In our month of remembrance it seemed fitting that I read not one, not two but three books about war. The first being The War of The World by Niall Ferguson. It was well researched and well written with some brilliant parallels drawn, but the money went over my head and I found it slightly too focused on World War Two.
Sea Glass (a book nothing to do with war) about a newly wed couple and a mill strike in New Hampshire 1929 was next up by the late Anita Shreve. I loved the pace, writing and emotion that Shreve packed in to the pages and am now on the hunt for the other novels she has written all set around the same house the newly weds moved into.
My first Blog Tour of the month was Paris In The Dark by Robert Olen Butler. Set in Paris during the first World War this well researched book is based around journalist cum spy Kit investigating a series of bombings taking place in the City. It's not Kit's first time gracing Olen Butler's pages and hopefully it won't be the last.
Good Samaritans by Will Carver was my next Blog Tour book. One crossed wire, three dead bodies and six bottles of bleach made an awesome combination and I will never look at people buying bottles of bleach the same way again as a result. A really dark, twisted dirrrrty read.
The Cost of Living by Rachel Ward is the first in the Ant and Bea series (or should that be Bea and Ant?!) and was my last Blog Tour for the month. With her supermarket based crime story Ward delivered a trolley load of well rounded characters, a realistic amateur investigation and covered issues such as agoraphobia and illiteracy. It's an excellent series starter.
The last but my no means least in my trilogy of war reads this month was All Quiet on The Western Front. Quite simply it's the best war book I have ever read. It's quick to read but boy does it pack a punch. I'm claiming it as my 'Forgotten Classic' in my Book Bingo.
The Book Club's Book Of The Month was Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks. There was a definite divide between those who loved and those that didn't love the short stories that all featured in some shape or form a typewriter. I was firmly in the former camp and the hardback (a thing of beauty) is firmly staying on my shelf.
That left me with just enough time to squeeze in Hydra by Matt Wesolowski. The second book in the Six Stories series. It's an up-to-the-minute thriller that dealt me an unexpected emotional punch. Wesolowski's writing just keeps on getting better and better and I'm looking forward to book number three, Changeling.
Read of the month:
Tough choice this month as to which one I choose as my #ReadOfTheMonth. Had it been any other month Good Samaritans or Hydra would have won it but I can't ignore All Quiet On The Western Front. I'm a great believer in reading books that are old as well as new and considering it's November 2018, it was burnt publicly by the Nazis and the writing is just so bloody brilliant All Quiet On The Western Front romps it. Read it.
Books I have added to my shelf:
For my last Blog Tour of the year Attend was posted through my letterbox to be reviewed on 29 December. It's possibly by the best named author ever but will the writing be as good?
Ready for the Book Club's One Rule of Book Club (we read a Christmas book at Christmas) I purchased Laurie Lee's 'Village Christmas and Other Notes on the English Year' It's a very long title for a very short book but I'm really looking forward to reading it.
Read and recommended by mother in law and father in law they passed me not one but two books by Samuel Bjork. I'm Travelling Alone and The Owl Always Hunts at Night are books one and two in the Munch and Kruger series. After the neon glamour of Palm Beach Finland and the drug smuggling cat and mouse of Snare and Trap what will I make in returning to the more 'traditional' Scandi Noir genre?
A book signing by David Walliams with my girls ended up with my house having not one but two copies of his latest book The Ice Monster. It's beautifully illustrated as always but which daughter will finish reading it first?
My first Blog Tour in December is a modern take on Swan Lake. Odette by Jessica Duchen is shaping up to be a perfect Christmas read (I'm reading it now) and you can read my review on 12 December.
Following on from my announcement that I am an Agatha Christie virgin my lovely auntie passed on not one, not two, but three Christies for me to read. Goodness knows when I will squeeze these in but they are beautifully old and addressed to my auntie's mother in law from her husband. For that reason alone I already love them.
That's what I have read and that's what I have obtained. What about you?
