Book #66 The Night is Darkening Round Me

The Night is Darkening Round Me by Emily Brontë
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emily Brontë was just 30 years of ages when she died in 1848 from tuberculosis. She died just a year after the publication of her one and only novel Wuthering Heights. Although best known for her novel, Emily was also an accomplished poet although her work does seem to manifest a predilection with death. This selection of her poetry was published in 2015 by Penguin Classics to commemorate its 80th anniversary, one of 80 such publications and most of which are available for just 80p. This collection illustrates Brontë’s most passionate, powerful poems on death, nature’s beauty and the passage of time. Reading them aloud gives this poetry a new dynamic - follow the syntax and punctuation and you might surprise yourself how much this increases the enjoyment. Try it….


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Book #65 How To Find Love in a Bookshop

How to Find Love in a Book Shop by Veronica Henry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The title could be an entry from a do-it-yourself manual. I fell in love with this beautifully written story. The story about Nightingale Books set in the romantic setting of Peasebrook in the Cotswolds, with a cast of lovable characters. Julius Nightingale's life has been an indulgence of books, in a shop loved by everyone who enters. They come to see Julius, this charming man who will help them choose the book most suitable for their taste and pass the time of day. His sudden death leaves a huge gap in so many lives and Sarah will secretly grieve his passing. His daughter Emilia returns to her hometown to rescue the family business, this wonderful business for book-lovers. Who wouldn't want to step into her shoes? Many customers have their own stories to tell and these are interwoven in the plot that at times is so sad it had my bottom lip quivering. Yes, and I'm a bloke, and it had that affect on me. Perhaps I am an incurable romantic!

I have read a number of books recently about bookshops, people who run them and own them. This has been the best by far. Veronica Henry has created a rich story that I became totally immersed in. It is a touching, warm-hearted read, it contains joy, sadness and redemption. Enter into the world of Nightingale Books, curl up with a cup of tea or hot chocolate, join these great characters in the cosy town of Peasebrook.

I would love to spend Christmas there....

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Book #64 The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts

The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts: A feel-good funny summer romance by Annie Darling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The dithering Posy Morland inherits the bookshop where she has spent her working life, from the deceased owner, Lavinia. So far, so good. I like books about books, about bookshops, about people who work in or own bookshops. But when Posy has to join the real world and run her own business, under the watchful eye and interference from Lavinia's grandson, the infuriating Sebastian, she spends half her time bursting into tears and sitting around moping. It began to get irritating. At times I wanted to put this woman in a sack and give her a good shake - for heaven's sake just get on with it! It's not bad. It has an all too obvious ending, some of the dialogue grates and 'happy ever after' is a long time coming. I am relieved that it's over!

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Book #63 No Way Back

No Way Back by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The perfect prequel. For fans of DI Helen Grace this is a must read. It dots the Is and crosses the Ts. Why did Grace become a copper? What happened to her after her sister Marianne was incarcerated in Holloway prison for the murder of both of their parents? How did Grace as a teenager survive the horrors of a child care home from hell? Read all in 54 thrilling pages. Read all in about an hour. It's classic M.J.Arlidge. It fills in the gaps. Helen Grace fans - you must read this!

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Book #62 Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fans of M.J.Arlidge are in for a real treat, although I reckon we have been with all of the DI Helen Grace series so far. Remarkably it continues to get better. You will recall that in 'Little Boy Blue' Helen has been well and truly stitched up and in 'Hide and Seek' our feisty DI is on remand in the notorious Holloway prison, charged with three counts of murder. Coppers in prison are treated much the same as paedophiles and child rapists and Holloway proves to be no exception. This story is dark, disturbing and full of malice. Arlidge uses those trademark, very-short chapters to wrack up the tension and this really is as tense as it gets. There is a ruthless, serial-killer at large in the prison and Helen, despite her predicament, is determined to find the culprit whilst her bagman Charlie continues to work on proving Helen's innocence. This is superbly written, breathtaking stuff. The last ten chapters or so had me holding my breath, seriously.

I would add that it is essential to have read the forerunners to 'Hide and Seek' - well, at least 'Little Boy Blue' - as there are so many threads that you need to be aware of. This is essential reading for DI Helen Grace fans.

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Book #61 Portraits of the Dead

Portraits of the Dead by John Nicholl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is John Nicholl’s third book, so I have missed the first two, but it’s of no matter as this is a fast-paced standalone serial killer thriller. I am rather sorry to hear that this is a standalone as it introduces one of the most likeable and believable coppers in DI Gareth Gravel. His bagman is the equally likeable DS Clive Rankin (no relation of Rebus!). These two detectives are fallible, they get taken in but they work doggedly on in pursuit of the most diabolical serial killer I can ever recall. His deeds border on the hysterical; he is a monster of depravity. There are scenes that will make your blood run cold and catch your breath.

