25) London Rules by Mick Herron If you like spy thrillers or crime, and also enjoy a wry smile and some sharp, sardonic wit, then you have probably already read the first four of the Mick Herron-penned Slough House series. At this point, reading one of these feels like the literary equivalent of having a… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 25: London Rules
Author: nicktemple1
Year 4 / Book 24: The Things I Would Tell You
24) The Things I Would Tell You ed. Sabrina Mahfouz The subtitle to this collection is 'British Muslim Women Write', and it's a varied collection of short stories, poetry, essays and play scripts all written by Muslim women in Britain. And an extremely interesting and powerful collection it is too - with a wide range… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 24: The Things I Would Tell You
Year 4 / Book 23: IQ
23) IQ by Joe Ide This crime thriller has been tucked away in the depths of the Kindle for a while: I bought it having read a review (I forget where) that basically said it showcased the arrival of a hip-hop Sherlock Homes for the 21st century . Which, at worst, sounded like it might… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 23: IQ
Year 4 / Book 22: Asymmetry
22) Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday This novel was widely praised in 2018, and it's been on the To Be Read pile for a while Chez Temple. The premise of the book is that it is split into two relatively distinct sections, and then that a third short section helps reveal how these two stories connect… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 22: Asymmetry
Year 4 / Book 21: How Democracy Ends
21) How Democracy Ends by David Runciman I got given this book for my birthday (or possibly Xmas) by my wife's aunt, and she cheerily said as I opened it, "I look forward to finding out what the answer is". Well, I'm not sure there is one answer but I have at least read the… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 21: How Democracy Ends
Year 4 / Book 20: Girl Zero
20) Girl Zero by A A Dhand Back into police procedural land, and into the world of A A Dhand and his creation, Harry Virdee. The world in question is Bradford, which makes a refreshing change from London or, at a push, Edinburgh, where I often feel like most fictional crime in the UK seems… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 20: Girl Zero
Year 4 / Book 19: You Think It, I’ll Say It
19) You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld You Think It, I'll Say It is a book of short stories that are witty, sharp and at times extremely moving. I've never read anything by Sittenfeld before (though seen reviews of her novels that have praised her highly), and I'd heartily recommend this as… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 19: You Think It, I’ll Say It
Year 4 / Book 18: Perfidious Albion
18) Perfidious Albion by Sam Byers This is a book that puts the Z in zeitgeisty - every element of a timely contemporary satire is in place: a Farage-esque MP (with far-right affiliations), a social networking / tech giant infiltrating democracy and employment; a vacuous Jordan Peterson-type character; #metoo gender politics and online trolling (and… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 18: Perfidious Albion
Year 4 / Book 17: Dying Fall
17) Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths I've read quite a few books by Elly Griffiths over the last couple of years, and they are pretty uniformly entertaining. Whilst mildly undemanding on the whole, the main characters are what raises her books above the norm a little - Ruth Galloway is a forensic archaeologist and single… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 17: Dying Fall
Year 4 / Book 16: Aberystwyth Mon Amour
16) Aberystwyth Mon Amour by Malcolm Pryce This was recommended to me sometime ago by my wife Katie's cousin's wife Rachel - thanks Rachel - and I bought it after stumbling across it in the local Oxfam bookshop. It's the first of a series of books by Malcolm Pryce, and is a wry, funny and… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 16: Aberystwyth Mon Amour
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 