A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki

Read in hard back, the fifth book from the Man Booker Short list that I had for my birthday.  I had decided to tackle the books in length order, and this one has over 400 pages.

Whilst walking on the beach on a remote Canadian island, Ruth, herself of Japanese descent, finds the diary of a Japanese school girl washed up inside layers of freezer bags and a Hello Kitty lunchbox.  Ruth is a writer herself, although she has become stuck in the writing of a memoir of her time caring for her mother as she succumbs to dementia.  Ruth resolves to read the diary at the same pace as it was written, not steaming through to the end. Thus the chapters alternate between Ruth's story, and Nao's story.

I found Nao's story gripping, and its vignettes of Japanese culture fascinating.  I also understood the need to intersperse Ruth's story and to introduce the element of mystery - what has happened to Nao, and how did her diary end up in Canada, has she been the victim of the tsunami? However, the ending becomes unnecessarily complicated with theories of quantum mechanics, which meant I did rush to the end.

The Lowland, Jhumper Lahiri

Read in hard back - the fourth of the Man Booker Short List novels I got for my birthday.

This novel begins in India and is the tale of two brothers - the sensible Subhash, and his more impulsive brother Udayan.

As children, the brothers do everything together, even starting school at the same time as the younger brother cannot bear to be left behind. But as they grow older, they grow apart and Subhash makes the decision to go to America to study.  He knows nothing of the secret political life Udayan is leading, which will have profound consequences for both of them.  The story follows into the next generation too, with Udayan's wife Gauri and their daughter Bela.

The characters in this book are the main appeal, and whilst you may not agree with their actions, their motivation is signalled loud and clear.  A good read, but a very melancholy story.

We Need New Names, NoViolet Bulawayo

The third of the books from my Man Booker Prize short list birthday present, after The Testament of Mary and Harvest.

Darling lives in a shanty town in Zimbabwe.  Her home is made of tin, her mother treks to the border to sell things to get money, her father is away in South Africa, but seems to have forgotten all about his family.  Nevertheless, Darling and her friends make the most of every day with their games and songs, and stealing fruit from the trees in the rich neighbourhoods, since they no longer go to school.

The first part of the book draws some detailed sketches of life in Zimbabwe, covering Religion, AIDS, the role of NGOs. Once more I find myself convinced by a child narrator in a debut novel (see also The Land of Decoration).  

In the second half of the book, Darling moves to America to live with her aunt and her Ghanian husband.  Her voice becomes more mature, as she faces the problems of living as an immigrant. This part of the book was more fragmented, with tales of a family wedding, visiting the mall, and dealing with her uncle's mental instability.

I wasn't sure that this book came to any conclusions, except that the grass is always greener.

Harvest, Jim Crace

Read in hardback, the second from the Man Booker Prize short list I had for my birthday.

I have enjoyed many of Jim Crace's books, including most recently Being Dead.

Set in an unnamed English country hamlet, in an unspecified year, this is the story of Walter Thirsk.  He has come to the village as manservant to the gentleman who marries the daughter of the local Manor house keeper.  Walter falls in love with one of the local girls and with the land, and so marries and settles in the village.  His former master, now lord of the manor himself, is recently widowed, and finds out that his position is now not secure.

Three strangers come into the village, and trigger a series of events that will lead to death and destruction.  One of the strengths of the book is a descent into chaos so rapid and yet believable that it made me dizzy.

There's no knocking Jim Crace off my list of favourite authors any time soon.

The Testament of Mary, Colm Tóibín

I was very lucky to be given the whole of the Man Booker 2013 short list for my birthday.  All of the books are in hardback. The longest book was the winner, so I decided to tackle them in length order.

The Testament of Mary is the shortest by a long way.

Narrated by Mary, mother of Jesus, this is her take on some of the gospel stories.  The raising of Lazarus is included, as is the Wedding at Cana, before we get to Jesus' final days and his crucifixion.

Mary has two men with her who seem to be there to watch over her, but also to record her stories.  They get agitated when she tries to tell things the way that she sees them, if they don't fit in with the myth that the writers are trying to create.

