Category: Five Favourite

My 5 Favourite September Reads

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5 Favourite September Reads

I managed to read seventeen books in September with some five-star reads and quite a few others that came close.  Click on the book title for the book description on Goodreads.

You can find a complete list of all the books I’ve read so far this year here, with links to my reviews.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

First up there’s The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason published on 20th September by Mantle.  Set in World War 1, I described it as ‘a beautifully written novel…a story of people thrown together by war, of separation and reunion, of love and loss’. It made me a little misty-eyed at the end.  Click here to read my full review on my blog.

Staying with historical fiction but this time of the crime variety, my next pick is The Angel’s Mark by S. W. Perry published by Corvus on 6th September 2018.  Set in London in 1590 during the reign of Elizabeth I, it had all the ingredients I look for in a great historical crime mystery: vivid period detail, colourful characters and a compelling plot that will keep me guessing. Read my full review on my blog here.

My next pick is another crime novel but this time we’re definitely in the present day.  It’s Blackbird Road by James L. Weaver, the third in the Jake Caldwell series, (the follow-up to Poor Boy Road and Ares Road). Published on 25th September by Lakewater Press, I found Blackbird Road as compelling as its two predecessors.  With a plot that moves at breakneck pace and turns out to be very topical, it may keep you turning the pages way beyond the time you meant to put it down. Click here to read my full review on my blog.

From fiction to non-fiction and The Long and Winding Road, the third volume of memoirs by ex-Labour home Secretary, Alan Johnson.  Published by Bantam Press in 2016, it continues the story of Alan’s life started in This Boy and Please, Mister Postman.  The Long and Winding Road is no dry political memoir but a revealing, personal and honest account of a life that has seen its fair share of ups and downs.  Read my review here. I was lucky enough to hear Alan talk about his latest book, In My Life: A Music Memoir, at Henley Literary Festival 2018 (event review to follow).

Finally, it’s back to crime but this time set in Tokyo and The Moving Blade (Detective Hiroshi #2) by Michael Pronko.  Published on 30th September, the book features Detective Hiroshi Shimizu, first introduced in the The Last Train.  Once again, Hiroshi and his colleagues are on the hunt for a ruthless killer and, as before, the author vividly brings to life contemporary Tokyo, providing a fascinating insight into Japanese life and culture along the way.  Read my full review of The Moving Blade here.

So there you have it, five great reads, in my opinion. What were your favourite books last month?

 

My 5 Favourite August Reads

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favourite

I managed to read seventeen books in August, including a few five-star reads and some others that came fairly close.  Click on the title in my list below to go to the book description on Goodreads.  You can find a complete list of all the books I’ve read so far this year here, with links to my reviews.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

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First up there’s  In the Blood by Ruth Mancini, published on 1st August 2018 by Head of Zeus. I described it as ‘a compelling, accomplished thriller’ that also explores some contemporary social issues with ‘insight and acute observation’.  Click here to read my full review on my blog.

Next it’s the intriguingly titled The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway by Rhys Thomas, published on 9th August 2018 by Wildfire Books.  I described it as ‘a story of grief and guilt but also of friendship, generosity, love, the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of community’.   To read my full review, click here.

My third choice is The Glass Diplomat by S.R. Wilsher, self-published in ebook on 21st August 2018.   Set in Chile, I found the book ‘a completely absorbing and thoroughly satisfying read’.  Click here to read my full review of this intelligent, literary thriller.

My next choice is The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas, published by Head of Zeus on 9th August 2018.  An imaginative fusion of crime thriller, time travel and sci-fi, I described it as ‘a clever, funny, exhilarating, mind-bending mystery’.  You can read my full review here.

My final choice is WW2 historical thriller, Night Flight to Paris by David Gilman, published on 9th August 2018 by Head of Zeus (yes, them again!).  I loved the way the book ‘immerses the reader in a world where danger, suspicion and fear is a constant companion’.  Click here to read my full review.

So there you have it – five great reads, in my opinion.  Well done, Head of Zeus, for getting three of your books into my list for August.  You clearly know what I love to read!