September Round Up

A leaner month, this month, because I’ve only managed six books. No particular reason, just the way it’s panned out. However, four of them have been Library books which I find very pleasing. There was a time when I was getting numerous books from publishers to review that I found it hard to fit in Library books. But because I don’t get quite so many now, it does mean I can use my Library more. Another reason I’m using my Library more is because I have just got so many books, I’ve had to consciously curb my book buying. That sounds sacrilege, doesn’t it? But I’m getting old and when I finally pop my clogs, somebody’s got to clear all these books out and find somewhere for them. I feel it’s irresponsible for me to keep adding to them. So, a lot of books that I might previously have bought, I am reserving at the Library. I’m also glad that authors do benefit from my borrowing. I know that the Public Lending Right scheme provides direct payment to authors for each loan and I’m sure there must be a host of other benefits to for both author and publisher so I don’t feel quite so bad about doing it. But I’m wittering on so without further ado let’s get to the roundup.

 

A friend of mine mentioned that she'd found a Dawn French book at a charity shop and she was really enjoying it. It reminded me that somewhere on my TBR shelves I had a Dawn French book that’s been languishing there for years. I used to belong to a website community called Read It Swap It. Basically, you offered up your superfluous books and swapped them with one of the other members for one of their superfluous books. And that was how I came about this Dawn French book. It’s called According to Yes. I found it to be an engaging story about British Rosie quitting the UK for a job as a nanny to a somewhat privileged American family. Rosie challenges the regime of the house somewhat and there is a rather unlikely premise that I’m unwilling to divulge because it would be a spoiler yet it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the book as much it could possibly have done. The book had an easy narrative flow to it, and I quite liked Rosie as a character. Plus, there was something satisfying about relieving my TBR shelf of one of its probably oldest residents.

 

Next up is a library book – R.F.Kuang’s Katabasis. I was delighted to snaffle a copy of this so soon after publication, although I had put in my request a while back. I think I may even have got a pristine unread copy. I just can’t make up my mind about this author. I read Babel and Yellowface. I enjoyed them both although I thought Babel was perhaps over long. I think Yellowface suffered from a lot of social media hype and whilst I enjoyed its savage satire, I’m not sure it lived up to the hype. Katabasis though is hell to read! Pun Intended. It’s complex and ambitious. Pure fantasy. Yet it offers some thoughts about the world of academia. How the pursuit of the mind and intellectual activities take precedence over the health of the body. It’s also a love story. But probably not anything along the lines of Mills and Boon. It’s a complex plot, an intelligent one. I would say though that the main female character, Alice Law, did get on my nerves a bit. Am I allowed to say that? Well, I have. So there.

 

My third book this month was that unusual thing nowadays a book from a publisher and a place upon a block tour! I was disproportionately over the moon. The book in  question is Appointment in Paris by Jane Thynne.I wrote about it on my blog.

 

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/09/appointment-in-paris-jane-thynne.html

 

Another Library book which I was really interested to read. Ova Ceren’s debut novel The Book of Heartbreak. I think at one point many years ago over she may have been a blogger like myself. I think she moved on to becoming an ‘influencer’ on TikTok and Instagram. But whilst most bloggers and influencers stay on their social media sidelines Ova has only gone and written a book! It’s supposedly a young adult book but I’m an old adult and I really enjoyed it. I was really impressed. It’s well written with a lovely flow to the narrative. It’s well plotted, exciting with a satisfying conclusion. I think many a young adult will really enjoy reading this fantasy story. It’s pitched just right.

 

Probably because of my long recovery from Covid, I haven’t attended as many bookshop events as I did last year. But I’ve had a run lately and I spent the most enjoyable evening listening to Jo Wood. Jo is probably the highest profile celebrity who’s been to the bookshop. But she was an absolute delight. So down to earth and genuine. And she’s written a novel. I haven’t read it yet it’s sitting there patiently waiting for me, but I was so interested in everything Jo had to say that I found her autobiography in the library and I read that. My goodness what a life she’s led. And I feel even more privileged to have chatted with her and had my photo taken with her. I know it's become something of a cliché now for anybody with any claims to fame to write a memoir or an autobiography, I’ve read some that are dire, but this isn’t one of them. It’s really engaging and entertaining.

