May Round Up

 

A charity shop find was the first read this month. Syd Moore’s Strange Sight, the second of the Rosie Strange books. Syd is a local author who I’ve met on a couple of occasions at my local bookshop. It's curious how connected you can feel to a) a local author and b) an author you’ve met. Syd’s novels are mystery thrillers inspired by the Essex countryside. 

 

During lockdown, several organisations would offer talks on Zoom by way of distraction for our closeted lives. I signed up for a few and one of them was about London’s Lost Department Stores. It was fascinating and I ended up buying the book. It’s called …. London’s Lost Department Stores! It’s written by Tessa Boase. It’s wonderfully nostalgic, particularly if you remember some of the department stores in London. And I am old enough to do so.

 

That rare thing – a book from a publisher! HQ Stories (Harper Collins) A creepy domestic thriller. I’ve blogged about it here.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-marriage-rule-helen-monks-takhar.html

 

And another! From the same publisher! I blogged about this book, too.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-chemist-aadhand.html

 

Like the proverbial buses that come along in threes I had a further book sent to me. In fact, they all arrived in the same post! Talk about feast or famine. This time it was one of the giveaways from Librarything.  I’ve blogged about it here.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/05/fools-errands-michael-smit-drury.html

 

This influx of books meant that I had to put my library books on hold. But I’ve returned to them full throttle so to speak. First up from the library this month was Butter by Asako Yusuki. A lot of social media hype on this one and I put in my reservation weeks, maybe months ago even. Did it live up to the hype? Not completely but I did enjoy it. I thought it was slow and drawn out, but as I am something of a foodie it had a lot of appeal. It’s less crime story than an exploration of misogyny and Japanese society. And I was interested enough to google the true crime from which the book took its inspiration. Excellent translation I felt too. 

 

The next two books are by the same author Anne Youngson. My yoga teacher got me into reading her books. And she’d recommended this book of short stories. I put in the request at my local library and while I was looking online, I found the other book which my yoga teacher wasn’t aware of so that was an exciting discovery.

The Six Who Came to Dinner is a collection of short stories and they are all quite dark tales. Unexpected having read the first two books. But I thoroughly enjoyed them. A look at the darker side of smaller communities.

A Complicated Matter, which is a full length novel, couldn’t be more different. It’s a story of love, class and belonging. Rose Dunbar is evacuated from Gibraltar during the war. The story details her journey both geographically, intellectually and emotionally. It’s a very moving book.

 

The Planet Spins on its Axis, Regardless by Kavita A. Jindal is for a blog tour in June. I have read but not reviewed yet, so I shall keep stumm for the time being but – watch this space because I will blog it. It’s a collection of short stories spanning several locations. 

 

Fiona Cummins is a local author who I have met. I’ve read all her books. And even though Quick Reads are aimed at less experienced readers than myself there was no way I WASN’T going to read it! I love the character of Saul Anguish, and I also love the fact that this story is set in my hometown and I can recognise the locations easily. Plus, it’s a cracking good story!

The Chemist - A.A.Dhand

 Wow! I think that books like these should come with a health warning! I felt like my heart was beating  outside my body for some of this high octane thriller. 

A tale of drugs, turf wars, addiction and how events can so easily spiral out of control causing the most upright of citizens to descend into some nefarious activities. This is the first book I have read by this author although I note that his work has been the subject of a recent BBC drama series. 

It is a dark, fast paced story that builds up into a crescendo of subterfuge and activity with the potential to leave the poor reader breathless, almost! It did seem a little implausible at times but such is the nature of fiction. And the author who apparently was/is (?) a pharmacist has used his knowledge to good effect here and I suppose the story does raise considerations into the contraindications of drugs and medicines. It has what I like to call an octopus plot, multi-stranded,  but the tentacles all interact.

The titular character, Idris Khan, who by his own description is a pharmacist not a chemist presents initially as an exemplary citizen seeking to do nothing but help his customers, in particular, addicts. He is sharp, astute and very on the ball. He needs to be. Master of his profession he uses that skill to forge a path out of the dreadful mess he has descended into. 

