DECEMBER 2023

 

The Guest ~ Emma Cline

 DNF

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store ~ James McBride

 

DNF

The Future ~ Naomi Alderman

 ****

NOVEMBER 2023

 

Tom Lake ~ Anne Patchett

 

Birdman ~ Mo Hayder

 Watched TV series based on one of her books.  Good read

OCTOBER 2023

 

The Book Of Strange New Things ~ Michael Faber

** OK

Soooo long winded to get to not much
 

The Last Devil To Die ~ Richard Osman

 

The Vaster Wilds ~ Lauren Groff

 

SEPTEMBER 2023

 

So Late In The Day ~ Claire Keegan

 

North Woods ~ Daniel Mason

 

The Land Of Lost Things ~ John Connolly

 

DNF

Two Steps Onward ~ Graeme Simison

 

Prophet Song ~ Paul Lynch

 ** LIKE

I honestly don't know what to rate this.

It was compelling but ultimately unsatifying.

Two Steps Forward ~ Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist

 

AUGUST 2023

 

Bridge ~ Lauren Beukes

 

Fairy Tale ~ Stephen King

 ***

Long, dragged at times

Wasn't a fan of the writing style but like the storytelling

Age Of Vice ~ Deepti Kapoor

 *** 

Long but Quick read

Shallow

Cold People ~ Tom Rob Smith

 ***+

Liked - a lot

Figure there might be a Book 2 in the works (should be to finish it properly)

JULY 2023

 

Small Mercies ~ Dennis Lehane

 

*** 

Liked the feisty female lead

Under The Skin ~ Michael Faber

 

****

'salem's Lot ~ Stephen King

 **** RECOMMEND

The Bee Sting ~ Paul Murray

 

** OK

Falling ~ T. J. Newman

 

**

JUNE 2023

 

The Covenant of Water ~ Abraham Verghese

 

***

Long winded, meandering, lacking a climax

Killers of the Flower Moon ~ David Grann

 Dry, not engaging, padded 

The Ferryman ~ Justin Cronin

 

**** RECOMMEND

Well conceived, well constructed, good twist carried through to conclusion

Only complaint was the Kindle did not handle the changes in perspective in the last section.

MAY 2023

 

The Seven Skins of Ester Wilding ~ Holly Ringland

 ** OK

Could have been a good read if it wasn't so damn longwinded.  An effective edit would have done it wonders

The Nightingale ~ Hanna Kent

 

** OK

Lightweight fluff

The Romantic ~ William Boyd

OK

If you liked The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window, this is for you. Coincidences, throwing in a famous historical name or ten, tedious implausible backstory linking it all : the similarities are there.

Most of it was shallow research cobbled together with cardboard characters. If only it had maybe concentrated on one of the historical flybys ... Shelley and Byron maybe (as they seemed the only link to "Romantic")... and given more depth, more sense of place, more valid interaction and character development.

I have enjoyed Boyd up till now. I find him a comfortable, immersive storyteller. This was annoyingly bland and tiresome.

APRIL 2023

 

Did I Ever Tell You This ~ Sam Neill

 

The Suns Walks Down ~ Fiona McFarlane

 

*

Almost a DNF, only finished because we were heading to SA.

Wordage, more wordage and blah blah blah.

Story development is painfully slow and overloaded with characters.

MARCH 2023

 

Wrong Place Wrong Time ~ Gillian McAllister

 ****

What's not to like about a time travelling murder mystery!

Honor ~ Thrity Umrigar

 **** 

I have a "thing" for books about India.

Moslems v Hindus

Most enjoyable

Birnam Wood ~ Eleanor Catton

 DNF

Gave it a good try.  Got to about 25% and was tired of the lectures.

White Cat, Black Dog ~ Kelly Link

 Read the first 2 short stories but then a very definite

DNF and WINS (wish I never started)

Himself ~ Jess Kidd

 ****

Jess Kidd loves ghosts!

An orphan returns to his birthplace to solve the murder of his mother

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida ~ Shehan Karunatilaka

 Booker Prize Winner but for me :

DNF

FEBRUARY 2023

 

Lessons in Chemistry ~ Bonnie Garmus

 **** Liked it a lot, but would be mindful of who I recommended it to

Keeping the little woman in her place ... no ... turn a cooking show into an empowering lesson in chemistry

Things In Jars ~ Jess Kidd

Excellent storyteller

Merren (bad mermaids), kind of steampunk

Great characters