I can see how this book would divide people, with many seeing it as blasphemous, but I can admire such a quantity of elegant writing in such a short book.

The Land of Decoration, Grace McLeen

Read on the Kindle. Not sure where I heard about it, but it won the Desmond Elliott Prize for New Writing in 2012.

Judith McPherson lives alone with her father.  Her mother is dead, but is a presence in the house due to old photographs and some of her possessions still being around.

Judith's father is devoutly religious, and he and Judith belong to a congregation, which, whilst never identified, bears a resemblance to the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Judith is making a model in her bedroom, called "The Land of Decoration", after the promised land in the Bible.  Judith believes the end of the world is coming, but in the meantime she has drawn the attention of the school bullies.  Judith is dreading school on Monday, and makes it snow in the Land of Decoration.  When she wakes up to snow on Monday morning, she believes she has performed a miracle.  The book continues with the effect that the bullying has on Judith and on her father.

This is a very assured first novel.  It has a small, but effective cast of characters, and although the story is narrated by Judith, in her voice, from her childish viewpoint, that never becomes annoying.

Dark Places, Gillian Flynn

Read on the Kindle, purchased on Kindle daily deal along with Sharp Objects.

Libby Day is the only survivor of the massacre that wiped out her whole family.  Her brother Ben is in prison for life, convicted of the crime.

When the book opens, Libby is in her 20's and the money from the charitable fund set up to help her has all but run out.  Ill equipped to stand on her own two feet, she is contacted by members of the "Kill Club" who want to pay her for a personal appearance.

Once she meets them, she discovers that the Kill Club believe her brother is innocent, and they want her to help them prove it.

Again, I enjoyed the atmosphere of menace in this book.  I liked the structure, which wove in chronological flashbacks to the night of the massacre with the present day time line.  Credulity was stretched a little towards the end.

Sharp Objects, Gillian Flynn

Read on the Kindle.  Gone Girl is on our book club list for next year, so when Gillian Flynn's other novels were on Kindle daily deal I got them for 99p each.

Camille Preaker works for a newspaper with falling circulation.  When one little girl is murdered and another goes missing, her editor sends her back to her home town to see if she can get a scoop, and the story that will revive the paper's fortunes.

Still living in her home town is her mother, her step father and her teenage half sister.  Since the newspaper editor will not stump up for more than one night's accommodation, Camille ends up going back to stay at her childhood home whilst she investigates the crimes.

I understand that this is Gillian Flynn's first novel, and as such I feel it was a good effort.  The central character has been deeply affected by her upbringing and has her own mental demons to contend with.  The characters in her small town are sufficiently sketched in to make them real and believable And there's a real feeling of menace in the book.

Skios, Michael Frayn

Read on the Kindle - my choice for book club.  From the Booker Prize 2012 long list.

Oliver Fox is travelling to Skios for a rendezvous with Georgie, his latest squeeze.  Dr Norman Wilfred is travelling to Skios to give a lecture on 'scientometrics' at a foundation set up to promote culture and learning.

A mix up at the airport sees the two men heading in opposite directions, and thus stumbling into each other's lives.

This is a pure farce, and a cracking holiday read. Hope the ladies of Book Club enjoy it too.

It Would be Wrong to Steal My Sister's Boyfriend (Wouldn't It?), Sophie Ranald

Read on the Kindle, after reading about it on a blog.

I don't generally read a lot of 'chick lit', but I do like to indulge every so often.

Ellie is the caring sister, working in PR for a charity, spending evenings in with her friend Ben.  Her sister Rose is the glamorous one, beautiful, slim and working for an art dealer.  Once Ellie meets Rose's new boyfriend Oliver, all thoughts of sisterhood are out of the window as Ellie falls hook, line and sinker.

Ellie's method of winning Oliver is to make herself into her sister's image, underlined by a scene where she literally mistakes Rose for her own reflection.

If you enjoy your fiction where all the ends are neatly tucked in, and everyone in the story gets exactly their just desserts in the end, then this is the book for you.

