A good read. The story unfolds in real time and in the past. The past and its secrets play a major role in the plotting. It follows the fortunes of an Asian detective as a skeleton is uncovered when a car park is dug up. The identity of this skeleton has major repercussions for this diminutive female detective and her family. There are many strands to this tale and each character is revealed, foibles and all.

Chloe Dalton has a high powered job in London but COVID causes her to relocate to the countryside. She finds a leveret on a path way; it is afraid after being threatened by a dog. Not really knowing the right thing to do, Dalton takes it home and hand rears it and creates a space for it in her home, her garden, but most of all, her heart. As the hare grows, she accepts that she has to let it run free and yet…. No spoilers! Dalton has created a book that brings both joy and anger as she describes the impact of human activity on animal habitats. It is a beautiful read.

This the book I chose from the popular list. (Bonus: I found it in Book Cycle). It was a very nice story, beautifully written, although I did think that the concluding chapters were a bit contrived and mushy. A man had a habit of collecting odd things that people had lost, with the hope of one day returning them to their owners. After he died, he left his house and all its contents to his long-term friend and housekeeper, with the request that she try to restore the items to their original owners. Much of the story is about this lost property and how the items came to be lost.

One of the most interesting characters was a nineteen year old woman, called Sunshine, with Down’s syndrome, who referred to it as 'dancing drome'. She was innocent and honest and I thought the writer did a great job of describing her experiences from her perspective, without being patronising. I was disappointed that Sunshine disappeared from the story towards the end. The mini autobiography of the author at the end of the book was good to read too.

This was not what I expected. I thought I would be reading a book about the period of time during one of the world wars. This book, however, is set in London, post 2nd World War right through to the nineties. It is a well-researched novel which accurately depicts the changes in British society during this period.

Marguerite, a strong, independent and intelligent woman, among the first to go to Cambridge, is the half French and half English protagonist. Having been in Special Ops during the war she is an idealistic English teacher in a grammar school. I enjoyed Marguerite’s flashbacks of her time as SOE and think either there could have been more or none at all. They showed a bit more of Marguerite but it didn’t feel connected.

The fictional characters are used to show the various changes which take place. Tony, a homosexual teacher and enduring friend has a live in boyfriend who dies of AIDS. Marguerite and Tony champion causes, attending political rallies; the education system is illustrated through the idealism of Marguerite. Tony’s dad, a working class man from a small village, is used to demonstrate the racial prejudice of the time and how the advent of TV made people dissatisfied with their lot by seeing how the other half lived!

I imagined I could hear Hancock’s voice in this novel and although not as old as the author, I felt able to relate to quite a few of the aspects mentioned. I think she accurately captured the poverty of the time and the hope for education. The homosexuality in the novel was sympathetically addressed and the activist in the author enabled accurate depictions of the political situations.

So, no, this is not the most literary book, possibly a prolonged time period, maybe even an unrealistic ending but I could identify with and understand this novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I can see why it won the Booker Prize but it still seemed hard work to read to the end of (only!) 200 pages. Harvey can write and it's got really interesting info about how astronauts train and how they live in space, but there's no actual story! The 6 astronauts are named and there's a small effort to distinguish them but at the end of the day they're all the same.

It's interesting to read descriptions of lightning seen from space and light forcing its way through the atmosphere but this is outweighed by the endless description/lists of where they are travelling over at any time.

I had listened to the book as a Radio 4 book at bedtime around the time it won the Booker Prize and having now read it, I tried to listen to this again. I recall liking the music that accompanied it but it's disappeared from BBC Sounds.

I fully appreciate why some people would be fascinated by the book and absolutely love it. For me it was mainly a struggle to get to the end - although there isn't an end - but I'm glad to have read it.! A marmite book, I think. And I cannot in a million years imagine why anyone would want to be an astronaut…

When I read the blurb, somehow, I thought the story reminded me of something I have heard or read before. Then about a halfway through the book, I realised that it was an Irish film, which I saw several years ago. It was titled, ’The Quiet Girl,’ and the dialogues were spoken in Irish language. To me the most moving part is the ending, when the girl said, “Daddy,” I warn him, I call him, “Daddy.” All through the story, she never says what she really thinks and this is the first time she says and shows her true feeling towards her uncle, Kinsella, who has been more that real father to her all those summer months. I really enjoyed it.

