November was a difficult and stressful month for me. Unusually, I read very little. My cat’s continuing health problems, and my surgeries kept me occupied. I had an eye patch – reading wasn’t a priority, but I missed it.

I won’t make my Good Reads reading target of 100 this year. I will be lucky if I hit 70. But, my cat is in remission from diabetes and he had some dental work done. I had three skin cancers removed and new skin is growing back.

Reading was a mixed bag over these two months, as health appointments and care routines took priority.

The House at Sea’s End By Elly Griffiths

Forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway is back, this time investigating a gruesome World War II war crime. Elly Griffith’s Ruth Galloway novels have been praised as “highly atmospheric” (New York Times Book Review), “remarkable” (Richmond Times-Dispatch), and “gripping” (Louise Penny).

Now the beloved forensic archaeologist returns, called in to investigate when human bones surface on a remote Norfolk beach.  

Just back from maternity leave, Ruth is finding it hard to juggle motherhood and work. The presence of DCI Harry Nelson—the married father of her daughter, Kate—does not help. The bones turn out to be about seventy years old, which leads Nelson and Ruth to the war years, a desperate time on this stretch of coastland. Home Guard veteran Archie Whitcliffe reveals the existence of a secret that the old soldiers have vowed to protect with their lives. But then Archie is killed and a German journalist arrives, asking questions about Operation Lucifer, a plan to stop a German invasion, and a possible British war crime. What was Operation Lucifer? And who is prepared to kill to keep its secret?

First published July 1, 2011.

My Review

I was looking forward to reading this, but somehow it didn’t engage me as much as the previous books. It could have been the time frame, going back to the war years, or the fact that there were fewer interactions between Ruth and Harry Nelson.

The Art of Memoir by Mary Kerr.

Credited with sparking the current memoir explosion, Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club spent more than a year at the top of the New York Times list. She followed with two other smash bestsellers: Cherry and Lit, which were critical hits as well.

For thirty years Karr has also taught the form, winning graduate teaching prizes for her highly selective seminar at Syracuse, where she mentored such future hit authors as Cheryl Strayed, Keith Gessen, and Koren Zailckas. In The Art of Memoir, she synthesizes her expertise as professor and therapy patient, writer and spiritual seeker, recovered alcoholic and “black belt sinner,” providing a unique window into the mechanics and art of the form that is as irreverent, insightful, and entertaining as her own work in the genre.

Anchored by excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers’ experience, The Art of Memoir lays bare Karr’s own process. (Plus all those inside stories about how she dealt with family and friends get told— and the dark spaces in her own skull probed in depth.) As she breaks down the key elements of great literary memoir, she breaks open our concepts of memory and identity, and illuminates the cathartic history, whether writer or reader, will relate.
Joining such classics as Stephen King’s On Writing and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, The Art of Memoir is an elegant and accessible exploration of one of today’s most popular literary forms—a tour de force from an accomplished master pulling back the curtain on her craft. power of reflecting on the past; anybody with an inner life or a complicated one

My Review.

This was suggested reading as I am currently writing a memoir. It comes highly recommended, so I duly read it. Nothing stood out for me, which could well have been my distracted mind, as I was dealing with the health issues both for myself and for my cat. I was scheduled for biopsies and then surgery a bit later in the month. Might give it another try when life is more settled.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary.

Audio Book Read by Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar Jones.

Leena is too young to feel stuck.
Eileen is too old to start over.
Maybe it’s time for The Switch…

Ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, Leena escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Newly single and about to turn eighty, Eileen would like a second chance at love. But her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen… So Leena proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love, and Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire.

But with a rabble of unruly OAPs to contend with, as well as the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – local schoolteacher, Leena learns that switching lives isn’t straightforward. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, and with the online dating scene. But is her perfect match nearer to home than she first thought?

My Review.

I’ve not been a fan of audiobooks,  as they often send me to sleep. This time I had one eye covered with a patch after surgery and reading was difficult. An audiobook was the perfect solution. It also helped that there were two distinct voices.

To some extent the story is predictable, but I found it amusing and entertaining.

Warning there are references to cancer and a death that happened before the book began.

Both narrators did an excellent job in conveying their characters.

Richard III: A Ruler and His Reputation by David Horspool.

For many, Richard III is an obsession–the Richard III Society has a huge membership, and Shakespeare’s Histories have contributed to, if not his popularity, certainly his notoriety. Now, with the discovery of Richard III’s bones under a parking lot in Leicester, England, interest in this divisive and enigmatic figure in British history is at an all-time high. It is a compelling story to scholars as well as general readers, who continue to seek out the kind of strong narrative history that David Horspool delivers in this groundbreaking biography of the king.