Broken Voices, Andrew Taylor

Read on the Kindle - a Kindle Singles recommendation. Having read and enjoyed The American Boy, I thought I would give a Kindle Single a go.

Two boys at an East Anglian Cathedral School are forced to spend Christmas together with an elderly master. One has no living relatives to go to, the other is in disgrace after his voice breaks and he commits a petty theft as revenge on the boy who has replaced him as head of choir.

These two boys, with nothing to keep them occupied, go chasing after musical score, lost back in the school's past.

A bit of a disappointment, really.  I knew it was a short book from the start, but the story didn't ever seem to really get going, and the supposedly spooky atmosphere never really grabbed me.

The Lighthouse, Alison Moore

Read on the Kindle, from the Booker Prize Long List 2012.  Bought at the same time as Swimming Home, but must have got lost on the Kindle as only now getting round to reading it.

We first meet the protagonist Futh on the ferry that is taking him to Germany for a walking holiday.  It's a repeat of an aborted holiday he took with his father, just after his mother has left them to return to her native America.

Futh has plans to walk a circular route along the Rhine; he has arranged for his suitcase to follow him each evening to his hotel. Whilst walking he ruminates on his parents, and his own failed marriages.  Meanwhile, at Hellhaus, the first hotel on his itinerary, another drama is playing out between the owners Ester and Bernard.

I enjoyed this book, with it's atmosphere of lurking menace and fatalistic ending.

The Risk of Darkness, Susan Hill

Read on the Kindle after reading The Various Haunts of Men and The Pure in Heart.

The third book in the Simon Serailler series.

You really need to have read the first two by the time you get to this book as the plot follows directly on from The Pure in Heart, and tries to tie up the loose ends left from that book.

The sub-plots of this book, especially the parts of the book dealing with Simon's sister Cat, and her exhausted GP husband Chris, are mere distractions to the main point of closing out the child abductor story line from the previous book.

It's the writing that saves this series.

The Pure in Heart, Susan Hill

Read on the Kindle, purchased as a bundle with The Various Haunts of Men.

This is the second of the Simon Serailler novels, and he is a properly established character now, along with his family, his parents, sister and brother-in-law and their children.

In this book, Simon is on the trail of a child abductor. Not to give the plot away, the murderer defies all the expectations of the several police forces out to catch them.

It's a great story, with well drawn characters, but ultimately unsatisfying as it's clearly the middle book of what's meant to be a trilogy, and many loose ends are left.

The Various Haunts of Men, Susan Hill

Read on the Kindle - bought as a bundle with The Pure in Heart.

I read The Vows of Silence a while back, and thought I would go back to the start of the story.

This is the first of the Simon Serailler novels and distinguishes itself by not properly introducing the detective until about half way through the book. Instead, the protagonist is Freya Graffham a young female detective recently arrived from London.

This book sets the scene with Simon's family, who will play a big part in all the subsequent books - another trick which sets this series apart from other detective novels.

An interesting tale of a serial killer in rural England, didn't put me off reading more.

May we be Forgiven, A.M. Homes

Read on the Kindle. I realised I had read the whole short list for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2013 except this one and since this was the winner I thought I should give it a go. Other entries on the short list were:

• Bring up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel
• Flight Behaviour, Barbara Kingsolver
• Life after Life, Kate Atkinson
• NW, Zadie Smith
• Where'd you go Bernadette, Maria Semple

Harry Gold starts a misguided affair with his brother's wife.  The outcome is a tragedy which sets Harry on a course to redeem himself in any way he can.

This is a very dark comedy, and a very American book.  Hampered by the dense cultural references I felt as if I was missing some of the humour, satire and points to be made.

NW, Zadie Smith

Read on the Kindle, after amazon recommendation.

The four main characters in the book have all grown up on the same housing estate in North West London. Some have chosen paths which have taken them away from the estate, and some seem to be living the life with the hand they have been dealt, unwilling or unable to make the change.

My favourite character, and the one drawn most vividly was Natalie.  Once known as Keisha, she has pulled herself away from the estate by studying law and marrying well, but she has a secret that will eventually bring her middle class life crashing down.