I read Nydia Hetherington‘s A Girl Made of Air and was completely captivated by it. It contains one of my favorite names for a character of all time – Serendipity Wilson! I wrote about the book on my blog.

 https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-girl-made-of-air-nydia-hetherington.html

So I was delighted to find a copy of her next book, Sycorax, sitting on the Library shelf, begging me to take it out on loan. I obliged willingly. Sycorax is the witch in Shakespeare’s the Tempest, never seen, but described as a witch in the mother of Caliban. Nydia Hetherington has created a wonderful fictional tale of Sycorax from her origins right through to the birth of her son, Caliban. It’s a richly imagined tale, encompassing issues, such as living with chronic pain, isolation, and being an outcast as well as weaving a wondrous story of a lesser character.

  

Appointment in Paris – Jane Thynne

 

My introduction to Jane Thynne was via her two dystopian novels, Widowland and Queen High, under the name C.J.Carey. Both stories had mind blowing premises; the former saw the UK having submitted to Germany and the latter, a sequel, where Wallis Simpson is the reigning monarch! Both stories make for thought provoking reads. 

So, I jumped at the chance to read Appointment in Paris which appears to be a second story featuring Harry Fox and Stella Fry, the first being Midnight in Vienna.

 

Whilst a distinctly different genre there were recognisable elements of style and narrative that I had come to enjoy and admire from Thynne/Carey’s work.  Appointment in Paris is an espionage thriller set in those dramatic days before the outbreak of WWII. Set in both the UK and France the catalyst for the story’s evolution is Trent Park, a stately home once owned by Siegfried Sassoon’s cousin, Philip Sassoon. After Sasson’s death the house was requisitioned by the government to house captured Germans and extract information from them via ‘listeners’.

 

Everything is thrust into disarray when the body of a Luftwaffe officer is found in the grounds and on that same day one of the ‘listeners’ goes missing.  Fears that they could expose the entire operation ignite a desperate search to find them ensues. MI5 step in to engage the services of Harry Fox and pair him up with his previous associate, Stella Fry. 

 

What follows is a work of historical fiction, diligently researched, an authentic atmosphere palpably created and populated with believable characters which moves along at a steady pace. It is not a white-knuckle thriller but it is very much a thriller. Something I admired was how subtle and underplayed some of the events, were creating a sense of unease and impending danger that seemed all the more thrilling for not being thrust obviously in the readers’ path. Something of a mystery story, too, as identities and motives are unfurled. I had to chuckle in some places for as I came to a realisation or conclusion it was often echoed by Harry, and I ended up thinking that he and I would make a good team! 

 

The relationship between Stella and Harry is adroitly depicted. There’s an element of will they, won’t they, but there’s no, shall we say, exclusivity!

 

Something else I found quite delightful was the inclusion of real-life characters. And I am loathe to identify them here because I would see that as a spoiler. It was something else that reminded me of the C.J. Carey books, where Wallace Simpson is Queen of England.

 

The conclusion is satisfying yet there is a sense of an unresolved connection between Fox and Fry so it paves the way potentially for more from Harry and Stella. I hope so. In the mean time I shall seek out a copy of Midnight in Vienna.

 

My thanks to Emily Patience and Quercus Books for a gifted copy and spot upon the blog tour. 

 

 

August Round Up

 Here we are again, another month and I still continue with this round up even though I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who reads it! Never mind. It exists as a diary of my monthly reading. My fears that my age was slowing down my reading were unfounded. I'm back to my average eight books a month total with a decent variety of genre.

First up was a birthday gift. Amy Jeffs' Saints. I've read her previous two books and thoroughly enjoyed therm. I won't say I didn't enjoy this, but I felt it lacked the impact that the other two had on me. It was interesting enough and as usual Amy's research is impeccable but I felt it was lacklustre  compared to the first two.

Next, in a real genre switch, was Amy Lilwall with The Water That May Come. I say genre switch because I read somewhere that this is categorised as cli-fi. Yes, you read that correctly. It's short for climate fiction, I guess. I found it to be an utterly compelling and riveting read until perhaps the latter stage is when I felt it fell off a bit. It was sent to me by the brilliant Isabelle Kenyon from Fly on the Wall Press. It's not published till October so I'm sitting on my review until then. 

