I just love libraries! My local library is hardly ever without some books on so many varied topics. A refuge for study, a place for talks and writing groups and so much community involvement.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
I had heard so much about this book and wondered could any book live up to the hype? My answer is yes, it could and did. It is such a compelling book, one which asks us to consider all those people we have ignored because they are too weird. Eleanor lives a restricted life and one that she thinks keeps her safe. Nine years in the same job following the same routine.Predictable, safe. Small changes lead to bigger ones as Eleanor’ s story is gradually and sensitively revealed. By the end of the book, I was cheering her on hoping for a realistic yet happy ending. Reminiscent of The Rosie Project and The Dog in The Night time and yet uniquely Eleanor’s story Five stars from me.
Find Your Creative Mojo by Josh Langley.
An encouraging and inspiring book. One that really explores our doubts and resistance to thinking of ourselves as ‘creative.’ Sure to make you think. It made me happy just to read it.
The French Photographer by Natasha Lester.
Hard to fault this book both for its storyline and for its characters. It’s an ambitious undertaking that Natasha Lester pulls off with seeming ease. Meticulously researched as always, but Natasha Lester breathes life into the research, enabling the reader to see and hear and feel what her characters experience. The condescension and misogyny that the women experienced are hard to take, but older readers will know that it has not been exaggerated Life was like that in the not too distant past. Of course, not all the men were like that And Jessie May finds her own real-life hero in Dan.
The Lemon Tree Café by Cathy Bramley.
An author I hadn’t heard of before, but I am glad that I did. The lemon tree café serves up a menu of food, friendships, family and secrets. Rosie’s darling Italian Nonna is reluctant to admit that she needs help, and Rosie isn’t above subterfuge to give her the help she needs. A problematic relationship from the past connects them more than they know. And it’s a fight to get to happily ever after.
The House of Second Chances by Esther Campion.
I am sure that my enjoyment of this book would have been enhanced if I had known that
was following on from her previous book Leaving Ocean Road. In spite of being occasionally baffled by the large cast of characters and family relationships, I enjoyed reading it.
Horrible Histories- Vicious Vikings by Terry Deary & Illustrated by Martin Brown
Easy to read, lots of fun and a palatable way to get facts. Never discount children’s books!
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
This is a book that demands commitment at 640+ pages, and it is a hefty tome to hold, while you are reading it. A good one to get on Kindle perhaps? I was never bored, sometimes confused, enraged, amused or trying to work out the plot. The book starting at Robin and Matthew’s wedding kept continuity, although I really didn’t want the wedding to happen. I didn’t warm to Matthew and I was waiting for his comeuppance. I found the emerging relationship, comradeship, whatever you’d call it, between Strike and Robin, at least as compelling as the central mystery. And yes. I am looking forward to the next instalment
Midnight At The Bright Ideas Book Shop by Matthew Sullivan
Like many book lovers, I enjoy reading about books and bookshops, so when this popped up in my library feed I requested it. At times it is a deeply disturbing read, which kept me intrigued. It is both gritty and sad I haven’t read another book like it. It kept me metaphorically on the edge of my seat. A complex layered story and the ore you read the more involved you become. Lydia’s story forms the backdrop and as we learn more about her and her past, aspects of the story in the present become clearer.
Sonia Bellhouse- Author. 