Told from several different view points, and in several different writing styles this is a much more challenging read than the books I have been reading recently.

Instructions for a Heatwave, Maggie O'Farrell

Read on the Kindle after enjoying previous Maggie O'Farrell books, such as The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox.

London in the heatwave of 1976.  Gretta Riordan's husband Robert, a retired bank worker, leaves the house one morning to get a paper and does not return. Her strive to find him and bring him back involves her three grown up children: Michael Francis, Monica and the youngest Aoife.

The family dynamics between the main characters and their nearest and dearest are explored and exhausted as each of the children's marriages or relationships is put under the microscope, and the family history is gradually revealed.

I enjoyed this book, believed in the characters, and thought the downbeat ending was very apt.

The Chessmen, Peter May

Read on the Kindle after reading The Blackhouse and The Lewis Man.

Yet more weather in this book, where a freak storm leads to the draining of a loch, and the discovery of a light aeroplane, which went off the radar 17 years previously, and a dead body inside.

Once again the investigation involves Fin Macleod. We learn even more of his history, this time from his days at school and university working as a roadie for a Celtic rock band.

Another page turner from Peter May.  Each book of the trilogy weaves together the story happening in the present, told in the third person, with episodes from the past, usually told in the first person. Although this one the least convincing of the three to me, the trilogy as a whole is crying out to be made into a TV mini series.

The Lewis Man, Peter May

Read on the Kindle after reading The Blackhouse, the first book in the trilogy.

A body is found in a peat bog on the Isle of Lewis, and at first is thought to be hundreds of years old, but an Elvis Presley tattoo puts paid to that theory, and a DNA test linking the body to a local man seems to offer up a suspect for the murder.

Fin Macleod, now resident on the Isle of Lewis, but no longer a policeman, gets involved in the investigation, as there is a link to his childhood sweetheart.

Another gripping book in the series.  We learn more about Fin's history, and his relationships on the island develop.

Shall be moving swiftly on to part three.

The Blackhouse, Peter May

Read on the Kindle, Gillian's choice for Book Club.

Detective Inspector Fin Macleod, still reeling from the hit and run killing of his son, is sent from his home in Edinburgh to the Island of Lewis where he grew up on the behest of the police computer Holmes, which has linked one of his investigations with a murder on the island.

So far, so standard police procedural, however, Fin turns out to have a vast back story and a great deal of unfinished business on the Isle.

The author uses the bleak Scottish setting to good effect, there's more weather in this book than any I've read recently.

I found this book to be a real page turner, the ending didn't really ring true for me.  Liked it enough to download the second and third parts of the trilogy.

And the Mountains Echoed, Khaled Hosseini

Read on the Kindle for Book Club, Francesca's choice. We've already read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

This is a sprawling tale, which starts with Abdullah and his sister Pari on a journey to Kabul with their father.  The book will go back in time to before the children were born, and will end when they are both in old age, and will take in many other characters and countries.

The wars in Afghanistan are glossed over in favour of more personal stories and journeys, and the significance of choices made under duress.

Maybe not the most popular of recent Book Club choices, but I enjoyed the interwoven stories and the satisfying ending.

Flight Behaviour, Barbara Kingsolver

Read on the Kindle. I chose this book because it was nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction, along with Bring up the Bodies, Life After Life and Where'd you go, Bernadette. I'd also enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible a couple of years ago.

Dellarobia walks up the hill behind the house she shares with husband Cub.  She is going to start an affair so leaves her glasses behind.  She is confronted by a spectacle akin to a burning bush, and takes it as a sign to go back to her house, and her un-fulfilling life.  The spectacle turns out to be a phenomenon of nature - a gathering of Monarch butterflies which bring to Dellarobia's quiet mountain town all manner of outsiders.

Several themes are woven together in this book; Dellarobia's realisation of how trapped she has become, long held family secrets which come to life, and an ecological thread concerning why the butterflies have appeared in the Appalachian mountains and not their usual over-wintering habitat in Mexico.

