Tag: Monthly update

My Five Favourite October Reads

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My 5 Favourite October Reads

I read eleven books in October and, as always, it was difficult to narrow it down to my five favourite. However, you can find the results of my deliberations below.

You can keep up to date with all my reading in 2019 here with links to my reviews.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

The Glittering HourFirst up it’s historical fiction and The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey. The story moves between 1936, as nine year old Alice seeks to uncover the secrets of her mother’s past, and 1925 in which her mother, Selina, recalls her days as one of the ‘Bright Young People’.

I described the experience of reading it as an ‘intense but spellbinding emotional journey’. Read my review to find out why.

Asylum RoadNext it’s Asylum Road by James L. Weaver, the fourth book in the Jake Caldwell crime series. When I need a break from historical fiction this is the series I turn to for some gripping, page-turning action. I’m never disappointed.

You can read my full review here.

A Ration Book ChildhoodBack to historical fiction and a book that’s also the latest in a series, A Ration Book Childhood by Jean Fullerton. The book follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Brogan family in London’s East End during World War 2. I particularly like the way the author completely immerses you in the atmosphere of the period. Read my full review here.

Olive, AgainNext it’s Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout the long-anticipated sequel to the much-praised Olive Kitteridge.

Set, like the first book, in the coastal town of Crosby, Maine it follows Olive through her later years in a series of linked short stories. As always, the author’s gift for observation is brilliant.

You can read my full review here.

20190916_105554_resizedDid you know John Buchan, author of The Thirty-Nine Steps, wrote historical fiction? Well, he did and The Blanket of the Dark is widely considered one of his best. Set in the reign of Henry VIII in the Oxfordshire countryside Buchan knew so well, its premise is a ‘what if’ of history. Read my full review here to find out more.

I can’t end this month’s update without mentioning my trip to Henley Literary Festival. I attended four fantastic events and you can read my reviews of them by following the links below.

Michael Joseph Proof Party

Anne de Courcy – Riviera Tales

David Suchet – Poirot’s Pictures

Victoria Hislop – Greek Fable

What were your favourite books you read in October? Have you read any of my picks?

My 5 Favourite March Reads

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I finished twelve books in March including a couple of five-star reads and several that came close.  You can find details of my five favourite books below.  Click on the book title to view the book description on Goodreads.

You can keep up to date with all my reading in 2019 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 is crime novel, Poetic Justice by R.C. Bridgestock.  A prequel to the popular series featuring DI Jack Dylan, it was the perfect introduction to the series for new readers such as myself.  I described it as ‘gritty, atmospheric and full of drama’ and you can read my full review here.

Staying with crime, this time of the historical variety, and another prequel is The Road to Grantchester by James Runcie.  Starting with the young Sidney’s traumatic experiences in World War 2 through to the discovery of his vocation as a parish priest, it introduces readers to the character they will meet meet in the first book of the series, Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death.  I thought it was a terrific read and one which worked equally well as a character study of a young man affected by his wartime experiences or as an introduction to the series.  You can read my full review here.

Another historical crime series now but unfortunately not a prequel but the fifteenth book in the series.  The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear is the latest outing for  the much-loved character, private investigator Maisie Dobbs.  Set in London during the worst of the blitz in World War 2, it combines a intriguing, well-constructed mystery, an engaging leading character and convincing period detail.  You can read my full review here and see why I’ve now joined the ranks of Maisie Dobbs fans.

For my next pick I’m moving from 1940s London to 1930s Malaya and The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo.  I read this atmospheric, mysterious and magical novel as part of a buddy read organised by the publishers, Quercus, and it was one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much.  You can learn nine other reasons why I loved the book here.

Finally there’s All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison which in a relatively new departure for me I listened to as an audio book.   I’d tipped it to feature on the longlist for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2019 but in the end it only made the supplementary Academy Recommends list. Set in rural 1930s England, I described it as ‘a book to lose yourself in and admire the quality of the writing and characterisation rather than expect a swiftly moving story line’.  You can read my full review here.

What were some of your favourite books you read in March?  Have you read any of my picks?