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.