I felt for Dellarobia, and her claustrophobic life, living in a house on her in-laws farm, and I found the gradual widening of her world to be believable.  The book is also very nicely crafted.

Submarine, Joe Dunthorne

Read on the Kindle, downloaded for £1.99.  Chosen because I saw the film last year.

Oliver Tate is the "hero" of the story.  He is 15, and trying to help his parents with what he sees as a dysfunctional marriage.  He is friends with one of his school bullies, and has an on-off girl friend who has terrible eczema due to her allergy to her dog.

Oliver is a bit like an updated, and more savvy Adrian Mole, and also a lot like Christopher, the hero of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time in that he seems to either wilfully or accidentally misunderstand what is going on around him. 

Interestingly, the film did away with some of the darker aspects of Oliver's character and more unpleasant incidents in the book, preferring to play for laughs.

Don't think this book will be on my top 10 for the year.

The Invisible Circus, Jennifer Egan

Read on the Kindle, downloaded as a 99p deal at the same time as Trains and Lovers, but it took me until June to get round to it.

I chose this because I'd read A Visit from the Goon Squad last year.  I believe this is an earlier book, and the structure, 'tho still complex, is not as sophisticated.

Phoebe grows up in the 70's in the shadow of her much older and prettier sister, Faith.  At the outset of the book we know that Faith is no longer alive, and it takes the rest of the book to find out what happens to her.  In the meantime, Phoebe takes a road trip through Europe following the postcards that Faith sent to her.

I did enjoy this book, but some of the plot points turn on some very unlikely coincidences and I disliked the character of Faith, so it was hard to care so much about her.

The Vows of Silence, Susan Hill

Read in paperback, borrowed from one of the ladies at work.

The cover of the book proclaims "The New Simon Serrailler Novel".  Not having read any of the previous ones I was a bit dubious about this book, but it turned out that you needn't have read any of the other books, as characters' biographical details were filled in as and when required.

A rogue gunman (or is there more than one?) is terrorising the women of sleepy cathedral town, Lafferton. Can Simon solve the crime before the imminent arrival of the Royals for the Lord Lieutenant's daughter's wedding, whilst wrestling with a tragedy unfolding within his own family.

I did guess the twist before the end. But this book was enjoyable and pacey.  They've got the first two novels on offer as a bundle on Amazon, so I'll probably download those and give them a go.

This is where I am, Karen Campbell

Read on the Kindle, daily deal for £1.39.  I had heard a snippet of this book on Radio 4 book at bedtime and was intrigued.

Newly widowed Deborah needs some meaning in her life so she volunteers with the Scottish Refugee Council.  She is paired up as a mentor with Abdi Hassan, a Somalian refugee who has escaped to the UK with his young daughter Rebecca.  The book is told in Deborah and Abdi's voices in alternating chapters, and whilst Abdi says at the beginning that he would rather have been mentored by a man, the two soon form a bond of friendship.

A chance conversation with Rebecca leads Deborah back to the refugee camp in Africa where Abdi had been staying, and from here the thread of credulity is stretched very thin until the book's ending.

This book gives a heart-breaking insight into the lives of refugees, how they are haunted by their past and terrified by cultural differences in their adopted countries.  It's also full of interesting, well-drawn and believable characters.  A very enjoyable book, let down by its ending.

Ignorance, Michèle Roberts

Read on the Kindle, bought as 99p daily deal.  I'd read some Michèle Roberts years ago, and thought this one would be worth a punt.

More Second World War, but this time in France.  This book follows the very different life stories of childhood friends Jeanne and Marie-Angèle.  One comes from a Jewish family, and her mother has converted to Catholicism after the death of the father.  The other is the daughter of the local grocer.  The book is narrated alternately by these women, and eventually by one of their daughters.  The book's title "Ignorance" comes from the lack of understanding of each other's motivation and the judgement they make about each other as they grow older.

I found this book beautifully written, but very depressing. 

Life After Life, Kate Atkinson

Read on the Kindle.  Jo's choice for June Book Club meeting.

