March Round Up

 My recent trend of reading less each month seems to be continuing. I have no idea of why. It isn't conscious. Perhaps reading also slows down as one ages. 🤷

My first book this month was a collection of Franz Kafka's shorter writings. In one sense it was a reread as I've read them all before more than once. But not for quite a while. During my late teens and early twenties I was Kafka obsessed. I would still name him as one of my favourite writers. I was very happy to reacquaint myself with these stories. It was a collection I won in a riverrun giveaway on Instagram. Social media does have its pluses!

My penchant for reading memoirs and autobiographies continues but again it hasn't been a conscious decision. It as if these books simply present themselves to me one way or another and I read them! So my next book was a library book, I Swear by John Davidson. Way back in the eighties when I worked in the field of education I worked with a young lad who was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome. Challenging and heartbreaking. Around that time the first documentary to feature Mr. Davidson - John's Not Mad - was aired on television and my colleagues and I all watched it to give ourselves a better undertaking of the condition so we could help and support the boy. Since then I've watched the other documentaries that show John throughout his life and his tireless campaign to raise awareness for Tourette's. So it figured that I would watch the film and read the book. I did. It was interesting and I think we have moved froward to an extent with an acceptance of this cruel condition. 

I am a Gavin and Stacey fan. So when I saw the in the library I grabbed a copy. It was if Jo Page is talking, it read as very authentically her. I learnt a lot about the struggles of an actress and she comes across as a very likeable person.  

I've read all the Thursday Murder Club books. They're easy to read with familiar characters, unlikely scenarios that are almost formulaic but what the hell?! They're enjoyable. This was a library book and I've waited ages for a copy. Worth the wait? Yeah. But thumbs up for libraries for I'd rather borrow a book like this than own it. Not something I would have said a few years ago but I am old now and in danger of being submerged by my book collections. 

The last of this month is the lengthy memoir of Margaret Atwood. And I suppose, for somebody who has lived such a long, rich and full life it was bound to be long. Not that it matters. For I found it fascinating on several levels. Firstly, the account of a somewhat unconventional life, her childhood sounds idyllic in some respects. And then the process of being a writer and writing - the conception of The Handmaid’s Tale. I found it all most absorbing.

To the Moon and Back - Eliana Ramage

 

Debut novel? Are you serious? I’ve come across writers with 10+ books to their name who don’t write as well as this. I’m very impressed. But I didn’t begin by being impressed. I began by feeling angry and sad in equal measure. Because if there’s one thing that provokes those emotions in me, it’s what happened to the indigenous peoples of North America. And the main characters in this novel are Cherokee. One of the themes of the novel is identity and it is explored through the indigenous culture of Hannah and her two daughters, Steph and Kayla. 

 

It's an ambitious novel, complex and if I have any criticisms, I’ll get them out of the way now, it’s perhaps over long and it slows in some places. But other than that, I was totally absorbed throughout.

 

Easy, perhaps, to see this as yet another coming of age novel and if the writing were not so mature, so assured and so thematically rich that might be so. But the story achieves so much more than that. It is so metaphorically abundant and generous I found myself trying to analyse every anecdote or potential digression as a trope of some kind! The whole space theme – Steph wants to become an astronaut, the first Cherokee astronaut – sustained throughout all of the book’s four hundred plus pages is a constant metaphor, not to mention the wordplay of ‘space’ and its implications.

 

I learnt a great deal about the long path towards becoming an astronaut and I thought it was so palpably described that the author must have undergone some training, but I’ve been unable to confirm whether that is the case. If it isn’t this research and the understanding of it is impeccable. 

 

Whilst I’m very invested in this book, I can see that it may not be relatable for a lot of readers. And I guess some of it is a little niche. A gay spacewoman, and Cherokee too, is hardly commonplace. In fact, I read somewhere that it was not known until her obituary in 2012 that the first gay woman in space was Sally Ride in 1983. I think in the hands of a less competent writer, it would be hard going. But the narrative is strong, substantial, the prose, perceptive, observant and the author never falters from her themes. It’s conclusive but in a way that allows the reader with imagination to conjecture and ponder what might happen next.

 

A strong cast of purposeful characters. They're all there with intent, none of them are there for decoration. Mostly they are tough women, they veer on the side of selfish sometimes but they are flawed and human as we all are. But there are some solid male presences as well. The characters are honest in their portrayals. 

 

There is much I could say about this book, but I’m inclined to feel that it would be better to actually go and read it! Also I can’t wait for the author’s next book. No pressure!

 

My thanks to Millie Reid at Doubleday Books for gifting me a beautiful hardback copy.