Portraits of the Dead is a real page turner; it kept me enthralled until 1:00am this morning. If you enjoy serial killer thrillers, don’t miss this.

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Book #60 Nothing Short of Dying

Nothing Short of Dying by Erik Storey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One hell of a protagonist! Clyde Barr has seen more action in his lifetime than most mercenaries and a comparison with Jack Reacher is unavoidable. Is it just a coincidence that his name is a diminutive form of Clyde Barrow?! Nothing Short of Dying is a compulsive, fast paced read, a race against the clock as Barr sets out to save his sister Jen. Barr is a loner with lethal skills. He doesn't care much for people, dislikes crowds, dislikes townships, prefers the call of the wilds. He's been a hunter, adventurer, soldier of fortune and most recently, unjustly imprisoned convict. His sister is in serious trouble, her life is is in danger and time for her is running out. Barr has no idea how much time he has, where Jen is located or even who has taken her. Nothing short of dying will stop him from saving her. It's a rollercoaster ride in which he will need all his skills to combat a crew of serious villains who have his sister.....

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Book #59 Out Of Bounds

Out of Bounds by Val McDermid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am always enthralled with Val McDermid. I have read most of the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan novels and some of the stand-alone. I came across Out Of Bounds at a local bookstore and bought a copy of her latest book. The chief protagonist is the feisty DCI Karen Pirie, a polis (love that Scottish word) attached to Police Scotland. She heads up the Historical Case Unit (HCU) and is an expert at solving the unsolvable. I had no idea though that Out Of Bounds is the fourth in the Pirie series and there are events referred to in her past life that are no doubt covered in the earlier books. Nevertheless, this latest can be enjoyably read as a stand-alone. I must though find out what happened to her partner - “the love of her life” - Phil, who moved from the HCU to become DCI Jimmy Hutton’s bagman, his trusted lieutenant in the quaintly named Murder Prevention Team. He had been fascinated by his job and never imagined it would be the death of him. And then it was. How so I wonder?

So, Out Of Bounds - When a teenage joyrider crashes a stolen car, a routine DNA test could be the key to unlocking the mystery of a twenty-year-old murder inquiry. McDermid is the master in plotting events that occurred years ago, avoiding the possible continuity traps and getting the details right. She cleverly interweaves this investigation to another case as Pirie pieces together decades-old evidence. And familial DNA plays a significant rôle in this exciting and brilliant story.

Each time I read a Val McDermid I find myself saying “this is the best so far”. Well, here it is: “this is the best so far!” Highly recommended.

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Book #58 Children of Time

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once in a decade or so a book comes along that grabs me by the cojones, gets my rapt attention and fills me with awe. I have woken with night sweats thinking about giant spiders that have the UNDERSTANDING. And all because Adrian Tchaikovsky has an imagination that is boundless, who tells a story that spans millennia, a story that makes you believe it is…. feasible. How can we predict where the human race will be in 2,000 years time…..?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home. Following their ancestors’ star maps they discovered the greatest treasure of a past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But, oh dear. Something has gone terrifyingly wrong. The terraforming project included the seeding of life on this new Eden with a nanovirus, designed to accelerate the evolutionary process. But it picked on the wrong species as our travellers were to find out, humans who had travelled for centuries in suspension chambers and awoken at strategic times. The ‘Gilgamesh’ space cargo-ship (the cargo being the last remnants of the human race) has been travelling for 2,000+ years at just below the speed of light (nice touch - avoids the argument about travelling at warp factors!) when this new Eden approaches….

Children of Time is 600 pages of extraordinary science fiction with believable characters and some surprisingly likeable aliens. Give them names like Portia and Fabian and you cannot help but develop a certain empathy with them…

Not at all surprising then that Adrian Tchaikovsky has been awarded the 30th Arthur C Clarke Award for best SF. Highly recommended.

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Book #57 No Other Darkness

No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The 2nd in the DI Marnie Rome series by Sarah Hilary, read back-to-back with the 1st. I feel like I have binged on murder and mayhem for the past week or so. No Other Darkness is a particularly harrowing story. Anything concerning the deaths of young children is bound to be. In this account the way that Archie and his brother Fred died is dreadful and the plot is full of despair and anguish, following the discovery of their frail, desiccated bodies. There are characters to pity, few to like, although Hilary does produce great emotion amongst the protagonists. Hilary is certainly the magician with metaphors as they roll off the pages aplenty.

I recommend reading these books in order as there are key threads that run from the 1st through the 2nd. I have decided though to shelve the 3rd volume for a reading at a later date. I feel like a change of genre….

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