P.S. If anyone is wanting to star in the 'books I have added to my shelf' section of my December Round Up I would love The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Handmaid's Tale, Wonder, Sleepers, Jekyll and Hyde, Lethal White................... 😆😆😆🎅🎄🎅🎅🎄🎄
Sea Glass (a book nothing to do with war) about a newly wed couple and a mill strike in New Hampshire 1929 was next up by the late Anita Shreve. I loved the pace, writing and emotion that Shreve packed in to the pages and am now on the hunt for the other novels she has written all set around the same house the newly weds moved into.
My first Blog Tour of the month was Paris In The Dark by Robert Olen Butler. Set in Paris during the first World War this well researched book is based around journalist cum spy Kit investigating a series of bombings taking place in the City. It's not Kit's first time gracing Olen Butler's pages and hopefully it won't be the last.
Good Samaritans by Will Carver was my next Blog Tour book. One crossed wire, three dead bodies and six bottles of bleach made an awesome combination and I will never look at people buying bottles of bleach the same way again as a result. A really dark, twisted dirrrrty read.
The Cost of Living by Rachel Ward is the first in the Ant and Bea series (or should that be Bea and Ant?!) and was my last Blog Tour for the month. With her supermarket based crime story Ward delivered a trolley load of well rounded characters, a realistic amateur investigation and covered issues such as agoraphobia and illiteracy. It's an excellent series starter.
The last but my no means least in my trilogy of war reads this month was All Quiet on The Western Front. Quite simply it's the best war book I have ever read. It's quick to read but boy does it pack a punch. I'm claiming it as my 'Forgotten Classic' in my Book Bingo.
The Book Club's Book Of The Month was Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks. There was a definite divide between those who loved and those that didn't love the short stories that all featured in some shape or form a typewriter. I was firmly in the former camp and the hardback (a thing of beauty) is firmly staying on my shelf.
That left me with just enough time to squeeze in Hydra by Matt Wesolowski. The second book in the Six Stories series. It's an up-to-the-minute thriller that dealt me an unexpected emotional punch. Wesolowski's writing just keeps on getting better and better and I'm looking forward to book number three, Changeling.
Read of the month:
Tough choice this month as to which one I choose as my #ReadOfTheMonth. Had it been any other month Good Samaritans or Hydra would have won it but I can't ignore All Quiet On The Western Front. I'm a great believer in reading books that are old as well as new and considering it's November 2018, it was burnt publicly by the Nazis and the writing is just so bloody brilliant All Quiet On The Western Front romps it. Read it.
Books I have added to my shelf:
For my last Blog Tour of the year Attend was posted through my letterbox to be reviewed on 29 December. It's possibly by the best named author ever but will the writing be as good?
Ready for the Book Club's One Rule of Book Club (we read a Christmas book at Christmas) I purchased Laurie Lee's 'Village Christmas and Other Notes on the English Year' It's a very long title for a very short book but I'm really looking forward to reading it.
Read and recommended by mother in law and father in law they passed me not one but two books by Samuel Bjork. I'm Travelling Alone and The Owl Always Hunts at Night are books one and two in the Munch and Kruger series. After the neon glamour of Palm Beach Finland and the drug smuggling cat and mouse of Snare and Trap what will I make in returning to the more 'traditional' Scandi Noir genre?
A book signing by David Walliams with my girls ended up with my house having not one but two copies of his latest book The Ice Monster. It's beautifully illustrated as always but which daughter will finish reading it first?
My first Blog Tour in December is a modern take on Swan Lake. Odette by Jessica Duchen is shaping up to be a perfect Christmas read (I'm reading it now) and you can read my review on 12 December.
Following on from my announcement that I am an Agatha Christie virgin my lovely auntie passed on not one, not two, but three Christies for me to read. Goodness knows when I will squeeze these in but they are beautifully old and addressed to my auntie's mother in law from her husband. For that reason alone I already love them.
That's what I have read and that's what I have obtained. What about you?
P.S. If anyone is wanting to star in the 'books I have added to my shelf' section of my December Round Up I would love The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Handmaid's Tale, Wonder, Sleepers, Jekyll and Hyde, Lethal White................... 😆😆😆🎅🎄🎅🎅🎄🎄
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