At about this time of the year all the books start to pile in from my library reserves. At the moment they are speeding in. Two more waiting! It’s going to put me off getting my five read from my own shelf this month but so be it!
When I am finding my way into a new author generally I want to borrow the first book I read by that author. As it turns out this is a debut novel. And… Thoroughly enjoyed this romance, loved the characters and especially the down to earth family and friends. Nora and Leo – what a pair. Bernadette and Arthur not far behind. It was cute and made me laugh out loud at times. I never saw what caused the trouble between Nora and Leo and kept wondering what on earth is going on. Well now I know! Very satisfying. Would definitely read another by this author.
4.5 stars
Well all I can say is … delightful. It was fun meeting Poirot and Hastings and see how they related to each other. No one warned me of the humour in these books and that was what was delightful. And while I might say it was far fetched, it was also eerily possible given todays world. Hmm well done Agatha Christie. The Big Four are about to take over the world – a Russian, an American, and Englishman and a Chinese. Enter Detective Poirot with his clever little plans to thwart them. 4 stars
Well written and engaging. I didn’t expect to really like this book, but turned out it was not mere “rom com” but something deeper than and more than that. I loved Nora’s journey – the witty dialogue between herself and Charlie. Plus her relationship with her sister. Sure a little predictable, but good predictable. Just loved the wisdom of this book. 4.25 stars
Multiple family members and much drama. There was a lot happening and how various characters linked up or fell out made for much happening. It is a step back though kind of writing. I wanted to like it more than I did. At times I felt for the characters and at other times I thought “Really!” 3.5 stars.
An extremely well written, thought provoking book about a family. Three sisters – well that’s frequent in a book, but somehow this one stands out. They gather around as their mother faces a big change in her life. Laine is the one who returns home to help out. It is she who makes so much growth and development but in a way so do they all. 4.25 stars
I started this last year – not very far in and then it sat…. This year I have picked it up and am reading one chapter a day- sometimes! One side is the story and one side is full of annotations. Slows things down a bit, but still helpful at times.
I’d also like to read Emma. However I don’t think I’d get through this plus P&P so I thought I’d put it into my audiobook listening this year. Juliet Stevenson narrates and she will do it really well. I want to listen before I read a book by Sonali Dev The Emma Project. It doesn’t publish until mid- year so I have time.
It’s most likely quite pretentious of me to add this book in, Middlemarch by George Eliot I do have it on my shelf, but not sure if I can cope with it! I like the thought of it and the title! I think I might listen and read along with it, maybe later in the year if I can. Juliet Stevenson narrates but its 35 hours. I guess speeding it up a little will help!
I only heard about this book yesterday as Emilie Richards read it for her weather book challenge. Reading the blurb I decided I’d like to give it a go. Set in a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood in 1947, this poignant tale revolves around two of the most endearing characters in recent fiction: an 11-year-old Irish Catholic boy named Michael Devlin and Rabbi Judah Hirsch, a refugee from Prague.
I think I need to sample an Agatha Christie, and also I would like to sample Miss Marple. It’s a challenge for me because its not my usual reading choice. But those in the know highly rate many of her books!
The Book Date 