Book #9 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die

101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die by Ian Buxton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought it might be prudent to stop, having tried 100, not wanting to shuffle off this mortal coil just yet! Anyway, this is a terrific book for anyone who enjoys whisky, or indeed, whiskey. A guide to 101 whiskies that enthusiasts should seek out and try, according to the author Ian Buxton, an eclectic selection of some of his favourites, some stellar newcomers and some mystifyingly unknown drams. Some of my own preferences are here: Aberlour Highland single malt, Ballantine’s 17 YO blend, Bowmore single malt from Islay, Bushmills Irish single malt, Dalwhinnie 15 YO Highland single malt, Glenfarclas 105 cask strength, Hibiki 17 YO blend from Suntory, Japan, Wild Turkey Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey...... Still leaves many to chose from in years to come (I hope!)

I will certainly carry this pocket size book with me on any future travels. Never know what I might find...

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Book #8 The Little Paris Bookshop

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Enthralling - one of my all time best books. On a beautifully restored barge on the Seine, Jean Perdu (John Lost - perfect) runs a bookshop or as he calls it “a literary apothecary”, because the owner knows how to use books like medicine. The only person he is unable to cure - of heartache - is himself. This wonderful tale shows the power of friendship and love. Enchanting prose, evocative phrasing that had me reading and re-reading phrases, sometimes with tears pricking my eyes and a lump in my throat as Jean Perdu sets off for Provence on his little floating bookshop in search of a long lost love....

You love books, you will love this wise, book-loving gentle man as he takes a meandering journey of love and loss.

I couldn’t put this book down, couldn’t wait to finish it and yet - did not want it to end....


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Book #7 The Silent Wife

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Utterly absorbing. The Silent Wife bears a remarkable resemblance to Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” insofar as this dark, psychological thriller is told in alternate chapters by Her and Him. And rather poignantly the author, Ms. A S A Harrison, died of cancer in April 2013, only weeks before her book was published. She was 65. Her book was released as a paperback original, not a hardcover.

This is the work of a very talented writer, each alternating chapter adds escalating character revelation. It is unnerving and compelling as Jodi (Her) and Todd (Him) rush haplessly toward the main event, a catastrophic finale with a delightfully black twist.

If you enjoyed “Gone Girl” you will love this; a Gone Girl for grown-ups.

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Book #6 The Widow

The Widow by Fiona Barton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an astonishing debut thriller by Fiona Barton. This chilling psychological quest for a child abductor bears all the hallmarks of a future literary award winner, certainly in my book (no pun intended). Superb plot, great characterisation, relentless pace - this dark tale of a horrible crime has it all, including an almost unbearable ending. Don't miss this one. I loved it!

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Book #5 Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors by Kathryn Croft
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There seem to be so many good reviews on this book that I cannot reconcile with. I struggled to finish Behind Closed Doors and almost wish I hadn’t bothered. Page after page wondering when something was really going to happen. Olivia and her daughter Ellie move into a flat in London after the break up of Olivia's marriage. And frankly Carl (husband) I am not surprised that you strayed beyond the bounds of fidelity. And Olivia gives up on ten years of marriage after your single misdemeanour and then embarks on a particularly unpleasant relationship with her moody neighbour Michael. A control freak who soon manages to turn you into a hapless nymphomaniac and all this with your daughter Ellie hovering in the background. Michael’s sister Chloe is another nasty piece of work.

A complete melodrama that lacks any endearing qualities. The only character I had any empathy with was Carl who at least showed some redeeming qualities. The book struggles to a pointless ending with a ‘twist’ that became all too obvious.

Time to move on....

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Book #4 The Quality of Silence

The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SPOILER ALERT

On 24th November Yasmin and her deaf daughter Ruby arrive in Alaska. Within hours they are driving alone across a frozen wilderness. Where nothing grows. Where no one lives. Where tears freeze. And night will last for another fifty-four days. ...They're searching for Ruby's father, missing in the arctic wilderness. And Ruby, deaf since birth, must brave the darkness where sight cannot guide her. She won't abandon her father. But winter has tightened its grip, and there is somebody out there who wants to stop them. Somebody tracking them through the dark...