Several of the other characters seemed functional so there was not a need to engage with them fully but others were endearing like Al-Noor who risked all for family. 

There are some nail biting moments, unpredictable moments and jaw dropping moments. It kept me thoroughly entertained and I became resentful of those times when I had to put the book down to attend to the more mundane ephemera of everyday life.

My thanks to HQ Stories and Harper Collin’s for my gifted copy.

Fool’s Errands - Michael Smit-Drury

 

Very much a curate’s egg of a book. There were times when I wasn’t sure whether it was a full-length fiction or a series of short stories that interconnected. At other times I wondered whether the author was using fiction as a vehicle to get across his feelings about the technological age in which we live and the capacity for its future.

 

There were parts of the book that I found fascinating. Sequences and situations that were compelling.  There were characters I found engaging, especially Henny, but equally there were parts of the book which just went over my head. 

 

However, I think the book has a lot of promise. I think a lot of what the author has to say about technology, social media, AI and its place in this beleaguered world in which we live is important. But I think the book would benefit from some editing. I would love to think that one of the big publishing houses would take it on and allow an experienced editor to help hone this book into the story it could potentially be. I think it might take its place as a significant work. 

 

My thanks to the author and Librarything for a copy of the book. 

This is How You Remember It – Catherine Prasifka

 

I read Catherine Prasifka’s first novel, None of This is Serious a couple of years ago. Blogged here - https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2023/05/none-of-this-is-serious-catherine.html - this second novel seems to continue the exploration of how our lives can be shaped by the internet, and social media specifically. 

 

I found it quite a sad book.  The protagonist, who is never named, but narrates the book in the second person, begins as a curious, innocent child seeing life though a lens to a degree until at the age of nine the family buys a computer, and her life is changed irrevocably by her exposure to the internet. 

 

From computer she moves to phones and smartphones, documenting her life on social media, a slave to peer group pressure and when an intimate moment in her life is captured and shared across a social media platform her mental health is compromised.

 

The world of teenage girls is accurately depicted as they compete and bitch, uncaring of the consequences. This is a coming-of-age story where there is redemption towards the end, but for an old lady who grew up free from the shackles of the internet it makes for unconformable reading and a fervent fear for the youngsters of today. 

 

However, I think it is important to have stories like these because the damage the internet can inflict needs to be articulated.

 

Prasifka’s book begins with a captivating portrait of the young protagonist. It’s a well-sustained study of a child’s innocence slowly becoming corrupted. As the child becomes teenage schoolgirl and then student the story becomes more oppressive and reminiscent of some of the stories one reads of the exploitation and impairment the internet has caused to young lives. 

 

There is a balance, though, in the character of Lorcan. He is a childhood friend of some influence who endures throughout the book and somehow manages to remain largely aloof from social media. 

 

There’s a rawness and honesty to the writing that I found quite chilling. Whilst as an ‘oldie’ I can’t relate to the lure of social media, as a book blogger it’s a necessary evil (!), the writing makes me think that the author is writing from first-hand experience which also made me sad. And what is even more regrettable is that this experience is not unique. However, I think the book is, to a degree and that makes it important reading. Those who have been though these experiences may feel comfort from it. And any parents who read it may wish to draw their children close and consider strongly how they allow their offspring to interact with the internet. 

My thanks to Canongate Book for my gifted copy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Marriage Rule – Helen Monks Takhar

 I had the pleasure of reading Helen Monks Tahar’s debut novel, Precious You, (although I believe it has now been retitled as That Woman) a few years ago and experiencing that strange paradox that sometimes occurs with a book where the narrative has you feeling edgy and unsettled, it’s uncomfortable reading yet so utterly compelling that you can’t put it down.

 

So, when the good folks at HQ Stories sent me a copy of The Marriage Rule, I felt like I knew what I might be in for. However, when I began the prologue, I encountered a kind of ‘genre gymnastics ‘where I thought I might have hit a chick lit/rom com story! That’s okay, I thought, a writer diversifying. Nothing wrong with that. But, by the time I reached the end of this opening section I knew I was headed for another thriller – domestic maybe, psychological possibly?