 

 

 

  

Time for a Monthly Round Up - February

I'm subscribed to a website called Librarything. I joined it originally as a platform to post reviews and earn points for a website called Real Readers. Its intention is to offer readers a platform to catalogue their books and reading progress. But as what is a place to post my reviews I also found that it has a monthly giveaway of books called Early Reviewers. The 'early' is a bit of a misnomer because the books have often been published for a while. The majority of them are e-books which I'm not particularly interested in but they do have a few paper books which I sometimes request. Which brings me to my first read of February - Trouble in Applevale by Stuart Standing. The main thrust of the book centres around a neighbours’ dispute regarding extensions, boundaries, and renegade builders. The main character is quirky, innovative and seems to be the bane of many folks’ lives! At times he is hilarious with his litany of infirmities and prejudices. His wife is the complete antithesis and is probably one of the more normal characters in the book! Thoroughly recommended for some light hearted upliftment. 

Popular music has always played a big part in my life. My older brother would bring home Dylan and Dave Brubeck which contrasted with the likes of Gerry and the Pacemakers, Freddie and the Dreamers! I'm gonna sound like an old fart when I say they don't make music like they used to! So my next read was a very detailed autobiography from Cat Stevens, also known as Yusuf, called Cat on the Road to Find Out. On the Road to Find out is one of the tracks on the 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman. The book details his journey through pop stardom to his conversion to Islam I don't believe he's left anything out! I found a greater understanding of Islam through reading his book, and a deeper understanding of his songs which I've loved for years. I saw him in person once, sadly, never saw him perform, but I was at the stage door of the London Palladium after a Paul Simon concert. Cat and obviously been backstage to see him and when he came out I couldn't help but pipe up to my friend, 'Look there's Cat Stevens.' He looked directly at me. (and if that wasn't enough of a thrill for a teenager, I got to stand next to Paul Simon when he came out because he borrowed my pen to sign everybody's autographs)

My next book was a library book. The only one this month sadly. I don't know what's happened to me? And it was as much of a surprise to me as it will be to you (if anyone is actually reading this I should add.) It's quite by Claudia Winkleman. To be frank, I'd never given her much thought. If I'm truthful, I thought she was a bit of an airhead but then I'd never watched anything with her in. But I began to watch The Celebrity Traitors. The only reason I watched it was because it seemed actually have proper celebrities in it! So many of these reality shows claimed to be a celebrity edition and when you come to watch it you find you don't know any of the people in it. They are "influencers" or winner of Love Island et cetera, et cetera. Not real celebrities to my mind. But my sister says it's because I'm old and the younger people will readily recognise all of these stars. Possibly. Anyway, I digress. It was the first time I'd ever watched Claudia Winkleman in any kind of sustained way and I thought she was very good. And because I got hooked on the celebrity version I then watched season four and became totally engrossed. Again I thought that as a presenter she was extremely good. So when I saw this book in the library, I thought I'll have a read of it. And it was hilarious. I was laughing out loud in some places. And it taught me not to be so quick to judge somebody. She's an intelligent, articulate and witty woman.

My final book this month, (I've almost finished another one and if it wasn't such a short month, I would have done.) Was sent to me by a publisher for review. Tremendously exciting because that doesn't happen very much these days so I was delighted. I was also delighted with the book. It's a debut novel which I found hard to believe, very ambitious. I have written review which I will post near a publication date. But I'm gonna sit on it till then so my loyal readers (ha ha) you'll have to tune back in later. I thought it was excellent. Oh? You wanna know what it's called? Okay. To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage. 

(I've just checked the preview of this post and I cannot understand why the text and colours are not uniform. It was all written at the same time, in the same place. I have no idea why blogger does this. I've come across anomalies before. It makes no sense. If someone can explain to me what's happened and how I can fix it, because I'm not that great with these platforms, I'd be really grateful.

January Round Up

A slight improvement this month because I've managed to read five books. I'm still not sure why I'm not reading as much as I usually do. It shouldn't matter. It doesn't matter. But somehow it seems to bother me.

First up is a library book. The Girl With Ice In Her Veins by Karin Smirnoff. I have a compulsion to read these books which feature Liesbeth Salander. She was my heroine back in 2009. And although Stieg Larsson is long dead, RIP, his character lives on in the hands of two different writers so far, David Lagercrantz and Karen Smirnoff. Both are Swedish authors which is obviously quite fitting so the books are in translation. I enjoy them but they'll never match the first three books by Larsson. This story again re-introduces us to Lizesbeth's niece Svala caught up in some environmental activism and the disappearance of Salander's hacker friend Plague. Murders, hit lists and scandals investigated by Mikael Blomkvist are the recipe for a reasonably gripping tale. 

