It’s been a good year for books and reading, it is amazing how quickly a chapter here and a chapter there adds up… this is probably my best book year in ages and I hope you enjoy all these reviews!!!
Eddie Winston is Looking for Love
This is my “finding comfort in a tumultuous world” book of the year. If you enjoyed Marianne Cronin’s “The One Hundred Years of Leni and Margot” then you will absolutely love “Eddie Winston is Looking for Love.”
It is the story of Eddie Winston, who happens to be 90 years old, he is a delightful and spritely character who has a full-time job at the local charity shop. He meets a young lady called Bella, who has lost the love of her life and is donating his belongings. These two begin a wonderful friendship and set out on a quest to find Eddie’s first ever kiss… the high and lows of dating when you are 90, online dating, chance meet-ups, you name it and they try it. This read has all the sweet emotions, hilariously funny in sad times, gentle and kind, a poignant read. The perfect escape. I loved it… Five/Five stars!!!
There Are Rivers in the Sky
Right up there in the book of the year pile. Oh my word… a beautiful and lyrical book, feels like a fairytale and reads like a myth. I loved this book from start to finish. Even though it is not a short read, I really wished it would never end. Three stories in different times, all connected by a single drop of water… because water remembers and holds the story, it is people that forget.
In Victorian London, 1840, King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums is born. He has a phenomenal memory and a hopeless life… but tiny glimmers and small chance upon small chance, he is destined for great things. He is passionate about the epic poem of Gilgamesh, set on the ancient Tigris River, in Nineveh and finds himself there discovering ancient artefacts.
In Turkey in 2014, Narin a young Yazidi girl, has a rare condition that will soon cause her to be deaf. Her strong willed grandmother is determined to have her baptised in the sacred lands of the Tigris River, against the backdrop of ISIS attacks and the decimation of her people.
In modern London, Zaleekah is a hydrologist that has relocated to a houseboat on the river Thames, after her recent divorce. Her life appears to be running on the smooth track to success, until she finds a book about Gilgamesh.
These three lives intertwine through time, and as one story fades so another rises up, you have to read on… The book is inspirational in a quiet and gentle way, one feels like it could be a fairy tale, and yet… each of the characters are so real. It is the kind of book that one has to look up facts, just to check on the historicity… I cannot begin to imagine how much research work went into this extraordinary tale. I loved it… definitely my most epic read of the year and right up there in my pile of favourite books ever.
Precipice
Excellent, excellent read, but you wouldn’t expect less from Robert Harris. Robert Harris, journalist/author has the innate ability to interweave fact and fiction and create a gripping tale. The book begins in the summer of 1914, just before the start of World War I, when the British Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith (61 and married with 5 children), became infatuated with London socialite, Venetia Stanley (age 26). The book is based on actual letters that the Prime Minister wrote to Venetia, several times a day – in an era when the postal system actually worked. When he should have been writing minutes for meetings, when his cabinet thought he was writing notes he was actually writing to Venetia.
A young intelligence officer is tasked to find out who is leaking top secret information, throughout the countryside, and he stumbles across their affair. Well, talk about a thriller based on actual facts, but not all the facts. Because while Venetia kept all her letters in a hatbox, the Prime Minister destroyed the letters he received. So this novel is based on a one-sided-correspondence and while one has to read to the end, to see how things turn out, the fact of the matter is that history could have been very different if H. H. Asquith had been paying more attention to his actual job, than to his girl friend.
The Blue Hour
I was thrilled to see a new Paula Hawkin’s novel land on my desk… her books tend to be unsettling reads, to say the least, and I looked forward to finding out what twists and turns she could plot and plan for us this time. Imagine, you are an art curator for an upmarket gallery, and one of the artworks has a bone in it, that is distinctly human looking. Disturbing. Very. This is where the book begins, it human, isn’t it? And if it is then who did it belong to? And so we, the readers travel to a remote island off the coast of Scotland to discover the truth behind the artwork.
Eris island is only accessible for 12 hours of each day because of the tides and to make matters worse, and here begins the claustrophobic feel there is only one causeway to drive on and off the island. There are more than a few characters to wrap your head around: Vanessa, the artist who’s unfaithful husband disappeared without a trace, who bequeathed all her artworks to the Fairburn Gallery, owned by her nemesis Douglas Fairburn’s son. She gifts her house to her best friend Grace, who may have been more than friends. Douglas Fairburn has a horrible demise, possibly at the hands of his wife… and then the Fairburn’s son and his fiancé are added to the story. There is a lot going on, there is a very sinister vibe with this book… you have to pay attention to all the details, and a typical Paula Hawkins… sinister and riveting, not to mention plot twists… a thoroughly excellent read.
