The Book Post – April

One of the things I love the most about this monthly link-up is how often books recommended by others end up on my library reservation list. The truth is, these days, I read the linked posts with a notepad and my library app open on my phone.

The worst is when all the reservations come in at once – and even worse than that is when they all have a bank-up of reservations behind mine, which means no extensions are possible. Plus, as this goes to print I’ll be on a flight to Sydney for a week with carry-on baggage – which means Kindle books only.

So, this month, I had to make some difficult decisions about what I could read in the time available and what I needed to return to the library unread:

• The Frozen River, Ariel Lawhon
• Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear
• The Mapping of Love and Death, Jacqueline Winspear

Heavy sighs indeed. I hate to think how far down the list I’ve slipped for these.

Anyways, to the books I did manage to get through … Other than Anne of Green Gables and Date With Justice (which I listened to on Audible using a couple of my annual credits) the others were all borrowed from the library.

Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery

Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are in for a big surprise. They are expecting the arrival of an orphan boy to help work at Green Gables, their farm and home – but a skinny, red-haired girl turns up instead. Feisty and full of spirit, Anne Shirley charms her way into the Cuthberts’ affection with her vivid imagination and constant chatter. It’s not long before Anne finds herself in trouble, but soon it becomes impossible for the Cuthberts to imagine life without ‘their Anne’ – and for the people of Avonlea to remember what life was like before this wildly creative little girl whirled into town.

I found Anne thoroughly delightful – more so as she grew older. Full of dreams and possibilities, this one absolutely enchanted me as much as a 57-year-old woman as it had when I was the age Anne was when she first came to Green Gables.

The Cartographers, by Peng Shepherd

Nell Young has lived her life in and around maps. Her father, Dr. David Young, was one of the most respected cartographers in the world. But this morning he was found dead – or murdered? – in his office at the New York Public Library. Nell hadn’t spoken to her father in years, ever since he fired her after an argument over a seemingly worthless highway roadside map. A map which was mass-produced – and every copy of which is now being found and destroyed. But why? To answer that question, Nell will embark on a dangerous journey into the heart of a conspiracy beyond belief, the secrets behind her family, and the true power that lies in maps . . .

This one was recommended by someone (if it’s you, please let me know) in this link-up. If so, thank you.

The idea of being able to actually get lost in a map – or found – was one I had to suspend my belief for … and I’m glad I did.

The Marriage, by K.L Slater

Ten years ago my darling son Jesse was murdered and our perfect family was destroyed. My strong, handsome boy, so full of life, became a memory, a photo I carried with me everywhere. But today I’m finally close to finding happiness again. My ash-blonde hair has been curled into ringlets. Carefully placed white flowers frame my delicate features. The small, drab chapel has been prettied up with white satin, and there are tiny red hearts scattered on the small table where I will soon sign the register with my new husband. The man who killed my son. My friends and family can’t understand it. My neighbours whisper in the street whenever I walk past. How can I love a man like Tom?

This one is twisty and difficult to put down. And I wish I wrote the tagline: Ten years ago he killed my son. Today I married him.

The Girlfriend, by K.L Slater

My husband’s dead. She’s at my door. She owns my home…

The doorbell rings, just days after my beloved husband’s sudden death. I don’t recognise the woman on our doorstep, with her buttery blonde highlights, a diamond bracelet identical to my own and a bouncing baby boy in her arms. As I show her inside, I notice her eyes grow wide as she takes in our spacious hallway, and the big squashy sofas that we all used to pile on. She glances at the silver-framed family photos and my little daughter hiding behind my skirts. She looks at me, her blue eyes serious. ‘I’m sorry’ she says. ‘I know this will be hard to hear. But I am your husband’s girlfriend. And this is his son.’ My world implodes. And then she tells me that she owns our home – and that she’s not going anywhere…

Another great tagline, another twisty thriller – I had no idea which way this one was going to go.

The Narrator, by K.L Slater

Being a single mother is tough, but I’d do anything for my little girl Scarlet. I’d given up on my career as a voice actor when the call came, but suddenly I was the new narrator for a secret book from bestselling author Philippa Roberts, who has been missing for eight months. It was a lifeline for me and my daughter.

I hated that it meant leaving Scarlet with my ex in his perfect new home with his perfect new girlfriend. But I knew it was the right thing to do.

But as I start reading Philippa’s new novel, I start to wonder if it’s no coincidence that I’ve been chosen to narrate it. There’s something hidden in the pages of this book, I’m sure of it. Some clue to Philippa’s disappearance. And I don’t feel safe. I think I’m being watched. My room has been searched.

And then my ex’s girlfriend calls in tears and everything starts to click together. If I don’t find answers fast, I’ll lose more than my second chance. I’ll lose my daughter.

Just as twisty as the other Slater novels I’ve read this month, this one didn’t quite do it for me. However, it was a quick read that helped pass an otherwise boring few train trips to and from Brisbane.

Date With Justice, by Julia Chapman

The Dales Detective Agency is on the brink of closure.

Samson O’Brien has returned to his position as an undercover operative for the Met in London, and his relationship with Delilah is under pressure. Their troubles are only multiplied when an ecologist is found dead and the finger of blame is pointed firmly at Delilah’s older brother, Will Metcalfe.