I enjoy Keegan’s writing and how she has made the novella/short story genre her own. Set in Ireland, we see a young girl sent to stay with foster parents on a rural farm whilst her mother has another baby. She blossoms under their love and care and the farm work she helps them with. However, she has to return home and it seems like her dream life is over. Pared back prose at its best as we read descriptions of the countryside, rural village life and the emotional turmoil of a young girl.

It’s amazing to think that this book was first published in 1999. I’m sure that this book could be just an interesting story, however, I think the book may actually be a parable. I think Renaud and the Church represent an authoritarian regime, controlling the people and in this instance, using religious dogma. It could easily be a government/political party. Vianne Rocher represents the ‘progressive’ view, illustrating tolerance and encouraging people to take control of their lives. The clash between the two gives the story edge and intrigue. The old priest in the home, who Renaud regularly speaks to, is a clever device to enable the history of the village to be told, including the bullying of the boat people many years ago and illustrates that history repeats itself. Superbly told with beautifully drawn characters, this is a super book worth 4.5/5.

This was my choice from our best books list and I have read Paper Cups, by this author, and do remember it being a powerful read.

Set in Glasgow, there are three main characters. Gerard, age 12, from a single parent family, caring for his younger brother and baby sister; his mother is an addict. Margaret is a recently widowed lady, living alone. Claire is a newly divorced lawyer just moving into the area. Their lives collide on the day Gerard tries to steal Margaret's purse so he can buy food and baby supplies. Unintentionally he knocks her to the floor where she lies injured and choking until Claire intervenes.

It’s well written, the characters are authentic, especially Gerrard. For anyone who has already read it, I’m not sure what Davey added to the narrative in his pursuit of the non-existent robbery proceeds.

I recently decided to have a go at the 'Jack Reacher' stories and started with the first of a very long series. I really enjoyed it; so smoothly written (in the first person) and I found it very easy to read. Gave me some ideas for my own writing. Lots of action; some of the inspired deductions by the hero are a bit of a stretch, but it was a well thought-out story.

Michael Rosen of ‘going on a bear hunt’ fame is a national treasure we nearly lost to Covid. This book is a memoir, a collection of emails and phone calls made by his family, friends and well-wishers. It is also a record of the care he received from NHS staff when he was in ICU and those involved in his ongoing rehabilitation. The book is a testament to the power of love as lived by his wife, Emma, his fans and the NHS staff that deserved more than a banging on pans on a Thursday night. It’s an emotional read and one that calls us to hope.

Pip has her whole world, her dreams, her independence, stolen when, at aged 16, she becomes pregnant and Jamie, the father, is shipped off to Liverpool. Pip’s mother, Josephine, and to a lesser degree her father, Phillip, completely take over, shutting her out. Josephine appears as a particularly unlikeable character and her father as rather downtrodden. Bella, the daughter, is 16 herself and is developed as a foil to Pip at that age. The plot introduces her father’s boss as a “suitable” new husband and Io, a friend who helps her find herself. A few serious issues are included like the political issues around turf cutting and issues connected to quarries but I think these are lost in the sentiment of the novel.

This is an emotional roller coaster of a journey as Pip, now 32, struggles to restart her life. Her poetry, which I loved, is folded into origami shapes and it explores her feelings and emotions and adds an extra dimension to this novel. As a fan of Ahern, this novel does not disappoint.

The book looks into land ownership in England and how 92% of it is inaccessible to the public. Hayes dares to trespass, climbing walls and fences into land owned by wealthy people and corporations. The focus of the book is land used for grouse shooting and how estates have been cleared for shooting at a cost to the environment and how the clearances have large scale social impact. Hayes is critical of grouse shooting, seeing it as an exclusive activity and how it stops the right to roam.

A true love story about friendship that is written with such intensity. A group of friends, Joar, Ted, Ali and the Artist spend the summer together. Each has a complex story and Frederik passionately weaves their lives together while they temporarily try to forget their awful lives. The summer is filled with fun and laughter, highs and lows, adventures both legal and illegal, culminating in “The Painting”.

