And there we say goodbye to another week which now means that 1/26 of a year has gone. Like that. Blink of an eye territory. Scary stuff. I’m now really sure what makes time so fast when you get older, but it certainly feels like it’s on one heck of a spring these days. As a result of being busy, I’ve done nothing of any note other than read, exercise, work, and diet with an occasional bout of sleep added in for good measure. I’m hoping things improve over the coming weeks, if only because I have a lot of annual leave to use up so I’m hoping to get out and about a bit more. No exciting pictures so I’m recycling and lookign for inspiration of sunnier, warmer days – forgive me.
An Atlantic Puffin on the Farne Islands
It’s been a moderately quiet week, by my standards on the book front. Not nothing, but less than some weeks. I received two lovely bits of book post in the week, one expected, the other I knew was a kind of possibility but not guaranteed. Firstly I received Every Trick In The Book by Bernard O’Keeffe (15 Feb), the third book in the DI Garibaldi series from Muswell Press. It was one I’d been contacted about by the publicist a few months back and I’d expressed interest but kind of forgotten all about, so it was a nice surprise. The second was To Kill A Shadow by Julia Castleton (02 March). I was contacted by one of the authors (this book is by a writing partnership under a psuedonym) and as I’ve read both authors before and loved their work, I was more than happy to take a look. Some wonderful reading days ahead of me I think!
L-R: Every Trick In The Book; To Kill A Shadow
One book buy in the week – Private Lessons by Bernard O’Keeffe on audio. I’ve read book one in the Garibaldi series, but somehow missed this one so thought I’d best fill in the gap. Why not right? Two UBER exciting books from Netgalley this week too. Still See You Everywhere (12 Mar), the brand new Frankie Elkin thriller from Lisa Gardner which has to be one of my highly anticipated reads of this year (love this series - thank you Penguin). I also managed to get All The Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Ebook 25 June, H/N 16 Jul) courtesy of Orion. I love Chris’s writing and he is one of I think only two writers to hit the top spot in my Bookvent countdown so I’m looking forward to this so much. I usually try and read in review date order, but can see me making an exception for this one as not sure I can wait until May/Jun to read it.
L-R: Private Lessons; Still See You Everywhere: All The Colours of the Dark
Books I have read
Fourteen Days, edited by Margaret Atwood (06 Feb)
Set in a New York apartment building, Fourteen Days is an irresistibly propulsive novel with an unusual twist: each character in this diverse, eccentric cast of neighbours has been secretly written by a different, major literary voice – from Margaret Atwood and John Grisham to Emma Donoghue and Celeste Ng. One week into lockdown, the tenants of a run-down apartment building in Manhattan have begun to gather on the rooftop each evening and tell stories. With each passing night, more and more neighbours gather, bringing chairs and milk crates and overturned pails. Gradually the tenants – some of whom have barely spoken to each other before now – become real neighbours. A dazzling, heartwarming and ultimately surprising narrative, Fourteen Days is an ode to the power of storytelling and human connection. Includes writing from : Charlie Jane Anders, Margaret Atwood, Jennine Capo Crucet, Pat Cummings, Joseph Cassara, Angie Cruz, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Maria Hinojosa, Mira Jacob, Erica Jong, CJ Lyons, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Mary Pope Osborne, Doug Preston, Alice Randall, Caroline Randall, Ishmael Reed, Roxana Robinson, Nelly Rosario, James Shapiro, Hampton Sides, R.L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Monique Truong, Scott Turow, Luis Alberto Urrea, Rachel Vail, Weike Wang, DeShawn Charles Winslow, Meg Wolitzer
Out Of Time by David Klass
An unstoppable terrorist. But not like any that’s gone before . . . Each attack he launches targets global threats to the environment. Only one man can stop him. But should he? So gripping you won’t stop reading. So original, you won’t stop talking about it. This is a thriller like nothing you’ve read before . . .
Nobody’s Angel by Jack Clark (13 Feb)
QUENTIN TARANTINO on NOBODY’S ANGEL: “My favourite fiction novel this year was written by a taxi driver who used to hand it out to his passengers. It’s a terrific story and character study of a cabbie in Chicago during a time when a serial killer is robbing and murdering cabbies. Kudos to Hard Case Crime for publishing Mr. Clark’s book.”
TWO KILLERS STALK THE STREETS OF CHICAGO—CAN ONE TAXI DRIVER CORNER THEM BOTH?
Eddie Miles is one of a dying breed: a Windy City hack who knows every street and back alley of his beloved city and takes its recent descent into violence personally. But what can one driver do about a killer targeting streetwalkers or another terrorizing cabbies? Precious little—until the night he witnesses one of them in action…
I Spy by Claire Kendal
Someone is watching your every move…
Holly Lawrence always wanted to be a spy, but the experience proved more dangerous than anything she imagined.
Now, Holly lives in hiding under an assumed name. She avoids relationships and trusts no one. But Holly’s new life begins to unravel when she encounters a young mother and her two-year-old child… a child who reminds her of a past she has tried hard to forget.
This time, someone is spying on her, and Holly will need to decide how far she is willing to go to survive…
So that’s my lot for the week. Four books – not bad. One was only just over 200 pages which helped but I really did tear through Out of Time and I Spy so huge regrets leaving them on my shelf for so long. Busy enough week on the blog, recap below
#Review – Holmes, Margaret & Poe – James Patterson & Brian Sitts #Review – One – Eve Smith #Review – The Dancer – Óskar Guðmundsson & Quentin Bates (translator) #Review – Left For Dead – Joy Kluver #Review – The Queen of Poisons – Robert Thorogood
Just the one blog tour this week which is Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald (18 Jan). I love Helen’s work and this was another absolute belter, a bit of dark humour to rival Worst Case Scenario
And that is it from me. I am off to read a bit more and catch up on reviews – sadly they just don’t write themselves. Have a lovely week all and hope you find some reading time.
Jen x
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