William Shaw is one of those authors whose books I will always read. The Red Shore is billed as an Eden Driscoll mystery which suggests it might be the start of a new series. I've no problem with that. I've enjoyed all of William Shaw's detectives, Breen and Tozer, Alexandra Cupidi and the stand alone novels. All crime stories, all well plotted with flawed yet endearing characters. Stories that keep you guessing right till the end. Keep 'em coming, William.

I was waiting to collect a Library book that I'd reserved. And I wasn't the only person that had reserved it so I wanted to make sure I wasn't in the middle of a lengthy tome when I picked it up and I could begin it straight away. I had this book by Susanna Clarke sitting on my shelf. It suggested from the blurb that it's a Christmassy tale, but I didn't mind that. I've loved both of Susanna Clarke's books. In fact, Piranesi is on my forever shelf, it's so wonderful. This didn't disappoint. Quirky, magical, enchanting, it tells of Merowdis who can talk to trees and animals. It has the feel of an allegorical tale and I've a feeling this is going to go on my forever shelf too. (My forever shelf is those books that have such an impact on me. I want to read them again before I die).

And here's the library book I was waiting for! Sophie Haydock's Madame Matisse. I loved The Flames so I was really excited to see what she'd come up with next. Again it's art themed. I reviewed it on my blog here.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/08/madame-matisse-sophie-haydock.html

I read a Robert Harris book when I was the fortunate recipient of the entire long list for the Walter Scott historical fiction prize in 2023, Act of Oblivion. I enjoyed the book and I gave it to my yoga teacher who is a Harris fan and she reciprocated by giving me her copy of Pompeii. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it very engrossing. I like the way it was seen through the eyes of four different characters and I think I engaged most with the young engineer, Marcus Attilius. Harris always makes his books believable. The research is incredible. And I learned a lot about aqueducts.

Next up, another Library book, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I was very excited to read this as I loved her previous two books. And this was wonderful. I wrote about it on my blog.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/08/atmosphere-taylor-jenkins-reid.html

Finally, this month a book from the good folks at HQ stories Phoenicia Rogerson's Aphrodite. There was a whole spate of Greek myth influenced fiction a while back and I thought maybe the infatuation with mythology had ended. But it certainly hasn't. This was joyous. A quirky, witty romp through the lives and loves of mortals and gods with Aphrodite as the main character. I suppose I may find it irreverent but I didn't. I just love the audacity of the goddess of love! Girl Power, heck yeah!

Atmosphere – Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

It might be something of a cliché to say that this book is ‘out of this world’ but it is, and literally in parts!

If a book can make you cry, does that make it a good book? 

Maybe space stories are becoming a ‘thing’ like novels about Greek mythology became and still are a ’thing’. After all a space story won the Booker prize and whilst I don’t think this story will reach those heights, I found it to be an extraordinarily good book. And I cried.

 

Not only is it a cracking good tale but it is rich with atmosphere and some profound speculations and philosophies regarding love, life, God and more. Thematically it looks at the place of women in a male dominated world, female empowerment, attitudes towards sexuality and the impact on life choices. 

 

I suppose it could be considered an historical novel given that it is set in the 1970’s/1980’s when space travel and NASA seemed to be solely the domain of men. We learn of what it takes to become an astronaut, which is fascinating, and we also find out what happens when a mission goes horribly wrong.

 

But the book is subtitled – A Love Story – and it is very much one. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll say no more about. But, reader, I cried. It could be argued that it errs on the side of sentimental but, regardless of that, it seems to work. I guess it’s also about love on several levels, romantic, sexual, familial, parental, love of one’s occupation and interests. 

 

The characters, Joan and Vanessa particularly, seem to be the antithesis of Taylor Jenkins Reid previous characters, I’m thinking perhaps of Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Eveyln Hugo, because they seem less flawed in a sense. Joan is almost perfect!!

