36) Why We Get the Wrong Politicians by Isabel Hardman Purely coincidental timing of course, no reason why I should be thinking about the country having the wrong politicians at the moment. But, for whatever reason, I did find myself opening this book by Isabel Hardman, a political journalist at the Spectator, whose writing and… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 36: Why We Get The Wrong Politicians
Category: Year 4
Year 4 / Book 35: The Liar
35) The Liar by Steve Cavanagh I’ve read a couple of books by Steve Cavanagh (The Defence and Thirteen) and I like the cut of his authorial jib. The main hero of his legal thrillers, Eddie Flynn, is a likeable ruffian with a Perry Mason-esque ability to make things happen in the courtroom, whilst having… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 35: The Liar
Year 4 / Book 34: Moonstone
34) Moonstone by Sjon Sjon is an Icelandic novelist, and this short and powerful novel is set in Reykjavik towards the end of the world war in 2018. Máni is a young free-spirited teenager with an intense love of cinema, and a penchant for flights of fancy (primarily about the mystical Sóla G, his sort-of… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 34: Moonstone
Year 4 / Book 33: The Chain
33) The Chain by Adrian McKinty I’d never heard of Adrian McKinty, but I’d seen this book rocket up the bestselling charts, and wondered about it. And then, what do you know, someone had left the hardback in the place we were staying - thank you mystery person in mid-to-South France. Because it was great… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 33: The Chain
Year 4 / Book 32: Blood Orange
32) Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce This one had been lying dormant on the Kindle for a while, and a holiday seemed as good a time as any to see whether it was as thrilling as some of the reviews had suggested. It’s a bit like Anatomy of a Scandal or Apple Tree Yard meets… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 32: Blood Orange
Year 4 / Book 31: Past Tense
31) Past Tense by Lee Child Yes folks, it’s Jack Reacher time. I think I’ve been reading these at a steady one a year for a long time now - someone in Acton generally buys the most recent one and leaves it in May/June time at the station community bookshelf: which is how this beauty… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 31: Past Tense
Year 4 / Book 30: Conversations with Friends
30) Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney If you read any reviews of literary fiction or any coverage of prizes in the past couple of years, or even if you just look askance at your average Waterstones book pile, you will have read the name Sally Rooney a hundred times or more. For this debut… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 30: Conversations with Friends
Year 4 / Book 29: Terrific Mother
29) Terrific Mother by Lorrie Moore So, disclaimer - this is a *short* book: it's been a busy week. It's part of a set of Faber short stories published recently (called, appropriately, Faber Stories), which includes stories from a wide range of authors. Other disclaimer: I love Lorrie Moore, and she can basically write no… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 29: Terrific Mother
Year 4 / Book 28: Rather Be The Devil
28) Rather Be The Devil by Ian Rankin It's been quite a while since I dipped my toe back into the world of Ian Rankin - and the fabulous creations of John Rebus, Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox; as well as Rebus' criminal counterpoint, Big Ger Cafferty. This is another delve into the criminal underworld… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 28: Rather Be The Devil
Year 4 / Book 27: The CEO Next Door
27) The CEO Next Door by Elena Botelho and Kim Powell For those of you who actually read this blog regularly, you will have become accustomed to a mix of literary fiction, crime, thrillers and non-fiction books on a range of topics. The latter have tended recently to be fairly wide-ranging: from the opioid crisis… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 27: The CEO Next Door