Next is a book that the good folks at HQ Stories sent me and I have blogged about it. 

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-woman-before-me-ruth-dugdall.html

Father Christmas was kind to me. Well, actually, a friend of mine was kind to me! She sent me the newly published collection of short stories by Harper Lee called the Land of Sweet Forever. An absolutely delightful collection of short stories. Varied, witty and illuminating. You can't help thinking what a talent Lee was. And how we have so little of her writing to enjoy. There's also some non-fiction reflections of hers that encompass various themes that are just entertaining to read.

Next up is Tom Cox's Everything Will Swallow You. I feel like I've bought this book twice over. Because I pledged to his previous publishing company Unbound who went bust taking all of our pledges with them and I think Tom had quite a time trying to get the book ultimately published. I bought it again because I do believe in his writing. It's a quirky book, but I guess if you had to sum it up the central theme is friendship. Friendship and an appreciation of our natural world. It's something of a rambling tale featuring various characters including a bipedal dog who knits, enjoys curries and reads.. It is recognisable as Cox's writing. If you've read his work before that is. And it's enjoyable.

Finally this month, another book I managed to pick up at my local library, Michael Rosen's Good Days, an A-Z of Hope and Happiness. It's alphabetised ideas for trying to find some good every day.

The Woman Before Me - Ruth Dugdall

Is this a result of a senior moment? Because I've read this book before! I read it in 2018. And I reviewed it in 2018! And this is what I wrote.

The story introduces the character of Cate Austin who features in subsequent novels of Ms. Dugdall. Cate is a probation officer who has to decide whether Rose Wilks convicted of child manslaughter should be considered for parole based on whether she is remorseful for the death of the child. I veer away from anything that might resemble a spoiler so I’ll say no more than that.

But what I will say is that this is an very well plotted story giving us parallel accounts; Cate’s is in familiar third person narrative and Rose’s true account is given in a first person narrative and in the form of her ‘Black Book’ entries written for her partner, Jason, and allows the reader to witness with Rose the unfurling of what actually happened. It’s very much a ‘did she, didn’t she’, ‘will she,wont she’ type story but when that is well done it is delicious to read. And it’s well done here with a twist at the end which I found curiously subliminal in that I half suspected it but ultimately rejected it. 

The specific prison locations and protocols were authentic and believable, well researched but then I find that Ms. Dugdall was herself a probation officer. What was that they used to tell us in school? Write about what you know. Well, here is the perfect example and the more believable for it. 

It’s dark and disturbing but keeps the reader gripped throughout. I didn’t find any of the characters especially engaging or likeable, especially Rose but I’m not sure I was supposed to. I think it was necessary to remain dispassionate almost. But paradoxically there is a lot of emotion in the book especially for mothers and an all embracing sadness that speaks of things that should have been avoidable but never were, wrong places, wrong times, recipes for disaster.

It’s an easy read, undemanding in terms of a well paced, flowing narrative and a most pleasant way to while way a few hours. So if you’re finding yourself snowbound this week grab yourself a copy!!

Is it a copout to just reproduce something I've already written? Maybe. Can I add anything to what I've already written? We'll see. Nowadays rereading a book is something of a luxury because I just have so many unread books and there are so many new books coming out that I want to read I seldom get around to it. This was an opportunity to reread a book that I might not have chosen to reread. And I'm always curious as to whether my response changes. What is also interesting is the incarnations that this book has gone through. Because I believe it was originally published in 2006, published in 2018 and again now in 2026 with a different publisher. The author acknowledges this book's journey at the conclusion of the book. And recognises that some of the social and cultural changes in the world mean that there is a heightened understanding of importance of probation officers. So it's a smart move to republish the Cate Austin books. I think it raises interesting considerations about time and place. Perhaps this book is more relevant now than when it was first published? But I would stick by everything I said originally, the shifting climate of our times hasn't changed the essence of the book for me anyway. But twenty years since it was first published? Might you be forgiven to think that it could come across as dated? You might, but it doesn't. It feels very fresh and relevant. And I find it a curious coincidence that when I read and reviewed it before we were in the grips of snow and here we are again...... in the grips of snow!

My thanks to HQ stories for my 2026 copy.

