June Round Up

 First up this month is a charity shop find, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. For reasons unknown, even to me, I did confuse this title with Stuart Turton’s The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Perhaps it’s the seven, perhaps it’s the Evelyn. Anyway I’ve read them both now so I can leave my confusion behind. I enjoyed the book and its structure, each part dealing with a different husband. I thought it conjured a palpable picture of the Hollywood heydays.

I treated myself to a copy of this from my local, independent book shop. Historical fiction always appeals, especially this period in history, the Plantagenets and the Tudors, the mystery of the princes. What I loved about this was that in addition to the history the book had something to say about identity. I enjoyed how the character of John/Lambert/Edward developed.

I read The Salt Path several years ago and really enjoyed it. I went to see the film for my birthday treat this year. I enjoyed it. But it couldn’t hope to encompass the breadth of the book. I think it did a good job of showing the relationship between Raynor and Moth. It motivated me to read my copy of Landlines that I’ve had for months. More of the same I suppose. I did enjoy it, but not as much as the previous book.

The next book was a birthday present. Very unexpected but I was delighted because I enjoy Susie Dent’s input on social media. I’m a wordsmith, a word, lover, and so Guilty by Definitions was right up my street. I thought it was extremely clever and very well plotted. And anybody who’s into etymology and loves words I think would enjoy the book. It was one of those mysteries where I suspected everybody at some point.

My first library book this month was Elizabeth MacNeal's The Burial Plot. I loved MacNeal's debut novel The Doll Factory. I loved the atmosphere it created and the women in art theme that was in part continued in The Burial Plot albeit a different kind of creativity. Richly described and researched it leans towards the gothic. I've now reserved Circus of Wonders from the library, MacNeal's second book.

Local authors often choose a local book shop for their book launch. Fiona Cummins did just that. That's where I purchased my copy of Some of Us Are Liars and had it signed too! Fiona's books are unputdownables. Twisted, dark plots that have you second guessing, usually incorrectly! The character of Saul Anguish is fascinating. and if you've read all of Fiona's books including her recent Quick Reads offering A Boy Called Saul you will be acquainted with the nuances and contradictions of his life. The setting is local to me and that offers an additional dynamic to the pleasure of the read because you know the places being described. 

Another library book, Lucy Steed's The Artist, shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize this year. Having read it I can see why. A young art journalist  secures an audience with a renowned, reclusive painter who lives in Provence with his niece whom he dominates and denies her any true liberty. The novel explores families, love, art and secrecy. I thought it fell away towards the end and it felt a bit rushed but otherwise it was an engrossing read. 

I was lucky enough to win another Librarything giveaway. and what a gem thus turned out to be. I wrote about it on my blog. 

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/06/degree-of-guilt-dan-cogan.html

The Planet Spins on its Axis, Regardless - Kavita A. Jindal - Blog Tour

 

An arresting collection of short stories across diverse locations. And whilst they seem, on the surface, to be separate from each other there is a convergent theme - the human condition, examined and observed from various perspectives.  Indian culture plays a big part but there are universal notions here to be considered. And ultimately I found it to be quite a philosophical collection. However there is a quirkiness throughout that prevents any kind of preaching or axe grinding. There is a balance between the light hearted and the serious. Something I loved was how the eccentricities are expressed as everyday, normal.

Like any collection I had my favourites; Shamans in Luburbia, possibly because I loved the concept of fusing London and surburbia into Luburbia. Genius! It's about the menopause too and I loved the interaction between the characters. These lines grabbed me, 'We are creating rituals for menopause as we couldn't find any. We will strengthen and release our inner shamanic forces.' Take that HRT!

I found When You Go You Leave a Farce quite moving as an unnamed character returns carry out her deceased father's wishes to scatter his ashes in a precise spot in what turns out to be a dried up river (sorry if that's a spoiler). However it allows her to reconnect with her family after eighteen years. 

Other stories offer much food for thought - pre-conception agreements, revenge, friendship but the final, titular story pulls the ultimate punch and it's barely a page long!

'It's out of your control. Realise this, and everything is easy. Also much more difficult. Because you'll put your efforts in, dial up to the max, then wait. Nothing may happen, something may happen. It's out of your control.'

Indeed it is. 

My thanks to Isobelle Kenyon at Fly on the Wall Press for a copy of the book and a place upon the blog tour.

Kavita A. Jindal is an award-winning fiction writer, poet and essayist. Her novel Manual For A Decent Life, published by Linen Press in the U.K., won the Eastern Eye Award for Literature (2020) and was shortlisted for the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize (2022). Her poetry publications include Raincheck Renewed and Patina. Her short stories and poems have appeared in anthologies and literary journals worldwide and been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Zee TV UK and European radio stations. Selected poems have been translated into Arabic, German, Italian, Punjabi, Romanian, Spanish and Ukrainian. Reviewers have said of her writing: "witty and wry, with a steely heart" and of the novel "the book's boldness, beauty and courage are utterly seductive." Kavita previously served as Senior Editor at Asia Literary Review and is the co-founder of The Whole Kahani collective for British-Asian writers. She enjoys collaborating with other artists across a range of projects. www.kavitajindal.com

https://servinghousebooks.com/theplanetspins/

Degree of Guilt - Dan Cogan

 

Oh! Don’t you just love it when you are sent a book that you know nothing about, by an author you’ve never heard of, have zero expectations and you remember from past experiences in this situation that you can sometimes end up with four hundred pages of self-published tedium  - yet it turns out to be a real page turner? That is exactly what happened with Degree of Guilt and, joy of joys, it’s just the first in a series – Baby of the Bailey. And I can’t wait for the next book(s) in the series!

 

It's a mufti faceted plot that involves murder, a court case, family dynamics, mysterious pasts and a complex investigation and that’s for starters! The plot is convoluted and twisty. The court room sequences are intense, there is a lot of quite detailed and specific points of law which I did find a bit hard going, I would imagine the author has some kind of background in the legal world. But there is a good balance with the other aspects of the story. I found it to be a well-constructed story 

 

Emily du Lac is our ‘Baby of the Bailey’, an energetic law student, impetuous, enthusiastic, a tad juvenile at times, but with those instincts that send her sniffing out solutions like a dog trained to find truffles. Her exuberance is infectious and exasperating in equal measure! But I do think that some of her ‘activities’ would not necessarily ensure her a long, legal career! She is the standout character closely followed by her mentor and tutor Nigel. 

 

If the author does not have a legal background, then his research is impeccable. But there is also a lot of technical computer know how and medical knowledge too. 

 

There are plenty of red herrings but there were several aspects that I did figure out. However, the epilogue was a genius master stroke that I didn’t see coming and had me chuckling long after I put the book down. 

 

It’s one of those stories that if you were to sit back and consider it objectively and realistically you might conclude it was far fetched but Mr. Cogan is such a good storyteller that the reader is enveloped and invested totally in the story.

 

My thanks to Librarything and the author for a copy of this book – signed – oh yes! I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am looking forwards to more in the series.