The Book Post – August

Alrighty, it’s that time of the month when we get together to talk books … so, without further ado, here’s what I’ve been reading.

Fiction

The Widow, by K.L. Slater

The day my husband, Michael, stepped in front of a lorry after being questioned by the police, my world fell apart. He was devoted to me and our six-year-old daughter. But they’d connected him to the disappearance of a young mother from our tiny village.

Now I stand at Michael’s funeral, clutching my little girl’s hand, with tears in my eyes as I insist to all our friends that he died an innocent man. Yet the questions have started, and nothing I say will stop them digging for the truth.

But none of them can read the secrets in my heart, or know about the phone I found hidden in his toolbox…

Another gripping psychological thriller by K.L. Slater …

Darling Girls, by Sally Hepworth

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

I almost didn’t finish this one – not because it wasn’t brilliant, because it is – but because I needed to turn away from it and its shadows. A worthy finalist in the Australian Crime Writing Ned Kelly awards.

A Grand Old Time, by Judy Leigh

Evie Gallagher is regretting her hasty move into a care home. She may be seventy-five and recently widowed, but she’s absolutely not dead yet. And so, one morning, Evie walks out of Sheldon Lodge and sets off on a Great Adventure across Europe. But not everyone thinks Great Adventures are appropriate for women of Evie’s age, least of all her son Brendan and his wife Maura, who follow a trail of puzzling text messages to bring her home. When they finally catch up with her, there are shocks in store . . . because while Brendan may have given up on life and love, Evie certainly has not.

I wanted to love LOVE this one, but it fell slightly short for me. It was, however, still a solid 4 stars.

Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies, by Catherine Mack

Eleanor Dash, author of the Vacation Mysteries series, is on a book tour on the gorgeous Amalfi Coast when she finds life imitating art as her ex-boyfriend is targeted by a killer.

Eleanor’s sleuthing skills are about to be put to the ultimate test as, among the literary rivals, rabid fans, a crazed stalker and former flame Oliver, suspicions on tour are flying faster than paperbacks off a bestseller shelf. But who is really trying to get away with murder?

I’d waited for my turn to read this one for such a long time (I think I was number 20-something in the library reservation order) that at first, I was disappointed. Perhaps it was the title, which seemed a little too Everyone-In-My-Family-Has-Killed-Someone-try hard, and then I decided it was the footnotes that interrupted my reading flow.

It was pretty similar in style to the Benjamin Stevenson novels with the author as narrator and foreshadowing events to come, and the footnotes did annoy me from time to time, but at other times I found myself going back across the age to find the pesky little things (note to self, must wear reading glasses) and then chuckling.

A great read.

Murder By Milk Bottle, by Lynne Truss

The August bank holiday is approaching and after two extremely high-profile murder cases, Constable Twitten is eagerly anticipating a quiet spell at work. But then they find the bodies – and the milk bottles.Three seemingly unconnected victims – a hard-working AA patrolman, a would-be Beauty Queen, a catty BBC radio personality – have all been killed with the same, highly unusual murder weapon. Constable Twitten, Sergeant Brunswick and Inspector Steine are initially baffled, the town is alarmed, and the local newspaper is after all, what sells papers better than a killer on the loose? Can our redoubtable trio solve the case and catch this most curious of killers before they strike again?

I love this cosy crime/comedy series set in 1950s Brighton, starring the way-too-clever-for-his-own-good Constable Twitten and his bumbling superiors. This one is no. 3 in the series, and I would read the earlier ones first.

Foul Play at Seal Bay, by Judy Leigh

It was meant to be the start of quiet season in the sleepy Cornish village of Seal Bay, but not for sexagenarian librarian and wild swimming enthusiast Morwenna Mutton. Because when a local businessman is found on the beach with a bread knife is his back, bungling police officer DI Rick Tremayne is soon out of his depth. Morwenna knows it’s going to be down to her to crack the case.

The list of people the victim upset is long, the evidence is slight, and an arrest illusive. Morwenna has plenty to occupy her time what with ghostly goings-on at the library and skullduggery at her granddaughter’s school, but she could never resist a challenge. And even the most ruthless of murderers should quake at the sight of this amateur sleuth getting on her bike to track them down.

Once I got past the first couple of chapters – where I felt there was too much “telling” in the set up, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and look forward to Morwenna’s next outing.

Into The Storm, by Cecilia Ahern

It is a wild night in the middle of December, and GP Enya is crouched over a teenage boy, performing CPR in the freezing rain. She found him on a mountain road near Dublin, the victim of a hit-and-run.
The boy survives, but Enya goes to pieces. She leaves her husband, her son, and everything she knows to start a new life in remote rural Ireland.
But even in the quiet of Abbeydooley, beneath the boughs of an ancient tree, Enya is still haunted by that night in the rain. Can the stories of strangers and a land steeped in legend lay the ghosts of her past to rest? Or will the storm she’s outrunning finally catch up with her?

