The reminded me of 'Discomfort of evening' in its depiction of an unsettling narrator within an uncomfortable environment. It is a disconcerting read as we find ourselves possibly considering uncertain sibling abuse as well local folkloric belief in witchraft. The theme of the living with the sins of the holocaust also is implicit. A challenging read + I put it down, scratching my head but wanting to pick up again.

A remarkably told story about how both parental depression and sibling drug addiction impact on a family and particularly one child/adult. Gifts is a research scientist living a curiously insular life experimenting on mice + exploring relationships. When her mother's depression means she has to let her move into her flat this allows the narrative to explore the troubled past. I found it an incredibly sad tale but told with insight and empathy

In the opening of this novel, we find 16 yr old Janet murdered at the bottom of the stairs in her family's rambling Scottish home. As we read on, we learn about her short life in which this unique, eccentric, and misunderstood character faces innumerable challenges from those she meets, incl her family, save for the equally strange aunt lila. Knowing the fate of a character I loved made the impending finale more poignant. Grt storytelling, grt bk

Ignore the litsy description this is a historical crime novel set in 1840s West Wales.Barrister Harry Probert Lloyd returns to his small town when a body is discovered that he has an interest in, but Harry is going blind unknown to his father the local magistrate. The story is in the shadow of the Rebecca riots, a fascinating piece of history. I really enjoyed this story which I found via the crimetime podcast. It's a series so looking fwd to more

I picked this up in Barter books Alnwick in the summer purely due to the cover + what a great read. Gerry and Sewell are two friends in an impoverished Gateshead but are determined to get Newcastle united season tickets through various dodgy and hopeless schemes. Despite all thar society throws at them, from school teachers to family, their friendship and hope is infectious, yet this is a story that also pulls on your heartstrings.

Our other irl bk this wk was this iconic generational story that I missed in the 90s. A curious tale of 3 mid-20s Americans living a lifestyle different to family norms and telling tales to each other of life + society. It made for a good discussion. A curious story that I found compelling but curiously forgot many of the tales quickly, although I remember the enjoyable characters. A classic in mould of on the road for a generation, glad I rd it.

When we left Olivia in Invitation to the waltz, this vibrant 16 yr old had just gone to her 1st dance with her sister Kate.This sequel opens many years later when she gets on a train to visit her family + unwell father. She meets Rollo, son of the local aristocracy where the dance had occurred. What follows is the story of their affair, which seems doomed, leading to a painful + brave picture of an abortion. The writing draws you into character ⬇️

Rdg grp this week will be a discussion of this bestseller. I am torn as I felt that the story of a childhood friendship emerging from illness into an adult bond that inevitably has highs + lows is a well trodden tale but it was very readable + I liked the characters.Gaming is not something I know much abt so I found the descriptions dull. Certainly worth reading but won't linger long in my memory but an enjoyable read. Should be a gd discussion

A curious book to get on the booker shortlist ahead of some others I rd however it was a very readable story about a young girl in a English Pakistani family + her 2 sisters deal with the grief of losing their mother. The grief that she + her father feel is managed by his obsession with his daughters becoming squash greats like his hero jahangir Khan. The book combined squash + family life well, altho I wondered what wd happen next. Lovely cover

I heard this screenwriter author on the crimetime fm podcast + gave bk1 in the series a go. It is as expected a well crafted page turning police procedural in which detective DS cross investigates the death of a homeless man, which is quickly linked to a cold crime. Cross is a compelling character as he has a brilliant mind with aspergers syndrome that hampers his social skills. I'll definitely read more ⬇️

Just a quick post about a day trip I took yesterday. This is myself and my youngest daughter outside Haworth parsonage. It was an excellent experience that evoked the feeling of life for these amazing sisters. So tonight we watched the BBC production 'to walk invisible ' filmed in haworth + captures time + place so well. Nancy, as youngest of 3 girls, was team Anne, I was Branwell, + his pillow looked like he had just got out of bed. Great day.

I will echo @LeahBergen comments abt how hard this was to read as the depiction of life in wartime seems to suggest that the world has learnt little over 80yrs. This series of letters written to her children by Tilli a woman living in hamburg 39-46, + discovered in the 70s is heart-rending, particularly when her + the city's ⬇️
#Persephoneclub @Cathythoughts @rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @CarolynM @elkeOriginal @jlhammar @Gissy @Aimeesue @Tamra

A frightening novel that expresses how close any of us are from having to escape the terror of civil war and repressive regimes, is also a salutary tale for those who qn motives of immigrants who are forced to leave their home. The story of Eilish + her family is set in a Dublin in which the brutal repression of a union strike leads to a dictatorship that destroys the family. Disturbing but excellent writing that may well win the prize in Nov.