Richard III dispassionately examines the legend as well as the man to uncover both what we know of the life of Richard, and the way that his reputation has been formed and re-formed over centuries. But beyond simply his reputation, there is no dispute that the last Plantagenet is a pivotal figure in English history–his death signaled the end of the War of the Roses, and, arguably, the end of the medieval period in England–and Horspool’s biography chronicles this tumultuous time with flair.

This narrative-driven and insightful biography lays out a view of Richard that is fair to his historical character and to his background in the medieval world. Above all, it is authoritative in its assessment of a king who came to the throne under extraordinary circumstances.

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 22, 2015

My Review,

Full disclosure, I was halfway through this when I had eye surgery and there was no way I could continue. From what I read this is a scholarly and well-researched book which examines Richards’s life in its entirety. I intend to go back to it.

It was a joy to be able to go back to reading, but my progress has been slower than I would have liked.

Part of December Reading 2024.

December brought some lighter books that I’d requested from the library as I was in the mood for a little seasonal escapism.

We Solve Murders By Richard Osman.

A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve…

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

My Review.

Easy reading, with some interesting characters, but it didn’t quite gel for me. Maybe I was missing The Thursday Murder Club Gang? Steve could certainly fit in with them. His high-flying daughter-in-law Amy needs Steve’s expertise and takes him far out of his comfort zone. It has the potential to become a fun series.

The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches by  Sangu Mandanna.

A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family–and a new love–changes the course of her life.

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules…with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for….

My Review.

Suspend disbelief and enjoy this magical book. It’s a fairy tale for adults. Mika is a disparaged and neglected witch who has to hide her power and is missing feeling loved or cared for. And what good is power if you can’t use it?

The invitation to Nowhere House should be ignored, but how can Mika ignore three isolated young witches? She knows what it’s like to feel alone. Mika finds far more than just the girls, acceptance, companionship, and potentially even love. My favourite read of the month.

A Lesson in Dying by Ann Cleeves.

Heppleburn, once a Northumberland pit village, has always been close-knit, friendly and safe – until the murder of headmaster Harold Medburn. Suddenly, the village seems unfamiliar, uncomfortable.

The school caretaker and his daughter pursue their own route of investigation, which should have made Inspector Ramsay’s job a little easier. But hampered by false leads, powerless to pre-empt the killer’s next move, and overshadowed by the evil atmosphere of All Hallow’s Eve, Ramsay finds his own reputation is on the line…

228 pages, Kindle Edition First published January 1, 1990

My Review,

It’s interesting to read an early Ann Cleeves book. I hadn’t heard of Inspector Ramsay and suspect he has been overtaken by Jimmy Perez and  Vera Stanhope. He could be an interesting character. I’ve just checked and there are six books in the series set in Northumberland. Ann Cleeves does a sense of place particularly well and Ramsay comes across as a decent bloke, a bit of a loner. Might try book two.

Christmas at the Chateau by Annabel French.

Life has gone a little bit downhill for Naomi Winters… Ever since her ex-husband Ollie filed for a divorce last Christmas, Naomi is a self-confessed scrooge. She hates her job, has exactly zero hobbies, and on top of that she’s all alone this holiday season. Spurred on by her best-friend Mia – who has invited her to spend Christmas at her snow-kissed Chateau in the Swiss Alps – she decides it’s time for change. But, when she arrives, she’s shocked to see Mia’s big brother Gabriel. It’s been fifteen years since they last saw each other, forcing her to face memories she’d rather forget. As Naomi grapples with getting her life back on track, she throws herself into various festive activities, and she can’t seem to escape Gabriel this time… Will he manage to thaw her icy heart, or is she on a downward slope to disappointment? Escape to the Swiss Alps with this festive, feel-good novel! Full of warmth and romance, it’s perfect for fans of Lucy Coleman, Karen Swan and Katie Fforde.

My Review.

As I was spending Christmas alone, I grabbed a couple of  “Christmassy “books, hoping they would help my festive cheer. This had all the ingredients, exotic European location, a recently single woman, her best friend, a chateau and an old flame. A recipe for seasonal delight.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the chateau, the village, the Christmas market, and the townsfolk. The relationship between Naomi and Mia seemed genuine and the brooding Gabriel in the background added a sense of intrigue.

Naomi is adopted and over time her constant reflections about not being wanted, and rejected by her birth parents, were repeated too frequently. I found the story less engaging. I finished the book but as a seasonal pick up, it hadn’t done the job for me.

I’m hoping that I will get back to reading for enjoyment and pleasure as well as for information.But my writing is going to have to take priority, I’ve been writing for a full year and need to get this memoir finished!

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year, with friends and family and plenty of good books!