December 2025 Round Up

 I've only read four books this month. I say only because that is quite a small amount for me. And of course it doesn't matter. I'm blaming it on the festive nonsense that's been going on. Coupled with reading an e-book which takes me ages because I can't read at night. And two of the books were pretty hefty volumes at 400/600 pages odd, not that I'm making excuses. I don't need to. But I've only read four books this month!😂

The first was lent to me by my Yoga teacher. It's Philippa Gregory's current book, Boleyn Traitor. I absolutely loved it as I do all of her books. Some of that's because I love the Tudor period in history. But when I also love is the way she takes a female character and explores perhaps an undiscovered or unconsidered side of them. Here it's Jane Boleyn. She married George Boleyn. Gregory's treatment of her is more sympathetic than, say, Hilary Mantel's. There is a wide body of thought that she's implicated in the death and downfall of Anne and George Boleyn but that isn't the case in this story. It's a fascinating fictional interpretation of another of history's, perhaps, misunderstood yet colourful characters.

The next was Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets. Okay, so I've read a Dan Brown. Don't judge me. His writing may not be the best but the plot isn't that bad and some of the twists got me. Always formulaic, but it's reasonably entertaining. Robert Langdon never seems to age! Although he must be well into his 60s by now. He still cavorting around like a younger man. But, hey, that's fiction!

Next is the e-book I mentioned. It's Ravenglass by Carolyn Kirby. I love her books. And I've blogged about this one - here.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/12/ravenglass-carolyn-kirby.html

Finally it's Jo Wood's the Resurrection of Flo. I was reading this in bed because I couldn't read the e-book at night. I have a signed copy of this because Jo came to our local bookshop and I spent a very entertaining evening listening to her. This is her first attempt at fiction. It's not the best written book I've ever read, I'm sorry to say. I so wanted to love it. It's entertaining enough. Flo is recently divorced and is trying to make her way through life. It paints a colourful picture which I'm sure must be based on a lot of Jo's life as ex-wife of Ronnie Wood. And I suspect a lot of the events in the book are from firsthand knowledge.

Ravenglass - Carolyn Kirby

 

I am pleased to say that I have now read all of Carolyn Kirby’s books. See below for links.

 

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-conviction-of-cora-burns-carolyn.html

 

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2020/05/when-we-fall-carolyn-kirby.html

 

 

This most recent one, Ravenglass, has been very much a labour of reading love! I was offered an ebook from Carolyn’s publicist, Ana McLaughlin. Reader, I don’t do e reading! I’ve never been particularly keen, but sometimes it was a necessity. Unfortunately, as I’ve aged it affects my eyes more and more. So I can’t read digitally at night, I can only read in daylight. So, it’s taken me much longer than I would’ve liked to read this engrossing novel.

 

Let us begin with the blurb…….

 

‘In 18th century Whitehaven, Kit Ravenglass grows up in a house of secrets. A shameful mystery surrounds his mother’s death, and his formidable, newly rich father is gambling everything on shipping ventures. Kit takes solace in his beloved sister Fliss, and her sumptuous silks, although he knows better than to reveal his delight in feminine fashion. As the family’s debts mount, Kit’s father turns to the transatlantic slave trade – a ruthless and bloody traffic to which more than a fortune might be lost.
 
Adventures will see Kit turn fugitive and begin living as ‘Stella,’ before being swept into the heady violence of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebellion. Driven by love, revenge and a desire to live truly and freely, Kit must find a way to survive these turbulent times - and to unravel the tragic secrets of the Ravenglass family.’

 

An absolute must for lovers of historical fiction. The reader is transported back to eighteenth century social and political values and invited into the life and mind set of conflicted Kit who you will root for right from the very beginning. His dilemmas are fascinating to explore alongside our contemporary attitudes to such difficulties and make you wonder whether much has changed significantly.

 

The narrative and the prose engage your senses. I think, at one point, I was holding my nose at some of the descriptions of unwashed sailors! But the sights and sounds of the nautical world and Kit’s social world are palpable as you accompany him on his odyssey of life. 

 

There is no sentiment in Carolyn Kirby’s writing, she has the ability to confront things as they were – lives could be harsh and brutal – but there is no shortage of emotion. I think this is something that struck me, particularly with the Conviction of Cora Burns, the skill of eliciting an emotional response from the reader towards the characters.  It’s a skill that not all historical fiction writers have but Carolyn Kirby has it in droves. 

 

So much is covered in the book from the sea faring episodes, fashion, in terms of dressmaking, embroidery and millinery, the expansion of the slave trade in the UK, all against the backdrop of the Jacobite rebellion. 

 

And then of course there’s the secrets of the Ravenglass family which I can’t possibly divulge here because they wouldn’t be secrets then would they?!

 

All in all you’ve got a compelling, engaging, beautifully written story.

 

My thanks to Ana McLaughlin for a PDF copy.