The Last Kingdom is a story set in England in the 9th century. Uhtred is a young noble living in a fortress in Northumbria when the Danes invade and overthrow the small kingdoms of the northeast. Uhtred is taken at age 10 by the Danes and adopted by a family, learning their ways. In the wars to follow, Uhtred fights … Continue reading →
Elizabeth is Missing is a mystery novel with an unreliable narrator, Maude Horsham. She is in her late 80’s and has dementia. She is convinced her friend is missing, although she has no short term memory and is often confused. She sticks to her belief and the case of the missing friend becomes mixed with a 70 year old mystery, … Continue reading →
In Cold Blood is a non-fiction (True Crime) novel that tells the story of a family brutally murdered by two killers, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959. Truman Capote and his friend Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) traveled to Kansas to interview the locals and authorities. He made 8000 pages of notes and over the … Continue reading →
A Darker Shade of Magic is an adventure-fantasy novel with parallel worlds, wizards, royal courts, secrets, duels, intrigue, and a quest for Kell (An Antari wizard from Red London) and Lila (a thief from Grey London). There are no great underlying themes, nor any attempt to develop a parable, nor are there any obvious parallels to today’s world. It is … Continue reading →
Although I enjoyed this book, I am also conflicted about the merits of the writing. Delia Owens wrote a best-selling book, but she did not have a background as a novelist. The story itself is inspired, with its love of nature, the plight of an abandoned young girl, Society’s response to the “Marsh Girl,” and the conflicts arising from the … Continue reading →
Nickel Boys is narrated by Elwood Curtis living in New York City in the present time, looking back at a period of time when he attended the Nickel Academy (a reform school in Florida) when he was a teenager. Colson Whitehead tells the story at various points in Ellwood’s life and it isn’t until the end of the story that … Continue reading →
The book of Koli is a dystopian science fiction novel, told in a future after civilization has broken down and genetically-altered nature has taken over. People survive in small villages or enclaves and build their own way-of-life, complete with the myths created by those in charge. The story is told by an illiterate youth named Koli. With no education he … Continue reading →
After I have read a book, I sometimes go right to reviews to see what has been said about the story. There are some excellent reviewers out there, including the New York Times, the Guardian, and Kirkus Reviews. I am not a fan of retelling the story and in my own reviews, I try to avoid doing that. I am … Continue reading →
Quiet in her Bones is a mystery – thriller set in Aukland, New Zealand. It is told in the first person, telling the story of a writer whose mother disappeared ten years earlier. Almost all of the events of the mystery take place in a cul-de-sac of well-to-do families who have a number of secrets that are gradually hinted at, … Continue reading →
The Shadow of the Wind was written in a nineteenth century story to tell the story of a young man (Daniel Sempere) who is introduced to rare and obscure books by his father, an owner of a bookshop. When reaches a certain age, he is taken to the secret, hidden, and labyrinth Cemetery of Forgotten Books where he picks one … Continue reading →
The Book Thief is a tale narrated by Death, who tells the story of a young girl and the people in her life in Germany during World War Two, “an attempt—a flying jump of an attempt—to prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it.” In an interview, Zusak said he wanted to write a fictional … Continue reading →
Age of Iron is a historical action-adventure novel set in the Britain before the arrival of the Romans. We are introduced to Dug Sealskinner, an aging mercenary who is battle-scarred, roaming and fleeing from the death of his family. He is looking for work with the regional warlord (Zaidar) but gets caught in an invasion of a village and his … Continue reading →
The Girl with the Pearl Earring is a fictional account of events in the life of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, in a city of Delft, Holland in 1665. In his home a teenage girl named Griet comes into the service of the family. She lives in the painter’s home and is part of the domestic staff. Her maid’s duties evolve … Continue reading →
Full disclosure first. I have read all the Jeeves books, I have seen all of the Jeeves and Wooster shows, and I have read most of P.G. Wodehouse’s books, many more than once. I am a full-fledged fan and always will be. The Inimitable Jeeves was the first of the Jeeves novels, but most of the 11 stories in the … Continue reading →
The start of The Secret History was a surprise. We learn that the narrator (Richard Pappin) and his friends committed a murder of their friend. The next 540+ pages explains the events that led up to the event, then what happened afterwards. The novel focuses on five college friends who are in a classics program at a smaller institution in … Continue reading →
Ian Rankin has written 25 novels, a number of them (inc. the Rebus series) bestsellers and award winners. Before he settled on crime fiction, Rankin wrote a variety of books, some of them thrillers like Witch Hunt. Witch Hunt was an early novel, written under the pseudonym Jack Harvey. It follows Special Services Officers in a pursuit of a terrorist … Continue reading →