Last weekends reading catch-up was the third in the Washington poe, Tilly Bradshaw series, which is quickly becoming a favourite. In this book, Poe is called to Cumbria to investigate when 3 sets of thumbs are discovered in public places without bodies. The ensuing investigation reveals a criminal who manipulates people to increasingly nasty crimes called The Curator. It's definitely a page turner.

A powerful piece of writing that expresses the experience of life for a black woman in America. Ursa is a blues singer whose grandmother + grt g/mother were victim of rape by their same slave owner. Ursa is assaulted by her husband so badly that she cannot have children, + men seek to own her. Yet Ursa is a vital + strong woman, with a love of life that encompasses sex + music as well as men. The story of slavery + control haunts this book 5*

This booker shortlisted novel tells the tale of the forced eviction of the inhabitants of a small island off the coast of maine. The occupants descend from a mixed racial couple who seek to grow apples there + it then becomes a haven for people of different racial origin + colour who escape to this home. In 1912 the moral majority on the mainland informed by eugenics are offended by the islands population. The story is very sad but absorbing.

Not sure when I read blacklands, but the 3rd in this trilogy brings many threads in the 1st 2 bks abt an exmoor village together. When children are snatched from vehicles with a post it saying you don't love him left behind, the investigation bring Jonas Holly (bk 2 police officer whose wife is murdered) and Stephen (bk 1 boy who interacts with an imprisoned killer) into close tense connection. A really taut narrative, great characters, + plot.

A book that immersed me into the gruelling life of hunting buffalo hides in 1870's kansas. Will Andrews is a harvard graduate who seeks to live life in the tough Western landscape. His experience is harsh + vividly described with astonishing prose in this excellent story. The writing, as with the wonderful Stoner, is incredible to the extent that I had to get a glass of water as they crossed the desert+ put on a jumper as they hit snow. Great read

Second in this very good series set in Newcastle. Jimmy is a homeless veteran who in bk 1 got involved in investigating crimes which found him developing friends in a police force who had done him wrong in the past. When his young friend Deano's br is found dead and several other young drug users are also killed suspiciously a cracking story ensues. Great character development +plotting, a series of which I'm looking forward to reading more soon.

A Nigerian man + his American artist wife are staying in Berlin for her exhibition. Over the course of several encounters, he meets refugees who tell him their story of having to escape their homes. These are heartbreaking tales that humanise the refugee experience, parents and children who have lost their partners/siblings, routine brutality and prejudice, terror of escape, and loss of home. I found this book compelling and very moving ⬇️

A complex + deep analysis of a relationship btwn a 19 yr old girl + a married man in his 50s which v quickly turns disturbing in the manipulative nature of the control Hans exerts over Katharina. The setting is late 1980s Berlin so the paranoia + brutality echoes the last days of the GDR regime. I felt uncomfortable watching the way K is damaged by an older male but relieved towards the end. A dark troubling read but interesting nevertheless. ⬇️

The writing in this v sad story is beautiful as it articulates a love that 2 people, damaged by appalling child abuse, can find together. The story of ex Garda officer Tom Kettle is heartbreaking + left me in pieces as his life is disclosed amidst the reopening of a historic crime, which he investigated. A gentle man who finds hope in his neighbours, yet his past haunts him, including his family, violence of life in the police + army. A tough read

2nd booker longlist bk is about an Irish boy Jamie who is starting senior school. He is a great character whose autism is his strength but in the bear pit of teenagers his vulnerability. 2 other characters then take the stage, Tess the English teacher trapped by her past + a last ivf attempt, and Tadhg the new woodwork teacher just over from the islands. The making of a curraich focuses their lives. Enjoyed this a lot, well told, sad + hopeful

The cazalet series is such a joy to read, and the 4th book covers 1946 to 1947 as the family experiences dramatic life events at the same time as England and the world changes. The brs Hugh Edward + Rupert emerge from the war amid personal turmoil, but its Louise, Polly, +Clary whose stories pull the reader apart emotionally. Other characters' stories include Christopher but most noticeably Archie. It will be sad to leave the characters in bk5

After enjoying Win, I decided to go back to myron bolitar and the 3rd in the series, which was a cracking read. Here, Myron is persuaded, 10 years after his career ending injury, to return to a pro basketball team and investigate the disappearance of the star player. A fast-moving thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed, so plan reading more soon.