The Boyfriend
Earlier this year I flew through Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid’s Series, on audible and I loved it.
(My latest listen on @audible This series lives up to the hype… so good!!! If you enjoy a murder mystery, with heaps of twists and turns… and whatever you are expecting to happen… well, that’s never going to happen!!! These are great reads… in fact great listens, the kind of books that you wish you had further to drive so that you could listen a little longer!!!)
So grabbed The Boyfriend for a weekend away read and it was perfect. Freida McFadden does crime with a twist, loads of twists… and I never ever predict the ending. It’s a murder mystery with so many predictable culprits, that one changes suspect from chapter to chapter and when you finally decide “Who did it,” within a page or two of the end, you will be totally wrong. This is the story of Sidney Shaw, and a few of her girlfriends, all looking for a good life-long relationship, but where does one start in a city like New York? In an app of course. There are several suspects: A saint that rescues our heroine from attack on the streets of New York, there is a terrible date from a dating app, there is the apartment handyman, there is an ex-boyfriend who is a detective… the list feels endless. And the story dips in and out between the past and the present. This book has you doubting even the very nicest people, and the twist in the “tale/tail” was indeed a shocker. Fabulous weekend read if you like a spine chilling murder mystery.
A Short Life
A contemporary South African mystery… and it is fantastic reading.
First things first… the ending. I did not see it coming at all… this is a fast paced read with short sharp chapters that leave you feeling like “just one more.” The story is set in Cape Town, I literally felt like I was driving from spot to spot with the characters… excellent mystery, loads of drama. It took me a little while to figure out who was who, and then I was so invested in the outcome that I can’t put it down… the story is complicated, these are characters that grew up together, it is a friend-group, where everyone knows everyone and just below the surface, loads of secrets are lurking… and the twists and turns never stop. The fact of the matter is, as much as life gets overwhelming and complicated, it’s the little things that keep us rolling on, sometimes to our own detriment.
An accident happens late at night on the Hout Bay road, and another… and the story is trying to unravel what actually happened and how it happened. It is the story if a friend group who have loved, and now lost a close friend, a mother. To find out what happened we step back in time and go on a friendship journey, discovering how all the characters are related, their stories intertwined from school days, from varsity days… and now they are grown up and they head out for a birthday party on a Friday night, and something terrible happens to trigger these accidents… I loved the way the author “caught” the Cape town vibe, the slow start to the day, the bustling world of advertising, and the live locations. You can’t help reading on, you have to find out who was at fault and how… and the final twist… does put everything into the correct box, so to speak, but one is left wondering, who is to blame. This looks like a book about friendship on the surface, but it goes deeper than that, and the mystery that winds it way through the story keeps you reading. A fabulous local read, flying through the streets of Cape Town at night.
We Solve Murders
Richard Osman – you know it is going to be a fun read!!! It is definitely not the Thursday Murder Club, and I did not get into it as well as the Thursday Murder Club, just saying, but it is still clever Richard Osman, and lovely British-isms throughout. This is the story of a crime-solving pair: Amy, who is ready for all the action, right now, and her father-in-law, Steve, who has years of experience and is more of a “wait and see” kind of character.
Amy is tasked with looking after Rosie, a world renowned author. Amy thought is would be an easy task, but wherever Rosie goes, so do dead bodies and cash, not to mention traces of Amy’s blood. Amy is being set up, and therein lies the mystery.
She calls on her father-in-law for help, he has recently lost his wife and takes solace in talking to her and his stray cat, Trouble, while on his favourite bench. Trouble is possibly my favourite character in the entire book.
Otherwise there are criminals, and true Osman characters!!! For example, Francios Loubet, a money launderer, who uses chatGPT to send all his communication in the style of a friendly English gentleman. There is a very naive and unsuspicious influencer, that should know better than to dabble in the world of couriering packages… There is a lot of to and fro, and banter throughout the book, as our characters race around the world… a good fun read and definitely a great read to set you off on a the way of another wonderful Richard Osman series.