 

Elle appears to have the perfect husband and doting father to her baby in Dom. Competent at her job until the new boss, Anton, thinks otherwise. But all is not well, as we might surmise, or we would not have a book!

 

It’s an unsettling narrative, yo-yoing between the past and the present, spanning three weeks, and creating an atmosphere that is both claustrophobic and tense. It’s a slow drip feed to begin with but the astute reader will discern what is going on between Dom and his wife. 

 

I couldn’t really warm to the characters which is not intended as a criticism as I don’t believe I am supposed to. None of their behaviours were beyond reproach, all flawed people in their own ways, responding to situations as they thought best.  There were times when I wanted to shake Elle and get her to wake up and get the hell out of Dodge! 

 

There are twists a plenty to keep you on your toes and guessing all the way to the end with a pacing that I might call syncopated for want of a better word, which adds to the unrest you experience.

 

It’s dark, brutal even, with some challenging themes that offer much food for thought. The ending was not wholly conclusive. For some readers that can be unsatisfying, for others it allows their imaginations to continue where the story left off. 

 

I thought there were elements of implausibility but ultimately this was mitigated by the points that the author is trying to convey, important points for all women. 

 

My thanks to HQ Stories for my gifted copy.

April Round Up

 With a generous helping of sunshine this month, I've had the opportunity to sit outside and read. But I find when I do that I want "easy" books to read. Ones where I'm not reaching for a notepad and pencil to remind myself of salient points and pertinent quotes.

So, first up this month was a charity shop find  - Val McDermid's 1979. Blogged here - https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/04/1979-val-mcdermid.html

I've been an infrequent visitor to my local bookshop this year. That's due to my slow Covid recovery so I was delighted to make a trip there where I treated myself to a book. I heard a programme, I think it was on Radio 4, about Shirley Jackson and I thought that I would like to read something of her work. I chose the Haunting of Hill House. Amy, the assistant in the bookstore is a firm Shirley Jackson fan and was thrilled that I chose this book. She recommended that I also read We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I'm not normally a fan of ghost stories or horror stories, but I do like good Gothic fiction. And I was intrigued to read this. I blogged about it. https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-haunting-of-hill-house-shirley.html

My yoga teacher had recommended Anne Youngson's Meet Me at the Museum which I read last month and really enjoyed. However she reckoned that Three Women in a Boat was her favourite Anne Youngson book so this was one of my Library books this month. I really enjoyed it. I wanted to be on that boat and sail with them. And I thought Anastasia was a brilliant character. It's a lovely story of friendship and chance and the taking of opportunities.

The next book was a book that I won from the Library thing March giveaway. It's a collection of short stories about female hypnotists. An unusual subject and I found the stories quite entertaining. I blogged about them. https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/04/probably-something-of-niche-volume.html

Regular readers of this blog, (are there any though?) will know that I am passionate about using my local library. If we don't use libraries, we will lose them and that would be an absolute tragedy. So I try to read a couple of library books a month at least. Some I reserve, usually if I've heard some buzz about them on social media. But sometimes I just see a book there on the shelf and I think I'll read that. And that was the case with Natasha Pulley's The Mars House. I would think it's something of a marmite book. It's genre blending, ambitious in its concept and pertinent in many respects. I guess you'd call it science-fiction but it's also political and cultural, difficult to summarise but basically a politician from Mars and ballet dancer from earth agree to a marriage of convenience! Definitely not a premise I’ve come across before.

Useless blogger and reviewer that I am I do still get the occasional proof to read and review. And the wonderful Isabelle Kenyon from Fly on the Wall Press still sees fit to include me and offer me such diverse and stimulating books that I am eternally grateful to her. This book from Donna Moore, the Devil's Draper, is a sequel to The Unpicking which I read a couple of months ago. And features Mabel from that book as a police woman in 1920s Glasgow. I have prepared a review but I am holding onto it until publication day. Watch this space!