To be honest I’m not sure how I feel about this one. When I began it I was wow wow wow I don’t want to stop reading this but then I reached the middle and I was a bit meh. I loved the parts where the “old” seasons were tracked using her mother’s articles, and I loved the Irish folklore peppered throughout. Also, there were images that stayed with me after I was done, so I must have enjoyed it more than I thought.

I received this one from the publishers via Net Galley in return for an honest review.

Wild Irish Heart, by Trishia O’Malley

An ancient book, a power untouched, and a heart unloved lead Keelin O’Brien from her graduate studies in Boston to a small village on the coast of Southern Ireland. Determined to unearth the secrets lying hidden in the enchanted waters of the cove, Keelin has little time for a surly Irishman who infuriates her during the day and haunts her fantasies at night.

Inexplicably drawn to the woman who has stepped from his dreams and into his world, Flynn fights a stubborn battle against his increasing attraction for Keelin. Forces unknown have better plans for the two.

Only the secrets of the cove can show Keelin who she really is, the beauty of her mysterious power, and a love that will break the bounds of what she knows.

A late addition to this month’s post (as I finished it last night), I thoroughly enjoyed this first novel in the Mystic Cove series. Romance, magic, Irish folklore … I loved it. Thanks, Sue, for the recommendation!

Non-Fiction

Less: Stop Buying So Much Rubbish: How Having Fewer, Better Things Can Make Us Happier by Patrick Grant

Today the average person has nearly five times as many clothes as they did just 50 years ago. Last year, 100 billion garments were produced worldwide, most made from oil, 30% of which were not even sold, and the equivalent of one bin lorry full of clothing is dumped in landfill or burned every single second. Our wardrobes are full to bursting with clothes we never wear so why do we keep buying more?

In this passionate and revealing book about loving clothes but despairing of a broken global system Patrick Grant considers the crisis of consumption and quality in fashion, and how we might make ourselves happier by rediscovering the joy of living with fewer, better-quality things.

Weaving in his personal journey through fashion, clothing and the other everyday objects in his life, this is a book that celebrates craftsmanship, making things with care, buying things with thought and valuing everything we own. It explains how rethinking our relationship with clothing could kickstart a thriving new local economy bringing prosperity and hope back to places in our country that have lost out to globalisation, offshore manufacturing and to the madness of price and quantity being the only things that matter.

I’ll preface this with a couple of comments:

• I love Great British Sewing Bee, and am a tad of a fan girl where Patrick Grant is involved, and
• This is a bit of a pet subject for me

While I’m a hypocrite and spend way too much money on books (although am getting better), I was brought up having just one of most things – one pair of jeans, one pair of trainers, one pair of swimmers. When I was working in an office, I’d extend that to a couple of pairs of tailored pants, a couple of skirts and maybe a couple of jackets.

These days, though, I (mostly) live with just the basics of the basics. For the first time ever, I have two pairs of jeans (one dark and one light) and two pairs of swimmers (one pair for lap swimming and one with less suspension for the poolside). I also triple up on boots (one pair of riding boots, one pair of Timberlands and one pair of dressy boots) and sneakers (one pair of hiking boots and one pair of white sneakers). I own one pair of going-out shoes, two pairs of walking tights and … well, you get the idea.

Where possible, I buy the best quality I can afford and wear things until they fall apart, but it irritates me that at my size, I’m often forced into clothes that are by their nature and cost poorly and unsustainably made. While there are some exceptions, it’s almost as if the designers and makers don’t believe plus sizes deserve nice fabrics and well-made clothes. Anyways, it’s fair to say this book called to me.

Grant begins with an economic history lesson about how (and when) we came to want more and how business tempts us into wanting even more, tying the whole idea of more into our perceived happiness. He talks about how we’ve lost touch with craft and quality-made goods in favour of items that are designed to be replaced rather than repaired. He also talks about how studies into happiness have shown those who make and produce are on the whole happier than those who don’t and ponders why it is that instead of being valued work people did, the work of a craftsman or maker is these days the hobby of someone (often dissatisfied with the work they do) who can afford the time and the materials for said hobby. He does, in fact, talk a lot about work and how vital purposeful and satisfying work is for happiness.

He is passionate and political about his subject and about supporting British makers and growers (and puts his money where his mouth is regarding his own businesses). The facts he presents regarding fast fashion brands such as Shein, Timu, and the like are mind-boggling.

This book isn’t for everyone, and at times I felt he repeated himself a tad too often, but it was my read of the month and one that has changed the way I think and feel about consumption and value.

I listened to the Audible version narrated by Grant. If you want an idea about what he’s about – without committing to the book – check out this on Youtube or this podcast (my new fave) Enoughness.

Your turn…

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

https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js…