I've been busy knitting and not had time to up-date here.
I've read a small mountain of books since last I posted.
I think just name them and a brief summary of what I thought about them.
The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman. I occasionally pick up pure fantasy novels, this one was great, following Thomas Cale from hisbeginnings in a sudo-monastry, to the outside world. It's the first of a series.
Havisham by Ronald Frame. A review copy from Waterstones. Maps out Miss Havisham's early life. Great read, prompted me to then read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I read this for O level in the dim and distant past, and after around 100 pages the book rang no bells at all, not surprising as I don't think we finished the book. However, I have now, and reading at my own pace, I found it a very entertaining book. Since reading Little Dorrit during my degree, I have found that like Shakespeare, he is not fully appreciated.
Crow Stone by Jenni Mills. A suspense/thriller set around stone mine workings. Very good.
The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison. Anna Sands is evacuated to Yorkshire during the second world war. In the novel we follow the events during her evacuation. A good book.
The Spare Room by Helen Garner. Helen offers her spare room to an ailing friend, not realising just how ill her friend is. A good novel about the strength of a friendship.
The Last Weekend by Blake Morrison. This was dramatised on ITV in 2012, I enjoyed the dramatisation, so decided to read the book. The book was much better than the TV series.
A Darker Domain by Val Mc Dermid. A thriller with a missing miner, missing grandchild, all set in a grim Scottish town A very engrossing read.
Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire. A retelling of the Snow White tale by the author who brought u Wicked. A nice sideways glance at the tale.
Swimming Home by Deborah Levy and The Lighthouse by Alsion Moore. Two of last year''s Man Booker shortlist. Although good stories, after reading I knew that neither would win the Booker prize.
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. After a miscarriage Zoe and Max split up. They have been undergoing IVF treatment. Zoe wishes to use the remaining embryos to have the child she craves, but Max doesn't want her to. As with all Picoult books, she explores the emotional repercussions of people's actions.
The Little Stanger by Sarah Walters. Dr Faraday becomes entangled with the Ayres family, at the "big house" in the aftermath of WW2. Money is tight, and the stress affects the family, or does it? Brilliant book.
Mr Toppit by Charles Elton. A good book, based around what an author's family find out after he has died. Stuff they didn't know about.
The Secrets of the Noteboook by Eve Haas. A true story of Eve Haas' search for her forebears and the difficulties in searching for them behind the Iron Curtain. Absorbing Book.
Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd. A chance encouter for Adam Kindred has him having to go undercover, as there are people out to kill him. Brilliant Thriller.
The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie. Another book about searching for famuily history, this one fictional, but just as good.
Never Go Back by Robert Goddard. A group of men who did their National Service together are invited to a reunion. Suspenseful events take place, and a few end up dead. Good Thriller.
The NInth Stone by Kylie Fitzpatrick. A rae jewel, and Indian curse, an orphan all make up this thriller, as people end up dea in Victorian London.
Remarkable Creatures by Tracey Chevalier. A novel based around two friends whose hobby becomes an obsession. They find dinosaur fossils on a South coast beach, but their find is claimed by a man, as it was not a "femine pursuit" The two women are eventually recognised.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. Set in a post apocalyptic world, the novel follows Mary outside the safety of their compound and into the dangerous world outside it. Good read. First of a series.