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-devils-draper-donna-moore.html

This next book was definitely one that I didn't read outside! In fact it's taken me months to read as I kept making copious notes because it's really quite difficult to understand and get your head round. It's Barbara Hand Clow's Alchemy of Nine Dimensions. It's a book that explores the concept of the nine dimensions of human consciousness. And it builds upon the teachings of the Pleiades. It's incredibly complex and I'm not sure I've understood it all. There's lots of maths and science in it. But I did find it quite mind blowing and uplifting and something I'd like to explore further.

But the next book was definitely a sitting outside in the sun book. The Night Visitor by Lucy Atkins. I picked it up in a charity shop. It wasn't an entirely random purchase as I had previously read and enjoyed Magpie Lane by the same author. I guess you'd call them psychological thrillers.

This one is very creepy and uncomfortable almost as the uneasy relationship between Vivian and Olivia is described. It's quite sinister in places but completely gripping.

Sometimes I'm bold enough to approach a publicist on social media and ask if I might have a proof of a book. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This time it did! I had the pleasure of meeting Nina Allan a few years ago when The Doll Maker was published. Since then, I've always read her books. So I was thrilled when Ana McLaughlin at Riverrun sent me a copy of her current book A Granite Silence.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-granite-silence-nina-allan.html

I'm not a fan of romantic fiction on the whole. It just doesn't do it for me. It's generally too saccharin, predictable and unrealistic but that is the nature of some fiction. I do understand the appeal. If you want pure escapism and upliftment, then it's a great genre. It just isn't one I seek out. However, I make an exception when it comes to Beth O'Leary. I read all her books. They're an easy read, a quick read and I cannot put my hand on my heart and say I don't enjoy them because I do. But they won't turn me into a romantic fiction fan! I think that one of the reasons I enjoy them is because some years ago when I was still a blogger of repute, I was invited to a book event at Quercus Books. They were pushing Beth O'Leary's first book, The Flatshare. I had a proof copy and I asked Beth to sign it for me. She said it was the first time she'd been asked to sign a book. Looking at her success now it's a moment I treasure. I guess I'll continue to read her books. I borrowed Swept Away from the library. 

The Devil’s Draper – Donna Moore

 

Well, I have three words to say after reading this book.

 

     More. Mabel. Please.

 

Hmmmm, I don’t think I’m going to get away with that as a review, am I?! 

 

I read Donna Moore’s The Unpicking, which was an unsettling tale in many respects, and quite dark. Three generations of brave Scottish women endure abuse and the corruption of a police force. All three protagonists were resourceful, plucky and my heart broke for them. An atmospheric piece of historical fiction. At the end of that book, we meet Mabel trying to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. And it never crossed my mind, after I had finished the book,  that I would ever get to meet Mabel again. 

 

Fast forward to The Devil’s Draper, where Mabel is now a fully-fledged member of the police force. Some of the characters we first met in the previous book return here, including the indomitable Winnie and some of the policeman, and the tragic Lillias. But it’s a new story with some new characters. Again, it’s a trio of women who dominate the narrative. Johnnie, a 1920’s female Artful Dodger, Beatrice, a shrewd but caring businesswoman team up with Mabel to investigate rumours of abuse at one of Glasgow’s prominent department stores. They’re all prepared to go that extra mile, even at risk to themselves, to try and uncover the truth.

It's a meaty, substantial story that you can just enjoy as the uncovering of a crime, a competent piece of story storytelling, or you can dig a little deeper and consider the place of women in society, in the police force, in employment and the misogyny that endured during that period in history. 

 

It's well written and well plotted. There are sub plots that nestle obligingly alongside the main one. Unanswered questions from The Unpicking are addressed. The narrative flows easily. The characters, new and old, are well rounded and believable. The historical research is excellent, and the reader is quickly transported to the streets of Glasgow. 

 

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve read The Unpicking or not because you get the general gist of what’s happened in the past within the narrative of the current novel. But my guess is that if you haven’t read it, you will want to after reading this.

 

I’d love for there to be more stories with Mabel as a policewoman. In fact, I’d love to read more of Johnnie and Beatrice too! There are lots of crime solving duos in fiction. Perhaps we could have a crime solving trio?!

 

My thanks to Isabelle Kenyon from Fly on the Wall Press for my gifted copy.