Twenty years later Louisa, recently escaped from a children’s home, accidentally meets the Artist and through his signature drawing of skulls realises he has painted her one and only valued possession, a postcard of his work. From this meeting Louisa’s own adventure begins and as she travels back to the place where the story began, we learn about the four friends.

The author portrays an amazing insight into human friendships, revealing raw emotion through his characters. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Ted and Louisa, but felt completely drained by the end.

Jenkins-Reid has produced another brilliant novel, one that is up there for me with Daisy Jones and The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Set at NASA in the 1980s, this is the story of the first women to be taken on as trainee astronauts. The characters are believable and each has their strengths, foibles and skills. However, they know that they are under huge pressure not to fail or leave the mission training. Various love interests take place within the intake group, but there is one more risky than the rest so when Joan has to take on the duty of care of her niece, that relationship is placed under even more pressure. It’s easy to get caught up in the characters’ lives, even the annoying ones. I don’t really want to say much more other than I did tear up. It is a book about love in the form of family duty, in the shape of a loving, committed but secret relationship and the love that is found in the true camaraderie of a work place where life and death really do matter. Brilliant book!

A coming of age tale of a 15 year old clever and gifted boy born into a dysfunctional family in an unnamed African country. The boy is of Arab heritage and I just felt I didn't know enough of the politics involved, to make sense of the unrest between groups of black Africans and those of Arab heritage. The alcoholic father sets the tone of the story and the boy struggles to find a way out, which he does, but to what kind of future. That is left to our imagination. The writer came from Yemen, born in Zanzibar and now lives in this country. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2021. This was his first novel.

If you have teenage children/grandchildren I suggest you read this with them. Erik was doing well at school until his Dad died and his Mum got into a relationship, had a child, but the father hot tailed it away from the responsibility. The trouble is Erik has ginger hair and really sticks out at school and he gets into a number of altercations. Fed up with school, he bunks off to the local park and the rest is history, as they say. The book is a quick and easy read but it doesn't shy away from the lies and secrecy young people employ when caught up in the county lines drug scene. How will he protect his Mum and baby sister? How will he get out of the gang? Who will help and support him?

Trudy has betrayed her husband, John, with his brother Claude. She’s still in the marital home and she plans with Claude. But there is a witness to their plot, the nine-month old resident of Trudy’s womb.

It is a very good read. Once started, I just couldn’t put it down, because things seem to be moving on very quickly and I had to keep reminding myself about what’s really happening. There are twists and turns at every new chapter, and I was hoping John would escape from his untimely death at the hands of Trudy and Claude.

Gilbert Joseph fought in the RAF during WWII and afterwards, he returned to Jamaica and married Hortense. He leaves for London, promising he would send for her when he is settled. He is staying in a boarding house owned by a white landlady. When Hortense arrives, she is unable to find work as a teacher. Both are on the receiving end of prejudice and discrimination.

Davies had a good career with the Home Office, including being assistant to the British Ambassador in Washington. However, it’s this job that finally makes him quit after nearly thirty years as he no longer wants to be part of the political scene. He returns home to the UK just as Covid breaks out and finds the country divided by Brexit. On top of this, his father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and Davies chooses to stay at home to support his parents. When life reopens, he has a meal with friends and says that he doesn’t know what to do with his life. They drunkenly suggest he walks the length of the UK and raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society enroute. The book is an exploration of family responsibilities, the power of friendship, the beauty of our nation, the kindness of strangers and the search for meaning and identity. A really enjoyable read and Culcheth even gets a mention!

Post war England - the declining aristocracy meets the post war, newly emboldened working class. Easy read, low key romance between the two classes. Addresses the shift in society at the end of the war.

Nell’s father makes a death bed confession that sets off a chain reaction in her life. When her mother offers mumbled and confused memories as a result of dementia, Nell’s suspicions deepen. She eventually exposes family secrets and unravels her mother’s story and her own. What does it mean to be part of a family? Why has one of her sisters always treated her badly? What gives us identity? What are we prepared to do for those we love the most?