I enjoyed the book although I found the plot somewhat preposterous. An astrophysicist, Yasmin - the mother - jumps into the cab of a 40 ton tractor/trailer arctic truck - and drives across the Arctic tundra. Apart from the fact that she is driving on ice these units can have up to ten gears - but she manages. Hmmmm.

Overall though - it is a chilling read, in more ways than one. And the story campaigns against hydraulic fracturing in the Alaskan Arctic, with concerns about the impact of fracking in more fragile northern environments. Good enough for me....

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Book #3 The Sea Detective

The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once in a while a book like The Sea Detective comes along that is just so different. The genre of crime fiction is bursting at the seams and it must be very difficult to think of something new to bring to it. Well, for me this is it. This is one of the most unique crime novels I have read in a long time.

"The Sea Detective", first novel in the series featuring Cal McGill, an Edinburgh-based expert oceanographer and marine tracker, courtesy of Flotsam and Jetsam Investigations, is certainly different. All the elements you would expect in a book that deals with, well - with a murder investigation - are just not there. McGill uses shipping records, ocean currents and prevailing winds to track objects, including human bodies - at sea. And this is an intriguing story that grips from the opening page. And it starts in a grisly fashion - a Bedia girl from India is being trafficked by her family in exchange for money and there are some horrific scenes that I won’t go into. In the following pages McGill is being chased by police for something he has done wearing his eco-warrior mantle, but the story really begins when two severed feet wash up at two different locations off the coast of Scotland. Cal McGill’s expertise comes to the fore with his analysis of ocean currents but he soon ends up entangled in something far more sinister.

Cal McGill is an intriguing character, has little respect for the authority. Intelligent and unable to accept injustice in the world that he sees as hurtling towards another cataclysmic climate change. As an eco-investigator he finds himself out of his depth as the story develops. Becomes involved in circumstances beyond his standing. And as such he is a thoroughly likeable character.

The Sea Detective is a refreshing read for those who enjoy crime fiction. Yes, it is certainly different. Well done Mark Douglas-Home.

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Book #2/2016 Truth Or Dare

Truth or Dare by Tania Carver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! This certainly blew away the early January cobwebs! A relentless page-turner, a psychological thriller that features some really scary criminals. I picked this up in Waterstones late last year and my only regret is that I had no idea I had jumped in at #6 in the Brennan and Esposito series by Tania Carver. The book often refers back to previous plot-lines in earlier books in the series and whilst this does not detract from the enjoyment of Truth Or Dare I reckon it would be fairly pointless in going back to the beginning with #1. Perhaps if I leave it long enough...

I am not going to delve into the plot, others before me have done that. Truth Or Dare is a genuine thrill with certain scenarios of unspeakable cruelty that will leave you breathless and creep you out.

Full marks from me. It’s a cracker!

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Book #1/2016 Every Time I Find The Meaning of Life, They Change It

Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It: Wisdom of the Great Philosophers on How to Live by Daniel Klein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you have even a passing interest in philosophy then Daniel Klein is a good place to start with this warm, winsome book of eclectic musings. Klein continues to discuss “the meaning of life” and revisits the answers he sought from his readings as a Harvard undergraduate and later as a graduate student in philosophy, jotting down salient quotations in a notebook he called “Pithies.” Among his many sources of inspiration are Pascal and Epicurus, David Hume and John Stuart Mill, William James and Albert Camus. Last year I thoroughly enjoyed Klein’s humorous and philosophical trip through life in his ‘Travels with Epicurus’. With this latest book he provides a fascinating spin to the ideas of the great philosophers and more importantly, made them relevant - even necessary - for the dilemmas and possibilities of everyday living today.

“Every Time...” made me think and I found myself revisiting tracts of this book to better understand their meaning. I feel better for having read it.

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Cornell Lab of Ornithology

From the Cornell Lab’s Executive Director John W. Fitzpatrick—a short clip that celebrates how birds bring us closer to nature. I joined the Cornell Lab two years ago and enjoy being part of this vibrant community of people who care deeply about birds and conservation.