Ten books this month – more than I thought possible in a month when gardening begins to take priority over reading. Click on the links to read my reviews:
- Bats in the Belfry by E C R Lorac 4*
- The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton 4.5*
- Come a Little Closer by Rachel Abbott 3*
- Stalker by Lisa Stone 3*
- Watching You by Lisa Jewell 5*
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 5+*
- On Beulah Height by Reginald Hill 5*
- The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat 4*
- The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas 4.5*
- Fire in the Thatch by E C R Lorac 4*
I still have four to write about – for now these are brief notes, but I hope to write more in later posts:
Watching You by Lisa Jewell – to be published 12 July 2018. An absolutely gripping story! This is the first book I’ve read by Lisa Jewell – it won’t be the last as I loved it. It opens with a crime scene – someone has been murdered, but neither the victim nor the killer are revealed until much later in the book. The story revolves around the charismatic head teacher of the local secondary school. It kept me guessing throughout as what happened is gradually revealed, helped by the inclusion of transcripts of police interviews.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. An outstanding book! It is so good I want to give it 5++ stars – I enjoyed it immensely. I loved all of it – all the details of the Joad family’s journey in the 1930s Great Depression from the dust bowl of Oklahoma to the ‘promised land’ of California where their dreams of a better life were destroyed and they experienced such poverty and hardship and struggled to survive. Steinbeck’s writing is powerful, wonderfully descriptive and his characters stand out as real people.
On Beulah Height by Reginald Hill. Another really good read – crime fiction at its best. It’s a compelling mystery about a little girl who went missing on the Yorkshire fells, reviving memories of two other little girls who had gone missing twelve years earlier before the village of Dendale had been flooded to create a reservoir. What I particularly enjoy with Hill’s Dalzeil and Pascoe novels is that they are fully rounded novels, not just crime fiction with characters slotted into a murder mystery.
The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat – historical fiction about the siege of Malta from 11 June 1940 to 15 August 1942. “Father Salvatore–a simple priest, or kappillan, serving the poor–finds himself caught in the drama of World War Two. In the fragile safety of catacombs revealed by the explosions, he tends to the flood of homeless, starving, and frightened people seeking shelter, giving messages of inspiration and hope. His story, and that of the island, unfold in superbly graphic images of six days during the siege.”
An excellent reading month, Margaret. Several there I fancy including the Reginald Hill and the Nicholas Monserrat. Also, Watching You. I like your star ratings, I ‘do’ wish Goodreads would give us the choice of using a .5 as so many of the books I read would come into that category.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Cath. I wish Goodreads would give us the choice of using a .5 too. I find it hard enough to give a rating anyway – it’s so subjective and sometimes I just can’t decide.
LikeLike
I’m also very prone to thinking, a few weeks later, that the rating I gave a certain book was wrong… I was mean and should’ve given it a 5, or too generous with something else… should’ve been 2! LOL
LikeLike
I’ve been a huge Lisa Jewell fan for many years so I’m pleased your first foray was so impressive and of course Reginald Hill’s books are always a winner too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have had Lisa Jewell’s Ralph’s Party waiting to be read for 11 years – it’s certainly time I read it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So glad you had such a good reading month, Margaret. And I couldn’t agree more with your view of The Grapes of Wrath. It is an excellent novel, isn’t it? It’s one of those stories that, in my view, deserves to be called a classic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Grapes of Wrath surprised me – for some reason I hadn’t expected it to be so good!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Its too hot to do much gardening unless its early morning or late evening for me at the moment. So I’m just sitting in it and enjoying the sunshine while it lasts. My reading is a bit heavier than yours right now – some academic books on the Irish Famine for me
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not keen on gardening – and I find it impossible in this heat. But reading in the sun just sends me to sleep.
I don’t read much non fiction these days – but I do enjoy them, just not sure about ‘academic’ books, they can be a bit dry. I hope you’re enjoying your Irish Famine books!
LikeLike
Well enjoy isn’t maybe the right word for my reaction but I know what you mean.
LikeLiked by 1 person
John Steinbeck is one of my all-time favorite authors. If you haven’t, read East Of Eden. It’s epic!
Happy July!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Steinbeck is now one of my favourite authors too – and East of Eden is the next book for our local book group! I’m really looking forward to it – glad you think it’s epic.
LikeLike
I had a more mixed reaction to Grapes of Wrath, though I think I gave it 5 stars too in the end, or 4.5. Some of the writing is sublime – the bit about the turtle, for instance, or the dust storms, but he told me far more than I ever needed to now about how to fix trucks… 😉 So glad to see On Beulah Height got the full stellar array!
LikeLike