Ivar is the only one living on a remote Scottish island and having adapted to his solitary life, everything is changed when he finds an unconscious man on a beach. Neither can speak the others’ language at first but soon develop simple ways to communicate. John Ferguson has been sent to persuade Ivor to leave the island so that the landowner can populate it with sheep. There is a complication involving John’s wife, Mary, who comes to the island to rescue her husband or bring his body back. Davies prose is almost poetic as she describes the land and the weather. It is a beautiful novella packed with deep emotions, the tenderness of love and it questions how we come to know ourselves through others. My criticism, and it’s quite a big one, is that the ending is clunky, abrupt and somehow not in keeping with the book as a whole, almost as if Davies just didn’t know what to do with her characters.

Literature’s most iconic authors – Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, George Elliot and
Virginia Woolf – all relied on the strength and support of another female writer.
These friendships were at times illicit, and scandalous and volatile, at others supportive,
radical and inspiring, but always, until now, tantalisingly consigned to the shadows.

It was a kind of eye-opener to me, to find these female writers really valued their friendships with other writers. Sharp met Jane Austen in 1805 while working for Edward as a governess, and their friendship continued after she left for other employment. Jane Austen’s letter mentioned her “She is an excellent kind friend.”

Charlotte Bronte met Mary Taylor while they were attending the same boarding school. Mary was a very independent woman and an early advocate of women’s rights who encouraged Charlotte to become a writer. She was the one who seems to have been closest to her intellectually.

Harriet Beecher Stowe initiated what would become a nearly eleven-year friendship with George Elliot. The two never met in person, but nevertheless, they exchange twenty five letters between 1869 and Elliot’s death in 1880.

Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf were the key 20th-century modernist writers. Their relationship was characterised by deep respect for each other’s talent alongside personal friction and rivalry.

Here are 5 Short Stories, all equally well written they revolve around the eleventh hour- approaching death or the end of something. Oklahoma left me bemused but the remaining four were all different and thought provoking.

This series is set in an academy where people learn to ride dragons. It is a long book and overall it’s a good read, however adolescent angst is too much, as is the pornography! There are a lot of characters and if you listen on audiobook, it is possible to lose the thread.

Dawn is 58 and feels like something has been missing from her life. She is divorced, her sons are getting on with their own lives and she wants to sort out her own future but is focused on a past secret. Living in Trinidad and being pregnant at sixteen, Dawn is sent away by her parents to have the baby and give her up for adoption. She wants to reconnect with her daughter and returns to Trinidad but it’s not easy to trace her. The story could have been formulaic and cliched but instead was a surprising read.

Set in 1952, after Churchill gave in and Britain surrendered to Nazi Germany, there is a war continuing against Russia. Britains are experiencing a harsh regime, the media is controlled, the streets are patrolled by a violent police force and the Jewish population is being placed under greater constraints. Defiance is on the rise despite rumours of what is going on in the basement of the German Embassy. The Resistance is causing problems, a scientist held in a mental hospital could bring about a shift in the balance of world power. A Civil Servant is spying for the Resistance but they soon find themselves on the run during an infamous London smog. The hunt is on.

This is a collection of short stories with the themes of despair and desire in today’s Ireland. Some of the stories are good whilst others just leave you confused. Keegan is recounting a country that is coming to terms with its troubled past and looks at those who are trying to create some sort of future.

The book is based on Clinton’s own experiences as Secretary of State for Defence. The book is about terrorism; there is a mole in the Whitehouse and there is intense hatred between the Secretary of State and the President. The Secretary of State wants to defame the President who is keeping her enemy close. The characters are interesting and loosely based around the Trump administration.

The book is the first in a series set in Manchester, with its street people as the main characters. Victor Mitchum lives on the street, sleeping under arches in Piccadilly, close to a strip club. He sees much, including a murder and he gets involved when two Romanian Private Detectives ask him to spy for them. He sees prostitution, drug running and the trafficking of women. The problem is that the killers know someone is watching them. Victor gets a gang of street people together. Can they become heroes?

Previously reviewed.

Previously reviewed.