 

I think this story really cemented in my mind the importance of structure in a novel. Not that I wasn’t aware of it before, but the arrangement of the timelines impacted greatly on my emotional response to the characters and the action. The story begins in 1984 during a crisis, but Reid takes us back several years to gives us the perspectives and backstories before returning, strategically, to the space drama. Each time we return there we know a little more about the characters which affords the reader a much more intense response to the event that is unfolding. It’s very powerful

 

I found it to be a compelling and absorbing story, and I defy anyone not to go looking at the night sky after they’ve read it. That is, if you didn’t already look at the night sky. 

Madame Matisse – Sophie Haydock

 

It seems that Sophie Haydock may be carving a little niche for herself as a champion of women in art. Specifically women as muses and soul mates to and of artists. Egon Schiele’s muses were the focus for The Flames and here, I think the title gives it away, the wife of Henri Matisse dominates much of the narrative, along with Lydia Delectorskaya and Marguerite, Matisse’s daughter from his first marriage. 

 

Each woman is given a voice in this latest imagining and Haydock skilfully guides us through the tangle of these women’s lives and their relationships to and with Matisse. 

And whilst Amelie and Henri are not quite Sharon and Ozzy it is apparent how large a part she played in his career. All the women have their own kind of strength palpably depicted by Sophie Haydock. I always think the mark of good historical fiction is where the reader goes scuttling off to research further because the story has piqued their interest. I became fascinated by these women, particularly Amelie and Lydia and was keen to read more about them, and after some googling to see photos too, which gave me another dimension.

 

But I would not have done that if Sophie Haydock’s story was not so beautifully written and so thoroughly researched. That period in art comes alive with all the vibrancy of Matisse’s palette and the reader is transported into the very fabric of their lives and becomes invested in all of them. She highlights their rivalries objectively and accurately one feels, the fusing of fact and fiction is seamless, immersive and completely believable. And the writing is as colourful as the paintings being described. 

One also gets a flavour of the life of an artist in 1930’s France and the context within which Matisse lived and worked. A most enjoyable read. 

 

 

July Round Up

 Fewer books this months compared to previous ones. I don’t know what the reason for that is. Maybe as I’m aging and slowing down even my reading is slowing down!

First up this month, Jacinda Arden’s, A Different Kind of Power. I bought this with my birthday money. I can remember during lockdown admiring how she dealt with the pandemic in her country. I know she’s since received some flack for it and that’s putting it mildly. But I did enjoy reading the book and seeing how she came to be Prime Minister of New Zealand. I read some suggestions that it was ghostwritten, but given that she appeared to have written a lot of her own speeches, I’m wondering if she did write it herself. I hope so.

My friend lent me this book. Susan Lewis, and The Girl Who Came Back. An easy, undemanding read. That may seem like a paradox with a psychological thriller, but I find them unexacting reads. Two different timelines, the past and the present. I enjoyed the book and read it quite quickly, although to an extent it was contrived and some of the situations posed some credibility challenges. 

After having read The Burial Plot last month, I realized there was one Elizabeth MacNeal book I hadn’t read, so I borrowed it from the library. The Circus of Wonders, which explores the Victorian obsession with freak shows. I enjoy Elizabeth MacNeal‘s writing, and this one was no exception. I found it thoroughly absorbing, and it seem to totally capture the ambience of that era.

My next book was also a library book. The wonderful Rebecca Wait’s Havoc. And havoc is what it is! It’s not often that you laugh out loud when reading a book but there were two or three occasions when I really did, the writing is so witty. There was a St. Trinians feel about the school as a mysterious illness threatens the well-being and survival of pupils, teachers and school. It’s not all sweetness and light, though there’s some tragedy amidst all the humor. But Wait’s excellent writing dominates, and I shall continue to read her books.

My final book this month is also a library book. Gytha Lodge’s stand-alone Dead to Me. I say standalone, because DCI Jonah Sheens doesn’t feature in it. I felt a twinge of disappointment at this, but I soon forgot all about it as I became immersed in the story. Set amongst the elite world of Cambridge academia, journalist Anna goes undercover to try and solve a suspicious death. Her ex who is a detective is the only person she can trust. I enjoyed the narrative which tells the story from the different perspectives of the characters. It’s twisty and turny. But as always with Gytha Lodge’s work, she strikes a fine balance with her narratives.

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