Image by Mohamed_hassan from Pixabay
According to Goodreads, I've managed 32 books this year, which is five more than last year. However, that does include at least two books I gave up on before finishing - coincidently, the first and last books of the year! I don't like to give up on books, but I've come to realise that just grimly ploughing through a book you're not actually enjoying is a waste of time. After all, I'm reading these books for pleasure, not just to prove how stubborn I am!
But enough of the books I didn't finish, for whatever reason. Most of the books I've started this year I've finished, and enjoyed as well. Here are some of the highlights.
But enough of the books I didn't finish, for whatever reason. Most of the books I've started this year I've finished, and enjoyed as well. Here are some of the highlights.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
A wonderful book, just in the strange and beautiful alternative world that Clarke has created. In this world is played out a mystery tale, the slow uncovering of truth by a man who has forgotten what and who he was. But even after he understands, the experience of having lived in the House has changed him forever.
The story is great, but what will stay with me is the imagery - the infinite House, with its tides and statues and endless halls. The links to our own world are hinted at, but not fully explained, and that mystery remains after others are solved. The imagery is deeper than the story.
A wonderful book, just in the strange and beautiful alternative world that Clarke has created. In this world is played out a mystery tale, the slow uncovering of truth by a man who has forgotten what and who he was. But even after he understands, the experience of having lived in the House has changed him forever.
The story is great, but what will stay with me is the imagery - the infinite House, with its tides and statues and endless halls. The links to our own world are hinted at, but not fully explained, and that mystery remains after others are solved. The imagery is deeper than the story.
Valuable and Repression Ground
by Liz (E. M.) Carter
by Liz (E. M.) Carter
I'm putting these two books together, not just because they are by the same author but because they have a common theme, and I found it fascinating to see how Liz Carter shared the same message in both non-fiction and fiction books.
In Valuable, her aim is to show that we should not be valued on the basis of how 'useful' we are but that we each have an intrinsic worth just as people. Written primarily for Christians, it draws on both biblical teaching and personal experience to make the point.
In Repression Ground, she shows the dystopian world that would result from valuing people purely on how useful they are - and it's a chilling glimpse into a possible future. Aimed at YA readers, it is an exciting and absorbing adventure storey, as the main character - known at first only as 'Girl C', since she as not yet 'earned' a name - comes to recognise the oppressiveness of the system she lives under - and the true value of people. But recognising it is one thing - escaping from it is a lot harder!
Both books are written in a style which is very accessible and easy to read - but both have some deep thinking behind them!
In Valuable, her aim is to show that we should not be valued on the basis of how 'useful' we are but that we each have an intrinsic worth just as people. Written primarily for Christians, it draws on both biblical teaching and personal experience to make the point.
In Repression Ground, she shows the dystopian world that would result from valuing people purely on how useful they are - and it's a chilling glimpse into a possible future. Aimed at YA readers, it is an exciting and absorbing adventure storey, as the main character - known at first only as 'Girl C', since she as not yet 'earned' a name - comes to recognise the oppressiveness of the system she lives under - and the true value of people. But recognising it is one thing - escaping from it is a lot harder!
Both books are written in a style which is very accessible and easy to read - but both have some deep thinking behind them!
Underworld Nights by Charles Raven
Here's something a bit different!
For a book which was published the year before I was born, this was a surprisingly engaging read! Supposedly written by a member of the criminal fraternity, it certainly seems authentic enough, and is brimming with colourful language (much of it cockney rhyming slang: whistle = whistle and flute = suit, bird = bird-lime = time, i.e. time in prison). Even more full of colourful characters, such as 'College Harry', 'Sapphire Harris', 'Short Time Lew' and so on.
The stories are all quite short and all true - the author asserts - but they are packed with daring criminal escapades, clever cons, heartbreaking failures and violent retributions. Overall, it paints an intriguing picture of the London underworld in the years around and just after World War II. Fascinating for anyone with an interest in that period of history or crime in general.
Here's something a bit different!
For a book which was published the year before I was born, this was a surprisingly engaging read! Supposedly written by a member of the criminal fraternity, it certainly seems authentic enough, and is brimming with colourful language (much of it cockney rhyming slang: whistle = whistle and flute = suit, bird = bird-lime = time, i.e. time in prison). Even more full of colourful characters, such as 'College Harry', 'Sapphire Harris', 'Short Time Lew' and so on.
The stories are all quite short and all true - the author asserts - but they are packed with daring criminal escapades, clever cons, heartbreaking failures and violent retributions. Overall, it paints an intriguing picture of the London underworld in the years around and just after World War II. Fascinating for anyone with an interest in that period of history or crime in general.
