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Sep 22, 20231 min read
1095. Peter Robinson - The Summer That Never Was
And another. This is much more typical, with a parallel plot involving the murder of a disturbed teenager in Eastvale (largely Annie) and...
Feb 4, 20221 min read
941. David Mitchell - Utopia Avenue
Never heard of the author, although he has written a lot and this was very good. About the fictional mid 1960’s rock band, covering their...
Oct 28, 20211 min read
912. Graham Greene - The Human Factor
One of my favourite of his books, despite my copy having been in the bath some years ago. Thematically, very John le Carré – set possibly...
Sep 1, 20211 min read
890. Reginald Hill - Recalled To Life
This is a rollicking good yarn; set initially in the 1960’s around the time of the Profumo scandal involving a murder set in Yorkshire...
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...
May 17, 20211 min read
860. Deborah Orr - Motherwell
Very good. Quite a difficult book about her childhood in Motherwell, written by a successful and now I think sadly dead journalist in her...
Sep 30, 20191 min read
717. Jessie Burton - The Muse
This is by the author of ‘The Miniturist’ which I have seen on television if not read. Not in the George Eliot class (well what would...
Sep 3, 20191 min read
709. Julian Barnes - The Only Story
An odd book, by a writer I am not sure I really like. About a love affair between a 19 year old chap and a 48 year old woman, set...
Jun 14, 20191 min read
689. DJ Taylor - Rock And Roll Is Life
A library book of Paddy’s. She liked it, I didn’t much, although one would have expected the opposite, given that I am more into rock and...
Jul 20, 20181 min read
611. Graham Greene - The Comedians
Took me a long time to read this (not long) book, but a lot of sport on TV and I struggled to get into it. The characters all have banal...
Nov 4, 20171 min read
546. Kate Atkinson - Human Croquet
Tried to read this years ago (in Oslo I think) and couldn’t get on with it. Enjoyed it much more this time; it is quite a difficult book,...
Aug 14, 20171 min read
513. Georgina Harding - The Spy Game
Symptomatic of being short of reading ideas, buying another by the same author immediately after finishing the first (see David Mark, 491...
Feb 12, 20171 min read
467. G. F. Newman - The Corrupted Part 2
Not as good as part 1 (464), but he had set the scene then and doesn’t add much to it in Part 2, apart from dropping in various...
Sep 30, 20161 min read
434. Arnaldur Indridason - The Draining Lake
I quite like this guy; have read this before; it is the one about the Icelandic left wing students who go on a communist sponsored year...
Apr 12, 20161 min read
392. Simon Raven - Fielding Gray
These are pretty good; read most of the series may years ago and this is no.1. Very public school, post Evelyn Waugh but well written,...
May 7, 20141 min read
204. John Updike - Couples
Reluctantly, as I hate doing this, I am abandoning this almost halfway through. It is quite different from what I expected — a...
Oct 13, 20131 min read
155. Sebastian Faulks - On Green Dolphin Street
The last holiday book. I have read this before but couldn’t remember much. It is a love triangle between Charlie, a washed-out British...
Jan 5, 20131 min read
70. Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
(Requested) Xmas present from my son D. I enjoyed it in the end; found it difficult at first as: I was expecting a linear narrative Some...
Dec 8, 20121 min read
63. Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö - Murder At The Savoy
Another excellent book in this excellent series. It is hard to characterise what I enjoy in these books; slightly sardonic humour and...
Nov 19, 20121 min read
58. Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö - The Laughing Policeman
Very good, again; I do like these books (obviously). There is quite a gang of policemen, all with their individual quirks, and because...