I've read a lot of Kate Atkinson books, most recently the Jackson Brodie series of detective novels, serialised on TV as "Case Histories".

This book is a big departure.  Ursula Todd is born in 1910 in the middle of a snow storm.  She finds herself living the same life over and over again, until she learns from her mistakes.

The repetition in the book could get boring, but the author always seems to be able to put a slightly different spin on things - must have had great fun thinking of all the different ways to kill Ursula off. Also the detail about Britain in the inter-war years and the second world war are fascinating.

I enjoyed this book, and it will doubtless generate much discussion at Book Club.

The Middlesteins, Jami Attenberg

Read on the Kindle, after Amazon recommendation.

Richard Middlestein is an upstanding member of his local Jewish community.  A pharmacist, and original donor to his synagogue, he loves his children and grandchildren, but no longer loves his wife Edie, who has grown so fat it seems she will eat herself to death.

When Richard leaves Edie, as she is facing life threatening surgery, the family ties are stretched.

There's a lot going on in this book.  Richard is a man in his sixties, his business has boomed then shrunk.  He has a distant relationship with his children, and struggles with the disrespect shown by his grandchildren.  He wants to believe his sex life is not yet over. So he leaves his wife to the dismay of his family, and his community at large.  You also have Edie's life story, trying to explain the reasons for her overeating and why nobody can stop her.  The stories of the rest of the family are woven in - the shotgun wedding that produced the twin grandchildren, the reasons that Richard's daughter finds it so hard to be in a relationship.

This was a terrific read, but not a feel good read.

The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood

The sequel to Oryx and Crake.  Read on the Kindle, after recommendation by Gillian.

When the "waterless flood" comes, and most of humanity is wiped out by a genetically devised plague, small pockets of humans, mostly those who have been isolated from other human contact, have survived.


This book follows a similar structure to Oryx and Crake, with flashbacks telling the story of Ren and Toby, members of "God's Gardeners", an eco friendly, vaguely Christian cult, who firstly need to find out whether they are the only people left on the planet, and then need to work out how to protect themselves from some of the others who are left.

I read this book directly after I had finished Oryx and Crake, and didn't enjoy it as much as the first book.  It was interesting to have new characters to care about, but some of the ways that they intersected with events from the first book felt forced.  The third book "Maddaddam", is on my wish list for August.

Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood

Read in hardback.  My copy is dated 2003, and I guess that's the last time I read this book. Gillian reminded me of it at Book Club the other night, and told me there was a sequel.  Then I checked on Amazon and a third instalment is coming soon.

Jimmy is the reluctant hero of this novel.  He has lost his best friend, and his lover, the human race has been devastated by a plague, and he has been left in charge of the Crakers, a new race of humans genetically engineered to be resistant to disease, sun burn and all other manner of evils including sexual jealousy.

How Jimmy came to be in this predicament is told in flash back.  And in the present you have Jimmy's fight for survival

I enjoyed reading this book again, as I hadn't remembered much of the story.  Margaret Atwood makes her dystopian future seem plausible, and dare I say it, potentially not that far off.

The Roundabout Man, Clare Morrell

Read in paperback.  Recommended by and borrowed from Granny.

Quinn Smith has lived under the shadow of his author mother all his life.  When he tires of life as curator of his childhood home, he goes to live in a caravan on a roundabout.  A pushy journalist writes an article about him, which sets in motion a series of events which bring Quinn back into contact with his sisters, the Triplets, and allows him to come to terms with his unconventional upbringing.

This is a charming, gentle book, and the character of Quinn, dominated by his overbearing sisters, and longing for love from his distant mother, is very well drawn and sympathetic.

The Man Who Forgot His Wife, John O'Farrell

Read in paperback, borrowed from Granny.

Having previously enjoyed May Contain Nuts by John O'Farrell, when I saw this book on Granny's book shelf I picked it up.

And what a charming piece of nonsense it turned out to be.  The plot was very similar to What Alice Forgot, this book was set in the UK, with a very English sense of humour.