The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat
A classic novel that I hadn't read in a long time. There was a lot of detail that I'd forgotten, which had the advantage of making the re-reading feel quite fresh!
One of the things I'd forgotten was a line at the end of the first paragraph: 'Above all, it is a true story, because that is the only kind worth telling.'
Which was a bit of a slap in the face for writers of fiction (such as myself!), and slightly disingenuous since it is actually a fictionalised account of the Battle of the Atlantic - albeit based on the authors own wartime experience. And to be fair it has been described as 'the best and most authentic guide to the mentality of the wartime escort commander' (historian Paul Kennedy quoted in Wikipedia).
Some people have seen in the film made from this book a strong element of patriotic propaganda, but in re-reading it after many years I didn't get that feeling. Rather, it seemed to me to be a straightforward recounting of terrible experiences and the effect they had on those who experienced them. The writing was almost dispassionate, even whilst describing the huge emotional, mental and physical toll taken by events.
It is all the more powerful for being so. The characters are clear cut and authentic, the interaction of their lives and backgrounds in the context of war at sea traced clearly. The result is a sometimes shocking, sometimes exciting, often moving and always authentic story.
NB - My edition was published by The Reprint Society Ltd. in 1953. The cover art for this is rather bland, so I've chosen to use the much more exciting cover from the Penguin Mass Market paperback.
A classic novel that I hadn't read in a long time. There was a lot of detail that I'd forgotten, which had the advantage of making the re-reading feel quite fresh!
One of the things I'd forgotten was a line at the end of the first paragraph: 'Above all, it is a true story, because that is the only kind worth telling.'
Which was a bit of a slap in the face for writers of fiction (such as myself!), and slightly disingenuous since it is actually a fictionalised account of the Battle of the Atlantic - albeit based on the authors own wartime experience. And to be fair it has been described as 'the best and most authentic guide to the mentality of the wartime escort commander' (historian Paul Kennedy quoted in Wikipedia).
Some people have seen in the film made from this book a strong element of patriotic propaganda, but in re-reading it after many years I didn't get that feeling. Rather, it seemed to me to be a straightforward recounting of terrible experiences and the effect they had on those who experienced them. The writing was almost dispassionate, even whilst describing the huge emotional, mental and physical toll taken by events.
It is all the more powerful for being so. The characters are clear cut and authentic, the interaction of their lives and backgrounds in the context of war at sea traced clearly. The result is a sometimes shocking, sometimes exciting, often moving and always authentic story.
NB - My edition was published by The Reprint Society Ltd. in 1953. The cover art for this is rather bland, so I've chosen to use the much more exciting cover from the Penguin Mass Market paperback.
The Picture House Murders
and
The Pantomime Murders
by Fiona Veitch Smith
and
The Pantomime Murders
by Fiona Veitch Smith
Another two books I've put together, this time because they are the first and second in a new series. Fiona Veitch Smith writes murder mysteries set in the 1920's. Her previous series (Poppy Denby Investigates) featured a young female reporter: the main character for these books is Clara Vale, who has a degree in chemistry, a family who disapprove of her, and an uncle who leaves her a detective agency in his will. It turns out that she has a talent for investigation, but also an unfortunate tendency towards impulsive words and actions. The combination makes her life quite exciting!
One of the things I like about these books is the in-depth research which underlies them, and the consequent authenticity of the background. The glamour of the '20s rubs up against the deep-rooted misogyny that was common in those days - and a woman trying to solve a crime runs up against that all the time! The characters are vivid and well developed, and the crimes they have to solve are intriguing!
The third in this series - 'The Pyramid Murders' - is due out in May 2024 - something I'll be looking out for!
One of the things I like about these books is the in-depth research which underlies them, and the consequent authenticity of the background. The glamour of the '20s rubs up against the deep-rooted misogyny that was common in those days - and a woman trying to solve a crime runs up against that all the time! The characters are vivid and well developed, and the crimes they have to solve are intriguing!
The third in this series - 'The Pyramid Murders' - is due out in May 2024 - something I'll be looking out for!
I try to keep these annual book reviews to five titles, and I've already cheated on that, so I'd better stop there. But there's been a lot of other good reading by excellent authors. Some names you may have heard of, some you perhaps haven't, but all ones that I've enjoyed. Such as Joe Abercrombie and Philip S. Davies for fantasy, Tamsyn Muir, N. K. Jemisin and Emma Newman for SF, C. F. Dunn and Jean Gill for historical fiction, Fran Hill for contemporary fiction... and so on.
Much more to read in 2024. Enjoy!
Much more to read in 2024. Enjoy!