By Any Other Name
True confession, I have never read a Jodi Picoult novel before, turns out to my detriment. Put this straight onto your must read list… I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is another story set in two eras and two locations… There is an Elizabethan playwright, called Emilia Bassano, in London, who has the most difficult and troubling life… she writes plays and earns a pittance by selling them to a local actor, called William Shakespeare (the very one!). And there is a modern playwright, Melina Green, a descendant of Emilia, who writes a play questioning the authentic authorship of Shakespeare’s plays. Turns out that times haven’t changed that much and the chances of getting her play onto the stage is highly unlikely, until her housemate, a chap of course, posts her play to a local competition under a pseudonym. The story of Emilia Basson had me intrigued, sold as a courtesan, at a very young age, and then bartered off to a despicable husband… her life has highs and so many lows… she has loved and lost, and yet somehow she triumphs. Melina, is not as likeable and her problems are very much “first world” problems, and yet one becomes so invested in her story, because you want to see her triumph, if only to find out more about the extremely likeable Amelia Bassano. This is a great read, put it on your list for the holiday season and immerse yourself in it.
How to Age Disgracefully
Let me start by saying I love Clare Pooley’s writing, her first two books The People on Platform Five and the Authenticity Project were fabulous reads for me. Wonderful feel good stories, with loads of interweaving and stories within the stories… In this one a community center, that houses a Senior Citizens Club and a daycare center, is doomed for destruction. Lydia takes a job helping the Senior Citizens, thinking she will be taking it easy, possibly playing card games and drinking tea. She very quickly realises that there is more going on here than she ever expected and there is a lot more spunk left in these personalities than she ever expected. I love how Clare Pooley takes multiple characters and mixes them together, gives it a little stir and sees how it will all turn out. Fantastic read, perfect for a weekend away or a summer holiday read… not only will you laugh out loud, but you will walk away from this one with a spring in your step.
Maria’s Keepers
I found this book really hard to read, it is a powerful message that all is not neceseraly as it seems. This is the memoir of Maria who grew up, somewhat reluctantly, in the Johovah’s Witness church. The book describes her escape from a world of every kind of abuse, in the name of the church. Where Maria cried out for help, she was indeed blamed for her own abuse and instead of compromising and complying she broke away, but at a terrible price, she may no longer be allowed to speak to her family, ever again. The pain and the trauma was particularly disturbing, that a young woman should have to go through this and the bravery required to expose the people responsible for her abuse, was just indescribably painful. A story that needs to be told, but be warned it is a hard book to read.
The Collected Regrets of Clover
I can’t believe this book didn’t get it’s own review in the Hall of Fame Reviews, it is a fabulous read… I loved it from start to finish. Clover is one of those people that seems trip over death in her path. Her kindergarten teacher passed away in class, while reading Peter Rabbit, she lost her parents in a car accident and was raised by her Grandfather. Her grandfather passed away while she was on holiday, and that left a void… Clover grows up and she becomes a death doula, which means that she helps people through their final days.
Clover is the most delightful character, somewhat eccentric, extremely lonely… and the kindest soul, she immerses herself in her clients final wishes, possibly to her own detriment. When she meets a feisty 91 year old, with regrets, Clover starts to realise that she could have done things differently. She goes on a journey of discovery, for her client, and unintentionally herself. Despite the theme, one of the most energising and life fulfilling reads ever… happy energy throughout. A great read!!!
Clytemnestra
Another book that slipped through the Book Review cracks, that definitely deserves a great review… I listened to the audible of this book, it made the names of classical Greece a lot easier to get through! I love books with a feisty protagonist, well can I say the Clytemnestra is possibly the feistiest I have ever encountered. Set in Ancient Greece, her father raised her as he would a son, to rule over his legacy… she is educated, she is trained and she is ready to launch… and then he marries her to a tyrant, who destroys her child. Clytemnestra plots her revenge with mercurial detail. This book is epic in every way… battles are fought and one, treachery and mayhem, betrayal and heart wrenching loss. Clytemnestra will not be destroyed, she rises up, powered by revenge, only to discover that revenge comes at a personal cost. This book brings Greek mythology to life in a way that surprised me… I was so invested in the outcome that I read and read late into the night. This is not a quick read: settle in and enjoy.
A lot of these books were given to us for review purposes by Penguin Random House South Africa, a few of them I bought myself, and a couple of them I bought the audible version as well. This is not a sponsored post and opinions expressed are entirely my own.