Jack Vaughan wakes up on the tube, and finds out that he cannot remember any personal details, not even his own name.  After spending a week in hospital as "unknown white male", he discovers he has friends and a beautiful wife.  The problem is that they were about to get divorced, and the amnesia has been caused by the stress.

Essentially a book about being given a second chance to save a marriage which has disintegrated through neglect, this is definitely a feel good tale.

Being Dead, Jim Crace

Read on the Kindle - downloaded for the princely sum of 66p!

I have enjoyed Jim Crace's books before: Quarantine, the Pesthouse, and my particular favourite, Arcadia.

This book interweaves the story of Jim and Celice's 30 year marriage, with the story of what happens to their bodies in the six days after they are murdered while revisiting a secluded beach from their past.

It sounds gruesome, and in places it is; not for the squeamish or faint hearted.  But this is such a poetic book, that the subject of death becomes bearable, and even beautiful.

Any Human Heart, William Boyd

Read in paperback - a Christmas present from my wish list.

I saw the TV mini series a couple of years back, and had always wanted to read the book.  William Boyd is always very readable.

This is the story of Logan Mountstuart, born in Uruguay at the start of the twentieth century, but in many ways the quintessential Englishman, and following his life, in diary format, through each decade, from his school years, through college, his war years as a spy, times of riches and poverty ("the dog food years"), through to his dotage.

The name dropping of artists and literary figures is a bit annoying at times, but at no point does Logan's extraordinary life seem unbelievable or far fetched.  That is the skill of the author.

Swimming Home, Deborah Levy

Read on the Kindle, from the Booker Prize 2012 short list.

A middle class family holiday in the South of France is interrupted by the arrival of Kitty Finch, mentally unstable botanist and poet.

A very short book, and very evocative of place, at least.  You can feel the heat of the sun, hear the insects and smell the pine trees.

Unfortunately the characters are unsympathetic, and whilst the final tragedy was always lurking in the background, it's hard to care when it happens.

In an ironic twist, I actually managed to leave my Kindle at the swimming pool after I finished this book during the children's swimming lesson.  Luckily it was handed in and I got it back.

The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton

Read on the Kindle (downloaded for free!), after reading The Innocents by Francesca Segal, which is based on this book.

Newland Archer, a gentleman from one of New York's leading families, is about to marry May Welland, similarly from a good, old-fashioned family, when he meets her wayward cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, recently returned from Europe where she has deserted her philanderer husband.

The same story was picked up by Francesca Segal and transposed to modern day North London, set amongst the close knit Jewish community.

The strict behaviour code and expectations placed on Newland seem so old-fashioned now, and the pressure on him to do the right thing almost unbearable.

This is not an action packed book, very little actually happens, but beautifully put together nonetheless.

The Woman In The Fifth, Douglas Kennedy

Read in paperback for Book Club; Vanessa's choice for the February meeting.

Originally read in 2008, borrowed from Granny.

Harry flees to Paris when things go wrong for him at the American college where he was teaching.  Things go wrong for him in Paris when he falls ill, then moves into a dodgy room in a dodgy area, then when he takes an illegal job as a night watchman.  What could have been a light in the darkness, when he meets a beautiful Hungarian translator at a party, in fact leads to things going even more horribly wrong.

This book is very atmospheric and readable for about the first 200 pages, after which a particularly daft "twist" just ruined it for me.

The Lost Daughter, Diane Chamberlain

Read on Kindle for Book Club, Rachel's choice for April.

I'm reading the Book Club books out of order, because I've been poorly and have been spending a lot of time in bed.

This book is very much in the vein of Jodi Picoult, an author whose books I have enjoyed.  This is the first Diane Chamberlain I've tried.

CeCe Wilkes, a sixteen year old waitress, is courted by Tim Gleason.  Tim tells her the story of his sister on Death Row and enlists CeCe's help in a scheme to set the sister free.  Of course things do not go according to plan, and CeCe is forced to go underground, and change her identity.  Years later, her actions catch up with her.

