
Quite enjoyed this, but it was a pale imitation of Boyd’s brilliant 'Any Human Heart'. Set one hundred years earlier, and involving an...
Mar 25, 20231 min read
1053. Jessie Burton - The House Of Fortune
This is very good and well-written. Need to re-read ‘The Miniaturist’ which is the sequel. The central figures are Theo, the daughter...
Feb 3, 20231 min read
1046. John Boyne - The Echo Chamber
I quite enjoyed this. A comedy about a wealthy and overprivileged family in contemporary London, George a TV presenter having an affair...
Jan 3, 20231 min read
1039. Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights
I found this very difficult. Difficult to work out who the characters were and their interrelationships. Unlike most 19th century novels,...
Dec 16, 20221 min read
1036. Octavia E. Butler - Kindred
Interesting to read this following no.1035. This is about a contemporary black American woman, married to a white man, who is dragged...
Nov 16, 20221 min read
1029. William Boyd - Any Human Heart
I have read this before; it is very good. A journey through the 20th century, centred on Logan Mountstuart, a half English/half Uruguayan...
Nov 5, 20221 min read
1027. Anne Brontë - Agnes Grey
The first of, I think, the only two novels she published before her very early death. A simple story about a 19th century ‘middle class’...
Nov 1, 20221 min read
1026. Graeme Macrae Burnet - His Bloody Project
Bought this as listed for the Booker prize (2016) and in the crime section at Waterstones. It is very good and I can understand the...
Sep 17, 20221 min read
1013. Anthony Burgess - Here Comes Everybody
Tried to read this in parallel as a crib, but that didn’t work either, Burgess is almost as cryptic as Joyce, so not a good week for...
Jul 5, 20221 min read
994. Freya Berry - The Dictator's Wife
I didn’t read this very well – too much good sport on the TV, so only a short read in bed at night. Quite good, but a bit overcomplicated...
May 25, 20221 min read
981. Rachael Blok - The Fall
A curious mixture of chick lit and crime, with the chick lit predominant, and all taking place in or around St Albans cathedral. The...
May 6, 20221 min read
973. Julian Barnes - Elizabeth Finch
I am not sure that I have ever liked Julian Barnes much, possibly he was just a la mode when I started reading contemporary fiction....
Jan 24, 20221 min read
938. Rachael Blok - Into The Fire
Never heard of this author, either. A well plotted and complex thriller. A group of very disparate people arrive at a mansion in Welwyn...
Jan 19, 20221 min read
935. Simon Brett - The Liar In The Library
Very good and very well written – good prose. An old fashioned detective novel with a contemporary setting. The two sleuths are a couple...
Jun 25, 20211 min read
872. William Boyd - Trio
I enjoyed this, but maybe three separate stories. Set mainly in Brighton in 1968, where a film is being made. The three are a fading...
Jun 21, 20211 min read
871. Oyinkan Braithwaite - My Sister The Serial Killer
I had seen this in the bookshops years ago, but avoided it as the marketing made it look luridly unpleasant. But it is repeatedly praised...
May 21, 20211 min read
861. William Boyd - Love Is Blind
Local library now open again, post lockdown, so opportunity to try some books. This was very good – an almost 19th century novel written...
Nov 22, 20201 min read
828. William Boyd - Any Human Heart
Needed a book with a with nice linear narrative after some of the longeurs of the previous few. This was wonderful. A fictionalised diary...
Oct 23, 20201 min read
822. Mark Billingham - Sleepyhead
I have read this guy before, with slightly mixed feelings, but heard him on the radio so gave him another try. Can’t really make my mind...