It seems an open and shut case. An argument over an ecology report for planning permission which got out of hand, with Will known to have a hot temper. But Delilah won’t accept he’s guilty and neither will Samson.

Dropping everything, he returns to Bruncliffe to help prove Will’s innocence. But as the two detectives start digging, they unearth more than they bargained for and soon realise that the price of justice can be very costly indeed.

I have been eagerly waiting on this one but as the publisher did with the last two novels, publication in Australia in ebook was delayed three months after publication in the UK. There was nothing for it but to order it on Audible – and I’m glad I did.

Returning to Bruncliffe and the crew of quirky characters from the village in the Dales is a little like coming home.

My favourite read of the month by far – and the physical book is on order so I’ll have the entire collection in my bookcase.

Romancing Mister Bridgerton, by Julia Quinn

Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend’s brother for… well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret… and fears she doesn’t know him at all.

Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can’t seem to publish an edition without mentioning him. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad, he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same – especially Penelope Featherington! The girl who was always simply there is suddenly the girl haunting his dreams. When he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide… is she his biggest threat – or his promise of a happy ending?

Like millions of others, I LOVE the Netflix Bridgerton series and, after having read the first few books in this series, feel this is one case where the TV series is better than the book. That aside, I’m enjoying reading some romance for a change and getting lost in that world.

Murder Before Evensong, by the Reverend Richard Coles

Canon Daniel Clement is Rector of Champton. He has been there for eight years, arriving at the invitation of the patron and landowner, Bernard, Baron de Floures, of Champton House. Daniel’s previous post was curate at a smart central London parish, where he got to know the de Floures family through his brother Theo, an up-and-coming actor and socialite. Audrey Clement, his widowed mother, lives with him at the Rectory on the estate. He has two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda.

The story begins with Daniel announcing from the pulpit a plan to install a lavatory in church. This is long overdue, he thinks and so does Bernard de Floures, but the announcement goes down badly with the parish. Firm opposition comes from Mrs Harper and Mrs Dollinger of the Flower Guild, who are habitual opposers of change. There is opposition too from others who do not like the the thought of matters lavatorial in church. and others who dislike having to move from the pews where they currently sit. Some are in favour and the arguments this gives rise to demonstrate the faultlines that lie deep in the community – in any community.

The Flower Festival is approaching and Mrs Harper and Mrs Dollinger use it as an opportunity to rally opposition to the proposal. They concoct a proposal to extend the flower room and build a kitchen, which would colonise the back of the church for their purposes. Daniel proposes a range of counter-measures, one which will leave the pews undisturbed. A parishioner argues that the pews are historic and should be listed and cannot be touched, but parish archivist finds a bill of sale for them from 1857: they are Victorian and can be easily disposed of. Yet before he can pass on this information he too is disposed of – stabbed in the neck with a pair of secateurs in the church – murder one.

Police are called, but the murder, which seems motiveless – a random violent act in a quiet village – makes no sense. Now it is time for Canon Daniel Clement to act too.

Rev. Richard Coles is a fascinating man. Prior to his ordination he was part of Bronski Beat and went on to have a few UK top 10 hits with The Communards. “Don’t Leave Me This Way” is a song guaranteed to get me on a dance floor.

Anyways, these days he writes cosy crime – and very good cosy crime it is – in the tradition of Father Brown and Grantchester. I’m very much looking forward to Canon Clements’ next mystery.

Non-Fiction

Lifespan, by Dr David Sinclair

For decades, the medical community has looked to a variety of reasons for why we age, and the consensus is that no one dies of old age; they die of age-related diseases. That’s because ageing is not a disease – it is inevitable. But what if everything you think you know about ageing is wrong? What if ageing is a disease? And that disease is curable.

In Lifespan, Dr. David Sinclair, one of the world’s foremost authorities on genetics and ageing, argues just that. He has dedicated his life’s work to chasing more than a longer lifespan – he wants to enable people to live longer, healthier, and disease-free well into our hundreds. In this book, he reveals a bold new theory of ageing, one that pinpoints a root cause of ageing that lies in an ancient genetic survival circuit. This genetic trick – a circuit designed to halt reproduction in order to repair damage to the genome – has enabled earth’s early microcosms to survive and evolve into more advanced organisms. But this same survival circuit is the reason we age: as genetic damage accumulates over our lifespans from UV rays, environmental toxins, and unhealthy diets, our genome is overwhelmed, causing gray hair, wrinkles, achy joints, heart issues, dementia, and, ultimately, death.

But genes aren’t our destiny; we have more control over them than we’ve been taught to believe. We can’t change our DNA, but we can harness the power of the epigenome to realise the true potential of our genes. Drawing on his cutting-edge findings at the forefront of medical research, Dr. Sinclair will provide a scientifically-proven roadmap to reverse the genetic clock by activating our vitality genes, so we can live younger longer. Readers will discover how a few simple lifestyle changes – like intermittent fasting, avoiding too much animal protein, limiting sugar, avoiding x-rays, exercising with the right intensity, and even trying cold therapy – can activate our vitality genes.

A friend sent me this one to read, and while I’m not really a fan of self-help books, parts of it made my eyes glaze over, and I skipped some of the really long words, there’s some good stuff in here to take away.

Your turn…

Deb, Donna, Sue, and I would love you to share what you’ve been reading…the linky is below.

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