11) Zeitoun by Dave Eggers I don't really know where to start when talking about this book. For reasons that I hope become clear. The simple facts are that it is a non-fiction book by Dave Eggers (one of my favourite authors) on what happens to a family both pre- and post- Hurricane Katrina in New… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 11: Zeitoun
Category: Year 2
Year 2 reviews
Year 2 / Book 10: Sirens
10) Sirens by Joseph Knox God bless the community book share at Acton Central. This is a recently released thriller with lots of favourable reviews, and I had mentally consigned it to the "wait till it comes out in paperback" list but then found an uncorrected authors proof at Acton station. If you work in… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 10: Sirens
Year 2 / Book 9: Men Explain Things To Me
9) Men Explain Things to Me & Other Essays by Rebecca Solnit 'Mansplaining' is one of those terms that has rapidly become known, used and accepted into language - largely because everyone instantly understands what it is and how often it happens. Apparently the first essay in this book by Rebecca Solnit was partly responsible… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 9: Men Explain Things To Me
Year 2 / Book 8: The Ghost Riders of Ordebec
8) The Ghost Riders of Ordebec by Fred Vargas I haven't read a Fred Vargas novel for quite some time, but was fortunate to see this at our local station's free community bookshelf, and grabbed it. Vargas is an excellent writer of quirky, original and often slightly mystical French crime thrillers - featuring the wonderful… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 8: The Ghost Riders of Ordebec
Year 2 / Book 7: March Violets
7) March Violets by Philip Kerr It seemed like a strangely appropriate moment to read a novel set in mid 1930s Germany - can't imagine why. So I returned to Philip Kerr's great set of Bernie Gunther novels, a detective who is like Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe with a heavy side-dose of British sarcasm and quick-wittedness.… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 7: March Violets
Year 2 / Book 5 & 6 – Bird in a Cage & The Last Temptation
After the heavy but brilliant non-fiction of The Unwinding, I've retrenched to a bit of escapist crime & police fiction.... 5) Bird in a Cage by Frederic Dard This is a short, atmospheric, slightly gothic tale which packs a lot of plot complexity and character exposition into a slim number of pages. It follows a… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 5 & 6 – Bird in a Cage & The Last Temptation
Year 2 / Book 4: The Unwinding
4) The Unwinding by George Packer. The subtitle of this book gives you an insight into what it is about: An Inner History of the New America. I downloaded it when on offer probably 2 years or more ago, and had largely forgotten it was languishing on my Kindle. Which was a mistake. This is an… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 4: The Unwinding
Year 2 / Book 3: Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone
3) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Either a) how have you not read this already? or b) why are you, an adult, reading a children's book? I very much come from the latter camp, and have read this largely because I became so vitriolic… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 3: Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone
Year 2 / Book 2: Redemption
Another week and another Danish read, but this time back into crime-thriller territory. 2) Redemption by Jussi Adler-Olsen. I read the first and second of this bestselling series many moons ago and found it fun but a little far-fetched, and a touch try-hard. But being in Copenhagen for a week meant that I searched out the next… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 2: Redemption
Year 2 / Book 1: The Year of Living Danishly
So I've decided to continue the Book-A-Week thing, and this year started off in Copenhagen, so what better book to read than: 1) The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. It's a fairly undemanding tale of a London-based couple in their 30s leaving to go and live in Denmark for a year, after the… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 1: The Year of Living Danishly
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 