Friday, 24 March 2017

Do Butlers Burgle Banks?: PG Wodehouse - 1968 ***

›
    " Mr. Wodehouse's idyllic world can never stale. He will continue to release future generations from captivity that may...

The Enchanted April: Elizabeth von Arnim - 1922 *****

›
    'The Enchanted April' is one of those rare and lovely treats, a book you delight in picking up whenever possible, where e...

Departure Lounge: Chad Taylor - 2006 ** 1/2

›
  Departure Lounge is one of those very odd books that tries far too hard to be something it's not. I am all for Hard Boiled ...
Friday, 16 December 2016

A Month in the Country: J.L. Carr - 1980 *****

›
  Could there be a more beautiful and sumptuous story about rural life than 'A Month in the Country'? For such a short bo...
Saturday, 10 December 2016

Daisy Miller & The Turn of the Screw - Henry James: 1898 ***

›
Daisy Miller is an amusing, funny social commentary of what happens when a holidaymaker meets a young, beautifully tempestuous flirt....

Sleeping with the Enemy - Nancy Price: 1986 **

›
I very rarely say this, but I found the book version of 'Sleeping with the Enemy' vastly inferior to the film. The film is re...
Friday, 9 December 2016

The Ballad of Peckham Rye: 1960 **

›
Such a shame to start on Muriel Spark with such a poorly written book. Peckham is the location of Dougal Douglas, a ruffian intent on...

Wake Up, Sir - Jonathan Ames: 2004 ****

›
  'Wake Up, Sir' is an extemely odd book. I spied it in the library and thought how interesting it looked. What a good choice...

The Clocks - Agatha Christie: 1963 **

›
  'The Clocks' is one of those Agatha Christie books that has so much potential. I started reading and KNEW it was going to b...
Monday, 29 August 2016

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Stephen Chbosky - 1999 **

›
Another book I found immensely worse than it's film. 'Perks of Being a Wallflower' is effectively an anthem for troubled youth...

Borderline: Lawrence Block - 1965 ****

›
I've never read any pulp fiction before, so this was a thrilling first read. Like a really sleazy film noir, I loved it, loved most of...

Until You're Mine: Samantha Hayes - 2013 *****

›
Claudia appears to have it all. She's expecting a much wanted baby, she has a wonderful husband, a lovely home and she's just hire...

Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly: Agatha Christie - 1954 ****

›
Adorable, and as always Poirot always reconstructs the crime perfectly in his head before you've even had time to familiarise yourse...

Death of An Avid Reader : Frances Brody - 2014 ****

›
Kate Shackleton is a great character. Headstrong and intelligent, yet charming and funny, I'm glad that Frances Brody came up with suc...

The Island of Dr Moreau:HG Wells - 1896 **

›
I wanted so much to love this, I found the film immensely terrifying (The Island of Lost Souls) but the book didn't do it for me. The...

You Sent Me a Letter: Lucy Dawson- 2016 ****1/2

›
'You sent me a letter' has a great pace. One of those books you cannot stop reading even if it's early in the morning and you ...

Ava Gardner-The Secret Conversations: Peter Evans - 2013 ****

›
In the late 1980s, Peter Evans was approached by none other than beautiful star Ava Gardner in order that he would ghost write her au...

Black Sheep: Susan Hill - 2013 ***

›
Susan Hill's 'Black Sheep' was overall very disappointing. Hill is usually such an expect at writing short stories and co...

Carol (The Price of Salt): Patricia Highsmith - 1952 **

›
'Carol', otherwise known as 'The Price of Salt' was overall very disappointing as a book. Having watched the beautifu...

Something Borrowed, Someone Dead: M.C. Beaton 2014 ****

›
My first Agatha Raisin was great fun. I've read one Hamish MacBeth so was great to see two completely different characters t...

Mrs Jeffries Dusts For Clues: Emily Brightwell 2013 **

›
I appear to be in the minority here, but I didn't find this book to be entertaining in the slightest. Mrs Jeffries, the hous...
Thursday, 11 August 2016

The Norfolk Nightmare: David Thurlow - 1991 **

›
I bought this primarily because it covered some cases from Norfolk that I had never heard from. From that respect this was a good book...

Washington Square: Henry James - 1881 ****1/2

›
I'm a fairly latecomer to Henry James, being initially put off him because it appears he is no longer deemed popular in lite...

Play Misty For Me: Paul J. Gillette - 1971 ****

›
Being rather obsessed with this film I felt it only right to read the book immediately to compare my viewpoints. I hurtled throu...
Wednesday, 3 August 2016

The Rock Pool: Cyril Connolly - 1934 *

›
  'The Rock Pool' is a heavy going satire about a man with high expectations which are slowly shattered as he drifts through Ca...
Tuesday, 2 August 2016

My Mother's Keeper: B.D. Hyman - 1985 ****

›
  As a huge fan of Bette Davis, it was a toss up whether I wanted to read this harrowing account of her life, told from the viewpoint o...
Monday, 1 August 2016

The Miniaturist : Jessie Burton - 2014 *****

›
What a breathtaking book. 'The Miniaturist' conjures up all sorts of images. Haunting, melancholy, powerful and beautiful, wh...

Valley of the Dolls: Jacqueline Susann - 1966 *****

›
'Valley of the Dolls' is a really spellbinding novel. Having seen the film many times and loved it (mainly because of my...
Monday, 27 April 2015

Parker Pyne Investigates - Agatha Christie 1934 *****

›
Another hidden gem from the true Queen of crime, this time centring around an unassuming and rather meek man named Parker Pyne who'...
Wednesday, 22 April 2015

The Good Girl - Mary Kubica 2015 ****

›
  I was recommended this thriller and found myself almost immediately becoming besotted with the writing and style. I took the book eve...