This made me chuckle , footballers going on strike for £7 per week 🤣

This is turning into a very enjoyable series in which DC Harry McCoy treads the Glasgow streets of 1973/74. Here a girl has gone missing, but Harry is sidelined in the hunt for her , however, he gets drawn into the mysterious death of 60s pop star Bobby march and the increasing heroin epidemic on the streets. Roll on April.

#top10summer2023reads Thanks @youneverarrived for the tag. I've limited it to 5 because I can't work out how to do 10 but these were 5 really good reads over the summer of which 3 are by favourite writers whose bks are always anticipated (Moss, Ashworth, Levy) + the other 2 were new exciting novels (firerush+ spell of good things). Photo of me during a uni reunion in Cardiff + a bit of book browsing in the market.

Sarah Moss captures perfectly the strange experience of covid lockdown in this excellent short novel. The claustrophobia of confinement at home for Kate, a waitress + single mother, is juxtaposed with her escape into the beauty but danger of the peak district fells. The bk also has 3 other voices, Matt, her son, Alice, her elderly neighbour, + Rob from Mountain Rescue. This is a short book, but written with precision, I was absorbed throughout

1st #booker2023 was a brilliant novel so hope it will make the shortlist. Set in Nigeria it tells the story of 2 people whose lives differ. Eniola a teenage boy whose father is made redundant + life falls apart as his family struggle to pay bills, + wuraola is a junior Dr and daughter of a prosperous family but abt to marry a man who may not be right for her. The storytelling is absorbing and characters one's who I didn't want to leave at the end.

A big cup of Yorkshire tea as i finish this novelisation of the life of Sheffield football (soccer) referee Uriah Rennie. #20in4 @Andrew65 it's an interesting tale as he moves to UK from Jamaica to join his family at age abt 11,adjusts to life in this cold uninviting country to become to 1st black premier league referee. Hated by fans and players alike the bk follows his refereeing career (rather than personal life). An interesting well told tale

Will try + do #20in4 @Andrew65 so today, + just finished another of the magnificent slow horses series. Jackson Lamb is a favourite character at the moment, altho in my mind, not Gary Oldman, so I won't be watching the TV series. Here, Slough House with a new resident is drawn into the hunt for some dodgy characters, while the normal secret service covers up for the establishment. Of course, any comparison to real characters must be coincidental

This is a really good series with the 2nd bk being an excellent exploration of racial prejudice in 50's Atlantic through the medium of the true story of the first black police officers in the state. Here, Boggs + Smith stumble on a drugs delivery which leads to investigation into crimes involving white officers + black criminals. While white Rakestraw covers for his br in laws Klan misadventure which went wrong. Great writing , + look fwd to bk 3

I started this on holiday but a fiercely fought scrabble game with my wife (I lost) meant I didn't finish until today. King's novellas are so well told and touch on modern themes as a 1st version iPhone is involved in a haunting, a 3 act tale of a businessman who find joy in a dance, a rat who helps a blocked writer and of course the wonderful return of a favourite character Holly Gibney as she returns to confront a new old monster.

I started this on holiday but a fiercely fought scrabble game with my wife (I lost) meant I didn't finish until today. King's novellas are so well told and touch on modern themes as a 1st version iPhone is involved in a haunting, a 3 act tale of a businessman who find joy in a dance, a rat who helps a blocked writer and of course the wonderful return of a favourite character Holly Gibney as she returns to confront a new old monster.

I started this on holiday but a fiercely fought scrabble game with my wife (I lost) meant I didn't finish until today. King's novellas are so well told and touch on modern themes as a 1st version iPhone is involved in a haunting, a 3 act tale of a businessman who find joy in a dance, a rat who helps a blocked writer and of course the wonderful return of a favourite character Holly Gibney as she returns to confront a new old monster.

I started this on holiday but a fiercely fought scrabble game with my wife (I lost) meant I didn't finish until today. King's novellas are so well told and touch on modern themes as a 1st version iPhone is involved in a haunting, a 3 act tale of a businessman who find joy in a dance, a rat who helps a blocked writer and of course the wonderful return of a favourite character Holly Gibney as she returns to confront a new old monster.

