Another long, hot summer of sitting in the garden reading lots of lovely books. Well, the bit about the books is right, anyway. Shame about the weather...
Spectacles: a memoir by Sue Perkins What can I say? If you like Sue Perkins you’ll love this book. It’s filled with her characteristic wit and sparkling observations, but it’s heartfelt and honest too, sometimes achingly so. Conclave by Robert Harris An absolutely fascinating insight into what might go on during the world’s most secretive elective process. I enjoyed reading it but confess (no pun intended) to feeling a little disappointed by the ending. Things aren’t quite what they seem (I don’t think I’m giving anything away there) but the outcome just wasn’t shocking enough to make the build-up worthwhile. Release by Patrick Ness I fell in love with A Monster Calls and so when Release was, well, released I rushed off to grab a copy. I must admit that I didn’t feel quite the same way about it, but it’s a thought-provoking and refreshingly honest story about a young boy struggling with the emotional turmoil of relationships past and present. Prudence by Jilly Cooper When Jilly Cooper released her most recent novel, I realised that I had never read one of her books. So I decided to read one of her older books and see whether that would trigger a desire to embark on the Rupert Campbell-Black books. I enjoyed Prudence, one of Cooper’s short novels, as a holiday read. Generally the characters – nice and nasty – get what they deserve. Will I rush to read more? Probably not. But neither will I dismiss the idea of further reading until I’ve tried one of her longer novels, for which she is better known. The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent Translated from the original French, this is a lovely, gentle (and quick) read about a man whose work life causes him so much distress that he reads aloud to his fellow commuters every day to escape what awaits him. When he finds out that he’s not the only one who feels like that, it seems that there’s finally something to battle on for. Keep the Midnight Out by Alex Gray Set mainly on the lovely Isle of Mull, this crime novel links two dead bodies, found twenty years apart. Will the two senior investigating officers be able to overcome the tension between them in order to see the link? Some nice characters and plenty of red herrings! The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry A beautifully written story about a group of very different people whose lives become interwoven. Perry creates a marvellous sense of creeping menace in her book. Oh, and the front cover is a joy!
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Nikki Brice
Proprietor of editorial business Splendid Stories. Experienced, professional editor offering creative guidance, developmental editing/critiquing, copy-editing, and proofreading.
*** 'Every time the manuscript comes back the things you pick up on amaze me. You have taken in my characters and really understood them even more than myself at times. Your skills are amazing.' S.M. Hope, author of Tainted Jewel. |