I am fond of these issues/dilemma books, and this was a good example, although you knew from the outset how the story would pan out, the very ending was not given away at the start. A nice touch was the inclusion at the start of each chapter of letters written to CeCe by her mother, who had died when she was 12.

The Innocents, Francesca Segal

Read on the Kindle.  Winner of the 2012 Costa First Novel Award, and the 2012 National Jewish Book Award for Fiction.

I picked this book because I saw that it had won the Costa First Novel Award, and I'd already read Bring Up the Bodies, which won the 2012 Costa Novel Award.  I've subsequently found out that it's based on the Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton - a book I've not read.

I very much enjoyed this story of Adam Newman, a steady guy from a solid North London Jewish family.  He has been dragging his heels in proposing to his long time, "perfect" girlfriend Rachel, and his world is turned upside down by the arrival of Rachel's exotic, American, model cousin Ellie.  One of the things I loved was the depiction of the tight knit Jewish community where everyone knows everyone else and everyone knows everyone's history. Francesca peppers the dialogue with Hebrew/Yiddish, but does not feel the need to translate, leaving the reader in the same boat as the younger Jewish generation.

A slightly mawkish ending spoils this tense novel. I will be looking out for any more books published by this author.

The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien

Read in hardback.  My copy has a plaque in the front which states that it was awarded to me as a Science Prize in 1981.  Not sure how many times I've read it since then.

I went to see the Peter Jackson movie, and when I got home I was interested to see how faithful to the book the film was, and whether there was enough material to string out to another two films.  I found that the film was fairly true to the book.  You don't get as much of what Bilbo is thinking, since you can't have him voice all his thoughts out loud in a movie, also some of the more whimsical elements have been left out, in favour of action scenes and comedy in the film.  Furthermore I can see that by adding in the action sequences there is easily enough material for episodes 2 and 3.

All in all, I was pleased to revisit an old favourite.  Another version I would recommend is the original Radio 4 dramatisation.  That was the first Hobbit I ever heard, and I do think it stands the test of time.

The Killing, David Hewson

Read on the Kindle, 99p daily deal.

I'd seen the Danish TV series of the Killing 2 and 3, but only the American version of the first series.  Thought it would be fun to read this novelisation of the first Danish series.

The book did not disappoint.  It was sufficiently different from the American series, that I was never sure what was going to happen.

The only weakness I can find, is that because this is TV converted to text you don't get the kind of internal monologue, or what the characters are thinking that you get in a normal book.

Not sure how long this would be if it were a paperback, it felt long on the Kindle with many twists and turns and dead ends, which became characteristic of the series.  Only the ending disappointed as it came out of left field.

The Thread, Victoria Hislop

Read in paperback, borrowed from Mum, think it was one of her book club books.

Follows the story of a group of people, Muslim, Jew and Orthodox, living in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, from 1917 to 2007.

The first and second world wars sweep over the town, there is destruction by fire, forced evacuations, occupation and dictatorship.  At the heart is the love story between the seamstress Katerina and the activist Dimitri.

I've previously read The Island by Victoria Hislop, which I remember enjoying more than this book.

It's very worthy, and no doubt very accurate and very well researched.  It's just a bit dull.

The Last Weekend, by Blake Morrison

Read on the Kindle for Book Club, Sarah C's choice.

We all had to choose our book club books quite a way in advance, and this book was added to the list back in May.  In August, before the time came to read the book, they showed an adaptation on ITV, and I made the mistake of watching the TV show before reading the book.

Whilst a fairly faithful adaptation, the TV series set up the suspense from the start, which in the book develops more subtly as you gradually realise that all is not as it should be, and perhaps the narrator is not altogether reliable.

A very dark book.

Trains and Lovers: The Heart's Journey, by Alexander McCall-Smith

Read on the Kindle, purchased as 99p daily deal.

Four strangers, on the same train journey from Edinburgh to London, share or reflect on their experiences, or in one case their parents' experience, of love.

Beautifully written, as all Alexander McCall-Smith's books are, and a lovely gentle read with no nasty upsets or surprises.

The most perfect book for a train journey.