I started this on holiday but a fiercely fought scrabble game with my wife (I lost) meant I didn't finish until today. King's novellas are so well told and touch on modern themes as a 1st version iPhone is involved in a haunting, a 3 act tale of a businessman who find joy in a dance, a rat who helps a blocked writer and of course the wonderful return of a favourite character Holly Gibney as she returns to confront a new old monster.

I started this on holiday but a fiercely fought scrabble game with my wife (I lost) meant I didn't finish until today. King's novellas are so well told and touch on modern themes as a 1st version iPhone is involved in a haunting, a 3 act tale of a businessman who find joy in a dance, a rat who helps a blocked writer and of course the wonderful return of a favourite character Holly Gibney as she returns to confront a new monster.

I started this on holiday but a fiercely fought scrabble game with my wife (I lost) meant I didn't finish until today. King's novellas are so well told and touch on modern themes as a 1st version iPhone is involved in a haunting, a 3 act tale of a businessman who find joy in a dance, a rat who helps a blocked writer and of course the wonderful return of a favourite character Holly Gibney as she returns to confront a new monster.

I'm heading home tomorrow, so another holiday read. I've only read one myron bolitar bk, which I enjoyed and picked this up, unaware it was a spin off about one of the characters. It was an enjoyable thriller that twisted and turned well with some exciting action scenes. Definitely need to read more by harlan coben.

#persephoneclub When I 1st picked this up, I was uncertain abt what the bk was but quickly found the character of Claire engaging, so while her memory is failing, she remains wickedly ascerbic in her encounters with friends whose pomposity she punctures. The memory loss is well done as is relations with cook + secretary
@rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @LeahBergen @Cathythoughts @CarolynM @BarbaraBB @elkeOriginal @Gissy @Aimeesue @Tamra @jlhammar ⬇️

Bit of book shopping today in Alnwick at the amazing barter books followed by a scenic bus ride back to seahouses and a pint overlooking Bamburgh Castle. My idea of a perfect day!

A fairly easy start to my holiday reading. It was a bday present two yrs ago and I was in no rush to get to it but as with book 1 this is a fairly gentle crime story in which the 4 pensioners combine to solve a mystery. Here, Elizabeth (ex mi5 operative) is confronted by her past and some disappearing diamonds. It is an easy read, but the series is probably too gentle for my liking. It's still definitely an easy holiday read.

5th in the Dublin murder squad combined an interesting pair of Garda detectives who are outcasts in the squadroom with the claustrophobia of a girls boarding school. The teenagers are captured perfectly with their secrets , jealousies, conspiracies, and passions, a perfect setting for a murder. My only issue is that at 540 pages, it could have lost about 50 pages, but otherwise, another great read.

I love Jenn Ashworth's writing of ordinary lives that go awry. When Laurie comes home from work to find husband Mark absent, his disappearance triggers a story about loss + the strains of family life. The title Ghosted is used in many ways with its modern use hurting Laurie in the cruelty of not knowing, but she is also haunted by her life, the story which slowly emerges during this compelling novel.

#booked2023 #shortstorycollection @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @alisiakae I don't read many short stories but heard one of this collection on the New Yorker podcast.The prose is precisely written as it explores the lives of mainly men in America. From 2 yng men in a fist fight to visiting a brother in a psych unit, it explores those not seen, including homeless veterans but also a short piece abt his heroes Carver+cobain. Lovely writing .

11th in the Ruth Galloway series follows the usual formula with the discovery of bones at an excavation, which prove to be those of a recent unsolved crime. The plot is well done, and at book 11, I have invested in the characters, although I feel that as the series draws to a close, I think I'll be ready to leave them behind as opposed to many series where I am sorry to close that last page.

The first few chapters of this excellent story evoke the joy of young women living for their weekend dancing to 'lovers rock'. The atmosphere reminded me of an episode from the brilliant 'Small axe'. The story is then abt Yamaye's life in which the brutal racism of the police hurts her personally, but she is also damaged by male sexual control. The finale shifts gear again into a dramatic thriller. It is a great story of love, friendship, + race.

I heard Stephanie Merritt discussing Bruno Giordano on Backlisted, so I decided to read bk 2 in this her series of Tudor crime stories with the former monk, now spy for Walsingham, at the centre of the plot. In this one, Bruno is a guest of the French ambassador as a murder of one the queens lady in waiting is murdered with religious symbols. As a plot to topple Elizabeth gains support, Bruno investigates. Definitely scratches that shardlake itch.